Part 2 of my conversation with guest Phil Stacey
about the music of 2001. Listen to the episode below or download directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
Jay's non-top 5 albums: Von Bondies, Radiohead, Sloan, Frank Black & the Catholics, Guided By Voices, Fugazi
The joy of shopping for imports
Phil's #5: Great distillation of classic rock from Sweden's The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Jay's #5: Indie folk-rock on first solo effort from Gord Downie includes spoken word
Phil's #4 and Jay's #3: Breakthrough album from the White Stripes blew up several months after it came out
Jay's #4: The Strokes led the return of guitar rock with a NYC-centric sound
Highlighted in the book and documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom
Phil's #3: Spoon with a strong release after getting dropped from a major
Phil's #2: Another great album after getting dropped came from Wilco
Phil's #1 and Jay's #2: A masterful double album about the duality of the Southern thang by Drive-By Truckers
Jay's #1: Impressive release from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists showcased a melding of diverse rock styles
Favorite songs: "Timorous Me" (Jay), "Ronnie and Neil" (Phil)
Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review!
The opening and closing theme of Completely
Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover
work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Editor's note: You can hear esteemed indie rock impresario Jay Breitling and I go on at length about our favorite music of 2016 on CompCon (here's part 1; parts 2 and 3 are forthcoming in the next two weeks).
You're probably swimming in a sea of thinkpieces about how 2016 was the worst year in history, and you're not going to get much of an argument from me on that front. But in the face of all the crappiness and divisiveness and death (particularly in the music world), it was a terrific year for new music. So much so that, when compiling my best of '016 playlist for Stuck In Thee Garage, I had picked so many songs that I decided to make it a two-parter (that's four hours of music!). As always, there were albums that I didn't get to hear or only picked up late in the year. But here's my top 15 and some honorable mentions from a bountiful year. There was plenty of ear candy to distract from the awfulness.
15. Beach Slang - A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings
It's been a productive and somewhat tumultuous 15 months for Beach Slang. The Philly act led by singer-guitarist James Alex (ex-Weston, Cordova Academy Glee Club) released two well-received full lengths (The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us in October 2015 and this album in September this year). But there was plenty of turmoil. The band seemingly broke up onstage in April, then parted ways with drummer/band founder JP Flexner a month later. Then in October, right after I saw the band play a blistering set opening for the Descendents at the Royale in Boston, Beach Slang parted ways with guitarist Ruben Gallego as a result of sexual assault allegations from 2012 coming to light. The band has since replaced Flexner and Gallego and is continuing to tour. All that aside, A Loud Bash is an excellent collection of Replacements-inspired punk pop that is a whole helluva lot of fun. Hopefully the band can stabilize and continue releasing hot rock on the regular.
14. Split Single - Metal Frames
Jason Narducy has quietly built a reputation as one of indie rock's finest sidemen over the last decade, playing bass for the likes of Bob Mould, Superchunk, Robert Pollard and Telekinesis. But he's also released music under the name Split Single, with 2014's Fragmented World (featuring Britt Daniel of Spoon and drummer extraordinaire Jon Wurster) and this year's Metal Frames, with Wurster and John Stirratt of Wilco). With his Split Single material, Narducy displays a propensity for power pop with a strong sense of melody. Richly deserving of much more attention than he gets.
13. Dinosaur Jr. - Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not
It's been more than a decade since the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr. reunited and the results have been fruitful indeed. J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph released their fourth "reunion album," one more than the trio released on their first go-round. The hallmarks of the Dino Jr. sound are all here: Mascis' roaring riffs and expressive solos, Barlow's monster bass and Murph pounding away on drums. The two Barlow contributions--"Love Is" and "Left/Right"--are particularly good. While they don't break any new ground, Dino Jr. in 2016 is still as vital as ever.
12. Savages - Adore Life
On its debut album, 2013's Silence Yourself, Savages made a splash with an explosive collection of angular songs that were about anything but love. This time around, the quartet dive headfirst into writing love songs, but they're hardly typical. An electrifying live act, Savages isn't content to write sappy odes to romance. Instead, singer Jehnny Beth leads the band through explorations of the thornier sides of love, whether it be flirtation, lust or infatuation. Guitarist Gemma Thompson wields feedback like a weapon. Musically, the band's post-punk influences aren't quite as on-the-nose as on their debut, but you can still hear them: Joy Division, Wire, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Whether it's the slow build of "Adore" or the all-out riffage of "The Answer" and "I Need Something New," Savages provide another impressive tour de force example of the possibilities of rock.
11. A Giant Dog - Pile
On its third album, the Austin band forged a potent combination of hard rock riffage and punk energy. Spoon's Britt Daniel helped the band score a deal with Merge Records, and also lends vocals to "Get With You and Get High." Singers Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen lead AGD through a careening set of rockers. The band captures the excitement of garage rock with Ellis and Cashen providing the male-female vocal dynamic that recalls the glory days of X. The mood remains rollicking throughout even as the band explores the darker side of love, sex, drugs and whatever else they feel like singing about. Names are taken, asses are kicked.
10. The Tragically Hip - Man Machine Poem
The first part of 2016 seemed like a typical year for the Hip, with expectations of a new record and tour coming in the second half of the year. In April, the band released the album's first single, "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind," which sounded like a logical extension of the sound of 2012's Now for Plan A. Then the hammer dropped in May with the announcement that frontman Gord Downie had been diagnosed in December 2015 with incurable brain cancer. The new album had already been recorded before the diagnosis, but it became clear that this was likely the last Hip record. All that said, Man Machine Poem sounds like no other Hip release. Producers Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin (Broken Social Scene, The Stills) brought an indie rock feel to a well-established rock act and the results are glorious. It still sounds like the Hip, with Downie's unmistakable vocals and lyrical twists and turns, but the instrumentation has been turned on its head. Johnny Fay's drums and percussion are almost the lead instrument as the band tones down its riffier elements (with the exception of "Here, In the Dark") and focuses on lower-key themes of angst and despair and aging on standout tracks "Hot Mic," "Great Soul," "Tired as Fuck" and "Ocean Next." The opening and closing songs, "Man" and "Machine," have a bit of a Kid A feel as Downie ruminates on the theme of man as machine and ends on an optimistic note. If this is the last Tragically Hip album, it's a hell of a way to go out.
9. PUP - The Dream is Over
PUP came out of the gate strong a few years back with their self-titled debut of punk blasters. On their second release, the Toronto act doubles down with a powerful yet mature collection that doesn't hold back on the rock riffs and group chants, but leavens it with a world-weary outlook forged by endless touring and hard living. There's no wasted space on The Dream Is Over. The album opens with the killer one-two punch of "If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will" and "DVP"; the former is a sardonic sea chanty of a song about the animus built after playing 400-some-odd shows while the latter is a high-speed lament over being a drunken loser. PUP has definite echoes of Titus Andronicus and the Henry Clay People, which are two of the finer acts to emerge over the last decade or so. It's a testament to the band's energy that songs that chronicle such hard times are so goddamn exhilarating.
8. Car Seat Headrest - Teens in Denial
At the ripe old age of 24, Car Seat Headrest frontman/chief bottle washer Will Toledo has been very busy over the last several years. From 2010-2015, he released 12 CSH albums via Bandcamp and a compilation called Teens of Style on Matador. His first full-length for Matador, Teens of Denial, is a tour de force of indie rock, combining the lo-fi sounds of Pavement and Guided by Voices with more expansive ideas. This results in some decidedly un-GBV-esque song lengths, with eight of the album's 12 songs clocking in at over 5 minutes, including "The Ballad of the Costa Concordia" at 11:31, "Vincent" at 7:45 and "Cosmic Hero" at 8:32. Toledo explores depression, drug use and millennial angst throughout, working in hot shit Malkmus-y guitar solos and unconventional choruses. The album got some unwanted publicity when the song "Just What I Wanted/Not Just What I Needed" had to removed because Ric Ocasek put the kibosh on Toledo's reinterpretation of the Cars classic "Just What I Needed." Matador had to recall and destroy the original pressings of the album; Toledo reworked the song as "Not Just What I Needed," removing the Cars references. Nevertheless, the record is terrific and it should be fun to see how Toledo follows it up.
7. Bob Mould - Patch the Sky
Bob Mould is a living rock legend. He could coast on his former glories, or play greatest hits shows, or release endless compilations of "the good stuff." But he's not doing that. After a decade of experimentation with electronic sounds, Mould started embracing his rock god status on 2012's Silver Age, teaming with bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster to form a powerful trio on par with his old bands Husker Du and Sugar. He released a celebrated memoir and then followed with 2014's Beauty & Ruin and couple of triumphant tours (even rattling the rafters of the Ed Sullivan Theater on a Letterman performance). Now he's back with a third record of loud rockers that belie his age and standing. "Voices in My Head" is an anthemic opener, followed by the thunderous "The End of Things." Mould explores the recent death of his parents on "Daddy's Favorite" and album closer "Monuments," while "Hold On" is a rumination about hitting middle age and "Pray for Rain" and "Hands are Tied" are explosive punk-fueled numbers. Live, Mould and his band were energetic and clearly having a blast. Mould is putting on a master class on how to age the right way.
6. Parquet Courts - Human Performance
It's been a lot of fun watching the evolution of Parquet Courts. Every release over the last five years has had interesting new touches or nuances as the band stretched out its sound. The Pavement comparisons have always been there, but there are also nods to the Velvet Underground, Television and the Modern Lovers in their sound. Co-singers/songwriters Andrew Savage and Austin Brown both have that detached vocal delivery the indie rock kids love, but there's so much more to this band. There's plenty of experimentation on Human Performance: the twangy riff on "Berlin Got Blurry," the rapped passages of "Captive of the Sun" (fleshed out by hip hog legend Bun B on a Colbert performance), the congas and psychedelic guitar of "One Man No City." Can't wait for the next album.
5. Black Mountain - IV
It's not just any band that will open an album with an 8-minute stoner-prog epic, but Black Mountain isn't just any band. On their fourth album, the Vancouver hard rockers do just that with "Mothers of the Sun," which lays out all the stuff that's great about the band: monster riffs as thick as frontman Stephen McBean; space synths galore from Jeremy Schmidt; the vocal interplay of McBean and Amber Webber; and a thundering rhythm section. On IV, the synths are given more time to shine alongside McBean's solos, especially on songs like "Florian Saucer Attack," "Defector" and "(Over and Over) The Chain," which has a long, spacey intro suited to the soundtrack of season 2 of Stranger Things. Then there's the crunchy goodness of "Constellations," the spooky graveyard lament of "Cemetery Breeding" and shimmering vocal harmonies on "Crucify Me." IV is chock full of rock delights.
4. Drive-By Truckers - American Band
A familiar refrain when assessing the state of music in 2016 has been wondering where all the protest songs went. And that was fairly accurate, but not when considering American Band by the Drive-By Truckers. The band is no stranger to making pointed statements; hell, they did a double concept album about the duality of Southern rock (2001's Southern Rock Opera). Songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley have always painted painfully accurate portrayals of their protagonists, not content to smooth over the rough edges. American Band comes out at an interesting time in American history: race relations are in tough shape, gun violence is way up, the economy is good for some and bad for others and an undercurrent of dissatisfaction had a huge impact on the presidential election. Hood and Cooley found themselves with songs that reflected these issues: "Surrender Under Protest" looks at the Confederate flag controversy, "What It Means" takes on the shootings of unarmed black men, Hood's "Guns of Umpqua" and "Darkened Flags on the Cusp of Dawn" examine recent mass shootings. DBT combine this lyrical awareness with Stonesy guitar riffage and their typical tight musicianship. The band's got a lot to say and they're not afraid of who they'll piss off; when Hood posted the lyrics to "What It Means" on his Facebook page, it provoked a firestorm of negative comments from pissed off non-liberal fans. In times like these, we need DBT more than ever.
3. Jeff Rosenstock - WORRY.
Jeff Rosenstock's last album, We Cool?, was my #1 album of 2015. The only reason he's not #1 again this year is because two rock legends released their best albums in decades. There's nothing complicated about Rosenstock's music. It's catchy-as-fuck punk pop with gang shouted choruses, big riffs and clever lyrics about personal and societal angst. And it's amazing. After a side 1 that crafts infectious choruses about breakups ("Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment"), online alienation, the loss of small punk clubs ("Wave Goodnight to Me") and marketing ("Festival Song"), side 2 is a whirling dervish of a quick-hitters that careen through Rosenstock's past as a ska-punk and hardcore artist. Much like PUP, Rosenstock also makes music that lends itself to drunken shouted choruses. There's anger in them there songs; even as Rosenstock is a married dad in his mid-30s, much of his current audience is much younger than that. I saw him play at the Sinclair in Cambridge a few days after the election and he spent a fair amount of time speaking to the audience about their mutual fears of the incoming Trump administration and what it might mean for civil rights, etc. Although he went fairly under the radar for the first two decades of his career, Rosenstock is making his mark now and will be a force in indie rock for years to come (at least if there's any justice in the world).
2. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression
With a career that dates back 50 years, Iggy Pop has earned enough goodwill to do whatever the hell he wants. Whether that's teaming up with Sum 41, doing French pop songs or making commercials for whatever, it's all fine. Nobody's expecting anything brilliant from him anymore. So it was a pleasant surprise when he reached out to Josh Homme and made a rock album that is on par with his best solo work from the late '70s. Homme assembled a crack team of rock craftsmen: himself as producer and guitarist, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age on multiple instruments and Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys on drums. The resulting album recalls the sound that Iggy and David Bowie achieved on the legendary albums The Idiot and Lust for Life (as well as Bowie's Berlin albums). On Post Pop Depression, Iggy looks back on his life and his place in the modern world, while his backing band is less in your face than the Stooges and more sharp edges and detached debauchery. Iggy's vocals are restrained, but focused. It's a mature yet powerful effort. Iggy has said this is likely his last rock record; if so, he's going out with a bang.
1. David Bowie - Blackstar
The year got off to a rough start after David Bowie died on January 10, just two days after the release of Blackstar, his 25th album. Bowie recorded the album in secret with longtime producer Tony Visconti and a group of little-known NYC jazz musicians, all the while dealing with a terminal liver cancer diagnosis. Themes of mortality abound, from the title track and "Lazarus," both of which featured cryptic videos with plenty of death imagery. Unlike his previous surprise effort, 2013's The Next Day, which echoed his classic '70s sound, Bowie went in a completely different musical direction on Blackstar. At the age of 68, he once again completely reinvented himself, exploring art-rock, jazz and experimental sounds. Obviously, the reaction to the record has been colored by Bowie's shocking death and how much his condition affected its creation. But there's no denying Blackstar's power and the inherent sadness hanging over Bowie and his final days. It's a tough listen, but a vital one. The fact that he could create such an important record while staring death in the face is not only impressive, it's courageous. His death leaves a huge vacuum in the rock world, but his parting gift is one that will never be forgotten.
Honorable mention:
Descendents - Hypercaffium Spazzinate
Used Cassettes - Rock n Rills
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
Preoccupations - s/t
Johnny Foreigner - Mono No Aware
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Skeleton Tree
Gord Downie - Secret Path
Terry Malts - Lost at the Party
Teenage Fanclub - Here
Hallelujah the Hills - A Band is Something to Figure Out
The I Don't Cares - Wild Stab
Ty Segall - Emotional Mugger
Kristin Hersh - Wyatt at the Coyote Palace
PJ Harvey - The Hope Six Demolition Project
Pixies - Head Carrier
Wilco - Schmilco
Living Colour - Who Shot Ya
TUNS - Tuns
Future of the Left - The Peace & Truce of Future of the Left
Thin Lips - Riff Hard
Thee Oh Sees - A Weird Exits
Some bands just know how to rock, no matter how many lineups they trot out on stage over the years. The Drive-By Truckers are one of those bands, and their recent show at the Paradise (yeah, this review is 10 days late) was proof positive that the live rock experience still exists in its purest form.
In its 17-year career, DBT has had several different incarnations, but the common denominators through all of it are frontmen Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. Most recently, bassist Shonna Tucker and guitarist John Neff left the band; Matt Patton of the Dexateens took over on bass and DBT is now touring as a five-piece; Brad Morgan on drums and Jay Gonzalez on guitars and keyboards are the other holdovers. The Whigs were the opening act and I'm sorry to say I missed all but two songs of their set, but they were excellent (and much hairier than the last time I saw them three or four years ago) as usual.
The fact that the usually prolific DBT had no new album to flog and no other songwriters in the band meant that Hood and Cooley essentially traded off songs throughout the two-hour-plus set. "Southern rock" is the descriptor I tend to use with DBT, but they pretty much cover a wide swath of styles: rock, country, a little soul, hard rock. The band liberally dug out songs from throughout its career, including the terrific "The Night G.G. Allin Came to Town" from 1999's Pizza Deliverance, as well as a raucous cover of Warren Zevon's "Play It All Night Long" (from the odds and sods collection The Fine Print) and "Hell No I Ain't Happy" from 2003's Decoration Day (along with several others). But the band closed out the encore with four barnburners from the beloved 2001 double album Southern Rock Opera, including "Zip City," "Let There Be Rock," "Shut Up and Get on the Plane" and "Angels and Fuselage," which ends with the band members walking offstage one at a time until just drummer Morgan is left playing.
On guitar, Hood and Cooley were in fine form, each taking solos on the other's songs, but Gonzalez also proved his mettle by providing ripping solos on several songs in addition to pedal steel and keyboards. New bassist Patton resembled a slightly older Opie Taylor as he bobbed his head grinning throughout the show. Hood and Cooley definitely seemed to be having fun, perhaps because some much of the interpersonal drama is gone from the band now. Whatever the case, DBT held nothing back, rocking the packed club and leaving us wanting more even as we stood there exhausted.
Part 1 of my conversation with special guest Jay Breitling as we look back at the best rock music of 2011. Listen to the episode below or download it directly (right click and "save as").
Show notes:
- Of new additions and beer
- Revisiting our beer discussion of episodes 133 and 134
- Trends in 2011: The return of the '90s
- Bands reunited, new bands echo '90s influences
- Imminent death of the CD?
- Tons of reissues for classic albums
- Expanded versions of relatively recent albums
- Breitling's #10 album: Los Campesinos
- Proggy elements added to band's sound
- Kumar's #10: Drive-By Truckers
- Uber-prolific band combines Southern rock and soul
- Breitling's #9: Soccer Mom
- Boston band echoes sound of bands like Sonic Youth
- Kumar's #9: J. Mascis
- Solo album turns down the jet engine roar
- Breitling's #8: Ringo Deathstarr
- Album was four years in the making
- Kumar's #8: Beastie Boys
- Sounds like classic Beasties
- Overblown non-controversy of the week: Questlove vs. Michele Bachmann
- Bonehead of the Week
Music: Los Campesinos - Hello Sadness
Ringo Deathstarr - Imagine Hearts
Drive-By Truckers - Used to Be a Cop
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.
The Los Campesinos song is on the album Hello Sadness on Arts and Crafts. Download the song for free at Stereogum.
The Ringo Deathstarr song is on the album Colour Trip on Sonic Unyon Records. Download the song for free at RCRDLBL.
The Drive-By Truckers song is from the album Go-Go Boots on ATO Records. Download the song for free (in exchange for your email address) at DriveByTruckers.com.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian; check out his site PodGeek.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
- Recorded before a live studio audience in Pompton Lakes, NJ
- Efforts to ban trans fats
- The Salvatores belong to a food co-op
- It's good to know where your food comes from
- McDonald's Instant Remorse
- Brian made enchilada lasagna last night, Jay had a Quarter Pounder with cheese
- Taco Bell: Less than 30% actual meat in tacos
- People should be able to choose to eat junk if they want
- Jay: We limit junk food for our kids
- Parents need to take responsibility for their kids' nutrition
- Jay watched a ton of TV as a kid
- You can't force people to eat right
- Having a busy schedule is no excuse to eat poorly
- Nutrition education is important
- Food assistance programs need funding
- Brian: Haven't noticed a difference in flavor at NYC restaurants since trans fat ban
- Tainted food outbreaks are biggest concerns
- Jay: In college, going off dining plan led to poor nutrition
- Food trucks were big hit in college
- Brian: Learned to cook for myself at a young age
- Government needs to step in to enforce child nutrition
- Once you're an adult, you know what's bad for you
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
The Feelies - Should Be Gone
Drive-By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love
Mind Spiders - Don't Let Her Go
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following codes to get athletic gear from Nike, Adidas, Asics and more. AFCOMP15 will get you 10% off any order of $50 at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 15% off any order of $75 at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.
The Feelies song is on the forthcoming album Here Before on Bar/None Records. Download the song for free at Pitchfork.
The Drive-By Truckers song is on the forthcoming album Go-Go Boots on ATO Records. Download the song for free at Amazon.
The Mind Spiders song is on the band's self-titled album on Dirt Nap Records. Download the song for free at Altered Zones.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
Special guest Dave Brigham joins me again on the podcast for part 2 of our discussion about his new book, "(C)rock Stories: Million-Dollar Tales of Music, Mayhem and Immaturity." Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").
Or you can listen to it here:
The show notes...
Topics:
- One story grew out of trips to see the Butthole Surfers
- Turned into a tale of violence and road-trippin'
- Dave saw the Surfers at the Channel in 1987
- Created (C)rock-related t-shirts for sale
- Slogan is "Rock + Fiction = (C)rock"
- More than 100 bands mentioned in the book
- National Novel Writing Month
- Dave was working on a UFO concept album that started turning into a book
- Gratuitous Humpmuscle Pete reference
- Dave ponders new marketing strategies
- Jay's mom needs to talk to "the Gmail people"
- Look for the book soon: Makes a good Christmas/New Year's/MLK Day present (via Booklocker)
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
The Dears - Blood
The Drive-By Truckers - Used to be a Cop
J. Mascis - Not Enough
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.
The Dears song is on the forthcoming album Degeneration Street on DangerBird Records, where you can download the song for free.
The Drive-By Truckers song is from the band's forthcoming album Go-Go Boots on ATO Records. Find out more and download the song for free from the band's website.
The J. Mascis song is on his forthcoming album Several Shades of Why on Sub Pop, where you can download the song for free.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
After a three-week delay, the podcast is back. This week, I share my thoughts before and after running the Baystate Marathon last month. Listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly (right click and "save as").
Or you can listen to it here:
The show notes...
Topics:
- The night before the race, I'm feeling pretty confident
- Ran Baystate in 2007 in 3:46
- Hoping to do a little better this time
- Had disastrous run in May at Providence Marathon because of 80-degree heat
- Check back in after the race, driving home
- Struggled with side stitch from mile 9 on
- Weather was perfect
- Taking the spring off from marathons
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
Drive-By Truckers - Your Woman is a Living Thing
Wire - Two Minutes
Crystal Castles with Robert Smith - I'm Not in Love
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com. Use the following codes to get athletic gear from Nike, Adidas, Asics and more. AFCOMP15 will get you 10% off any order of $50 at Eastbay.com, AFCOMP20 will get you 15% off any order of $75 at Eastbay.com and AFCOMPFL will get you 10% off any order of $50 or more at Footlocker.com.
The Drive-By Truckers song was originally released as a single on Record Store Day. The band is giving it away as a free download to its Facebook friends.
The Wire song is on the forthcoming album Red Barked Tree on the band's label Pink Flag, where you can download the song for free.
The Crystal Castles song features Robert Smith of the Cure on vocals and is a cover of a Platinum Blonde song. The remix is available as a single on Fiction Records. Download the song for free at Stereogum.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
- Kumar: Go-to beer in the mid-'90s was Pete's Wicked Ale
- Breitling started getting into Yuengling
- Adrian Beltre hits HR for Red Sox
- Variety packs are good ways to try different kinds of beer
- Breitling prefers seasonal beers, especially fall seasonals
- Kumar: Big fan of porter
- Breitling: Helped out at Cisco Brewers in Nantucket
- Breitling isn't huge fan of winter beers
- Bitter beer face
- IPAs are bitter, but we like 'em
- Kumar: Don't drink much homebrew
- Breitling's pal Rob Mathews makes good homebrew
- Ice beer was big in the early '90s
- Kumar: Tried ice beer for a while, but it was too strong
- Still see drunks buying 40s of Natty Light Ice
- Beer consumption is limited to two or three at a time now
- Pros and cons of beer fridges
- Walking back from the game
- What to tell our kids about drinking
- Just hope they make sensible decisions
- It's tough being a responsible adult
- Breitling's max bench: 265
- Drunk episodes are few and far between these days
- Never understood why people got wasted before concerts
- Breitling's bar altercation
- Kids don't respect hangovers
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
Drive-By Truckers - Girls Who Smoke
We Were Promised Jetpacks - Roll Up Your Sleeves
Silversun Pickups - It's Nice to Know You Work Alone
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.
The Drive-By Truckers song is a B-side off the album The Big To-Do on ATO Records, where you can download the song for free.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
By Friday night, I'm usually pretty wiped out. Long work week, not enough sleep, and I'm ready to zone out on the couch and hit the sack early. But not last night.
Instead, I picked up my buddy Dave and his friend Ben and we headed into Boston to catch the Drive-By Truckers play at the House of Blues. Unlike last Saturday's Spoon show, there was no early exit because of a dance party afterward. We went to three different restaurants in a futile attempt to get a burger and beer before the show, but were unable to get anyone to take our orders. It was ridiculous.
Finally, we just walked down Lansdowne Street and went to the Sausage King, the street vendor who's always there. Boom, we wolfed them down and went into the club in time to catch Langhorne Slim, the first of the three-band show. He played a fine set of roots rock that got the crowd going. Next up was Lucero, an excellent alt-country act that ripped it up real good. The Memphis band was augmented by a three-piece horn section. Frontman Ben Nichols used his Tom Waitsian rasp to good effect on newer songs like "Smoke" and older classics like "That Much Further West" and "Tears Don't Matter Much." The horns didn't take away from the punk attitude of the band. I'd definitely like to catch them playing a headlining date someday.
Unlike last weekend, when Spoon was forced to finish its set by 10 p.m., DBT came out at 10 and ripped through a kick-ass two-hour set of Southern rock, country and blues. Almost exactly two years, I caught the band at the Paradise and they played a boozy, raw 135-minute set. Last night, there was less boozing but just as much rocking. Bandleader Patterson Hood seemed to be having a blast as the band tore through songs from the fine new album The Big To-Do, including "This Fucking Job," "Birthday Boy" and "The Flying Wallendas." Guitarist Mike Cooley played some hot lead guitar and brought his trademark twangy vocals to "Women Without Whiskey" and "Three Dimes Down" and bassist Shonna Tucker sang a couple of her compositions, "Home Field Advantage" and "(It's Gonna Be) I Told You So." The uber-prolific band has cranked out a ton of music over the years and several classics were played last night, including "Nine Bullets," "The Night GG Allin Came to Town," "Road Cases," "Sinkhole" and "Hell, No, We Ain't Happy."
The band's three-guitar attack rocked as hard as any metal band at some points, while at others, utility man John Neff played the pedal steel and they played mellow country. But whatever they played, the packed and hard drinking crowd appreciated. The night ended with an ear-splittingly loud version of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World," which left both the band and audience spent and exhausted. A fitting end to a night of rock.
The podcast's back with special guest Dave Brigham as we discuss the fine art of the road trip. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").
The show notes...
Topics:
- Dave used to do "big house tours"
- Dave and buddies bought a boogie van for big road trip
- Van broke down before they even left
- No destination in mind
- Diet of hot dogs, carrots and beer
- Got to Santa Fe, NM, but altitude was tough
- Went to Albuquerque, rented house and found jobs
- Stayed three months
- "Eat, drink, work"
- Jay did a road trip to Montreal that same spring
- Six years ago, Jay did another Montreal trip
- Jay was ill, decorated the breakdown lane all the way back
- Dave did long trip right after college graduation
- Saw Skinny Puppy play in Montreal, looked for Letterman's house in CT
- Dave and Beth drove to Toronto, then Madison, WI, then Chicago
- Jerry Springer sighting; then watched OJ Simpson chase on TV
- Jay and family drove to Disney few years ago; 22-hour drive
- Dave remembers family train trip gone awry
- Jay remembers family vacations to Florida in '70s
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
- The Drive-By Truckers - Birthday Boy
- Spoon - Written in Reverse
- Future of the Left - The Hope That House Built
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Drive-By Truckers song is on the album The Big To-Do on ATO Records. Find out more and download the song for free here.
The Spoon song is on the album Transference on Merge Records. The song is courtesy of IODA Promonet:
The Future of the Left song is on the album Travels With Myself and Another on 4AD Records. Download the track for free at Beggars Group USA.
The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. Use these codes and save some cash: AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay.com; AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay.com; AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.com.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at his blog.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
The podcast returns with part 3 of my conversation with Ric Dube. We wrap up our pop culture predictions for the next decade. Click here to listen to the show in streaming audio or download it directly here (right click and "save as").
The show notes...
Topics:
- Dube praises the CompCon movie recap episodes
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt will continue to do good work
- Dube wants you to see 500 Days of Summer...to understand why he hates it
- "Annie Hall for dumb kids"
- Annoying Hollywood trend: Self-conscious namedropping of "cool bands"
- Talking Avatar...which neither of us has seen
- Ric loves his Kindle
- Prediction: Touchscreen technology may turn actual desktops into computers, creating virtual clutter
- Female version makes every costume slutty (E.g., slutty trash collector)
- Tailor made for an iPhone app
- The adventures of intern Gabe
- Ric: The TSA is comprised of power-mad mall cops
- Product idea: Terror alert level M&Ms
- Eat your way to comfort level
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
- Drive-By Truckers - This F*cking Job
- Shearwater - Black Eyes
- The Smashing Pumpkins - Widow Wake My Mind
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!
The Drive-By Truckers song was recorded for the forthcoming album The Big To-Do on ATO Records. Find out more at and download the song for free at Stereogum.
The Shearwater song is on the album The Golden Archipelago on Matador Records, where you can download the track for free.
The Smashing Pumpkins song is on the forthcoming album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Find out more and download the song for free here.
The show is sponsored by Eastbay/Footlocker.com, a leading supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment. The promo code AFCOMP15 will get you 15% off any order at Eastbay, AFCOMP20 will get you 20% off any order of $75 or more at Eastbay and AFCOMPFL will get you 15% off any order at Footlocker.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blogs Clicky Clicky and Keeping Some Dark Secrets. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbelll. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography here.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
Halloween is nearly over and the kids are tucked in bed, with visions of Skittles and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups dancing in their heads. As for me, I just recorded the latest and greatest episode of Completely Conspicuous. If you're not already subscribed, you can download it directly here (right click and "save as").
The show notes...
Topics: - Celebrity political endorsements - The increase in child food allergies - Pinhead of the Week
Music: - Frightened Rabbit - Old Old Fashioned (live) - Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains - By Cover of Night (Firefight) - Parts and Labor - Nowheres Nigh - Drive-By Truckers - Zip City
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at his fine music blog. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
Back with another episode of the podcast. You can download it directly here (right click and "save as") if you don't subscribe already.
The show notes...
Topics: - The shoddy U.S. food safety system - An encounter with a creature of the night - Pinhead of the Week
Music: - Centro-Matic - Quality Strange - The Stills - Snakecharming the Masses - Jay Reatard - See/Saw - The Drive-By Truckers - Puttin' People on the Moon
Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes and Podcast Pickle podcast directories. Subscribe and write a review!
The Drive-By Truckers song is on the album The Dirty South on New West Records; find out more and download the track at the band's web site.
The Jay Reatard song is on the compilation Matador Singles '08 on Matador Records, where you can find out more and download the track.
The Centro-Matic song is on the album Dual Hawks on Misra Records. The song from The Stills is on the album Oceans Will Rise on Arts and Crafts Records. Both songs were provided by IODA Promonet:
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling by visiting his fine music blog. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
Manoman, that was a busy weekend. I kicked it off Friday night with the annual fantasy baseball draft extravaganza. We had to hold our draft a week early this year, so I didn't have much time to do research, but I always procrastinate, anyway. It seemed to take longer than usual this time around; we were done close to midnight. We traveled to tony Andover for the event again at the house of a fellow manager. I had to draft two teams, mine and a buddy's who couldn't make it. I think my team's decent, but my pitching's a little suspect, especially the bullpen. The first game of the season is actually tomorrow morning in Japan, where the Red Sox will play the A's; they have another game Wednesday and then the rest of the games start next Monday.
Saturday morning, I got a 15-mile run in before showering and taking the girls to a friend's 5th birthday party. After getting home, taking a nap (this was key) and picking up some pizza for dinner, I headed off to the Drive-By Truckers show at the Paradise. I've been listening to the band for a few years now, but this was my first time seeing them live and by gum, it was pretty frickin' amazing. Unlike the Gutter Twins show, I decided to snag myself a spot up in the balcony so I could have a full view of the stage without having to jostle for position. It was a good move because the show was sold out and everyone was pretty packed in. Lots of burly dudes with camo Red Sox caps; definitely a lot fewer females than Tuesday night. The Whigs opened up with an ass-kicking set of straightahead rock that really impressed. I like their new album, Mission Control, and seeing them live just proved that they were the real deal. Really tight band, and drummer Julian Dorio is ridiculously talented, just a whirling dervish behind the kit.
DBT came out around 10:20 and played a marathon 2 hours and 15 minutes, digging into a lot of their excellent new album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, but also playing a broad range of songs from throughout their career. Unlike the Gutter Twins, DBT kept plenty of booze at the ready, with all band members regularly swigging from a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels throughout the show. I'm sure the 'Dise made out pretty well with its beer sales, because it was a hot and sweaty Saturday night and folks were drinking up a storm. Most of the songs were divvied up by frontman Patterson Hood and guitarist Mike Cooley, who ripped off crackling solos all night long. Between the two of them and pedal steel/guitar player John Neff, DBT created a swirling storm of rock, country and everything in between. When all three guitarists were soloing during thunderous rockers like "Let There Be Rock" (not the AC/DC song, but it references it) and "Hell No I Ain't Happy," it was reminiscent of great southern guitar bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Outlaws (who I saw at the Kingston (NH) Fairgrounds back in '85). Hood told a story about playing their first gig in Boston in '99 at an Irish pub where patrons had to walk up through the stage area to get to the bathrooms. The band had a blast and seemed truly appreciative of the sellout and the love shown by the fans. By the end of the show, my feet were killing me but I didn't care. I was already a fan, but that show made me a fanatic. The message board posts seemed to concur, as did the Globe and Herald reviewers. Ultimately, the measure of a great band is their live show, and DBT is truly a great band. Next time they come around, go see them. I know I will.
So I got out of the club by 12:45 and home by 1:30. The girls woke up at 6:45, excited to see what the Easter Bunny brought. I dragged my butt downstairs to see them rip through their Easter baskets and then Deb mercifully told me to go grab another hour of sleep. We went to church, then had Easter lunch with Deb's mom and brother and then went up to NH to have dinner with my mom. Needless to say, by the time we got home, we were all pretty wiped. Deb and I spent the evening catching up on TiVoed television.
Spring? What spring?
It's March Madness time, the only time of the year I pay any attention to college basketball. Deb also gets into it, driven by her goal of beating me. Right now, she's a point ahead of me. We both have all our final four teams left, so we'll see what happens.
All my nights out last week meant I missed all three Leafs games, which were all victories; their playoff hopes are still alive but remain slim. They're four points out of a playoff spot with seven games to go and four teams ahead of them. I also missed Friday night's UNH-BC Hockey East semifinal, which BC ended up winning in triple overtime. Probably just as well that I missed the last one; I might have thrown something through the friggin' TV. The game was the second longest Hockey East playoff game; the longest being the UMaine-UMass final game a few years back that I attended that also went to 3 OT periods and nearly got to a fourth before Maine won it. Fortunately UNH still got a NCAA tournament bid and will go out west to play Notre Dame Friday night.
Another rockin' Saturday night. Just watched the Leafs get smoked by Buffalo, 6-2, which could be the final nail in their coffin for this season. They're not mathematically eliminated yet, but it doesn't look good. They had playing well lately, but captain Mats Sundin hurt his groin in the last game and missed tonight as well, and then second-leading scorer Nik Antropov left early tonight with a knee injury. Doesn't bode well.
Headed out this morning with Molly on a 20-mile run from here to Lynn and back. It was snowing but wasn't too cold, so we figured it wouldn't be a bad run. Unfortunately, the winds really picked up when we got to the water in Swampscott and Lynn and they never went away. We had to battle the whole way back through that raw (mid-30s) weather; it felt like we ran a full marathon instead of 20. I was glad to get it over with, but I had a tough time getting warm the rest of the day.
Shiver me timbers:
I have to thank my buddy OJ for pointing me to this rare clip of David Letterman's short-lived daytime show from the early '80s, before he hit it big with Late Night. Obviously, his sense of humor was not quite right for daytime viewers. That was the first I'd ever seen of any of those shows; alas, they're not available anywhere for viewing nowadays. I was vaguely aware of the show's existence, but I never saw it at the time because I was in school. Speaking of Letterman, here's a great little viewer mail clip from Late Night.
The music blogs have been chock full of the South by Southwest coverage this week. For the uninitiated, SXSW is the premiere music industry conference and showcase, featuring hundreds of bands known and unknown, as well as separate tracks for film and online shizz. Back when I worked at Webnoize, I was able to attend the 2000 conference. Even though the apartments we rented were way out of downtown Austin, it was still a blast. I covered a bunch of the panels for Webnoize and worked in our booth a bit, but the best part was going to see bands (we caught, among others, Modest Mouse, Fu Manchu, and the Bevis Frond) and chowing on awesome BBQ at places like the County Line and Stubb's. Austin is a truly great city. I visited my brother there a few times when he was going to law school at the U. of Texas; he even drove in from Houston to catch some bands with us one night in '00. Good times. I don't expect to ever go to SXSW again, unless by some miracle I get a job covering entertainment, but at least I can say I've gone once.
Speaking of the rock, I'm gearing up to see some good shows in the next couple of weeks. Next week, The Gutter Twins (led by Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers fame and Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees, two of my favorite artists) play the Paradise on Tuesday and the Drive-By Truckers are there on Saturday. Then on April 3, I'm going to see Stephen Malkmus (ex-Pavement front dude) at the 'Dise. I've been digging the new albums from all three artists, so these shows should be muy excellente.
"Written In Reverse"
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