well, hello Dolly....

last week we drove through sevierville, tn (home of dolly parton) twice on our way to and from thanksgiving. it was exactly eight years ago last week that i fell in love with dolly while driving home for the holiday from college and happened upon the WSEV radio station that was only playing her music and a recently released album "Just because I'm a Woman." I'd always though of her as something of a hokey, down home joke, but when i truly listened to her lyrics, i knew she was speaking deep, powerful truths...specifically to me.

I thought of Dolly and made boone listen to that same album as we were sitting in traffic in knoxville.

not only is her music incredible, but her style is unmistakeable. 

growing up in south mississippi, we had a saying "the bigger the hair, the closer to God." i guess some folks may have been joking about that, but not me. oh, no. since high school i've worked hard to have big, voluminous blonde hair. while all my friends were flat ironing their hair to pieces, i was using hot rollers (hot rollers in high school! in the year 2000!)

now i use a giant curling iron and velcro rollers to pump my hair up, but the concept is nearly identical. i have a feeling that it was dolly parton's early look (before "backwoods barbie" and all that surgery) with her flirty, fun personality that gave me the idea that this is what southern women could (and should) look and act like. (ie: they should be ferociously independent, truly smart and 'with it', able to make fun of themselves, care deeply about their appearance, and make men feel special and breathless.)

then, in college, when i learned that she donated entire libraries of books to children in her hometown and rescued injured bald eagles i realize that she truly was someone to be idolized.
and did i mention that she's for marriage equality? score ANOTHER ONE for Dolly. Yep, she once said, "Sure, why can’t they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us." ;)

i finally got to see her perform on my cousin's birthday a few years ago, and even though we were in the ABSOLUTE farthest rows away, she was still incredible..and so fun...and super sparkly...and her boobs looked enormous even from that great distance.  ;)

 

anyway, when i meet another Dolly devotee (my friend Jon from Grad school and my coworker Sally to name two of the most important) i feel like we share an extra special bond because we know how truly incredible she is...we get it.

in fact, sally told me a few weeks ago that there's a new dolly movie coming out in January. I have NO IDEA about the plot, but i  do know that i'll be buying a ticket for opening night and will try to introduce as many people as I can to the mountain angel.

Is there someone you love but no one else gets? 

rolling in the...

so, the flood is still happening... we're safe, though. thanks for all of your prayers! Two dear friends are coming to visit this weekend and if they're interested I think we'll head to a music festival/fundraiser for Tunica cutoff (a place REALLY affected by the flooding and sand boils) Saturday. If you want to come with us, let me know.

on another not completely unrelated note, I can't get adele's "rolling in the deep" out of my head. (the mississippi is deep..and definitely rolling these days). anyway, i drive to work singing it. i fall asleep singing it. i cook dinner singing it. i listen to other songs on my ipod and sing it.

this is worse than my  dolly parton/kenny rogers "islands in the stream" fixation about a month ago. (that was so bad it almost ruined my marriage. seriously. ask boone.)

anyway, although i'm sure i'm WAY behind the times here, i had no idea what she looked like, but i did a google search the other day and was inspired that this woman with a golden voice wasn't a stick figure with no soul. instead...she's a soft, full figured, lovely lady with similarly silky voice. which means....

new. style. crush.

it's especially exciting because i've been feeling (and looking) softer and curvier every month we live in MS. i've been pretty unhappy about it, but now: 1) I feel confident that one can be curvy and still sexy and 2) I ordered the zumba videos so I can take control of my own body again. :)

it takes two...

some coworker-friends and i are in a "super secret mix tape club" which isn't really secret and involves making mix cds, not mix tapes, but eh... semantics.

we make a mix once a month and pass them out to the other 3 in the group (it was 5 people total for a while, but apparently the 5th didn't really have time to devote to the hobby). ANYWAY, this month my mix is a compilation of my most favorite duets and two-person harmonies... here's a little visual taste for you..

 

tammi terrell and marvin gaye singing "if I could build my whole world around you"

 

stevie nicks and don henley (of fleetwood mac and the eagles) singing "leather and lace"

 

rodrigo y gabriela playing "hanuman"

 

she and him "why do you let me stay here?"

 

kenny rogers and dolly parton (sigh...) singing "islands in the stream"

 

gram parsons and emmylou harris duet "love hurts"

 

the avett brothers singing and playing "november blue"

  

lucinda williams and elvis costello on "there's a story in your voice"

some of these folks sang together ALL the time..and others just connected for one incredible duet. if you leave me a comment with YOUR favorite duet, and I choose your number on Friday, YOU can have a copy of this mix. 

you know you want it.

love hurts...

five years ago i was working as a high school art teacher and i got a wild idea to dye my incredibly long and naturally blonde hair jet black. now i realize it was a desperate attempt to emulate my idol, emmylou.

 it's that she's always confident and refined, while still seeming easy going and natural. her voice is clear and authentic, and her harmonies make every song sound better. plus, a woman with a guitar is so unmistakably cool.

before i married boone and got the new last name of Harris, i'd had grand plans to name a future daughter emmaline louisa and call her emmylou.

emmylou wilson, sure. emmylou vanderzanden, perfect! but two emmylou harrises in the world might be one too many. ;) i still love her though.

 

who are your famous crushes?

and the winner is...

laura!

congratulations...if you'll email me @ wilsonec@gmail.com your address i'll get transitions and transformations in the mail to you ASAP!

new year, new mix...

oh no!

y'all, i made the MOST AWESOME new year mix (CD) EVER and i forgot to post the contest! well, it's never too late and January isn't over yet... ;)

leave a comment with a song that helps you start fresh (or a song that helps you manage change) and your email address and i'll post the randomly chosen winner of transitions and transformations monday!

you can't go home again?

last month's halloween mix give-away was so fun that i think wishfulfillment needs to make it a more frequent happening.

since thanksgiving makes me think of heading down the highway to see my parents, snuggle in my childhood bed, and eat perfect, warm, comforting food, i thought a mix about going home would really get me in the mood for one of my fave holidays.

so...are you in? leave a comment by tuesday, november 15 with a song that reminds YOU of going home. I'll choose the winner by drawing a random number and will post them here on wednesday the 16th!

trick or treat...

in the spirit of halloween I made a playlist to make you look over your shoulder and dwell on the morbid....though i'm not convinced that it's complete, which is why i want your input. the most original suggestion in the comment box by next Monday wins a cd copy of the mix!
tricking and treating...
1. run devil run- jenny lewis and the watson twins
2. this devil's workday- modest mouse
3. halloweenhead- ryan adams
4. black betty- ram jam
5. 51 phantom- n. ms allstars
6. maxwell's silver hammer- the beatles
7. hotel california- the eagles
8. is there a ghost- band of horses
9. prison girls- neko case
10. people got a lotta nerve- neko case
11. i killed sally's lover- the avett bros.
12. nobody knows- dave matthews & emmylou harris
13. little sadie- tony rice
14. oliver james- fleet foxes
15. friend of the devil- grateful dead
16. thriller- mj


what do you think? scary enough?

****************
btw: if you comment, please leave your email address too so i can let you know if you win! :)

crawfish+pigracing+theblues=bestweekendever

we had such a good time last weekend in the delta that i thought i'd share a few of my fave shots... looks like so much fun, right?






that's because it was.

i love your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes...

my first attempt at an inspiration board is an ode to neko. prison girls is lovely, gritty, and a little bit disconcerting, which is probably why i love it. i wake up almost every night singing it in my head... anyway, this is the first of (hopefully) many more songboards. any ideas?

photos taken from here

put on your red shoes and dance the blues...

david bowie... i don't get it.


at all. but whatever it is, i know i like it.



images from here, here, here

wellll helllooo there....

friends! i'm beyond thrilled. apparently ryan adams is still out there promoting a new (old) digital label and an art show... i can tell, 2010's going to be a good year.

Roll Credits from Ryan Adams on Vimeo.

get more here. and here.

music and lyrics (the first dance)...

man, i loved watching this couple's choreographed first dance and the bridesmaids' rendition of beyonce's single ladies. i'm definitely not the first one to post about it, but if you haven't seen it, WATCH it now.

boone and i decided that we couldn't pull off anything choreographed (although i am obsessed with Jai Ho from the end of slumdog millionaire) because:
#1 well, it's just not us, and;
#2 we'll be so full of excitement and nerves that there's no way we'd remember it. not in a million years.
but we will being doing an impromptu first dance. here are the songs we've narrowed it down to, but we're not totally sold on any of them:

--At Last, by Beyonce
great, classic song, updated by one of my faves, PLUS it's a nod to the Prez since he and Mrs. O danced to this version at the inaugural ball
--If I could Build my Whole World Around You, by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
wonderful duet, perfect lyrics, and it's upbeat! if you don't know this one def check it out.
--You Are the Best Thing, by Ray LeMontagne
we heard this on the radio the other day think it's just perfect i mean with lines like "you are the best thing that's ever happened to me" what more could you want?

here are the ones that didn't make the cut:
- The Luckiest, by Ben Folds
- Better Together, by Jack Johnson
- Romeo and Juliet, by Dire Straights
- My Love for You is Real, Ryan Adams
- I'm Gonna Love You, by Wilson Pickett
- True, Fine Love, by Steve Miller Band

what song would you want to/did you/will you dance to with your honey?

ode to neko...

a little monday eye candy.






isn't neko the coolest? wishing that i had some spare change to spend on her new album that came out in march. also wishing that tomorrow when i get my hair cut (eeek! hooray!) that i could get it this color red. but i won't.

dear ryan...

ryan,
it. was. wonderful. thanks for a great last show.

bowie, not mendelssohn...

i picked up a copy of this in the bookstore (mostly because it was the least "bridal" of all the wedding magazines and my lovely friend ABC got me a gift card specifically so i wouldn' feel guilty buying wedding mags) and found some really fun ideas. the best one came in their article Bowie, Not Mendelssohn where they give suggestions for less traditional wedding playlists. here's what they thought about ceremony music:

Processional:

ENOUGH ALREADY: Bridal Chorus

NOW THIS IS A PARTY!
"I Want to Make it Alright" by Paul Weller.
Christopher O’Riley’s terrific instrumental interpretations of songs by Radiohead, Nick Drake, and Elliott Smith.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" byRoberta Flack.

Recessional:

ENOUGH ALREADY: Wedding March

NOW THIS IS A PARTY!
"First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes.
"Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
Is there anything more joyous-sounding than a straight-up New Orleans second line?
____________________________________________________________
they give reception music ideas, too, but boone and i just aren't there yet. we did think about the ceremony recently though..mostly because over thanksgiving we had some planning anxiety and did a little New Year's Eve elopement research (apparently even an elopement needs ceremony music.)

anyway, we decided to stick with the May date for now and here's what we came up with for our outdoor, laid back ceremony:

mothers' processional: "By the River"Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mike Marshall
bridal processional: "Dona Nobis Pacem (grant us peace)" Yo-Yo Ma
recessional: "Emily's Reel" Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor, Yo-Yo Ma
or "Kite Flying Society" by Mark Mothersbaugh (from the Rushmore Soundtrack)

we liked them because they sound kind of traditional, but are played with banjos and stuff.
also, a recording is WAY cheaper than a quartet, (and where do you find a classical string quartet with banjos and mandolins instead of a cello and guitar?)

thoughts please*... also, what music did you use? did you go with the standards or did you do something different?

*you can listen to the songs if you click on their names and scroll down to find it on the list.