Virtually Home

Sometimes a moment in my life gets stuck in an album, like a mosquito in amber. From then on, hearing that piece of music reminds me strongly of being in another place at another time. Just after I moved to Bordeaux, Monsters of Folk released their eponymous record and I walked around the streets listening to it on my iPod repeatedly, relentlessly. Our washing machine was broken from the moment we moved in, and the repair process took an agonizingly long time. The sound of that album is the dryer spinning in the laundromat down the road from my house. It's the automated voice announcing stops on the tram on the way to the Université Bordeaux III for my linguistics classes. It's the long walk home from the guitar store where I bought the Cort electric-acoustic guitar I played that year (and which I recently gave away to a friend, to downsize my belongings before moving to Australia). This musical fossilization doesn't always happen and I can't always tell in real tim...

Jacob and Jessie on NYE 2018 was kind of a whirlwind. There were a lot of highs and lows, but mostly highs. I had some wonderful adventures this year. Here are some highlights. January Oberst with Taylor Hollingsworth of MVB We kicked off the New Year in the best way possible: by seeing a Conor Oberst concert in a California. Jacob and I flew out to Los Angeles and met up with friends from all over the country to see Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band play their first show in years. We caught up in line all day in the gloriously warm (by comparison with Minnesota) weather. We ate amazing Mexican food. And the show was brilliant -- the new venue in Silverlake was really cool and made custom cockatils for the show. Miwi La Lupa played a fabulous solo acoustic set to open. At midnight, the band played "Auld Lang Syne". The New Year couldn't have begun in a better way. That day turned out to be the last time I hung out with my friend Christina outside a ...

My dream of seeing Phoebe Bridgers headline with her full band finally came true. The "Farewell Tour", made a stop in Saint Paul and the little Turf Club sold out way faster than I anticipated. I tracked down a ticket anyway, showed up at doors opening in the freezing April. I thought I would be able to walk right in, but the doors weren't open yet and I regretted leaving my jacket in the car. I met some new friends in line, and we chatted while the room filled up. The album cover art was the backdrop they hung up behind the band. A prom-style silver curtain with its title was set up in the back for fans to take photos, with or without the band. The main microphone was strung with fairy lights. I was into the vibe. Lomelda opened, huddled in a heavy coat. Hailing from Texas, she couldn't believe the show. I sympathized. Her set was synthesizers and an electric guitar -- sad vocals, I recall, but not what she was saying. She had a charming stage presence. Phoebe ...