J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 22nd January 2014

[Welcome to another episode of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Sorry about the missing show from last week - it was a good one, too, but technology interferes sometimes. I think this week's show is even better - aside from the lack of a triptych of versions of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" at least. But all the shows can't be that cool.

Now, while the fire's are burning, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 22nd January 2014 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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White Hinterland - "Ring the Bell" [from their forthcoming album baby which will be out in april. great to hear this band back after four years.]
Fountains of Wayne - "No Better Place" [from welcome interstate managers. i still love this record quite a bit. jus a tremendous band.]
Against Me! - "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" [the title track from their latest. just a sincerely powerful song. this record is growing on me a lot.]
Bash and Pop - "Friday Night (Is Killing Me)" [the title track from their one and only album. maybe one of my all-time favorite songs. granted, that's a long list, but you get the idea.]
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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Planetary Motion" [the lead track from their latest, wig out at jagbag's. this record is growing on me. its a bit of a slow grower in spots, but it's quite good.]
P.O.S. - "Bumper" [the lead track from 2012's we don't even live here. i'm still blown away by this record, two years on.]
Warpaint - "Keep It Healthy" [from their latest self-titled album. speaking of the 90s - produced by flood. had no idea what that guy was up to.]
Lush - "500" [from lovelife. oh, lush. i miss this band.]
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Jack Name - "Pure Terror" [from light show. we'll probably hear more - new music from their just-out album.]
Sugar - "If I Can't Change Your Mind" [from copper blue. classic sugar from their debut album.]
Shana Falana - "Gone" [from shana falana sings herself to sleep. this is a new cassette-only physical release as part of shana's indiegogo campaign to raise money for a european tour. go over and look into donating to help her out and snag a copy of this pretty great compilation of her early stuff.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "All Right" [from in light syrup. got this stuck in my head this past week. i think seeing them last year woke up my dormant love.]
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Doug Paisley - "It's Not Too Late (To Say Goodbye)" [from strong feelings. the guys in megafaun specifically praised messr. paisley on my show a few years back, so it's about time we heard him on the show.]
Marah - "It's Only Money, Tyrone" [from kids in philly. just flat out one of the best rock records of the 2000s.]
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - "Take Away These Early Grave Blues" [from their latest fuck off get free we pour light on everything. love these guys - who played with vic chesnutt on his last couple of records - and digging this new record.]
Jungle - "Platoon" [from their the heat EP. ryan snyder turned me on to these guys the other week. they only have this EP out currently from last year, but we'll hear more.]
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Drive-by Truckers - "The Part of Him" [from english oceans. the record isn't out until march, but it's a solid one for sure. we'll hear more as we get closer to the release date. they have upcoming shows at the orange peel in asheville (jan. 31st and feb. 1st) and at the ritz in raleigh (mar. 14th).]
Dinosaur Jr. - "Start Choppin'" [from where you been. freak scene, a cover band tribute to the band, is at the garage in winston-salem tonight, january 24th.]
Phosphorescent - "Ride On / Right On" [from muchacho. they're at the neighborhood theatre in charlotte tonight, january 24th.]
Caveman - "In the City" [from last year's self-titled album. and these guys are opening for phosphorescent tonight.]
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Shy Boys - "And I Am Nervous" [from their self-titled album. interesting young band with their debut. we'll hear more.]
Autolux - "Turnstile Blues" [from future perfect. haven't played any in awhile by this band, but they're quite good.]
The Lover Speaks - "No More 'I Love You's'" [from their self-titled album. the original that was covered rather amazingly by annie lennox.]
'Red' Tommy Malbeouf - "Andrea's Song" [my friend's dad, who passed away this week, playing an original composition of his. a very talented bluegrass fiddle player. rest in peace.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with more great music, so until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 26th June 2013

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. This week's podcast is hosted through my server - not through Libsyn - so make sure you click the download link below and don't wait for the iTunes subscription update. Next week's show will possibly be the same way, but I will let you know. This show was bangin' - in that I thoroughly had a great time from beginning to end - so I hope you find it equally enjoyable. Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 26th June 2013 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Killer Mike and El-P - "Sea Legs" [from run the jewels. the follow up to last year's # 4 album of the year on my list, it's a brash, crazy fun record in a lot of ways. go get it because i'm sure it's still floating around out there for free as a download as it was intended.]
Fugazi - "Cashout" [from the argument. who cares about black flag or flag? can i get a fugazi reunion tour, please?]
Bass Drum of Death - "Shattered Me" [from their self-titled album. frank and mad dog have both been big boosters of this band. it's good, but we'll see how well it hangs on.]
Helmet - "Milquetoast" [from betty. just a rock song. nothing much to see here. until you get run over. gahhhh.]
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Editors - "A Ton of Love" [from the weight of your love. the editors got a bad rap for sounding like interpol and you can hear why, but they've managed to hang in there over the years.]
Midnight Oil - "Sell My Soul" [from diesel and dust. a good friend and i were discussing how awesome this band is - if you've listened to the show for awhile, you know my love for them is pretty pervasive. this is one of my absolute favorite songs by them and it's mostly because of this version.]
Ashrae Fax - "Pointbreak" [from static crash. old greensboro music reborn! ashrae fax is back together and their 2003 album has been reissued on mexican summer. a very deserving record that did not get the attention it deserved originally.]
Lloyd Cole - "Butterfly" [from don't get weird on me babe. i do quite enjoy lloyd cole. just one of those things.]
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Dessa - "Skeleton Key" [from parts of speech. finally the record is out and we'll be hearing more. it's good.]
Elastica - "Stutter" [from their self-titled debut. between this and "car song" as singles, elastica had me feeling pretty tingly as a teenager.]
Smith Westerns - "White Oath" [from soft will. finally this album is out as well. love this little song. we'll hear more.]
Imperial Teen - "No Matter What You Say" [from feel the sound. i have only seen imperial teen live once but they utterly blew me away at merge XX the other year - just a tremendous live band.]
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Jason Isbell - "Elephant" [from southeastern. one of this year's finest songs from a pretty tremendous album as well.]
Lucinda Williams - "Out of Touch" [from essence. a grower record that has only grown on me more and more over the years since its release.]
Oblivians - "Run for Cover" [from desperation. digging the oblivians record. and you probably would, too.]
Pop Will Eat Itself - "Can U Dig It?" [from this is the day...this is the hour..this is this! i go on a bit about lynne thigpen on the podcast in regards to this song, but how can you not love the chief?]
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Richard Buckner - "When You Tell Me How It Is" [from surrounded. this is the first officially released song from the forthcoming album due out on september 3rd. really liking this song (and the album) a lot so far. we'll hear more closer to album time.]
Drive-by Truckers - "18 Wheels of Love" [from gagstabilly. got to go and see the truckers for the fourteenth time this past friday night over at ziggy's in winston-salem. always a great show.]
Digable Planets - "9th Wonder (Blackitolism)" [from blowout comb. i've always been aware of digable planets but have never really listened to them. that's changing with the reissue of their sophomore, and final, album from light in the attic.]
Hammer No More the Fingers - "Steam" [from black shark. these guys played at new york pizza here in greensboro last friday. usually always a good show.]
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St. Paul and the Broken Bones - "Broken Bones & Pocket Change" [from their EP greetings from st. paul and the broken bones. great new band that will have an album out next year. we'll hear more in the future, for sure.]
Television - "See No Evil" [from marquee moon. what else could i possibly say about this album?]
Savages - "I Am Here" [from silence yourself. one of my favorite records of this year so far, for sure.]
At the Drive-In - "Arcarsenal" [from relationship of command. i use the adjective 'steamroller' to describe songs a bit too often, probably, but this is a steamroller song without question.]
Beastie Boys - "Shadrach" [from paul's boutique. endlessly awesome. even my mom was dancing to it. or so she told me later.]
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the Mantles - "Hello" [from long enough to leave. really like this song, so we'll hear more from this band.]
Devo - "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" [from duty now for the future. alan myers, drummer for devo from their debut through 1984's shout album died this last week. while i've never been a huge devo fan, i've long appreciated what they did/do as artists and the immense influence it had on post-punk rock and roll and onward, so i wanted to give a nod to their late drummer. thanks for your music, alan. rest in peace.]

That'll do it for this show. This week, Wednesday, July 3rd, I'll be on the air from 4 PM - 8 PM doing an extended show (with Democracy Now airing from 5 - 6 PM) and then hanging out with my friend Pat on the air from 8 - 10 PM, so tune in and catch a lot of good music. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 8th May 2013

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. A lot of great new music this week and a rare double In Memoriam here at the end of the show - which really only happened because I neglected to do one of them the previous week - so lots of great stuff in all.

I'll be joined on the next show by Matty Sheets and the Blockheads. Their new album comes out at their CD release show this Saturday, May 18th at the Flatiron here in Greensboro. Matty and Co. were on the show back in October of 2010, so it's good to have them back on the show.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 8th May 2013 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Smith Westerns - "Varsity" [from their forthcoming album soft will which i am very excited about. still digging this song quite a bit. the video has also premiered so check it out.]
Dead Boys - "Sonic Reducer" [from young, loud and snotty. still one of the trashiest debut records in punk rock.]
Savages - "She Will" [from their breathtakingly great new album silence yourself which i can't say enough good things about, really.]
Sixteen Horsepower - "Brimstone Rock" [from 1997's low estate. if you've never listened to this band, do yourself a favor and go do it. right now.]
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Mikal Cronin - "See It My Way" [from his new album MCII. good stuff from the ty segall collaborator. we'll hear more.]
Radiohead - "Electioneering" [from ok computer. not sure why this song got stuck in my head the other day, but it did, so there you go.]
Futurebirds - "Serial Bowls" [from the new album baba yaga. really great music from athens, georgia. although the band lives in nashville now, i think? whatever.]
Juliana Hatfield - "What a Life" [from only everything. you'll hear a weird little gap in this song. it's because i edited out a emergency broadcast system interruption that took over.]
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Primal Scream - "Turn Each Other Inside Out" [from the really fantastic new album more light. we'll definitely be hearing more as it's a really solid release from the legendary band.]
the Streets - "Blinded by the Lights" [from a grand don't come for free. i talk a little bit about how my feelings about this record have changed since i named it one of the best albums of 2005, but some of the tracks do still really hold up and this is one of them.]
Twin Peaks - "Stand in the Sand" (live) [a live version of a track from their forthcoming debut on autumn tone records. this is from the rollo & grady sessions and definitely worth checking out.]
Placebo - "Scared of Girls" [from without you i'm nothing. still just a steamroller of a song. love it.]
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Laura Stevenson - "Triangle" [from the new album wheel. i've really enjoyed this record quite a bit so far. we'll probably hear more.]
White Fence - "Shoot You Down" [a cover of the stone roses classic as part of aquarium drunkard's lagniappe sessions. check it out for free download.]
Steve Earle - "Burnin' It Down" [from the new album the low highway. steve earle singing about burning down a wal-mart. what else could you ask for?]
the Jayhawks - "Sound of Lies" [the title track from their 1997 album. still my favorite of theirs.]
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David Bowie - "The Next Day" [the title track from his latest. the video is pretty interesting and actually was taken down late last week by you tube for images, but is back up now.]
Hot Snakes - "This Mystic Decade" [from audit in progress from 2004 which still is just a great, great album. at least there's a new obits record coming this year, i heard, yes?]
Junip - "Your Life Your Call" [from their new self-titled record.]
Kendra Smith - "Stars Are In Your Eyes" [from the guild of temporal adventurers from 1992. smith was a founding member of the dream syndicate as well as a member of opal with dave roback. her solo records are interesting, too, and she deserves way more credit for her music than she's received. check out this post at aquarium drunkard about this album.]
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Frank Turner - "Losing Days" [from the new tape deck heart album. pretty good, high energy pop rock and roll. i dig it.]
R.E.M. - "New Test Leper" [from new adventures in hi-fi. really not sure why this song got stuck in my head the other day, but it did, so there you go.]
Wax Idols - "Sound of a Void" [from their new album discipline and desire. pretty good stuff and we'll hear more.]
Hiss Golden Messenger - "The Serpent Is Kind (Compared to Man)" [from the excellent new album haw. one of the best of north carolina this year so far.]
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - "Mezzanine" [from ripley pine, just an astounding record. really hope to catch her at hopscotch this year.]
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George Jones - "Why Baby Why" [when i was covering for roy and the old country store a saturday or two back, it was the week george jones died so i played this song then. i think that's why it slipped my mind for last week to pay tribute to the possum. rest in peace.]
Slayer - "South of Heaven" [even more sad was the passing of slayer's jeff hanneman who died at the age of 49. while i certainly don't play a lot of metal on the show, it'd be impossible to talk about modern, big rock and roll without the impact that slayer and their fellow thrash metal ilk have had on it. i have a much broader taste in music than i show just through this radio show, and i felt like it was important to talk about hanneman's death. rest in peace.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back on May 15th with Matty Sheets and the Blockheads live in studio. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 24th August 2011

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem.

This week's show was dedicated to the memory of Guilford College alumni, former WQFS DJ and General Manager, musician and friend, Tim LaFollette. You've heard me talk about Tim numerous times on the show over the past two years as he has lived out his struggle with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease. Through the Often Awesome organization and the film series of the same name, Tim took his battle with this poorly understood, incurable disease out into the world in order to try and make a difference in the lives of future sufferers of the disease and to raise awareness of ALS in general. He, and all the members of the Often Awesome Army, succeeded admirably through fund raising concerts, charity walks, tattoo benefits, art auctions and a dozen other ways that brought awareness, money and, most importantly, hope to people who suffer from the disease.

It also, unquestionably, prolonged Tim's life. The love and endless support of close friends, acquaintances and even people who didn't know Tim before learning of him through Often Awesome, no doubt had a boosting affect on his willingness to fight. Tim's particular strain of ALS, which also killed his grandmother and mother, is a nasty one, killing people, on average, around one year after date of diagnosis. Tim fought on for two years and four months. That's the power of positive energy.

Tim died this past Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011. My first memories of Tim are as a fellow DJ at WQFS and fellow student at Guilford. He was the General Manager of the station my sophomore year, 2000-2001, and presided over our amazing 30th Anniversary Festival which wouldn't have been nearly as awesome without his diligence in making it happen. I've uploaded an old recording of Tim on the air circa 2000. You can hear his goofy sense of humor, his breadth of taste and appreciation of music and everything else that made him such an amazing person. Click here to check it out. Thanks to Adam Thorn for posting that earlier this year.

This week's show is largely centered around music that Tim loved or that Tim was involved in making. There's still a wide smattering of new music - as a former WQFS DJ, Tim certainly wouldn't want me to stop playing the new, excellent music we strive to share just to pay tribute to him - but the majority of the older music comes from bands he loved or played in. I think it's an excellent show, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did making it. Sorry for stumbling over my words at times. Trying not to cry on the air makes it a bit tougher to be my typical jovial self.

Tim, we will miss you terribly. But thank you for everything you shared before you left. I hope that I can touch even a tenth of the lives you did before I leave this world behind. We won't give up the fight against ALS until no one has to go through this again. Know that you made a difference, even if you didn't live to see it to fruition. Rest in peace.

Onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 24th August 2011 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Tom Waits - "Bad As Me" [the title track from waits' forthcoming album due out in october. his first since 2004 or so. i mean, granted, we were tided over a bit with the awesome orphans box set, but still. this song sounds awfully promising.]
Ben Folds Five - "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" [from whatever and ever amen. i remember being at a ben folds solo show with tim back in 2002 over at the old ziggy's in winston-salem. this was right after his first solo record and was a bit of a homecoming show, since folds went to reynolds high school over in forsyth county. tim was a fan of well constructed pop music, for sure, so it's no wonder he liked ben folds. this song has lost a bit of its cultural bite since the slacker culture it parodies is a bit gone at this point, but it still makes me laugh. also, an upcoming best-of release will feature three newly recorded ben folds five songs, their first new music in 12 years. you can check out one of them over at NBC.]
Fountains of Wayne - "A Dip in the Ocean" [from sky full of holes. the chorus of this is pretty darn catchy, so this album is warming up for me a bit. still not sold on it overall. sad considering it has a few really excellent songs on it.]
Prince - "Play in the Sunshine" [from sign o' the times. tim was a huge fan of prince and this song, lyrically, was appropriate for his departure. a bit anyway. i hated seeing prince back in the spring knowing tim couldn't be there.]
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They Might Be Giants - "Can't Keep Johnny Down" [the lead track from their latest, join us. tim was a fan of tmbg and i play another of their songs later that i remember him covering in a convincingly punk fashion many years ago in the one-man band version of little brother. not to be confused with the hip-hop group. yeah, unfortunate timing on that one. literally, they both started out about the same time.]
Radiohead - "The Bends" [the title track from their second album. another favorite band of tim's.]
Eleanor Friedberger - "Inn of the Seventh Ray" [from last summer. we'll be hearing more, but the initial reviews of this new merge records album have been pretty solid.]
Kudzu Wish - "Do You Need An Athem" [from reverse hurricane. the first band i saw tim play in. made up entirely of guilford folk and just a force live at times, for certain. their reunion show for one of the often awesome benefits was just spectacular.]
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the War on Drugs - "Baby Missiles" [from slave ambient. you can take a listen to this song over at the album review at aquarium drunkard. don't know if tim ever listened to these guys, but i get the feeling he might have dug 'em. mainly because they remind me of springsteen and, obviously so does..]
the Hold Steady - "Chips Ahoy!" [from boys and girls in america. i tell the story on the show of how tim enthusiastically gave me a burned copy of separation sunday by this band well before i'd heard of them, raving about it. i, stupidly, sat on it and never got into them until this record dropped. but i did. it doesn't hurt that they're from the same town as..]
the Replacements - "Customer" [by request. from sorry ma forgot to take out the trash. my favorite band. and, really, let's talk about the fact, too, that i turned 30 this past sunday and this album has the 30th anniversary of its release today, thursday, august 25th. i was born four days before its release. coincidence? nope. i had to get out early so i could get to the store.]
Drive-by Truckers - "Danko / Manuel" [by twitter request. from the dirty south. an appropriate song in some ways for tim as well. thanks for the request, michael.]
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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Stick Figures in Love" [from the new mirror traffic. i am digging this record, as you can read in my review over at aquarium drunkard. can't wait to catch him at the haw river ballroom on saturday, october 1st, too.]
At the Drive-In - "Enfilade" [from relationship of command. i remember sitting in a class at guilford listening to tim be upset about at the drive-in breaking up, claiming that this album was one of the best in rock and roll for some time. he wasn't wrong.]
Decoration Ghost - "Repay the Spark" [from the haze of wine and age. the band tim co-founded around the time of his diagnosis and his craft as a songwriter and song structuralist is all over this album, but especially in this song.]
Bad Religion - "No Control" [the title track from this album. tim also shared a fondness for bad religion, and i wish i'd had more than just the records i had to pull from to play something for him. i've always had a big soft spot in my heart for them as well.]
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Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - "Come to Mary" [from the new marble son. wow, this snuck up on me. had no idea jesse had a new record dropping. very exciting considering i'm a huge fan of hers. we'll definitely hear more. in the meantime, you can check out my interview with jesse on the show from 2007 when she last released an album.]
Faith No More - "We Care A Lot" [from introduce yourself, their last album with their original singer. i stumble, searching for mike patton's name on the podcast and feel foolish. but i do know tim enjoyed this band and patton's other project from the time period, mr. bungle. sadly, i couldn't lay my hands on any faith no more with patton though.]
Snüzz - "Die Trying" [from the one-piece band. this song was the closing title credits theme for all of the often awesome web series videos. pretty great song from a friend of tim's.]
the Cure - "Love Song" [from disintegration. according to a friend, a very important song in the world of tim. so who am i to say otherwise? also, a great song. seriously.]
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Megafaun - "State/Meant" [from their forthcoming self-titled record which is due out in september. really, really can't wait to hear this full album. every song off of it so far has been fantastic.]
Toad the Wet Sprocket - "All in All" [from in light syrup. this is a song that tim and i performed together in a duet years ago at guilford. tim was one of the few fellow toad the wet sprocket fans i've met in my life, so it was appropriate that one of the others, chris jackson of citified, would join me to duet on it for one of the often awesome benefits this past year.]
Weezer - "Say It Ain't So" [from the blue self-titled album. i remember tim defending the green album to me in a conversation not long after its release. and the weird part was, as much as i still don't care for that record, i totally bought his defense.]
the Popovers - "Yoga in the Morning" [from make it so. one of the last projects tim got to complete, a two-person band with catie braly. they also recorded the theme song for the savage lovecast, the podcast by sexual advice columnist dan savage. you can download the entire record for free over at their website.]
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Tommy Stinson - "Meant to Be" [from his forthcoming second solo record, one man mutiny. this song already marks this as way better than his disappointing first solo album. can't wait to hear more.]
They Might Be Giants - "Doctor Worm" [from a user's guide to they might be giants. this is the song i heard tim cover as little brother. classic and fun.]
Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - "People Get Ready" [from where's the freedom. a cover of the curtis mayfield classic. you can hear tim playing bass and singing backup on this. and it just seemed kind of perfect to end the show on this note. i hope tim would concur.]

That'll do it for this week. We'll be back next week with Ryan Snyder from YES Weekly for the Indie/Rock Roundtable and other great new music. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 26th January 2011

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Tonight's episode was underscored by a bit of sadness as the country legend Charlie Louvin died Wednesday at the age of 83 from complications of pancreatic cancer. I got the opportunity to interview Louvin in 2009 for Aquarium Drunkard and he was one of the more fascinating interviews I've had the chance of conducting in my years with AD. I celebrated his memory in the second half of the show, so I hope you enjoy that.

Tonight was also the debut of the new J's Indie/Rock Roundtable, a new monthly feature where I discuss and critique new releases with Ryan Snyder, music editor at YES Weekly. We discussed the new Destroyer album, Kaputt and the self-titled debut from Black Pistol Fire. We also talked about the upcoming festival season with a focus on the Coachella Festival. We'll be doing this the last Wednedsay of each month. I'd love to hear your feedback on this feature, so if you have any suggestions about the segment and how we can improve it, leave your thoughts in the comments or feel free to email me.

Now, while Satan is real, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 26th January 2011 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Apex Manor - "Under the Gun" [from the year of magical drinking which i reviewed over at aquarium drunkard this week. i really can't speak highly enough of this record, so the real question is: when are the east coast tour dates, ross? and how can we get you to greensboro?]
Brian Eno - "Burning Airlines Gives You So Much More" [from taking tiger mountain (by strategy), still one of the most original and awe inspiring records of modern music. if you've never dipped your toe in eno, you could do much worse than to start here.]
the Smith Westerns - "All Die Young" [from dye it blonde. i'll tell you, this could be the little record that could this year. these boys have some seriously fun songwriting chops on board here. it's nothing new, but how well they do it is really awesome.]
Jim White - "Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi" [from no such place. jim's going to be at the southeastern center for contemporary art (SECCA) in winston-salem on saturday, february 19th as part of the new crossroads series. we'll be hearing more and i really can't wait. it's been far too long since i've seen jim.]

[So here's where we began the inaugural J's Indie/Rock Roundtable with Ryan Snyder of YES Weekly. The pattern for the segment is this: introduce the record, play a song, discuss the album some, play another, wrap up discussion and give our final up or down, yea or nay. Repeat. We also discussed the upcoming festival season and the things we're excited to see, so all in all it was a good experience. I'd appreciate feedback on the section: too much talking, too little, too vague, too specific? Leave your thoughts in the comments.]

Destroyer - "Chinatown" [from kaputt which i also reviewed at aquarium drunkard this week. all in all i really like this record, and i was happy that ryan and i came at this record from two different perspectives: one of us a fan, one of us decidedly not a fan.]
Destroyer - "Song for America" [also from kaputt.]
Black Pistol Fire - "Suffocation Blues" [from their self-titled debut due out in mid-february. an austin-by-way-of-canada duo that has put a nice little stamp on some bluesy rock and roll. take a listen to our conversation and see what you think.]
Black Pistol Fire - "Jezebel Stomp" [from their self-titled album.]
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the Veils - "The Stars Came Out When the Lights Went Out" [from the new troubles of the brain EP. i do so love the veils and it makes me quite happy that they've released this new EP. but where's the full length, finn? don't tease us.]
the Afghan Whigs - "Uptown Again" [from 1965. i'm licking my chops in anticipation of the new twilight singers record as well. february is going to be a good month for new releases.]
Lucinda Williams - "Convince Me" [from the forthcoming blessed. it looks like i'm going to get a chance to interview ms. williams. stay tuned.]
Josh Ritter - "Right Moves" [from the historical conquests of josh ritter. you know, it's been too long since i've seen messr. ritter and band live. i need to fix that, posthaste.]
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Caleb Caudle and the Bayonets feat. Caitlin Cary - "I Don't Think Heaven Would Take Us (If It Couldn't Have Us Both)" [a new single from the bayonet boys featuring a duet between caleb and caitlin cary! really awesome, guys. caleb and the boys will be at krankies in winston-salem this saturday, january 29th.]
Dirty Gold - "California Sunrise" [from the forthcoming roar EP being released on autumn tone records. check out the video at AD and you can pick up the single on iTunes now.]
Birds of Avalon - "Invasion" [from their self-titled record. seriously, this might be one of the great rock and roll records of this year.]
the Jayhawks - "The Man Who Loved Life" [from sound of lies, one of my favorite jayhawks records. one of my first pieces for AD was about that album.]
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the Louvin Brothers - "Satan is Real" [the title track from one of the greatest records in country music. the harmonies between charlie and ira are just otherworldly at times and this song is one of countless examples of it.]
the Byrds - "The Christian Life" [from sweetheart of the rodeo. gram parsons-era byrds covered this louvin classic. it wouldn't be the last time parsons would dip his toe in the louvin's inspirational river, but it certainly ranks as one of the finest moments.]
Uncle Tupelo - "Great Atomic Power" [from march 16-20, 1992. this might have been my introduction to the louvins, but i think that's probably the case for a lot of younger country fans who got into the music via alt-country. of it's time and yet transcending it.]
Charlie Louvin - "Ira" [from his 2007 self-titled record. a touching, beautiful song about his late brother, some 42 years after his death. the aged and still powerful voice of charlie louvin is simply magical. it still gives me chills listening to this song.]
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Filthybird - "Gravity" [from songs for other people. great greensboro rock and roll.]

That'll do it for this week. I'll be back next week with a normal, two-hour extravaganza of new and classic music. Until then, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 24th March 2010

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Tonight's show is dedicated to the memory of the late Alex Chilton who died last Wednesday at the age of 59.

As a founding member of Big Star, Chilton's work has had as an enormous impact on the shaping of power-pop, indie-rock and the indie aesthetic in general with his uncompromising vision of the art that pop could create. His loss is incredibly sad and even two hours isn't enough to truly convey the reach and scope of his brilliance. All the music on tonight's show is written by or shaped by Chilton in really important ways and I hope you enjoy this look back at his work.

Now, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 24th March 2010 show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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the Box Tops - "The Letter" [alex's first (and only) number one hit - recorded at the age of 16 for a band that would sire another top ten hit and then be ground up by the record industry. it's an experience that would shape his entire recorded output and his decisions about artistic integrity, no doubt. still, it's a great song.]
Alex Chilton - "Every Day as We Grow Closer" [recorded for alex's debut solo record after leaving the box tops, it wouldn't be released for over 25 years. it gives insight into his growing sense of melody and pop mastery.]
Big Star - "Feel" [the first track from #1 record, their debut album. most of the songs on this album are co-credited to chilton and founding member chris bell, another great, late songwriter.]
the Box Tops - "Cry Like a Baby" [the other top ten hit for the box tops. another fun, catchy piece of late 60s pop.]
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Big Star - "In the Street" (alternate mix) [from keep an eye on the sky. sometimes i let things bother me that shouldn't, and while i should've been happy for the additional attention landing this song as the theme to that 70's show, i initially recoiled at it. mostly because it wasn't the original version. all the same, a lot more people know, indirectly, who big star was as a result of that.]
Big Star - "Don't Lie to Me" (live) [from keep an eye on the sky. a nice live run through of one of the more raucous numbers from one of the first records.]
Big Star - "Thirteen" [from #1 record. this is one of the best known big star songs and for good reason - it's beautiful and melancholic. sweet and wistful and longing.]
Big Star - "When My Baby's Beside Me" [from #1 record. this set was, mostly, full of some of the more rockin' songs from the first album. this song's no exception. jason isbell recorded a cover of this - check it out over at aquarium drunkard.]
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Rock City - "Try Again" (early version) [from keep an eye on the sky. an early version of a song that would end up on #1 record. rock city was the first band formed by chilton and chris bell. big star would be their second.]
Big Star - "The Ballad of El Goodo" [from #1 record. "well there ain't no one going to turn me around." a truer motto for the artistic life of chilton i've yet to hear.]
Big Star - "O My Soul" [from radio city. i've always enjoyed this song a lot - it also clocks in as one of the band's longest. here's where we shift to the band as dominated by chilton.]
Big Star - "She's a Mover" (live) [from keep an eye on the sky. another lovely live track from the new box set.]
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Big Star - "You Get What You Deserve" [from radio city. i've often had a hard time thinking of radio city and #1 record as separate albums thanks to the rykodisc 2-in-1 CD of the two records, but they are quite different beasts in a lot of ways. both equally great.]
Big Star - "Life is White" [from radio city. another gloriously gorgeous song from the second record.]
Big Star - "I'm In Love With a Girl" [from radio city. this is the last song on that second album and it's as simple, forlorn and perfect a song like this can be.]
Big Star - "September Gurls" [from radio city. in a lot of ways the quintessential big star song. perfect from note to note, front to back.]
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Big Star - "Thank You Friends" [from third / sister lovers. one of the songs I always think of when i think of this album's despairing, resolved tone. the way the song just sort of falls to a close rather than wrapping up gives the whole record a desperate feel.]
Big Star - "Stroke It Noel" [from third / sister lovers. every song on the album has a classic quality to it that gets subverted by jabs of noise or seemingly chaotic instrumentation. the stately waltz of this one sounds like it's being performed by very unsure, but knowledgeable hands.]
Big Star - "Nightime" [by request. from third / sister lovers. i heard evan dando really nailed this one at the alex chilton tribute show at south by southwest last saturday.]
Big Star - "Take Care" [from third / sister lovers. this one sort of speaks for itself in the light of everything.]
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Big Star - "Kizza Me" [from third / sister lovers. the chaotic album's first track - it seems to portend something 'modern,' and interestingly it becomes one of the record's more dated sounding tracks.]
Big Star - "Kanga Roo" [from third / sister lovers. the late jeff buckley took stabs at this one live and it became a powerful weapon in his hands. the original was no slouch either and where buckley's voice leant it a stately, forlorn air, chilton's is cracked, dissolving, a dying fall.]
Alex Chilton - "My Rival" [from like flies on sherbert. chilton's solo work, especially this album recorded later in the 70s, picked up where third / sister lovers left off, but with an even more chaotic feel.]
Big Star - "Holocaust" (demo) [from keep an eye on the sky. the album version of this classic adds strings and everything else, but this demo, with just alex at a piano, is one of the most haunting versions of this song in existance.]
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the Replacements - "Alex Chilton" [from pleased to meet me. right before this i read paul westerberg's remembrance of alex chilton from the new york times. it's a great piece if you haven't read it. and then played the replacements' famous song tribute to chilton.]
Big Star - "O Dana" [from third / sister lovers and a little big star. the line in "alex chilton" about "i never travel far / without a little big star" is used here as a pun, playing a track from the collection of the same name.]
the Replacements - "Nowhere Is My Home" [from boink!! an outtake from sessions recorded around the time of the tim album - chilton produced this particular song.]
the Replacements - "Left of the Dial" [from tim. a fitting going away song for any one of the indie rock persuasion, but chilton also sings back up vocals on the song as credited on the tim album.]
Big Star - "September Gurls" (live) [from big star live. one more run through of my personal favorite big star song, this is a great live version from the 1992 ryko live release from a 70s radio appearance.]

That'll do it for this week - we'll be back next week with the regular line up of new and awesome music. Until then, as Alex said, take care.

J's Indie/Rock Mayhem - 15th April 2009

[Welcome to another edition of J's Indie/Rock Mayhem. Another jam packed night of good music ahead. So pile on, me mates.

First, a reminder of what I posted below: J's Indie/Rock is Twittering away. Just come follow me at http://twitter.com/jneas81. It'll be largely music related, but probably a lot of nonsense as well. But that's the fun of Twitter, eh?

Now, while I'm recovering from a day of watching people teabagging on television, onward.]

J's Indie/Rock Podcast: 15th April 2009 Show

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show"
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Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - "Seven-Mile Island" [from their self-titled album. i'll be honest. i've been pretty underwhelmed by this record. a shame considering how good a songwriter isbell can be. but this record has left me pretty cold. there are some good songs, but it really falls flat compared to his first solo record.]
the Jayhawks - "Waiting for the Sun" [from hollywood town hall. i worked up a cover of this and played it at open mic night last night. a kind of minor-key version of the classic. so i thought i'd play the original. such a great song.]
PJ Harvey and John Parish - "Pig Will Not" [from a woman a man walked by. raucous, shouty harvey at her best. i've honestly still never heard the early, pre-to bring you my love albums and i would really like to at some point. unfortunately eMusic pulled dry from download in the u.s. right before i was able to grab it.]
Richard Hell and the Voidoids - "Love Comes in Spurts" [from blank generation. has anyone ever heard the second voidoids record, destiny street? i've never took the time to track down a copy - it takes a bit of work to do so.]
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Superchunk - "Learned to Surf" [the lead track from the new leaves in the gutter EP which i reviewed this week over at aquarium drunkard. it's a solid piece of work. and this song in particular.]
Midnight Oil - "Stars of Warburton" [from blue sky mining. when i bought my copy of this album through BMG many moons ago, i opened the case and three copies of the CD fell out. i forget, honestly, what i did with them. but this album is still quite good. i'm a sucker for midnight oil.]
P.O.S. - "Graves (We Wrote the Book)" [from never better. i need to get a hold of this album. badly.]
Foreign Exchange - "Take off the Blues" [from leave it all behind. they'll be at the cat's cradle this friday night in carborro, but also at the double door inn in charlotte on sunday night for a free show sponsored by myspace. i pick one weekend to leave town and everything happens. c'est la vie. i love this song.]
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Lake Inferior - "How the Wars Are Won" [from their self-titled EP that i reviewed this week over at aquarium drunkard. people are responding really positively to this band. they're bound for good things if they keep this kind up with this kind of music.]
the Vaselines - "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam" [from enter the vaselines, the new 2-disc retrospective being put out by sub pop due out in early may. all of my knowledge of this band is through nirvana's many covers, but that's about to change.]
the Decemberists - "The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)" [from the new the hazards of love. i still haven't listened to this album through yet, so bear with me, but i like this song.]
Tubeway Army - "Down in the Park" [from replicas. the last album before gary numan ditched the tubeway army moniker and became a new man. (hah! get it?) the foo fighters covered this song (really?), but my favorite cover was done by marilyn manson as a b-side to the "lunchbox" single. manson knew how to do this song justice.]
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John Doe and the Sadies - "Night Life" [from the new country club album. a great collection of country classics done right by john doe with the sadies as his backing band. john doe's side project, X, will be at the cat's cradle on tuesday, june 9th, as part of the total request live tour, playing requests from ticket holders.]
Paul Westerberg - "Whatever Makes You Happy" [from suicaine gratifaction. i love this song. "i'm fallin' down the stairwell / callin' farewell, anyone.."]
Her Space Holiday - "The New Kid Revival" [from xoxo, panda and the new kid revival, their new LP. i like this song. we'll hear more.]
Bob Dylan - "Queen Jane Approximately" [by request. from highway 61 revisited. no lie. a dude called me from a payphone to make this request. i know because he told me and because our caller ID read "payphone." that's some dedicated request making. i actually didn't answer the first time he called because i was on voice break. then he called back from inside a lowe's home improvement store. i know that from the caller ID also. i assume lowe's is playing WQFS over the loudspeakers now?]
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J's Indie/Rock First Times - Jason Lytle - Click to Listen [i spoke on the phone today with jason lytle, former frontman of grandaddy, about his forthcoming solo album. that interview will be up on aquarium drunkard later this week. but here jason talks about the first concert he ever went to - cheap trick! a good story about reckless youth.]
Jason Lytle - "Rollin' Home Alone" [from yours truly, the commuter. i didn't remember that this was the song i played last week. sorry for the repeat. good song, though.]
Filthybird - "Sunshine" [from southern skies. filthybird will be live in-studio on the show in two weeks in prep of their dotmatrix project show this month. also, just in time, are some videos of the band over at monkeywhale. very good stuff. go check it out.]
the Veils - "The Letter" [from sun gangs. this may be my favorite song on this album. it's going to get a good bit of play from me this year, that's for sure.]
Son Volt - "Mystifies Me" [from trace. their cover of a ron wood song. next week we'll hear the original because, well, it's quite good too. i as re-obsessed with trace earlier this week and for good reason. i've never been anything less than in love with this record since i first heard it 14 years ago. meanwhile, here's my post at aquarium drunkard comparing this cover to the original.]
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the Felice Brothers - "Run Chicken Run" [from yonder is the clock and i'll go ahead and tell you guys to look for this record on the year-end list. it's an amazing record. and i thought their self-titled was a piece of work. this one's even better.]
Califone - "Trout Silk" [from roomsound. i was late on the califone bandwagon, but i'm really getting into them now. i like what i've heard of red red meat, too. any thoughts?]
Tommy Keene - "Hide Your Eyes" [from in the late bright. this song could be on my year-end singles list because, well, it's really, really good.]
the Thermals - "How We Fade" [from now we can see. more great music. i could run through this whole record, playing a different track each week, and be pretty satisfied. truly.]
Yo La Tengo - "Cherry Chapstick" [from my personal favorite yo la tengo album, and then nothing turned itself inside out. there's something about this song. please tell me they'll play it at the 'write the night' thing at the pitchfork festival. pleeeaasseee.]

That'll do it for this week. Don't forget to come follow me on Twitter and absorb the asinine things I tweet about. I've done it at least once while I've been sitting here typing this. Until next week, take care.

Notes From Underground - #50Steve Foley - 1959 : 2008

You have to wonder how often working musicians pass away without any sort of notice. There are hundreds and hundreds of people who make a living as fill-ins, backups, touring members and session players. They are all, most likely, incredibly competent at what they do, but just aren't famous the way that other artists are. And I couldn't help but think about this when I read about the Replacements' replacement, Steve Foley, dying earlier this week.

As the Replacements were on their last legs following the release of All Shook Down, founding member/drummer Chris Mars had taken off and the remaining band needed a time keeper. Steve had played in numerous Minneapolis bands over the years and was a skilled and talented drummer. He got the nod and filled in for the entirety of the Replacements' last tour, including their final show at Grant Park in Chicago on July 4th, 1991. He continued working with Tommy Stinson in his first post-Replacements band, Bash and Pop, playing on their one and only album, Friday Night is Killing Me. From all accounts Steve was a sweet and genuinely good man and despite struggling with personal problems off and on, his death was accidental and unexpected.

My first encounter with Steve's playing would've been my, sadly, misplaced cassette bootleg of that July 4th, 1991 show. When I first got All Shook Down, I had been mightily underwhelmed by it. So when I heard songs like "Bent Out of Shape," "Someone Take the Wheel" and a few others from that album done live, with a seriously pounding drummer behind it, they lept to life in a way that they still haven't on the record. And Steve's playing with Bash and Pop? That record is one of the best Replacements-related projects, hands down, and his playing is no small part of that.

Outside of the fierce community of Replacements fans and Foley's family, there aren't going to be a lot of tributes. Though he certainly deserves a place at the memorial montage at the Grammys next year, I'm sure he won't be on it. Musicians like Steve Foley, talented, deserving and memorable, but who mostly serve to make other people's work better, don't get any face time. As it is I couldn't even quickly locate a picture of Steve for this article - I had to settle for a Bash and Pop promo photo. It's the fate of people who are drawn to music, who aren't the front men, who are never there to start a band that takes off, who occasionally fill in and maybe land somewhere special for a bit, as Steve did with the 'Mats. Steve worked with many other locally famous and legendary Minneapolis bands, but the Replacements were the biggest of them.

Steve Foley had plenty in his life, undoubtedly, outside of his sometimes-life as a musician, but that's how I know him and that's how I remember him. It's why it saddened me to hear of his loss. Sometimes you're just not sure what to say. You just know something makes you sad.

Thanks, Steve.

Return Trip: Klaus Dinger - 1946 : 2008

"There were three great beats in the ’70s: Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, James Brown’s funk and Klaus Dinger’s Neu! beat." - Brian Eno

The very word, "Krautrock," seems like a joke. And truly it has been used for both praise and derision. But its main architects have had an unceasing influence on rock and roll - from the mechanical dance of the various industrial movements to the swarming wash of shoegaze. Klaus Dinger was one of the most influential parts of that Krautrock equation. Initially a member of Kraftwerk, but most importantly a founding member of Neu!, Dinger was to drumming what William Carlos Williams was to poetry - within his work's almost mechanical simplicity was the very essence, the heartbeat, of life.

Dinger created a drumming style that would become known as 'motorik.' As the name implies, listeners were treated to repetitive, workmanlike patterns, almost like the pistons on a motor. Dinger, himself, didn't like the name. “[Motorik] sounds more like a machine, and it was very much a human beat,” he said. “It is essentially about life, how you have to keep moving, get on and stay in motion.” Indeed, if looked at from that perspective, Brian Eno's quote makes even more sense. Alongside the life affirming, celebratory beats of Fela Kuti and James Brown, Neu!'s work was the propulsive breath.

Whether acting as a rhythmic twin for bandmate Michael Rother's chugging guitar, as in their debut album's opening track, "Hallogallo," or as a foil for the noisy and deliberate chaos of Rother's work on Neu! 2's "Lila Engel (Lilac Angel)," Klaus Dinger was arguably Neu!'s defining characteristic. Through the band's three proper albums, despite changes in instrumentation and attempts at tape manipulation, ambient, brash proto-punk and gorgeous synthesizer landscapes, Dinger's work was there.

Though his work after Neu! was more popular (his first post-Neu! band sold over a million records by the end of their run), there's no end to the influence his work with Neu! had on rock and roll and music is a much richer place that he was here.

Judge For Yourself:

Neu! - "Hallogallo" (from Neu!)

Neu! - "Super" (from Neu! 2)

Neu! - "Hero" (from Neu! '75)

Download all three Neu! albums at eMusic (coincidentally named for a song from Neu! '75).

Remembering Arthur Lee

Rock music has lost another pioneer with the passing of Love frontman Arthur Lee of acute lymphoblastic lukemia. He was 61. You can read more of the details over at Pitchfork.

Plans were to do a Tom Waits album this Sunday for the Wholesale album on J's Extra Mayhem, but in light of Lee's passing, we'll instead be taking a look back at Love's influential Forever Changes album. I hope you won't mind the last minute change. This is a little too important to ignore. We'll bump Tom Waits back to the following week's show.

God speed, Arthur. We all really appreciate the time you spent with us and everything you left behind.