Eclectic Grooves

While the title of this post sounds like one of my own mix-tape creations, it's actually the title of the latest encyclopedic, music-reference tome from the prolific author Vernon Joynson. Over the past several years, I've been intrigued with the plethora of music reference books available which highlight the most obscure artists in the pantheon of music.  The first books I heard about that were written by Vernon Joynson were Fuzz, Acid and Flowers and The Tapestry of Delights, but the price of these has always been so exorbitant that I could only hold the vision that there would be a new pressing that was more affordable. Recently, I discovered that he had released a revision of one of his earlier books Dreams, Fantasies and Nightmares from Far Away Lands Revisited that would showcase music coming out of Turkey, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and the Middle East. After doing some research about the cost of landing a copy of the aforementioned A Melange of Musical Pip...

As I sit here this morning, bleary-eyed and staring at this blank screen, I realize that it's been another four months since my last post. When things were going well, it seemed like the words flowed effortlessly out of my fingers like a running stream. Now, I can barely muster up a small puddle of words, tangled up in regret and uncertainty of what the future holds for me. Recently, an old friend and frequent visitor of Eclectic Grooves sent me a message on Facebook saying that he was sorry to hear of all of my troubles, and that he figured that the blog was defunkt. Upon hearing this from a person who had visited the blog many times, and regularly posted comments, it was the shot in the arm that I needed to reignite my passion for writing about music again.  I want to thank this person for shaking me out of my creative funk and essentially waking me from my slumber. Now, on to the music.. One of my main sources for discovering new music when I first started the blog was the...

So much time has passed, I almost feel like an imposter while writing this post on my own blog.  Eclectic Grooves used to mean so much to me, and I felt like with it I was able to gain a loyal, albeit, small community of readers who waited patiently for my next treatise on the current state of music. I spent a copious amount of time combing the internet for the latest inspiration, and was mostly successful in operating a semi-popular blog for the first three years. Then, my girlfriend started struggling with her health in the Spring of 2010, beginning with digestive issues and slowly developing into a much more serious diagnosis of Lyme disease. Since she was diagnosed with Lyme disease in the fall of 2013, our lives haven't been the same. I started feeling hopeless about every facet of life. How would we possibly get the money to pay for the care that she needed? How would I be able to stay mentally and emotionally strong despite her considerable decline in health? How would I kee...

2015 was a long, strange year. Throughout the year, I experienced many hardships, while at the same time being the recipient of great fortune. I purchased and listened to more music in 2015 than any other year since starting this blog, but a lack of time and energy prevented me from dedicating much time to it whatsoever.  I have thought about packing it in countless times, but each time the thought crosses my mind, I always come back to the feeling I get when I have a new idea for a post. It's really difficult to put into words, but suffice it to say that listening to music fills me with joy, and I enjoy sharing music that delights my readers. While most people have probably already started focusing their efforts on the most anticipated records for 2016, I have just begun to wrap my head around my favorite albums released in 2015. Last year I spent more time thoroughly listening to records, rather than dismissing them after a cursory listen to get through a stacked listening queu...

It's hard to fathom that I've been kicking around this mortal coil called the blogosphere since 2006. In the current social media addicted world, a music blog seems to be about as relevant to current times as parachute pants and jean jackets. But, in the fall of 2006, when I first decided to try my hand at spreading the word about music through the now antiquated format of a blog, I stumbled upon a peculiar corner of the internet named Prostrate Before a Periwinkle. Aside from the off-putting name, it was a brilliant resource for discovering esoteric artifacts from a wide variety of musical genres. Even though the link for the blog has not been active for several years, it is still possible to view small traces of it via The Wayback Machine , a magical portal into the internet's graveyard. Back in September of 2007, I posted on Eclectic Grooves about the impact that Prostrate Before a Periwinkle had on my listening habits, and contributed a new ...

I had planned on getting this year's summer mix completed before Summer Solstice.  As usual, my perfectionism stepped in, preventing me from completing the mix until a couple hours ago. While the process of gathering tracks began in the middle of May, I didn't get into finalizing my choices until last week. I feel that this years mix is filled with songs that are perfect for summer road trips, backyard barbecues and pool parties.  In keeping with the theme of the blog, it is an eclectic mix spanning genres such as rock, glam, garage, jazz, soul, funk and hip-hop. For those of you who still burn CD's, I have trimmed the length of the mix a little so it will fit on a single CD. Dive in, and let these songs make a splash in your eardrums this summer! Summer Mix2015 1) Witch- Introduction 2) Andres Landero- Perdi Las Abarcas 3) The Hombres- Let It Out (Let It all Hang Out) 4) White Fence- Raven on White Cadillac 5) Gene Harris- Put on Train 6) Shirly El...

Unknown Mortal Orchestra- Multi Love The trajectory of Ruban Nielsen's career has never been predictable. After becoming completely disenchanted with the record industry when he was playing in the punk band The Mint Chicks, Ruban was really close to leaving music in his rearview mirror. While working as an illustrator for Jacob Portrait's brother, he was working on a self-recorded project that would eventually turn into UMO's self-titled debut record, despite his feelings that no one would be interested in hearing a bunch of guitar solos. Then, after a year of touring left him feeling alienated and desperate, he poured these feelings into the band's second record II, and toured the globe for another world tour.   Within the past year, his polyamorous relationship with his wife and another woman has provided the lyrical inspiration for the band's soon to be released third record entitled Multi-Love.  Even though the official street date for Multi...