Happy Valentine's....Bleh

I'm one of the people who has an extreme distaste for "V-Day".

No there's nothing wrong with happy couples and great shows of affection, I'm just not sure what that has to do with greeting cards and chocolate.

I'll mark the day as I usually do, by listening to Weezer (it's the 19th anniversary of their first practice!) and by hoping to avoid any truly disturbing V-Day activity.

I was reminded of this terrificly bitter song today by friend of the blog (and Cutting Room Floor) Sarah Gronski. Some folks just have all the musical taste.

Enjoy the day and Reel Big Fish.

Lay Me Down

Summer is right around the corner which can only mean one thing: it's time for summer music. You see, there are some bands that crank out melodies particularly fitting for the summer months.

To name a few, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Reel Big Fish, Less than Jake, and Sublime fall into the aforementioned 'summer' category.

Sublime, in fact, provided the inspiration for today's song of the day post. The reggae-influenced quartet known as Sublime performed together from 1988 to 1996 when, after a heroin overdose by frontman Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), the group immediately parted ways.

In 2009 the three remaining original members of Sublime rejoined forces and teamed with new lead singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez to perform as "Sublime with Rome."

Rome, a bit of a democratic artist opting not to limit his talents with just one group, partnered with fellow reggae rock artist The Dirty Heads for one of the most popular alternative rock singles of 2010.

"Lay Me Down" featuring Rome from Sublime is a single off of The Dirty Heads' 2008 album Any Port in a Storm. Even though it is somewhat striking that two years passed since the album's release to the issue of this single the wait was well worth it.

The song peaked at #1 on Billboard's Alternative Songs list and earned it's keep into this music aficionado's playlist.

So grab yourself a drink, sit on your porch, and go add Dirty Heads to your summer mix. You can thank me later.

Song Of The Day - July 28, 2008

Today's featured song is a cover of the biggest hit from probably the greatest band to come out of Norway, a-ha. No doubt a one-hit wonder, a-ha's claim to fame was the product of it's debut album Hunting High and Low, which was released in 1985. "Take On Me" is personally one of my favorite songs of all time, though I don't necessarily hold the original version in the same regard as the version shown below by Reel Big Fish. RBF is a ska band that isn't very fond of the music industry, as noted by songs like "Sell Out" and "Don't Start A Band." These jokesters love the music they play and are not afraid to follow the beat of their own collective drum. For the 1998 movie (and cult hit) BASEketball RBF covered "Take On Me," adding new life to the old classic by introducing horns and a traditional ska sound. Like most singles produced for movies, the music video for RBF's "Take On Me" features clips from Trey Parker and Matt Stone's hilarious film about a fictional new sport that combines aspects from the title's namesake: baseball and basketball. 

The first video that follows is the Reel Big Fish version while the one below it is the original creation from a-ha. Which do you like better? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Reel Big Fish

a-ha