Notes from a Genius

Last Wednesday night I continued my concert experience by driving down to Boston with a couple of friends/ newfound concert buddies after school (yup, only 3 days into the school year, I know, but I've done the down-and-back to Boston during the week many times before this, so I knew I could handle it). This time it was going to absolutely be worth it. We went to see Volcano Choir, which is Justin Vernon's (Bon Iver) side project (he's a busy man, with Bon Iver, collaborating with Kanye West, and also his other side project Shouting Matches). I've been dying to see him in concert and quite frankly I didn't care to what capacity I saw him, I knew any show of his would be amazing. And let me tell you, Volcano Choir (after hearing only a couple of their songs to begin with) did not disappoint. They put on one of the best, all around, performances. They had a great lighting show that really helped set the mood for each song. Their sound was incredible. I think it helped...

Science of Love and Understanding My love for you  Was as thick as blood As tough as muscles You tone in bed  Before old age takes And makes them useless Stretching for miles Until it's all just weakened tendons Dragging the bone And I am left alone In a king-sized bed With empty thoughts of you running through my head Memories of you  Turn me blue as blood Before it turns red And flows in veins  I want to live vicariously through If it means I can be inside you  But a heartbeat isn't as simple as it seems When the atria and ventricles cease And love becomes as precise and coordinated as a dance Surgery Scars  Shrink me down To a microscopic size To fit inside your blood cells So that I can see Your secrets and sins On the way to your heart- The cage I'll suffer silently within....and out...in...and out Until cardiac arrest renders you  Dead or bed-ridden Forgiven but forbidden T...

Friday night, I saw myself at another concert. Fall is quickly turning into a continuation of the great time I had at shows in the summer. This time around it was Yellowcard, celebrating the 10th  anniversary (?!) of their debut album "Ocean Ave." Now, I was never really a big fan of theirs when they first came out and I haven't really followed their career. They were going to play their first album, in its entirety, acoustically, which intrigued me, so I wanted to see their set. But, the main reason why I went to this show was for the opener: Geoff Rickly, the singer of one of my favorite bands, Thursday, who are now on an indefinite hiatus, which has left the door open for Rickly to explore different musical avenues. And so, what has he been up to lately? He's been recording his own, solo adventures and releasing them for free to fans. His set was acoustic and included some of these songs, but also relied on some of the more obscure Thursday songs, reimagined by ...

Well, summer's over and so I begin my new school year back in Kindergarten, where I've longed to be since I had to leave it two summer's back. But, personally, I've started my fall line-up of concerts. Sunday night I went to see HAIM (3 sisters hailing from L.A.). It was a sold out show at the Paradise in Boston and it was an energy-filled night. It was HAIM's first American headlining show and I'd say they kicked it off with a rocking bang. Those girls are amazing and sound great live. I discovered them quite a few months ago (and then a friend told me they'd actually played here in Portland last summer at the Mumford and Sons festival, Gentlemen of the Road- I still can't believe I missed that!). They look like they belong in episodes of "Girls," each sister clearly has their own personality and let it shine through at last night's show.  Better Off Play Video The Wire Play Video Honey & I Play Vide...

I know it's taken me about 6 days to write again, but it's simply because I've been reflecting and thinking about how great this summer truly was for me. It certainly rivaled a few summer's back when I took my around-the-country road trip and met some of the most amazing people, as well as just simply had once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and experiences. This summer was devoted to: myself. I wanted to do things, and so I did them, without really putting too much thought into any of it. I dubbed it the "Summer of Sean" and it certainly lived up to its name. A few of the things that I was able to do include: 1. Spending the first couple of weeks (before summer school began) strictly at the beach (or hanging out on the Eastern Prom in Portland), just being outside, in the sun and feeling great 2. Mondays became Beach Days with a few devoted colleagues from school. Yes, we always hung out at Old Orchard Beach (touristy but great for people-watching). One of ...