Will June Be Better?

The last few weeks have been nothing but work.

To be honest between all of that and whats going on in our country right now...I just have no words.

I don't mean to be quiet about what's going on. I just don't have the adequate means to say how I feel and in some instances I don't feel I have the right to say anything except that I'm sad that hatred fills so many hearts in this country.

So I'm going to leave this youtube video here in hopes it warms some frozen hearts

Music Hurts

I remember when music was the thing that kept me going. I still have CDs piling up, though I haven't bought much new music lately.

But when I put music on, I think of my mama, and the music on Pandora that we used to sing together, whether it was music that she loved back in the day or the songs I loved.

Now it all makes me want to cry.

I can't listen to anything.

All the music that I loved hurts me now.

I keep telling myself that things aren't as bad as I thought they might be, but its so damn hard. Everything makes me think of mama, and I miss her so badly.

I just want to find some joy somewhere, something to make me feel like its worth going on.

My Life In Music

Around my birthday I find that I always start thinking about songs and the music that shaped my life. For the most part, I still love the same music, I just add on new favorites.

If its from the 60s, chances are I'll love it, or at least like it, especially if its in the pop category. The Beatles, The Monkees, Herman's Hermits, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap..the list goes on and on.

The 70s for me are all about Gordon Lightfoot and David Bowie.

The 80s were my growing up decade, Madonna, XTC, Roxette, Erasure, Duran Duran, (those two I didn't pick up on until 92 for serious love) Cyndi Lauper, Wham!, Def Leppard, Poison...gah so much to love for me in the 80s.

Considering that I was born in 1974, I didn't go for the music I should have and even the stuff that was current growing up, wasn't my favorite. I always went for the lesser known artists. I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan, even though everyone else was.

I picked up on Elvis Costello when he worked with Paul McCartney in the late 80s, but didn't really start to appreciate his music again for another twelve years. That goes for The Moody Blues too.

Now I've picked up on Irish music again. I've always had a fondness for Enya and Clanaad, but now I like the Irish boyband Celtic Thunder. I know they aren't a real boy band, but they are a prefab bunch of hotties that can really sing. I love Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly and Neil Byrne.

I miss making my mix cds for my birthday but I have no place to play them, as I haven't had a CD player in years.

Sigh

Music Apps Will Be The Death Of Me

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Let me tell you, there are strange songs coming out of our TV when I get home from work. She's found all the music she listened to as a young girl at the canteens and then she listens to the Irish station, usually Celtic Thunder.

Thanks to the Celtic Thunder station I've discovered a band called The High Kings. If you like Celtic Thunder before they really jumped the shark a few years ago, you will love The High Kings. I recommend checking out "The Irish Pub Song." It will have you laughing and singing. It will probably stick in your head too.

I'm kind of peeved that these apps don't have the new Celtic Thunder album streaming yet.  X has a few songs I really liked from their last special on it. They finally got around to doing a version of The Wild Rover. It is nowhere near as good as The Dubliners, but its such a fun song. Plus anything that gives Ryan Kelly some extra singing time, always makes me happy. I kind of crush on that little Irish cutie.

Yesterday I came home to The Monkees station which amused me. That wasn't what I was expecting. My nephew seems to prefer the Peter, Paul & Mary station when he has to chose for her. Myself, I enjoy the Gordon Lightfoot channel, because you get a nice mix of folk music, along with Gord's great tunes.

I wonder what the Elvis Costello channel will play, besides Elvis Costello.

One of My favorite songs

Hallelujah is one of my all time favorite songs. A friend posted Bon Jovi's version today on Facebook.

Believe it or not, I've never heard his version before.



I think he did a damn good job with it.

Now if only Elvis Costello or his wife, Ms Diana Krall would cover it.

Important albums in my life

It nearing my birthday and my birthday has always brought music to mind.  Today I found myself thinking about all the albums that really meant a lot to me in my   *GASP* 43 years.


There are artists that have to be on this list:

The Moody Blues, Elvis Costello, Gordon Lightfoot, Glass Tiger, Erasure to name but a few. Some artists that seemed important to me for a long time aren't anymore.

I seriously can not take much Duran Duran these days. I used to love them. I had dreams of Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes, but these days I can barely listen to them.

Off the top of my head the albums that I can still listen to and love even now are


The Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager
The Moody Blues  - Strange Times
Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth
Elvis Costello - Blood and Chocolate
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Gordon Lightfoot - Summertime Dream
Erasure - I Say I Say I Say
Erasure - Wild
Keith Harkin - Keith Harkin
Justin Hayward - The View From A Hill
Celtic Thunder - Heritage
Byrne & Kelly - Acoustically Irish
The Monkees - Headquarters
The Monkees - Pisces Aquarius Capricorn & Jones
Diana Krall - The Girl In The Other Room
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
The Beatles - Revolver
George Harrison - Cloud 9
George Harrison - Somewhere In England
Paul McCartney - Press To Play
Paul McCartney - Tug Of War

Let's Talk About Music

The last two days I've had two very random songs stuck in my head. Songs that I haven't listened to in ages, Olivia Newton-John's Silvery Rain and The Beatles' Wait.

Can't get stranger than that.

I long for my music collection which for the most part is still packed away in boxes in my basement. My external hard drive is in my nephew's room because there's no place for it in my living room.

Grrr.

I totally need music back in my life on a more regular basis. It has been ages since I purchased a CD. I so need a few Home Free discs (probably a Christmas one) There's also a new Erasure CD I need to preorder as well as a new Diana Krall disc.

~sigh~

I remember when all I did was listen to music.

Am I getting old? What has happened to me?

Getting Back To Music

Ah music...there's good, there's bad and there's WTF.

I had one of our "plays everything" station..and then this song came on...

I'm not exactly sure what to say about it, except it probably will end up an ear worm, which is very seldom a good thing.

The old lady in me says..god...I miss when songs had meaning...or something....that definitely isn't this.

What I'm Listening To

My musical taste has changed a lot in the last few years. I blame it on my advancing age.

LOL

Lately I've been listening to my Irish Boys (Celtic Thunder) and their various solo projects.

My favorite Celtic Thunder CD is Heritage which seems to be required listening on Saturday afternoons. My mom, loves "Home from the Sea" and "Place in the Choir." My favorites are "Whiskey in the Jar" and "Galway Girl." Great listening, even though they are a prefabricated band.

The other album I totally love right now is Keith Harkin's (the Justin Hayward clone from Celtic Thunder) latest solo album On Mercy Street. His style is hard to pinpoint. Its rockin' folk music. His songs are fun, thought provoking and downright pretty.

I shouldn't forget to mention Byrne and Kelly's (More Celtic Thunder boys) Acoustically Irish. They do wonderful versions of "No Man's Land" "Back Home In Derry" and "Brown Eyed Girl."

If you like Irish music or voices, these are albums you really should give a listen to. All of them are fabulous!

The 1975

I watched SNL on Saturday, which is a rare thing. I hate SNL. I haven't found much that was funny in it since the early 90s.

Do I sound old?

I guess I do.

I was basically watching to see Bernie Sanders and ended up watching the musical act, which was a band called The 1975.

Not a bad year. I can't fathom why they'd pick that year for a name, but hey, I've heard worse.

The song they played first was The Sound, which really had an 80s vibe. Maybe they should change their name to The 1985. I was actually reminded of Walk The Moon when I heard that song. Its very catchy. I predict it will be overplayed in a matter of days, even though the album that it is on won't be released for another few weeks.

It doesn't even have a video yet. Most clips I found were live from shows they've played in Europe. I have a feeling they are probably a bunch of pretentious twits though, considering the album is called....wait for it....I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It.

Regardless of what the band may or may not be like, I highly recommend checking out the song. I will apologize now, because it will probably worm its way into your ear, but look at it this way, its much better than having a Taylor Swift song there.

Paul Simon Makes Me Sad

I have always been a fan of Paul Simon and Simon and Garfunkel, but when I saw Paul's performance on The Late Show, I was totally brokenhearted.

He sounds ok, but like so many other artists from the 60s and 70s, age is taking a toll on his voice.

The worst came a few days later when our local PBS station played Simon And Garfunkel live in Central Park.

It made me think, maybe its time for Paul to hang it up. There are several artists from that decade that need to retire. (cough..Paul McCartney)

I think artists need to stop thinking about the money and consider how they sound. Some of them are pretty embarrassing.

I'll give McCartney credit for his boundless energy, but his voice...oh it hurts me to hear him live. I wouldn't pay money to see him.

I don't think I'd pay money to see Paul Simon now either.

I think there's a point where the albums are better to listen to.

RIP Cilla Black and Lynn Anderson

Two lovely ladies of music left us this weekend

From the UK, Cilla Black who is a national treasure there.



And Lynn Anderson, a country darling from the 70s

I Need A Stereo

Can you believe these words are coming out of the mouth of the woman that has 1000 + CDs? No, I don't own a stereo anymore.

I have 3 mp3 players that I seldom use as most of the music I listen to is played in my car or on my computer.

How very sad is that?

I'm trying to decide what brand to buy this time. Heck, I'm actually trying to find a stereo. Do places even sell them anymore? Has music mostly gone digital?

Can I just say that sucks?

I just want to listen to my music again, and not the stupid TV, especially as the only things worth watching are on the History Channel. (yes, I'm still addicted to all things alien)

Why do the networks seem to think we all have lives and are on a constant vacation from May til Sept?

Oops that's a totally different rant.

But back to the CD player/Stereo thing. I can't seem to find anything that isn't a boom box or something that is very flimsy. Anyone have any advice on a reasonable system?

Happy Music

This is today's smile worthy tune. I think Mika has trumped Erasure in my happy music category.

New Music

I was reliving my school days this week, because of the weather. I had a few delays because my office is out in the boondocks and the road to get there is seldom clear. So I watched a lot of talk shows.

I would like to thank GMA and Jimmy Fallon for introducing me to Imagine Dragons (as you saw in my hump day hunks post) and Walk The Moon.

Its really been a long time since I had music that I was really getting excited about. Walk The Moon takes me back to the 80s. Their current single "Shut Up And Dance" reminds me of 80s new wave.

Give it a listen


And while I'm sharing videos. Did any of you see Miley Cyrus on the SNL 40th special?

I don't usually have much to say about her, but she covered "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" and it was impressive. Honest, when she isn't trying to shock people by being ridiculous, she has a pretty strong voice, especially for folk and country songs. I'd love to see her do a country album.


If she did an album like this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Paul McCartney was on the same special, and sadly RETIREMENT was the only word I could think of as he butchered "Maybe I'm Amazed."

I love him to pieces, but his voice is not there anymore.

A Passion For Music Again

I can't believe Celtic Thunder got my music mojo back.

Having watched the special for Heritage, I really just fell in love with these guys. I had a small affair with them a few years back when I watched a Christmas special...and then saw that they covered Nights In White Satin.

But what really brought music back into my heart...was Keith Harkin's solo album. The little blonde, Justin Hayward look a like.

~ le sigh

I think he might be better looking than Jus...perish the thought.

But lordy...he plays guitar like Jus....they dress him like Jus...and he has Justin's little teeny tiny tushie too.

~ big sigh~

Tis a shame he's 27...and I feel like a cougar just for lusting over his hot little self.

But as proof that he's more than just a pretty face...or maybe....because he has a very pretty face...

The song...that caused me to spend $20 on a CD...when I haven't bought the most recent Elvis Costello disc.



I plan on reviewing the album when I can do it without fangirlling too much.

Today's Unlikely Earworm

Every time I'm in Giant Eagle there's this song playing.

It has been driving me batty because I had no idea what the song's title was. All I knew was the artist singing it.

It was most definitely Josh Groban.

The problem was, I didn't know the title, and chorus really didn't give me any hints ....or rather any obvious ones, because the title of the song is at the end of chorus...just not the catchy part that sticks in your head.

The song that's taken my sanity?

Josh Groban - Brave



This is really a gem for those of you that like more adult contemporary/show tunes. Josh has a one of the best voices out there. (Not too hard on the eyes either)

A Must Listen Album

It isn't often that I'm totally bowled over by an album that I have to review, but this one definitely did.

John Ellis is a singer/songwriter from South Africa and this album is pure acoustic goodness.

It is part political part simple pop goodness.

This is the kind of album that reaffirms my faith in the music industry.

15 good songs!

It is unbelievable!

Listen to clips here

Signs Signs Everywhere Signs

Remember the song Signs by Five Man Electrical Band?

Its a wonderful little thing called a protest song. The fact that in this current political climate there aren't scads of songs like this shows how the music industry has sold out since the 1960s.

Music has no meaning anymore. Its so much fluff.

The sad thing about this classic tune is that it is still relevant 40+ years after its release. The times they aren't a changin'.

Have a listen and let me know if you agree.



It is a shame there aren't any hippies or flower children around now..maybe the world would be a better place.

Song Of The Day

I've been really enjoying music a lot lately, though my iPod wouldn't attest to it. I watched Duets tonight and fell in love with John Legend and Jennifer Nettles. I love Jennifer to start with, but her partners in this show were fantastic.

John Legend has a voice like butter! I never really paid much attention to him over the years, but that will have to change now.

But since I was feeling the music today, I want to share the song that most fits the whole feel of today. No, its not another Zac Brown song..though I have to say, I've really been grooving on them. If you like James Taylor and Jimmy Buffett, you really need to check these guys out. Kind of scary combo, but there music is awesome!

Erasure - Too Darn Hot