Day 7 - Sunday - It's Alright to Be Little Bitty

This was the one I had the most fun doing and also the longest. In fact, I may start this one a day early. It's sure to get me into a good mood... Also, did YOU do a music detox? Are ya gonna? Anything you got to say about mine? Am I ranting to the darkness? Let me know!

Day 7 - Sunday - It's Alright to Be Little Bitty

1 - Alan Jackson - Gone Country
2 - Alan Jackson - Little Bitty
3 - Big and Rich - Six Foot Town
4 - Big and Rich - Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)
5 - Brooks & Dunn - Boot Scootin Boogie
6 - Brooks & Dunn - My Maria
7 - Charlie Robison - John O'Reilly
8 - Charlie Robison - My Hometown
9 - Garth Brooks - Ain't Goin Down Till the Sun Comes Up
10 - Garth Brooks - Callin Baton Rouge
11 - George Strait - Adelida
12 - Hank Williams Jr - Family Tradition
13 - Hank Williams Jr - A Country Boy Can Survive
14 - Hank Williams Jr - Hog Wild
15 - Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue
16 - Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
17 - Kenny Chesney - When the Sun Goes Down (Feat. Uncle Kracker)
18 - Kenny Chesney - I Go Back
19 - Kenny Chesney - Keg in the Closet
20 - The Soggy Bottom Boys - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
21 - Gillian Welch & Alison Krauss - I'll Fly Away
22 - Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
23 - Ryan Adams - To Be Young (is to be sad, is to be high)
24 - Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
25 - Tim McGraw - Indian Outlaw
26 - Tim McGraw - I Like it, I Love it
27 - Toby Keith - Beer For My Horses (Feat. Willie Nelson)
28 - Toby Keith - I Love This Bar

Double JJ, here I come...

Day 6 - Nerdcore Risen

Ah, you thought I had forgotten about you, didn't you? Nope, no such luck. Here's day six! I'll go ahead and post day seven immediately after...

Day 6 - Saturday - Nerdcore Risen

(All songs from video games or inspired by nerd culture. Yes, there is a lot of MC Frontalot.)

1 - Suikoden - Gregminister
2 - Team Genius - Illegal Donkey Kong Remix
3 - Bust a Groove - Happy House (Shorty's Theme Japanese)
4 - Bust a Groove - Let the Music Take Control (Hiro's Theme)
5 - The Advantage - Ducktales, Moon
6 - The Advantage - Megaman II - Stage Select and Metal Man
7 - The Black Mages - Maybe I'm a Lion (Final Fantasy VIII)
8 - The Black Mages - Those Who Fight Further (Final Fantasy VII)
9 - Gitaroo Man - Born to be Bone
10 - Gitaroo Man - Flyin to Your Heart
11 - Roo' Ra - Summer of Love
12 - Banya - Beethoven Virus
13 - Banya - Oh Rosa
14 - Epaksa - Space Fantasy
15 - Portal - Still Alive
16 - Guilty Gear X - Holy Orders
17 - Mos Def & High and Mighty - B-Boy Document (Baddd Spellah Remix)
18 - MC Chris - Tractor Beam
19 - MC Chris - Evergreen
20 - MC Chris - The Tussin
21 - MC Frontalot - Hassle: The Dorkening
22 - MC Frontalot - I Hate Your Blog
23 - MC Frontalot - Bizarro Genius Baby
24 - MC Frontalot - Floating Bridge
25 - MC Frontalot - Gonna Be Your Man
26 - MC Frontalot - Good Old Clyde
27 - MC Frontalot - Mountain Kind
28 - MC Frontalot - My Sister
29 - Turbo - Gigaton Punch
30 - The Protomen - The Will of One

Day 5 - Indie Loves POP

Another day, another playlist... One of the reasons I'm glad I'm doing this is because, now, I'll always have a playlist for a few, very specific moods I get into.

Also, this is the point where I pretty much gave up on order, since I always listen on shuffle anyhow...

Day 5 - Indie Loves POP

1 - Matt And Kim - Daylight
2 - Phoenix - Lisztomania
3 - Passion Pit - Little Secrets
4 - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Everything with You
5 - Architecture In Helsinki - It'5!
6 - Black Kids - Hit The Heartbrakes
7 - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth
8 - Dartz! - Once, Twice, Again!
9 - The Format - She Doesn't Get It
10 - The Go! Team - The Wrath Of Marcie
11 - The Go! Team - Get It Together
12 - Hal - Play The Hits
13 - Jens Lekman - A Sweet Summer's Night On Hammer Hill
14 - Les Savy Fav - The Year Before The Year 2000
15 - MGMT - Kids
16 - The Oranges Band - Ride the Nuclear Wave
17 - Ratatat - Lex
18 - Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone
19 - Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Me and Mia Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
20 - Jack Penate - Second, Minute or Hour
21 - Sondre Lerche - the Tape
22 - The Wedding Present - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)

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Also, speaking of happy music, how have I not heard of Alphabeat yet?

Day 4 - Rock and Roll Friends

Alright, today is totally a cheat day. I found it was too difficult to make an entire CD full of varied comic artists singing. SO, I'm tossing in a bunch of my favorite comedy CDs (Anything Patton Oswalt or Henry Rollins, etc...) along with some songs as well. Some of the particular standout are...

Liam Lynch (Feat. Jack Black) - Rock and Roll Whore
Sifl and Olly - She's a Carrot - Delores - Prostitute Laundry - Performance Art - Rock and Roll Friends
The Lonely Island - A random smattering of their hits.
Flights of the Conchords - Boom - Bowie - Inner City Pressure - Ladies of the World - Mutha'uckas
Tenacious D - Beezleboss

Tomorrow, we'll return with your regularly scheduled and strictly compiled playlist!

Day 3 - Revenge of High School Jacob

Hey folks. Before we get into your regularly scheduled musical post, I do have a short bit of news.

I was so worried I wasn't going to be acting this fall. Looks like I'm going to be singing in Middle School Musical, a Theatre for Young audiences offering from (dramatic pause) The Alliance. I'm ridiculously psyched. This couldn't have worked out better on multiple levels. I'll still get to go to Orlando on my birthday, I'm going to be able to work out my other trips out of town, I get to branch out and get a musical and a new theatre on my resume, I get to work with the amazing Rosemary Newcott, and, on top of it, it's the Alliance. I mean, come on! What isn't to like?

I really lucked out here, guys. I don't know how it happened, but I'm pleased it did.

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All of this came from a pretty hectic and stressful day yesterday.

8:00 - Wake up. Iron clothes. Shower. Get ready. Drive.
9:30 - Shoot a video for reThink. Wear cowboy boots. Eat one chicken biscuit.
3:00 - Head from reThink straight to The Alliance for my Middle School Musical callback.
5:00 - Head STRAIGHT from the callback to work.
9:00 - Head STRAIGHT from work to my audition for Grease at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. It doesn't shame me to say that I don't consider myself a "singer", but I am always proud of myself when I overcome the fears I have and really commit to it. Thanks to Bethany Irby for being the one playing the piano. She calmed me down quite a bit...

If I have time to prepare, I'm a servicable singer... It's still nerve wracking. But a little pat on the back to me for doing it twice in one day. Watch out, folks. Musical theatre royalty coming through. (/irony)
10:00 - Go home. Collapse. Sleep like a baby.

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Now, why you really came... You want to know what the next mix is.

Day 3 - Revenge of High School Jacob

1 - House of Pain - Jump Around
2 - Lit - My Own Worst Enemy
3 - Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way
4 - Counting Crows - Mr. Jones
5 - Dave Matthews Band - Lie in Our Graves
6 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Fun Lovin' Criminals
7 - Live - All Over You
8 - Pearl Jam - Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
9 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul to Squeeze
10 - Sevendust - Black
11 - Spin Doctors - Jimmy Olsen's Blues
12 - Fastball - Out of My Head
13 - Green Day - 2000 Light Years Away
14 - Rufio - Above Me
15 - Rx Bandits - Analog Boy
16 - Goldfinger - Superman
17 - The K.G.B. - I'm a Player
18 - Less Than Jake - Last Hour on the Last Day of Work
19 - Suicide Machines - New Girl
20 - D'Angelo - Send It On
22 - The Fugees - Fu-Gee-La
23 - Wyclef Jean - To All The Girls
24 - Beastie Boys - Sure Shot

Day 2 - Electuesday

Day 1 was a rousing success. Then again, I needed Outkast to get me through all of the auditions I had. Before I pass out, I'm gonna toss up the tracklist for Electuesday. Feel free to play along!

1 - Soulwax - NY Excuse (Justice Remix)
2 - Lo-Fi-Fnk - Steppin' Out
3 - Simian Mobile Disco - Audacity of Huge (Feat. Chris Keating)
4 - Röyksopp - The Girl And The Robot
5 - Cut Copy - Lights And Music
6 - Simian Mobile Disco - Off The Map (Feat. Jamie Lidell)
7 - Hercules & Love Affair - Blind
8 - Emil & Friends - Sleepyhead (Passion Pit Cover)
9 - Midnight Juggernauts - Road To Recovery
10 - Daft Punk - One More Time
11 - Discovery - So Insane
12 - Röyksopp - Happy Up Here
13 - Hot Chip - One Pure Thought
14 - Emil & Friends - Electric Feel (MGMT Cover)
15 - The Avalanches - Two Hearts in 3-4 Time
16 - Daft Punk - Digital Love
17 - Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor
18 - Justice - DVNO
19 - Muscles - Jerk
20 - The Toxic Avenger - Superheroes 2007
21 - Justice - Phantom pt. II
22 - United States of Electronica - Emerald City
23 - Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You

My Music Detox - Day 1 - Monday - Stay on the Grind

So, I was listening to the new album by The Antlers today and thought, "MAN, I've been listening to a LOT of Sad Bastard Music lately." For the record, I don't think I need to explain Sad Bastard Music...but if you've ever heard Bon Iver, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyhow, over this week, I'm embarking on a musical journey to crank the joy notch in my life up. Each day will have a theme. Join me, won't you? I'll try to keep it to about the length of a CD, in case you want to burn your very own copy. But, if that's true, you should really just get an mp3 player.

I'll post tracklists for each playlist daily, hopefully.

Yay for blog content!

1 - Jay-Z - Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
2 - Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad
3 - R. Kelly - Hair Braider
4 - Clipse (Feat. Kanye West) - Kinda Like a Big Deal
5 - TI (Feat. Kanye West, Jay Z & Lil' Wayne) - Swagger Like Us
6 - 50 Cent (Feat. G-Unit)- Hate It Or Love It Remix
7 - Lil' Kim (Feat. Sisqo) - How Many Licks (Ed's Note: I was providing links to all of these songs, until I got to this one...and I just thought, "There's NO way that's a good idea." Look these songs up at your own risk, folks...)
8 - Lil Wayne (Feat. Young Money)- Filet Mignone
9 - T-Pain (Feat. J Lyriq) - 69
10 - Mos Def - Life In Marvelous Times
11 - DMX (Feat. Swizz Beatz) - Get It On The Floor
12 - Joe Budden (Feat. Busta Rhymes) - Fire
13 - Lil Wayne (Feat. Jay-Z) - Mr. Carter
14 - Ol' Dirty Bastard (Feat. Kelis) - Got Your Money
15 - Outkast - So Fresh So Clean
16 - Sean Paul - Like Glue
17 - Lil Wayne - Let The Beat Build
18 - T-Pain - Backseat Action
19 - R. Kelly - Ignition (Remix)

Back in the day...

So, I've got a call to come into The Alliance for a play called "Middle School Musical". It's, essentially, sort of a "Second City for Kids" vibe, so improv is going to be a big part of it. One of the points was that I had to make up a song about my middle school experience.

THUSLY, our sprang the following paen, which I have entitled "A Hip Hop Tribute To A Girl From My Past As Told By A White Kid From Western Kentucky."

Sung to the tune of "Excursions" by A Tribe Called Quest.


Back in the days before I was a teenager
I was such a nerd, still am, but then MAJOR.

Just couldn't get a girl to look at me twice
Even though I showered regularly and smelled nice

My main crush in the group was one Joni Walker.
She didn't even notice when I stumbled past her locker.

There's more to the story, than her walking right past me
But if you need more than four lines, you'll have to cast me.

THE END!

Yes, I'm rapping at an audition again.

Ah, Joni Walker. My first real crush. *sigh*

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Nothin' doin' with the It's a Wonderful Life audition. That's alright. I'm not going to act like that wasn't an intimidating room. Every single person in that room, I had seen perform before. Especially the guys reading for George... I mean, guys like Brik Berkes and Googie Uterhardt have been at this for years in this town, so there's no shame in losing out a part to them. No shame at all.

Friends have been saying, "Hey, that's awesome that you were in there. You're in that class of actor!" But, I mean, I'm not. I'm a non-eq who is still, really, just getting his start. It doesn't help me to have the cred. Forget the cred, give me a part, you know? Though, who knows, maybe there is no cred? Maybe just friends making a friend feel better. But it was flattering and very nice to be called in twice for such a big part.

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There was one part during the audition where I felt like I gambled big. The big scene where George is about to leave for college and confronts Potter was great fun to do, simply because there's really something in that scene. Beforehand, I keep reading it over and over, thinking about how this guy was just heartsick over his father's death, how he felt the responsibility as the new man of the house weighing on him, his desire to escape the trap of Bedford Falls and his hatred of Potter and all that he represents, and how I would react in a situation like that. It just all came out. Who knows, maybe nothing I did was what they were looking for, but that moment felt good. It felt true to me.

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His nature is not remorseless, but to escape a trap, he must act without pity. Tom from Glass Menagerie and George are the flip sides of the same coin in that respect.

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Two more auditions coming up fairly soon. Grease for Georgia Ensemble. Dead Man's Cell Phone for Synchro. We'll see. You know I haven't booked a part that I've actually auditioned for since Spreading It Around? Time for a change of career?

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Back in the days when I was a teenager / before I had status and before I had a pager / you could find The Abstract listening to hip-hop / my pops used to say it reminded him of bebop.

You want the moon?

I actually have some stuff to cover! How exciting.

I saw one of the last performances of Pippin at Stage Door Players. I don't know what it is, but I've come into the two shows I've seen at SDP expecting to not like them. Don't Dress For Dinner? Eh, it's a farce. Don't care for farces. Pippin? Eh, it's a musical. I'm not a musical person. BUT, both times, I've really enjoyed myself.

Seriously, y'all. I'm NOT a musical person, but Pippin was pretty great, in parts. Josh and Courtney Donahue (Fellow Kidstuf'ers) were faboo. Craig Waldrep was great as Charlemagne. Will Bradley as Pippin was exactly what I imagine Pippin to be, mercurial without seeming too annoying. All in all, I truly enjoyed it.

Speaking of SDP, I'll be heading out there next Friday for my very first Woodie Awards. Don't hold out hope for me in my category, y'all. It ain't happening. But, it should be a fun night. Robert Egizio is a beacon of energy and I'm going with Abby Parker, so there's no question it'll be a good time.

I've got a couple of auditions coming up. One is my second callback for It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play at ART Station, the other is an audition for Dead Man's Cell Phone at Synchronicity. I only mention this, because I want them both quite a bit. Send good vibes my way. I'll update you if there's anything worth updating.

There's another thing I'll be doing (not acting) at a pretty big theatre in town, but I'm still not talking about it until I'm involved in my first rehearsal...or whatever. So I'll cover that later as well.

Birthday is in about a month. I can say, in all honesty, it's going to be awesome.

Thoughts on talent mandate by J. Brent Morrison

In response to Dennis Frymire's thoughts on the subject.

In the Acting field specifically.

When we say someone is a talented actor, we are actually giving credit to a plethora of skills. Speech, memory, muscle control, imitation, interpretation, determination, creativity, empathy, etc. These talents do not exclusively belong to actors and can be used in a variety of fields. So the argument would go, you have a mandate to use your talents, but not necessarily as an actor.

Generally.

People are self-motivated to use their talents (qualities, not jobs). If you are an eloquent speaker, you tend to talk more. If you have a good memory, you tend to remember things. People generally avoid things (jobs, not qualities) that they knowingly suck at. This can be hard to see at first, like that William Hung guy who was a terrible singer but tried out anyway for American Idol. Turned out he actually had a talent for entertaining, and he pursued that to record deals and talk show appearances. To call that a mandate misses the point. People are not morally obligated to do jobs at which they are good. They just do.

J. Brent Morrison is a former colleague of Jacob York. His opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this blog.