P.O.B.

Every now and then I come across a product that just captivates me. That last time this happened was the Camelbak water bottle, and you can read my review on the link. I don't do reviews often, but when I really feel good about something--and it changes my way of thinking--I have to spread the word.

I have been an audio and music geek my whole life. I played trumpet and piano in middle and high school, even minoring in Music Composition in college. I graduated with a degree in Audio Production and have always made sound an integral part of my life. Why does all this matter? Because I finally found a set of headphones that in my opinion are comparable to the professional quality I've heard in studios!

I've NEVER EVER EVER been a fan of ear buds. I have gone through a lot of headphones in my life so far (mostly thanks to the cat chewing the cords to shreds), but none of them have ever been ear buds. My theory was that going straight to the ear canal was not natural, since the outer part of the ear is as much a part of the listening experience as the ear drum itself. The way sound reflects off your outer ear and gathers inside was a natural design that could never be replicated in any technology. In the past, I've purchased headphones over $300 that do their best at replicating--truly professional audio engineer quality--and always thought ear buds could not give that natural sound since it skipped the outer ear.

I've changed my mind. The JBL Reference 220 ear buds are nothing short of phenomenal. My nickname for JBL has always been "Just Big & Loud" and these definitely fit the bill.



So many people have ear buds now thanks to iPods, and I felt like I've been missing out having the big bulky headphones all the time. Even when running, I wore the sporty Nike ones that set behind the ear.

They fit nicely inside the ear, they isolate any sounds around me, and the audio quality is superb, EVEN THE BASS (which has notoriously been bad for ear buds).

The specs on these JBLs say 20Hz – 20kHz for frequency response, which means it covers the low end of the bass. Normally I see ear buds that stop at 60Hz, but these go deeper and are much more powerful. And you don't lose the highs with these. The mid-range is nice as well. I can definitely hear the difference between MP3 quality and ripped-from-CD WAV quality.

As a bonus, these buds come with a case and all different sizes of buds (for different ear sizes), and has over the ear clips and even a behind-the-head attachment.

I suggest doing a Google search for "JBL Reference 220" and do your own shopping there instead of buying them at a local store. After I bought them, I realized I paid twice as much in store as they were online, but now that I have them, I can't give them up.

Tired of being tied to your Xbox, just to play Guitar Hero? Now there's a Guitar Hero  mini-game widget that you can embed in your own blog or web page.

The widget, played with the keyboard, contains three different songs: "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, and "Metal Heavy Lady" by Lions. Each is set at only one difficulty level: Easy, Medium, and Hard, respectively.

Just use the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 keys as frets and the Enter button to strum.  Fun!

WHAT?!

They're coming back?

New Kids on the Block is getting ready to make a reunion announcement. Their website at NKOTB.com has some new video and fan sign up stuff.

The oldest Jon, turns 40 this year, and the youngest, Joey, recently welcomed his first child.

The question is:
Who rocked harder? New Kids on the Block or *NSYNC?

The highest-grossing tours of 2007:

1. The Police ($131.9 million)
2. Kenny Chesney ($71.1 million)
3. Justin Timberlake ($70.6 million)
4. Celine Dion ($65.3 million)
5. Van Halen ($56.7 million)
6. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ($52.3 million)
7. Rod Stewart ($49.0 million)
8. Genesis ($47.6 million)
9. Josh Groban ($43 million)
10. Rascal Flatts ($41.5 million
11. Dave Matthews Band ($41.1 million)
12. Billy Joel ($39.1 million)
13. Roger Waters ($38.3 million),
14, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ($38.2 million)
15. Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus ($36 million)
16. Elton John ($35.7 million),
17. Jimmy Buffett ($35.6 million)
18. Barry Manilow ($34.8 million)
19. Toby Keith ($34.3 million)
20. Maná ($33.9 million)

Who would you like to see perform in St. Louis this year...someone who doesn't normally come around these parts?

Van Halen performed "Jump" in concert in North Carolina in September, and the keyboard track must have been pitched too high, resulting in this heck of a mess. No one seemed to have noticed in the crowd, but you may notice at times when he tries to cover for being so out of tune.

It's just awful from the very first guitar note. His guitar kicks in around 55 seconds, and then around 1:50 it's laugh out loud bad.  Oh my.

If you missed the Live Earth concerts earlier this month, you didn't miss much. With seven concerts on all seven continents on 7-7-07 available on dozens of TV stations (and HDTV), both satellite radio networks, terrestrial radio, and streaming live on the web, the world rocked for global warming.

I'm all for covering my footprints, and knowing the city I live in is extremely conscious of recycling makes it all the better.  And while I still think some of Live Earth's arguments are a stretch, I dropped my jaw when I heard Holly Hunter in a PSA about how buying digital music is more environmentally friendly because there is no oil wasted in making plastic CDs and energy is saved by not physically transporting discs around.

(And since you can find anything on YouTube, here's the clip)

While this is all true, I doubt the music industry is thrilled by this message. Wasn't it just a few short years ago when the music industry blamed digital for the drop in CD sales? I hardly think the music industry would support such an argument, since album artwork and "b-side" songs tend to really show off the image and true style of a band.

Should bands just give up on album covers and 10-15 songs an album in the name of the environment?

There are songs that we encounter at certain times in our lives that impact us so greatly, you can say they really changed your life.

Maybe you broke up with someone or you asked someone out or you made an important decision that was inspired by hearing a song. What are your Top 5?

Here are two versions of the song "My Humps". Black Eyed Peas had a hit first, then Alanis Morissette followed. Take a look at the two versions below...

Alanis Morissette's version of "My Humps" (which is psychotically WEIRD, yet funny)

...and the original version by the Black Eyed Peas.

Alanis had a hand in changing the face of rock and inspiring young artists to follow in her footsteps in creating music that touches the soul.

Fergie wrote a song about her boobs and made a ton of money.

Who is the REAL artist here?

Remember that dance song "Around the World" by Daft Punk? It came out in the late '90s. Well, I thought I'd post the lyrics, because there's SO MUCH thought in them...

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world

Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world
Around the world, around the world Around the world, around the world.

There is a new blog category for you in our blog community.  If you
have an interest in music, this is the spot to set up your blog!  Have a great time!