Together

I've been pondering this phenomenon lately, the one where two or three friends get into the same music at the same time. I mean, we music nuts love to make mix CDs for our buds, hoping we can turn them onto the brilliance of some old Aztec Camera song or a Jellyfish outtake. But getting someone to fall in love with something that also moves you is really gratifying. And rare.

Earliest time I can think of this happening, save for bands like Foreigner spreading like wildfire among kids in general way back when, is when Bruiser and Michael and I all fell in love with King's X at about the same time. Cannot remember who heard them first. I'm almost certain it wasn't me. There was Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, this pseudo-concept album by a Houston pop metal trio. Great harmonies, terrific guitar tones, clever songs, and some sort of loosely-defined concept. I've stuck with the band pretty consistently since then, and though they've put out some great stuff, nothing touches Gretchen. I honestly think they're better when they have something to say. They should do a Gretchen 2 or something.

Jellyfish... that's a big one. I think Michael pulled up at my house in Angleton with them playing on a boombox in his VW Beetle (hey, a man's gotta have his road tunes). I wasn't impressed at first. Not great, not bad; I still expected every pop album to be another Abbey Road. But I worked in this record store where Bellybutton was played a lot, and I really fell in love with it, not long after Toland had.

The Replacements. I have Bruiser to thank for them. I think I loved them from the first moment Bruiser played them for me in his folks' living room. "Can't Hardly Wait" still gives me chillbumps.

And oddly enough, Bruiser and Michael and I all seemed to re-discover Motorhead a few years ago. Maybe Bruiser was on board with them all along. But Toland and I seemed to just spontaneously crave that particular sound of theirs. He's seen 'em a couple of times. I've seen them once, and I know Bruiser's seen them at least once.

Sometimes it doesn't take. I thought I'd really fall for Spock's Beard. Gorgeous voices, pristine sound, clever arrangements... but I couldn't hang with all the prog excursions.

And I love Merle Haggard, but I don't think Michael feels the same way. Probably respects him as a songwriter and all, but man, I get genuinely excited when one of his songs comes on.

Other artists... Femi Kuti, who's been a really cool discovery for me. And the Bevis Frond. I'm not head over heels for it like he is, but I do get the urge to hear it. Was blasting it the other night while striking gear after an audio gig, and Erik, the on-site tech, commented on how good it sounded. Compared them to Space Hog, whom I don't believe I've heard.

We're doing it again with Jason Falkner. Launch kept playing songs from Can You Still Feel? (Mostly "Goodnight Sweet Night"). It was gorgeous stuff, and his Jellyfish connection didn't hurt. This was a year ago. Kelli was very pregnant with THEGIRL, and one night we hired a sitter for THEBOY so we could have what'd likely be a last date for a while.

We hit the CD store, and I picked up a copy of the Falkner CD, skipping right to "Goodnight..." Suddenly the impending arrival of my daughter had a soundtrack.

I was in one of my periodic extreme night owl phases, staying up until 3 or 4 am on Friday and Saturday. Kelli was uncomfortable, tossing and turning in bed a lot, so I slept in the nursery-to-be. And many of those nights I'd lie there in the darkness with Falkner on the headphones, and it was the best mood enhancer in the world. No sights, hardly any sensations except this lush pop masterpiece in my ears over and over.

Clever-ass record, and let me tell you, the lyrics have some emotional resonance too. Long about February, when THEGIRL was almost here and I was making up my mind to get more education and go into the substance abuse recovery field, the song "Author Unknown" was in the background: "If the path of least resistance is all you ever take, well at least you've been consistent in your defying Fate." The CD is just full of stuff like that, smart statements on art and inspiration. Not to mention sing-along choruses.

So I gave Michael the "you really, REALLY ought to check this out" push... and he did. Boom... something clicked with him too. Now he's doing like I did, getting the guy's other stuff (like the overlooked CD titled Presents Author Unknown, which is not a masterpiece but is pretty flippin' good in its own right).

It's really rewarding when this happens. I need to try and foist this on Bruiser.

I wonder what's next?

RIP Dimebag Darrell, but keep in mind that the "P" for him would probably stand for "party."