Happy New Year 2014

I got you this music video.



Looking forward to fun times this year.

The Dirty Fucking Hippies Were Right

Any song that uses the word "temerity" in it deserves some props. Even if it is more of a spoken-word rant than a song.

No Uglies, Please

Apparently Ashlee Simpson and Milli Vanilli aren't the only ones who do it. The plucky, cute nine-year-old who performed "Ode to the Motherland" during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics was just pretending! But here's the real kicker - she wasn't lip-syncing to her own voice, because it wasn't even her voice to begin with!

The girl who actually sang the song was deemed too ugly to perform, so they put a prettier girl on stage. Said the show's musical director: "[she] was used [in place of the actual singer] because it was in the best interests of the country." Wow. Talented enough to sing in front of the entire world at nine years old, but told she's too ugly to be on stage? Sign this poor girl up for therapy.

Do Ya Wanna Dance?

Do You Want To Dance turns fifty this year. Here are five amazing versions of the classic song...

I love Del Shannon's raspy growl:


Cliff Richard and the Shadows made the song sugary sweet - Bobby Darrin and Richard must have compared notes. And I love the moves of the band members. Look at the way those shoes shine!


The Ramones just rock it:


The Beach Boys take it on a surfer groove (note Dennis Wilson's use of the floor tom):


And finally, check out Bobby Freeman's soulful original, which still has power a half a century later. It's got almost an island feel to it. Thanks for a fantastic song!

Invasion From Planet K!

I finally finished the video I said I would be working on. Enjoy!

Blind Twin Town Albino Is A Rhymin' Badass

My sixteen-year-old car has a tape deck and an AM/FM stereo. I have never really been into music radio (too much dreck and too many commercials), but I have taken to listening to the Current in spite of myself, and I have to admit it is a great station. Yesterday I heard a song that grabbed me, and I had to learn more about the artist.

I am not the greatest person to come to for new music. Turns out Brother Ali hails from Wisconsin and has been making rhymes for eight years. He lives right here in the Twin Cities, and records on the Minneapolis-based indie label Rhymesayers. I might have to pick up some of his music.

This is a great song.

I Suck!

I suck! You know how I know? Someone on the internet told me so! So it must be true. Thank goodness a faceless, anonymous dork trolling youtube had the courage to tell me so. I could have gone my whole life without knowing! The horror, the horror!

There is something deeply satisfying about being insulted anonymously. It's like, damn, people care enough to watch the shit I put out on the internet (!), and even take the time to complain about it (!!). Does that constitute "making it"? Well, probably not. But it is amusing that some jackass from Phoenix watched the Strummones and felt so strongly about us that he had to reveal to the world his keen insights and issue such a probing, thoughtful critique.

Punk Rock Warlord

The Future Is Unwritten tells the rich and kaleidoscopic story of John Graham Mellor, the man who became known as Joe Strummer. The film is filled with information even longtime fans will find new or at the very least retold in a different and interesting way.

The third film to deal with Strummer (the other two being Westway to the World and Let's Rock Again), it was far more personal and broader in scope. Just when it seemed to approaching mere hagiography, it would reveal some of the more sordid pieces of his past.

Ya know, I had started to write a long review detailing what I loved about the movie and what I love about Joe. But I just deleted it. Go see the movie. Joe was a mensch. One of the few people I genuinely think of as a hero. 'Nuff said.

Let It Ride

Rock and Roll, Baby

I miss the Strummones! A while back some friends and I formed a Clash/Ramones tribute band, just for fun. We're all big fans and it seemed like a good idea. Man, were those shows a blast. It's hard to believe, but it's already been a year since our last gig! Time flies. Anyway, I needed to get some rock and roll mojo back, so I had a look at some video my uncle shot of us. We rock!

I should confess that "the Strummones" is more of a project than a band: we get together to practice a couple of times only when we have a gig. There are long hiatuses between shows, though this one has been the longest. Mikey and Johnny both play original music in more serious acts. So their time for a party cover band is somewhat limited. I don't mind at all though: it's such an honor for me to play with those guys that I'm thrilled by every chance I get.

Meanwhile, over the summer another friend of mine asked me to help him make a rock video. How cool is that? So Friday, I finally bought Pinnacle Studio Ultimate to prepare for that project. Last night I was playing with it, and I immediately decided that I needed to post some Strummones videos to You Tube. Music and movies - my two favorite things, together! Check it out!

Sparky's Dream

I didn't pay enough attention to Teenage Fanclub back in the 1990s, a sad fact that I am earnestly trying to rectify. I find myself wholly captivated by their dreamy, effortless pop sensibilities. Check out this 1995 song, "Sparky's Dream."

If she lived in space, man...
I'd build a plane
Out of luck so beam me up
To hear her talking again

It gives me goosebumps.

Somewhere In My Soul There's Always Rock And Roll

The handsome devil over at LLTK "tagged" me, and now I must write out the following assignment: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what they are. They must be songs you are presently enjoying. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

I've actually been trying to think of a topic befitting an inaugural post - I need to christen a new "Stuff and Things" category on music. This seems as apt as any. So here it is! Thanks TK! On to the music...

Teenage Fanclub - In My Mind, Man-Made. The drony, mellow sound of TFC has a hypnotic, dreamy appeal. I was immediately captivated the first time I heard this song two years ago. It still draws me in every time I listen.

The Lanes - No Not Lately, Five Acts to Follow. I totally dig The Lanes! And not just because Mikey is one-fourth of the Strummones. I've been grooving on the Dutch Maniac's sound for more than ten years, and his latest album features his usual witty, smart pop sensibility. I keep coming back for more of this song: a rich tapestry of sounds and thoughts.

R.E.M. - Strange, Document. Never mind that this song is a cover of a cover of a cover. The classic three-chord progression never gets me jumpin much higher than this. Somehow Mike Stipe's whiny vocals seem perfectly suited to this sing-a-long rocker. And since I mentioned the Strummones, maybe we should add this tune to our set as an interlude. I think it could be a crowd-pleaser!

Elmer Bernstein - Main Title And Calvera, The Magnificent Seven Soundtrack. My daughter has been rehearsing this stirring score since January for her school's spring concert. She's got it stuck in my head! Luckily it is a truly great piece. She plays the flute, which accompanies the main melody. But now, after all of that, I find that the night of the concert I'll be out of town! Dammat, I'm so bummed. Her school puts on only two concerts a year, and I am loathe to miss either of them. They are so spirited and engaging. A lot like this title theme.

Robert Gordon - Flying Saucers Rock n Roll, Robert Gordon with Link Wray. I have a secret passion for 50s rockabilly, the real original punk rock. Gordon's 1978 tribute album was an unforgettable introduction to this music at a young age. And while every song on this album kicks complete ass, this song has it all: fast, raw, sexy, and fun as hell!

XTC - Are You Receiving Me? Go 2. I've been rekindling my love affair with this brilliantly quirky band. They always had a wry, cutting edginess. This song defines early 80s new-wave at its best: a lapel-grabbing pop hook coupled with cynically tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves, Police and Thieves. Jimmy Cliff was the first reggae I ever heard. It was at the very tender age of eight. I remember being mildly intrigued, but I didn't really "get" the music until a few years later, when I heard the Clash's recording of this Junior Murvin hit. At first I didn't realize that their version of this seminal track was a cover. But I soon learned that they were standing on the shoulders of a giant. And thirty years after it was put to vinyl, Murvin's original is still as poignant as ever.

That was fun, I'll have to do it again sometime. And now to pass the torch. While I am uncertain as to whether I actually have seven readers, I tag the following unfortunates: Amanda, Rocky, GeistX, DAV, Patty, Basil, and Winter Crow. And if there happen to be other readers out there lurking in cyberspace, feel free to weigh in! I'd tag you too if I knew you were there.