When I was a kid, there were only two TV shows I was allowed to watch. One of them was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and the other was Sesame Street, mostly because it came on right afterward. I grew up loving both Fred Rogers’ kindly ways, and the jazz stylings of Johnny Costa.

Because of my support of Wear A Sweater / Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day (via @andyfowler) a few weeks ago, Holly Yarbrough contacted me on Facebook and offered to send me a CD of her Mister Rogers jazz cover album.

(Sidenote: Holly’s father, also an accomplished singer, is Glenn Yarbrough, best known to me as the singer of “The Greatest Adventure” in the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit, which I saw at the James V. Brown Library when I was about four years old. See Dirk Gently’s “fundamental interconnectedness of all things”.)

I said “Sure, I’ve love a copy,” and when it arrived, I was impressed. It was in a punch-cut paper case (classier than a jewel case, in my opinion), and the CD was cleverly made to resemble an LP. But the music was even better. Backed by an all-star jazz band, Holly does a lovely job interpreting all of the songs, but especially two of my all-time favorites (click to hear samples):

• It’s You I Like
• You Are Special

The only song I listened for and missed on the album was What Do You Do, but there’s always a follow-up album.

You can buy Mister Rogers Swings! on CDBaby, and there’s no digital rights-management on the tracks (unlike the version on iTunes). This is really an album of which you should buy the CD, though, since it’s such a nice physical CD.

By the way, you can read the lyrics and download sheet music for Fred Rogers’ songs on his PBS Kids site.

(Congrats, Holly; you got Boing Boing!’d today: Jazzy Covers of Mister Rogers’ Songs)

So let’s do a price comparison of some music old and new:

I should point out that I’m motivated by three factors here: price, convenience, and audio quality. iTunes and Amazon MP3 are convenient, but a used CD still wins out in price and audio quality. Amazon’s 256KB/s encoding beats iTunes’ 128KB/s, and when iTunes does offer 256KB/s DRM-free downloads, they’re always more expensive than Amazon’s.

And I much prefer having physical media waiting in my closet in case I run over or otherwise destroy my iPod. That said, for any quick impulse purchases I do allow myself, I think I’ll go to Amazon before buying from iTunes.

The Rules (as given to me): “List five songs that you are currently rocking the living heck out of. It doesn’t matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying right now.”

I decided these were to be songs that during the past few days have either gotten stuck in my head, and/or have made me smile when they randomly came up.

1. Seasons of Love - Rent soundtrack
2. Heaven - Salvador
3. If You Just Believe - John Elefante
4. Think Of Me - Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack
5. Blue Danube Waltz - Johann Strauss II

Honorable mention: The Carnival of the Animals: The Aquarium - Camille Saint-Saens

Though it’s not very well represented by my list, I’ve been on somewhat of a classical kick lately. It helps me concentrate.

Update: Okay, I’ve tagged Steve, Sam, and Andy. It’s up to you guys to carry this thing on. DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN!!!

Ahem. Sorry.

I’d buy an iPod Phone if it really existed (via The Cult of Mac Blog):

The iPod phone: another great idea from Isamu Sanada, the great fantasy Mac designer. Shades of Handspring’s Springboard expansion modules.

The device could be made to fit today’s iPods, except for the lack of an internal speaker for the user’s ear. Of course, the existing beep/alarm speaker could perhaps be used, and then we could hear both sides of your conversation from our restaurant table.

Those little buttons would be kinda hard to press, too.

I found an old cd tonight and with the finding came a bundle of memories. Choose Life by Big Tent Revival. The minute my fingers slipped it into my car stereo, I felt like I was back in college.

Careful: the music you listen to will imperceptibly and unconsciously brand itself with your current life circumstances.

Twelve years ago, we were going through a nasty church situation that ultimately ended with Dad resigning his pastorship there. Or so I’m told — I was too young for such insider’s knowledge. But for some reason during that period, we bought two copies of a children’s songs album entitled “God’s Way: A Song A Day”, with matching songbooks, and listened to them over, and over, and over. And then we’d turn the tape over and listen again.

Every few years now, we run across one of those catchy little cassettes. And each time we listen to it, Mom mentions how all those feelings come rushing back to her.

Similarly, I have music on my computer that I acquired when I first began working for PA.net and discovered MP3s, back when I was first stepping out into the world and learning to get over my socialization issues (which, in my parents’ defense, were not entirely induced by my home-education). Avalon’s Wonder Why, Point of Grace’s Circle of Friends, Steven’s The Change, and (somehow) John Starnes’ Cornerstone all still take me back to that mix of insecurity and exciting self-discovery.

It’s a good feeling.

I can’t understand how an 8-year-old raised in a family of musicians and singers could possibly develop any tendencies toward something like that.

Can you?

Dr. Pell had moved from merely trying to gather enough people for a group ticket discount, and was now also trying to collect money from those who’d already signed up.

“So the Newsboys concert is November 4th, at the Patriot Center. It’s them, Rebecca St. James, and one other group.”

Josh became suddenly more animated than usual. “Dude, Rebecca’s gonna be there? If I’d known that, I’d have signed up weeks ago!”

Usually-quiet Mike spoke up. “She’s waiting for you, Josh.”

Josh totally got it. “I know!”

Everyone laughed easily. After praise band practice we tend to do that. And Josh’s impatience is no secret.

Rebecca is still waiting, as far as I know. So is Josh, and so am I. But maybe it’s time to take the advice of one of the most prolific American songwriters of the last century:

Let’s think of something to do while we’re waiting
While we’re waiting for something new to do.
Let’s try to think up a song while we’re waiting
That’s liberating and will be true to you.

(read the rest or listen)

In other words, maybe it’s high time to move on from the just-waiting stage and concentrate on further establishing my life alone — while I wait, of course. So, in that vein, I just bought a (slightly) better car. I might buy a house next (more on that development later). If I know what’s good for me, I might also take better control of my finances, so as to “stop hemorrhaging cash,” as Guy so aptly put it.

But there’s little chance of that now, since I’m gonna miss most of my Sunday School class on Biblical Money Management because — as I found out this evening — I’m playing the piano in all three services tomorrow morning. Or, as it now stands, this morning.

I might miss that, too, come to think of it, if I don’t go to back to bed soon.

• The New Young Messiah - Larnelle Harris, Michael English, et al.
• People Need the Lord - Steve Green
• Where Mercy Begins - Steve Green
• The Letter - Steve Green
• Hymns: A Portrait Of Christ - Steve Green
• An American Tail Soundtrack - James Horner

And for only a fraction of the original cost, mind you. Keep in mind that I’m ripping the music to AAC anyway, so it doesn’t matter if the CD’s lives have been shortened by their previous owners.

He and Josh and I had discussed the youth praise band a few weeks before over fries and shakes from Ann’s Dari-Creme. It’s my feeling that a large band with three guitars, drums, four singers, etc. way up on the stage is overwhelming for the 20 or 30 kids who come to youth group. There they stand in pews 3 to 6 in the sanctuary, half of them hesitantly mouthing the words to the high-powered praise music, the other half cutting up in pews 5 and 6. A few kids appear to be really worshipping, but the majority aren’t getting it.

“First,” I said, “I’d get out of the sanctuary.”

“Can’t do that,” said Hans. “There are no other rooms big enough.”

“Well, how about if we start out with just a guitarist leading the music solo, standing down in front of the pews?”

It was decided to use his wife Stacy’s imminent birth-giving (when the time came) as an excuse for Hans to scale back on the music and let me try it for a month or so.

Fast forward to this week: Stacy still hasn’t produced Hans, Jr., so plans have kind of stalled. I got to praise band practice (after youth) slightly late Wednesday night; Hans was by then off the radar. He’ll probably corner me this weekend, and I don’t know what to tell him yet.

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p>The bottom line is that I don’t really want to lead a youth band, at least not until kids start participating more. I want to just play the guitar and sing, and maybe I can get Hans to do some Bible Studies about worship. Or, maybe, I could squeeze in some remarks in between the songs. Hmm … sneaky.

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p>Guess I should do some heavy-duty praying, along with praying for the future of our Young Adult Persons Sunday School Class/Small Group, of which to this point I have blogged nothing. That will have to wait.

I do now, though … at least some of them. Here’s a partial current list:

• I’ve Just Seen Jesus (iTMS)
• I Can Only Imagine (iTMS)
• When You Believe (iTMS)
• I’d Rather Have Jesus (iTMS) / He Touched Me (iTMS)

Suggestions are very welcome. I’m trying to take a page from Dino’s songbook and do — mostly — songs that have been both recently popular and meaningful to many. A tall order, yes. Hence my issues deciding.