tahoeturquoise

Ever since I have been able to have some control over what music I listened to, my taste has been best described as eclectic, but I have come to the conclusion it's not a big enough word. 

I will say I was probably clinging to pop/rock music like it was some sort of lifeline through most of high school, but in my defense I had been uprooted from South Florida/Miami area to rural South-Central Kentucky. All of a sudden, I had very few options in music. The radio was full of the likes of  Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Charlie Rich, Lynn Anderson, Ronnie Milsap, Crystal Gayle and Lefty Frizzell. I thought I was going to lose my mind, when I discovered one of the peculiarities of AM radio. At night, AM radio waves somehow bounce off the atmosphere and can be picked up hundreds of miles beyond where they normally fade out.  I could pick up WLS out of Chicago. Yes! The Doobie Brothers, Sly & The Family Stone and Alice Cooper were mine again!

Going off to college brought more music opportunities my way.  Concerts at school brought the likes of Ohio Player and Rufus with Chaka Khan. I decided I liked Disco just because it annoyed so many people but I also discovered I liked rock with a side of funk. I had my car and a little money - I could leave campus and go buy what I liked.  Black Oak Arkansas, New Grass Revival, Bee Gees and Neil Diamond.  I still have my LP collection, although a big chunk of it has been duplicated on CDs.

Moving away from Kentucky helped lessen my aversion to Country music. I already knew and liked New Grass, and the Country-Rock thing was going strong with the likes of Hank Williams Jr. On the local level, I really liked The Maines Brothers Band out of Texas. Oh hey, what's that I'm hearing? Zydeco?! That's interesting!

Another move, another job, and hey, a home computer. I like the internet. (Who doesn't?) I discovered TV programs and movies and music from the U.K. Then as I browsed around in lj-land, if people posted links to YouTube, I usually sampled. Christian Kane, Jonny Lang, Christophe Mae, Sonohra, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Marc Anthony and Juanes. I adore Juanes! Then I clicked on a link that said something like "I have no idea what he's saying, but I love watching him do it." Hmmm?? click - Oh my! I like that - what's his name? Tarkan. What else is out there? Baris Akarsu, Hepsi, Murat Boz and 4Yuz... I have a nice little collection of Turkish pop music now.

Another link - click - "Sorry, Sorry" by Super Junior. Oh? That's interesting... What else can I find? Well, the answer was 'A lot.'  A little more poking around turned up DBSK, SNSD, Big Bang, BoA, f(x), SHINee  and many, many more. Korea - that's where all the pretty dancing boy bands went!  Super Junior led to Mandarin pop music - Super Junior M, Han Geng and Vanness Wu. DBSK (Tohoshinki) led to Japanese pop music - Glay, Kat Tun and Arashi.

My relatives must think I'm getting more eccentric or maybe going through some odd sort of mid-life crises. My credit card company owes You Tube a big 'Thank You'. Whatever.

Super Junior's got a new album! Tohoshinki's putting one out very soon, and JYJ said they're going to put a new one out in a few months! New music!

June and July were the hottest on record here in the Richmond area.  Can't wait to see what August does to us...  At least for us school doesn't start back until after Labor Day.

...but I like it better than snow.  It's Easter Sunday, a bright sunny afternoon, and it's 80 degrees.  It's April 5th, and 80 degrees!  I really don't want to think about what July and August are going to be like.