Time for Top Five:
Top 5 songs with "time" in the title
1) “Time” by Pink Floyd
2) “The Longest Time” by Billy Joel
3) “Strict Time” by Elvis Costello
4) “Further In Time” by Afro Celt Sound System
5) “A Matter Of Time” by Los Lobos
Can’t forget Morris Day and The Time:
Top Five:
Top 5 albums you would buy right now if you had the money
You mean besides the three Beatles albums I bought on Amazon today?
1) “Ah Um (Legacy Edition)” by Charles Mingus. I’m starting to get into jazz, and I’m REALLY liking this guy and this album in particular.
2) “Kind of Blue (Legacy Edition)” by Miles Davis. Another great jazz album to buy.
3) “Dream Letter” by Tim Buckley. I usually prefer his son Jeff, but I’m now starting to “get” Tim too.
4) “Disconnect From Desire” and “Alpinisms” by School of Seven Bells. Both great albums.
5) “You Made Me Realize EP” by My Bloody Valentine. This is extremely hard to find, but extremely great.
Tell us your most played:
Go to your music player/last.fm etc and tell us
Your top 3 artists, songs and albums.
Artists: The Beatles, BeauSoleil, Elvis Costello.
Songs: “Get Back” by The Beatles; “Glass Onion” by The Beatles; “Don’t Worry Baby” by Los Lobos. Funny, I don’t remember listening to Glass Onion that much.
Albums: last.fm doesn’t have data for my most played albums, but you can bet the Beatles are somewhere on that list.
Now tell us:
What music player do you use on your computer?
I always use Winamp. I’ve been using it since my first computer.
Do you own an mp3 player? What kind?
I own a recently-purchased iPod Classic.
Have you named your mp3 player?
No, I haven’t. “The Beast” might be a good name for it, though.
I thought I would embed a video from a YouTube search for “halfway.” It’s a short film called “Only Halfway Home” about Levon Helm. I don’t really have time to watch it tonight, but I’m sure it will be good:
Ok, here’s a video. It’s a performance of “I”m Happy Just To Dance With You” by The Beatles, led here by George Harrison, from the movie A Hard Day’s Night. It sounds a bit slowed down to me, which is strange. I love John in the beginning. Such a typical class clown.
As always, brought to you by Music Memoirs:
This week's topic is introductions: Tell us about your musical self, what you love about music, your favorite bands, if you play any instruments etc.
My name is Russ. I’m 30 years old, born and raised in the state of Oregon, and I love music. I don’t know what my first musical memory is, but I think it had something to do with a Disney album. I also have vague memories of hearing Jimmy Buffett and Anne Murray, although these early experiences didn’t shape my later musical tastes.
As an older child and teen, I was very much interested in radio. I owned quite a few cassettes too, but I listened to a lot of radio too. I always tuned in to the popular Top 40 station and listened to whatever was playing big on radio or MTV. I was a big MTV watcher as a youth. Around the age of 9 or 10, I got interested in rap and hip hop music. It was quite different back then. I think I just wanted to listen to something different from my parents. I claimed to HATE rock and roll, although I think I secretly liked it.
The less said about my hip hop days, the better. I listened to a lot of good stuff in the genre, but also a lot of crap. I also continued listening to whatever was popular on radio. My favorite CDs were the Jock Jamz collections. Embarrassing, really. Of course, I HATED country.
Around my senior year of high school, I started getting into other styles of music. Jazz, for instance. It was a short-lived fascination (although I’m getting back into it now). I was particularly drawn to tunes by the Gershwins after seeing a musical that included many Gershwin compositions. Later that year, I bought a sampler of modern Scandinavian folk music. I instantly fell in love with that, and during my first year of college I was listening to and buying many of the albums on that compilation. To make a long story short, that led to explorations in other types of “world” music including Celtic, Cajun and others. One thing kind of lead to the next.
A few years later, I started getting interested in rock music for the first time. A buddy of mine was learning guitar and showed me some songs he really liked. For some reason, at that point in my life I was more receptive to it and I’ve never looked back.
I do like to explore new genres and bands, yet I’m also kind of set in my ways musically. I don’t get into the whole indie rock scene where you worship bands that aren’t even signed to a label yet. I think I’m a generation too old for that sort of thing. Some of my favorite artists today include:
Afro Celt Sound System, Jeff Buckley, BeauSoleil, Smashing Pumpkins, Elvis Costello, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Altan, The Who, Nickel Creek, Neil Finn, and Los Lobos. Those are just some of the artists I have in my collection.
I own somewhere between 200 and 300 CDs. I prefer to buy my music. I like having a physical copy with pretty liner notes. I also like the ritual of buying music. It’s not always fun to get exactly what you want when you want it. The hunt, the anticipation, is where the thrill is for me.
Genre-wise, I’m pretty open, but I tend to prefer Classic Rock, Celtic, Nordic, and Singer-songwriter. Celtic would have to be my favorite genre. It’s just so much fun to listen to.
I don’t play any instruments, unfortunately. I’ve tried playing guitar, and I own a tin whistle, but I seem to have no musical talent whatsoever. I guess some people are put here to appreciate music instead of making it.
What do I love about music? How long do you have? That could be an entirely new post. Most of all, I like melody. A song must have a strong melody if I’m going to really enjoy it. I like hearing all the little details, the way each instrument plays a part in the whole. I like music made with passion, and without any desire to become commercially successful. I appreciate musicians who play because they love it. Lastly, I love music because of how it makes me feel. I can’t explain that, but that’s why they’re called feelings.
That was a long, rambling explanation of my history and present with music. What does my future hold? More music, of course. Stay tuned as I tell you what I’m listening to along my journey, as I always do on my blog.
Time for Top Five:
Top 5 songs by one of your favorite artists
I don’t talk much about Robert Randolph and the Family Band, so I will today.
1) “Walk Don’t Walk.” This is off their new album and it always makes me smile. It’s a Prince cover.
2) “Going In The Right Direction.” Tons of energy and a positive message.
3) “Thrill Of It.” A sentimental favorite, since it’s the first Robert Randolph song I ever heard.
4) “Ted’s Jam.” Just a rollicking good time.
5) “Squeeze.” The Family Band’s best instrumental. Robert’s guitar really sings here.
Tuesday Tunes:
Here's a musical either or. Tell us which you like better.
Musician's/Band's biography or Musician/Band's biopic
I like the biography better, because biopics tend to be formulaic. There was even a parody movie about them called “Walk Hard.”
Discovering a new band or rediscovering an old band
I think discovering a new band is always more fun. It’s like falling in love for the first time.
Listening to the radio or watching Mtv
Radio wins by default. Do they even play music on MTV anymore?
Concert photos or a magazine spread
I’m thinking concert photos. They’re more “real.”
Although most people use email or text messaging these days (as do I), I still enjoy receiving actual letters in the mail from friends and family. I like the element of surprise, that thrill you get when you see something with your name on it. I also enjoy the physical part, holding it in your hands and looking at the other person’s handwriting (if they did hand-write the letter). I don’t really send or receive letters too often, except from or to a few people. We may live in an era of technology, but nothing can replace a good old-fashioned letter. They look a lot nicer than a text, and you can keep them forever.
Today, I decided to check out a new event here in Eugene called the Bite of Eugene. A good number of restaurants and other food providers set up in the city park and people walk around, buy and nibble. Admission is free! I think it’s a really cool thing, and I had a good time (even with the heat of the day). Of course, I took pictures:
I started with the Cuban sandwich at the Nosh Pit. I've wanted to try this for a while now, and it was more than worth the wait! Pork, ham, cheese, pickles, mustard, on pressed, grilled bread. It was slammin'!
This is a peanut butter fudge mini-cupcake. It, too, was delicious. So rich, you only want a small one.
There was entertainment in addition to the food.
This was a yummy Strawberry Agua Fresca. Creamy, thick, refreshing. It was just what I needed to beat the heat.
Off The Waffle was there too. I really enjoyed my sugar-coated Belgian waffle.
Last, but not least, I had a Maple Bacon cupcake. I've decided that I don't really like maple bacon. Crazy, I know.
A nice view of the park before heading home
I’m going to do the Tuesday Tunes as well as the Top Five today. I need to catch up.
Tell us about the WORST concert experience you ever had.
I think the worst I’ve concert experience for me was the time I saw a band-not-to-be-named (because I’m too nice) and they started playing an hour and a half after the show was scheduled to start. Normally that wouldn’t be too much of a problem (except the boredom of waiting), but I was to be given a ride home only an hour after the band actually started. I didn’t get to see that much of the show. I was disappointed!
Top 5 songs you think of when you hear the word "old"
1) “Love Me Do” by The Beatles
2) “Hound Dog” by Elvis
3) “In The Mood” by the Benny Goodman Orchestra
4) “I’m Going Home” from the Cold Mountain soundtrack
5) “If I Had My Way” by Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Video Prompt
The instructions are:
1. Watch this video.
2. Write about the person it makes you think about.
I believe my friend Jess is amazing. She is so kind to me, and we get along so well. We really share a connection that's ever-growing. I feel at home whenever I'm spending time with her. Everything else gets put on the backburner because I value my time with her more than anything. She makes me incredibly happy, even happier than the people in the above video. She's a true friend and I think the world of her.
Love Shack
Originally uploaded by Fixed Image
Old stuff like this is always cool to see. I like how the photographer positioned the building with the vacant land in front of it. I wonder why this place shut down, what kind of people ate here, what kind of memories were created here. It looks like a fairly small place, probably the kind where the waitress has been there from the day it was opened and knows every customer's name.
Here's the Top Five:
Top 5 songs that help you beat the heat
1) "If I Had My Way" by Robert Randolph and the Family Band
2) "Amsterdam" by Coldplay
3) "Ice Age" by Pete Yorn
4) "Soft As Snow (but warm inside)" by My Bloody Valentine
5) "Strange Brew" by Cream
Tunes:
Tell us about your favorite music player: stereo, ipod etc and why you love it so much
Well, I have more than one. The first is my computer itself. I have all my CDs ripped to the hard drive, so I can listen to whatever I want whenever I want. I just search and listen. I can also listen to internet radio or streaming sites. The speakers on my system are completely awesome -- they even have a subwoofer! Winamp is an excellent music player for Windows that I use all the time. When I'm at home, my computer is my music center.
My other favorite music player hasn't arrived yet. I just purchased a brand new iPod classic. I've had a Nano for three years now, and I'm ready for something with a larger capacity. I love my little Nano, but it can only handle a portion of all the music I own. I'm tired of having to choose what I put on there. I want it all on there! So I bought a new black Classic iPod with 160 gigabytes of storage. I probably won't ever fill that up! It's going to be awesome, although I'll have to get used to the bigger size of the player itself.
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