Hot Weather & Cool Music
It’s April, one of the hottest months of the year here in Thailand, or anywhere in Southeast Asia for that matter. For the past month, I’m witness to an almost daily occurrence; customers walking into my bookshop, either sweating profusely or complaining about the heat. Yes, it’s very hot out there, but it occurs to me that some of these folks wouldn’t sweat as much if they weren’t wearing all black or heavy fabrics that don’t breathe in this tropical climate. It’s Thailand, not Northern England, so dress appropriately!
To comfort all those heat-stricken souls I run the air conditioner continuously at my shop, but when I’m at home alone I opt not to turn on the AC. Hey, I’m from Florida; hot and humid feels natural to me! But it’s not like I prefer to sit and sweat the whole time. At home, I turn on the ceiling fans and open the windows to let a nice breeze flow through my ninth floor corner apartment. And that’s enough to keep me cool. Of course it also helps that I walk around the room wearing nothing but a loincloth. But whether I’m at home or work, music is always playing; yet another way to keep cool, at least emotionally. Here is this month’s list of CDs playing in heavy rotation at my place:
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell – Old Yellow Moon
Dawes – Stories Don’t End
James Iha – Look To the Sky
Neil Young – Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968
Eddi Reader – Candyfloss and Medicine
Various Artists – Eccentric Soul: Nickel and Penny Labels
Grant Green – Latin Bit
R. Dean Taylor – Essential Collection
Joe Henderson – Page One
Tift Merritt – Traveling Alone
Trombone Shorty – For True
Velvet Crush – Free Expression
The Scene is Now – Total Jive
Bill Fay – Bill Fay
Mary Chapin Carpenter – Ashes and Roses
Ray Stinnett – A Fire Somewhere
Kool and The Gang – Live at P.J.’s
Camper Van Beethoven – La Costa Perdida
Graham Gouldman – Love and Work
Bob Mould – Poison Years
Paul Kossoff – Backstreet Crawler (Deluxe Edition)
Lou Bond – Lou Bond
TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
Various Artists – Miami Sound: Rare Funk & Soul
Larry Young – Unity
Leon Thomas – The Creator: 1969-73
Yo La Tengo – Fade
Sugarman Three – Pure Cane Sugar
UB40 – Present Arms
Colin Blunstone – I Don’t Believe I Miracles
Clarence Carter – The Fame Singles Volume 1 1966-70
The Lumineers – The Lumineers
Charles & Eddie – Duophonic
Menahan Street Band – Make the Road by Walking
Kenny Burrell – Midnight Blue
Greg Kihn Band – Best of Beserkley ’75-‘84
The Waterboys – A Pagan Place
The Sneetches – 1985-1991
The Explorers Club – Freedom Wind
Cass McCombs – Wit’s End
