80s Synth Pop Break

I am so excited for my brother-in-law Tab who is heading to Toronto tonight to see one of his favourite artists live in concert. Tom Bailey, previously of The Thompson Twins, is currently on tour playing Twins hits, which included tracks like "Hold Me Now", "Doctor Doctor", and "Love on Your Side". This is the first tour of Twins music is over 25 years and this will be the first time Tab will be seeing these songs live. The tour has been on for the past few weeks, and there is already some footage on YouTube and it looks like Tom Bailey puts on a pretty good show.

So for your 80s Synth Pop Break today, here are a few Thompson Twins songs to get you into an 80s groove.

"Hold Me Now" (a classic favourite)

"Love on Your Side" (Tab's favourite)

Have a great time Tab!

There is Just Something About Baseball

This spring/summer I've been pretty excited about baseball. I started following the Toronto Blue Jays at the start of the season and have had a fun time learning about all the players, MLB rules, and watching the team hit a tonne of home runs (see: Edwin Encarnacion in May).

I haven't been this into baseball since I was a kid and played Oro Minor Softball during the summers. My dad had two boys who weren't interested in baseball (they liked farming and computers respectively), but his baby daughter loved baseball. I can't say I was great at it, but I loved playing and there's a trophy on my shelf that says my team won First Place in 1991, so we must have been pretty good.

Thinking about my childhood baseball days always makes me think of Peter, Paul, and Mary singing "Right Field". Not only did Dad get me interested in baseball, but great music too. Adult me can't get to the end of this song without tearing up (just like I can't get to end of Field of Dreams without tears in my eyes...). There is just something about baseball.

On Repeat: "This One" by Paul McCartney

I've had Paul McCartney on repeat for pretty much my whole life. I loved the Beatles growing up and branched out into Wings/Solo territory when I was in my teens. I have loved and obsessed over other musicians/bands over the years, but ever present was Paul McCartney.

Today is McCartney's 72nd birthday and I thought I would mark the date with a song I had on repeat often in the mid '90s. "This One" is still a favourite that I don't mind hearing more than a few times in a row.

Monday Fun-day

I can't claim to have had a lot of stress free days lately, but today I am having one and it feels soooooo good. I am actually blogging too, which is something that always falls to wayside when I am dealing with the less fun aspects of life. But it feels good to be back at the computer and to catch up with blogs and bloggers I've missed over the past few weeks.

Today I'm celebrating being stress free by having a music/dance party. So far I'm focusing my attention on Paul McCartney's Unplugged album from 1991. It is a rocking good time and making me smile big this afternoon. I had a hard time picking which song to post from it (they are all equally good), but decided on Blue Moon of Kentucky. It starts slow but it is so much fun.



I also made and enjoyed some breakfast (late lunch) wraps that had bacon, scrambled egg, spinach, and grated cheese in them, all on homemade tortillas.

Probably going to spend the rest of my day with more music, more food, and maybe a little outdoor time when the sun is less harsh. There is a 'Very High' UV Index for us today and we don't have any shady spots free of mosquitos at the moment, so I'm staying inside until after 4:00pm or so. Playing it safe.

On Repeat: "Let It Go" preformed by Idina Menzel

I finally watched Frozen and really enjoyed it. It was not only a good movie, but a great movie musical. The songs were so much fun and added so much emotion to the film. My current obsession is "Let it Go", as performed by Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel). I have yet to make it through the entire song without my eyes getting wet, it is just so damn good. I am totally blown away by Idina Menzel's voice. She is just so amazing.

On Repeat: "I'll Wait" by Sweet Alibi

One of my greatest strengths is the ability to obsess over music and listen to songs on repeat for hours. And no matter how long the track has been repeating, I don't get sick of the song. After a few hours of listening I will know all the words and want to hear it even more. The people I live with love that I do this and don't get annoyed with me at all (...I will keep telling myself that, anyway).

The song that's been at the top of my iTunes Plays Count this week is "I'll Wait" by Sweet Alibi.

I don't listen to a lot of radio these days, but while skipping stations in the car last week I landed on CBC Radio 2. I stopped there to hear "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead and I had to keep listening when "I'll Wait" was played next. I have a place in my heart for Canadian folkie-rock, and "I'll Wait" hits every musical note I want it to.

They don't have a video for the song yet, but you can stream it online at CBC Music if you want to check it out.

Also if you add your email to Sweet Alibi's mailing list, you can download "I'll Wait" for free, which is what I did and have had it on repeat ever since.

Birthday Songs

It wouldn't be a birthday without some festive music, so I'm sharing some of my b-day faves and hoping you have a fabulous day too! :)

The Classic:




The New Favourite:




Memories of My Youth:

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

Today is the 20th anniversary of the first time I saw Paul McCartney live in concert. The date was June 6, 1993, I was 12 years old, and I went with my friend Amanda all the way to Toronto to see it. It was the first real concert I had ever been too, and even though I have been to many amazing concerts since, none of them hold a place in my heart like McCartney's New World Tour. This concert happened at the perfect time to have a distinct impact of my musical life: it was my first stadium concert, I was young and impressionable, and it was fricken' Paul McCartney!

My Tour Book from The New World Tour Concert

I've been a Paul McCartney fan for as long as I can remember, but seeing him in concert turned me into a Mega Fan. We listened to the Beatles a lot growing up and I was already into some post-Beatles McCartney at the time of the show, but there was a lot of Wings and solo McCartney I had never heard. We had Wings Greatest and Paul McCartney: Unplugged, and I distinctly remember listening to my brother Tommy's Off The Ground tape as much as I could (which was easy to do because I loved it!), but it wasn't until after the show that I realized there was so much more to his discography.

The Off the Ground Songbook I made my parents get me

So much of the concert has become a blur to me, but there are some really vivid memories too.

The show opened with a ten minute video sequence which played on giant screens surrounding the stage. I remember nothing of the opening sequence except the last minute or so, which featured the Beatles song "The End". I didn't know the song at the time, but I remember the lyrics playing in my mind for days after, and having to sing them to my dad so he could tell me: "That's on Abbey Road". (Attn Kids: Google makes life so much easier now!) After the opening sequence finished, the band took the stage and began the show with "Drive My Car". I remember seeing the words "beep beep'm beep beep yeah!" dance across the video screen when Paul sang them. It was so fun and exciting and my first experience with anything like it.

Some Wings songs were new to me and my most vivid memory of a new (to me) song was "Let Me Roll It". The memory is so vivid because Paul performed it while on a platform that was raised and extended out over the audience. Paul McCartney doesn't hesitate to put on an exciting show, and to my 12 year old self, the novelty of him performing on a moving platform kinda blew my mind and made the song that much more memorable (plus it has a pretty great guitar riff!)

When Paul played "Biker Like an Icon", a dude a few rows ahead of us in his early twenties and wearing a Biker Like an Icon T-shirt, jumped into the air with pure glee. It was so cool to see so much enthusiasm from other fans.

For "Magical Mystery Tour" Paul called forth his "Magic piano" and I remember it moving on the stage towards him and being so colourful. At the time, it did seem rather magical.

Smoke exploded from the stage during the chorus of "Live and Let Die", followed by a pretty wicked light show. I recently found that I can relive this memory on Youtube, and have been doing so in recent days.

For the encore, Paul was joined onstage by the Peel Regional Police Pipe Band during a performance of "Mull of Kintyre". It was quite the spectacle, and there is audio of it on YouTube. Musicians often put out live albums, but I always find it surreal to hear the show I actually saw. If you follow the link and listen to it, some of the cheers you will be hearing are mine.

It has been said many times, but I will say it again: Paul McCartney puts on a great show. From start to finish he is full of energy and he can play for hours. I could have done much worse for who I chose to see for my first real concert.

The weeks, months, and years following the concert were a great time of musical discovery for me. I found out that Wings and solo McCartney both ruled, which wasn't necessarily the most popular musical choice in the mid-nineties, but I happily committed to it. The first tape I remember my mom helping me buy was Venus and Mars, which I played constantly until I knew every song by heart (I still do). Thus was my transition from fan into Mega fan.

These are all the Wings/McCartney tapes that I amassed after the concert and before CDs became a thing

So somehow it has been twenty years since that life changing concert and I am somehow twenty years older. I have since moved on to other types of music, have had other favourite bands, and have been to quite a few rocking concerts throughout the years. I even saw Paul again in 2003, and even though that concert was amazing, it isn't permanently etched into my psyche like the first show is. The 1993 concert was fun, exciting, rocking, rolling, and featured the perfect line up of McCartney's solo band. I'm shocked that it is twenty years later, but I am really happy that I carry such a great memory with me.

Musical Bears

Fact #46 about our kitten: she has two names that she goes by equally, Gary and The Bear.

Fact #72 about our kitten: Everything in our house belongs to her. It is something we accept in order to experience the joy of being in her presence on a daily basis.

Having said that, I give you: Musical Bears!

This might look like my Wii drum kit, but it is actually a cat pillow!!

This might look like John's guitar case, but it is actually Gary's office.

Cottage Bound Mix

Heading north of Parry Sound today for a Cottage Weekend with my university crew.  We are only spending the day, but a mix is required for the car ride.  I'm into feel good music at the moment and this playlist reflects that for sure!

 1. Real Good Radio - Kira Isabella
 2. Banjo - Rascal Flatts
 3. Mississippi - Dixie Chicks
 4. Music Inferno -Madonna
 5. Party Rock Anthem - LMAFO
 6. Move In the Right Direction - Gossip
 7. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
 8. Forever - Chris Brown
 9. With a Little Luck - Paul McCartney and Wings
10. Marry You - Bruno Mars
11. Don't Tell Me - Madonna
12. Sun is Shining - Bob Marley
13. Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney and Wings
14. The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz
15. Superbowl XLVI Halftime Show - Madonna

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Paul's 70th Birthday

I couldn't let today go by without posting to celebrate Paul McCartney's 70th birthday!  He was my first love (I think I must be the 100,315,927th girl to ever say that!) and though many musicians have come and gone from my life, I will always have Paul.  So Happy 70th Birthday, Paul!!!

I wasn't sure what song to post, so I asked my iTunes to shuffle and it landed on Tug of War, a classic ballad from 1982.  Enjoy!!

iPod Replacement - Success!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I sent away for a replacement iPod Nano, as my 1st Generation Nano from 2005 had been recalled by Apple. It wasn't clear what the 7 year old iPods were being replaced with, so I was excited at the possibility of getting a brand new one (the new ones have touch screens!).  Apple emailed me this morning to let me know my replacement had been shipped and provided me with the UPS tracking number so I could watch it's delivery progress in real time.  I tracked the package obsessively throughout the day, and was excited when it read: "out for delivery" with an estimated arrival time of "end of day" Tuesday! That was today, People! 

My iPod was being delivered to my work, so my excitement was growing throughout the day.  While on a walk at lunch-time I spotted the UPS truck near the office and was overjoyed with the idea that it MIGHT ALREADY BE THERE!  Sadly no package was waiting for me upon my return, so I went back to obsessively checking the whereabouts of my package with the tracking number.  And my heart and brain stopped working when the internet told me that the package had already been delivered twenty minutes earlier.  The "proof of delivery" page on the tracking site said it was signed by a name I didn't recognize.  A silent panic attack was erupting in my head, as I calmly told my colleagues I was going to go look for it.

There are three units at my work address, so I went to the other two units to see if anyone signed for my package.  No luck.  Next I contacted UPS customer service, for what turned out to be an excellent customer service experience.  I (sort of) calmly explained what had happened and the CSR clicked a few buttons and was able to tell me that the package had been delivered to the wrong address (three doors up the street).  It might sound odd to say, but I was so grateful to be told the truth in such a matter-of-fact way. I wasn't mad - I was just happy it was somewhere and not lost. The CSR let me know he was sending a urgent memo to the driver to have it picked up and brought back to me, and that UPS would call me back within the hour to provide me with more details. I was still in hunting mode, so I told the CSR I was also going to check out the address up the street, and if I was able to get the package back myself, I would call back to let him know.

I went up the street to a local realtor, who had indeed received my package. The woman at the front desk let me know she had just phoned UPS to inform them she received a package by mistake.  She wasn't able to give it to me - and I understood - as UPS was on their way to get it from her, and it would look bad if they came to get it and she didn't have it anymore.  I didn't mind the further delay, I was just happy that it was confirmed safe and sound.

So at 4:15pm the UPS driver returned with my package and lightened the situation by making a joke about whether I really wanted it. I smiled; I was just happy to have it. Everything worked out and it did arrive by "end of day" Tuesday like they had originally said.

And after all the commotion, inside the package I found:

iPod Nano - 6th Generation, 8G - For The Win!

And just to recap, this replacement is superior to my 1st Generation Nano as it has 8G (mine only had 4), it has a touch screen(!), and it is the most recent model they have.  Thanks, Apple!  Anything else you want to recall?

The Last Song I'll Ever Sing For You....

I got my first iPod in 2005 when all my amazing friends chipped in and bought me a group gift for my birthday.  I didn't know I wanted a digital music player, but I instantly bonded with my sleek and adorable iPod Nano, not fully comprehending how I had previously walked without earbuds and 800 of my favourite songs at the ready.  At the time (almost 7 years ago!) the Nano was the best thing ever. And even now, knowing that there are so many newer versions of the iPod, I still love mine, even if all it does is play music.  But having said that, isn't that what iPods are for?

I'm not really one to upgrade easily; change isn't really my thing.  And really, my iPod still works!  I use it every day in my alarm clock dock, and it still accompanies me on long walks in the park.  We've had and continue to have good times.

In November I got an email from Apple saying that my iPod had been recalled.  There was a possibility that the battery could overheat, so they were voluntarily recalling and replacing them. At that time the internet was a flutter with what they were being replaced with.  Would we get our Nanos back refurbished?  Would we get brand new ones (with a touch screen!)?  Would we get refurbished 1st Generation Nanos that Apple just had lying around?  The internet could only speculate! If they do send me a new one, I'll definitely be making an enormous leap in my music player (my Nano is only 4G; the smallest available size of the 6th Gen is 8G! Win!)

I was slow moving to start the process of sending my iPod away to be replaced, but I have finally come to terms with the fact that my 6+ year relationship with my 1st gen iPod Nano is over.  We'll always have our rainy walks through the Annex, our sunny sprees up Bathurst, and some energetic times at the gym.  Good times and good memories.

I sent in my request for a replacement and Apple recently sent me a padded envelope and instructions.  All very spy like, I think.  I called UPS yesterday morning and they picked up my iPod by 1pm.  The UPS tracking already shows it as half way to Apple.  I'm starting to get excited about what will be coming back in 4-6 weeks.

Name's The Same

On a drive to Elmvale this evening I noticed the sign for the NDP candidate in my neighbouring riding of Simcoe-Grey:

Here's hoping he plays acoustic and sings eight minute power ballads!

Speaking of which, here is my favourite Dave Matthews songs lately:

Christmas Confession

You know all those people who go to the mall and curse the Christmas music blaring from every store sound system? I am not one of those people.  I love Christmas music.  I hate being at the mall in December, but it is not because of the music.  The music I like.

This year I am filling the house with Christmas cheer via internet radio.  John let me know about something called SHOUTcast, and it has an entire page of Christmas radio stations.  The one that I keep returning to is called Christmas Melody.  It is a crazy mix of songs that will transition from Elvis to NSync to The Andrews Sisters to Pavarotti to John Denver. It also includes comedy songs and original classics - it is fabulous and I have been playing it non-stop.

Listening to Christmas songs all day makes me think about favourites.  Jingle Bells is pretty classic - it is catchy, fun to sing, and is full of memories of elementary school sing-a-longs.  What's not to like?  There are so many fun songs - Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, Holly Jolly Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Jingle Bell Rock - it is hard to choose the best, as there are so many that I like.  The following is a list of a few tracks I absolutely must hear over Christmas and some that I try to avoid altogether.

My Christmas Favourites:
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - The Pretenders
Baby it's Cold Outside - I like the Tom Jones + Cerys Matthews version, but any will do.
Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
Christmas Time is Here Again - The Beatles

My Least Favourite Christmas Songs:

12 Days of Christmas - Bob and Doug McKenzie -- The beer in a tree thing drives me nuts!
The Christmas Shoes - NewSong -- The worst of the worst.  Completely gag-worthy.
River - Joni Mitchell -- I actually love this song but I find it way too depressing for Christmas.

What are your favourite Christmas songs?  Which ones drive you crazy?

On the Road

I'm at my parent's place for a few days - involving myself in family events that will conclude with buffet lunch at Mandarin on Wednesday.  I am having a glorious relationship with food lately, where my cup has been continuously running over since about Halloween and I am indulging in every minute of it.  I might take a break from feasting after lunch on Wednesday - as I will have to resume this lifestyle at Christmas and I don't know if I can keep up the pace until then!

This multi-day visit to my Mom's is the first one where I didn't need to get someone to drop me off and pick me up.  I just drove my car over here and parked it.  When I am ready to leave, I will just drive it home.  It is a simple thing to be happy about, but I am still celebrating having a car of my own.

Which leads me to my "Going to Mom's Car Mix".  These are the tracks that will be taking me to and from my parents place.

Going to Mom's Car Mix

 1. F*ck You - Cee Lo Green
 2. Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
 3. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) - Pet Shop Boys
 4. Crash - Dave Mathews Band**
 5. Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
 6. Murder of One - Counting Crows
 7. Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) - Pet Shop Boys
 8. Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
 9. In Your Eyes (live) - Peter Gabriel
10. Home and Dry - Pet Shop Boys
11. You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor and Carole King
12. Sail Away - David Gray
13. Alejandro - Lady Gaga
14. September - Earth, Wind, & Fire
15. Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
16. Pendulums - Sarah Harmer

**While listening to the mix in the car, I realized it was a little unnerving to sing along to the lyrics "crash into me."  Version 2.0 of this mix would replace 'Crash' with '#41' (also by Dave Matthews Band). 

My First Car - The Official Mega Mix

I am a rather sentimental person and I have been waiting to go for a substantial drive in the new car until I had the proper mix.  This is a major event in my life - it must be honoured with music.  I have also never had a CD Player in a vehicle before, so a killer mix is also required to mark the occasion of my technological advancement.

Songs were selected based on theme (cars, traveling), certain words (driving, miles, road, etc.,) or if I have a specific memory with the song relating to driving (i.e. the song was featured in a movie where someone was driving).  I think it is a stellar mix and am excited to go for a spin with this soundtrack!

First Car Mix

 1. Drive My Car - The Beatles
 2. Cars - Gary Numan
 3. Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane
 4. Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News
 5. Kings Highway - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
 6. Take it Easy - The Eagles
 7. End of the Line - Traveling Wilburys
 8. Helen Wheels - Paul McCartney and Wings
 9. King of Wishful Thinking - Go West
10. Get Out of My Dreams, Get into My Car - Billy Ocean
11. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
12. Driving Rain - Paul McCartney
13. A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton
14. Groovin' - The Young Rascals
15. Cruisin' - Huey Lewis and Gywneth Paltrow
16. Drive - The Cars
17. One Headlight - The Wallflowers
18. Too Fast Driving - Lisa Loeb
19. Big Yellow Taxi - Counting Crows
20. Casey Jones - The Grateful Dead

Signs of Summer

I was making my turn into the grocery store parking lot earlier today, just as Journey's Don't Stop Believing came on the radio.  I parked the car and naturally had to delay my entrance into the store - there was a party happening in my car!  I belted out all the lyrics in the parking lot, enjoying a great song in gorgeous weather.  I am overjoyed that the summer temperatures are finally here!  Have a great long weekend everybody!

Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz

Both of these works have been on my mind lately.  And not because I think they go together in any sort of planned way.  Sure we tried pairing a muted Wizard of Oz with Dark Side of the Moon a few times in university (press play after the third lion roar!!), but I know full well that they don’t actually go together.  The rumor that Pink Floyd planned them to match up is just a well publicized example of our ‘pattern seeing ape’ nature.  It is easy to find a pattern when you are looking for it - trust me on this, I have a psychology degree!

I recently borrowed the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire from the library.  It sat on my coffee table for a few weeks before I could get into it, so I decided to watch the Wizard of Oz movie to get myself in the mood.  I hadn’t seen that film (without the Dark Side audio anyway) since I was a kid.  I could hardly remember any of the dialogue, even though I am sure I have seen it at least fifty times.  I largely forgot it was a musical, and the song the Lion sings before they meet with the Wizard is a little over the top.  Overall, though, for being made in 1939, the movie is still pretty fun. It got me pumped to start reading Wicked.  I am only a third of the way into the book, but so far I am really enjoying the social themes and Maguire’s take on the origins of the main characters.  My brother-in-law says that it has a different impact if you read the original Oz books (which I didn’t) but even without the prior framework, I am really enjoying where Maguire is going with this untold story.

A few weeks ago someone posted this awesome re-make of Dark Side of the Moon, all done with sounds from 8-bit video games.  Growing up in the ’80’s, I definitely recognize many of the sounds used, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching the whole album done this way.  This tribute reminded me how fond I am of Dark Side of the Moon, an album that I have listened to countless times over the years.

Last night I was home alone and I just happened to watch the Classic Albums: Dark Side of the Moon documentary.  If you haven’t seen it and you like Pink Floyd/Dark Side, check it out.  There is footage from when they were recording the album, along with some interesting commentary from band members, reflecting on the album thirty years later.  Immediately after watching the documentary, I put on my copy of Dark Side of the Moon, and listened to it on repeat three times in a row.  It is just one of those albums that doesn’t lose anything with repetition.  I have even listened to it a few times while writing this post.  I have a bit of an obsessive nature when it comes to music, so having an album on continuous repeat isn’t new for me, but I definitely have an extended appreciation for Dark Side of the Moon now, having seen the documentary.  I especially love Rick Wright, whose piano melodies define the album for me, and I was sad to learn he died a few years ago. I didn’t know his name until I watched the documentary, but he was definitely an integral part of what makes Dark Side of the Moon so memorable.

I absolutely love the timelessness of art.  Once it is out there, there it remains.  Even obscure bands and forgotten movies eventually find themselves on YouTube.  It doesn’t matter if you bought Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, or if you are just hearing it for the first time in 2010; whenever you want to listen, it will be there waiting for you.  The same goes for the Wizard of Oz.  I didn’t watch it until forty-five years after it’s release, and I was still able to watch it dozens of times as a kid.  It is only going to get easier for future generations to find and experience them too.  I hope that twenty-five years from now my nephew has a day where he re-watches the Wizard of Oz or really listens to Dark Side of the Moon.  I have a feeling they will still be as timeless as they are now.