Friday Fun — Redemption land

Tom just kills it with this one. I don't have enough words to say about the vibe, the lyrics, and the brilliant storytelling.


And this may be one of Ben Folds best tunes in an ouevre of truly excellent songwriting.


I saw Michelle Shocked perform this at The Bottom Line in New York in 1994. She'd just broken with her record company and was touring behind "Kind-Hearted Woman" and selling the CDs at the shows. The first half of the show, she played "Kind-Hearted Woman" all the way through. The second half she took requests from the audience. When she played "Anchorage," the friend who sang at the wedding mentioned in the song came up on stage with her. They sang for nearly 12 minutes. Utterly brilliant and one of the most honest performances I've ever seen.


And a classic from the Avetts that, of course, references New York.