Interesting question. Got me thinking. I recently reorganized my whole CD collection and, in the process, went through a bit wider rotation of CDs over the past week than I might normally. As a little challenge, thought to give myself 10 minutes to sit down and try to remember a list of the disks I'd actually listend to during the past week plus and turned up a wider range than I had first expected. [Yes, I had a Metallica phase (mostly due to the nightly, midnight practice sessions of my residential college's drinking team for the two months prior to the big intercollegiate competition). No, I don't listen to it any more. At all. Yes, we won. Yes, Metallica still makes me want to drink fast.] Anyway, here's what I came up with, in no order whatsoever:
Iron & Wine, Danny Schmidt, Paul Cueri, Hogwaller Ramblers, Tom Waits, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Magnetic Fields, Chris Whitley, New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Cowboy Mouth, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Kermit Ruffins, Foo Fighters, Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Trees, Smashing Pumpkins, Aphex Twin, Moby, Bowie, Police, Brand New Heavies, Control Machete, Café Tacuva, Orishas, Daniel Malingo, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone, Belly, Heather Nova, Fiona Apple, Bettie Severt, Throwing Muses, Bran Van 3000, Yo-Yo Mas Bach suites, Mahlers 5th, Mozarts piano concertos, Arrested Development, John McMurtry, Marisa Monte, Flaming Lips, Built to Spill, John Digweed, Illya Kuryaki y los Valderramas, Norah Jones, Ballboy, Getz & Gilberto, Miles, Coltrane, Christina Rosenvigne, Joaquin Sabina, Daniela Mercury, Prince and the Revolution, Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Muddy Waters, Peter Gabriel, U2, Lyle Lovett, Dar Williams, Lucinda Williams, Todd Horton, Rebirth Brass Band, Daniel Lanois, the Pixies...
I'm sure there must have been more, but I only gave myself 10 minutes (though probably cheated up to 15 or 20). Mind you, this was definitely not an average week, but when you actually pick up and move every single CD, you tend to dig a little (or a lot) deeper than you might normally.
Have to admit that one of my greatest thrills comes from discovering new music to listen to. An Aussie DJ friend of mine (who actually brags about having 1,500 roots regae 45s, though it remains a mystery to me why) came up with the idea of the 1 for 1 dinner party. Get another one or two musically afflicted individuals together with instructions to bring 10 or 100 or however many disks over that they want to share, mix in and lubricate with food and/or drink, and trade playing tracks. "You've never heard this before and here's why you should." "You've heard this 1,000 times, but here's why you should listen to it again for the first time." "Play it, ass, it's my turn...." It's all fair game. If you come away with one new thing that makes you go ooh, you're a winner. More than that, an embarrasment of riches. Either way, not a bad way to spend an evening.
Iron & Wine, Danny Schmidt, Paul Cueri, Hogwaller Ramblers, Tom Waits, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Magnetic Fields, Chris Whitley, New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Cowboy Mouth, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Kermit Ruffins, Foo Fighters, Dinosaur Jr., Screaming Trees, Smashing Pumpkins, Aphex Twin, Moby, Bowie, Police, Brand New Heavies, Control Machete, Café Tacuva, Orishas, Daniel Malingo, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone, Belly, Heather Nova, Fiona Apple, Bettie Severt, Throwing Muses, Bran Van 3000, Yo-Yo Mas Bach suites, Mahlers 5th, Mozarts piano concertos, Arrested Development, John McMurtry, Marisa Monte, Flaming Lips, Built to Spill, John Digweed, Illya Kuryaki y los Valderramas, Norah Jones, Ballboy, Getz & Gilberto, Miles, Coltrane, Christina Rosenvigne, Joaquin Sabina, Daniela Mercury, Prince and the Revolution, Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Muddy Waters, Peter Gabriel, U2, Lyle Lovett, Dar Williams, Lucinda Williams, Todd Horton, Rebirth Brass Band, Daniel Lanois, the Pixies...
I'm sure there must have been more, but I only gave myself 10 minutes (though probably cheated up to 15 or 20). Mind you, this was definitely not an average week, but when you actually pick up and move every single CD, you tend to dig a little (or a lot) deeper than you might normally.
Have to admit that one of my greatest thrills comes from discovering new music to listen to. An Aussie DJ friend of mine (who actually brags about having 1,500 roots regae 45s, though it remains a mystery to me why) came up with the idea of the 1 for 1 dinner party. Get another one or two musically afflicted individuals together with instructions to bring 10 or 100 or however many disks over that they want to share, mix in and lubricate with food and/or drink, and trade playing tracks. "You've never heard this before and here's why you should." "You've heard this 1,000 times, but here's why you should listen to it again for the first time." "Play it, ass, it's my turn...." It's all fair game. If you come away with one new thing that makes you go ooh, you're a winner. More than that, an embarrasment of riches. Either way, not a bad way to spend an evening.