This is an acoustic version of track #3 from my debut Album “When We Started”.  The song itself is entitled “The Cure”.  Enjoy!

Live Acoustic Version of The Cure by Jon Pinney

My new favorite artist:  Florence + the Machine.  I’m not actually sure if it’s a band or just a singer, but I do know that I love the album and style.

The first time I heard Florence + the Machine was from the Eclipse soundtrack.  She has a song called “Heavy In Your Arms” that was featured in that movie.  It’s pretty awesome–very emotional, powerful, and raw (plus great singing and pretty unique).  So I figured I’d try out the album Lungs, aptly named because the lead singer Florence Welch has a nice pair that’s very apparent in her singing.  As singing goes, she is amazing.

My favorite songs on the album are: #4 Howl; #2 Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up); and #7 Drumming Song.  Below are links to the videos for #2 and #7.  Also, if you get a chance, listen to #4 Howl in your car with the music blasting, windows rolled down, while driving really fast.  It’s a great feeling

#2 Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) Official Music Video
#7 Drumming Song Official Music Video

A friend just mentioned to me that he heard this song and it reminded him of me.  So of course I checked it out.  I was surprised to find a song that gave me the chills it was so good.  Please listen to this song.  It is amazing.

P.S. I have no idea what this video is about… I haven’t watched it, only listened.

<<Update:  this video was removed for terms of use violation… I have tried to find another video with the song but haven’t been able to yet…>>

Last night I went and saw Benton Paul at the Boardwalk in Sacramento (it’s actually in Orangevale or Citrus Heights…).  It was an awesome show.  He was playing with Brooke White and Michael Johns from American Idol Season 7.

Benton Paul Live at The Boardwalk last night

Besides being one of my good friends, he is an excellent musician and songwriter.  If you’ve never heard any of his music, please take a listen to the following songs.  The first is a cover of Yellow (by Coldplay) from his live show at the E Center with David Archuletta.

This second is my favorite song of his: The Devil. If you look close in this video you might be able to see me in the third row or so. This is a live video recording from his CD release show last year.

After the show I took a photo with him, and then we sat down and chatted for awhile about life.

Benton Paul and I after his show at the Boardwalk

Benton and I after his show... Here we are chatting on the Boardwalk (literally a walkway made of boards)

One of the guys I work with just walked into the office singing “Summertime” to himself–he didn’t know I was there.  I said something to him, and that made me think of this performance, so I showed it to him.  This is by far my favorite American Idol performance of all time.  There are others that have been awesome, but this one takes it for me.

Fantasia Barrino singing “Summertime.”

If you have a favorite American Idol performance, I wanna know what it is.  Leave a comment below.

A song I’ve been listening to lately that I just love is “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles.  I first heard this song on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance”.  It was used in a dance choreographed by Mia Michaels between Kayla and Kupono.  It was all about addiction, and I thought it was one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of art I have ever seen.  I have included the video below to the dance and to the song.  I hope you enjoy them both.

Below is Sara Bareilles performing “Gravity” live. You can also see the music video at the following link:  Sara Bareilles Gravity Official Music Video

This is a song I finished this year.  I wasn’t sure what to name it, so I named it “Untitled”.  I may have had a slight cold when I recorded this…

Untitled Lyrics

Will you watch me fly
Will you watch me as I jump through the sky
Will you catch my fall
Will you catch me if I start to fall down

Will you wait for me when I’m out alone
Will you pray for me that I’ll make it home

Being with you makes it easy
Being with you makes it right
What have I done to deserve this
I must be dreaming if this is my life

Will you draw me in
When no one else will see me
Will you draw me in and believe in me
Will you hold my hand with your life
Will you take me home tonight

Will you come for me when I can’t stand
Will you strengthen me when I don’t think I can

Being with you makes it easy
Being with you makes it right
What have I done to deserve this
I must be dreaming if this is my life
I must be dreaming cause you’re by my side
I must be dreaming cause this is my life

While I was driving through Nevada I put in my soundtrack from Schindler’s List.  The main theme from that movie is one of the most moving pieces of music I have ever heard.  And the violin solo was played by Itzhak Pearlman, one of the most brilliant violinists of our day.

I’m not sure if it was the music itself, or the fact that Pearlman is Jewish, or that the music is from a movie on the Holocaust, or the fact that I was driving through the barren Nevada desert (which looked absolutely beautiful)…

Whatever it was, or the combination of all of those things together, almost brought me to tears.  I’ve never heard a violin cry the way it does in that song–with longing, beauty, desperation, elegance, and graceful dignity.  I wish I could find better words to describe it.  I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a song with such raw emotion…

The day was beautiful today…  I loved it.

I think what I liked the most was that the weather was perfect:  clear blue sky, about 80 degrees.  What inspired me was a combination of driving fast in my Dodge Charger (which I have still not named) with the windows down and skylight open, while listening to Absolute by The Fray, and driving through the west side of Roseville that is still undeveloped.  Right by my house there are huge open fields that just go on and on… WOW it was amazing.  Can’t get much more inspiring than that.  I even took a picture of myself while I was driving…

Jon Inspired by The Fray, Nature, and Wind

I listened to Absolute at least 10 times today…  And while I was driving home tonight–cranking Absolute with my windows down–I was so inspired that I pulled over and wrote some lyrics of my own…  Then I cranked the music, and sped home.  Wow, I love feeling inspired

And when I got home the inspiration didn’t stop.  My roommate mentioned Smashing Pumpkins and that he had the music video for Disarm–easily one of my top 5 songs of all time.  Needless to say I watched it a few times…