good morning !
It was a little over four years ago when I first heard the song Heads Gonna Roll by Jenny Lewis play on the radio station. Four years later, I credit that song for opening up my proverbial music horizons to explore all sorts of artists that don’t get played on the classic rock channels ad nauseum.
I love a good songwriter. If you ask me, there are few today who can match Lewis. From rhyming “everything” with “grenadine” and a pop-driven song about pill addiciton, she has a mastery of arranging words.
Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Heads Gonna Roll, by Jenny Lewis
Lewis is back out on the road again in support of her latest project Joy’all, an album written in part as a result of a songwriting bootcamp hosted by Beck.
Recorded in Nashville, it has a bit of a country-Los Angeles mishmash that I guess you can’t really say is one or the either. One assignment Lewis had from Beck was to write a song full of cliches. That led her to write Love Feel which contains all sorts of country cliches and a cheeky Justin Timberlake reference.
The two albums I best know her music by – On The Line and Acid Tongue – hold much darker meanings behind these catchy beats and easygoing SoCal hooks.
Joyall feels much more light-hearted, particularly with its self-titled song as well as the smooth and cool Puppy And a Truck.
She did get a puppy, by the way. Its name is Bobby Rhubarb.
Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Puppy and a Truck, by Jenny Lewis (NSFW: Naughty words)
That’s what her performance at The Anthem gave us on Saturday. She dug into her 25 years of songwriting to create a tight 18-song setlist with her all-female band, held great command of the audience and seemed to get stronger as the night wore on.
And at one point Grateful Dead fans were seen catching strays:
“Why is the Grateful Dead concert so hot?” she asked. “Because none of their fans worked.” (She did cover two Grateful Dead songs for a compilation back in the day, so she gets a pass here!).
This felt like a triumphant performance for the songwriter who opened for Harry Styles just a few years ago. But now – these are all her fans.
Now some of these fans may still be in the mire of days similar to Lewis when she released On The Line or Acid Truck, but she showed what it looks like once you get over the line.
Fitzie’s track of the day, part three: Acid Tongue, by Jenny Lewis
And now for your links:
Alasdair Gold: Cristian Romero speaks on the rift between Antonio Conte and the players
England Francis dies aged 69
Women’s World Cup: The US-born players leading the Philippines’ charge
