The "New" States

We've got some familiar faces for my post this week. Well, two familiar artists and one new one that I don't think have shared here before. That doesn't mean you won't recognize them, I just don't think I have utilized their talents in the past. This was another one of those weeks where things have been a bit difficult for me pulling this post together. It's not that I haven't been to this state before, it has just been a long long time ago and I don't really remember a lot of it. Given that fact, you will understand why I have zero photos from New Hampshire. The closest I have come in recent history is Vermont, so you are going to have to settle for that.

Don't be surprised if you see some of these photos again when we finally make it to Vermont. That's quite a long ways down the road yet, so I can't promise anything!

I'd still like to get back to the north eastern United States again with @mrsbozz, but that is something which is probably going to have to wait until we are retired and we can get here when the weather isn't quite as dismal as the October in 2023 when we last went. It's kind of hard to believe it has already been three years since we visited this portion of the US.

In case you aren't familiar with this post format, each week I have been going through the list of US states alphabetically. This week we have started the "New" states and we find ourselves in New Hampshire. As part of the #threetunetuesday initiative started by @ablaze, I am sharing three songs that have the name of the state either in the title or the lyrics.

I'd say if you squint really hard you might be able to see New Hampshire from the photos I took at the top of this small mountain in Vermont, but I think most of these photos were taken facing West, so that probably wouldn't work too well.

Anyway, on to the music!

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As I said before, the Indigo Girls are no stranger to my posts, but this song by them "Jonas and Ezekial" is a bit different from the other ones I have shared. Where some of my favorite songs from the Indigo Girls are heavy on the melodies and slow and somber, this one is a little more upbeat and bluesy. Kind of in the vein of Melissa Etheridge or Bonnie Raitt.

Despite that, I still like it. If I am being honest, it isn't one that I am super familiar with, but it fits the criteria for the post this week, so I decided to go with it. The reference to New Hampshire happens right at the beginning of the song, so it is kind of hard to miss it.

I think the real draw of this song comes from the chorus. That fits really well with the typical sound that you would expect from The Indigo Girls.

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Given how relatively new he is to the scene, I don't really know a ton of Noah Kahan's stuff, but I do know that I like him and while I am quite familiar with his big hits, I don't know a lot of the stuff that is a bit deeper on his albums. "Haircut" would be a perfect example of that, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good song.

I've said this before, but Kahan's music is one of those moods kind of like Lana Del Rey's music. It kind of sits with you and you just have to meditate on it a bit. The reference to New Hampshire comes just about halfway through the song and it's pretty clear if you listen really closely. Of course, the fact that this is a lyric video helps a bit too.

I hope we have a lot of Noah Kahan material ahead of us, he is just that good. If you haven't taken the time to check him out, I encourage you to do so.

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Finally, we have a bit of a newcomer to my #threetunetuesday posts. He isn't new in the literal sense of the word, but as far as me sharing any of his material here, I think this is the first time. Although he has been around forever, my first introduction to Nick Cave came the same as a lot of people via the show Peaky Blinders. They use the song "Red Right Hand" for their opening, so once I heard that I tried to take a deep dive into Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I'll be honest, I didn't get very far. The rest of his music was quite different from what I had expected.

In fact, the whole song "Red Right Hand" is much different than the small snippet they used for the opening of the show. This song is about "Albert Goes West" though, and if you listen really closely, there is definitely a reference to New Hampshire in this song.

This song is actually a little better than some of the other Nick Cave stuff I have heard in the past and I quite like it. I think I am going to have to circle back and give him another chance. It's going to be a while though, we still have a lot of states to work through!