There are so many posts from March that I decided to minimise them down to weekly posts instead of daily. So here are my first seven days of March and some of my favourite songs and artists at the moment…
Day 1: Joshua James – FM Radio
I thought I would set the tone for my ‘Music March’ by starting with a lovely acoustic/folk song by Joshua James. From Lincoln, Nebraska, James is known for his intimate vocal style and bittersweet lyrics, often dealing with tragedy, religion, and substance abuse. FM Radio is my favourite song by him, it’s heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics mixed with the softness of James’ voice make for a stunning song… enjoy 🙂
Day 2: The Swell Season – The Moon
I am in love with The Swell Season. The band is made up of Irish Singer Glen Hansard and Czech singer Markéta Irglová. I first heard their music a few years ago, from the soundtrack to the film Once. I then saw the film Dear John, based on the novel by one of my favourite writers Nicholas Sparks (also responsible for The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and The Last Song), and was reminded again of their amazing music. The song I’ve chosen for today is ‘The Moon’, it is folky, haunting and beautiful. It’s about the way in which nature rules our lives and how if we go against the natural way of life, nothing works anymore. Another one of my favourites by them, which you might recognise is ‘Falling Slowly’ from the Once soundtrack.
Day 3: Ron Pope – Fireflies
I have loved Ron Pope for a long time, first hearing his song ‘Drop in the Ocean‘, but recently this is my go-to song when I listen to him, the lyrics are stunning and emotional and the melody is beautiful. The song is about the end of a High School romance, and how the beautiful things in life fade away so quickly. It’s the kind of song which makes me cry when I really listen to it. Stunning.
The video isn’t official, but has beautiful imagery and the song lyrics are captured really well, I also love the ending when it is revealed what she has been writing in the sand.
Day 4: Ben Lee – Catch My Disease
I’m aware that last few days songs have been pretty slow and slightly depressing, so I’ve gone for a more upbeat song today. ‘Catch My Disease‘ by Ben Lee is one of my favourite songs for summer. Ben is an Australian musician whose career began at the early age of 14. He’s been solo since 1995 and as well as making music he’s appeared in a couple of Australian films. ‘Catch My Disease’ won single of the year at the 2005 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards. The song has since appeared in the film Just Friends and TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs. The song’s a little different to the others I’ve posted, but I hope you enjoy it…
Day 5: Joe Purdy – The City
No matter how bad my day has been, this song never fails to make me smile. It has to be my favourite song EVER. It has taken me a while to realise this, but when you see that it’s been played almost twice as much as anything else in your music library, it’s saying something. I love Joe Purdy‘s voice and all the different instruments layered in this song. Another song of his which I really like is ‘I Love the Rain the Most’.
Joe Purdy is a folk singer from Northwest Arkansas. He has been recording albums since 20o2 and currently has 10 albums under his belt. I first heard this song on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack, and fell in love with it immediately. I love his unique voice and folky sound. In this song I love the way the music builds, then fades, then builds again. I also adore the final line, it sounds as though his heart is breaking as he sings it.
Sorry about the annoying video, but it was the best quality sound I could find on youtube.
Day 6: Schuyler Fisk – Who Am I To You?
I think it’s time for some female talent in Music March. I first discoveredSchuyler Fisk (pronounced Sky-ler) a few years ago after hearing her appear on the song ‘Paperweight’ with her boyfriend at the time, Joshua Radin. The song was featured on ‘The Last Kiss‘ and more recently the ‘Dear John’ soundtrack, to date it remains one of my favourite tracks ever. When I researched Schuyler I recognised her from appearing in an episode of One Tree Hill in 2005 called ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’ (the one where Nathan goes to the race track and purposely crashes the car). I love her lyrics and several of her songs are on the ‘most played’ list in my itunes.
Schuyler is the daughter of actress Sissy Spacek, who is best remembered for her protagonist role in the horror film Carrie, and music producer Jack Fisk. Schuyler was taught the guitar by her mother and now records folk music withUniversal Records. Her new album Blue Ribbon Winner was released on March 1st 2011. Follow Schuyler on Twitter for more updates.
Day 7: The Boxer Rebellion – If You Run
I thought I’d take a break from acoustic and folk music and go for a bit of alternative rock. I saw ‘Going the Distance‘ recently and loved it, the chemistry between Drew Barrymore and Justin Long was so real, you can tell they used to date. Anyway, this song plays in the film and after watching it was stuck in my head all day, so I had to research it and find what it was. The Boxer Rebellion are an international band based in London, but with members from England, Australia and America. Their music has appeared in several television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Accidentally on Purpose and Ghost Whisperer. The band have had great success and were featured prominently in ‘Going the Distance‘, this song was an original written specifically for the films finale. It’s a beautiful song and I love the video with the clips of the film overlaid.
Emily Jane 