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Tag: Music

May 16, 2014

Goose Bump Songs

00000000000000000 Music MoonMusic has always meant a lot to me. Growing up in Minneapolis, our summer baby sitter always had music in the back ground playing on the radio. This was just before the turn of the decade towards 1980. Then in Junior High I decided to take up the guitar and was even part of a pretty successful rock band. While the band ultimately dissolved when I moved from Minnesota to Arizona, the music stayed with me like the blood in my veins. This afternoon I was thinking about all the really emotional songs that give me goose bumps. While the list could be very long, I will only share a few (in no particular order).

1. Dust in the Wind – Kansas. This has always seemed to be on the top of my list. Mostly because I am an existentialist by nature and really relate to the song’s meaning. It doesn’t hurt that Kansas always seems to sing it drooling with emotion.

2. Me and a Gun – Tori Amos. I remember seeing her in a concert in Eugene in a very small venue with about 300 people. This was before she got really big in the states. When she sang this song with nothing but her voice all three hundred people were blown away and there was not a dry eye in the crowd.

3. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen. This is one of those songs that was amazingly written but almost seems a little better when sung by other musicians. It has obviously spoke to more artists that I can even think to remember. It speaks volumes to the song’s brilliance. Very few professional musicians can sing this song without tear dripping emotion. John Kale’s seems like the most classic cover so that is the one I have included in the link.

4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. This is one of those songs that is great on its own merit but when it is sung by IZ it’s unbearably touching. He brings it to an emotional pinnacle that’s so magical I can’t even begin to understand how he does it.

5. Angie – The Rolling Stones. Funny enough I actually rediscovered this song after hearing Tori Amos’ cover years ago. I still love the original and have included it here.

I could go on and on, and after I post this I am sure I will think of others that are just as good if not better. If you feel so inclined, leave a comment about your Goose Bump Songs.

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September 23, 2013

Who is in your DNA?

Have you ever had something, someone, or some experience that was so core to you growing up that it became part of your DNA? While there are many for me, one that sticks out most recently is the band from Minneapolis called The Suburbs. I grew up idolizing this group like a high pitch screaming girl at a Beatles concert. I saw them multiple times in concert and even started playing their songs in my own rock band. The first song my Junior High rock band learned was Number 9 by The Suburbs. While we were relatively new to playing music together, I remember learning this song to be extremely difficult. We ultimately pulled it off but it never really sounded like I had hoped. It’s as if we were playing this song like a monkey puppet with too many strings.

What got me thinking of my childhood and how this band impacted it was their post on Facebook of an upcoming concert in New York City. Despite the death of one previous member and the retirement of another, they had enough gumption to revive The Suburbs six stringed defibrillator. They hustled on Kickstarer and were able to raise just over $73,000. Even though they will never quite be the classic band I grew up listening to with a jubilus ear, I am so excited to see them back and revving again like a Harley engine.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend checking out their web site and maybe even buying their new CD Si Sauvage. I have to say that this plug is totally self serving as I am hoping they will regain popularity enough to make a trip down to my neck of the woods. What have you got to lose except a few minutes that you would probably lose anyway surfing a very flat internet wave.

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