A - Z Music I love, Z is for Zeppelin

Yea, yea, you could get me on a technicality, but you can also suck it! Hehe! During spring break of my 10th grade year, I spent hours with Brian and Josh listening to Houses of the Holy and and doing our own horrible versions. Liking Led Zeppelin in high school is almost mandatory. Every now and then when I hear them on the radio, I think fondly of that spring break and how dorky we were, but it was awesome. This is my most favorite song from this band. This also ends my A through Z blog posts :) (for now muahahaha)

A - Z Music I Love, Y is for Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I have been told that this song isn't their best. I say I don't care cause I love it. I don't know much about this band, but I know I have liked what I have heard and Karen O is pretty.

A - Z Music I love, X is for XTC

To be honest, I don't know any other band that begins with X, but I am fine with that. I am actually new to XTC. I had heard of XTC because an ex-boyfriend was named after an XTC song, which I never heard until the day we broke up. It randomly played on the radio. About seven years ago, I purchased a box set of new wave music. And this song was one of my favorites in the set.

A - Z Music I Love, W is for Weezer

I was in the 10th grade when the Blue Album was released. I was in Art History class and the teacher let us listen to the radio and we each had a turn picking a station. A senior named Kim picked the town's alternative station and I hear Undone (The Sweater Song). I was in the middle of my NIRVANA IS THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD, I don't want to say phase, cause they are. But I would pay little mind to the "nerd rock" scene. But I fell in love with the Blue album, Pinkerton is still in my top ten of favorite albums, The Green Album was good too. I am not so much into Weezer so much anymore, but I still have a soft spot for the band that made it seem ok to listen to more than Nirvana.

=w=

A - Z Music I Love, V is for Violent Femmes

Right after I got my license, My pal Shannon, her boyfriend Tom, and I hopped into Mollie, my 1991 Ford Escort, and we went down to the beach to sit outside the bar where The Violent Femmes were performing. Despite not really getting to "see" them, the show was fantastic.

The Violent Femmes also provided the soundtrack of when a friend of mine and I would cruise around town. She ended up being a mega bitch, but back then, we were always hanging out. Going to shows to see a co-worker's band. Going to Coco's and counting down the tip based on the service. Being 19 was the best.

A - Z Music I Love, U is for The Used

The Used reminds me of a relationship in my younger days. This person was and will forever will be important to me.

A - Z Music I Love, T is for Tori Amos

Tori's voice is beautiful, her music is hot. Her music can take me to places in my mind, it is almost like being Alice in Wonderland. Eclectic and memorizing. Sweet and sexy. Hurtful and dirty. There is not one single word I can pinpoint to describe Tori. Of all the music I love, she is my favorite woman.

I discovered Tori because I'm a thief. I was at a friend's house and one of his friends left a box of CD's. I found Little Earthquakes and thought, huh, I've heard of this chick. So I swiped the CD. I know, horrible of me. Now, if I find any Tori album, I have to have it. Who cares if I have 10 versions of Precious Things?! I love every single one of them.

A - Z Music I Love, S is for Saves the Day

Saves the Day is another band Melanie introduced me to in 1999/2000. This is one of my favorite songs because I always wished I could go to Jersey and Melanie and I would drive somewhere and rock out to this song. Hey I was 20 and didn't have a care in the world and I think this song described what I was feeling at the time. Anytime I here this song I think about my pal Melanie tons.

I miss when emo was good. I bet Bjorn is puking right now.

A - Z Music I Love, R is for Rilo Kiley

I saw Rilo Kiley perform this song on Craig Ferguson one night and said I need this album. What this album brought was my love affair with Jenny Lewis. Who knew an actress who did a few episodes of the Golden Girls, stared in the Wizard with Fred Savage, and was in Troop Beverly Hills with Shelly Long could write and sing songs that I would fall in love with.

A - Z Music I love, Q is for Queen

Is there really another musical act that comes to my mind? Nope. Here is something I wrote about Queen in 2006:

I saw Queen with Paul Rogers last night in concert.

My mother's favorite band in the late 70's through the 80's was queen. My sister and I grew up on the beautiful, flawless voice of Freddie Mercury, The guitar god Brian May, Roger Taylor and his perfect percussion. (I don't have much to say about John Deacon, he always seemed to just be there).

I, growing up in the household filled with this wonderful music, had an appreciation of my own of Queen. Experiencing a sheer heart attack while spending a night at the Opera or having a day at the races. Remembering news of the world and the game, jazz will still be my favorite. I could write pages upon pages of how this band has an intricate (sp) part of my life. Spending hours listening to Prophet Song with my ear phones turned up loud, watching my sister dance around the living room to Radio Gaga. Singing every word to Mustapha even though I had no idea what the words meant. Listening to Love of Life over and over again when David Brannon broke my heart. secretly laughing to myself when I'd listen to Fairy Feller's Master Stroke.

I was always trying to find my place in my musical world, what genre would I be classified in (when I thought it mattered). Rap, heavy metal, pop. Through all the experimental times with music, queen was a constant.

In 1991, I thought my 13 year old life was over when I heard that Freddie had passed. Knowing I would never get to experience his presence on stage and how sad would my mom be when I told her when she got home. I have only been sad when two musical persons had passed, the first was Freddie and the second was Kurt.

Though I have finally found the music I can listen to over and over and over....Queen is still a big part of my appreciation of musical art.

When I heard that Brian May and Roger Taylor would be touring as Queen and have Paul Rogers as the singer, I was curious. I mean Paul Rogers was great with Bad Company...but Freddie's boots are hard to fill. I was scared he would try too much to be him.

To my surprise and extreme delight, This concert was amazing to say the least. I was in such awe of the performance...stunned...Paul made these Queen songs so dear to so many his own, but showed so much respect.

Towards the end, a tribute to Freddie in the form of Bohemian Rhapsody. His angelic voice coming out of speakers so loud it was like he was there and his beautiful face gracing the huge screens...I was brought to tears. I called my mom and held my phone in the air so she could hear it.

The best part of the whole night was being able to share this experience with Derek, April, Shari, and my sister. Although we don't agree on a lot where music is concerned, we all were able to share a moment so extraordinary....Freddie was there too.

Picking my favorite Queen song would be like asking me to pick my favorite child (If I had them). This song is one of my favorites off of Jazz. And it makes me think of my pal Brian.

A - Z Music I Love, P is for Peaches

I love women who do whatever the fuck they want and make no excuses. Peaches is, in my opinion, an in your face bitch. Love her! Huh? What? right? Uh!

A - Z Music I Love, O is for OutKast

OutKast to me is more than a rap group. I think they hit most of the elements I want from my music. Creativity and a sound you don't hear everywhere are at the top of those lists. There videos have a look to them that is unmistakably OutKast and I love the way Andre 3000 dresses. B.O.B was the first OutKast song I ever heard and went what the fuck is this?! in a good way.

A - Z Music I Love, N is for Nirvana

In 1992, while the bulk of my friends were listening to pop music, I was struggling to find something that satisfied my ears and my soul. Sounds cheesy, but it is true. Music heals, feeds, warms your soul. People don't remember or don't know that. But some of us lucky bastards know when you hear a song or a voice or a melody, that will take us somewhere else or to a moment in time that has found a permanent place in our memory.

I stumbled across a radio station playing Lithium. I needed more. Listening to Bleach and Nevermind over and over. Something in that music spoke to something in me and like millions of other kids, Kurt Cobain became my hero, for a lack of a better term.

I still listen to Nirvana on a regular basis, I still love it, and damn do i feel old to hear that the 20th anniversary of Bleach was released this year. Bleach has my favorite Nirvana song. About a Girl to me is the ultimate love song. If someone made a mix tape (CD now a days) and included this song, I knew it was serious.

This post is coming up on the 18th anniversary of Kurt's death. A death I still morn, but more importantly, a life I still celebrate and music I truly love.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." Kurt Cobain

A - Z Music I Love, M is for Modest Mouse

I am not sure how I found Modest Mouse. I really think it was back in the Napster days before iTunes and paying for music. I think I found Modest Mouse at the right time in my life. It was the end of a relationship and nothing was making sense. And here was Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset. Full of lyrics and music that made sense and at the same time...didn't.

A - Z Music I Love, L is for Lady Gaga

I didn't want to love her. I was determined to hate her. But I saw her on Oprah, not performance wise, but her interview. She was thoughtful, intelligent, and so creative. She wasn't this pop music star in a package that some producer threw out and is about as creative as Jessica Simpson or similar. So, I listen to the Fame, over and over. I wouldn't consider myself a pop music fan, but when it's good, it's good. And Gaga is better than good.