I’m entering a contest to get a chance to be a social media “wine correspondent” http://www.areallygoodejob.com/. To enter, I need to make a one minute video about myself. Most of the videos are pretty lame, kind of a “this is why I’m qualified” routine. I’m doing a video with, of course, some music. I’ve got four mini-songs, but I only have room for three. Please vote for your least favorite song so I can finish making my video. By the way, I don’t expect to win, but I felt compelled to make a video because so many of the entries were lame. Hey, mine is going to be lame too, but a good kind of lame.

Click on the links below for the MP3s:
The Country Murphy-Goode Song

The Euro Murphy-Goode Song

The Hip Hop Murphy-Goode Song

The Rock Murphy-Goode Song

Let me also mention my idea for the sketch, which might help determine which one to axe. In the video, I’m going to be lamenting about what to do for my video. I’ll say “hey, I could do a song,” then it would cut to one of the mini-music videos. After the video a friend would be shaking her head like “dude, no way… that sucks.” So, I guess the least lame video should go.

Thanks to all of you who helped me with ideas for my girl’s b-day song. I carry the High School Musical b-day party theme through to the song, except I make the distinction that HSM is not real and sing about how her life is so much more fabulous. I played this song live for her b-day (just removed the guitar and vocal tracks) as Crash Lightning (http://www.crashlightning.com) and the performance was a hit. I never actually got around to making a decent recording with a bass track, but here’s my “demo” with first take vocals singing into my MacBook’s built in microphone. Stick around for the Euro dance groove at the end.

Click here for the MP3: this-is-real

I got up today
I thought about all my dreams last night

And though they were nice
My real life is so much better

On film it looks great
But it only just keeps repeating

It’s just a storybook tale
It’s only something that I’ve been dreaming

Sorry Troy, sorry Gab
This is my life and it’s way to fab

Tonight, you’ll be dreaming all about me
Look at my life, I’m as wild as the sea

It’s just like they say
Except I’m more fabulous this way

This has just begun
And I won’t stop rockin’ ‘til I’m done

‘Cause this is for real
I’m turning seven yeah that’s the deal

And I got the style
And all the moves that you’ll want to steal

Sorry Troy, sorry Gab
This is my life and it’s way to fab

Tonight, you’ll be dreaming all about me
Look at my life, I’m as wild as the sea

When it’s said and done
I’ll be as bright at noonday sun

So stick around with me
I’ll take you higher than the bourgeoisie

‘Cause this is for real
I’m turning seven yeah that’s the deal

And I got the style
And all the moves that you’ll want to steal

Sorry Troy, sorry Gab
This is my life and it’s way to fab

Tonight, you’ll be dreaming all about me
Look at my life, I’m as wild as the sea

There’s so many great things that go together: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Chocolate and Peanut Butter, 2006 Innocent Bystander Shiraz and LG Voyager phone for Verizon Wireless. Let’s focus on the later pair. They were both hot in their heyday, but have been hit hard by abuse and neglect. They both don’t work like they should and they’ll never recapture their former glory. Let’s examine this relationship further:

Any Rush fans out there! Woo hoo! Rush rocks! But that’s about it. They rock. I know that. Neil Peart is a super bitchin’ drummer. I know that. Getty Lee is a radical bass player with awesome hair. I know that. And that guitar player dude is cool too. Even though I was never super into Rush (never owned one of their albums), I go for long periods thinking that Rush is cool. But then the coolness is shattered when I remember the rap in “Roll the Bones” or hear the lyrics to “The Trees.” See exhibit A:

There is unrest in the forest,
There is trouble with the trees,
For the maples want more sunlight
And the oaks ignore their pleas.

The trouble with the maples,
(And they’re quite convinced they’re right)
They say the oaks are just too lofty
And they grab up all the light.
But the oaks can’t help their feelings
If they like the way they’re made.
And they wonder why the maples
Can’t be happy in their shade.

That is cool… if James Taylor wrote it. Sorry to say, but Rush’s supreme dorkiness far outweighs their coolness. Hardcore Rush fans will of course disagree since one great Rush moment for them can erase 20 lame Rush moments.

But that’s not what this post is about. It’s about the big man on the little drums rocking out to Rush’s “The Trees.” My broham to the max and ex-band mate, Bill McClintock, was in town for a night, but didn’t have any drums to rock out on. That’s where I step in by providing my 3-year-old’s Christmas present for the extreme jam sesh. Yesh, I said jam sesh beeyatches. Don’t forget about D-Rock on the bass either. Props for remembering that crap from high school. Enjoy: