What’s your favorite combination of musical genres or styles? What musicians or groups combine those styles in ways you particularly enjoy?
Drop a list with your top ten cross-genre tracks (and a random ten, if you choose) below.
Category Archives: Friday Music Day
Friday Music Day: The 90’s
The Current just wrapped up their list of the top 893 songs of the 90's.
So it seemed an opportune time to ask for everyone else's top 10 song sof the '90's.
Their top 10:
10. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
9. Criminal - Fiona Apple
8. Losing My Religion - REM
7. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
6. Everlong - Foo Fighters
5. Zombie - The Cranberries
4. Loser - Beck
3. Sabotage - Beastie Boys
2. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Friday Music Day – Ticketmaster is bad
Whether you are a event-goer having to use Ticketmaster or not, I think everyone is aware how bad and expensive the ticket buying process is in general but especially if using Ticketmaster. Lots of news lately about trouble getting tickets and/or the expense with the mega-acts like Taylor Swift or Bruce Springsteen but it also trickles down to the lesser acts. I'll describe my experience this week.
Nick Cave is coming to the State Theater in October and since I follow Nick Cave, I received information on a Artist Presale for this past Monday, a full four days prior to the "general public sale" happening today. I'm a huge fan and would be willing to pay for good seats. So on Monday, I log into Ticketmaster a few minutes prior to the presale and get put in the queue. 10:00a rolls around and I'm like #240 or so, which was disappointing but whatever. As soon as my number comes up, there's a technical issue and I'm put back in the Queue. Now I'm like number 450! I wait around and this time I get in but now all the good tickets are gone. What!!!??
There's literally more presales during the week so I think I will try those but just for the heck of it, try about 30 minutes later in case some tickets got released. Oh I have a $50 Ticketmaster Gift Card, so I'm not as price sensitive as I may normally be and I'm willing to pay for good seats. Sure enough I found a Row O ticket for the face value of $110, even though I was hoping for better. In the process of buying the ticket, I noticed a ton of seats are now being released but now at a higher price. First 7 rows or so are now $217 and tickets around Row 0 are $135 (this is before fees mind you). The $217 ticket are "Premium" and the $135 are due to dynamic pricing. They were literally not available 5 minutes after the presale opened but are now 45 minutes later.
I close the sale and thank my lucky stars I got the seat that I did at the price ($30 in fees which is 27% btw). I was curious so I checked the State Theater presale yesterday right at 10:00a. There was probably less than 100 ticket listed for sale (all at those higher prices). So if you got a presale notice from the State Theater and thought you had a decent chance of getting a ticket to see Nick Cave, you were sadly mistaken.
This is definitely a "First World Problem" and frankly I don't know how to change it but it is frustrating nonetheless and I am worried that fans are getting priced out of seeing their favorite acts. Also the Artists need to take a stand as well, like Robert Smith did of the Cure. I know they get a cut of the fees and increased dynamic or platinum pricing so they are in on the game too.
Anyway, drop your lists if you got them or just feel to vent about Ticketmaster.
FMD 1/20/23 – Music to Puzzle By
About this time of year my family often breaks out a puzzle or two (we're working on a 1000 piece one of succulents right now, but I'm really excited for the Terry Redland one we got, that is a picture my grandmother had hanging in her house when I was growing up. A nice way to honor her memory.)
Music usually accompanies.
TMBG's Flood has been my go-to starting puzzle mix, ever since I recieved both that and a 3D puzzle one Christmas. It just kind of stuck for me. After that... I suppose we play a good bit of oldies. Deep cut oldies.
Anyway, what other music is good for puzzling by?
FMD 10.28.2022 – A Thing That Happens
I was listening to a Spotify Playlist Radio station this morning (Best of Rock: 2008) when my buddy called. The music pauses when I answer the phone and we chat for a while about this and that before he gets around to telling me that he and his wife are going on a vacation to Germany in early December. I'm excited for them; leaving their three boys - 18 months, 3 years and 7 - and 3 dogs home with an assortment of grandparents. I'm like, "Awesome! Sounds like fun!" Then he tells me the bad news: the flights were cheapest leaving on a Monday and he'll have to miss the Foals show at The Fillmore Minneapolis on Dec. 1. We've seen this band a number of times and they put on a great show, plus we have not yet seen The Fillmore (new + COVID 19). I'm disappointed, but wouldn't miss a child-less vacation to Europe over this one.
We hang up and the music restarts. 'Sound of Madness' by Shinedown comes to an end and the next song on shuffle ... 'Cassius' by Foals. I don't believe I knew they were even a band in '08, let alone heard this song. I don't know what (if anything) people call this experience*, like my phone is listening to me, but it was neat and sorta creepy at the same time.
*coincidence or serendipity come to mind ... I guess.
Anyway, thought I'd set something up here (despite Friday being more than half done) to share this music experience and a sampling of 10 songs from 'Best of Rock: 2008'
FMD: Travel Tunes
We have a well-traveled group hereabouts. How do you folks prepare a sonic journey for yourselves to accompany your travels outside your home range? (Context for travel matters and varies considerably, of course.)
Are bespoke playlists tailored to a purpose for your trip or the destination part of getting yourself excited & ready to travel? Or if you’re returning to a place you’ve visited before and that’s gotten under your skin, do you find your ear tuning itself to music you associate with that place ahead of your trip?
What do you bring with you to ensure you can enjoy your music while on the go?
FMD – Shoegaze
During the pandemic, when I had lots of time by myself, I listened to a bunch of shoegaze bands. It just seemed like a good soundtrack to being sheltered at home and all the crap happening in the outside world. Of course most of that was the shoegaze classics like My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, Slowdive, Ride, etc...
One nice things about streaming services (I prefer Apple Music to Spotify, which itself is another FMD topic) is that they will offer up other albums based on what you are listening to and I've been introduced to a lot more shoegazey bands that I missed when they originally came out. Two such bands and albums are Chapterhouse's Whirlpool and Mercury Rev's Yerself is Steam, both of which came out in 1991 so kind of right when bands like Ride, MBV, etc were starting out.
Yerself is Steam is a lot more aggressive with screaming guitars and overall weirdness. It's an acquired taste but the opening song Chasing a Bee is 7 minutes of get your guitar freak on bliss.
Whirlpool is an album that I can't stop listening to. It would be what most would consider a "classic shoegaze album" with soaring guitars, pop sensibilities, and dreamy vocals. One can hear snippets of Smashing Pumpkins' Gish, Lush, Ride, Swervedriver, and there's one song that could easily fit into Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation album. Some of these bands aren't really influences as they postdate or are happening at literally the same time as Chapterhouse is recording. It's a wonder to me why this album isn't more well known and beloved.
Anyway if interested in this type of music, definitely check out these two albums, especially Whirlpool.
Do you have any other albums of a similar vein that I should be checking out?
FMD 2022.06.17: Summer Mix Plug
Hey, gang, put in your picks. And drop a list while you're here.
FMD: Songs of Remembrance
Keeping with the theme this week, what are some notable songs you remember people by after they've passed? What do you want to be remembered by when you go?
Personally, I'd love a big brassy New Orleans jazz funeral.
And drop a list if you got one!
Friday Music Day – 3/25/22 – Soundtrack edition
Today's video is the Rolling Stones - She's A Rainbow, which I "liked" on Spotify after enjoying the soundtrack on Cruella. The movie was enjoyable enough, but the soundtrack really stood out for me, with a groovy, 60's London rock vibe going, and some exposure to tracks and artists (Ike & Tina!) I'm glad to add to my listening.
What's a favorite soundtrack for you, or one that opened you up to some music you needed to be paying attention to?
And drop your lists.
Have a groovy Friday, folks.