We've Moved

in case you were wondering why i stopped posting so quickly after getting started, well i didn't, i just moved my own web address, so please go over and check it out and please take advantage of my new option to subscribe and get an e-mail notification every time i update. i appreciate your support. and i hope your ears bleed

http://www.ihopeyourearsbleed.com/

Austin City Limits Lineup Out

so i opened my inbox this morning and to my delight i discoverd that acl has announced its 2008 lineup. which in my opinion is something to get excited about. they have the foo fighters headlining which i believe is an odd pick and not one that i would have made. but the rest of lineup is pretty stellar. it's not that i don't enjoy the foo fighters, i think dave grohl is incredibly talented, his music for the most part doesn't fit the mold of what acl has been about in my opinion. but i am sure that they will put on a great show. i had many friends that saw them this spring in fayetteville and they all seemed to enjoy. but here is a list of some of the other bands that i am excited to see on the lineup this year.
robert plant & allison krauss
beck
david byrne (former lead singer of the talking heads)
john fogerty
conor oberst and the mystical valley band
patty griffin
tegan & sara
iron & wine
band of horses
the swell season (these are the guys that did the soundtrack to the movie "once")
jakob dylan and the gold mountain rebels
okkervil river
vampire weekend
drive-by truckers
jose gonzalez
jenny lewis
m. ward
mgmt
colour revolt
and those are the just the ones i am most excited about, in my opinion this is the best lineup they have brought us yet. so for those of ya'll who have never been to an austin city limits music festival before, this is the year. and for those of ya'll who weren't convinced to go just by reading this list over the next several months i will do an artist spotlight on all of the bands that i love that will be performing at acl this year. so look forward to that. but for now here is one of my favorites to hold you over. i hope your ears bleed (but not too much)

Final Four Playlist

so in honor of tonights championship game I decided to come up with a nice playlist to accompany it:

1. all the right reasons by the jayhawks
2. eye of the tiger by survivor
3. walking in memphis by marc cohn
4. memphis city rain by angie aparo
5. rushian by state radio
6. lo how a rose e'er blooming by sufjan stevens
7. rosealia by better than ezra

well, if my playlist has in predicting powers looks like the tigers are gonna pull it off
i hope your ears bleed (but not real blood)

Ben Folds Live

so last night i attended my first concert of 2008. and boy was it worth the wait. i went with my good buddy fitz to see ben folds in tulsa last night at the reynolds center. first of all if this is an experience that you have failed to make your own, you must make it a priority. he is absolutely phenomenal. that being said i was still pretty disappointed and frustrated at many parts of last night. i think the problem mainly stems from the fact that tu students were allowed free admission to the concert. i have never been to a concert where people talked so much during the main act. but of course leave to ben to redeem a terrible situation like such. instead of getting pissed and just telling everybody to shut up, before starting "fred jones, pt. 2" he politely informed the crowd that if it wasn't quiet enough that he would simply start the song over. which he did. about 8 times. because people are idiots and that's how long it took them to realize that he was for real. which i didn't really mind to much because it's an incredible song. while doing this he mentioned that he once played the intro to "brick" for an entire hour. but like i said he is such an amazing musician. and his drummer and bassist are pretty incredible too. the three of them would sing in a three part harmony often throughout the show. he played a lot of new songs which are going to be on his new album that he's releasing later this fall, including one he wrote about the time that he got excited at a show in japan and walked right off the end of the stage and got a concussion. despite all of the tu bastards, it was a pretty great night. he finished by leading the crowd in a three part harmony that goes along with my personal favorite of his, "not the same". even though he played the one song i asked for i still don't feel like i can cross ben off the list, so to speak. because i think that he is capable of so much more and that he just played to the crowd. i think i need to see him in a more intimate setting, or with a symphony orchestra. so if somehow you have never listened to ben folds before or the only song you know is brick then please download this song and then go out and buy several albums and go see him live cause i can now say from experience he is one of the greatest musical performers around. i hope your ears bleed (but not really)

Still Fighting It

The History of My Obsession

so i thought it only right to start this thing off with the reason for my obsession. growing up i was only allowed to listen to "christian" music. which sounds awful, but in retrospect i am sort of grateful because i am afraid had i not had that limitation i might have become satisfied with the secular radio pop culture and might have never decided to search beyond what i knew and discover that there was more out there to be found. it started with my constant effort to find better "christian" music than the stuff my mom would listen to. then in high school i gave up the silly notion that the only music capable of bringing glory to God was that which was made by christians. and boy was i presently surprised as a whole new world of music was opened up to me. music so beautiful and powerful it was almost enough to make my ears bleed. not only did i discover that there were christians out there challenging themselves and making great music, but that there were also people in the so-called "secular" world that were making music that i truly believe is glorifying to our heavenly Father.

but back to where my music obsession started and to the reason for this post. i wasn't telling the whole truth when i said that my mom made me listen to only "christian" music. there was one exception that was made that has forever shaped my musical tastes. and that exception is the tape cassette my uncle gave me when i was about five years old of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. easily the greatest album ever put out by the beach boys and arguably the best album of 60's. now i realize that all you beatles fans out there are about to jump down my throat, but before you do. The Beatles themselves have recognized it as the inspiration for their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is consistently ranked as the Beatles greatest album. Not only that but Paul McCartney has often stated that "God Only Knows" is is favorite song of all time. But don't let any of this convince you of the greatness of this record. let the music stand for itself. if you have never heard this album or don't agree with me please listen to it as soon you can. i hope your ears bleed (not literally)

Caroline No