Category: Music

Mixmasters Round 17

August 22, 2011
MixmastersMusicMy Life

Hey music lovers!

Check out the liner notes and song list for my Round 17 mix? It’s here along with some previous rounds as well. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below.

What is it? Well, Mixmasters is a long-running mix tape (now mix CD) exchange. It is currently at seven members and in it’s seventeenth round. Here’s how it works: each person makes a mix CD (up to about 80 minutes) and sends a copy of it to each of the other people. Emphasis is on artists that have not been used in Mixmasters before, so a lot of new music is discovered, good and not quite so good. After all these rounds, most popular artists have been used but there is an amazing amount of great music by lesser-known artists.

Then each person writes a song by song review of everyone else’s mix. Yes, we all review every song on every CD except our own. The results are complied in a publication called The Wheel, a large and fascinating collection.

Read More

Shout: The Beatles In Their Generation

August 19, 2011
BooksMusicMy Life

Shout!

Have you read this book? It’s by Philip Norman and I finished it recently. I’m a pretty big Beatles fan but I still learned a lot from this book. It starts with when they first met each other and goes chronologically through the breakup and a little after. It’s divided into sections of their career as a group: Wishing, Getting, Having, and Wasting.

The four of them are not saints and all of them did things they might want to take back, and of course the strain of their huge fame took a toll on their relationships within the group and also without. The author has some biases and opinions that are not hidden. As with most biographies, you can tell fact from opinion and disregard the opinion if you want to.  He does have an interesting writing style and the sheer amount of information makes it well worthwhile. There’s John the caustic but gifted one, Paul the sometimes sappy but melodic one, George the decent guitarist who comes into his own as the group begins to fall apart, and Ringo the good time guy who was everyone’s pal and had a fun ride. Is this the definitive book about the Beatles? Maybe not but it’s got a lot. Is it unbiased? Not all the time. Is it a fun and entertaining read with a LOT of great stuff about the fabs? Yes!

Read More

I Saw Jimi Hendrix And He Was Amazing

August 11, 2011
MusicMy Life

I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. What a great museum. Seven floors of musical goodness, we spent nearly the whole day there and saw SO much cool stuff. And I don’t mean just Lady Gaga’s meat dress (yes, seriously, it was there). No, the coolest thing was this flier/handbill for the Jimi Hendrix show that I actually went to here in Sacramento some forty-one years ago!!

Yes, you read that right. He died later that same year so I am really glad I got to see him. And he was awesome, as you no doubt already know from seeing him on DVDs or YouTube. Yes, he played guitar with his teeth, but his hands were what was really impressive. He had a style and technique like no one else and got some sounds out of the guitar that are still brilliant even to this day.

After all these years the memory of the show has faded a bit but I can still see the stage with him playing that guitar. It was a truly beautiful thing.  Best guitarist ever? Maybe so…

Anyway, imagine my surprise to see the flier/handbill in a museum back in Ohio. It brought back the concert and I wish it could have brought back Jimi too (RIP).

Here’s a review of the show that I found on the web. I can’t say for sure if everything is correct but you get the idea.

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Neon Trees At The California State Fair

July 22, 2011
MusicMy Life

I am mostly a casual fan of the band. They are good but I would not say great. But I will say that their show the other night at the State Fair was really pretty good. They are a tight unit of good musicians and played together like they had been doing it for a long time. The singer might have been a bit melodramatic but the show was good and the band rocked. Sure, the crowd was preteen and teen (and us, of course), but that’s ok. As far as I know, it was all original material except for a cover of INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart”. The set list:

Your Surrender, Love and Affection, Calling My Name, Alarm, Helpless, In The Next Room, 1983, Phones, Farther Down, Animal, Our War, Attraction, Girls & Boys In School, Sins of my Youth, Never Tear Us Apart, Habits.

Here is some cheesy cell-phone video of the show, sorry for the quality (or lack of…)!

What do you think? Leave me a comment!

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Music We Own: The S Stuff (As Of Today)

July 16, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hi there again music fans…

This is the nineteenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists, as you may notice. And yes, we are both still obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

S Club 7 – Don’t Stop Movin’ CD 5 UK

S.B.B.L. – Purple Mix vinl 12 HOL

Sakamoto, Riuichi – B2 Unit CD 5 FRA With Andy Partridge.

Sakamoto, Ryuichi – You Do Me vinl 12 US With Jill Jones.

Sakamoto, Ryuichi – You Do Me cass na US Featuring Jill Jones.

Santana – Supernatural CD 5 US

Santana – Shaman CD 5 US

Sarducci, Father Guido – Live From The Vatican cass na US

Savage Garden – Affirmation CD 5 US

Savage Garden – Savage Garden CD 5 US

Save Ferris – Modified CD 5 US

Scaggs, Boz – Silk Degrees CD 5 US

Scarlatti – Gifted Guitar Of Barbosa-Lima vinl 12 US Guitar sonatas.

Schmitt, Adam – World So Bright cd 5 US

Schneider, Bob – Lovely Creatures CD 5 US

Read More

Music We Own: The R Stuff (As Of Today)

June 6, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hi there music maniacs…

This is the eighteenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists, as you may notice. And yes, we are both still obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

R.E.M.  – Reckoning CD 5 US

R.E.M.  – Fables Of The Reconstruction vinl 12 US

R.E.M.  – Wolves, Lower vinl 7 US Flexi-disk. Flip side has Lords Of The New Church.

R.E.M.  – Drive cass na US

R.E.M.  – Automatic For The People CD 5 US

Read More

The Latest 21 Music Items We Got

May 30, 2011
MusicMy Life

Here is the latest update. Some we bought, some were gifts, a few we burned. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused? Of course I’ll blame a few items on Petra (James Blunt, Bruno Mars, etc). 🙂

Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COMMENTS

First the vinyl, then the  CDs afterwards…

Spektor, Regina – Four From Far vinyl 7 Blue vinyl

Death Cab For Cutie – In Living Stereo vinyl 7

JP, Chrissie, & The Fairground Boys – If You Let Me vinyl 7

Hendrix, Jimi – Fire vinyl 7

Bush, Kate – Hounds Of Love vinyl 10 Four song EP, pink vinyl

Costello, Elvis – Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane vinyl 12

Gorillaz – The Fall vinyl 12 Limited, numbered 4203

Read More

100 Best Beatles Songs

May 22, 2011
BooksMusicMy Life

Have you read this book? It’s “100 Best Beatles Songs – A Passionate Fan’s Guide“.

I know. How can you possibly pick the top 100 songs by the greatest group ever? Well, the authors do it, and most of the picks are pretty good. One thing I really liked about the book, they devote about three full pages to each of the top 100 songs. That includes detailed notes about the recording of the songs and the different studio takes. Also, they detail “who played what instrument(s)” for each song. Some of those may surprise you. There are also trivia items about each song, which a true Beatles fan will find fascinating.

As for their rankings,

Read More

Elvis Is King In Reno

May 8, 2011
Cover SongsMusicMy LifeTravel
2 Comments

Last Saturday night we traveled to Reno to see Elvis Costello and the first night of his “Spectacular Spinning Songbook” tour. First a bit of history: about twenty-five years ago Elvis toured with a big spinning wheel with names of songs on it. We saw that tour but it was a l-o-n-g time ago. And now, all these years later, he is doing a short tour again with a new, huge, updated wheel. The photo on the right gives you an idea of the size of the wheel. He gets people from the audience to come up and spin the wheel. Then he and the band play the song that is chosen by the wheel spin. Meanwhile, the audience member(s) get to relax with a beverage in some chairs on stage, or also have the option of dancing in the metal go-go cage at the left side of the stage. Yep, big fun!

To start, Elvis and his band, The Imposters, came out and played a few songs, starting with

Read More

A Night In Reno With Elvis

May 8, 2011
AlcoholFoodMusicMy LifeTravelVegetarian

imageThis weekend we drove up to Reno, Nevada to see Elvis Costello at the Grand Sierra Resort and Hotel. I’ll blog about the Elvis show soon, this post is a recap of the trip.

First off, the road (I-80) is terrible, at least on the California side! It needs paving really badly, especially through the Sierra Nevada mountains. But we made it to Reno, arriving in the late afternoon. We got a free room upgrade, to a pretty nice and roomy room, because they didn’t have exactly what we reserved. Sweet. So I got some much needed coffee and we decide to gamble a little since we had a few hours until the show. Petra had some luck. Me, well, not so much. Easy come easy go?

We had some dinner at a very ordinary casino cafe. On the plus side, free or cheap drinks were easy to find. 😉

As I mentioned, I’ll blog more about the Elvis show soon so be patient! After the show we gambled a little more and quench our wicked thirst too. Then sleep. Crisp white hotel sheets and zzzzzzz…..

And then it was morning. Mother’s Day too! So we went in search of the only all vegetarian restaurant in Reno. You guessed it, closed. We wandered into a nearby casino for a few minutes to ponder. Then we went to a nearby pizza place that offers vegan pizza options. We had a really good vegan pizza (dead serious) at Pie Face Pizza. They do regular pizzas too. And then we hit the road, full and happy. On our way home after a heck of a nice weekend.

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

 

Music We Own: The Q Stuff (As Of Today)

April 18, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hello again musicaholics…

This is the seventeenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists, as you may notice. But this entry in the series (the Q stuff) is a pretty short list.  And yes, we are both still obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

Quarterflash – Goodbye Uncle Buzz CD 5 US Credited to Marv and Rindi Ross

Quarterflash – Bliss CD 5 US Credited to The Rosses, Marv and Rindy Ross

Quarterflash – Quarterflash vinl 12 US

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody CD 3 UK Three inch CD

Read More

Music We Own: The P Stuff (As Of Today)

April 6, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hello again music fanatics…

This is the sixteenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists, as you may notice. And, of course, my wife IS the world’s biggest Prince fan! And yes, yes, yes, we are both still obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

Paganini  – Violin Concerti vinl 12 US

Pale Pacific, The – Urgency CD 5 US

Palmer, Robert – Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley vinl 12 US

Panic At The Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out CD 5 US

Panic At The Disco – Pretty Odd CD 5 US

Read More

The Best Albums Of 2010? Or Not?

March 17, 2011
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

Finally! And only a couple months late! Here are my picks for the best albums of 2010. Well, at least for the moment.

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

Broken Bells – Broken Bells

John Wesley Harding – Songs to a Small Guitar Vols 1 & 2

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues

And also good…

Crowded House – The Very Very Best Of Crowded House

Michael Franti – The Sound of Sunshine

John Lennon – Lennon Box

JP, Chrissie, and the Fairground Boys – Fidelity!

Ra Ra Riot – The Orchard

David Bowie – Station to Station box

So what do you think? What did I miss?

Jackson Browne At The Community Center Theater

March 4, 2011
MusicMy Life

Note: I also posted this review at SacMusicBlog.

Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne was in town at our Community Center Theater the other night and showed once again why he is one of the best songwriters around. Most people may know his hits from the seventies, but he’s continued to write, record, and perform since then. His latest album of original material (Time The Conqueror) came out a few years ago.

This tour is solo and acoustic. It was just him, a keyboard, and seventeen (!) guitars. Yes, they each have

Read More

Happy Birthday George Harrison!

February 25, 2011
Music

Today (February 25th) would have been George’s 68th birthday. Would have. But it was not to be. Alas, George, you are missed. Thanks for all the music!

Here’s a good song with a cool video…

What do you think?

Great prices on George Harrison music

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Music We Own: The O Stuff (As Of Today)

February 5, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hey music fans!

This is the fifteenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists, as you may notice. And, of course, there are just some items that, well, the wife wanted. And yes, we are both still obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

Ocasek, Ric – Beatitude vinl 12 US

O’Connor, Sinead – Faith And Courage CD 5 US

O’Connor, Sinead – My Special Child cd 5 US

O’Connor, Sinead – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got cd 5 US

O’Connor, Sinead – Mandinka cd 5 GER

O’Connor, Sinead – Throw Down Your Arms CD 5 US Advance cd

Read More

Music We Own: The N Stuff (As Of Today)

February 1, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hello again, music geeks!

This is the fourteenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists. And, of course, there are just some items that, well, the wife wanted. And yes, we are both obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

Nalick, Anna – Wreck Of The Day CD 5 US

Napolitano, Johnette – Scarred CD 5 US

Nash, Kate – Made Of Bricks CD 5 US

Nazareth – Love Hurts vinl 7 US

Nelson, Bill – The Love That Whirls vinl 12 UK Aka Diary Of A Thinking Heart. Bonus record of Beauty And The Beast soundtrack.

Nelson, Bill – Acceleration vinl 5 US Flexi-disk.

Nelson, Bill – Two-Fold Aspect Of Everything vinl 12 UK One record is best of. The other is four track demos.

Read More

Music We Own: The M Stuff (As Of Today)

January 10, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hello again, music lovers!

This is the thirteenth in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists. And, of course, there are just some items that, well, the wife wanted. And yes, we are both obsessed with music!

Artists are listed as last name, comma, first name. If it is a band then it is just the band name. Anyway, check it out and see what you think. Leave me a comment below the list!

Name – Title – Format – Size – Country – Comments

Mac Davis –  It’s Hard To Be Humble vinl 7 US

MacColl, Kirsty – Tropical Brainstorm CD 5 US

MacDonald, Amy – This Is The Life CD 5 US

Madame X  – Action Jackson vinl 7 US

Madhouse  – 16 cass na US

Madhouse  – 16 cd 5 US

Madhouse  – 8 cd 5 US

Madhouse  – 6 vinl 12 US

Madhouse  – 10 vinl 12 US

Madhouse  – 10 vinl 7 US

Madhouse – 8 vinl 12 US

Madhouse – 6 vinl 7 US

Madness – One Step Beyond vinl 12 US

Madonna – Like A Prayer cd 5 US

Read More
Instagram
YouTube