Fiercely Me

I listen to a record one time.  I give it a rating.  I write a short first impression review.  Nothing earth shattering. 1 personalized guitar pick - lame 2 personalized guitar picks - below average 3 personalized guitar picks - pretty okay 4 personalized guitar picks - good stuff 5 personalized guitar picks - pretty damn perfect  Mudhoney "Vanishing Point" 4 personalized guitar picks I missed the Mudhoney boat the first time it came around.  I heard random songs but I was never blown away.  If "Vanishing Point" came out 20 years ago I would have been one of their biggest fans for a long time.  This record is fun!  Even if the lyrical topics are a little dark and most of the songs are minor key rockers.  I really like this new record.  Mudhoney is in prime form and even the screaming sounds great! Highlights: "I Like It Small" and "Chardonnay".  Rogue Wave "Nightingale Floors" 3 personalized guitar picks Dear Rogue ...

What makes a great record?                What makes a great record review?    Who cares? 1 free ride:   This record stinks. 2 free rides: This record is okay. 3 free rides: This record is pretty damn good. 4 free rides: This record is great. 5 free rides: This record is a work of genius. Johnny Marr "The Messenger" 3.5 free rides. Better than pretty damn good but not great. Johnny Marr is best known as the guitarist of the legendary band The Smiths.  I was never a fan of that band but man alive this album has made me a fan of the man.  His guitar playing and layering is quite remarkable all over this record.  Two songs are possibly the best two back to back songs I have heard in years.  "Upstarts" and "Lockdown" are so good they will make playlists all over the world.  It's saying quite a lot for a guy who has been playing for so many years to put out possibly...

3 records play in my head. 3 short "first impression" reviews magically appear below. 1 winner. You. 1 ounce of reverb: Not worth your time. Not even if its free streaming. 2 ounces of reverb: Ok, but still a little disappointing. 3 ounces of reverb: Good stuff. You might even want to buy the download. 4 ounces of reverb: People will buzz. You might even star listening to CDs again! 5 ounces of reverb: A modern day classic! 180 gram vinyl is not even good enough! Jim's James "Regions of Light and Sound of God" 2.5 ounces of reverb.  Good but not going to become great.  First off I'm not a huge My Morning Jacket fan.  I get them to a point.  Jim James is the lead singer and driving force behind MMJ and I've always felt their music was missing something.  It can be grandiose.  Sometimes rocking.  Jim's voice is strong.  I've always felt the songs just didn't grab me enough.  I can't remember a time I heard an MMJ song and fe...

So my wife and kids are away at a party (I know I am such a Rockstar with a capital aaaaarrrrr!) That can mean only one thing! (Actually it just means they are at a family party and I get some Fiercely Me time!). Time to crank up the amp and hopefully write a song. To be continued... Yes! The drought is over! "Whiskey Shoppers" the demo is started and finished! It feels so good to be a songwriter again! I haven't decided yet if I will share it with the world. I usually like to listen to a demo 3 or 4 hundred times before I decide if I like it or not. Stay tuned. Or not.

I sat here tonight watching the Packers beat the Vikings in the playoffs and the whole time I wished I was writing a song. Then I thought, "Why not a whole album?" The first song title came to me out of thin air. "Whiskey Shoppers". First thing I should do is Google that and make sure it hasn't been used already. Hold on...BRB. Nope. It hasn't been used. I love when my idea turns out to be free game. Free game? Is that the saying I'm trying to think of? Two pints of Louie's Demise and my brain is already cloudy. So I wrote the first verse and I'm thinking of grabbing a guitar. Problem is my wife is sleeping and I really don't want to wake her. She had a bad day today. Screw it. I'll grab the acoustic and play quietly. No good. Couldn't get the words to do anything cool. No melodies jumped out. So go to bed and wait till tomorrow. Wait...No...Not yet. I've been thinking of writing a song called "Hey Lucia...