Unlike iTunes, the Lala website was super speedy to negotiate, the layout was clean, oozing white space, and music was clearly the main attraction. The social aspects of Lala were fun, not pushy, but plentiful. You could follow another listener’s taste in music, read their reviews, listen to their playlists, follow their suggestions, and watch the most popular music rise to the top.

Lala gave you the option of uploading your own music or searching for more. My favorite aspect, by far, was the ability to listen to an entire album for free. Let’s face it, 30 seconds a song, such as iTunes offers, isn’t enough to get the true vibe of an album. My second favorite aspect is the ability to buy a web-based song for $0.10 – which means you can listen to the song as many times as you want online. In addition, you could buy the entire album for web-based use. And…MP3s for about $0.89 a piece or the whole album for about $8.99.

I will miss Lala and I’m so thankful for the best two musical years of my life. I’ve learned so much more about music, opened up my mind to genres I’d ignored in the past, and enjoyed the large collection of Christmas music available. Unfortunately, Apple got their greedy little hands on Lala and tonight they’re shutting the site down. Thankfully, in an uncharacteristic manner, Apple is refunding the “web-based” funds we’ve invested in Lala, for use on iTunes, but I’m really disappointed because iTunes is messy, cluttered, navigation sucks, and it’s super, super slow and clunky. Hopefully, Apple with keep the best parts of Lala and spit out the bits of iTunes that make exploring music less tasty.

Fortunately, I was able to copy all my playlists so all is not lost and the music will continue.

Here’s to Lala! A brilliant way to celebrate music.

In August, I bought tickets to see Steve Martin in Spokane, at the Fox. Silly me, I thought it was an evening of Steve Martin the comedian – wild and crazy – or some variation thereof. A few hours before we (Paula, Doug, and I) leave for the show, I check online and find out that it’s actually an evening of bluegrass and banjo, and joining Steve Martin on stage is The Steep Canyon Rangers. He’s on tour to promote the release of his first bluegrass album, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo (Rounder Records). The album was released in May 2009, and reached #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart where it stayed for 12 weeks. But it’s still banjo music.

I was a bit disappointed. I send my brother an IM to let him know just in case he was looking forward to a night of Funky Tut and Cruel Shoes. He already knew. And Paula heard Martin interviewed on NPR. And…we’re still going.  Banjos. Seriously? Banjos? I’m not sure I can do it. I throw a bottle of aspirin in my purse.

It’s a lovely theater. Our seats are dead center stage and very, very high up. Paula leans over to me, motions to the ceiling and says, “Watch your head.” Austin and Laura Storm come walking up the aisle and end up sitting next to us. Laura knows it’s a night of banjos, too. How did I miss this important fact? I say to Paula, “Do you think all these people know it’s banjo music?” She laughed and reminded me about the NPR interview. I look around at the crowd and wonder if they are a sampling of an NPR audience.

Well…shut my mouth! It was a fantastic evening of great music. The Steep Canyon Rangers , from Asheville, North Carolina, are very, very talented musicians. In addition to Steve Martin on the banjo, the Rangers are: Woody Platt (guitar and lead vocals), Graham Sharp (banjo, harmony vocals), Mike Guggino (mandolin and harmony vocals), Charles R. Humphrey III (bass and harmony vocals) and Nicky Sanders (fiddle and harmony vocals).

I’ll admit it. I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed the music. The instruments and vocals blended flawlessly. The performers wore beautiful suits – no overalls, and not a jug, saw, or washboard was played. Steve Martin managed to weave his comedy throughout the performance. We laughed and clapped for eighty minutes. And, after three curtain calls, Steve graced us with King Tut. Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia, King Tut. He was buried in his jammies.

Unfortunately, the tour is over. If you didn’t get the chance to see Steve Martin in concert…you missed a great evening of entertainment. You can check out his website here. And thanks to lala, you can listen to the album on that little gadget below. The album is good, but the live performance was priceless. I’m happy to report I lived through a night of banjo and bluegrass music, and I’d do it again if Steve Martin or The Steep Canyon Rangers were on stage.

In Season 2 – Episode 7 of In Plain Sight, entitled Duplicate Bridge,” Marshall Mann walks in to Norman Baker’s house and there’s an album on the turntable. Marshall holds up the album and I recognized it right away:

Count Basie off the album Count Basie’s Finest Hour (Verve), and the cut is Li’l Darlin’. Just in case you were wondering. Scroll down and listen to it.

So I talked myself in to singing with Mark LaMoreaux’s band. He asked. What’s a girl to do? It’s been quite awhile and I’m feeling a little rusty, but I enjoyed the practice last Tuesday night.

This time, we only have three opportunities to practice. Mr. LaMoreaux is a pro and doesn’t sweat the same stuff I do. Either that or he doesn’t notice it. Or our standards are very different. If it were up to me, all we’d do is practice. Standing in front of people brings an element I’m not comfortable with. I forget to sing loud enough for anyone to hear. If I don’t, Mr L will crank up the volume and then you can hear me in Texas. So whatever I’ve got by Wednesday night, our last night of practice, is all I’m gonna give.

Friday night we’ve got a gig at a local pub. We’ll play some rock, some blues, something that sorta resembles jazz, and some stuff I have no idea what category it fits in. I’ll wear black and try to disappear in to the corner. This is proof that I have lost my mind.

I’m just sayin’. David Archuleta is cute in a Mouseketeer kinda way. But the kid is not ready for prime time. I will admit if the competition was based on *only* the performances Tuesday, little David stepped up to the mic and even managed to growl in one song. He sang his heart out and he wanted it badly.

I wanted Syesha Mercado to be in the final two, and I was very disappointed when she was eliminated. Her performance tonight, with Seal, was pretty hot. And speaking of hot, somebody’s been feeding Seal and he’s looking all grown up. Heidi’s a very lucky woman.

Now Mr. Cook, *sigh*, he’s is a triple threat. He’s got a great voice, he knows how to work the mic and stage, and he’s got that “something” that all great performers have.

Back on March 12th, I picked Cook to win, and he just kept getting better and better each week. I would have liked to see him pick different songs for the final performance, but he still sang like a rock star.

Tonight, David Cook sang Sharp Dressed Man with ZZ Top, and played his Les Paul guitar, and he was fantastic. The guy *is* a rock star AND now he’s the 2008 American Idol champion.

Hey Chris, I wish you could have been here to share the finale, but Paris is quite the excuse.

Tuesdays they sing and we vote. But Wednesday night is the live “elimination” show, and, if you ask me, it’s a perfect excuse for getting together with friends. We’re now in our third season of AI “night.” I have a standing invitation for dinner at 6:00pm with Mark & Chris LaMoreaux. Chris likes to say she can’t cook, but after three seasons, I beg to differ. I look forward to AI “night” just so I can spend time with Mr. L and Chris. Well, there’s the wine, too. And the laughter. And the lovely candle burning in the bathroom.

About an hour before the show starts, Mary Gressard (Chris’s sister) and her daughter Maggie join us. Mary’s husband, Dave, has made an appearance a couple of times, but he doesn’t appreciate the AI thing, and Chris has banned him from commenting. So we warm up by watching the Tuesday night performances (previously recorded to DVR) and then chase it with the live show.

It’s a long night. Just before the contestant is eliminated, Chris starts getting a bit squirrelly. She begins getting ready for bed. The perfect hostess, last week she offered us Citrucel. What’s that thing Mom always says about sharing?

So we’re down to eight. I’m still voting for David Cook. The guy is a natural. And hey, it’s not too late to get your Idol on.

The song is off of his newly released album Soul Speak .

Mmmmm. He could sing the words off a cereal box and I’d be a happy girl. Good grief…the man is handsome. How old is he? One second while I google it – he was born in 1952…so that makes him 56? Not bad, Michael.

Gotta go download the album off iTunes. :)

Here’s my favorites:

• David Cook
• Carly Smithson
• Michael Johns
• Amanda Overmyer

Poor little David Archleta. He bombed this week. Forgot the words, forgot the tune, got tortured by the judges. Ouch! Let’s hope he makes it through to next week. He’s so darn cute.

News of the stroke was bad enough. Now, a tracheotomy. The report says they didn’t damage his vocal chords. Good grief. I’d really like to see him pull through, but it doesn’t look good. I saw Luther in concert in Los Angeles during his really large stage. Anita Baker opened up for him. I saw him in San Diego a few years later and the brother looked healthy, but less vibrant. Let that be a lesson to you…chubby equals vibrant. Okay…it was a nice try. Right?

I have so many memories of life tied to Luther’s songs. He’s releasing a new CD in June titled Dance With My Father. Lord willing, he’ll pull through this.