Happy New Year 2011!

Well, it's official: 2011 is upon us. Looking back, 2010 was actually quite a great year for music. It may be because I was back to doing what I love, having a show and being the DJ.
I was generally very excited for all the releases. I have put together a little list of my favorite albums of 2010:
1)Contra-Vampire Weekend. These guys really knocked me out again w/ the release of their sophmore album. I really loved their first album but this is my new favorite. I can't really stop playing it yet!
2) The Union-Elton John and Leon Russell. I was pretty excited to hear that Elton wanted to honor Leon, whom inspired him to stick with his piano playing. He wanted us to remember a lost, great session musician who didn't make it past the seventie's. This was the result of their duet and I must say that it's an excellent cd and the title fits it so well...two people coming together.
3) She and Him Vol. 2-She and Him. I loved the first album and was hoping they would have a follow-up and to my surprise, they did. I can't decide whether I like this one better or not.
4)As I call you down-Fistful of Mercy. I didn't know what to expect from this album, which was made in only 3 days. It absolutely blew me away! It's a supergroup featuring Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper, and Joseph Arthur.
5) The Suburbs-Arcade Fire. So I'm a bit late coming into the Arcade Fire game, but I really enjoyed this one a lot and listened to it all the way through several times.
6) Doo woops and Holligans-Bruno Mars. I learned of Bruno Mars when he first guest spotted on Travie McCoy's "Billionaire." I actually liked him better and decided I needed to know more about him.
7) Sea of Cowards-The Dead Weather. At first Jack White's group w/ Allison Mosshart took some getting used to. In fact, I thought the first cd was a little bizzare. Then, I listened to this and something clicked. I got it. I think 'Hustle and Cuss' might just be my favorite track!
8) Band of Joy-Robert Plant. Since I've become a huge Led Zeppelin fan, I wasn't expecting this to be as good as Led Zep. I was wrong! I didn't know what to expect from a cd of covers featuring traditional style music with folk and celtic roots but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm still singing "Angel Dance!"
9) Valleys of Neptune-Jimi Hendrix. First of all, to think Hendrix has been dead for over forty years and is STILL putting out albums! I rushed out to buy this after reading a rolling stone article. It's a fantastic album full of rare cuts, never-before released songs, and a super long jam on the Cream classic, 'Sunshine of Your love.'
10) Echoes-The Morning Benders. I first knew nothing of this group. Then I discovered their covers project and the rest was history. I love this album because it sounds very sixties and the band says that they were inspired by Phil Specter's wall of sound.
11) Lungs-Florence and the Machine. Great new act! Florence Welch has an amazing voice and I never tire of hearing this cd.
12) Emotion and Commotion-Jeff Beck. Wonderful guitar god and good album featuring Joss Stone doing a great take on 'I put a spell on you.'
13) See my Friends-Ray Davies. I was worried about this album since I thought it would be like the Santana one....an album with a lot of good names, but unnecessary covers. I was so wrong! These Ray Davies/Kinks covers are reimagined and made relevant again. Billy Corgan does a great job as well as Metallica!

Best Remasters: There always seems to be older albums getting new treatment, here are the better ones!
1) Double Fantasy-John Lennon/Yoko Ono
2) Band on the Run-Paul McCartney/Wings
3) Darkness on the Edge of Town-Bruce Springsteen
4) West Coast Seattle Boy-Jimi Hendrix
5) The Witmark Demos-Bob Dylan
6) Exile on Main Street-The Rolling Stones
7) Live at Leeds-The Who
8) Come and Get it-The Best of Apple Records
Honorable Mentions-Artists w/ albums I enjoyed that didn't make the 'best-of' list:
1) John Legend and the Roots
2) Duffy
3) The Black keys
4) Kings of Leon
5) The Black Eyed Peas
6) Sarah Bairelles
7) Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
8) Katy Perry
9) Lady Gaga
10) Cee-Loo Green
11) Michael Jackson
12) Taylor Swift
13) Mumford and Sons
14) Rhianna
15) Muse
16) Ratatat
17) KT Tunstall
18) Ringo Starr
19) The Constant
20) Gorillaz
21) Imelda May

Artists I didn't 'get':
1) Brandon Flowers
2) Chromeo
3) Nikki Minaj
4) Travie McCoy
5) Kesha
6) Adam Lambert

Undecided:
1) Jay-Z
2) Eminem
3) Pink
4) Sleigh Bells
5) Kayne West
6) Kate Nash
7) Janelle Monae
8) Brian Wilson
9) Weezer


Worst Albums or Albums that bummed me out:
1) Guitar Heavean-Santana
2) Mojo-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3) I'm having fun now-Jenny and Johnny

Albums I never got around to:
1) Mean old Man-Jerry Lee Lewis
2) Hight Violet-The National
3)Congratulations- MGMT
4) Clapton-Eric Clapton
5) Le Noise-Neil Young
6) No Better than this-John Mellencamp

Celebrity American Idol

So my uncle and I were having a conversation about American Idol if there were a celebrity version and who would be in it. Now the rules are simple-1) They can either be dead or alive 2)They cannot be a collective or a band 3)Can be members from a band 4)Can play a musical instrument but must be able to sing. 4)Must have made an overall contribution to musical history. 5)Can be of any genre/era/etc.
Our list was narrowed down to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Elvis, the two girls from Abba, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Celine Dion, Tom petty, Janis Joplin, and George Harrison (I had to fight for this one, George is such a dark horse.)
Now I think that's a good list but in my personal list without my uncle they would be as follows: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Elvis, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, and Robert Plant.
Then we said that John and Paul would probably verse each other but would both lose to Elivs.
He also asked me to pick between John and Paul and I said George. Lol. I like to go to him with this question but I did come to a conclusion. I think I would say John just because of the song "Imagine" because it is so widely known and loved. Yeah Paul is great in his own right and has songs that are just as big as "Imagine" but that was my criteria. I think John and Paul would tie.
The other ones up for consideration for our "celebrity" American Idol were Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Steve Perry from Journey, Jim Morrison(My uncle said he was too out there), Neil Diamond(too Jewish-I actually had to laugh), Mick Jagger(too sexual-lol), Roger Daltrey(Not good enough to make it past the first round, ouch), Brian Wilson, Eric Clapton(more of a guitar god and not a singer-actually agreed),Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder.
All in all, it was a weird conversation and I want to write into Fox to suggest a celebrity American Idol but I know that many of these people are already huge stars and really don't need that show.
We literally talked about it for 3 hours! It was quite the debate.

Paul McCartney wins awards. YEAY!

It seems Sir Paul has been busy these days by doing what else but..winning awards!
Now Paul already has gotten a knighthood, grammy's, lifetime acheivement awards (that make him sound dead), and a membership into the hall of fame twice so what else does this man need?
An honorary doctorate of course! Paul received his honororary doctorate from Yale University in music.
Yale believes that Paul "awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock n' roll and rhythm and blues."
In his speech, Yale president Richard Levin said, "Here, there, and everywhere, you have pushed the boundaries of the familiar to create new classics. We admire your musical genius and your generous support of worthy causes."
Well said! It is true that McCartney said that if he hadn't been in the Beatles he wouldv'e like to have been a teacher. After all, he did start Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts (LIPA) on the grounds of his and George's old school AND he occasionally teacehs there! I guess we should start calling him Dr. McCartney, eh?

ALSO...Paul won the sexiest smile award!Here he shows off his skills:



Here Paul demonstrates on how to keep those pearly whites of his clean.

HOT!

Online music radio

Hello! Okay, so I'm excited that this is my first post EVER. There should be like celebrations in the streets. It took me a few days to get a post up because somehow my blog was locked due to how blogger thought I was a spam blog. Nope, not this cute stuff.
Lately, I have become obsessed with an online radio station. If any music junkies like me are getting sick or bored of their same old music, try pandora!
Just go to pandora.com and sign up. Once you become a member, you can put in your favorite artist and it'll make a station out of that artists and similar artists that sound like them. My first station, of course, was Beatles radio. It gave me such artists as Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Queen, Cream, and the Doors. I also made stations for the Doors, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and the Who.
The other way to add stations is to go looking through the different generes. I picked classic rock, electric blues, and indie/alt. My FAVORITE station, however, is one that I share with my brother Matt. It's a rock n' roll station that plays all of this obscure music from like the 60's and stuff. There's lots of Velvet Underground. When you share a station, you can take it over as your own or keep it shared, which I did. It's cool because my brother picked some of the music that plays.
When you create any station, you can vote if you like it and it'll play that artist and similiar artists to that. If you don't like it, it won't play that SONG again.
Now it's terrible because I can't stop listening to it and my musical tastes are becoming more expansive than they were.
Go check it out at www.pandora.com
It's so much fun!