“Sun came up, it was blue and gold. Ever since I put your picture in a frame. I’m gonna love you ’til the wheels come off. Oh yea”. (Tom Waits / Kathleen Brennan)

For music lovers there’s nothing that compares to a live performance. Recordings become the next best thing and most of us have favorite tunes we could listen to over & again because the recording is done so well, it’s just like ‘the real thing’. One of those, for me, is Picture in a Frame by Tom Waits on his Mule Variations album.  Even more than Wait’s husky voice singing the sweet lyrics of this love song, I appreciate the way it was recorded.  There are a few seconds of squeaky piano bench noises before the keys on the upright plunk out the melody while the live microphone picks up Wait’s vocals along with all that’s happening in the room. Greg Cohen adds a simple bass line and there’s a breathy bari-sax instrumental break by Nik Phelps.

Our first house concert this new year is January 15th and there are a few seats still available if you want to join us to experience the April Verch band. May your 2013 be filled with musical experiences, live and recorded – ’til the wheels come off.