Jenn's Top 15 2008

This year, my Top 15 details the musical journey I took during the past year. I followed my Last.fm charts, and this is literally my top favorite songs from January through December. The first couple songs are those that I struggled with putting on my Top 15 last year. Since I began listening to them at the end of last year, expectedly, they followed me in to the new year. But as the year progressed, I was introduced to a host of other musical masterpieces. This Top 15 kinda fell perfectly in place, too. I wanted “Sleep the Clock Around” first because of the mellow way the song creeps into your bones, and I wanted “Cold Desert” last because of it's haunting fade-and-resume outro. Lucky for me, I listened to them in the appropriate points in time. So, Belle & Sebastian to Kings of Leon, January to December, here's a snapshot of my listening history for 2008. I hope you enjoy.


1. Sleep the Clock Around / Belle & Sebastian / The Boy With the Arab Strap


To me, this song is pure sunshine. I owe it to Ashley Franklin. One day nearly two years ago, while stopping by, she bestowed upon me Belle & Sebastian, which I'd never heard before. I've listened to several of their albums, but Ash introduced me to this song first, and it has stuck with me ever since. It seeps its way into your ears and makes your body bounce, just slightly, but enough to make you smile and feel warm all over.


2. Say It To Me Now / Glen Hansard / Once Soundtrack


Once is an independent film about struggling musicians, life and love. You probably heard “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova this past year, as the song picked up an Oscar for Best Song in a film. The movie is beautiful, both comedic and bittersweet. Hansard pours his soul into this song. Picture him standing on the street with a banged-up guitar wailing out this tune while people walk by. Then go one step further and watch the daggone flick. It's a goodie.


3. I Feel It All / Feist / The Reminder*


I had a really, really hard time deciding on a song to pull off of The Reminder. First, I chose, “How My Heart Behaves,” then I switched to “I Feel It All.” I could've easily chosen, “1, 2, 3, 4,” or “Sea Lion Woman” as well. It's not often you're blessed with albums that are chock full of good tunes, but this year, I found many that fit that description. The lyrics in “I Feel It All” really speak to me. As I've grown up, I've become more prone to feeling everything, good and bad. There's no room for apathy and indifference in here. I've got a few opinions because I, like the gorgeous Leslie Feist, feel it all, too.


4. Borne On the FM Waves of the Heart / Against Me! (featuring Tegan Quin) / New Wave


Tegan and Sarah stole my heart last year, too. I carried The Con into this year, and was even lucky enough to see the twins in concert in October. However, I burned myself out on that album and didn't want to choose a song from it for my Top 15. Instead, I chose this amazing song featuring Tegan with backing vocals. I think Last.fm got sick to death of me scrobbling this song early in the year. The vocal harmonies win me over in this one.


5. Walk Through the Fire / Buffy the Vampire Slayer Cast / “Once More With Feeling” Soundtrack


I have to thank many people for "Walk Through the Fire." Mostly Nick for badgering me into watching all seven seasons of Buffy. I was very cynical, but now, I view it as the greatest television series I've ever seen in entirety (I make that perfectly clear because Lost isn't finished yet). Brandy and Patrick were also very encouraging, and I heard lots of good things about the show after taking an English class focusing on gender roles. “Once More With Feeling” is such a smart piece of work. Joss Whedon is a genius, if you didn't know it already. He wanted a way to both do a musical episode and air out all of the characters' dirty business, so he killed two birds with one stone. In the episode, the cast is under the spell of a musical demon, who makes them sing and dance, whether they want to or not. The mingling of the show's content with some very-well produced musical numbers made me very, very happy. I listened to the soundtrack for weeks after finishing the episode.


6. Dickhead / Kate Nash / Made of Bricks


This song is one of those that I refer to as the “glue” that holds this Top 15 together. It's simple, yet fantastic. I thank Jesse Hubbard for this one. He was like, “Hey, I think you'd like this chick” one day, and he's right. Made of Bricks is a good album; I could've picked a number of songs that would've fit nicely on this compilation. However, this is the one song that I can't get out of my head after I hear it. The lyrics are hilarious, and Nash's sexy voice makes it even better.


7. Atlas / Battles / Mirrored


I owe my gratitude to Virginia Seale for “Atlas.” She showed us the video for the song, with the band members performing this crazy “math rock” number inside a glass cube. It was very, very cool, and amazingly tight. I encourage you to read the lyrics for the song. The first lyric is, “People won't be people when they hear this song.” Very cool seeing as how the song is freaky enough and makes me feel more like a robot than a human. Makes sense. Since this is math rock, it really puts me in tune with my zeroes and ones.


8. Heart Design / Aqueduct / I Sold Gold*


Aqueduct knows the darkest recesses of my soul, me thinks. He sings with such sarcasm and cynicism that I can't help but simply bow down to David Terry, the front-man of the one-man band. This music is best described as piano rock. I chose “Heart Design” mainly for the awesome piano melody near the end of the song. It sounds like it came straight out of a Kirby Nintendo game or something. I heart it very much. However, I pondered putting “Growing Up With GNR” on here. Every damned song on that album is a treasure to me, so just go ahead and listen to the whole thing if you get a chance. :)


9. The Next Messiah / Jenny Lewis / Acid Tongue*


I've been a Rilo Kiley fan for a while now, but I still just can't get enough of Jenny Lewis. Lucky for me, she put out a solo album this year, and every song on the piece is phenomenal. I recently told Nick that if Jenny Lewis wanted to marry us, she totally could. The red-headed fox tries her hand at a variety of musical styles on this album, and is accompanied by artists like Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen and Zooey Deschanel (isn't that a dreamy duo?!). My second fave on the record is “Jack Killed Mom.” There's just something about Jenny Lewis belting out tunes church-choir-style that gets me all excited. However, “The Next Messiah” will take you on a crazy roller coaster ride of musical composition. It changes three times, and is quite long, but very well worth it. Hold on!


10. I Will Possess Your Heart / Death Cab for Cutie / Narrow Stairs


I liked this song from the moment I first heard it. It's beautifully composed, and was irresistible to my ears from the beginning. Want to hear something funny? The complete version of this song is about 8 minutes long, with the first four devoted to instrumentals. I LOVE that version of the song, but could not use it because space on a CD would not permit it. I seriously had to cut this song down to the shortened version just so that this entire mix would fit on a disc. Damn. So, I recommend you listen to the longer version. It takes four minutes to get vocals, but I think it's worth it. I normally don't care for long instrumentals in songs (That's why I'm not a Pink Floyd lover.), but this totally works for me. We were lucky enough to catch them in concert along with Tegan and Sarah this year. Despite getting drunk after one and a half wine coolers, it was a nice time. Narrow Stairs is worth checking out in its entirety as well.


11. The Most Beautiful Plague / Say Anything / Was a Real Boy


I remember listening to this song one night while driving to The Neals' house for a jam session. I had heard this song a hundred times before, but this particular night, it was like hearing it for the first time. The powerful climax at the end is just what I long for in any epic ballad. I knew I loved Say Anything, but this song is a testament to those that you learn to love over time, or that you suddenly, one day, see in a light different than any other day. Their recent single, “Tickle Me Red” almost made this cut as well.


12. I've Seen Enough / Cold War Kids / Loyalty to Loyalty*


Lord have mercy, I cannot express how important it is that you 1) listen to the Cold War Kids' first album, Robbers and Cowards*, and 2) immediately follow it up with the new album, Loyalty to Loyalty*. The new record is a much more grown-up version of the first, and much more than I had anticipated. I adored Robbers, and had no idea that the CWK could pull off what they did with the new project. I listened to it over and over again, and it hasn't gotten old yet. Fabulous stuff. I can't gush any more.


13. Kids / MGMT / Oracular Spectacular


Yes, like every other Indie lover, I've fallen for MGMT this year. I wasn't necessarily a fan of the entire album, but “Kids,” “Electric Feel,” and “Pieces of What,” particularly caught my ear. It's just good beats. Stuff that makes you want to dance. And pretty cool lyrics to boot. Credits here first to Virginia, and then to Ashley. Because Virginia recommended them to me recently and I actually liked it, but I think Ashley recommended them some time ago and I didn't. Hmm. I changed. That happens often. Thanks, gals.


14. I'm a Garbage Barge, You're a Dream Boat / The Gay Blades / Ghosts*


The Gay Blades were my musical event of the year. Period. I am forever in debt to Adam Neal for passing on this great recommendation. When I first listened to the mixed CD he bestowed upon us, I think it was also while driving to The Neals'. I was listening to this very song, and I looked over at Nick and said, “What the hell is this stuff?” He called it “trash pop,” which I found both confusing and intriguing. Each and every song had its own unique style and sound, but I freaking loved every one of them. I couldn't get enough. It was literally the sexiest, most rocking music I'd ever heard. I love it more than any other. Above Arcade Fire. Above Jenny Lewis. Above Say Anything and even Aqueduct. (The latter's a hard one for even me to swallow, but it's true.) TGB is my new favorite band of all time, and I certainly hope you give their entire album a go. I could have put any single one of their songs on my Top 15 and been completely happy. While I claim that "Garbage Barge/Dream Boat" is on Ghosts, it actually isn't. Ghosts was rereleased WITHOUT this effing fantastic song, and I'm not sure why. I guess it's a big TGB4N secret. But I loved this song this year, so it's going on my Top 15.


My musical highlight of the year? Driving four hours to Cleveland with Nick and Ashley so that TGB could practically play a private show to us and the six other people that showed up at the Agora Ballroom. I have no idea why no one turned out for this show. Five great bands played and no one was there. Our gain, everyone in Cleveland's loss. While they were on the stage, we let them know we drove such a long way, and they asked us for our requests for the last two songs. After they rocked the hell out of us, we had the opportunity to talk with Clark and Puppy, the dynamic duo that comprises TGB. We also met the musicians from The Young Coyotes from Denver and local bands Waco Day Camp and Saint Ohio, ALL great guys. It was a super-fun time, and my ears are grateful for it.


15. Cold Desert / Kings of Leon / Only By the Night*


This year, I gave in. For awhile now, Nick has been listening to Kings of Leon, and I've been ignoring them. Until now. See, their new album is gaining a lot of criticism from their previous fans because it's their first attempt to breakthrough to the mainstream music industry. "They've gone 'Nickleback'," they say. The sound is much more polished than previous material, but that's exactly why I like it. The instruments are perfect, the vocals are phenomenal; it's just really groovy music. Now that I've given in to KOL, I've started listening to some older stuff, too, which is also really good, just more rugged and chaotic, which, according to Nick, is what old KOL fans were used to. “Cold Desert” is just about as beautiful as it gets. The lyric, “Jesus don't love me / No one ever carried my load / I'm too young to feel this old,” makes my eyes all salty every time. (Kate Fyffe says this is the saddest song in the world.) I know I've felt that way one too many times.




NOTE: I apologize for the intense emotional reaction that may be caused by this compilation. I understand how incredible it becomes as it progresses, how each song is either better than the last or pretty darned close. If you are crying by the end of the mix, I'm sorry, and you're welcome.


I love you all very much! Happy Holidays!



* Denotes album you really should listen to beginning to end. You should really listen to all of the albums represented on this compilation from beginning to end, but above all else, listen to these.

Our Little Catwoman

Gracie is on a superhero kick and is dressing up as Catwoman for Halloween this year. Look how cute she is!

Cool cat

OUC has a GLBTA student club, called the "Stray Cats." Since I don't have time to be involved, I consider myself a fan sitting on the sidelines just waiting for free time to pop up or for my schedule to magically rearrange itself as needed. I'm a MySpace friend, at least. Just a little while ago, I was reorganizing my Top Friends, and decided to move the Stray Cats up a bit. Their profile image is this:
I was looking at this, wondering, "Who made that sweet-ass cat?" So I dug deeper, and I found a "Stray Cats Logo by Karalea Lane" caption on the photo page. Let's just say I'm not surprised that it was created by the ever-talented Karalea. There's nothing cooler than a cat, unless it's a cat covered in messages of love and acceptance.

When Gracie develops the understanding and vocabulary for sexuality, I'm going to print this out and let her color it.

Real good folk

These are the peeps I'll be working with this fall. They're such a good bunch. We truly are a lovely bunch of coconuts. :)

Front row, left to right: Ashlee Daniels, Jennifer Slone, Karalea Lane.
Back row, left to right: Leona Mount, Regan Sowers, Denver Karshner, Sarah Cook.

There's this crazy band I like...

...That no one else I know does. It's quite disheartening, seeing how this particular band has recently stolen No. 2 from The Arcade Fire on my Last.fm Top Artists.

They're called "Aqueduct." Well, actually he's called "Aqueduct." It's just this dude, David Terry, who had a big musical crisis so he locked himself in his bedroom and recorded. Eventually, he came out of his hole, and he had a whole crapload of awesome music. According to a 2005 Rolling Stone article, he came up with the band name one day while driving. He said he'd been seeing signs about some big aqueduct that's keeping Southern California's desert alive. At that moment, he decided he wanted to produce his own music. And he did.

Eventually, he added band members in order to perform live. His music is like layers upon layers of vocals and varying instrumentations. It's very melancholy and morbid, but happy and preppy. It's definitely pop, but I'd also call it piano rock, electronica, or just plain old Indie rock. It's just good stuff. IMHO, of course. I haven't found a pal yet that likes them as much as I do. I was thinking today, if they ever came around again (they were in Athens some short time ago, but I missed out), I wouldn't have anyone to dance my butt off with at the show. So, it is my goal to get people to like them. Here's how I'm going to do it:

First, watch this video. Listen to the song.



Now, if that doesn't convince you, read the lyrics here. Read them and play the song at the same time, actually. That's the ticket.

If you still don't like the song, well, you probably won't like Aqueduct at all. There are differences between the first album (with "Growing Up With GNR"), "I Sold Gold," and the more recent "Or Give Me Death," but the sound is generally the same. It's hard for me to find an album I like beginning to end, but I can't stop listening to either of them. And just today, I found an old EP I didn't know about!

Man, am I on a blogging roll or what?! (Haha, blog roll...geek joke.) I can only attribute it to my new job in the Writing Center. The past two days, I've been in training, and next week I'll begin tutoring. So far, it's been fantastic. I'm really going to love this job. For the past two days, I've been writing! We've actually had writing assignments throughout the entire training! I couldn't imagine a more blissful job to have! (I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points, but it is warranted.) We're also required to partake in the OUC Writing Center Blog. I'm having a great time so far. And next week, my Fall Quarter classes begin, as well. Yay for getting back into the swing of things!

Keeping you posted...

I thought it might be time to give another medical update, since every time I run into someone I know, I end up telling this entire story anyways. Just like this morning, when I reached for a muffin the first morning of orientation for my new tutoring job, I had to explain why blueberry muffins were the only ones in the box I could have.

So, I'm still laden with the interstitial cystitis. For that, I received bladder installations with a "Rescue" solution. After a month and a half of that, it has been discontinued. Now, I'm just taking the oral medication Elmiron for two more months. Hopefully, this will build back up the lining of my bladder, which is in much disrepair. This is the disease that is also dictating my diet. It's easier to explain what I can eat: white flour products, bland meats, and dairy products. It's necessary that I avoid anything spicy, MSG, foods rich in potassium, and any and all condiments. No fun, but I've lost 20 pounds so far.

I've also got endometriosis, and I started the Lupron injections over a month ago. Just last Thursday, I received my second shot. Lupron is a chemotherapy drug that was first designed to treat patients with prostate cancer. Now, it's being used more and more often by doctors to reduce the size of lesions in patients with endometriosis. It will not necessarily remove the endometrial implants, but it will allow the disease to go into remission for up to five years. Because the injections are a hormonal treatment, the side-effects it creates is on par with menopause. Therefore, hot flashes, decreased libido, and emotional issues are common.

After my first shot, I noticed a few hot flashes. I also began experiencing headaches and nausea quite often. For the first two weeks, I had a ton of sexual energy. However, since my second shot last week, that has plateaued and started declining. I'm also feeling the effects of the chemotherapy more than I expected I would. The nausea and headaches are much worse and more frequent. I feel kind of like my brain is in a fog, and concentration has been a bit difficult. I can also see my memory slipping from time to time, which is also a popular side-effect. The worst part of the experience, though, by far, is the joint pain and the emotional disturbance. Lupron is known to deplete bone mass and increases the risk for Osteoporosis. Even adding a calcium supplement to my diet won't help. I'm starting to worry about the pain I'm having, but I don't think I have any options to decrease it. And the emotional issues are setting me back to my bipolar days, and I'm trying my best to hang on each and every day, despite the fact that I'm sad for no apparent reason. Adding a mild anti-depressant to my diet of pills might be an option I look into soon. Because my lesions are located near blood vessels, surgery is not an option for me. Looks like Lupron is the only thing that can help me right now.

So, there it is - the bad and the ugly. The good is that, hopefully, after another four-and-a-half months, I'll be pain-free and can move on with my life, happy and healthy.

Somebody tell me what this is

Gracie won this last night at the Pike County Fair. WTF??!!

EDIT: A Googled definition of the word "benign": Kind; gentle; mild; Not posing any serious threat to health; not particularly aggressive or recurrent.

So be it, but I think they could've used better word. LOL.

Medical Update

This week, I returned to Dr. Villarreal's office for one more test, to rule out my bladder as the issue causing me so much abdominal pain. Turns out, this simple visit that I underestimated turned out to be the most important of all. Following a potassium test, I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis, which many doctors refer to as endometriosis' evil twin. Approximately 70 to 90 percent of women with IC are misdiagnosed with endometriosis.

IC is basically the thinning out/wearing down of the bladder wall. I blame it on the fact that my mother gave me Pepsi from birth. But now, I have to change my diet, say goodbye to Pepsi, spicy foods, Ranch dressing, Funyons ... all the things I adore so much. Potassium and MSG are the culprits that aggravate the disease, so I've been put on a diet to avoid foods containing them. I'm pretty much left with bread, meats, dairy products, and a few vegetables.

Twice a week for the next two weeks and once per week following for four months, I'll be visiting my OB/GYN for "Rescue" therapy. That's where they pour a solution into my bladder that both helps relieve pain and begins coating my bladder, building the lining back up. The very night after my first treatment the other day, I slept. I only got up twice to go to the bathroom the entire night - compared to my usual five or six trips. My pain has also decreased drastically. In addition to the bladder treatments, I've been prescribed Elmiron, a drug I take three times a day. A one-month prescription runs at $340, so I'm truly grateful for insurance for one of the first times in my life. This drug helps block potassium and also works to rebuild the bladder wall.

It's amazing how much better I feel already. I'm sure this newfound peace of mind can be directly attributed to having a diagnosis that makes sense, one that I've already begun treatment for. It's been a long three months, but I feel my feet finding steady ground now. I'm thinking of having a "Jenn Quits Pepsi" party to celebrate. Ya know, I'd serve Pepsi to all of my guests and I'll drink Evian. I'm really quite depressed about it, so a party would be an uplifting way to say goodbye.

The really big light at the end of the tunnel is that if this works, Dr. Villarreal won't need to put me on hormone therapy for the endometriosis. He said after my laparoscopy that even though he found signs of endometriosis, he didn't think it was severe enough to be causing the pain I was having. Hopefully the treatment for IC will take care of everything. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Elusive Song

I can't find this song anywhere but on imeem...and the album it's from costs a minimum of $45 on Amazon. It's from the movie "Better Luck Tomorrow," during a really beautiful scene.  I was going to post my favorite movie soundtrack moments, until I realized that this song was hidden from the eyes and ears of humanity.  So, now it's here...for now.    More on my list later...

Honorable Mention

This is a project I completed for Woman's Studies 100 during Winter Quarter. Our guidelines were to create a "quilt" highlighting important women in any field we chose. I chose to focus on nine women who changed the face of music during their respective eras: Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner, Cindy Lauper, Madonna, Melissa Etheridge, and Alanis Morissette. Since I'm not a crafter, per say, I used a canvas, acrylic paints, and Xerox copies of Photoshopped images. I received an "Honorable Mention" for my efforts. The piece hung in OU-C's art gallery in Bennett Hall for the entire month of March.

I Guess That's Why They Call it Medical "Practice"

And now, a play-by-play of my recent medial dilemma.

Nearly three months ago, I developed what I thought was a kidney infection. I had all the typical symptoms - pain in the mid-to-lower left side of my back, the constant urge to urinate, and overall abdominal crampiness. A visit to Urgent Care sent me home with antibiotics, but by the following week, my pain had increased and none of the other symptoms had even begun to dissipate. I then started a series of tests ordered my family doctor, Dr. Kirk Tucker with the Franklin Clinic in Chillicothe. Throughout the next three months, I had three CT scans, a colonoscopy and an MRI. Possible dianoses ranged from kidney stones, diverticulitis, a slipped disc in my back, and porphyria. As these tests, including random blood and urine samples, continued to come back with negative results, I realized Dr. Tucker had no idea what he was up against. He became very restless with my office visits. I could tell he's had very few patients with conditions as obscure as mine.

Approximately three weeks ago, my pain reached a new level, and my left abdomen, just beside and above my navel, began to swell. I called Dr. Tucker's office to let him know about the change in symptoms. He was not going to be in the office the next day, so he set me up with an appointment with Dr. Gbaruk of the same family of physicians. Dr. Gbaruk took much more time sitting down with me than Dr. Tucker ever had. Dr. Tucker would rush me in and out, briefly speak to me regarding new development of symptoms, and rarely did any sort of physical examination. Dr. Gbaruk actually physically analyzed my abdomen, and he squinted his eyes in confusion for quite some time before deciding to go look over my recent scans and to have a conference call with Dr. Tucker. When he returned to the room, he had determined that endometriosis was the likely culprit, and that I should see my OB/GYN as soon as possible. A laparoscopy was ordered, and I was scheduled for the operation last Friday.

When I went in for surgery, I warned Dr. Bob Lee, the anesthesiologist, of a condition my aunt Barb has, one my family has been told is serious and genetic and can affect any of us at any time. While this sounds serious enough, I never knew just how dangerous the disease is until Friday. When I mentioned "Malignant Hyperthermia" to the doctor, he freaked out. He said if he were to have completed my surgery Friday, there would have been a 25 percent chance I could die. Malignant Hypothermia is a rare disease stemming from an allergic reaction to certain anesthetics. If contracted, it causes the patient's muscles to contract, and the presence of a high fever that eventually shuts down the body's systems, one by one. This all confused me because I have had anesthetics before, for an apendectomy at Pike Community Hospital in 2006. When I told Dr. Lee of this, he said, "Sure, you could say, 'I just crossed the road without looking first and I'm fine.' But that doesn't mean you'll be fine the next time you try to do it." So, apparently, MH can manifest itself whenever it pleases, but not every time. To find out if I have MH, I'll have to make a trip to Pennsylvania to have a muscle biopsy performed. It is the only location in the U.S., that I'm aware of, that handles the test.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait for a test to have my laparoscopy. Instead, special conditions had to be met by the anesthetic team. First of all, I had to be the first patient of the day, with clean new anesthetic tubes containing no traces of the drugs that might trigger a reaction. Next, the doctors had to avoid any drugs known to trigger an MH episode. And finally, I was given very high doses of oxygen to be sure my muscles wouldn't do the contracty thing. I went in for the operation yesterday morning, and did wonderful.

The findings: endometriosis. Although I've not yet spoken to my OB/GYN, Dr. Richard Villarreal of Chillicothe OB/GYN, he briefed Nick on the situation following the procedure. Apparently, he did find endometriosis, but it wasn't severe enough for him to burn any of it off yesterday. He said he wants to start me on a series of injections to throw me into menopause temporarily. Supposedly, this will slow the growth of the endometriosis. Now, I'm concerned about my future as a woman. I don't even know if I'll be able to have more children following this. I'm afraid of the big "M" word because I'm not looking forward to having my hormones all out of whack - even more out of what than this crazy woman's hormones are already. I have an appointment with Dr. Villarreal Monday to discuss the issue further. He also said that he's not entirely convinced that my level of pain is coming from the endometriosis. He said typically, the condition doesn't cause pain as severe as mine. He would also like for me to see an internal medicine specialist to look for something further. What they'll look for this time I have no idea. The only thing I could think they might do is an endoscopy, where they'd take a scope down the upper part of my G.I. track and stomach to look for problems. Other than that, I've been scoped and scanned every which way possible. I don't know what more could be causing it.

So, now, I'm on my couch, feeling achy from a hole in my belly button and another on my lower stomach. The anesthetics have worn off finally, leaving me both drowsy and restless. I welcome uplifting messages and words of wisdom.

Tiny Food

I love this tiny food that Jenn made with Gracie. Just goes to show what a little clay and lots of time with a 4 year old can produce...

One for the Ladies...

I respect the opinions of those on all sides of the abortion debate, even though I, myself, am pro-choice. I just want to make sure that everyone is clear about John McCain's record when it comes to reproductive rights. He has been portrayed, in the past, as a Maverick that breaks the typical Republican mold.

But in most cases, it's pure fiction. I've included a couple of links that illustrate his record. He's never been a "maverick" except when his own party members fail to give him the glory. He was mad at Bush because of the 2000 primary, so he opposed tax cuts for the wealthy. Now, he's for them.

You'll hear plenty of flipping and flopping in the coming months, because he can't get too close to the middle...he'll lose the support of people on the far right. He also can't go too far to the right, because there aren't enough die-hard Republicans left to elect him. And Independents are going to identify the lagging economy and soaring prices with Republicans.

So, he has to ride a double-sided rhetorical beast, in hopes that he confuses enough people into voting for him...or get enough "vote against the other guy" votes. I'm more concerned about the issues....and how similar McCain IS to Bush.

He says on his own website that he will seek to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Scarily enough, this could actually happen if he's elected, due to the age of some Supreme Court Justices.

Here's his voting record on reproductive rights.

And here's a more detailed description of his voting record on reproductive rights.

The Lack of CD Dilemma

I got a message on MySpace from a guy in New York who couldn't find a place to buy one of my CDs. Crap! I don't have any CDs for sale. He listened to some of my stuff on last.fm, but only had internet access at work. So, I sent him a free copy of some of my old recordings in the mail. I figure if he wants it bad enough to ask a stranger for it on MySpace, he deserves it, postage free...

I'm working on an album...hopefully to be released at the end of the summer. I finished a rough draft of one of the songs, yesterday. I plan on doing more polished versions of some of my older songs, but mostly newer songs. I'm still plodding through the process of getting familiar with my new recorder. Perhaps I'll buy it a beer tonight...

Anyone have any advice for making vocals sound good? My recorder came with all kinds of effects...but the best of them have a little too much echo and sound a little tinny...and the worst of them just make me sound like a robot. I might end up just letting the natural echo of the room be my reverb. The reverb on the recorder has all kinds of fuzz and static on it.

Also, if there are any stray drummers out there, I needs me one...

Music, Independence, and the Internet

Disclaimer: I'm Nicholas Slone and This is My Long Account of My Life With Music (With Equally Long Title)

Lately, I've had an abundance of energy and ambition that is spilling forth into my one great passion....music. I've loved music all my life. I can remember flipping through hymnals when my mom took me to choir practice, looking for some better songs to sing. When I found one, I would insist that we sing it, over and over again, until it became a part of the repertoire.

My nieces and I would sit around with a crappy tape recorder and make up songs, pretend to be radio D.J.s and various other corny things that were incredibly fun. I'd say around 4th grade I started writing the words down. Of course, every few years, I'd look at what I'd written, decide it was all sappy crap and trash most of it. I took piano lessons briefly, discovered just how lazy and impatient I was.....then took guitar lessons.....again, too lazy and impatient to learn scales and such, and settled on just writing words. Plus, most of the songs I liked back then were terrible and required very little guitar.

But I always loved to write and sing. I was raised on a dairy farm (like Lemony Snicket), and I often had to run the cows into the barn when it was time to milk them. Now, there are plenty of ways to scare a cow....but pretty much any kind of loud noise will do in a pinch. I'm sure to this day, that many cows have fevered nightmares about me singing/shouting various curse words and declarations of love at them, flailing my arms in the twilight. Why the combination of singing, swearing, and declarations of love? Well, where else does a shy kid from a good Christian family get his rocks off, but on the open range?

Flash forward to high school, when I always sang loudly with the radio. Hell, I loved high school dances, just so I could sing at the top of my lungs....much to the dismay of my sore-footed dance partners with ringing in their ears. Finally, I was given an outlet when I started hanging out with Joe Keaton. Along with Adam Clausing, we formed a band called Azre-el. I got my first taste of actually singing with a band. I also started playing around with a guitar around the same time. I took a couple of lessons from Joe, who is quite an accomplished guitarist, but ultimately, I just hated learning other people's shit. We recorded a 4 song demo, and I got my first chance to write a song, set to music that Joe wrote. I LOVED it. By the time we recorded, I wrote my own song, lyrics and music. I had caught the songwriting bug. Afterwards, I started writing all the time. The band wanted to learn 3 hours worth of covers, so we could start making money, which makes perfect sense. But, I just wanted to write. So, I quit/was replaced.

That's pretty much how I spent my time with music for a long time. I played with people here and there, most notably with my friend Luke Chamberlin, but I just focused on writing and finishing my English degree. By the time I was finished, I was a little sick of words and tired of most of the music I was hearing. After graduating, I moved from Athens back to Ironton for a year, where I was exposed to a musical renaissance by my friends Patrick and Brandy. Nearly every time I visited their apartment, I came away with music by 3 or 4 bands that I had never heard. I was shocked that so much music existed under the radar. It also exposed me to a method of discovery and distribution of music that I hadn't yet considered, probably because I didn't have access at the time......The Internet.

During the time that I worked on my Master's in Library and Information Science, I had the opportunity to really learn and explore the internet in a way that I previously hadn't. The major thing I discovered about the internet and its relationship to music (and in fact, most forms of media), was that the old way of doing things was slowly dying or evolving. In the old days, the major record labels essentially held a monopoly on distribution and exposure. What this did, and what ultimately led to my past disgust with the music available.....is that it created an artificial scarcity of goods. It wasn't that there wasn't a massive amount of music produced, it was that only a small fraction of that music was available in stores/on radio stations. Specifically, the music that these massive corporations are trying to sell. The internet, or more specifically, those that access and utilize the internet to access, promote, and distribute music, cracked the game wide open.

I've seen it elsewhere, and I believe it.....a musician can make a living if he or she has 1,000 true fans. A true fan is someone who will pay for every CD, not because that's the only way to access it, but because they truly want to support the artist. But that's only a tiny part of it. Even if they can't afford to buy it, they'll be promoting it, or will dish out the money to see a show. The most important thing seems to have been lost on the major media corporations. Focus on making something first. Make it your number one priority....the MAKING. If you make something with your heart and soul in it, SOMEONE will like it. It's what needs to happen....more people that make music because they HAVE to. They're internally compelled to. Just because it's what they do. My generation has been bombarded with advertising all our lives, and we're desensitized enough now that hype alone will not make us fans. Now, we create our own hype. There are too many different kinds of people for everyone to like the exact same music.

So, what was the point of that rant about the music business? The point is that the same renaissance that revived my critical interest in other people's music has also reawakened my desire to create and distribute my own. I have around 30-40 songs that I've written over the years, and I'm still writing. I have an old album that I recorded on a shitty tape recorder, years ago. I have it up on last.fm for free streaming, right now. Along with some stuff that I recorded with Joe's help a couple of years ago. There are some tools that I've recently learned about, as well as some new recording equipment I just bought (thank god for tax returns). So, why am I telling everyone about it? I don't really know...maybe because it's like an adventure to me....and I think all of this stuff is so damn cool....

So, I'm gonna start blogging about what I'm doing with all this stuff. What I'm doing, what I'm using, where I'm at on the internet. I have the luxury of a full time job, so I'm certainly not afraid to try shit out and fail miserably. Success, I'm told, is often far scarier. Right now, my plan of attack is as follows (I'll go into more depth in the near future):

1) last.fm - full track streaming - people listen to your music for free, they pay royalties now based on how many listens you get (plus links to buy albums)
2) Use new recording equipment to make album on the cheap
3) Amazon's CreateSpace - On Demand Publishing (Very Cool)
4) Use recordings to recruit additional band members, give fellow friends/musicians a chance to learn my songs...
5) Play every open mic night known to man (until gas money runs out)
6) Get paid to play my own music (The Dream)
7) Fly around on a hover-board, dropping jellybeans on people as they clock in for work, thereby throwing them off schedule by a few minutes and severely angering The Master Timekeeper, like in "Repent Harlequin, Said the Tick-tock Man," by Harlan Ellison, except I won't get caught (the other dream)

Click for My last.fm Music Page

Click for My MySpace Music Page

Too Good to Resist

Ok, it's been awhile since we've posted anything, but this is too good not to blog...