Spinning Records while House Sitting Brutus the Meowless Cat
What made Brutus so awesome? One thing: he had no “meow.”
a nonlinear romp through the music that influenced my life.
What made Brutus so awesome? One thing: he had no “meow.”
When Springsteen sings, it looks like he’s trying too hard. It looks like he’s about to give himself a hernia.
For Houstonians, before there was Beyonce’, there was ZZ Top. There have not been a whole lot of major bands and artists who call Houston home; afterall, Houston is not known as a cultural mecca. But, during the 1970s and 1980s, it was hard to turn on the radio in Houston and NOT hear a blazing ZZ Top song.
As I gaze back upon my life, I can chunk it into meaningful periods according to the music that I listened to at the time. These periods tend to coincide with major life events — or transitions.
Have you ever heard a song, maybe even loved a song, but never knew anything about it? Never knew the name. Never knew the artist. Well, that has happened to me on several occasions.
Country Music Television (CMT) conjures a very specific cluster of memories for me. One crisp January morning in 1986, the CMT programming was interrupted when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just after takeoff.
Pictures at an Exhibition is one of the very few classical pieces to which I ever listen. There are ten movements in the piece, each representing a different painting at an art gallery, and the imagery really comes through — from lumbering ox carts to bustling markets to the majestic Gates at Kiev. But, it was the dreamy, repetitive Promenade which played over and over in my 7th grade head.
When I retired from the Marine Corps in the Summer of 2010, we moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. I was super jazzed to cultivate fond summer swimming memories for my ten year old daughter while creating new/richer memories for myself as well.
I began exploring the alt-country music of Uncle Tupelo which eventually led to Wilco’s first album, AM. I was hooked by Wilco’s alt-country heritage and vibe, and then I was transfixed by their evolving artistry and sound.
Have you ever loved a song, but had no idea what the hell was being sung? Well, that happens to me all the time.