Jeff Buckley Disappeared One Night In Tennessee....

As I sit here on the last day of this decade, I look back at all the talent we lost and think about Jeff Buckley.

I know he died in 1997.

Somehow, his death still sounds a low tone in the hollows of me.

Why?

I think about how much more I wanted from him every time I hear his voice. I realize that there is a big difference between what I want and what I am going to receive.

I suppose I just think about the fate of such a young man - with so much to give - dying so suddenly and carelessly.

For the uninitiated, Buckley waded, fully clothed, into the Wolf River Harbor (a channel of the Mississippi River) on the evening of May 29, 1997. He was 31 years old and enjoying the success that his brilliant singing and guitar-playing had earned him. As he sang the chorus to Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", his friend and roadie Keith Foti turned his attention away from Buckley for a moment to move a guitar and a radio out of the wake of a passing tugboat. When he turned around, Buckley was gone.

His body was spotted by a tourist on a riverboat on June 4th.

For some reason, Buckley's death really saddened me and still gives me pause to this day. A young man, in the absolute prime of his life - at the height of his powers - gone.



The other day, I saw this raw video of him performing at Sin-e and I was moved by the casual nature of it. The people standing only inches from him - the way they casually turn their backs on him, from time to time. It makes me wonder, "Would they have stared more closely if they knew what fate this man would suffer? Would they have savored this moment if they realized this man would become a legend the moment his body disappeared from view that fateful night in Tennessee?"

It's ironic that during the video, someone tries to take a picture of Buckley and he asks her to put her camera down. He asks the crowd to just "be together". Now that I think about it, I wish I had a dime for every concert I attended where I look around and saw people watching the entire event through the lens of their cellphone or some mini recording device. They paid their money for a seat and then missed "the happening". Instead of being one with the performer and the people around them, they remove themselves from the moment and squeeze themselves into the narrow gaze of a viewfinder.

Splendid isolation?

Pretty sterile, if you ask me.

Because of this, I learned to fix my eyes more closely on things others find innocuous. I guess I just don't want to take those things for granted. There is always a chance I might never see those things, again.

I am sure I will never see Jeff Buckley, again.
In fact, its a certainty.

But, that doesn't mean I have to stop looking.

Have a great year, everyone.
Keep your eyes open to the possibility of the beauty that is all around you.

Hallelujah...

Jesse Winchester - Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding

I caught this performance on Elvis Costello's fantastic show "Elvis Costello - Spectacle".

Jesse is a great musician who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War. His career really suffered for it. However, he is considered a real heavyweight in the world of singer-songwriters. Prior to the show, I had no real experience with his music.

When he performed this song, I found myself hanging on every word. I think the moment that really got me was when I saw Neko Case begin to cry towards the end of the song. To see an artist of her caliber be that open and moved by another musician's work was breathtaking. I actually hit rewind just to see her reaction a second time.

The audience roars and Costello gushes.
I almost stood on my couch and cheered.

So, thanks to Elvis Costello for inviting a real artist into my living-room and giving me a great new body of work to explore.

Jesse Winchester deserves your attention. His new album is called "Love Filling Station" and it is worth a listen.

Top 20 Albums of 2009

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
The Dead Weather - Horehound
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
Monsters Of Folk - Monsters Of Folk
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream
Maxwell - Blacksummers'Night
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

If you have any music fans on your Christmas list, you might want to grab one of these CDs to put in their stocking. The music business might be going to hell, but each year produces a crop of at least 20 CDs that are worth a close listen.

Wilco resurfaced with a terrific album that could easily be mistaken as tongue-in-cheek. A closer listen shows a band carefully examining its legacy as it moves forward. Its also the first time in many years the band was able to maintain the same line-up of musicians for consecutive albums. Monsters Of Folk and Grizzly Bear also lead the charge for musicians with an ear for harmonies and catchy melodies. Representing the ladies, Neko Case released one more album that should make her a genuine star, if there was any justice in the world.

Jay-Z returned with a dense, pulsing effort that earned him a spot in the top twenty. But, it was Mos Def who released the year's best rap-album. Not only is the music great, you can almost hear him smiling at the mic. While all that happened, Maxwell quietly released the best R&B album of the last year. Supposedly, it is the first in a series of three albums with a similar theme.

Bring the noise, you say?

Wolfmother sounded the call for the Aussies and Arctic Monkeys turned it up loud in the name of The Queen. Some bands might rock harder, but they don't rock much smarter than Mastodon. Don't believe me?

"When asked in multiple interviews Dailor (Brann Dailor - the group's drummer) said the record would tell a story dealing variously with the art aesthetics of Tsarist Russia, astral travel, out of body experiences and Stephen Hawking's theories on wormholes."

Your favorite metal band didn't do that...ever.

If you like records with a theme, Green Day came back with its second "rock-opera". "21st Century Breakdown" shows the band in great form as it does what few bands have managed to do since The Who - release consistently great records revolving around a central theme that begins and ends an album. Its refreshing that a great rock band can still become famous and keep their eyes on whats happening in the real world.

Sonic Youth served notice that they were still the godfathers of the alternative-rock world. "The Eternal" is one of the best albums they have released in several years. At the same time, Yeah Yeah Yeahs did the unthinkable by putting down their guitars and picking up the synths. It makes sense that they would draw on a rich tradition of New York dance rock that started with Talking Heads and continues to this day with TV On The Radio.

The Dead Weather made me wonder if everyone in the music business who believes they have real talent is just kidding themselves. Jack White has all the talent, alright? The Dead Weather is a better record than it has any right to be. It is spooky, well-imagined and played with enough Zeppelin-esque stomp to make me think Jack White could actually ditch Meg and just continue to make up other projects to occupy his time. Don't laugh. He hasn't failed yet.

Speaking of Zeppelin, 2009 saw the return of John Paul Jones in the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. Teaming with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, Jones' thundering bass lines were the cornerstone for one of the year's most surprising releases. Check out a song like "Elephants" and witness three of the best musicians at their respective instruments attempting to cram all of Led Zeppelin II into one blazing track.

Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan released albums that solidified their places as the best songwriters of the last half-century. Both men release consistently great albums and remain relevant long after other acts go stale. Speaking of a good time, Pearl Jam recaptured the punky spark that endeared them to music fans in the early nineties.

Phoenix pumped out a joyous mix of guitar rock and electronics, releasing "Lisztomania," one of the year's best singles and the catchiest song ever about Franz Liszt.

Finally, U2 returned with an album that was full of dramatic moments as it attempted to explore the dark places. The album did not receive overwhelming support from critics or fans. However, U2 proved that a band must evolve in order to stay true to itself and its fan base. It is also living proof that a band that isn't busy being born is busy dying.

There is something on this list for every kind of music lover you know. Alright, there is no classical or country. But, that won't hurt anyone.

Trust me.