Hub Pages

I have made the decision to discontinue this blog and move my posts to Hubpages.  I like the formatting and tools available to authors on the site and feel that over time it will suit my needs better.    If you want to follow please find me at the following link:

http://justlivingonline.hubpages.com 

 

Somewhere Under Wonderland

Someone once asked me a question.  If you were stranded on a desert island and could only listen to one band or artist for the rest of time who would it be?   My snap answer was Neil Young, as he had such a huge catalog and such varying styles over his career.  I figured it would take me years to get through everything and prevent me from getting bored too soon.  Afterward of course I thought about it more and came upon a different answer.  It would have to be the Counting Crows.

Adam Duritz once left me free tickets for one of their concerts.  He happened to be a friend of a friend and despite not knowing me he left them at will call to pickup once I arrived..  I thought that was pretty cool.  That plays no part in my affection for the band and it's music though.  I fell in love with their music upon hearing 'Round Here' from their debut album in the early 90's.  The imagery of the lyrics along with the various instruments and music styles just hooked me.  Few artists can put out such deep meaning lyrics on a majority of their songs.

When you look up information on Adam Duritz on the internet, you find that he suffers from Depersonalization Disorder, which is a mental condition that consists of feeling disconnected from one's physical body.  Sufferers feel like they are in a dreamlike state in which they are detached from reality unable to claim their own thoughts or emotions.  You have to believe that this condition, while unfortunate, leads to many of the lyrics he produces.  Lyrics that many times reach the levels of true poetry.  Thoughts that you want to hear more of and make you upset when the song finally ends.

The Counting Crows are about to release their first album of new material in over a decade.  They have released a couple of songs from the album, one of which is 'Palisades Park'.    Duritz blends the history of the infamous Jim Jeffries/ Jack Johnson fight that took place in downtown Reno, NV in 1910 with the now defunct Palisades Park Amusement Park in New Jersey which closed in 1971.  I love this song, can't stop listening to it.    Below is a link to the official video which takes the form of a short movie.

Let me be Ray for a day

Ray LaMontagne is one of my favorite artists, hands down.  I love his music, his style, and his fuck you attitude towards making music that is destined for the Top 40 charts.  He does what he wants, never taking into account what the music company likes or what will get regular airplay on the radio.  Being true to oneself is quite a noble quality these days and LaMontagne did it his way without compromising. 

His shows are comparatively plain- no special effects, no video, no hype.  The only real variation is the fact there are four or five different colored spotlights under which the band plays.  His attire fits the theme also, with a t-shirt, flannel and jeans the limit of his wardrobe.

Popular songs rely on a hook to catch a listener.  Something that sticks in their head and makes them want to hear it over and over.  While I cannot deny the attraction of a good hook, I love lyrics that hit me just as much.    Something that can be interpreted in different ways yet holds some kind of common understanding.

'Ojai' is my favorite song off his new album.  The hook is there, and the lyrics are cryptic enough to allow me to attach meaning to them.   LaMontagne has an interesting back story, growing up so poor that a meal that included meat signified a special occasion in his family.  The guy has demons and they come out in many songs.  Ojai is a city in California, but I can guarantee it is also a metaphor for someone or something close to him.  It is doubtful though that the hermit like artist will ever reveal it in an interview.   All the best, it works better to form your own meaning. 

Ya, so I hate grunge. Sue me.

While I technically came of age in the 80's, I was still young when the big hair bands were made extinct in the early 90's by the 'Seattle Sound', otherwise known as grunge.  Honestly, I hated that shit.  I didn't feel the whole teen angst vibe and still cannot understand how the flag bearer of the movement felt he was so troubled that he had to end it all while his band Nirvana was on top of the world.  

My disdain for Seattle music lasted many years as different bands came out of the area, most of them just another group of guys with unsettled anger issues.  This all changed in the 2000's as a new breed came out.  Bands like the Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses have put the otherwise awesome city back into my good music graces.  'The Great Salt Lake' is an older tune by Band of Horses but one that never gets old. 

Best new song that you haven't heard

 

 

I was turned onto Toad the Wet Sprocket by my wife, who gained her affection from her siblings.  The first time I head the album 'Dulcinea' I was hooked.  Glenn Phillips has a great voice and the ability to write songs that stick in your head for both the feel and the lyrics.

As most 90's bands, they broke up and disappeared for a decade.  Sales were never that strong and the record labels are always looking for the next big thing.

True fans didn't forget them, and the internet gave them a way to hound the band for new material.  Toad used crowd funding to raise enough money to produce and release a new record.  Starting with a goal of $50,000,  the band saw their fans respond in force and over a quarter of a million dollars came in a relative blink of an eye.  'New Constellation' was the result.

While you will not hear it on the radio, the offerings have their merits.  'The Moment' is a song with deep lyrics that are not hard to understand.  Regret is a destructive force that results in nothing but wasted time.

Lets try this again...

Hello, my name is Jeff Zacher and this is my second attempt at a blog.  My first was a miserable failure that lasted all of a week back in 2011.  Let's hope I can push this one further down the line. 

Why am I back?  Well, besides the fact I like to write, I realized that my initial blog was not written about things that truly interest me.  My passions in life include family, personal finance, music, travel, and good beer.  I will try to weave these things together in a cohesive way and hopefully use some of the knowledge I gained from being a journalism major for an eyelash of time in college.  By trade I am actually a network engineer, but you will not see anything related to that on this blog.

I obsessively read everything personal finance, and find as I get older that I disagree with many things that financial "experts" preach online.  Many times this is because personal experience has taught me otherwise.  Life has that funny way of giving you the lesson after the test.  In the areas of finance, I have failed a few tests, but feel that those experiences have made me better off in the long run.  Hopefully I can help you with a little study guide material.

Traveling to popular (and sometimes unpopular) destinations is one of my favorite activities in life.  I like to search out what makes a town what it is and then find a way to experience it within that framework- call it my "when in Rome" mantra.  Rarely do I travel to the same area twice as my list of places I want to visit is way too long. 

I find I have little to no use for physical possessions other than what I need to get through life- clothes, a vehicle and a roof over my head seem to be enough.  I have luckily never been afflicted with the need to keep up with the Jones'.   The few personal effects I have otherwise can regularly be found on Craigslist ready to become someone else's junk.  I generally spend on experiences because in the end memories are all that you take with you.

Other than that, my blog will go off on a variety of tangents and I have no idea where it will lead.  If you want a cohesive theme this is not the place.  Excuse me if I divert into a rant, it's just my nature and cannot be avoided at times. 

I will make no attempt to promote this blog, and if in the end it is only me that sees these posts I will feel none the lesser for checking something off my bucket list.