I went to visit my family this past weekend. This was a planned visit, so I had hoped I would leave the blog a bit better prepared than I did, but due to an exhausting work schedule and an incredible amount of things to tend to before leaving, that obviously never happened. I am still playing catch-up. I've also fallen into the deep end of Pinterest again, but FINALLY I am pinning with a purpose because those big changes I've been talking about for years (the past two years, in fact)? Those changes are set to begin at last.
I took another unintentional hiatus for a week or two there. Maybe more. Who's keeping track, though? I am just glad to pop in for another post. I didn't mean to abandon the blog or any readers OR neglect my own reading, but so much has been going on here lately, as I prepare to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one.
So what all has been happening since I last posted? Well....lots of thrifting. I have so many pretties and goodies to take and post pics of, and I've not gotten around to it yet. Thrifting has been my saving grace for many years now - just like retail therapy, only cheaper and with way cooler stuff (in my opinion). Keeping up with family and friends. Lots and lots going on with them, too. This has been an amazing year thus far in that almost everyone I know has faced some pretty difficult times, and I see them all rising to the challenges and overcoming the obstacles. I need to get back to that myself, and have been shown a multitude of inspirations.
Of course, it all comes back to the music - those combinations of words and sounds that inspire, encourage, and keep us going. Or just offer us an escape. I'll be sharing a few of those this week for 4Ms/Music Monday:
This one's been on my mind so much. I'm normally not a lyrics person, but this one just just about fits me to a tee right now.
Fighter - Christina Aguilera
I've been hearing this one a LOT lately, and couldn't believe it was Shinedown. It's so romantic - probably the ONE type of song I don't need to be listening to at this point in my life, but what the heck. It's one of my current favorites and so pretty.
I'll Follow You - Shinedown
And now, to lighten the mood, this is the most hilarious spoof video I've seen in quite some time - my friend Spank had it posted on her Facebook wall and I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to share it. Now is the time! If you've never seen it, you are in for a real treat. I now give you....
Look at this Instagram - CollegeHumor
Okay. What a bummer. They disabled embedding, but if you've got a few minutes, you NEED to check it out; it's hilarious! Because we all know instagrammers who do all that stuff. And that guy makes me giggle uncontrollably!
Happy week! I am so glad to have tomorrow off. There is lots and lots of stuff to do, but I can still stay up late and get caught up on my latest guilty pleasure, Hart of Dixie. Yup.
Well, it is for all intents and purposes, anyway, so this is my Monday post. Weekends depress me unless I have fun plans, so I am really thankful that I usually work through them. And despite a productive day off today, I am glad to see Monday roll back around. Weekdays are my sense of normalcy and all, and these days, I need all the normalcy I can get.
Speaking of Mondays, have any of you been watching The Following? It premiered last Monday, and being a huge fan of Poe, I am LOVING it! Kevin Bacon ain't bad, either.
Monday also means Music Monday, so head over to Dolly's for the rules, or to participate or read more!
This week's theme is music inspired by the four elements. I'm in the mood for rain here lately, so mine are all rain-related.
Prince: Purple Rain
Guns 'N Roses: November Rain (w/Sir Elton John)
To be honest, those two make me sad - even though one is by GNR. So here's a few that DON'T make me sad....
Queensryche - Another Rainy Night
I always thought this was a visually stunning video, and I just LOVE Geoff Tate's voice.
Anyone remember this one?
Jackyl - Down on Me The word "rain" may not be in the title, but it's liberally repeated in the lyrics, so it totally counts!
I sure miss the days when the hot guys all had super-long hair.
Here's another favorite....
Hank Williams III - Thunderstorms and Neon Signs
And my final rain selection?
Slayer - Raining Blood
Oh, come on now. You all KNEW that was coming! (and how weird was it to see KFK with a head full of hair instead of a face full?)
To make a long story short, I was hit - as in suddenly KO'd - by what I thought was allergies, then I was worried it was the flu....only to come to find out it was a nasty sinus infection (and I'm still not convinced it wasn't a touch of the flu - EVERYTHING hurt, I had a fever of 101, aches, chills, sweats, the works!). After two doc visits in two days, antibiotics, corticostearoids and orders to stay home and rest this weekend, I am starting to feel a bit better. And can actually get a bit caught up on blogging, since there isn't energy to do much else.
The worst part of it all wasn't the lost hours at work, or even being sick and at times in pain, but missing the opportunity to formally say goodbye to someone I'd grown to really admire and cherish.
Allow me to back up just a bit. The Sunday before the weekend I went to visit my family (January 6), my work family got some devastating news which, by the following Sunday, turned into the tragic loss of a vibrant, beautiful, caring, smart and talented young woman with her whole life ahead of her. You never saw Christina Leigh Linderman without a smile on her face, and she inspired so many people in her short time with us. I am so sad that she is gone, and will really miss her - but I am absolutely heartbroken for her new husband and their families.
Visitation and funeral were scheduled for Friday, which is the day I woke up with the nastiest illness that's hit me in quite a while. Needless to say, I did not attend, and really wish I'd been able to. I didn't take to the blog to make a sad post, but I did want to honor her in some small way. And since this week is "Freebie" week at Monday's Music Moves Me, I took to Christina's facebook page for inspiration. I found The Lasting Hope in her musical interests, and this is their latest single:
And....
Since this is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, here's one for him:
Thanks for stopping by, and head to Dolly's for the rules and to link up your own post!
(And I'm not talking about that annoying Britney Spears song, either, though you're welcome for the earworm!)
So this was the week I just couldn't get it together to participate in anything, let alone post anything on my own. To be fair, I've been battling a sinus infection, lady issues, going to the gym, and working - thankfully, lots of working. In retail, I have learned to grab hours when and where I can, so this week that's meant I worked twelve hours one day, ten hours another day, and six + hours the remaining two days. I have tomorrow off, but I'm going out of town, so there is a LOT to do before I head out around noon.
In the meantime....
You get Monday's Music Moves Me on a Thursday! This week's theme was "commercial jingles." I loved this one so much, and loved to sing along with it. Anyone remember this one from WAY back?
Well, as I mentioned before, I'm heading out of town and am currently trying to get some content scheduled to post. I will be back Monday evening, so I don't think I'll be able to get my link submitted for Monday's Music Moves Me/Music Monday till later in the evening. Hopefully there won't be an issue getting a current Coffee Chat post linked up properly for Tuesday, but I'm going to belatedly submit my first post of the year there because the theme is important to me.
Obviously, I'm sitting out Wordless/Wordful Wednesday and Writer's Workshop and any of the Friday memes I was considering for this week. I would normally say hopefully next week is calmer, but I really don't care if it is or not. I just hope I manage my time a bit better!
One of the featured themes for the last Monday's Music Moves Me of the year is along the lines of the year's best songs. Right up my alley, right? This year saw a lot of new music from some artists I really like, so you should give them a listen on Spotify!
Some albums I really enjoyed this year:
Voodoo Glow Skulls,Break the Spell Attack, Attack!,This Means War Foxy Shazam,Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll (you have GOT to hear this one!) Nada Surf,The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy Lamb of God,Resolution Rick Ross,God Forgives, I Don't Rush,Clockwork Angels B.o.B.,Strange Clouds Of Montreal,Paralytic Stalks Chris Robinson Brotherhood,Big Moon Ritual Pink Floyd, re-release of The Wall. 'Nuff said. Cannibal Corpse,Torture Biohazard,Reborn in Defiance Iron Maiden,En Vivo! (A collection of live recordings.) Shinedown,Amaryllis The Cult,Choice of Weapon Melvins,Freak Puke The Avett Brothers,The Carpenter Thousand Foot Krutch,The End is Where We Begin Deuce,Nine Lives The Brian Jonestown Massacre,Aufheben The Smashing Pumpkins,Oceania The Gaslight Anthem,Handwritten Ryan Bingham,Tomorrowland Devin Townsend Project,Epicloud Stone Sour,House of Gold & Bones - Part 1 Travis Barker and Yelawolf,Psycho White Green Day,Uno Green Day,Dos Green Day,Tre
While these are all some really great albums, my absolute favorites - the ones from which I love each and every track - were:
Hank Williams III, - Long Gone Daddy Did you know that the grandson (and lookalike) of country legend Hank Williams is a musician as well? Okay, now you do! His latest is full of rollicking, twangy, honky-tonk country covers (and some outtakes from some of his own earlier albums). Just like I love it! Enjoy this amazing Merle Haggard cover:
Marilyn MansonBorn Villain I've blogged about this one before, and I'm no less excited about it now. I still think you should give it a listen if you've ever liked the band, especially their earlier stuff.
Jack White - Blunderbuss - I blogged about him in the same post as Manson, and I'm still listening to Blunderbuss regularly. With a variety of different sounds, there's sure to be something for everyone on it.
And of my absolute favorites released this year? My most favorite of favorites?
The Killers - Battle Born Oh, how I love every song just so so so much! Oh, how I feel like linking to every video from the album that I can find! But...I won't. So yeah, this one is probably my favorite song on the album. My "song of the year," if you will:
How about you? What were your favorite songs this year? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!
I'll close out my last Music Monday post of the year by honoring the musicians and others in the industry who passed away in 2012.
RIP Nicole Bogner, Dave Brubeck, Terry Callier, Elliott Carter, Lol Coxhill, Rob "Balfabar Nosugref The Almighty" Cranny, Hal Davis, Rob Doherty, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Robbie France, Robin Gibb, Michael Grant, Andy Hamilton, Jonathan Harvey, Mehdi Hassan, Levon Helm, Whitney Houston, Steeve Hurdle, Etta James, Davy Jones, Tonmi Lillman, Huw Lloyd-Langton, Joey "Fingers" Lombard, John Lord, Mitch Lucker, Jim Marshall, Scott McKenzie, Ronnie Montrose, Trondr Nefas, Johnny Otis, Dory Previn, Mark Reale, Mike Scaccia, Earl Scruggs, Ravi Shankar, Joe South, Big Jim Sullivan, Donna Summer, Richie Teeter, David S. Ware, Doc Watson, Bert Weedon, Bob Welch, Kitty Wells, Hans Werner-Henze, Andy Williams, and Adam Yauch.
This weekend got off to an absolutely horrifying start, and while music isn't truly important in the wake of such a tragedy so fresh in our collective minds and heavy hearts, I do firmly believe it makes the world a better place.
"One good thing about music, when it hits you (you feel no pain)"
-Bob Marley, "Trenchtown Rock"
Since this is the last Monday before many of our holiday festivities begin, this will be my last Christmas contribution to Monday's Music Moves Me over at Christmas Dolly's.
The Rules:
1. You Tube, lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & leave a Rockin' comment!
Now, I give you my favorite Christmas song ever......
Yep! I love Elvis's sultry voice and twangy guitar on this one. And who doesn't love Elvis?
Last week, I did a bunch of different versions of "Run Run Rudolph" and I promise I won't do that this week! But I'd be remiss if I didn't include Georgia rockers Collective Soul's rendition of this song, too.
You see, sometime in the late 90s I signed up for Columbia House (anyone remember THAT?) and I often forgot to send the cards back to decline that month's featured CD. This meant that I ended up with a lot of accidental additions to my music collection because I was also bad at not returning the packages before my kids, young boys at the time, would excitedly open them! One of those CDs was You Sleigh Me, which featured Collective Soul's cover of my favorite Christmas song ever. It is quite the departure from the sound of Elvis and many others who've recorded/performed this.
Enjoy!
And as a non-Christmas-related bonus, here's "Trenchtown Rock" from Bob Marley, the song and artist referenced earlier in this post:
Have yourself a great week, and a Merry Little Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whichever other holiday you may celebrate if this is your last trip here before the holidays. And if you don't celebrate a holiday this time of year, I wish you the best and hope you get to spend precious time iwth your family and/or friends.
It's December 10, and I STILL don't have my tree up. I'm not too worried about it, though. It's a two-piece artificial tree that doesn't really require any work, after all. Due to our living arrangements, I'll probably just set it up this week, then my oldest son and his gf can help me decorate it on Friday. It'll be fun; hors d'ouevres and cocktails (or water. Or tea. Or juice) topped off with Market Pantry's Red Velvet Chocolate Limited Edition Holiday milk. I've had some, and I do find it yummy!
Thankfully, I do have most of my shopping done! But I am actually making someone a gift as well.....and although I have backup, I truly do hope it's done in time!
So....on to some Music Monday fun!
Here are the rules:
1. You Tube, lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY (found at XMas Dolly's), Follow us, & leave a Rockin' comment!
Last week, I linked up with comedic sketch "I Wish it was Christmas Today." But this week, I'm giving you an actual song: "Run Run Rudolph." And am I ever!
I just never get tired of it, and love it in many of it's editions! I picked each of these versions because I could tell that each different artist definitely added their own signature sound to it. I know it's a lot to sort through and I don't expect anyone to sit through ALL of them (well, unless you really want to. I certainly won't object!), but I'm hoping you'll scroll through, see what I have, and maybe a version you haven't heard yet will intrigue you enough to want to click play and listen!
First up is a rousing country version by Luke Bryan:
But my favorite country version is by Dwight Yoakam:
Did you know that Cee Lo's done this, too? Well, he has. And I LOVE IT!
And what about Keith Richards? Why yes. Yes, he has.
But I bet you didn't know 80s glam rockers Hanoi Rocks had too, did ya? Yep. And they even busted out the harmonica. Not my favorite by a long shot, but this video is something else:
So did 80s glam rockers Faster Pussycat (I really like it, too!):
Now, this one by Reverend Horton Heat is probably *almost* my favorite, just because I love this band so much! Here they are performing it live:
And here's a kick-ass version from the album We Wish You A Metal Christmas by Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons and Dave Grohl:
But my very favorite, hands-down, is the first one I ever heard, and probably the most well-known and liked version, which is from the AMAZING Chuck Berry:
But you saw that one coming, now didn't you?
Happy Music Monday to you! So tell me: What's your favorite version of "Run Run Rudolph?"
I know I have neglected this blog for so long now, but I do have plans for a re-launch around the end of the month. I will also be embarking on new blogging journeys at that time, but I'll touch base a bit more with that at a later date. I plan on doing a catch-up post to usher the this year out, but until then I will be attempting to revitalize my "participatory" posts. Hopefully find my groove.....again.
So today is Music Monday! And throughout the month of December, the theme is "Christmas." I know not everyone celebrates Christmas, but I do, and have a few holiday favorites to share.
First up is something that ALWAYS makes me smile......
"I Wish it was Christmas Today"
Love it. Love it. LOOOOVE it! This is everything that is right about (the frivolous side of) holiday music.
If you'd like to play along, head over to The Christmas Dolly's Place for the official rules, then just grab the button and leave your link.
Wait....do I already have a post with that title? Probably so. I seem to have quite a few "What a week!"s.
As I stated in my last Music Monday post, last week was going to be a killer in terms of time management, and I was not wrong. We did make the trip up to Tennessee to visit my oldest son's college, and now, almost everything is lined up and in place. We're just enjoying our family time until he moves on the 24th. I have already made plans to be off work that weekend, as it is move-in weekend for the Freshmen, and I would not miss this for the world.
I may not have been able to blog, or visit much this past week, but I did manage to finish reading 50 Shades of Grey. And yes, there will be a review of sorts coming up. So come back soon if you're into that sort of thing. I am trying for tomorrow, but who knows? It may be Thursday instead.
Also since my last post, Randy Blythe was released from jail and has returned home. According to a tweet from Slipknot, Lamb of God will indeed be performing at Knotfest. If you live in either of the Knotfest cities, I urge you to go to the shows - the lineup is pretty amazing and if you ask me, this fest needs to go on the road :) And speaking of fests, last night was the last show of this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. I am still having withdrawals from the show I attended three weeks ago. I am really looking forward to next year, though!
And now, for this week's Music Monday selection.....
First off, the rules:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & Rockin' comments are good!
4. Finally, Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
Ryan Bingham - Heart of Rhythm
I fell in love with Ryan Bingham's music when he first caught my attention in Crazy Heart as part of Bad Blake's band. Bingham wrote the song "The Weary Kind" with T-Bone Burnett, and it won both a Golden Globe AND an Oscar for Best Original Song. Quite a feat for such a young musician! That particular song was sung by Bridges in the movie, but the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features Ryan Bingham's version. It is also on 2010's Junky Star.
His new album Tomorrowland is out September 18 (a GREAT birthday gift for yours truly, BTW!), and the first single, "Heart of Rhythm" was released last Tuesday. If you are not already familiar with Ryan Bingham's music, you are really missing out and should acquaint yourself with it ASAP....
....hell, maybe even the rest of this week, promise to be a blur of activity.
I worked this morning into this afternoon, when my sons returned home from their month-long trip to their Dad's. They got here about 4pm, and since then I have:
Attempted to jump my youngest son's car off.
Went out for dinner with both sons and my oldest's girlfriend.
Attempted to dry the same load of clothes for hours; it seems my dryer has quit getting warm.
Attempted AFTER dinner to jump son's car off once more, to no avail.
Had son remove battery from car, then we took it to O'Reilly's for testing. Dead, of course. Purchased new battery and came home.
New battery worked. THANK GOODNESS.
Went to get gas in son's car.
Started doing my last minute Pre-Customs stuff for my oldest son's customs. Interrupted by an hour-long power outage.
Out of boredom, went for a drive with my youngest son (oldest was out with gf) during the power outage, and got brought up to speed on how his summer went.
Returned home, and spent literally HOURS doing this Customs stuff. We're still not completely done, though I have come to a point in which I can go no further tonight. Oh, and my dryer? Never heated up, and load of denim never dried. So I gave up, and threw a load of soft material in instead. Hopefully this won't be impossible.
Made hotel reservation. Printed confirmation.
Printed directions from our house to our hotel.
Printed directions from our hotel to the school.
Tried really, really hard not to panic at the rapidly-declining balance in my checking account.
On the agenda for tomorrow?
Wake up early to apply for title and license plate for youngest son's car.
Send oldest to health department for booster shot and copy of shot records, the most recent of which can not be found.
Procure passenger side mirror for youngest son's car.
Call insurance and get youngest son added to policy.
Pack for customs trip.
Work 5-9pm.
Come home, grab packed bags, paperwork, and son, and head to our destination, 1.5 hours away.
So after all this chaos and such, it's good to tap into music to help slow it down some. It just so happens that today's 4Ms theme is "Funny Songs".
Rules:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & Rockin' comment are good!
4. Finally, Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
Well...I had a few of these lined up to post, but since my brain is fried, only two are going to make it. And one of them is DEFINITELY RATED R!!!!!!
Andy Samberg/Justin Timberlake: "Dick in a Box". Because it just never gets old. Embedding is disabled by request, so you can watch it here if you like.
The Charlie Daniels Band: Uneasy Rider. Pretty funny!
Be sure to go over to XMas Dolly's to play along! We'd love to have you :)
As for me, I will get caught up with everyone later in the week. Too much going on till Wednesday!
I reveal why I am the way I am - musicially speaking, at least. Though if I'm being completely honest here, my musical tastes are many and varied. I truly do love some of everything. But since my heart obviously belongs to the heavier, more aggressive stuff and that's what I've been focusing on in my music posts here lately, read on as I try to figure out why.
Other than being inexplicably drawn to the sound (there will be a music & lyrics post in my future) just like I was inexplicably drawn to classic horror movies at an early age, the best I can figure is that it all started with this man here:
Wolfman Jack (singing "My Girl")
For those of you who don't know, Wolfman Jack was a popular radio DJ in the 60s and 70s, but I knew him as the host of the The Midnight Special, which my Dad would wake me up to watch after Mom went to bed :) If you look at all the musical guests at the wiki page, you'll see that he had a very wide variety of musical genres showcased. But the only one I remember is this one - my introduction to:
Alice Cooper (not even listed on the list of musicians on the wiki page) This is the first of several videos someone obviously youtubed probably from digital recordings of old vhs recordings. But you still get a sense of the theatrics.
I've already established that the babysitter's kid introduced me to Kiss (who also appeared on the Midnight Special), and I liked the rock music my parents turned me on to (The Doors, Journey, Joan Jett, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Rush, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc.), but this? Like Kiss before him, Alice Cooper grabbed my attention in a visceral way. And this was not even someone I ever had a crush on (like, say, Joey Ramone, Nikki Sixx, and countless others). I just knew this was different. He scared me, and I knew he scared others. I loved it. And that is pretty much that.
It didn't help that, besides The Eagles, who I liked, the stuff my Mom would play in the car on trips included this:
Leo Sayer (is this not Richard Simmons?? Seriously? Have you ever seen them both at the same time? No? It is probably because they are one and the same!)
I remember once Mom and I went to Memphis (about a 1.5 hour drive) and Mom played whatever 8 track tape this was on -up there AND back. I was scarred for life, and probably then made the completely subconscious decision to stay away from easy listening for the rest of my life. (disclaimer: I now own two Amos Lee albums. "Easy listening" back then was what "adult alternative" is now. Make of that what you will.)
....and I can't resist throwing in some Dr. Hook. I heard "When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman" so many times I don't think I will ever un-burn it from my brain. But I *do* like "Cover of the Rolling Stone" so here it is....
(I found the songs I liked best from these artists. Points for trying, right?)
For what it's worth, Mom did have great taste in music. It's just that when she picked something I hated (like Leo Sayer), it seemed like I heard it all. the. time.
And then I became a teenager. And liked a bit of everything, as usual....till they turned our local rock station into yet another pop station. The pop stations did play some hair metal, but you no longer heard stuff like Dio, Maiden, Zeppelin, etc. I couldn't turn the radio on without having my ears assailed constantly by the worst music to come out of the 80s (except for Prince, Falco, Simple Minds, and OMD, who I did really like). The internet and satellite radio did not exist, so I couldn't just pick an out-of-town station to listen to. It was a dark time in my life, and I filled it by buying hair band and metal albums and subscribing to Hit Parader and Circus magazines. And plastering my bedroom walls with posters of long haired men in makeup. It got me through my teenage years.
My love of strange, scary people and loud, aggressive and/or scary music just never died; I think it only got stronger as I got older.
This past weekend I attended the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival with my good friend and concert buddy Spank when the show rolled through Atlanta. I had an amazing time, and plan to post about it once I am home and can collect and compose my thoughts - I'm currently still in Atlanta at Spank's place and blogging from her computer. (Hi, Spank! I'm not even gone yet and I miss you already! ::mwah:: ) She and I have dished about the show at her place, so you should check that out if you get a chance. And if you have a sense of humor :)
In the meantime, it's Music Monday again. The theme for the 100th week is "Gone but not forgotten - featuring music from artists who have passed recently. Unfortunately, there are far too many of these.
The Rules:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & Rockin' comment are good!
4. Finally, Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
Slipknot - Duality
(Paul Gray, 1972 - 2010)
I know I keep giving you Slipknot videos during my Music Monday posts, but the theme makes this entirely appropriate. At the show this weekend, the band played "Duality" in tribute to Paul Gray while the backdrop changed to a giant "2" (Gray's stage persona was #2). I don't think they ever perform without honoring his memory.
The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
(Joey Ramone, 1951 - 2001)
My first real rock star crush. Peter Criss from Kiss (before the makeup came off) doesn't count - I "liked" whoever the babysitter's daughter liked, because she was older and knew best. And I was just annoying that way!
Type O Negative - Wolf Moon
(Peter Steele, 1962 - 2010)
My forever rock star crush. One of the best memories of my entire life revolves around a Type O show, and I am SO thankful I've been able to see them live several times.
Be sure to come by XMas Dolly's place to play along and find some new music to listen to :)
....or at least the savage beast I had become earlier tonight while working on this blog! But that's another post for another time. Music Monday has rolled around once more, and if you've never participated in "Monday's Music Moves Me", you really should head over to XMas Dolly's and do so. She has links to lots of good music and lots of great giveaways as well.
Let's get the rules out of the way first:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & Rockin' comment are good!
4. Finally,Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
Okay. I doubt MY musical selections will soothe anyone, but this week is a freebie week and I am breaking with the "summer" theme to do showcase some pretty heavy music - in honor of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which I'll be driving to Atlanta for at the end of the week.
You've been warned! Here are just a few of the performers:
Upon A Burning Body - Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Whitechapel - I, Dementia
Asking Alexandria - To the Stage
The Devil Wears Prada - Vengeance
As I Lay Dying - Through Struggle
Anthrax - Caught in a Mosh
Mothorhead - Born to Raise Hell
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
Slipknot - Sulfur
And the conclusion of this show will scratch several more bands off my "Bands to See Bucket List." Yep.
Like many, many women (many of whom will not admit to this), I went to see Magic Mike this weekend with my friend Sound Check Mama. And then another friend, Spank, and I teamed up to...um, discuss it at her site. Won't you come along for the fun and talk about it with us? Just like the movie, we got a bit rowdy and raunchy. Fun!
Now....back to my regularly scheduled post. Monday's Music Moves Me is here again, and since our country celebrates her independence this week, this week's theme is patriotic songs.
The Rules:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & Rockin' comment are good!
4. Finally,Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
Well, I had a pretty hard time coming up with patriotic songs, but this one is very powerful, both musically and lyrically :
Metallica - Don't Tread On Me
And you can't get any more patriotic than The Star Spangled Banner. Here are a few good rock-and-roll guitar versions:
Legendary Texas blues guitarist and singer Stevie Ray Vaughn...
(This appears to be recorded off someone's tv set, as it happened long ago, but you can still hear its uniqueness)
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society guitarist and frontman Zakk Wylde has done a really good version as well...
And the one that started it all, groundbreaking guitarist Jimi Hendrix. This performance is from Woodstock....
I would have LOVED to have been around for that one. Doesn't it just give you chills?
Be sure to head over to XMas Dolly's to play along, visit other participants, co-hosts and spotlight dancers, and sign up for the giveaway!
What are some of YOUR favorite patriotic songs?
Well, well. I'm going to chime in (very late, I know) with a "Monday's Music Moves Me" post after all!
Last week, the theme was "summer" and of course after I posted a few summer songs, I thought of a few more that I should have included. And to keep the list a bit shorter, I'm limiting this to songs with summer in the title. Perhaps I'll keep the summer theme going throughout the summer on the free days.
Here they are:
Y & T - Summertime Girls
Oh, how I loved this song! Y & T came about during the hair band era, though I'm not sure if they ever had a real hit. But this song? I *LOVED* it.
Van Halen - Summer Nights
Okay, I know to you music elitists this is Van Hagar, but I'm not being too picky here, since I (will now in my adulthood admit) that I liked Van Hagar, too. Sure, it didn't have that signature Van Halen sound, but they were good, too. And the line "Summer nights and my radio (Ah-ah) Well that's all we need, baby. Don'tcha know?" summed up my every summer. Even now. Because there is nothing better than hot summer nights and a radio, except maybe hot summer nights, an Mp3 player, and a cold beer.
Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer
Well.....I can't make them ALL hair band songs.
From the "Grease" motion picture soundtrack - Summer Nights
One of my very favorite musicals.
T. Rex - Summertime Blues
This song has been covered many, many times by many, many artists. While I am partial to the Eddie Cochran original, this is my favorite, and one of the lesser-known covers.
My Chemical Romance - Summertime
This is one of my favorite bands, and I kind of had to smack myself for somehow not including them in my first summer list.
Be sure to head over to XMas Dolly's to see what everyone else posted this week and/or to play along :)
We're only a few days away from the official start of summer, so today's Monday's Music Moves Me!" theme is summer songs. And guess what? I'm a spotlight dancer this week! Yay!
First things first....the rules:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us, & Rockin' comment are good!
Finally,Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
There are probably hundreds of songs which remind me of summer, so I'll obviously have to narrow it down.
Magic- The Cars
In the beginning of my hair metal-loving days, this was one of the few pop songs I truly adored. The Cars were always so different and their videos so innovative, so they're still a favorite to this day.
Blues Traveler - Hook
I'm honestly not even sure when this was released (Run Around was probably the song which came out the summer this album was released), but this song is just so catchy and fun and I did see it performed at a summer festival once, so that's why it'll forever be a "summer" song for me.
Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime
I've loved this song since I was a small girl. Definitely THE summer song!
.....but I bet most of you didn't know Derek Sherinian, Billy Idol and SLASH! did a cover of this as well....
Type O Negative - Summer Breeze (with "Set Me On Fire")
And now, the most missed artist on my list. Sadly, Peter Steele is no longer with us. But Type O's always done some really neat covers, and their cover of Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze" is one of them.
And there ya have it! Be sure to head over to XMas Dolly's to visit all your co-conductors, other spotlight dancers and participants, and play along yourself!
I'm hoping against hope my comments don't go missing like they did from my last 4M post! I am still getting around to trying to respond to those, so thank you to those of you who have been helping me with that.
Have a great Music Monday!
Note: be sure to check back soon; I've come up with so many more summer songs that I plan on making a master playlist. I haven't decided whether I'll do that in a 4Ms Free post, over at The Music Mamas, or just in a play-optional sidebar widget. But I'll definitely at least announce it here on the blog.
I just knew there was something I was forgetting to do today, and it was to have a post ready for XMas Dolly's "Monday Music Moves Me"! BUT....Monday's not over yet. And this week's theme is so cool: FREEBIE WEEK!
So, first things first....the rules:
1. You Tube, and lock & load!
2. Grab "Monday's Music Moves Me" Button.
3. SIGN LINKY, Follow us (Note: XMas Dolly and the other participants?), & Rockin' comment are good!
4. Finally,Boogie down to your Fellow Rockin' Bloggers. Also, bring some back with you to join us!
-----------------
So....yes, music is my life. I always have my music player (which, since the death of my beloved Zune - don't judge! - is now my Blackberry Curve. I am so behind the times!) set to shuffle, and I've been hearing LOTS of random goodness here lately, thanks to working on a super-secret, super-exciting surprise project outdoors. So there has been plenty of inspiration for today's selections - an eclectic mix of old, new, laid-back, and brutal. And so on....
North Mississippi Allstars - Mean Ol' Wind Died Down
I put this on a mix CD I made for my Mom for Mother's Day. We both love blues, and this is some of the BEST current southern blues you will ever hear, so I hope you'll get a chance to listen to the whole thing. This particular song was featured in the 2006 film Black Snake Moan, and if it doesn't make you want to move, you might want to have your doctor check you over to make sure you still have a pulse!
Marilyn Manson - The Gardener
I recently reviewed Marilyn Manson's latest, Born Villain, over at The Music Mamas, and have to say that after being pretty much completely disappointed in their two previous releases, this latest record just blows me away. I can relate to almost every line of these lyrics, love the beat and sound, and Manson's voice is delightfully menacing and creepy, as it should be ;)
Jack White - Missing Pieces
The always-quirky Jack White does not disappoint with his debut solo album, Blunderbuss. I love this man. Love his work with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather and Loretta Lynn. Love to watch him perform. Love his adorable, shy smile. Just LOVE. And did I mention he is single now? Well, he IS! (I know - I totally have a chance, right? If you don't agree with me, keep it to yourself, k?) I had a hard time picking a song of his to feature, but had it narrowed down to this one and his live performance of "Love Interruption" on SNL. Obviously, I chose the other, but you should go check his SNL performance out if you get a chance. You'll get a glimpse of his adorable smile if you do :)
Skrillex (ft. Sirah) - Kyoto
You know, I don't know or understand much about the whole dubstep phenomenon, but I can't lie here.....the music makes me want to stand in front of a wall of speakers and just move. I think Skrillex is my favorite of the dubstep/electronica genre, and I especially love this song since it sounds to me like he sampled part of the original, tv Dark Shadows theme for part of it. I haven't been able to confirm this (and that's probably not even what it is), but that's exactly what I thought the first time I heard it. I really, REALLY wish I'd been able to see him at Hangout. Or Bonnaroo. Alas, I am too broke to go anywhere fun right now. FYI: EXPLICIT.
Grateful Dead - Casey Jones
Who didn't go through at least a Grateful Dead phase in college?
Slipknot - Surfacing
I'm going to see these guys in Atlanta next month, and I'm so excited! They've been on my "bands to see bucket list" for a while now, since I've never seen them before. And I think it will just make my entire LIFE if I get to see/hear this live! Profanity galore.
Stone Sour - Through the Glass
Hard to believe Slipknot's vocalist and Stone Sour's vocalist are one and the same, isn't it?
Be sure to head over to XMas Dolly's to catch up on all the other MMMMonday participants - and maybe play along yourself.
Thanks to Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked, I've come across a new meme to participate in, and it's right up my alley! The theme for this week's "Monday's 'Music Moves Me'" is "songs you usually hear at weddings."
I have a bit of a dilemma, though: I can count on one hand the number of weddings I've attended in my life (not including my own two, neither of which featured music), and I can only remember the music at one of them - the vow renewal ceremony between my son's babysitter and her husband on their 25th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful country song; very romantic, and absolutely perfect for them.....
Tracy Byrd's "Keeper of the Stars"
Since I'm more of a rocker chick, I went looking (briefly) for some others. Here are two, also from way back, that make beautiful wedding songs:
Firehouse's (anybody besides me remember them?) "Love of a Lifetime"
And Journey's "Open Arms"
Okay, you got me. I had to go peruse lists because I just couldn't think of anything on my own, and weddings are totally not my thing, and all the songs I thought were romantic weren't quite wedding-appropriate. But when we're asked for a list of the most romantic songs of all time, I'll have a slew of unconventional ones to post :)
And I guess if I ever do get married again and there is music at my wedding, I'll dance to one of the songs on my 'most romantic songs' list. I realize it's not exactly a wedding song, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't do things a bit differently! To me this is simple, romantic without being mushy, has a good beat and tempo even for slow dancing, and is by one of the most legendary punk bands to ever grace the earth.....
The Ramones's "I Want You Around"
(video from the movie Rock and Roll High School, which brought about my Ramones obsession and crush on Joey Ramone at age ten.)
Head over to Xmas Dolly's to participate, or "go to the hop!"
