Day Thirteen: A Picture of A Favorite Band or Artist

I love music of all sorts...mostly.  My brother might say that my tastes are too narrow because I don't know the big names or songs in the indie world and I don't always appreciate the sounds of the struggling artists performing on off-label records.  And yes, I do listen to the Glee CDs and sing along at the top of my lungs because it makes me happy.

I believe that music has certain times that it wants to be listened to, and so my "favorite" band or artist will vary, usually based on the weather.  For rainy days, of which we have many, I turn to Harry Connick Jr. (his big band sound, not those few years of experimental-whatever-it-was).

Big band music is appropriate in many situations, but most especially on rainy days.  A mix of Harry with Ella and Louis and maybe a few others is perfect.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not always raining here, so it helps to have a few more options for other weather.  Folk music is well-suited to cool spring days, especially days that involve working in the garden or on art projects outside.  I have a Jango (similar to Pandora) station set to Peter, Paul, and Mary.

As a child I heard jokes about folk music and this group in particular but never really paid attention.  Once I became an adult, however, I started listening to more and more folk music.  Perhaps that is why I think the best Christopher Guest film is A Mighty Wind -- it's funny and I love  singing along with the soundtrack.

And for more modern folk I turn to Peter Salett, the artist who sang "Heart of Mine" on Keeping the Faith and with that gained a fan for life.

Sunny summer days need something other than folk or big band to take one's emotions and kick it up a notch.  For that I might choose Cake...

...or Blink 182 or Barenaked Ladies or any number of 90s bands that remind me of fun days away at college.

But even sunny days must draw to a close.  We like to cook in this house, and so most evenings will find me and Honey preparing the evening meal.  On days that  remember to turn the music on, I'll listen to my own blend of happy music -- generally something with Sam Cooke & Roy Orbison.

I love his voice!

This reminds me of Grama.

And no posting about music would be quite complete without a tribute to hometown heroes.  Some people are proud of our indie scene; I prefer those who broke out of the coffeehouses and bars and made it to the big time.  Listening to bands like The Decembrists, Everclear, and Pink Martini adds a bit of pride over our music scene to the experience.

Of course this whole post is about music, but in all honesty I must admit something: most of the time I'm listening to NPR.