David Simmonds

I like all genres of music, depending on my mood, the company I’m keeping, and the weather outside. I range from Buffett to Bach, from Pearl Jam to Pavarotti, from Sinatra to Santana, from Dylan to…well, there is no “to” after Dylan.

So I have had a great weekend checking out a web site that my good friend Kevin Knox (we used to listen to Beach Boys together in 7th grade on our RECORD PLAYERS!) told me about –  Slacker Radio http://www.slacker.com. I’ve never downloaded pirated free music online because I don’t like the idea of stealing from talented, creative artists, but Slacker is different. It is free, but the concept is more like listening to a radio station, and they have thousands of songs and many music styles to choose from.

One of the station categories is Latin, and there you will find another sub-category called Regional Mexican where you can listen to Ranchera, Banda, Mariachi, Salsa, and much more.

After creating a sign-in identity (username and password) you can compile your own Favorites that are saved for you. I typed in a little known old favorite of mine, the late Hoyt Axton, and heard his cover of The Yellow Rose of Texas that knocked my socks off (metaphorically – I was barefoot at the time). In the mid-70’s we would drive up to the Palomino Club in North Hollywood from San Diego, to see Hoyt perform – but that’s another story that I can’t write about here. Let’s just say I feel lucky to still be here.

So give Slacker Radio a try, and on those rare weekend mornings when you wake up with a tequila and beer hangover, and the only thing that will help is a big, steaming plate of chorizo con huevos, tune in a heartbreaking ballad from Mexico. The rest of your week will be much better for it.