If Sting truly lives like an English lord of yore -- which is probably a given for anyone living in an actual castle -- does that mean that every time he goes out on tour, it's the modern-day equivalent of leaving for the Crusades? It would certainly make the Police reunion more interesting, and put even Def Leppard's backstage debauchery to shame. However, I don't remember many sexual discrimination lawsuits being filed in the Middle Ages -- most law clerks were, according to the historical documentaries I've watched, gathering "some lovely filth" or working primarily as Shrubbers -- so that does take His Stingliness down a peg or two on the Richard the Lionheart scale (today, we use the Fahrenheit or Celsius scales to gauge an English King's manliness).

For anyone wishing to confirm or deny my theories about olden times, check out Shorpy: The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog. Sure, it doesn't go back to the 12th and 13th Century (all photographs and Warren Zevon records were burned during the Spanish Inquisition), but it is incredibly cool and contains the equally fascinating microblog Ghost Cowboy (a collection of headlines and newspaper stories circa 1900, all dealing with cowboys and Indians). Check both out and thank me later.

Neither website, however, sells or promotes the most essential of all things elderly and statesman-like: I am of course referring to the Man-from-Mars Radio Hat, pictured here:

The most obviously useful thing about this hat is the historical fact that it was used to repel the Martians who attacked in War Of The Worlds, but was sadly misplaced prior to the Mars Attacks! fiasco...so many lives lost so unnecessarily... But look closer and you'll see that this is no mere baseball cap, but the uber-functional -- and always fashionable, ask any lady -- safari hat. Do you know how many times Teddy Roosevelt turned to a colleague in Africa during his 1909 Smithsonian safari and said, "It is absolutely imperative that I be able to listen to either the Schoolhouse Rocks! soundtrack or the Rock Star soundtrack immediately, post haste!" Yeah, a lot, exactly (although the actual number is probably less than the 11,397 animals killed or captured during the expedition).

I suggest to you that if this hat were still being marketed today, it would sell far better than the new iPhone and all past sales of iPods combined (and at $7.95, it's a steal, too).

So out with the old, in with the new. Yes, I finally have songs to download, and double yes, this will be a regular feature that will hopefully take off pretty quickly. This time around, it's two cuts from the Wood Brothers' June 17th performance at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia:

The Wood Brothers - When I Was Young

The Wood Brothers - Twisted

Listen, I can't say enough good things about Oliver and Chris Wood. The music is deceptively simple but surprisingly full, both in the sound that these two can achieve, and the wry near-gallows storytelling of Oliver's lyrics (listen to "Twisted" to see what I mean). And while they've been grandfathered into the jam band scene because of Chris' work in Medeski, Martin and Wood (among the 8 million other things he's done), the backbone of the duo is the exceptional songwriting. I'm sure that the majority of interviews/articles about the band have suggested that the music is so engaging and immediate because its gospel, blues and jazz roots tug on some sort of genetic-American strain that we all understand and identify with subconsciously. Bull. These guys simply write and play top-notch songs with such unassuming conviction (and the right amount of self-effacing cleverness) that it's impossible not to be charmed by the whole package, novelty and oh-how-we-love-talented-siblings included.

I've also included our High Noon Friday review of their first record, Ways Not To Lose, from back in March of 2006:

High Noon Music Reviews - 3/17/06

More posts soon, more independent/local/major-label-but-kind-enough-to-give-me-access-to-their-songs music soon, and who knows what else. Check back regularly and tell your friends -- the more people we can drag in here, the better. Oh, and please comment to let me know if everything is downloading correctly...I'm still trying to iron out some of these details.

For anyone reading closely, here's a question: If Teddy Roosevelt (a nickname he vehemently hated, by the way) had been alive during the rock and roll era, what albums/artists would he like and why? TR Badass and the Bullmooses are excluded, of course.

Visit http://myothercentaur.blogspot.com for more content! Subscribe in a feed reader or by e-mail!

The above quote is without question the single most entertaining comment I've ever read on the Internet. The first tidbit today, however, is not about pandas but peacocks, known in some parts of the world as "what a panda would look like if it were a bird and had no resemblance to a panda whatsoever" (and now you see why most people just stick with "peacock").

...that my entire family was killed by a band of half-crazed gypsy mimes (or "migrant mimes?" That's probably a funnier image). Actually, it was 40 years ago last month that "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was released. XPN put on a huge tribute show that I missed despite being on the Penn campus just before it started, so now I have to make my amends by adding my own twopence to the whole affair.

For me, the Beatles' recording career fits into 4 easy categories: the early "Yeah yeah yeah" era, which contains some of the greatest pop songs ever; the "Revolver/Rubber Soul" era; "Sgt. Pepper's" as its own thing; and finally, "Abbey Road" as its own entirely different thing. "Revolver" and "Rubber Soul" were always my favorites growing up, and "Sgt. Pepper's" my least. For some reason it took me forever to warm up to it -- forever as in up until last year. There was just something off about it; it wasn't as tight or immediate as "Rubber Soul," but it was much more of a production (and thus should have been tighter? Who knows). I still don't know what I didn't like about it, but I definitely do know what I like about it now.

The most amazing thing about the whole album for me is how much space there is on it. Critics of the album have always said that it was overproduced; that there was too much emphasis on playing with 8-track recording machines and not enough on songwriting. But if you listen to all the space on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (or any other song, really), that argument doesn't hold up very well (and should really be reserved for "Abbey Road"). Is there a lot of weird stuff on there? Sure. Is "A Day In The Life" bloated and awful? Yes. But the only real musical misstep is an editorial one: "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" were both recorded in the same sessions but left off the record for some reason (the "Strawberry Fields" omission being the bigger crime of the two). And I think "Hello Goodbye" and "Rain" may have been contenders at one point as well, although neither of the latter would have fit as well as the former. And who could forget "Exciting Sandwich," with its exquisite four-part harmony and bird's eye view?

For the rebellious at heart, remember that this album was essentially the Beatles rejecting their identity, both personal and public. I've been trying to find a clip from when the "Strawberry Fields" video premiered on American Bandstand. Yes, there was a music video, and yes, that song was released as a single before the full album. The best part about the clip is Dick Clark interviewing the audience after the video plays. Everyone is completely turned off by it, most of them commenting on how "weird" everyone looks with mustaches and beards. I think we take classic albums for granted without considering how possible it is for a sea change to end a band's success, or how often classics are met with skepticism or indifference upon their initial release.

None of that is very profound of course, but it's a good segue into something that probably was. To commemorate the album's anniversary, the University of Leeds hosted a major academic conference about the cultural significance -- or lack thereof -- of "Sgt. Pepper's." Listen, I love quality pop culture that borders on art, and I especially love it when it merits serious academic study. There are plenty of links on Google to academic articles about the album; check them out if you're interested.

Not to be outdone by its Anglo competition (or co-Anglo, as they're both British), the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has an interactive version of the album's iconic art which allows users to read up on most of the actors/musicians/authors featured on the sleeve simply by pointing and clicking. Pointing and clicking! What's next, electronic postal mail? Seriously though, I was pretty mega-nerd excited when I found this tool -- make sure you check it out.

There really is music coming. I promise promise promise it's coming soon. I'm just still juggling my time, my astounding stupidity when it comes to file hosting, my steady paycheck that never seems to be enough, and my complete lack of coordination that makes successful juggling about as likely as my becoming a vegetarian. For now, read this interview with Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers, whom I had the good fortune of finally seeing a couple weeks ago. Perhaps a track from that show will be the first download I have on here...?

And I'd be remiss to forget about my other tidbit of musical history, genteel-ly researched by our friends Drew & Natalie at Marriedtothesea.com: