Caught on the In-Between Playlist 10-21-08

It's a cold, rainy October night. This cold weather always seems to sneak up on me, even though there's nothing more guaranteed than cold weather in VT. This has been a great Fall--very sunny and great leaf-peepin' action, so I can't complain. I love this time of year, but it definitely packs a brooding feeling that another long, cold VT winter is a comin'. I'm sipping a Wolaver's Will Steven's Pumpkin Ale while I type, which is another reason I like this time of year. I'm a huge fan of seasonal beers and pumpkin ales are high on my favorites list.

Two more weeks until election day and I'm ready. It's time. It's been a long campaign season with the Democratic primary being so hotly contested. It started off incredibly interesting to me, but after a bit in an election like this, the media just starts pining for any story they can get, so it eventually gets incredibly trivial. CNN is on my last nerve. I'm ready to vote and move on. I'll happily and contentedly cast my vote for Barrack. I have full faith that he can do great things for this country and our image throughout the world. We need it badly right now.

Not sure how I jumped into politics from the weather.

This beer sure is good. So is the Gram Parsons I'm listening to right now. He's singing the song She through my speakers and it's great. He was one of a kind. There are a handful of artists that have touched my life in so many ways and he's one of them. The Clash, Manu Chao, Fugazi, Calexico, and Ryan Adams are a few more. I've finally given Paul Simon a good listen over the past year and he's jumping into that crew as well. Steve Earle too. They are artists that, to me, can do no wrong.

So, tonight's show was a block party. I played (besides two songs) 4 blocks of music consisting of songs by Catfish Haven, Dr. Dog, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Soft Boys. I started the show off with a Challengers tune called K-39 off of an album of the same name and ended the show with a Heartless Bastards song All The Time also by an album of the same name.

K-39, I believe, is a song referring to a surf spot in baja Mexico. K-38's (38th kilometer into Mexico from California) is a very famous surf spot and a place where I camped with my brother, Jason, and some of his friends about 6 years ago. So, since it's a surf rock song by a Malibu band, I'm guessing that it has something to do with this surf spot.

First set of rock was by Catfish Haven and I can't say enough about how solid of a show these guys put on. The lead singer plays through an acoustic guitar cranked all the way up, belting a soulful howl over the top, and is backed up by an incredibly tight bass and drum duo. They currently reside in Chicago, but originally hail from Missouri where there is a trailer park from which the band acquired their name. I saw these guys up in Montreal a few years back when they opened for The Black Angels and they put on a solid rocking show. When I listen to their songs I picture them playing in a church basement, much like the vinyl tile floored one's that held wedding receptions and other such gatherings that I attended in my Iowa days. They have sound/feeling of small town rockabilly, but not as over the top or categorical as other declared rockabilly bands may have. They have that same small town community rock ‘n’ roll feeling in their music, but their music and style is entirely their own. They're great and you should check them out. The website www.daytrotter.com has two great live sets by them that were recorded in the Futureappletree Studios One in Rock Island, Ill.

Stiff Little Fingers took over the next set. The first time I heard these guys, I was working in the warehouse shipping skate shoes for Sole Technology and their album Inflamable Material was our go-to album whenever we got busy. It always got us pumped up and feeling good. It's a solid album start to finish and the perfect intro to this great band from Bellfast, Ireland. It's an album full of working man's rock/punk--great song writing and in-your-face distorted guitar, drums, and bass. Alternative Ulster, from Inflamable Material is probably their most known tune (that and probably Suspect Device which was covered excellently by Ted Leo on his iTunes only Sharkbite Sessions) and it was written at the request of a local fanzine in '78 of the same name so they could include it as a flexi-disc with their publication. I played tunes that spanned their albums from '78 - '81. They broke up in '83 after their Now Then album, but reunited in '88 to do some more touring. I believe they're still playing to this day.

Dr. Dog pushed their way into the next set. I can't get enough of these guys since their 10/6 show at Higher Ground. They were so good live. See them if they come to a spot near you. This is a band in which you can't just rely on their recordings b/c, as good as they are to me now, they didn't mean crap to me before I saw them live. I couldn't get into them at all, but once I saw them live, my interest in them took a drastic 180.

Last block of the night was the Robyn Hitchcock fronted Soft Boys from Cambridge, England. Hitchcock is one of those artists whose name I kept seeing repeatedly in all of the websites, record labels, and publications that I frequent and knew that I'd get into him at some point in my life. I'm still slowly finding my way into the Hitchcock world and The Soft Boys album Underwater Moonlight has helped speed this process. It's a great album of creative rock tunes that displays Hitchcock's song writing ability. I'm still learning about this band/guy, so I'm going to leave it at that.

Here's the playlist for tonight's show. Thanks for listening and reading. I'll also throw in a VT Fall picture for you non-Fall getters that are living to the south of me.

1. The Challengers -- K-39 -- K-39
2. Crazy For Leaving -- Catfish Haven -- Tell Me
3. Please Come Back -- Catfish Haven -- Daytrotter Sessions
4. Madelin -- Catfish Haven -- Please Come Back
5. Grey Skies -- Catfish Haven -- Tell Me
5. Barbed Wire Love -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Inflamable Material
6. Back To Front -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Back to Front Single with Mr. Fire Coal-Man on the b-side
7. Nobody's Hero -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Nobody's Hero
8. Go For It -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Go For It
9. Alternative Ulster -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Inflamable Material
10. The Ark -- Dr. Dog -- Fate
11. From -- Dr. Dog -- Fate
12. The Queen of Eyes -- The Soft Boys -- Underwater Moonlight
13. Underwater Moonlight -- The Soft Boys -- Underwater Moonlight
14. Positive Vibrations -- The Soft Boys -- Underwater Moonlight
15. All This Time -- Heartless Bastards -- All This Time

Caught on the In-Between Playlist 10-07-08

Back in action. My reason for the delay is that I was in California for the past week. That's also why I wasn't on the air this week. Hopefully you were able to survive without me, whoever you are. I was out in CA for Tony "Cap'n Caveman" Durbano's holy matrimonial joining of two hearts and also to work out of my company's Irvine office. It was great being back out there with all of my friends and all of the incredible Mexican food. I'm not sure which I miss more. So here's the breakdown of the show on 10/7.

I started it off with a little Los Straitjackets playing their song Isn't Love Grand off of their Supersonic Guitars in 3D album. It's a great album of what you come to expect from this excellent/unique band--instrumental surf rock. This album is a bit more tame than they can be, but very melodic nonetheless.

On Monday 10/6, my neighbor Josh and I rode bikes up to Higher Ground to catch the Charlie Louvin/Old 97's show. It was my first time seeing both and both impressed. Charlie began his career sharing a mic with his brother Ira as the Louvin Brothers, a harmonizing duo in the '40s and 50's. Ira died in a car accident in the mid-60's, so Charlie was forced to go on alone. He released an album in 2007 that included some contemporary artists like Jeff Tweedy, Elvis Costello, and others. He's an old fella--clocking in at 81 years old--so he had a bit of trouble hitting all notes, but his between song banter was hilarious.

Old 97's hit the stage next and were great as expected. Singer Rhett Miller played the first half through an acoustic guitar (backed up by the band) so it wasn't as loud as I wanted it to be, but once he plugged in his tele, that all changed. It was the loud, rocking, surf country Old 97's that I like best.

Their show ended by about 10ish, so as Josh and I were leaving, we noticed that Dr. Dog was just taking the stage in the Showcase Lounge next door. Josh is a huge fan and I've heard good reviews from friends, but never really got into them, so we talked our way into the show. What I saw on stage absolutely floored me. Perhaps it was the Switchback brews, but I don't think so b/c I've never seen anything like that before. They were so good, so passionate, so powerful, so creative, etc, etc, etc. They completely and utterly rocked my socks off.

Since that show, I've found a new respect for their recordings, so I played a set of tunes off of their We All Belong album -- The Girl, Old News, and Ain't It Strange.

Next up I jumped into a set of tunes by a couple of British Invasion bands--The Yardbirds doing I Ain't Got You and The Animals playing their way through their Blue Feeling. Last song of this set was a Levon Helm song off of his latest album, Dirt Farmer, called I Got Me A Woman. This song is about his "good woman" who shaves his beard and keeps his tractor clean and burns his bread and makes him eat collard green. Sounds like a great gal.

The next set featured some Murry Hammond songs off of his recently released solo album I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving. Murry plays bass and sometimes sings for the Old 97's and this is his first solo album. It's a very quiet, soothing, humble album of him singing over an acoustic guitar with a few other string instruments sparsely thrown in. This was the perfect album to listen to as I relaxed on my flight out West last week. Murry is a kind-hearted soul and 100% of the proceeds from sales of this album will be donated to Project Mercy (www.ProjectMercy.net) which is similar in mission to Habitat For Humanity. They build houses in a section of neighborhood east of Tijuana called Colonias for many people who will get running water for the first time. With every 234 albums he sells, a new house is built, so pony up and go buy the album. Songs I played were Lost At Sea, Wreck Of The 97, and Next Time Take The Train.

To show another side of Hammond, I next played a couple by the Old 97's--The One off of their latest album Blame It On Gravity and Doreen off of Wreck Your Life (although I played the better version in my opinion, which came from their greatest hits album Hit By A Train). The One is a song about the band and robbing banks in California and taking their time escaping via Highway One.

Cash on the Barrelhead is an old song by the Louvin Brothers that has been covered many times by other artists (most notably Gram Parsons) and is about a young man being shown the world of no free lunches. It's all about paying up front. The Old 97's did a bit of their own version of the song, but called it Crash On The Barrelhead on their album Fight Songs. Rumor has it, the song is about Ryan Adams in his Whiskeytown days and how his hard partying ways will be the end of him. It speaks of a great artist who could meet his maker much too soon. To show the similarities of the tunes, I first played the Louvin Brothers tune and then the Old 97's. And to give equal airtime to the supposed subject of the tune, I played a Ryan Adams tune off of Cold Roses called If I Am A Stranger. A lot of people give Adams beef, but I'm a huge fan of his and eagerly receive any of his many releases.

I wrapped up the show with a little Dwight Yoakam off of his Dwight's Used Records album with the song I Said (Paradise Reprise). This is a take on the John Prine song called Paradise. Back in my college days, I worked one summer at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel as a bell hop and had the honor of helping Dwight Yoakam with his bags. He wasn't very friendly, but his manager gave me $20 which is a huge sum when you're in college. That job also provided me with the opportunity to look through Demi Moore's bag and put my arms around Boy George, but those are stories better left for another time.

1. Los Straitjackets -- Isn't Love Grand -- Supersonic Guitars in 3D
2. Dr. Dog -- The Girl -- We All Belong
3. Dr. Dog -- Old News -- We All Belong
4. Dr. Dog -- Ain't It Strange -- We All Belong
5. The Yardbirds -- I Ain't Got You -- Greatest Hits 1964-1966
6. The Animals -- Blue Feeling -- The Story of the Animals
7. Levon Helm -- Got Me A Woman -- Dirt Farmer
8. Murry Hammond -- Lost At Sea -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving
9. Murry Hammond -- Wreck Of The 97 -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving
10. Murry Hammond -- Next Time Take The Train -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving
11. Old 97's -- The One -- Blame It On Gravity
12. Old 97's -- Doreen -- Hit By A Train
13. The Louvin Brothers -- Cash on the Barrelhead -- Close Harmony
14. Old 97's -- Crash on the Barrelhead -- Fight Songs
15. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals -- If I Am A Stranger -- Cold Roses
16. Dwight Yoakam -- I Said (Paradise Reprise) -- Dwight's Used Records

Caught on the In Between Playlist 09-30-08

Got in some good tunes tonight--I wanted to play a faster set.

1. Furr -- Blitzen Trapper -- Furr
--great band with a solid album here. Horrible logo though.

2. If She Wants Me -- Belle & Sebastian -- Dear Catastrophe Waitress
--B&S is an institution. Check them out if you have never heard them. They've been around for years and this album is my favorite of theirs

3. Southern California -- Brian Wilson -- That Lucky Old Sun
--Wasn't even aware that this CD was out, but I found it in the studio. I took a chance on this song based on the lyrics I read in the album booklet. It was a slow one, but it's about Wilson's time with the Beach Boys.

4. Pipeline -- The Chantays
--My mom says she used to dance "The Swim" to this tune.

5. The Train Kept A-Rollin -- The Yardbirds
--Page, Clapton, and Beck all were in the Yardbirds at one time.

6. River Deep, Mountain High -- The Animals -- The Story of the Animals
--Singer Eric Burden has some pipes.

7. I Like It Like That -- Them -- The Story of Them
--Van "the man" Morrison led group from Northern Ireland in the '60's.

8. The Magnificent Seven -- The Clash -- Sandinista
--In 1980 when hip hop was still pretty underground, The Clash traveled to NY and laid witness to Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five and tried their hand at creating a hip hop song. This song shows how great and well-rounded the Clash were. They could and did play any kind of music.

9. I Know What I Know -- Paul Simon -- Graceland
--This is such a great and solid album start to finish.

10. Sound System -- Operation Ivy -- Energy
--Bay area ska-core band that was only around for two years, but made an incredible impact on punk and ska music.

11. Salvation -- The Cranberries -- To The Faithful Departed
--I went through a huge Cranberries phase in High School and actually saw them live at some place in VA. I think it was either the Abyss or the Boathouse.

12. Safe -- Dag Nasty -- Can I Say + Wig Out At Denko's
--DC punk band from the mid-80's.

13. Past Lives -- Hot Snakes -- Automatic Midnight
--Jon Reis at it again with his unique raw punk rock.

14. Carl Perkins Cadillac -- Drive-By Truckers -- The Dirty South
--Song about Sam Phillips of Sun Records and his promise to buy a Cadillac to the first of his artists to score a gold record. Carl Perkins beat out Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis to get himself a Cadillac.

15. Buick City Complex -- Old 97's -- Satellite Rides
--Texas country/surf/rock group that is playing at Higher Ground tomorrow night 10/5/08 and I can't wait.

16. Wreck My Car -- Scott H. Biram -- The Dirty Old One Man Band
--Bloodshot Records singer/guitarist/foot stomper/madman

17. Gold For Bread -- Blitzen Trapper -- Furr
--Another great one from the NW Trappers

18. Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead -- Ted Leo & The Pharmacists -- Hearts of Oak
--Unique, creative singer/guitarist that was originally in Chisel and then went his own way and started the Pharmacists which started out as an experimental act that played some dub, rock, reggae, punk, etc. The band included Amy Farina who went on to form The Evens with Ian Mackaye and James Canty, younger brother of Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty.

19. Summer People -- The Webb Brothers -- Maroon
--3 brothers and another guy playing pop rock.