But shortly afterwards, I decided to focus sorely on music and my experiences with that. Therefore "scene" came to represent the "music scene". I bring this up because this past weekend I took a trip by myself up to North Creek NY (coincidentally, the same place as my rafting story), with the intention to ski at Gore Mountain, in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. Of course, I have documented many of my trips with the highlight on the musical aspect of it, so that is what I'll do here.
Normally, when I take a trip up north and drive, I'll start out by playing the current songs that are on my iPod (which coincide with my SNS 100), with a special playlist showcasing my top 20 for the week. As I arrived closer to Albany, I'll tune into WEQX, an alternative rock station based in Manchester, Vermont, one of the best commercial stations around. I take much of my playlist from what is on theirs.
This past Friday, I essentially did the same thing, heading up around 10:30 AM (after a short sleep; keep in mind that I work nights), and arriving on the I-87 Northway around 1 PM. Of course, I'm a geocacher so I was stopping around Exit 16 of that road to track down some shopping center (and a couple of woods) caches. During that time, I had my iPod going to my currents list. I have to admit that the songs sound much better coming through the car sound system that they do when I am at the back office of the hotel I work at, coming directly out of the iPod. What helps also is that, unlike work, you now have the experience to put the song to. And when I take a break to find a cache or go to a rest area, the last song always goes through my head. One such song was "Vowels" by Capital Cities, it is that catchy which would make it a natural.
It was a rather blustery day heading up, with the temperatures around 40 degrees, and mostly sunny during much of the trip there. But, after caching, and getting back on the highway, dark clouds approached, and next thing you know, we were having snow squalls and the temperature dipped to 25 degrees. Well, it still is winter, being early March, right?
I stopped at one of my favorite bars, Duffy's for a beer and chatting with the bartender and some regulars there, before beginning the final stretch up Route 28 to the motel I was staying at. At this point, I decided to switch up WEQX to see if there are any cool new songs I should be listening to. There were a few I didn't recognize, but that I heard the venerable "HandClap" by Fitz and the Tantrums, that, like much of their other stuff, lingers on playlists week after week (it's at week 39 here, by the way). There was then an acoustic set and interview with the band Electric Guest, who have a new album out. In-studio they played three of their songs, including the current "Back for Me", plus another song from their new album Plural, along with their SNS hit from 2012, "This Head I Hold".
After a bit, I switched back to my music for the final half hour, at which time, there was actually snow on the ground and getting colder. By the time I arrived, the temperature was in the teens.
The place I stayed at, The Black Mountain Lodge was a nice, cozy place, complete with bar, restaurant and lounge. It was chilly, but they also had a fireplace, enabling me to warm up at bit as I enjoyed a beer.
Saturday was my skiing day, something I had been craving to do all season. The temperature was zero, with a minus 10 wind chill, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. By going alone, I was able to get ready and ski at my own pace. What helped was that the sun was out all day, which made the winds and cold a little more tolerable. As we have had bouts of spring-like weather already, plus rain the prior weekend, much of the mountain was either closed, or pretty icy, although snow guns were going on some of the trails. I had to warm up a couple of times at their mid-mountain lodge, with some hot chocolate and soup to deal with the bitter cold. There was a fireplace there, so I eventually was able to hang out there before returning to the trails. As long as you can navigate around the ice (and not try to make a turn on it), you were okay.
Around 2:30, I called it a day, a really productive day on the slopes, in spite of the bitter cold. I have always been a cautious person, and you often read about someone getting injured skiing. In fact, down in the Catskills last weekend, a 20-year old man got killed at Hunter Mountain when he veered off into the woods and hit a tree. A great day can be spoiled in a split second by something going wrong. But, after taking three "last runs", I was ready to call it a day and put my regular shoes back on.
At that point, I figured I'd head into the lounge and relax with a craft beer from Adirondack brewery in Lake Placid. Sitting near the corner of the bar, there was a woman sitting nearby, and to the left of her, two guys, who started talking to her. She was waiting for her husband who was still out on the trails. Soon, I joined in on the conversation, and we were all talking about everything under the sun. My one beer soon turned into several. I learned that one of the guys were from Randolph, NJ, the town right next to mine. There was live entertainment, by a duo who played some acoustic numbers, the most popular being "Sweet Caroline", which got the whole crowd going. Meanwhile the five of us were having a good time. And, finally, 4 beers after I intended to leave, we left, but not after a great time. I probably won't see any of them again, but it made the weekend.
That night, back at the Black Mountain Lodge, I had dinner, and turned in for the night. Sunday, it was minus 4 degrees as I headed into North Creek for breakfast, followed by my trek home, with a couple geocaching stops. I listened to a "favorites" playlist on my iPod, consisting of some oldies from the 1960's 70's all the way up to some key songs from my "blog era" of the 2010's.
Sometimes, you CAN be by yourself and have a good time. And yes, the music, as it usually does, plays a big key.
JERSEY BOYS...AND GIRLS: A look at the SNS 100 this week shows my home state, New Jersey accounting for a good portion of the list. Garden Staters (or at least bands that include them) account for five positions in the top 20, and fifteen on the entire SNS 100. Phoebe Ryan heads the list for four entries on the list: "Boyz n Poizn" holds at #2 this week, while she is featured vocalist on The Knocks' "Purple Eyes" (bulleted 25), and The Chainsmokers' "All We Know (43). Her new single "Dark Side" is the second highest debut at #72.
We also have two entries apiece from The Hounds of Winter, and Billy Spanton Band which featured the late Ron Pietranowicz from keyboards. Both Tom Corea of the Hounds and Pietranowicz are friends from my hometown of Roselle Park and both acts enter my top 20 with their latest songs.
Also on the list from New Jersey? Rachel Allyn, The Doughboys, Paul Czekaj, Kjband, Blondie (Debbie Harry hails from Hawthorne), Christina Alessi, and Charlie Puth.
THIS WEEK IN BRIEF: Rihanna holds a wide lead as "Love on the Brain" holds at #1 for a third week. Phoebe Ryan holds at #2, while Capital Cities inches up to #3. Ed Sheeran advances to #4 with "Shape of You". Two of these songs are in the top six of the Billboard Hot 100 with Sheeran holding the top spot while Rihanna advances to #6. Who said I wasn't following what's popular!
The Palms and Christina Taylor---who has a gig at an Alabama radio station this week, which isn't bad for someone from North Carolina (you listening, Rachel Allyn?), make big moves in the top 20. Allyn drops two notches but is still bulleted. The aforementioned Billy Spanton Band and Hounds of Winter enter the 20, along with Cage the Elephant, who continue their impressive top 20 string. I believe this is their 10th top 20 in 11 tries.
As for the debuts, it's time to pick another from Fitz and the Tantrums. In spite of their techo-pop direction, there's still soul left in them. Last week, they celebrated four years with at least one song on my list each week, and this week, they have the top debut with "Get Right Back", making three entries on the chart this week, including "HandClap" which I hear everywhere, hanging onto the list in week 39. New entries from blog stalwarts Miike Snow, Silversun Pickups and Zac Brown Band, enter with their latest. Also, after hearing "Octagon" by Royal Bangs on WEQX when I was streaming it the other day, it was worthy of an add, even though it was from their 2013 set, Brass, their most recent album. A prior single from that set, "Better Run", peaked at #48 on SNS in 2014.
OH PAGE: Since the plethora of notable musician deaths in 2016, any time somebody from the music industry passes, it gets a big reaction. But here's one that you've probably forgotten about? Remember Tommy Pages? You can be forgiven if you hadn't, and if you hadn't followed the Top 40 around 1990 or so, maybe you never heard of him.
Page had a whole life ahead of him. Hailing from Glen Ridge, NJ, and growing up in West Caldwell, he graduated high school at the age of 15, and worked, for a time at a nightclub. While originally when he was popular, the media mentioned he was a bouncer, in reality, he hung up guest's coats, but they were high profile celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Rob Lowe and the Beastie Boys. But, his employment in this club enabled him to submit a few original mix-tapes to the house DJ, who aired some of them. And in 1988, he recorded the title song for the soundtrack of the movie Shag, which is a favorite of mine because of its Carolina Beach music soundtrack. Sounded promising.
By the end of that year, he got a record deal and released his first, eponymous album. A freestyle-dance track, "Turning Me On" was released that got some airplay on Top 40 WPST. It was followed by the ballad, "A Shoulder to Cry On", an attempt to become the latest teen idol. To further that image, he toured with the then-hot teen singer Tiffany, and later, New Kids on the Block.
But it was with the New Kids that Page had his greatest success. It was early 1990, and the New Kids were the hottest thing on the planet. But in January of that year, they were between releases, and two members of that band collaborated with Page on "I'll Be Your Everything", his first and only #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100. I have a memory with that song in that I also related it with a trek up north to ski country.
A bunch of friends from where I worked at Prudential were going to a ski weekend in Lake Placid. As I trekked up the Thruway and Northway, I had top 40 station WGY-FM ("Electric 99"). It was Friday night, thus many of the teens were probably listening, and as they did each weeknight, you could vote for your favorite song and they'd count down the top five at 10 PM. The DJ that was one at this time was describing a battle between Kiss' ballad "Forever" and Page's "I'll Be Your Everything", although the DJ would announce it as "New Kids" since they could be heard on the song. That same DJ even called them "Tommy Page and Crickets", whatever that meant. I believe they did have the #1 song that night.
"Paintings in My Mind" was the follow-up and it was the title track from his second album. And while he positioned himself as a teen idol, his success had to be because the New Kids were hot. When the inevitable backlash against the Kids took place later that year, Page went down with him. Still, he recorded, and even appeared on the show Full House. He'd never hit the heights again, with hardcore Rap and Grunge taking over the music scene. But Page didn't quit.
In the mid 1990's, he went to the other side of the music business, getting jobs behind the scenes, including an A&R (Artist and repertoire) gig, and was instrumental in launching the careers of Alanis Morrisette, Michael Buble, Josh Groban and Green Day. He even worked at Billboard for a time, and his career in the industry was going strong in the 2010's. But all, the while, he continued to record music, with his most recent single, "I Break Down" released in 2015.
He had a family with his partner Charlie, with three kids. Yet apparently it wasn't enough as, at the young age of 46, he omitted suicide. Once again, you never know what's going inside a person.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
March 5, 2017
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Love On the
Brain"
Album: Anti
(3 weeks at #1)
|
8 |
| 2 | 2 | Phoebe Ryan - Boyz n Poizn | 11 |
| 3 | 4 | Capital Cities - Vowels | 13 |
| 4 | 6 | Ed Sheeran - Shape of You | 5 |
| 5 | 3 | Wild Belle - Our Love Will Survive | 15 |
| 6 | 10 | Foxygen - Follow the Leader | 5 |
| 7 | 5 | Jake Owen - If He Ain't Gonna Love You | 17 |
| 8 | 9 | The Knocks and Matthew Koma - I Wish (My Taylor Swift) | 12 |
| 9 | 8 | Michael Kiwanuka - One More Night● | 21 |
| 10 | 7 | Jim James- Same Old Lie | 10 |
| 11 | 17 | The Palms - Push Off | 4 |
| 12 | 19 | Christina Taylor - Don't Look Good in Your T-Shire Anymore | 4 |
| 13 | 12 | Pretenders - Holy Commotion | 11 |
| 14 | 16 | Saint Motel - Move | 6 |
| 15 | 13 | The XX - On Hold | 9 |
| 16 | 14 | Rachel Allyn - No Second Chances (Tennessee) | 8 |
| 17 | 23 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Lesson Learned"
(Single only)
|
4 |
| 18 | 30 | Cage the Elephant - Cold Cold Cold | 3 |
| 19 | 25 | Billy Spanton Band - Faith (Hands on Me) | 5 |
| 20 | 15 | Adele - Water Under the Bridge | 8 |
.
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod. 
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