A German choir performs an inspiring version of Robert Pollard's Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory, a song originally recorded by Pollard's band Guided by Voices, on the album Bee Thousand.

R.E.M.'s "Sitting Still," from their first LP "Murmur," is an all=time favorite song. This is an early performance of the song.

Some thirty years before, The Byrds performed "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better."

The Replacements, one of the best bands of the 1980's, will be reissuing four new records, "Sorry Ma, I Forgot To Take Out The Trash," "Stink," "Hootenanny," and "Let It Be." These reissues will be remastered, and will include never released material and b-side tracks, according to Billboard.com.

I think The Replacements were the best of the 80's rock bunch because their shows were quite insane. Between 1985-1988, I saw the Replacements live about 10 times, and each time was the penultimate rock experience.

First the guitars. They were loud and bombastic, exactly what's needed for a 20-something year old guy, getting his first taste of independence from home, and feeling the energy associated with like-minded rock and roll fans, pogoing up-and-down in a pit of like-minded Replacements fans.

Then the songs. Paul Westerberg knows how to write a song that appeals to the young, Midwestern guy, who feels that Poison and Guns and Roses were not the answers to the question: Who's Going to Save Rock and Roll?

I'll be one of those guys looking to pickup those newly released reissues when they appear on April 22nd.

Friday Five

1. Buying gas, loading groceries or walking to school can be deadly.

2. Ukuleles rule! A few years ago I owned a Ukulele and now I want another. Don Ho Hootenanny

3. Hungarian Imre Kertész wins Nobel for literature. Since 2000, I traveled to Hungary four times, spent a total of three months in that beautiful country and was introduced to their great writers. Kertész and poet Jozsef Attila became my favorites after spending hours in pubs, listening to my Hungarian friends reading/translating their work and consuming copious amounts of tasty-sweet Hungarian red wine. Kertész, and many other Hungarian Jews, spent time at Auchwitz during the War and a gift it is to humanity he survived. Post war Soviet occupied Hungary wasn't as good for poet Attila; he committed suicide at the young age of 32 by throwing himself in the path of a train. I'm hopeful Kertész's prize will lead to more Hungarian authors' work to get English translation.

4. Digital radio broadcast approved by FCC. The developers of the technology say CD-quality broadcast will be possible. If that's the case, what then will come of the debate on digital piracy? I guess that if the Clear Channels of the world continue with their efforts to dominate the airwaves we'll only have 20 songs to steal.

5. The Soundtracks of Our Lives are coming! The Soundtracks of Our Lives are coming! To the very intimate Casbah rock club which holds 200-300 at most.

Lastnight at Mission Bay, several music acts performed at the "first-ever" West Coast Music Conference. I, perhaps, should have opted to see the Smiths tribute band at Casbah. The conference, featuring up-and-coming groups from the San Diego area, had an over abundance of bands influenced by Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews and the long-gone genre of grunge. One punk band was okay; however, the set only lasted 15 minutes, which wasn't the amount of time required for the soundman to get their mix settled.

I spoke with a manager type earlier in the evening and his business perspective--"making the big time"--just wasn't hitting on my philosophy of music.

I left with a headache.