Concert Review: Civil Twilight and Kopecky at Iron City, Birmingham, Alabama 12/18/15

If you haven't noticed, things are starting to get a bit crazy around this fine music blog.  And I absolutely love it.

Concert Review: The Struts @ The TLA - Philadelphia, PA 11/17/15

   Theatrics and deception are powerful allies Mr. Wayne...

Fran's Top 5 Favorite Albums Ruined By Production

It is totally possible to love and album and hate it at the same time.  The songs are sublime but the sound is just crap. At times you don't realize it until you see the songs performed live. Other times you know immediately.  Below are five of my favorite albums that just drive me crazy.  Crazier than normal

Rediscovered Albums - Bon Iver / Bon Iver

I was never really fond of Bon Iver.  I gave their first album a spin but it was sort of voiceless for me.  I did kinds of like "Blood Bank" but I chalked that up to the mood I was in.  So when their second album was considered a musical departure from the first I didn't even pay it much mind.  That seems to be the running thread for Rediscovered Albums.

Concert Review: Elle King @ Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA 11/27/15

Elle King is larger than life.  She breaks barriers with her music.  She tears down stereotypes about how women are supposed to act.  She lives life to the fullest and at 26 she is already battle-scarred. She wears her heart on her musical sleeve.  She takes no prisoners and boasts no regrets.  And we love her for all of this.  Despite claiming she's not America's Sweetheart, she is turning into exactly that.

Concert Review: The Danielle Nicole Band @ White Eagle Saloon - Portland, OR 11/14/15

Greetings y'all!  Queen City Steph here from beautiful Seattle, WA.  Big thanks to Fran for asking me to join his crew of music enthusiasts and contribute to My Music, My Concerts, My Life.

Concert Review: The Oh Hellos w/ Cereus Bright & Family and Friends @ World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA 11/14/15

Imagine Sufjan Stevens doing a duet with Regina Spektor.  Add an Arcade Fire-esque stage ensemble.  Then have them playing pure and honest folk music before it was homogenized by Mumford and Sons.  That is The Oh Hellos.

Concert Review: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats @ The TLA, Philadelphia, PA 11/05/15

Even though success may seem to happen over night, behind the scenes there are countless years of hard work.

Concert Review: X Ambassadors @ Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA 10/25/15

Sometimes disappointment opens the door to great pleasure.

This is Halloween: Steph's Halloween Playlist

Every Halloween, my family travels to Orlando to partake in the scary and not so scary festivities the amusement parks there host.  We attend Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and Disney World's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  You can read about some of those adventures on my personal blog here.  The really fun part is that you can dress in costume for the Disney World party.  Here are our costumes from the last couple years.

My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 1986

1986 was a magical year for me.  It was the year of Alternative an Punk discovery while still grounded in Metal and Hip-Hop.  Some of my favorite albums of all time were released this year.  Some are favorites for sentimental reasons.  Regardless, it was a magical year for music in general.

Album Review: Love Stuff by Elle King

I pay for a Spotify membership so I can hear the latest music as early as I can.  Ironically, I've found very little new music there this summer that I like.  It was my tradition until a few months ago to religiously check the Spotify new releases every Tuesday night to find my new musical fixes.  Most Tuesdays now, I forget to even check Spotify.  Yeah, it's been that bad, my fellow music geeks.

Steph's Top 10 Songs Of 2015 (So Far)

I decided to follow up Fran's post with my own list of favorite songs for 2015 (so far).  These stats come from my last.fm charts and are truly my most listened to songs of this year (again, so far) - whether I like it or not.  These songs are all from complete albums released in 2015.  Here we go, starting with #10.

My Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far...)

This year has been full of big releases.  So many artists have follow ups to albums I love this year and most of them I could care less about.  Here is what I do care about.

Album Review - Jason Isbell / Something More Than Free

I don't like a lot of country music.  This, however, is exactly the kind of country that I like.

Concert Review: Marilyn Manson

I often feel like I missed a lot by "blooming" (I hate that term but there it is) later in life.

One of those things I regret missing is seeing a band or singer perform in their heyday, actually getting to witness firsthand the crazy, bizarre spectacles of music legend.  So when I saw that Marilyn Manson was coming to Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama on April 26th, 2015, I bought tickets as soon as they were available online.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/24/15 Edition

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Jimmy Buffett @ Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ 6/25/13

Jimmy Buffett is a guilty pleasure of mine.  It speaks of summer, beer, and sand.  Who doesn't like that?

Concert Review: Chevelle @ Iron City - Birmingham, AL 05/04/15

I took my 13 year old daughter to see the sold out Chevelle show at Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama on May 4th, 2015.  I’ve been to Iron City many times but this was Gracie’s first time.  She loves Chevelle, which isn’t a surprise since I love them and I have excellent taste in music.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/17/15 Edition

Slavic Soul Party @ Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA 9/7/13

I was hanging at The Man Cave talking concerts and music.  That is what you do at the Man Cave. We were talking about upcoming shows and throwing out band names when Repo mentioned Slavic Soul Party.  I had never heard of them but just the name alone sounded like a good time.  He brought up a YouTube video so that I could get a look.

The Roots w/ Erykah Badu @ Festival Pier, Philadelphia, PA 05/30/15

This is almost one of those shows that didn't happen.  The only thing better than is actually happening was getting to experience it through the eyes of my 15 year old son.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/10/15 Edition

10,000 Maniacs @ Irvine Auditorium - Philadelphia, PA 04/24/88

Some things have escaped my memory as I have gotten older.  I have no idea of the date of my parent's wedding anniversary.  I could not tell you the last time I got an oil change.  I can, however, remember every detail of this show.

Concert Review: Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts

To say that Scott Weiland is one of the more tragic living figures in rock music is a bit of an understatement.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/03/15 Edition

Rediscovered Albums - Ponderosa / Moonlight Revival

Most of my rediscovered albums are albums that I had never given a chance.  For some reason or another they were looked over only to have my find and champion them.  Sometimes there are albums that you just forget.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 05/27/15 Edition

If I Could Ask Questlove Anything

I love being in the position where I get to interview bands.  It's something I've always dreamed of doing.  Even so, there are many artists that I will never have the opportunity to interview.  That doesn't seem to ever stop me.  I sit here, with my lap top, thinking of questions I'd love to ask musicians.  I have a never ending thirst for knowledge that way.  This coming weekend I am getting to take my boys to The Roots Picnic in Philly.  Things like this always get me dreaming.  What if I just so happened to run into Questlove?  What would I ask him?

I just so happen to have a list.

Musicians And The Actors That Should Play Them In The Movies Vol. 2 - Alt Country Edition

We're back again.  Call me crazy but I see the similarities.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 05/20/15 Edition

We're baaaaack!!!!  Aren't you even a little bit curious?  Sure you are.  Come take a look!

All For One - Album Review - Faith No More / Soul Invictus

The cool thing about the staff at My Music, My Concerts, My Life is that we all like each other.  Most of the time.  Behind the scenes we are constantly chatting, joking, and discussing music.  Quite arguably the best part of My Music, My Concerts, My Life that no one ever sees.  How do we rectify that?  We bring it directly to you.  Collectively, we all wanted to review the new Faith No More album.  So why not do it together?  We all listened to the album as it was streaming before its release and then entered a chat room to discuss.  This is the result.

Enigmas - An Interview with Mike Maven of Young Pandas

I would like to think I land interviews because of my literary talent.  It's the way I paint a picture with my words that puts an artist or band in the best possible light.   Bands are lining up hoping I can boost their careers with my large and loyal fan base.

The truth of the matter is I am a thug.

Vanessa Carlton Concert Review

In 2015, Vanessa Carlton is much wiser than the 22-year-old we fell in love in 2002 when her debut single  “A Thousand Miles” was a Top 5 hit.

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 05/13/15 Edition

Behind the scenes at My Music, My Concerts, My Life there is not much work getting done.  A typical day consists of late night, drunken ramblings and Meme wars.  Occasionally, true music discovery does happen.  Sometimes the musical conversations backstage are better than what gets published.  To capture this, we are going to try to check in once a week and share what is getting us off musically.   It may be one of us, it may be all seven of us.  Regardless, we will be offering the gift of music discovery.  Join in with us on Twitter every Wednesday with your ear candy with the hashtag #whatwerelisteningto. We will retweet them for the masses to enjoy.  I have started an Rdio playlist with this week's selections.  The link is at the end of this post.  We will just keep adding to it every week making it one gigantic playlist.  Think of us when you listen to it.

Twitter Tourettes Vol. 4 - Random And Totally Out Of Context Celebrity Replies To My Tweets

Kat Edmonson Concert Review

They say things are bigger in Texas. Just don’t tell that to the diminutive Kat Edmonson who grew up in Houston.

The Music Or The Misery?

*This IS most definitely a music post.  You have not accidentally arrived at an angsty chick blog.  Hang in there with me, boys and girls.

Album Review - Crash Midnight / Lost in the City

Whenever I sit down to review an album, I have to give it a few spins to let it fully saturate my senses— to see if it is really worth my time. Crash Midnight's "Lost in the City" is definitely worth the time. 

3 Reasons I Won't Be Attending the 2015 Van Halen Tour

I have been on a kick lately.  I have been taking every opportunity possible to see all of the band that I love that I missed out on seeing in my youth.  The Dickies, The Damned, Echo & The Bunnymen and more.  Most of these bands no longer consist of their original lineup but there were enough to make it worth while.  One band I loved in my youth was Van Halen.  All of my friends had gone to their shows but I never seemed to have the cash when they came around.  I will have my chance again in 2015.  Although 3 of the 4 original members will be on hand but it looks like I am going to pass this time.  I am sure that the shows will be sellouts but my heart just isn't in it.  I have already made the conclusion that I will be disappointed.  Below are the 3 main reasons why.

The Official Sound Of Satan: Album Review - WarlockPinchers / Deadly Kung Fu Action

Brothers and sisters, Have you ever wondered, "Where the hell is Crispin Glover?"  Neither have I and I'm pretty sure you won't find the answer in these paragraphs.

READERS REVENGE - YOUR Top Greatest Musical Comebacks Of All Time

I can admit that sometimes I am wrong.

Album Review - Hozier / Hozier

I never listen to the radio.  Yes, I am a music fanatic but I have a massive collection and most of my discovery comes from the streaming service Rdio.  So on the odd occasion that I happen to have the radio on I get hit with 'Take Me To Church' by Hozier, and it rocked my world.  That was not the type of song I expected to hear on today's alternative radio.  I felt like it was something that I would have first heard on a mixtape from a friend in high school.  I couldn't get enough of it.  But who the hell was Hozier?  I was about to find out.

Daughter Of A Preacher Man

It's my turn on the therapist's couch that has become My Music, My Concerts, My Life lately.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the stories detailing how a few of the writers here discovered music in their formative years.  So far, no matter what our age or the geographical or socioeconomic circumstances we were raised under, all of our stories parallel in one way:  The distinct, unexplainable, and overwhelming attraction to music which seemed to start at an early age.

Concert Review - Jucifer, Dance Clubs And Being A Silly Goose

Brothers and sisters, Ya know how some guys hunt, fish or play softball?  Well, I go see music.

My Love Affair With Music

I love music.  You can obsess over it, collect it, and organize it.  All without duct tape and a restraining order.  You can find redeeming qualities in a complete asshole and invite them into your room, into your ears, and into your heart.  You might even imagine being that musician.  More than anything, it makes you realize that you are not alone and in some small way we are all damaged.  But how did I get into this love affair with music?  I have never asked myself that question.

LAMB: BACKSPACE UNWIND

I'm positive that you already heard some good things about Lamb at some point in your life. If not, don't sweat it, cause you've come to the right place. 

The Beginning Of Something Beautiful

The year was 1981. I was a 10 year old small town boy growing up in the land of Mormons.

Top 10 Greatest Musical Comebacks Of All Time

Everything in life is cyclical.  What is loved will become hated  and eventually become loved again.  And everyone loves a comeback.  The same is with music.  Even the state fair kings Quiet Riot were accepted again before the death of Kevin DuBrow.  Although some comebacks are nice, some are absolutely triumphant.  The following are My Top 10 Greatest Musical Comebacks of All Time.  These are listed in no particular order.

A Punk Grows In Utah

Brothers and sisters, I guess I should start off with a little intro about myself.