Admittedly, some of these episodes are excuses for us to take a ball peen hammer to the material, and there's some of that exercise here, but there are undoubtedly aspects to Buffet's ascent that defy logic and encourage chatter. There's a bit of an Austin angle to his gold strike, too.

Indeed, as incredulous as we often seem throughout this episode that we actually listened to it (with the possible exception of Mark, who made a conscious decision not to torture himself), we tend to agree that it's unusual that career rocketships launch cocktail in hand.

If you squint hard enough at sunset, you may see Just Another Island from here.

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

CW McCall - Convoy

A Current Affair

The Last Dinner Party - Nothing Matters

Nevertheless, there is something refreshing yet acerbic about this band's point of view, and it's not terribly surprising that they've been so beloved by their homeland (and those who appreciate an Irish perspective, perhaps).

They are as Irish as a somewhat damp, extremely heavy cable knit sweater and believe me when I tell you that I did not know the origin point for those sweaters was Irish, but I looked it up and turns out it is. Sometimes the world just lines up right.

And there are so many stories lurking here, from the neighbor kid who stomps through the streets of a 'pregnant city with a catholic mind' to the open question of why punk needs saving, exactly. Conundrums, half-truths, attitudes that pull on longer yarns to come.

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Glen Hansard - Lowly Deserter

A Current Affair

Sir Chloe - Know Better

Entirely too much. The Guess Who will do that to you.

All of the usual and a few unusual bits are trotted out. We are aware, and we are fond of Canadians. But the deep dive in this case is kind of unavoidable. Apologies to all the Gords north of the border. Maple! For all my friends.

We canvass the practice of the forty-seven minute drum solo, what it's like to sound a third angrier lyrically than is necessary, fake zombies, and something that comes across like Elvis covering Van Morrison.

This band represents another one of those acts who rocketed up the charts, encountered weird touring issues, and was typically driven by a couple of core dudes and a rotating cast of players.

The public took notice.

Tune in as we examine a quirky and occasionally accidental ascent.

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Chemical Club - Spring

A Current Affair

Lana Del Ray (ft. Father John Misty) - Let The Light In

It's hard to overstate his impact: T Rex enjoyed a run from 1970-73 where they charted like the Fab Four. Eleven singles in the UK top ten, among them 'Get It On,' cornerstone of Electric Warrior, touchstone of myriad covers since.

Weird stories abound: Bolan and Bowie once painted their shared manager's walls and scavenged outfits from dustbins together, and years later Bolan grabbed camp and androgyny and sexy sheen by the scruff of the neck. It's very easy to get this kind of thing wrong, but there is something no doubt fundamental at play here. It is, as Ryan suggests, both 'dirty and sweet.' The flashpoint of an attitude.

Bolan was a guy that couldn't drive but owned several cars and died in one. Life and death are funny sometimes. But in the time we're here, there's still time to start something. Something that echoes and reverbs through the ages.

(Recorded May 30, 2022)

In This Episode:

A Few Minutes With:
Roger Miller - Dang Me

A Current Affair:
NKTOB (Feat. Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley, En Vogue) - Bring Back The Time

Listen to the album on Spotify

'I'm Not In Love' alone could have made for a solid hour of chatter, what with the story about how they laid down layers upon layers of voice tracks, the true aesthetic which could be best felt by laying down on the ground in the studio and letting the track wash over them, which they actually did.

Don't get me started on the fact that eventually the band broke up into two equal halves, a pop half and an art half, and that the art half (I think?) was responsible for an all time ditty of their own, and one of the weirdest album covers ever. Swing for the fences, I guess.

No, don't get me started on any of that. But do lend an ear. There are plenty of yarns to spin.

In This Episode:

A Few Minutes With:
Rex Orange County - Loving Is Easy

A Current Affair:
Silk Sonic - Fly As Me

Listen to the album on Spotify

Though it's your act, your last name is a nom de plume.

You may understand the difference between the 'emo' and 'scene' scenes, and you may churn out catchy harmonies like they're growing on trees, but beneath the surface of incandescent melodies lurks melancholy.

That's where we find Jade Lilitri and his erstwhile ensemble, Oso Oso. Let's put the needle in the groove, together, and unpack what it means when an optimist drinks 'half empty cups.'
(Recorded February 14, 2020)

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Matthew Sweet - Thought I Knew You

A Current Affair

Dermot Kennedy - Outnumbered

You will also find pictures of a large 19th century iron coffin device, lined inside with sharp spikes, into which people were imprisoned. One can only imagine it was nearly as painful. 

For this episode, we focus on the former; subjecting Mark to unimaginable anguish and making the coffin with sharp spikes seem like a comfortable respite from the audible shrieks of torture. Memories of high school D&D campaigns flanked by long candles protruding from the mouths of empty beer bottles and sound-tracked by Iron Maiden aren't enough to make one love Somewhere In Time. Truth be told, there are gems to be pulled from this instrument of persecution that warrant a listen. If only once.

(Recorded on February 06, 2020)

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Nine Inch Nails - Closer

A Current Affair

Calexico - Father Mountain

A few months back Ryan and Mark and I put together our pandemic mixtape show, a glorious (and occasionally weepy) montage of the feels we found during those times. But Shane couldn't make that taping, and he proposed that we record a sort of adjunct episode, a Shane-centric one, if you will.

So here we are, dialing up a sublime and occasionally hysterical batch of Shane's memories, from the 'What the hell did I just see' of Thundercat to the modern buzzy throwback of Bachelor to Run The Jewels (which gave me occasion to tell my ACL-TV story) to the nerdy upbeat bliss of Dayglow.

And more. Because pandemic records were totally a thing, and so was pandemic listening. We reveal the escape where we can find it.

Listen to the Spotify Playlist

Watch The Videos

Tamar Aphek - Crossbow
Run The Jewels - Ooh La La
Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen - Like I Used To
Anderson .Paak - Lockdown
Thundercat - Dragonball Durag
Goat Girl - Sad Cowboy
Billy Eilish - My Future
Sylvan Esso - Ferris Wheel
Dayglow - Medicine
Bachelor - Stay In The Car
Clairo - Amoeba
Haim - Summer Girl

But that robs us of a certain sense of who he was at his epiphany, a competitive and deeply original talent who shone in the spotlight, bucked the trends that made Motown buckets of cash, and crafted what Ryan termed 'a sexy protest record.'

And that's what it is.

Not every moment lands here; just as slivers of Marvin Gaye's days ring cinematic, others hollow, he was still, even in chaos, able to push past destruction and tap into wells of inspiration...that kept his work in focus, never beyond the wanting ears of the public consciousness.

Marvin Gaye's life wasn't always cinematic, it just seemed that way.

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Modern English - I Melt With You

A Current Affair

Harry Styles - As It Was

But as long as music bears the burden of snapping us back to the moment when we first made its acquaintance, it feels, if only for a brief time, like we haven't aged a day.

Ryan's friend Daniel Rich sits in on this show, and he brought us a gift: The Jungle Brothers' Done By The Forces of Nature. And there, in the way back machine, he is...nineteen, staring down the semi opaque business end of a flimsy promotional pressing LP, slapping it on a substandard turntable, and falling hard for whatever bumped and grooved out of the tinny speaker set.

For all that the Jungle Brothers didn't quite accomplish in comparison with the overt popularity of some of their Native Tongues brethren, this album signaled the serious Afrocentric arrival of an act with real chops, and even in a period of volcanic creativity in the genre, the LP rings as fresh today as it did in 1989.

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Cornershop - Good To Be On The Road Back Home

A Current Affair

EASHA - Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Martin, one half of the having-an-indie-moment act Hovvdy, spent much of the first two COVID years huddled up with his Mrs, tethered to extended family from afar, until they deemed such time safe (or safe enough) to venture out.

Imaginary People, Martin's solo LP, emerges as an exploration of perspective, or should we say, 'perspectives, both real and imagined.' Which is to say that the way Martin navigated the slow passage of the pandemic was to conjure stories of characters, examine his own experience, to wonder and encourage himself to create.

Serendipity plays a role here: it just so happens that an 1870s Steinway grand piano has tenure at Martin's Mother-In-Law's house in Mississippi, and those keys flavor the record often.

Ultimately, it's worth noting that the offending review I note during this show came from KOOP (not KCRW). I wasn't sure how this record would land with Ryan and Mark, how we'd identify with this menagerie of hazy sonic portraits, but one thing's for certain. Charlie Martin can spin a yarn. 

Listen to the album on Spotify

A Few Minutes With

Eddie Grant - Electric Avenue

A Current Affair

The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

We don't know if the legends about said scarf are real, nor do we have insight from various Gyllenhaals as to the status of the aforementioned scarf, and we don't know with certainty that Taylor Swift, when you break up with her, is contractually obligated or otherwise driven to write ten minute super catchy ditties heavily inferring that she wants her scarf back.

We don't know any of that.

What we do know is that she writes borderline illegally infectious pop ditties that at times make otherwise serious human beings feel like they're...twenty-two. That her popcraft is of such finely hewn nuance that she can reimagine many of her breakout works, layer in a dizzying array of collaborations, and even deftly cede the spotlight from time to time is pretty telling.

It's a memorable party, you just may get emotional at the end.

Also, we take a magnifying glass to 'Bust A Move' -

Find it on Amazon

A Few Minutes With

Young MC - Bust A Move

A Current Affair

fanclubwallet - Car Crash in G Major

Of course now, in a story that's been beaten into a fine mist, we know the pandemic had other plans.

It is with tongue planted firmly in cheek that I suggest that this development did manage to affect the pursuit of podcasting.  At least it did ours.

We really like to sit down in person as we can—it just makes for a livelier show—and talk music. So we waited. In the time since, Shane's gone back into the studio, so when we did decide to reconvene, Kevin, Ryan & Mark connect for this episode.

We offer you the SLI pandemic recap mixtape, where we consider the tracks we've met since we've not been meeting. From the forlorn to the fanciful, it's a grab bag of what's kept us company throughout as the months piled up.

Like the needle dropped in the groove, you've got to start somewhere -

Recorded in October of 2021. To listen to the songs featured in this episode, checkout our Pandemic MixTape Spotify Playlist.

Some of the tracks here are to be expected (Billie Eilish is clearly having a moment), and Clairo's more recent work follows her video with 45 million downloads, but we also mixed in some of the Front Bottoms (which gave us occasion to riff on old band names), Soccer Mommy makes an appearance with chops, and who knew The Raconteurs were at it again. Brendon Benson, I suppose.

All in all mixtape shows are a breezy way to get back into things, take the pulse, talk a little current events. And remember why, even if we're lagging, great tracks remain timeless.

But there was a time when he found himself at the crossroads to a great enough extent that he laid down in the street in hopes that he might not get up again. This was more than the act of a man who wrote Patsy Cline's breakout hit "Crazy." It was, at the time, an act of desperation.

And how delightful it must have felt, then, years later, when he worked his industry position into an album delivered the way that he wanted it, on his terms. He delivered something Nashville brass had no concept might work: a stripped down, road weary tale of a man looking for answers is a world that kept them just out of reach.

In the end, the audience had the final say. Let's unspool what all the fuss was about.

It's rare when it happens, but it happens.

We ran into an interesting set of circumstances with Barrie and their initial release Happy To Be Here, from the SXSW set Mark and I caught in a Mezcal bar (with a local weatherman) to the fact that through dumb luck they came through Austin literally the night before recording, and Mark and I cornered Barrie (the person this time, not the band) to ask her a few questions about their music and her songs.

And of course she was delightful, and the record is often delightful, and the whole thing tends to play like a nostalgic trip to somewhere you already know that you fancy.

Which may make for a little bit of a one note sounding commentary.  But don't listen for hand wringing (there really isn't much of that anyway), lend an ear for the tracks. Those are the ones you've never heard before...that always take you back.

Purchase the album

For our Labor Day Mixtape Show, we decided (cleverly? You decide-) that we'd bring to bear songs specifically about Work, Birth (or Babies) and/or British Parliament (though that Labour has a U in it). Who knows if it works, but it sure does make the searching and ensuing chatter greater than dull. Pull up your favorite chair, grab the beverage of your choosing, and hold on.

Also, We've created a playlist for this mixtape so that you can enjoy all of the songs in their entirety. You can check that out on Spotify or on Apple Music.

##In This Episode:##

• R.E.M. - Finest Worksong
• Dolly Parton - 9 to 5
• The Beatles - Birthday
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Isn't She Lovely
• They Might Be Giants - Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go To Work)
• Eddie Rabbitt - Driving My Life Away
• Loverboy - Working For The Weekend
• Spoon - The Agony of Laffitte
• Huey Lewis and the News - Working For A Living
• Sam Cooke - Chain Gang
• Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money
• Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen

He was, after all, known in his later years for playing entire sets with his back to the paying audience. He wasn't here, specifically, for you.

In 1959, sixty or so years (almost to the day) prior to this episode, Davis assembled a team of players in the stratosphere of their careers: John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley on sax, pianist Bill Evans, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb and new band pianist Wynton Kelly, who sat in for a track. It was heady company, and by the time they hit the studio, Miles had considered the ideas and signatures behind Kind of Blue thoroughly. The result was a legendary "conversation" between instruments, a subtle juxtaposition of styles that has continued to chart ever since. It's a solid starter jazz record for the neophyte ear, packed with enough nuance to reward repeat listenings from staunch collectors.

Kind of Blue is only six songs long. But the tracks run much deeper than that. In this show, we ponder a classic.

Find it on Amazon

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

And I don't mean that it's because the song is a transcendent masterpiece, a triumph to eclipse all of their others.

It sounded, for lack of a better term, like a band poured everything into making one radio ready song, and then realized that they needed to cut nine more before the record came out.

There is a lot (I mean a LOT) of teeth gnashing in this episode - we worry about Liv Tyler (who up and married one of these guys), and we somehow find time to mention that there were other albums, which is frankly somewhat astonishing. But they had their fifteen minutes. Which is about a quarter of the time they get here.

Find it on Amazon

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

The result is a sort of weird "conference call" quality to the broadcast (a fact that we lampoon for probably too long here), but we're in lemonade out of lemons territory, and we were eager to have some fun talking about the band at hand, in this case, The Libertines, whose very sound seems to celebrate a certain level of sonic disaster on the regular.

We're joined by our music writer friend Chad who steps in for Shane this go round, and Ryan makes him re-canvass his story the launch of the White Stripes UK hype machine, and how that started with a music missive from The D. There's lots of talk about what pub bands sound like and how many teeth Shane McGowan has these days, but mostly we shake up the snow globe that is The Libertines a bit and see what settles out. And we learn what Up The Bracket means.

We're back to sounding like our selves (for better or worse) next week, but you can argue that we've been been more lo-fi than here, talking about trouble and wrecked hotel rooms. Press your ear to the keyhole and see what all the racket's about.

Find it on Amazon

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

And so we find ourselves at the doorstep of Whitney's debut release Light Upon The Lake, and Shane Is Not Having It. He struggles to abide the vocal register of Julien Ehrlich (which, admittedly to some, can scan a little Muppetastic), but half of us see the late afternoon sun shining through the Laurel Canyon tinged hills and the Wes Anderson backstory and bask. Ryan makes the point that in an age of digital singles this record is, most assuredly, an Album.

They've got a new one in the can and the dates have been lined up and it's supposed to drop in August. But if you want to see where Whitney started the conversation, look no further than here. And let the light in.

Find it on Amazon

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

Oh sure, some things remain constant - he still doesn't linger in the recording studio - and he’s surrounded here by musicians that would prove iconic — including some, like Randy Rhoads, whose legacy cemented through prowess and tragedy alike.

There are ugly legal battles that linger, but in the moment Diary of a Madman captures the touchstone of an artist’s trajectory. Just the kind of thing metalheads never forget.

Find it on Amazon

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

But behind the polished veneer of her most recent release, a few of us wonder if she's been comfortable too long. Too many high fives and back slaps (is that still a thing?) and afternoons by the pool, with a rolodex (is that still a thing?) of anyone she can imagine as collaborator. When that formula lands, the results can be mesmerizing. And when it doesn't, you may just end up with something...pleasant.

And maybe this album is both. We agree on this: there's only one way to find out.

Buy Jenny Lewis On The Line

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

All in all, it's not hard to see why this act became a thing in the nascent days of MTV, and why, after all these years, it still sounds fun. And you can wager that revolutionaries dressed like Adam Ant might not have won most wars, but  then again, you probably need to ask yourself, who wants to fight with all this dancing going on?

Pick up Adam Ant's Friend or Foe

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

Things Fall Apart became the ascendant touchstone for a band that always had chops but never felt dangerous - from the fiery Jim Crow imagery stamped on the cover to the grab you by the throat lyrical turns held within, Questlove, Black Thought and company laid down somewhere in the neighborhood of 145 tracks to whittle down to a final take-no-prisoners fourteen songs, and once the interludes and transitions were sifted in, the record felt like a full on protest - of history, of their careers.

How does it hold up twenty years down the road? Lend an ear and let's see.

Not so with boygenius, the clever by way of earnest moniker that is Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker as one. Recorded in four days, this EP showcases artists who may mine familiar territory (loss, longing, challenges in confidence) but carve out unique and complimentary roles to weave their arresting and forlorn tales. The chief complaint about this release was that it was too short. Let's see if that's true -

boygenius - boygenius

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

Which brings us to Superorganism, an originally far flung collection of musicians who bonded in person but also, primarily, over email and Skype and who now largely share the same residence in London, except for that one who lives in Australia. Of course. That moniker syncs, but what does it mean?

Their pop pastiche caught the indie world's attention and held it—and that clever grab bag approach makes intriguing bedfellows of a litany of effects and musical genres. It's a little slacky but often undeniably fun, seasoned with a variety that begs surprises. Like opening a present. Let's unwrap.

Superorganism - Superorganism

Video for Something For Your M.I.N.D.

Video for Everybody Wants To Be Famous

Video for Reflections On A Screen

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

It's safe to say that it's a complicated place to come of age, and as of recently, they still hadn't actually quit their day jobs, all three of them continuing to wait tables in addition to being label mates with the likes of Arctic Monkeys.

There's a chance Constant Image, their fist full length, could change all of that. And it should be said that the thrill of records like this, occasionally, is that even the band isn't totally sure of what they're supposed to be: that they'll stick the landing is far from assured. Still, that's the thing about the intersection of youth and ambition - occasionally, the chances you take are incendiary.

Flasher - Constant Image

Video for Material

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

##In This Episode:##

• Survivor - Eye of the Tiger from Rocky 3
• Echo and the Bunnymen - Bring On The Dancing Horses from Pretty In Pink
• Modern English - I Melt With You from Valley Girl
• Happy Mondays - Loose Fit from 24 Hour Party People
• Joe Esposito - You're The Best Around from Karate Kid
• The Replacements - Within Your Reach from Say Anything
• Elliott Smith - Needle In The Hay from The Royal Tennenbaums
• Sing Street - Brown Shoes from Sing Street
• Suzanne Vega - Caramel from The Truth About Cats And Dogs
• Pulp - Mile End from Trainspotting
• Ocean Colour Scene - Hundred Mile High City from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
• Teenage Fan Club & De La Soul - Fallin from Judgement Night
• Sammy Hagar - Winner Takes All from Over The Top
• Tears for Fears - Mad World from Donnie Darko
• The Beatles - Hey Bulldog from Yellow Submarine
• Nick Drake - One of These Things First from Garden State

Hank Williams III - Straight To Hell

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

Ariana Grande - Sweetener

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

Bandwagonesque was the record we knew, framed by the apparently unforgivable historical fact that any band with any album might edge Nirvana's Nevermind for an Album of the Year designation. That happened. Some still haven't gotten past it. Voting on things brings controversy.

But this isn't that album. It's not even that argument.

Here we canvass Grand Prix, widely regarded as perhaps the pinnacle of Teenage Fanclub's jangly alt-pop catalogue: not so breakneck as the racer on the cover might suggest, not as European either, come to think of it. But it does sound like a band accelerating in pursuit of the act they're meant to be. Breathtaking, dynamic, harmonious. Buckle up.

Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix

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A Current Affair

Without giving away too much, I'll just add that naps and trans-continental one night hook-ups could both be aided by said aforementioned dream-pop should give one enough pause to check this record out – and that Shane is a big enough devotee of this act (two folks, for what it's worth), to rank this somewhat lower in its canon, while still clocking in as a fan. Looks like I have some back-listening to do, as I'm into it.

We also give what one would hope is a somewhat fitting tribute to The Queen of Soul, dearly departed Aretha Franklin. We will miss you.

[Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars][1]

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

It should also be noted that Producer Mark is King of the Vocal Mash-Up.
[1]: http://a.co/3OeMaGx
[2]: https://youtu.be/Vet6AHmq3_s
[3]: https://youtu.be/EmYfPMDJoQs

This album seems polarizing among XTC faithful with some calling it one of their best works and others putting it at the bottom of their catalog. For us, we all pretty much agreed; this does not match the power of Partridge's and Moulding's work that came both before and after its release, but that does not make it any less important in telling the full story of this band from Swindon.

XTC - The Big Express

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

Yeah, that's right.

Because of stupid Corporate Overlords not respecting the free speech rights of Warrant, we will never get to hear the genius they originally had in mind when they set music to tape back in 1989. They originally wanted this album to be called "Vertical Smile". Get it?

That is a true story.

Say what you want about them, (and everybody has an opinion on them), those late-80's scrunched-up Aqua-Net bangs had a laser focused misogynist poetry that was DESTROYED forever by the ironic vaseline smeared fish-eye lenses of the 90's Seattle-ish bands that would stand fiddling on a dropped D violin as the House That Poison Built slowly sank into that Pacific Ocean. And that's sad. It's sad to watch an empire crumple.

I wanted this album to be worse than it was. I begrudgingly admit there are some solid Rock And Roll songs on it. Coming from someone that HATES mainstream capital R "Rock and Roll" from 19 whenever-through-2000-yeah-still-sucks,that is a solid head-nod.

Don't get me wrong, "Cherry Pie" is like 1/3 boring-ass power ballads. It was hard to make fun of. I wanted it to be way funnier than it was.

So, screw you, Warrant. Screw you for making me defend you in a cold-fish-hand-shake-that-dude-shakes-hands-in-a-weird-shake-it-off-way.

Warrant - Cherry Pie

A Few Minutes With

A Current Affair

With the release of Snail Mail's Lush, we teeter headfirst into the prodigious mind of Lindsay Jordan, who writes dually about love as social triviality and distant curiosity. Jordan, who cut her musical teeth in part under the ambitious watch of Mary Timony (Ex Hex/Wild Flag), may seem like she recalls a thing or two from the nineties. But let's be honest, that's not entirely true either.

Raw honesty in part helped hatch the fervor to follow, but honesty will only get you so far. If it feels "like the same party every weekend," do you really want to go anymore?

Let's Explore

Snail Mail - Lush

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A Current Affair

Parliament - Mothership Connection

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Smith's hallmarks are all present, and though the effort isn't quite as sublime as Either/Or (or even Figure 8), there's enough substance for listeners to lament, still, his absence, from the Beatles-infused winks to Nick Drake inspired turns and beyond. 2003 seems like a long time ago, until it doesn't.

Elliot Smith - From A Basement On The Hill

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But what do we make of two mammoth personalities, massive musical evangelists in their day, who only shared a stage a couple of times, three tops? Those sound like pivotal moments.

Fats Waller, son of a minister and a musician, kidnapped star of Al Capone's birthday party, and Satchmo / Pops / Louis Armstrong, perhaps the most bedrock figure in the history of American jazz, may have only played together a handful of times during Waller's lifetime before he passed in 1943. But there's little question the stride pianist and buoyant trumpeter were tuned in to the same human channel.

Each carved out a remarkable place in history and commanded any room he was in, but the treasures you find when digging a little - why Fats hated hearing 'Sunny Side of the Street' on the radio, why Pops wore a Jewish star his entire adult life. That's where things get interesting.

Satch Plays Fats is an homage from Satch to his late friend Fats, but it's more than that. It's a Second Line.

Satch Plays Fats on Amazon

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A Current Affair

This episode has been resubmitted to fix an audio defect in the first publishing.

Black Sabbath's eponymous initial record was recorded almost in one sitting on its way to defining a new genre, one minted, in part, by the fact that one of the members' metal shop accidents necessitated a wholesale change in his play, that ended up informing the overall "heaviness" of the metal. Heavy metal was, in fact, created to some degree by actual heavy metal.

What the album lacks in track numbers it may make up for in personality, and even old Lester came around eventually. He may have called Black Sabbath "like Cream, but worse," but there was no denying how this record spoke to certain dark corners of the metal community, both then and now. Tune in and find the flashpoint.

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath featuring the song "Black Sabbath" is for sale

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Ramsey weaves and stitches timeless, folksy yarns that sound, in retrospect, a bit like an antecedent to the tumult of the time they were hatched.

And then he did something no one saw coming. He never made another album (well, not one that's been released since, anyway). And the one he did make influenced a varied tapestry of performers who've become household names in their own right. Lend an ear and hear where it all began.

Read Joe Nick Patoski's article on Willis Alan Ramsey

Willis Alan Ramsey on Amazon

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Round 1

###Hair Of The Dog - Nazareth ###
This song could have easily been substituted for Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" in the classic Walken SNL sketch, as it features the the most over-the-top employment of 70's cowbell to ever emerge from a cannabis-fogged van. Scotland's answer to AC/DC--I would so totally go see them today if they toured together--even if Nazareth's bass player is the only remaining member left over from this era.

###Your Life Is A Lie - MGMT ###
Not exactly what you would immediately tag as a "single" from indie rock giants MGMT but the video certainly has legs. The solid thunk of the cowbell (or perhaps just a lead pipe) transcends the stereotypical 70's rhythmic standard heard everywhere, including through some of this podcast. You can thank acid for this one.

###Stars and Sons - Broken Social Scene ###
Sometimes the handclaps resonate more when you have to wait for them, and that's exactly what happens with Stars and Sons -- this is Broken Social Scene at full swagger, and the handclaps here serve as an exclamation point, culminating the building tension within the track. No bubblegum to be found.

Round 2

###Hey Ya! - OutKast ###
I don't give half a shit what the rest rest of the guys around the table care about this song, as it is pure genius to my ears--to the point that I actively searched my radio dial incessantly for it at its popular zenith. This is catchy as all-hell, the video delivers in spades, and marked the high point of a double album (which, if we're "being honest" was really just two solo records sewn together). Also, it features hand-claps.

###Lowrider - War ###
There's a real root of Chicano and Cuban percussion throughout this gem and the cowbell features prominently thus. Performed by the band War, who also gave us hits like "Spill The Wine" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?", it seems difficult to imagine anyone who has not heard that punchy trumpet riff at least a dozen times.

###House of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture ###
You will not be surprised to learn that James Murphy had a hand in production here, and to that extent this sounds like the sibling of a long lost LCD Soundsystem release. At the time the band felt a dance song might alienate their fans, but why? This track is a calorie burn waiting to happen. Both cowbells and handclaps join the party.

Round 3

###Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel ###
There is so much to love about this song/video, from its 70's bell-bottom majesty to its literal interpretation of being stuck between a clown and a joker (although--party game--guess which one is which). This also features both cowbell and hand-claps, which gives it a double-whammy for this episode. I have my doubts, but it would appear that Kevin also spontaneously picked out the solo artist that this band spawned.

One last thing: I would be derelict in my duty if I didn't give away the spoiler that there are no ears severed in this. Deal with it, and just go re-watch Reservoir Dogs.

###Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite ###
When I was a sophomore in college, my buddy Hondo made up his own lyrics to this song called "Move Your Shopping Cart", with the chorus ringing out "I'm Krogerin' for my mother". It's an earworm that often sidelines my brain for days at a time with a nice, driving (and likely sampled) cowbell keeping it all together.

###Clever Girls - Paul Carlberg ###
It seems appropriate to note the omnipresent Swedish songwriting tradition here, but we spend precious little time discussing up and coming songcraft in that regard...those who pen the smash hits get all the ink. For his part, Pelle Carlberg knows his way around a ditty, and this buoyant track with the overly complicated name brings us home.

Yes, that's Beck's daughter on the album cover. Yes, that was the back of lead singer Arrow de Wilde's head featured in a Bleachers anthem video. Yes, it's de Wilde's obsession with Ozzy Osbourne that appears to fuel her messy, frenzied, even occasionally bloodstained turns onstage.

But if we're being honest, it's the shredded guitar riffs of 17 year old wunderkind Henri Cash that put the star in the name, and somewhere in this alchemy is a boiling cauldron of now that seems to have stood the LA music scene up on end. Say this for Starcrawler, winner of this year's SXSW Grulke award for Best Up and Coming Act: they're not dull.

Pick Up Starcrawler's Album

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If you've been waiting patiently, all your waking life, to immerse yourself in Aussie-bred hard rock featuring a grown-ass-man wearing a Catholic schoolboy uniform with an astonishing level of longevity, well, this is your week.

We tackled AC/DC's 1979 record "Highway to Hell" this week, and I'll be damned if I didn't find this record endlessly entertaining. Take early-blues-based rock and roll and turn it up to 11, and you've got a good start.

Lead singer Bon Scott would be dead within six months of this release, and if there's such a thing for a relatively young man having a fitting epitaph after an early exit from this mortal coil, this may be it.

Tune in and figure it out for yourself, mate.

Get on your own Highway To Hell

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Department of Eagles is available on Amazon.

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This week during "A Current Affair" we talked about a video by Father John Misty. What we neglected to mention was that the video he released is just him in front of a green screen without audio (which was released in a separate YouTube URL), encouraging others to "rip away" and linking to a tool allowing you to download the video from YouTube for additional editing. The video we watched and commented on was created by YouTube user rainforests using that green screen footage.

Your typical country artist could sing the blues, but somehow this feels heavier. More wrought with shame. Still, scenarios can wax trite.

Not so for Travis Meadows, who cut his teeth penning tracks for Dierks Bentley and Eric Church and wrote his first songs for himself after his fourth stint in rehab. And maybe that sounds predictable. But cancer at 14 was a wicked twist, on top of a the broken home that ushered Meadows into an evangelical stint bordered by deep dives into booze and drugs. He doesn't do much halfway.

This is his first release produced by someone else, and at times it feels a little pristine. But chances are taken, and hard luck abounds. Join us with a couple of special guests as we see where the dusty roads lead.

Pick up a copy of First Cigarette from Amazon.

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Borne to some degree out of the threads they continued to explore after their first two pivotal LPs, the band's literally named Third release finds them still uncertain, still haunted, but still certainly curious and exploratory. Hell, there's even a ukulele that makes an appearance. Pretty sure no one saw that twist coming.

What happens if you take the Trip hop out of Portishead? You're about to find out.

Amazon has the album for sale.

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Here's a place where you can own your own copy.

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Pick up 1972 on Amazon.

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Lou led the aforementioned VU, and by most accounts, was a cantankerous asshole. Let that not lead one to assume that he was an untalented cantankerous asshole, for he was not. In 1989, Mr. Reed released the solo effort "New York." Suffice it to say, some love love this record, others quite less so. Critics were pretty hip to it, but they aren't always right. Without giving away too much, I'll just say that check in to a spirited debate about a document of pre-Giuliani New York, and decide for yourself.

You can buy this album on Amazon, don't you know.

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So many mysteries, so little time. Maybe there are answers to some riddles contained within the album Appetite for Destruction, come along on our journey...

• Pick up Appetite for Destruction on Amazon

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• Check out the video for Dum Surfer
• Check out the video for Czech One
• Buy This Week's Vinyl on Amazon

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It's with these greater thoughts in mind that we present our 2017 Holiday Mixtape show, in which we unwrap a few ditties you know and a great many you won't. Consider them conversation starters while you're spiking the eggnog.

Kevin's Picks

###Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You - Billy Squier ###
It's Christmastime, 1981, and you work for MTV. There's some sort of an announcement, you're all shuffled into a studio onto some bleachers, wondering what the hell is going on, exactly, when in saunters Billy Squier at the top of his fame. He breaks into "Christmas Is The TIme To Say 'I Love You'" and by the time he's about halfway through, you think you know the words and start to lean into it. He does that weird dancing thing where he kind of looks like a rock marionette that needs a bathroom break, and there are VJs in a time capsule.

###Just Like Christmas - Low ###
One of those situations where Low gifted their fans a holiday record, highlighted by a track ('Just Like Christmas') that doesn't remotely sound like any Christmas song you know. If melancholy came in the wrapper of sunny disposition, it would be this one, and if it showed up under your tree, there's a solid chance you'd listen to it all year round.

###Merry Christmas Lil' Mama - Chance The Rapper ###
Chance (here in collaboration with R&B star Jeremih) is checking all the boxes with his holiday mixtape series, and this track spotlights his freewheeling command of the studio. From religious shout outs to a pretty direct request for some love from the ladies, this one's a surprising, confounding, thoroughly entertaining rollercoaster.

Shane's Picks

###Surfin' Santa - Lord Douglas Byron ###
All I'm saying about this one was that I was surprised that his Reindeer were named Jan and Dean...(was I?)

###Christmas In Hollis - Run DMC ###

Go listen to RUN-DMC's classic (and it really lives up to that standard) and then search out Chance the Rapper's video "Jingle Barack". It's a parody of that RUN-DMC classic and some people are saying it might be a tremendous, beautiful, fantastic, and the best RUN-DMC tribute you will ever witness.

###Redneck 12 Days of Christmas - Jeff Foxworthy ###

Yeah.

Ryan's Picks

I have somehow managed to never hear this song until about six months ago (you know, in the spirit of mid-summer). But this is from 1953, and features a ten-year-old waxing on about her wish for a rather-unwieldy animal to show up under her tree in her suburban home. Kinda hard to un-hear, but I don't think I want to.

###Barbecue - Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas ###

Okay. So not necessarily a Christmas song, but definitely from a Christmas show, Jim Henson's fantastic Emmit Otter's Jugband Christmas from 1977. Apparently, Shane has never seen this inspired network holiday classic. To be fair, I haven't either in many, many years, but dug it as a kid. And hey--I'm from Texas, and this song is about barbeque.

###Santa Baby - Gwen Stefani ###

A somewhat sanitized version of what has become a yearly staple of salacious Santa-sexualizing. Ms.Stefani provides just enough of what Shane refers to as "coo-ing" to render this thing close enough to foxy (but still weird), while toning it down for a morning Today Show audience.

###Dominick the Christmas Donkey - Lou Monte ###
I kinda outsourced this one from a co-worker, but if Shane's reaction is any indication of success, then I'll take it. More than one of said co-workers consider this a classic. I'll just say this--if you've been desperately looking for a truly bizarre novelty song about a donkey cavorting about the the Italian hillsides in an attempt to help Santa deliver presents, well here ya go. You are welcome, and Merry Christmas.

Producer Mark's Picks

It pains me to admit that I have a soft spot for 70's British Glam Rock but… well… there it is. Slade's frontman, Noddy Holder, honestly looks like he's constantly having the time of his life. Mix that with 1973's Christmas #1, and you have a recipe for perfect holiday cheer.

###Santa's Coming For Us - Sia ###

Seems just about anyone can stroll into a shopping mall, drop a few grand into a kiosk, and cut their very own Christmas album. So what a surprise to hear what could potentially be my favorite Christmas collection of modern times from an artist that I discounted as an eccentric performance personality with "Black and White Cookie" hair. Saying that this is my least favorite of all the tracks I've heard off Sia's 2017 Everyday Is Christmas release may sound like a slight, but couldn't be more of a compliment. Plus… I really love videos with a barf-load of celebrity cameos.

###Lonely This Christmas - Mud ###

Slade may have captured the top slot for UK Christmas singles in 1973, but the following year it took a completely differ… aw, who am I kidding? It's another British Glam Rock band disguised as Elvis vocal impersonators complete with "Darlin'" soliloquious interlude. And if you aren't distracted by the guitar player's single wind chime earring, it's likely because you're staring at his exposed nipple.

###Don't Shoot Me Santa - The Killers ###

The Killers recorded 11 (ELEVEN!) Christmas singles before calling it quits (on Christmas singles) this year. I'm not a big enough The Killers fan to have known that they ever recorded one. This particular song, and the video for it, apparently form the backstory for an ongoing struggle between lead singer Brandon Flowers and the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus. It's an hilarious video with a solid The Killers backing and a modicum of simulated peril.

And that's before we get to scribbled, iconic mascots. The Descendants Milo Goes To College is an exercise in differentiation: in what happens when we have to grow up, but do so defiantly. And, apparently, in two minutes or less.

- Buy Your Own Copy on Amazon

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Maybe that's not fair. Maybe it's possible that Bloodflowers, The Cure's 2000 LP and, per Robert Smith, the end of a trilogy that began with Pornography and continued with Disintegration, is less a swan song and more of the meandering treatise you find when your prior formula's brought great fame but there's not much new left in the tank.

I, for one, actually enjoyed hearing The Cure in a bit of less popularly refracted light, but the average listener, expecting hits, won't find as many here. Is this album a denouement in disguise? The end of a chapter? You make the call.

- Get Your Own Copy!

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Every day is Christmas when you're an LA Garage scene musician, and the songs are presents you can't unwrap quickly enough: they tear through them with reckless abandon, and like musical easter eggs, there always seem to be more in waiting, right around the corner.

That same fertile musical playground encouraged the inception of Cory Hanson, who cut his teeth backing linchpin acts like Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin, and the first couple of releases by his act—Wand—only cemented that association. So of course Hanson did something next that no one saw coming. He scrubbed his entire approach.

When fans are used to you spitting out two fierce records a year, contemplating a new release to the tune of Plum comes as a surprise. A retooled lineup, thoughtful variances, and shared songwriting duties confounded expectations further. But when the sunlight hits needle on vinyl here, the results are, well, noticeable.

Join us as we pull back the curtain.

• Check out the video for Plum
• Check out the video for Bee Karma
• Buy This Week's Vinyl on Amazon

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Let's get into the Dream Syndicate (or perhaps not, as they didn't get into much of anything from the years 1989-2012).

Here in 2017, they're back with new work, How Did i Get Here? Spirited discussions ensue as to whether they have moved on from their previous incarnation (ca.1989), from the "Paisley Underground," a scene in Los Angeles that I'm pretty sure I would have been all over had I been a) there and b) of legal age in the eighties (and which also spawned The Bangles, who will forever be my 'band in the closet').

Also, PM Dawn makes an appearance, and this is important.

Hey, it beats another sex scandal, right?

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Metallica=Metal+Vodka (not making this up)

Was gonna show some more examples, but do I really need to?

SO...podcast overlord Chris Cox hates it when I do this, but he's the MAN so fuck it...I'm gonna post some spoilers...

Wolf Alice's first LP "My Love Is Cool" (again with the inside jokes?) is one of my absolute favorite records of the last 10 years, I cannot overstate how much I love that album. It is a home run top to bottom.

I was hoping "Visions of a Life" by Wolf Alice wasn't a Sophomore slump and when I listened to it I...

Podcast Overlord Chris Cox--"Shane!"

Shane--"Whatever you're not my real dad..."

POCC--"Seriously?! You've been doing this for 3 years!"

Shane--"Whatever you're not my real dad..." (inaudible)

Upon reflection, I feel that I should perhaps let the listeners of "Somebody Likes It" make their own minds up about " Visions of a Life" by Wolf Alice...

Next exciting episode Ryan picked DREAM THEATER!!!

*Ryan--*Dude!?

*Shane--*What?!

*Ryan--*It's not Dream Theater! And you know this.

Shane--zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

(ok fine, its Dream Syndicate...but that's way more boring right?)

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Petty tracks weren't anthems because they loomed large, they became anthems as they soundtracked our daily to and fro, our impromptu sing-a-longs and rolled down windows. They were easy and omnipresent without overstaying their welcome.

This week we take a look back at the legacy of an act just preposterous enough to live next door. He could have been from anywhere, as it turns out, he almost seemed from everywhere.

Songs Discussed:

Breakdown

Even The Losers

Don't Come Around Here No More

Traveling Wilburys - End of the Line

It's Good To Be King

Here Comes My Girl

Into The Great Wide Open

American Girl

Okay, maybe Nillson didn't 'actively' participate, but that doesn't mean Blazing Arrow is less than a tempting stew of influences and co-conspirators, stirring intrigue and a quickened pulse. Friend of the show and music journalist Chad Swiatecki drops by as we try to unpack where the head bobs begin, exactly.

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If you love $29,000 refrigerators, majestic arpeggios, bizarre Gene Simmons infomercials, and mid-aughts sweet-sounding (if not-quite profound) proper debut for Ben Bridwell's personal majesty, you should definitely tune in.

Shane believes that this band deserves a greatest hits collection, and he could be right. But here, in my estimation, is the genesis of that.

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The good news is that they're back, and inspired to move listeners to action (or at least empathy) in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris, they reconvened to knit together a stripped-down by way of purposeful collection of tracks. Many of the usual players are here, your Kevin Drew, Leslie Feist, Emily Haines and so on. It's an all hands on deck setting, and while Hug Of Thunder may not pack the unique punch of their best early work, this is the sound of musicians (however many multitudes) on the same page, enlightened and emboldened.

We also play a rousing game of 'Broken Social Scene, Odd Future or a Town in Saskatchewan,' so that's something too.

Buy This Week's Vinyl on Amazon

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Buy it like some junkie cosmonaut.

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Pioneer of "trucker country," Jerry Reed, turns out, falls in my sweet spot. The man was rapping (albeit with a country twang) before that was a thing, could finger-pick his way out of a wet burlap sack, and was pretty damn funny while doing so.

I generally don't care for my music and humor intertwined (see:Tenacious D), but apparently if the songs deliver, caution to the wind.

He is probably best remembered for playing second-fiddle to Burt Reynolds in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies these days, but the man could deliver a hook.

Can't promise that my good buddies (breaker 1-9) on the show will rise to my level of enthusiasm, but that's their loss. Tune in and figger' out why Jerry Reed's "Essential" compilation earns its moniker.

That's a good 10-4,
Ryan

SON! You best be gettin' on down to Amazon to pick this one up!

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Of course the dudes couldn't stand each other. So sit back, make yourself a Mayonnaise sandwich on Wonder Bread and wash it down with a cold Ice Cream Phosphate (whatever the fuck those were), and enjoy It's Everly Time...

Go purchase the album on Amazon… Do It.

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Better known as Jay Som, her pop-up indie darling status seems only cemented since its home baked inception, an arrival marked by her legit label debut, Everybody Works. Duterte's ascent, begged by some clear experimentation and sleeve-worn influences, lands to varying degrees, but know this: occasionally bedroom pop can register as both confessional and self-assured, and it's that intimate confidence that makes this release intriguing, and the touchpoint of this week's conversation. Curl up and listen in.

Pick up a copy of Jay Som's Everybody Works at Amazon

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Another work worth investigating is Uncle Tupelo's debut record, No Depression. Few bands can claim to have at least in some part founded a genre (in this case, alt-country, a.k.a. "y'all-ternative"), but in this instance it's apt. I've heard so many bands with lineage from this it's hard to quantify.

These guys are now better known for the bands they directly spawned, namely Son Volt and Wilco. Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy co-quarterbacked a fantastic band that burned brightly and, ultimately, wasn't big enough for the two of them.

So strap in, grab a load o' chaw (and maybe listen to a little Minutemen interspersed with Hank Williams if you need to warm up),and join us.

You can pick up Uncle Tupelo's debut No Depression over yonder.

Somebody Likes It

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So I picked this record "Lady in Satin", the last album recorded while she was alive, for a reason. It's not the sassy, meter-bending, I don't give a shit Billie Holiday that recorded Strange Fruit in 1939. It's a broken woman close to the end of her life that sounds 30 years older than she was. And I wanted to explore that. And damned if it still wasn't brilliant. Genius is genius. No matter what the fuck cards the Fates kept dealing Billie Holiday, they couldn't take that away from her...

Lady In Satin is available on vinyl at Amazon, darling.

Somebody Likes It

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"Jailbreak" (the song) always seem to cleanse the palate of the room, if only for the moment, then, and it's perhaps at least a little ironic that Thin Lizzy also featured a shooting star frontman (an unfortunate double entendre) -- Phil Lynott, himself gone too soon. There are some chunks of the Lizzy catalog that are certainly less memorable, and who could blame modern day listeners who have been oversaturated by the prominence of the tracks they know too well. What we cannot hear with fresh ears, might we still appreciate for its immediacy? Only one way to find out.

Plan your own Jailbreak on Amazon

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If that weren't confusing enough, about half of this record is sixties ground-breaking psychedelia, and the rest is Chicago-style mid-twentieth century blues.

This band spawned the careers of Jeff Beck (on this record), Eric Clapton (not on this record), and Jimmy Page (also not on this record). Should be monumental, right?

In fits and starts it is, but we don't all agree on this. Before I give away the store, just know that there's a lot of "there there," except where there isn't. Feel free to be as annoyed/intrigued/entertained as I am.

Get your own lead guitarist and your own copy of The Yardbirds over at the Amazon.

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Now, imagine going throw your hippie phase in the ACTUAL 60's. Yeah, that's some deep ass shit. Well, looks like that's what Van Morrison decided to do with his 1968 record "Astral Weeks". An almost stream of consciousness, jazzy-folk song cycle, it tells the story of me getting an imminent nap. One thing I regret is being up-able to find any pictures of what the band was wearing during the recording sessions. I imagine fringe.

Pick up Van Morrison's Astral Weeks over at Amazon.

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The Folk Implosion - "Natural One"

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Sweet Spirit - "The Power"

The D'Addarios, 17 and 19 at the time of the album's recent release -- spread their wings from a musical household in Long Island, fired up a couple of power mullets, and began sculpting the type of clever, influence-on-your-sleeve indie craft that turns heads and sets a band up to play undercards on the summer festival circuit. They're young, they're undaunted. But do they stick the landing?

Pull up a chair as we unpack their kickoff LP and sort out just what happens when a couple of upstarts Do Hollywood.

Pick up The Lemon Twigs' Do Hollywood on Amazon.

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Jake Bugg's Lightning Bolt could have been written 50 years ago. But it wasn't.

A Current Affair

Somewhat of a regular on Somebody Likes It, Father John Misty returns with his new album and the song "Total Entertainment Forever".

If you aren't one of the 20 million people that already own this album, pick it up on Amazon.

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The Motels - Only The Lonely

A Current Affair

Girlpool - It Gets More Blue

The rest of the band, in the intervening years since, have gone on to great fame as New Order, but that hasn't extinguished the fervor over the band they were -- the twitchy, angular, frenetic gyrations of Curtis, set to increasingly haunted lyrics, and seasoned with the jaunty bass lines of Peter Hook, the buzzing syncopated guitar riffs of Bernard Sumner, the precise beats of drummer Stephen Morris. Their ascent from kids at a Manchester show, blown away by the first Sex Pistols gig -- to seasoned, genre-defining post-punk outfit, is well documented.

Of the two records, the final one, Closer, foretold looming clouds on the horizon. But how does it hold up, beyond the Manchester scene, the kid with HATE spelled out on his coat, and a bass guitar for 40 quid? Sit a spell and find out -

Pick up Joy Division's Closer on Amazon

A Few Minutes With:

J.Geils Band - Centerfold

A Current Affair:

Kendrik Lamar - HUMBLE.

All 3 were great fun, so I think we will let him drop back by...

It’s probably best that we’re not eighteen forever. Evidence to that effect: the simple mixtape doesn’t quite cut it for us anymore. For this show, we each picked a track from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s to get to know a little bit better, with curious results. If you think you know someone -- really know them – imagine what they’d add to a mixtape made especially for you. I guarantee the real thing will throw you curveballs.

Here’s to our first 100 episodes. And eye openers we can't yet fathom -

Round 1 - The 1970's

Hall & Oates - ”She's Gone”

So these dudes didn't want to do it like the record label suggested, so they got a couple recliners and a devil costume, smoked a bunch of weed...and we get this small miracle. -- Shane

Gilbert O'Sullivan - ”Alone Again, Naturally”

Bar none--the most depressing song ever recorded, Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again (Naturally)" nevertheless spent six weeks (non-consecutively!) at number one in Billboard's Hot 100 for the U.S. in 1972. Carried by a buoyant melody and just the most tragic lyrics ever committed to tape (seriously--check out the karaoke version online), this is truly a fascinating listen. Feel kinda bad that I didn't cede this one to Shane, as he has a bit of an obsession with this tune. --Ryan

Elvis Costello - "Watching The Detectives"

For a hot minute in the 70s all of London was agog over Reggae, and you can definitely hear some of that influence in Elvis Costello's "Watching The Detectives." Costello had yet to break, was living in a flat somewhere in London, and had been listening to The Clash for hours, which he initially hated, then grew to appreciate. And then, of course, he wrote "Watching The Detectives." The world is funny sometimes. --Kevin

Boomtown Rats - ”I Don't Like Mondays”

Although it only hit #73 in Billboard Hot 100 for 1979, “Mondays” found the number 1 spot in the UK, Ireland, and Australia that year. Proving once again that, as much as Americans like to claim their Irish heritage, unless it is green and can get them sloppy drunk they don’t really embrace things Irish. --Mark

Round 2 - The 1980's

The Beach Boys - ”Kokomo - Live”

This piece of shit was a number one hit for The Beach Boys, after which, they promptly stopped giving any more shits. There is a video from the 80's, but I highly suggest you go looking for the footage shot on an I-phone at their 50th anniversary show. Bonus! Whichever one you choose will have John Stamos in it. -- Shane

REM - ”Orange Crush”

Knowing that we we had a mandate to find these songs on a list-of-100 whatever, I managed to track down REM's 1988 genius-level video for "Orange Crush" at #53 of 100 on Billboard's 25th Anniversary of their Alternative chart. Lushly directed by artist Matt Mahurin (whose work hangs in various impressive galleries), this video stands as a one of those rare works that one could just pause at any given point, print, and have an excellent addition to one's home decor. Assuming, of course, that one were looking to accent the furniture with Vietnam War-era imagery or children's antics. --Ryan

Eddie Murphy - "Party All The Time"

If you've ever wondered what the height of fame looks like, take a couple of minutes of your day to watch the fawning mob hanging around the control room for Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time" release. Rick James, who wrote the song, spends lots of time slowly pushing up the console volume (not sure how that helps, exactly) and the rest of the folks in the studio look equally eager to please and nervous that someone might find out that they're not supposed to be in there. Lots of head bobbing. --Kevin

Laid Back - ”White Horse”

The take-away for me from Laid Back’s “White Horse” is that there are really only two things you need to know: 1. The prerequisite for being rich is being a bitch; 2. When making the choice of achromatic equine transportation, the smaller stature of the pony is preferred. --Mark

Round 3 - The 1990's

Meatloaf - ”I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)”

Michael Bay. Beauty and the Beast. -- Shane

Aqua - ”Barbie Girl”

Earning the distinction of #8 on Everyhit.com's "Worst Songs of All Time," "Barbie Girl" (1997) by Denmark's Aqua somehow managed to beat out Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy-Breaky Heart" by one slot, and that's some rarefied company. More inexplicably, this band sold 33 million records. Also, they were sued by Mattel (for obvious reasons), and the video is really stupid. You are welcome. --Ryan

Bel Biv Devoe - ”Poison”

The New Jack Swing movement occupies that tiny blip on the historical horizon after hair metal's last drummer had finished playing in the rain and before the world became awash in flannels, earnestness, and Grunge. This leaves New Jack perhaps feeling a little like a stopgap movement, but one not without its triumphs, chief among them Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison.” Listen for the dope beat. Watch the video for the outfits. Is there a blizzard about to happen in the inner city?  --Kevin

The Bloodhound Gang - ”The Bad Touch”

Anytime my faith in humanity is on the up and up, I only need to turn to these sexist, racist ass-hats to be reminded not to take human-decency for granted. Luckily, this song never topped #52 of the Hot 100, but just the fact that it made it north of 100 gives me pause. --Mark*

Final Round - 2000's

Kanye West - ”Touch The Sky”

You can watch Kanye West in an amazing red white and blue jumpsuit try to jump a rocket over a canyon. Will he make it? -- Shane

LCD Soundsystem - ”Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”

Because Rolling Stone magazine had to make an appearance here eventually, the 'aughts list "100 Best Songs of the 2000's" (#78) has yielded us "Daft Punk is Playing at My House," which I love dearly, and Shane hates with equal zeal. I am incapable of not (at the very least) head-bobbing and singing along to this tune, even if at least one of my colleagues just doesn't get it. C'est la vie... --Ryan

Midlake - ”Roscoe”

Mark noted that it would have been nice to wrap up this show's proceedings with a listen of Midlake's "Roscoe.” That's not what happened, but that didn't keep us from soaking up the sunny vibes and yearning intent from Midlake's second release. For whatever reason, this track seems to bubble up with indie types every so often to reignite conversation. Easy to see why it pops up on top 100 lists of the 2000s.  --Kevin

The Avalanches - ”Frontier Psychiatrist”

Sure… I wasn’t super confident in my ability to wrap the show with something the entire gang could latch onto. However, this video just does something to you when you watch it. Seemingly appearing out of a horrible Bavarian acid trip gone south, Australian group The Avalanches pantomime an amazing composition of samples from Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster and a host of 60’s and 70’s music. In the end, we all walked away with smiles on our faces. --Mark

Next Time…

Our good friend Matt Muñoz is back and this time he takes over the show. Join us for both kinds of depressing songs from The Smiths' Louder Than Bombs.

So in the spirit of peace, I brought something to the table I was pretty sure Ryan was gonna eat up and go back for seconds! The Gotobeds' "Poor People Are Revolting" did the trick. All the late 70's post punk/mid-90's indie rock you could ever want to find in one album. So please enjoy. And don't start bitching next time I show up with that Ray Stevens record (they call him the streak...)

Pick up this week's album from The Gotobeds on their Bandcamp page.

Also this week, we spend A Few Minutes With Ultimate Fakebook's Tell Me What You Want.

For A Current Affair we listen to the beautiful voice of Nina Diaz performing her single, January 9th, for the Tiny Desk Concert series.

Next episode is our 100th Somebody Likes It. Tune in to hear our picks from top 100 lists from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and 00's.

A Current Affair

Grandaddy's "Last Place", their first output in 11 years, includes Evermore. The video is chock-full of the stuff of psychological group studies.

Have an album you want us to cover? Shoot us a note at messagesomebody@gmail.com

Somehow, however, I had managed to never listen to an entire Otis Redding record from start to finish. Ladies and gentlemen, I have rectified this egregious oversight.

Laid down in one 24-hour recording session like the man knew he was on borrowed time, Otis Redding Blue sounds as immediate and timeless as it did in its heyday.

Found within, an artist at once in command of and comfortable with his own moment, with both arresting and even humorous results (like when he riffed his own lyrics to the Stones’ “Satisfaction"..and the band used his version years later).

One could claim unrealized potential from most any artist (even bold ones) who die tragically at 26, but even that’s not a sure thing here: how could unrealized potential ever sound so complete? Lend an ear and let’s find out together -

Oh, and the worst Neil Diamond song ever makes an appearance. So, there's that. Which still gives me a broad smile

Pick up this week's LP on Amazon.

Also this week, we spend A Few Minutes With a familiar tribute to an M@M-loving alien and his "Heartlight" as only Neil Diamond could sing it.

A Current Affair brings us a silvery haired roller girl Angel Olsen singing "Shut Up Kiss Me".

Pick up The Radio Dept. on Amazon

LL Cool J (hip)hops in to Rock The Bells for A Few Minutes With
and we take a nice psychedelic digestif in the form of Slowdive's Star Roving (or is it Star Rover?).

But we wonder why some can't follow that twangy doesn't always equal country, that unpolished tracks are occasionally built that way on purpose (to the consternation of some), and how wearing your influences on your sleeve can sometimes work wonders, or occasionally seem a yarn not yet fully woven.

Listen and weigh in yourself: send your thoughts, suggestions and manic ramblings to messagesomebody@gmail.com.

If anyone has any doubt as to the grandeur of what they're about to encounter, just take a look at the cover--which if one weren't lucky enough to encounter the over-the-top (literally, this hair has to be seen to be believed) fashion of 1970's ladies in the South, well, you're in for a treat.

It's too bad that Ms. Parton only has time to write more songs than virtually anyone else on the planet, found an amusement park, act in mostly-credible movies, and somehow not manage to come off as completely full of herself. Which she probably, by all rights, ought to be by this point. and hey, maybe she is--I've never met the lady--but I doubt it. Tune in and decide for yourself.

--Ryan

Purchase "Jolene" on Amazon

A Few Minutes With:

The Weakerthans - "Sun In An Empty Room"

A Current Affair:

Temples - "Certainty"

For our first podcast of 2017, we welcomed special guest Matty Wishnow and what he affectionately refers to as an anthem for his 40s, Songs: Ohia. Magnolia Electric Company is at times haunting in its presentimental lyrics that feel like a farewell from a man that was clearly dealing with demons that would claim his life only 10 years later.
The album, recorded by Steve Albini, marks a departure from previous Songs: Ohia releases and sets a new direction for Molina's work that he would release under the Magnolia Electric Co. band.

Pick up Songs: Ohia on Amazon

Shane tries to lift the mood during A Few Minutes With by reminding us that just because you can ask a girl to "sex you up" with your flip-up sunglasses and big-shouldered jackets in 1991, doesn't mean you won't be changing tires in Oklahoma in 25 years.
And as a crisp, refreshing final course, Kevin brings us Sydney's Middle Kids with their single Edge of Town.

Next week! We spend some time with the darling of country music (and proprietor of amusement park dreams), Dolly Parton. Join us, won't you?

Paak — aka the erstwhile Breezy Lovejoy — has come a long way from a bumpy childhood that saw him crafting tracks in his bedroom, to a stunted stint as a marijuana farmer, to a first record that caught the attention of one Dr. Dre, who had him guest on no less than six tracks of his comeback effort.

It seems even when he wasn't on the map, Paak was never far from its focus. His second album, Malibu, had the full attention of tastemakers, and the forecast has called for steady praise ever since.

Join us as we bend an ear and figure out what all the fuss is about And as always, route us thoughts of your own at messagesomebody@gmail.com

Buy Malibu on Amazon

There have been seriously noted (and politely discussed) brushes with the law, the band has broken up onstage and requested immediate refunds for the audience, and yet, somehow, they not only continue -- but manage to wax prolific. I chose The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us not because it was their current record (it isn't), but because it seemed to be the exclamation point on a band recklessly rising toward something. Or maybe rising beyond something.

Tune in and find out what that is exactly.

(Got an idea for something we should cover? Shoot it over to messagesomebody@gmail.com)

Springsteen was blue collar when blue collar wasn’t cool. Springsteen put his damn money where his mouth was long before billionaires co-opted his populist stories, albeit with none of the sincerity or clarity or pathos, or fucking anything other than a line to elicit applause. (CUE: Born in the USA!!)

I know Podcast Overlord Chris hates it when I tip my hand, but this time I think I have to. There is probably not a musical moment on Born to Run that I can relate to. But the STORIES are heart racing and badass and sad and real. And he really has a talent for making the everyday/mundane feel immediate.

I am so bewildered by what is going on in our world right now…why people that are afraid of losing everything in an instant because they are living paycheck to paycheck would put their faith in a person that cares nothing in ANY way about the fact that they are living paycheck to paycheck. These songs celebrate those people living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t know that I will be pulling down Born to Run off of my stack of records anytime soon, but god dammit Bruce Springsteen, I get you now.

And thank you. We fucking needed you this year…(CUE:Born in the USA!!!)

At least, that’s what we keep telling ourselves: Exhibit A in that regard, a terrific note we received from a listener named Michael, who wrote after lending an ear to the Travis episode, and suggested a record (a few records, actually) that we might consider that he knew — but we might not know — so well.

Chief among them, his musical connection to one Mic Christopher, a dearly departed musical pal of famed frontman of The Frames’ Glen Hansard. At any rate, Michael suggested that we either cover Skylarkin (Christopher’s breakthrough — and last — record) or, perhaps, might we consider one of The Frames’ early works?

In the end, we landed on The Frames Fitzcarraldo with the single off of Skylarkin taking center stage in our A Few Minutes With segment.

Lots to wrap a noggin around here, but never let it be said we don’t heed a great letter. Send yours to messagesomebody AT gmail.com, and until then, lend us an ear to see just what Hansard was up to before he’d fully made himself known –

It wasn’t until many years later that I realized that, not only was that album extremely annoying, but its demise may have been aided more by the hands of a family member and less from the shelf life of a standard 8 track tape.

The point I’m trying to make is that not everything you love at a point in your life stays as dear to your heart as you mature. The Flaming Lips’ Transmissions album does not match the extreme bipolar apex for me as did that album of singing fictional chipmunks but I did find that my initial enthusiasm for it waned with age. Perhaps it’s due to the band’s ability to mature and put out even better releases, or maybe my dad took a pencil to the precious ribbon of fidelity and ripped it from it’s armor plated case.

Also in this episode, Ryan et. al. introduce me to missed opportunities in the form of Candyman’s Knockin’ Boots and Kevin takes us all to the Souvenir Rock Shop courtesy of Savoy Motel.

It seems that long ago ‘The Hip’ (again, Canada) achieved critical mass, and it’s with that idea in mind that we dive into their 1998 release Phantom Power. Deemed by some the last record of their most fertile period, this one couldn’t be more Canadian if Bob and Doug McKenzie popped up in hockey jerseys on the cover. It’s a sociological exploration with a musical answer. Tune in.

I won’t get into it too much here, but all I can say at this point is…balls. Balls for having your debut album recorded live. Not “in the studio” live first-takes, but a genuine live performance (although, if memory serves, it was a mesh of two nights). But also, balls all the way through, as these dudes were clearly of the take-no-prisoners and also fuck-you-The-Man! You can’t tell me what to do!

Detroit clearly had some shit going down back in the day.

I, of course, had been aware of the myth of Elvis Presley, but I had never actually “listened” to him. To me the whole myth of Elvis (one word) had completely superseded any actually enjoyment of the music Elvis had put out there, other than the parts of hits we all collectively know (we can’t go on with…you ain’t nothing but a…wise men say…). He was larger than life, and his larger than life persona was more than actual music to me…as much as The Beatles or Nirvana are for some people, 60 years after Elvis dropped his first record Elvis Presley.

I don’t think we all loved this record equally, but we all loved it, if for no other reason because it is incredibly obvious after listening to it that you can see the launching pad of what popular music would become for the next 50 years and that is humbling… But we also all loved it caused the shit is just good.

You wouldn’t call them a Gang, exactly (as two constitutes a pair), and hard to argue that they were the brightest stars in their own right, at least compared to some of their contemporaries, but if they were anything, Gang Starr were hotly anticipated by those in the know. Guru and DJ Premiere dropped records eagerly gobbled up by scores of the hip hop loving public, and carved out a niche at the intersection joining literate and clever. And downright danceable.

As so often happens, all doesn’t always end well, but occasionally that’s what makes the ascent all the more memorable. Drop the needle on this one and dig in with fresh ears.

And as always, route us your suggestions or bizarre theme show musings at messagesomebody AT gmail.com. Peace!

Also, singer David Johansen inexplicably morphed into novelty one-hit-wonder Buster Poindexter in the 80’s with his hit Hot Hot Hot, so there’s that.

This week, we’re joined this week by third-time-offender and music journalist-about-town/the nation Chad Swiatecki, who was gracious enough to provide commentary to make the rest of us look smart.

Damn Yankees– High Enough: Where do you go after you see this one? Ted Nugent in animal print kimono deflecting bullets with his guitar solo.

Archie Bell and the Drells– The Tighten Up: Ever wondered what it would be like to be conscripted into a dubious foreign war and hear your song become a massive hit, played over Armed Forces radio, while you are trying to fend off the Viet Cong? No? Well, Archie Bell can, and he’s a Houston product, to boot. Highly recommended.

Naked Eyes– Always Something There To Remind Me: First of all, did anyone remember that this was a Burt Bacharach cover? What the what? The video presents the torrid tale of the guy who loses the girl, the other guy (who just happens to be his bandmate) who gets her, and the weird scenario where the local newspaper prints the lowlights of locals’ love lives. At the very least, you’d think that would make you look out for paparazzi. But it’s hooky.

4 Non-Blondes– What’s Up: I picked this because I knew how much it would make Ryan squirm, not counting on the fact I would have to listen to it too. We couldn’t even make it all the way through. Truly one of the worst songs ever recorded.

Starland Vocal Band– Afternoon Delight: Some of my earliest musical memories are of hearing this carpet-bomb 70’s Top-40 radio, and, of course, having no idea of the (not-very-thinly-couched) subtext therein. It’s a song about doin’ it in the daytime. And I completely, unironically, love it.

Carl Douglas– Kung Fu Fighting: There’s a great story in a great book on comedy writing where Steven Seagal was hosting SNL & Rob Schneider wrote a monologue for him where he was supposed to come out and claim that he was really a musician at heart, instead of a martial arts movie star. And then he’d sit down and play an acoustic version of Kung Fu Fighting. That didn’t happen (because Steven Seagal), but it’s a testament to the staying power of this oddball classic.

Timbuk3– Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades: Oh the 80’s!

Positive K– I Got a Man: This feels like a backyard barbecue when I get sprung from prison, except it’s a back-and-forth between a lusty gentleman and a reluctant female paramour. In an M. Night Shyamalan-like twist, turns out they’re the same person. Evidently, it takes all kinds. Still love this tune.

Terence Trent D’Arby– Wishing Well: A pretty rock solid way to make sure you’re ridiculed for years is to claim that your one hit song sets you up to be Bigger Than The Beatles. Also, if you’re Terence Trent D’Arby. But we all sort of sang it while it spun.

Billy Ray Cyrus– Achy Breaky Heart: Hahahahahahaha! Damn that was some dumb-ass hair. Also, we are pretty sure this video was recorded right here in Austin at the Paramount Theater…

The Undertones– Teenage Kicks: This song may barely qualify for “hit” status, but it apparently affected the late, massively influential UK DJ John Peel so much that he’d play it twice in a row. And then had lyrics from it inscribed on his headstone. I don’t know if it can ever reach that level for me, but it’s pretty damn great.

The Knack– My Sharona: There’s a certain part of me that figures that in the quiet parts of the world, where you can’t hear anything, you can probably hear a little bit of My Sharona. But what’s weirder is that this song was based on an actual girl, who the author dated for four years, and who then had to spend the rest of her life presumably listening to people singing that track back to her ad nauseum. Sometimes the substance abuse problems come find you.

Next up… join us for our retrospective Memorial Day Mix Tape show as we take a look back at some of our favorite one-hit-wonders. Until then!

Tune in as we reveal Lapalco, and as always, send questions, musings or crazy ideas to messagesomebodyATgmail.com. Cheers!

As always, we welcome your questions, comments and suggestions at messagesomebody@gmail.com. Holla!

NEXT WEEK ON SOMEBODY LIKES IT: Ryan is up to bat and we take aim at Travis-The Man Who…and Matt Munoz stops by, and so should you. —-Shane

And then The Meadowlands drops, the founder of Pitchfork loses his collective shizz and writes a glowing review that can’t help but pique the curiosity of the masses. Tune in for the twists and turns that happen next.

Got a question, comment or suggestion for the show? Hit us up at messagesomebody@gmail.com

Also, Shane gave us the gift of Canada’s answer to The Village People, The Skatt Brothers’ Life at the Outpost, which one should experience at least once before one dies, while Kevin enlightened us as to up-and-comer Trapper Schoepp, burgeoning young Milwaukee talent.

Next week: Joisey indie rock band The Wrens, with The Meadowlands, where I hear Jimmy Hoffa is buried.

Questions or comments? Hit us up at messagesomebody@gmail.com

NEXT UP: Ryan found a random Hank Williams record. Tell you more about it next week…Shane

Doesn’t really matter what we think about this album, some of us loved it, some of us…didn’t hate it, but eh, ya know…but that god damned album cover staring back at you? That’s the shit dreams are made of…bad dreams, bad-ass dreams!

NEXT TIME: Punk Rock Comedian JT Habersaat joins us as we listen to Bob Seeger’s Nightmoves…can’t tell you how to feel about that album, but I can say if you don’t think the album cover is the best ever created, well, you are wrong.

Anyway,we reviewed the album “All Mod Cons” by the Jam. Now I’m getting all nervous that I’m inadvertently dropping puns everywhere. Better get out while I’m ahead.

Siouxsie Sue sure is an interesting name. I wonder if it’s spelled that way on her birth certificate.

Is that enough suspense for you?

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that i had misheard Ryan and we were actually going to talk about The Strokes 2003 sophomore album Room on Fire! Whoops!

Hey, despite all evidence to the contrary, I’m just a human man people. Full of all those foibles that make life such a gas.

In between, we did get in a little discussion of this album, and how different the studio albums were from the live shows. So yeah, nailed it YET AGAIN!

We unearth a few nuggets along the way, from the fact that Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger was (ahem) instrumental in contributing, to the fact that Tore Johansson produced the record in Sweden, and there is a clear kinship that feels Cardiganesque. They’re also rather funny (see Mr. Davies), and a somewhat fey, but these guys know a hook when they find one, apparent on Heartbeat.

We regale you with tales like the time Ryan and I chatted them up after a show at Austin’s late lamented version of Emo’s (the inside room, which never saw a health inspection it could pass…or care to).

Saddle up, and bring a beret.

From the moment Martin says that his child asks “Uncle Steve? What’s does Christmas mean to you?,” you’re right to infer that something is about to go very very wrong in this Saturday Night Live rendition of Silver Bells, which featured three artists at the top of their game in the 70s. Pay attention to the eggnog and booze gags, and mind your dime store Santa Clauses, they may be “laying a little groundwork for the future.”

Twelve Days of Christmas: Bob & Doug Mackenzie

Way back in the very first episode of this podcast, Bob & Doug came up (pursuant to Geddy Lee and his Canadian-ness): here we note their take on the Twelve Days, which include lots of beer, five golden touks (a Canadian word, look it up), and plenty of back bacon. It’s a hilarious (if sloppy) rendering.

Centro-matic: Fuselage (It’s Starting to Look Like Christmas Once Again)

Producer Mark drops in as we tackle Will Johnson and company’s take on the holidays, in which he coins the phrase “nicefully” (and it kind of works) and talks up strange family traditions. As someone who comes from a house with a few of those, this rang a little true for me.

James Brown: Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto

The Godfather of Soul lays out a laundry list of requests for Santa, specifically the stops he might make in the poorer parts of town, where kids don’t have as much to look forward to. Shane’s surprised by his ability to hear James Brown with fresh ears, while Kevin reminds us that James Brown put out all kinds of Christmas albums. The man was, after all, a cottage industry.

The Pogues: Fairytale of New York

Arguably one of my favorite Christmas tunes, the real fairytale here is that Shane MacGowan’s toothless mug and drunk-tank mumblings could romance Kirsty MacColl into such a beautiful duet about New York City. Our Shane reveals that he has something in common with MacGowan (other than name) in that he spends way too many Christmas days drinking in bars, while Ryan helps us with the pronunciation of Nihilism.

The Pretenders: 2000 Miles

Released as a B-side to Middle of the Road in 1983, this is NOT Chrissie Hynde’s expurgated version of the Proclaimers Scottish hit about walking a tremendous distance, although Hynde does admit “2000 miles, it’s very far.” The guys were clearly expecting something very different going into this one, even questioning why I would list it as a Christmas song. In the end, it all coalesces into agreement that this is a pretty song about Christmas.

Wham: Last Christmas

You know who writes a bad-ass Christmas song? Irving Berlin! His little known (and all forgotten) holiday nugget “White Christmas” seems to be the template upon which George Michael based the 1984 classic Last Christmas…Look I make no apologies for my love of WHAM! Shit, this isn’t just one of my favorite Christmas songs, it’s one of my favorite any-time songs.

Bing Crosby/David Bowie: Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth

Just as fucking weird and uncomfortable as i remembered…Funny or Die has a word for word re-make of it starring Will Farrell and John C. Reilly that highlights how truly odd it was.

Elmo and Patsy: Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer

Hadn’t heard it since I was 10. Not as funny as it was when I was 10.

The Waitresses: Christmas Wrapping

It’s rare that a novelty Christmas song reaches the ridiculous American cultural zeitgeist, yet proves itself as a tune that I’d like to listen to the other eleven months of the year. This is that song. While it’s undeniable that they’re mining similar territory as their most well-known non-yuletide hit, I Know What Boys Like, it still works. It’s infectious, and I look forward to hearing hit cut through the parade of rote sentimentality surrounding the season every December.

REM: Christmas Griping

What would you get if you crossed the percussion from Fleetwood Mack’s Tusk with a Christmas-themed version of The Beatles’ Revolution #9 and a cranky-pants approach to the holiday season? This. You’d get this. Not as unimpressive as I’m making it sound, this is still mostly notable as a novelty, released to their fan club in 1991.

Lou Reed: Xmas in February

A beautiful, if devastating, song, Xmas in February is barely a Christmas tune. It does contain the word “Christmas,” however, so I’ll take it. It’s Reed at his post-Velvet Underground best, chronicling the hardships of a Vietnam vet. It manages to be both beautiful and heartbreaking, and so evocotive of the gritty worldview he became synonymous with. Merry (post-) Xmas!

Hey, remember that time last week where I said I made everybody listened to Heart’s All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You? Oh yeah, that was actually this episode…OOOPS.

Next time on “Somebody Likes It”… I can’t make the show, and the discussion was finally about an album I liked: Tahiti 80’s light as air, sugary French Pop confection from 2000 Puzzle. So tune in, I certainly will, if for no other reason than to see if they talked shit about me. Bon Nuit, Shane

You catch that? I slipped a little France-y talk in at the end there. Sometimes being me is a heavy burden.

Ryan: What is this week’s album again?

Shane: Sylvan Esso

Ryan: I have no idea what that means

Shane: It’s a band/album…you sound like somebody’s old uncle

Ryan: What does that even mean?

This week we listen to the album Sylvan Esso by the band “Sylvan Esso”…well, not exactly a band, but it is two people making music, so not exactly a solo act. I guess I could have said “duo”, but somehow that just doesn’t feel right. We all agree that singer Amelia Meath has a honeyed voice that makes one weak in the knees…but that’s pretty much all we agreed on.

Next time around? We yell about Zen Arcade by Hüsker Dü and I might throw in All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You by Heart during the intermission…tune in to see if I actually do that (Spoiler Alert! I do that). Till then,

Those were odd days — or nights rather — plugging in commercials in the middle of the night to avoid the radio tax shows we were running (aka ‘ratings juggernaut’), and I used to take chances, mostly to keep myself awake beyond the darkness. Occasionally, that meant thumbing through a reservoir of old LPs from the station’s previous incarnation as an Album Oriented Rock enclave. Among those ruins lay the quirky sheen of Steely Dan, and from there on, my wee hours took to Fagen and Becker’s brand of jazz-rock urban dystopia.

This week’s show featured a fog machine, a giant Godspell canvas, dissection of the differences between jazz and what’s “jazzy,” and a steady drumbeat of vitriol from one of us (Shane cough cough Shane).

In between, we talk about the band construct that was Bow Wow Wow (and how young that singer was…her mother was not pleased), and Shane leaves us on “An Island.” Tune in to find out what that means.

I’m pretty sure in 1977 that folks were also saying T.V. and that makes Television (the band)’s choice to name the band Television both punk-rock and anachronistic (probably what they were aiming for)…

Anyway, I wish I smoked weed cause that way I could explain that last paragraph away…

So…Kevin last minute had to fly away to some other land, and Ryan and I held it together this time…With the help of Producer Mark we, by the grace of god, did it.

Get "Marquee Moon" yonder there Amazon

Coming Up

Next time on somebody likes it: UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH…bad bad bad nightmare bad…it’s called “Steely Dan”…I can’t even write “somebody likes it” in caps, cause it still hurts me…it…hurts. It…hurts…like the slow spread into your belly after getting kicked in the huevos (that means eggs in espanol, eggs meaning testes)…NEXT STOP: AWFUL TOWN.

Stevie Wonder is one of those artists.

This album should have been a much more challenging album to listen to than it was.
We talk all about it this week…

Get "Songs In The Key Of Life" on Amazon"*

Coming Up

Kevin goes on a trip, and the idiots run the asylum again.

Fine. Maybe it was my fault this once. Whatever fault that might be…maybe this time I should just own up to it. You win, Chris Cox. We listened to Doves The Last Broadcast this week, and not Iggy and The Stooges Raw Power…you win this time. But you have to admit that I sure do have a tin ear for dialogue. Rest assured I will soon be submitting my “Shitty Re-Enactment Dialogue Resume” to Investigation Discovery…

Buy "The Last Broadcast" Over Yonder Along The Amazon

Coming Up

(for sure this time): Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life.

Boy is my face red. Different Stooges I guess? I’m being told I’m not supposed to write about the Moe, Larry, Curley shit, but a band that we listened to? Get it together Bartell.

Well it sure seemed to me if you are gonna rub peanut butter all over your chest you might be one step away from doing “The Curly Shuffle”…except the music on this record was a good deal better than “The Curly Shuffle”…and there wasn’t a woo-woo-wooo to be found on it.

"Raw Power" on Amazon

Instead, I will say that this week we discuss Father John Misty’s 2015 record “I Love You Honeybear” and we all had opinions.

You Can Get "Honeybear" Here

Coming Up

Doves. The band, not the shit people release at weddings and funerals. Are doves and pigeons like the same thing, just some are white and not homeless? Shut up Shane you are an idiot. See you in a week,

Kevin…or Keving, as I originally wrote (pretty sure that’s his AD&D Paladin character…look, if you people are unhappy with my bullshit “funny-pants” routine then fire me), took the week off because he was busy feeding his family getting a new job and visiting Chicago (that’s the most exciting excuse I could come up with), so we had perennial fave guest Matthew Munoz jump in at the last minute…He suggested we talk about The Darling Buds – Crawdaddy.

It was a solid nostalgic record. Pretty much the consensus was “Oh Yeah! I remember that band!”

Flashback with "Crawdaddy" Over 'Round Amazon

Coming Up

Kevin returns. We listen to music. I try not to get hit in the face cause I act like a 7 year old (Offer still stands, you are welcome to write these things)…To quote Shirley Temple “On the good ship lolly-pop”

Oh yeah, Ryan and I took a Tuesday night to join Chris and Brian (our podcast overlords) to watch the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. That was fun. Way more fun than Ryan and I thought the movie wazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….oh wait, just woke up from the nap I was taking during the last hour of this TWO AND A HALF HOUR LONG MOVIE. Can somebody explain to me how you make an AIDS death, the beginning of Gansta Rap, Los Angeles and its crazy racial politics circa 1991, and a jew purportedly stealing money from young black men the snooze fest of the summer? Also, apparently I’m in the wrong here, because in the 2 weeks since we watched Straight Outta Compton it has become the run-away hit of 2015. I guess while I was napping, some other people found time to love this film.

Anyway, our take on this movie is all over at “Highly Suspect Reviews”, and I have to say, after listening to Ryan and I on the show, I truly understand where that title comes from

Now…onto the actual episode…

ASK…and ye shall receive! (borrowed, nay, stolen from Michael Jordan or some other important athlete I’m pretty sure). We finally got around to answering the question, “So, what’s the chance you look up from your collective 4 navels for half a second, and listen to a record that a member of the unwashed masses thinks might be an interesting listen”?

Well what WOULD happen if we hypothetically did that? I’ll tell you what would happen. WE DID IT! Cue the bad-ass music (probably Danger Zone-Kenny Loggins) and insert unrelenting motorcycle revving noises here! We listened to the listener suggested “Stone Roses-Second Coming” with a bona-fide “Stone Roses-Second Coming” fan, and it kicked out the proverbial jams (even if not all of us thought the album kicked out the proverbial jams). So credit where credit is due… Nicholas Collier thanks for poking this particular lazy bear in the ribs. Let’s just say we didn’t all agree on our opinion of it, but we did all agree that Chad Swiatecki is a great guest and we need to get his ass back on our show more often.

Show "Second Coming" Some Love Over on Amazon

Well, as it turns out, Noel Gallagher, the bloke (nailed it) that wrote it, still remembers it. In fact the opening track of Chasing Yesterday the newest release by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, makes sure you know that. Gallagher has never been afraid of “cribbing”, “borrowing” “stealing” melodies and turning them into great new songs, and it’s pretty bad-ass to see him use his proclivities for that type of stuff as he cribs from himself. I’ll spare you my feelings on this record until you listen to this episode (hint:great record) because as Chris Cox (one of the Oneofus.net Godfathers) has told me, if you give the milk away for free, nobody will want to buy the cow. I’m not actually sure that he put it that way, as we were up late drinking at Nomad Bar, but I feel like it was something along those lines. But everybody didn’t agree with my assessment of Chasing Yesterday, so what the hell, have some free milk.

Go Get "Chasing Yesterday" from Amazon Women

A Few Minutes With

Ryan gave us the gift of Aldo Nova’s Fantasy (Life is just a fantasy, can you live this fantasy life?) for our A Few MInutes With segment. It’s an incredibly entertaining mid 80’s video. Let’s just say there are guitars that are also laser guns. AND Aldo Nova is a dude, not a band name?! Also, he co-wrote Blaze of Glory with Jon Bon Jovi.

A Current Affair

Wrapped it up with Kate Tempest rapping about how you can barely get a retail job even with a degree.

Coming Up

We finally do a show based on a listener suggestion! Stone Roses Second Coming. I’ll just suggest that the title’s hubris is just that. Hubris (some more free milk)…See you in 7

16 years later we (by we I mean Me, Ryan and Kevin) sat in a hot garage and discussed why that Lauryn Hill “future of R&B” thing never panned out.

As a side note, can I just say how much more fun it is to do this show in Kevin’s garage when he has a tiny window A/C unit? WOW! Now if we could have kept Ryan from whining about how isn’t the “target market” for this record, it would have been a down-right good time of a night!

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Coming Up

Mark returns from his New Orleans trip where he was complicit in letting his wife show her students how to create our future robot overlords. Oh, and we talk about Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Till then

Fitting then that a record emerged from a band so maligned originally that they took to stealing sets from opening acts, so full of angst that to this day they try to reposition remnants of tales of violence at early shows, and who then might have known the result. Despite the fact that it kinda sounds like it was recorded in a burned-out warehouse, this record, nevertheless, is the lynchpin between The Velvet Underground and the shoegaze movement of England in the early 90s. Beneath all of the circumstance, buried in the gauzy haze of proto-shoegaze, pop songs and hooks with undeniable charm.

This week we cover a wide variety of topics, like the Brothers Reid, the confluence between bands we can’t seem to separate in our minds, and the stilted, occasionally simplistic takes shared in reviews of records that are, in retrospect, the foundations for entire movements or scenes, not — hey! — unlike this week’s record, The Jesus And Mary Chain offering PsychoCandy.

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Also, tune in as we weigh the question of ‘How Deadpan is Deadpan Enough?’ (Answer: we’re not sure), the efficacy of giant drumsticks in our A Few Minutes With segment (starring Hall and Oates), and the hilarious by way of spot-on Mikal Cronin video Turn Around — which lampoons Natalie Imbrulia’s 1997 hit cover of Torn. Confused? Don’t be. Grab the edge of your seat and join us as we wander down (and wonder about) memory lane. Wish that Shane had been able to join us, as I’m certain that he’d have plenty to spill on this one…

Oh, I guess I should mention that we talked about Sukierae by Tweedy. The band consists solely of Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco fame) and his son, which is another Dad-rock angle I suppose.

Purchase "Sukierae" on Amazon

Coming Up

Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Word.

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A Few Minutes With

This week we did something different for A Few Minutes With. Instead of watching a music video, we watched the 10 minute long mini-movie Styx opened their shows with on the tour supporting Kilroy Was Here. Ok, now obviously I was fucking around when I encouraged you guys to listen to the album, but I AM NOT when I tell you to watch this movie. It is Grade A unintentional humor.

A Current Affair

Ryan picked Do You by Spoon for A Current Affair.

Coming Up

Up Next-We celebrate the return of Dad Kevin with the ultimate Dad album, Sukirae-by father/son duo Tweedy. See you around

Once upon a time, there were three long time friends that decided to record a very opinionated music oriented podcast. Then one day, “Dad” went on vacation and “Little Brother” and “Other Dude” decided to “fuck shit up”…and “Producer Mark” a.k.a. “The Adult” let them run amok (Thanks Producer Mark, or should I thank your “Cocktails”).

Ok, that is getting tedious. Basically Kevin went on vacation, and Phil Ajjarapu joined Ryan and Mark and myself in a spirited discussion of the Ramone’s third album Rocket to Russia…A fine time was had by all.

Purchase "Rocket To Russia" on Amazon.com

A Few Minutes With & A Current Affair

But then it got a little more “Please tell Mom not to listen to this Episode-y”.

Phil was (kinda) coerced into picking Smell Yo Dick for the video in “A Few Minutes With”…and I had already said I was picking War on Drugs:Suck My Cock by Sun Kil Moon for “A Current Affair”, so all of a sudden it was like taking a corner in a dune buggy and then the dune buggy stalls out and tips over. But just like I would imagine that everyone riding in said buggy would crawl out laughing, so did we (until Chris Cox and Kevin Newsum hear the show).

Coming Up

You will experience the brilliance of Kilroy Was Here by Styx. Do I hear a Mr. Roboto chant building???

See, as good of a job as Kevin had done producing the show prior to his sojourn, Mark not only enjoyed producing the show in his absence, he also didn’t have a new born to contend with. So we asked him to stay on as Producer Mark, and he agreed, and now we all have the finest of times recording the show in Mark’s garage every week. Then he gives us a great show back(at least as far as production values are concerned) and we’re all happy.

The only thing is, even though Mark often has a mic, Ryan, Kevin, and Myself, just completely dominate the conversation and Mark doesn’t get that much time to talk (cause we’re kind of dicks?). So he posited an idea to me a few months ago, and I ran it by “the other guys” and everybody agreed it was a swell plan.

Instead of the way we usually do things, in which we all rotate picking the 3 segments, Mark would take over the show and pick the album, the video in A Few Minutes With and the song for A Current Affair. It was so much fun to just turn it over to him, and be surprised with his ideas. So for your listening pleasure, here is Producer Mark Hijacks the Show…The Who Sell Out is how we start things off.

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Coming Up

Yeah back to the same old shit after a month and a half of concept ideas. Ryan picked The Ramones Rocket to Russia…If I’m still alive after surviving that Slim Pickens-like ride, I’ll see you in 7.

“What’s all the fussin’ about Shane?”

-You People

Well, I’ll tell you. We made it. We did it. We didn’t get fired (yet). It’s been a year since we started doing this damn thing, and Ryan even brought in a bottle of bubbly to commemorate the occasion. So in order to celebrate our first 365 days on ONEOFUS.NET we decided to do a supersized mixtape show for you guys.

A mixtape show is pretty much the same as a regular show, only instead of just discussing one album, we all pick videos to surprise each other with, and alternate until no man is left alive. Or something like that.

Also it was supposed to tie in with Memorial Day, but we couldn’t even get our shit together enough to even do that. Regardless, we think it’s a pretty amusing show and we hope you do too.

KEVIN NEWSUM:

Bleachers: I Wanna Get Better

Is there anything that Jack Antonoff writes that isn’t anthemic? That
word made a repeat appearance as we discussed this track and its
corresponding video, wherein Antonoff plays an erstwhile therapist who
lives in a terrible apartment building and dates (or did once), a girl
who brought her own lamp over. Whatever happened to toothbrushes?

Old Dirty Bastard: Shimmy Shimmy Ya

One of the miracles of the internet that has since broken out is the
marrying of ODB’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya (also seen in the opening scene of
Knocked Up) to video of Dr. Teeth from The Muppets. It’s remarkable,
and if you’ve not seen it go find the internet (oh, you’re here
already!) and view. Beyond that, this was my take on soundtracking the
Hip Hop Pool Party. Perfect for those who like it raw, whatever that
means.

Fatboy Slim: Weapon Of Choice

You could make the argument that Norman Cook’s Weapon Of Choice here
is a uniquely charismatic Christopher Walken. When this video hit the
airwaves back in the day, seeing Walken’s giant forehead out of
character, instead of reflecting his formal dance training, turned
heads. We also talk about how Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim was once in
the Housemartins, which some found surprising.

George Clinton: Atomic Dog

Clinton, of Parliament/Funkadelic fame, brought us this genius nugget
of 8-bit (seriously, check out the video) wonder, Atomic Dog. Better
known now for the legions (lesions?) of samples it spawned, this song
nevertheless brought funk to the ‘burbs. Soundtrack to the time I
totally “frenched” a girl next to a Joust video game when I was 11.

Cheap Trick: She’s Tight

This was my jam when I was hitting up my local skating rink as a
fifth-grader. I distinctly recall requesting it from the (probably
17-year-old) DJ, and his reply, “Aren’t you a little young for that?”
Yes, yes I was, because I had absolutely no idea that “She’s Tight”
had a sexual connotation. Not so subtle on the video, though. Proud
that Cheap Trick was my first for-real concert experience, even if it
was at Astroworld.

Gene: Olympian

Ah yes, Gene. Not Morrissey. I repeat, not Morrissey. Totally picked
this song because Shane is such a Smiths/Morrissey geek that I knew
I’d get an intriguing reaction, and sure enough, he didn’t disappoint.
Totally solid song, and this band would so totally not exist were it
not for Morrissey/Marr, et al.

Falco:Rock Me Amadeus

Well I went with a theme this time, starting with a video in the 80’s,
continuing through to the 90’s, and Aughts. First up, I just thought
everybody needed to be reminded of the genius that is(was) Falco.
Well, this is FUCKING genius. However there was never a proper video
releases with English lyrics (or we sure as shit couldn’t find one) so
we bounced around a few. All worth the effort of finding on-line. The
same thing can be said, nay, SHOUTED AT THE TOP OF ONE’S LUNGS about…

Chavez: Break Up Your Band

which is my favorite video of the 90’s. It just can’t be explained.
Much the same as…

Britney Spears:Toxic

Very confusing. Still holds up in the lascivious eye candy department
though.

Well we did it. It was daunting at times. It was a (TINY) mountain we climbed, aided by little else but Ryan’s beef jerky supplies and Mark’s generous supply of and generous gift of various whiskies. We set out to achieve a goal and we did it. WE…DID…IT. All the naysayers accusing us of laziness (me) can just go bite a pillow, cause we did it. We finished our 3 week long exploration of albums we hadn’t discussed before that were produced by bands we had. It was pretty damn monumental in the scheme of things.

This week we listened to Check Your Head by the Beastie Boys, and this time there was barely even any discussion about how they were yelling at Ryan…

Check your own head over at Amazon

Let’s rock out in 7…

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Toodles.

One thing I’ve discovered is that Yo La Tengo leads to a somewhat sedate show. Let’s see what you guys think.

Buy "Painful" from Amazon

This time around he picked Whiskey Icarus by Kyle Kinane and we had REAL LIFE COMEDIAN(and friend of Kyle’s) JT Habersaat on the show to help us out. That proved to be a great idea and I think you guys will agree.

For A Few Minutes With I chose the R&B classic Everyready Man (“just call me 24 hour Dan”) from Lakeside, and then Ryan had us watch a video in which a cute high woman wanders around in search of an Egg Mcmuffin which pretty much sums up the video for Stoned and Starving by Parquet Courts.

All right then. What’s up next? Oh yeah, the next 3 weeks we are gonna re-visit bands we’ve talked about before, each one of us picking a different album to discuss. Next time it’ll be Painful by Yo La Tengo (that’s a Spanish word, that’s why it sounds weird). Catch you later,

But having said that, the record is NOWHERE close to the awfulness that is Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf (I can’t imagine anything that is), and I think we actually have a quite measured and introspective (as introspective as you can get discussing fucking Nickleback) discussion of All the Right Reasons.

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Coming Up

OK! So, next week I chose 2005’s NIckleback offering All the Right Reasons. Curious what everyone might have to say. I guess we’ll see next week.

As Ryan put it “This is the best album we’ve talked about that I’ll probably never listen to again”. But you can make up your mind on that yourself.

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A Few Minutes With

Ryan continues his stellar run of picking great videos from the 80’s with his choice of We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister.

Coming Up

Next week we will be joined by Marcus Rice as we discuss Heaven or Las Vegas, a Cocteau Twins joint. Also, I have a feeling Creed might pop up; it’s been a little while since I’ve discussed Scott Stapp. Ciao!

Buy "Blood On The Tracks"

Be back in a week with some Lupe Fiasco talk.

I realize that generally speaking the idea has been for the guys to listen to an album they weren’t overwhelmingly familiar with (if at all) that’s otherwise well known. I broke all the rules and brought in one of my favorite records, showing my age, the unexpected 1990 pop masterpiece by Sonic Youth, “Goo“. Fortunately for the show’s usual format, nobody else there had really sat down with it before now. And BOY did we get some mixed reactions.

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In addition to going over the album du jour, we talked about “Quarry Hymns“ by Land of Talk and “Hero“ by Family of the Year (which was prominently featured on the Boyhood soundtrack. Oh, and also we went kinda longer than usual. That’s gonna happen when you put me on your podcast and feed me craft brews the whole time. Enjoy!

For our album this week, Kevin picked “The Modern Lovers” 1976 Eponymous album. All I had known about The Modern Lovers prior to this listen was that Jonathan Richman was the main dude, and all I knew about Jonathan Richman prior to this listen was he was in that movie where Ben Stiller got his dick stuck in his zipper. But I’m sure glad I got the chance to listen to it.

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A Current Affair

I Chose “Crush” by Tahiti 80 for A Current Affair, and we answer the question “Are they still a band?” (hint-the answer is yes).

Coming Up

Ok, we’re super excited because next week Chris Cox is guesting on the show and he picked Sonic Youth’s 1990 record “Goo” for us to discuss. I’m sure hi-jinks will ensue. See you then.

We were just about out of that damn garage, and then Ryan showed up…let me back up a bit.

I picked the record this week, and it’s “The Kinks are The Village Green Preservation Society” by…wait for it…The Kinks (wouldn’t it have been wonderful if I dropped in C and C Music Factory right there?). I love the British Invasion, I think the Beatles were the most confounding and amazing band ever, most of my all time favorite bands and records hail from The British Isles…but somehow the Kinks had mostly fallen off of my radar. And that’s not for lack of people nudging me toward them (looking at you Darin Murphy). Long story short, I finally understood all of the comparisons to Blur- Parklife I’ve heard over the years.

Because of a 2am text I had received a few nights before taping, I knew Ryan was a fan of this one. Which is why when I walked into Mark’s garage and Ryan wasn’t there I was all sad-faced and shit. Turns out, if you are playing with your dog and accidentally scratch your cornea in 2 places, and you are in so much pain you have to move the recording of your podcast to the following day cause you have to go to the doctor…not everybody can make the re-schedule the next day. Ryan had to work that night, and nobody bothered to tell me-sad trombone-.

Well lucky for us, our guest for the night, Infamous Music Journalist Chad Swiatecki, did a most admirable fill-in. Sadly, Ryan really liked the record and Chad did not, so I regret not having them in the same room. I’m not above throwing meat to the wolves.

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So, the major new development for the show this week (and the for-seeable future) is that Mark Couvillion is going to stay on with us, albeit in a different role. He’s gonna be taking on the role of show producer and while he won’t always be picking up a mic, he will be in the room with us…fact-checking, more fact-checking, being utilized as an ally, making us wrap up “discussions that are going no-where”, and other “grown-up” stuff like that. YAY PRODUCER MARK!!!

Ok, so RUN-DMC. Who knew they had a Monkees cover on this record? We all had a lot to say, and although I dropped a disclaimer (is that an Adam Sandler joke?) earlier in this missive, it is a pretty fun discussion (AND Ryan went to pick up his laundry mid-show again. Laundry wasn’t ready, schadenfreude ensued).

We watched a cat video during the intermission.

Go Get "Tougher Than Leather" from Amazon

We fucked up the RUN-DMC show that was supposed to be this week’s episode, and one that we allude to on multiple occasions on this week’s actual show. So that episode is DEAD but will be soon resurrected/re-recorded for next weeks installment…a tale of the un-dead indeed…

ALSO! We talk about the Jellyfish record, “Spilt Milk”. I had previously scorned Jellyfish because of their stupid early 90’s clothes, but turns out, they weren’t as bad as their clothes were.

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Coming Up

NEXT UP! PROMISE! RUN-DMC and “Tougher Than Leather”
See ya’ll on the Flip Wilson side.

I wanted to run down those squiggly avenues where there was a convergence of my ideas of reality and my ideas of what I wanted reality to be.

Or that’s what 19 year old Shane and only 19 year old Shane would have done…

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This week’s show features Demetri Martin’s 2012 record “Standup Comedian”. I’m not gonna say it wasn’t fun figuring out how to talk about a comedy record, or that we won’t do another record in the future, but it sure was an interesting choice. I just want to thank Mark Couvillion again for letting us record in his garage the last couple of months, and doing quite an able job filling in for Kevin. Mark will be around in the future so this isn’t a goodbye or anything.

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Coming Up

OK! That’s it for now. Next time we will be taking on “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music”. We haven’t done enough country, so why not listen to a dude that sings about LSD and covers the When In Rome hit “The Promise” (which we’ve talked about on this show, bringing it all full circle).
Next week then?

But I’m WAAAAAAYYYYY less interested in that discussion than I am in what we listened to and talked about during A Few Minutes With.

Purchase "Sound of Silver" on Amazon

Coming Up

Next Show: It’s a little bit of a surprise but I will say that Kevin is back! So that’s fun. Happy Holidays and shit.

Even if Mark broke the rules by putting up an album he knew very well, it was fine by me, cause the rest of us didn’t, and we all walked away better people having heard it.

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Coming Up

See you guys next week…we’re tackling an LCD Snoresystem album…and something about some “Pink Pannies”…hmmm…talk soon.

It’s not often you get to see the blueprint of a musical paradigm. The record was a little shaky, especially after the first 5 or 6 songs, but wow, what a first 5 or 6 songs. It reminded me of the old quote about the Velvet Underground and everybody that bought their records creating a band…

This album is flawed for sure, but I feel like it’s impossible that Hall and Oates, Prince, Average White Band, Lenny Kravitz, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, and countless others would have become the hit-makers they became…or fuck, even found their signature sounds, without listening to this listless prodigy.

Listless. It’s hard to hear a burgeoning genius like this go down with such a whimper…we talk about it a lot in this show…
OK…got that out of my system.

Pick Up "Inspiration Information" on Amazon

Coming Up

Next week…Camper Van Beethoven’s “Key Lime Pie”
Sounds Delicious. HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!

WE DID IT!!!!! (Cue America the Beautiful at an ear-splitting volume. And little shiny shit falling from the ceiling)
We discussed “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space” by Spiritualized. Along with the best damn album title ever, this thing is a pretty solid listen! I guess we made fun of Ryan’s choice of snacks (again) and started getting used to recording this thing in a new garage.
Oh and wait. I forgot about this week’s “A Few Minutes With”. Well, not as much forgot as punched myself in the god-damned forehead in an attempt to forget. And here’s where stuff gets kind of complicated. See, I had just assumed that Kevin, with his DAD HUMOR and SADISTIC HUMOR had, as his final pick for a month or two, given us the hilarious-for-half-a-listen-two-summers-ago “What Does The Fox Say”, to get in one last sadistic swing. Well, turns out, Mark thinks that shit is HILARIOUS. So, I guess that seals the deal. Mark is just as much the voice of Adulthood as Kevin ever was. Except Kevin never had an animatronic fox that danced around his garage and sang the song. So I guess Mark has him beat there.

So, my pick next week. We will get back to the 70’s with Shuggie Otis and his incredibly influential album “Inspiration Information”. At some point a Gwen Stefani song will pop up. See ya then…

Ok, now that that is over with, onto what the hell we talked about this week… Real Estate and their most recent album “Atlas”. I’ve actually already written a HILARIOUS synopsis of this week’s episode, but I woke up today to an email from Chris Cox telling me:
“Hey, you sent me the wrong document. This is just the Bat Out of Hell one again.” I checked that shit out, and he was correct, that is what I sent him. And the Real Estate sum up was nowhere to be found. Awesome.

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Coming Up

We discuss “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space” by Spiritualized.
BEST. ALBUM. TITLE. EVER. See you then

Don’t fret though, he’ll be back before you know it. In the meantime, Ryan and I are happy to report that we’ll be joined by Mark Couvillion. In fact Mark starts joining us in the Episode. IN FACT the Album selection for this week has been provided by Mark, and if it’s any indication of what we can expect out of him in the future, then it’s gonna be an interesting tenure.

Cause this week we were all subjected to the god-awful piece of shit that is Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell”. The less I say the better ’cause after this week, I am going to try and forget I ever even heard of that record. Gonna try really really really really hard to forget. It’s that bad.

Why Would You Purchase "Bat Out Of Hell" On Amazon?

A Few Minutes With

It doesn’t get any easier during our segment A Few Minutes With, cause I picked Billy Ocean’s “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Outta My Car” to discuss. I probably would have picked something better had I known what he had up his sleeve. All in all we survived so I guess all is well with the world. And now you get to listen to the fruits of our labor!

Coming Up

Next week: We’re back with Kevin’s last show for a while, and fittingly, he goes out on an record of his choosing: “Atlas” by Real Estate…

Shane’s sitting this one out with some sort of sickness, which is I guess what happens when your eardrums have been bled clean out and you have to lie down, lest you lose your proverbial shit. In his stead this week is our friend Phil Ajjarapu, who shares a story about eating cheese and crackers with BB King, about the difference between the way we soak things up in our youth (as opposed to when we’ve been worn down over time) and about the influence of this record that seems, in some ways, to be more than the sum of its parts.

Ryan rebounds from last week’s love-in with Yo La Tengo, just in time to wonder if he “gets” this LP, even though Shields’ seems to have recorded with at least one of his heroes, and perhaps more. We even wonder about the phenomenally bad idea of Trey Anastasio’s Phish covering this record in its entirety for Halloween (which, fortunately, didn’t happen), and press on about what makes a song work, and what it must be like to have to try to decipher and catalog lyrics you think you may have heard in a live recording session, and then transcribe so that whatever version of “tortured genius” (if you buy the platitudes) might live on.

That, and we talk about Skee-Lo, self effacing diminutive rap staple.

Somewhere along the way, Phil’s dog Molly eats a pencil in my garage.

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Ok, on to the business at hand. This week we listened to “Electr-O-Pura” by Yo La Tengo. I liked it quite a bit. Kevin a little less so. But Ryan? Let’s just say somebody took over the first part of this podcast like a drunk fat guy working on a plate of ribs. In fact, I’ll let him tell you a little about it.

“On this edition of “Somebody Likes It,” the “Somebody” who “Likes It”
is me. A lot. It would be hard to overstate my love for Yo La Tengo’s
1995 release “Electr-O-Pura,” but on this week’s podcast, I definitely
give it my best shot. I love this as much as I do “The White Album,”
“The Queen is Dead,” or “Fables of the Reconstruction.” If you know me
well, you also know that that’s saying a lot. Understandably, Shane
and Kevin were less enthusiastic about this record, but, to be fair,
it’s a pretty high bar to reach my level of fandom. In any case,
“Electr-O-Pura” is a testament to the bond one can make with a work of
art when one must travel the roads of northeast Indiana, measuring
homes for a carpet store (not to be cliche). To me, it’s a perfect
record. Except for track 13, “Attack on Love.” That song blows.”

Yeah, he’s not wrong about that. Stay far far away from that.

Purchase Electr-O-Pura on Amazon

Coming Up

All right. Well next week, on this cycle of albums we love it’s my pick: My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless”…beautiful beautiful music. See you then!

Air Miami is one of those. I had never listened to their fey/twee, simple yet gorgeous songs. They paved the way for the (in my opinion) much better fey/twee songwriting of Belle and Sebastian/The Cardigans/The Shins… but they, in an “only could have happened in the 1990s” way, combined a convergence of irony and syrupy that made complete sense at the time.

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Coming Up

For the next three weeks, rather than pick an album the 3 of us don’t know all too well, we are all picking one we individually know very well. Kevin gets the ball rolling with Air Miami’s “Me. Me. Me”. (and I have Peaches singing about fucking the pain away). We’ll see how that ends up.

But a funny thing happened on the way to getting to where I knew I was gonna get. I ended up really liking the damn thing. Well at least half of it. You can hear all about it in this week’s show.

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Next week, we have our first guest, Jeff Ryder, and we talk about Janet Jackson’s “Control.”

Lovely.

But then I listened to “Manipulator”, and I have to say I was wrong. I mean the man did take 14 months (I originally typed 14 years, which really would be the opposite of what I’m getting all worked about here) to get this one done, so there’s that, but I went back and listened to some of his earlier stuff, and it’s good too. So now I want to punch the motherfucker in the face for a whole other reason.

Well we talked it all out in the garage, really hugged it all out cause everybody seems to LOOOOOOVE Ty Segall. I took the opportunity to be a bit of a crank, but for the most part all was well with the world.

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This week we start including our new segment “A Few Minutes With” as an intermission in the middle of the show. For those of you unfamiliar with the new segment, it’s essentially the same idea as the “BIG SHOW”, except we take a single song and talk about it for 10 minutes. Usually with a video so we work in discussion of that too. This week we kick it off with William Shatner’s AMAZING rendition of “Rocket Man” Watch the video.

Ok, that’s it for now. Next we listen to Vampire Weekend’s eponymous debut. I like that one too. See you in the funny pages (somebody please tell me what that means)…

It’s nearly impossible to speak the man’s name in any manner other than in all caps.

And yeah, the Brothers Newsum met with their ally Shane Bartell in Kevin’s un-air-conditioned lair in order to drink flagons of mead (or chalices of American craft beers) and tell tales of their fallen King, Ronnie James Dio, he of the mighty voice and the tiny legs.

Ok, I’m already tired of that schtick. Let’s just say it was only fitting that we discussed “Holy Diver” while sitting in a garage. The humble American garage, where so many Dungeons and Dragons games have been played over the years to a soundtrack of Dio. Not in Kevin’s garage mind you, just in a bunch of other ones.

During the course of the show we discovered Ronnie James Dio had an early career as a Doo-Wop singer. Which is kind of mind-blowing. The music wasn’t half bad, but as it’s so rare, we weren’t able to rustle up any tracks to play on air, so you’ll have to look it up yourself.

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“I’d like to spit some Beech-Nut in that dude’s eye”

There has to be some more gems like that one out there right? Not that I can dig up. In fact, that’s pretty much what this week’s show amounts to, us discussing how lazy these songs are. Check the box of just about any requisite country song topic circa 1980 and Williams has got a paint by numbers version of it ready for you here.

So I thought when I was writing this, I would go online and pull up some more hilarious examples of his lyrics. But the thing is, they are all pretty much just as lazy and imagination deprived as anything on “High Notes” (which by the way, title not withstanding these are not greatest hits or a high water mark of songwriting excellence, just a way for some label execs to dress up an even more mediocre record than he usually turned in). Surely there had to be something good on “If The South Woulda Won” or even “McCain-Palin Tradition”? Nope.

BUT! There is a cover of “Norwegian Wood”.

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So, after last week’s show (where-in we discuss the objectively god awful “Live Through This”), Ryan, Kevin, and Myself were having a well-deserved post-show beer (look, this shit is hard…not like lifting a car over your head hard, more like convincing your nephew that there’s no more “rest of the candy” hard) and we decided to do something special for our Labor Day show. Kevin wisely pointed out that no-one would even hear the show until like 10 days after Labor Day, but I didn’t see any reason to act like it didn’t even happen (yeah, apparently Kevin is spearheading a “War on Grilling Out”…where’s your outrage Bill O’Reilly?). After all, we could just tell everybody what the deal was. Eventually, I won this argument. We settled in to discuss the format.

Several weeks ago we had begun entertaining the idea of a companion show. Well, not really a companion show, rather a Chester the Terrier to our Spike the Bulldog. The idea basically would be where we normally talked about an entire album for an hour plus, we instead would talk for 10 minutes about a particular song (and/or its accompanying video). We would call this “A Few Minutes With”. And what better way to introduce this new segment dedicated to brevity than to have our Labor Day show devote itself IN ITS ENTIRETY to “A Few Minutes With”.

So we each picked 2 songs and spent an hour talking about those 6 songs…and videos…and the after- hours party Ryan attended the night before. I’ll turn it over to the other guys so they can tell you about their picks:

Tracy Ullman–“They Don’t Know”

The impulse to dredge up Tracy
Ullman’s brilliant cover of Kirsty MacColl’s (lesser-known) “They
Don’t Know” came from some dusty corner of my childhood. Murky
memories of MTV back when it played music, mixed with a sense of awe
that a comedian (comedienne?, let me know, Joan Rivers. Oh, wait.) who
spawned the Simpsons upon the world could have (seemingly) casually,
unleashed this gem unto the world. And then moved on from music. Oh,
and Paul McCartney shows up in the video. You know, just ’cause.

Radiohead–“Paranoid Android”
Man, hard to impart my awe at
discovering that Radiohead were capable of much, much more than
“Creep.” As much as I loved their previous record “The Bends”, I still
wasn’t completely convinced that these lads would have staying power.
I stand corrected. The entirety of “OK Computer” is an indisputable
masterpiece, and this is its crowning achievement. Unless you ask
Shane’s and my good friend “Big Daddy,” circa 1998.

Flesh For Lulu–“I Go Crazy”
Break out your studded Billy Idol faux
cowboy boots and your Batman undershirt and saddle up for one of the
pivotal tracks from John Hughes’ 1980s heyday. We marvel at the “Miami
Vice” references, the edgy posturing of a band that enjoyed a modest
peak, and how some songs from certain eras will always bear the
hallmarks of those certain eras. This, dear listener, is one of those
songs.

Spacehog–“In The Meantime”
We ponder a world that makes it
possible for a New York-by-way-of-Leeds professional rat catcher to
form a band with other Leedians (Leedites? That doesn’t seem right)
and how, occasionally, songs that constitute the one high point of a
band sound, upon first listen, like the very best a band can offer. In
the case of this track, this was Spacehog’s swing for the fences, and
they ended up on some big tour undercards because of it. Shane
considers this lyrical genius, while Ryan recalls his Google search
reply: “you searched for Spacehog. Did you mean Space Hog?” Ponder
that for awhile.

Extreme–“More Than Words”
Really, all I have to say about this song I
said in the show. My idea was to pick two hits from the same musical
era that were as diametrically opposed to each other as I could think
of. So with that in mind, my other choice of song was:

Sir Mix-A-Lot-“Baby Got Back”
I think I succeeded in striking that
balance.

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Tracy Ullman

Radiohead

Flesh For Lulu

Spacehog

Extreme

Sir Mix-A-Lot

Whether we’re talking about her fiery role as Mrs. Kurt Cobain, her occasionally (and reputedly) laissez-faire turn as maternal figure, or, perhaps, her grunge-to-glam trajectory as lyricist and lead singer of the band Hole, Courtney and company lit a twisted fuse of stardom, baggage and frayed anger on Live Through This that seems to stalk her to this day.

Though we can’t help but wonder…is all the praise surrounding this release, well…warranted? Buckle in for some spirited chatter in our latest episode of Somebody Likes It.

Elsewhere:
EXPERIENCE the magic as we discover how a jar of Rodney Dangerfield’s sweat (kept, posthumously, and refrigerated by his wife) is like the Declaration of Independence (or not).

RELISH the fervor with which Shane shakes an angry fist at this record, whereupon he suggests that screeching is too kind a word, really, to use when describing Courtney Love’s pipes.

HEAR some Dad jokes that are both A) terrible and B) groan-worthy, and discover how Orlando bogarts your street cred.

We’ve liberated ourselves from the garage this week and are recording in the air conditioned nirvana (see what I did there) of my living room, which means that I can no longer account for the sweat lodge atmosphere to sweat away the beers I down during taping. Somehow we’ll persevere, though. Chalice in hand.

It’s Hole’s Live Through This. You can call Courtney Love many things (do it in person and she’ll return the favor), but you can’t call her dull. Find out why this week!

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A few Josh Tillman quotes:

On the writing of Fear Fun:

“I got into my van with enough mushrooms to choke a horse and started
driving down the coast with nowhere to go. After a few weeks, I was
writing a novel, which is where I finally found my narrative voice….
It was a while before that voice started manifesting in a musical way,
but once I settled in the Laurel Canyon spider-shack where I’m living
now, I spent months demoing all these weird-ass songs about weird-ass
experiences almost in real-time, and kind of had this musical
‘Oh-there-I-am’ moment, identical to how I felt when I was writing the
book.”

On the name “Father John Misty”:

“I had to give it a name, so I kind of wanted to confuse people with
this ridiculous red herring [and] admittedly patently ridiculous name
that’s also phonetically beautifully and looks good in print. Sort of
a name I’ve decided to give to this weird, subconscious, dream
fragmentation I have of this homosexual, shamanic drifter who bounces
around [and] stirs up weird shit in my dreams. Like making out with my
brother. So I guess the aggregate of all those things just felt right.
But really and truly, the whole thing is just kind of about the fact
that it really doesn’t matter what the fuck you call yourself, as long
as the goods are in the explicit honesty.”

On the book that he wrote:

“It’s about this couple named Charles and Agnes Brimley, and Charles
is an author writing this book about a herd of post-apocalyptic
chihuahuas,” Tillman explains, “They go to Salt Lake City, walk by a
funeral home, impersonate another couple, and order a ’69’ casket for
themselves—a casket that you can 69 in. While Charles is writing his
book, he gets into the casket and realizes that the voice of God is in
there, and God’s name is Josh Tillman, and Josh Tillman divulges the
secrets of Charles’ universe. I really like how the book is going so
far.”

So, pretty great stuff if you ask me.

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Ok! Now that this embarrassing incident is behind us, let’s get on to the story.

For some of us that came of age in the 90’s, Pavement pretty much defined the middle part of that decade ( for a whole hell of a lot of people it defined the whole decade.) I fall somewhere in the middle of that line of thinking…Pavement was everywhere but always in the background. I have many fond memories set to their soundtrack.

For this episode, Ryan just had to pick the one Pavement record I don’t love. However, I truly believe it set the tone for what was to come for a large segment of indie rock for years…and that includes Pavement’s subsequent records. After listening to, and talking about “Slanted and Enchanted”, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that this record is both the weakest in the Pavement canon, and valuable mostly as a place-marker in the history of American rock music. I think anyone listening will see how ambivalent the 3 of us were about it…

Actually, let me turn it over to Ryan for a minute and see what he has to say…

After an agonizing 12 minute wait, Ryan says:

“Thanks, Shane. I take full responsibility. Not for the content of
Slanted and Enchanted, as I did not write it or perform on it. But I
did, in fact, select this record for our latest installment of the
meeting of the minds (and drinks) that is “Somebody Likes It.” And in
fact, “ambivalent” does go a long way to describe my feelings for this
particular slice o’ wax. At the risk of sounding like a newlywed who
picked the highly-touted restaurant for an anniversary dinner and
found it lacking (and then took to Yelp to let the world know), I
really wanted to like this more. Even more than that, I wish that that
each and every rock critic in the free world at that time had liked it
less. Perhaps then we’d have all been saved from a decade of smug,
lazy wielders of Tascam cassette recorder “bedroom prodigies”. Laden
with down-tuned guitars and a distaste for song structure, they pretty
much convinced the hipsterati at the time that they were the next big
thing. I, much like Shane, very much appreciate Pavement’s subsequent
output, but had some trouble digesting what sounded to these ears like
nothing so much as some really talented dudes just screwing around and
barely trying. – Ryan Newsum

Couldn’t have summed it up any better than that.

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This week we take on the truly groundbreaking 1988 classic, “Straight Outta Compton”. I was tempted to write this in some clever fashion, with lots of puns and references to how white we are, but as funny and subversive that kind of humor is, I guess I’m just feeling a little blasé this week. I do want to comment on how hilariously silly the lyrics to this album are, and how much things have changed in the intervening 25 years since Straight Outta Compton was released. What seemed scary and “other” has been so co-opted, that now even the unintentionally hilarious is just as funny as the intentional. In fact, sometimes it’s hard for me to discern between the two.

When we were recording I kept trying to remind myself to tell a story but I eventually forgot. I suppose I should share it with you here. At some point in the show I give a character profile of a guy I went to high school with named Judd. There are only 2 things I really remember about Judd.

1. At parties, he would only drink Gatorade mixed with Peppermint Schnapps.
2. He pretty much only listened to NWA. OH!
3. .And He drove a kick ass HUGE 70’s van, (yes, he had a moustache).

It was the first car I had ever ridden in that had neither a working speedometer nor gas gauge; made for lots of adventures, but those are for another day. When that van finally died, he bought an identical one. That was just his identity by that point, you know?

When I was in 10th grade Judd and I went to Padre Island for Spring Break with a group of friends. One afternoon, we were cruising THE VAN up and down the main strip, and every time we passed a group of comely lasses (which was often), Judd would lean out of the window and coo at them “Wasssup LADIES! Wanna party?!”…upon the immediate and inevitable rejection he would invariably mutter “vicious bitches”. This went on for hours, and he never once altered this initial pitch, nor his reaction to the letdown…It was sort of like watching a gif of a dog chasing, then catching, a skunk.

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Dear Diary,

I’ve never felt sadistic until right now. I’ve told Kevin
and Ryan that the next album I’ve chosen for us to discuss is Bon
Jovi-“Slippery When Wet”. I know we’ve all been friends for many
years, and I know that SHOULD provide some goodwill…but will they
actually/eventually forgive me? Can I forgive myself for making them
cram that nonsense into their ears…we’ll see.
—Shane

After attempting an initial listen, I now know that the
goodwill I was counting on might not be enough. Even now, I’m steeling
myself for a second dive into this cesspool. So far I’ve only been
able to stomach 2 songs. I’ve already gotten a few late night texts
from Ryan about how much he hates me for making him do this, and while
I think he’s kidding (mostly), I really can’t tell anymore. —Shane

What was I thinking? I thought this would be funny, and
though it is, I can say with all seriousness that I wasn’t counting on
the fact that I ALSO HAVE TO LISTEN TO THESE SONGS. My bones feel
sore, like a low grade flu. —Shane

Why does Jon Bon Jovi constantly reference the “bottle”?
—Shane

There’s more where that came from, but I fell asleep at the keys so we’ll just leave it there.

Purchase Slippery When Wet on Amazon

Allow me to welcome you to Round 3 of “Somebody Likes It”, wherein your three hosts gather in Kevin’s garage and try not to die from heat stroke. It’s summer time in Austin Texas, and for some unknown reason, not one of us remembered that without an air conditioner in Kevin’s garage, things were bound to get a little steamy. And I don’t mean like in a Sexy Movie way. Even leaving the beer fridge open was no help. At one point I almost lost an arm when it stuck to recording table.

For our third episode, we decided to tackle “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac. At first glance it seemed kind of an odd choice to me (Ryan’s turn to choose), but when I was listening to it I realized that so many of the songs had become like wall paper to me. Their ubiquitous nature had removed any emotion from them. However, this is one of the bestselling records of all time. At 40 million sold (and counting) somebody really fucking likes this. I think we all came to the realization that the back story was pretty important to a lot of those songs, and by extension, a lot of those sales.

Things are starting to click a little better in the (hot) garage. We all feel like we’re starting to get the hang of how to keep the show moving, and not get bogged down in tangents as much. We’re still figuring out some of the audio stuff, but that’s getting better every week too. By next week, that stuff should be mostly sorted out.

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See you next week…

The reviews are in from the first show and they are resoundingly MIXED! That right, some of you found our stories hilarious and some of you just wanted us to get to the point. I will say that I feel confident that as the weeks go on we’ll be pulling those two extremes together, right now we’re still figuring this stuff out. So there.

Ok, on to this week’s show. This week we’ll be discussing Paul’s Boutique, the record that set the stage for the second act of the Beastie Boys career. I think after the show we all walked away with a better understanding of why Ryan thinks the Beastie Boys are always yelling at him.

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Now, there’s a couple of ways to view this concept. The easiest target to hit, and also the closest to our original intention, is that the 3 of us will drink copious amounts of liquor and talk about an album that, while very important to a lot of people, none of us have really spent any time with. This doesn’t mean that said record is a cult classic, nay dear reader, as our intent is quite contrary to that line of thinking.

Our idea is to dig into music beloved by a swath of humanity, but not necessarily us; which is not to say we don’t like the music, or that we’re unfamiliar with the music. Rather, the 3 of us want to become more familiar with it…imagine you’re sitting in a garage with your 2 best friends and somebody opines “Hey, you don’t really know the Kinks, cause you never really listened to a Kinks album all the way through”. And then everybody runs out and listens to a Kinks album all the way through before the next sitting around the garage stuff…

But there is another lens through which to view this idea, and, well yeah it’s pretty much the same as the first. Get drunk and talk about music.

I have to say, these first couple of episodes are standing on newborn baby deer shaky legs; we’re still feeling this stuff out, but I will tell you as the weeks have gone by, we are gaining strength…

With appropriate little fanfare, here are your “hosts”:

SHANE BARTELL

Shane Bartell plays some instruments and writes “songs”. Some things you might find interesting about him: he has a scar on his left middle finger knuckle from trying to bust into (successfully!!) his dad’s “marijuana storing toolbox” when he was in middle school. When he was in 9th grade a dude gave him the shittiest tattoo ever (and that person should have known better). Music? Just fine by him.

KEVIN NEWSUM

Kevin Newsum’s toe started tapping somewhere around the LBJ administration and never stopped. He managed to unearth Sgt Pepper from beneath an onslaught of minstrel-friendly effluvia his parents hoarded, and from then on twangs and beats were never far from earshot. He’s found diamonds and dung in most every genre. He’s also a professional nerd (though there’s more to it than that), executive producer of a show in its 14th year at SXSW Interactive, and incurably curious regarding the next big sound. He is fond of the riffing.

RYAN NEWSUM

Ryan Newsum is a self-professed, life-long “music nerd”. Having spent time mastering the undeniably sexy French horn during his adolescence (that’s right, ladies–marching band!), subsequent years have seen him dabble in the music business in several capacities: radio intern, artist manager, club booker and promoter. These days, Mr. Newsum has come to realize that the best way he can contribute to the rich tapestry of the music world is to have drinks in his brother’s garage, chatting with his two best friends about iconic records.

• Shane inadvertently created a drinking game. Every time Shane says the word “exactly” take a shot…and feel his dignity slip away one drop at a time…
• The Pavement song we reference is “Stereo” not fucking “Shady Lane”.
• Yeah yeah, we all know all about Ayn Rand and her bullshit Libertarian philosophy. But we don’t really care about how we mis-stated, or didn’t get something right…that shit is BORING.

So grab a Chalice and join us…we welcome all comments (except ayn rand or conspiracy theories), rest assured you are in fact wrong and we are right, but we still can’t wait to read your opinions…bring it.

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