Asshole Songs

I like playlists. They make it so easy for me to play only the songs that I'm really in the mood to hear. My copy of Windows Media Player is full of playlists, and I rely on them a lot - especially the "recently added" section that WNP creates for me by default.

Sometimes, I just feel like an asshole. Not in the "I kick kittens" sense, but in the "I'm the greatest ever" sense. We all feel this way sometimes, and what better way to embrace the inner jerk than to celebrate with appropriate songs? I like my "asshole songs" playlist when I'm at the online-poker table, and when I'm writing. These are two things that I do very well - so, sometimes, I have a bit of an ego about it.

However, I should mention here that online poker and writing are both private things. I don't use the poker table's chat box to tell everybody else how awesome I am, and I certainly don't write essays about my greatness. But when I'm alone in my room, doing my thing with one or the other, I'm all about the ego.

The playlist includes a lot of rap, because rappers are pretty good at telling the world how awesome they are. Songs like Bow Wow's "Fresh AZIMIZ" and Ludacris' "Blow It Out" are perfect examples. So are 50 Cent's "If I Can't" and Jay-Z's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder." And for a little bit of comic relief, while still giving my inner jerk some breathing room, I included Insane Clown Posse's "I Stab People."

Actually, most of the playlist is rap, which isn't surprising considering the nature of the genre.

Merry Christmas, Everybody

There won't be a Christmas-day post - we all have better things to do, one hopes.

Be sure to ask Santa to bring you a good pair of headphones if you don't already own them. Personally, I despise earbuds (they hurt after about half an hour). I have a pair of over-the-ear, noise-canceling headphones. Sony electronics haven't impressed me much in the last several years, but these headphones are the exception. Good stuff, and well worth the fifty-odd bucks stores ask for them.

But if Santa brought me a pair of wireless headphones that worked with my MP3 player, I wouldn't complain one stinking bit.

Christmas Carols

Even though the retail and radio worlds begin shoving Christmas carols into our ear holes before Thanksgiving dinner is eaten, I prefer enjoying holiday-themed music closer to Christmas. I just don't want to listen to my holiday songs in November. That's not the Christmas season as far as I'm concerned.

Then again: I have an unusual taste in holiday music. When Christmas Day draws near, I put on Bob Rivers albums. "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire" is my favorite so far. I also like most of the tracks on "Twisted Christmas" - especially "Wreck the Malls" and "We Wish You Weren't Living With Us." Yes, they're parodies of regular carols. And yes, I normally dislike parodies. But Bob Rivers and his merry band of miscreants are hilarious.

So I play these albums, have a good laugh, and greet Christmas with a big grin, because the holiday is not, if you ask me, a somber occasion. It's supposed to be fun and cheerful, and Bob Rivers makes that possible.

"House" Theme Song

I love watching "House" for various reasons. The soundtrack is not the least of them. If you've ever wondered about the theme song, that's a song by Massive Attack. You can find this track on "Mezzanine." When you listen, you're going to notice that the actual song is quite a bit longer. As is so often the case, TV-show producers chop out big chunks of songs - otherwise, the intro would take, you know, forever, and that would just tick us off because we care about the actual program a lot more than the intro.

You might actually like "Mezzanine." It's not, overall, a bad album. However, you'd be doing well to pick up the "House" soundtrack. Either one should satisfy your desire to indulge in the introductory music/theme song, and the TV soundtrack album gives you other cuts that you'll recognize from the show.

Tuning Drums - The Easy Way

If you despise tuning your drums by ear - or if you, like me, just aren't so great at it - there's hope. Go to the local music store and ask the employee in the percussion section for a drum dial. Also called a tuning dial, this nifty little gadget will cost fewer than eighty dollars, but will save you a lifetime of frustration and annoyance.

This dial is very simple to use, and guarantees a well-tuned, awesome-sounding drum. Even if you're great at tuning by ear, this is worth a try because you just might get even-better results.

Don't forget a wicked-looking drum key while you're shopping.

Confessions of a Music Addict

Shh. Don't tell anybody, but I have some secrets about music. Shh. Let's keep this between us, okay?

* I despise Kanye West's music, but part of that's because he's a self-absorbed twit who plays the race card in entirely-inappropriate situations. Like during the post-Katrina charity spot that he did for TV. Jerk.

* Everybody who knows me well, knows that I'm a Phil Collins/Genesis fan. The dude plays a mean drum kit, man. If it weren't for those crazy skills, I wouldn't listen. But I do. Because you just can't argue with the guy's talent.

* I own, and enjoy, a Northern State album ("Dying in Stereo").

* When my parents, during The Eagles' "Hell Freezes Over" tour, left me at home to babysit instead of taking me, I was more ticked about them showing up too late to see, and report on, Melissa Etheridge's opening act than I was about missing The Eagles. That's kind of sad, when you think about it.

Shows I'd Like to Catch (DFW Area)

Of all the shows coming to DFW in the next few weeks or so, I'm interested in only a handful. But they're sure to be really great shows, so I'm sorry that I'll probably have to miss them. (A combination of lack of funds and having other obligations those nights.)

Dec. 6
Buckcherry, Drowning Pool and Hinder at Nokia Theatre.

Jan. 23
AC/DC at AAC.

P.S. Ticket scalping is legal here in Texas (save, notably, for Arlington - can't scalp Texas Rangers tix there, it seems), so have fun trying to get your hands on the AC/DC tix through a reseller if you can't get them from the box office before they sell out.

Guitar Hero/Rock Band vs. the Real Deal

Why would you pay out the butt for Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band when you could, with that same amount of money, start learning how to play that instrument (including your voice) for real?

Where I live, you can get lessons in voice, drums, and guitar for anywhere from thirty to fifty bucks per session. Most music stores in my area package lessons and instrument rental or purchase fees, so you get a pretty decent deal if you need to buy whatever you want to play, then learn how to play the thing.

If you don't want to go that route, you can buy a basic, used instrument that's still in good condition and add a "how to" DVD to your purchase. You probably already have the DVD player, so you can bring your stuff home, pop in the disc, and start learning.

And for the even-cheaper route, you can search YouTube. Plenty of musicians of all skill levels have uploaded lessons, instructional videos and other helpful files for your amusement and/or edification.

I can see how the console games are fun for some people. I know quite a few guys and gals who never showed any interest in learning even the first thing about music, but happily play air guitar or drums whenever their favorite songs are playing. These video games are, in many ways, the high-tech version of the same thing.

So, I can see why some people would pick up these titles. If you're only into pretending to play, then go for it. Rock out all you want - have some fun when it's too cold to go outside, or when you don't have to be at work or school.

Even though I do understand that, I still encourage people to consider learning to play "for real." I'm not against the games, but music opens up so many mental doors for us. Learning how to make music, and then actually doing it, stimulates our brains and encourages the creative parts of our gray matter. I think that, if you show any interest in music, you should give that a try. Who knows? One of the game makers could feature your song in one of their sequels.

I'm Thankful For This Stuff

I won't be doing a Thanksgiving-day blog, sorry. I have other stuff planned - like family time, and the "House" marathon on TV.

So, in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday (in the States, at least), here are the things that I'm most thankful for as far as music is concerned.

• Pro-Mark drumsticks. They're the best if you ask me. I own only two pairs at the moment because they're too sturdy to require by-the-brick, bulk purchases. At least in my case. They're also comfortable, affordable and quite a bit of fun.
• Remastered albums. Oh, sure, The Cranberries' "No Need to Argue" sounded great when it was recorded in the 1990s. But with remastering, and bonus tracks, the "complete sessions" version sounds better and gives me more tunes from one of my favorite bands.
• Ring tones. Being able to customize my cell phone's ringers? That's one of very few things that makes the stupid device bearable. I despise these things and the constant connectivity that they encourage (or demand, in some cases). But when I can pick my own ring tones, I'm a little happier about having to take the stupid phone with me to school, work, et cetera.
• Noise-canceling headphones. Not many things bother me more than crowd noise. The larger the crowd, the more I'm annoyed. Being able to cancel out the sounds, and replace them with music - something I actually want to hear - makes life tolerable.

Have a wonderful Turkey Day, 'merrycans, and everyone else? Have a great day too.

MP3 Players and Song Files

With Black Friday coming closer and closer, it's time to talk MP3 players. Specifically: the music that you wish to load on them.

If you buy an iPod or a Zune, you'll have to load the respective software. In both cases, the programs are bloated, and tend to hog system resources. I actually don't like the Zune software at all, though I do have a special place in my heart for the actual player.

How old is your computer? If your system isn't fairly new, it's going to labor and strain when you run iTunes or Zune. Keep that in mind when you shop. Especially if you want a big player so that you fill it with lots of music. That tranfer will take time, and eat up your resources.

However, a good number of the other players on the market work with Windows Explorer. With these, you load music and other files simply by plugging in the player (USB connection). Just drag and drop the files that you want to add, and use your "Delete" key to dump the ones that you don't want anymore. This is simple, very easy on even older computers' resources, and painless.

Also, keep file types in mind when you buy a player. Not every device will play every type of file. The Zune and iPod will not, right now at least, play anything that you download from SpiralFrog. If you purchase downloads from the iTunes Store, do not expect them to work in any device that isn't an iPod. Be sure, before you buy, that you'll be able to enjoy your music downloads.

Speaking of file types: What about your CD collection? You'll have to rip those files to your computer's hard drive, then transfer the music to the device. Be sure, when you rip, that you choose a file type that the player can handle. Several years ago, I had a small iRiver. That sucker would not play WMA files. I could load them, but they wouldn't play. The device just didn't handle them, so I had to convert them to MP3 format, which took time and annoyed me.

Do your research before you buy. There are many players on the market, and they are not all equal. Be sure that you know what you're getting, or putting under the Christmas tree for somebody else this year. And if you do give someone an MP3 player, throw in a gift card to that person's favorite pay-download site or record store.

Stereo Research, Possibly Shopping Later

I'm in a foul mood because my cheaply-made wireless FM transmitter died on me. As in: completely. It needs either fresh batteries (which is ridiculous, because I just bought the thing a couple of months ago and used brand-new AAAs in the stupid piece of garbage) or several direct blows with a claw hammer. Either way, I'm annoyed at the situation because I'd really like to listen to whatever music I want when I drive to and from school.

My solution to the problem, aside from bludgeoning the useless piece of junk with that claw hammer, is to save up my bucks to get a decent stereo for the car in question. The aftermarket head unit in there isn't all that great. It's fine if you just want to listen to the radio, but it tends to scratch up CDs. This unit's rather old, so I'm not surprised that it tried to eat my Sara Bareilles disc.

So, I've been researching stereos, because I despise the idea of spending a few hundred dollars on something without knowing exactly what I can reasonably expect. I want to walk in, tell the person at the store exactly what I want, and leave with a perfect-for-me setup installed right there.

At the moment, all I really know is that I want something with a line-in, which is tough to NOT find at this point, because I'm tired of messing with transmitters.

I also know that I want to upgrade the speakers so that, when the car's hard top is off, I can crank up the Zune and actually hear my music.

We'll see how this stereo-shopping thing goes.

Twice-weeky Updates

I'll be updating on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I hope at least, because school and work (among other obligations) are keeping me too busy. Well, it was worth trying to blog every day, at least, right?

Turn it Down Already

Now, I adore music and all that, but I honestly don't want to hear your tunes. Keep the music turned down just a little, okay? Please?

When we're stopped at a red light, turn down the stereo. I hate when somebody else's bass rattles my car windows. That's annoying and, sometimes, triggers one of my stupid migraines. When you're quite literally making me hurt, you're overstepping the social boundaries. Turn down the music for two minutes. I promise that you won't die if you can't blast your gangsta rap for that brief time period.

If I can clearly hear what's piping into your ears via your iPod, and you're on the other side of the college classroom, you're well on your way to permanent hearing damage. Personally, I think that you can do whatever you please to your own ears. If you don't value your hearing, then continue blasting Metallica and Pantera into your eardrums. Fine by me.

But please, turn off the music when there is something happening that we need to hear. When the prof walks in and starts lecturing, ditch the iPod. If you don't want to hear what he or she has to say, then don't come to class. Please stop interfering with my learning process.

I'm all for rocking out. I do it all the time, actually. I just don't want other peoples' music interfering with what I'm trying to do, that's all. On the open road, and before the prof walks into the classroom, enjoy at full volume if that's what you want. But please, think about other people every now and then.

Music Made Before My Time

I was born in the early 1980s, so I missed the really great music from the 60s and 70s. That's quite all right, though, because most of the music that I really enjoy from those decades found its way to compact disc and/or MP3 download.

My parents introduced me to classic rock even before I was born. The genre grew on me, as I was growing, and still makes me happy now, twenty-seven years later.

Uriah Heep's "Demons and Wizards" is one of the best classic-rock albums out there. Why? I'm not entirely sure. I like the vocals, and the drum work. The lyrics aren't bad, either. Overall, that's one of those rare albums that you can play straight through without being annoyed or bored.

I really like most of The Eagles' catalog as well. Their new double album isn't bad, by the way. Well worth checking out even though the band's not quite what they were during the "Hotel California" or even "Hell Freezes Over" years. Different, but not in a bad way.

Janis Joplin was awesome. She didn't have the usual, smooth, feminine voice at all, and that worked in her favor considering the lyrics that she and her band tended to prefer. "Cry Baby" wouldn't sound right if, say, Mariah Carey, sang it.

Moody Blues, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Billy Joel, The Doors, Kansas, Journey, Eric Clapton...I could go on and on. A lot of the classic-rock songs that survived to make their way into my ears are just good music. Too bad I can't say the same about later decades.

Upcoming Music Releases I Care About

Some album releases that I actually care about:

November 11

Tracy Chapman - Our Bright Future
Missy Elliott - Block Party

November 18

Chris Cornell - Scream

November 23

Guns 'n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

November 25

Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

December 16

Fall Out Boy - Folie a Deux

MP3 Players with Removable Storage

I'm really liking the idea of adding removable storage media capabilities to MP3 players. This isn't exactly a brand-new idea, but I'm seriously considering one of those types of players when I finally get sick of my Zune.

I like having lots of music on hand wherever I go. That's why I bought the Zune. At the time, the 30GB model was the largest one that Microsoft offered, and it wasn't an iPod (which I didn't like enough to buy then...or now). For a very-brief period, I actually had a little room left over on the Zune. My entire music collection didn't quite take up all of my storage space.

Now, though, I definitely have to pick and choose which songs or albums to add. That's all right, though, because some of what I play isn't good "road music." During the twice-weekly commute to and from school, I don't want to hear folk or other "softer, slower" tunes. I want harder, louder music, like rap and rock.

Even so: I like the idea of being able to swap out SD memory cards. I'll happily buy an MP3 player with that feature, and buy a protective case that holds a few memory cards for me. That would, if I find a player that's reliable and worth the money, be great. When I wanted to listen to my folk collection, I could pop that card into the player. If I get on the road for a little drive, I can insert a card full of "road-worthy" tunes.

Having choices like that is usually a good thing.

Music I Don't Like

Even though I'll give almost any music at least one listen before I make a judgment call, some things just aren't going to work for me. I occasionally dig a few of the songs or artists that I find in the following categories, but they're definitely exceptions. I wouldn't dare write off an entire genre, and every single person making music that falls into that category, because I'd miss out on some truly-enjoyable tunes if I did that.

* Opera - I appreciate the storytelling, and the amazing vocal feats. However, I don't really enjoy opera music. Most of the time, this style makes my gums itch.

* Foreign-language music. I'm uncomfortable when I don't know what, exactly, I'm singing. Rammstein's "Du Hast" is, for example, an excellent song. I didn't really enjoy it, however, until I looked up a trustworthy translation. (Hint: it is not a happy, fun song. But you probably figured that out by the dark, heavy overtones, didn't you?)

* Stereotypical rap/hip-hop. I tend to dislike raps about:

a) Degrading women
b) The rapper's wads and wads of cash
c) All the material possessions, especially cars, that said rapper purchased with his millions of dollars
d) Killing people for looking at the rapper the wrong way

There are so many other subjects to write and rap about. Yes, many of them have been done before. But the aforementioned topics are worn down to fine little nubs and, therefore, annoy the snot out of me. Stop. Pick something else to write about. Seriously. One more song about the Escalade's rims and I'm going to cry.

* Country-western. Just because I live in The Middle of Nowhere, Texas, doesn't mean that I'm a Travis Tritt fan. Or Garth Brooks. Or Trisha Yearwood. Or, heaven forbid, the Dixie Chicks. The country-western twang, especially the nasal variety, makes my ears cry.

* Boy bands and teen-pop sensations. I never liked New Kids on the Block; Tiffany; The Backstreet Boys; Britney Spears, or N*Sync. They all annoyed me, especially when I got older and discovered alternative rock.

Em's "Relapse" Release Date

Amazon says that Eminem's "Relapse" will hit shelves on December 23rd. That's excellent news, considering that we've been waiting a few years for Em to give us another CD.

None of his previous albums disappointed me, so I'm 99.999 percent certain that I'll be pleased with "Relapse."

Good Poker Music

I love poker - especially Hold'em tournaments. Because I play online, I don't have to worry about hearing the dealer, or the other players. That being the case, I'm free to crank up the tunes and enjoy.

Now, I'm not going to play "The Gambler" while I try to decide what to do with my cards. That's just...well...I do enjoy that song, but not while I'm actually playing. Instead, I have a few playlists. They include songs like:


L.L. Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
Ludacris - Game Got Switched; Put Your Money
Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Buckcherry - Lit Up
Green Day - Chump
2Pac - California Love
Eminem - Without Me; My Name Is; Just Lose It; These Drugs; Bad Influence

Those are just a few of my favorite "poker songs." They get my heart rate up, help me stay focused, and entertain me all at the same time.

Happy Halloween - Free Music!

Happy Halloween, folks. As a fun treat, I'm giving you links to legally-free music downloads that you might dig.

3hive.com - a fascinating collection of mostly-independent music downloads. This is a great way to discover new and old artists alike in your favorite genres. I also happen to like the fact that this site is easy to navigate; you have multiple search options (including artist, label and genre), along with reviews of the songs.

Free Irish Music Downloads - the Irish in me adores this idea. The rest of me loves it too.

SpiralFrog: Even Easier Now

SpiralFrog - the music-download site that relies on ad revenue to support legally-free music - has recently made things even simpler.

Now, you don't have to go to the site every month to refresh your account. Instead, you have to visit the site at least once a month and download something.

That isn't difficult at all, considering the site's extensive catalog which, thanks to new releases and recently-added songs and albums, is only getting larger.

So, go enjoy a more-pleasant SpiralFrog experience.

Free Dr Pepper!

If you're a Guns 'n' Roses fan, then you're already grinning over "Chinese Democracy." Finally, a new G'n'R album!

Grin about this, too, then: Dr Pepper swore that, if the album actually came out in 2008, they'd give every American free DP. And they are.

Here's what you need to do:

On November 23 - and on that day only - go to Dr Pepper's Web site. Fill in your details and watch your mailbox for a coupon. Redeem that sucker when it comes in the mail and enjoy your free bottle of the world's best cola.

Free DP AND a new G'n'R album. This couldn't get better.

MTV

MTV would be so awesome if the executives remembered that the "M" in the network name stands for "Music" and act accordingly.

I don't want to watch pithy, teen-friendly reality shows, or any of the other garbage that MTV and MTV2 broadcast. Give me music videos, concert footage, band and artist interviews, music news and music-themed films.

Why not devote one channel to the "other junk" and give us the music-related content on the other? Load us up with 24/7 music. We won't complain. Honest.

Mom, Music and Me

My Mom was the primary influence as far as music went. As a child, I often tuned in to the radio with her - and enjoyed the trivia that she would share with me.

She was the one who told me that Elton John is gay - in response to my question about those massive, pink sunglasses he sometimes wore.

I found out, through my Mom, that Stevie Ray Vaughan was a Texan, and that he'd died in a helicopter crash when I was too young to be "into" music.

Mom taught me how to clean my cassette deck with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. She also showed me how to splice broken tapes back together.

My first CD player: her doing. As were most of the CDs that I acquired from that point until I started working and buying my own. She would happily buy me almost any album that I wanted, and swipe many of them from me because she enjoyed the music as well.

That was a difficult time: being in my mid teens and having to ask Mom to please, pretty please, return my copy of Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar" when she was finished listening.

We still introduce each other to music. She tells me that there's a great version of "Amazing Grace" out, with added lyrics. I tell her that she's going to love the latest Eminem album.

I set up her computer to automatically rip her CDs to the folder that she prefers, with the appropriate audio quality. She helped me strategically arrange my surround-sound speakers when I brought them home.

Music, it seems, is one of the reasons why Mom and I are so close. We would still have plenty of things to talk about, and more than enough things to do with each other, but music fills a large part of our lives. I'm not sure what I would do with myself if that changed.

CD Rot

Once upon a time, when CDs were still relatively new, manufacturers had a problem: the suckers would deteriorate no matter how carefully they were stored.

"CD rot," as the phenomenon is called, looks nasty. Check the "play" side of your older CDs. If you see blackish, ugly spots, you have a problem. This can happen even if you were careful to store your collection in a friendly environment, without abusing any of the discs. The CDs are just defective, as it turns out.

Eventually, that problem went away. You shouldn't experience CD rot with newer discs.

You can, however, try to copy the affected discs to your computer's hard drive. If this works, you can burn a new copy and enjoy that - or transfer the files to your MP3 player and listen that way.

Wireless FM Transmitters Stink

The car I'm driving has an older CD player - one without a line-in port - so I have to use a wireless FM transmitter to play my Zune through the speakers.

My mistake: buying a ten-dollar transmitter by some random company I'd never heard of before. The big problem is that the unit is difficult to turn on and off. Pressing the power button does not always do something: instead, I have to sit there and hit that stupid thing three, four, twelve times before it turns on or off. Piece of junk.

I also hate the audio quality - or lack of. Even though I'm hardly a master at detecting the subtle, beautiful nuances of a well-tuned snare or a well-played rhythm guitar, I can tell when there's a hissing in the background of every song. Move the transmitter around a bit and the hissing goes away: obviously the cheap device's fault.

A well-made FM transmitter won't do this. I know because I did, at one point, own a rather-nice one. However, that eventually broke. This cruddy replacement has done nothing but tick me off since I bought it last month.

Do yourself a huge favor and spend a few extra dollars on a high-quality transmitter. You won't be disappointed, especially if clumsy, poor-performing accessories tick you off like they do me.

Download or Buy the CD?

I don't mind (legally) downloading albums versus buying the actual CDs. This is because I don't own an actual CD player anymore: when I do acquire a CD, I rip the files to my hard drive, then transfer them to my Zune.

Liner notes and artwork are wonderful, but they aren't vital to me. Other music lovers do care, though, which is one reason why they keep buying albums.

Another reason: the audio quality. If your ears are better than mine, you can tell the difference between a CD that you've ripped as a lossless file and an Mp3 or WMA that you've downloaded from a site like SpiralFrog or iTunes.

If you don't care about either of the above issues, then just download the album. You can download the entire thing for about ten bucks at most pay sites - versus twelve dollars or more for the actual CD. Those few dollars, when saved up, can make a difference in your music budget over time. Save the money and buy a ticket to the artist's live show, or get a t-shirt.

Albums I'm Excited About

I'm looking forward to checking out Fall Out Boy's upcoming album - because I was somewhat disappointed with "Infinity on High" and hope the band can do something that's at least as impressive as "Take This to Your Grave" and "From Under the Cork Tree" (their two best albums so far, in my opinion).

Spinnerette is also, allegedly, working on releasing their debut album. That's going to be great - Brody Dalle (The Distillers) doing her thing again in the studio.

I'd also like to check out Eminem's upcoming CD. When will it drop? I have no idea. But I'm interested in how his style has changed since "Encore."

Commercials: Ruining Great Music

What happened to the jingle, anyway? I might be young, but I really prefer the product-specific songs to the ripped-off music that so many companies use in advertising today.

We still see a few jingles, in fact. The Oscar-Meyer Weiner song? Jingle. The super-annoying "Free Credit Report" songs, sung by the annoying guy and his annoying band? Jingles.

But more often than not, the companies simply grab popular songs and, well, ruin them for me.

Right now, Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Crazy In Love" is providing the soundtrack to some furniture-store's commercials. Why, oh why, would they do this to me? I actually liked that song until it started blaring from my TV several times a day.

Other examples of commercials that have driven me insane:

Aerosmith's "Dream On" in a car commercial.

Another car company used Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water."

Levis: Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line."

I do realize that TV commercials must capture our attention: otherwise, the advertisers can't sell us the products. But people respond to jingles. Even those of us who loathe FreeCreditReport.com catch ourselves humming, or even singing, their songs at random moments. What better way to ensure that we're thinking about the product than by lodging its very own song deep in our heads?

Indigo Girls Going Indie

Really, I thought that this would happen a lot sooner than it did. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers - better known as the Indigo Girls - are going with an indie label for their upcoming album, which we should see in February.

The only sucky part, really, is that their label, Hollywood, dropped them - according to the story, anyway. Even though IG are apparently looking at this as a positive thing, it still stinks - or would to me, anyway.

Whatever label the next IG album calls home, I'm looking forward to hearing it.

Best Drum Sticks for Beginners

If you're brand-new to drums, you probably aren't sure, just yet, if you want to devote yourself to them for more than a few months. That's fine. I wasn't sure when I first invaded my brother's room to mess with his kit. Just like I wasn't sure when I took up guitar at age ten.

Typically, I'm a big fan of going cheap when you're just starting on an instrument. That way, if it turns out that you really hate learning how to play acoustic guitar, you haven't wasted a few hundred bucks on a super-slick, high-speed guitar that's now a dust catcher.

I do, however, hate crappy drum sticks with every last atom in my body. They warp, or break too easily. They aren't well matched, so they don't sound the same. They just suck - and if you buy a pair of cheap garbage, you're saving only a few bucks. (Well...you're actually spending more money if the cheap stuff breaks a few weeks later.)

Go to the music store and pick a solid pair of sticks that fit your hands and your style. Invest a few bucks in a pair of Pro-Mark oak sticks, in fact. Even if you end up hating drums, you'll still have a cool pair of sticks, right?

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge should not do Christms songs. Period. That's just as wrong as digging up Janis Joplin and having her sing a cover of "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." Wrong. Not right. Wrong.

However, I do play drums, and have recently re-acquainted myself with the deluxe version of MLE's debut CD. (Self-titled, incidentally.) If you crank up the stereo on the new-and-improved version of "Chrome Plated Heart," you realize that she can really pick a drummer. He complements her guitar well, which is very easy to hear on this cut.

As with so many other artists: the deeper you dig into the archives, the better MLE is. Even if she did have that weird, 80s-style, heavy bassline intro to "Similar Features."

Music You 90s Kids Will Remember

Lately, I've been rediscovering some of the best music from my childhood. Mostly, that music came about in the 1990s, when I was a pre-teen, then teen, headbanging to the local rock station and making notes of which CDs I wanted to buy the next time I had money.

Some of my favorites:

Jennifer Trynin - Better Than Nothing. This artist's single was on the rock side of the pop spectrum, if that makes any sense. (Most of the rest of the CD, "Cockamamie," is way closer to being real rock, which scores big points with me.) You could rock out to the chorus in particular:

I'm feelin' good, I'm feelin' good, I'm feelin' good for now
Good, I'm feelin' good, I'm feelin' good for now

Oh, sure, that's mind-numbingly simple, but it was - and still is - catchy. And fun!

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Sponge - Plowed. To me, the rest of the album falls into the "not a big deal" category. Hardcore Sponge fans will disagree, of course. But the single? Well, it's stuck with me all these years for one reason or another. I think it has something to do with the lead guitarist's skills. The lyrics could have something to do with it at well:

Say a prayer for me
I'm buried by the sound
Of a world of human wreckage
In a world of human wreckage
Where i'm lost and I'm found and I can't touch the ground
I'm plowed into the sound

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The Nixons - Foma. I bought the album for "Sister" and "Happy Song." It turned out that more than half of the tracks were well worth my twelve dollars. These Texas-native rockers had distinct lyrics and sounds (both vocals and instruments), and knew how to rock.

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So, there you are: some cool stuff that you probably remember from your childhood.

My First-gen Zune is Fine, Thanks

I really don't see why people keep telling me that I "need" to buy a new Zune.

The first-gen. Zune that I currently own is working just fine, thanks. Why should I drop a wad of money to replace something that I'm very happy with right now?

Yes, it's a big and blocky device. But I don't mind. This makes the player easy for me to find amidst the heap of junk that I laughingly call my desk.

Sure, it holds only 30GB, but I don't "do" videos. My Zune is only for music, so 30GB is plenty of space. That holds more than half of my collection, which is a buttload of music.

I would, however, not mind checking out another device - like a Creative player. Just to see what that's like.

Spiral Frog: Not Bad

Spiral Frog isn't a bad way to get legally-free music. Sign up, install the software, and start downloading free songs.

I like the fact that the catalog is large, and getting larger. I've found tons of great songs by all sorts of artists, from Johnny Cash to Melissa Etheridge.

Not having to pay for the music is great too. Instead, I look at ads on the Spiral Frog site. The artists and record labels are paid, so it's all good.

The only real problem is that the WMA files are copyright protected. They won't transfer to my Zune because of this. Oh, well. I'll just use this site for songs that I only want to enjoy at my computer.

Overall, though, I really love this idea.

Ani DiFranco: Canon

Ani DiFranco's "Canon" is well worth your investment. This double album is full of her very best songs, including new versions of old favorites.

DiFranco's career really began in 1990, when she recorded her first studio album under her own label, Righteous Babe Records. Since then, she's managed to produce an average of one album per year, without sacrificing quality. What began as a "girl and her guitar" blend of folk and rock eventually evolved into a girl and her band, with brass thrown. DiFranco eventually returned to the simpler things, which has resulted in some pretty good new stuff.

"Canon" is an excellent introduction for new DiFranco fans. You will get two full CDs of music that spans her entire recording career, including:

* The subtle, acoustic "Both Hands" from her first album
* "Distracted" - a fun piece of dialogue recorded during one of her concerts
* The brass-and-guitar driven "Little Plastic Castle."

Those are just a few of the best tracks. You also get vital cuts like "32 Flavors," "Subdivision" and "Dilate."

All of the aforementioned tracks are taken from her earlier recordings: if you already own those, you won't get anything new.

However: new versions appear at the end of both discs. They are well worth the investment because they're different, but easily recognizable. "Both Hands" for example, is driven by DiFranco's electric guitar in this version.

Overall, it's worth the money. Pick up a copy through DiFranco's Web site - and while you're there, check out the other artists on the record label. Most of them are worth a listen too.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm twenty-seven! Yay for me! Here's some nostalgia for you young whippersnappers.

Very-young children have recently asked, "What's a cassette?" when they hear me talking about music. These kids know nothing but CDs and MP3 players. Walkman? What's that? Huh?

Cassettes: the evil, unholy ancestors of CDs and MP3s/WMAs/VQFs/whatever.

These tapes were twice as good as their eight-track predecessors because cassettes had sixteen tracks. The audio quality was a little better as a result. Tapes were also smaller than eight-tracks, which was always a plus as far as storage space was concerned.

Tapes, however, had their problems. The biggest issue was the fact that the thin, brown tape inside the plastic housing would snap. This was particularly common if you had not recently cleaned your tape player. (Rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip - rub it over the head and rollers, then let it air dry. The swab was always either dark brown or black with gunk when you finished.)

When the tape snapped, you had to get a thin piece of clear tape and try to splice the two ends back together. Sometimes, this worked. You had a small gap in that part of the song, though, because you had to tape over the recording. So, right in the middle of the best cut on the whole album, you got a moment of dead silence. Lame? Definitely.

Cassette tapes did, in short, suck. I hated them with the intense, blazing passion of ten thousand suns. When we finally got a CD player, I was the happiest teenager in the entire county because I no longer had to deal with crappy, stupid tapes.

And that, oh youthful generation of music lovers, is why I'm so happy that I've had the privilege of enjoying CDs for a good chunk of my life.

Download Services That Don't Annoy the RIAA

If you live in the United States, and you love music, you should be careful about which music-download service you use. Not every provider out there is in compliance with our copyright laws and other restrictions.

Major names like Napster and iTunes are fine. They're above the board, fairly affordable, and they offer huge catalogs full of all kinds of music. The same is true of Microsoft's Zune store: legal, with a decent selection.

In these cases, you pay the services for your downloads. Remember, though, that not all pay-download services are legitimate. Some based in other nations aren't exactly doing the right thing as far as the RIAA is concerned, and that's not worth the hassle that you could face.

Stick to the sites that you know are legal to use here in the States. You might pay a bit more per song than you would at some unknown, weird site, but at least you don't have to worry about getting into legal trouble.

The Distillers: Coral Fang

If you dig punk, and you dig chicks who know how to scream out a chorus, then you've probably heard of The Distillers. Brody Armstrong, nee Dalle, and her band of merry punk rockers might not have dominated your local radio airwaves back in the 1990s, but that makes them no less talented and entertaining.

"Coral Fang" is the Distillers' third studio album. This set of tracks demonstrates the remarkable growth that Brody underwent as a musician, singer and songwriter. Don't get me wrong: I was down with the frenetic shrieking from older songs like "Sing Sing Death House," "City of Angels," "Sick of it All," and "I Am A Revenant." These cuts, from the first two CDs, are excellent. They're noisy, boisterous songs with something important to say: true punk, in other words.

However, "Coral Fang" shows Brody's ability to extend beyond the screaming, beyond the frantic guitar wailing, and dig deeper into her own self to come up with something more.

The cuts on this album edge dangerously close to the pop-punk genre, but not in that tasteless, commercialized sense. Brody's lyrics have gotten even better, which is saying quite a bit. There are still shades of the old energy, especially on hard-driving cuts like "Die On a Rope" and "Beat Your Heart Out."

But there's a nice, melodic undertone. Brody does more singing, and her voice is not bad at all. These new-sounding, fresh cuts, despite being a bit old now in 2008, fit her well.

And by the way: The Distillers are long gone, but Brody's making a comeback. Spinnerette is scheduled to break out their debut album, um, soon. When is "soon"? No idea. We don't have a concrete date yet. But if you head over to the band's Web site, you can check out news, cuts from the upcoming album, and chat with other Brody lovers.

Snoop Dogg's Greatest Hits? Really?

Right now, I'm checking out Snoop Dogg's The Best of Snoop Dogg. To be honest, he never should have bothered.

For whatever reason, this collection does not include old favorites like "Lodi Dodi" and "Gin & Juice." Instead, I'm listening to "Part 2" versions of classic Snoop. "What's My Name," and "Gin & Juice" both, apparently, have sequels. They aren't as entertaining or catchy as the originals, at least as far as I'm concerned.

However: I'm biased. I stopped liking Snoop after "The Game is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told" came out. That was not a good CD at all if you ask me.

If you dig the old raps, then stick to the old CDs. But if you like his newer stuff, pick up this disc.