If I believed in Godfathering. Which I would, if Dave Grohl was a friend of mine and I could ask him to be the Godfather. 

So have you seen this <below>? It’s making the rounds a la Fubooko. Dave Grohl is a guy that both The Cpt and I think is mad cool. I’d be shocked if you’re someone that doesn’t think he’s mad cool, because he’s honest and he’s genuine and he’s good with himself and he’s good with the world, and he’s accepting of differences and of others and I could go on and on. And he’s into creating - it’s not about accolades, it’s not about record sales, it’s not about image, it’s not about this and that, it’s about passion for creating and for music and to a greater extent, art.

You wish more young musicians were being raised to have this state of mind - you wish more young people were being raised to have this state of mind. 

 Top 5 Ways to a Better Life According to Dave Grohl

(An interpretation of his Keynote speech at SXSW last week in Austin,TX)

1. No one is you and that is your biggest power. 

“It’s YOUR VOICE. Cherish it. Respect it. Nurture it. Challenge it. Stretch it and scream until it’s f**king gone because everyone is blessed with at least that, and who knows how long it will last …”
“Who’s to say what’s a good voice, and what’s not a good voice? The Voice? Imagine Bob Dylan sitting there singing ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ in front of Christina Aguilera.”

2. Don’t be afraid of not fitting in. 

“I can truly say out loud that ‘Gangnam Style’ is one of my favorite f**king songs of the past decade. Is it any better or worse than the latest Atoms for Peace album? Hmmm… paging Pitchfork! Come in, come in, Pitchfork! We need you to help us determine the value of a song! Who f**king cares.” Don’t be someone who designs their lives to impress others. 

3. Give a damn about yourself.

It’s about taking care of yourself so you can be a better human being. A 2.0 version of you is way more equipped to help others in need. Take up yoga if you’re stressed. Ask for a big raise. Walk away from a relationship that is abusive or draining. Or just take a nap, for Christ’s sake.

4. Be humble.

No one wants to go to lunch with a supermodel who says things like, “My cheekbones, if you’ve noticed, have a similar incline to an escalator.” One thing I’ve noticed is that if you are good at something, people will acknowledge it. Appreciate the hell out of those people. Should you be blessed enough to have the fortitude to work so hard at something that people celebrate you, your first reaction should be gratitude. And know that there’s a ton of people out there from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds who can still teach you something. I don’t care if you’re Bill Clinton or Jay-Z – always be learning; always be improving.

5. Spark a revolution.

Always have the highest bar for yourself. Wake up everyday and no matter how crappy you feel, want to change something for the better. Do something that makes someone happy. Create something that inspires someone. Be someone’s light when they are hopeless

I didn’t write that headline, I stole it from the YouTube comments. But this guy makes music with vegetables - what have you done today?

I haven’t posted many Tunesies lately - but I had a music moment on the weekend and made a conscious effort to remember this song.

Janet. Jackson. 2009. Um, sing it girl. Sing it all day long. Love the base in this song! And the lyrics - smirky!!!

FYI - ew, I hate YouTube ads.

Because sure, here in Calgary all we have is -3 weather. We won’t be hit by Sandy, so we don’t get a day or two off like the East Coast. We didn’t get tsunami warning this weekend like the West Coast. Nope - all we have is typical (albeit early) winter prairie weather. Chilly wind, flurries and fog. Oh that’s right - we do have a fog warning. So there’s our weather disaster for this week.

So to warm you up and make you day dream about an amazing adventure you may or may not ever have, here’s a little City & Colour.

Fall is my favourite season! I love it - even though it only lasts about 2 days in Calgary. None the less, the shorter days, the turning leaves, the chilly air, it all speaks to my soul. I love it - don’t barf on me for saying all that stuff. 

We all know that music takes you places - reminds of people, events, things, moments. I have a few albums that are particularly near and dear to my heart that always remind me of Fall and I thought I’d share them because, why not. 

Damien Rice - O

Although not the happiest album you’ve ever heard - in fact, it’s still hard for me to listen to a lot of the songs, due to the particularly flaky person I was dating during that time period, but it’s a beautiful album all things said and told. I can remember being down in the dumps and walking the dog listening to it on my iPod and having these (now seemingly ridiculous) moments where I’d stare off into the distance and have pity parties. I only realize now that I throw really good pity parties.

Garden State Soundtrack

In university, we had this funny little closet that Jamma and I talked administration into letting us use as an office. There was a filthy couch in there left from some drama nerds, and a computer that you couldn’t get the internet on, but it didn’t matter. You needed a key to get in there so we loved it. One of the 5 CD’s loaded on the computer was the Garden State Soundtrack and hence why it has a special place in my heart. Lots of Coldplay and Iron & Wine and The Shins. You’ll like it.

Young The Giant

People always ask what kind of super hero power they’d want, and they always answer “Invisibility” and I shake my head. What a waste. I’d want the ability to go back in time and put myself in different positions, such as - going back in time and becoming the lead singer of Young The Giant. Not like, “Being John Malkovich” but like, “Introducing, the lead singer of Young The Giant, Alix!!” This album was big last year and it’s still big in my rotation. I played this album over and over while I was painting the kitchen in our house, before we moved in. The sun was shining and I was SO EXCITED to move in and the backdoor was open and it was just - a nice time.