Bits&Pieces

It's not true, I don't like EVERYTHING from New Zealand

I'm going to see Neil this coming weekend. Sunday, to be more precise. I know. You can HARDLY wait, right?

Last weekend at Jesus Christ Superstar I was having flashbacks to the Crowded House show (held in the same venue). The flashbacks were slighty hazy on account of all that wine I drank (at Crowded House, not at JCS... I generally don't get smashed on family outings to the theater to see our Lord and Saviour belt out the tunes), and I remembered how friggin' cool it was to walk right down to the front. I remember handing the usher my ticket, and how she smiled, and how I heard this gathering of angels singing, "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh," and how each successive usher simply continued, well, ushering us to the very front. They all just smiled knowingly. She's in the front row. Look at her. It was like being part of a secret club, you know? I would imagine it's what sitting in first class on a plane must be like.

My point, however, is that at this coming show, it's general admission. There is no special ushering of the Zielskes down to the front. No. At this show, I'm going to have to fight my way to the mosh pit on my own. I will do what I must for closeness to Neil.

And speaking of closeness to Neil, my friend and fellow Neil devotee Krista, linked me up with a video of the dude who's opening for Neil and Co. on this brief but glorious American tour, Don McGlashan. I have a link to one of his songs on the YouTube sidebar, but I never know if anyone gives a wild hoot about the YouTube sidebar on this blog. So I'm going to post it here. Because if you like music, you need to check this Kiwi out.

As I'm trying to explain this guy to Dan, Dan accuses me of being one of those people who, if you like one thing, you're going to like EVERYTHING that has any relation to the original thing. He compared me to a dear friend of ours who, when he was into R.E.M. back in the day, was also into everything and anything else from Athens, G.A. Every single band that came out of that small southern town in the late 80s and early 90s. And as Dan pointed out to me, "Dumptruck just wasn't that good."

So here's me. Loving Neil. And loving Liam. And yes, I'm quite certain if his dog put out a CD, I would like that as well. That said, Don McGlashan is from New Zealand, and is apparently quite an NZ music icon himself, coming from a few different seminal NZ bands, but I swear to God, he could be from Nebraska, and I would still be absolutely mesmerized by his music.

So take that, Dan Zielske.

You can hear a few more tracks on his My Space page, and his album, Warm Hand, is available on iTunes. One song is a must hear: Toy Factory. It is one of the most haunting songs I've heard in a long time, and the story that goes with it is true and devastating. I know. Sounds like a real party album! But honestly, if you like music, check it out.

I'm heading to Utah tomorrow, will try and post from the road. Until then, please for to enjoy.

I cannot BELIEVE this is happening... AGAIN. Ugh. Seriously. I'm getting too friggin' old for this crap. And now EVERYONE has to hear about it, ad nauseam.

But if you want in on the fun, my favorite band ever in the history of the past couple of years are playing two shows in Chicago, in May. And this time, I WILL make meaningful eye contact with you, Neil Finn. Even if it means security will have words with me.

Chicago…here I come, baby.

You…you can be mean…and I…I'll drink all the time

This is my much needed Wednesday afternoon pick me up. Thank you, David. You beautiful, amazing man, you.

Not really into scrapbooking, but really into Fleetwood Mac right now

And I can't tell you exactly why. Actually, that's not true. This blog post will tell you part of the reason why. Duh. Let me start by saying I was never a Fleetwood Mac fan when they were in their prime. I was 12 when Rumours came out. And it wasn't until they released The Dance that their music finally clicked for me. And then, I just grew to love their whole story. A mix of heartbreak and musical chemistry and rock and roll.

Dan got me thinking about them the other day because he'd been listening to Tusk a lot at work, and was talking about how with some young, indie bands these days, it's not unusual for them to site the Mac as an influence. He said you could put a number of songs of Rumours onto any album today, and there'd be no reason why it wouldn't work. I tend to agree.

So aside from listening to said album non-stop for the past week, I found this clip. I'd never heard this song before. But I think it's brilliant. And sad. And their voices layer together in such a genius way. It's just beautiful.

What's on your Top 25 Most Played?

Every now and then, I like to look on what songs have made it onto my Top 25 Most Played list, on my iTunes. Have you ever done this? I'm assuming anyone who uses iTunes has this list automatically generated.

I realize as I look at this list, my daughter had a huge hand in the first few songs, because they were on a mix she used to listen to every night before she went to sleep. The rest of the songs make total sense for me: Another Lonely Day, by Ben Harper; Four Seasons in One Day, by Crowded House; and Here Comes the Flood, by Peter Gabriel. Classic heavy rotation tunes.

But what I'm really confused about is how number 13 got that high. Don't get me wrong, I once had something similar to this on my bedroom wall when I was 11 years old and I knew every single word to The 12th of Never, and I'm not even Mormon. But really, who's playing Puppy Love 86 times in my office? Is there something Dan's not telling me?

So, what's number one on your Top 25 Most Played? (And while you're at it, your number 13, too!)

And yes, if you say Puppy Love I will be sufficiently freaked out.

I know, I've said it before, but…

I really miss Steve Perry. Not the pants or the shirts. But the voice. And DEFINITELY the hair.

I'm what you'd call an unapologetic 80s corporate rock whore. And by "whore" I mean "Super Fan!"

Happy holidays. Don't you go stoppin' believin', y'all.

Two Hands of a Prayer

What I'm listening to this morning, as I'm finishing up my packing before I head out, from the album  Burn to Shine by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals.

Beautiful man. Beautiful song.

we have a winner(s)

Yes, I (Dan) did peruse each and every of the 169 posts. I had eight semi-finalists and then narrowed down to three finalists who I think are all deserving. Why are they all deserving? Because they each gave something to me or spoke to me. And when you live in a house with Cathy, Aidan and Cole, I don't think it's asking too much for it to occasionally be about ME.

Relly is a winner for passing on to me the artofthemix.org link.

Brek spoke to me by calling out Grandpaboy. R.I.P. Bob Stinson.

Briohny for giving me a couple more ideas for another idea (Lisa Says, Candy's Room, Caroline, No) or two (the colour mix could be done with just blue).

____________________

Okay, now it's back to me, Cathy. And yes, Dan was being amiable to the Australian winner to spell the word 'colour.' Ah…he never ceases to be inclusive.

I had NO idea he planned to read all comments. I just thought the old print 'em and cut 'em up and put 'em in a paper bag would work. Nope. Not for Dan. Not for my thoughtful, no-shortcuts kind of guy.

So, winners…(i'm only missing Briohny's contact info, so if you read this, please post your email for me!), and I will get  your mixes and your alphabet related goods in the mail as soon as I can get to the post office.

men and their mixes

[the entry time is up. dan is working on picking the winner. and i had no idea he was going to read all comments. that Dan! back later with a winner!]

What is it with men making their mixes anyway?

Many moons ago, Dan wooed me with mixed tapes. Sigh. Those were the days. When they consisted of a collection of painstakingly chosen songs gathered together on an actual cassette tape. I still remember the first mixed tape  I ever got from him. The third or fourth track in was "Blind Love" by Tom Waits. If I'd had any doubts up until that point that he liked me, well… track 4 pretty much put those fears to rest.

Over the years, he's continued to make mixes for me, although the modern ones now show up on shiny CDs, and usually around special holidays, like Valentine's Day. Or Arbor Day.

One year, my Valentine's mix started with Barry White and ended with Ben Folds' "The Luckiest" and left me in a sobbing heap at my computer, where I sat and listened while toiling away at my job. Although I surely felt loved.

He still makes mixes, but not just for me. I love that he makes mixes for other people, including, but not limited to: himself, his friend, Christopher, and our kids.

His latest mix is called "Alphabet." Yes, as you would guess… song titles covering A to Z. Take a peek:

It's harder than it looks. I thought the only song we had that started with "X" was by Madonner.

I've been promising Dan that I'll listen to it during the day, and I've meant well enough. It seems I'll start it, and about half way through the Roddy Frame contribution, I'll be damned if Neil doesn't win out and I clamor for my Finn fix. So much for the Alphabet mix.

I told him there really were a lot of Finn-related songs he could have chosen that would have added so much to this collection of his. Probably one for each letter. Except X. And possibly Z. Okay, so it might be a stretch to cover the entire alphabet in Finn, but I think I just planned my weekend, people.

I love when that happens so early in the week!

But in the spirit of mixes everywhere, I challenge you to make your own Alphabet mix. Then make a page about it. The blast it through your boom box on the street where you live and drive everyone crazy.

Then, leave your name if you want to win a copy of Dan's…and a few alphabet-related scrapbooking goodies tossed in for good measure. I'll have Dan draw a winner by tomorrow.

Fall, Food and Foo

I like fall.

I like food.

I like Foo Fighters.

It's only 58 degrees. I think it's here. Fall. Seriously. I am tingly. I like fall that much.

My new issue of Everyday Food arrived in the mail, and tell me that Chicken Pot Pie doesn't look like the Bomb. I'm going to calculate the points later today and see if it will fit into my master plan, and by 'plan' i mean the Weight Watchers "Oh, come on now…20 points is VERY filling" Diet to the Stars. If not that, the Spice Rubbed Chicken and Hominy Saute is lookin' might fine. God, I ADORE hominy.

I just downloaded Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace from the iTunes store, because I didn't have enough so called 'patience' to wait 'til I could drive to a store that sells CDs. Dave is looking good these days. Possibly a titch too much rock star skanky for my taste, but those tastes are all skewed during the Month of Neil. (I know, i've posted this link before. Did I mention my OCD?)

For September, I like my men slight and Kiwi. Sorry, Dan. If you talk with an accent you might get luckier.

Happy Foos-day to all.