I KNOW Catie would approve of this message…and the time is NOW.  Actually, don’t know why I missed putting this up earlier…working hard in other places…but California urgently needs your help.

Proposition 8 is in jeopardy of passing and we need your immediate help.  I know many of you aren’t California voters, but do you have a few bucks you can spare?  A lot of bucks you can spare? We’ll take whatever we can get because the money pouring in from out-of-state religious fundamentalists is enormous…and we need all the help we can get to fight this epic battle to protect equality for all.  If you ARE a CA voter...PLEASE STOP HATE VOTE NO on 8…and ask everyone you know to do the same!!  Go to that website for a tool to help send messages to your California voting friends and family.

If you haven’t heard of Proposition 8, it is simply a constitutional amendment to institute discriminate.  California State Supreme Court has already ruled that same sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.  So what are the fundies trying to do?  Of course, change the California Constitution…by lying and spreading fear and hate…and institutionalize hate and discrimination…an action never before done in state or national history.  And all they need to do it is a simple majority…a simple majority to change the Constitution?  We can’t even pass a budget with a simple majority!

Regardless of how you feel specifically about marriage…to take away constitutional rights and equality is wrong…period.  The nation is watching…as goes California, so goes the nation…and we can not allow this to happen!

Please VOTE NO ON PROP 8 and if you can throw some change our way DONATE!

Thanks.

Wow, time flies, a month already!  I’m in so much trouble…slackin’ on getting some timely content on here…sorry! :)   I’ve had a busy month….and I know Catie’s been very busy too.  Lot of catching up to do!

Hopefully you got your copy long ago, have it iPodded, and have been listening frequently wherever you are.  Maybe you’ve become a fan of Catie’s on Facebook, maybe you’ve seen one of her shows on this tour, maybe you’ve entered your own “Sweet Life” video in the video contest (not too late, deadline is October 10), maybe you’ve heard about her new cool project called Aspire to Inspire to help get guitars into the hands of young people, maybe you’ve watched her own video “Happy“, maybe you heard or saw her on Lightening 100, maybe you’ve seen a bunch of press regarding “Sweet Life”…or maybe not?

I’m thrilled that I’ll be getting to see my friend next weekend here in Berkeley, CA for a couple of shows at the Freight & Salvage.  Hopefully you’ll get to a show soon…or at least do some of your own catching up and check out all those links above.  What are you waiting for?  Go on…go!

I’ve been listening to Catie’s new CD “Sweet Life” that will be released on September 9…which you can pre-order HERE!  It’s been a while since Long Night Moon and I was excited to hear the results of her new adventure in recording down in Nashville.  I’m not disappointed.

She said, “We’re at this juncture where a lot of folks are working on their records in home studios and making them sound craftily small, but I really wanted to go in the other direction toward a big, warm, friendly sound.  The songs are meant to be open and confident, and I don’t know that they’d have carried as well if they were done stripped down and bare bones.”

Well, I might disagree that they all wouldn’t have carried as well.  Having already heard most of these songs in concert with just her and her guitar, I think there are a couple that would carry just fine stripped down…but that’s kinda how I like things anyway.  However, I understand what she’s thinking as far as the whole presentation…creating a CD isn’t just one song or two, it’s an entire experience and you want all the songs to flow and compliment each other.

“Sweet Life” delivers on that very theme of the title cut.  One of the things I’ve always admired about Catie’s music is her songwriting and song craftsmanship…particularly, the storytelling.  I hear Catie’s life shine through as she shares stories and songs that others can let shine through their lives as well.  This CD is packed full of songs of love, optimism, perseverance, acceptance and family.  You also hear a wide range of Catie’s music influences - pop, soul, folk, rock - in this set of tunes that gives us love songs and life songs…songs that you can dance around the house with and others that make you want just candles and that someone special.

I’m not a great reviewer of technical music stuff, but here are my thoughts about the “Sweet Life” line up.  And to hear some clips of these, head over to the Compass Records Store.

1. Sweet Life

• Love lost, life moves, wrong loves…leads me to you.
• Plans that didn’t come true…but look, it led me to you
• Happy, bubbly, mandolin leads and filling in fills nice depth, reminiscent of Jimmy as her side man
• Nice touch of National guitar

2. Are You Ready to Fly?

• More pop sound than live shows have been with some fun organ and lead guitar riffs
• Gives a nice “end of summer” feel; good friends facing the end of innocence

3. Everything Waiting to Grow

• Lots of organ lending feel toward spiritual origins of naming Joshua Trees
• Starts low register, crescendo
• I like the visual of the desert…everything waiting to grow with some rain, the beauty that blossoms in the spring…a blossoming of love song

4. For Now

• A Catie style sultry love song
• Nice slow song dance in ¾ tempo with a nice organ lead and sweet piano
• A song that just makes you want be with the one you want to cuddle

“Nothing to do that can’t wait
When we’re skin against skin, human again In a world we create”

5. Happy

• Nice little rockin’ intro; a light, foot-tapping ditty
• Song that kind of epitomizes the “folk-rock” part of the Catie who is the “folk-rock goddess”
• Catchy hook “come on, come on let yourself be happy”…who can argue?

6. What You Can’t Believe

• A song about those questions of life and the impact we have on the world
• About families, relationships and the continuing learning journey we’re on
• A song of affirmation to a partner that we’re in this together
• Not my favorite instrumentation…although I know Catie was going for a “full-bodied” sound on this CD, I think I would liked to have heard this one a little barer than what it is.

7. Lovely

• I just LOVE this ditty!
• Fun, swing tempo…very reminiscent of 1940’s dance hall; great piano
• Unrequited and secret love
• Catie always introduced this talking about a movie she’d love to make…I had scenes of that already in my head!

8. Sing

• As an old camp director myself, the line “they ring the bells, ring the bells, to move us along” brings back a lot of old memories!
• This is a very sweet song for her daughter…and us
• Kind of anthemic feel, definitely a ’sing along’ song
• A nice lead guitar solo after the bridge

9 . Soul Meets Body (Death Cab for Cutie cover)

• I didn’t know the song from DCFC very well…but I’ve listened (and watched!) it several times on YouTube as I compared Catie’s version…before I voted for her on the Clash of the Covers!
• I think this is a great cover that really does the original justice.  Spinner thinks so too when they say, “Known for her alt-folk sound, the Maine-bred singer-songwriter demonstrates her hidden pop side. Although her version is slightly more melodic and a tad slower, she still manages to create the magical feel that the original had cultivated.”

10. Fools

• Pop-rockin’
• Only song with some strings…sounds like a little bit of reverb on an electric fiddle…but what do I know?!
• Point?  Quit worrying, let go, love, live

11. The Princess & The Mermaid

• A love song all about life with kids and with each other

12. Over

• A sing along chorus that I think is a good way to end…

“I don’t want it to be over
I don’t want to go
I don’t want to go
Not every rock wants to roll
I don’t want to go”

But do go…go and order this gem right now.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of “Sweet Life”.

Indeed…all singing “Yellow Submarine” together!  Won’t that be the picture?!  Want to catch a teaser?  Check out the video below, then stay tuned to etown to watch it!

Spinner’s contest…go NOW!  Vote Catie!
Okay…so Catie covered Death Cab for Cutie’s “Soul Meets Body” (and it’s on the new, soon to be released “Sweet Life“) because she really likes them as songwriters and musicians.  And hey…it’s a nice song (weirdish video) but catchy song.  I do like their “ba da ba ba ba” hook a little better than Catie…but hey, we’re talking Catie here…so of COURSE I’ll vote for her…besides the fact that I really do like her version too.