An Interesting Qoute From Singer/Songwriter/Producer Butch Walker

Butch Walker is known to pop rock music fan as the guy who fronted the band Marvelous 3 back in the mid 90's who had a hit song titled Freak of the Week (c'mon i was elementary back then and that song was like everywhere!) and as an "A" producer and songwriter for artists like Avril Lavigne, Pink, Fall Out Boy, and just about any other pseudo punk and pop rock bands you can imagine. But do Butch love the music his making in his day job? Here's what he has to say,
"Don't get me wrong. My day job pays me well for making records for those kinds of folks, but I don't wanna listen to it. I mean, would you wanna eat donuts for dinner, if you made them all day in a factory? Nope. Same with music. thanks Eric...."

source: http://www.recordstoreday.com/CustomPage/381

You decide then.

iTunes Is A Wonderful Thing, Sometimes...

I'm not much of a digital junkie. I even burn to Cd all those important albums i downloaded, and i only download an album if it isn't available here, and in my unique taste, sadly most of my favorites aren't available here (Todd Snider, Dave Barnes, Cherryholmes, Reckless Kelly, Chatham County Line, etc).

But over the course of years since my elementary days, i have over 800 plus of original CDs now and 500 plus cassettes and some 200 plus vinyl i inhereted from my aunties and parents.

All of them babies neatly piled and arranged in my bedroom.

But here in my boarding house i only have 473 original Cds and 10 CD Wallets of those "important albums" i downloaded that weren't available here (not even in Music One).

And i am mostly familiar of those original Cds and Cassettes that i have simply because i listened to them over and over again when it was newly purchased.

But now with digital music the experience is kinda lost. Most Americana/Folk/Alt. Country bands offer their singles or sometimes their CDs for free legally, like The Damnwells and The Only Sons for example.

Plus there's this website co-created by singer/songwriter Derek Webb of Caedmon's Call where you can just download any albums the artists uploaded there for free. Yes you read it right. the artists themselves uploaded them. And majority of the music offered are gems.

And so my iTunes is full of these digital albums i wish i owned in either CDs or Vinyl.

i also have some music from my original CDs uploaded in iTunes so i could play them here in my boarding house without bringing my entire collection, which is to me one of the "plus' of having an iTunes.

This afternoon i am bored. Got nothing to do so i just sit here in my chair and read the blogosphere while setting my iTunes on Shuffle mode.

And girl, whatta delight! My iTunes does really know what i like. It isn't even on "smart shuffle". It's just the regular shuffle and so far it's all good. Here's the forty recently played songs;

1. THE BOTTLE ROCKETS- Early In The Morning
2. BOB DYLAN- I Believe In You
3. DANIELSON- Body English
4. SOLOMON BURKE- Beautiful Brown Eyes
5. MY MORNING JACKET- Thank You Too
6. SLAID CLEAVES- I Feel The Blues Moving In
7. PATTY LOVELESS & TRAVIS TRITT- Out of Control Raging Fire
8. DAVE BARNES- Everybody But You
9. WILLIE NELSON- The Way You See Me
10. TYLER LYLE- A Baptism (Why We Don't Float)
11. TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS- You Got Lucky
12. FICTION FAMILY- Not Sure if I'll Get Over You (I'm not Sure If I Want To)
13. BUDDY MILLER- I Can't Help It
14. LOVE SONG- Joyous Lament
15. WHISKEYTOWN- Breathe
16. RESCUE A HERO- To My Dearest
17. SARA WATKINS- Where Will You Be
18. MILES DAVIS- So What?
19. FM STATIC- The Shindig (Off To College)
20. THE DIFFICULT STRANGER- Abac
21. JACK INGRAM- What Makes You Say
22. UNDERCOVER GRASSHOPPERS- Frantic Static
23. SLIMFIT- Pony Up
24. BO BICE- You Can't Take The Country Outta Me
25. MATTHEW PERRYMAN JONES- Breaking Out The Windows
26. CATTSKI- Hero
27. NICKEL CREEK- When In Rome
28. SON VOLT- Picking Up The Signal
29. TODD SNIDER- Can't Complain
30. BECK- Guess I'm Doing Fine
31. RAY CHARLES- It Makes No Difference Now
32. OLD 97's- Am I Too Late
33. GASLIGHT ANTHEM- 59 Sound
34. THE LOST TRAILERS- Holler Back
35. ELI YOUNG BAND- When It Rains
36. LEVON HELMS- Calvary
37. CHERRYHOLMES- You Don't Know What Love Is
38. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIES- Little Bribes
39. ARETHA FRANKLIN- Respect
40. DERYL DODD- Only Cause You're Lonely


Out of the forty, four of 'em are local filipino talents. They are Rescue A Hero, Undercover Grasshoppers, The Difficult Stranger (more of craziness than talent), and Cattski.

And yes i set my iTunes not to repeat an artist unless all the artirts' been played...

Whatever Happened To Those Boybands???

Brian McFadden and the guys from The Script were formerly from irish boybands Westlife and MyTown respectively. Then all of a sudden they hit their heads on that Celtic stone wall and realized there's more to art than money.

So Brian left Westlife and the guys from MyTown pursued their dreams which is producing records. Then in 2008 they all decided it's time to do what they love. Hence the result; beautiful piece of rock alternative music from Ireland...

but what about those boybands from America? Justin Timberlake of NSYNC is slowly redeeminh himself as an artist. The Backstreet Boys still prefers the money though.

But most people might dismissed this little boyband that got their popularity in 2001. They're called Plus One.

They're manufactured boyband aimed to christian music market as the CCM's answer to Backstreet Boys. And so the hypocracy begins...

But then the guys from Plus One grew up musically and spiritually. They decided bubble gum pop isn't their cup of coffee and they fall inlove and got married too.

But they love playing music... two of the guys left for family reasons. The remaining three continued yet their label don't want them to be rock bands. Their label( Atlantic) was blind.

So they dropped out or rather they're being dropped out. Then the Newsboy guy,Peter Furler, sniffed them up and gave them a chance to record an album of their liking under his label Inpop.

And so Exodus (the CD) was born. It didn't click commercially (although it osunds like 2003 Coldplay). The production isn't that tight and people are still confised what to make of them.

And they completely disappear. Gone. No words.

Then Nathan Walters reappeared with a CD 5 years later (which is 2008).

And then Nate and Gabe convinced their wives that music is art and their passion and decided they'll form a band too.

and so CASTLEDOOR is born.

Who are these guys? What music do they play?

They are the remnants of Plus One but they're no boyband mind you...

Their music falls somewhere between My Morning Jacket and Rooney (infact it was Rooney's Robert who produced their latest CD)

fOr more info, check out this interview here.

And get a taste of their music here.


And in addition to being in an indie rock band, Nate Cole's day job is actually as an office assistant
in Lehrer Architects .

Well, so much to being a full time idol with Plus One. Real band like Castledoor with real music don't really get paid that well. That's the sacrifice you make if you choose art over image..

Free Legal Download: THE DAMNWELLS New Album

My favorite band The Damnwells offers their new album for free!!!

Click Here to grab it.. C'mon. Good music is hard to find these days and this band is generous enough...

Random Musing... A Free Writing Experience Much Like We Did In high School

What happens when you just let yourself type the first thought that crosses your mind without overthinking or underthinking about it? Well I did just that and the result is hilarious. It’s unintelligible but then my friend thought it’s awesome. He thought I think this through. Actually I didn’t. I just type and type…

It was the worst of times, as I figured it out. The leaves are falling from their respective branches and the wind swept all over to the direction to my face. I couldn’t make any of it. No not yet atleast. Time is hard and it’s even harder now that I got life of my own, apart from the confines of the university walls. No, I still ask money from my mom and she still pays the rent of my apartment but I am slowly moving on to the pace of this hectic unpredictable reality world.

I learn to coquet with life as if it’s a buried treasure suddenly unearthed. Learning form every mistakes and vowing never to lie again.

Then I met a stranger and to make a seasoned conversation, I lied about everything and anything under the heat of this awful summer sun. It’s something I gotta overcome someday and I believe by the grace of God I can do so.

See my life is nothing is void and I got no interesting adventures to share. I sucked at women. I suck at socializing. And almost everything I touch turns to dust. Yes I did fall inlove once in a while and matter of factly I did fall two years ago. Then eight months later she left me for selfish reasons.

So I resolved to drinking. Not a good idea and definitely not a smart one. I knew the effect of it and knew how bad getting drunk is, both physically and spiritually. Still I engaged myself with the whiskey bottle just to numb the pain creeping all over my being. It was terrible. Every night as I go to sleep tears would flow from my eyes without apparent reason for the moment. But I know it’s the subversive tears that’s been there waiting to burst.

And so I let myself cry.

Then my room filled with lights. Colorful different lights. I turned my head around and saw beautiful lions roaring and licking each other. Weird. I got up from my bed and walked one step closer to the donkey resting under my table. The donkey turned his head towards me and gave a smile. How awesome! I can smell the fragrance of blue roses and hear the streaming rivers somewhere not far but I haven’t got a vision of it yet.

I went to the bathroom and behold! As I opened it my eyes were greeted with the galleries of mountains and different landscapes. And I saw a horse all alone at the top of the hill on my right side. I ran towards him, stumbled as I ascended. Oh such a beauty! Completely pink! I never saw a pink horse before and this one had blue eyeglasses and had a hat on. He’s like Snoop Dog turned into a horse!

Then I realized I can no longer contain it. My mind is not word-tied and my fingers are not that familiar with keys. And so I stopped.

And stopped.

The end.

Actually it’s not really the end of it but my download is finished and it’s time for me to watch it. And no its not illegal movie or something It’s a videocast from itunes and it’s free of charge. And itunes for all you know is legal!

Another Week of New Music

...with the exception of The Gaslight Anthem which was released last year.