Note from the trenches....

Just wanted to tell you all how much I love the KCRW show Sounds Eclectic (A radio station out of Santa Monica). The host Nic Harcourt is responsible for all of my work music listening these days. I heartily recommend it.

Shakara

Last night we fell asleep to the soothing voices of the BBC. In that magical time right as your eyes are closing and the sandman is coming to visit, I was awoken by an interesting story.

Today is the 10-year anniversary of the death of Fela Kuti.

I first heard Fela Ransome Kuti and the Africa 70 when I was living in Boston on the wonderful WERS (Emerson College Radio) afternoon show, the Gyroscope (which due to programming changes, they no longer play, which makes me sad). I was immediately captivated by the Afrobeat sounds, which is kind of like 'Big Band Funk.' The often 10-minute long songs have endless beat loops, hypnotic chanting, and lots of dance-cause-you-have-to energy.

The stuff I've read about Fela has always been interesting - he was a polygamist, he never played a song he had previously recorded live in concert, he told Paul McCartney to go fly a kite when he tried to steal Fela's musicians - and always makes me wish I knew more about him. As is usually the case, the most interesting music is made by people with the most interesting back story.

Anyways, I thought I would take this opportunity to let all you out there know about the music of Fela Kuti. I think in the 7 years that I've listened to his music, I've met 3 or 4 other people who knew his name and listened to his music; I think more people should know about him.

If you get a chance to listen to some of his music, I can't give it a high enough recommendation.

Music Part 2

Being home, we now get to listen to the radio, as well as listen to our music on our computers and online. Its quite nice. Kimberly really missed NPR. The soothing voices calm her down.

I think this song here, posted by our friend Seth several months ago, feels appropriate as a 'welcome back' song. I don't think I could ever get sick of the Talking Heads.

And as Seth says: David Byrne dancing with a lamp = Genius.

This song is actually good, so check it out.

Music Part 1

One of the things about traveling is that you don't hear too much music. We brought our iPod with us initially, but sent it home after 2 weeks when we realized we weren't listening to it and it just took up space.

For those first 2 weeks in Italy we had a car, so were able to listen to some Italian radio. Then for a weird 2 week period in the middle of the trip, we had a TV and were able to watch Mtv.

Every once in a while we heard a snippet of a song at a restaurant, or in a bar, or at a hotel.

This song above is hands down the most heard song from our trip. On the car radio, on Mtv, in bars, everywhere. I thing we may have heard it on average once a day while traveling.

I don't know if it became popular here in the States, but I can only hope it didn't.

Unfortunately, it kind of became the 'song of the trip.' It's a terrible song. And a terrible video.

If you last through the whole thing, congrats, you just listened to a terrible song.

If you want to pop your ear drums half way through, just think that we heard this song probably almost 60 times.

(I don't think there is anything offensive in the song, except the terribleness of the song itself.)