Mixed Tape Monday:Home

Well, dear, sweet, gentle reader, I apologize for my absence the last couple of days.  I was on vacation and did not have much time to write.  Before you go getting all jealous, I was not at some exotic locale sipping fruity beverages with crazy names and umbrellas impeding my drinking ability; nor was I finding myself in some serene, remote, mountainous setting. 

I was, in fact, at home dealing with the issues of owning a home and in my case, a ninety five year old home.  Yes, the home is indeed older than I.  It is also a lovely home that needed a little repair.  I use the term “little” loosely as I had to replace the upstairs AC and the hot water heater.  And, to be fair, I did not have to do it myself but I did have to avail myself to the schedule of the valiant workers who brought tidings of cool air and hot water. 

I’d like to give a gratuitous plug and a big shout out to Aire Serve Heating and Air Conditioning of Fort Worth and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for their solid work and expertise.

With all of that being said, today’s Mixed Tape Monday theme is Home!

Enjoy and welcome back to the time waste that is my bog!

Song:              Sweet Home Alabama (I’m sure you all saw that one coming)

Artist:             Lynyrd Skynyrd

Album:           Second Helping

Song:              Home

Artist:             Alexi Murdoch

Album:           Time Without Consequence

Song:              On My Way Back Home

Artist:             Band of Horses

Album:           Infinite Arms

Song:              Taking Your Home

Artist:             Don Henley

Album:           Inside Job

Song:              My Father’s House

Artist:             Bruce Springsteen

Album:           Nebraska

Song:              Home

Artist:             Foo Fighters

Album:           Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Song:              What Is Home

Artist:             The Black Crowes

Album:           Before the Frost…

Song:              Heading Home

Artist:             Donavon Frankenreiter

Album:           Donavon Frankenreiter

Song:              Long Way Home From Anywhere

Artist:             Bruce Robison

Album:           Long Way Home From Anywhere

Song:              House of Valparaiso

Artist:             Calexico

Album:           Carried To Dust

Song:              Goin Home

Artist:             Dan Auerbach

Album:           Keep It Hid

Song:              Give a Man a Home

Artist:             Ben Harper

Album:           Fight For Your Mind

Song:              Home

Artist:             Eli Young Band

Album:           Jet Black and Jealous

Song:              This House Is a Circus

Artist:             Arctic Monkeys

Album:           Favourite Worst Nightmare

Song:              Quiet Houses

Artist:             Fleet Foxes

Album:           Fleet Foxes

Song:              My Lady’s House

Artist:             Iron & Wine

Album:           Woman King (EP)

Song:              Charlemagne’s Home Town

Artist:             James McMurtry

Album:           Childish Things

Song:              House of Stone

Artist:             Mudcrutch

Album:           Mudcrutch

Song:              Life In a Glass House

Artist:             Radiohead

Album:           Amnesiac

Song:              I’m Coming Home

Artist:             Robert Earl Keen

Album:           Gringo Honeymoon

Great music awaits!

Mixed Tape Monday:Colors

Welcome to another installment of Mixed Tape Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and remembered to call, visit, or at least think about your dear old mom. 

Today’s topic is Colors:

Song:              Orange Sky

Artist:              Alexi Murdoch

Album:            Time Without Consequence

Song:              Back In Black

Artist:              AC/DC

Album:            Back In Black

Song:              Blue Sky

Artist:              The Allman Brothers Band

Album:            Eat A Peach

Song:              Black Tambourine

Artist:              Beck

Album:            Guero

Song:              Brown Eyed Blues

Artist:              Ben Harper

Album:            Diamonds On the Inside

Song:              Gary Indiana Blues

Artist:              Big Head Todd & the Monsters

Album:            Riviera

Song:              Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye

Artist:              The Black Crowes

Album:            The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

Song:              Big Blue Sea

Artist:              Bob Schneider

Album:            Songs Sung and Played on Guitar at the Same Time

Song:              Black Cowboys

Artist:              Bruce Springsteen

Album:            Devils & Dust

Song:              Red Dust

Artist:              Calexico & Iron & Wine

Album:            In the Reins

Song:              YellowBlues

Artists:             Charlie Robison

Album:            Beautiful Day

Song:              Soldier Blue

Artist:              The Cult

Album:            Sonic Temple

Song:              Green Light Girl

Artist:              Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack

Album:            Welcome

Song:              The Deepest Blues Are Black

Artist:              Foo Fighters

Album:            In Your Honor

Song:              Whitewash

Artist:              Gin Blossoms

Album:            Congratulations…I’m Sorry

Song:              Mr. Brownstone

Artist:              Guns ’N’ Roses

Album:            Appetite for Destruction

Song:              Dress Blues

Artist:              Jason Isbell

Album:            Sirens of the Ditch

Song:              Yellow

Artist:              Coldplay

Album:            Parachutes

Song:              Far Away Blues

Artist:              Joe Purdy

Album:            Julie Blue

Song:              Pink House

Artist:              John Mellencamp

Album:            Uh Huh

Read, review, and respond.

Great music awaits!

You should be listening/watching Rachel Fuller presents: In The Attic

Rachel Fuller is the long time, significant other, heterosexual life partner of Pete Townshend from the legendary rock band The Who.  Several years ago, she released an album that was not as well received, critically and commercially, as she had hoped and was looking for a way to connect to a wider audience.  Thus “In the Attic” was born. 

It started with a web cam in the home studio (always a risky proposition) with her and some folks talking about music and occasionally playing some tunes.  In 2006-2007 when The Who decided to tour again (Exactly how many farewell tours have they pulled off?), Rachel got the idea to take a traveling studio to the various festivals The Who played and invite other artists, who played the festivals, to come in and chat, perform a song or two and stream it over the miracle of the World Wide Web.  This worked well for the European leg of the tour and had gained quite a following.  As The Who made plans to tour North America, a new plan was needed as the logistics and expense of shipping and traveling in the studio were apparently prohibitive. 

Once in the U.S., Rachel decided to go to local small clubs that had an intimate feel, 250 person max capacity, and have a variety of artists that she and Pete were fans of, both up and coming and established, perform a song or two with her and Pete.  Which brings me to the real point of this blog, this live series of shows is captured and packaged on two CD’s and one DVD , I paid $15 at Best Buy, and you should own it.  The set list for both the DVD and CD’s is comprised of shows from “The Hotel Café” and “Joe’s” Pub.  The list of artists is as follows: 

• Tenacious D
• Joe Purdy (and his dad Dave on one song)
• Ben Harper
• Alexi Murdoch
• Amos Lee
• Rachel Yamagata
• Jimmy Fallon (yes, Jimmy Fallon of moderate SNL fame)
• Lou Reed

The fascinating part of the DVD is being able to see the star struck eyes of the performers as they play with the great Pete Townshend.  At one point in his performance, Amos Lee, “dudes” Pete, Ben Harper is wide eyed and pointing at Pete as they arrange for a duet, and as Joe Purdy and his father, Dave, are preparing to play, Pete fixes Dave’s mic stand and Joe looks on in awe and comments “Hey dad, Pete Townshend is fixing your mic”.  What a moment that must have been for father and son. 

The performances are acoustic and raw, with little or no production value and capture the intimacy of the moment for each artist.  Pete also takes the stage on occasion and performs some of his own material and songs from The Who. 

This collection is well worth the investment of time and money. 

 Great music awaits!

25 albums you should own!

Over time, there have many great musical artists and from each artist comes an assortment of songs that become an album. In theory the sum of an album should be equal or greater than its parts (songs).  If only this were true.  Today, with streaming audio, and the ability to buy/download single songs, the allure and importance of the album has waned.  Artists might release several EP’s before they release a full length album. 

Growing up, I had to roll the dice and hope that each album I saved for would be as good as the song I heard on the radio.  Sadly, that was not always the case.  Domo arigato Mr. Roboto!

However, some artists do indeed get it right and below is a list of 25 albums you might not know but you should own.  This collection does not include live albums or greatest hits. 

Also, I do not include any type of review for the below artists/albums.  This is in an effort to allow you to form you own opinion, keep the blog reading to an acceptable time, and selfishly save me time writing the blog itself. 

Twenty Five albums you should own! (In no particular order):

Artist	Album
Alexi Murdoch	Time Without Consequences
Animal Liberation Orchestra	Fly Between Falls
Arcade Fire	Funeral
Ben Harper	Welcome to the Cruel World
The Black Keys	Attack and Release
Citizen Cope	The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
Chris Whitley	Living with the Law
The Dead Weather	Horehound
Drive-By Truckers	Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
Elliott Smith	From a Basement on the Hill
Sonic Youth	Daydream Nation
Jason Isbell	Sirens of the Ditch
Jeffrey Foucault	Stripping Cane
John Butler Trio	Sunrise Over Sea
Joseph Arthur	Come To Where I’m From
My Morning Jacket	The Tennessee Fire
A Perfect Circle	Mer De Noms
The Raconteurs	Broken Boy Soldiers
Slaid Cleaves	Broke Down
Tom Petty	She’s the One
The Tragically Hip	Fully Completely
Joe Purdy	Only Four Seasons
Son Volt	Trace
Neko Case	Middle Cyclone
Iron & Wine	Our Endless Numbered Days

 Great music awaits!

You should be listening to Alexi Murdoch!

Alexi Murdoch is a singer/songwriter who self published his 2003 EP “Four Songs” which ironically, had four songs on it.  “Four Songs” became the number one selling record in the history of indie online music store CD Baby (A great place to find awesome music).  In 2006 he released his debut album “Time Without Consequence”.  In 2009, in a rare display of accessibility, he toured the Unite States.  It certainly appears that Mr. Murdoch is pacing his musical output.

 Like other indie artists, Alexi Murdoch’s music has found its way on the silver screen and into the homes of millions due to the miracle of the World Wide Web and television.  You might have heard his songs on Dawson’s Creek, The O.C., House M.D., Prison Break, Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, Everwood, and Without A Trace.  Not a bad list for a dude with one album.  His song “Orange Sky” was featured in the move Garden State but did not make the soundtrack.

Alexi Murdoch’s delicate songwriting, folk/pop sensibility, and hushed, intimate vocals have endured him to his fans and have the music labels clamoring to sign him.  His reluctance to sign with any label does not appear to be hurting his ability to make a living as a musician.  He has performed at SXSW and the Sundance Film Festival.

Alexi Murdoch Discography

•  Four Songs (EP)
• Time Without Consequence

Top 5 Alexi Murdoch Songs according to Butler (Albums listed on right):

1. Breathe (Time Without Consequence)
2. It’s Only Fear (Four Songs)
3. Wait (Time Without Consequence)
4. All My Days (Time Without Consequence)
5. Orange Sky (Time Without Consequence)

 Check out Alexi Murdoch and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgsT-klFnXY&feature=related 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4-BCagHSz0&feature=related

Alexi Murdoch’s music is available is available on iTunes, record stores and www.aleximurdoch.com .

 Great music awaits!