Frown Like A Thunderstorm

New Blog

2009-01-23T10:34:00.001-08:00

Just when things were rolling quite well here at Frown Like a Thunderstorm, Jenna and I decided to combine blogs and post everything together. I will be posting everything at http://www.thesmithsquare.blogspot.com/ from now on. However, there will be a new "professional" blog coming soon where I will post my financial thoughts and whatnot. But, for everything else, please visit http://www.thesmithsquare.blogspot.com/. If you have links posted for this blog, please have them changed. If you are following this blog in Google Reader or something similar, please make this change. Thanks!

Steven

Guitar Thrill Thursday: Squirrel Nut Zippers - It Ain't You

2009-01-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

Named after the Squirrel brand candy "Nut Zippers," this band does prove to be very sweet! I like 'em. This song has a nice jazzy guitar solo. The quality of the video reminds me of the time Alex and I tried to see them. The show was sold out so we watched from way behind the bar. (Alex--I still think we could have snuck by them if we had army crawled like I wanted to!)

100th Blog Post!!!

2009-01-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Today I am celebrating my 100th blog post! Bring out the noise-makers and maybe even a giant cake! Let's get it started in ha!

Let's have a little retrospective shall we?

Here are 10 notable posts from this blog:

FLAT News: None
FLAT News: Musical Completion
Updated Top 10 Most Played Songs
Guitar Thrill Thursday: Ozzy Osbourne - Mr. Crowley
Avoid Fraud
Correction and an Apology
Introducing Financial Fridays: Homeward Bound!
Quotation of the Week 12/30/08: Dale Carnegie
Quotation of the Week: 01/06/09: Rodman Philbrick
Wall Street Wednesday?

Enjoy a little Thunderstorm today by reviewing these fun posts.

Financial Friday: Follow Up (Bill Pay Spreadsheet)

2009-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

I realized that last week's post about creating a bill pay spreadsheet might have been a little dull and overly explanatory. I wanted to use today to post an example of what this spreadsheet might look like. Remember that this is only an example. This does not represent MY current situation. I made all these numbers up (although the percentage rates are close to what you would expect to see on most loans of that type). Here is a picture (click on the picture for a larger view):

Notice that by totalling the red "balance" section, you can easily see the total amount of debt you have incurred (this is why I leave all regularly occuring bills as $0).

I hope that helps! Also, if you know how to post a link that actually opens up this spreadsheet, please teach me! Post any comments or questions in the comments section.

Guitar Thrill Thursday: Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart - Stone Temple Pilots

2009-01-15T15:23:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite song by this amazing band. While guitarist Dean DeLeo may not be a household name, he certainly has made his mark in the rock and roll world. The band's 1994 album Purple was ranked #73 in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All-time. This song comes from their 1996 album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. The clip jumps straight to the solo, but I recommend watching the whole song.

Weekly "Fan-Suggestions" Wednesday

2009-01-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Last week I asked readers to suggest a new Wednesday topic. The answers I received inspired me to make Wednesday a Weekly Fan-Suggestion topic. If there is anything you would like me to rant and rave about, put it in the comments. It will eventually show up as a Wednesday post. Thankfully, John has provided plenty of ideas to keep me busy until the rest of you catch on. So, this week:

Wizened Old Gold-Prospector Wednesday:

Those were the days.

Quotation of the Week 01/13/09: Orson Scott Card

2009-01-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

"Everybody dies. What matters is what you do between now and when it happens to you."

--Orson Scott Card from Treasure Box

Let's make the most of it my friends! (Also, read Treasure Box, it's an excellent book!)

Financial Fridays: Some Organizing Tips

2009-01-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to go over a few simple organization tips to help with keeping track of bills/debts/and other obligations.

The first step is choosing what format you want to use to keep these records. I recommend using Excel or something similar. Some of you may prefer to use plain old paper and pencil. Still others might like to use wall and crayon--whatever works for you.

If you are unfamiliar with Excel, check out these simple tutorials. (Thanks John)

Make a list of all of your monthly bill and debt obligations and put them in the order in which they are due. If there is something that you want to put money towards on a weekly basis, I suggest putting this at the top of the list. For example, those of you making regular charitable contributions, put that at the top. Don't forget to include your house savings amount here at the top! I also include a weekly grocery amount here.

Now that you've got a nice list going (or maybe it's more of a daunting list than a nice one), make a column where you can put the full balance of all your debts. For regular bills that don't carry a balance, such as rent or other utilities, you can just put $0.

Next to that column, make another column where you can list the payments that you plan to make towards each of these. For most utility-type payments this will just be the full amount due. On larger debts you can choose an amount to pay, anywhere between the minimum payment and the full balance. (Make sure to add a row at the end for the totals. It's important to know your expected monthly obligations).

Two more important columns to add are the "minimum payment" and "annual percentage rate" columns. These apply to any debts you may have. Keeping track of these things will be an important debt reduction technique which we will discuss another time.

Of course, make a column for the due dates.

The most important column on this page is the one that shows how much money you have put toward the bills. I call this the "Current Funds" column. In this column you will divide up the money you earn as it comes in. For example, if today is the 31st of the month, and you are getting paid today, here is what you would do: First subtract out of your paycheck any "per paycheck" deductions that you may have (hopefully your house savings is among these). Then simply start with the bills due on the 1st and apply your paycheck to each one until the paycheck is exhausted (make sure that YOU don't get exhausted before your PAYCHECK does!). You'll do the same with the next paycheck, and so on.

I also have a column for check marks. I check off when the payment amount is acquired and when the payment has been completed.

This system may not be for you, but it has worked wonderfully for me. If it is confusing at first, just tweak it around until it makes sense to you. Please direct any questions to me personally or in the comments. Good luck!

Wall Street Wednesday?

2009-01-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

I like Wall Street Wednesday just fine. But I'm starting to wonder if I have the time to really research company after company enough to give a decent recommendation. So, I am putting the idea on hold until further notice. But I would really like some suggestions as to what else to add to the blog. Especially for Wednesdays. Any ideas? I like alliteration...Wikipedia Wednesday? Whiplash Wednesday? Let's put our heads together on this one...

Quotation of the Week 01/06/09: Rodman Philbrick

2009-01-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

"Pain is just a state of mind. You can think your way out of anything, even pain."
--Kevin Dylan (Freak) from Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

C'mon Jenna! Get with the program!

Seriously though, when I was a piano major at BYU-Idaho, we had a workshop on controlling our body temperature. (We had this because many performers get cold hands before a performance). In this workshop we learned that the mind can literally control not only the temperature of your body, but also the responses that our body has to pain and stress and stuff. We watched a video that showed some guy shoving a huge metal spike through his bicep. Not only did he feel no pain, but there wasn't even any blood!

Financial Fridays: Stefu Suggests Savings Technique.

2009-01-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Last time I talked a little about ideas for saving for a future house down payment or home improvement. Today I want to address an issue that you may find while trying to implement that system.

The idea behind the system I encouraged is that you should be able to afford to put that extra money to the side, assuming you are paying less in rent than your income allows. However, many of us may find that we don’t have that much left over at the end of the month. There are a number of reasons this could be. I’ll address one likely reason today.

The biggest reason we can’t find extra money in the budget (even when it should be there) is because we have already established a certain spending pattern that only allows enough money to cover the bills. I suggest that you pretend like you MUST pay 28% of your income for your rent or mortgage. I know a lot of you haven’t pretended since you played house with your My Buddy doll. But by doing this, you force yourself to save money that would otherwise be used for something less important to you.

Now, how do you put this money to the side without noticing it? The easiest way I find is this:

First calculate the amount that you should be able to afford in rent (28% of your income). In our last example we assumed this amount to be $1,400. Next, subtract the actual amount of rent you are paying from this amount. In our example it would be: $1,400 - $900 = $500. This is the amount you should be able to put to the side every month. Next, take your savings amount and divide it by the number of paychecks or pay periods you expect during the month. For many people this would be 2. Some people only get paid once a month, and others weekly. If you are married and both working you may get anywhere from 4 – 8 paychecks in one month. For our purposes we will assume 4 paychecks coming in. So, take $500 divided by 4 paychecks = $125. If you take out $125 out of each paycheck, you can save up that $500 without noticing as much of a ding.

It is vitally important that you PAY YOURSELF before you pay your bills. If you don’t do this, you may have a hard time saving anything. In the event you pay yourself first and then don’t have enough for one of your upcoming bills, you can simply take out what you need from your savings. I don’t recommend doing this very often as it will defeat the purpose. We’ll talk more about this later.

I hope you are all on your way to your savings goals!

Quotation of the Week 12/30/08: Dale Carnegie

2008-12-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

"Leadership usually gravitates to the man who can get up and say what he thinks."
--Dale Carnegie from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Don't be afraid to share what you think with people (while standing if necessary). This is what sets leaders apart.

Quotation of the Week 12/23/08: Rodman Philbrick

2008-12-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

"If you try hard enough you can remember anything, whether it really happened or not."
-Maxwell Kane from Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Remember that time we were out shopping for Christmas presents and you accidentally tripped over that little booth in the mall? Sure you do! It was a booth selling mirrors. You and I were talking and I pointed out that new movie poster display--you know the movie you liked so much...what was it called again? Oh yeah! Wall E. Anyway, I pointed out this poster and you got distracted and tripped over this booth in the middle of the mall (you know how those are always out during the holiday season especially). They had all these mirrors shaped like famous people's faces and outlines and stuff. I actually thought the Elvis one was pretty cool--I think I even mentioned it to you. You remember! Right? Anyway, so you trip and break one of the Beatles mirrors (there were lots of those). This big dude selling the mirrors gets all upset and tried to make you pay for it! (They were grossly overpriced--something like $150 for a mirror the size of your palm). You wouldn't pay and he got real mad. I forked out the $150 plus an extra $10 for his troubles. Sure you remember, right!? I bet if you looked hard enough, you'd find those shards of glass in your closet somewhere...

Introducing Financial Fridays: Homeward Bound!

2008-12-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

I know it's not Friday, but I didn't get a chance to write this out and post it on Friday, so I am doing it today. As some of you may know, I'm studying up to be a Financial Planner. I thought it would be good practice for me (and hopefully helpful to you) if I came up with some useful financial thoughts once a week. These articles will be coming to you by Stefu (Smart and Trustworthy Everyday Financial Understanding). Please leave your feedback so I can improve the content of future posts).

The largest investment that most of you will make in your lifetime is the investment to buy your own home. I wanted to share some ideas that should help you get into your first home, or renovate the one you already bought.

Those of you who are not yet homeowners are probably renting (or camping out in an abandoned part of town like I keep trying to convince my wife to try). If you are renting and want to save up some money for a down payment on a house, here is a useful tip that I have been trying. The first thing you need to know is what percentage of your income should be going toward your rent. Most experts will tell you that you shouldn't spend more than 28% of your monthly income on your rent. So if you are making $5,000 a month, then you shouldn't be paying more than $1,400/month for your rent (or mortgage payment).

This brings us to my suggestion: if you should be able to afford $1,400/month and you are only paying $900 then it makes sense to put the extra $500 under your mattress to help save for that happy home you hope to have. Now, if you are in a 12 month lease, and you tuck your money under the mattress, you will come up with an extra $6,000 to help with that house down payment (or closing costs, or finders fees, or whatever you anticipate paying for in connection with that perfect white picket fence).

Assuming you want to get a better return than your mattress can offer (and a cheaper chiropractor bill), here is what you can do: save the first 6 months for a total of $3,000. Put this amount into a six month Certificate of Deposit and continue saving during this last six month period. This will give you a small boost in your savings while keeping it nice and safe.

If you already own a house, use this money to make those much-needed renovations you've been thinking about. Go ahead, get the wallpaper.

Guitar Thrill Thursday: Invincible - Muse

2008-12-18T11:16:00.000-08:00

After last week's controversial guitar solo post, I thought I would take this week's Guitar Thrill in an entirely different direction. I wanted to post some excellent acoustic guitar playing by Tim Reynolds with Dave Matthews. But after 20 minutes of searching the youtube universe and getting very little in quality results, I decided to go with Muse. I will keep looking for a decent recording of a Reynolds/Matthews performance--so stay tuned!

Muse's charismatic front man Matthew Bellamy displays both guitar prowess and pianistic virtuosity. Although perhaps not more innovative than Tom Morello (whom he cites as an influence along with Prince and The Edge), his musical styling is unique and "cutting-edge." The solo from Invincible exhibits a fascinating combination of classical form, two hand tapping, and dramatic electronic effects. The solo appears near the end of the song, so I have started the video there. Feel free to re watch the entire song for a better taste of this band's excellent sound! (The performance is from their official HAARP DVD release and was recorded live at Wembley Stadium).

Correction and an Apology

2008-12-17T11:31:00.001-08:00

It was brought to my attention that my post last Thursday was under-researched and lacking a certain respect that should be shown to great musicians. An anonymous reader made a few comments regarding these issues. My first reaction was to delete these comments as they reflected poorly on my blogging ability (which can be a bit suspect at times since I tend to "blog off the top of my head.") I immediately regretted deleting the comments as it doesn't show much appreciation for good constructive criticism. Here are a few corrections to my post last Thursday:

I misspelled Randy Rhoads' name! Pretty lame. That correction has been made. How can I properly pay tribute to someone if I don't spell their name right?

Secondly, I feel a little more than ashamed for trying to honor Randy Rhoads and at the same time belittle Ozzy Osbourne. Obviously Rhoads wouldn't have chosen to play with a second-class performer or musician (and in fact he would probably not like it much if I accused Ozzy of being any less than first rate). On top of this, I have actually been a fan of Ozzy Osbourne for more than a decade. I probably listened to him more in my youth than I do (okay, so I am still very much in my "youth"), but I still enjoy his music to a great degree today (and NOT just because of the guitarists).

If you are unfamiliar with Ozzy's music, I would suggest these tracks (my favorites): Diary of a Madman (from Diary of a Madman), Bark at the Moon (from Bark at the Moon), Shot in the Dark (from The Ultimate Sin), entire Tribute album, Crazy Babies (from No Rest for the Wicked), Mama, I'm Coming Home and A.V.H. (from No More Tears), Perry Mason and See You on the Other Side (from Ozzmosis). That's a good list for now I suppose. I haven't heard much of his newer material, but Black Rain has been on my list of albums to check out for a while now.

Another good point of which I was completely ignorant is that the "red jumpsuit bassist" featured in the video is actually deserving of as much honor as Randy Rhoads. His name is Rudy Sarzo and played with Randy Rhoads in Quiet Riot.

I'm going to start taking the advice "to take the good with the bad." I don't expect that I won't make any mistakes in my blog posts in the future, but I am going to make an effort to improve the quality and reliability of the information I post. I know I won't be able to please everyone, but I will try to be fair-minded.

Quotation of the Week 12/16/08: J.K. Rowling

2008-12-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
--Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

I've posted about dreaming before. Previously I made the point that it is important to dream big. I think the distinction that the ever-bearded Albus is trying to make is that dwelling on dreams is the bad thing-not the dreams themselves. Let us dream big! But instead of dwelling on dreams, dwell on living. Figure out what it takes to accomplish your dream and choose to dwell on that instead.

FLAT News: Book Clubs and Party Funs

2008-12-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had our monthly Giggle Squad Book Club meeting . The book we read was A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. It is a very strange book with a great message. I highly recommend it to you readers out there. This month we will be reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. If you are interested in joining us at the book club meeting next month, get your rookers on a copy of this book and read it up! The meetings are generally full of happy times and burnt milk.

Party Funs.

Avoid Fraud

2008-12-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I actually could have more interesting things to say (to some of you) than what I do. Here's one:

Yesterday I found out that I have reason to believe my SSN may have been compromised! This is bad news every way you look at it (unless Santa Clause is using it to help me get a 3 story house or something). Here are some tips for avoiding identity theft:

Check your credit report AT LEAST once a year. This can be done for free at www.annualcreditreport.com This is a legitimate site, don't worry. It's the official way of obtaining your free annual credit report. Your report becomes viewable almost immediately and is accessible for 30 days. Make sure to look for any accounts that you didn't open! These were done by identity-stealing-house-elfs.

Be extra careful with Credit / Debit cards during the holidays. There will be crowds and these people are smart. There are contraptions out there that can steal your card info when it is swiped. Don't let people get too close, no matter how good they smell.

Don't just throw away your junk mail. Sometimes these things have important personal info in them. If you have a shredder, shred them. If you don't have a shredder, ask one of the ninja turtles to take care of it instead. They are just as good as the Shredder. (Nay, better!)

Have fun this Christmas!

Guitar Solos are My Favorite Thing

2008-12-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

I really look forward to doing my Guitar Thrill Thursdays. I wish that I could do it everyday! But I really think it would get bland if I did that. To ease my desire to think about and enjoy guitar solos, I'm going to list my top 5 favorite guitar songs from each decade (starting with 60's).

1960's
And Your Bird Can Sing - The Beatles - Revolver (1966)
I Put a Spell on You - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)
Crossroads - Cream - Wheels of Fire (1968)
All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)
I Can't Quit You Baby - Led Zeppelin - I (1969)

Okay, so as it turns out-the process of selecting my favorite guitar songs is much longer than I had anticipated. So, for today you get the 60's and that's all! Sorry folks. But make sure to check out these songs if you aren't familiar with them.

Guitar Thrill Thursday: Ozzy Osbourne - Mr. Crowley

2008-12-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

This week's guitar thrill comes from the legendary Randy Rhoads. This guitarist died at the age of 25 (which is how old I am!) and has been a guitar idol ever since. (I wonder what difference I have made in my 25 years....?) I'm starting this video at the first guitar solo. Watch the rest of the song to see the second solo (which is possibly the better of the two). Randy Rhoads' amazing playing makes up for Ozzy's lack of flair and (to be honest) talent. In my opinion, his guitarists have kind of always carried him. Also, the bassist in the red jumpsuit helps.

Wall Street Wednesday: BancTrust Fianancial Group Inc

2008-12-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Updates: Percentage gains and losses on previous picks.

BRO: 0.35%
LFL: (1.60%)
LHO: 24.49%

(I love doing this): If you had put $10,000 in each of these three stocks you would have earned $2,324.00.

This week's pick is the regional bank BancTrust Fianancial Group Inc (BTFG). They are located in Alabama and Florida and are a strong competitor in the regional banks industry. With high revenue growth, positive earnings per share (a rarity in this industry as of late), and consistent dividends being paid, I think that this somewhat risky investment is worth trying right now. Within the next six months I am predicting high growth in the value of this stock.

Guitar Thrill Thursday: Van Halen - Eruption

2008-12-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

I had to include this amazing 1994 performance of Eruption. Eddie Van Halen is a guitarist like no other. He has forever changed the way that I look at the guitar. Enjoy!

Wall Street Wednesday: Lasalle Hotel Properties (LHO)

2008-12-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Updates: Percentage Gains on Previous Picks (assuming they were purchased on the date I recommended them)

FDO: 4.52%
BRO: 3.26%
LFL: (2.40%)

Lasalle Hotel Properties, like many other companies in the Real Estate Operations industry, has taken a beating in the past 6 months. However, out of all the Real Estate companies I am following, LHO has one of the highest earnings per share. For this reason I think that now may be a good time to invest in this REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). With hotels spread throughout the United States, I think it will survive the latest beatings the industry has taken. Watch for a steady, monthly dividend from this company.

Quotation of the Week 12/02/08: Stephen King

2008-12-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Stories are artifacts: not really made things which we create (and can take credit for), but preexisting objects which we dig up."
--Stephen King

That's an interesting thought. Is all creativity sitting in the earth just waiting to be dug up by someone willing to look for it before it rots away into nothingness?

FLAT News: Twilight and Birthdays

2008-11-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

For Jenna's birthday we went and saw the Twilight movie.

Praise: For an independent-type film with a low budget, I very much enjoyed it. The main character actors were good (despite one or two bad acting moments). The use of Supermassive Blackhole was notable.

Complaints: The musical score was really quite bad. I didn't think it added anything special to the movie. Of all things, the music was the biggest tell that this was a low-budget film. My second complaint is the somewhat cheaply done special effects. With better special effects, this would be more head-turning!

Happy birthday to Jenna on November 28th!

A Funny Thing

2008-11-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to post some sort of funny youtube-type video. I haven't discovered yet what this video might be, but I will find it......

This made me laugh. Hee Hee (just like that). Makes you wonder what they were going for recording this in the first place...

Guitar Thrill Thursday: Rush - The Analog Kid

2008-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another installment of Guitar Thrills. Today's thrilling solo comes from a 1994 performance of The Analog Kid by Rush (this originally comes from their 1982 album Signals). The PRS guitars that Alex Lifeson used on this 1994 tour are what helped me make my decision when I bought my own 1994 PRS CE-22. He plays his red version here. This is an excellent solo and I'd love to read your thoughts on it.

Wall Street Wednesday: Lan Airlines S.A.

2008-11-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Updates:

BRO is up 2.32% since I recommended it last week.

The past 3 years haven't exactly been easy riding for investors in the stock market. Many companies invested in 3 years ago would be causing me to pull my hair out right now. But this isn't true for Lan Airlines S.A. (LFL). The return would be remarkable at a voluptuous 36.29% gain. That would mean a $10,000 investment would be worth $13,629. But I'm suggesting that we won't need a souped up Delorean to get high returns from this company. The average yearly return on LFL is 45.61%. It pays high and regular dividends and is currently trading under it's P/E model value. LFL consistently outperforms it's peers, showing up JetBlue Airways by 78.25% in 5 year earnings growth. I recommend grabbing onto this South American Air Jumper right away!

Quotation of the Week: Stephen King

2008-11-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

"We always say what we mean to say, that's what I think."
George Staub from Riding the Bullet; Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King

I think people too often try to get away with saying something mean or hurtful by "disguising" it as a joke. Remember that people always say what they mean to say.

FLAT News: The Direct Method

2008-11-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jenna and I went to see friend Matt Hanks play a show in his band The Direct Method. It was definitely nice! They played at the UNLV Institute of Religion. They played a new song, a NEW new song, and many classics from their album: Most Likely Not. Check them out on myspace.

In other news, we had a family celebration on Sunday for Jenna's upcoming birthday. Thanks to the family for being happy (and go-lucky). We had a blast! (Jenna's real life birthday is Nov 28th). I would put pictures, but my oh my I don't have a camera here at work with me. But here is a picture of "Jenna Smith" from my google image search:

Christmas Time!

2008-11-14T11:03:00.001-08:00

With Christmas around the corner, I thought I would share some of my favorite Christmas albums with you. I would suggest getting a copy of these in time for some Christmas jams!

Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas (5 Disc Set)

This is a very fun collection of classics and originals. A few original gems: Come On! Let's Boogie to the Elf Dance!; Get Behind Me, Santa!; and Put the Lights on the Tree. The album includes several short instrumental arrangements of major classics. My favorite part of the album is the rare arrangement of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. A must listen!

Relient K - Let it Snow Baby...Let it Reindeer

This grouping includes my favorite non-religious Christmas song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." If you like Christmas, you'll be excited about these arrangements of "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "12 Days of Christmas." Find this album right away!

Manheim Steamroller - (ANY Christmas album)

This group has released 9 Christmas albums! While I haven't heard them all, I can certainly vouch for them as a group. They have sold over 28 million albums! Not bad for a group mostly releasing Christmas music.

Guitar Thrill Thursday!

2008-11-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

Let's all get our Guitar Thrills on with Prince playing with Tom Petty on a special performance of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (originally the Beatles). Prince isn't often associated with his guitar playing abilities, but he should be! He is one of my favorite guitarists. This is one example of his incredible prowess on the instrument.

Wall Street Wednesday: Brown & Brown

2008-11-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

First let's have a small update on last week's pick Family Dollar (FDO):

If you had taken my suggestion last week and bought up $10,000 worth of FDO, today you would have $11,003.57. A bad week for Wall Street, but not for FDO!

Brown & Brown Inc. Guess what they do. Go ahead. If you said: "They make a special line of crayons that only feature shades of brown" you are dead wrong! Brown & Brown Inc (BRO) is an insurance provider. Among their peers in the financial sector of insurance, they have the highest 5 year earnings growth and 1 year profit margin. Worth looking into? Yeah. Shares of BRO bought this July would be worth 22.78% more today. (That's $12,278 if you invested $10k). Basically, what we're looking for today is a company that will survive the constant downturns in the market. I believe BRO will.

FLAT News: Kismet

2008-11-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

Aaaah, "The Modern Game of Yacht"

KISMET

If any of you know of cool, rare, and / or unusual games, fill me in and invite me over.

Updated Top 10 Most Played Songs

2008-11-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

Today a new song took over the #1 played song on my iPod. I thought I'd share with y'all my updated top 10 most played songs:

01 - Cold Fire - Rush from Counterparts (104 Plays)
02 - Doctor Worm - They Might Be Giants from Severe Tire Damage
03 - The Cap'm - They Might Be Giants from The Else
04 - Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? - Prince from Prince
05 - Resolution - Prince from Planet Earth
06 - In My Ear - Toad the Wet Sprocket from fear.
07 - Cowboys - Counting Crows from Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
08 - Mr. Crowly (Live) - Ozzy Osbourne from Tribute
09 - Lost (Live) - Twenty Mule Team from Live at the Factory
10 - Deadbolt - Thrice from The Illusion of Safety (85 Plays)

Cold Fire has been on my "Everyday Playlist" for a long time now. I just love the guitar solo! Plus, it's a great song.

The Cap'm was in the #1 spot for 3 months.
My Saving Grace by Armor for Sleep from Smile for Them was in the top 10 for 9 months.

Wall Street Wednesday

2008-11-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

I'm starting a new thing for Wednesdays. Wall Street Wednesday! For those of you interested, I will be giving a brief analysis of a company stock that I think is worth noting. Today's company is Family Dollar (FDO).

Family Dollar Stores Inc (FDO) has shown impressive stability this year amid economic storms. If you had put $10,000 into FDO this time last year, you would have $12,000 today! Compare this to industry peers Target (TGT): $10,000 last year would be worth $7,600 today. With an annual dividend increase of 9.82%, Family Dollar proves to be a positive growth and value stock amid financial turmoil. My vote is FDO for the long term.

FLAT News: Luke! the Musical and Welcome Home

2008-11-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

Luke! the Musical (also known as the 3 songs I wrote for Luke's Musical) are still available for download on myspace. Here's what people are saying about the songs:

"I'm listening to [Scene 1] right now and I just downloaded them. So far it is looking so good."
-John Cory, the missing link in Spanish poetry

"I already got them and listened to them, boom! I like them. I like the reprise thing at the end."
-Matt Hanks, the reason for the see-son.

"Just gave them a listen. They sound great! ...Maybe it'll build up some hype. :)"
-Luke Stay, the man who made it happen (more than one "it").

"Did you see the film and then make the music?"
-Misty Barrett, the Matron Saint of Rock Music

In other news,

Jenna was gone from me all weekend and I am so happy to have her back! Wife! Life! ...strife ...knife......

1991: Great Albums!

2008-10-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to 1991 in music for the past few weeks as I narrow down my top 10. I haven't arrived at anything yet, but I wanted to give y'all a taste of what albums came out in 1991.

Great Debut Albums:
Live - Mental Jewelry
Pearl Jam - Ten

Albums That Put Them On The Map:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik
Toad The Wet Sprocket - fear

R.E.M. - Out of Time

Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)

Nirvana - Nevermind

Garth Brooks - Ropin' The Wind

Guns & Roses - Use Your Illusion I and II

Other Great Albums:

U2 - Achtung Baby

Soundgarden - Batmotorfinger

Michael Jackson - Dangerous

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

The Tragically Hip - Road Apples

Rush - Roll The Bones

Violent Femmes - Why Do Birds Sing?

Hope that gives you a taste of the wonderful music I've been sampling lately.

Quotation of the Week 10/29/08: Benjamin Franklin

2008-10-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

"He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money."
--Benjamin Franklin (That old bespectacled spectacle)

He knew money, my friend. And knew it well. I find it fun that he "coined" the phrase: "A penny saved is a penny earned." (Get it?)

Top 9 Songs from 1990

2008-10-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

9 - Skin by Oingo Boingo from Dark at the End of the Tunnel
8 - Blaze of Glory by Bon Jovi from Blaze of Glory
7 - Theme from (Dawn of the Prehistoric Newton) by Glenn Phillips from Scratched by the Rabbit
6 - Thieves in the Temple by Prince from Graffiti Bridge
5 - Blue Sky Mine by Midnight Oil from Blue Sky Mining
4 - Summer of Love by 311 from Dammit!
3 - Kiss Off [Live] by Violent Femmes from Add It Up (1981 - 1993)
2 - Don't Go Away by Toad the Wet Sprocket from Pale
1 - Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants from Flood

Notes:

"Skin" has a cool xylophone in it. Really cool. I mean, this is a really awesome xylophone intro. We're talking xylophone virtuosity here. Actually, it's probably a synthesizer...

Glenn Phillips is not to be confused with Glen (one "n") Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket. Funny story here: When I started getting into Glen (one "n") Phillips' solo music, I was searching far and wide for all of the albums that he had released. I came across an album called "Scratched by the Rabbit." I thought "I must have this album to complete my Glen (one "n") Phillips collection!" So I bought the sucker on eBay. Then I got the sucker in the mail. I read the back of the case which had a funny description of a man dreaming about some kind of Rabbit and he had to wake up and write an album about it...I thought: "that's strange." I noticed the year was 1990 and this discouraged me...I listened the first song which was instrumental. I became even more discouraged that maybe this wasn't the same Glen (one "n") Phillips I had come to know and love. Sure enough! This particular brand of "Glen" had two "nn's." Different guy. I wrote off the album as a complete loss until recently discovering that this two "n" Glenn is an amazing guitarist! The song listed above has incredible guitar work! He produces the closest thing to a real glissando that I have ever heard on a guitar (for those of you who aren't sure what I'm talking about: a glissando occurs (for example) on a trombone when you start on one note and litarally sliiiiide to another note "hitting each tone in-between." This is nearly impossible on many instruments). 'Nuff said.

For my previous review of the song "Kiss Off" click here.

The Glen (one "n") Phillips that you may be more familiar with hits #2 with his band Toad performing the song "Don't Go Away" which is my favorite on the album.

They Might Be Giants created a real winner when they wrote "Birdhouse in Your Soul." This song is about a night-light. Possibly the most bizarre and interesting subject for a song (at least the way they write it). Check out this lyrical tid-bit: "There's a picture opposite me of my primitive ancestry which stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches ship-wreck free. Though I respect that a lot, I'd be fired if that were my job, after killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts." Muchos Kudos to TMBG (possibly the greatest two-John band ever formed).

Quotation of the Week 10/22/08: Alexander Smith

2008-10-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

"Memory is a man's real possession. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor."
--Alexander Smith

There is something called "human capital" that each person possesses. Human capital refers to what a person is "worth" if you were to strip them of every worldly possession. And what it comes down to is what we know.

FLAT News: New Car

2008-10-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

The latest: Jenna got a new car! (New to her). Pictures are forthcoming.

Top 10 Songs of 1989

2008-10-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

10 - Part of Your World by Alan Menken from The Little Mermaid Soundtrack
09 - Hey Ladies by The Beastie Boys from Paul's Boutique
08 - And So It Goes by Billy Joel from Storm Front
07 - Flesh 'N Blood by Oingo Boingo from Ghostbusters II Soundtrack
06 - Electric Chair by Prince from Batman Soundtrack
05 - One Little Girl by Toad the Wet Sprocket from Bread & Circus
04 - The Other Side by Aerosmith from Pump
03 - Love Song by The Cure from Disintegration
02 - Show Don't Tell by Rush from Presto
01 - She Didn't Know by The Tragically Hip from Up to Here

A year riddled with good soundtracks, 1989 proved to be a very fun year to explore. I had to put a song from the great Alan Menken. He is a heavy-hitter when it comes to songwriting and is responsible for most of the great Disney Musicals.

Ghostbusters II is a great movie, but not that great of a Soundtrack. However, with the appearance of Oingo Boingo, I give it a good review. The band's front man Danny Elfman has since become one of the great film composers of our day. He has worked with Tim Burton on 12 of his films (including the performance of "Jack" in The Nightmare Before Christmas and all of the Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

Coincidentally, Elfman also wrote the score to the first Batman movie in 1989. The Soundtrack I referenced above is actually the "pop music" from the movie, all of which was composed by Prince.

The #1 song by the Tragically Hip is an excellent taste of blues rock music from Canada. The Hip is probably the #1 band I would encourage you to check out. Although they are critically acclaimed in Canada, they don't get enough credit here in the states. Find the album Up to Here and listen to it five times. You'll feel better, I promise.

Quotation of the Week 10/16/08: Ellen Goodman

2008-10-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."
--Ellen Goodman

Oh pish-posh.

FLAT News: 6 Months!

2008-10-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

The only real news I can give you today is that Jenna and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary last weekend! Hooray! Here is a picture of us making a real human heart at our secret lab.

Top 08 Songs of 1988

2008-10-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm getting into more recent years in music, I'm choosing a few extra favorites to share with everyone. I narrowed down the year 1988 into 8 of my favorite songs (each from a different album). I tried to put them in a good order, but I had a hard time deciding on specifics. Here we go:

08 - U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) (Live) from Rattle and Hum
07 - Prince - Good Love from Crystal Ball (rarity from the movie Big Lights, Big City)
06 - Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Babies from No Rest for the Wicked
05 - Rush - Distant Early Warning (Live) from A Show of Hands
04 - R.E.M. - World Lead Pretend from Green
03 - They Might Be Giants - Ana Ng from Lincoln
02 - Metallica - One from ...And Justice for All
01 - Living Colour - Cult of Personality from Vivid

Living Colour is a band that I first discovered back in the days that I used to frequent used CD stores. I would often go to this place called CD World in Idaho Falls and listen to used CDs on the little headphone stations they used to have. I saw a Living Colour CD (a band I had not heard of) and was intrigued by the case (because it was an all-clear red color). I listened to it and found it very catchy! I bought that album (called Stain). However, I think I sold it at some point. (I just found out that it is now out of print! D'oh!). The song Cult of Personality gained extra recognition for me when I heard it on Guitar Hero 3. Although I don't mind saying that I discovered this song from a video game, I do mind telling you that the guitar solos have vested me on it!

Quotation of the Week 10/08/08: George Burns

2008-10-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you've got it made."
--George Burns

This is one funny old dude. He lived to 100 years old! Crazy ol' codger. Said some funny stuff though...

FLAT News: Songwriting and Marathoning

2008-10-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

The latest news: I have been writing some new songs. I'm not sure what kind of EP it will produce, but I'm still excited. (If you hadn't noticed, I'm much more into producing EP's than LP's).

Also, this weekend we went up to St. George to watch Jenna's sister run the St. George Marathon! We saw her at the 21 mile mark and she was so fast that she beat us to the finish line! (we were driving...) I looked it up and the 2005 average time for females between the ages of 25-29 is 4 hours and 54 minutes. So congratulations to Emily for beating the average by a full half hour!

Reading

2008-10-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have been on a reading streak for about a year now. I slowed down reading for a few months last summer, but then I read Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton for the Giggle Squad Book Club (thanks Matt for picking such an excellent book!) Somehow that book launched me into an unstoppable reading rampage! Since January alone I have read over 50 books. I suggest that you try reading a book that you think will launch you into a reading streak. I've read a lot of good things on this streak and have no doubt that the trend will continue. To view a full list of the books I've read lately, check out my goodreads profile at www.goodreads.com/stefu. This is a great website for keeping track of and rating books. It also has trivia and lots of other fun things to do. As of today, I am currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Quotation of the Week 10/01/08: Ben Stein

2008-10-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

"The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want."

--Ben Stein

This sounds too simple. But I think it works. It's like the Cheshire Cat said to Alice: if you don't know where you are going it doesn't matter very much which path you take (that is not a direct quote). Make a list of 10 things that you want. Then make the same list and instead of starting each item with "I want" start it with "I can." The process is pretty simple: Make a decision and Make it happen.

FLAT News: Recording and Investments

2008-09-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Dearest Cyberspace,

I've been recording with my electric guitar lately. I was having a problem with my pedal board and I finally got a chance to fix it up. With that running as smoothly as ever, I started working on an electric version of a previously released EP. 3 songs have their guitar parts, and I'll be working on the bass and vocals soon too. I'm not sure what I'll be doing about drums yet. My drums are still in Idaho.

In other news, I passed another class in my Financial Planning program. (Pat on the back). Thanks! And now I'm moving on to class #4! Tax planning! Fun for all ages.

Sincerely,
Stefu

Another Game (Not iPod Related)

2008-09-26T11:39:00.001-07:00

In the far corners of the Amazon, they play this game on Friday afternoons. (That's not true). I have tried it a couple times now and have been very pleased. If you are reading this in google reader, come to the actual blog. Look at this here blog, look at it real close. Now look at the top left hand corner of the window. Scan to the right until you see the words "next blog." After clicking that button come on back to me.

Okay, so it's not really a game, but lately I've tried it. I just click next blog and read the first post until I get bored of it, then click next blog again. A lot of them are in other languages. Make me wish I was bi-, or tri-lingual. If there is a cool picture posted, I save it to look at later. I've learned some cool things about the world and I'm amazed at what some people have accomplished! Take a look at some of the pictures I've saved:

Quotation of the Week 09/24/08: Socrates

2008-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

"Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others."
--Socrates

This is something important to remember in marriage. If it would upset you when your wife buys a car without telling you, certainly don't do that sort of thing to her! You fool! (I don't really think you're a fool. You're a good person. Remember that. You and those around you. Good people. Just look at 'em. Smiling like that. These people could be movie stars. Or at least sit-com stars. Don't give up hope. You could still be that sit-com star that you always wanted to be back when you were obsessed with Friends. It's not too late to be Joey.)

FLAT News: Musical Completion

2008-09-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

This week I finished the three songs that I was writing for Luke's Musical. I recorded a demo version of the songs and will be posting it to FLAT-Space very soon. Probably tomorrow. This also means that the Human Element EP will only be available for download for a few more days at most. If you don't have this free music yet, get on the bandwagon and check it out!

In other news, I wear striped blue shirts to work sometimes and trimmed my beard.

Songs of the Year: 1984 - 1987

2008-09-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

1984: Afterimage by Rush from Grace Under Pressure

"Suddenly you were gone from all the lives you left your mark upon." Maybe this is a predictable choice for me. This is probably my second favorite Rush album. The album is one of the most cohesive groups of songs I've ever heard put together. I could have chosen almost any song from the album as my favorite for the whole year.

1985: Raspberry Beret by Prince from Around the World in a Day

This song was actually a very close second to my first choice. However, my first choice turned out to be from 1986. I had just mislabeled that particular song. (The first choice would have been "I Held Her in My Arms by The Violent Femmes.") Not to take away from the Raspberry Beret. Most people think of this song when you mention the word "beret." I hope that you'll listen to this very catchy tune again soon.

1986: Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head by They Might Be Giants from They Might Be Giants

This album is one of the greatest debut albums by a band that there is. Many bands don't have very good debut albums when compared to the rest of their repertoire. However, TMBG really took the world by storm with this album. With songs like "Rhythm Section Want Add," "No One's Gonna Change My Clothes," "I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die" TMBG sets a standard of silly and obscure lyrics that will set them apart from the rest of the college rock universe. The epitome, of course, is the song "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head." "Message to myself: Do the dumb things I gotta do...touch the puppet head."

1987: I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man by Prince from Sign O' the Times

1987 proved to be a very difficult choice for my favorite song. This one took the cake simply because of its catchy melody and excellent guitar solo near the end. Sign O' the Times is an album that should be in every house, apartment, or large live-in van. However, other good songs to look for in 1987: "Why Can't I Be You?" (The Cure), and "Angel" (Aerosmith)

Quotation of the Week 09/17/08: Anatole France

2008-09-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

"To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act."

--Anatole France

If you are missing either of these two components, no great accomoplishments can be made. Believe it or not, there are those out there who only act without dreaming. It is important to dream and to dream big!

FLAT News: Musical and the Economy

2008-09-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

The song writing project that has taken precedence over the Roots EP is my contribution to Luke's musical short (instert title here). I am writing 3 songs for his musical film which will serve as his application to a masters program in film. I will probably be posting these songs on the FLAT-space within a week or two. Wish me luck! And wish me candy. I like candy.

In other news, the stock market may be suffering due to recent economic events, but remember that much of what guides the economy is the attitude that investors and consumers (like you and I) take. So let's be optimistic about the future uprising of economic conditions! Thanks pals!

I Don't Know This Song

2008-09-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here is something I've started doing with my music listening. I suggest you try it:

Plug in the ol' iPod (or whatever you call it--"Dagny" maybe?). Create a new playlist called "Never Been Played" (or you can call it "Dagny's Never Been Played Songs"). Organize the songs on your iPod according to play count. Highlight every song that has no plays and put them in the "Dagny's Never Been Played Songs" playlist. Then, listen to it on random! It's a very fun way to hear the songs that you've never gotten around to checking out. I do this in small doses on the weekend. I usually wear shoes, but this is not a requirement.

Quotation of the Week 09/10/08: Bono / Michael Scott

2008-09-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

"Books! I dunno if I ever told you this, but books are the greatest gift one person can give another."
--Bono

Another great quotation to go along with this one:

"People I respect... heroes of mine would be, Bob Hope. Umm, Abraham Lincoln definitely. Bono... and probably God would be the fourth one. And I just think, all those people helped, the world in so many ways that it's umm really beyond words. It's incalcucable."
--Michael Scott, from The Office Pilot Episode

I can see why Bono is third on this list. He's right about books. Yep, he is.

FLAT News: Car for Sale

2008-09-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

My wife is selling her 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass. It's in great condition as we recently got all the repairs done on it that were needed. 77,000 miles. Asking price is $4,000 obo. If you know anyone interested, send them my way.

In other news, I haven't written as much music for FLAT lately mostly because I stopped getting up early enough to work on it in the mornings. But I will remedy this problem. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light is the candle of a pumpkin.

My Art Hand

2008-09-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

I am trying something a little different today. I made a little digital art. This one I called "Upsetting the Landscape." There is no rhyme or reason...

Quotation of the Week 09/03/08: Zig Ziglar

2008-09-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

"Nobody on the face of this earth can make you feel inferior without your permission."
--Zig Ziglar from See You at the Top

Even when everyone around you is telling you that you aren't good enough, smart enough, fast enough, thin enough, or whatever enough, the only person that can really make you feel inferior is yourself. Of course, that seems to only cover "this earth" and leaves plenty of room for Martians to make us feel stupid...

The Musicals of the 80's

2008-08-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Although no songs from these musicals were my choices for best song of their prospective years, I wanted to give them an honorable mention.

The Little Shop of Horrors (1982):

This is a very strange musical adaptation of a very strange cult classic film. The 1960 film (in which Jack Nicholson makes one of his first short appearances--becoming their main selling point of the film now) is an unusual story of a mysterious plant that thrives on human blood. This "Vampire Trap" is also the subject of the musical. If you give the plant what it wants, it returns the favor. A very intriguing application is alluded to. I grew up watching the motion picture version of the musical (starring Rick Moranis) and was surprised by the "real" ending that is in the original musical. I would give it "must see" status.

Les Miserables (1985 - English Version):

Critics were upset that someone would defile such a classic piece of French literature by making into a musical. Those critics may still feel that way, but most music listeners wouldn't. Les Miserables has since become one of the longest running musicals of all time. I love the depiction of Val-Jean and Javert in the music. I have never seen the musical, so I can't say it is a "must see" but I will at least give it a "must listen" status.

The Phantom of the Opera (1986):

Andrew Lloyd Weber is one of the most famous and successful of all musical composers. He has had some of the biggest hit musicals of all time (Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar -- all from the 80's). However, my favorite of his creations is the Phantom of the Opera. This is another adaptation from a piece of classic French literature. For me the music creates the perfect dark atmosphere which supports the telling of this dark tale. I grew up listening to this musical and enjoy it more today than ever. Those of you in Las Vegas should take the chance to see it on the strip while you can. Can I come?

Quotation of the Week 08/27/08: Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

2008-08-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well."

--Antoine De Saint-Exupéry from The Little Prince

I highly recommend reading this short book. It is one of my favorites. It is full of wisdom such as this. Remember that everything has a hidden beauty--even the outwardly beautiful.

FLAT News: None

2008-08-25T14:25:00.001-07:00

I really don't have any good news to share on here today. But in keeping with my once a week news post, I will share this:

I intend to save the world from earwigs. Yes, earwigs will be a thing of the past. Okay, so I just confirmed that they are not dangerous to humans (or really other animals) but I'd still like to see them all shipped off to Mercury (which is my particular method of choice). If you will join me in my quest, a simple "here, here" will suffice.

Fun with iPod Games

2008-08-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

When I say "iPod Games" I in no way mean the kind that are actual video games (although some friends of mine from Idaho invented one for the iPod Touch and iPhone called Lexitron which can be purchased in the iTunes store). No no, I mean music listening games of course. Here is my recent favorite (with 4 levels of difficulty):

Put your iPod on a full-out shuffle and try to name as many artists in a row as you can without any hints (as in, no peeking people). My record is 29 in a row.

Then do an iPod shuffle and name the artist AND the song title. My record there is only 2. Oddly enough...

Along the same lines, try this: shuffle--name the artist, song, AND album. My record = 5.

Finally, the most difficult level is naming the artist, song, album, AND year. This won't be easy to do if you don't have the year listed on the display. My record is 4.

To make the game have more of a music fulfillment purpose, once I get stuck on a song, I put that song on a special play list. This play list of "Get to Know Songs" is the subject of my Friday afternoons.

So there you have it. Some iPod games. I promised Jenna that if she can name 20 artists in a row on my iPod I would buy her a house! She still hasn't quite gotten there...

Quotation of the Week 08/20/08: John Linnell

2008-08-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

"We just think puppets are kinda cool. We like puppets. Some of our best friends are puppets. We're puppets."
--John Linnell

I like this quotation because it gives you a glimpse into the thinking behind They Might Be Giants. The glimpse I see: At first their songs might sound a bit silly--but there is usually a deeper, more serious meaning in them. In this statement you may be thinking: "They are silly! They like puppets...and puppets are weird and scary--wait! We are ALL puppets! AAAAHHH!" Yeah, that's probably what you were thinking...

FLAT News: Roots EP Forthcoming and Rock Band

2008-08-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to have my Roots EP ready for posting today. Sadly, it's not quite there. I have a another song to write and a few more to record. I give it two more weeks. Stay posted (use post-it notes if necessary. If anyone gives you any trouble about this, send them my way--not really, I'm a pansy).

In other news, Jenna and I joined countless buddies last weekend in playing Rock Band (the newest sensation in sensationalism). The drumming capabilities are excellent! A very good way of brushing up those rhythm skills you told your Mom about.

New Top 10 Most Played Songs

2008-08-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today I am posting the latest top 10 most played songs from my iPod. There was quite a changeup this month and I'm excited to share the results!

1- The Cap'm - They Might Be Giants from The Else (81 plays!)
2- My Saving Grace - Armor For Sleep from Smile for Them
3- Resolution - Prince from Planet Earth
4- You Vandal - Saves the Day from Bug Sessions Vol. 1
5- Last Heart - Prince from Crystal Ball
6- The Analog Kid - Rush from Signals
7- Ups and Downs - Saves the Day from Ups and Downs: Early Recordings and B-Sides
8- Where There's Gold... - Dashboard Confessional from The Shade of Poison Trees
9- In My Ear - Toad the Wet Sprocket from Fear
10- Radio - Saves the Day from Under the Boards (70 plays!)

This list is a little less weighted in Saves the Day and Armor for Sleep than the last time I reported my top 10. This definitely represents some of my favorite songs by these artists. The song Last Heart by Prince is an excellent rarity only found on his special 3 disc set called Crystal Ball. If you can find it, or if you can find me, pay attention to this song. However, half of the songs (including the top 3) are from 2007 albums. Although a great year for music, it represents a great negligence towards other decades.

Quotation of the Week 08/13/08: J.R.R. Tolkien

2008-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Don't take names to yourself...It's unwise, whether they are true or false."
-from The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

A negative "name" or title applied to yourself is always unwise. Calling yourself an idiot or a ninny hammer or what-have-you can only lead to self-loathing. And calling yourself an amazing athlete, even when true, can lead to self-aggrandizement. However, I believe it is important to refer to yourself as honestly as possible, and if you are a good athlete I think it's okay to admit the fact--modestly. People tend to become the things that they call themselves, so if you are going to label yourself falsely, at least do it on the good side.

FLAT News: Glen Phillips Song and The Simpsons

2008-08-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

This week's new download is another cover song called "Don't Need Anything." It's a sweet little tune by Glen Phillips about appreciating the little things that we already have. Visit the FLAT-Space and enjoy a fun download. The original can be found on Phillips' superb second solo album Winter Pays For Summer. Check it out.

In other news, Jenna and I started watching The Simpsons (the older stuff). I love how subtle much of the humor is. Everything from the Ayn Rand school for Toddlers to the Homer-phrase: "If you want something out of life you have to earn it...--Quiet! They're about to announce the lotto #'s!"

Songs of the Year: 1980 - 1983

2008-08-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

The 1980 song of the year I chose was: Free Will by Rush from Permanent Waves.

This album marks a great transition for the band. With the use of new ska/reggae elements the band really forges a new sound! The song Freewill has complex time signature changes (including a random bar of 1/4) and one of the greatest Rush solos. Seeing Alex Lifeson perform this song live is a must (at least on YouTube.)

The 1981 song of the year I chose was: Limelight by Rush from Moving Pictures

Uh-huh, another Rush song. This one was a much more popular song in its day than Free Will was. But it was not nearly as popular a song as 1982's pick.

The 1982 song of the year I chose was: Beat It by Michael Jackson from Thriller

An amazing song for so many obvious reasons! The song is catchy, the riff infectious, and the solo divine!

The 1983 song of the year I chose was: Uptown Girl by Billy Joel from An Innocent Man

I had to go with one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. A wonderfully written song about Billy Joel marrying the model Christine Brinkley. She was his uptown girl and he was the "backstreet guy." I feel the same way about my wife Jenna. Definitely an uptown girl! Although I would consider myself less of a "backstreet guy" and more of a "dirt road guy."

Quotation of the Week 08/06/08: Ben Folds

2008-08-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

“White people don't sing together very often, and when they do, it's about the celebrity of the song. The singing at my shows is all about harmony.”
-Ben Folds

It's sad to me that so many people don't appreciate music unless they are familiar with it. The "celebrity" of a song, not the beauty of the melody and harmony, is what makes people want to hear it. I love those moments when music is there simply for the sheer enjoyment of something good.

FLAT News: Saves the Day cover and Monopoly

2008-08-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today I posted this week's downloadable song on FLAT-space (www.myspace.com/frownlikeathunderstorm). It's a cover song originally written by Saves the Day called "Take Our Cars Now!" This is one of my favorite songs as of late and I enjoyed recording my own little version of it. An interesting tidbit about the song: my version turned out to be the exact same length as the original! Kinda cool. Also, the key has been lowered to accommodate my less-exquisite voice.

In other news, Jenna and I have been playing Monopoly! My childhood game of choice and adult game of particular interest. Thank you 1935.

My Super Band

2008-08-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

I put together one of those Super Bands. You know the type. Here is mine:

Chris Conley (from Saves the Day) - Vocals, Guitar, Keys
Prince Nelson (from Prince) - Vocals, Guitar, Keys
Geddy Lee (from Rush) - Vocals, Bass, Keys
Neil Peart (from Rush) - Drums

I figured that the vocals could be switched around however they see fit for each song. I think that the two guitar styles would be very cool. Prince as a lead guitarist is amazing. The songwriting would be the most excellent of all time. Each member has extensive experience in the area (even Peart is the lyricist for Rush). When it came to selecting a bassist, I had to go with my gut. Same with the drummer. Sure, they're from the same band, but so what? Hey, it was all I could do not to put Alex Lifeson in there and basically have Rush as my Super Band.

Quotation of the Week 07/30/08: Michael Stipe

2008-07-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

“There's a lot of work to be done. It's up to you.”
-Michael Stipe

It's really important to be willing to fight for your sucesses. I'm trying to get out of this mentality that I need to delegate everything to someone else. I should apologize to my wife for constantly trying to weasel my way out of calling the dentist. Sure, sure, she nags me a little, but I probably wouldn't do it at all if not for that.

FLAT News: Darkling Thrush Music

2008-07-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

I put an old Darkling Thrush song on the FLAT-Space this week. It's called "Just Maybe" and it can be downloaded this week only. This comes from the 2005 album I was making for my solo project Darkling Thrush. I actually wrote the words and melody to the song while on my mission and fleshed it out sometime after. Lyrically it's not based on any personal experience, but is designed to give the impression that "just maybe" things can work out okay.

In other news, the Dark Knight was a grand movie! That Joker is something else. Poor guy. Batman's voice could use some work though...

Fender Telecaster Delux

2008-07-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Someday when I'm gathering dust as a cartigan-wearing old man, I want to have this guitar in a glass case next to a framed picture of a zebra. If I were to buy another guitar today, it would be a Telecaster.

Quotation of the Week 07/23/08: C. S. Lewis

2008-07-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

"Aslan's instructions always work: there are no exceptions."
-from The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

Think about that for a while.

FLAT News: TMT Revival and Facebook

2008-07-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today I posted a Twenty Mule Team song called "Shakers In My Boots" on the ol' FLAT-space. This track comes from our last show at The Factory. You can download it and play it for your kiddies or what have you. It is a rare-ish recording since it was the newest song that we had written at the time. Download it this week only!

In other news, I am working on making a Facebook musician page. It's weird. Facebook can be confusing to me. I'm gonna start a networking website called "Fingerbook" since we all do our socializing with our fingers now instead of our faces.

Desert Island Albums

2008-07-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

If you were to apply for a position as a Blue Man Group backing musician, you would be asked to formally provide the 10 albums you would bring with you on a deserted island. (Yes, it is the coolest application of all time and space.) So, with intentions to fill out the application, I came up with this tentative list (in chronological order):

Samuel Barber - Complete Piano Music (Daniel Barenboim)
Led Zeppelin - I
Rush - A Farewell To Kings
Prince - Greatest Hits Vol 1 (does that count?)
They Might Be Giants - Flood
Toad The Wet Sprocket - Fear
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot
Coheed & Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
The Tragically Hip - World Container
Saves the Day - Under the Boards

This list was chosen carefully to reflect many different criterion. First, no more than 3 albums were in the same decade. Second, it includes the different styles I require (Classical, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Funk Rock/R&B, College Rock, Folk Rock, Jazz, Modern Rock/Metal, Country-type-Rock/Alternative, and Punkish ("Emo") Rock). Thirdly, no particular style is overly represented. Fourth, no band has more than one album on the list. And finally, these are some of my favorite albums from my favorite artists! Of course! Would any of these be included in your 10?

Quotation of the Week 07/16/08: Eddie Vedder

2008-07-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

"It's an art to live with pain..."
-Eddie Vedder, from Love Boat Captain

Everyone has a variety of pain in their life that is a constant thing. Sometimes it's physical, but most of the time it's emotional--something that stays in the back of our minds. After a while we forget about it, but usually only when it is replaced by some other pain. To live with that pain, to make its darkness into some kind of light, that is an art.

FLAT News: "Prelude to a Hooligan"

2008-07-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today I posted the song "Prelude to a Hooligan" on the FLAT-space. It is a short tune from the Roots EP. The song is available for download this week only, so be sure to check it out. Roots EP songs will not be available after this until the EP is completed. I finished another song this morning and have a few more to go. I'll keep dragons posted at both entrances.

In other news, I do have a beautiful wife of 3 months as of Saturday.

Song Review: Cowboys by Counting Crows

2008-07-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is a song from the newest Counting Crows album "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings" (released this year). I've had my concerns for Counting Crows over the years. I always liked the emotion that are in the lyrics and especially in their performance. Adam Duritz has a way of injecting true feeling into each word. I grew concerned that they had lost that edge when they released songs such as Accidentally in Love and the like. But this album, which got 10 out of 10 stars from ZME music, turned things around.

The song Cowboys is my current favorite. It is fast-paced and reminiscent of Angels of the Silences from their 1996 album "Recovering the Sattelites." Instrumentally speaking, it is a smorgasbord of colors. The intro is full of guitar that has a nice razor's edge. It is beautifully accompanied by Hamond Organ. The combination is wonderful. The verses and choruses feature a blend of quieter and beefed up moods that are accented with nice repeated piano octaves outlining a chord. The bridge is a nice breakdown with a little bass and piano. The song also features what I consider one of the bands best guitar solos (probably performed by guitarist Dan Vickrey). Although they are not a band known for their guitar solos, the style is definitely unique and the talent abundant.

As for the vocal performance, it is just dripping with feeling. The repeated phrase "this is a list of what I should have been but I'm not" speaks of feelings of regret and disatifaction. I haven't quite discected what the song is really about. With mention of cowboys, presidents, and "Mr. Lincoln" with a bleeding head on the front row haven't quite combined into a concrete picture for me yet. These things take time.

Quotation of the Week 07/09/08: Paul McCartney

2008-07-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

“Buy, buy, says the sign in the shop window; Why, why, says the junk in the yard.”
-Paul McCartney

I usually like to spend a night's sleep before I buy anything over $100. I hate buying things and not using them. It drives me bonkers (I keep me bonkers in me sock drawer--kidding! I don't even have a sock drawer!).

One thing I like to do with clothing before I buy it is this: I think of how many times I'm likely to wear it compared to the cost. For example, if a jacket costs $40 and I only wear it once, then I basically paid $40 to wear it once. If I wear it twice, then I paid $20 for each time I wore it. I'm pretty sure that I have a t-shirt that I basically paid $0.0001 per use. Good old Creation Celebration. This principle works with everything that you can buy.

FLAT News: EP Response

2008-07-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted The Human Element EP (Acoustic Demo Version) on myspace for downloading. I have been very happy with the response so far. The first day heralded 36 downloads and in one week it has gotten over 100 plays. I couldn't be happier with this. If you haven't had a chance to check out these tunes yet, please do so.

Here is what people are saying about the EP:

"The guitar work in the beginning of Beautiful Truth is really quirky and intricate. Cool time signature, odd movements, you know: classic Steven awesomeness"
-John Cory, LSAT man, blogger of note, and music hobbyist.

"By the way, I like your EP very much. You Are Love is a very very pretty song."
-Matt Hanks, Drummer (The Direct Method), belly-button flaunter, and Surly Ninja.

"I'm still gonna download it, my computer has been a jerk for a few days now."
-Alex Dye, Man (the Alex Dye Project), rocksmith, and truck-driver.

In other news, I plan to post a new song on the FLAT-space (thanks Alex) every Monday which will be available for download. I won't this Monday because of the proximity to releasing the EP. So, make sure to check often for new music! This, of course, means that "Death Wish" will only be available for another week until further notice. I plan to include new songs as well as old songs from previous bands that might be of general interest.

Song of the Year: 1969

2008-07-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

This was a very good year for music. With two of my favorite albums in the running, it was hard to choose my favorite song. Both Abbey Road and Led Zeppelin I were released. Interesting that 1969 marked the end of one great band (the Beatles) and the beginning of another (Led Zeppelin). There was also great music from Creedence Clearwater Revival (a band that I'm more recently getting into). However, since I grew up on the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, their presence blew any other competitor out of the water.

So it came down to these two songs: "You Never Give Me Your Money" (the Beatles) and "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Zeppelin). Both wonderful songs in their own unique ways. However, I'm very much a guitar man. Even with their powers combined, I just don't think that John Lennon and George Harrison are any match for Jimmy Page. So I had to go with "I Can't Quit You Baby."

This song is a great take on the blues. It features Robert Plant's somewhat whiney-and-raspy-at-the-same-time voice. But the real dessert for me is the guitar. The solo in particular is a mastery of the instrument. Few have played the guitar so well since Jimmy Page's day, and even fewer have been so innovative. Cheers to Jimmy Page!

Quotation of the Week 07/02/08: Orson Scott Card

2008-07-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

"Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon"
-from Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card

It's hard to say that any of us really knows anything. Someone that is scared to jump off a cliff into the lake just doesn't trust enough that it won't hurt them. They don't "know" if it is safe--no matter how many of their friends have already jumped and come out unscathed. We don't know that tomorrow will even come, but we trust enough that it will--so we make plans. What is something that you "know"? And what do you wish you could do but don't have enough trust in it to act?

FLAT News: The Human Element EP Now Available

2008-06-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today I posted my first EP on my myspace page. The Human Element EP (Acoustic Demo Version) is now available for download on that page. I also included one song from the next EP I'm working on (called "Death Wish" from Roots EP). I hope that you will take some time to listen to and download these songs. I enjoyed writing them and recording them. Feel free to let me know what you think of them.
Click here to go there now.

In other news, I ate some warm cream cheese today and I'm not sure I should have.

Fun With iPods: My Top 10

2008-06-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

I play a lot of games with my iPod to help make music listening even more engaging and interesting. One thing I like to do is keep track of my top 10 most played songs. I update this every month. (For those of you not familiar with how this could be determined, simply use the "Play Count" function to see which songs have been played the most amount of times). Here is my most recent top 10 list:

1- My Saving Grace by Armor for Sleep
2- Ups and Downs by Saves the Day
3- You Vandal (Acoustic Version) by Saves the Day
4- Where There's Gold... by Dashboard Confessional
5- Radio by Saves the Day
6- Remember to Feel Real by Armor for Sleep
7- The End Complete IV: The Road and the Damned by Coheed & Cambria
8- Under the Boards by Saves the Day
9- Bye Bye Baby by Saves the Day
10- See You by Saves the Day

As you can probably tell, I went on a major Saves the Day / Armor for Sleep marathon whilst I was preparing to see them in concert (which was mythical by the way).

In addition, the song Bye Bye Baby has been in my top 10 for the past 5 months, currently the longest running. Also, the song My Saving Grace has held the #1 position for 4 months and counting. I encourage you to check out the albums from which these songs came. Under the Boards by Saves the Day and Smile for Them by Armor For Sleep. Both of these were released last year (a great year for new releases!).

Quotation Of The Week 06/25/08: John Lennon

2008-06-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
-John Lennon, "Beautiful Boy"

You can't wait for the ideal time to do everything. Some things don't need to be overly-planned. Just live your life the way you see yourself living it in your daydreams. Nothing is worse than looking back over a period of a month, a year, or a decade, and realizing that you haven't truly lived.

FLAT News: Space-bound

2008-06-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today's news features my decision to join the first colony ship to Mars.

In their latest mission, after 4 months, $420 million, and certainly painstaking effort, American robots found real water ice on Mars! This, of course, means that I could survive there (because I could have ice in my O.J.) I have arranged for my own starship to take me to the planet so I can begin settling. You're all invited to my crater-warming party. It's Martian-themed, so be creative! I've got most of my boxes packed--now all I have to do is tell my wife...

Click here for the article.

Song of the Year: 1954

2008-06-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Fun with iPods! Anyone with an iPod will tell you how much easier it makes their music-listening experience. I basically listen to music throughout my entire work day not to mention every other chance I can find (the other day I was curious to find out how much music I listened to in one day. The iPod allows you to discover this quite easily by using the "Last Played" function. I found that within the last 24 hours I had listened to 11.5 hours of music--almost half my day!)

Anyway, because of the volume of music I go through in a week, I have come up with ways to make my listening even more fun and enjoyable. Due to the idea and influence of a friend of mine (Matt--you smart man!) I went through every album/song on my iPod and added the year before the album title (I prefer this to just putting it in the "Year" category of the info). A few months ago I started listening to every year I have and selecting my favorite song from each year. Having the obsessive compulsive personality that I do required me to make up a very complicated set of rules that I won't attempt to document here. Suffice it to say that I have reached the year 1954 in my project and I am reporting to you all which song from that year I have chosen as my favorite.

1948 was the first year that included music that was not classical. However, the genre then exposed was a near-relative to contemporary classical music: Jazz! Therefore, the 1954 big winner is the song Le Souk (Live) by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Dave Brubeck is an amazing Jazz pianist and is considered one of the founders of the art. The quartet consists of a piano, tenor saxophone, upright bass, and a nice drum kit. As is customary for such Jazz quartets, Le Souk starts with the main theme of the tune (in the sax) and metamorphoses into an improvised solo which is then taken over by the piano before finally returning to the main theme. The piano solo in this track exhibits amazing repeated chords that would give even the most strong-wristed among you a stiff arm.

In the coming weeks I hope to include you in my favorites from each year. I'm excited to get into the 60's and 70's when rock n roll really takes off. I'm sure you'll be more interested in my choices for those years.

Introducing Quotation of the Week: Orson Scott Card

2008-06-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

From this day forward, I plan to post a "Quotation of the Week" each Wednesday (if possible). The quotations will usually come from books I'm currently reading, but may occasionally come from snippets of songs, movies, historical figures, or bathroom graffiti--whatever seems right. Here is today's quotation:

"Sickness and healing are in every heart. Death and deliverance are in every hand."
--from Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Each of us has been given an opportunity to make something of our lives. What we make is completely up to us.

FLAT News: EPs

2008-06-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

I believe in the art of the EP. EP stands for Extended Play and originates from the days of the record album. An EP was longer than a "single" (or 45" record). Therefore, it's called an extended play. However, a longer record album would be called an LP (Long Play). Anyway, today's news is about my recent activities in the world of the EP.

Sometime in February I finished writing The Human Element EP, which I'm currently working on recording. The EP is about 5 different abstract nouns which I describe as if they were actual people. My goal is to get an acoustic version of the EP done within the month. I will be posting it on myspace and, if I can figure it out, possibly on this blog as well...

Secondly in the world of EPs, I started writing my second EP, tentatively (but probably) titled Roots. The idea I have for this EP is exciting to me! I will leave a detailed explanation of the EP for a later time.

Well, that's the news!

Stefu.

Shouting at the Mules

2008-06-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a minute to give a well-deserved "shout out" to my former bandmates from Twenty Mule Team (TMT). By far the best musicians I have yet to play with. Never have I enjoyed the song writing process more. And never have I had more fun on stage and off. Although "our time" was cut relatively short (I played with them for only a year and a half), I feel that we made tremendous progress as a group and that I individually discovered fertile potential-soil that I didn't know was there. With future projects I hope to plant seeds of music lilies in that soil (or maybe snap dragons...I used to love those as a kid).

John, you are a grandmaster songwriter! Not For Me (however many times we were sick of playing it) is one of the catchiest tunes I've ever played. A little mixture of good tune, raunchy guitar riff, and sticky man-sweat goes a long way. Your antics on and off the stage kept us happy (and healthy). Thanks. "Everybody, everybody get your coat rack--get your coat back from the coat rack man!"

Matt, putting beats into measures that can't be measured. And that's just the beginning. Pretty soon you'll be putting measures into beets that can't be tasted. Seriously though, a virtuoso drummer with a propensity to break sticks. I've never known a drummer to cause more injuries breaking sticks than you. And it's not just about the drumming--many of our songs were only completed because of your good ideas. I only wish we could have used some of your more recent ones. The Direct Method is lucky to have you.

Alex, rocksmith of ages. You were the roof to our outhouse, the crown to our kingdom, even the strings to our puppet. It was like love at first sound. The intensity your playing brought to our stylings was mythical. Like Poseidon, with the very sea obeying him, the bass obeys your every whim. (And you are a whimsical creature indeed). It was such a treat to play with another Led fan. You glued us all together with your musical tastes (and I'll never regret tasting the glue). I hear you're in town, so let's hit that thang and sneak into a show or something. I've got some new ideas...

Album Review: M(US)IC by Damiera

2008-06-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Damiera is an experimental "Math Rock" band. I first heard a song from this album as I was exploring new music on www.pandora.com (seriously worth going to this website. It generates songs that you may like based on songs and artists that you enter into their genome). I was amazed at the complexity of the music! I bought the album shortly thereafter.

This is the bands debut album released on Equal Vision Records. The album title at first confused me. M(US)IC. But as it turns out, it's one of those word puzzles. I'll let you try to figure it out (I'll put the answer at the end*). If you're not sure what kind of word puzzles I mean, here is an example:

Head
____

Heels

This means: Head over heels.

Now, on to the rock!

First observation: This album is seriously for that kid that understood calculus in 5th grade. It is full of incredibly fast-changing odd time signatures. I feel as though I would need one of those flip around chalk boards and about 3 hours to figure out the equations behind this complex math rock. But those of you still being tutored for Math 101, do not despair! While some songs are nearly incomprehensible in their time changes, some are more straight-forward (Broken Hands). But the beauty of this album is that the intricacy doesn't distract from the quality of the songwriting. Those of you who could care less about what time signature the song is in will not be affected.

And the vocals! If only I could communicate to you the over-arching intensity of these vocals. The first song on the album (Immure) leads in with the vocals before any instruments. It is a good example of the quality you'll be hearing throughout.

Guitar: Often the odd time signatures on the album are accentuated by the harmonized lead guitar parts. This is one of my favorite aspects of the album. The last song (Obsessions) features some amazing guitaring (a lot of hammering ... possibly two-hand tapping).

My favorite songs from the album: Via Invested, Lessons, and M(US)IC.

Listen with eager ears. If you like it, watch for their second album Quiet Mouth Loud Hands coming out this month on Equal Vision Records.

*M(US)IC = Us in music.

"I love music, and I will continue to let go of every excess (money, home, health, etc) in order to find my end in it. I have been extremely fortunate thus far, but I'd rather end with nothing and satisfied than end with everything and not use it."

-Dave Raymond, Damiera

Album Review: Parade by Jason Robert Brown

2008-05-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

After seeing the musical Wicked in Los Angeles this week, I have been listening to and thinking about the art of the musical. Today I wanted to expound on one in particular of which you might not be aware: Parade.

This musical is by Jason Robert Brown. Anyone that goes by all three of their names catches my attention right away (i.e. Andrew Lloyd Weber and Winnie the Pooh). But to me the strength of Parade isn't in the composer's name but rather in the story told and the umph that the music gives it.

The story is one of great tradegy. It is based on a true story taken from the events of a real trial held in the early 1900's. The opening song sets the scene for the time period (post-Civil War in the South). We are introduced to Mr. Leo Frank, a Jewish American educated in the North. He moves to Atlanta, Georgia and becomes the owner of a sweat shop factory (they were common). After a mysterious murder of a 13-year old girl employed by the sweat shop, prejudice turns the public against the "foreign" man from the North. He is put to trial and the testimonies of many are sung. For complete details on the outcome of that trial, I would recommend listening to the musical. (I'm not much for spoilers).

The music is probably the most excellent (pardon the Bill & Ted adjective) music produced for a musical that I know of. It has a great early Jazz feel (as it should, considering the setting). The actors/resses portray great emotion, thus bringing the tragic events of the musical to life. Listen for great uses of bitonality and disonance which greatly enhance the stresses and downright sadness of the story.

In the shell of a nut, this is a great step for anyone interested in the modern art of the musical. The issues that the story brings to light are both of historical and contemporary importance while the music brings together both early and modern Jazz, Classical, and pop techniques.

Purple and Pink?

2008-05-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be thinking: "What's up with this Purple and Pink background!?" Some others of you may be wondering: "Why Frown Like A Thunderstorm?" The answer to both questions can be summed up with one title:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

It may be a children's book (actually, one of the first children's books to be intended for entertainment purposes rather than educational--thank you Lewis Carrol), but it is a very deep and interesting story. It is also the source of the title and image of this new project of mine.

The Queen (of Hearts and of Wonderland--she has a touch of megalomania) is described at one point as "frowning like a thunderstorm." I thought it such an apt and descriptive sentence that I decided to adopt it for the title of my next solo music project (from which this blog has sprung).

I next decided that my backup band should be characters from the book. So, I drew the stick figures of Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat.

Following this progression as logically as possible, I took the next step and made the colors purple and pink in honor of the Cat--who brandishes those colors oh so well. (In fact, the colors purple and pink came directly from the picture of myself in a beret. The puprle from the hat and the pink from my skin.)

Unfortunately, these colors do have some prejudices associated with them. Having said all this, I hope you'll understand the nature of my choice of color scheme.