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One of the great things about surfing the Internet is that you can stumble, completely by accident, onto something really cool.

A while back, I was doing my daily read of the fantastic web comic Questionable Content, when the artist/author mentions that he’s off to see the “world’s best heavy metal Bee Gees tribute band.”

Well heck, I just had to check that out. I got Tragedy’s publicist to send me a copy of their CD and let me tell you, I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it. It also brought back a funny memory.

This was difficult to write. Maybe not as difficult as when my mom passed away, but still…no fun at all. My sister’s life was a long, hard, and bumpy road. Being a New Englander, I always thought some of the bumps would smooth out, like the frost heaves that vanish every spring. It never seemed to happen. Ironically, things did get a little better right around the time of Joanna’s death. It was the first time in, well, ever that my sister was lucid. She was very helpful during that time and despite the layer of sadness that was draped over us, I felt hope.

For some reason, the Tom Waits song that closes this concert resonated with recent events.

Thanks, and goodbye Lynn.

Yeah well, a funny thing did happen for my last batch of reviews: I blew right through them in a matter of hours. Phew! This time around, the hours turned into weeks. Sorry about that. And hey, this is no indication of the quality of the music because there’s some fine, fine stuff here. There’s a cover of an old 70’s pop tune, my favorite Bill Evans tune, a modernization of Mingus, and even a didgeridoo.

Check ‘em out:

Miles Stiebel - Dance With Me

Eliane Elias - Chega De Saudade

Search - The Laws Of Gravity

Joe Baione - Oh Yeah!

Billet-Deux - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat

Bebo Valdes & Javier Colina - Waltz For Debby

Donald Vega - Scorpion

Razl - Glow Pig

Mark Rapp - 1st Minute, 1st Round

I keep tossing around the idea of the future of music procurement via the Internet. Even after all of these years, the concept has not resonated with me. Maybe it will when the day comes when I have no choice, though I’m seriously hoping that that never comes to pass.

Anyhoo, I tried the Pandora thing again and met with moderate success.

Someday, I will not be befuddled by technology.

Or….I will move to Montana and live in a yurt.

In any event, I did try to integrate technology into this morning’s listening experience but it sort of blew up in my face.

Not too long ago, a new website was launched to cover news & arts in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. I signed on to cover local music releases and also the local arts scene.

So far, I’ve contributed:

-A preview of the winter arts festival: The Show Before The Snow

-A review of Sublimation by electronic music artist Mystery Bear

-An entry on my experience of the Ice Storm of 2008

Today, check out my review of Age of Reason, by local band Moving Picture.

Come & sit yourself down and read the silly story of how I spent the first day of 2009.

You know, I’m very happy that 2008 has passed, because it was a pretty rotten year in some ways. I’m very hopeful that ‘09 will be a better one, though the first day wasn’t so hot.

I signed myself up for a batch of reviews, to be delivered the week of January 5th. But then a funny thing happened, I was still so amazed that I had both working electricity and Internet service…that I just sat down to listen and write. Within a few hours, everything had was done. Very strange.

Anyway, check ‘em out:

Brian Charette - Giant Deconstruction

Lisa Hearns - Easy Living

Clayton Brothers - Where Is Love?

Jim Hall and Bill Frisell - Migration

Matthew Shipp - Quantum Waves

Marco Benevento - Friends

The October Project - Bird Colony

Brad Shepik - Blindspot