30 Days Song Challenge: Week 4

Final post of the 30 Days Song Challenge...

day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
“The Freshmen” – The Verve Pipe. When I’m feeling sad, I turn to songs that I share similar emotions with.  It’s comforting to find something that you can relate to when you’re upset. A lot of music makes you realize that everyone has ups and downs and the important thing is to find a way to rise above all of that. If I’m looking for something to cheer me up instead, I usually turn to Widespread Panic or The Doors.

day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding

“Nothing Else Matters” – Metallica. Our first dance. We also played Widespread Panic, The Turtles, Guns ‘n Roses, and Frank Sinatra.

day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

“Big Truck” – Coal Chamber -- Coal Chamber was one of the very first metal bands that drew me into the genre. So, it’s fitting that my birth into metal should also be played at my funeral. A staple song in any Coal Chamber set, Big Truck churns over the audience. It’s a big-rig of fist-pounding metal crammed down your throat. And as Dez says, “Ain’t no grave gonna hold my body!”

day 25 - a song that makes you laugh

“Goddamn Trigger” – Serj Tankian. This quirky track from Imperfect Harmonies offers Serj’s biting commentary on society’s inconceivable gluttony. “I have 38 rifles and a bunch of handguns and ammunition / 8 grenades, in case of scuffles…/ it’s my constitutional right/ to arm bears… We are disgusting overweight obese fucks/ A shot rang, animals scatter, bovine hormone growth chewy candy.” The music is over-the-top, swaggering along like a drunken carnival. There is a greater message in all of it, which is not so funny. As usual, Serj draws us in with his musical games only to slap us with reality.


day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument

“24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 4 in E Minor: Largo” - Frédéric Chopin. I can play this and I own a version played by Alexandre Tharaud. This gentle Chopin prelude swells to an emotional climax before fading away. It’s written in E minor, one of my favorite of the minor keys. In Classical music, I find that minor keys evoke more emotion through dissonance and dark tension; a distinct parallel with metal music.

day 27 - a song that you wish you could play

“Light My Fire” – The Doors. I used to be able to play the main organ melody from “Light My Fire,” but it’s been many years. I started playin classical piano, but soon discovered The Doors and Ray Manzarek’s infectious keyboard/organ playing. I’ve been hooked ever since. I love metal, but The Doors will probably always be my absolute favorite band. To be honest, I can’t just leave it at one song… Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade Of Pale,”  the organ solo in Opeth’s “Lotus Eater,” Widespread Panic’s “Travelin’ Man”… the list goes on.

day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty

I don’t feel guilty about anything I listen to. Sure, there are songs or bands that I’ve grown out of, but it doesn’t mean I’m ashamed or embarrassed. Just have a look through my iTunes or phone. I’ve got nothing to hide. Did I have some questionable choices back in the day? We all make mistakes… not me, other people…

day 29 - a song from your childhood

“Pretty Woman” – Roy Orbison. We’re all influenced by the music our parents listen to. You spend the first 16 years of your life riding around in a car with them, listening to whatever radio station or cassette tape they wanted to. By the time I was 10, I’d memorized the hits from Roy Orbison, Charlie Daniels, Blood Sweat & Tears, Johnny Rivers, and many more.

day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

“North” – Widespread Panic. They released this album in the summer of last year. Around this time is when we went to see them in Boston. It was a perfect summer night on the waters of Boston Harbor. The stellar set list included “North,” “Bear’s Gone Fishing,” and “Lawyers Guns and Money.”  The album, Dirty Side Down, was a return to their laid-back, bluesy style, capping off 25 years of music.

Hope you enjoyed! Up next week: In Flames' Sounds Of A Playground Fading.

30 Days Song Challenge: Week 1

I saw the page 30 Days Song Challenge on Facebook and decided to try it. The rules appear simple enough, but I didn’t want to try to remember to post something every day so I decided to write a blog for each week. I promise to only use songs from my own iTunes library.

So here goes – the first 7 days:

day 01 - your favorite song

“End Of The Line” – DevilDriver. This song, off of their second album, starts very assumingly before exploding into an all-out earth-shattering, hang-banging, thrash fest. From singer Dez Farfara’s guttural screams to the sick guitar breakdowns, I knew that DevilDriver had found their sound and that this was really the beginning of something epic. After 8 years they’re still going and getting strong with each song.

day 02 - your least favorite song

“Disasterpiece” – Slipknot. Honestly, it’s not this song in particular, but I just couldn’t get into Slipknot’s second album, Iowa. I still go back, listen to their first CD, and am blown away by how far they pushed the boundaries. The influence of that album can still be felt more than a decade later (and rightfully so). But for me, Iowa falls a bit flat.

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

“Sky Is Mine” – Amorphis. With punchy riffs, sick keyboards, and epic vocals this song gets me going and make me smile. The energy and emotion is incredible. There’s something about Amorphis’ style that makes the sun shine brighter and the world challenges seem attainable. “This is sky is mine, this sun is mine, this fate is mine.”

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

“Angel’s Son” – Sevendust. This is a tribute to Lynn Strait, singer of the band Snot, who was killed in a car accident along with his dog in 1998. The music video includes members of Strait’s band and his mother. There’s a great scene where they start a bon fire and are joined by a parade of members of the rock community like Dez Farfara (Coal Chamber), Brandon Boyd (Incubus), and Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down).

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

“Ballad Of A Thin Man” – Bob Dylan. This song reminds me of everyone who just doesn’t get it. Those who fail to realize the life around them and the life outside of familiarity and reason.

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

“Live Your Life (Down)” – Tantric. This always reminds me of driving back and forth from college to home on I-80 in Pennsylvania. I’d put on this CD, among others, and sing along to pass the time. Now whenever this song comes up I can picture the long stretch of highway with trees and cows flying by the side of the road.

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

“Surprise Valley” – Widespread Panic. This was one of the songs that we had played at our wedding, during the part when you’re formally introduced to everyone at the reception. I think we covered 50 years of music and half a dozen genres for our wedding. That’s the way music should be.

Listen To This - Memorial Day 2011

It's Memorial Day Weekend. It's a time to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and to remember all those who have served this country past, present, and future in pursuit of those freedoms. Thank you!

Memorial Day is also the start of summer. Finally, after months of snow and rain we can look forward to sunny skies, food on the grill, and plenty of music. For me, summer also brings traveling to see friends and family. So, this week I searched for some driving music and good tunes to kick off the summer. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been playing this week. What are you listening to?

Widespread Panic - Ball and Dirty Side Down (Remixes)

Traveling home to visit family usually involves driving through the National Forest along the Delaware River (on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey border). I always put in Widespread Panic's Ball and open the windows to let in the smell of the forest. Nothing goes with summer better than some bluesy southern rock. Ball is the first Panic album that I owned and I always go back to it. From the flowing opener, “Fishing,” to the funky “Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi),” to the 16-minute jam of “Travlein' Man,” this album is the definition of summer music.

If that's not enough to get your summer party going, go to WSP's website (http://www.widespreadpanic.com/) and download some remixes of tracks from their latest CD, Dirty Sound Down (they're fee!). And yes, I said remixes, but the funky takes on Panic's signature breezy sound is refreshing and I'll admit that the dance beats are infectious. It's a diversion from the norm and a fun way to party with Widespread Panic.

Since about 2005, Widespread Panic has been recording all of their live shows. You can find collections of songs carefully assembled into Driving Songs. Each volume takes the best tracks from a summer’s worth of shows. There’s no better way to explore the roads on a hot summer day.

Green Day - Dookie and Insomniac

Green Day makes for great driving music. It keeps you moving and singing along, especially on those long, monotonous, late-night drives. As the road winds on and the pavement stretches out indefinitely into the darkness, I find that Green Day’s hyperactive sound and sarcastic commentary keep me moving toward my destination. I’m a product of the 90’s and Green Day’s emergence into the mainstream helped shape the musical landscape of my generation. And while I’m still a big fan of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, I always find myself reaching back to 1994.

Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos

No road trip or summer drive could be complete without some Swedish metal. Soilwork has been bringing their mix of hardcore and metal for years now. 2002’s Natural Born Chaos is one of their best efforts. Catchy chorus blended with ferocious vocals and pummeling guitars make this a go-to album for me. “As We Speak,” “No More Angels,” and “Mercury Shadow” are some of the standout tracks, heavy with guitars, keyboards, and soaring choruses. I even use “Black Star Deceiver” as a ringtone (and subsequently find it always playing in my head). Natural Born Chaos, like much of Soilwork’s material, packs the punches in all the right places