The Rare Snow Day

So we had the very, very rare snow day here in Texas. It’s not often that is either 1) cold enough to snow, and stick 2) snows enough to let work and school out. So Sloan and I were cooped up at times at home much like Bon Iver was in Minnesota. (yeah I snuck in a musical reference)

I had a very excited and gitty little girl when I picked her up at school. We caught up on some much needed play time in the snow. We built two snowmen, one snow fort and had numerous snowball fights during the day. For me, I got a nice half day off that is going to be gold the next few weeks with baseball and basketball going and no weekends off until March 19th.

I also got to catch up on some music that I have wanted to listen to, and it felt right at home for a sunny day. I got to listen to the Avett Brothers new album (new to me anyway), I and Love and You. I have not been much of a bluegrass person, but if you told me that the Avett Brothers were the only bluegrass I had to listen too, I would be all for it. This album is great and seemed to fit right in for a snowy day. Every song I have got to listen to is just as good as the last and the album seems to get better. I am really enjoying my day so far.

After listening to the Avett Brothers, I decided I wanted to listen to Angels and Airwaves. I got an e-mail where they sent me a link to get my free copy of their album, much like many folks did. I wasn’t very familiar with A&A, but I have liked some of their singles I have heard. I did decided to listen to their other two albums first, and setting aside the fact that Tom DeLonge said they were going to be the best band in the world at one time. I listened to their first two albums, and they are actually very good. I now need to get to their new album Love. So far I am happy with my musical choices on my rare snow day.

To top off the whole snow day, is I got to pick up my valentine’s gift from Kristen. She went and got my Pearl Jam poster from the ACL show custom framed for me. Of course seeing this only fueled my desire to collect more concert posters. So when she complains or questions my taste in concert poster art, I can point to this day as the day she started me on my quest. You sometimes forget how awesome a snow day was when you were a kid. So not only did I get to listen to some great music, hang out with the coolest 6 year old in the world, I got my snow day, and it was awesome.

Music for the week:
Yes, you get bonus music for this week. I have been on my Led Zeppelin kick for the past few weeks, and fair warning I am now reading “Accidental Revolution: The Story of Grunge”, so be prepared for some early 90’s grunge music the next few weeks.

Heartless Bastards- The Mountain
I got to catch them on Austin City Limits a few weeks ago, and I was blown away by Erika Wennerstrom’s vocals and the feel of the music. You don’t find too many just great rock bands now, and they are one of them. I really want to see this band live, and it sucks that I missed them at ACL last year. Hopefully I can catch them soon.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds-Live in Las Vegas
I am one of the rare people that usually isn’t a big fan of Dave Matthews. I do however always like when he pairs up with Tim Reynolds. Don’t ask me why, but my favorite Dave Matthews album is his very first double album with Tim Reynolds. So I had some what of an interest in this one when it came out. Much like the first one, this one is very solid and is another great acoustic album by DM and TR.

Motion City Soundtrack-My Dinosaur Life
I have kept this album on my radar for a few weeks. I have been hearing so many good things about it, so I knew at some point I would have to check it out. Everything I have heard about it, it up to par so far. Each song is catchy and is actually good. I am going to have to listen to this a few more times to tell if I am still in love with it, but it isn’t too bad.

Cleaning out the Ipod

(The Late blog from last week)

So I was sitting at work the other day, with my iPod on shuffle and a song came on, and I was thinking to myself “man this is a great song, who is this?” at that point I figured out that I am having music overload. This made me wonder how people that actually get paid to write music columns do it. Do they weed out the good music and keep it? Do they just keep their favorite artists or albums and throw away the rest? For me in my “hobby” of listening and collecting music this is a dilemma.

There are bands that will always have a spot on my iPod, but what do I do with the rest. Is it time to get rid of a few albums, since I am keeping them for sentimental value more than listening value? Plus there are newer bands that I really love (Arctic Monkeys) that are pushing old bands out. I guess if you look at it from my point of view it’s a good problem to have. I am always experiencing something new each day I hit shuffle, but I also feel I have too much on my ipod that is just fluff that I have forgot about. I guess my problem is, who do I cut out?

Seeing I started this blog last week, and got extremely busy during the week, just to update everyone I have not cleaned out my ipod as of yet, but I have got more music. Yes I know it makes no sense, but thus is the life of someone that loves music. It hasn’t helped that I just finished reading “Hammer of the Gods-The Saga of Led Zeppelin” and I am now interested in the music from that time period, and the solo stuff of Robert Plant after Zeppelin. So this has not helped me at all, but I have made a folder just to store music that I am on the fence on. Yes Kristen understands my weirdness towards music, and at times accepts it. Oh well, I feel this is going to be a continuing cycle forever. The funny thing is I have plenty of room on my ipod for albums upon albums, but I am a picky person. I guess it’s a good thing that I am interested in finding music I love, for some reason good or bad I keep looking.

New Music for this week (actually last week):
Well I have been listing the albums I have been listening to or just got. I try from time to time to list a track on the albums. I promise the next blog for this week will have some new songs on it. Since I am late with this one here are the newest albums I am listening too.

Beach House-Teen Dream
Cold War Kids-Behave Yourself-EP
Girls-Album
The Raveonettes-Pretty In Black
Snoop Dogg-Malice N Wonderland
Yeasayer-Odd Blood

Weekly Observations

Tuesday is usually one of my favorite days of the week (of course next to Friday, for the fact: 1) I can wear jeans to work, 2) well….it’s Friday.), because Tuesday is when all the new music comes out. I am a dork to the point that I have down on my calendar of any of my favorite bands or albums I want to get and when they come out. Yes I know I should get paid for this, but I guess that is why some people call it a hobby. I also keep up with stuff on sites and of course Rolling Stone. I never thought I would drop my subscription for a sports magazine over a music magazine, but I did, and will probably look to pick up another music magazine in its place. So yes, if one can call listening to music and “collecting” music a hobby, it is a hobby for me.

So after a few observations over the past few weeks, I am slowly noticing that the hipsters are taking over music. Some of it I like, some of it, well, it will have to grow on me. I have stated before, everyone can tell me it’s “critically acclaimed”, but I still can’t get into Animal Collective. Of course I can listen to about anything and I will take Neon Indian or the Klaxons any day of the week. Or for instance I wouldn’t know about Real Estate or Surfer Blood if it wasn’t for these new kids pushing music on us older kids. I guess it’s the new thing being brought into music that I like; I am always one for change.

I guess this goes back to me telling everyone there is always good music out there, yes good music even though they are wearing the skinny jeans and retro shirts of bands they have never listened too. I do have to say, so far what I am hearing from them, I like it. Sometimes I have so much stuff to listen too; I forget what I have on my ipod. I do like hitting shuffle and being surprised all the time. This is nothing new to the few people that read this; I am always looking for something new.

Just now I am afraid I won’t get into the next show I go to because I am not wearing skinny jeans and some skinny retro shirt. Trust me kids, you don’t want me to show up in skinny jeans just to listen to music, it just won’t be cool for you or for me, but keep the music coming I do like it regardless of the wardrobe we wear.

New Music for the Week:
Well, I always have something new or old that I am listening too. I am on a huge Led Zeppelin kick lately. Well here you go with this weeks albums, some are new, some are old, and some are a new take on a remake.

Spoon-Transference
Kn’aan-Troubadour
The Flaming Lips-The Dark Side of the Moon
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-Baby 81

Being Grown Up......

This is a broad topic to write about this week, but time to time in my adult life I have realized things were much easier as a kid or when you between the ages of 21-25. Both times in your life you could pretty much go through life and not think about what it was going to be like when you were older. As a kid all you had to think about was playing outside, eating, and taking a bath. Of course your nemesis was to either go to school or go to bed. Not to mention having to eat random vegetables that you grew to like once you were an adult. So not much to worry about when you were a kid, and now looking back it was a great time in your life.

Now the reason I have the ages between 21-25 was you were still in college and you didn’t have to come to the reality of having to be grown up just yet. You toyed with it by paying for rent and bills, although you lived with probably 2-5 people in a house or an apartment so you cut of bills was probably 300 bucks all together for the month. You had an easy job working in either a restaurant or for some other job that was way too easy. You got to hang out with your friends every day and go out each night and go to school the next day. It was a very cush life at the time. Of course once college was winding down you just had to get started on your life and you did. It’s great for a while, you meet your future spouse and everything is new and fresh. Then comes the dreaded job, confrontations with your boss, things that you didn’t plan on having to do with a profession. You have to deal with getting passed over of promotions, or the having to move from family and friends, and just the grind of being an adult. Then of course comes highlights, like getting married, having a beautiful family, I guess the non-work side of your life is what keeps you going and happy.

The ups and downs of life is what makes it great, and at this point you are wondering how this is going to get to music, trust me it will just hold on it will. The few constants I have in my life, is Kristen and Sloan that keep me happy and on my toes at all times. Being able to work in sports, don’t get me wrong there are a ton of ups and downs and things I don’t want to deal with that I eventually have to now, but it is a fun job at times. Then I have music, which is probably been the most constant thing I have had from the time I have been 16 until now. It has made every move I have made and for the most part stayed intact. At any point I can put on a song or album and have some sort of memory that has attached itself to the song. A lot of the time music can take away the parts that suck during the day. As most of you can tell, I probably had a bad day today, but the one thing that made it not a bad day was music and the fact that I get to see Sloan and Kristen tonight. Once again music has made the day go by faster and kept me in a semi-good mood. It’s the little things in life that make it so great, I always need to remember the saying “don’t sweat the small stuff” more often, but as an adult you seem to forget that a lot of the time. Sometimes listening to your favorite song or band makes you remember it, and today it has.

Music for the week:
Well, once again I have procrastinated in writing my blog and I need to get off and pick up Sloan for a fun night with the Harlem Globetrotters. So here are a few albums that I have picked up the past few weeks that I feel you should check out.

1) Real Estate-Real Estate
2) Kid Sister-Ultraviolet
3) Los campesinos!-Romance Is Boring
4) OK Go-of the blue colour of the sky