We Gonna Party Like It's Your Birthday...

So apparently if you're born on January 9th, there's a good chance you can become a rockstar. Looking at the list of births today, we've got a bunch. Some of these guys I either don't know or don't care about (i.e. lead singer for LA Guns, bassist for Hole), so let's just take care of the good ones:

-Dave Matthews of the aptly named Dave Matthews Band turned 41 today. I'm not sure how I feel about this. The rockstars from so many of the bands I like are getting old (in music terms anyway). I know 40 isn't really old at all, but compared to all these new bands and the fact that these days a 13 year old with a sense of pitch can get a recording contract with Disney (if not someone more legit), guys like Dave Matthews, Slash, Dave Grohl, etc. are practically seniors. Makes me a little sad.

Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street [iTunes]

I am now going to attempt to finish the next bullet point without using the words "Bonnaroo" or "tour".

-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page turns 63 today. I wanted to put an MP3 of "Fool in the Rain" here since I heard it for the first time today on WMMR in honor of Page's birthday, but I failed to get a copy of said song. Hope this'll work out just as well. Bonnarootour...DAMMIT!! I tried...

Led Zeppelin - Good Times, Bad Times [iTunes]

The other notable ones I saw aren't nearly as cool:

-Carl Bell, one of the guys from Fuel, turned 41 today. Sadly, that's about the number of people who enjoyed Fuel's last album. Sorry guys, but Bret Scallions pretty much was your band, and the new guy can't hold a candle to him or Chris Daughtry.

-AJ McLean, the substance-abusing Backstreet Boy, celebrates his 30th birthday today. By traditional boy band rules, I believe this means he is now subject to cloning a younger version of himself while the original is put through a ritual sacrifice. Oh, the trials of a musician.

Currently Listening: Sonny Rhodes - The Ballad of Serenity [iTunes]
(yep...the theme from Firefly)

==TJ==

Dave Grohl to Drum for Led Zeppelin?

For the last 4 months anytime anybody breathed the words "Led Zeppelin" the whole world stopped to listen. I could right now start a rumor that said that Led Zeppelin was going to do an intergalactic tour that kicked off tomorrow on Jupiter and there's a good chance it would get picked up by someone. There's been more bullshit surrounding this than any real fact; first they're reuniting, now its a one-off. A source says they're headlining Bonnaroo, two more say they aren't, then three say they are. I've been trying to avoid it simply because I'm not the world's biggest Zeppelin fan, but the one I read yesterday is too much to let pass.

WMMR here in Philadelphia picked up a story from a site called gigwise.com that suggested that if/when the Zep decide to tour, the man behind the drum kit would be none other than Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

(I know a bunch of people probably stopped reading right here and are chalking this up to my neverending love of the Foo, but I'm not making this up. Read it here.)

British newspapers are saying that Grohl was on the list to take over for the late John Bonham on drums for their O2 show in December, but the spot ended up going to Bonham's son, Jason. They go on to say that Grohl would drop anything Foo Fighters related for a chance to play with Led Zeppelin. The Foo Fighters camp have not responded to these rumors, and as expected, reps for Zeppelin have been equally silent.

I'm not saying that its a good idea for this to happen, but damn it if it isn't the coolest bit to come across my computer screen all week. If I had to make a call, I would say that someone will debunk this story by early next week, but either way the story is awesome.

Back later today with a breakdown of the Top 40.

Foo Fighters - Another Round (feat. John Paul Jones) [iTunes]

Currently Listening: Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused [iTunes]
(this news made me decide to give them another shot)

==TJ==

Burning On, Just Like A Match You Strike To Incinerate...

The right combination of location, people, and emotion can alter the meaning of a song, and the effect that song has on the listener; for example, anyone who was there the first time Nirvana played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" live would have a different reaction to it than the person who randomly hears it come across the radio. And then there are the lovers who hear "their song" and remember fond memories. And for some a song can just bring back memories of being with friends, having no cares in the world, and just enjoying life. You wouldn't expect My Chemical Romance to bring about such enjoyable thoughts, but again, with the right people in the right place, it can happen.

Rewind to several summers ago, while I was still in my high school years. I'm with my friend Kevin, in his room, wasting time like usual. Also like usual, we were talking about music. There was a time when Kevin and I could hang out for hours on end and all we'd talk about was what music we were into that week, what we were eager to hear, and what we wish would just go away. The conversation turns to My Chemical Romance, who at this point were just beginning their ascent to stardom, with "Helena" rising the video charts. I had just picked up Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, while Kevin has been raving about it for a few weeks now. As soon as I bring up the topic, Kevin leaps up and puts the album into his stereo (whose volume is generally cranked up to 9 or 10). As "Helena" comes blasting through the speakers, Kevin and I are suddenly rock stars. Kevin does the best/worst air guitar he can, while he tosses me an empty Snapple bottle as I leap up from the imaginary drum kit in front of his bed and assume the role of a wannabe Gerard Way. The track (and us) barrels through two verses and choruses before we hit the bridge, a small breather before the final push to the end of the song. On the final line in the bridge (Will we meet again/When both our cars collide?) do our best 80s-rockstar jump in the air and finish out the track in a manner worthy of an unintentionally funny YouTube video.

Neither of us realized it at that point, but we caught lightning in a bottle during those 3 minutes. In various forms with various songs with various people, I've tried to recreate that experience, return to that feeling of raw energy flowing through the room, but it never came out quite the same. The closest I've come was in the radio station this past spring, rocking out to Sum 41's "Fat Lip" for passersby to see and gaze at in confused amazement. Perhaps it's for the better that it's never been perfectly recreated; some things are best when they are unique. It just makes me wonder if artists realize what they're doing when they do it. Did Bob Dylan intend for "Like A Rolling Stone" to become an entire generation's mantra? Did Led Zeppelin know that "Stairway to Heaven" would become one of the most played songs on the radio 30 years later? Probably not. But it does show how circumstance can alter the course of a song's meaning.

My Chemical Romance - Helena

==TJ==