The Both: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert or the modern music media menu

We live in a golden age. I get to say this now and then (with a minimum of sarcasm) when I examine the potential in a modern media menu. Of course, I am an old-timer and can remember having to stay up late to watch Midnight Special or Don Kirshner's Rock Concert just hoping that somebody interesting was on that week. Today I have to make an effort to plan my time to benefit from the luxury of music entertainment that comes barrelling my way every day.

So my weekly music blog is meant to reflect what has hit my ears of late. It is bound to reflect where those ears travel to in my media menu. This week's music is a happy connection between eMusic and NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.

I have had a subscription to eMusic for many a year now (I must check, I think I started March 2006). There have been times when labels deserted eMusic and I thought of doing it too. It appeals to my sense of ethics that I have a monthly paid subscription for music. Of late I have had a backlog of albums waiting for me on eMusic when my subscription money shows up. I even bought a $50 bonus booster option recently to get the backlog whittled down. Oh joy, Oh joy when I checked my eMusic on the weekend and found that they had the debut recording of The Both.

The Both are a new band arrived at by a collaboration of two established artists, Ted Leo and Aimee Mann. I have been a long time fan of Aimee Mann, I would probably rave over a recording of her ordering pizza. I am not anywhere near as aware of Ted Leo. I have heard him on the radio (SiriusXM - The Loft) from time to time. If I check my iTunes I probably have a few of his songs. The combination of the two is fantastic. It is less the blend of their voices, which is fine enough. It is more the tone established by Leo's chunky electric guitar and gruff singing that absorbs you and sends you down a musical road where I actually forget about Aimee Mann. Then her voice comes back into the song and off into the stratosphere we go.
The joy that is the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series deserves another blog post of it's own. If it is not a part of your media music menu, consider yourself gifted to have me inform you of it. You're welcome.




My download was delayed by a few busy days on the Easter weekend and a lingering illness. Hopefully better late than never. Now click on the Tiny Desk Concert again and enjoy.