This 21st century Traveling Wilburys -- consisting of M. Ward, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis -- played a pretty good show last night at the Beacon Theater. With such expansive back catalogs to choose from each artist, as well as their self-titled collaborative album, these guys could have easily played six hours together instead just close to three. The first single from Monsters of Folk is the lightweight little ditty "Say Please." And while it's probably a song these guys could write in their sleep, it's damn catchy and a great show opener. I kept wishing they would play it again during some of the more somber numbers they broke out.
Michael is one of the many great folks I got to know through my association with the late Magnetic Field. He picked the perfect song for me to belt out as a guest during his first ever solo show back in February of '08. He's been a guitarist in two mighty fine bands, Klimpter and Tide. He's also the mastermind behind the best social event of the year, his annual Derby Day party. It's been an honor DJ-ing and helping to traffic the sprawling sets of Live Band Karaoke that Bunnie England and the New Originals perform the last four years. His choices of five (um, I mean six) albums are very interesting and inspired some in depth discussion between the two of us.
(That being noted, the day we recorded this podcast we both had the tendency to ramble. And rather than post the file at a very low bitrate, I broke it into two parts. The second half of our conversation will be up next week.)
Once again, to download through iTunesclick here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.
Mike Faloon is the editor of Go Metric, the co-editor of Zisk with your truly, the drummer for Egghead. and has been a friend of mine for over 22 years. We met at our college orientation--Mike approached me because I was the guy wearing a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1987 tour shirt. Mike has not only been a great friend ever since, he's also been one of the most influential people of my musical life. There are tons of artists he introduced me to as the music director of our college station WICB.
This podcast sets the template for most of the ones you'll hear until mid-December. We talk about five albums that changed Mike's life that were released during the past 20 years. Well...Mike's list is sort of like that. Listen and you'll see.
Once again, to download through iTunesclick here. To download the MP3, click here and then click on the MP3 button.
PS: This features the best podcast sponsorship of the lot of them. Thanks to my pals Eric Holland (who does this one), Scott Wells and Victor Lisle for the use of their vocal talents.
When I first hatched this podcast idea back in November of '08 (yes, I am that crazy in planning ahead sometimes), the first person I knew I had to interview was Scott McCaughey. His work with Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus 5 and most recently The Baseball Project has brought me more entertainment and pure musical joy over the past two decades than any artist not named The Figgs. In this wide ranging interview we talk about one of the 20 LPs from the past 20 years that changed my life, the Fellows 1991 album-that's-not-really-an-album Hits from the Breakup Album; the new Fellows and Minus 5 albums that were released in July; his work as a member of Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3; and his stint as a long standing sideman for one of my favorite bands, R.E.M. I'd like to thank Scott once again for taking the time out after a Radio City Music Hall soundcheck to pop upstairs to chat.
Click here to subscribe through your iTunes or click here to go the podcast homepage and download the MP3.
Greetings friends, and welcome to a new era of the RT20.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the annual list, today I'm launching a series of podcasts that will run of the next eight weeks. In these podcasts I'll be talking with a diverse group of people:
--musicians who made one of the 20 albums that changed my life over the past two decades;
--former radio co-workers about the bands we liked from our past career;
--and lots of people like you. Some I've known for decades, some I've known for a few years, all have had an impact of my musical life.
There are two easy ways to download the RT20 podcasts (which there will be 2-3 podcasts every week, except Thanksgiving week):
1) If you use iTunes, click here. iTunes will automatically subscribe you and download the first podcast.
2) If you don't, click here, go to the bottom of the page and right click on the MP3 icon and do "Save Target as" to download the MP3. On that page you can also use the pop-up player to listen to the entire podcast without downloading.
Podcast 00 is sort of an introduction to the series, with yours truly playing some tunes and talking about getting older. Yee-ha. Other podcasts won't be so naval-gazing, I promise.
"Well I guess I’m Fuckin Forty I can’t say that I’m thrilled I never dated Winona Ryder And I probably never will Well I guess I’m Fuckin Forty Oh but I’m better off than sum Well I might be Fuckin Forty But you’re Fuckin Forty One
Well I guess I’m Fuckin Forty Well getting older really sucks I went to see The Spy Who Shagged Me He said “one senior that’ll be four bucks” I guess I’m Fuckin Forty But I’m better off than you Well I might be Fuckin Forty But you’re Fuckin Forty Two
Well I guess I’m Fuckin Forty Well I’m a petered out Peter Pan Well sometimes I feel foolish I make my living singing in this band I guess I’m Fuckin Forty Well that’s what my Momma said But Bruce Springsteen’s Fuckin 53 And the Stones are almost dead.
Well I guess I’m Fuckin Forty I can’t say that I’m thrilled I never dated Winona Ryder And I’m guessing I never will I guess I’m Fuckin Forty Oh now poor poor pitiful me Well I might be Fuckin Forty Hell I’m lying I’m Forty Three"
I kid you not, I heard WCBS-FM play this song FOUR times in a space of eight days. Each time it was in a different day part. Seriously, what are the chances of this happening? Maybe I need to turn the radio off for a while.
Or maybe I need to infect your brain with this song:
In various interviews this spring Bob Mould mentioned how he thought his new album Life and Times was a successor to his 1989 solo debut Workbook. I didn't fully grasp how right he was until seeing him perform at Irving Plaza Thursday night. He did three Life and Times songs followed by three from Workbook, and hearing all of them back to back made the lyrical and sonic connections clear. And "Wishing Well" stood high above the rest, with Mould delivering what was the best performance of the song I've seen in the 18 years I've been going to his shows. Watch the intensity below.
I didn't see as much music at this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival as I have in the past three editions. (Stupid drought-ending rain.) Out of the acts I had never watched before, Phoenix were by far the best. Who knew a bunch of Frenchman could be so entertaining? And when the band played the opening notes of "1901," the crowd (which was an extremely impressive size for a Friday afternoon at ACL) went nuts. (See an example below.) The band fed off that energy all afternoon, and were genuinely moved by the amount of people who had decided to check them out on a beautiful day in Zilker Park.
Two months ago I heard this song on WFUV. It stopped me in my tracks when I heard this line:
"Brooklyn, Brooklyn, let me in/Are you aware the shape I'm in/My hands they shake, my head it spins/Brooklyn, Brooklyn, let me in."
I was instantly sold. I downloaded the song as soon as I got into work and have listened to it at various times in my home borough. Last week the full Avett Brothers album showed up in the mail, and I was surprised that the entire disc lives up to the immense promise of its title track. Rick Rubin, you've done it again. (But please stop the Chili Peppers from making any more albums.)
This new Pit track (their first in five years) comes from the deluxe iTunes version of Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, a fantastic tribute album that includes Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe and a ton of other great acts. Proceeds from the album will go to the former Miracle Legion and Polarisfrontman, who lost his wife suddenly last year and is raising their young twins by himself. It's a very worthy cause, so I encourage everyone to check out the deluxe iTunes version and buy a track or 41. And I highly encourage you to purchase "Closer to the Wall," which features everything I love about the Gravel Pit--masterful drum and bass work from Pete Caldes and Ed V., muscular guitar playing from Lucky Jackson and Jedidiah Parish's bigger than life voice.
BONUS: Here's the Pit playing "Closer to the Wall" at a gig this summer.
And here's the Pit backing up Frank Black at the Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy concert September 20th in Brooklyn.
After a weekend of thinking about loss, another one comes today with the great Jim Carroll. This song has always been one of my favorites of the early 80s. I didn't want to put the 1995 Basketball Diaries re-recording up, so this live version will have to do.
Seriously, what took us so long to add this to the song list? It is the perfect karaoke song. (Well, unless you're the guy singing both parts in rehearsal. Then it kind of sucks.)
Have a great wedding David and Melanie.
BONUS: I remember watching this back in high school. 22 years later it's still cool. Letterman really was the best in the mid to late 80s.
Penned by Matt Cameron, "The Fixer" is Pearl Jam's most commercial sounding lead track from an album since, well, I'd say Ten and "Alive." It's also one of their most optimistic sounding songs in a long time. When Eddie Vedder sings the first verse, I'm inclined to believe he can do this entire laundry list of tasks:
"When somethings dark, let me shed a little light on it When somethings cold, let me put a little fire on it If somethings old, I wanna put a bit of shine on it When somethings gone, I wanna fight to get it back again"
Add in the production touch of Brendan O'Brien (strategically placed handclaps, a tiny piano part, guitars that sound like 80s synths, or perhaps actually 80s synths) and you've got one great 2:55 song.
(Sidebar: Why has Brendan O'Brien made other acts--the E Street Band, cough cough--sound so muddled, yet this PJ track has the treble all the way up? Weird.)
With O'Brien's behind the console for the new album Backspacer (his the first time recording the band since my favorite Pearl Jam album, 1998's Yield) and its 11 tracks clocking in at under 37 minutes, I am optimistic that it might be a damn fine disc. That will only get more excited to see them in Austin at the close of ACL (even if both my friends going to ACL ditch me because they don't care to see the band).
Once in a great while something comes along that makes me think, "Fuck it, I am worthy of spending this extra money." Three weeks ago I made that call when one of my co-workers forwarded me an email declaring that tickets to some Steely Dan dates at the Beacon Theater were being "discounted" for two days only. I use quotes around discounted because cutting a concert ticket from $160 down to $99 isn't really a discount. I'm not one to shell out that kind of money for tickets that often (the multi-artist, multi-awesome ACL Festival being the exception). Yet I felt compelled to break out the credit card because a) in all my years of Steely Dan fandom, I've never seen them play since they reunited in 1994 and b) the album they were playing on the discounted night was 1976's The Royal Scam. It is, quite simply, one of my favorite albums ever.
A decade ago in the RT20 I did a list called The Top 30 Albums of the pre-'90s. The Royal Scam landed at number-29 (it's much higher now). Back then I described how I came to discover The Royal Scam:
"My sophomore year my friend Dave Hoffman turned me onto the wonders of The Royal Scam. Dave told me that he loved listening to this album at a really loud volume in the dark because it 'totally filled the room.' So one night decided to see for myself, borrowing his copy of the album and listening to it loudly when I crashed at a friend room’s while my roommate’s girlfriend was in town. Dave was right—and I was even sober!!! Songs like 'The Caves of Altamira' and 'Don’t Take Me Alive' just came at my ears from everywhere at once. The topper was the title track—I actually felt a bit scared by how perfect it sounded. I went out and bought The Royal Scam the next week, and have let it fill up many rooms in many different apartments since."
(In some strange stroke of fate, Dave called me just before I was going to the Beacon, I told him I was going to see Steely Dan, and he said almost the exact same thing two decades later. Wow.)
Once the lights went down at the Beacon I had a fleeting thought--"What if this is kind of a let down?" After the opening song, "Kid Charlemagne," I knew that a let down was impossible. The track sounded even more vibrant than the recorded version. The band Donald Fagen and Walter Becker had put together for this tour was, well, smoking. And the entire crowd was absorbing in every note and nuance. When guitarist Jon Herington (who was a star all night) did a couple of tasty licks at the end of "Kid Charlemagne" that weren't on the album, the crowd roared as one. I can't remember the last time I was at a show where the crowd was so in tuned with everything the musicians on stage were doing. This audience (which for the most part was probably a decade older than me) was one of the most attentive I've ever been in, and that made the experience that much better.
When Fagen and Becker and company finally reached the album's title (and closing track), I still wondered if it could fill up a dark room. And my goodness, it certainly did. I could have left the show completely happy at that point. But Steely Dan had other ideas, as they did another 90 minutes of great material. "Aja" sparkled, "Third World Man" from Gaucho was a welcome rarity and "Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More" was a lot of fun. When I checked the time on my phone and saw it was 10:30, I realized that the show was probably coming to an end and I had probably heard all of my favorites from their catalog. And then, as if to make fun of my faulty memory, they broke into my favorite non-Royal Scam song--"My Old School." It was a perfect ending for one of my favorite shows of 2009.
I had a dream last weekend that included this song in the background. I have no idea why. I haven't thought about this song is 25 years, perhaps even more. Fortunately, it sounds better than it did in my dream. "This Little Girl" comes from one of the two Bonds albums that Bruce Springsteen had a hand in making in the early 80s. The Boss attempted to kickstart a comeback for the "Quarter to Three" singer by writing this first single from 1981's Dedication. And it worked as "This Little Girl" became Bonds' first Top 40 hit in 20 years, peaking at number-11. With its sax and guitar interplay, one could easily hear it as a Springsteen song that might have appeared on The River. (Or amongst the amazing outtakes from The River and Born in the U.S.A. eras on the Tracks box set.) Bruce really could write hits for other artists.
BONUS: Bonds tearing it up in 1989. At 1:43 you will see two of the best hairstyles ever...
And this song from 1982 seems very appropriate for today (Bruce knew how to write in the Reagan years):
I've found myself relying more and more on one on the iPhone's most basic of features as the months have gone on--the notepad. No longer do I have to rely on stuffing numerous tiny pieces of paper in my front pocket so I would remember what tasks mundane or however difficult I had to tackle in any given day.
With this new found ability I was able to write down a bunch of the songs I had forgotten about that were featured in the CBS-FM Z to A countdown last month. One of those tracks was The Moody Blues "I'm Just a singer in a rock and roll band." I got around to downloading the track, and hearing it brought back a ton of of classic rock memories. I knew "Nights in White Satin" from it being a hit when I was a kid. And when I really got into Albany's AOR station PYX 106, the Moodys were a band I got into quickly because songs like "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Legend of a mind" were cut from the same cloth.
I ended up buying the cassette you see above in the fall of 1985. To my surprise I knew one song on it that PYX rarely played, "The Voice." It was a Top 15 hit in 1981 and I must have heard it a couple of times on either WGY out of Schenectady or WDRC out of Hartford. I was so psyched hearing this tune again. I was, dare I write it, nostalgic for 1981 in 1985. Ah what a weird kid I was...and still am today.
As soon as I saw "The Voice" listed in the audio database at work, I knew I had to have it. 12 listens later and I'm still hooked on that sound that--I will readily admit--hasn't quite stood the test of time.
BONUS: Here's a weird version of "The Voice" on a UK talk show from 1981. Justin Hayward is singing live and the guitar sounds live--yet the drums sound pre-recorded. Hmm.
I've written about Ms. Michaelson in the past on the blog and the RT20 about how she's such an entertaining interview subject. I spoke with her once again last week for her upcoming album Everybody. And for someone who's so witty and charming in an interview (and afterwards) as well as on stage, it's still surprising to me that she writes some of the darkest songs about relationships of any artist I've come in contact with the past few years. Everybody is--lyically at least--one downer of an album.
Michaelson told me that Everybody is an album about how "love is not enough to keep a relationship going." She wasn't kidding, as song after song is about relationships getting blown apart. "Maybe" closes the album on a kind of uplifting note (which was by design to soften the blow of all the bummers that come before it). It's perhaps her slickest production yet, and that's probably why I found myself humming it over and over again the past seven days.
Upon futher reflection, a chorus that goes "maybe in the future you're gonna come back" ain't so uplifting. But at least it's got a mass of Michaelsons sining the chorus. She does an incredible job of hamonizing with herself. I could listen to her do harmonies all day.
A chance to see Wilco play just blocks from the Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island? I couldn't pass that up. And I couldn't pass up naming "Hoodoo Voodoo" SOTW after this live performance Monday night:
Wow. That was the best version I've ever seen. And it was just as good five nights later in Wappingers Falls.
WCBS-FM here in New York did their (what now seems go be) annual Fourth of July trip through the alphabet last week. This year it had twist--Z to A instead of regular alphabetical order. Even backwards, it's still the coolest thing on commercial radio. I heard tons of songs that made me think, "Damn, I should make sure that own this song, and download it if I don't." So this year I used the handy note feature on the iPhone to keep track of what I wanted. And this hit single from the former Fleetwood Mac singer-guitarist was at the top of the list. It's a smooth rock gem from 1978 that I remember all the lyrics to 31 years later.
My friends, today I bring you an example of the Internet doing some good for once. Ross Ching is an out of work director and cinematographer in L.A. Inspired by an old Death Cab for Cutie clip, he decided to make a video to go along with "Little Bribes" from The Open Door EP. Ching writes that ,"The goal was to create a fresh, new direction to take my work to." And he certainly does that, combining stop action, time lapse photography and some handy video effects to create perhaps the best fan made video ever. Stereogum discovers it, tips off someone in the Death Cab camp, and the band posts it on their site in late May. Six weeks later, as "Little Bribes" starts getting airplay at Triple A stations, the band convinces their label to make the clip the official "Little Bribes" video. And then Ching picks up a job making another video for Atlantic.
Seeing someone rewarded for the hard work is so baffling to me. It's not like that happens at my job.
As for "Little Bribes" the song, I have always been a big fan and wondered why Death Cab didn't include this on Narrow Stairs. If it had made the cut, it probably would have been my favorite song. As it is, it's one of my favorite singles of the year.
Two amazing reunion shows in New York and Baltimore from my friends Mike, Johnny and John? Fantastic.
Two amazing reunion shows in New York and Baltimore where they do two brand new songs? My oh my, I almost can't stop smiling. I love the fact that people were singing along after only two performances.
"My Daughter" might be the best thing to come out of parenthood ever.
Wow, what a wild night this was--musically and, um, otherwise at Sharlene's. Here's perhaps the most diverse playlist I have ever spun in the borough of Brooklyn.
Bad Company - "Can't Get Enough" Blue Oyster Cult - "Burning For You" The Move - "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" Cheap Trick - "Southern Girls" The Faces - "Stay With Me" J. Geils Band - "Love Stinks" Rolling Stones - "Monkey Man" Humble Pie - "30 Days in the Hole" The Velvet Underground - "Sweet Jane" Led Zeppelin - "Hot Dog" Detroit Cobras - "Hot Dog" PJ Harvey - "Good Fortune" The Pretenders - "Mystery Achievement" Blondie - "X Offender" Big Star - "When My Baby's Beside Me" Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "Olivers Army" Wilco - "Monday" Bob Mould - "See a Little Light" Matthew Sweet - "Sick of Myself" Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - "Care of Cell #44" The Zombies - "This Will Be Our Year" Jenny Lewis - "Rise Up With Fists" Billy Bragg - "The Milkman of Human Kindness" Pavement - "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" Nada Surf - "Always Love" The Raspberries - "Go All the Way" Dr Hook and The Medicine Show - "Cover of the Rolling Stone" Todd Rundgren - "Hello Its Me" Boz Scaggs - "Lowdown" 10CC - "The Things We Do For Love" Badfinger - "Come And Get It" Bee Gees - "Massachusetts" Sam & Dave - "I Thank You" Wilson Pickett - "Funky Broadway" Stevie Wonder - "I Wish" War - "Why Can't We Be Friends" Curtis Mayfield - "Pusherman" Earth, Wind & Fire - "That's the Way of the World" Marvin Gaye - "Inner City Blues" Prince - "Little Red Corvette" Beck - "Debra" MGMT - "Electric Feel" LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends" Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage" Devo - "Whip It" Bow Wow Wow - "I Want Candy" Men at Work - "Who Can It Be Now" Tears For Fears - "Head Over Heels" The Outfield - "Your Love" Duran Duran - "Girls on Film" Psychedelic Furs - "Pretty in Pink" Asia - "Heat of the Moment" REO Speedwagon - "Keep On Loving You" Ratt - "Round and Round" Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "Do You Wanna Touch Me" The Motels - "Only the Lonely" ABC - "The Look of Love" Kim Wilde - "Kids in America" Wall of Voodoo - "Mexican Radio" Nik Kershaw - "Wouldn't It be Good" Toto - "Africa" Hall & Oates - "Kiss on My List" Pat Benetar - "Hit me With Your Best Shot" Big Country - "In a Big Country" The Cars - "Bye Bye Love" ZZ Top - "Waiting for the Bus"/"Jesus Just Left Chicago" Elvis Presley - "Suspicious Minds" Sly & the Family Stone - "Family Affair" Bee Gees - "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)" Kiss - "Beth" Led Zeppelin - "Fool in the Rain" Mott the Hoople - "All the Young Dudes" Fine Young Cannibals - "Suspicious Minds" Urge Overkill - "Sister Havana" Stone Roses - "She Bangs the Drums" AC/DC - "TNT" Motorhead - "Ace of Spades" Sex Pistols - "Problems" Ramones - "Today You Love, Tomorrow the World" Black Flag - "TV Party" Dead Kennedys - "Too Drunk to Fuck" Fear - "I Love Living in the City" Husker Du - "Makes No Sense at All" Killing Joke - "Eighties" Replacements - "Left of the Dial" Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On" Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - "Flesh # 1" Big Star - "Thirteen" Hall and Oates - "One on One" Beirut - "Rhineland (Heartland)" Magnetic Fields - "Kiss me Like You Mean It" Neil Young - "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" Elvis Costello - "Brilliant Mistake" Wilco - "Jesus, Etc" Flaming Lips - "Waiting for a Superman" White Stripes - 'We're Going to be Friends" Stevie Wonder - "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will be Forever)" Lindsey Buckingham - "Trouble" Fleetwood Mac - "Think About Me" Michael Jackson - "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" Bee Gees - "Love You Inside Out" David Bowie - "Modern Love" Prince - "1999" Hall and Oates - "Private Eyes" Hall and Oates - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" Nada Surf - "Inside of Love"
Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Who'll Stop the Rain"
I heard this song twice in the middle of the night over the past week. Thanks for pissing me off at 3am, CBS-FM. It's a question we New Yorkers have asked all throughout June.
BONUS: There's no footage of the CCR performing this song on You Tube, but there is a great clip of John Fogerty finally breaking 15 years of silence and performing CCR songs at the Vietnam Vet benefit on the Fourth of July 1987. This show is pretty legendary because Fogerty vowed to never do CCR songs again, and for him to break that vow at an event honoring a group which strongly identified with songs like "Fortunate Son"...well, by all accounts many tears were shed that day.
Bruce Springsteen likes breaking this song out at outdoor shows to reward fans waiting through inclement weather. He did it last month in Stockholm, Sweden.
I must give a shout out to my pal Jack McFadden (a.k.a. Skippy) for booking such great back-to-back nights of rock at The Bell House. Thursday it was a stellar set from RobynHitchcock and the Venus 3. Friday it was The Posies, performing their great 1993 album Frosting on the Beater in its entirety. I mean, wow, what joy each of these nights brought me. It was the fourth time I've seen Hitchcock and the Venus 3, and it was by far the best. And I haven't seen The Posies since 1996 at Coney Island High on St. Mark's...which just makes me feel old. When the Beater set was over, Ken Stringfellow, Jon Auer and company came back and did a great miniset of songs from their albums--and they played every single one of my favorites from their catalog (save the production heavy "Golden Blunders.") Oh, how I love power pop heaven.
I suppose I choose "Flavor of the Month" for this week because that has always been my favorite song on Frosting on the Beater, but realistically it could have been any song either of these two bands played over the two nights.
EDIT: I just saw that The Posies did this show last night at the Gramercy Theater. Shit, if I had known that I probably would have done back-to-back Posies nights. Oh well.
BONUS: Oh yeah, I had the camera working overtime at these shows. The Posies - "Flavor of the Month"
I must admit that I'm not a fan of The Decemberists new album The Hazards of Love, which is why I passed twice on offers of tickets to see them at Radio City Music Hall on June 10th. ColinMeloy and company are doing the entire puzzling (and at times, pompous) concept album straight through at each show, and I'm pretty sure that would drive me to distraction.
But if I had known that at the end of the night Meloy would be using guest vocalists Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) and Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond ) -- they play key female characters on The Hazards of Love -- to tackle a great song by a fellow Northwestern band, I might have reconsidered.
Jeebus, they sing the shit out of that. I've watched it 10 times this week, and two more times just embedding it in this post. Let's hope a proper live recording is released at some point.
Between WFUV and Starbucks, I could not escape this song. I heard it four out of five mornings this week--and I didn't even need a dentist to tell it was playing four out of five days. I have always thought of Case as a great singer of other people's material (i.e. everything she's sung in New Pornographers). But I've never been a fan of her own originals until "Nerve." The way she sings "I'm a mana mana mana mana maneater" makes me think she has a tiny bit of experience in that department.
I was hanging out at a 33rd birthday party-slash-BBQ Sunday night when I happened to check my work mail on my iPhone. (Why would I do that on a holiday weekend? I am a moron, that’s why.) The subject of the 7:07 p.m. email from my co-worker Dave almost made me drop my drink on the rooftop patio:
“Shit…Jay Bennett Dead?”
I silently said “no no no no no no no no” and hoped that I would find out it was not true. Alas, word came in quickly (via numerous comments on my Facebook status) that Bennett had indeed died in his sleep sometime Sunday morning, with the news confirmed to the Chicago papers by his longtime friend and musical collaborator Edward Burch.
Most people who knew of the former Wilco multi-instrumentalist have only one impression of the man, which come from the compelling 2002 documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. The film shows Bennett as a cranky, pushy musician who can’t understand why Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy doesn’t appreciate what he brings to the band’s in-progress album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Having met Bennett only three times in my life--two of them in interview sessions--I definitely saw those parts of his personality up close. What the film doesn’t show is that he was a very intelligent (he had multiple college degrees), well spoken, funny, somewhat sarcastic and always engaging man whose musical knowledge seeped through everything he touched. Bennett, like all of us, was certainly not perfect. His battles with various addictions have been mentioned in various histories of Wilco. And this year the man himself started pouring out his thoughts about his up-and-down-life on a very compelling MySpace blog. The last entry mentioned his lack of health insurance and how he was saving money to get a hip replacement. I remember thinking, “A hip replacement at 45? That’s too young.” And dying at 45 is most certainly too young.
There are people who say Wilco was never the same after Jay Bennett was booted in 2001, while others say the band has gotten more interesting since then. Both sides are right. Wilco, like most great bands, has never stopped changing and searching for what is their next musical path. That journey has kept them as a vital act, even 15 years after Tweedy convinced Uncle Tupelo bassist John Stiratt and drummer Ken Coomer to join him in his new band. Wilco became different after Bennett left. Not better or worse, just different. Both eras of the band have been filled with great songs, great recordings and great performances. And that definitely would not have happened without one Jay Walter Bennett. He helped push the band’s arrangements to encompass more than just their alt-country roots. And while he might have had his problems with the sonic direction of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, he was the one person who knew how to get those sounds Jeff Tweedy was hearing in his head.
Bennett was a great songwriting foil for Tweedy as well. He co-wrote such Wilco classics (yeah, I feel like calling them that) “California Stars,” “War on War,” “ELT,” “I’m Always in Love,” “Jesus etc.” and “My Darling.” That last song was close to Bennett’s heart, as it was a lullaby he wrote with Tweedy for his niece. Bennett even re-recorded it for his first post-Wilco project, the highly underrated The Palace at 4a.m. (Part 1). That disc with Edward Burch was such a joy to hear. Bennett poured every sonic trick he had into that album. Back in 2002 I wrote, “Bennett was known as the jack of all instruments in Wilco, and on Palace he doesn’t disappoint. The orgy of overdubs is incredible in the middle section of ‘Talk to Me’: there are solos from a banjo, a mellotron, some unidentifiable ’70s keyboard and a lap steel guitar. After seeing this duo play together, I have a hunch that this partnership might last. I for one can’t wait to hear what Part 2 brings.” The two Burch and Bennett shows I did see had great tunes, but best of all showed off a great humorous chemistry between the two. At one show I remember saying to my friend April, “These two ought to do a comedy album.” Bennett made four solo albums after Palace Part 1, all of which have compelling dark pop songs. Burch and Bennett had made plans to record a Palace Part 2 this year and Bennett was working on another solo effort, even with his hip pain. I can only wonder what is left in the vaults of Bennett’s Pieholden Studios in Urbana, Illinois.
The Jay Bennett I choose to remember is the one that made me laugh and get swept up in the power of music at the same time. He showed some of that wit on stage in bantering with Jeff Tweedy. However, most of the time he was a man always moving on stage--from keyboard to keyboard, to guitar, to guitar and keyboard in the same song, he was always making Wilco sound bigger than a five piece. And when the man played guitar, he laid down some great solos. I was fortunate enough to see Bennett perform as a member of Wilco 14 times from 1996 to 2000. And they always delivered. When the band became a four piece after he left, their sound became extremely thin. It took three years--and two people--to replace the sonic void that Bennett filled was when he was onstage. (And as I mentioned before, some people still don’t think that hole has been filled in Wilco’s soul.)
Lastly, I’d like to share a funny anecdote about Bennett and his take on his own music. Back in 1999 Cheap Trick were playing a late afternoon show at CBGB to promote their upcoming live album Music for Hangovers. I was one of the lucky few to pack myself inside the club to witness a great set. I noticed that Jay Bennett and Ken Coomer were in the club, which made me laugh since I was going to see them do the first of two shows at Irving Plaza that night. After the Cheap Trick show wrapped up I walked across the street to grab a bottle of water at a deli. As I got in line to pay, I noticed this dreadlocked guy standing in front of me. Sure enough, it was Jay. I said hello to him, and he grudgingly remembered me (we had done an interview only a couple weeks before). I said to him, “It's gonna take a lot to top that show.” He replied, "We can't top Cheap Trick," and then broke into this huge smile.
“Another Man’s Done Gone” is the shortest song on the two Mermaid Avenue albums, but it just may be the most powerful. Legend has it Jay Bennett and Billy Bragg were working on a melody for a piano piece that Bennett had. Tweedy woke up from a nap, happened to grab a scrap of Woody Guthrie lyrics and within a short time they had recorded the song, which brought tears to the eyes of many in the studio. And what a masterful stanza of words Tweedy chose:
“Sometimes I think I'm gonna lose my mind But it don't look like I ever do
I've loved so many people everywhere I went Some too much, and others not enough
Well I don't know I may do Down or up or anywhere But I feel Like this scribbling might stay
Maybe if I hadn't seen so much hard feelings I might not could've felt other people's So when you think of me, if and when you do Just say, well, another man's done gone Well, another man's done gone”
This clip from the Mermaid Avenue documentary Man in the Sand always struck a chord with me. It’s got a whole different meaning now:
Jay Bennett never got his peace of mind with Wilco or Jeff Tweedy (he filed a lawsuit against Tweedy looking for royalties from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and I Am Trying to Break Your Heart earlier this month). I hope now that somehow he’s found that peace.
BONUS: In the YouTube age, Jay Bennett’s amazing catalog of work lives on. Here are some of my favorites I found over the past few days.
“James Alley Blues”
“Monday”
“I’m Always in Love”
“My Darling”
“Poor Places”
“Cars Can’t Escape”
“I Got You” (From Jay’s next to last show with Wilco)
Wilco - "You Never Know" Wilco ended up having to stream their new album--which they dubbed Wilco (The Stream)--on their website after it leaked last week. And after a couple of days of listening to it one song seemed to be the obvious choice for the first single, "You Never Know." It's Jeff Tweedy's catchiest song since "Heavy Metal Drummer" and has a slicker than usual sound for the band.
Then I woke up Friday morning with "You Never Know" in my head and it dawned on me why it was so catchy--it's an out and out homage to the Traveling Wilburys. The wall of strummed guitars and the descending piano riff during the chorus? Straight from Jeff Lynne's production handbook. The chord progression those acoustic guitars are bashing out? It could be mistaken for "Won't Last Long" from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers highly underrated 1999 album Echo. The dual slide guitar parts in the solo? George Harrison patented those with the Wilburys and his solo career. Those massive backing vocals? I swear you could hear a mix of Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan in there.
Normally I'd be a bit dismissive of someone so closely aping someone else's style. But this is done so well (and sounds like so much fun) I'm sure Tweedy and company knew exactly what they were doing in paying tribute to one of the best supergroups of our time.
Oh, and the rest of the album is worth listening to as well.
I spent Sunday afternoon trying to come up with songs for a couple of mixes, and I stumbled onto a 2009 album I had forgotten about already -- Doves' Kingdom of Rust. The UK trio have made two amazing albums (2000's Lost Souls and 2002's The Last Broadcast) and one good one (2005's Some Cities). I've written about my love for this band a few times over the past nine years, so there's no need to repeat myself here. I'll just say that the title track to Kingdom of Rust fit perfectly as a transition between two segments of a mix, so a couple of folks will be getting to sample Doves in their mailbox soon.
Derby Day '09 coincided with a visit from my dear college friends Lisa and Lois. They had never gotten to see Bunnie England and the New Originals in action. So I decided that the one song I was going to sing during the almost overwhelmingly attended Live Band Karaoke had to be something from the 80s, something I knew by heart and--most importantly--something I knew I could rock close to its original key. So it was time to dig Tommy Tutone out of the vaults.
And damn, it sounded good. (But looks kind of sweaty.)
Wow. The amount of people that showed up for Michael Boyd's annual Derby Day party was, well, overwhelming. It was an honor to spin at this party for the fourth year in a row. And with help from my iPod I was able to spin tunes in both rooms at the same time. So here's what you heard (or didn't hear) in the front lounge and in the main room Saturday.
(Just a couple of quick notes: To challenge myself this year, I decided to do blocks of music from each decade I have been alive, and do those block in chronological order. Sigh. I am a loser. The year after each song is the year it was released. Also, songs on the list that are in italics were heard only in the main room, as I deviated from my list a few times. I also need to pad at the end, since I started spinning about 25 minutes earlier than expected.)
Kentucky Derby - Chet Atkins
Roadrunner - Bo Diddley - 1960 (Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers - 1960)
Sure Fire Bet - Ricky Nelson - 1961
Twistin' the Night Away - Sam Cooke - 1962
My Boyfriend's Back - The Angels - 1963 (Louie Louie - The Kingsmen - 1963)
Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles - 1964
California Girls - The Beach Boys - 1965
Old Kentucky Home - The Beau Brummels - 1966
Kentucky Woman - Neil Diamond - 1967
To Love Somebody - Bee Gees - 1967
This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies - 1968
Kentucky Rain - Elvis Presley - 1969
No Matter What - Badfinger - 1970
Dead Flowers - The Rolling Stones - 1971
Jackie Wilson Said - Van Morrison - 1972
Ooh La La - The Faces - 1973
Back Of A Car - Big Star - 1974
Evil Woman - ELO - 1975
Magic - Pilot - 1975
I Wish - Stevie Wonder - 1976
Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs - 1976
Lovely Day - Bill Withers - 1977
What A Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers - 1978
Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson - 1978
Dream Police - Cheap Trick - 1979
I'm So Bored with the U.S.A. - The Clash - 1979
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones - 1979
The Only One I Know - The Charlatans UK - 1990
There's No Other Way - Blur - 1991
Bad Luck - Social Distortion - 1992
Into Your Arms - The Lemonheads - 1993
Cut Your Hair - Pavement - 1994
Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet - 1995 (Just - Radiohead - 1995)
El Scorcho - Weezer - 1996 (Radiation Vibe - Fountains of Wayne -1996)
Bulldog Skin - Guided By Voices - 1997
The Way - Fastball - 1998
Nineteen - Old 97's - 1999
Son of Sam - Elliott Smith - 2000
Firecracker - Ryan Adams - 2001
What A Wonderful World - Joey Ramone - 2002
One Horse Town - The Thrills - 2003
Me And Mia - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - 2004
Spit It Out - Brendan Benson - 2005
Chips Ahoy! - The Hold Steady - 2006
Keep The Car Running - The Arcade Fire - 2007
Horse To Water - R.E.M. - 2008
Something Is Squeezing My Skull - Morrissey - 2009
Monkey Gone To Heaven - Pixies - 1989
Punk Rock Girl - The Dead Milkmen - 1988
Sometime To Return - Soul Asylum - 1988
Can't Hardly Wait - The Replacements - 1987
Behind The Wall Of Sleep - The Smithereens - 1986
The Bottom Line - Big Audio Dynamite - 1985
Your Love - The Outfield - 1985
The Warrior - Scandal - 1984
Let's Go Crazy - Prince and The Revolution - 1984
Our House - Madness - 1983
Just Got Lucky - JoBoxers - 1983
In A Big Country - Big Country - 1983
Heat Of The Moment - Asia- 1982
Beat It - Michael Jackson - 1982 (I Melt With You - Modern English - 1982) (Billie Jean - Michael Jackson - 1982)Private Eyes - Hall and Oates - 1981 (I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" - Hall and Oates - 1981)
Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie - 1981
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield - 1981
Centerfold - J. Geils Band - 1981
Keep On Loving You - REO Speedwagon - 1981
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar - 1980
You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC - 1980 (Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo and The Bunnymen)
Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
Cruel Summer - Bananarama
Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday
Bring On The Dancing Horses - Echo and The Bunnymen
You Got Lucky - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Veronica - Elvis Costello
This just might be my favorite, most unexpected song we've ever added to our master song list. A ramshackle of a rehearsal turned into a bunch of fun as we stumbled into doing this song a couple weeks ago. It's just so much fun to sing--and so much fun for the guys to play as well.
No one else will probably ever do it, which is fine. That means I can do it at every gig we have this summer, perhaps starting this Saturday.
And I love the crowd singing at one of the band's first reunion shows in 2007:
I've had this song in my head off and on for a week after my good friend Joe S (have a happy 40th today, my man) quoted it on his Facebook status. Then Friday I was waiting for a table at my favorite Brooklyn eatery, Bonnie's, and it popped up.
These are some great lyrics that I still love 15 years later:
"Out on my skateboard the night is just hummin' And the gum smacks are the pulse I'll follow if my walkman fades But I've got absolutely no one, no one but myself to blame"
The title track to Hitchcock and company's new album is pretty groovy in its studio version. But live, man, it's absolutely hypnotic and trippy. It was a perfect closer for a great show at Irving Plaza Saturday night. I am so glad I get to see them again in June at The Bell House. (Especially since the show started about 30 minutes earlier than any Irving Plaza show I have been to. Which meant we missed about 20 minutes of their set. D'oh!)
Check out this live version recorded last week in Dallas:
Ben Harper & Eddie Vedder - "Under Pressure" (Live)
I was fortunate to cover the Change Begins Within concert Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall, and while I'll never forget seeing two Beatles share the same mic, this totally unexpected cover was sight to behold. Harper is no Freddie Mercury, but his passion on this song gave me (literally) chills up my spine. Wow.
This might be the best song released in '09 to hear very early in the moring right after getting out of the shower. Moz's inflection on the chorus hits the spot after a rough night of (or lack thereof) sleep. When he sings "skull" it's in the exact grasping-at-straws tone that all my thoughts seem to inhabit before I have the first chai of the day. I heard this song Wednesday morning and it was perfect for my state of mind.
And how could I not write about the ex-Smiths singer when he played four shows in town this week. Oh, and that this happened to a funny guy I know.
Until I announced I was going to play a lot of Supertramp at the Vinyl Vault at Last Exit Friday, I had no idea how many people I knew really liked Breakfast in America.
Nothing like closing a long, frustrating, yet at times fun night night by spinning all four hits off this album over and over.
Thanks again to all who came out to Last Exit--and once again watched me battle equipment problems. Next time, more CDs, a little less vinyl. Here's what you heard (besides me cursing the equipment):
Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak" T. Rex - "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" Cheap Trick - "Dream Police" Heart - "Barracuda" Van Halen - "Intruder/(Oh) Pretty Woman" Blue Oyster Cult - "Godzilla" Scandal - "The Warrior" Blondie - "The Tide Is High" Quarterflash - "Harden My Heart" The Go-Go's - "Turn to You" Foreigner - "Double Vision" The Clash - "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A" The Figgs - "Favorite Shirt" Dead Milkmen - "Punk Rock Girl" The Charlatans UK - "The Only One I know" Depeche Mode - "Personal Jesus" World Party - "Ship of Fools" Echo & the Bunnymen - "People are Strange" Men at Work - "Who Can It Be Now?" Joe Jackson - "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" J. Geils Band - "Centerfold" The Kinks - "Come Dancing" Hall & Oates - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" Nick Lowe - "Cruel to Be Kind" Nada Surf - "Always Love" The Smithereens - "A Girl Like You" Asia - "Heat of the Moment" Billy Squier - "My Kinda Lover" Yes - "Leave It" Outfield - "Your Love" Styx - "Mr. Roboto" Duran Duran - "Rio" Madonna - "Holiday" Toto - "Africa" Supertramp - "The Logical Song" Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock n' Roll" Def Leppard - "Photograph" Kiss - "Love Gun" Judas Priest - "Living After Midnight" Ratt - "Round and Round" Social Distortion - "Ball and Chain" The Undertones - "Teenage Kicks" Ramones - "Needles And Pins" Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On" My Morning Jacket - "I'm Amazed" Old 97's - "Bird In a Cage" Wilco - "Jesus etc." Faces - "Ooh La La" Squeeze - "Black Coffee in Bed" Thompson Twins - " Hold Me Now" Stray Cats - "Stray Cat Strut" OMD - "So In Love" Modern English - "I Melt With You" Madness - "Our House" Tina Turner - "Whats Love Got to Do With It" Katrina and The Waves - "Walking on Sunshine" Bangles - "Manic Monday" Hall & Oates - "Kiss On My List" Toto - "Rosanna" The Go-Go's - "Our Lips Are Sealed" Prince and The Revolution - "Raspberry Beret" Pat Benetar - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean" Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl" Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" The Cure - "Just Like Heaven" Til Tuesday - "Voices Carry" New Order - "True Faith" Big Country - "In A Big County" Soft Cell - "Tainted Love" Hoodoo Gurus - "Death Defying" Power Station - "Some Like It Hot" Pete Townshend - "Let My Love Open the Door" Boz Scaggs - "Lido Shuffle" Doobie Brothers - "What a Fool Believes" Stevie Wonder - "Superstition" Bee Gees - "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)" Simple Minds - "Alive and Kicking" INXS - "The One Thing" The Replacements - "Can't Hardly Wait" 38 Special - "Caught Up In You" ELO - "Living Thing" Pilot - "Magic" Todd Rundgren - "I Saw the Light" ABBA - "Waterloo" The Beach Boys - "Sail On Sailor" Ace - "How Long" Supertramp - "Take the Long Way Home" Supertramp - "Goodbye Stranger" Supertramp - "Breakfast in America"
Holy shit, I heard a lot of Steely Dan this week. On WFUV. On CBS-FM. At work. On WFUV's HD 2 stream. And then Saturday at the Princeton Record Exchange, where they played the Greatest Hits album (at least what i think was) in its entirety. My goodness, did I listen to that piece of vinyl a lot in high school. I think I heard "Rikki" at least three times this week, maybe four. In the midst of this Steely Dan orgy, I plumb forgot to count.
I'll send out props to my friend Eric Holland for inspiring this week's song of the week. Eric was filling in on WFUV Tuesday during the midday shift and he unearthed this gem just before noon. I had totally forgotten this track about being the third member of a love triangle. My favorite part of the song (as well as Eric's, which he said backsold the tune) is during the last chorus where Cray breaks into the third person to sing "it was because of me, young Bob!"
I ended up loading the whole Strong Persuader album into my iTunes on Wednesday and was surprised to hear how dated it sounds. The drums on some songs are marred by that tinny linn drum sound (it's especially brutal on a couple of fills) which was so popular in 1986. The keyboards sound very out of place now, especially for an album that was heralded for bringing back the blues to mainstream America. At least Cray's solos (especially on "Smoking Gun") still sound crisp and biting.
Alas, I can't find an embeddable version of the "Right Next Door" video, but you can click here to check it out.
Oh, I love when a holy grail is finally available. I've been wanting to get The Bears self-titled debut album for about 14 years now. The "hit" single "Fear Is Never Boring" is one of my favorite songs of the 1980s (and maybe ever). Yet it's been out of print for a long, long time. Finally EMI has dug through their vaults this year and released a bunch of out-of-print stuff from I.R.S. Records digitally. So you better believe I marked down on my calendar the exact date this album was going to be available on iTunes. (Actually, I bought it on Amazon, but who's counting.) And it's just as much of a pop masterpiece as I remembered. Singer-guitarist Adrian Belew and Rob Fetters create some excellent harmonies, and both lay down some fantastic solos in the context of these great pop tunes.
I must admit I had totally forgotten that "Trust" was the very first single from The Bears. And damn, what a great song. See for yourself:
