Dance Party Tuesday - Pet Sounds

This year's Grammys featured a tribute performance for the Beach Boys, as well as a performance by the Beach Boys themselves - together for the first time in many years. I was raised on the Beach Boys as my Dad is a big fan, and now I'm a big fan.

I'm usually a little cranky when people perform Beach Boys tributes or select them for countdowns - they always focus on their early work, the surfing songs. I do love those songs - they're fun, beautiful and emotional. I would love to see more of their later work highlighted, though, and songs that weren't radio hits.

Me, during the Grammys:

So! Today you get a Dance Party Tuesday. We're going to run through my favorite Beach Boys album, Pet Sounds. <---- Click that link! It's the wikipedia page for the album. I know all of it because it's in the liner notes to the anniversary edition of Pet Sounds, which I pored over for hours. Fascinating!

Arguably one of the best pop albums ever written (Rolling Stone gave it the #2 spot among the 500 greatest albums of all time), and historic. No, really. This group was emo back in the 60s, y'all!! Lush harmonies, emotional topics and musical complexities abound. Talk about a wall of sound. The album starts out with some songs you're likely familiar with, but keep on listening down into the ones that didn't go to radio.

Down below the album videos are a few documentary bits & pieces I found. Happy watching/listening!

1 - Wouldn't It Be Nice

2 - You Still Believe In Me

3- That's Not Me

4 - Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)

5 - I'm Waiting For That Day

6 - Let's Go Away For A While

7 - Sloop John B

8 - God Only Knows

9 - I Know There's An Answer

10 - Here Today

11 - I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (my favorite from the album! Emo, gorgeous vocals, layers, sigh)

12 - Pet Sounds

13 - Caroline, No

Bits and Pieces

There's more Behind The Sounds videos for each song on Pet Sounds, here! Each video has tons of great info, photos and film footage and I can't wait to watch them all.

Here's a podcast about the engineering and recording of Pet Sounds and how it impacted pop music of the time. Please ignore the fact that this dude seems to be reading a Beach Boys book report.

All Kinds of Goodness

A few updates for you:

~ After enjoying Feminist Ryan Gosling, Biostatistical Ryan Gosling, Librarian Ryan Gosling, Literary Ryan Gosling . . . I decided to make Handmade Ryan Gosling. So far, it's a hit. Submit ideas for it to handmaderyangosling@gmail.com.

~ Tonight's the office holiday party. There will be karaoke. Remember a month ago when I was all IT'S MAH BIRTHDAY I'M GONE SAAAAAANG and stuff? And I was playing the karaoke, guy-voice-only version of Need You Now over and over and over in my office so I could be prepared for my duet with Kelli? Well, now, my boss is being that way. I swear to God if he comes to my office one more time to ask me which verse of Sweet Caroline I'll be singing (when our dept sings as a group), I'll . . . well, I guess I'll tell him (again) that I'm singing the 2nd verse.

~ My phone's battery stopped charging last weekend and this week has been so busy that I still haven't had a chance to get to a store and see if they can fix it, or get a new battery, or whatever I have to do. This is major, y'all. I have a hard time without my phone, I do everything on it! Tomorrow is the day, the day I return to Tweeting in the bathroom so my family doesn't get mad at me for being on my phone all the time.

~ Annie at the Wattlebird blog is running a giveaway right now for $20 credit in my shop - head over there and get you some!

Ok, I don't have time to do a Dance Party Friday today, but I will leave you with this gem, from my friend Alicia, who has been able to see Leslie live. Jerk.

Dance Party Friday: Karaoke Version

Tonight is the night, y'all! I'm going out with work friends for my birthday, in a joint celebration with my girl Sara. She's the one who is gaga for George Michael with me, the one who does the dance this guy does at 0:23, the one who shares a birthday week with me.

We're going to hit a few bars, grab something to eat along the way, and then - AND THEN - KARAOKE!!!!!

So for today's dance party, you get a glimpse inside my secret daydream life - being a karaoke star. Well, actually, it's notsomuch just a karaoke dream. I just daydream about being somewhere - a talent show, open mic night, karaoke, etc - getting up to a mic and BLOWING EVERYONE AWAY WITH MY AMAZING MOST MAGICAL VOICE.

See, I have an ok voice. Nothing special, nothing horrible. I'm actually a technically proficient singer - I've been in choirs and musical theater all my life until the last couple of years. I can read music, sight-read, I can harmonize and I can memorize easily. If only I had a kickass voice to go along with all of that, dangit!

Sigh.

Instead, I just have a mediocre voice - always in the chorus, rarely getting a solo. THUS ENTERS THE MAGIC OF KARAOKE. I don't need you to give me a solo, I'm gonna take one. And I'm gonna shine. Ok, maybe I won't shine, maybe I'll just be very nervous and sick to my stomach all night trying to figure out what I can sing, while everyone continues drinking and having fun. So tonight, I'm not out to blow anyone away. I'm just gonna have fun. But if I did have an incredible voice? I'd sing these songs:

This is one of my favorite daydreams. I'm onstage in a silvery dress and the lights are low. The band is behind me but you can't see them. At about 2:35 in the song, you can tell something is about to happen, and then BAM!!!! at 2:47, the spotlight turns on full power and my dress sparkles and my mouth opens and you can't believe the beautimousness coming through my vocal chords into the microphone and into your ears. YOU CAN'T BELIEVE IT ZOMG. And then at 3:35 I get even more amazing. I looooove this daydream.

So. Um. I never realized that this song, which I love so much, has a video that shows you my daydream from the Celine Dion song, rock version style. WOAH!!!! I so, so love Brandi Carlile and the way her voice just RIPS on "all of these lines across my face" at 2:54 just slays me. I love how her voice is all weebly wobbly like Patsy Cline's.


I want to sing this, and I want to scream and have enough air to do the entire section from 3:11 - 3:40 without losing it: ONE LAST THING BEFORE I QUIT I NEVER WANTED ANY MORE THAN I COULD FIT INTO MY HAND I STILL REMEMBER EVERY SINGLE WORD YOU SAID AND ALL THE SHIT THAT SOMEHOW CAME A LONG WITH IT STILL THERE'S ONE THING THAT COMFORTS ME SINCE I WAS ALWAYS CAGED AND NOW I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I can't believe Dave Grohl doesn't like how he sounds.


I don't think I really need to say much about this song. I don't have an elaborate daydream for it. Adele is getting a little played but that's because she is phenomenal!! I sing this loudly when no one is home. The video is beautiful.


Raised on this band and Mama Cass - oh, to sing like Mama Cass.


I once sang "Just a Girl" and my friends thought I rocked it, but I'd rather sing this one. I love it so!


Ok - now this isn't my favorite Beasties song, but it's great, on my favorite album of theirs, and the last verse? MCA's? INCREDIBLE. I was at a party once when this came on and I began rapping along and after I did MCA's verse, people actually CHEERED! I felt pretty awesome after that. I think the likelihood of doing a Beasties song tonight is pretty high.


Ain't No Way - For me to siiiing this song . . .


Sigh


Really, I'd love to be able to sing anything that Glen Hansard sings or writes, but this song is just awesome. It's even better in the scene from the movie (Once) where they perform in a recording studio. He can just WAIL.


Oh yes. Singing hard all the way to screaming! I actually can't scream, did you know that? I mean, I can't do a high-pitched shriek, and I can't make my voice do that scratchy, ripped sound. As soon as I get close, it's like God mutes me or something. No sound comes out. I would love to sing this part but you just can't do it without the screaming, you know?


F-U-N!

What do you like to sing when you go to karaoke? Do you have any karaoke daydreams?

A Wall of Beautiful Sound

The below is from a friend - I want this!

"We went to a Quaker song circle last night. It was at this old farmhouse of this lady who used to teach at a Quaker school and we had a little potluck before hand with about 10 people. Most of them were in their 50s, but also two older ladies and a few people our age. The lady has a big culinary/medicinal herb greenhouse and has books all over her house about tinctures and "witches gardens" and Mother Earth news magazines and whatnot. So we ate and then sat in a big circle and sang out of a songbook. Everything from camp songs to Irish ballads to protest songs to hymns to Beatles. And everyone was really good at harmonizing and it was just lover-ly. Everyone was extremely enthusiastic and... present. A wall of beautiful sound."

Dance Party Friday: Don't Go, Summer!

Today's theme is all about summer. I know - we're solidly into fall and headed toward winter - why am I doing a summer Dance Party? Mainly because someone told me to. But the point is to say, "Goodbye, summer. You rock and where I live you only show up for like 2 weeks a year which makes me cry, so here's your very own dance party because I. Just. Can't. Let. Go."

Or something like that.

Anyway - it's my dance party, I do what I want! These are all songs I've rocked out to over various summers in my life:

Hmm. I think this was either a late high school summer or a college summer.

Early childhood summer - '83, '84, somewhere around there. Love, love, love the Go Go's.

Summer that Karate Kid came out! Wikipedia says it was 1984. Do you know which scene the song shows up in? Bonus points if you do!

Summer 2011! I know I was late but that's when I got into this song. All summer long, every day, several times a day.

Summer 2011 - Dude, this chick is such a bad example for young girls, but I am not a young girl and will not be influenced to drunkenly run around in ripped tights with leaves in my hair.

Summer 2011. I really wasn't into this when it was first released but then it won me over.

Summer 1998, before I met my husband, driving around with the roomie in the How I Met My Husband story, playing this over and over and over. Loudly.


Summer before sophomore year in high school! My friends and I drove around all summer listening to it. We were all packed into her old school station wagon - it fit us all and she was the only one with a license.


Summer before junior year in college! 1998 - listened to this in the early part of the summer before I transferred schools. I mainly remember it so specifically because I was dating a dude before that move & we both loved the song(s).



I think this was summer before my junior year in high schools, so...1994. This had come out a few years before and I was (and still am) in love with the entire album, but my friend Katherine (who I share a birthday with) and I listened to this song over and over and over. Are you sensing a theme??


Also summer before junior year - driving around with MANTA - My, Ashley, Ngan, Thy and Alicia. Oh, and Kelly, Ebony and Chris. EAST HIGH SOCCER ROCKS!


That's right, y'all, I listen to country, too! OOH - I need to do a country dance party! This was the summer before my sophomore year in college, so 1997. I listened to this and a lot of country that summer when I worked at a 4-H camp.


This was summer in my early childhood years - 84, 85, somewhere around there. I listened to this on my little Walk and Play. Similar to this one:



ZOMG THIS SONG. Another Walk and Play favorite. Can't Slow Down was a great album. Penny Lover, walk on by . . .


Man, this song still kills me. I love every bit of it. I'd graduated to a pink and grey walkman by this time and had a tape where I recorded this song from the nightly radio Top 10 countdown over and over until I filled the tape. With just this song. It was #1 FOREVER.

Alright, y'all. Any good summer songs you love?

Dance Party Friday! Simply Happy

Today's Dance Party is simply "songs that make us happy." Who's the "us?" Me & my co-workers. I've put out a call to them, asking for their song requests . . . of course I had to lay the smacketh down immediately when one of them asked for Dirty Diana. Again.

Look. I am not going to play that song on my blog. Ever. I just don't like it and this is my blog and YOU AREN'T THE BOSS OF ME!!!

hmph.

YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND THIS SONG FOREVER AND IT'S FINALLY ON YOUTUBE!!!! I had this tape, this was my favorite song, I know every word. This is JUST Salt - no Pepa. She kills this song.


Here's the first request I could approve - love this song. It's very cheerleader-y and I like the pause: "That's not my . . . name."


"You take your prospects and your pick axe and you trudge down to the stream, and you bloody your hands digging for your dream." I have never found a band or musician who has more poetic and just plain awesome lyrics than the Indigo Girls. I love this line, it's tattoo worthy.


This is a fun dance song but what I love most is the humor. Please note 0:23 - that's Sara's dance!! If only he would make it rain, he would be her dance twin! Also? Hot. Please dance more.


I'd heard of these guys but didn't really give them a listen until they were on Saturday Night Live. This song is incredible. Please listen all the way through, it builds & builds. Here they are, playing it on Letterman.


Sara's request - Now, if you're new to this blog, you don't know that Sara and I have shared a love for this song for quite a while. I mean, we each loved it but then we FOUND OUT that we each loved it and the rest was history. Playing non-stop, leaving each other voicemails, breaking out into song, putting it on each other's facebook pages, history. We're about to go out for our 2nd annual Sara & Ashley Joint Birthday Extravaganza and, well, this song is likely going to make an appearance periodically through the evening. If we go dancing, a DJ will be bothered repeatedly until he agrees to play it.


Sara's really feeling the 80s at the moment.


Yeah! Kate suggested this song, a classic. How amazing would it have been to see this live??


Mike's contribution - I can get with this. After I vetoed Dirty Diana and Danzig.


WE TAKE THE BACKSEATS OUT OF THE MINIVAN . . . Hmm . . . is this how Sara and I will go out for our birthday??


Love me some Patsy!!


OMG don't read the comments. It'll just make you sad. Y'all, just enjoy the music. Don't argue about it.


My favorite song by a favorite band. Brian Wilson just can't be topped in pop song writing, and his voice when he sings, "Everything will turn out alright" . . . sigh.


My friend Nick said that in concert, these guys say some variation of "This one's for the ladies" prior to every song. Makes me love them even more.

What songs make you super happy?

Dance Party Friday: SKA-MAZING!!

A couple weeks ago, the Dance Party was about the music my friend Justin introduced me to. I mentioned that he was in a ska band - he's the one who played ska for me for the first time.

I am not a ska expert, but . . . did you know that reggae actually developed out of ska? It's true! Ska started in Jamaica in the 50s and 60s. I don't know much about its evolution there in Jamaica, except that by the late 60s & 70s, reggae was king. Here's what I've pieced together from stuff I've read over the years - imagine rock in the 1950s - Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, those guys. More bouncy, energetic - that was ska. Then as doo wop, Motown and soul began emerging - slower rhythms, more funk - ska made that same evolution into reggae. I think. :)

HOWEVER! Ska was revived in England in the 70s in what is sometimes called the "2nd wave" or "2 Tone" ska era. 2 Tone wasn't the only, but was the biggest English ska record label. The black and white checkers that is associated with ska comes from their logo:

Eventually its popularity died out. In the 90s, ska came back in the U.S. I was around during that 3rd wave and enjoyed it quite a bit. There are still ska bands all over today, though the genre isn't popular the way it was 15 years ago.

So, without further ado, I'm going to go chronologically through the years and play some of the songs and artists that my friends and I have come to know and love. I'm also going to include some music that wouldn't be categorized as ska, but has obvious ska/reggae influences.

Skatalites – Guns of Navarone

The Skatalites are one of the bands that got ska off the ground in Jamaica and this is probably their biggest hit. I need more of their stuff, like whoa.


Desmond Dekker – The Israelites

Desmond Dekker was another early ska artist who went on to have great success in the 60s and 70s. Love this song.

Toots & the Maytals - Pressure Drop

The Clash later covered this, and it's been covered by many others. Great classic ska by a massive ska/reggae band. If you're into ska/reggae and you don't listen to these guys, you need to rectify that situation IMMEDIATELY.


Bob Marley and the Wailers - Ska Jerk
Um, recognize that name? That's right, these guys were ska before they were reggae! And do you recognize the melody when they sing ska jerrrk? Sounds very similar to a U.S. r&b song from the 60s, though I can't place it at the moment.


A Message to You Rudy - The Specials
The Specials are my favorite ska group, hands down. I love their style, I love what they added to ska classics. I love their messages of racial unity. You'll notice the name Rudy/Rudie a lot in ska music, in reggae. This is from the term "rude boy" or "rude girl" which basically means a street kid, a tough, a punk, a troublemaker. I had fun explaining this to some friends a couple years ago when they were singing Rude Boy by Rihanna.


The Beat - Ranking Full Stop
The Beat (known as The English Beat in the U.S.) is another favorite of mine, also from the 2nd wave in Britain. Their sound is often a mixture of ska and the New Wave sound that was developing at the same time.


Madness - The Prince
You may remember Madness from their song "Our House" but they did have a song on the 2 Tone label . . .


The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail
The Clash aren't really a ska band but they definitely have ska/reggae influence in a lot of their music.


The Police - Canary in a Coalmine
The Police will be a favorite band of mine for life, and one reason is the prevalence of a ska/reggae sound in their music. No shock that they were forming alongside guys like the Specials.


Fishbone - Skankin to the Beat - SUCH A FUN SONG!!!
Now that I think of it, Lloyd Dobler introduced me to ska, not Justin! I love the movie Say Anything, and John Cusack's character, Lloyd Dobler, loved Fishbone. In fact, he wore a Fishbone t-shirt in the scene where Lloyd holes up in the bathroom to call Diane Court and ask her out on a date. I got this soundtrack in my freshman or sophomore year and fell in love with this song, though it was a slightly different version. Justin didn't tell me about ska until senior year of high school. :)


The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Simmer Down
A nice 90s ska cover of this classic song. The Bosstones were probably the first ska group Justin introduced me to (though not all their stuff can be categorized as ska) (have I said that enough? geez). It's a plaid, plaid world, y'all.


No Doubt - Spiderwebs
No Doubt isn't a ska band but there's no denying that they have ska influences in their music, and there's also no doubt that like it or not, they were one of the factors in ska's resurgence in the 90s. I happen to like No Doubt, though I don't consider them a ska band - just a pop/rock band with ska tendencies . . . at times.


Sublime - Wong Way
Yet another band that wasn't necessarily a ska band, but had a ska/reggae influence, and was out around the same time as full-on ska bands. They helped make the genre accessible to the masses.


O'Phil - Reno
So Justin ended up joining a local ska band, which was the most popular local band of any genre, really, at the time. Interestingly, first Justin was in a teeny ska band of guys we went to high school with, at the same time that I was going to O'Phil shows. O'Phil, like a lot of ska bands, weren't straight up ska, they blended it with other genres, namely punk. I'm sure they could give a much better description of their sound and influences, but that's how it came across to me.

A couple years later, Justin had joined O'Phil and invited me to see them play in a college town (Lawrence, KS) an hour away from my college town. So I made the little road trip, enjoyed the show and catching up with Justin. I think I might have also met Brandi, his then-girlfriend, now-wife. Hi Brandi! :)

So at the show I was sitting near some guys who (it turns out) went to school with me, they'd also made the road trip to see the O'Phil show. We exchanged numbers and I began hanging out with those guys . . . turns out they were in a ska band, too (and actually knew O'Phil - I later went to a show where they both played)! Here they are:


Ruskabank - My Friends

I hung out with these guys a while . . . dated one of them briefly and when that ended, so did my friendships with the band members. I get it, bros before . . . well, whatevs. They were a fun group of guys and their shows were just Tons. Of. Fun.


MU330 - La
I saw these St. Louis ska guys play with O'Phil and a small band (also from Missouri) called Big Bad Chubba. I only remember this because I *still* have a t-shirt from that show. It's a take on the Mountain Dew logo & commercials, and says "Dew the Ska!". In fact, I have a picture of that shirt somewhere on Facebook . . . lemme find it . . . I bought a MU330 CD and a Big Bad Chubba TAPE at that show. Fun Fact: MU330 was named after a music class in the high school where the band members went. I know this because I was talking about the band once with a friend who went to that high school. He's a big music dude and was apparently a few years behind those guys in school.

I was getting ready to perform at a dance competition, so my makeup is a little heavy.

Check it out, y'all - ska isn't dead!


Big D and the Kids Table - Noise Complaint
A co-worker of mine (also from St. Louis so I had fun sharing my MU330 fun fact with him) loves ska and this is maybe his favorite band. I asked him for a couple dance party suggestions . . . he saw them when they were in Chicago recently and got to chat/enjoy a beer with Big D.


Ska is also not dead when you teach your kids to love it!!! This is a video from Yo Gabba Gabba, every hip parent's favorite kids show. I mean, dude - they have Biz Markie on their show regularly. Tell me what's not to love. Pickitup! Pickitup! Pickitup pickitup pickitup!


Spunge - Kicking Pigeons
And this one goes out to Amy and her hatred of Chicago pigeons.

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Maybe this is 4th wave ska? Hmm . . . hipster ska.

So, who am I missing?

Dance Party Friday! Middle School Alt Rock Version

I can never claim to be an indie music fan like Nick Hornsby's character Rob Fleming, in his book & subsequent movie, High Fidelity, but I have listened to some great indie & alt rock in my day.

Semi-related: When I was in 7th grade (1991 or so), I had an english teacher who was SO. COOL. He was young, wore original Doc Martens (the low-top kind that just look like regular shoes) and sponsored the "alternative music" club, which I attended. I think I was the only girl, it was me and a bunch of skaters (skateboarders). He was also my homeroom teacher. I Googled him this week and found him! He's a masseuse in Iowa City. I have some friends in IC, so maybe when I visit them, I should set up a massage appointment and be all REMEMBER ME AND THAT TIME I SUBMITTED A POEM TO THE 7TH GRADE CREATIVE WRITING BOOK THINGIE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SURFING, EXCEPT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SONG, TO THE TUNE OF THE THEME FROM GREEN ACRES? First - yes, I really did that. "Kahanamoku was one wicked dude/T&C make boards that are so rude" is a line I apparently won't forget, ever. Second - that would be so weird and icky. Hi, old english (OE!) teacher. Rub on me. Just . . . no.

Man. I thought I was sooooo in love with surfing back then. Yep. Me, growing up in KS, who had only ever seen the Gulf of Mexico when I was a toddler - I had a big ol' surfing posters on my bedroom walls and knew all the top surfer names and stuff. For about a year or so. I also adopted the yin yang sign as "my" symbol - wore it in jewelry, drew it on everything.

Dude, look. Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk and I don't know who else. 1990s. Skaters. Sk8 or die . . . or something like that.

Back to the point of this post: I had a couple friends who introduced me to some great bands/solo acts. The person who probably had the biggest impact on shaping my musical taste at that young age was my friend Justin. Justin and I met in 7th grade, became buddies and spent lots of time listening to music together. He was a skater and played guitar/bass. In college, he joined a popular local ska/punk band (more about him/them in a future dance party). He also made me several mixtapes back in the day - today I'm going to feature some of those songs.

**disclaimer**

I realize that all of this music may not traditionally fit into the (very broad) genres of indie rock & alt rock, but when I was in 7th grade, we just called ALL of this stuff, "alternative". What's interesting is that the definition of alt rock changed pretty quickly - or at least mainstream U.S. radio changed quickly - and soon called plain old rock - alt rock. Alt rock used to mean rock that could really only be found on college radio, but by the late 90s, everyone was listening to it and it was characterized by groups like Vertical Horizon. And, as I already stated, I'm no aficionado, these are just my opinions.

TRUE MEN DON'T! KILL COYOTES! Old RHCP - my favorite. Blood Sugar Sex Magic was the last full album I really enjoyed by these guys. I liked a song here & there from their later stuff, but their earlier songs are my favorites. I think that Justin may have also put Fight Like a Brave and Higher Ground on some of his mixtapes.


As I mentioned, Justin was a bass player. He LOVED Primus and if you listen to this song, you can hear Les Claypool's ridiculous bass playing. Man, I haven't heard this song in a long time. Say, baby. SAY, BABY!


24/7 Spyz - Understanding - I've actually been trying to find this on youtube forever. This was probably my first time really listening to anything with a reggae sound besides The Police. I remember getting this CD and being disappointed that the rest of their album was more punk than anything else. Nevertheless, this has been a favorite song of mine for about 20 years now, not only because of the sound, but because of the message. And the band themselves - there aren't that many Black punk bands out there, you know?


Ok, this is funny. I was trying to find this song, but I thought it was a song by the Dead Milkmen . . . another band that Justin had on my mixtapes, I'm pretty sure, but I don't remember which song. Anyway, this was a fun little ditty by Scatterbrain.


Look! More Black punk! I don't know if this is the Bad Brains song Justin put on my tapes, but I know he listened to this band, and I like this song, so . . .


I know with all the punk, you wouldn't expect this to find it's way onto a Justin mixtape, but it sure did! I loved this song so much that I bought their CD, devoured the whole thing, and it's still one of my favorite albums. Start to finish, awesome. Happy and melancholy indie rock from the UK. Gotta love it!


R.E.M. was around constantly during my middle & high school years. This is the song Justin put on a mixtape and I remember arguing with him about some of the lyrics. I think their album Out of Time came out around the same time, and I ended up finding most of their old albums and listening to them over and over. I also loved the album that came out after Out of Time, but after that didn't dig into their new stuff. Please note the hairstyle of the skater kid in this video - Justin and his skater friends all had variations of this hairstyle. :) The Justin Bieber-y boys of today got nothing on the original early 90s skater FLOP!


Sure, we all love Been Caught Stealing, but have you ever listened to this song? It's from the same album and it's beautiful.


There are other versions of this song, but this is the one Justin put on my tape, and this is the one I love. If you want to get to know late 80s, early 90s indie rock, go no further. Just get everything the Pixies ever recorded.

What were you listening to in the late 80s, early 90s? Do you have any great indie/alt rock songs to share?

Dance Party Friday: Embarrassingly Obsessed Version

You may or may not know that I have dance parties in my bathroom late at night, usually after I've had some wine. It's just a fun bit of me-time where I listen to the same hot songs over and over again, dance around and pretend I'm 21 again, killing it at the club.

If you know me in real life or follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Livejournal, you also know that I get hooked on musicians and I get hooked on songs - I listen to them over and over and over until I get them out of my system. These phases can last a week, a month, a year. Seriously - a year, sometimes.

WELL. A while back I heard Miguel's song, "All I Want Is You" and I just. About. Died.

What an incredible R&B song! Simple but dynamic, smooth and hot, all at the same time. So I was in my bathroom one night, listening to the song on YouTube, and I noticed over on the right side of the screen, that someone had done a cover of the song, and it had over 100,000 views. Must be a good cover, right?

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I clicked on that video. Turns out there is this guy. His name is Daniel de Bourg. He's a dancer, a singer, a producer and songwriter. And he is fine. I mean FOINE. I was blown away by his cover and began listening to the others he's done, and was so, so impressed. I mean, yeah – he’s hot. Like, really, really hot. But he’s also got an AMAZING voice. He's got range - technically and stylistically (is that really a word?). And many of his videos feature not just him doing covers, but re-produced versions of the original songs. Lots of the songs are considered “all vox” (all vocals), which means he used his voice alone to recreate the sound of all the backup vocals AND the instruments. Very cool.

And to my small biz friends - branding, right? Check out his videos and you'll see it.

Daniel competed on the X Factor when it was on in England, and made it to the finals. You can download his recordings – he’s got covers and original music. He’s also done a ton of collaborative songs with other musicians.

So are you hooked yet? Just wait – I have a treat for you. But first, some more foolishness, aka TRUE AND MATURE LOVE.

So do you want to check out some of his music? I know you do!

Here's the first song of his that I heard: All I Want Is You – Miguel ft. J. Cole

This is another Miguel cover, and maybe my favorite of Daniel's - it's the song that caused many of us to fan ourselves starting at 0:44 . . . Sure Thing - Miguel

Rolling in the Deep – Adele

MOAR!!!

Without You – David Guetta ft. Usher (this Daniel de Bourg version includes another singer, J Rice) - Happy pop! I love, love, love this song. Such a great singer's song!

Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol - Daniel's version

Fall for Your Type - Jamie Foxx ft. Drake - Daniel's version - Sigh. So pretty.

Until the End of Time – Justin Timberlake - Daniel's version

LoveSexMagic – Ciara & Justin Timberlake HOT DANCE TRACK - Daniel's version featuring a dancing cameo from a friend

Sooner Than Later – Drake (this Daniel de Bourg version includes another singer, Josh Lehman) - Quiet, acoustic guitar

Head High & Smile – Daniel de Bourg – From Daniel's YouTube page: "A good friend of mine wrote a poem for his son a while back now. Little James was battling cancer and Brian poured his heart into a lyric that, when I heard it, I felt compelled to compose and perform a song based on that same poem. This is the resulting song, HEAD HIGH & SMILE. Much love to you James, Brian & Michelle Hatherley. DDB"

Let the Sun Shine – Labrinth – Daniel's version - quiet, piano, passion!

One (Your Name) – Swedish House Mafia – Daniel dances on this one and has a lot of fun making ridic faces AND it was filmed in his bathroom! I KNEW WE WERE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER - Daniel's version - Listen to the SHM version for a few seconds and then listen to Daniel's and see how he replicates the sound with his voice. Love it!

Say It – Ne-Yo – Daniel's version - Ok, this song is hot in the first place, but then him SANS SHIRT in the background . . . MAN.

Celebration – Tank, Trey Songz, Chris Brown & Drake – Daniel sings this one w/Josh Lehman. Pretty & simple. This song? #GrownFolkMusic

And now? I hide from everyone who will ever read this.

Dance Party Friday! Turn that frown upside down!

I asked for Dance Party Friday themes on Twitter this morning, and was asked to play something to help a friend wake up, and . . . polka. Now, I am no stranger to polka. You don't grow up with German and Czech family in central Kansas without going to a few weddings or state fairs or small town shindigs that have a lot of polka. And a lot of big skirts with 18 bazillion petticoats underneath. So - I am gonna give a shout out to my childhood, and my friend Kelli, and look for a song by her requested Polkaholics. And after that? We're gonna get into a session of songs that are just deliriously happy. They will make you smile or they will make you wake up or they will make you dance. But if you listen to these songs and still have a frown on your face or no pep in your step? Well, then you obviously have a heart of cold, cold stone.

Ok - The only good quality Polkaholics videos I can find have embedding disabled, so I'm gonna link them - No Beer In Heaven. But yeah, give them a listen, I like them. I will say, though - and I can't believe I am defending traditional polka - seriously, am I doing this? Yes, I am - their sound really just makes me think more ska/punk than polka. I mean, they have nice cheesy vests, and wear lederhosen in other videos, but where's the accordion?!?!

Here's what I sent my friend Sally so she could wake up. I might have to play this a few times in a row. F-U-N


Oh, middle school. Not only was this out when I was in 6th or 7th grade, but I had a girl crush on this chick named Angela who I thought was THE coolest ever. And she wore babydoll dresses and alice bands in her hair just like Lady Miss Kier. AND? Q-Tip is in it.


Ok - now I loooooooove dancing, line dancing, and OH HOW I LOVE THE CUPID SHUFFLE. This is a fun video where you can watch people doing the dance - if you like it, click through to YouTube and look at their other videos.


Ok, one more line dance - I really like the Wobble too. I probably like it as much as the Cupid Shuffle, but I just haven't had a chance to do it as much. This is a REALLY fun video to watch.


I've been a Harry Connick, Jr. fan since I was in piano lessons as a kid. My piano teacher started the Jazz Festival in Wichita, KS (my hometown) and I was telling her that I liked big band, so she let me borrow a HCJ *tape* (yes, cassette tape) and I was in love. This is one of my favorite songs.


The Indigo Girls' classic: Closer to Fine. If you haven't sung along to this at an IG concert with thousands of people, well, you've missed out on something special. It's only life, after all . . . yeah.


This is a horrible recording, but I cannot tell you the joy that coursed through my veins when I saw this episode of The Office where Jim and Andy drunkenly sing along to the Indigo Girls.


You know what? I don't care how overplayed this is, it's still a fantastic song.


Driving beat. Lots of "ow!"s and "yeah!"s. Horns. Sunshine. HAPPY!


Get thee to a local convenience with 2-3 of your closest friends and show the dude behind the counter what Dance Party Fridays are all about.


This has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid - the song and the video. Just TRY not to dance or bop around while listening to this.


I love Stevie's original but this is the version I listened to on my walkman on a mix tape from my friend Justin, over and over and over and over. You should have seen that mix tape - Dead Milkman, 24/7 Spyz, Pixies, Primus . . . I was a much cooler middle schooler than I am as an adult.


I hope every one of you has had the opportunity to both BE Rickrolled AND to Rickroll someone else. I pat myself on the back for having loved this song since I was a kid, before it was cool to ironically like it. This was 3rd or 4th grade for me.


Did a lip sync in high school to this with my friends Katherine & Carla (we also did a string of Beasties performances, I'll have to do a Beasties day & tell you about it then) AND I got to see this performed last summer when Rob Base, Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, Salt N Pepa & Bell Biv Devoe came to the Taste of Chicago.


Man, I wish this group was together. I want to see them live.


You know all those "The ___s" bands that came out in the last 90s, early 2000s, with The Strokes, that were all supposed to save rock & roll? Well, The Hives are my favorites of all of those. They wear matching outfits and have names like Howlin Pelle, Arson, Dangerous, Destruction, Vigilante . . . I just love them. LOVE. THEM.


Yet another "I don't care what you think of me, I love this song and you can't make me feel guilty about it."


Great for a snack!


Tabloid footprints everywhere . . .


Closing out this DPF is THE happiest song ever.

Dance Party Friday! British Version

Oh come on, you know I had to, right? Here are some songs by some of my favorite Brits. Forgive me if I've played them for DPF already.

From my favorite album of theirs, Sgt. Pepper's


Listen to this song in the dark. Very, very loud. Just lay down and let it wash over you.


Leave the lights off but get up and rock out to this one. Do the wop.


I WANT TO BE IN THIS BAND.


If we're facebook friends, you know I post this just about once a week. It never gets old.


George Michael makes great dance music but I highly, highly recommend you check out his album, "Listen Without Prejudice". A departure from the Wham! sound, really good stuff.


Like I said - amazing album. People really shouldn't cover Stevie but this is an amazing, amazing version. If you turned your lights on, turn them back off and listen to this. You can lay down or maybe just stand there and sway.


Ok, so Glen Hansard is Irish but Market Irglova is from the Czech Republic. Still. Amazing song. Sounds tame at first but then they kill everything. Listen loud. I keep saying that, don't I?


I can't say Hot Chip is a favorite band of mine - I only know this song - but this is the bomb. Give it a chance and let it grow on you. You'll be surprised at how much you like it.


Love this band that just kept going!


Top 5 band. Love them so. Not a fan of Sting solo, though.


Dance! Dance! Dance! Don't worry. I won't tell Morrissey that you're happy.


Not my very favorite by them (I know I've posted it like 37 times - Gangsters) but great nonetheless. Stop your messing around!


Fell in love with this band in jr. high through a friend, lost them and found them again in college. Never lost them again.


What can I say? All around great pop. Such great songwriters!! Don't think you remember this song - listen to it again, really listen to all of it.


Oh, Fran. *jr high crush sigh*


It's really spelled Elenore, but this recording is good. Listen to it loud and sing along.


From their very best album, War.

Who did I forget?

Dance Party Friday! GIRL GROUPS Edition

The other day something made me think of Danity Kane, the defunct Making The Band girl group. Man, I don't know if I can express how much I loved every season of that freaking show. And I mean going all the way back to when it was on ABC and those O-Town fools were on it. And yes, I watched the Ashley Angel show on MTV that one season too. But Dan from O-Town was my favorite, I loved his electronic-ish voice and dude could DANCE.

But I digress . . .

Anyway - today's Dance Party Friday is gonna be devoted to Girl Groups. I'm taking requests, too.

Of course, kicking off the party, none other than DK:

Not a dance track, but their best.

Oh Lawd. This is making me thinkg of Xscape, Aaliyah . . . I can see I'm gonna have to do a lotta themes in the future to capture all this great music.


This song stands on its own, but tell me you didn't fall in love with Hugh Grant a little bit as he rocked out to it in Love, Actually. Tell me you didn't.


This song is so melancholy and wistful. Sigh. I love it.


Ok, just ignore Common and focus on Eryka Badu/Jill Scott. They KILL. And get this DVD if you don't have it yet.


My favorite song by one of my top 5 favorite groups. Hope to see them live again soon! Singalongs at their concerts are better than any other, anywhere! IG fans, you know it's true.


More sighs. Love this song.


Good two-stepping song. I miss two-stepping!!


Ok, I know this is an obvious choice for this group, but it's such a dang good song! And this was THE skating rink song in the 4th grade and I was just talking to someone about going skating, and I saw them perform this live last summer SO I'M POSTING IT!


Man, I was a big fan of this group. Up until No Scrubs.


First request! It came with a slap on the hand for forgetting this group. ;)

The best love letter I've ever received

Dear Ashley,

I think you are the hottest, most talented short girl to ever leave Kansas and move to Chicago. I check your Etsy shop, Facebook fan page, Twitter and blog every day. And I have tried to hack into your Livejournal account. So far, no luck, but I do appreciate you turning an image from Sabotage into your "friends only" banner. That was pretty cool.

Can we go on a date? I'm going to be touring with my new album soon and you know, I thought we could go get some Mexican food. Margaritas, guacamole, doesn't that sound good?

I know we're both married, but honey, THIS IS LOVE. We can't fight it.

Sincerely,

Your Boo

Have I mentioned before that my very favorite, hands down, absolute most loved band ever ever ever EVER EVARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR is the Beastie Boys?

Well, it is. They are.

Their new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2, is going to be released soon (which wooo!!!!! means a tour to follow at some point!) and this video was also just released. It's one bazillion different celebrities, getting all beastiefied, pretending to be them. I started watching it and had to stop halfway through and share it with you. Adrock (Adam Horowitz) is my favorite Beastie. I could list the reasons and I probably will at some point, but let me just say that all the things about him add up to ONE SEXY MOFO. It was when Elijah Wood, dressed up as Adrock, came on the screen, I kind of lost it and decided I needed to just get this thing posted.

I love him.

I'm telling you. A dude in a plain white tee? OoooWEE!

And do you know what this 2-minute video is? IT'S A TRAILER FOR A FORTHCOMING 30-MINUTE VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hold me, I'm 'bout to pass out with anticipation.