Best of 2010

My Personal Best albums of 2010:

10. Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Although this doesn't pack as much punch as their last release, Only By the Night, which made it to my #2 last year (only surpassed by Mark Lanegan and Soulsavers), it still deserves a spot in my top 10. I love this band, love watching them play, and the way their music makes me feel.

9. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Hawk
Although this needs no explanation since the Mighty Mark Lanegan lends his voice to it, a song like Won't let Me Down Again (great video at the link) give this album an Americana vibe I didn't know I liked so much! Plus, have I mentioned it's Mark Lanegan?

8. Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses - Junky Star
itunes places this in the country genre. I don't like that label, but I do enjoy this album. I love the grit in Ryan's voice, the guitar playing, the harmonica placement, the humble stage presence -one of the best shows I've seen this year. There's also this...sigh...

7.The National - High Violet
I'm kinda fibbing here. I discovered The National this year and completely fixated on Boxer, which was released in 2007, but also picked up 2010's release High Violet. The new one hasn't seen as many spins as Boxer, because I just couldn't let go. My one Lollapalooza regret was missing The National - poor placement, their set was right before Soundgarden.

6. Broken Bells
Fun, fun, album. Great driving while dancing music, which apparently I still need to master. This one had massive air time. Broken Bells put on a great live show too! I'd almost consider this a guilty pleasure, but it convinced me to check out Sparklehorse, Dark Night of the Soul, which really deserves it's own spot on this list.

5.Fistful of Mercy
For a great album, an amazing live show, for Alain Johannes' Spark, for running across Broad St. in the middle of the night into Joseph Arthur's arms.....for making me smile :)

4.Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
I'm starting to see a trend of deep, rough voices, acoustic guitar and that Americana vibe again. Although, to be fair these guys aren't American. Unfortunately, I caught on too late and missed their sold out show, which precludes their placement higher on my list.

3.Robert Francis - Before Nightfall
THE find of the year for me. I get goosebumps thinking about it. Young dude,with an old voice and soul. I 'felt' shades of Jeff Buckley just listening and even more so when I caught a show this summer, in the Hamptons of all places. The dichotomy of his age and sound blew me away as well. Check out this vid for Mescaline and see if you don't agree.

2.The Black Keys - Brothers
This band have begun to define rock 'n roll for me. I know this album made many best of lists this year, but spinning Brothers on my USB turntable IS the epitome of rock 'n roll. It takes me back and keeps me present.

1.Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
In keeping with my retro, yet current leanings (this worked out nicely but completely unintentionally), Wilderness Heart is my #1. On the band's myspace, they list their genre as "Healing and Easy Listening/Psychedelic". I love that description, but I feel there's so much more: alternating and combining female/male leads, early heavy metal influences as well that awesome hallucinogenic leaning, plus a rocking live show (it's ALL about the live show) - I feel pretty passionate about this pick. Bonus: listen to Rollercoaster at the 4:24 mark - completely reminiscent of one of my all time favorite bands (mentioned in #7).

Now that I'm done, I'm literally exhausted. This was a long, thought out process. I listed all the albums I felt influenced me this year. Then I started assigning numbers, and re-assigning. There are several bands that deserve honorable mentions, but I think I'll save that for another time. I listened to tracks over and over again. Its an emotional undertaking for me, and I know I do it ONLY for me. It serves to remind me why I love music in the first place, and love is not a word that can begin to do it justice. Now I'm not feeling so guilty about investing in that new ipod the other day ;)

Catching Up

It's been almost a full 6 months since I've blogged. Seems I go through this every year, winter is much more conducive to staying inside and writing. However, the only thing I'm doing here is copy/pasting the summer music blogs I wrote for work, that never made it to my blog. I'm not proud of the writing that follows, because I was always cognizant of the professional , rather than musical audience I was writing for, however, I am pretty proud of the fact that a picture of Soundgarden graced the intranet presence of my workplace :)

EvelynEvelyn, Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley at the TLA June 18, 2010

Part vaudeville act, part circus side show, part musical theatre, part cabaret and all entertainment and fun, this act of fictional conjoined twin sisters and their life story was a performance like no other. The “girls” played guitar, accordion, ukulele, piano, drum, and kazoos all the while recounting their dramatic life’s tale. The performances consisted of songs from the EvelynEvelyn cd such as ‘Elephant Elephant’, ’MySpace’ and a touching cover of Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’. The great entertainer, Sxip Shirey served as both the opening act and emcee of the entire affair, even manning a puppet show during the main event.

EvelynEvelyn is the brainchild of Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls) and Jason Webley. Everything from songwriting to costume to artwork was the result of a zany creative process, and came together for a wonderful production. Amanda and Jason each performed their own sets as well, before the whole cast reassembled onstage for a rousing sing-along finale.
I am a big fan of Amanda Palmer and she never fails to work with the most creative artists, and put on the most intimate of shows. Her next release is all ukulele covers of Radiohead songs. Jason Webley started out as a street musician in Seattle, and has since released several collaborations as well as solo work. I look forward to following both these artists’ careers.

http://www.evelynevelyn.com/

Next month: I travel to Chicago for the Lollapalooza Music Festival. 3 days, eight stages, over 90 bands!

Lollapalooza: Grant Park, Chicago August 6,7,8 2010

You could say I’m a veteran of Lollapalooza. This music festival started as a traveling show in 1991, took a couple of breaks over the years and found a permanent home in Chicago beginning in 2005. Besides early shows, this was my 3rd straight time traveling to Chicago on the first weekend of August, and is definitely the highlight of my summer concert experiences. This year was extra special because Sunday’s headliner was the recently reunited Soundgarden, which meant I would also be reunited with friends from all over the country traveling just to see them.
It’s impossible for me to share all my experiences, so I’ll just give a rundown of the highlights:

Day 1 – it’s always a wait to get into the festival on the first day. Once I got through the gate, it was time to reacquaint myself with the layout and purchase band t-shirts while the selection was still good. The first band I saw was newcomers The Big Pink, followed by the New Pornographers, a glimpse of Matt and Kim, The Black Keys (a huge favorite of mine), hall of famer Jimmy Cliff and The Strokes.

Day 2 – I started out at The xx but I think 75,000 other people were there, so I made my way over to see another relatively new band I love, Dawes. Heard some Grizzly Bear, Metric, Spoon, Cut Copy and finally Phoenix. I had been looking forward to this band; their record Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix won this year’s Grammy for best alternative album. Unfortunately the sound didn’t carry over well to where I was standing, so I didn’t get the full effect until I moved to the center during the encore. I would love to see Phoenix again in a smaller venue. I just found out Phoenix will be at the Tower in October, perfect!

Day 3 – My friends and I got a late start on the last day. We were definitely feeling the cumulative effects of the hot sun and being on our feet. However, this was the day we had all gathered for: Soundgarden together for the first time in over 13 years! Luckily, I was able to distract myself enough to enjoy Hockey, Frightened Rabbit, and MGMT beforehand. A few of my friends were brave enough to secure spots on the field against the rail in front of the stage. However I positioned myself on a small rise to the right of the stage which gave me a great view of the stage as well as the 2 video screens on either side. Soundgarden were as loud, powerful and dark as ever. They combined classic radio songs such as “Black Hole Sun” and “Fell on Black Days”, with some earlier favorites for diehards like myself, such as “Gun and Flower”. Honestly, I was more than nervous about a reunion due to the fact that most bands cannot recreate what it was we loved about them the first time around. My fears were completely unfounded and I am anxiously awaiting a tour announcement.

In keeping with the rock star vibe of the event, Chicago chef Graham Elliott Bowles (who concert-goers were posing for pictures with)and is also on the Fox show Master Chef, ran the festival’s ‘chow towns’. This was not your usual burgers and dogs fare. The vendors were top class Chicago restaurants showcasing their food. I sampled gourmet food such as a lobster corn dog and Asian Chicken Salad with peanut-jalapeño vinaigrette. Chicago is a beautiful city and there’s not much that can top watching a favorite band perform against the backdrop of the city skyline while feeling the breeze off Lake Michigan. I’m not sure if I’ll return to the Windy City next year, but no matter where I go I know I’ll have great music and friends to accompany me.

http://www.lollapalooza.com/

http://www.soundgardenworld.com/

Summer Blogging

So I volunteered at work to be the summer music blogger. It's part of an initiative called associate engagement, which I take to mean acknowledging and attempting to bridge the gap between work and home life. I volunteered because although I love to write, as with everything else, if I have a deadline I get it done, if not, nothing gets done. I also thought just maybe it'd be a networking tool, maybe someone else out there at my work place has a passion for music like I do. Maybe someone out there is in need of a music reviewer. My first blog published this week, along with a pic and bio - I found that part embarrassing. I am going to repost my blogs here, along with some personal tidbits that I left out of the work blogs.

Joseph Arthur at Milkboy Coffee Ardmore, PA June 5, 2010

I’ve been a fan of this indie artist for a few years now, but had yet to see him live. I had heard he put on a fantastic live show, and this one well exceeded my expectations. Milkboy holds maybe 50 people so I was looking forward to the intimacy only a small venue can bring. The stage set up included an easel and a very large canvas- which meant he was going to paint for us as well.

Joseph Arthur is an artist in every sense of the word, musically and visually. Joseph came on stage to do soundcheck and launched right into the show from there, making jokes about blurring the lines between pre and actual showtime. Joseph has a pretty vast catalog to draw from and he did just that, playing acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, and adding musical and vocal loops to enhance the sound. His falsetto added to the mix. Comical banter between songs rounded out the show, engaging the audience above and beyond the music. It was during his last song before the encore where he proceeded to paint while singing, the musical loops providing his accompaniment. It was a wonder to watch. I cannot wait until he comes back to this area again, but in the meantime, Joseph has an art show at Ven and Vaida in Olde City until the end of June. I’d recommend checking it out.

http://www.josepharthur.com/

Broken Bells at The Electric Factory June 6, 2010

Broken Bells was formed by famed producer and artist Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) and James Mercer of The Shins and released their self titled record this March. I can best describe it as part pop, part electronic, part experimental, all melody and lots of fun, but I wasn’t sure how it would play out live. Turns out the live act was a total of 7 musicians, including 3 keyboards, 2 drum kits, trumpet, bass, and at times up to 4 guitarists. I enjoyed witnessing the music being transformed into something harder and edgier yet retaining its original qualities as well. The Electric Factory, one of my favorite rooms in Philadelphia, was almost at capacity Sunday night and my daughter and I had a great time. The band played almost the entire album, and filled in with covers that I would have originally thought were oddly chosen, but ended up fitting in perfectly: Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and a version of “Crimson and Clover” that was more reminiscent of Joan Jett than Tommy James. Broken Bells is definitely going to remain in heavy rotation throughout the summer.

http://www.brokenbells.com/

So those are the official blogs. Here's what I left out. At the Joseph Arthur show I was feeling real good, not artificially, but genuinely. Being in close proximity to a man and his electric guitar with all sorts of pedals and electronic devices sets my heart aflutter. Then when said man started painting and getting all messy, well, that completely did me in. I was head over heels. However, I regained my composure in time for a post-show conversation. The most hysterical part of that show was when my friend asked me for the artist's name, and for some crazy reason I replied with the name of one of his crew members. I know that doesn't sound funny at all right now, but we were cracking up over it. On the drive home, I was cracking up about it all by myself. It's one of those moments where you can look back, and laugh so hard your belly hurts.

At the Broken Bells show, which I attended with my daughter Teresa, we sat on bleachers at the back of the floor. Top row, which gave us a good, centered view of the stage. Usually at the factory, if I am not upstairs sitting on a stool in the bar area, I am right up front against the stage barrier, so this was a totally new position for me. I pointed her in the direction of the old posters from past shows and let her explore the venue on her own. I almost felt like I was passing on the torch. It seems now that I am taking my daughter to shows, I notice many more parents and kids in attendance as well, which is a good thing. We both cheered and clapped together during the show, but during the encore she wanted to stand up. So we did. Then I sat down, realizing that she was having an amazing time, dancing and going crazy as she should. So rather than be the embarrassing mom, I sat down and let her do her thing. I'm glad she wants to go with me to shows. Our next one will hopefully be EvelynEvelyn on Friday, which I will use for my next blog. It actually excites me to think about going to a concert, and having to write about it. I hope I can continue.

One more thing, my daughter also serves as my editor. She has no qualms about criticizing my writing, and honestly, besides being an awesome writer herself, she is much more familiar with the current grammatically correct writing style. This arrangement is a win-win for both of us.

My summer vacation will be spent in my bathroom

I've been living in my current home just shy of 16 years now. Its definitely meets the criteria for the definition of home, mostly because I've raised my kids in this house and in this community. Having said that, I'm sure they feel more of a connection to this place than I do. I know I felt (and still do) a sort of possessiveness over the house I grew up in and the town in which it was located. I experienced all my firsts in that location, I am a by-product of that place and time. When I dream, home is that house in East Meadow, NY, and I suspect it always will be.

I am so eager to move on and make a home of my very own, for the very first time in my life. Now that it is within reasonable reach, I do know I will feel sad upon leaving this house because of the memories it holds. I hope that sadness is tempered by the excitement of something new.

However, this blog was prompted by an annoying aspect of home. Every year I try to make some sort of home improvement knowing that I need to keep the place in sellable shape and maintain a level of comfort for the years left in residence. Last year, we re-painted and decorated two bedrooms. The year before that I had some trees trimmed, I've replaced the fence and had the driveway and apron re-done. There have been several minor maintenance jobs in between. This year, I have no choice but to remodel the main bathroom. I've been wanting to remodel the kitchen, but the bathroom cannot wait. I had 2 contractors come out to take a look and am now waiting for their estimates. I have a sinking feeling the expense is going to be more than I bargained for.

Of course, the trees are in need of trimming once again, the driveway needs re-sealing, the deck is way over due for new stain and seal, a door needs repair, and I've also noticed something (probably plural) is living in my flower bed. This is all forgetting the desired kitchen remodel.

Update: I received both estimates and went with the cheaper one, mostly because I've seen his work and liked it. The estimate is just above the amount of my entire tax return plus my merit increase I received in one lump sum on Friday. So that's it, there goes everything else and I'll keep my fingers crossed nothing breaks down until next year this time. I've already decided not to spend the usual week at the Jersey shore with my girls. We'll be spending a week at Grandma's instead. As for my own personal vacation, that remains to be seen. I'd feel pretty guilty taking a vacation on my own and canceling the one with the girls. However, they are going on vacation with their dad the first week of August, which of course coincides with Lollapalooza. If Soundgarden is at Lolla, I have no choice but to scrape together the dough and make it happen. I'd regret it otherwise, and I am not about regrets in this lifetime. Short of that, I don't know. I don't want to set myself up for a shortfall if something comes up that I have to deal with. I won't dig further into savings either. I'm all I have.

I hate decision making when it comes to home improvements vs. fun. I will force myself to take long bubble baths, with a glass of wine, listening to jazz music. I know how rejuvenating that can be. I'm hoping it will be even more so in a nice bathroom.

The other part of this that sucks is that this is the year where I finally have extra vacation time. I have places I want to go, the time to do it, but not the funds. I'm trying to stay positive and have already begun to look at local places that I have yet to take advantage of. In that respect, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. In keeping with my positive attitude, I will make it so.

Hodophobia

On the eve of the second major snowfall in less than a week, I thought I'd write a little about the hodophobia I apparently suffer from. My daughter diagnosed me at the dinner table a couple of weeks ago when I cancelled plans, due to the snow, disappointing myself and others.

Here are the 9 symptoms of hodophobia taken from wrongdiagnosis.com:

• Irrational fear of travel
• Feeling of panic
• Feeling of terror
• Feeling of dread
• Rapid heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Trembling
• Anxiety
• Extreme avoidance measures taken

Taking a look at these, I can make a strong case against having this. I definitely don't have an irrational fear of travel altogether. I'll get on a bus, a train, even a plane, no problem. I love to drive. Give me a beautiful day, an open road, some good tunes and I'm am happy as a pig in you-know-what. I look forward to those days. Add torrential downpours, snow, or dark, winding, unfamiliar roads and that's when my fear sets in. I won't call it irrational, because to me, it's entirely rational.

I definitely don't experience panic, terror, dread, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, or trembling. But that's due to symptom #9. I won't drive when any of the above conditions are present, so I don't experience symptoms 2-7.

Do I take 'extreme avoidance measures'? Depends on your definition of extreme. Have I cancelled plans due to the weather? Yes. Have I rearranged an entire weekend trip, spent a fortune on trains, and added hours to my travel time just so I didn't have to drive in the rain? Guilty.

In my defense, this all started after a bad accident in the snow, where I hit a patch of ice and flew across a 4 lane expressway, taking down a couple of other cars with me, and thinking I had just murdered my entire family.

Post traumatic stress disorder? Ok, so maybe I have hodophobia limited to driving and bad weather conditions. I wonder if there's a specific word for that. If I had to leave the house in the next couple of days to find out, well then, hodophobia it is.

Samsara

I barely blogged in 2009, so when I started blogging again this year (I've blogged more in one month than I did in the entire year prior), I looked at the possibility of revamping my blog. I changed some things, still want to add some links, and am toying with others. However one thing I took a long, hard look at was the name of my blog, Samsara. I wanted to remember why I decided upon that name and to explore what it means to me now, to determine if a change was in order. I ultimately decided to keep the name, but thought a blog of rationalization/relevance might be the way to go. This will be totally self-indulgent, but that's redundant in itself since the very idea and word 'blog' could be an entry in the dictionary under self-indulgence. Redundancy abounds, it seems!

The name of this blog comes from The Tea Party song by the same name. I love this song and this (unfortunately, defunct) band. Here are the lyrics:

Please would you tell me my friend
Which direction is the way
Because I'm lost, I'm confused
This reality we choose
is a long, long way from the dream

All you'll feel is pain and suffering
Wading through Samsara

Yes but i've heard that before
From those teachers of dreams
But it's old and it's cold
I just can't feel it in my soul
Am i damned to a life of extremes

All you'll feel is pain and suffering
Wading through Samsara

But I've looked to the east
And I've prayed in the west
What I know, I've seen
You just couldn't imagine
Where I've been
And I feel at this time
I just need to rest
And i'd like us to stay here
I would love us to stay here
Would you let me stay here, please...

Dictionary.com's definition of Samsara: The eternal cycle of birth, suffering, death, and rebirth.

At the same time I was thinking about this, I was reading my We'Moon for 2010. This year's theme is "Reinvent the Wheel". From the introduction to the theme, "The Wheel is an ancient metaphor for the great cycles of Karma/Destiny/Fate, of Life and Death. From the nucleus of an atom to the hub of the universe, through the Wheel of the Year and the flux of life cycles, we are caught up in the mysterious turns of personal, planetary and galactic rhythms." Of course my synchronicity radar perked up at that.

A google search led me to an article that starts out like this: Samsara literally means "wandering-on." A few paragraphs later the author talks about the Buddha wanting to stop Samsara-ing, because it's like giving up an addiction and we can learn to stop creating worlds of suffering. Now maybe I'm not reading into this correctly, (and I'm aware the end of Samsara indicates the end of suffering and attaining Nirvana) but in my own interpretation, if Samsara is the process of giving up the self-imposed suffering, and indeed wandering on, to the next thing - then hopefully one has learned from the previous incarnation, and won't make the same mistake twice. But one can only, truly Samsara, if they've given something up, or recovered from something and learned from it. I think continual growth and moving on, the process in itself, is a major part of life. Sure we suffer, but knowing there is another step, knowing it is a process, does help. I'm not saying anyone should be pleased with suffering, but that only by experiencing it does one know what they don't want and can make the decision to Samsara to the next, better thing. Now I'm no Buddhist, and this is purely my own take on things, but I don't think Samsara should end, just like the Wheel, its continually turning, life in motion.

I wouldn't mind hearing any other expert opinions and interpretations. This is definitely something I'm interesting in learning more about. It seems the more I read, the more confused I sometimes get.

Personally, I feel like I have definitely experienced a Samsara of sorts, and I'm sure it's not the last one. So the title Samsara is imminently relevant and meaningful to me, and I'm sticking with it!

My personal best music of 2009

I know this is way late, but I've been meaning to do this for some time, if that counts for anything. My list is highly personal, its based solely on the music I obsessed over, the cds that were continually in the cd player in the car and on the ipod, the ones I drove my kids crazy with. So without further ado, here is my 'personal' list of the best music of 2009.

10.One Eskimo I first heard this band on XPN and then looked them up on myspace. I listened repeatedly to all their profile songs for days. Something about this band, I can't pinpoint it but I love them. I also love the fact that there are animated adventures to go along with the music. You can't say that about many bands. I put them at #10 for two reasons, because I discovered them late in the year, and I haven't been able to find their cd for purchase which by default cuts down their air time.

9.Bell X1 - Blue Lights on the Runway - another band I first heard on XPN. They're from Ireland, which says a lot, I tend to gravitate toward Irish musicians. This cd is sweet ("this must be what all the fuss is about" - Light Catches Your Face) and edgy ("You're just picking your knickers from your arse" - One Stringed Harp). Favorite songs are , How Your Heart is Wired, and Amelia (about Amelia Earhart). I was lucky enough to catch their show at World Cafe. "Just like flying..."

8.White Rabbits - It's Frightening - percussion heavy band, and yes, heard them on XPN again. I also saw them at a Free At Noon session at World Cafe over the summer. Walked there and back in the hot sun. It was definitely worth it, the band has a energetic stage presence and it was a great set. I regret not seeing them elsewhere in Philly this year, I know of 2 other shows I missed.

7.Swell Season - Strict Joy - This was an album I was anticipating in 2009. Glen Hansard (of The Frames and Ireland) and Marketa Irglova make up the Swell Season. This cd was the follow up to the music from Once, the movie they both starred in together. I loved that music and movie and was not disappointed with Strict Joy. Beautiful, emotional, real music. Paper Cup and Back Broke are two favorites, but it's hard to choose. I love their live show as well. I love seeing Glen live, period. I caught them in October at the Merriam Theater, My friend and I had corner seats next to a huge column, it was like we had our own box seats!

6.Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue - Another highly anticipated album, one that could have gone either way given this is AiC's first album without Layne Staley and after a long break. This is the only artist on this list that I have a long history with. When I listen to this, I am brought back to another time, 'grunge' is alive again and damn, if it isn't still relevant. I like listening to this cd from start to finish, I feel as if 'All Secrets Known' is an ode to Layne and 'Black Gives Way to Blue' is a nod to the present and future. I missed AiC when they came around this year, but I am seeing them twice in March and I can't wait!!

5.Brendan Benson - My Old, Familiar Friend -I've posted about this cd a couple of times in my blog already, so I won't go into much more detail here. I knew Brendan from the Raconteurs, but first heard this cd on, yes, XPN. I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

4.Passion Pit - Manners - By far, the most infectious, upbeat music of my listening year. The Reeling, Sleepyhead, Moths' Wings - I still can't get enough. I caught these guys at Lollapalooza. I was by myself at that point, at the biggest dance party in Grant Park. The kind of music I would not describe myself being a fan of, but I totally am.

3.Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amander Palmer - I love this girl, and her art. She's just the coolest thing on the planet right now. She blogs, she tweets, she acts, she does net parties, and man, can she sing and perform. She is one half of the Dresden Dolls and this was her first solo cd. I've quoted Ampersand throughout the year. Runs in the Family, Have to Drive, Oasis are other stand-outs. The entire cd is wonderful. I'm also in possession of the accompanying dvd of music videos and the piece de resistance, A Collection of Photographic Evidence. I met Amanda in November after her show here in Philly and she signed my book, along with photographer Kyle Cassidy. If there was an artist on this list, I'd like to push on friends, Amanda is it.

2.Kings of Leon- Only by the Night - Closer, Notion, Use Somebody, Sex on Fire. These guys rocked in 2009. They just won a few grammys for this record too. I think one word can sum up why I placed them ahead of Amanda on this list - yum. Let's just say this band satisfies many musical needs. I saw these guys twice this year, once here in Philly, and of course, at Lollapalooza, which was a blast. Only by the Night was on heavy rotation in 2009.

1. Soulsavers - Broken- This is a no-brainer for me since the vocals on this cd are largely performed by my favorite best voice of forever, Mark Lanegan. Another outstanding vocal performance is by Red Ghost, on none other than a Mark Lanegan song, Praying Ground. This is music I connect with on deep levels. No other voice affects me like Mark's does. Besides this cd being my personal #1, meeting Mark after the show in Cleveland in September is probably the most memorable moment of the year for me.

Ok, to sum up, half these cd's are XPN finds. Yes, I am a member. I've seen 8 out of 10 of these artists live. Now that I read this back, I wonder if I misplaced some of these cd's, but I will leave the order as is. That was my first response. I love music. I love wine. And right now, I love snow. I reserve the right to change that feeling tomorrow.