Proof That Chris Cornell Likes The 4th Of July

I've come to the conclusion that Chris Cornell likes the 4th Of July for the following reasons:

1) Soundgarden has a song called "4th Of July"
2) There are a lot of fireworks in the Audioslave video "Cochise"

I rest my case.

Happy 4th of July!

MLK Day

Today is a day to pay respect to the man who has come to symbolize racial equality, Martin Luther King Jr. So the song for the day? Red Hot Chili Pepper's "The Power Of Equality".

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a funky turkey day, peace!

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I'm stumped on what to say this Holiday other than Happy Thanksgiving! So my song for the day is from V Town's own Sly Stone "Thank You". Have a great turkey day and par-tay.

Happy Halloween!

Today is...what is it also called? All Hallows Eve? Anyway, for today I tried to think of a song that was scary. This was hard for me to do, maybe because I've grown up in the multimedia age, I don't find music scary even when it's trying to be. I couldn't find a scary song, but there was a song that I thought tried hard to be and was interesting in how far it would go to try to achieve this goal.

When I first started buying music, I was influenced somewhat by my younger neighbor also named Mike. He had a lot more music than I did and went through various phases. At first he worshipped Todd Rundgren because his older brother did, meaning I had to listen to a lot of Utopia which was OK but didn't really do it for me. Then he went into New Wave which was cool because I got to copy all of his The Police tapes, all five of them! He even went as far as Duran Duran for a second. After that he shifted to metal, first getting into KISS and then speed metal. While playing Strike Out in my front yard he would endlessly debate with himself: which band was heavier, Metallica or Slayer? Which leads to today's theme song for Halloween.

I had not heard of Slayer before my friend started playing them around me and while they weren't scary, I thought it took a sort of dementia to simulate speaking in tongues followed by an ominous voice saying "Hell Awaits". It was amusing to watch my friend copy the speaking in tongues part when there was no music playing, it really is something meant to be heard a capella. Then there was that album cover with presumably the fires of hell and spears piercing through corpses. On that same album was a song that was so "out there" I couldn't stop laughing, "Necrophiliac". Yes, it is exactly about what is in the title. When my friend would start singing the lyrics it was just too funny. Even now, 25 years later, the thought of this song brings a smile.

I was going to pick "Hell Awaits" for the Halloween song of the day but really, what could be better than "Necrophiliac"? A Halloween warning to all that click on the link below, the lyrics are graphic which of course makes it that much funnier to me. What a wicked holiday Halloween is.

Happy Labor Day

Are you ready?

Today is Labor Day, a day of appreciation for the working people. With this in mind, I thought I would put together my Top 10 motivational songs for getting in a work mood. Some will be predictable choices, some maybe not and some will seem entirely out of context. So some of these song choices might seem a little out there, but I'm basing the listing on how these songs motivate me personally. listing how these songs strike me. In today's world I'm happy for every day I have a job so here's my Top 10 list:

10. Rush "Working Man"

Didn't I say there would be some predictable choices! What self respecting rock radio station doesn't play this song when the subject of work comes up? They call me the working man, that's what I am...

9. Bruce Springsteen "Working On A Dream"

The Boss has written a ton of songs about work (like probably half his songs) yet possibly because this is the most recent one "Working On A Dream" is the most motivating for me. Though I think Springsteen meant for this to be about the mood of the country, it fits for personal work as well. Why work if you're not trying to accomplish something?

8. Huey Lewis and the News "Working For A Living"

One of Huey's best in my opinion or as they say on the internet IMO, this rapid bar band blues boogie has energy to spare.

7. Kool Moe Dee "I Go To Work"

So, how do ya like me now? An actual rap song is on my list even if it is from like 1988. I go to work, trained to brain and outfox ya. Or something like that. It's all about attitude and I like the James Bond edge to it.

6. Metallica "Disposable Heroes"

Now we're really in "out of context" land, I think this song is about infantry soldiers blindly following orders to their death. In a work context, I think of the part with the rushing Metalli-riff and James Hetfield barking "Back to the front!!!" more than the part about being a fool or blind man. Very militant sounding tune.

5. Chris Rea "Working On It"

The hook to this song has stuck in my mind for two decades and just a month ago I found out who does this one. I found it on Itunes and didn't download it right away...my mistake because it was taken off Itunes shortly after. Although the song has a bit of a "get off my back" 'tude I think more about the down and dirty work vibe.
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4. Johnny Cash "I've Been Everywhere"

Part of having pride in your work is the belief you actually know what it is you're doing. With the man in black narrating a ride throughout the countryside name checking this place or that, you can hear the hard earned pride. I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere.

3. Jackson Browne "The Pretender"

One of my favorite songwriters, Jackson Browne always has a flair for capturing melancholy disillusionment. As much as any of us would like to believe we could make a living for being swell people that suck air, the fact is that you have to work for what you want in life. "The Pretender" is a reminder to me of that simple truth, so I unironically say I'm going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender.

2. The Black Crowes "Go Faster"

Every day is a challenge to work as fast as possible.

1. Motorhead "Play The Game"

The theme song to WWE wrestler Triple HHH, "The Game"! Triple HHH earned his nickname by being an attentive and motivated student of pro wrestling to the point that people said he wasn't playing the game, he was the game. Or as he likes to say "I am the Game! Because I am That Damn Good!" This is a guy who tore a quadricep muscle in the middle of a wrestling match and still finished the match, hitting all his spots. If that's not work ethic, I don't know what is. Like Kool Moe Dee, this is an attitude song about being on top of your, ahem, game.

That's me list, I can't believe Loverboy didn't make it on here. They're number 11. Maybe because mostly I listen to rock songs, it's hard to find ones that say anything positive about working on something. I don't think I'm alone in changing the meaning of a song to fit a personal mood, as many times as I've seen "Taking Care of Business" used to mean a badass work ethic (when I read the lyrics a year ago I found out the song is about avoiding work). But as they say that's neither here nor there. Labor Day is almost over, tomorrow the game begins again!

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone! Today is Independence Day. This year I'm commemorating Holidays and what not with songs from Yes. It was a little tough picking a Yes song for this day, seeing how they are a British band and all, until I remembered they covered Paul Simon's "America". Let freedom ring...

Happy Fathers Day!

It's the end of Father's Day so I thought I would give a shout out to all the Daddies in the house. I've been commemorating a bunch of stuff with Yes songs this year so I don't see why today should be different. So today's selection will be "Circus Of Heaven" from the Tormato album of 1978. Yes music can be a little twee sometimes and this certainly qualifies, though it totally mass retains a certain innocent charm. Happy Father's Day everybody!

Midnight Madness - Easter Bunny Edition

Today is Easter, so Happy Easter everyone! While this day has religious meaning for many, for me it is the day of the Easter Bunny. As I like to call my wife Bunny, this is her day! Love you Bunny!!

Don't Mess With The Lohan - A rough week for Lindsey Lohan, Stevie Nicks publicly denounced Lohan's repeated attempts to get the rights to Nicks' life story. Presumably to portray the famed singer on film. Because if it's one thing Nicks can't relate to, it's a young person indulging in sex and drugs to the point of self destruction.

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Worst. Movie Title. Ever. - There's a movie being heavily advertised right now called Fighting. Wow, how many months did they agonize over that movie title? One thing if for sure, you can't say the advertising is misleading for this film.

We Pay - It had to happen sooner or later, ITunes went to a tiered pricing system with some songs now costing $1.29 per track. Will ITunes jump the shark boosting prices in the middle of a recession?

American Idol update - Adam Lambert kicked out the jams again with a stunning rendition of Tears For Fears "Mad World" while my fave Alison Iraheta gave a strong version of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". While Scott MacIntyre may have had the burning heart, his sloppy take on Survivor's "The Search Is Over" left him down for the count.

Zombies! - Actor Woody Harrelson's recent attack on a member of the paprazzi he explained was due to his mistaking the photographer for a zombie after recently wrapping a film where he fought the undead. I'll have to remember that excuse if I ever attack someone. "I'm sorry officer, I hit that man because I thought the dead had come back to life and wanted to eat my brains. It won't happen again."

The Big Muddy? - Bruce Springsteen is accused of cheating again, this time by an ex-husband in a divorce case. Both Springsteen and the ex-wife deny the accusation.

Real, Real, Real - Of the multitude of Real Housewives of... Tv series it looks like New York is the one that is catching on the most. We've watched the show and enjoy the fun of seeing rich people whose egos are bigger than their substantial bank accounts. And now with a Countess losing her Count and rumors of A Rod dating a cast member there could be even more drama coming up.

Terminated? - The Sarah Connor Chronicles saw its rating dwindle this season and had to switch from Monday to Friday nights, partially because of a boring second season. Then, in the final two episodes they upped their game by killing off people and finally, finally bringing in some excitement. But is it too little too late? With a cliffhanger season ender, if the show gets cancelled we'll never know what happens...other than what comes up in Terminator: Salvation of course.

Wanted Dead or Alive - The band Bon Jovi is suing an all girl tribute band for naming themselves Blonde Jovi over the name. Really? Good thing I didn't title this blog "Blog Jovi".

Double Trouble - The Arc Angels have returned, Charlie Sexton, Doyle Bramhall II and Chris Layton have come back. Cool! To wrap things up, here's some Arc Angels for ya.

Arc Angels

Valentine's Day

For my wife I say "I love you, will you be my Valentine?"

It's Valentine's Day! Some consider this to be a great romantic Holiday. Others consider this to be a day created by marketers of the florist, greeting card and chocolate industry. My personal experience has been if you're with someone it's a great day and if not, it just magnifys the fact that you're single. Sort of like a societal annual audit of your love life. Thankfully, I have been happily married to my wonderful wife for almost 15 years. 15 great years. I really couldn't be a luckier guy.

So I dedicate this song to my wife. It doesn't sound romantic, but she'll know what it means :)

Yes "And You And I"

Happy New Year!

T'Pow! Will 2009 be the year things start to get better? I hope so! Live Long and Prosper.

Ding, Dong, 2008 is dead! A great year for entertainment but pretty miserable on just about every other scale. 2009 is going to be all about hope. Hope for the future both personally and in terms of America and the world. After spending New Years Eve with my wife watching Star Trek it's easy to be in a positive frame of mind.

I also spent a little bit of time scouring the New Years shows for fun. My impressions? Kellie Pickler is still entertaining to listen to, Carson Daly complains too much about the cold, Lionel Ritchie and Elton John still have "it" while newbies Taylor Swift and the Jonas Bros can't cut it live. Did like seeing high profile exes Taylor Swift and one of those Jonas kids spend a long time together on tv standing on some platform. Awkward! For me, the musical highlight was watching The Ting Ting's live. Which my wife accurately pegged as being very Blondie-ish.

And what do we have to look forward to in 2009? So far, there's a new Star Trek movie and Bruce Springsteen album lined up. Sounds like 1984 all over again. S-S-S-Sex Crimes! (robot voice) Nineteen Eighty Four. Sorry, went off on a Eurythmics tangent for a second.

Anyway, I woke up wanting to find the perfect song to start 2009. My IPOD randomly selected the right artist, Bob Marley! Let's get the party started with 'ol Bob, "Three Little Birds".

Bob Marley "Three Little Birds"

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Muppets and John Denver "12 Days of Christmas"

Veterans Day Salute

Today is Veterans Day, a Holiday set to honor Veterans of our Wars following the end of World War I. Regardless of the popularity of the various wars since then, this remains a noble Holiday to salute men and women who have fought for our Country. Being a media addict, this day reminds me of one of my favorite speeches I've heard in a movie. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...Mr. Sylvester Stallone.

Sylvester Stallone / Rambo Speech

Memorial Day

One last post for today, it's Memorial Day which is meant to remember the Veterans of past wars and current ones. So a big "thank you" to those people who have in the past and are currently fighting for our Country. I try not to get too political on the Internet so I'll leave it at that. A wise man, I think it was Sammy Hagar, once said "Remember The Heroes". So here's a clip of the Red Rocker performing that song from the Three Lock Box album. The video quality is not very good, just a general warning, but it's hard to find performances of this song online.

Sammy Hagar "Remember The Heroes"

Belated Valentine-Short Distance Dedication

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

I didn't have time to post on Valentine's day, so I thought I would catch up now. My wife had a tough day yesterday, she was hit by a pickup truck, almost got ran over by a Mack Truck and is feeling under the weather. Nonetheless, she made a delicious Italian dinner last night. So my Valentine's day post will be written in the form of a Classic America's Top 40 Long Distance Dedication. It goes like this:

"America's Top 40 is brought to you around the world and in places like the San Francisco Bay Area. Today we have a letter from a listener in the City by the bay and he writes-Dear Casey, my wife has had a hard Valentines day. First, she was hit by a pickup truck. Then, she was almost ran over by a Mack truck. And if things couldn't get any worse, she is not feeling well too. She has done so much for so many people that I would like to dedicate a song to her. Could you play "I'll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)" by Steelheart? It would mean a lot. Thanks. Sincerely, Mr Mike. Well Mr. Mike, coming in at #28 in the countdown, here's your long distance dedication. I'm Casey Kasem. Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!"

Steelheart - "I'll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes)

Independence Day and the Boss

The July 4th holiday just went by, a terrific holiday celebrating our Declaration of Independence from Britain. I originally thought I would celebrate by writing about freedom and the 4th of July in general, but after spending some time with my wife I found a better angle. So here it is.

Independence Day has special meaning for me because there were two Declarations of Independence for me. The most recent one happened on July 4th, 1999 when my wife and I moved out of my mother-in-laws trailer and into one of our own. I'm not complaining about my mother-in-law, it was very nice of her to put my wife and I up for a couple of years. It just felt great to have a place of our own. We no longer had to adjust our schedule to fit someone else's because we owned the trailer. We no longer had neighbors directly on our wall like when we lived in an apartment either (neighbors suck when they blast their music/tv and beat on each other 'til one of them cries).

As music is such a part of my life it's normal for me to equate a song to this. The song "Independence Day" by Bruce Springsteen is a pensive ballad about a person's rite of passage in moving out of the parents (in this case Father's) house. The song, about moving out of the house from your parent, is moving in it's wary caution and pride in leaving. It's on the Hungry Heart (1980) album and the Live 1975-1985 box set.

The second Independence Day (chronologically the first) actually happened on July 5th, when I asked the woman who would become my wife out on a date. We were watching fireworks while working at a major Northern California theme park when I asked her out. Then I had to dodge the Lead because she was on duty and I wasn't. July 5th is one of our anniversaries and we always think of that night when we watch fireworks (the first movie we saw together, Sleepless In Seattle, added to that a bit also). To paraphrase Green Acres, you are my wife-Bye Bye, single life!

Our song, Springsteen's epic "Thunderroad", is a poetic ballad about getting out of their town before family and economic opportunities force them to stay. "Thunder Road" is a great ballad with dark, urgent lyrics about taking one last shot at chasing your dreams. My wife and I used to sing this song together often (privately - no one else should have to endure my singing voice. Unless you're into pain!) while we were dating. The lyrics go:

The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways

Like a vision she dances across the porchAs the radio plays

Roy Orbison singing for the lonely

Hey that's me and I want you only

Don't turn me home again, I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside, darling you know just what I'm here for

So you're scared and you're thinkingThat maybe we ain't that young anymore

Show a little faith, there's magic in the night

You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright

Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide `neath your covers and study your pain

Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain

Waste your summer praying in vainFor a saviour to rise from these streets

Well now I'm no hero, that's understood

All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood

With a chance to make it good somehow

Hey what else can we do now?

Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair

Well the night's busting openThese two lanes will take us anywhere

We got one last chance to make it real

To trade in these wings on some wheels

Climb in back - Heaven's waiting on down the tracks

Oh-oh come take my hand

Riding out tonight to case the promised land

Oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road,

Lying out there like a killer in the sun

Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run

Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold, Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk

And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk

From your front porch to my front seat

The door's open but the ride it ain't free

And I know you're lonely and there's words that I ain't spoken

But tonight we'll be free, all the promises'll be broken

There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away

They haunt this dusty beach roadIn the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets

They scream your name at night in the street

Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet

And in the lonely cool before dawn

You hear their engines roaring on

But when you get to the porch they're gone on the wind

So Mary climb in

It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win.

There are many versions of this song, our preference is the live version on Live 1975-1985 (1986). It has some nice piano and an intimate feel to it.

Before meeting my wife, July 4th was really just another holiday with hot dogs. Now it is a day I can celebrate my marriage and the freedom our great country gives us to spend it together. And the Boss is the soundtrack to the whole thing. My wife just walked into the room and "Born to Run" just popped up on the IPOD at random. Meant to be!