POST A - WELCOME TO THE WELCOME WAGON!

GREETINGS ONE & ALL (OR NONE @ ALL), THIS IS DOUG COOPER, THE MALE HALF OF "BIRDS OF A FEATHER." THIS IS MY FIRST POST FOR THE PUBLIC @ LARGE. MY INTENTION IS TO POINT FOLKS IN A GOOD DIRECTION FROM TIME TO TIME (EVERY TWO WEEKS OR SO). MORE SPECIFICALLY, I HOPE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO GOOD ART - MUSIC, FILM, LITERATURE, IMAGE & THINGS OF THE LIKE. NARROWING IT DOWN MORESO, I'LL BE FOCUSING ON MEDIA THAT IS EITHER LEGALLY FREE, UNDER THE RADAR, OR CHANGING LIVES FOR THE GOOD (THESE QUALITIES MAY OVERLAP @ TIMES). FOR THOSE WHO WILL NOT SHARE MY TASTE I APOLOGIZE (KINDA), IT CAN BE A BIT ECENTRIC/ECLECTIC. HOWEVER, IT WILL BE QUITE TAME FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS BLOG. BOTH LEAH & I INTEND TO CHOOSE OUR TOPICS CAREFULLY WITH THE HOPES THAT IN MOST CASES THEY WILL LEND THEMSELVES TO PEOPLE BOTH BIG & SMALL, MALE & FEMALE (I AM RESISTING THE TEMPTATION TO GO ON WITH THIS LIST OF OPPOSITES ON INTO ABSURDITY), ETC... PLEASE OFFER ANY THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, ETC... I LOVE THAT STUFF.

FOR MY FIRST POST I'D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE WELCOME WAGON, A.K.A. VITO & MONIQUE AIUTO, A HUSBAND & WIFE FOLK DUO OF SORTS (FOLK/POP/GOSPEL/ETC). THEY WRITE MUSIC THAT IS VERY MUCH ROOTED IN THEIR FAITH AS CHRISTIANS. IN FACT, VITO AND MONIQUE FOUNDED A PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN BROOKLYN, NY, OF WHICH VITO IS THE REVEREND. HOWEVER, DON'T LET THIS LEAD YOU TO ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THEIR SOUND. THIS IS NOT BILL & GLORIA GAITHER THAT WERE TALKIN' ABOUT HERE (PLEASE TAKE NO OFFENSE). THEIR MUSIC IS BOTH INVENTIVE & ORIGINAL, MAINLY TO THEIR OWN CREDIT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THOUGH, THAT THEIR SOUND IS SHAPED IN NO SMALL PART BY THEIR COLLABORATION WITH SUFJAN STEVENS WHO ALSO RECORDED & PRODUCED THEIR DEBUT ALBUM. SUFJAN IS ANOTHER FAVORITE AROUND OUR HOUSE - HE'S A STAPLE ON THE INDIE MUSIC SCENE & AN OLD TIME CHUM OF VITOS. IF YOU HAVEN'T CHECKED SUFJAN OUT BEFORE NOW, PLEASE DO SO, HE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. IN FACT THE WELCOME WAGON IS SIGNED TO SUFJAN'S RECORD LABEL --> http://asthmatickitty.com/.

JUST RECENTLY, THE WELCOME WAGON RELEASED AN EP OF OUTTAKES AND DEMOS ENTITLED, PURITY OF HEART IS TO WILL ONE THING. ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE ALBUM GO TO AN ORGANIZATION CALLED FREESET (http://freesetglobal.com/who-we-are.html). HERE'S A QUOTE FROM ASTHMATICKITTY, "Freeset is a fair-trade business in India that helps to liberate and empower women escaping the sex trade in the largest red-light district in Kolkata (Calcutta), India." SO CLEARLY THIS WOULD BE MONEY WELL SPENT - $3.96 EQUALS GOOD MUSIC (FOUR TUNES WORTH) & ONE STEP TOWARD THE LIBERATION OF ENSLAVED WOMEN. HERE IS A LINK TO THE MUSIC --> http://asthmatickitty.com/purity-of-heart. ALSO, HERE'S A VIDEO TO GET YOU MORE ACQUAINTED WITH WHO THESE FOLKS ARE AND WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE:

A SIDE NOTE: I DO REALIZE THAT SOME FOLKS READING THIS BLOG MAY NOT NECESSARILY JIBE WITH THINGS RELATING TO MATTERS OF FAITH. IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN THIS RECOMMENDATION MAY NOT BE YOUR CUP OF TEA. ALL THE SAME, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK THESE GUYS OUT, BECAUSE THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, THE WELCOME WAGON IS AN ENJOYABLE RIDE, IRRESPECTIVE OF ANYTHING. AND I THINK THIS MAY BE SAID OF FUTURE POSTS AS WELL. LEAH & I WILL INEVITABLY RECOMMEND & REFERENCE THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO OUR OWN FAITH, BUT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING WE'LL BE PUTTING UP HERE SHOULD BE FAIRLY ACCESSIBLE TO FOLKS OF ALL FABRICS. FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER. PEACE & BACON GREASE - DOUG