Some insanity talk; and my favorite Beers, Cheeses and Christmas movies...

You know what helps with depression?  Beer, Cheese and Christmas movies...

After years of having to deal with my own bullshit, and the intensity of the loneliness which I carry with me always, I've discovered there is a world in which I feel completely at home.  I know no greater comfort than when I inhabit this place, wholly, in both mind and spirit.  But, it is not an inviting place.  It is dark, uncaring and full of horrors, both real and imagined.  It is not a place for the timid, or really anyone besides me.  It exists only in my mind and I'm a frequent visitor.  It is place to escape to, regardless of my physical presence.  I know, you're thinking maybe I'm a nutter.  To live in a world created in one's own head is unhealthy and/or a little hippie-dippie-ish.  You're probably right.  They say that extroverts gain energy from the company of others and introverts seek solitude to regain their powers.  I recharge the old batteries by escaping into my own world within the old brain box.  It happens when I'm driving long distances by myself, when I'm cleaning the house with the headphones on, when I'm watching BoJack Horseman reruns at two in the morning, when I'm playing music in my room with the lights low; I can get there in a variety of ways.  And I need to get there, frequently.  But, here's the catch:  if I stay too long, I will self-destruct but if I don't get there enough it grinds me down into a deep depression.  A balance must be struck or I will suffer the consequences.  The other downside is that there isn't a reward for maintaining a healthy balance, only a lack of negative side-effects.  I don't get to assuage these feelings of darkness, only keep them at bay.  The mindlessness of television is one of the many ways to distract myself and get through to the next day.  Sometimes, that's all it feels like I am doing, just getting through.  I am pained by the guilt that I am not spending every waking minute creating my art (music), but I haven't the energy many days because I've spent it just getting through the day to begin with.  I realize that may sound hokie and very woe-is-me but it's true.  I wish to God it wasn't but it is.  Maybe someday I'll get caught up, and God-forbid, get ahead for once, but for now I'm quite happy to make it by, however slim the margin, day after day.

Now, for some random facts about the one and only Mr. Bradley Wik.

Favorite 3 Beers:  (Rock Stars know a thing or two about drinking...)

3.  Rogue Dead Guy Ale - This may be the only Northwest brew I actually enjoy.  I fucking hate hops and all that IPA, IPR, IPX bullshit.  When I drink one of those IPA style beers, I'm immediately transported back to my younger days when we had to smuggle booze without anyone finding out and used soda bottles to help with said smuggling.  Then again, most of what we used to drink back then was a mixture of Southern Comfort and orange soda.  Yep, that's what Northwest beers remind me of.  Just gross shit you drink to get fucked up...

2.  Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat - The fucking fruity-loops beer.  Need I say more?

1.  Miller Lite - The single greatest brew ever invented by human beings (not ruling out alien brewing technologies just yet).  It tastes the best and is the best for you.  It's practically part of a healthy diet.  I believe it also cures AIDS or something like that...  I've been drinking this for years and never had no problems with AIDS, just saying...

Favorite 3 Christmas Movies:  (Tis the season)

3.  It's a Wonderful Life - I love how depressing and real this movie is, until they fuck it up/Hollywood the ending.  Turn it off with 3 minutes to go and it's brilliant.

2.  A Christmas Story - Umm, not sure what to say.  Turns out it's not as big on the West Coast as it is in the Midwest but still.  It's not on for 24 hours straight for no fucking reason.  I had Chinese-style duck on Christmas one year when I live in New York.  I didn't get it with the head still on, but it was still a magical moment for me.

1.  Die Hard - The single greatest Christmas story ever told.  Hands down.  I'm not going to justify it anymore because if you don't know this already, then...  I don't know...  Fuck, it just is.

Favorite 3 Cheeses:  (I am from Wisconsin, after all...)

3.  Any Fresh Cheese Curds from Wisconsin - You know the squeak when you hear it.  Mmm, I can hear it now...  If you don't know of which I speak, go here:  https://www.wisconsincheesemart.com/cheese/cheese-curds/ buy some and find out...

2.  Rogue River Blue Cheese - This is the cheese that reversed 27 years of hating bleu/blue cheese.  My favorite restaurant in Portland, Gino's, always has new/seasonal cheeses on their cheese plate and they were the first one to serve me this delicious non-Wisconsin cheese.  Ever since, I've been obsessed with this, and all, bleu/blue cheeses.  Thanks Gino's!!

1.  Sartori Black Pepper Bellavitano - Perhaps after the aliens come down and inhabit the earth, enslave all humans and force us to speak their language will we have the vocabulary necessary to describe such a delectable treat.  Sartori has a whole line of Bellavitano cheeses; which, I know you've probably never heard of such a cheese but a Bellavitano tastes like a combination of parmesan, cheddar and butter.  Again, mere words won't do it justice but I've never been the same since tasting this cheese.  And, luckily for Northwesterners, there are now Murray's Cheese shops inside our Fred Meyers (regional grocery store) which have, and will gladly sample to you, these intoxicating Bellavitano cheeses.  Try the black pepper, merlot and, if you're lucky enough, the cognac.  Mmm, just fucking mmm...

We'll do favorite bourbons another day.  Here's a hint:  I like the booze flavored ones from Kentucky.  For now, I have to listen to Neil Young's "Tonight's the Night" for the thousandth time.  That and Mr. Bruce Hornsby's "Scenes from the Southside."  Well, I don't have to, but I want to.  That and drink some of my favorite bourbon, *%$*^$#^%#^%&).  Stay tuned to find out which one that may be...  Goodnight and Good Luck...

To my fellow Wisconsinite Mr. Justin Vernon... I neglected "22, A Million" based on your previous shit, but man, does this shit kick ass...

The first record I've sat down and listened to start to finish since Beach Slang's "The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us"

My God, did I write this fucker off too soon.  Sure, like everyone else in the world, I bought "For Emma, Forever Ago."  It was good but I wasn't punched in the tit in love with Bon Iver.  I wanted to be.  Seriously, I desperately wanted to love his shit but I just didn't.  It was pretty and I'm sure he was actually singing real, human words though I couldn't decipher shit.  I've been told that "Skinny Love" was a very touching, sad, real-as-fuck song.  I couldn't name three words that fucker sang, plus I've heard enough fucking resonators played to last me a fucking lifetime, trust me.  It was a good record but didn't tickle my taint enough for me to give up my first born child like it did for so many.  I felt guilty about it.  Here's an honest Wisconsinite making decent music for the first time since, fuck, I don't know.  The story of his breakup and band breakup and return to Wisconsin and shit was compelling but the music didn't quite live up to the genius-level praise he received.  Maybe I just didn't get it.  Maybe my Asperger's prevented me from caring about music that I couldn't understand the fucking words to.  Who knows.  But "22, A Million..."  Jesus Fucking Christ.  I wish I could imagine a record this good, let alone actually fucking make it.  Fuck.  Well done, Mr. Vernon.  Seriously.  When a motherfucker is wrong, a motherfucker is wrong.  And I'm man enough to admit that maybe I didn't care about "For Emma, Forever Ago" or "Bon Iver" but this "22, A Million" is my new shit.  I might be late to the party, but forgive me, I wasn't exactly waiting on its release given his last two records.  But this is unbelievably fucking awe-inspiring.  Wow, is all I got.  Seriously.  I just don't know what else to say.  I haven't heard a record that fucked my head up this much since "Blueberry Boat."  Congrats and GO PACK GO!  Assuming Justin is a sports/football/Packers fan.  And it's fair to assume he loves the Packers and cheese and beer, being from Wisconsin after all.  Anyway, I'm rambling now, but if you haven't listened to "22, A Million," do it now.  And, I guess, if you haven't dabbled in "Blueberry Boat" by the Fiery Furnaces, go ahead and dip a toe, or more, in.  You won't regret it, but you need to be ready to invest more than a few minutes.  This isn't the Taylor Swift or whatever the kids are listening to these days.  This shit will challenge you and force you to either shit or get off the pot.  It's worth it, trust me.  Shit away.  Or listen to the records.  What the fuck am I talking about?  I love y'all.  Vodka is tasty...  Goodnight...

Blasts from the past... Some of my favorite songs from people I know/knew. Also, where the fuck has this Packers team been?

Wow, sometimes I realize I've had a great life, filled with amazing experiences and beautiful music.  And sometimes I just feel good because the Packers win.  Especially against the Seahawks.  Life is good and music is my life, so music is good or something like that.  Blah, blah, blah, bourbon is delicious...

One of the most amazing things about being a musician, especially when you've been doing it as long as I fucking have, is that you get to meet and play shows with so many amazing artists along the way.  Now, don't get me wrong, most musicians/bands suck.  It's true.  It's just a fact.  The bulk of the bands I've had to sit through before unleashing my genius upon the world are just not good at all.  The amount of times I've thought "God, I hope they don't drive all the people out of the bar before I get a chance to play them songs they'll love so much they'll want to take those songs out behind the school and get them pregnant," is staggering.  But, sometimes, every once in a great while, the other bands don't suck.  In fact, sometimes they are good; really fucking good.  And I've had the pleasure of playing with some great ones.  I'd like to introduce you to a few right now.  Like now, before I start rambling like I normally do.  Because I really want to talk about the Packers win over the Seahawks which was unbelievably fucking awesome!  Where the fuck did that come from?  Seriously?!  God, I hope Damarious Randall isn't hurt too bad.  That guy is my new favorite.  I've loved him since I first saw him last season.  He just has a fucking way about him and a confidence in the way he plays that you just don't see from such a young player.  Shit, I did it again.  OK, here's the fucking music.

I love these three artists, which I'll present chronologically, and I'll give you a little insight into why they are so fucking good (which you'll find out anyways after you listen, but this is for those people who are like "I don't know, I think I'm so cool and I don't trust Bradley to recommend music even though I'm reading Bradley Wik's fucking blog."  Yeah, those people).

1.  Katie Davis - "Baby Your Eyes"

A long time ago, in a city far, far away...  OK, in Seattle in 2006 or 2007, back when I was a folk singer who had aspirations of becoming the next Bob Dylan, I met and played a few shows with Katie.  She probably doesn't remember me at all, which is fair because I was just an 18-19 year old kid who thought harmonica solos were cool.  Yes, harmonica solos.  I wish that was a fucking joke.  Also, I couldn't sing a lick and thought wearing leather jackets and sunglasses onstage was cool.  OK, so I got that one right, leather jackets are always cool.  Just not so much for someone who sweats a lot, like me.  But anyways, I was talking about Katie, not me.  I love to make everything about me.  It's kind of my thing.  Or maybe it's an Asperger's thing.  Or a delusional musician thing.  Shit, I'm still not telling you why I love this song from Katie Davis...

To best express why this song, "Baby Your Eyes," is so fucking good, let me tell you a story.  For the past 8-9 years I've had 2 songs stuck in my head.  Well, not exactly songs.  I've had 2 single-line melodies stuck in my head.  All I could remember was a single melody from these songs and nothing else.  No lyrics, not who it was, nothing "Google-able" so that I could figure out what songs were haunting my fucking waking dreams.  I hummed the melodies to everyone I knew, but no one recognized them.  So for years and years, I pried into this drug and alcohol-ridden brain trying to extract any bit of information that would help me solve this fucking Law and Order (SVU, the best one) case.  Finally, a couple weeks ago, I was drinking and going through my iTunes (a normal Tuesday night), jamming some Kenna, when I saw Katie Davis' first EP "Terrible, Terrible" on the list right above it.  I was listening to her amazing song "Los Angeles" when I wondered if she was still playing music.  I looked her up and saw she had released a second EP with three new songs, appropriately entitled "Three Songs."  I downloaded it (yes, I paid for it, assholes) and fired it up on the old Sennheiser headphones, as it was about 2am and though I wanted to blare it, I also had some sense of decorum despite my inebriated state.  The first song was great, I hadn't heard it before.  Then the second song came on and...  HOLY SHIT!  This was it!  One of the two songs that had haunted me for years (the other was the Weepies "Citywide Rodeo," in case you were wondering).  I must've heard her play it a show at some point back in the day.  But, fuck, "Baby Your Eyes" is such a masterpiece.  The thing I always loved about Katie's songwriting was that it was so advanced compared to what I was doing at the time.  So mature.  She wrote songs about real relationships and just laid those stories out for us to see/hear.  She highlighted the inadequacies we try our best to hide when we're trying to be in love with another human.  I was very jealous and very honored that she actually played a few shows with me.  I was not deserving or on her level as a musician.  But, man, I am so glad that I finally solved one mystery in my life.  Seriously, just fucking listen to this song, and, for God's sake, pay for it if you like it.

2A.  Jon Fickes/To The Sea - "A View of Earth from the Moon"

2B.  Jon Fickes/The Fraidies - "Never Love Again"

Jon Fickes has always been my favorite musician that I've ever met, hands down.  He's the most talented singer/songwriter/guitar player/fucking awesome dude that I know.  That's why he gets a two-fer, 30 Rock style.  For those hardcore Bradley Wik blog followers, you'll know I met Jon in Seattle around 2006-2007.  Jon also thought harmonica solos were fucking cool (imagine that!) and also wanted to be the next Bob Dylan.  I met him and immediately loved everything he was doing (mostly the harmonica solos) but was also instantly fucking jealous since he was better than me in every conceivable way.  He was a better singer, a better songwriter, a better guitar player and a better dresser (he looked the folk singer part, no sunglasses and leather jackets like some other idiots I knew).  Jon and I became fast friends.  After all, there weren't many who knew the Carter Family songs necessary to hang with Mr. Bradley Wik.  We drank beers, played songs older than our grandparents and threw bricks at John Lithgow's head.  Then, completely randomly, we both moved to New York City.  We ended up living two blocks from each other in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, before it was nice/expensive there.  When we both relocated to the West Coast, our bands (To The Sea and Bradley Wik and the Charlatans) started playing shows together.  BWC always loved playing with those guys, it was always a fucking blast and it always ended with way too much drinking, smoking way too many cigarettes and the occasional trip to the strip club in celebration of our self-declared brilliance.  Good times...  To The Sea was great but it was always obvious that Jon was the star of that band.  So, when he finally struck out on his own and put out his first batch of Rock songs, I was expecting greatness, but I was still somehow shocked at how good he was.  You can read all about his first record with the Fraidies HERE.

I was lucky enough to play with the Fraidies at their first show, and I'm even more lucky to call Jon a good friend of mine.  Listen to these fucking songs and, again, if you like them, buy them.  Us musicians are broke as fuck.

3.  Brianne Kathleen - "Paper Bag Dreams"

I met Brianne at a show BWC played at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.  I found out later that she was a fellow musician.  Her vocal prowess was highly regarded in our circle so I invited her to sing on the first Bradley Wik and the Charlatans record.  She sang on "This Old House" and "I am not Afraid."  Her vocals practically made the fucking record and definitely were one of the main reasons why "This Old House" became the most popular track on that album.  Shortly thereafter, I had the pleasure of singing on her first album as well, on "If I Told You."  I also had the pleasure of mixing that album for her.  When it came time for her second record, she asked if I would record and mix it with her.  I was honored.  Of course, I fucking would.  I was so excited to see what we could do with her brilliant songs.  She wanted to bring more of a Rock N' Roll edge to the recordings versus her first album which was more folk inspired.  We did, but the song that always stops me in my fucking tracks was this one, "Paper Bag Dreams."  Brianne is such a phenomenal storyteller and I'm a sucker for a great/sad story.  I could fucking listen to this and cry for days on end.  It's so honest and beautiful and naive and hopeful and crushing as you know where this tale of young love/lust is headed.  I've played a lot of shows with Brianne and this was the song that always made people shut the fuck up and pay attention.  That's a hard thing to do as a performer.  But I would watch people forget they were drinking a beer and just fall into this story and her voice, oh, her fucking voice is magnificent; and it didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes.  But still, this is one of those songs that we as songwriters strive for, to capture a moment the way Brianne has here and present it to the world in all its glory.  I'm proud to say I was a part of this record and I got to share in the beauty of songs like this.  Thank you Brianne...  Buy this shit, like now.  Seriously.  You won't regret it.

OK, so seriously, where the fuck has this Green Bay Packers team been?  The defense, my god.  Aaron Rodgers, you are a god.  I love it.  I, and all the Packers fans I know, thought the same thing:  Yes, we can beat Seattle but we need a good showing from our defense, a good pass rush/win the turnover battle, and also a good showing from Aaron.  Man, did we get both in spades.  I just hope to fucking God that Aaron's new injury isn't too bad (though he fucking rocked it and should've won the Super Bowl in 2014 with a bum calf) and neither is Damarious Randall's.  That guy.  Oh, I love that guy.  My favorite young Packer.  I knew our defense could be magnificent if only they could stop being fucking hurt all at the same time.  But we need Damarious and by the playoffs Clay should be feeling at least a little better, which'll help a fuckload.  This is the best defense we've had since 2010, just saying...

Anyways, I love you all and enjoy the music above.  It's all on iTunes or you can buy via the Bandcamp links above.  But please support good music and support the end of Grouplove, especially as they ruin the credits of every BoJack episode...  Fuck, Grouplove sucks.  Still the holders of the worst song/most racist music video belt.  Seriously, watch THIS and you'll want to fucking kill yourself.  And the video shows that the whole fucking world hates these fuckers.  FUCK.  Now, I'm mad.  Why did I make this joke and listen to this song again?  Now I'm gonna have to listen to Neil Young's "Weld" start to finish to wash this shit out of my brain.  Either that or just drink til I don't remember listening to this song...  Either way, we'll see how the night goes.  Goodnight y'all...