Friday, February 18, 2022

Where we are ...

Where we are, I don’t know where we are, but it will be OK
 
I always had a peripheral awareness of The Lumineers, an indie-rock band with a distinct, unique sound. Thanks to my loyal listenership to Radio Woodstock (WDST-100.1 FM), I am exposed to such music by newer, “modern” artists. Many current (and perhaps former) athletes might assume that, as a late-50s guy, I only listen to “older” music like classic rock and the like. That would be highly inaccurate! I’ve gotten into numerous newer bands over the past several decades, and my go-to staples are current acts that may have been around for a while but also crank out new music as well; no nostalgia acts for me. The Lumineers was never one of them. Again, I was aware of them, and their quirky songs (“Ho Hey” is more of an anthem and chant than a traditional song). But sometimes, it takes awhile for things to click. Newsflash: I really like The Lumineers now!
 
Again, I can thank Radio Woodstock for this. And my daughter Natalie. First, Gattine, the morning show host on Radio Woodstock. Gattine did a great interview with The Lumineers front man, Wesley Schultz, a few weeks ago, interspersing the conversation with songs from their new album, Bright Side, which dropped (that’s modern lingo for “released”) recently. The interview was interesting, insightful. The songs were catching and … just plain GOOD.
 
Back to peripheral awareness. On some of our long car rides to swim practices, Natalie would have a few Lumineers songs on her various playlists. I always liked them, in the context of her playlists that included music I was either unfamiliar with or not all that into. So yeah. Peripheral awareness has now turned into front-and-center fascination with this band. I’ve been sampling their vast catalog, via Spotify (again, another thing I’m late to the party on) during my Loser Laps in McCann. Great stuff! A few weeks ago, on a quick visit to see Natalie in the Albany area, she does what she usually does: Reaches for the aux cord, unplugs my boring podcasts and audiobooks, and plugs in her phone and her music. She had a surprise for me. The new Lumineers release. We bonded over the new songs, the awesome record that I currently cannot get enough of. It’s a rare moment when a 57-year-old dad and 19-year-old daughter can unanimously and enthusiastically agree on tunes in the car. Among the songs that I cannot get out of my head from this release is a unique (and, yes, quirky) tune called “Where We Are.” Schultz described in detail the origins of the song, about a horrific car crash from which he and his girlfriend amazingly walked away without serious injury. The lyrics, at the beginning and at the end of this blog post, keep rattling around in my head. Good stuff. Check it out.  
 
Where we are, I don’t know where we are, but it will be OK 

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