August 5, 2009

Summertime with Pete Droge

droge_summers

After a week at sea, I might be listing to the side a little bit when I walk, and still securing things so they won’t fall over when the ship tilts. I have what some call dock shock; it took me a week to get used to living on the ocean, and now it seems a week until everything on terra firma stops moving. I had an absolutely incredible, transformative week at sea — you can see how it all unfolded in these pics.

I needed a kick in the proverbial pants to get me back blogging after that (much-needed) unplugged sea sabbatical, and this brand new EP from Pete Droge is just the thing. Droge keeps popping up over the years in places I love, with music that his site calls “rich and loamy” (and I love that word, loamy).

I find his tunes always hit the sweet spot of expansive, golden afternoons in the sound spectrum. The The Droge & Summers Blend: Vol. 1 EP is available for a pay-as-you-like download, and was recorded on Vashon Island, off the coast of Seattle.

Tie The Knot – Droge & Summers Blend



The title of the EP actually doesn’t refer to this current season (although it totally could), but the vocalist Elaine Summers who shares singing duties here with Pete. These same two recorded a fabulous little duet (an homage to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, according to Cameron Crowe) which appeared in the Director’s Cut of Almost Famous, of course one of my favorite movies. How perfect is this?!



trampolinePreviously from Pete, he contributed the title track to the 1996 Ted Demme film Beautiful Girls, and notably popped up on a lovely little sampler from Pete Yorn’s label Trampoline Records in 2002 with this tune, a highlight of the very-strong album:

All Lit Up – Pete Droge





thornsAnd, I will always take every opportunity I can find to post this song, one of my all-time favorite summer tunes that I never tire of listening to. “Long Sweet Summer Night” is from Droge’s collaboration with Matthew Sweet (their voices blend so well together) and Shawn Mullins (rockabye. Do it), The Thorns. It’s on their self-titled 2003 album


Long, Sweet Summer Night – The Thorns

There ain’t no traffic lights in this little town
and lots of places where there’s no one around

Out by the red water, on the new grass
we’ll wake up the morning, making it last



So yep. Get to know Pete Droge this August.

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5 Comments

  • Thanks Heather. I love Pete’s voice also and “All Lit Up” is a favorite of mine. Glad you had fun on your adventure. As a “land lubber” myself I envy anyone who can be on a boat without puking.

    spookycat — August 5, 2009 @ 1:40 pm

  • oh, i puked. twice, once off the aft railing.

    browneheather — August 5, 2009 @ 1:42 pm

  • Oh no. But you probably stll looked cool. It looks like a fun time!

    spookycat — August 5, 2009 @ 2:18 pm

  • [...] “The Thorns”. Un bel blog che leggo spesso, I am fuel we are friend, mi ha fatto tornare alla mente Pete Droge, che ha pubblicato un nuovo Ep. Tipico cantautore rock [...]

    For those about to blog — August 14, 2009 @ 6:24 am

  • speaking of the Director’s Cut of Almost Famous… http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090727

    whereismymind — August 14, 2009 @ 2:43 pm

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Bio Pic Name: Heather Browne
Location: Colorado, originally by way of California
Giving context to the torrent since 2005.

"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel."
—Hunter S. Thompson

Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.

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