New Years Day Music Mix (because I am bored)

I hope your New Years Day was a good one. I am kinda bored and I thought I would use that as a motivational tool and give you guys a little bit of music along with whatever free association thoughts pop into my brain.

The Box - Katy Perry

This is a song that I haven't listened to all that much. It was not a radio single but I think it is a pretty good song. It is pretty typical of the self empowerment stuff that she has been singing about on her last couple of albums. I don't think that this type of thing would work for all singers by any means but she seems to make it work for her.

Powderfinger - Neil Young

This is a great song. But really most everything that he does is great. I am a big fan of Neil Young. I think as far as artistic integrity there is no other artists short of the late great Johnny Cash that comes even close.

I am sitting here trying to think of something to share with you and honestly nothing is coming to mind. Perhaps that is part of the problem. I am trying to cultivate inspiration and I have probably addressed this before but I do not feel that it is possible to manufacture such a thing. I really do wish that it was.

I think, no I know that for me that is a large part of the problem when I feel myself stuck. It isn't that growth or enlightenment isn't going to happen. It is that I am working so hard at trying to manufacture it that I slip right past it. It is easy to just sit and mediate but it becomes hard when I am worried about meditating correctly or not. The only thing that you have to be sure to do when attempting to meditate is to breath. That is right it is that simple. Deep breath in through the nose, and hold it, and then out through the mouth. Deep full breaths that allow you to fill your lungs with air and let you feel your body inflate and deflate.

Truckin - Grateful Dead

I feel like a lot of it for me is that in doing the deep breathing it has made me more aware of my body and how it is feeling. Also on a purely physical level. The daily deep breathing has helped to lower my blood pressure and to keep it lower. It has helped me to be less stressed by the litany of crappy things that life that throw at you. The process of meditating and deep breathing helps me to be calm and be in the moment of breathing. I am not worrying about the future or worrying about events in the past that I can''t change or fix.

Falling - Angelo Badalamenti

I am not claiming to have all of the answers. Because I do not. What I am doing is just sharing with those who bother to read this, what has worked for me over the last 4 to 5 years. Things have been pretty rough but at the same time. It has been a time of incredible growth and a time of learning about relationships and life in general. As time has passed and I have moved very naturally into yoga and meditation things have gotten better for me. When I say this I am thinking of things on a purely emotional level. It is an odd feeling in some ways because on the surface things should feel much worse. But they just don't. I feel very good about my mental and emotional state of being and overall my desire to love and care for others and be there as a sounding board for others is still strong and in some ways stronger then it ever was before.

Earth - Hans Zimmer

I have no idea what the future holds for me at all. But what I do know is that what I can control or at least attempt to control is that I will continue to care for others and to put openness out to world and hopefully openness and love will come back to me in return. I realize that this may be too hippy dippy for some of you. But I also know that I am not being honest if I do not put it out there. Also if you see me in a Dashiki don't act all that surprised. They look super comfortable and why wouldn't I wear one.

Oddfellows Local 151 - REM

That is the last of my New Years Day thoughts for you. I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into the twisted mind of Lance. Every day is another step deeper toward my core and deeper toward my truth.

Well All Right ...

Anyone of you that have read this blog in the past knows how much I enjoy music and knows how much it is an important part of my existence and its presence in my life has been  very helpful in times both good and bad. One of the things that brings me the most peace or pleasure depending on the mood I am in is when I can create a playlist to listen to in The Van.

I have a CD player in the their and that makes it pretty easy to burn things from my computer to disc. Though it would be sweet if I could get a system in their that lets me play MP3's. The playlists that I could make would be so awesome. But anyway, before I get to off track I wanted to share with you the latest and in some ways the most personal playlist that I have made in a long time. So please give it a listen, hopefully Youtube has all of these. and let me know if you enjoyed it or not.

Blind Faith - Can't Find My Home

Blind Faith - Well All Right

The Allman Brothers - Whipping Post

Too put it bluntly the last 3 nearly 4 years have been pretty shitty. Oh I am sure that there are plenty of people who have had it far worse and I am not claiming that my life is horrible. But there have been moments of time where things looked and felt pretty bleak. But I have some very, very good people around me and them along with the music that I can listen to has really made a difference as far as things go. There are times though when in the midst of whatever emotional dive I am in that things look pretty bad and I wonder what is the point. Sometimes the music helps pull me out of that and sometimes the music helps me to kind of swim through it. It is kind of hard to explain if you haven't been in the midst of that kind of emotional wave.

The Lumineers - Hey Ho

Lynrd Skynrd - Simple Man

Kansas - Carry On

There is not much to say about these songs. They bring me some comfort and some peace as I listen to them. They also bring me sorrow but it isn't a bad kind of sorrow. It is the reality of things gone that can never return but at the same time good memories of things that I wouldn't have traded for the world as well as relationships that have formed who I am today.

Montgomery Gentry - You Do Your Thing, I'll Do Mine

Lynrd Skynrd - Free Bird (Film "Devil's Rejects"

These are songs about being true to yourself. True to myself and experiencing this pain honestly and not numbing myself to it. But letting it flow through me and not letting it overwhelm me or define me but acknowledging its existence and trying to use it to make myself a better person on the far end of it. However long that takes and I have no idea at all how long it is going to take.

Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young - Old Man

Neil Young - Needle and the Damage Done

Neil Young - Running Dry

Sometimes you feel like you are at the end of your tether and these songs help me. I know that isn't the case for everyone but hearing someone put what feels like my feelings into words does amazing things for me. Through tears and sorrow can sometimes come cleansing and healing.

O' Death - Down To Rest

The White Stripes - One More Cup of Coffee

Ralph Stanley - Oh Death

Mumford n Sons - Whispers in the Dark

It is pretty obvious how this ends and it ends the same way for all of us. I can fight it and not be honest about it or I can acknowledge it and understand this is something that happens to all of us and just accept that. I think the older that I get the less fear there is of it. This will happen and I do not know when or how and that is fine with me. This playlist leaves me with a feeling of hope and I know that may not be the case for everyone and some of you may not like it at all. But I hope that you enjoyed at least some of the songs that are hear.

Happy Canada Day!

Today is Canada day and a good friend from the north mentioned that I should put up some Canadian songs today to honor my many friends from Canada. I thought well that sounds like a fine idea. So here we go.

I know that for most music fans the obvious choice for this would be Rush and they will be included but I honestly think that for me I have to go with Neil Young as my first choice. I like that his music seems to evoke the Canadian prairies. I honestly am not sure why I feel that way but I do.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - Neil Young W/ Crazy Horse

There is just something about his music that evokes the idea of Canada for me. Another Canadian artist that really enjoy and I had not really thought about him being Canadian is Leonard Cohen.

Going Home - Leonard Cohen

This is a supremely sad song. But it is also lovely and I feel like it speaks to a couple of things that I will choose to keep to myself. But if you know me you most likely know what I am talking about.  So for me the meaning is a deep one and a good one even though listening to it does pain me.

The mightiest of all Canadian bands is of course Rush and for me the song that speaks of Canada is "Lakeside Park".

Lakeside Park - Rush

I know nothing about the location of this park or what it means to the guys in the band but the song is obviously evoking a memory of the time and the place and that makes me enjoy listening to it.

I would be remiss if I didn't include a couple of lovely Canadian ladies on this list as well so here we go.

Building A Mystery - Sarah McLachlan

I haven't listened to her in a long time and I had forgotten both the era of music that she was part of as well as my enjoyment of her singing. I always liked her voice and the overall tone of her music.

Sweet Surrender - Sarah McLachlan

I had to add another one and while some may find it overwrought I enjoy it. So deal with it.

My Humps - Alanis Morissette

I had to add this beautiful cover of a horrible song by the Black Eyed Peas. Her version is both poignant and sad. But it is such a good version.

Now I am sure I left many fine Canadian artists off of this list. But these are the ones that came to mind for me. I hope you enjoyed it. 

Surprise, Surprise....

Well, last night was very interesting...I honestly was not sure that Obama would win. But it happened and it seems to have happened without a bunch of accusations of widespread voter fraud from the right. So that is a good thing. I do not think that a lot is going to change on a national level since Congress is still the same.

I am sure the usual suspects will continue to ring the bells of doom and America will continue to roll along. Like it always has. Then four years from now there will be someone new to panic about on one side or the other. But until then lets remember we are all in this together and let's keep on rockin!! Because if we weren't free then why in the world would freaks like this be allowed on stage.

More Music (N's)

Hey everybody!! Well we are into the N's but I am just not feeling it today. So I am not sure what that means. I think I am going to give you one song from each of the first three artists in my N catagory. Natalie Imbruglia, Neil Diamond, and Neil Young. I only own one album from each of them and this just seems easier.

"Torn"



"Solitary Man"



"A Man Needs A Maid / Heat Of Gold" This is from a live performance in 1971 on the BBC. It blew me away. I had never seen it before.