Where did that come from. . .

My two oldest occasionally have these kismet moments where, totally separately, they will get on some kick at the same time. Like the common object art moment when Robo informed me he was going to build a chainmail shirt out of paperclips this winter, and after I left that announcement and went into my daughter's room, she told me how she thought it would be cool to create a modern art sculpture by covering one wall of her room in plastic spoons.

It happened again the other night. We were sitting at our new dinner table (Did you catch that--"new" dinner table! Thanks mom and dad!) and Robo, fresh back from spending the night at a friends house starts humming a quiet little tune while he was waiting for the food to be served. I caught a bit of it and it sounded familiar.

"Hey Robo, what are you humming."

"Don't stop believing by Journey."

"Journey!??"

"Yeah, I love that song."

Apparently he and his friend had gotten an old 80s concert video and listened to Steve Perry belt it out all evening.

That same afternoon Kitten returned home from spending the night with a cousin. After telling me various fun things she had done on her stay she looks at me and says,

"Oh, yeah, and Dad. . .I want to get my hair cut like Pat Benatar in the 'Love is a Battle field' video."

"What?? Pat Benatar?? Where the heck did you run across Pat Benatar?!"

Apparently she had watched the movie "13 going on 30" (where Jennifer Garner plays the cutest little girl trapped in a grown-ups body every put on film), and in that movie there is a part where she quotes from that song to young girls when she's telling them what life is all about.

So Kitten and her cousin went immediately to YouTube to find the video for that song. And that's where she fell in love with the hair. And the clothes. Ah, the internet---where bringing back the past is just a click away.

It should really suit her now that she's growing her hair out from her last hair cut. Now with Robo sporting a style that looks like something from the cast of "Friends" playbook, I can see a lot of Gel in our future.

That's why the flashback New Release Tuesday below. Enjoy.

Flash Back New Release Tues

Love is a battlefield pat benatar

NRT: POD - sleeping awake video

Can't forget the boys of southtown. I know I haven't written much lately. I'll write more soon.

New release Tues! FM Static - Definitely Maybe

Finally, after long last they have a new album coming out. On Aug 1st! Tick tick tick--it's coming fast.

Well now, here's something new. . .

Yeah, I'm giving it a whirl. Putting audio on the internet. A little something I'm refering to as AudioBlog Beta. That's because it's pretty rough, quality wise. Me just rambling into not the greatest mike, but, you know. . .there it is. No fancy music leader, no fancy editing in Garage Band like I'd hoped. But it's there.

Anyway, if you are curious, click here to give a listen.

New Release Tues: Mindy Smith

I was talking to my brother on the phone last night like we do often on Sunday nights. He usually calls about 10 o'clock so we can catch up while he does the weekly shopping at WalMart. I always know our call has about 10 minutes or so left (his drive home time) when he says, "Just a sec, I have to pay. (then quietly, away from the phone to the cashier)How much was that?" Or something like that.

Last night I had to laugh. After talking for about 30 min or so, we got onto the topic of our blogs. He reads mine and is quite complimentary about it (he's such a good little brother). But he paused and thought for a second, then posed question that I could tell was being very deliberately and carefully constructed to not communicate the wrong tone.

He said, "You know that music you post for New Release Tuesday? I was just wondering if you could talk to me about what attracts you to that music."

No problem. I've heard that question before. Most times though it phrased like "why do you listen to that garbage", or sometimes "could you please turn that off". So I'm cool with it.

He went on, "No, what I mean is, it's just that your writing shows a poetic reflective personality that doesn't seem to be represented by the music you listen to."

Truth is, I just listen to music that rocks me with out offending me. If it degrades women or promotes drug use or violence, stuff like that, I just don't have time for it. Not when there is so much other good music out there.

And I guess it's only fair that he gets to ask me that. I did kind of get smart with him one time when I went to help him drywall his new basement. I always work better with the tunes going so I asked if we could fire up a boom box. He said sure and told me where to pick out CDs.

After looking through about a hundred classical and jazz CDs I finally turned to him and asked, "Dude, don't you have any music that requires electricity to make?"

It was good jazz, though.

But I still make CDs for his kids so they won't go totally unexposed to the electric guitar.

But this week I picked something that I thought he might appreciate. Mindy Smith is so awesome. Very bare bones music, but man does it carry a punch. Check out her myspace page for more tunes. It's totally worth it.

Here I am, another year

For some, Tuesday this week was a chance to celebrate their patriotic zeal---or at least to indulge that inner pyromaniac. For me, it again begins my annual lament over where I am not. And that would be Cornerstone---the music, film, art fest in Illinois. This year it's the 20th anniversary since I was last able to attend. Yes it would be camping on the Midwest countryside, but they to have event wide WiFi---that's my idea of roughing it.

At any rate, I present this weeks New Release Tuesday video (a little late) to mark the occasion and show you one of the bands I WON'T be seeing this year. I love these guys. They have a sound that's unique from a lot of what's out there right now, but they also kind of satirize themselves in the process, which I find kind of clever.

enjoy.