I see a light come shinin'...

my little brother got bit by a spider, a brown recluse to be exact. (fiddle back) it's on his side, just below the left arm. the poor little guy is in pain, but mostly scared from the treatment he has to have. my mom puts some sort of burning medication on the bites which causes them to build up (they look like pimples) and then she pops them, or rubs them in order for the puss to clean out. it's a tricky process, only made that way by my brother's sheer terror of the pain that comes from the burning. i've been bitten by a spider, but not a fiddle back. i asked her how he was bitten, but it's up in the air. those little creeps can dwell anywhere and it would be no surprise if he was bitten in bed or at recess. i was bitten in bed by a spider once as well. it was horrible, not because of the pain, but because it was a freekin' SPIDER!!! one of my biggest fears in the entire universe and all existence is spiders. there's just something about how they creep along slowly or fast like, and then how they become motionless like statues when waiting to pounce on their prey. their colors and shape as well as names and habitats really get under my skin. i've had many moments of hyperventilating when confronted unexpectedly by those demon insects. spiders aren't really great company here. i always think they're sent here to spy on me, or us...

making our way to thursday this week, we come to another classic 60's group. here is, The Band.



this canadian by-way-of new york, rock group is one of the best remembered 60's musical acts to ever exist. (1965-1976) considered highly amongst critics and other fellow musicians, the band were great makers of americana music that spoke to the generation at the time as well as those who followed. originally the backing band for Bob Dylan, the band began work on their own music in 1966-1968 after dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident. during this time, they would contribute to the now famous, bob dylan Basement Tapes, album.

in 1968, their first album titled, Music From Big Pink, was released to the public. the name comes from the pink house they rented to make the album. it was critically acclaimed, and the song titled, "the weight" was used in the crappy 60's film i hate so much called, Easy Rider. (i just hate bikers...) they were not to be pegged with the popular psychedelic genre at the time, and instead chose a more laid back, folk/soul style approach to their music.



during this time, (1969) the band would tour in support of big pink and make appearances at woodstock and isle of wright in england with dylan again. also in the same year, the band went back to the studio and recorded their self titled masterpiece. this would become their biggest charting album to date, and it contains many of their most recognized songs. their music at this time stood on contrast to what was popular, and with that i give them much credit. inspired by such artistic quality, Eric Clapton, even changed his style and came back with a more focused and less experimental approach. this was seen in other artists as well, like bob dylan and The Byrds and even today's modern artists like those in the alt-country genre. bands like, Lucero, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Drag the River, Colexico and Wilco all share some resemblance to this classic group.

yep yep yep, it seems music can be as good as another, but it takes guts to truly make it great. the band happened to be one such act. today you will will find those first two albums that i've mentioned already, oh and just to mention it for my sake, both albums ranked #34 and #45 in Rolling Stones Top 500 Greatest Albums Ever Made. dig it...


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=67SST9H3


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8MQLHJR1



i shall be released...