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Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

On tour...

On tour, the days shart to shift.

Thursday feels like Tuesday.
Friday feels like Monday.
Sunday feels like Wednesday.
Monday feels like Friday.
Tuesday feels like Sunday.
Saturday feels like Tuesday.
Wednesday feels like Saturday.

And noon feels like morning.

Posted By John Common at: 3:11 pm. Add Comment

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

5 Things John Misses While On Tour

1. Emma's ears
2. Sipping pinon coffee while standing in my kitchen listening to NPR on an old radio
3. Personal space
4. My bear slippers (can't bring them on the road -- too dangerous)
5. Standing on that rock in my front yard at 1AM

Posted By John Common at: 3:11 pm. Add Comment

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

TOUR UPDATES!

Hi Everyone (Again).

We are having a great time on the road and meeting lots of new folks. Thanks to everyone who has been coming out to shows! We have a few updates to our tour schedule as we added a new date in Charlotte at the Evening Muse on Wednesday November 8th and changed our venue in Minneapolis to the Ritz Theater on Thursday, November 17th. For more details click here.

Other recent things that we've been up to include our new session from Daytrotter which is online and available for (free)! We've also had the pleasure of making a new video with director Drai C. Lloyd who created a short film inspired by the song "The Man Who Could" from Beautiful Empty. Click on the video below to watch it here.

Love,

John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light Beautiful Empty Fall Tour

Nov. 9—Charlotte, N.C., Evening Muse

Nov. 10—Asheville, N.C., Lexington Avenue Brewery

Nov. 11—Wilmington, N.C., The Whiskey

Nov. 12—Asbury Park, N.J., The Saint

Nov. 13—New York, Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)

Nov. 15—Dayton, Ohio, South Park Tarvern

Nov. 17—Minneapolis, The Ritz Theater

Nov. 18—Milwaukee, Bremen Café

Nov. 19—Chicago, Abbey Pub

Nov. 20—Des Moines, Iowa, Gaslamp

Posted By John Common at: 8:11 pm. Add Comment

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Our Daytrotter session is live - free download!

"John Common makes sure that he leaves nothing unturned when he writes. He makes naked people. Or, he turns them naked. He disrobes them." -- Daytrotter

I hope you dig the music! You can hear/download three songs from Beautiful Empty / Side 3 and one new song named "Your Man" -- all recorded live in the Daytrotter studio in August during our summer tour.

Here's the link:
http://bit.ly/uBVnZi

-- Words by Sean Moeller, Illustration by Johnnie Cluney, Recording engineered by Mike Gentry at Daytrotter.

Posted By John Common at: 2:11 pm. Add Comment

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Our new music video for THE MAN WHO COULD !

Hey!

Check out our new music video for THE MAN WHO COULD! Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yd5c7TOFq8

Here's the story:

One of our film collaborators just finished a short film/music video inspired by our song THE MAN WHO COULD from "Beautiful Empty". It's a near-miss love story about two people who didn't fall in love, but probably should have.

The filmmaker is Drai C. Lloyd. She's written, directed and filmed music videos, short films, a full length and other crazy shit. She's a huge talent -- exactly why we feel so utterly lucky and perpetually honored to collaborate with artists the way we do.

I'd be eternally grateful if you'd help debut this video to the world by sharing it with your friends, and generally fall in love with Drai's work.

Here's the link again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yd5c7TOFq8

Love from the van,

John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light

P.S. Here are the lyrics:

THE MAN WHO COULD
written by john common

The beautiful ones smoke along the banisters
Watching the mating dance swirl around you down below
I was just walking down the street
I wasn't planning to be
The man who could really, really love you

When the bars give out and lovers run into the street
I’ll be lost in a fitful sleep dreaming of you
You stood there like a jewel
While I acted like a reckless fool
Not the man who could really, really love you

So the next time you’re alone
And some nervous boy tries to say hello
Don't be surprised
When you look into his eyes
If you see the man who could really, really love you
He’s the man who could really, really love you

Posted By John Common at: 3:11 pm. Add Comment

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

TOUR TOUR FALL TOUR!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JOHN COMMON and BLINDING FLASHES of LIGHT UNITED STATES, FALL TOUR

Tour Will Support Critically Acclaimed ‘BEAUTIFUL EMPTY’ Album and newly released EP ‘SIDE 3’

(DENVER, CO) John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light are about to embark on a second United States tour in support of the critically acclaimed album Beautiful Empty. The fourteen-city tour will commence on November 2nd in Oklahoma City and take the group through the Southeast, up the East Coast, and through the Midwest, concluding in Des Moines, IA. In support of the band and their tour, indie music tastemaker Daytrotter (www.daytrotter.com) will be releasing 4 songs that the band recently recorded earlier this year.

While on tour, the band will also be releasing a new EP named Side 3 exclusively on iTunes and the band's website (www.johncommon.com/store). Side 3 is a followup companion piece to Beautiful Empty that continues the ideas, feelings, musicians, instruments, and sounds found on the first record. With 6 songs and a run time of over 24 minutes, Side 3 packs more punch than a typical EP. But John Common is a notoriously prolific writer, so it's no surprise.

The band’s 2011 studio album, Beautiful Empty, continues to garner national attention and positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Los Angeles based Music Connection gave 10 out of 10 stars in the current issue of Music Connection saying the album is, “Gorgeously harmonized and deftly orchestrated, the album is a perfect 10.” The Nashville Scene wrote, “The result is a thoughtful and carefully textured alt-folk record that examines the terrors of adulthood and busted relationships.” Denver’s weekly, Westword, reviewed John and the band’s live show saying, “From the second they took the stage until the second they left it, they played with the sort of blind joy that will make you believe in whatever they’re doing – it’s pure passion and happiness.” To see for yourself, check out this concert footage of the band from Red Rocks. (http://bit.ly/qFB3ao)

JOHN COMMON AND BLINDING FLASHES OF LIGHT SUMMER TOUR

DATE CITY VENUE
11/02 > Oklahoma City, OK at The Blue Door
11/03 > Austin, TX at Momo's
11/04 > Pensacola, FL at The Fish House
11/05 > Pensacola, FL at Gulf Coast Arts Festival
11/05 > Pensacola, FL at The Fish House
11/06 > Atlanta, GA att Smith's Olde Bar
11/07 > Charlotte, NC at Evening Muse
11/09 > Raleigh, NC at White Collar Crime
11/10 > Asheville, NC at Lexington Avenue Brewery
11/11 > Wilmington, NC at The Whiskey
11/12 > Asbury Park, NJ at The Saint
11/13 > New York, NY at Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)
11/15 > Dayton, OH at South Park Tarvern
11/17 > Minneapolis, MN at The Loring Theater
11/18 > Milwaukee, WI at Bremen Café
11/19 > Chicago, IL at Abbey Pub
11/20 > Des Moines, IA at Gaslamp

Posted By John Common at: 8:10 pm. Add Comment

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

JC&BFoL FALL TOUR DATES! First show - Nov 2nd !

JC&BFoL Fall Tour dates just announced (below). Hook your friends up in these towns with a free download:

http://johncommon.com/introduction/

11/02 - The Blue Door, Oklahoma City, OK
11/03 - Momo\'s, Austin, TX
11/04 - The Fish House, Pensacola, FL
11/05 - Gulf Coast Arts Festival, Pensacola, FL
11/05 - The Fish House, Pensacola, FL
11/06 - Smith\'s Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA
11/07 - Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
11/09 - White Collar Crime, Raleigh, NC
11/11 - Whiskey, Wilmington, NC
11/12 - The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
11/13 - Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2), NYC, NY
11/17 - The Loring Theater, Minneapolis, MN
11/18 – Bremen Café, Milwaukee, WI
11/19 - Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
11/20 - Gaslamp, Des Moines, IA

Posted By John Common at: 1:10 pm. Add Comment

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

FINALLY GETTING REAL

Here's a new song.

FINALLY GETTING REAL
copyright john common

staring out the window
this was not the plan
lonely and charming
call me loverman

high enough to fall now
tough way to learn
I wish you would call now
so I could return

I can feel it start to slide
Down to the bottom
Down to the river
Where we met that night
Down to the bottom
Down to the river
Finally getting real

Lonely from the top
Lonely to the bottom
I searched for my devils
And oh man I caught them

Oh no here they come again
Self inflicted suffering’
Worn out from wandering
Following this broken plan, this broken plan, this broken plan

CH

I'm ready and willing
Nothing to conceal
Sitting beside you
Hand on the wheal

Empty and aching
A final appeal
Finally breaking
Finally real

Finally getting real

Posted By John Common at: 10:10 pm. Add Comment

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Last Saturday -- So great!

Hey Everyone,

Thanks again to everyone who made it out and helped us kick off FALL!

It was such a fun night... We had a blast playing for everyone. We're feel lucky to do what we do, truly, and Saturday night just proved it again.And thanks to Glowing House and Eldren for opening things up -- both groups are so talented.

Check them out whenever you can. If YOU were there and took pictures, please share them on our Facebook wall!

Here are some pictures from that night:
http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-denver/john-common-bfol-at-soiled-dove-underground-picture

Here's a review of the show from Jeff McQuilkin @ The Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/local-music-in-denver/john-common-blinding-flashes-of-light-at-soiled-dove-concert-review

Here's that poem that I read on stage by Pablo Naruda: http://johncommon.com/blog/302/John_Common/September_24_2011/A_poem_about_fall_(sort_of)_that_I_really_like

Love, JCBFL

Posted By John Common at: 5:09 pm. Add Comment

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Another poem about Autumn

Autumn Movement
Carl Sandburg (1918)

I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman,
the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.

The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes,
new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind,
and the old things go, not one lasts.

Posted By John Common at: 7:09 pm. Add Comment

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Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

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