Yes. Yes, they do.

This is a really great essay and I couldn't agree more. I, too, bailed out of studying music when I was young and have lived to regret it. If we had a program like Little Kids Rock, I would have loved it!

We'll never run out of names

Every now and again I come across a band name that makes me think we MUST be running out of names. But when I look at it another way, it makes me think that the possibilities are endless. Exhibit A: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. 

A friend introduced me to this album last night. I bought it immediately and I cannot wait to devour it whole. (I will wait, however, as there is other music in the house today for professional reasons and I'm quite enjoying eavesdropping.)

Thanks, Nick!

(New music to be added to the player soon. I promise.)

Why I love playing weddings

First of all, I should say up front that I resisted playing weddings for years because I thought I would hate it. People told me I would hate it and I believed them. And then I actually played one, as a kind of favor for my sister. And I had a blast! So now I play weddings and honestly, I love it. I always get turned on to good music during my interactions with the bride and groom. Right now I'm listening to an album I bought for a wedding I did Saturday night. If I was still working at The World's Largest Record Store, I would have heard this one already. But I don't, so I didn't. And this new Estelle record is a treat! It's lovely summer listening. I'll have to tracks posted soon, so check back if you want to have a listen.

Singin' and jingin' a jangle. Heaven help me.

We have these lovely ponds that I adore. And now that we have a dog, I walk by the ponds on a pretty regular basis. Here's the problem: Muskrats. To be fair, the muskrats are kinda cute. But what happens when I walk by the ponds, whether I *see* the muskrats or not, is that I get Muskrat Love (as performed by Captain & Tennille, not the original) stuck in my head. Sometimes for hours.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Audio Diversity - Perversity or Perfection? Discuss.

Does it mean something disturbing that I love Take 6 and Marilyn Manson both so very much? I'm working on the new music player (located at the bottom of each page - now you can listen to the tunes I'm writing about!) and I'm listening to Take 6. I'm typing merrily away and I get to Mr. Manson. And that makes me wonder how it is that I'm built this way. I don't think it's going too far out on a limb to suggest that a Venn diagram of fans of these bands would feature very little overlap. But perhaps that's not true. I'm hoping the internet will reveal all. I've been listening to a lot of streaming audio these days, mostly Radio Paradise (www.radioparadise.com) and Evening Music from WNYC. One of the things I really love about both of those shows is that they range far and wide. I'm on the lookout for more shows/stations that play across genres as a matter of course. So if you've got suggestions, send 'em my way!

More love, comin' right up!

I love these guys, especially this album, their first. And right now this track is looping in my head:

Spread love, instead of spreading lies
Spread love, the truth needs no disguise
I’ve often said love could open any door
Oh, but I wish we had much more
More love is what we need

You know what? Shut the f*** up.

It was another one of those days. Sigh. Don't get me started. Just know that I was low on sleep and frustrated with the world. So I enlisted Kristin Hersh and friends to help me work it out. Holy cow, that woman has some serious pipes. And these songs are ferocious.

If you like Throwing Muses and heavier things, you'll want to give this album a listen.