Last Fm

I set up a page on Last Fm again. I had one a very long time ago, but I didn't have a consistent Internet connection so I deleted it. Now I do and I was kind of interested in what the charts would tell me about how I've been listening to music. Turns out, they are pretty much the same as the first time around! Here is the link if you are interested:

http://www.last.fm/user/PerfectlyLethal

Festivus!

I've added a cool new Festivus show taped to the station's rotation. I also have a sort of end of year show up and will have an end of decade show posted sometime next week. I may sneak another regular show in before that, but that may be it for this year. I have been a little behind in the production schedule for the station due to the holidays, but I think with these next two shows we should actually be caught up.

We are coming up on our 50th show for the station and I want to do something grand. I've got a couple of ideas, so expect big things for the future of Perfect Lethal.

Captain High

We have a great new show on Perfectly Lethal for you to check out. The esteemed Captain High programmed a great hour for the station this past weekend. The Captain took us on a trip across the globe with some of his favorites from the years 1967-1968. We are big fans here at Perfectly Lethal of his take on music, even when he does take shots at the Bee Gees. To be fair, nothing he said was untrue.

It was a great show and we really look forward to getting him on again in the future.

Elation

Here is a rundown of a couple things:

-Dr. Zoome & the Mad Scientists have posted their latest EP, Elation, on their website. The single "Elation" is part five of the multi-suite epic "Korkarlen." There are also a couple of other tracks to enjoy, including solo songs from both Gustaf St. Gabriel and Veit Ignatius. The band is in a giving mood this holiday season, as their next full length It's Already Gone will be posted on New Years Day.

-Speaking of Dr. Zoome, they have joined the world of visual art. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BnWTGesUDc

Word on the street is that there will be another video up soon.

-We will be taping another guest host show for Perfectly Lethal this coming weekend. It should be a good one. Be sure to check in and try to catch it, you won't be disappointed.

-The Flyers looked pretty good yesterday, and it was great to see Rob Lowery back in uniform.

-"Maggot Brain" is sooooo wonderful.

I Heard a Rumor

www.myspace.com/drzoome

Be sure to check out the good doctor's myspace page next Sunday. Good sources tell me that he is planning on sharing some gifts in honor of St. Nick's Day.

Thank You Friends

As I did on Halloween, I have made a special show for Thanksgiving. The basic theme is packing the hour with my favorite songs. It is a gift of sorts to you, the listener. You can thank me later.

Other than that, Thanksgiving has been pretty low key. In fact, it is 6 and I haven't even had a piece of turkey yet. Instead, here is a run down of how I have spent my favorite holiday:

-Apart from my wife, as she is working

-Breakfast with my family

-3 loads of laundry

-Dishes

-Running the sweeper

-Making hard boiled eggs

-Reading 60 pages of a book

-Watching about ten minutes of football. Could they have picked two worse games for the day?

Turkey and Pumpkin Pie is coming soon.

Catching Up

I've got a bunch of smaller things I've wanted to post but have not gotten around to them lately. So here is a run down of what has been going down in the Perfectly Lethal Universe:

The listening numbers for the station have been the highest since I started the station. I am getting listeners from all over the place and it seems like people are returning after finding the station. This is wonderful! As always, any feedback is appreciated, even if it is something like "Quit playing Krautrock!"

Speaking of Krautrock, I am going to try not to use that term any longer. I like the term Kosmic Music better, so thus forth it shall be referred to as such. I am still blazing away at the list I am collecting from and digging it more and more with each new album.

College basketball has started! This is my favorite time of year. As I did last week, I will probably babble about the Dayton Flyers at length at times on the show. I apologize, but much like the Kosmic Rock situation, this will not be changing. They are off to a good start and play Villanova today. Should be a good game. GO FLYERS!!

I've been watching a ton of movies of late. Yesterday I woke up feeling pretty awful as it seems the season change has finally caught up with me. Thankfully, Turner Classic had The Philadelphia Story on. What a delightful movie. My wife and I also watched Alfred Hitchcock's Rope, a movie I hadn't watched in about a decade or so. It is not one of his classics, but it is definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it. We also watched The Magnificent Ambersons and The Third Man recently. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. I started Days of Wine and Roses last night as I went to sleep. Jack Lemmon may be my favorite actor of all time.

I was planning on having a guest host show up soon. Because of how I've been feeling lately, I am going to have to push this back, but look for this to happen soon. I always like having another voice on the show other than my own to bring another perspective to the show.

Has there been a more meaningless Ohio State-Michigan football game? Ohio State is going to the Rose Bowl and has won at the very least a share of the Big Ten Title. They could lose tomorrow by 50 points and it wouldn't matter whatsoever. Michigan is playing for a bowl bid, but even then, it can't possibly be anything worth the trip. I know that they are playing for bragging rights, which is a big deal in a rivalry such as this one. I just can't imagine getting as excited as in years past. I will probably change my mind when the game starts tomorrow.

And finally, I find nothing more annoying than people who think they are the center of the universe. Instead of going about in this manner, maybe you should try bringing something, anything really, to the table.

D'OH!!

Well, this time it took 26 shows, but I have finally repeated a song on the station. What is even worse is that I went back and double checked the database to make sure that I hadn't already played the song. I vaguely remember playing the song, but I had thought it was on the old show. It was actually show #4 of the new show, and now you get to hear it again! As always, though, I am not going to say which one it is. What fun would that be?

My iTunes is being a giant turd lately and it has been a total chore to upload music to it. I was hoping to produce another show today, but I've already been at this for a half hour and haven't even started due to these issues. I don't really have a ton of things to do today, but my patience is wearing very thin. Plus, it is way to early to start drinking in order to deal. Or is it?

He Was Also Dumbledore

Due to Live365 providing more storage for users, I have added three more shows to the rotation this week without having to take anything off. Also, I believe there is enough room for another show. This makes for a possible ten show play list, meaning the repetition of the station should go down. I think this is great and will make for an even greater listening experience.

I have also produced a few more promos to break up the shows a little bit. A special shout out to the brilliant comedy duo Scharpling and Wurster for one of the bits that I used. If you are unfamiliar with Scharpling and Wurster and love comedy, then seriously check them out. The Gorch is one of the funniest things I have heard in my life.

So how am I rewarding, you, the listener, with this change? By adding a song that was once voted the worst song of all time. I am not going to tell you the song, but the artists once played Dumbledore, hence the title of this entry.

Festival of Death

Great new Halloween show is up. We also got our light switch plates in. Rushmore oversees the Perfectly Lethal Studio, but Abbey Road, The Apartment, Life Aquatic, and the Kinks all are lurking somewhere around here. It is really cool!

What, are they building a high rise?!

I am glad I got to use this joke in the latest show posted today. The whole show goes out to the ass clown whom I stole the saying from. Class act doesn't even begin to describe that guy.

Good show, though. Especially if you like Moonlight Knights.

Charming?!

She's an interior decorator! I hate interior decorators!

Jack Lemmon is awesome.

You Guys Getting a Buzz?

The 21st show is up. I am not sure how I feel about the guest host taking me to task for playing Krautrock and making jokes about how I have a lot of Merge recordings. I think these are good things. The show turned out really well, so listen in. I am not going to say who the special guest was. This way, you will just have to tune in yourself to find out. I will say that the special guest did a great job.

And now, since it is mid October and I am waiting for my new CD to come, I share this wonderful clip of the best band since the Ascended Masters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PMUkhjd2UM#watch-main-area

The 20

Scheduling conflicts kept show number 20 from featuring a special guest. So it is just me. I apologize. But, as I said in the show, 21 is actually a more important number than 20, so I guess it all works in the end. I will make sure that 21 is a nice change of pace.

In honor of our 20th show, here are 20 of my favorite things as of today:

-This tea I am drinking

-Lunch with my wife

-The Clean

-The ability to catch up on both Curb Your Enthusiasm and It's Always Sunny online

-MRVPSify's Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/MRVPSify)

-Billy Wilder movies with Jack Lemmon in them

-The fact that Bob Pollard releases so much material (Suitcase 3!!!)

-My Friends

-Thursday night TV

-UD basketball is weeks away

-Muslim Curry from Thai Smile

-My Sinus Mask

-Vandalia Carryout and their supply of Old Style

-Merge Records

-Doing the laundry without leaving the apartment

-The pictures my niece painted for us that are on our fridge

-Cheap Trick

-Grocery shopping

-The Onion's AV Club

-The Perfectly Lethal Radio Show

Not a bad list.

Radio Issues

I had some issues over the weekend with the station. It was a pain. On Friday I went to post the latest show and could not do so. I found an alternate (and much, much more difficult!) way of getting the show loaded on Sunday. After loading the show, though, I realized that the station was only playing the first show on a loop. I was finally able to get the station back on track last night. So we are back in business after an unusual weekend. Hopefully this won't happen very often.

We are coming up on our 20th show for Perfectly Lethal. Time to celebrate! For this occasion, we will have a special guest star. Be sure to tune in.

Not much else has been going on in the Perfectly Lethal universe. I am still plugging away at my 60/70's and Krautrock lists. I am down to about four albums on the 60/70's list. I've been collecting from this list for about a year and a half now. It has been really cool being exposed to music I would never have dreamed of checking out. That is kind of the point, I guess.

I got a bunch of new Go-Betweens albums recently. I really dig those guys. Have you heard 16 Lovers Lane? If so, why not?! There has also been a good amount of new stuff I've been really loving. Pearl Jam's Backspacer is nice. At first the second side of the album seemed kind of weak, but it has been really growing on me. Yo La Tengo's new album Popular Songs is great, but the poor sequencing makes sure that I will probably never listen to it all the way through again in one sitting. Paul Westerberg decided to put out a new one without telling anyone. It is cool, kind of a mix of his late 90's songwriting and his new basement approach from the last couple. Anything Paul does is worth a listen.

New Zoome News!

The enigmatic Dr. Zoome has posted details about he latest adventures and news of new music on the horizon:

www.myspace.com/drzoome

Exciting stuff.

Perfectly Lethal continues to buzz along. I think the station has settled into it's skin pretty comfortably.

Wake Up Mordecai In Session

So, we seems to be back in the flow on Perfectly Lethal after the big move.  We have been on the air for a month now, and have received a lot of good feedback about the show.  Thanks to all for listening and keep tuning in because we've got a lot of great music to play!

A very special show will be posted later today.  We recently sat down with Wake Up Mordecai over some tea and discussed their latest album Too Young For the Disco.  Morti was also kind enough to play a couple of live songs for us and later DJ for a little while.  The band has been a favorite around Perfectly Lethal for a while now, and we were very happy to have them on the show.  The session turned out very well, so check it out and let us know what you think.

Current

Weekend.  Vacation.  Painting.  Bee Gees.  Harry Nilsson.  New show done.  Beer.  Moving.

Perfectly Lethal.

Somewhere There's a Smile with My Name On It

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14DKvqs2Oc4

Perfectly Lethal-One Week In

Two new shows are in rotation.  I have a bit of a cold right now so the second of these might sound a little off, but overall, I think the quality is pretty decent.  I've also produced two promos that should pop up.  Listen in and let me know what you think!

Radio is the New Sensation

Alright, I think the station is pretty much set up.  I got the station logo up.  I've produced six shows that are in a constant loop.  I will add other sets every couple of days, but this is Perfectly Lethal Radio now.  I've listened, and, besides the already mentioned pimping of some movie that features action figures I got bored of before the forth grade, I'd say the new set up is pretty great.  I've got a lot of different and cool things going on the station, and there is more in the vaults to get on the station.  Listen up, enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Hello, It's Me

Okay, so it might have been a little longer than two weeks, but here it is:

http://www.live365.com/stations/perfectlylethal?site=live365

So far, my only complaint is that they pimp the GI Joe movie every ten minutes or so.  But it is definitely worth it!  Make sure to catch the Sons of Zebedee in studio with Perfectly Lethal.  They put on a really good set and we had a really fun time.  So far, the station has four shows up and I am working on a couple more so keep checking back.

I really excited that the show has grown to this level.  Keep listening and make sure to give me feedback!

I'm a No Show

There will be no show this week. Does this mean the end of The Perfectly Lethal Radio Show?!

No.

You see, Perfectly Lethal has kind of taken on a life of its own. It's growing and I am looking at other, more expansive options to broadcast the show. I will fill everyone in when I know more, and I hope to have an announcement in a week or two.

Thanks for listening, and check back for more information about the future of the show.

Bold New Directions?

I've been tossing around a lot of "themed" based shows recently and have come up with a couple of good ones. Inspired by this very blog (see the New York trip), I have decided to put my iPod on shuffle and use the results for a radio show. The flow of the show may not be as smooth, but I am interested at what corners of my collection will be brought out. This show will probably be the next one posted due to the relative ease such a show would take.

I am also looking at having a performance by a local band and having them pick some of their own favorites out to play on the show. This is still in the planning stages as I have to figure out exactly what equipment will be needed to do this. I am excited about these shows, as I think they will enhance the Perfectly Lethal experience.

I have also toyed with the idea of having a guest host for the show. Not sure if anyone would be interested, but I like the idea of the show having a different perspective other than my own.

And last, I would like to play full albums and discuss them in between songs. I have a couple of ideas for albums to feature, but would like to know what people are interested in hearing. I don't necessarily want to play and talk about Alien Lanes if no one is remotely interested in hearing about that album. So, any suggestions for albums you would like to hear me tackle?

B Game Rock

New show up:

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

A long Heedfest weekend caught up with me during the show which accounts for the not so wonderful quality.  This will of course improve next week as I won't be hanging out in a hotel parking lot drinking until two in the morning with about 4,000 other drunk GbV fans.

Or will I?

Crackle and Drag

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

Show number ten is up and ready to go. One thing that you may have noticed in the newer shows are songs that have that wonderful crackle sound. I recently began making mp3 files from some of my records, and the quality sometimes suffers a little. I personally don't mind it at all, being a GbV fanatic for most of my life and all. So, when you are listening to Tim Hardin's wonderful "Lady Came From Baltimore" in this show and wondering why it sounds slightly off, that is the reason.

Enjoy!

Paul Simon Knows

I was hanging out with some really cool friends last night and, while listening to some really awesome records, came to the realization about the following four lines:

And so you see I have come to doubt
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.

I could spend the rest of my life trying to say what is said in those four lines and never come close.

Another Show, Another Change

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

I am working with new software yet again, so there are a couple of glitches that I have to work out. The most notable of these, the fact that this show is only 50 minutes!!, will definitely be corrected by next week. Also, because I haven't been very diligent about keeping track of what I've played, for the first time I have repeated a song. I know that this is inevitable, but I didn't think I would do it just nine shows in! I am not going to say which one it is and hope that no one picks up on it. Thankfully, I took the time to catalog the shows so that this doesn't happen again. At least for a week or so.

I will say that I think the new software makes the show sound pretty good, and, once I figure out how to use it, will help make the show better. I also have not yet posted the track list on the site, but it will be up by the end of the day. Finally, I had one request this week and it was from my wife. Please send your requests in!

Enjoy the Bodast song!

I Hope It Don't Turn Away

Feeling a strange sort of restlessness these days. I've been listening to a ton a music of late, but these two songs in particular are really speaking to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXVzEUFDazI&feature=PlayList&p=6EBE218BC0B99D37&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=64

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8lRjNMorx8

They are both from the Bottom Line show. Such wonderful performances. This part has been particularly resonant:

I never knew a man
could tell so many lies
He had a different story
for every set of eyes.
How can he remember
who he's talkin' to?
'Cause I know it ain't me,
and I hope it isn't you.

The two of us need look no more

The world is ablaze with the news of Michael Jackson's death today.  I don't know exactly how I feel about this.  He is the first singer I can remember really enjoying as a kid (we had the Thriller album, but then, who didn't?), and though I haven't really been much of a fan of his, I will admit to really digging some Jackson Five songs.  I won't pretend to know anything about his life, nor defend him against any of the many allegations that have plagued him for much of his later life.  Everyone has his or her closet, and his has been examined enough.  I've always found the circus a little disturbing, even though he certainly contributed to it.  I will say that there always seemed to be a bit of sadness there, a longing for a normal life that could never be given his circumstances.

Perhaps now he can be at peace.

New Show

I'm a little late on getting this posted this week (after missing last week!), but here is the link:

www.drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

Due to complaints by people who think it's okay to just not show up to work for three weeks and go to far off places, I have also posted a track list of the show. This way, if you really enjoy the Bodast song I play next week, you'll know which one it is!

It's been a pretty rough week because of the proposed library budget cuts from our dear governor. If you live in Ohio and want to continue to see vital library systems throughout the state, I urge you to contact him as soon as possible and let your voice be heard.

http://governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx

As someone with many unhealthy obsession in music, I cannot tell you how much important a role the library plays in feeding this obsession.

Slightly Drunk

So here's my favorite Dylan songs:

10. I Want You
9. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
8. Highway 61 Revisited
7. Forever Young
6. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
5. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
4. It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
3. Desolation Row
2. If You See Her, Say Hello
1. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Nice.

Dr. Zoome & the Mad Scientists-Found Recordings

www.myspace.com/drzoome

The roll out for the new album is up. The album, the cover, and the great story written by Brandon Ulman of how the album came about are all up for the public to enjoy.

Surrender & the Faces

Cool band name? The latest show is up:

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

This one reeks of summer. While doing the show, I was driving back and forth doing laundry and the weather was beautiful. Incidentally, after putting one of their songs on the show, I got in the car and the radio immediately played a Raspberries song. Great radio minds think a like.

To follow up on the summer mode (or completely drive it into the ground, depends on how you look at it) I think I may do next week's show as a tribute to the Beach Boys. We'll see if this actually happens on Sunday. Until then, dig the now sounds of the show!

Neil Young: He Can Help Your Soul

Today I came into work very begrudgingly. As often happens with my soul destroying job, I am completely burned out. I felt sick to my stomach all morning about just the thought of having to get ready to go in.

But then I got there. And this awaited me, unexpectedly I might add.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gjfyxzukldje

There are no words.

Strangest song ever?

I have heard this song a couple of times over the years and never knew who it was. It has baffled me many a time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb-SVPJM4L4

Last night, while listening to 97.7 Southwestern Ohio Public Radio, I finally found out a little about this song. Who knew that Nancy Sinatra was so psychedelic?! I find it odd, and a little cool, that a song this strange went to #26 on the charts. Hooray for Southwestern Ohio Public Radio for shedding light on a song I've often wondered about.

Sadly, this link comes with a video that deepens the mystery even more.

The Top of My Game

This might be my best one yet:

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

This show also features my first anti-request.

That guitar. It slays.

I've been pretty busy of late, which kind of explains the lack of updates here. Lost in the shuffle of these busy days has been a new Dinosaur Jr. song that I have been meaning to check out for at least of couple of weeks. Today I finally checked it out and now am angry with myself for putting it off for so long.

The song is called "I Want You to Know" and is off their forthcoming album Farm, due out June 23. And it is wonderful. I really liked their reunion album Beyond from 2007. I will definitely be checking this one out.

5

The new show is up:

www.drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

I had some audio glitches in the finished product and I am not sure exactly how they got in there. I do hope to have this figured out by next week.

Introducing Dr. Zoome & the Mad Scientists

Hopefully by the end of the week I will write the review of Wake Up Mordecai's new album that I have been going over in my head all weekend. The record release party on Saturday was fantastic, and so is the album.

For now, though:

www.myspace.com/drzoome

The madness begins.

I am running out of radio show tags

The new show is up and ready for your ears:

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

Seriously, though, what other show brings the hits like this?! The Only Ones?! The Records?! THE LA'S?!?!

I am also taking requests now, so if you want to hear anything by Rush, let me know and I won't play it. If you don't, you'll just have to suffer through what my wife picks. There are only so many Arcade Fire songs!

Random Rules

I haven't updated in a while due to me being incredibly busy. I know, that doesn't seem to compute. Fact is, the last week and a half I've been running around like crazy. But things have slowed finally, and I am back with new updates that I know you are all dying to read about.

The most important thing, as far as this blog goes, is my new birthday present. My lovely wife got me a brand new iPod. It has 120 gigs, which is 116 more than my last one. Needless to say, I am pretty psyched about it.

In honor of this (and a facebook thing I filled out today), I have decided to rip off the Onion AV Club and talk about what comes up on my new shuffle. Sweet, eh?

"Outro with Bees"-Neko Case

This is a live version from her Austin City Limits album. I really like this song.

"Backwater Television"-Circus Devils

Those tricky bastards in the Circus Devils. This one is from Ataxia rocks and has some pretty good melodies between the ragged guitars and rough and tumble drums.

"Taxman, Mr. Thief"-Cheap Trick

A classic. Man, that chorus is fantastic. I could listen to it all day long, and probably would have if I didn't have to work today. Thanks a lot work for keeping me from my beloved Cheap Trick. Has anyone seen my shirt?

"For Me & My Gal"-Harry Nilsson

Nilsson is gold. This one is from his standards album. For anyone looking to hear what "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" done up by Nilsson sounds like, this is your album.

"Magic Trick"-M Ward

I really like this track. It sounds like an Imagine outtake by John Lennnon. That is a very good compliment.

That was fun. Maybe I can get back on track on.

Avoid the Noid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IaNaQHjIRE

Is this the best video ever? Sometimes, I think that it is. Extra points for when it was on Beavis and Butthead.

"It's like he can't write songs, but he sure can sing." Classic!

I really don't want to grow up.

Radio, Radio

Here is the new site for the Perfectly Lethal Radio Show:

http://drop.io/perfectlylethalradioshow

I hope to use this site from now on. I ran into some glitches with the old site, figured out what I did wrong, and now have the new and improved site up and ready. Show number two is up for the week, and I will continue to put shows up every week or so. I really enjoy doing this and hope you get some enjoyment out of this too.

Also, I finally got my Wayward Bus album back for all of you out there that were concerned. It was a long and painful ordeal, but it is finally over.

British. Freakbeat. Pyschedelia.

It's Friday after payday, which means I am eagerly awaiting my latests batch of CDs to come in. I've got a couple coming that I am really looking forward to (Beefheart!*), but I am unreasonably excited to get my Wimple Winch album. That's right, Wimple Winch. I don't know much about this band from post-Beatles Liverpool, but the words British Freakbeat Pyschedelia have me foaming at the mouth. Doesn't that just sound wonderful?

Speaking of wonderful, I've had the Paul Westerberg song "Crackle and Drag" in my head all day. I have one line in particular that keeps popping up, one about turning 30. Do you think my brain is trying to tell me something? Anyways, if you are not familiar with this song you should check it out. It's wonderful and slightly devestating at the same time.

*-Tip: Anytime I want to really annoy my wife, I start singing "Ella Guru" and let her take it from there. It gets stuck in her head for hours and she gets more and more upset about this as time passes.

Introducing Perfectly Lethal Radio

www.drop.io/perfectlylethalradio

I sure wish I had my Wayward Bus album...

Three (Again?)

Three developments:

I have produced my first radio show and decided to name it after this blog. I have been talking about it for awhile now, but I finally got around to doing it. It is a just over an hour long, and I am hoping to do one per week. At first I messed around with a lot of ideas, but I decided to play straight up DJ and play some songs I like. Posting is now the only issue that I have, but I think I have that part figured out. I should have it up by the end of the week if anyone is interested.

My wife and I had our one year anniversary on Sunday, followed by me waking up at 3 in the morning sick as a dog. I stayed home from work yesterday and tried to plow through the growing number of films I have on DVR from Turner Classic Movies. That channel is amazing. Unfortunately, sleep was a problem and I only made it through one full movie, though it was fantastic. It was Phantom Carriage, a 1921 Swedish silent film. I did not know going in that it is a movie that was a major influence on Ingmar Bergman, but could tell almost immediately. It was really haunting and has stayed with me. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has seen Seventh Seal.

Third, and finally, it looks as if my record label Stumbling Through the Weekend will be putting out Dr. Zoome & the Mad Scientists' recording pretty soon. I hope to have it up by the middle of May. I know the world is not prepared for this.

Opening Acts

Usually when I go see concerts, I am not all that thrilled about opening acts. I think it is great when bands take other bands that they actually really enjoy out with them. Usually, though, this is not the case. It always seems like I have to sit through some band that a record label pushed on the headlining act. I have seen some great pairings over the years, but it seems that we get some unrelated band more often than not.

Tomorrow, though, we get Crooked Fingers. I love Crooked Fingers. Their song "New Drink For a New Drunk" is a particular favorite. This should really rock.

Weekend Listening

Paint America Love-Lou Christie
Tago Mago-Can
Bryter Layter-Nick Drake
Would You Believe-Billy Nicholls
Another Side of Rick-Rick Nelson
Music In a Doll's House-Family

I finished my first mix in over a month. It is a Nick Drake mix and is untitled as of now. Any suggestions?

We also found out that we will be seeing Neko Case in Cowtown on Thursday. I hope she plays "Deep Red Bells" and "Teenage Feeling."

December boys got it bad

Today the sun is shining. The palest shade of gray has been replaced by a rejuvenating blue and yellow glow. It makes me want to go out side and run around, drink with friends on a porch, and sing along with so many of my favorite songs. Big Star. Cheap Trick. The Raspberries.

Loudly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3KuIoOc7pI

The Terror of Knowing What This World Is About

Tonight my wife and I were coming home from Hoagies and we had the radio on. The beginning of one of my favorite songs started and I got really excited. She pointed out that I should not have gotten excited until I knew that it wasn't that "other song." She was right.

The song?

"Under Pressure."

She had a good point.

Life's Not Made of Gold

What a dreary, unremarkable day. Every time I look out the window I see the most pale shade of gray I have ever seen in my life. To make matters worse, work has been even more frustrating than usual. It is days like these that the world needs Nick Drake songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2jxjv0HkwM

Not my favorite Nick Drake song, but one that really sums the day up.

The Power of Rock

Do you remember what you were doing on August 26, 1998? I do. I attended my Grandfather's funeral. It was one of the saddest days of my life. After the funeral ended, I got in a car and rode to Cleveland to see one of my favorite bands. Pearl Jam. It was the second time I would be seeing them, the first coming the week before in Indy.

I've seen Pearl Jam a bunch since then, but this one will always stick in my mind. I had quit the only job I had ever had shortly before, and then quit my new job after a week because it was horrible and they made me feel guilty about asking off for my Grandfather's funeral. I was jobless, sad, and incredibly tired. The concert seemed a million miles from where I was, but I went because we had bought tickets and I thought it would have been good to get my mind off things.

It was one of the most transcendent nights of my life. We were in about the tenth or so row. The band was incredible. They played "Footsteps" and "Baba O'Riley." I left the concert still feeling sad, yet uplifted by the power of one band playing music so powerful that you forget your surroundings and just left go. Enjoy the moment. It was one of the most magical performances I had ever seen.

Tonight I sit listening to those recordings, over a decade later, and I can still feel the electricity. It may have been over a decade ago, but it is so close in my mind.

Me and My Arrow

We watched The Point last night, and I thought it was great. After watching it, I now want to name our first dog Arrow. My wife and I had decided on the name Wilco for our first dog, but I may push for that to be the second name. I will probably lose this battle, but I can dream right? While I am dreaming, I want Arrow to be blue.

I was looking through a CD booklet today and I was struck by two things. First, I don't think I can ever make the full transition to digital music. It is fine with things that are out of print or single songs, but for full albums I really like having the album art work and linear notes. Second, I desperately wish I had a larger creative space in my apartment. Right now I have all of five square feet it seems, and for every creative act I have prep work. For example, if I want to record a song on my 4-track, I have to unplug other items and re-arrange furniture to get a guitar part down. To record vocals, I then have to move all my equipment into a different room and unplug even more items. That is a lot of work for a song that usually lasts 90 seconds.

I also want to start a record label and call it Stumbling Through the Weekend Records. Sound cool? Maybe I can put out the strange tape I found in the park last week as the first release!

Tony Perez on First

Michigan State finally ran out of gas last night. I was pulling for them but it just wasn't meant to be. Baseball season is here, but it seems like every year I get less and less excited about it. I find myself just wanting to check out the 1975 World Series on DVD and watching that. Go Big Red Machine!

I have nothing really to say today. Instead, I will post my favorite Talking Heads songs. That seems all the rage these days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNdMc6wGtU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhQU3fgCMXA

This Tornado Loves You

I was going to write yesterday but my wife had homework and I never really got to get on the computer. I had a great walk yesterday and listened to Amon Duul II's wonderful Phallus Dei and Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz. The title track of the first album is all kinds of fantastic noise rock bliss. Check it out if you can; it's twenty minutes and every second is worth the ride.

I got my walk in yesterday before we had all the tornado warnings around here. When I was about eight or nine, on vacation of all times, a tornado hit Sandusky. My siblings and my mom had to hide in the closet of this small cabin as the wind destroyed every tree in our area. Other than being scared out of my mind, I remember two things about this: The next day there were literally thousands of sticks on the ground and the storm had knocked out the Sohio gas station sign. Instead it read ohio, and I thought that was awesome for some reason.

In honor of this, I give you Neko Case and a live version of one of her fantastic new songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RNYYwRtXU

To the Path!

My wife and I got up and going today and actually got a lot accomplished. By noon, we had gotten all of our errands run and even got to eat at the legendary donut place Jim's Donuts. Feeling in an overall good mood after accomplishing so much, I decided do a reboot on my iPod.

Since it is April, the weather is nice, and daylight is extending further and further into the evening, this is usually about the time I recommit every year to getting into shape. This year is going to be a little more difficult because I did not make much effort at getting out this past winter. Add that to the extra drinking weight from this past basketball season (we had a lot to celebrate in Dayton this year!) and I have some work ahead of me at getting back in shape.

To help kick this into action I took off much of what was currently on my iPod and added the music that has helped me get back in the swing of things in the past: Jazz and Krautrock. I am not sure why this always works, but I have a suspicion that long instrumental passages helps make the time I spend out walking not seem as long. That, or I just associate this kind of music with being out of shape and walking up hills that almost kill me. Either way, it seems to work.

So today, armed with Neu! '75 and Genius Of Modern Music Volume One (by Neu! and Thelonious Monk, respectively) I got off to a good five mile start. I am a little sore right now, but I feel pretty good. I am actually looking forward for tomorrow's hike. I wonder what the odds that I'll be listening to John Coltrane's Ascension?

Things I Want to Tell You

I'm stuck at work for a couple of more hours and then on to final four weekend. Not sure where I am going to watch tomorrow, but I will be rooting for MSU. Honestly, I am just looking for a couple of good games. To help pass the time, here are a couple of songs that I will probably put on as soon as I get home.

"Since K Got Over Me"-Clientele
"Fearless"-Pink Floyd
"Floating"-Clouds Forming Crowns
"Northern Sky"-Nick Drake
"No Reply At All"-Genesis
"From a Motel 6"-Yo La Tengo
"Things"-Paul Westerberg
"Angelica"-Scott Walker
"Cold Morning Light"-Todd Rundgren
"Bye Bye Kitty Cat"-The Mice

Once again, I think this would be a killer start to a mix tape. Maybe I should just merge these with yesterday's list.

Three

How about that? Three days in a row. Too bad I have nothing to say.

I checked allmusic for songs named "three." They list 239, none of which I care enough about to write about. Instead, I will I list the third tracks from some of my favorite albums. How is that for creative?

"Watch Me Jumpstart" from Alien Lanes
"Quadrophenia" from Quadrophenia
"I'm Only Sleeping" from Revolver
"Glass Onion" from The Beatles
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" from After the Goldrush
"The Imposter" from Get Happy!!
"Taxman, Mr. Thief" from Cheap Trick
"Way out West" from Radio City
"Wild Horses" from Sticky Fingers

None of these are my favorite songs from these albums, yet, the above list would make for a nice start to a mixtape. Maybe I should look into that.

Hooray!

I checked my account today at the library and it seems that I will be getting this DVD soon:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjhTBZaVYfA&feature=PlayList&p=062C4545AD2C3D86&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=22


I got the soundtrack a couple of weeks back and really enjoy it. Normally, children's music isn't my cup of tea, but this is Nilsson. I am beginning to think that every thing that man does is gold.

Gold Nilsson, gold!

Awaiting Terror Twilight

On Saturday I went up to West Jefferson to see my good friend George Dustin Combs play. I used to play with GDC in the legendary Kid Gruesome back before electricity was invented. Anyway, it was great hearing some of the old jams like "Fallen Angels Wings." I also like his new(ish?) "Johnny Cash Is Dead." Check out his myspace to hear some of his tunes:

http://www.myspace.com/GeorgeDCombs

I had threatened to blog from the concert (free wi-fi with purchase!) but pre-gaming for the gig was more important. Honestly, I firmly believe that pre-gaming for anything is very important.

I got the new Pavement Brighten the Corners re-issue this past week. First off, I must say that Matador has done a fantastic job with these re-issues. I always thought that this album was underrated, so it is nice to see it getting the full two disc treatment. So many fantastic songs, but I think my favorite is "Starlings of the Slipstream." Man, that one gets me everytime. I always liked "Transport Is Arranged" because it reminds me of Abbey Road for some reason. I am probably the only person who thinks that.

My only complaint is that it does not have "For Sale! The Preston School of Industry" on it. I guess I'll just have to wait for the Farewell Horizontal re-issue.

Diamond?

I am making an effort to add to this more. After all, what is the point of having a blog, if you don't update but once a month?

So what to say? A couple of weeks ago I dropped my wife off at school. On the way home the CD I was listening to ended. I switched on the radio and heard "Supper's Ready." Score! So, two big thumbs up to the wonderful folks at Flyer Radio, the UD radio station.

All day I have been thinking about this song and how I haven't heard it in a while:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4IiP__5ck

We actually used to make fun of old Neil Diamond when I was younger, but when you hear a song like this, you realize your past mistakes and get on with life. Now I think twice about bashing old Neil.

Plus, the Monkees covered some of his songs. The Monkees rule.

March Madness

My Dayton Flyers won a game in the tournament this year. This makes me very happy. I was in the 5th grade the last time they won a tournament game. God knows what I was listening to back then.

I have slowed a little on my mix making, but I did make two solid ones this past month: Guaranteed Sweetness by Tobin Sprout and Haunted By American Dreams by Neko Case. I also figured out a way transfer my records to sound files. This means I now have a CD copy of Neil Young's long forgotten Time Fades Away.

File this under "Good Things in Life."

The Chunk!

No, not the famous character from The Goonies. I saw today that Superchunk is putting out an EP on April 7. This makes me very, very happy. The timing is strange as I made a Superchunk mix this past weekend. It's called Blue Ribbons and Red Wine. I guess that I will have to make another one soon with some new songs. I guess I could call it A Drummer Called The Gorch.

Probably not.

My brain hurt like a warehouse, there was no room to spare

Yesterday I had the day off and decided to drive my wife to school. This is usually an hour round trip, and I get a great chance to listen to music. I listened to Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. So many fantastic songs on each album, but I think my favorite is "Five Years." I love these lyrics:

I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour, drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine, dont think
You knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor
And I thought of ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, youre beautiful, I want you to walk

I probably looked like an idiot singing along to this song three times in the car yesterday, but who cares.

Tonight we are going to see the Textbook Committee at Canal Street. We saw them over the summer on the patio at Wings, and, though I was confused as to why a lot of people were calling me shitty tigerbomb, it was still a fantastic show. I was sold on them when they opened with a pretty rocking "Bull Spears." Can't wait to see them put on the three hour show tonight. As usual, I'll be the drunk guy singing along.