Damien and Sarah Jurado ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

I am ashamed to admit as a local music lover that I had completely missed (one might even say avoided) Damien Jurado until this year. Or at least I thought I had. Unbeknownst to me I had actually been singing along to a Damien’s song “Gillian Was a Horse” on KEXP in the car for the better part of year and loving it. Thing is, for reasons also not known to me, I thought it was a Spoon song. In fact,  it was my very favorite Spoon song.

My case of mistaken identity was exposed this fall when I sheepishly told Josh I didn’t think I would know a Damien Juardo song if I heard one. “Of course you would,” he said as he went to my iTunes. On came the familiar strums of  Gillian Was a Horse. I start humming along immediately. “I love this song. This is a Damien Jurado song?” I ask with embarrassment and reddening realization. We listened to Caught In The Trees probably three times that night and I’ve done the same many days since. My embarrassment that I would mistake Damien’s dangerously confessional songs for the light-heartedness of Spoon has grown with every listen. So has my fondness for the album. Caught In The Trees isn’t from 2009, but it’s definitely one of my favorite albums of the year. There are few finer soundtracks for gray rainy mornings, your headphones, and a strong pot of coffee.

I got to see Damien for the first time this Fall where I snapped this photo of him on stage, with his equally gifted wife Sarah looking on lovingly. It captures a moment that seems intensely intimate, just like Damien’s songs do. The photo conveys what the music is and what it makes me feel.  For me, that’s the ultimate goal for any concert photo I take. And that’s why this isn’t just one of my favorite photos of 2009, it’s one of my favorite photos ever.