ChiSox

I know I didn’t post an artist of the week this week, but I was vacationing on the lovely beaches of Cabo, Mexico. I will resume the weekly posting Monday.

However, there is a more important matter at hand. Last night the White Sox acquired Ken Griffey Jr. in a trade. This is potentially good news and bad news. Good news is they now have another great hitter and above average fielder. Bad news is he is injury prone and I am not sure where in the outfield he will end up. They are looking good coming into the second half of the season.

Go Soxs!!

My Morning Jacket – Artist of the Week

The featured artist this week is My Morning Jacket. Probably one of the best bands to come out of Louisville, Kentucky. Their latest album Evil Urges was released June 10 and is layered with comfort indie/folk rocks singles and jam band lines through each title.  The unique style and sounds are a refreshing derailment from todays standards. My Morning Jacket is a mash up of folk rock, indie sound and Pearl Jam rock range.   

Here are some titles to sooth you in a musical hug: 

• Off the Record
• I’m Amazed

My Morning Jacket is a well constructed band and can allow you to lose your mind in sound, so please enjoy. Once again, I love finding new music so if you have a request please let me know and it could be featured on the Artist of the Week.

Best Music Lyrics?

I was reading the New York Times blog Freakonomicsthis morning and Fred Shapiro started the conversation of best music lyrics from the 21st century. At first glance I thought this would be a less that interesting topic to discuss, but I started into some of the comments to see what other people thought about 21st century lyricists and to my surprise my mind started racing to one-up each commenter’s choice. Then I realized this was not going to be easy because great lyrics range from humor to hard hitting personal feelings to just plain catchy.

The lyrics that keep coming to mind that I can’t shake is:

“I think I’m dumb or maybe just happy, I think I’m dumb.” – Nirvana

My best friend in the whole wide world had this quote on a Nirvana poster in his room for years and every time I read the line it hit me differently. There never seemed to be any rhyme or season to the quote when I would read it, but without an straight answer it some how it applied to every day.

I have a feeling this post is going to evolve daily now that I will unconciously analyze ever song I hear for great lyrics. So, please share your thoughts on the best lyrics of the 21st century – this could get interesting.

Fantasy Football

If anyone is interested in playing fantasy football this season let me know. I am starting a league next week and will add who ever is interested and is willing to actually manage their team.

Go Eagles!

Band of the Week

This week and all week I’m featuring the Alkaline Trio. They just released their latest album Agony and Irony and it’s really good, featuring the song Help Me. The album seems to be missing some of the darkness and grit the past albums possessed, but it works. The edge is still there making a tough sound and catchy riffs. I will still hold that From Here to Infirmary is still my favorite Alkaline Trio, but a new comer to the Trio will probably be hooked on this latest release.

Some of my personal favorite songs with video links are:

•  We’ve Had Enough
• This Could be Love
• Stupid Kid
• Private Eye

In case you are just tuning in this new Artist of the Week feature is explained in the previous post. I want to bring back the connection of video and music on a convenient, but smaller level. Plus I love sharing and finding new music so enjoy this with me. If you have any suggestions I would like to here them.

The Eels

I think I’m going to work a weekly music video angle into my site. I was watching MTV (i have hated this channel for years) and relalized I could piss and moan about bad music and lack of music being played on a network channel called Music Television all I wanted to and it won’t make a difference. So, I am taking it upon myself to bring music videos I deem watchable to your attention.

This week (could be daily soon) artist is The Eels. If you have not listened to them yet I suggest you watch this video, “That Fresh Feeling,” and continue listening to their stuff.

Enjoy!

Side note  – Isn’t it odd that the video killed the radio star and now the internet is going to kill the VJ or even the video star.

Benefit Tourney

We had a benefit golf tournament amongst our group of friends last weekend and I was unable to participate because of bad travel planning, but I wanted to wish Jeremy (LB, Jer-Bear) whatever then name my be - – get well soon.

Here is the invitationto the tourney.

Good luck LB. I will visit you in the hospital and read you a story this weekend.

Back From the Dead

I have finally recouped from the week long conference out company hosts bi-annually. Boy was it a long week. I have finally gotten enough sleep to function as a normal human because apparently late nights, no sleep, and a lot of work will catch up with you.

I had a lot of fun and San Diego is a great place to visit. A few of the hot spots to highlight are the Wsand bar, Altitude @ the top of the Marriott (great view of Petco field), and Petco field.

It’s Over

My beloved Lakers have lost. I mostly blame it on thing girl at work who was sporting her Lakers shirt and spouting off how they are going to win. When I this happening I knew it could spell trouble.

That’s all I can write about it because I am still depressed and not ready to accept reality.

Influential Music

I was listening to some random music last night and thought it would be a good idea to hit the shuffle in the iTunes library to see what hit and boy was I surprised. I heard the first song I can remember loving from my early youth. It was One by Metallica (Justice for All) album. I can still remember the guitar solos. Man what a flash back.

Than coincidentally I was reading the latest edition of the Rolling Stone (which I have mixed feelings about) and it featured Metallica and their new album. By the way they are too old to rock. Then was even more odd was on the next page Rolling Stone was interviewing Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) about what songs were influential in his life. Not that Metallica was influential in my life, but they did open my eyes to a new genre of music.

Which naturally lead me to the question of what were the most influential bands in developing my musical appetite? In no particular order I think they are:

• Nirvana
• Bad Religion
• The Cure
• Green Day
• Ozzy Osbourne / Black Sabbath

And the list could go on forever…..