Yes, I Continue To Buy CD's (WARNING! long ramble ahead)

I understand that you can buy music on the net via i-Tunes, I know you get more for your money with bonus tracks and stuff, but I continue to buy CD's because I want the album art. I want to know what they look like, what the words are, and to support the little labels $ distribution companies that print and ship out CD's. I was a music pirate my first few years of college, I amassed a collection of 1,300 songs before my hard drive got wiped by a virus, I deserved that. I think stealing music is wrong, and I think no more of the person who pirates music or movies than I do of the people who break car windows and take things. There is no such thing as a victimless crime. Even though G.W. Bush is really close, no one is deserving of having a crime committed against them. Those of you who say that "they are rich anyway" as an excuse to pirate music, chew on this.... Everyone is rich in this country, compared to those in Gabon, so is it cool if they stroll buy and borrow your wheels for a few months, I mean its cool right, you're rich to them.

Wewh, I cannot understand why you are still reading this, send me a self-addressed envelope and I will refund you what I think the last 5 minutes of your life is worth.

NEW MUSIC

Matt Kearney- Nothing Left To Loose- This album was a surprise right out of the rapper. I had heard his title track single "Nothing Left To Loose" on Sirius and on a friend's myspace. I thought at first that it was the Counting Crows, the distinctive voice had to belong to Adam Duritz, but no, it was Matt Kearney. The first track I put in began with a "cracker-rap" (a-la Linkin Park, Trik Turner, Jason Mraz) song over an acoustic music arrangement. Most of his songs on this record have a little bit of rhyme, making it a new favorite!

{{{ This is where I insert an illogical story that you may skip if you wish. My senior English teacher in high school made everyone write a piece of poetry that we would be forced to read to the class. It was to be an introspective piece that no one in the class would expect from you, the class and teacher had to learn something about you. There was no getting around sharing it with the class. It was at the end of the year, making it much harder to find a topic that you hadn't already shared. Our class decided that the winner of the most "supprising piece" would win a great prize, a pass to skip class the last two days of school. I had it 5th period, but on "B" days that meant first period!!!! Sleeping in was at stake, I took this project seriously. I decided my inner hip-hop star was going to have to shine. I wrote a piece called Kunfewshun (confusion, if ya don't get it) about the complexities of dating as a high school senior. I know it wasn't exactly earth-shattering subject matter, but it was all about delivery. Most of the kids in my class (non-AP advanced) were African American, I knew I didn't want to do their culture any injustice. I rehearsed Kunfewshun over and over, in front of the mirror, I had to control my goofy facial expressions somehow. I finally got the beat down, moved and mixed words so it would flow right. Like Eminem on 8-mile (loosely based on my life in the ghettos of Mint(al) Hill) I stood up and delivered my rhymes.... Perfectly..... That explains why I like white artists who do their own versions of rap music. I think being original, rapping out to acoustic guitars, banjos, and piano is much cooler than Eminem's impersonation of gang-bangin'.}}}

The Fray- How To Save A Life- Who on this planet has not heard "Over My Head, Cable Car???" Hm, anyone, no, kinda what I thought. This huge hit was followed by the equally mellow "How To Save A Life" which was featured on Gray's Anatomy both at the end of last year and in the season premiere last week. This song is catching on all over Sirius and mainstream radio. It is an album full of piano-rich pop rock songs that are almost entirely about the joys and pains of love. (is there anything else to write about... no.... we call that Christian music)

Dashboard Confessional- Dusk & Summer- This is a pop rock album, reminiscent of Train, MB20, or 3EB. I have never bought a DC album before, but everyone at work was talking about how good they are. I have enjoyed the little I have heard of it. I will update you if I think the rest sucks.... if no update, that means I think you should buy it... mmmmmmkay?

Your REWARD for reading this ramble/diatribe/POSt

Hell yeah I won "Most supprising Piece" but I loved Ms. Serenski's class so much, I didn't bother to skip. Little did I know, she used a video of my performance to show the kids in classes behind me how much creative freedom we had with it. She warned them not to copy me, because originality counted and if you rapped, you got a zero. My sophomore year at UNCC, a freshman girl walked up to me and asked if I was "that guy that rapped in Ms. Serenski's class?" I said "Yes, do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" She said "Yes." We went to dinner, needless to say, it didn't work out.