For Facebook (I'm a bit of an addict at times):
“Think of 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life. Dug into your soul. Music that brought you to life when you heard it. Royally affected you, literally socked you in the gut, is what I mean. Then when you finish, tag 20 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill.”
Ok, here are mine and I'm kinda just shootin' 'em off quickly with little regard for contemplation, as I think I'd drive myself crazy if I did thought about it too much. And they're somewhat based on my "growing up" experiences...lol...
1. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes
3. Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet
4. George Clinton: Computer Games
5. Dr. Dre: The Chronic
6. Nirvana: Bleach
7. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti
8. Prince: Purple Rain
9. The Clash: Combat Rock
10. Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction
11. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville
12. NWA: Straight Outta Compoton
13. Rage Against the Machine: self-titled
14. Arlo Guthrie: Alice's Restaurant
15. Bikini Kill: The Singles
16. Johnny Cash: I Walk the Line
17. Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter
18. Radiohead: OK Computer
19. Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry
20. Kate Bush: The Hounds of Love
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Addictions
I have been thinking a lot lately about how life changes a person, how someone can change her own self, why we are who we are.
Mostly I have been mulling over addiction and recovery a lot lately. Once you've had any sort of addiction, be it drug or alcohol, or even something like an addiction to a relationship/co-dependency, or overeating, or sex...it changes you and the way you cope with it is something wholly unique to you. While there are programs out there to help people that are VERY worthwhile, in the end, it's all about the person coming to terms with it and taking their own steps toward sobriety. You have to figure out why you're doing that, how it affects everyone including yourself, and how you can cope with the mechanisms that set you off to be involved in these behaviors, and hopefully rise above and take it one day at a time.
I'm sad that there are some people in my life that may not understand how very fine the line can be between letting loose and having a few drinks, or a good time in whatever way, and stepping across it to self-destruct.
As I see my own self-destructive behaviors, I know that stress can impact me. I know there are voices in my head that want me to run away from time to time, to drink myself into a black out state, or take whatever drug may be handed to me, and to maybe be used by people who'd want to take advantage of that. It's happened before!
It's a matter of life and death, addiction. I wish sometimes people in my life could be just a tad more sensitive about it. While I can (and sometimes do) go out and have a drink or a few, I've known lots of alcoholics and I know how destructive a "legal drug" like alcohol can be.
Even last night as I stayed in, I was watching Diane Sawyer's program about Appalachia...how POOR and DESTITUTE these left-behind people STILL are...and it really touched me even more on this subject. Pharma companies haven't always been up front about the dangers of their products. They get prescribed to someone in this kind of depressing lifestyle and they get hooked! One case in particular: Oxycontin.
ONE Oxy pill can go for $125 in Paintsville, KY.
Drug dealing is just as prevalent as moon shining anymore...for most it is the only way to make a living!
Alcoholism is of course still a problem in the area....just like the reservations, you can find these mountain folk at the top of any statistics list for this addiction.
I have been finding too little understanding from some people in my life about these issues. I question if I really know these people and if they're really a friend to be trusted. I worry for my own people caught up in between. They need better support, not some holier-than-though BS or lack of empathy!
I don't really pray...but I do *wish* and meditate upon this whole smokescreen, that some light will shine through and that the bull-headedness will be left behind in an attempt for REAL support in recovery. Recovery is a lifetime, after all.
Mostly I have been mulling over addiction and recovery a lot lately. Once you've had any sort of addiction, be it drug or alcohol, or even something like an addiction to a relationship/co-dependency, or overeating, or sex...it changes you and the way you cope with it is something wholly unique to you. While there are programs out there to help people that are VERY worthwhile, in the end, it's all about the person coming to terms with it and taking their own steps toward sobriety. You have to figure out why you're doing that, how it affects everyone including yourself, and how you can cope with the mechanisms that set you off to be involved in these behaviors, and hopefully rise above and take it one day at a time.
I'm sad that there are some people in my life that may not understand how very fine the line can be between letting loose and having a few drinks, or a good time in whatever way, and stepping across it to self-destruct.
As I see my own self-destructive behaviors, I know that stress can impact me. I know there are voices in my head that want me to run away from time to time, to drink myself into a black out state, or take whatever drug may be handed to me, and to maybe be used by people who'd want to take advantage of that. It's happened before!
It's a matter of life and death, addiction. I wish sometimes people in my life could be just a tad more sensitive about it. While I can (and sometimes do) go out and have a drink or a few, I've known lots of alcoholics and I know how destructive a "legal drug" like alcohol can be.
Even last night as I stayed in, I was watching Diane Sawyer's program about Appalachia...how POOR and DESTITUTE these left-behind people STILL are...and it really touched me even more on this subject. Pharma companies haven't always been up front about the dangers of their products. They get prescribed to someone in this kind of depressing lifestyle and they get hooked! One case in particular: Oxycontin.
ONE Oxy pill can go for $125 in Paintsville, KY.
Drug dealing is just as prevalent as moon shining anymore...for most it is the only way to make a living!
Alcoholism is of course still a problem in the area....just like the reservations, you can find these mountain folk at the top of any statistics list for this addiction.
I have been finding too little understanding from some people in my life about these issues. I question if I really know these people and if they're really a friend to be trusted. I worry for my own people caught up in between. They need better support, not some holier-than-though BS or lack of empathy!
I don't really pray...but I do *wish* and meditate upon this whole smokescreen, that some light will shine through and that the bull-headedness will be left behind in an attempt for REAL support in recovery. Recovery is a lifetime, after all.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Shannon Whitworth @ Swallow Hill
Biscuit Burners founding member Shannon Whitworth makes an appearance at Swallow Hill
by Laura “Spunky” McGaughey
(Originally published in the February, 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin', the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society)
Most people would recognize Shannon Whitworth from her days with the Biscuit Burners on vocals, clawhammer banjo and guitar. An original founding member of the band, she toured with them throughout the U.S. for four years, her compositions adding depth to the band’s material.
Now she's striking out on her own, though not completely alone. Touring with a trio, she will be coming through Colorado in February, making a stop at Swallow Hill Music Association on Friday, February 13. "I've been hearing about Swallow Hill for a long time now," she says, "and figured I'd make tracks through there myself."
Joining Whitworth on her tour are John Stickley and Jake Hopping. Stickley, who used to live in Colorado, has played with myriad bands, including the Colorado Playboys. He appeared alongside Whitworth in the Biscuit Burners and how plays full-time with her on guitar and mandolin. Stickley and Whitworth have been known for performing amazing duets and will include some of those on their set list. Hopping is a great upright bass player and old time banjo player who used to be with the bluegrass band, King Wilkie.
The three together on one stage is sure to conjure pure musical magic.
Whitworth is a native of the Southeastern U.S., having lived most of her life in South Carolina. She currently resides in the mountains of Asheville, N.C. Indeed, her music reflects the rich culture of the region, from the rootsiest old time mountain music to contemporary country. A gifted songwriter, the community that surrounds her has taught her much.
She was drawn to Asheville because of its visual arts community and gained a "double education" from one of her closest friends in the area, who taught her not only about pottery, but about poetry. To her, the music she writes is simply poems put to music, and the visual arts allow her a way to relax and collect her thoughts. "In this society, we're constantly going, going, going," she says. With the practice of visual arts, she finds a space within the stillness to channel creativity.
Alongside the Appalachian pickers and potters, the natural setting of the area is inspirational. Music "exudes in the rivers and creeks" of the mountains, mimicking music, providing another source from which she can draw creatively. It's definitely not L.A.!
Speaking of mountains, Whitworth is excited to return to those in Colorado. She has been here several times and is happy to come back in pursuit of her solo endeavors. With the trio, she's "stripping it down" acoustically and having fun exploring the flexibility within the instrumentation and harmonies alongside Stickley and Hopping.
A recent Denver Post article by music critic Ricardo Baca proclaimed "the banjo is back," citing how the instrument has re-emerged throughout the Colorado scene. I ask Whitworth for her opinion, given this article, the attention the instrument is garnering throughout the music world and her own love and work with the banjo. What is the story behind the love affair with the banjo?
For Whitworth, she grew up with it, playing the instrument with her family members. "It's a fabulous instrument," she says. "It combines a lot of elements. It can be percussive or melodic. It has all kinds of different tunings. It's very accessible. You pick it up, it's in G and it automatically sounds awesome. You could make one out of a hubcap! It's very laid-back, but then you can take it to the most intense, technical side, like Béla Fleck."
Her debut solo release, No Expectations, is generating a lot of buzz. Her stunning, smoky voice and exquisite instrumentation have struck a chord in the Americana/country fan base. Whitworth is bringing in a breath of fresh air and is in top form. Her appearances thus far throughout the country are bringing out fans who are eager to receive her. No doubt Swallow Hill will be just as welcoming.
by Laura “Spunky” McGaughey
(Originally published in the February, 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin', the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society)
Most people would recognize Shannon Whitworth from her days with the Biscuit Burners on vocals, clawhammer banjo and guitar. An original founding member of the band, she toured with them throughout the U.S. for four years, her compositions adding depth to the band’s material.
Now she's striking out on her own, though not completely alone. Touring with a trio, she will be coming through Colorado in February, making a stop at Swallow Hill Music Association on Friday, February 13. "I've been hearing about Swallow Hill for a long time now," she says, "and figured I'd make tracks through there myself."
Joining Whitworth on her tour are John Stickley and Jake Hopping. Stickley, who used to live in Colorado, has played with myriad bands, including the Colorado Playboys. He appeared alongside Whitworth in the Biscuit Burners and how plays full-time with her on guitar and mandolin. Stickley and Whitworth have been known for performing amazing duets and will include some of those on their set list. Hopping is a great upright bass player and old time banjo player who used to be with the bluegrass band, King Wilkie.
The three together on one stage is sure to conjure pure musical magic.
Whitworth is a native of the Southeastern U.S., having lived most of her life in South Carolina. She currently resides in the mountains of Asheville, N.C. Indeed, her music reflects the rich culture of the region, from the rootsiest old time mountain music to contemporary country. A gifted songwriter, the community that surrounds her has taught her much.
She was drawn to Asheville because of its visual arts community and gained a "double education" from one of her closest friends in the area, who taught her not only about pottery, but about poetry. To her, the music she writes is simply poems put to music, and the visual arts allow her a way to relax and collect her thoughts. "In this society, we're constantly going, going, going," she says. With the practice of visual arts, she finds a space within the stillness to channel creativity.
Alongside the Appalachian pickers and potters, the natural setting of the area is inspirational. Music "exudes in the rivers and creeks" of the mountains, mimicking music, providing another source from which she can draw creatively. It's definitely not L.A.!
Speaking of mountains, Whitworth is excited to return to those in Colorado. She has been here several times and is happy to come back in pursuit of her solo endeavors. With the trio, she's "stripping it down" acoustically and having fun exploring the flexibility within the instrumentation and harmonies alongside Stickley and Hopping.
A recent Denver Post article by music critic Ricardo Baca proclaimed "the banjo is back," citing how the instrument has re-emerged throughout the Colorado scene. I ask Whitworth for her opinion, given this article, the attention the instrument is garnering throughout the music world and her own love and work with the banjo. What is the story behind the love affair with the banjo?
For Whitworth, she grew up with it, playing the instrument with her family members. "It's a fabulous instrument," she says. "It combines a lot of elements. It can be percussive or melodic. It has all kinds of different tunings. It's very accessible. You pick it up, it's in G and it automatically sounds awesome. You could make one out of a hubcap! It's very laid-back, but then you can take it to the most intense, technical side, like Béla Fleck."
Her debut solo release, No Expectations, is generating a lot of buzz. Her stunning, smoky voice and exquisite instrumentation have struck a chord in the Americana/country fan base. Whitworth is bringing in a breath of fresh air and is in top form. Her appearances thus far throughout the country are bringing out fans who are eager to receive her. No doubt Swallow Hill will be just as welcoming.
Media is changing!
I caught this on the Sunday morning broadcast yesterday and it really was succinct and brought the point home: that media power and information is shifting from the provider to the user, BUT the fundamentals of what will compel endurance of something stay the same: real, quality STORIES.
I really love it and think it's one of the best straight-to-the-point pieces about media trends I've seen in a while!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/31/sunday/main4766386.shtml
I really love it and think it's one of the best straight-to-the-point pieces about media trends I've seen in a while!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/31/sunday/main4766386.shtml
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
