You may or may not have noticed our esteemed editor talked some major trash earlier this week.

I never thought I'd see the day when the trash takes US out. If you live or have driven through Pottstown these past few weeks, you've no doubt noticed these monstrous, fierce looking blue beasts--errrr, municipal trashcans that make recycling sooooo easy, all you gotta do is toss it all into one can without any of that pesky sorting and separating. Captain Planet would be proud. Of course, as you can see in our editorial cartoonist's color toon in the paper earlier this week, it's not that easy. The cans have taken over! And we all have the most heinous blues this town has ever, ever seen (nevermind the current economic meltdown, we're being eaten alive by mouth-watering trashcans!).

So here at the Scene & Heard laboratory, we're willing to help the only way we know how. We know it isn't much. But here's some music to help you cope with these awful, nasty blues.

MP3: Eric Clapton - Groaning The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

MP3: Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue
Web / Purchase / Myspace / wiki / more

MP3: Muddy Waters - No Escape From The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

MP3: John Mayer - Every Day I Have The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / wiki / more

MP3: Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Devil With A Blue Dress On
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

MP3: Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

Mp3: Carbon Silicon - Really The Blues
Web / Purchase / Myspace / eMusic / wiki / more

You make music? Keep reading.

I keep huffing and puffing about the mindset of American Idol, the lack of substantial music striking the right chords with young America these days, etc. But the recent news about local band Innerpartysystem taking the leap of faith to a major label gave me an idea.

Lets see what else is around here. You in a band? Send me what you got. I want to hear what is around here. don't care if it's a cassette with just you and guitar. I don't care if you're signed to a major label or never played a live show in your life. Heck, I don't even care if you're local or not. If you're reading this in Russia, go ahead and send something! Then we'll try to book you a show here in Phoenixville or something. Mail here:

Chris March
The Mercury
24 N. Hanover Street
Pottstown, PA 19464

Send me some of you music, include a little bio and some info if you like. Everyone that sends something will get profiled right here on this site. I'll post an mp3 or two, post upcoming shows, describe your sound, etc. It doesn't matter if I like your style or not, I'd rather hear hungry artists trying to find their sound than nothing at all. I won't Simon Cowell you, but I will try my journalistic best to cut to the heart of what you're trying to do with your music.

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!