Monday, January 23, 2006

Earworms In The Blogosphere 

Now with mp3 and streaming audio links! Enjoy!


The music waned from my life slowly. Having children of my own led to less and finally no more paid-for concert chaperonage. After six and a half years behind the mic, I spun my last weekly radio show. The loss of a true commute to work left me bereft of even the daily radio pop randomalia, the last best resort for the occasionally new and otherwise unheard.

But there was always the record, the earbud, the totally-wired audio environment. Sure, the CDs were expensive, but they stacked up in the thousands; yes, the speaker volume dropped lower each year as the faily grew and the spaces we inhabited shruk to fit. But from my first adolescent armored walkman to the finally substantive wallsystem of my 30th birthday, the music was still everywhere I needed it to be.

And then, one day, it wasn't.

The CD player in the car died just before we hit the road in June, kicked out of work and home for the unknown, our little band of four in close quarters, living in the car. We had nowhere to put the stereo; it lived in storage in Greenfield, an hour away from wherever we were.

I had the iPod, for a while -- full of the better CDs, a year's worth of more recent downloads -- a lifeline of music, enough to get me anywhere. No way to add music from the road, but a static collection was better than none.

Then it got stolen, of course. Finally, I got a new one, and the computer died reloading it. More stasis, and those 3000 sounds were starting to go stale. I thought my audiofix would never come in. But the laptop seems stable, and the 'pod's hardly scratched.

After four months of audio famine the feast has arrived.

Which is to say: I've been downloading music, and the world is spring again. Here's what's stuck in my head, and where to get it stuck in yours:

1. Cat Power, including originals and a haunting cover of Satisfaction. Link source *sixeyes also has a whole mess of Sufjan tracks.

2. Michael Foucault's cover of Entella Hotel from the forthcoming Peter Case tribute at songs:illinois. Also Peter Ely doing "Put Down Your Gun".

3. Streams of Brandi Carlile at her website, and on acoustic cafe last week. I liked her when we saw her opening for Ray LaMontagne, and I'm liking her more now.

posted by boyhowdy | 12:22 AM |

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Comments:

I have enjoyed reading your posts so much that I have listed you on my site as a fave. Also, I agree about B Carlisle - she's great. Have you listened to Lori McKenna? Just wondering. I imagine you are familiar with Lucinda Williams... Anyway, love the blog~

# posted by  Jericho : 5:39 PM, January 24, 2006

 

Lucinda Williams was great in concert, but I can't take credit for that one -- Dad bought the tix; it's his taste I've inherited.

Saw Lori McKenna at a folk fest locally some five years ago, though, and fell in love -- she's one of the first artists I go to when I refuel the iPod. More poignant since I have my own kids, in fact.

Nice taste, J! Good blog, too...

# posted by  boyhowdy : 10:54 PM, January 24, 2006

 

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