Fantastic Fitness and Stupendous Spotify Selections

Despite yet another snowstorm falling on my home base this past week, I nonetheless managed to squeeze a form of exercising into my schedule today. This morning I went to the clubhouse in my neighborhood (also a fine place for swimming in warmer weather) and while there I lifted some weights and walked on a treadmill for 20 minutes, followed by a five-minute cool down. Upon my return home, I cooked a hot dog and prepared a salad for lunch.

Later, with regard to my listening pleasure via Spotify, I alternated between two of my favorite subgenres of popular/rock music: Americana and power pop. The first album I listened to in its entirety today was an album by underrated yet talented Midwestern singer-songwriter (and the brother-in-law of Madonna) Joe Henry: Short Man's Room, originally released in 1992. Well-known roots rockers The Jayhawks were featured as Henry's backup band on the recording. It included some tracks that I liked a lot and, subsequently, added to my list of "starred" tracks, i.e. songs that I thought were really good as well as those which I don't get tired of hearing. One of the tracks from this particular album, "King's Highway," was later covered by Joan Baez.

After Joe Henry's album came to an end, i then switched gears and played some power pop. This afternoon I listened to the debut album ( actually, first public release) by Chicago-based influential power pop band Shoes: Black Vinyl Shoes, originally released in 1977.  My personal favorite track off this record was the second-to-last one: a rocker titled "If You'd Stay." Shoes, led by brothers John and Jeff Murphy, have had a major cult following in the power pop community and among myriad power pop fans to this day, including myself. Among my favorite tracks of theirs that appeared on later albums of theirs include "Tomorrow Night" (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DfyEiw6yM&feature=kp) and "Too Late" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7tkDZ58DEw); some of the band's music videos were aired on MTV's inaugural day of broadcasting and they continue to perform and record to this day.

Other Americana and power pop artists whose albums (specific titles heard today listed in parentheses) I listened to today included, respectively, Rhett Miller (The Instigator) and Marshall Crenshaw (Field Day).