Weekend Music Game: Family, Friends, and those other people

And now for something completely different....the Weekend Music Game....this time our idea comes courtesy of my friend Jeff McCloud. 

Put your MP3 player or other music device/software on shuffle/random and play the first ten songs, without skipping any of them. Then relate each song, in order, to the following list:

Song #1: Your Mom

Song #2: Your Dad

Song #3: A sibling

Song #4: Your spouse (or potential future spouse)

Song #5: Your boss

Song #6: Your pet 

Song #7: Next door neighbor

Song #8: Teacher you hated most growing up

Song #9: Best friend

Song #1o: Children (or future/potential children)

They won't all fit, but occasionally you'll get something that is dead on...or even funny...or both!

Alright then, here goes my list:

1. My Mom - "So Much Trouble" by Matt Pond PA - haha. Hope she doesn't read this...but the lines "You're in so much trouble, can't hide in your covers" is something I'm sure she told me as a kid.

2. My Dad - "Above a Whisper" by Andy Zipf - well, he did have a booming voice.

3. Sibling - "Rainmaker" by John Austin - hmmm. not sure what that means...

4. My Wife - "Listen" by Dignan. Oh, you better believe I listen to her!

5. My Boss - "Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash. Ha, pretty funny, but...no. I've never worked for anyone like the guy in the song.

6. My Pet - "Hammer and Nails" by Mark Heard. Oh, I'd like to take a hammer and nails to him some times...

7. Neighbor - "Epignosis" by Chatterbox. Had to look this one up. Apparently it's the Greek word for "full knowledge or discernment." Still doesn't really apply...

8. Least favorite teacher - "Sweeter Than Me" by Aaron Sprinkle. I don't think so...

9. Best Friend - "The Joke is Over" by Damien Jurado. Well, I guess best friends share a lot of jokes. The line "Laughing with you, not at you" should apply, but I think my friends do their fair share of laughing AT me.

10. My Children - "Snowbirds and Townies" by Further Seems Forever. Ha. I have no clue what that means in terms of my kids...but ok.

Well, a few of those were OK I guess. Now it's your turn...

Weekend Music Game - Life According to MP3s

It's Friday! Once again time for the Weekend Music Game or "TMGFKATFMG" (The Music Game Formerly Known as the Friday Music Game).

Gonna shake it up a bit again this week. Rules are still the same: put your music player on random/shuffle and list the first seven songs that play...with no skipping. This time around, the first seven songs will correspond with seven milestones in your life, as follows. 

Song 1: song title relates to the day you were born. 

Song 2: describes your childhood

Song 3: describes your high school years

Song 4: describes your college years

Song 5: describes your career

Song 6: describes your marriage

Song 7: applies to your death, perhaps the song to play at your funeral. 

So the key here is the song title and how it applies to those events. A lot of them won't really fit, but you'll be surprised. Some of them could end up being rather funny. And remember...no cheating. I don't want you skipping ahead just to find something appropriate. Got it? 

Here's my entry for the Weekend Music Game:

1. Birth - "Two of a Million" by Chris Taylor  - hmmm. but I wasn't twins...

2. Childhood - "Downside" by Klank

3. High School - "Endurance" by EDL - possibly appropriate...

4. College - "Redemption" by Johnny Cash

5. Career - "U Can't Touch This" by M. C. Hammer - hehe. nice

6. Marriage - "With or Without You" by U2 - I swear this is what came up. Wow.

7. Death - "Molotov" by Dead Poetic - yeesh.....

Well there you have it. Some interesting ones there (and some of my louder stuff came up this time around).

Now it's your turn to tell us your life story...as told by your MP3 player...go for it.

Your Weekend Music Fix

The weekend is just around the corner, and once again we have another weekend of great music for you, beginning with several cool shows tonight. And, as always, there are plenty of great local bands and musicians on the bill. Some of these show are free, so if you are interested in more details on cost or times, just click on the link. And I'm pretty sure you all know how to use Google...

Last weekend I went to see Slimfit, Perkasie, and the Shackeltons at the Abbey, and had such a great time that I'm revisiting one of these bands for one of my weekend picks. But the selection is so prime this time around...I'm forced to make THREE picks.

Ken's Pick o' the Week #1:

Friday, 1/23 - Perkasie, The Sketties, Ivan Swangren Trio, Tin Leaves, & St. Narcissus at the Chameleon in Lancaster. Several great local bands, and if you have never seen Perkasie live, you are missing out on one of the most energetic and amazing shows. Seriously, you need to be there. (and if you can't make that show, head on over to Clipper Stadium in Lancaster earlier in the evening will Perkasie will be performing a shorter set).

Ken's Pick o' the Week #2:

Sunday, 1/25 - The Fiction Family at Messiah College. If you haven't heard of this band, you soon will. Lots o' buzz surrounding this project featuring Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. WXPN and other indie stations have been playing this band's music lately. Good stuff.

Ken's Pick o' the Week # 2:

Tuesday, 1/27 - Moviate.org presents Frightened Rabbit at the Abbey Bar in Harrisburg. Frightened Rabbit is a great indie band that's getting a lot of buzz these days. Plus, this is a free show! If you know anything about this band you know that this is a serious bargain.

Here's the rest of the calendar.

Thursday, 1/22

Steve Winwood at the American Music Theater, Lancaster

International Guitar Night at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg

Friday, 1/23

Davisson Brothers at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Adam Blessing at Fenicci's, Hershey

Tamboreens at McCleary's Pub, Marietta

Main Street Mystics at Building Character, Lancaster

Saturday, 1/24

Vinegar Creek Constituency at McCleary's Pub, Marietta

Tom Hamilton's American Babies & Wissahickon Chicken Shack at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Reason Left Town, Flatbed Ford, The Suburban Sound, The CCL at the Chameleon, Lancaster

Again, this is far from an exhaustive list of the music you can hear around Central PA this weekend. Check out the websites for your favorite venue or band, or even one of the great local events websites, but most importantly, Support Local Music!

New U2: Get On Your Boots

The new U2 song, "Get On Your Boots," debuted today and I just heard it for the first time a few minutes ago on XPN. I think it's a very different sound for the band, as they continue to explore new territory.

The song is streaming here, at least for a short time. You can also read details about the full album, No Line On The Horizon, at that site. And you can read the lyrics here.

The song is a bit of a rocker for U2 and has a funky edge. Lots of rhythm section going on. I think it bodes well for the new album, which will be released on March 3rd. 

I find that U2 songs and albums are often like puzzles that need to be figured out, so it will take me a little while to digest this song, as well as the album once it is released. But so far I really like what I hear. There has been so much talk about this album that I have worried that it won't live up to the hype. But I'm pretty sure U2 won't dissapoint.

Let me know what you think of this song, and if you comment, give us at least the context as to whether you are a U2 fan or not. 

Let's Go Eagles!

Fly Eagles Fly. 

On the road to victory. 

Fight Eagles Fight. 

Score a touchdown. 

1,2,3. 

Hit'em low. Hit'em high. 

And watch our eagles fly. 

Fly Eagles Fly. 

On the road to victory. 

E-A-G-L-E-S 

EAGLES!

Friday Music Game: The Way Back Machine

Wasn't it just Friday, like...oh...a week ago? Well it's time for the Friday Music Game once again. A Twitter discussion with a few folks the other day has inspired me to head in a different, and potentially more embarrassing direction. So let's all hop in our Way Back Machines and think back to when we were kids. Today's edition of the game is to tell us about the first 45/LP/8-Track/cassette/CD, etc. that you can remember getting/purchasing. If you can't remember the very first one, just try to do the best you can. Oh, and if you are too young to know what a 45 or LP or even 8-track or cassette is....I hate you. And you can look them up on Wikipedia.

As for me, I can't be sure which was the very first, but for the sake of argument I'm going to say that my very first 45 was the song "Mandy" by Barry Manilow. Yup. I admit it. I was in 6th grade and it was 1975. (I'll save you the pain of doing the math...I'm just about 47 years old). I actually purchased a number of 45s around that time including another Manilow song, "It's A Miracle," as well as The Doobie Brothers - "Black Water" and America - "Tin Man."

As for Manilow, what can I say? This was early in his career when he was making the transition from successful jingle song writer to pop star, and before he went the lounge singer route. I was only 13 at the time and I was just getting into music and taking my cues from Philly top 40 music stations like WIFI 92 and WFIL/WIP. Plus, there was a cute girl in my 6th grade class at Jarrettown Elementary School by the name of Mandy (couldn't remember her last name if my life depended on it...). I'm sure she doesn't remember me! Anyway, that's my song! 

Here's a video of the song from Midnight Special, a great rock program from that time period. 

Now it's your turn! Step into the Way Back Machine and tell us the first song/album you can remember buying/receiving when you were younger.

A Musictacular Weekend

Did ya hear that? That was the sound of a thousand jaws dropping when they found out that there was so much great music happening this weekend throughout Central Pennsylvania. So here we go!

Ken's Picks o' the Weekend:

#1 - XPN Welcomes Music Friday to Downtown Lancaster - Friday, Jan. 16th. Third Friday of every month is Music Friday in Lancaster. The 300 block of N. Queen Street is ground zero for this event, particularly Building Character. You should especially stop by BC at 9 p.m. to hear my good friend Alex Brubaker and his fingerstyle guitar playing.

#2 - XPN Welcomes The Shackeltons, Slimfit, & Perkasie to the Abbey Bar in Harrisburg. Friday, Jan 16th. After Music Friday head on up to Harrisburg to hear three great Central PA XPN Local bands. The Shackeltons (Chambersburg) produced one of my favorite albums of 2008 and I can't wait to hear their next CD. Slimfit (Lancaster) puts on one of the most energetic and crazy shows you have ever seen. And Perkasie (Lancaster) is set to have a breakout year in 2009. Doesn't get any better than this. And there is no cover charge!

And, the rest of the weekend:

Thursday, January 15

XPN Welcomes James Hunter & Ryan Shaw to Whitaker Center, Harrisburg

Friday, January 16

The Sketties at Creations Cafe, Lititz

Celtic Crossroads at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg

Saturday, January 17

Zen Tricksters at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Adam Blessing at Annie Bailey's Irish Pub, Lancaster

So don't bother listening to the weather forecast for the weekend. Cold is just a state of mind. And music is like a heating pad for the soul. Or something like that...

Sweet New Video: Neil Young - Fork in the Road

Sheer brilliance. That's all I can say after seeing the video for the latest Neil Young song, "Fork in the Road."

For the most part I've loved Young's music, with a few minor burps along the way. He has a way of being disarmingly biting while making you laugh. And in this video he certainly plays the part well of the curmudgeonly veteran rocker...all the while making socio-political commentary, with a few well placed jabs at the world of new media. You can almost hear the "nudge, nudge, wink, wink." But beyond that, the beauty here is the wry simplicity with which Young shot this video. One camera, one shot, one take. And musically it's quite the gem as well. I have a feeling this is one of those videos where I'll catch something new with each subsequent viewing.

Enjoy!

Who Am I? Getting to Know Ken

My friend Aaron Aiken (@aaronaiken) who blogs over at Where Are You Now? started a thread or "meme" whereby we're supposed to introduce ourselves a bit and tell seven weird or random things about ourselves, and then tag seven more people to keep it going. So...why not?

Here's some interesting things you should know about Ken:

1. I love music, but have ZERO musical ability. Any time I have ever tried to take lessons, I have failed. I guess I'm too A.D.D. to stick to it. I seriously wish I could play piano or guitar, but...I can't. I can't even sing. I always tell people that I'm "biotone" - I only know two notes...and neither of them have ever been used in a song.  So I live vicariously through the music I listen to, as well as my drum/piano/guitar playing kids. Oh, and I have no rhythm. And since I don't drink, you'll never see me dancing in public. Unless of course it's a small crowd of close friends and I'm seriously trying to embarrass my kids.

2. Food, glorious Food! It's a surprise I don't weigh 300 pounds. I love food. And I'll try anything once. I think that if a Dr. ever tells me I need to cut back on certain things due to cholesterol/blood pressure/other malady, I'll just have to look him in the eye and say "Are you stupid?" And I love meat too much to ever consider being a vegetarian. I'll go to a buffet and get back to my table and realize that I have a plate piled high with meat.  Sometimes the closest thing I ever get to a veggie in those places would be mashed potatoes or French fries. 

As a kid, I once as a joke made an apple butter and liverwurst sandwich (yes, i know, "ewwwww.") And as gross as it may sound, it actually tasted quite good. So I actually made those sandwiches from time to time. I've even eaten cold calves brains at a Moroccan meal. Won't ever eat them again, but I tried it! And yes, I do like scrapple. For me, it's all about taste. I don't give a rip about what it looks like or "presentation." I'm from the school of thought that it's all going to the same place...so strange combinations generally don't bother me. If it tastes good, I'm in!

3. My hair is completely gray and has been for a long time. I don't remember when the process started, but I was definitely in my mid- to late-30s. I've never even considered coloring it, but for those of you who know me only as a gray-haired gent, my original hair color was a light-ish brown. I think there are some pictures of that on Facebook. Fortunately I've been told that gray looks good on me. Some might say "dignified" but then they must not really know me!

4. While I'm not an innovator or a true early adopter, I'm a supreme multi-tasker when it comes to technology. As a kid I would do my homework while sitting in front of the TV and listening to music. Now, as I approach my 47th birthday, I find myself well ahead of the tech curve, having been on Facebook and MySpace well before my kids were even there. Part of that is due to the fact that some of my jobs have involved researching and writing/speaking on social media/Internet/new media. I'm obviously blog, I'm on Twitter (@kmueller62) as well as a number of other social media sites. It is not uncommon to find me online, listening to music, on AIM, on Twitter, and on my cell (either texting or speaking), all at the same time. Somehow this works for me and I flourish. Sometimes in the evening I'll even be doing all these while watching TV. 

As a result, many of my friends are people I first met online via social media. These are the friends  with whom I can truly connect on a regular basis, and I enjoy meeting them in person.

But the one area where I'm technologically stupid is video games. My kids love playing me in Halo or other games because I'm like a guy with a bulls eye on him. They've killed me ten times before I even SEE them the first time. And don't even ask me about Guitar Hero. Apparently my musical inabilities carry over to virtual music.

5. Fears. I don't really have many. Not afraid of dying. I guess my biggest phobia would be a weird fear of medium heights. High heights don't bother me. I figure if I fall, I'm dead. But if I'm on the edge of the roof...or perhaps 20 feet up...then I might get a little scared...because if I fall, I'm maimed. I think I'd rather die than be seriously maimed. Not afraid of snakes, or spiders, or crowds, or small spaces. And certainly not superstitious at all. I go out of my way to use the number 13, walk under ladders, walk passed black cats. I'd break more mirrors on purpose, but my wife would be ticked, and that habit would get kind of expensive. 

6. Coffee. I love coffee. With cream and sugar. Coffee stirs up fond memories for me. I can remember coming downstairs in the morning as a kid and smelling my dad's coffee, and even smelling it on his breath as he hugged me to go to work. Couldn't stand it back then, and didn't really learn to drink it until college. Now, I used to say that there is no such thing as a bad cup of coffee. That's because when I really started drinking it heavily I was working overnights in small town radio. You never knew when that pot of coffee had been brewed, and I'm sure when it was emptied it never really got cleaned well. My main caveat with coffee is that I want just regular old coffee. No lattes or espresso or double mochasomethingorothers for me. No flavors. Just coffee. And my preferred brand is Dunkin Donuts. I just think it tastes best and goes down really smooth. Starbucks is overpriced swill. I would LOVE to get into all the different blends from different countries, etc., but sometimes they are too strong for me. So if you are buying me a cup of coffee, I'll take regular ol' Joe with some cream and sugar...and DD is the best choice. If you do that, you'll make me very happy.

7. Oh wow...my last one. What to talk about? How about that fact that I'm seriously boring! I'm a homebody and I don't go out much. With few exceptions, I'd rather stay home at night and on the weekends and just chill. I have no real hobbies (other than reading, music, and Internet), no cool special skills, and I've never really travelled extensively. Only been out of the country twice (both times to Canada...yawn), and have never been to any of the really cool places in this country. Never seen the Grand Canyon or Mount Rushmore or Alaska or Hawaii. I prefer white bread to wheat bread. Yep...I'm boring. 

And now time to tag my friends and see what they come up with:

Daniel

Jess

Hiram

Sara

Brian

Bryan

Beth

THE RULES ARE:
Link your original tagger(s) and leave a comment on this blog posting when you’ve “memed”.

List these rules on your blog.

Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.

Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.

Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

Final Reminder: Hannah Garman Benefit

So far the predictions of a crazy snow storm haven't materialised, so I'm hoping there will be a great turnout for tonight's Hannah Garman benefit at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy.

I blogged about this benefit earlier in the week, but thought I'd remind you in case you were still looking for something to do tonight. Meanwhile, here are links to a few other blogs that have discussed the benefit:

Daniel Klotz

Change 101

Hope to see you all there!

It's Back! The Friday Music Game!!!

Took some time off, but now it's time for the Friday Music Game. And we'll just do it the old-school, traditional way. If you're new, feel free to play along. It's fun AND 4 out of 5 doctors say it will help relieve your stress before the weekend. 

Rules: Put your iPod/MP3 player/iTunes, etc on shuffle/random and hit Play. Then list the first ten songs that play, in order,  no skipping (even if that embarrassing Michael Bolton song comes up...). And feel free to tell us something about the songs if you want. 

And here we go....

1. Julie Miller - All My Tears - love this song. She has a new album out with husband Buddy, but wish she would do another solo album.

2. The Hooters - Time After Time (live) - always liked Cyndi Lauper's version of this song, but while she made it famous, these are the guys that wrote it.  This live version is pretty nice.

3.  Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash - I Still Miss Someone - I recently found a whole bunch of Dylan/Cash performances online. Two great tastes that taste great together!

4. The Juliana Theory - 10,000 Questions - really like these guys, but this isn't one of my faves...

5. Soul Junk - 3PO Soul - my favorite lo-fi/punk/hip hop/jazz outfit. Prefer their oldest stuff, but this really like this song in all of it's electronic deliciousness.

6. The Fray - She Is - newer song from these guys. They are hit and miss with me, but I like this song. Really like this dude's voice.

7. Damien Jurado - Hell and Highwater - nice quietly dark tune from Jurado's debut album, Water Avenue S, on Subpop. Still a great album 12 years later...

8. Land of a Thousand Rappers - Water Displacement - Don't know much about this band but I really like their sound...and they are on Asthmatic Kitty Records...which counts for something!

9. Dean & Britta - Threw it Away - beautiful song from a seriously beautiful album. Love it.

10. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 1 & 2 - Really like this album, though again this isn't the best song. Still, it's good.

And....ten more to keep you warm over the weekend during the supposed snowstorm...

11. Vigilantes of Love - It's Not Bothering Me

12. Mark Heard - Shaky Situation

13.  Pedro the Lion - I'm Always The One Who Calls

14. Andy Pratt - That's When Miracles Occur

15.  Lisa Loeb - Taffy

16. Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire

17. The Violet Burning - There is Nowhere Else

18. John Vanderslice - Numbered Lithograph

19. Hiram Ring - Breath Deep

20. Moby - Find My Baby

Cool Band, Cool Video: Frightened Rabbit

One of the newer bands out there that is getting a lot of buzz is Frightened Rabbit out of Scotland. The band is primarily a project of Scott Hutchison and his brother Grant, and they are really starting to catch on over on this side of the big pond.

Frightened Rabbit is now touring the U.S. and some of their shows are even selling out. The really cool news in all of this is that they will be playing a FREE show at the Abbey Bar in Harrisburg on January 27th, in a show being promoted by the folks at Moviate.org.

Here's the latest video from the band...which I happen to think is pretty darn cool.

Also on the bill at the Abbey that night are Lancaster's 8-Track Radio and Harrisburg's Bigmouth Strikes Again.

If you're not in Central PA or can't catch this show, other area Frightened Rabbit shows include a stop at Johnny Brenda's in Philly on 1/16, the Talking Head in Baltimore on 1/20, Rangos Ballroom at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh on 1/26, and then back in Philly on 1/29 for a free acoustic show at Reward Boutique.

Definitely check these guys out...and enjoy!

This Weekend in Music

Things were a little slow around the holiday, but wow...the music scene really picks up this weekend. Unless there are tornadoes, blizzards, or swarms of locusts, you have no excuse for staying home and missing out on great local music.

Pick of the weekend:

Saturday, 1/10 - Hannah Garman Benefit Concert at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy. I blogged about this the other day, so no need to rehash all that. You can read the details here.

The rest of the weekend's festivities:

Friday, 1/9

Gregg Allman at Whitaker Center in Harrisburg

Vinegar Creek Constituency at Lancaster Dispensing Company

The Sketties at the Dutch Maid in Ephrata

Hexbelt, Barrel of Wolves, and High Falootin' at the Chameleon in Lancaster

Indian Summer Jars at the Abbey Bar in Harrisburg

Mark DeRose Duo at the Harp & Fiddle Irish Pub in York

8-Track Radio at Building Character in Lancaster

Saturday 1/10

Katie Becker w/ Castle Worries & We Were Skeletons at Senorita Burrita in Lancaster

Anberlin at the Chameleon (also appearing are Madina Lake & Between the Trees) 

Jay & the Americans at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster

Perkasie at First Cap Dispensing Company in York

Japhey Ryder, New Madrid Faults and Carlon at the Abbey Bar in Harrisburg

Capitol Bandstand (showcase of local bands) at the Strand-Capitol in York

Blogs You Should Read: Change 101

I have a lot of friends in the blogosphere and from time to time I like to give them a shout out so that more people will check them out.

One such friend is Jess Bair, a writer for the Central Penn Business Journal. But on the side she has a blog called Change 101. Here is the concept for the blog in her own words:

I feel challenged to help initiate change. This blog is my first step, small as it may be. At least once a week I will try to post some information about a cause, what it does and how you can help. I hope the information will help you to speak up, reach out and take our world and our desire for change seriously.

In recent weeks, Jess has covered local issues such as helping the homeless in Harrisburg and urban poverty in Central PA. She has also covered more global issues like the Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign and efforts to improve the situation in Darfur.

Check out Change 101 and it might inspire you to do something, no matter how small. You can also join her Facebook group.

Community At It's Best: Hannah Garman Benefit

I love it when communities join together for a good cause. In this case, it's a great cause. This Saturday night, January 10th, a number of bands and others will be performing at a benefit concert for 4-year old Hannah Garman at Bube's Brewery in Mount Joy. 

Back in October, Hannah was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancerous brain tumor. Since that time, the young Lititz girl has undergone several operations and been given numerous treatments including chemotherapy. Several years ago Hannah's mother passed away from cancer, leaving her father, Darin, to care for her and her two siblings. You can read more about Hannah at Caring Bridge. You can also watch a news story about her from WGAL-TV.

The benefit will be held this Saturday at 9pm in the Bottling Works at Bube's. 

Featured performers include:

The Reese Project

Hiram Ring

Kris Margiotta

Jody Rush

Randy Z. of Tropical Soul

The Dreamscapes Project

Ripe

The Dogs of Lust

Pete & Keith of Shame

There will also be a number of prizes raffled off, and DJ Kerry Deim will be the MC.

If you are on Facebook you can find more information about the event here.

If you are looking for some great music this weekend, this is the place to be, and you'll be helping out a great cause. Let's all band together to help this beautiful little girl and her family. 

And even if you can't make it, tell your friends. Spread the word any way you can. Wouldn't it be great if the venue was so packed that people had to wait to get in?

Also, if you have anything you'd like to donate for the raffle, please contact Todd Johnston at 717-468-8807 or todd@ksoundstudios.com .

Now THIS is what community is all about.

Buy Local, Buy...Handmade!

There's a big push here in Central PA to "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" and now a relatively new website/blog can help you with that task, at least in terms of local Pennsylvania artisans and crafters. Handmade in PA (HiP) features the work of those in Pennsylvania who are creating all sort of handmade goods, from jewelry and clothing to the fine arts and pottery. If it's handmade, and from Pennsylvania, this is the site to check out. 

The site features a small but growing directory of PA artisans, and you can help her grow that list! If you are an artisan, drop Tara Gentile a line (tara@handmadeinpa.net) and she'll add you to her list. You can also follow her on Twitter (@handmadeinpa) 

The site features write-ups of different crafters, as well as giveaways. This is a great resource that I'm sure will grow exponentially in the weeks and months to come. While Tara is a crafter herself, she is more of a hobbyist, but more importantly is a real fan of homemade goods. She operates the site out of her home in Reading. 

I love these types of blogs/sites/organizations that promote local goods and entities. Keep up the good work, Tara! And the rest of you should check it out, bookmark it, and add it to your blog feeds. And remember: Buy Local, Buy Handmade!

XPN Year in Review - Top 50 Albums of 2008

To end 2008, WXPN counted down the Top Ten Albums of 2008 as part of the XPN Year in Review. These were voted on by listeners. Here are the top 50. If you tune in today from 10a to 7p you can hear Jim McGuinn (on his last day at XPN) count down the top 100 songs of the year!

#1. Vampire Weekend - Self Titled
#2. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
#3. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
#4. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
#5. The Fleet Foxes - Self Titled
#6. Duffy - Rockferry
#7. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
#8. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night
#9. Mgmt - Oracular Spectacular
#10. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers
#11 TV On The Radio - Dear Science
#12 Amos Lee - Last Days At The Lodge
#13 Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
#14 Ray Lamontagne - Gossip In The Grain
#15 Beck - Modern Guilt
#16 The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
#17 REM - Accelerate
#18 Joe Jackson - RAIN
#19 Brian Eno & David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
#20 Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
#21 Dr Dog - Fate
#22 Santogold - Santogold
#23 Ben Folds - Way To Normal
#24 The B-52s - Funplex
#25 Ryan Adams And The Cardinals - Cardinology
#26 Old 97s - Blame It On Gravity
#27 The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers
#28 The Pretenders - Break Up The Concrete
#29 The Raconteurs - The Consolers Of The Lonely
#30 Jack Johnson - Sleep Through The Static
#31 Counting Crows - Saturday Nights And Sunday Mornings
#32 Adele - Nineteen
#33 Aimee Mann - Smilers
#34 Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
#35 Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin'
#36 She And Him - Volume 1
#37 Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
#38 Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs
#39 Conor Oberst - Self Titled
#40 Joan Osborne - Little Wild One
#41 Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creations Dark
#42 Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago
#43 The Black Keys - Attack Release
#44 The Killers - Day And Age
#45 Ryan Bingham - Mescalito
#46 Delta Spirit - Ode To Sunshine
#47 Flight Of The Conchords - Self Titled
#48 Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks
#49 Snow Patrol - One Hundred Million Suns
#50 Jonatha Brooke - The Works