I'm Still Here

So..yeah..it's been awhile but I'm still here.  So many things have happened in the 4 years since I've been here.  I've started and quit 2 jobs and now work at my dream job.  I've gone through depression after a difficult break up and now couldn't be any happier with the man I'm with now.  I still live in the same place but I'm currently going through the process of buying a house.  I've traveled to new places in my home state as well as across the country.  I've also lost loved ones while friends and family have had babies.  It's been a roller coaster but at the same time it's just been everyday life.  No matter the ups and downs, life carries on and continues to move forward.  I've gone from my 20s to my 30s.  I've transitioned from young adult to full on adult.  I'd like to share some of my life changes as they happen which means that this blog may go in a different direction than what I had initially intended.  But you know what, that's just the way life goes.  I'm clearly on a different path than I was 4 years ago.  It's hard to really plan your life to a T.  Life is supposed to be unpredictable and exciting and interesting and at times boring.  I still love music, movies and sports and will still talk about them.  But they don't entirely define me and won't entirely define this blog.  It seems like it's been an eternity but it really hasn't been that long.  It's only been 4 years.  But through it all, I'm still here.  Stay tuned.

Putting the nut in Nutini

Last week I had the chance to see Paolo Nutini at the House of Blues in Boston. He's a 21 year old singer/songwriter from Scotland. I thought that he put on a great show with a mix of songs from his 2 studio albums. The newest record has a more upbeat sound than the previous one but you can still hear a lot of the same influences in his music. He definitely brings a lot of soul and blues to both the music and the lyrics similar to the Motown sounds of the 60s. He sings like someone well beyond his young age. Some of the new songs incorporate more instrumentation to bring out a sound reminiscent of New Orleans jazz.

The band that played with him, The Vipers, were clearly having a lot of fun also. When you can see that the people on stage are having fun then you can't help but have fun yourself. Paolo and the band came out ready to play from beginning to end and it was evident that he was also playing for the crowd. He interacted with them and moved around on the stage and, when he sang, you could see the emotion in his face that really brought the songs to life.

Luckily, when he sang, he was easy to understand because when he spoke between songs he was almost indecipherable. His Scottish brogue is so thick and he was drinking throughout the set also. There were also a few annoying people in my area that distracted me from the show off and on but every show has people like that and they are hard to avoid. But other than that the show was great and I would recommend him to anyone.

A New Kind of Plague

A couple of months ago, I received a tweet from an up and coming solo artist from Milford, CT named Sean Fournier telling me to download his album for free. So, I decided to check it out. I mean, it’s free, right? Why not? Well…his music was streaming on his site and I thought that the songs were rather catchy and I already found myself tapping my fingers and humming along. Even though, I could have downloaded Oh My, his FREE album, I decided to order a physical copy of the CD instead. Even in this age of electronic media and music downloads, there’s just something about holding a CD in your hands and I love it. I only had to pay the cost of shipping which was still an unbelievable deal.

I’ve listened to the disc quite a bit now and have become a fan. He is a singer/songwriter with an upbeat acoustic/pop sound. (Great to listen to on a sunny day.) The last song, “Holding the Hand of a Hurricane”, sounds a bit different from the rest of the EP. It has more of an electronic tone to it and sounds a little darker but, at the same time, it still seems to go. It almost has the feel of a song that would be a bonus or hidden track. It doesn’t exactly fit with the rest of the songs but it’s too good to leave off.

What I find to be impressive about Sean Fournier is that he is marketing himself on his own. He is taking advantage of every social networking outlet on the internet and he’s doing it well. The fact that he is giving his music away for free makes it easier for people to listen and share his music with their friends. Word of mouth and the internet can be amazing tools and the theme across his website is to “Spread it like the Plague.” One quick glance at his Facebook page and you can see that it is working. His music has spread from Milford, CT all the way to Europe and Asia.

Here is a video of him playing “Falling For You” from his FREE album. Also, I recommend checking out the video for “What I Must Do” which you can find on his website and on YouTube.




Download the FREE album here
http://www.sean-fournier.com/ohmy

A Salute

This is just a salute to two of the greats that have passed away this year. Dom DeLouise and Michael Jackson...together.



Mel Brooks' movies are some of my all time favorites. And all of those movies had a memorable character played by the great Dom DeLouise. Pizza the Hut from Spaceballs is one of my personal faves.

And of course...Michael Jackson...an outstanding performer. He may very well have been one of the original pop and lockers. I hope to learn the Thriller dance some day but there is no way that I'll ever be able to do the robotic moves of MJ. He was already a master over 30 years ago!

An All New Rock Box

“When was the last time you fell in love with a new artist or song?” http://www.pandora.com/corporate/

This is the motivation behind Pandora® Internet Radio. Many people are already familiar with this website and are listening to it on a regular basis. The great thing about this website is that you can create and customize your own radio stations. I have about 7 or 8 different stations so far that I have created. You can create a station around a song, artist, or genre. As each song plays, you can say whether or not you like it or dislike it and your station will become more and more customized from there.

The thing that I think is great about it is that I am discovering so many new artists. Those that know me know that I don’t always listen to what is super popular on standard radio stations. And when I do listen to them, I usually only like about half the songs that are being played. But with Pandora®, I have stations that only play songs that I want to hear.

I’ve created a good mix of stations too. (At least I think so.) So, depending on my mood or the day, or just whatever, I have a great station to listen to. I can listen to reggae, hardcore, singer/songwriters, and old school hip-hop.

I love this website so much that I’ve even got the app on my Blackberry® so that I can listen to my stations everywhere I go. As I talk about new music, this will be the backbone to alot of my research. So…if you haven’t checked this site out, I highly recommend it! It rocks!

http://www.pandora.com

Let's Begin

I'm starting this blog as a way for me to discuss some of my favorite things...music, movies, and sports. I may, now and then, talk about other points of interest that may spark my interest also.

Music: I love coming across new artists, or artists that may be new to me. I also think that the music that I listen to can also be autobiographical in a way. Music is so universal that I hope that the messages that I will try to convey will come across and I understand that what I think is great may not always appeal to everyone. I am open to any comments and suggestions because I am always learning and discovering.

Movies: My favorite movies are comedies, usually the dumber the better. If you want to have a good laugh you really need to step out of your comfort zone and appreciate the completely ridiculous.

Sports: Since I am a New Englander, I love all Boston sports teams. We have been very lucky in recent years to have some success with our teams. But, in addition to following my teams, I am also a fan of sports in general.

So, in a nutshell, that is what you can expect in the Pipeline.