I have been on a bit of a Pink Floyd kick lately

I have to say, for mainstream music, I am a fan of the message Lorde stands for in her music.

No new music tonight, just a mini rant. I really don't get the point of groups like Pentatonix or the show Glee, people go crazy over acapella versions of already popular songs. I am not saying the performers aren't talented, but I would have more respect for them as artists if they performed original works instead of just whatever happens to be popular.

I saw Frank Turner perform Friday night, and it was a hell of a show. One of the opening acts was completely unexpected though. When Koo Koo Kanga Roo came out, I had no idea what to expect, and at first I was put off by them. But about 2 minutes into their set, I decided to just have fun with them and holy cow did I have fun. They are the dance group equivalent of the Aqua Bats. I'll let their music speak for them. Also, they did a weird hokey pokey and had the audience form a giant circle. When we were all formed up, Frank Turner was standing next to me. I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture with him.

Happy Halloween everyone!

I have been listening to this album pretty much non stop since it came out.

It is impossible to be sad while listening to ska. I know it always helps lift me out of a funk.

I don't really listen to The Offspring too much, but since I listen to the radio in my car I have heard more of their songs. One song in particular stood out because it sounds so much like a Bad Religion song. But I will let you decide for yourselves.

I love getting music recommendations from other people. Here is one I got from a librarian at my local library. Austrian Death Machine takes lines from Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and puts them to metal music. The result is pretty brutal.

I've had this song stuck in my head all day long.

I haven't listened to this song in years. The crazy thing is, when it came on at the bar last night, I still remembered all the lyrics.

You know what's awesome? Vegetables. You know who agrees with me? The Beach Boys.

The CD player in my car isn't working so I am stuck listening to the radio, which isn't all that bad considering there is a local NPR music station which plays some pretty cool stuff. Which brings us to today's selection.

I'M BACK! For now at least. I have wanted to learn today's song for a while now, and I have finally started working on it. Granted my guitar skills aren't that great so it may take me some time to learn the entire song, but it is fun to play. Bron-Yr-Aur is Welsh for "breast of the gold" and is the name of the cottage where Jimmy Page and Robert Plant retreated to after a North America tour and worked on their third studio album.

As I have mentioned before, I am trying to educate myself about metal music. This has taken me in some pretty interesting directions. Fairly recently I have started listening to Turisas, a Viking Metal band out of Finland. One song in particular I have grown to like is called 'The Great Escape'. The album it is on, Stand Up and Fight, tells the story of a group of Vikings who have joined the Varangian Guard. For those of you who aren't history buffs, the Varangian Guard was a group of Viking mercenaries who fought for the Byzantine Empire. In 'The Great Escape' a group of Vikings have received word from home that they are needed, so they go to the Emperor to get permission to go home.

Tonight's closing shift was brought to you buy Meshuggah.

Thank you, Lordi for helping me get through another closing shift.

Today marks the passing of a great musician. Ray Manzerek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors died due to complications from cancer. I started listening to The Doors when I was in middle school and have been a huge fan ever since. So today I will share my favorite Doors song that showcases Ray's talent.

This song is from the band that did the bluegrass cover of Gin & Juice several years ago. I was fortunate enough to see them live at a small local venue a few years ago and had a blast. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend seeing them live.

When I was in elementary school, my sister bought two CDs. One was Dookie by Greenday and the other was Weezer's Blue album. Both of these albums made a huge impact on my taste in music. Greenday was my first introduction to punk rock (yeah yeah, they are pop punk, but you gotta start somewhere). Weezer's blue album on the other hand spoke to me in a way very little music had before. I wonder if this is because I was just starting to notice music at the time. Anyway, my favorite song off of the album is Only in Dreams. I love the slow build, and how after the song climaxes, the instruments start to drop out in the reverse order of how they came in, leaving you with just the bass line. 

Today is Mother's Day, the day when we tell our mothers just how much we appreciate all they have done to help us turn into the well adjusted people we are today.

I am in love with Lucia Turino. For those of you who don't know who she is (which is most people) she is the bass player for Devil Makes Three.

Plus, she plays an upright. I saw Devil Makes Three last Friday night at the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues, and it was an amazing show. I managed to be in the front for the entire show and had a blast. If you ever have the opportunity to see them live, I highly recommend it.

I am going to an Alkaline Trio concert tonight for the first time ever. I started listening to them several years ago, but every time they played nearby, something kept me from going to a show. I am pretty damn excited, and I hope they play "Hell Yes." Maybe they'll even play "Moving Right Along."

This is a piece of music that is used in several movies and TV shows.

The new Frank Turner album came in the mail Tuesday, and it is pretty freaking good. Here is the first track off of it.

Man, I wish I could grow mutton chops like this.

I work in retail which means I hear a lot of piped in music. Depending on which manager opens, I either listen to a 70's station or a bad country (not that all country music is bad). The sad thing about the 70's station is it plays predominately disco. Disco is horrible, don't let anybody tell you differently. The great thing about the 70's station is they will occasionally play some great songs like Stevie Wonder. One of my coworkers is a very talented bass player, and when it is slow, we talk music. What I really enjoy about our conversations is how he can point out particular points in songs that he likes, not just "Oh yeah, this song is really great." He loves to go into detail about what grabs him and draws him into a song. These conversations make me listen to music closer than I usually do, and focus on what I particularly like. One song we talked about was "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder. In particular, the bass line. Holy cow it it amazing. It bounces back and forth between simple rhythm back up to harmonizing with the horn section and at some points, carrying the melody. Listening to it makes me seriously want to buy a bass and learn how to play this song.

I was in the car with my parents a few years ago, when a story came on about a recently discovered dinosaur. The cool thing about it (I mean other than that it was a new dinosaur, and how cool is that?) was what the paleontologists decided to name it. Masiakasaurus knopfleri. That's right, they named it after Mark Knopfler, the guitarist for Dire Straits. I guess that really is the dream, to have a dinosaur named after you.

So it has been a while since I have posted anything and for that I apologize. I got to see Frank Turner headline a couple of years ago in a small venue in Dallas, and it was very different from seeing him open for Flogging Molly at the House of Blues. I love intimate venues especially for shows like that. But this isn't about Frank Turner, at least not directly. As my friend and I were walking to our car after the show, we saw Frank outside talking to a couple of people so we went and said hello and how much we enjoyed the show. He showed off his new tattoo that was inspired by his favorite singer/songwriter, a native Texan, Townes Van Zandt. I had heard the name before but couldn't think of any of his songs. It seemed like from that point on, I would hear the name at least once a month. A couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to doing some research on Townes Van Zandt and let me tell you, he is amazing. He has a very calm style that forces you to listen to his lyrics, not just push them to the background. Now that I have finally started listening to him, I want to kick myself for not doing so earlier. Like I said, he is amazing, and I can see how Frank Turner views him as the best singer/songwriter out there. But I'll let you judge for yourselves.

Tonight is the Flogging Molly concert and I am super excited. I've mentioned a couple of times that Us Of Lesser Gods is my favorite song, so I'll share my second favorite song.

It is Valentines Day once again. As I have said before, I really have no feelings one way or another about the day. Some people love it, some people hate it. So in honor the divisiveness of the holiday, I am going to share two songs. And since no one does heartbreak like a country singer the first song is Valentine by The Old 97s.

And as a counterpoint, the second song is one of my favorites by the Damned, Love Song.

And this is one of the things that makes the Drew Carey Show so awesome.

There are very few things that can get me as pumped up as Andrew W.K. He is probably one of the most positive people I know about and is enthusiastic about practically everything. His enthusiasm is incredibly infectious, as seen in this music video.

Here is another song by Skinny Lister that I like. Just 8 more days until I get to see them live.

Today is my birthday. Every year my mom tells me that when she was in the delivery room, the doctors would pipe in music. The song that was playing when I was born was Celebration by Kool and the Gang, and every time she hears it, she thinks of me.

Apparently Disney Studios has announced two stand alone Star Wars movies. One about a young Han Solo, the other about a young Boba Fett.

One thing I particularly like about the Barenaked Ladies is they have clever lyrics.

In honor of the fiasco at the Super Bowl tonight, here is  Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight by Dropkick Murphys

I always like it when bands write songs based around books. Blue Oyster Cult actually worked with author Michael Moorcock to write a song about Moorcock's character Elric. And it is pretty good.

I recently posted a video by Against Me! that featured Tegan Quin. Here is a song by Tegan and Sara that I found recently that I really like.

I absolutely love The Big Bang Theory. One aspect I particularly love is the theme song. It is very rare for me to actually love a show's theme song, but since this one is performed by The Barenaked Ladies, it is hard not to find it amazing.

This is probably one of my favorite Against Me! songs. It features Tegan Quin from Tegan and Sara.

I am pretty excited that Anamanaguchi is releasing a new album soon. These guys play chiptunes without relying on a bunch of NES nostalgia. They even admit to have never really played any of the older video games. I saw them play a couple of years ago and it was a great show. Hopefully they come through town again soon.

A few years ago, DJ Danger Mouse and MF Doom put together an album under the name DangerDoom. The entire album is hip hop/rap songs about shows that were playing on adultswim at the time. One I particularly like features Talib Kweli.

I didn't know Lisbeth Salander was in a punk band.

I honestly don't know what I would do without my parents. Those of you who are fortunate enough to have a career that you love and aren't in the process of job hunting probably aren't aware of the difficulties of trying to find a job right now. Without the support and help of my parents, I probably would have give up and settled for a life in retail. They are the strength that helps me continue my search and not give up. Now, I don't really like Lynyrd Skynyrd, but this song is appropriate.

And for those of you who haven't heard of them, here is Against Me!

I just found out that Bad Religion and Against Me! are playing a show nearby in March and I am trying to decide whether or not I should go. I have always wanted to see Bad Religion live and I am a big fan of Against Me!, but I am trying to save up money to go to a friends wedding this summer and it is too far to drive. That means I gotta shell out big bucks for a plane ticket. I am already going to three shows in February, but this is one of those shows I don't think I will have an opportunity to see again. I guess you could classify this as a first world problem. Poor me.

While visiting my parents for Christmas, my mother and I talked a bit about music. She asked me what I felt while listening to a piece of music I particularly loved. I told her that listening to the right piece of music at the right time was like being surrounded by pure emotion. Now, that same piece of music won't always feel that way, but when I catch it at just the right time, it is like being wrapped in a sense of complete relaxation, while a warmth grows in my chest, pulling me upwards. It is something that is hard to describe, and I often wonder if other people feel the same way. Here is my mothers favorite piece of music, Schubert's rendition of Ave Maria. Hopefully you feel what both my mother and I feel when we listen to it.

A friend of mine sent me a free game on Steam a couple of weeks ago called Super Hexagon. For those of you who aren't into video games or just haven't heard of it, the point of the game is to move a triangle around a hexagon to avoid obstacles. Sounds simple, and it is, but it is also pretty difficult. Difficult and addictive. It also has a pretty awesome soundtrack. Sadly, it is hard to get a good listen to while playing the game, since my average game length is seventeen seconds. However I found a copy online and have been able to listen to it all in one go instead of in five second increments.

Oh mercy me, God bless catastrophe.
So drive yourself insane tonight, it's not that far away.

I was out with friends last night and the bar we typically go to was playing a different music selection. Typically there is lots of Queens of the Stone Age and Primus and such, but last night I heard several Radiohead songs and a few Flaming Lips songs as well. The Flaming Lips songs made me particularly happy. I tend to listen to The Flaming Lips when I am feeling down or if I just need to step back and take a breath. One song in particular helps me do that.

Here is a song from a crust punk band I particularly enjoy.

So here is another metal song I have been listening to lately. Mainly because I closed at work two nights this week, and metal seems to be about the only thing that gets me through the whole ordeal.

I watched an interesting documentary the other day about the history of Norwegian black metal called Until The Light Takes Us. As I have admitted before, I don't really know that much about metal. I am aware of the mainstream stuff like Metallica and love the show Metalocalypse, but I can't carry on a serious conversation about it like I can punk or rock 'n' roll. One of the great things about this documentary is it is told through the eyes of the musicians that developed black metal rather than by several music critics. Are there black metal music critics? Anyway, one of the bands featured was Darkthrone. While I can't say that I really enjoy the genre, a couple of songs in the movie stuck out. And since the weather has been grim and drizzly lately, I figured I would share one with you.

So here is a song from the other opener for Flogging Molly in February.

This tends to happen when I listen to an album for the first time. There are one or two songs that I instantly love and listen to constantly. But the more I listen to the album, the less those songs appeal to me, and other songs tend to stick out. Today's song is a perfect example. The first few times listening through the album, this song didn't really stand out, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it.

So today's post is going to be a bit of a rant. I am going to a Flogging Molly show in February and I haven't heard of either of the opening acts. Usually when this occurs, I try to check them out and kind of get an idea of what the show will be like. The opening bands this year are Skinny Lister and Dave Hause. After doing a bit of a search to see what I could find, I decided to buy Skinny Lister's CD. Here is the problem. They are a UK band and apparently the only way I can get their album is to import it through Amazon. For those of you who don't know, imports are expensive. What I find annoying is that the UK iTunes store has the full album for sale, but the US one doesn't. I thought the point of having an internet based music distribution system is so that people from all over the world can access music they ordinarily couldn't get their hands on. And record labels wonder why people pirate music. If you want people to buy your artist's music, make it accessible. Don't make them jump through hoops. Hopefully I can buy it directly from the band at the show. This is one concert I plan on getting lots of merch.

Speaking of covers, here is another one I am fond of. I love when Cake covers old country songs.

I tend to be pretty picky about cover songs. I prefer artist to put their own spin on the song rather than just rehashing the same song. Anyone can play a song, but very few people can take something another person has created and make it their own. A perfect example of this is Streetlight Manifesto's cover of Such Great Heights by The Postal Service. I particularly like the way they adapted the synthesizer intro to horns.

Happy New Year's everyone.