A bit of an odd combined word for the SWOD today. This pun on a biblical place-name quite literally is a mythical land of sleep. So, next time you are drifting off to bed, you may be entering the land of Nod. I think I am going to start using this term frequently to annoy my roommate. Sleep is a popular topic among artists. Ben Folds has a song entitled “Narcolepsy” which appeared on his album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. The lyrics that cue the sleep fairy are the first two lines:
“I should warn you
I go to sleep”
And, so do we all Ben Folds. I believe the song may be about a guy who is tired of life but the narcoleptic base works quite well for our purposes. I just exited the land of Nod just a little while ago, but, I’ll be back there soon. Enjoy the day folks and…LETS GO METS!
What is that smell in the air? That sweet scent of leather gloves, fresh cut grass and steamed hot dogs. That optimistic smell of new uniforms, new players and a new season. Opening day is here for the New York Mets and I cannot be happier. At 1:10 p.m. the Mets season will kick off and despite all the negativity surrounding the team, I am happy and positive this morning. Opening day presents the only time during the baseball season where every team is on an equal playing ground. Each team has zero wins and zero losses. (Forget about the Red Sox and Yankees who played last night, briefly) Every team is beginning as fresh as the unsullied uniforms and packed infield dirt.
The best way to compare opening day to music is by imagining a simple guitar riff. Go ahead, imagine it. It’s chord progression is probably not so original. It is like 100 different chord progressions that you have heard before. But, it has potential. Soon it will be transformed into a dulcet song with a variety of other instruments and sounds. A vocal track may be placed on top of it. Soon enough that chord progression will be in the background. It will always be there, the original sound that inspired the rest of the song. That is what opening day is to me. It is that which inspires the rest of the complicated season. It is the opening hope and optimistic beginning.
I have been a New York Mets fan my entire life and opening day has always provided me with a wide smile. I remember my father taking me out of school early to drive to Shea stadium and watch the New York Mets open the season. The team may not be great this year. In three weeks I may be saying how much they are a waste of my time. But, at least for this one afternoon, I can sit back on my couch and tell my dad that I believe. Because, just like all other baseball fans out there, opening day gives us a chance to be optimistic. Opening day is why baseball is America’s pastime.
I apologize for not posting yesterday. I just have come down with some sort of sickness (probably a head cold) and I have been busy with work in anticipation of my illustrious return to Binghamton on Monday. But, I’m back…and I do not usually post in Saturday. First, I hope everyone has a lovely Saturday. I will most likely be very lazy today in an attempt to shake this cold.
That means I have an opportunity to listen to some music. There is one particular song that is stuck in my head and I am having trouble shaking it. “Haven’t Met You Yet,” the first single off Canadian Michael Buble’s fourth album Crazy Love, is an effervescent song paired with Buble’s great voice. He co-wrote the song for his fiancée, Luisana Lopilato. How sweet. She also appears on the video below.
The Steve Miller Band, after staying dormant in the CD department for 17 years, will finally release an album this year. And, like a large Volcano explosion, the band will not stop at just one album. “Bingo” will be released on June 15 and it will contain covers of some great blues hits. You can be sure that being the master Steve Miller is, the songs will be of high quality. A second, companion album will be released next spring. The album should be a success and his lack of recent fresh material should spark some sales. Here is some “Joker” to celebrate.
Former long-haired American Idol heartthrob, Jason Castro, celebrated Billboard’s Mashup Mondays with an slowed down acoustic version of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley. Interesting version. I do enjoy his voice and the chorus gives him the opportunity to display his chops. What do you think?
The Music Court 