Ocean (John Butler Trio)

F L O R I D A
Spring break is here. And that means one thing: home. My home is located on the northeast coast of Florida, part of Jacksonville, a small beach town called Ponte Vedra Beach. I live approximately 4 minutes and 45 seconds from the Atlantic Ocean. At night I can hear the waves crashing from my house, and living here in New Orleans, you don't really get that. I was out late one night wandering New Orleans with some friends and I noticed that I couldn't hear crickets or the ocean waves. It was then that I began to be homesick. Growing up you don't really realize how the area you live in affects your life. Shwayze is pretty accurate in his description of girls brought up by the beach, "Girls by the sea, dress like hippies. And write love beads and go skinny dippin'. PV (Ponte Vedra) is a gorgeous place with the Atlantic on the east and the St. Johns River on the west. We're completely surrounded by water and I wouldn't want it any other way. Besides the beach/river, the other major association with PV is golf (I live on a golf course). Home of the Players Championship, the TPC (The Players Championship) is the Mardi Gras of PV - traffic is a mess, people everywhere, people drinking everywhere, school gets out early, etc. My favorite thing to do at TPC is sit on the 17th hole (see below), layout, get a tan, take a nap while golfers like Tiger Woods, VJ Singh, and Phil Mickelson walk on by. Oh, and to give you an idea of exactly how big golf is where I live, when Tiger Woods gave his first apology speech to the public, where did he give it....Ponte Vedra Beach. But besides golf, PV has the ocean. As my last summer in PV came dwindling down, I realized how much I took where I lived all my life for granted. I use to hate PV cause the second night fell, there was nothing to do. Everything closes at 9pm except for Walgreens (every PV kid has their infamous Walgreens stories). But just look at the pictures next to what I'm writing, all those places are from Ponte Vedra, and I LIVE THERE! I can't even believe it. The beach has always been something more to me than a body of water. It was a place of refuge, a place to see mother nature at her best and worst, a place to not give a care in the world. The picture to the left is the heart of PV. Like I said, water everywhere. I can't wait to be back. If you ever have the chance to come to Florida, please please come to Ponte Vedra Beach. It's beautiful, but quiet and I love every bit of it. Plus, if you've ever had a conversation with me, you know about Angie's Subs - that should give you enough incentive to come visit.








One of the many pastimes in PV is skim boarding. This was taken at one of our local beaches. The audio was suppose to be set to this



The Florida Playlist
This playlist has a lot of meaning behind it. The first song "Florida" by Diplo has the coolest intro. It's the sound I hear every night back in PV. From then on it's a series of typical beach anthems of my youth. Anyone from PV or a beach will completely understand this playlist. PV is located in Jacksonville which is home to Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, Yellowcard, and many other musicians. We also have a very large hardcore scene which I will admit I have been a part of and I do like them. Some songs are generalized to Florida specifically, like T-Pain (chuckle if you must). But overall this playlist epitomizes the place I like to call home.
P.S. the last song, is the last song for a reason. Enjoy






Roscoe Road At Night
I've said this before in one of my first posts, but I feel it appropriate to repeat myself. It's my favorite playlist I've ever made and I highly recommend listening to it whether you're driving at night, trying to fall asleep, or just need some quiet tunes to calm you down. Back in Florida, there's one long straight road called Roscoe with trees towering over passing cars and driving it at night, with my cruise control on while listening to this playlist, is my favorite thing to do back home. If you ever get the chance to come to PV, I'll take you on the Roscoe Road at night adventure. The only word to describe it is: magical.



P.S. The last song on this playlist is my favorite song in the whole world.

In My Time Of Dying (Led Zeppelin)

The Blues. Where to even begin. Words and sounds of the devil, roots of rock'n'roll, and in the words of the great Howlin Wolf, "When you ain't got no money, you got the blues" and "anytime you thinkin' evil, you got the blues". The blues are simply cries of shared self victimization. Relentless rhythms repeat the chants of sorrow, and the pity of a lost soul many times over. From the fathers of the blues Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, W.C. Handy, and Albert King to the innovators like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The White Stripes, The Black Keys and The Raconteurs. When you listen to the blues, you are listening to the deep pit of these musicians yelling for help. You are listening to their trials and tribulations, you're listening to their soul. Jimi Hendrix once said "The blues are easy to play, but hard to feel". Every genre of music has their own interpretation of the blues. The blues began as a feeling and gravitated towards a style that is, in my opinion, the biggest influence on music today. Not a single band, not a single one, can say the were not influenced by the blues. My favorite band without hesitation is Led Zeppelin (my love for them is beyond any possible human comprehension), so it would be morally wrong for me to not appreciate the blues.Yesterday around the time the sun was setting, my friend and I went to the Mississippi River behind these train tracks, under trees and sat on the rocks as we watched the cargo ships pass by with the sunset behind them. In our ears were my headphones with "In My Time Of Dying" playing. My friend and I both agreed that to truly experience the blues or music for that matter, you have to experience what the song was originally written about. You can't sing the blues and have never gone through hardships. Any song, whether it be blues, rock'n'roll, rap, reggae, pop, you name it, the moment when you listen to a song and can ultimately relate to what the song is about, is when you've undoubtedly experienced that song to its fullest. Last night I finally understood the blues and being on the Mississippi River when that happened was no coincidence. Robert Johnson is my favorite blues player (it could have something to do with the countless Led Zeppelin songs influenced by his songs). King of the Delta Blues, some say he met the devil at a lonely crossroads at midnight and made a deal to sell his soul in return for becoming the greatest blues musician of all time. If that's the case, then I thank you Lucifer for doing so. Typically the blues are on my "it's time to cook" playlist, but now I listen to them at any given moment. It's inevitable that some of my favorite bands today The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and The Black Keys are heavily blues oriented. Keep in mind three of those bands are founded by Jack White, a man I would die to meet. Everything he does is golden. From his guitar riffs to his lyrics, I cannot get enough of him. He is the modern day Jimmy Page, the modern day Robert Johnson, he is the blues. Additionally, every song The Black Keys create is blues as well. The documentary/movie It Might Get Loud with Jack White, Jimmy Page and The Edge (why The Edge is on here, I don't know - I won't even begin to explain my disgust for U2), pretty much explains the blues: I love the intro/ending when Jack White creates his own guitar and starts playing "In My Time of Dying" - I can't explain what I feel when I watch that, but it's pure musical genius. Anyways, I'll leave you with possibly my favorite quote about the blues:
"If you don't dig the blues, you got a hole in your soul"
-- Albert King



The Playlist

Notice how there are bands like G.Love, Mofro, Iron & Wine, Bob Dylan, and more who all sing the blues. I'm adding more to this playlist as the day goes on - creating a blues playlist is a very slow process. Enjoy

Buttons (The Weeks)

When Pandora first came out, I was immediately a fan. But after creating station after station of various bands like Kings of Leon, The Strokes, and Led Zeppelin, I kept getting all the same artists. Not to seem elitist at all, but there was hardly a band I hadn't heard on Pandora. Until I came across The Weeks on my Kings of Leon radio station. Their debut album Comeback Cadillac is exceptional especially for their age (the average age of the band is 18). Inspired by Allman Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Weeks are from Mississippi. Soaked in their deep southern roots, The Weeks tend to crank out this rough-and-tumble modern rock tunes reminiscent of The Replacements. The song I enjoy the most (and the song that popped up on Pandora) is "Buttons". From the intro, it attracts me and then his voice kicks in. I really enjoy bands that have a distinct sound and that distinct sound is usually characterized by the lead singer. Anyways, take a listen.

The Weeks




I made a playlist of my own "Buttons" Pandora radio. It started out pretty typical with some modern southern rock songs paralleling the souther rock feel of "Buttons", then somehow became a blues fest and now I'm in a blues mood. I guess it's sort of inevitable when you have the White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather on this playlist. Later on I'll make a blues playlist. But anyways, take a listen.

Walking On Sunshine (Katrina & The Waves)

Definitely in my top 3 favorite movies of all time! Based on the novel of the same name by Nick Honrby, the movie is about Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack) who owns his record store, Championship Vinyl. The movie is about Rob Gordon's failure with women but I enjoy the musical commentary throughout the film. At the record store are two employees known as the "musical moron twins", Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black). Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things musical, Rob, Barry and Dick compile "top five" lists for every conceivable occaision, openly mock the ignorance of customers and every so often, actually sell a few records. I've been told by many that I am a combination of John Cusack's character and Jack Black's character in this movie. The opening lines to the movie are as follows:
"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?" Jack Black's character is the epitome of someone who I would die to have a conversation with. Yes, he comes off as a musical elitist but it is extremely entertaining how he manages to talk down to everyone who enters that record store. Also, the whole movies talks about playlists and their "top fives" which if you couldn't tell already is what I do on a daily basis. When Jack Black makes his "Monday Morning" playlist, I flipped. Tambien, notice how they all make cassette tapes even though this movie takes place in the cd-dominated era known as the 90s. People don't understand the time and effort that goes in to making a mix-tape and I love that this movie explains that. The very last lines give clarification:"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules." If you didn't notice, the heading of this blog is in fact a scene from High Fidelity...my favorite scene in fact (Dick's reaction is an exact match to my reaction the first time I watched this)

Autobiographical....it gets me every time!



If you haven't seen this movie, you should! Here is my second favorite scene...it pretty much gives you an idea of what the whole movie is about and is my favorite Jack Black scene he's ever done. Enjoy:

I Could See The Dude (Spoon)

Thursday night, for the very first time, I saw my fourth favorite band in the entire world....Spoon! It was easily one of the best shows I've ever seen. Despite his 38 years of age, lead singer Britt Daniel is one sexy ass mofo. Originated from Austin, Texas, Spoon is a post-punk indie rock band that began their career in 1993. Releasing 7 albums and 8 EPs in a span of seventeen years, Spoon has repeatedly produced some of the best music I've ever heard. They hit commercial success when their song "The Way We Get By" off of the "Kill The Moonlight" album was featured on The O.C. Later Britt Daniel collaborated with Brian Reitzell to compose and arrange the soundtrack for the 2006 film "Stranger than Fiction".
What makes Spoon so unique is that they seemingly pick up more and more dedicated fans as the years go on. Their sound is very distinct, with Daniel's guitar and nervous-energy songs and drummer Jim Eno's rhythmic intensity. There just seems to be a consistency to a Spoon record that I don't think you get with a lot of other bands. They just repeatedly put out catchy rocks songs that matter to people. At the show Thursday night, I realized that not only do I love Spoon, but I love Spoon fans - they are so diverse. To my left I had a group of frat guys singing every word to every song, to my right were your typical hipsters, behind me were a group of sorority girls and all around you could find men and women in their late 30s/early 40s. It made me realize, "What's not to love about Spoon?" Honestly, Spoon produces hit after hit on every record. For my favorite albums "Gimme Fiction", "Kill The Moonlight", and "Love Ways" there are no "filler songs" - I enjoy every single song on each album. In 2007, I went to the Tallyrand music festival in Jacksonville, FL. Rooney, Polyphonic Spree, Pepper, Expendables, The Bravery, and Spoon were all playing. Unfortunately, due to legitimate reasons, I had to leave before Spoon came on stage. Not a day went by when I listened to Spoon that I regretted leaving. However, Thursday night show was worth the wait.


Spoon Discography Chronologically


Telephono

*Idiot Driver


Soft Effects EP

*Mountain of Sound
*Waiting For The Kid To Come Out
*****I Could See The Dude



A Series of Sneaks

*Utilitarian
*The Guestlist/The Execution
**Car Radio
*Metal School
*Laffitte Don't Fail Me Now


Girls Can Tell

*Me and the Bean
*Lines In The Suit
**Fitted Shirt
*Anything You Want
**Take A Walk
***Take The Fifth
***This Book Is A Movie

Love Ways EP

**ALL
*****I Didn't Come Here To Die
**Figures of Art



Kill The Moonlight

**All (every single song is a hit)
*The Way We Get By (heard in The OC)
******Stay Don't Go (ONE OF MY FAVORITES!)
***Jonathon Fisk
*Don't Let It Get You Down
*******Back To The Life (Favorite Song on the Album!)
***Vittorio E



Gimme Fiction

*Favorite Album*
**The Beast and Dragon, Adored**
********My Mathematical Mind*******
**Delicate Place
****************SISTER JACK (FAVORITE SONG!!!!)
*****I Summon You
**The Infinite Pet
*They Never Got You
- BONUS TRACKS -
*Carryout Kids
*Sister Jack (Piano Version)


Get Nice! EP

I honestly just started listening to this EP, but so far - it's so different from any other EP/Album I've heard from them


Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

*Don't Make Me A Target
**The Ghost Of You Lingers
***You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
****Don't You Evah
**Rhythm and Soul
***The Underdog


Don't You Evah EP



Got Nuffin EP




Transference

- Newest Album -
*Before Destruction
*The Mystery Zone
***Who Makes Your Money
**Written In Reverse

Mother We Just Can't Get Enough (New Radicals)

This morning I woke up, felt the need to watch some Zoolander clips to start my day and came across the the song "Mother We Just Can't Get Enough" by the New Radicals. I had not heard that song in years. It immediately put me in an amazing mood, so naturally I began to listen to all songs that put me in a fantastically bodacious mood. This is my "Feel Good" playlist. Most of it is a throwback of 90's jamz (I hope to perfect my 90's playlist one day), hip-hop classics, and just overall "Feel Good" playlist necessities. I think this playlist will be featured on my Summer 2010 playlist. Anyways, listen, laugh, reminisce, and above all else....enjoy.

Nowhere Again (Secret Machines)

Fuse TV....you remember it. For some reason my reminiscent mood has come out of the closet once again but this time it's managed to spark a different memory. Try and think of when you first started choosing what music you wanted to listen to and how did you find out about that music? For me, I never really used the internet to find new music but Fuse television at 11pm ET showcased the top 25 alternative rock music videos once a week and I remember staying up late just to watch it. I owe Fuse for so much: Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, Secret Machines, Nine Inch Nails (even tho I don't really like them), The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, My Chemical Romance/The Used (guilty pleasure), Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Steriogram, The Vines, etc. To pay homage, listed below are some of the very first music videos I ever witnessed from these bands. Seriously, if you can, think of you favorite band today and try to remember the very first time you discovered them.




VERY FIRST MUSIC VIDEO I HAVE ANY RECOLLECTION OF WATCHING

I don't know how I remember it, but the vision of MJ on top of the statue of liberty if forever imprinted in my mind. Not to mention the babies on top of the world




1. "Four Kicks" - Kings of Leon

VERY. FIRST. SONG. I. EVER. HEARD. FROM. KOL! Storyline: I was in 7th grade, staying up late as usual, watching Fuse. I remember I use to LOVE the Nine Inch Nails music video for "Only" (posted below) so I would stay up just to watch it then I'd turn off the TV and go to bed. But on one special night, I decided to keep the TV on and what was the next video to be shown....."Four Kicks"...and then the obsessions commenced.




"Only" - Nine Inch Nails





"Nowhere Again" - Secret Machines

On every mix cd I made in middle school, this song was on it.




"Float On" - Modest Mouse

I know I'm not the only one who remembers seeing this video and loving it.




"Walkie Talkie Man" - Steriogram

Watch Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man in Music  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
I. LOVE. THIS. VIDEO! It's pure genius. I went through a weird yarn phase after seeing this music video.




"Mr. Brightside" - The Killers

Don't deny it. You use to love this song. And probably still do.




"Rebellion (Lies)" - Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is probably one of the few bands that I can say, I've followed since their debut album and it's all due to this video. I didn't even hear about Kings of Leon or Dogs until their second album.




"Maps" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Definitely could've gone lesbo for Karen O after seeing this video




"Yellow" - Coldplay

And to think lead sing Chris Martin came up with "Yellow" cause the closest thing to him when he was writing this song was the yellow pages.




"I'm Not Okay" - My Chemical Romance

Yes, I'll admit it. I love this song. I had the biggest crush on the lead singer Gerard Way (I'm pretty sure he's gay too). But anyways, my love for MCR still exists, "Helena" music video is also up there on my reminiscent music videos.




"Easy/Lucky/Free" - Bright Eyes

I've yet to really get into Bright Eyes, but I remember seeing this video a while back and I just haven't forgotten it since.




"All That I've Got" - The Used

Can someone please tell me what the weird bunny means?




"I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor" - Arctic Monkeys

First time I saw this, I thought they were the weirdest band simply because of how high they were holding their electric guitars but for some reason it intrigued me. I had tickets to see them at the House of Blues but a series of unfortunate events caused me to only see 10 minutes of their show. Redemption is hopefully in the near future.




"Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand

Who Doesn't Love this Fucking Song!? (excuse my French). The transition is genius, seriously.




"Ride" - The Vines





"Clint Eastwood" - Gorillaz

Everytime my friends and I would listen to this song, we would immediately stop whatever we were doing and act extremely high passing around invisible joints, etc. It was sight to see. I remember my friends and I wanted all our senior quotes to be from this song. Mine would've been "Finally someone let me out of my cage".




"Swing Swing" - All American Rejects

Yeah, I just did that. Enjoy.



"All Falls Down" - Kanye West

I know it's not rock, but this song....was my jam.

I Caught Dinner (New Grass Country Club)

The New Orleans Indie Rock Collective (NOIR Collective) presents Foburg: A Music Festival, a brand new three-day alternative music festival located in venues all along Frenchmen Street here in New Orleans March 12-14, 2010. The festival features rock, indie rock, and alternative artists from the greater Gulf South and national touring artists on their way to SXSW in Austin, TX. WTUL New Orleans (the radio station I DJ at) is sponsoring it so I'm fo sho working at it. I'm actually making Foburg flags right now to hang along Frenchmen. But anways this whole festival started after New Orleans received over 75 emails from up-and-coming national artists looking for shows in New Orleans on their way to SXSW. So in response, the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective decided to create a festival to showcase these touring acts alongside the best alternative music in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Post-Katrina has caused a lot bands to pass over New Orleans. Additionally, the indie rock scene is often overshadowed by the jazz, blues and funk heritage. The location for the festival came up after the NOIR Collective was informed that some Frenchmen Street venues had closed and others were in financial turmoil due to diminished attendance in recent years. Frenchmen Street is one of my favorite places in all of New Orleans. It's one of the few areas zoned as an Arts and Cultural Overly District. I think it has the most character out of all of New Orleans and is a break from all the tourist spots. Hopefully Foburg will revive the indie rock scene and Frenchmen Street. If you're a local - COME!
- I'm working at The Maison so come say hi! -

Here's a playlist of some of the bands. Since a lot of them are just breaking into the music scene I can't find a lot of their songs, but here you go.




Tambien, since there will be an obscenely large amount of music to transpire in three days, I know I won't be able to witness it all but here are some of my favorites that you will definitely find me at:

New Grass Country Club <-- YES!
A Living Soundtrack
Dr. Manhattan
Blue Party
The Pharmacy
Caddywhompus
Sun Hotel <--Releasing a new song @ Foburg!
Givers
Brass Bed
Booty Trove
High In One Eye <-- I will definitely be here!
The Gills
The Burroughs



Artists Performing:



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