GBMCDE - A look back

Today in Austin, TX, we had a temperature drop of a little more than 40 degrees. We set a record high today at 89, while currently it is 48, and dropping. Finally, it's feeling like fall. I dig it.

Anyways, a few days ago, I posted the mix that I sent out for the initial Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange, and promised to at least mention the mixes that others had sent out. This is that post!

Now mind you, these aren't in any particular order, I'm not going to show preference to one over the other. I'm extremely pleased with how it went, all of the mixes were solid, and all got some good playing time in the car, while I was messing around on the internet, or just hanging around my place.

Lucy made it easy to decide when to listen to her particular mix. For starters, she went all out and made a different mix for each person. Most impressive! The one she created for me was titled "Rainy Day," and had "a mellow compilation to accompany the soggy days we know and love." It served its purpose well, with songs from Imogen Heap, The Shins, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, The Flaming Lips, and more. Definitely a fine CD to throw on during those precipitation-filled days.

Going with a theme on the other side of the emotional spectrum was Marin's offering, "Keep a smile on -or- Face the surmounting frustration of a traffic jam." The songs that Marin assembled fit the theme perfectly, starting the day (and CD) with an upbeat ditty from Melanie Horsnell (starting off with the line "Every mornin' I get dressed for work"), one of my favorite songs from the GBMCDE comes a couple of songs later with Forever Thursdays' "How Can it Be", then a few wistful tunes from Regina Spektor and Loney, Dear, mounting angst from Of Montreal and Bright Eyes, and ultimately ending up with David Bowie's "Queen Bitch." Need I say more?

Continuing my theme (I've decided I'm listing these in geographical order, starting with Lucy in Georgia and heading north. Marin's in DC, which leads us to. . .) Krazee Eyez Killa, from Chicago, comes up next with a great mix, one with a cartoon guy holding his heart, saying "It's nothing special" (I loved that). Any time someone can go from Jars of Clay to Cypress Hill to Snoop Dogg to Dashboard Confessional with Michael Stipe to Ghostface Killah to Willie Nelson and end up at Pearl Jam (with sprinklings of his fellow Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy thrown in the mix) is impressive, even more so when the CD flows this well. KEK, you are my caucasian.

H gave us a mix spanning three decades of rock and roll, "The Essential H," starting with Bob Dylan in 1962, hitting the essentials of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin, two of Eric Clapton's groups (Cream and Derek and the Dominoes), her favorite song ever, then stopping in '78 for a while before ending up in 1991 with Pearl Jam. (Interestingly enough, KEK's and H's mixes each ended with Pearl Jam!)

And last, but only because he hails from the Great White North, is " Three Pints Mixtape Vol. 1: Music For Your Mom," put together by Jad. This collection of "mostly Inoffensive Music That You Can Safely Share With Your Mother" is listed in its entirety here, so check it out. I listened to this with my mom, and she gives it her approval. This mix contains another song that could be in contention for my favorite song of the exchange, with Julie Doiron's "I Left Town." (Don't let it fool you like it did me, I thought there was a kitty cat in my apartment the first 3 or 4 times I listened to it. Just wait for it, you'll see what I mean.)

There you have it! This second round of the Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange should be even better, if you can believe that to be possible! There's a few more people involved, so everyone will be getting even more tunes! I've even received one already, from Derek, one of my new Canadian friends! So be checking your mailboxes, and get to burning! I know of at least one more heading your way as we speak! Not mine. My envelopes will be going out in the next week. once the cover art is finished, and the track listings are finalized.

For my friends in the US, I wish you a safe and very happy (and filling) Thanksgiving holiday! For my Canadian friends, I wish you a safe and very happy (and fulfilling) Thursday! And here's to everyone , hoping that you'll celebrate Buy Nothing day!

This will actually be my first Thanksgiving away from home, but fear not! Big Texas and I have graciously been invited to the home of one of his coworkers, and with this turn of the weather, if I close my eyes, I may just think I'm back in Iowa!

Round 2 - Fight!

It's time for the return of the Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange!!! For those of you who did it last go-round, I hope you all can do it again! Those of you who are newer around here, here's the gist of it:

Make a comment on here or send me an email (flenker@gmail.com) letting me know that you're interested. After a week or two, or when we get a decent number of responses, I'll get everything collected, sorted out, etc. While this is going on, you plan your mixes. Put anything you want on it, anything at all! Don't worry about pleasing people, don't worry if it's a song that everyone knows, don't worry if it's a song you wrote yourself! Make something that you like! It could be based on a theme (we had some very good ones last time), or it could be an assortment of tunes from your collection that you think everyone should be listening to every day. You could even go all out and make a different mix for each person (like the lovely Lucy did last time!). It's totally up to you! The idea is that you send a mix to everyone, and everyone will send you a mix, leaving each person with lots of new music to explore!

The GBMCDE went over pretty well last time, spanning the Midwest, to the East Coast, down South, and even Canada! I'm hoping this one will be even better! First off, there was one person who didn't send out last time. Luckily for everyone, I now live with that person, so he'll send out not only a mix for this time, but a 2nd one for his past indiscretion. I'll make him. Plus, since we live together, you won't have to send one to me and him, we can share.

So, don't be shy! This is a chance to share your favorite bands, songs, albums, even artwork! We had some very excellent cover art the last time. Post a comment, email, hit me up on facebook, find some way to let me know you want in on the fun! You don't have to have a blog to participate, so don't let that stop you. Right now, this is open for everyone! (Now if there's an overwhelming response, I'll figure something out. I don't know if people want to be mailing 20 mixes out. But if it reaches that point, I have some other options. Otherwise, I think this worked pretty well last time. And if anyone feels up to making some sort of neat image or something that I could use for this, I'll throw in a special treat with their mix when it goes out!)