Loose ends and forgotten promises...

Yeah, it's that other kind of summing up, the kind where you try to take care of all of the leftover stuff you didn't get to. I'd compare it to cleaning out a closet, but since every single closet and cupboard in our house is packed to the gills, I don't think that metaphor works for me.

First, the blog and the music. I suppose that Billy and I have enough of our own agendas that we don't always get around to posting the music we said we'd post. He's been better at it than I have. Anyway, here are some things I'd been planning to put up by some people who are trying to get heard. It's an eclectic bunch of songs, so even if you don't like all of the choices, maybe this will give you a song or two to surprise someone with in the new year:




High On Stress--"Alcohol Smile (unreleased)" (mp3)

My favorite band that sent us stuff in '08 was kind enough to share an unreleased track with us. Good songwriters. Good stuff.









Chris Hickey--"Kerouac" (mp3)

Can't remember the context for how we got this song and can't find the email, but I've been planning to post it for a while. Companion piece to Bill Malonee's "Hard Luck and Heart Attack."





The Orphan Factory--"Night Shift" (mp3)

A guy who might just be a whole band who sends his own stuff without a publicist. Worth a listen.









Lamar Holley--"Forgotten Friends" (mp3)

Holley has written a concept CD called Confessions Of A College Student. Production is slick and the songs have kind of a geekier Ben Folds vibe to them.





Next, the resolutions. I'm not even going to go back and check, because if I can't even remember them, you already know what kind of progress I made. I think I vowed to do three things: 1) write more, as in a novel or something, 2) go see more live music, based on my life belief that it is always worth it to make the effort to see live music, and 3) lose weight.

I didn't do too badly with the writing. Without counting, I can safely claim at least 120 posts to this website, but I didn't write beyond that. Wrote one poem. Have a good idea for a novel that came to me a few weeks ago, if I can just remember it. As for the music, not too bad. Particularly good job of getting out to shows while in Chicago over the summer. Special thanks to TroutKing for dragging my ass to a Springsteen show and breaking the 31-year curse. I truly enjoyed myself until this guy passed out and fell on my wife, but was not able to shake that wistfulness for seeing the Boss when I was 21 and "believed" the songs. My last concert of the year, thanks to my brother dragging my ass to it, was just two nights ago at Snug Harbor in New Orleans, a 4-piece jazz band led by a terrific clarinetist playing traditional New Orleans jazz. My weight held steady, but still needs to drop. Maybe if I gave up beer for Lent. Maybe if Lent was all year long.

Finally, the compadre. Thanks, as always, to Billy for.....Billy? Billy? BILLY?