The Mixtape Jones Report: One Man, One Record Collection.

Relocation!!

2011-06-07T16:01:00.003-05:00

Hey kids. If you're reading this, that means that this blog has officially RELOCATED. Yes, now that the new Dr. Pants Website is up and running, we decided that this blog (now re-christened The Pants Report) can live on the same domain as the rest of Dr. Pants world. So go ahead and click one of the text links you just read over, or click the title of this blog entry, and resume your ravenous consumption of this piece of essential bloggy internet stuff at its new location. See y'all over there. Peace out.

David

The Dr. Pants Chronicles 3: Move So Slow

2011-06-03T14:23:00.001-05:00

Dustin struggled to breathe through the mist of spray-tan. David was already unconscious. Kenneth was prostrate and prone. And now, the lights in Dustin’s eyes began to fade. He wondered, possibly a final thought: How had they gotten the drop on them?

After enjoying a brunch of donuts, the trio had returned to the Dr. Pants Medical Funk Facility, eager to begin the search for a new bassist. But something was amiss. As the doors swung open, they didn’t hear the usual soundtrack that P.A.N-T.S. would choose, but the deep thump of house music. The air was thick with...something.

“P.A.N-T.S.?” David shouted, expecting the computer’s reply.

Kenneth and Dustin looked at one another. They’d never had a problem with the Personal Android Nano-Tech System before--except for that time it went evil and kept re-mixing their albums as nu-metal. But after the last logic upgrade, it was working perfectly.

“This has to be a joke, right?” asked Dustin. “I thought we agreed not to install a personality, because that’s always what happens in the movies right before a sentient computer tries to kill everybody.”

In the shadows, they heard a giggle and the shuffle of tiny feet. They swung around, but found their bodies would barely respond.

“I’m moving so slow,” Kenneth said. “It’s like walking in molasses.”

Now the tittering came from behind them. And from the left and right. Dressed in skin-tight glittering faux-leather, the tiny orange forms of the Guido-loompas emerged and surrounded them. Their eyes, as always, were covered in sunglasses.

“Yo. Yo. Yo.”

They spoke the same syllable over and over again, as always. The Guido-loompas never said anything else, but there was menace behind the word. How long had they been trying to kill the band?

And now they had drugged them with some sort of aerosol party cocktail, no doubt to make it easier to bronzer them to death.

But just as Dustin had held on the longest, he was also the first to draw in the first sweet breaths of air after his orange shell had been cracked. He blinked and began to make out shadows in the sunlight of a figure waking his friends.

The haze cleared and he looked around. They were outside the Funk Facility, a trail of unconscious Guido-loompas leading out the front door, ending a few feet away.
“What...what...” David struggled to say.

“I came for the audition and found you guys being spray-tanned by these goofy midgets,” said the man. “I fought them off with my bass and dragged you outside before the fumes got to me. I’m Devin, by the way.”

(Written by Greg Elwell)

The Dr. Pants Chronicles 2: Log-sack

2011-05-31T16:37:00.002-05:00

The hulking 9-foot frame of Log-sack loomed in the doorway, towering over the band. So large, he seemed to swallow up their entire field of vision, but in a crack between his massive arms and inhuman torso, they could see the bound and gagged figure of Kenneth behind him.

This was not the Log-sack they had known. Half Kenny Loggins, half John Cusack, the composite man had been a friend to them in the past. His back bore the brunt of the collapsing roof when an earthquake hit Dr. Pants Medical Funk Facility. He helped fight against the abomination Cussina (half Joan Cusack, half Jimmy Messina) when it sought to disrupt a studio recording.

But now, the easy half-smiles of the star of “Better Off Dead” and the singer of “Danger Zone” were aligned in a frown.

“What are you doing with Kenneth?” asked David. “Have you hurt him, Log-sack?”

His tree-limb arm came crashing down, knocking the band off their feet. He lumbered forward and as the lamp swung across the ceiling, it illuminated the swirling logo of their nemesis, the diabolical Professor Tornado, seared into his chest.

“Tornado’s gotten to him,” Dustin shouted. “Argh! If only he was more Cusack than Loggins. Then maybe he wouldn’t be so conflicted!”

The beast, confused by the notion that Loggins might somehow be less conflicted than Cusack, didn’t notice Aaron reaching into his pocket and pulling out his box cutter. It would be useless against the nigh-invincible might of Log-sack, but maybe...just maybe...if he could throw it to Kenneth, he could slice through his bonds and begin work on the beast’s one weakness: a funky beat...

The box cutter barely made it over Log-sack’s shoulder, in the narrow space between his mountainous body and the ceiling, landing inches away from Kenneth. His eyes, red like the Danger Zone, swung to Aaron and with a voice much like that of a movie star, Log-sack bellowed. He turned away from David and Dustin, allowing them to aid their captive friend, but in the blink of an eye, he lunged.

Aaron, screaming, was caught in the unbreakable grip of Log-sack’s arms. But it lasted only a moment. The screaming stopped and the creature let his prey fall lifeless to the floor.

Behind the beast’s back, the rest of the band exchanged mournful looks. They really needed to find a new bass player.

(Written by Greg Elwell)

Dr. Pants Chronicles 1: The Aftermath of the Doppelganger War

2011-05-19T18:14:00.003-05:00

Dustin shuddered as he peeled bits of raw chicken off the arm of his jacket. It’s not as if any of the other band members loved being pelted with raw meat, but none of the others were vegetarians.

“It’s like they do it just to spite me,” he said to David, who still had feathers in his hair.

“They’re our evil doppelgangers,” David replied. “They don’t specifically hate you. They hate all of us. Makes me wish they’d never accidentally mutated from our blood samples that one time.”

“THIS makes you wish they’d never been mutated from our blood samples? THIS? Not the 800 other times we’ve had to fight them?” Dustin asked incredulously. “I don’t care if they loved us and bought us candy, I still wish they didn’t exist. They give me the creeps.”

Kenneth coughed sheepishly. It had been his trials of the Pants 4000 DNA testing kit/amp that accidentally created their wayward twins.

“At least we got a song out of it, guys,” he said. “A pretty kick-ass song.”

The band couldn’t argue with that. Risking their lives wasn’t always fun. Saving Oklahoma City from robot spiders and amorous pigs wasn’t easy. But at least they got some cool music out of the deal.

Aaron looked at his bandmates, perplexed.

“Wait, did you guys get hit by all those exploding chickens? Didn’t the velvet blankets shield you?”

Dustin removed a beak from his pocket and then pointed to his wedding ring. David and Kenneth did the same.

“We’re all married, dude, remember?” asked Dustin. “So, while you were hiding in bed with the Doppel-groupies, we were remaining faithful to our ladies and dodging raw chicken thighs. Where’d they go, anyway?”

The Doppel-groupies, like the Doppelgangers, had fled the scene once the poultry started popping. And with them went the secret location of Dr. Pants, their mentor and legal guardian, if the boasts in their ransom letter were true.

David wandered about with his cellphone up in the air, searching for a signal.

“Anyone know where those crazy bastards have left us this time?”

“Mmmm, probably southside,” said Kenneth, consulting his GPS. “Yep. South Penn. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

The men nodded silently. They would look for an exit. They would call for a ride. And then they would get some donuts.

(Written by Greg Elwell)

On Music & Italy

2011-05-13T12:43:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it becomes clear to me that there are forces in the world that are out to break me and make all that I find joyful turn to misery.

Not the most positive way to start a blog entry about my recent, absolutely amazing trip to Italy with my wife and her parents. I am aware of this. Still, when you can get outside your normal life and routine and look at things from the outside a bit, certain things become crystal clear.

Many times we take vacations to renew ourselves…or allow ourselves to be renewed. Even if we don’t know that’s why we do it, it’s still probably why we do it. I have been in desperate, desperate need of renewal. The many journeys K.C. and I take on the road playing music do not renew me. I suppose they could, if I allowed them to sometimes. I have been in quite a dark place recently, I think. Darker than I really had realized or imagined. It is only in the light of this amazing vacation and what I’ve allowed it to show me and do to me have I become aware of this. Some of you might be saying, “Well, of course you feel better. You’re in ITALY.” It’s not always that easy, though. There have been moments on this amazing journey where I’ve been a bit too jammed up with worrying about things at home, etc. to really enjoy the moment. As I type this, I have arrived at a place where that’s not the case, at least for now.

We give ourselves over in slavery to so many things. There are many days where I am not too far from believing the adage from “Fight Club”: “Do you own your possessions, or do your possessions own you?” I don’t know that it is only my possessions that have owned me lately. I have been owned by my own fear, my own ambition (which can be a dangerous thing…how much of our own ambition is grown out of fear that we will NOT amount to a point that is satisfactory to us? Can we not trust that God/The Universe/whatever has a plan that will be perfect in the long run?).

I have also been impaired in my enjoyment of music lately. My ability to really enjoy listening has been quite affected. I need to utilize it as the symptom it is more often…I should know by now that if the music is largely not pleasurable/interesting and more frustrating/befuddling, it’s a sign that all is not well in my mind and heart.

I am so proud of this record that we’ve made, the new Dr. Pants EP (the 1st of 4), but the truth is I can’t control what anybody thinks of it or what the world does with it. It’s not my job to, either. I desperately want to believe that great music will make room for itself…but it doesn’t always work this way. The truth is that Dr. Pants is probably destined to be a cult band, and the cult is still finding us. I’m so grateful for the people who have discovered the music over the last few years and have really connected with it. I pray that I am more grateful for that every day than I was the previous day.
I also have felt so desperate financially…it’s interesting that, even though this entire trip was paid for by my in-laws (an amazing, amazing thing), it’s been good to give up control of the money. I’m not in control of the money. I can’t even try to pay for anything, because I don’t have a single Euro of my own in my pocket. That’s a little different. It’s like, “Just stand back and be blessed, because there’s nothing you can do about it.” Pretty humbling on some level.

I’m so glad for the moments I’ve had on the plane ride over, and the trains throughout Italy, to listen to entire records on my iPod, and to just sit and enjoy. It’s pretty much all been entire records that I’m not very familiar with…I’ve even listened to a few things for the first time ever, start-to-finish. Of course, as I’ve been in Italy, my mind has been its own jukebox as well. Certain tracks come irresistibly to mind (how can one walk around the city of Firenze, as the Italians call it, and not think of “You Enjoy Myself” by Phish?), and others from the plane ride over stick in my head and, for whatever reason, become cornerstone songs to my own personal soundtrack for the trip (both “Broken” and “Rhinestone Eyes” by Gorillaz). Something about being in a foreign country, outside one’s own home, opens the ears. I don’t know what it is. I think I have just been approaching a sort of potential burnout with work in general…including the radio show. Now, though, I don’t feel that way at all…I am so pleased to listen to some of the new(er) things in my iTunes that I hadn’t even been able to approach before…to listen and think, “Yeah, I’d really like to play that.” Italy is interesting, too…there isn’t as much attitude surrounding music here as there is in the US right now, or Oklahoma, even. I love Oklahoma, and I love the music scene there, but there are tastemakers at work in Oklahoma, just like there are everywhere else, and sometimes I wonder if there’s really room for all of us in the new world of the growing Oklahoma music scene.

I desperately don’t want to be bitter or resentful about that, though, and that is truly helped by the experience of this trip. I don’t want the root of bitterness to take hold in my heart in regards to anything, whether it be in regards to my work or anything else. I want gratitude, peace, joy, grace. I want all these things in abundance. And I very much want them even more after this experience.

I have to be guarded…because I believe that these things can be stolen away, if I allow them to be. Stolen by bitterness, fear…these things that I can fall prey to so easily. Here in the holy city of Rome I sit, and these things are clearer than ever. I can only hope they remain clear once I come home.

The glow of amazing experiences of people, places and things wears off so quickly, too quickly. I hope that these lessons I have learned in Italy, about gratitude, grace, fear, bitterness and music…I hope that these lessons do not fade once the glow of Italia grows faint. There is so much in those lessons that is about my life every day, everywhere, and not just about these amazing few days spent in Italy. Let me always remember.

The Music & The Consciousness

2011-04-28T09:41:00.001-05:00

Consciousness is a weird thing. It’s such a strange idea that each one of us is just this small, humanoid creature, with a consciousness that SEEMS enormous, but only because it’s all we know in the whole world. If we had any way to compare or experience a comparison between our individual consciousnesses and, say, all of them put together, or the consciousness of what many of us would call “God,” we would, I’m sure, regard the playgrounds of our individual minds as small. As it stands, though, these playgrounds are the only place each of us will ever exist, and all we take in, all we experience and all we think/feel in reaction thereto will be the entire makeup of that playground.

This is the kind of thing that I think about, or more than likely, quasi-freak out about, when I wake up in the morning these days. I have these moments in the night and in the morning, when I wake up from sleep, where I realize how small I am (this has been happening to me since I was a teenager, but the experience has evolved a bit…it used to just result in abject fear…now, for some reason, it just makes me kind of sad). I realize that all these crazy thoughts I have, all these weird ideas, or opinions, or feelings are mine only, and no one will ever know they’re there unless I express them somehow.

I said not too long ago on Twitter that art was “the only sensible reaction to the human condition.” When I say “human condition,” I mean exactly what I have just been describing here. This is where music comes in for me…it is by far the art form I relate to the most, and so it has always been my first choice in terms of some way I might communicate to the world.

So, I can’t help but do it. If I want to somehow communicate some of these things, I must make music. Maybe the music I make won’t impact you in the way this blog entry has…maybe you’ll listen to the upcoming Dr. Pants EPs and think, “this doesn’t really sound like it’s about human consciousness at all.” That’s fine. I hope to get around to tackling some of these ideas more directly as time goes on. But I do hope you’ll listen. I’ll keep making music even if you don’t, though. I’m pretty sure my sanity depends on it.

25 Records That Mean Something To Me, #2

2011-03-30T22:17:00.004-05:00

It's hard to talk about Frank Zappa and just mention one specific album. In fact, when I initially conceived of this series of blog entries (of which I've managed to complete a whopping ONE so far), I'm sure I had a different Zappa album in mind than the one I'm about to talk about. But I pulled this disc out earlier today when I was picking out music for K.C. and I to clean the house to, and realized that somewhere, at some point, I obtained a new copy of it and replaced the original CD copy I had gotten 15 years ago. I was pleased to discover this; it meant that I didn't have to worry about the disc wearing out any time soon. My other copy had been worn slick, as I recall. It was scratched up pretty bad, especially for a CD in MY collection (I tend to be pretty protective of my discs...I had taken this record on so many road trips, placed it and removed it from so many CD wallets, that it finally started to look pretty rough). Anyway, all of this to say that I realized THE GRAND WAZOO is a record that means something to me, for sure.

THE GRAND WAZOO is the second of two albums Zappa released in the early seventies that highlighted his particular take on what might be called a jazz-rock fusion (the first being WAKA/JAWAKA)...an extension of the HOT RATS concept, but in a larger ensemble context. These are almost Zappa's "big band" albums; when given the opportunity to record with a rhythm section including guitars, keys, bass & drums augmented by a full brass and woodwind section, these two albums were what came out. There is a jazz structure (or some version thereof) to many of the tunes here. Some sort of theme, head, or main melody (or several) occur, then a series of solos by different members of the ensemble, and then a return to the theme(s) at the end of the piece. That is probably an oversimplification, but it gives at least a little bit of context for those who might not have heard this record.

It's an album that is complex without being difficult, serious without being dreary, goofy without being childish, and beautiful (gorgeous, even) without being saccharine, even for a moment. The finest example of all these attributes, I think, is the final track, "Blessed Relief" (I personally hear the first word there as "bles-sed", two syllables, not one). It's a elegant, slow piece, with a sort of lilting melody at the beginning that gives way to a gorgeous, open section with great electric piano arpeggios. Then come the solos, which are fantastic. In my first post in this series I talked a great deal about atmosphere...this particular track has atmosphere to spare. It's a fairly unique track in Zappa's oeuvre; there's really not another quite like it.

As unique as it is, the song and the album still very much bear Zappa's image, sound, and vibe...but perhaps in such a way that a certain grace is present that isn't always found in some of his other work. Highly recommended, highly regarded.

Playlist for Mixtape Jones #32

2011-03-16T14:10:00.002-05:00

AIRLINE TO HEAVEN-WILCO
DESTROYING TO SAVE-ARBOURETUM
HEADACHE-FRANK BLACK
WALK IT BACK-R.E.M.
ASSUMED BY YOU-SPIRIT KID
GO AHEAD-BANJO OR FREAKOUT
CREAM SODA-MOON
WILDERNESS-SLEATER-KINNEY
RATS-BLACK HEART PROCESSIONAL
PERFECT DAY-LOU REED
VENUS SHAVER-SHILPA RAY
LORD CHESTERFIELD-THURSTON MOORE
GROW UP-DANIELSON
DRIVE AROUND-JANA POCHOP
ANOTHER LEGO IN THA CROSS-CHOCOLATE USA
NEVER GET OLD-DAVID BOWIE
THE EXECUTION OF ALL THINGS-RILO KILEY
WHITE FALCON FUZZ-THE MOTHER HIPS
BILL FOR THE USE OF A BODY-CHAIN & THE GANG
THE BIG BRIGHT GREEN PLEASURE MACHINE-SIMON & GARFUNKEL
VOLCANO-SWANS
HIGHWAYMAN-SANDMAN
BOOM-JJ
WAITING FOR A WAR-THE SUBMARINES
BORN-STEVEN DROZD
HEY YA (LIVE)-TREY ANASTASIO
(OH WELL) WHATEVER-THE REBEL SET
I DON'T FEEL YOUNG-WYE OAK
STAR WARS TRIBUTE-SIFL & OLLY
I SAW HER STANDING THERE-THE BEATLES

Playlist for Mixtape Jones #31

2011-03-16T14:10:00.001-05:00

UNDERWHELMED-SLOAN
PROVE MY LOVE-VIOLENT FEMMES
DON'T HAUNT THIS PLACE-THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE
ALL DAY SUCKER-STEVIE WONDER
CADILLAC LADY-SUGAR FREE ALL-STARS
MY DRAWERS-THE TIME
SWIM-SURFER BLOOD
HAPPY BIRTHDAY-RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS
SAY SO-UH HUH HER
SALTY CITIES-RAH RAH
THE MORNING OFFICE-EUTOPIAN ACCIDENT
SWITZERLAND-JANA POCHOP
RAFTER-TULSA
EVERYBODY SAY-TAKKA TAKKA
SUMMER COULDA LASTED FOREVER-MAURA KENNEDY
UNREQUITED LOVE SONG-JARED LEKITES
THE REST OF MY LIFE-YELLOWBIRDS
CHEAP THRILLS-FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
DEVIL-SAY HI
ALDRIDGE-3 PENNY ACRE
TWO ON A TIGHTROPE-SUZI RAGSDALE
BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN-THE SMITHS
IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER-BELLE & SEBASTIAN
NICK DRAKE-JENEE HALSTEAD
DADDY'S GONNA PAY FOR YOUR CRASHED CAR-U2
ARENA-SUUNS
WAKE UPS-SALVA
GET AROUND TOWN-REVOLVER
CAESAR-TY SEGALL
ME IN HONEY-R.E.M.

Playlist for Mixtape Jones #30

2011-03-02T12:30:00.001-06:00

GO-PEARL JAM
THE STALLION, PT. 5-WEEN
WATCHING OVER ME-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
THE MECHANIC-NICOLETTE GOOD
TWO-HEADED BOY-NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
SPLITSVILLE-THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
ANIMAL-JENNY & JOHNNY
SONG FOR THE SUN-SWANS
RUN ME OVER-THE BABIES
THE RED BARON-GAME THEORY
ALL I NEED-RADIOHEAD
WHEN YOU'RE OUT TONIGHT-CAMI STINSON
PERIPHERAL VISIONARIES-YOUNG GALAXY
I WANT TO BE WELL-SUFJAN STEVENS
CARNIVAL KNOWLEDGE-LOOSE FUR
FLYING-THE BEATLES
ONLY SHALLOW-MY BLOODY VALENTINE
SNAKE EATER-PURPLE CHURCH
YOUNG SILENCE-ECHO LAKE
MR. LET'S FIND OUT-THE CARIBBEAN
ALWAYS, TO BELONG-THE LAST ROYALS
WHAT A WONDERFUL MAN-MY MORNING JACKET
FAST ENOUGH FOR YOU-PHISH
GOOD LIFE-SARAH SAMPLE
STAY SHARP-LAURA PEEK
BODACIOUS-PRIMUS
RANO PANO-MOGWAI
MOTION PICTURES-JON MCKIEL
HOLIDAY IN THE SUN-THE SEX PISTOLS

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show #28, 2/15/11

2011-02-17T13:30:00.000-06:00

LOS ANGELES-FRANK BLACK
TALKIN' 'BOUT THE SMILING DEATHPORN IMMORTALITY BLUES (EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER)-THE FLAMING LIPS
ONE DAY-SWEET LIGHTS
I GET OUT-BEAUTY MARQUES
SWEET POTATO-CRACKER
THE FIRST LINE-MARCELLUS HALL
ATLAS-BATTLES
OBSCURED BY CLOUDS-PINK FLOYD
SERFER-WOODSMAN
CERA Y UNO-CAFE TACUBA
CALM TO THE SEA-DEPTH & CURRENT
NO ONE'S GONNA LOVE YOU-BAND OF HORSES
WHERE'S SUMMER B?-BEN FOLDS FIVE
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET-CARY COOPER
HAUNTED-JAIME MICHAELS
BLACK RIVER-JAIME MICHAELS
THE MAN WITH THE TIME MACHINE-JAIME MICHAELS
SHE WAS THE ONE-PETER HOLSAPPLE & CHRIS STAMEY
GUITAR PLAYIN' KIND-ANDREW DELANEY & THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON
SINK/LET IT SWAY-SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
WHO'S IN CONTROL?-BRITISH SEA POWER
CORVETTE BUMMER-BECK
TABLE CLOTH-HOMEBOY SANDMAN
ALIVE-BEASTIE BOYS
TOUCH ME IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME-ROBERT POLLARD

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show #27, 2/8/11

2011-02-17T13:29:00.000-06:00

SERVE THE SERVANTS-NIRVANA
WEY WEY HEP UH HOLE-THE SOFT BOYS
MY IMAGINATION-SPIRIT KID
ANVERS-13 ORIGINAL COLONIES
DON'T CARRY IT ALL-THE DECEMBERISTS
AMERICAN FLAG-DEREK WEBB
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART-JOY DIVISION
THE SIREN SONGS-THOMAS FEINER & ANYWHEN
JEANE-SANDIE SHAW
BROKEN THINGS-K.C. CLIFFORD
PLANT MAN-GARY YOUNG
DOG BREATH, IN THE YEAR OF THE PLAGUE-FRANK ZAPPA
CAN'T STOP THE ROBOT-GRANDPA GRIFFITH
SUMMER (BENNETT HALVERSON MIX)-WORLD RACKETEERING SQUAD
A SALTY SALUTE-ETERNAL SUMMERS
SUPER STUPID-FUNKADELIC
WATERMELON MAN-HERBIE HANCOCK
N.Y. FLAT TOP BOX-NAKED CITY
IN A LESBIAN MEADOW-SUN CITY GIRLS
GROW CLOSER-THE NELS CLINE SINGERS
CODE MONKEY-JONATHAN COULTON
DILLINGER EYES-JEREMY MESSERSMITH
ALWAYS ON MY MIND-READING RAINBOW
IS THIS A TEMPEST IN THE SHAPE OF A BELL-SHADOW SHADOW SHADE
ASK THE BEAR-ANDREW DELANEY & THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON
HEIRLOOM-SUFJAN STEVENS
TWO EXCLAMATION POINTS-VOLCANO, I'M STILL EXCITED!!!
PRODUCTION-THYMME JONES
RINGFINGER-NINE INCH NAILS

The Mixtape Jones RAdio Show #26, 1/25/11

2011-02-17T13:28:00.002-06:00

THE GREETING SONG-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
A SHOT IN THE ARM-WILCO
DAYS OF WRATH-THREE MILE PILOT
BEFORE DESTRUCTION-SPOON
OH APPALACHIA-SEAMONSTER
SEE NO EVIL-TELEVISION
STORY FOR YOU TO TELL-J WAGNER
OLDER BROTHER-PEPPER RABBIT
THIRTEEN-BIG STAR
LULLABY FOR NATANYA-JAIME MICHAELS
BELLTOWN RAMBLE-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3
LOST-ONE RING ZERO
GUNS OF NAVARRONE-THE SPECIALS
ROCK N' ROLL MCDONALDS-WESLEY WILLIS
RAINBOW IN THE DARK-DAS RACIST
YOU DON'T KNOW ME-GROSS RELATIONS
LEFT OF THE DIAL-THE REPLACEMENTS
FOR ASH-MARNIE STERN
STAR SIGN-TEENAGE FANCLUB
I DON'T MIND IT-SCREAMING FEMALES
GETTYSBURG-MON MONARCH
I WANT YOU TO BE MY LOVE-OVER THE RHINE
FULL FATHOM FIVE (THY FATHER LIES)-THE YOUNG SCAMELS
BEES-WARPAINT
OH WOMAN, OH WHY-PAUL MCCARTNEY
HEY PRINCESS-POPSICLE
STILL WINDMILLS-SL
SCOPITONE SCOPITONE-SWEET LIGHTS
MEET JAMES ENSOR-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
PACHUCO CADAVER-CAPTAIN BEEFHEART

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show #25, 1/11/11

2011-02-17T13:28:00.001-06:00

THE SPANGLE-MAKER-COCTEAU TWINS
CLOSEDOWN-THE CURE
PEARL-CHAPTERHOUSE
ORPHANS-J WAGNER
SOMEHOW TO KEEP IT GOING-COTTON JONES
LONESOME SUNDOWN-THE HALO BENDERS
TACOLAND-THE DEAD MILKMEN
HAPPINESS BURNS-TWO HOURS TRAFFIC
CANDY-FRANKIE ROSE & THE OUTS
ARNOLD LAYNE-PINK FLOYD
THE ROOM OUTSIDE-MINI MANSIONS
A NEW STAIN-HALLOWEEN, ALASKA
FOGBOW-JOAN OF ARC
VERIDIS QUO-DAFT PUNK
FAST LANE (BLACK GRASS REFIX)-HUSKY RESCUE
CAROLINE-ELLEN TIPPER
SLIP AWAY-KATHRYN CALDER
SO CRUEL-U2
I'LL STILL BE A GEEK AFTER NOBODY THINKS IT'S CHIC (THE NERD ANTHEM)-MARIAN CALL
BOOTYFEST-DR. PANTS
PHYSICAL CITIES-THE BAD PLUS
LITTLE UMBRELLAS-FRANK ZAPPA
LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE-LEVEK
HEDONIST-SHARON LANG
PARANOID ANDROID-RADIOHEAD

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show #24, 1/4/11

2011-02-17T13:27:00.000-06:00

RUN'S HOUSE-RUN-D.M.C.
BRIGHT LIGHTS BIGGER CITY-CEE LO GREEN
CASTLES IN THE SNOW-TWIN SHADOWS
SINK/LET IT SWAY-SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
U DON'T LIKE ROCK N ROLL-HUNX AND HIS PUNX
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF OUR TIME-THE FIBS
SMITH & JONES FOREVER-SILVER JEWS
BANKS OF THE RIVER-PETER CASE
I SEE THE LIGHT-CRACKER
HAUNTED-JAIME MICHAELS
WAKE UP TIME-TOM PETTY
GRONT LYS I ALLE LEDD-CASIOKIDS
JEANE-THE SMITHS
DON'T GO AWAY-DEPTH & CURRENT
GOOD EVENING-THE CONCRETES
FAIR SHARE-SALTPETRE
DISTANCE & TEMPTATION-IN GRENADA
HARRY & BESS-FERRABY LIONHEART
NAKEDGIRLS.COM-BROTHER GRUESOME
CELESTE (LIVE)-ASOBI SEKSU
TAKE MY HAND-LONEY DEAR
DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'-PETRA HADEN
ANNIE HOLD ON-PHIL HENRY
IMAGINATION-JABEE
THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED-GIL SCOTT-HERON
AULD LANG SYNE-BLACK ON WHITE AFFAIR
DISCOVERER-R.E.M.
POLICE ON MY BACK-THE CLASH
LET HER DANCE-THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show Holiday Special, 12/21/10

2011-02-17T13:25:00.001-06:00

WAAYYY behind on playlists. Going to go ahead and throw them up here so that they are all represented. This blog will probably move and get a facelift some time in the next couple months, so stay tuned...

WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME-PAUL MCCARTNEY
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS-JOSH MEASE
CHRISTMAS (BABY, PLEASE COME HOME)-R.E.M.
SILENT NIGHT-WEEN
HE'S COMING HOME-DEAN & BRITTA
BIRTHDAY BOY-CROCODILE
BLUE CHRISTMAS-CLARE & THE REASONS
FUNKY CHRISTMAS-SUGAR FREE ALL-STARS
TOY JACKPOT-BLACKALICIOUS
THE LITTLE DRUM MACHINE BOY-BECK
ELECTRONIC SANTA-BLAZER FORCE
CHRISTMAS IN HOLLIS-RUN-D.M.C.
THE FRIENDLY BEASTS-EUTOPIAN ACCIDENT
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN-COCTEAU TWINS
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH-SARA JACKSON-HOLMAN
THE FIRST NOEL-SASKATCHEWAN
THE BEATLES CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 1966-THE BEATLES
O HOLY NIGHT-PETER HOLSAPPLE
XMAS FEELING-DEPTH & CURRENT, FEAT. SKATING POLLY
TEENAGE CHRISTMAS-EUX AUTRES
FRUITCAKE-THE SUPERIONS
LINUS & LUCY-VINCE GUARALDI
CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN-TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
THE CHRISTMAS SONG-ALEX CHILTON
CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS-SLEEPY REBELS
TINY TREE CHRISTMAS-GUSTER
SLAY BELLES-STUDENT FILM
HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)-JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO
THANK GOD IT'S CHRISTMAS-QUEEN
SILVER BELLS-JOHNNY MATHIS
CHRISTMAS 2007-WEIRD FILES

Can't Sleep.

2011-02-10T00:49:00.002-06:00

I (David) can't sleep. I can't sleep because I'm dreaming too much. Not dreaming while asleep, mind you, but dreaming while I lay there, trying to get to sleep. Every thought is about something I'm doing, creating, working on, or something that I WANT to be doing, creating or working on. I lay with my head on the pillow, and my head is about to explode with thoughts about Dr. Pants, the music we're working on right now, the anxiety I have about whether we'll actually be able to get this gargantuan project done this year (4 EPs, and all the accompanying artwork, design, new website, mixing, mastering). I think about how I want us to do a short tour this year, at some point, somehow, some way (even if it's just two shows in Texas). I think about how all of it seems possible and yet not possible all at the same time. The songs, the music, whether new or old (I mean, it could be a song from the EP we're doing now, or one of the 3 that we plan on doing, or it could be a song from Gardening In a Tornado or Cusack-Loggins, or even Feezle Day or earlier) run through my head. I work on solos and try and make them better, hear notes and phrases that I want to play next time we perform the song, or when we record it.

I think about the Mixtape Jones Radio Show and how I long to grow its audience. I want to create a community of people nationwide who are listening to the show, commenting on the Facebook page, all talking about our favorite songs of the moment, of the year, of all time...

I long for a moment when things fall together and obstacles are removed, overcome, no longer a concern...my head spins as these thoughts and ideas and desires overtake me and eliminate any possibility of true rest until some of it, any of it, comes to fruition. It's as if my restless spirit has decided that it must be cured, or subdued by progress, by measurable steps taken if sleep is to return to my life.

This has been going on for days. Somehow I got to sleep last night between 2:30 and 3:00 am...I am hoping maybe, somehow, now that I've poured some of this out through the keyboard, that tonight I can make my head stop earlier.

I am grateful that the things that keep me up at night are about passion. They are about a true dedication to work that I love. Are there stresses in my life? Money worries, etc? Absolutely. But sleep has and does serve as an escape from those things. I said I have anxiety about whether I'll get this project done, and that's true, but I also have such hope that it feels a lot less like stress and more like anticipation.

Okay. Going back to give sleep another shot. I hope it only keeps my brain at bay temporarily, and that I have the same struggle all over again tomorrow night.

Thoughts on 2010, the "Renaissance Year"

2010-12-12T23:39:00.004-06:00

Maybe you saw it coming, ye few dedicated souls who actually read this blog on a regular basis, or read it back when I actually bothered to post things that weren't just playlists for the radio show. Maybe there were clues, like THIS or THIS, but I have to say I did not see it coming. When I say "it", I'm referring to the fairly massive musical renaissance that occurred in my life this year. I went from barely wanting to hear anything new, not caring about most things other people were excited about, having a bad attitude about just about every new sort of "indie darling" band that came out, to, as things stand now, feeling like I'm more likely than not to enjoy most things coming out that people are excited about.

How did this happen, you ask? I know that doing the radio show had a great deal to do with it. It's like if you suddenly got a job putting together floral arrangements but had disliked most new kinds of flowers you had encountered over the last five or six years. Things would change REALLY fast. I think you'd learn to love flowers again, and you'd have things that became your favorites, or that you found new, unexpected beauty in. I started looking for flowers to make my little two-hour "arrangements" out of, and lo and behold, I found some really great stuff.

I think I have also finally escaped the shadow of my career in corporate music retail. And (my apologies if anyone I used to work with in those stores takes this personally...it's just how I feel) I have finally realized how toxic working there was to my ability to truly enjoy music. I didn't spend much time during the day there listening to anything I really cared about or enjoyed that much, usually (especially if it was new music) because I didn't want to associate that music with work (I wrote a whole blog entry about records I feel I sacrificed to the work god, but I can't seem to find that entry right now). So I sat through a lot of things that were just mediocre...records that I didn't hate, but didn't like enough to want to own and enjoy on my own time. Then, by the time I got out of work, I wanted to hear something I loved and had some sort of attachment to so badly that I would just listen to a bunch of older music on my iPod that I had loved for years. This was not a path to continued musical growth. And even though, in September of 2008, I officially quit my full-time management job in corporate music/movie retail, I was part-timing it at one of my old stores off and on for another year and a half-ish after that. I finally cut that tie for good in February of this year, and it has made a huge difference.

I also feel as though I'm finally starting to get some sort of grasp on how to organize my collection in iTunes, or am becoming more comfortable with the iTunes interface, feeling less irritated with it, etc. I still feel as though there's a better way to do it that I have yet to find, but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I also (very bravely, I think) deleted a whole bunch of older, more familiar music from my iPod last week, and dumped a ton of newer records (or newer records to me) on to it. Shuffle brings up a whole ton of stuff that is new and exciting now. It's fantastic.

So, there it is. A progress report on some of the issues I've discussed in this blog in the last couple of years. Hope that similar, awesome things are happening in your musical life...comment and share. More soon. This year I'm going to post a best records of the year entry, and then y'all can fight it out in the comments section.

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show Year-End Mixtape, 2010

2010-12-11T10:27:00.004-06:00

Alright, kids. We made it! We made it to the end of this crazy year. I have a lot to say about the songs on this mixtape, so here goes...

SIDE 1:
HIDE IT AWAY-RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR
I started this year in an absolute musical drought. I was really feeling pretty awful about the fact that I hadn't really gotten excited about anything new in quite some time, and also that the new things I was hearing weren't exciting me at all. I started downloading free MP3s from places like Stereogum and Magnet, and this song was among the first ones I heard that actually gave me hope. It wasn't that it was really all that better than most of the other things I was hearing, rather I think it just hit me the right way. An appropriate start to the mixtape, then. The beginning of my own renaissance, right here.

DANCE YRSELF CLEAN-LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
Oh my goodness, where has this track been all my life? I love the low key intro that gives way to the full on danceathon...plus the lyrics are fantastic. I think LCD Soundsystem are quite emblematic of the way my ears have opened this year...I had previously dismissed James Murphy et al as uninteresting, simply because they weren't my usual electronic bag (Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, etc.). This record brings me to a warm, fuzzy place.

JERICHO-K.C. CLIFFORD
One of the best records of the year that you probably haven't heard. Am I biased? Maybe, but I think Mike Canter's review will tell you everything you need to know. Plus, being that I tour full time performing with K.C., this song (and all the others on "Orchid") was a very big part of my 2010.

COME ON BABY GRACE-BOSTON SPACESHIPS
Robert Pollard has released a lot of music in the last couple of years, but there are always some absolute diamonds in the pile if you're willing to dig for them. This one sticks out like a sore thumb...just one of the best damn rock songs released all year long. Exquisite.

ROCOCO-THE ARCADE FIRE
In a year full of surprises, this was one of the biggest ones for me personally. I did not expect to have an entire, self-contained mini-renaissance with the Arcade Fire. If any one band was emblematic of the coarseness I had developed with regard to the indie rock scene and its sacred cows, it was the Arcade Fire. I didn't think they were awful. I was just utterly convinced they were not anywhere NEAR as good as everyone thought they were. And then, thanks to an Amazon Daily Deal, I downloaded this album and, most unexpectedly, fell in love. Thanks, Arcade Fire.

I'M COMING THROUGH-CRAIG BETHELL
I have to thank my friend Brian Williams for this one. Back in January, K.C. and I were on tour on the east coast and drove through Richmond, VA, where Brian lives with his wife Jennifer. He gave me a mixtape (or CD, rather) to listen to in the car on the drive the next day, and this was on it. I was lukewarm at first, but got to the point where this has become one of my favorite tracks of the year (even though I believe it technically came out in 2009). I love the end where it trails off into a sort of "dialogue & piano duet"...

CANDLE IN THE WILLOW TREE-ROUND MOUNTAIN
This wasn't released in 2010, either, but I didn't hear it until this year. Robby & Char Rothschild, who comprise Round Mountain, are old friends of mine from college. Serendipitously, we all ended up at the Folk Alliance conference together in February, and I got to hear them perform for the first time in a dozen plus years. This is from their 2007 album "Truth & Darkness." It would be the first of several moments this year where I came back in touch with people from my past who are making amazing music...

SAY YES-SHADOW SHADOW SHADE
Okay, so this is one of a few instances on this mixtape where I'm totally in love with the song, but I have yet to purchase the full album. I plan to, once my Emusic rolls over next month! This song is so happy, it just kills me. Such a great single. Reminds me of the glory days of 120 Minutes on MTV...something I would have heard there. Innocence reclaimed! Fantastic.

MECHANICS & MATHEMATICS-VENUS HUM
I've been a Venus Hum fan from the beginning, and have the privilege of being friends with one of the members. Their new album came out in 2009, but I didn't manage to get my hands on it until this year. So glad I did. I think this song is incredible, and incredibly easy to relate to...

NATALIE (THE MICHAEL)-THE FIBS
Another track that wasn't released this year, but that I really only discovered this year. The Fibs toil in obscurity in Philadelphia, but have managed to put together some really great songs. Their future is in question at this point, but maybe if you all go crash their MySpace page they'll pull it together and make some more music.

NEW WAY BACK-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
What can I say about GCR that I haven't already said? Miraculously awesome fusion of country, new wave pop and a whole bunch of other things. Great record. Mind-blowing live performance. Great people. Go go go go get this record now. This was step one in becoming totally, completely enthralled with the local music scene in Oklahoma this year.

BEGINNING OF THE HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T-PETER GORDON & LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA
This technically didn't come out in 2010, either, but was reissued this year. I could have just as easily included the 2010 redux of this track ("Another Heartbreak/Don't Don't (Redux)"), but it was about three minutes longer and I was already cramped for space! Peter was a teacher of mine in college, in addition to being a fantastic composer with lots of amazing music to his credit. I couldn't be prouder to say that. James Murphy and DFA records put out a great compilation of his late 70's dance oriented material this year. Go get it.

SIDE 2:
COME ALIVE (WAR OF THE ROSES)-JANELLE MONAE
Sheesh. This woman is amazing. The single most interesting female african-american artist of the last twenty years, at least. Some of you will shout heresy, I'm sure, but this record helped me come back to R&B and related music this year. I had been in a serious rock rut for a long time. Thank you, Janelle Monae. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

LOOKING FOR A DIAMOND-JARED LEKITES
This young Oklahoma gentleman also took me by surprise this year. In case you didn't catch my interview with him a couple of weeks ago, you can hear it again on the Mixtape Jones Radio Show on 12/28 and 1/2. His EP is an incredible, beautiful Brian Wilson-esque burst of creativity. Go get it.

DAGGERS-THE QUICK & EASY BOYS
These guys are a lot of fun. I love the way this song slowly builds to its climax. Big thumbs up.

SONGBIRD-K.C. CLIFFORD
Again, one of the best records of the year that you haven't heard. I put this song on here as well because, when K.C. and I are playing shows together, I sit out on this song, and I sit and watch/listen to her sing it from just a few feet away. It's the best part of the whole night for me. This song is so amazingly beautiful and poignant. One of my favorite songs in the world right now.

POCKETS-MON MONARCH
I was a Chuck E. Costa fan before he put together this group, and made an amazing new record with them. But I'm even more of a fan now. Most of the record isn't this poppy, but I couldn't resist this song and it's charms.

NOW THAT I'M OLDER-SUFJAN STEVENS
Another one of the biggest surprises of the year was Sufjan's amazing, dense, electronically infused album, "The Age of Adz." This isn't one of the more glitchy songs on the record by any means, but I felt like it fit in best with my mixtape, and with the mood of the year in some ways.

SAVE $-SHORTWAVE SUNSHINE
Gabriel Hays, of Shortwave Sunshine, is another guy I went to college with. It was truly a delight to me to see/hear that he had crafted such a fantastic record this year. Everything on this record has such taste...it's finely crafted at every turn. Highly recommended.

HOW I GOT OVER-THE ROOTS
The Roots finally released an album this year that I think all their fans can agree is really great. So many great tracks to choose from, but I went with this one because it will get stuck in your head for days.

SCISSOR RUNNER-JENNY & JOHNNY
I still don't have this whole record, either...again, Emusic...but this track refuses to wear out. Catchy, brilliant, clean, delightful duet vocals. Good on ya, Jenny & Johnny.

ONLY EXISTING FOOTAGE-THE EXTRA LENS
This is the only track on this mixtape that I feel like I could possibly regret later on...not because I don't think it's good, but I feel like I could potentially feel later that it wasn't a year-defining track for me. It's such an interesting song, though, because it pulls together a few disparate worlds for me. I spend so much time on the folk circuit in my work life, and I hear a lot of singers that sound like this, but the production arrangement is very indie rock...again, I feel like it's the type of record more people in the folk world should be making. Take risks, people!

BJO, PT. 2-WEIRD FILES.
Yes, this is me. My alter ego outside of Dr. Pants. Dr. Pants didn't release any new music this year (we're saving all that for 2011), but I did manage to squeeze out this bizarre little EP. Go buy it HERE.

SUPERFAST JELLYFISH-GORILLAZ
Oh Gorillaz, entertaining to the last. This song will remind me of being on the road this year...rocked in the car a whole bunch of times.

RUNAWAY-KANYE WEST
Holy crap. This the last of the "unexpected musical miracle" tracks...after "808s & Heartbreak" I wasn't expecting much from Kanye West. And then, lo and behold, he releases one of the best albums of the year. This album (and this song) is SO dark...it's a harrowing listening experience, at least for me, but it's cathartic on some level, and the music/production is so impressive. This song, in particular, is just so gorgeous. And a 4 minute, auto-tuned, wordless vocal outro???? I can scarcely think of another move as ballsy in recent memory that turns out as well. Bravo, Kanye, you social disaster.

AND THIS IS WHAT WE CALL PROGRESS-THE BESNARD LAKES
Next to "Orchid", this might be my favorite album of the year. The gentlemen on Sound Opinions refer to it as an album where "Brian Wilson meets My Bloody Valentine", and they couldn't be more right. It is as gorgeous as the Beach Boys, with a noise factor that is quite simply delicious. Put it on, lay back, relax, drift...

SICKIE BOY-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3
And then, one of my favorite artists in the world puts out a fantastic record, too. The third in a line of records with the Venus 3, Robyn is on a roll. This is one of the most fun tracks he's put out in a while, as well. This song, just like so many of the songs here, will always remind me of this year, and all the good things that came with it. Thanks, Robyn.

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 12/7/10

2010-12-08T10:00:00.001-06:00

GOLDEN BOY-PRIMUS
RED-KING CRIMSON
LEARN THE LANGUAGE-MR. DREAM
I CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON IT-WEEN
YOU'RE SO GREAT-BLUR
PARKING LOT BLUES (LIVE)-SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME
GOOD OLD GIRL-MARIAN CALL
MOTHER OF GOD-PATTY GRIFFIN
USED TO BE-VIOLENT FEMMES
THE WORLD AIN'T SLOWIN' DOWN-ELLIS PAUL
HEARTBREAKER-GIRLS
WHY-UNMARKED CARS
WHAT WE KNOW-SONIC YOUTH
PRETTY BUSY-REGAL DEGAL
LOS ANGELES-PHOSPHORESCENT
PARIS-LAURA MARIE
CATERWAUL-RYAN ADAMS
THE DRINKING SONG-MOXY FRUVOUS
NO SCRUBS-AVI WISNIA
A LITTLE COMMUNION-TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND
NARROW WITH THE HALL-WOMEN
NEVER COME AROUND-LA SERA
SWEETNESS AND LIGHT-LUSH
SECRETS-HIGHLIGHTS
WATER-EGGSTONE
SURFIN' COW-THE DEAD MILKMEN
ROSE GOES TO YALE-JEFFERSON STARSHIP

Much more soon, kids. :)

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 11/30/10

2010-12-01T22:08:00.005-06:00

This show will re-air Sunday, 12/5 at 5pm Central.

STOP ME IF YOU THINK YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE-THE SMITHS
1901-PHOENIX
THE BACK OF MY EYES-PORCELAIN RAFT
ROPE AN SUMMIT-JUNIP
VTA-OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ & JOHN FRUSCIANTE
THE THING WITH FEATHERS-MAURA KENNEDY
RAT TRAP-ONE HUNDRED FLOWERS
OCEAN MAN-WEEN
LIZARD-THE MOPEDS
REVISIONIST HISTORY-PURPLE CHURCH
HORSES-BRAD YODER
GIVING UP THE GHOST-HOW GERMAN IT IS
SIFL & OLLY LULLABY-SIFL & OLLY
APPLY-GLASSER
INSECTS-WOODSMAN
STATUE WITH A WALKMAN (LIVE)-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
I'M TELLIN' YOU-TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND
MANY WORLDS-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
DAYS I HAD WITH YOU-KINGS OF CONVENIENCE
DESTINY-KATHRYN HALLBERG
AGAVE-BOTANY
GLITTER FREEZE-GORILLAZ
HOW I GOT OVER-THE ROOTS
HALO BENDER-THE HALO BENDERS
LONDON LOVES-BLUR
THE LATE GREATS-WILCO

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 11/23/10

2010-12-01T22:08:00.001-06:00

ALMOST READY-DINOSAUR JR.
GLITTER-NO AGE
JIMMY-ROBERT POLLARD
NEW YEAR-AVI WISNIA
HEDONIST-SHARON LANG
ANOTHER DAY AGAIN-THE SADIES
300 CLOUDS-NIGHTLANDS
ROLL PLYMOUTH ROCK-BRIAN WILSON
BRYAN SOMETIMES-VENUS HUM
SHE WAS A HOTEL DETECTIVE-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
IF IT'S ALL IN MY HEAD-ALSTON DAVID
HALLOWED GROUND-VIOLENT FEMMES
YOUR POWERS ARE MAGIC-APACHE BEAT
TWENTY MILES-DEER TICK
NEW WAY TO LIVE-MAURA KENNEDY
SCISSOR RUNNER-JENNY AND JOHNNY
BABY LEE-TEENAGE FANCLUB
UNREQUITED LOVE SONG-JARED LEKITES
BETTER-TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND
SINGING GRASS-WOVENHAND
SOUTHERN ACCENTS-JOHNNY CASH
HANDLE WITH CARE-SWEET LIGHTS
WHEN YOU WERE MINE-PRINCE
MANY MOONS-JANELLE MONAE
OODLES OF O'S-DE LA SOUL
PAPER PLANES-M.I.A.
YOU KNOW MY NAME (LOOK UP THE NUMBER)-THE BEATLES

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 11/16/10

2010-11-17T14:29:00.000-06:00

PETER PIPER-RUN-D.M.C.
KNOW YOUR CHICKEN-CIBO MATTO
THEME FROM END GAMES-SCHIZOID CLUB
THROW YOUR FOOT-THE CURE
I'M AWARE-CLINIC
MIDLIFE CRISIS-FAITH NO MORE
LOOKING FOR LORELEI-WORLD RACKETEERING SQUAD
(I CAN'T GET NO) SATISFACTION-DEVO
DON'T WANT ANYBODY-JULIUS C
SUPERHUMANS-THE FLAMING LIPS
THE ROMAN SUN-BROTHERS YOUNG
FLOURESCENT LIGHTS-DANIEL WALCHER
HEAVY METAL LOVER-VINCENT MINOR
HILLBILLY DRUMMER GIRL-MONO PUFF
DECEMBER-CRAIG BETHELL
IT'S ALRIGHT MA (I'M ONLY BLEEDING)-BOB DYLAN
BOUND TO LOVE-JESS KLEIN
THAT'S THE WAY-LED ZEPPELIN
BATTLE OF BLAIR MOUNTAIN-LOUISE MOSRIE
CINDY'S THE HOSTESS-SIFL & OLLY
ROLLO-FRANK ZAPPA
CAMP O PHYSIQUE-CHEER-ACCIDENT
KING QUEEN-THE NELS CLINE SINGERS
PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY-SONIC YOUTH
HIP HUG-HER-BOOKER T. & THE MG'S
PARACHUTE PANTS-SUGAR FREE ALL-STARS
THE SAINT OF COBB COUNTY-ANDREW DELANEY
VIET NAM-MINUTEMEN
MILLEMILLENARY-COCTEAU TWINS

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 11/9/10

2010-11-10T08:12:00.001-06:00

TEEN AGE RIOT-SONIC YOUTH
JANIE JONES-THE CLASH
LITTLE BROWN HAIRED GIRLS-FRANKIE ROSE & THE OUTS
BEWILDERBEAST-BADLY DRAWN BOY
MY HEART IS A DRUMMER-ALLO DARLIN'
RENO DAKOTA-MAGNETIC FIELDS
VERA FLEW THE COOP-MARIAN CALL
SUGAR SHACK-PHISH
DAGGERS-THE QUICK & EASY BOYS
FARMVILLE DREAM/THE GIRLS WILL ROCK-DR. PANTS
WE DANCE-PAVEMENT
MERLE HAGGARD T-SHIRT-BUFFALOFITZ
ENDLESS EYES-ALAIN JOHANNES
WHERE THE HELL IS BILL?-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
I AND LOVE AND YOU-THE AVETT BROTHERS
HOEING WEEDS SOWING SEEDS-THE RUSSIAN FUTURISTS
GIRLS & BOYS-BLUR
EXTENDED NICETIES-PETER GORDON & LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA
BABY SNAKES-FRANK ZAPPA
SAVE $-SHORTWAVE SUNSHINE
YOUR FAVORITE THING-SUGAR
FINAL SONG-13 ORIGINAL COLONIES
DAYDREAMING-DARK DARK DARK
HOPE UNDER FIRE-K.C. CLIFFORD
BACK OF MY MIND-THE AUTUMN DEFENSE
CARRY THE ZERO-BUILT TO SPILL
I AM GOOD FORTUNE-MON MONARCH
VERIDIS QUO-DAFT PUNK

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 11/2/10

2010-11-04T03:26:00.001-05:00

SPEED OF LIFE-DAVID BOWIE
INCURABLE-PIANO MAGIC
VESUVIUS-SUFJAN STEVENS
WYNONA'S BIG BROWN BEAVER-PRIMUS
INSTRUMENTAL-DOUG MARTSCH
STUART-THE DEAD MILKMEN
WHEN THE TIME COMES-JESS KLEIN
I CAN TOO-CHRISTINA MARTIN
HUMID AIR-THE MOANERS
FIVE-O-JAMES
BIZARRE LOVE TRIANGLE-NEW ORDER
LOVE LIKE GHOSTS-DIVE INDEX
I FOUND LOVE-SHIT ROBOT
BACH IS DEAD-THE RESIDENTS
ABANDONED BRIDGES-OWEN
RAILWAY SHOES-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
BALLAD OF A THIN MAN-BOB DYLAN
IF YOU WANT IT-ANTHONY DA COSTA
L'ORAGE-ROUND MOUNTAIN
SAD GIRL-MOXY FRUVOUS
LICENSES TO HIDE-THE POSIES
SIREN-REBECCA LOEBE
BLACK & WHITE-THE DB'S
TROUBLE STARING AT THE SUN-THE FIBS
BAD REPUTATION-JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS
MERCENARY-AMAZING LARRY
PRECIOUS STONE-PETE YORN
CLASSIC GIRL-JANE'S ADDICTION

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 10/26/10

2010-10-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

BEETLEBUM-BLUR
JOINING A FAN CLUB-JELLYFISH
POGO-ETERNAL SUMMERS
REVIVAL-DEERHUNTER
I'M COMING THROUGH-CRAIG BETHELL
OUR BREADTH IS WIDER THAN OUR BERTH-EUTOPIAN ACCIDENT
THE COLOR THAT YOUR EYES CHANGED WITH THE COLOR OF YOUR HAIR-CARISSA'S WIERD
BOYSGIRLS-THE BLUE HIT
NASHVILLE-LIZ PHAIR
TRANSPARENCY IS THE NEW MYSTERY-MARNIE STERN
0-OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ & JOHN FRUSCIANTE
WOKE UP THIS MORNING WITH MY MIND ON JESUS-DOUG MARTSCH
ONLY EXISTING FOOTAGE-THE EXTRA LENS
NON-PHOTO BLUE-PINBACK
LOOKING FOR A DIAMOND-JARED LEKITES
SWEET-LOVIN' MAN-MAGNETIC FIELDS
SAY YES-SHADOW SHADOW SHADE
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE-THE ERICKSONS
THE GLASS HARP-SILJE NES
NICK DRAKE-JENEE HALSTEAD
STYLO-GORILLAZ
SUZERAIN (A LETTER TO THE JUDGE)-NIGHTLANDS
GO DANCING-EUX AUTRES
JANE OF THE WAKING UNIVERSE-GUIDED BY VOICES
CLOUDS-THIRTEEN ORIGINAL COLONIES
THE TURNPIKE DOWN-THE LEMONHEADS
OKIE DOKIE-DAN DEACON
THE CRIMES-WEIRD FILES
FAT LENNY-WEEN
FREE FOUR-PINK FLOYD

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 10/19/10

2010-10-24T21:06:00.003-05:00

THE SEEKER-THE WHO
WHAT EVER HAPPENED?-THE STROKES
THE BALLAD OF IAN CURTIS-LUKE DOUCET
THE AGE OF ADZ-SUFJAN STEVENS
BANANA-THE NELORIES
SLEEPWALKERS-THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS
LITTLE RED WAGON-CHRIS O'BRIEN
THE WRONG IDEA-CHRIS THILE
HALO MARY-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
BE MINE-R.E.M.
CORNBREAD-SUGAR FREE ALL-STARS
2-1-75-POWERHOUSE SOUND
ARMED RESPONSE-TRANS AM
LOSER = WEED-THE RESIDENTS
CAROL THAT I KNOW-THE HUMAN STATUES
THE SEASON-MATT COSTA
WIZARD-SIFL & OLLY
THE OTHER ONES-THE HUSH NOW
ELECTRIC CAR BALLET-JARED LEKITES
THE ROMAN SUN-BROTHERS YOUNG
WATCH YOUR STEP-ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS
GIRL WITH A GUN-ANDREW DELANEY
UNDERTOW (EDIT)-WARPAINT
BEGINNING OF THE HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T-PETER GORDON & LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA
INCURABLE-PIANO MAGIC
TRUE FAITH '94-NEW ORDER
STORY OF OUR OWN-K.C. CLIFFORD

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 10/12/10

2010-10-24T20:52:00.002-05:00

AMERICAN MUSIC-VIOLENT FEMMES
I'M FREE NOW-MORPHINE
IN THE BLACK-MARIAN CALL
HARD HAND TO HOLD-WILLY MASON
MISSISSIPPI-DAVE BECK
ELECTRIC MUSIC & THE SUMMER PEOPLE-BECK
LOW SELF-OPINION-ROLLINS BAND
TUNED MASS DAMPER-EL-P
MOON DELUXE-ANDREW CEDERMARK
TEARS ARE COOL-TEENAGE FANCLUB
PARIS-LAURA MARIE
MAGIC-BEN FOLDS FIVE
SCREENWRITER'S BLUES-SOUL COUGHING
BEWARE OF DARKNESS-GEORGE HARRISON
RED LIGHT RABBIT-THE QUICK & EASY BOYS
LOVE IS A DANGEROUS THING (LIVE)-TOMMY KEENE
FRI/END-THURSTON MOORE
HEY ABE LINCOLN-DR. PANTS
A GOOD JOB IS HARD TO FIND-THE FIBS
I FEEL FINITE-DIOS
EVIL WILL PREVAIL-THE FLAMING LIPS
JIG-SAW PUZZLE-THE WHO
WHEREVER YOU FIND IT-TREY ANASTASIO
I FOUND YOU-KIRSTEN JONES
RUN FROM THE GUN-DEAD CONFEDERATE
ALBERTO BALSALM-APHEX TWIN
CRY TO ME-SOLOMON BURKE
"IN CONCLUSION"-FRANK ZAPPA

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 10/5/10

2010-10-10T23:16:00.002-05:00

Catching up, catching up...

THE GOOD LIFE-WEEZER
ALL AT ONCE (IT'S NOT IMPORTANT)-THE SECRET MACHINES
THE BREAKDOWN-SHORTWAVE SUNSHINE
WALK ALONE-THE ROOTS
WEISSENSEE-NEU!
SINISTER LOVE-VIERNES
THE DEVIL'S COACHMAN-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
PARASITE-NICK DRAKE
WILLIAM & SWEET MARY-ANDREW DELANEY
COLD WATER-TOM WAITS
SURVIVING A METHODOLOGY-CHEER-ACCIDENT
LEVEL FIVE-KING CRIMSON
ON WE MARCH-TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS
BJO, PT. 2-WEIRD FILES
PT. 1-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
TOO MANY PEOPLE-PAUL & LINDA MCCARTNEY
I'LL STILL BE A GEEK AFTER NOBODY THINKS IT'S CHIC (THE NERD ANTHEM)-MARIAN CALL
DRIFTING, FALLING-THE OCEAN BLUE
COME ON BABY GRACE-BOSTON SPACESHIPS
TAKE YOUR MEDICINE-THE QUICK & EASY BOYS
CLOSED SESSION-INFECTIOUS GROOVES
BURY ME WITH IT-MODEST MOUSE
LA CIENEGA JUST SMILED-RYAN ADAMS
POCKETS-MON MONARCH
IAGO'S ESCAPE-PETER GORDON
OH THREE OH EIGHT MINIPOP-ESTHING
FLUFFY-WEEN

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 9/28/10

2010-10-10T23:08:00.003-05:00

So I got behind again. My apologies.

SUNKEN TREASURE-WILCO
A MOMENTARY THING-JAIME MICHAELS
RESTORATION-THE ACORN
NESBITT'S LIME SODA SONG-NEGATIVLAND
ELECTRICIAN'S DAY-LIAM LYNCH
PACHUCO CADAVER-CAPTAIN BEEFHEART
MONTANA-JOHN LINNELL
OVER-NEW COLLISIONS
ECHOS MYRON-GUIDED BY VOICES
VIOLA-ARLAN FEILES
LITTLE BURST OF SUNSHINE-THE CAPSTAN SHAFTS
RUTABAGAS-MOJO NIXON & SKID ROPER
WALLS (CIRCUS)-TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
WE ARE NOT ALONE-FRANK ZAPPA
CROPPED-NELS CLINE TRIO
JUST LIKE HONEY-THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
LOVE DON'T NEED A REASON-THE BLACK
ANSWERS-MON MONARCH
LIFE AND HOW TO LIVE IT-R.E.M.
UNSUPERVISED, I HIT MY HEAD-MONO PUFF
SOMEONE TO BE LONELY WITH-BRAD YODER
IF YOU GO AWAY-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
POTENTIAL GOVANER-SQUAREPUSHER
MY CHARIOT-THE DEPRECIATION GUILD
VOICES INSIDE MY HEAD-THE POLICE
BRAVE MAN'S DEATH-J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS
THE NAZARENE-JOE CROOKSTON
SPRAWL II-THE ARCADE FIRE
JERICHO-K.C. CLIFFORD
DESPERADOES UNDER THE EAVES-WARREN ZEVON

Top Songs of All Time??

2010-09-22T17:03:00.003-05:00

(So, when you click on that title it takes you to a clip of High Fidelity. I tried to find the clip of when the journalist asks Rob on the phone what is top records are, but had to settle for the "side ones, track ones" discussion.)

So, a friend on Twitter today asked me what my top 10 songs of all time would be. And the truth is I don't really know. I think they'd be different tomorrow than today, and today they're probably different than yesterday. It depends on mood...and a whole crapload of other factors. What I also know is that I'm in a real state of flux in terms of listening and appreciation and all that right now (and have been for...a couple of years now), and that my favorite records are changing, or being added to...I am allowing for the possibility that new, wonderful things are out there waiting to be discovered, not only in the record store but in my own collection.

Having unloaded so many CDs in the last year or two has really allowed me to see the records I still have that deserve more attention. I am a hell of a lot prouder to show off my collection now than I ever have been, because I know that the stuff I have is worth owning. It has passed through some pretty rigorous sifting over the last 3-4 years. So I'm really looking forward to putting together a new list of top 100 songs some time soon. In the meantime, here's a list I made in 2008. It has issues, I know, but it should be posted here so that we can all compare when I make a new one:

A NOT EVEN REMOTELY DEFINITIVE, KIND OF JUST HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW (CIRCA 2008) LIST OF MY TOP 100 FAVORITE JAMS OF ALL TIME.

1. SOMETHING-THE BEATLES
2. WATERMELON IN EASTER HAY-FRANK ZAPPA
3. I SAW HER STANDING THERE-THE BEATLES
4. PURPLE TOUPEE-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
5. TEN YEARS GONE-LED ZEPPELIN
6. NOWHERE MAN-THE BEATLES
7. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE-THE POLICE
8. IT’S TRICKY-RUN-D.M.C.
9. BLISS/BILLY BREATHES-PHISH
10. FIND THE RIVER-R.E.M.
11. BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
12. THE OCEAN-LED ZEPPELIN
13. IN MY LIFE-THE BEATLES
14. ONE LONG PAIR OF EYES-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
15. OH! DARLING-THE BEATLES
16. NOT THE SAME-BEN FOLDS
17. GOLDEN SLUMBERS/CARRY THAT WEIGHT/THE END-THE BEATLES
18. TAKE THE SKINHEADS BOWLING-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
19. THE DRINKING SONG-MOXY FRUVOUS
20. BREAK MY STRIDE-MATTHEW WILDER
21. BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF-BEN FOLDS FIVE
22. I FOUGHT THE LAW-THE CLASH
23. SUPERMAN-R.E.M.
24. SO WHAT’CHA WANT-BEASTIE BOYS
25. VIBRATING-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
26. INCA ROADS-FRANK ZAPPA
27. BOOK OF LOVE-MAGNETIC FIELDS
28. REBA-PHISH
29. A MILLION TEARS-K.C. CLIFFORD
30. FAKE PLASTIC TREES-RADIOHEAD
31. DEATH OR GLORY-THE CLASH
32. THE LUCKIEST-BEN FOLDS
33. JIG-SAW PUZZLE-THE ROLLING STONES
34. ALBERTO BALSALM-APHEX TWIN
35. ME MYSELF & I-DE LA SOUL
36. SO CRUEL-U2
37. EVAPORATED-BEN FOLDS FIVE
38. ACCIDENTALLY LIKE A MARTYR-WARREN ZEVON
39. MOTHER OF GOD-PATTY GRIFFIN
40. ORANGE CRUSH-R.E.M.
41. IMAGINE-JOHN LENNON
42. VISIONS OF JOHANNA-BOB DYLAN
43. THE WISH SONG-K.C. CLIFFORD
44. THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK-SIMON & GARFUNKEL
45. RAIN-THE BEATLES
46. THE END OF THE TOUR-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
47. IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (AND I FEEL FINE)-R.E.M.
48. BRAIN DAMAGE/ECLIPSE-PINK FLOYD
49. WALLS (CIRCUS)-TOM PETTY
50. CHALK DUST TORTURE-PHISH
51. SIR DUKE-STEVIE WONDER
52. PEACHES EN REGALIA-FRANK ZAPPA
53. NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MINE-LED ZEPPELIN
54. GLASS-ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS
55. SWEETHEARTS-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
56. I AM A TREE-GUIDED BY VOICES
57. FORGIVENESS-PATTY GRIFFIN
58. MR. BROWNSTONE-GUNS N’ ROSES
59. STRAIGHT TO HELL-THE CLASH
60. SEARCHING FOR ANNIE-K.C. CLIFFORD
61. SHE SAID SHE SAID-THE BEATLES
62. THE BALLAD OF DOROTHY PARKER-PRINCE
63. SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT-ELTON JOHN
64. GOD ONLY KNOWS-THE BEACH BOYS
65. HEY NONNY NONNY-VIOLENT FEMMES
66. THE FRENCH INHALER (LIVE VERSION)-WARREN ZEVON
67. SHE’S AN ANGEL-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
68. LEAVE-R.E.M.
69. SUCK MY KISS-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
70. REGYPTIAN STRUT-FRANK ZAPPA
71. THE ENEMY-GUIDED BY VOICES
72. WHY DON’T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD?-THE BEATLES
73. WHITE KNUCKLES-ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS
74. PURPLE RAIN-PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION
75. (WHITE MAN) IN HAMMERSMITH PALAIS-THE CLASH
76. BABA O’RILEY-THE WHO
77. AMERICA-SIMON & GARFUNKEL
78. LINCTUS HOUSE-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
79. BLESSED RELIEF-FRANK ZAPPA
80. GOODBYE YELLOWBRICK ROAD-ELTON JOHN
81. A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN-DAVID BOWIE
82. ALL THINGS MUST PASS-GEORGE HARRISON
83. IF I WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND-PRINCE
84. TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP-THE ROMANTICS
85. FAITHFULLY-JOURNEY
86. POSSE’ ON BROADWAY-SIR MIX-A-LOT
87. UNDER PRESSURE-QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE
88. THREE DAYS-JANE’S ADDICTION
89. FISH HEADS-BARNES & BARNES
90. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME GET WHAT I WANT-THE SMITHS
91. SIGN O’ THE TIMES-PRINCE
92. WAKE UP TIME-TOM PETTY
93. DINOSAUR-KING CRIMSON
94. CHARMING-JONATHA BROOKE & THE STORY
95. THIS ONE-PAUL MCCARTNEY
96. SMOKIN’ BANANA PEELS-THE DEAD MILKMEN
97. (REACH OUT) I’LL BE THERE-THE FOUR TOPS
98. WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME-U2
99. PORK ROLL EGG & CHEESE-WEEN
100. SKATING AWAY ON THE THIN ICE OF THE NEW DAY-JETHRO TULL

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 9/21/10

2010-09-22T11:05:00.002-05:00

Here's the playlist from last night's show. Featured an interview segment in the second half w/ Daniel Walcher, hence 3 of his songs in a row. :) Tune in this Sunday, 9/26, at 5pm if you missed it.

SON OF A GUN-NIRVANA
DIGGING FOR SOMETHING-SUPERCHUNK
SAFE EUROPEAN HOME-THE CLASH
HILLSIDE-ARNOLD
I CAN SEE THE PINES ARE DANCING-AA BONDY
MR. WRONG-CRACKER
THE BREAKERS (A FLOOD)-SHORTWAVE SUNSHINE
ISOLATION-JOHN LENNON
FROZEN ZOO-TERA MELOS
COME ON BABY GRACE-BOSTON SPACESHIPS
HORSES-BRAD YODER
SCISSOR RUNNER-JENNY & JOHNNY
MIRROR, MIRROR-UNICYCLE LOVES YOU
WILD SEX (IN THE WORKING CLASS)-OINGO BOINGO
DR. D-THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES
FLUORESCENT LIGHTS-DANIEL WALCHER
OLD MAN AT THE BAR-DANIEL WALCHER
WE KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING-DANIEL WALCHER
PUT THE MESSAGE IN THE BOX-WORLD PARTY
HOME-MEG HUTCHINSON
NOT THE SAME-BEN FOLDS
VILLA ROSIE-BLUR
HAPPINESS BURNS-TWO HOURS TRAFFIC
THE LOVE I'M SEARCHING FOR-THE RENTALS
VINCE LOMBARDI SERVICE CENTER-THE DEAD MILKMEN

Tune in next week for another two hours of awesome.

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 9/14/10

2010-09-15T14:05:00.002-05:00

So, I hope everyone stuck it out for at least part of the marathon last night. If you want to see the playlist for the WHOLE marathon, go HERE.

Oh, and good news: SOON, all my posts here will also now be syndicated on doctorpants.com. I'll post the link to that when I have it. Now to business:

THE MESOPOTAMIANS-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
HARDEST GEOMETRY PROBLEM IN THE WORLD-MARK MOTHERSBAUGH
THE AGE OF CALYPSO-GROCERIES
YYZ-RUSH
DIGITAL-JOY DIVISION
HIDE IT AWAY-RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR
3 LICKS-THE GROWN UPS
AT THE DRAWING BOARD-CHUCK E. COSTA
SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS-RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON
MADELINE EVERY GIRL-CAMERON MCGILL & WHAT ARMY
LITTLE UMBRELLAS-FRANK ZAPPA
KNOW YOUR CHICKEN-CIBO MATTO
UPULAR-POGO
MORNING CORNERS-MOBILE WASH UNIT
HOLD ON TO ME-COWBOY JUNKIES
ATTA GIRL-K.C. CLIFFORD
GREEN AGAIN-J. WAGNER
PUSH-THE CURE
RASPBERRY BERET-HINDU LOVE GODS
IT ALL DEPENDS-DR. PANTS
TRANSATLANTICISM-DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
GLASS-KING MISSILE
SHUT EM DOWN-PUBLIC ENEMY
THE DRUM EZRA POUNDS-EUTOPIAN ACCIDENT
SPINETTE-ARP & ANTHONY MOORE
U.S. MUSTARD COMPANY-ROBERT POLLARD
CROOKED-JAIME MICHAELS
DUKE OF EARL-FRANK BLACK
PLAISTOW FLEX OUT-SQUAREPUSHER

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 9/7/10

2010-09-12T14:13:00.001-05:00

THE EVIL CHILDREN-KING MISSILE
VIRGINIA REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN-HALO BENDERS
MOUTH TO MOUTH-FAITH NO MORE
FIVE LITTLE ROOMS-MENOMENA
BLESS THIS MESS-DAVID BAZAN
GOOD TO GET OUT-DEVON SPROULE
I HEART CALIFORNIA-ADMIRAL RADLEY
HONEYCHAIN-THROWING MUSES
(HAVE A HEART, BETTY) I'M NOT FIREPROOF-THE SOFT BOYS
THE STALLION PT. 5-WEEN
FRIDAY NIGHT, SATURDAY MORNING-THE SPECIALS
NATALIE (THE MICHAEL)-THE FIBS
HARD YEAR-STEVEN BACON
BELLY OF JUNE-HORSE FEATHERS
JESUS-THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
SWEETHEARTS-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
PARACHUTE PANTS-SUGAR FREE ALLSTARS
F.U.N.K.-PRINCE
BEATS TO THE RHYME-RUN-D.M.C.
WHERE IS MY MIND?-THE PIXIES
COUNTRY WIND-THE SHAMBLERS
FALL TOGETHER-WEEZER
CITY WITH NO CHILDREN-THE ARCADE FIRE
GO OUTSIDE-CULTS
BOYS CLIMBING SKULL-TEXTILE RANCH
AQUAMAN-GRANDPA GRIFFITH

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 8/31/10

2010-09-06T10:27:00.002-05:00

Oops. This was supposed to go up 5 days ago. My apologies. Hope you listened to the show...we had a great interview with Green Corn Revival.

BANKROBBER-THE CLASH
THE GOOD THAT WON'T COME OUT-RILO KILEY
DUDE'S HOUSE-SIFL & OLLY
ROUND & ROUND-ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI
MOO MOO (MY HEART WON'T DIE)-THE GROWN UPS
MOTION OF ARIEL-THE LOUD FAMILY
AIKEA-GUINEA-COCTEAU TWINS
THE GHOST WHO WALKS-KAREN ELSON
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET-CARY COOPER
(UNTITLED) 1-DIRECTIONS IN MUSIC
I AM THE VOICE OF SARAH STRICKLAND'S RAGE-BRING BACK THE GUNS
PARTY WITH CHILDREN-RATATAT
I MET UP WITH THE KING-FIRST AID KIT
LEAVE-R.E.M.
NEW WAY BACK-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
MANY WORLDS-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
BLUE WATER-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
I LIKE FOOD-THE DESCENDENTS
THE INCREDIBLE MEDICINE SHOW-MOXY FRUVOUS
VIDEO-BEN FOLDS FIVE
OLD MAN AT THE BAR-DANIEL WALCHER
DOWN TO THE WATER-MAI BLOOMFIELD
SOFT SKIN-MOUNTAIN MAN
CUCKOLD'S ADMONITION-BUFFALOFITZ
COMANCHE-CAKE
(WHAT'S SO FUNNY 'BOUT) PEACE, LOVE & UNDERSTANDING-ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS

See y'all tomorrow night for the new show.

Okay, Sufjan Fans, Are You Ready For the GREATEST TEST OF YOUR LIFE??

2010-09-02T14:48:00.004-05:00

Okay, so remember when I posted my blog about Sufjan Stevens'Illinois and how I had kind of gone sour on it once everyone started to constantly tell me how awesome it was? And remember when I talked about the Arcade Fire on my radio show a few weeks ago and talked about how I hadn't been a fan to speak of, and then their new album came out and it BLEW MY MIND?? Not only that, but remember how all the really big Arcade Fire fans were acting all jaded and disappointed in the album??

Another similar event is about to come to pass. I am sure of it.

Sufjan Stevens is about to release a new album, and from the description given to us on the InSound preorder listing (click above link to go read it), it sounds like Sufjan is about to take a little bit of a left turn in terms of his sound. Now, mind you, last year he released The BQE, which was mostly orchestral and instrumental, but I wouldn't be surprised if most Sufjan fans didn't sweat it, because it was a FILM SCORE. This album, however (titled The Age of Adz), is a full-fledged ALBUM OF SONGS WITH VOCALS, and is mostly electronic in nature (and not based in delightfully melancholy acoustic guitar and piano), from what the InSound description says.

Are you ready, folks? Are you ready to give liking this album a real, honest try? Are you ready to allow the guy to truly express himself and put something new into the world that he worked hard on and is proud of, without letting YOUR preconceived notions of what a Sufjan album SHOULD sound like get in the way??

Expectations are a bitch, folks. And I suggest you shed them quickly if you're gonna really allow this album to be heard the way it should.

But who am I to say? Ultimately this is all subjective. Maybe all the Sufjan fans are way more open than I think, and will happily approach anything he gives them with as little bias as they can muster. But it's not every day that an artist has to follow up a record that was named "Album of the Decade" by a respectable publication like Paste Magazine (R.I.P., BTW).

And you're either gonna be part of the "backlash", or you're not. It's probably a decision that must be made before you actually hear the record.

Oh, and if you think that I must hate the guy, you should really go back and read my Illinois entry, where I talk about the fact that it really IS a great album.

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 8/24/10

2010-08-26T13:32:00.002-05:00

Sorry I'm a day late, folks.

PASS THE PLUGS-DE LA SOUL
THIS GIRL THAT I KNOW-BECK
POLITICAL SONG FOR MICHAEL JACKSON TO SING-MINUTEMEN
SCISSOR-THE LIARS
GLASS PRINTER-THE BESNARD LAKES
THE BACK OF MY MIND-THE LODGER
ARROW-KATHRYN CALDER
LANDMARK-KATE KLIM
LLOYD, I'M READY TO BE HEARTBROKEN-CAMERA OBSCURA
STRANGERS-THE KINKS
SWEET NATASHA-DR. PANTS
ARPEGGIATOR-FUGAZI
AHEAD-WIRE
AUTUMN SONG-STUART MOXHAM
CAROLINA-STEVEN BACON
IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA-NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
SON OF A GUN-THE LA'S
I'M NOT DEAD-WORLD RACKETEERING SQUAD
BANNED (BY THE MAN)-SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
THE GHOST AT NUMBER ONE-JELLYFISH
LAND & SEA-REBECCA LOEBE
THANK YOU TIME GIRL-THE HUNGRY MOMENT
JUDAS-THE SHIMMIES
MARY-ALEXA WOODWARD
EXIT ROW-LIKE PIONEERS
AFTERNIGHT-TRANS AM
TITANIUM EXPOSE-SONIC YOUTH
WHAT LIGHT-WILCO
GENEROUS FRIENDS-K.C. CLIFFORD

Show re-airs this Sunday, 8/29 at 5pm central. Thanks for listening, everybody!

The Promise of Poison

2010-08-18T20:45:00.002-05:00

Something about the music of our youth will always be different than music for the rest of our lives, I think. It doesn't really matter who you are, when you grew up, or what was popular at the time. Being of the age I am, though, means that the golden age of butt rock (hair metal, whatever you want to call it) occurred right smack in the middle of my middle school years, and I think this has particular resonance.

What is it about a song like Poison's "Nuthin' But a Good Time"? What part of that song, exactly, made the beginning of a fairly unremarkable junior high summer evening feel so full of...promise? And promise of what?? I can't really even put my finger on what I might have been hoping for. Hoping to...meet a girl? Meet a girl that...liked me? Have an adventure? This was probably the junior high/middle school version of what Poison might have been trying to convey...I wasn't going to have reckless, casual sex, or consume inordinate amounts of alcohol or some other substance. I mean, I didn't even do those things in high school or college. But something about the feel-good, party anthems of the 80's really could make the most boring, ordinary evening, even those spent within the confines of a buddy's house for a sleepover, seem incredibly full of possibility.

The moments, a couple of years later, where an evening occurred that DID involve meeting a girl, or meeting a girl that liked me, or having an adventure (sneaking out of the house where the sleepover occurred being the most common one...this ended in a number of interesting ways over the course of a couple of years), were extremely delicious...delicious in the way that something you feel like you've been waiting for forever can only be. Perhaps the soundtrack to those evenings was more along the lines of the Beatles, Zeppelin or the Who, or even later on, perhaps R.E.M., They Might Be Giants or The Cure. But the echoes of Def Leppard and Great White reverberated through my mind, I think. No, I didn't meet a girl that night at my brother's baseball game in eighth grade, roaming the grounds of the baseball complex with the homies, but I did, two years later, on an adventurous evening with my friend Greg in the D.C. area. Maybe her love was like "Bad Medicine". Or not (more likely). I just knew that I was finally entering a realm of experience I had longed for throughout my adolescence.

Soundtrack for the composition of this blog entry:
NUTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME-POISON
KISS ME DEADLY-LITA FORD
PHOTOGRAPH-DEF LEPPARD
ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY-GREAT WHITE
BAD MEDICINE-BON JOVI
DR. FEELGOOD-MOTLEY CRUE (this song actually hadn't even come out during my middle school years, but somebody on Twitter requested Motley Crue as I was blipping all this stuff, and this is my favorite Crue tune.)

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 8/17/10

2010-08-18T14:33:00.002-05:00

Here's last night's playlist. The show will re-air this Sunday, 8/22, at 5pm central. Rock!!

I'M STRAIGHT-THE MODERN LOVERS
I AM A TREE-GUIDED BY VOICES
INVISIBLE-POSSUM DIXON
SLIP AWAY-KATHRYN CALDER
STRANGE WAY-ELLEN TIPPER
WHERE KNOCK IS OPEN WIDE-HIS NAME IS ALIVE
EQUILIBRIUM-MIKE DROHO & COMPASS ROSE
OUR BREADTH IS WIDER THAN OUR BERTH-EUTOPIAN ACCIDENT
GRAVITY-ALTAI ROCKETS
I'LL BE YOUR JONNY ON THE SPOT-WEEN
THAT HAT-PETER GORDON & LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA
ATE OH ATER-ESTHING
I CAN'T FEEL-MATTHEW DEAR
BORED BEYOND OBLIVION-MONSTER MOVIE
SOON-MY BLOODY VALENTINE
DAYSLEEPER-LONGWAVE
CHEESECAKE TRUCK-KING MISSILE
BROKEN FACE-THE PIXIES
POST ACID-WAVVES
MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL-HUSKER DU
NEW WAY BACK-GREEN CORN REVIVAL
ANGEL DREAM NO. 4-TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
DARKEST DAY-JENEE HALSTEAD
DON'T WANT NO FOO-FOO HAIRCUT ON MY HEAD-MOJO NIXON & SKID ROPER
CODDINGTOWN-PRIMUS
ANTHEM FOR THE EARNEST-THE BAD PLUS
TIME IS TIGHT-BOOKER T. & THE MG'S

See y'all next week.

The Mixtape Jones Radio Show, Playlist, 8/10/10

2010-08-11T11:27:00.002-05:00

I could say this is the week that I'll post a real entry here, but it's not. Too much to do. Dr. Pants rehearsal tonight, gig Friday night, and pre-production on our new record tomorrow and Friday! Woot!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the show. As usual, it will rerun this coming Sunday, 8/15, at 5pm central.

DARE TO BE STUPID-WEIRD AL YANCOVIC
MY GUITAR WANTS TO KILL YOUR MAMA-FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
THE CRYSTAL CAT-DAN DEACON
STAY POSITIVE-THE HOLD STEADY
STATIONARY-BUSSES
BORN TO FLY-SARAH SAMPLE
MECHANICS & MATHEMATICS-VENUS HUM
SCALING-MU-ZIQ
I'M COMING THROUGH-CRAIG BETHELL
ROCOCO-THE ARCADE FIRE
PURPLE TOUPEE-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
DESDEMONA-EGGSTONE
LOOKING FOR LORELEI-WORLD RACKETEERING SQUAD
BLOOD LIKE YOURS-CHRIS O'BRIEN
TAPE OP BLUES-PETER HOLSAPPLE & CHRIS STAMEY
WHERE WOULD WE GO?-RUSTY ANDERSON
BACK TO THE PLAYGROUND-KIRSTEN JONES
COME ALIVE (WAR OF THE ROSES)-JANELLE MONAE
CHEMICAL MARRIAGE-MR. BUNGLE
WE CAN FLY-LACHI
HOW WRONG YOU ARE-BOSTON SPACESHIPS
ANOTHER HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T (REDUX)-PETER GORDON & LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA
GROUP AUTOGENICS I-THE BOOKS
CLOSING THEME-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
ANNIE HOLD ON-PHIL HENRY
FORTUNATE MAN-JIM PATTON & SHERRY BROKUS
5 AMERICAN 6 CANADIAN-SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET
TWENTY YEARS LATER-PHISH

Word up. See you guys next week.

The Mixtape Jones Radio Hour, Playlist, 8/3/10

2010-08-04T12:32:00.003-05:00

I promise I'll write an actual blog entry here some time soon, but for now, here's the playlist from last night's Mixtape Jones Radio Hour. Man, doing this show is fun. I hope you all are enjoying it.

DANCE YRSELF CLEAN-LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
IAMBIC 9 POETRY-SQUAREPUSHER
SEVEN LANGUAGES-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
HIT ME LIKE YOU DID THE FIRST TIME-THE FLAMING LIPS
ERICA'S WORD-GAME THEORY
FAKE TALKING HEADS SONG-LIAM LYNCH
SLEEP: THE LIGHT-THE FIBS
CANDLE IN THE WILLOW TREE-ROUND MOUNTAIN
PROPELLOR TIME-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
SLOW BURNING CRIMES-EAST HUNDRED
BJO, PT. 1-WEIRD FILES
FLOORED-THE NELS CLINE SINGERS
THE INCUMBENT-SOUL COUGHING
BRAND NEW SONG-ANDY GULLAHORN
SOLAR SYSTEM-VIGILANTES OF LOVE
HEY NONNY NONNY-VIOLENT FEMMES
METAL SPIDER WEBS-BLACK MOLD
ANOTHER JOURNEY BY TRAIN-THE CURE
PREPARE YOUR COFFIN-TORTOISE
JACK PALANCE-VAN DYKE PARKS
ROLL THE STONE AWAY-KIM RICHARDSON
A MILLION TEARS-K.C. CLIFFORD
WHAT'S IN THE BAG-THE FRENCH SEMESTER
THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD-WARREN ZEVON
WENDELL GEE-R.E.M.
FULL CIRCLE-CHARLOTTE HATHERLY
BABY, TAKE YOUR TEETH OUT-FRANK ZAPPA
I AM THE WALRUS-THE DEAD MILKMEN

The Mixtape Jones Radio Hour, Playlist, 7/27/10

2010-07-27T21:48:00.002-05:00

Well, after a kink that held up the broadcast for approximately an our and 15 minutes or so, the first "official" episode of the Mixtape Jones Radio Hour aired tonight on Jivewired.com's Live365 channel. If you missed it, fear not, it will air again this Sunday evening from 5-7pm, so tune in. Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, here's what I played:

SMOKIN' BANANA PEELS-THE DEAD MILKMEN
4-APHEX TWIN
WEIRD LITTLE BOY-THE TOWER OF DUDES
I'M DEF-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
I TRIED TO CRY-THE RESIDENTS
OPEN NIGHT-THE TWIN ATLAS
COUNTING & MEASURING-CHUCK E. COSTA
RADIO SONG-THE FELICE BROTHERS
BABY I-R.E.M.
DC WON'T DO YOU NO GOOD-WEEN
HIDE IT AWAY-RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR
ELECTRO SNAKE-RYAN ADAMS
KNOCK KNOCK-GOD TV
KENNY LOGGINS-DR. PANTS
ANTENNA-SONIC YOUTH
MONEY GROWS ON TREES-THE ERICKSONS
CAMERA LUCIDA-ROBIN GUTHRIE
BROKEN THINGS-K.C. CLIFFORD
BOBBY BANJO-THE CLUMSY LOVERS
MAGIC CARPET RIDER-THE HALO BENDERS
RHINESTONE EYES-GORILLAZ
LIGHT-PHISH
PRETTY (DEMO)-TOBIN SPROUT
NIGHT TIMES-SARA LOWES
TENGO TODO-CAFE TACUBA
RUNNING OUT OF TIME-MAI BLOOMFIELD
BLIND LOVE-GRANDPA GRIFFITH
WHEN MY TIME COMES-DAWES
AND THIS IS WHAT WE CALL PROGRESS-THE BESNARD LAKES
SICKIE BOY-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
ROCK & ROLL FRIENDS-SIFL & OLLY

IF YOU ARE A BAND/ARTIST, go to Jivewired.com and set up your EPK. It's a great alternative to the monopoly Sonicbids has enjoyed over the last few years. Once you do that, you can submit an MP3 for airplay consideration on my show. Can't wait to hear your stuff. Peace.

Talkin' That 1996-Style Ambiguity Blues

2010-07-22T01:12:00.003-05:00

I wonder if we're all inclined to feel a connection to certain times in our past more than others. It seems obvious that the answer must be "yes" once I've said it. I know it's true for me...and particular parts of my past feel more prescient at certain times than others.

It's been a real "summer of 1996" time lately, and these are my theories as to why: K.C. and I just moved, so there's been a lot of manual labor going on (I stripped paint off houses as my summer job in 1996). Moving is/has been an emotional thing for me (I was in the turmoil/aftermath of a break-up in the summer of '96, questioning a lot of things, and also added a relationship with another girl to the mix, plus an unrequited pining for a third). It's summer now, and it's hot. Change seems to be in the air, as well...I feel like the way things have been for the last couple of years might not be the way they'll be in the near future, and that might ring some similar bells as the reality of heading into one's final year of college (as I was about to do in the summer of '96).

The music of that summer for me was diverse, compelling, and mostly not at all what those around me were listening to, with a couple of exceptions. Beck's "Odelay" was all the rage, and it was something I was raging to as well. Prince and Frank Zappa were probably my two most prominent obsessions of the moment, and I was rapidly expanding my collection of both, CD-wise. My brother had made me a mixtape of his favorite Warren Zevon songs, and I listened to it almost every day at work. The first Ben Folds Five album was out, and even though most of the world hadn't discovered them yet, I was already a fan for life.

Sometimes that summer seems like an impossible oasis surrounded by ridiculous awfulness. I would proceed, after it was over, to go back to college and get back together with the same girl/woman who I had broken up with, resigning myself to another two years of borderline misery with her (one of which would be spent married to her). After college, all my illusions about what my post-college days would really be like shattered into a million pieces, and it would take me a few years to recover. "Wake Up Time" by Tom Petty, from the "Wildflowers" album, felt prescient during that 1996 summer, but perhaps was even more so post-college.

I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to blog about this here. It's only minimally related to music, but for me, everything is related to music. My life is much different now, but I think, right now, my life is more similar to the way it was that summer than at any point since. How? It's an emotional space, I suppose...but I don't think I could explain why I feel "like I did then" if I tried. I sent out a tweet earlier tonight that said, "Things are changing and I'm not sure into what, exactly. Maybe they're not and I just wish they were."

Truth is, I'm less sure of what I want now than I have been at any time in the last two years. Maybe that's why now is like that summer...there was so much ambiguity. And I bathed in it...swam in it every day, as I scraped paint, and listened to "Reckoning" by R.E.M., or "Lovesexy" by Prince, or one of a myriad of mixtapes (one in particular that began with "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones got spun almost as many times as the Zevon tape). The idea that I'm ambiguous about what I want right now will probably come as a surprise to most people reading it (at least, those who know me). But I am. And maybe that will all change in a week. But right now, I just want to put on some Zappa, some Zevon, some Beck, some Petty, have a few beers and soak in this. It seems like the only sensible course of action.

The Bad Plus

2010-06-26T23:54:00.003-05:00

So, the Bad Plus performed tonight in Norman, OK, as part of the annual Jazz in June Festival.

I'm gonna pause a moment and let that sink in, for those of you who need it.

The BAD PLUS. Certifiably, for those of us who like this sort of thing, the most inventive, exciting jazz group working today. One of the only mainstay jazz groups who still take the idea of moving jazz forward seriously, and who will always have a place in my heart because of it.

Watch this if you need an introduction to them:

Okay, so let's talk about this for a minute. This was a free festival, in Norman, OK. Yes, the University of Oklahoma is in Norman, so it's a college town, but this is also a free festival, so it attracted all sorts of folks who don't routinely listen to jazz, and if they do, they DEFINITELY don't listen to anything like the Bad Plus.

I sat on the grass with my friend Kyle and his friend Ben (who I'd also call my friend now, especially after he found $40 in my back seat I didn't know was there), and watched as the spectacle unfolded before me. People milled about, oblivious to the fact that there was even music going on. They talked, they got drunk. All ages of folks, too...there were little girls dancing that couldn't have been more than 4 years old. There were tweens and teens who actually paid attention. There were adults of every generation, even seventy-something couples sitting in their camp chairs and listening. There were ladies in their 50's to the left of the stage dancing to songs that changed meter, tempo and groove multiple times in the space of a minute (and were tonally challenging to boot). I guarantee you, most of these people had never heard anything like this before, and here so many of them were, "finding themselves unable to stop listening", as Kyle put it.

I have two things to say about this. One. It was a phenomenal, phenomenal performance. These guys might be the best musicians I've ever seen play, period. It pretty much comes down to Zappa Plays Zappa and these guys. Their mastery of what they do is unparalleled. All three of them have such a large musical vocabulary that nothing is beyond their reach in terms of their three instruments. They all compose pieces for the group, and all the pieces are flabbergastingly amazing. I feel blessed to be alive while they're performing, because, if there's any justice in the world, their work will live on long, long after they're dead. I hope, one day, I can tell some 20 year old whipper snapper that I got to see them play once.

Two. These guys have saved jazz as an art form. No, I'm not kidding. Once the bebop revolution occurred in jazz, the music ceased to be about the pop charts, or compromise. This was jazz's destiny; to be the first form of art music to emerge since the European classical tradition. Some time in the 70's, jazz became pop music again, and all through the 80's and 90's, many, many jazz players continued to push it in that direction. The Bad Plus came along, however, and decided to make jazz on their own terms, with a vocabulary that included the rock and roll tradition and the songs of its icons (see their covers of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Iron Man", "Heart of Glass", "Tom Sawyer" to name a few), as well as the entire jazz vocabulary of the last century. The result is a music that is uncompromising, beautiful, challenging, and swingin'. It is the logical, true jazz of the 21st century, and tonight, in a park in Norman, Oklahoma, a thousand people heard it and reacted positively. All of us there witnessed a miracle, I'm pretty sure.

Listening to Phish, Making Dr. Pants

2010-06-25T15:59:00.003-05:00

So, Phish are on tour again this summer. I will not get to see them...this is the continuing reality of living in Oklahoma, and Phish's staunch refusal to routinely never get anywhere near here. When the rumors of their Halloween festival occurring in Austin started flying around last year, I hardly even allowed myself to get excited, because I knew that it was not bloody likely.

I've downloaded one show from the tour so far, 6/18 from Hartford, CT. Set list is as follows:

Set 1:
Fee
Rift
Wolfman's Brother
Summer of '89
Foam
Possum
The Moma Dance
Julius
Reba
Cavern

Set 2:
Halley's Comet
Light
Billy Breathes
Tweezer
Theme From the Bottom
Harry Hood
Wading In the Velvet Sea
Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan

Encore:
Sleeping Monkey
Tweezer Reprise
Tweezer Reprise

No, that's not a typo. They played the same song twice in a row in the encore (it comes from a tradition where if the song "Tweezer" is played, it doesn't get played again during the tour until after "Tweezer Reprise" is played. This time, they played "Tweezer" twice, once on 6/13, and then again in this show, and didn't play a "Tweezer Reprise" in between. So they played two of 'em to catch up). I should say before I go any further, there are moments in this here concert recording that I have really enjoyed, namely "Possum" (surprisingly enough...it's not my favorite Phish song by any means and generally is kind of boring, but it had some really great guitar playing on it this time around) and "Harry Hood" (always a beautiful tune...I've loved it since I heard it for the first time on A Live One back in 1995). And how about the crowd singing on "Sleeping Monkey"? That's a good-sounding audience, right there.

I don't think downloading and listening to these shows really holds a candle to being there. Is it way less expensive? Sure. But I think the "warts and all" elements of the performances would be way more forgivable (or even unnoticeable) if I were there in person, rather than listening on headphones. I wonder if there's anything Trey can do to keep his voice in better shape...it was my hope that once he cleaned up from his days doing harder drugs that his live vocals would improve. He's not necessarily out of tune (much), but he generally sounds crackly and weak. Maybe his voice just isn't holding up over the long term, and there's nothing that can be done. Overall, though, I think they're playing really well, which is great.

I wonder, though, if my days of utter, wide-eyed fascination with Phish are over, though. I sit and listen to what they do, and I just want to go do it. Let me be clear: I don't want to BE in Phish, or BE Phish, I just want to go do Dr. Pants, and do it well. We won't ever be as skilled as Phish (although certainly we aspire to be better players than we are), and we probably won't ever have a following like them, either. But it's clear to me that there are a lot of moments listening to Phish that make me feel something along the lines of, "I'd sure enjoy playing right now a lot more than I'm enjoying listening." And I don't think this is due to Phish being lousy, or uninteresting, because I still think they're fantastic and worth paying attention to. But I spend a lot of moments making excuses about not taking that moment to work on what I do. And an excuse is just an excuse, nothing more. It's not a reason, or an explanation. The excuse exists because there is no other valid thing to fill its place. So I want to choose to do what I do more, write and record for Dr. Pants more, perform with Dr. Pants more...because we're worth it.

It's a discipline thing. My friend David, who K.C. and I just visited in St. Paul, is back to practicing piano for at least 45 minutes a day every day. I want that discipline. I want to play. I hope to update again soon, and say that I have played. Every day. We'll see.

25 Records That Mean Something to Me, #1

2010-06-21T11:19:00.002-05:00

I wanted to do some blogging about some of my favorite records, and 25 seemed like a good number. So here’s the first in a series of 25. I’ll be doing entries about other stuff inbetween as well. I’ll try and keep each one relatively short…wish me luck.

The Cure-Disintegration

I figured I’d start with this one because I just purchased the recently-released 3-disc deluxe edition. I first heard the Cure when I was 14, and the first Cure record I bought was a cassette of “Standing On A Beach-The Singles” (titled “Staring At the Sea” if you purchased the CD version). “Standing” was a pretty good introduction to the band, since it contained every single they’d released up through 1986 or so. It made me a fan to some degree, but I really didn’t learn what it meant to truly love the Cure until I heard “Disintegration”. It had been about 6 or 8 months since my initial purchase, and I had heard just enough of the band’s 1989 opus at a youth group event to get really, REALLY excited about buying it.

This record, to me, is a 70-something minute demonstration of the word “atmosphere”. I think it applies in several different ways, one certainly being that the whole record has a vibe that’s as thick as molasses from start to finish. Also, though, I don’t think it’s an accident that it’s maybe the best rainy day record EVER…when there’s activity in the physical atmosphere, “Disintegration” gives plenty of corresponding atmosphere in the emotional sense. The composition, arranging and production are phenomenal…one of the things that’s always blown my mind about “Disintegration” is how on every song, every time you think they’ve finished adding parts to the mix, some new melody or motif comes in and takes the whole thing up another notch. Some characterize this record (and much of the Cure’s other music) as “depressing”, and I suppose that, emotionally, it’s definitely not an upper, but I think that short changes its value. It may bring you to a melancholy place, but sometimes that’s a place that we all need to go.

Thoughts About & Inspired By the Kerrville Folk Festival

2010-06-13T23:19:00.003-05:00

The Kerrville Folk Festival is a difficult animal to explain to someone who’s never been. I say this at risk of becoming something I’m not, which is one of those people who elevate an event like Kerrville to some sort of divine status…the people that when you finally cave in and go, they look at you and say, “Yeah, it’s kind of commercial/sold-out now, it’s too bad you never got to come when it was cool.” Mind you, the remarkable thing about Kerrville is that it’s been going strong for 38 years, and anyone who was going to cry “sell-out” probably got that over with quite some time ago. The festival is what it is, and gradually evolves every year in subtle ways that are sometimes difficult to detect but are almost always positive.

So, having said this, I have thoughts about this year’s festival.

I am so grateful for all the great friends I made this year, all the friends I got to see again, and all the songwriters I got to hear (most of which qualify as friends now as well).

I am really grateful for all the inspiration Kerrville gave me this year, both in terms of working on becoming a better songwriter, and a better guitarist/instrumentalist (I have decided that I am going to get my mandolin back out and try to become less of a hack).

I’m happy to see a crop of New Folk (Kerrville’s annual songwriting contest) winners that are truly diverse and enjoyable. I mean, I’m sure this applies every year, but this year I was particularly impressed by the judges’ picks.

I am ready to see things get even more diverse at this festival. The folk world tends to be pretty insular, and I think it’s only going to hurt it in the long run. The music world is changing, though, and it’s going to be interesting how this affects Kerrville and the folk world in general. The younger generation (as in, 40 and under) should not be afraid of shaking things up. Start radio shows/podcasts on the internet. Play “folk” music, but play rock and r&b, too. Devote your shows to “good” music, and not to things that ultimately pay service to “radio formats” that are going the way of the dinosaur.

As I get closer to starting my radio show later this summer, I wonder a lot of things, but I wonder if I can have any impact at all on the folk world that I’ve become a part of through working with K.C. I’d love to see a real revolution in terms of the way music is approached, or at least, the way PRESENTING music is approached, both in a live context and a radio context.

I’m sure this segregating of music worlds is good for some things, and that there are people who get a lot out of it being this way (the house concert movement, for instance, wouldn’t have much momentum if it weren’t for the folk world and its attendant conferences/organizations/festivals. House concerts for rock & roll are completely impractical most of the time. I’d welcome any comments on how rock & roll can reinvent its presentation for the new era…ideas for presenting band-oriented music in contexts that don’t revolve around alcohol sales). Those people may suffer in some capacity if the walls start to break down. Maybe a complete demolition of those walls isn’t necessary, but making them a bit more porous is positive and probably inevitable.

Betty Soo’s mainstage debut at Kerrville this year was a riveting blur of Texas country, rock & roll, and sure, something that could be called folk music. Two Bob Dylan covers didn’t hurt, either. Of course, there are people in the folk world who would rather forget that Dylan ever went electric. It’s bizarre that I’m even writing a blog entry like this when ultimately the first cracks in the walls started appearing in 1965. You’d think, by now, the discussion would be over. But since it’s not, let’s discuss. Please comment, especially if you’re someone who attends Kerrville or Folk Alliance.

Collection Overhaul.

2010-05-14T17:19:00.001-05:00

So, I recently tackled a reorganization, or, perhaps more accurately, a reassessment of my record/CD collection. I wanted to make it more focused, easier to navigate…it was as if I was living with a certain level of anxiety about my collection, and I wanted to see if I could reduce said anxiety at all. From whence originated this anxiety, you ask? To be honest, I’m really not entirely sure. I do know that a few weeks ago I was in New York and had the opportunity to look at and study my friend Kirk’s record/CD collection, and I was in awe of the efficiency of it. There was no fluff, no ephemera to speak of, only a really complete, admirable collection of music by artists that he genuinely cared about.

I set about duplicating this effect in my own collection once we arrived home. Most of my CDs have been living in our garage for the past couple of years…we didn’t really have room to store them in our current residence. I have spent most of the last five years or so reducing their number, a little bit at a time…they had reached a pretty massive balloon point sometime before K.C. and I got married. So in these past few years I have been sifting, sifting, sifting…weeding out things that I kept just for one song, or for the sake of completion, or for some sentimental reason that ultimately doesn’t hold up. I unloaded at least a hundred discs last fall so that I would be guaranteed the adequate funds to purchase the Beatles In Mono box set when it arrived. So the process was already in motion.

I managed to cull another hundred discs or so out of the collection, some of which I ripped into mp3 format and stored on a data disc, others I cut off like an unwanted parasite. There were things that I felt sure I would always want to have around that I felt no need to own anymore. There were things that had some value to me at one time that were nothing but nostalgia now. It should also be mentioned that many, many songs that I know I have in CD quality format on my “Soundtrack to My Life” series could be jettisoned, especially if they came from albums that I wasn’t really excited about overall, OR from “greatest hits” collections. With a couple of exceptions, I will rarely, if EVER, have any interest in listening to a “greatest hits” disc from start to finish, so I figure that having access to the songs that actually mean something to me in mp3 format is enough.

I culled a few things from my vinyl collection, too, though it is a much smaller body of material, so it doesn’t have as much chaff to separate. I traded in all this material for other records, mostly vinyl, and I love the fact that I didn’t get nearly as much back as I gave up. That’s part of the point; I am reducing the amount that I own, to be more focused, less overwhelmed, so it doesn’t bother me a lick that I traded in around 100 records and got back a dozen. Considering that vinyl is more expensive and the going rate for used CDs gets lower every day, I’m happy with that.

Still, the only frontier I haven’t officially invaded yet is my iTunes. My iTunes is still the one place where I feel I lack focus, intent, and organization…part of this being due to the fact that the “master playlist” feature is still something I dislike (you know, the big playlist at the top of the left-hand column just called “Music”). I don’t WANT a place where all the music on my hard drive sits in a list all together…I want to put it in specific places, playlists, folders, whatever, and have that be the ONLY SPOT WHERE IT LIVES.

From there, it gets more complicated. I start to see my iTunes as a pointless, haphazard mix…I wonder what purpose it really serves in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I know that my iPod can’t be beat in terms of portability, but that hasn’t stopped me from bringing a wallet of CDs on the road with us every time we go recently. As I move further and further away from a world where the iTunes on shuffle is a preferred method of listening, iTunes starts to seem more and more like some sort of albatross that I have been misguided into keeping around my neck. For so long I just wanted to get to a place where I felt like I had my iPod & iTunes situated in such a way that I didn’t want to constantly change them all the time…but ultimately I felt like that led to stagnancy, not a more complete experience of the music I had placed in them. I mean, I have been making conscious choices to enjoy whole records on my iPod as opposed to putting the thing on shuffle all the time, but part of me wonders if I shouldn’t just remove any free-floating tracks that aren’t attached to an entire album, at least for the moment. For that matter, maybe I should do the same thing to my iTunes. Am I moving in the opposite direction from the dominant listening culture? Am I showing my true dinosaur skin? What if I just delete everything in my iTunes and start over?? I guess, ultimately, iTunes has become a storage method for music for me, and I don’t want it to BE that; I want it to be a listening platform. In that scenario, I feel a great need to evaluate and overhaul the CONTENT contained within.

I would welcome any comments on this.

My First Guest Post!

2010-05-02T22:52:00.002-05:00

Hey, the first guest post I've ever done on someone else's blog just got published. CLICK HERE to read it! I'm excited...it's a bit broader in focus than what I usually write here, and it's...um...not so shiny in tone. But I hope you enjoy it!

Record Store Day

2010-04-24T12:37:00.003-05:00

So, as I sit here giving my Sonic Youth "EVOL" limited edition pink vinyl its inaugural spin, I figure this would be a good moment to talk about Record Store Day this year.

I'm sure some of you have already written off Record Store Day as some sort of bullshit geek phenomenon, and if you're the kind of person who thinks in terms of "bullshit geek phenomenon" and other similar phrases, I'm willing to bet that attitude is right for you. For me, however, I can't help but get giddy when I think about Record Store Day. There are so many things about it that I find exciting, and as I tell you about my Record Store Day experience this year, I'll try and illustrate those elements.

Before I continue, I should probably explain a bit more what Record Store Day is. It's a day to celebrate independent record stores, but HOW this is done is key. Many artists and labels, to commemorate this occasion each year, have started releasing exclusive, limited edition records and CDs that will ONLY be available through participating independent record stores on Record Store Day. It's basically a guarantee that the indie record shops will have a banner day that day, sales-wise, and it's quite the alluring occasion for geeky record collectors like myself to get out there and grab some things that have been released in a sort of "one time only" fashion. I mean, giddy. GIDDY I TELL YOU!

Some time towards the end of March it dawned on me that I was not going to be home on Record Store Day this year...in other words, I was going to be on tour with K.C. I suddenly felt disheartened; I desperately wanted to be a part of the occasion, because independent record stores are a special breed these days...they specifically exist to keep the tradition of collecting and enjoying music in a physical format (whether LP or CD) alive. Many would regard this as pointless at this juncture in history, but I don't think it's ever been more important. Anyway, I digress. What I was leading to was that I wasn't going to be home (meaning I would not be able to make my purchases at my beloved local shop, Guestroom Records)...and that, to participate in Record Store Day, I would have to figure out where I would be on that day and try and find a store in the area.

I wound up at Redscroll Records in Wallingford, CT. It was about a 15-20 minute drive from where we were staying (with some lovely, lovely folks named Mike & Kelly Stuper), and since we had plenty of time that morning to do what we wished before we drove to Boston, I was able to arrive at Redscroll in time to get in line for the day's exclusives.

The line was way longer than I expected. I was probably about 10 or 12 people back, and this was at about 9:50 am (the store was opening at 10, 2 hours before its normal opening time). It should be noted that, at this point, everyone in line except one person was male. Several cars drove by while we were waiting for the store to open, the drivers of which slowed down, rolled down their windows and asked us what was going on. They seemed disappointed to find out it was just "Record Store Day". Again, like I said earlier, it's not for everyone.

I had sincere hopes that there would not be enough people in front of me that wanted the main thing I came for: a blue vinyl limited edition reissue of R.E.M.'s debut EP. Turns out my hope was in vain, as when I finally was able to enter the store and approach the spot on the front counter where all the Record Store Day exclusives were merchandised, there were no R.E.M. records to be found. Copies of both the limited edition Sonic Youth vinyl reissues remained, however ("EVOL" and "Confusion Is Sex"), so I grabbed those, poked around the store for a few more minutes and then checked out. I was lucky I got in when I did...by the time I entered the store, the line had gotten much, MUCH longer behind me. I got a bitchin' Record Store Day tote bag for my purchases that had all sorts of swag in it, too.

I started scheming on the drive back about people in other time zones that might be able to pick up an R.E.M. disc for me, and by the time I arrived back in Southington, CT, I was trying to work out an arrangement with a couple of them. Turns out I didn't have to, because my awesome friend Bruce Chandler from Austin sent me a text telling me that he had seen my forlorn tweet on the subject, so he had picked me up a copy. Radness. I have to wait to pick it up from him when we go to the Kerrville Folk Festival in May, but that's okay. Delayed gratification is still gratification.

After I arrived back in Southington, Kelly made us the most delightful breakfast, and I basked in the glow of the whole experience. Maybe you're a car fanatic and you look forward to the classic and custom car show every year...maybe you are a basketball fanatic and March Madness is your favorite annual event. Record Store Day is quickly becoming a favorite day of the year for me, because the independent record stores, the stores that really make an effort to keep the excitement of physical music (and independent music) alive, have a day to celebrate and be celebrated. We geeks could not be any more proud to go out and be a part of this special occasion.

Duff McKagan Joins Jane's Addiction

2010-04-11T12:16:00.003-05:00

2 things to start out:

1. I am not writing this post to bring you the news of Duff McKagan joining Jane's Addiction. If you are geeky enough to read this blog, you probably already know about it. If you don't, just google it.

2. In the interest of full disclosure, I am way more of a Jane's Addiction fan than I am a Guns N' Roses fan. I enjoy some Guns N' Roses, and I definitely enjoyed them very much in my junior high years. But Jane's will always win out for me.

So, were you shocked by this news? Are you the kind of Jane's Addiction devotee and old school alterna-groupie that finds the idea of a member of GN'R playing with Jane's Addiction distasteful and indicative of some sort of (ugh) "sell-out"? Do you question Duff McKagan's abilities as a musician and bass player, at least to the extent that he might possibly be able to fill the (extremely) able shoes of Eric Avery?

You may have an argument on the last point. Before I get to my argument about the former point, I have to say that, despite the fact that Duff McKagan is obviously a skilled bass player and can hold his own in most rock contexts, the music of Jane's Addiction (especially that of "Ritual De Lo Habitual") can be twisty stuff, and Eric Avery's bass playing on that record in particular is formidable. I will be interested to see if Duff can hang with some "Three Days" or the razor sharp turns and angles of "Ain't No Right". Now, I'm sure some of you GN'R enthusiasts will no doubt bring up latter day Guns N' Roses epics such as "Estranged", "Coma" and (of course who could forget) "November Rain" in terms of whether Duff can hang with learning songs of a more long-form nature. Those songs did have their own complex elements (to a degree), but "Three Days" they are NOT. "Three Days" is a TRUE musical masterpiece of the original alternative era, and shows all four members of Jane's Addiction at their absolute peak. Duff should consider himself lucky to even play the tune once. We'll see how he does.

And now to the former point.

It didn't take me long, after I received the news of Duff's new gig, to settle into a gentle resignation somewhere along the lines of "well yeah, okay." First of all, it's 2010, and we're talking about two bands who, for better or worse, started their careers the better part of 25 years ago. Time itself should allow us to move to a place of acceptance with this, but just in case it doesn't for you, let's go a bit deeper.

GN'R and Jane's are both from Los Angeles, and both formed around the same time. Both bands made aggressive, subversive music, at least for the time. Both had iconic lead vocalists that sang in high pitched squeals. There is probably an argument that they were the two most significant hard rock bands of the late 80's (hold on, hold on, HOLD ON!! YES, Jane's Addiction are a HARD ROCK BAND. Their music rocks. It's heavy and aggressive. Do not play like this is a misnomer). Not only that, these two bands, I would argue, were essentially two sides of the same coin. The drug-fueled Los Angeles underbelly was an essential part of both bands' mythology...neither one of them would have been what they were without it. I think these bands took essentially the same ideas and style and respectively delivered it to two different segments of the population. If you were a disillusioned, angry teenager in the late 80's who was desperate for some aggressive music that spoke to you and wasn't like everything else, Jane's Addiction was the band for you. If you were a disillusioned, angry teenager in the late 80's who was desperate for some aggressive music that spoke to you and you didn't necessarily live in the most metropolitan of places, Guns N' Roses probably ended up being your band. Maybe you were a GN'R fan and ended up discovering Jane's a few years later when you got to high school (like me). Maybe you really liked the fact that Dave Navarro was willing to essentially shred (after a fashion, at least), but that Jane's could still be cool.

Which brings me to another point. There were punk rockers who couldn't stand Jane's because of Navarro's guitar playing. I remember driving around with a friend and friend-of-said-friend in high school, with the friend-of-friend's Husker Du cassette in the stereo, and he said that Jane's would be so much better if Dave Navarro didn't take a "cheesy-ass, Poison-Motley Crue solo" every chance he got. I see his issue, but I also think it's extremely short-sighted to compare Dave Navarro's guitar playing to that of C.C. DeVille (maybe the biggest example of all-style-no-substance guitar playing of the entire butt rock era). Navarro possesses a style which is almost as (if not at least as) iconic as Slash's. The guy was a monster, at least at that point in his career, and his tone and style were as instantly recognizable as that of Slash. Neither one of them has done much playing of note in the last fifteen years or so, but from about 1987-1993 or 4, you could not fade either one of them.

But that punk rocker would have taken this moment, the moment where Duff from GN'R joins Jane's Addiction, as the moment where we should swear them off forever, and call them what they really are: butt rockers trying to masquerade as something cooler. For me, the proof will always be in the pudding: "Ritual De Lo Habitual" is probably one of the 10 best albums of the 90's, and it is certainly a way more compelling listen than either of the "Use Your Illusion" records. "Appetite For Destruction" vs. "Nothing's Shocking"? I will leave that one up to you. I'm sure many of you will say that they shouldn't even be considered on the same plane, but I think at this point in history we can see that's a shortsighted judgment, especially now that both bands have put out records in the new millennium that absolutely failed to live up to the legacies of their early work.

But maybe it's not for any of us to decide. If I can, I'm gonna take in a Jane's show and see what my ears think.

No Mixtapes??

2010-03-27T21:17:00.005-05:00

So, I have been putting pressure on myself lately to get a new mixtape up here on the blog, and I've really been feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of attempting such a thing. I didn't really know why...until I had a breakthrough this evening.

The musical renaissance I've been experiencing the last month or so has been great. The truth is that I am enjoying listening to albums ALL THE WAY THROUGH more than I have in a long time, maybe the better part of a couple of years. Not only would it be counter-intuitive to force myself to listen in a format that I am not currently drawn to, but the truth is that so much of this renaissance is about discovery, and getting to know new music (music that's NEW to me. Lots of catalog stuff that I've never checked out, plus newer stuff). And I've never been any good at putting music on a mixtape if it wasn't something that I had built up some attachment to. I am slowly building up attachments to some of the things that I've been grooving to for a few months, but I've got a long way to go.

This is one reason why I'm so excited about doing the radio show...I can use it to get to know records better, a song at a time. I mean, it's a little bit like making a mixtape every week, but it doesn't have to be quite as cohesive. The compilation tape rules are something that I take fairly seriously (at least, MY version of them), and so I am looking forward to creating some mixtapes later this year that are, shall we say, inspired by my radio show. The show will be as much about discovery for me as it is for you, the listener (I hope).

Meanwhile, it's records, records, records around this house. Vinyl, CD, MP3, whatever. A lot of it is scrobbling to my Last.fm account, so go check out what's been on the box. The vinyl, unfortunately, does not scrobble, but that's okay.

One last thought...mixtapes, for me, can be all about dwelling on the past. If I make a mixtape with a bunch of songs that have meaning for me, but that meaning is mired in things of the past, how can I ever expect to live in the present? The present, finally, is filled with things that I'm excited about, and I think the music, and my level of enjoyment of it, is connected to that. I have lamented on this blog about the idea that music seemed so much more exciting when I was younger, that getting to know new records was easier then, that I was feeling like a curmudgeon in my present state...but the truth is that I can't get excited about the soundtrack to my current life (or making the soundtrack to my life current, as opposed to rehashing that of the past) unless I'm EXCITED about my CURRENT LIFE ITSELF.

Go back and read that sentence again. I'll type it again so you can: ...the truth is that I can't get excited about the soundtrack to my current life (or making the soundtrack to my life current, as opposed to rehashing that of the past) unless I'm EXCITED about my CURRENT LIFE ITSELF. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

JiveWired.com EPK Review

2010-03-27T19:00:00.004-05:00

So, there's a new website/social-musical network about to launch called JiveWired.com. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am going to have a radio show on their online radio network, called The Mixtape Jones Radio Hour.) Mike, the fearless creator and founder of JiveWired, asked me to go ahead and throw up an EPK for Dr. Pants, and I did. Now I'm gonna tell you what I think of it.

First of all, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way; the word EPK probably has an iffy connotation to it these days, thanks to Sonicbids. Sonicbids is a controversial thing amongst musicians currently...everyone has an opinion. I personally am not so fond of Sonicbids, and I'm glad, REALLY GLAD, to see someone else step into the game. There are all sorts of rumors flying around about what Sonicbids has and has not done, as well as some pretty infuriating statements that have been made by Sonicbids' founder at conferences, etc. (I've been personally privy to some of these), but I don't think that Sonicbids or what they've created was necessarily a bad idea. It's just not at its best right now, and hasn't been for a while. JiveWired will hopefully contribute to a more healthy marketplace in terms of EPKs, festival submissions, etc.

The JiveWired EPK appears to cover most of the ground necessary to a good EPK. The style/look is very clean and very approachable...there are no design elements that I take issue with in any way. The interface is very user-friendly (if you've ever set up a page for your band at any other sort of music networking site, setup will be a breeze for you), and, even though the site is still in beta testing, I experienced no issues or errors while uploading my content (this may seem fussy, but errors cost time, and time as an independent musician is ALWAYS at a premium).

I like that there's a discography, because that emphasizes the amount of actual MUSIC an artist has MADE, instead of how many dates they've played, etc. If you can't actually make a record, or several, I'm probably not interested in going to hear you play anyway (it's a culture thing...we need to do whatever we can to emphasize creativity in the culture, and not the infinite recycling of old models...cover bands, nostalgia tours, etc.). I also like the usability of the calendar feature, in that you just click on the date of the gig you want to enter and then just fill in the info. It REALLY helps prevent inadvertently entering incorrect dates for your shows. I do wonder, however, if there's any chance JiveWired will consider working with ArtistData or Reverb Nation (I'd prefer ArtistData) to enable uploading of a CSV file to fill out calendar dates (again, time is at a premium, and anything that can be done to reduce the number of sites upon which we have to fill out our calendars is a GOOD THING). If you don't know what I'm talking about, basically ArtistData not only syndicates your dates you enter on their site to your Facebook fan page, MySpace page, etc., it also currently enables you to quickly download a CSV file of all your tour dates and upload it to Sonicbids in a couple of clicks.

I like that the profile allows influences to be listed for each individual band member. Dr. Pants is a diverse little group of guys, and we actually don't have a lot in common in terms of our listening habits. We do, however, each have a lot of respect for where the others are coming from, and that's part of what makes the band work. I think it's cool to be able to list that, for me, Guided By Voices or Frank Zappa are an influence, but for Kenneth it's Van Halen, for Dustin it's Sufjan Stevens, and for Aaron it's Grand Funk Railroad. And for all of us, to some degree, it's Weezer (we do have a little common ground).

I do worry a bit that the EPK is sort of all on one page. I mean, there is a download option, of course, so I don't really know that anyone seriously considering booking you for a gig will do anything but that, but if not, are they going to scroll down through the bio and everything else to get to the music? Yes, there's a shortcut to it on the menu to the left, so maybe I should stop my worrying. I made a promise that I'd give an honest review, though, so that's what I'm doing. (Thumbs Up!)

Overall, I think Mike and the guys at JiveWired have done a good job. I don't know that they've necessarily reinvented the wheel here, but I don't know that it's asking to be completely reinvented. I do know, however, that the EPK market definitely needs competition, and that Sonicbids has gotten big enough that it needs to be chipped away at a bit. I think (although I'm not completely sure) that JiveWired's pricing will be a bit more affordable than Sonicbids, and that you will also get a free submission to one of the JiveWired radio shows (including mine, The Mixtape Jones Radio Hour) with your EPK setup. My show is going to (probably) be the most diverse show starting out, and will cover a lot of musical ground, so I wholeheartedly recommend that you send a submission my way (unless you are metal, really radio-friendly rock or pop, or mainstream rap...there will be other shows that work better for you).

Hope this review helps you, if you're considering posting an EPK. I'd say give JiveWired a chance.

The Stax Museum & My Own Personal Renaissance

2010-03-16T18:38:00.002-05:00

So, this last weekend K.C. and I went to Hot Springs, AR and Memphis, TN to perform. We performed in Hot Springs on Thursday and our Memphis gig wasn't until Saturday night, so we arrived in Memphis a day early to spend some time with our fabulous friend, Cindy. She had asked what we wanted to do or see in Memphis, and the only touristy thing I wanted to do was see the Stax museum.

If you don't know what Stax Records is, or who was on the label, PLEASE click the title of this entry and go check out the Stax museum website, or just Wikipedia that shit. Because you NEED to know. Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MG's, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers...the face of 60's rough edged soul (as opposed to the extremely clean sound of Motown) and the sound of smooth 70's R&B and funk, Stax changed music forever. Their indelible contribution to pop music history is a beacon of awesome amongst the pop music mediocrity offered by the mainstream these days.

The museum is fantastic...it details how soul music came about as a mixture of blues, country and gospel, and how, without the gospel tradition, there would have been no soul, no R&B music. It talks about the raceless, colorless view that the Stax Records employees and artists employed in their business--the staff of the label contained blacks and whites, and the musicians were both black and white as well. A video in the museum also talks about how, after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, things were never the same--it was as if an illusion had been shattered, and the company never felt the same after that.

It's quite challenging for me to explain what I felt walking through the exhibits. I felt privileged to be there, and so full of emotion when confronted with the powerful nature of what Stax meant not only to music, but to civil rights, to the culture in which it found itself in the 60's. This music REALLY MEANS SOMETHING, and I don't think its value can be overestimated. I was close to tears multiple times walking through the museum, and when we left my heart was so full I feared it might burst at any moment.

It just so happens that this experience coincides with a bit of a renaissance musically for me...it kind of ties into what I was talking about in my entry a few weeks ago when I talked about my friend Kyle playing songs off his iPod to me in the car (Adjusting My Bad Attitude...). I'm having a definite renaissance in terms of my listening, and I think it really ties in with an improvement in my emotional and spiritual well-being. I feel better, I'm happier, and so I'm enjoying music MORE, which makes me feel even better, and happier, so I enjoy the music EVEN MORE, which makes me feel better, and happier...It's an upward spiral that I am doing my best to foster.

I am hoping that this leads to a greater renaissance in terms of my creativity as well, but I'm not quite there yet. I have a couple of projects I need to see to their end (like getting out the Weird Files EP that has been sitting in the can for well over a year), and I think that will enable to me to think clearly and engage future creative projects (like the next Dr. Pants album!!) HEAD ON.

The Stax museum was INSPIRING. It is one of a number of inspiring experiences I've had lately, and I am truly grateful for that. I also want to say how grateful I am to still be doing music full time as K.C.'s husband, guitarist and business partner, and that I don't think any of the rest of this would be possible without that reality.

I hope to have a mixtape or two to post within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, go find something new and exciting to listen to.

The Subjective Cool

2010-03-04T23:25:00.002-06:00

What is "cool" to you? More specifically, what is "cool" when it comes to music? Is cool something that you feel you aren't, because you don't like the things that everyone else seems to? Or is cool something else, something more personal, something that describes that which touches you, or blows your mind, or gets under your skin (in a good way)?

I find that "cool" to me ultimately means some variation on that last one. At least, when I am willing to let go of some of the bullshit foisted on me by the world at large, that's what "cool" means. I'll tell you a story. When I was very young, a small child, no one ever told me that "cool" really meant some sort of status quo in regards to fashion, art, entertainment, culture, etc. "Cool" to me just seemed to mean "that which you get excited about, or that which excites YOU." Not anyone else, just you. "Cool", for me, was always something subjective (the truth is that the other cool is subjective, too, but no one wants you to know that. It's a secret they never tell you, you have to find out for yourself). The clothes I wanted to wear? Cool. The toys I wanted to play with? Cool. The music I wanted to listen to? Cool. At some point around age 12, the world around me started to inform me that it strongly disagreed with my assessment of these things. This stressed me out for a few years, but then I pretty much adjusted.

Maybe "cool" doesn't mean this for you, but it does for me. The coolest moments are the ones in which I find something that I feel like I've always been looking for, or something that feels like it was made for me. It's how I felt when I first heard the Beatles as a kid, or when I first read Douglas Adams. It was absolutely how I felt when I began really getting into Frank Zappa in college. Like this whole world was opening up, begging me to come sit in it. I didn't have to be anything else other than what I truly was in there, and that, by God, was COOL. The people who expect/desire us to conform to some sort of cultural or behavioral rubric in order to fit into some larger, cultural definition of "cool" could learn a thing or two from the things that truly touch us and work their way into our lives. Those things, those pieces of music, art, literature, whatever, don't expect anything of us other than to come to them as we are. It is no coincidence that people find the spiritual in these things, because they share this characteristic with the divine. Find the things that you truly connect with, without having to change yourself. That's cool, but it's a billion times more, too.

Thurston Moore's Blog

2010-02-23T23:40:00.001-06:00

Why I gotta be so tired? I want to geek out over Thurston Moore's Blog. That's right, go geek out yourselves, and then maybe, once I get to read ANY of it, we can talk about it.

Folk Alliance 2010

2010-02-23T16:35:00.002-06:00

Well folks, at this point we may be saying goodbye to the dream of successfully completing NaBloPoMo. I may have to pick a different month and try again. I will say, though, that it has been really fun writing more, and I more than likely will be blogging a bit more regularly as a result of my efforts.

So, the International Folk Alliance Conference was this last weekend. It kind of makes my brain hurt to think about explaining what Folk Alliance is to all of you, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Folk Alliance (click on title above to go to their official website) is an international organization devoted to the preservation and continued development of all folk and roots musics. This very much includes Americana, or contemporary singer-songwriter music (the two categories in which I would place K.C.), as well as pretty much any other rootsy genre you can think of. They have a number of conferences every year, the large, international one (AKA the one I just attended), and five smaller, regional conferences in the fall. The conferences consist of panel discussions/workshops during the daytime hours, and showcase performances at night. The first part of the evening is filled with "official" showcases (artists selected by a jury to showcase at the conference), and the later hours (starting post-10pm and going until as late as 3am) consisting of "guerrilla" showcases that happen in hotel rooms. K.C. and I have been known to play as many as 8-9 guerrilla showcases at one conference, in addition to the official showcase (we've been lucky enough to have one of those at the last 5 conferences we've been to, regional or international). It's a very tiring thing.

This year was inspiring on a number of levels, which is all the more wonderful given that I didn't expect it to be at all. The folk world can be as sanctimonious and full of itself as any other sect of the music world, and many days I feel like I've pretty much met my threshold with that; many days leading up to the conference especially. I was convinced I would not have a good time.

I was proved wrong however. The morning of the first day of the conference K.C. and I went to breakfast with our friend Michelle, who has a great management company called Market Monkeys, and as we were getting ready to leave, a couple of guys walked into the restaurant who I recognized almost immediately. They were none other than Robby & Char Rothschild, two fabulous musical gentlemen that I had the privilege of going to college with. They now tour as a duo called Round Mountain, and they were in town for Folk Alliance as well. Robby and Char are quality individuals as well as quality musicians, so it was really great to see them again. I got to hear them play a couple of showcases in the days following, as well as have another fabulous breakfast in their company. Please check them out if you get a second.

Then, on Saturday night, we had a really amazing night of music. We had three showcases that were all great, two of which were in-the-round with other artists. One of these in-the-round sessions was with our friends Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus (as well as our friend Jeff Talmadge). Jim always insists that I play lead guitar on his stuff when we're in the same room together, and it's something that I need to do a lot more, just to get whipped into shape as a guitarist. I really, really enjoyed myself, and K.C. and I were sounding great together as well. It was the first of three great showcases we got to play that night, and I had a blast.

This is all a bit gushy and cheesy, but I can't really portray it any other way and still feel I'm being honest. I am really enjoying what we do right now, especially the performing part. That's a good thing...I ultimately enjoy writing and recording a lot more than I do performing, and the writing and recording parts I only really get to do with Dr. Pants or one of my other projects. So it's a really refreshing thing to be enjoying performing more, to feel like I'm coming into my own more as K.C.'s guitar player, to feel like I'm making more of a contribution. It's a good, good thing.

It helps make the ginormous amount of work we're doing now worth it, as well. In case you haven't heard, K.C.'s new record, ORCHID, came out today. We are working REALLY, REALLY hard to make sure it gets the attention it deserves, and if you go read the reviews it's getting on iTunes, you'll see that there are a lot of other folks out there who think it deserves attention as well. If you listen to it, hopefully you'll agree.

Okay, that's all I've got right now. More info about JiveWired.com and my new radio show coming soon.

Ho Hum, Another Placeholder

2010-02-19T18:14:00.003-06:00

This is, like, the worst month ever for me to try NaBloPoMo. There's way too much going on that is occupying my mind. I guess overall, that's a good thing, but it frustrates me that I don't have time to process anything that's happening to me in order to actually write about it.

I will say this: some really remarkable stuff has happened this week at Folk Alliance, and I fully intend to write about it when I get some time to sort out what I want to say.

That is all.

Unsure Of How To Approach This

2010-02-18T09:23:00.002-06:00

This may sound like the dumbest statement ever, but I'm really not sure how to blog about music in the middle of a music conference. It seems counter-intuitive. It feels like it would somehow damage my ability to "take it all in". I want to process everything that's going on before I write about it. I may not even end up writing about much of it in the end, either, because I'm here primarily to help K.C. promote her music, and not to really be a blogger/media person. I hope that someday I get to come to one of these conferences strictly in that capacity...and I have a feeling I probably will. I won't say any more about that, for risk of sounding presumptuous and full of myself (or perhaps full of someone else). I do think that if I were here solely as "media" I might feel better prepared to engage it in such a manner.

More later.

Just Don't Know. Too Tired.

2010-02-17T00:13:00.002-06:00

Can't think of anything music-related to say here right now. So I won't. I'm sure more will come tomorrow and throughout the weekend when I am in a more musical spot.

Maintaining the NaBloPoMo, though, even if it's just a placeholder.

Adjusting My Bad Attitude, A Little Bit At A Time

2010-02-15T22:50:00.002-06:00

So, K.C. and I just arrived in Memphis at the site of what will be the International Folk Alliance Conference, starting Wednesday. We are here early. Folk Alliance is an interesting beast...I am not really a folk music guy at heart (solidly a rock guy, push comes to shove), so my bad attitude towards things I'm not ultimately committed to gets tested at Folk Alliance events sometimes.

However, I already have had some really good attitude-adjusting stuff happen today, so we can hope that there's more to come. My friend Kyle, who rode out here with us, played me some stuff from his iPod that really kicked my ass, and totally threw a wrench in my "I'm cynical about your uber-cool indie music that you like so much, even though I secretly, desperately want to be able to love and appreciate it" thing that I hold on to way too tight most of the time. For instance...

I heard Deerhoof for the first time, and it was awesome. I heard a band called the Books, specifically a piece called "Enjoy Your Worries, You May Never Have Them Again" that totally blew my mind. It was the kind of experimental music I wish I could hear more of. Finally, he played me a track by Elbow called "Grounds For Divorce" that couldn't be beat.

Exciting stuff. Gives me faith that I am not too old/too crotchety/too whatever to still find and enjoy new, amazing music. I hope to find some more of it this weekend, but I may have to adjust a bit further than I feel ready to, attitude-wise, to not feel irritated by the lack of rock by week's end...

Some Badassery From My iPod on Shuffle

2010-02-14T23:10:00.002-06:00

The soundtrack to doing dishes this afternoon:

WHAT'S THE UGLIEST PART OF YOUR BODY? (REPRISE)-FRANK ZAPPA
THE GREETING SONG-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (This one really kicked my ass)
I WON'T BACK DOWN-TOM PETTY
HORN-PHISH
ISOLATION-JOHN LENNON
ANDY (LIVE)-FRANK ZAPPA
AHEAD-WIRE
YOU BE ILLIN'-RUN-D.M.C.
WENDELL GEE-R.E.M.
WE'RE TURNING AGAIN-FRANK ZAPPA
SWORDFISH-THE DEAD MILKMEN
LULU LAND-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
GROUNDHOG'S DAY-PRIMUS

Appropriate to end on a song about a holiday that is not the holiday that today is (I REALLY enjoyed typing that sentence).

More tomorrow, kids.

Fell Off The Wagon/The Mixtape Jones Radio Hour on JiveWired

2010-02-13T12:07:00.004-06:00

Fell off the wagon on the NaBloPoMo tip yesterday. It was a big day, what with the first of 2 K.C. Clifford release concerts and all. It was soooo great, though...I wish so much that we could take this band we've assembled all around the country to play for all of you, because they're absolutely fantastic. Of course, I wish that I could bring Dr. Pants all across the country to play for you as well, because they are also fantastic. Everybody just go buy a shitload of CDs and give them to your friends so we can afford to tour these bands, okay?

Meanwhile, the music of this weekend, K.C.'s music in its fantastic, full-band form, infects me, as well as the music of Ben Bedford (& his lovely wife Kari Abate-Bedford) & 3 Penny Acre (our opening acts, last night & tonight, respectively). I find it hard to think about any other music. I AM really excited about something that's coming up, though, and I want to share that with you right now.

A few of you may be aware of a music/social networking site called SonicJive.com. Dr. Pants has a page there, and SonicJive has been very good to us. As I'm sure Mike (the owner/founder) would tell you, though, SonicJive in its current incarnation doesn't really do enough...it doesn't meet the needs of the indie musician in 2010 in the way that I, or Mike, or many other musicians might want it to. So, Mike has been revamping the site for an imminent relaunch under the name JiveWired.com. I, for one, am really stoked about it. It will have all sorts of new and amazing tools for the indie musician, including EPKs (Dr. Pants is going to be an EPK guinea pig, and I'll be writing about that process tomorrow or the next day). They also will have their own radio/podcast network, and I, David/Mixtape Jones, will have a show (!!!). I am so thrilled, guys. I have been frustrated with the limitations of my Blip.fm show for a while now (mostly the fact that I have to do it live, and therefore it's really difficult to keep a consistent, scheduled show, but also the limitations of Blip and their online library), and can't wait to be free of some of those constraints. I may do shows on Blip occasionally after this (because it's fun to just spontaneously Blip stuff, to kind of "cross-promote" my JiveWired show and to continue to promote Dr. Pants), but the JiveWired show will be an honest-to-God, weekly show that will happen until they find some reason to throw me off the air (not that I plan on giving them any). At this point I plan on my show being a rock show that leans towards the indie side (whatever that means these days...I am gonna try and play good, cool stuff consistently, both new and old), but I may also dip into the folk/acoustic arena some, since I have such a significant foothold in that world through working with K.C. We shall see. This blog will most likely relocate to a JiveWired-powered blog page as well, but you should still be able to follow/subscribe to it in all the usual ways. I'll keep you posted on all of these developments as they continue.

I can't explain how stoked I am. I have high hopes for JiveWired.com, and I hope many of you will come join me in helping it have a successful birth into the world. Meanwhile, if you're in OKC, and you don't have a ticket for the K.C. Clifford show tonight...better get one quick. We were turning people away by 7:45 last night and it was standing room only.

Peace.

K.C. Clifford CD Release Concerts This Weekend

2010-02-11T22:20:00.004-06:00

I have no idea what to blog about today, other than that this weekend my wife (K.C. Clifford) is doing a two-night CD release concert here in Oklahoma City. Her new album is called Orchid, and it is most definitely the best album I've ever heard by someone that I am personally connected to. Some of you, I'm sure, will cry "bias!", but once you hear the record, you'll recant such rash judgments. If you don't think it's one of the best singer-songwriter records of 2010, you're not listening to the same record I am, I promise.

I'll post links and so forth where you can buy it once it actually comes out for real (the nationwide street date is March 2nd...only the lucky folks in Oklahoma City who come to the shows get to buy it before then).

We'll also have the first single, "Broken Things", up on Blip.fm soon, and hopefully on Pandora.

This event has consumed my life for the past week or two, so I'm glad it's happening tomorrow. This is only the beginning of a year of amazing things though, I'm sure. It's an exciting time to be K.C. Clifford's husband.

K.C. Clifford Celebrates the Release of "Orchid"
The Blue Door, Oklahoma City
2805 N. McKinley
Friday, 2/12 & Saturday, 2/13
$15, 8pm

Buy tickets for the shows at The Blue Door Website. Friday night is basically sold out...so come Saturday.

I'm Gonna Be On Sound Opinions This Weekend.

2010-02-10T22:17:00.002-06:00

No kidding, seriously. I sent in an email for their Valentine's show. Then I got an email back that asked if I wanted to talk to Jim & Greg on the air. Then I sent an email to them that said, "Yes." Then they called me and I told them about my favorite song for "setting the mood" on Valentine's Day. Then I got an email today telling me they were going to use my call on the show.

I have to admit, I was REALLY nervous when I talked to them. As off-base, shortsighted and cantankerous as I think they can both be sometimes, I kind of look up to these guys. They are of my ilk on some level, and I was actually humbled by how nice they were to me on the phone. To make my nerves worse, when I got on the phone with them, I was on a cordless phone, it was staticky and I had to change phones (and tell my story all over again). I walked into the kitchen to get on the hardwired phone and immediately knocked a bag of groceries off the counter, which prompted Jim DeRogatis to ask, "We're not tearing apart your kitchen, are we?" He DID ask me about whether I lived anywhere near Wayne Coyne, though, and I could happily say that I lived quite close to him.

Listen to the show, whether on your local affiliate or through podcast. I'm David from Oklahoma City. That's how you'll know it's me.

My Remorse About the Entirety of 6th Grade (Part 3 In a Series)

2010-02-09T18:34:00.002-06:00

There are probably many folks out there who don't have remorse/regret about the music they spent their time and money on in the 6th grade. Many of you probably feel that you can chalk up any ill-advised musical choices made at that age to the age itself. This may very well be true...I might be completely justified in letting myself off the hook. And as I alluded to in the last post, it is quite possible that the very musical ugliness that I consistently ingested in 6th grade finally pushed me over the edge in terms of ABSOLUTELY having to search out SOME sort of alternative...

Ultimately, I feel like 6th grade was kind of this wasteland in between my elementary school years (which, in spite of the REO Speedwagon rant yesterday, were, more than anything, about discovering pop music and its existence rather than about honing my tastes and voyaging into multiple unknown musical horizons) and the rest of middle school, which really found me stretching out a bit from my firmly established top 40 origins. The ONE EXCEPTION to my 6th grade stagnation was Run-DMC, who, it must be said, DID in fact hit the top 40 that year (so even though they effectively introduced hip-hop into my musical universe, they weren't really much of an aberration).

Songs that I wish I could take back the hours I spent hearing/listening to them in 6th grade:
"On My Own" by Michael McDonald & Patti Labelle
"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung (Many of you will probably attempt to assign some sort of value, sentimental or otherwise, to this song. I can't enjoy it. I haven't been able to enjoy it since around the 84th time I heard it in the 6th grade).
"(I Just Died) In Your Arms Tonight" by Cutting Crew
"I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" by Aretha Franklin & George Michael
"The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby & The Range (sorry, Nathan)
"Head To Toe" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
"Stuck With You" by Huey Lewis & The News (I may have had kind words for "The Heart of Rock & Roll", as well as other tracks from the Sports album, but after that the dude fell off. Big time.)
"No One Is To Blame" by Howard Jones
"Talk To Me" by Stevie Nicks (This song was so overplayed it need NEVER EVER BE PLAYED AGAIN ANYWHERE EVER.)

There are other songs I could add to this list, for sure. "That's What Friends Are For" is a strong contender as is "Say You, Say Me". Of course, during this time, Bon Jovi & Whitesnake were busy ushering in the late 80's butt rock explosion, but ultimately I would argue that the butt rock and metal that I gravitated towards in the next couple of years led to further expansion of my musical tastes, and not to further stagnation.

I really can't emphasize enough that 6th grade was a "darkest before the dawn" moment musically. 7th grade brought Led Zeppelin, a renewed interest in the Beatles, and my introduction to the Dr. Demento Show (as well as lots of butt rock). These things would, for all intents and purposes, fuel the expansion of my musical horizons for years to come.

My Remorse About REO Speedwagon (Part 2 of a Series)

2010-02-08T17:34:00.002-06:00

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, I started listening to "America's Top 40" with Casey Kasem when I was about 7 or 8 years old. For the first two years or so, it was a grand experience, and something that introduced me to music that I still enjoy (no, I'm not kidding. Not only Michael Jackson and Prince, but "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder and "One Thing Leads To Another" by the Fixx, too). Somewhere around 4th or 5th grade, though, something started to go awry. Maybe even 3rd grade. Somewhere around there, the music started to go south, REALLY fast.

Some time in 2009 my wife and I were on tour, and we were spending a lot of time in the car listening to XM radio (the previous owners of our car had failed to cancel their subscription when they sold it, and we were reaping the benefits). The 80's station, though not consistent, did offer a great many moments of enjoyment. On Sundays, they rerun "America's Top 40" shows from the 80's. We sat ALL THE WAY THROUGH one of these reruns, and it started to really get painful around number 15 or so. We went all the way to the end, though, because, as I said at the time, "Well, we've come this far..." The broadcast must have been from some time in early 1985, because the number one song was "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon.

That particular composition falls into a category of song that I wish I could eradicate entirely from my early life, that category being "Songs I Heard Too Many Damn Times That Weren't Any Good To Begin With" (this category will from here forth be referred to as SIHTMDTTWAGTBW). I am filled with GREAT REMORSE about the time lost to said REO Speedwagon song, as well as many other SIHTMDTTWAGTBW's. I want those hours back, even if just to listen to "When It's Love" by Van Halen a few more times (yes, I think that song's better. Sorry if you strongly disagree, but in terms of power ballads, it f'ing buries the Speedwagon tune), or even "Mother's Talk" by Tears For Fears.

My devotion to "Top 40" was pretty unshakable, though, I must admit. I have a clear memory of being at some sort of Sunday afternoon Cub Scout activity (probably circa '85 or '86) and being really pissed off that I was missing my show. I remember getting in the car with my dad, immediately turning on the radio hoping that there was still some of it left to hear, and being so disappointed when the strains of "Oh Sheila" by Ready For The World came through the speakers. I knew that song couldn't possibly be in the top 10 that week because of how long it had been out. I knew I had missed my show entirely (ultimately, this anecdote is REALLY telling in regards to how much I enjoyed my Cub Scout & subsequent Boy Scout activities...in other words, very little). Maybe I want my hours involved in Cub/Boy Scouts back, too. I can't say for sure. I do know that my exclusive devotion to top 40 pop music continued through 6th grade, and then the system started to break down. It had to, because 6th grade was probably the worst year yet for for the top 40 in my short life, containing myriad SIHTMDTTWAGTBW's...

My Remorse About Michael Jackson (Part 1 of a Series)

2010-02-07T10:18:00.002-06:00

So, most of my gradeschool years were spent in a world where top 40 pop music was the only thing around. This wasn't necessarily my fault, I just didn't know well enough to go looking for something better, and up until around 4th or 5th grade, it really was something I enjoyed. 6th grade was a time when things took a major turn for the worse, both musically and socially for me, but more about that later.

As I'm sure every kid my age did, I obtained a copy of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson for Christmas in 1983 (when I was 8). It was on vinyl, of course, because I didn't have my own stereo of any kind yet, and my parents didn't have a tape deck in the house, only a turntable. We played that record a LOT, as I'm sure most kids did once they got their hands on a copy.

"Thriller" became a part of my life not because of MTV (as I'm sure it had with most people) or listening to top 40 radio (lite-rock radio was as far out as we got most of the time in my house), but specifically because of America's Top 40 with Casey Kasem (broadcast, fortunately enough, every Sunday on the lite-rock radio station from noon to 4:00 pm). As soon as I realized that this show existed, I was glued to it every week (starting somewhere, I'm pretty sure, around the fall of 1982). I was introduced to Michael Jackson through this medium, as well as numerous other artists of that time that I still have a great fondness for.

At some point, however, my fondness for Michael Jackson soured, and I jettisoned my prized copy of "Thriller". If I remember correctly, I donated it to a church garage sale some time in high school. I don't have any idea why I did this, except that MJ had fallen out of my own personal graces ("Thriller" was the only album of his I ever owned to begin with) and I was definitely starting to shave off bits of my music collection that I didn't really think I would enjoy long-term.

My remorse about this is clear; I'd really love to have my vinyl copy of "Thriller" back, especially now. It was still in pretty good shape when I got rid of it, too, which means that it would still be in good shape now (I was wise enough by high school to know how to take good care of my records). Perhaps, someday, I'll come across a copy of it in a used vinyl shop and know, in my heart, that it's my copy, waiting to be reclaimed.

Damn! This NaBloPoMo Thing is Hard.

2010-02-07T00:47:00.002-06:00

So, because the clock says it's after midnight, I technically failed to post a blog on February 6th. I had an idea for one, but because we were on the road for most of the day, it didn't happen. I will try and post two tomorrow (as in "after I sleep"), but we'll see. At this point I only have an idea for one. It's an every day thing though, so it shouldn't have to be a master's thesis or anything...

Anyway, hopefully this is the last time this will happen. One can always hope.

Kansas City (Hey Hey Hey Hey)

2010-02-04T23:41:00.003-06:00

The wife and I are driving to Kansas City later today for a gig, and it influences my ponderances...

So, I've never been a big fan of songs about towns (at least, songs about towns that mention the name of that town specifically in the title). "Kansas City" as recorded by Little Richard (and later the Beatles) is an exception, but ultimately I think by a certain point in history this mode of songwriting had been worn through, and efforts along these lines should have ceased.

It would probably be unwise to try and convince some of my friends in Folk Alliance that this is the case, however.

Even R.E.M., though, one of my favorite bands on the planet, has had less than stellar luck writing songs about specific towns (or referencing specific towns), especially lately. "Leaving New York" from their unfortunate "Around the Sun" album was iffy at best, and "Houston" from their most recent album "Accelerate" was quite possibly my least favorite track on the album. There is something to this, I think.

Maybe I'd feel differently if there was a song about Oklahoma City in particular that was worth a damn (I say "worth a damn" as if there are several lackluster songs about my fair town out there that somehow didn't cut the mustard...there are not). Oklahoma City, of course, did get a shout out in Huey Lewis' "The Heart of Rock & Roll", which, depending on your disposition, is either an utterly worthless piece of 80's crap OR, as I like to think, a mildly fun, non-offensive (musically) song that manages to transcend the decade in which it was created just enough to still enjoy.

Of course, it helps that my wife put it on a mix CD for me the first year we were dating (it was actually on a trilogy of mix CDs she made me all at once, to try and "catch up" for the fact that I had already made her 3 or 4 by that point and she had managed to only scrape together one). These CDs were a masterpiece of sentiment and content, if only because they almost refused to apologize for a cheesy selection, or a seemingly outmoded selection (the Huey Lewis track being just one example). I also continue to allege that these CDs ultimately (whether through conscious or unconscious intention) conveyed the message that this woman who would become my wife wanted to be with me forever, deep down, and that any conflict about this that she showed on the surface would eventually be resolved in my favor. My wife, of course, says that she has no idea what I am talking about, and that she was just trying to make some good CDs. Whatever.

At some point this month, I might share the tracklisting for these mix CDs, so that you can all experience the grandeur of them as well.

I suppose what all of this proves (watch me tie this together, or try valiantly) is that context again ultimately rules the day. I mostly like "The Heart of Rock & Roll" because of the context it exists in for me (a pleasant, guilty-pleasure style surprise in the middle of a 3 CD tour de force created by the woman I love most in the world just for me), but if I hear another folk singer sing some song about some Texas town that treated him bad (or good) I might shoot him.

Then again, if I analyze this further, that could all turn out to be a bunch of crap.

It's going to be an interesting month.

NaBloPoMo?? TIES??

2010-02-04T23:41:00.002-06:00

I am about to attempt something unprecedented, at least in my world. I am going to attempt to post a blog entry every day in February (at least, all the days that are left).

The theme suggested by the National Blog Posting Month website for February is "TIES". I'm not sure what that means (what color necktie did you wear to work today, Bob?), but I'm going to allegedly say that my entries will be related how I am "tied" to music, in every way I can think of. It permeates my existence inextricably.

Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

I Don't Have a Butterfinger Group

2010-01-08T14:51:00.004-06:00

So in the last month and a half or so, the internet as we know it has been littered with year-end best of lists, AND, since we're entering a new decade, decade-end best of lists. I don't have any lists of this kind to offer. In fact, all of this has done almost nothing except make me feel like I was woefully inattentive and unhip for most of the last 10 years. There were some records on the decade-end best of lists that I bought and loved, but I also consistently found myself thinking, "That's it? Shouldn't there have been more records that I connected with in a REALLY DEEP WAY? What have I been doing?? Where were my MAJORLY IMPACTFUL MUSICAL EXPERIENCES of the last 10 years that would somehow delineate what the most important records of the decade were for ME??"

Don't get me wrong. I found a few things to be really happy about this decade, specifically Wilco and Guided By Voices, but neither of those bands were FORMED during this decade, and one of them had a career largely based in the 90's. What rock have I been under?

The sad truth is that I'm old. Or older than I used to be. I don't always have the energy to look for new and exciting music the way that I used to, and I don't really have specific trusted sources to go to for this music the way that I used to. There are too many outlets to look to, and I don't have time to filter out the ones that are not consistently feeding me things that are interesting. Also, it appears that I don't have the patience to give things as much of a chance as I used to, either. These are symptoms of an unfortunate and sad reality, but what can be done? As I've said before, I long for the days where I could spend at least 3-4 hours of (almost) every day sitting in headphones and gleefully absorbing my most recently purchased records. On the one hand, in a "bottom line" sort of way, doing this is not as important to me as it used to be, but I also don't want to find myself spending all this time trying to find new things to be excited about and then woefully realizing that I'm not that excited about any of them.

There have been deep, powerful musical experiences as well, but a lot of them were in a live concert setting, some of them were with older records that I just discovered in the last ten years, and some of them were with live performances of songs that, when I went to listen to the record afterward, failed to translate in that context into anything resembling a deep experience.

It could be said that these are signs of a bad attitude/snobbery. They probably are.

I bought the Phoenix record the other day. You know, the new one that's on all the year-end lists? It's not bad. I don't dislike it. But I will have to spend more time with it to figure out what I really think of it. Yeah, I'm serious. My wife was able to say "I like that" after hearing it once. Why can't I do that? There are very, VERY few records that I've heard in my lifetime that I felt I could say that about after ONE listen. The Beatles. Weezer's Blue Album. Led Zeppelin I. I mean, I could probably come up with a whole list of THOSE, but relative to how many albums I've heard and own, it wouldn't be very long. How many of YOU liked, I mean REALLY CONNECTED WITH the Phoenix album on first listen? How many of you think I'm a mutant (I mean, in a bad way, not in a badass, should be in the X-Men kind of way)?

Part of me feels that my expectations have become way too high, and that I should just relax and let the music be what it is and make a more concerted effort to enjoy it for what it is. I also feel like my lack of interest or willingness to investigate newer music might be some sort of survival mechanism, some sort of subconscious manifestation of the knowledge deep in my soul that there just isn't as much room for new music in my life as there used to be because of all the music that's already there. These could be bullshit excuses, too.

I polled a few of you on Facebook on what you were listening to on your iPod right now, and what your favorite record of the year was, and I'll do it again here. Tell me what your favorite music of the year OR decade was. And, just because I try to be a good sport, I'll list a few things here that I DID, in fact, enjoy quite a bit last year and last decade.

2009:
PHISH-JOY
ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE VENUS 3-GOODNIGHT OSLO
SONIC YOUTH-THE ETERNAL
THE FLAMING LIPS-EMBRYONIC (just starting to investigate this one, though)

THE 00'S:
THE HOLD STEADY-BOYS & GIRLS IN AMERICA
WILCO-YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT
WILCO-A GHOST IS BORN
GUIDED BY VOICES-ISOLATION DRILLS
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS-TWIN CINEMA
PHISH-UNDERMIND
BECK-THE INFORMATION
DE LA SOUL-ART OFFICIAL INTELLIGENCE V.1: MOSAIC THUMP
BELLE & SEBASTIAN-THE LIFE PURSUIT
PATTY GRIFFIN-IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

That's about all I've got, off the top of my head. It should be easier, I tell you. Lay yours on me.

The Best Christmas CD EVER!! & The "Revolution 9" of Christmas Songs

2009-12-08T22:29:00.001-06:00

Okay, so Christmas music is something that tends to polarize people. There are people that just can't abide it, and others (some of whom I've gotten to know on Twitter) that start listening in July and don't stop until New Year's. I, for one, have always liked Christmas music, but as with everything else, only if it's good ("good" is, of course, completely subjective). I've heard a few Christmas recordings that definitely belong in my list of WORST RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME, and I've heard others that are really great. A couple of years ago, I decided to compile some of my favorite Christmas songs/records on to a CD to give to family and friends. It lives on under the title of "The Best Christmas CD EVER!!", and here it is for your listening enjoyment. NOTE: I had to remove two of the Johnny Mathis songs from the mix, because 8tracks only allows two songs by any particular artist to be in a mix. So even splitting it in half, you still only get 4 Johnny Mathis songs instead of 6. "The First Noel" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" have been removed. If you want to hear those songs, I guess go buy them.

Track list:

WINTER WONDERLAND-JOHNNY MATHIS
BLUE CHRISTMAS-ELVIS PRESLEY
2000 MILES-THE PRETENDERS
WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME-PAUL MCCARTNEY
SLEIGH RIDE-JOHNNY MATHIS
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 1964-THE BEATLES
DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?-BAND AID
SILENT NIGHT-WEEN
HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)-JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO
THE FIST NOEL-JOHNNY MATHIS
CHRISTMAS IN HOLLIS-RUN-D.M.C.
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 1966-THE BEATLES
LINUS & LUCY-VINCE GUARALDI
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS-JOHNNY MATHIS
THANK GOD IT'S CHRISTMAS-QUEEN
CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN-TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE-BRENDA LEE
O HOLY NIGHT-JOHNNY MATHIS
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 1967-THE BEATLES
HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS-BURL IVES
MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING-THE CARPENTERS
SILVER BELLS-JOHNNY MATHIS

Some notes on the selections:

I don't think all Christmas songs should be happy-happy. Hence the inclusion of "2000 Miles" and "Thank God It's Christmas". The Brits really know how to do Christmas..."Love Actually" is a favorite Christmas movie in our house, because not all of the storylines end happily, and the ones that do are really diverse in their feel.

You may think that old Christmas music like Johnny Mathis is schlocky and awful, and on some level I can't blame you. I did grow up with it, though, which makes me very sentimental about it. Merry Christmas by Johnny Mathis is my favorite Christmas album, and probably always will be.

If you've never heard any of the Beatles' Christmas records that they sent to their fan club, then those will be an eye-opening experience. It's fun stuff, obviously just thrown together in the studio when they were goofing off. They become progressively more bizarre by the year. 1966 & 1967 are definitely the high points. Only available on bootleg, so don't feel bad about searching them out and downloading them. They were a glaring omission from the Beatles Anthology series released in the 1990s.

Finally, you may not consider "Linus & Lucy" to be a Christmas song, since it wasn't truly composed for the "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown" special, but I always associate it with that particular show.

There you go, folks. The Best Christmas CD Ever.

Meanwhile, as I have the last two Christmases, I've posted the Weird Files Christmas track, "Christmas 2007" over at the Weird Files MySpace Page. I tried to make it available for free download, but the new MySpace player doesn't seem to allow downloading. I refer to it as the "Revolution 9" of Christmas songs, because it has the same sort of sound collage kind of feel as the Beatles track. It's not everybody's bag, I know, but I hope you'll at least go listen and give it a chance. I have officially created http://www.weirdfilesmusic.com, but there isn't anything there yet. Eventually this track will be available for free download from there.

Happy Holidays, everyone. Don't know if this will be my last post before Christmas (hopefully not), but I hope everyone's December is fantastic.

An Honest Look at Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, Almost 5 Years After the Fact

2009-11-29T12:26:00.000-06:00

It's now been almost five years since Sufjan Stevens released Illinois, now considered to be a classic. In fact, Paste Magazine just named it the best album of the decade. I have to admit, I bristled when I got to the end of the list and saw it at number one. "WHY??" you may ask! In fact, you may be one of the many who instantly hailed the record as genius when it was released back in 2005. I was not necessarily one of those people, and I'll try and explain why.

In my adult life, I've never seen such a large number of my artistically oriented friends all stand up at once and hail a piece of work the way I did when Illinois was released, and to be honest, it really wigged me out. The number one way to make me cynical about something is to universally praise it, and even though I bought the record, listened to it several times, and chose every time I thinned out my collection to KEEP it, I claimed (primarily to myself) that there was just no way it was as good as everybody said/thought it was. I maintained this position for the last 4 years. I think, also, that I perceived a certain link between Stevens' music and a shift in the overall musical zeitgeist, and (as has been the case with multiple shifts like this in the last 10-12 years) could not help but notice that, once again, the shift was in a direction that did not have much in common with my own creative vision for Dr. Pants, Weird Files, etc. (Frustrating.) Also, I perceived many of those who adopted this record as a vision beyond visions to be of a somewhat "cooler-than-thou" attitude about the whole thing, and that soured me even more (more about that in a minute).

Now, however, I find it to be time to reassess. Best album of the decade? Better than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? Better than Kid A? I don't have a definitive answer for that, especially since the amount of attention I really & truly gave to Illinois during the year after its release can quite possibly be construed as negligible at this point. So, after listening again, here are my thoughts:

It's no wonder people went wild over this record. So rarely (especially at the time) does someone in the milieu of "indie rock" actually create something so compositionally spectacular, with such amazing detail, arrangement-wise. The guy has an amazing command of music, and obviously knows a shitload more about arranging and theory than most of his listeners, I bet. Couple this with a lyrical sensibility that is all at once confessional and quirky, and you've got every hipster in the USA drooling on to his Radiohead t-shirt (add in the fact that Mr. Stevens is a Christian, and you've got every Christian hipster drooling all over his Pedro the Lion t-shirt as well. Sorry if that seems condescending. I wouldn't say it if it weren't kind of true). The problem with this is that any time all the uber-hip people stand up and point to something and scream "THAT'S COOL", many others (including me) will feel like this something has been co-opted, and not want anything to do with it anymore. I feel like this because I am not a hipster, and I feel looked down upon by hipsters. I feel perceived as someone who will "never be cool enough to really GET how COOL this something is". Because I'm a geek. My grid for appreciating things is different, and is more intellectual than just a streamlined, "zero in on the essence of cool" kind of approach. I kind of don't care how cool it is. I just want to know if it's any good. It doesn't need to be wearing a certain t-shirt or haircut in order to qualify as awesome. It just has to appeal to my sensibility as a person.

"But now, David, after listening again, do you LIKE IT???" I can now say that the answer to that question is an emphatic YES. It is a really good record, gorgeous, intricate, powerful, and, quite frankly, transcends the cultural box that I perceived it to be in 4 years ago. In other words, Illinois is, I think, better than any of the hipsters think it is, in that it will continue to be fantastically amazing after the "cool" factor has worn off, and THAT is the mark of a great record. It is my sincere hope that all my professors from music school hear or have heard this record as well, because it needs to be examined on a broader scale. It needs to be a record that is praised for its sheer musical value. Maybe it already has been praised/evaluated in this fashion, and I was too busy being cynical to pay attention. I kind of don't think it's possible for such a thing to happen when all the cool kids are drooling all over the record in question, however. You can't see/hear through the drool to know what's really going on.

The drool has worn off. Let us now enjoy Illinois in a pure manner again. Let us praise Sufjan Stevens the composer, the musical visionary. And for God's sake, stop talking about how cool he is.

It Chooses You (Part 2)

2009-11-06T08:53:00.001-06:00

Music and the road have many unseverable connections for me. Ultimately, the fact that these things happen "on the road" (as opposed to when I am at home) is even more remarkable, and is tied up in all sorts of (probably) crazy things that I believe about my destiny, my purpose and my passions. I so enjoyed the family road trips of my youth that I am probably permanently damaged by them (or perceived as such by others). An inexplicable fondness for an I-40 rest area or any momentary romantic notion of McDonald's french fries would serve as ample evidence, I'm sure. I am so passionate about traveling by car to faraway destinations that I have for many years believed it must be an essential part of my destiny to do so. This passion would not have become so firmly cemented were it not for the inexorable connection it has with music, however. Without the innumerable songs that somehow have been and continue to be woven into my memories and experiences on the road, most of these would mean much less. It's possible that Abbey Road is only my favorite Beatles album BECAUSE of the fact that I heard it so many times on road trips. Would Sgt. Pepper be my favorite if it had filled that role instead?

Early this afternoon as I sat and awaited our departure from Houston, I thought about how I used to get so irritated with my parents for not being ready to leave for a day of driving in a timely manner (or what I & my brother DEEMED to be a timely manner). I hadn't thought about that in quite some time, and I realized that I had never pinpointed WHY I was so irritated by being made to wait. I truly disliked the delays because it meant LESS time in the car, and ultimately LESS time in headphones. You may ask at this point why I didn't just spend the time waiting in headphones, and the only answer I have is that, for me, it would have been like, "Oh, I'm sorry, it's going to be another two hours or so until we go to the gourmet mexican place. Here are some 7-11 nachos to tide you over." Literally, music with the road trip and music without the road trip were two different things, and when the knowledge exists that the latter will occur eventually, the former loses much of its luster.

It's funny, because I've heard a lot of criticism of the automobile lately as a place to listen to music. I think it's ridiculous. The closeness of the space allows the sound to behave more efficiently, I think. At least that's my experience. Certain records sound better in the car. I can still remember when I was in college, and my parents bought a Ford Explorer that had a ten-disc CD changer already installed. I wanted nothing more than to just drive around and listen to music in that thing for hours and hours on end. I got to drive it to Atlanta once, and it was one of the most enjoyable drives I've ever had with just me and the music.

Also, in my adult life, there have been many months and even years when most of my listening was done in the car. If I want time to sit and listen to music at home, I have to actively cultivate it (this is mostly done by staying up later than I should and losing sleep just to spend some quality time with the stereo and my record collection. However, this enables some enjoyment of music I otherwise might not ever access; see the Two Records, Two Beers entry).

Many days I feel like if I didn't have music to listen to in the car, I just would refuse to drive altogether. Mind you, I spend time in the car listening to podcasts and NPR as well, but many of the podcasts are directly related to music, and I really only turn on NPR in the car about once or twice a week.

Music in the car and music on the ROAD are two different things, though, and I really long for the days when twice a year, for days at a time, I would just sit in the back seat while my parents drove and jam out to my cassettes. Now, I trust my iPod to deliver, and many times it does. Perhaps more than ever, the music is choosing me, and it's entirely possible that it always has. Maybe the music that influences us, changes us the most is choosing us...Maybe there are reasons that Jefferson Starship was blowing my mind in 1984, Pink Floyd and They Might Be Giants in 1989, Frank Zappa and Aphex Twin in 1996, Wilco in 2005...and so many more throughout.

What music is choosing/has chosen you?

It Chooses You (Part 1)

2009-11-02T19:51:00.001-06:00

I started this entry several weeks ago, and finally was able to finish it. I'm publishing it in two parts. Look for part 2 later this week.

Remember the part in "Almost Famous" where the Lester Bangs "character" is first introduced (he's doing an in-studio interview at the radio station)? He does a sort of monologue that begins like this: "Here's a theory for you to disregard completely--MUSIC, you know, TRUE MUSIC, it chooses you. You know, it lives in your car, your stereo..." I've thought about this statement a number of times in the years since I first saw this film. I think I've had a number of moments where I felt that, no, it wasn't music that was choosing me, it was me who was choosing music. I really wonder sometimes, though. I really do.

Like today. K.C. and I spent the last week and a half or so in Texas, mostly in Austin, then Rockport and Houston at the very end. During these extended periods of time away from home I seem to have certain songs that get stuck in my head, or keep popping up in my consciousness repeatedly over the course of a number of days. This trip was no different. I found myself singing certain songs, or portions of songs, to myself over and over again, and also would be reminded multiple times of particular songs.

Today we started our drive home from Houston at about 1:30. I was in a bit of a crappy mood, mostly because our departure time did not meet my expectations (in other words, totally my fault). I plugged the iPod into the FM transmitter and set it on shuffle with, I must admit, a pretty negative attitude about what I might get. Shuffle does bring some incredible things sometimes, but it also can bring a lot of music you're just not in the mood for, depending on how sharply specific your mood IS.

Remarkably, or maybe I should even say AMAZINGLY, the shuffle brought forth not only a great many songs I was both in the mood for and very grateful to hear, but a NUMBER OF SONGS THAT HAD BEEN RATTLING AROUND MY HEAD FOR DAYS, as mentioned earlier. Songs that very much had been accidental sorts of "theme songs" for this little mini-tour.

What to make of this? Do our iPods have some sort of actual consciousness within them that reads our brains? This is unlikely, but I start to wonder. I also start to wonder if larger creative forces ultimately have influence over devices such as this. Is shuffle really RANDOM at all? Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't? Is it all just crazy coincidence?

I suppose that must depend on how much credence you may or may not put in the idea of pure coincidence. I am not a big believer in pure coincidence...I like the idea that most things, or even all things, happen for a reason, even the smallest things that don't seem to matter much like my iPod. Maybe music is choosing me, those particular songs are choosing me...maybe they are the songs that can and will bolster me, or boost my morale, or whatever. Perhaps it is that they are being chosen FOR me. All this (wouldn't you know it) leads me to think more about the larger picture...

The Mixtape Pants Radio Hour, 10/6

2009-10-07T09:36:00.002-05:00

Here's the playlist from last night's Mixtape Pants Radio Hour. Haven't listened? Tune into our blip channel (http://www.blip.fm/drpants) Tuesday nights, 9pm central. Right now things are too busy to do every Tuesday, but most Tuesdays I'll be doing it.

IT WON'T BE LONG-THE BEATLES
KING OF ROCK-RUN-D.M.C.
ONE OF THESE DAYS-CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
ERICA'S WORD-GAME THEORY
MUSIC IS MY RADAR-BLUR
STUART-THE DEAD MILKMEN
FUNKY DAYS ARE BACK AGAIN-CORNERSHOP
MOUTH TO MOUTH-FAITH NO MORE
BREAK MY STRIDE-MATTHEW WILDER
SOUL OF A MAN-BECK
SAFE EUROPEAN HOME-THE CLASH
EX-LION TAMER-WIRE
WASTED-BLACK FLAG
POOR POOR PITIFUL ME-WARREN ZEVON
THE LATE GREATS (LIVE VERSION)-WILCO
WHEN MY TIME COMES-DAWES
SCOOTER GIRL-CRACKER & COCHISE

Hope everyone will tune in next week. More blog entries coming soon.

The Mixtape Pants Radio Hour

2009-09-22T23:38:00.002-05:00

So, I just got done with what is (in actuality) the third or fourth installment of the Mixtape Pants Radio Hour, my DJ show on Blip.fm (the first few were not necessarily done under that banner). "But people don't have SHOWS on Blip.fm," you say. Well, now I do. I do it like a real show, it happens at a scheduled time, AND, with some slight digital trickery, I even do spoken break-ins during the show. It's fantastically fun. I am loving it. There is a chance I will start doing a show on Live365 at some point as well, and I'm quite excited about that. I will not share any more details on that until I know I am at liberty to do so.

Anyway, here's the playlist from the show tonight; hopefully we'll be able to do it again next week:

SON OF A GUN-THE VASELINES
PASS THE MIC-BEASTIE BOYS
STOP & THINK IT OVER-SARAH BORGES & THE BROKEN SINGLES
PAPA ZIT-WEEN
WAY DOWN NOW-WORLD PARTY
ECHOS MYRON-GUIDED BY VOICES
EVEN IF IT BREAKS YOUR HEART-WILL HOGE
PRETTY PERSUASION-R.E.M.
LET'S DANCE-DAVID BOWIE
LONDON-THE SMITHS
WHEN YOU WERE MINE-THE SMITHS
STAY POSITIVE-THE HOLD STEADY
PEACHES EN REGALIA-FRANK ZAPPA
AKA DRIVER-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
FARMVILLE DREAM/THE GIRLS WILL ROCK-DR. PANTS

Tons of fun, I tell you. I had a blast, as usual. Tuesday night at 9pm central will be our tentative air time every week, unless a higher priority commitment takes precedence (like, say an actual GIG). So tune in.

Scattered.

2009-08-27T22:22:00.005-05:00

(It should be said that I had no idea what this entry would be about when I started. I apologize if it seems scattered.)

Before I continue, I will say that I hope someone takes me up on the offer to review their music some time soon. I had one artist submit a couple of mp3s, but unfortunately I found myself in the position of not having anything good to say about them (this probably doesn't sell me very well as someone who would potentially review your work, but there's a lot of music out there that has redeeming qualities...I have found something to like in things that most people despise, so there you go). If you are reading this and you are an artist, and you'd like a review, please, Please, PLEASE email me at doctorpants@doctorpants.com. I'll give you a review, and I'll do my best to make it positive.

Meanwhile, I sold off about 40 or 50 CDs from my collection last week to attempt to offset the cost of the upcoming Beatles reissues. The box sets are absurdly expensive, and at this point any fan should consider his or herself lucky to get a copy of the limited edition mono box set (the mono versions of the albums are not being released individually). It looks as though I'm going to get mine, but not at a price I'm happy with.

The Beatles reissues are great news, but I feel as though I want to talk about the evolution of my collection a bit, and what the selling off of those particular 40-50 CDs might signify. Many of the things I sold were so-called "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" collections. In the day and age of iTunes and the mp3, I think this sort of record might be obsolete. What do I mean? If one only wants certain songs by an artist, a few of their hits or whatever, why on earth would they spend the extra money on a CD and wind up with some other songs they might not want? Why wouldn't they just buy the individual songs they DO want from iTunes, Amazon or whatever? I found myself in the position where the songs I liked from many of those CDs were in my iTunes (or in mp3 format on an external hard drive), so the need to own the "Greatest Hits" CD simply didn't exist anymore. I've always been more of a fan of actual albums anyway, and many of those hits collections were by bands who've I've always had every intention of investigating further anyway. In other words, I have even more incentive to actually listen to a whole album all the way through by some of those bands, since I don't have the stupid "Greatest Hits" as a placeholder anymore.

I want to get to a point where all the CDs or LPs I own are ones that I would listen to start to finish all the way through. I won't always do this, of course (shuffle is such an indelible part of my life at this point...Shuffle on my iPod is like the best radio station I could ever imagine. All my favorites mixed with things that I am trying to gain greater exposure to. Isn't that what radio was supposed to be in the first place??), but it's a noble goal. I may yet sell even more CDs...we shall see. I have an enormous amount of music that has piled up that I'm still starting to get to know. I haven't reviewed hardly any of it on this blog...which is kind of a shame. I'm working on it, people. It's a challenge when I spread myself so thin, both in terms of all the balls I'm keeping in the air, and all the records I listen to. I rarely listen to anything two or three days in a row.

I will say that you should go find some Game Theory online. You'll more than likely have to download it from somewhere that has a RapidShare link or something like that, since all their albums are very, VERY out of print. But they're a real gem. The great lost band of the 80s, I tell you. Delightful. Lolita Nation is their masterpiece, but really any of it is fabulous. Some of the early EPs are brilliant as well.

Okay. Kind of a random entry, but I hope you found it worth reading. In summary, yay Beatles, yay Game Theory, boo "Greatest Hits" albums. Oh, and yay sending me your music for review. Email doctorpants@doctorpants.com to discuss.

Summer Tour 2009 Mix

2009-08-04T19:19:00.002-05:00

So, I found that on this tour (it's a K.C. Clifford tour in which my participation falls into the categories of "sideman", "husband" and "sanity"), certain songs are popping up in expected/unexpected places, some multiple times. It started on the first day of the tour when I was jonesing to hear a particular song, and I discovered fairly quickly that it wasn't on my iPod. This happened several more times, so I started a playlist in iTunes and transferred it over. This morphed fairly quickly into "Summer 2009 Tour Mix". So here are the selections, followed by detailed explanation of each song:

SIDE 1

TOUCH OF GREY-GRATEFUL DEAD
RUDI, A MESSAGE TO YOU-THE SPECIALS
ROSE GOES TO YALE-JEFFERSON STARSHIP
IMPOSSIBLE GERMANY-WILCO
LOVE IS ALL AROUND-R.E.M.
STAY POSITIVE-THE HOLD STEADY
BEGINNING OF THE HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T-PETER GORDON & LOVE OF LIFE ORCHESTRA
STREETS OF YOUR TOWN-THE GO-BETWEENS
VIRGINIA REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN-THE HALO BENDERS

SIDE 2

THE LOVE I'M SEARCHING FOR-THE RENTALS
BREAK MY STRIDE-MATTHEW WILDER
DESDEMONA-EGGSTONE
LIKE A ROLLING STONE-BOB DYLAN
LLOYD, I'M READY TO BE HEARTBROKEN-CAMERA OBSCURA
HEAVEN SENT-CUSH
WHAT ABOUT JENNIFER-THE BRILLIANT INVENTIONS
KICKER OF ELVES-GUIDED BY VOICES
IF YOU GO AWAY-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
THE UNIVERSAL-BLUR
FAITHFULLY-JOURNEY

SIDE 1
TOUCH OF GREY-THE GRATEFUL DEAD: I was loading the car in St. Paul the day we were leaving (it was the first stop on the tour) and some guys painting the next building over were listening to this on their boombox. Maybe it was just on the radio, maybe it was something they were listening to on purpose, but I was so pleased to hear such a great song coming from over there, as opposed to something that sucks (like One Republic or something). Then I discovered it wasn't on my iPod for some reason. Gah.

RUDI, A MESSAGE TO YOU-THE SPECIALS: One of the people K.C. and I met at the Feeding America conference in Chicago possessed the last name of "Rudy", and that made me think of this song.

ROSE GOES TO YALE-JEFFERSON STARSHIP: Another one that I had a jones to hear that turned out not to be on my iPod. This album (NUCLEAR FURNITURE) was one that I listened to A LOT on road trips when I was a kid, so it continues to resonate with me because of that. I have waxed philosophical on its greatness quite a bit in the past on this very blog. K.C. heard this song and said it sounded like musical theater. She's kind of right.

IMPOSSIBLE GERMANY-WILCO: This song concludes the "why the f@#k isn't it on my iPod??" portion of this mix. The issue has now been remedied in regards to all songs in this category.

LOVE IS ALL AROUND-R.E.M.: The first song in the Dr. Pants CITY JAMS series ("It's Raining In Minneapolis") totally cops the melody from the chorus to this song (unintentionally). Writing that song made me think of this song.

STAY POSITIVE-THE HOLD STEADY: The Hold Steady came up in conversation at least three or four times in the first few days of the tour. This is probably my current favorite song by them.

BEGINNING OF THE HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T-PETER GORDON & LOLO: This song is a mysterious beast of greatness for me. Mysterious mostly because I have a feeling that most people would deem it some sort of cheesy post-disco artifact from the early 80's. I think it's brilliant. I have the upper hand in this debate because I've actually heard the song and you probably have not. It's beautiful in its melancholy and energy. It captures a desperate mood that I've felt multiple times in the last couple of weeks.

STREETS OF YOUR TOWN-THE GO-BETWEENS: Just discovered this song a couple of years ago thanks to my friend Rodney. I am just now starting to become addicted to it, I think. There are songs that just fit the vibe of a particular moment in your life, and this song fits this moment in mine.

VIRGINIA REEL AROUND THE FOUNTAIN-THE HALO BENDERS: My friend Erin, whom we had brunch with in Chicago, attended a portion of the Pitchfork festival and saw Built to Spill (if you're not hip to it, Doug Martsch from Built to Spill was ALSO in the Halo Benders). She reported that they had done this song in their set, and that was enough to send me running back to it weeping with joy.

SIDE 2

THE LOVE I'M SEARCHING FOR-THE RENTALS: Erin is in a band with my friend Garrett, and while we were in Chicago he showed me a video of said band (The Hidden Mitten) doing this one at a show. Garrett and I, once upon a time, performed this song together, so it brought back a lot of memories.

BREAK MY STRIDE-MATTHEW WILDER: This is, quite simply, one of the greatest songs of all time. If you disagree, you are not awesome. It has come up in shuffle on the iPod a number of times on this tour, hence its inclusion here.

DESDEMONA-EGGSTONE: The Hidden Mitten does a boss version of this one as well.

LIKE A ROLLING STONE-BOB DYLAN: The iPod seems to love this one lately, too. It's popping up in the shuffle all the time.

LLOYD, I'M READY TO BE HEARTBROKEN-CAMERA OBSCURA: At the same time my friend Rodney introduced me to "Streets of Your Town", he introduced me to this song as well. When I thought of that song, it made me also think of this one.

HEAVEN SENT-CUSH: A random inclusion at best, since it's the only song I own by this band, and I don't listen to much of anything else that comes from the same sort of sub-genre (uber-indie Christian rock). But this song is great. "Tell your mother don't give up on me." It only had to pop up on shuffle once for me to give it a spot.

WHAT ABOUT JENNIFER-THE BRILLIANT INVENTIONS: One of the most worthwhile discoveries
to be had at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (which K.C. performed at last weekend). Tuneful, smart, fun. I think I might prefer the live, acoustic vibe they have to this fully produced version, but that's okay.

KICKER OF ELVES-GUIDED BY VOICES: I've spent a good bit of this tour walking around singing "Do do do do do do do kicker of elves" to myself.

IF YOU GO AWAY-ROBYN HITCHCOCK: A little-known Hitchcock gem that I thought fit in thematically with a lot of the other songs here really well.

THE UNIVERSAL-BLUR: A song that is all at once despairing and hopeful. Just like my mood most days lately.

FAITHFULLY-JOURNEY: This one just seems to keep popping up. It's come up on shuffle, it's come up on the radio, it came up again today while K.C. and I were using the free internet in a Huddle House restaurant here in Virginia. It's another one that has a comforting, reminds-me-of-childhood-roadtrips vibe to it (a la Jefferson Starship) so I count myself lucky to have it be so present. Say what you want about Journey...I think this is one of the top 5 power ballads of all time. Maybe one of the only 5 good ones, period.

I finally got the audio files up for the College of Santa Fe Tribute Mixtape entry, so go listen to those. That shizz will rock you. FYI, for a technical reason I had to combine the audio files for sides 3 & 4. Side 4 is there...you have to get through side 3 to get to it, though.

I Miss the Innocence Part 2: When Did It Break?

2009-07-16T11:18:00.005-05:00

When did my ability to purely enjoy music for what it is break? When did I become shut off, closed off enough that the pure, magical beauty of a musical performance more than often failed to get through to my soul? When did it break?

It's repairable, that's the good news. This last weekend I was at the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, OK (city of Woody's birth). Let me be clear about something: by the standard established by the new generation of music festivals (Bonnaroo, Pitchfork, Coachella), Woodyfest is NOT COOL. You won't find a bunch of hipster kids in skinny jeans and those absurd haircuts hanging out at Woodyfest. Let me be clear about something else: I couldn't give LESS OF A CRAP about how uncool Woodyfest is. So much of the last 10 years or so of my life has been given over to the idea that in order to gain a fanbase, or create a place for myself in the music world, I at least have to have some sort of perceivable relationship to the "cool" music culture at large. And I am DONE. (This is all going to bleed into another post I am working on right now as well.) I am done pandering to the idea if I'm not somehow in touch with the "new thing", whatever that might be, that I am somehow disqualified from making any sort of commentary on the culture, or on the music. If you start to adopt that attitude, and you're all about trying to somehow connect with the culture at large and not about just enjoying (or attempting to enjoy) the music, it's going to damage you. It's going to harm your ability to purely enjoy music for what it is. Enjoying music, LOVING music, has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with popular culture. Trey Anastasio said it best: "Rock & roll, on some level, is bullshit, but music is the realest thing in the world to me." If you get caught up in the bullshit at all, it will hurt your ability to enjoy the music.

At Woodyfest, I caught a set by Mary Reynolds, Louise Goldberg, Elyse Angelo and Simon Dick. This ensemble is known by the moniker Miss Brown To You most of the time, and has been for almost 20 years. I used to go hear them play in high school all the time, because Louise was my music teacher when I was in junior high. They are all fantastic, fantastic musicians, and it gave me a lot of joy when I was younger to hear them play live (Simon was not their bass player at the time...he wasn't even a teenager yet). It broadened my horizons musically, and gave me an appreciation for music that didn't fit into the rock & roll box. They helped make my ears jazz-friendly, female vocal friendly, etc. They effectively produced in me (and I can only assume many of their other listeners as well) the joyful experience of hearing really good musicians play. If I hadn't heard them do what they do so well all through my teenage years, it's hard to say whether I would have appreciated some of the students and faculty I heard play in college or not. Anyway, all of this to say that I went in to Woodyfest feeling like absolute crap. I had been having a few quasi-miserable weeks at home (for a number of reasons I won't go into here) and had really started to feel pretty cynical about music and my ability to enjoy it (there were a few things here and there that were breaking through the wall, but not many). I wanted to hear Mary, Louise et al play, partly because I hadn't heard them in a while, but also because I honestly would have felt bad for not being there (it seems like most of the time when they have a gig in OKC, we're already playing somewhere else and can't go). In short, the wall came tumbling down during their set. Listening to them play brought back all the reasons that I enjoy music (especially live music), and made me want to be a better musician (it's been tough to find things lately that inspire this aspect of my being as well). It felt like a real privilege to be there, and to have heard that performance. Mary & Louise are encyclopedias of the history of popular music, they know so many songs in so many genres...They didn't play a single original composition, but it didn't matter because every song they played they made their own. They played Bob Dylan, the Isley Brothers, the Indigo Girls, the Beatles, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

And thus ends my attempt to describe what it was like. What's the point? You should just trust me that it was awesome and go and listen to it for yourself. Ultimately, I think that's true of all the music I talk about on here. If it's worth talking about at all, it's also worth the time it would take for you to go and listen to it yourself.

Coming soon...New mixtape (about damn time...what's the name of this blog again?), an entry on the uncomfortable subject of TASTE WARFARE (if I can ever collect it into any sort of manageable form), and some reviews. Of music. Imagine that.

I Miss the Innocence.

2009-06-24T23:57:00.005-05:00

I may have touched on this before in previous entries...I'm not really sure. I know I talked about it quite a while ago in an entry on my old MySpace blog where I spoke about the Kings of Leon album Because of the Times. I was really thrilled with that album, or thrilled BY that album when it came out, simply because it made me feel some things about a record that I simply had not felt in quite some time (save all your comments about how you liked their first two records better than their new stuff...I quite simply don't care). Listening to that record at that time took me back to a time when music could still surprise me in ways that it doesn't so much anymore, at least not regularly. A time when the thrill of discovering something new, whether it was an album, a band, whatever, was a key experience of life itself. I can't say that's the case these days...Mind you, there are other amazing things in my life that surprise me consistently in really beautiful ways (my wife, God, etc.), but I so miss the innocence of that time in my life (starting somewhere in junior high, probably, and lasting through most of college).

I find these days that one of the biggest things that gets in the way of having these experiences is TIME, or lack thereof. I read a post from Wil Wheaton's blog today where he references a particular phenomenon that writers experience, being that they spend a lot of time doing what appears to be "nothing", when in fact, they are simply making themselves available for inspiration, ideas, etc. to occur. I don't think this phenomenon only applies to writers...I think it applies to most artists/creative people. I think, in order for our art to truly thrive, not only to we have to cultivate those spaces of "nothing", but we also have to actively engage art/music/whatever on an experiential level. Listening is as much a part of my life as a musician as composing or performing is, and I have tried very hard lately to make it a part of the rubric again. Facts are that there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do all of it the way that I would like (O to compose, practice, and listen every day, while also managing to accomplish something that might actually produce some income). The "nothing" time is kind of like the "listening" time, whether it be to music, or our own thoughts, the aether, whatever.

I think that cultivating time also cultivates the opportunity for these magical experiences with art, music, whatever to start to happen again...the time factor is really the only thing that's different for me, most days, from the way I felt when I was 20. I mean, God help me, most days I still don't feel a day over 25, and those who know me know that I'm getting really close to sounding ridiculous making statements like that. I try not to act much older than 25, at least in the way that I approach things enthusiasm-wise. As I sit here, listening to Phish pump through the headphones, I hope and pray that I live long...I still have a lot of living to do. I feel as though life has just begun for me in many respects, and that as I mature in this world, it will not look much like how most people do it. I'm fine with that...it's all YOU PEOPLE out there who are going to have to adjust. Yes, I'm still going to be listening to Phish, Frank Zappa, The Clash and Sonic Youth when I'm 60. Sorry to disappoint. I'm not going to "chill out" and start listening to Sting and Coldplay because it's "respectable old people rock music". As we get older we should start hungering for more and more powerful and visceral experiences, not ones that are less so.

I start to feel an inkling, as I'm typing this, that the experiences I so long for are coming back, maybe just a little. That element is working itself back into my life, in a good way. I have very much come to a place where going after what I want and what is important to me is no longer negotiable. That, coupled with a sense of humility and the knowledge that I'm not really in charge, is the most freeing thing in the world. If I head towards the things that I want and find to be precious, I'll end up where I'm supposed to be anyway.

Ugh. Suck Round-Up.

2009-06-20T15:16:00.003-05:00

So, I really can’t believe the gall of some people. I mean, I suppose it’s par for the course…the world that brought us Britney Spears, Nickelback AND Insane Clown Posse would somehow, someway eventually see a New Kids On the Block reunion. The inevitability doesn’t make it hurt any less. Kind of like the inevitability of DEATH doesn’t make it hurt any less. Not only are the New Kids insulting us with their very presence, but they’ve had the nerve to blame their poor ticket sales on THE RECESSION. Could it be that in this time of hardship, people want SOMETHING MORE out of their art/music/etc. than just dimestore, teeny-bopper swill?? Isn’t it possible that the time for the disgustingly bad music foisted on us by this band of pretty boy slags has passed? That the public at large has wised up? I mean, Dear God Almighty.

Part two of the Suck Round-Up this week simply MUST be devoted to the fact that Sting (the biggest turncoat in the history of music…member of a pivotal, significant, and fundamentally AWESOME band goes solo and becomes a purveyor of adult contemporary, lite-pop, trendy world music-influenced tripe that sounds not only like it’s destined for the muzak channel at the grocery store, but that it was created with said channel IN MIND) has decided to make another record, and that this record he’s making shows no indication that last year’s Police reunion had any sort of “wake-up call” effect on him at all. Here is Rolling Stone’s description of his upcoming record:

“The October 27th album, inspired by what Sting calls his favorite season, will feature two original compositions along with carols, lullabies and traditional songs from the British Isles.”

SERIOUSLY?? This has the potential to be the most boring record EVER. The man who I thought had already perfected the art of being an overly innocuous, adult contemporary snore might actually top himself in that department. Ultimately, I just don’t get it I suppose. The Police made some of the most compelling records in the entire rock & roll canon, and I can’t understand why someone would abandon all the elements that made that music so great and go in such a profoundly uninteresting direction. Mind you, I have nothing against traditional music (much of it, including the British kind, is compelling in its own right), but I guarantee you that Sting will somehow manage to completely strip it of any feeling and energy whatsoever (see the “Kenny G Style Production With Vocals” approach that made the song “Fields of Gold” such a big hit, meanwhile possibly completely obliterating what is probably a pretty decent song).

Ugh. Thank God there’s a new Wilco album coming out, as well as a new Phish album and a Beastie Boys record. The Beatles reissues are coming up quick, too…These things, quite simply must restore balance to the universe, jedi-style.

Compartmentalizing the Morass

2009-06-08T22:46:00.003-05:00

So, K.C. & I returned from the Kerrville Folk Festival almost a week ago, after having spent about 12 days there (Kerrville is an 18-day festival). We’ve been in years previous, but only for the first weekend (the festival always starts Memorial Day weekend). It’s a totally different experience when you allow yourself to be immersed in it…almost in the same way that music is a MUCH different experience for those who choose to make it a significant part of their lives (or perhaps it chooses you…”Almost Famous” always creeping in the background) than it is for those who only allow it to stay out on the periphery somewhere. Yes, you who listen to the “lite rock” station and claim to love “all types of music” have NO REAL IDEA what a true experience of music is. You simply have not allowed yourself to dig in as much, or allowed the music to dig into you. Okay, I’m totally getting sidetracked.

All this to say that Kerrville was a revelation on many, many levels. Here we are, we’re camping on a ranch with God knows how many other people, a large majority of whom are songwriters. The place is wall to wall tents, trailers, campers and large canopies under which various camps have created their “campfires” (“campfire” in this scenario does not involve any actual fire…it is the standard term for the spots in which somewhat organized song circles ensue. What’s a song circle? It’s when people sit in a circle and play songs, dumbass). Toilets have no plumbing attached…they are semi-permanent port-a-johns. There are showers, but be prepared to look at a bunch of naked people of your gender while taking one. Formal performances happen primarily in the evening, either at the Kennedy Theater (the larger, outdoor theater commonly referred to by the Kerrville-initiated as “mainstage”) or the Threadgill Theater. Mainstage on weekends, Threadgill during the week.

All this music is acoustically based, hence the Kerrville FOLK Festival. Yes, Dylan went electric in 1965, and occasionally there are full bands involved with some electric guitars, etc. But the songwriting element is key—the song is king, and it had better be up to snuff. It can be boring-ass, I-IV-V all day long as long as you’re saying something, and saying it in a way that has some poetry and cleverness to it. To experience so much of this music sitting in a song circle/campfire is remarkable…so many songs, just one person and his/her guitar, laying it out there in the most raw, pure form possible. It’s an extremely pure way to experience music. I felt that way so many times during those 12 days…like I was experiencing something really pure. That being said, it kicked my ass in ways I wasn’t expecting...you can really get bogged down in insecurity at Kerrville if you’re a songwriter. Or a guitar player. I was over the insecurity thing within a few days, but the insecurity turned into a very clear recognition of one thing: as a “rock” songwriter, lyrically I can’t hold a candle to these people, not even (especially not even) my own wife. These songwriters are craftsmen of the highest order, and have to be—the standard in their genre is really high. I mean, it’s WAY higher than it is in rock. I think about the lyrics to a song like, say, “Do You Realize???” by the Flaming Lips (recently declared the official state rock song of Oklahoma) and I think about how great I think the lyrics are to that song, but they don’t even approach the standard set by some of these songwriters. I am not saying that “Do You Realize???” is a bad song. It’s a great freakin’ song. The fact that it’s a “rock” song, though, allows it a certain set of parameters in terms of its content. Take a song like “Blue Tattoo” by Joe Crookston, though, and pour that down your throat (I’d also like to cite the song Chris O’Brien wrote on the ranch while we were there, but unfortunately there is no spot in which to listen to it online yet). This song is amazing in its storytelling capacity, it’s poetic capacity, etc. It operates in a different universe than the Flaming Lips. It makes a rock songwriter feel out of his element to have songs like this cropping up all the time. Out of my element is fine…I understand that what I do is different, and not necessarily bad.

As a guitar player, however, it was a different story. I basically decided some time right around the middle of our 12 days that I was going to come home and become a MUCH better acoustic guitarist. Most of the crap I do on an acoustic guitar is just the same crap I do on electric transferred over. This is not the right approach, especially when it comes to folk. I am, very much, someone who operates as a “guitarist” in the folk world, so I’ve got work to do. I’ve got to fingerpick better, I’ve got to be able to play solos that are more appropriate to the acoustic instrument. I get compliments on my playing but they’re mostly from dudes who can hear in their heads what I’d sound like on electric. So, the woodshedding begins. I haven’t put in any significant practice on my instrument in a number of years, so it really is about time. I am very much looking forward to it, and that is key. I do music full-time, so practice should be a part of what I do, period.

In the midst of all this, of course (I say “of course” because this is starting to become routine for me…any large-scale immersion in the folk world usually results in the following line of thinking), I start to doubt the future of Dr. Pants. I start to wonder if I really have the desire or unction to stay in a rock band long-term. Acoustic music is so damned EFFICIENT. You and your instrument go up there, you plug it in (not even that if you’re campfirin’) and you go. There are no amplifiers, there is no loud drummer (at least for a lot of us...some mainstage performers played with large ensembles that included drum kit), just you and the damned song. I envy this proposition. It is part of what’s behind the decision to constantly tour the crap out of K.C. Clifford and leave Dr. Pants as an afterthought (the commercial viability of K.C. Clifford, and all the obvious financial constraints of acoustic duo vs. 4-piece rock band are quite key as well). I came home not really sure what to do next, other than practice my acoustic guitar. Luckily, fate stepped in, we did a rad podcast taping for the Elmocast at the Oklahoma City CoCo, and the next morning “Donuts” was used on CBS Sunday Morning. Voila. Dr. Pants continues unabated. I mean, I am really excited about all of this. I am also really excited about getting back on the road in July and playing some kick-ass Midwestern house concerts with K.C.

So, where is the music in all this? Who kicked ass at Kerrville? Who were some of my “favorites”? Before I go any further, I will say (with less bias than you think) that K.C.’s mainstage set was fantastic. The aforementioned Joe Crookston definitely qualifies. We listened to his record on the way home, and it’s great, too (although it lacks a certain visceral, present quality that is part of what makes listening to him in person so special. Sorry, Joe, if you’re reading this I hope that doesn’t hurt your pride). Our friend Chris O’Brien (Mr. Boston Hot Sauce himself) continues to impress as well. Louise Mosrie, one of the winners of the Kerrville New Folk competition (the songwriting competition that takes place on the first weekend of the festival…K.C. was a finalist in this competition in 2006 and 2007, but was not chosen as one of the 6 winners either time), just blew me away. Lucy Wainwright Roche was a favorite also. Find her song “Snare Drum”. Sarah Sample was fantastic, and her records (also experienced on our drive home) matched our live impressions completely. Who else was awesome? The list goes on and on…John Wort Hannam, Susan Gibson, Butch Morgan, Joe Jencks, Jaime Michaels, Steven Bacon, Bettysoo, Hans York, Devon Sproule, R.J. Cowdery, Drew Nelson, Karen Mal, Brian Kalinec, George Ensle, Larry Murante, Erik Balkey…I could go on. It is interesting to me, though, that what I said about Joe’s record could apply to a number of the folks I mentioned above. The standard operating procedure of “folk record making” could use an overhaul, in my opinion. It’s just my opinion, you can take it or leave it. The instrumentation needs to be shaken up, the production needs to become more adventurous. Rock music learned a long time ago that ANYTHING REALLY DOES GO a lot of the time. Folk artists need to become more comfortable with the idea of taking chances (at least on record…most of these songs survive “as is” in a live context just fine. It all goes back to the lyrical devices I spoke of earlier).

Now that I’ve totally ripped the folk community a new one in regards to their records…let me remind you that I’m accepting submissions for music reviews! Ha-HA! Oh, the irony. No, seriously, I really do want to review your record, and I will, if you are brave enough to send it my way. If you want me to just review one mp3, I’ll do that, too. Contact me at doctorpants@doctorpants.com to get mailing address info, or just email me an mp3. I’ll review pretty much anything, although if it’s something I hate so much that I don’t even want to make the effort, I probably won’t.

The title of this entry, “Compartmentalizing the Morass”, might seem a bit cryptic at this point, since I have yet to allude to it on any explicit level. In closing, I’ll attempt to illustrate. I suppose it refers to several things:

1) I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about Kerrville, very few of which I have really managed to express properly here. Compartmentalization inevitably leads to reduction in overall content.
2) I am currently struggling with the purpose and supposed boundaries of this blog. This is a blog about music, and my interactions with it, but ultimately I’m playing more music than I’m listening to as of late, and so many things in regards to Dr. Pants and K.C. Clifford (not to mention Weird Files, etc.) can and are becoming fodder for blog entries. I don’t anticipate this changing, but is this blog becoming an “official” blog for Dr. Pants?? That brings up a whole other mess of questions. “Am I changing the name” is one. I like “The Mixtape Jones Report”. I don’t want that to go away. Compartmentalizing the morass of music-related information continues to prove challenging.

Peace out, y’all. More soon, I hope.

Gingerly Dipping My Toe In the Water...

2009-04-22T17:16:00.002-05:00

So, I originally started this blog do really just write about things I wanted to write about. All music-related, yes, but I initially vehemently defied the trend and was not willing to solicit new music from people to review. I am thinking about starting to now, though...I think it would increase readership and take my blog up a notch in terms of visibility. What do you think? Am I betraying myself? It doesn't really feel that way. I don't have any interest in reviewing the newest and brightest, well-known records (even the not-so-well-known...I don't want to review anything that isn't either a) sent to me to review by a label/artist or b) something I feel passionate enough about and feel LED to review by my own inner whatever). But I want to feel like I am contributing to the musical blogosphere in a more meaningful, substantial way.

So, I am going to give it a shot. I am, heretofore, officially welcoming musical material to review. If you are a label/artist, you are welcome to send stuff my way. Send me an email at doctorpants@doctorpants.com, and we'll figure out the best way for you to get me the material. A warning: I am officially declaring up front that if I find any material not worth my time to review, I will not review it.

Bring it on!!

Blip.fm

2009-04-16T16:20:00.004-05:00

So, I created a Blip.fm page for Dr. Pants. I could have created one under the Mixtape Jones moniker, but I am trying to unify under one brand a bit...I struggle every day with the fact that this blog is not officially connected with Dr. Pants in any way. It makes it a bit challenging to promote. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that don't know "Mixtape Jones" is the leader of Dr. Pants, blah blah blah. Anyway, the point is that the Blip.fm page serves a dual purpose. First, it afforded me the opportunity to upload Dr. Pants music on to Blip, so that people can "blip" it. So far, that's been very successful. Second, it allows me to fulfill my "DJ" urge in a very real way. Last night (4/15...This will more than likely get published some time a week or two later than it was written), I scheduled a time to blip, from 10-11 pm. I announced it on the Dr. Pants Twitter account several times throughout the day, and a number of people listened. I'm not going to lie to you--it was REALLY fun. I am going to do it at LEAST once a week. Here's a playlist of the set from 4/15:

THE WANTON SONG-LED ZEPPELIN
SILVER ROCKET-SONIC YOUTH
MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL-HUSKER DU
ADVENTURE ROCKET SHIP-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
BANKROBBER-THE CLASH
I LEFT MY WALLET IN EL SEGUNDO-A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
BUTTERMILK BISCUITS-SIR MIX-A-LOT
SO WHAT'CHA WANT-BEASTIE BOYS
TELEGRAM SAM-BAUHAUS
STARMAN-DAVID BOWIE
DREAMING-BLONDIE
TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP-THE ROMANTICS
SURRENDER-CHEAP TRICK
PHOTOGRAPH-DEF LEPPARD
PUSH-THE CURE
SUPERMAN-R.E.M.

Awestruck, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love Sonic Youth, Pt. 1

2009-04-16T00:22:00.005-05:00

Just finished reading Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth (David Browne). I have no reservations about saying that it's excellent. It is totally and completely worth your time if you are even remotely interested in Sonic Youth and the music that they have made over the last (almost) 30 years. Essential. It has spurred a number of thoughts in me, about the band, the book, and related topics.

I must initially get my one complaint about the tome out of the way: NO discography. I mean, maybe I can find that on their website (I'm kind of looking right now), but it would have been a fantastic thing to include. I can kind of understand the author not wanting to bother with the work, though, given the magnitude of such an undertaking. Their output alone is daunting, and the amount of material they have been involved in outside the band (solo projects, side bands, records by others they've released on their own indie imprints) is absurdly sizable as well.

I tried unsuccessfully to be a Sonic Youth fan for many years, starting, really, in high school. They were a band that I thought I might enjoy, given their tangential association with some other things that I was into. My first real experience of them came via the soundtrack to the movie Pump Up the Volume, featuring their song "Titanium Expose". I remember feeling it was "noisy", and also sounded out of tune. Ultimately, I categorize this feeling now as "not ready for it yet". I can think of a number of other instances with other music during junior high, high school and college that would fall into that same category. I borrowed a friend's copy of the Dirty album later on in high school, but still felt like I wasn't really getting it.

I tried again in college (and the year or two following). I managed to get pretty excited about their debut EP (simply titled Sonic Youth), but subsequent purchases (such as Sister and Daydream Nation) proved less enthralling to me at the time. I did decide to hang on to a couple of the instrumental EPs they released during that era, though, on their own SYR label. I pretty much gave up on becoming a fan at that point, though.

Then, recently (as in within the last year or so), something happened, and it's hard to explain what, exactly, it was. I have become fascinated with them, almost intrinsically (as if there's not an option for me to NOT be fascinated with them at this point). I've accumulated a number of their records in the last year, and I probably won't stop until I have them all. In this post (and possibly additional ones), I am attempting to explain my fascination.

Ultimately, what blows my mind about Sonic Youth is how singular their approach is/has been. Their music is distinctly rock & roll...It has (mostly) consisted of short-ish songs with lyrics, performed by some permutation of the traditional rock band instrumentation (two guitars, bass, drums). Yet, this approach has always been skewed in a certain direction, including, but not limited to, bizarre tunings, feedback, drones, free-form improvisation, etc. There might be a few more elements, but ultimately, the list is fairly small, and their music is almost ALWAYS identifiable as Sonic Youth music. What results from all this is music that can be extremely complex and challenging, but almost always ROCKS. This is nothing short of miraculous.

I want so much to be able to claim such a thing for my own band/music. Complex and challenging, but it always rocks. It is mind-bogglingly difficult to conceive how one might go about creating an aesthetic around one's art that is both as singular and compelling as Sonic Youth's. We will continue to discuss this. Comments?

My iPod Makes Me Silly

2009-04-10T17:40:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I had a realization the other day while I was grocery shopping. I do most of the grocery shopping for our little married-couple-family-unit, and I tend to do it with my iPod on. It really makes the whole experience less tedious...I dread the sight of the grocery store much less knowing that I will have exceptional jams to keep me company.

It's hard to say how the situation I'm about to delineate evolved. I don't really know how to explain the realization I had, other than to denote that it took place as I found myself giving the finger to the oatmeal shelf in response to the sold-out nature of K.C.'s oatmeal of choice. I did this in front of other customers, pretty much without caring at all. And I literally felt like the music was making me do it, or at least bringing me to the point where I was uninhibited enough to really express myself in the moment.

Immediately after that I thought about the preceding 20-30 minutes I had been in the grocery store. Much lip-synching had occurred during that time, as well as some physical grooving-out, I'm pretty sure. All of this without a care in the world in front of the other grocery store patrons.

I didn't feel embarrassed, I didn't feel silly, even. I felt liberated and justified. I felt as if I had been heading to this point my entire life and had finally arrived. I felt as though all my years had been training for when I, at long last, allowed myself to express outwardly what music does to me internally. I remember when I first arrived at college and started taking classes from my teacher/mentor Kevin Zoernig. Kevin was awesome in so many ways, but one of the things that was immediately endearing and fascinating about him was how, when he was listening to something (either a record or a live performance), he unabashedly, PHYSICALLY grooved out to it. His head moved, bobbed, rocked back & forth, with his facial expression constantly changing. It was one of the coolest things I ever had the privilege of witnessing, and I think that maybe, just maybe, I have been trying to get to that point of inhibition and connection since. What is the music doing to you? What do you WANT the music to do to you? If you allowed yourself to project outwardly how the music is making you FEEL, what would that look like?

I don't think I flipped off the oatmeal shelf because the song I was listening to made me particularly angry. I also don't feel any shame whatsoever about flipping off an inanimate object in front of other people. I think I flipped off the oatmeal because I was truly annoyed at the lack of the oatmeal I needed to buy, and I was just uninhibited enough to allow that frustration to express itself outwardly.

I think this is why music is amazing...It puts us in touch with things that we don't access otherwise.

To a Mother Concerned About File Sharing

2009-04-10T14:24:00.007-05:00

Okay, I have to admit I was conflicted about this one. MusicianWages.com's blog posted the following email they received from a concerned mother:

I have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going to be his money people are stealing. But he remains unphased.

He tells me the record sales make money for the record label, not the artist. He says that the artists make all their money from touring and live concerts. He thinks the pirated music promotes the concerts and therefore helps the artist make more money. I still don’t allow pirating in my house.

But tell me what you think - as artists out there having your work “shared,” are you just glad to have it being enjoyed, or does it bother you? Admittedly, he is stealing music that is recorded by major record labels, so maybe its different than the independent musician working for his living. But I’d still like to hear what you think.

Thanks,
Valerie

They then asked music bloggers to post a response TODAY (4/16) and email a link back to them. Here's what I have to say:

Here's my question: is EVERYTHING he is pirating on a major label? I mean, have we gone through it with a fine-tooth comb, and made sure that nothing independent or on an indie label snuck through? What if his tastes start to change and he starts to listen to a lot more indie music? Will he really be able to change the habit after he has already become so accustomed to getting all his listening material for free? I totally agree that, for the most part, most artists signed to labels, especially major labels, don't make a very large share of their income from record sales. But pretty much EVERYONE else who is a recording artist DEPENDS on this as part of their bread & butter. I am not a big fan of the major labels...I agree that they have shown nothing but greed in their reaction(s) to the file-sharing epidemic. Ultimately, though, it is all about the attitude, the attitude that MUSIC IS WORTH SOMETHING. I will, more than likely, always feel that when I put my blood, sweat and tears into making a record, creating something that I deem good enough to expose to the world at large, that record is worth paying for. How is anyone who is NOT on a major label ever expected to make a living creating art if the world decides that it should all be free? Indie artists don't always have the ability to tour to offset this lack of income, either. It's an expensive undertaking to bring a 4-piece rock band on the road (this being the ONLY reason that you have not seen a badass, monumentally awesome Dr. Pants tour...3 out of 4 of us are married, and have bills to pay. I am going to have to figure out how to put these guys on salary if we ever hope to do this).

Music shouldn't be free, not because a record label needs to make money, but because the majority of recording artists aren't on labels, and their music is worth paying for. Period.

Even then, we're only talking about ownership. We're talking about a CD, MP3 or some other type of audio file that one can listen to anywhere, not just on these here world wide webs. When we start talking about the internet, streaming audio, online radio, the dilemma becomes more complex. I have to admit, it would be REALLY great if I could get an ASCAP royalty every time someone played my song on Blip.fm or Last.fm or any of the other online music services. It's like, in order to have a world where people have the option of finding quality music to listen to online (as opposed to the wasteland that is terrestrial radio), we've had to sacrifice the possibility of helping quality artists make a living from what they do. Please don't hear me say that I'm not grateful for these services; I am incredibly humbled by how many people have blipped Dr. Pants. I just wish that there was some sort of way I could get paid for that. At this point, I can only hope that enough blipping, etc. occurs that people will decide to pay to download my stuff from iTunes or wherever.

I hope I am not raising a firestorm (maybe I secretly, unconsciously hope that I am, but I don't think so). This is just the honest perspective of an independent artist who sincerely desires to make a living from it. If I do manage to make a living from it, the music will only get better...I promise. I will spend waaay more time working on it in that scenario.

Okay, now that I've said my peace...The sound file for my first iMix, Great Power Pop, is up and listenable. Go check it out. I'll hopefully have files up for a couple more of them by next week.

Announcements/Zappa by Barry Miles

2009-04-05T21:39:00.003-05:00

Hey, folks. A couple of things...

First, I am super-psyched to tell you that I am getting audio up on as many of the mixtape entries as I can, thanks to 8track.com! I can create an audio file of the mix there (or each side of a mix) and then embed it in a blog entry! So far, I have files up for Clam Snout and the Soundtrack Spotlight: 1989 entries, so go check 'em out!!

Second, I am hoping to start doing some writing for some other blogs and sites, and I have a lead or two, so I'll keep you posted about that. And now, without further ado:

So I recently read Barry Miles’ Frank Zappa biography, called simply Zappa. I haven’t really looked online for other reviews of the book; I don’t know if others feel about it the same way I did. I imagine some of them must—it’s not exactly the most favorable view of the man, his work & his life.

Once I had finished the book, I kind of felt that Miles’ goal was to put Zappa on trial. It’s almost as if, now that he’s been dead a while, Miles felt that we can stop talking about what a genius the guy was and finally address what a jerk he could be. I don’t really understand his motivation. Mind you, a few of his corrections to Zappa’s version of events were welcome, but most of it seemed like it was designed to tear my/our image of the guy down.

I can’t imagine that Gail Zappa or any of her children were in favor of the book, or gave it their stamp of approval in any way. No one seems more interested in protecting the legacy of Frank Zappa than his widow (all the more ironic given the tales of Zappa’s adultery and marital troubles delineated in Miles’ text). I guess, ultimately, Miles was attempting to portray Zappa as a human being, rather than some genius on a pedestal, but I don’t think anyone in the Zappa family wants to see his/her deceased husband/father’s name dragged through the mud.

Miles’ basic accusations toward Zappa are that he was incredibly bitter, incredibly cynical, a jerk, a thief (all the issues with Zappa taking credit for the early Mothers of Invention members’ contributions are raised and paraded about), unrealistic in his expectations of his audience, and an inattentive, absent and downright lousy father. Miles seems to have no sympathy for the man, either, as if all of the issues that caused Zappa trouble in his interactions with the world and other people must have been completely his fault. I understand that we all have choices in terms of how we let the difficult aspects of our lives affect us, Mr. Miles, but there are grounds, especially since he’s not around to defend himself, for some sort of benefit of the doubt to be given. I’m sure that, like most of us, there were a lot of ugly moments where Zappa was doing the best he could.

Finally, the thing that becomes most apparent throughout the text is that Miles doesn’t seem to really LIKE Zappa’s music that much. I mean, why would one even bother to write an exhaustive biography of a musician who one didn’t even care for? I can’t imagine such a massive waste of time. Miles seems to be fairly impressed with Zappa’s orchestral work, but that’s really about it. Nary a kind word is levied on pivotal albums like Apostrophe’ or Joe’s Garage—in fact both of those albums suffer at Miles’ pen. Any praise for Zappa’s early work with the original M.O.I. is tarnished by the insistent harping on the unjust treatment of the members of that ensemble. It’s almost as if there is some sort of personal feeling of betrayal that Miles is acting out. Either that, or he has somehow avoided being touched or affected by Zappa’s music in any way, which again brings me back to the question: if you don’t really care for the music, then WHY BOTHER?

If you’re interested in reading something about the man, skip this one. Highly recommended texts on Zappa include:

The Real Frank Zappa Book-Frank Zappa w/ Peter Ochiogrosso
A text that receives a great deal of venom from Miles’ tongue…he almost takes Zappa publishing his own version of certain events personally.
Frank Zappa’s Negative Dialectic of Poodle Play-Ben Watson
This is a fascinating and impressive academic analysis of Zappa’s albums and music. It really breaks down the “conceptual continuity” idea in a cool way. Not for the flippant, but essential for Zappa fans.
Relix, Issue #33-2
The cover story is a really great overview of the man’s career from the point of view of the jam-band community. It exhibits a healthy, yet still reverent perspective.

I hope you folks don’t feel like I’ve been posting too much Zappa stuff recently. I have a couple of other things in the pipeline that aren’t Zappa-related, so be patient.

The Secret Story of Jon Bon Jovi's Brother

2009-04-01T13:30:00.000-05:00

Repost this on your own blogs to keep Jimmy’s memory alive!!

The Secret Meaning Behind Bon Jovi’s "Lost Highway"

When Bon Jovi’s latest release, "Lost Highway", hit stores this past June, the press for the record focused primarily on the "new direction" of the music, and its countrified feel. What no one talked about was the inspiration for this record, because, quite frankly, no one had any clue what the true inspiration really was.

Whispers have been heard in the music industry lately, whispers about an event in Jon Bon Jovi’s life that had a huge impact on him. This event, in itself, wouldn’t be so significant if it didn’t reveal so large a story.

Some time in 2006, there was a death in Jon Bon Jovi’s family. His brother Jimmy passed away. Not many people even know the name Jimmy Bon Jovi (or Bongiovi, as their surname was originally spelled), but the few that are familiar with the name know that it belonged to a man whose musical talent eclipsed that of his brother on every level.

Jimmy Bon Jovi was three years older than his brother Jon. The two grew up making music together, and when Jon assembled his band in the early 80’s, Jimmy assumed an "honorary member" role, mentoring Jon and his buddies as they worked on demos (in their uncle Tony’s studio) and began to make records and tour. The night that Jon met Richie Sambora, Jimmy was right by his side, and allegedly told Jon that he should let him join the band.

During the band’s earlier years, Jimmy attended every recording session, helped Jon write songs (usually uncredited), and encouraged his brother in every way possible, while working on his own music on the side. Jimmy had been putting aside songs for a debut album since about 1983, and was almost finished recording them when another pivotal event in the Bon Jovi brothers’ lives occurred.

Jon stopped by the Empire Rock Club in Philadelphia one evening in 1986, just to have a couple of drinks and relax. The band booked at the club that night was Cinderella, whom Jon was quite enthused about. History says that he took them under his wing and subsequently let them open for his band on the Slippery When Wet tour. What he really did was refer them to Jimmy, who mentored them while they made their first record. Jon didn’t have time to work with them during that period, as he and the band were hard at work writing songs for what would become "Slippery When Wet". Some time towards the end of Cinderella’s sessions for its debut "Night Songs", a falling out occurred between Jimmy and the band, and this would prove to be the first blow that contributed to Jimmy walking away from the music business for good.

Meanwhile, earlier in the year, Jimmy had finally entered his uncle Tony’s studio to record the tracks for his first album, titled "Walking Off The Blues". The music had a feel to it that reflected the times, in that it had some of the same flavor as Bon Jovi’s work during the same period, but it also had an ease and a grace to it that gave it a similar feel to some of the Beatles’ best music. As sessions wound down for the record, Jimmy called Jon and told him that he was pretty sure he had created a masterpiece. Jimmy’s record label had decided to wait and release the record after Bon Jovi’s next album, so that there wouldn’t be any competition in terms of sales. Jimmy thought that was a good idea, and waited patiently for his moment in the sun. Almost as an afterthought, he added a cover of Paul McCartney’s "With a Little Luck" to the album.
When it came time for Bon Jovi to record what would become the first mega-selling album of its career, Jimmy was in attendance at all the sessions, as usual. He offered advice when he felt it was welcome, but was put off by the presence, for the first time, of outside songwriter Desmond Child, who he felt was trying to steal his brother’s band from him. Child, conversely, was unimpressed with Jimmy, and didn’t do much to warm the atmosphere between them. In spite of all this, Jimmy did contribute his song "Never Say Goodbye" to the album, although, in line with his own expressed wishes, the song was not credited to him.

As "Slippery When Wet" approached its release date, apparently Jon and Jimmy got together for a drink one evening. Jon apologized to his brother for the way the sessions had gone, and for the atmosphere that Desmond Child’s presence had created. Jon wanted Jimmy to join Bon Jovi as a full-time member of the band for their upcoming tour. It would be the perfect way to prep the audience for Jimmy’s solo record, Jon said. Jimmy was reluctant…The single for "You Give Love A Bad Name" was already starting to pick up some steam, and Jimmy was mainly interested in music, and not in the whole rock and roll circus he knew his brother was about to enter into. An unfortunate allergic reaction to a chemical used in the hairspray ubiquitous to Bon Jovi’s onstage look during the period pretty much sealed the deal for Jimmy—he would just stay home and wait for his record to come out.

An actual release of "Walking Off The Blues" was not to be, however. When Jimmy’s label heard about his decision, they took the record off the release schedule, reportedly telling Jimmy in a phone conversation, "This is the eighties. No one has time for Brian fucking Wilson now. Call us back when you want to be a star." One test pressing of the record had already been done, and to this day, those are the only copies that exist of Jimmy’s lone album. Those who have heard it say that it was potentially the key album of the entire hair metal era—that it could have "legitimized" a music that to this day has trouble getting critical respect. It could have made late eighties pop metal the most revered style of rock & roll of the 20th century. Had "Walking Off the Blues" been released, it’s possible the alternative revolution wouldn’t have even occurred. Also, many have said that the aforementioned cover of "With a Little Luck" redefined that song’s potential, and that Paul McCartney’s version pales by comparison. Most people are holding on tight to their test copy of "Blues". In fact, there’s only been one sighting of a copy on Ebay to date, and it sold for over $10,000.

After Jimmy’s dream was shattered, he retired from the music business for good, taking a construction job back in the boys’ hometown in New Jersey. It is said that every time Bon Jovi finished an album, from "New Jersey" through "Have a Nice Day" (the last album recorded while Jimmy was still alive), Jon would either come by the house and play it for his brother, or send him a copy, if he couldn’t get home. The only thing Jimmy would ever say in response to his brother’s new music was, "You’re one step closer, man. One step closer."

Jimmy Bongiovi, Jon’s brother, friend, mentor and musical superior, died in New Jersey in 2006. His memory lives on in the music of Bon Jovi’s new album, "Lost Highway". The song "One Step Closer" is presumed to be about Jimmy, and inspired by his cryptic affirmations for Jon’s music over the years. There’s even a hidden reference to Jimmy’s long lost album in the lyrics, with the phrase "with a little luck" turning up in the song more than once.

More than anything, though, the album title is revealing, because Jon Bon Jovi is looking for his brother, Jimmy, but he’s not going to find him.

Please repost this, so that the memory of Jimmy Bon Jovi and his talent is properly honored.

The Artistic Temperament

2009-03-31T18:05:00.002-05:00

So, periodically I'll go back to my blog I had on MySpace and I'll find entries that I want to republish here, mostly because my readership there was even more pitifully small than it is here. Here's one that I really liked at the time and I still like now:

So, one of the things in life that continues to fascinate/frustrate me is the concept of "The Artistic Temperament". I think that I can safely say that such a thing does, in fact, exist, but proving its existence is not the problem.

People who tend to fall into the "artist" category tend to be introverted in everyday life, and are averse to activities/work/ways to spend their time that don't nourish their soul or spirit. These things I ascribe to this group of people are things that I have either experienced myself, or seen or read enough examples of that I think I can safely do so. Many people have interpreted these tendencies to mean that artists are, in fact, LAZY, or unmotivated, or apathetic about the world/people around them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I guess what I'm getting at is that, as I said above, I am both fascinated and frustrated by the situation I laid out in the previous paragraph. The fascination part comes in because it's almost this tragically beautiful thing--we live in a country that grants our right to individual freedom, and that includes the freedom to make whatever art we want, whatever art we feel driven to make. The paradox comes in when we consider that, in my opinion and that of many others, art is not valued very highly in our country by the population at large, and it is almost impossible to make a living making art. The devaluing of music by the internet and P2P software, etc. is just one recent example of this. The frustration I feel comes from the fact that I appreciate the freedom I have, and NO, I don't want everything handed to me on a silver platter. I do want someone to stand up (besides me) and say that my art is valuable, though, and it's really difficult for me, and many others I know, to be and stay committed to jobs that don't nourish us, don't fulfill us, and probably won't start to any time soon. I want to be able to provide for my family, and all of that, but I also want to keep making my art, on a real, committed level.

I just read an old interview from 1998 with Jeff Mangum, the primary songwriter behind the group Neutral Milk Hotel. (we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA, their monumental second album, this month...If you've never heard it, go buy it RIGHT NOW). In it he talks about a telemarketing job where he spent most of his time either sitting at his desk with his phone disconnected, or hanging out in the bathroom pretending to be sick to his stomach. Is that a good, old-fashioned American work ethic? No. But I can't help feeling some sort of sympathy for the guy. I mean, it's hard to say if he had any idea that his music, especially the record he had just made at the time of the interview, would be so revered by so many people, or considered to be one of the great albums of the 90s. He probably didn't, though...I truly believe that his behavior at that job had nothing to do with laziness. It's just SO CONTRARY to our makeup as artists to do things like that some times...We'll work until we're dead on things that we're passionate about, though.

And those things could be a lot of positive, beautiful things, that would add so much to our culture and enrich the lives of many people.

I don't know how it's all supposed to work. I don't know to what degree we should have to suck it up and deny the way we were made in order to accomplish the basic things in life. I'm just trying to find the right balance between all those things in order to keep moving forward with my heart at peace.

My College of Santa Fe Tribute Mixtape

2009-02-25T16:55:00.005-06:00

So, some background: I went to college at the College of Santa Fe, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was there from 1993-1997. I have extremely fond memories of my college experience, even though a great many of them are tinged with remnants of regret (I have been on a path for a long time towards learning how not to regret...I would argue that all the missteps in my life more than likely led me to all the good things I have now. And I have some really good things in my life at this point). Why a tribute mixtape to my alma mater at this time? Because my college is in danger of shutting down, completely. CSF is in such financial trouble that if the New Mexcio state legislature doesn't approve a bill to purchase the institution, it will go under. This semester will be the LAST ONE. So I wanted to put something out there that somehow paid respect to the place where I spent four extremely formative years. It's a 4-sided mix, with a side for each year of school. I also only put songs on it that I associate with an experience that occurred on campus; in other words, since I'll always be able to go back and visit Santa Fe itself, no songs that remind me of various locales in the city were allowed in. So here's the track listing:

Side 1 (Freshman Year)

ONE LONG PAIR OF EYES-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
WHIP IT-DEVO
SYNCRHONICITY II-THE POLICE
WALK DON'T RUN-CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO
REBA-PHISH
JIG-SAW PUZZLE-THE ROLLING STONES
BESAME MUCHO-THE BEATLES
SATELLITE-ELVIS COSTELLO
WHERE KNOCK IS OPEN WIDE-HIS NAME IS ALIVE
LOSER-BECK

Side 2 (Sophomore Year)

I CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON IT-WEEN
BLUE DRESS-DEPECHE MODE
SATAN GAVE ME A TACO-BECK
MILES RUNS THE VOODOO DOWN-MILES DAVIS
LET'S MAKE THE WATER TURN BLACK-FRANK ZAPPA
NO ONE KNOWS MY PLAN-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN-ELVIS COSTELLO
SIGN O' THE TIMES-PRINCE
LIFE AND HOW TO LIVE IT-R.E.M.

Side 3 (Junior Year)

PROFESSOR NUTBUTTER'S HOUSE OF TREATS-PRIMUS
BELL BOTTOM BLUES-DEREK & THE DOMINOES
FREEDOM ROCK-FRANK BLACK
BEGINNING OF THE HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T-PETER GORDON
THE INFERNAL DANCE OF KING KASCHEI-IGOR STRAVINSKY
DESERT SEARCH FOR TECHNO ALLAH-MR. BUNGLE
WATERMELON IN EASTER HAY-FRANK ZAPPA

Side 4 (Senior Year)

RE-GYPTIAN STRUT-FRANK ZAPPA
UNSUPERVISED, I HIT MY HEAD-MONO PUFF
DINOSAUR-KING CRIMSON
LORD ONLY KNOWS-BECK
BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF-BEN FOLDS FIVE
MOST OF THE TIME-BOB DYLAN
IT'S TRICKY-RUN-D.M.C.
ELLA GURU-CAPTAIN BEEFHEART
BORN SLIPPY-UNDERWORLD
FAKE PLASTIC TREES-RADIOHEAD

Freshman Year:
ONE LONG PAIR OF EYES: I could start a lot of mixtapes with this song. It was a really significant song for me for a number of years. The first week I was in Santa Fe was orientation week for freshmen. No classes, just orientation events and hanging out. I hung out with almost no one that week that I stayed friends with. There was a girl named Jennifer that I spent a lot of time with that week, and subjected her to a number of forced listening of songs in my dorm room. This was one of them.

WHIP IT: Later that week (or the next week maybe) was the first student government-sponsored dance party thing. I went and got funky. The DJ was pretty 80's-focused, and I remember this song being played. I also remember feeling like all the girls in the room that I'd want to date appeared to somehow already be dating people. WTF?

SYNCRHONICITY II: There was a tiny little used record shop around the corner from campus freshman year, so tiny it was just a room in the back of a used book shop. He always had some good stuff, though. I decided I wanted to start buying vinyl again, even though I didn't have a functioning turntable at the time. Syncrhonicity by The Police was one of my first few purchases. I wound up using the turntables in the basement of the library to listen to it.

WALK DON'T RUN: The California Guitar Trio came and did a workshop and concert for the music department that year. They were one of the few performers whose CD and concert were equally good. I remember hearing them play this at the show in the Weckesser Studio Theatre.

REBA: I had a big paper due at the end of first semester in my "Act of Listening" class where I was supposed to analyze 20 minutes or so of music from every angle possible. I chose "Reba" by Phish and "Jig-Saw Puzzle" by the Rolling Stones. I played those songs over and over and over again...drove my roommate crazy.

JIG-SAW PUZZLE: See "Reba".

BESAME MUCHO: My friend Tom was a pretty big Beatles bootleg collector. For Christmas that year, he was kind enough to make me some compilations of some of the most notable material he had accumulated. After I listened to this track with him, we would periodically and randomly say "Cha Cha BOOM!" to each other.

SATELLITE: I was in a long distance relationship with a girl for a good chunk of freshman year (for clarity's sake, I will tell you that the relationship solidified AFTER that first dance I mentioned earlier, so I was not scoping out other women while claiming devotion to my long distance girlfriend). Our relationship ended in February after she sent me a break-up letter. I remember, for some reason, that this song was what I needed to hear after reading that letter. I strapped on my walkman, threw this in, and proceeded to walk across campus to the record store just beyond the edge of campus. It really was just right.

WHERE KNOCK IS OPEN WIDE: My friend Brian Williams introduced me to His Name Is Alive, and Brian also chose to learn this song for his voice lessons that he took second semester. He then asked me if I would accompany him on guitar when he performed it at music forum.

LOSER: This song was everywhere by the time school was starting to end. I remember listening to it in my dorm room, and I remember watching the video on MTV in the lounge.

Sophomore Year:
I CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON IT: Ween released their Chocolate & Cheese album at the beginning of my sophomore year--it came out the same day as Monster by R.E.M. I played this record, and this song, constantly, and put it on, like, three different mixtapes I made that fall. It simply was an essential song for me at the time.

BLUE DRESS: I put this one on one of those fall of '94 mixtapes, too, and I distinctly remember sitting in my dorm room making that very tape, late at night, after my new girlfriend had gone to bed. The tumultuous path of the next 4 years of my life had begun.

SATAN GAVE ME A TACO: My memory of this song isn't of listening to it, but of singing it, LOUDLY, as I came of the stairs of the dorm one day after class. My friend Eric was in his room down the hall, and I could hear him start laughing as I completed the line "opened up a taco stand just to smell the smell".

MILES RUNS THE VOODOO DOWN: I was not quite able to put these songs in the exact sequential order of the memories I associate them with...I remember listening to this song in the basement of the library, taking a break from attempting to flirt with one of the students who worked there (this was all before I started dating the girl mentioned in the "Blue Dress" entry). I figured if I listened to something lengthy, I would be able to occupy myself long enough for my nerves to calm down a bit.

LET'S MAKE THE WATER TURN BLACK: This song and the album it came from (We're Only In It For the Money) signified the beginning of my Zappa obsession. I played this album in my dorm room so many times.

NO ONE KNOWS MY PLAN: I started to assemble a much better stereo system around the middle of my sophomore year, and brought some components back to school with me after Christmas break. I told my friend Phil to come by my room and listen, and this is the song I used to demonstrate the stereo.

ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN: Another library song. I remember listening to it as I walked out of the library after having checked email (that was the first year that we had email, 1994-1995).

SIGN O' THE TIMES: I could make a college soundtrack mixtape that consists of mostly Frank Zappa and Prince songs. That being said, I put the intro to this one on my answering machine for part of sophomore year. I remember my teacher Kevin calling and leaving a message that said something like, "It's good to hear that groove this early in the morning."

LIFE AND HOW TO LIVE IT: Again the sequencing gets screwy, but I put this on a mixtape for my friend Renee's roommate at the beginning of the year (we traded). I can't remember her name, but I remember Brian (who was dating Renee) heard the tape in their room and commented on what a great song this was.

Junior Year:
PROFESSOR NUTBUTTER'S HOUSE OF TREATS: I listened to this album a couple of times the day that I moved into the dorm junior year. Things were awkward with the aforementioned girlfriend after having been apart for the summer. The tumultuous path was about to get really tumultuous.

BELL BOTTOM BLUES: Said girlfriend hadn't actually broken up with me, but it felt like she had. I put this on a mixtape with some other songs of misery and listened to them constantly for weeks. I remember being in one of the larger music classrooms waiting for class to start with this in my headphones.

FREEDOM ROCK: I had kept my summer job at Mervyn's as first semester started. I had to be there at 6:30 am on Fridays. I recall driving along the row of dorms on campus in my car listening to this, about to exit on to the street and go to work.

BEGINNING OF THE HEARTBREAK/DON'T DON'T: This was written and recorded by one of my professors, almost 20 years before he came to teach at CSF. He played this recording of it in forum class as a quasi-introduction to his musical past. I latched on to this one...It is well worth checking out if you like late 70's/early 80's quasi club dance stuff. The title pretty much summed up the entire year romantically for me as well.

THE INFERNAL DANCE OF KING KASCHEI: This is from The Firebird Suite, which I did a paper on that year. I also used the melody from this for a 3/4 time conducting exercise in conducting class.

DESERT SEARCH FOR TECHNO ALLAH: No record better exemplifies the scrambled, twisted state of my emotions in the spring of 1996 better than Disco Volante by Mr. Bungle. I brought this track into my Music & Computers class because I was intrigued by the mix of electronic and organic elements.

WATERMELON IN EASTER HAY: By the time junior year ended, I was spent emotionally. I bought the Joe's Garage album about a week before school ended, and spent the better part of two days putting it on in my free moments until I got all the way through. I was about to go to the music department awards party, and I heard this for the first time in my room, windows open, lovely Santa Fe spring air pouring in. Up until then, I had never been so torn up emotionally and yet been so thrilled with the weather (pssh). This song can be emotionally devastating, but it can also be incredibly uplifting. It would prove to be both for me over time.

Senior Year:
RE-GYPTIAN STRUT: This is Phil and me, in my room again. I had just bought this CD, and he was there with me for the maiden voyage. He seemed almost as blown away as me.

UNSUPERVISED, I HIT MY HEAD: This is Eric and me, also in my room (it should be noted that I lived in the same dorm room for all four years of college, so when I say "my room", I really mean "MY room". They should have named it after me). It was one of the last times that we shared music with each other before my dumb ass chose my now on-again girlfriend over his friendship. Granted, it shouldn't have come to that, but this is one of the things that I am trying to learn how to NOT regret. The "Now I'm left handed" line was Eric's favorite.

DINOSAUR: I listened to King Crimson's Thrak a LOT first semester, in various locales around campus; the music building, out and about walking, my car in the parking lot, etc.

LORD ONLY KNOWS: The first week I was back at school, there was a barbecue on the quad and I played an acoustic set. Odelay had just come out a few months before. Ben Callan, who was running sound, asked if there was any particular song I wanted played over the P.A. right before my set, and I chose this one.

BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: I had a dream where I was in a band performing this song at forum class, and that my friend Christina was singing it. I then attempted to learn how to play it on the piano (the crappy little upright in the student union building) so we could all perform it together, but to no avail.

MOST OF THE TIME: Hoo...it occurs to me now that this was a sophomore year song that somehow wound up in the senior year pile. That's okay. I remember hearing it in my teacher Kevin's studio, while he was giving me composition lessons. He was using it as a good songwriting example. Boy was he right.

IT'S TRICKY: My friend Jared aka Lord Chain and I rocked this in forum class with a few other guys from the music department backing us up. It was the first time I rapped publicly...I think we all know it wasn't the last.

ELLA GURU: My Music & Aesthetics class I took my senior year was one of my favorite courses throughout all of college. One of the lectures covered people like Zappa and Beefheart...I distinctly remember listening to the first four tracks from Trout Mask Replica in class and feeling so much cooler than everyone else because I already OWNED that record.

BORN SLIPPY: The last two tracks on this mixtape, to me, are very much bookends to my senior year of college. This one is another flashback to the beginning of the year, when I felt so optimistic and excited about whatever was to come, whether it be musically, socially, romantically, etc. If you've seen "Trainspotting" (that soundtrack was how I acquired this song), you know that this song plays over the last scene, after the heroin deal goes through and Renton makes off with all the money, presumably to start his life over and do all the things he's always wanted to do. The feeling I had during that sequence of the film was how the entire first month of senior year felt...There were a lot of moments during that month that I just couldn't wait to get back to my room and listen to songs like this.

FAKE PLASTIC TREES: By the end, though, I felt kind of lost. My senior concert had been a success, and it did lead to getting my first job (in the music industry no less), but I grew to hate that job, and felt completely trapped in the relationship I was in. The kind of hopeless melancholy that this song conveys so effectively slowly became my entire world. At the same time, I don't think I ever completely lost hope, the same way that I feel like this song doesn't.

I didn't really mean to end that on a downer...I feel like that is truly where college ended, though. Like I said before, I wouldn't trade my CSF experience for anything. The thought that the school simply won't be there anymore greatly saddens me. Let this mixtape be a testament to the fact that CSF changed and shaped lives, namely mine.

Frank Zappa-Lumpy Money (Review)

2009-02-04T00:26:00.005-06:00

So, I received in the mail today my copy of Lumpy Money, the latest archival Frank Zappa release. The Zappa family has been busy the last few years pumping out all sorts of goodness from the Zappa vault...In case you don't know, the man produced an obscene amount of music in his lifetime, and only a portion of it got released. That said, the released portion filled up somewhere between 50 and 60 albums. Yeah, I know. I used to own ALL OF THEM, until I finally arrived at the point where I felt okay about selling off a few of the ones I didn't listen to much.

Lumpy Money is #2 in what the Zappa Family Trust (which will be referred to as the ZFT from now on) is calling the "project/object" series. "Project/object" was/is Zappa's short description of the idea that all his work should be seen not only as individual albums, but as one quasi-organic whole. Each album or whatever is a "project", but it is also a part of the larger "object". This was related to his idea of "conceptual continuity", the idea that there were themes in his body of work that, no matter how odd or random, united it. Lumpy Money is a 3-disc set of material related to the Lumpy Gravy and We're Only In It For the Money albums from 1968 (the first volume of the "project/object" series focused exclusively on the Freak Out! album). These two albums are two of the most highly revered in Zappa's catalogue, and are favorites of those who think his 1960s work with the original Mothers of Invention band was his only "good" stuff. They were recorded in rapid succession in 1967, and share some of the same musical and thematic material.

That being said, these records are hardly easy listening, and quite possibly much more difficult to digest than, say, certain 1970s albums like Apostrophe' or Over-nite Sensation. There's rock music here, yes, but there's also extremely difficult orchestral music, large portions of surreal dialogue spoken by people sitting inside a grand piano (no, I'm not kidding), and musique concrete (music created by manipulating previously recorded sounds on magnetic tape). Also, all of the material within this release differs from that contained on the currently available CD versions of both albums.

I became obsessed with these records somewhere around my sophomore year of college. I was starting another membership with the Columbia House CD club, I think, and was looking for additional titles to fill out my initial 12 selections, or something. At that point, the two albums were available on a single CD (they're both quite short, each coming in around the 35 minute mark). My college-level musical education was just starting to blow some doors open, and these two records really appealed to my growing ears. Suffice to say, these records have a special place in my heart. I was really quite thrilled to discover that they were going to be the subject of a "project/object" release.

Disc 1 contains a really nice mono mix of the original version of Money, previously unavailable on CD at all. It also contains Lumpy Gravy (Primordial), a previously unreleased 22-minute suite of most of the orchestral music recorded for the Lumpy Gravy album. Evidently, at one point, the music was intended to exist in that form...what eventually wound up being released is remarkably different. Disc 2 is where things get a little tricky; it contains the version of Money originally released on CD in 1986 (the one that the disc I bought in 1994 contained). What's important to note about this version is that Zappa, before initially releasing this material on CD, re-recorded all the rhythm tracks (drums, bass, and a number of the keyboard parts, I think). He brought in the players from his band at the time (Chad Wackerman, drums, and Scott Thunes, bass; perhaps the most stiff-yet-accurate rhythm section of all time) and re-tracked every single drum and bass part on the whole record. I'm sure it was a pain-staking process...listening to the original version, it's clear that not all the tempos were 100% steady, etc. Another detail worthy of note about this version is that it contains an extra portion of the song "Mother People" that had originally been censored by MGM, Zappa's record label at the time. The version of Money with the re-recorded rhythm tracks is the only place you can hear that portion in context. Unbeknownst to me until now, he gave Gravy the SAME TREATMENT at the time, but never released it. That version of Gravy is here also on disc 2, with Wackerman playing drums behind dialogue that was unaccompanied on the original, and Ike Willis and Bobby Martin singing a heretofore unheard vocal chorus during the first few minutes of the album. It's a little bewildering why he chose to do such a thing at all (can you imagine Paul McCartney deciding to go back and re-record all the bass and drum tracks on Rubber Soul or something like that?). Many Zappa fans were shocked and offended at the time that he would tamper with records previously recognized as masterpieces. However, since THAT version of Money was the first one I ever heard, there are some tracks on it that I prefer to the originals. The bizarre part to me is that this controversial element is not mentioned ONCE in the liner notes...Wackerman, Thunes, etc. are not credited anywhere in the package (of course, neither are any of the original Mothers). It's an odd thing to overlook. Maybe the ZFT decided it would rather ignore the issue.

There is an aspect to the whole "project/object" idea that poses a bit of a dilemma for me. Part of the "project/object" concept for Zappa was the idea that you could take any of his records and kind of chop them up into pieces, mix them all up in a different order, and it would still sound like part of the same whole. His music almost rewards such behavior...My Zappa playlist in my iPod kicks my ass even more on shuffle. At the same time, his album construction was many times quite meticulous...these two records are especially assembled in quite a delicate fashion. Still, he was guilty several times of taking music that had already been formatted into a particular album or albums, and reformatting it into a different record altogether. The Lather album is a great example of the "project/object", "conceptual continuity" ethos. It was originally intended to be a 4-LP set, and contained music spanning a 6-7 year period. Warner Brothers refused to release it, and Zappa reluctantly reformatted most of the material into four separate albums that he released later (it was finally released in its original intended format on CD in 1996). The liner notes state that it is a great opportunity to watch "the conceptual continuity get down with its bad self", in that much of the music (and the themes contained within it) resonate differently in the context of Lather than it did in its eventual destination. This happens when I throw my Zappa playlist on shuffle, too...I hear the songs differently, experience things deeper, whatever. The irony about the Lumpy Money 3-CD set is that I think that sitting down and listening to it all the way through has a bit of the opposite effect. It's such a navel-gazing, narrowly focused exercise, what with hearing certain songs and themes up to 4-5 times over the course of the record, that it kind of makes it feel like the potential resonance and experience are reduced, worn down from overexposure...

That said, it's a great release. No one can complain anymore about only having a particular version of either album available; there are now three different versions of Money in print on CD (the currently available CD issue, plus the two versions included on this release). In his lifetime, Zappa never expressed any regret about the decision to re-record the rhythm tracks, and up until his death, that was the only version available on CD. It seems justifiable to make sure that version survives...he evidently wanted it to. Plus, the third disc of ephemera related to the album is a revelation. Instrumental mixes of a number of the Money tracks are heard here for the first time, and many of them are glorious in their intricacy and performance (these are the originals, too...no re-recorded tracks here). There is also a 25-minute+ edit of some of the Gravy material entitled "How Did That Get In Here?", prepared by Zappa himself in 1967. Really enjoyable for any fan. Highly recommended.

The Turning of the Tide...

2009-01-19T17:49:00.004-06:00

First of all, you may have noticed the appearance of these ads on my blog recently...The Mixtape Jones Report is now a part of the Mog Music Network (check out Mog.com), and they require these ads to be there. We're working on placing them in a little more of a sensible manner, so please be patient with us.

So, back in the "2 Records, 2 Beers" post, I talked about how certain types of music seem to go better with the later part of the day...especially anything in the more "far out" realm (less accessible types of jazz, non-dance oriented electronic music, more "avant" types of rock i.e. Sonic Youth, etc.). I tried to stick with things that were more familiar and straightforward during the earlier parts of the day, for instance The Beatles, R.E.M., They Might Be Giants, etc. (These are always my examples...sorry.) Lately, the tide seems to be turning a bit, and I seem to be wanting to hear some of these more aggressive, esoteric musics all day...and I suppose it concerns me a bit.

More than anything, I guess it makes me worry that my emotional state might be less stable, or more downcast. Looking back at my life, I can pretty much establish a corollary between listening to "uglier" music and feeling a bit "uglier" psychologically and emotionally. There are things about the current situation that make me feel as though it's a bit different. Mostly, I think my life is really good...It is not without its stresses, but making music full time, having a good marriage, and not feeling a lack for many things is pretty awesome. I think that the real truth is that I'm in such a good place artistically that my inspiration is coming from a variety of sources, even within a strictly musical context. The shuffle on my iPod helps also (see previous entry, "Slave To the iPod"). It's a good day when the Residents mingle with Led Zeppelin, or an 11 minute Coltrane track is followed up by "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder. More than anything, it gives me hope that I am NOT growing out of my love for some of these more adventurous musics as I get older. I know a lot of people who have mellowed with age to the point that their taste in art of all kinds has consistently gotten less adventurous with every passing year. I don't want to be one of those guys. I pray that you don't find me in ten years sitting around listening to one thing all the time. Or just going to see rom-coms at the multiplex. Or with a visual art appetite that's limited to old school Calvin & Hobbes comics. This is not my goal. Not that there's anything wrong with Calvin & Hobbes. It's actually fantastically awesome. Maybe Family Circus is a better example. I mean, really. Kill me. Kill me now.

My First iMix

2009-01-16T11:16:00.009-06:00

So, how many of you have explored iTunes' iMix feature? I have recently attempted to start playing with it, but mostly as a promotional tool for Dr. Pants and K.C. Clifford (I might make some iMixes for fun, too, but we'll see). Using it as a promotional tool involves making an iMix that has a bunch of artists that I deem to be similar to Dr. Pants or K.C., and putting one of our songs in it as well. Then, if people start to rate it highly, my iMix will show up on the artist pages for some of the other artists on the iMix, and then some of their fans might download it and hear Dr. Pants or K.C. for the first time.

The only thing I don't like about that idea is that the iMix tends to be kind of homogenous (at least, homogenous by my standards). For instance, if I decide I want to put "Sarsaparilla Girl" on an iMix, I'm going to surround it with songs that all have a more power poppy feel to them. That being said, I think this iMix turned out pretty well. I titled it (for pedestrian promotional reasons) Great Power Pop. You can click that and go rate it/buy it on iTunes. Please comment and tell me what you think:

TIRED OF SEX-WEEZER
NEVER SAY NEVER-THAT DOG
TRANSDERMAL CELEBRATION-WEEN
JESSIE'S GIRL-RICK SPRINGFIELD
CONFETTI-THE LEMONHEADS
ADVENTURE ROCKET SHIP-ROBYN HITCHCOCK
TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP-THE ROMANTICS
TWO TOGETHER-STEADMAN
SARSAPARILLA GIRL-DR. PANTS
WHAT YOU DO TO ME-TEENAGE FANCLUB
SURRENDER (LIVE)-CHEAP TRICK
LATE IN THE DAY-SUPERGRASS
YESTERDAY GIRL-THE SMITHEREENS
LEAVE THE BIKER-FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE
STAR 69-R.E.M.
GLAD GIRLS-GUIDED BY VOICES
HERE COMES YOUR MAN-THE PIXIES
ANNIE WAITS-BEN FOLDS
TRAIN IN VAIN-THE CLASH
THANK YOU FRIENDS-BIG STAR
TWIN CINEMA-THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
U.S. MUSTARD COMPANY-ROBERT POLLARD

Here's the description I wrote for iTunes:

"So yeah, not everything on this iMix is probably considered to be "power pop" by most aficionados of the genre. I do think, however, that the genre could be broader than most people think, and that it doesn't begin and end with Big Star and Cheap Trick. Weezer is a power pop band, like it or not (they are certainly a LOT closer to power pop than they are to anything that could be called "emo") and artists with more diverse catalogues (like Ween or Robyn Hitchcock) have certainly dabbled in the genre. You may think the Clash are a punk band, but "Train In Vain" is a power pop song. Also, he may not have guitars, but Ben Folds can kick a high-gear, rocking, hummable melody as well as anyone in the genre. Consider this a treatise not on what power pop IS, but what it COULD be."

Funny, now that I go back and read that again, there are a couple of things I would edit, but I'm learning. Anyway, if you're on iTunes, go rate the iMix.

Perhaps I'll make some iMixes in the future just for fun, where I can fulfill my utopian mixtape agenda more sufficiently (Prince, the Residents AND Cheap Trick! Woohoo!). We'll see. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy this one...

Beatles, Roads & Life

2009-01-15T23:02:00.002-06:00

First of all, my apologies for the long gap in between blog entries. I totally lost focus during the holiday season, and I am finally getting back into the groove. That said, I don't want to just crank out bland, uninspired blog entries, so I'm glad I finally had something to write about that sounded worthwhile.

So, today K.C. and I drove from Oklahoma City to Lubbock for a gig. On the way, I finished Here, There & Everywhere, Geoff Emerick's book about being the Beatles' recording engineer for most of their career as a band. After that, I took over driving for K.C., and listened to Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road.

There were portions of the book that were very poignant to me, specifically moments shared between Emerick and Paul McCartney; he was clearly much closer to Paul than the other three Beatles. Emerick not only worked with the Beatles while they were together, he also did some work with them as individuals after the break up. Mostly, he worked with Paul. John Lennon was shot while Emerick and McCartney were working on the Tug of War album, and the description of McCartney's demeanor the day they learned of Lennon's death found me choked up and holding back the tears (I don't know what the rules are for quoting text online from books, so I decided to play it safe and not post an excerpt here...You'll just have to find the book and read it yourself).

During the car ride, I found myself thinking about Paul McCartney a lot, about how he tends to get a bad rap. There are people who think that the genius of the Beatles was solely due to John Lennon, and that McCartney only writes sentimental crap. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. I continue to be inspired by that man and his work in ways that I can't even count, they are so numerous. Not only his work with the Beatles, but his current work as well. (Although, I am experiencing a renaissance with Sgt. Pepper for the umpteenth time. One thing that Emerick is clear about is that Sgt. Pepper was Paul's baby, to a degree...Emerick desribes Lennon as a bit detached during its recording. Despite the slightly lopsided nature of it, I still find Pepper to be mind-blowing, and I continue to discover new things in it to enjoy. McCartney's bass playing, which Emerick talks about a great deal in the book, really is the best part. It's absolutely phenomenal, and largely demonstrates why Paul McCartney will always be my favorite bass player.) There are some who will disagree with me, but I feel that McCartney hasn't made a bad record since the early 90's. Off The Ground was the last thing he did that I just couldn't abide, but everything since has been solid (Flaming Pie, Run Devil Run, Driving Rain, Chaos & Creation In the Backyard, Memory Almost Full).

The moments in the book where Emerick discusses Lennon's death, as well as George Harrison's, started me thinking about McCartney and how he probably won't be around for THAT much longer. Mind you, he's 66, and could easily last another 14 years or so (or more...he has obviously taken very good care of himself in recent years), but I can't help but feel the anticipation of the loss I will experience when he's gone. This is made all the more acute by the fact that one of my biggest musical dreams (I mean, it's REALLY big) is to meet him, and maybe even perform with him (just one song...that's all I ask. Preferably "I Saw Her Standing There"). I have a lot of big dreams, but if I didn't believe they were somehow possible, I would have abandoned them a long time ago. Same goes for this one.

My time spent in the car yesterday enjoying the Beatles' music (as well as some Robyn Hitchcock, and some other random favorites on shuffle, like Steve Vai's "Sisters" and Aphex Twin's "Alberto Balsalm") was one of those two to three hour periods that remind me why I do what I do. The inspiration I have received and continue to derive from the music of Paul McCartney and the Beatles is fuel for my own dreams and ambitions...Without it, I might be an accountant by now. I am so privileged to be on the road performing with K.C., and I hope to have the opportunity before too long to take Dr. Pants out on the road like this. I have so many ideas about things that will make Dr. Pants even better than it is now, and I am looking forward to putting some of them into practice. The book inspired me in that way as well...So much about the Beatles' recording process, and how they worked together (before they started bickering all the time) made me realize how much I have to learn about being in a band, and about how to make a band all that it can be.

If you are even a casual Beatles fan, seek out Emerick's book. It's well worth your time. Maybe it will inspire you, too.

The Online Radio Dilemma

2008-12-04T22:11:00.002-06:00

So, everyone's talkin' about Pandora. Pandora this, Pandora that. Whatever. It's no different than Last.fm, really, but it acts all fancy because of the whole "Music Genome Project" thing. I'm checking it out, I'm giving it a chance (as we speak, as a matter of fact...I created a Frank Zappa station, and I'm just waiting for the moment where it plays something that sucks. I created a Beatles station first, and the first non-Beatles thing it tried to play was f%@king "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. As if I haven't heard that song on oldies/lite rock/classic rock radio a billion times, or had to sit through every crappy cover band on earth play that song. You're treading on thin ice, Pandora...). Last.fm has the advantage, because indie artists get to be part of it. You can upload your music and add it to the Last.fm database, and people who like a particular artist that you resemble might get to hear your song and not something they already know about. Pandora, so far as I can tell, has no option for introducing new music to the system.

Plus, I like the little Last.fm scrobbler box that registers every single song I listen to on my iTunes. And every time I plug my iPod into the computer, it scrobbles everything I played on my iPod since the last time I plugged it in. Hell yeah! It's a complete record of everything I listened to. Pandora has no such features.

If you create a profile on Mog.com, it will also keep track of what you listen to, and the last 10 songs you listened to on iTunes will be listed on your Mog profile. The Mog-0-matic software will also tally everything you have in your iTunes and tell you who you have the most songs by, etc.

Pandora is a lot of fuss over nothing, really. Last.fm does everything it does and more. Music Genome Project? Whatever. If you're not going to give it up to the indie artists, you can put your Music Genome up your wazoo.

iTunes Genius

2008-10-23T18:02:00.002-05:00

Okay, so if you've downloaded the latest version of iTunes (and being a good little program, it should be prompting you to do so regularly if you haven't), you may have noticed the little item under your "playlists" heading that says "Genius" (with a graphic next to it of an atom). Basically, Genius is a feature that 1) generates playlists for you and 2) recommends music to you from the iTunes store based on what you already listen to and enjoy.

I really didn't even give the recommendation part a chance, primarily because I'm in a bit of a spending freeze in terms of music at the moment (I even quit Emusic, which is a waaaay better deal than iTunes to begin with). But the playlist thing intrigued me. Basically, all you do is select a song in your library and hit the Genius button (in the bottom right corner of the iTunes interface), and it generates a playlist of 25 songs (minimum; you can up it to 50, 75, 100...) that it thinks "go well together" based on your selection (the song you select becomes track 1 of the playlist). I basically went through my library finding the most diverse, random songs possible and hitting the Genius button just to see what it came up with. Some results were intriguing, some were frustrating, and some were disappointing.

Most frustrating is the fact that if the song is not something that is sold in the iTunes Store, or is by an independent artist, more than likely the Genius will just balk at it. For instance, if I select something really obscure and avant-garde (like "Industrial Ambients" by Laibach, from a compilation entitled "An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music Volume 2), I get a message that says: "Genius is unavailable for the song "Industrial Ambients"." The same thing happens when I select a Dr. Pants song, or even a song by Abi Tapia, an up and coming songwriter in the folk scene (for the record, Genius doesn't work on K.C. Clifford, either).

The "disappointing" element mostly has to do with the stylistically narrow vision of the Genius, especially when it comes to music in genres primarily populated by African-American artists. For instance, I could tell it to generate a playlist based on a Marvin Gaye song, a Sly Stone song, or a Prince song, and I'd get an entire list of r&b stuff. Why, if I select "Little Red Corvette", do I not get some additional 80's hits that happened to be by white people? Why do I only get a list of all the other black folks in my collection? When it come to genres like this (r&b, hip hop, jazz, and even electronica), the Genius assumes that when I select a certain song (like, say, "South Side" by Moby) that I want an entire playlist of things that are in the same genre (a whole crapload of electronic stuff).

Interestingly enough, the Genius becomes most adventurous when operating in the exceptionally broad genre of "rock" (what on earth does that even mean anymore?). However, the Genius tends to select certain songs over and over again, regardless of what else is in the playlist ("Cars" by Gary Numan seems to be the Genius' favorite song in my entire library). I saved 23 of the playlists Genius generated for me that first day, and "Cars" is in 6 of them. It was in a whole bunch of other ones that I didn't save, too. My iTunes library has 9,192 songs in it, and it can't find another song to put in there instead? Seriously?

It did have some very intriguing results as well, though. Here are a couple of playlists that genuinely impressed me:

Playlist Based On "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" by Tom Waits:

I DON'T WANNA GROW UP-TOM WAITS
IT'S A MOTHERFUCKER-EELS
SEE NO EVIL-TELEVISION
YOUR LITTLE HOODRAT FRIEND-THE HOLD STEADY
I AM WAITING-THE ROLLING STONES
BOB DYLAN'S 49TH BEARD-WILCO
SONG AGAINST SEX-NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
PASSENGER SIDE-WILCO
HOLD ON-TOM WAITS
LORD ONLY KNOWS-BECK
IT'S A HIT-RILO KILEY
DRUNKEN ANGEL-LUCINDA WILLIAMS
LOW SELF-OPINION-ROLLINS BAND (When does Rollins Band EVER follow Lucinda??? That's AWESOME!!)
START A WAR-THE NATIONAL
100%-SONIC YOUTH
LETTER FROM AN OCCUPANT-THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
CALIFORNIA GIRLS-MAGNETIC FIELDS
PABLO PICASSO-THE MODERN LOVERS
RAILROAD MAN-EELS
HELL IS CHROME-WILCO
GHOST-NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL-YO LA TENGO
BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE AGAIN-WARREN ZEVON
EARTH DIED SCREAMING-TOM WAITS
TALKING WORLD WAR III BLUES-BOB DYLAN

If you know a good portion of those songs, then I don't have to tell you that it's a mix of the exciting and the bewildering. Also, I don't like the fact that whatever artist you ask it to base the playlist on, it will invariably include at least 3 of that artist's songs in the playlist. Here is my absolute favorite, though. I asked it to create a playlist based on the song "Bustin' Surfboards" by the Tornadoes (featured on the soundtrack to "Pulp Fiction"). THIS is what I got:

BUSTIN' SURFBOARDS-THE TORNADOES
EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE HAPPY-THE KINKS
FOOLS GOLD-THE STONE ROSES
DERELICT-BECK
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE-JACKIE DESHANNON
FLYSWATTER-EELS
STARMAN-DAVID BOWIE
PICTURES OF LILY-THE WHO
DIGITAL-JOY DIVISION
EVERY FALLEN IN LOVE?-THE BUZZCOCKS
WAVE OF MUTILATION-THE PIXIES
BEETLEBUM-BLUR
DAYS-THE KINKS
BELA LUGOSI'S DEAD-BAUHAUS
SWEETNESS FOLLOWS-R.E.M.
LIAR, LIAR-THE CASTAWAYS
MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPER-THE ROLLING STONES
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE-LOU REED
JACK-ASS-BECK
CARS-GARY NUMAN (there it is again...)
LET'S SEE ACTION-THE WHO
TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU-THE KINKS
ON YOUR OWN-BLUR
IMITATION OF LIFE-R.E.M.
(WHITE MAN) IN HAMMERSMITH PALAIS-THE CLASH

There are portions of this that melt my brain. First of all WHAT ON EARTH does "Bela Lugosi's Dead" have in common with "Bustin' Surfboards"? And THEN it follows that up with "Sweetness Follows" by R.E.M.?? Truly inspired. I mean, that moment almost made me weep with joy. Not all the playlists were this adventurous by any means...It's really interesting to see how inconsistent this thing is.

So, perhaps for a certain brand of listener, iTunes Genius could be construed as brilliantly smart (or some other adjective combination suggested by its name). I'm not convinced. Leave the Genius playlist making to we humans who have practiced it since our adolescence. I want Frank Zappa, Prince, R.E.M and Sly Stone all on the same playlist, and the Genius ain't gonna do that for me.

7 Random Facts About Me and Music

2008-10-21T19:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I was "tagged" by my friend Miss Scarlett (www.thoughtsgoalsandnonsense.blogspot.com) to do a "7 random facts about me" post, but this is a music blog so I'm doing 7 random facts about me and music.

1. To my knowledge, the first record I ever heard was the song "Frog Kissin'" by Chet Atkins. I only know this second hand from my parents. The record WORE OUT before I was old enough to have any recollection of it. I apparently used to ask to hear it incessantly in my 2 year old language by saying, "Play frogsin."
2. Technically, the first record I ever owned was The Beatles Yellow Submarine soundtrack. A birthday gift from a neighborhood friend when I was in kindergarten.
3. Synchronistically enough, the first real concert I ever attended was Paul McCartney at RFK Stadium on July 4, 1990. I was 15, and it was awesome. Our seats weren't very good...We could just barely see Paul, but it was truly unforgettable. I remember before he played "Birthday" he said: "Hey America! It's your birthday!"
4. I really, REALLY don't like the song "Time of the Season" by the Zombies.
5. Circa 1985-86, I probably would have told you that Starship was my favorite band.
6. I don't really enjoy vocal jazz. In fact, most of the things I like that might be called "jazz" are quite noisy and unpleasant to most people. Especially lately.
7. Explicit or controversial lyrical content almost NEVER offends me. Being "offended" by such things is really a waste of time and energy. It results in bitterness, fear, and an inability to enjoy the other merits of a given song or composition. "Catholic Girls" by Frank Zappa might be offensive to you lyrically, but that song is the JAM. Listen to the break in the middle and tell me it doesn't make you convulse with joy.

Okay. Random indeed. Maybe not particularly interesting. I guess I'll tag OkayCityNate, but there's sooo not any pressure from me to carry on with this. I hope to have another more substantial entry up soon, hopefully about the new iTunes Genius feature. I'll be interested to hear what all of you have to say about it, if you've played with it. Later.