I’ve written many columns over the years listing my pet peeves. As a matter of fact, every year around Thanksgiving I write about all the things that bug me as sort of a change of pace, a response to the nauseating number of columnists who turn out a “here’s what I’m thankful for” column that time of year.

I’m definitely not a “glass is half full” kinda guy. But, as you may know, I’m working on shifting my paradigm, generating a positive aura, and all that kind of feel-good hippie-type crap out of fear of an early coronary and a life of regrets if I don’t change my ways.

So today, I am actually offering a list of things that have me pretty happy right now (you know, in addition to the happy family, good home, good job, and all that other regular junk). In no particular order, and without further ado:

1.  As you read this, I will still be coming down from the Eric Clapton show Friday night. Slowhand is one of my heroes, and thanks to an early birthday present from my family and some connections from my sister-in-law, I was able to catch the show at Verizon Wireless Music Center. I had been afraid I’d miss it as my concert budget has shrunken as my kids-need-stuff budget has grown.

I’ve seen Clapton many times over the years, and each time I’m afraid it will be the last as he’s treated his body even worse than I’ve treated mine over the years, and he’s getting up there in age. Afterall, it’s more than four decades since London graffiti regularly proclaimed that “Clapton is God.” The thought of missing him in his first-ever appearance at Verizon, just a few miles from my house, had me pretty bummed. But the SIL saved the day. I mean, when god comes to Noblesville, you HAVE to see him.

2. The Clapton show was a nice lead-in to one of my favorite weeks of the year. Every year for most of the past decade, my buddies and I have taken a boys-only camping trip. Not that we don’t love our wives and kids, but it’s nice to get away for several days each spring or summer to be slobs with no responsibility.

This year’s trip is this week, and I couldn’t be more excited. This is the only time of the year I see some of these guys, and as our lives become ever more hectic, I’ve been seeing even less of those who live around here. I’m looking forward to getting reconnected with nature and my friends, enjoying a few good cigars and adult beverages, and playing some music without two toddlers climbing all over my neck and my guitar’s.

3. Speaking of guitars and music, you have to check out the new “Mudcrutch” album. Mudcrutch was a band that featured Tom Petty and future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, which gained some regional notoriety before they left Florida for fame and fortune in Southern California. Petty, Campbell and Tench hooked up with former Mudcrutch members Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh to write and record the self-titled album released last month.

While a couple songs would feel right at home on any of Petty’s recent releases, the entirety of the Mudcrutch disc is pure country-based rock, more reminiscent of The Byrds or The Flying Burrito Brothers than the Heartbreakers. It’s a really good album and has been in regular rotation in my disc player and my iPod the past month.

4. Finally, spring is here. Sure my allergies are driving me nuts, but there’s something about being able to get out of the house, play with the kids in the yard and not have to wear a coat to really put a spring (pun intended) in one’s step.

About once a week my buddy, Barry, and I get together to play guitar and hang out. We almost always play an Uncle Tupelo song called “New Madrid.”

The song references the New Madrid Fault and infamous earthquake prognosticator Iben Browning, including a lyric, “Mr. Browning has a prediction … .”

Browning, while credited with successfully predicting other earthquakes, had speculated that a major earthquake was likely along the New Madrid early in December 1990. He said there was a 50 percent chance of a major quake, in fact, which he based on expected heightened tidal forces at that latitude at that time. The big one never happened.

Well, this Mr. Browning did not predict the earthquake that shook the Midwest Friday morning. But I did make two separate New Madrid Fault jokes in the week preceding the tremors – which appear to be somewhat prescient.

The first comment came last Sunday during a softball game. My friend Chris – a really big guy – ripped the ball to the wall and was trying to leg out a triple when he slid into third and was tagged out. Of course this drew considerable smack from most everyone on our team, particularly after I said seismologists across the country were trying to figure out if the New Madrid Fault had just given way.

I had totally forgotten that joke, when I once again referenced the fault Thursday in our newsroom. When large trucks drive past our office here at the Model Mill Building they often rattle our walls. One truck caused a great deal of seismic activity Thursday. When reporter Rebecca Sandlin asked “what was that?” I responded, “the New Madrid Fault.”

A few hours later, a real earthquake would be rattling our newsroom. I mean, is that weird, or what?

At the very least, you have to admit feeling the earth move in central Indiana was a unique experience. I’d never felt an earthquake like that before. For us here, it was kind of cool. No major damage was reported. No one was hurt. And it gave the local TV stations the opportunity to preempt the national morning news shows and send Tree Boy to interview the rattled masses at an area doughnut shop.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the big one – and Mr. Browning’s prediction has still not come to fruition.

But the great quake of 2008 did allow for one self-fulfilling prophecy. When I arrived at work Friday morning, an e-mail from Barry was waiting.

“I guess we know what we’re opening with tonight,” he wrote.

My God. Well, guitar god at least. Eric Clapton is coming to my neighborhood, and I don’t know that I’m going to be able to see him.

The Noblesville Daily Times reported today that Clapton will play Verizon Wireless Music Center — literally blocks from my house — May 30.

Slow Hand has always been one of my favorite guitarists. As I’ve written before, no one makes it look easier. I’ve loved his work through every era of his career, from the Yardbirds, to his fiery Blues Breakers stint – when “Clapton is God” began appearing across London — from his groundbreaking work with Cream, all of his various supergroups to his solo stuff, I love to watch and listen to him play. My dog and constant companion for 13 years was named Layla for chrissakes.

But fatherhood, a low-paying career choice, and escalating ticket prices have conspired to limit the number of concerts I attend nowadays. I use to go to any decent show in the area, but now I’m forced to pick just a few that I simply can’t miss.

I’m already planning a trip to the Bonnaroo festival in June, and I’ve got my prime seats lined up for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in July. That pretty much exhausts my concert budget for the summer.

Clapton’s tickets are $175 for lower pavilion and $89.50 for upper pavilion. I don’t think I’m going to be able to swing that with a lot of other things going on in my life right now. Lawn seats are $38, but I can’t see spending that much to sit a mile from the stage.

I’m going to have to make some tough choices. I don’t know that I’ve ever missed a Clapton show in the Indianapolis area since I was 16. Add in the fact that this very well could be my last chance to ever see him, and I just don’t know what to do.

Of course, my beautiful, intelligent, funny, saint of a sister-in-law (who just happens to be a regular reader of this blog) is in the music industry. Over the years she’s fed my Slow Hand cravings by giving me recent releases for Christmas (including remastered deluxe packages of “461 Ocean Boulevard” and Cream’s “Disraeli Gears” as well as the “Me and Mr. Johnson” disc and various concert DVDs), and this year gave me his autobiography. Hmm, tickets sure would make a nice birthday gift. Hey sis … you out there? Maribeth? Hello?

Oh well, in the meantime I’ll just crank up “Promises” on my way home, and watch clips like this on the computer.

As a rock ‘n’ roll fan, I’ve always loved the guitar. Bone-crunching riffs and ear-searing solos are what drew me to the music in the first place. As my passion for music grew, so did my appreciation of those who played the instrument. Remember, this is a list of my favorites, not necessarily who I believe to be the greatest. Who are your favorite axe-men (or women)? Here are mine in no particular order:

1. Jimmy Page

 My musical fervor was fueled first and most effectively by my discovery of Led Zeppelin. Page took rock music in so many directions. Early on he was regarded as a blues guitarist during his days with the Yardbirds, then pigeon-holed as a heavy metal guitarist after Zeppelin took full flight. But if you listen to his body of work he runs the gamut from folk to country, and covers styles from around the world. His complex guitar orchestrations were nearly impossible to replicate live, since the Zeppelin recordings typically had layer upon layer of guitar work on them, yet Page attacked live performances like a mad man. Some have criticized him for being sloppy, but he would take chances live — and in the studio for that matter — that just about no other guitarist would dream of. Both live and recorded, I love to hear him play even to this day. Such fast solos, and the riffs … my GOD, the riffs.

2. Mike Campbell

 Generally overlooked by everyone but Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fans, Campbell has been the guitar voice for Petty for more than three decades now. Not the fastest fretman out there, but he’s about as tasteful a guitarist as you’ll ever find. Both in the studio and live his solos are always clean and soulful — capturing the precise feel of the song – and he’s got that unique tremolo style. Even when he plays on other artists records, from Johnny Cash to Don Henley, his guitar sound is unmistakable.

3. Eric Clapton

 I’ve never seen a guitarist who makes it look easier than Slow Hand. Listen to his early work with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, particularly the live tracks, and it is easy to hear why graffiti everywhere around London in the mid-1960s proclaimed “Clapton is God.” In the middle portion of his career, he went to great lengths to shun the guitar hero label. This disappointed many fans, who feel he simply got lazy. While he’s never been the risk-taker that Page or Jimi Hendrix were, the solos roll from his Fenders with an effortless grace that blows me away.

4. Stevie Ray Vaughn

 If I could just sit and watch one guitarist play all day, it would probably be the late, great SRV. Some have criticized him for being derivative, and for not having enough original material, but man could he play the six string. Eric Clapton once described him as “an open channel.” Fiery, passionate solos just poured from him. His showmanship reminded me of Buddy Guy, while his playing is almost like Clapton on crank.

5. Randy Rhoads.

 Another of the greats taken from us too soon. I grew up a metal head, cutting my teeth on “Blizzard of Ozz”. A classically trained guitarist, Rhoads added a touch of class to metal. But don’t think for a minute that he didn’t shred. He not only inspired countless metal guitarists, but he resurrected the career of  the godfather of metal, Ozzy Osbourne.

Today I’m kicking off a new feature I’ll update every Friday. I’ll call it Five Favorites. It’s pretty self explanatory. I’ll list my five favorites in a given category. I hope you’ll respond, and let me know your five favorites in those same categories.  

 My initial list of five favorites is something near and dear to my heart — albums. I’ve always been a fan of that musical format. While others love singles, or hit records, I’ve liked the variety and sense of a complete work offered by albums. Some of my favorite songs of all time are deep cuts on albums, not necessarily the singles released by the record company.

Without further ado, my five favorite albums of all time, which aren’t necessarily listed in any particular order:

1. “Damn the Torpedoes” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:

Probably my No. 1 favorite album of all time. TP really started to find his voice as a songwriter on this album, sounding less like the Byrds or Beatles and more like the great American storyteller that he is. So many great songs, from “Refugee” to “Even the Losers”, and the band sounds fantastic on this album, raw, yet tight – like a great bar band.

2. Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album:

It was the first Zeppelin “cassette” I ever owned and opened the door to a whole new musical world for me. Many bought it for “Stairway to Heaven,” but “Rock and Roll” and “Black Dog” were the songs that led me to it. I’ve probably listened to that album more than any other in my lifetime.

3. “Toys in the Attic” Aerosmith:

One great song after another. Not only the classics like “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way,” but the deeper cuts like “Uncle Salty” and the title track flat out rock, with those great Aerosmith riffs, and a hook every other second.

4. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” AC/DC:

I think this is one of the most overlooked rock albums of all time. Everyone knows the title track, but every song on this album tears it up. “Rocker” is just unbelievable — packing a great riff, great lyrics and three solo breaks into one 2:51 jam. The late great Bon Scott is at his best on Dirty Deeds, particularly on songs like “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’” and “Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)”.

5. “Wildflowers” Tom Petty:

This album really snuck up on me. It was released in an era where everything TP  touched turned to platinum, so its quality wasn’t surprising when I first heard it. But the more I listened to it, the more impressed I became. Every song is so good, from the radio staples “You Wreck Me” and “You Don’t Know How it Feels” to lesser known beauties like “Wake Up Time” and the title track. This album has a timeless elegance to it that any artist would love to achieve.

I’m facing a bit of a musical conundrum. It centers around a CD entitled ”Kidz Bop 12.” I don’t know if I should embrace it, or chuck it into the White River without my son’s knowledge.

For those unfamiliar with the Kidz Bop collections, these are CDs full of current pop songs, only they are cover versions with kids singing. I have long hated pop music — from my youth when the likes of Culture Club ruled the charts to now — where game show contestants and 14 year old girls are all the rage. 

Thanks to this CD, not only do I get to listen to songs like “Girlfriend,” whenever I’m in the car with my kids, but I get to hear songs like it and ”How To Save a Life,” being performed by what sounds like sixth-grade choir classes.

 Clearly, I hate this CD. So what’s the problem? Several. First and foremost, my son loves it.

Both Zach and his little sister Emily seem to have developed a love for music like mine. Music is something I’ve always tried to make part of Zach’s and Emily’s lives, whether it is singing around the house or playing good music in their presence. When I use to take them to daycare each day, I’d play a different CD each week, so they’d hear it a couple times through and gain some familiarity. One week it might be the Beatles’ ”Abby Road,” the next week it might be Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic,” followed by Son Volt’s “Trace.” I tried to mix it up, but give them exposure to some great albums.

That changed when their mother started taking them to daycare. She likes pop music, and is quick to put in one of their “kiddie” CDs, with songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Their daily exposure to great albums ended.

Then came the Kidz Bop 12 CD in question. My sister-in-law bought it for him because Zach, who now hears pop music each day in the car, likes some of the songs on it. I understand the SIL’s thinking. She is a true music lover and is open to a much broader variety of styles than me. She wanted her nephew to have a CD of songs he likes, and had no problem with him listening to pop music.

I DO have a problem with him liking pop music, and that is the part that is causing me the greatest discomfort. I’ve vowed to be less of a music snob. I’m trying lately not to cast aspersion onto those styles that I don’t like, and accept the fact that someone may indeed find Fergie to be an interesting and creative artist. Yet, it’s tough to overcome such prejudices overnight.

 So, do I give in and let my kids enjoy the type of music that gives them pleasure? I know the answer is yes. But I also know I must redouble my efforts to make sure they know who Ryan Adams and Eric Clapton are.

So, for the time being, I’ll try not to accidentally destroy Zach’s copy of “Kidz Bop 12″ and I’ll let my children’s musical tastes develop naturally. Now, if he comes home in a Tom Brady jersey, that is a different story altogether.

My buddy, Barry, just e-mailed this to me. It’s a mashup of Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth “auditioning” for American Idol. What makes it so funny to me is that if Diamond Dave were to actually audition for American Idol, I’m sure the comments from the esteemed panel of judges would remain pretty much the same.

That’s what bothers me about American Idol. The show pulls such tremendous ratings that it is influencing an entire generation and their opinions toward music. And I don’t think it is a good influence. It’s a get-rich-quick mentality that is not conducive to good art.

That’s not to say those who do well on the show have no talent. They are all fine singers. But the art form is bound to suffer when we pick our musicians on a game show.

Some of rock’s great vocalists never would have gotten a sniff on that show. Go down the list. Someone like Mick Jagger, or Eddie Vedder, or Jeff Tweedy never would have gotten a shot if they’d been forced to go on a game show to get a recording contract.

Luckily we haven’t gotten to the point yet where competeing on a Reality TV show is the only way to become a successful musician. We probably never will. What worries me, however, are the kids who watch the show thinking success as an artist can be achieved like winning a lottery. Will future generations be willing to pay their dues, and feel the sting of rejection time and time again without compromising their priciples, or will they give up if three marginal talents on a TV show panel say they aren’t good enough? I guess only time will tell.

I was going to ignore it because the accusation was so preposterous. I heard rumblings early Monday morning that some were accusing Tom Petty of lip syncing during the halftime performance of Sunday’s Super Bowl. I read a review in a Dallas paper that said the vocals were “too pristine” and they had to be canned. I wrote it off as someone who is accustomed to seeing too many metal shows where the vocals are washed out, or too many pop shows where the vocals are almost always recorded.

Then the blogosphere caught on to it, with posts and polls everywhere, and eventually, even Jim Rome made mention of it Monday on his radio show. So I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Still, the accusation remains just as preposterous.

Tom Petty is one of the last bastions of integrity in the music business. This was a guy who has gone to war with the music industry to keep record prices low. This is a guy who charges about $100 less for prime seats at his shows than other Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers. This is a man who launched an attack on the music business without concern for the black balling his album “The Last DJ” suffered as a result. Petty has said in recent interviews that he has all the money he’ll ever need, that he doesn’t feel pressure to write “hits,” and therefore he can focus on creating art. This is not an artist who would lip sync.

I’ve read many comments that say his vocals were “too even” or “sounded too good” to be live. Well, I’ve seen Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers live 10 times, in several different venues, from different vantage points. He sounded the same way Sunday that he always sounds live. He’s a professional singer for chrissake with a top-rated sound crew. For anyone who thinks he laid a track to lip sync to, watch the beginning of the above clip. You can hear nervousness in TP’s voice on the first few lines. Not just a small quiver, but the slightly higher pitched strain of someone singing through nervous vocal chords. I’ve felt that same nervousness singing in front of people, with the same strain. If you are recording a rehearsal, you don’t have nerves, at least not if you are someone who has been a force in the music industry for more than three decades. But even the biggest stars would be nervous when they realize they are singing live before a TV audience that ended up topping 97 million viewers. For that matter, the backing vocals of Scott Thurston, Ron Blair and Benmont Tench are very nice, but hardly “prestine.”

The “smoking gun” many are pointing to is the 2:15 mark of “Free Falling” seen below. TP says something to the audience that comes off mumbled, as if he were talking into a dead mic that was then turned on. I’m no sound engineer, but I do know that during points of a live performance where there are no vocals, such as a solo break, it is common for the sound mixers to turn down the vocal mic to avoid background noise and feedback. The moment in question was going into the bridge of the song where there is no singing. It looks like TP wanted to say something unrehearsed, as artists are known to do. If he were singing into a dead mic with a recorded vocal track, why would he spontaneously try to talk into that mic?

Whether you love Tom Petty’s music or not, you have to respect what he has done in AND for music. He’s written some of the greatest songs in Rock history, and he’s always done things his way without selling out. Something tells me he didn’t decide 30-plus years into the business to finally sell out Sunday night.

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This is one of my favorite clips going around right now. A buddy sent it to me a while ago and I just found it again.

I love it on so many levels. First of all it features the magnificent Marc Ford, the on-again-off-again guitarist for the Black Crowes. In my opinion, Ford is one of the most under-rated guitarists in the world. I love to watch and listen to him play. He’s got such a fluid and tasteful style.

What makes this particular clip from a show in Moscow so fun, however, is the craziness that begins around the 4:40 mark as some Eastern European hippie decides he’s going to blow some harp with the band.

Check out the Chuck Norris-style front kick Ford dishes out. Finally, after the “security guard” awakes from his vodka-induced slumber, he appears on stage looking like he’s straight out of the KGB. I hope that fan’s 40-seconds on stage were worth the next 40 years he’s probably spending in Siberia.

Much fun. Enjoy.

Our paper ran a wire story this week that was an interview with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. On the heels of the their successful reunion show in London last month, Page said he would like to take the band out on the road sometime in the next year. This video discusses the possibility.

I’ve seldom been so torn about anything. There was no bigger Zeppelin fan than me in my youth. I had every CD (actually I had all their cassettes, then had to buy them all over again to have them on CD). I read everything I could get my hands on about the band. I watched “The Song Remains the Same,” the band’s concert video so many times the VHS tape finally gave out. I’m still a big fan. I now have TSRS on DVD like any good fan, along with their gigantic concert package released a few years ago. Zeppelin was the soundtrack to my youth, and I still jam to them from time to time.

But I can’t say that I’m excited about the possibility of a reunion tour. Would I plunk down my $150 or whatever it will cost to see them? Absolutely. I’ve seen singer Robert Plant on numerous occassions even though I’m not a huge fan of a lot of his solo work (with the exception of the new disc “Raising Sand” with Alison Krauss, which is excellent). I saw the tour with Plant and Page and enjoyed every second of it.

But a Zeppelin tour? First of all, the obvious … Is it really Zeppelin? If the band didn’t consider it to be Zeppelin in 1980 after John Bonham’s death, why is it now? Perhaps more so than any other band in history, this drummer was key to the Zeppelin sound. Watch those old Zeppelin shows and you can see why Page went nuts when he discovered Bonzo. Sure, there is the Jason Bonham blood line, but sorry to disagree with a lot that I’ve seen written … Jason is NOT John Bonham. Is he a good drummer? Sure. But he’s not in the same league as his dad. It’s like reuniting the 1986 Boston Celtics, but replacing Bill Walton with Luke.

That leads me to my next point. Zeppelin 2008 (or 2009) would be about as close in ability to Zeppelin 1971 as Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish 2008 would be to the ‘86 Celtics. First of all they’d sorely miss the thunderous foundation Bonzo provided. Second of all, Page has a LOT of miles on him. Everything I read about last month’s London show was glowing. The dozens of YouTube clips I’ve watched were good. But one clip causes me the greatest concern, and that is a clip of “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” Pretty good performance. But that song had always been a guitar showcase for Page, his fingers flying up and down the neck — wringing every bent note out of his Les Paul. The ‘07 version was pedestrian to say the least. I’m not criticizing. Hell, at the height of his power, no guitarist took more chances live than Page except maybe Jimi Hendrix. I’m just saying Page is not the same player he was.

What made Zeppelin so amazing live were those chances they took, the improvisational runs they’d go on. Jimmy would go into a solo and you’d think, “how the hell is he going to get out of this,” and he always found a way. He was an explorer. I’m not saying a modern day Zeppelin show would suck. They are all still excellent musicians. But they wouldn’t be the musical trailblazers they were then.

It kills me that I never got to see Zeppelin live. My chance will probably come later this year or next year. And I’ll pay my money, and I’ll love the show. But I’ll know. I’ll know it’s really a Page, Plant, John Paul Jones reunion tour, and not a Led Zeppelin tour.