The Stages Of Life, The Stages Of Musik: Part 3, Ages 16-18

The final stages of my life. I mean, I'm not dying. I'm just only 18, so this is all I've lived.



16. Tenth grade. I can drive. I have a 1996 Ford F150. I'm in a band.

Me and my other 2 band members pile into the bench seat and turn on the stereo.
In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins. Nothing.is.better.than.this.song.when.you.are.going.20.miles.per.hour.windows.down.in.midday.traffic.on.a.busy.street.


My musik collection basically consisted of the following bands on repeat. For a year. Straight.


Roscoe - Midlake - The Trails Of Van Occupanther.


You Make Me Feel - Milosh - You Make Me Feel


Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow


Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt.1 - The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots


This Modern Love - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

~~~~~

17. New car. New life. Not really. Just sounded good.
This is the year I learned the most about musik.
Aphex Twin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Pedro The Lion, XTC, Boyz II Men, Kings Of Convenience, John Mayer, Lupe Fiasco, Daniel Johnston. This was the year I discovered Pandora radio and elbo.ws.

Granted, I view these lists a little differently now, but here is the way it was in 2007:
My top 15 albums of 2007
My top 50 tracks of 2007

~~~~~

Now I'm 18. You guys know what I've liked in 2008. I mean, this is a musik blog for Pete's sake. Just view old posts!


The next leg of life is college. I guess I'll get into poetry,


ultimate frisbee,


and Dave Matthews Band?


I guess we'll just see, and to be honest, I'm glad to see it with you. Thank you for caring, readers.

This has been my life, via musik

Stage 1
Stage 2

The Stages Of Life, The Stages Of Musik: Part 2, Ages 12-15

I must add something to the last post. An addition, if you will, and you will because I'm doing it regardless. My sister informed me that when I was 4-5 years old that I would blare Queen in my room and sing-a-long to the songs... loudly.


We Are The Champions - Queen

On to part two:


Ah, the awkward years begin. I'm in 6th-9th grade during these ages and that's ending elementary school, all of middle school and beginning high school. Such pleas(I was so miserable)ant times.

12/6th grade: At this point, Seth is on his way to college and I'm riding in the car with my mother to and from school. I would make mix CDs for us to listen to. They all had the title, "ZZ Josh 1", "ZZ Josh 2" or whatever the appropriate number that coincided with the mix was. I still have some of these CDs. They are half terrible, half still amazing - all very real.
ZZ Josh 1 contains the following songs:
1. The Typewriter Song - Funkungfusion
2. Are You The Walrus? - FurtherMore (A Christian rap group)
3. Help Me Rhonda - The Beach Boys

4. That Thing You Do! - The One-ders
5. My Guy - Mary Wells
6. Some punk rock version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
7. Lean On Me - Bill Withers
8. Breakfast At Tiffany's - Rockapella (an all acappella group)
9. Blue Moon - Rockapella

10. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz (The CD contained the edited version)
11. Baby - Moby

12. Natural Blues - Moby
13. One More Time - Daft Punk
14. Carolina In My Mind - James Taylor
15. Fire & Rain - James Taylor
16. Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
17. Country Road - James Taylor
18. Mexico - James Taylor

As you can see, very much still listening to oldies/James Taylor but also discovering a few bands on my own: Rockapella, Gorillaz, Moby, Daft Punk (best decision of my life), etc.

Now let's fast forward ZZ Josh 10 and see how much my taste has changed. I would be in 8th grade by this time.
1. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service

2. Sleeping In - The Postal Service
3. Nothing Better - The Postal Service
4. Natural Anthem - The Postal Service
5. Clark Gable - The Postal Service
6. Brand New Colony - The Postal Service
7. There's Never Enough Time - The Postal Service
8. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - The Postal Service
9. Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine
10. Every Night's Another Story - The Early November (EmoRock band)
11. When The Sun Sleeps - Underoath
12. Caught A Glimpse - Blindside
13. I Miss You - Blink 182
14. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows - Brand New
15. RedUmbrella - ElEcTrIcIzE
16. Walls - Emery
17. Never Be Alone - The Get Up Kids
18. Message In A Bottle - The Police
19. For The Workforce, Drowning - Thursday
20. Monster Truck - ElEcTrIcIzE

Somewhat of a significant change.

About this time I'l in 9th grade; enter the poser. I went to hardcore shows, wore black hardcore band t-shirts, had my orange and black checkerboard slip on fans. I was an individual. Me, and ever other kid who listened to Zao, Norma Jean, The Chariot, Underoath and Blindside. Granted, for hardcore, you can't get better than those guys, but I just looked the part. I mean, I was listening to a band that had Ben Gibbard in it. It's impossible to be hardcore and do that.


So there we have it. My middle school/puberty years.

Stage 1
Stage 3

The Stages Of Life, The Stages Of Musik: Part 1, Ages 3-11

I recently ate dinner at couple's house with them and their son, Wallace. Wallace is three years old. Three. Does anyone remember anything from when they were three years old? Well Wallace better because I gave him some of the best advice, ever.

"Whenever you start listening to music that doesn't involve reciting the alphabet, take your stages slowly and fully."

This, along with an encounter with Georgina who said I was very versatile in my musik choice, inspired me to do a series of blog posts on musical stages as they coincided with stages in my life. Without further adieu, here is part one: Ages three to eleven.




Since this was my, "I'm young and impressionable" stage, this really set the tone for a lot of what I listen to today.

Between the ages of three and eleven years old I was constantly with my Aunt Boo (my family refers to me in this stages as "such a buster." I have yet to figure out what that means). We would ride around town with the windows down and blow air-horns at people, eat at local restaurants and rot our teeth with sweets. Not much has changed in our relationship from then until now; especially the musik. Oldies, baby: Motown classics, beach musik, soul. We used to have a radio station called Fun 100.1 but it passed years ago. Now we just listen to the CDs over and over again, and we're both totally okay with that.



This is a 9 minute song that features a large horn ensemble, a consistently fast congo, a chorus with falsetto points, and an overall mood, of groove. This is by far one of the best soul songs I've ever heard in my life.
Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield


As far as soul goes, nothing beats the classic James Brown.
This Is A Man's, Man's, Man's World (LIVE) - James Brown


Then we move onto the beach and shag music we used to listen to. Sure we had a large library of music, but this one is an all time favorite.
Give Me Just A Little More Time - Chairmen Of The Board

~~~~~

Continuing this young and impressionable stage, I was also introduced to a lot of variety from my brother and father.
My brother is seven years older to him so obviously I have always looked up to him. Even if that means him listening to Christian punk rock.

Under Lock And Key - MxPx
Don't worry, this was only his taste in middle school. It gets better. You'll see.



Then my father, post-hippie, jazz head. Granted, my father is about as hip as they come. I mean, has your father been to an Iron & Wine show and know who Girl Talk is? All the while listening to Grant Green and Joni MItchell? Boom. Hip to the jive, daddy-o.
So my father, in my youngest stage, would always be playing something. Whether that meant on the guitar, on the stereo, in his mid-life-crisis Austin-Healey, where ever. I'm sure he played more but what I remember most are two of the greatest folk musicians ever and a touch of true classic rock.




Back in the day, my family used to rent the same beach house every year at Sunset Beach. It had a nude portrait of Betty Boop at the top of the stairs - unimportant. My father would always bring his guitar and in fact, this is where I first played my guitar. James Taylor is the sound of summer to me.
Fire And Rain - James Taylor


As far as folk goes, it truly does not get better than Joni Mitchell.
A Case Of You - Joni Mitchell


My father constantly insists that Hendrix is one of the best guitarists ever. As far as I'm concerned he was just one of the most influential guitarists ever.
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan Cover) - Jimi Hendrix


So there we have it. My elementary school years.

Stage 2
Stage 3

Post-Trip Post... Trip

So I'm back from Den Haag in Holland. Let me first explain my week: Everyday was work experience on the Logos Hope, the boat we were staying on. We were partnered with OM (Operation Mobilization) Ministries which is a ministry that renovates ships, 4 so far, and uses them to travel all over the world. The ship we were on had three main goals at each destination: To bring knowledge, help, and hope. Knowledge because it has the world's largest floating book fair in the world offering literature to anyone who enters. Help with teams entering the community to help rebuild it physically, personally and spiritually. Hope with the gospel. Each person who interacts with an "OM-er" is immediately affected by the love of Christ. This is their approach to missions and as far as I'm concerned, they got it right. Granted this was different than other mission trips I'd been on since it was not street evangelism but relationship and presence oriented it was still without a doubt great. I definitely learned a lot about missions, myself and the big man upstairs. How often to Christians forget that love and relationships are the heart of the Lord? Truly an eye-opener.
Back to the work experiences, here is what we did. Our group would work in different areas - The book hold - pricing, sorting, unloading. For some reason I kept hearing Joanna Newsom's voice while working here. Bridges And Balloons - Joanna Newsom

The galley - cooking, chopping, cleaning. It's the food baby!
The Food [ft. Kanye West] - Common

Accommodations - cleaning the whole ship... everyday

Deck - everything on the ship that needs to be kept up is left to these guys.
REMIX! My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix) - Feist or My Moon My Man (Grizzly Bear Remix) - Feist


We also had several lessons and ton of ship community time. It was a great experience. If you have two years and don't know what to do - join OM Ships. You'll be blessed as you bless others and you'll learn about yourself as God teaches you his will and ways.