heavy heart

I have two children.  They are 4 and 5 (almost 6) years old respectively, and I love them more than I ever thought was possible.  As a family, we are all up each others asses all the time.  My wife is gone long hours during the day due to a job with a lot of responsibility and a very long commute, so when it comes to the weekends we are together the whole time.  During the week I have the responsibility of caring for my kids in a full time capacity, while having a full time job of my own.  I get them ready for school, make their lunches and snacks, pack up their little backpacks, brush hair and teeth and get them out the door and delivered to school.  More often than not I'm rushing around, behind schedule and trying to get everyone to shake a leg so that we can all get to school so my son can walk to his classroom with his pals, instead of having to go with me to the school office, and then be escorted to his class from there.  It's not that big a deal, but I always feel that I'm under the gun and that everyone decides to be a pain in the ass right when I'm starting to feel the pressure. But when we finally get to school and it comes time for my children to leave me we hug and kiss, and say "I love you"  and sometimes "I'm sorry" when it's appropriate.  No matter how mad I am at them, or they at me, we always make it ok before we leave each other for the day.
So I drag myself to work everyday, but all day long I think of my kids and smile about the crazy things they do, and laugh and joke about how they drive me crazy.  but they don't drive me crazy.  They're like all kids and want to get away with as much as possible.  They want to test me.  At the end of the day, I pick them up from school and bring them home.  I normally have so much to do when we get home that I put them in front of the television so that I can get many things done in a very short period of time before I have to get them bathed and into bed.  Time is always an issue.  It's what is the cause of much of the tension.  But when it comes down to bath time I always try and do something that I hope brings them some joy.  I put on a record, and we dance.  And when we dance, and listen to music and have this brief moment that is just for us, something that we have together and it will never be .  For me and my children, this thing that we have together is something that gains greater meaning in the light of recent events.  I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the tragedy, but all I can do is love my children and hope that when I send them out into the world they will be safe and happy, but the way the world is, there are no guarantee's.
I needed to talk.  thanks for indulging me   

10am Automatic

It's Monday morning.  Play this one loud.  It might be the only thing that gets you through the week.

dramamine

a little Modest Mouse for your sunday morning enjoyment.  enjoy it with a pastry and a coffee.

Lillian Todd-Jones

Through the years there have been a lengthening list of women singer/songwriter types as well as rock and roll vixens who have blown me away with the force of their performances, or at least the strength of their vision and ability to construct a song that makes me think, and impresses me to the point of digging deeper into their catalog.  Women in music who inspire and impress me are the likes of Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega, Fiona Apple, Aja Volkman, Patsy Cline, Joan Jett and Roberta Flack.  There are more for sure, but those are the names that stick out with me at the moment, and adding to this distinguished list is Lillian Todd-Jones.  The track Butter Soul is nothing short of brilliant!  The Structure and vocals are a haunting mix of pain and ambition that make me think that this young woman is poised for greatness.  I look forward to hearing what she has to offer in the future.  Dig it...  I know I do!

no titles, just words

I have been out of the loop for a while, but now that the summer is over and my kids are back to a relatively normal schedule and my wife's traveling has eased up a bit it's time for me to get back to it.  I've missed the research, and the act of writing.  The physical act, not to mention the discipline of actually doing it instead of getting sucked into whatever nonsense is on television.  If anyone has any bands that they want to recommend, or anything music related that they think should be discussed here, I would love the input.  I hope to be posting three times a week at least.  Here's hoping that I actually do it.
~the goose

guilty pleasures

I'd like to take a minute to talk about guilty pleasures.  While there are some that I wear like a badge of honor, and I'm not afraid to tell anyone about, like Madonna, there are others that lay dormant and hide in the shadows.  The ones that I would deny if called out on it.  One of them is Billy Joel.  I spent the better part of my younger days actively disliking Billy Joel, but perhaps now that I'm getting older, and I'm listening to more Belle and Sebastian and less Minor Threat, I feel like there are things I can revisit from my youth.  Billy Joel is one of them.  The other day riding in the car, I pulled him up on MOG and found myself jamming out.  When I got home I had to take a shower, but nothing would wash the dirty feeling off.  The next day, I listened again and at that point decided that I wasn't going to beat myself up about it. I decided that I wasn't going to be ashamed any more about!  I won't go out and buy any of his records, and I'm certainly not going to rush out and see him live and in concert.  But there was a reason why he was so popular, and there is some semblance of legitimacy to that popularity.  If nothing else, it's fun music.  Nothing to analyze too deeply, and don't judge me too harshly, but it feels good to finally admit it.

mgmt - time to pretend

I love this song.  starts out with such hope and bravado.  but ultimately ends up in heartbreak and disappointment.  sounds like the rise and fall of a rock and roll band, as it was intended.  good stuff

cold war kids

I love the Cold War Kids, and this tune is one of my favorites.  One of the more poppy, radio friendly songs that they have, but it still gets me.  When it comes on, I can't help but do the head bobbing chair dance.  Love it.

adanowsk

excellent guitar work, and a wicked voice.

Milksop:Unsung

saw these boys perform this past weekend at FTS gallery, right here in my back yard of Stratford CT, and I really dug their updated brand of bluegrass, or "psycho folk" as I've heard it described by others.  Above all else, it's the lyrics that got me.  I find humor, especially black humor, to be alluring, not to mention that when I hear a boot stomping jam, I can't turn away.  I can't wait to see these guys again!  fun tunes and good times.  I think that there is a whole world open to these guys.  good luck boys!

My Generation

Mooney and Pete, doin' what they do...  So rad

the who - i'm a boy

without a doubt, my favorite Who song of all times!  the jangly guitar riff, Mooney somewhat reserved.  The opening lines when Roger comes in with "my name is Bill and i'm a head-case!"  so fucking rock and roll, I can't stand it!  This is it.

Deadmau5

i know that i've shared this before, but I just dig it so much!  not much of a house/electronica type guy, but Deadmau5 kicks a whole bunch of ass!  it's mind blowing to see that many people bouncing.  And the hooks are so righteous it's hard not to love this guy!

enough already

Today I was listening to the radio, which actually isn't something that I do all that often, but today I was.  I was listening to a classic rock station, which is an even more unusual occurrence.  Not that I don't like classic rock, I actually really love it, but I generally dislike the selections made by programmers for radio stations, especially since it is about 15 songs (give or take) that play on a continuous loop, and they aren't even the best songs by the artists.  But this is all beside the point.  Today, as I listened to the local CT classic rock station, Rag Doll by Aerosmith came on.  I listened for a little while and then started getting increasingly agitated, and then I thought about it.  Why was I getting agitated?  I've never been a very big Aerosmith fan to begin with, but I always thought that Rag Doll was a decent enough tune and I usually would rock out to it ever so slightly when I would happen upon it.  But not today.  I thought about it, and I came to the conclusion that it's because Stephen Tyler irritates me so much.  He has become a caricature of himself.  In fact he has become a caricature of a caricature of himself.  It goes so far beyond simple irrelevance to the point of he's actively taking away from his past work by being such a douche.  Songs that I used to think were reasonably cool are now stupid and trite.  I think that somewhere along the line I have talked about those bands that need to give it a rest, that they're irrelevant and getting kinda sad, like the Stones by continuing to tour and put out marginal (at best) records for no apparent reason.  But while they're irrelevant, they've stayed this side of pathetic, where Tyler has taken a dive head first into the pathetic pool and is certainly enjoying himself in the stink.  I don't know why this stuck with me so much today, but it's killing me.  I wish he would just go away!  I'm not sure how he can reconcile himself as an artist while being a smug dick on american idol, not to mention that american idol is clearly the first sign on the apocalypse.  I know it's probably the pay check that made him sell his soul, but really.  it's not funny, hip or anything.  it's just lame.

Ethan Miller of Howlin Rain

Howlin Rain kicks so much ass...  I can't wait to see the boys on Feb 11 at cafe 9 in New Haven!  I'm also jittery with anticipation waiting for the release of The Russian Wilds.  The official release date is valentines day.  I'm so excited I can't stand it!

Hanni El Khatib

I just found out about Hanni El Khatib yesterday, and I'm pretty excited about it.  While there is a very strong link between Khatib, the Black Keys and Gary Clark, jr, he tends to lean a little bit toward a crooner type vibe, while also sounding dirty and visceral.   Khatib has the chops to break out from this shadow and make his own way.  The driving blues licks and gravely voice on top of ominous songwriting rich with dark and disturbing visions of doom, are always a good formula for a rock and roll outfit, and the song posted here is no exception.  You Rascal You is a great example of this San Francisco natives talent.  I can't wait to see his progress, and specifically what happens with him this coming year.

How can you not love Joe Jackson?  I know that Steppin Out isn't on Look Sharp, but I've been listening to that record nonstop for the past couple of days.  What a brilliant record.  If you haven't listened to it in a while, download it, or throw it on the turntable or whatever way you listen to your music.  It's usually really difficult for me with my schedule to listen to any record from start to finish in the order that it was meant to be listened.  But yesterday, the only thing I listened to was Look Sharp, and while it wasn't in one sitting, it was the only thing I listened to all day.  What a great album.

modest mouse - 3rd planet

Bear Hands

Watching Your Fingers

Watching Your Fingers

a little more love as laughter to end the day.

Lzy Sldr III : Blackoups

Lzy Sldr III : Blackoups

Love as Laughter is without a doubt one of my absolute favorite new acts out there. Ever since I got the album Laughters Fifth, I gotta say that I've been kinda hooked. But of course, I'm really interested in Sam Jayne's brand of do-it-yourself indie pop, as evidenced in some of the other bands I'm really into (e.g. Say Hi... formerly Say Hi To Your Mom...) Anyway, like most music for me, the more I listen the more I like. I love the range that Love as Laughter has, as far as the ease in which they dance gently between sweet acoustic ballads, punk rock gems and even quasi electronica. I tend to respect bands that have range, and I think I've said it before but while there are some bands that I like that have zero range, I can't really put my whole heart and soul behind them. I have more to say on this, but I'm running out of time, and I have to get out of here. LATE LATE LATE.

Nice work Sam Jayne, keep it up!

STEED LORD "123 IF YOU WANT ME"

STEED LORD "123 IF YOU WANT ME"

The Shins

Sometimes it seems funny how things happen.  Not really in a comical way, but in a way that makes you say "hmm."  From time to time in my soul crushing excuse for a job, I have to take deliveries out to customers, and what's good about this is that I get to plug in my iPod into the cube truck stereo and listen to some good tunes, and try to forget that eventually I will have to return to the freezing cold warehouse where I spend the better part of my waking hours.  But today as I had my iPod on shuffle, a song by the Shins came on, and I thought to myself how much I like them, and was wondering why I hadn't heard anything about them in a really long time.  It was a really brief moment, and I didn't really consider it, it was just a brief thought, and then Minor Threat came on and I stopped thinking about it.  A few hours later I was checking what was going on on Facebook, I noticed that Oh So Fresh mentioned that they were premiering a new single from the Shins.  I guess it's just a coincidence, but these things happen.  I haven't really heard them in a long time, and now not only do they pop up in my shuffle, but they're releasing new material!  Anyway, the song is called Simple Song, and it reminds me of 70's/80's arena rock classics like Chicago and Styx.  It's big, and it rocks.  It's classic, yet new and relevant.  It's got the classic Shins sound, James Mercers voice is unique and can't be mistaken, but the whole sound seems more produced and more mature.  I am so incredibly excited to hear the rest of the record.  It's time for me to pre-order the LP.  Yahoo!

whirlwind heat

Ports of Spain

I stumbled upon a band today that has really blown my hair back.  And what makes it so much sweeter is that they're from CT, so that I will have plenty of opportunities to see them live.  The band is called Ports of Spain, and they have an EP out called Winters Teeth and I'm quite impressed.  Very melodic with spot on musicianship.  The arrangements are fluid and make sense.  While they remind me of several bands, they are at the same time very unique.  They have the polish of a top 40 pop band, but the sensibility of an indie shoegazer type outfit.  I am dying to catch them live, to see if their sound translates well to a live show.  I think that these guys have a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what they do going forward.  I see them picking up where Death Cab for Cutie leaves off.  I highly recommend these guys, and I will let you know how  are live, after I check them out at the end of the month.

eavesdropping

I wouldn't say that I really go out of my way to listen in on other peoples conversations.  I don't skulk around corners and hide in dark places to hear things that aren't for my ears, but when I'm sitting minding my own business in a public place, and the people next to me are talking too loud to be ignored I'm going to see what it is that they have to say.  I was at a small club waiting for a band that I'm particularly fond of to go on.  I was having a drink and trying to come up with a good intro to how I would eventually write about the show, and the two young ladies next to me were talking at an increasingly louder tone.  Most of it was benign, and not really worthy of discussion.  One of the young ladies asked the other how her relationship was progressing with a certain fellow, and she began to tell her how they were no longer together and that it was for the best, but the one thing that struck me was the fellows reason for ending the relationship.  "You're a person of structure and I'm a person of chaos."  was his reason for the split.  It took a lot of self restraint to not turn to these young folks and laugh in their faces.  She told the story with a certain amount of pride, and that this was a valid reason for them to part ways.  And in the way she told it I could tell that on some level she thought that he was a profound and insightful person.  I was a dopey 20something way back when, and I said some things that were equally as absurd in an attempt to sound or appear deep and mysterious.  As I sat there and sipped my cocktail, I thought about how satisfying it would be to meet this guy, just so I could slap him.  An open palmed slap.  Not to hurt him or anything, just to bring him back to reality.  I have to think that he was a young musician who has delusions of really making a mark in the music scene.  There's nothing really wrong with what he said, and ultimately there isn't anything wrong with the young lass for thinking that he was such a brooding and self-aware person, it just struck me as funny, and I would love to see the trajectory of that fellows life and career, and if he makes a big success of himself years from now, I would love to remind him that he actually said those words.  That would be fun.