The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Trollheart]

Hard to believe we're already into the last update for March: doesn't seem that long ago that I was talking about the last update for February and the first for March combined. Now we're a quarter of the way into the year already. Doesn't time fly? And yes, I know I'm late again...


So what's been happening down at Journaltown, as March draws to a close and ushers in April, and we get closer to summer again?

Anteater continues his journey back into childhood, looking at the music that influenced him when growing up in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...n-dollars.html, with this week's subject being electronic music. So bands like Tangerine Dream. Thievery Corporation and Enigma are the order of the day

while Briks is more a metal guy --- sometimes --- and is looking at Pentagram, Bathory and, um, the Beatles? Wander on down to http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...seur-cave.html to find out what it's all about.

And we have a new journal! But not just any journal, oh no. Frownland, of all people, is giving us the benefit of his, ah, eclectic taste in music. Why not spend some time http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...wnapilago.html with him? This first week you'll be listening to the music of Peter Brotzmann... hey, I told you his taste was eclectic!

There's always something interesting in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ening-log.html: you'd wonder how Goofle gets the time to listen to all this music? Perhaps he's running the same multi-tasking software that allows my brain to keep so many journals going at ... ah. I've said too much. Just pretend the last few seconds didn't happen okay? As for Goofle, music abounds as I say: Freddie Gibbs, Maroon 5, CunnyLinguists, St. Vincent, Kylie, Bast ... the man never stops!

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ly-review.html is in full flow now, and this week Pet Sounds is dissecting the lyrics from such artistes as Sunny Day Real Estate, Joan Jett, Coldplay and Gloria Gaynor. Interesting to say the least.

And now a special mention for, and apology to, Plankton, whose journal entry I somehow missed out last week. So to redress this I'm posting it this week. So what's it [ur]http://www.musicbanter.com/members-journal/63955-chum-bucket.html[/url] you ask? Another part of his story on the road to becoming a great guitarist, with artistes like Rush, Metal Church and Yngwie Malmsteen featured, and a chilling look into what could have been a very short future for the guy...

Another cool acoustic guitarist featured in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ool-stuff.html, where Psychedub Dude introduces us to Japanese virtuoso LonlonJP

while Silenzio tells us about Orquestra de Enrique Jorrin, World's End Girlfriend and Nils Frahm in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...mix-music.html.

And now to me. I've been trying to give some love to the journals that I've been neglecting while I concentrate on my two main ones, so this week sees the return of http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html, with reviews of albums from The War on Drugs and Cloud Nothings, while in the usual spot there's a lot happening at http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html, with reviews of albums by When Bitter Spring Sleeps and Verbal Delirium, as well as a new section called “Trollheart's Bookshelf”, featuring great or just my favourite writers, and kicking off with the master of the macabre himself, Edgar Allan Poe.

More Babylon 5 for you in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html, and a brand new, never-before-seen (so far as I know) feature being planned for there soon, so stay tuned. Not happy with five journals on the go, I've started another one, but this one was necessary as I fall into http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...azz-blues.html, where I finally get to explore the genre I've had no time for, with a review to start off of the classic Miles Davis album, “Kind of blue”.

Unknown Soldier sees us out this week as 1981 continues to bring to the fore great bands and also incite hot debate in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html. Featured acts this week include Van Halen, Venom and Raven. Aw! Shoulda done Vardis, then we'd have had the three “V”s!

Notable absences this week from Ki, Urban and if anyone knows the whereabouts of The Batlord please buy him a ticket home to Journaltown! We miss his crazy writing here!

To complete my apology for overlooking his post last week, Plankton is this week's

Originally Posted by Plankton

Chapter 6 - They Call Me The Breeze

Upon awakening, I found myself staring blurry eyed out the window of the Trailways Bus. The one thing I noticed right off is that something had happened to the road. I couldn't see anything but mist and the tops of some of the trees, and it appeared as if the bus had somehow transformed into a small low flying aircraft (which would have been fine with me given the circumstances), but after further investigation I found that we had swerved to avoid hitting something and just missed tumbling off the side of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the other passengers were asleep, and the few that were still awake at 3am were too distracted to notice how close we had just come to our demise. I checked my trusty Walkman to discover that I had fallen asleep to side B of Grace Under Pressure by Rush, and after some soul searching combined with checking my pants for any bodily fluids that may have expelled from being awakened to such a traumatizing site, I turned the cassette over and pressed play.

After quitting our dishwashing jobs and collecting our last paychecks, a friend and I decided we were going to be Rock Stars. A simple plan. Take our money, buy one-way bus tickets from Chicago to L.A., get in a band and become famous. What aspiring 19 year old guitarist hasn't thought about this scenario. We were bound to make it happen. For myself, I was escaping the clutches of my family, who were hell bent on getting me into the military. I had taken the ASVAB, and had scored high enough that I had recruiters coming out of the woodwork, namely Air Force recruiters which are of the smart, and snidely sort. I wasn't having any of it. As for my friend Ed, he was coming from a life of alcoholic parents, and daily beatings. The physical, as well as the psychological types of the kind. I had been teaching Ed guitar for the most part, as I could play Fade to Black, and he couldn't, so was the natural selection of guitar players as to what the hierarchy was. We found our environment despicable, so we made an attempt to change it, and we managed to do just that. Whether it was for the better, or for the good remains to be scene at this point, but what sticks with me are my musical companions I took with me on this fateful journey... well besides Ed. I had left most of my possessions at home, save for my guitar, some clothes, my Walkman, and a few select cassettes.

Rush, Metal Church, and Yngwie Malmsteen were the only connectors that would tie me back to my home. It had been a day and a half of a 3 day ride, and I was already home-sick.

Hope that sorts us out, man. We cool?

And that brings to a close another journal update thread, the last for March. Only 289 shopping days to Christmas you know! OW! Ok, ok, I'm going...

Till next week at the same time (hopefully on time)
Toodles!