Category: Music

The album Nevermind was released by Nirvana / Geffen 23 years ago in 1991 (I was 13).

I remember this intensely because the day the album was released I was riding with my mom to the local discount superstore (Roses in Marion, SC) and I was intent on buying an Eric Clapton tape.

On the way, mom switched on the radio and I’ll never forget hearing the first few riffs of Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana on her Honda Accord speakers.

It changed my life. I was 13 and I finally heard music. I’ve preached sermons about this moment. Seriously.

“For this gift, I feel blessed.”

I bought the Nevermind tape instead of Clapton’s. It has made all the difference.

Thanks, Kurt.

Uncle Tupelo’s No Depression is one of my favorite albums of all time. So excited to see this release…

Released in 1990, No Depression, is a genuine milestone in American rock n roll, a still striking fusion of traditional folk and country with post punk innovation and hardcore ferocity.

Amazon Link

One of those questions I ponder frequently (having been a tween of the early 90’s and having frequently used his music as benchmarks in my life):

Nirvana – The In Utero Concert 1993 – Full Length Film

Mrs Loosemore has taught me that it’s good to have a list of things not understandable.

Forget Ryan Seacrest, this is a great listen to ring in 2013 (especially Box Full of Letters starting around min 24):

It’s amazing to think that one instrument has pretty much provided the soundtrack of my life:

Trigger: Texas Monthly December 2012: “Without Willie, there would be no Trigger. And it’s only a slight exaggeration to say that without Trigger, there would be no Willie. Willie likes to say that his guitar will probably wear out just about the same time he does. But instead of slowing down, as most people do when they approach their ninth decade, Willie keeps doing the things he’s been doing for years, and so does Trigger. The pair did more than 150 shows this year, and they’ll likely do about that many in 2013. They’ll make some more albums and write some more songs. They’ll play as if they’re going to play forever.”

Fantastic article on my favorite musician and favorite instrument.

Good for a chilly election night…

Beautiful:

Apple’s Tribute To Steve Jobs, Yo-Yo Ma, And The Prelude From Bach:

As it turns out, Ma plays the first four Bach suites tuning down his cello a full semitone, and there is a specific reason for doing so. In baroque times, instruments like cellos sounded a little different: the musical note A (A440) didn’t have a frequency of 440 Hz, but was more around 415 Hz — something known as the baroque pitch.

(Via www.macstories.net)

It’s funny, odd and a little comforting to scroll back through back in my last.fm profile and see what music I’ve been listening to since I signed up for the service in August of 2005 (when I was 26 and a lot more wiser):

samharrelson’s Music Profile – Users at Last.fm

In 2005, the social web was still completely new and the idea of sharing what you were listening to with others was just revolutionary.

Still is.

In 2005, I was living in Columbia and teaching at Hammond School and had no idea what lie ahead.

What a long, strange trip it’s been.

By the way, I went a few years without having the last.fm audio scribbler hooked up, so there is so much data missing. I’ve listened to way more than 12,000 songs over the last seven years (about 4-5 a day if that’s to be believed). I’ve probably covered closer to three times that amount at least. But still… fun data.

Yay interwebs.

I’m always shocked that people want to know what I’m listening to, but I’m pretty open about what comes across my iTunes and Spotify accounts via the @SamsHouseMusic.

Thanks to Last.FM’s Scrobbler, iTunes, Spotify and Twitterfeed, I’m able to stream whatever is playing in my house at any given time.

Even when I’m out of the house, I keep the music going. It’s always fun for me to check in the middle of the day to see what Schaefer is listening to at any given time.

He’s a big Phish fan these days, evidently.