Recently in Music Category

Thanks to those of you who contribute your 2c in the last post. We haz opinions! LET US SHOW YOU THEM. I never begrudge a civil disagreement because it gives us something to talk about other than how we have to wait an entire summer for the next "Rock of Love" installment. Disagreement? C'est la vie. It's more fun to party. Which brings me to the topic of smooth.

I have wasted over an hour of my time watching the "Yacht Rock" episodes on Youtube. The series is the fictitious backstory based upon the music of Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Hall & Oates, the Doobie Brothers, and other artists whose smooth music defined a genre. It's lampooned hysterically in this series; Chris busted in the house one evening with his giant iMac and was all "WATCHTHISOMG."

It's a good series if you like music + comedy, though please note, parts are so NSFW. If you can't start from the beginning at least start with this episode. It grows on you. I swear. Before I understood the aesthetic I was all what the ...? Episode #9 is about the interesting production-marriage of Ted Templeman and The Halen and it's my absolute favorite. Turn up the smooth!

During college I interned at Clear Channel, or what snooty indie rockers refer to as Papa Satan. I was a gopher, assistant Xerox goddess, secretary, and designate merch girl wherein I got paid to go to a lot of really cool shows, sit behind a booth, and push shirts and CDs. I also set up a tip jar, though accepted free beer in lieu of tips. I've always loved music. The guy I dated before Chris was a psycho who once stalked me and a three-year-old Liam through a shoe store and peered at us between the shelves. He encouraged me to buy my first guitar, a modestly pink Fender Stratocaster, so we could jam together. I learned quickly and kept it as a hobby long after we split, only to have it find refuge at Chris's studio. It has a gorgeously warm tone which distracts from its color.

I never had any interest to play music anywhere except in the privacy of my own home for my children, though I consider myself music obsessed. I grew up around it as a kid in my grandparents' tavern where they hosted traveling rock bands; around friends; my first concert was to see Al Green at the Fox when I was 16 because I was an eccentric teen who truly liked the Rev.
We own crates, and crates, and crates of CDs, some our favorite artists being U2, the Cure, the Cult, Susan Tedeschi, Johnny Cash, the ensembles from the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica (pre-"Garage, Inc."), the Sex Pistols, Black Flag, the English Beat, Simple Minds, Queen, etc. We have too many favorites.

Chris' job is a bonus because I get to hear new artists and established artists and taste where music is heading. I would describe my own musical predilection as leaning to blues-based rock and industrial. Not every client Chris and Doug work with fits this vein, and while I normally consider his work nothing more than his work and leave it at that, I've been practically eating the songs by two of their latest clients, Full Day Affair and One Lone Car. To put it simply: If I weren't a loyal, happily married woman, I WOULD STALK THEM.
I've been listening to Full Day Affair non-stop for the past three weeks - the guys featured on the giant skyscraper ad to your left. Remember when I was all stressed and talking about the stress and you were probably all STOP TALKING ABOUT THE STRESS ALREADY? One morning as I was experiencing The Worst of It, I put Full Day Affair onto my ipod and their music - it's like Sunday rock - soothed my nerves and I completely chilled out. It's smart rock; it's a great disc with which to enjoy the afternoon - open your windows, your front door, sit on your porch with some friends and a bottle of pinot grigio.

The big, full-color ad means that their CD is finished and stocked in the studio's new online store; the store will soon feature titles by other Shock City artists. The coordination of all of this is one of the stress factors we've struggled with the past week. All of these CDs are just waiting for new homes! Won't you love one?