Top Ten

First, this vacation has been quite hectic. Part of it is my fault, but the other part can only be blamed on the intricacies of life. More on that later. I know...I have been pushing off Thanksgiving stories for over a month now, but I am pretty good about New Year's Resolutions and one of them is to post on this way more often.

However, I have been thinking about doing a Top Ten for 2010 for a while and so, here it goes! I took my favorite song from each month (Dec. 09 - Nov. 10) and ranked them. These are my top ten songs from the mixes in 2010!

1. Generationals - Trust (November)
2. The xx - VCR (February)
3. Cults - Oh My God (August)
4. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun (May)
5. Sun Hotel - Suburb (October)
6. Darwin Deez - Constellations (December 09)
7. Pearl and The Beard - Oh, Death! (March)
8. Stornoway - I Saw You Blink (April)
9. NazcarNation - Beeswax (September)
10. Pomplamoose - If You Think You Need Some Lovin' (July)


ALSO! Here are my top ten BANDS from 2010. These are artists that piqued my interest much more than just one song, but that I had NO IDEA EVEN EXISTED before 2010. These results are mainly based on how much outside research I did on these bands, videos I watched on youtube, people I stalked on the internets, and albums I bought. In parenthesis is when you may have first heard this group.

1. Frightened Rabbit (Winter)
2. Local Natives (June)
3. New Pornographers (May)
4. Pomplamoose (July)
5. Stornoway (February)
6. Maps & Atlases (May)
7. The Morning Benders (March)
8. Surfer Blood (December 09)
9. The xx (February)
10. Bicycle Voice (Winter)

Autumn Honorable Mentions: Part Two

I know you are just DYING to know what's on the other AHM Album. So, wait no longer! One of my goals over break is to take a day to send out November, December, and both AHM CDs to those who qualify. That way I will be all caught up and ready for the new year!

This disc is oppositely themed ROBOT. It deals with music that could not have been possible without computer assistance.

1. Tricky - Murder Weapon
2. Seeing Suge - Breaking
3. OK Go - White Knuckles
4. LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change
5. Foxes in Fiction & Weed - Teenage Dream (Katy Perry Cover)
6. Sing Leaf - The Watch
7. Long Walks On The Beach - metaPhysical
8. Dale Earhardt Jr. Jr. - Vocal Chords
9. Wolf Gang - Lions In Cages
10. The Ting Tings - Hands
11. Anamanaguchi - Airbrushed
12. Kisses - People Can Do The Most Amazing Things
13. Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story (Aeroplane Remix)
14. Eels - Spectacular Girl
15. Lovers - Barnacle
16. Sufjan Stevens - Too Much
17. Psychic Powers - Brighter
18. Owen Pallett - Don't Stop
19. Deerhunter - He Would Have Laughed

Zach's Notes
1. Great choice of sample!
4. Ok...I give up. I love this song!
5. The song that inspired me to also cover this song.
10. Basically on here so David can hear them in Africa
11. My vote for new "Mario's Got A Star" Theme
14. Sort of a stripped down song...even for Eels
15. Subliminally catchy
16. Hold on tight for this one. It goes EVERYWHERE!

Trapped in Anchorage

Hey Team!

I am writing you from the lovely Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, AK. Currently, I have been here since about 3:30 this afternoon and my flight doesn't leave till 2:00 AM Monday morning. Here's the scoop:

My 2:00 AM flight on Saturday, December 18 was overbooked by about 15 people. I have no idea what possesses airlines to sell 15 seats they don't have, but that was the scenario. It was basically luck of the computer as my friend Laura started to check in AFTER me and got a seat. Anyway, I rushed over to the gate to get a seat and literally the guy in front of me (with the same no-seat issue) got a seat. So, we (me and the other 14 people behind me) were forced to anxiously wait for anyone to volunteer their seat for compensation (which didn't happen) and then wait for everyone present to board so the stewardesses could check for open seats. The one open seat went to a man with military preference. He was on a mission...to bang his girlfriend I bet.

In any case, my flight left without me. I was compensated $400 towards future flights and booked on the very next guaranteed seat out of Anchorage, which wasn't until 5 PM today. I know what you're thinking. I said I was on the 2AM flight out.

Well, missing my ANC flight messed up my Seattle flight to Minneapolis and because I was switching airlines (from Continental to SunCountry), I was SOL. Continental was only responsible for getting me to Seattle.

So, after calling SunCountry a bunch of times, I discovered that the only flight from SEA to MSP is at 9:00AM. So, if I had taken the 5:00 PM ANC - SEA flight, I'd have arrived in SEA at 9:30 PM and have had an almost 12 hour layover waiting for my next flight. So, I played the system. I showed up for my 5:00PM flight knowing it too would be overbooked and volunteered my seat for ANOTHER $400 payout and a ticket for the 12:40AM flight. So, I sat at the airport bar and had the airline pay for my meal while I drank beer and watched the Packers (lose). Then I sat down to catch up on school work and wait for my flight.

However, about 30 minutes ago, the GateKeeper (his name is TC) came by and asked if I'd be willing to wait till 2AM for another $300. I said sure. I'll just grab a coffee and crash on the plane.

So now, I will arrive in SEA at 6:30 AM, have a short layover in SEA, and not have to purchase a hotel/try to sleep in the SEA airport. I think it is a great deal.

Let's look at the exchange:

I lost:
- 48 hours in Minnesota with Tyler, Katie, Susan, and Andrea (all of whom I will still be seeing by the way)
- $264 for having to rebook my SEA-MSP flight (again, it's a different airline so Continental isn't liable)
- food and drink money
- a lot of sleep (I was up for about 24 hours from Friday morning to Saturday morning)
I gained:
- $1100 in airline tickets
- $38 in food
- 2 nights in a hotel
- the experience of finally knowing what happens to people when the flight is overbooked (I can now put that mystery to rest)
- a night out with friends (Mark, Nate, Adam, Rico, and Danae all came to Anchorage last night and we had dinner at the Moose's Tooth and went out for drinks at Chilkoot Charlie's)
- about half of my schoolwork done
- a dent in the December playlist

What do you think? Was it worth it? I was really frustrated for a while, but I think it will all work out in the end. I've learned often you have to roll with the punches.


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Autumn Honorable Mentions: Part One

I've decided to split this up into 2 parts because I think it will help me get back into the swing of writing more frequently. Before I get to exciting past stories, I do want to catch you up on the music.

This disc's theme is HUMAN. This is music using (mainly) real people playing real instruments.

1. Arcade Fire - Ready To Start
2. Opus Orange - Almost There (Feat. Lauren Hillman)
3. The Lucksmiths - Get-To-Bed Birds
4. Hey Sholay - In Bed With Old Nick (Kids in Bearsuits on Drugs)
5. Fox in the Henhouse - Fears
6. Brandon Flowers - Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
7. The Smashing Pumpkins - Freak
8. Antonio Paul - City Dreams
9. Telekinesis - Dirty Thing
10. Les Savy Fav - Let's Get Out of Here
11. Land of Talk - Quarry Hymns
12. Ben Folds & Nick Hornby - Claire's Ninth
13. Cee-Lo Green - What Part of Forever
14. Joshua Radin - The Rock And The Tide
15. Ray Lamontagne And The Pariah Dogs - Beg Steal Or Borrow
16. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang - The Sounds Are Always Begging
17. Jeremy Messersmith - Violet
18. Camera Obscura - The Sweetest Thing (Richard Hawley remix)
19. Cocoon - Owls
20. Mutual Benefit - Desert Island Feeling
21. Amanda Palmer - High And Dry

Zach's Notes
1. They've been hitting me hard lately. Very talented folks!
4. Yeah, I don't know why people name things so weirdly sometimes.
6. The Killers frontman scores another pretty good number.
7. They're Back!
10. Just a sexy song
12. He took some of Nick Hornby's poetry and set it to music for his new album. It makes for some sometimes disjointed lyrics/unusual phrasing. This is the best song I've heard yet.
13. The B-Side to the essential "Fuck You"
14. This guy just knows how to write calm, subtle acoustic pop stuff
15. A nice sort of throwback song
18. I am absolutely in love with this girl's voice
21. Pretty sure she's rocking the mandolin. And it is sweet!

Procrastination AND November Playlist

Hey Team! It's been a long time since I've posted and I have had some pretty cool things happen since. Highlights include taking two of my students to Anchorage for the weekend for an All-State Music Festival and an absolutely beautiful weekend hanging with Jenny and Patrick down in Homer for Thanksgiving. However, each of those things are an entire post on their own.

Right now, I am delaying the process of typing lesson plans. I just hate having to write the same thing over and over for each class. For HS and JH music, we are going to get ready for the concert on the 14th or 16th (depending on the school). I mean, I have no idea how the lesson will specifically go. I know whether we are doing band or choir each day and I know which sections of which pieces I want to focus on to start, but after that everything is sort of felt out by which area I feel they need most improvement on. Lesson plans are so different for music/performance classes. I need to make that clearer in the future.

Anyway! November playlists and Autumn Honorable Mentions are done. I'm really going to try to post a little bit each week and put a little bit of work into the CDs each night. Like it's my homework...

So, without further ado, here is what I was listening to in November:

1. The Drums - When I Come Home
2. Generationals - Trust
3. Golden Bloom - 30 Lives
4. Kings of Leon - Pyro
5. International Zombies of Love - Back To The Ball
6. Matt & Kim - AM/FM Sound
7. Diamond Rings - Wait & See
8. Florence And The Machine - Heavy In Your Arms
9. Team Me - Weathervanes And Chemicals
10. Lykke Li - Get Some
11. Wise Blood - SOLO (4' CLAIRE)
12. Coma Cinema - Caroline, Please Kill Me
13. Best Coast - Crazy For You
14. Hungry Kids of Hungary - The Vacationer
15. Bedouin SoundClash - When The Night Feels My Song
16. The Meligrove Band - Bones Attack
17. Geographer - Age of Consent (New Order)
18. Dead Heart Bloom - Flash In A Bottle
19. Foals - Blue Blood
20. New Socks - House Show
21. Bright Eyes - Coyote Song
22. Pseudo Kids - Goodbye Summer

Zach's Notes
2. The bass, the swelling guitar riffs, and the cool little "Olivia" section make this a must-listen
3. Nerd Rock
4. Sort of a sultry little KoL number. Feels different than "Only By The Night" and I can't wait to hear more singles are they are released (or until the price drops enough that I'll buy it)
6. This is one of the few bands my students and I can both agree on
7. Making their return to the playlist since debuting last October
8. Try this one to counter the radio hit, "Dog Days Are Over."
10. Played this song while playing games in Homer and the crowd suddenly became quiet just as she sings, "I'm Your Prostitute." Awk-ward...
11. Love the bluesy feel to this short little tune.
14. Kind of like Ra Ra Riot with less cellos
16. If I Love You To Death Will Your Bones Attack Me?
19. These baby horses have been trying to broach the playlist for a long time and I finally found a song worthy.
20. Just fun!
21. Anyone who new me sophomore year of college may remember my huge disdain for Bright Eyes, but here is a song where he doesn't sound so awful
22. Some dream rock to ease us into the long, long winter...

Time Flies When...

September and October CDs were mailed out this morning. I'm going to refrain from ever saying, "I hope to have them out soon" again. It's foolish of me to ever think I will have enough time to get them out when I say they will be going out. That being said, I am hoping to have the November playlist made by Thanksgiving and, ideally, mailed out in a month that starts with Nov. So, unless Novembuary is added to the calendar soon, I'm going to have to work hard.

Please continue to let me know when/if you get your music and to let me know what you think of it all!

Time Flies When you are putting on your first concerts:
That's right. Plural. Concerts. As I teach at both high schools in the district, I thought it would be a nice gesture to combine the ensembles from each school to form a big, full, professional-type concert. Then, I decided neither school should have home-field advantage for the show and I scheduled two concerts, back-to-back, on Monday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 26. The first took place at Glennallen and the next night we traveled down to Kenny Lake. I had this grand idea that since both schools would be traveling during dinnertime, the host school would provide a meal and we would all commune together before the show and relax and come together in a musical spirit. Well, that took a lot more planning than I thought. Coordinating parents to donate food stuffs as well as some baked goods to peddle at intermission was no easy task. I have learned that it is far better to simply ask people to help in a certain fashion than to ask for volunteers and have them place themselves. I had some wonderful parents step out of the woodwork (seemingly at the last minute) to put together an awesome experience at each school. The Home Ec. teacher at GHS had her classes whip up stuff for the meal all day and parents at Kenny Lake showed up with crockpots full of soups and homemade bread.

So, after a brief rehearsal as a mass band/choir, we ate and were merry. It was actually a very nice time. The junior high and theater class also performed. I heard nothing but compliments from parents and community members. The kids even gave me flowers after the first show and an "Alaskan Survival Kit" after the second (complete with firewood, bug spray, homemade jam, pork chops, and fishing gloves). I have some video of it and after I get a chance to edit out the intermission, would love to post it somewhere for all to see.

It was also quite fortunate we had an Inservice Day the Wednesday of that week. So, the kids had the day off and I got to sleep in before afternoon meetings and such.

Parent/Teacher conferences were also that week. I had only about a dozen or so parents visit with me. Most were parents of kids doing well in my classes who had excellent things to say about my brief teaching career. A few wanted to know why their kids were getting Bs or Cs. When you only turn in 75% of your assignments, the best you can hope for is a 75%. Some kids are just lazy. I might have to look for some appropriate motivation.

I spent my Halloween weekend caribou hunting with John. Well, HE was going caribou hunting. I was along for the ride. Though, I did splurge on a small-game license (ptarmigan, rabbit, fox, etc...) and borrow his 12-gauge for the day. I spent the day in awe of the beautiful sights this my area has to offer, but didn't see a single thing worth shooting.

The oddest part about hunting in AK is that as long as you have one foot off the road, you can legally shoot something. In addition, because of Alaska's wild-ness, you have to do most of your hunting near the road system or risk trying to pack out a 500-pound caribou for a couple of miles. So, you drive along the roads really slow, scouring the countryside for good views/signs of life. Then, when you see something, you stop the car, grab your gun (which is already loaded and right next to you in the passenger seat, step off the road, and shoot it. So. Weird. I did convince John to do a little bit of hiking and sitting outside. It was good to get out of Glennallen for a day.

At the school Halloween Carnival (where I was sponsoring the Junior class and student council), I dressed as a King Salmon. I dressed in all gray with a red tie and wore a construction paper crown. The duck tape dorsal fin on my back made most people think I was King Shark or something. I forgot to take a picture of myself, so I'm still looking to see if someone has one to post.

I was so broke at the end of October, I couldn't afford to buy Halloween candy. Luckily, I was able to stretch the candy my mom sent me to last the night. Also, I handed out October CDs to the high school kids who came knocking. Like they needed more candy!

Since then, I have been trying to kick things into high-gear to prepare for my Holiday concerts. Kenny Lake's is December 14 and Glennallen's is December 16. At Kenny Lake, I only have to take care of my 3 classes, which is going very well. At Glennallen, though, I have to plan out what each grade K-12 is doing, which is much harder, especially when I only see certain age groups once a week. I feel like I am behind trying to get these kids ready for Christmas, but I am trying very hard to not sacrifice learning about music for the sake of rehearsing Christmas stuff.

I've gone on a few minor adventures. Played in the river, taught some kids Mayville Rugby, ventured to the Tolsona lodge, etc... With a little more snow I could go XCountry Skiing or even sledding. However, everyone is sick and/or busy this time of year. And I am both.

Anyway, that's a long enough post for now! Hope the music and life treats you well!

October 2010 Playlist

I worked pretty feverishly last night to finish this list. I wasn't in a rush or anything. It was just all I truly wanted to be doing at that point last night. So, October is done. And since September is still sitting in a pile on my floor, I will be mailing them out together. Big thanks to all who let me know they got their CDs. It was a little scary there for a while, but it seems like almost all of them made it to their destination.

October is pretty solid, if I do say so myself. Less female leads than usual. Burning them as we speak. Will color and package shortly.

Heading into Anchorage this weekend for a little getaway. Patrick and Jenny (friends from Homer) and I are sharing a really sweet hotel room and, yes, the hotel has a hottub. I am VERY excited. We also may attend the circus! I'm hoping for a really nice and relaxing weekend...

Here's what you'll be listening to shortly!

October 2010
1. Tokyo Police Club - Bambi
2. Kings of Leon - Radioactive
3. Hot Hot Heat - Implosionatic
4. Sun Hotel - Suburb
5. Bombay Bicycle Club - Rinse Me Down
6. Jack Johnson - At Or With Me
7. Kula Shaker - Modern Blues
8. Belle & Sebastian - I Want The World To Stop
9. Ra Ra Riot - Boy
10. Dumbo Gets Mad - Eclectic Prawn
11. FM Belfast - Par Avion
12. Glasser - Home
13. Local Natives - Camera Talk
14. Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
15. Mark Ronson - The Bike Song (ft. Kyle Falconer and Spank Rock)
16. Jenny and Johnny - My Pet Snakes
17. Natalie Merchant - Adventures of Isabel
18. Steel Train - You and I Undercover
19. The Smooth Maria - Abandoned Town
20. Tim Kasher - Cold Love
21. The Rural Alberta Advantage - In The Summertime
22. Stars - Dead Hearts

Zach's Notes
1. Oh, so catchy
2. When KoL first came out, they were dubbed, "the Southern Strokes." I never really got that vibe from them until this song.
3. How about that? I like a Hot Hot Heat song! I was close to putting an LCD Soundsystem song on here too... What's become of me?!?!
6. It's a good tune
8. Cool and catchy
9. Like Vampire Weekend's little brother...
10. The bubbles!
14. A chilly beat
15. This one's for you, Sammy!
16. All over the college airwaves. It's Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley!
18. Reminds me of someone or some other song...but I'm not sure who or which song
21. Simple and great
22. In love with this song!

P.S. For the second month in a row, I cut Weezer. I hope you're happy...

September 2010 Playlist

What can I say? Just a mere 2 weeks after completing the most massive music mailing in my young history, I have a new playlist ready and raring to go. I don't mean to brag, but I am SO GOOD at what I do! I think I'll be able to have the CDs made by the end of the weekend and am hoping to have them in the mail early this week. But I better get them done quick, October is going to be busy...I can just feel it.

There have been some picture updates as well! Included are: Pictures of Glennallen, the Copper River Valley, Valdez, and some Autumn shots.

Also, I am KINDA on Facebook now. As a way to communicate with my students and advertise to the masses quickly, my webmaster Maata and I have created "Glennallen MusicDrama." Search for him online to see pictures, check out upcoming events, and see what's going on.

Finally, the music:

1. School Of Seven Bells - Windstorm
2. Foxy Shazam - Count Me Out
3. Cocknbullkid - Cocknbullkid
4. Asher Roth - G.R.I.N.D.
5. Kid Cudi, Best Coast, & Rostam Batmanglij (of Vampire Weekend) - All Summer
6. Sufjan Stevens - I Walked
7. Star Slinger - May I Walk With You?
8. Winter Gloves - Ending Soon
9. LexiconDon - Student Body
10. Michael Franti & Spearhead - The Sound of Sunshine
11. Wildlife - Stand In The Water
12. J. Roddy Walston & The Business - Don't Break The Needle
13. Black Mountain - The Hair Song
14. Cut Copy - Where I'm Going
15. Elvis Jackson - Dry Your Tears
16. Yadi - Guillotine
17. NazcarNation - Beeswax
18. Basement Birds - Bus Stop
19. The Lucky Dip Escapade - Camp Fire Song
20. Gamble House - Bonny Doon
21. The Books - Free Translator

Zach's Notes:
1. So, Julie sends me a link and says, "Zach, I love this song. You should check it out." So I check it out and it turns out she has just sent me a link to the number one track off of September (which I had finished making the previous night). Turns out, we are musical soulmates.
4. Not a fan of the "I Love College" B.S. but this is a legitimate track that makes me wonder what else he has out there.
5. Sweet end of the summer ode by some of Indie's finest.
6. He's gone electric!!!!!
9. Silly and catchy
10. Getting plenty of radio play. At least up here...
11. I think this is a very romantic song.
13. Here's my guy-girl singing in octaves song!
16. Infectious and a bit intimidating.
17. Such a cool little beat with a great jam ending
18. Only on here because you aren't good with numbers...
19. What are we waiting for? The rest of our lives is behind that door.

A Very Alaskan Week/end

Just some quick highlights:

On Thursday, driving back from Kenny Lake, I drove through my first Alaskan snowstorm. And by snowstorm, I mean snowCLOUD, but still. Snow! Sheesh.

When I pulled into Glennallen (like smack dab in the heart of Glennallen) a big, black, bull moose ran out onto the road in front of me. I had no idea how black they got!

On Saturday, Ron (the Dean of Students) invited me over to pick up a bunch of moose meat. He had killed the moose the previous weekend and was butchering it and thought I'd like some. So, now I am the proud owner of over 20 pounds of moose hamburger(?), round steak, and roast.

After packing all my freezer bags full of moose, Ron asked if I wanted to see his airplane. Which, of course, led to us taking a short plane ride over the Wrangell-St. Elias National Wilderness. We saw some mooses, mud volcanoes, and got much closer to those awesome mountains.

It's a good thing we did that yesterday, cause when I woke up this morning there was a nice dusting of snow on the ground. I had heard that about this time each year it will snow, but it will melt. That process repeats for about a month and then the snow really sticks by the end of October. However, it started snowing lightly around 10:00 this morning and it is still coming down. It's icy and slick and I hear there is a possibility of school being closed with about 8 inches on the ground.

Welcome to the Great White North.

Also, my field trip was a rousing success. My students are so cool. Pride and Prejudice was great! As a way of keeping busy backstage, a few of the cast members keep a tally of each laugh the show gets in a night. Our crowd shattered the record. I like to think I was partly responsible. There was one scene where we all started laughing more than we ought to and one of the actors broke and laughed, which made us laugh more, which made the other characters break and laugh, which made us laugh EVEN more. It was awesome. I never though Jane Austen could have done that to me.

I have a feeling it is going to be a hectic week. I need to get lots of paperwork in quickly.

The September playlist is done, but CDs have not been burned. I will start that process when I can. Please be patient. I hope to not fall too far behind.