That secret place where no one dares to go

This is not a popular opinion, but I really enjoy cover songs. 

Not all of them; in the wrong hands a cover song can be a crutch, or an awkward homage, or a flashy attempt at credibility by co-opting someone else's.

In the right situation though, a thoughtfully chosen cover song signals the turning point in a set like few other things can. It's a chance for a performer to say "this is what inspires me" without actually saying it.

This was the ninth song in the set that night, and before this I thought that the goosebumps might have been over for the evening.

When I watch this video, and when John belts out that last "try," I still get them every time.

The world is ending

John Hodgman has comissioned a new trailer for his tour in support of THAT IS ALL, the final book of COMPLETE WORLD KNOWLEDGE, and you can see that right here:

In spite of THE DERANGED MILLIONAIRE'S constant threats to destroy me with his vast financial resources (in addition to the already constant fear of the coming global superpocalypse), I found our working relationship quite pleasant.

You should buy the book, which is great, and also see him on tour, which is uniquely hilarious.

The worst you can do is harm

It's Valentine's Day today, and if there was one Long Winters song perfect for a slow dance, it's "Scent of Lime."

This was one of the very first TLW songs I ever heard, and it so perfectly encapsulates what makes John's songwriting so great. There is a grace in the restraint to these lyrics that makes their meaning universal; the plainest words ARE the finest.

Played toward the middle of the evening's performance, it was the moment when this great show in this little house started to feel like we had found something outside the real world entirely.

Baby wasn't down with the heist

The big breath at the beginning of "Carparts" has always felt like the start of something big. Beginning the second track on The Long Winters' first album, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, it sets the tone for what's to come after the preamble that is "Give Me A Moment."
 
It is an expression of energy that never fails to jolt - either on the album or on stage or in a house surrounded by friends.

More Than Shapes

In the winter of 2011, Victoria VanBruinisse came up with a crazy idea to invite John Roderick of The Long Winters over for a potluck dinner. He played a few songs, told some stories, and ate all of the food.

A few of those moments have been put together into a video collection called "More Than Shapes," named for a song and a story from that evening.

The "musician playing in the living room" isn't a new genre, but there is something special about this musician, at this particular moment in his life that made these performances feel alternately cavalier and humble.

When we asked questions John's answers were thoughtful and introspective, and he played songs with the attention of a musician who was as much reacquainting himself with his music as he was performing it for an audience. To me that relationship has always been the draw of seeing Roderick perform; the shared catharsis in the connection between a performer's desire to play and a listener's need to hear it.

So, yeah: this is another musician playing songs in a living room, but to those in attendance at a good friend's house sitting in front of the fireplace, it felt like more than that. More than shapes.

This project wouldn't have been possible without collaborating on visuals with cameraman Tyler Kalberg, and the audio recording by Zach Varnell, both of whom you should know from their excellent Notes from Home video series.

Songs from that night will be posted here every Tuesday in February.