Something Old Something New Blah Blah Blah

Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird (Dance Mix)"
It never fails. At almost every party, somebody has one too many drinks and thinks it'd be funny to yell "FREEBIRD!" at me when I'm DJ'ing. Okay. You want Freebird?? Here's my version of Freebird. They rarely ask twice.

Willie Nile's "Little Light"
I've liked this one ever since I first heard it. Reminds me of an old Irish drinking song with a catchy little chorus.

Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Tin Pan Alley"
I really didn't get into Stevie Ray until a few years ago. I used to think all blues guitarists were overrated. Now, thanks to B.B. King and Stevie Ray, I know different. This song is the soundtrack to a scorching hot summer night when it's so humid it takes effort to even nod your head. I just picture a sweaty woman of Mexican descent doing a slow dance in front of a small fan wearing a black teddy while this song plays.

The Flaming Lips'"Race For The Prize"
In a perfect world, The Flaming Lips would be second to the Beatles in historical impact. Alas, they're too weird for their own good and this is far from a perfect world.

Iron & Wine's"Such Great Heights"
As I told one of my brides this weekend, I'm a sucker for a great melody and this song has got one. She wants it played at her wedding and I'm really looking forward to playing it.

Broken Bells'"The High Road"
I'm not sure how much I like this song just yet. But for now, I like it. Ask me again next week and you may get a completely different answer.

Broken Social Scene's "Texico Bitches"
I love Broken Social Scene but I really can't put into words why I do. I guess when nothing else sounds good, I can always go to Broken Social Scene and no matter how many times I've heard an album of theirs, I always hear something new again.

Neon Trees' "Animal"
A couple of weeks ago I was flipping through some channels and as I skipped over NBC, I saw these guys performing on Jay Leno. I stopped and watched it. Then I immediately rewound the DVR and watched them again. And again. Then I bought the mp3 album off Amazon. And I listened to it again. And just when I thought Power Pop was dead, I listened to it one more time. Then I got up and danced around the room while playing it loudly. Then I listened to it again. Then I went to bed.

The B-52's "Dance This Mess Around"
The year was 1979. I was at Mitch Miller's house and Saturday Night Live was on in the background. The host said "Ladies and Gentlemen ... The B-52s". A lady with a beehive hairdo started singing this sexy breathy song. Then a flamboyant, skinny man started playing a toy piano like it was the most important thing in the world. Then the other lady started screaming "Why don't you dance with me? I'm not no limburger!" And I knew I had just heard the future of pop music. All of us in Mitch's basement den were transfixed to the screen. The guys in that room all walked away with a new appreciation for pop music that night.