Music
Music I'm Currently Listening To
Mar 24 2009 09:25 PM
Here’s some of the current music I am listening to.
Riverboat Gamblers: Underneath the Owl
I discovered this group a few years back while listening to punkradiocast and have been hooked ever since that day. This newest album of theirs was released this past February, and I purchased it on iTunes over the weekend. This is a great album. Riverboat Gamblers are from Texas, and apparently put on a great show. They were the opening act for a concert Paige and I went to a while back, but we were fashionably late and missed them, so I’ve yet to see them play live. This is just great rock music.
HorrorPops: Kiss Kiss Kill Kill
While I mainly listen to punk rock, I have always enjoyed rockabilly and psychobilly music. HorrorPops fall into the latter category. This is their third album, release early last year, and is just as great as the first two. The lead singer and upright bassist, Patricia Day, is beautiful and has a great voice. HorrorPops kind of walk the line between The Cramps and The Misfits. Great music.
Devil Doll: Queen of Pain and The Return of Eve
I came upon Devil Doll as a recommendation from Amazon when I purchased the HorrorPops album. I listened to a couple of the samples, and I ended up purchasing both albums and wasn’t sorry with the purchase. I don’t really know how to describe the music; it’s a mix of rockabilly, punk and swing. Colleen has an amazing voice, and apparently is also a very accomplished musician.
Classic: The Bouncing Souls: How I Spent My Summer Vacation
I have ever Bouncing Souls album, but this is my favorite. True Believer is a great song.
Riverboat Gamblers: Underneath the Owl
I discovered this group a few years back while listening to punkradiocast and have been hooked ever since that day. This newest album of theirs was released this past February, and I purchased it on iTunes over the weekend. This is a great album. Riverboat Gamblers are from Texas, and apparently put on a great show. They were the opening act for a concert Paige and I went to a while back, but we were fashionably late and missed them, so I’ve yet to see them play live. This is just great rock music.
HorrorPops: Kiss Kiss Kill Kill
While I mainly listen to punk rock, I have always enjoyed rockabilly and psychobilly music. HorrorPops fall into the latter category. This is their third album, release early last year, and is just as great as the first two. The lead singer and upright bassist, Patricia Day, is beautiful and has a great voice. HorrorPops kind of walk the line between The Cramps and The Misfits. Great music.
Devil Doll: Queen of Pain and The Return of Eve
I came upon Devil Doll as a recommendation from Amazon when I purchased the HorrorPops album. I listened to a couple of the samples, and I ended up purchasing both albums and wasn’t sorry with the purchase. I don’t really know how to describe the music; it’s a mix of rockabilly, punk and swing. Colleen has an amazing voice, and apparently is also a very accomplished musician.
Classic: The Bouncing Souls: How I Spent My Summer Vacation
I have ever Bouncing Souls album, but this is my favorite. True Believer is a great song.
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Amazon MP3 Downloads
Sep 14 2008 11:00 PM
I’ve read some reviews, have seen some mentions in
forums, and have heard some people talk about it at
work, so I finally got around to checking out MP3
downloads from Amazon. Most of the time I purchase my
music at Downloadpunk, but they
don’t have everything I’m interested in. I’ve
purchased a couple CD’s from iTunes, usually
using a iTunes gift card. While their selection
is great, and I pretty much just listen to my
music either on my iPod or one of my Macs, the
fact that a lot of their music has DRM on it
does kind of suck. The music isn’t in MP3
format, instead it’s in AAC, which is a wrapper
around MP3 that allows Apple to place their
digital rights restrictions on the music. This
usually limits your music to being played on
certain computers, so you can’t share it with
anyone.
Amazon has a competing music store. I don’t know if it’s as big as the iTunes store, but their selling point is that there is no DRM and also the price is usually a little cheaper. iTunes does carry some music with no DRM, but you actually have to pay more to have the privilege of getting the non-DRM music.
There’s a group I listen to, a psychobilly group, called HorrorPops. They’re a great group and I have their first two CDs, ‘Bring it On’ and ‘Hell Yeah’, and I saw they have a third CD called ‘Kiss Kiss Kill Kill’. This CD is available on iTunes for $9.99, but not in a non-DRM version. I checked out Amazon and they have the same CD in MP3 format for $8.99. I decided to purchase it from them. You have to download a small program, which is a downloader application. When you purchase the music you download a .amz file, this file is used by the downloaded to download your purchase. The cool part is once you finish with the download, it imports the music into your iTunes application. It’s now ready to be listened to and synced up with your iPod.
I was pretty happy with my first purchase. The download was very quick using the download application, and all of the music sounds great. It’s at 256 kb for the bit rate, which is very nice. I plan on making future purchases I don’t find on Downloadpunk on the Amazon site.
Amazon has a competing music store. I don’t know if it’s as big as the iTunes store, but their selling point is that there is no DRM and also the price is usually a little cheaper. iTunes does carry some music with no DRM, but you actually have to pay more to have the privilege of getting the non-DRM music.
There’s a group I listen to, a psychobilly group, called HorrorPops. They’re a great group and I have their first two CDs, ‘Bring it On’ and ‘Hell Yeah’, and I saw they have a third CD called ‘Kiss Kiss Kill Kill’. This CD is available on iTunes for $9.99, but not in a non-DRM version. I checked out Amazon and they have the same CD in MP3 format for $8.99. I decided to purchase it from them. You have to download a small program, which is a downloader application. When you purchase the music you download a .amz file, this file is used by the downloaded to download your purchase. The cool part is once you finish with the download, it imports the music into your iTunes application. It’s now ready to be listened to and synced up with your iPod.
I was pretty happy with my first purchase. The download was very quick using the download application, and all of the music sounds great. It’s at 256 kb for the bit rate, which is very nice. I plan on making future purchases I don’t find on Downloadpunk on the Amazon site.
STP
Aug 24 2008 01:08 PM
Paige and I went to the STP (Stone Temple Pilots)
concert last night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
in Alpharetta, GA.
Our night started off interesting. We decided to drop by P. F. Chang’s to eat some appetizers and have a couple drinks before heading to the concert. We generally don’t eat at chain restaurants, aside from the occasional visit to Ted’s Montana Grill for a bison burger; but there’s not much choice in Alpharetta when it comes to restaurants except for chains. When we arrived at P. F. Chang’s, we saw there was a long wait, so we headed up to the bar area. Unfortunately we could only find one seat at the bar, so Paige sat down while we ordered drinks. The manager walked by and started talking with us, saying it was kind of crowded due to people dropping by before the STP concert, we told him we were heading there and wanted to grab something to eat before going. He said the wait was around an hour, but he would see what he could do. Maybe 15 minutes later he comes back and directs us over to a table. Then he proceeds to provide us with a card for a free appetizer on our next visit, and also said one of our appetizers with our meal would be on the house. Paige and I just looked at each other wondering what we did to deserve this. We felt bad that we were only eating appetizers, not exactly spending a lot of money, but I did end up giving the server a 100% tip, and we plan on writing in to P. F. Chang’s to let them know how great we were treated.
We arrived at the amphitheatre in time to see one of the opening acts, Black Leather Motorcycle Club. We got our double Jack and Coke and headed down to the pit area, where we ended up running into some friends. Once that act was over I headed back and got us two more drinks and got back in time for STP to start. I saw STP a long time ago, probably 94 - 95, when they opened for Butthole Surfers. I think that concert was a little better than this one, they just had more energy. Paige and I both thought that Scott Weiland performed the STP songs better when we saw the Velvet Revolver tour earlier in the year. This show wasn’t bad, it just didn’t have any stand out performances. It was great to see STP again, they do have great music, and hopefully Scott will hang around long enough to record another album.
Our night started off interesting. We decided to drop by P. F. Chang’s to eat some appetizers and have a couple drinks before heading to the concert. We generally don’t eat at chain restaurants, aside from the occasional visit to Ted’s Montana Grill for a bison burger; but there’s not much choice in Alpharetta when it comes to restaurants except for chains. When we arrived at P. F. Chang’s, we saw there was a long wait, so we headed up to the bar area. Unfortunately we could only find one seat at the bar, so Paige sat down while we ordered drinks. The manager walked by and started talking with us, saying it was kind of crowded due to people dropping by before the STP concert, we told him we were heading there and wanted to grab something to eat before going. He said the wait was around an hour, but he would see what he could do. Maybe 15 minutes later he comes back and directs us over to a table. Then he proceeds to provide us with a card for a free appetizer on our next visit, and also said one of our appetizers with our meal would be on the house. Paige and I just looked at each other wondering what we did to deserve this. We felt bad that we were only eating appetizers, not exactly spending a lot of money, but I did end up giving the server a 100% tip, and we plan on writing in to P. F. Chang’s to let them know how great we were treated.
We arrived at the amphitheatre in time to see one of the opening acts, Black Leather Motorcycle Club. We got our double Jack and Coke and headed down to the pit area, where we ended up running into some friends. Once that act was over I headed back and got us two more drinks and got back in time for STP to start. I saw STP a long time ago, probably 94 - 95, when they opened for Butthole Surfers. I think that concert was a little better than this one, they just had more energy. Paige and I both thought that Scott Weiland performed the STP songs better when we saw the Velvet Revolver tour earlier in the year. This show wasn’t bad, it just didn’t have any stand out performances. It was great to see STP again, they do have great music, and hopefully Scott will hang around long enough to record another album.
Styx/Boston
Aug 18 2008 08:33 PM
Paige and I went to the Styx/Boston concert last
night in Alpharetta, GA, at the Verizon Wireless
Amphitheatre. Styx was the opening band, we came in
after a couple songs, but caught a lot of their good
songs, so that was fine. Boston played for probably
an hour and a half, and it was pretty rockin. They
are both great bands to see live. you should see them
if you get a chance, even if they don’t have all the
original members.
Nothing But the Best
May 16 2008 05:55 PM
This may be hard to believe, coming from a person
that loves punk music as much as I do, but, if you
were to look at my iPod, you would see a Swing/Easy
Listening genre, and under that you would see the 50
or so CDs I have amassed of Frank Sinatra. Yes, I
admit it, I am a fan of Ol' Blue Eyes. I've been a
fan of not only his music, but also his movies, for a
long time.
A new greatest hits CD was released last week, and I went ahead and got it. Sure, I have all of these songs, and the list of songs almost matches the list from My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra, but I still wanted to add it to my collection. The sound quality of these songs is a lot better than some of the other versions I have, guess it's the way they remastered it.
If you are a fan of Frank Sinatra, this CD does contain just about all the songs I would count as his best.
A new greatest hits CD was released last week, and I went ahead and got it. Sure, I have all of these songs, and the list of songs almost matches the list from My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra, but I still wanted to add it to my collection. The sound quality of these songs is a lot better than some of the other versions I have, guess it's the way they remastered it.
If you are a fan of Frank Sinatra, this CD does contain just about all the songs I would count as his best.
Classic Punk 3
Feb 26 2008 09:19 PM
I've found some more videos for some of the songs I
have on my Classic Punk playlist. Enjoy.
Surf Punks - My Wave - man I love this band. If you can get a hold of the album, "My Beach", do it.
Johnny Thunders - You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory - Johnny has a lot of great songs, but this is a classic.
Bad Religion - You - back when I used to flatland bmx freestyle I had a routine for competitions set to this song. Brings back memories.
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't) - it was a sad day when I heard this song playing in a commercial and knew it was now exposed to the masses.
Social Distortion - Another State of Mind - I love this band, every song of there's kicks ass, kind of hard to pick a favorite, but this definitely ranks up there.
The Damned - New Rose - this song fuckin' rocks.
Bad Brains - I Against I - I still remember seeing them my freshman year of university in Munich, Germany. Got to hang out with HR and the band afterward.
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized - many an afternoon was spent skateboarding on the local basketball court to this tape.
Surf Punks - My Wave - man I love this band. If you can get a hold of the album, "My Beach", do it.
Johnny Thunders - You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory - Johnny has a lot of great songs, but this is a classic.
Bad Religion - You - back when I used to flatland bmx freestyle I had a routine for competitions set to this song. Brings back memories.
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't) - it was a sad day when I heard this song playing in a commercial and knew it was now exposed to the masses.
Social Distortion - Another State of Mind - I love this band, every song of there's kicks ass, kind of hard to pick a favorite, but this definitely ranks up there.
The Damned - New Rose - this song fuckin' rocks.
Bad Brains - I Against I - I still remember seeing them my freshman year of university in Munich, Germany. Got to hang out with HR and the band afterward.
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized - many an afternoon was spent skateboarding on the local basketball court to this tape.
Classic Punk 2
Feb 03 2008 03:29 PM
In an earlier post I listed some
of the punk songs I have in my Classic Punk
playlist. These are songs that I enjoy a lot, so
I wanted to share my list, to maybe expose
people to new music.
Ill Repute - Clean Cut American Kid
Circle Jerks - Wild In The Streets
The Nuns - Suicide Child
Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation
Sham 69 - Borstal Breakout
The Misfits - Where Eagles Dare - How can you not love a song with the chorus "I ain't no goddamn son-of-a-bitch"
Reagan Youth - USA - A USA for Anarchy!!
Minor Threat - 12XU - the only thing wrong with this song is it's too long
7 Seconds - Young 'Till I Die - I always considered this my life mantra
The Misfits - Hybrid Moments - man this is a great song
Black Flag - TV Party - We've got nothing better to do, than watch TV and have a couple of brews.
Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant - probably one of the few punk videos with synchronized dancing.
The Clash - Garageland
Black Flag - Wasted
Ill Repute - Clean Cut American Kid
Circle Jerks - Wild In The Streets
The Nuns - Suicide Child
Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation
Sham 69 - Borstal Breakout
The Misfits - Where Eagles Dare - How can you not love a song with the chorus "I ain't no goddamn son-of-a-bitch"
Reagan Youth - USA - A USA for Anarchy!!
Minor Threat - 12XU - the only thing wrong with this song is it's too long
7 Seconds - Young 'Till I Die - I always considered this my life mantra
The Misfits - Hybrid Moments - man this is a great song
Black Flag - TV Party - We've got nothing better to do, than watch TV and have a couple of brews.
Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant - probably one of the few punk videos with synchronized dancing.
The Clash - Garageland
Black Flag - Wasted
Classic Punk
Jan 20 2008 11:29 PM
I was going through my iTunes library making a
'Classic Punk' playlist and thought I'd share what I
consider to be some of my favorite songs. A lot of
the punk I listen to is from the 70s and 80s, so a
lot of these will be from around that time period.
1. If The Kids Are United - Sham 69 : I love the video I found on YouTube for this, looks like it's from some kids variety show.
2. Your Generation - Generation X : Great song from Billy Idol's old band, Generation X.
3. BloodStains - Agent Orange : I love the riff in this song, a great skate tune.
4. Jilted John - Jilted John : Great old punk.
5. Amoeba - Adolescents : Another classic skate tune.
6. First Time - Boys
7. Brickfield Nights - Boys : Love this song
8. The End of the World - The Avengers : awful video, but a great song.
9. Homicide - 999 : This is a great old punk band.
10. Rich Kids - Rich Kids : punk boy band
11. All This And More - Dead Boys
My playlist is currently up to 76 songs. I'm not going to post them all today, will break it up into an occasional posting.
1. If The Kids Are United - Sham 69 : I love the video I found on YouTube for this, looks like it's from some kids variety show.
2. Your Generation - Generation X : Great song from Billy Idol's old band, Generation X.
3. BloodStains - Agent Orange : I love the riff in this song, a great skate tune.
4. Jilted John - Jilted John : Great old punk.
5. Amoeba - Adolescents : Another classic skate tune.
6. First Time - Boys
7. Brickfield Nights - Boys : Love this song
8. The End of the World - The Avengers : awful video, but a great song.
9. Homicide - 999 : This is a great old punk band.
10. Rich Kids - Rich Kids : punk boy band
11. All This And More - Dead Boys
My playlist is currently up to 76 songs. I'm not going to post them all today, will break it up into an occasional posting.
The Adicts
Jan 12 2008 07:03 PM
The Adicts are the longest surviving punk band with
all the original members. The formed back in 1975 in
Ipswich, England. I listened to them back in the day
and have gotten back into them recently. For
Christmas I received an iTunes gift card, and I used
it to purchase Made In
England. This CD contains 25 of their
greatest hits, and it's definitely something
everyone who enjoys punk music should have in
their collection. If you are interested in
hearing them, here they are performing 'Viva
La Revolution' and great song.