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Feel Bad For You, October 2012

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It’s Fifty Shades of Come Make Fun of Us for What We Listen to When No One Is Looking for FBFY this month. I tried to save a little face with my entry.

“Embarrassed by some of the music that you love? October is for you! Honestly, I was expecting more bad country music submissions for this month, but we got a nice variety. And by nice I mean embarrassing. Your favorite bloggers, twitters, self-important a-holes on the internet, and other jokesters present 50 Shades of Feel Bad for You: Guilty Pleasures Edition. Thanks to @philnorman for the killer cover art.”

 

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1. Title: Killer Whale
Artist: Underground Resistance
Album (year): 1992
Submitted By: Slowcoustic
Comments: I don’t want to say this is a “guilty pleasure” as much as it is a genre that most folks are surprised that I really really love (once and awhile). Early Detroit Techno. The “techno” today tends to be a bit too shiny for me and I am just too far removed from any sort of scene now to get the good stuff I guess. So, like every other aging dude who used to like metal or techno while growing up – I will always enjoy the classics as a guilty pleasure. I am pretty sure I owned the white label vinyl for this track back in the day – sold from a DJ from the trunk of his car…obviously…

2. Title: Planet Earth
Artist: Duran Duran
Album: Greatest Hits (1998)
Submitted by: Simon
Comments: Time to confess I guess, I’m a bit of music snob, sometimes I may voice an opinion on my good ladies choice of music, most times my comments are frowned upon or brushed off with more than a little disdain, in truth I’m lucky I don’t get a punch in the nose for my generally scurrilous commentary, in my defense I am often tortured by Absolute 80′s on the radio and Now That’s What I Call Music Volumes 1 to 6 on the stereo, so my choice is a real guilty pleasure – hopefully I’ll get away with it….

3. Title: Here For The Party
Artist: Gretchen Wilson
Album (year): Here For The Party (2004)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: Shut up! I told you it was a guilty pleasure.

4. Title: I’m Raving
Artist: Scooter
Album (year): Wicked! (1996)
Submitted By: tincanman
Comments: I know this is a sacrilege, so no need to rub my nose in it :) . Scooter’s fast tempos and happy melodies are infectious and this is one of their signature covers. You just gotta get over being a big ole stick in the mud to enjoy it.

5. Title: Que Veux-Tu
Artist: Yelle
Album (year): 2011
Submitted By: @scratchedsoul
Comments: I have no idea what this song is about as my French isn’t that strong. I just hope they’re not singing about fascist topics. Listening to dance/pop songs in a foreign language is much easier because you don’t have the insipidness of the lyrics distracting you from the catchiness of the song.

6. Title: The Background
Artist: Third Eye Blind
Album (year): Third Eye Blind (1997)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: This whole album is a guilty pleasure for me, full of ridiculously catchy pop-alt-rock, but it’s this tearjerker about a hospital-bound ex-lover that always gets me.

7. Title: Greatest Night
Artist: Vulture Whale
Album (year): Bamboo You (2010)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: I don’t usually condone singing with a fake British accent, but this Vulture Whale album is awesome.

8. Title: Extraordinary
Artist: Liz Phair
Album (year): Liz Phair (2003)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: I’m a process guy, so I started with a list of about twenty “possible” artists, then chose three representative songs from each artist to review. I rejected Lily Allen (too obvious), Delerium (pointless), and ¡Bowling for Soup! before landing on this rough gem from Liz Phair. I am a Phair fan, and I respect her songwriting abilities. She’s made some important contributions to pop music, including Exile in Guyville. But I digress…

“Extraordinary” was manufactured to be like the girl all the bad guys want. But even made up like a teen beauty pageant contestant by über-pop producers The Matrix, this pop-rocket failed in its mission to penetrate the chart stratosphere. It landed with a critical thud. But, as a guilty pleasure, it delivers in spades on both counts. Listen to that industrial-strength garbage can guitar tone, the Johnny-Barbata-drum-school dropout drumming, the Nutrasweet-cum-Chipmunks backing vocals, and you know this is the one you want to take home from the dance. Phair sings these cringe-worthy lyrics lustily, and you can hear the self-image crisis (average every day sane psycho supergoddess) within the this-is-almost-a-relationship crisis within the what-are-the-chances-of-getting-radio-airplay crisis – the Russian dolls of pop angst! This is what a plaisir coupable should be: more pleasure than guilt.

9. Title: Joyride
Artist: Roxette
Album (year): Joyride (1991)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: When I think guilty pleasures, I think of bands/songs that you would be completely horrified to have your friends find out about. What better guilty pleasure, then, than an early 90′s crap pop song from a Swedish crap pop powerhouse? Ladies and gentleman – “Joyride” by Roxette. I want to hate myself for liking this song, but I can’t. I will sing it at the top of my lungs any time I hear it, unless I happen to be within 100 feet of another actual human being who may hear me and judge me for my forbidden love. I’m so sorry for this.

10. Title: Toxic
Artist: Nickel Creek (covering Britney Spears)
Album (year): live (2005?)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: This tune is such a guilty pleasure for me that I can’t even bring myself to submit the original, so I’m hoping to preserve a modicum of respect with this Nickel Creek cover, serendipitously recorded at the House of Blues (blech) in Cleveland (yay). I’ve never been fond of Spears’ work, but the unique instrumentation and the abjectly sexual vibe of this song hit me in an irresistible spot.

11. Title: I Believe In a Thing Called Love
Artist: The Darkness
Album (year): Permission to Land (2003)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: I love the complete campy perfection of this song, from the falsetto hook to the hair band homage video complete with Ghostbusters photon streams shooting from the guitars. My life as the singer in a party cover band will be complete when we do this song.

12. Title: Shakin’
Artist: Eddie Money
Album (Year): the 80′s
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: I really struggled with this submission, normally my go to for “guilty pleasure” is Alabama, but those guys are like classic country now I suppose. There were others I considered but did not really feel guilty about enjoying (such as The Eagles), many nostalgia and irony laced acts and then there were many that I enjoy when I hear them on the radio or in a store (such as I Saw The Sign or You Belong To Me) but I don’t actively seek out to listen to. That led me to this, of which I have an Eddie Money greatest hits tape in the car and I genuinely dig. I only feel partially guilty though, and that’s only because I also once enjoyed a scene on King Of Queens featuring this song. For the record Eddie Money’s best song is “Gimme Some Water,” but I have zero guilt about that one.

13. Title: Hit the Switch
Artist: Bright Eyes
Album (Year): Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: I am completely embarrassed to admit that I like Bright Eyes. Go ahead. Judge. I can take it.

14. Title: Dirty Song
Artist: Cars Can Be Blue
Album (year): All The Stuff We Do (2005)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: This was a hard decision for me! Uh, don’t listen to this song with any kids around.

15. Title: Hand Me The Crown
Artist: The Dirty Urchins
Album (2011): Just In Time
Submitted By: @popa2unes

16. Title: Second Chance
Artist: .38 Special
Album (1988): Rock & Roll Strategy
Submitted by: TheSecondSingle/Beldo
Comments: This was tough for me. There were a lot of songs I considered: “Love In The First Degree” by Alabama, “No One Is To Blame” by Howard Jones, “Live To Tell” by Madonna. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows I have a soft spot for guilty pleasures. Sometimes the guilty pleasures override the respectable pleasures, but I digress….38 Special released what is easily one of the wussiest monster ballads of the ’80s and definitely the wussiest song by a band named after a gun, but you know what? I don’t care. Cause this song rules. It has kick ass harmonies and a killer chorus. It also sounds nothing like the shit kickers who recorded “Caught Up In You.” It sounds like Richard Marx. I also recommend checking out the video for the director’s hilarious attempt to try and make a bunch of mulletted Florida rednecks look sensitive by filming their mullets in black & white: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRkaPdfjzEk

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Mudlow: Sawyer’s Hope

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photo credit: Nhung Dang

 

This past spring, I was honored to be asked to edit the liner notes Rick Saunders was writing for the new Mudlow album, Sawyer’s Hope, and there couldn’t be a more evocative description of not only the music, but also the feel of the album than Rick’s words.

 

 

The music of Mudlow has been referred to as “noir blues”, and like any good noir story, their songs are packed with colorful characters. And like any good blues, their songs are packed with emotions that can scrape out the bottom of your soul, an effect achieved sometimes with the most simple but telling phrase and sometimes with the sound that spreads between the moment the blade pierces your heart and the moment you begin to feel the sting.

 

 

This album is one of the most gorgeous I’ve heard in a long while, and I was pleased to get a few words with band members, and damn fine people, Matt (drums) and Tobias (vocals, guitar) about the band and their new album.

 

 

Let’s give the readers some background: where are you all from and how did you get together?

(Matt) Me and Tobias have known each other for years and have played in bands together for most of that time, when our previous band ‘Crawl Limbo’ folded Tobias moved to Brighton and decided to start a new band. We had always played on the gig circuit in Brighton so knew most of the other local band members and had become friends with quite a few of them so finding a new line-up actually wasn’t too difficult, Trimble was there from the start with another Sax player Jules, our first bassist could only play ska because of his unusually fat fingers so we had to let him go. We asked Paul to join and Mudlow was born. We’re definitely a ‘Brighton‘ band and we all live in the city or surrounding area.

 

Based on the 8-year span between full-length albums, I’d guess the band isn’t what keeps food on the table. What are your daytime alter egos (day jobs)?

(M) Me and Tobias work for a friend in the heating trade. Paul works as a sound recording engineer/producer at Church Road Studios in Brighton (which is where the Mudlow magic happens!). Not sure what Trimble does, I think he’s either a pirate or a spy, depending on what he’s wearing.

 

Where does the title Sawyer’s Hope come from?

(Tobias) It’s a partly-imagined place that crops up as a lyric in a couple of our songs. I use maps and place names for inspiration and this came from combining the name of a farm and a wood. To me ‘Sawyer’s Hope’ sounds like an old man’s lifelong aspirations, did he achieve or fail? or is it just a name on a map?

 

 

I know you were shopping around for a label to release this album for a while. What was that process like? How did the deal come together with Motor Sounds Records?

(M) It wasn’t really a ‘process’ as such. We had in mind quite a few labels that we liked so we sent them copies/press etc but didn’t hear much back. We’d pretty successfully self-released our first record but we really wanted to work with someone else on this one and kinda have a labels name on which to hang our hat. We know the guys at Motor Sounds so we approached them to see if they would assist with putting this one out. Thankfully they were really keen to be involved so that was that. I guess you could say it’s a self-release but via an independent label.

 

Your songs are so cinematic and contain so many interesting stories. How do you approach songwriting? Any thoughts about writing a novel?

(T) The songs approach me. You can’t write anything until it’s ready to be written. Sitting and trying to force ideas doesn’t work. A train of thought might be triggered by one line that pops in to your head and then once it gets going let it flow and write down everything, then scrub out the crap and join the dots. The lyrics are mine but we work on the music as a band, we don’t have a formula for creating the songs and we approach each song differently so each has it’s own individuality.

I think about writing a book a lot but who has the time to do that?!

 

What’s next for the band? Any chance of an American tour in the foreseeable future?

(M) We will be playing some shows in support of the new record and will most likely tour here and in Europe. We have already ear-marked band funds for a return trip to the States so we’ll have to see how well Sawyer’s Hope sells. We definitely want to come back.

 

And because I get some of my best music recommendations from musicians, what have you been listening to lately?

(T) I like that Bruce Peninsula band, they’re like a choir trying to upset God.
(M) I vote for The Bonnevilles.
(T) Wait… I want to choose the Bonnevilles
(M) Well, you can’t. I did.
(T) Right! I’m leaving the band. [stomps out]

 

 

In addition to Sawyer’s Hope, Mudlow is generously offering an EP of bits and bobs called The Last Rung Down to Hell, which you can listen to and download right here.

 

Mudlow Official Website

Mudlow @ Bandcamp

Mudlow @ Google+

Mudlow @ Facebook

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Feel Bad For You, September 2012

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I don’t have a horse in this race this month, but I can’t deprive you all of the goodness that is FBFY just because I blanked on a contribution.

“Feel bad for September? No way! It’s football and chili season! First, thanks to AnnieTUFF for the cover art. Second, for the first time in the history of FBFY mixtapes (I think) two people submitted the same track (see #7). Third, notice how loaded TinCanMan was when he submitted his track (# 14). That’s what I like to see! Let’s get some drunken commentary on this mix, pronto!”

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1. Title: Young Blood
Artist: Black Pistol Fire
Album: Big Beat ’59 (2012)
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: Saw these guys open for The Scabs in Austin a couple months back and thought they were great. Songmanship takes a jump in their new album– first time I heard this, I swore it was an old favorite.

2. Title: Everybody’s Devil
Artist: Some Dark Holler
Album: Hollow Chest (2012)
Submitted by: Corey Flegel – This Is American Music

3. Title: One Time Thing
Artist: Michael Chapman
Album: Rainmaker (1969)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Had the joy of meeting the man and seeing him perform at a private party recently. He sat on the porch with an amped acoustic, no vocals….and proceeded to blow us all away.

4. Title: Miénteme
Artist: The Moonstones
Album: Fuzz, Farfisa y Fiesta (2011)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: These guys started following me on twitter. I found their Bandcamp site (http://themoonstones.bandcamp.com/) and was floored by their retro 60s sound. Instant fan! About half the songs are in Spanish, the other half in English. I finally found a label in Australia where I could buy their CD (and got a couple of samplers too).

5. Title: Wanted
Artist: Town Hall Brawl
Album: demos (2010)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: “I remember when called me up, asked me out to the laundromat, playin’ pool on the dry cycle, can’t have more fun than that. Never told anyone your secret, even though I know you told mine. I could never do that to another; some things should always be protected.”

6. Title: There’s More Pretty Girls Than One
Artist: Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice
Album: Skaggs & Rice (1980)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: Been doing more duo gigs lately, and there’s not many better bluegrass duo records to study than this one. Also, girls are pretty.

7. Title: Like A Drug
Artist: Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
Album: Dirty Radio (Deluxe Version) (2012)
Submitted By: Bryan Childs (Autopsy IV)
Comments: Ding a ding dang my ding a long ling long.

Also Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: I’m Hooked

8. Title: Define A Transparent Dream
Artist: Olivia Tremor Control
Album: Music From The Unrealized Film Script Dusk At Cubist Castle (1996)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow at Altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: RIP Bill Doss.

9. Title: Missing You
Artist: Chris Knight
Album: Little Victories (2012)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: Not made a bad album Mr Knight and his new one is no exception, best of the plugged in releases so far for me.

10. Title: Coax Me
Artist: Sloan
Album: Twice Removed (deluxe reissue) (1994)
Submitted By: @scratchedsoul
I loved Sloan when they first came out, but then I hated this record when it was originally released in 1994. It’s absolutely grown on me over the years. I always loved the line ‘I think Consolidated’s OK, It’s not the band I hate, it’s their fans.’ That line definitely applied to Consolidated at the time and has applied to many bands since.

11. Title: For A Time
Artist: Guster The Face Buster (G.F.B)
Album (year): G.F.B (2011)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: Well, is it that time again? September? Already? The start of fall is upon us? We could still go to the lake right now and take a dip during the middle of the hot day, but by the end of the month I bet we’ll be wearing sweaters and eating only foods made with pumpkin. Is the pumpkin thing just me? Maybe… Anyway. Back to music. Part of fall is feeling a little bummed, summer is ending, stuff is dying, its starting to get darker in the morning, but you’ve got to embrace those feelings…and then punch them in the face. So, this month I’m embracing the bummer. Next month I’ll continue my fall tradition with the punching my bummer in the face. For now, I’ll introduce you to my brother…Guster The Face Buster.

12. Title: Bible on the Dash (featuring Hayes Carll)
Artist: Corb Lund
Album: Cabin Fever 2012
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: Corb Lund and Hayes Carll (and Todd Snider) are among the few songwriters still following the long tradition of using humor in country music. This song is one of the highlights off of Lund’s new album.

13. Title: New York
Artist: Sex Pistols
Album: Never Mind The Bollocks (1976)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: this popped up on my iPod, the whole album is just a middle finger to everyone and everything.

14. Title: Best Song Everrr
Artist: Wallpaper
Album: Ultimix 181 (2011)
Submitted By: tincanman
Comments: I’m jush wanna say I love you FB…FMB…shit…FBFUCKY peoples. Yesh, I’ve had a few brwskiiiiiiiiiis ha haha, but thatsh not it. No, I shwear, I just love you. all. Video is the NSFW version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr7pEzgW_7Y

15. Title: Storms (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Artist: Matt Sweeney & Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Album: Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute (2012)
Submitted By: TheSecondSingle/Beldo
Comments: My love for soft rock is no secret to those on ACT. This earnest, stripped down cover by one of my favorite duos brings out the beauty and songwriting perfection that has made so much of Fleetwood Mac’s material age so well (and shine through the admittedly dated production). Now if Matt and Will would make a follow-up to Superwolf…

16. Title: If Money Talks
Artist: Jason and The Scorchers
Album: Rockpalast – Hamburg Germany (1985)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: I couldn’t let the recent passing of Scorchers’ drummer Perry Baggs slip by without some sort of trib. Two songs written by Baggs – White Lies and If Money Talks – were also two of the most iconic for the band and were staples in their setlists. R.I.P. Perry.

17. Title: Take The Fall
Artist: Elliott Randall
Album: Take the Fall (2007)
Submitted By: Cowbelle www.morecowbelle.net
Comments: New favorite SF Americana artist

18. Title: Calgary (Live at Triple J Studios)
Artist: Bon Iver
Album: Live at Triple J Studios (2012)
Submitted By: Slowcoustic
Comments: I know the crowd around here doesn’t always give the time of day to Mr. Vernon but I thought I would be the softie who provided a Bon Iver track to FBFY. I like this version of Calgary as it is one where Bon Vernon uses his actual speaking voice to sing and leaves a lot of the ‘signature’ falsetto-style singing out of the equation. And I live in Calgary…so, there is that.

19. Title: I Am The Cosmos
Artist: Chris Bell
Album (year): I Am The Cosmos (1992)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: If you don’t like this song, I probably don’t like you (much).

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Feel Bad For You, August 2012

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It’s one of those times when the FBFY coordinators have decided to suspend the usual laissez faire operation of our monthly mix party and ask the unruly horde to attempt to coordinate around a theme, vis:

“‘Rock and roll is all about sticking it to the man!’ – Someone

The dogs days of summer are only made worse by sitting in your cubicle and slaving away for THE MAN! At least that’s how I came up with the theme for the August Feel Bad For You Mixtape. Though THE MAN could be your boss, the government, whitey, your woman, Nashville record executives, your landlord, etc. I told the contributors to be creative with this one.”

 

Sidenote: @rockstar_aimz and @Truersound took to the Twitter waves last week to live tweet their reactions to the mix, tagging their tweets with “#fbfy”. In one of those quirks of the internet age, the hash tag grew tentacles, and, for one confounding, ridiculous night, #fbfy topped the list of Twitter trending topics (predictably, about 30% of those trending tweets were along the lines of “WTF is #fbfy?”). Here’s the visual evidence.

 

 

 

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1. Title: Corporate Slave
Artist: Snog
Album (year): Remote Control (1997)
Submitted By: Bryan http://ninebullets.net/
Comments: This one was easy. Snog was bashing corporate america long before it was fashionable to do so and I knew as soon as you said the theme was “The Man” I had to include one of their songs. This song originally appeared on their 1997 album “Remote Control” but this particular version of it is from their 2006 retrospective “Sixteen Easy Tunes For The End Times.” Hope y’all like it as much as I do.

2. Title: The Ascent of Stan
Artist: Ben Folds
Album (year): Rockin’ the Suburbs (2001)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: You wondered why your father was so resigned. Now you don’t wonder anymore…

3. Title: Clampdown
Artist: The Clash
Album: London Calling (1979)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: “The men at the factory are old and cunning / You don’t owe nothing, so, boy, get running / It’s the best years of your life they want to steal”

4. Title: American Man
Artist: Chuck Prophet
Album (year): ¡Let Freedom Ring! (2009)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: Chuck Prophet is the Captain America of guitar-slinging singer-songwriters. His trademark scarf and vest let you know he’s comfortable with the way he looks. The musical influences in this one song alone are a veritable melting pot of American culture. Twang meets classic rock and celebrates the love child with shameless 80′s riffage, His shield is the honest truth about what’s wrong, what’s weird,and what’s going on: “American man, three times your size, with blood on my lips, milk in my eyes.” We all recognize this American man. Heck, some of us are him. Proud as hell, too!

5. Title: Ohio
Artist: Neil Young
Album (year): bootleg (1971)
Submitted By: tincanman
Comments: I had so many ‘Man’ punisms running through my head to impress you with I almost forgot the ultlimate ‘The Man hath run amuk’ song.

6. Title: Vigilante Man
Artist: Woody Guthrie
Album (Year): Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)
Submitted By: Gorrck

7. Title: I Am The Man, Thomas
Artist: Ralph Stanley
Album (Year): 1971-1973 (1995)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: I AM THE MAAAAN!

8. Title: Dear Employer (The Reason I Quit)
Artist: Minus 5
Album (Year): Down With Wilco (2003)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Oh yeah? Wow now you’re minus SIX my friend! I’m outta here.

9. Title: Heaven is a Half Pipe
Artist: OPM
Album (year): Menace to Sobriety (2000)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: I remember this song getting a lot of play round the turn of the millenium. I don’t know if I would say its a good song but it makes me bob my head and laugh thinking, “yeah all I need is my board and my weed – the man can go eff himself!”

10. Title: Legalize It
Artist: Peter Tosh
Album (year): Legalize It (1976)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: On the eve of Jamaican Independence 50th Celebrations http://www.jis.gov.jm/ja50/v2/ and on the day the country is poised to make it a male/female sprint double gold at London 2012, then it’s got to be Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It,” this Wailer gave the bird to The Man and if the stories are to be believed that’s what cost him his life. Beat this Snoop Dogg.

11. Title: This Is Not A Song, It’s An Outburst: Or, The Establishment
Artist: Rodriguez
Album (year): Cold Fact (1970)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: It’s the establishment, man.

12. Title: Jesus Christ Superstar
Artist: John Keating
Album (year): Sound Gallery Vol 1 (1972)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: Andrew Lloyd Webber on FBFY, it was always on the cards.

13. Title: I’m the Man (Def Uncensored Version)
Artist: Anthrax
Album (year): I’m the Man (1987)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: Gorrck sent this CD to me in 2001 when the anthrax scare hit the east coast. We told one of our other friends that “I got Anthrax in the mail.” She said, “Are you serious!!!” Our friends are not too bright. And we are immature.

14. Title: We Love You Tipper Gore
Artist: Furnaceface
Album (Year): Just Buy It (1992)
Submitted By: Lord Summerisle
Comments: A song about “The Man” that’s about A woman.

15. Title: A New Tomorrow
Artist: Screeching Weasel
Album (year): 1993
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: So, when I heard the theme for this month was “The Man,” I thought of rebelling against status quo, rejecting the norm and living your life the way you want to live it. Instantly I thought of this song, Screeching Weasel is a band I’ve loved for years. It doesn’t matter what music I’m listening to, or if I’m going thru a “only listening to Buck Owens on repeat/surf music 24-7/or whatever else constantly” phase, I’ll always be able to add a Screeching Weasel song to my mixtape (or really…we all know it’s a playlist…but mixtape just sounds better dudes, ok?). Anyway, back to this particular song, anytime I’m starting to question my life choices I can listen to this song and instantly feel better, really. Sound dumb? Who cares, it works for me.

16. Title: Cars and Guns
Artist: Roger Alan Wade
Album (year): Stoned Traveler (2009)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets

17. Title: Puttin’ People On The Moon
Artist: Drive By Truckers
Album (year): The Dirty South (2004)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: This was the first song that came to mind when I thought about The Man keeping ya down, especially convenient with the Mars landing just happening.

18. Track: Friday Night is for the Drinkers
Artist: Bradley Wik and the Charlatans
Album (Year): Burn What You Can, Bury the Rest…
Submitted By: Cowbelle www.morecowbelle.net

19. Track: The Man
Artists: Pete Yorn (w/Natalie Maines)
Album (Year): The Nightcrawler (2006)
Submitted By: Trailer

20. Title: Money Man
Artist: The Countdown Five
Album (1969): B-Side/ Shaka Shake Na Na/Money Man
Submitted By: @popatunes
Comments: This theme seemed a bit of a challenge finding something that wasn’t an obvious ‘The Man’ protest song, (my interpretation of the theme) so I was lead deep into the garage for an enjoyable excursion that distracted me to from my initial, but thought this little b-side gem from Texas City’s The Countdown Five was worth sharing. Y’all know by now I have soft spot for low-fi psych garage grooviness. The band had two Billboard Top 100 hits, “Uncle Kirby” and “Shaka Na Na.”

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JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound Return to Cleveland + mp3

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In the time since we lost wrote about JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, you may have seen their name thrown around some more, garnering more fans with their incredible live shows, and being added to this year’s Lollapalooza lineup. And maybe you’ve become curious enough to want to experience the ass-moving power for yourself. Or, at least, you damn well should have.

But do you want more (eh? See what I did there?) to entice you? Check out the video for “Sister Ray Charles” (eh? See what they did there?) below and download the mp3.

 

 

Download: “Sister Ray Charles” – JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound

 

Now that you realize the regret that would dog you all the days of your life if you didn’t experience this fantastic band of entertainers live, mark your calendar for August 19, when JCBUS will return to the Beachland Tavern. R.A. Washington and the Family Dollar will play support (Washington was named among the most interesting people of 2012 by Cleveland Magazine) and DJ Charles McGaw will keep the sounds rolling between sets. I cannot properly express here how worth your time this show is, so go see and hear for yourself.

Sun, Aug 19 | 8:30 PM (7:30 PM door)
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
R.A. Washington & The Family Dollar
DJ Charles McGaw spins before & between sets

$10.00 adv / $12.00 dos
Tavern | All Ages

 

JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound

The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

 

5 Comments

Feel Bad For You, July 2012

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The new phonebook’s here! The new phonebook’s here!

What’s that you say? No one uses phonebooks anymore, yet the things keep piling up on your doorstep every year? Well, how about something you can use that takes up absolutely no space on your doorstep. The new FBFY mix is here! The new FBFY mix is here! Contributed to by your friendly internet-neighborhood bloggers, musicians, tweeters, etc., and brought to you by the good people at Feel Bad For You, it is, as always, an eclectic mix.

 

 

Download

 

1. Title: The Crease
Artist: Arliss Nancy
Album (year): Simple Machines (2012)
Submitted By: Captainsdead
Comments: great rock record, nothing more, nothing less

2. Title: I Love Lucy
Artist: The Producers
Album (year): The Producers/You Make The Heat (2000, CD Reissue of the band’s first two albums)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: I make no apologies for my love of all things ‘power pop’. The Producers put out a couple of albums in the early 80s and seemed to fly under the radar of most people, which is too bad because these guys crafted some great songs.

3. Title: Travel On
Artist: Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Album (year): Americana (2012)
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: This song IS summer in America. Drive fast on a long highway and put it on repeat.

4. Title: I Wanna Be Your Marianne
Artist: Amy Cook
Album (year): Let The Light In (2010)
Submitted By: Hoosier Buddy
Comments: The most summer-soaked tune from an album produced by Alejandro Escovedo. A tasty confection: swirl cupcake in which relaxed rhythm guitar mixes with strangled cat lead tones, topped with Amy’s buttercream vocal track. You can never eat just one.

5. Title: Gotta Go Out West
Artist: The Woolly Bushmen
Album (year): The Woolly Bushmen (2012)
Submitted By: Autopsy IV (ninebullets.net)
Comments: Retro rock and roll from a group of kids from Orlando. I caught them live at Tropical Heatwave this year and they were a complete and total blast. Album came out last week and is available on Bandcamp.

6. Title: There Won’t Always Be an England
Artist: The Wind-up Birds
Album (year): The Land (2012)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: This song cemented my love for this fantastic band out of Leeds, England. Even though it’s specifically about rabid nationalism in the UK, it’s an almost effortless exercise to translate it to the jingoistic patriotism that has been promoted in the U.S. over the past decade. The feeling of mounting frustration and anger in this song is a thing of beauty.

7. Title: Wasting Away
Artist: The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Album (year): Strung Out in Heaven (1998)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: Can anyone take the essential elements of 60′s music (garage, pop, psycheldelia, country rock) and blend them as seamlessly as Antone Newcombe? I think not. Great, mellow track from these freaky weirdos. Love the harmonica.

8. Title: You Ain’t Going Nowhere
Artist: Counting Crows (Bob Dylan)
Album (year): Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) (2012)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: Get your mind off winter time. You ain’t going nowhere.

9. Title: Joe Friday
Artist: Alvin Youngblood Hart
Album (Year): Big Mama’s Door (1996)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets

10. Title: Little Black Star
Artist: Hurray For The Riff Raff
Album (year): Look Out Mama (2012)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Saw these gals & guy out of Louisiana in Waverly a couple months ago and they blew me away.

11. Title: Here They Come
Artist: The Doc Marshalls
Album (Year): Look Out Compadres (2012)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: I’ve been playing this track repeatedly after first hearing it during one of Bill Frater’s Freight Train Boogie podcasts (a great source of new Americana music). In this month we celebrate our independence and are reminded of the costs paid to defend it, many of the lyrics from this song resonated with me.

12.Title: Like
Artist: We Run
Album (Year): We Run EP (2012)
Submitted By: @popa2unes

13. Title: Fall Skull
Artist: Little Wings
Album (year): Black Grass (2011)
Submitted By: Lord Summerisle
Comments: I didn’t hear this album until early 2012 but it has swiftly become my favourite album of 2011. Brilliant stuff, a touch of Will Oldham, a dash of Bill Callahan and some sweet electronics burbling in the background. Perfect.

14. Title: Give Back My Heart
Artist: Lyle Lovett
Album (year): Pontiac (1988)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: In spring, 1993, I was in college in Chicago at a coffee shop listening to these two other students jam away on their acoustic guitars, really killing it. They were playing some song that I didn’t know, but it stuck in my head all of these years because it was so good. Thanks to the miracle of satellite radio, I finally figure out nearly two decades later on my commute to work that they were covering this Lyle Lovett song, only adding a few curse words and massive blues guitar riffs.

15. Title: Worry About Your Health
Artist: The District Attorneys
Album (Year): Slowburner (2012)
Submitted by: Corey Flegel (This Is American Music)
Comments: this was the song that reminded me to send in a submission…so, it then became my submission.

16. Title: Hard Times In America
Artist: Willie Nile
Album (Year): Live From The Streets Of New York (2008)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Now that the 4th is over, back to reality.

17. Title: Piledriver Waltz
Artist: Alex Turner
Album (year): Submarine EP (2011)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: I treated myself to a few pieces of vinyl on Record Store Day amongst them a Caitlin Rose 7” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJWiUOIpUS8) featuring a pair of tracks from Arctic Monkeys album Suck It and See and have been ‘spinning’ both regularly over the last month, Piledriver Waltz has got stuck in my head and become a new favourite, I stumbled across another version of the track that appeared on Alex Turner’s film soundtrack for Submarine and thought I’d throw this into this months mix. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/v6cg

18. Title: Prime Mover
Artist: Zodiac Mindwarp & the Love Reaction
Album (year):
Submitted By: Gorrck

19. Title: Unk In Funk
Artist: Muddy Waters
Album (year): Unk In Funk (1974)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: Muddy Waters just letting us know that funk wasn’t born until he entered the world, presumably 7am on Sunday July 7th, with seven doctors in attendance. Today is July 7, the mojo is still strong..

20. Title: Racing in the Street
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Album (year): Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Submitted By: tincanman2010
Comments: The bit about the girl sitting on her Daddy’s porch, all her pretty dreams torn is one of the saddest moments in song I know. Bruce’s band doesn’t get enough credit for the way they play this. And it’s not a car song; it just sounds at first like one.

21. Title: Continuous Thunder
Artist: Japandroids
Album (Year): Celebration Rock (2012)
Submitted By: Trailer

22. Title: Too Hot
Artist: The Specials
Album (year): The Specials (1979)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: It’s full blown summer now, and the crazy heat always makes me think of summers as a teenager, and punk. Driving around in my first car (death trap of a car that I scrimped and saved to buy after working my first fast food job) no AC, windows down, sweating like crazy, and cranking music as loud as I could thru my little battery powered tape player that I brought with me (because the stereo in the car kept blowing out the fuses for the lights…see? death trap). So, in honor of all the record breaking heat and summer tunes and memories I’m picking The Specials. And yeah, I know, it’s not punk, it’s ska, but c’mon it’s toooooo hot.

2 Comments

We See Lights: Hopeless at Maths

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Maths monsters! This explains everything.

Scottish trio We See Lights have returned to shoot sunshine into your earholes again. And your eyeholes! Here’s an enlightening video for us maths-challenged types, for the song “Hopeless at Maths” off We See Lights’ forthcoming album Bloody Twenties.

 

 

Want it? Get it.

 

Bloody Twenties is slated for release in the summer.

 

We See Lights Official Website

We See Lights @ Bandcamp

 

One Comment

A Tribe Called Red

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Got some worthy free music to start your weekend. A Tribe Called Red is a collective of Native DJs who mix samples, beats and pow wow music into something they have dubbed Pow Wow Step. When I first read about this, thanks to Rick Saunders, I wondered why I hadn’t heard about anyone doing this sooner.

I’ve been a fan of pow wow music since I first attended the Great Mohican Pow Wow (where they let white people in) in my early teens. The highlight of any day spent at the Pow Wow was going down to the ring to watch the dancers compete as the thumping drums and otherworldly vocals set their rhythm. Pow wow music is, essentially, dance music. It may be more ceremonial than the dancing you see in a club on a Saturday night… but, on the other hand, from a sociological viewpoint, maybe it’s all one in the same.

I was endeared to A Tribe Called Red as soon as I watched this video for “Electric Pow Wow Drum”, which includes clips from Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man.

 

 

How frigging wicked is that? And there’s a whole album, also titled Electric Pow Wow Drum, free to download below.

 

 

A Tribe Called Red Blog

A Tribe Called Red @ Soundcloud

A Tribe Called Red @ Facebook

 

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Feel Bad For You, June 2012

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The Feel Bad For You mix for June is here, babies. The FBFY corral of hard-working (just humor us) music bloggers, twitterers, avid listeners, and people pulled off the street have come together again to bring you aural pleasure. Pick it up. (For more information about the contributors – or to comment – check the FBFY site.)

 

 

Download.

 

1. Track: Blondie and Dagwood
Artist: Adam Carroll
Album: Lookin’ Out The Screen Door (2000)
Submitted by: toomuchcountry
Comments: This one is for all you June brides and grooms who want your new marriages to last. My suggestion is to put down that copy of 50 Shades of Gray and listen closely to Carroll’s lyrics of romance based on the couple from a comic strip legend.

2. Title: Clever & Quickness
Artist: River City Extension
Album: Nautical Sabbatical (2009)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: Formed in Asbury Park NJ in 2007. The band played an explosive showcase at last year’s SXSW; Newport Folk Festival producer Jay Sweet stumbled upon the gig, and later told Billboard, “This band, River City Extension, is ripping the paint off the wall.

3. Title: No Spare Parts
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Album (year): Some Girls re-issue (2011)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: Jagger in hillbilly mode for this great road trip song from last years deluxe reissue

4.Title: “45″
Artist: The Gaslight Anthem
Album (year): Handwritten (2012)
Submitted By: Gorrck
Comments: Single released in advance of the album. Thinking about actually getting the 45 on vinyl.

5. Title: PT Cruiser
Artist: O. Children
Album (year): Apnea (2012)
Submitted By: tincanman2010
Comments: Sunshine. Music. Cruising. I said cruisING not cruisER. Oh well, rockin’ driving song so I’ll keep it.

6. Title: Head Above Water
Artist: Ryan Montbleau
Album (year): For Higher (2012)
Submitted By: Mando Lines
Comments: Ryan Montbleau’s new album was recorded in New Orleans with George Porter, Jr., Ivan Neville, Simon Lott and Anders Osborne. Ben Ellman (Galactic) produced. The majority of the songs (including this one) are Montbleau originals, but the record also has covers of Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers and Muscle Shoals great Eddie Hinton. Great record.

7. Title: I Just Want You To Go Away
Artist: The Lovely Bad Things
Album (year): New Ghost/Old Waves (2012)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: I just heard of this band a couple of months ago, so I’m still trying them on for size. But sometimes the best love song is an anti-love song.

8. Title: Yesterday (Circa Summer 80 Something)
Artist: Cory Branan
Album (year): 2012
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Cory finally got this album out and this ode to John Cougar is the perfect way to kick off summer.

9. Title: Chain Chain Chain
Artist: Red Red Meat
Album (year): Bunny Gets Paid (1995)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ Altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: I’m constantly surprised at the numbers of bands I missed out on in the 90′s. Red Red Meat were straight outta Chicago, even touring with Smashing Pumpkins – yet I’m only just now finding out about them thanks to Tim Rutili’s current band (Califone). This is off of their recently reissued Sub Pop masterpiece Bunny Gets Paid – damn fine song if you ask me. Crank it.

10. Title: The Messenger
Artist: Ray Wylie Hubbard
Album (year): Crusades of the Restless Knights (1999)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: Killer song by RWH. This version features Patty Griffin on background vocals.

11. Title: Ready For The Axe To Drop
Artist: TV Smith
Album (year): Useless – The Very Best of TV Smith
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: The only redeeming feature of this weeks Jubilee celebrations for me has been the various media articles and TV programming on the BBC revisiting punk, not that it ever really went away – which brings me to this months song choice from a guy who’s continued to record solo and in various collaborations after the punk band he fronted split in 1979, prompted by one of the aforementioned BBC Rock-docs here’s a track from the The Adverts front man TV Smith http://www.tvsmith.com/

12. Title: Alone In Memphis
Artist: Austin Lucas w/Glossary
Album (year): none
Submitted By: Bryan Childs (ninebullets.net)
Comments: This, I assume, will be on Austin’s next album.

13. Title: Everything You Took
Artist: Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
Album (year): There is a Bomb in Gilead (2012)
Submitted By: @philnorman

14. Title: Come Unto Me
Artist: The Mavericks
Album (year): Suited Up and Ready EP (2012)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: Bad ass song. Glad they’re back!

15. Title: Sippin’ Sorrow
Artist: Pearl Woods
Album (year): Eeny Meeny Moe!
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: An old R&B tune, from a ripped LP that I recently acquired (quality’s not great). Just plain fun!

16. Title: Bring Flowers To My Grave
Artist: Jake Klar
Album (year): Jake Klar (2012)
Submitted By: Slowcoustic
Comments: Some great twangy singer songwriter “alt-country” from this new-to-me artist. The 7 track album is even a free download on his bandcamp page: http://jakeklar.bandcamp.com/ Highly Recommended.

17. Title: Creakin’ Ol’ Bones
Artist: Michael Dean Damron
Album (year): Nah Death, Im’a Comin’ For You (2012)
Submitted By: Romeo Sid Vicious
Comments: Mike D. has been getting me through a lot as of late and this track is the one I queue up the most at the moment.

18. Title:1922
Artist: Shooter Jennings & Last False Hope
Album (year): Outlaw Radio Compilation vol. 2
Submitted By: Adam Sheets
Comments: Based on a Stephen King novella.

19. Title: Loser Neck
Artist: The Riverboat Gamblers
Album (year): The Wold You Feed (2012)
Submitted By: erschen

20. Title: Set On Fire
Artist: Magnolia Mountain
Album: Town & Country (2012)
Submitted By: Corey Flegel (This Is American Music)

21. Title: Sweetness
Artist: Micah P Hinson
Album: … And The Pioneer Saboteurs (2010)
Submitted by: Lord Summerisle
Comments: I am baffled as to why this man is not huge. Probably my favourite artist of the last 10 years in terms of consistency. Every album is great.

22. Title: The Devil Ain’t Lazy
Artist: Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys
Album: single (1948)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: I get a kick out of the fact that this song is essentially praising Satan’s work ethic. And, of course, since it’s Bob Wills, it swings. The mellow-voiced Tommy Duncan provides the vocals.

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A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: The Parlor Soldiers

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

The Parlor Soldiers’ album When the Dust Settles – with some songs that play like a wink, some that play like a punch, with all sorts of intriguing stories in between – has been one of the first real delights of 2012 for me. (If you haven’t yet, visit their Bandcamp site and be charmed by the album yourself. And check out their tour dates! The more shows you attend, the greater chance I have of seeing them up north sometime.) So, I’m very happy to have Alex, Karen and Dan participate in our series.

 

 

Alex Culbreth – Book: Post Office by Charles Bukowski (very funny novel from one of my favorite writers)

Album: John Prine (no album in particular, he’s a great songwriter and there’s lots to learn from him)

Drink: Gin & Tonic (because I love me some old man drinks!)

 

Karen Jonas – Book: Go Dog, Go – I used to read real books but now I have babies at home.

Album: Gillian Welch, The Harrow & The Harvest – I’ve been listening to this one for a few months, such great americana imagery.

Drink: Water with no ice – though the boys are always trying to get me to drink something else

 

Dan Dutton – Book: The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey; as the author says “enjoy, shipmates, enjoy

Album: 40 oz. to Freedom by Sublime because Eric can’t sing either.

Drink: Unearthly from Southern Tier Brewery because it brought me back to good beer.

 

The Parlor Soldiers – “Shallow Grave”

 

The Parlor Soldiers @ Bandcamp

The Parlor Soldiers @ Facebook

The Parlor Soldiers @ ReverbNation