Daily Listen-Bill Frisell-Good Old People

I wanted to post something upbeat for this Monday, mostly for myself, since my allergies have rendered me leaky and grouchy. “Good Old People,” from guitarist Bill Frisell’s 2003 album The Intercontinentals, is one of the most upbeat songs in my arsenal. I played it, as is almost always the case with Daily Listens, on my walk to work this morning; today was slightly different from most others, however. University of Pittsburgh just finished with spring semester, and many of my student neighbors moved out over the weekend. That meant, for the first time in months, no herds of ambling, sweatpant-clad young people to navigate around on the narrow sidewalks. Moving forward, it means fewer distant shouts of “Fuck yeah bro, chug that shit” and “LET’S GO” wafting through my open window as I drift gently to sleep. These realizations struck me as I walked through the nearly empty streets of Oakland this morning, and combined with the warm, sunny rush of this song and the bursts of pollen from flowering plants to elevate me into a giddy, congested state. It was a strange day, to say the least. In all seriousness, Bill Frisell is one of my favorite guitarists, and I recommend his music to one and all.

Note: As my cursor hovers over the “publish” tab, ready to click, a chilling “OOOOOOOHHHHH” from a far-off bro echoes into my apartment; perhaps I’m not out of the woods just yet.

Check out Frisell’s website: https://www.billfrisell.com/