Not Just Cheese

And don't forget my black T-Shirt!

2010-04-08T22:13:00.002-04:00

Recently I had a few friends/co-workers who had gone through break-ups. Being married for 8 years it's really been a long time since I felt those types of emotions. I then started to think of songs that dealt with different stages of emotions during a break-up, whether you are the dumper or the dumpee. Being me, I hopped onto my google machine and look up states of emotions for a break up. Found the following list and decided to match a song to that emotion because that's the type of stuff I do. I don't really know why, but I do. Maybe you will like? Whatever.

Denial
I Already Miss You – The Kooks
Sad regretful and full of hope, this is a song about hoping you can win her back.

Anger
Song for the Dumped – Ben Folds
How can you not love the line “Give me my money back, you bitch!”

Resentment
Train in Vain = The Clash
I listened to this song a lot after one break-up. I have a very personal connection to this one. It certainly fueled my resentment towards the guilty party. It's near perfect.

Negotiation (Desperation)
Bring it own home to me – Sam Cooke
Scuing old, but it's perfect for this list. It's been covered a lot recently. I personally love Spoon's Britt Daniels version the best. It's a classic that has withstood time well.

Depression
Another Lonely Day – Ben Harper
This song makes me want to crawl under the covers and never get out of bed.

Acceptance
Wild World – Cat Stevens
I love his music. Completely under-appreciated because he got weird.

Reminiscing
Classic Cars –Bright Eyes
This isn't one of the listed emotions but I'm lobbying for it. My reason, this song that Conor Oberst wrote for Wynona Ryder.

Whole Album
Get Lonely – The Mountain Goats
I would be remiss if I didn't mention what I think is the perfect post-break up album. Every song is a deeply personal and emotional. Heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. Here's my favorite.

Funny Rant, the Squeakquel

2010-04-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

I feel like another rant, how about you? Target of my rant? Facebook.

I have to admit that I use FB regularly. I have an app on my phone and access it throughout the day. I enjoy it because I like to know what my friends and family are up to. I can keep up with current friends, old friends, new friends and sometimes because I accept anyone who friend requests me, complete strangers.

Seriously, I have accepted friend requests from people I don't really know. Do other people do that? I have no idea. One guy is a dude from my hometown that seems to friend request every single person from our town. He's all about hometown pride. He's really fucking annoying because he consistently suggests stupid shit to me. Stuff like "Let's see if we can get Jersey to a billion fans." Fuck you! Why don't you be the first of many to lick my balls.

Another clown I have accepted a friend request comes from some guy who works where I used to work. Since I am friends with a lot of people from there, he must think he knows me or thinks he should know me. I have never met this guy in my entire life. I am certain of it. This guy is the king of friend recommendations. So basically some guy I have never met in my life is out there in cyberspace telling me who I should be friends with. How about I recommend my knuckles meet your face.

You know what's really sad, I am to lazy to hide their posts and too nervous to un-friend request them. I worry that they would find out I removed them and would send me a sad, nasty message to me. I am so pathetic like that. I want to physically hurt them but at the same time I don't want to hurt their feelings by removing them from my friends list.

There is so much more I want to rail on about Facebook but it's late and this guy has to work early tomorrow. Goodnight all (if there's anyone even out there)!

And just because, here is a lovely lullaby by Band of Horses. I get to see them in concert in a couple of months. Hooray!

Got Sumthin'

2010-03-30T20:08:00.002-04:00

In a world where I have no kids, minimal responsibilities and large sums money to blow I would go to and see live music almost everyday. I have always placed a higher premium on bands that perform live well. Emotions in the music are the draw for me, and hearing a song live brings out the true emotions of a song, making it more authentic.

This past Friday I was fortunate enough to get out and see a concert with my wife and two friends. We went to Radio City Music Hall to see the fantastic and highly under-appreciated band, Spoon. A great band, playing in a great venue in a great city with some great people. It was just, well, great.

We'll talk about Spoon and their performance in a bit, but one of my favorite things about concert going is the ability to discover new music. This can happen several ways. First, for me happens on the car ride to the show.

My friend, we'll call him the Swede, volunteered to drive into the city. The Swede has an extensive and eclectic music selection. I am always intrigued as to what he is listening to and sometimes he has introduced me to some great stuff. I think and hope I do the same for him. So on the car ride into the Big Apple we were constantly introducing each other to bands we were unfamiliar with.

The Swede played several songs from several bands for me. One that really stuck out to me was Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. A soul-rock band from Texas, these guys are Sam Jackson cool. Enjoy this little diddy.

The most obvious way to discover new bands going to a concert is to catch the opening act(s). For Spoon, two bands were opening, The Strange Boys and Deerhunter. I was familiar with Deerhunter before. In fact, The Swede is a huge Deerhunter fan. He was more excited about them than seeing Spoon. I like Deerhunter but I don't love them. I was really more interested in finding out about The Strange Boys.

The Strange Boys were a complete mystery to us. The Swede did “a little reading” on them but never heard a song by them. We were all pleasantly surprised at their set. The next day I did a little research and found several of their songs very enjoyable. I think I read somewhere that their from Georgia? I'm too lazy to look it up now. Anyway, here's a pretty cool song of theirs.

Well, that's basically it for now. Oh, yeah. Spoon. They were great. The setlist was awesome. They played just about all of my favorites except the didn't play this song, and it's by far and away my favorite spoon song.

Songs From My Youth Vol. 2 - Baby Killer Edition

2010-03-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

Depending on which side of the aisle you vote with, the passage of the health care bill is either the beginning of the end for America or the greatest day in the history of democracy. I voted for good ol' Barry so I'm pleased but not ecstatic. But were not here to discuss the merits of the new health care bill, we are here to discuss a song about killing abortion doctors.

Why, you ask? Well, during the momentous vote Sunday night there was one outburst that caught the media's attention. Texan Deucebag Randy Neugebauer shouted “baby killer” while Michigan ass-clown Bart Stupak was on the house floor speaking about whatever ass-clowns speak about on the house floor. Sure, this was a punk move by Neugebauer, but he's a deucebag congressman from Texas so no one should really be surprised.

All this talk about health care, doctors, and killing babies brought me to a memory of one of my favorite Mudhoney songs, F.D.K (Fearless Doctor Killers). The song appears on their best album, My Brother The Cow released in 1995.

There maybe some people who read this who have no idea who Mudhoney are. So I guess this means it's time for an obligatory paragraph on the history of Mudhoney.

Mudhoney is made up of former members of Green River (Jeff Ament & Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam's earliest band). Mudhoney signed with Sub Pop and was the labels top selling act before Nirvana came around. To me, the were the core of Grunge music and My Brother The Cow was the last great Grunge album. They never broke it big like some of their Seattle peers, but they certainly had an influence on the scene.

In fact, I don't think there is one album that really represents what grunge was to me then My Brother The Cow. The lyrics are punk and politically influenced. The chords are thick and crunchy. The songs are short and to the point. F.D.K is all of that. It's a two and half minute song written through the sardonic point of view of an abortion doctor killer. It's a clever little punk song that points out the hypocrisy and absurdity of some on the religious right.

Here's the song, but don't stop here. MBTC is an excellent and forgotten album from the mid-nineties. To prove my point, here's another kick-ass tune from that album, Generation Spokesmodel. As the song says, listen to these songs, I guarantee you will relate!

F.D.K (Fearless Doctor Killers)

Generation Spokesmodel

DJ Jimmy Jazz

2010-03-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

The more and more I think about this blog and what direction I want to take it, the more I realize I want it to be about music. I've tried a few times in the past to do a music blog but it was always a haphazard effort on my part. This time around I am going to commit to writing at least twice a week but hopefully more if life permits me to.

So since this is the direction I am taking, let me lay a few ground rules on what to expect and not expect.

First, you should know a little more about me. I'm 31. Music is my first love. It's cliche to say in a way but it saved me. I know there are thousands if not millions of people out there who feel the same way. I'm not going to get into my personal details but I came of age during the grunge period and that had a lot of influence on me. In a way, I want this blog to be a love letter to the music that helped me get through so much as a young man.

Jeff Ament, the bassist for Pearl Jam, once said something about music that always resonated with me. I don't have the exact quote, but he basically said music is the only form of art that can change your mood instantly. You can put on a pair of headphones, crank up a song and it can instantly make you feel happy, sad, comforted, angry, aggressive.

Those songs that have an impact on how I feel are the songs that I am most interested in talking about here. I don't listen to pop radio. I don't watch MTV. I don't subscribe to satellite radio. I don't really read other music blogs aside from elbo.ws. I find my music through artists I already know and from friend's recommendations. That's basically what I'll present here. Stuff that I'm digging at the moment or some sappy nostalgia.

When I was in High School, I really considered becoming a DJ at a radio station. The idea of sharing the music I loved with others was enticing. Few things make me happier then when I help others find music that they love so it was an obvious career path. Fortunately, I came to learn that the DJ's have no say in what they play and that radio was becoming more and more corporate.

Basically what I am saying is that I want to share what I love with anyone who basically wants to listen (which maybe no one, but that's fine by me). I still plan on writing the obvious rant on whatever fires me up, but music will be the glue that holds this little endeavor.

What I am not interested in talking about is the lives of musicians or other celebrities. I don't care who is banging who. I hate gossip and will never talk about it. If there is a hell, I would like to imagine that there is a special place reserved for those who engage in the intrusion of celebrities' personal lives.

I hope I can help others discover new music. That's basically the goal here, folks. So in closing I guess I should choose a song that exemplifies what this is all about. The one song that pops into my mind is “Everyday People.” Not the original version, but Pearl Jam covering it. Why? Well, as many music lovers have done in the past, I made mixed tapes for girls. One specific mixed tape I gave to a certain women who would eventually become my wife. I would like to think that putting this song on there had a little bit to do with her falling for me. So here is Pearl Jam covering “Everyday People” at a concert in Chicago back in 1995.

National Pride

2010-03-16T15:40:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite songs from 2007 is The National's "Fake Empire." A beautifully constructed song with haunting lyrics jolted by lead singer's Matt Berninger's rich baritone. If you are unfamiliar with the group, you couldn't hurt yourself by picking up either of their albums, Alligator and Boxer.
They have a new album due out in May. They stopped by Jimmy Fallon the other night to play a track off the new record, entitled "Terrible Love." Here is that performance. Take 4 and a half minutes out of your day to listen to this song, you won't be sorry.

Speaking as a Child of the 90's......... Songs from My Youth Vol. 1

2010-03-15T17:28:00.000-04:00

I want to be completely honest and upfront about this post. I am stealing a bit from my favorite radio person – Tony Kornheiser. He does this bit called “Old Guy Radio” in which he plays a song, typically from his youth, and proceeds to talk over it and about it. It's cool but since he's old I don't really relate to the songs, but I love the concept. So, here I present to you “Songs from my Youth.”

First song up, “White, Discussion” from Live. There is no particular reason I am picking this song other than the fact I was thinking about it today. I was driving in the car, going to pick up the kids at their grandmother's house. I felt like playing loud music and singing along loudly. I used to do this all the time. Now, life tends to get in the way of quality alone time.

Anyway, I was searching through my selection of music and getting frustrated at the lack of songs that motivated me. For whatever reason my mind wanders into a memory of my youth in which I would be home alone blasting music and sing along at the top of my lungs. This song, “White Discussion” was one of my favorites to sing along with.

Live, for those who are unaware, where or maybe still are a band from York, PA who hit it big with a couple of hits in the mid-nineties. They really haven't been heard from too much since. The last album I bought from them was Secret Samadhi in 1997.

Back to the song of the moment. It's certainly not one of their more popular songs in their catalog but I always loved it more than most of their other tunes. It spoke to me as an angry youth who was interested in politics and changing the world and all that stuff. Listening to it now, the lyrics are a little pretentious and heavy-handed but the music still rocks. The drums and bass work tightly as the guitar swirls around in the foreground. I am a sucker for any song that starts off calm and builds into an emotional crest that crashes into a fury. All in all, it's a decent song that can get you fired up as you shout “Look where all this talking got us, baby!!!!!”

Enjoy

Live - White, Discussion.mp3

I Can No Longer Shop Happily

2010-03-09T20:54:00.001-05:00

Since my very fist post I mulled around in my head some ideas for the topic of my 2^nd post. It is of my opinion, in terms of tone, the 2^nd post rivals the first post in importance. So with anything I deem important in my head, I typically procrastinate. That's OK though, I think I have the perfect topic for the 2^nd post and it all begins with a trip to the grocery store in which I jot down this simple phrase “I never hate humanity more then when I shop at a crowded supermarket.”

Seriously. No, seriously. I get so cranky the moment I walk through that door. Before we get to the why, there are some minor details you should be aware of. I work Monday through Friday as does my wife.

(the wife was perturbed she was not mentioned in the first post so, yes, I have a wife. I love her. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me and that's just awesome for me.)

Anyway, back to hating humanity. Our weeks are pretty busy having to little ones. We can only make time to shop on the weekend, and apparently so does everyone else in the world. During the weekend, we also earn some extra scratch by cleaning her place of employment. It's a day care center and it's four rooms big. It takes about an hour to do it and it's right by our grocer of choice. I hate doing it, but I do it to help my wife. That's love folks, doing stuff we hate for the people we love.

As you might have figured out, we clean her work then go to the grocery store. So, I'm already mildly cranker from vacuuming for an hour straight. Now I have to go strolling around a crowded supermarket with two kids and a pokey wife. Good times.

I'm not a fan of crowds because I think crowds bring out the stupidity in people. Otherwise how you would explain the fact that sharp and intelligent people can't figure out a metal basket with 4 wheels. I would say 70-80% of the grocery shopping public cannot drive a shopping cart properly. Here are a couple of basic courteous pointers most people ignore.

Do not, under any circumstance, stop right in the middle of the aisle. This sucks for anyone coming in both directions. Most aisles can only accommodate 2 carts side by side. There's like 2 and a half “cart lanes” in each aisle. Just pull to one side when you need to stop.
Do not park your cart blocking the entrance/exit of an aisle. I cannot believe this even needs to be said but I've seen it all too often.
When it's crowded, never under any circumstance should you hold a family reunion in a grocery aisle. The aisle is not a place to catch up with relatives, old friends, teachers, etc. I don't care if you are meeting a friend you haven't seen in 50 years and he once saved your life and he went on to win a noble peace prize, move that shit to a less crowded section of the store like by the cards or something. I need a jar of pickles and your in the fucking way!
Keep your kids under control. Kids at a crowded grocery store are just a nightmare. Trust me, I know, I have two and they can be complete dopes while at the grocery store. I can't really blame them too much. I remember being a kid. I hated going to the grocery store. Kids have short attention spans and they do some goofy stuff, like walk backwards in crowds. WTF is up with that? I am constantly yanking my kids out of the way of other peoples carts. I think I do a good enough job at keeping my kids in order, that if I come across a kid that's being a complete dope and the parents aren't paying attention, I should be able to hit the brat with my cart. I think I've earned it.

I wish people would just pay attention and not be a complete dick when they're at the grocery store. I may come across as impatient, and that's partially true, but I go at a steady, determined pace. I'm not an aggressive jerk unless I have to be. Sometimes I think you have to be, or else you might end up getting stuck behind two old birds talking about Matlock or whatever old folks are talking about these days.

Anyway, that's my little rant for today. More rants to come, until then enjoy this song about supermarkets. Seriously, how great were The Clash?

Meet the Cheese

2010-03-03T22:37:00.002-05:00

I spent about a semester and a half in community college but dropped out because I don't really finish anything. One good thing that came out of that experience was meeting a very encouraging English teacher. She seemed to be genuinely interested in my writing. From that bore an ego about my ability to write. That ego was a different type of ego. Not a Terrell Owens type ego. More of an ego that keeps to itself because it's afraid it's an unwarranted ego. I mean, c'mon some praise from a Community College English Professor who in my head, and I stress the in my head part, I thought she might have had a minor thing for me. What does that praise even mean? It's sort of like scoring 20 points for a D-3 college basketball team. It's all nice and stuff, but in the end it doesn't mean anything.

So, anyway, after college I would occasionally write but never took it seriously. I was more serious in High School. I would in my angsty little way, write poems/song lyrics in little notebooks. Though some were bogged down with teenage melodrama, not all of it is terrible.

Now we come to today. I am 31 year old man who has in the last year plus has made some real personal changes. I lost 90lbs, and have become a genuinely happy man. I have made commitments to myself and I intend on following through on them. I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll, so why not take up the hobby of writing again minus all the melodrama.

I have a sloppy vision of what this will be. I hope to post two to three times a week. I have two kids, one boy, one girl. The boy is 8 and the girl is about to turn 7. If you have any kids in that age range who are active in school and sports, you can appreciate a busy schedule. I'll probably write some about my family but not sure how much and what about. I fancy myself as a bit of a critic. Movies, Music and TV shows. Music being my primary focus though I dream job for me would be the guy who puts the songs in the movies. A think it's called Music Supervisor. I just love how a well placed song can elevate the emotions and tone of a scene. Perfect marriage of song to scene, hands down “Tiny Dance” in Almost Famous. Pure brilliance.

My influences in life will be evident and I'll certainly talk about them or their proffesions. In no particular order here are some of my favorite people/bands past and present: Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam, Tony Kornheiser, Alton Brown, Nick Hornby, Joe Strummer, The Clash, Howard Zinn, Ralph Nader, Sleater-Kinney, Bob Dylan, Conor Oberst, Bruce Springsteen, David Fincher, Brett Easton Ellis, George Carlin, Chris Rock, Kevin Smith, Bill Maher, Michael Moore, Bobby Flay.

I think that covers everything for a beginning blog post except one thing. The title, Not Just Cheese. There was this store in a neighboring town it was called Not Just Cheese. I thought it was a great phrase. Sort of describes me a bit. I'm a bit cheesy but I think I can offer a little more that just cheese. See, that was even cheesy. But I think I can be funny and maybe a little endearing. Who knows, maybe the only person that'll read this is my old English College Professor whose name escapes me at this stage in my life.