The Smiths and the People that Might Be Giants

Hey,
As of late, I've been delving into some different music that I wouldn't normally listen to. My natural inclination is to stick to my favorites when it comes to music. I will always love Earth, Wind, and Fire, Billy Joel, Thin Lizzy, and Eric Clapton. Sometimes it's good to mix it up.

Just yesterday I was at the radio station and was given the tedious task of entering e-mail addresses into the system. For no apparent reason, The Smiths popped into my head, which is strange because I'd never really given the band a thought in the past. My only knowledge of them is that the main character in "500 Days of Summer" is quite obsessed with them. Maybe that's where the thought came from. Who knows.

So I put on some of the band's songs while I was working. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually quite liked it. The guitars in the songs had a sweet sound to them and added depth to the moody and introspective lyrics. I especially liked the song "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", a depressing song with dark lyrics that contrast the uplifting beat and guitar riffs. So naturally when I got home, I downloaded their "best of" collection. Quite good.

Check out classic song "There is a Light That Never Goes Out".

Another band I've gotten back into is the strange group They Might be Giants. I've known about them for years, but I'm not really sure how. They definitely are interesting to say the least.

Check out "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Dr. Worm"

Joe, you have a brain cloud.

I've been busy, so it's been a while since I've blogged. Good thing I have a computer in boring editing classes or I'd never get anything done. Anyway, I wanted to start off this post with a picture of our hero, Joe. Former firefighter and advertising slave on his way to jump into a Volcano. Why, you ask? Because he has a brain cloud and will die in 6 months whether he does or not. Taking the offer from a crazed Lloyd Bridges, Joe takes the stylish route and sets off on a spectacular journey towards his imminent death. Watch the movie to find out the rest.



The movie does bring up one of life's classic questions. What would you do if you had 6 months to live? I feel like there's a typical answer to this question; let every inhibition go and live to the fullest. But really dig down deep and you wonder, what would I really do?

Buy an Xbox and live off pepperoni pizza and red bull of course. Duh.

On a lighter note, the soundtrack features some good music:

Sixteen Tons, written by Merle Travis. Here's the version by Tennessee Ernie Ford - http://sonnyvenice.phpnet.org/musique/sonny_venice/04_2009/Sixteen%20Tons.mp3

Blue Moon, the classic version by Elvis Presley - http://checkthedryer.com/bluemoon/Elvis%20Presley%20-%20Blue%20Moon.mp3

And here's some classic Billy Joel to send you off. Listen for the melody from "Allentown" at the end.

Waves and Injuries to Eric: A Love Story

That picture basically sums up my weekend.

My pal Luke and I made a spontaneous trip down to Charleston, South Carolina on Friday to ride some of the big swells Igor was causing on the East Coast. Long story short, I hobbled back into my apartment on Sunday with a cracked board, 6 cuts on my leg (1 fairly deep), a swollen ankle, a skin pigment resembling a cranberry, and zero pride. At least I found some band-aids in my car.

Luke didn't fair much better, both of us getting trashed in the worst way over the weekend. I learned a lot about the different ways a human body can crumple and contort after being thrown by a wave. All equally painful. It wouldn't have been that bad if I hadn't nailed the board with my legs twice, the second one ending my day in the water. Believe it or not, the waves at Folly Beach were around 8 feet on Sunday. They were also fast and broke quick, equaling disaster for our doomed duo.

It wasn't all bad, though. We ended up staying in a hostel for two nights, which consisted of about 20 native Brits and us. We were known as the "Americans" for a change. These Brits were hard drinkers, stumbling into their rooms at about four AM every morning. Luke and I were painfully aware of this because we were forced to endure a shitty band being cranked at full volume from the hours of 4-6:30 from the next room. This is despite the fact that we did everything short of knocking down their door to get them to stop. Thank God I had a collection of smooth jazz on my laptop that we used to drown out the screeching sounds torturing us and finally get back to sleep. Believe me, I was so ready to fight them.

Once I get a longer (and not cracked) board, I will be back to brave the waves once more.

Anyway, music time.

New stuff: Kings of Convenience, chilly folk heroes, soothe the woes of mankind with their song "Toxic Girl".

kings of convenience - toxic girl from françois nemeta on Vimeo.

Old Stuff: I love this song by Burt Bacharach. Most people today have never heard of him, but in the 60's he was a hit machine. His music has a special magic to it, with hints of an era that was lost somehow. Play on, Burt.



Ciao.

A Good Day to Believe in Life

Today has been a pretty good day, and may get even better. I got two freezy pops for free, listened to Clapton, got free Black Crowes tickets, and am having a pretty decent hair day. I also may be surfing in the Carolinas this weekend. I am especially excited about the Black Crowes, which I hear is a pretty damn good show.

I am also toying with some ideas of what to do with this blog. Since 99% of blogs are about music, I'm not exactly breaking new ground writing about groovy tunes and new bands. It would also be nice to have some people that actually looked at this thing, so if you are reading this right now you should bookmark or something. At least write it on your hand.

Anyway, my one idea I have right now is to every week write about an alternative to the usual weekend rituals like partying, drinking, and throwing up. Again, I'm not sure what that would consist of, but I'm working on it. This would probably involve accomplishing unique and adventurous goals every weekend, daring yourself to try new things and expand your mind. Thoughts?

I WILL keep talking about music, because I love it more than life (Clapton reference). Bam. Check out Eric's song "Believe in Life" and while you're at listen to "Layla" all the way through. It's truly an experience.



New Music: Check out Kisses and their song "Bermuda"
Also Eli "Paperboy" Reed with "Come and Get It".

Please Believe in Life.
Over and Out,
Eric

Hi Ferraby, nice to meet you.

Hey, you probably haven't heard of the man with the heart of a lion. Shame on you. I just started to listen to this guy, and so far he's pretty cool. He's also got a new album out called The Jack of Hearts. Check it out. Songs to listen to are "Dear Corinne" and "Harry and Bess".

Here is the "Harry and Bess" video featuring Rainn Wilson.



Meanwhile, I am still in the midst of exploring the extensive library of Eric Clapton. My adventure continues as I discover more and more of his memorable tunes. Sometimes I think he really is a genius.

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVageb9ZFLQ&ob=av2e

Welcome Back Party

Eric Clapton, Son and Sylvia (instrumental)
Uploaded by gimli5av. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

It has been quite a while since I've blogged, since April to be exact. Don't worry, though, I'm glad to be back online and adding my thoughts to this wasteland called the internet.

Anyway, lately I have been downloading a lot of music, trying to broaden my horizons and delve deeper into some artist's libraries. So far I've downloaded Boz Scaggs, Clapton, Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Paul Simon, return to forever, Phil Collins, Kings of Convenience, and some new artists like Kisses, Tennis, Ferraby Lionheart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. As you can guess, I really haven't had time to listen to it all, but I'm working on that. Slowly. I also encourage everyone out there to check out the libraries of these, artists. You won't be disappointed.

The video I posted above is one of my favorites from Clapton. Also check out "Modern Girl" from his Reptile album.

Here is another video from Detroit duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Enjoy!