It’s time for music, and as usual, I had no idea what song/s I was going to start with until just now. I’m in the middle of preparing setlists for, um, ten days from  now when I start playing live in anticipation of releasing my own first record in the spring, and I’m not unveiling my own work until that time gets closer, so I’ve been focusing on well-chosen covers — songs that I love, but more than that, songs that I feel like I can get inside and actually do something with, outside that whole piano-bar mentality of “if I know the chords, I can sing it!” So, to get my head into the mental space of interpretation — I’ve been in composing mode for a long time — I’ve been listening to a lot of cover songs and their originals. One that I love lately is Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” and Saint Etienne’s very, very different cover of that same song, which I just adore. So let’s start with those, hit shuffle on the iTunes machine, see where we are ten songs later, listen to some music, yadda yadda, etc. More videos after the jump!

1. Kristin Hersh – “Juno” [orig. by Throwing Muses]
2. Tori Amos – “Sister Janet”
3. Trick Pony – “A Boy Like You”
4. John Doe – “Don’t Forget How Much I Love You”
5. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – “Optimist vs. The Silent Alarm (When The Saints Go Marching In)”
6. Lightspeed Champion – “Dry Lips”
7. Ricky Martin ft. Meja – “Private Emotion”
8. Princeton – “Stunner Shades In Heaven”
9. Jonny Lang – “Angel of Mercy”
10. Martha Wainwright – “Dis, Quand Reviendras-tu?” [Barbara cover]

Shut up about the Ricky Martin song, I like it. This is really a good mix, actually. Click on the ones I don’t post, too, especially the Princeton song.

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Okay, time for music. If you are my Facebook friend you know I have been posting the same NPR Tiny Desk Concert all week long. It’s Abigail Washburn, whom I was thrilled to discover this week. She plays a mean banjo, has a lovely, very different voice, and also she has an ongoing love affair with China, so she strays from the bluegrass sometimes in order to sing folk songs in Chinese, which is equally amazing. Also, she happens to be Bela Fleck’s wife. I’ve been listening to her non-stop this week, and I don’t see that stopping any time soon. So to start of the Random Ten this week, is that same NPR Tiny Desk Concert. I recommend you watch all of it. The songs performed are “City of Refuge,” “Taiyang Chulai,” and “Bring Me My Queen.” And then after that, I’m posting another of her songs, “Chains,” which is about, as you might imagine, chains, the breaking of. I love it. The version I’m posting is from her Daytrotter session, which you can download for FREE, and which also includes the songs in the NPR show. So Abigail Washburn, then we hit shuffle on the old iTunes machine, post some of the songs that come up, and then it is the weekend. I’m probably going to post a few more things this afternoon, but I wanted the Random Ten to go up on schedule. Anyway.

Abigail Washburn – “Chains”

Amazing, right?

1. Dr. Dog – “Shadow People”
2. Martha Wainwright – “Who Was I Kidding?”
3. Dolly Parton – “Tennessee Homesick Blues”
4. The Jesus And Mary Chain – “Just Like Honey”
5. Queen – “Thank God It’s Christmas” [ugh, thank god it's not.]
6. Dolly Parton – “Coat Of Many Colors”
7. Ravel: Le tombeau de Couperin – 6.  Toccata [played by Werner Haas]
8. Sade – “Is It A Crime?”
9. Nine Inch Nails – “Happiness In Slavery”
10. Martha Wainwright – “Dis Quand Reviendras-Tu” [Barbara cover]

Wow.  So a couple notes about that Random Ten.  The juxtaposition of Dolly Parton and The Jesus and Mary Chain [followed later by more Dolly, and then Nine Inch Nails] really exemplifies what a “random” ten is supposed to be.  Even with the repeated artists.  Also, the Ravel piece is one of my very, very favorites to play, if I would ever practice.
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What terrible/wonderful things happened this week? Let’s remember, together:

Glenn Beck had a rally, and one of the people in attendance would be happy if it wasn’t for all those homosexuals and blacks taking his jerb. Also upset about gays taking jerbs? Texas Governor Rick Perry. Charlie Crist is waffling back and forth on his sexuality his support for an anti-gay marriage amendment. The “grassroots” Tea Party is basically funded by two brothers, and one other guy. Exodus got kicked to the curb in New Zealand. Bryan Fischer’s Crusade Against the Anus continued apace. Focus on the Family is still lifting George Rekers’ luggage. Castro apologized, for something or other. This crazy Australian pastor thinks gay parenting will lead to lots of abortions, and we were not surprised to find out that he had spent a lot of time on his work computer doing “research” on porn. Wayne laid out a strategy for the Democrats to regain messaging capability with the American people. Peter LaBarbera: Still Crazy. Matt Barber: Even Crazier. Michele Bachmann’s husband: Whoa. Etc. Oh, and this just in: Focus on the Family wants you to know that God has a penis!

As for music this week, I’ve been listening to a lot of The Magnetic Fields lately.  If you’re not familiar, Stephin Merritt just might be our greatest living songwriter.  I’m not even exaggerating.  And, as this is a Gay Website, I should point out that Stephin Merritt is a Gay.  The lyrics of the two songs I’m posting couldn’t be more different (Google them, or listen closely), but for me, this week, they’re related for some reason.  So we’ll start with “Yeah!  Oh Yeah!” and “Papa Was A Rodeo,” and then, if you’re not all weeping after listening to the second song, we’ll hit shuffle on the iTunes (version 10, which is, I agree, ghastly), and see what happens.  More videos after the Random Ten and the jump.

One more thing:  Have a safe Labor Day weekend, whatever you’re doing.  This especially goes for all of those of you that I know and love who are on their way to The Homosexual Olympics Southern Decadence in New Orleans.

Okay, music:

1. Barbra Streisand – “Move On” [Mom, Dad, um, I'm gay...]
2. Wilco – “At Least That’s What You Said”
3. These New Puritans – “We Want War”
4. Phantogram – “When I’m Small”
5. Cale Parks – “Wet Paint”
6. Tori Amos – “Fat Slut”
7. Joanna Newsom – “Soft As Chalk”
8. BT – “Running Down the Way Up”
9. Martha Wainwright – “Hearts Club Band”
10. Elvis Costello & the Attractions – “Clubland”

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I was talking to Wayne the other day, and we agreed that your Truth Wins Out should start adding some “fun” posts in with all of the very serious things we write about here. So, being the musician and music junkie that I am, I figured I would start a weekly late Friday feature where I fire up my iTunes machine and hit “shuffle” and post whatever ten songs come up first, with videos and whatnot.* And you can do it too, if you want, in the comments, so we can all find out what you listen to! Exciting, right?! Or you can just use it as an open thread and talk amongst yourselves. Whatev.

This week we’re basing the shuffle off of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen,” because a great friend to my hometown gay community left us far too early this week, and this was a song he loved. More videos after the jump:

1. Acrylics – “Lil Ivy”
2. CANT – “Ghosts”
3. Stereophonics – “I Stopped To Fill My Car Up”
4. Killers – “On Top”
5. Active Child – “She Was A Vision”
6. Velvet Davenport – “Bonnie Brooks”
7. Martha Wainwright – “The Maker”
8. Primary 1 – “Ploy”
9. Tori Amos – “Zero Point”
10. Imogen Heap – “Aha!”

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