Claud's View: Musically Speaking 2009

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while but life got in the way of my writing. My New Year's resolution is to dedicate time to this blog, no excuses. With that out the way let me get to it.

Music is a very important element in my life. It has the ability to transform me into a dancing diva (thank you Lady Gaga), a salsa hootchie (conyo Pitbull) or a hip hop bad ass (hallelujah Jay-Z). Catch me at a stop light and you will find me dancing and singing to my hearts content; a habit my son has picked up on as well. Each decade was defined by particular music trends. For example the 80's gave us amazing alternative and synth pop bands, not so amazing hair bands and powerhouse performers (Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, and U2). The 90's introduced us to grunge, parent approved rap and me to flannel, Eddie Vedder hair, and MC Hammer pants. Not a good luck my friends, not even for the Hammer. The last decade was a melting pot of music--boy bands, pop-punk, pop-tarts, rap rock or rock rap (your choice) the resurgence of the troubadour, country stars dominating Top 40 stations. It was a good decade in music and I enjoyed most of it with the exception of that ketchup song and Daughtry. I have to say that 2009 was a stellar year musically and my favorite music year of the decade. There were new releases by my favorite bands and performers: U2, The Black Eyed Peas, Michael Buble, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Plus I discovered some cool new bands to fill my Ipod with: Spinnerette, Ida Maria, Them Crooked Vultures, and Cage the Elephant. I even learned to appreciate Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Kings of Leon. Go figure.

I want to take a beat here to highlight Spinnerette. The band is fronted by one of my favorite singers Brody Dalle (former name Brody Armstrong; the face and voice of The Distillers). Those not familiar with the latter should take a listen, even if you do not like punk, Brody's voice could be raging and melodic all at the same time. The Distillers only released 2 CD's with the last being released in 2003 but those cd's are still on frequent rotation in my car. Give it a listen when you want to release stress or feel hardcore ("because you're not hardcore unless you live hardcore"). But I digress, Spinnerette was a fortuitous discovery because I had longed to hear Brody belt out something new. I was taken aback because the sound for Spinnerette is still engaging just mellower-- they sound like the band Hole, before Courtney Love went batshiz crazy. "Baptized by Fire" is the first single released off their self-titled cd. Check it out on iTunes, Pandora, or whatever music search you utilize.

Being the music lover that I am I firmly believe that the only way to truly appreciate your favorite performer is to see them perform live, so I am an avid concert goer. We are in a recession so I had to be choosy in 2009, but I chose some astounding shows. Started the year with Reverend Horton Heat; caught No Doubt (welcome back!!) with Paramore and The Sounds; Depeche Mode at Red Rocks Amphitheater, followed closely by Flogging Molly (kick ass Irish punk band--thank you to the Wilson's for that one). We capped the concert year by going to see U2 with the Black Eyed Peas at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. The show only solidified my claim that U2 is the greatest band in the world or ever and having the Peas open for them only added to the energy. An entire stadium full of people shaking to "Boom Boom Pow" can create world peace.

I don't know what the next decade will bring but I do know that Vampire Weekend will be offering up a new cd in January and that U2 will be blessing Colorado with a show in June. I await both with the excitement of a Twilighter. Happy New Year to you all!