The reaction I've gotten to this Songs For Relay charity mix has been nothing short of incredible.

But like the highly unorganized goof nut I am, I also had no working system to process your demand. I considered setting up a PayPal for online orders, but I'd rather keep the donations flowing directly through me with everything written out to The American Cancer Society.

HERE IS HOW TO GET YOUR COPY!

simply send a check for $5 (or $5 per CD if want a bunch) to:

The Mercury
ATTN: Chris March / Songs For Relay
24 N. Hanover Street
Pottstown, PA 19464

(or drop it off at The Merc in an envelope to my attn, if you like)

Make the check payable to "American Cancer Society"
Include your return address and I'll mail you out the mix (or mixes) ASAP, and don't worry about any shipping charges or anything, I'll cover it. I encourage you to buy a handful and give them out to friends, cancer survivors, and cancer fighters. There is still no more personal gift than music, and this mix has been made with that exact intention. So thanks for your support and for listening.

If you have any questions pertaining to the mix, leave a comment or email cmarch@pottsmerc.com.

For more information and tracklisting, see previous post below.

As far as I'm concerned, sharing didn't exist until the invention of the mixtape. Seriously, what did we share before that? Toys, apple juice and intravenous drugs? Booooring.

After which, boys and girls (usually the kind thatPublish Post could recite lines from any John Hughes flick) spent sleepless nights shut up in their rooms wading in the fluid world of their headphones, surrounded by swaying stacks of vinyl & cassette tapes trying to fit together the perfect synchronized set of songs for a special someone with songs both familiar and totally obscure. A crush, a lover, a friend, a parent, a girl you met in passing at the grocery store last week who said she liked your Flaming Lips shirt; anyone was game for your cassette tape's aim.

And if you ended up crafting the masterpiece mix, it not only shared some fine swanky tunes with whomever's set of ears you were aiming for, but it shared you; emotions and words you wouldn't have been able to convey otherwise. It was transferring your heart, mind, emotions and fingerprints all onto tape. It was an analog you! With all the scratches, twists, crackles, sparks and hisses.

They also opened up a time portal. Every time after that, decades later even, your mix recipient could pop their cassette in and immediately wash away back to their memories of you and that time, all vividly with the soundtrack steering their boat. Heck, I bet my talking about mixtapes is stirring up some of your fonder mixtape memories. Mixtapes do that. And they do it better than anything short of a flying Delorean with a Flux Capacitor.

Heck, I have a tape that I made with my best friend when I was in 2nd grade, and we "DJ" together on it. Just to hear my voice at that age trips my head. And, no, I won't let you hear it for any amount of money.

Then came CD's, the internet and iTunes. Mixes have endured the digital age in the form of "mixes" on CD-r's. Not as DIY romantic or indie-cute, but just as effective and powerful.

Get ready for the next age of mixes and sharing, because now we can share our mixes with all the other mix nerds dotting the globe via internet. Judging from other sites and blogs where I've seen Muxtape talked about, I'd say 'muxtape' has already become regarded 'new net lingo'---"check out my new muxtape!"

At www.muxtape.com you can upload your mixes and the rest of us can listen to them anytime, anyplace, long as we have internet access. I'm already pouring through their stacks and stacks of megabyted mixes to see if any ex-gfs have had trouble letting go of the tunes we once shared. But I should probably let the stalking to Facebook...

In any case, you can expect me to put a handful of tapes up on muxtape in the near future.

Well 2007 was fun. It gave us Live Earth, the iPhone, and Britney Spears with a Sinead O'Connor haircut. But we got bigger and better things to move on to now, right? Right! Out with the old, in the with new, as they say. Allow me to dedicate this post to persuading you why 2008 will not only be bolder and brighter than last year, but one for the record books.

First off, 2008 is actually considered "The International Year of Planet Earth" by the United Nations General Assembly. As cool as that sounds, all it really means is scientists get more money for research on earth science sort of stuff. But hey, the year got a powerful nickname out of it.

Of course, The UN has ALSO declared it "The International Year of The Potato," so we get some mashed potatoes with our science funds.

It's a leap year!

Bill Gates is expected to step down from daily duties at Microsoft at some point this year.

In November, we'll elect a new president. That's always fun. But without Stephen Colbert on the ballot, I feel I'm at a loss. I also feel cheated by Isaac Asimov who's short story "Franchise" said in 2008, our president would be chosen by a computer program that selects the 'most representative' citizen.

FILM
One can hope the Hollywood writers' strike ends this year, right? Otherwise, we got some sizzling treats already in the oven..

We get the second installment in Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" series--The Dark Knight, with Heath Ledger showing his chops as The Joker. I, my friends, am a little too excited.

And the train of comic book-adapted films continues to steam along. We're getting a new revamped "Hulk" movie which is technically a sequel to Ang Lee's disappointing Hulk from 2003. With ED NORTON taking over as the Jekyll-like Bruce Banner. Well that has me excited. June 13, 2008.

Not to mention, Robert Downey Jr. steps in as Iron Man this May.

JJ Abrams mysterious monster movie "Cloverfield" hits theaters this month, as does Stallone's return to the Rambo franchise.

Also hitting theaters this month is Michael Gondry's latest flick, "Be Kind, Rewind." If you didn't know, Gondry has been behind some of the most wonderful films of the past few years. And this one is about Jack Black and Mos-Def re-making movie classics. Gondry will also open up his own video store in NYC where people can make their own movie shorts. Genius marketing, Gondy boy. Hope the Hollywood writers guild doesn't have a whole lot to say about that..

The Matrix's Wachowski Bros will also return this year with their futuristic take on "Speed Racer." Plus Christini Ricci is in it, so...

And Indiana Jones returns with white hair and side kick Shia LaBoeuf in the fourth installment of the George Lucas series after it was high-jacked by wannabes like Nic Cage's National Treasure and Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.

The new M. Night Shymalan flick -- "The Happening" was, of course, filmed around the area here, following suit with his previous flicks. This one stars Mark Wahlberg and is apparently about global warming.

The new Disney/Pixar production slated for this summer, "Wall-E," looks great with a little Johnny 5-like robot attempting to clean up the earth all by himself as the last living thing on it. And he learns love when he gets visited by a foreign robot.

There is a X-Files sequel in the works, as well as a new addition to The Mummy series.

One of my favorite directors Spike Jonze is directing my favorite childhood book, "Where The Wild Things Are" with some screen writing help from one of my favorite writers, Dave Eggers.

Jim Carrey is lending his cartoony voice to Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears A Hoo"

The new Star Trek, re-booted by hot-writer JJ Abrams should be in theaters come December.

And there is plenty other film reels to look forward to, but those are the ones I'm looking for.


MUSIC
Nostalgic reunions continue to be the biggest news in the music world. Next year, we may get Led Zeppelin tours, Kinks tours, My Bloody Valentine tours...but those are all speculative at this point.

The final spike will be hammered into the old way of buying your music. iTunes will officially have made it when the entire Beatles catalog will be made available on iTunes this year, digitally remastered for the event even.

As far as albums, the new Coldplay and Nada Surf records are what I'm looking forward to most. Nada Surf are always guaranteed good and the new Coldplay is reportedly headed in a Spanish/Cuban direction.

The disbanded Northstar will release an album of leftovers and rarities to help disheartened fans like me cope with the loss.

The mysterious Glassjaw record seems to finally be coming together since weird instrumentals keep popping up on the group's myspace. But... one can only hope.

Green Day are reportedly demoing new material this month.

Oasis want to make a huge huge huge album this year.

We also get some new noise this year from Hot Chip, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, The Offspring, REM, Gnarls Barkley, Weezer, Story of the Year, The Matches, Rise Against, Ace of Base, 311, The Academy Is, Fergie, Aerosmith, Anti Flag, Black Sabbath, a reunited Fenix TX, Taking Back Sunday.


VIDEO GAMES
All I'm worried about is Metal Gear Solid 4.

Although, Ghostbusters 3 seems a little exciting too.


What do you think? 2008 look pretty rad? Did I miss anything that's way too important to miss? Any wild predictions on what we got in store politically? Any big surprises on the horizon? Will we find life on other planets? Invent the HoverBoard? Sound off in the comments folks.

We're doing something new on Tuesdays here. Every week, we'll compile a Top 5 to help push you through the middle of the week. Whether it be 5 favorite records for a particular occasion, 5 movies, 5 things to do, 5 things NOT to do, you get the idea. And if there's ever any particular Top 5 you'd like to see, send me a hollar at cmarch@pottsmerc.com. I'll make it happen.

For our first one, I thought I'd give you my Top 5 Favorite Albums to sit back and melt to in the autumn. The air is getting a little crisp around the edges. The spring green is bleeding out of the leaves, leaving them crunchy golden and brown. The sun is losing it's heat of summer reds. Summer romance is over, and you're just starting to get over it. It can be sad, but full or promise too. Pumpkins, rakes, and sweatshirts are lining peoples driveways and porches. Life is going into retreat, coiling back for the upcoming winter. I love this time of year as much as I love spring because it's a season of movement. You feel like you're headed towards something. But the music that goes best with it is calm, cool, and crunchy. It's colorful, but not young and budding. It's gruff and seasoned, but not frigid and dead. Think about driving through wooded back country roads with brown and red leaves blowing across the road while jamming these babies.

Here is the soundtrack to our autumn here at Listening In. Enjoy! (comment if you're disappointed on something I missed.)

TOP 5: Autumn Records
1. Jeff Buckley - Grace
2. Appleseed Cast - Mare Vitalis
3. Jets Overhead - Bridges
4. Coldplay - Parachutes
5. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left

I'd have my college loans all paid off and maybe even have my own house by now if I wasn't such a dang media junky. The entertainment business would kiss me on the cheek if they knew me and what I was doing for them. Heck, I dropped about 1/3 of my week's pay at Best Buy last night on a stack of CDs and some movies. I'm probably the only thing keeping them afloat!

It's not easy to stay on top of things in a entertainment world so oversaturated with 'stuff', ya know? What have all of you out there in reader land been jamming lately? What music should I be rocking? What movies should I be scoping? What books should I be browsing? Let me know so we can share stories bout em! Below is some of the stuff I've gotten my greedy little hands on (and love) lately.

Music
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Thrice - The Alchemy Index 1 & 2
Hot Hot Heat - Happiness LTD.
Led Zeppelin - Presence
Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty
Whitey - The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train

Movies
Aqua Teen Hunger Force The Movie
28 Days Later
Black Sheep
Science of Sleep
Stranger Than Fiction

It's shaping up to be an artsy-fartsy weekend, folks. First, I encourage everyone to pop their head into the Schuylkill River Festival at some point tomorrow. I mean it! 9 am to 6 pm. You might think family-oriented festivals are too silly for you, but this festival has shaped up to be pretty stinkin' awesome. You are not better than it. So give it a shot. But I don't even need to bully you into going. I'll let the details speak for themselves.

There will be music all day on 2 different stages. Love Jones will headline from 4 to 6, but there's much more going on then them. Celtic pipe bands, singer songwriters like the area's folky Mike Holiday and Ms. Chris Matsko, not to mention the Paul Thiessen Band who I've been meaning to catch for a while now. There will also be some performances from local schools and a funk band called Parkside Avenue. Bow chikka wow wow.

Plus, if you're down for some good old fashioned perusing, there will be plenty of arts and crafts vendors on hand. And as long as the weather is tame, there will be tethered hot air balloon rides. See, you wanna go. I don't even need to use the Jedi Mind Trick do I?

And if you still are thirsting for more art after all that, head to Birdsboro at any point this weekend for the 15th annual Fine Arts Show. It's 10 am to 7 pm sat, sun, and mon. Free admission.

TONIGHT, Deb Callahan and Sharon Little with Scott Sax are gonna drop in at Chaplins to play some tunes. I might stop in to catch Little, because I liked the article I read about her.

What's that sound? Do you hear it? It's a funny squeaky sound.

Sometimes, this is how I feel. Like dear ol' Aunt Bethany from the classic Christmas Vacation, where that opening line was cribbed from. What I mean is I don't understand the mumbo jumbo most people around me are blabbin’ about, yet I'm the one that hears the squirrel making noises in the Christmas tree when no one else does.

And when I'm like, yo everybody, what's that noise? they all look at me like I’m the loon. And maybe I am, but then they all freak out when the squirrel comes zinging out of the branches and chases them around the living room like a bunch of scurrying ninnies, crashing through the furniture and wreaking havoc.

Of course I'm not really talking about squirrels or National Lampoon movies at all. (Besides has anyone actually watched any others besides the Vacation movies or Van Wilder? Yeah, didn’t think so.)

What I'm really talking about here is music. And local entertainment all around the Pottstown area. There's so many incredible songs and music whirling around in the airwaves, yet so much of it goes right over people's ears. The record label and radio tastemakers have lost their touch with what’s good. And MTV, you know MUSIC TELEVISION, doesn’t even know what a music video is anymore. A lot of the stuff folks are listening to these days just makes no obvious sense to me. Disturbed? Nickleback? Chingy? Please folks, all I hear is snaps, crackles and pops. And if it’s bad music you want, there’s still better bad music out there you could be listening to than this stuff! Sheesh!

But listen to me. I can help you. Check this blog out every day to get the latest scoop on music, movies, books, an occasional videogame, Steve Jobs, curious wanderings, and most certainly some of the awesomest (I invent words in my free time, by the way) happenings around the Pottstown area. There’s lots of hidden little nuggets around here that so many unfortunately never hear about or ignore. I’ll be profiling places, reviewing records, waxing intellectual and philosophical, and doing a weekend preview of things to do every week, among all kinds of other rad stuff.

There are way too many awesome noises not getting heard that should be. I won’t allow us to go deaf to what’s good. That's what I'm here to do, to be your almighty hearing aid. We'll talk about bars and restaurants, live shows, Bob Dylan, swing dancing, etc. If it’s worth hearing about, you’ll hear about it here. So listen in kids, this is gonna get loud.

I pledge allegiance to the fla... err, I mean, I pledge to bring you nothing but the best in entertainment blogging. Play ball!