Track 8: "Here Comes the Sun Again" by M. Ward

Kingdoms and queens they all bow down to you,
branches and ranch hands are bowin too,
and I've taken off my straw hat for you,
singing--here comes the sun again

Track 8 is going new school on that ass, with some old-school stylings.

I have Patrick Hill, one of my closest friends and the guru of the Atlanta indie rock scene, to thank for introducing me to M. Ward. We lived together as roommates for a little over three years once I got to Atlanta and have literally been friends our entire lives.

I'd just gotten an IPod when I moved here, and given my OCD-like sense for acquiring new music and Patrick's obscenely large CD collection, I began to ask him for suggestions on stuff he thought I'd like. And M. Ward's "Transistor Radio" was one of the first albums he offered me. And I got hooked immediately.

Not sure why he goes by the letter M. instead of "Matt" (must be an indie-cred thing), but I've sense accumulated most of the guy's catalog--including the recent "Monsters of Folk" record with Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) fame, which is very close to the Travelling Wilbury's album of the new millennium--great record.

And of course the "She and Him" album M. Ward did with the super cute Zooey Deschanel, which doesn't showcase M. Ward as much, but is an excellent throwback record that sounds like it could've been made in 1965.

But back to M. Ward--I really dig his voice, sort of old-school crooner meets indie-folk singer. His songs are just pure-- simple arrangements and great lyrics. I could easily list about 10 other tunes of his I could listen to over and over. But this one takes the cake for me. Just a great, chill, Sunday morning cup of coffee song.

Track 7: "Runaway" by Del Shannon

I'm a walkin' in the rain,
tears are fallin' and I feel the pain,
wishin' you were here by me,
to end this misery

Track 7 is going old school on that ass...1961 to be exact.

So I guess it's weird to admit one of my favorite songs of all time is one I don't even have on my IPod--but this is my blog about my favorites, so I get to make the rules (in your face, reader!)

Credits for me liking this on go to my mom and dad, and to the oldies station in Columbia, SC. I grew up going to my grandparent's house just about every Sunday of my life from birth til the time I left for college. And I'm sure I may be exaggerating in my brain a little bit, but it seems this tune would always be on the car radio on the rides home.

Something about it stuck with me...I LOVE when Del hit's the high notes on "why why why why why" part and then there's the super odd, high-pitched, melodic synthesizer solo in the middle (yeah, I'm a geek and looked up Del Shannon on Wikipedia--the instrument is called a Musitron!)

Those rides home proved to shape a lot of my musical tastes--Simon and Garfunkel, just about anything Motown, Roy Orbison, and countless songs I cannot even think of at the moment. (Speaking of Roy--the Travelling Wilburys did a pretty straight ahead cover of this song in Del Shannon's honor. He committed suicide in 1990--sadness courtesy of Wikipedia).

Regardless, this is a great tune and it's a shame they don't make 'em like this anymore.

Track 6: "b song" by Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer

If you told me when I was 15 that one of my favorite musicians of all time would turn out to be a banjo player, I probably would've called you a dirty word. I first heard the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' album "Live Art" in my junior year of college and was immediately mind blown. And ever since Bela Fleck quickly joined the coveted ranks of my all time favorite musicians.

The guy is a true master of the banjo--and has played everything possible from bluegrass to Bach on the instrument--all the while surrounding himself (and sitting in) with some of the greatest bands and musicians on the planet. There's not too many people whose musical resume includes performing with Willie Nelson, The Grateful Dead, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, songs by Beethoven, and sit-ins with the cast of Sesame Street. Not to mention playing with just about every bluegrass icon EVER. All this along with, give or take, 20 Grammy awards.

Here's a story I did on Fleck back in 2003.: http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch03/0203/arc0219993705.shtml

It's likely Bela Fleck will make a few more appearances on my Ultimate Playlist, but choosing this track was a no-brainer. As far as I know "b song" only lives as one the tracks on the first Bonnaroo DVD, and it's even more special to me to know that I was in the audience to witness the amazing piece of music.

Bonnaroo is tough. It's not only the 80,000 people and relentless June Tennessee heat that make it so, but just the sheer number of top-notch acts the festival manages to have on its roster each and every year. There's always a nagging feeling that, no matter what act you are seeing or how much you are enjoying them, you're missing something spectacular.

I didn't have that feeling at all during Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer's set on that ridiculously hot June afternoon. It started to rain a little bit during their set, and I remember how quenching it felt to have a few big fat rain drops land on my neck.

Their entire set was amazing...honestly I've never seen Bela Fleck do anything less. But Edgar Meyer is a genius in his own right as well. So a set by two absolute monsters and masters of their instruments was a certain highly of my first 'Roo.

But this tune--my god! It's a miracle that Fleck's banjo doesn't just burst into flame at any given moment. And Meyer's bass--it's unbelievable how one instrument can make your rib cage rumble AND also make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This song is, and will likely always be, one of the greatest songs I've ever seen performed live in my entire life.



And if you're in the mood to read more, here's a review I wrote on the first Bonnaroo in 2002:
http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch02/0702/arc0704663287.shtml

Track 5: "Bertha" by The Grateful Dead

That's why if you please,
I am on my bended knees,
Bertha don't you come around here anymore.

I am proud to admit that I am a walking cliche--one of 'those' people who named their dog after a Grateful Dead song.

Yes I love the band,BUT I wouldn't exactly call myself a 'hippie.' I do listen to jam bands (but not 'just' jam bands), I've been to Bonnaroo, and I still have a modest collection of bootleg concert tapes that I accumulated throughout college--even though I haven't owned a tape player since 2004. However, I DO use deodorant, I've never begged for a 'miracle' ticket to any show, I bathe frequently, I've never sold veggie burritos and staunchly believe that 95% of white people look utterly ridiculous with dreadlocks.

I never got to see the 'real' Grateful Dead, but have seen different incarnations of the band's members throughout the year, countless Dead cover bands, and I own a decent collection of their music on my IPod. And though I can appreciate, and often get into some heady 30 minute musical exploration, I much prefer the band's "songs" as opposed to their jams--which is why "American Beauty" is one of my favorite albums of all time.

I think I first heard "Bertha" in high school and it's just one of those songs I immediately liked. It's fun, catchy, and very user-friendly. It was never really my intention to name my dog after a song--and after being at Phish shows and seeing under-fed dogs with names like "Fee" and "Harpua"with drug-addled, idiot owners I almost came to loathe the practice. But something about the name Bertha just stuck with me. And I DO like the idea of naming dogs human names, and I fully intend to have a big golden retriever named Walter at some point in my life.

I never had anything bigger than a hamster growing up. And despite constant pleas from my brother and I about the possible virtues of family dog, my folks never gave in. They gave us the typical excuses--"you'll never take care of it," "it's a lot of work,"and the like.

Which of course led to the overwhelming desire to have a dog once I was on my own and somewhat 'established.' So with my favorite Grateful Dead song in mind, I set out to find my Bertha. I was living in Charleston at the time, and went to three different animal shelters looking for the right dog. Leaving those places empty handed is next to impossible to do, but I was on a mission to find a perfect first dog.

And I did! At the animal shelter in Goose Creek (45 minutes away from Charleston) a black lab about 10 months old caught my eye. "She's going to be way too big," I initially thought.

I walked around the facility a few times and came back to her--I just felt drawn to this animal. So I took her out in a little visiting area at the pound, and she walked up to me, and just out of curiosity I told her to 'sit' and she DID! SOLD!

That day was October 18, 2000. So today I celebrate 9 years with Bertha--90 pounds of pure, unconditional sweetness. Her tail can clear off a coffee table in a matter of nano-seconds, she's utterly terrified of the vacuum cleaner, enjoys chasing squirrels in futility, and never fails to welcome me home with a warm greeting. She's getting gray around her muzzle, but she's still just as excitable as the day I got her.

And she is the reason "Bertha" will always be one of my favorite songs of all time. So thank you, Bertha, for 9 years of being a great dog!!!

Track 4: "It Makes No Difference" by The Band

Well I love you so much,
and it's all I can do
just to keep myself from telling you
that I've never felt so alone before

Just as no ultimate playlist is complete without a great love song (see Track 3), it sure as hell isn't complete without a classic heartbreak tune.

The Band is one of those groups, like CCR, that just has so many great songs it's almost impossible to narrow down your favorite. But since we're on the subject of heartbreak tunes, if there is a better sad bastard song out there than "It Makes No Difference," I don't even want to know about it.

We've all been there I am certain--the feeling that "the sun don't shine anymore."

The post-break-up blues--where all you can do is lay around in your own filth, listen to sad songs and feel rotten. Strange how heartache can become such a familiar thing when you're going through it, and when it's finally gone, you almost miss it.

Needless to say, I've given "It Makes No Difference" more than a few plays throughout the years. And even though the lyrics are ridiculously sad, it's still a wonderful song by one of the greatest bands ever. It's one of those tunes that make you want to rip your own heart out of your chest, take a bite, and then throw it into oncoming traffic because you really have no further use for it.

This version is from "The Last Waltz," which really needs no introduction or comments about other than the fact that you and everyone you know should own it. Strangely enough, the YouTube clip I found posts the lyrics so you can read along as Rick Danko belts it out.



And this is a pretty straight ahead cover by My Morning Jacket for a Band tribute album that was released a couple of years ago.

Track 3: "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" by Talking Heads

Out of all those kinds of people
You've got a face with a view
I'm just an animal looking for a home
and share the same space for a minute or two

I have no qualms in admitting I'm a sucker for a good love song, and this Talking Heads tune ranks up there as one of the best. Except it's so cool and lacks all the sentimental claptrap of most other love songs.

This band made being geeky cool (seriously, is there a bigger and more endearing weirdo than David Byrne? I've seen the guy perform in a pink tutu and a skin-tight leotard that looked like a human body with all the skin removed). All of their songs have such awesome grooves, melodies, and lyrics and you can never go wrong with a Talking Heads tune in any bar juke box situation.

It's some sort of unwritten rule that any jam band must have at least one Talking Heads song in their repertoires and I say with no doubts that they are always well received by whichever audience.

A major highlight of my writing career was a chance to do a telephone interview with David Byrne before he did a show in Charleston in 2004. Unfortunately it didn't happen as our schedules never seemed to match up...BUT I did get a voice mail message from him that went something like this:

"Hey Mark, this is David Byrne calling. I'm in Miami. I guess I'll try you again later."

So it never happened, but how many voice mails have YOU gotten from David Byrne? In your face!

The show on October 29, 2004 at the Charleston Music Hall ranks as one of my all time favorite concerts which is saying quite a lot. It's an intimate 900-seat venue and the sound in the place is top-notch. The show was a lot of Byrne's solo stuff but really heavy on Talking Heads tunes--he even had a string section that replicated all the keyboard parts of the songs.

here's a link to the bio piece I did on David Byrne: http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch04/1004/arc10281995976.shtml

and a review of the show I did as well: http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch04/1104/arc11042007162.shtml

Byrne even made some comments in his own blog after the show about how blown away he was by the Chucktown crowd!

This version of "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" is from the live concert DVD "Stop Making Sense" which is supremely bad ass. But the song itself is my all time favorite Talking Heads tunes and one of my favorites in general. I think you'll agree.

And if you're not in the place to say it already, I think deep down we all want to look at our respective mates one day and say "I can't tell one from another, did I find you or you find me?"


*in case there wasn't already enough shameless self-promotion in this blog post, I've also interviewed Bernie Worrell--he's the black keyboard player in the video. Super cool cat!

Track 2: "I'll Fly Away"

"Some bright morning/when this life is over/I'll fly away"

If you know me well, it may seem odd that a Gospel song would make my ultimate playlist. But "I'll Fly Away" is just a fantastic, beautiful tune and so are the three versions I'm posting here.

I gave the eulogy at my grandfather's funeral back in August, probably one of the most difficult, humbling, and fulfilling things I've ever had to do. And the last song played at his funeral was "I'll Fly Away." I can't begin to explain how at ease it made me feel to hear this song at that moment. I made a comment to my mother afterward about how I always really liked the song, and she told me in going through some of my grandpa's things she found a piece of paper where he'd written down the lyrics. It made me feel an even deeper connection to one of the greatest men I'll ever know in my lifetime.

So this post is for William Register. I hope he's enjoying his new digs on God's celestial shore--even though he will be greatly missed.

#1-Allison Krauss and Gillian Welch from the "O, brother, where art thou?" soundtrack. One of my all time favorite movies, and one of the best movie soundtracks ever. This version of "I'll Fly Away" is just utterly gorgeous. How could it not be with these two ladies singing?



#2 The Word (self-titled album). One of the best side project albums ever I think--the North Mississippi All Stars, John Medeski, and pedal steel phenom Robert Randolph got together to record an album of gospel standards. This version definitely is not folky, rootsy, or bluegrass-y in anyway. The whole album is just killer, with some really cool interpretations of songs I heard growing up in church. Sorry about the 30-second snippet...but if you click the bottom link you should be able to listen to the full 7-minute version. I assure you it will be completely worth it.

Ill Fly Away - The Word

#3 The Dirty Dozen Brass Band from the album "Funeral for a Friend." The Dirty Dozen Brass Band have to be one of funnest bands ever to see live, and on this record they make seemingly traditional church music some of the ass-shakinest stuff you've ever heard. It's a great record, and sort of makes me want to get buried in New Orleans! I briefly touched on it in a article I wrote on the band for The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) back in 2004:

http://archives.postandcourier.com/archive/arch04/0604/arc06031758897.shtml

this link should take you to the song.
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Dirty+Dozen+Brass+Band/_/I%27ll+Fly+Away

Track 1: "Linus and Lucy" by Vince Guaraldi

I'm sure the question has come up before in your life (most likely at a raging kegger or some hazy, faux-philosophical conversation) "what's your all time favorite song--EVER?"

If you asked me to pick my favorite band or movie it'd probably take me the better part of a day to narrow each question down to a laundry list. But my favorite song is a no-brainer--"Linus and Lucy"--the theme song for "The Peanuts." Maybe it's because I empathize with Charlie Brown's plight--the epitome of endearing struggle. The guy everyone wants to win, but we know will most likely lose. Sure it's sad, but it's at least dependable and true.

But the song is perfection. Other than the amazing cartoon/comic strip, I'm sure it was "Linus and Lucy" that made me look forward to watching "The Great Pumpkin" and all the other annual specials throughout my childhood. And it's also one of the many reasons the Charlie Brown Brown Christmas album goes on repeat on my Ipod at Christmas time each year.

I'm positive it's the reason I ever got interested in listening to jazz and I think it's a strong candidate for anyone's greatest songs of all time list.

The bassline makes me imagine "The Peanuts" cast doing that awesome head-bob dance, with Pig Pen creating his trademark dust cloud. And the melody is instant happiness--I think it's impossible to listen to this song and not smile immediately.

And if you listen and don't smile--I am pretty sure it means you have no soul.



and you gotta dig "The Peanuts" head-bob dance!

So I started a blog...

...not of my own volition or freewill, but because I have to. For those unaware, I'm in my 7th quarter (out of 8) in the Copywriting program at The Creative Circus (yes, it's the real name of the place and, yes, it's an actual school). And one of my assignments this quarter is to keep an active blog, something I never really considered doing before. With no better ideas, I decided to dedicate this blog to my OCD love of music.

The more I thought about it (which was a good 15 minute drive home from class after I got the assignment), music is basically the reason I'm at this point in my life. I spent the better part of my 20's as a struggling freelance music journalist in Charleston, SC. Sort of like "Almost Famous," but not nearly as feature-film worthy. I did some stringing for nearly 10 different online and print (mostly newspapers) publications and made very little money. But I loved every second of it--free CDs, concert tickets, my own byline, the chance to interview some of my personal musical heroes, and anywhere from a whopping $25 to $75 per story!!!

Once I realized I wanted to get into advertising, I also realized that most agencies weren't too impressed with the Hefty bag of newspaper articles I accumulated throughout 6-7 years. And it led me to this school, a good bit of student loan debt, and a growing Hefty bag of fake advertisements.

But back to the point of this blog.

I believe I have impeccable tastes in music, and plan to share that with whoever happens to read this (which is likely to be my folks out of parental obligations of course, and maybe my teacher who will likely just check to make sure I'm actually doing the assignment). However, I'll stand behind my opinions on music all day long. I was a paid professional after all. And not to brag--but in one fiscal year I made $8,500 writing about music. That's three (3) zeroes people!!! Which I'm 87% sure is more money than you ever made writing about music.

It's my ultimate playlist--my favorite songs of all time...