Tuesday, June 2, 2015

What We're Listening To Wednesdays - 06/03/15 Edition





Fran - The Monkees / Papa Gene's Blues & What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round

I grew up in the 70's in a one TV household.  Once the evening news came on the TV was my Dad's for the rest of the night.  The exception to that rule was summer vacation.  The TV was mine all afternoon.  On those 10 channels were reruns of The Addams Family, The Munsters, McHale's Navy, Gomer Pyle, Green Acres, and The Monkees.  I loved The Monkees.  My kids will never know how to appreciate a television show based on lack of options.  To watch a show over learning every nuance of it.  My favorite part of The Monkees were the goofy song montages.  I was a fan of the lesser known songs sung by Michael Nesmith.  These two are by far my favorites.  I can almost picture myself on the floor laying way too close to the TV.


 



Cathi – Screeching Weasel / Ashtray & My Right


Listening on shuffle often reminds me of bands I’ve been neglecting far too long, and this week it was Screeching Weasel. I remember first hearing SW in the early-to-mid-‘90s, when my friend’s band occasionally covered “My Right” and I thought it was their song; imagine my embarrassment when telling him it was my favorite of theirs and finding it wasn’t even theirs. But that’s when I decided it was time to check out SW and I started with BoogadaBoogadaBoogada—which turned out to be the perfect introduction to the band’s quirky brand of punk rock. “Ashtray” was there for me during a period of unemployment, when I could wholeheartedly relate to it (though lyrics like “can’t seem to go to work and let some fucker treat me like a piece of dirt” still ring true today). And though admittedly it would have been much more poignant had I first heard it when released in 1988, “My Right” is still a powerful punk rock anthem today, emphatic and empowering for us misfits who still get kinda mad about stuff sometimes.


 



Stephanie - Zac Brown / Heavy Is The Head

Bad ass.  That's all I have to say.

Okay, that's not all I'm gonna say but you probably already guessed that, didn't you?

We decided to cap off our Orlando trip last week with a weekend in Daytona Beach.  I was listening to local radio, which I almost never do.  Radio sucks.  Too many commercials, not enough good music.  But there I was, enjoying some old school Guns N Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, and the rest of the old crew.  Then those sneaky bastards threw this at me.  And I liked it.  No, I loved it.




My Dad and uncles raced stock cars every Friday night and worked on the cars most other nights.  Hank, Waylon, and Merle was what I heard, tucked away in a corner, careful to stay out of the way because I loved watching them resurrect a stock car in my grandpa's huge garage.  That was where I grew to love the smell of oil, grease, hard work and true country music.  Today's "country" would've been thrown out of that garage on its ass.

Too many artists these days, especially female, use country music as a springboard to pop stardom.  I'm looking at you, Taylor Swift.  Country music was an easy target audience,  a starter, to get where you really wanted to be all along.  The men, just as bad.  I don't believe they could start a lawn mower, let alone a John Deere tractor.  Posers and wannabes, the lot of them.  The ones who possibly were country at one time turn into complete urban cowboy douches and wear stupid reflective sunglasses on their fifth "comeback" album.  Yeah, you, Garth Brooks.

I will admit I don't know a lot about Zac Brown because I avoid country music like the plague.  I have for probably the past 20 years, with the exception of Pat Green.  But I instantly loved "Heavy Is The Head", which features Chris Cornell, who can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes.  This song was only released to rock radio.  You may be yelling that I'm contradicting myself on country singers and the crossover thing but I disagree.  Zac Brown doesn't want to be a pop star.  He does, apparently, want to be a bad ass and he achieved that with the above song.

Well done, Zac.  You'd be welcome in my grandpa's garage, at least this song would be.



Joel - Talk Talk / Ascension Day & Shellac / Prayer To God

We all know these guys from their big hit "It's my life " but in 1991 Talk Talk released a great post rock album. Every track is a gem but I love this one in particular. Put the headphones on, close your eyes and just fuckin listen, man.





It's been a gloomy couple of weeks in my fair city, rain every single day and quite honestly it has had an effect on my mood. Shellac always seems to deliver when I get like this. This song is dark but still manages to convey a sense of humor -- a very twisted sense of humor. It's especially great for those of you who've been cheated on.






Gita - System Of A Down / Chop Suey

Been feeling a bit angry and nervous this week, so System of a Down suits my feelings perfectly. Chop Suey has always been one of my favourite songs by these guys. I adore Tanikan's voice and the signature social criticism that they deliver so well each and every time. Smart lyrics, sense of rhythm and juggling verses - gets me every time.






See You When The Needle Drops!







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