J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - Hallowen Mixtape 2010

Happy Halloween, Mayhem readers and listeners!

As I said on the show this week, it felt like All Hallow's Eve was too many days away yet to really do a proper Halloween show. So here, as promised, is the Halloween Podcast 2010. It's around 45 minutes long and contains a hodgepodge of some random and not so random things. The tracklisting below gives you an idea of what songs are on it, though don't necessarily expect them to be there in their entirety or not simply represented through background samples and what not. For instance, The Specials and Bauhaus both get the chopped treatment. You'll recognize a few annual traditions from my Halloween shows (Flaming Lips, Woody Allen, the Louvin Brothers and the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark stories), but a few new things as well.

I had a blast crafting this thing, so I hope you enjoy it. Take care of yourself this weekend, have fun and I'll see you next week on the show!

J's Indie/Rock Halloween Podcast 2010 - Click here to stream/download.

The podcast contains, in their entirety or partial excerpts of:

Wade Denning and Kay Lande - "Halloween"
Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Halloween"
The Specials - "Ghost Town"
Woody Allen - "Down South"
The Flaming Lips - "Halloween on the Barbary Coast"
George S. Irving - "Room for One More" / "Cold as Clay"
C.A. Quintet - "Trip Thru Hell"
A.A. Allen - "I Am Lucifer" / "Crying Demons"
The Louvin Brothers - "Satan Is Real"
The Gun Club - "Ghost on the Highway"
A.A. Bondy - "Oh the Vampyre"
Bauhaus - "Bella Legosi's Dead"
Helium - "Baby Vampire Made Me"
Li'l Marky - "Diary of an Unborn Child"
Drive-by Truckers - "A Ghost to Most"
The Replacements - "Rock and Roll Ghost"

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 27th October 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Tonight's show was pretty jam packed with great stuff and I loved the way most of it flowed. I'm pretty proud of this particular episode.

I mention on the podcast that I elected not to play any Halloween music tonight because of how the holiday was still five days away. So later this week, here on the blog, you'll be able to download my first Halloween Mix podcast. It'll have some pithy title or other, but keep your eye here on the blog or on my twitter account for an announcement when it goes live. You won't regret it.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 27th October 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Love Language - "Heart to Tell" [from one of my favorite albums of this year, libraries. did anyone catch them at the new motorco in durham last saturday? pretty awesome looking venue and i'm sure the band was just fantastic.]
Wilco - "Casino Queen" [from a.m. i meant to play something like "i must be high" or "box full of letters" but i was distracted and went with this instead. but you know what? i love this song, so there you go.]
Futurebirds - "Yur Not Dead" [from hampton's lullabye. they were in charlotte at snug harbor last night and put on, undoubtedly, a great show. these guys are just wicked live, so catch them when you can.]
Dilated Peoples - "Work the Angles" [from the platform. their debut and not quite as good as their sophomore record, but wayyy better than their last two. a shame what happened to them, but raka is finally releasing his first solo record and evidence put out a pretty boss EP last year. redemption, guys?]
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Secret Message Machine - "Orphanville" [the title track from their latest. one of the more unique sounding greensboro bands, at least on record. this stuff is quite digable.]
the LIbertines - "Horrorshow" [from up the bracket, one of the cheekier and more outstanding rock debut albums from this past decade. i picked it up this week for the first time in awhile and have been thoroughly enjoying myself.]
Deerhunter - "Desire Lines" [from the new halcyon digest which i am absolutely going to have to give more of a listen to. good stuff.]
J's Indie/Rock First Times - Jody Stephens - [the, sadly, only living original member of big star talks about his first concert from an interview i conducted with him last year on the release of the big star box set. sad that both alex chilton and andy hummel have died since this interview.]
Big Star - "You and Your Sister" [from keep an eye on the sky. that boxset is essential for big star fans, if only for including some of chris bell's fantastic work as well, like this song.]
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Sharon Van Etten - "Don't Do It" [from the excellent epic EP. if you get a chance to see this lady live, you won't regret it. just a fantastic performer.]
the Streets - "Dry Your Eyes" [from a grand don't come for free. i still thoroughly love this album - as much as i did in 2005. this song, allegedly, was written by mike skinner for coldplay, but they passed on recording it. thank god.]
the Joy Formidable - "Austere" [from a balloon called moaning. this band is wickedly gnarly - as in the guitars sound gnarled and caustic and just lovely beneath the high pitched vocals. i'm loving this band. go wales!]
the Church - "Metropolis" [from gold afternoon fix. when i saw the church, they pulled out a mandolin and i thought for sure they were going to play this. but they didn't. quite disappointing.]
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the War on Drugs - "Comin' Through" [from the future weather EP. saw these guys at the hopscotch festival back in september and i was pretty impressed. am digging what i've heard off of this so far as well.]
Adam Daniel - "Her Shake" [from blue pop. one of the greatest pop songs ever written. i first heard this on a mix tape made for me in an internet mixtape trade years ago (on an actual cassette) and its never left my head long.]
No Age - "Glitter" [from everything in between. these guys were one of the loudest shows i've ever seen. the record is a bit more focused, but live, well, man.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Girls Who Smoke" [a bonus track from the vinyl edition of the big to-do. heading down to the fillmore charlotte to see the truckers this sunday. halloween with the truckers!]
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Filthybird - "Hiders" [from songs for other people. their cd release show at the flatiron this past saturday was fantastic and so far, so is the new album. we'll hear more.]
Josh Rouse - "A Forest" (live) [from beyond cold blue stars. this is a radio promo we received in conjunction with rouse's under cold blue stars album, my personal favorite of his. this cover of the cure classic is a favorite of mine from this particular promo.]
Abe Vigoda - "To Tears" [from crush. the more i listen to this album, the more i really enjoy it. great post-punk.]
the Dead Kennedys - "California Uber Alles" [from fresh fruit for rotting vegetables. i wanted to save this for next week if jerry brown won the gubernatorial race in california, but i figure i'll play it now. couldn't wait.]
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Swans - "My Birth" [from my father will guide me up a rope to the sky. i played this song last week, i believe, but it's so good and so is the rest of this album. needed one of the shorter tracks, though, and this fit the bill.]
Conrad Plymouth - "Here to There" [from their excellent self-titled EP. seriously, probably bound for my 25 best albums of the year list.]
the Stranglers - "Nice 'n' Sleazy" [from black and white. was talking the stranglers with a good friend the other day. their original name was the guildford stranglers. no relation.]
the Replacements - "Message to the Boys" [from don't you know who i think i am? one of the two new songs recorded for this best of collection that came out about 5 years ago. this is easily the best of the two. not bad at all.]
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Gil Scott-Heron - "Me and the Devil" [from i'm new here. one of my favorite albums from this year. seriously good.]
the Godz - "Lay in the Sun" [from contact high with the godz. if you're not down with the godz, well, i don't know what to say.]
Stornoway - "The End of the Movie" [from beachcomber's windowsill. one of the loveliest songs i've heard this year from one of its best albums as well.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with more wonderful music. If you're going to be at the Truckers show in Charlotte on Sunday, say howdy. Otherwise, until next week, Go Panthers!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 20th October 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. A lot of great new music this week as well as dipping into some older stuff, as always. There are a couple of great shows this weekend here in Greensboro that I hype during the show, but I'll also mention them here.

Friday, October 22nd at the Green Bean it's Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets and Lake Isle. This great combo played at the Green Bean back in September, so it's good to have them back. Also, on Saturday, October 23rd at the Flatiron, Filthybird will be celebrating the release of their new album, Songs for Other People along with Decoration Ghost, Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands and one other band. Both of these shows ought to be awesome.

Also, if you're heading to the Lexington Barbecue Festival this Saturday, keep an eye out for me and say hi. I'll wear a WQFS t-shirt of some variety and you can try and guess if it's me. It's like a geekier more sad Where's Waldo.

Now, before the pig starts pickin', onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast - 20th October 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Say No to Love" [the single released earlier this summer and all of this is just to get you pumped for their new full length which will be out soon. stay tuned.]
the Jayhawks - "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" [from smile. it took me awhile to warm up to how sunny and poppy this album is, but in the long run, i've loved it pretty intensely.]
Bear in Heaven - "Wholehearted Mess" [from beast rest forth mouth. bear in heaven is going to be playing here at guilford on monday, november 15th. we're still getting the venue nailed down, so stay tuned for details on that as well. you know how we do. it'll be awesome.]
White Rabbits - "Midnight and I" [from it's frightening. they're going to be at local 506 in chapel hill on tuesday, november 2nd. pretty exciting.]
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J's Indie/Rock First Times - Corin Tucker - [i interviewed corin tucker earlier this week for a piece on aquarium drunkard that will go up soon. i got her to talk about her first concert - X!]
the Corin Tucker Band - "It's Always Summer" [from 1,000 years which is, honestly, a really great album. i'm loving it quite a bit.]
X - "White Girl" [from wild gift. follow the bouncing connections. so, tucker talked about seeing X, and i played X...]
Bad Religion - "Only Rain" [from the dissent of man. x got its start in the los angeles punk scene which also birthed these hardcore punk originals. this is from their new album and uses rain as a metaphor..]
Del Amitri - "Some Other Sucker's Parade" [the title track from their 1997 album. and this song uses rain as a metaphor as well. got it? you're welcome.]
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Filthybird - "Pick Me Up" [from their new album songs for other people which they'll be celebrating the release of this saturday, october 23rd, at the flatiron in greensboro. ought to be awesome, especially since the following two bands are playing with them also.]
Decoration Ghost - "Repay the Spark" [from the haze of wine and age. they'll be at the show on saturday, rockin' as always.]
Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands - "Lollipop" [from their self-titled record. they'll be at the saturday show as well. check out their live session here on the show the other week.]
Caleb Caudle - "Red Bank Road" [the title track from two albums back. caleb and his band, the bayonets, will be playing at the green bean in downtown greensboro this friday night along with the lake isle. great music.]
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Wire - "Two Minutes" [from red barked tree. this record won't be out until january, but any new music from the post-punk legends since their early 00s reboot is welcome news.]
Matthew Sweet - "We're the Same" [from 100% fun. my first matthew sweet album is probably still my favorite one as well and this song is just a treat of pop.]
Superchunk - "Fractures in Plaster" [from majesty shredding. i love the opening to this song. that guitar solo sailing over top of things is just pristine and gorgeous.]
James Marshall Owen - "Nashville" [from his new album gate city get up, marshall's new self-released album that he gave out at the last of his going-away parties last saturday. this is a version of a matty sheets song that we heard matty and the blockheads plus marshall do live on the show last week.]
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Crocodiles - "Billy Speed" [from the awesome new sleep forever. i'm really loving this album. more than their debut. some people disagree with me, but, oh, well, that's what opinions are for.]
the Joy Formidable - "Cradle" [from the a balloon called moaning EP. pretty great song from this welsh band.]
Antony and the Johnsons - "Swanlights" [the title track from his latest which i reviewed over at aquarium drunkard last week. we're also doing a series of posts about covers antony has done. there will be a couple of more yet. check 'em out.]
Lush - "Ladykiller" [from lovelife. i meant to play "500," but i guess i'll get to that next week. sadly the last album that this band would release before the untimely suicide of their drummer.]
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the Walkmen - "Blue as Your Blood" [from lisbon. a really excellent record from a consistently excellent band. well worth hearing if you haven't already.]
the Posies - "She's Coming Down Again!" [from blood/candy. this is, for my money, the best song on this album. can't wait to see them do it live in november at the cat's cradle.]
Guided by Voices - "Game of Pricks" [from alien lanes. the reunion cast of guided by voices will be at the cat's cradle this friday night, october 22nd. it's long sold out, but perhaps you can scare up some tickets outside the venue or online somewhere.]
Eyedea and Abilities - "Smile" [from by the throat. i've never played these guys on my show before, and i hate that this is the reason i'm doing it, but eyedea passed away this weekend at the age of 28. a sad loss to the awesome minneapolis hip-hop scene and now that i'm getting a listen to him myself, i can see why it's so upsetting. a great loss.]
Abe Vigoda - "Crush" [the title track from their latest. this is some seriously good stuff. we'll be hearing more as i wrap my head around what it sounds like exactly.]
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Blonde Redhead - "My Plants are Dead" [from penny sparkle which is really growing on me. i'm enjoying this album quite a bit. they'll be at the cat's cradle on saturday, october 30th.]
the Tragically Hip - "Bobcaygeon" [from phantom power. this is about the only hip album i play stuff off of regularly, but that's only because it was the first i ever heard and i'm still madly in love with it.]
Tom Waits - "Picture in a Frame" [from mule variations. it's been a long time since i've played anything off of this particular album, but it was the first new waits album to come out after i became aware of him as an artist. my freshman year of college if i remember correctly. makes me miss sylvia. thanks, sylvia.]

That'll do it for the show this week. I'll be back next week with more awesome new music and classic classics. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 13th October 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Tonight I was joined in studio by Matty Sheets and the Blockheads and Marshall Owen in advance of the going-away show/party for Marshall this Saturday at the Flatiron here in Greensboro. This was the biggest band I've had play live in studio before with six members - upright bass, banjo, guitar, ukulele, percussion and accordion/melodica. It was crowded to say the least, but was a great interview and performance. Get down to the Flatiron on Saturday at 9 PM to catch the Blockheads, Laser Rays, Subterranean Bums, the Leeves and, possibly, Eating the Invaders and say goodbye to a great Greensboro musician.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 13th October 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Crocodiles - "Mirrors" [from sleep forever. i'm loving this record on just my first run through it today. noisy, melodic, psychedelic, heavy and great. we'll hear a lot more.]
the Moondoggies - "Changing" [from don't be a stranger. a great single from last year. just a great rockin' song.]
Bad Religion - "Cyanide" [from the dissent of man, their 15th album in 30 years of being a band and this song, honestly, features not only some pedal steel action, but mike campbell of the heartbreakers playing lead. it's great.]
Band of Horses - "Laredo" [from infinite arms. by request for mad dog's birthday which was tonight. happy birthday, mad dog!]
Matty Sheets and the Blockheads - "Up to Snuff" [demo recordings from my interviewees of the evening.]

[Here's where Matty Sheets and the Blockheads and Marshall Owen joined me in studio. Marshall is lighting out for the territory in Austin, Texas and there is a going away party/show at the Flatiron this Saturday night at 9 PM. It's free and features Matty Sheets and the Blockheads, Laser Rays, the Leeves, Subterranean Bums and Eating the Invaders (maybe - it's a rumor). The band stopped in to talk about their work, played a few songs, the upcoming shows and their pirate days.]

Matty Sheets and the Blockheads w/ Marshall Owens - "Walking on Shark"/"Slow Driver" (live) [vegans, shark skin boots, rides to the package store. what more do you need? click here to download.]
Matty Sheets and the Blockheads w/ Marshall Owens - "The Octopus Song" [the origin song of the band. ever wondered how the blockheads met? well, there you go. click here to download.]
Matty Sheets and the Blockheads w/ Marshall Owens - "Nashville" [marshall covers this song on his new album that will be available this saturday at the show. probably my favorite of the night. click here to download.]
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Black Mountain - "The Hair Song" [from wilderness heart. more new stuff from the new black mountain album. hate that i wasn't able to catch their tour with the black angels.]
Spank Rock - "Touch Me" [from yo yo yo yo yo. i'll pull this song out every now and then and just let it go. it makes me wanna dance. what can i say?]
Teenage Fanclub - "Into the City" [from shadows. excellent song from the excellent new album from the scottish power poppers. sad that i didn't get to see them on this american swing.]
J's Indie/Rock First Times - Vic Chesnutt [from my interview last year with the now late vic chesnutt. his funny story about his first concert experience.]
Vic Chesnutt - "The Hot Seat" [from about to choke. i never get enough of this record. easily one of my top three chesnutt records.]
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the Corin Tucker Band - "Handed Love" [from 1,000 years. i'm still pretty enthralled with this record. check out my review of the album over at aquarium drunkard.]
Blonde Redhead - "Not Getting There" [from penny sparkle. this record is pretty good, though i'm finding the back half of the album bogs down a good bit. the first half is super solid and i'm loving the synthesizer/electronic direction they've gone with their sound. they'll be at the cat's cradle in carborro on saturday, october 30th.]
Gang of Four - "Never Pay for the Farm" [from content. i played this the other week and the album isn't coming out until january, but i played it again because the podcast didn't load the other week. so here's another listen.]
the Posies - "Notion 99" [from blood/candy. another sharp track from the new posies record. they'll be at the cat's cradle along with brendan benson on thursday, november 18th.]
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Antony and the Johnsons - "Fletta" [from swanlights. this is antony's duet with bjork from the new record and it's quite a listen - as is the rest of the album.]
Sharon Van Etten - "A Crime" [from the epic EP. the lead track from this EP and it's pretty much sharon and a guitar, but man, it's good.]
Steve Wynn and Miracle 3 - "Resolution" [from northern agression. the lead track from their forthcoming album. please come to chapel hill for this tour. i really want to see these songs live.]
Warren Zevon - "Play It All Night Long" [from bad luck streak in dancing school. saw benji hughes cover this song back during his christmas show and it's been subconsciously in my head ever since. the AV club did an inventory of songs that reference other songs and this was on it.]
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Deerhunter - "Revival Sailing" [from halcyon diary. so people have been talking up this record quite a bit. we'll hear more as we go along.]
the Damnwells - "55 Pictures" [from one last century. love this song and love this band. great, great power-pop.]
that dog. - "Never Say Never" [from retreat from the sun. if there's a band that i'm most sad about people not really talking about anymore, it's that dog. their run of three albums in the 90s is some of the finest indie-rock/power pop of that decade.]

That'll do it for this week. Next week it's back to normal all music, so make sure you tune in for it. See you Saturday at the Flatiron and until then. Go Panthers!, and take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 6th October 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. I was joined in studio tonight by Crystal Bright, Diego Diaz and Taylor Bays of Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands. We talked about their upcoming shows at the Broach Theatre this weekend. The multi-media performance piece is called Illuminating and Transcending the Shadow and runs on both Friday and Saturday nights, October 8th and 9th. Doors at 7:30. They also played some live songs for us and overall it was a great experience.

Next week I'll be joined by Matty Sheets and the Blockheads who are preparing to play as part of a farewell pair of shows for Greensboro musician Marshall Owen who is taking off for Austin. Matty is always a hoot to have on the show, so next week will be fun.

Now, while I'm celebrating the fact that my podcast actually recorded correctly this week, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 6th October 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Black Angels - "Bad Vibrations" [from their awesome new album phosphene dream. the new record is really solid and a great continuation of their bleak, dense stoner rock sound. this is music to get lost in.]
the B-52's - "52 Girls" [from their self-titled debut. one of the finest debut albums ever recorded by anyone ever. this record still sounds as fresh and unique as i'm sure it did then.]
Superchunk - "Rosemarie" [from majesty shredding. still on a constant rotation in my cd player. loving this album.]
the Breeders - "Doe" [from pod. this is where i ought to reignite the imaginary argument i have with imaginary listeners who claim that this album is better than last splash, but i'll leave it be so that i don't have to tell them how imaginarily wrong they are.]
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the Corin Tucker Band - "Pulling Pieces" [from 1,000 years. one of my favorite songs from this stellar new record. i really am happy how much i am enjoying this record. hopefully she'll come around here on tour. it's been far too long.]
Midnight Oil - "Kosciuszko" [from red sails in the sunset. i learned about who the real kosciuszko was from one of my favorite web comics, hark! a vagrant. check it out. thanks for helping me in my appreciation of midnight oil, katie!]
Justin Currie - "As Long As You Don't Come Back" [from the great war, currie's second solo album post-del amitri. most of this record is a softer take on his wonderful knack for self-deprecating and dark power pop about loser romances, but it's still solid.]
Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands - "Little Match Girl" [from their new self-titled album.]

[This is where I interviewed Crystal, Diego and Taylor of Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands. We talked about their unique upcoming shows and they played a couple of songs for us and talked about a wide variety of issues. And I got called a goon! All in all, a great night.]

Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands - "The Misplaced Zygote" (live) [one of the songs that will be played live at the shows on friday and saturday. click here to download.]
Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands - "Corpus Callosum" (live) [another of the songs from the live show. click here to download.]
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Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands - "Toy Hammer" [another from their new cd which will be on sale on friday and saturday at the shows. thanks to the band for coming in.]
Conrad Plymouth - "Fergus Falls" [from their wonderful self-titled record. hey, guys. come to north carolina and be on my show. or play a show. or just keep doing your thing. one of the three.]
Camu Tao - "Plot a Little" [from the posthumously released king of hearts which is out on fat possum. camu tao was a member of the def jux records crew of amazing hip hop artists and, sadly, succumbed to lung cancer in 2008. he has just about finished work on this, his debut solo album, when he died. it's like apocalyptic pop r&b. yeah. it's that good.]
El Michels Affair - "C.R.E.A.M." [a wonderful little instrumental take on the wu-tang classic that i picked up the other year.]
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Sharon Van Etten - "Don't Do It" [from the new epic EP which is really quite good. she's a fantastic singer and i had the luck of seeing her twice in the last month or so at hopscotch and with megafaun at the sounds of the south show at duke.]
Swans - "Jim" [from the new my father will guide me up a rope to the sky. this album has gotten great reviews so far which is exciting for the first new swans album in well over a decade. we'll hear more.]
the Streets - "Heaven for the Weather" [from everything is borrowed. this song is one of the amusing high points of an otherwise fairly lackluster album.]
Brad Laner - "Throat" [from the new natural selections. we've heard a bit of brad laner in earlier years. he was a member of the band lusk and this is his second solo record.]
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the Posies - "She's Coming Down Again!" [from the new blood/candy. a pretty solid record, but this is certainly one of the highlights of the album. they'll be at the cat's cradle on november 18th along with brendan benson.]
the Velvet Underground - "Venus in Furs" [from the velvet underground and nico. this is one of the finest songs in all of rock and roll, i truly believe. it still just kills me.]
Janelle Monae - "Faster" [from the really, really awesome arch android album. there are smatterings of traditional r&b, his royal badness prince and a lot of other odd things including metropolis imagery. good stuff.]
Slim Dunlap - "Ballad of the Opening Band" [from the old new me. one of my favorite slim songs - a lovely little ballad telling the story of those perennial openers. god bless them.]
the Soft Boys - "I Wanna Destroy You" [from underwater moonlight. couldn't help it. after romancer played this song live the other week, i have had it in my had ever since.]

That'll do it for this week. Glad the podcast is working this week. We'll be back next week with guests Matty Sheets and the Blockheads, so make sure to tune in. Until then, Go Panthers!, and take care.