Hap E Birthday

Here's wishing a happy birthday to my favorite musician, E. I've got a music theme going on the blog right now, and I'm going to roll with it. I have to give credit to Mr. E for renewing my excitement in music. The Eels released 3 albums in 18 months, which was amazing and I wish all artists would get their act together and do something similar. I think that the music industry wants artists to space their work out over a few years, to keep the fans waiting and wanting. Listen, if we're a fan, we're going to be just as excited for new material, regardless of how many years/months it's been since the last album.

My love of the Eels started in college. I blame the ridiculous video for Last Stop: This Town, which was played in our dining hall almost every single morning. The first time I saw it, I laughed so hard, milk almost shot out my nose. My friends and I dubbed it the "Carrot Song". Watch the link and you'll see why.

 

I picked up the album Electro Shock Blues shortly after and to this day, it's a master piece. I don't listen to it often; I save it for those times when I'm really down on life. Without fail, I can listen to that album, feel whatever sadness is going on in my life, accept it, then move on and end up on a positive note. I like people to form their own opinion on music, so I'm not going to get into the back story of the album. Look it up online if you're interested. Better yet, read E's autobiography, Things The Grandchildren Should Know. 

I enjoy The Eels because I feel like each album tells its own story, has its own sound and isn't really repeated. E takes chances with monstrous double albums, trilogies, tackles deeply personal issues and shares it with the world. To me, that's highly inspirational. And hey, the dude wrote a play about Mrs. Miller. 

After a last minute cancellation of a New Haven show back in 2008, which I'm still bitter about, I finally got to see the latest version of The Eels tour last year. The band is constantly in flux and every tour has a different line up of musicians and sound. 2010 was a Rock Show, that's for sure, and I'm excited to see what 2011's Tremendous Dynamite will bring. 

So to you sir, happy birthday. Thanks for the inspiration, the vision and the guts to put it out there for the world.