Angeles (Day 23)

Nirvana - "Marigold"
Dan Zanes - "Smile Smile Smile"
Well, it was only a matter of time. Dan Zanes, who takes up some prime real estate on my iPod with 67 songs spread over 4 albums, finally hit the playlist. Am I just a huge fan of the former Del Fuegos frontman? I like him, yes, but the fact that I have so much of his music is really thanks to another reason: I'm a dad. Zanes has recreated himself as a bard for the playground set. And make no mistake - - in terms of kids music, he's amazing. He doesn't make music for kids, per say. He makes really good music that appeals to kids. (Or more importantly appeals to their wannabe hipster parents who then force it down their kids' throats. Present company included.) His albums have a lot of traditional folk and country tunes (yes, he revived Seeger even before Bruce), with a real, solid and enthusiastic backing band and plenty of expert mandolin play. There are also several really great guest vocalists (Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, Bob Weir, Debbie Harry, etc.) that add to the adult-interest factor. Of course, since I like him, I wanted to make sure my daughter Georgia (now 2 1/2) liked him too. When she was just weeks old, I played Rocket Ship Beach over and over while I wore her in a baby sling and rocked her to sleep. And for a while, it worked! The bouncy sounds of "Polly Wolly Doodle" would calm her almost instantly. (Okay, it didn't always work. I remember one car trip when my wife and I got stuck in traffic trying to get back to NYC over the George Washington Bridge. Georgia was hysterical, so we played "Polly Wolly Doodle" about 18 times in a row, but she continued to wail. Frankly, it's a little hard to listen to now.) So now that she talks, and has ALOT of opinions she must be an official member of the Dan Zanes fan club, right? Not so fast. Somewhere along the way, Zanes became "Daddy's music." I guess it sounds too much like Bruce or Neil or Ryan Adams or whatever other acoustic-ish music I play. All that hard work and she still wants to hear an abominable collection called Music Together (there are kids music classes that use the same music) exclusively. And I still have a ton of Dan Zanes on my iPod. But that's okay, because one of us still thinks he's cool.
Elliott Smith - "Angeles"
The Mendoza Line - "Names Names"
Calexico and Iron & Wine - "He Lays In The Reins"
The Cure - "Other Voices"
Ben Kweller - "Different But The Same"
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "Chin Up, Cheer Up" (live)
Weezer - "Butterfly"
Nirvana - "Floyd The Barber"
Feist - "Inside Out"
Tony Scherr - "Black Sheep"
Les Savvy Fav - "Dishonest Don (Pt. 2)"
Pavement - "Summer Babe" (live)

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 14
Total minutes of music (approx.): 52
Song with the most previous plays: "Angeles" - 7
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: I was absolutely starving. Usually I grab something at home. But today there was nothing in my stomach but 4 cups of coffee. This is not a good feeling.