J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 30th January 2008

[Ah, training schedule. This week I had four, count 'em!, four trainees in the studio with me, so boy, it was a bit crowded. But Evan, Harper, Eileen (sorry if I misspelled that) and Leslie were tremendous and did a good job during the second hour.

Congrats to Heather Crews for winning the $15 gift certificate to BB's New and Used CDs and DVDs. She named two Minnesota bands in order to win the prize. We give it away every week around the beginning of the third set, near 6:30pm, so tune in for your chance to win.

A lot of good stuff, and my interview with Darin Wald of Big Ditch Road, all ahead, so let's go. Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 30th January 2008 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Whigs - "Production City" [from mission control which i reviewed this week. they're playing tonight (wednesday) in chapel hill at local 506 and later in february in charlotte. also opening for the drive-by truckers at the orange peel in asheville on saturday, march 29th. listen - for real. mission control is a remarkable rock record. do yourself a favor and go (legally) download or purchase it.]
Brian Eno - "Burning Airlines Gives You So Much More" [from taking tiger mountain (by strategy). brian eno's first four or five solo records are pure genius, especially this one. definitely one of the finest of the 70s. period.]
Times New Viking - "DROP-OUT" [from the blissful, static-laden rip it off, one of the most unique records of this year, no doubt. what's that? you loved the old super lo-fi guided by voices? you should love this, then.]
Q and Not U - "L.A.X." [from power, their final record. i was re-listening to it earlier this week, and while it's a bit subdued compared to (what i consider) their highpoint, , it's an excellent album. it really is a shame that they called it quits.]
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Liam Finn - "Better to Be" [from i'll be lightning. more from the new album from neil finn's boy. it's a good sign that he inherited his pop smarts from his daddy, that's for sure.]
The The - "Dogs of Lust" [from dusk which i reviewed this week. the the is a band that doesn't get a lot of attention always, but they're well worth exploring.]
Jim White - "A Town Called Amen" [from the forthcoming transnormal skiperoo, due out march 4th. i'd love to try and get an interview with jim this year. anyone help me out with that?]
Citified - "March Through Mayday" [from the forthcoming the meeting after the meeting EP, due out in early march. greensboro rock that is just fantastic. there will be a review of this EP coming up in late february.]

[Here I played my interview with Darin Wald, lead singer of Minnesota's Big Ditch Road. He was nice enough to sit down and talk with me via phone the other week and discuss a few things. You can listen to the edited version of the interview through the podcast, or you can listen to the longer, unedited version by clicking on the link below. In the extended version, I ask a somewhat awkward question about Big Ditch Road sounding like the Hold Steady (I edited it because I sound like a doofus) and Darin elaborates on my perception of libertarian themes in the lyrics, the latter of which is pretty interesting. Thanks to Darin for entertaining my conversation and I do hope they can tour down our way sometime soon.]

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - Big Ditch Road (Extended Interview)

Big Ditch Road - "Waiting to Destroy" [the lead track from the jackson whites EP which i reviewed this week.]
Big Ditch Road - "A Bad Chord Change" [another from the jackson whites.]
Big Ditch Road - "The Jackson Whites" [title track.]
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Drive-by Truckers - "3 Dimes Down" [from brighter than creation's dark. another fantastic mike cooley song. they'll be at the orange peel in asheville on saturday, march 29th. i'll be there.]
the Modern Lovers - "Astral Plane" [from their self-titled debut. word came this week that jonathan richman will be at the grey eagle in asheville on friday, february 29th. post punk legend in the house, y'all.]
Flick - "Freezer Burnt" [from the perfect kellulight. i saw this band open for placebo back in '99 and they were pretty neat, but that was about all i ever heard of them. the record is interesting and it certainly sounds like the 90s. ah, true bands that just up and disappear.]
Paul Westerberg - "Whatever Makes You Happy" [from suicaine gratifaction. the whole "fallin' down the stairwell / callin' farewell, anyone" is a line i've always loved for some reason. internal rhyme usually makes me happy. that's the english geek in me.]
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A.A. Bondy - "Lovers' Waltz" [from american hearts, the # 8 album of 2007 here on the show. he'll be opening for dr. dog at local 506 in chapel hill on tuesday, march 4th. i can't wait to be there.]
Hezekiah - "Wild and Wreckless" [from i predict a riot. i'm enjoying this album. and the good wesley e. hooked me up with an edited copy so we'll be hearing more over the years.]
Molly McGinn - "Preachers and Thieves" [by request. greensboro music from her album girl with slingshot. pretty good. let's hear more.]
Bob Mould - "The Silence Between Us" [from his new album district line. i liked this song - i mean, bob mould has been pretty consistently good of late. we'll hear more.]
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Six Organs of Admittance - "Shelter From the Ash" [the title track from their latest. i've heard nothing but crazy good stuff about this album since last year, so it was about time i dig into it. i liked what i heard, though i was a bit tied up training four people.]
Kathleen Edwards - "Independent Thief" [from back to me. word just came last night that kathleen will be playing (along with dan wilson, ex-semisonic) at the grey eagle in asheville, north carolina on wednesday, april 16th. if you don't hear me on the air that night, you'll know why. i'm so tempted to take the next day off of work so i can go. her new album, asking for flowers comes out march 4th.]
Lupe Fiasco - "Go Go Gadget Flow" [from the cool. i heard a lot of good things about this song and i definitely enjoyed it. great song title, too.]
American Music Club - "The Stars" [from the golden years. more really good stuff from the again re-unified american music club.]
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Hot Chip - "Ready for the Floor" [from the forthcoming made in the dark, due out february 4th. haven't really heard a lot of hot chip, but harper and eileen are big on them, so there you go.]
the Hold Steady - "Stuck Between Stations" [from boys and girls in america. patterson hood of the drive-by truckers said, in an interview with pitchfork, that he'd love to set up a drive-by truckers/hold steady tour. i would be so excited that..i don't know. i just don't know.]
Black Mountain - "Evil Ways" [from in the future. more, great modern prog music. i like this record a lot.]
Sleater-Kinney - "Dig Me Out" [title track from their 1997 album. dig me out of all these trainees! ahh!]

Hope you enjoyed the interview and all that we played this week. I'll be back on Friday with Notes From Underground and next week with new album reviews and next week's show. Until then, go Heels, Go Giants!, and take care.