Wednesday Wedneaday

Good morning and my apologies for missing yesterday. There are times and usually it is I believe when the weather changes or I think more specifically when the pressure changes that I get very bad migraines and Tuesday morning was one of those. It was a rough one. I spent most of the morning lying in bed with a cover over my eyes. It makes me feel like Mrs Howell when I have one of those "episodes".

Rocky Road Blues - Bill Monroe

A classic from one of the fathers of Bluegrass. I discovered this man a year or so ago and I always enjoy his songs and his guitar and banjo stylings. I missed out on some good music for several years by not recognizing the musical quality of Bluegrass. It is good music. 

Today is a better day though. I woke up only slightly bleary eyed and feeling pretty good.

All of Me Loves All of You - Bay City Rollers

Oh you guys are in for a treat. The might Bay City Rollers are here to entertain you. Just give into the cheese and enjoy the music. Let it make your head bob and your toes tap. They are cheesy as hell but they certainly fun and one of the biggest pop groups to ever make it out of Scotland. 

I really am not feeling like I have much to say to you this morning. I am more interested in seeing what song pops up next on the player. Everything is coming to you today from the letter B. Though I am not sure why my music player puts the first name first when it alphabetizes. I guess it makes a little bit of sense for the band names but when it is just single name performers like Billy Joel and Ben Folds it feels kind of funny.              

Ballad - Edward op 10-1 Brahms

 Just love a lovely piece of piano music by Brahms. So nice

The Olympics are in full swing and I have only been able to see a little bit of Curling so far this time around. I was reminded as I watched a match yesterday about how much I enjoyed watching Curling the last winter Olympics. So that has been a plus but other then that I am not sure how I feel about the rest of the Olympic coverage. I want to feel like it has been less than stellar but it hasn't been horrible and I suspect that it may be more my problem than NBC or the Olympics themselves. I only like a few events and they just do not broadcast those events enough for me. I like Ice Hockey and Judo and Curling and really that is about it though do to child sports abuse I have an appreciation for Ice Skating. But that is the last I am going to say about that.

I'm A Cuckoo - Belle and Sebastian

This is a great song. I really am unable to say enough about this band. I like all that they do. 

My comments about "So I Married an Axe Murderer" caused a bit of a stir. It was as I suspected. There are people who have such fond memories of one or two stand out scenes in the film that their brain has forgotten all of the miserable fluff and video montages in between the funny bits and that my friends does not a good film make in any sense of the word. I enjoy a good montage as much as the next guy but there are times when it really is pretty sloppy storytelling and some directors will use this to pad a film. If done well the audience can totally miss it and just be caught up in the moment which is great but when done poorly it becomes glaringly obvious what is going on. Michael Bay is a good example of this kind of crap.

He's A Liar - The Bee Gees

The classic disco stylings of the Bee Gees. This is a good one even though it does has a disco back beat. I like the lyrics and it really is a great example of what was popular in the early 80's. This song came out in 1981 I believe. I like it though. Good stuff. 

That is going to be it for today. I hope today is a great one for you and despite the rain you are able to find some sunshine today either physically or emotionally. Do something that makes you happy even if for a short time. In my case I believe that I shall be listening to a lot of music today. That often does the trick for me when things are feeling kind of gloomy and gray. So Hug each other and keep on Dancing will you.

Sun In My Morning - The Bee Gees

Feel the emotion. Embrace the emotion and ride the storm through it and on the other side you will be the better for it. Trust me. 

Tuesday NYE Music Mix

I hope the day finds you well and that the evening this evening treats you well.

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

This a classic song and on that I enjoy greatly. I enjoy both versions of this band both the Peter Green era and the Stevie Nicks era but their sounds are totally different. That being said I think that I am a big enough man to be able to enjoy both versions.

So, today is New Years Eve, and anyone who has been following this blog knows that 2013 has been a pretty rough year for me. I am not going to rehash all that now. But trust me when I tell you that it has been pretty shitty at times. That being said. I am still standing and I am still by and large functioning and I have a pretty tight knit group of friends and family around me that allowed for that to happen and for that I am profoundly grateful. My existence in the world is very much all about the community that I have around myself and I feel that the close society that I am involved with is a good one.

Well All Right - Blind Faith

There is a line in this song, 'Well we'll live and love with all our might' and I like to think that this is true of me. At least I aspire for it to be. I want to live and love, fiercely and with strong feelings. I want those that I care about and for, I want them to know how much I do love them. I do not want anyone to feel like they are alone in this world. I am not always sure what form this takes or how I am supposed to implement these feelings but they do exist for me. I want 2014 to be a year of that for me and for my friends. I want it to be a year of big hugs and meaningful eye contact and intense conversation. I want to know my friends and I want them to know me.

Sunrise - The Who

This is a great song. One of my favorites.

The Power of Thy Sword - Manowar

This is a pretty typical Manowar song. It is about swords and fighting and being a barbarian and is 8 minutes long. Embrace it in it's majesty.

I do not make New Years resolutions but if I were I suppose that one of the things that I would resolve to do would be to continue to meditate and to do Yoga and hopefully do more of both. I have had no ill effects from doing either and in fact when I remember to start my day with those things I do just feel better on both a physical and mental level. I do think that is a bad thing at all.

Doghouse Blues - Bill Monroe

A little 1941 blue grass for you by the master Bill Monroe.

I show love by touching and those of you who are reading this I just want you to be prepared because depending on my mood, if you are around me you are going to get a hug or an arm around you. It will happen. It will be a big hug or heavy hand with a squeeze but it will happen and you will know that I am touching you. Because I love you and you are special to me and because human touch is important to living a healthy life.

Winter Winds - Mumford and Sons

 I love this song so much. The whole album is one that I enjoy on a regular basis.

Alone - Trampled by Turtles

A bonus track for you guys because Mumford and Trampled By Turtles go great together.

Have a great day folks. I love you. Be good to each other. Love each other. Tell someone that you care for them today. Dance with a friend.

Take Me Back To Happy Valley?

The Bailey Bros - Take Me Back To Happy Valley

Well those tears came on fast. I was sitting here just kind of relaxing and minding my own business. I had just  watched the "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" episode of Community and was feeling pretty good when that song that is above started playing on my computer. It just kind of hit me that for several people that I know and care about and I fear in some ways myself that the idea of an existence of "Happy Valley" is long gone and probably not going to be coming back again anytime soon. Maybe I can hope for some kind of "Somber Plateau". I just don't know.

Leonard Cohen - Bird On a Wire

I honestly do not understand what is going on with my emotions right now. I really thought things had leveled off and I have had several days without tears. There is a nervousness to my stomach and the tears are just kind of dripping out. Bah, I am really not understanding where this is coming from right at this moment. On a practical level my intellect wants to say that I just spent to much time alone in my room today and I suppose that there is some validity to that.

Toto - I'll Be Over You

Of course it might help if my music player, that is set on random, would stop playing sad songs over and over. I mean is that to much to ask. It isn't like I set it up to play songs guaranteed to make Lance cry. It is just randomly playing everything in my collection. I swear I think it has developed sentience. But back to this whole idea of a "Happy Valley". I don't even like the concept of that. I could see their being a "Happy Peak" or mountain top but valley are places of pain and sorrow. I can see myself rising out of the valley to like I said earlier a "Somber Plateau" but honestly I do not think happiness is in the cards for me and rising to some peak of pleasure and joy I fear may be totally beyond me.

Trampled By Turtles - School Bus Driver


 I try to live a life that is kind of anchored in the present. The idea of Zen Buddhism and being present is an idea that I like and one that I have had great success with. I don't dwell too much on the past and I don't worry too much about what may happen in the future. But the reality is that right now in the present there is a huge empty spot and it is always going to stay empty. I don't think it will ever get filled and I don't think it should. I think it should be a raw and open ache and it should color my daily existence in one form or the other.

Bill Monroe - Along About Daybreak

I don't say that as a bad thing necessarily but to acknowledge that it is my reality right now.

For whatever that is worth. 

  

Random Music Tuesday

And away we go...

Hyper Chondriac Music - Muse - This was a trippy, trippy number. It very much feels like put the headphones on and smoke a bowl kind of music. I do not mind that but I do not listen to this type of music very often. It reminds me of one of my favorite ABC' Afterschool Specials'

Lift Us Up - Bonnie Prince Billy - I do not have the words for how much I love this entire album. There is a depth to it that I find so fulfilling and I love just closing my eyes and letting the whole thing envelop me. If you have the chance I highly recommend giving it a listen on Spotify. So good.

Kentucky Mandolin - Bill Monroe - One of the masters of bluegrass and boy does he light this Mandolin up. WOW. I can only imagine how fast his fingers are moving over the strings. Look out! I found a live version and now I do not have to imagine it and neither do you. I bring it to you below.

Okay, now that was legitimately impressive I thought. The whole thing. On we go with our regularly scheduled programming.

Secret Loser - Ozzy Osbourne - Classic Ozzy. Bang those heads folks. Bang those heads and check out that album art. Wowie wow wow.

The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight - R. E. M. - Classic song and off of an amazing album Automatic For The People. I think that pretty much their whole discography is very good.

I really enjoyed today's mix of music. So good.

Random Music Tuesday

Happy rainy Tuesday folks. Lets get to the tunes, shall we?

Forever - Supertramp - I like this band but I am not in the mood for this kind of music today. Wow, it almost sounds like a song by the "Honeydrippers" which is interesting but at the same time this song does absolutely nothing for me. Wow. I hope song number 2 is a little more to my liking.

Do Your Thing - Charles Wright - Aaaah yes, the 'Boogie Nights' soundtrack. Such a good movie and such a good soundtrack. The funk of this song is soooo good. The thump and dirty growl of the base is totally right on. "In the jungle, baby"

Am I Not Merciful - Hans Zimmer - This too is a good soundtrack to a film that I thoroughly enjoy. It is a far different kind of soundtrack then the previous one but one that I still enjoy listening too. There is a majesty to this piece that I really, really enjoy.

Cherish - Madonna - Classic, classic Madonna. Say what you want about her personal life and her attempts at acting but this lady can craft an excellent pop song. So good, this is just upbeat and the chorus is toe tappin good. What more can you ask for in a pop song?

Toy Heart - Bill Monroe - Ricky Skaggs tribute - Classic solid bluegrass.

More Music (Bill Monroe)

Quick and dirty today. The artist is Bill Monroe and he is the father of Bluegrass and he is also one of the few members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The only other artists inducted into all three of those are Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Hank Williams Sr, and Johnny Cash. So he is amongst some pretty good company.

Onto the music. I would break this down a little more in depth but I have 82 of his songs in my library totaling 3.9 hours of music. So this is what you are getting.

A lot of what I like about his work is that it often was just unabashedly religious. It was part of who he was and it came out in the music he played. This was before modern radio came along and decided that everything had to fit into a category. Modern radio gets a big lose in my book. What is saving modern music is the MP3 and the ability for people all over the world to use the internet to find any kind of music that they want to.