Random Ramblings

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck? Huh, how much? Or, how much chuck could a woodchuck up, if a woodchuck could upchuck? Huh, how much? Or, how much blog could a blogger blog if a blogger ever blogged? Huh, how much?

I think like 5 or 18... doesn't that sound about right? Or maybe it was A.

Have you ever tried to write lyrics to a song? Do you ever get stuck at "I was walking down the street..." or at "I love you.."? That's where I always get writers block. Why can't writing lyrics to a song be like random ramblings on a blog where I just let my fingers do the trick. I guess that's maybe my problem. i really have no problem picking out a riff on the geetar. But as soon as I start using that brain of mine on lyrics and my mouth starts moving, all goes to helena, MT. I guess my weakness is also in a melody. If I could only have the talent of the greats, like the guy from Nickel Back or Justin Timberlake, those guys just got it when it comes to beautifully unforgettable melodies.

Maybe I should just stop trying to be a songwriter and just focus on learning awesome songs on the guitar that someone else wrote, cuz I really kind of skipped that. yeah, I can play the necessities like "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, and even then, just part of it. But really, what else is there? I guess I should learn all of stairway to heaven and "Dust in the Wind". Cuz what else is there?

Or maybe I should just stop playing guitar all together and take harp lessons. That way I always know what to play. I don't think it's possible to make stuff up on that instrument. Or like a player piano.

Well, I hope ya'll take care now! Toodles!

Band Names

Hello everybody! Are you surprised beyond all reason to see me posting again? I sure am. I am sitting in a computerized classroom clear accross the country in a beuatiful little community called Fair Lakes in Fairfax Virginia. I am here for some nerd training for my new job at the college of western Idaho, and I'm just waiting for class to begin.
I was checking my family's blog and thought, "I need to post about my new band". Yes, once again I am part of a band. It would be the first official band since SW. Of course it only consists of myself and my new bro Matty Mendenhall. We rock! I was thinking that for it to be real official, we need to find a band name. Any suggestions?
These are a few that I am making up right now:

Carpal's Tunnel
Nerd-gonomics
Courderouy Trousers
Button-up Flys
I can't believe it's not gutter
Mutt Sweat

Let's see what we can come up with.

Getting Back on Track

Writers' Block is a real thing, even to someone so seasoned in the world of writing as myself. I tried to hide the block by creating these diversions I called "Band of the Week'. After 2 or 3 the diversions died and the blog you know as "Milktoast's World of Music" sat at a stand still for what seemed to be ages, with a few comments and urges from the readers. Some of these comments had said things like, "We want more", blah blah blah. I felt like I had dug deep in those first jumps into my past and beginnings of my musical world. I felt like I was done. I have felt at a stand still at this point in my musical life, so maybe that's why I felt I was done. And then I had some realizations! There is plenty more to explore in the past and I have so much more to explore now and in the future. Why let the passion I have had all these years die down and flicker? Life is great, and I believe that music is one of the things that can make it so great. Can you imagine watching a movie with no soundtrack? There must be a movie out there that has no soundtrack, and it probably is "the worst movie ever made", but like anyone could know that napolean. I could never imagine my life without a soundtrack either. There is so much good stuff out there, even in the world of new and popular music. Well I guess we'll get back to the topic at hand; My Musical Contributions to the World. This topic may need to span over multiple sessions, but we'll take a whack at what we come up with...

I'd like to take you on a world tour, that spans through time, from the small gymnasium/cafeteria of Valley View Elementary School, the stage of a few college stake dances at Rexburg Community College, to the backstage of a Shania Twain Concert and on and on. please buckle up, the flux-capacitor is charged and ready for time travel. And one other thing, I'll let you know when we get to 88 miles per hour...(to be continued)

Band of the Week - The Strokes

This week we are featuring the Strokes as the Band of the week. I know I already posted one a few days ago, but it was late. I have really enjoyed this band lately, especially their album "Room on Fire". The Strokes have a very solid retro-rock sound. Distorted vocals, simple, but awesome beats, cool guitar riffs and sweet tech-sounds on occasion. Enjoy!

Band/Artist of the Week - Mason Jennings

Man, there just so much music that I love, all varieties. I was first introduced to this one about 2 1/2 years ago. Mason Jennings has a real raw sound about his music. With his acoustic guitar and confident voice, his sound is unique, from bayou blues to raggae to pop-folk, he is one of my favorites. Beware of a few songs (not posted below) that include some harsh lyrics. If you like what you hear and decide to purchase or creatively acquire some of his stuff, the songs "Butterfly" and "Bullet" have the BOMB in them. Just a heads up. All the songs below are goodies.

Band of the Week

I decided to do something other than just talk about my musical history. I want to start posting a new band every week. This could be someone new I just heard of or an old goody. This week I will start with a band that I first heard a couple years back, they had a big hit on the radio, "Somewhere only we know" and the band is KEANE. They are a British piano rock band. I love piano rock, everywhere from Billy Joel to Ben Folds, gotta love the keyboards! So check them out. I would recommend 2 of their Albums. "Under the Iron Sea" and "Hopes and Fears". If you saw the Valentine's video Linds made, that song is one of theirs. Also feel free to comment on the band and make your own suggestions for bands along the same style and genre.

Here are a few songs to sample. Happy listening!

Music of my past -- PART II

More than a month later the journey through the music of my past continues...

The journey began with a mish-mash of corny artists and lip-sync opportunities. We will now travel into the realm of people in my life who helped my love for music grow more and more.

Of course I should start off with my parents. Although their taste for music might not have been hip at the time, I know they had a love for music. My father would always sing songs in an operatic voice that would compete with the 3 tenors, even though he is a macho booming bass. Outbursts of the Christmas song "O, Holy Night", filled our house all year long. To this day he really believes that song was written for his voice. And let me tell you, it was!

Does anyone else remember their elementary school music teacher? I'm not sure if many do, but when she hauls around an accordion all day and sings impromptu songs about what we are doing, who could forget. The one phrase I can vividly remember, while she expanded and contracted the billows of the accordion, "Hello boys and girls!", followed by a response from the class "Good Morning Mrs. Conlin!". The class was also filled with amazing musical enhancing activities such as playing with small sticks and doing rhythm exercises that involved saying words like "TA TA TICKA TICKA TA TA". I advanced so quickly in that class. So quickly that I was able to play the tambourine one day. Boy did I feel special.

In the 5th grade I joined the Salt and Pepper singers which was an after school choir. Talk about being the shiz! I was one of two boys in the choir I think. All the ladies wanted me. That's what happens when you're a rock star. "You can be the ugliest sad sap around", but when you're on the risers with all the ladies, "people worship you, man!" --taken from the words of Jack Black.

Honestly, I think that had a big impact on my popularity for the remainder of my elementary and secondary schooling days! I was so cool! To counter act the effects so that I didn't get too popular too fast, I decided to take private drum lessons in the 4th or 5th grade. I started taking lessons in the garage of a mean old cuss named Hank Houst. I remember being beaten on the hand by a drum stick when I would mess up. I loved it! My love for drums and percussion grew so much that I wanted to be in the school band. Although, my 5th and sixth grade band didn't have percussionists, so I played the trumpet. It was a hand-me down from an older brother and smelled of mildew because it wasn't cleaned for its entire existence. That same trumpet was handed down to my youngest brother, who treated it just as good as the rest of us, until it broke. That didn't stop it from being used though. After enduring the life of a trumpeter swan, I was finally allowed to play my dream instrument in the 6th grade on a couple songs, that's right, the drum pad. I think every band needs one. Of course you can't hear it at all above the other instruments, but still a must-have.

Hank's teachings paid off when I was invited to play the drums on a beach boys song for a 6th grade music program. My padawanship with Hank lasted until about the 8th grade when my Jedi Master became my uncle, who first learned from Hank as well. It's like if Qui-Gon Jin were still alive and training Anakin and then Obi-Wan Kenobi just stepped in and took his place because Qui-Gon cost money and Obi-Wan was free. Of course this is not an economics blog nor a Star Wars blog, so, what the heck am I talking about? Back to the topic at hand...

Uncle Rick taught me that no matter how old you are, it's still okay to ROCK on occasion. The man is in his forties and still attends high voltage rock concerts such as REO Speedwagon and Santana.

After a year of playing percussion in the Fairmont Junior High band for one whole year, I decided it was time to take my singing career serious again and decided to join the choir in the 8th grade. My director, Mrs. Block made a big impact in my life and encouraged me to progress both my vocalizers and my mad drum skills by auditioning for Falcon Jazz, the elite choir of the junior high. I auditioned with both my manly bass voice and my drum skills. My 9th grade year I played drums in the jazz combo and sang in the choir as well.

I need to also contribute many if these great memories of choir to my friend, Jefferson. Although we have kind of gone our different ways, he has had a big role in my love for music. He got me into choir and we were in it together clear through high school. I know I am not being funny right now, cuz high school choir wasn't fun, it was pure hell. Talk about having no life outside the choir room...okay, I did, I wasn't as bad as some people. Throughout high school I still had my hands, and feet, into drumming. My uncle continued to give me drum lessons, and my love/hate relationship began to blossom with my choir director, Mrs. Linda Elliot Schmidt. She was mean mostly when we weren't performing to our potential. We didn't get along a lot of the time but she still has a big impact on my musical life.

For my high School graduation my dad bought me an acoustic guitar, a Yamaha. My interest in the guitar started many years before but was really peaked when I met Preston Dean, a fiend of my brothers who lived with us for a while. Preston was no Jimi Hendicks but wrote fun, silly songs and performed classics that caused me to want a guitar of my own. Since then I have been more or less self taught. I tried guitar lessons once, but the guy was a failure. So that man will not be in my list of musical influences. Who ever you are, no thanks to you.

And last but not least, i need to mention my older brothers who have had a big part of my musical upbringing. Both of them together introduced me to classic rock. I can vividly remember being in the Dentist's office, of which I have always hated (but that's another story), and I had some headphones on. While I was surfing through the stations I landed on the song, "Carry on my wayward Son" by Kansas. I came home and asked my brother, Perry, if his ears were ever exposed to such beautiful organ and guitar soloing before. He then introduced me to a wide range of classic rock. My oldest brother introduced me to CCR, Steve Miller Band and Fleetwood Mac. My love for classic rock began there and has flourished ever since. Thanks Bros!

This will conclude part II of my musical life.