Ballad of Billy the Kid

I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends

Lilac Wine

It's a Jeff Buckley kinda day, friends.

I hope you're drinking a hot mug of tea out there somewhere.

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"

This was stuck in my head today.

Enjoy.

Winter Mixin'

On Saturday afternoon/evening, Shay and I stopped here for a few hours in order to work on our NaNoWriMo's.  So naturally, we ended up spending making fabulous Winter Mixes for the car.  Our conversation went something like:

"Okay... Beatles.  Did you get Across the Universe?"

"Yes.  But I haven't gotten Nick Drake yet."

"That's perfect I was just about to toss in Time of No Reply." 

"Awesome.  And, how do you feel about Queen?  Winter....or Summer...?"

And so on.

Well ladies and gents, here it is.  

Molly's Winter Mix 2011-2012

1. Ceremony...............................,...........................Joy Division

2. The Only Living Boy in New York..........Simon & Garfunkel

3. I Feel it All......................................................................Feist

4. Maples Leaves [EP Version]..............................Jens Lekman

 5. Walk or Ride...................................................The Ditty Bops

6. Time of No Reply...................................................Nick Drake

7. Under Pressure...............................Queen & David Bowie

8. Winter Song.......................................The Head and the Heart

9. Diamonds on the Inside........................................Ben Harper

10. Tea for Two.....................................................Ella Fitzgerald

11. The Boy Done Wrong Again..................... Belle & Sebastian

12. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)............Nancy Sinatra

13. Peaches & Cream........................................John Butler Trio

14. Flightless Bird....................................................Iron & Wine

15. Wednesday Morning, at 3 A.M. (Live)..Simon & Garfunkel

16. Gypsy...............................................................Suzanne Vega

17. Wake Up..............................................................Arcade Fire

L-House Update: 31

An L-House Update...

1.  I want one of these.

2. Aren't these illustrations great??

3.  Cillian Murphy and Leslie Feist in the same picture. 

Photo by Mary Rozzi

4. "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."

-C.S. Lewis

5. For them beachy waves in non-beachy times... 

6. Hahah.... This blog is hilarious.  I mean, let's be honest-- they do have pretty fabulous style.

7.  I just want to walk around their store forever.  I bet is smells like leather and the unfinished wood floors click softly beneath your feet.

8.  Too funny.  I'm glad that Frasier Crane made the list.

9. Speaking of Feist, I am currently listening to a stream of her new album.  Because I am too cheap to buy it.  Take a listen!

10. Alfalfa sprouts are awesome.  Mostly because they look like a golf course green when you open the box.  

And, I thought I should just share that with the world.  Hello there, world!

Feelin' Feist-y

Feist from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

Homeward Bound

I just submitted the worst story I've ever written in my life.  I'm nowhere near done packing.  I forgot to finish the dishes.  I still have a bunch of songs left to analyze.  My throat is slowly dying and I have a voice lesson today.  But the horrible part is that I can't bring myself to care about any of it!  Oh goodness.  Burnt out doesn't begin to describe my current state of mind.

A calming song for a stressful day.  (It is my belief, much like the Dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, that Paul Simon, like Windex, can cure any ailment whatsoever.)

Oh golly, I can't believe that in twelve hours I'll be back in my lovely lovely South.  I am fully prepared for my soul to simply melt as soon as I get on the flight from Philly to Richmond and hear those warm accents swingin' their syllables away. 

"But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity.  Like emptiness in harmony, I need someone to comfort me..."

Autumnal

Fall is upon us!  I am a very seasonal person.  Meaning, I strongly associate certain movies, books, and music with certain times of the year.  The following is a list of some of my absolutely favorite fall things.  So, grab a sweater and a mug of hot cider and take a look...

1. The Catcher in the Rye 2. His Dark Materials 3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 4. Ella & Louis 5. The Best of Simon and Garfunkel 6. Funeral by the Arcade Fire 7. Mona Lisa Smile 8. Remember the Titans 9. Capote 10. Pumpkin Pie 11. Apple Crumble 12. Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

Let it Die

A song by Leslie Feist.  It's been rattling around in my head for the past few days.  A good goin-into-fall type of tune.  Lord I forgot how much I love that album.

Enjoy.

Happy Listening!

Here is the final playlist!  Thank you so much for all of great suggestions.  Definitely expanded my music library!

1. Be My Baby by The Ronettes
2. The Click Song (Live) by Miriam Makeba
3. I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair) by Sandi Thom

4. Elephant Gun by Beirut

5. Lost in My Mind by The Head and the Heart

6. You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon Cover) by Jens Lekman

7. Down on the Corner (Emynd Drum Edit) by Creedance Clearwater Revival

8. Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful

9. If Looks Could Kill by Camera Obscura

10. California by Joni Mitchell

11. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

12. Complainte de la Butte by Rufus Wainwright 

13. Sea of Love by Phil Phillips

14. Something in the Air by Thunderclap Newton

15. Philosophy (Inc Misirlou) by Ben Folds

16. Heartbeats (The Knife Cover) by Jose Gonzalez

17. Melt With You by Modern English

 © 2011 M. Hunter Korroch

The Day Lady Died

A fantastic tribute to Billie Holiday.  Also, throwback to sophomore year of high school anyone?

The Day Lady Died

By Frank O'Hara

It is 12:20 in New York a Friday

three days after Bastille day, yes

it is 1959 and I go get a shoeshine

because I will get off the 4:19 in Easthampton   

at 7:15 and then go straight to dinner

and I don’t know the people who will feed me

I walk up the muggy street beginning to sun   

and have a hamburger and a malted and buy

an ugly NEW WORLD WRITING to see what the poets   

in Ghana are doing these days

                                          

I go on to the bank

and Miss Stillwagon (first name Linda I once heard)   

doesn’t even look up my balance for once in her life   

and in the GOLDEN GRIFFIN I get a little Verlaine   

for Patsy with drawings by Bonnard although I do   

think of Hesiod, trans. Richmond Lattimore or   

Brendan Behan’s new play or Le Balcon or Les Nègres

of Genet, but I don’t, I stick with Verlaine

after practically going to sleep with quandariness

and for Mike I just stroll into the PARK LANE

Liquor Store and ask for a bottle of Strega and   

then I go back where I came from to 6th Avenue   

and the tobacconist in the Ziegfeld Theatre and   

casually ask for a carton of Gauloises and a carton

of Picayunes, and a NEW YORK POST with her face on it

and I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of

leaning on the john door in the 5 SPOT

while she whispered a song along the keyboard

to Mal Waldron and everyone and I stopped breathing

Any ideas?

So, I've been trying to compile a list of songs for the summer.  An acoustic power ballad play list. (Shazam.)  Thus far I have:  

1. Lost in My Mind by The Head and the Heart

2. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes.

Unfortunately, you can't make a good mix with only two songs.  So, I implore you, what is your favorite summery acoustic power ballad?  Just post your tune!

-m.

Featured Wish List: Melissa Redd

A wish list by:
Melissa Redd

Apparel...

1. Timberland Earthkeepers Desert Boots
2. A pair of double front Carhartts in Dark Brown
3. Overall Shorts in Green Khaki
4. Denim Button Down
(To be tucked in and sleeves rolled up...)
5. A Summer Bikini


Living Accessories... 

1. Kelty Gunnison 3.1 Tent, with Footprint
2. Kelty Woman's Redtail 26 Daypack in Charcoal
3. A New Pocket Knife that Includes Pliers
4. Bamboo Bike 
(I really, really don't need this, but it's so cool!)
5. Berns Helmet


Dreamland...

1. An old cabin cottage tucked in the mountains of anywhere really, that I could fix up... 

2. Tupelo Trees
3. Beehive Boxes 
4. An Old Piece-Of-Crap Volvo Converted to Run off Bio-Diesel
5. Maybe a Partner to do This With...

6. A Compost Toilet.
7. A Field of Sunflowers.
 8. Also an Old Motorcycle...
(Think Che/Benjamin Button/Motorcycle Diaries/India)


Missy's Perfect Evening?

Guest List...

    Robert Redford (circa Out of Africa), Wesley (aka the Dream Man--the equivalent to James for those of you who know who that is...), Brad Pitt (circa Legends of the Fall), Edward Norton, Molly Korroch, Melissa Redd, Kirsten McDonald, Clare Dexter Shanley 

And this is what we'd do...

    Well, first we would go to dinner at some place like the Little Grill Collective and Five Forks Cafe combined, and would somehow suddenly be off Route 66.  (I would eat an Avocado Melt Gyro.)  Then, we'd go out dancing to old time music in a big barn. (Like the dance in A River Runs Through It.) It would feature the angelic voice of Robin Pecknold himself.  Songs like Blue Ride Mountains and Helplessness Blues by the Fleet Foxes.  Bare-feet, and I'd wear a dress like this one.  My guests and I would dance ourselves into a tizzy, and by then the stars would be out.  We'd sit in the evening light around a flickering campfire.  Talking, laughing, and taking swigs of Jack Daniels. But, I wouldn't really have that much at all. Because I'm a lady.  

We'd all pass out in tangle of limbs. (Oh, Robert Redford is that your arm I'm using as a pillow?)
In the morning we'd wake and hike not to a peak, but to a plateau. An open field filled with sunlight and honeybees to watch the sun rise like it does everyday. We'd all sing a solemn round of As the Deer Panteth.  Then we'd go to my old cabin cottage and eat blueberry, walnut, and chocolate chip pancakes with real maple syrup and black coffee all around.


Everyone would break out guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles--maybe even an accordion--and we'd pick at some songs. We'd promise to form a band and travel around the country via trains and hitch-hiking for a year. And we'd actually do it. The name of our band would be: The Red Orchard.  Because I think that sounds good...and there's a Redford and a Redd. So, I mean, it's in the cards...

Thanks Miss!  (I love the band name.)  If anyone is interested in being featured, as always, just comment or email!  --m.

Gyptian.

Hold You by Gyptian.  This is a Tiny Desk Concert, from NPR.

Here's to the taste of warm air.

Featured Wish List: Jaime Guyon

A new series has begun!!  In addition to my weekly L-House Updates, I will dedicate one post a week as a  

 featured wish list...

I am always interested in perspective and discovering what someone else finds appealing or interesting.  It always proves to be a great source of inspiration, and allows me reach beyond myself!

A wish list by:

 Jaime Guyon

Apparel...

1. Leather Biker Jacket

2.Black Scoop-Backed Leotard

3.This Pretty White Shirt

4. Worn in Cut-Off Overalls

5. Dark-Wash Summer Jeans

Accessories...

1. Butter Nail Lacquer in Come to Bed Red

2. Black Platform Heels

3. Tiffany's Diamond Studs

4. Black Ballet Flats

5. Black Ray Bans

Cosmetics...

1. Chanel Lipstick in Liberté

2. Dior Black-Out Mascara

3. Elizabeth W Rose Eau de Parfum

4. Lavender Soap

5. Stila Liquid Eyeliner

Jaime's dream dinner party?

Food...

Family style. Homemade wine.  (Which everyone shall drink from hand-thrown ceramic goblets.)  A salad with green apples, endive, gorgonzola, cranberries, and a dark balsamic vinaigrette.  Roasted pork with red potatoes tossed with rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil.  Grilled brussel sprouts.  Fresh whole-wheat baguettes with homemade butter.  And for dessert, homemade dark chocolate brioche with fresh berries, berry coulis, and chocolate shavings on top.

Location...

The French countryside.  A summery, fire-fly evening.  Think Chocolat.  We'll sit under a rose covered trellis outside of an old farm house.  There will be sheer white drapes with white lights shining.  An old mismatched table and chairs with a white linen tablecloth.  Drippy brass candlesticks and wild flowers.

  

Guest List...

Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordan-Levitt, James Franco, James Dean, Marlon Brando (circa 1950), Joni Mitchell, Imogen Heap, Johnny Depp, Jay Gatsby, Jeff Buckley

 

Song...

Each Coming Night by Iron & Wine

Big thanks to Jaime for helping make the first ever Featured Wish List happen!  

If anyone has a wish list and would be interested in being featured, or has someone to recommend, just send me an email at mollykorroch@gmail.com or comment below!  Thanks, m.

Lonely Avenue

A new album by Ben Folds with the lyrics by Nick Hornby, who is the author of About A Boy and High Fidelity among other things...

This song is hilarious:

Levi Johnston's Blues

Woke up this morning, what do I see
Three thousand cameras pointed at me
Dude says, "You Levi?"
I'm like, "Yes, that's me sir"
"Well you just knocked up the VP nominee's daughter"
So I tell him "No, you got it wrong mister,
Already got a girl and her name's Bristol"
They all laugh and say "Where you been, sonny?
Your mother in law's a heartbeat from the presidency"

So I say, "Mother in law? No, we aint getting married"
They say, "Soon you will boy, she just announced it"
I get on my dirtbike and ride to my girl's home
Gonna lay down the law
Tell her what's goin' on

I'm a fuckin' redneck, I live to hang out with the boys
Play some hockey, do some fishin' and kill some moose
I like to shoot the shit and do some chillin' I guess
You fuck with me and I'll kick your ass

So we talk and it turns out we don't believe in abortion
And sex outside marriage is against our religion
And when I try to tell them I'm 18 years old,
They say "Levi it's too late, you've got to do as you're told"

I'm a fuckin' redneck, I live to hang out with the boys
Play some hockey, do some fishin' and kill some moose
I like to shoot the shit and do some chillin' I guess
You fuck with me and I'll kick your ass

I heard an interview with Ben Folds and Nick Hornby on NPR with my dad, on my way home from school.  They talked about the meaning of the songs and the process of producing the album.  I love hearing about inspirations.  So, while you're folding your laundry/cleaning your room/making dinner, take a listen.  It's pretty cool.

Why is Jeff Buckley dead?

There is no good reason.

Valentine's Day: Top Ten Most Romantic Songs

Two things:

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear, dear, friend, Miss Aubrey Jane. And,

2. due to the impending Valentine's Day, I have decided to post a small series of romantically themed top ten lists (in no particular order).  I really have no special attachment to Valentine's Day.  However, I do love the romantic--from the schmaltzy to the profound... 
 

 Top Ten Most Romantic Songs...

1. Casmir Polaski Day by Sufjan Stevens 

This song is beautiful, because it is true.

 

2. Parigi O Cara from La Traviata by Verdi

For those of you who don't know, the movie Moulin Rouge is based on La Traviata.  So, that should assist in deciphering the story line.  Alfredo (Christian) has just discovered that Violetta (Satine) has not betrayed him.  In this scene, they are desperately pretending that everything is going to be all right, even though they both know that at this point happiness is impossible, because Violetta is terribly ill, and is probably going to die.  Forlorn love.  It kills me.  I can't even really find the words to explain this moment.  (Also, the set is incredible.  The stark statement.  It's like they're trapped in time.)  You'll just have to see for yourself...

3. The Sea of Love by Cat Power

 I almost didn't put this song on here, because it is a mite cliche in the indie circuit.  But, it's just so soft and slight and sweet...

4. Wednesday Morning at 3 AM by Paul Simon

 I'm obsessed with Paul Simon lyrics.  It's just a fact of life.  It's like you're experiencing a glimpse of someone else's life just for a moment...

 5. The First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes

 This is just adorable.  Yes to acoustic love songs. (Obviously.)

6. Mushaboom by Feist

 Comfortable love.  It's just so nice.  I love the images she paints with the lyrics.

7. Into Eternity by Jens Lekman

 Okay.  Another adorable song.  Particularly due to the memories with which I associate it.  This was my sister and brother-in-law's first dance at their wedding.  And, it was choreographed in my parent's living room by one of my best friends (the fabulously talented Miss Emily Kersey.)

8. A Case of You by Joni Mitchell

 I am also obsessed with Joni Mitchell lyrics, for similar reasons as to why I am obsessed with Paul Simon lyrics.  "You're in my blood, you're my holy wine, you taste so bitter and so sweet, I could drink a case of you darlin, and I would still be on my feet...still be on my feet..." It's such a nice image.  Warmth.  (Side note: my friend Matt is playing this on the trumpet.  I can't remember exactly why, but I still find that simultaneously hilarious and lovely.)

9. Stars Fell on Alabama by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong 

 I just have a perfect picture in my head whenever I listen to this song.  It always takes me back to the same place. So slow and so soft.  They just let it go.

10. For Emily Whenever I May Find Her by Paul Simon

This is my favorite song of all time.  Every word and every chord means something, and nothing is wasted.  I could write for pages, but I would never quite capture what is already so perfectly stated:

What a dream I had
Pressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline
Of smoky burgundy
Softer than the rain

I wandered empty streets down
Past the shop displays
I heard cathedral bells
Tripping down the alleyways
As I walked on

And when you ran to me
Your cheeks flushed with the night
We walked on frosted fields
Of juniper and lamplight
I held your hand

And when I awoke
And felt you warm and near
I kissed your honey hair
With my grateful tears
Oh I love you, girl
Oh I love you.

L-House Update: Three

An L-House Update...

 

1. The song "Sister" from the album Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens.  The lyrics are beautiful.  Listen to this sometime in the summer, at the end of a good day, when the sun is almost down...

Sister

What the water wants is hurricanes,
and sailboats to ride on its back.
What the water wants is sun kiss,
and land to run into and back.

I have a fish stone burning my elbow,
reminding me to know that I'm glad
that I have a bottle filled with my old teeth.
They fell out like a tear in the bag.

And I have a sister somewhere in Detroit
She has black hair and small hands.
And I have a kettledrum
I'll hit the earth with you.
And I will crochet you a hat.

And I have a red kite;
I'll put you right in it.
I'll show you the sky.

 

2. Moss-covered trees...

3. A dark green 1960s MG convertible...

4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.  If you haven't read it, you should.  It's a rite of passage sort of thing.  But, read it in the fall.  It's an autumn sort of story.

5. Sealing Wax.

6.This recipe.  The pear is so pretty--such a cool bowl, too.  And, what a lovely contrast to the tart!

7. English roses.

8. Floor to ceiling bookshelves.

9. Top hats.

10. Make-believe....Of course.