The Thing For Me To Do On Fridays

As many of you readers may know, if you've ever had occasion to venture over to our great Music forums, you can see what a really active set of threads we have over there. We've got something for every musical taste, every season, every style; I mean, you name it, and it's all right there for your personal edification and enrichment.

You see and hear songs, tunes, symphonies, and etudes from over 200 years of musical prowess, plus lots of insightful commentary by many of our City-Data users. And, dare I say, you may have even seen me chime in quite often because, like other folks, I'm there to share music with other readers. I've posted things I like (which is generally most of the time), but I've also put together things I don't like, as well. We have many threads on Music, but one that stands out is a thread called "Free For All". What it is is a musical variety thread that goes beyond the boundaries of genre-specific or era-specific threads that you'll often come across. We go all out, with stuff ranging from rock bands, pro or amateur, to recitations from various artists, to great singers (and even some occasionally crappy ones, too), to high school or college marching bands, and so much more. There's even occasional commentary in relation to the different artists or songs or even the theme of a particular post, but it's not a chat thread.

One thing we all can agree on is that we do have a good time. That's important when you come on and make posts. Some threads have traditions, and "Free For All" is not an exception. In fact, we have a couple of people who have their own traditions in posts made each week. So do I. The special time on the "Free For All" thread is a day of the week where I pause from the busyness of life and I try to entertain, enlighten, and even inform music fans who want lots of music. It's this thing I've called "Friday 3-Fers". You're probably wondering to yourselves, "Case,..............why 3, and why Fridays?" It's because I have Fridays and Saturdays off from work, and there was just this need to express myself in a way that I couldn't in any other venue. Fridays, more than Saturdays, are more convenient for me. This is the only online forum that I participate in, so it's important that I make something count to positively impact one life today. And why not three songs in a row instead of one or two? I have most recently labeled our Friday gatherings simply as Fun Friday, since these gatherings didn't really have a name overall. I bring my Friday 3-Fers, and everyone else brings..............well...........whatever they like.

What I do each week on Friday (unless I'm away) is a post consisting of one artist doing three songs. Each post I make that day is usually a different artist and a different genre. My goal is to present as many genres as possible in as many decades as possible, since "Free For All" is a variety thread and flexibility is key. I'm learning with everybody else about different artists and groups who have performed through the years, and I continue to be amazed. Different singers, different groups, every era imaginable, with genres ranging from country to opera to rock to jazz, and all spanning from the 1920s all the way to now. Some of the posts I make (usually from pre-dawn to about dusk in my time zone) will feature some brief commentary or some trivia or minutiae relative to the featured artist in that post. Usually, the post count for me in a typical day would be anywhere from twenty to twenty-five, some weeks, less, but others, more. It takes work to put something like that together. I've done this sort of thing for about three years now, and it's as addictive and fun as ever. It used to be, I could plan artists the day before or the day of, and I'd scramble to find good YouTubes on a whim. Everything used to be spur of the moment when I first came up with this idea. In recent months, my approach has changed in order to make posts faster and better instead of struggling to get a good artist or set of songs. How's that, you ask? I prepare by making a list of artists, groups, and every song for that day ahead of time, sometimes a couple of weeks ahead. This way, I'll know what to do when it comes time to select the artist for posting. The process becomes easier for me that way, and it makes for a much better presentation. Yes, I'm picky about what goes on. You'll see my favorite songs from time to time, but hopefully, I'll be posting your favorite songs, too. That's what makes Fun Friday so much fun. It's my most active day on the forums, and it's the number one thread on Fridays in Music. And it's because of you and I together that make it work.

Thanks, by the way, for your good words, those of you who've been on the thread and getting involved. You make it possible for me, because me making ten posts per page would be extremely boring and uninteresting. That wouldn't be right. Your posts mixed with mine make for a great Friday experience, and this would not be possible without you. I hope to continue doing this for as long as I can (actually as long as I have Fridays off from work), but it's a lot of fun just seeing it all come together. And, no, I don't sit at the computer all day on Friday. I do have clothes to wash, apartment chores, errands, and eating out for breakfast (I have a life, too, you know). Until that very last day when I decide I need a rest, let's all enjoy the ride. Music is worth listening to and enjoying. I'm glad just to take the energy and time to make you smile!

I look forward to Fridays. Hope you do, too.