"Atlantic City" The Band

The older I get the more I feel the need to be closer to the people and things I loved when I was young. As things change, I need them to stay the same too. People change, places change, but music never does. Music has that crazy ability to bring back a memory or a feeling so strong that you'd swear it was yesterday.

If you're looking for my heart you'll find it in a dive ba

Every time I hear "Copperhead Road," by Steve Earle I'm driving down the back roads in a pickup. When "Don't Stop Believing," by Journey comes on I'm dancing at the hometown dive bar with my childhood best friends. I can tell you every detail of those moments, and the way that I felt while I was in them. I had one of these moments on my recent trip to Nashville where I ended up at a house party with a group of musicians who casually played every song I ever wanted to hear. I requested "Atlantic City," the version by Levon Helm/The Band, on the off chance that they knew it. And while I listened to them play my own private concert I found my own little piece of heaven, that tasted a lot like cheap vodka and smelled like Marlborough Golds.

"Don't Stop Believing" - Journey

Hey girl, I heard you like birds.. so I got you this cake!

How did I miss this? My 3rd Anniversary of my blog (February).  Sadly, this only foreshadows my future maternal skills, (Oh I forgot the kids Bday? No worries yo, I"m sure the gas station sells some sort of ice cream cake).

Wow.  It's hard to believe that 3 years have passed.  In light of this momentous event and show of commitment on my part, (told you I could do a long-term relationship..)  I spent some time reading through my archived blog posts and thinking about how the times they are a-changin" (It wouldn't be a successful post without at least one Bob Dylan reference)

I loved (alot), I lost, I learned and I laughed (probably more than I should have).  Some things never change though,  I still have a mild animal obsession, prefer my vodka straight, wear a retainer to bed, and crave good music like a junkie craves a fix.

"Stubborn Love" - The Lumineers

Sorry too busy doing things like this to blog!

Sorry I've been a bad blogger again but I was off enjoying Europe.. and Mexico.. and life!  Good news is I picked up some new songs in between here and there and have a list of to-blogs. I started listening to The Lumineers before my Euro-trip, as a couple of friends had suggested songs to me.  Most people are probably familiar with their single, "Ho Hey", probably not as many with "Stubborn Love."  That's OK, I never mind taking the road less travelled.

"Come On Up To The House" - Tom Waits

**Well, I figured I needed to post today, because it is my 1 year blog anniversary!! Thank you to everyone for your interest, comments and support**

Of course I have heard of Tom Waits.  How could I not have? I'm music obsessed (Exhibit A: my Blog).  Until lately, I wouldn't have called myself a Tom Waits "fan", and I certainly wouldn't have blogged about him. People have tried to introduce me to Tom Waits in the same way I remember my high school friends introducing me to alcohol.

2011 Grammy Review

Love this guy

Ok, so I don't normally do this type of thing. I consider myself more of a music lover than a music critic. I tuned into the Grammy's last night for the first time in many years. I had decided to watch them for the sole purpose of seeing my hero, Bob Dylan perform. I saw him live in concert a couple of years ago (which by the way I had assumed would be one of the most important moments of my life), and was so let down and unsatisfied that I had been holding a bit of a grudge. When I heard he was going to be at the Grammy's I knew that I had to watch, because the love that I have for this man is an unconditional kind. I have alot to say about last night - and not many people I know are as intense or opinionated about music as I am, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you guys :) I'm only going to talk about the performances I had particularly strong opinions about - and as for rest of the performances I either liked them or didn't care at all.

"Wagon Wheel - The Old Crow Medicine Show

Qigong = no pain

"Pain is just a state of mind”. Qigong is a Chinese term that describes different Chinese systems of physical and mental training for health, martial arts and self enlightenment. Shaolin Monks practice qigong, which allows them to block out pain completely. I think that pain is both physical and mental. Strength is not defined by eliminating pain, but by having the capacity to overcome it. I'm skeptical if one could actually "think" themselves out of pain, but I do believe there are mental techniques to reduce or manage it.

"Sleepwalker" - The Wallflowers

Since Bob Dylan is my "God", I guess that would make his son, Jakob Dylan the equivalent of my "Jesus". The thing that sets Jakob Dylan apart from most other famous musician's offspring is that his genes are not his claim to fame. He doesn't leverage his famous DNA to further his career. Everything Jakob has accomplished has been through his own talent and perseverance. It can't have been easy to succeed in the shadow of his famous father, but Jakob has held his own. In an interview with Jakob, Scott Gold, a Times staff writer, describes the cross that Jakob bears; "For 45 years, Bob Dylan's fans have walked a fine line between devoted and obsessive. One piece of fascination -- to both artists' chagrin -- has long focused on Jakob Dylan, the only Dylan child who elected to become a recording artist.”

"Tonight" - Emy Reynolds Band

It’s always hard to find a consistent source for good, new music. One surprising source that I’ve found is actually "Grey's Anatomy" - the TV show. Whether or not you are a fan of hospital drama the show consistently plays great songs by new artists every week. One week I was watching the show among other things (like painting my nails, or downloading music on my laptop) when I first heard "Tonight". I wasn't really paying attention to the TV but when I heard the melody I immediately rewound my PVR so I could catch the lyrics. I wrote down a few verses and after not much luck with Google I finally found the song guide for that episode.

"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" - Bob Dylan

Trying to choose a favorite Bob Dylan song is not only impossible it's immoral.  It's like asking someone to choose their favorite child.  I don't love all his songs equally, but I do love them all in different ways.  "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" is one of those rare songs that stops me in my tracks.  When I hear the cadence of the fingerpicking I get lost in the melody.

I"m not sure I ever knew what love was until I listened to Bob Dylan. If anyone has been able to accurately describe love it would be Dylan. The picture of love that he paints in my head can all be summed up in one image, the cover of his second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan". It's a photo of Dylan and his girlfriend at the time, Suze Rotolo.

Dylan described this song in his liner notes as "It isn't a love song. It's a statement that maybe you can say to make yourself feel better... as if you were talking to yourself."  He wrote this song after finding out that his lover, Rotolo,  was staying in Italy indefinitely. Howard Sounes, a Dylan Biographer, commented: "The greatness of the song was in the cleverness of the language. The phrase "don't think twice, it's all right" could be snarled, sung with resignation, or delivered with an ambigous mixture of bitterness and regret. Seldom has the contradictory emotions of a thwarted lover been so well express, and the song transcended the autobiographical orgins of Dylan's pain."

G-Rated Porn

Some people have mantra's, a few words or a prayer they use to meditate. "Don't Think Twice, It's' All Right" has become my mantra.  To me the meaning is simple -don't over-think things too much.  Trust yourself and trust your gut and everything will be alright.  There have been men that I've loved but never a man whose words meant so much to me.  I''ve tattooed my "mantra" on my rib cage - close to my heart.  It will serve as a reminder when I need it most that as long as I stay true to myself I can never go wrong.

It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don’t matter, anyhow
An’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don’t know by now

When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I’ll be gone
You’re the reason I’m trav’lin’ on
Don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
I’m on the dark side of the road

Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin’ anyway
So don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
I can’t hear you anymore

I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I’m told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I’m bound, I can’t tell
But goodbye’s too good a word, gal
So I’ll just say fare thee well

I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

"Walls" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Bob Dylan & Tom Petty would never break my heart

Without sounding overly dramatic or too much like a skirt, there are two men in my life that have always made me happy, and that have never hurt me.  The first is Bob Dylan, and the second is Tom Petty.  There is an energy and a vibe, and an all around Aura that Mr.Petty has that just makes me feel good.  With songs like "You Don't Know How it Feels" and "Girl on LSD",  it's easy to peg this man as a hippie pothead.  I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be wrong with the aforementioned judgment,  but you would be underestimating someone who I believe to be one of the most talented and insightful music legends of our time.