Summer Concert Dance Card

In terms of music, my summer is packed with concerts. And if the first 3 shows are any indication, my summer is going to pretty epic.

Thanks to a Goldstar email offer, I got a last-minute ticket to The Dukes of September ~ Michael McDonald (the Doobie Bros.), Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) and Boz Scaggs. On the Jimmy Fallon show, they covered one of my favorite songs "I'll Be Good To You" by the Brothers Johnson. That was enough to sell me. Their set was a mix of covers - rock, blues, R&B - and several of their individual hits. My thoughts:

• Michael McDonald should sing background vocals on every song to be recorded. He is THAT awesome.
• Donald Fagen is incredibly electric to watch onstage. During Kid Charlemagne, he really came alive and his presence was so commanding. He's absolutely brilliant.
• I expected Boz Scaggs to sing Lowdown and Lido Shuffle. He did Lowdown. He did not do Lido Shuffle. How does Boz Scaggs NOT DO LIDO SHUFFLE?! Pfft. He DID sing my favorite Boz song - Miss Sun - so I cut him some slack. Later, he did this insane cover of a Teddy Pendergrass song Love TKO. All was forgiven.
• I would love love LOVE to be a back-up singer for this group.

Friday night had me driving out to the middle of nowhere to catch an amazing double-bill ~ Squeeze and the B52s. As much as I love San Diego, the surrounding areas scare the crap outta me. This Harrah's Rincon Casino is an oasis in the midst of a stark, depressing town. After winding roads, no stop lights and a thisclose to three hour drive, I arrived. 

The B52s were awesome! Start to finish, it was a dance party ~ 52 Girls, Mesopotamia, PLANET EFFING CLAIRE, Whammy Kiss (which I've NEVER seen performed live). The crowd was loving it! Sadly, the casino told people the B52s were up after Squeeze, so loads of people missed the set. We were singing and dancing. It was a great time.

Saturday night, I saw the same double-bill, but closer to home. The Greek is one of my favorite venues - outdoors, great seats, good vibe but the stacked, ripoff parking is horrible. This time, Squeeze opened the show. I LOVE these guys ~ Glenn was jovial and chatty, Chris was happy and dance-y, Stephen, Simon and JB were their usual exuberant, fun selves. They played 3 new songs - Tommy, Top of the Form and Honey Trap. Just like R. Kelly says, after the show, it was the after-party. It was crowded, chock full o'people who were somebody. Or, not. I loved watching these people push their way through for face-time with the bands. Knowing everyone in the room wants face-time, too, some people just did not move on, choosing to hold tight to the moment. A girl with a beach ball asked Cindy Wilson to sign it, but the pen didn't work. The girl asked this guy with a stack of CDs and LPs if she could borrow his pen for Cindy to sign. Dude said no. Really, dude? Whoa. Girl was stunned. Cindy grabbed a pen, signed the beach ball and the girl left happy. SO interesting watching the interrupted conversations, the calculating movements, the eyes darting, stopping, dismissing. A guy leaned over to me "So, who do you know?" I stuck out my hand, introduced myself. "I know you." Luckily, he walked away as Glenn came over to say hello. I said my hellos to all, collected hugs, had lovely chats then decided I'd had enough. I collected one more hug, said my goodbyes and limped up the hill to my car with a smile on my face, lovely words in my ears and a heart full of love.

I doubt any other concert this summer will be as up-close and personal. And, I don't care.

NEXT!

"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music."

Nothin' But a Good Time!

I've worked in the entertainment industry for over ten years. I'm lucky to work at one of the most recognizable studios in the world. And, I'm lucky not to be jaded - walking on the lot still makes me giddy. 

In these ten years, I've had the chance to experience some incredible things - TV show tapings, an intimate tour of shooting locations for Blade Runner with Ridley Scott, even a movie premiere. But, last Friday night was THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE EVER!

A few weeks ago, I sent an email offering to work the Rock of Ages premiere. Honestly, I didn't expect a response. Secretly, you know I wanted one.

So, I waited. Patiently. (Hey - I'm a Taurus, we're patient people.)

And, I was rewarded. My name was on the staff list for the premiere and after party WITH POISON AND DEF LEPPARD. OMG OMG OMG OMG! Talk about giddy - was I ever! I had two assignments for the night - inside and outside. AND - we were to dress in 80s attire! Aww yeah! I mean, really. It's Rock of Ages! THE epitome of 80s rock - big hair, acid wash, neon jewelry and blue eye shadow. COME ON! 

I only had a week to come up with an outfit. Finally, I narrowed all my possibilities down to 2 options. All the while, I'm fretting about the night because it would be my first premiere - what could I expect? What would be expected of me? What do I do? What does all this mean?! Thank God for Liz and Karen! Both assured me, reassured me and answered all of my silly questions. Beyond that, both were excited by how giddy and excited I was to attend. And, they helped with my outfit.

Fast forward to premiere day - a lot of Aqua Net and a lot of blue eye shadow. Ai yi yi! I wore my English Beat Special Beat Service t-shirt, black lace mini skirt, tights and black motorcycle boots. My hair was slicked back on one side, the other side hanging down over my eye. I wore a gorgeous orange/red eye shadow with blue eye liner that extended out to my hairline. Oh yeah. I rocked that look on one eye. I also wore one earring. Dude, I was kinda rad.

Inside the theater, I was nervous. David walked me around, showed me the sections and tried to calm me down. Once the soundtrack started, I was totally fine - I just sang, rocked it out. It was fun and we all were there for a good time, so I had one.

I think it's awesome to see movie stars. On only two occasions have I been the "loud obnoxious give me your attention" girl - the time I saw the Ocean's 11 cast playing shirts versus skins basketball (::thud::) and when I saw Ryan Gosling last week (::thud:: #2). Other than that, I'm "Hey, look" and the end.

But...put me with musicians? Oh, my. It's a different story! This theater was filled with 'em. I wanted to tell Lita Ford how she inspired me to be courageous. I wanted to explain to Kevin Cronin exactly what I felt when I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time with Roll With the Changes blaring. I wanted to yell at Debbie Gibson for throwing away the roses my friend gave to her. Segments of my life were represented in that room. I wanted to address each one. I wanted to thank or yell or hug and relive each one.

At the after party, I handled a table - making sure the guests had what they needed. I was pretty damn close to the stage. I was pretty damn close to tears. When Poison came out, all I could do was dance. So, I danced away from the table. The band ran through six classic songs - so much fun! I love it when I know all the words :)

Then, Riki Rachtman came onstage. My 15 year-old self started to shriek and yell - It was starting...

WE CAN'T STAND WAY BACK HERE! MOVE MOVE MOVE!

OK OK OK! We will. We will.

Gunter glieben glauchen globen

ALRIGHT!

My teenaged self took over at that precise moment. And, we moved right on down, in front of Vivian Campbell and Rick Savage, to the side of Joe Elliott. ::swoon:: 

Def Leppard ran through six songs ~ Rock of Ages, Hysteria, Foolin', Bringin' on the Heartbreak, Armageddon It and, of course, Pour Some Sugar On Me. Holy crap! I danced and screamed and sang and screamed and enjoyed the whole thing! It was amazing. They were so incredible! I am trying to find adequate words...I can't.

I tried to hold onto the night...did the best I could...but it ended. I know other premieres and after parties won't be like this one. That's okay. I am so ridiculously grateful to have been there, done that.

Birthday Tour

For the past several years, the English Beat has played a show on or around my birthday. I've flown to Sacramento, driven to San Luis Obispo, and spent weekends down in Solana Beach just to see my favorite band for my birthday. When I checked their schedule for 2012, nothing was on the calendar; no worries, something would be added.

Rewind: Summer Tour 2010. Squeeze and the English Beat tour together for 2 weeks. And, so was I. My days were filled with travel and friends. My nights were filled with songs from my high school days. I danced onstage, backstage, side stage and in front of the stage, singing every word to every song by both bands. I had the time of my life! And now...

It's Summer Tour 2010 again! Squeeze *and* the English Beat *and* I will be rippin' and rockin' the east coast at the end April, the week leading up to my birthday! Woo hoooo! What a way to turn 45 :)

I am so freakin' excited! It's going to be amazing and incredible and soooo much fun! How could I be depressed about turning 45 with THIS on my horizon?!

It's Leap Blog Day!

Today is Leap Blog Day ~ hooray! I have invited the very funny and very lovely Kelly from Southern Fried Children to leap from her blog to mine. So, after you read her guest post, click on over and give her blog some love. And, without further ado, please welcome Kelly!

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(Thank you, Rissa – for allowing me to guest on your blog. One of my favorite things about you is your passion for music. So I knew I had to write something musical for you. I took it old school!)

Soundtrack

There became a pattern to my afternoons: Off the school bus, rush down the block, stop abruptly at the end of the driveway, tear open the mailbox. Stare dejectedly. It hadn’t come.

Days went by and if I asked my mother once I asked her a thousand times, “When do you think it will be here?”

“They said four to six weeks, honey. It’s been 10 days.”

I had seen the advertisement during Saturday morning cartoons. I was already in a musical mood, rocking out to Josie & the Pussycats, and when the commercial came on, the sound stopped me dead in my tracks.

Donna Summer.

If ever a white bread, seven year old Southern kid could will herself into the super glam, mega-afro’d, stunning Queen of Disco, it was me. Only twenty years and unfortunate genetics separated who I was on the outside, and who I longed to be on the inside.

I ran all the way to the kitchen, repeating the number.

800-555-7878

800-555-7878

Digging through the junk drawer, looking for a pencil. There’s never a pencil in here! And finally, scribbling the number on an envelope with the tiny stub of a purple crayon.

800-555-7878

“Mom! Please can I order it? Please? I saved money from my birthday and I’ll do extra chores and wash your car! Anything you want! Please?”

My mother was not a fan of disco. She had been, at one time, until my father made her trade in her Bee Gee albums and platforms for George Jones and a giant belt buckle. The final straw had been an incident involving a too-tight feathered headband and momentary loss of consciousness. Still, she acquiesced.

I don’t know that I have ever before or ever since anticipated something as much as the arrival of that 12 x 12 inch cardboard sleeve full of vinyl magic.

Finally, it arrived.

It was a Saturday morning when the mailman came to the door and I heard the words – “C.O.D.” I ran to my room and carefully opened my jewelry box and extracted the $12.99 plus shipping and handling, and ran back to the door. I handed over the cash, sweaty from my palms, and took delivery of the package.

It was the first piece of mail I’d ever received with just my name on it.

It was the first album I had ever purchased with my own money.

I raced back to my room, carefully unwrapped it, and marveled at the most singularly awesome piece of cover work I’d ever seen.

I don’t know how long I stared at the cover. I would revisit it time and again, wondering – what did it mean? Looking at those static bodies, all big boobs and leisure suits, knowing that if I stared long enough, they’d start moving. How can you look like that and not move your body? How can you listen to something by a band called ‘Natural Juices’ and not want to shake it?

I pulled the album from the sleeve and blew gently across the surface. I was careful to hold it only on the sides, like my dad had shown me. Onto the record player, the switch flipped, and it began to spin. Slowly, carefully, tentatively, with a wildly beating heart and shaking hands, I lowered the needle.

FRIDAY! Ba da da dum, da dum! – thank God it’s FRIDAY!

It was amazing, it was perfect, it was disco.

Christmas Songs

Christmas music has been playing since October and I am sick of it.

However, there are 2 Christmas songs I can tolerate:

NaBloPoMo 11.10 - Girl Panic!

FINALLY!

Duran Duran shot a video for their song Girl Panic! in June at the Savoy Hotel in London. There's been so much talk on Twitter ~ every fan thinking she's so clever using the title to describe how they're feeling about the debut of the video.

The video premiered last night to a select few at the Harper's Bazaar event. And, this morning, it was made available to the fans!

Without further ado, please enjoy the musical stylings of the 5 Supers and Duran Duran!

note: the 4 Durans look absolutely gorgeous. I mean stunning. Be still my heart.

NaBloPoMo 11.7 - Do You Hear What I Hear?

Inspired by Kelly's post "Misunderstood" over at Southern Fried Children, today's post celebrates misheard lyrics!

Kelly's daughter misheard the chorus of the Joni Mitchell/Counting Crows song "Big Yellow Taxi" - fucking lot...parking lot. I get it.

I heard honest I see you instead of 'our lips are sealed.' My friend, Karen, thought Van Halen sang pray to god instead of 'Panama' - seriously. My sister firmly believed Janet Jackson exclaimed Lady Accolade! in the middle of 'Escapade'. She wouldn't accept that Miss Jackson said Minneapolis! - "Ew, no. Why would she say that?!" Uh...maybe because she recorded the album IN Minneapolis.

Do you know the song 'Summer Breeze' by Seals and Crofts? No, of course not. You're too young. Whatever. Anywhoo...

That song irritates the hell outta me! Because, this is what *I* hear:

Summer breeze makes me feel fine. Don't let me hear the jazz man in my mind.

However, this is what I'm told is correct:

Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Huh? Whaaa? Jasmine. Blowing through your mind. Psh. As if. When does THAT happen? Huh? When? Why would a summer breeze blow jasmine through your mind AND make you feel fine?Pfft. I reject that totally.

On the other hand (read: correct), summer breeze...blowing...la la la...feeling fine...la la la...don't let that jazz man start playing - I don't wanna hear it! I just want to sit...feeling fine...la la la. Am I right? Are you with me?!

Share your misheard lyrics in the comments.

NaBloPoMo 11.4 - In a Girl Panic!

**I would like to wish my dear friend, Aly, a very happy and most excellent birthday!**

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If Fraulein Maria were to ask me to list my favorite things, at the top would certainly be “a British man in a suit, singing.” Bryan Ferry, Squeeze, Tony Hadley & Spandau Ballet ~ mm hmm. One of my all-time favorites, of course, is Duran Duran.

I’ve loved DD since they hit America. At that time, I only knew their music. LA’s KROQ had Duran songs on heavy rotation. KROQ’s Rodney on the Roq talked about them; and beloved DJ, Richard Blade, talked to them. I wanted to know everything about Duran Duran!

My family was late to the cable TV craze. I had pen-pals write me, describing videos in great detail because I couldn’t see them for myself. When we finally got cable, MTV and I became one. There would be a blank VCR tape ready to capture Duran videos once I hit RECORD. I would stay up late on non-school nights, just watching videos or the video tape over and over again.

My love for Duran Duran never waned. It’s been 30 years. And, I must admit, the band has whipped me (and other Durannies) into a frenzy! We’re all ready for the new Girl Panic! video!

A track from their recent release All You Need Is Now, the guys in the band have given us few details about the glam video starring the original supermodels – Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen and Yasmin LeBon. Via Twitter, John Taylor shared some vague snapshots but gave no details. On Thursday, @duranduran shared ten (so far) video snippets, giving us a peek at the video. OMG! Durannies are about to burst at the seams! It’s like the guys opening with Before The Rain on their North America tour – it’s slow and sexy and takes you right there…then they hit the opening notes of Planet Earth to send you over the edge. What IS known? The girls play the guys in the band!

You can only see the videos via the links on the Duran Duran Twitter page (@duranduran). The video looks glam and sexy and very Duran Duran!

Monday, November 7 is the day the video will be world-premiered at a Harper’s Bazaar event. After that, I expect it to be all over You Tube and Twitter. Hope you get to see it!

Were you – or are you – a Duran Duran fan?

"Look now, look all around..."

Duran Duran brought their "All You Need Is Now" tour to the Nokia Theatre last week (9.27.11). It was incredible! I hooked myself up with a seat in the 3rd row of the pit. Awesome!


In a bold move, the band opened with a new, slow song "Before the Rain" and it really truly worked. But, we (all 7,100 of us) were ready to get our dance on.


And, the band did not disappoint.


They launched into an extended opening of Planet Earth. Awesome!


Simon and I sing together, I get my dance on and keep my eye on John Taylor. ::shiver:: 


Simon and I hit the chorus...This is planet earth, you're looking at planet earth
Bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop

John swings around, walks downstage, catches someone's eye and talks.

Uh...yeah...THAT WAS ME! 

Serious. The squealing girls behind me thought he knew me. I had to get confirmation from the girl next to me. "How exciting! He looked at you *and* talked to you!" Awesome!

Check the video...around 2:08 into it. Awesome!

Memories Fade but the Scars Still Linger

The other night at the Hollywood Bowl, I was harassed by the Bowl security guards and a couple of women. Four different guards on four separate occasions asked to see my ticket. I was sitting in the Pool Circle, right in front of the stage. In order to get to your seat, the ticket is scanned then your hand is stamped. No one gets in unless they're scanned and stamped. So, one by one, these guards ask for my ticket, check it, hassle me because my ticket was for Seat 4 and I was standing at Seat 1. Each time, I let the guard know there were 4 of us in the group and I was certainly in the right place. After the 4th, and only apologetic, guard left, a woman approached me. [Sidebar: all of this is happening during the Fixx's set. Oh so wrong!] OK, woman approaches me, "Hi, this is my first time at the Bowl." Great, I say. You picked a good show to see for your first time here. "So, is this how it works? You stand while everyone else is sitting?" I look around. While some are sitting, a lot of the Pool Circle people are standing...I mean, the Fixx is singing "One Thing Leads to Another" and why would you sit? I tell her I came to dance to the *four dance bands* so that's what I'll be doing. "You're forcing me to stand." No. I'm not forcing her to do anything. "Well, we can't see because you're standing up and others are sitting down." I tell her I came to dance and have a good time.  She says more things. I don't. She walks away. I keep dancing.

For the rest of the night, she and her friend(s) hurled insults at me. Psh. Whatever. I'm above that. But, I have to admit it was annoying. "Fat ass! Bitch! I think the B52s are onstage but I can't see!" And then she says it. The one name that hurts me more than any other.

She called me 'Lurch'.

To understand this, I have to go back to elementary school. A group of boys at Mountain View Elementary School tormented me relentlessly. They always seemed to find me on the playground. 'Jolly Green Giant' was the collective favorite. Innocently, I would counter that name with "I'm not even green!" which would cause much laughter. One day, the group found me and started the ritualistic teasing. One boy called me 'Lurch' and the collective laughed louder and harder than I'd ever heard. I had no idea what the word was or why it was so funny. Too bad I found out. That name stuck with me throughout elementary school and into part of the 7th grade.

When that grown-up mean girl called me 'Lurch' the other night, I had a physical reaction. I was going to throw up. I balanced myself against the chair to stop from trembling. Tears sprang to my eyes. I was in elementary school. Wow. I've said the word, I've heard the word, I've watched the show. But, when tossed at me, I couldn't get out of the way.

The rest of the show was spectacular ~ I danced and sang off-key and made new friends, who were sincerely supportive throughout the evening. I definitely got my money's worth. And those women got to see me enjoy myself. What was I supposed to do? I was supposed to do exactly what I did.

Janis Ian's 'At Seventeen' shuffled onto my iPod about 45 minutes ago. And I had a good cry. I just needed to get this out.

30-Day Song Challenge - The Whole Thing!

I filched this from Tracey ~ a friend who has exquisite taste in music.

Today begins my 30-day challenge...a SONG challenge, at that! I do believe this is perfect for me :)

And here we go...!

day 01 (3.09) - your favorite song - Sweet Sweet Baby by Lone Justice

day 02 (3.10) - your least favorite song - Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles

day 03 (3.11) - a song that makes you happy - Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon

day 04 (3.12) - a song that makes you sad - At Seventeen by Janis Ian

day 05 (3.13) - a song that reminds you of someone - What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Bros. (there are loads of these...the problem was how to choose just one...went with the one that elicited the strongest feeling & memory)

day 06 (3.14) - a song that reminds you of somewhere - Highway 5 by the Blessing

day 07 (3.15) - a song that reminds you of a certain event - I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys (as performed by Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms)

day 08 (3.16) - a song that you know all the words to - oh, not to brag, but the list of songs I know all the words to is quite long. So, I'm listing 2: Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang ~ the first song I remember learning all the words to. Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC ~ totally bragging because I know this song in sign language, too. Performed this with the ASL class I taught at Birmingham HS in Van Nuys.

day 09 (3.17) - a song that you can dance to - Geez! This, like day 08, could be a 30-day list unto itself. How in the world am I going to choose just one? Whenever I think of dancing, my first thought is the 2nd Friday Night Dances in Orange County with my girls from the tall club. We had some great times and forged wonderful relationships. So, for today, a song I can dance to: Dance With Me by Peter Brown, Dancing Queen by ABBA and Black Velvet by Alannah Miles.

day 10 (3.18) - a song that makes you fall asleep - Sweet Lullaby by Deep Forest.

day 11 (3.19) - a song from your favorite band - Tears of a Clown by the English Beat

day 12 (3.20) - a song from a band you hate - Run for the Hills by Iron Maiden :::ptooey:::

day 13 (3.21) - a song that is a guilty pleasure - Macarena by Los Del Rio. I'm serious.

day 14 (3.22) - a song that no one would expect you to love - Chances Are by Johnny Mathis

day 15 (3.23) - a song that describes you - no clue at all...(is that a song?)

day 16 (3.24) - a song that you used to love but now hate - every single song by the Ramones! Serious.

day 17 (3.25) - a song that you hear often on the radio - I don't listen to much radio anymore...but it seems to me Rihanna is on the radio ALL. THE. TIME.

day 18 (3.26) - a song that you wish you heard on the radio - I Want Your Hands On Me by Sinead O'Connor (featuring MC Lyte)

day 19 (3.27) - a song from your favorite album - Small Talk by Scritti Politti from their album Cupid & Psyche

day 20 (3.28) - a song that you listen to when you’re angry - Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine

day 21 (3.29) - a song that you listen to when you’re happy - Relight My Fire by Take That

day 22 (3.30) - a song that you listen to when you’re sad - Pieces of the Night by Gin Blossoms

day 23 (3.31) - a song that you want to play at your wedding - I Know You By Heart by Bette Midler + David Pack ~ it's on the Beaches soundtrack. Gah!

day 24 (4.1) - a song that you want to play at your funeral - Seasons of Love by the original Broadway cast of RENT ~ I want them there, at my funeral, singing.

day 25 (4.2) - a song that makes you laugh - I'm listing 3: The Earthquake Song by Little Girls, There's a Barbarian in the Back of My Car by Voice of the Beehive and the Fast Food Song by the Fast Food Rockers.

day 26 (4.3) - a song that you can play on an instrument - Face Down by Alpha Rev. (I play the stereo, so all songs in the history of songs can be played by me.)

day 27 (4.4) - a song that you wish you could play - the instrumental opening of Roundabout by Yes or the bass on Red Barchetta by Rush.

day 28 (4.5) - a song that makes you feel guilty - Guilty by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb (guilty of what, I have no idea)

day 29 (4.6) - a song from your childhood - Sweet Someone by Don Ho and Misty by Johnny Mathis (my mom and dad sing this together:) )

day 30 (4.7) - your favorite song at this time last year - Goodbye Girl by Squeeze ~ it was about this time last year I learned of Squeeze and the English Beat touring together. I couldn't get enough of Squeeze songs! This one stuck with me and nearly brought me to tears when I heard them perform on the first night of the tour.

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 8

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to: this list is ridiculously long as I pride myself on rockin' the lyrical knowledge. So, I'm listing two:

Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang ~ the first song I learned ALL the words to. Had it on vinyl, would write as much as I could gather, then lift the needle and put it back to the beginning until I had 'em all. Proud moment.

Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC ~ When I taught American Sign Language, one of my favorite lessons was having the kids learn their favorite songs in sign language. To this day, there are several songs I sign when heard on the radio. We'd learn the songs then perform for the school. It was such a fun time! I performed this song with some of my kids at an assembly ~ holds a special place in my heart.

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 7

a song that reminds you of an event ~ Spirit of 76 by the Alarm

reminds me of PhillyRocks 2009...a benefit concert for the Love Hope Strength Foundation (http://lovehopestrength.org/). It was a gorgeous night filled with phenomenal people, now friends, and awesome music. Cy Curnin, Glenn Tilbrook, Mike Peters, Nick Harper, Robin Wilson, James Stevenson...Shannon, Tracey, Tracy, Steve, Warren, Bill, Bob, Alex, Lily and Scot...this is for you oh my friends, oh my friends, oh my friends...

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 6

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere - Highway 5 by the Blessing. Oddly enough, it reminds me of my 1st trip to Philadelphia. And, the person I met.

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 5

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone - What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Bros.

Too many songs to choose from...so, I picked the one that elicited the strongest feeling and memory this morning.

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 4

day 04 - a song that makes you sad - At Seventeen by Janis Ian

There are loads of sad songs out there. There are very few songs that make me sad.

I've always been fascinated by this song because the story is familiar...I felt awkward and out of place and everything she sings about when I was 17 (and 13 and 15 and...)

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 3

day 03 (3.11) - a song that makes you happy - Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon

Reminds me of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in a Mazda Miata...sun shining...hair blowing in the wind...laughing...and listening to this song :)

30-Day Song Challenge - Day 2

day 02 (3.10) - your least favorite song - Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bangles

The 30-Day Song Challenge - Day 1

It's not really a challenge, per se.

It's a meme. It's a list.

And so today begins my 30-day challenge...a SONG challenge, at that! I do believe this is perfect for me :)

And here we go...!

day 01 (3.9) - your favorite song - Sweet Sweet Baby by Lone Justice

American Idol ~ Hello Top 13!

I haven't watched AI for about 3 years. The talent just wasn't up to par - in my opinion, Simon had become a characature and the new judges were just not interesting. And, I missed the "ooh whoa whoa."

The addition of J-Lo and Steven Tyler did not appeal to me, at first. However, throughout the audition process, nothing but good things were said about both. So, I started watching 'Hollywood Week.'

Saw some amazing and talented singers. Cringed and cried when some chick said she didn't know the Beatles. Cringed and cried once more when the top 24 were announced.

2 nights and 40 million votes later, we get our Top 13. dun dun dun!

Oh, wait ~ Steven Tyler in pink ruffled shirt and leather jacket? Yes, please.

Scotty ~ deep voice kid. Country singer. I'm out.

Jacob Lusk ~ God Bless the Child. Done. Over. The end. I'm IN!

Paul McDonald ~ the whitest teeth I've ever seen. His Beatles duet with Kendra (who didn't make it) was fantastic. I'm IN!

James ~ Judas. Priest. Hell. Yeah. I'm IN!

Casey ~ Stand up bass? Aww, yeah. I dig him all the way. I'm IN!

Stefano ~ Not as impressed as J-Lo. I'm out.

Lauren ~ isn't she 16 or something? I'm in.

Pia ~ I have no recollection of her singing. At all.

Thia ~ I dig her all the way. I'm in.

Ashton ~ got lucky with the Wild Card. She was good.

Karen ~ I knew she was in when she sang Mariah Carey's Hero in English and Spanish. She got the demographic right.

Naima ~ Steven loves her. My jury's still out.

Hayley ~ I got nothing.

I think the guys are strong in this season; wide variety of styles and appeal. I'm sure someone can (and will) say the same about the girls; just not impressed yet.

What say you?