just the way you are...

The first "rock-concert" i ever went to. My parents took us all to see Billy Joel. There were so many people. And it was so loud. And some guy spilled his beer all over Jodi - who did not take her alcoholic dousing very well. And singing along. And lighters. I don't think i'd be brave enough to take my children to a concert. But, we did enjoy it!

New Panic at the Disco

Since I keep telling Jodi what a great album this is, but she has yet to hear it, I decided to treat everyone to this great music (very Beatlesesque at times). Anyways, for those familiar with Panic! At the Disco's first album, this is nothing like it (notice they even removed the ! after Panic on their new album). This band continues to surprise me. I'll post a song or two from the new album and one from the old album to contrast the difference. Without further ado...
Panic at the Disco

That Green Gentleman (from "Pretty. Odd.")

Besides, this video is very creative and visually beautiful.

Nine in the Afternoon (from "Pretty. Odd.")


This next and last one is one of my favorite music videos of all time, and a great song.

Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Off Her Clothes
(from "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out")

last to know...

neil finn.



Way down the track
made the wrong turn
Finished up where I started
You noticed a change come over me
Fell in love with my own reflection yeah
How does it feel beneath your own wheel
Feels like an accident waking up
Under a bus with my fingers crossed
Now is the time we could make it up
So you lost the fear it wasnt that bad
Left to your own devices yeah
Still a young girl eyes on the clock
Tick like a motor running out
Magnets and words up on the fridge
Speak to the poet in all of us
I missed the page that you thought about
Drew in the frost on the windowpane
But who I wonder could fail to notice
The aching silence came down
Im humble now

[i've recently decided to start including parts of the lyrics...i think that will be good]

peace, love, understanding...

cover by derek webb...



this song was made popular by elvis costello back in his day...though, i never heard it until this morning.

"As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin for light in the darkness of insanity.

I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
Theres one thing I wanna know:
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

cause each time I feel it slippin away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

cause each time I feel it slippin away, just makes me wanna cry.
Whats so funny bout peace love & understanding?

a little rossini...

when we were children, i loved a cd that my parent's had - it was filled with overtures. we'd run around the house dancing like maniacs and being "conductors". i've never seen a conductor jump off furniture and flap their arms fit to fly...but how else can your properly conduct the "william tell overture"?

one of my favorites...

i love the beauty of the song. i love the great moral battle of javert - does he continue with his life's beliefs, of strict justice, and continue chasing valjean? or does he act with mercy and compassion? how does he reconcile mercy and justice? how does he reconcile his experiences with valjean? how does he stand before god?

"stars" from les miserables


ultimately javert cannot reconcile the two. acting lawfully, in regards to valjean, is also acting immorally. he cannot punish valjean and lets him go. but, then he cannot live with himself, and jumps into the river.

a day in the life...

i know that the "beatles" seem to be a polarizing band for most people...but not for me. i like some, and i don't...and if you do/n't, that's cool.

without any deep reasons, i just like this song:

forget dolly or "boom boom"...

it's all about martina...

"in my daughter's eyes"


"so magical"

cheap trick...

here's a little song that just makes me happy...i can't help but bounce!

"i want you to want me"

Blog-Jacked...by TJ...with love.

Nicole never logs out and seems to beg for a blog-jack. So here it is.

Hi I'm Nicole and this is what I listen to when Jack Johnson isn't available:


Hi I'm Heidi and I can play this song on the cello:

Warrant - Cherry Pie | Music Videos | SPIKE.com

Hi I'm Scott and this song has great social commentary:

this is the song that's been simmering in my brain...

thank you greg graffin (from bad religion).



tj introduced me to this song. (and yes, i know, chris already put it on his blog, i don't care). it's been simmering in my brain the last two days. i love how it sounds. i love the acoustic guitar (when you can actually hear the words, underlined with excellent guitar). i love the message. i love hearing tj singing along. it's spurred alot of thinking tangents in my brain.

i love that we've been listening to it so much that hannah sang along with me this morning in the car on the way to school. i love that caleb was all fussy on my lap, until this song came on.

i am the pirate king...

or queen - i'm posting this for heidi - happy halloween!

jump...

since my husband loves to comment on my unusual musical indoctrination (meaning different from his), i thought i'd really make him scratch his head.

since tomorrow is saturday, here's a nugget:



on saturdays, when my mom wanted us to get out of bed and get moving on her to-do list, she put on the pointer sisters cd - loud. starting with "jump" - because she wanted us to jump to help her.

what do you think? should i institute this around here now?

paul westerberg. was the lead singer/songwriter for "the replacements". when the band died at the end of the 80's...he went solo.

i first heard his music on the soundtrack to "singles". i loved that movie in my later teen years. i haven't thought about it in years though. i'd bought the soundtrack, and westerberg's stuff was my favorite on it. the flick (in case you're interested) is technically a chick flick set in 90's seattle. the film is rife with cameos: paul giamatti, jeremy piven, victor garber, tim burton, and director cameron crowe himself. and since it's a movie with the grunge music scene as the backdrop, some of those key bands make their appearance as well: alice in chains, soundgarden, and hog molly. matt dillon's fictional band, citizen dick, is filled out with eddie vedder, stone gossard, and jeff ament from pearl jam. (quick aside: did you know that pearl jam was previously known as "mookie blaylock"? glad they changed it!)

he's created 12 albums, and has worked on several others - including the "friends" soundtrack, the movie "i am sam," and more. he's a little eclectic in that he still mostly records all of his music in his basement. most bands start there and move out - he's gotten comfy.

"waiting for somebody"


"dyslexic heart"

feeling nostalgic...

thinking about how lucky i am...and how much i love my husband. so, naturally, i thought i'd share this song. this is the song we danced together at our wedding reception. i'm sure he doesn't remember - and that's okay. i sang it to him once, and he liked it. and since he didn't care about any of the wedding details, i picked this. thanks deana carter.

"that's how you know it's love" (this version is more twangy than i'd like, but i couldn't find a different one, sorry...the base is still the same. apt lyrics. good tune.)

perhaps something you haven't heard...

tj has an excellent sense of music that i'll like. some of my fave stuff is something t heard that he thought i'd like and so surprised me with it...even if i'd never heard of it. and i can't think of an instance where he was wrong. it's like going to a restaurant for a date...i blur out looking at the menu, and he often can pick out just the right thing that i'll enjoy.

so, here's an example: joss stone. i don't think tj likes it. but, i do. here's my recommendation. start the video, then close your eyes. the trick: listen before you see her. her voice does not match her look. and you know what tj? i love her voice. thanks again.

"right to be wrong"

a little madness...

this is just a fun little band. gotta love happy brits!

this song always reminds me of home - not my current home. "our house" in the middle of the street. the home our parents built for us. the home i was raised in. where we laughed. and cried. and played. and learned. and danced. and ate. and remember. and smooched. and where i'd sit on the back porch swing reading for hours. and where jodi broke my arm. and where tj and i'd stay in the front yard 'saying goodnight' until mom turned off the porch light. and where we still come home to do all of the above.



here's a nice little nugget-memory for you. for a little while, in my youth, my friend cristtin lived with us. she was a little wild, and uninhibited, and fun - and encouraged me to follow along. this is the song that we did a "skit" to for one of those youth talent-type nights. i use the word skit loosely. it simply consisted of us in our speedo swimsuits, boardshorts, kid-innertubes, doing a little ballet (again using the word very loosely, if you've seen my coordinated grace and agility you'll know just how loose) to madness' version of "swan lake".



and here's just one more good tune: "it must be love"

sometimes i like to do the obvious...

like these songs. i'm sure everyone has already heard them. but, even if they've been over-played...i still like 'em.

norah jones: "come away with me"

live version of "don't know why"

colbie caillat "bubbly" and "the little things"

plain white t's: "hey there delilah"


jason mraz: "life is wonderful"


alicia keys: "fallin"

and funny: i love to listen to this one with t - he sings along...come to think of it, that's what made me like the plain white t's - listening to t singing along.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Their Softer Side

Recently on my blog I posted an entry about one of my favorite bands Scary Kids Scaring Kids. It received mixed reviews and I just thought I'd share some of their more mellow tunes without the screaming.
"Watch Me Bleed"
excerpt:
"I gave you everything to die with a smile
All you wanted was to live for a while
You took everything but it left you empty
You can't replace me, you can't"

"Star Crossed"
I love this song, just listen to the lyrics; great stuff!
excerpt:
"Star crossed lover, we do what we want to
Some learn the hard way, we all learn through consequence
I say if the future's been drawn drawn out then nobody's living
I won't give you up, love, so fate can have it's way, it's way

If the Stars say that you couldn't love me
Are you telling me that you would listen?
If the words make their way from your mouth
Don't ask my permission, all is forgiven"

U2 has arrived...

I'm sure you are surprised that these haven't come sooner, but what can I say, I don't always like to be predictable... TJ might hate them, and that's okay, but here are just a couple songs that speak to me- "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" was written for Chris and I (some days).



"Original of the Species"- "I'll give you everything you want, except the thing that you need"
"Everywhere you go, you shout it, you don't have to be shy about it"



And yes, his IS the sexiest voice ever!

Erasure

Scott inspired me to share a couple lesser known but great Erasure songs! "Hallowed Ground" and "When I Needed You"...

two paths diverged in a wood...

and i took the one that had more mellow music...
'kay, tj, i am ready for your mocking comments, bring 'em on...

jack johnson is often dismissed as just a silly surfer who only sings about eating banana pancakes under a palm tree. while that is partially true (and one of the reasons i like him), it is not completely true. for example: this song

"all at once"


during the difficult time after caleb was born, this was the song that stayed with me.

here's another that speaks to my heart. this one he was kind enough to write and sing about tj and i.
"better together"


now, yes, i know they are both all mellow. exactly. i get stressed and overwhelmed - and it soothes me. i remember how happy life is - and it reflects those feelings. i think that jack johnson is amazing. he stands up, barefeet, with his acoustic guitar and makes beautiful music. he's got that soft voice. and, do you want a little confession? i always picture him looking like t. when tj gets out his guitar and plays a little and expresses his interest in learning to play a lot - i think of him sitting on the beach by a bonfire singing to me. i don't picture him in front of a long-hair screaming band. i picture tj the sexy way.

jack johnson is a pro-surfer turned musician after a serious accident in hawaii's pipeline. since "brushfire fairytales," he's created 4 other albums: "on and on,"in between dreams," the curious george soundtrack, and "sleep through the static." tj has bought me every one. he's also contributed songs to other compilations and is a filmmaker. his last three albums were made in his own production studio that is completely eco-friendly.

his music champions the causes of love and life. making the world a better place. appreciating who we are, our relationships, the potential for good. his music isn't the cranky disillusionment of youth. or a handful of valium. it's soothing and grateful - and it speaks to me.

one more, here is an excellent cover of "imagine"

seventh grade...

"Wishlist"


Pearl Jam. I discovered "ten" in seventh grade. my best friend was april zelt. we listened to this for hours while "laying out" in her back yard by the pool, or while hanging out in her room. if you know me now you probably wouldn't expect me to love this band so much, because their recurring themes deal with depression, homelessness, abuse, and death. however, look at the time. 7th grade. where i was beginning to learn that life isn't always happy. that my life wasn't the only kind of life out there. that my happy homelife wasn't typical. i was just learning that the world is a difficult and oftentimes sad place. pearl jam took all of that sadness and made beautiful music out of it. they showed that a difficult life is not a singular event, but that we all could learn from it. they had beautiful acoustic guitar based ballads, as well as the harder style more typical of a grunge band. now, while i cannot say that i fancied myself in any way abused...i certainly wore torn-up levi's and dr. martin's.

1991 ten was pearl jam's debut album - after 2 of the guys from mother love bone (jeff ament and stone gossard) added in eddie vedder, mike mccready, and dave krusen. most of the songs started out as instrumentals - then kicked up a notch with lyrics by vedder. they've been accused of grunge latecomers - but, they were highly instrumental in popularizing alternative rock to mainstream listeners. case in point: who's heard of mother love bone? (beside me). this album went platinum 12 times.

none of these songs are from the "ten" album, i figured everyone is familiar with those. like the hit singles: alive, even flow, and jeremy. i thought i'd share some that i enjoy that you might not have heard.

"Last Kiss"


"Yellow Ledbetter"


if you'd like to hear more recent musical contributions from eddie vedder, check out this blog post on "into the wild" by tj.