In 2011, I feel like I’ve finally landed on a formula that meets my needs. A combination of services and software have made this possible. Since I have about 15,000 songs in my personal music collection, it isn’t practical to carry that around on my iPhone or iPod (especially since I keep most at 320Kbps), so operating my own media server is the solution and Subsonic makes it possible. I also love to explore new music and sample what people are doing without having to purchase the release until I know it should be added to my collection. Doing this legally has been a challenge, but that has now remedied thanks to Mog. And because people have been so gracious in sharing their musical insights, I like to return the favor by creating musical mixes. Though I could use Subsonic to share my music, I’m finding myself happily using 8tracks to create and share mixes.

I do own a home stereo system (with turntable), but most of my music is stored on a computer. Thanks to the latest iOS update, I can now easily stream media from my iPhone or iPad. If I want to stream from the Subsonic software on my computer, then I use Airfoil (worth every penny!).

Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer that can be installed on Windows, MacOS, or Linux. Making a donation provides a few added features that are worth the money. I had initially installed this on an old Dell running Ubuntu but have recently moved it over to a new iMac. The installation and configuration is easy, though some tweaking of your network ports may be necessary. There is ample documentation and help on the discussion forums. My music is stored on an external hard drive connected via USB. Subsonic supports playlists and sharing of the collection. As an administrator, you can create other users who can upload, download, or simply listen to your musical collection. If you own an iDevice then give iSub app a try for listening from your mobile device. You can all set the bit rate that music is streamed and configure any format conversions that might be necessary. To be perfectly honest, I left most of the default settings in place and have been very happy with the results. When listening on the commute, I pick the music and it begins playing almost immediately. The next song is queued up as you listen so there is no delay in streaming while driving. Subsonic supports last.fm integration. Overall, it’s a win!

There are other products out there that stream music, like Pandora or Last.fm (and I’m tired of waiting for Spotify), but you can’t control the exact song or album you want to hear. Nor can you listen to the song or album over again. Those services are more like customized radio. The difference that Mog provides is that I can pick the music. If I want to listen to Black Sabbath all day then I can listen to Black Sabbath all day. If I want to listen to War Pigs all day then I can listen to War Pigs all day. All this can be done for $5/month and if I want to stream (and download) on my mobile device (which I do!) then it’s $10/month. Cheap for someone like me who buys a lot of music – that’s not even the cost of one CD! The service doesn’t have everyone, but the archive is quite deep. I use it to pull out the oldies but goodies that I don’t own and to listen to stuff that I’d probably never purchase.

So, if you love music then you might want to check out these two tools. You can checkout my 8tracks Mixes and I do scrobble everything to my last.fm profile. This post is about the tools, it doesn’t really address how I learn about and discover new music. That will be saved for another post.

Let me know how you manage your musical pleasures.

Leaves, Waves, Stars
Download now or listen on posterous

Leaves, Waves, Stars.mp3 (2583 KB)

A lovely practice song from the International Plum Village Sangha.

We are all the leaves of one tree.
We are all the stars of one sky.
We are all the leaves of one tree.
The time has come for all to live as one.
We are all the leaves of one tree.

We are all the waves of one sea.
We are all the waves of one sea.
The time has come for all to live as one.
We are all the waves of one sea.

We are all the stars of one sky.
We are all the stars of one sky.
The time has come for all to live as one.
We are all the stars of one sky.

We are all the leaves of one tree.
We are all the waves of one sea.
The time has come for all to live as one.
We are all the stars of one sky.

For the record, I probably own every standard release by Peter Gabriel (including Ovo – which he performed two songs from this evening) and I’ve seen him once before in September 1993 at the Oakland Arena. A fan? Probably.

Mr. Gabriel performed with the 54-piece New Blood Orchestra. No guitars. No drums. A portion of the orchestra was composed of musicians traveling on the tour and the remainder were picked up in the cities of performance. The orchestra was led by Ben Foster, a young and entertaining conductor who was periodically viewed from a fishbowl camera on the screens throughout the evening.

Our seats weren’t in the fancy boxes or down in front, but we were front and center in the “super seats” (aka, non-benches) with a great view of the entire stage and behind the mixer. The performance began at 8:00pm and ended at 10:45pm (with a 20-minute intermission). The first set was all the songs from Scratch My Back (in order) and the second set was old Peter Gabriel songs.

The vocals were subtle, just below the surface, and then came through powerfully at certain moments. His voice was in great form and the arrangements were beautiful and appropriate. Every detail of the show was measured. Planned. The lighting element was impeccable and brought interest and mystery to the music being performed. Nothing in the lighting was recycled during the evening, as it was customized to the song performed. The most entertaining was the cute animation that accompanied “The Book of Love” – a Magnetic Fields song. To be honest, I’m not certain how lighting is typically used with orchestras but this was one of the highlights for me.

Peter was conversational during the second set, by introducing songs and talking about the music or the musicians, while in the first set we focused only on the music. The main downside of the evening was the high prices of food and drink at the Bowl and the inappropriate clapping or yelling. I recognize that people are excited, but it can be challenging to hear the orchestral music when you clap during the songs. Fortunately, we had a pretty docile section in the audience and only encountered a few drunks being obnoxious.

In the end, I think this show will make a great DVD. Perfectly performed. Entertaining. Visually stimulating. For the curious, here’s the set list:

Set One

1. Heroes (David Bowie)
2. The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon)
3. Mirrorball (Elbow)
4. Flume (Bon Iver)
5. Listening Wind (Talking Heads)
6. The Power of the Heart (Lou Reed)
7. My Body is a Cage (Arcade Fire)
8. The Book of Love (The Magnetic Fields)
9. I Think It’s Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman)
10. Apres Moi (Regina Spektor)
11. Philadelphia (Neil Young)
12. Street Spirit (Radiohead)

Set Two

1. San Jacinto (Security)
2. Digging in the Dirt (Us)
3. Downside-Up (Ovo)
4. Signal to Noise (Up)
5. Mercy Street (So)
6. The Rhythm of the Heat (Security)
7. Washing of the Water (Us)
8. Red Rain (So)
9. Darkness (Up)
10. Solsbury Hill (PG I)

Encore

1. In Your Eyes (with Shankar) (So)
2. Don’t Give Up (So)
3. The Nest That Sailed The Sky (Ovo)

My radio show will re-air tonight at 6:00pm (Pacific Standard Time). You can listen in iTunes Radio (SBCC Radio is in the College/University Stations), in SecondLife, online, or using the iPhone App.

Here’s the set:

1. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
2. One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21, The Flaming Lips
3. Matte Kudasai, King Crimson
4. Cocoon, Bjork
5. Wanderlust, David Sylvian
6. In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel
7. Cathedral In A Suitcase, Pat Metheny
8. Exit Music (For A Film), Radiohead
9. Something in the Way, Nirvana
10. Something, The Beatles
11. Running To Stand Still, U2
12. Oh, Sister, Bob Dylan
13. Innocent When You Dream (78), Tom Waits

You won’t be disappointed, this is some of the best music from the last 40 years.

My second show airs in a few minutes. You can listen in iTunes Radio (College/University Stations), in SecondLife, online, or using the iPhone App.

There is no long term podcast, so if you want to hear the show be sure to tune in live.

Here’s the set I’ve got planned for you:

1. Airport Surroundings, Loney Dear
2. Flat of the Blade, Massive Attack
3. There is a Wind, The Album Leaf
4. FeelingPulledApartByHorses, Thom Yorke
5. Numb, Tricky
6. Powerless, The Flaming Lips
7. Seeplymouth, Volcano Choir
8. Some Riot, Elbow
9. Kettering, The Antlers
10. I Think UR A Contra, Vampire Weekend
11. Foreground, Grizzly Bear

Here I am DJing in Second Life…

SBCC Radio in SecondLife