New Year's Musical Resolutions!

1. Play more guitar: Alright, I admit it, there's a layer of dust covering my guitar! But I promise to find more time to practice in 2013. And since I'm a little rusty, I will probably start with a song that's easy and fun to play, like anything from a Nirvana album.

2. Attend more concerts: There were some great shows I missed this year because they either sold out (I'm looking at you, The Lumineers) or I double-booked that evening (I'll see you next time, Of Monsters and Men)! Luckily, next year is looking great for concerts in Tucson. Personally, I'm excited for the XX and Tegan and Sara at the Rialto and That 1 Guy and Ra Ra Riot at Congress.  What concerts are you looking forward to?

3. Download from Freegal:  Life is busy and I often forget about my three, free, legal songs each week from Freegal. But no more! I promise to finish downloading that awesome new Calvin Harris album and maybe pick up the stunning Adele Bond track, Skyfall, along the way.

Bonus resolution - No more Rick Rolls: I promise to never sing Rick Astley songs at karaoke again.


-James

To find some of the bands I mentioned:

Nirvana (click me)
The Lumineers (click me)
Ra Ra Riot (click me)
Tegan and Sara (click me)
Freegal (click me - each week)!

Turning 50 in 2012

I turned 50 this year, along with some well-known musicians and bands. While the folks below are now eligible to join AARP, age is not slowing them down and most of them had a very successful 2012.

Halfway to Fivepoints

Do you remember what it was like listening to music before the Internet was a thing? Do you remember how frustrating it was to hear a song on the radio or during a movie, and have no way to find out what that song was? For all the arguments that digital piracy has ruined music forever, I've found that the inverse is the actual truth; I love being able to find music from all across the world that I would never have had a chance to learn about otherwise. You're not limited to what's playing on the radio or available in the CD aisle anymore.

Now, we have the entire world open to us, with all of its niche styles and indie artists. I love that.

I first heard of Swedish singer-songwriter Anna Ternheim when her song "No, I Don't Remember" was played during the end credits to the Xbox 360 video game Alan Wake. Her lyrics and musical ability captured my attention immediately and I wanted more. With a bit of searching based on nothing more than a half-remembered lyric, I found Anna's album Halfway to Fivepoints.

March Fourth Marching Band at The Rialto 12/13/12

I have a bit of a conundrum here, as March Fourth Marching Band last Thursday night at The Rilato was probably my second favorite Tucson live show of 2012 (the favorite being Wilco at TCC, which I blogged about several months ago), yet Pima County Public Library has no music by this Portland, Oregon based 20-piece band, and none is to be found at Freegal.  However, In the library spirit of disseminating information, I decided to go ahead and review the show here, despite your inability to actually access any of their music through our library.  Hopefully you will remember this glorious review (following the break) when the band returns to town in the future, and you will go and see/hear them for yourself.

Nightmares before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, and not a creature was stirring, except perhaps Rod Stewart, or Olivia Newton-John. And Ringo Starr, and even Toby Keith.

It is a time honored tradition that every year brings new albums of Yuletide joy from your favorite artist or washed-up musician. To honor these albums, we look at the delightful.. and the not so delightful.

And best of all, these albums are available for checkout from your Pima County Public Library.

For 2012, you can ring in Christmas with a duo familiar to each other: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have re-teamed for "This Christmas." Fans of this duo will of course remember them from the movie soundtrack of Grease and Travolta from dozens of movies you probably can't remember the name of.

My 2012 Playlist

It's that time of the year for Top Ten lists, Best Of, etc. For the last several years I've written up a list of my "Songs Of The Year". It's a mix of new stuff, old stuff, stuff that caught my attention....I never put the list in order of favorites because I like to pretend I don't have favorites...ha! Herewith is my list for 2012:

Marooned : the next generation of desert island discs

Imagine that you are stranded on a desert island. You have plenty of shelter, food, and no worries in the world. Now, what music do you wish to keep you entertained in this sudden paradise? This is the age old question and if you are anything like me, that list is constantly changing as you broaden your horizons year by year and discover new music that is unforgettable. I just finished the wonderful book Marooned : The next generation of desert island discs and I am eager to share this fun little book.

Brother, sister, author, musician

Since I'm always on the lookout for a book-related post to put up here (what can I say, working at the library, books are always part of my hidden agenda), I was delighted to discover a new book and music connection: did you know that Colin Meloy of The Decemberists has a sister, Maile Meloy (pronounced like Miley Cyrus's name), who writes literary fiction? (For that matter, as you can see if you search our catalog for his name, he's written some books of his own.)

Reznor 101: How to Destroy Angels_: The Omen_

Love him or hate him, I don't think anyone could argue that Trent Reznor is not a hardworking man. Reznor's impressive career: front man of industrial powerhouse Nine Inch Nails, an Academy Award win for The Social Network original score, and most recently his new independent band's (How to Destroy Angels_) release of a new EP, "An Omen_," available now for download through the library's Freegal database.  Phew.

Imagine a typical electronic pop song as a candied apple. Reznor takes that apple, strips its flesh to the core, and leaves it outside to the mercy of the elements. Every beat, every tone is carefully mapped by this self-proclaimed perfectionist. His tones are as dark and brooding as they are full of life - like a pastoral painting seen through a cyborg's eyes. It is a sound that fit perfectly with The Social Network's theme of human power struggles filtered through the lonliness of a digital screen.