There's Something About Music

I have to admit that I have avoided this whole blog-writing venture. I've left it entirely in my dear husband's hands, and, until now, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting Random Babbles as an innocent bystander. Having studied English in college, I am a lover of the written word, and, in typical perfectionist fashion, I am quite critical of my own writing, never quite allowing myself the creative license that seems to now rear its ugly head. So, I ask that you now indulge this rare moment of writer's inspiration.

After taking a cue from my sister, who managed to win a Bose sound system from a Bay Area news station, I've embarked on a mini-career of entering radio contests for fabulous prizes. Last night we took advantage of some free tickets and ventured out to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts to see Hootie and the Blowfish in concert. I have never been a Hootie fan, mostly due to a teenage desire to buck popular trends. If scads of people were running towards the Blowfish in a fit of musical adoration, I fervently stayed put or even ran in the opposite direction. It wasn't that I disliked their music - in fact, I often found myself singing with the radio without even realizing it - I simply didn't want to be one of the sheep all going along with this popular trend and craze. I fully admit this is a faulty approach to life - I nearly missed out on Harry Potter! The contest entry was born out of my love for good, free entertainment, as well as the acknowledgement that DH has been a big fan of the band for years - I knew he'd enjoy the concert.

I've always loved music - playing it, listening to it, even singing along with a favorite band, albeit horribly off-key (there's a reason I joined the band, NOT the choir). In the middle of the concert, though, I had a sudden strange realization. The show had been a fun mix of some of those mid-90s radio standards as well as some nice covers and lesser known (to me) selections. All of a sudden, the band broke into "Hold My Hand," and I suddenly felt a little warm and fuzzy. Music is great because it causes you to feel something, perhaps remember something, or even whisk you away to a certain time and place. Even though I hadn't been a Hootie fan, this one song (or even most of their songs from "Cracked Rear View") was almost like a nice security blanket. It felt comfortable, like an old friend I hadn't talked to in a while, but I was all too excited to visit with. It got me to thinking... what are my top comfort songs?

So, in typical Rob Fleming fashion, I'm offering up my own list of top 5 Comfort Songs - these are my happy-place songs. Whenever these pop up on the radio or my iPod, I smile and feel a little bit at home:

5. Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might be Giants, Flood (1990) - to be fair, I doubt I was aware of this song as an 11 year old - I don't remember when I discovered this band, but oh, such fun!
4. Old Apartment - Barenaked Ladies, Born on a Pirate Ship (1996) - If I had to pick just one BNL song, this would be it. Just love it.
3. Hold my Hand - Hootie and the Blowfish, Cracked Rear View (1994) - surprising, I know. I couldn't not put this on the list since it was the inspiration for this entire venture
2. The Luckiest - Ben Folds, Rockin' the Suburbs (2001) - You'll notice that this is the only song that didn't originate in the 90s and during my high school career. This is a personal favorite for entirely different reasons.
1. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows, August and Everything After (1993) - By far my favorite song ever, and this from someone who hates to be tied down to a "favorites" list. I will never tire of this song.

So, I thank you for humoring my little blog entry. I admit that this list is not carved in stone - it does alter and shift depending on my mood, and I certainly could have easily made it into a top 10 list.

I now turn it over to you - what are your favorite comfort songs/bands/albums?

And They Are Indisputable (Music Edition)

These are the facts:

• A few music thoughts tonight. I'll start with a sort of somber one. Of all the versions of "Little Boxes" played on "Weeds", the most famous actual recording of the song is the one by Pete Seeger that plays as Agrestic burns at the end of the third season. Pete Seeger will always have a special place in my heart. When I was 12, my father passed away while we were away at an annual folk festival that Seeger runs in upstate New York. My mom sent a letter to Pete Seeger telling him about how much my father had liked him. Seeger wrote back personally, a long letter. He's one of the great classic American singers and obviously a good person as well.
• My wife won tickets through a radio station's website to tonight's Hootie and the Blowfish concert at Wolf Trap. It had been, to my best recollection, almost three years since I had been to a real concert (the last one was Ben Folds playing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra).
• The opening act was the Drew Davis Band, a country rock band from LA. I was a little hesitant about a country band, but they were actually pretty good. This country rock sound, popular now from bands like Big & Rich or Rascal Flatts, is based on the sound of classic rock, Southern or otherwise. In fact, this set included covers of a Skynyrd song and an Eagles song. After their set, they signed autographs (under a small overhang in the pouring rain, no less) and we went by after buying their CD. I was a bit taken aback when they all stuck out their hands, unprovoked, to introduce themselves and shake hands. Nice guys.
• Then came the Hootie set, and they were freaking fantastic. I'm a big fan but it was my first time seeing them live. You forget how many huge hits they've had and they played everything you'd want, including my two favorite of their songs (both from 1998's Musical Chairs), "Desert Mountain Showdown" and "Wishing". They played for a long time, ending the main set with "Hold My Hand" (the set also included a cover of "Losing My Religion" that brought down the house), ending the first encore with a great cover of "Champagne Supernova", and then closing the show with "Only Wanna Be With You". Strong, strong performance. As my friend said, they'll be one of those bands that can tour forever. Their music is poppy enough to be relatively timeless and they had enough hits that people in a certain age group will always want to hear them.
• One funny note on the show. Fans of Tony Kornheiser's radio show know that he's very good friends with the guys from Hootie and the Blowfish (they recorded a version of his mailbag song). Fans will also know that Mr. Tony hates Led Zeppelin. Right before Hootie played their famous version of Zeppelin's "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?", frontman Darius Rucker said something along the lines of: "My favorite person in the sports world is here tonight, Tony Kornheiser. This song is for you." For the probably very few at the park that were in on the joke, it warranted a laugh.
• I have to go to more concerts. It was too much fun.