What's on my iPod?

I love music. Good music. Music that takes talent to make. I play guitar so I can appreciate true talent.

I'm gonna start doing "What's on my iPod" where I will talk about a band that I have been listening to recently. It could be a band that I have liked a long time or a band that I just started listening to or a band that I'm going to see in concert soon. I might do it every week. I might not.

For my first edition of "What's on my iPod" I am featuring Back Porch Mary.

Back Porch Mary is a Texas Country band from Austin, Texas. To read an essay I wrote for school about what exactly Texas Country is click here.

This band puts on amazing show. The guitar player from Back Porch Mary will often kneel and/or play the guitar above his head and behind his back. The bass player plays a stand-up bass during some songs and will even lay on the floor and play his bass.

We first saw them in St. Louis when they opened for Cross Canadian Ragweed. This was the night before Matt had to go back to Iraq after his R & R. This was where we were introduced to them. When we were on our way out of the venue we ran into the guitar player and he was a cool, down-to-earth guy.

Back Porch Mary plays September 26th at the fairgrounds at the Flat Land Jam. Neither hell or high water could keep us from going.

To see a Back Porch Mary video click here.

(Can someone please tell me how to upload a video on here from youtube? Please and thank you)

Stay tuned for the next edition of "What's on my iPod?"

I want my car back

Awhile ago my brother backed into my sexy little sporty car with his big tough redneck truck. Not really a big deal to me because I knew he would pay for it and their was no need to get mad. He was pretty upset, probably mostly about the money because he is a tightwad. Its been so long ago that I can't actually remember when it was. I'm going to go with, June 21st. I know it was a Sunday and I know it was at least three weeks ago. Yeah I think it was the 21st.

To see a picture of my car stuck in the snow click here.

Anyway, my car was still drivable and I called the body shop guy the next day and he came to my work and looked at it. He said bring it in the following Monday and it would take him about a week to fix it.

So for the first week I got to drive my brothers big sports car bashing redneck truck. Let me tell you, I felt tough. Real tough. He used to have a loud muffler on it but after being stopped by Johnny Law one too many times he took that off. If it still had the loud muffler I would have felt invisible. His truck has a cd player, air conditioning and an auxiliary cord so I could plug my iPod into it.

I called the body shop that Thursday which would have been the Thursday before 4th of July to see when it would be ready on Friday. To my surprise the owner said that they were closed on Friday and he had a little blue Ford car I could drive. Ford. Ehhh.

I went there to get the Ford Contour and it basically a grandma car with a spoiler. The gas tank was on empty and the only form of music playing devices it had was a cassette tape player and a radio. Boooh!!! Oh and the speakers on the passengers side didn't work at all. So I drove that for about a week until I got a call from the body shop guy. He need the grocery getter back for a lady that had some kids to haul around. He says he has a Ford Ranger for me to drive and he will drop it off at my work and take the car.

So that day I walked out of work and into the parking lot thinking that I hope I can figure out which truck it was. It wasn't hard to spot at all. It was the one that said "Blah Blah Auto Body" all over the darn thing. So I have been a mobile billboard now for about a week. At least this truck has a cd player in it and decent speakers but I mean come on. The gas tank of this one was on empty too. The owner of the auto body shop is a hunter and there are shotgun shells in the console. I doubt that its is legal for me to be driving around with shotgun shells. And it smells funny. Like hay or dirt or deer or hunting dogs. I can't quite pinpoint it but I can definitely smell it.

Yesterday was supposed to be the day I got my car back. Now today is supposed to be the day I get my sexy little fast loud music playing car back. I'm taking this truck back at 4:30 and I'm not leaving without my 30 miles to the gallon car.

I cannot wait to get it in and find something good on my iPod, crank up the volume, and rip through the gears of my manual transmission like some kind of mad woman. So if you see a little grey Eclipse coming down the road between 4:30 and 5:00 tonight, move over.

I'll be more happy when _______

I'm taking on Mama Kat's writing assignment this week. I haven chosen to write about "I'll be happy when____"


Well for the most part I am happy. I have a wonderful, devoted, loving, sexy husband. I have a caring, entertaining family. I have a little doggy that loves me more than life itself.

I will be happier when the Army finally lets go of my husband. I will be happier when our journey from Seattle to Illinois in his car with no air conditioner is complete. I will be even happier when he gets to see the home we have bought for the first time. I will be even happier when we get to ummmm... lay in our bed together for the first time.

I will be even happier when I can become the mother of his child. And I know this will make my husband and my mom reallllllly happy.

I will be happier when we have a fenced in yard for my little doggy to play in. I would be happier if he could play in the yard now but the neighbors big dogs would probably eat him and that would make me far from happy.

I will be happier when there are no idiots in the world.

I would be happier if crappy music were banned and radio stations weren't filled with garbage.

I will be happier when people learn to watch where they are going, mind their own business, and have a little common courtesy.

I will be happier when our house is paid for and all our other bills.

I will definitely be happier when I get to quit the crap job and can focus more on school.

I will be happier when I figure out how to link stuff in my blog, obviously I don't know how to do that.

Most of all, I will be happier in 27 days when I get to be with my husband again... forever.

To go

I did go out Saturday night.

I did have a very good time.

I did miss my husband like crazy.

I didn't cry.

I did drink entirely too much.

I did get to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen in awhile.

I did make an ass out of myself at least once.

I don't care about that.

I did behave myself for the most part.

I did dance.

I did feel like garbage all day yesterday.

I didn't spend more than $15 at the bar.

All my friends did buy me shots.

I am glad I only have one birthday each year.

Home Sweet Home

I'm back from visiting my hubby. We had a wonderful time. The Mariniers game was... eh well its the Mariniers. Far from the Cardinals or Busch Stadium. I got a new pink Sony Vaio laptop. Its very exciting and I can't wait to get it all just how I want it (music and whatnot).

Matt signed all the paperwork for the house while I was out there and I closed the deal yesterday. I now have the keys to our very own house. Now all that is missing is my hubby. We can hardly wait for him to get home and start living the dream.

I have a lot stuff I need to get for the house but I think I'm just gonna get a little here and a little there. I don't plan on moving to our home till my hubby gets home. So this way I have two months to get everything ready for US.

Texas Country

Texas Country music is a sub-genre of Country music that has become one of my favorite types of music. This type of music is more of a feeling than it is a sound. The lyrics of it usually have a carefree feeling and are often about honest, hard working people. These artists sing about having a good time, living on the edge, and taking life as it comes. The bands of this genre provide powerful live shows, which in turn, give them fiercely, loyal fans.

Texas Country primarily originates from Texas, with its roots being musicians such as, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. In the 1960s’ and 1970s’ Willie, Johnny, and some other musicians left the corporate Nashville scene and moved to Texas during the Outlaw Country Movement. Texas Country musicians are now anti-Nashville and this is even sometimes reflected in their lyrics. “Cross Canadian Ragweed” has a song called “Record Executive” that is about how the band will not sign a deal with a large, corporate record label because they believe all of their hard work and accomplishments will become the record label’s and not their own. There is a line in this song that goes, “I didn’t build it all just to watch it fall into your hands.”

Although most Texas Country artists are from Texas, some bands that fall into this genre are from other states and have re-located to Texas. For instance, “Reckless Kelly” and “Micky and the Motorcars” are bands who are from Stanley, Idaho that have both moved to Austin, Texas. Also Chris Knight is a singer and songwriter of Texas Country that is from Kentucky. Because of his reputation in Texas, a Texas governor named him an honorary Texan. Also, “Jason Boland and the Stragglers,” “No Justice,” and “Stoney LaRue” are all successful Texas Country artists from Oklahoma.

What a Texas Country band stands for and how it sounds varies from band to band. A lot of Texas Country songs describe the beauty of Texas and paint a picture of the Texas landscape. They depict features such as red Texas dirt, gravel roads, and long stretches of fences. They are also often supporters of the troops, although not necessarily of war. “Reckless Kelly” has a song that is about how our country sends young men off to war that are not allowed to have a beer but are willing to donate their lives to the land of the free. “Cross Canadian Ragweed” has a song called “Long Way Home” that is a narrative of a young man sent to Vietnam.

Many Texas Country bands are involved with charities as well. “Reckless Kelly” has a program that they are implementing at their merchandise area called “Reckless Kelly Care Packages.” They are collecting an assortment of items from their fans to send to service men and women overseas. Also, on April 19, 2009 “Reckless Kelly,” “Cross Canadian Ragweed,” “Randy Rogers Band,” and others were involved with a celebrity softball game, which was followed by a Texas Country concert. All the proceeds of this event were donated to several Austin, Texas organizations. In March of 2008, “Cross Canadian Ragweed” participated in three day, sixty-mile walk in which proceeds were donated to a reputable breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment fund.

This genre of music involves a variety of instruments. Almost every one of these bands includes an acoustic guitar and some of their songs will consist of only an acoustic guitar and lyrics. Other fundamental instruments include bass guitar, electric guitars, and percussion. Some other instruments that can be included in this type of band are the harmonica, piano, banjo, trombone, mandolin, and fiddle.

Texas Country music is a cross between Rock and Roll and Country, with some Blues and Honky Tonk thrown in. It often has lengthy guitar solos and a drum beat that makes people want to tap their feet and move their heads along with it. Most Texas Country songs’ lyrics are very catchy because they are something anyone can relate to. For instance, “Cross Canadian Ragweed” has a song called “Anywhere but Here,” in which they describe not changing who they are and leaving where they are in search of a good time. The proposal in this song is something that everyone wishes to do and it has a very catchy chorus.

Seeing a live performance of Texas Country is somewhat surreal. The beats, guitar riffs, and lyrics have a way of sending a chill over my body. When I saw “Reckless Kelly” for the first time, I was so captivated by the music and the performance that I barely realized what was going on around me. This is most likely what leads these bands to having such dedicated fans. Most people that go to these concerts know the band and the words to the songs, and may have traveled hundreds of miles to go to the concert. My cousin and I drove over eight hundred miles to Dallas, Texas on Labor Day of 2007 to go an all day Texas Country festival with twelve bands. My ticket cost twenty-five dollars and it was probably the best twenty-five dollars I have ever spent.

Texas Country music is different from regular Country music in several ways. Regular Country music tends to have a slower more depressing sound to it. It is often about a broken heart or unrealistic ideas. For example, there is a Country song about playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one. Now, I think I would realize after a few rounds that I was missing a card. Texas Country is a more upbeat, enthusiastic, and realistic form of country music. It has been described as “country with an attitude.” During regular Country music concerts, often the performers are not near as involved with the crowd and they do not have as dedicated following as with Texas Country.

Texas Country musicians rely on themselves to make it big and the best way to do so is through their fans and performances. This genre of music is becoming increasingly popular due to the amazing live shows, genuine music, and lyrics that are easy to relate to. Texas Country is a furiously, rocking type of country music that has become my favorite type of music.