3:20pm Eastern Standard Time

It's finally warm enough to lay in the sun. Life is good!

Long time, No Post

I am making more of a conscious effort to blog. 

I have decided that I am going to use this blog, as a Photo Blog. 

I find that my life is better described in images.

Express creativity. Express opinion. Express yourself.

-DQ

3:30am Eastern Standard Time

Greetings from Maine,

It is so late, but I cannot seem to fall asleep. I haven't posted anything since the Grammy's post, so I guess I can follow up a little bit on that. 

My predictions were pretty accurate. 3/5 I made in the blog were correct. Overall, I thought it was a weak awards show. Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson were the best performers of the night. I get discouraged sometimes with today's music. 

Why do I say that? I have a long list of reasons why, but here are a few. 

1. "Albums"

A lot of artists now are writing (or supposedly writing) these albums that really have no message or theme. It's like every couple months some of these mainstream artists (who really aren't that good) release a single, and another single, and another...etc. Then by the time the have released a bunch of them in a short period of time, they throw all the songs together and call it an "album". What happened to stories? There is nothing that I love more than being able to listen to artists albums in the order they were released to see how they artist evolves, changes, and improves. I always appreciate artists like Sara Bareilles, Adele, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera....etc, because they take so much time in between their albums to let themselves grow. I think that is important for any singer/songwriter. Famous or not. 

I was so pleased a few weeks ago to hear a very classic sounding blues and soul record, released by Shoshana Bean. (Who is one of my favorite vocalists). She is not very well known but she has one of the best voices I have ever heard.

 "O'Farrell Street" is the name of the album.

Check it out, it's one of the best album works I have heard in a long time.

2. "What is with all this auto-tune?"

There is nothing that makes me more angry than an artist who is on the Top 10 on iTunes and cannot sing live. This world is filled with so many people who can sing live, who can do riffs and runs, who can write their own songs. These are the people the record labels should be signing. Not all these "grab my crotch" and jump around the stage like an asshole people who call themselves "performers". 

3."What is up with all the vulgarity?"

If you know me, you know I swear like a sailor. I could write the book on swearing and it would probably be a New York Times Bestseller and on Oprah's favorite books list. But seriously, how many things can you rhyme with "bitch". At least come up with more creative, colorful cuss-words, or bring back some old school slag. I love my booty jams just as much as the next person, but I am sick of the same kind of message in every rap song. Tupac (was) and Eminem are the two best rappers the world has seen. Let's leave it to them. If you want to rap and do it well, look at the past. "Back to Basics" and be different. 

There is nothing I hate more...

No need to wear your pants down low so your ass hangs out so the world can see your Calvin Klein boxers and what you are clearly lacking in your manhood. It looks foolish and conveys that you have no class. Just because you drink Patron, Hennessy and the Goose, wear your bling, and bring the "bitches" home, that is not class. Ladies, if you think that is hot and you like the bad boys (who are that bad), you will end up being cheated on, or your "bad boy" will end up dead or in prison. Mark my words.

Well, that is all for tonight. I will say that I am working on a new webpage design for my music website. I am also starting to think about upcoming projects and have finally finished setting up a studio space (my music cave) so I can start recording soon! I also have started writing again. I'm really excited to see what I come up with.

Oh....and yes. I had a wonderful Valentines Day alone.

Valentines Day 2013
Reid State Park Georgetown, Maine

Take Care,

-DQ

Let's Talk Grammy's

My favorite day of the year is HERE!

Tonight, 8/7c the 55th Annual Grammy Awards will air Live!

For those of you who do not know, I am a complete and utter music nerd. I guess that kind of comes along with who I am because so much of my life is centered around music. This is musics biggest night. During the 3 hour telecast just a handful of the Grammy's awarded are announced during the show. There are so many more categories that aren't included in the telecast due to time restrictions and not to mention all of the performances scheduled for this evening.

So, as I do every year, I make my Grammy predictions. This year, I have my bets on musics new male artists.

Here are my predictions for some of the bigger categories most everyone is familiar with.

Album of the Year

» The Black Keys - El Camino

» Fun. - Some Nights

» Mumford & Sons - Babel

» Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

» Jack White - Blunderbuss

I'm going to put my bet on Fun's "Some Nights". Overall, this album was very well put together. Fun's unique style brought something new this year. I think they will win a few different categories tonight.

Record of the Year

» The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"

» Kelly Clarkson - "Stronger"

» Fun. feat. Janelle Monae - "We Are Young"

» Gotye feat. Kimbra - "Somebody That I Used to Know"

» Frank Ocean - "Thinkin Bout You"

» Taylor Swift - "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"

I'm going to say T-Swift. I can say that I didn't start listening to Taylor until her last album "Speak Now". To me, it is simply amazing how many records she has sold and the countless awards she has won in the past few years. I'm also amazed at the fact that she sold out Gillette Stadium in 3 minutes this past Summer, and had to add an extra show due to the demand for tickets. She is truly taking over.

Song of the Year

» Ed Sheeran - "The A Team"

» Miguel - "Adorn"

» Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe"

» Kelly Clarkson - "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"

» Fun. - "We Are Young"

I would love to see Ed Sherran take this category. However, I think Fun is going to take it. "We Are Young" was a huge song this year. On another note, I swear to all that is holy, if Carly Rae Jepsen wins anything this evening I will be disgusted. Songs like that shouldn't even be nominated in my opinion. It is nothing but something to laugh at.

Best Pop Solo Performance

» Adele - "Set Fire to the Rain (Live)"

» Kelly Clarkson - "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"

» Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe"

» Katy Perry - "Wide Awake"

» Rihanna - "Where Have You Been"

I'm going to say Adele. She swept the Grammy stage last year winning 6, Including album of the year.

Best New Artist

» The Alabama Shakes

» Fun.

» Hunter Hayes

» The Lumineers

» Frank Ocean

I'm really pushing for Frank Ocean in this category. Again, I think "Fun" is going to clean house tonight, however, for sake of diversity of artists I hope Frank Ocean pulls a Grammy tonight. He puts himself out there in a way that could be viewed as somewhat risky. Not only when he talks about his personal life, but with what he chooses to do with his vocals. It's definitely something different to this generation at least, and I admire anyone who puts themselves out there in an "out of the norm" sort of way.

Alright, so there they are. This has been another fantastic year of music. I am pumped to see all of the performances tonight. Queen Bey is said to be a presenter tonight as Jay-Z is rumored to be performing with Justin Timberlake in his new single "Suit and Tie".

I will be tweeting my reactions.

@dquinion

That's all for now.

-DQ

Two Rivers

Hey All,

I'm DQ, and I'm a music and computer nerd. I live on an Island in Maine. (No, I do not have to take a boat to my house). There are 718 people who live on the Island. However, that number dramatically decreases during the winter months. Westport Island, formally named Jeremysquam, is located 50 miles north of Portland. he island is separated from the mainland by two coastal salt-water rivers, the Sheepscot and the Back River. Which is how I came up with the name of my blog. "Deux Rivieres", meaning two rivers. At this point in my life I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I grew up in Wisconsin. Most of my friends are from there and still live there (nobody ever leaves). So for those of you who have no idea geographically where I am, here is a map. When I say I am an hour north of Portland, people think is "so far" north. Compared to the rest of of the state, it is not far up at all.

Red arrow is approx. location of Westport Island

You might be thinking "What the hell is there to do?" Well, not a lot. I have become very creative with finding things to do on my free time. In the summer I will kayak and sail every day I possibly can. If you aren't into the whole outdoors thing, you probably wouldn't do to well here. There are some times where I don't leave the Island for 2,3,4 days at a time. It's very homey and peaceful. My favorite spot to relax is probably on my hammock down by the water. In the winter it is much more relaxed here. In the summer it is much different. There are a ton of tourists here during the warmer months. Traffic is insane during that time. It takes forever to get anywhere.

The best thing about living here? Obviously the lobster. Yes, it is as good as everyone talks it up to be. This past summer I was getting it for about 3 dollars/pound. Which is dirt cheap compared to the rest of the world. They actually used to feed people who were in prison lobster very often because it was so cheap and easy to get in Maine. Everyone knows somebody who is a fisherman. It is not uncommon to walk into the grocery store on a summer evening and seeing a bunch of fisherman in their bibs. The smell of chum is not uncommon. When the tide is low or going out, it smells very salty. I personally love the smell. It is one of my favorite things about living here, however, some people don't like it.

I want this blog to be a place where I can be myself. I want to be able to reflect, share stories and the life lessons I have learned thus far. I also will share my opinion on certain things. Again, it is my opinion. There is no right or wrong here. One of the things I really am going to try to do is to pick a performance, or a new song that I come across that I think is worth sharing and review it weekly.

.The Simple Life.

.See life from a number of different view points.

.Do something for yourself every single day.

.Music is food for the soul.

.Love endlessly.

.Work hard.

.Play harder.

.Pray for peace, hope, and strength.

.Material items and money do not buy happiness.

.Keep your best friends close, always.

.Don't make distance a factor in friendships.

.It makes the heart grow fonder.

.Don't ever give up, it's just the weight of the world.

.You are loved.

.If you are scared.

.Pray.

That's all for now.

-DQ