Tropical Storm Colin Playlist

Today is expected to be a messy day in Tampa Bay as tropical storm Colin brushes the west coast of Florida on its way north. Those of us who live here are used to such storms this time of year, and to be honest our biggest concern is usually that it makes the horrible Central Florida traffic even worse! Today is going to be an indoor day for sure, so to help pass the time I've picked out 10 songs from my trusty i-Pod sure to keep my spirits afloat- and hope that will be the only thing floating! So here's what I'm listening to this morning:

• Hasten Down the Wind-  Warren Zevon
• Africa-  Toto
• Summer Breeze-  Seals & Crofts
• Escape (The Pina Colada Song)-  Rupert Holmes
• Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season-  Jimmy Buffett
• Pray For Rain-  PFR
• Slip Slidin' Away-  Paul Simon
• Summertime-  My Chemical Romance
• Leaving This Town-  The Beach Boys
• Times Like These-  Dan Fogelberg

Honorable mention goes to The Beach Boys for Let the Wind Blow and to Eric Clapton for Let It Rain. We have to keep our senses of humor, people! Have a wonderful Monday, stay dry and remember this small bit of wisdom- nothing can keep you afloat quite the love of your friends.  See you soon!

Just Another Manic Playlist

Life feels more like a roller coaster than ever lately. The highs seem higher and the lows feel lower, and there have been some big climbs and some stomach-shaking drops along the way. Every Monday is a fresh start; a chance for things to begin anew with new hope and new love. And nothing reminds me of that more than music. When I started listening to the iPod on shuffle this morning, the first song was Manic Monday. I took that as a sign that this was a good day to share another playlist with my readers, so here are the first 10 songs I heard today. Have a blessed Monday- and here we go!

1. Manic Monday - The Bangles
2. Only Wanna' Be With You - Hootie & the Blowfish
3. Daisy Jane - America
4. Too Many Nights Too Long - Poco
5. Miss Atomic Bomb - The Killers
6. Somewhere Somehow - Michael W. Smith
7. One and the Same Thing - Lobo
8. Fine By Me - Andy Grammer
9. Our Sweet Love - The Beach Boys
10. Think of Laura - Christopher Cross

That's a list that makes me smile. I hope you find your smile today as well, and that this will be a wonderful week!

"Enjoy every sandwich"

Beach Playlist

After another late, laughter filled night at Ocean Isle Beach with some of my favorite people in the world I find myself up early this morning gazing out at the ocean and listening to music. What has popped up so far on this Beach Playlist? I'm so glad you asked...

1. When I See You Smile - John Waite
2. Keep Me In Your Heart - Warren Zevon
3. Don't Expect Me To Be Your Friend - Lobo
4. Only With You - The Beach Boys
5. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
6. Everything I Own - Bread
7. Stealaway - Poco
8. Missing You - Dan Fogelberg
9. The One I Love - R.E.M.
10. Homegrown Honey - Darius Rucker

That's what is playing in my world this morning. Have a blessed Saturday, my friends.

"Enjoy every sandwich"

Road Trip!

The cover art for the copy I once owned!

As many of you are aware, Marilyn and I left very early this morning to go visit family and friends in North Carolina for a week before going to Myrtle Beach with her family next Monday - Friday. It's good to get away for awhile to the "nearest faraway place," and though I won't see as many old friends as I would like it will still be a fun trip. There will be lots of great times with old friends in a little over a month when we head back to the beach for a reunion. So I hold on until then...

We are driving to NC this time around, a trip that takes us around 11 hours including stops. While not good for things like stiff knees and fanny fatigue, long road trips provide a unique opportunity to jam out to great music! I have nearly 2000 songs on my iPod now, and our Hyundai came equipped with a special plug just for that device. I have many of the songs broken down into the 21 playlists I created; or we could just go with shuffle. In keeping with my July celebration of The Beach Boys I now have over 300 of their songs, including my newest addition, the Stack O' Tracks album. It's a bunch of great Beach Boys songs without the vocals- just the instruments. I owned a rare copy of the vinyl years ago and it was awesome. And now I'm ready to hear it again.

But it is entirely possible (GASP!) that my lovely wife will not want to listen to Beach Boys for 11 hours, so there is a wide variety to choose from. There will be Buffett. There will be Billy Joel, and quite possibly some Beatles or some Herman's Hermits. What other traveling music do I have ready for her? Here's a sample playlist that we might be listening to even as you read it!

1. Dreams Come True - Brandon Flowers
2. Shut Up and Dance! - Walk on the Moon
3. Walkin' On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
4. Hey Soul Sister - Train
5. Honey I'm Good - Andy Grammer
6. Don't Bring Me Down - ELO
7. On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
8. Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
9. Raging Fire - Philip Phillips
10. Feelin' Stronger Everyday - Chicago

If you have suggestions for traveling songs, text me (813-919-3755). I'd love to hear your ideas. And know this as well- the greatest "on the road song" ever recorded is one many of you have probably never heard. It's called Rose of Cimarron, it's from the band Poco and it WILL be played! Back me up on this, Steve Semmler! Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow from beautiful NC!!!

This Morning's Playlist

My morning music so often sets the mood for my entire day, getting my mind in gear and my spirit engaged. Today was no exception. Here are the first 10 tunes that my Nano- set to shuffle- came up with in the early hours of this fine Saturday morning...

1. This World - Caedmon's Call
2. Home - JOHNNYSWIM
3. Do You Believe in Magic? - The Lovin' Spoonful
4. What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band
5. The Show Must Go On - Three Dog Night
6. She's Gone - Hall & Oates
7. Touch of Grey - The Grateful Dead
8. Closing Time - Semisonic
9. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been - Relient K
10. Something To Talk About - Bonnie Raitt

And then just for good measure, #11 was Randy Newman's I Love L.A. Any song that encourages us to "Roll down the window, put down the top, crank up the Beach Boys, baby, don't let the music stop" is a great beginning to any day! Good stuff to start a great day. So pack up your troubles, put a smile on your face and let music whisk you away to your happy place too! Enjoy your weekend. Peace, my friends!

My Great iPod Experiment

There are currently 1793 songs on my little iPod Nano, and I am in the midst of a grand experiment. For several weeks it has been set to "shuffle" with the intention of hearing every song in random order. There is no way of predicting if that will actually happen, but this morning I listened to songs 990-1000, and that felt like a milestone of sorts to me. Here are the tunes that I heard:

990- Dancing In the Moonlight- King Harvest
991-  Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting- Elton John
992-  Back Home Again-  John Denver
993-  Desperado- The Eagles
994-  Cool Cool Water-  The Beach Boys
995-  Argument Clinic-  Monty Python
996-  I Am, I Said-  Neil Diamond
997-  16 Little Red Noses & a Horse that Sweats-  Jim Stafford
998-  Everybody I Love You-  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
999-  Revolution-  Jars of Clay
1000-  Let Your Heart Hold Fast-  Fort Atlantic

As usual, an eclectic collection of songs that are near and dear to my heart- no matter how odd you may think they are! With this experiment. every day is a musical adventure and I am loving every minute of it. My life has always had a playlist; this is just what iPod chose for me this morning. What's on your playlist?

Carl

An "Even Better" Playlist

My book Even Better Than Before features many (some might say too many) characters and stories as part of the plot, but there are few things more central to the story than music. There are over a dozen songs attributed to the main character Brent; those are all titles and lyrics written by me. But there are a number of real songs- over 25, actually- that help give the story a rich and authentic feel. Music helps us connect and it touches us, and when you are meeting new characters music can tell us so much about who they are as people. Music can be such a common denominator in our lives. Plus, there is romance in music. And who doesn't love a little romance?

Since finishing the manuscript and e-mailing it to nearly 35 (the number keeps climbing) friends since last Friday I have suffered from a bit of the old "so now what?" syndrome. To help me through this melancholy mood I compiled a playlist for my iPod featuring songs that were mentioned in the book and a few others that were in there at various points in time before being edited out. For instance, there were stories that revolved around The B-52's Love Shack and Orleans' Still the One that didn't make the cut. At one point I had the characters of Craig and Brent break into Darius Rucker's Homegrown Honey while sitting on the porch of the Betsy B, only to realize that in May of 2014 when that scene was taking place that no one had ever heard of that song. And a pivotal scene in the book originally referenced Fort Atlantic's Let Your Heart Hold Fast playing in the background until I remembered that How I Met Your Mother had already used the song in a similar setting- if fact, that's the whole reason I knew the song in the first place! But they all are on my Even Better playlist whether they made the novel or not! When I hit shuffle this morning, these were the first 10 songs that tickled my ears...

1. Only Wanna Be with You - Hootie & the Blowfish
2. Keep Me in Mind- Zac Brown Band
3. Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis
4. Surfer Girl - Beach Boys
5. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
6. Horse with No Name- America
7. Do It Again - Beach Boys
8. Why Don't We Get Drunk? - Jimmy Buffett
9. I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles
10. Make a Little Magic- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

My day is off to a flying start fueled by some great music. I hope your Hump Day will feature a killer soundtrack too...

Peace, my friends!

My New iPod Playlist: Really?

Yesterday I was doing laundry and listening to music. As you may know, my iPod has over 1400 songs and is full of oldies, weird stuff and obscure music. Much of it is organized into playlists so I can find it more easily. I recently created a playlist called Really? It is a group of 50 songs that even I am a little suprised to find on my iPod. So while piddling around the house yesterday I set the device to shuffle- and here were the first 10 songs that played from my Really? playlist. Really...

1. Miss Atomic Bomb - The Killers
2. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
3. What You Do To Me - Carl Wilson
4. Massachusetts - Bee Gees
5. Creeque Alley - The Mamas & the Papas
6. So What? - P!nk
7. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
8. Crow On the Cradle - Jackson Browne
9. I've Got the Music In Me - The Kiki Dee Band
10. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

Anything strike you as particularly odd, or do they all seem pretty normal coming from me? Yeah...that's what I thought! Have a wonderful Saturday- and go wherever the music takes you!

Oh...one more song from the list...if you don't know the 2012 song Bruises by Train (featuring Ashley Monroe) you should check it out. It has so much to say about life...

Today's Playlist: Rare Buffett

You may recall that my family gave me a new iPod Nano for Father's Day this year, allowing me to go from 230 songs at a time to over 1400 tunes currently stored on my device. The variety is wonderful, but it means that the shuffle feature is a lot less useful. Instead, I have a dozen or so playlists that allow me to focus in on a specific artist or type of music, depending on the day and my mood. This morning felt like a real Friday to me. When you don't have a regular job, days of the week become much lees important in your life. But this has been a "heavy week," and today felt like it should be a Friday- full of fun and hope. So today's playlist choice was easy- Rare Buffett.

Many of you know that I have been a Parrothead for a long time-  since first attending a convert with Steve Semmler at an ice skating rink in Greensboro, NC in 1974. There is a lot of Jimmy Buffett music on my iPod, including the usual suspects like Margaritaville, Fins, Boat Drinks, Cheeseburger in Paradise and A Pirate Looks at Forty. My 35 song Rare Buffett playlist contains deeper cuts, songs many people may NOT know by heart. There are also very old (1978) live versions of Margaritaville (including the lost "Old men in tank tops" verse) & Why Don't We Get Drunk? (in which Jimmy tells the story of the inspiration for that classic!). These are songs that are near and dear to my heart- because they always make me smile. So this morning I pulled up that playlist and hit shuffle. These were the first 10 songs I heard, and a defining lyric from each one:

1. Manana - "Don't try to describe the ocean if you've never seen it. Don't ever forget that you just may wind up being WRONG!"
2. Ringling, Ringling- "Across from the bar there's a pile of beer cans, been there 27 years. Imagine all the heartaches and tears in 27 years of beer..."
3. The Wino and I Know-  "Strange situation, wild occupation, living my life like a song."
4. Last Mango in Paris- "I had to search my memory as I looked into his eyes. Our lives change like the weather but a legend never dies!"
5. It's My Job - "It's my job to be different from the rest, and that's the thing people expect from me..."
6. Saxophones - "But if we had saxophones, I could make that joint shimmy like a big California earthquake!"
7. Peanut Butter Conspiracy - "We never took more than we could eat, there was plenty left on the rack. And we all swore if we ever got rich we would pay the Mini Mart back...yes sir, yes sir...we would pay the Mini Mart back."
8. Death of an Unpopular Poet - "But he left all of his royalties to Spooner his old hound. Growing old on steak and bacon in a dog house 10 feet 'round. And everybody wonders did he really lose his mind? No, he was just a poet who lived before his time..."
9. Growing Older But Not Up- "I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead."
10. Nautical Wheelers - "That's 'cause everyone here is just more than contented to be living and dying in 3/4 time."

So there you have it. This is going to be a great day- I can just FEEL it! And if not- well it's always 5 o'clock somewhere- right?

Carl's Musicology 101

This past Father's Day my son (and my wife...mostly my wife!) gave me a new iPod Nano to replace my worn out, secondhand original iPod. My old device held about 230 songs on a good day. The new one currently has around 1200 songs on it, and it is still only about 2/3 full. I can finally put all of my music on at once, plus I had some iTunes gift cards and have been loading up old CDs as well. So it should be painfully obvious that I am getting to listen to a lot of music that I haven't heard in a long time. This process is teaching me a lot about my own musical history and my personal music tastes. Such wisdom needs to be shared, even if you don't really want to hear it. With that in mind, I present Carl's Musicology 101. I am not responsible for any iTunes spending sprees this may lead to...

* I don't know why science fiction writers and movies are so obsessed with time travel- it already exists! I just plug into the music and I can travel back to the dawn of time...or at least the late 1960's! Bands like the Turtles, Herman's Hermits, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Four Seasons, The Temptations and The Monkees can transport me. I can listen to Hey Jude, or any song by Bread, or Hurricane Smith singing Oh Babe, What Would You Say and the years just disappear. One of my recent purchases was the album Calumet by an artist named Lobo. The last time I owned this collection of songs was around 1974, and it was on 8 track tape. Steve Semmler remembers it I know, because we played it to death. Listening took me back to the heartache of 8th grade, when every romance was life or death and being friends with a girl was the kiss of death. The crazy part was I could still sing every word of songs like Stoney, How Can I tell Her? and Don't Expect Me to Be Your Friend. Talk about doing the time warp (which is also on my iPod...). 

* There are several hundred artists (515 albums) represented on my collection, many having only one song make the cut. But there are a few notable exceptions. Here are my top 10 artists by number of songs on my playlist:

1. Beach Boys- 74 songs
2. Jimmy Buffett- 48 songs
3. Dan Fogelberg- 34 songs
4. John Denver- 33 songs
5. Billy Joel- 29 songs
6. Elton John- 28 songs
7. The Beatles- 24 songs
8. dc Talk- 20 songs
9. The Eagles- 20 songs
10. Jars of Clay- 19 songs

But it's not just about numbers. I only have two songs by the Florida based band Sister Hazel, but those two songs get more play than most anything else. Even the one-hit wonders matter! Remember Come On Eileen, Brandy, War and Hold Your Head Up?

* I have rediscovered a love of not only the great songs of the 60s and 70s, but also of the 80s. I bought a Duran Duran song the other day. I was reminded of what an incredible pop song Freedom by George Michael is (that's right, I said something nice about George Michael!) and how much I loved REO Speedwagon. No Culture Club, Thompson Twins or hair metal yet, but I still have lots of room. I draw the line at Culture Club. There will be no Culture Club.

* To give you an idea of the variety I enjoy, I give you the following list. There are 16 artists who have one complete album stored on my device. They are Three Dog Night, Jimmy Buffett, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, dc Talk, John Denver, Steve Martin, Green Day, Lobo, George Carlin, Jars of Clay, Mumford & Sons, U2, Poco, Jim Croce and Elton John. Everything else is a partial album or single song. Feel free to place your bets on which albums this list covers! I'll give you one- the Elton John album is Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I have owned the CDs (it's a double set) for many years, but I had not listened to the album from start to finish since high school. It is absolutely amazing! The big hits- and there are several- may be my least favorite songs on the project. It will get another listen very soon.

* Is Mike Cross famous anywhere besides NC, because the man is an incredible talent. His stuff is all over my new Folk/Grass playlist- as is music from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco and Mumford. On a related note, I am remembering how much I love bluegrass music. In fact, if I could find a church that played Gospel bluegrass on Sunday mornings (think "I Saw the Light" or "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder") I would so be there. I still listen to a lot of the classic 1990's contemporary Christian music, but much of what has been written in the last 10 years all sounds the same to me. They all want to be Chris Tomlin.

* Some of you are wondering why I would have 74 Beach Boys songs. Others of you are surprised to learn that there are 74 Beach Boys songs. As a public service to my readers, here are 10 GREAT songs by the Boys that you may have never heard- unless your name is Ashley or Steve. :)

1. Long Promised Road
2. Goin' On
3. I Can Hear Music
4. Honkin' Down the Highway
5. That Same Song
6. Funky Pretty
7. Add Some Music to Your Day
8. Good Timin'
9. Please Let Me Wonder
10. This Whole World

* I have also fallen back in love with many of the great singer/songwriters of the 1970's. Artists like America, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Carole King, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Seals and Crofts, Loggins & Messina, Harry Nilsson and Joni Mitchell (in addition to some of the others mentioned previously) are dominating my listening these days. Throw is some other 70's mainstays like Chicago, Queen, ELO and Styx and it is easy to tell the decade of my formative years.

* But I also am enjoying lots of music of a more recent vintage as well. I have some 90's classics like Matchbox 20 and Hootie & the Blowfish right up through brand new stuff from Phillip Phillips and Adam Levine. My son Will got me into groups like 30 Seconds to Mars, My Chemical Romance and The Killers. I LOVE The Killers! So I am not just a geezer. Mostly...but not only.  :)

In the end, for me music is all about emotion. And with my newfound musical freedom my emotions have been all over the map. Lots of laughs (I have the Lumberjack Song and lots of Tom Lehrer), lots of smiles, lots of memories and even a few tears. Does anything...ANYTHING...capture the feelings of loss or heartbreak better than a well-written song? So that's my lesson for today. Like most teachers, I got a little long-winded. And also, there is homework. Leave me a comment with a suggestion for a song, old or new, that you think I might not have yet. I still have room to grow. Have a great weekend!

My Saturday Playlist

I was up early this morning (preparing for a day at Disney's Hollywood Studious!) and as usual I was listening to music on my I-pod. If you are not familiar with my particular I-pod, it is a very old, very low memory hand-me-down from my son Will (like the one pictured). It only holds about 230 songs. I have a lot more music than that in my library, so on occasion I rotate songs, moving out tunes I grow weary of and bringing in songs I have not heard in a while. My tastes lean toward classic rock and great singer-songwriters. Music moves me. It can change my mood, lift my spirits, make me sentimental and take me to places I have not visited in a while. Today's list contains a great many flashbacks, songs that are old EVEN for me. Every now and then my I-pod seems to develop a mind of its own and I can see a trend in the music it chooses for me. This morning was one of those times. Here are the first 10 songs that popped up on shuffle today. Do you sense a theme?



1)  Here With Me-  The Killers
2)  Time In a Bottle- Jim Croce
3)  Wouldn't It Be Nice?- The Beach Boys
4)  If You Leave Me Now- Chicago
5)  Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk featuring Nate Ruess
6)  Moonshadow- Cat Stevens
7)  Gone, Gone, Gone- Philip Phillips
8)  Run To Me - The Bee Gees
9)  My Girl- The Temptations
10) Come Around- Sister Hazel

And btw- song #11 was Drift Away by Dobie Gray. Almost as if I needed a song to sum it all up or something...

That's what I was listening to this morning. What's on your playlist today? Enjoy your Saturday, and go wherever the music takes you my friends!

30/30: First 10 I-Pod Shuffle Songs

Today's 30/30 Vision Blog Challenge prompt is a simple one. I just set my I-pod to "shuffle" and list the first 10 songs. Simple, easy, and perfect for a Friday about to spent sight-seeing with friends here in Tampa. So enjoy your day. Here's how I started mine...

1. National Brotherhood Week- Tom Lehrer
2. Desperado- The Eagles
3. Old Dan's Records- Gordon Lightfoot
4. Ordinary Love - U2
5. Feelin' Stronger Every Day- Chicago
6. The Logical Song -  Supertramp
7. Can't Fight This Feelin' Anymore- REO Speedwagon
8. It's Still Rock & Roll To Me- Billy Joel
9. Hungry - Paul Revere & The Raiders
10. Band On The Run - Paul MCartney & Wings

And yes. I know. I'm OLD!!!

Monday Morning Playlist

I was up around 5 AM this morning. and as usual I was listening to my I-pod while hanging out with the dog and getting ready to drive Marilyn to work before my regular Monday morning trip to the wound doctor. Music is a great way to set the tone for a new week. Great music moves me (The Grammys reminded me last night that terrible music moves me too- but in a VERY different way!). It can change my mood, lift my spirits, make me sentimental and take me to places I have not visited in a while. Music reminds me of people I love- both nearby and faraway. It can also make me aware of the presence of God in my life. It is a language all its own, and it is a language that never fails to speak volumes to me. This morning was no exception. Here are the first 10 songs that popped up on shuffle today, with amazingly (given the odds) no Beach Boys!  Here we go: 



1)  Shameless-  Billy Joel
2)  The Best of You- Foo Fighters
3)  Supernatural- dc Talk
4)  Teach Your Children- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5)  Flicker Fade - Taking Back Sunday
6)  My Girl- The Temptations
7)  Thunder Island- Jay Ferguson
8)  Hope To Carry On- Rich Mullins
9)  Cerilene- Sister Hazel
10) Here With Me- The  Killers

That's what I was listening to this morning. What's on your playlist today?

This Morning's Playlist

I was up early this morning. and as usual I was listening to my I-pod while hanging out with the dog and fixing breakfast. If you are not familiar with my particular I-pod, it is a very old, very low memory hand-me-down from my son Will (like the one pictured).  It only holds about 230 songs.  I have a lot more music than that in my library, so on occasion I rotate songs, moving out tunes I grow weary of and bringing in songs I have not heard in a while. My tastes lean toward classic rock and great singer-songwriters, both of the "regular" and "Christian" variety. Music moves me.  It can change my mood, lift my spirits, make me sentimental and take me to places I have not visited in a while. It can also make me aware of the presence of God.  This morning was no exception.   Here are the first 10 songs that popped up on shuffle today: 



1)  Whatsername-  Green Day
2)  You Don't Mess Around With Jim- Jim Croce
3)  Forever- The Explorer's Club
4)  Shine A Little Love- ELO
5)  I Want To Know You (In the Secret) - Sonicflood
6)  Thankful- Caedmon's Call
7)  Smell the Color 9- Chris Rice
8)  If You Could Read My Mind- Gordon Lightfoot
9)  Surely God Is With Us- Rich Mullins
10) Don't Look Back in Anger- Oasis

That's what I was listening to this morning. What's on your playlist today?

The Swim Team Playlist

Several weeks ago my old friend, former student (in the youth group of Springfield Friends Meeting) and faithful reader of this blog Jamie Robinson asked me via Twitter if I would be interested in taking on a project. James has a couple of kids involved on a swim team in NC, and he has been chosen to serve as the "DJ" who plays music during their meets.  He said he needed a playlist that would fill about an hour, and he wondered if I might be willing to put together such a list.  I was glad to accept.

There were two things that Jamie and I both knew going into this joint venture.  I knew that he had been the "DJ" at a youth group Christmas dance back in the 80s (see picture), and that his musical taste was questioned way back when.  And James knew that my musical tastes vary wildly and are questionable still today. So I have put together a list, which (at his brave suggestion) he is seeing for the first time as I post it here this morning.  I hope this will work for him, and he certainly is under no obligation to use it.  I thought long and hard about appropriate songs and according to my I-Tunes, this is one hour and 4 minutes worth of quality stuff.  I will be interested to hear other reactions as well, but whatever you think you have to give me props for one thing- the use of the Dire Straits song Twisting By the Pool is sheer genius.  :) Here we go...

1. I Never Walk Alone -  Huey Lewis & the News
2. It's Time - Imagine Dragons
3. Bulletproof Heart - My Chemical Romance
4. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons
5. Surfer's Paradise - All Star United w/ Phil Keaggy
6. Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
7. Twisting By the Pool - Dire Straits
8. All Star - Smash Mouth
9. Since I Met You - dc Talk
10. ho hey - The Lumineers
11. Human - The Killers
12. Dark Horses - Switchfoot
13. Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago
14. I'm Still Standing - Elton John
15. These Times - Safety Suit
16. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Some of you (including Jamie) may be stunned that no Beach Boys or Buffett were included.  We must all make sacrifices for the good of the team.  I hope this works, James. We'll be pulling for your kids!

Because of Jesus,

My Playlist

Last night I was (as usual) listening to my I-pod while waiting to hear from Will after his prom. If you are not familiar with my particular I-pod, it is a very old, very low memory hand-me-down (like the one pictured).  It only holds about 230 songs.  I have a lot more music than that in my library, so on occasion I rotate songs, moving out tunes I grow weary of and bringing in songs I have not heard in a while. Music moves me.  It can change my mood, lift my spirits, make me sentimental and take me to places I have not visited in a while.  Last night was no exception.   Here's what I heard:

1)  I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore-  REO Speedwagon
2)  Once Upon A Time- Dan Fogelberg
3)  Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day
4)  Famous One- Chris Tomlin
5)  Ocean Boulevard - Yellowcard
6)  You're My Best Friend- Queen
7)  Little Is Much- Downhere
8)  This Night- Billy Joel
9)  Here Is Our King- David Crowder Band
10) The Only Hope For Me Is You- My Chemical Romance

That's what I am listening to. What's on your playlist?

Today's Play List

This morning I was (as usual) listening to my I-pod to get myself fired up for a new day. If you are not familiar with my particular I-pod, it is a very old, very low memory hand-me-down (like the one pictured) from my son Will.  It only holds about 230 songs.  I have a lot more music than that in my library, so on occasion I rotate songs, moving out tunes I grow weary of and bringing in songs I have not heard in a while.  Lately I have "had a hankerin" for a lot of the Christian music I listened to back in the day, and I have added many of those classics to my current playlist.  So it was no surprise this morning when my first 10 songs on shuffle were heavily tilted towards that genre.  Here's what I heard:

1)  Consuming Fire-  Third Day
2)  Field of Souls-  Wayne Watson
3)  Roll Away Your Stone- Mumford & Sons
4)  Must Be- Lost And Found
5)  Time Is... - dc Talk
6)  Dive- Steven Curtis Chapman
7)  Undo Me- Jennifer Knapp
8)  The Rising- Bruce Springsteen
9)  Cross of Gold- Michael W. Smith
10) Good Advice- James Ward

That's what I am listening to. What's on your playlist?

Today's Play List

I was listening to my I-pod earlier this morning, and these were the first 10 songs that came up in shuffle mode.  I am not sure why I thought this might be interesting to anyone, except just to say I do love a wide variety of music. So here you go!

1. Overjoyed-  Matchbox 20
2. Faith of a Little Seed- Big Tent Revival
3. Don't Look Back in Anger-  Oasis
4. Elma Turl- Mike Cross
5. I Will Wait- Mumford & Sons
6. Winds of Change- The Beach Boys
7. Love Song for a Savior- Jars of Clay
8. Super Skier- The Chad Mitchell Trio
9. Boat Drinks- Jimmy Buffett 
10. Kicks- Paul Revere & the Raiders

That's what I'm listening to.  What's on your play list?  Have a blessed day!

10 Songs You Might Be Surprised To Find On My I-Pod

I freely admit that when it comes to music, I am, for the most part, an Old Geezer.  Much of what is on my I-Pod (and yes, mine looks exactly like the one pictured!) would not surprise those of you who know me.  There is lots of classic rock, lots of 1985-2007 Contemporary Christian Music, lots of 1970's folk/rock (think James Taylor, Jim Croce, America and Dan Fogelberg), some modern worship music and plenty of Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett and Beatles.  However, one of the leftover habits from all my years as a youth pastor is trying to keep up with new music.  Artists like P!nk, Safety Suit, Of Monsters and Men and 30 Seconds to Mars pop up anytime I hit shuffle.  There are a few songs and artists on my playlist that might make you do an audio double take, and so as a service to you- my faithful readers- today I offer up 10 tunes that you might be surprised to know that I love.  There is even a country song! There is NO hip hop or rap. I do have standards.  In no particular order, here we go...

1. Everybody Talks- Neon Trees
2. Runaways-  The Killers  (In fact, I have a ton of The Killers on my play list right now.)
3. She's So Mean-  Matchbox Twenty  (I LOVE this song!)
4. Some Nights- Fun. 
5. Keep Me In Mind- Zac Brown Band  (I know it is country. But I have my reasons...)
6. Bulletproof Heart-  My Chemical Romance  (My son Will has me hooked on My Chem.)
7. I Will Wait- Mumford & Sons  (Probably not a surprise that I love these guys, but this new single blows me away!)
8. Kicks- Paul Revere and the Raiders  (One old school surprise. Very old school...)
9. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To- Weezer
10. California- Delta Spirit (You may not know this one, but it is one seriously amazing song.)

So there it is.  Maybe later I will list the least surprising songs on my playlist,  But until then, let me know which of these messes with your mind the most. And I 'd love to know what you listen to that might surprise me.  Have a blessed day!