054 Sleep Debt

Things are really fishy here in laptop land and it's driving me insane. It's really just iTunes, but i wouldn't be surprised if that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm not asking for your pity nor your technical advice (yet). I'm only asking for your continued patience with my altogether foul mood and rampant bitchiness. I now take you to a much happier place. Waldorf, MD...

Thanks so much to Pete & Dale for asking me to come to the lil' 22,000 strong Waldorf MD to open the Travis Morrison show. Even though I was pretty crotchety and annoyed when I had to get up at 5 in the morning after getting 4 hours sleep, the 9 hour drive went super fast and before I knew it, I was hitting up the slasher hotel known as The Waldorf. You'd figure The Waldorf would be nice. No way. Slasher. It didn't matter. I crashed out an hour before hitting up My Brothers Place. When I arrived, I saw some old friends and loaded in... The show was great and everyone dug the new cover I was working on... so I guess it has a permanent spot on my setlist...

I recorded some prerecorded music to play over and to give the show a little more volume, but i decided against it at the last minute. Personally I think it needs a little work. Speaking of a little work, I spent a good chunk of today making fliers and preparing care packages for the film crew. Sleep debt slowly being taken care of. Full speed ahead.

053 Sweetheart

Since it's basically still the weekend, here are some mp3's from Hear Music's Sweetheart series... I'm tired, but it was a great weekend. I'll tell you about it soon. Enjoy, sweetheart.

***



MP3: Ab's Song - Iron & Wine
MP3: Give Your Mama One Smile - Madeleine Peyroux
MP3: The More I See You - Sondre Lerche
MP3: I Only Have Eyes For You - Martina Topley-Bird

052 6 AM And All's Well

After three hours sleep, we're ready to hit the road to DC. I wish i could post some mp3's but the ipod is not being cooperative. And i'm too tired to fight.

051 Temporary Secretary

I should be at work today. A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine said they would need a temp secretary at her job for two weeks at the end of May. My schedule looked pretty hairy, especially with a Saturday show in DC that i'd have to drive to straight from work, but with van payments for the tour tapping me on the shoulder (not to mention plane tickets to the UK!), I quickly agreed. It was to start on Thursday and as of Wednesday morning, all was well.

So on Wednesday afternoon, I called my friend to get the particulars. Bad news. She explained to me that everything had gone horribly awry. It seems as though the big boss man of the company was totally cool with hiring a temp for the secretary position... until he found out i was a guy. That's right, folks. Sexism at its finest alive and well. I was not "hired" because I'm a guy, and I also was not "hired" because the boss wants a woman to answer the phones. I'm not sure whether that would be reverse sexism or not since it works both ways so we'll just call it double sexism... Whatever. At least now I can work on my really great cover song for this weekend's shows. And blog with unbridled enthusiasm.

In light of the situation, I decided to post some relevant mp3's. Immediately, I rushed for my LPs and busted out the fucking weirdest Paul McCartney album you've never heard. Why is that relevant? Well because track number 2 is a cute little ditty known as... "Temporary Secretary!" It's just plain odd and I urge you to download it and marvel at its silliness. I even had to record it straight from the vinyl since no one in their right mind would have this album in their shared collection. You know what's great? At about 2/3 of the way through, Paul busts into this spoken part in a Southern US accent and he sounds exactly like Robert Pollard... who often busts into a British accent. That gives me a great idea.



MP3: Temporary Secretary - Paul McCartney
MP3: Hot Freaks - Guided By Voices
MP3: Your Name is Wild - Guided By Voices

050 More Caliber Per Capita

I don't proofread until the whole shebang is posted. So if this post just popped up, i'd refresh it a few more times before you scoff at any random missssspellings or obnoxious run-ons. I also seem to have a problem, with commas lately.

These Paypal and Ebay hackers are a clever bunch of thieves, aren't they? Just yesterday, I received an email alert from Paypal saying that someone had tried to log in to my account. I opened it and it said if i didn't click on this link to resolve the issue, they'd suspend my account. Well that's weird. I clicked on it. Up came a page that looked an awful lot like the Paypal mainpage. But before I did anything, I noticed the URL at the top. It wasn't any Paypal-affiliated address. So basically, If i were to enter in my username and password here, I would be giving all of my information to as you-know-who would say, the evildoers... Clever! The same thing happened with Ebay recently too. Your best bet is to quit out of email, go directly to the website and see if there is any mention of a problem. If there isn't... stay away!

Hey, go see what was number 1 yesterday and hear my little rant...



It's a real shame that everything has become a sexual innuendo nowadays. Go ahead. You try looking up "teabag" in Google Images.

On my last trip to England & Ireland, I made it a point to do touristy stuff. Not the usual, of course. For instance, in London, we made a pilgrimage to one of Shane MacGowan's old kicking grounds, Filthy McNasty's. And we also hit up a bar called The Waxie Dargle just because of the Pogues song of the same name. This time, it's a Shaun of the Dead tour! I'm really only interested in getting a few pictures outside of The Winchester (which is actually a bar called Duke of Albany) and the area around Shaun's flat, ie. the walk he does from his door to the convenience store... finding out where that is may take a little bit of research.

Wow, check this out: A list of UK rock pilgrimages! It includes the one i was orginally looking for: the picture of The Smiths in front of the Salford lads Club. Expect a photo of Mike Kinsella and I in front of that one.

049 The Top Ten Records That Came Out Yesterday

Argh, i've been so busy lately, it's sick. Sick I tells ya! And now i'm at my parents house for a few days and my mom is on my back to cut the grass. But I had to let her know that there were slightly more important things that needed to be done today....

*** The Top Ten Records Released on May 24, 2005 ***

10 Gorillaz - Demon Days

Do you sorta get the feeling that by merely listening to a Gorillaz album, you're really only getting half the story? Like Damon Albarn's vocals are wonderful, Danger Mouse's beats keep the party jumping, and the guest singers are just swell... but without the cartoons, what exactly is it that we're supposed to take from this? I dunno. I never really got into the first album. Perhaps it was because everyone went so bitchcakes over "Clint Eastwood" and the video. I tuned out. I also stopped watching so much damn TV, and coincidentally, there weren't many stations even showing videos anymore... so I just didn't get it.

I liked the out of control giddiness of "19-2000." The high pitched vocal chorus. The cool shoeshine. The monkey in the jungle caught up in the conflict between his brain and his tail. Now that's a jam that does just fine without a video... Anyway, the songs that I've heard from Demon Days (as the album title hints) are just too dark for this kind of project. Hey, i'm not expecting a kids record (did Kidzbop do any Gorillaz songs?), but I'm just not that interested anymore. With that being said, it's an enjoyable listen, but nothing to save space on your iPod for.

09 The Dave Brubeck Quartet - London Flat, London Sharp

Given Brubeck's long and illustrious and remarkably successful career, I am quite confident in saying that if someone recorded him hurling tomatoes vaguely in the direction of a piano for 30 minutes, someone would put it out. Seriously, how many records of his have been released or re-issued... this year? Now, this one, the cheekily titled London Flat, London Sharp is a mix of old and new compositions that wouldn't have even landed in my top 20 if it weren't for all of these interesting stories I've been reading about the title track. It seems as though alto saxophonist, Bobby Militello wasn't even sure he could possibly play along to the madness that Brubeck had written... at 84! Apparently (according to Allmusic) "Brubeck's left hand moves chromatically down the scale in flats as his right simultaneously moves up in sharps at a brisk tempo." Now this I gotta hear...

Wow, did i just say that? I "gotta hear" this 84 year old pianist? That says something important about the man, or perhaps something pathetic about me. Either way, this 29 year old man is off to cut some grass. With my left hand, I operate the steering device while I chromatically pull out weeds with my right at a brisk tempo. Pathetic... 8 more to come!

08 Common - Be

Hey, you know what? A few of the UK dates have been moved around, so you may want to check that out on the City On Film myspace site! I've collected all the TBA's there and saved the actual confirmed shows for the City On Film site proper. I can't tell whether it's annoying or not for people to read "TBA" in a certain city and then see everything change in a blink. It would probably be better if i just waited until I received a full set in stonehenge list from our booking agent. But i'm impatient. This has nothing to do with Common.

But I tell ya what, he probably got beat up with a name like Lonnie growing up on the south side of Chicago. Makes sense that he would focus on generally non-threatening hip-hop and change his moniker to Common Sense. At this point, he got beat up by the lawyers of a ska band of the same name... so now it's Common. The songs i've heard from Be are pleasant enough. Personally I wanted more "in" Chicago references in the song titled "Chi City." Instead we get lines like "I'm back like a chiropractor!" Here is a freestyle rap from me, another Chicago native. "I grew up on Deming like the end of the world next to the Panda Express and the Tilt-a-Whirl at the carnival happening at Hanson Park at dark the neon lights light up the tarp around the Gravitron where Carnie Ron spins the metal, we'd pedal as fast as we could to Lockwood and..." ok i'll stop. My hip hop album's coming out in a month.

07 Head of Femur - Hysterical Stars

Mike has been trying to get me into Head of Femur for quite sometime now. I've been holding out. Not really on purpose. I think I first heard them around the time that Hey Mercedes did our first mix cd madness thingy, so i was fucking BOGGED down with music. I feel I never really gave them a chance... so recently, I did. I mentioned last week that if you say a band is "interesting" then that clearly means that you thought it was garbage. I will now break that rule by saying that Head of Femur is interesting... but i like it. There's just so much going on in every song, it's impossible to get it all on the first listen.

Anyway, it's very happy music and i'm in a very bad mood so we're at odds. I'll save you the sob story until tomorrow. Did I ever tell you the tale of the sock monkey that was so upset at his master's tour schedule, he began to write dark depressing haiku on notes around the house? Woe no banana...

06 The Get Up Kids - Live at the Granada Theater

I don't have to listen to this album. You know why? Braid has played with The Get Up Kids 80 times. Yes that's right, EIGHTY. In every basement and dingy club back and forth across America and every squat and youth center back and forth across Europe. Not to mention the handful of shows that Hey Mercedes played with them. And boy I could tell you some stories. In a basement in Rhode Island, we decided to set up at the same time and do simultaneous sets. We'd play one song, they'd play one song. And then we thought it would fun to intermingle the bands to make 2 new bands. My band was with Todd, Jim, & Ryan. The other was Matt, Chris, Rob, and Damon.... You know, It's funny how many people come up to me.... people that i look up to now... and let me know that they saw one of those shows and how great it was. That feels good.

Yes it was fun, but as The Get Up Kids now know, all things must pass, so this live album is a fitting end to a band that really thrived on the road and onstage. To this day, I still wonder how they didn't break up sooner since they fought constantly! Thankfully they toughed it out and left us with some really great music. This release would be higher on the chart if i didn't hate live albums so much. Yes, i hate that one too...


05 Lucero - Nobody's Darlings

I will never forget the first few times Braid swung through Little Rock. It was amazing and so memorable. This little collective put on shows in the craziest of places, most notably, a gazeebo on the riverfront near downtown. And never ever sanctioned by the city. Completely illegal but totally fun. After every show, we'd play four square in front of this closed supermarket. I know it sounds ridiculous but you have to imagine it - the line to get in on a game was 20 deep! This was a huge amount of kids... They've all seemed to go their separate ways now. Our friend Chris moved to Philadelphia and became a Pharmacist working for this guy Ted something. Matt also moved to Philly and eventually NYC and started this lil record label....

Anyway, the hot local band at the time was Red 40, and nobody made any bones about it... they sounded like Jawbreaker. And they were good, too. And so the first I heard of Ben Nichols' new band Lucero, it was in the context of the new Red 40 band. I instantly liked em, even though I don't remember his voice being so twangy back then. Perhaps he was affecting a Blake? The first Lucero song I heard was "Sweet Little Thing" and i'm pretty sure it was during Mix Madness. (I should do that again...) From what I've heard of Nobody's Darlings, they've developed a little more edge which is a good thing. Also check out That Much Further West. Lots of jams on that one.


04 Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth

Much like Head of Femur, listening to Stephen Malkmus (and Pavement, usually) can be interesting. But then you have a few bright blaring instant successes of songs. Songs that you just have to listen to over and over, not necessarily to catch everything you missed, but to hear your new favorite parts or lines again. That's how it was with "Jenny and the Ess-Dog" from his first album. What an incredible song. Slowly climbing the charts of my personal faves... and you know what? "Baby C'Mon" from this record is giving me a similar feeling. At first listen i was so intrigued. Whereas "Jenny's" narrative was laid back and aloof, this one is frantic and in your face. It really reminds me of a Modest Mouse song actually...

And then there's "Post Paint Boy" which is more along the lines of what we expect from Mr. Malkmus. In fact, it sounds like it could be a Pavement song... and hence, this record will be getting a lot of airplay around these parts. Funny, if I wasn't doing this whole Wednesday thing, I fear I would have let this one slip by.


03 Alkaline Trio - Crimson

I am always so blown away by the simple and very traditional way that Danny Andriano crafts his songs. He has such a beautiful and soulful voice. Sure, at times it sounds like Colin James Hay and every now and then you hear some autotuning afoot, but i really fucking love it. And his selections on Crimson are the standout tracks for me. "The Poison" is just brilliant. It's a shame that a lot of people would write this and the whole album off only because of who it is and what they're supposed to think about them. Separate yourself from the situation and then listen to the song. The lyrics are great, too. Especially the catchiest chorus ever: How could a rooftop view in London look just the same as one in Brooklyn? This should really be a single!

And then there's "Smoke" which seriously sounds like Men At Work. It even begins kinda like "Overkill." Just an hour ago, I heard a car blasting this song in the Office Depot parking lot and it sounded so great. Why is the world littered with such crappy radio bands when there are songs like this that people can and will love if they just give it a chance? Whatever. I'm just getting all 80's-nostalgic, I guess...

And of course, Matt Skiba puts in a strong showing as well, but in this instance, the songs that stick in my head are Danny's. I'm digging the double vocal duty on some of the songs as well, but it's quite a shock after being so used to them always singing song separately... Wow, if I like number 3 this much, I must love the top 2!


02 Belle & Sebastion - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds

Did you miss Belle & Sebastian playing "I'm Waking Up To Us" on Conan? You better download it then!

What a great album title. It's better than Besterberg. And when you look at the cover art, it all makes sense. This is a compilation of all of the singles. Handy, for sure, but not exactly essential for superfans. They have all of this stuff already. But since TCOFD does not cater strictly to superfans of anything, then this is recommended. In fact "I'm Waking Up To Us" is another one of those contemporary songs that is making the push up to the top of my personal favorites list... Also included is my favorite Belle & Sebastian song title, "Judy is a Dick Slap." Ahem.


01 At The Drive In - Anthology: This Station is Non-Operational

My brother all of a sudden thinks he's the greatest barrista in the Western Suburbs. He gets really scientific with charts and measures and the right amount of this and that. He makes certain that all of the conditions are absolutely right to create this cup of coffee to my right. This cup of coffee to my right tastes like somebody threw a tea bag in an aquarium. It's terrible! My method is to grind up two scoops (about a half cup) of whole beans, and then use 6 oz of water for every 2 tablespoons of freshly ground coffee. It's industry standard! Maybe my brother is subtlely trying to wean everyone off of the stuff. I can't drink this. From now on, his pot goes down the drain before I begin my day.

You'd figure that At The Drive In had a lot of coffee on their riders at shows because they went bitchcakes onstage. They always have. The first time I saw At The Drive In was in El Paso. They opened for Braid. It was at a place called the Rugburn. It will go down in history as the worst performance any band I was ever in ever did anywhere. I had lost my voice at a house show the night before in Austin. This was before my hardline vocal bootcamp. It was really awful. I wanted to crawl into a hole. So when we arrived at Cedric's house, that's exactly what i did, i crawled behind the couch, laid out my sleeping bag on the hardwood floor and listened to everyone hoot and holler all night.

At some point, I woke up, went into the kitchen, and Omar suggested I chew on a bug hunk of raw garlic. Apparently he does it all the time. So in my state, I was ready to do anything. Yeah, that didn't work too well... At The Drive In was about to embark on a 6 month tour. A SIX month tour and they barely even had a record out. I'm sure most of the shows were poorly attended, but you have to figure that those few people left there going, what the hell just happened? You never realized actually how good ATDI were until you heard their records, since they barely even hit the strings while they were jumping around like ninjas. In/Casino/Out is the way to go. I'd recommend it before this anthology. This would be second. I'm curious to hear the Smiths & Pink Floyd covers.

048 Deja Vu2 and Don't Hate Me Again

Norman and others gave U2 a real shellacking yesterday when the news surfaced that they had played "Vertigo" twice at their most recent Meadowlands show. Now unlike most of the naysayers, I kinda liked Vertigo, although I thought the iPod connection was a little hokey, if not totally shameless. So let me tell you another story that may leave you scratching your head over the antics of Bono and bunch.

A similar thing happened when U2 played Saturday Night Live (a few weeks after Ashlee Simpson). They played "Vertigo" first on the show, since it was their new single and all... And then during the end credits, instead of conducting the usual hug-along, guest host Luke Wilson announced that U2 would be playing some more! So they bust into another new song and all of the cast gathers at the side of the stage and starts rocking out. Bono even does a little dance with Amy Poehler. And as they start "Pride (In the Name of Love)," the show has already stopped broadcasting, yet the cameras are still rolling. Basically, it's become a U2 concert, which for the most part, seems like it would be a pretty cool performance to be at... and then their last song... "Vertigo" ? Again? Bono actually announces, "This is more for us than it is for you!" Huh? So they play it again, the crowd goes wild, and apparently when this show reruns they will air this version instead of the first.

I don't know. It seems like with such a massive back catalogue, they'd be able to play something different. As opposed to The Get Up Kids...

That's right! It happened during the first night of Braid's first trip to Europe with The Get Up Kids. We were all unaware of the European "encore" custom which went something like this, "if you don't come out and do an encore, then you're acting like a rockstar." Quite the opposite as the States at that time. Bad news for The Get Up Kids, since they had only prepared 12 songs. After their 12 song set, they left the stage and the crowd went nuts. They wanted more! Frantically the Kids made the decision. It was all they could do. They went up on stage and played "Don't Hate Me" for the second time. Everyone loved it. Imagine if you will, a throng of German kids singing "Oh Amy, Don't Hate Me" in unison... in English... with a German accent. It was surreal and really kinda beautiful. Hey, don't they have an album coming out today?

Hey, raise your hand if you knew that Jack Kerouac had written a play and really wanted Marlon Brando to act in it? There is no plan to actually perform it, which tells me that his version "a day in the drink-and-drug-hazed life of his own literary alter ego, Jack Duluoz" probably wouldn't translate too well to the stage. However, there is a planned public reading and an excerpt will be published in the June 14 issue of Best Life Magazine. Apparently the entire play will be published in October... Aren't you surprised and relieved that they haven't tried to ruin "On The Road" by trying to adapt it into a movie screenplay? But what is this? And whatever happened to Francis Ford Coppola's (2001) plan involving Brad Pitt and Billy Crudup?

And that reminds me that I recently spent 2 hours talking about Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy for an upcoming Alternative Press article... but that's a different blog. Besides, I have to go ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world.

Thanks to everyone who emailed about the Film Crew! I'll be emailing everyone back this week!

047 Join the Film Crew!

THE CITY ON FILM has so many shows coming up and I really want to pull out all the stops in getting people out to the shows for the fun! So i'm starting a street team and I'm calling it THE FILM CREW. Clever, huh?

So... take a look at the list of cities below. I'd like to get at least 2 people from each area! If you're interested, email me your address and...

• I will send you a healthy amount of CITY ON FILM posters and fliers.
  
  
• All you have to do is distribute them! Take some to the record stores. Take some to other shows or events. Take them to the hangouts.
  
  
• In return, you'll get free admission to the show AND a free ltd edition silkscreened CITY ON FILM / RESCUE tour poster. (UK film crew will get a free ltd edition CITY ON FILM / OWEN tour poster) And if hell freezes over and the show sells out, i will shower you with a bevy of extra goods. A shower.
  
  
• I'll be doing a lot more touring the rest of the year, including the west coast, FL, & TX, so i'll keep everyone "on file."
  

Here are the cities and dates:

Milwaukee WI (June 23)
Chicago IL / suburbs (June 24 & 25)
St. Louis MO (June 26)
Springfield MO (June 27)
Champaign / Normal IL (June 28)
Detroit MI / suburbs (June 29)
Lansing MI (June 30)
Columbus OH (July 1)
Pittsburgh PA (July 2)
Washington DC / suburbs (July 3)
New Brunswick NJ (July 4)
Philadelphia PA (July 5)
New York City (July 6 & 8)
Boston / suburbs (July 7 & 14)
Syracuse NY (July 9)
Bethlehem PA (July 13)

UK:
Kingston (16 July)
Liverpool (17 July)
Norwich (18 July)
Pontefract (19 July)
Birmingham (20 July)
Hinckley (21 July)
Chatham (22 July)
Glasgow (24 July)
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (25 July)
Leeds (26 July)
Manchester (27 July)
Derby (28 July)
Sheffield (29 July)
London / surrounding areas (30 July)
Newport (1 Aug)
Exeter (2 Aug)
Brighton (3 Aug)

Thanks so much! Let's do this!

046 Treason Treason Treason

Both of these songs came on randomly the other day at the jobby job... Since they were old forgotten favorites, I took note!



MP3: He'd Be a Diamond - Mary Lou Lord
MP3: Treason - Naked Raygun

045 Andy Would Bicycle

Although the name had been floating around for quite sometime, I first heard The Magnetic Fields on a comp someone had made for me during the Hey Mercedes Mix CD Madness Event Part 1. It was "Nothing Matters When We're Dancing." And as soon as the song ended, I made it my personal mission to accept Stephen and the Fields with open arms. You really should, too. They are now one of my top 10 favorite bands and are third only to The Beatles & Guided By Voices in number of selections on the iPod. I think at last count there were 72. You couldn't ask for a better primer than any of the 3 chapters of 69 Love Songs. I kid you not. You'll have at least 40-50 new favorite songs once you're done with that behemoth. Today's selections are from the Pieces of April soundtrack. And just like today's weather, they are gorgeous.



MP3: Stray With Me - Magnetic Fields
MP3: All I Want to Know - Magnetic Fields

044 The Astor Hotel is Black in the Windows

That is one of those lyrics that is constantly in my head. I don't even think about it. It's just there. It's the equivalent of having voices in your head, randomly telling you to deposit cats into ATM's. Being guided by voices so to speak? In fact, I'm starting to become concerned that Davey of The Promise Ring somehow worked some mind control voodoo or backwards masking. And while i'm feeling nostalgic... I may as well make note of the fact that he most likely did practice some mind control on the kids via those infectiously catchy tunes. Infection, indeed. Truth be told, in each of The Promise Ring's first 3 incarnations, I found aspects to alternately love and hate, creating quite the commotion in my conscience. In their 4th and final phase, i was hooked and head over heels. I loved Wood/Water so much because it completely destroyed any pre-conceived notions of what they would or should sound like. I was in the minority I guess because that was their last record.

Years later, I still love and miss The Promise Ring's music. I want to write more about it, but hey, it's Friday, so let's just hear it. I was going to post 2 rarities, but i've instead decided to post a song from each of their phases. If you are unfamiliar with them or have only heard bits and pieces, GO BUY the records. I hear them in so many new bands nowadays and they're all getting it wrong. More to come...



MP3: Saturday - The Promise Ring
(from Falsetto Keeps Time 1996)MP3: Perfect Lines - The Promise Ring
(from Nothing Feels Good 1997)MP3: The Deep South - The Promise Ring
(from Very Emergency 1999)MP3:Size Of Your Life - The Promise Ring
(from Wood/Water 2002)

043 Tishara Quailfeather

Back to work, so the words will come later. I have a lot to complain about today! But for now, have you seen this top ten list that David Cross did for Pitchfork? The Top Ten CD's I Just Made Up to listen to while skimming through some of the overwrought reviews on Pitchfork.

Here's a highlight:

[Instead of reading the review for Animal Collective's Sung Tongs,] Why not listen to As I Became We by Tishara Quailfeather? The virulent and hermetically sealed pinings of the world's only triple gold selling Native American artist living in an iron lung. It's as if newly dead, and thus still pure angels, reached down into The Virgin Mothers throat and gently lifted out the sweetest and most plaintive sounds man will ever hope to hear in this life. RATING: 7.17

I thought that the David Cross article was pretty funny, since he's obviously making fun of, as he says, Pitchfork's overwrought reviews. Making up names of bands and giving them fake histories and stuff is right up my alley. Braid once plastered a backstage wall with a bunch of fake band names with fake tour names, all with little notes thanking the club... Anyway, I agree that Pitchfork isn't the best place to read reviews, but for music news, i go there pretty often... Anyone know of a better indie music news site?

Well another hard day at "the office" is over, and it wasn't too rough. I was however, introduced to a new species of insect. Halfway through an oddly furious unboxing, I noticed a lone bright red tiny bug dashing across the lid. I tried to gently brush him off but it didn't work too well. He practically exploded in a bright red burst. Don't feel bad, though. There were hundreds of other ones to take his place, seemingly one on every box. So, when i got home, i went straight on to Google to find out if these curious crimson creatures were out to harm me... Turns out they are harmless little clover mites. Whatever. I still feel like they're crawling all over me. Getting to sleep may be a problem.

In other news, I really really hate this guy...

042 The Top Ten Records That Came Out Yesterday

I'm starting to love my Wednesdays. I get to check out great new music, do a little research, and often go back in time to the olden days...

*** The Top Ten Records Released on May 17, 2005 ***

10 Huey Lewis and the News - Live at 25

Back in time, indeed. Hey, do you remember the video for "Hip to Be Square?" Even as a wide-eyed 11 year old, completely smitten by every blip and beep that showed up on my MTV, I still thought the video was odd and disturbing. Original, yes. No one had ever done a video that was strictly super close-ups of the band's faces. I mean super. If you wanted to pause your VCR, you could probably count the number of moustache hairs on Huey's drummer. That's just disgusting. Now, what is the deal with this record? From my research, i found there's no actual info inside as to where or when it was recorded. Red flags! They probably just did most of this in a studio. And they re-titled that disturbing video song to "(Too) Hip to be Square." What? Why? Are they finally embarrassed by it? It took 19 years!

The only Huey Lewis songs worth a damn are "Heart and Soul" and "Do You Believe in Love," both from their earliest records. And you know what I just found out? Huey didn't write either of them. Well Huey, looks like the crowning moment of your songwriting career was "The Heart of Rock N Roll" and radio stations only played it because they could add the name of their city during the outro.


09 Deathray Davies - The Kick and the Snare

Deathray Davies are pretty cool. If for nothing else, on every subsequent album there is a new chapter of the song "They Stuck Me in a Box in the Ground." This album contains part 7. An epic. I like that. I was first turned on to them by a CMJ comp. The song called "The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower" had a good run on the ipod, and it may be coming back for another shot at my imaginary popularity charts.

"Plan to Stay Awake" from this album is a great short bouncy rock song that has a timeless quality. One where you would be hard pressed to successfully nail down when it was recorded. Sounds like they put a lot of effort into making it sound crunchy and "classic" and that's good. It really reminds me of early Replacements (ooh foreshadowing) or maybe if Jason from Grandaddy sang for Guided By Voices but the band was actually Feable Weiner and they recorded it with Jim Dickenson, the guy who produced Pleased to Meet Me... or something like that. If you get the feeling i'm out of my element, donny, just wait for number 8...


08 - Memphis Bleek - 534

I was in someone else's car when I first heard "Is That Your Chick?" and i had no idea who it was, although I could pick Missy Elliott's voice out of a My Bloody Valentine song if I had to. I liked it, but in reality, i think it was because of Missy... even though this lyric from the first verse was great: Damn, Bleek. Can't Speak? ... Uh huh ... OK ... What's up? ... Shut up! I'm guessing Memphis doesn't sing that verse, but whoever sings it is dissin' Memphis! How great. How sad when I realized the song was actually called "Is That Your Bitch?" That sucks. I get hooked by the clean version and then when you hear the real one, you're bummed cause it's just not good, not to mention, a tad offensive. Hey, but I guess if you get Missy to sing the chorus it evens out, right? Right?

Anyhow, the single from this record doesn't feature Memphis Bleek at all! "Dear Summer" is all Jay-Z and it's great... if only for the background sample. It's so great and early 80's-ish. From what I hear, the rest of the record is terrible, though. Ah well, maybe Memphis should just stick to guest appearances from now on.


07 - Van Morrison - Magic Time

Seriously, put on Astral Weeks. That is an amazing record! You really have to be in the mood for it, though. I would suggest not driving while listening to it. Pull over and lean your seat back and take it all in. It's great. Ol' Van has a really great storytelling vibe and such a soulful vocal delivery. Just the way he sings the words "Madame George" makes me shiver. Just like "Come On Eileen", Morrison's biggest hit, "Brown Eyed Girl" has a rightful place on the wedding reception's DJ's list, but if you want something true and deep and lasting... for my monkeys, it's Astral Weeks all the way. He was 23 when it was recorded! Allmusic says there has never been an album like it before or since. Too true.

And such is the fate of Magic Time. Morrsion, now 60, still sounds great, even though he looks like one of your weird uncles. It's just that he sounds... old. There's no easy way to say that. Even though the record touches upon several styles and he hasn't yet succumbed to relaxed easy listening garbage, i just can't get into it.


06 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation: London Invasion 1987

In 1987, Public Enemy was just that, the enemy of suburban white kids' parents. I'd put them at about #3, though, right behind the ooh, satanic / overtly sexual branch of Heavy Metal. And then to hear Anthrax play "Bring the Noise" with Public Enemy, oh man, the shit went down. Guilty as charged, I had all both of PE's records at the time, and I bought Fear of a Black Planet the day it came out. I think they succeeded in getting their message across loud and clear... because of Flava. While you were watching his crazy clock flopping around or hearing his "yeeeea boooi" back-ups, you had Chuck D in your other ear. ... Elvis was hero to most but he never meant shit to me, you see, straight up racist the sucker was simple and plain, motherfuck him and John Wayne... Arguably my favorite PE lyric, it still generates shivers for it's blunt honesty and passion... and then you sorta forget about Flava...

... until The Surreal Life hits VH1. I only saw them play once and it was opening for U2 (along with Big Audio Dynamite!). Odd, I know, but I was psyched... and they let me down. There wasn't much energy at all and they were just too darn quiet. Maybe they ripped it up in the small clubs. We'll see, since this CD comes bundled with a DVD as well.


05 - The Forecast - Late Night Conversations

Woohoo, Peoria! These are good people and thank heavens that their band is good, too. There's nothing more awkward than when really great friends are in really terrible bands. I had a discussion recently about this. Let's say you just get offstage and dare to ask a friend, "So what did you think?" If that friend replies with any of the following three answers, you have cause for concern: 01 "It was really... loud." 02 "It was interesting." or the dreaded 03, "How do you think it went?" Face the facts, they hated it.

But that's neither here nor there in this case. Please don't take this as an insult but The Forecast's music reminds me a lot of 1995. This is a true compliment because there were so many great bands in 1995, most of which went unnoticed or unappreciated. I hope this doesn't happen in this case. I really like the male / female vocals and they remind me of Rainer Maria at that time. Another plus is... they don't sound snotty. There's nothing I hate more in today's music than feigned snottiness. This is just some great straight up rock. What could the top 4 be???


04 Troubled Hubble - Making Beds in a Burning House

I think it was Lester Bangs who wrote "a list is not a song," which makes Michael Stipe's mention of him in "It's the End of the World..." nice and ironic, given that the song is awfully list-like. And speaking of Ironic, Alanis Morrisette is so guilty of the list crime. See that song and also the dreadful "Thank You." Gag me with a spoon... Lists. I love them to death, but if I were to write a song with all of the lists I make, you'd be frantically searching for the nearest spoon. With that being said, the single from Troubled Hubble's new slab is called "Ear Nose Throat" and upon first listen, it may remind you of some of those numbers. But dig a little deeper and there's something there. Instead of a list of non-sequitors, we have a very focused narrative. (Imagine Travis Morrison singing to Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up.") So instead of trying to remember where to yell "Leonard Bernstein!" you'll actually want to know what the lyrics are and more importantly, what they mean.

Funny thing! If you look at Troubled Hubble's myspace page, they list Huey Lewis as an influence. Come on now guys... Also, while you're there, notice that Nate, the drummer, signed a CD "11063548 Ballsack. Nate." ... A quick story about signing things... one time when Todd was certain that this guy was going to ebay a Hey Mercedes signed drum-head, he signed it "Tom." Sure enough, it ended up on the auction block. Hilarious. I think at one point I may have signed something "Congratulations Ebay winner!" Wait, did I say something about snottiness?

And oh yeah, small(er)town Illinois sure is in the house, today, huh? That's about to change. The band at number 3 lives far far away from our little oasis in the midwest.


03 Melt Banana - 13 Hedgehogs

56 songs. Yes, that's right. And with titles that seem like they were lifted right from a refridgerator strewn with Magnetic Poetry. Go ahead, take a look at the tracklist. My favorites are Numbers 22, 24, and 43. Really hilarious. You just have to smile. Melt Banana consists of 2 gals & 2 guys and they hail from Japan. Take a look at any picture of them. They don't look too tough. The truth is, they are loud and obnoxious and at the same time, totally spot-on technically and utterly adorable. What contrast! I saw them open for Shellac a few years back (at a comedy club, no less), and they had the crowd mesmerized. Their songs rarely pass the 2 minute mark. The guitarist, usually masked, rarely even put his fingers to the frets, tending to utilize the ol metal slide to make noise.

Sure, it's "noise rock." But the thing is, i actually like the music. In fact "Stick Out" has made it onto many a mix CD! I'd also recommend Speak Squeak Creak. Only 24 songs on that one...


02 Def Leppard - Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection

I just have to wonder. My definitive Def Leppard collection would have 10 tracks, and i would begrudgingly add "Let's Get Rocked" as a secret hidden bonus track. Hysteria has some sentimental value to me in that it was the very first CD that I ever purchased, way back when they were packaged in those huge plastic cases designed to fit into vinyl racks. What a waste. Some even had huge cardboard boxes around em, so that you'd have to produce artwork not only for cassette and vinyl and cd insert, but for that as well. I'd be curious to see what the last new release was to be packaged in that box.

Anyway, i'm curious to hear some of these other 25 songs that they stuck on there and labelled "definitive." I'm sure they're awful, but hey, i'm curious. You listen once, you cringe, and then you can forget all about it. I agree with the one-two punch opening combination of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Photograph." And then "Love Bites." How embarrassing when that robotic voice says "Watch out! Love bites!" I'm not sure i ever thought that was cool, no matter what my grade school friends say. That was the FIFTH single from Hysteria and their first US number 1... one other thing, this collection has a cover of Badfinger's "No Matter What" from their "upcoming covers album." Dot dot dot.


01 Paul Westerberg - Besterberg: Best of Paul Westerberg

When I learned that in a flash, I was going to be on the same label as Paul Westerberg, I dropped my sandwich. I was a pretty big Replacements fan and my infatuation began with Don't Tell a Soul. Why that later release? Well, see #10. MTV used to play videos, if you can believe it, and the video for my absolute favorite Replacements song, "I'll Be You," was a prized possession on a VHS tape for quite sometime. Don't know what happened to it. Someone find this video. What I didn't know at the time was that the disillusion that Mr. Westerberg showed in that video by purposely lip-synching wrong or throwing stuff at the drums was because of his inherent distaste for videos in general. And so, i worked backwards from there and we all lived happily ever after.

I didn't like "Dyslexic Heart" that much and Damon once noted that it's the song everyone skips on the Singles soundtrack, but i really loved Mono & Stereo, using my label connections to snag free copies! Yeah! I also enjoyed his following two albums as well... and since those 4 releases aren't represented too heavily on this, and it's supposedly his best, then i am missing out! Actually, i read that Besterberg also contains some b-sides as well. Hmm. I would have put "Mr. Rabbit" or "Let's Not Belong Together" on there before i started raiding the vaults... And what a great title. Just my kind of humor.

And what's on our plate next week?

041 Today's Special

You know how at Dunkin Donuts every now and then they'll have some crazy donut with rainbow sprinkles or strawberry cream filling? And they'll label it with that little plastic plaque that says "Today's Special." I always wished that it meant "Today is Special." You know, a nice uplifting positive message from your friends at Dunkin Donuts.

Today is special here in Dailyland. Most of the blogging will come later because... i have a job for the day! More on that later, so for now, why dont you CHECK OUT THE NEW WEBSITE! and then maybe while you're there DOWNLOAD A NEW MP3 FROM THE UPCOMING RECORD! ok ok ok...

***

Thanks to everyone who commented or emailed in regards to yesterday's post... and thanks to everyone for commenting on today's post! Feel free to email me if you catch any weird errors. Quinn already informed me that I would have been physically unable to record an album in 2006...

I'm exhausted. I've been "hired" to tidy up a massively unkempt storage space chock full of old decrepit boxes (affectionately known to the Hey Mercedes touring crew as "quitters"). I build a new box, label it up, empty out the old one, switcheroo, destroy the old one, make piles and then map out what i'm putting where. It's tough work, my friends, and it was a hot one out there today. Phew! Luckily I had the biggest boombox in the world...



...blasting the ipod on random... and some good hits came up to help the day fly by. But you know what really got me pumped and singing along? It wasn't "Come On Eileen" or a New Pornographers song or "Hollaback Girl" or Minus the Bear... It's a little embarrassing, especially when I think of how many people may have passed the space during the song... OK, fine, i'll tell you, but in this really inconspicuous way. Seriously, i knew every word! Wow.

040 Good Grief

We all knew it was coming and sooner rather than later. My grandma had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for at least 4 years now and in those 4 years, I only really saw her twice, and i doubt she even knew who I was... despite the fact that between ages 0-15, we lived practically around the block from her and my grandpa. We’d go there at least once a week for dinner or just to hang and she always had the most amazing pastry items for dessert. In fact, I remember skipping the usually meaty main course and heading straight for the sweets. She did these traditional Polish “kalachkis” (phonetically spelled of course) which was flaky dough sorta hugging a sweet filling of fruits or cheese and always topped off with powdered sugar. Many was the day I left there with white dust all over the front of my shirt. Ew... And of course, who could forget our semi-annual walks to Saturday night mass church where she was always equipped with bubble gum, which helped to keep me quiet during the boring sermons.

I knew the call was coming and it was another awkward family event made even more uncomfortable by the circumstances... I’ve been to my fair share of funerals and wakes and for the most part, the person that is laying there in the casket is only vaguely reminiscent of the one you once knew and loved. This was no different. I hadn’t seen her for awhile, sure, but i dunno. I felt really disconnected as though I was looking at a stranger. So, as I sat there in the chapel and thought about walking to church and the powdered sugar and how she actually prayed out loud while watching a Bulls playoff game (“Lord Jesus, help them win.”) or how she used to sneak food to our dog under the table, I was solemn... but not overly sad.

Until you realize that your big tough dad, the superman almighty of your youth, had been crying. And that’s how they get you. Now I was so filled with grief. And i thought about all of the people that are close to me and how much i love every one of them. And i thought about how i will not waste one more second of time. My grandma was 93. I’m 29 and i still feel like i’m racing the clock to get everything I want to accomplish done. So as the priest talked about eternal life and how we’ll all be reunited again, i thought, well that’s all well and good, but what’s important is the people around me right now. It doesn’t really matter what you believe happens when it’s all over. Kindness and generosity is kindness and generosity in any religion, agnosticism, athiesm... And so, as i stepped away from the casket and out towards the cars, my last words to Grandma Nanna were “Thank you. Thank you for the bubble gum.”

039 Crash Out On My Divan

The first time I went to England it was for senior class trip in high school. My M.O. was to find and purchase all of the Lemonheads imports I could. "Shaky Ground" is the b-side of the "It's a Shame About Ray" single. "Divan" and "Being Around" (a much better acoustic version) are on the Mrs. Robinson 10". Coincidentally I couldn't find a picture of that online, so I had to take a photo of mine! What a great record. They are all short, beautiful songs. What happened to you, Evan?

***


MP3: Shaky Ground - Lemonheads
MP3: Divan - Lemonheads
MP3: Being Around - Lemonheads

038 Ipod Drag Days

Ugh, my iPod is playing this evil dastardly game with me. I plug it into the laptop and it charges, but it never mounts in the ol iTunes window, nor does it mount on my dektop. This is exactly the problem I eventually had with my old iPod before I decided to strap it to a cinder block and throw it off the Bay Bridge... If i try and try and try again, it eventually works. I guess if the stars are aligned just right... Whatever. It's been a weird weekend that i'll talk about on Monday, since the week is made for words and the weekend is all about the tunes, baby. The tunes!

Since i can't get anything from the Pod today, we'll have to settle for what i already have loaded on the laptop... luckily, i have my entire "top 100" list there in preparation of the eventual covers, so here we go: 2 really fucking great songs that i will cover sometime this decade... I made sure to grab two great tastes that go great together.

***


MP3: Them There Eyes - Billie Holiday
MP3: Stranger Than Fiction - Bad Religion

037 Th'shit is B. Nanna's, B-N-A-N-N-A-S

Somebody needs to mashup "Hollaback Girl" with a Braid, Hey Mercedes, or City On Film song right quick.

In high school, there was this local band around town whose lyrics were so band... How bad were they? ...They were so bad... that we accused the singer of stealing them from our cheerleading team. Be... the... best! Go... get... points! Yeah!

You wanna talk about shit bein' bananas, then you best be listening to Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo A La Turk" (from Time Out) and then... get crunk with The Velvet Teen as they cover Magnetic Fields' "No One Will Ever Love You" (from the Immortality 7"). Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower and get dressed.

***



MP3: Blue Rondo a La Turk - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
MP3: No One Will Ever Love You - The Velvet Teen

036 Blogging On Location

It's a real pain when your proposed plan to blog all day long coincides with the wireless outage at your house. And so, yesterday, I was blogging on location. Sometimes from Panera, but mostly from a van outside of the neighbor's house. I felt as if i was doing surveillance. And towards the end of the countdown, when it was getting chilly outside (i had to keep the window open), i would write a good amount into the blogger text field and then run outside, connect, upload, and run back in... Usually, i'd notice a spelling error and have to do the whole thing over again.



I have to drive to Chicago today, a day earlier than normal to attend a funeral so i'll keep in short in anticipation of the kickoff to mp3 weekend. Hopefully you read all of yesterday's post. Since I came up with the idea on Tuesday and had no time to prepare, that post took about 8 hours to write. Luckily, the temp agency has not called, leaving with me with all of this time...

Hey, some new shows have been confirmed and a few new ones have been announced, won't you take a look?

035 This and Every Subsequent Wednesday

I'll add to this post throughout the day as I tackle the ridiculous task of counting down...

*** The Top Ten Records Released on May 10, 2005 ***

10 The String Quartet Tribute To Mars Volta

Elliott Smith? Check. Pixies? Check. Madonna? Check. Oasis? Check. Train? Check, I guess. Would anyone really be interested in a string version of "Drops of Jupiter" or even less likely, any of their remaining album filler? Sum 41? Ok, now we're getting loopy. I guess it makes sense, I mean, they've had a number of hits. Sure, check. MARS VOLTA? Hold the phone, we're going in! Someone needs to put a stop to this before they decide to do a string tribute to my first ska band, Kemosabe. Maybe they should think about doing a string tribute to The Rachel's...

But in all seriousness, I can see where a "tribute" to a relatively obscure band like Mars Volta would have its allure. I mean, even I would have no idea where to even begin transcribing and converting those manic drum parts into some outrageous cello line. Could it be that the quartet just feels the need to show off a little after that Sum 41 thing? Easiest orchestration ever! In my opinion, I think this record would do just fine if Mars Volta wasn't even mentioned on the cover. How about something like "String Quartet Chases Hits Of Acid With 50 Cups Of Coffee And Rolls The Tape." People would line up to buy that.

09 Bryan Adams - Room Service

Before we go any further, i feel i need to clarify that my list does not necessarily reflect the albums in the order of their quality, per se. I’m taking many variables into consideration including novelty, interest, and my general knowledge of the subject at hand. Now, I know this particular subject and I can’t help but wonder... did the fax that Badman Recording Co received have some letters blurred out? “Hell yeah, we’ll totally do a Ryan Adams album!” After some more searching, it was revealed to me that the Badman Limited label that released this atrocity has nothing to do with the Badman that we know and love for Hayden and Mark Kozelek. Thank heavens.

You have to give the guy credit for stickin’ with it, i guess... and for having the courage to go on a co-headlining minor league baseball park tour with Def Leppard... which just solidifies the wussiness of 80’s hair metal and its co-dependence upon top 40 schlock. Hey, I had “Hysteria” and I had “Reckless.” I felt a little something when the Summer of 69 video went from black and white to color signifying the inevitable change to adulthood. But if Bryan was feeling that way back in 1984, then maybe he should have considered quitting or getting married like Jimmy or Josie before we had to be subjected to “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me is You” or this album that no US label wanted to touch with a ten foot pole until yesterday.

08 Dave Brubeck - Two Generations of Brubeck

Originally released in August 1973, this intriguing record gets a well deserved CD treatment courtesy of the Wounded Bird label. Get this: It’s (arguably) the greatest jazz pianist ever... with three of his sons(!) taking on keyboards, trombone, & drums. Impressive to say the least. I had no idea, but the Brubeck Brothers actually released a record in 2000 called “Second Nature” which, as you’d assume, featured a version of dad’s classic “Take Five,” surprisingly left off of this disc. They do tackle two of my favorite jams, “Blue Rondo a la Turk” and “Unsquare Dance,” both with mind scrambling time signatures. (hmm... mp3 weekend....) Who is this Mars... Volta?

I was fortunate enough to see Dave Brubeck play a few years ago at the Ravinia Festival in the northern Chicago suburbs and it was such a strong testament to the man’s talents. At 70+ years of age, this frail old man shuffles up to the mic and can barely speak to the audience, although his words are filled with charm in that lovable grandpa kinda way. He lumbers over to the piano and starts to play. Boom, he’s in his twenties and the piano may as well have burst into flames. He was amazing. I love hearing different versions of “Blue Rondo” and so i’ll have to track this down.

07 DJ Captain Crunk - Crunk Wars

Ah, crunk. Is it a mix of “crazy” and “drunk” or is it “funk?” Is it just plain ol Southern hip-hop? I dunno. That’s why I looked it up in the urban dictionary where we find such uses as "We about to get crunk in here!" and "I got so damn crunk last night, i shot up dat house!" Either way, i can't find a damn thing about the Captain on the internet, no name, no picture, no interview with him revealing his favorite cereal, nothing! What i do know is that Crunk Wars is basically a non-stop mix of 16 different crunked tracks by artists such as Ludacris and the undisputed kings of crunk, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. So as far as i can tell, what the Captain did, is he decided to pirate his favorite tracks into one long dance party extravaganza and then ship it out with his name on it. Sounds pretty bootleg to me but i guess it's legit. I, for one, cannot wait until the release of Peanut Butter Crunk... but that's another Wednesday.

06 Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger

I was going to start with a lil history about my past love for Led Zeppelin and my all too brief brush with Page and/or Plant's solo excursions, and then I saw the title of Track number 3: FREEDOM FRIES! That's incredible. Wasn't it some backwoodsy North Carolinan hot dog stand that coined this term to protest France's refusal to back DJ Captain Bush's invasion of Iraq? And of course, we all know that when word that a few restaurants had ditched the French intro to the fried potato string reached DJ Captain Chirac in France, all hell broke loose. "No! Not the defenseless French Fry! ... Dammit. Better send in the troops now..." Who knew that the term would end up as the title of a Robert Plant song?

From everything I've read, this album seems to be pretty sweet. A little something for everybody. A protest song here, a piano driven tribute to Ray Charles there, a Kashmir-esque Zeppelin nod here, an acoustic ballad there. I needed a quick taste so upon reading one reviewer's claim that "you'd need 3 legs to dance to 'Freedom Fries'," I downloaded it and had a listen. Holy shit, it's awesome. It's got a typical blues structure but the beat is absolutely insane. From what i can gather, it's in 9/8 time and still catchy. What the hell? Who is this Dave... Brubeck?

05 Team Sleep - s/t

The allure of the Deftones to me was not the bone crunching guitars or those ever present sing along "mosh parts," for lack of a better term. It was always Chino Moreno's voice that drew me in. It's very unique and always seems to be teetering on the edge of just falling apart. It reminds me of some of Billy Corgan's vocal work in a lot of ways minus the nasality... anyway, all of the signs point to me loving the Team Sleep album. Gone is the spine shattering rock and it's replaced with subtle electronica, courtesy of DJ Crook, not to be confused with DJ Captain Crook.

I've had some Team Sleep on the iPod for quite some time now as demos and whatnot had found their way onto the net. Songs with titles such as "Natalie Portman" and "Appollonia" had breezed by me with not too much interest, but i never took it to heart. These were unmastered demos. Enter Ross Robinson. Enter Mary Timony. Enter Rob Crow. Now we have something to cheer about! What seemed like little more than Moreno noodling around with some keyboards is now a full blown juggernaut. Let's hope people appreciate it.

04 Adam Ant - Remasters Box Set

I want to publicly thank Christopher for finding and sharing those amazing Dexy's Midnight Runners' videos. And now my next request... As a young Chicago lad glued to the tube in the early 80's, I stumbled across a UK video show that ran on channel 55 after school and every day, i was there in my parents room (the only room that received this odd channel) watching. Adam Ant was a fixture on this station and it was in his most flamboyant Prince Charming stage. I remember videos for that title track, "Stand and Deliver," and "Ant Rap." Please find them. Somebody. Help...

So when "Goody Two Shoes" actually made Adam a household name in the US for a few months, it was old hat to me. I revelled in saying, "yeah that's a good one, but you simply have to hear his old stuff." Nevertheless, the latter days of the flamboyant Adam (before his "Wonderful" comeback coupled with subsequent arrests) were pretty great. Remasters compiles three albums (Friend or Foe, Strip, and Vive Le Rock) and has an extra disc of rarities... lotsa demos and bonus alternate versions. I can only imagine. And get this... in a brilliant marketing scheme, this "box" comes with three extra spaces so that you can add the first three albums that were recently remastered. Like one big puzzle. I like that.

03 Headphones - s/t

As I conversed with dear friend, R. Chavez, at the Minus The Bear merch table, my eyes obvously gravitated toward the big “free” sign below. It was a Suicide Squeeze sampler CD, so i grabbed one, threw it in my pocket, and went on with my life. Soon the car’s radio was lovin’ me up with Minus The Bear, and then an awesome Crystal Skulls, song and then... hmm this is pretty good... this sounds like David Bazan... oh wait, it is, i heard about this.

Upon first notice of the Headphones project, I was leery. Perhaps it stemmed from my dissatisfaction with the most recent Pedro the Lion record, or maybe i was just expecting something more along the lines of (yes, every review mentions it so i will too) Postal Service. But no! In fact “Pink and Brown” sounds like it could be a slightly bouncier Pedro the Lion, and that’s nice. I really enjoy the chord structure of the song as well, especially the chorus. Enough to land this release at number 3. What could the top two be? I’m sure you could easily guess...

02 Weezer - Make Believe

If you’re in the mood. If you can stop being judgemental about the borderline annoying simplicity of the lyrics or the blatant rips on rock songs of old, then you’ll probably enjoy Make Believe. I have a few songs on the ol iTunes and when i’m paying attention, i think it could be so much better... but when it’s on in the background, i find myself bobbing my head along... There is a place for this record in my collection, even though i’m sure that everyone will agree that it’s no classic. It’s no Pinkerton. Perhaps it’s because Pinkerton brims with brash honesty and dissatisfaction. Life, love, the music business... everyone had something poignant to grab onto and sing along with. The Green Album just had catchy pop tunes, Maladroit was a little closer, and from what I’ve heard of Make Believe, we’re a little closer still. It’s a sad fact of life that anger and frustration brings out the best work in songwriters, and if you can’t “get into character” aka “write a song from the perspective of a non-millionaire,” then you can only expect to be a little off the mark when trying to connect with listeners... unless you’re Jay-Z... or DJ Captain Crunk.

But it’s still early. Hell, the record came out yesterday. Maybe it will grow on me. I remember hearing the chorus of “El Scorcho” for the first time in a campus bookstore in Urbana and saying “this is absolutely terrible.” Out of context, it really was terrible to me, and that’s probably why the single never took off and for awhile it seemed Pinkerton was destined for the cut out bin. I’m fairly certain that Make Believe will debut at the top of the charts or at least in the top 10, so the cut out bins can now look forward to housing numerous copies of Room Service instead.

01 Spoon - Gimme Fiction

And so the number 1 album that was released yesterday is Spoon’s Gimme Fiction. I’m a late comer to the wonders of Spoon despite the many failed attempts of many stubborn friends. But I’m there now, sorta. The fact is... i had to eat my words one night as “Everything Hits At Once” played on a local college station in Chicago. I instantly loved it. “What is this? It’s great!” said the driver. The passenger replied that it had been played for me before, but with an opposite negative reaction. Sadly, I gave in.

I’m not sure how Britt Daniels does it sometimes. If you listen hard and analyze any number of Spoon songs, you’ll be surprised at how simple they are. “Everything Hits At Once” is basically three notes. I was hooked. Just like Chino Moreno, it’s that voice that gets me. One reviewer likened it to John Lennon even. I could see that. Maybe John Lennon with a cold. Anyway, where Weezer may be handicapped by simplicity, Spoon dives in and has fun with it like it’s a big bowl of mushroom bisque...

Goodnight. See you in a few hours.

034 Happy New Release Day To You

It’s Tuesday and that means it’s New Release Day, so i’m going to do something that i’ve always wanted to do. Are you ready? Good. I’ll prepare it for tomorrow. It’s going to take a little bit of research, but it’s the least that I can do... especially since this post will basically be dedicated to THE NEW HEY MERCEDES EP that gets released today.



Hey-yo! The final, closing chapter in the Hey Mercedes saga is set free to the public today. It’s the Unorchestrated EP and contains 2 b-sides, 2 unreleased tracks, and an extra special live version of “Unorchestrated.” Plus, it has the stellar artwork of Chris Strong & Gregg Bernstein, along with a slew of random photos on the inside sleeve. If I could say a little bit about the music on the CD....

“Roulette Systems” was written at the Dutkewych house in Riverview, MI smack dab in the middle of our tour with The Early November. Since Vagrant needed a new track within a short time frame for an upcoming comp, we scrambled to write the song on the road and then record it at Smart Studios as soon as we got home. Mike laid down the basic guitar line, we all chimed in and added our parts, I came up with a vocal melody, and within 4 or so hours, we had an alright song. We loaded the song onto our iPods and spent the rest of the tour fine-tuning it into something special. It was recorded with Mark Haines and Chris Common during two maniacal sessions at Smart.

I wrote the main guitar line and vocal melody for “Warm Chords” in my bedroom and recorded it on this crappy mini-digital recorder I had. It broke within a month. I also wrote the basic parts of “Lashing Out” at this time. Everyone had their way with it at practice at the Graff residence in Port Washington, WI and we eventually recorded it at Camp Street in Cambridge, MA with the Loses Control CD. About halfway through the session, the producers decided that if a track was going to be cut, they were leaning towards this one. We didn’t put up much of a fight, but had some second thoughts when we had an initial listening party for some of our friends in Boston once it was too late. We played them the whole record and put “Warm Chords” as track #12. When the CD was stopped, one of the listeners came up to me and said, “the cd was great and i really love that last song.” The title comes from a song written in 1971. Do you know which one? Sean Slade caught the reference immediately.

More of the same for “Own Up.” We wrote it along with most of “Loses Control” at the Bichler cabin in Spread Eagle, WI during our two week retreat there. This was one of two straight forward rockers that came out of the session. We included it on the demos we sent to the producers and I included it on CD’s i made for some trusted friends. And wouldn’t you know it, out of all of the songs, my best friend said that “Own Up” was his favorite. It lasted up until pre-production, when it got cut. I’m not sure why anymore. It was one of those songs where I had lyrics, but I figured I’d fine tune them once we got to Cambridge... and then we ended up not doing it, so the lyrics stuck. I think it works, since in this particular instance the vocals play second fiddle to the actual vocal melody line.

“We Lie Half the Time” was written on an acoustic guitar and you can kinda hear that down home jumpiness in the tempo. I think it was always a bit uncomfortable to play because of that fact. It was built for the acoustic, yet we were strumming on the electric. Way after the fact now, people really like this song. I’m really happy with the lyrics and i’ve even added it to a few City On Film sets since it works so well as a one guitar solo piece. Cuba Road is really haunted by the way. It’s some desolate stretch of roadway in the nether northwest suburbs of Chicago.

And lastly, the slow jam on Loses Control. “Unorchestrated” live. Towards the end of our touring, we added an extended sample to the beginning and it’s represented here. It’s from “Waking the Dead” and it’s a beautiful monologue by Billy Crudup. I’ve used it for many City On Film sets as well, but not anymore. I had a feeling that “Unorchestrated” would end up as a “last” song and i’m not just saying that because the final lyrics are “it’s over.”

You can ORDER THE UNORCHESTRATED EP HERE!

And there you have it... Seriously... I am so excited for tomorrow’s post. You’ll love it. And now, some other stuff...

Saddest beard removal ever.

Now let’s talk trailers. We have one for sale! It’s 6’ x 10’ x 5 1/2’, single axle, with a 2000 net weight carrying capacity. Salivating yet? I’ll take some pictures this weekend. If you or your band is interesed please email me about it. If we can’t sell it to friends within a week or so, it’s up on ebay she goes...

033 Broke a Million Hearts in Mono

"Come on Eileen" is such a great song. I was planning on writing a glowing review, and while I was doing some research on the lyrics, i stumbled across this... glowing review. I agree with it on every level. The song is unclassifiable and timeless and it's a shame that its legacy keeps getting dragged through the mud by absolutely horrible cover versions and its wedding reception reputation. The opening lyrics are so amazing. The song was released in 1983, which means I was 8, and i knew all of those words by heart. Unfortunately, they get shrouded behind a singalong chorus nowadays and even so, would your average cheeseball even be able to place the line "With you in that dress, my thoughts, i confess, verge on dirty." ? I doubt it. There is a place for the "YMCA's" and "Love Shack's" of this world and "Come On Eileen" should not accompany them there, dammit!

I really want to see the video again, too. I have no doubt that the video helped drill the unmistakable melody in my head. Please, someone, find it for me... and now, even more images from that video:



I was listening to "Come On Eileen" in the van as i warmed up for the show Saturday night. I also listened to "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left," hoping to draw some inspiration for a whistling solo or something. It was a really great night at the Magic Stick. I think in terms of strictly solo shows, i was the least nervous that i've ever been. So, even with the ever-present-Detroit-radio-interference coming through the amp, I think everything turned out just fine, although, I'm slowly realizing that soundchecks are not just dastardly ploys to annoy me. It really would have helped in this case. I know they're necessary, I just hate them with a passion... especially when there are people watching... ugh the thought of it.

I had heard and enjoyed Joiya and Javelins, and both of their sets were incredible and spot on, but I knew nothing of Those Transatlantics, and wow, they really impressed me. So you should check em all out, okay? OKAY?

WE HAVE A TRAILER FOR SALE! I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

032 When I Was a Baby

With all of this talk about the new New NEW Pornographers record on the way, i just had to harken back to some of the tried and true classics... “The Laws Have Changed” was my favorite song for about 4 weeks. The part where Neko Case sings “all hail” around 2:03 just gives me chills. That’s the way I roll. One minute detail and i’m hooked.

“When I Was A Baby” is the b-side of “Letter From an Occupant.” It’s a cover and i can’t find any information on the original, and it’s probably better that way. I’ve fallen in love with this version...

I’ve also fallen in love with the latest work of Andrew Bird. “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left” has been in my head for the last week. Now maybe it will be in yours. If you have a chance, download the version that he plays on Morning Becomes Eclectic. It’s a whole new experience!


MP3: The Laws Have Changed - The New Pornographers
MP3: When I Was a Baby - The New Pornographers
MP3: A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left - Andrew Bird

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And Happy Mothers Day! I was going to post a Menthol song since they used to be called Mother, but I think the above posts will do... "My mother would poke at the hole at the back of my head where my brain was exposed..."

031 A Bright Sun Shiny Album Cover

I'm outside, mooching off of someone else's wireless connection since the one at the house is being especially dodgy. No mind, it's beautiful outside... so i'm going to keep it short and musical...

Everyone in Seattle agrees that Crystal Skulls are going to be huge. If all of their songs are as instantly catchy as "No Room For Change," then i'll gladly join the bandwagon... And you gotta give props to Modest Mouse for their vinyl love. Save for The Moon & Antarctica, all of the vinyl versions of their full lengths have had bonus tracks. "I've Got It All (Most)" is on the Good News... vinyl.

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MP3: No Room For Change - Crystal Skulls
MP3: I've Got It All (Most) - Modest Mouse

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In the Detroit area? Come to the Magic Stick tonight! Ok then...

031 8675MP309

Mercy. There is a war going on in my stomach this morning. Even the dog came over and gave me a "what the hell is that noise?" look. I distinctly hear gunplay, some mortar fire, a lot of ground combat, and a stampede of troops. Oh no, tanks! Retreat! I didn't have anything weird to eat last night, although I did make some French-pressed coffee that was delicious - for the first time in my life, can you believe it?

Back when I lived near the lake, one of my roommates pressed up some coffee every night as he worked on designing awesome album covers. It was a nightly ritual, and every morning the empty press would be sitting up on the stove as i lumbered past to go to work at a shitty temp job. One particularly saucy morning, as i was swinging my backpack around for the amusement of... myself, i knocked the glass press off of the shelf, sent it tumbling to the floor in slow motion and put a huge crack in the side of it. Oh no. For a second I thought I had singlehandedly ruined his career. Without his coffee ritual, who knows what garbage he'd be churning out now? In an odd memorial sort of display, i put the cracked press right back up on the stove for all to see. When I returned home, not a word was spoken as we spotted each other on the porch. Not a word was spoken as we passed in the living room... and obviously, no coffee was made.

The next day, after work, I knew I had to do something. I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and bought an even better coffee press for my friend! I brought it home and put it up on the stove, unopened. That night, right before I went to sleep, I walked into the kitchen to find... a brand new press full of coffee! He had accepted my gift, and thus, my apology. Still not a word was spoken as we spotted each other on the porch. Still not a word as we passed in the living room. Business as usual. Work uninterrupted. So, basically, what i'm saying is...

IF , THEN
IF , THEN

On to the music... Firstly, all this talk of Dexy's Midnight Runners has me getting all nostalgic. "Come On Eileen" is to this day one of my favorite songs. I have no idea why it's not in my top 100. It's a tragedy because it would be a fun cover. I'm not sure what I was thinking there... Everybody and their grandma knows it and even if you don't like it, you have to admit, it's one catchy tune. It shot straight up to the top of the US charts with the help of a very memorable video and thus, Dexy's Midnight Runners became the quintessential US one hit wonder. Personally, I think their second single from Too-Rye-Aye was just as catchy, if not more! My friends weren't buying it. And neither were U.S. record shoppers. The followup to the biggest single of 1983 peaked at #86. Please, people, we need to give "The Celtic Soul Brothers" the props it deserves.

Hmm, i was going to post about how excited I was when Craig Wedren's new band Baby posted their first mp3's online. They were "Sold Free" and a cover of the Stones' "Miss You." And they were incredible! I rushed over $10 for their Black Market Baby EP. When it finally arrived at my house, i was appalled. The CD sounded bad, it was packaged shoddily, "Sold Free' wasn't even on it, and it had a ridiculous joke (i hope) version of "Janie Jones," one of my favorite Clash songs. I wanted to throw it right in the trash... So, i was going to post that really great song that got my hopes up... but wait, what is this I see... they have a new album out and "Sold Free" is on it! Let's hope this release is better, but just in case...


MP3: The Celtic Soul Brothers - Dexy's Midnight Runners
MP3: Sold Free - Baby

030 Everyday, Everyday, Everyday I Write The Blog

The lineup for Austin City Limits was announced today and I have to say I'm not terribly impressed... with a few exceptions. Out of the 120 or so bands listed, I would be absolutely thrilled and excited to see: Keane, Doves, The Decemberists, and Aqualung. Then there are the bands that I'd love to see but either have-seen-before or have-a-chance-to-see-soon. Then there are the bands that i've seen a million times but never in this setting so that would be swell. And finally, there are the bands that I will avoid at all costs. Sadly, there are more than a few. Last year was an absolute blast. Literally. I felt as if the festival was hosted on the sun. And there were many moments to look forward to. Namely: Pixies, Wilco, Broken Social Scene, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Old 97's, Cat Power, Modest Mouse, The Killers... So does the actual experience outweigh the music itself? Or should the experience solely be the music? Should I stay or should I go? Rock the Casbah? Should I maybe switch gears and talk about Favicons?

Favicons are the bane of my existence at the moment. Mostly because the browsers are so unpredictable with them... A favicon is that little bitty icon that shows up in the address line next to your URL... They just showed up out of nowhere! And so, not to be left behind in the race for hot new web technology, I fashioned one for the wire. Can you see it? I have one ready for this here daily.... all in good time. In fact, do you see a little icon up there already? That's insanity because i didn't even enter the html code to make that happen on this page. Ugh, let's talk about lunch.

Yes, I Lunchblogged it up yesterday, so go read about that! And then you should check out Quinn's new band, Sleep Out. I would suggest downloading the live version of "Cat or a Horse" to begin with. Really beautiful stuff. If all goes well, TCOF will be playing w