Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Thursday, April 2, 2020
FOXHOLES
This is the first post that I have written that has nothing to do with music.
So much is swirling around in my head these days.
What a time we are living in.
In my lifetime, I have been down in a number of foxholes (metaphorically speaking).
In some cases, I was there due to situations of my own making.
Others times it was circumstantial.
I hated being there each and every time.
It’s hard to problem solve and be solution oriented in the foxhole.
Your vision is limited and there is such a lack of understanding of what is truly happening outside the foxhole.
There is danger.
There is uncertainty.
Each and every time, I found it to be unsettling and surreal and draining.
And all felt otherworldly.
But I also knew that these were moments in time.
Ultimately, I would get out of the foxholes (The benefit of being in metaphorical foxholes and not real ones).
And with these moments, I would come to realize a more fulfilled life and pathway forward.
Why?
Because none of us are defined by what happens when times are good.
We are defined by and do our greatest amounts of growth and development during times of challenge, disruption, and change….and in extreme situations….chaos and crisis.
Adversity, and how we show up and how we respond to it, changes not only our lives but those around us.
But this cannot and will not happen unless we show up fully and are truly present.
And we must allow everything to be what it would not otherwise be.
As David Brooks eloquently frames it in his book The Road To Character;
You have to give to receive
You have to surrender to something outside yourself to gain strength within yourself.
You have to conquer your desire to get what you crave.
Success leads to the greatest failure, which is pride.
Failure leads to the greatest success which is humility and learning.
In order to fulfill yourself, you have to forget yourself.
In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself.
For me, it is here where I have learned the greatest gift of being in the foxhole.
Humility and empathy.
It is also here where I have witnessed and experienced the best in others and received the greatest gifts.
Bravery, gratitude, and kindness.
As we deal with the realities of our current crisis, doing our very best to manage it from our current foxholes, let’s make the most of this significant moment in time.
Let’s step outside ourselves and lend a helping hand to others and ask for the help we need as well.
So much is swirling around in my head these days.
What a time we are living in.
In my lifetime, I have been down in a number of foxholes (metaphorically speaking).
In some cases, I was there due to situations of my own making.
Others times it was circumstantial.
I hated being there each and every time.
It’s hard to problem solve and be solution oriented in the foxhole.
Your vision is limited and there is such a lack of understanding of what is truly happening outside the foxhole.
There is danger. There is uncertainty.
Each and every time, I found it to be unsettling and surreal and draining.
And all felt otherworldly.
But I also knew that these were moments in time.
Ultimately, I would get out of the foxholes (The benefit of being in metaphorical foxholes and not real ones).
And with these moments, I would come to realize a more fulfilled life and pathway forward.
Why?
Because none of us are defined by what happens when times are good.
We are defined by and do our greatest amounts of growth and development during times of challenge, disruption, and change….and in extreme situations….chaos and crisis.
Adversity, and how we show up and how we respond to it, changes not only our lives but those around us.
But this cannot and will not happen unless we show up fully and are truly present.
And we must allow everything to be what it would not otherwise be.
As David Brooks eloquently frames it in his book The Road To Character;
You have to give to receive
You have to surrender to something outside yourself to gain strength within yourself.
You have to conquer your desire to get what you crave.
Success leads to the greatest failure, which is pride.
Failure leads to the greatest success which is humility and learning.
In order to fulfill yourself, you have to forget yourself.
In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself.
For me, it is here where I have learned the greatest gift of being in the foxhole.
Humility and empathy.
It is also here where I have witnessed and experienced the best in others and received the greatest gifts.
Bravery, gratitude, and kindness.
As we deal with the realities of our current crisis, doing our very best to manage it from our current foxholes, let’s make the most of this significant moment in time.
Let’s step outside ourselves and lend a helping hand to others and ask for the help we need as well.
Let’s work to fight and create something that is greater than what we knew or experienced yesterday or today.
In doing so, we will ensure a better tomorrow for ourselves, our families, our friends, our community, our society, and future generations.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
What To Listen To With Lots of Time On Your Hands
I listen to a lot of music. Always have. These days, with a stay home, stay safe proclamation in place here in the great State of Washington, I'm listening to even more music than normal...and I will admit that my normal is not even close to normal for most people. This has been a true joy for me, but a huge frustration for my family who are all sequestered at home along with me...especially my wife and better half who has come to refer to herself as a headphone widow. Sorry Annie.
If you find that you too have lots of time on your hands...and I mean lots of time, I invite you to sit and listen....closely....to a few albums that I have been spending quite a bit of time with lately. These albums are long and complex. They are like onions that get pealed back, layer by layer, over multiple listens. It's a commitment for sure, but in doing so, you will get rewarded by these remarkable albums.
"Since their debut in the early '90s, Porcupine Tree have never ceased to impress fans and critics alike. In Absentia is the band at their pinnacle. Its good to know that there are still bands out there that have their own distinctive sound. In some ways, Porcupine Tree are rocks best kept little secret. It's hard to imagine that a band this talented and creative, are still virtually unknown by other than those in their fanbase. In Absentia is a fusion of heavy metal, brit rock, and progressive. It is quite possibly their most accessible album. A great place to start for new fans." Ultimate Guitar
A landmark recording and the band’s best album, “Crime of the Century was the album where it all came together for Supertramp, as they composed scores of tracks in order to find the best eight to make this record. Along the way, the group forged a non-traditional and unique sound which falls somewhere along the twisted road between progressive rock and pop music. Produced by Ken Scott, the album is also a sonic masterpiece with incredible dynamics.” Classic Rock Review
Ranked at close to the top of every 'best of' prog rock albums list is Selling England By The Pound. On it's best of list (#2, sandwiched between King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King and Yes' Close to the Edge, with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at #4), Pop Matters wrote; "Selling England by the Pound is the most satisfying and fully realized Genesis recording, a period piece that recalls the past while being utterly of its time……It's elaborate but controlled, far-ranging but focused, and it achieves a unity -- in words, sound and especially feeling -- that necessarily ranks it as a high water mark of prog rock."
"Airbag hails from Norway. If you haven’t heard Airbag before, it will become readily obvious that their main inspirations are Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree. On their previous record, those influences were quite in my face. However, the band has developed and progressed since then, taking on what I believe to be their best sound, and best album, yet. Floyd and Porcupine Tree aren’t nearly as prevalent here, and I can feel some pop and indie tones joining the mix……The album is a live wire of emotional guitars, deceptively simple rhythms, gorgeous keys, electronic programming that hits just at the right moments, and vocal hooks that will knock you flat....Make sure you hear this mature and very brilliant album." The Prog Mind
Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional is another magnum opus....it’s...a monumental achievement because the formula it maintains (which was established on Act IV) is still beyond belief. Crescenzo has always been an outstanding singer/songwriter/storyteller/composer, and the fact that he’s only gotten better over the years is downright extraordinary. Act V contains some truly magnificent melodies, lyricism, arrangements, and range, proving once again why the Dear Hunter is in a class all its own. With any luck, Act V will finally get the band the widespread acclaim and attention it’s always deserved." Pop Matters
Friday, March 27, 2020
ON ROTATION
Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now.
Monday, March 16, 2020
ON ROTATION
Friday, February 7, 2020
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