College.....

Each year at graduation, I reminisce about my own college experience, and, as silly as it sounds, I find myself living vicariously through my seniors, who are soon off on their own adventures in college. The world is just so open to them in so many ways, and I often think about my own adventures, misadventures, and decision making that brought me here, after college, and two miserable years teaching in NH, to a great place in Maine where I can have a fantastic fan club come and hear my silly graduation songs.....

How appropriate, then, that I go with Amanda to see the Dave Matthews Band last week, since, more than any other musical group, DMB in many ways DEFINED my college experience. Those older than me reminisce about the Beatles or the Rolling Stones or Grateful Dead or Woodstock as being the 'defining' music in their lives....for me, it was Dave Matthews Band, as he was definitely the 'official' band of the University of New Hampshire...haha. As a sidenote, I should add that almost NONE of the 124 seniors I taught this year have even HEARD of DMB.....very very sad....

When I was a freshman in college in 1997 or so, the album CRASH was the big album of the day, and it continued to be huge as I began my time at UNH; songs like #41 and "Crash Into Me" were ubiquitous, "Proudest Monkey" was a total 'chillout' track, and the championship UNH men's ice hockey team were introduced to home games while the beginning of "Two Step" was resplendent throughout the Whittemore Center.

I connect my sophomore year (living in Stoke Hall in a triple with JR and Brian) to the album BEFORE THESE CROWDED STREETS, and I remember hanging out on the beach in Rye listening to "Stay (Wasting Time)," and dancing (or something) at 'cocktails' to "Crush." Just a very very formative album and band; I look forward to the days to come when I can blast DMB and tell Callum and Maira that this is the stuff that mommy and I used to listen to in college. Maira, already, seems to love the band, and she particularly likes "Song that Jane likes" and his new track "Belly Belly Good." She always enjoys dancing and 'twirling' to these songs....

Here are Andy and Beth before the show we saw....

Running/Wine/CallTheMidwife buddies.....

Sorry to keep harping on the whole DMB thing....it is just that seeing the concert last week (the fourth time I have seen them!) has really got me thinking back to different parts of my life. I remember when the album "Under the Table and Dreaming" came out when I was a junior or so in high school....it was groundbreaking! Here we were, 'stuck' in a world of distorted guitars and slap bass a-la bands like Pearl Jam, Offspring, Alice in Chains, and other 'alternative' rock groups.....and along comes this goofball who has all these jazz influences in his music--saxophones, offbeat drum rhythms, offbeat rhythm-guitar-as-lead-guitar nuances, and a freakin' VIOLIN player!! Listening to Dave Matthews back then was akin to doing your weekly lawn-mowing and going to drink the ice water that your wife usually leaves out on the walkway for you....but, that one time, she fills your cup with beautiful lemonade with no ice so you can really gulp it down. Yeah. it was like that........