J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 16th September 2009

[Welcome to a very special edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. While the exact date is lost to the mists of time for me, this week is, more or less, the ten year anniversary at WQFS. It was in September of 1999 when I first came up into the studio and proceeded, along with then DJ cohort Jeremy Fischer, to do seven straight hours of programming as several DJs after us failed to show up into the wee hours of the night. Trial by fire. The ensuing ten years have been nothing short of a blessing and I feel even more energized and excited now to come up into the studio each week than I did back then. Having this show (and this blog, which is celebrating its six year anniversary this month) helped me get to experience a lot more in the musical world - a trip to South by Southwest, meeting some of my very favorite artists, getting the opportunity to write for the fantastic Aquarium Drunkard, and tons more. I also feel like I become a better DJ every week. It really is an art form and I am always striving to improve my craft from show to show.

I have you, readers and listeners, to thank for the feedback, suggestions, encouragement and support over the past ten years. So I want to indulge for a second and personally thank some people who have been great help and support in particular: my parents, Wayne and Martha Neas, for sending me to college somewhere so fantastic and for always supporting my musical endeavors; past WQFS general managers and management - especially Will Dodson, Tim LaFollette, James Fishwick, Michela Maxwell, Devender Sellars, Jeff Irving and Beth Bass; fellow current and former DJs - especially Kelly Davis, Moose, Marcus, The Rogue Squadron Hangar Bay, Wesley E., Jody Campagna, Lynn and her late husband, Ray, Mike Pettipas, Tom Ivey, Chuck Carroll, Mike Smith, Kathy Clark, Eugene Sims, David Butler, Steve Price, Elizabeth and Beyond, D.L., - all of you showed me what great dedication to craft could look like; long time and recent listeners - especially Cromer, the M.I.A. Stan (last bastion), Frank, Mark on the Blue Ridge, Heather - your feedback and calls always make the shows even better; and lastly, but so far from leastly, the incomparable Mad Dog, whose show has always made me work harder and made loving indie-rock seem like the most natural thing in the world - you've gone from being one of the DJs I enjoyed talking with about music the most to one of my absolute great friends - thank you for all the moments of the last ten years.

I'll be having some live music in studio next week as Scott Pryor stops by for a visit prior (no pun) to his playing at Guilford's Homecoming next weekend. He's a great songwriter, so make sure you tune in for that.

Now, while I collect myself, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 16th September 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
>
Arctic Monkeys - "Crying Lightning" [from humbug. i love this band, but i'd been behind on picking up their latest. the video for this song is pretty righteous though, i must say.]
Television - "See No Evil" [from marquee moon. is this album ever anything less than amazing? especially the remastered edition from a few years ago. the sound is so much better and the songs leap off the CD in new ways that make the songs even better.]
Brendan Benson - "Garbage Day" [from my old familiar friend. one of my absolute favorites from this album - great smacks of soul and r&b mixed with benson's sharp lyrics.]
Blitzen Trapper - "Black River Killer" [one of my favorite tracks from their furr album but now also the title track on their new seven song EP. we'll take a listen to some of the other songs in the coming weeks.]
>
Birdmonster - "Yuma" [from blood memory. so far, this record is matching up well with their album from last year - quite a solid band.]
School of Fish - "King of the Dollar" [from their self-titled 1991 debut. i was wrong on the podcast and claimed this was school of fish's only album, but that's not true. they had a sophomore effort in 1993 before josh clayton-felt left the band. great song. seriously great song.]
the Antlers - "Bear" [by request - from their album hospice. accidentally played a song i wasn't supposed to play, but oh, well. not bad. interesting stuff.]
the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Come Saturday" [from their self-titled debut LP. they'll be at the local 506 in chapel hill on tuesday, september 29th and i'm so incredibly excited to see them.]
>
Polvo - "The Pedlar" [from in prism. can't stop talking about how great this polvo album is - the individual tracks are solid, but as one record, it's fantastic. get your ears on it.]
Jay Reatard - "My Reality" [from watch me fall. i honestly hadn't paid a ton of attention to reatard's rise into indie prominence, but this new record is super.]
J's Indie/Rock First Times - Jody Stephens - Click to listen [i did an interview with jody stephens of big star over at aquarium drunkard and it was a super pleasure talking with him. he was kind enough to share his first concert story and it's a humdinger - the rolling stones. with a sad follow up story that winds up with him never seeing the beatles live. alas.]
Big Star - "September Gurls" [from radio city. the new box set, keep your eye on the sky, has a bunch of awesome additional material, studio and live.]
Mos Def (feat. Slick Rick) - "Auditorium" [from the ecstatic. really one of my favorite singles of this year and a fantastic turn by slick rick in a really awesome return by mos def.]
>
Vic Chesnutt - "Coward" [from at the cut. if you didn't catch my interview with him at aquarium drunkard, go get it. it's one of my most favorite interviews that i've ever done. seriously.]
Unwound - "Mile Me Deaf" [from the a single history collection of 12 and 7" singles. by request.]
Son Volt - "Methamphetamine" [from the search. this song was easily one of the highlights of the show at the cat's cradle sunday night and, in a lot of ways, the turning point, energy wise, of the show. it felt like it took awhile to warm up, but this song turned it on.]
the Raincoats - "Lola" [from their self-titled album which is gettin' all dudded up and reissued. my only exposure to the raincoats is through kurt cobain's liner notes to incesticide which mention them, but i've honestly never heard them. sounds like nico doing the kinks with beat happening as her back-up band.]
>
Mission of Burma - "1, 2, 3 Partyy!!" [from the sound the speed the light. so, mission of burma has put out, what, double the amount of material they did in their first incarnation? and from what i can tell, the new stuff is just as good. craziness.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Fly from Heaven" [from dulcinea. toad is a band i've listened to for ages and ages. and this was the album that introduced them to me. i've always loved this song in particular - its biblical story told from an all-too-human perspective. beautiful lyrics, too. ah, toad.]
Wye Oak - "I Want For Nothing" [from the knot. a sleeper record for the year's 25 best. seriously. and i never expected it from them. shows what i know. i love being surprised.]
Langhorne Slim - "Leavin' My Love" [from be set free. so far, every thing i've heard from this album is gold. i first saw langhorne live about 4 or 5 years ago, and i've been really surprised with the quality output since then.]
>
A.A. Bondy - "Mightiest of Guns" [from when the devil's loose. saw bondy up at local 506 last night and he was, literally, the best i've ever seen him. i'm starting a movement to get him to actually come play greensboro. he said all i need is 50 people and he's in. who's game? go read my interview with him if you're not sure and then you'll be convinced.]
Wire - "Three Girl Rhumba" [from pink flag. i don't play wire as much as i ought to really. being as they're one of the most original bands in the annals of rock and roll. but anytime i play this song i have to play...]
Elastica - "Connection" [from their self-titled debut. the band that ripped a thousand bands and created, in my mind, one of the best albums of the 90s. who cares if half of it's plagiarized? it's amazing.]
Zero Boys - "Livin' in the 80s" [from vicious circle. 80s punk from indianapolis. name me another band i would know from indy. someone. quick.]
>
the Feelies - "Fa Cé-La” [from crazy rhythms which, along with its follow-up, the good earth, got a much deserved re-issue this week. i always associate these guys with the embarrassment, mostly because they are two bands i was told about at similar times and told i should listen to them.]
Beth Orton - “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine” [from trailer park. we talked the other week about the late ellie greenwich, a brill building songwriter who died the other week. this is another composition of hers and boy, it’s a beaut. reminds me of this ray bradbury story.]
the Low Anthem - “To Ohio” [from oh my god, charlie darwin. gorgeous, gorgeous music.
>
the Replacements - “Here Comes a Regular” [from tim. there’s something about this song that always enters my mind when someone dies. and this past friday, with the passing of jim carroll, it came into my head again.]
the Jim Carroll Band - “People Who Died” [from catholic boy. carroll’s passing was sad, but what a dynamic and amazing life he lived. his art is amazing to say the least, and this song is a stone cold all time classic. the link above goes to our memorium post on AD which is a re-posting of my dissection of two versions of “people who died.” take a read. rest in peace, jim.]

That’ll do it for this week. I’ll be back next week with Scott Pryor and more next music. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.