There is still music out "there"

I always have a hard time when it comes to people my age. It seems to me at some point many of them just turned the switch off and decided that all great music stopped with Mazzy Star or Alanis Morissette. Or even worse, they turned the switch off on the classic rock station and haven’t moved on. Don’t get me wrong I like classic rock and music from when I was growing up, although I never really liked Mazzy Star (fade into you is a good song) and never been a Morissette fan. I am and will always be a fan of music though.

I sometimes find it hard to believe people when they tell me there is no good music out “there”. Where ever “there” is, I have to say; you just aren’t looking in the right spot. I constantly try to make sure I give all forms of music a try, I keep trying to give Animal Collective a try, but I just can’t get into it. I know coming from a music geek, me not getting into Animal Collective is like pushing down my own daughter. I do at times; try to give country music a chance. I listened to Zac Brown last night, and for the life of me country just does not appeal to me. Don’t get me wrong, Zac Brown is very talented and I can see why he is talked about so much. He has some really catchy songs, but I just can’t get into it. My point is I still give music a chance. I could have turned the switch off after Pearl Jam or when the Smashing Pumpkins broke up, but I had already been to so many shows (concerts for some) and listened to so much at that point I knew there was more out there. Plus my friends constantly brought over new music I just couldn’t pass up not listening to it.

I guess for me it still makes me feel young listening to music, old and new. I have always liked experiencing new things, and music is a way of letting me do it. I can promise that I can find something that you would like. It’s out “there” and you can find it if you try. Here lately music has been helping me get through some tough days at work. I know at any point I can browse through my ipod and find a song or here lately an album (Passion Pit-Manners) and get a little pick me up during the day. Some times all you need is a 2 to 3 minute song to get you out of a funk. That’s why it makes me sad when some one says there is no good music out there. There is a ton of great music that did happen after the Beatles quit putting it out, or after everyone finally figured out how much boys bands sucked. It’s out there, and there are music geeks like me that would love to help you find it, sometimes all you have to do is ask.

Music for the week:
Well there have been some great bands that I have kind of stumbled upon the past few weeks. Here is a look at three I suggest you should take a listen too.

Surfer Blood-Astro Coast
This is the debut album from the West Palm Beach, Florida band. They have a mixture of sound that would be a mix of Weezer, Pavement, a little Built to Spill and a few other bands that influenced them. This is another really great album to start off 2010. Check out the song Swim.
Los Campesinos!
I would list their albums, they just released this week the album Romance is Boring. I decided a few weeks ago to listen to their 2008 album We are beautiful, We are doomed and I really liked them. I was looking for something a little different to listen too and I found it with them. They started out in Cardiff, Wales while in college there and they have only released three albums now and one EP. Check out There are Listed Buildings off their new album.

Kid Cudi- Man on the Moon: The End of Day
I decided to check out Kid Cudi after I read a great review about his first album. As most of you know, I do love hip-hop and I am always looking for something other than mainstream stuff that is played all the time. Most of the time the songs on the mainstream hip-hop is always the same. I do long for the days of A Tribe Called Quest, but as I stated in my blog, I can’t turn the off switch off since they are no longer together. This album came out in 2009, and I wish that I would have know about this when it came out, it is a great album and something that hip-hop needs. He combines tracks with indie band Ratatat and also brings in MGMT in as well. If you want something different with your hip-hop check out Kid Cudi, I have another new artist next week as well for hip-hop. Check out the songs Make Her Say and Soundtrack 2 my life.

Why Music?

Last night I was watching a tv show on MTV (which I still think is amazing it’s still called MTV and shows no music on it anymore), and it was a so-called reality show about a girl breaking away from the in-crowd she was use to and going off on her own for her senior year. The show is called My Life as Liz, which is still heavily scripted (that’s why it’s a so-called reality show for me), but it was actually good to my surprise. It really pains me to admit it, but it was. Yes it was a scripted “reality” show, but the premise behind the show is was I got attached to. The main character Liz is a regular high school kid trying to figure out who she actually is. I have to say, if I knew a girl like this in high school I would have wanted to hang out with her. I am sure wanting to be cool, I wouldn't have and that is why I don't miss high school.

While watching this, it made me think about why I am how I am now, and how I am attached to music. For me music was sometimes the only thing that got me through the days as an awkward kid in high school. With my friends I listened to the latest hip-hop song that was out, but once I got home or by myself I popped in Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, R.E.M., Nirvana, Love and Rockets, Blind Melon, the Chili Peppers, the Black Crowes, Violent Femmes, and many more. Not to mention the stuff my sister turned me on to. I guess it was my little secret that I had that no one else knew about. Pearl Jam and Nirvana made it ok for me to fell awkward and a little shy in high school. Some of the bands made me realize there was more in the world than what I saw in a tiny town in Oklahoma.

I can thank music for finding friendships with some of my dearest friends I met in college. I can find a core band with each of my friends that we both share a love for. I have very few of my friends that don’t love music in some way. We have all gone to concerts together, had some crazy nights and it giving us the soundtrack to that night. Now I can see that love starting up with Sloan. Yes, she loves the pop music, but she is starting to listen to some of the stuff I listen too. We listen to the alternative channel on XM together when we are in the car, and she is picking up on songs that she likes and doesn’t like. She is a huge Matt and Kim fan among other bands she has started to like. I like we have that bond going along with our sports bond.

I am a firm believer that music can not only motivate you, help with your moods, but it also helps you get through good and bad patches in your life. I know it has helped me and a few friends through break ups while growing up. It has helped me express myself in times when I am happy, mad, or sad. It is sometimes hard for me to think about people that don’t listen to some form of music. I don’t see how you can go through life without it. I think my love for music sometimes over shadows my love for sports. That is hard for some to believe, but it does, I feel sports without music would be less entertaining. To me without music the world would seem a little less colorful. Plus how would a high schooler get over all the awkward times growing up without music? (here is a song that puts me in a good mood no matter what lately. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit)

This week’s music
Well, it seems at times my new music dries up and then it over flows the next minute with old and new that I felt I needed or needed to listen too. I am really liking going back and finding bands and albums that helped shape what music I listen to now, with me doing some reissues on here. So with that said hopefully this week’s music will help you somewhere down the line in life.

Julian Casablancas- Phrazes for the Young
Well, I have loved The Strokes every since I bought their first album and listened to it the whole summer I lived in Colorado. I had heard nothing but good things about Casablancas solo album and of course I wanted to give it a listen due to me loving the Strokes. It is a really great album, I was a little worried that I might not like his solo stuff outside of the Strokes. It is a little electronic heavy if you are a Strokes fan. Overall it is a great album. I like the song 11th Dimension and Glass.

The Low Anthem-Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
I am still on my indie-folk (as I like to call it) kick, of course that goes until I get over indulged and have to step away. Another band that I have heard a lot about is The Low Anthem. This is their second album that the band has released. I have listened to it for a couple of times and I like it so far. They have a great sound, and I expect some good things coming from them in future releases. Check out Home I’ll Never Be and Champion Angel.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart-Self Titled
This band made a few of the 2009 lists this past year, so I of course had to see what all the talk was about. They really remind me of a band from the 80’s for some reason. They are more of an Indie Pop, if I had to put them in an category. It is still taking me a few listens to know if I really like them or not. So far I like the song Come Saturday.

Reissue:
Bob Dylan- Live at Budokan
As some of you know, I love Bob Dylan. I pride myself with owning almost every album of his. This album is a tough one, it got some of the worst reviews he has ever got for an album when it was released. Most said it was his “Las Vegas Phase” with making different arrangements for some of his classics. I personally love this album for the fact that the arrangements he made live are different. To me that is why you go see a band live, for the fact they will play a song differently or arrange it different to give fans something new when they play live. If you are a fan of Bob Dylan I think you should check it out, just for the fact that it is something different.

The Odd Couple

I believe in the fact that opposites attract to each other. I really feel it rings true to the unique relationship that Kristen and I have. We do have odd quirks between the both of us, some of them neither one of us understand, but we accept it. Seeing how we met you might think that both of us are outdoorsy people. Which although Kristen was a climbing instructor in Colorado, she isn’t much into the whole camping out thing. Me being from Oklahoma, you would think I am all into hunting and fishing. I am far from that, I feel in my past life I lived in a large city such as New York. I am more “city folk” than I am “country folk” being from Oklahoma. What will come as shock to my peeps in Oklahoma, I have never been hunting or even shot a gun. Yes, I know, I am losing my card carrying privileges of being an Okie.

I do love sports, where Kristen could careless even though it has been what has paid the bills for a while now. Just like, I could careless about the medical and serial killer shows she watches on TV. Not that we don’t care about what each other is interested in, we just accept that one of us likes this and the other something else and we move on. Seeing the Kardashians have a reality show (which I am still trying to figure out what makes these people famous), I feel at times my family (both sides) could have one as well. For those that have had the privilege of watching sports with my wife, it could be a sitcom within itself. She tries really hard to act like she knows who athletes are. Here is the perfect conversation that kristen and I have, a) she tries to figure out rules during the game (great quiz while watching a sport together) and b)she acts like she either knows the athlete or the team and sport they play. The latter of the two is by far and away my favorite thing to quiz her on.

Here is a typical conversation we had the other night, I came in singing a Jay-Z song and I said the lyric “If Jeezy's payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade” we then had to get in a conversation on who exactly was Dwayne Wade. I wish we had our own reality show at that moment. She does know who Lebron is and also calls him Bron Bron since they are on a friendly basis. This conversation went on for a while, and in the end I don’t think she still knows who Dwayne Wade is, but she still likes the Jay-Z song anyway.

On the flip side, she comes in and tells me all the exciting things she has done during the day. Being a good husband I listen to everything she tells me up to the part where the blood and guts stuff comes into play. At that point I then stop her mid-sentence and tell her how awesome it is she does what she does and I then tell her that I don’t need ALL the details to her day. It takes a special person to do what she does, and thank god I am not that person because I would have already found another occupation instead of nursing.

Another thing that separates us is our athletic ability. At one time and many many pounds ago, I was some what an athlete (I use that term lightly). Many years ago my beautiful wife dominated the Texas High School debate circuit. Even though I have put on a little weight since them, I somewhat still have a little coordination left in these old bones. My young vibrant wife on the other hand, well you can tell she was in debate. Nothing against her being smarter than me, and it shows a lot of the time that she is. I know when she comes in from work either smelling of gas (yes, spilling gas on herself while filling up the gas tank) or telling me how she has fallen out of a chair at work and is now voted most comical by all the doctors, I will always be in for a laugh.

So when it comes to people talking about how opposite they are from their significant other, it’s not always a bad thing. Kristen and I get a long great and I feel it’s because we are different from one another. I wouldn’t want it any other way, plus don’t get me started on my love of music and her wanting both Glee Soundtracks for Christmas. Sometimes I think she does stuff just to get under my skin.

(P.S. New marriage rule: When soaked in gasoline, put your clothes outside in the back yard, especially when you can smell gas before you get inside the house from the front yard.)

New Music for the week:
Ok, since I am busy now, my new goal is not only a blog on Tuesday, but just trying to get a blog in for the week. I have a ton of music I just got, and there are some great albums on the way for 2010 (White Stripes, Beastie Boys, possible Interpol and The National, it makes me very very excited for 2010). Here is a look at what I have listened to this week.

Blind Pilot-iTunes Session
This whole indie-folk scene is really turning out some great bands lately, and one of my favorites is Blind Pilot. I was pumped when I saw on iTunes that they did an acoustic session for them. If you haven’t got 3 rounds and a sound yet, please do so. This EP only has five songs on it, but man is it good. Something great to listen to at work or relaxing at home. Please check out Blind Pilot, you won’t be disappointed.

Vampire Weekend-Contra
VW had their first album come out in 2008 and it was a critically acclaimed album after a few months. I took a listen to the Discovery LP that came out over the summer by Rostam Batmanglij and it was not too bad. I knew I was ready for him to help get the VW album finished. I was on the fence by the first single that was released, but I got Contra this week and it is an amazing album. If this is the start of albums for 2010, I am very excited for the rest of the albums to come out.

Reissue:
The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
I grew up with a dad that loved the Beach Boys and still does. Therefore at a young age I became a Beach Boy fan along with Elvis and the Beatles. Brian Wilson felt he had to come up with something amazing after listening to Rubber Soul by the Beatles. I had to reach back and find my copy of Pet Sounds to listen to over christmas. I have to say, this album is still amazing, you have songs like Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows just to name a few. It has been widely ranked as one of the most influential records ever released in pop music and has been ranked at number #1 in several music magazines' lists of greatest albums of all time. Great album everyone should own.

Goodbye 2009 (and a decade)

Well, it’s now 2010 and this is the first blog of 2010 (although late). It’s hard for me to believe that not only is 2009 over, but it’s the start of a new decade. It just doesn’t seem that long ago that Matchbox 20, Three Doors Down, and N Sync were blowing up. Ok, I am glad that we did move past those horrible bands in 2000 to take Nickelback in with open arms. (That last statement was meant to be sarcastic.) Thinking about 2000, I was finally making my parents happy, and deciding that I had put off adulthood long enough and graduated college.

The other thing I am very glad we can put behind us is the horrible president that ruled during that time. How did he get elected twice? Yes I know that is blasphemy with me living in Texas, but wow, twice, really? 2000 and 2001 was the last time I would call Oklahoma home. I did move on to bigger and better things, not to mention meeting Kristen, and becoming a father, and finally finding what I wanted to do with my life. Man, looking down the top songs of 2001, we did not as a nation want to give up our hold of Lady Marmalade, or the soft spot in our hearts with Matchbox 20. Not to mention it was our first glimpse of the juggernaut of a band called Nickleback. (Ok, ok I will not make fun of them anymore.)

On to 2002, this is the year I met Kristen and we started our adventure together. Just thinking about how we started out all the way to now, how did we not kill each other?! Better yet, how did she not kill me while listening to her favorite song Hot in Here by Nelly? I almost forgot another horrible band from the early 2000’s, and that would be Creed. Like I have always said, we already have one Pearl Jam and let’s leave it at that.

Now onto 2003, and the year that Sloan was born. Not only did we set up our daughter for one heck of a 21st birthday on St. Patrick’s Day, we also set her up with the best song to do it to from 2003. That would be In Da Club by my boy 50 Cent. This was another year that Kristen and I can look back and laugh at our situation at the time in Utah. That was a strange place for us to live, and the lady that owned the team solidified all of it. That is a whole other blog for another time. Looking at the charts, man the longevity of 3 Doors Down amazes me, how did they make it that long?

On to 2004 and our stint in Tennessee, this was a fun time for us. Kristen got to be a stay home mom for a little while. I was amazed at how the business of baseball is just that, and when things don’t go right you move the team, and if you can’t do that, you lay people off. That is when I woke up to the business of sports and how harsh things can be. We did meet some great friends and still try to keep in touch with them to this day in Tennessee. This was the nations first glimpse of Kanye West, still amazed that 3 Doors Down was still there, I think at this point everyone finally forgot the rap/metal phase (Thank god), but for some reason we got traded the Black Eyed Peas, I did not ok this trade and I am still waiting for the “band to be named later” to give me back some good music that the Black Eyed Peas stole from me.

2005 and 2006 living in California, a state I have always wanted to live in, and I am glad I got too. I do love California and always will, that is a state that has great weather almost year round. I do have to say the summers in Visalia were horrible at times, but over all, a state where I can wear a jacket or long sleeve shirt in the winter you can’t go wrong. I believe that Sloan will always have California on her mind just for the beach. The girl loves the beach. Finally we got blessed with some good music with bands like The Killers, John Mayer, Weezer and Green Day. This was the first time I met a young (old) man named Les Kissick that forever changed my outlook on life. (I love that man) I made some great friends in California, and will be visiting them in June and I can’t wait.

2007 to now, and we live in Texas. We are closer to home for me, although I don’t get back as much as I would like due to our busy lives. I am getting back in touch with friends from school that I should have never lost touch with. Kristen has made Sloan and I so unbelievably proud that I can’t put it in words. Sloan is so big now, that when I look at pictures of our travels I can’t believe she was that small (and with less attitude back then). So far looking back on the decade, it was a great adventure. We traveled from Colorado Springs, to Oklahoma, to Texas, to Utah, to Tennessee, to California, and back to Texas. It has been one strange trip, but a good strange. Looking back, I am now even more excited to think about what is next for us. Looking at music, I am thankful we finally lost the boy bands, 3 doors down, but we can’t shake Nickelback (I feel they made a deal with the devil or something). I guess the best music is the music you have to look for. Just like it took Kristen, Sloan, and I to travel this much to find out what we are suppose to be doing. Let’s see what this decade brings.

Music for this week:
Ok, so getting back into the swing of things after a week and a half off is a little hard. I did however make the most of the break and got some great music. I am going to start throwing out some old albums to listen to as well. Almost a reissue for old albums. So with that said here is the music.

Bad Veins-Bad Veins
I heard about this band a while ago and just took way too much time getting the album. This was the first album I got from my beautiful wife for Christmas. (yes, she is that cool, just don’t let her know) This duo started out in 2006 and took their time after opening up for bands on the road to make their debut album. This should have made my top 10 list, this is a great album and I suggest you go get it. From what I have heard they are suppose to be amazing live, and I hope to see them live myself.

We Were Promised Jet Packs-These Four Walls
Another band from Ireland, and this band will be big in 2010. Their first single “Quiet Little Voices” is already getting some major air play on the alternative stations. They formed in 2003 at school and quickly moved to Glasgow and started playing around the city. If there was a band that I highly recommend it would be this one, they have a great new sound.

Reissue:
The Rolling Stones- Let It Bleed
I started reading a book over spring break called “Hammer of the Gods” about Led Zeppelin. While reading the book (still not done with it yet) the author brings up albums that were being released during that time. I am a Rolling Stones fan and he brought up Let It Bleed once. So I decided to get it and listen to it. This album is suppose to be one of their greatest album artistically. This was also the last album that Brian Jones played on with the Stones. You get all time classic hits like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Gimme Shelter”. A classic Stones album that everyone should own.