For music lovers, YouTube can be a gold mine of videos from your favorite artists. Its also where you can discover new music and new musicians. Andy McKee is a phenomenal guitarist. I discovered him a little more than a year ago, and came across him again recently, so I thought I would share.

Parents often talk about how much their child weighed at birth, or the age of their child down to the exact number of days and months, or the little quirks that define their child. They identify with their child on a level non-parents are not able to understand. As a non-parent, you just don’t connect on that level. To non-parents, most babies look the same, and aside from gender, race, or ethnicity, are indistinguishable.

I only mention this as I have recently made the transition from a non-parent to a full time parent, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That transition occurred at 8:19pm on December 28, 2009. Caden was born weighing 8 lb. 1 oz. She is so sweet, so cute, so beautiful, and by the way, 4 days old and counting. It is truly amazing.

Anyway, the whole point of this is pictures, so, CLICK HERE!

10 friends from college re-unite after a decade apart to pursue their life-long passion performing a cappella. December 2008 saw the release of "Holiday Spirits" spending 14 days at #1 on Amazon and 5 days in the top spot on iTunes. They’re back again in 2009 with "Christmas Cheers," featuring an all new mix of bass thumping, percussion filled, holiday hits. You will be amazed at the sounds of trumpets, moroccos, and other wind and percussion instruments produced a cappella. That’s right…they sing bass, drums, and wind instruments. You won’t believe how well they sound!

With "The 12 Days of Christmas" set to "Africa" by Toto, the "Mission Impossible" themed "We Three Kings" (listen below), and the tongue in cheek "Who Spiked the Eggnog?", Straight No Chaser bring a creative approach to spreading Christmas cheer.

Keep in mind, according to Buddy the Elf – "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

The real treat of "Christmas Cheers" is in a series of pop covers found at the end of the album beginning with "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. If you are in need of some Christmas cheer, or are just in the mood for some feel-good music, I highly recommend this album.

I’ll take one…oh…and throw in some pedals too!

People at work comment to me from time to time saying “I can’t believe it’s already Monday,” or “thank goodness it’s Friday, I can’t wait to get out of here.” Most of these comments are made with the expectation that I will return their sentiment. They can come from people I work with as often as they come from random people I ride in the elevator with or pass walking through the building. Typically I do echo their sentiment for the sake of conversation, but no more.

I love my job. I love the people I get to work with. I love the type of work I do, the variety, the challenge, and the satisfaction of learning new things. I love the freedom I have to try new things, the opportunity to stretch myself and others to grow professionally. I know that I am very lucky to work where I work and to have the job that I have, and that is why I work so hard to keep it. I definitely have to say thank you to everyone I work with. I feel like we have a really tight team atmosphere, and everyone’s willingness to constantly seek to do things better is very unique and special.

So if you see me on the elevator and you are wishing it was Friday instead of Monday, while I understand how you feel, don’t expect me to feel the same way. When those elevator doors open, I am ready to go.

John Coltrane, 1926 to 1967, known for his distinctive "sheets of sound" is the most recognizable tenor saxophonist in history. Living to the age of 40, he spent the last 12 years of his life reshaping modern jazz by exploring the possibilities of modal improvisation more deeply than any other jazz musician. Sadly, like so many jazz musicians of the early to mid 1900′s, a hard life on the road combined with heroin use and liver cancer shortened the life of yet another jazz great.

John Coltrane means many things to many people. As an aspiring tenor saxophonist growing up in small town America, John Coltrane challenged my musical maturity. In all honesty, out of frustration, I put down my first John Coltrane recording and picked up Kenny G. I was not mature enough to grasp, or even understand what John Coltrane was doing. It was easier for me to listen to the more accessible music of main stream jazz. It wasn’t until the album, "Kind of Blue," that I really learned to understand and enjoy John Coltrane. His recording as sideman to Miles Davis helped to ease my transition into his Hard Bop style.

"Giant Steps" was his second album to be recorded by the Atlantic label marking the first time all of the pieces on a recording had been composed by John Coltrane. "Cousin Mary" is one of the more accessible tracks from the album. Please enjoy. Click on the album art below to play.

Goosebumps! I love music that gives me goosebumps! Seeing a band on the cusp of achieving something monumental, creating a once in a lifteime music experience is very special. From a twitter post leading to the Dave Matthews Band website taking me to MySpace, I was treated to a video (embedded above) that captures such a special moment. Please enjoy!

From Glenn Beck in San Antonio, watch this to find out what the tea parties are about.

Hundreds of thousands of people converged on New York City for this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Little did they know that among them was one who would make history by discovering a unique way to get the most out of attending the parade.

On our first night in New York we visited The Empire State Building. The view from the top was amazing. The city was spread out beneath us as far as you could see. I had never before seen anything like New York City.