campfire anthems

the 90’s playlist is coming along swimmingly.  thanks for asking.  i’ve got about 65 songs thus far and plan to reach 100 soon.  its not your typical 90’s mix, though - better to warn you late than never.  its a mix of some of my favorite alternative rock.  my list is a far cry from one you might find by vh1 or any other mainstream “listographer” (i made that word up, hence the quotation marks) on the interweb.  i’m pretty excited about it, and some suggestions have made the list.  once i reach 100 i will post the holy grail of 90’s alternative rock for all to see and debate about.  i am still welcoming all suggestions.

alright.  i’m trying to make the ultimate 90’s music playlist.  you know, the gin blossoms, hootie and the blowfish, vertical horizon and we can’t forget beck.  so i want to know what some of your favorite songs from the 90’s are and maybe they’ll make the list.

last night i came across a song that i hadn’t heard in quite some time. i’m not going to bore you with the story of how this happened, because its really quite random, but the song was hallelujah, written by leonard cohen in 1984. this may be the prettiest song i’ve ever heard. upon researching this song i found that over the years it has been covered by about 120 different artists, making it one of the most covered songs in history.

this song was really made popular when jeff buckley performed his version. another mainstream artist to put his spin on it was rufus wainwright, performed for the shrek soundtrack. i told you all of that to say this. i came across a version of this song by a norwegian quartet. that in itself sounds unique, but the mind blowing part of the whole story comes from a man named kurt nilsen. the only reason i even watched the video in the first place was because of the image of nilsen on the thumbnail. he is a very homely looking man and i was actually only watching to get a good laugh, because no one that looks the way he does could have such a gifted talent like song right? take a look at kurt.

i think sometimes we do what i did last night. we see something, or someone, and judge based on appearance. last night i never even once thought about the way god blesses people. i judged this guy and thought maybe i’d get a good laugh from watching him “try” to sing this song. i want you to watch this video below. nilsen is the last man to sing a solo (sitting by the guitarist), claiming the 3rd verse as his own. i was truly blown away. how could someone of his stature produce such a heavenly voice? the only way i can put it into words is that it would be like if rosie o’donnell got in front of a microphone and belted out an opera score in flawless italian.

after i saw this video i did a little research about this guy and found out that he was the world idol, which i can only assume is a knock off of american idol. it just goes to show that you should never judge anything based upon the way it looks. so go ahead and watch the video. i think its under 4 minutes, so it won’t be too long to handle. listen to nilsen and hear for yourself. see if you are as blown away as i was.

we’ve all heard the phrase “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.” i wonder if the same goes for wives? emily and i are both musically inclined, her with singing and piano and me with guitar. i know she has dabbled around with some chords and such in the past, but i wonder if i could teach her to do something like this….

so as you all read yesterday, i went over to tampa’s ford amphitheatre after work to see dave matthews band live.  i couldn’t believe how many people were there.  the parking lot appeared as those people had been there tail gating for hours, eating their hot dogs, drinking their beer and getting high as all get out.  we went up to the box office to get our reserved tickets and entered the venue.  it was pretty funny.  i love watching people, especially drunk ones.  rob and i were also accosted several times with people giving away free stuff junk.  my favorite was this girl trying to sell us $3 stickers to help save the environment from vehicle emissions.  there was also a booth that was trading used crocs footwear in for brand new pairs.  they were just giving them to you if you’d give them your old one.  they would take the old ones and recycle them into new shoes and send them to people in africa.  i think that’s awesome.

close to show time we made our way into the “stadium” area and found our seats.  the first band, gomez, came out and did their thing.  they were from the british isles.  they were really good but i couldn’t get into the music on a regular basis.  once they were finished the clear skies turned ominous.  i seriously thought i was going to get struck by lightning.  it was so close and so loud.  i really feel bad for the people who had lawn seats and got absolutely drenched.  the storm finally passed about 30 minutes later and dave came out.

dave was good.  tim reynolds was playing lead guitar and the dude could rip.  the fiddle player you ask?  amazing.  they had a couple guys on a sax and trumpet who could wail as well.  the drummer brought it and the bass player was top notch.  this is seriously just a talent filled group of musicians playing together.  the only thing was they only played about 4 or 5 hits.  the rest of the music was just this obscure stuff that i had never heard, along with a peter gabriel song.

all in all it was a good night last night.  i had a lot of fun, listened to some really good music, and probably got a second hand high (i did get home and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich).  i only joke about the second hand high thing, but seriously, dave has got some druggy fans.  now i have to figure out who i’ll go see next.  hopefully it will be stone temple pilots in the fall.  we’ll see.

that is who i will be watching play live tonight in tampa, fl. i’m pretty excited because a ticket just got dumped on my lap to go, and i’ve always wanted to see dave live. a guy named rob at the church i go to invited me to go with him because he had an extra ticket. i’ve hung out with him before once or twice, so i’m looking forward to getting to know him a little better. should be a blast.

while we are on the topic of music, gabe sent me a link earlier today of this kid playing the super mario theme on not one, but two guitars. its pretty neat stuff. he must have been a piano player first, because i know that my hands don’t work the way this kid’s do. i started looking at some of his other videos and knew i had to post this one. the simpsons theme song. i grew up in a simpsons generation. i hope you enjoy this as much as i did.

big night tonight guys.  i’m very excited, because when i get off work i get to drive over the st. pete a see sister hazel perform live at jannus landing.  i hope the weather holds up since its an outside venue.  what a great way to kick off a holiday weekend.

there is a new wallpaper up in the “wallpaper” tab that i have been working on. it is inspired by a song called moving mountains by thrice. its an acoustic song. the i absolutely love the lyrics that the song is based around. they come from a biblical principal in 1 corinthians 13. the new international version says:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

that’s pretty powerful stuff. here is the audio to thrice’s moving mountains, and make sure you go up the the “wallpaper” tab and check out my new art. let me know if you use it, i’ll be curious to know.

i finally got to really play my new guitar today at church, and man does that thing rock. so much so that i don’t think i would ever want to play a different brand of instruments. that being said, i’m selling my les paul. i’ll spare all the details of the guitar for those of you who might actually be interested in it, or in the market for one. its been a great guitar for me but i think i can finally let her go. so if you are interested leave me a comment or email me and i’ll tell you anything you want to know about it. there is also a possibility that even if you aren’t a local reader we can work out some shipping for it.

i’m also selling a hagstrom semi-hollow body guitar…

and a quiet flight surf board

let me know if you are intersted.

so i’ve been playing guitar now for about 13 years.  ever since i first started playing i have lusted after owning a paul reed smith.  trust me, i have owned a lot of guitars since i started but none have ever really satisfied me or given me the look/sound/feel that i have coveted.  i have been watching a used prs guitar at the local guitar store for a while now.  i have saved my money, sold some personal goods i don’t use/need/want anymore, and worked extra hours at work and finally had enough $ to get the guitar i have waited for for so long.  its beautiful.  it sounds amazing.  i can’t wait to play it tomorrow at church.  so here it is guys.  have a look.