So now, in no particular order and, my list of things I liked in 2008. See you in 2009.
W
*small disclaimer: not all items where created or released in 2008 but that is when i took them in so don’t get mad at me.

ALBUMS:
David Byrne & Brian Eno- everything that happens will happen today
Dr. Dog- fate
Fleet Foxes- fleet foxes
Bon Iver- for emma, forever ago
Crazy Horse-Scratchy
Bob Dylan- live at gaslight 1962

SONGS:
King Khan and the shrines- welfare bread
The Avett brothers- Murder in the city
Spiritualized- soul on fire
Hayden- Where and When
Adele- Cold shoulder
Black Crowes- josephine
death cab for cutie- No Sunlight & Cath…
Elbow- weather to fly

BOOKS:
guided by voices: A brief history
the execution of willie francis
extremely loud and incredibly close
the mayor of casterbridge
watchmen
the book thief
middlesex
the road

MOVIES:
lars and the real girl
before the devil knows you’re dead
the dark knight
rocketscience
redbelt
son of rambow
eagle vs. shark

THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT WERE GREAT:
Farm Aid 2009
Sundance Film Festival
Summer Tour
Planning, Writing, Recording Torrent Vol. 1 & 2
The Election happening and The Election being over

…and so I will continue as we all must; one foot in front of the other.

WILL DAILEY ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF TORRENT Music Series’ First EP Fashion of Distraction to be Digitally Released on January 20th with Second EP By the Blue Hills to Follow in March Physical Release of Torrent 1 & 2 on March 17th

Special Guest Appearances include Roger McGuinn of The Byrds & Many of Boston’s Top Musicians Including Elliot Easton of The Cars, Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo, Tim Brennan from the Dropkick Murphys and Tanya Donelly of Belly

BOSTON, MA- December 18, 2008- Acclaimed, emerging singer-songwriter Will Dailey is back with his soulful blend of emotional resonance and finely spun melodies via a series of releases-tdeja a Torrent – to commence on January 20th via CBS Records. The artist’s first EP, entitled Fashion of Distraction, will make its digital debut on that day and be followed by the release of a second EP, By The Blue Hills, in March. Both albums will be available together and released physically on March 17th with additional bonus tracks. Dailey plans to tour in support of the release with details to be announced in January.

Writing constantly over the past year, Dailey was struck with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu when faced with having to head down that well-worn path that most artists never deviate from: pick your 10 to 12 best songs and go make a record. Will’s current mode of songwriting, however, wasn’t suited to that creative constraint; he had no shortage of songs, but they were written in batches that each explored a common theme and didn’t necessarily all belong on the same disk. This became the concept behind Will’s adventurous project, Torrent, which he will release as multiple music volumes throughout 2009. Instead of waiting 2-3 years for a new album, he will be launching bursts of new music every 2-3 months.

The first volume of Will Dailey’s Torrent is the EP, Fashion of Distraction, which contains five songs thematically linked by Dailey’s source of inspiration while writing them. The tracks were written when Dailey was listening to a lot of Byrds’ albums that were coincidentally deeply rooted in his early decision to pursue music as his life’s work. The first track, “Peace of Mind,” opens with the immediately identifiable sound of an electric 12-string and explodes in the first chorus with five-part harmonies that would have been right at home on a classic Byrds record, courtesy of a guest appearance by the group’s lead singer and guitarist Roger McGuinn on Rickenbacker 12-string and backing vocals.

Other standouts on the EP are “Keep You a Mystery,” “Never Be Your Baby,” and “Allston,” a grand epic that ends the first part of this musical journey and further defines Dailey’s range as a musician and writer. The track foreshadows the next volume of Torrent, entitled By The Blue Hills, which will be released on March 17th. This time Dailey’s major influence is the landscape, and unique energy of his hometown of Boston. By the Blue Hills was recorded solely in the city and features fellow Boston musicians such as Elliot Easton (The Cars), Kay Hanley (Letters to Cleo), Tim Brennan (Dropkick Murphys) and Tanya Donelly (Belly).

Starting his career at just 12 years old, Will Dailey used his own savings to buy a small guitar and amp. By age 16, he completed his first public performance on stage at a pub. Since then, he has graced the halls of theaters, clubs, and bars throughout the United States, which culminated in a 2006 Boston Music Award for Best Male Artist.

After a year in Los Angeles, the artist returned to Boston and recorded his 2007 album Back Flipping Forward (CBS Records) and embarked on a series of US tours, including a performance at Farm Aid 2008. His music was recently featured on the new CW hit, 90210, and Will appeared on camera, performing his song “Rise,” on a recent episode of CSI: NY.

The next chapter of Torrent will chronicle it all…

Release Schedule for the Four-Part Album, Torrent
January 20th Digital Release of EP, Fashion of Distraction
March 17th Digital Release of EP, By The Blue Hills
March 17th Physical Release of Torrent 1 & 2, combining the EP’s, Fashion of Distraction and By The Blue Hills, along with bonus tracks
For more information www.willdailey.com OR www.cbsrecords.com

Welcome to the latest installment of The Dailey Weekly, the new feature at www.willdailey.com. Each week Will talks with pop culture writer Al Norton about what ever crosses his mind. Ok, well maybe not each week but close enough. So please don’t get mad and send emails letting us know where late on a Dailey Weekly. We know. It’s just tough some times…

Al: Seeing as we are all inundated by holiday music these days – two radio stations in Boston went all-Holiday music the first week in November!!! – I thought it a good time to see what some of your favorite seasonal classic were, both the songs themselves as well as the versions you enjoy the most. If you had to pick one to record yourself, what would it be?

Will:
Two Albums:
1. A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector
2. Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Al: I am reaching into my “Obvious Questions” file for this one but hey, there is a reason they become cliches; if you weren’t making music for a living, what kind of career path do you think you’d be on?

Will:
I’d probably being doing something that involved breaking down sonic frequencies into a time table of sorts and then commingling them with other frequencies that have been broken up in slightly different time tables. I would vary further with different timbres so that they would each sound good independently but really make one whole that is very enticing.
If, on occasion, I was feeling adventurous I would take any one of the hundreds of human languages and assemble the words in to meaningful (at least meaningful to me) passages that I could delicately intersperse with the plethora of frequencies I have already combined together. I would, with my best efforts, aim to make sure these words too adhere to the pattern of sonic frequencies already established.
I would create these works multiple times just as a painter would work on many different canvases with varying results. I would try to sell them as best I could but understand that people mainly take copies of copies of stuff like this now and would instead focus my attention on bake sales for monetary income. (Mainly in the cookie department unless I take the time to learn how to make baklava. I really love baklava) Other than that there isn’t really anything else I could imagine myself doing for a living. Maybe work at a dog shelter with a good sound system.

You can read Al Norton’s Two Tivos To Paradise every Friday at 411mania.com

Will’s Link of the week: Weird Science.
Will’s Video of the week:Totally Undone