Guest Playlist: Andy C. Jenkins

Time moves quickly, way too fast, really. One moment you're docking up a pontoon boat filled equally with people you know and people that you don't, and the next, it's decorative gourd season. Now, fall in Virginia is an epic event, and there's a lot to look forward to. But summer, oh summer. Those warm days are as glorious and golden as they are fleeting. It's a time to travel, relax, eat, drink and just live. Summer is a return to form, a way back to how things were meant to be. And just as we settle into this new, original way, it's over. The only way to capture any of it is with a standout playlist, a backing track to carry you all the way through. Fortunately, we've got you covered. We were able to catch up quickly with our friend and original son of summer, Andy C. Jenkins. You may or may not know that Andy is the long time friend and collaborator of Matthew E. White. You should probably also know that Andy's now out on the road with a new band and the Fruit Bats and playing a few shows through the midwest in support of his newly released single Lazy Coast and the Fruit Bats' most recent album Absolute Loser. Andy recorded Lazy Coast in New York with his buddy Justin Frye. Recently, he just finished tracking his solo record with Matt White in Richmond. Andy was generous enough to share some rough cuts from that project with us a while back, and as you would suspect with a collaboration between the two friends, it's nothing short of awesome. Spend a little time with Andy's music, and you quickly realize that he's guided by a wide range of styles and influences. And that's the kind of person that you want making playlists. So we asked Andy to pull one together for us, something that would work as well blasting off the bow of a boat as it would a back porch. And man, did he ever. We're stoked to share it. Who knows, maybe it's enough to slow us all down for just a moment. You can set the soundtrack to your summer with the the immensely enjoyable playlist Coastal Lillies - Summery Jams here and below. And here are some notes from Andy on a couple of his selections. -------------- "Magnet" by NRBQ - My buddy Richard Harper played this one in the van last week. Totally knocked me out, so effortless and infectious. Richard also had a line, "Opposites attract, but can't stay together." Is that true? Who is the ultimate bar band? Where is the magnetic south? "Have You Seen My Baby" by Chris Smither - Smither wrote one of my favorite songs ever, called "Don't Drag It On" on a record of the same name that isn't available on Spotify. Good reminder that not everything good is easily available all the time. Anyway, here's a sweet Randy Newman cover. I love his voice and the way he delivers lines, and his acoustic guitar style is very correct. "Party Down Pt. 2" by Little Beaver - Two kinds of people in this world: those who put Party Down Pt. 1 on a mix and those who put Party Down Pt. 2 on a mix. That whole record is superb, unhurried sweet drum machine guitar funk, variations on the theme of having a very good time. I like it. "Everything's Fine Right Now" by Davy Graham - I knew about Davy from that record he did with Shirley Collins, but his solo stuff is wild and deep. All over the map, but here's a little gem for sure. It's also funny how much his tune reminds me of Arthur Russell's folk song voice, if that makes sense. "None of Us" by Fruit Bats - These guys are out on a new record "Absolute Loser." It's a low key gem and I like that low key. The natural quality of songwriting has that satisfying bittersweet glow. Gets stuck in my head in a pleasant way. -------------- You can learn more about Andy C. Jenkins and his latest single Lazy Coast on his website. The above image of the band rolling through a set is courtesy of Nicole Irene.