J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 28th January 2009

[Welcome to another high falutin' edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Why is it high falutin'? 'Cos it just is, okay. I mean, how else would you describe a show that is truly attempting to cover all the great music being released, even just so far in 2009? This year is shaping up to be crazy good. Tonight's show is packed from stem to stern with the hot rock, so let's just get to it, shall we? Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 28th January 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Katy Mae - "You May Already Be a Winner" [the title track from their latest EP. on last week's show, the band was live in-studio and you can download the two live tracks they played, including an acoustic version of this song. great stuff.]
Travis - "U16 Girls" [from good feeling. the first two travis albums are really amazing, but the invisible band made me drop them like a hot potato. i haven't come back since, though i heard their record from last year wasn't awful. i just haven't been bothered. anyone out there a fan of their post-the man who work?]
Bon Iver - "Blood Bank" [the title track from the new EP. this is someone i desperately need to see live. come back to carolina!]
Animal Collective - "Grass" [by request. from feels. next week i'll have some music off the new album, but i was caught off guard this week.]
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North Elementary - "Decade Styling" [from the new not for everyone, just for you LP out on eskimo kiss records. saw john harrison of north elementary play a show last friday here in town and he was excellent. awesome NC music.]
Josh Rouse - "Nothing Gives Me Pleasure" [from under cold blue stars. i've been underwhelmed by rouse's slow, steady drip down into adult-alternative music. nashville was easily his last completely enjoyable album and the subsequent ones have been tepid with occasional hot spots. this album is arguably his peak.]
A.C. Newman - "The Heartbreak Rides" [from get guilty. this is probably my favorite single off of the album - that "yo-ho" thing gets me. you can check out my review of the album over at aquarium drunkard.]
Suede - "Metal Mickey" [from their self-titled debut. the way the first two suede albums are recorded is some of the darkest glam music ever. brett anderson's vocals are like a dolled-up harpy-siren in a cavern, singing odysseus to his doom. devastating music.]
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Antony and the Johnsons - "Epilepsy is Dancing" [from the crying light. i haven't given the full album a listen yet, but the reviews are loving it. all the songs i've heard are solid.]
Cheap Trick - "Southern Girls" [from in color and in black and white. i've been rather obsessed with cheap trick lately. i owe my fandom to eugene who used to run the non-conformist cult radio show on WQFS. i've been toying with covering this song (though in a changed-up way) in a future live performance.]
Holy Ghost Tent Revival - "Honey Beware" [from so long i screamed. i'll tell you, i've been a bad music fan. people in greensboro have been flipping out over these guys for a hot minute and i haven't heard them. more good north carolina music.]
the Streets - "It's Too Late" [from original pirate material. the first two streets albums had some jawdroppingly sad songs on them - this and the near-perfect "dry your eyes" from a grand don't come for free. this (and "sharp darts") were the songs that made me a lifetime fan of the streets, even if i've had some grimace-worthy moments with him since then.]
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Andrew Bird - "Fitz and the Dizzyspells" [from noble beast. is this a solid record? absolutely. is andrew bird capable of churning out anything less? at this point, i think the answer is no. the man is unstoppable.]
the La's - "There She Goes" [from their self-titled album. is there a more perfect pop song in the world? i would put this on par with anything you could stack up against it. seriously. think about it.]
Jim White - "Counting Numbers in the Air" (live) [from the funny little cross to bear live EP which is due out later this spring. this is a great six song (and one story) EP. this song is an especially great example of how white switches up the standard recorded versions of songs when he takes them out on the road solo without a band. this song, originally from last year's absolutely fantastic transnormal skiperoo, takes on a very different tone here. we'll be hearing more from this EP.]
Liz Durrett - "Wild as Them" [from her newest, outside our gates. this album was produced by eric bachmann (yes, that eric bachmann). this song was sharp, so we'll hear more.]
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Sirius B - "Spice Bullet" (live) [a fantastic band from asheville, NC who is going to be playing at the flat iron here in greensboro this saturday night along with greensboro's own eating the invaders. ought to be a fun time.]
Baby Charles - "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" [from their self-titled 2008 record. yes, it's a hot r&b/funk cover of the arctic monkeys' song and yes, it's awesome.]
the Tremors - "Make with the Shake" [from uranium rock. greensboro rock-a-billy band that'll be playing tomorrow night as part of the monthly double-bill for the dotmatrix project at the green burro. joining them will be matt hill and the buzzkills. a great night of blues/rock-a-billy goodness.]
the Moondoggies - "Changing" [from don't be a stranger. a song that should've been on my 2008 year-end singles show. but alas. i'm not perfect.]
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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - "Seven-Mile Island" [from the forthcoming self-titled album due out february 17th. jason will be at the lincoln theatre in raleigh on friday, february 20th. and so will i. oh, yeah.]
"Weird Al" Yankovich - "I Lost on Jeopardy" [from "weird al" in 3-D. okay. a bit of explanation. as the av club reported, jeopardy! is holding internet try-outs right now. so it immediately made me think of this classic weird al tune. and what the hell, here's the video while we're at it. and in case you don't recognize it, the song it parodies.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "When We Recovered" [from bread and circus. early toad has a certain dated sound to it, but that's just the late 80s for you. i'll have to pull out some songs from my favorite of their early work, pale. there's a poster of it hanging to my right.]
Grifters - "Bummer" [from one sock missing. was hipped to these guys via allmusic.com's album of the day. early 90s lo-fi indie rock that is pretty awesome, really. this is a solid record.]
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Telekinesis - "Look to the East" [from their forthcoming self-titled record. this record isn't out until april, but thanks to drunkard sending it my way, i'm already talking it up. good, good music.]
the Handsome Family - "All the Time In Airports" [from the last days of wonder. i think, if i read their often cryptic emails correctly, that the family has a new album coming out later this year. stay tuned.]
John Wesley Harding - "Still Photo" [from new deal. a song i came to love after seeing harding perform it live. it's a mesmerizing song. ooh. photo themed mix tape idea!]
Megafaun - "Drains" [from bury the square. i have a bit of a transcription time ahead of me to do the interview i did with the guys in megafaun last saturday, but it'll be up on aquarium drunkard this week, probably, and it's really awesome. can't wait to share.]

That'll do it for this week. Praise to the Deacs for knocking off Duke and Hail to the Heels for surviving Florida State! I'll be back next week and until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 21st January 2009

[Tonight's episode of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem was amazing. Well, at least, it was from where I was standing. I was visited by the incredibly friendly and really fantastic Katy Mae from Brooklyn, New York. They were playing tonight in Winston-Salem at the Garage and are playing tomorrow night in Charlotte at the Evening Muse. They sat in for an interview, played a couple of live acoustic songs, talked about how it is to be a working musician and generally caused me to have a good time.

Lots of new stuff this week - I'll be doing an interview with Megafaun this Saturday that might make an appearance on the show - I never know anymore. At the very least, it'll be going up on Aquarium Drunkard.

Tonight I got a phone call from a former WQFS DJ. Lynn and her husband, Ray, were two of the most esoteric and eclectic DJs I have ever had the pleasure of working with at the station. The last time I got to talk (or see) either of them was a few years ago when we all were in Myrtle Beach to see the Church play at the House of Blues. Lynn, especially, is a huge fan of the Church and knows the band members and it was in run-over time tonight, while playing the Church, that she was prompted to call. I hadn't heard from her in awhile, and when I inquired about how Ray was doing, she informed me that he died last spring. It was a heartbreaking thing to hear - to think of someone who was an integral part of the lovely mosaic of weirdness and diversity that our station is as not being around anymore. I'm very late to saying so, but godspeed, Ray. This show is in your memory.

Now, while there's still actually snow on the ground here, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 21st January 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Katy Mae - "Falls Down" [from the 2008 EP you may already be a winner. this is one of my favorites from the EP. the interview begins after this. you can check that out on the podcast.]
Katy Mae - "You May Already Be A Winner" (live on WQFS) [this is the title track of their latest EP. this featured phil and hans, katy mae's two guitarists, playing with phil singing. hans actually borrowed my guitar that i brought for him to use and made it sound awesome. this was a definite highlight. click here to download.]
Katy Mae - "Country Hardball" (unreleased - live on WQFS) [this is an unrecorded/unreleased song by the band. another fantastic one. click here to download.]
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Katy Mae - "Two Dollars Late" [also from the you may already be a winner EP. a fantastic end to the interview. hopefully we'll have katy mae back down here at some point to play a live show. i'd love to get a chance to actually, properly see them.]
Dead Confederate - "Goner" [from wrecking ball. great, grungy rock from last year's excellent debut.]
Megafaun - "Lazy Suicide" [from bury the square. megafaun will be opening for the rosebuds this saturday night at the cat's cradle in carborro. a billing i've been eagerly anticipating for some time. i can't wait.]
Sleater-Kinney - "Jumpers" [from the woods. my feelings about this being one of the best albums of this decade have not let up. sleater-kinney seriously upped the ante with their final album and then walked away. it's akin to wire walking away after 154. simply amazing.]
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A.C. Newman - "The Palace at 4 A.M." [from get guilty, which you can read my review of over at aquarium drunkard. the new album is seriously good - fans of newman, rejoice.]
the Reigning Sound - "Stormy Weather" [from time bomb high school. i actually heard this being played in a coffee shop the other day. granted, they were playing satellite radio, but still. was so nice to hear.]
Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power and the Amorphous Strums - "And How" [from dark developments. chesnutt and elf power were playing tonight at local 506 in chapel hill. sad that i couldn't make it.]
Lucinda Williams - "Pineola" (live) [from the second disc of the deluxe edition of car wheels on a gravel road. the whole second disc is a live show from the world café. this song is originally from sweet old world.]
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Andrew Bird - "Oh No" [from noble beast. that's right. new andrew bird dropped this week and people are already flipping out over it. i haven't given a full listen yet, but this song is pretty solid.]
the Vivian Girls - "Where Do You Run To" [from their self-titled album. the more i listen, the more i really, really like. this song, when listening to it earlier this week, prompted me to go back and listen to el perro del mar some more.]
Butthole Surfers - "Sweat Loaf" [from locust abortion technician. admittedly, i was drawn into playing this by the whole dialogue bit at the beginning. it's something my fourteen year old self would've cackled at. come to think of it, my twenty-seven year old self still is cackling about it. oh, well. so much for evolution.]
Bon Iver - "Woods" [from the blood bank EP. finally! a good use for autotune. a really good use.]
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Antony and the Johnsons - "Kiss My Name" [from the crying light which finally got its release this week. antony had a show planned for here in NC, but it's been canceled. please, please re-schedule, antony. please.]
Calexico (with Nicolai Dunger and His Band) - "Alone Again Or" [from the convict pool EP. yes, a grand cover of the classic song by love. i haven't thought about nicolai dunger much lately, but i love his music. just so you know.]
the Rosebuds - "Nice Fox" [from life like. as mentioned earlier, they'll be at the cat's cradle this saturday along with megafaun. meanwhile, go read my interview with the rosebuds' ivan howard over at aquarium drunkard.]
Gillian Welch - "Revelator" [from time (the revelator). she's a sneaky one, she is. i don't always pay a lot of attention to gillian welch's music, but sometimes. man.]
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Telekinesis - "Tokyo" [from their self-titled album. i'm really jumping the gun on this - this album isn't due out until april. but oh, my, god, what a power-pop treat. we'll be hearing tons more, don't worry.]
the Shys - "All On Me" [from you'll never understand this band the way that i do. kathy clark (of the wonderful worker's playtime show on WQFS) turned me onto these guys the other week and i like what i hear.]
Mark Olson and Gary Louris - "Bicycle" [from ready for the flood. lovely, simple songs are all over this new album by the jayhawks founders. it's good to hear again.]

That'll do it for the show this week. I want to thank Katy Mae, again, for dropping by and spending some time. Next week, it's back to normal scheduling, finally, thank goodness. Until then, Go Heels! and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 14th January 2009

[It's another week of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. A fantastic show this eve, complete with awesome attempts at insulting phone calls. I guess that's what I get for branching out a little bit style wise. I was laughing through most of the show as a result.

The bunnies to the right are my pets, Usagi (black) and Potter (grey). Usagi died in the spring of last year and, sadly, Potter joined him this past week. Tonight's show is dedicated to them and the wonderful gardens they helped me grow (and eat). Rabbit pellets make awesome fertilizer, you know. I miss you, buddies.

Next week, the Brooklyn band Katy Mae will be here live on the show. They're playing next Wednesday night at the Garage in Winston-Salem and Thursday at the Evening Muse in Charlotte. There is a song by them on the show tonight, but you can also check out their MySpace. They'll be doing some live songs in-studio as well, so tune in for what ought to be a great time.

I'm still in denial - wearing my Panthers hoodie. So before I realize the truth, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 14th January 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Rosebuds - "Bow to the Middle" [from life like. i did a phone interview with ivan of the rosebuds last week and it'll be up on aquarium drunkard later this week. i'm not going to end up playing it here on the show since i didn't record it in a manner for playback, so i'll link you to the interview next week. it ought to be an interesting read.]
Fountains of Wayne - "Bright Future in Sales" [from welcome interstate managers. this album has, undoubtedly, some of my all time favorite fountains songs, but after track 10, i can really take or leave the rest of the album. oh, if only it could've just been shortened.]
Blitzen Trapper - "Gold for Bread" [from furr. so, this was back to back years with albums by blitzen trapper. another in '09? please say yes.]
Primal Scream - "Movin' On Up" [from screamadelica. so, apparently in some music circles, this was the album of most importance in 1991 - not nevermind. but will either of them really stand up over time? i mean, maybe this is the fan boy in me talking, but i vastly prefer in utero to nevermind and i prefer vanishing point to screamadelica. but i'm odd. thoughts?]
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A.C. Newman - "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer" [from get guilty. some great singles off of this record. it's certainly growing on me. i guess i need to stop comparing everyone's work to the pornographers' twin cinema. if i don't stop doing that, i'll never appreciate anything ever again.]
the Broken West - "Perfect Games" [from now or heaven. the return of one of my favorite tracks of 2008. don't worry. more new music than you can shake a stick at when the release schedule gets wound back up in a few weeks.]
Dinosaur Jr. - "Puke + Cry" [by request. from green mind. classic post-barlow dinosaur jr.]
Dilated Peoples - "Proper Propaganda" [from expansion team. this song never fails to get me hyped up. especially the second verse. i loves me some political hip-hop.]
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Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power and the Amorphous Strums - "Stop the Horse" [from dark developments. i'm working on getting an interview with vic here in the coming time, so stay tuned for that. in the meantime, he and elf power will be at local 506 in chapel hill next wednesday, january 21st.]
Brian Eno - "Burning Airlines Gives You So Much More" [from taking tiger mountain (by strategy). if you've never done yourself the favor of listening to early solo eno, then please do so. you can start with this album or here come the warm jets, but either way, just start.]
Distance - "Koncrete" [from repercussions. a kind of interesting dark dubstep electronic album that apparently elicited a rather hilariously inept insult call. caller called up to ask when my show was over, and when i said 8, they said that that was when they'd turn their radio back on. hilarity. i don't normally play music like this, but i may do more sprinkling of this in the future just to antagonize the caller with obvious crotchety old-man tendencies.]
Caleb Caudle - "Morning Salvation" [from red bank road. caleb and his band, the bayonets, will be playing tomorrow, thursday, january 15th, at maya gallery on tate street here in greensboro. his new album is coming out in february and we have tentative plans for him to be on the show around that time. stay tuned.]
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the Henry Clay People - "Something in the Water" [from for cheap or for free. i'm excited as it was just announced that these guys are touring opening for the toxic airborne event and will be coming through chapel hill in march. great l.a. indie.]
Vivian Girls - "Tell the World" [from their self-titled album. a record i slept on last year. we'll need to hear more because, seriously, i really liked this song.]
Echo and the Bunnymen - "The Killing Moon" [from ocean rain. i played pavements cover of this on a show a bit recently, so i thought i'd pull out the genuine article.]
Katy Mae - "Trouble Is" [from 2007's the sweetheart deal. they have a new EP from late 2008 out called you may already be a winner and i don't doubt we'll hear tracks off of that next week when they come visit.]
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Paul Westerberg - "Streets of Laredo" [from the new DGT EP that was released over the holiday season. paul is sneaking out music again. this is a version of a traditional cowboy ballad and honestly it's pretty sharp. hey, listen, paul can put out cheap, short bursts of songs whenever he wants. beats waiting years for an album.]
Dizzee Rascal - "Stand Up Tall" [from showtime. be forewarned - i found myself revisiting boy in da corner the other night and there will probably be some of that on the show in the coming weeks. if uncompromising (read: really intensely odd and paranoid) grime music isn't your thing..well..just wade through it.]
Blair - "Androgynous" [a cover of the replacements classic. check it out! my desperate plea for attention from blair last week paid off! she says she'll be on the show! i mean, honestly i knew she looked at my blog every once in a blue moon, so i was hoping it'd be one of those weeks. either way, i'm excited.]
the Afghan Whigs - "Turn on the Water" [from congregation. i've never warmed up to this album as much as the three albums that followed, but it's still pretty amazing. gentlemen is obviously where they hit their mark for the first time, but this is an engaging listen none-the-less.]
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Olson and Louris - "Turn Your Pretty Name Around" [from ready for the flood. this is one of the prettiest songs from the forthcoming album - their first work together since the jayhawks' tomorrow the green grass. they'll be at the carrboro arts center on wednesday, february 11th.]
the Pogues - "Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six" [from if i should fall from grace with god. those rather nice reissues of the pogues best albums have finally been spotted at non-ridiculous prices. by me. at a big box store. just saying.]
Alejandro Escovedo - "Swallows of San Juan" [from real animal. this is my favorite song on this album. it has been in my head for weeks. it's gorgeous and perfect.]
El Perro Del Mar - "God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)" [from their self-titled album. i didn't pay much attention to the follow up album, but this was one of my absolute favorite singles of 2007. it brings back some lovely memories. and it's a lovely song to boot.]
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Jolie Holland - "Your Big Hands" [from the living and the dead. i didn't give this album enough time last year, but it deserves it. holland has been making solid records for awhile now and this, her 4th, is really no exception.]
the Church - "Reptile" [from starfish. i hear that yep roc (maybe) is putting out a steve kilbey solo record in the very near future. maybe he'll come to north carolina. here's hoping.]
the Cash Brothers - "Nebraska" [from how was tomorrow? you don't get a lot of great songs written about music. but occasionally you do get great album/song references within songs. this song, an ode to springsteen's nebraska, is just breathtaking. if you know the album, you'll know exactly what the singer means when he talks about it. exactly.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with Katy Mae, live in-studio, and some more awesome new music from all over the place. Until then, Go Heels!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 7th January 2009

[The first J's Indie/Rock Mayhem of 2009! We've entered the year that will mark the 10 year anniversary of the show on WQFS Greensboro. This September, in fact, will be the decade mark. I'll need to figure out some sort of special way to do that up right - if you've got any suggestions, lay 'em on me in the comments or email in the coming months.

Lots of great stuff on tonight's show - it's also got a bonus of about 25 minutes as I got on a little early and stayed on a bit longer. A bit of make up time for not having a show last week. In two weeks, live on the show, I'll be doing an interview with the excellent band Katy Mae from Brooklyn, New York who will be in state for a couple of shows. They'll be playing live in studio, so make sure you're tuned in for that. I'm also doing an interview with the Rosebuds tomorrow that should be up on Aquarium Drunkard in the next week and on the radio broadcast at some point in the future. Lots of hot stuff coming in the future, so don't blink.

Now, before the Panthers get riled up to go to town on the Cardinals, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 7th January 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Crooked Fingers - "Modern Dislocation" [from forfeit / fortune. i found this song stuck in my head earlier today, and though i didn't give this album a ton of play on the show last year, it's still a strong record. if you're a crooked fingers fan, there is lots to be happy about.]
Fretblanket - "Into the Ocean" [from home truths from abroad. i'll probably pull this out every year at least once. a catchy little song from a band who had a couple of records and even a pretty popular video on mtv also at the time. nice guys too. i know from email.]
Bombadil - "Julian of Norwich" [from a buzz, a buzz. first, a history lesson. second, this is a great song and should've been on my singles show for the end of last year. good north carolina music.]
Guadalcanal Diary - "Always Saturday" [from flip-flop. i have a serious soft spot for this song, even with it's slightly sticky lyrics. it's 80s jangle/power pop at its finest.]
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Bon Iver - "Blood Bank" [from the forthcoming blood bank EP. a lovely song that bodes well for whatever LP bon iver will have coming down the pipeline eventually.]
Television - "Friction" [from marquee moon. i go through fits where i listen to this album pretty intensely for awhile, raving about it all over again to any willing ear. i feel like i'm nearing one of those times. god help us all.]
Blitzen Trapper - "Fire + Fast Bullets" [from furr, the # 2 album of 2008 on the j's indie/rock top 25 albums list.]
Jason Isbell - "The Magician" [from sirens of the ditch. jason will be at the lincoln theatre in raleigh on friday, february 20th and he and his band's new self-titled album, jason isbell and the 400 unit, will be out february 17th. you can stream the first single off the new album, "seven mile island," over at his myspace.]
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A.C. Newman - "The Heartbreak Rides" [from the forthcoming get guilty which is out later this month. i'm still figuring out what i think of the album, but this song is definitely choice. the first of at least two solo records from new pornographers members this year! neko case is due later in the spring with her long awaited follow-up to fox confessor brings the flood.]
Superchunk - "Beat My Gueset" [by request. from the cup of sand b-sides and rarities collection. an adam ant cover. i love it.]
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys - "New San Antonio Rose" [from legends of country music, a 4 CD boxset that pretty effectively documents the entirety of bob wills' career. i got this for christmas and was completely excited about it. still am, as you hear me enthuse on the air.]
Fugazi - "Reclamation" [by request. from steady diet of nothing. not always my favorite fugazi album - though everything has a hard slog versus in on the kill taker, in my opinion. but this is one of my all time favorite fugazi songs, no doubt.]
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Blair - "Hello Halo" [from her forthcoming album, die young. i'm so excited. here is my promise. blair will be on my radio show sometime this year. i don't know how that's going to happen, but it will. oh, yes. it will. right, blair? ....right?]
the Ups and Downs - "The Living Kind" [from sleepless. a great australian band from the mid-80s that it's a little hard to dig up information on. thankfully, chris jackson of citified turned me onto these guys and now i'm a fan.]
the Nerves - "Hanging on the Telephone" [originally from their self-titled EP but also from the new one way ticket collection that puts together that EP with live tracks and demos. peter case, eventually of the plimsouls, was in the nerves for this recording and it has a more famous incarnation, of course, by blondie on parallel lines, but the original packs a wallop. a great song of new-wave.]
the Rosebuds - "Life Like" [the title track from their latest. i'll be interviewing the band tomorrow. stay tuned for details on that.]
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the Stooges - "I Wanna Be Your Dog" [from their self-titled debut album. founding member and otherworldly guitarist ron asheton was found dead yesterday morning in his home. he was 60 years old. it's really hard to overestimate the impact that asheton's guitar work had on music at large - especially on the stooges' first two albums. when they reformed for raw power, he was shifted to bass, but his dynamic work on guitar is unquestionably at the forefront of so much that made the band amazing. this set features alternating tracks from their 1969 debut and 1970's fun house.]
the Stooges - "Loose" [from fun house. this was the first stooges record i bought and it's still my favorite. there's something just brilliantly chaotic about this album - focused chaos. the world crumbling all around them and yet it's the most fiery, laser-beam stuff you've ever heard. there really is nothing like this album.]
the Stooges - "No Fun" [from their self-titled album. i always thought that john cale added some awfully weird things to this album - the piano of "..dog" and the handclaps on "no fun," but really it makes the whole thing that much more sinister. fun house did a better job of capturing the band, but this record wasn't too bad itself.]
the Stooges - "Fun House" [from, you guessed it, fun house. the title track of this record is like an armageddon dance party. all nearly eight minutes of it. rest in peace, ron.]
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Olson and Louris - "Saturday Morning on Sunday Street" [from ready for the flood. yes, that's mark olson and gary louris, aka the founding members of the jayhawks, playing together on an album for the first time since the jayhawks' tomorrow the green grass. i'll be doing a review of the record soon, but this song itself is quite stellar. it's great to hear their voices together again.]
Silversun Pickups - "Melatonin" [from carnavas. the band is working on the follow-up to their debut, but i loved them out at the monolith festival this fall. i was completely won over by just how good they were and how much they made me not miss the smashing pumpkins.]
Young Marble Giants - "Credit in the Straight World" [from colossal youth. i'll eventually be doing a cover comparison piece about this song and hole's cover of it from live through this. this song, however, is fantastic. nervous post-punk at its finest.]
Bob Dylan - "Dreamin' of You" [from tell tale signs: the bootleg series vol. 8. the new bootleg volume pulls, more or less, from oh, mercy through modern times in the dylan oeuvre and who knew he had this much amazing material tucked away from his recent slate of dynamite albums? if you're a dylan fan, this collection is a must. serious. this specific song is an unreleased track from the time out of mind sessions.]
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Greg Dulli - "Bonnie Brae" (live) [from the live at triple door live set. dulli lighting it up on some awesome twilight singers songs and a few covers. dulli fan? go get it.]
Laika and the Cosmonauts - "Metropolis Theme" [from cosmopolis 1988 - 2008, a best-of of this finnish band that can be best compared to, probably, shadowy men from a shadowy planet. instrumental surf rock-ish type music. and it's finnish. hey!]
the Replacements - "If Only You Were Lonely" [from last year's re-issue of sorry ma, forgot to take out the trash. this was, of course, originally the b-side to their first single, "i'm in trouble." an acoustic ode by westerberg to drunkenly falling in love.]
the Flaming Lips - "Chewin' the Apple of Your Eye" [from transmissions from the satellite heart. i love this album. shouldn't you?]
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Warren Zevon - "Carmelita" (1974 demo) [from the reissue of his self-titled album. the other week a friend was telling me about a moment in the g.g. allin documentary where he's sitting on a railroad track playing this song and that's it's actually a pretty devastating moment. any confirmations?]
Kathleen Edwards - "Mercury" [from failer. and as long as we're talking about drug addicts. the song, not the artist. kathleen will be in charlotte on monday, february 23rd and in chapel hill on wednesday, march 11th, at the mcglohan theatre and carrboro arts center, respectively.]
Plants and Animals - "New Kind of Love" [from parc avenue. marty, one of my cohorts over at aquarium drunkard, had this album as one of his best of the year. it got past me and i haven't given it much listen, but what i have, i've really enjoyed. so, we'll explore it together, what'cha say?]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with more new music and possibly a trainee or two. That may not be for another week, actually, but in the meantime - Go Panthers! - and take care.

Greensboro Happenings: Invisible

So, this may or may not become a regular thing here, but at the very least I have a tag and place to file these sort of items.

You may recall a Notes From Underground that I wrote a while back about the Greensboro band Invisible and their really dynamic cover of Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" and their piano/typewriter hybrid instrument and so on and so forth. Well, thankfully Invisible is still an active band here in Greensboro, though sadly I haven't caught them live since that first time.

A filmmaker, Khang Mai, has done a short documentary about the band called Don't See Listen. It is split into two parts and is available online, so I thought I would share them with you so you could get to hear a bit of the band's music, their perspectives on making music, that nifty piano/typewriter and you even get to see footage from the show I was at. (It's the rather darker looking show where Mark Dixon is dancing, while wearing a hat, and is playing a game of Twenty Questions with the typewriter.)

I hope you enjoy getting a look at one of Greensboro's more unique bands - just more proof of what fun it is to be aware of what's going on here in the Gate City. Also, a shout out to Invisible member Jonathan Henderson who is a former WQFS manager and DJ. If you listen to our station regularly, he's the 'voice' that informs you that our weekday broadcasts of Democracy Now do not necessarily reflect the views of the station, Guilford College or its board of trustees.