Journal: Some homegrown music to be found on the web

I never thought I'd bother to write an on-line journal/blog, but I experienced a really cool thing the other day--the debut of a friend's solo music project--and it's worth checking out.

My friend Chris, who is very musical, just put together an album of original songs . He recorded the whole thing (minus a few of the singing tracks that friends did long-distance) on Cakewalk XL in his spare room. He's a programmer who did this in his leisure time.

I love lots of music, (favorite genres include punk and bluegrass at the moment). But the coolest musical moments happen for me when friends play together. Something greater than the sum of its parts gets created with live music. And when you actually know the performers, and can even sing/play along, the experience resonates even more strongly. Then to see a bunch of songs my friends play turned into an album: it's just dandy.

I got to listen to the development of several of the songs on Chris FMTransmitting. One song, "Coffeehouse Girl" is about a long-distance crush: you know, the girl/boy who looks perfect, that you desperately want but probably won't talk to. And even if you do talk, you don't end up clicking. I like to play it when I am down, because it always makes me smile.

The song tells a sweet and funny version of "the crush," complete with references to "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies, linux, and a bit of 90's cynicism. What's not to love? If you check it out, let me know what you think of it.