Thunderstruck

Awestruck was more like.

I was lucky enough to see the AC/DC Black Ice Tour at Verizon Center last night. Holy crap; it was beyond amazing. Brian Johnson (who is scarily 4 years younger than my mom!) still has the pipes to pull off Highway to Hell. Angus scared the crap outta me when he proceeded to disrobe from his school uniform to his shorts, but that man is still one of the best guitarist alive. His Let There Be Rock solo was truly magic. The show never disappointed (aside from a strange metal group from Belfast).



Setlist:

Rock n Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place To be
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty deeds done dirt cheap
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
Shoot to thrill
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me all night long
TNT
Whole lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock

Encore:
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock

In celebration of the AC/DC concert, enjoy this BlogFather oldie but goodie from 2006:

For Those About to Rock
How many times do we impulsively buy something at the store? The display looks great and we know that we totally don’t need it. But it ends up in the cart and we take it home only to lament hours later that the money could have been better spent on something else.

I had the reverse happen this weekend. Every Saturday we somehow end up at Target. It’s an easy store to do one-stop shopping, plus the Corey can run around and not get too far away. Target is one of those stores that does a lot of wallet-damage for us. We never leave without dropping $50 or more on things we really don’t need. This time however, the item I most desired, escaped me.

Corey inherits a ton of clothes from his cousin who is about nine months older than him. Most are in great condition, so rarely do we need more outfits. That doesn’t seem to stop us every time we pass through the kid’s clothing section. It never hurts to get a new shirt or pair of slacks.

Larry was over in the swimwear section salivating over this ’shark attack’ theme shirt & trunks combo. The kid has three swim trunks already, but I had to admit, this was a cute set. Into the cart it went. When all of sudden my eyes caught hold something on the other side the boys section.

You know those moments when your mind grabs hold of something before your brain can process it? Almost like a sixth sense, you instantly react and then marvel at your near-superhuman powers of response. I saw the shirt my son must own.

You could have mistaken me for Jackie Joyner Kersee (except for being a gay white male, about 5’9, and missing the dreads and long finger nails.) as I ran near double speed to grab the only XXS shirt they had left. In my mind, it was a foot race between me and… Actually no one else was near, but AC/DC totally seemed like a reason to knock over the display of ½ price pajamas.

What better way to set up my young child to become respected among his peers? To be the envy of his friends. And for me to be known as the ultimate bitchin’ dad who lets his son wear this outfit to … well … room 4 of Creative Playland. Trust me, there will be jealousy. Angus Young, totally kicking my Pretty Pony’s hindquarters.

I held up the shirt high like a beer bong at a fraternity party; the ultimate sign of manhood dangling from a plastic hanger. My other hand shot up in the air with the index finger and pinky extended as I shouted across menswear, “Rock ON, my little man.”

And he laughed; Larry just laughed. Years of heavy metal pride seeped from my pours in anguish. After all, I camped out for two days to get Telsa/Poison tickets in Cincinnati. What better way to pass on a legacy to my son then with 80’s metal?

I pleaded for the shirt. “Please, let me, I mean him get it. He really wants it. He looks good in black. He looks good in … ‘Back in Black’.” Instinctively, I reached for my air guitar and hit the most amazing C chord. You should have heard it. MAGIC!

And that was when I lost my case. Larry looked over and said, “No way am I having two little boys in my house singing Skid Road.”

(UGH. Skid Row you dumb ass.)

So we went home. My (ARGH), I mean his AC/DC shirt left hanging there for some undeserving child to pick up and wear while finger painting. No art of the Brian Johnson screeches being passed down from generation to generation. Instead, we have ‘shark attack’ swim trunks. Yippee!

We checked in with his moms the next morning and I forewarned them of the sad state they might encounter with our son. His depression would most likely have to be monitored for the next few weeks. I would begin putting money away for future therapy.

And Mom #1’s response to all of this. “We have three AC/DC CD’s at home and play Dirty Deeds all the time.” WE SALUTE YOU!

(Larry did give me the shirt for Father's Day that year!)

10 things

After Tuscon, I had a 3-day conference in Phoenix at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort. While I worked, Larry slept, ate and enjoyed the pool all day. Last Sunday, we had a wonderful dinner with two friends that I've known since first grade. There are 6 of us from grade school that stay in touch, though this was the first time in 14 years that I saw one of them.

I'm amazed at the environmental contradictions that many companies have. Like most hotels, the Sheraton has a sign that asks guests to hang up their towels if they will be used again. If you're going to ask patrons to do that, why do you put plastic cups (in plastic wrap) in the bathrooms?

Did you know that Loverboy, The Hooters, Night Ranger, Dokken and REO Speedwagon all released new CD's in the past year? Loverboy and Dokken's were particularly good.

We are dog-sitting Barky for the week. It's been weird to have a beagle back in the house and we've accidentally called him Rodney more than once. Papa Bradstein joked that we'd want to keep him, but I think we'll be like grandparents--come to visit but we're always glad to have the house back.

Since school has been out, I've done near nothing. Yesterday, I watched about 8 hours of television. I can't tell you the last time I did that. One just can't get enough of Law & Order: SVU.

However, I did do something productive yesterday. Our garbage disposal stopped working and I installed a new one. Seriously, it wasn't that hard. Do not think that only a plumber can do it. We did have to call my dad in Chicago twice to ask questions on removing the old one, but I installed it all on my own. I'm really thankful that he did a lot of home repair work as I grew up. It's made me a lot more confident in my "hardware" abilities.

I'm totally hooked on the group, Cinder Road.

I leave for Vietnam in less than 2 weeks. I was originally going to try my luck and not get vaccinated, but everyone has completely flipped out at that idea. My friend Stephanie went this week and got tetanus, the heps and typhoid. It turns out you don't need malaria for Vietnam & Cambodia. I'll probably end up getting scurvy or something weird. My doctor appointment is on Thursday.

Corey lost his 2nd tooth this past week. He was chewing on the end of a water bottle and it popped right out.

Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite moms out there. (That includes you, real mom.)

Who Says You Can't Go Home

The first CD I ever bought was Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.

I was always a mixed tape guy. I'd borrow other people's CDs and create my own mixes. Then I'd load them into my car stereo or Walkman.

In 1986, I was going into my sophomore year of college. Although I didn't have a CD player, everyone in my freshman dorm did and I realized that I could just mooch off my roommates until I was forced to buy my own player.

I walked into Record City and bought Slippery When Wet, my first 80's rock CD...complete with long box packaging that has since gone out of style. Bon Jovi has always been one of my best memories when it comes to music.

22 years later that memory became a reality.

Thursday night, I went to the Bon Jovi concert at the Verizon Center. I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with tickets through one of the study group members. Scott was taking his daughter to the show and asked his connection if there were any extra tickets. A week later, he apologized profusely, saying that he couldn't get tickets to sit with him & his daughter but he had scored three tickets for Stephanie, Rebecca and me...

in the freaking sky box!

There is nothing like 80's rock when you are in a sky box stocked with beverages to revert you back into a 16-year old. We nearly pissed our pants with the lavish arrangements and great views. (Scott later called from the 13th row to say he was sitting next to Pat Sajek, but whatever.)

Daughtry opened the show. His talent is incredible. He did the standard songs from his new CD, along with a cover of "One" from U2 and some harder (and slightly annoying) numbers. After 40 minutes, he left while the roadies prepared for the main act.

The band entered the stage at 8:30 and played for 2 hours and 20 minutes. It was an incredible journey from as early as "Runaway" to "Bad Medicine" to "Blaze of Glory" to "Lost Highway". They sounded incredible and gave an amazing show.

I sang and dance through every number. It amazed me at the number of people at the box level who sat through most of the show. But not me, I was hooting and hollering the whole time.

The next morning, I was exhausted, my voice was gone and my arms we're aching from the "Raise Your Hands" number in which I lifted my arms every time during the chorus.

Jon Bon Jovi has become a true performer in every sense of the word. The three of us agreed that we'd go back the next time they came into town.

However, I'd definitely take the next day off.

iTunes Meme

OK, finals are tomorrow, so more posts after that. Meanwhile chew on this iTunes meme for some entertainment.

How many total songs?
6520 Songs
34 Photos
2 TV Shows
5 Podcasts

Sort by song title - First and Last…
Abacab - Genesis
99.9% Sure (I've Never Been Here Before) - Brian McComas

Sort by Time - Shortest and Longest…
Declaration- The Alarm (:43)
Bolero – Ravel (14:48)
(however, the Little Einstein’s Halloween episode technically goes 24:05)

Sort by Album - First and Last
Abacab - Genesis
99 Luftballons - Nena

Sort by Artist - First and Last…
Aaron Copland
38 Special

Top Five Most Played Songs…
Dreams – Van Halen (54)
Everything Can Change – Gotthard (49)
We Live on Borrowed Time – Nancy Lamott (45)
Free Man – Angie Aparo (43)
Giveaway – American Pearl (34)

Find the following words. How many songs show up?
Sex: 12, Death: 2 , Love: 469, You: 917, Home: 130, Boy: 125, Girl: 146, Baby: 56

First five songs that come up on Party Shuffle…
ummm…it’s not working. Why isn’t it working, people?

Study Break

Seriously, Guitar Hero was his idea, not mine.


( I love his facial expressions)


(He might think this is Sweet.)


(We totally nail the ending.)

Seriously, this kid rocks!

Vienna Calling

There are times when you enjoying viewing a concert and there are times you just get completely sucked in. Last night was one of those times for me.

I found Vienna Teng through surfing the Internet three years ago and was immediately mesmerized. You can close your eyes and hear aspects of Tori Amos, however she brings about a clarity and calmness that goes unmatched.

If I have to work on a weekend, this is the music I listen to. It almost becomes this underlying soundtrack to the day. Whereas cranking the volume of a rock song gets your blood pumping, this soothes me as my energy increases.

I've always wanted to see three musicians live. Last year I got the privilege to hear one of those groups. I didn't think they could be outdone until last night when we went to one of the best places in DC for live music.

At 29, Vienna has such a command of her music and lyrics. She has studied classical piano since age 5 and began writing material at age 12. With a degree in computer science from Stanford, she worked for Cisco for two years before turning to music full-time.

Supported on stage by a cellist, a violinist, and a percussionist, there was an utter simplicity in how they performed but yet an unbelievable complexity to the music. The four of them performed as one although it was her voice that just connected with audience.

Sometimes a concert doesn't come close to what you hear through a CD. There is the energy of hearing a person live, but the precision is lost. Not this time.

I never thought I'd enjoy this concert as much as I did, but it was truly one of my favorites.

If Ian can do it...

So last week I was reading Sarah's blog and saw this.

Sonabitch. Three year olds are playing with the game I want the most. And they are jamming out to Shout at the Devil.

Well, it's Father's Day and I decided that it's best to take matters into your own hands. Guess who went to Best Buy last night?

Let me introduce you to DC's newest Guitar Hero! For two hours last night, I was Shouting at the Devil, putting the Message in the Bottle, and Surrendering my Heart-Shaped Box. I was, well frankly, amazing. It only took me 45 minutes to hook the entire system together. But once it was...lightening came from these fingertips.

And how do I feel this morning? My fingers really fucking hurt from hitting the keys so hard. :) Damn, I'm getting old.

Watch out Claudia, I'm going to blast you out the water!


May you all become Guitar Heroes this Father's Day.

Have You Ever Needed Something So Bad?

Last week I got this Urgent call from my friend John. "Dude, it’s Music Time. I must have Too Much Time On My Hands but I found a Headknocker of a concert. The Heavy Metal Poisoning triple bill of Def Leppard, Foreigner and Styx. It’ll be The Best Of Times."

I thought that Dirty White Boy was playing Head Games with me. "Say You Will go, Babe," he asked.

"I’m not a Lady," I said. "But I Have Waited So Long for a Night Life." (I'm such the Renegade.)

Since Nothing Ever Goes As Planned, we have pavilion seats so we’re Ready For The Rain. The Lowdown And Dirty is that we’ll come Face to Face with these super groups on Friday, August 17. A Man Like Me hasn’t has this much Action in years, so it’ll Feel Like The First Time. I know it’ll be in Paradise even though we can’t take Photographs.

We're Not Dead yet, but we joked that most of us will have minivans and full-time jobs. However, When Saturday Comes, we'll all be talking about the concert That Was Yesterday.

Larry thinks I’m an Animal to live this Grand Illusion of Rock! Rock Until I Drop, but I think it’s just his Double Vision that keeps Bringin' On The Heartbreak. I may be Hot Blooded, but All I Need To Know is that this Reaction To Action is the Rock of Ages.

I Can't Wait for A Night To Remember and I’m Counting Every Minute until the 17th.

We Don't Need Another Hero

That one guitar, felt good in his hands
Didn't take long, to understand
Just one guitar, slung way down low
Was his one way ticket, only one way to go

This weekend, I was introduced to a new way of life; a foreign land that I had only read about. I had been part of this world once before...many years earlier before becoming old and jaded. My heart was freer then and I could slow down and savor the joys of new opportunities. I was young...I was innocent...I was... the gamer.

This past weekend, at what should have been a playdate for my son, I was chatting with my friend's husband. They had recently moved into their house and were slowly settling in. Their three year had claimed much of the house with his toys, books and videos. The buzz of battery operated machines occupied much of their new home...including the basement.

He took me down to the room where little kids were forbidden without the company of the big kids. There in the corner, sat a 50" flat-screen, HiDef TV. And next to it sat the machine that has forever taunted me; PlayStation II.

I am a joystick man. Perhaps I should use past tense; I was a joystick man. Atari was my game of choice. I was the master at Asteroids. One time I had played for over 5 hours straight until my brother tripped over the cords when he went to the bathroom. I mean, who can think of peeing at a time like that?

Fast forward to 2007. A plasma TV beckoning me to engage it with the idle Playstation II laying at its feet. The problem; that fucking controller. It has more buttons than an upholstery store. I couldn't embarrass myself with that. I tried to explain my problem. The man just smiled.

He walked to the closet and returned with...the guitar. He said, "We're not going to play golf or racing. We're playing Guitar Heroes."

This is what wet dreams are made of; a chance to jam like Slash or Mick Mars. In seconds, he had the track list up for me to choose which song I was going to grace Springfield, VA with as I magically connected with this instrument.

I looked over as I imagined the smoke filled room packed with screaming fans.

"We're going all fucking out. Sweet Child of Mine, for fucks sake."

He looked over. "Dude, you're standing in the middle of Thomas the Tank Engine set. Relax on the language."

"Okay, sorry" I said aloud, but my mind was saying. "Shut the fuck up and turn the fucker on."

The initial notes rang out as I watched a twenty-something, long-haired, tattooed rocker--the mirror image of me--finely pick the notes. Meanwhile, I began struggling to connect three fingers to green, yellow and blue buttons.

Umm, the song isn't sounding so great. It seems that if one misses the notes on the guitar, they subsequently don't play in the song.

Pretty soon, there is grumbling and boos coming from the TV. "What the fuck is that?" I ask.

"Dude, it's interactive. They are booing you because... well, because...let me put it a way you can understand it... you fucking suck."

The song stops midway and I am booed off stage. Me. The guy who saw Poison three times.

"They aren't going fuck with me. I'm doing it again."

This time I made it through the whole song. Two cuts later, I completed it with a 'good' standing. Then I went on to Cherry Pie and succeeded with that. (OK, I got booed off the first time then too.) Then it was Shout at the Devil followed by Heart Shaped Box.

Nothing could stop me. I was going to jam forever. Fans were grabbing at my pants begging...

"Daddy, move. I wanna play with Thomas."

And that one guitar made his whole life change

Let There Be Rock

When Larry met me, he inherited a lot of crap that came along with this prize package; a kick-ass Ford Probe, green bean casseroles, my mom, really bad shoes and as he likes to call it... my poodle head rock.

I was the classic 80's kid; graduated high school in 85, college in 89. When I packed the U-haul to drive from Chicago to DC, there as very little worth saving; an old comforter, some yearbooks, a leftover microwave and 500 tapes, CDs and albums.

Music ran my life in the 80's: Prince, Kenny Loggins, Men at Work, Glass Tiger and Genesis. But most of all, I loved my Hair Bands.

In the world of 80's rock, there are many different levels and I fell somewhere in between. Metallic and Iron Maiden were about as heavy as I could go; Survivor & Loverboy were at the bottom end. But right in the middle...the sweet spot.

Dokken, Slaughter, Poison, Skid Row, Crue, GnR, Cinderella, Ratt, Whitesnake, Leppard, Scorpians, Priest, Firehouse, Vixen, Steelheart, AC/DC, Danger Danger, Quiet Riot, Extreme, Dio, Europe, Warrant and Van Halen. Add in a few outsiders like RUSH, Triumph and Queenryche and you have what I consider to be the best rock music ever.

So mix that with Larry's Donna Summer, Earth Wind & Fire and KC & the Sunshine Band and you have quite a diverse music collection.

Enter in the age of the Internet & downloadable music and the world expands. Who knew there were more Hair Bands beyond the walls of Headbangers Ball?

So here are 10 groups that I only discovered in the last few years. Ones that now rotate through the playlist with the masters.

Von Groove
Reminiscent of Bon Jovi, Warrant and Bad English, this three-piece Canadian band had their first release in 1990, just as grunge rock was hitting the scene. They released two more efforts in 1995 and 1999 before disbanding.

Tyketto
Danny Vaughn is one of the best voices in hard rock. First with Waysted, then Tyketto and then the group, Vaughn, he creates a majestic sound with incredible control and range. More in line with a heavier sounding Foreigner or Journey, this group had 2 CD's in the early 90's until Vaughn left to care for an ill family member. He then was replaced by Steve Augeri (the guy who replaced Steve Perry in journey) for two more CD's. Danny Vaughn is back with most of the original group and released a new CD last month.

Wig Wam
Sometimes a group isn't from the 80's but dedicates their lives to preserving a way of rock & roll tradition that has almost been forgotten with this entitlement generation. Wig Wam is one of those bands keeping this art form alive. They represented their country of Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, and came in 9th. With four CD's since 2004, they are best known for their #1 rock cover of the club song, I Turn to You.

Gotthard
With ten #1 CD's in their home country of Switzerland, this group has been around since 1992. Probably my favorite of the musicians listed here, they most resemble Bon Jovi if you were trying to find a US comparison. Lead singer Steve Lee has that crystal clear vocal, but enough metal rasp to really drive a lyric home.

The Poodles
Moving to Sweden, we have the stupidest named group I can come across. It make you wonder if any of them spoke English when picking a name. Their debut CD, Metal Will Stand Tall (actually released in 2006) is kind a misnomer since it's less metal and definitely rock. This four person band plays hard, but we'll have to see what they do on their sophomore effort.

Harem Scarem
Also joining us from Canada is this four-person group, first formed in 1991. If 38 Special and Dokken had a child, it would Harem Scarem. Guitarists/vocalists, Harry Hess and Pete Lesperence anchor this group which has generated in 12 CD's in their fifteen year history. Their latest CD Human Nature was released last October.

Bonfire
Bonfire is a heavy metal group from Ingolstadt, Germany,that began in 1980 under the name Cacumen and then became Bonfire in 1985. Personnel has changed over time, with the only permanent founding member being singer Claus Lessmann. Bonfire has released over 20 CD's and is still touring Europe today..in fact they are playing a festival this summer with 80's classic, Krokus.

Leverage
Hailing from Finland, this band brings the heavy bass sounds of Queensryche. The debut CD released September of 2006 and they've been enjoying a huge success... well, in other countries except the US. Still, their rocking beats and ever so slight LIVE sound in the vocals will give this band a long chance at success.

Rough Cutt
Part Quiet Riot, part Ratt, all 80's. The group had two CDs and then disbanded when lead singer Paul Shortino left in 87' to replace Kevin Dubrow in Quiet Riot. The remaining members left to form Jailhouse with lead singer Danny Simon, and guitarist Michael Raphael. They released their second CD in 1989. Rough Cutt then reformed briefly and released Rough Cutt Live in 1996.

Blue Murder
Blue Murder was the brainchild of guitarist John Sykes. Upon his firing from Whitesnake, the former Thin Lizzy axe-man set out to create a similar sounding bluesy hard rock band. The debut CD would sound a lot like Whitensnakes 1987 album. In fact, Sykes' vocals sounded an awful lot like that of David Coverdale. They released three CD's before calling it quits.


So there you have it, more of the music that gets my juices flowing.

Long live the 80's!

The City that Never Sleeps

Prior to all this birthday celebrating, I was actually in NYC on business. My goal had been to write about it on the Saturday I returned, but that day sort of catapulted me into a week of chaos.

My company had a conference for three days in New York. I was lucky enough to stay the Crown Plaza Times Square, which for a theater buff, is like Mecca. The meeting had all to do with endowments...not those kind... financial ones.

As the head of marketing and membership, it's important to network at these events. During the days, my boss and I mingled with the members. And in the evenings.... well what else happens when you are two blocks away from the TKTS booth? These are the times one thanks the Gods for a boss loves theater more he does.

This was the first real trip my boss and I did together. We had been at our annual meeting in Hawaii last summer, but it was on the heels of my starting the job and his taking a four-month paternity leave. We'd only worked together a few weeks since he'd been out for all that time, and so the two of us didn't really get the chance to bond much.

That changed in NYC and I felt like we got to know each other better and even bccame friends outside the work place. We laughed, we had great meals and we saw musicals.

The first on our list was Company. A Sondheim classic done with a new twist. Similar to last year's revival of Sweeny Todd, the cast played its own instruments. I was leery of the idea and given that this show is weak on staging, hadn't expected much. What a pleasant surprise to watch the chorography of actors/musicians walking about and performing together. Seriously, I was a never huge fan of this show, but the outstanding cast, the cute lead of Raul Esparza and some overall powerhouse numbers such as Sorry-Grateful, Another Hundred People and Being Alive made this a fantastic performace.

Based on the life of Edith Bouvier Beals and her daughter Edie, Grey Gardens tells the story of their rise and fall as a prominent family in the Hamptons. What makes this magic is the incredible Christine Ebersole who has the role of the matriarch in Act I (taking place in 1941) and then the daughter in Act II (1973). The music stays true to style for both periods and trust me when I say, Act II makes you feel all the creepiness that comes along with two eccentric women who eat cat food. Not only were there great songs Another Winter in a Summer Town and (I swear) Jerry Likes My Corn, but we sat two rows behind Christian Slater (my new brush with fame).

Our third show, Spring Awakening, is being hailed as the new RENT. While I loved the two previous shows, this one is the most innovative of them all. With music written by Duncan Sheik, the show actually features audience members sitting in bleachers on the stage amongst the actors (who are there when not performing). There is a great rock-n-roll feel to the show and it would be an understatement to say I was about 20 years older than their target audience. One Warning: To say there is a lot of sex portrayed on stage would be an understatement. I'm pretty comfortable watching just about anything (as my firefox porn cache will tell you), but it was awkward sitting next people in their late 60's while a young boy, dressed to be 12, masturbates under his nightshirt as four "12 year-old" girls sing around him. OK, more than awkward. But, I definitely recommend the music.

The highlight of the trip however, was meeting one of my favorite bloggers: Two Okapis. He & I became friends last year and finally got to meet up for lunch. We'd hit it off online and meeting for the first time only proved we'd been right. After 2+ hours of chatting and lunch, he finally had to be back to work and I had to hit the TKTS booth for that night's show tickets get back to our membership booth. I am constantly amazed how this world connects people from different backgrounds & locations and makes them friends.

Luckily, I'm heading back to NYC in May for more theater, more friendship and to perhaps meet other bloggers from the Big Apple.

My 10 Favorite Christmas Songs

I love Christmas music, always have, always will. We grew up listening to all the Firestone records which would hit the record player about November 30th. Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Anne Murray... those were the artists who created the sound of Christmas for me.

Then came A Very Special Christmas and that was when I learned that taking a classic and changing it around a bit also has a great sound. So what rotates through my iPod the most in the month of December? Come listen.

10. Rebecca St. James - O Come All Ye Faithful
Jesus meets gay-disco club. Rebecca St. James is just one of the many Christian artists that will be covered in these ten songs, but this song has one of the most infectious beats I've ever heard. She sounds like Alanis Morresette and rocks out to the Pet Shop Boys.


9. Cece Winans - Do You Hear What I Hear
The first half of this number delivers pretty straighforward, but then Ms. Winans adds this bad-ass jazz sound which provides a nice baseline of sass. She is then backed by a choir and she starts asking the "Do you hear?" in this almost reprimanding tone. It sounds weird, but trust me, it's rather cool.

8. Points of Grace - Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Larry always calls this the "Sister Act III" song; four white women jam out in complete Lauryn Hill style. This song hits full rhythym from the moment it starts. Nothing screams Whoopie Goldberg in a nun's outfit at Christmas than this.


7. Whiteheart - The Little Drummer Boy
When you do a search for Whiteheart on Amazon, the searches will lead you to heavy metal christian groups like Stryper. Whiteheart tried to capitalize on the huge Christian Metal scene (umm, yeah), however, they hit a real winner with one of my favorites. It begins with vocals that sounds like an androgynous Anne Murray (is that redundant?) and end with more a Steelheart sound. An amazing rendition.

6. Cocteau Twins - Frosty the Snowman
A classic alternative band from my post-college years, this group sounds like it can barely execute the song without falling into a stuper. Hallucingenic Holidays There has never really been a version of this song until this one. If you grew up in the 80's, this group would have rivaled the Dream Academy or the Cranberries.

5. MercyMe - Gloria
Another varied take on a classic with a fairly monotone verse that leads until in a rocking chorus. There's not a lot of give to lead singer Bart Millard's sound, but the spins throughout the song make this one a toe-tapper. Most of this CD has new versions of the classics. This group has a great knack for reinventing the Christmas sound.

4. SheDaisy - Deck the Halls
If you're not familiar with this group, they came on the scene right after the Dixie Chicks. Three Mormom sisters who now have four CD's in addition to their holiday songs. This has the slightest feel of country, but the funky mismatch of the lyrics make this a really fun number.

3. The Cast of Miss Saigon - I Saw Three Ships
We went to New York about five years ago to see the Lion King and I got hooked into the Broadway Cares: Carols for a Cure series. Most of the songs are the standard fare, but every once in a while, a gem like this emerges. The song beging with a whisper; the cast starts off with a classic choir sound. About three sentences into the number, you realize they've taken about 10 Christmas classics and merged them into one song, each playing off the other. Supportedby a single guitar, the voices are allowed to carry the weight of the lyrics.

2. Angie Aparo - Silent Night
There is nothing more haunting than the voice of Angie Aparo. You know him only as the writer of Faith Hill's "Cry", but his own delivery of that and the rest of his songs earns him a spot as one of my favorite performers. His range gives him a sound of Ed Kowalczyk mixed with the slighest touch of Clay Aiken. The song retains the slow rhythm allowing him to alter his range mid-lyric and push the song more than any other version I've heard.

1. Selah - Light of the Stable
Another Christian group delivers a stirring new song for the holidays. Starting with a simple Indigo-Girls-like guitar strings and a four-part harmony, this song had me dancing the first time I heard it. Though it's faster than most Christmas songs, it still can shuffle through your Ipod without messing the balancing of sounds of the other holiday songs.

10 Best College Albums

Seriously, I can't do the 100 top CD's. I don't have the patience and halfway through, the whole list will just vanish and then you'll stop reading me forever. HOWEVER, I might be able to tackle something if I broke it down into smaller bits.

So I present to you my (random number) favorite (random category) albums of all time. Join me from 1985 to 1989 as I, the post-Footloose midwesterner, venture to Miami of Ohio for years of utter bliss, a 19 year old drinking age and a 1.7 average my 2nd semester sophomore year. Hopefully these will bring back fond memories.

10. John Cougar Mellencamp — Scarecrow
The best of Mr. Cougar’s in my book. This was freshman year of college…six hours of driving back and forth from Oxford, Ohio to Chicago. I didn't have a car and always had to mooch a ride with my friend Elizabeth. At the time, she was way cooler than me. (I didn't become truly funny until senior year.) Anyway, this tape along with #9 were the core of what we listened to, well that and Nikki F. who never shut up in the back seat.

Favorite Song: Justice and Independence 85’

9. Talking Heads - Little Creatures
This always followed Scarecrow; from the opening "Hey" of And She Was to the the ironic symbolism of Road to Nowhere, this anchored the 2nd and 5th hours of our journeys. This marked my evolution into the world of alternative music after years of Bruce Springsteen and Prince.

Favorite Song: Stay Up Late

8 . INXS - Kick
A staple for most of the other 'top 100' Cd's lists. This group proved my ignorance freahman year as I asked a group of 10 other guys "Who are (pronounced) Inks?" Ah yes, what a way to really have the other newbies embrace you. It's hard not to like this CD. The infectious rhythms and the incredibly innovative Mediate video put these 12 songs into gold status the day they were released. (Truthfully I only liked the first 10 songs. The last two did nothing for me.)

Favorite Song: New Sensation

7. Bryan Adams - Into the Fire
I've seen Bryan Adams in concert three times; more than any other artist. I honestly have never gotten tired of hearing his songs. Reckless was a great album but on this next effort, he really matured from your standad pop ballad to some deeper shit in both his music and lyrics. There is no real popular track, but the songs are more powerful than on any other of his CD's.

Favorite Song: Rememberance Day

6. Def Leppard - Hysteria
Sarah & Croutonboy would have my ass if there were no hair bands. There was no greater rock CD for me at college than this one. Marking my junior year as I moved into the (soon to be devasted) Chi-Phi house, this blasted from every room the fraternity. For those keeping tack, that would be 5 rooms and thus would lead to closing the chapter my senior year. (The legacies we leave.) There is no better college anthem than "I'm hot, sticky sweet, from my head to my feet." This also was the first album to prove you only need one arm to be a great drummer.

Favorite Song: Pour Some Sugar on Me

5. Indigo Girls - (self title debut)
My friend Greg won two tickets to the REM concert in 1998 and took me. As the stage got dark, the crowd started screaming. Out walks Michael Stipe and says, "We're going to open with a new group from Athens. I think you'll really like them. They are called the Indigo Girls." Twelve hours later, we both had bought the CD and were playing it non-stop. There is something both soothing and energetic about the Indigo Girls. Their harmonies rival no other and to think that partners could create such warmth together is comforting.

Favorite Song: Land of Canaan

4. The Alarm - Declaration
Sticky point... in theory this was released in late 1984, but it wasn't until August 1985 as I moved into Stanton Hall that I heard to rhaspy vocals of Mike Peters and was instantly mesmorized by the unique sound of the group. Their songs of passionate uprisings and valiant battles connect from the opening of Declaration all the way through the to the last track.

Favorite Song: Blaze of Glory

3. Erasure - The Innocents
This group exploded on the scene my senior year. I was a major player in the A-Phi-O chapter at Miami (definately bigger than Ava's husband). We'd have theme parties almost every other month. In between the silly lip-synch contests (which I won once), we'd go crazy on the dance floor for hours. All the girls were totally impressed that I could dance and wore gel in my hair. (How naive they were-and I was-back then.) I can listen to this today and the music still makes me dance.

Favorite Song: Chains of Love

2. REM - Life's Rich Pagent
Truthfully, my favorite compliation by REM is Reckoning but since that was high school for me, Lifes Rich Pagent is a damn fine 2nd choice. Superman skyrocketed them from indie band to superstardom as every fraternity on campus would blast this from their windows. Some of the best low-key but powerful lyrics ever written.

Favorite Song: Cuyahoga

1. 10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe
I overplayed no other CD in my college career than this one. The first time I heard Natalie Merchant's voice, I fell in love with the Maniac's sound and obsessively bought their subsquent CD's the day they were released. It was a sad day when they split because independently neither has held the greatness they did together. And regardless of the Cat Stevens controversary, I love their version of Peace Train and think they were silly to remove it.

Favorite Song: Verdi Cries

Join me again (on another night when Larry goes out for a dinner with his friends) as I come up with some other inane, but memorable list of music.