Tuesday, November 30, 2010: TWOfer Tuesday - The "Souldiver Was Here" Edition

I play bass guitar.

I began playing acoustic guitar in high school, and got pretty good just after high school. Then stayed at that same level of playing for about 15 years. Eventually I got bored.

I then picked up bass guitar to help with the worship band at my church. See, pretty much every Christian can play acoustic guitar, it's almost like a rite of passage. If you can play keys, you're kind of ahead of the curve. If you're a Christian and can play bass, then you're on to something special.

If you can play drums, you can write your own ticket, in pretty much any genre. EVERYBODY needs a drummer.

Back to me. So, I started to play bass. Then I started to really enjoy playing bass. I picked up Bass Player magazine every month, visited bass guitar forums, actually started to go to open jam nights with my bass. I got very into it.

When living in England, I was one of the bass players for a large church I was attending. After one service, a couple came up to me and offered me a chance to play with their group. Their bassist had left. I jumped at it.

I had never been in a band before. I didn't think I was ever a good enough guitarist to join in with other players. As a bassist, however, I thought I could bring something special.

I got very into it. We rehearsed weekly, they had a lot of songs already, and we spent a lot of time just jamming and trying to form new songs. They stand as some of the most talented people I've come across. I'm a much better player for being around them.

These two demo's are from that band. I appreciate they are not "studio" quality work, but we never got around to laying down anything else.

There were a lot of plans tossed about, a lot of big dreams discussed. We had one proper gig, which went very well. And then a lot of bad juju stopped us in our tracks.

Then everyone went away.

And that's that. I eventually joined another band, also with a bunch of very talented people and we wrote some amazing songs. Then everyone went away. Then I got involved with another band, with a bunch of extremely talented people, and we rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed some more. I eventually came to the realization that if you don't gig, it's not a rehearsal; it's just hanging out. That time I went away.

My last band was a pub covers band with a previous guitarist I had worked with. We never wrote anything, but gigged a fair amount. That was cool.

Now, I'm back in the States. I live in Las Vegas. And I'm over 40. Which means my playing days are pretty much over.

So, I've posted these two songs. Mostly because I doubt I'll have anything else of my own to post in the future.

I have done this on my own. I haven't talked to any other band member since around the break up. I fully expect some of the personnel of this band to contact me and demand these demo's be taken down. We'll see.

But frankly, I just wanted someone, anyone, to listen to these. It would kill me to know that all the work, all the effort and heart and soul and sweat we put into this band would evaporate like mist. At least, not while there is some tangible proof we existed.

Consider this like "Souldiver was here" graffiti.

But, more important than that, ponder this: over all the years, over all the earth, how many other bands out there have been great but got nowhere? How many truly amazing songs have been written only to have nobody ever hear them? Who's to say that something better than Bridge Over Troubled Water, or even Stairway To Heaven was created only to get tossed aside and forgotten after a band broke up?

For every horrid, repetitive pop hit written today, how many incredible compositions have been lost forever? A thousand? Ten thousand? Who's even to say?

What about you? You ever been in amazing band that went absolutely nowhere?

Here's to you, then.

Souldiver were here. For a brief moment, and now they're gone. Forever.

Here's to them. To us.

Enjoy.

Monday, November 29, 2010: Noah And The Whale - Blue Skies

Maybe you've traveled far over these past four days, maybe you've ate way too much.

Maybe you've gotten into a huge fight with your family.

Maybe you've just had an average weekend.

Maybe you've met someone wonderful and you've got that flutter in your heart and are walking an inch or two taller today.

Whatever it is, whatever you are going through, be encouraged

Blue skies are calling.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

No blogging on a Sunday.

See you Monday!

Saturday, November 27, 2010: Tim Buckley - Buzzin' Fly

I love music.

I love playing music, listening to it, learning about it and, most importantly, sharing it.

It's one of my main motivations for keeping this blog alive, this hackneyed idea borne from a bad feeling. I get to introduce other people to cool music, or help other music lovers reconnect with songs they also love and may have forgotten.

Way back in the day, before Napster and the internet, the lowly cassette tape was the king file sharing format. I lived for each blank TDK 90 minute tape I could fill up and share. And, equally, for each tape that was given to me. I still remember the Tour Tape Tom Bernal gave out when I was a senior in high school.  The opening track was Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon & Garfunkel, and it was the first time I really sat down and had a good listen to that masterpiece. To this day I can't listen to those opening piano chords without seeing Edgewood HS fade into the distance as our bus departed for the annual show choir tour.

And so it goes. The best music is music shared.

When I was living in England I was in a couple of bands, and the guitarist for my first band made a mix CD for me. Somehow, I'm sure its the bright glare of nostalgia effecting me, but mix CD's just aren't as cool as mix cassette tapes. CD's sound better, obviously, because the sound quality on most tapes usually sucked. But they lack that romance of the cassette.

Again, that's probably just me.

The CD I was given had a lot of really good songs, some fair songs, and one fifteen minute song by Godspeed You! Black Emperor that I never really made it all the way through.

But towards then end of the CD was this song, Buzzin Fly by Tim Buckley. And it stopped me dead in my tracks.

I've talked about this before, being so effected by listening to a song for the first time that you literally stop what you are doing and are compelled to just listen.

I had this song on repeat for about three days when I first listened to it. Of course I had heard of Jeff Buckley, but I don't believe I had ever heard of his father, Tim. Which is strange, because I was into that whole singer/songwriter thing, having come to love Jim Croce, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, et al.

But here he was was, that ethereal voice, those soring lyrics, guitar playing that dripped like audible honey into my ears.  All the pieces fit, and fit gloriously.  I still get goosebumps listening to this.

So, here's to music that stops us in our tracks.  Music that compels us to forgo our mundane tasks, put aside the humdrum and stop and listen.   And here's to those who make such music.

Fewer and fewer they become.  How many today can compare to Tim Buckley?

Fewer and fewer they become.

Friday, November 26, 2010: The Smiths - Shoplifters Of The World Unite

The Day After Thanksgiving. Otherwise known as Black Friday.

The busiest shopping day of the year.

When I was in college I got a job at Target for the holiday season.  My first day was Black Friday.  I've never been more abused and manhandled in my life. Customers were literally grabbing my arm and pulling me to the toy section, the clothing section, the appliance section, shouting questions at me all the way.

On the next day I was trying to hide behind some ferns in the garden section when someone pointed to me and said, "YOU! FOLLOW ME!"  It was a woman in a grey sweatshirt and jeans, who immediately ran off after barking those instructions.  I followed her more out of curiosity than compulsion, and wound up helping apprehend someone in the parking lot who she (store undercover security, don't you know) accused of shoplifting.

I had never done anything so blatantly authoritarian in my life. I was totally out of my depth.

I clocked out for lunch that second day, and never clocked back in.  To this day I'm pretty sure I've been blacklisted, and will never be allowed to work for Target for the rest of my life.  

I still turn in applications every now and then, just for laughs.

I was tempted to use Black Friday by Steely Dan, but there are many other SD songs I want to share before that one.

And besides, I wanted to dedicate this song to that guy in the Target parking lot.  Thanks for encouraging me to never, ever work retail ever again.

Shoplifters of the world, unite and take over

I can't wait.

CSOTD Bonus Edition: Sly and the Family Stone - Thank U Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin

Get up off the couch and burn off all those calories you ate today with another song of Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 25, 2010: Natalie Merchant - Kind and Generous

Happy Thanksgiving.

I promised to explain Thanksgiving to all my gentle readers who may not be familiar with this particular American holiday. Well, I lied.

No, I didn't mean to deceive, it's just that I've been trying to drum up the energy to talk about pilgrims and injuns and harvests and the significance of the cornucopia. And I failed. I cannot, for all the tea in China, care enough about this day to write about it.

However, I do understand my obligations to my word, so while I won't go into the meaning of Thanksgiving in my own words, for those who are interested you can learn to your hearts content here, here and here.

Being thankful has been a recent theme here on CSOTD, and there's a reason for that.  It's been a tough ol' couple of months for yours truly, and I anticipate that this holiday season won't be an easy ride either.

I blogged about being thankful for what you've got.  But today, this Thanksgiving, I would like give thanks, not for my stuff, but for those around me who help me and support me.

You know who you are, even if you don't think you do that much.  My family, friends, those who support my humble blog, you are all so very kind and generous.  And I appreciate you all.  And I want to thank you, thank you.

In the States or not, have a great and thankful day.