Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Feel Bad For Your Heat Rash Edition

A Truer Sound has again posted the compilation of Feel Bad For You - July edition. Popa2unes (Twitter) designed some hilarious artwork for this month's edition.


With much of the country enduring insufferable heat and humidity this month, perhaps these tunes will provide some soothing, ointment relief ... to your ears. Listen to it here (or click here to download the compilation).



Incredibly, 2011 is already half-way done. As a result, I submitted a song titled The Fifty Percenter by Rich Hopkins and Billy Sedlmayr. For several years, Hopkins was lead guitarist for the Tucson, AZ based band The Sidewinders. (The band later changed its name to the Sand Rubies after an unfortunate, ridiculous lawsuit over the Sidewinders name by another band.) Today, Hopkins records and plays more often with his band The Luminaros.

This video will give you a second helping of Hopkins' music - the great, title track of an album he did with The Luminaros: Dirt Town.


I'm pretty sure I forgot to blog about the May and June editions. So take a listen those compilations at the FBFY site as well.

Stay cool. Drink plenty of fluids. Stretch your mind. Enjoy different music.

TMC

Saturday, July 2, 2011

City Songs Saturday - Freedom Edition

July 4, 2011 - The 235th birthday of the most incredible, liberty-filled, freedom-rich nation on the earth. I'm immensely grateful to the founding fathers, the Continental Army, and the military branches of the United States for visioning it, declaring it, earning it, and defending it.

This week's City Songs Saturday focuses on some of the key cities at the flashpoint of the revolution then and at the epicenter of government today. As has been the pattern, I've included 5 songs. But to be honest, it was a bit of stretch to go with five and still cover multiple cities. Songwriters haven't exactly been forthcoming with songs about places like Lexington, Concord, Saratoga, and Valley Forge. Perhaps I could have included one about Quebec, but I've tried to focus this series on U.S. cities. So away we go...

I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys - I'll lead with this one because (1) the song is short but fun to scream and (2) I'm giving a nod to fellow blogger - the music diggin', straight shootin' Rockstar_Aimz - who currently claims Boston as home.

I'm a sailor peg / And I lost my leg
Climbing up the top sails / I lost my leg!

I need to create a "to do" to blast this song later this September on Talk Like A Pirate Day.



Brasilia Crossed With Trenton - Bob Mould - I have no idea if Mould's Trenton is meant to be about the New Jersey city. But in this case, I'm going to make it so.

I see buildings / With laundry hanging out of the window
Never in my wildest dreams would I think I'd see
Brasilia crossed with Trenton



Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen



Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John



The Ghost of Old D.C. - J.B. Beverly & The Wayward Drifters - This one was a stretch for me. I didn't have what I believed to be a blog-worthy song title about Washington, DC. But in searching around for one, I found this band. From what I've heard of this video and other song samples, I'll be listening to them more ... a lot more.

...well, there is a patch of train tracks outside of Silver Spring
it used to be the freight line right into old DC...




Happy Independence Day folks. Never - ever - take your freedoms for granted.

TMC