Hall & Oates here I come

I'm going to the Hall & Oates show tonight. I thought I would share my favorite song of theirs with you. It's a fan made video quite entertaining if you ask me.

my real blog is at www.decemberhotel.net

My Favorite 100 Albums Of All-Time

I've been talking about doing this list for years and finally
I'm making it happen. This list is comprised of albums that
for one reason or another I have grown to love over the
years. Some of them date all the way back before I was born.
I was a child of the 80's. So most of the 80's entries are
kind of nostalgic.

Many of these albums I dare to consider some of the best
ever written. I hope you enjoy the list and maybe even
feel drawn to check out a few that you are unfamiliar with.

Has The Church Become Irrelevant?

America's Christian heritage is both rich and deep. What most historians and educators refuse to acknowledge, our forebears understood clearly: it was mostly Christians and churches that formed and shaped the new land that became known as the United States of America.

For example, when discussing the brave exploits of the passengers on board the Mayflower, people seem to have forgotten that the voyage was mostly the endeavor of a single church congregation. And don't forget that it was Pastor Jonas Clark's male congregants who withstood British troops at Lexington and fired the very first of the shots heard 'round the world. The famous French historian, Alexis De Tocqueville, credited the pulpits and churches of Colonial America with inspiring America's successful War for Independence and subsequent prosperity much more than its institutions of learning, halls of Congress, or industries of invention. From the very beginning, America's Christians and pastors were intricately involved in the establishment and building of this republic.

Pearl Jam (Behind The Scenes)

This Danny Clinch-directed promotional video for Backspacer, Pearl Jam's upcoming ninth studio album, features previews of songs like "Just Breathe," new single "The Fixer" and "Got Some." Backspacer is out Sept. 20.  

Pete Yorn (Concert Review)

By the time Pete and his band mates walked out onto the stage. I was overwhelmed with great anticipation. Just a few minutes before I was thinking to myself what song I thought would be a great show starter. I came up "Black" one of the better cuts from his first album "Musicforthe-
morningafter." Sure enough that was what they would open up with. By the time they launched in to the third song "Life On A Chain" a crowd favorite, it was clear we were in for a great show. Even though much of Yorn�s material is not high-energy rock and roll. But in concert even his slower numbers seem to have a little more muscle. Like "Paradise Cove" for instance. A stand-out from his new album "Back & Forth." Pete did a good job of tucking in the new songs between the recognizable favorites.

Every one there was sure to know Pete Yorn is a gifted songwriter and musician. But unlike many artists who seem to only be studio geniuses. Pete is also an awesome live performer. Pete and his band owned the stage through out the night. In fact the cover songs they chose to play
were perfect and further proved my point. Especially "Bizarre-Love Triangle" (New Order cover). They put a nice little twist on it. making it taste as if Pete had originally composed it. By the time the encore arrived I didn't want the show to end. They played a 3 song encore. Finishing the night with the energy blast of "For Nancy ('Coz It Already Is)" Which was a great way to end a perfect night.

The 25 Best Pearl Jam Songs

Pearl Jam is just one of those epic bands that totally
deserve all the praise that they get. I came up with the
idea to compile what I believe to be the best Pearl Jam
songs ever written. I firmly believe that any hardcore
Pearl Jam fan much like myself would place at least
half of these songs on their list.

The Verve Break Up (for the third time)

Cue the bittersweet symphony – for the third time, the Verve have broken up. Several months after guitarist Nick McCabe said the band were on an indefinite "holiday", McCabe and bassist Simon Jones are reportedly no longer talking to frontman Richard Ashcroft.

"The Verve seem to be on holiday and show no sign of not being on holiday," McCabe wrote on MySpace in April. "I've been hesitant to breach Official Secrets-style policy with any missives from the, well, from any front, basically. [But] don't ask me anything about the big V."

Beck's record Club (cover Velvet Underground)

One of the cool things to pop up this summer is Beck’s ongoing Record Club. If you have yet to check it out: Basically, Beck invites a bunch of his musician friends over to jam for a day covering an album track-by-track, then releases the results on his website. The first collaboration in the series is 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico. 

Beck’s Notes: For this first edition, after lengthy deliberation and coming close to covering Digital Underground’s Sex Packets, all present voted in favor of the ‘other’ Underground’s The Velvet Underground & Nico. Participants included this time around are Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, Brian Lebarton, Bram Inscore, Yo, Giovanni Ribisi, Chris Holmes, and from Iceland, special guest Thorunn Magnusdottir, and myself.
Here's a Sample:

Director John Hughes dies at 59

John Hughes, who died Thursday of a heart attack
at the age of 59. Most people that grew up in the
80's like myself came to know his movies on an
intimate basis. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club,
Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Planes,
Trains, & Automobiles, Pretty in pink, just to name
a few.

20 forgotten Songs (from the 90's)

Every now and then, a song comes on the radio that takes
you back to a different time and place. I got the idea to
compile a list of songs from the 90's that have kind of
been lost over the years. I hope some of these songs will
take you back down memory lane.