Catchin'-Uppie: Mnozil Brass

So some of you may not know this, but I was a total "band nerd" back in the day.  I actually had plans to become a band director someday and majored in Music Education for a semester at Texas Tech University.  But, those plans didn't last long, but my love for good brass music (and orchestral) lives on.  Yesterday, I had a moment of nostalgia and stumbled again upon what was one of my favorite Christmas songs to play...Bugler's Holiday by Leroy Anderson.  I came across a performance of it that ended up leading me to a brass ensemble that I cannot believe I had never heard of...Mnozil Brass.  Since they have been around since 1992, I had some "catchin' up" to do.

Mnozil Brass consists of seven members (3 trumpets, 3 trombones, and one tuba).  They are from Austria (with one Hungarian in their midst).  They can all sing and harmonize very well.  But, what sets them apart are their personalities.  Each member shines with their own unique personality that comes out in some great humor.  Therefore, even if you don't like predominantly instrumental music, you would have to be pretty dull to not enjoy what these guys offer.  See for yourself...

Newbie: Leagues

Well, I'm really excited about a new band that has yet to release their debut full-length album.  They are known as Leagues.  I just read an article from Noisetrade.com describing them as a "certifiable dance rock super group" (check it out here...Leagues Article).  They are fronted by Thad Cockrell, whose roots are grassy singer-songwriter type stuff.  His lyrics are profound, his voice clean and raw, and his melodies dreamy.  But, now he joined up with Tyler Burkum (former lead-guitarist of Audio Adrenaline and has been playing for Mat Kearney) and Jeremy Lutito (sit-in drummer for Jars of Clay).  This makes for a wonderful project that I am very excited about.  Check it out for yourself...

Newbie: AgesandAges

Found a new group today that I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to.  We have this new family tradition of picking out a new Christmas album every year.  So, I stumbled upon a mixed album called "Holidays Rule."  There is a cover of "We Need a Little Christmas" by a group named AgesandAges.  First off, I hardly even recognized the very recognizable Christmas song (even if you don't recognize the title).  I really liked their sound, so I had to go and look them up.

Fortunately, Youtube had a lot of live performances and videos from the group.  Before I knew it, RA (my daughter...Reba Anabell), was drawn to the sound.  She is 9 months old now, and she doesn't sit very long for anything.  But, AgesandAges had her attention for at least half an hour.  She just sat in my lap and we enjoyed them together.  I love that RA is already showing the beginnings of good taste for music.

This group of Portlandians (West Coast, not East), offer a sound that has been described as "raw choral pop."  There are 8 people in the band, and I am pretty sure all of them sing and play an instrument (in not numerous instruments).  This gives you an extremely full, layered sound, yet given in such a raw way.  It is a very stripped down sound, but backed up by a lot of passion.  Plus, the hand claps add so much joy to it.  Eight voices together also gives you layered harmonies with melodies and counter-melodies that can give the hardest of souls goosebumps (maybe that statement is a bit much, but I thought it sounded good...plus, it is true for me).  To top it all off, you would possibly think you could find one of their songs as a track on the Classic Folk Rock playlist on SongPop (thought some of you might enjoy that reference).

I hope you enjoy as much as I have...

Catchin'-Uppie: Richard Swift

Sometimes I wonder how I miss certain musicians.  I feel like I am often ahead of the game finding new music thanks to my passion for music and friends who share that passion.  However, there are just times that someone just slips through the cracks and I find out I have some "catchin' up" to do.  So begins a new category for Listen to the Streusic...the Catchin'-Uppies.

Tonight I stumbled upon a musician named Richard Swift.  Maybe you have heard of him, but I had not.  Let me show you how I stumbled upon him (which might give you some other musicians to check out as well...some of which I also had not heard of).  So, try to keep up...

I was reading a review on Benjamin Gibbards (lead of Death Cab for Cutie) new album and decided to look up more about him.  I discovered that he once toured with David Bazan (lead of old "Christian"-band Pedro the Lion) as his bassist.  Well, after looking up more about David Bazan, I discovered that he used to play for another "Christian"-band called Starflyer 59.  So, in less than six degrees, I find that a man named Richard Swift used to also be in Starflyer 59, but don't think much of it.  I later stumble upon a record company called Secretly Canadian and see Richard Swift's name again and decide to check him out more.  Turns out he is now the keyboardist for The Shins (maybe you have heard of them) and makes amazing music on his own.

Why do I tell you all this?  First, I find it very interesting and thought some of you might to.  Also, every once in a while there are musicians that I have to tell others about almost immediately.  I think Richard Swift is worthy of this category.  Here are a few songs I have really enjoyed so far...

Newbie: Lord Huron

Wow, wow, and WOW!!!

This band has a lot of potential of making it into my top 10 favorites, and maybe higher if they keep it up.  I was introduced to Lord Huron through a free offer by www.noisetrade.com.  I downloaded their EP and gave it a cursory listen, but did not give them the time they deserved.  Thanks to my good friend, Matt Jones, I looked them up again yesterday (you can read his review by finding the link to the right).  Here is what I found...the beauty of Lonesome Dreams.

This album is smooth, sophisticated, and delicately layered.  You have songs that are written with all the components of a classic story such as rising actions, climax, etc.  Did I mention how layered it is?  Harmonizing voices, harmonizing guitars, epic rhythms, and tambourine (you can never have enough tambourine).

So, in case you didn't pick up on this, I like these guys a lot.  My favorite part is that they are still new, fresh, and not on everyone's iPod yet.  Proof of this is that they don't even have a Wikipedia page yet.  Jump on this wagon before it gets too crowded.  Enjoy a few tunes...

Freebie: YouTube Concerts

So, I must admit that I have been a fan of what YouTube has done for music.  It has become so easy to check out new artists and see them live.  It also helps you relive some of your old favorite videos and such.  But, I have recently been noticing more and more that full concerts are showing up on the website.  Therefore, this is my first Freebie contribution of September. 

If you enjoy watching concerts on DVD and sometime purchase them, as I do, then you use that money for something else (maybe even donate it to missions ;) ).  There are plenty of great concerts to catch on YouTube.  Here is a great Dave Matthews Band show I caught today:

Newbie: Land of the Living (MPJ)

Crap!  That is what I just caught myself saying a little bit ago while listening to Matthew Perryman Jones' new album, "Land of the Living," and I meant it in the good way.  Through my listening, MPJ continued to give me reasons to keep listening, whether it was the melodies, the production, the words, etc.  I just could not bring myself to skip to the next song.  This does not normally happen.

I have some bad news, though.  Towards the end of the last song, I was getting ready to come straight to my blog and post a new "Freebie."  You see, MPJ gave his album away for free through Noisetrade.com yesterday.  I received an email from Noisetrade telling me to download it while I could...so I did.  Unfortunately, I checked the website before I posted this "Freebie," and noticed that the album is no longer available.  So, you will have to acquire by other means.  But, I assure you that if may just be worth your while.

Here our some samples for you to enjoy...

Favie: David Ramirez

There are many people who "write" songs, but a far fewer number that "craft" songs.  As a musician, I suffer from a condition sometimes that I call, "Song Envy."  This is when I listen to a song and think, "Man, I wish I had written that."  Well, David Ramirez is a song"craft"er that causes me to suffer from this condition often.

A couple of years ago, a good friend and music sharer of mine ("Trey Warren") sent me a link through Noisetrade for  a free album from David Ramirez.  Trusting the music judgment of this particular friend, I immediately downloaded the album without a second thought.  As I began to listen to the album, two things changed in the way I listen to music.  First, I am one that focuses way more on the instrumentation than the words of songs, but, with this album, I found myself extremely drawn in by the words.  Second, I am not a country music fan, but I quickly forgot this dislike even during my first listening of Ramirez' album.  This album, "American Soil," quickly became a favorite album, especially for road trips.

Well, he is releasing a new album, "Apologies," tomorrow.  However, I just listened to the full thing for free.  You can too!!!  Just follow this link and check it out...http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/9.  In the meantime, check out these few songs that just blow me away...

Oh, and by the way...he is from Austin!

Streubie: SoundCloud Profile

I am typically behind on the latest social media outlets, but I eventually catch up.  So, thanks to some encouragement from one of my friends, I have signed up for a SoundCloud profile.  This is probably one of the easiest ways to share my own music.  Feel free to go and check it out.

Now, I hope that a day will come that I can make much better recordings of my songs.  Most all of these that I have uploaded I did in just one take.  So, you are getting the raw versions (mistakes and all).  But, for now, I just want to share the experiences that God has given me expressed in song.  Enjoy.

http://soundcloud.com/billy-streu

Streubie: You Never Know

I thought that it was about time to put up a more serious Streubie.  This song was inspired over my time of living in Austin, TX.

One summer, I was a part of taking a group of high-schoolers to Houston, TX for an inner-city mission trip.  We spent some time at a Salvation Army center and I got to talk to a lot of different people.  This time really opened my eyes to the fact that EVERYONE has a story.  Through my time in Austin, I saw homeless people everyday.  I came to realize that they have a story to tell if only I took the time to talk to them.  It's so easy to just assume that someone is homeless because they threw all their money away on substances or something else that was their own fault.  However, you never know" how much you can learn when you take time to ask someone their story. 

This song also came out of a song game I play with a friend of mine.  We take turns making some kind of rule for the song we are to write.  The particular rule for this song was to be in 5/4 time.  It kind of ended up becoming closer to a singer-songwriter country song.  Not my typical style, by any means.  But, I enjoyed writing it.  I hope you enjoy listening to it.

Music That Inspires: The Scatman

Today, I want to begin a new category to this blog:  Music That Inpires.

I just came across something today that shocked and encouraged me.  Anyone out there remember this commercial...

Well, I can remember making fun of this song and commercial with a good friend of mine from college.  However, I always liked the original song.  The original song is called, "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)," by an artist called Scatman John.  I just realized today that I had never paid attention to the actual words of the song.  Before I go further with the song, let's talk a little bit about Scatman John.

John Paul Larkin was first a professional jazz pianist throughout the 70s and 80s.  After moving to Germany in 1990, he eventually decided to add singing to his act.  But, here is the deal...John Larkin was a stutterer.  So, scatting became his thing.  He once said that scatting was "turning my biggest problem into my biggest asset."  Scatman John was born.  Now, he wanted to encourage others that suffered from his same problem.  So came "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)," a song to inspire children who stutter to overcome adversity.  Listen carefully to the actual words of the song...

 

Then, five years later, John Larkin passed away due to lung cancer.  I found this supposed quote of his before his death: "Whatever God wants is fine by me… I’ve had the very best life. I have tasted beauty."

What a story!  I never knew it, so I thought perhaps you had not either.  So I share.  I hope you were just as encouraged as I.

Freebie: NoiseTrade.com

It's time to give you all another freebie.  I mentioned this website on my Derek Webb post, but today and this post were meant to be.  I truly believe that this website puts out the best music samplers around.  Let me give you a few reasons why:

1.  They are free!
2.  Each sampler has at least 25 songs!
3.  They introduce some really great musicians!
4.  Did I say that they were free?!

NoiseTrade was started by Derek Webb (see one of my previous posts) and some of his friends.  The concept is that you trade "noise."  You get music for making "noise" through sharing with others on facebook, twitter, email, etc.  It's genius and beautiful!  This is especially great for those with moral dilemmas towards music sharing because it is completely legal.  Disclaimer:  that last statement was not a judgment towards those without moral dilemmas towards music sharing (really.).

Well, why are today and this post meant to be?  Because NoiseTrade just released another beautifully compiled sampler today.  So, what do you do?  You need to make some "noise."  Just follow this link:  https://www.facebook.com/noisetrade?sk=app_160291820682178.  Then, share it on facebook or twitter, download the sampler, and ENJOY!

Just FYI...a few artists I've stumbled thanks to NoiseTrade:
-Josh Garrells
-Andrew Belle
-Bhi Bhiman (just discovered him today...he just might be my first "Newbie" post)
-Joy Williams & The Civil Wars
-Trent Dabbs

Seriously, if you like to discover new music, get connected to this website.

Streubie: Big Daddy B & DJ Trancepire

Okay...I have decided that it would be fun to share some of my own music as well.  I am blessed with an MacBook Pro and some good friends, so I have been able to record some of my music.  However, as I have been listening through the songs again, I am almost ashamed to post them.  There are two songs that I am confident to post (because they are meant to be fun and silly).  The others will wait until I can decide to record them again or just post them anyway.

The two tracks I am posting today were done with a good friend of mine that goes by the artist name DJ Trancepire.  He was one of my high school students while I was serving at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX years ago (he has since graduated from University and is a working man now...this makes me feel a little old).

The first track was something we made for fun one day about 7 years ago.  It is titled "WIA" (which stands for Where It's At, a name we made up for a series of summer events we had for our youth group then).  I thought you all may enjoy it, but keep in mind that it was made in 4 hours just for fun.

This second track was the Streu Family 3rd Annual Christmas Video.  It was our first rap video called "The Christmas Wrap."  I had begun to think of a fun rap video and some words, and thought to ask DJ Trancepire to produce the instrumentation.  This is the product.

I hope these at least put a smile on your face.

Oldie: Buddy Holly

So, we start a new category of Streusic blogs...the Oldies.  Now, these won't be determined the same as music known as the oldies, which consist of music from the decades prior to the 60s (usually).  Today's artist, although, does fall into both the Streusic Oldies and the oldies genre.

I have recently been reminiscent of my hometown, so I thought it was fitting to begin with a music legend...Buddy Holly.  My grandmother, Reba (whom my daughter is named after), is actually buried next to Buddy Holly in Lubbock, TX.  I want to share some very interesting facts that many people do not know.

Charles Hardin Holley was born on September 7, 1936.  He was known as "Buddy" by his mother.  Then, his name was misspelled "Holly" on his first recording contract and he decided to keep it as his professional name.  His music career was actually about 18 months due to his death in a plane crash, which became known as "The Day the Music Died" (Ritchie "La Bamba" Valens and the Big Bopper also died in this crash).

Even in that short 18 months, Buddy Holly left an indelible mark in rock 'n roll.  Buddy Holly and the Crickets started the rock band format of two guitars, a bass, and drums.  The Beatles were believed to name their band as a homage to the Crickets.  A cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" was The Rolling Stones first top 10 single.  His image influenced the likes of John Lennon, Elton John, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Costello.  John Lennon once wrote, "He made it O.K. to wear glasses.  I was Buddy Holly."  His music influenced the likes of Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and many more.  He was also one of the firsts to use studio techniques such as double tracking.  Even Don McLean and Weezer wrote songs about him.

Buddy Holly was only 22 years old on "the day the music died."  Who knows what could have been for music?  Lubbockites and many others will always remember Buddy Holly.

Favie 7: Gotye

What do you get when you combine a Belgian-born Australian who plays multiple instruments with voice reminiscent of Sting and Peter Gabriel?  A great and unique musician that goes by the moniker, Gotye.

One day, I caught a status update of a friend asking, "Gotye: one hit wonder or the real deal?"  I could have asked the same question the first day that I caught "Somebody That I Used to Know" on the radio.  It was being played again and again like your Billboard radio hits, but it was so different than your typical Billboard hit.  I found myself waiting to hear it again so I could catch the deejay saying the name of the song or the artist so I could check out more.  Once I discovered the name Gotye, check out more I did.

Gotye (or Wouter "Wally" De Backer) is so much more than "Somebody That I Used to Know," and he has been around longer than most people know.  He has been making a name for himself in Australia since 2001.  Before his past two solo albums, he has been the co-singer and drummer for The Basics.

The Basics make great music.  Check out more of their stuff.  Now, I want to share several songs with you that really highlight Gotye and his style.  Sometimes he gets very jazzy.  Sometimes his chord progressions and structure are very meaty and a little dark.  His music at times feels like a throwback to the 80s, and then at other times feel like its very own indie blend.  Then, he has a song like "Learnalilgivinalovin" that feels like a 60s R&B number (yet, somehow has that Gotye aura to it).  He definitely has his own style, that is for sure.  Plus, his videos are creative and fun to watch.  Enjoy this sample of Gotye.

Freebie: Bonnaroo Festival Webcast

So, I need to thank The Civil Wars for posting the link for this on Facebook.  Bonnaroo Festival has always been a fantabulous music shmorgishborg (I did look up the spelling for that word...I'm pretty sure it is right).  Youtube has partnered with Bonnaroo to make a webcast of the festival.  Of course, it is not as good as actually being there, but it is the next best thing.  Plus, I can actually catch some of the action at a reasonable hour here in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  Here is a link to the Bonnaroo Youtube channel...

http://www.youtube.com/user/BonnarooMusicFest/Live

Now, there are only two channels on the Youtube page, so I want to give you my picks of bands to catch.

Channel 1 Picks:
The Avett Brothers
Foster the People
The Temper Trap
Pnnch Brothers
Bon Iver
Young the Giant

Channel 2 Picks:
Two Door Cinema Club
NEEDTOBREATHE
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Sam Bush Band
Dispatch
Umphrey's McGee
Grouplove
City and Colour
Ben Folds Five
The Shins
fun.
The Civil Wars

I hope you enjoy this Freebie.

Freebie: Josh Garrels

Who doesn't like free music?

This is the first edition of the Freebie blogs.  In the Freebie blogs, I will share with quality, golden music waiting for you "under the Christmas tree."  That's right, it is free for the taking.

Now, we all know that there is a risk in taking something that is free...no one was willing to buy it.  Don't worry.  I will only share Freebies that has received the Listen to the Streusic stamp of approval.  So, allow me to introduce you to Portlandian Josh Garrels...

Unfortunately, only one of his albums is free.  All of his albums are worth buying, though.  Below are three songs from his album "Love & War & the Sea in Between."  Very deep and very chill.  Here is the link to get this wonderful Freebie...http://joshgarrels.com/.

Also, when you get a chance, check out his song "All Creatures" on iTunes.  It is his own rendition of the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King."

Favie #6: Derek Webb

Some would say this guy is falling off the deep end, but I just can't get enough.

Derek Webb, in some Christian circles, will always be remembered as one of the voices of Caedmon's Call.  Well, Derek has come a long way from his early Caedmon's Call days (although he has teamed up with them once again).  Let me give you a brief history...

Derek spent around 10 great years with Caedmon's Call, contributing a wealth of quality music...

In 2003, Derek left Caedmon's to pursue his solo career.  He began with the album "She Must and Shall Go Free."  This was a very candid album written to the Church (yes, capital "C" as in the WHOLE church, the Body of Christ).  He started stepping on toes early with songs like "Wedding Dress" and "Saint and Sinner" (in which words were changed before the final cut was made).  "She Must and Shall Go Free" has an Americana feel to it that didn't fall to far off the Caedmon's tree.  I caught a Derek show on his House Show Tour when I was a student at Texas Tech.  It was a solid show in which he would preach in between songs.  I will never forget his statement, "The best thing that could happen to the Church is for everyone's sins to be revealed on the 5 'o clock news."  He followed that statement with a song called, "I Repent," in which he confesses his sin in song (and can actually be found on his second solo studio album).  I'm going to share a video giving a glimpse of "She Must and Shall Go Free"...

...now, I will hold off on videos until we get to his most recent stuff.  I will leave it up to you to listen to his musical journey.  But, I will continue you on with words.

His next album, "I See Things Upside Down," showed us that Derek was willing to try new things besides just ruffling feathers in the Church.  This album showed us a new production style and musical style.  Definitely not the same Derek Webb from Caedmon's Call.

His third solo studio album, "Mocking Bird," shows Derek becoming more political.  It has possibly my favorite song of his, "A King and a Kingdom."  A really cool thing happened with this album, in which Derek began to offer it as a free download.  He discovered that more people ended up coming to his shows and he ended up selling more albums after that gimmick.  I believe this led to his co-collaboration in creating Noisetrade.com.  This has become one of my new favorite websites to discover new musicians, and get their music for free.  Noisetrade also releases the best music samplers (in my opinion).

His fourth studio album...I honestly can't tell you much about it.  I got it, but I lost interest a little bit.

Then, we have "Stockholm Syndrome."  In brief, Derek Webb joined up with Caedmon's Call buddy Josh Moore, and they went all "Lost" on us.  I remember the day when I got a cryptic email from Derek (I'm on his mailing list...he has no clue who I am) stating that he had to go offline while he settled things with his record company over his new album.  Thus came the crazy release of "Stockholm Syndrome" which came through a very intentional, thought-out, elaborate puzzle.  Let's just say that there were sound bites, cryptic pictures, memory sticks to be found all over the country, and Derek and Josh at an undisclosed location.  If that intrigues you, run a google search on it and you will find websites.

"Stockholm Syndrome" ruffles feathers in the Church once again.  In a nutshell, I believe that it addresses the worth of the battles the Church has chosen to fight in this generation (such as the use of words and homosexuality).  Here is the song that caused much of the controversy around the album...

Derek continued to show his creativity through two cover albums, Democracy Vol. 1 &2, in which people buy the album before anything is recorded and they get to vote for what songs he covers.  He followed that project up with an electronic instrumental album inspired by the Lord's Prayer, called Feedback.

Finally, he embarks on another mysterious project that certainly overshadows "Stockholm Syndrome."  I had heard of the project through Noisetrade.com, but I had no idea how involved it was.  It is a group Derek and Josh put together called Sola-Mi.  The album is the soundtrack for Solomon Mente's motion picture, "Nexus."  Well, Solomon Mente is supposedly a fictional persona created by Derek, but no one is for sure.  Check out this website for the details:  http://www.jonathanguenther.com/blog/sola-mi/.  Here is a song from that album...

I like Derek Webb for so many reasons...his music, his words, his ingenuity, his gall, and how he reminds me of a Christian Glen Phillips.

Favie 4 & 5: Coldplay & U2

I think I said this in an earlier post, but one of my favorite questions used to be, "Who are your top 5 favorite bands/musicians?"  The number of people who have ever completed a top 5 list for me are few and far between.  It is a very difficult question.  For me, my favorite bands/musician change all the time.  However, it was last month that I discovered a new way to ask the question.  "Which bands/musicians can put out a new album and you will buy it before you even listen to the songs?" In other words, you own all their records.

Well, I am about to share with you two that fall into this category for me...Coldplay and U2.  Now, these two bands are huge.  Why would I bother with a Streusic Sharing Post for two bands that EVERYONE has heard of (except for maybe here in Bosnia-Herzegovina...I have met a few that don't know Coldplay...sad, but true)?  Because I want to remind people that they are not complete "sellouts" and still make good music.

A good friend of mine once said to me, "Coldplay has created a genre of their own...I think it should be called 'Inspirato.'"  Coldplay has a way of forming and producing songs that make you want to get up and climb a mountain.  I think they have made music like this from the beginning of their career to now.  Sure, they have become extremely mainstream, but they still make good music.  Let's look at a blast from the past.

And now...the present...

Passion, excitement, good musicianship, good production...for this and more, Coldplay albums will always have a place in my collection.

Now, for U2, I will be brief.  Again, they have become probably mainstream to the extreme.  But, they are a band that have given us good music ever since at least 1980 (they actually formed in 1976).  That's 32 years!!!  They have released 12 studio albums, 4 of which are in Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  Joshua Tree is in the top 30 of that list.  They have ruffled feathers and made a boatload of money, but no one can deny that they have made a difference in the world.  Their sound and style have influenced many bands (including Coldplay).  They are certainly timeless, and like Coldplay, will always have a place in my collection.

Bono is one of very few that could make it cool to have a mullet.

Favie 3: Harry Connick, Jr. & N'Awlins Scene

For this edition of Favies, I will combine the legendary Harry Connick, Jr with the music scene of New Orleans.  In case you do not know, Harry Connick, Jr is from New Orleans.  If you ever watch a concert of his, you will notice that he always includes a taste of N'Awlins in his show.  Therefore, I thought that I could mix two of my Favies into one in this blog.

First, a bit about Harry Connick, Jr.  He is a music virtuoso.  He is a singer with an uncanny vocal range, an big band leader, a conductor, an orchestrator and arranger, and a multi-instrumentalist with at least piano, drums, and trombone in his arsenal.  His acting isn't so bad, either.  I will begin with a song that highlights him as an instrumentalist (most everyone knows his vocal skills).

This next video will give us a segue way into the New Orleans section of this blog.

Leroy Jones has his own band that plays around N'Awlins.  He was one of the original members of what is now known as the Rebirth Brass Band.  Craig Klein is one of the members of Bonerama.  Jess and I got a chance to watch them at the French Quarter Festival before we returned to Bosnia-Herzegovina.  It was a great show.

New Orleans music will always be one of a kind.  Once you learn the rhythm and the style of the brass instruments, you will forever have it seep into your soul.  I think a lot of you have experienced the soul of New Orleans music before.  I will use this next video to show you.

You gotta love that syncopated rhythm that flows through so much of the music of New Orleans.  Then, the way Zydeco makes the accordion cool.  Allow me to give you a taste of some New Orleans funk.

Let me give you a list of what New Orleans has produced:  jazz in general, Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, the Marsalis family (Ellis, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and more), the Neville family (Aaron and the rest...they also brought us the Meters), Harry Connick, Jr, Dr. John, Better Than Ezra, Lenny Kravitz, Galactic, Trombone Shorty (who can switch seamlessly between trombone and trumpet), the brass bands (Rebirth, Dirty Dozen, New Orleans, Soul Rebels, Hot 8, etc) and so much more.  If you haven't heard of any of these people, check them out.

Favie 2: Toad the Wet Sprocket/Glen Phillips

I want to continue sharing some of my favorite artists/groups.  I would tell you that these few posts are sharing my Top 5 (which I have always tried to do following the movie High Fidelity), but every time I tell someone my Top 5 it changes.  So, we will end up with somewhere between 5-10 favies (probably).  Favie #2...

Toad the Wet Sprocket.

While I respect all of the musicians in this group, Glen Phillips is definitely the main reason this band is always in my Favie list.  He is one of the best songwriters I have come across.  He started writing music at 14 years old and was 16 when Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed.  He is now 41, and he never stopped writing good music.  If you are interested in following him further, check out his solo albums.  Also, check out Mutual Admiration Society (a group he formed with Nickel Creek) and Works Progress Administration (a super-group with musicians from Nickel Creek, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,  and Elvis Costello and the Imposters).

FYI...Toad the Wet Sprocket have reunited and are currently on tour.  They will be releasing a new album, in their own words, "when it's done."

I am posting the following video for everyone that is saying, "Toad the Wet Sprocket?  Never heard of them."  If you were alive in the 90s, you will almost certainly recognize the song.

The next video is my absolute favorite Toad song...Windmills (you should definitely check out Mutual Admiration Society for this song as well).

I would give you a list of songs to check out, but every one of their songs are worth checking out (in my opinion).

Let's begin with some of my "favies"...

So, I am not crazy about blogging, but I am crazy about music.  I would definitely call it a hobby of mine.  We will begin this blog by sharing some of my favorites with you.

Punch Brothers is the current project of one of my favorite musicians, Chris Thile.  Their foundation is bluegrass, but the sky is the limit for what they are willing to try.  They experiment with all kinds of genres from indie to classical.  They have covered artists such as The Cars, The Strokes, Radiohead, and Bach.  Below is one of their newest originals and a cover.  I hope you enjoy them.