During my internet travels this week I found an article at starcostumes.com called “The 12 Greatest Costumed Rock Bands Ever”.

Click here to check it out.

I have to admit I don’t know most of the bands listed except the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper and KISS.

What costumed bands do I know besides the ones above? Check out this 5 on Friday and find out!

5 Bands in Costume

1. Let’s a “Go-Go” to this Hulla Baloo dance party with Paul Revere & the Raiders! Anyone know who the cute guy is that introduces them? I do.

Visit Paul Revere & the Raiders to see them still rocking in costume http://www.paulrevereraiders.com

2. Move over Paul Revere & the Raiders because Adam & the Ants are riding through. Stand & deliver artsy fashion, also known as cool costumes.

Adam Ant still delivers his New Romantic style, check him out at http://www.adam-ant.net

3. Uno, dos, tres, quatro…Wooly Bully time with Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Watch it now!

Find out what Sam the Sham is up to, visit http://www.samthesham.com

4. Cher! Okay so Cher is a singer and not really a band but it’s my site and I can post what I want to.

See what Cher is wearing these days… http://www.cher.com

5. Need an idea for a costume? Look no further than The Village People. They’re like a costume catalog on stage.

Click here to watch everyone’s favorite group dance song, YMCA.

Wow, 35 years of The Village People on their official site! Visit http://www.officialvillagepeople.com today!

I was at Henry’s Marketplace the other day, shopping for protein powders and healthier junk food. They always have a fun music list playing in the store and this time it was a whole lotta Rockabilly. I was practically dancing in the aisles. This got me thinking that I haven’t been listening to Rockabilly music lately.

I’ve always had a thing for 50’s and 60’s music. I have a thing for most music in general no matter the decade but my favorite activity when I was a kiddo, besides reading & watching TV, was blasting my mom’s 45’s in my room. She didn’t have every rockabilly record but she had enough to get me interested. By the time the Stray Cats strutted their way on the radio in the 1980’s, I was amped with rockabilly excitement.

“The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock (from rock ‘n’ roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style’s development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. While there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern United States.”—Wikipedia

So I’ve been rockin rockabilly style again, seems like a perfect reason for an HIH Five on Friday post.

Here are 5 of my Fave Rockabilly Tunes:

Eddie Cochran— C’mon Everybody

Bill Haley—Rock Around the Clock

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps— Be-Bop-a-Lula

Elvis Presley—That’s All Right Mama

Stray Cats—Stray Cat Strut

What are your favorite Rockabilly tunes?

Check out the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, click here.

I’ve written about whistling before. The post was about master whistlers, click here to read. This 5 on Friday features five tunes that feature whistling. Say that 5 times fast!

I’m not a very good whistler but it is fun to try. A cool dude I know, thanks to the interwebs, posted the song “Let’s Go Surfing”  on his Facebook wall. After watching the video I spent a lot of time listening to The Drums beats and I dig the retro feel of their songs. I like how their sound can range from 60’s Beach Boys mode to 80’s Newro.  The whistling in “Let’s Go Surfing” makes this a catchy tune I want to play over and over again. I have to admit after watching this video I kind of want to try surfing or at least roast some S’mores out on the beach.

“Let’s Go Surfing” —The Drums

This next whistling tune is short but sweet and takes me back to my TV rerun watching days. Mayberry was a great place to hang out after school. I’d turn on the rabbit eared set, have a snack and watch as Sheriff Andy Taylor & Barney Fife socialized at the barber shop, went on double dates & solved Mayberry’s problems with good advice. It was always fun to learn a lesson or two alongside Opie and I felt sorry for poor Otis whenever he got stuck sleeping it off in the cell again.

The Andy Griffith Show theme song—Earle Hagen

My younger brother told me about Peter, Bjorn and John years ago and ever since I’ve been hooked on this whistling song.

“Young Folks” —Peter, Bjorn and John

When I was a kiddo I had a cool projector film toy and the film it came with was one about the Harlem Globetrotters. Their theme song comes from a vintage jazz tune from the 1920′s.  This is the sort of whistling that takes some practice. Not as much as Harlem Globetrotter basketball tricks though.

“Sweet Georgia Brown”—Harlem Globetrotters theme

You may think I’m twisted for adding this one by composer Bernard Herrman but it’s a great one to whistle while doing housework. This Whistling Song comes from the movie Twisted Nerve but Tarantino fans might think of the movie Kill Bill and they’re right too.

Bernard Herrmann composed this catchy yet psychologically disturbing whistling song. He’s also the one responsible for the tension evoking music in films Vertigo, Psycho and Taxi Driver. Just to name a few.

Give a little whistle if you have any more Whistling Tunes to add.

The Drums: http://thedrums.com
Harlem Globetrotters: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com
Earle Hagen: http://www.earlehagen.net
PB&J: http://peterbjornandjohn.com/blog
Bernard Herrmann: http://www.bernardherrmann.org

Another Valentine’s Day approaches. Love is in the air or if you have a green thumb or two maybe in the garden.

1. A love serenade in his garden, Mr. Benny Hill:

2. English Indie musician, Baxter Dury sings Love in the Garden, video by a Dury fan that likes furry creatures:

3. This video shows boatloads of fan love to Ringo Starr & The Beatles with Octopus’s Garden:

4. Kiss calling out to Dr. Love at Madison Square Garden:

5. Here we are back in the Garden of Love. This time with Monika Načeva & Tim Wright:

Groundhogs and rabbits were trending this week with Groundhog Day and the Chinese New Year. Punxsutawney Phil says spring will come early and according to Chinese tradition “The Rabbit” will represent 2011.

With all the rabbit and groundhog talk I started thinking about hedgehogs. There’s a lot of hedgehog cuteness in cyberspace but I wanted to find 5 videos that really stood out from the hedgehog bunch. Take a look at these 5 videos that give hedgehogs some love.

1. The first selection is a popular YouTube video from a few years ago. The star is Shming, a domesticated hedgehog doing a bathtub aquatic routine. He’s so popular he has his own T-shirt line. Click here.

Shming’s water performance is lots of fun but the narrative between the two women cheering Shming along is what makes this video a YouTube classic.
Embedding is disabled on this one so click here to see the video.

2. Hedgehog in the Fog is a 1975 Soviet/Russian animated film directed by Yuriy Norshteyn, produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. You can purchase the book version via Amazon. Watch this artistic, award winning stop motion animation:

Click here for the official Norshteyn Studios site.

3. Hedgehogs love to get busy on the dance floor. Well at least according to this song aptly called Hedgehogs. HEDGEHOG!!! Watch out it’s catchy.

4. What better way to give hedgehogs kudos then to name a band after one? Check out this Chinese Indie Rock band called Hedgehog with their song Wink:

5. In this last video we see hedgehog love in the form of a mini English Tudor cottage. I like the commentator’s accent.

In many places hedgehogs are illegal to keep as pets. For more info about domesticated hedgehogs & their wellbeing, check out the following links:
http://hedgies.com
http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org

Back in the 80’s day, there was a song called Five Minutes of Funk by Whodini. It wasn’t very funky, but it was five minutes of a great rap/ hip hop tune.
I caught myself singing the lyrics to 5 Minutes of Funk the other day, which led to the idea of 5 Videos of Funk. For those of you not familiar with Funk as a music genre let’s get a breakdown from Wikipedia:

“Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground. Funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord, distinguishing it from R&B and soul songs centered around chord progressions….
…many of the most famous bands in the genre also played disco and soul extensively. Funk music was a major influence on the development of disco music and afrobeat, and funk samples have been used extensively in genres including hip hop, house music and drum and bass. It is also the main influence of go-go, a subgenre associated with funk.”—Wikipedia

As Whodini would say, “…separate the good stuff from the junk…” Here are 5 of my favorite funky videos:

I play this video whenever someone gets on my nerves. It helps me remember how to behave on this planet. The YAY at the end of this video & The Dating Game style groovy music is fun too!

I love this video, not only because the Ohio Players really know how to get funky, but because Wolfman Jack introduces them.

If we’re gonna get funky, we’ve got to Get Down with the Soul Train dancers.

It’s not only the guys that can get down and get funky. Here’s Chaka Khan with Rufus telling us something good.

Good God! Give us those funky horns! James Brown says… “Get Up Offa That Thing”

Remember these are 5 of MY favorite funk videos. What funky songs get you up offa that thing?

Ahh the L word! That thing called L O V E love.

Love can be many things. It can make you see life through rose colored glasses or make you want to cry your eyes out. There’s puppy love, true love, forbidden love, and unrequited love. Love can be an emotion, a virtue, or just the thing that makes a great song.

Here are 5 Songs about a Thing Called Love:

Jerry Reed was a country music singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actor. You might remember him from Smokey and the Bandit, he was in the movie and he sang the theme song “East Bound and Down”.

Here he is with “A Thing Called Love”:

Queen is a British rock band that formed in 1971. Before his death in 1991, Freddie Mercury rocked the stage with his lead vocals, piano and theatrics. I think everyone with a TV, radio, or internet connection knows of, listened to, or rocked out with Queen. Many of their songs have been used and re-used in tributes, parodies, television and film.

Here’s Queen with “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, the single was number two in the UK and became the first U.S. number-one hit for the band.

Before they signed a record deal this British rock band, The Darkness, made a name for themselves with their live shows.
Here they are with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”:

Leo Reisman was a violinist and bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s. Every once and awhile I’m in a big band music mood. Time to break out the Ginger Rogers moves to “What Is This Thing Called Love” by
Leo Reisman and His Orchestra.

While on my quest for other “Thing Called Love” inspired songs I found the British trance music group Above & Beyond.

Check out this club video of Above & Beyond’s, “Thing Called Love” featuring Richard Bedford:

Queen still rocks on, visit their official site: http://www.queenonline.com/home

The Darkness split up but a few band members are reforming as The Stone Gods, check their MySpace for details: http://www.myspace.com/thedarkness

Visit the official Above & Beyond site for tour dates & more info: http://aboveandbeyond.nu/home

Did I mention I am forty years old now? Oh yes, I think I did. Back in the day, my day meaning the 80’s, it was all about big hair and of course ballads. The 80’s had a lot going on when it came to music mixed with pop culture. Some flaunted Madonna lace and gloves; others were rocking the Newro style. Prince and the Revolution followers wore purple, layered coats and ruffles while the long haired rockers smoked in the boy’s room.

It was an eclectic mix of musically inspired fashion but today I’m focusing on the Big Hair Ballads. The love songs millions could raise their cigarette lighters to with pride. This was a staple to the 80’s like Aqua Net and eyeliner. Here they are:

Still Loving You—Scorpions

Back when I was dating Mr. HIH, way back when this song was a big hit, he loved dedicating “Still Loving You” to me. Isn’t that retro romantic?

Nobody’s Fool—Cinderella

This is a ballad and power anthem all in one. It’s the perfect song to sing just before breaking up with your significant other.

Bringing on the Heartbreak—Def Leppard

Turn this one full blast and cry your eyes out!

Close My Eyes Forever—Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne

It wasn’t just the boys with big hair back in the day. Lita Ford adds a feminine quality to this duet with Ozzy.

The Price—Twisted Sister

Sometimes ballads are about loving life itself and because this video intro is priceless, here’s Twisted Sister performing The Price.

“The 80’s are about f’&*%$# partying! That’s what makes it so much fun!”
WARNING: bad words

As always it’s tough to pick just five but I named it The 5 on Friday so here we are. What are your favorite big hair love songs from the decade of decadence?

You might be wondering, why 40’s? On Sunday May 16, I’m going to be 40 years old. According to the Collins Dictionary age 40 is the start of middle age. I’ll go with the Oxford English Dictionary instead, “… the period between youth and old age, about 45 to 60″.

I got to thinking about the number 40 in pop culture. Some say 40 is a magical number. If anything it occurs frequently in literature. Take the idiom forty winks, or “forty days and forty nights”.  How about all those thieves and Ali Baba, there were 40 of them remember?

There’s the spray lubricant WD-40 and the food dye Red 40. Here’s Five more 40’s in Pop Culture I found interesting.

American Top 40

When I was a kiddo I faithfully tuned in to hear the American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. His weekly countdown show was right up there with Solid Gold on my coolness meter.
“Now, on with the countdown!”—Casey Kasem

American Top 40 was born the same year I was in 1970. The show is still around today as At 40 with Ryan Seacrest. Visit http://www.at40.com for more info.

Casey Kasem is one smooth talker. He used his voice over talents for commercials and TV shows, including being the voice of Robin from Super Friends and Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Hey look at this via YouTube! It’s a faux Shaggy voicing Casey Kasem’s famous rant:
Warning-bad words!

U.S. Route 40

Historical roads have a way of making their way through pop culture.  Listen to Brak from Space Ghost fame & Freddie Prinze Jr.’s duet with “Highway 40” and Ricky Skaggs sing “Highway 40 Blues”.

Visit http://route40.net for history, info and even more songs about Highway 40.

The 40 Year Old Virgin

This “screwball comedy” was a big hit back in 2005. It also had a major impact on men getting their chests waxed. Ouch!
Click here if you’re not too squeamish.

Purchase The 40 Year Old Virgin on DVD via Amazon.

40 by U2

A song by U2 from 1983, enough said on this one.

UB40

UB40 had some big hits during my favorite decade, The 80’s. One of them was “Red Red Wine”. I remember hearing it for the first time over the intercom in 7th grade home room. It was a strange scene, all the 13 year olds bopping their heads to a song about wine consumption. I’ve never been a wine person myself, unless I can eat a whole pound of brie while sipping.
Click here for video.

Visit http://www.ub40.co.uk/ for upcoming tour dates and album information.

 Rochelle

Chris Rock had a show loosely based on his real life family and the character named Rochelle is his mother in Everybody Hates Chris. You can watch the show via Nick at Nite, click here for more info.