Wherever You Go, There You Are

I've spent most of the last couple of weekends attempting to compose a mixed cd for some "old" friends. They're considered old not because of their age but for the simple fact that they are no longer a part of my life; my physical life that is. There was one time in the past that these particular people were pretty much a huge existence in my young adult years, mostly during the summer months. These days, one of them is still single and living the high life; the other one is very much married with two (or three) kids, I don't even know. They both reside in the Boston area and I in Chicago. When we hung out there were really only three rules: one was to always have beer while on the beach, two was to always be aware of each other’s whereabouts while on the town or in the bar and three was to always have the mixed tapes available. I visited with one of them this past summer. The other I seemed to have lost contact with while she was living in London having babies. Neither one has ever left my thoughts for extended periods of time and they both waft into my consciousness every now and then, usually because of a certain song, emotion or conversation.I thought it might be a nice surprise if I sent them both a mixed cd for Christmas as I feel very confident that my gesture will be greatly appreciated. There’s nothing worse than making a mixed cd for someone who could care less. My dilemma is composing this thing; it’s not as easy as I anticipated. It’s very difficult to pick and choose songs that span 15 or so years and when there's been so much "life" in between for all of us. Do I concentrate on the music of the past that is reminiscent of our times together? Do I pick songs that I've heard over the years that make me think of them for one reason or another. Or, do I decide to break all the rules of making a mixed tape (cd) by forgetting about the lyrics and choosing only songs that I prefer to listen to now with no underlining meaning what so ever. No because that would be pointless. Can you even make a mixed cd for friends without explaining why you choose those particular tunes? The recipient will always wonder why. So far I’ve done a little bit of all of the above. "Back in the day" I was the one who made most of the mixed tapes. There was no need for anyone to think about it. Now there feels like a lot of pressure to create a good mixed cd because I've never really created a bad mixed tape. Here’s a list of the songs I chose and some of the reasons why:California Stars, Billy Bragg. This is such a cool tone with a classic laid back feel to it. And who wouldn’t want to kick back under the California stars. One of my friends used to live there, I’ve only visited but I have a feeling we could both end up there for two simple but powerful reasons: Sun and warmth.Mystify, INXS. INXS used to be a band we always seemed to have in or near the “boom box” and car tape deck. “Mystify” has always been one of my favorites.Dreams, The Bodeans. The first time I became addicted to the Bodeans, my friends and I were spending one of our annual long weekends on Nantucket Island. I can’t remember why or how, but I accidentally stepped on a foreign object and in the process tore up my foot. The pain was so excruciating (dulled by the alcohol the night before) that it woke me up extremely early the next morning. While I managed to get myself over to a chair and hoist my leg up on the dresser, I became attached to that position and ended up stuck there for hours until everyone else woke up. The only thing within my reach was the boom box and in the tape deck was the Bodeans, Outside Looking In. I must have played that tape over and over for hours; therefore becoming addicted and forever associating it with that weekend and those days. “Outside Looking In” was as essential to our travels across Cape Cod and the Islands as gas was to our cars.Forever Young, Alphaville. It’s a tune about staying young and if I had my way I would still be living it up in kindergarten… or lounging on the beach in my twenties without a care in the world.Get Through, Mark Joseph. Because living in the summer is easy and living in the winter is fucking hard.Magic in the Air, Badly Drawn Boy. There always felt like so many things were unspoken about when we were all together. I’ve always loved this tune from Badly Drawn Boy. I bought his first album at the HMV store in Harvard Square, Cambridge MA. That one and Nora Jones- way before the rest of the world caught on to the buzz.Everyday is like Sunday, Morrissey. Morrissey was the man back then. In one way or another his lyrics and maudlin sound hit home for us all. I never made a mixed tape without him.Sweetest Decline, Beth Orton. Beth Orton is an artist that I’ve listened to since she came on the scene. She wasn’t around back in the day and I wonder if I would have enjoyed her as much if she was. Whatever, her music is great, I love her voice and I’m glad I have it now. A sweetest decline is the best way to go.Curly Locks, Sinead O’Connor. From Sinead’s latest album and this particular tune feels like how I used to a lot back then: slow and reckless.The Grass is Green, Nelly Furtado. Great tune, cool voice, and everyone feels it… at least I do.Drivin you, Shelly Cambell. Driving was a huge part of our time together. We drove all over Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Australia, Belmont, the Greek Islands, Sterling, and Boston. Some of the most memorable times involving a car included: a bridge, police questioning, bare feet, a rescue bus filled with a men’s soccer team, wine, Dunkin Doughnuts cups, road maps, tapes and music.Enlightenment, Van Morrison. My friend used to say she wanted Van to perform at her wedding. Nice thought and whenever I hear this song I think of her.Thinking out loud, Ron Sexsmith. Thinking out loud can sometimes get you in trouble and the act of writing it out is easier than saying it.Takin’ It Easy, Brad. We always took it easy, and I took it easy most of my life. Loved this tune from the second I heard it.High, James Blunt. I first saw this guy on Saturday Night Live and it was the same day I started to make this cd. He’s amazingly unique and inspiring- I felt like I received a gift when I saw him perform that evening. His album is simply one of the best this year.Overkill, Colin Hay. We all traveled to Australia together. There were a lot of situations and experiences and implications. This acoustic version seemed like a perfect fit.Bow Down, Housemartins. I can’t make anything musical for these friends without putting these guys on it. They made our Greece excursion so much more “colorful”.3 Little Birds, Bob Marley. Don’t worry about a thing because every little thing is going to be alright. And it is.Don’t Dream it’s Over, Crowded House. When the drummer from Crowded House committed suicide a couple of years ago all I wanted to do was call my friends and discuss. I didn’t have their numbers. Crowded House was one of the coolest bands ever.I hope this CD finds my friends at a good place in their lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…

Winter's Hook

Just an opinion I wanted to share with whoever cares to let it in. Tonight I stood in front of the beer cooler at Whole Foods for close to ten minutes trying to decide which one to take home. It was kind of funny because my intention was to go over there and just grab some Rolling Rock but was quickly distracted by all the various winter brews that were on the shelf. I’m a big fan of the seasonal beers, favoring the summer ones but have only occasionally enjoyed the winter and spring ones.I was in Whole Foods picking up a bottle of Nino Franco "Rustico" for my parents Christmas gift basket when I went over for the Rolling Rock. The problem was, I only saw one six pack sitting alone on the side, on top of the baby kegs -and not even in the cooler. O.K. so I obviously didn’t want that one, but pondered the thought for five minutes too long. Why weren’t there any on the shelves? I glanced around the area for a stock associate to help me, but there were strangely none to be found. It seemed to me that the Rolling Rock simply lost its shelf space due to the abundance of winter brews and holiday ales. Not right but whatever. The cooler was packed. Maybe a winter beer is what I’m meant to have tonight; after all it was pretty cold out, a bit blustery and it is holiday time, so why not. But just like my coffee or wine, I don’t like beer with cinnamon or any kind of spice in it and that’s typically what makes the winter brews…well, winter like. No thanks. So I had a rough time deciding which one to buy. While I was looking for something new, with an interesting label and reasonable price tag,I noticed the Red Hook ales. Their summer brew, Sunrye is always in my refrigerator during the summer months so I wondered about the Winterhook brew. I didn’t grab it right away because I was a little weary that it may have nutmeg or something in it and didn’t want to be disappointed. I continued to check out my other options, but nothing grabbed me- they were all either too expensive or obnoxious looking. So I finally decided on the Red Hook Winterhook ale and within an hour later couldn’t believe I just discovered it now. This stuff was fantastic-just right. As far as my taste buds could tell there were no overbearing spices and it was extremely drinkable. It’s nice to have something with a little substance to it when it’s freezing outside- warms the belly.After checking out the web site I’ve learned that the Winterhhook ale is the seasonal companion to Sunrye. And they recommend drinking it with holiday dinners, especially "turkey and trimmings". Perfect, but believe me, pretzels work just as well.