·:[ notetoself.us Blog ]:·
• • • • •

James Brown – It’s Christmas Time Pt1.mp3 

Last night I had fallen asleep on the couch when I woke up to the sounds of pained crying from Porter.  He was already in our bed (he’s got a cold) so I went in to get him.  Trish was already there so I took Jessie who had been woken up by the screams.

Porter and Jessie both lay back down and just a few minutes later both kids were crying again.  I brought Porter back out to the living room to try and calm him down, which after a half hour or so started to work.

Trish came in after a bit and told me that she would sleep on the couch with him (keeping him propped up), almost insisting because of a big deadline I had today.  This is the cry-for-your-mama season at work.

I transferred our little man to Trish.  He was still awake and still crying every now and again, but was mostly calm, and went to bed.  When I woke up this morning, Jessie wasn’t in her bassonette.

Going into the living room I saw all 3 of my babies curled up together.  Jessie woke up at hungry, Trish got up and brought her to the couch where she and Porter were curled up so I could get a full night sleep

I love my wife, she rocks, this is just one reason.

Lacking a proper update about our fine children, I didn’t want to let the season go by without posting Porter’s latest chart topper (which is actually 2 songs edited together)

Porter Sings The Classics

In my Christmas podcast I played a tune from Cadillac Voodoo Choir that was on a compilation local to Austin, TX.  Here are a few more tunes from that album.

Trish & Darin Murphy – You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch.  Great version of this Dr. Seuss tune done by this brother/sister duo who don’t actually perform as a duo that much.  Christmas is a special time for family’s though ain’t it?  Both are songwriters in their own right.

Vallejo – Feliz Navidad.  One of my favourite rock bands.  I could prostelatize all day but that’s a subject for a different day (since they only have 1 Christmas song).

Reckless Kelly – Lonesome Little Cowboy.  Christmas isn’t always a happy prospect for everyone.  Get out your bottle of Jack and prepare to sleep on the couch.

This may be a bit sloppy (at least it feels that way, I haven’t listened to it) but while we were on the subject of Save Ferris I thought it would be fun to post another of their songs I’ve been playing in the car a lot. Here’s Father Christmas.

Enjoy

Here are a couple that more or less qualify as humorous Christmas tunes.

Last week, Twisted Sister appeared on Jay Leno to promote their album ‘A Twisted Christmas’ which has been promoted as their last album. As a person who loved Twisted Sister in junior high (I can quote you the intro to I Wanna Rock and We’re Not Gonna Take It to this day) I invite anyone to shed some light on 20 years of recorded work. In any case, I snatched a few of the songs from emusic.com and was throughly disappointed. I didn’t expect to hear the holiday equivalent of Zeppelin IV or Operation: Mindcrime but I didn’t really get my credit’s worth of humour. On Leno they performed Oh Come All Ye Faithful (which is done to the tune of a middle aged cover band playing ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’) but here I’m posting The 12 Heavy Metal Days Of Christmas in the hopes one of you patient souls can get past day #6. I could be wrong, but I think my man Alex sprung for the whole deal.

Speaking of the G-Loaf, this one is for him. We both had an affinity around 1990 for a 3rd rate cheese metal band called Danger Danger. You may have heard their big hit single, Naughty Naughty. Clever huh. It’s a wonder they didn’t get much commercial love. I used yet another emusic credit to swipe this throwback gem and Alex, it’s every beautiful thing you’d expect. Danger Danger – Naughty Naughty Xmas.

I’ve got a few more for ya.

Pearl Jam – Let Me Sleep. This song was the A-side to PJ’s very first fan club 45rpm (hence me saying ‘A-side’). As far as I can tell it was recorded on a four track and sent on out. I first heard this when Tom ‘Wheelsmo’ taped it for me while he was working at his Purdue dorm’s radio station.

Fiona Apple – Frost The Snowman. Her version is quite endearing and not what you would typically expect from Fiona. I really dig it.

John Wesley Harding – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause. This songwriter is one of Trish’s favourites. This one is for her.

Here are a couple of my favourite Christmas songs.  You may have them, but perhaps not.  They’re really cool.

Barenaked Ladies – Green Christmas.  A very memorable guitar line and singsongy vocals.  Porter even calls this ‘dat one wif duh guhtar’.

Vertical Horizon – Man Who Would Be Santa.  Trish noted that this song has a comforting quality about it.  I would agree.  It’s got a nice vibe.

Enjoy, and a couple more coming tomorrow.

Hopefully there will be a couple of more Christmas podcasts before it’s all said and done, but here’s the first one in any case. It starts with the greatest holiday song ever (debate me), a few songs that are getting a lot of play this year, and a couple that aren’t quite Christmas, but more holiday season themed. It’s got some flaws, I did it rather quickly, but enjoy nonetheless.

Note To Self #14 (aka Christmas #1)

It should be know surprise that I’m an anal retentive bastard with my music.  Jump back.  I know.  Big shock. 

At this time last year I had a part time job that gave me lots of time to indulge my compulsivity and I took advantage of it by entering all of my concert ticket stubs, wristbands, etc into a spreadsheet.  It’s fun to look at it from time to time, especially right around now because 1995-1999 were years where many many bands were seen.  A month or so ago I noticed that 10 years ago today Bellawolf released there one and only official record. 

Bellawolf was a band that we made a point to see as frequently as we could.  The songs were great, the musicians all outstanding, and it was really cool to get into a band close to the ground floor.  We watched them develop their songwriting and musicianship over a few years.  As those years went by (late ’95 through their disbandment in late ’98) we saw songs fall out of the setlist and newer songs replace them.  Which leads me into the bacon of this hastily thrown together post.

A couple years ago I was driving to work, listening to KDHX, when I heard a familiar melody and almost crashed (not exaggerating) while grabbing my cell phone to call the programmer.  The song was Rose Thunder by Bellawolf. 

“So what,” you ask? 

Casual listeners probably thought it was a nice song (which it is) but didn’t know that I knew the song pretty well and knew that it wasn’t on the EP released 10 years ago today.  I called, told the programmer (nice guy named Tim Rakle, who got his demos from the violin player whose name (Mina? Mila?) escapes me here on break at work) that I had the demos the recorded in 1998 that weren’t released.  We made a trade, our record collections were one disc better, and their was much rejoicing.  

Some notes follow the files.

If you were a fan of the band you’ll be happy to hear a couple of these songs again.

Enjoy.

1. Cantina Del Sorrow
2. Rose Thunder
3. Water
4. Look At My Hands
5. Matador
6. Hangman’s Daughter
7. Smoke Of Oblivion

Notes:

Cantina Del Sorrow and Look At My Hands ended up on the Bellawolf EP this post commemorates.  Also on that album were Wolf & Bell, Not Eisenhower, and Beehive (which singer Brandy Johnson played at Cicero’s a couple weeks ago).  Look At My Hands also appeared on a Pointessential disc (when the Point was essential ha ha).  Hangman’s Daughter was on a free cassette the band gave out on October 3, 1997 (which also had Leaving Trees and their cover of CSNY’s song Helpless.)  Smoke Of Oblivion was the song that closed out the Five Of These album called I Married My Head.  The Ibur brothers, guitar and drums respectively, brought this song to Bellawolf after Five Of These ran it’s course. 

It should be said that Tinhorn opened this show and it was their first gig.  I remember digging the melodys of the songs and enjoying how the band played together.  I’ve seen them a few other times, usually opening for someone, and a time or two at the station (before we recorded everything).  Another band that got better as time went on. 

I’ve gotta wrap this up, I hope you enjoyed.