Music of the 90s

I was considering what the best rock albums of all time were, and I decided that it would be folly to come up with my own list, especially since I haven't heard a lot of the albums most people think are the best. What I know a lot more about, however, is alternative rock music in the 1990s, especially grunge rock. So here's a list of "must-have" albums from the 90s in my opinion (in no particular order).

1. Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)

2. Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)

3. No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom (1995)

4. Green Day - Dookie (1994)

5. Metallica - Metallica (1991)

6. Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)

7. Soundgarden - Superunknown (1994)

8. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)

9. Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape (1997)

10. Live - Throwing Copper (1994)

11. Alice in Chains - Dirt (1992)

12. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)

13. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (1993)

14. Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (1994)

15. Tool - Aenima (1996)

16. Weezer - Weezer (1994)

17. Blind Melon - Blind Melon (1992)

18. Incubus - Make Yourself (1999)

19. Hole - Celebrity Skin (1998)

20. Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual (1990)

21. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

22. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

23. Beastie Boys - Ill Communication (1994)

24. Radiohead - The Bends (1995)

25. Beck - Odelay (1996)

26. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

27. Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind (1991)

28. Garbage - Garbage (1995)

29. U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)

30. The Counting Crows - August and Everything After (1993)

31. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People (1992)

32. The Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin (1999)

33. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (1996)

34. Fiona Apple - Tidal (1996)

35. The Offspring - Smash (1994)

36. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes (1992)

37. Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)

38. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle (1993)

39. Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)

40. Bush - Sixteen Stone (1994)

41. The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

42. Butthole Surfers - Independent Worm Saloon (1993)

43. Filter - Short Bus (1995)

44. Lit - A Place in the Sun (1999)

45. Sublime - Sublime (1996)

46. Blink 182 - Enema of the State (1999)

47. Fugazi - Repeater (1990)

48. Wilco - Being There (1996)

49. Our Lady Peace - Happiness... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch (1999)

50. Bad Religion - Recipe for Hate (1993)

Please note that some bands had more than one great albums come out in the 90s, but I only chose one album that I thought was worth listening to above their others. If you agree or disagree, please let me know with what. I can be swayed...

Weekend Shenanigans

This weekend, Faulkner Alley went to Sam's Lounge in Jackson, MS to play a gig with metal band Flagship, and alt rock band FALLEN, both from Jackson. How did my band get this gig? 'Cause we're bad-ass! Ok, so Flagship is made up of the Hindman twins and Tony Clark and Josh Cavanaugh (three of which I played in The Mourning Republic with.) They were doing me a favor with this show, and I and my bandmates appreciate it. It was this band's (Faulkner Alley) very first road trip! We packed all instruments and guitar PAs into Ray's truck, and he and I drove all of us down. We did have a few fans come down from Oxford, which was nice as we always like to see friendly faces in the crowd. We opened the night up with 11 songs, 8 of which were original material. Lesson learned: don't play ballads at a new place without a strong fan base. Also, learn more on-stage showmanship. Apparently the crowd loves someone acting crazy up on stage, so that's what I gotta be. Flagship went on after us, and they killed! Different sound than ours, scream-o metal style, but they did a great job. FALLEN was last and didn't get to finish a full set, but I wasn't listening much as they were playing from 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning. Did I mention I had awakened at 6:30 a.m. that morning to sub at Oxford High? No? Oh. I was super tired. But, since I was driving Daniel, my drummer, around Jackson and he didn't know anyone who lived there, I felt it was up to me to make sure he had a good time on this trip. So, we stayed to break down the stage, went to an after party till about 5:00 and fell asleep on Brian and Kevin's parents' couches. Did I mention the rest of the band pussed out and went to T.J.'s place to crash and didn't even help break the stage down? And also when I asked if we could crash there, I was told it was too small of a place for two more guys willing to sleep on the floor? No? Oh. I'll get over that, but I gotta tell Kyle that it was a dick move soon instead of bottling that stuff. Overall, it was a good time had by all.

This week, I'll be recording the three songs on our demo: Danger, Homesick, and Belief. Yeah, all our songs could be one-word titles. We pretty much finished Danger last Thursday, and Homesick is just me singing, so that should be done tomorrow, provided I'm not called in to sub again. That leaves Belief. This song is the brain-child of Kyle, and it's in 3/4 time which is cool, but I can't seem to put the right melody on it. I've written something, and it sounds okay, but it doesn't sound right like the other two. It's all major-key, and the verse has a funky number of bars in it. I don't know. I'll record the melody I have now, and if anything else comes to mind, I'll keep trying to replace it.

Songwriting has been really difficult for me. For the most part it goes like this: someone writes a guitar riff, Ray lays the bass line on it (he is incredibly talented and can do that with just about any song), Dan puts a beat to it (or Kyle sometimes if it's his song), then I write a melody and lyrics on all that. The hard part for me is the melody. I try to imagine what the melody would sound like if I heard the song on the radio, then as soon as I hear it, I try to sing it again and again until I remember it. Once I remember it, I'll try to write words for it. The lyrics aspect of songwriting is also difficult, but usually all I need is an idea, and then the story just builds from that. For instance, on Homesick, I heard the chorus melody pretty early on, and it sounded to me like a wistful, nostalgic song, so I decided I would write about someone being homesick. The chorus is

The sun is moving around

But there's no warmth to be found

There are smiles all around

And it's pleasant

But it's not home

I feel left out in the cold

It's lonely here on the road (2nd chorus: Knowing I can't return to our home)

The verses couldn't be just about being homesick because that's too simple. I needed some depth, so Meg helped me out. The first verse was explaining how this person being in a strange town is reminded of his own home town, the similarities and memories. Goes like this:

Driving through this town

It makes me think of the sound

Waves crash on the shore

Seagulls calling for more

There's kids playing with sand

Plastic buckets in their hand

Clouds go passing by

Like white memories that can fly

The second verse was describing how this same person being back in his home town is still homesick, because the thing that made him homesick, an old flame, doesn't live there anymore, and you realize that this person had a serious relationship that ended and he or she can never go home again. 

Walking through our home town

I notice you're not around

Traces of your face

In an old familiar place

Lights float on the rain

Nothing new and nothing changed

All these empty days

Our home has faded away

That's it! Now, it took a while to get all the lyrics down, then once I had them written down, I had to memorize them (which I didn't for the first show we played this song.) The very first two songs I wrote with Faulkner Alley were about a couple as well, but in different ways; one was an angrier song so the lyrics told the tale of a guy whose girl cheated on him with another girl, the other song was about a person who works up the nerve to ask someone out, then works up the nerve to ask that same someone on the first date to have sex. Not the most deep or original songs, but Belief and Danger were better subject matter and better lyrics, I think. Only time and effort will tell, but if you wanna check out our demo songs, I should have them up on MySpace, Facebook, and ReverbNation soon (hopefully this week!)

The Music Scene in Oxford

It's been difficult to get gigs in Oxford as of late. Our band, Faulkner Alley, is an alternative rock band that plays in a town of folk and indie singers. Okay, that's not completely true. There are a few post-punk/punk/metal groups in the area. They are mostly located in Tupelo, but The Cooters and Kill the Ego are here in Oxford. When we were first starting out, we played at a Battle of the Bands at Sterling Apts in town, and we won! Even playing against bands like Jay Lang's band, and the Reviews, and Silas Reed, we won outright. Now, though, those bands are all fairly established bands in Oxford, and we're still struggling to get gigs. Here's a list of venues in Oxford:

1. Proud Larry's. I don't know anyone who has played here, but it seems they bring in talented bands all the time. It's almost a badge of honor to play at PLs, but we'll need a demo or we'll need to open for an established band. I should talk to Beau Bourgeois...

2. The Lyric. Big stage, big venue for this town. We would have to be playing with a special event or become famous. I've already looked into playing at Oxford Music Fest in the fall. That's about the only special event I know that is there.

3. Parrish's. I've talked to him about playing there, but he needs a demo. That place used to be Jubilee, and people would just show up and play sometimes back then. Gotta finish the demo...

4. Taylor's. I haven't looked into this place, as it is cramped and the patrons seem kinda hick-y.

5. Irie. We actually have played here, March 20, 2010. The crowd wasn't there for us, but it was the Saturday during Spring Break (the one before students came back to town). We had some fun, but the owner and the guy who is currently booking didn't hear us play and don't really like our style of music. To play here again, we would have to convince one of them that we bring about 40+ people to our shows.

6. Two Stick. Need a demo, and they don't usually have our kind of band. It's more laid back, singer-songwriter stuff.

7. Rooster's. They are a blues venue, and we don't do blues (we're all too content with life, I suppose.) Kyle works here, so maybe I can get in on the Blues Apparatus...

[no pic]

8. Red House. Trying to play here, but again they need a demo. I know one of the bartenders, but he doesn't have any sway over the guy who books bands here.

I think that's about it. There are other bars like The Library, The Levee, Funky's, Illusions, and The Blind Pig, but I don't know how to crack those places. We have played at The Lanes before on 3 occasions, but that crowd isn't interested in our style of music. I'm pretty sure that if we are to break out and play in Tupelo and other towns, we'll need to put together a press kit. I've worked on that, but I'm waiting on the demo being finished before paying someone to put that together. I ordered a usb connector for the condenser microphone, and it should be here this week. When it gets here, I'll record vocals for Belief, Homesick, and Danger.

The only other thing about the band is that Matt is sick with Mono. I think that he'll be alright for the show we're doing in Jackson this Friday, but his absence from practices have been felt. I gotta lose some weight. On that note, I go run.

Continuing a Blog

Yeah, I know I haven't written on this blog for a long time, and I probably lost any followers I had before. I think I'll continue it again.

Some things that are going on in my life:

1. I've been teaching at Northwest Mississippi Community College here in Oxford, MS for the past almost two years. It is utterly fantastic work for me! I teach College Algebra, Calculus I & II, Business Calculus I & II, and on occasion a developmental math course we call "College Math." The only problem with it is that it's part-time work, which means part-time pay, no benefits, and no office. Of all the cons on that list, I miss the office. I can get by being poor, plus I'm a pretty healthy guy considering I haven't smoked in over 3 years, and jog regularly now.  I love having an office, though, and not having one makes me feel like I don't even have a real job.

I've also been substitute teaching at Oxford High School this past school year, for about $150 a day. Sounds like good money, but it's almost not worth it. When it comes to when you get to be a sub, it's either feast or famine. For most of the month of March, I was called to sub once or twice, but there have been times when I was called in 4 or 5 times in a two weeks time. Depending on which class I got to sub, I could be helping students learn things they didn't know they wanted to learn, or I could be like a lion-tamer with a chair and whip, keeping the students from going wild.

I have been looking for full-time job starting in the Fall. I've applied to Oxford, Lafayette, and Water Valley high schools, and I'm applying to several others in the area tomorrow by mail. I also keep an eye out for job openings for instructors at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Ole Miss, Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, and Rust College in Holly Springs. I don't mind commuting to work if it's a job I really enjoy. I really enjoy teaching at a community college or college, especially if they give me an office. Once I have a full-time job and our finances stabilize a little, Meg and I will probably have the talk, that is, the baby talk. I haven't really sat down to think about this future yet, so I won't say anything on the subject here. I'll let you know how that goes when we get there.

2. I went back to graduate school in Fall 2008 to obtain a Ph.D. in Mathematics. Unfortunately, I felt it best to not follow through with it. I could list all the complaints I have from lack of support from my professors to lack of ability to do well in a Complex Analysis class that I've already taken and received a B in, but I won't. It boiled down to three things: lack of funds, lack of time, and lack of drive. I could've taken out additional loans, and Meg would've waited on starting a family while I finished the Ph.D. but I just want to teach. Ph.D. would only help me get a college job, which would be swell, but not worth it.

3. I've been getting into music again. For starters, I've learned that I have a pretty good rock voice, and I have been lending that voice to my band, Faulkner Alley recently. Before them, it was Against the Day (the non-signed one), and The Mourning Republic. TMR was a pretty good band made up of Brian and Kevin Hindman, Tony Clark, and myself. We played a few gigs, a biker rally in Batesville, and ObamaRama (a fundraiser event at the Lyric in Oxford to help get Barack Obama elected as President.) We had about 5 original songs recorded, and while the others were great musicians and very talented, I was getting my songwriting feet wet. My lyrics and melody lines weren't that good, and the band never really made it, even in Oxford. ATD was a younger and very different band, that was grateful for my vocal talents and were patient with me as I became a better rock musician. The other members are Ray Ashmore, Daniel Russell, Matt Saye, and Kyle Sanders. When another band with the same name got signed to a label and started gaining national coverage, we decided to change our name to something that pointed towards our humble beginnings. Plus, it was a name that wasn't taken nor would be anytime soon. We've done a few shows, written about 10 original songs, and I think that this band could potentially become known, at least in this area. Our sound is very alternative rock, pop punk, and indie rock. You can check us out here: 

http://www.reverbnation.com/faulkneralley

OR http://www.myspace.com/faulkneralley

OR http://www.facebook.com/faulkneralley

4. Meg's parents have moved from Ocean Springs, a town on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi where they have lived for over 30 years, to Water Valley, about 3o minutes southwest of Oxford. Has it affected our relationship to my in-laws? In little ways, to be sure, but it's not a bad deal. They bought a beautiful home on Blount Street, and since they've been there (about six months), they have really made that house come alive! I'll try to get pictures when all the flora they've planted comes alive. They plan on growing fruit and vegetables and selling them to Farmer's Markets in the area under the moniker "Selladore Gardens." The name is a play on the phrase, "cellar door," which Edgar Allen Poe thought was one of the most beautiful combination of English words.

5. Meg and I have been running recently. Since I quit smoking, she's been running and I only recently start doing it again semi-seriously. When I first started, I had really bad shin splints that would only get worse as I ran, so I remained a walker for about a year. Now the pain is gone when I run which is great! During that time walking, though, Meg trained for a marathon until she hurt her foot, then went back to ballet. She did this for about a year and a half before she hurt her ankle. That injury permanently kept her out of ballet dancing for the local ballet company, so she's back to running again with the goal of the half-marathon and then marathon. I'll run with her as long as I can, but it's harder to run when you're 30 pounds overweight.

6. I've been playing trumpet in the Water Valley community band, such as it is. My old trumpets skills are coming back, so much so that a fellow trumpeter asked me to do a gig with him and one other at North Oxford Baptist Church for Easter. It was a great success, and I got paid for it! I will be continuing my trumpet playing, unless Faulkner Alley makes it in the music business. I'm not holding my breath for that one, though.

7. I've also tried out for the Shakespeare Festival here in Oxford, and despite the lack of acting I've done in the past, I got a large minor role in Merry Wives of Windsor as the Welsh pastor Hugh Evans. I also got a bit part at the beginning of The King and I as the boat captain. The only problem with this distraction is that I will be teaching a class this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays at night, so this may get in the way of rehearsal. As long as the directors don't mind, I'll do it. 

8. My parents are getting divorced after 32 years of marraige. Ah, the bummer, right? Eh. It's not surprising on my end as they haven't really gotten along in all the years I've known them and noticed their relationship to each other. My mom retires this year from bookkeeping at Pascagoula School District and wants to move to St. Louis to be with her ailing parents (my grandpa especially.) My dad still works for Ingalls Shipbuilding (or Northrup Grummond or Litton Industries or whatever), and he doesn't intend to move from the coast ever. So they'll part ways this summer, and after taking care of my grandparents for a little bit, my mom may move to Oxford. This, I believe, will be a good move for my mom in terms of her happiness. This will not be good for my dad for one main reason: my brother and I won't visit very much. He already doesn't much because he lives in Seattle, WA, but without my mom living on the coast, I suspect he'll never be back. I, on the other hand, will visit him on occasion, but it won't be but once a year, maybe. We just never got along much, I suppose. He's a very private person, and we don't agree on just about anything except our taste in movies. I love him, though, so I won't ever let go of him or anything. It'll be interesting to see if either of them find someone new in the latter half of their lives.

That should catch you up for now. I still love watching movies, playing bridge, Rock Band, and Magic the Gathering, and other old past-times, but I don't get to do them as often anymore. The house on Audubon Lane is still a work-in-progress. We still have to finish a couple of rooms, ceiling to floor, and build some better bookshelves (they are overflowing because Meg and I buy used books a lot!) Mogwai is still with us, though she is getting very old and arthritic. Jack and Jill are still here with us, the crazy cats. Hope you're well!