Blow Your Harmonica, Son

Next week Jimbama and I get to go to the glorious Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on the NH coast to see Zappa Plays Zappa for the second summer in a row. Last year they tore the place up. The crowd was full of old school Frank fans who looked exactly as you'd imagine a group of 60s burnouts living near the NH coast would look. Lots of long moustaches, grizzled faces and a bevy of tattooed ladies. They went absolutely insane for the entirety of the show, similar to the San Quentin inmates, and hooted and hollered long after the encore. Dweezil commented on how crazy we all were and promised to be back next year. He seemed genuinely surprised at the hardcore superfans filling the place but Frank Zappa freaks are nothing if not obsessive.

So they're returning to the same venue with a whole new set of songs from throughout Frank's long and storied career. Nothing will excite me as much as their mindblowing version of "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" from last year's show but I'm giddy with anticipation anyhow. Here's a wild clip from Frank's appearance on the Steve Allen show back in 1963 when he was only 22. This is clip 4 of 4 and you can see the others here, here and here but this is really the showpiece - Frank conducts Steve and his orchestra in a improvisatory noise piece centering around 2 bicycles. I can't believe they spent so much time on this segment (all 4 parts total over 16 minutes) and allowed such cacophonous experimentation on a popular show. Teevee sure was different back then.



Here is a clip of Frank's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which has yet to set things right and induct Rush) in 1994 shortly after his death. It begins with a fun montage of his music and philosophies and then moves on to a typically bored speech by Lou Reed, professional creepshow, and a bizarre but strangely moving award acceptance by Moon Unit.

Hats Off to Shel Silverstein

Our show last night focused on how musical tastes and general interests change as you get older. I may have pooh-poohed Boston years ago but now I have seen the light and celebrate "Foreplay/Long Time" like all other red-blooded Americans. I was never one for lyrics either but as I get older, or mature as some might say, I've been noticing them more and more and occasionally even poring over a lyric sheet or two. It may have started with "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and it's inscrutable yet hypnotizing words. I may not have understood what he was saying on listens 1-20 but after a while the entirety of the lyrics sank in and I started to piece together my own interpretation of the mysteriously beautiful images Jeff Magnum created.
One of my current favorites in Sam Beam of Iron & Wine. His lyrics are incredibly poetic full of gorgeous visuals and heartbreaking confessions. For me they tow the line between easily understandable and just out of reach, which I like because I have to work at it a little. Here are two amazing examples of his writing:



mother don't worry, i killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed
mother don't worry, i've got some money i save for the weekend
mother remember being so stern with that girl who was with me?
mother remember the blink of an eye when i breathed through your body?

so may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
sons are like birds flying upward over the mountain

mother i made it up from the bruise of a floor of this prison
mother i lost it, all of the fear of the Lord i was given
mother forget me now that the creek drank the cradle you sang to
mother forgive me, i sold your car for the shoes that i gave you

so may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
sons are like birds flying upward over the mountain

mother don't worry, i've got a coat & some friends on the corner
mother don't worry, she's got a garden we're planting together
mother remember the night that the dog had her pups in the pantry?
blood on the floor & the fleas on their paws
and you cried 'til the morning

so may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten
sons are like birds flying upward over the mountain



Papa died smiling
Wide as the ring of a bell
Gone all star white
Small as a wish in a well
And Sodom, South Georgia
Woke like a tree full of bees
Buried in Christmas
Bows and a blanket of weeds

Papa died Sunday and I understood
All dead white boys say, "God is good"
White tongues hang out, "God is good"

Papa died while my
Girl Lady Edith was born
Both heads fell like
Eyes on a crack in the door
And Sodom, South Georgia
Slept on an acre of bones
Slept through Christmas
Slept like a bucket of snow

Papa died Sunday and I understood
All dead white boys say, "God is good"
White tongues hang out, "God is good"

My Parents Listen to This

The Wrens - Happy
Elvis Costello - Tear Off Your Own Head
Wilco - What Light

ELO - Sweet Talkin' Woman
Genesis - Cuckoo Cocoon
Loudon Wainwright III - The Swimming Song
Dolly Parton - River of Happiness

Papa M - So Warped
Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Love Comes To Me
Akron/Family - Running, Returning

The Darkness - Hazel Eyes
Boston - Peace of Mind
Coheed and Cambria - A Favor House Atlantic

Gram Parsons - The Streets of Baltimore
Robert Earl Keane - No Kinda Dancer
Beck - Lonesome Tears
Chris Smither - Hold On I

Nico - Somewhere There's a Feather
M Ward - Fool Says
Neutral Milk Hotel - The King of Carrot Flowers Pts 2 & 3

Vashti Bunyan - Glow Worms
Nick Drake - One Of These Things First
Yo La Tengo - My Little Corner of the World
Hall & Oates - Rich Girl

Phil Collins - Against All Odds
Bon Iver - The Wolves (Act I and II)
John Denver - Looking For Space

Lightning Strikes (Not Twice But Once)

Sorry for the delayed postings lately. Due to a bad connection at home, busy days at work and internet issues at the station, I've been having a hard time updating this mess. Fear not, I'm still out here planning novel length screeds on all things musical. Here's the setlist from last Sunday's solo Gamera show celebrating the finest in new tunes from 2007 and 2008 plus some gems that are older but new to me.

Ratatat - Shempi
Crystal Castles - Vanished
Liars - Pure Unevil
The Magnetic Fields - Courtesans

Jay Reatard - Don't Let Him Come Back
Black Lips - Bad Kids
The White Stripes - Bone Broke

Amargosa - meyou
Monarch/Wye Oak - A Lawn to Mow (cut short due to a temporary electrical outage caused by lightning)
Panda Bear - I'm Not

M83 - Graveyard Girl
Radiohead - Reckoner
Andrew Bird - Spare-Ohs

Spoon - Don't You Evah
Vampire Weekend - I Stand Corrected

The New Pornographers - Failsafe
The Shins - Spilt Needles
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Voxtrot - Real Live Version

Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Iron & Wine - Carousel
Les Savy Fav - Pots and Pans

Andrew W.K. - Ready to Die
Ramones - A Real Cool Time
Tullycraft - Wild Bikini

Trans Am - Feed on Me
Roxy Music - The Bob (Medley)
Genesis - Counting Out Time

Bjork - The Dull Flame of Desire

Watching the Clock Move Backwards

Today is a horribly long day. I'm got little pressing work to do and I'm also desperate to get out of here which always makes for a sloooow workday so i'm trying to busy myself by playing Gemcraft and trying to advance a level or 3. I'm doubly excited today because not only am I going to see The Dark Knight this evening but I have a date with the Manixes and Rock Band afterwards. I'm about to gnaw my leg off in anticipation.

As you may or may not know, Rock Band is, as Mothra so eloquently put it, "the greatest thing ever." I can't properly express my love for the game or the ways in which they have created the perfect group experience but let's just say it dominates my every waking moment. Even after hour upon hour of playing it, I never tire and the additional songs they offer online help to keep the fresh songs coming so you don't get stuck playing "In Bloom" over and over again until you never, ever want to hear it for the rest of your life.

Rock Band's dark overlords, Harmonix, recently announced the full track list for Rock Band 2 and it's stellar. The makers of Guitar Hero III are also debuting their next installment soon but for some reason, I'm just not as thrilled about their game. Harmonix just seems like a smarter game developer and I've never quite been able to pinpoint why I feel that way but this interview nicely explains the differences and shows why they are the better company.

So here are the 10 tracks I'm most excited to play once Rock Band 2 debuts followed by my least favorite songs to play on the original Rock Band. For both lists, I'm only including songs by nationally known bands that come with the game and not bonus songs by Harmonix employees or any of the songs available online.

The most excitingest tracks on Rock Band 2:
"Any Way You Want It" - Journey
"Bad Reputation" - Joan Jett
"Battery" - Metallica
"Chop Suey!" - System of a Down
"Drain You" - Nirvana
"Livin' on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi
"Rebel Girl" - Bikini Kill
"Teen Age Riot" - Sonic Youth
"Uncontrollable Urge" - Devo
"White Wedding Pt. I" - Billy Idol

The fact that Bikini Kill is even on this game gives them bonus points but all of these will be amazing to play with a room full of people. The wide range of styles and odd choices like Devo are what make me love Rock Band like a third child.

The least fun songs to play on Rock Band:
"Ballroom Blitz" -Sweet
"Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Dani California" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Epic" - Faith No More
"Go with the Flow" - Queens of the Stone Age
"I Think I'm Paranoid" - Garbage
"Learn to Fly" - Foo Fighters
"The Hand That Feeds" - Nine Inch Nails
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" - Aerosmith
"Vasoline" - Stone Temple Pilots

Most of these are either dull, monotonous or just plain lousy. The Aerosmith tune always elicits loud groans of disapproval whenever it comes up on a mystery setlist and "Vasoline" is mind-numbingly repretitive and simply awful. The less said about "Dani California" the better.

Come on 5 o'clock!

Taking the Rough With the Smooch

Two recent obsessions. One for each side of my personality.

From Bon Iver's album For Emma, Forever Ago. A heartstoppingly beautiful song. It's the last track on the album and always leaves me silently amazed at the pure sadness and ghostliness of his voice. I can't stop listening to this cd, partially because I want to hear this track over and over again and don't mind the other 8 incredible songs before it.

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver

To balance that out I've been enjoying the madness and mayhem on the recent Jay Reatard release, Singles '06-'07. Blistering and snotty punk overflowing with sing-slong melodies and manic energy.

Night Of Broken Glass - Jay Reatard

The DOwn Stairs Mix-Up

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GBaily's

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Flying the Flannel

I recently saw on Pitchfork that Sub Pop Records is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. They ran a fantastic interview with founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman that made me desperately wish someone would write an article on the indie label boom of the 80s and 90s a la Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes. They nicely summarize their entire history from fanzine writing, to barely paying the rent, to working with the majors, to their current status as one of the best run labels out there.

My first run in with Sub Pop was hearing Sub Pop 200 at my friend Jonathan's house back in 1990 or s0. It was my introduction to the indie world and was pretty eye-opening. I realized that there was some serious weirdness out there like Beat Happening and Steve Fisk. I also realised that I loved what I later came to know as grunge. Opening song, "Sex God Missy" by Tad was exactly the sort of sludge I didn't even know I was looking for but once I found it, I was hooked.

Most importantly, I started to discover the world of labels and how they could be similar to a brand name where if you liked one release, you were likely to try something else from the label. They became trusted friends who were able to turn you on to new music by bands you had never heard of. Sub Pop always seemed to strike a nice balance between highlighting their local scene while also releasing music from outside of the Seattle area. Looking over their discography, I was shocked to see that they put out music by both Slayer and the Beach Boys as well as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. They are a label I've stuck with for nearly 20 years and my cd collection contains a healthy chunk of Sub Pop releases. Currently I have 26 albums from them although over time I've had many more but the Afghan Whigs and Jale cds have long been sold. What surprises me about this list is that it covers nearly all eras of the label and demonstrates the wide variety of bands and sounds they've championed and the stunning quality of their greatest releases. Here's the list:

SP034 NIRVANA - BLEACH
SP192 SEBADOH - BUBBLE & SCRAPE
SP196 VELOCITY GIRL - COPACETIC
SP215A SIX FINGER SATELLITE - THE PIGEON IS THE MOST POPULAR BIRD
SP221 HAZEL - TOREADOR OF LOVE
SP246 SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE - DIARY
SP247 VELOCITY GIRL - "!SIMPATICO!"
SP260 SEBADOH - BAKESALE
SP277 ZUMPANO - LOOK WHAT THE ROOKIE DID
SP299 SIX FINGER SATELLITE - SEVERE EXPOSURE
SP306 FRIENDS OF DEAN MARTINEZ - THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE
SP316 SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE - SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE
SP323 JEREMY ENIGK - RETURN OF THE FROG QUEEN
SP342 SCUD MOUNTAIN BOYS - MASSACHUSETTS
SP366 SIX FINGER SATELLITE - PARANORMALIZED
SP375 FRIENDS OF DEAN MARTINEZ - RETROGRADE
SP409 SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE - HOW IT FEELS TO BE SOMETHING ON
SP427 PERNICE BROTHERS - OVERCOME BY HAPPINESS
SP470 CHAPPAQUIDDICK SKYLINE - CHAPPAQUIDDICK SKYLINE
SP550 THE SHINS - OH, INVERTED WORLD
SP567 MIGALA - ARDE
SP595 POSTAL SERVICE - GIVE UP
SP625 SHINS - CHUTES TOO NARROW
SP630 IRON AND WINE - OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS
SP655 WOLF PARADE - APOLOGIES TO THE QUEEN MARY
SP705 THE SHINS - WINCING THE NIGHT AWAY

Evolution/Devolution

The Clash - Janie Jones
The Clash - Wrong 'Em Boyo
The Clash - First Night Back in London

Neil Young - The Emperor Of Wyoming
Neil Young - Revolution Blues
Neil Young - We R in Control
Neil Young - Everybody's Rockin'

Lilys - Tone Bender
Lilys - Any Place I've Lived
Lilys - Radiotricity
Lilys - Who is Moving?

Beck - See Water
Beck - Beercan
Beck - High 5
Beck - Debra
Beck - End Of The Day

Of Montreal - At Night Trees Aren't Sleeping
Of Montreal - Tulip Baroo
Of Montreal - She's a Rejector

Wilco - That's Not The Issue
Wilco - Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again)
Wilco - Impossible Germany

Eno - The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch
Eno - Golden Hours
Eno - 2/2 (excerpt)

Beastie Boys - Ode To ...
Beastie Boys - Rhymin and Stealin
Beastie Boys - Stand Together

The Flaming Lips - Everything's Explodin'

The Flaming Lips - She Don't Use Jelly
The Flaming Lips - A Spoonful Weighs a Ton

I Can't Believe I Never Thought of This

The first band I was ever in was a cover band. We played the hits of all the greats like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots and House of Pain. For some reason, I never thought to play the music from my favorite video games although it's probably for the best as there's apparently a glut of 8-bit cover bands out there.

When I first heard of The Advantage, I was intrigued. A band who play only songs from classic NES titles? Could they be better than the Beatles? It took me a few years to actually hear them and I must say, it's a great concept but it wears a little thin over the course of an album. Also, they play songs that are unfamiliar to me so the joy of hearing rock versions of 8-bit classics is too often lost on me. Take for example this obscure gem from their brilliantly titled second album, Elf Titled: "Solar Jetman - Braveheart Level." Not quite as familiar as the Super Mario Dungeon Song which every gamer knows by heart but that's probably more a poor reflection of me and my lack of in depth knowledge and no sleight towards the band.

In the latest Game Informer there's a short article on the proliferation of video game bands. As expected, they almost all have punny names but they are also almost uniformly awesome. These aren't just some untalented hacks in the basement, these are talented musicians who have actually put down the controllers and practiced some songs. I still think it's a fun concept and the technical brilliance on some of these songs is absolutely incredible. Since I've already posted a video from The Advantage, here are some other masters of the genre:

The Minibosses rock the theme song to mildly forgotten classic "Wizards and Warriors."

Wizards And Warriors - The Minibosses

Moving beyond simply aping the songs note for note, The OneUps reinterpret the music as they see fit as on this Bossa Nova version of "The Legend of Zelda."

The Legend of Zelda - Bossa De Link - The OneUps

Lastly, Powerglove shred the Mario theme. Changing it from the major to the much more metal minor key, they shred the song beyond belief. Their album is titled, Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man and sounds like Dragonforce if you removed the Wagner influence and replaced it with the music of Koji Kondo.

Mario Minor - Powerglove