Welcome to the pond

There's good topic for today's Ten On Tuesday:

Ten Songs that Bring Back Memories (and why)

1) "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. It was the first Jeff Buckley song I ever heard, recommended by my good friend Beth. It is a good memory because it changed my music listening habits a bit, for the better.

2) "End Of The Road" by Boyz II Men. This was the theme song to my middle school graduation. I guess I remember it because of that, pathetic as that seems.

3) "Konstantine" by Something Corporate. My good friend Jess turned me on to this song and it reminds me of a particular semester in college when the academics were just tearing me down. This song kept me going, and I really remember listening to it all the time and having it in my head while walking to and from class.

4) "Colossus" by Afro Celt Sound System. This was the ACSS song that turned me on to them. I was reading about them in the newspaper and decided to go to their website. They had their entire new album available for listening, and "Colossus" was the first song I clicked on. I listened to it and immediately became a huge fan.

5) "Newz Reel" by BeauSoleil. This was the first BeauSoleil song I had ever heard. I was in college and, like the Afro Celts, I decided to listen to a sound clip. "Newz Reel" immediately hooked me and started an obsession that continues to this day!

6) "Skvadern" by Hoven Droven. In 1999, I was at our local Scandinavian Festival when I happened upon a booth selling CDs from the Scandinavian countries. The man was selling a sampler CD from a modern label called Northside. It only cost $3, so I figured I may as well check it out. "Skvadern" showed me that Nordic folk music can be more than fiddles and accordions and silly folk dances. It's full of wild electric guitars and it just kicks butt. Without that album, I may never have listened to any sort of folk music at all.

7) "The Drunken Piper" by Natalie MacMaster. I was in college and listening to internet radio when I discovered this song by the amazing Candian fiddler Natalie MacMaster. I decided to discover more of her music and became a huge fan. I've seen her in concert twice and she's just amazing.

8) "Hot Tamale Baby" by Buckwheat Zydeco. Once again, this is a college-related song for me. It was spring in my freshman year, a very nice sunny day, and I was listening to Lousiana music on the internet. This song came on and forced me to shake my thang. It was my introduction to the fun that Zydeco music can bring. When I think about it, I think about the pure joy I had on that afternoon.

9) "You Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. I think this was the first rap song I ever listened to. It was a huge sensation in 1990 or whenever it came out, and it started the obsession I had with rap when I was younger.

10) "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz. It reminds me of happy times visiting my friend Curtis in Arizona. We listened and sang along to this song at the top of our lungs when he was driving me to the airport on the day I had to return home. We were just in the moment and didn't really care what we were doing.