A Seattleite born in Rhode Island | Pronouns: He/Him
Man, this is hard news to hear: Dolly Parton has died. A legend of American Culture. Growing up, she was present as a singer and as an actress. An immensely kind and generous person, she gave so freely.
Below is her family’s statement about her passing:
A few weeks ago, I made a post featuring a newer song she collaborated on with Galantis: Faith. I find its positive message something we need more of in our lives. Seems like a fitting tribute, no?
This song has been in my head since I woke up, giving me a nice boost. I hope it does the same for you in the time of madness, rage, and despair.
I often listen to these AI-generated tracks. I find them soothing. Many of the videos, though, are wild in their AI mistakes/hallucinations. I’ve seen boats and airplanes zooming backwards, people walking through walls, each other, all kinds of things. At least once, a person launched upwards into the air, up into the sky. Now, this one below is interesting as the subject remains pretty still (he is supposed to be a whirling dervish, though), but this cloud of sand billows out from his stationary feet. Besides that, I find the colors rich and vibrant, the details nice, but the billowing sand is…odd.
Anyway, I hope your Wednesday was fantastic and that your June is off to a good start.
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
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!
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.
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?
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).
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.
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!
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.
So, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think, and if there’s anything I should add.