FebruaryFebruary can be a tough month. The holiday decorations are put away and all the celebration is just a memory. Everyone is back to the daily grind while winter lingers on. February may be the most dreadful month of all, and sometimes I wonder if this is why Valentine's Day was placed smack dab in the middle of the month -- to give us a glimmer of hope.

Even the word February comes from the Latin februum, which means "purification".

But there is hope, because winter will end, flowers will bloom, and we will once again be out of the house enjoying the sunshine.

It's not too far away.

Right now there are babies in bellies of their mother who will be born on February 29, 2012. These will be the newest crop of leap babies, who will only see their birthdate once every fours year. We get this extra day every four years only because we need to adjust the calendar to account for the fact that the Earth does not revolve around the sun in exactly 365 days.

This playlist includes 10 songs inspired by the month of February.

EspressoWay back in September of 2007 I published a coffee playlist that I still enjoy listening to today. There's been a whole lot of music inspired by what is arguably the world's most loved beverage. I was listening to my coffee songs list recently and noticed that I had left off an important subset in the world of coffee:

The Espresso.

Espresso is a concentrated shot made by forcing hot water through finely ground, and highly compacted coffee. It's not a type of coffee bean, but refers to both a brewing method, and a specific drink that can be made with many different types of bean. Espresso is the base ingredient for cappuccinos, lattes, cafe mochas and other drinks, but it can also be imbibed straight up in cute little cups for those who favor strength in their caffeinated drinks.

Most people do not have a true espresso machine at home, so it's usually enjoyed in coffee shops and restaurants. I'm a fan, but I'm a minority as most people opt for American style coffee drinks, lattes, or cappuccinos. An sspresso has a strong coffee flavor that most western palates find overwhelming.

Are you an espresso fan?

If so, be sure to check out these espresso inspired tracks while you enjoy your next cup.

KickstarterIf you haven't yet browsed around Kickstarter, you need to get on it. I've known about the site for a while and thought it was a great idea, but only  recently did I really start looking around at all the different projects. All I can say is, "I'm 100% hooked"! I've backed 10 projects in a three day span and I really need to slow down! Kickstarter is probably the most well known of the "crowd source funding" sites on the Internet right now, and what they do is provide a place for musicians, designers, artists, writers and other artistically inclined folk to solicit funding for their own creative projects.

Here is an example of how Kickstarter works:

A band decides they do not want to go with a record label, but would rather do it themselves. However, they want to release a high-quality album, and that takes money. They find a recording studio, a producer, an engineer and sidemen, then proceed to figure out how much it will cost to complete the project. The amount of money needed would make most cash-strapped bands give up and return to crawling from record company to record company, like beggars.

Well, no more: Enter Kickstarter.

Let's say the band needs $10,000 to produce their album and do an initial pressing. They sign up with Kickstarter, create a page that explains the project, including a video that contains the band's music and an explanation on where the donated money will go.

In addition, the band creates a list of rewards, so if you pledge to the project you'll receive something above and beyond what you would have gotten if you had just bought the CD when it came out. Rewards can range from a pre-release digital version of the songs, limited edition schwag signed by the band, free concert tickets, or even a private concert in your own home. The band sets the rewards based on how much you donate to their project.

This model let's the fans pay the up front costs instead of the record companies. It's a win/win for artist and fan, but another blow to the lowly middleman.

I love it!

This playlist includes a dozen of some of the most funded musical acts to use Kickstarter so far, and something tells me this is going to continue to grow, empowering artists, providing fans with more value, and leaving corporations out in the cold, scrambling to make up lost revenue.

Although Kickstarter is a perfect platform for music it's not just for musicians - you can also check out some wonderful projects by artists, filmmakers, writers, photographers and more.

2774775_170x1702011 is now in the rear-view mirror, and if you're a music list lover like me, you had fun reading all the top album lists of 2011 that were published. As usual, music bloggers transformed into buffalo, all trying to be the first to the waterhole on a 103 degree summer day. Although I will never understand how a best of the year list can be published a month or more before the year actually ends, it's still a great opportunity to find stuff I missed. And no matter how hard you try, you'll never find a list that you will agree with 100%, but isn't that why we can't stay away from them? The arguments over opinions are hilariously entertaining.

However, bands who are lucky enough to make the big year-end lists get a significant jump in popularity and chart position. It can be one of the best things to generate sales during the holiday season and into the new year. This playlist is a good example -- you'll find many of the songs in this list come from albums that appeared consistently on best of 2011 lists.

These songs are the current top ten rock tracks according to Billboard magazine, the de facto chart maker in the music business.  Two of the bands here made my year end list, while a couple of them I wouldn't put in my collection if I were paid to do so. As for the others, well... I think I'll check them out right now.

What do you think of these?