My favorite things

Not too long ago Kristen wrote about her favorite things on her blog. So it made me think of things that are either my favorite things that I like. I now have some time this week to catch up on some blogs and this is my first one of this week. Don’t get too excited I am only going to be doing two since I didn’t get time to do mine from last week. I figured that you guys (well the few readers I have) know that music is one of my all time favorite things, and I have done some lists with some of my favorite albums I like to listen too. So I thought it would be interesting to see what else I like on top of music.

So here are a few of my favorite things:

1) The Franchise Cap: I have to say I have another obsession other than music and that is my extensive hat collection I have amassed over the years. One goal that makes Kristen cringe every time is that I want to own all the MLB teams’ hats (excluding the Phillies, Braves, and Yankees). This hat is probably one of the most comfortable hats I have ever got, and I have now own six including my most favorite team the Mets.

2) Shoes: well, this is another touchy category with my beautiful wife, along with my hats; I am a huge “sneakerhead”. I have shown great restraint with not purchasing a lot of shoes. Kristen will also agree with me, but when I do come across a pair of shoes I love, I do get them. I have a few pair of shoes that I keep in rotation; during the summer I wear Sanuks. Vans, Chucks, and my adidas, stay in that rotation during the year. I love old school sneakers, but my favorite shoes now (that I have had to send in to get new ones) are my Simple Shoes. If you want something that is good on the environment and very comfortable purchase some Simple shoes, you won’t regret it.

3) Rolling Stone Magazine: I look forward to getting my magazine when it comes in every couple of weeks. There are some people that feel the Rolling Stone isn’t much of a music magazine, but to me this is a staple of American music and pop culture. Have them got a more political slant here lately, yes, but over all, I enjoy reading the articles and keeping up with everything in Rolling Stone. It’s almost like a calling card letting people know that I am one of the few liberals in Texas.

4) Ipod: This is one of the best presents that I have ever got, next to my Darryl Strawberry baseball glove when I was 11. You always hear people say they don’t know what they did before they got an Ipod. I have to agree, I don’t leave the house most of the time with out my Ipod. At this point I have 5950 songs on it, and basically has 17 days worth of music on it.
5) XM Radio: Another great gift I got for Christmas. Not only do I have every MLB game on it during baseball season, but it has some of the best music channels on it. After a week of listening to XM, I can’t believe I listened to regular radio for so long. If you don’t have XM, you should get it, it is worth it.

Well this is I guess my top five things that are my favorites. Also my first of two blogs for this week. I guess I am getting writers block or something, I can’t think of too many things to write about right now. Although the Mets first game is in 7 days, and I am also patiently waiting my e-mail from Austin City Limits so I can set up my account and get Festival tickets for this year.

This (Past) week’s music:
Well something new with Blogger, they have set up where you can actually use Amazon to link to products from your blog. You actually get store credit if someone buys something you recommend. I might have to try and figure this out to help the few of you that take my music recommendations to buy the music through my blog.

Corinne Bailey Rae- The Sea
One of my favorite things tipped me off to this soul singer from England. Her debut album was critically acclaimed. This is her second album, it has been two years since her first album, due to her husband passing away unexpectedly. She has an amazing voice, and this is something great to put on while at work or hanging out at home. Check out the songs I’d Do It All Again, Closer, and Paris Nights/New York Mornings.

The Whigs- In the Dark
I have heard The Whigs on XM a lot over the past few weeks, and they have a great single out called Kill Me Carolyne. The Whigs come to us from Athens, Georgia, and their first single from their third album is awesome. I have their second album Mission Control, and I can’t figure out why they aren’t as big as they should be. The Whigs are a great American rock band that should be played more. Check out the songs Kill Me Carolyne, Like a Vibration, and I Got Ideas.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- Beat the Devils Tattoo
This is the sixth album from BRMC out of San Francisco. I have their fifth album Baby 81 and I love that album. So of course I am going to give them a chance with their new album. BRMC has a hint of garage rock, blues, and often have religiously inspired lyrics. This album still has to grow on me a little, much like the new Rogue Wave album. I do like the garage rock side to this album. Check out the songs Conscience killer and Shadow’s keeper.

My little girl is getting older

Once you get older you dread another birthday each year, but when you are young, birthdays are the greatest thing in the world. Of course for Sloan she started planning her birthday sometime around March 18th of last year. It seems that for a year she would change what we were going to do for her birthday. Well, tomorrow is my little partner in crimes’ birthday. Sloan is turning the ripe old age of 7 and as of this morning is about to bust before her birthday gets here.

It does not seem that she should be this old. It seems like yesterday that I was regulated to another bed while Kristen and Sloan sleep together during the night for feeding when we brought her home. It seemed like yesterday when Phife would sleep under her crib at night or when her and Phife had a love/hate relationship because she would crawl following him and sometimes try to eat his food. Now Phife would probably tear someone apart if they tried to do something to her.

I can remember her pushing kids away from Ribbee the mascot in Tennessee because she felt he was her mascot not theirs. Of course this is how she has felt a long time about the mascot at every team I have worked for. It was once she got into Kindergarten when she broke down and told me she knew that there was a real person in the mascot suit. At that point I knew she was starting to grow up a little.

I can also remember the first time we took her to the beach in California, and of course her falling in love with it. To this day she still tells us how much she wished we lived in California still just for the beach. I can also remember her getting spoiled by almost everyone in the tiny little ballpark there in Visalia. I don’t think that kid did without ice cream for about two years at the ballpark.

Tomorrow she is going to be turning 7, and it feels like yesterday when I was holding her just after she was born. Now she is getting taller and using bigger words to explain herself, and just loves life. I know you always wish they could stay a certain age forever, but I am having a lot of fun watching her grow up in front of my eyes. I wouldn’t change any of the ups and downs that Kristen and I have had along the way for anything in the world. You never in your life thought you could love two people as much as you do, but it is possible, because I know for a fact it is. So Sloan, I can’t wait to sing you happy birthday tomorrow morning to wake you up.

Music for the Week:
Well the past few weeks have been great for me by the way of music. A lot of great music is coming out this spring and summer. Here are the albums that I have got the past few weeks.

Manchester Orchestra-Live From Soho
iTunes has a series (I guess you can call it that) where they release an 8 song EP of live music from various artists. Last week Manchester Orchestra was the band they had for Live from Soho. I have to say they are probably one of the top 5 bands from last year. If you haven’t went out and purchased Mean Everything To Nothing, you should. It’s a great little EP of live music.

Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Remix Collection
I have wanted to listen to this album for a while, just to see what it was about. It is a remix album of their songs. Passion Pit, Animal Collective, Friendly Fires, Yacht, and many other bands went and remixed their album putting their touches on the songs. There are some great remixes on here. It’s something different to listen too.

The White Stripes- Under Great Northern Lights
This is the first live album that the White Stripes have put out. It’s a good live album and it has all of their great classic songs on the albums. After listening to this, it makes me what the White Stripes to put out another album. Oh how I miss the days of the Whites performing together on stage, hopefully they get back together, at least Jack White has put that rumor out there.

The lost music video

I had another proud Dad moment last night while sitting at home with Sloan waiting for Kristen to get home. I got my first issue of DEEP magazine in the mail, which I have to say made my superfandom and me being a music geek even more visible. DEEP is a magazine that Pearl Jam puts out for their members of the Ten Club. Yes I know this makes me sound even more of a music geek. As I was reading the magazine and showing it to Sloan and telling her who everyone was, she asked me if she could see one of their concerts. Of course this made me proud at that moment.

I then put in my copy of “Touring Band 2000” and showed her a few songs from the DVD. She really like Daughter/It’s OK and Given to Fly due to the fact that Eddie brought up a girl out of the crowd to do sign language on stage during the song. I knew I had to listen to Kristen and take her to a concert at some point. I haven’t watched that DVD in a while and saw that in the bonus features they had a few videos. I decided to watch the video for Oceans. At that point Sloan asked me what it was that we were watching, and I told her a music video and at that point she asked me what that was.

At this point I forgot that MTV had officially dropped the music video and has now became a full fledge reality tv station for teens. To now date myself, I can remember the day my sister and I first turned on MTV and was wowed. I remember to this day watching Video Killed the Radio Star and was forever sucked into music. I got to watch Headbangers Ball and Kurt Cobain coming on in a dress, Yo! MTV Raps and Straight Out of Compton being played. Now I get the Jersey Shore and other horrible shows. Don’t get me wrong, I do watch a few shows on there, but overall it is no longer Music Television.

After explaining what we were watching, I knew at that point Sloan would never actually know what a music video was. I had to make my first ever I am an old person talk with her, and tell her when I was a kid they actually had music videos on a music channel. To her is was a foreign thing, to me it made think of a time when a music channel actually pushed the envelope of not only music but pop culture. Now I get to watch an idiot that has dubbed himself the “Situation”. I guess the best thing out of the whole time was Sloan and I bonding not over music, but over Pearl Jam as well. Now I need to figure out a good concert to take her too.

Music for the week:
Well, I have to say I have hit the jackpot according to music for the past two weeks. I would love to break down each album, but it will be easier for me to give you the top five favorites so far for the week.

1. Ben Harper and Relentless 7 – Live from the Montreal International Jazz Festival
2. Portugal. The Man- American Ghetto
3. Band of Skulls-Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
4. Broken Bells- Broken Bells
5. Pavement-Quarantine The Past

A song to define a generation

For a few weeks now I have been reading two books that have to do with music. One is Hammer of the Gods, a book about Led Zeppelin and their rise to fame, and eventual fall as well. The other I am starting is the Accidental Revolution, about the rise and also eventual fall of Grunge Music. Both books have been not only about a had full of bands from a musical movement and a larger than life band from a generation, but it also brought up the thought of songs that define a generation as well.

Led Zeppelin was one of the largest and most powerful bands of the 70’s. Although the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were still around, as well as Elvis, Led Zeppelin sold out arenas and made a lot of money. Not to mention the music they were making was ground breaking. The one song that to this day stands the test of time and can almost transcend generations is “Stairway to Heaven”. This song was one of Led Zeppelin’s songs that made them one of the most influential bands of all time. I could almost say “Whole Lotta Love” is almost in the same category. “Stairway to Heaven” was a song to this day any music lover will recognize it in about 10 seconds into the song, if not the first few chords. When it first came out, not only were kids listening to this song, but suburban housewives requested it on the radio during the day. This was a song that not only defined a generation, but is also has transcended a generation at this point.

For me, there have been a ton of songs that have stood out while I have been getting older and growing up, but for me “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the one song that still remains vivid to me to this day. Yes this is coming from a self acclaimed Pearl Jam fan. Don’t get me wrong, if I had to pick one album that to this day defines me, it would be Pearl Jam Ten. Although the one song that would remain important to me and hopefully my generation would be “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. This one song killed the 80’s hair band movement, or helped it to its death spiral faster. Nirvana pushed forward the Grunge movement a little faster. I guess this song helped usher in the “I don’t care” generation or for some Generation X. It also pushed the boundaries of music as a whole. It shook the cobwebs off of rock music to remind everyone that rock didn’t have to involve spandex and hairspray. It also made me realize that music could once again mean something. It helped me understand that being awkward and strange wasn’t a bad thing. To put it simple and easy, it defined not only me, but most of my generation, much like “Stairway to Heaven” did for the Zeppelin generation.

For some people they had Elvis, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Who, or Led Zeppelin. For me I had Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and I feel very fortunate and lucky to have them even for a short while. Pearl Jam Ten and Nirvana Nevermind helped me get through many days and nights at the end of high school and later in college. The best thing about it, I still have those to albums to make me feel young at times, and thanks Kurt and Eddie for giving me them.

This week’s music:
Well, I have a few new and a few old to give the few folks that read this. I have gone back to get some old stuff that I feel I need to have a decent music collection. So I hope you give some of the old and new a chance if you haven’t already.

The Avett Brothers-I and Love and You
I have been on the fence about listening to the Avett Brothers because I haven’t been a huge fan of bluegrass, and that’s what people kept referring to them as. I have to go on record as saying they are more of the alt-folk movement than anything. I really love this album and have listened to it a lot the past few weeks. I really like the song January Wedding, but I recommend checking them out.

Beach House-Teen Dream
This is the third full length album by the Baltimore dream pop duo. This has got a lot of attention here lately. This album reminds me of a cross between Mazzy Star and Smashing Pumpkins. Victoria Legrand offers up some great soft vocals over the tracks. This is a great album to throw on at work or at home to have some great background music. This album is a must get for any indie music fan. This whole album is really good, so it’s hard for me to point out one song.

Real Estate-Real Estate
I mentioned I picked up this album a few blogs ago, and now I get to write a little about it. This band hails from New Jersey, but I have to say their music sounds something that is from a beach in California. This is what is called psychedelic surf pop, but to me it’s another great indie album. I have to admit I like the whole dream pop/surf pop stuff that is coming out. This is another great album to listen to if you are an indie music fan.