But there are other good combos, too. Like peanut butter and jelly … sopapilla and cheesecake … and “The Wizard of Oz” with “Dark Side of the Moon.” Of course, that last one is a little strange. But it works!

There are even stranger combinations out there, which don’t seem to go together. Like pickles and ice cream … cinnamon and avacados … and The Backstreet Boys. But one of the weirdest pairings would be Lenny Kravitz and Benjamin Franklin. I actually like both of these guys a lot. But what would they think of each other?

I mean, can you picture Benjamin Franklin taking off his bifocal glasses to sit back and relax – while listening to Lenny’s song, “Believe”? It’s an odd image. And seriously, what would be going through his head?

The song starts out with a beautiful organ playing. In Ben Franklin’s world of the 1700s, he’d probably associate that sound with a church organ. Then the drums would probably make him think of revolutionary war drums rattling. And who knows what he’d think of the electric guitar? While this song sounds normal to us, it would be a totally foreign thing to his ears.

Anyway, take off your bifocals for a minute, sit back, and listen to this song with a fresh perspective. And imagine you’re Benjamin Franklin. It’s interesting to hear music from a new angle.

This is a cool picture. And it’s of musician Josh Pyke as he filmed the video for his song, “Make You Happy.” The special boat was created to the exact specifications of the Maton acoustic guitar that he plays.

For the record, Pyke does not regularly ride through the Sydney Harbor in t his boat. (But he’s apparently a huge fan of the slide guitar.)

(Also, you might notice some interesting number patterns going on here … he’s keeping beat with music in 4/4 time … while juggling three balls … with two hands. It’s beautiful.) Thank you to my friend, Marcin, for sending us this link. Cheers!

I’d never heard of these guys before, but this song (and some of their other stuff) is excellent. When I first listened to it on the radio, the positive lyrics were surprising. I mean, who writes a chorus with the words, “I wanna make you happy … I wanna let you feel alive”? Most people don’t. No, most bands get all introspective, sad, and just plain cynical. So this song is like a huge breath of fresh air!

Here’s some info from the Kook’s website:  Three elements remain at the beating heart of the band: music, friendship… and doing anything it takes to get [a] good pop song. As Luke (the singer/songwriter) puts it simply, ‘If it doesn’t make you feel good, then what’s the point? There’s too much drab shoe-gazing s[tuff] around. I hate all that [nonsense]. You’ve got to push through it. That’s where you get great songs.’

Anyway, tap your toe to this one:

I missed her recent concert in my neck of the woods. But I heard it was great. It’s always cool—and rare—when a musician’s live performances are better than their studio recordings. But, according to YouTube, Sara Bareilles is even better in front of an audience. Perfect pitch and interesting melodies … very cool.

A great example is her performance of the song, “Bottle It Up.” Sitting with her band on a pier overlooking a lake, Sara B. totally shines. It’s really good stuff. Check it out:

Good news … the world is still full of really good (new) music. Yep, I found out this week as I was driving in my car. Flipping through the radio stations, I didn’t have high hopes. After all, the airwaves are often a musical wasteland. But, just for kicks, I turned to a new station and sat through the commercials—waiting.

So, imagine my delight when I heard the pop masterpiece “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles. That’s right—masterpiece. It was so good, I had to Google the song right away. It turns out Sara Bareilles has a bunch of excellent songs. And, according to YouTube, her live performances are even better. Holy cow … how did I not know about her music?

Too bad I can’t go to her live concert in two days. It’s sure to be a cool event. Anyway, check out this video. It is really good stuff:

Some people say Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the greatest composer of all time. And I’m tempted to agree, when I think of catchy melodies like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” But it turns out that he might not deserve all the credit. Because history shows he sometimes got a little help … from his pet bird.

According to legend, Mozart was visiting a Viennese pet shop in 1784 when he found a small bird that could mimic snatches of popular songs at the time. To test the animal, Mozart whistled part of a melody he was composing. And when the bird immediately repeated the same notes, he was delighted.

Mozart bought the bird on the spot, of course, and they quickly became good friends. In fact, his pet soon became a regular visitor in the music room—sitting on Mozart’s shoulder while he worked, whistling along with the music. There was just one problem—no matter how hard he tried, Mozart was never able to teach the bird to get every interval exactly right. So some of the notes it whistled were always off-pitch.

Anyway, one day, the pet flew over to the piano and began to sing a few notes of Mozart’s new Concerto. But since it had a bad habit of getting a few notes wrong, the melody sounded a little different than what the composer had written. As luck would have it, though, the bird’s whistling sounded even better than Mozart’s original idea. So the composer simply rewrote the music … building the bird’s imperfections into his now-famous “Piano Concerto in G Major.”

So yeah, Mozart was a genius. But he also had a secret weapon … his pet songbird. Which makes me wonder. What special tricks can you use to turn mistakes into happy accidents? Really—you never know what cool stuff is out there waiting to happen. We just have to recognize true inspiration when it strikes. Because you know, it can make the difference between simply being good … or being totally great.

So I heard there’s a new Muppet movie coming out. Apparently, Jason Segel—best known for his work in (the astonishingly overrated) “Knocked Up”—is a huge Muppet fanatic. Which is why he signed on to star with Kermit and friends on the big screen.

And it has got me thinking … which Muppet would you want to be? I know, I know, it’s an obvious question. But an important one—because your answer says a lot about you. For all you Elmos and Beekers out there, I’d personally choose Animal … the drummer in the Muppet’s band, “Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.”

Sure, Dr. Teeth is cool because he plays the piano. But Animal definitely knows how to rock on those drums. Plus, he’s got some pretty sweet hair. It’s true.

You know, nothing says “summer” like the song “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis. It’s a great melody, but the video might be even better. I can’t explain the sudden mood lighting … or the reason Lewis keeps looking at the ceiling. But, hey, that doesn’t matter:

As musicians, we’re always trying to come up with new stuff. Every day, we look for ways to use a cool little melody here … or some great chord progression there. Music is definitely an art—and it takes equal parts practice and inspiration.

But like everyone else, we probably fall into a rut every once in a while. Occasionally, it’s easy to overuse a certain kind of rhythm … or stick with a favorite effects pedal for a little too long. Sooner or later, though, we have to shake the temptation to be unoriginal, and then push ourselves to the next level.

Which has got me thinking about (in my humble opinion) one of the most unoriginal artists of all time. A lot of people love Frida Kahlo, but I’m not a big fan. You’ve seen her painting … the one with that uni-brow woman looking all serious.

I say “her painting” because, to my eyes, she simply did the same thing over and over again. She was a one-trick pony—riding that poor horse to exhaustion. In nearly every piece she created, Frida Kahlo painted herself as the subject. In one shot, she might be sitting … while in another, she may be walking or standing. But it’s always the same, old theme. It seems Ms. Kahlo was totally in love with herself (… um, and monkeys).

But my question is “How can you create true greatness when you’re staring at yourself in the mirror all day?” My opinion might offend some people right now. But hey, it’s just an opinion. Either way, how can we avoid the “Frida Syndrome.” To really get the inspirational juices flowing, does anyone have any special tips?