R.E.M. "Half A World Away"

Here's a secret I've never told anybody:

I used to work at The Gap.

The idea of me working in a) retail, or b) fashion, is so far removed from any reality that anyone who knows me would associate with my life, that they'd be forgiven for thinking I was kidding.

But no, for a brief period right after college, I worked at The Gap.

Let me just cut to the chase:  I was terrible at it and I didn't last very long in this job.  Within a couple of months, I quit, and my employment there was never mentioned again.

Probably most telling about my tenure there, was that the thing I found most interesting about the job was the music they played in the store.  In those days, there were cassette tapes, sent from the home office, that played over and over and over.  They were pre-programmed with hip, modern music.

I was fascinated by the idea that someone at Gap-Central was creating these mixed tapes, particularly because they seemed to mirror my own personal tastes.

One night, after the store had closed and we were cleaning up, I noticed that the cassette that had been repeating all evening had no less that three R.E.M. songs.

"Whoever puts together these tapes must really love R.E.M." I said to my manager.

He clearly wasn't at all a music fan, as he responded, "Uh, who?  Oh, is this them?"

He listened for another 10 seconds or so, to a song he had to have heard dozens of times over the course of the last work week.

Then he gave his "Dismissive One Sentence Review."

"This singer is kinda whiny."

It was never going to work between me and The Gap, nope.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Green Apple Quick Step "Los Vargos"

Here's another Weekend Post:

"Hey, let's sign a band that sounds like Stone Temple Pilots!  But no one will notice because they have a girl singer too!"


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Violent Femmes "Breaking Up"

Here's another Weekend Post:

After cult success in the 80s, the Violent Femmes briefly broke up, then reformed, then the drummer left, then they returned in the mid-90s with a bit of a come-back in a world where the cult bands had suddenly come up from the underground.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

The Eagles "Ol 55"

Let's face it.  People have strong feelings about The Eagles.

Really strong feelings.

That makes them a bit of a quandary for MVY.  And I had to do some thinking on the subject, due to a recent note from a listener.

He wanted to know why we played The Eagles version of "Ol 55."  He pointed out that the songwriter, Tom Waits, has said he doesn't like that version himself.

Sometimes I think that when people write the station, they really just want a one word response, like "Okay."

But sometimes, I feel the urge to explain myself, in probably too much details.

So, The Eagles . . .

On the one hand, The Eagles fit pretty sonically well with MVY.  Polished acoustics, well-crafted songwriting, the occasional blazing guitar lead, harmonies that directly descend from CSNY.  All that works.

On the other hand, The Eagles represent the antithesis of an MVY artist, in the sense that if it's a hit somewhere else, we're likely to leave it alone.  We'd rather play the road less traveled.  The critically-acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful.  We'll play the deep album cut, over the mass appeal hit.

This distinction is not really something the audience ever thinks about.

So the folks who live On The One Hand, request The Eagles, with some frequency.

Trying to skate the line, we do something with The Eagles, that we don't do with too many other artists.  We only play part of their catalogue.

Normally, a band is either IN with us, or they are OUT with us.  If we've decided to play them, like The Allman Brothers, we play most everything, even the hits.  If we've decided that they are already well-covered by Classic Rock, like The Doors, we don't play anything, even the obscurities.

With The Eagles, there is no sense of MVY playing "Hotel California" or "Heartache Tonight" or "Tequila Sunrise."  Because you can hear those songs right now, by just spinning the dial.  They're burnt out, and unnecessary for us.

But we do want to represent The Eagles, so we play songs like "The Last Resort."  That's one you are less likely to hear on a Classic Rock station.

For the same reason, we played "Ol 55."  It's a pretty deep cut.

But I have to admit, the listener who wrote in is right.

The cover tune doesn't do much for me, either.  The Tom Waits original is much better.

So yes, I pulled The Eagles version of "Ol 55" from the playlist.  And I kept the Tom Waits version in (we've been rotating the two, for years).

Someday, I'll probably grow a pair, and decided to weed out the last few Eagles cuts from the entire playlist.

But until then, I'll just enjoy waiting to receive the wrath of Eagles Haters, in the Inbox.

Read the article:  "Woman Allegedly Attacked Roommate For Listening To The Eagles"


Hear the song on Youtube.

Bhi Bhiman "Walk Of Life"

I've been enjoying Bhi Bhiman's covers EP, particularly his deadpan cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell."

But I love how he not only did a deadpan cover of "Walk Of Life," he posted a deadpan video cover featuring the stonefaced Buster Keaton engaging in some old school sports bloopers.


See the Buster Keaton/Bhi Bhiman video on Youtube.


See the original Dire Straits video on Youtube.

Rocket From The Crypt "He's A Chef"

If you asked me, say, 3 years ago, if I was gonna go see the Yo Gabba Gabba set at Life Is Good, I'm sure I would have responded, "Hell No."

We're pretty selective about what we let our kids (5 and 3 years old) watch.  Partly because we try to be thoughtful, attentive parents.  Partly out of necessity.

The necessity part, is that in our efforts of control our spending, we decided a long time ago to ditch all but the most basic cable.  So my wife had to forgo new episodes of "Project Runway."  I have to get my dose of "The Daily Show" from the web.

And the only real option for the kids, is whatever PBS Kids is offering.

While we treat Barney and Caillou like the pariahs they should be considered . . . pretty much everything else on PBS Kids is gold.  Curious George, Sesame Street, Dinosaur Train?  All very cute and educational.  Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood?  Totally worthy of bearing Fred Rodger's name.  Peep And The Big Wide World?  Quack may just be the funniest character on television.  And Word Girl?  It totally brings back some of the wacked 70s sensibility that I remember and love so well, while being generally hilarious.

And its a good thing I can find something enjoyable in these shows, because we try to limit the screen time in the house, which means that the kid's screen time, is MY screen time.  At least until they are in bed for the night.

We can't shield the kids from a non-PBS world, so they do watch Nickelodeon and Disney, etc, when we're at the grandparents.  But the good educational shows on those channels pale in comparison.  And the bad ones are horrible.

I can't even look at those creepy faces of The Doodlebops or The Wiggles, or some of the other garish, loud and annoying shows.

So when the kids brought home a DVD from the library of "Yo Gabba Gabba" I made some kind of disgusted frowny face, but figured they'd watch it once and then I'd return it quietly in the dead of night, never to be mentioned again.

But I watched a little bit of it.

That first time through was not unlike that first time you take a little too much cough medicine.  When it ended you weren't quite sure what just happened and had to check that the floor was no longer undulating.

Repeated viewing became more pleasurable, filled with plenty of laughable "What the hell?" moments of non-sequitoriums.

And then come the guest stars.

Biz Markie, Devo, Weezer, The Roots, The Flaming Lips, The Aquabats (one of the band members is the show's co-creator), Jack Black and The Shins, just to name a few.

I think the tipping point for me was when I realized, "Holy Shit, Rocket From The Crypt has actually reformed, and I learned it via DJ Lance."

If Yo Gabba Gabba has become the refuge for 90s punk rock, then I guess I can warm up to the fact that it's weird, loud and non-educational.

So yes, on Sunday, I was singing, "My name is PJ, P-p-p-p-p-J.  And I like to dance!"


Hear "He's A Chef" on Youtube.


Hear "I Like To Dance" on Youtube.

Mark Knopfler "Privateering"

Usually, in my musical world, a new Mark Knoplfer album is a big deal.  In fact, one of his last records was voted Number One for the year by MVY listeners.

I'd heard about "Privateering" well over a year ago.  We got an advanced download, to check it out.  Knopfler mounted a big tour, supporting Bob Dylan.

And then, nothing.

Turns out Knopfler was between labels in the US.  So while the record was out, around the rest of the world, we're just getting it now.

So enjoy this new, not-that-new Knopfler.


Hear the song on Youtube.

And a playlist of more videos featuring songs from the record, here.

The Waybacks "Beyond The Northwest Passage"

You meet a lot of interesting people in my job.

The first time I talked to Sprague Theobald was when he called in to win the Mindbender.  I can't remember the question exactly, but it related to shipwrecks or underwater life or something like that.  On the call he told me that he'd just been scuba-diving off the Rhode Island coast, exploring a wreck.

I also learned that he happened to work next door to the office MVY used to have in Newport, RI.

Not long after, and because of this connection, we got involved with Sprague's Northwest Passage trip.

Just a few weeks before they were to set sail, Joe Gallagher and I went down to a Goat Island dock, and I remember walking aboard the "Bagan" thinking, "This is it?"  It wasn't much bigger than a party/fishing boat.

The Northwest Passage is a trip of almost mythical proportions.  Many have tried to sail from the East Coast to the West Coast of North America, using a northerly route.  Many have died trying, trapped in the ice.

But because of Global Warming, it seemed as if the route was opening up again.  If they could time things just right, there would be a window of opportunity to navigate the ice and break through.

This is what I knew about his plan to traverse the Northwest Passage.

What I didn't fully know, was that his crew was largely comprised of his estranged adult children, and others close to the family.

I know Sprague had set out to make a documentary about the changes he would see in the Arctic.  What he returned with was something that is also highly personal, as a large portion of the trip, and therefore the film, is effected by the relationships of the people aboard.

During the initial trip, Sprague was calling in reports to MVY whenever Satellite communication would allow him to send us MP3s from the arctic.  And around that time, The Waybacks had a new album that just happened to include a song called "Beyond The Northwest Passage."  It became the unofficial theme song of our coverage.

We pulled the song out of the library this week, as we prepare for Sprague's much less dangerous sail, from the mainland to The Vineyard.

He'll be at the MV Film Center on Wednesday night, to show his finished documentary, "The Other Side Of The Ice," with a book signing and Q&A to follow the screening.  And part of the ticket price supports Friends of mvyradio.

For more on the screening, visit the MV Film Center site.

Note that if you are not on the Vineyard, but want to come to the show (I know many of our friends in the Woods Hole/Marine Sciences community will be interested), you can take the 6:15 boat from WH over to the Island.  It's a short walk to the MV Film Center.  And the screening will be over in plenty of time to hop back on the 9:30 boat to return to the mainland.




Hear The Waybacks on Youtube.

Mudhoney "Pump It Up"

Here's another Weekend Post:

From the same compilation as yesterday: "Freedom Of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits As Performed By Today's Stars" which came out in 1992.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Superchunk "Girl U Want"

Here's another Weekend Post:

This early 90s cover of a Devo songs always satisfied my jones for feedback-y guitar wallop . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear the Devo original on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Sam Roberts Band "Last Crusade"

I was listening closely to a segment on NPR week or so ago and I wondered if the folks behind the scenes did this intentionally, or if it's just a coincidence that only a record nerd would catch.

NPR was talking to an expert on Syria, Russia and Vladimir Putin, about the recently published editorial by Putin in the New York Times.  The expert was explaining Russia's relationship with Syria, and Putin's possible motivations for his actions, alliances and the editorial.

After talking about the economic interests Russia has in Syria, and about the, ahem, ego involved in positioning Russia as a world power, the conversation wound around to something I hadn't really thought about.

The expert pointed out that the Syrian rebellion is populated by many hard-line Islamists.  Given Russia's history with Afghanistan and Chechnya, Putin is likely to be extremely reticent to find himself embroiled in another fight with Islamic rebel force.

The conversation concluded, and, as is the norm for NPR, a piece of bumper music started to play, as a transition to the next segment.

I recognized the groove, as it's was a) a little heavier than the pieces NPR usually uses, and b) sounded like something MVY would play.

Hey, it IS something MVY would play.  Does play.  What is it?  I got it: Sam Roberts!

And then I put the figurative breaks on.  Are they fucking with me?  Or is this a coincidence?

Do they know that they have just ended a segment discussing a political leaders reluctance to go to war against Muslims with a song called "The Last Crusade"? 

It's a pretty loaded reference---Muslims and The Crusades.

They only played the music bed.  So there was no lyrical reference that a person who didn't know the song could latch onto.  If it were intentional, it was for insiders only.

Or it was just a weird coincidence and they just have a barrel full of cool-music bumpers, and it's me who's making the connection.


Sidenote:  I was searching NPR.org to see if I could find the original audio referenced above and got really cracked up.  I took a screen shot, so you'd see I'm not kidding.  Note that I searched for "Putin Editorial" and the first return makes perfect sense.  But the second choice cracked me up.  Again, I'm not sure if the internal-mechanics geeks at NPR are fucking with me, or if it's just funny luck.

See the article and the Blobfish.



Hear the song on Youtube.

Jason Isbell "Stockholm"

You know what a good sign is, when it comes to me liking a song?  When I can't choose a lyric.

One of Barbara Dacey's behind the scenes jobs at MVY, is to post the Lyric Of The Day.  You can see it at the top of the main page of our website.

While she's on vacation, I am doing the lyric posting.  I'd had "Stockholm" stuck in my head for a couple of days, and thought I'd grab a lyric from there.

I literally spent 15 minutes trying to narrow it down.  It's a 4 minute song!

But there are so many great lines, and turns of phrases, and descriptions here.  It was hard to pick.

I never disliked Jason Isbell, but I had never had one of his songs grab me and show me his genius until now.

You can see the lyrics here.

And watch the video below to the end?  Letterman is clearly a HUGE fan.


Hear the song on Youtube.


See Isbell on Letterman on Youtube.

Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe"

Here's one from the mailbag, that forced me to put on my Program Director's thinking cap . . .

I got an email from a listener who asked if we could stop playing "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix.

The email was very personal, so I don't want to say to much about it her, to protect the writer's privacy.

But the long and short of it, was that she, herself, had had a gun held to her head by a man who suspected her of cheating.  And she had been friends with another person who was killed, in the same scenario.

She found the Hendrix track upsetting and asked, Could we please stop playing that song?


"Offensive" is a word that gets tossed around a lot.  But it's pretty difficult to pin down what is offensive, because there is so much subjective judgement involved.

A good rule of thumb, as far as potentially offensive content goes on MVY, is to ask if a significant percentage of listeners would find a particular song offensive.  It wouldn't have to be a majority of listeners.  But enough to believe that every time you were playing the song, you were upsetting a good number of people.

"Cousin Dupree" is a pretty good example.  Despite it being a hit in its time, it didn't have a long shelf life at MVY, because enough listeners complained about the implication of an lecherous relative, trying to get a kiss from an underage girl.

"Hey Joe" is a little different, in that it's not a new song.  It's been around for over 40 years at this point.  You would think a song with that much history would have cleared the hurdle.

But I have to say, prior to this listener's note, I would occasionally hear the song and think, "That's pretty explicit."

This is not something that is hinted at, or sketched out, or otherwise alluded to.

And this is not "Folsom Prison Blues" where the shooter faces consequence and penalty.

"I'm going down to shoot my old lady/I caught her messing 'round with another man."

I can actually see why this listener finds the song upsetting.

That being said, can we stop playing every song that someone finds upsetting or deems offensive?

Good Lord, we'd lose half our library.  ALL songs (practically) are about Lust, Greed, Murder, Infidelity and Crapulence.**

On the other hand, is the Hendrix tune essential to MVY?  If we took it out of rotation, would anyone notice?

I spent a good week thinking about it.  Here is what I finally wrote, as a reply:

Thanks for taking the time to write and thanks for sharing your concern.

While we probably can't remove every song that contains troubling images or stories, I do agree with you that the lyrics of "Hey Joe" are very upfront and could be upsetting.

I wanted you to know that I took Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe" out of regular rotation.

This means that the song won't be a regular part of the station's mix anymore.  It is possible that we will get an occasional request for it, so it may infrequently appear.  But consider it a rarity.

Thanks for writing and thanks for listening.

PJ

It felt good to tell the listener that she had been heard, and that there was a response.

Is it the right move?  I'm not sure.


Hear the song on Youtube.

** I have been trying for years to work the word "crapulence" into a blog post.  Success!

Mavis Staples "Far Celestial Shore"

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this.

As I write this, it's Saturday morning and I'm sitting in the waiting room while my car gets an oil change.

And I am crying.

I was gathering some videos for the mvy Bloggers Page.  Our Album Of The Week is the new Mavis Staples record, and I figured I'd post her cover of the Nick Lowe tune "Far Celestial Shore," when I came across this video.

Yeah, it's basically an advertisement put together by her label.  It's marketing and it's manipulative.

But I can't deny that it just filled me with emotion.  Not sad.  Just . . . emotion.

I dunno, maybe it won't have that effect on you.

But when I see hear, when I hear her, I just can't help but be overwhelmed by how lucky I feel to have these recent records, both the ones she's done with Jeff Tweedy, which has been a lovely, lovely surprise, and also the excellent records she put out in the 2000s ("Have A Little Faith," "We'll Never Turn Back").

I feel lucky to have seen her live.  To see her sing "The Weight" right in front of me.  To watch her pound her chest as she sang the line "Put the load right on me" and totally believe she could psychologically, spiritually and hell, even physically carry us.

I feel lucky that music still moves me this deeply, and that Mavis is out there making it.


See the Marketing video on Youtube.


Hear "Far Celestial Shore" on Youtube.

Sublime "What I Got"

Here's another "Dismissive One Sentence Reviews By Friends" posts . . .

Sublime's "What I Got" had probably been out for a few years at this point.  I was riding in the car with my Dad, and I'd flipped the radio to WFNX.

As the song played, I noticed my Dad look at the radio once or twice, with a furrowed brow.

Finally he said, "Is that noise in the song?  Is it supposed to sound like that?"

I thought about trying to explain the whole concept of Turntable Mixing And Scratching, but I realized that Yes, to a guy who grew up on Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, the DJ noises on "What I Got" probably did sound like something was wrong with the radio.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Royal Crown Revue "Zip Gun Bop"

Here's another Weekend Post:
More from the 90s swing revival . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Brian Setzer Orchestra "September Skies"

Here's another Weekend Post:


Had to put this one up, due to the month . . .

Before he scored a major hit with his cover of "Jump Jive And Wail," and launching an era of Swing-revival, the Brian Setzer Orchestra concept was a little closer to a Frank-Sinatra-with-a-Big-Band thing . . . 


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

The Beach Boys "Surfer Girl"

Earlier this summer, my wife announced that she had a Bucket List.

(No, she is not dying.  Nor does she sound anything like Morgan Freeman)

She wanted to learn how to play the ukelele.

And, as if the universe was listening, her Mom found her Grandfather's uke in the attic.  She's been learning to play ever since.

Next she announced that she really wanted to learn how to surf.

And, as if her husband was listening, I signed us up for an introductory lesson as an anniversary gift.

Yes, it wasn't just a gift to her.  As was her wish, this was something we would experience together.

We drove out to Lecount Hollow in Wellfleet, where we met our instructor Eric, of Funseekers.  We spent a little bit of time on the beach, where Eric, in a very clear, genial, conversational, un-intimidating way gave us a crash course in the science, mechanics and etiquette of surfing.

Then we got out on the water, where Eric stood, waist-deep, guided us, instructed us, gave us a little push.  Before our hour in the water was over, we were riding the waves.

Here's are a picture of me almost getting it.  Try not to be horrified by the sight of me in a wet suit.

On the ride out of Wellfleet with my wife, I realized that there are things about our two personalities, that remain consistent through everything in our lives, from music to surfing.

I was telling her how impressed I was with her.  On just her third attempt, she was standing on her board, riding a wave all the way into shore.

It had taken me a good 45 minutes of further attempts, to get that to happen.

"I had trouble putting it all together," I told her.  "Had to figure out where to ride the board for balance.  Then I had to remember to push up from the middle and not from the sides.  Once I got that I had to take a few runs at getting up in one push.  Then my feet were straight instead of sideways.  Then I had to do all that, and remember to stay in a crouching position.  It took me all those tries to put it all together.  How did you do it?"

She said, "I listened to everything he told us on the beach, but I don't know if I got it.  Then I got out on the water and didn't think about it, I just did it."

And that's it.  That's our argument about music.

I think a song can only be good if it's well-written.

She doesn't care about the words.  They're not important.  A song is all about a feeling to her.

"Surfer Girl" is a perfect example.

Like a lot (but not all) of The Beach Boys early stuff, the lyrics aren't much better than anything an 8th grader could write.  It's pretty Moon-June-Spoon.

My wife would argue that that's not the point.  It isn't about what he's saying.  She's not even listening to that.

"Surfer Girl" is about what the song evokes.  Tan bodies.  Slow motion.  Gentle winds.  The warmth of the sun.  Endless summer.

I could pick the lyrics apart.  Analyze them.  And not enjoy the song.

This is why I married her.

I'm with someone who reminds me to feel.  Reminds me to listen.  Reminds me to do.

Reminds me that sometimes you don't need a surfing lesson.  Sometimes you just need to surf.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Coldplay "Atlas"

This track came in and I thought to myself, I didn't know Coldplay had a new album coming out.  How did that news slip by me?

Nope, not a new album.  Just a song on the soundtrack to the new "Hunger Games" movie . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

Sting "Fragile"

Thinking of this one on the Anniversary of September 11th.

You may or may not remember that Sting had scheduled a live webcast of a concert in Italy, to be made into a live album, for September 11th, 2001.

In light of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington that morning, he chose to come out, do one song, and then shut down the webcast.

Before the one song, "Fragile," he said a few words.

Thoughtful and well-done, as artists' responses go, this may be among the best in the wake of that day.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Mumford And Sons "Hopeless Wanderer"

Back in May, I wrestled with the idea of whether MVY should start playing the new Mumford And Sons song, "Babel," or take a pass, citing audience fatigue of the band/sound.

Ultimately, we did not add the single.

And a strange thing happened.  Or didn't happen.

I have received ZERO comments about this.

To my knowledge (and hey, as a qualifier, Lord knows I don't know everything) there has not been a single request for us to play the song "Babel." 

No one has called, or written, to say "How come you're not playing any more of the new Mumford And Sons?"

I find this stunning, particularly in light of the fact that their album was voted Number One in 2012 by the MVY listeners.

I mean, no requests suggests that no one cares or notices.  But voting it Number One just a few months ago also suggests the exact opposite.

What gives?

Well, the 3rd single has arrived at radio.  "Hopeless Wanderer" is in search of airplay.

Perhaps the most succinct assessment of the tune came from Barbara Dacey.  When I was about to play it for her, she asked, "Does it go to that Mumford And Sons place they go?"

Yes.  Yes it does.

Nothing new to see here.  Equally as likeable as their previous singles,  but nothing new.

So I'm back to where I was in May.

Is there Mumford fatigue?  Or are you ready for more fudge.


(Even if you can't stand the band, you're gonna love this video.  In fact, if you can't stand the band, you'll most definitely love the video!)


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Swell Season "I Have Loved You Wrong"

At last week's Laura Marling show, a few folks who had bought tickets let us know that they couldn't come, and discussion turned to reselling those tickets, meaning we would be double-dipping on some of the seats.

And I had a flashback to The Swell Season show I went to a couple of years ago . . .

I was supposed to go with my wife, but she wasn't feeling well, and as I was leaving for Boston, she decided it would be best if she stayed home.

I got on the phone and made a number of calls as I was driving up to Boston.

Did my sister want to go?  Not really.  She hadn't even heard of the band.

How about her husband?  No, he was working.

My wife's brother worked in the city, but I wasn't sure what time he got out.  Had he already left town?  Was he not getting out of the office until well after the show started?

I left him a message and told him to call me back.  I'd wait in the lobby until the show started, hoping he'd return my call.

It was a bitterly cold night in Boston.  (In fact, almost a year later I met Glen Hansard of The Swell Season at Newport Folk, and when I said, "I saw you last fall in Boston," his one sentence reply was "Yeah . . . it was really cold that night.")

I waited and waited, but didn't hear from my brother-in-law.

I hated that the ticket might go to waste, so I approached the box office, which was in the foyer between the street and the lobby.

"My wife isn't coming to the show.  Do you want to resell this?"

The young folks behind the glass looked at me like I was about to hand them a turd.

"No, No!  We can't do that."

I guess there some law about reselling.

They told me, "You're welcome to give it away though."

A small line to get in had formed behind me.

"Does anyone need a ticket?" I asked hopefully.

I got the averted eye that I'd given many, many times before, to scalpers.

"It's free."

There was one person looking at me.  He didn't say anything, but he looked and gave me a hint of a smile.

He was on the other side of the foyer space.  He was most certainly homeless.

I'd seen him in the foyer, busying himself reading the posters of coming attractions.  Looking out the glass doors, up and down the street, as if he were waiting for someone.

It was bitterly cold, and the lobby was a small respite from that.

I thought about it for a second.  Should I give this guy my ticket?  Give him 2 hours in a warm, safe space?

But then I thought, If I give him the ticket, I'm stuck with him for 2 hours.  It's not just a pass to get in.  It's a pass to sit right next to me.  What if he's weird?  What if he's unstable?  What if he wants to talk during the show?

Already feeling a bit fragile (as I wrote about in the previous post).  Was this what I was really going to substitute for a night with my wife?

I turned and went inside, the extra ticket still in my pocket.


Did I do the right thing?  I don't know.  Probably not. 

I certainly didn't do the kind thing, the charitable thing.

More than that, remembering this little moment I re-read the lengthy, "Oh I'm sad about my wife not being here" post and think about how small my problems seem, and how embarrassed that I am to have had them, when I compare them to the problems of the homeless man, whose next two hours, and his night, and his rest-of-his-winter are out in the bitter cold of an unforgiving Boston season.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Low Millions "Eleanor"

Here's another We Used To Play This post.

This is another indie-rock tune that lived in heavy rotation on MVY when it came out, and has faded away since.  Lead singer Adam Cohen (son of Leonard), put out a well-received solo album last year.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Wheat "I Met A Girl"

Here's another We Used To Play This post.

We've had a lot of fun indie rock-type tracks come and go.  This one was catchy and pleasing, but ultimately didn't last in our library.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Maktub "You Can't Hide"

I started writing another We Used To Play This post about this song by Maktub, which we played quite a bit, a good decade ago.

These One-Hit type bands always beg the question, How did a band produce such a great sounding song, and then disappear.

And once again, I learned a little something I didn't know.

Maktub's lead singer is Reggie Watts.

How did I not put the voices together?

Watts is a multi-talented performer, with success both singing and acting.  He's a co-host on IFC's "Comedy Bang Bang," makes frequent appearances on Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon, and does the music for the FX show "Louie."

So he didn't disappear.  He just grew a great beard and went on TV.


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear Watts' TED Talk on Youtube. (If you're confused at the beginning, stick with it!)

Serena Ryder "What I Wouldn't Do"

You know what I said about Serena Ryder's first single, "Stompa"? 

It's a little more mainstream-sounding than we usually go.  But maybe we should go for it ? . ? . ? .

I hemmed and hawed about adding it.

Cut to 6 months later, when it has been one of the most successful tunes on MVY in 2013.

Now, what are my feelings about her 2nd single?

It's a little more mainstream-sounding than we usually go.

I'm wouldn't be inclined to add it, if the first one hadn't done so well.

I can't tell if it's truly not the right sound for MVY, or if I'm off base on this one.

Thoughts?


Hear the song on Youtube.

10,000 Maniacs "Gun Shy"

Last week I started a series of occasional posts called "Dismissive One Sentence Reviews By Friends."  Because sometimes when you hear a song, all you can think about is that one thing that one person once said.

In my early days at MVY, I also had a part time job at our sister-business MVOL.

In part because we were both owned by the same company, and in part because they were simply fans, the staff at MVOL usually listened to MVY in the office.

Comments about the station---sometimes thoughtful, sometimes off-the-cuff---were frequently shared with me.  And for whatever reason, it's always stuck with me that one day, Heather, who was always a positive light in the MVOL office, said, after 10,000 Maniacs' "Gun Shy":

"She's kinda preachy, huh?"


Hear the song on Youtube.

Paul McCartney "New"

You probably made up your mind about Paul McCartney a long time ago.

You either think he's a genius, continuing to do genius work.  Or you think he's kinda hacky, and he's just hacking along.

I'm not here to convince you one way or another.

Over the weekend, I was catching little snippets of updates about Diana Nyad, who was attempting to swim from Havana to Key West.

It wasn't until late yesterday, when she had achieved her longtime goal, that I heard a news report actually mention her age.

I had assumed this person so intent on such an athletic feat, was in her 20s or 30s.

Sixty-Four.

Paul McCartney zipped past 64 nearly a decade ago.  But he keeps making records, long past an age he once wonder had any worth whatsoever.

He'll likely never make another song as great as "Let It Be."  And when you are in your 70s, neither will you.

That's not the point.  It doesn't matter if, in your old age, you are achieving feats that no one thought were possible or you are creating just a shadow of your former output.

The point is, that to be alive, you need to keep jumping in the water and swimming anyway.

And in the end, that's the thing to take away.


Hear "New" on Youtube.


Hear "When I'm 64" on Youtube.

Tennessee Ernie Ford "16 Tons"

"You load 16 tons and what do you get?  One day older and deeper in debt."

Happy Labor Day!


Hear the song on Youtube.

Thurston Moore "Cindy"

Here's another Weekend Post:

After yesterday's "Tank Girl" post, this one crossed the old brain pan, as its full name is "Cindy (Rotten Tanx)."

I haven't heard this solo Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) song in over a decade, if not more.

But I still laughed when he got to the line, "Hey Cher is hot."


Hear the song on Youtube.

Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show.  They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are fun to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.