"And It's A Hard Way To Fall..."

I've been in a Ryan Adams mood lately (not to be confused with our Canadian friend Bryan Adams. Who always makes me think of the South Park movie when the Prime Minister of Canada says "we have apologized many times for Bryan Adams"). To be honest one of the contestants of American Idol performed Come Pick Me Up a couple of weeks back and I've been playing Ryan Adams in steady rotation since (yes I am aware that this is a mild confession to the fact that I watch American Idol but (1) it's a discussion for another day and (2) get off my ass it's fun).

The first time I was introduced to the music of Ryan Adams happened to be at the end of the movie Behind Enemy Lines. A weird and random place to discover an artist but it's the Gods honest truth. Just as a side note Behind Enemy Lines came out shortly after 9/11 and I think it was exactly what people needed action movie wise. As a matter of fact when it ended the people in the theater actually started to applaud. It was very surreal but also felt very appropriate. I don't know how to explain it but it just felt like a good moment. Like everyone in the theater was thinking about 9/11 in the back of their heads and when the movie ended there was this collective sigh. I don't know, like I said it was very surreal. I do suggest you watch it now and try and think of it coming out only a few months after 9/11... I bet you walk away from it differently. It's not the greatest movie ever made but it certainly came out at the right time.

Any way the song that was playing during the credits was Rescue Blues and I went home and downloaded it off of Kaaza or whatever downloading site I was using at the time (this was before the U.S. Government cracked down and started suing people for illegal downloads). I liked the song and would listen to it often (I think in the back of my head it reminded me of the people applauding at the end of Behind Enemy Lines), for me it was just a good song to throw on from time to time. On top of that I liked to sing a long to it. But that's where my relationship with Ryan Adams kind of went. It was like a really nice first date with a pretty girl. You know one where you have a nice time at dinner maybe make out a little afterwards but know nothing is going to come of this so you just part ways after a couple of more phone calls and a bunch of botched plans?

Shea has opened a bunch of new music windows for me (helped expand me from a casual Killers fan to becoming a fan) and Ryan Adams was one of those artists who Shea helped expand my knowledge on. Songs like So Alive, Two, and Halloweenhead quickly found homes on my ipod. I was also able to learn more about the volatile nature of Ryan Adams and how he's pretty much psychotic. No matter how much I like his music I don't think I could go see him in concert, it would be like seeing Oasis during the height of their 90's glory. If he suddenly doesn't like the sound of something or feels like the crowd isn't responding to the music well enough he's likely to bug out and walk off stage, but only after he curses someone out. Concerts are too expensive to have to go in worrying if that artist is going to have a shit fit and bounce. I'll take my Ryan Adams records, please and thank you.

	Ryan Adams - Hard Way To Fall .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

The song of the day comes from the album Jacksonville City Nights. It's a pretty good record, very chill. I like how Hard Way To Fall has a bit of a country touch. Actually if you think about it a lot of Ryan Adams's music has that bit of country to it. It may not always be at the front of the song but it's usually there on the back burner. Maybe what makes him so angry is that he's a country artist afraid to embrace his inner cowboy? I also fear if he read that sentence he's find me and kick the crap out of me. Seriously.

This song is very pretty and almost reminds me of Neil Young. No it doesn't sound like a Neil Young song but picture Uncle Neil with just an acoustic guitar singing Hard Way To Fall. That's nice isn't it? I think the song would come across a little more heartbreaking. Although for some reason I hear a touch of humor in this song. No that's not right either. It's a smile. When I hear this song I hear a smile behind the words. He's not angry about the situation, he's just reflecting on the situation of a relationship lost. There is no bitterness in the voice. I like that. There are too many post relationship songs where the person singing is angry and bitter. It's nice to hear one where maybe the singer is just like "eh, these things happen. It sucks but what you are going to do?" Or you can do the opposite and write a break-up song like Eamon's Fuck It (that dude was pissed!).

As a matter of fact I think I'm going to put Hard Way To Fall on my Want To Hear It Now playlist. It's just so pleasant to listen to. The Ryan Adams kick continues.

Remember When the Music...

When I was in high school I was introduced to the music of Harry Chapin. For those who don't know who Harry Chapin is he is the man behind the song Cats and the Cradle. Chapin is one of the greatest story tellers ever. Not just in music, I mean ever. He has this ability through song and through speech to paint these wonderful crafted worlds that just suck you in. A lot of his songs are personal accounts and Chapin doesn't shy from presenting himself or his stories for what they are. Through out a brilliant blend of honesty and humor Chapin sings songs that tug on your heart or make you laugh out loud.

Today's song, Remember When the Music, comes from the live album The Bottom Line Encore Collection, which was actually given to me by Harry Chapin's mother. My mom developed a working relationship with Mrs. Chapin and during their talks my mother mentioned that I had started listening to her sons music. The next time they got together Mrs. Chapin brought a couple of her sons CD's and in those CD's was this live album. I was very touched. It's just a reflection of the whole Chapin way.

This song is about loss and Chapin's introduction helps to put you in his mind frame when he wrote it. Not only that but the emotion drips from his voice when he starts to sing. I for one am a huge John Lennon fan (one of my musical heroes) so this song definitely plays to me. It encompass the feeling of losing one of the greats. It's a beautiful song from an excellent story teller.

"I Could See All The Beautiful Clouds..."

It's another glorious day of fog and possible rain here on Long Island. I swear to you that this weather is seeping into my head and working my moods like a marionette. My brain is hooked up to these strings while the sadistic weather puppeteer has me switching from glum and blegh, to chippy and happy (this happens on these brief occasions where the sun shows itself). It's coming to the point where all I want to do is stay in bed. I don't think I can take much more (in the back of my head the weather is now shouting "dance for me puppet dance!". I think I might be losing it).

Usually my moods are dedicated by what's going on around me (I think this is common in most people) so I don't like the weather dictating how I feel. I should be making those decisions on my own ("I said dance!"). So I'm turning to my ipod for a bit of escapism. I need something to kind of wash away the gray, to part the fog even if for five minutes. I'm not asking for much, I'm just looking for a glimmer. There is no surprise that my ipod hears my pleas for help and gladly obliges my need to feel the sun. When O.A.R.'s (…Of A Revolution) On Top of the Cage starts to play I can't help but smile (for starters instead of five minutes I get a six minute reprieve from the gloom).

My relationship with O.A.R. is very special. There was a time where they were basically all I listened to. I first heard them when my college roommate, Jason, returned from what I believe was a successful trip to Canada (I'm not entirely sure how one has an unsuccessful trip to Canada). He had downloaded a couple of songs that he had heard up there (like Contagious by the Isley Brothers which is an incredible guilty pleasure) and one of those songs happened to be the studio cut of Crazy Game of Poker (which is an O.A.R. staple). My initial thought was "what the hell is this?" but Jay was persistent (or just didn’t care that I wasn't a big fan of the song) and continued playing it. After awhile I found myself tapping along and eventually singing along, and a love affair was born. Well almost. I decided that I would buy my first O.A.R. album and chose their third release, Risen. Again I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed. It was just okay dawg (yeah a little Randy Jackson) but I decided to fight through it. Maybe it was divine intervention that lead me to buy their second album, Soul's Aflame, but after that there was no turning back. I was officially, for better or worse, an O.A.R. fan.

After that I was buying all their albums and found that these guys were made to play live. The structure of O.A.R. is the live experience. The albums are more of a gateway to the live show. It's like "yeah we wrote these songs but they sound better live so hurry up and learn the lyrics and meet us at the show", and I was all over that (seeing O.A.R. either nine or ten times. I've lost count). I signed up on http://www.oarsa.org/ , which is the best site for any O.A.R. fan. They have set lists of every show and a community of fans looking to trade shows and talk music. I quickly got wrapped up in the whole fan community trading for different shows at a rapid pace and making friends all across the country. Like I've said earlier I never really got into Phish but I respected their fan community, you remember the Phish-Heads right? These were my Phish-Heads, and the whole experience was excellent. I ended up with tons of different shows spanning all stages of the band. I had never felt so immersed in a band before.

I was telling anybody who would listen how great O.A.R. was. I wanted nothing more than for these guys to make it. I loved that they played these small, intimate venues but they deserved better. They deserved to be played on the radio, they deserved to be heard. That sadly is where the love affair started to head a little south. O.A.R. did become more known. Touring with Dave Matthews Band and playing festivals like Bonnaroo got the band's name out there and they started to develop a different group of followers, teeny boppers. Teeny boppers are a disease and usually quickly  bring about the downfall of many a band. This was no different. The crowd at O.A.R. shows quickly changed to fourteen and fifteen year olds who were getting drunk for the first time and wanted to a sloppy sing-a-long with the band's staple songs. There was no interest in the larger catalogue, as long as Poker was played this crowd was going home happy.

Then a terrible thing happened. O.A.R. noticed the change in audience and started playing to them. This was a band that was rooted in reggae music and jam band like styles, who have huge influences that can be heard in their music, now was starting to play a song used on the trailer for the re-vamped 90210. The first album to start their pop movement was Stories of A Stranger. I was at their album release party where they played the whole album front to back. I could notice the new sound a bit but it was surrounded by a bunch of older songs that were re-tooled and recorded for the album. The O.A.R. I loved was still there so I didn’t mind, I kept telling myself "it's okay. One or two pop songs gets radio play and that draws in the numbers to the rest of the awesome." Wrong. It was the beginning of a shift in sound.

When All Sides was released I was offended, actually to be more accurate I was hurt. I felt so betrayed by the band. It was like they had completely forgotten their roots and just dove into this pop scene to become just another band on the radio. To me O.A.R. was more than that. This was the band I would listen to at any moment of any day and feel happy, totally at peace. Their vibe and their sound would just wash over me and I would be free. Now they seemed to be turning their back on me. To me All Sides is pretty much unlistenable with two exceptions, both of which  make me think of my wonderful wife. First being Something Coming Over which is actually a much older song that is recorded for the first time here and the other being On My Way which is a brilliantly beautiful new song. These two songs are the only good things to take away from this album.

So after All Sides I sort of stopped listening. I stopped going to shows (and I would see them at least once a year). I was angry and like I said hurt. I thought it best not to listen because it either reminded me of the band that was or the band they had become. After some time I sort of loosened up and realized that it was okay to listen to the older material. The new stuff wasn't for me, but there was no reason for me to ignore the music I fell in love with, that I enjoyed listening to. So I opened up and started listening to the classics again, and instantly I felt the same. This was my band again, this was my sound. O.A.R. has a new album coming out in Septemberish and they say it's going back to more of their roots, and I want to be excited about that but that's what they said about All Sides too.  At least I'll always have their older material.

That's where On Top of the Cage comes in. I'm going to be honest, the studio cut isn't the greatest. Like I said before the studio cuts are the foundation of the song and to get the full structure you have to hear it live. On Top of the Cage is definitely a live song. Usually in the middle there is a guest spot, in most cases it's Scraps from Ordinary Peoples, who usually freestyles a couple of bars and that leads into a longer jam. Actually there is this great freestyle from Scraps where he works in titles of different O.A.R. songs into his rhymes. It's pretty epic. It's just a song that makes you want to bounce around, it's perfect summer music. In fact it's the perfect song to wash away the gray for six minutes and helps to cut the strings of my evil puppeteer ("Dance!").

A Math Problem With A Pre-Determined Sum

I'm not a math whiz but I would like to conduct a little problem, so please bare with me. If you take a love for metal and hair bands and add it to a love of Green Day and punk music you get a sum of 41?  Is that correct? Is that how that band came about? Like I said I'm not a math whiz.

Today's song comes from Sum 41 (as you can tell be my sort of funny but not funny enough to laugh out loud opening). I got into Sum 41 my sophomore year of college, around the time their album No Killer No Filler came out. It was basically four guys who took their love for metal music and hair bands and fused it together with their love of Green Day and punk music. The result was a very pop punk sound. Don't get me wrong I enjoy some pop punk but I hate when it gets classified as punk music. It's not punk, and I'm sure if Joey Ramone heard you refer to it as such he'd punch you in the throat.

Just because it isn't punk doesn't mean it isn't catchy though. All Killer No Filler is filled with addicting little hooks as well as can't help but sing along versus, it's almost like a guilty pleasure (actually I'm pretty sure that's exactly what it is). To be honest I always thought that No Killer No Filler made a good transition from spring to summer. You're just starting to drive with the windows open a bit and it sounds good coming from your speakers. When summer arrives it kind of falls to the back burner though. It's definitely a seasonal record.

Today's Sum 41 song comes from the follow up to No Killer No Filler, Does This Look Infected? My initial reaction to this album was that it was just okay. It felt rushed and kind of gimmicky. I don't know how to describe it, maybe it just didn't have the same feel good sound as No Killer No Filler. It definitely is not a spring into summer album, it's more of a… well it's a filler album really. It's just there. Although there were a couple of good tracks to come off Does This Look Infected? and today's shuffle happens to be one of them.

The Hell Song isn't anything spectacular, I don't think it's particularly catchy either, it's just there. For the most part it comes across flat. There is no passion in the lyrics where passion was intended. The band just seems bored, or going through the motions. It's like "here's a song, we put it on a record, now like it". The video was sort of cool because it's just the band playing with some old action figures. That part of it is fun, but I don't see how it matches up with the song. Does This Look Infected? was kind of the beginning of the end with my love affair with Sum 41. I picked up their next album, Chuck, which I think is pretty underrated but haven't listened to anything new by them since. I guess we'll always have the spring into summer car rides of my sophomore year though. When I was really feeling the catchy, sing-a-long pop punk of it all. Such simpler times.

In A Blog Far, Far Away

Movie scores. I really can't get enough of them. It's all a part of the movie experience. A good score will make an average movie better and an excellent score will make an awesome movie… even more awesome. Scores are tricky you know? They have to be able to tell a story themselves as well as fit alongside what's going on in the film. Case and point would be the Braveheart Soundtrack. I can listen to that soundtrack outside of the movie and tell you every scene that is happening while the music is playing, but I also feel the emotion of the music. It's William Wallace's story being told through sting instruments. The music itself is able to evoke emotion on its own not just because you remember what's happening at that part of the movie.

A really good score uses themes. Take the Lost soundtracks for example. The music is excellent, and even though it's a TV show the music eclipses a number of movie soundtracks I've heard. The foundation of the Lost soundtracks are its themes. There's a life and death theme, specific character themes, an adventure theme, ect., ect. and these themes slip into a number of different tracks on the soundtrack. It's letting you know that there is something larger going on then what you're seeing on screen. Sometimes you get too caught up watching the film (or in this case show) and don't pick up on them right away. It's when you're playing the soundtrack and relaxing that you start to notice that the composer is telling you his own story. It's almost like a second movie. I can't tell you how many different times that Landing Party (Lost Season 4 Soundtrack) has made me cry or the chills I get listening to Charging Fort Wagner (Glory Soundtrack) not to mention that every time I listen to Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo: Il Triello (Titoli Finali) (Fist Full of Dollars Soundtrack) I want to be a gunslinger… I mean every time.

So it should be of no surprise that today's song comes from a movie soundtrack (I mean let's be honest I'm not going to go on a long movie score rant and then talk about the Sex Pistols. That's just silly.). As a matter of fact this particular piece of music speaks to my inner child as well as to my grown up dorkiness. Today's piece, Fight In the Dungeon, comes from none other than Star Wars Return of the Jedi.

 Immediately I know that this is a Star Wars song, I mean who can mistake those trumpets? My next thought is trying to figure out from which movie and what scene (it's like a little game for me). After a minute or so I'm able to figure out it's from Return of the Jedi when Luke is battling the Rancor (yeah I know). Funny story about the Rancor. I used to have this awesome Rancor toy growing up, I mean this thing was badass. Sadly it broke one day due to epic playing. Naturally I was crushed and asked my parents to see if it could be fixed. They took my Rancor toy and said they would bring it to a guy who could fix it for me. Now only being eight or nine I had no idea that there was no such thing as a magical toy fixer profession. I always imagined this guy in a little workshop with a bunch of busted toys all around him working over a table with a lamp and tiny glasses putting back together beloved children's toys. I guess kind of like a shoe peddler. Now that I'm older I know it was just a story that my parents told me in order for me to deal with the loss better. Sadly I never saw that Rancor again, nor did I get a replacement Rancor. I'm sure he ended up in the trash somewhere or maybe tucked away somewhere with the intentions of being fixed but life events got in the way. Although, a small part of me is still waiting to hear from the toy fixing peddler in hopes that he'll tell me that my Rancor is ready to be played with again. Ah to dream…



Back to the music. Fight In the Dungeon isn't the greatest track from a Star Wars Soundtrack but it's a good one. I had no problem associating the music to the scene (some of you may argue that's because I'm a dork, and I would not continue this argument because it's mute). Themes from other parts of the greater score surface. Check it out around the middle of the piece you can hear Luke's Theme start to weave in then back out into the main piece. I believe this happens twice. I don't think that the Star Wars Soundtracks get enough credit for how well John Williams is able to seem important themes in out of different pieces of music. Take the prequel soundtracks for example. If you listen carefully there are numerous occasions where The Imperial March can be heard or Leia's Theme sneaks in. They're brief glimpses into the greater score that comprises the Star Wars universe.

You see Return of the Jedi holds a special place in my heart because it was my favorite of the original trilogy growing up (now that I'm older Empire Strikes Back has taken that spot). It just reminds me of being a kid again. I remember getting sick and my mom putting on Return of the Jedi while I lay on the couch home from school (I always recall this one incident where it was raining. Actually I think I might associate Return of the Jedi with rain…interesting). I remember my ewok village toy set and how it could be used for other toys outside of Star Wars (looking at you G.I. Joe). I get really defensive over Jedi, and I think a large part of is due to the fact that it was such a huge part of my childhood (I have managed to retain my original Return of the Jedi pillow case. The sheets are long gone but I will never part with this).
Take for example when the original trilogy was re-released in the late 90's supposedly remastered, I almost had a nervous breakdown to what George Lucas did to Return of the Jedi. I mean come on! It was like the creator of this universe I loved and that was so intricial to my growing up experience was openly peeing in my face. When Star Wars was first released on DVD of course I jumped all over it but was disappointed to see it was the remastered editions. I actually went out and bought an additional copy of Return of the Jedi that held the original movie unbastardized by George Lucas. The remastered version is unwatchable…unwatchable. Sorry I'm getting a little off track here, it's just the thought of the remastered version of Jedi makes me want to punt a puppy.

These are all the thoughts that sore through my head like the Millennium Falcon (like that don't you?) this morning. It's funny I never really thought about how important the music from Return of the Jedi is to me. I've always held the movie so sacred that I never really thought that I hold the music just as sacred. Just look at one piece of the score does, it quickly transforms me back to an eight year old, home sick watching Darth Vader fulfill his destiny and restore balance to the Force (Star Wars is Vader's story even if the prequels tried to ruin it). I hope the toy fixing peddler calls me soon. I could totally go for causing some chaos with my Rancor figure.

Because it's awesome

Cinderalla's In A Party Dress

I would say that I'm a casual Killers fan, well at least I was. I think I would consider myself an above average casual Killers fan nowadays. I got Hot Fuss for a birthday present and I liked it. I wasn't in love with it but I liked it (Andy, You're A Star is such an excellent track). I would go periods of time without listening to it at all and then get this overwhelming urge/need to listen to it. Once the urge was fed I wouldn't listen to the album again until the next weird overwhelming urge.

When I met Shea that changed. She happens to be a big Killers fan and she introduced me to their second album, Sam's Town. You see as far as I was concerned I had Hot Fuss there really wasn't a need for more Killers albums for me (especially since the first single off of Sam's Town was Bones and I didn't really care for it). As we spent time together I heard the album more and more and actually grew to really enjoy it. I think it's a better album than Hot Fuss and I find that I listen to it more then casually. Shea has pointed out to me that every song on the album actually has the word "town" somewhere in it. I like stuff like that, when music has easter eggs.

(Side Note- I am a sucker for a concept album. I love them. You want to make a whole album about one story? Sign me up!)

Again I wouldn't consider myself a huge Killers fan but I definitely did appreciate them more, and found I was putting their songs/albums on without having a weird overwhelming urge/need. It was healthy, to the point where I was actually excited about their third album, Day & Age. Shea and I had recently moved into our apartment together when it was released so listening to it always reminds me of just moving in and getting settled. So when A Dustland Fairytale came on that was my first thought. I was instantly transported back to our first months moved in together, cooking dinner with Shea while Day & Age played. It made me smile.

On top of that it's a good track. This whole album is very Las Vegas. I don't know how else to describe it, it's all flashy lights and neon signs. The line- Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep, it's such a bitter form of refuge.Why don't you know the kingdoms under siege and everybody needs you- reminds me of a graphic novel series called Fables which is about fairy tale characters that get banished to the big city because their kingdom has been taken over. It's actually a really cool concept and the story is pretty epic. It's fun seeing a bunch of the fairy tale characters you've grown up on in situations that don't seem normal or fairy tale like. The art looks a little dated but the story is awesome, I highly recommend it.

Moving On...

So with today being Easter my wife, Shea, and I had to do a little bit of driving to see different family members. So for this car ride I brought along the ole ipod so we could discover what today's song would be. It was the first time that I shared the experience with someone else. Usually it's just me in the car (or in one case sitting on my chair with my headphones on) waiting and listening to see what's about to be my writing inspiration for the day. In order to spice things up I even had Shea hit the shuffle button. This way if the song that played sucked I could shrug off all responsibility because I didn't shuffle it (this is a lie because everyone knows I put all of these songs on my ipod. It is also a lie because I was excited to have Shea involved in the project). Here's what happened:

My history with Counting Crows is a bit storied. Growing up I never was a huge Counting Crows fan, I mean I loved Mr. Jones and Round Here and Hangin' Around but I never would have considered myself to be a fan. I was alright with my casual listening. When I went to college I met a girl, and this girl happened to be a huge Counting Crows fan. We started hanging out and eventually started seeing each other so I was around the music a lot more. I actually started to like the music. It was good, it was emotional. Actually it was very emotional, to the point of being depressing. If you take the time to listen to the majority of Counting Crows lyrics the stories he's telling are crushing. It's hard to believe that one person could share so many depressing thoughts with his audience, but it's true.

I didn't mind though because the girl was a big fan and like I said I was growing to enjoy them. Well as my relationship with this girl continued I picked up on a couple of things. For starters she had a lot of personal demons and one of the ways she coped with them was through music. One of the bands she used the most to cope happened to be Counting Crows. I was quickly able to pick up on her mood by what Counting Crows song was being played. After awhile this all started to seep into my psyche and I wasn't listening to Counting Crows because I liked the music, I was listening to them because it expressed my mood (which as the relationship went on was pretty low). It came to the point where I was feeling really, really shitty. I mean it's twelve o'clock in the morning and I'm calling my parents in tears for no reason, shitty. So I ended things with the girl. I needed to get back to being me.

Well my relationship with Counting Crows kind of ended for a bit there. I couldn't listen to them without getting this feeling in the pit of my stomach. You know how sometimes if you smell things it takes you back to a moment or place? Well listening to Counting Crows songs or albums brought me back to those moments where I was at my lowest, so I stopped listening to them (because to be honest who wants to relive those types of feelings). I needed to get away from those feelings and from those moments so Counting Crows got left on the back burner.

When I got my ipod I put my Counting Crows albums on there (because I still did like some of the music) and continued not listening to them or maybe listening to a song of theirs on occasion. As time went on I found the more I heard their songs the less I was thinking about those times in my life. I was starting to separate those memories from the music, and was actually starting to enjoy the band again. I found this to be a good thing, a sign of growing up maybe. Don't get me wrong there are still a handful of their songs I can't listen to at all because they give me this nasty knot in my stomach (Colorblind and Amy Hit the Athmosphere make me want to jump out a window).

It just goes to show as you grow up bands and their music start to take on different meanings and different feelings. Do I listen to Counting Crows on a regular basis? No. Do I cringe when one of their songs comes on my ipod? No, not any more. I actually have a bunch of their songs that I've grown to love. But I guess when I hear them my first thought is "is this one of their songs that makes me want to puke", and most of the time I come to the conclusion that it's not. I see this as a moral victory.

Any way today's song comes from their live double album, Across A Wire. To be honest I've seen Counting Crows live and they're not the greatest live band ever. Actually it was one of the more depressing shows I've seen (I even met Adam Duritz at the show and he was very blegh). For example Adam Duritz starts talking about a song that will be coming up on the new album. It's about this girl he used to date and how they had an on again off again relationship. Well this girl gets pregnant and they're going to keep the baby, and he's battling with his emotions on how he feels about it (mind you this is all the story leading up to the song). Finally he figures he's ready to be a dad and that he's excited, sadly that's when the girl has a miscarriage (I know) so this song is about him coping with that and it's called... Carriage. Ugh. Talk about sucking all the air out of the room. I wanted to go the bathroom and cry not "rock out" to a concert.

I'm Not Sleeping is a pretty good song (the best part of it is the "1-2-3-4..." part). Not my favorite of theirs but still a pretty good one. Actually the Recovering the Satellites album is pretty good (but even when I listened to Counting Crows it wasn't the record I would listen to the most). Sorry I had a tough time finding the live version so I posted the studio cut (just listen to the song because the video is kind of stupid too).

Any way I know that was a long way to go to say that the song is "pretty good", but I think my relationship with the band is more important then the song itself. I'm sure that another one of their songs will pop up during the journey and I'll be able to talk about that in more detail or relate it to a specific story. But for today this is it. I'm glad that I can listen to Counting Crows on occasion and not want to drive off a bridge, and I feel that it measures growing up a bit for me. Being able to put that time behind me is important because things have never been better.

Now that I've sucked all the air out of today allow me to continue with our Sunday tradition:

The Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least For This Week)-
1. Rolling In the Deep- Adele
2. Shotgun Willie- Willie Nelson
3. Delicate- Damien Rice
4. Under Cover of Darkness- The Strokes
5. Harder To Breathe- Maroon 5

"That Night..."

So I know it's only two weeks in but could it be possible that Saturday is becoming hip-hop day (no that isn't an Easter eve joke… but it could be maybe.) Last week we had The Roots kicking off some awesome hip-hop street dance off vibes, and this week Brother Ali hits us with a little bit of the opposite. There is no dance off to be found in Live From the Chippie Bun Club but there is some disturbance. Actually there is an after effect of uncomfortablness and unease.

Before we get into the song let me give you a quick overview of Brother Ali cause it's really interesting. For starters he is the first (and most likely the only) albino rapper who happens to be legally blind. Yes I will repeat that. He is a blind albino rapper and the dude kills it on the mic. I had the chance to see him on the second stage of Rock the Bells a couple of years ago (the year that Rage Against the Machine were doing their first reunion shows) and I was blown away. For starters I wasn't expecting the look and the sounds was so pure and crisp. There was hunger in every word.

Brother Ali comes from the same record label as Atmosphere (Rhymesayers) and next to Slug no one else tells better stories in hip-hop. His songs speak to his audience whether it be personal or observational there is always a message to be delivered. The message may not always be pretty or something you want to hear but it's definitely there. There is a purpose to his rhymes and it's not to just move records it's to inform. To maybe open a window to a world we don't much of or even exists.

First things first it's raining again so when I do hit shuffle I'm hoping for a song that fits the mood. It's early in the morning and I don’t' want something too bright but I don't want something to bleak either. I'm kind of in a gray mood but not black (I cannot wait for the sun to be out again because all of this gray is killing me). So when Live From the Chippie Bun Club starts I don't know what to think. If I'm being perfectly honest I haven't heard this song before.

(Confessional: Sometimes I download music for the sake of having it. I like the artist and find some stuff or someone gives me some stuff and I feel compelled to put it on my ipod with the intention of getting around to listening to it. I'm a music hoarder. One of these days I need to go through my ipod and eliminate the stuff I never listen to and have for the sake of having. I'm looking at you Prince collection. I'm pretty sure I can get rid of anything after the turn of the century cause we all know Prince was at his best way before then).

The guitar kind of grates on my ears at first. It's not what I want to be hearing but as the rhymes start I get caught up in the story. I guy goes a way to war come back a different man and doesn't know how to handle that. He goes out on a date with his wife and while he's in the bathroom some dude comes up trying to hit on her. She doesn't have any of it and tells him that she's married and this dude hits her. When the man comes out of the bathroom his wife is visibly upset and the man get the story out of her. So he goes to confront the dirtbag and that's when the song takes on a darker tone.

Listen I'm all for the fact that this guy goes to defend his wife. That's great. He absolutely should but the way that this story turns is really unexpected and well… unsettling. As soon as the song was over the only thing I could think of was the last thing that he does to humiliate this dirtbag and I just can't shake it. It's so out of the blue and just awful, but I know it's also not putting something shocking in for the sake of shocking. This last part is what Brother Ali wants you to take away from this song. It's the punctuation to this story, and it's just really, really off putting. It's this character who has suffered this huge malfunction and doesn't know how to fix it. He has a complete system break down that never gets spoken of and just gets referred to as "that night". I don't think that's an entirely a healthy way to handle the situation. At least his wife and him aren't laughing about it years later. That really would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

When the song ends I'm initially kind of stunned and I want to wash it off of me. I wanted something gray this morning but I wasn't looking for something dark and a bit sadistic. I let my ipod continue to shuffle in hopes that it will find a song that will balance me out. A song that will make me feel a little less gross but nothing really comes on to change the feeling. You see with depressing songs or heavy songs it's best not to jump right into the happiest song you have or can think of. It won't have the effect you're hoping for. I find it best to gradually play songs that lift the mood, that get pregsively brighter. Unfortunately I don't have a playlist like this (note to self- make a playlist like that). So I have to sit through my work shift wearing this song. Already I'm planning what I should listen to on the way home to try and work this song off of me.

Don't get me wrong I don't think it's a bad song, and the guitar actually grew on me as the song progressed. It's just not what I wanted this morning. I wanted gray I didn't want heavy. Maybe it's the rain wearing me down, but I think it's the song mostly. As I sit at work E-Bow the Letter by R.E.M. comes on the radio and I realize this is exactly the type of song I was hoping for this morning. Damn.

"Kill the Headlights and Put It In Neutral..."

I feel that word association or word play is so very important in song. The message of the lyrics of course is the key element but making those words flow together and make a sound that you can get wrapped up in... well that's magical. When an artist is able to do this you can just feel the words circling around you as you start to vibe out with the sound. Beck's Loser is just one of those songs. The delivery of each word, each phrase, just seems to roll off of Beck's tongue as his words just wrap around you and paint this bizarre scenario filled with shotgun weddings, maggots, and guitar strings.

I am a child of the '90's no doubt. That's my musical revolution. I grew up with bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, and Smashing Pumpkins. These were my gateway bands. The bands I was discovering and finding out what my musical direction was. These were the bands that opened the doors to others I had no idea even existed. Rage Against the Machine's political outbursts lead me to Chuck D and Public Enemy. Both sending out messages that needed to be heard to make their listener more educated. Yes they were different extremes but they share the same coin. I'm so glad that I grow up in the '90's the music meant something (well at least until '95 before the pop movement and boy bands... ugh). I can't imagine growing up in the '80's. How does one recover from that? Could you imagine the music of the '80's defining who you are (sorry to those of you who did grow up during the '80's sound)?

Beck was right there in the middle of the '90's. He was a different sound (I mean just listen to those awesome opening chords of Loser... sick). His Mellow Gold album wasn't the typical alternative record that was coming out and Loser was case in point. First off what the hell is this song really about? I know it's insanely fun to sing and to play over and over again but I don't think I've ever been able to peg what it's about. Maybe that's the beauty or maybe I'm just not smart enough to understand (this is the more possible scenario). Although every time I hear Loser I think of one of those basement poetry bars. You know the ones where everyone is wearing black and barrettes and snapping their fingers instead of clapping. Read the lyrics I think it fits perfectly:

"Forces of evil on a bozo nightmare/Ban all the music with a phony gas chamber/'Cause one's got a weasel and the other's got a flag/One's on the pole, shove the other in a bag/With the rerun shows and the cocaine nose-job/The daytime crap of the folksinger slob/He hung himself with a guitar string/A slab of turkey neck and it's hangin' from a pigeon wing... you dig brotha? (snap, snap, snap, snap)"

I never really got into Beck (I only have a handful of songs on the ole ipod) but the stuff I have I really like (Farwell Ride is brilliant). To be honest I really started to love this song when I was in college (post 90's eeep). Truth be told I always liked it but in college I discovered how awesome this song is to sing and listen to really, really loud.

It actually inspires me to give out home work. I want you to learn some of if not all of the lyrics to this song in the next few days (if you don't know them already). Then sing along as it plays in your car (it's always best to sing in your car), then I dare you to tell me that you didn't have fun. And if you're able to figure out what this song is about while you do it... please let me know.

Thought Process

So when Lil Jon's Aww Skeet Skeet (yes that is really the name of the song, no I'm not lying, no I'm not proud that I own it) started playing from my ipod this morning a few thoughts went running through my head. Some apologetic, some panicked, some embarrassed, some wanting to explain. So at 7:45 this is what the inside of my head sounded like:



Thought 1- Damn it, a comedy track. What should I do? I can hit shuffle again but is that cheating? Wait a second... is that Dave Chappelle? I don't have any Dave Chappelle comedy albums. What is this? Oh dear god...

(song kicks in)

Thought 2- Shit. This is Lil Jon. Shit.

(song is playing)

Thought 3- Dear Music Gods- First off let me say I'm sorry (What?!). I'm sorry (What?!). I said I'm sorry (Okay!) I can explain this I really can. It's all Dave Chappelle's fault (What?!). Dave Chappelle's fault (Yeeeeeah!) He convinced me through his sketch that it would be okay to like Lil Jon. In fact he made me think it was okay to buy the album (pause) Crunk Juice (What?!). Crunk Juice (Yeeeeeah!). And the sad thing is that he had me believe that I actually liked the album. I know, I know I'm a fool. I bought the album listened to it for about a month (What?!), a month and a half (What?!), two months (Okay!). I'm sorry I hope you can forgive me. I know I shouldn't have put it on my ipod to begin with. Can you forgive me? (What?!) Please forgive me (What?!) I'll make sure the next song I listen to is a classic, something like Aerosmith or Billy Joel (Yeeeeeeah!)

(the song is still playing!!!!)

Thought 4- The dance he describes is really violent. How can this be sexy? What idiots are dancing to this and who are the other idiots thinking that it's sexy?! Did he just say "shake that ass real hard, from the left to the right"?! Why do I have this?!

(the song has not ended)

Thought 5- Oh Christ... I'm going to have to write about this tonight. Sigh

Thought 6- When will this end!!

(song finally ends, I do not hit replay)

Thought 7- Wow. What the hell am I going to say about this? I guess first things first I'm sorry. I thought it was okay to like Lil Jon for a minute and I was wrong. Dead wrong. Is it bad that I find Limp Bizkit better then this? Oh Christ what have I done...



Ummm I Can Explain This

So things have been going pretty well with this project. There has been a pretty good collection of songs to talk about and nothing overwhelmingly embarrassing. Well today the list of good songs took a hit as soon as I heard the opening of Trust? I knew I was going to be in trouble. To make matters worse it's not the only Limp Bizkit song on my ipod (there's quite a few more).

First off let me start off by saying I hate Fred Durst. He's a phony and a want to be rapper. What the hell is Fred Durst so angry about?! Every song he writes has some kind of anger issues but when you hear him in interviews he's talking about love and peace and blah blah blah. Talk about sending out some seriously mixed signals. Idiot.

Remember when rock/rap was really in for a minute in the late '90's? It didn't last very long but for a minute it was really popular (as a matter of fact the next song on my ipod this morning was Freak On A Leash by Korn weird, my ipod is super smart). First off I was never a huge Limp Bizkit fan but I do hold them in a special place in my heart. Their cover of Faith would actually make my list of 100 favorite songs of all time, and not because it's a good cover. It reminds me of growing up. We used to get in my buddy Tim's red bronco and go driving around stealing real estate signs and putting them on other peoples lawns (a damn fine time by the way) listening to Faith over and over again the whole time singing at the top of our lungs. As a matter of fact if these car rides had a playlist it would have been Faith, Soul To Squeeze by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Tainted Love. We listened to those three songs constantly (hitting the roof for that little extra bass), that and maybe Regulators by Warren G. if we were feeling gangster.

Even though Faith reminds me of some really great times it's no excuse for having as much Limp Bizkit on my ipod as I do. For starters have you listened to the lyrics to this song? My god they are so trite. It's like basic rhyme structure, I'm pretty sure this is the type of stuff they teach kids in day care so they can make word associations (and I know because I used to teach day care). Fred Durst wants nothing more then to be considered a real rapper (he even tries to use Method Man as a prop later on this album... it's a failure) but he's such an ass that it's hard for people to get past it. He's so cheese, I don't think anyone ever really took him seriously and that can be seen by the long lasting career of Limp Bizkit (hahaha)

Any way I used to listen to Limp Bizkit before basketball games and track meets but once I got to college the love affair kind of died out. I'm glad for it to be honest with you. It's such fake anger propaganda. It's like "dude you don't have to be so angry all the time, and you're a douche". Just look at the shit they started at the last Woodstock. Talk about totally missing the point and theme of that festival (although in their defense they weren't the only ones... but I do recall them insisting that people break stuff. Pun intended)

Any way if you hate Fred Durst like I do then please listen to Eminem's song Girls. It's ruthless and I don't think Fred Durst ever really recovered from that. Or from doing this.

Selling Out/Pissing Off Entire Fan Base On Live TV 101

Picture this...

So picture this... I believe the year is 1995 and I'm in eighth grade. I'm tall and scrawny (I think at the most I weight about 100 lbs but probably less), my hair is longer then it will ever be again and much, much, much less grey. I'm in junior high and I'm just starting to venture off and find my own music identity. To be honest I think this is the age when we start to separate for real from the stuff our parents listen to and start to really find and appreciate our own sound. Hell, some of my favorite bands came from my age of music self discovery circa '95.

Any way I'm getting side tracked. Keep picturing eighth grade me. I'm not the coolest kid in school (and I never will be) but I'm also not the most unpopular, I'm right there in the middle. All though there is one incident where I'm invited to a party and right as I'm leaving for it I get called and get uninvited because there "are too many people there already", this become my first really shitty high school (middle school) experience. One of many. But that doesn't matter right now.

A couple of friends and I discover Rancid's Out Come the Wolves album, and I know nothing about punk rock at the time but I dig it. Ruby Soho is getting some pretty heavy play time on the radio (when radio stations used to be cool) and some friends and I decide it would be a good idea to go see Rancid live at the Roseland Theater in New York City. I'm all for it because I really want to hear todays song, Time Bomb.

We get to the Roseland and instantly I know I am waaaaaaaaay out of my element here. There are more mohawks and red suspenders then I could possibly understand and the venue is small (it's not until I'm older that I get to really appreciate the Roseland). The opening band is Rocket From the Crypt and it's a full on punk show, mosh pit, and crowd surfing. As Rancid takes the stage all 100 pounds of me gets pushed into a mosh pit circle with some pretty serious punks when out of no where some one grabs my elbow and guides me out. It's the nicest punk I've ever met and he doesn't say anything to me just gives me a little head nod as if to say "just enjoy the show". I take his advice.

In between acts my friends and I go downstairs and swing by the merch tables. I buy tons of those tiny little buttons with band logos on them of bands I love (and some that I sort of like) that I will later pin to a red and white stripped cat in the hat type hat. All of this makes me feel really cool, like I'm in on some sort of secret that no one else will understand except those of us at the Roseland.

This may not be the greatest concert I've ever been too, but as I get older it becomes one of my fondest. It throws me into a music culture that I was completely unaware of and I wish eighth grade me had known more about punk rock (besides the Sex Pistols and some Clash). I will grow to love to tell the story of the punk who probably saved my life, and at times relive a show that I was to young to appreciate (mostly when I listen to Rancid songs).

This is everything that goes through my head today as Time Bomb comes through my speakers. That and this picture of me wearing my tour shirt.



"I Found A Place Inside A Sound"

So why is it that Bono is the only person cool enough to actually get away with wearing sunglasses/goggles inside? Is it because he's Irish? Or maybe it's because his band has become like a modern day Beatles? It's really kind of irritating to me because when I was a senior in high school I tried wearing a pair of blue sunglasses inside (mostly in the hall and in study halls, I was never that guy in classrooms) and I got ripped for it. It was kind of upsetting actually because I just wanted to be like John Lennon. This should have been the first sign (of many) that I was not Bono (I later tried yellow sunglasses when I went to college and those were met with a little more respect, but alas the only color sunglasses I wear now is traditional. Getting older sucks.)

As you have probably figured out by now todays' song is brought to you by U2, owners of the free world. I mean can these guys do anything wrong? Well maybe not wrong but that last album, No Line On the Horizon, wasn't the greatest, it just didn't have any real singles on it. It was  filled with a bunch of pretty good songs that made a pretty good album. It is from that pretty good album where today's song comes from.

I saw U2 a couple of years ago during the start of their 360 Tour, and this is the song they opened their set with. When I first heard the album I thought it was okay. Not necessarily the best album but there was some good stuff on their. When they opened with Breathe I realised that this song is actually better then I first thought. No one is going to mistake this song as a vocal master piece, and that's okay it doesn't need to be. Listen to the lyrics though. They're a lot of fun (if you can get past the depressing nature of them). Take for example this line

"My pulse is fine but I'm running down the road like loose electricity as the band in my head is playing a striptease... "

It's just a fun selection of words. It's definitely the line of the song that sticks out the most to me.

Since I crossed U2 off my concert bucket list (now Paul McCartney remains and maybe Elton John) I have put Breathe on random rotations in my Want To Hear It Now playlist. Wait? What's that? I haven't mentioned my Want To Hear It Now playlist? Well allow me to explain. My Want To Hear It Now list is a collection of thirty of my favorite songs at the moment. It used to be fifty songs but that proved to be too many. The songs I wanted to hear were buried underneath songs I sort of wanted to hear. I tripped the list down to thirty and things have been better. It's a like a double album, of my current favorite songs. It's aces. Even though Breathe has been on and off the playlist I'm still not fully in love with it. It's a good song but not my favorite U2 yet I still get these urges to hear it. Explain that one to me.

I kind of hold U2 in higher standards. No Line On the Horizon was okay for me but also a bit disappointing. I wish they had stuck with the album they recorded with Rick Rubin (producing genius, and if you have any doubts check out the last five Johnny Cash albums). For some reason Bono's ego and Rubin's genius didn't mesh well I suppose. Maybe one day those song will see the light of day, I bet they're amazing. Well there's hope for their next album as it's being produced with Danger Mouse and that could be a really cool experience.

(Random Thought: How awesome were The Clash?! That is all.)

A Quick Hit Today (w/ and Update)

Just a quick hit today. A little punk rock from the lead singer of Against Me!, Tom Gabel. Enjoy folks.

[Update] I was thinking that when I originally posted this and didn't write anything that was pretty freakin' lame. The whole point of this project is to write about music and to just post a song and say enjoy is just lazy, and it's a habit I need to stay away from.

To be honest I like Against Me! but I love their acoustic stuff. The versions they do of Sink, Florida, Sink and You Look Like I Need A Drink are incredible. I actually prefer them to the "harder" versions. So it was my love for the acoustics muic that lead me to Tom Gabel's solo album. For the most part the album isn't very hard, but it also isn't very acoustic. It's kind of in the middle and I liked that.

As a matter of fact this album (Heart Burns) reminds me a lot of Wii Golf, random I know. I was working at the movie theater and working crazy late hours. When I would come home I would stay up for a minute or two playing with itunes or catching up on whatever show I missed and then crash. When the weather got nicer I would wake up late in the morning and put my ipod on and play some Wii Golf. I would just open the windows and play Tom Gabel's album. I would golf the entire length of the album and then get something to eat, shower, and go to work.

So as soon as the ipod brought Amputations to my ear lobes my first thought was Wii Golf, and how much those crazy hours took a toll on me (but that's another story for another day). It doesn't discount though how good this album is, and I'm not entirely sure that people know he has a solo album. Allow me to pass the word then.

I would like to add a new feature to the project now. I talk about these random songs that come across my ipod and discuss them and that's great, but I was thinking I'm not really touching on the songs I'm listening to at the moment. I still want to make this blog about the random songs, but I think on Sundays I'm going to list the five songs I can't live without for the week. So without further ado I present to you:

The Five Songs I Can't Live Without (At Least For This Week):
1. Walk- Foo Fighters
2. Became- Atmosphere
3. Two Against One- Danger Mouse w/ Jack White
4. No Other Way- Paolo Nutini
5. Get Some- Lykke Li

"Tracks From Black for Satisfaction"

Today's post is brought to you by late night's best "house" band...The Roots.

Thought @ Work is a fun little track, don't you think? It makes me think of a full city street and a bunch of people circled up having some sort of dance off. Every couple of seconds some one else drops into the circle, and fun is had by all. It actually makes me want to start busting the shopping cart and the lawn mower out.

I don't have a great deal to say about the song today, it's just fun. This is hip-hop at it's most pure. Please don't mistake this for rap cause there is a huge difference between hip-hop and rap. Rap is so commercial. It's all about bitches, drugs, and guns because that's what moves records right now. There is no real moral responsibility presented in rap. It's like every one's become Scarface all of a sudden. It's kind of ridiculous.

Just take 50 Cent for example. Listen to his first album (Get Rich or Die Tryin'), that album is awesome! That's just a dude who is hungry to get himself established, get himself out there and that record kills. Now listen to his following albums, sigh. It's the same material hashed over different beats. There is no hunger anymore, there is no expansion of character. It's all recycled garbage that he knows will move records because that's what the public expects from him. Are we to believe that 50 Cent wasted his potential or maybe Get Rich or Die Tryin' was one of those fluke things? Maybe it's a mixture of both. Someone so eager to become famous that once he hits that status he just sits back and mails in the rest of his career.

The difference with hip-hop is hip-hop artists are always hungry. They're doing it for love of the game so to speak. Most of the time there are messages too, it's not all guns and drugs and "I shot my way to the top". There are positive messages to be sent in hip-hop. Look at Atmosphere, Krs-1, The Roots, and Brother Ali (to name a few), these guys are sending out messages that actually talk to people. Something that we can relate to. Listen to Yesterday by Atmosphere and here the pain and struggle to deal with loss, listen to the majority of the songs Krs-One puts out telling the youth that there is hope, that if you work hard you can overcome your surroundings and make something of yourself. These are songs that transcend racial barriers and bring positivity and lyrics we can connect with as people not commerical machines just willing to listen to the next hit rap song to come across the radio. Come on picture someone like 50 Cent spewing a positive message... it be seen more of a joke. I'm sure people would wonder where the gun references were.

I've been lucky enough to see The Roots a couple of the times and they kill it. A full band that just brings the jazz/rock/hip-hop while Black Thought slays it on the mic. If you ever get a chance to see them outside of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon take it. You're mind will be blown, and you'll be dancing and grooving in no time. Plus how awesome is ?uestlove's fro?



Two For the Price of One

Two days of sun in a row and I'm starting to feel less like a vampire, although I did have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn so I'm a little groggy this morning. I’m seriously hoping that when I hit the shuffle button nothing to aggressive comes through the speakers, I don't think my lobes can handle it. Luckily for me Neil Young's heartbreaking Unknown Legend starts to play (more proof that my ipod and me are mentally linked? You be the judge.).

I consider myself to be a decent sized Neil Young fan, I'm not president of his fan club but I do love his stuff. Harvest Moon is a tremendous album (and also my wedding song for those interested) as is Harvest. It's amazing how he's able to speak to different generations. You can say a lot about Neil Young but you can't deny the fact that he always finds a way to make himself relevant. Look what he did in the 90's attaching himself to the grunge movement. Maybe attaching is the wrong word, he became infatuated with it and needed to explore it more. Watch how his sound changes during the 90's (for a great example look at Mirrorball an album he recorded with Pearl Jam as his backing band).

As Unknown Legend starts to play I'm immediately struck with two thoughts. Thought A- I'm so glad that it's not a Rage Against the Machine or Nine Inch Nails song and Thought B- this song reminds me so much of Pearl Jam's Off He Goes. I mean a lot!

There is no doubt that Off He Goes is heavily influenced by Unknown Legend (which would make sense considering Unknown Legend came out in '92 and Off He Goes in '96). They're very similar in story and in sound. Listen to the lyrics. Unknown Legend seems to be about a woman who was living her dream and obviously had to give it up (to be a waitress it seems) because she had children and started a family. At night this waitress gets on her motorcycle and drives down these empty long stretches of highway in hopes of finding what she lost. It's really sad when you think about it. After recently watching Rock of Ages I think that the woman in this song kind of bothers me, on a selfish level. The message that Rock of Ages is trying to send is that it's okay to have dreams but it's also okay to accept that these dreams change and new ones develop (ex. wanting to be a rock star into wanting to start a family). The woman in Unknown Legend is failing to see this concept. She sees her family and new life as a burden. It also seems that she never really amounted to anything any way. Why else would she be an unknown?

Oh, how heart breaking is the female backup singer? She plays like the woman's inner monologue as she's riding down those stretches of desert highways. Ugh so much pain and loss there. Such a perfect, underlining to the story Uncle Neil is trying to paint.

Off He Goes is a similar tale about a man who just can't stay in one place for long periods of time. There is a belief that this song is actually written about Neil Young, I can't confirm or deny it but the similarity in sounds would make sense (also the song Smile from No Code sounds a lot like a Neil Young song). But there is a longing in the main character here, and a deeper sadness. Like he's always running from happiness or comfortablity. It's one of my all time favorite Pearl Jam songs and so it's nice to find a way to talk about it even though it wasn't the song of the day.

(Side Note: Pearl Jam is my favorite band. I will find excuses to talk about them. I have 880  (tons of live stuff) Pearl Jam songs on my ipod so there is a possibility that their songs will pop more then others. My wife, Shea, will be very happy that I have another forum to speak about them because I know she grows tired of my Pearl Jam rants.)

I would actually love to hear a mash-up of these songs. Who doesn't love a good mash-up? It would weave in and out of the music of each song and trade off verses too. Now you're getting one story about two very sad and defeated people. Plus you're meshing Pearl Jam and Neil Young so it's guaranteed to make me drool.



"Lets have a ball baby..."

Allow me to prove to you how my ipod and I are mentally linked. This morning whilst I was shaving I thought to myself "it would be great if today the shuffle played a White Stripes song". Well my ipod must have heard my head thoughts over at it's docking station where it was getting charged. So when I got in the car, hooked it up, and hit shuffle it thanked me for refueling it's batteries by playing the White Stripes. Ask and you shall receive folks (Is your mind blown? Yeah I thought so.)

I'm going to be honest, there is a bit of trepidation everytime I hit shuffle on my ipod. I'm sure it's a feeling that will pass but I guess I just want good songs for the first week or so before it starts playing some of my guilty pleasures (no I'm not going to reveal them... well not until their selected). But it definitely worked out in my favor today, from the opening chords of Ball and Biscuit I know today was going to be a good day.

Some of you non White Stripes fans might recognize the opening guitar rift but might not be sure from where. Well allow me to help a little. They did use the song (without lyrics) for the opening of The Social Network (which in my opinion should have won Best Picture. I get it, the King's Speech was excellent and brilliantly acted, but come on! The Social Network spoke to a generation and movies like that don't come around every year. The Academy had a chance to do something different, something daring and shit the bed and picked exactly what we thought it would pick. Sorry. Rant over).

Honestly this is hands down one of my favorite White Stripes songs. It comes off my favorite album of theirs, Elephant, and is the anchor of the whole record. Yeah I know people will argue that Seven Nation Army is what holds that album together but I would disagree. It's the opening track and it jump kicks the album into action wonderfully, but Ball and Biscuit is track number eight (I looked) and keeps the whole album together. Every song before it builds up to it and every song that follows it comes down from it. In my opinion best song on the album. Also has anyone noticed that this album sounds really British? If I hadn't known that Jack White was from Detroit I would have guessed he was another British dude who knows how to play guitar real well (just for those interested this album was recorded in England).

Ball and Biscuit is just a filthy song. Dirty even. Jack White is a man possessed and just carries this song to a whole other level. Nothing against Meg White here but listen to the whole song through. The entire time she is doing a simple 1...2...1-2-3 drum beat (even while Jack is shredding the drum beat never really changes). Listen to the song around the 4:30 mark where it starts to slow down and you think that it might go into another verse... you almost hear the guitar thinking and speaking to Jack as it kicks back up at the five minute mark into a sick solo. By the end of it you're exhausted and can't wait to play it again. This is the meat and potatoes of the White Stripes catalogue.

Ball and Biscuit just makes me realizes how much I love guitar solos, not just clean studio orchestrated guitar solos (those are good too though). I'm talking in the heat of the moment, dirty-filthy guitar solos that leave you sweaty and begging for more. See that's why I've always preferred Hendrix over  Stevie Ray Vaughan. Saying this always gets me in trouble but it's the truth. Don't get me wrong I think Stevie Ray is one of the all time greats (like most of the free world) but there was just something fresh and inspired when Jimi let loose. It was gritty improve, he just let the guitar talk for him, just look at his version of Voodoo Child, that's just raw. My problem with Stevie Ray is it sounds too smooth, especially his version of Voodoo Child. I don't want my guitar solos to be smooth. I want them to pour out of the finger tips and out of the amps. That's what you're getting here on Ball and Biscuit.

I think Jack White is a genius personally. Do I like everything that the White Stripes have done? No, but I appreciate what they were trying to do. That's what was so great about them. They were willing to try new sounds and new styles. Jack White + the blues + distortion= awesome. .I tend to find myself drawn to projects that he's working on, most recently with Danger Mouse's Rome project (download Two Against One it's excellent). He's a unique personality in a music scene that is lacking unique personalities (no Ke$ha doesn't count).

As a matter a fact I'm going to play this song again, close my eyes, turn it up, and allow that solo to pour over me. Then I'm going to download the theme to the X-Files because for reasons unknown it's not on my ipod.

"And I Was Foggy, Rather Groggy"

I'll tell you something this weather is really starting to wear on me. It seems like the last two weeks have been nothing but gray (at least it's raining today so the gray is justified). Most of the time I don't mind, there's something comfy and inviting about rainy weather. It's like saying (in a Barry White smooth, sexy way):

"Hey baby, why don't you come home and wrap yourself up in a blanket and watch a movie. You can even take a nap if you want to. Get all warm and fuzzy like. Yeah."

I wonder if my rain voice is creepy or not? Hmmm I wouldn't call it unwanted seducing but it's something to keep on notice. But why is it Barry White... Anyway this gray seems like it's been going on forever and I just want to see the freakin' sun! Although I'm kind of secretly hoping that there's a thunder storm tonight (well I guess it's not so much a secret now). A thunder storm is the rains way of telling you that the date went well and now it wants to "takes you" thus throwing you on the couch and saying (use Joe Cocker voice here):

"Baaaaaaaby! I want ch'a! Yeeeeeeeah!"

I'm starting to believe that I might have some weird sexual misguiding about the rain but that's a topic for another day or maybe even another blog. Actually does anyone want to read that?! Do I even went to delve into that?! Moving on.

Needless to say I was hoping for a pick me up with today's song. Mike and Mike were both back on the radio waves so I started my morning off as per usual. They were talking about Josh Hamilton and his now broken arm and whether or not it's worth putting yourself in position to get seriously hurt this early into a season (two cents: if it helps you win the game no matter how early in the season it's worth it). The debate was good and kept my interest but I kept thinking how it was a tough break for Hamilton (pun not intended), good ballplayer and an even better story. I think he wrote a book last year... going to have to check it out and maybe add it to my ever expanding list of books to read.

So during the first commercial I hooked up my ipod and hit shuffle. It took me a minute to figure out what song was playing but I eventually recognized Phish's Sample In A Jar. This happens to be a  live version from Hampton, Va (3-6-09) during their reunion shows. Remember when Phish took a break because there were no more jams to be had, but five years later discovered that jams were jams and got back together? Yeah that's what this song's from, and to celebrate the re-united re-discovery of jamming for hours Phish posted this show as a free download to thank their fans for waiting it out for the five years.



(Side Note: Question about Phish fans. What term is best to describe you? I've read things like Phans, Phriends, and Phamily but those seem kind of lame to me. I understand why they wouldn't refer to themselves as Phish-Heads as it's too close to Dead Heads (one of the best names to a fan community ever) but are we failing to see the humor here? Phish-Heads is hysterical! And I will now refer to Phish fans as such for the remainder of this project.)

I'm a sucker for free music which is why I downloaded this particular show.That and the fact that Phish is  well known for being a live band and I didn't have any of their live stuff.  Plus on three separate occasions I tried to really get into Phish only to fail each time (although my last attempt gave me a better appreciation of their music). The first being in high school when a bunch of kids lost their mind for Phish and started trading tapes and following them around. I tried then by buying their album Rift. I listened to it but I think at the time it was too much for me to digest. I wasn't into the whole jam band movement yet and much preferred my Nirvana records.

The second time was my senior year in high school. People were still falling all over them and I had just discovered the magic that is the Grateful Dead so I was a little more open to the idea. I bought Hoist and found that I really liked the album. There are some really good tracks on there (Julius, Down with Disease, Lifeboy, and today's Sample In A Jar). So I picked up Farmhouse as well and liked that less. So I was kind of in this Phish purgatory, and they fell to the wayside. I couldn't shake the feeling that I always felt like a poser when I put a Phish album on. It was like "dude who are you kidding?"

The third attempt happened junior year of college. One of my roommates, Chris, would play a lot of live Phish and I grew to really enjoy it. It was here that I discovered the awesomeness that is Divided Sky. This attempt kind of stuck a little more but not enough to make me lose my mind for them. I never needed to hear Phish, if it was on cool if not I wasn't going to have a seizure or anything. I still felt like an idiot when I put on one of their songs. It was almost like the track was mocking me while it was on. The song knew it wasn't for me and I knew I wasn't for it. I've since made me peace with that feeling and when a Phish song comes on the ipod I'm more receptive towards it.

So as you can tell I will never attempt to come across as a Phish-Head (haha) but I do have a handful of favorites.Sample In A Jar happens to be one of them. It's a good song, and as far as I can tell it's just about a dude who gets a little too drunk and someone puts him in his car (not very responsible) and he feels like he's on display there. At least that's what I make of it. Maybe this is my core problem with Phish... I'm just missing the deeper meaning, but I'm pretty sure it's all surface level. Maybe Phish's big statement (or cruel joke) is searching for a deeper meaning that's not there. It's just a bunch of guys who created a trendy band that like to jam out and write nonsense lyrics. Any way I like the sound of the song and the chorus, it's a catchy little hook... haha Phish hook. This version though isn't very good. I prefer the studio cut. I don't know if it's rust from five years of not playing together or they just weren't interested in the song but it comes across flat. Not my particular favorite and it's made worse because the second song on shuffle today was All My Life by the Foo Fighters (my ipod knows it's new Foo week too). Oh well. It could've been worst.

I'm worried that I might have come across a little anti-Phish here and that's not the case. Their music is on my ipod for a reason but I'm just not their biggest fan. I'm sure when Phish is in the studio I am not the key demographic. I appreciate what they do but like I said before... I won't be mistaken as a Phish-Head.

I'm going to try and listen to the new Atmosphere album today. Actually really excited about this one. Although there is something kind of creepy about the picture they used for the ablum cover. What's up with that arm? It looks kind of deformed. I don't like looking at it.

Closing Note: Shameless Hudson the Cat plug-

It's his Rebel Yell... or maybe a yawn.

Here. We. Go.

Our Adventure Begins...

So I woke up this morning feeling pretty excited. For starters it actually appeared that spring had arrived on Long Island (but in fact this brief bit of morning sun was nothing but a tease) and I was riding a pretty good high from last night. I was more then pumped to know that I would be starting this year long trek today. I usually leave the apartment around 7:30 a.m. or so which sometimes is too early for music (my mind needs to ease into the day). So I listen to Mike and Mike In the Morning on ESPN radio and they usually carry me the half hour or so to work. Now most times I hate it when one of the Mike's isn't in so that's when I generally switch over to my ipod and a playlist or album of my choosing. This morning I was secretly hoping for this because I was anxious to hear the new Foo Fighters album as well as find out what the first song was going to be. As luck would have it both Mikes were out (sorry I think guest hosts are lame most of the time. They lack the flow that the two anchors have and the show comes across jerky and kind of lame. Like they're trying to be who they're subbing for and not themselves) so I plugged in my ipod cracked my window and started listening to Wasting Light. It wasn't even eight o'clock and I was already in mid rock out.

Let me explain something about my car... like most people in the car I am the world's greatest rock star. Hands down. I'm singing every song, I banging my arms around like a drummer, making guitar noises during solos, I am the complete package. I'm almost jealous of rock star car Kevin (I would be jealous if I didn't look like such an ass while I did it, but at the moment I feel cool). While I don't know the songs well enough to sing along I am totally rocking out, and I'm having a blast. When I get to be ten minutes away from work I wait for the last song to play and switch the ipod to Shuffle. Now I'm nervous. This is the start of a year long process and I want the first song to be good. I want it to be solid, I'm hoping for a Stairway To Heaven or Layla or something of that magnitude. I want to come out swinging from the gate. So I hit shuffle and I put my ipod down on the passenger seat and wait to see what's going to come through my speakers. I don't want to look at the screen I just want the sound to find me first. And then this happens:

My gut reaction is it could be worse. Obie Trice's Adrenaline Rush is a pretty good song. Not my favorite Obie track but it's still pretty good. It reminds me of college. Not in a nostalgic way though. You know how some songs spark memories and for a minute you're there. You can see everything so clear, you smell everything, you're back to this moment of your life for a couple of minutes and all it took was a couple of chords to send you there. This doesn't happen with Adrenaline Rush, actually what happens is I think "it's way to early to hear the term "mutha fucka" used this many times" (a total of 34 mf'ers for the entire song for those interested).

Back while I was a senior in college I went through a phase where I was very much into the whole Shady/Aftermath label. For the most part all I was listening to were Eminem, 50 Cent, D12, or Obie Trice records. I found that Obie was my favorite (outside of Eminem). He has this slow, deliberate delivery to him and I thought he stood out more then the crap G-Unit was putting out. I quickly became addicted to his first album (Cheers) and went looking for songs of his that were on mixtapes or other albums. That's how I stumbled across Adrenaline Rush. It's not his best song but I love the energy, I love the beat. This song would be perfect if you were getting ready for a big game. Just put this on you're head phones and you'll be all types of pumped and ready to go. High school me would have loved this song. I would have played this song before every basketball game or track race (along with Mase's Niggas Wanna Act which I always thought was a hidden gem and always got me pumped to play). But I wasn't playing sports in college (unless you count Beer Pong and Quarters? No? Didn't think so) so this song kind of became a background song. I liked it when it came on the ole' winamp (hahahaa remember that) but I wasn't really going out of my way to play it.

It's a shame about Obie Trice. I really felt that he was a great rapper and actually had talent, but he got buried under all of the garbage that was becoming Shady/Aftermath. Crushed by the weight of 50 cent's ego I suppose. When Obie's second album came out it wasn't as crisp and didn't do as well (but in his defense he tried to make a record without Eminem and do it more on his own). That was back in 2006 and since then he's left the record label and hasn't put out an album of new material since. It's a shame really because he was a bright spot to a label that quickly just started pumping out albums for the sack of making money and not keeping artist integrity (looking at Eminem's Encore and 50 cent's The Massacre).

I do have a minor story to tell about this song I suppose. It leads into a bigger belief of mine. First off confession time... I didn't always have an ipod. *GASP* For a long time I was dead set against it. I had a CD collection over eight hundred albums and I just didn't like them (for reasons I can't even remember now). An ex-girlfriend of mine actually bought me a Sony mp3 player and I was stoked. It was my way of sticking it to Apple. But the joke was on me. The mp3 player was compatible with nothing and the songs were some kind of tiny wave things that were only compatible with the Sony mp3 player. D'oh! So when I finally broke down and got an ipod I had to try and transfer all these tracks that weren't compatible with itunes. Needless to stay it was an awful process and a lot of the songs I didn't have on CD and had downloaded from Sony needed to be re-downloaded off of itunes. Well, Adrenaline Rush was one of these songs. So after downloading it I had the urge to play it (which I of course did) but a minute in I realised I had made a mistake. I had downloaded the clean version of the song. No curses. I HATE THAT. (try listening to this song and picture the curses gone, hell find the clean version... insert shiver here *ugh*)

I hate, hate, hate censored music. I know it's for the kids or for people who don't like hearing those words but what's the point. Are you going to honestly tell me you don't know what's missing from the song? Plus it's done so terribly. It's like someone hits the mute button right before the curse word. It's so freakin' lame. The song loses all of it's flow and never gets a chance to be what it should be. If you don't like the language or the message of the song maybe you shouldn't buy it. Just because you remove the curse words doesn't mean that the message of the song has changed. It's the same message just with less cussing now.

(Closing Note: The new Foo Fighters album, Wasting Light, is excellent. It sounds so crisp and reminds me a lot of their first two albums. Very much worth the download.)