Up Above

Okay I’ve been gone for a whole week. And I must say it’s been a pretty awful week. It started off with a bad bout of food poisoning and ended with the awful duty of putting my little dog down. Mixed in with that was a whole lotta’ family stuff. But I’m back and with force. I realize that I never wrapped up Hillside week (boy that feels like a long time ago) or did my double random playlist Monday, but oh well I guess. I’ve been debating how to make my come-back and I’ve decided to stick with the regular plan. Shane Koyczan. It’s now been exactly two weeks. But I think I can still remember the show. And it goes along perfectly with the mood I’m in now.

When you see Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long your whole life flips. If you listen to his stuff without seeing him, his music seems meaningful. But when you see him live you also see all his emotions. Exactly how he feels and you can tell he’s had a pretty awful life, but he’s made the best of it. I love that. I love how sincere he seems, and I love how honest he seems. I’ve never seen a crowd get that into a show before. Standing ovations, encores. A mile long line for signatures afterwards (which I stood in). And an obvious admiration for him and what he does. People who once scoffed at spoken word (*ahem* me) quickly had a new found respect for it. Instead of spouting tales of love and peace, he says it how it is. There’s no sugar coating, but he also adds enough clever bits to not make it the most depressing thing you’ve ever heard. That’s a talent. And on top of him being fantastic his band really rocks too. The women have incredible voices, making his stuff sound even better.

Today I thought I’d feature a video of him doing his song The Crickets Have Arthritis. This one really got me, and in a way seemed to fit the mood I’m in. There’s a line at the end about feathers that I didn’t understand at first. It took me three listens but finally I understood and the song seemed even more complete. So please listen, and look more into his stuff. For now though I’m exhausted and in desperate need for some sleep. It’s been quite a week.

Hope it touched you as much as it touched me. And please look up more of his stuff, it is so incredibly worth it. And if you ever get the chance to see him live do it, everybody should get a chance to. That’s all for now though, good night until tomorrow.