I’ve got a few different channels I listen to when it comes to music.  I once was a huge Pandora fan, but now I’m just a fan.  I still like the randomness of Pandora, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get.  A little serendipity in music is always nice for sure.  Lately it’s been some links provided by some of the folks I follow and that follow me on WordPress, and Spotify.  One interesting share from someone was the “Mug and Brush Sessions“.  A barbershop opens up to record audio and video of a band, and provides post-production support as well, then hosts them on YouTube.  Pretty cool, huh?  I watched a few of the videos and there’s this one with a guy laying it down with a harmonica in one of the R&B videos.  Just killer!

Then there’s my girlfriend whose a huge soccer fan, so we have a lot of FIFA chatter in the house.  The only thing close to soccer for me was kickball in grade school – soccer wasn’t ever part of my life but it’s amazing how the world is wrapped around this sport.  And with it comes the music attached to FIFA.  A few of the players have playlists up on Spotify for what their listening to as this event progresses.  There’s so much awesome music in these lists – and yes, it would be worth getting a freemium subscription if you’re curious so you can hear it for yourself.  Oh, and the best part of Spotify (IMHO) is I can keep copies of anything I listen to on my iPhone, Windows Phone, iPad, MacBooks, or PCs for those times when Wi-Fi isn’t available.  And most of the roads I ride have more water towers instead of cell towers – so this helps out in a pinch.

I’ve always been a fan of Brazilian music, but more in the vein of Stan Getz, Juan Carlos Jobim – these guys were Brazilian Jazz giants back in their day, and probably one of the reasons we have so much fused music today.  The FIFA music is much more contemporary but the beats and rhythms beneath the music still share the same stuff the Jazz giants gave us.  Very cool, and awesome for my ears anyway.

Then, there’s the music I listen to when I’m not coding, or drawing shapes and lines on paper and grease boards – this is the music that’s pumping into my ears while I’m on my motorcycle.  And of course it has to be loud enough to drowned out the pipes.  Recently I found another playlist in the blues channel on Spotify called “Funky Heavy Bluesy” – this playlist actually makes my bike go faster I think.  It’s interesting enough to listen to and not distract from the task at hand, handling the bike in traffic and turns on the back roads.  I had a lot of blues exposed during high school and played so much of it with friends, and managed to mix it in with my own playing style, subtle but still noticeable.

This is what’s playing now for me, at least for now.

j@s