Check Out This Song!

Xavier Rudd

I’ve enjoyed Xavier Rudd for years (I wrote about a different song back in 2020). I love the positive energy he creates. In this time of rage and invective, I appreciate his message of unity and kindness.

This song is not new, but I recently found it, and it clicked. I’ve been playing it a LOT. For me, there are songs that resonate at certain times. Generally, I move along with the semi-obessive quality, but those songs eventually are my connection to the emotions of that part of my life.

So, please check this song out, and I recommend that you give Xavier’s music some of your attention. I think it’s worth it.

Whisper in the wind sent me home
I’d believe there was somethin’ more
Learned so much, fell in love with you
Took my chances with what I knew
With the places that had stained my hands
And the files that I’d stored on my shelf
Spent so long in the world givin’ chase

Thought my place was some other place
That I belong here, I belong with you
And all of our questions belong here, too
‘Cause we been high, darlin’, we been low
And all of it’s helped us grow
We belong here and we deserve to dream

Every wakin’ hour of every wakin’ day
I wake up to the sound of discussions in my brain
I don’t know the answer and I don’t know the truth
And I don’t really know what I been draggin’ since my youth
But I push on, I philosophy
Keep my prophecies by my side

And I hope to meet you at the gates
See that light shinin’ on your face
‘Cause I belong here, I belong with you
And all of our answers reside here, too
‘Cause we been high, darlin’, we been low
And all of it’s helped us grow
We belong here and we deserve to dream
Dream

And every breakin’ hour though a little more would break
And the courage could be summoned to bring about some change
And the plans would form to build a brand new castle
To the sky we’d soar with the wings of an eagle

Stone-cold sober with whiskey on my breath
South America runnin’ through my head
With you, I was taken
It was you, I was not mistaken
You belong here, you belong with me
And all of your secrets are safe with me
‘Cause we been high, darlin’, we been low
And all of it’s helped us grow
We belong here and we deserve to dream

And all we want is runnin’ down the mountains
And all we need is flowin’ through the trees
And all we have is swimmin’ in the ocean
And all we can do is be the best that we can be

All we want is runnin’ down the mountains
And all we need is flowin’ through the trees
And all we have is swimmin’ in the ocean
And all we can do is be the best that we can be

All we want is runnin’ down the mountains
And all we need is flowin’ through the trees
And all we have is swimmin’ in the ocean
And all we can do, is be the best that we can be

And I hope to meet you at the gates
See that light shinin’ on your face

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

jack skelington vinyl figure

Years ago, I got exhausted by all the Halloween tropes, especially Monster Mash. I figured, “I’m sure I could create something better”. I think I have.

This is a multi-year initiative. I’ve added to it as I’ve found good tunes, and taken off ones that no longer fit my vibe.

So, I hope you enjoy!

An Atypical St. Patrick’s Day Song

Though this song has an Irish flair, this band is not Irish, rather, Canadian. I find this somewhat Celtic tweak on this old Bob Dylan tune.

Anyway, it’s my St. Patrick’s Day gift to you.

Music via YouTube

I like to listen to Trip Hop while I’m working. Today this one popped into my feed:

What first caught my attention was that this DJ was streaming from her kitchen, which is pretty cool. Oh, and I’m very jealous of this kitchen! But then I noticed this:

A stuffed llama! I thought “That’s so cool”. And, sure, that marks me as one type of nerd. But it gets better! I then think “LLama”…Large Language Ama”. Hmmm….now if I ever build an AI platform, I’m going to call it “LL Llama”. Sounds like a stutter.

Ok, I’ve flung enough dad jokes your way. Do you like to listen to a certain type of music while you’re working? What sort?

Living La Vida Loca…or is it Polka?

A few days ago I heard Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca on the radio.

My brain, being what it is, wondered if Weird Al had created a Livin’ La Vida Polka version of the song. A few minutes with Google showed me that, no, Al hadn’t. And isn’t likely to. (Check out the Reddit post for the details).

But, fortunately for us, a group called The Brats (as in Brautwurst, I believe), stepped into the void.

That’s the weird way my brain works. I hope this brightens your Sunday (Monday-eve).

Exploring Music

vinyl disk on loudspeaker

My friend Bill wrote a post a few days ago about the passing of Damo Suzuki, singer for the German rock band Can. I’ve always had a thing for quirky and eclectic music, so I was a bit bummed I hadn’t so much as heard of Can before now. So I commented such, and Bill recommended this album to me to learn more about them.

Tago-Mago by the band Can

I doubt many of you know that my first major in college was music. I listened intensely, absorbing how the instrumentation and chordal structure were communicating emotional energy. Sadly, I got out of practice for that kind of listening ages ago. But, back in the 80s, I studied lots of artists in depth. Not just pop, but Jazz, latin, classical, funk…my list was pretty extensive. I would give anything to have notes back from those days.

Can has a solid funk feel to me. I really enjoy the driving, repetitive bass tracks, and fluid drumming.

What struck me even deeper, though, was how easy it is to discover new music. Bill made a post, shared a YouTube video of a song. I listened, made a comment on his blog, Bill recommended an album to check out, and YouTube served that up to me instantly. All within a few-minute timeframe.

I remember getting together with friends and listening to records/CDs, and tapes. If I really liked the song, I’d see about borrowing a copy until I could buy one. In my little Seattle suburb, getting anything other than Top 40 generally meant a trip to Seattle. There was a cool record show really close to UW, and I believe the iconic Tower Records was serving Seattle’s music community back then. I love how easy it is now to discover new (old?) music.

Onwards!

Wishing You A Happy Halloween!

Years ago, I grew weary of all the tropes around Halloween. I mean, come on! How many times can you listen to Monster Mash? Well, as someone who values creativity and innovation, my tolerance is low for repetition. So, I created my own playlist.

Moving beyond the clichés Halloween.

So, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, and if there’s anything I should add.

On The Passing Of Gordon Lightfoot

Well, today was greeted with tough news: Gordon Lightfoot has passed away.

Lightfoot has been part of my pop-culture awareness as long as said awareness existed. For me, it was his gift of story-telling that held the most power. Songs such as The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald were part of my heart for, it seems, forever. I was pretty young when he was at his heyday, and his music seemed omnipresent.

I’m filled with sadness as another icon of my youth has died. Yet, I’m grateful that his music was such a rich part of my life.

It will not be hard to find his music over the next few days, especially his hits. So I feel compelled to feature a song that is lesser know, but one that I find delightful: Alberta Bound.

Alberta Bound by Gordon Lightfoot

Alberta Bound seemed, to me, to be the theme song for the Alberta Winter Olympics of 1988. And something about that spoke deeply to me. So, I’m delighted to share something lesser known.

May we all find joy in his music and legacy. Godspeed, Gordon Lightfoot.

Musical Interludes Over This Week

person doing tricks on cassette tape

Music plays a huge part in my life. One of my “gifts” is the ability to tie pretty much any phrase, event, or whatever with a song. I’ve had plenty of opportunities this week.

I’m currently working on a project with the Edmonds Waterfront Center. They have several musical activities over the course of each week. And I can hear these from my office. One of my favorites: a ukulele class. They play a wide range of songs, which often transforms me in place in time. The ukulele is a wonderful instrument that I delight in hearing. With this, I was explaining to a chum about some of the artists who have created albums with the instrument. The two that readily come to mind are Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame and Amanda Palmer.

Eddie has a great ukulele album titled, less creatively (I guess) “Ukulele Songs“. This is, perhaps, my favorite from that album.

Amanda Palmer has written some fun songs for the instrument. This one is my current favorite (FYI, not completely safe for work).

A few days later, a friend of mine mentioned her drink of choice was tequila. That always make me think of this song:

And, yesterday, while seeing article after article about AI, this song popped into my head.

Affiliating songs with events is not something I work at, just natural reflex. The results of my misspent youth, I guess.

Ah, Sweet Caroline!

This morning this tweet dropped into my feed:

Neil Diamond Video

I grew up with Mr. Diamond’s music. My mother had many of his albums. I was saddened when he retired. So this video filled me with joy. It’s a bit sad, too, as I can see some of the impacts of Parkinsons. But, man, such grace and courage.

Oh, and here’s a link to the video on YouTube for those not engaged with Twitter, or in case the Twitter dumpster fire finally takes that site down.