Today, it's all about the music

...Planning concerts

...Downloading albums and single songs

...Obsessing over certain artists

This is what I've been up to lately. Music. It's all about the music. Here's what my late summer/early fall looks like:

July 19 - Barenaked Ladies

August 15 - Rob Thomas

August 22 - Beauty and The Beast (it's a musical, so it counts)

August 31 - Todd Carey (that's him in the photo)

September 4 - Green Day

October 1 - Train

October 14 - Third Day

And I'm still debating about a July 23 Adam Lambert concert as well as an August 26 date with Switchfoot and the Goo Goo Dolls.

This is why I have a job.

In the last couple of weeks I've downloaded a wide variety of tunes from several genres:

Revive - Blink (whole cd downloaded)

B.o.B - Airplanes (featuring Hayley Williams) and Nothin' on You (featuring Bruno Mars)

Green Day's American Idiot (The Original Broadway Recording) - actual CDs purchased!

Todd Carey - 41 (cover of Dave Matthew's Band) - this one was free! Thanks Todd!

Allison Iraheta - Don't Waste the Pretty (featuring Orianthi)

Aaron Fresh - Spending All My Time

Drake - Find Your Love

Muse - Neutron Star Collison (Love is Forever)

Todd Carey - Gotta be Next to You (featuring Amber Rubarth)

Daughtry - Leave This Town B Sides

Nate Fowler - Hurricane - this one was free too! Thanks Nate!

So let's see...according to iTunes I've covered Christian and Gospel, Rap and Hip-Hop, Soundtrack, Blues, Pop, R and B and Folk. I am ALL over the place!!

Mostly, over the last week or so, I've been obsessing over Todd Carey and can't wait to go see him next month. I've been a fan for a couple of years but haven't seen him live, so that is definitely going to be a highlight for this year's concert tour.

It's funny because at home, I tend to listen to more mellow tunes via iTunes while I drift off to sleep or while I'm doing anything on my laptop. My soundtrack for the last week or so has been Todd Carey, Matt Nathanson, John Mayer and Rob Thomas for the most part. On my iPod, however, which I listen to in the car and in my office, it's all of them plus so many more. I'd list them here but you'd be bored. So here's a snapshot of the middle of my Current Faves iPod playlist.

So, what have YOU been listening to? 

 

Of albums, iTunes, iPods, concerts and U2

In case you missed it, the new U2 album, No Line on the Horizon, came out this week. IT IS YAY!!! It only took 2 or 3 years...I've lost track. But, it was worth the wait. While I'm not sure it's quite as good as the prior album (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb), I really like it's theme and the sound is vintage U2. I can't wait for the tour!

Buying this album got me thinking about the whole art of buying cds vs. downloading music. When it's U2, there's no question I'll buy the cd. I have every other album on actual cd (some on vinyl!)...I can't break the chain now, and I love to have the liner notes/booklet thing. When a friend asked if I was going to download it or buy a hard copy, it really wasn't a question for me.

There are a few other artists I feel this way about (Third Day, Switchfoot, Coldplay...I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I am thinking of right now...). However, there are many others I have no problem downloading...not because I think any less of the album, but because I started collecting their music via iTunes, and now, it just seems like the right thing to do.

What about you? Are there some artists whose album you actually need to touch, to hold, to feel?

One great thing about the real cd is that when you play it, it plays in order...in the order the artist wished for it to be played in. In this day of digital music, we really lose that concept and many times we lose the theme an artist was going for with their whole album...not just a particular song.

The shuffle in iTunes and on iPods is great...I absolutely LOVE it! But whenever I download/load a new album, I have to turn it off and listen to the album in its delivered order. To me, it really makes a difference in what the songs say and how I feel about them. Once I've listened to the album in this way a number of times, I go back to the shuffle and let the songs show up however the Pod thinks they should. I usually don't think about it again...except this week, after I loaded the new U2 album, I actually listened to the last album in its delivered order too, and it was more awesome than I remembered. I may have to be unshuffled for a while and go old school with my music listening. Am I alone in this? Does anyone else out there feel the same way I do?

One more thing before I go...thinking about the possibility of U2 coming in concert got me thinking about concerts in general and how far I'd travel to see someone...since no one ever comes to play in San Jose - ANNOYING!!! What's the limit on how far you'd travel to see your favorite band? Are some bands worth a longer distance than others?

For me, the list is U2, Third Day and Matt Nathanson - I would drive multiple hours for all of them. I'd go see them on any night, no matter what was happening the next day. Some close seconds would be Switchfoot and Bon Jovi. As luck would have it, those of us in San Jose get to make these kinds of decsions on a regular basis since so few bands come to our land. If i haven't mentioned it before, I'll mention it now...ANNOYING!!!

Well, that's it for now. Happy listening!!

And one more thing: Happy Birthday Robyn-O!