The 2011 AV Files

(Note: as part of my attempt to break the crippling writer’s block, I decided to not break down the visual and audio list into a numbered Top 10. I decided to find a thread that linked all these disparate programs together. I’m not sure I succeeded in making it work, but at least it helped get me typing.)
 
In March of this year I joined the 21st century—I purchased an HDTV. I didn’t buy one of those 56” models that cost as much as three months rent. I bought a pretty basic 32” one at Best Buy (the “Insignia” brand that they sell) and waited for Cablevision to send an HD box over. After a couple of missteps (the first box was missing the DVR, the second box died almost immediately) I was finally able to settle into the glorious world of watching programs in widescreen. And the impact was rather quick upon my television watching habits. Any sort of sporting event became a whole new visual world. Baseball fields looked gloriously green; a hockey puck was easier to follow; and I even found myself watching the NBA playoffs because seeing the whole court made that game feel more exciting.

After my initial sports fix, I started getting into the channels beyond your basic cable fare that were in HD— videos and concerts on Palladia; Universal HD with their odd mix of old shows (TJ Hooker at 3:00 a.m. makes William Shatner even more insane) and, most importantly, all nine of the HBO channels showed virtually every program in HD. I found myself drawn to that block up in the 300’s when I wasn’t watching some other show on (and not on) this list. One program that I caught a snippet of during those trips up the channel tree was The Curious Case of Curt Flood. The last 10 minutes about the former St. Louis Cardinal who challenged baseball’s reserve clause was compelling enough for me to search when it was airing again and DVR it. (Have we gotten to the point where DVR can be a verb, like Tivo? I hope so.) The entire film is a very even-handed portrait of a very complex man. Flood was a great player but, at times, not that great a human being. He totally disappeared after he was out of baseball, leaving his wife and kids high and dry. He painted portraits of people, but it was later revealed that he had contracted out many of the paintings. He was, quite simple, a ball of contradictions. And Curious Case captures all of that, as well as the total bungling of the reserve clause case when it was brought to the Supreme Court. HBO’s sports documentaries are almost always excellent—this film is one of the best.

This year HBO became a staple on Friday nights at the Reynolds house with Real Time With Bill Maher. I don’t agree with all of his political leanings—and I think that has no impact on my enjoyment of his program. He (or his booker, I suppose) gets a great mix of guests that chat about the week’s events from every side of the political spectrum. Sometimes I want to stand up and applaud; at others I want to throw my sneakers at the TV. (Thankfully I don’t, because I’m sure I would cry if I lost HDTV at this point.) I’m not sure if Maher had a particularly good season or if I was just more attuned to the craziness of the political world. In either case, I found myself very entertained at the end of every work week.

One of Maher’s guests in the early summer was comedian Marc Maron. I remembered seeing Maron a couple of times when the alt-comedy boom was happening in the mid-90s, catching him a lot on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, as well as listening to him sometimes when he was doing lefty talk radio at Air America earlier this decade. He was always bitter and angry—two emotions I could strongly identify with—and most importantly, very brutally funny. Maher plugged Maron’s podcast that night, so I decided to check it out. I can say that WTF With Marc Maron has changed my life. The second half of the year I rarely listened to music on my commute. I was catching up on all the amazing conversations Maron has had with stand-up comedians, comedic actors and even prop comics. (I totally don’t want to frame Carrot Top for murder now.) In digging through his own emotional baggage, Maron has somehow convinced most of his guests to drop theirs and reveal sides to them we never knew. His talks with Chris Rock, Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Community creator Dan Harmon (more on that show later) are master classes in how to get people to open up. And his chat with The Onion’s Todd Hanson should be required listening for therapists and anyone that’s had suicidal thoughts. These conversations have caused me to rethink parts of my own life and things I might want to do in the future. I would never say that to Maron if I ever met him. But I’m certain I’m not the only person that’s been impacted by his conversational style.

Maron wasn’t the only culprit to steal my precious music-listening hours this year. The Ronna and Beverly Podcast, which features Jamie Denbo and Jessica Chafin portraying the authors of You’ll Do a Little Better Next Time: A Guide to Marriage & Remarriage for Jewish Singles, has caused me to laugh out loud on the train more than anything else in 16 years of commuting from Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan. (Full disclosure: I am friends with Denbo, as she married my college friend John Ross Bowie.) Denbo’s somewhat clueless Beverly always seems to find the line when talking to people like Andy Richter, Paget Brewster and Martha Plimpton—and then blazes right through it. How Chafin can keep it together and stay in character as Ronna amazes me each and every episode.

The third podcast that has kept me company while the F train was delayed for who knows what crisis is The Poscast With Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur. Posnanski is one of the finest sportswriters working today. His blog entries and Sports Illustrated columns are some of the most creative, humorous and heartfelt takes on sports and their meaning in our lives that I’ve ever read. And those traits come through best on his podcast when he talks to Schur, the co-creator and executive producer of NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Schur ran a great sports blog called Fire Joe Morgan that dissected the blowhard tendencies of sports columnists around the country. (Alas, the blog ended when Parks and Recreation got picked up.) These two guys know their sports and truly enjoy speaking with each other— and they know how to bring intelligent humor into talking about sports. Its 180 degrees away from any sports talk you’ll hear in the Northeast. And I’m sure that any of the hosts on WFAN here in New York wouldn’t hold a fantasy draft at the end of their show where they pick best baseball books, balls and sports heartbreaks. I found these podcasts so entertaining that I decided I needed to try out Schur’s Parks and Recreation again. And sure enough, his wittiness and intelligence comes through in every episode. Amy Poelher’s Leslie Knope is one of the most fully-formed characters on TV and her romance with Adam Scott’s Ben has provided some of the funniest and most touching scenes on TV this year. And for goodness sake Emmy folk, this year please nominate Nick Offerman for his work as Ron Swanson.

Parks and Recreation shares Thursday nights on NBC with the best comedy on TV, Community. Alas, as I write this, that arrangement will only last one more week. NBC, America’s fourth place network, has decided to put the show on hiatus. In its timeslot will be going the new season of 30 Rock, which I have no problem with. What I do have a problem with is the shit show of Whitney (one of the worst sitcoms in recent memory—and that impression stuck with me only after making it through 10 minutes of its pilot) staying on the air and being paired up with Are You There Chelsea, a sitcom based upon the life of one of America’s least funniest comedians, Chelsea Handler. (Hold on, I need to slap my forehead a few times because of this injustice. Ow. Ow.) I realize TV is a business and Community’s ratings aren’t setting the world on fire. But it’s not like anything on NBC is doing much better. Their corporate cousin USA beats them some nights with NCIS reruns. Why not pitch yourself as the quality network? You have a critic’s darling on the bench, that’s plain idiotic. (Alright, I’m getting all worked up at those morons again. I better stop or my blood pressure will go up.) I will give NBC one compliment—they kept Chuck on for five seasons, and gave the producers fair warning that this fifth season would be its last. I’ve written about my love for the show over the past four lists, so I probably don’t need to waste any more ink talking about it to you.

When Comcast’s purchase of NBC Universal this year was finalized, that meant they not only got a bunch of cable networks but they also secured themselves Universal Pictures. That film studio released my favorite movie of the year, Bridesmaids. Judd Apatow finally put some of his producing muscle behind a comedy not led by goofy men, but extremely funny women. Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy were outstanding and, in my opinion, are deserving of Oscar nods for their performances. Let’s hope the success of Bridesmaids this leads to more funny and talented women having lead roles in big movies.

One of Judd Apotow’s best discoveries has been Jason Segel. His work on Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared was great mix of physical comedy and willing to go the extra mile to sell a joke—or a strong emotional moment. Segel has done even more of that during the past six seasons of How I Met Your Mother, giving him the perfect training to co-write The Muppets. The mixture of humor and pulling of emotional heartstrings in the film was impressive. And Segel and co-writer Nicholas Stoller really evoked the spirit of the show I loved as a kid without making it feel just like a nostalgia trip. And major props go out to Brett McKenzie for the original songs he penned for the film. The former co-star of Flight of the Conchords should be nominated for an Oscar for either the Kermit sung “Pictures in My Head” or the duet between Segel and the new Muppet, Walter, on “Man or Muppet.”  Oh heck, let’s give Chris Cooper another Oscar nomination just for playing a villainous rapper! I can’t wait to see The Muppets again in the comfort of my own home on that lovely HDTV. At least during that viewing I won’t have a crying child sitting in the aisle across from me.

Top 10 Stories I Hope I Don't Write in 2012

1) Moving on to a different sport, Kim Kardashian marries David Wright. Mets fans enact massive suicide pact.

2) After remaking Bob Dylan’s “You’re Going to Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” Miley Cyrus decides to cover Neil Young’s Harvest in its entirety.

3) LMFAO, LFO, REO Speedwagon and ELO tour together. It’s sponsored by Overstock.com.

4) Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez team up for an album of songs about the Twilight Saga. Scientific experts predict that the heads of 15,000,000 teenage girls will explode.

5) Kayne West titles his latest opus, Give This Album the Grammy for Album of the Year or I'll Kill You All.

6) Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's baby twins sign a 10-million dollar deal with Def Jam.

7) Nickelback plays between every inning of Game 7 of the World Series. Baseball fans decide to start watching soccer instead.

8) Jay-Z samples that Lexus December to Remember theme for his new single "The 1% OG."

9) Herman Cain covers The Beatles "Revolution #9" and posts it as a free download on his website.

10) Motley Crüe decide to do a residency in Atlantic City, and accuse me of leaking that news before they can appear on the Joe Franklin show to reveal it. (Crap, that’s sort of what happened already.)

Song of the Week 12/23/11

Chromeo - "I Can't Tell You Why"



I heard this cover of The Eagles' hit from The Long Run Wednesday night on WFUV's The Alternate Side. It was so bizarre and entertaining that I waited through another song just so I could hear the host Russ Borris backsell the track. I woke up Thursday with it still in my head and downloaded the single while I was having my breakfast at my desk.

There was a point where I didn't hate The Eagles. That ran from the first time I heard "New Kid in Town" while ice skating in December 1976 up until my internship at PYX 106 in Albany when I heard "Hotel California" for the 30th time. During the era that I did like the band, The Long Run was my favorite album of theirs. Perhaps the only way my brain can take hearing a song from that album is if a Canadian electro duo covers it.

Song of the Week 12/16/11

The Beatles - "A Hard Day's Night"

1) I bought a replica A Hard Day's Night shirt at Old Navy last weekend for 5 bucks.

2) On Wednesday my bandmate Paul Crane posted this video on Facebook:



3) We decided to soundcheck our show at Littlefield with "A Hard Day's Night."

4) I got home from the gig, turned on the radio to block out the usual ringing in the ears and Big Jay Sorenson on CBS-FM played "A Hard Day's Night." He backsold it by talking about the same video Paul posted.

5) Very, very weird.

Song of the Week 12/9/11

Kelly Clarkson - "Mr. Know-It-All"



I heard this song three times last week. Each time happened while I was getting breakfast. And each was during a different hour each day. That's just weird. This song, however, is just great. I don't know why dudes keep dissing Kelly. That's kind of dumb, because she's kind of awesome.

Song of the Week 12/2/11

The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"

I gotta say, this song has been burrowing its way into my brain the past couple weeks, and their performance on SNL this week locked it in there.

Jeebus this video is awesome.

Song of the Week 11/25/11

Macy Gray - "I Try"



Damn, it's fun hearing a bar full of women (or 90% women) sing this track.

Party Like It's 1999 11/23/11

Thanks to everyone that came out for our pre-Turkey Day gig. It was a fun and -- at times -- bizarre evening. Look for us to announce a December edition early next week!

Here's what you heard:

Cake - “Never There”
Filter - “Take a Picture”
Foo Fighters - “Everlong”
Garbage - “I Think I’m Paranoid”
Faith No More - “A Small Victory”
U2 - “Staring at the Sun”
Radiohead - “Karma Police”
Silverchair - “Tomorrow”
B.A.D. II - “Rush”
Matchbox Twenty - “Real World”
Better Than Ezra - “Good”
Everclear - “Father of Mine”
Shawn Mullins - “Lullaby”
Butthole Surfers - Pepper”
Beastie Boys - “Intergalatic”
Moby & Gwen Stefani - “Southside”
Fatboy Slim - “Praise You”
Eiffel 65 - “Blue”
Robin S - “Show Me Love”
The Cardigans - “Lovefool”
Supergrass - “Alright”
Eve 6 - “Inside Out”
Lit - “My Own Worst Enemy”
Green Day - “Longview”
Barenaked Ladies - “One Week”
L.F.O. - “Summer Girls”
Spice Girls - “Wannabe”
Ace of Base - “The Sign”
Salt-N-Pepa featuring En Vogue - “Whatta Man”
T.L.C. - “Waterfalls”
Mariah Carey - “Fantasy”
Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase - “Mo Money, Mo Problems”
Snoop Dogg - “Gin and Juice”
2pac and Dr. Dre - “California Love”
Bell Biv Devoe - “Poison”
Boyz II Men - “Motownphilly”
Tony Toni Tone - “If I Had No Loot”
Janet Jackson - “(Love Will Never Do) Without You”
En Vogue - “Don’t Let Go (Love)”
Macy Gray - “I Try”
Alanis Morissette - “You Oughta Know”
Natalie Imbruglia - “Torn”
Des’ree - “You Gotta Be”
Arrested Development - “Tennessee”
Blackstreet - “No Diggity”
Notorious B.I.G. - “Big Poppa”
N’Sync - “Tearing Up My Heart”
New Kids on the Block - “Step by Step”
Backstreet Boys - “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
Madonna - “Vogue”
Salt-N-Pepa - “Shoop”
Michael Jackson - “Black and White”
Dee-Lite - “Groove Is in the Heart”
La Bouche - “Be My Lover”
Vengaboys - “We Like to Party”
Britney Spears - “…Hit Me Baby One More Time”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie In a Bottle”
House of Pain - “Jump Around”
Kris Kross - “Jump”
Montell Jordan - “This Is How We Do It”
Heavy D and The Boyz - “You Can’t See What I Can See”
Ginuwine - “Pony”
LL Cool J - “Mama Said Knock You Out”
Ice Cube - “It Was a Good Day”
Prince and the New Power Generation - “Cream”
Brandy and Monica - “The Boy Is Mine”
Sugar Ray - “Fly”
John Mellencamp - “Wild Night”
Sublime - “What I Got”
Goo Goo Dolls - “Name"
Counting Crows - “A Long December”

Co-Songs of the Week 11/18/11

John Wesley Harding - "If You Have Ghosts"
Ted Leo - "The Back Seat of My Car"

Saturday night at The Bell House I somehow made it through 5+ hours of standing for an amazing double bill of Robyn Hitchcock and John Wesley Harding and The Minus 5. The evening closed out with some fine covers, two of which really stood out.

First Harding and the Minus 5 finished their set with Roky Erikson's "If You Have Ghosts," a song I had totally forgotten. Harding's cover was released on 1990's Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye and we played the hell out of it at WICB. I had to dig out that album after the show and made sure to rip in a few tracks into iTunes. Here's the bizarre video made for it:



After a brief break, Ted Leo came out and led the Minus 5 through a blistering take on Paul McCartney's "The Back Seat of My Car." Leo originally recorded it for the 2009 WFMU benefit album called Tom, which was a track by track cover of Macca's Ram. I really wished I had been filming Leo's performance. Here's the studio version:



And here's Leo doing a solo performance of it earlier this year:

Song of the Week 11/11/11

Goo Goo Dolls - "Name"



I heard this song twice in the space of 11 hours this weekend. Someone was going to attempt it at the world's most bizarre karaoke bar, Shenanigans, on Saturday night. But the track started and no one came up to the mic. That poor soul missed out on singing in front of a packed house--and the almost-brawl I got swept up into.

The following morning I heard it as I eating brunch at the local diner, a place that I waited to enter for 11 years. (Hey, it's on the other, sketchier side of McDonald Ave. I had a perfectly good reason to not be a customer there.)

Goo Goo Dolls are one of the few bands that I was a fan of for many years that suddenly stumbled upon big time success. I was stunned when "Name" hit number-one on the alternative chart, and totally flummoxed when the song became a Top 10 pop hit. I hadn't heard "Name" in a long time, and those two random plays made me remember that at one point I loved the song--and the Goo Goo Dolls

Song of the Week 11/4/11

The Carpenters - "We've Only Just Begun"




I downloaded this song for a special birthday mix, and then heard it in Foodtown days later.

I'd write more, but I don't want to think about the last time I saw Karen Carpenter on TV. She was SO damn skinny. Such a sad tale.

Song of the Week 10/28/11

Mike Viola - "Me and My Drinking"

Mike Viola has a knack for crafting great classic pop songs that have a healthy (well, perhaps unhealthy) dose of darkness to them. "Me and My Drinking" from Electro De Perfecto is another shining example of his art.

I would suggest not listening to this song in a darkened bedroom late at night if you're depressed and alone. It's not for the faint of heart, or those with booze issues.

Song of the Week 10/21/11

Wilco - "Dawned on Me"



I can honestly say that this song may have saved my life. I was upstate yesterday morning, driving to get a blood test at 6:05 a.m. I had slept about two hours the night before and couldn't have any caffeine before this blood test. I felt myself drifting off when WDST out of Woodstock started playing "Dawned on Me." I received an instant jolt of energy as well as something to focus on. That helped me when I saw that deer out of the corner of my eye. It didn't move into the road but at least I was aware enough to not under or overreact.

And it was kind of humorous That I heard "Dawned on Me" in a car for the first time just as it was dawn.

Song of the Week 10/14/11

Ryan Adams - "Ashes & Fire"



I've only listened to this new Ryan Adams album once so far, so I think it's still too early for a proper review. I can say that I never realized how distinctive Norah Jones' piano playing can be. I would hear the piano on almost every track (except this one) and think, "Is that Norah again?" I'd check the credits, and yup, it would be.

I heard "Ashes & Fire" Thursday night on WFUV, then when I listened to the album earlier today and then downstairs at Starbucks like an hour ago. So it's another obvious SOTW.

Song of the Week 10/7/11

John Denver - "Take Me Home, Country Roads"

Some times a video says it all.

Who doesn't love a road trip sing-a-long?

Party Like It's 1999 10/7/11

Wow, who knew we could get such a great turnout for a gig that didn't start until 11 p.m. Thanks again for coming out. Our next edition is November 23rd, the night before thanksgiving.

Here's what you heard last night until the wee hours.

R.E.M. - “Losing My Religion”
Cracker - “Teen Angst”
Sugar - “A Good Idea”
Paul Westerberg - “Waiting for Somebody”
Soul Coughing - “Circles”
U2 - “Even Better Than the Real Thing”
B.A.D. II - “Rush”
Fatboy Slim - “Praise You”
DNA featuring Suzanne Vega - “Tom’s Diner”
O.M.C. - “How Bizarre”
Cardigans - “Lovefool”
No Doubt - “Just a Girl”
New Radicals - “You Get What You Give”
Sister Hazel - “All For You”
Spin Doctors - “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”
Stroke 9 - “Little Black Backpack”
Depeche Mode - “Personal Jesus”
Crystal Waters - “100% Pure Love”
Blur - “Girls and Boys”
Snoop Dogg - “What’s My Name”
2pac & Dr. Dre - “California Love”
Montell Jordan - “This Is How We Do It”
Mark Morrison - “Return of the Mack”
Notorious B.I.G. - “Juicy”
TLC - “No Scrubs”
Warren G. & Nate Dogg - “Regulate”
Destiny’s Child - “Say My Name”
Bell Biv Devoe - “Poison”
MC Hammer - “U Can’t Touch This”
Spice Girls - “Wannabe”
Mariah Carey featuring O.D.B. - “Fantasy (Remix)”
Aaliyah - “Are You That Somebody”
Mary J Blige - “Real Love”
Monica - “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)”
Usher - “Nice n Slow”
Pras featuring Michel, ODB & Mya - “Ghetto Superstar”
Wreckx-N-Effect - “Rump Shaker”
Backstreet Boys - “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
NSync - “I Want You Back”
Third Eye Blind - “Semi-Charmed Life”
Rancid - “Ruby Soho”
Green Day - “Basket Case”
Nirvana - “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Blink 182 - “All The Small Things”
Weezer - “Buddy Holly”
No Doubt - “Spiderwebs”
Chumbawamba - “Tubthumping”
Ace of Base - “The Sign”
The Fugees - “Ready or Not”
En Vogue - “Free Your Mind”
Naughty By Nature - “Hip Hop Hooray”
Cypress Hill - “Insane in the Brain”
Coolio - “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Arrested Development - “Tennessee”
Biz Markie - “Just a Friend”
Blackstreet - “No Diggity”
Salt N Pepa - “Shoop”
Aqua - “Barbie Girl”
La Bouche - “Be My Lover”
Janet Jackson - “If”
Dee-Lite - “Groove Is in the Heart”
SWV - “Right Here/Human Nature”
R. Kelly - “Bump n Grind”
Madonna - “Take a Bow”
Duran Duran - Ordinary World”
Lisa Loeb - “Stay”

Song of the Week 9/30/11

KISS - "100,000 Years (Live)"



Over the past two years I've acquired a bunch of vinyl -- perhaps reacquired is a better word, because 90% of this as-yet-to-be fully listened to catalog features albums that I had as a kid or a teenager. I usually end up listening to these albums when I'm working on the computer in my little micro-office in the bedroom or while I'm cleaning parts of the apartment. Today while doing dishes and putting away laundry I listened to KISS Alive!, the 1975 double album that kickstarted their career. (It was the next-to-last piece of vinyl I had yet to play. The last? ELO's double-LP opus Out of the Blue.) It's the first time I've listened to it since 1976 or 1977. Back then my cousin Bob and I were big KISS fans and between us had almost their entire catatlog on (wait for it) 8-track. While I think KISS is just a goofy money machine now, when I was eight years old they were mysterious, dark and scary (especially when Gene Simmons was sticking out his tongue).

When I got to side 3, I looked at "100,000 Years" and thought, "How the hell can KISS have a track that clocks in at over 10 minutes long?" When the song started I realized exactly why -- it was the showcase for solos featuring Gene Simmons' mediocre bass skills, Peter Criss's somewhat capable drumming and Paul Stanley's annoyingly high-pitched stage banter. I stopped washing my silverware and started laughing at how ludicrious it was. And I think you should get a laugh out of it too. So here's "100,000 Years" from that 1975 tour. Seriously, this is just so stupid.

Song of the Week 9/23/11

R.E.M. - “It Happened Today”



I had a feeling that this day would come soon. I wasn’t sure if it was this year, but after R.E.M. decided to not tour behind this year’s Collapse Into Now it seemed that a decision to split was inevitable. The hints were there in all the songs. The music that Peter Buck and Mike Mills composed quoted parts of the band’s catalog (“Blue” sounding like a sequel to Out of Time’s “Country Feedback,” “Oh My Heart” coming off like an Automatic For the People outtake) while Michael Stipe’s lyrics contained many references to people moving on with their lives (“Walk It Back” -- Time, time, time it cannot revive/You, you can't turn away/You asked me to stay/but something needs to change; “All the Best” -- “Let's sing it a rhyme/Let's give it one more time/Let's show the kids how to do it fine, fine, fine, fine.”). I wanted to ignore these signs and hope for more from this late career renaissance. I’m in the critical minority on this, but I think 2008’s Accelerate is one of their Top 5 albums ever and that Collapse Into Now keeps growing in stature every time I listen to it.

Full disclosure -- I am friends with Scott McCaughey, who’s been a touring and recording member of R.E.M. for 17 years. During the decade I’ve known Scott I’ve gotten to see him play with the band three times. The pure joy he displayed performing his friends songs made me smile every time. I sent Scott a brief note on the day the split was announced. I told him how sorry I was to hear the news and hoped that he and everyone around the band was feeling okay. I added, “I'm sure it's a weird time since they're you're friends and bandmates. But at least they're going out on a high note with the last two albums.” He wrote back to me, “I do appreciate your comment about going out on a high note -- I feel that way too.”

One of those high notes is “It Happened Today.” It includes more of those foreshadowing lyrics from Stipe (“And close in on a promise after, after all I've done today/I have earned my voice”) and the last 1:50 features Stipe, Mills and guest vocalist Eddie Vedder doing a wordless chorus that pulls you in and takes you to majestic heights. It’s a stunning moment in a career filled with plenty of them. I’ve never met Eddie Vedder, but from all accounts he’s a man that has respect and enthusiasm for the acts inspired him growing up. I saw his unbridled joy inducting--and singing with--R.E.M. at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies a few years ago. So I can imagine that he was honored, thrilled, and perhaps a bit nervous when they band asked him to sing on “It Happened Today.” I’m sure he wanted to deliver for R.E.M., and most certainly does with a magnificent vocal turn on it. It’s no surprise that on Wednesday night Vedder lead Pearl Jam through a powerful cover of “It Happened Today.” (I posted it below--It’s worth watching.)

Honestly, I’m still processing this decision. I can’t yet put into words just how much this band has meant to me. Right now, all I can say is thank you to Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck (and Bill Berry too) for many years of providing comfort, inspiration and joy.

Song of the Week 9/16/11

Bright Eyes - "Landlocked Blues"

Another year at the ACL Festival, another three days of great music. There were multiple highlights, but this was my favorite song of the weekend by far. Just a killer performance of one of my favorites from I'm Wide Awake It's Morning.

Song of the Week 9/9/11

Average White Band - "Pick Up the Pieces"



I heard this song on WCBS-FM when I woke up yesterday. And then I heard it as I was going to sleep. That was kind of bizarre, especially with all the 9/11 stuff about picking up the pieces of our lives 10 years ago. Totally weird.

Song of the Week 9/2/11

Suicidal Tendencies - "Institutionalized"



Okay, one of the best moments of the year was watching my bandmates play this off the cuff with my friend Ed singing this at our friend Michael's birthday party Tuesday night. It was definitely unexpected.

Song of the Week 8/26/11

The Kinks - "Lost and Found"



A hurricane? Hitting New York? Finally, a reason for this 80's-era Kinks song to be SOTW. I have loved this track from the moment I first played Think Visual in 1986. One of my Top 3 Kinks songs ever. (The others being "Celluloid Heroes" and "Days.")

Song of the Week 8/19/11

The Kinks - "Sunny Afternoon"



I heard this great Ray Davies song last week (not sure where, maybe WFUV or WCBS-FM) and I found myself humming it while walking to the train one morning. I heard it at work today and it seemed like a perfect track for what is a perfect summer day.

Song of the Week 8/12/11

Sir Mix-A-Lot - "Baby Got Back"

Saturday at my friend Michael's wedding, I witnessed an eight year-old shaking his whole body and coping the dance that the girls in this video do.

There's something I'll never unsee.

Song of the Week 8/5/11

Steve Perry - "Oh Sherrie"

There's nothing like watching one of your friends attempting to hit the high notes in the opening lines of this hit from 1984. As they say in the Mastercard ads, it was priceless. Thanks for the fun, Captain Quinn.

Oh, and I totally forgot about the insane intro to this video--that is priceless too.

Party Like It's 1999 8/5/11

Well, that was a glorious good time. Very happy to see a bunch of new faces enjoying the tunes. Hopefully we'll have a September edition. If not, definitely in October.

Here's what you heard:

Alice in Chains - “Got Me Wrong”
Incubus - “Drive”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Breaking the Girl”
Sebadoh - “Ocean”
Pavement - “Gold Soundz”
Superchunk - “Hyper Enough”
Sugar - “Helpless”
Matthew Sweet - “Sick of Myself”
Stone Temple Pilots - “Interstate Love Song”
Filter - “Hey Man, Nice Shot”
Pearl Jam - “Corduroy”
Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock”
White Zombie - “More Human Than Human”
Soundgarden - “Spoonman”
Soul Asylum - “Misery”
Aerosmith - “Cryin’”
Counting Crows - “Einstein on the Beach”
Dead Eye Dick - “New Age Girl”
Firehouse - “Don’t Treat me Bad”
Nelson - “Love and Affection”
Tesla - “Signs (Live)”
Local H - “Bound For the Floor”
Presidents of the United States of America - “Peaches”
Green Day - “Basket Case”
Radiohead - “Just”
Primus - “Wynonna’s Big Brown Beaver”
Goldfinger - “Here in Your Bedroom”
311 - “All Mixed Up”
Hole - “Doll Parts”
10,000 Maniacs - “Because the Night (MTV Unplugged)”
Len - “Steal My Sunshine”
Jamiroquai - “Virtual Insanity”
James - “Laid”
Eve 6 - “Inside Out”
Tony! Toni! Tone! - “Feels Good”
Crystal Waters - “100% Pure Love”
Ini Kamoze - “Here Comes the Hotstepper”
Inner Circle - “Sweat (A La La La La Long)”
Fatboy Slim - “Praise You”
Robin S. - “Show Me Love”
La Bouche - “Be Mu Lover”
Right Said Fred - “I’m Too Sexy”
Real McCoy - “Another Night”
Heavy D & Da Boyz - “Now That We Found Love”
Lauryn Hill - “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
Mary J. Blige - “Real Love”
Blackstreet - “No Diggity”
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - “Summertime”
Bell Biv Devoe - “Poison”
Boyz II Men - “Motownphilly”
Dee-Lite - “Groove Is in the Heart”
Digital Underground - “The Humpty Dance”
Mariah Carey - “Fantasy”
Ace of Base - “The Sign”
Spice Girls - “Wannabe”
Hanson - “MMMbop”
Chumbawamba - “Tubthumping”
Freak Nasty - “Da Dip”
Culturebeat - “Mr. Vain”
Salt N Pepa - “Shoop”
TLC - “Creep”
Kris Kross - “Jump”
House of Pain - “Jump Around”
Nirvana - “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Blur - “Song 2”
Blink 182 - “What’s My Age Again”
No Doubt - “Spiderwebs”
Alanis Morissette - “You Oughta Know”
Britney Spears - “…Hit Me One More Time”
Backstreet Boys - “I Want It That Way”
NSYNC - “I Want You Back”
Wilson Phillips - “Hold On”
Janet Jackson - “Love Will Never Do (Without You) (Single Mix)”
Warren G & Nate Dogg - “Regulate”
Notorious B.I.G - “Juicy”
Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Dady & Mase - “Mo Money Mo Problems”
Naughty By Nature - “O.P.P.”
MC Hammer - “U Can’t Touch This”
Coolio - “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Sublime - “Santeria”
Cardigans - “Lovefool”
Blind Melon - “No Rain”
Sixpence None the Richer - “Kiss Me”
Amy Grant - “Baby Baby”
The Cure - “Friday I’m In Love”
Spice Girls - “Say You’ll Be There”
SWV - “Right Here/Human Nature”
Next - “Too Close”
En Vogue - “Don’t Let Go (Love)”
Extreme - “More than Words”

Song of the Week 7/29/11

Sleeper Agent - "Get It Daddy"

Sleeper Agent is a bunch of kids (yeah, I called a bunch of folks in the early 20s kids) from Kentucky that make music that sounds like a cross between Southern rock and The White Stripes. The trading off of vocals between Alex Kandel (she's 18, for goodness sake) and Tony Smith is like nothing else that's on the radio these days. I say that because it's the first time in ages that a band I would be interviewing for the hard/alt rock part of my job appealled to me personally. You can get their album Celebrasion on iTunes now--it's out everywhere else on September 27th.

Song of the Week 7/22/11

The Vaccines - "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)"

The past week I spent a lot of time at ye old work desk plowing through albums I'd been sent over...well...the past year? Maybe longer? There was a mess of discs to listen to, much of them pure crap. The Vaccines' What Did You Expect From the Vaccines? was by far the best of lot. Quick, catchy pop-punk songs that are witty? Hell yeah. The opening track "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)" is the best 1:28 song I've heard in a long time.

Song of the Week 7/15/11

Tears for Fears - "Head Over Heels"

I heard my favorite Tears for Fears song in three different places this week--two of them being two different drug stores. Guess this song helps Duane reade and Walgreens sell those boxes of candy near the register.



BONUS: Oh, why not throw this one in too.

Song of the Week 7/8/11

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - "Stove to a Whale"



Ted Leo is one of the few musicians that I've been turned onto during the past decade that I respect even more for his non-music deeds. The man is very hysterical (but at times, deadly serious) tweeter. He wrote an incredibly honest essay about how hard it is to survive as an indie musician that made a lot of bloggers think. He also made one of the best videos of the past five years.

Leo increased my respect for him even more with his his pre-show prep over the past week. He announced that the Pharmacists were going to play their 2001 album The Tyranny of Distance in its entirety at their free South Street Seaport show. Sure, lots of bands have done this "entire album to mark its 10th anniversary." But Leo explained his reasons for it better than any other act I've seen tackle this album performance gimmick and shared some great tour stories and photos about the experience on his website. His writing about the Tyranny tour genuinely got me excited for the show -- and he and the band delivered the goods. It was, simply put, one of the best shows of the year. And the epic "Stove to a Whale" had me bobbing my head so much I think I pulled a muscle.

(If you'd like to check out some great pics and videos from the show, check out Brooklyn Vegan. And if you'd like to hear the second time they did the Tyranny set, head to the WXPN website.)

BONUS: Leo played during the 2003 blackout at the Seaport. This video below features them rocking out "Stove to a Whale" on a Starbucks generator. For real.

Song of the Week 7/1/11

Chris Rea - "Fool If You Think It's Over"

It's my favorite radio week of the year -- the WCBS-FM A to Z week. There's always a few songs that come around that make me exclaim, "Holy shit, I haven't heard this in forever!!!" And this 1978 hit from Chris Rea was the biggest "holy shit" moment of the week. Well, so far. There's still two days to go and as I write this they are in the R section. Plenty of songs and letters to go.

(By the way, the drum machine sound--which might be real drums, I suppose--on this track? Priceless.)

Song of the Week 6/24/11

Sugar - "If I Can't Change Your Mind"

I had the opportunity this week to interview Bob Mould about his great new book See a Little Light. That drove me to dive back into Mould's catalog and to order the reissue of Sugar's Copper Blue on vinyl. 19 years later and the whole package still delivers a powerful punch and remains one of my favorite albums of all time. Mould talks a little bit about the video for "If I Can't Change Your Mind" in the book and how it was a tease about his sexuality. So I had to hit YouTube to refresh my memory. See if you can spot the tease yourself:

Song of the Week 6/17/11

Clarence Clemons & Jackson Browne - "You're a Friend of Mine"



I've been thinking for a few days about what to write about the passing of the Big Man. And words still escape me. So I think the best thing to do is to direct you to what Caryn Rose (who, like me is a Mets and a Pearl Jam and a Bruce Springsteen fan) wrote for Backstreets. (Scroll down towards the bottom.) It's an amazing summation of a larger than life figure that almost brought me to tears when I read it Saturday night.

Song of the Week 6/10/11

Fountains of Wayne - "A Dip in the Ocean"

I wish I had a clip of a YouTube video of this song to show you. You'll just have to trust me when I say that "A Dip in the Ocean" is quite fantastic. It totally erases the fact that FOW released a really bad album a four years ago. It's on their new album Sky Full of Holes, which is due out August 2nd. I'll update this post then with a proper link.

Since I don't have "A Dip in the Ocean," how about an amazing medley instead?

Song of the Week 6/3/11

Dawes - "So Well"

I've grown to like this L.A. quartet after seeing them last year at ACL and playing as part of the amazing Middle Brother show a few months ago. They've played "So Well" at both shows I've seen so far and it's a track where the comparisons to The Band seem spot on. (And I don't even mind that the opening guitar line sounds lifted from "Wish You Were Here.") The entire new album Nothing Is Wrong is definitely on the short list for this year's RT20.

(In doing some YouTube digging, I discovered that they were playing this song 18 months before this album was released. Wow.)

Song of the Week 5/27/11

Lady Gaga - "The Edge of Glory"



You might be asking yourself, "WTF," as the kids lingo goes these days. Yes, I bought the Born This Way. IT WAS 99 CENTS PEOPLE. Seriously, how much of a risk is it to buy a digital download of an entire album when it's that cheap. It's not a great album by any standard, but it does have some excellent moments. The half-sung in German "Scheiße" is a hoot and the Madonna-ripping title track is decent. But holy cow, "Edge of Glory" is the best 1986 song that I've heard since, well, 1986. Imagine a single from a sports-themed 80s flick like Vision Quest or Rocky III with a sax solo by the E Street Band's Clarence Clemons. You have just created this song in your mind. I, without any irony whatsoever, love it.

Songs of the Week 5/20/11

Scorpions - "Wind of Change"



I have to say, I found myself pretty excited to play this as part of my "end of the world" set at Party Like It's 1999 the other night. But, I probably should have played U2's "Until the End of the World." Oh well. The next rapture I'll do that.

Party Like It's 1999 5/20/11

After a few technical snafus (which wiped out most of my awesome rapture set), things seemed to go okay Friday night. The next edition of Party Like It's 1999 is Saturday, June 18th at The Bell House.

Here's what you heard Friday night:

Pearl Jam - "Last Exit"
Living Colour - "Time's Up"
Soundgarden - "Blow Up the Outside World"
Scorpions - "Wind of Change"
Van Halen - "Right Now"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Vaseline"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"
Beastie Boys - "Intergalatic"
Lo Fidelity All-Stars - "Battleflag"
Lucas -"Lucas With the Lid Off"
Sublime - "What I Got"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"
Dave Matthews Band - "What Would You Say"
Blues Traveler - "Run-Around"
Barenaked Ladies - "One Week"
Chumbawamba - "Tubthumping"
Harvey Danger - "Flagpole Sitta"
Blink 182 - "Dammit"
Green Day - "Basket Case"
The Offspring - "Self Esteem"
Ricky Martin - "Living La Vida Loca"
Spin Doctors - "Two Princes"
Third Eye Blind - "Graduate"
Eve 6 - "Inside Out"
Lit - "My Own Worst Enemy"
Toadies - "Possum Kingdom"
Nirvana -"Lithium"
Marcy Playground - "Sex and Candy"
Oasis - "Wonderwall"
Sugar Ray - "Fly"
Proclaimers - "500 Miles"
Mr. Big - "To Be With You"
Alanis Morissette - "You Oughta Know"
Spice Girls - "Wannabe"
Backstreet Boys - "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
NSYNC - "I Want You Back"
Ace of Base - "All that She Wants"
LFO - "Summer Girls"
Blackstreet - "No Diggity"
Will Smith - "Getting Jiggy Wit It"
Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time"
TLC - "No Scrubs"
Salt-N-Pepa - "Shoop"
Notorious B.I.G. - "Juicy"
Kris Kross - "Jump"
Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Gin and Juice"
Warren G and Nate Dogg - "Regulate"
En Vogue - "Don't Let Go"
Mariah Carey - "Fantasy"
Technotronic - "Move This"
Madonna - "Vogue"
Wreckx-N-Effect - "Rump Shaker"
Cypress Hill - "Insane in the Brain"
Blur - "Song 2"
Weezer - "Buddy Holly"
No Doubt - "Spiderwebs"
Gin Blossoms - "Hey Jealousy"
Meredith Brooks - "Bitch"
Michael Jackson - "Black and White"
Naughty by Nature - "O.P.P."
Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison"
Sir Mix-A-Lot - "Baby Got Back"
Aaliyah - "Are You That Somebody?"
Outkast - "Ms. Jackson"
Janet Jackson - "(Love Will Never Do) Without You"
Hanson - "Mmmbop"
New Radicals - "You Get What You Give"
Fastball - "The Way"
Green Day - "She"
James - "Laid"
Mariah Carey - "Always Be My Baby"
Savage Garden - "Truly Madly Deeply"
P.M. Dawn - "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss"
Seal - "Kiss From a Rose"
Counting Crows - "A Long December"
Lisa Loeb - "Stay"
Extreme - "More than Words"
Boyz II Men - "End of the Road"

Song of the Week 5/13/11

Okkervil River - "Wake and Be Fine"

My first exposure to this track came FIVE months ago when Will Sheff and co did the song on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. I have to say, I didn't like it. And I didn't like the studio version I finally heard last month. Then I heard Sheff play an acoustic version of it on WNYC's Soundcheck Wednesday afternoon. With the many, many, MANY layers of production stripped away my ears grasped the basics of the song. Since that moment I've come 180 degrees on "Wake and Be Fine" and I Am Very far as a whole. It's an album that is the very definition of a grower.

And how can you not like a deluxe version of an album that comes in a pine box?

Song of the Week 5/6/11

The Blues Brothers - "Everybody Needs Somebody"



We might not have done as great a version as these guys, but I think Col. Boyd and I started off Derby Day Live Band Karaoke in fine fashion with our take on this soul and cinematic classic.

Derby Day 2011 5/7/2011

This year at Col. Boyd's annual Derby Day Party, I did a rock version of Party Like It's 1999. Check out the playlist below.

Social Distortion - “Bad Luck”
Sonic Youth - “Bull in the Heather”
Pavement - “Gold Soundz”
The Pixies - “Dig For Fire”
The Replacements - “Merry Go Round”
They Might be Giants - “Birdhouse In Your Soul”
Elastica - “Connection”
All - “Million Bucks”
The Get Up Kids - “Mass Pike”
Bad Religion - “Infected”
Superchunk - “The First Part”
Fountains of Wayne - “Radiation Vibe”
Lemonheads - “Mrs. Robinson”
Cake - “Never There”
Dismemberment Plan - “The Ice of Boston”
Jawbox - “Savory”
The Breeders - “Cannonball”
Juliana Hatfield Three - “My Sister”
Buffalo Tom - “Sodajerk”
Sebadoh - “Ocean”
Dinosaur Jr. - “Feel the Pain”
Dandy Warhols - “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth”
Smash Mouth - “Walking on the Sun”
Wilco - “Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway(again)”
Old 97’s - “Nineteen”
Tom Petty - “You Wreck Me”
Gin Blossoms - “Found Out About You”
The Wallflowers - “Sixth Avenue Heartache”
Ben Folds Five - “Song for the Dumped”
Edwyn Collins - “A Girl Like You”
Beck - “Loser”
Butthole Surfers - “Pepper”
Fun Lovin’ Criminals - “Scooby Snacks”
Goldfinger - “Here in Your Bedroom”
Reel Big Fish - “Sell Out”
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - “The Impression That I Get”
Barenaked Ladies - “Brian Wilson”
Letters to Cleo - “Here and Now”
Cracker - “Low”
R.E.M. - “Man on the Moon”
Radiohead - “Paranoid Android”
Soul Asylum - “Somebody to Shove”
Spacehog - “In The Meantime”
Soul Coughing - “Circles”
Jesus Jones - “Right Here, Right Now”
Beastie Boys - “So Whatcha Want”
The Flaming Lips - “She Don’t Use Jelly”
Teenage Fanclub - “What You Do to Me”
Hole - “Celebrity Skin”
Everclear - “Father of Mine”
Better Than Ezra - “Good”
Stroke 9 - “Little Black Backpack”
Whale - “Hobo Humping Slobo Babe”
Jane’s Addiction - “Been Caught Stealing”
Lit - “My Own Worst Enemy”
Blink 182 - “What’s My Age Again”
Blur - “Song 2”
Green Day - “Longview”
No Doubt - “Just a Girl”
Alanis Morissette - “You Oughta Know”
Veruca Salt - “Seether”
The Offspring - “Come Out and Play”
The Presidents of the United States of America - “Lump”
Weezer - “Say It Ain’t So”
Foo Fighters - “My Hero”
Danzig - “Mother”
Stone Temple Pilots - “Plush”
The Smashing Pumpkins - “Today”
Nirvana - “In Bloom”
Oasis - “Live Forever”
Superdrag - “Sucked Out”
James - “Laid”
Divinyls -“I Touch Myself”
The Proclaimers - “500 Miles”

Song of the Week 4/29/11

The Baseball Project with Craig Finn - "Don't Call Them Twinkies"

I was very fortunate to witness the first live performance of this song with The Hold Steady singer Friday night at The Bell House. Enjoy it below.

Party Like It's 1999 4/23/11

Damn.

This was a crazy night.

We're back on May 20th at The Bell House. I hope I live through it.

Here's what you heard for 6 hours:

Soundgarden - “Black Hole Sun”
Guns n’ Roses - “Don’t Cry”
AC/DC - “Money Talks”
Alice in Chains - “Would”
U2 - “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”
King Missile - “Detachable Penis”
Porno for Pyros - “Pets”
Nine Inch Nails - “Closer”
Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock”
Collective Soul - “Shine”
B.A.D II - “Rush”
Matthew Sweet - “Sick of Myself”
Lenny Kravitz - “It Ain’t Over ’Til It’s Over”
Soul Asylum - “Runaway Train”
R.E.M. - “Losing My Religion”
Oasis - “Don’t Look Back in Anger”
Juliana Hatfield Three - “Spin the Bottle”
Meat Puppets - “Backwater”
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
Marcy Playground - “Sex and Candy”
Fiona Apple - “Criminal”
Natalie Imbrugila - “Torn”
Alannah Myles - “Black Velvet”
Meredith Brooks - “Bitch”
Alanis Morissette - “Hand in My Pocket”
Len - “Steal My Sunshine”
Sugar Ray - “Fly”
Sixpence None the Richer - “Kiss Me”
Mandy Moore - “Candy”
Lauryn Hill - “Doo Wop (That Thing)”
Sublime - “Santeria”
O.M.C. - “How Bizarre”
Rusted Root - “Send Me on My Way”
Third Eye Blind - “Semi-Charmed Life”
Spin Doctors - “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”
Lit - “My Own Worst Enemy”
Weezer - “Buddy Holly”
Blink 182 - “All the Small Things”
Hanson - “Mmmbop”
Backstreet Boys - “I Want It That Way”
N’ Sync - “Tearing Up My heart”
Spice Girls - “Wannabe”
Shaggy - “Boombastic”
En Vogue - “Don’t Let Go”
Coolio - “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Bell Biv Devoe - “Poison”
Dee-Lite - “Groove Is in the Heart”
Digital Underground - “The Humpty Dance”
Haddaway - “What Is Love”
Culture Beat - “Mr. Vain”
La Bouche - “Be My Lover”
2Pac & Dr. Dre - “California Love”
Paperboy - “Ditty”
Aaliyah - “Are You That Somebody”
Naughty by Nature - “O.P.P.”
Nortorious B.I.G. - “Juicy”
Beastie Boys - “Sabotage”
Nirvana - “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Green Day - “Basket Case”
Rancid - “Ruby Soho”
Barenaked Ladies - “One Week”
Fastball - “The Way”
No Doubt - “Spiderwebs”
House of Pain - “Jump Around”
Kris Kross - “Jump”
Britney Spears - “…Hit Me Baby One More Time”
Mariah Carey - “Always Be My Baby”
Janet Jackson - “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
Bobby Brown - “Humping Around”
Madonna - “Vogue”
Technotronic - “Move This”
Jane Child - “Don’t Wanna Fall in Love”
Vanilla Ice - “Ice Ice Baby”
Six Mix a Lot - “Baby Got Back”
Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy & Mase - “Mo Money Mo Problems”
Michael Jackson - “Black and White”
George Michael - “Freedom ’90”
Salt-N-Pepa & En Vogue - “Whatta Man”
Ace of Base - “Don’t Turn Around”
TLC - “Waterfalls”
Wilson Phillips - “Hold On”
Lisa Loeb - “Stay”
Faith No More - “Easy”
Seal - “Kiss From Rose”
Extreme - “More Than Words”
R. Kelly - “I Believe I Can Fly”
Boyz II Men - “The End of the Road”
Semisonic - “Closing Time”

Song of the Week 4/22/11

En Vogue - "Don't Let Go"



Someone at Saturday's Party Like It's 1999 requested this song (which I've played almost every time) in the middle of some uptempo sing-a-long numbers. I somehow shoehorned it in and holy crap, the place went nuts. It was fantastic. Damn I love En Vogue, and this song in particular.

Song of the Week 4/15/11

Foo Fighters - "Dear Rosemary"



Between the live version in the above YouTube clip that was posted over two months ago and the studio version of the Foos new album Wasting Light, I've listened to this duet between Dave Grohl and Bob Mould over 60 times. And I still can't get enough of it. It's the best Foo Fighters song since "Monkey Wrench" in my opinion. I loved "The Pretender" from their last album, but damn, this is just amazing. I tweeted one day that this song gave me goosebumps. It's still doing that. If it's released as a single, don't be surprised to see this at numberone come December.

Song of the Week 4/8/11

The Hold Steady - "The Sweet Part of the City"


(Fast foward to 4:00 in for the music to start)

Friday night I went with my co-worker Kerry to see The Hold Steady at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. If you've never been there, let me sum it up for you four words -- large, noisy metal box. Basically, it's the worst large sized venue in the five boroughs. But I hadn't seen The Hold Steady in four years and having someone else who really wanted to go tipped the scale in favor of making the trek to the way West Side.

I spent some time revisiting their back catalog the past week, even spinning their weakest album by far -- 2010's Heaven is Whenever. The album is filled with some total clunkers ("Rock Problems?" really?) so I hadn't really explored it since the month it was released. I had forgotten just how much I liked the opening song "The Sweet Part of the City" -- and how much it made me think of Led Zeppelin. In fact, there were three or four songs that sounded kind of Zeppelinesque Friday night. I never really noticed it before with the crazy good keyboards over top all of the songs. The band is doing this spring tour without a keyboardist, so it's all guitar all the time. I don't think that's a good idea in general (I found my mind filling in the keyboard parts in my head), but it worked just fine on "Sweet Part."

Song of the Week 4/1/11

BOAT - "Landlocked (featuring John Roderick)"



BOAT's new album Dress Like Your Idols is one of the best of the year. And this duet with The Long Winters John Roderick makes me burst with joy. Listen ASAP, and then go buy it.

Song of the Week 3/25/11

Bell X1 - "Safer Than Love"



Bell X1 is an Irish band that I've had the pleasure of interviewing on their past two albums. The guys in the band are funny and self-effacing and at the same time serious about their music. "Safer Than Love" is my favorite song on Bloodless Coup, probably because it sounds like it could have been made in 1985. And I mean that in the best way. It's not a kitschy retro tribute. It's a really fantastic song that just so happens to feature a drum machine and keyboard sounds that make me think of having A Flock of Seagulls haircut.

Song of the Week 3/18/11

Simple Minds - "Don't You Forget About Me" One of the fun things about being in Bunnie England and the New Originals is when we attempt to add new songs to our master live band karaoke list. Everybody has strong opinions, so getting four of us to agree on a song to take a stab at can take a while. The past month we made a concerted effort to add a bunch of new tunes to our list, with the focus being on songs of the 90s (one one for the 00s). Yet it was an offhanded suggestion by our drummer Scott Treude that lead to us trying out "Don't You Forget About me." I'm still surprised how quickly it came together--and how easy it is for me to sing. We opened our show with it at The Rock Shop last night and I had five people come up to me afterwards and say, "Wow, that sounded really good!" Guess we've found our new set opener.

Song of the Week 3/11/11

Meat Loaf - "Two Out of Three Ain't bad"

So if you go to a meatloaf dinner party and then a karaoke night afterwards, what else is there to sing, really?

Song of the Week 3/4/11

Middle Brother - "Blue Eyes"

In July 1986 I saw Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform together at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC, as those in the Capital District call it) in Saratoga Springs. It was not only the first time I drank vodka, it was the first concert I attended that was hyped up because of the promised crossover between the two artists. Alas, the vodka robbed me of remembering much of the first few songs. What I can recall is that it didn't mesh as well as I had expected. That's the problem with many high profile collaborations and "supergroups"--they never live up to our expectations.

Saturday night I had a belly full of fried chicken, not vodka, when I went to the Middle Bother/Dawes/Deer Tick show. This was a show that outpaced all my expectations. Middle Brother is the collaboration between Deer Tick's John McCauley, Dawes's Taylor Goldsmith and Delta Spirit's Matt Vasquez. These three singer-songwriters crafted an album that equals and at times surpasses the work of their main bands. It is, bluntly put, supergroup that is indeed super. The relaxed and friendly vibe of their self-titled debut carried throughout the night, as Deer Tick and Dawes delivered outstanding performances that proved the buzz behind both is well deserved. Vasquez's bandmates were back in California working on Delta Spirit's next album, so he delivered a miniset backed by Deer Tick. Vasquez is one of my favorite new frontmen of the past 5 years. He's got stage presence by the truckloads, and when he led the band through a fast-paced and raucous take on Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street" I wanted to jump for joy. (Alas, fried chicken + a hurt Achilles heel = no jumping.)

After that miniset almost the entire roster of musicians came out to perform a passionate and fun take on Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me." I thought they couldn't top that the rest of the night, yet I was mistaken. Deer Tick delivered for the rest of their set, obviously energized by the on stage collaboration. Dawes were just as good as when I first saw them at last year's ACL. And the Middle Brother set was just a ball. Everyone on stage was in good spirits (and drinking good spirits) and that vibe was infectious. The only downside of the night came when country parody act Johnny Corndawg did a mini set with Dawes that ground the momentum to a halt. Yet that misstep couldn't detract from what is easily the best show I've seen so far this year.

One of my favorite parts of Saturday night's show was whenVasquez and Goldsmith both messed up the lyrics to "Blue Eyes." (That didn't really matter, because the riff in the song is so catchy that I found myself humming it in my head the entire car ride home.) See for yourself:

Party Like It's 1999 2/24/11

Wow, a lot of folks came out on a rainy Thursday. That's awesome. Our next edition should be in late March or early April at The Bell House. Here's what you heard and/or danced to:

Faith No More - "A Small Victory"
Temple of the Dog - "Hunger Strike"
Foo Fighters - "Learn to Fly"
Soundgarden - "My Wave"
Jane's Addiction - "Stop"
The Afghan Whigs - "Debonair"
Bad Religion - "21st Century Digital Boy"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song"
Alice in Chains - "No Excuses"
Tom Petty - "You Wreck Me"
R.E.M. - "What's the Frequency Kenneth?"
Weezer - "My Name Is Jonas"
Extreme - "Hole Hearted"
Blind Melon - "No Rain"
New Order - "Regret"
Morrissey - "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get"
Oasis - "Live Forever"
Wax - "California"
The Presidents of the United States of America - "Peaches"
Soul Asylum - "Misery"
Soul Coughing - "Circles"
Squirrel Nut Zippers - "Hell"
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "The Impression That I Get"
Whale - "Hobo Humping Slobo Babe"
Folk Implosion - "Natural One"
Primitive Radio Gods - "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand"
Sneak Pimps - "6 Underground"
White Town - "Your Woman"
O.M.C. - "How Bizarre"
Sugar Ray - "Fly"
Sublime - "Doin' Time"
Sponge - "Molly"
Tracy Bonham - "Mother Mother"
Hole - "Doll Parts"
Meridith Brooks - "Bitch"
Macy Gray - "I Try"
Dionne Farris - "I Know"
Sophie B. Hawkins - "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover"
Jane Child - "Don't Wanna Fall in Love"
Notorious B.I.G with Puff Daddy & Mase - "Mo Money, Mo Problems"
En Vogue - "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)"
Ace of Base - "Don't Turn Around"
Spice Girls - "Say You'll Be There"
Paula Abdul - "The Promise of a New Day"
T.L.C. - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
Prince & the New Power Generation - "Sexy MF"
Michael Jackson - "Black or White"
Janet Jackson - "Escapade"
Montell Jordan - "This Is How We Do It"
Snow - "Informer"
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - "Good Vibrations"
C+C Music Factory - "Gonna Make You sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"
Bell Biv Devoe - "Posion"
Bobby Brown - "Humpin' Around"
Culture Beat - "Mr. Vain"
Wreckx-N-Effect - "Rump Shaker"
Shaggy - "Boombastic"
Vengaboys - "Boom Boom Boom Boom"
Aqua - "Barbie Girl"
Backstreet Boys - "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
N' Sync - "Tearing Up My Heart"
Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time"
Salt-N-Pepa - "Whatta Man"
TLC - "No Scrubs"
Janet Jackson - "If"
Mariah Carey - "Fantasy"
No Doubt - "Just a Girl"
House of Pain - "Jump Around"
Kris Kross - "Jump"
Spice Girls - "Wannabe"
Spin Doctors - "Two Princes"
Blink 182 - "All the Small Things"
Blur - "Song 2"
Rancid - "Time Bomb"
Hole - "Violet"
Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Dee-Lite - "Groove Is in the Heart"
Salt-N-Pepa - "Shoop"
Dr. Dre - "Nothing But a G Thing"
Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise"
Warren G. & Nate Dogg - "Regulate"
Eminem - "My Name Is"
Skee-Lo - "I Wish"
Wilson Phillips - "Hold On"
La Bouche - "Be My Lover"
George Michael - "Freedom 90"
Chumbawamba - "Tubthumping"
New Kids on the Block - "Step By Step"
Tom Cochrane - "Life Is a Highway"
Duran Duran - "Ordinary World"
R. Kelly - "I Believe I Can Fly"

Song of the Week 2/25/11

Culture Beat - "Mr. Vain"



I can state this with 100% certainty: I had never heard this song until my partners in Party Like It's 1999 suggested it for the playlist. And I hadn't played it until their friend Gary suggested it last night. And it went over like gangbusters. Who knew?

Song of the Week 2/18/11

The Commodores - "Easy"

Fridays in the office we have a tradition of playing tracks from the 70s and 80s, songs that I could never crank up on the old iTunes if a certain person was on the floor. This past Friday I decided to play "Easy" and our brand new co-worker Michelle said, "Oh, I really like that song." Which was surprising, since she was born the year I graduated high school.

(Shudder.)

I heard "Easy" again Saturday night before going out, and listening to it all the way through almost made me miss my bus.

Gotta love Lionel Richie's 'do in this clip:



BONUS: Damn, I love this Faith No More cover perhaps even more than the original.


And I'd totally forgotten this performance on The Tonight Show where they look about as displeased to be appearing as any musical guest ever:

Song of the Week 2/11/11

Janet Jackson - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"

As you can see in the post below this one, I played this song at my DJ gig Friday night. The version I spun was the single version, which is the same one that is used in the Herb Ritts-directed video below. It was seeing that clip in the winter of 1990-1991 in the cold clutches of Ithaca, New York that I decided a) that beach looked awesome; b) Janet Jackson looked totally hot for the first time ever; and c) I really needed to get Rhythm Nation. I had heard enough great cuts from it by that point that I was finally able to overcome my anti-Top 40 mindset I had evolved into since my junior year of high school. And with this DJ gig (and the continuing Party Like It's 1999 series at the Bell House--come down Thursday!) I've been able to rediscover songs from that era.

Ooey Gooey After Party 2/11/11

This night of spinning at the Bell House was kind of a mixture: one part Party Like It's 1999 + one part the 80s stuff I used to spin at various Brooklyn haunts + one part 80s stuff I never thought I'd play in public = a decent night of fun. Thanks to the folks at The Skint for inviting me to entertain the post-comedy masses.

The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary"
The Cure - "The Catch"
Nada Surf - "Popular"
Liz Phair - "Never Said"
Smash Mouth - "Walking on the Sun"
Spacehog - "In the Meantime"
Elvis Costello - "Veronica"
Michael Penn - "No Myth"
Foo Fighters - "Big Me"
Third Eye Blind - "Jumper"
Harvey Danger - "Flagpole Sitta"
Ugly Kid Joe - "Everything About You"
Green Day - "When I Come Around"
Letters to Cleo - "Here and Now"
No Doubt - "Spiderwebs"
Go-Go's - "Head Over Heels"
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - "I Love Rock n' Roll"
Madonna - "Like a Virgin"
Janet Jackson - "Nasty"
Sheila E. - "The Glamorous Life"
Olivia Newton-John & ELO - "Xanadu"
Dee-Lite - "Groove is in the Heart"
Digital Underground - "Humpty Dance"
Tone Loc - "Wild Thing"
Prince - "1999"
Tears For Fears - "Everyboday Wants to Rule the World"
Duran Duran - "Rio"
Chaka Khan - "I Feel For You"
Montell Jordan - "This Is How We Do It"
Heavy D & Da Boyz - "Now That We Found Love"
Naughty by Nature - "O.P.P."
Salt n Pepa & En Vogue - "Whatta Man"
Notorious B.I.G. with Puff Daddy and Mase - "Mo Money Mo Problems"
Outkast - "Ms. Jackson"
Janet Jackson - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"
Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam - "Head to Toe"
Run D.M.C. - "It's Tricky"
Boyz II Men - "Motownphilly"
Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison"
Spice Girls - "Wannabe"
Hanson - "MMMBop"
New Kids on the Block - "Step by Step"
Backstreet Boys - "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"
George Michael - "Freedom '90"
Depeche Mode - "People Are People"
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"
Dexy's Midnight Runners - "Come On Eileen"
Chumbawamba - "Tubthumping"
Blink 182 - "What's My Age Again"
Rancid - "Roots Radicals"
Jesus Jones - "Right Here Right Now"
Ace of Base - "The Sign"
Destiny's Child - "Say My Name"
TLC - "No Scrubs"
Madonna - "Holiday"
Kris Kross - "Jump"
Bobby Brown - "My Prerogative"
Toni Tony Tone - "If I Had No Loot"
2Pac & Dr. Dre - "California Love"
Beastie Boys - "Intergalactic"
Biz Markie - "Just a Friend"
Michael Jackson - "Beat It"
Hall & Oates - "Private Eyes"
Bananarama - "Venus"
George Michael - "Faith"
A-Ha - "Take on Me"
Belinda Carlisle - "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
Wilson Phillips - "Hold On"
The Cardigans - "Lovefool"
En Vogue - "Don't Let Go (Love)"
REO Speedwagon - "Keep on Loving You"

Song of the Week 2/4/11

Johnny Nash - "I Can See Clearly Now"

Dammit. I've had this song in my head at various points for 5 days now. Who knew that a sing-a-long at Jonah and Kathryn's would warp my mind so much.

Wow, Johnny's looking funky here:

Song of the 1/28/11

Don McLean - "American Pie"



With the anniversary of Buddy Holly's death today, and the lengthy Facebook discussion I had about the song feeling three times as long when you hear it when you're sick (and I've heard it three times during this cold), it seemed natural to make this the Song of the Week.

I really loved this song from when I was a kid up until I DJ'ed at a bar called American Pie my senior year of college. Then I started hating the song with a white hot passion. It was a combination of playing it every shift at midnight and watching idiotic people doing shot after shot during the entire song that turned me off. The cherry on top of the hatred pie was the dbag bar owner. Alas, he was not the first dbag bar owner I would ever meet.

Song of the Week 1/21/10

Philip Baily & Phil Collins - "Easy Lover"

I heard this song three times this weekend. WTF?

Song of the Week 1/14/11

Pete Yorn - "Precious Stone"



It's been another week of revisiting last year. I downloaded a World Cafe podcast of Pete Yorn performing at the NPR program's Philadelphia venue World Cafe Live. That take on "Precious Stone" is pretty fucking great and caused me to listen to nothing but Yorn's music on my commute to work for three days straight. His self-titled album (or, The Black Album, since it was produced by Frank Black) is his best ever and deserves to be heard by a wider audience.

Song of the Week 1/7/11

Bruno Mars - "Grenade"



It's rare that the number-one song in the country is also a SOTW. (So rare that it's never happened before.) I spent the past few days listening through some 2010 albums I bought post-Christmas and Doo-Wops & Hooligans was amongst that collection. "Grenade" first caught my ear when Mars was on Saturday Night Live back in October (especially when he sang a few lines of "Nothing on You" as the song's intro). After I listened to Doo-Wops & Hooligans for the first time, I ended up hearing "Grenade" in a store. And then on Church Ave coming out of a car. Finally I saw the video that night on MTV Hits. It's weird how once the floodgates are opened a song will show up everywhere.

"Grenade" is one of the few current songs that I can completely grasp why it's a number-one hit. Mars sings his lungs out and the production is great. And plenty of people (including yours truly) have been in love with a person yet known that the object of their affection doesn't feel as deeply. It's got an appeal to a wide demographic.

Also, who the hell would pull a piano around all day?

Song of the Week 12/31/10

Spice Girls - "Wannabe"

Why? Well, people like dancing at Party Like It's 1999 nights at The Bell House. Just watch:



Our next night is February 24th. Come on down!