Excuses

Yeah, yeah. I know. Start the blog up again and then only a few months later can't even manage to eke out a post every couple weeks--and, really, this won't count either. It isn't that there has been no music in my life lately, but rather that life has been just too busy to find the inspiration to blog (no commentary on whether or not posts here in The Room are inspired or not please). Here are my excuses:

1. I haven't picked up any new music in weeks and I haven't been listening to artists that would qualify for the new Missing Essentials category of posts.
2. Okay, actually, it is just that I can't stop listening to Frontier Ruckus.
3. There is this thing called work that happens most days. Sheesh!
4. The Artist and The Engineer are both taking pretty serious piano lessons requiring about an hour of parental prodding patient encouragement.
5. Even if I had some new music hanging around, I am not Robin Hilton and I have to actually listen to an album more than once to form an opinion about it.
6. I started to think about new music, but got lost at AccuJazz.
7. The fear of not finishing the family room before Thanksgiving (we will and there will be Bose surround sound people).
8. Did I mention I have an actual job?
9. Wobs keeps distracting me.
10. I spent the last month watching my dear Tigers melt down rather than blogging.

But soon, soon I say, this blogger is going to get back in tune and there will be more music here in The Room. As soon as I . . .

Re-Start Me Up

Lately this blog has been calling me back. Why? Possible reasons:

• The desire to share thoughts about the stack of music I have listened to since I left?
• The need to express my dissappointment that Nick over at Indie Muse was right that the Decemberists went over the edge with Hazards of Love?
• The worry that the world won't be complete if another blogger doesn't mark the release of the new Wilco album (oops, too late)?
• It's summer?
• The fact that writing the blog made me more attentive to other music bloggers and I miss that?
• I don't want to dissappoint my two--count them two--followers?
• Where else will I get to write about my daily check-ins with the Regeneration Tour?
• The same silly assumptions I had when I started in the first place?
• The even sillier assumption that I have enough time?

Who knows. But either I am or I am not. If not, then this is just a little snarky distraction on a random Tuesday. If I am, then we need to establish some new guidelines damnit, because the old ones just weren't working! Who established those previous guidelines anyway? And does anybody but me even know what they were? Okay, here are the new ones just in case I re-start.

• While most of the posts will still be about music, I am not going to limit myself just to music . . . afterall, I have a life, you know.
• I will not be obsessed about trying to stay current--I am too damn far behind as it is. (I have also apparently decided the new version of the blog will be cussier.)
• Neither will I be obsessed about regularity (in posting that is)--we post when we feel like it at the Tuning Room 2.o (and don't test me with you plantive emails!).
• There will be no scoring of discs, only reflections.
• I am giving up on the idea that someone is going to join me and turn this blog into a group blog . . . and you call yourself friends!
• Okay, I am sorry for that. Anyone who wants to start up a new group blog dedicated to music simply has to ask and I will be there like an excitable cocker spaniel.
• And one final note to say that all guidelines are subject to random changes without notice.

And now I return to much self-reflection and questioning about me and this here blog.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Hello?  Tap. Tap. Anyone still here?  If you are, you probably are wondering if I am still here. Sort of.  But not for long, I think.  Life has simply become to busy to find time to get the Room going (at least as I was trying to).  Why?  Not because I haven't been listening to lots of music--I have half a dozen posts stored up about albums I have been listening to and questions I have about what others think about different aspects of music.  No, the real answer is simple.  Time. It is just in too short of a supply and other priorities need what time I have.

Of course there is work which is just all consuming and travel has been particularly heavy lately. Since Miami there have been trips to NY, California, and another one coming back to NY and probably Ohio, well, you get the picture.  On top of that I realized that trying to keep the Room updated was taking away some of my energy from the work blog and that one actually helps pay the bills.

More importantly there is the family and home life.  Keeping up the blog was also clearly taking precious time away from the ones who deserve more attention--not to mention that The Artist was getting worried that the Room was getting more attention than the Brothers K blog (invite only--friends and family let me know if you want one so you can see all the antics of the boys--the video they took of themselves dancing to "It's Raining Men" is worth it all on its own!).

And ultimately, when I started this not that long ago, it wasn't because I thought the world need another music blog or that I was even a real music blogger.  Rather, I was hoping that it would evolve into a place where the many friends I have would congregate to talk about music and share ideas.  That happened to some extent and I am so happy about reconnecting with some long, lost folks and to be talking with them again not to mention meeting some other great music bloggers on-line.  But really, I think my time would be better spent just working on keeping those connections alive rather than assuming that everyone wants to communicate via the Room.  No, I am not fishing here, just being honest and a little embarrassed at stopping so soon.

So, for now, we are taking a very long, probably permanent break.  There is a slight chance I might change the focus of the blog to not just be music which I find takes more time to write about than other things.  And I still have a hope of eventually starting a more group oriented blog with some friends that will cover music and more, but I think (hope) next time I will be start enough to figure out who might be interested in that before starting rather than going with the "build it and they will come" strategy.

Until then, thanks for all who have stopped by, commented and sent emails--it really has been fun to do and it surely has made me get back into music as I once was.  Of course, I reserve the right to be totally fickle and randomly at any time go back on this decision and just start again when time and energy allow.

Ciao for now.

Open Thread: The Whispertown 2000

What say ye?

• Hot new indie band?
• Wait and see?
• Ain't no Jenny Lewis or Rilo Kiley?
• Who?

Vienna Treats for the New Year

I continue to debate the question as to whether this blog should focus exclusively on one genre of music (what I listen to most often) or strive to be more eclectic (everything I listen to or read/hear about). Who is the audience he wonders? But while I ponder that I sit hear in a German household on New Year's Day night which means one thing: football! Just kidding. It means the traditional New Year's Day Concert from Vienna.

For those who are unfamiliar with this event, it is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic and is one of the most popular concerts of the year which includes silly visual imagery and dancing (horses and people--don't ask) supposed to reflect the music which is predominantly upbeat with lots of the Strauss family and a few other Austrians. I love the music and would prefer just watching the orchestra, but who am I to mess with tradition?!

Seems like a nice moment to share a disc from this past Fall that I never got around to writing about. My Heart Alone features Angelika Kirchschlager and Simon Keenlyside singing selections from various operetta from Strauss (Johann II) and his buds around the continent.

Now I know virtually nothing about operetta and I really don't have a clue about how to start writing about this disc. It came to me by way of Gramophone which gave it a high recommendation and was included in the Editor's Picks for September 2008. This is not to say it is widely acclaimed--some went at it with a snideness I believe is reserved for reviewers of classical music.

All I know is I enjoy the performances (particularly Kirchschlager's) and the music. It is amazing how effortless the singing is (to me) and the general "waltziness" of it all is an interesting twist on opera (again, to me). One last bonus--the liner notes to the disc are a great introduction to the music and the genre so it is a nice place to start.

Enough. I will not try to say more than I know. Here are three tracks--one duet and one aria by each--for you to judge. Evening attire and champagne is required before listening.

Weißt du es noch (from The Gypsy Princess)
Es lebt eine Vilja (from The Merry Widow)
Du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele sein (from The Favourite) Buy Album

Open Thread: You Spin Me Right Round

Okay, so we have veered into this topic a couple of times already in the comment threads here at The TR, but lets see if anyone is around enough to engage this open thread.

Is vinyl making a comeback?

Payton has more details, but I am cynical/futuristic on this topic and hope for a new medium where we get the benefits of digital music and the quality of vinyl. I also think this is more generational than anything--says the older guy with the vinyl bias.

What do you all think or hope or argue?

The Right Profile

Just a little more navel-gazing here as we get the site started up while I have a few people checking in (I think?). Here is my question: Where do you get your musical news/info/insights? Of course, the very premise of this blog is that one primary way is by sharing with friends. But, I also surmise that most of us check out some publication here or there, or read a blog, or are lucky enough to have a decent local paper that reviews music . . . in short, we have our particular sources.

So what are they? I am looking to build up the resources over there on the right-hand side of this blog, but I would like to be deliberate about that. I don’t want those lists to be nothing more than some long list of links that is so overwhelming that no one finds them helpful (remember, the idea here is to be a kind of friend’s clearinghouse of musical ideas).

For instance, David Byrne’s Journal which is the only one listed just now in that category (another h/t to College Roommate) is simply a really interesting blog on music and many other things. I know lots of artist have promo-sites, but I am looking for more than that. I am looking for sites that help inform the conversation and that you would think others would appreciate.

Similarly, I have added some mainstream music pubs, but there are a whole mess of them out there—what do you consult?

Finally, I am looking for music specific sites. There are lots of folks who post occasionally on music, but the goal is quality, not quantity. So for instance I have added Jazz & Blues Music Reviews (who, by the way beat me to weighing in on Vijay Iyer's new album) to the list of other bloggers writing about music because of that blog's focus on, well, jazz and blues.

So tell me where you go, and if there should be a whole new category over there on the right side, let me know that as well.

What the World Needs Now

Good friend Wobs is fond of saying: "Just what the world needs, another blog!" I heed his warning (although his post might have been the final straw in my thinking about this). So let me start by saying that I am not sure if this will be a real blog or not . . . right now it is just an idea.

The idea is to have a place where friends and visitors could talk about what music/artists/discs they are listening to--in short, to share tunes, but in a more personal sense than just reading a music mag or surfing a musical "store" in whatever form. It is one thing for some music critic to spin us on a new artist or disc, it is another thing for one friend to tell another that "this is something I like." It is a revealing moment about the person making the recommendation and about the relationship between the people involved. Because of that, I find that it is the music that friends have turned me on to that has been the most important to me and that I have really enjoyed in the long run. That is, friends are the ones who have helped me "fine tune" my musical tastes.

Whether it is my Little Sis who made me realize I missed the whole Ryan Adams thing while the focus here was on babies, moving and a new job; or, a Utah poet who was surprised that I didn't have any Luscious Jackson; or, Wobs who had to get me up to speed on the Flaming Lips and Wilco, or my college roommate who has turned me onto more music, from the Waterboys to Brad Mehldau, than I could possibly account for here, I am indebted to many good folks for their knowledge, awareness and love for music. I suspect, although I don't know, that this fact is true for others as well.

Okay, so I think there are a couple of reasons to maybe start this blog. First, if enough friends are willing to join me here and talk about music that is simply enough. I know--just call! Email! We will talk about these things. True enough, but I tell you that by the time the day ends and the kids are in bed, I just want to "tune out" and putting on some music and checking in with what friends are listening to sounds like a nice way to stay in touch with both friends and music. Music has always been a key connection for me with my closest friends and I hope this might be one way to rekindle those connections and develop new ones.

My other reason is an "economy of scale" argument (otherwise known as me being lazy). There is so much music out there and so much information, but really who has time? (I mean there are blogs to be started after all!) Seriously, my thinking here is to have a few people willing to weigh in and share ideas as a way to keep all of us more connected. The other piece of this that I have really come to value about blogs is the archiving of these discussions that, in this, case could serve as a sort of cataloging of potential music folks might want to pick up. I can't imagine I am the only one who sees a benefit in that?

To give you an idea, here are a few ideas of the kind of posts I am thinking about (although this is in no way exhaustive or prescriptive--and post titles will not be required to reference Burt Bacharach songs):

• The plain old "this is what I am listening to and why you might be interested in it" post.
• The open thread artist/new disc post.
• The "genre" post: hey here is some great music to listen to while driving--you know, "car tunes."
• The review of reviews: looking at recent mags or blogs to see what they are saying about new releases.
• Recent purchases.
  
• Lazy You Tube posts--too tired to write, watch this cool music video.

And who knows what else--you?

So I am going to post a few entries here for a little while as I fiddle around with the site to give you all a flavor of what I am thinking of (although you might suspect the flavor will be a bit on the vanilla side if it is just me). Let me know what you think and any ideas you have to make this more worthwhile--topics, contributors who might be interested that you trust, links or other web sites that should be added to the lists--the site is deliberately incomplete so that others can make suggestions to help form what The Tuning Room is. All that I know for sure right now is I imagine something much more akin to a college apartment with friends laying around listening to and talking about music than some great new critic's corner for music.

Let me know--will friends tune in or are there already too many stations on the dial?