Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

You know what I want to listen to today? The kind of music you'd expect to hear when you feel like everything is spinning. The kind of music you'd expect to hear in a state of delirium induced by lack of sleep and excess of caffeine.

The kind of music you would think would emanate from an unexpected parade of fantastical creatures through a dreamlike forest world.

So let's make the topic: bizarre.

I have obviously been slack in my responses to suggestions these last two weeks. I think this week, I'll just open the floor up to everyone. It's a Friday Music guest-hosted by all Friday Music regulars. Hopefully you guys will help me respond to suggestions this week.

As always, please post links to all suggestions.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

This week features a two-part topic.

1. Music by the lesser-known. Try to post up something that'll be new to most people.

2. Music by the well-known, but lesser-known music. Music by established acts, but songs that won't be making it onto Greatest Hits albums.

As always, please post links with all suggestions.

Just because I'm feeling a bit sadistic today, I'm going to lead with a little Atilla, which satisfies both categories, I think. This isn't your grandmother's Piano Man.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

And so does my friend Wildflower, who is struggling to compile a CD of cool love songs to give out to the guests at her brother's upcoming wedding. So I told her I would be happy to ask the Friday Music set to help out with some ideas. That's this week's topic: the RtN Wedding Mix.

The good thing about her brother is that he has great taste in music, so there's no need to go dropping cheesy, typical stuff. I don't need that on a Friday and neither do you. This mix needs to be cool.

To get it going, I'll mention the two songs Wildflower has already decided to include: Rich and Chris Robinson's "Cold Boy Smile" and Elvis Costello's "The Very Thought of You." (Okay, that's the Billie Holiday version, but I couldn't find Elvis' version.)

So hook a sister up! Even if you don't know how to make links like this, please try to post at least standard links with each of your suggestions.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

Here's an interesting topic: songs you think could start movies.

If you link it, they will come.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

But I'll be on a plane to Portland, Oregon, so I've asked my blog buddy Helen Mansfield to fill in for me this week, and she's graciously accepted. Here's a note from Helen:

This Friday, I am asking readers to build their own super group, as I did on this old post.

Doesn't matter if members are living or dead, gather your dream together.

Think Judy Garland should be lead singer for The Buggles? Cool, but give me some links so we can all get an idea of what they would sound like.

Also, give me a short play list of what you think your super group would perform.

Enjoy!

Wow, Helen Mansfield is taking Friday Music to a whole ... nuvva ... level. It'll be interesting to see what everyone comes up with for this.

Link and let link, I always say. Link and let link.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

Only it's Wednesday. But Friday is a holiday and most people probably won't be near a computer, so we're doing Friday Music on Thursday. Got it? Great.

My buddy Crusseldrums and his wife are expecting their second son any day now, so in honor of their growing family, this week's topic is: children.

Remember, it's linkin' park up in this joint. If you don't know how to make text into a link, just paste the URL after the suggestion.

We start with a rock anthem for the ages.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

I went out for drinks with some friends last night and Mungerphut suggested a great topic for this week: The Elements--earth, air, fire, and water. So let's see what music you guys come up with for that.

You can link if you want to, you can leave your friends behind. 'Cause your friends don't link and if they don't link, well, they're no friends of mine.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

And so does Teoh, who returns for another round of hosting RtN's weekly playlist. As always, the guest chooses the topic, and Teoh got a little crazy with this one. He said:

"I'd like to mix it up and see people's playlists consist of one each of:

- songs about money
- rock chicks who look scary in their music videos
- the whitest rap, like, ever
- music made famous by a commercial"

Interesting -- this one is pretty out there. As always, linkidy link link link.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

Since I didn't post Friday Music last week, and I've been punished with reruns of horrible television shows, I've decided to take no chances this week and post it early. So here we go.

This week's guest commenter is my pal Rob Zero, who's a fellow editor and play bass guitar for New Jersey rockers the Jukebox Zeros. It's a kick-ass band that has been featured many times in our Racer X Films. He's also a regular here on RtN and Friday Music and a very cool dude.

The topic Rob has chosen is this: The Beatles. I think this is the first time a band has been a topic, so we're breaking new ground here. I'm looking forward to seeing how creative people get with their responses.

As always, please link to your suggestions.

AWOL, and an Offering

Sorry for dropping the ball on Friday Music last week -- I don't know what came over me. This Friday, my pal Rob Zero will be guest-hosting, and next week, The Electric Orchid Hunter will be at the reigns. That's two weeks of guest hosts; exciting!

In the meantime, I offer this, my discovery of the day, as penance. Mr. Martin Sexton.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

I know, I know ... I still haven't finished my comments from last week, and I do believe this is the first time this has ever happened. I will, as always, but I need an extra day or two this week.

But it's not going to stop me from putting up this week's FM post, because I still need music today! Today's topic is music that is somehow related to animals.

Links, please!

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

The DM and I are 1 for 3 on concerts so far this spring. We had tickets to see Radiohead a few weeks ago, but we had to cancel a few days prior due to a number of things that conspired against us. 0 for 1. Then last weekend, us being jackasses and all, we realized at 5:30 pm that the Swell Season show we had tickets to see in Baltimore on Sunday was actually taking place on Saturday night, in just two and a half hours, and we were still at least five hours away from possibly being able to make it to Baltimore. 0 for 2.

But two nights ago, Clutch came to Morgantown, and we didn't miss that one. Our friend Olives stayed home with the kids, and we were treated to one of the most kick-ass shows we've ever seen in Morgantown. 1 for 3.

So this week's theme is: Music by the musicians who played the best shows you've ever seen.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

What a day already. It's just after 8 a.m. and I'm already all fired up, thanks to miserable weather and terrible report I heard on NPR this morning, where I got to listen to a bunch of ignorant fellow West Virginians make asinine remarks about Barrack Obama, embarrassing themselves and our state in the process. The recent spotlight on our state has revealed some pretty ugly things.

So I think I'm going to try to reverse the day's negative momentum with a live concert by one of the most well-known WV bands ever, Rasta Rafiki. If their infectious brand of positive reggae can't turn me around, I suppose nothing can. Want to check them out? Go here to hear a great recording from '95, and if you only listen to one song, check out "Cousins." There's a little mini-player embedded in the top right, so you don't have to download anything. Just click play.

Which brings us to today's topic: Positivity. It's what the doctor has ordered for this day that started out in the shitter.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

I'm going to try something really different this week: a Friday Music chain.

I'll start by posting some music, and hopefully the next person up will comment on it before posting stuff of their own. Then the next person comments on the second batch of music before posting his or her music. And so on.

I fully realize that this may be a disaster, and that even if you guys play along, there could be some confusion along the way, with multiple people playing off of one person's suggestions. That's okay, though. If it starts getting weird, feel free to just bend the rules to your liking.

I will say, however, that whoever follows me will probably be the luckiest person of the day, because they get to comment on the most exciting find I've made in a while: Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves. Wow. Just plan on listening to every song on that MySpace page, and if you're like me, plan on listening to them a whole bunch of times.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

And so does Clash! My man is a regular here at RtN, but he doesn't actually have his own blog. He is, however, the host of the biggest internet motocross radio show in the world, DMXS Radio, not to mention he's just a peach of a guy. And Clash is going to host Friday Music this week as I travel to Seattle to watch a championship (or two?) get determined and drink some damn fine coffee.

As I always do when I have a guest host for FM, I offered Clash the opportunity to pick the topic. This was his response:

While it seems like a cop-out, I’ll go with whatever the mob spins….. “People's Choice Awards” Friday Music. I would have gone with the “movie-themed” or “80's...etc,” but to be honest, I like the unpredictable nature from the gang.

Some of the best songs I’ve heard on FM, I’ve never heard before. We will keep it simple and let folks set the tone from their bag of tricks.

So there you have it. It's name your own tune here this week, and Clash is on the receiving end of your love. As always, please post links.

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

I was reading a silly feature in Wired magazine last night about intelligence when I came across something that interested me. Their #10 way to "supercharge your brain" is to employ visual cues to help remember things, which is a method I've used to help me remember things since I can remember. The example they cite is memorizing all of the nations of Africa. I like the idea of being able to locate every African nation, so I've decided to use the exact method they describe -- dividing the continent into five sections and then creating visual cues for each country, one section at a time, until I know them all. I've started with the the northern section, which is easy because I knew most of the five nations anyway. There's Morocco, which I don't need a cue for, then the Atlanta of the north (ATL: Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya). Algeria is particularly easy to remember because it's western border is like an A on its side. Then of course there's Egypt, which I also don't need a cue for. So there -- five countries down, easy as can be. It'll get a bit tougher from here on out, but I'm game.

So this week's topic is music with places in either the song title or the band name. I think I'll get it started.



Links, links, links.

Picture West Virginia

I've started a new blog called Picture West Virginia, loosely based on Friday Music in concept, and I'd like to invite everyone over to check it out. I'm still ironing out the details, so it's not officially launched yet, but because this is a community blog that will rely on posts by various people, I need to spread the word a little now so I'll get some submissions. You don't have to be a West Virginian to post -- if you're originally from here, if you went to school here, or if you have some other connection that makes you care about the state, your submissions are welcome. And of course I encourage everyone, regardless of where you're from, to stop by comment. Maybe you'll see how wrong Hollywood's stereotype of our state really is.

Here's how PWV works: Each week there's a topic, and people use the topic as inspiration for a creative response. They send it to me and I post it and open it up for comment. That's pretty much it. I've posted my response to the first topic -- "My Town" -- and I'm taking submissions for more. I'll be posting them as I get them. You'll also see that the next two topics are announced, so there's plenty of time to think about them.

I hope you guys will stop by and consider participating!

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

But before I get into that, I just want to send a little "word up" to my friend Melissavina for sending a little "word up" to me. It moves me that Friday Music moves you, Melissavina. It really does. I suggest everyone head on over her way to check out the songs she posted as a tribute to FM, and to check out her cool new blog header and layout.

Also, another big thanks to Devil Mood for her fine hosting job of Friday Music last week. It excites me when people host it -- sort of like somebody having a party in my house and inviting me to it, and I don't even have to clean up. Who's got the booze? I have my eye on a few other potential future hosts, and I can only hope they'll accept the invitation.

One other aside: This week I scored pit tickets for the Cleveland Radiohead show. Yeah, pit, as in in front of the first row of seats. That'll be the second time we'll see them this year -- we're hitting up the D.C.-area show in less than a month. The DM and I have already reserved our Cleveland room. EoB, you and the Greatest of All Time are cordially invited to the tailgate.

Okay, this week. Let's see. I do believe I want to rock. Bring it. All of you.

(Links, si?)

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

And so does my blog friend Devil Mood. She's super cool, loves music, and has a great blog over at Love is Stronger than Pride that you should definitely check out. This week she's guest hosting "Friday Music."

She picked a great topic, which she explains well:

My request is that people provide links to music that reminds them of "Teen Love". I specifically highlighted that I don't mean songs that talk about teen love but the songs that remind people of their teenage loves. (It can be both if it's the case, of course).

So reminisce and suggest away. Please post links!

Friday Music

It's Friday. I need music.

This is also my 300th post. I didn't stick with making paper models, but I guess I stuck with blogging!

I can't really think of a good theme today. I considered songs that remind us of movies, but I'm thinking I maybe did that one already. I thought about songs of celebration, being that it's Friday and this is a tricentennial post and all, but I'm not really feeling that much either.

Anyone have an idea for a theme this week? If not, let's just do a free-for-all. I'll start with this:



Next week my blog pal Devil Mood will be guest hosting Friday Music.