Calgary

Today Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver announced his new album is coming out in June. When I read the track list I couldn't help but notice two things: 1) most of those song titles are places and 2) one of those places is Calgary, which is where I live. The first point is important because maybe this means it will be a concept album - ooh cool. And the second is nice because all of a sudden I get to connect with the song on this weird, sort of superficial, but personal level. There are no songs about my hometown that I'm aware of - I can pretend that "Backward Town" by the Grapes of Wrath is though because, you know, close enough. There are no songs with my name, my wife's name and especially not my last name so I'll have to settle for a song about my current home. The only other Calgary song is the brief mention of it in "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. It made for a pretty emotional moment when I saw them live here in Calgary a couple of years ago even though I knew they would play it, had heard it many times before and figured everyone else in the audience was waiting for it too. They will probably play it again when I see them in a couple of months and I'll probably get chills again. And maybe, just maybe, Bon Iver will come and play "Calgary" in Calgary.