smays.com

Sharing music

We were listening to some new tunes on Roger's iPod as we drove back to Jeff City from Columbia. Like most new cars, his has an input jack for the iPod (or whatever). So it was easy for me to pull out my nano [insert joke here], plug in and play one of my tunes.

As we listened, it occurred to me this simple act couldn't happen in a pre-iPod world, at least not easily. Yeah, I guess I could have had a pocket-full of cassettes or CD's, but Roger and I had thousands of songs between us and we thought nothing of switching from his iPod to mine.

My old pal RP was an avid collector of 45 rpm records. He had big cardboard boxes jammed with "singles." The best we could do back then was stack 20 or so on a fat little spindle that would drop the next 45 down to the turntable. Shuffle? Sure, like a deck of cards.

I seem to recall RP telling me he had copied all of his 45's to CD. Don't know if he's made the final leap to an iPod.

It's hard to imagine what's next but even hard to imagine there won't be a "next."

My Tracfone can't do this.

[via Hear 2.0]

Hotel Costes: Funky French Jazz

I was immediately taken with the warm-up music at Gnomedex 8.0. I was unfamiliar with it but Jamie recognized it as Hotel Costes.

It's sort of a funky jazz with a French feel. If I understood Jamie correctly, the music was originally mixed for the hotel on the French Riviera in Paris. This is what you'd hear in the lobby, I guess. You can sample it at last.fm.

Jamie is what my mom was talking about when she said I should start hanging out with a better class of people.

So, the Rolling Stones are out?

Hey Gomer, what the name of that song on the radio?

My digital homey David Brazeal didn't pop for an new 3G iPhone but did upgrade his original iPhone with some nifty new software. In this short (2 min) video, David shows us Shazam.

Don't know the name of that song on the radio? No problemo. Shazam does.

"Game over for music radio"

I received the following email yesterday:

"Terrestrial radio is in bigger trouble than ever, I am convinced. I just finished driving down a highway in rural (state), listening to streaming music on the free Pandora Radio app for my upgraded version 2.0 iPhone. This was via edge, not 3G.

Pandora plays randomized songs. But when an all-you-can-eat music service (maybe Apple's, someday) has this same kind of app, it's game over for music radio.  I'll be able to listen to any song I want while driving, and won't even have to load it on my iPod before leaving. Sent from my iPhone"

If you are unfamiliar with Pandora, it works like this: I enter the name of a song or artist. Pandora creates a "station" that plays music like the example I submitted. I "like" or "dislike" each song and Pandora keeps tweaking my play-list accordingly. I can have as many stations as I choose. Just music. No annoying DJ's. No commercials.

If I'm the program director of an "only the hits" radio station, should I be concerned about this technology? I can't please all the people, all the time. But all of the people can please themselves, all of the time. What is my Plan B?

A Day in the Life

Found this on The Sturdy Soapbox. For Beatles fans only I suspect. A fascinating look behind the recording of the final track on Sgt. Pepper. That this song was recorded on just four tracks is... mind blowing?

Sikeston insurance salesman belts out opera on AGT

It's always fun to showcase talent from "down home." Neal E. Boyd is from Sikeston which is just up the road (from Kennett, MO) in Sikeston, where he's an insurance salesman.

He's also a competitor on American's Got Talent, the show I've (never watched) but always thought of as the poor man's American Idol. Neal sings opera.

And from our Small World File, Neal attended choir camp at Arkansas State University under the direction of my old friend Viretta and he sang at the Christmas Eve service of the Presbyterian Church in Kennett a couple of years back. A gig made famous by frequent appearances by Sheryl Crow. [Thanks, Nancy]

"No one's in heaven here, but no one's in hell"

I don't think I've ever heard a sadder love song than We Just Get Along by the Evangenitals.

I gave it some thought before I wrote that. I tried to remember some of the saddest love songs (are all sad songs love songs?) I've heard in the last 40+ years. Don't worry, I won't try to list any here. My list wouldn't look anything like yours.

How sad and achingly beautiful is We Just Get Along? Do you remember the moment in Thelma and Louise when Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are sitting the car near the edge of the cliff with the cops coming for them and they look at each other with perfect understanding? It's that sad. And just a little bit sadder.

I'm nothing like her
Which may be why he likes me so much
I don't have her power
I don't have her touch

No one's in heaven here
but no one's in hell
We just get along

Naw, that doesn't cut it. You gotta sit in the dark with that last beer, remembering. Remembering a time when you were in love and they weren't.

As I listened to the half dozen cuts from the CD (Everlovin') I kept wondering, "Why aren't these songs hits?" But that's just the old DJ/Billboard Hot 100 coming out. We don't need radio to make hits anymore. The songs --if they're good enough-- take on a life of their own and roll across the Internet, from one link to the next.

The Evangenitals

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this band before. Hopefully, I'm the last one to discover The Evangenitals "...once a fictitious band - a fib on a phony website born to amuse its founders and maybe a few friends. On a whim, Juli Crockett, Lisa Dee, and Brett Lyda - who all worked at the same sex toy company in L.A. (like the Sex Pistols) - brought the ghost to life and debuted a handful of "hillbilly truck-stop lullabies."

Somewhere I stumbled across one of the songs from their latest CD ("Everlovin'"). A haunting ballad/anthem titled "Fuck 'em All."

I've looked high and low for the lyrics but that's just as well. You need to hear the song, not read the lyrics. It's only 99 cents. If you don't like it, I'll send you a buck.

PS: This post is number 3,500 here at smays.com. I normally miss things like this but just happened to notice this one. I promise not to bring this up again until 4,000.

My Favorite Depressing Songs

It occurred to me today that some of my favorite songs are pretty depressing. I wondered how many I could come up with off the top of my head. Real quick. 

• Table for One -Liz Phair
• At Seventeen - Janis Ian
• Picture - Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock
• Space Oddity - David Bowie
• Dark End of the Street - Veronica Klaus
• Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen
• Fuck 'em All - Evangenitals
• A Thousand Kisses Deep - Leonard Cohen

This is just a starter-list, in no particular order. And I'm willing to bump some if you can come up with some that I like as well but still make me want to blow my brains out. Ten would be a good number, don't you think? Comments are open.

What if God was one of us?

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the pope maybe in rome

-- Joan Osbourne

LA Times reviews Sheryl Crow's 'Detours'

"Sheryl Crow has proven her mettle so many times that her unique position is now taken for granted. She may be the most successful woman rocker ever, with the most consistently auspicious career. But she's still often dismissed as merely competent."

"Crow's progressive lyrics hit like rubber-band pings fired by some joker in the back row at school. No one is likely to sing her verses at a march on Washington. But by addressing serious issues in the language of pop, they remind us that political speech and casual breeze-shooting can and do often intersect." [Full review]

Dress Blues

What can you see from your window?
I can't see anything from mine.
Flags on the side of the highway
and scripture on grocery store signs.
Maybe eighteen was too early.
Maybe thirty or forty is too.
Did you get your chance to make peace with the man
before he sent down his angels for you?

Mamas and grandmamas love you
'cause that's all they know how to do.
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your dress blues.

Your wife said this all would be funny
when you came back home in a week.
You'd turn twenty-two and we'd celebrate you
in a bar or a tent by the creek.
Your baby would just about be here.
Your very last tour would be up
but you won't be back. They're all dressing in black
drinking sweet tea in styrofoam cups.

Mamas and grandmamas love you.
American boys hate to lose.
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your dress blues.

Now the high school gymnasium's ready,
full of flowers and old legionnaires.
Nobody showed up to protest,
just sniffle and stare.
But there's red, white, and blue in the rafters
and there's silent old men from the corps.
What did they say when they shipped you away
to fight somebody's Hollywood war?

Nobody here could forget you.
You showed us what we had to lose.
You never planned on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your dress blues.

No, no you never planned on the bombs in the sand
or sleeping in your dress blues.

                  -- Jason Isbell , on Sirens Of The Ditch

Is the bike still in the basement?

"Gasoline," from Sheryl Crow's just-released Album "Detours," is set in 2017, and foresees a nightmarish future when the world runs out of gas.

Ten in a row!

Mark Ramsey shares some thoughts on a story in the Sunday Times of London about the growing number of Brits tuning in to personalized Internet "radio" every week (and tuning out traditional radio).

Sunday Times: "Personalised broadcasts of the future will probably have either advertising or a price tag attached, just as they do today. But once your radio knows exactly what you want to hear, the idea of a human DJ – however cheeky his banter – might start to sound a little dated."

Ramsey: "Over the long haul I fully expect the influence of music-oriented radio to diminish. Because music, my friends, is a commodity. Not only can anyone string together a playlist, but nobody can string together my favorite playlist better than I can."

"What it all adds up to is the gradual near-obsolescence of music radio, not in a blink, but by a slow and persistent siphoning of audience and attention and interest and advertisers. This process will take years to happen."

I read a lot of stories like this but very few on the impact of Internet "stations" on non-music formats. Are news-talk formats feeling any effect from the web? My radio pals can feel free to post an anonymous comment.

Play Heart and Soul!

Amazing Young Organ Player Rocks Out - Watch more free videos

Can anyone tell me why she would pick a song from 30+ years ago? Could it be because that's where you find the best rock? Hmm?

Randy Newman - A Few Words in Defense of Our Country

Following the (MacWorld) keynote, Steve Jobs brought out Randy Newman for a couple of songs. A Few Words in Defense of Our Country is classic Newman satire. I liked it a lot more than the Wonkette did. There's a better version on YouTube.

The man behind Stevie Wonder?

Sometime in the 70's I interviewed Lee Garrett on the Grapevine, a talk show we did at KBOA. If memory serves, Garrett --who was blind-- was in town visiting his momma (or some relative). I recall him being a funny guy. Following the interview, I walked him out to the parking lot (where his driver was waiting) and he said that he could drive himself, but only at night.

I sure would like to know the Kennett connection. Can anyone out there help me with that?

Update 1/2/088: Anthony Buckley --Lee Garrett's son-- found his way to this post and confirms that there is still family in Kennett and Lee visits a couple of times a year.

 

Lee was recently out on tour with Stevie Wonder and has also co-written an album that's been nominated for an upcoming Grammy ("Soul of a Man" Patrick Lamb performer and co-writer).

Music videos, guerrilla style

Sheryl Crow on using YouTube to promote her new CD:

"As far as I know, MTV and VH1 don't play music videos any more; it's all reality TV and game shows, so I don't know if they'll really pick up a video. To me, it's an interesting time because you used to make a video for a million dollars with a great director. Now, you spend $10,000, if that, with no hair and make-up, and do it completely guerrilla style. For example, we did a song called "God Bless This Mess" about the war and we shot it in front of the White House and nobody stopped us. It's really really exciting to just go out and shoot, like how Bob Dylan shot "Don't Look Back" -- it's just a guy with a camera and you're performing the song."

HD Radio looking for iTunes hook

From INSIDE RADIO: "Polk Audio will announce the next generation of HD Radio tuners that will establish a direction connection between HD and iPods -- and in the process bring e-commerce to HD. In an alliance with Apple, Polk’s new I-Sonic ES2 HD Radio will include an iPod docking station that features a “tagging button” which will allow listeners to buy songs they hear on HD Radio stations via iTunes. The advancement requires HD stations to encode their signals and insiders say eight radio groups have committed to encoding."

I don't know. Maybe.

Brad Sucks

What was William Gibson listening to while writing Spook Country? Among others, a group called Brad Sucks. I never heard of 'em but if Mr. Gibson likes their music, I figured I'd take a listen. And liked what I heard. Brad Sucks invites you download their music for free but I clicked the iTunes link and bought the CD for ten bucks (after sampling each of the songs on the CD).

"In 2001, I started using the Internet (blogs, MP3s, P2P) to spread my music and not worrying so much about copyright violation. I've even been giving the source of my songs away for remixers to play with. I figured that spreading my music should be the number one goal and so far it's worked out pretty well."

Does Brad Sucks get radio airplay? Comment if you know.

Rediscovering songs of John Lennon

Instant Karma (The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur). And even more surprised at how many of the songs/versions I like.

R.E.M., Christina Aguilera, Corrine Bailey Rae, Flaming Lips, Black Eyed Peas, and others. Listening to these interpretations reminded me what a brilliant song writer John Lennon was.

This is the kind of purchase I would never have made before iTunes. I stopped buying CD's a looonnng time ago. For the most part, I had stopped listening to music. The iPod/iTunes has brought me --and a bazillion others-- back.

Captive audience

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

"For many fans, hearing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for the first time was a life-changing experience. Prior to its release in June of 1967, most of music being produced was for Top 40, AM radio play and for dance parties. Kids bought 45s and never thought of a collection of songs as a "concept album" or work of art. Sgt. Pepper's was unlike anything anyone had heard before."

You had to be there to appreciate "Sgt. Pepper's" but this piece on today's All Things Considered takes a good stab at explaining why it was a big deal. I was just finishing my first year of college when the album was released. Perfect timing.

Paul Simon: Old

The first time I heard "Peggy Sue"
I was 12 years old
Russians up in rocket ships
And the war was cold
Now many wars have come and gone
Genocide still goes on
Buddy Holly still goes on
But his catalog was sold

First time I smoked
Guess what - paranoid
First time I heard "Satisfaction"
I was young and unemployed
Down the decades every year
Summer leaves and my birthday’s here
And all my friends stand up and cheer
And say man you’re old
Getting old
Old
Getting old

We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas day
And Buddha found Nirvana along the lotus way
About 1,500 years ago the messenger Mohamed spoke
And his wisdom like a river flowed
Through hills of gold
Wisdom is old
The Koran is old
The bible’s
Greatest story ever told

Disagreements?
Work ’em out

The human race walked the earth for 2.7 million
And we estimate the universe at 13-14 billion
When all these numbers tumble into your imagination
Consider that the lord was there before creation
God is old
We’re not old
God is old
He made the mold

Take your cloths off
Adam and eve

Blue Man Group

I was expecting something else. A novelty act. Three guys (there can't be only three of them) with a gimmick that was getting a bit long of tooth. What I got was the best live performance I have ever seen. (You're right. I don't go to a lot of live performances, so my "best" is suspect).

I wasn't going to post on this because this puny blog can't begin to capture the event. It was, as they say at alincoln.com, "above our poor power to add or detract." So let me just offer a few superlatives, in no particular order. The performance (Mizzou Arena) by Blue Man Group was digital, interactive, smart, hip, techno, musical, percussive, clever, tight, wired and...fun.

I grabbed a few video clips and might add them but not even IMAX could capture the PVC-pounding vibe of the live performance. Like they say, you had to be there. I'm glad I was.

Update: Audio on my video sucked but there are lots at YouTube.

Apple TV: The price of simplicity

I spent part of the weekend playing with Apple TV. George came over Saturday and we had the thing up and running within 15-20 minutes. I won't try to "review" this device because a) I don't have the technical chops, b) I'm not a videophile or power user by any stretch and c) lots of websites and blogs have provided professional reviews.

And just for the record: Windows Media Center is light years ahead of Apple TV. Superior in every way. A different league. Cheaper, better, faster, taller... you name it. I have no experience with Media Center but happily stipulate to the above.

George described Apple TV as "your iPod on steroids." A pretty good description. I liked this from a review in PC World:

"The basic rule of Apple TV content seems to be: If you can play something in iTunes, you can play it on Apple TV. That puts some limitations on users, but then, that's the price of simplicity."

The price of simplicity. Yes, I will pay that price. Gladly. And Apple TV does everything I wanted to do. And just those things. And does them beautifully.

When we turned it on, all of my photos and all of my songs and podcasts immediately transferred (wirelessly) to the Apple TV.

So I can now play my music through the TV speakers or the sound system speakers.

I created a couple of slide shows in iPhoto (with music from iTunes) and shoved 'em over to Apple TV. So easy that I'll do this a lot more now.

Probably as much fun as anything was to put the music on shuffle and let Apple TV shuffle images from iPhoto. And, as you might expect, Apple does this in a very cool and visually interesting way. You'd have to see it.

Navigating the Apple TV menu is as easy and intuitive as... well, the iPod. No learning curve. Which also describes the Apple remote [far right in photo below].

Bottom line for me: I will do a lot more with my music and my photos than I have in the past. Just as the iPod changed the way I listen to music (and podcasts)... Apple TV is going to change how I use my TV. Like the box says, "Now there's always something good on TV."

Fifteen songs

My iTunes Music Store Gift Card (courtesy of Dr. Paul) is burning a hole in my nano. But I'm overwhelmed by the choices. So I'm asking readers of smays.com to help me select 15 great songs. So here's the assignment: If you could only purchase one song from iTunes, what would it be? Just post it in the comments below. Please don't attempt to explain your recommendation, just go with title and artist. We'll wrap this up on March 31st.

Why no new Al Green songs?

Scott Adams wonders why great musicians can't keep cranking out the hits every years?

"Consider Neal Diamond, for example. He wrote and recorded some of the greatest songs ever. But then the hits stopped coming, despite the fact that his talent probably improved with experience."

I wondered the same thing a year ago, but Mr. Adams offers a reasonable explanation:

"They can do more of the same sound, and consumers will think it sounds too much like the last album. Or they can try something different, and be unfavorably compared to their own hits. The public won’t be patient while the musician develops the new sound. It’s an almost impossible challenge."

What your iPod reveals about you

Podcasting News: Psychologists Jason Rentfrow of the University of Cambridge in England and Sam Gosling at the University of Texas at Austin, have found that strangers can accurately assess another person’s level of creativity, open-mindedness and extroversion after listening to his or her top 10 favorite songs.

While I had no data to support it, I theorized about this a year ago. Anyway, two of the conclusions in the new study caught my eye:

"Whether you can study or work efficiently while listening to music may depend on how outgoing you are. Background music can help extroverts focus but tends to torment introverts."

I've always thought of myself as an extrovert but I can NOT listen to music while I'm trying to concentrate.

"Fans of energetic music like dance and soul are more likely to impulsively blurt our their thoughts, compared with fans of other styles."

Guilty. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.

Just a six-by-six foot booth

Don't know how I missed this delightful little parady song:

My Cubicle, My cubicle
It's One of Sixty two
It's my small space in a crowded place
Just a six-by-six foot booth
And I hate it that's the truth

[Thanks, Matthew]

The neon lights are bright on Broadway

A few days ago I posted on getting an email from Ben Brogdon who used to work in radio down in my neck of the woods (Northeast Arkansa/Southeast Missouri). As I always do, I Googled Ben and got a hit on the Broadway musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. It ran from 1978 until 1982 (later made into a movie starring Dolly Parton, Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning et al) and Ben played in the Rio Grand Band, part of the original Broadway cast. I pinged Ben to see if he was "that Ben Brogdon":

"Yassir, tha's me. We had a western swing band in Nashville for the fun of it, and a friend of ours who produced Asleep at the Wheel (and some of Bob Wills later stuff, and Willie Nelson's early stuff, and who also played with Buddy Holly when he was killed) hooked us up to the powers-that-were, and we went to New Yawk on a trial basis and just stayed a while. It was a great experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but I honestly didn't like living there very much. I will have to say, though, there sure was a lot of great music to hear, and some incredible restaurants. The play, by the way, was a lot better than the movie. I still sorta keep in touch with one of the authors of the play, Larry L. King. He lives in D.C., and still writes some. Great guy with a great mind.

In case you're interested, I've worked with some kinda big name acts, but most of them were country. (Stonewall Jackson, Dottie West, Donna Fargo, Barbara Mandrell, and others). I did work a club in Nashville where we backed a lot of different people doing showcases, or even just settin' in, and got to play with Tony Orlando, Lou Rawls and others. All in all, I'd say I've played bass for about 150 name or near name acts. And the number of great instrumentalists I've been fortunate to pick with still amazes me. I don't know if you've heard of some of them, but Lenny Breau and Danny Gatton, as well as Roy Clark, Chet Atkins and some others are some who I've gotten to pick for. Now, please, I'm not name dropping, but I've been in the bidness a long time and have been very lucky.

If you saw The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas in New York at the 46th street theater in '78 or '79, I was probably playing bass. I left and went back to Nashville after about two years. You'll also see me on a blues website, I think, and I'm on a lot of steel guitar things."

Talk about your brushes with near greatness! Ben has agreed to let me interview him and we're working on the details but it sounds like he's got some great stories to tell. Stay tuned.

Kennett's Tomlinson a Stern fav

J-Dub (a foam-at-the-mouth Howard Stern fan) reports that Kennett singer/songwriter Trent Tomlinson gets some mega-exposure on on Stern's show:

Howard Stern plays one of his tunes frequently. Mrs. Howard Stern, a little drunk vixen, chose Drunker than Me as the tune to sing along to for Howard. They love it so much, that they play it all the time on the show. Good exposure for Trent.

I love the thought of Trent and Sheryl Crow co-writing and performing a song. I gotta believe somebody is already working on that.

Starbuck's Radio

Did I mention purchasing the new CD by Corinne Bailey Rae while getting coffee at a Starbuck's in Seattle? I heard one of her songs on the Hear Music channel (aka The Starbuck's Channel) on XM and the announcer said something about getting the CD at Starbuck's. It almost sounded like that was the only place you could buy it but that can't be right. I'm sure you can get it on Amazon and Wal-Mart and anyplace else music is sold. But I'm drifting from my point...

I was getting coffee this morning at one of the Destin Starbuck's and they were playing her CD. As I listened it occurred to me that Starbuck's was sort of like a radio station. A radio station that sells music. And coffee. And a nice place to enjoy both. All nicely wrapped in the Starbuck's brand.

I remember sitting in a bar in Des Moines (pre-Internet) listening to really good music. It was one of those subscription music services, delivered by satellite. I remember trying to contact the company in hopes of purchasing some of the songs I heard. Impossible, of course.

A Joyful Noise

Warning: This post contains material that some might find offensive. But now you know and can spare yourself any discomfort or embarrassment by stopping here. If you do decide to listen to this very amusing parody song, you forfeit any right to piss, moan, bitch or otherwise complain. Are we good? Enjoy. [Thanks, Terry]

"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." -- Mark Twain

Where are the transistor radios?

I've come across Zing a couple of times this weekend. I gather this little gizmo is still in prototype but it sounds interesting. For lack of a better word, they're little radios that have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios built in. The radios are used to download music and to upload data about what you are listening to. If you have one of these players, you can do cool things, like see what your friends are listening to, then play samples of those tracks, or buy songs and albums directly from the player. The first Zing-powered players should ship this year, carrying the Sirius brand.

As I read about this I mentally pictured all the people I see listening to iPods. Which begs a question: Why don't I see anyone walking around with a transistor (do they call them that?) radio? I mean, there are some really great radio programs...are we only listening to them in the car or at the office? Why? If I'm willing to stand in line at Subway with nano earbuds hanging down my face...why not listen to my local radio station?

After all, what could be easier? No iTunes to futz with and sync. Just drop your little transitor radio in your pocket and go. I'm missing something here, aren't I?

Where did the stereo go?

Fill your home with sound, not stereo components. Keep your music collection at your fingertips, not in countless CD cases. Change the way you experience digital music. For $349, iPod Hi-Fi delivers crystal-clear, audiophile-quality sound in a clean, compact design.

Might have to have me one of these. We probably turn our stereo on 3 or 4 times a year. I think I read that Apple has sold 10 million iPods. If 1% of them buy one of these... 100,000 at $350?

Rock and Roll Fantasy

So you have great singer/song writers like Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Don Henley and Glen Frey who --as far as I know-- aren't making hit records any more. They're rich, the royalties are coming in, they worked long and hard...so maybe they're just taking it easy. Why should they bust their asses writing songs. Because they love writing songs. It was once their passion and I want to believe it still is. So where are the songs?

Let's suppose in the hip-hop musical world of 2006, nobody wants to hear a song by these old farts. But that doesn't sound right. I'm betting they're still writing songs...and there are millions of fans who would love to buy/hear them.

Okay, here's the fantasy part. Let's say you're one of these musical legends and you still noodle around in your home studio, writing and recording songs. Not necessarily 'hit' songs, just songs. Stuff you like. Why not put it up on a website, give your fans a little taste, and let us buy them?

I think Janis Ian (if you don't know, it doesn't matter) does something like this. And why not. If your music is no longer "commercially viable," but you still love making it... put it up there. Let us buy it direct. Like I said, it's a fantasy.

Speaking of music... I would love to hear Sheryl Crow do Me and Bobby McGee. Not the Joplin screamer. More of a ballad treatment maybe. Has she ever performed that song?

Still speaking of music... I kinda like the song Table for One by Liz Phair.

But reaching back it occurs to me
There will always be some kind of crisis for me

Not a good drinking song, but haunting.

If somebody has Doug Howard's email address, he can probably answer the question above. Play the Kennett card.

You = Your iTunes

Tom Peters says his #1 belief about management is: You = Your Calendar. "All we have is our time. The way we distribute it is our 'strategic plan,' our 'vision,' our 'values.' Period. So how'd you spend your precious time today? Tell me, and I'll tell you what you actually care about -- it's simple and unerring."

Maybe. But I don't want to be my calendar. Nobody has to guess what bloggers care about. It's all right here. But if I weren't a blogger, you could look at my iPod and get a sense of who I am. In fact, here's what you can do in lieu of a memorial service for smays: Plug my nano into a good sound system...put it on shuffle... and let it play until the battery runs down. Friends can stop by for a few minutes and listen.

Kennett's Tomlinson to open for Bon Jovi

A source close to the artist reports (it's on his website, too) that Trent Tomlinson will open for Bon Jovi in Nashville on February 14, 2006. I'm not familair with Great American Country TV but you can cast a ballot for Trent's excellent video on their website. If you missed my previous post on Trent, he's the hot young CW artist from Kennett.

Either W is cool or the iPod is lame

The chaps at Sky News had the presence of mind to ask George Bush what he listens to on his iPod. You have to assume he has someone (who is familiar with his tastes) keeping him topped off with his favorite songs, but I like the image of him crusing iTunes late at night. [Micro Persuasion via AgWired]

I got a sing and a dance when I glance in my pants

From Enormous Penis by Da Vinci's Notebook. Lyrics, MP3 audio sample

Drunker than me

That's the title of a new country song by Kennett native, Trent Tomlinson. Viretta and Nancy were beating this drum back in September and sent us a pre-release CD. I sort of half-way listened to some of the songs but I'm not a country fan so I didn't really give it a shot. I just watched one of the videos on Mr. Tomlinson's website and loved it. The video and the music. Like I said, I don't know shit about country music (possible song title?) but it sounds to me like the boy has some real mojo. I went to school with Trent's daddy (and sat on the bench, watching his pop play basketball) so that might be a factor here. But if Trent's career takes off the way Sheryl Crow's did, we'll need a bigger Welcome to Kennett sign.

'Cause I keep worryin' about who's drivin' home,
Who's got the keys, who's got the 'phone.
Who'll pay the bill, call a cab.
I don't mean to make you mad,
But I don't want that responsibility,
An' I can't be with a woman, baby, who gets drunker than me.

Here are the lyrics but be sure to watch the video. [Thanks, Nancy.]

Barenaked on a Stick

Rather than distribute via CD, DVD or download, the Barenaked Ladies are making their newest selection of songs, videos and exclusive material available on a USB flash drive. Nettwerk Music Group is releasing "Barenaked on a Stick" beginning today, says the Hollywood Reporter. It plays on PCs, Macs and any other audio product with a USB port -- like some car stereos -- and costs $30. This 128 reusable drive contains 29 songs, including the band's 2004 "Barenaked for the Holidays" album, in MP3 format along with live tracks, in-concert spoken quips, album art, photos, videos and more.

While I wouldn't pay $15 for a CD (or whatever they cost), I would buy one of these little buggers. The boys get it.

[seattlepi.com via RAIN]

Dance of the Large-Breasted Skank

Looking for that perfect --yet affordable-- gift for smays? I can always use some some new production music and the clever kids at Wayne Kozak Audio Productions have the hard-to-find stuff I've been searching for. [via AdRants]

Radio Randy's 100 Greatest Rock Songs

Radio Randy insists this list is not 'his' top 100 rock songs, just "the most familiar songs of our generations." He promises to post his list later. Whatever the distinction, it's a pretty good list. At least as good as Lucas Davneport's list.

Randy's daughter, Jessica, comments: I hate to say it, but you've got a list full of old white guys in recovery. Oh well...its only rock and roll.

Best Songs of the Rock Era

I was hoping someone had posted this and it makes perfect sense to find it on John Sandford's "official website." If you know who John Sandford is, you know who Lucas Davenport is: main character in a very popular series of novels. In Broken Prey, Lucas' wife has given him an iPod and a certificate for 100 songs from iTunes. Woven throughout the novel are scenes in which Lucas tries to decide whether a particular song should or should not make his "Best Songs of thte Rock Era" list. A fun plot element that concludes with said list at the end of the novel. The thought of trying this myself is somehow exciting and frightening at the same time.

I suggested to Radio Randy that he should invited readers to nominate songs and he post the current 100. As a "better" song comes in, it bumps something else. Eventually, you wind up with his "best" and he heads off to iTunes. I'd love to see Terry McVey's list as well.

Nano crotch glow

Cruising down the highway with Freddy Mercury screeming that he/we are the champions...of the world! And I look down between my thighs and see the cool glow of my nano. We know, of course, that all good rock comes not from the heart but the crotch. Those piercing guitar licks shooting up the little white wire and straight into my medulla oblongata get outta this place.

I don't care how good your speakers are or how carefully you place them, there's nothing like hearing the music coming from inside your head. Like hearing the music for the first time.

May I see your pass, please?

XM Ben attended the Rolling Stones concert Monday night (DC) and managed to get backstage where he had his photo taken spooning Ron Wood. I think that qualifies as a Brush with Near Greatness. It flashed me back to 1964 (my sophomore year in high school) when the Rolling Stones were all over the radio. We had never heard anything remotely like them. How can they possibly be touring 40 years later?