bless this mess

a new year. so I'm trying my hand at another blog - one that's public and hopefully of interest to those who have a finger on the pulse of popular music today.

2008 was, on the whole, a pretty good year for me. I started a new job in an entirely new field, and with it, a whole new outlook on what's important in life. I gained a better appreciation for the one thing that had brought me joy throughout my life and had been there for me when people and luck weren't. and that would be...

music.

thank you very much Radio2 and 6music for turning me on to music from blighty and saving me from the radio broadcasting wasteland that surrounds the D.C. area like a shroud. maybe I am being overly dramatic, but if you lived here and had to hear Santana and Rob Thomas's "Smooth" or any ancient song by Nickelback one more time, you would understand.

several of my stateside friends find it humourous (or more possibly, daft) that I'm probably more "famous" (if that's the right word) in Britain than I am here, as I'm a keen participant in several radio shows. this year I actually spoken to two of Britain's who's who of the radio presenting world - Stuart Maconie of the Radcliffe/Maconie show (Monday to Thursday evenings on Radio2) and the Freak Zone (on Sunday afternoons on 6Music) and Steve Lamacq, the famed indie rock oracle of 6Music (weekday afternoons on 6Music).

the thing is, I would imagine that to a music-loving Brit, it feels completely normal to interact with their radio presenters, b/c these DJs invite people to text in, write in via email, and even phone in and voice their opinions. while there are plenty of them to whom the Beeb is a nuisance, for whatever reason, for me, it's so nice to listen to radio stations that don't stop for commercial every 3 songs, want to you to contact them -and- have people behind the mixing boards that know their stuff (what a concept!)

the goal of this blog? whenever I feel compelled, I will write about my favourite music, what gigs I'm planning to attend and after I've gone, share my thoughts on them. I also plan to provide commentary on the state of music based on the new stuff I hear and highly recommend for their aural merits.

I also have been writing lyrics to songs for a while now and basically I am a Bernie Taupin looking for an Elton John. so if you know of anyone you'd recommend, let me know.

FYI I am most definitely not in England - and this evidenced by the 3 small deer chomping on the grass in the backyard. if the pics come out, I'll post them here later.

I'll end with this...a very happy new year to you all!