Your online music destination for tunes and a different spin on the familiar and offbeat
Kick back and let the tunes roll as you scroll down and check out the posts...each page contains 20 posts to minimize song interruptions. Thanks for stopping by!
This is the home to those South American trekkers who have been found by the Floyd book...sign in here and tell us your story on how you received the guide, a little about yourself, and your thoughts on Pink Floyd, music in general, or the universe at-large!
Music Heads
What you'll find here...
...let's see. Musical artist album/CD reviews (new and old releases) with more of a "layman's analysis" (hopefully less stuffy), and plenty of anecdotes (factual or otherwise). You'll also find accounts of live shows and concert events, whether it's a jazz club in the city, a rock concert in a stadium, or an outdoor opera behind a church. Last but not least, this is a place for music fans and aficionados to share their perspectives---please feel free to post any comments!
You might describe me as primarily a rock & roll guy who has great interest in new things musical. I've been diving deep into jazz in the last 5 years (mainly 50s and 60s jazz), some country & bluegrass (but I have my limits), along with a little classical & opera... so I try to keep an open mind. You might find some other things such as steel drums, Latin artists, or even a band that uses home appliances...
So the content of this page should echo my interests as I've just described... and if I like something I'll say it, if I don't I'll say it too---but if I REALLY like it, you'll definitely hear about it!
There's always a show going on, so check back often!
Outside Radio City Music Hall in NYC, 1983. Can you figure out who's headlining?
Originally founded in 1968 by guitarist Alex Lifeson (middle), the rock trio from Ontario, Canada (with bass/vocalist/keyboardist Geddy Lee on the right and drummer Neil Peart on the left) has chased excellence as a recording and touring band for 40+ years. Their live shows, musicianship, and dedication to their craft are regarded by many of their peers as the standard by which all others are compared.
Sweva's top 25 all-time rock acts
Rush
Pink Floyd (+ Roger Waters solo)
Neil Young (solo & with Crazy Horse)
R.E.M.
Dire Straits /Mark Knopfler
Radiohead
Rolling Stones
10,000 Maniacs
The Smiths
Deep Purple
Coldplay
Porcupine Tree (+ all other Steven Wilson incarnations)
The Who
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Phish
Grateful Dead
Fleetwood Mac
Led Zeppelin
Jackson Browne
The Police
Queensryche
Stone Temple Pilots
Live
The Kinks
Talking Heads
Sweva's honorable rock mention: Phish
As the modern-day rock-improv quartet, the boys from Vermont called it quits waaaaaay too soon. Please come back to us, we miss your silliness! UPDATE: the band's reuniting to tour in 2009!!!
Sweva's top 10 all-time live rock shows
The Who - Tacoma, WA - 1989
Rush - Toronto, ON - 2007
Neil Young - Seattle, WA - 2007
Mark Knopfler - Woodinville, WA - 2005
Rush - Albuquerque, NM - 2002
Rush - Seattle, WA - 1986
Rush - Portland, OR - 2004
Rush - Tacoma, WA - 1984
Rush - Columbus, OH - 2007
The Police - Seattle, WA - 2007
Sweva's #1 jazz artist: Andrew Hill
Hill's spellbinding compositions and ethereal piano work defy description. Despite a long battle with lung cancer, he continued performing up to less than a month prior to his passing in April 2007. I was fortunate enough to see him at Seattle's Earshot Jazz Festival in November 2006.
My top 10 all-time jazz artists
Andrew Hill (piano, 1931-2007)
Matthew Shipp (piano, 1960-present)
Clifford Brown (trumpet, 1930-1956)
Bobby Hutcherson (vibes, 1941-present)
Ornette Coleman (alto saxaphone & various reeds, 1930-present)
Miles Davis (trumpet, 1926-1991)
Jaco Pastorius (electric bass, 1951-1987)
McCoy Tyner (piano, 1938-present)
Thelonius Monk (piano, 1917-1982)
Bill Frisell (guitar, 1951-present)
Honorable jazz mention: Clifford Brown
As a member of the clean and sober camp in an environment of hard lifestyles, "Brownie" was just starting to spread his wings and literally redefine the way the trumpet was played when he lost his life at 25 in a car accident.
My top 10 all-time live jazz shows
Cecil Taylor - Seattle, WA - 2008
Andrew Hill - Seattle, WA - 2006
Matthew Shipp - Seattle, WA - 2006
Jason Moran - Seattle, WA - 2007
Bobby Hutcherson - Seattle, WA - 2006
Branford Marsalis - St. Louis, MO - 2004
McCoy Tyner & Bobby Hutcherson - Seattle, WA - 2005
Herbie Hancock - Seattle, WA - 2005
Eric Reed - Chicago, IL - 2004
Bill Frisell - Seattle, WA - 2004
Sweva's #1 country / bluegrass artist: Johnny Cash
The shockwave of Cash's legacy will be felt generations from now.
My top 5 all-time country & bluegrass artists.
Johnny Cash
Alison Krauss + Union Station
Willie Nelson
Patsy Cline
Loretta Lynn
Honorable COUNTRY mention: Pasty Cline
A genre-defining voice silenced by tragedy way too soon...
My top 5 all-time country & bluegrass events
Alison Krauss + Union Station - Redmond, WA - 2005
Merle Haggard - Portland, OR - 2005
Alison Krauss + Union Station - Redmond, WA - 2007
local bluegrass jam session - a record store in Gettysburgh, PA - 2004
David Grisman & friends - Cannon Beach, OR - 2003
Sweva's #1 all-time folk artist: John Denver
John Denver's legacy left us a fabulous and well-documented body of musical work --- which by default represents the soundtrack and inspiration for the planet's environmental movement
My top five all-time folk artists
John Denver
The Mamas and the Papas
Bob Dylan
Arlo Guthrie
Tracy Chapman
Honorable FOLK mention: Arlo Guthrie
As the son of the immortal Woody Guthrie, who also inspired much of Dylan's folk work, Arlo gave us the witty, amusing and timeless Thanksgiving classic "Alice's Restaurant"
Sweva's #1 all-time R&B artist: Michael Jackson
He's arguably the greatest performer who ever lived...taken away from us way too soon.
Honorable R&B mention: Bill Withers
One of the most gentle, soulful voices.
Sweva's #1 all-time opera singer: Maria Callas
Simply put, she eclipses everyone before and since. As a versatile singer AND talented actress, a rarity in opera, Callas had full command of the stage and a deep comprehension of Italian opera.
My all-time top 5 operas
The Marriage of Figaro - Preggio, Italy - 2006
Dido and Aeneas - Milan, Italy - 2006
Wagner's Ring Tetrology
Carmen
La Traviata
Honorable OPERA mention: Juliana Benedetti (Rambaldi)
Juliana is a rising star in the Seattle area, and performs all over the world. You might catch her singing the national anthem at a Seahawks or Mariners game.
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