BRITTON NONFICTION

Part 3 of my monthly residency at this local winery.

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:31:22 -0400

Part 3 of my monthly residency at this local winery.

Photo

Tue, 07 May 2013 11:48:13 -0400

Happy May Day to all. In Padstow, England this is what the...

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:40:29 -0400

Happy May Day to all. In Padstow, England this is what the celebration looks like. I’ve always loved the ebullient Padstow May Song and the colorful traditions that accompany it.

Years ago, my mother adopted the American May Day tradition of leaving May Baskets filled with flowers on the doorsteps of her close friends to celebrate the blossoming of spring and the coming of summer. I’m sure today was no different and she has likely been up since before dawn delivering her wonderful baskets.

From Me

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:54:01 -0400

The Strangest Things Will Break Your Heart

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 23:05:03 -0500

Note: I recently found this story buried in an old hard drive. I assume it was written some time in 2009 which is when the parking to which it refers was completed. I do remember the day it took place, but was surprised to read how deeply I seem to have been affected by the event. -TM

The strangest things will break your heart.

I’m walking south from the post office down Fifth Avenue toward the library. To my right, just after the bus station is the new parking lot where the old YMCA used to be. It’s a blank space in this town, a void. Once there was a tall building, an embassy for the homeless, a civic center for fitness, a ramshackle and quirky old place. Now there is a flat black parking lot where its footprint used to be.

I am always disturbed when I notice the absence of a building and can’t remember what had once been there. This was not the case with the YMCA. It was a slow process. The arrival of demolition equipment, the fencing off of its perimeter and the rescheduling of neighboring bus routes all heralded its demise. I am an almost daily patron of the downtown library across the street and would frequently walk by the old Y. I suppose many considered it an eyesore, but to me it seemed like part of the fabric of downtown Ann Arbor.

The new parking lot has appeared to be finished for weeks. The asphalt has been laid, the automated payment box has been installed. Only the curious orange cones at each entrance have prevented residents from enjoying prime downtown parking. I wonder what it’s like to be the first person to drive into a new city parking lot? Is there a small thrill to pull into a virgin space knowing you were the first in your city to do so? A kind of urban frontier that will never be conquered again?

On this day as I walk toward the library I notice a small open sign at the parking lot’s Fifth Avenue entrance. The cones are missing and there are three balloons tied to the top of the yellow entrance box. Like my mother’s hand on my shoulder or the appearance of a stray cat rubbing against my leg, my heart suddenly breaks into pieces. It’s a nice gentle break, though. A soft, dull and wistful hurt. Three balloons announcing the quiet arrival of a new parking lot.

I wonder who’s job it was to get the balloons and where you can still buy balloons downtown. Was it an afterthought to put them there? Were they a sincere gesture? I picture someone in a blue city-issued uniform asking for a few balloons, maybe from a florist or a dollar store. Just something to light up a drab corner where there once was something and now is nothing. Maybe as a tribute to the old YMCA, a brief memorial.

At that moment, all of the bad things I’ve felt and done are washed away and I remember that there is good in the everyday world and I’ve been blind not to see it. I make vows to be more observant and follow my heart and search for truth. I want to be more spontaneous and give money to people in the street. I want to leave gifts at strangers’ doors. I want to visit my parents and buy flowers for my girlfriend all because someone thought it would be nice to let people know they can finally park at the new lot on Fifth and announced it with some bright balloons.

I walk into the library and search for some recorded books to help ease my boredom while working at the violin shop. I linger too long and it drags me back down to the earth I’m more familiar with. The one filled with tasks and distractions. I leave the library and hardly glance at the balloons. It is Tuesday.

My friend and fellow songwriter Patrick Herek is opening up his...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 23:05:00 -0500

My friend and fellow songwriter Patrick Herek is opening up his home for a new monthly house concert series called The Midwestern Living Room in Northville, Michigan. He and I will be playing the inaugural show together on Saturday, January 26th. Space is limited, so if you’d like to attend, please RSVP to him at pherek@gmail.com.

Pat is one of my oldest friends and favorite musical collaborators. We began performing together at age 13 and he is still one of the most impressive musicians I’ve ever heard. Over the years we have appeared on each other’s albums, played in each other’s bands and shared our musical visions together whenever possible. This show in the intimate setting of his living room will draw on material from our individual and collective careers.

2012: Music

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 12:38:05 -0500

I made a considered effort to seek out as much new music in 2012 as I could. There were plenty of highly anticipated new releases by longtime favorite acts, some worthy and some disappointing. I read blogs, listened to Spotify, borrowed CD’s from the local library and looked for new releases by friends. I enjoyed trawling the depths of Bandcamp and Soundcloud for some low exposure gems occasionally discovering that they were made just 20 miles away from my home! When I really enjoyed something, I did my best to buy a physical copy from a local store or from the artist.

It’s an interesting time to be making and discovering music. There is just so much being released and so many ways to find it that it’s easy to become fatigued. The vistas are so broad in scope that it’s difficult to pin down trends which I don’t really mind. But I’m pleased that I made the effort and found quite a bit to be happy about.

Here are some of my favorite albums and tracks from a variety of genres that were released in the past year. As always, I enjoy reading others year end lists to discover all of the wonderful music I missed. Enjoy!

ALBUMS

Django Django - Django Django
South South Million - Wind Hand Caught In the Door
Father John Misty - Fear Fun
The Futureheads - Rant
A.C. Newman - Shut Down the Streets
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Here
Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel…
Bill Fay - Life Is People
Men Without Hats - Love In the Age of War
Shearwater - Animal Joy
M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion
Matt Jones and the Reconstruction - Half Poison, Half Pure
Aaron Dilloway - Modern Jester
Efterklang - Pirimada
Alt J - An Awesome Wave
Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Emily Loizeau - Mothers and Tygers
Ken Stringfellow - Danzig in the Moonlight
Get Well Soon - The Scarlet Beast O’ Seven Heads

TRACKS

Super 700 - “21st Century Girl”
Django Django - “Default”
Matt Jones and the Reconstruction - “Special Forces”
Stew and the Negro Problem - “Suzy Wong”
A.C. Newman - “I’m Not Talking”
Eugene McGuinness - “Thunderbolt”
The Futureheads - “Beeswing”
The Shins - “Simple Song”
Choir of Young Believers - “Nye Nummer Et”
Roberto Rodriguez - “Try (How Am I Supposed To)”
Johnny Headband - “Hot Button Topic”
Alt J - “Dissolve Me”
Josh Malerman - “Pumpkinhead”
Bruce Springsteen - “Death To My Hometown”
Mika - “Origin of Love”
Scissor Sisters - “Keep Your Shoes”
Cate le Bon - “Fold the Cloth”
Dry the River - “New Ceremony”
Smoke Fairies - “Awake”
Andrew Bird - “Danse Carribe”
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - “Man on Fire”
Ken Stringfellow - “History Buffs”
Fun. - “Carry On”
PreciseHero - “Caterpillar”
Lord Huron - “The Man Who Lives Forever”
The Beach Boys - “That’s Why God Made the Radio”
Andy Prieboy - “All Hail the Corporation”
The Darkness - “Love Is Not the Answer”
Jake Bugg - “Lightning Bolt”
Father John Misty - “Fun Times in Babylon”
First Aid Kit - “Emmylou”
M. Ward - “Primitive Girl”
Shearwater - “An Animal Life”
Santigold - “Disparate Youth”
Beagles - “Naya and Cake”

Timothy Monger State Park (Version 2.0)Sunday, December 30 -...

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:13:45 -0500

Timothy Monger State Park (Version 2.0)
Sunday, December 30 - 9:30pm
Mittenfest VII
Ypsilanti

Poster by Jenny Harley

“Avert your eyes from his gaze, junior, and you may yet be...

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:47:29 -0400

“Avert your eyes from his gaze, junior, and you may yet be saved.”

“But daddy… it’s you!”

“You’re too late. I’ve come to turn you on.”

Classic Robyn Hitchcock.

Courtesy of Dan Shepelavy

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 09:38:01 -0400

Courtesy of Dan Shepelavy

Check out this great collaboration I did with Detroit artist...

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:26:08 -0400

Check out this great collaboration I did with Detroit artist PreciseHero. I’ve been listening to his music quite a bit this year and was excited by the chance to work with him. I hope you enjoy the result.

Download the track:
Rookie Atoms by PreciseHero + Timothy Monger

Cheers!
TM

Woodblock print by Japanese artist Ray Morimura.

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:02:26 -0400

Woodblock print by Japanese artist Ray Morimura.

After 14 years of service, my Hohner soprano melodica has gone...

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:18:00 -0400

After 14 years of service, my Hohner soprano melodica has gone sharp almost to the point of becoming unusable. I may attempt to tune it, but the process requires some surgery and a degree of patience that may be beyond my capabilities.

In researching new melodicas this morning, I found a whole new world of opportunities. I’m especially inspired by these guys and their beautiful Hammond instruments. Maybe I’ll find a like-minded group of players to start my own melodica ensemble. Who’s in?

Yes, it’s the author of We Are the Champions urging you to...

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:29:14 -0400

Yes, it’s the author of We Are the Champions urging you to enjoy tonight’s Olympic Opening Ceremony in London. I came up with this design while trying to throw together a button to give guests at our little Opening Ceremony viewing party tonight.

Although Sir Paul will probably be performing tonight, I feel like Freddie was Britain’s ambassador to the world.

Cheers to my friends over in London. Good luck to all. Let the games begin!

When Ann Arbor breathes its post-Art Fair sigh of relief,...

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:15:50 -0400

When Ann Arbor breathes its post-Art Fair sigh of relief, I’ll be playing for the townies at Old Town Tavern. Sunday, July 22. 8-10pm. Free.

While reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, I paused to look up some photos of the...

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:06:37 -0400

While reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, I paused to look up some photos of the early Macintosh models.

The first kid on my block to get one of these little off-white boxes was my friend Hal Howell. I remember seeing it set up on a small desk in his family’s rec room and thinking how foreign it looked compared to the earlier Apple llC we had at home.

I was used to the blinking green cursors of our Apple model and found the Mac’s white desktop screen and all-in-one packaging intriguing. It would be about 25 years before I owned my first Mac, but it’s something that was in my consciousness from a young age.

Xylophone trash bin by British designer Dominic Wilcox. As...

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:15:00 -0400

Xylophone trash bin by British designer Dominic Wilcox. As someone who loves to customize and modify many of my belongings, I can really appreciate this strange music making receptacle. It’s kind of like a reverse Rube Goldberg machine where the basic function of lifting the trash bin lid causes the “fun” effect of triggering the marble’s descent. This inspires me to take more time to build strange things for the sheer joy of it.

A Few Early Favorites of 2012

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:48:00 -0400

While there is always great music being made and released, not every year yields a windfall of quality albums. The last year I recall being overly excited about new releases was 2008 and so far, the class of 2012 is looking nearly as solid. So rather than wait until the end of the year for a wrap-up, I thought I’d share a few of the albums that have impressed me most in the first five months of this year. These three selections glaringly show my Anglophile tendencies. Only one of these bands is American, though you could make the argument that they sound British.

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Django Django - Django Django
Released on 1/30/12

At this point in the still young year, London-based quartet Django Django are the unlikely forerunner for making my favorite album of the year. Their percussive art pop with slide guitars, percolating synths and strong stacked vocals offers a nice mix of modern sounds and organic simplicity. The songwriting is clever and subtle, but the arrangements give the songs some muscle too. It’s the rare album that is both intelligent and exceedingly fun. I’ve played this debut probably more than any other album I’ve heard in the last six months.

Band Website: www.djangodjango.co.uk

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South South Million - Wind Hand Caught In the Door
Released on 3/6/12

This side project from Zoos of Berlin co-leaders Trevor Naud and Daniel I. Clark is an elegant pastiche of odd jazz and classical samples, gently fractured beats, shimmering guitar work and understated hushed vocals. Zoos of Berlin are one of my favorite bands in Detroit and this new project seems like a logical extension of the things I like about Zoos’ music. Some of the tracks roll by like ambient rambles laden with reverb, but many others are structured and lyrical songs formed over the odd samples. Cool in both tone and premise, this is a great chilled out summer record.

Band Website: www.southsouthmillion.com

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The Futureheads - Rant
Released on 4/2/12

Known for their guitar-based angular new wave pop, U.K. group The Futureheads took a risk by making their fifth album entirely a capella. Adapting several tracks from their previous releases as well as a choice set of covers, they took what could have easily been a mere novelty record and actually made a solid release with a lot more gravity than you would think. Much of Rant’s charm is in its limitations. The band has always been strong on intricate vocals, but when stripped of their instruments you hear their flaws as well. Although many tracks are layered in vocal overdubs, the album has a very human and organic property to it which is appealing in this era of tiresome overly clean Glee type singing. It sounds to me like four well-rehearsed lads working hard to meet a challenge and usually succeeding. There are some complex arrangements here that are worthy of respect no matter how they approached and executed their craft. My total lack of Top 40 knowledge prevents me from recognizing what are apparently some well known modern songs (Kelis, Black Eyed Peas) and my enthusiasm for British folk music causes me to exalt in their traditional adaptations of “Sumer Is Icumen In”, “The Old Dun Cow” and “Hanging Johnny” as well as their excellent cover of Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing”. Regardless of how it is received, I’m inspired to hear a band boldly trying to reinvent themselves.

Band Website: www.thefutureheads.co.uk

Another classic poster from the wildly talented Jenny Harley. ...

Mon, 21 May 2012 22:16:00 -0400

Another classic poster from the wildly talented Jenny Harley. This is for my upcoming show at Woodruff’s in Ypsitlanti, MI on June 2nd. I have a small blue manual Smith- Corona typewriter very similar to the one on the poster. She did a great job tapping into the vintage noir mystery vibe with this design.

In addition to my praise for Jenny’s work, let me also add that I’d like to invite you out to the show! Joining me will be three excellent Michigan bands Skeleton Birds, The Walking Beat and The Redettes.

Cheers!
TM

I just read about the orchestral overdub session for “A...

Wed, 16 May 2012 23:05:01 -0400

I just read about the orchestral overdub session for “A Day in the Life” in Geoff Emerick’s excellent memoir Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the The Beatles. They made all of the session players wear fake bald pates and clown noses while playing their instruments from the lowest to highest notes over the course of 24 bars. I was glad to see that this historic “party session” was actually documented on film.