The Pefect Space

Traveled to Lehigh University yesterday with my just eighteen year old son to see a favorite band of ours, The Avett Brothers. The I-Pod was cleaned and refreshed for the ride. The weather was bright and sunny. The mood was set for that "you're off to college in a week" bonding. As we headed down the highway my head swirled with great expectations. I set the cruise, settled in, and looked over to my passenger for engagement. There he sat, half asleep, receiving text after text from his social network.

I swallowed my expectations and relaxed. Even when he said let's have it quiet for awhile and not listen to the i-pod right now, I smiled and said "sure." He sleepily texted. I watched the road rush under us. Wonderful memories of his life raced through my mind. Wishes for his future floated in. A quiet peace set upon the car that was comforting. The space began.

An hour or so into the trip the I-pod was shuffled ( first shuffled five; I Love My Label - Nick Lowe, Nineteen -Old 97s, Up The Junction-Squeeze, Accidents Will Happen - Elvis Costello, Pulled Up -Talking Heads). Songs were song. Talk was cheap. Worries were light. The space was good.

Our directions were dead on, and we pulled into the theater's parking garage entrance right next to the band's bus. As the Avett nation trickled into the site our excitement began. It was a beautiful mix of young and old hippies, young and old hipsters, and young parents with young kids and old parents with old kids. We fit right into that space.

We browsed the merch table, and picked out shirts. I got a couple of call outs for my "Q" shirt. There was time to grab a drink before we headed into the sold out theater. We sat way up in the center of the balcony. The view of the stage was beautiful. We waited the last few minutes sharing "the" song we wanted to hear from the brothers. From the first twang of the banjo, plunk of the stand up bass, and blending of the harmonies, we were lost in space.

Our smiles were non stop as we stomped our feet, clapped our hands and sang along with song after song. And as I took a breath between songs I thought about the perfection of sharing this moment with my soon to be away at college son. Then the band launched into his wish song; "The Perfect Space."

The Perfect Space, by the Avett Bros.

I wanna have friends that I can trust,
that love me for the man I’ve become not the man I was.
I wanna have friends that will let me be
all alone when being alone is all that I need.
I wanna fit in to the perfect space,
feel natural and safe in a volatile place.
And I wanna grow old without the pain,
give my body back to the earth and not complain.
Will you understand when I am too old of a man?
And will you forget when we have paid our debt
who did we borrow from?

Okay part two now clear the house.
The party’s over take the shouting and the people,
get out.
I have some business and a promise that I have to hold to.
I do not care what you assume or what the people told you.
Will you understand, when I am too old of a man?
Will you forget when we have paid our debts,
who did we borrow from, who did borrow from?

I wanna have pride like my mother has,
And not like the kind in the bible that turns you bad.
And I wanna have friends that I can trust,
that love me for the man I’ve become and not the man that I was.

Kids These Days

Hello

I don't remember connecting musically with my elders when I was young. My mother had, and still has, a love a music, but we never shared the same music. I do have to say I pilfered some very cool LPs from my older (ten plus years) siblings; CCR on that heavy gauge vinyl, early Billy Joel, Love, CSN, etc. I never had shared musical experiences with them though. It has been a different story with my own children,

I have been broadening their musical horizons since they could hear. I am sure growing up with a music snob has not been easy for them. The other day my eight year old was in the backseat of the car with her new friend explaining that her favourite band was Fountains of Wayne. Her friend seemed perplexed, and asked "Don't you know who Michael Jackson is?" Then my daughter asked me "Dad is he one of the ones our family doesn't like?" I started to worry I was raising another music snob. I went PC and told her MJ was ok, but that I just didn't listen much to his music. Then the little girl asked my daughter about the Beatles, and I had to defend why they weren't the bees knees in our family.

Not to worry though, my children haven't turned into little music snobs like me. They turn me on to the new sounds kids listen to these days. Like that new TV show craze "Glee," and the wonderful new songs they have introduced to my children; "Don't Stop Believing," "Total Eclipse of the Heart," and some Barbara Streisand song I don't even want to think about. I have so enjoyed remembering why I hated these songs the first time round. My children just love this. They love to play the game of let's find the old songs that drive dad crazy and load up our i-pods. Songs like "Eye of the Tiger" and "We are the Champions." So far I have succeeded in hiding the band Boston from them.

Then there is this phenomena of Broadway taking pop collections and making shows out of them. They've done it with Billy Joel, Queen, and now even Green Day. But I will never forgive them for making me re-live all those Abba hits on my daughter's musical theater heavy play list.

There is a huge upside though of my my musical influence on my children. Yeah they like a lotta crap, but they all thoroughly enjoy music in their lives and are passionate about what they like and don't like. They have wide and varied tastes, and have the smarts not to just like what commercial radio, or their dad, says they should. Despite my efforts, or maybe because of, they have developed their own musical styles. Luckily that includes great new music I can experience with them, like Rhett Miller, Dar Williams, and yes Fountains of Wayne. Now if I can just get them to let me listen to Jonathan Richman when they are in the car. "Ice cream man, comin' down the street......."

Pop Tones

I have never been happy with the ring tone choices on my cellphones. I just got a new phone and the ringers are awful sounding. The other day I heard the perfect ring tone. Anyone remember the 70's AM hit "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Suede, not to be confused by the hit cover of the song that BJ Thomas did. The first six seconds of the song contain the ring tone I want; "Oogahchaka, Oogahchaka, Oogah Oogah, Ogahchaka." Can you hear it now?

Kevin

Paid for Making Mixed Tapes

Thinking about the dream job for the pop music obsessed individual. Musician. Many a record fanatic picks up the guitar and finds joy playing those off the beaten path pop gems that friends think you wrote. Record store owner (Hey Patrick). I think I would be like Jack Black in High Fidelity and have a hard time selling Journey albums to all those Glee teens (more on this in the future). Concert promoter. I've often thought I would love to enlighten my community with cool music. I have my eye on a beautiful church that was recently purchased by a private citizen, but if I get Jonathan Richman to play in Elmira NY will anyone come. Radio DJ.

I don't need to tell you how bad commercial radio is. You'd think I could get nostalgic for what is called classic rock, but it's the same cuts over and over. It is also weird to hear REM and Elvis Costello on an oldies station. I guess they have been playing for thirty years, but oldies are the other Elvis and Ricky Nelson.

Thank God for the internet and the ability to pull in good music from far away places. I have been a WFUV fan for some time now( www.wfuv.org ). It is a public radio station from Fordum University in NYC, that plays what they call "Rockin' Roots" radio. A great mix of eclectic deep cuts from all of music history, as well a varied array of the great music that is still being made. Lots of live interviews and music info as well. I particularly enjoy a feature during the morning hours with Claudia Marshall. She proposes a "Question of the Day" that listeners get to answer musically. Just what a pop music geek like me needs to occupy his mind. I think I have gone too heavily with the NRBQ suggestions, but hey, that's how I lean. I love coming up with musical lists on particular topics.

Which brings me to my dream job, or side job. I am also a fan of NPR's "This American Life" ( www.thisamericanlife.org ). Each week host Ira Glass presents several real life stories or commentaries told by authors and and everyday people on a particular theme. When my son Michael was about 12 he summed the show up for me. After hearing Ira present a mother's day episode that included incarcerated female youth presenting cards to their mothers, Michael stated " He makes you care about things you didn't even know existed." I couldn't agree more.

Each week on "This American Life", along with the stories, there is theme related music. That is the job I want. Ira gives the weeks theme, and I come up with a mixed tape of songs related to the theme that the show can pick from. Now that would be a pretty neat job.

Kevin

A1 on the Juke Box

The first spin on this new box of pop. Encouraged to create a space to write about my pop music obsessions, "A1 on the Jukebox" (Dave Edmunds) seemed like a logical title for the first post. It is the first 45 on my traditional jukebox, and it always comes up first when I do a new shuffle of all songs on my modern jukebox.

My intent with this blog is to find an outlet for my ramblings about records, and share with like minded people. The name of the blog refers to the best type of pop songs, and if you find you are spending more than 3 and 1/2 minutes reading a post you have my blessing to move on with your day and return tomorrow.

Kevin