Category: Music

The Best Albums Of 2011 – Or Not?

January 19, 2012
MusicMy Life

Finally! And only a few weeks late! Here are my picks for the best albums of 2011. Well, at least for the moment. And by “best” I mean that I liked them best! What did you like?

The Cars “Move Like This”

Death Cab For Cutie “Codes And Keys”

The Decemberists “The King Is Dead”

Eisley “The Valley”

Robbie Robertson “How To Be Clairvoyant”

Tom Waits “Bad As Me”

And also good…

Jack’s Mannequin “People And Things”

Adele “21”

Gavin DeGraw “Sweeter”

Jimi Hendrix “Winterland”

Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 2-CD reissue

Paul Simon “So Beautiful Or So What”

So what do you think? What did I miss? Leave me a comment.

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Our Latest 43 Music Items

December 30, 2011
MusicMy Life
2 Comments

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?

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

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS

Waits, Tom – Bad As Me CD 5 US 2CD Ltd Edition

Bush, Kate – 50 Words For Snow CD 5 US

Jethro Tull – Aqualung CD 5 US Two CD 40th Anniversary Special Edition

Cars, The – Move Like This CD 5 US

Ra Ra Riot – The Rhumb Line CD 5 US

Concrete Blonde – Bloodletting CD 5 US 20th Anniversary Edition, six bonus tracks

Gabriel, Peter – Us CD 5 US

Heap, Imogen – Speak For Yourself CD 5 US

Young, Neil – International Harvesters – A Treasure CD 5 US

Cure, The – The Only One CD 5 US

Cure, The – The Perfect Boy CD 5 US

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A Holiday Greeting – Happy Xmas

December 25, 2011
MusicMy Life

War is over, if you want it. Happy whatever-you-celebrate, hope you find peace and love in the coming year.

And a happy new year. Let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear.

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John Lennon – Rest In Peace

December 8, 2011
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

John Lennon wanted to change the world. He did change mine.

Thirty one years ago today was a tragic day. We lost a great man and a great artist.

 

 

From Wikipedia:

John Lennon was an English musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles, for his subsequent solo career, and for his political activism and pacifism. He was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, in New York City, on Monday, 8 December 1980; Lennon had just returned from Record Plant Studio with his wife, Yoko Ono.

Lennon was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, where it was stated that nobody could have lived for more than a few minutes after sustaining such injuries. Shortly after local news stations reported Lennon’s death, crowds gathered at Roosevelt Hospital and in front of The Dakota.

 

 

And one more video. Let’s “continue”…

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San Francisco Anniversary Trip Photos Are Online

November 23, 2011
ArtFoodMusicMy LifeTravelVegetarian

Hello again, family, friends, and everyone else too. The pictures from our San Francisco 2011 anniversary trip are now online! We had a great time.

Any questions, just ask. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….

San Francisco 2011 photos

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The San Francisco Anniversary Trip

November 22, 2011
ArtFoodMusicMy LifeTravelVegetarian

Wow. Our 25th anniversary. Damn, that’s a long time, Petra B! I don’t regret it at all though.

And yes, there will be pictures here soon. But not yet!

We decided to take a short trip to San Francisco for our anniversary. We left Friday early afternoon and arrived a couple hours later at our first destination, a reuse/recycle store called Scrap. We found a few things there but not much, but it was still fun to look. Then we made our way through the traffic and rain to our hotel, the Galleria Park. It’s in a great location and close to a lot of things. We checked in, just in time for the free daily wine reception (translate: free wine). We were getting pretty hungry and luckily we had brought with us

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Music We Own: The “V” Stuff (as of today)

November 5, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hello again friends, family, and music lovers…

This is the twenty-second in a series of posts about the music we own. We sort-of collect items by certain artists, as you may notice. And V/A means “various artists”. 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

V/A – Grammy Nominees 1999 CD 5 US

V/A – A Very Special Christmas Live CD 5 US

V/A – American Idol Greatest Moments CD 5 US

V/A – Billboard Top Rock ‘N Roll Hits – 1972 CD 5 US

V/A – Music Express Productions – DJ To Go CD 5 US Prince and others

V/A – A Motown Christmas CD 5 US

V/A – Wild And Wooly CD 5 US

V/A – Funk Blast! CD 5 US

V/A – A Holiday Wish CD 5 US

V/A – Hear Music – Waking CD 5 US

V/A – Chestnuts CD 5 US Promo

V/A – Double Shot Pop Alternative CD 5 US Beth Hart, Jill Sobule, Morrissey, etc

V/A – The Concert For New York City CD 5 US Bowie, Etheridge, Mellencamp, etc

V/A – Just Say Noel CD 5 US XTC, Aimee Mann, Michael Penn, Beck, etc

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Get Happy! More Elvis Costello In Reno!

October 30, 2011
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

Earlier this year I posted about going to see Elvis Costello in Reno (read about it here and more here). Well, I finally got around to posting more of the videos that I took at the show.

Check out the links below for video of Elvis doing four more songs from the great Spinning Songbook Tour in Reno Nevada.

Sulky Girl

I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea

Slow Drag With Josephine

What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding

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Gavin DeGraw And David Cook In Reno

October 26, 2011
MusicMy Life

Last weekend we drove up to Reno, NV for a quick getaway and a concert. Sure, we gambled a bit too but mainly we were there for the music. Petra likes both the artists and so we went to check them out. First on the bill, and starting 20 minutes early (!) was Carolina Liar. They were ok but the singer had some problems staying on tune. Not sure what that was about. Next up was singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw. Turns out he’s quite a performer too. He put on a great show and should easily have been the headliner, performing most of his songs from his first album (Chariot) and his latest (Sweeter). Those are his best two albums anyway IMHO. Then last up was David Cook, from American Idol. He put on a decent rock show, but there’s a sameness to almost all his songs that makes him better in small doses. More variety might help. Overall, though, it was an entertaining show and Gavin was by far the high point. I took some cell-phone videos that you can watch, click on the “continue reading”…

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Our Latest 48 Music Items

October 23, 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? Take a look and then leave me a comment…

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

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS

Death Cab For Cutie – Codes And Keys CD 5 US

Jack’s Mannequin – People And Things CD 5 US Special edition with three bonus tracks

Bowie, David – Vs. KCRW – Golden Years CD 5 US Advance copy

DeGraw, Gavin – Sweeter CD 5 US

B-52s – With The Wild Crowd! Live In Athens, GA CD 5 US

Beatles, The – 1 CD 5 US Remastered

Adele – 21 CD 5 US

Eisley – The Valley CD 5 US Autographed

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

October 13, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hello again friends, family, and music lovers…

This is the twenty first 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

U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb CD 5 US Special package with bonus DVD

U2 – No Line On The Horizon CD 5 US

U2 – The Joshua Tree CD 5 US 2-CD reissue

U2 – Boy vinl 12 US

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This Must Be The Place For Talking Heads

October 6, 2011
BooksMusicMy Life

Have you read this book? It’s called “This Must Be The Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the 20th Century“, written by David Bowman and published in 2001.

First off, I really like this band. A lot. Talking Heads took pop, punk, art, funk, and quirkiness and cooked up something unique and innovative, while at the same time catchy and infectious. No one else sounds like them. They pushed musical boundaries with nearly every song, but the music was so good it would be stuck in your head for weeks.

Now, on to this biography. The author has a casual style that is kind of fun but also can get kind of annoying. He refers to women as “chicks” (does anyone still do that?). And, while there are plenty of facts about the band and it’s members, there is also an obvious bias to his opinions. He gives a lot of time to the tensions between David and Tina, and places that as the reason the band quite working together. This may be true, there are quotes and insights from friends and others, but there could have been more contributions from the band members themselves. There are some nice photos in a center section, though I of course wanted more.

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

September 21, 2011
MusicMy Life

Hi there music lovers…

This is the twentieth 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

T.A.T.U. – Dangerous And Moving CD 5 US CD-R

T.A.T.U. – 200 KM/H In The Wrong Lane CD 5 US CD-R

T.L.C. – No Scrubs CD 5 UK

Ta Mara And The Seen – Thinking About you vinl 12 US

Ta Mara And The Seen – Ta Mara And The Seen vinl 12 US

Ta Mara And The Seen – Everybody Dance vinl 7 US

Takahashi, Yukihiro – Neuromantic vinl 12 US Includes lyric/picture booklet.

Talking Heads – Remain In Light CD 5 US Dual disc, CD + DVD

Talking Heads – Electrically vinl 12 US Bootleg.

Talking Heads – Fear Of Music CD 5 US

Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense CD 5 US Special edition, seven bonus tracks.

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Seattle And Bumbershoot 2011 Photos Here Now!

September 21, 2011
ArtBumbershootComedyFoodFriendsMoviesMusicMy LifeSeattleSportsTravelVegetarian

Hello again, family, friends, and everyone else too. The pictures from our Seattle 2011 trip are now online! We had a great time as usual. There are Seattle pix, Bumbershoot Festival pix, and just some other weird pix we took on the trip.

Note: These photos came from my cell phone camera. There may be other pictures posted later.

Any questions, just ask. Besides Petra and me, you might even notice a couple pictures of our friends Mama O and Liz. Take a look! Leave a comment if you want, I’ll be waiting….

Seattle/Bumbershoot 2011 photos

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Seattle And Bumbershoot 2011 – Part 3

September 13, 2011
ArtBumbershootCoffeeComedyFoodFriendsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel

Did you miss the first two parts? Read part one here and part two here. And there will be a bunch of pictures soon too…

Monday September 5

Last day of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival and the routine is familiar. A bit of food in the room and then we took the monorail over to the festival. Once there, we snacked at the hospitality room and pondered the myriad of possibilities for the day. At one of the booths we watched a song or two by Lemolo, which I didn’t really like. It was very low-key female vocal but much too low-key. Today we had decided to see some comedy too, not just music. Our VIP passes got us to the front of all the comedy lines so we wanted to take advantage of that. The comedy show we went to had a short funny introduction by Baron somebody (I think), didn’t catch the last name. But the main show was two fairly well-known comedians, Amy Shumer and Eugene Mirman. Seriously, Amy was so funny I barely stopped laughing for her whole set. Politically incorrect. Yep. Funny? Hilarious! And Mr. Mirman was very funny too. Great show. After that, we watched a four-person panel discussion about being vegan, featuring the Black Metal Vegan Chef. He is so cool, check out his videos on YouTube. The panel was humorous at times and informative.

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Seattle And Bumbershoot 2011 – Part 2

September 11, 2011
ArtBumbershootCoffeeComedyFriendsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravelVegetarian

This is the second part of the trip recap. To read part one, click here.

Saturday September 3

Mid-morning we took the convenient monorail over to the Seattle Center, the site of the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. Today was the first day of this amazing event. Doors opened at 11:00 but we got there at about 10:30 and they let us in early! I took that as a good omen. We got our Starbucks pass, allowing us free coffee drinks for the entire festival. Can’t argue with that. Then we went to the VIP hospitality lounge for some food to get us started for the day. They were determined to provide vegetarian and even some vegan options too. We checked our schedules for the day and decided to start with a new stage this year (EMP Level 3) where Seattle’s Tomten was playing. They had won a competition to get a performing slot and were pretty good. Indie-type rock with a little more to the songs than some. Oh, and in case I forget, all three days of the festival we ate some festival food too. Eating is fun! But back to the music. The next act we saw was at the Main Stage (moved indoors this year), 90s act The Presidents of the USA. We watched about half of their set and they are still doing what they have always done. Of course they did their hit “Lump” and a bunch of others. Meanwhile, we realized that with our VIP passes we got some free drink tickets, so we went to one of the beer gardens and had a beer (or in Petra’s case, a glass of wine). At a nearby stage P.S. I Love You was playing but we didn’t hear anything that made us want to stick around. Not with so many other options. What are there, 12-15 stages?

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Eisley At Macy’s

September 10, 2011
MusicMy Life
2 Comments

Today we went to see the rock band Eisley, playing at Macy’s. Yeah, I was surprised to see that Macy’s was having music, much less by a good band. I had seen Eisley last week when we were at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle and I really liked their set. They rocked but it was still melodic and the harmonies were really special. Three sisters front the group and do the vocals, guitars, and keyboard. Their brother and cousin complete the band on bass and drums.

Today’s set at Macy’s was stripped down, just the three women on two guitars and a keyboard, so it was more of a (nearly) acoustic show. So the songs were quieter but the harmonies still great. It was almost folky but in a really good way. It was about 8-10 songs, I didn’t keep an exact count.

I’ve gotten three of their CDs recently, and they autographed the latest one up in Seattle. So I didn’t bother them for more today. Just pictures and video 😉

Here’s one of my four videos from today, the other three are linked below:

My three other videos (and the one above) are here (you might need to click the “continue reading” link!):

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Seattle And Bumbershoot 2011 – Part 1

September 8, 2011
ArtBumbershootCoffeeComedyFriendsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravelVegetarian

We just got back from our annual trek to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (and more). I’ll post some pictures soon, but in the meantime here is a short synopsis of what we did. Enjoy, and maybe we’ll see you there next year…

Wednesday August 31

We flew to Seattle (Southwest Airlines) and arrived in the afternoon. Seattle has a great light rail train system that took us from the airport (nowhere near the actual city) all the way up to three blocks from our hotel. For just a few bucks! We checked in at The Camlin and then walked about five blokcs or so to the nearby Whole Foods Market, to get some supplies. You know, chips, salsa, cereal, fruit, soy milk, bottled water, wine, just the necessities. We lugged all that back to the hotel and then we were truly ready for anything. Well, pretty much. But we were hungry too! We were walking the block or so to Cyber-Dogs, a great vegetarian hot dog place, when we bumped into a couple of our fellow Sacramento friends, Mama O and Liz. We chatted a bit on the street (sidewalk actually) and then went to Cyber-Dogs for our meal (menu). This place gives you a lot of food, not just a measly hot dog. Next it was back to the room to plan out the event of the next couple days. Yes, I love Seattle!

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