the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs

i love music, always have.  when i was 8 or 9, my dad, without knowing it, taught me how to listen to music.  my sister and i had a large upstairs bedroom that we shared, decorated in pn-g purple and white, complete with a 4-foot ceramic indian (native american, i guess i should say now) that my mom hand-painted.  it was a great room, very 1975. 

sometimes my dad would come upstairs to listen to our stereo.  he would put in a rod stewart 8-track, sit up against the wall with his legs straight out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, close his eyes and listen to mandolin wind and maggie may and you wear it well.  and i would sit with him and close my eyes and listen too.  you hear so much more with your eyes closed.  still love rod stewart (not the new “tony bennett” rod stewart – i’m loyal to gasoline alley rod stewart), but in the past couple of years, my taste in music has changed quite a lot. 

i discovered such wonderful artists like patty griffin, brandi carlile, the be good tanyas, who perform the "the littlest birds", which i love but which completely irritates my brother whenever he calls my cell (added bonus points!), chris pureka, sera cahoone and so many others.  their music is described as americana or folk, or alternative folk and sometimes folk rock.  it’s very sparse acoustic stuff, with some fiddle and a flute or clarinet here and there.  it’s beautiful and haunting and melancholic, and also comforting at the same time. 

the 30 seconds of fiddle after c. r. avery’s rap verses on po’ girl’s take the long way is the most beautiful piece of music i’ve ever heard, the amazing harmonies on the wailin’ jenny’s version of old man give me goose bumps, and chris pureka’s cover of wagon wheel makes me smile. 

sometimes when i have the house to myself, i pour a glass of wine, plug my ipod into its bose speaker, sit on the kitchen floor with the dog, close my eyes and listen. 

my dad and i do not have a close relationship these days and don’t communicate well, but i’ll always be grateful that he helped me learn to listen.