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!
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.
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!
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.
I know I said that this blog would be dedicated to talk about music. But I'm thousands of miles from home and want to update you, and it's probably just you honey, on my trip. First of all I miss my family the most. They are everything to me (that means you especially hun!). I am working a lot but trying to keep good spirits about it. The court is going live with our software on Monday, where they have 1500 cases scheduled. It is going to e a very long day, both monday and tuesday. I am a little nervous for all the chaos, but I am anxious to get it over with.
The last two days we have eaten lunch at this hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint in the ghetto of downtown Kansas City, Kansas. Everyone that works there is black, and Mary, the hostess/waitress and she is also probably part-owner in the place, is so nice and funny. If you could just picture a funny old lady that treats everyone like family, that is this lady to the T. Of course, the place smells like campfire because they smoke all of their meat in a big smoker all day (that's the way they do it here) and you come out smelling like campfire for the rest of the day. I actually want to make a cologne that smells like this BBQ joint. I guess on Thursday and Fridays they have a jazz pianist/singer/trombone player who plays jazz in the background. It is a fun little environment. He plays all the jazz classics, and Kyle thinks it's funny that I know all the lyrics and recognize all the songs (that uncultured swine!, jk).
I can't wait to be home. Just think, one day at a time. I will soon be back home! I love you tons Linds! ( and anyone else who reads this).
Well, I thought it would be fun to create a blog that demonstrates my love for music. If you don't know by now, I like a wide variety of GOOD music and want this blog to be full of fun music facts and trivia, as well as a band or musician of the week.
For this first posting, I would like to jump deep into my past, and share with you my first exposures to music. This will include music found in my home and of course my first and favorite albums.
Both my parents were raised in the sixties, but they some how never passed on to me at an early age some of the greatest rock and roll ever written. I didn't know that Led Zeppelin was not a thrash metal band until my Junior High or High School days. My father, to this day, thinks that led Zeppelin would be in the same category as Slayer or GWAR. My parents' "song" is actually a Barry Manilow song, "I Write the Songs", I'm sure few have heard it, it's absolutely horrid and cheesy.
Because I grew up in the 80's and early 90's, my first exposure to mainstream music was first brought to me by way of popular radio stations and random records and cassettes that mysteriously made their way into our home. But mind you, although mainstream, I wouldn't call it all tasty. The first cassette I claimed as my own (even though I found it lying around somewhere in my house) was "Whenever You Need Somebody" by Rick Astley. If you have not heard of this guy, I really recommend that anyone who reads this, go look this guy up. I saw a documentary on one hit wonders in the 80's once, where he was described as "little white guy -- big black man voice", or something to that effect. I'll give it to him hands down, he sure faked me out. My personal favorite is "Never Gonna Give You Up" (click here for more info of how good the song was). What a classic! In fact, for some odd reason, the same album was in my tape player before I got it out to look up the album title.
My next confession comes by way of New Kids on the Block. Yes, I owned a cassette and a poster. My brothers constantly and consistently teased me and called me gay. But I'm the one laughing now as the album is still one of the best selling of all times. We all know it's "The Right Stuff". Once I finally became sick of my brothers' teasing, I destroyed the tape, pretending to not like them anymore to be cool. I am shedding a tear as we speak because I regret ever ridding myself of such classic tunes.
Oh, and we can't forget the ever-cruel torture I was put through to do lip-syncs to the Chipmunks with my 2 other brothers and my dad as Dave. We performed these ensembles for every ward and school talent shows for 3 or 4 consecutive years. I think my favorite was the Christmas album. I was Alvin, my older brother Perry was Theodore, and my oldest brother Jeff was the glasses-wearing geek, Simon. Although torturous at the time, I look back at these experiences as character defining and have increased my love for good music. So the new Chipmunk movie doesn't look at all entertaining to me, cause I've lived it, and will live with it for eternity!
That wraps up part one of my introduction and background in music.
