Haystacks

Who Can It Be Now?

When I was 14, I was a die hard Men At Work fan. I had the tee shirt, the poster, the magazines. I spent every weekend at my friend Tracey's house so I could watch MTV nonstop. (They were one of the first MTV darlings, for those of you under 25 years of age.) I played BUSINESS AS USUAL in a continuous loop every waking moment. Now that I think of it, I believe I played it while I slept. You get the picture, right? Loved Colin Hay!

Fast forward 25 years later. I am rediscovering Colin Hay's music. I am fascinated by the way some of his tunes (OVERKILL being the obvious example) have stood the test of time. I still love the song, and not just with a heart of nostalgia, but with a more mature understanding of the lyrics. (Day after day it reappears/Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear/ Ghosts appear and fade away) His vocals are just as haunting as they were years ago. There is a narrative quality in his songwriting that takes the listener on a journey.  (When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened / But in my dreams, I slew the dragon / And down this beaten path, and up this cobbled lane / I'm walking in my old footsteps, once again)

At the end of this month, Jason & I will be traveling to see Colin Hay live in Knoxville. I have high expectations of this show. I hope the 14 year old in me isn't disappointed.
 

Kenny Rogers; working for it!

Jason & I spent the holiday weekend in Texas/Oklahoma with friends. While we were there we took advantage of the opportunity to see Kenny Rogers in concert, FREE. Now, you may not be a Kenny Rogers fan. I am. You maybe did not grow up listening to his psychedelia fuzzed rock sound morph into standard country fare. I did.

He sang the hits and I sang right along with him. He told some funny stories, engaged the crowd and was backed by a stellar group of musicians. It was a top-notch entertaining show, but it was not the singing or the entertainment value that made an impression on me. It was something he said early in the show. (I paraphrase:) "There are 4 kinds of people at a Kenny Rogers show;  you're either A) a die hard fan, B) not a REAL fan, but you know a few of my songs, C) You don't care one one or the other about me, but you LOVE this shirt, or  D) You are counting the minutes until this night is over. If you are anything other than an A, my goal tonight is to move you firmly into that A category."



I've been to my share of live shows. I've seen bands I adore and bands I've never heard of. I've stood in the rain, snow and blazing heat. I've sometimes left an event feeling like I put more effort into it than the performer. It was refreshing to hear Kenny Rogers tell the crowd he was there to WORK to earn their loyalty. He didn't need to work for mine, but the sentiment was much appreciated.

50 Third Day shows!

David Carr, Me, Mark Lee, Mac Powell, Jamie, Tai Anderson
(as usual, Jason was behind the camera)

Jamie and I celebrated our 50th THIRD DAY show this weekend in Charlotte, NC. My first THIRD DAY show was in the spring of 2001. My second and third shows were the following years as the band came back to our area on their annual tours. We didn't get hooked on traveling until the LIVE WIRE DVD filming in Louisville, KY in July of 2004. That's when we went hard core.

Jason (who is at a respectable 44 shows, himself) and I have logged thousands of miles and seen the band in 15 states. We have had adventures and misadventures. We have made wonderful friends and found family. Because these 4 guys make great music and create an atmosphere that welcomes fans, we have enjoyed a great run. I can't think of anyone I would rather share the honor with than Jamie.

At the show Saturday night, Mac was gracious to recognize us from the stage. He thanked us for being such loyal fans. It isn't difficult to love a band that inspires such loyalty.

Mixed tape: The Remix

Jason Ward loves a good mixed tape. He had dozens of them in high school and college. Most of them have gone the way of the minor bands that inhabited them. But one. One lone mixed tape has survived.
 
In an attempt to show my complete adoration for this wonderful husband of mine, I have attempted to recreate the tape via iTunes.  Believe it or not, Flesh for Lulu's entire catalog is not available on iTunes. Who knew? Out of 23 songs, I was able to get 18 original artists and songs. One song is a cover and another is a clever stand-in. Three songs were untraceable.

Twenty-three 3 minute snippets of life philosophy; I wonder how they stack up now? Will most of them still ring true? Maybe one or two will be slightly off the mark. Maybe a couple will be ironic in the reflection of twenty- some years. And I have no doubt a few will be untraceable.

Test your mad cover art skills

I get most of my music from iTunes. I never see a hard copy of liner notes or cover art. Jason finds this behavior just short of blasphemous. He likes the whole package. This is probably why he will kick butt at this game and why I pretty much ...don't.

Scott's Garage

 

This Richmond VA power pop band is rocking me as of late.

Think Beatles-esque, R.E.M.-ish, Cracker-like, Top Petty homage. This is one of those albums you swear you’ve heard before. You’re sure you used to own it - way back when. Nothing here jolts you. It’s not that you’re grabbed and shaken by their power pop staples of crunchy guitar (I love crunchy guitars!) and easy melodies. It’s more like you’ll offer it a beer and ask how it’s been.

Check them out at CD Baby.

Summer ticket prices

From Rolling Stone, May 29, 2008 Issue:

Despite a summer of more festivals than ever and a diverse roster of touring superstars from Bruce Springsteen to Radiohead to Kanye West, the U.S. economic slowdown and $4-a-gallon gasoline are driving up ticket prices for many shows and could keep fans home. “The costs are increasing — that will get reflected in the ticket price,” says Randy Phillips, president of concert promoter AEG Live. “And it’s more expensive for people to go to things, so they’ve got to really pick and choose how they spend their disposable income.”

Read article here.

Haystacks Jukebox

I may have talked about Finetune before. Well, I'm talking about it again. 
I am from the age of mixed tapes. The era of history when you showed your true feelings for another by making a mixed tape. It's a lost art, really. It is my love of the mixed tapes that led me to Finetune. Nothing makes me happier than a collection of songs to fit a certain mood. (To be more precise, I should say 'fits MY mood'.)

Check out my sidebar and see if anything does it for you. I have a collection of 1940's love songs and dance numbers, a rainy day playlist that will do absolutely nothing to improve your mood, a group of driving songs, the soundtrack to my formative teenage years and finally a mass of John Prine inspired songs.

Music fits into crowded corners and fills vast empty spaces.

One note wonders

Sound Opinions (The Worlds Only Rock and Roll Talk Show) recently did a show on One Note Wonders. No, not one HIT wonders, that's a completely different subgenre. This was a discussion on bands who reproduce the same sound again and again, song after song, album after album.  Here is their list and a few comments about the sound of these One Note Wonders. They may only do one thing, but they do it really well.

The Ramones : A 25 year career built on playing 3 chords in slight variation.

Motorhead: Fast. Loud. Adrenaline rush.

StereoLab: "We look at everything we do as a giant iceberg. We go in a pick off a little ice at a time." ~Tim Gain of StereoLab

Rage Against The Machine: Basic 3-4 minute songs. I dare you to find a difference in any of the 3 studio recordings.

Cocteau Twins: Who needs songs when the sound is this beautiful?

The Smiths: Teen angst, self loathing and melodrama, told and retold beautifully

CCR : John Fogerty went to court to prove he only has one sound.

Beirut: Their music can be diagrammed like a sentence.

AC/DC: A bridge of punk and metal, hinged on Young's rhythm guitar.

There is not disdain in the listing of these artists. I happen to be a fan of many of them. There is something to be said for sustaining a career on one guitar lick, one pattern, one emotion;  to be so loved by fans that you can release the same album a dozen times. Successfully.

Want to cast your vote for a One Note Wonder?

Bootleg much?

Having been warned more than once to put away the camera, I gave up trying to video at the Paul Simon concert. I instead opted for turning the video on and pointing to the floor to nab the audio. It came out pretty well. Now, to rip the audio from the AVI file...
Enter,  Free Audio Extractor. A quick download later  I have audio files from the concert. I highly recommend this free software for all your illegal recording needs.

Amos Lee sings HOMEWARD BOUND

Amos Lee sings NOBODY

Paul Simon and Josh Groban sing BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS