50th Post!

I tried to post this yesterday, but thought I'd miscounted. I've re-re-re-recounted and this is for SURE the 50th post. It was confusing because I've got a few posts that haven't been posted. So there's still a chance this is only the 49th post, but I figure, either way, later today when I post the playlist, THAT will be the 50th post. Yay 50! WOOT!

It's interesting because in the last several weeks I realized just how far I've strayed from what this blog was built for. Originally I saw it as a sort of soapbox for opinions on politics, religion and spirituality, which are frequently on my mind. Back yonder, Jack McKinney suggested I post the playlist for my radio show online. At that point it all started to drift. One day I became quite tired of trying to think of something interesting to say about religion and politics and I spent a couple weeks just writing about music I really liked. Well, I took off down that road so far that I've since abandoned my humble beginnings. I'm still thinking about what to do with this, as interesting things have entered my mind, so I've considered starting another blog, or mixing up formats. I'm still undecided, and I don't care to admit how much thought I've actually put into this. I'm in school and should focus on other things. Anyway, today I thought I'd just share a number of recent musical discoveries, and some other interesting tidbits. The playlist and show will pop up later this afternoon. I've only just woken up today.

• Seattle's got a new band on the country scene, featuring musicians who's past is a little less twangy. Ghosts I've Met consists of Seattle-area musicians who have worked with Modest Mouse and Quasi, among many others. I really like their sound a lot and I'm hoping to catch them live at some point in the near future. You can hear two tracks on their website


• Jack White and Brendan Benson formed the Raconteurs and released a new single. Their website is quite clever, if not a little cheeky. You can listen to two songs there as well.


• As I've taversed this great web of ours I've learned of many a musical community hanging about. One did me a great favor, by providing some out of print music for me. Rhapsodical is an online group that talks about and shares music. I've been poking around there lately to get an idea. There's mp3s, there's votes, there's discussion and online merriment! What more could you want?


• Also worth noting, I've recently come across two new music blogs that have provided me with some great music. I Guess I'm Floating and Watch Out For Snakes are both worth checking out. Watch Out For Snakes is where I became aware of yesterdays Petra Haden goodness.


• Every so often I do a show on KWVA called One Band / One Hour. The title should be sufficient explanation. In the past I've played Andrew Bird, Iron & Wine and The Beach Boys (1967-1974). I had indicated that I might do a vote of some kind to decide what my next show would be, because I was indecicive. Well, erm... I changed my mind. It's going to be Petra Haden. Obviously yesterday's events played a large role in this, and again thanks to our friends at Rhapsodical and Watch Out For Snakes for their lovely contributions. Sorry Jack. No Masonna for you. Actually, let's be absolutely clear. There will doubtful ever be a Masonna hour. It's just not my bag man.


• A little secret some of you that I have only met online may not know. My secret identity is that of a journalism student at the University of Oregon. I intern at The Tri-County News, a rural newspaper north of Eugene. It's a lot more interesting than it really sounds. The other night, I am told, the local news station ran a story about some legal issues surrounding a poker tournament at a tavern outside of Monroe. I am told by one of the staff at the paper, though I cannot confirm this directly myself, that the news story essentially read my story word for word on the air coupled with some footage they took. I'm not really sure whether to be offended or flattered. For the moment I think it was pretty unethical of them, but I think it was kind of cool to be plagiarized. Another local paper, which is much larger, is also covering the story. It's nice to see those stories, because the writer from that paper has a different style altogether, so we're really writing very different stories despite them being the same topic.