music

It’s Been 13 Years Since Layne Staley Left Us

A few days ago (April 5th), it was the 13th anniversary of the day Layne Staley, the lead singer of Alice in Chains passed away due to a drug overdose. Staley had a unique voice which matched up perfectly with the grunge rock era of the 90s. However, the MTV Unplugged session the band recorded in 1996 would be remembered as one of his best and last performances of all time.

Although it’s a bit late, here is the entire MTV Unplugged session from 1996 with high quality audio. The performance was one of the band’s final appearances with vocalist, Layne Staley. R.I.P. Layne, I miss your voice man, you left us too soon.

P.S. I’ve determined that there is no volume level too high for Nutshell.

Lyrics to Nutshell. Song by Alice in Chain

We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home
Oooh…Oooh…
Oooh…Oooh…

My gift of self is raped
My privacy is raked
And yet I find
And yet I find
Repeating in my head
If I can’t be my own
I’d feel better dead
Oooh…Oooh…
Oooh…Oooh…

Music Is A Powerful Language

Maybe it’s weird but I try to spend some time Friday nights listening to some really good tunes thanks to Youtube. Everything from Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd to Lynyrd Skynyrd – The Ballad of Curtis Loew. Some songs bring back memories that are as fresh as yesterday while others just make me feel good. It’s weird how music can take you back to the place, time, and environment where you felt connected with the music. For example, every time I hear Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, I’m reminded of my Grandpa’s funeral where my uncles played the song on their acoustic guitars.

Other songs like Lynyrd Skynyrd – The Ballad of Curtis Loew take me back to traveling on the highway towards home. This song just has a good rhythm albeit a sad story line. Hotel California by the Eagles makes me sing along no matter where I’m at. Buckcherry’s Lit Up as well as Foofighter’s Everlong gives me a boost of energy when I hear it. Music is a strange and powerful force.

What song overtakes your senses, bringing you back to a time of happiness or sadness?

The Blast Dot FM

I have no idea how I first came across this online station but I’m glad I did. It’s TheBlast.FM It’s a Christian rock radio station that plays progressive and aggressive tunes 24/7. I’m a fan of hard rock and this is right up my ally. Sure, a lot of the songs have religious sounding lyrics but it doesn’t affect the quality of the music.

I listen to the station for the good tunes, not for the religious aspects of it. I’d also like to mention that listening to music where NOT every third word is an expletive has been refreshing to my ears. Through TheBlast.FM, I’ve purchased music from bands such as RED, Skillet, Falling Up, Ever Stays Red, and Anberlin. I’ve yet to donate to the station but that will change in the near future. Colin Cruz is doing an excellent job with the station and I hope he keeps playing new, rocking tunes from these awesome bands.

I work best when I’m jamming out to TheBlast.FM.

Rock Me Rock You

Did you get a chance to check out the RockMe music festival playing live at www.rockme.dium.com yet? The first three days were a huge success. We jammed out with…

  • Rose Hill Drive’s Jake Sproul, chatting live with fans
  • The premier of a Rose Hill Drive performance filmed during a tour with The Who
  • Pandora.com CTO, Tom Conrad
  • Rose Hill Drive manager Brian Schwartz
  • Jambase’s Dean Herman
  • The New Pornographers’s Todd Fancey
  • Rotary Downs’s Zack
  • Daily activities with The Fiery Furnaces, The Jeffrey Lewis Band, Gosling and The Willowz…

Want to help us rock the final day of the festival? Scalp your concert tickets on eBay because all you need is your computer and this code (your specific code I provided) to catch all of the action. Insert the code directly into a post or the sidebar of your blog, try it out and let us know what you think.

Today, the festival ends with a live webcast of Rose Hill Drive’s performance at the Fox Theatre, a surf through Me.dium with rock music legend, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.