So if I don't run today (Sunday), it'll have been exactly two weeks since the last time I ran anywhere.  This is already the longest I've gone without running since I started again back in April 2006.  I feel pretty crappy about that.

I had stayed right on track for about a month, running three times a week, and then suddenly, I just didn't feel like getting out there.  No biggie, it happens, usually lasts a couple of days.  Now, suddenly, it's been two weeks.  NO idea where the time went.  Lots going on at work and a friend had a huge personal development, but no reason not to make time to run.  I just didn't.

Today it rained and I really wanted to go out and finally run, but I couldn't because of an injury -- which figures because I NEVER get injured.  I broke my right thumb playing baseball when I was 12 (sliding into third base, I didn't lift my hands high enough), I sprained my ankle coming down the front steps of this house in 2005 (about as stupid of an injury as they come), and now this.

On Thursday I strained something in my lower back when my wife and I re-worked a section of our side yard.  See, we have a fenced-in section to the right of our house that isn't really big enough to do anything with, but it's proven to be useful.  When we moved in, there was a big old green shed there.  We added eight red pavers and started storing our trash cans there, just inside the fence.  Our town has a problem with skunks, so anything to deter them from hanging out, you know?  (Here's a generic photo of pavers in case you don't know what I mean.)

Well, this summer we tore the green shed down.  It was old, wooden, rotting, and right next to our house -- last thing we wanted was termites getting a taste for wood right next to where we live -- and we already had a newer shed out at the back of property that is more than sufficient for our lawn mower, wheel barrel, and other gardening tools.

Under the old green shed was a great concrete slab, perfect for our trash cans, so we didn't need the red pavers anymore -- and removing them would give us just enough room for a garden on that side of the house.  Of course, we try to do all of our home projects the right way (unlike the former owners who half-assed everything), so the pavers hadn't just been tossed on the ground -- there was five inches of sand and stone under there, and under that was anti-weed fabric, etc.  Moving the pavers was easy enough, but digging up all of the fill and dumping it into contractor trash bags ended up being heavy work.  (We're saving the fill for some terracing work we want to do in the spring.)

Some of the bags were too heavy, and I tweaked something in my back moving them.  (That said, the new garden looks beautiful.  We're very pleased with how it turned out!)

So now it's raining out and I want to run again, but my back is killing me.  I can't sleep, either, but that's another problem all together.

Here's the goal: I'm going to try to run Sunday night (tonight), if possible, and get back on track this week.  I have a new album to run to called Scars on Broadway and I think it might be a good fit.  I actually got one of the tracks free from iTunes months ago.  It was called "They Say" and for some reason I just now listened to it this week and liked it a lot.  I ended up buying the album -- the first I've bought in a long time.

Sometimes having new music to listen to makes the running go easier.  It gives me something different to think about and pay attention to, you know?  I can distinctly remember when I caught onto certain bands (All-American Rejects and Jimmy Eat World would be "recent" examples, but I can go all the way back to Gin Blossoms in the mid-90s) simply because I can remember when and where I was running at the time.

Anyway, one of the reasons I really want to get back in the groove is to lose some weight.  In 2006, I ran just about every day between April and September (often twice a day), and I lost 100 pounds.  I was also VERY careful about what I ate, etc, of course -- and I had never been more dedicated and determined to do something in my life.  I needed to lose MORE weight than that, but it was one hell of a start and I was in the best shape of my life that September.

Unfortunately, I wasn't quite to my goal at the end of September when some people around me really messed with my head about my weight loss and I ended up losing my momentum and motivation to keep pushing myself as hard as I needed to.  I can share more about this if anyone wants, but basically, a couple of women in my life (NOT my wife, but family and friends) started telling me how worried they were about me over and over until I felt terrible about losing weight and getting in shape.  It was only the women around me and I still have NO idea what brought it on, other than I had lost a lot of weight that year, but that was all done in a healthy manner and my doctor was VERY pleased!  Yet hearing from these people that they were "so worried" about me just deflated my motivation.  I never recovered after that.

A side note: that October I bumped into someone who hadn't seen me in six months and the first words out of his mouth were: "Holy cow, you've lost half a person!"  THAT is an appropriate thing to say to someone who is kicking butt and getting in shape.  "I'm so worried about you" is a crap thing to say.

Since September 2006, I've gained back some of the weight and although I'm still in much better shape than I used to be before April 2006, I'd like to lose what I've gained AND finally get down to my goal weight, which would put me right where I need to be physically.

My game plan to do this has been simple: start running FOR REAL again, eat right, and tell NO ONE except my doctor (who approved the weight goal as being perfect for my body type, health, and age) and my wife.

Unfortunately, this has been my plan ALL YEAR and I haven't been able to do it.  Not being tempted to eat out has been tough, and as I've already said, getting back into the running has been problematic.  Running, to me, is as much a mental task as a physical one, and the mental side is just failing me right now.  If I can get back out there and lose some weight, it'll certainly make the running easier -- and hopefully fun again.

The funny thing is, last month my wife decided to start running, too -- in part simply to help me keep my schedule -- and SHE has gotten out there as planned these last two weeks.  She has a 1.5 mile loop and she's starting with walking/jogging intervals.  I'm really proud of her because I know running doesn't "come easy" to her like it does to me (when I'm in the right place mentally, at least), but she's doing REALLY well.  Hopefully I'll be out there with her again this week, I'll lose some weight, and start training for that marathon in May.

So there you go.  That's why I want to try to get running again.

But as a friend pointed out via email, my writing and running goals may get in the way of each other.  She actually said this without knowing something I know: I didn't write a word of fiction during the six months I lost all of that weight.  My free time was entirely focused on making sure I got my run in that day because once I was running 6+ miles, I needed at least 90 minutes to get dressed, warm up, stretch, run the run, cool down, stretch, shower, and get dressed for the rest of the day.

That's a lot of time in my schedule considering I get up for work at 7 AM, get home at 7 PM, spend another 30 minutes wrapping up work email, then make and have dinner with my wife, then run our errands and try to work around the house if we have any energy left at all -- all while getting in bed by 11 PM so I can get enough sleep to be human the next day.  (Less than 8 hours of sleep and I'm a zombie.  It sucks.)

The other side of the coin is this: after September 2006, I scaled my running way back, but I wrote a novel I'm VERY happy with and then landed myself an agent.  Essentially, that was what I used that 90 minutes a day for during the last two years.

But it was NOT just the time I actually used for the writing or the running... it was the amount of time outside of that time I spent getting mentally ready to run, etc.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but I was VERY focused on my running during those six months and then, afterwards, I was VERY focused on completing the novel I had set aside, and then I was VERY focused on conducting my agent search in the right way.  One "major life project" at a time, basically, was all I had time for.

The question becomes: can I be as dedicated to and focused on these two different tasks -- running & losing weight while writing this novel -- as I need to be to succeed at both?

I have no answers, but I'm headed back to bed, maybe to sleep this time.  Thanks for reading.

Today I ran to my "All 90s" mix and got the following bands/artists: Dave Matthews Band, Better Than Ezra, Del Amitri, Live, The Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, Gin Blossoms, Linkin Park, Third Eye Blind, and Incubus.  A couple of my favorite bands are in there.  All in all, a good upbeat mix.

For the trip I downloaded some new songs from i tunes.  I had a little problem with downloaded because of some confusion between the old and new versions, but once it was completely updated there were no problems.  Here's my list:

Viva la vida    Coldplay

Violet Hills    Coldplay

All along the Watchtower Jimi Hendrix

Purple Haze   Jimi Hendrix

California Dreamin'   Mamas and Papas

A Hazy Shade of Winter  Bangles

Eternal Flame       Bangles

Falling Down        Duran Duran

Jumper                 Third Eye Blind

Four Minutes       Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timberland

American Boy     Estelle and Kanye

Island in the Sun   Weezer

No Rain               Blind Melon

Jealousy              Gin Blossoms

White Room        Cream

Dirty Little Secret   All American Rejects

What I noticed from my list is a lot of 90s music sounds like it came from either the late 60s or 70s while music now kind of sounds like 80s.  Like these are the children of those generations playing music now.

I am also hoping to be lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Breaking Dawn from the library today since it just came out today so I could read it on my trip, but I'm starting to have doubts that my hold on it will let me get it today.  Oh well... I have other books to read.

Kagehime

Pictured here is lead singer Robin Wilson of rock band Gin Blossoms.  I've actually seen these guys twice before... once in high school when they were touring with Cracker ("Low" and "Get Off This" are still great tunes) and Spin Doctors.

Technique:  Kudos to David at strobist.com for inspiring me to use a CTO filter on my flash to set up this picture.  The orange color of this filter gives the people a nice warmth and gives you room to shift the image and let the sky go more blue.  I just wish I hadn't been rushing as much and had thrown a little light towards Robin up on stage (but it seems to work since the image was really about fans having a good time in an unusual place).

Cat House Dogs/That Was Now

The Cat House Dogs bite as much as they bark. These Canadian alt-country rockers have more balls than a kennel of Wilco disciples. The band makes no secret of its yen for vintage Tom Petty. The opening track, "Fine Line," could've fit onto any of Petty's earliest LPs. Vocalist Todd Sharman has Petty's nasal whine but somehow makes it sound better. I especially like it when it seems like he is singing through gritted teeth. The Southern-fried folksy singalong of "Sadie's Theme" reveals another inspiration: the Black Crowes. But how then do you explain the skacore backbeat of "Crook" and the reggae pulse of "Lost Again"? Experiments, man. Even the Rolling Stones didn't just shuffle to the same grooves.

Ironically enough, it takes a Canadian group to deliver one of Americana's most commercially accessible releases. "Beautiful Rays" and "Far Away" are car-ready melodic pop/rock with a rootsy undertow; think of a less depressing Gin Blossoms. Perhaps what surprised me about "That Was Now" is how fast it moves. Like its blurry album cover, the record truly zips by. But not after entertaining the hell out of you first.

http://www.cathousedogs.com

I type this as I procrastinate packing to get out of town this weekend, while I wish we were already gone, while I wish my stepson was already gone, while I just wish. Sometimes wishing feels pointless but I have wishes anyway because there's always the hope that things will pan out.

I had an odd conversation via text today with a friend - he's given up hope on his current relationship, and to be honest, I am in the position of trying to be supportive but almost standoffish because he's the type of guy prone to reminiscing about the good old days (which weren't always good, as Billy Joel said), and prone to getting his head in the clouds about shit that he can't have. It's a tough position to be in, supporting someone at arm's length, but I do it because I need to keep distance and I do it because I don't know how to turn away from people who need me. Which sucks. Sometimes I want nothing more than to turn away and can't. Sometimes it's not so bad feeling needed, but then I quickly get overwhelmed with it. I don't do "needy" well.

In the midst of all that hoo-ha, my husband was acting like a prick, I had a funeral to go to, my daughter had to go to the doctor for a mosquito bite that had swollen to the size of her ankle bone, and my stepson and my oldest kid both had friends over which meant that there were too many fucking kids in my house. It was a mad house, but I could tolerate the little things. The funeral was almost a respite from the chaos in the house - I deftly avoided my white trash mother- and father-in-law, I didn't vomit from the fumes of Aqua Net oozing off the woman sitting next to me, and I didn't tell the man in front of me that deoderant is a fantastic invention and that if he tried some he wouldn't smell like ass.

The hardest part of all that was my husband's mood which has taken me all day to sort out. He went out with friends last night (for the plus column, getting to be social with friends with no complaints from me), he got to sleep in this morning (another plus), I did the run to the doctor's office (plus), the youngest went down for her  nap easily without giving him drama (BIG plus). Yet, he was just radiating this pissed-offness (not a word, but you'll get over it) and I was walking in wide circles to avoid him. What the hell? We hadn't fought, there wasn't anything bubbling beneath the surface, and he'd been fine up until now.

Oh. That's it. And it hit me like a ton of bricks when I was talking to my mom. My stepson came over last Friday for the week, but he'd been at a friend's house for the past several nights - it was my stepson coming home that tipped my husband's mood into the negative zone - and it's not the first time that's happened. I noticed it Sunday afternoon too. His son had gone to watch a  movie with his friend - my husband was pissy before then and after then, but not during. Hm.

My husband gets very upset that I don't totally love his son's presence - and it's not that I'm the wicked witch or evil stepmother. It's just that my stepson is a special needs kid with lots of issues, and requires an eagle eye trained on him at all times - and honestly, it's wearing. Despite anything he might say, it's wearing on my husband too. He'll never admit it - I'm sure he feels guilty about it, but it's like this house has two distinct auras - when he's here and when he's not. It was like a gray cloud hovering over head all day. It's hard to take. It's hard to know what to do.

I hope that this weekend recharges us. My stepson goes home to his mother bright and early, my girls will go get spoiled by my mom for a few days - and my husband and I will be sans kids for two nights and THREE FULL days. Holy shit, right? The mood is pretty heavy in my house right now - so if this lifts it at all, it would be so worth it.

So what better way to spend it than going to the beach and listening to some kick-ass music.

As everyone already knows, or should know music is my life, and this blog is a list (kinda alphabetical) of 100 250 kick-ass summertime tunes (a mix of rock, pop, hip-hop and even some country)

1. State of Shock - Money Honey
2. 3 Doors Down - Not my Time
3. Disturbed - Land of Confusion
4. Black Label Society - House of Doom
5. Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
6. AC/DC - Highway to Hell
7. AC/DC - Shook Me All Night Long
8. All Time Low - Umbrella (cover)
9. American Hi-Fi - The Art of Losing
10. Atreyu - Falling Down
11. Badfinger - All Right Now
12. Beck - ePro
13. Black Crowes - Hard To Handle
14. Blind Melon - No Rain
15. Blink 182 - Damnitt
16. Boston - Don't Look Back
17. Boston - Longtime
18. Boston - More Than a Feeling
19. Boston - Piece of Mind
20. Bubba Sparxx - Deliverance
21. Buckcherry - Everything
22. Buckcherry - Broken Glass
23. Buckcherry - Lit up
24. Cam'ron - Hey Ma
25. Carlos Santana w/ Chad Kroeger - Into The Night
26. Chris Brown - Forever
27. Colby O'donis w/ Akon - What You Got
28. Collective Soul - Better Now
29. Collective Soul - Counting The Days
30. Collective Soul - Energy
31. Collective Soul Heavy
32. Collective Soul - Shine
33. Collective Soul - Why Part 2
34. Counting Crows - Hanging Around
35. Cracker - Low
36. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Woodstock
37. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Carry On
38. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Suite Judy Blue Eyes
39. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Southern Cross
40. Daughtry - Feels Like Tonight
41. Dave Matthews Band - Tripping Billies
42. David Banner - Play
43. David Bowie - Rebel ,Rebel
44. Def Leppard - Armageddon It
45. Def Leppard - Photograph
46. Default - Deny
47. Dieselboy - Subculture
48. Dispatch - Elias ....Halfway there...well I might make this 200.... ; )
49. Disturbed - Prayer
50. DropKick Murphy's - Shipping Up To Boston
51. Duran Duran - Falling Down
52. Don Henley - All She Wants To Do Is Dance
53. Eddie Money - Two Tickets to Paradise
54. Edgewater - Eyes Wired Shut
55. Egypt Central - Over and Under
56. Escape Club - Wild Wild West
57. Evanescence - Bring me to life
58. Eve 6 - Inside Out
59. Everclear - AM Radio
60. (the) Exies - Different Than You
61. Faith No More - Epic
62. Fallout Boy - Roxanne (cover)
63. Fat Joe w/ Lil Wayne, TI, R Kelley Rick Ross - Make it Rain
64. Finger Eleven - Falling On
65. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
66. Foo Fighters - Everlong
67. Foo Fighters - Baker Street (cover)
68. Fuel - Shimmer
69. Garbage - Why Do You Love Me
70. Gavin DeGraw - I'm In Love With a Girl
71. Genesis - Abacab
72. Get Far - Shining Star
73. Gin Blossoms - Long Time Gone
74. Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down
75. Golden Earring - Radar Love
76. Goo Goo Dolls - Slide
77. Gorillaz - 19-2000 REMIX
78. Green Day - Basket Case
79. Green Day - Welcome To Paradise
80. Green Day - Whatsername
81. Greenday - American Idiot
82. Groove Armada - Purple Haze
83. Groove Armada - Song For Mutya
84. Guns n Roses - Paradise City
85. Gym Class Heroes - Clothes Off
86. Harvey Danger - Flagpole sitta
87. Hed P.E. - Blackout
88. Hello Goodbye - Here (In your arms)
89. Hinder - Get Stoned
90. Hinder - Nothing Good About Goodbye
91. Hit The Lights - Hey Jealousy (cover)
92. Hot Action Cop - Fever for tha flavor
93. Incubus - Dig
94. Jackson Brown - Running On
95. Jay -z w/ linkin park - Jigga What/Faint
96. Jimmy Eat World - Work
97. John Cougar Mellencamp - Rock In the U.S.A. WOW 100 already...that was fast
98. John Cougar Mellencamp - Summer of 69
99. John Mayer - Say
100. JoJo - Too Little, Too Late
101. Jordin Sparks w/ Chris Brown - No Air
102. Journey - Anyway you Want It
103. Journey - Don't Stop Believing
104. Journey - Stone in Love
105. July For Kings - Bed Of Ashes
106. July For Kings - New Black Car
107. July For Kings - Start Again
108. July For Kings - Without Wings
109. July For Kings - Champagne
110. July For Kings - Normal Life
111. Jurassic 5 - Improvise
112. Kanye West - Gold Digger
113. Kanye West w/ T-Pain - The Good Life
114. Kid Rock - Amen
115. Kid Rock - Bawitdaba
116. Kid Rock - All Summer Long
117. Kid Rock - Bullgod
118. Kool And The Gang - Celebration
119. Kula Shaker - Hush (cover)
120. Led Zeppelin - Houses of The Holy
121. Len - Steal my Sunshine
122. Lenny Kravitz - Dig In
123. Lifehouse - First Time
124. Limp Bizkit - Faith
125. Limp Bizkit - Nookie
126. Linkin Park - What I've Done
127. Lionel Richie - All Night Long
128. Live - Lightning Crashes
129. Living Colour - Cult of Personalty
130. LostProphets - Last Train Home
131. Low Fidelity All Stars - BattleFlag
132. Lucas Prate w/reina - Love of My Life
133. Ludacris w/ Sum 41 - Get Back (rock remix)
134. Manic Street Preachers - Your Love alone (is not enough)
135. Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
136. Metallica - Fuel
137. Matchbox 20 - How Far We've Come
138. Midtown - Your Love (cover)
139. Morris Day and the Time - Jungle Love
140. Motion City Soundtrack - It Had to be You
141. Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
142. Mushroomhead - Crazy
143. MXPX - Play it Loud
144. Nada Surf - Always Love
145. Neyo - Closer
146. Neyo- Sexy Love
147. Neyo - Because of you
148. Nelly Furtado - Turn off the Lights
149. N.E.R.D - Lapdance
150. New Edition - If It Isnt Love
151. New Found Glory - Power of Love (cover)
152. NickelBack w/ Kid Rock - Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (cover)
153. Nickelback - Savin Me
154. Nickelback - Too Bad
155. Nonpoint - In The Air Tonight (cover)
156. OAR - Love and Memories
157. Operator - Nothing to Lose
158. Our Lady Peace - Innocent
159. Palo Alto- Fade Out, Fade In
160. Papa Roach - Getting Away With Murder
161. Papa Roach - M80
162. Carmen Reece w/ Parabeats - You Got Me (remix)
163. Pearl Jam - EvenFlow
164. Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love
165. Poison - Nothing But a Goodtime
166. Pretty Ricky - Your Body (yes sir)
167. Plies - Bust it Baby Part 2
168. Puddle Of Mud- Control
169. Puddle of Mud - Famous
170. Student Rick - Heaven is a place on earth (cover)
171. Rufio - Like a Prayer (cover)
172. Quarashi - Stick Em Up
173. Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noise
174. Radiohead/Marvin Gaye Mashup - Sexual High and dry
175. Rage Against The Machine - Sleep Now in the Fire
176. Rascal Flatts - Life Is a Highway (cover)
177. Ray J w/ Yung Berg - Sexy Can I
178. Red Hot Chili Peppers -Rollercoaster of love
179. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Tell Me Baby
180. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California
181. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Fortune Faded
182. R.E.M. - Orange Crush
183. Rev Theory - Hell Yeah
184. Rev Theory -Light It Up
185. Rihanna - Shut up and Drive
186. Rob Zombie - Dragula
187. Saliva - Click Click Boom
188. Saving Abel - Addicted
189. Simple Plan - I'd Do Anything... Ok I'm at 200...it's gonna be probably 250
190. Skindred - Set It Off
191. Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
192. Soil - Halo
193. SoundGarden - Spoon Man
194. SpaceHog - In The Meantime
195. Sponge - Plowed
196. SR71- Let It Whip (cover)
197. Stabbing Westward -Save Yourself
198. Staind - Run Away
199. Steve Winwood - Bring Me A Higher Love
200. Stone Temple Pilots - Plush
201. Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing
202. Stone Temple Pilots - Wicked Garden
203. Stars On 54 - If You Could Read My Mind
204. Sublime - Scarlet Begonias
205. Sugar Ray - Spinning Away
206. Sum 41 - No Reason
207. Survivor- I'm High on You
208. Tal Bachman - Aeroplane
209. Tantric - Hey Now
210. Tantric - Astounded
211. All American Rejects - Move Along
212. The Ataris - Boys of Summer
213. The Baldwin Brothers - Urban Tumbleweed
214. The Cars - Just What I needed
215. The donnas - take it off
216. The Eagles - Already Gone
217. The Verve - Lucky Man
218. The Grassroots - Midnight Confessions
219. The Hives - Tick Tick Boom
220. The Killers - All These Things I've Done
221. The Killers - Read My Mind
222. The Killers - When you were Young
223. The Offspring - I Want You Bad
224. The Police - Message In a Bottle (Remix)
225. Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
226. Third Eye Blind - Semi-charmed life
227. Timbaland - Throw It On Me
228. Toby Keith - Whiskey Girl
229. Tom Petty -Free Falling
230. Tom Petty - I Wont Back Down
231. Tom Petty - Running Down A Dream
232. Toto - Africa
233. Trik Turner - Friends and Family
234. Trust Company- Downfall
235. U2- Beautiful Day
236. U2 - Mysterious Ways
237. U2 - Everlasting Love
238. Uncle Cracker- What U Looking At
239. Unwritten Law - Seeing Red
240. Usher w. Young Jeezy - Make Love (In this club)
241. Van Halen - Best Of Both Worlds
242. Van Halen - Dreams
243. Van Halen - Panama
244. Van Halen - Standing On Top Of The World
245. Van Halen - I Can't Stop Loving You
246. William Tell - Just For You
247. Woodale - Here
248. X-ecutioners w/linkin park - It's Going Down
249. Yellowcard - Everywhere (cover)
250. Zwan - Honestly

Well this is my list of Summertime Songs/ and songs I just love...Hope you like it.

Maybe it'll inspire you to listen to new music...who knows

My fingers are tired from typing....Lemme know songs YOU feel I should add..or what songs you like.

-Steve

Pshaw! Everyone knows I burned most of my bridges while employed, yo.

I kid, I kid. It's all good -- I have an excellent resume and wonderful references. I haven't offended anyone who matters during the past year, and I've worked hard to maintain friendships & relationships.

That being said, I'm sending kisses & hugs to my former colleagues whom I haven't seen in a year. (Has it been that long?) For those of you who are in town, come and celebrate my one-year-anniversary of unemployment, this weekend. I'll be the drunk 'townie girl' at the Gin Blossoms concert. You may not recognize me because I won't be discussing your severance plan benefits in a conference room; however, if you look hard enough, you'll find me!

I went to their site to check out some of their songs, and I started with the song "Halfway Back to Sane."

I'm not usually a lyrics guy (I enjoy vocals as more of another instrument), but the song starts out with "You called for a friend, on whom you can depend." Not sure why I found that so jarring, but it immediately got me wondering if that is the most used lyric in music.

I went to Google and searched for "'friend on whom you can depend' lyrics" and stopped counting after 12 different songs - on the first search page - came up. I think this ruined the song for me. Then further listening to the song went on to ruin it for me again.

Way too much like the Gin Blossoms for my tastes (by the way, my Gin Blossoms imitation is not only great, in and of itself, but it perfectly illustrates why they are just no good - maybe we'll make some video).

Well, at least it was a grammatically correct usage, so points for that.

As an aside, Prince was also consistent with "...on whom 'U' can depend..."

When we last heard from singer/songwriter Dodd Lede, he released an album called Sophomore Jinx that, given a major-label financial push, could've found its way alongside John Mayer and Jack Johnson on commercial AAA radio stations. Since then, Lede has formed the DML Cartel, a rootsy modern-rock outfit that was once Lede's covers band Bare Necessity. Lede discusses their consistently good debut album Word of Mouth and how the DML Cartel enabled him to finally achieve the bigger sound he had been aiming for. 

Carson James: The DML Cartel sounds like a full band effort, but then again so did your last solo album, Sophomore Jinx. Did your approach to songwriting change with having a group backing you up?

Dodd Lede: No. My approach to songwriting is pretty consistent. It was a little easier to record with the same group of musicians, but it didn't start out that way. The musician process changed on me a few times throughout this recording until all the pieces finally fell together. In the end, the same musicians played together on about 80% of the entire CD. Of course, I expect the next CD to go much easier.

James: The guitars are a little louder and crunchier here than on your solo efforts. Did you feel back then, acting alone, that you were limited in terms of how rocking the tunes could be?

Lede: The original working title for this CD was going to be Twice Removed; since I never got the sound I wanted on the first two CDs, this was going to represent that sound twice removed. I thought it would have been a cool title, but no one else seemed to get it. This was the sound that I originally wanted for the both CDs, but since I didn't have a permanent band at the time, I chose to scale it down. The decision was made since I was performing more solo acoustic shows. I wanted to be able to successfully pull off the songs live without the band aspect missing too much.

James: Your band used to perform covers with you. Was it an easy transition to go from remakes to original material?

Lede: I had already released Whatever Happened To You and Sophomore Jinx when I joined Bare Necessity. I was hesitant about joining a cover band in the first place and was pretty adamant that I would never do it, but Derek [Prather] is such a phenomenal guitarist and friend that I really wanted to work with him. The idea was that I would help his band out, and he would record in the studio with me. I even put a time limitation on how long I would stay with the band. I think it was supposed to be for one year. It didn't exactly turn out like that, but it became pretty cool playing to packed houses that were very much into what we were doing. I’ve been with Bare Necessity for almost four years now. It’s still a lot of fun. But as things go, I eventually wanted to release some new original material. The band, at that point, did not want me to quit so they opted to assist me in completing what I had already started with John [Rinkus], Mark [Head], and Richard [Magallanes] .

James: What made you decide to turn Bare Necessity into a full-blown recording group?

Lede: I didn't actually turn Bare Necessity into a full-blown recording group. It was an idea that never really panned out. Bare Necessity's bass player, Fred [Morecraft], was not interested in pursuing the originals as much as the rest of us. He was happier just doing the cover songs. Instead, Derek and I are in both Bare Necessity and the DML Cartel. The chain of events goes like this. John had been jamming with us over the past year doing the originals, but he did not want to be a part of the cover band.  So he started jamming with Mark and Richard, whom had both been in the studio recording Word Of Mouth with me before Bare Necessity. They were working on songs that will probably be part of John's solo project. They didn't have a singer, so I went out to jam with them while Bare Necessity was on break. We booked a couple shows and asked Derek to come and play with us. That is how the DML Cartel became a separate entity altogether.

James: The opening track, "Best of Monday Night," recalls the Gin Blossoms. Were they an influence on you?

Lede: It is a safe assumption that I am influenced by the Gin Blossoms although I get more comparisons to Bon Jovi on that song. I'm glad someone else can see the similarities and influence.

http://www.dmlcartel.com

Reviewed by Kit Burns

Kat Goldman/Sing Your Song

It's not just Kat Goldman's voice - which gravitates between soulful raspiness and mournfully breathy  - that makes a difference on Sing Your Song; it's how she sings. Like Kate Bush or Jane Siberry, Goldman has perfected the idea of using her vocals as an instrument. On the title track, Goldman's elevated singing glides away from the sorrow suggested by the piano and violins. There is catharsis in her performance, an urgent need to break away.

Sing Your Song is largely a mellow affair. Aside from the pop sheen of "Stay the Course" and the Gin Blossoms-like Adult Album Alternative of "Damn Town" (sounds nice played back-to-back with "Hey Jealousy"), Goldman is accompanied by acoustic guitars and piano. However, that isn't to say that this is Easy Listening. Far from it. "I Know Better" and "Baby You Gonna Fall in Love" carry the broken pieces of shattered relationships, at least in Goldman's teary delivery. I don't know the stories behind these tracks, if they're autobiographical or not. Sometimes I'm not even aware of the words, just letting Goldman's voice sink into the groove and to my soothed ears. Sing Your Song is not really an album that can be easily categorized as Goldman is focused more on setting moods than settling on a certain style.

http://www.katgoldman.com

If you said May 2008 you'd be right, but what I wanted you to say was May of 1994. Crazy but true -- crazy AND true. In junior high, my friend Matt got in trouble for wearing this shirt to school. Whatever dude.

In retrospect, parties in 1994 DID suck -- a typcial night would include Ian hurting his foot on the trampoline, then someone's dad would pick up all the girls in their Astro by 9:30, we would drink all the Coca-Cola soon after and just wind up quoting Dennis Hopper in Speed for the rest of the night.

$1 of the sale of this shirt is donated to the River Revitalization Foundation to restore urban river trails and waterways.

It’s Wednesday, April 23, 2008, and you are looking at your calendar to see that there is nothing written in the little box. What is there to do? Well, you can thank Bangorang Productions for making big things happen yet again. They have arranged for Crowded Streets to do a show tonight at James Madison University’s Memorial Hall. The show will begin at 8:00 and you can buy tickets in one of the following locations: at the door for $10 or in advance for $7 at either www.bangorangproductions.org or JMU’s music building from 11-1.

Crowded Streets is a Dave Matthews Band (DMB) tribute. You can listen to some of their music on their Myspace site to see what you think. Honestly, I was shocked. Attempting to re-create the music of DMB are some very large shoes to fill. If another band is going to shadow Dave Matthews Band, they better be sure they can handle the heat in the kitchen. From the clips I listened to of this band, they are definitely in the kitchen.

In the Washington-metro area, Crowded Streets is said to be one of the best. This band takes the awesome jams of DMB and, in combination with their own interpretations of the music, plays a session you won’t be able to forget. Alyn McDermott describes them as having, “…addicting sound and infectious beats.”

Previously, the band has played with some of the best in the coolest venues. Some of the venues they’ve rocked include: The Kennedy Center, The Nissan Pavilion, and The House of Blues. Crowded Streets has also had the opportunity to open for bands like: Live, the Gin Blossoms, and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Another bonus to the show is, like always, you are going to be a philanthropist for the night! All proceeds of the show will be donated to the Harrisonburg Education Foundation that was established in 1994. This organization helps buy school supplies and other necessities for the K-12 schools in Harrisonburg.

So, let’s discuss. If you come to the show tonight, you will: be a philanthropist, get to see an awesome band, listen to excellent music, and be with hundreds of people having a good time. If you don’t come to the show, you will: be disappointed. Definitely come out and see Crowded Streets tonight. I promise you, it will be good.

Also, our friends at  Rocktown Bar & Grill are making sure to keep the music coming and the good times rolling:

§ Friday, April 25:  The Reflex @ 9pm

§  Saturday, April 26:

o       8pm: Vintage Bluegrass featuring Richard Hefner

o       9pm: TK-421

I thought this was a pretty creative picture:

The inspiration for Crowded Streets:

In college, I spent several years working at the Admissions desk of a busy hospital's Emergency Room. Given the hospital's religious affiliation and its stance on charity, most of the down and dirtiest cases were brought by ambulance to the ER. These would be the homeless people injured on the street or those who just reeked with their public-intoxication. I've seen grown men so drunk they pissed on themselves (aw yeah - it's just as magical as it sounds) and people messed up on other various intoxicants. It's a special fun world. Anyway. I remember one day in particular, a teenage girl came in with her mom. She was miserably hung over - obviously underage drinking at its finest. We gave her the puny kidney shaped bowl for puking (seriously, is that ever enough bowl for anyone?), she was triaged and was waiting her turn. The next person in line was at my desk and the girl's mom interupted for something, when she left my current "patient" (as if I had patients) apologized and asked if I needed to get back to the girl. Stupid me, I said, "Oh no, her? She's just hungover." A nurse heard me. As you well know, confidentiality? It's kind of a big deal. I was sufficiently reprimanded for that remark. It was mortifying for me, an otherwise poster-child for perfectness in the workplace (okay, maybe not... but close!).

I was remembering this last night while listening to my drunk husband vomit for 90 minutes. Yup. From 12:30 to 2 a.m., I got to hear some lovely wretching noises from our master bathroom. It was truly magical - and so much better than sleep could dare to be. Yes, I'm dripping with sarcasm today. Wouldn't you be?

My husband has a friend he knows from high school. Actually, I know her too. I don't love her, but she doesn't bother me. Even if she weren't hideous, she wouldn't bother me because I know that he's not really a shady guy (she has potential for shady, but... Whatever). She was in town and asked him out for drinks. She never includes me on the invite (whatever, I don't love her, it's fine). It's always last minute (you know, so even if I wanted to go, try finding a sitter). But I think my husband should be allowed to have friends - male or female. I don't have to love them all, or even like them. And so, I said, "Cool, go! Have fun!" I have no desire to be that bitchy wife who doesn't let her husband have female friends. I don't need to dictate who he can and cannot spend time with.

What pissed me off was when he stumbled in the door FOUR hours later, drunk off his ass, and just repeatedly telling me, "I'm so stupid! I drank too much!" Yeah, buddy. You are. You did. I mean, shit. He's not 21 anymore. He's not a stranger to the affects of alcohol. At his age, he really ought to know what constitutes his limit - and if he paid it any heed last night, it was to wave at his limit as he went sailing past it.

At 12:30, he was vomiting and obviously miserable.

At 1, he was still miserable.

By 1:30, it was quite clear that there would be no sleeping, so I got a book, turned on my lamp and started reading. Soon after, he crawled into bed. Then he started moaning. Obviously - the room was spinning. I really wanted to say, "Shut the hell up!" Soon after, he was back in the bathroom for more vomiting. I don't even know what could have been left to puke up at that point. Asshat.

When he finally returned to bed, I turned off the light, put a pillow over my head to drown out the moans and finally was able to fall asleep.

I woke up less than four hours later with the kids, while my husband called in sick to sleep off his headache, promising to be in the office by noon. I'm exhausted. Meanwhile, his headache is gone and even though he claims to be "sleepwalking" I'm pissed that I had to pay for his playing - and sleep is a currency I don't wanna mess with.

I said this morning, "Many women would be pissed about their husbands doing this, and I have to say, I've been very nice about it." He said he knew.

But I'm tired. I'm sleepwalking. And damn, I'm bitchy. Four hours of sleep does NOT cut it for me. And the man will pay. In some way, he'll pay.

Blind Melon reunited in 2006 (with new singer, Travis Warren) and have said they want to pick up where they last left off. If this single is any showing of what they've got in store for an album, then they've succeeded. "Wishing Well" is a solid track, and as far as band continuity, I can't say I could pick it out from something done 10 years ago--but for fans, more of the same is rarely a bad thing. However, the song begs the question, can a song really be taken seriously when the lyrics "turn that frown upside down" are used? Check for yourself.

If it were in a movie: Played during the travel montage of a restless vagabond ... and there would be a train at some point (with lots of dust too).
Worth listening, if you like: 10, 000 Maniacs; Gin Blossoms; Live; Jane's Addiction; The Veils.

"Good." With that single syllable song, Better Than Ezra firmly established themselves as one of the premier alt-rock bands alongside such illustrious contemporaries as Blind Melon, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Dishwalla, Gin Blossoms, and Collective Soul. Debut Deluxe was a surprise hit and spawed at least two other successful singles.

From there, Better Than Ezra crafted an equally grand sophomore record. The release of Friction, Baby saw newfound fans across the globe embracing one of the most reliably crowd-pleasing songs in Better Than Ezra's catalogue: "Desperately Wanting". However, despite the success, no new ground was broken because the band opted to utilize the exact same mold they'd used for their debut.

The debate between releasing a roster of straight rock records and experimenting with a style a bit deeper than the average alternative album has torn apart lesser acts. Granted, it is a crucial decision that can make or break a band.

Do you cater to the greatest common denominator and give the people what they theoretically want - another piece of the same rock record? Or do you alter your present style to something less mainstream yet still have the album solidly land within the field of pop music?

Better Than Ezra's conceptualization of third album How Does Your Garden Grow set about to regenerate the dormant creativity long-time fans knew they were capable of. It begins with quirky opener "Je Ne M'en Souviens Pas", which essentially establishes this will not be BTE Rock Record #3.

The record really kicks off with "One More Murder", which adroitly highlights the senselessness of random killings. "At the Stars" recalls late nights that seemed as if they could last forever. "Under You" unfolds beautifully as a love paean, while adjacent track "Live Again" suggests a more complex relationship replete with worries and woes.

"Beautiful Mistake" is nudged near the end of the album when many bands are tacking on filler songs and half-hearted tracks. Concerning a father who has abandoned his family, the track was immediately seized upon by fans who understood the pain of loss. For years it could be found next to Everclear's "Father of Mine" on oft-pressed melancholy mix discs.

Though Better Than Ezra has released two albums since Garden, with some notable high points, they have yet to reach the creative heights they scaled so seemingly effortlessly in 1998.

 "Good" from Deluxe (1993)

 "Desperately Wanting" from Friction, Baby (1996)

 "Beautiful Mistake" from How Does Your Garden Grow? (1998)

"A Lifetime" from Closer (2001)

In our time apart much has happened. However, let's not dwell on the past and we'll move on to what is coming up this weekend. There is so much to do!

Playing at Rocktown Bar & Grill on Friday, February 29, is "Virginia's young country rockers" Sons of Bill with Hard Drive as the opening band. This band has a country-rock sound; personally, I don’t know any bands similar to their vibe to compare them to. On the band’s web site, they mention that their tunes are influenced by musicians such as: Gin Blossoms, Billy Joe Shaver, Steve Earle and Ryan Adams. To listen to some of their featured music, you can click on their myspace.com web site. If you like country music with songs that range from blues to edgy rock, then this is the band for you. Sons of Bill is a band from Charlottesville and they’re doing numerous shows in the Mid-Shenandoah Valley region within the next few weeks. To view all of their upcoming performances, click “here.”

Personally, I’m very excited about Saturday’s events. The Sometime Favorites will be having their CD Release party at Rocktown Bar & Grill. Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend, but I definitely recommend everyone to go. This band has a really fun sound with meaningful, home-hitting lyrics. The lead singer’s voice is so different; I’ll say it’s “smooth like butter.” I want to tell you my favorite song, but it’s so hard to choose just one. “We Are” and “All Along” are both excellent and can be checked out by going to the bands myspace.com web site. You can buy tickets for the show there as well. Definitely check this event out. I’ll even guarantee that you’ll have an amazing time!

I regret to inform you that I do have some sad news. Starting this upcoming weekend, Jean, Landon, and I will be out of town for Spring Break ’08. We want to wish all of you traveling for Spring Break to have a wonderful time and be sure to stay safe! Unfortunately, this means that our site, The Valley Vibrations, will not be as actively updated from March 2 – 10. However, it is possible that Jean will have access to a computer and she hopes to make a post at some point next week, so definitely check back!

Due to the fact that we will not be updating you next week, I’m going to give you some dates to keep in mind.
At Rocktown Bar & Grill:
- March 1: The Sometime Favorites w/ Midnight Train
- March 5: Josh Eye & Friends
- March 7: Cross Canadian Ragweed w/ Cowboy Mouth
- March 8: The Worx
Valkyrie is having a show in Richmond:
- February 29: Artist Underground Café w/ Cough and VBS
The Nice Jenkins is playing in Charlottesville:
- March 8: Zinc w/ Quiet, My Dear

I have updated you with as much as I can. I hope this helps in your future entertainment. This post is getting too long! I bid you adieu. To all of you spring breakers, have a wonderful and safe trip!