How you define one becomes the entirety of your relationship.
Trust, loyalty, and respect are
essential, but so are just “getting” each other. And there are times when we
all need one. Whether to make us laugh, share a good cry, go shopping with, or
just give each other the silent communication of the “eye” across a room, it’s
good to have one. So when the time comes when that person needs a pick-me-up,
you can do one of two things: Open a bottle of champagne, get shit-faced and laugh your ass off, or play them some
music.
Today, Jen of My Skewed View, has offered that theme for
this week’s Twisted MixTape.
First up, let’s look to Bob, because really… the man had an
answer for everything.
Bob Marley “Every Little Thing”
Going back a long way, you cannot help but feel better after hearing this song. It's just not possible.
Poco "Good Feeling To Know"
Sometimes, a little reflection is a good thing. "The morning sun is rising, it's kissing the day"
Journey "Wheel In The Sky"
You need me?
Sam & Dave "Hold On, I'm Coming"
I've actually sent this song to someone who needed it. I may have used it before on a MixTape too. Sue me, it's perfect.
Allman Brothers "Soulshine"
Feeling better? Good. I'll keep the champagne on ice... for the next time.
It's been a busy week for all of us I would think. Getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday, cooking, cleaning, writing. It's too much before stuff and too little during stuff. It's over before you know it, and then it's cleaning and cooking and getting ready for the rest of the holidays.
So before we all head into the turkey coma zone, one last party over at Jen's. The theme for this week's Tuesday Twisted MixTape is songs that can send you to jail. How damn tasty is that?
Time to start the party. How about lighting up?
Brewer and Shipley had a hit song about, well inhaling deeply. Funny story about this song, in fact I wrote a blog about it a while back. You can read it here "Toking with Lawerence Welk." So, inhale deeply and enjoy this and the rest of the tunes.
"One Toke Over The Line"
Let's segue from slowing things down to speeding things up with Foreigner. Who hasn't done it? At a red light, you look over at the car next to you, eyeball the other driver and go.
"Rev On The Red Line"
Bob Marley may have been guilty of being one toke over the line, and he may have shot the sheriff, but he swore he did not kill the deputy. How that defense stands up in a court of law is anybody's guess.
"I Shot The Sheriff"
Now you could easily pick a dozen Springsteen songs to fit this week's theme... we're talking Jersey here, but the one I chose is ominous and beautiful at the same time. I used the studio track because I couldn't find a live one where the lyrics are as clear.
"Meeting Across The River"
And to end it off, let's go to the most silly of reasons to be thrown in jail... littering. Yes friends, I'm on a roll with Arlo this week. Had the pleasure of seeing him live last week, you can read the review here "Arlo Guthrie: A Night of Songs and Stories." He was fabulous and what he did in his show was important. AND, it's Thanksgiving week and well, you know... Alice.
"Alice's Restaurant"
Noon on Thursday, tradition says you need to listen to Alice's Restaurant, but there's no rule that says you can't listen to it a little early. Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Yesterday, there were 81 Grammy Awards presented. And do you know how many were presented during the three and a half hour broadcast? Eleven. I'm sorry but it was called the Grammy Awards was it not? And yet they present eleven awards. If you were interested in anything remotely listed as Rock, Blues, Bluegrass or Classical, you were shit out of luck. Virtually all of these awards were handed out before air time.
So what did we get on the live show? Well, it started with the really annoying Taylor Swift complaining about another ex-boyfriend. Dancing and posturing onstage while surrounded by what looked to be the bastard children of Alice in Wonderland and the Ringling Brothers Circus. The bright spot... the show had to get better, didn't it?
Then it was time for some Fun. Yes. So why not let them sing and then drench them with indoor rain. All over the stage. Why? So raise your hand if you thought this was a good idea. Yeah, thought so.
Now about the boob ban. Well I've already talked about that on a post over at sprocketink.com, but there are a few comments to be made. Here's my initial thought. Holy shit, did the Grammys become a Miss Prude Contest? I have never seen so many smokin' hot women so covered up. Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, J-Lo...freakin' J-Lo was only showing a leg. The woman who made headlines with a dress that was scotch taped to her breasts a few years ago and yesterday she shows a leg? At least Katy Perry and Kelly Rowland said HA in the face of rules and regulations. One bit of skin we could have done without was Miranda Lambert's hemline or lack thereof, and the cameraman who was determined to find out if the carpet matched the drapes.
Back to the music. Ok, so yes JT has talent. Was he nominated for anything? Was he hosting the show? NO. Note to CBS. Give him a special and let the Awards show be an Awards show. Alicia Keys & Adam Levine were real, Rhianna's ballad was boring and the Black Keys/Dr. John/Preservation Jazz Band were the best thing up to that point.
Proving that you don't need to bounce all over the stage to steal the show, I give you Kelly Clarkson with her tribute to Patti Page and Carole King. Elegant and tasteful.
The announcement of the tribute to Bob Marley is where I started to get confused. Bruno Mars came out singing one of his songs, Sting came out singing one of his. What the hell did that have to do with Bob Marley? And why this year Bob Marley? Love Marley, but it was no anniversary pertaining to him. His birthday was just past, but weren't there other names who died this year who would have been more relevant? That being said, once we actually got to the tribute with Rhianna and Ziggy and Damien Marley, it was wonderful.
The Lumineers, Jack White and Carrie Underwood were all great, that is until Underwood's dress developed a life of its own. The light show which appeared on her dress was so distracting that it just trashed her performance. My fear is that this light show will soon be used to display advertisements in some form or another. And won't the world be a better place for that.
And speaking of distraction, the Frank Ocean thing with the Forrest Gump song...huh? This is the song they use to showcase his talent...with that stupid screen making him appear to be running. A joke, and not a funny one. A very small tip of the hat to Adam Yauch seemed an afterthought and I think LL has used up his 15 minutes as an awards show host.
So what was the best moment of the night? For me, no question it was the tribute to Levon Helm, with Elton also giving a salute to the victims of Sandy Hook. Nicely done Sir Elton. Take Zac Brown, T-Bone Burnett, Mavis Staples...MAVIS STAPLES, the Mumfords, Brittney Howard, among others and let them sing 'The Weight." Levon must have been smiling.
Well it's that time of the year again. School is almost out for the summer and school boards across the country are starting to grumble about funding.
Not enough money for this, we need to make cuts in that. And what is the first to go...the Arts. Bullshit I say. Why does this country always attack the very things which give us our humanity.
Music and Art. Let's take one at a time.
Art.
I have no artistic ability. What I do have is an appreciation for the gift of others to create something which makes your eyes grow wide and never want to erase the image from your mind. Example, I love the artist Georgia O' Keefe. I have several prints, posters, notecards etc. of her art. It's must be 20 years ago, there was a major exhibition of her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I was so moved by seeing the art in person; it is still one of my most treasured memories all these years later.
Music.
I have no musical ability. What I do have is a heart that has exploded more times than I can remember, when hearing a song that both makes me smile and brings tears to my eyes...at the same time. I have been lucky enough to enjoy live concerts from almost every music genre. From Blues to Rock, from Classical to Reggae...there is nothing that can take the place of a live performance.
What's my point?
Without the Arts in the schools, kids are void of the stimulation needed to "scratch the itch" and develop their abilities. A generation growing up without the humanities...aren't we all becoming too computerized already?
So, I thank one of my friends from Twitter for bringing up this ongoing issue and hope you all will do what is necessary to fight for that which makes us feel alive...the Arts.
Daylight savings time. That's it...spring's a coming. yes. But the first day or so after the time switch...well it kinda throws off the internal clock a bit. So this morning we're going to ease into the music with a beat that cannot be mistaken. A little reggae for your morning coffee...or tea in my case.
Having spent a memorable few days at the Reggae Sunsplash in Jamaica some years ago, and boy there's a weeks worth of blogs about that, the music fostered a joy of that sound which remains to this day.
Most people have a peripheral knowledge of reggae. You cannot have seen a commercial on TV for Jamaican tourism without hearing a Bob Marley song. And as the godfather, Marley is a great place to begin your reggae education, so I will include one of his tracks today. But the featured artist today is another well known reggae artist who, like Bob Marley died way too young.
Forever linked with Marley as part of the Wailers, Peter Tosh later went on to a solo career before he was killed in 1987. Tosh's extreme views on politics make for some of his work to be a bit hard to relate to, but most of his tracks are perfect in every way.
