I Am What I Eat (Top 5 Restaurants Of 2014)

     Food is not just a means to fill your belly, or at least it shouldn't be. I spent over half of my life not realizing what it really meant to eat good food. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the simple comfort of cheap and fast food, but there is simply no substitute for a truly great, high quality, creative, well prepared meal. I was 28 years old before I ever ate "gourmet" food. Jade and I were on a cruise for our 10th anniversary, and the ship we were on (Celebrity Century) was known for its five star rated restaurant. At dinner each evening you were presented with a variety of menu choices and if you didn't like it they would bring you another choice. If you did like it they would bring you more if you wanted it. It was during this week that I learned to appreciate and love real, good, food prepared by a chef. I have been hooked ever since, even to the point of being motivated to learn to cook from scratch myself since paying others to do it can get a little expensive. Since that time, whenever we travel, which tends to be often, we seek out great restaurants. Rarely does this include chain restaurants (although I do love me some Carrabba's), so don't expect to see a Chipotle, Red Lobster or Olive Garden on my list (and yes, I fully realize I am a food snob, sorry, not sorry). Strangely enough, this list contains two that could be considered "chain" restaurants. That should tell you that it just wasn't a good year for food for me (but 2015 is looking very promising already). As a side note, I don't think a restaurant has to be fancy or expensive to make my top 5, it just has to have really good and sometimes creative food. Bon Apetit.
     Cochon (New Orleans, LA) - Ok, so I'm technically pushing the envelope on this one since I last ate there in 2013, but it was at the tail end of 2013 and within the last 12 month window (at the time of this writing). Like I said, 2014 wasn't a great year for food for me. Anyway, Cochon is literally my favorite restaurant in the world, ever. Chef Donald Link opened Cochon (Cajun for "pig") after Katrina and it landed him, and his restaurant, near the top of the New Orleans food chain, and they've both been there ever since. Cochon specializes in authentic Cajun food. Cajun food isn't necessarily hot and spicy, although most people define it as covered in cayenne, it is country food. Cajuns are legendary for taking whatever they have available to them and making masterpieces out of it. When the Acadians fled Nova Scotia and settled in Evangeline (an area that only Native Americans were brave enough to inhabit), they saw rice paddies, crawfish, turtle, shrimp, oysters, squirrels, rabbit and they figured out ways to cook it all and make it delicious. This is Cajun food and no one, outside of your grand-mere, does it better. The best dish on their menu is the rabbit and dumplings cooke in a wood fire oven in a cast iron skillet. It doesn't hurt that they have my favorite root beer (Abita) on tap. I have also tried their turkey, black eyed pea and kale gumbo, which is just ridiculous. I love this restaurant so much that I actually have a photo of their sign as my home screen on my iPhone (and so does my youngest Po). You don't have to comment, I realize how sad that is. Like I said, for me, food is a love affair.

     BurgerFi (Gainesville, FL) - Full disclosure: I LOVE hamburgers and this is technically a chain, but it's a small chain (75 locations nationwide). Regardless, they make a great cheeseburger. Everything is fresh (lots of places advertise that, but you can actually taste it here) and they have a great remoulade sauce you can get on it. There really isn't a lot to say about it. Thick, delicious burger, fresh ingredients, lots of cool add ons for your burger, good specialty sauce and an almost comical amount of parmesan fries as a side. I know it's a little thing (but honestly, isn't it always the little things?), but I love that they "brand" their burger buns with their logo. It's not ready to join Company Burger and Cowbell in New Orleans on my Mount Rushmore of burgers (just not enough alternative options), but i's a great local option. Another big plus is that it is right next to a Starbucks and Gigi's Cupcakes. One. Stop. Shopping.

     Gumbeaux's (Douglasville, GA) - Finding a restaurant that serves even decent/edible Cajun food outside of Louisiana is as rare and hen's teeth, much less finding one that is actually great, but Gumbeaux's pulls it off (FYI - Henry's Louisiana Grill in Ackworth, GA has been my default go-to Cajun place for several years, but Gumbeaux's caught my eye when I ate there a year ago and burst onto the top five after trying it again a few weeks back. Truth is they are pretty close, one is just north of Atlanta, the other is just West and the route I'm traveling usually determines which one I stop at). Gumbeaux's is located in a downtown area with character, a big plus, it is decorated in authentic Louisiana relics and memorabilia, which is a sign that the owner is legit. They have a big menu with tons of great choices, not just your standard gumbo, po boy, jambalaya, étouffée that all the posers offer. They have Abita Root Beer which is essentially a requirement for a Cajun place to make my top 5 (Henry's does too now BTW). All their Cajun food is great, especially the stuffed/fried shrimp, but the menu item that steals the show is the pork chops. I can't say enough to you about this dish. My dad and I are connoisseurs of grilled meats and hard to impress and this dish literally, and I mean literally, brought us to laughter. One bite and my dad's reaction was to start laughing out loud with the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. He laughed so loud that other tables began to look and inquire what was going on. Why was he laughing? It was so good that it produced pure, sheer joy in him. Many of you will not understand that at all, but those of us who love good food will get it perfectly. As a crowd casually gathered, samples were passed around and every table near us began to order or change their order to the pork chops. There are two of them, they are thick, glazed and perfect, served on top of a pile of garlic mashed potatoes. Which reminds me, the portions in this place are ridiculously large, like biggest I've ever seen. My dad and I both are serious eaters and I've yet to eat all my food. They are pricey ($15-25 per entree) but you can easily share and don't even fool with appetizers, just too much food to eat. Another thing you need to know, if you go during peak hours (Friday/Saturday supper) YOU WILL WAIT A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TIME. I hate waiting as much as anyone, but I will tell you that is usually a good sign. I have waited over two hours to eat here, and I was sick and running fever at the time. That should tell you a few things: #1 how much I love good food, #2 how popular this place is and #3 I don't consider it too much to ask to wait this long for this food.

     Tupelo Honey (Chattanooga, TN) - Again, technically a chain (but I think there are only six), but a really cool place in a really cool location. Tupelo Honey is located in the Warehouse District, near all of the buzz and activity in Chattanooga. The best way I know to describe their menu is gourmet Cracker Barrel. Southern, country food with a chef's flare and quality. I've become an appreciator of shrimp and grits and they know how to do it right. They know exactly what they're doing with their nutty fried chicken and if you are a vegetarian they have a great selection of veggie dishes. For me though, it's all about the breakfast menu, available anytime. I don't know what kind of deal with the Devil the chef made to be able to make omelets like this, but trust me, you've never had an omelet before if you haven't had one at Tupelo Honey. How do you make an omelet four inches thick? I've tried at home, I can't do it. I do the "build your own" and get Havarti cheese, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, fried garlic, basil and smoked sausage. You will not be hungry again for 36 hours. If you decide to get an appetizer, share the fried goat cheese grits cakes with roasted red pepper sauce. Great food, great location and great atmosphere. And if you go in spring their are cherry blossom trees in full bloom outside.

     Smoky Mountain Cheesecake Cafe (Sevierville, TN) - On my lat day in Sevierville for a conference this summer I stumbled upon a jewel hidden in plain sight. A very unassuming building sitting on the side of the road piqued my interest because it advertised cheesecake. I. Love. Cheesecake. When I get a birthday cake it is almost always a cheesecake. Once inside I discovered a pleasant surprise. Not only do they have a variety of homemade, high end cheesecakes, they serve Cuban sandwiches. My love affair with Cuban sandwiches began over a decade ago when I flew to Tampa to speak for a weekend. I had never heard of a Cuban sandwich but in Ybor City it was the thing to eat, so I got one. Love at first bite. Ever since I have made it a point to seek out the best Cuban sandwich (along with best fried chicken, cheeseburger, pizza, gumbo, po boy, etc, etc, etc). Sadly, most of the time you just run across a lame panini called a Cuban, but not at this place. It was authentic, they even had their bread shipped in from Tampa. Whenever I'm in Tampa Bay I always eat at The Floridian because of their award winning Cubans, but if I'm going to be totally honest, this one was better. And then the cheesecake. Nearly six inches tall of creamy, sweet perfection. The one knock on the place is that it is tiny. If they are busy you will not have anywhere to sit, but even if you have to stand or eat in the car, the food is worth it.

     Honorable Mention: Skip's Deli (Lake City, FL) - When we moved here everyone kept asking us if we had tried Skip's (I literally live 1/4 mile away) and we hadn't. So one day I'm driving by and decided to whip in and give it a chance. They have a huge sandwich menu that I will likely never sample because I won't be able to come off of The Godfather. Salami, prosciutto, capicola, pepperoni and a variety of other Italian meats that I can't spell or pronounce, cheese, oil, Italian seasons. I feel like Tony Soprano eating this sandwich.

     That's it. 2014 wasn't my best year for eating great food, but a couple of trips to New Orleans on the calendar and several expeditions deeper into Florida in 2015 make it look promising. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got to go get something to eat.

A Night To Remember (Well 5 Of Them To Be Exact, Ok, 6)

     If you aren't a fan of music, food or film I don't know why you would be reading my blog, since about 75% of what I write revolves around those three topics. But I'm assuming if you are still here that you do love these things and if so you are precisely who I want to share these things with.
     From my vantage point there are five ideal ways that music can be consumed. In no particular order: #1 - Vinyl. We have a room in our house devoted to music. There are very big speakers. Very old components (like, older than me old), and lots of vinyl records. If you don't know why anyone would want to listen to an album on vinyl instead of streaming or mp3, please take this exit and find the nearest Spotify station. #2 - Headphones. If you can't flood a tower of 15 inch speakers with 1,000 watts of power, go with the next best thing. Headphones (especially these new bass boosting, noise canceling ones) will tune out the world and turn up the subtle nuances of the music that can otherwise get lost. An added bonus is that you don't have to hear yourself sing when you are wearing headphones. #3 - Driving. For me, there is no greater therapy than windows down, stereo up, singing at the top of my lungs at 70 mph. During my three years on the road I am convinced this was the one thing that kept me sane. #4 - Friends. Some of my greatest memories in life involve a room full of people singing together like we were the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Buffett, one hit wonders, anything. Music is magical in its ability to be so intimately personal, while at the same time being communal, and there is no better way to experience it than with your best friends singing along. #5 - Live. Music isn't truly, fully, music, unless it is live. Music at its heart is about expression and connection and you cannot do either any better than live, missed notes, cracked voices, forgotten lyrics and all. I love live music. I can even enjoy music that I typically don't like, if it is live. I've even been converted to music that I hated because I heard it performed live (more about that in a minute). Here are the top five concerts I saw this year in no particular order.
     Houndmouth at Miller Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I've raved about Houndmouth over and over on this blog in the past year and I will one more time. It doesn't get much better than this night. I was in Chattanooga, which has rapidly become one of my new favorite cities to visit. I was with an old friend who is just as musically obsessed as I am, that I don't get to hang out with much anymore. I got to visit a couple who are dear friends that have opened their home to me on many occasions and joined me in experiencing many of my greatest joys. I got to eat great local pizza before the show and awesome custom hamburgers after. Oh and did I mention I got to stand at the stage and see Houndmouth for free?!?! I love their record and they are great live. The crowd started kind of sparse and disinterested, but the bad slowly changed that. It was awesome to watch the crowd go from small and half hearted, to packed and partying. During their hour and a half set they won the crowd over. As a bonus I picked up their album on vinyl.

     Tab Benoit at the University Auditorium/University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. This was the fulfillment of a long held dream. I've been a fan of Tab Benoit for a long time, I've stayed in his home town and even have a friend who worked at a spa where his wife frequented, but I'd never seen him live. First of all, the venue automatically became one of my all time favorites (the Ryman will always be king). It never was a church but it looks like some kind of Gothic cathedral. It is gorgeous, the campus is gorgeous, the acoustics are fantastic and it has more character than any place I've ever been. On top of that I was able to take my wife and mother in law to share in the experience. We had good seats and it was a very small, intimate show. It was almost more like hanging out with him that being at a concert. He talked with the crowd more than anyone I've ever seen and he took requests for basically the entire setlist. And let me tell you, the dude can flat wear out a guitar. It was mind blowing just to watch him play. And to top it all off I got to meet him after the show and get a picture for the scrapbook.

     Soundgarden/Nine Inch Nails at Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa, FL. So much was against this being a good concert. I had worked hard in the yard all day and was exhausted. I had to drive three hours in the rain. It was an amphitheater (I hate amphitheaters). And let's be honest, these "rock stars" are older than me, so I just wasn't sure if they could pull off the cool factor anymore, much less sound good live in their forties. However, there were a few things working in its favor. I was with my oldest, they are two of my favorite bands and I had seen them both in my teens. Nostalgia is always good for bonus points. I first saw Soundgarden at Lollapalooza in Atlanta when I was 15. It was arguably the coolest day in my life, I'll tell you about it sometime. I first saw NIN at Vanderbilt in Nashville my freshman year of college. This is where it all gets very surreal. I remember discovering Led Zeppelin and The Doors when I was a teenager, you know, my parents music, oldies. I have lived long enough to witness my son discover my music, you know oldies. He's a fan of Soundgarden so it was very bizarre to see them with him. Here is where it really takes a turn into the Twilight Zone. I saw NIN when I was 19 (the same age him) and I was there with his mother, who was pregnant with him at the time (though we wouldn't find out for a couple of weeks). I have to admit it was one of those moments where you just think "what a strange turn of events." To top it all off, both acts sounded surprisingly great live. I was honestly expecting the worst, but they sounded good, in fact Soundgarden sounded better than when I heard them 23 years ago.

     Trevor Hall with Tubby Love & Cas Haley at Ringside in St. Petersburg, FL. This one caught me off guard. It had all the makings for a great night from the start. I'm on a date weekend with Her in St. Pete, so there was that, however, I didn't really want to be there because I hated Trevor Hall, but she loves him, and I'm nothing if not a husband who wants to make every wish come true, so I went. Expectations couldn't be lower. Oh how I was surprised. Despite the fact that the demographic wasn't mine (mostly real hippies and wanna be hippies), the atmosphere was good and the music was fantastic. Trevor Hall won me over with that live performance. We were right against the stage and it was very stripped down: upright bass, acoustic guitar, guy playing a wooden box, huge ring of keys (not kidding) and various other jingly items. The music was simple, genuine and powerful. I became a fan that night. I also dug the opening act Tubby Love, who is....I don't even know how to describe him. It's like he walked out of the rainforest having been raised by mother nature and wild animals. He was like a Mowgli with a guitar. He made animals sounds and sang about injustice, corporate greed and environmentalism (none of which are topics that are in my political wheelhouse), and yet he convinced me to listen, and if not agree, to at lest respect his point of view. For two months now I have listened to these two artists almost everyday since. That is what live music can do. I can't wait to see them live again now that I can sing along. Awwww yeah, awwww yeah (inside joke).

     Trombone Shorty at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa, FL. This was a dream come true. I have been dying to see Trombone Shorty for a long time and I finally was able to back in March. He did not disappoint. The setting was perfect. Palm trees, sunset, lazy river, downtown Tampa (which is one of my favorite cities). Trombone Shorty puts on arguably the best show I've ever seen. The electricity, his energy, his level of performance just blew the place away. And that is saying something since it was an outdoor show and that is a hard atmosphere to control, but he owned it from the moment he took the stage until he walked off. Honestly, it was like seeing a young James Brown. The worst part of the show was that I was alone (although I did meet a lady beside me who was from Fayetteville, TN, 25 miles from where I am from) and that I haven't been able to see him live since. I am hooked and will be seeing Trombone Shorty every opportunity I have.

     Honorable mention - Dr. John at Aaron Bessant Park Amphitheater in Panama City Beach, FL. Here is the truth, the show wasn't great at all, but....it was Mardi Gras weekend, it was at the beach, it was a getaway weekend with Her, it was FREE and we were right up next to the stage, oh, and did I mention it was Dr. John!?!? Yet another artist I had been dying to see for so long. All in all, the experience was worth it even if the show itself wasn't great.
     That's my list of the five (six) best concerts I saw this year. I missed out on a few that I'm still kicking myself over (Jason Isbell in Live Oak, FL, literally 30 minutes from my house and at the Ryman; Kermit Ruffins in Jacksonville, FL; Houndmouth at the Ryman with Drive By Truckers; Chris Robinson Brotherhood in Live Oak, FL), but I've got a few awesome ones I'll get to mark off the bucket list in 2015 (Voice Of The Wetland Allstars in January in Tallahassee and a Valentine's Weekend getaway with Her to St. Pete to see Harry Connick Jr). I have a feeling those two are already on my top five for 2015.

Just Take Those Old Records Off The Shelf....My Top Five Albums Of 2014

     As a disclaimer at the beginning of this post, I am not certain that any or all of these albums actually came out in 2014, but I do know that I was exposed to them for the first time in 2014, so that counts, right?

     Here are my top five albums of 2014, in no particular order.

     Southeastern by Jason Isbell - Just right now I can't remember the who, where and why of my introduction to this album. Jason is from Green Hill, Alabama (about 40 miles from where I grew up) and he was one of the chief songwriters and guitarists for the Drive By Truckers for many years. In fact, he's responsible for my favorite DBT song "Outfit." Somehow or another I came across this and it was like finding a unicorn. I can count on one hand the number of times I have sat down and listened to an album straight through the first time and loved every single song, and this was one of those times. Although it's really impossible for me to truly pick favorites off this album, I have to say "Cover Me Up" and "Traveling Alone" are the two that get played the most often. When you play this record you will be impressed with two things: 1) he almost certainly lived every line of these songs personally and 2) he doesn't so much right songs, but poetry set to music. Sometimes his choice of words is profound and causes you to lose the song as you ponder that richness of that one word.

From The Hills Below The City by Houndmouth - One day I was bored and I was bored with music. Everything I had listened to recently was either lame or my first thought was "This sounds like...." So I googled "bands you haven't heard of yet" and up popped an article referencing Houndmouth. I quickly searched them on YouTube and the first video to pop up was "Casino (Bad Things)." Instantly hooked. It didn't sound like anything I'd heard before. I clicked on their next video, which was actually just them rehearsing and playing around with some folk songs. Without wasting another second I downloaded their album and, voila, another one of the five times in my life I've listened to an album straight through and loved every single song. Houndmouth is based out of Louisville and they've only been a band for a few years, but they caught lightning in a bottle with their four part harmonies and stripped down instrumentation. All four members can and do sing lead vocals on the album and there isn't a drop off no matter who takes the mic. (I've seen them live and they actually can swap out instruments with one another too and still blow you away). Their songwriting is very unusual in that they seem to be written as perspective songs from the viewpoint of outlaws and fringe society in the dustbowl era, yet amazingly they speak to a contemporary audience. I don't mind telling you this is my new favorite band and the vinyl that gets played the most often on my record player. There's not a bad song on the record but "On The Road", "Casino (Bad Things)", "Long As You're At Home" and "'Comin Round Again" are the ones I find myself singing in the shower.

Hard Working Americans by Hard Working Americans - HWA is basically a supergroup, made up of the King of East Nashville and his Court (Todd Snider, Dave Schools of Widespread Panic, Neil Casil of The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Duane Trucks, as in Derek Trucks little brother and Chad Staehly of Great American Taxi). By the way, if you are wondering what is "East Nashville", it's the opposite of the pop country music machine side of Nashville that has devoured Music Row. East Nashville is where the real Music City begins. I've been a big fan of Todd Snyder for years and when I learned he was forming this group with all of these great musicians I signed on without hearing the first note, and I was not disappointed. The bottom line is this album is comprised of a number of covers of songs about life, struggle, heartache, loss and disappointment. It is a humble album about humble, hard working people who are just trying to get by and make a living from day to day. The album opens with "Blackland Farmer", originally recorded by Frankie Miller in 1959! The song "Stomp and Holler" was the first single from the record and it set the tone of righteous indignation and a downright temper tantrum. My personal favorite though is "Run A Mile." Whether you are driving, cutting grass, washing dishes or laying on the couch, when this song comes on you've got to move. The guys in this band are serious musicians and this album will have you dancing and protesting all at the same time. It is an amazing collection of music, blending old songs with contemporary issues and doing it all in the voice of the common man.

Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails - I first heard NIN sitting in Brad Jernigan's bedroom with my friends Roc and Brad Liddie. I remember Brad saying, "Check this out" and then he played "Sanctified" and I thought to myself "What in the world is this music?" I had never heard this kind of music before. I came to learn that it was described as Industrial Rock, which made sense since Trent Reznor was using what sounded like a skillsaw running across sheet metal. Twenty plus years later NIN is still making records and I'm still a fan. Trent Reznor, like me, has grown older, married, had children and does a lot less "raging against the machine," but he still has a lot to say. Many NIN fans hated this album, but it is actually one of my favorites. It's not as angry and aggressive as his past works, but it still speak to issues of fear, doubt, baggage, hope, disappointment and anxiety. It speaks from a perspective of one who never thought he'd live to be "middle aged", but now he is and he is wondering, now what? Trent Reznor always seems to be able to make music that sounds like it comes from the future and this is no exception. At times you find yourself imagining that sentient computers made this music instead of a man. "Copy Of A" sets the tone for the record both sonically and lyrically, but "Came Back Hanted" is where it really hits its stride. "Find My Way" is perhaps the most unusual NIN song to date. It is always spoken as if it were a prayer of a desperate man who desperately wants to believe, which is a bit surprising coming from Trent Reznor. The song that caught my attention the quickest was "Everything", mainly because it is such a stripped down, simple, almost punk, song from a typically very layered, complex musician. Lyrically he announced almost triumphantly, "I survived everything, I have tried everything." I'm not going to suggest that this is his best work, but it was one of the best records I heard all year. It shows an artist who is still connected to his roots, but at the same time, not afraid to grow.

Trevor Hall by Trevor Hall - Ok, so this one completely took me by surprise. This is not the kind of music that I listen to. This is the kind of music I make fun of. In fact, I did for quite awhile. My wife and her friend Abby had gotten into this "psuedo-reggae" garbage as I referred to it on one occasion. It's all peace and mother earth and karma and sitars and blaaaaah. Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit on some of that, but honestly, I didn't like it. She listened to it constantly, non-stop, like everyday and I hated it a little more every day. I used to joke about this white kid from North Carolina trying to sing all rasta man, and then something strange happened on the way to the beach. She asked me to take her to Tampa to see him in concert in this tiny little venue and of course I said yes. These are the things loving husbands do, they go hear lame music because their wife wants to. I cannot tell you how much I was dreading this concert. I cannot tell you how much I did not want to be there. I cannot tell you how much I resented having paid for tickets to this joke, and yet that night, surrounded by a few hundred people, and standing only a few feet from the stage, I fell in love with this music. Being able to look him in the eye as he played and sang I realized he was just a man singing about love and hope and faith and unity. And I started thinking to myself, all of those things are pretty important to me too. Trevor Hall music is not by any stretch of the imagination religious music, but watching him perform, it seemed to me almost as if this were a religious rite for him. He actually believed in the things he was singing about and, you know what, I do to. Now that my prejudice and bias was out of the way I was able to listen to the lyrics and found a truly beautiful message that I believe in. This album did not come out in 2014, although he had one which did, and I like it too, just not as much as this one. It's hard to decide on just a few songs to highlight, but you definitely need to check out "31 Flavors", "Where's The Love", "Origami Crane", "The Lime Tree", "Who You Gonna Turn To", "Internal Heights" and my absolute favorite, "Unity." I'll sum up the totality of his music with one line from the song Unity, "Love all, serve all, and create no sorrow."

Honorable Mentions:

     There was so much great music that I was exposed to this year, but I can't list it all, yet there are two others that deserve honorable mentions even though they are only EP's.

     The Real Thing by Tubby Love - Tubby opened for Trevor Hall and I must say I've never seen a performance quite that that in my life. My first thought is this dude is some hippie kid that just walked in out of the jungle and was raised by animals in the rainforest. It was as if Mowgli from the Jungle Book had learned to play guitar. His music is very, er, how do I put this, earthy? But it is genuine. Admittedly I'm not all in like these guys, but I respected the message, the energy and the passion. His two best songs are clearly "Simple City" and "The Real Thing." Check them out.

     Trigger Hippy by Trigger Hippy - This is another EP, by another "super group." The drummer is Steve Gorman of The Black Crowes, session musician Tom Bukovac, vocalist Joan Osborne and man about town singer/songwriter Jackie Greene. The EP is worthy the purchase price just for the song "Heartache On The Line." This is another band made up of serious musicians with real talent and a love for music. You won't be disappointed.
     The holidays are right around the corner. You may be spending time in the car, the airport or with annoying relatives, so go to your favorite steaming music provider and type in some of these artists/songs and let me know what you think.

Now Accepting A Limited Amount Of New Music

     Any of you who are still around have noticed I haven't been. I told you in the beginning that I only write if I have something to say, and well, I haven't had anything to say for quite some time now. But that all changed today. Inspiration comes from some unexpected places and today it came from a text my son sent me. Oh yeah, since we last spoke the oldest moved back to Tennessee. No I didn't kick him out, he got a good job and headed back to the farm. Life, if anything, is unpredictable. Anyway, he sent me a text today, jokingly listing NOW That's What I Call Music Volume ??? as every entry in his top ten list of albums from this year. I laughed, and then with all of the musical snobbery I could muster, condescended that I know several people for whom that top ten list would be true. After we had our fun, it got me to thinking, what are my top five albums of the year?
     In the interest of full disclosure, this was quite a task since I issued a "no new music" embargo a few years back. For a few years now, every time someone said, "Hey you should check out...." I would politely reply, "I'm not accepting any new music at this time." Yeah I know that sounds both weird and jerkish, but it was true. Since the ushering in of the digital music era, launched by my first iPod, expanded by iTunes and finally becoming all encompassing with streaming music on demand, I have literally been overwhelmed with music. There is just too much music to consume. Those who know me well are aware of the fact that whenever I have an overload of stimuli, I basically just shut down. Can't help it, sensory overload just freezes me up like an old computer trying to process too much data with not enough RAM.
     I remember fondly the hours I spent listening to music when I was young. It all began with that turn table when I was eight. I wore out my Electric Breakdance record and then ventured into the world of hip hop. Grandmaster Flash, Doug E. Fresh, Egyptian Lover, UTFO (please tell me you remember "The Real Roxanne"?!?!), Kid-n-Play and of course, M.C. HAMMER! I can't tell you how many hours I spent in my room trying to memorize lyrics, practice new moves and ruining my turntable trying to scratch like the DJ's did. When the parachute pants/breakdance fad ran its course, I moved on to the next fad coming up on the horizon......hair metal! Def Leppard, Skid Row, Motley Crue, Guns-n-Roses, Bon Jovi, Poison, I had them all and I loved them. They were my friends, my teachers (and they taught me a few things my mom didn't want me to know), and my counselors. Don't lie and pretend like you didn't shed a few tears alone in your room to "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" and "I'll Be There For You." I'm not saying I did, but I will admit to blowing up 104.3 WZYP's all request hour every night at nine to make sure my girlfriend of the week knew that all we needed was a little "Patience."
     Then one night, in an instant, it all changed. The hair metal that defined my musical passion all through middle school was eradicated by the simple declaration, "With the lights out it's less dangerous, here we are now entertain us, I feel stupid and contagious, here we are now, entertain us." Mind blown. What did I just hear, what did I just see, what was he saying, what did it all mean? But most importantly, "Who was that?" That was the birth of a cultural shift, a generational gap and a new kind of music. That was Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, and for those of my generation (X) you can remember where you were the first time you heard them as much as our parents generation can remember where they were when they learned JFK died. Goodbye Bon Jovi, Cinderella and Warrant, hello Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Temple Of The Dog and I could go on and on. For the first time I didn't just enjoy music, I literally felt like it was speaking to me. I never knew that music could tap into your heart on such a primal level that was beyond explaining with words, but I knew now.
     From this point forward I listened to music in a whole new way. I listened for every nuance, every instrument, every phrase. Music was no longer a pastime, it was now a passion. For the first time in my life I didn't just listen to and like whatever was being played on the radio. Now I was actually seeking out music. Experimenting with new types of music that I'd never before considered. I went to record stores in every city I traveled to and searched for hours through their bins. I joined fan clubs, read every magazine I could buy and even ordered imported, underground and bootleg music. It was a whole new world, and then.......children.
     Let me explain for those who are offspring challenged (those who don't have kids). When you have children, many things change in your life, one of which is music. Suddenly as a dad you start to pay attention to lyrics that you don't want your little sponge to absorb and regurgitate and the most inopportune time, like church (seriously, why did our parents let us listen to Grease, did they not hear the lyrics?). Also, they have musical tastes of their own, and although you try to school them on the pure, stripped down, unadulterated, un-produced perfection that is The Black Crowes or the genre changing, cultural gumbo and pure genius sampling of the Beastie Boys, they are apparently predestined to be drawn to overproduced, catchy, bubble gum pop (N'Sync). Of course that's an improvement from The Wiggles and Barney and Teletubbies "music" you had to endure during their toddler years. During my years in musical exile (i.e. raising little ones), my musical exposure dwindled. I'm no longer hanging out with cool, trendy, cutting edge audiophiles, but soccer moms and t-ball dads, and they are listening to the same "I love you, you love me" audio-nausea that I am. Time marches on.
     The kids get a little older and a little cooler in their musical tastes and then the digital music era explodes. Now I'm going back and listening to things I haven't heard since I was in elementary school. I'm telling my kids, "You've got to hear this. This was my favorite band when I was your age" (only to be given a very judgmental look from your obviously way cooler than you 7th grader). Who knew "Walk Like An Egyptian" isn't considered a classic? Anyway, for years I immersed myself in finding, acquiring and listening to the music of my youth that I loved so much. And much like in my youth, I listened over and over again for hours and hours. In the car, in the office, at home, riding on the lawnmower. My iPod allowed me to take 10,000 songs with me in my pocket. Down the rabbit hole I went.
     Bottom line, there is just too much music available now. Every one hit wonder and favorite hit you remember is available at the push of a button. New music is pumped out daily, not just by the record company, but by independent musicians on their own YouTube channels or Facebook pages. There is so much music (and so much really good music) available that it became too much for me and much like in my youth, I retreated to my bedroom to play my old favorites (which coincidentally, have literally become "oldies") over and over again. My sons, who now are full fledged audiophiles themselves, have tried relentlessly to get me to listen to this band or that band, and my response was always, "I'm just not accepting any new music right now." If I can't check it all out, then I'm not going to check any of it out.
     And then I stumbled across a band that changed everything. Come tumbling down with the walls. Much like the blasting of the horns outside of Jericho, it was the music of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue that tore down the walls I had built to keep new music out (Seriously, go check out "Hurricane Season" by Trombone Shorty RIGHT NOW!) Now the floodgates were open again: John Boutte, Kermit Ruffins, Anders Osborne, Dr. John, Tab Benoit, Rebirth Brass Band. It was jazz and blues that spoke to my soul and opened my mind to at least try a few new musical samplings, and it has led me to some places musically that I NEVER in a million years dreamed I would go. But I went and I loved it and I hope you might too.
     I'm not going to pretend that I'm back to feasting on the buffet of music that is available with reckless abandon, but I am accepting a limited amount of new music, and I am so glad I have. This year I was exposed to some really amazing music and I want to share it with you.....tomorrow. This post became much longer than I intended, so tomorrow I'm going to put out the first of several "Top 5" posts, beginning with my Top 5 Albums of 2014.