Life's Soundtracks Archives - Page 2 of 4

Roots Music Safari Archive by category "Life’s Soundtracks" (Page 2)

Life’s Soundtrack A Good Slow Run with Katatonia!

So I ran again last night. I was going to go Sunday but the temperature topped out close to 90 degrees. The forecast for Monday had the high at 81, which is more in my comfort zone,so I waited.
Before I ran I created a new loop course that was around four miles and took of with Runmeter marking the miles and Katatonia, a progressive metal band in my ears. Overall the first three miles weren’t too bad then my heart rate. started going up, so I cut my pace back to keep it under 170! While the run seemed faster and easier, the overall pace was around that same 10:45 min per mile pace. Hey, it was still fairly warm and I did it and that’s what counts! Read More

Life’s Soundtrack – Good Knees, Slow Run with Americana and ProgRock!

So for the last several weeks possibly a month I have been without my glucosamine and chondroitin pills and my knees have felt the effects, particularly when I go up and down the stairs. I think this is one of the reasons that I haven’t run as much over this time, maybe not consciously but on some level it’s made me feel less like running! Last Saturday I finally bought new pills and boy, what a difference after a few days my knees felt great going up and down the stairs and yesterday I actually felt like running! I still suck but a least my knees feel good today!! While I didn’t feel bad throughout the run I did though have to keep slowing down to keep my heart rate down! I finished a 3.8 mile run just a little faster than last time with an average pace just under 10:30 per mile! Just building miles!! Read More

Life’s Soundtrack – A tough run – but an Introduction to Pendragon makes it better!

This year has been a bad running year, I just find myself finding other things to do than ponding the pavement. But today I talked myself into getting out there and running for only the second time this month! I don’t know if it’s because my knees don’t feel right or I’m disappointed in how slowly I run. What I really have to do is just remember that Nike slogan and “Just Do It!” Like I’ve done over the last few runs is plot out a new course one where I get to run over the same roads, just in a different order! My time over the 3.6 mile course was about 10 minutes per mile for the first mile or two and then 11 minutes over the last two for an average of 10:30. Again I will repeat my mantra, I just need to build miles and maybe the speed will come around! Read More

Life’s Soundtrack – Part 1 – Cal Scott – Carved Wood Box

So last night as I worked burning, washing and sieving asphalt and its component parts, I listened to two fine folk albums. The first was the latest release from Cal Scott Carved Wood Box and the second was Walk Along John from Canadian mandolin virtuoso John Reischman. Currently, Cal Scott’s album is number 29 on the Folk DJ Chart and Reischman is number 4! Read More

Ana Popovic – Can You Stand the Heat

Today I traveled over the Burlington-Bristol Bridge and out Street Road to the Costco in Warminster,Pa. The reason I traveled all that way today was to see about getting new hearing aids! Why go to Costco? – well their cost for hearing aids is one-half price of their competitors! I will be getting two aids for less than the price I paid for one! Not only do I get a great deal but it’s from a company that pays their employees a decent wage and makes money!! The soundtrack for the trip was the new album from Serbian born Ana Popovic, Can You Stand the Heat Now if you like some great guitar with your blues, who doesn’t then you can’t go wrong with Ana! As I reviewed her biography tonight at her website, I saw some interesting facts! Read More

Life’s Soundtrack – A Good Run with Prog Rockers Spock’s Beard!

So last night I came home last night and wasn’t sure whether I was going to run. I expressed that sentiment to my wife who reminded me that I feel better when I run! So that was the nudge that I needed to get me on the road. When I started my legs felt really good, and for the first time in a long time I didn’t feel like turning around and going home within the first half-mile! I hit the first mile mark in about 9:45 and the held on to average 10:02 per mile for the rest of the run! While my heart rate is still above where I’d like it throughout the run the good thing is that it’s almost under 100 within 5 minutes after the run! Now I just have to work on getting two more days per week in consistently! The soundtrack for the run was last year’s live album from Spock’s Beard, The X Tour Live. Now I have stayed away from Spock’s Beard because it’s one of my sons favorite bands. I know that should make me want to listen to the band, but somehow it has the opposite effect on me – now it may just be that I enjoy being contrary or that I’m afraid I won’t like them! Anyway the fear of not liking them has been removed! I thoroughly enjoyed the album. Now over this may not be the band that Andrew loves, because the band has had many personnel changes over the last ten years. The biggest being the departure of founding member Neal Morse. Morse founded the band in 1992 along with his brother Alan. left the band in 2002 to focus on his solo career. Therefore, the album “Feel Euphoria” released in 2003 was a new beginning. The band released Octane in 2005 and a self-titled release in 2006. They released the album X in 2010. The album that I listened to was The X Tour Live. Jimmy KEEGAN provided some additional vocals on that release and later followed the band on the promotional tour for the new material. After the release of X Nick D’VIRGILIO left the band to concentrate on his solo career. The line-up for the X Tour Live was: Nick D’Virgilio / vocals, drums, guitar Dave Meros / bass Alan Morse / guitar Ryo Okumoto / keyboards Jimmy Keegan/ tour drums The line-up for their latest 2013 release Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep is: ( I listened to parts of that album today) Alan Morse / Guitar & Vocals Dave Meros / Bass, Bass Pedals, Keyboards & Vocals Ryo Okumoto / Keyboards & Vocals Ted Leonard / Lead Vocals & Guitar Jimmy Keegan / Drums & Vocals Anyway, the run only got me through the first five songs on the album. The two tracks that really stood out for me were “From the Darkness” and “The Man Behind the Curtain” I’m listening to the album now and the track “On a Perfect Day” is on and it sounds great! Overall, the album has a 3.55 rating at the ProgArchives and is labeled as an excellent addition to any Prog Rock collection and the novice says: I agree. Now Andrew, you have to tell me what earlier albums to listen to, when Neal Morse lead the band! Here is a performance of the aforementioned “On a Perfect Day” Read More

Life’s Soundtrack – A Decent Run made better by Bulgaria’s Pantommind!

After coming home from food shopping at Trader Joe’s this afternoon, I came within an eyelash of talking myself out of going for a run! I’ve done that successfully for most of April, between long days and knees that really didn’t feel 100%. But I told myself no, you are going to run. I thought maybe if I go to Runner’s World and create a new route then at least it’s different and then I really can’t compare it to familiar runs! So that’s what I did and overall the run was pretty good the first mile was under 10 minutes and overall I averaged about 10:13 minutes per mile, and considering that I haven’t really run that much this month I’m okay with the pace!The soundtrack for the run was the latest album from Pantommind, Shade of Fate. From Prog Archives: Read More

Prog Exploration Goes to France and finds Delusion Squared II

So I’ve written before, that one of the things I like about Prog Rock is that the bands come from all over the world. The band that was the soundtrack for my ride down to the Garden State Parkway was the French band Delusion Squared. The album is their sophomore release appropriately titled II The band, formed in 2009, is a trio composed of lead vocalist and guitarist, Lorraine Young, guitarist, keyboard and drummer – Steven Francis and bassist/keyboardist – Emmanuel de Saint Meen. Their music can be classified as Crossover Prog (or Art Rock). If you are a novice to the world of progressive rock, you can go here, for the ProgArchives definition of Crossover Prog! Read More

Life’s Soundtrack: Greylevel – Hypostatic Union

So it does bode well for a run when within the first quarter-mile you start thinking to yourself, “You know my legs don’t feel very good, maybe I should just go back home”, which is exactly what happened today! But I kept going and turned inward and tried to concentrate on the music, which was provided by a progressive rock band from the west coast of Canada, Greylevel and their 2011 release Hypostatic Union. I passed the first mile mark in just under 10 minutes and my heart rate was too bad. Then it was up Pancoast Avenue, to the beats in second song on the album. After reaching the top of the climb it was downhill to Bridgeboro, all to the great sound that Greylevel crafts. The band calls it ” a unique blend of progressive and emotional rock music”.Greylevel started as a solo studio project for Derek Barber a vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, In 2005 Barber teamed with guitarist and bassist Richard Shukin and vocalist Esther Barber (Derek’s wife) to form a real band. Since then Greylevel has developed into a full-fledged band. Read More

Category: Life’s Soundtracks