Carla B & The Monday Issue Theme Song

Happy Spring to all! or Happy Autumn! To celebrate, I am very pleased to announce that the Monday Issue has it's very own theme song! My dear and very talented friend Carla B, has written and recorded a wonderful song in this blog's honor. You can download it here*. Thank you to all others who helped out, you know who you are.
Please let me know what you think!

and now you might want to know a bit more about...

Carla B

who are you?
My name is Carla and I am a human. I live with my family, have great friends and live a life I love.

what does music mean to you?
Gah! Hard question! Music is...sort of indescrible for me. It isn't just something in the background, it's not just a lifestyle, it's not just noise...it's a vibe, it's an emotion, it's something I can't live without. I am constantly inspired by it, and it grounds me. It means the world to me and is what my life revolves around. Knowing music is a priviledge and I can't imagine it not being there.

Music helps us as humans to understand and grow, to bloom and perish and to relate to each other. We can dance with it, cry with it, laugh with it. It makes a movie in your head. It can tell a story that you will remember word for word.

I know I'm rambling now, but doesn't that just show what it means? It's too big to describe; bigger than you and me. It's a language.

most underrated band you know?
Oh! I know so many! There's Tilly and the Wall, Maria Taylor, Park Ave., Coyote Bones, The Whispertown 2000, Matt Walters, Ben Kweller, Orenda Fink, Art In Manila, Azure Ray, Johnathan Rice, The Hush Sound, Nik Freitas, Taylor Hollingsworth, Capgun Coup, Popup, Flowers Forever...pretty much all of Omaha, hey?

There's artists like Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis, Rilo Kiley and Regina Spektor, but I'd say they're more well-known. I still love them.

Your favourite musicians and why...
Tilly and the Wall is probably my all time favourite...their music expanded my interest in music. I've always loved music (I remember car trips from when I was 5 singing the Beatles and the Spice Girls ate the top of my lungs), but I had never experienced music the way I did when I heard Tilly. They were so unique and they were challenging my perception of music, as well as the industry's. Their stuff was really life changing for me...music from that point became essential (and helped my CD and record collection boom). My love for them exceeds the normal for a band, but I feel I owe them so much. They have inspired me to write my own stuff and explore the world of music. And now I doubt I'll ever see them live (in Australia) as the band's tap dancer (Jamie) and guitarist (Derek) are expecting a baby soon...I wish them the best of luck, though!

Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst is another favourite. Goodness, there's no song, no meaning, no experience he can't document. He just seems to get it. That has made him a big idol of mine. His stuff from when he was 13 to now (he's 29) all exceed what I could ever do. I saw him and the Mystic Valley Band live last year and that blew my mind. That experience was just so new and incredible. It was the first concert I'd been to where I really loved the artist, and so it was so surreal. Conor's music really influences my own writing, and as a result, some of my songs are almost responses to his. That's how deep the influence is. Another artist I owe so much to.

Regina Spektor is great, because she writes some really serious and some really light songs. She has that balance, while being a really modest person. I'd say she's one of the most famous person I listen to (in terms of knowing her back catologue) and I can't wait to see her live. I think she'd be a real show stopper. She makes some really funny noises when she sings, and she has the cutest accent. She also seems pretty shy, so that just makes it all so much cuter. Regina can just write anything and you can accept it. Not alot of people can do that.

Lastly, I'll say Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley. She's beautiful, talented and a lovely person. I met her after her concert a couple months ago and that really made me believe that she is just a pure, honest human being. Her music can be really confronting or really relaxed, but no matter what she tells her stories so beautfully and...delicately. Sometimes the way she crafts her songs are so interesting! Also, she's helped out a lot of other musicians and contributed to a lot of bands (she sang and toured with the Postal Service years ago) and played with Conor the other night. It's pretty awesome. Jenny is someone everyone should hear...she's worth it!

Well, that's not one, but there's just too many to name!

NOTE: Really sorry for the lengthy responses! I just have so much to say!


* This song, in parts or in its entirety, may not be used for any reasons without permission.