Now y’all know how much I adore the Dave Barnes. So a few months ago, when I saw that he was going to be performing in our fair city on March 13th, I took out a big black Sharpie, put the date on our calendar and promptly secured tickets. Then I danced a lively jig.
So last Friday night my hubby and I headed to the show with my sister-in-law Janie, and as we drove downtown I assured Janie that she was in for the musical treat of her life. Because in addition to the Dave Barnes, we were going to get to hear The Gabe Dixon Band, and oh my word, I could not love them more. If you’re not familiar with TGDB, then just imagine some old school Elton John combined with Ben Folds with a little dash of Harry Connick, Jr. thrown in for good measure.
I KNOW!
The whole night was above and beyond delightful; all in all it was over three hours of pure musical joy. Friday night was the third time that I’ve seen Dave Barnes live, and he and his band were better than ever. About mid-way through his set DB told the audience about the work he’s doing with Mocha Club, and it was such a sweet reminder that yes, the Dave Barnes makes great music, but he’s also totally committed to using his time on the road to make a difference. Love his heart, I do.
Whenever I try to explain to people why the music we heard Friday night resonates with me so much, I always end up saying the same five words: It reminds me of home. That’s not to say that if you drove to Mississippi right this second that you’d find musicians playing bluesy funk-pop on the street corners, but there’s such a strong blues influence (thanks, Memphis! thanks, New Orleans!) all over the Magnolia State that it just sort of seeps into your bones. And when I hear music that reminds me of home, I can’t help but sit back, relax and clap my hands.
And also: smile.
So what about you? What music reminds you of home? What music takes you straight to your happy place?
And if you don’t have a musical happy place, then I’m betting this guy and this guy can help.
Oh yes they can.
Lovely post! For me, Celtic and Irish music remind me of home!
Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton remind me of my childhood “home” – Nashville. I have never left, and now they’ve thrown in Jessica Simpson and Bon Jovi if you can believe that- we’re like our own mini-Hollywood now. Matter of fact- I saw Nicole Kidman at yoga the other day and Faith Hill at the Kroger. Go figure…
Is it weird to have happy placES? I love so many different types of music. Each one takes me someplace amazing.
Take for instance….Trisha Yearwood’s She’s in Love With the Boy…..I once got a speeding ticket because I was singing to the top o’ my lungs racing down the happy highway.
Then you have a song like Majesty by Delirious. I can’t help but fall face down in worship on that one.
And to get all up in my funky….when I hear Gavin DeGraw or Jason Mraz….I just feel happy.
Can’t stop the music baby…you just can’t.
Ray Charles. Johnny Cash reminds me of family, so that reminds me of home.
I will have to tell hubs. He is a huge fan of Harry Connick Jr. and Ben Folds!
Well, as much as his music drove me crazy as a child, Willie Nelson is now what I think of when I think “Texas music”. My dad had his records when I was young, and when I met my husband I quickly learned he was also a huge fan.
GLAD, The Alman Brothers, ALABAMA, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, and James Taylor.
Growing up in Nashville in the 60’s and 70’s with a mom who lived and breathed country music left me with a hodge-podge of “home” music; some great, some good, and some that I just plain hated. I always loved Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, and Dolly. I never could get into the music of Kitty Wells, Grandpa Jones, and even George and Tammy (I know–I’m a heretic–so sue me). In the 90’s, the VinceGillGarthBrooksGeorgeStraitRandyTravisTrishaYearwoodMartinaMcBride explosion pulled me in, and I became a fan. On American Idol last night, when Carrie Underwood sang with Randy Travis, and I watched the look of awe on his face as she hit and held some amazing notes? I was proud of home. I really, truly was.
I WAS THERE! Last Friday night in Birmingham, that is.
It was my first time to see DB live, and my introduction to The Gabe Dixon Band. I will have to say this concert ranks in the top 5 of shows I’ve seen. My absolute favorite part was Dave singing “Until You” standing in the middle of the crowd for his encore. Sadly, my memory card was full by that time. I can’t wait until Dave is back within driving distance – I will be there!
“Ramblin’ Man!” My two uncles would play their guitars when our families got together for picnics and such. I can still hear their voices singing it.
Mmmmm, feeling sentimental now.
Tough question. It’s hard to tell by looking at my eclectic iTunes library. Maybe music IS my happy place. Dave Barnes definitely lives in my musical happy place. A friend told me about him a few CDs back, and I was immediately hooked. AND he’s going to be in town this weekend. I’ve never seen him live but I’m trying to make it happen!!
Ok, this is out of place. I’ll just tell you that to begin with! Oh, how I love me some music, but what I wanted to say isn’t about that. I would send you an email, but I read about your email “sitch yee ation” (I laughed my head off at that one, cuz that is how my husband says it and we all laugh at him!! all in good fun, though of course!! :)) AND this doesn’t call for any sort of reply or response! ANYWAY, I just wanted to say that even though I have never met you Boomama, you are such a bright spot in so many ways! Sometimes with the economy, job losses and all the ho-hum, bad news going on you are a great place that I know when I click on your blog (of course listed in my favorites!) I will be able to come here and find a smile. It’s good to hear tv recaps, cooking, your fun happenings, basketball, etc. and feel like all is well with the world! Now I know you ain’t Jesus! :) but, you sure are a sweet place in what I believe to be many peoples days!! Thanks for taking the time to give us a little diversion!! :)
I’m falling in love with these guys, as well! Missed the Dave Barnes concert in Atlanta in February – UGH- and hoping and praying he comes south again this summer. (Please tell him if you can!) Michael Buble and James Taylor are other Happy Place people :)
I also joined the Mocha Club – awesome project.
The title of this post alone made my day!
Growing up in Lubbock, Texas, we had Buddy Holly and later on Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. Natalie, bless her heart, just had to open her mouth,bad mouth George W, and ruin everything.
The songs “Cowboy Take Me Away” and “Wide Open Spaces” still remind me of home.
Lots to choose from, but old school country will always remind me of home. My daddy was the lead singer in a country band when I was little, so anything Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, or Waylon Jennings takes me right back to 1980-something!
I grew up listening to rock and roll. My sister picked up mom’s affection for Fleetwood Mac. My brothers picked up my parents later love for country music. I picked up Led Zeppelin. Considering that I listen to alternative/rock/rockin’ folky stuff and Hubs listens to loud, ear-piercing death metal (believe it or not, there are death metal bands that are Christian, though not all he listens to is Christian), I wonder what K- will take to her happy place when she gets older.
I adore Dave Barnes. I ‘discovered’ him when I was living in Nashville for a brief period. Have you ever watched any of his videos?? I believe they are posted on his website, otherwise, they are on YouTube for sure. Not only is he a fantastic musician with a great heart, but the boy is FUNNY! The Christmas video gets me going every single time. Definitely check them out if you haven’t already.
I’m a Northerner (am I still allowed to comment?), so I’ve never heard of Dave Barnes, but I sure enjoyed that clip.
For me, my “home” music changes with my stages of life. REO Speedwagon reminds me of high school–always. Toto and The Who remind me of college. Today, hubs and I enjoy lots of different kinds of music, but I’d have to say U2 is the music of our lives.
My favorite, favorite stage of our musical lives was when our girls were much younger (probably 10-12 years ago) and Buddy Holly dominated. Crazy, I know. But we have the BEST memories of my hubs coming home from work, heading upstairs to change his clothes, and playing Buddy Holly (LOUDLY) while the girls jumped on the bed. So much fun!
I totally agree. Dave’s music does remind me of home. You said it. It seeps into your bones and you can’t help but smile. My mom and Dave’s mom have been best friends since childhood and just the site of Dave and his humor remind me of home. That’s the kind of humor I’ve been around all my life, so not only does his music remind me of home, his humor does too. I love that kid like nothing else.
I LOVE the Dave Barnes too! Seriously, he and Matt Wertz are my happy music. I got addicted to them while in college in the midwest and my biggest sadness since moving back to the West Coast is that they don’t make it out here on tour!! Every so often I check the tour schedule with anticipation…only to be disappointed. :( Oh well, CDs work for now!
Check out ‘Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors’. I saw them open for Dave here in Dallas a few weeks ago and fell in love with their music!
So fun! : ) I would love to have been there! I was just reading about Mocha Club… my brother, Billy, just started a new website with a friend called Brite Revolution http://www.briterevolution.com where you can download songs from certain artists every month for 4.99… but they give 10% back to non-profit causes such as Mocha Club or Compassion International etc… anyway I thought that was kind of cool. Hope you are having a nice day! Emmy : )
OK, Boo Mama – I wil watch & listen to your guys….but WHY IN THE WORLD are you not posting about the Bulldogs at least playing in the tournament today????
I have just started reading your blog and I love it!
I am quite interested in the Gabe Dixon band since you mentioned Elton and Ben, both of whom I adore!
Can you recommend to me your favorite Gabe Dixon CD? My birthday is coming up and I want to give the title to my hubby :)
Thank you so much for providing a great read! I check you out daily on my break from teaching :)
Sincerely-Jennifer
Fun! I’m a south Louisiana girl, so I love my blues-funk-rock with a dash of Cajun/zydeco. That says ‘home.’ I live in North Louisiana now (people who know realize this is like moving to a whole ‘nother country) and I don’t hear much Cajun, but whenever I do, it starts something up in my insides that spreads to my toes! When my little north Louisiana baby girl (now 20 and planning a wedding) heard Cajun music for the first time she started moving parts we didn’t know she had! I just shrugged and said, “It’s the music of her people.”
Oh, and MY ideal musical happy place would serve crawfish! And gumbo! And etoufee! And…
Sublime will always remind me of being at home in Southern California. I have been in many different countries and if I put them on my ipod I always will remeber where I came from.
I love funky, folksy music. Amos Lee, Joshua Radin, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, etc. There’s nothing like it. It always reminds me of my favorite place in the world: being on the beach.
Yes, the blues will always remind me of home in MS. I use to LOVE going to the Subway (a lounge not the fast food place) and hear great sounds of the blues. Now if you are near Clarksdale you can really hear the blues at Morgan Freedom’s place- Ground Zero. BB King makes me think of home!
The music I LOVE right this minute is Marc Broussard – I just bet you would love him too. Home to me is where my family is and actually he has a GREAT song called…….you guessed it: HOME.
http://www.marcbroussard.com/
I have found my “family and home” at the Sons and Brothers Band concerts in and around Colorado. While growing up in Michigan I heard lots of gospel and bluegrass songs! So many new friends have been found at the High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival in Westcliffe, CO (yes, an un-abashed plug for the event!) Simultaneously eating fish tacos served on a paper plate, overlooking the Wet Mountain Valley and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, watching the sunset glow red, orange, pink and blue, listening to our friends play music for us. That makes me smile. And sometimes cry a little. Sweet.
Jimmy Buffett.
Oh! and Nadine-I love Westcliffe! It is so beautiful there.
Country Music…even though it’s not my favorite genre every time I hear it I think of home, because it’s what I grew up on. Now, when I get homesick but can’t make a trip home I just turn on country radio for a few hours, and it makes me feel like I’m there and nips the homesickness in the bud a bit.
I think MUSIC period is my happy place! I have such a wide range of music in my ITunes and I pretty much always have music playing.
I had never heard of TGDB, but after this little “sample”, I will definitely be checking them out!
Thanks for recommending yet another happy place!
Sister Hazel and Dave Mathews Band’s “Under the Table and Dreaming” remind me of my senior year at State. I distinctly remember driving with my windows down around campus on a beautiful Spring day listening over and over to “Champagne High” and “Ants Marching.” Ah, memories!
Love your blog!
I am so glad you were able to gewt some entertainment since MSU is no longer in the tournament. hehehe
I guess I’d have to say that 80s country music makes me think of home. But I love anything with a prominent piano – just like your Gabe Dixon Band – what a find! Thanks for sharing!!
I’m a little young for my taste, but James Taylor takes me straight to happy!
Dave Barnes lived in the same small Mississippi town that I grew up in(until his fam moved to TN). I believe his Dad was a minister in a local church. Anywho…he was a few years ahead of me in school, but I was a cheerleader with his sister. LONG story short….I was in Destin this week and ran into Dave’s mom and sister. Hadn’t seen them in many years.
As for music….I love all kinds, but Country music especially makes me think of home……You’re gonna laugh…but that new song “Chicken Fried” makes me think of home. the name of it makes me laugh, but as redneck as is it is, I’ll claim it!!! I think the artist is Zack somebody.
I’m so glad to hear you plugging TGDB. I found them several years ago at SXSW in Austin and have followed them ever since. Matter of fact, that’s how I found Dave Barnes: I went to see Gabe Dixon open for him. Unfortunately, the show times were listed wrong, so I’ve never seen both artists on the same stage. It’s now a dream of mine, so I was darn near pricing tickets for the shows where Gabe was opening for Dave (I saw Dave in Austin, but the wonderful Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors opened for him here).
To answer your other question, Billy Joel is one of my oldest musical loves… and I just got to see him live for the first time on Tuesday. Ahhhh, life is good.
I enjoy music. Different kinds of music. I love Michael Card when I need to worship quietly. I love Jazz on a balmy Spring night. I grew up in the tropics so sometimes those steel drums remind me of the ocean and the palm trees. I enjoy the music of nature too – the ocean, the geese at our lake cabin, the katydids.
As I commented earlier, I liked your video of the Gabe Dixon Band. And this week, I’ve finally remembered to bring earphones to work to listen to some music. So of course I decided to create a Gabe Dixon Band channel on Pandora. I enjoyed that afternoon of music very much. But what I really find interesting is today as I’m wasting time, I decide to check out the Pandora blog (I don’t know why – just need a break, I s’pose.) and who’s on their most recent post? Your Gabe Dixon Band!
I don’t know if that’s interesting to anyone but me, but there it is anyway.
Thanks for inspiring an entire post over at my blog! It only took me almost a week to post it. I guess I needed American Idol to come validate my first thought of “Home”.
I’ve read off and on for a while but am showing up here a lot more often lately! Thanks for giving me something good to read and some inspiration!