The Art 11 song collection, recklessly compiled by ChrisBone.

For starters let me say that I know my disk is not as good as yours. But, I put a lot of [by which I mean ‘some’] thought into it, so I figure I better explain the individual songs as best I can. They are, in order of appearance:

1] Do One | Gomez
Gomez is a Mexican band, I think. I like this song because it’s kind of loud. I don’t know what we, the listeners, are supposed to “do one” of. Perhaps it’s one chore a day. Or one thing from our “bucket list” before we die. Because, if you die and haven’t done anything from your list — man, what’s your problem? So, I chose this song because I thought it would be cool to have the first song have the number one in the title.

2] Fear of the South | Tin Hat Trio
I didn’t expect to crap out on the whole title/numbering thing so quickly. And maybe since it’s a trio, I should have put it third. I don’t know. This tune is an instrumental that’s about how scary everything is in the South. Like barbecue, for instance. Ever try to get a barbecue stain out of a tuxedo shirt? If so, what were you doing eating barbecue in a tux? See what I mean? Scary.

3] Collapse | Soul Coughing
Ever since I got a really bad sinus infection four years ago, I haven’t been able to sing nearly as high as I used to. This song is in a key that I can sing without my voice sounding shitty. I think maybe the song has something to do with a collapsed lung or something. I figured that’s kind of like a bad sinus infection. Also, the coughing part.

4] I Have Seen | Zero Seven
Boy, I just realized that this song should have been seventh on my list. Jeez, what’s it gonna take, Henson?

5] Girl Laying Down | Anna Ternheim
Don’t let the violins in the beginning fool you. This song is pretentious all the way through. I only put it on here because my wife said I had to. I think it’s about a very lazy girl.

6] Punch Bowl | Punch Brothers
Yeah, I know. It’s bluegrass. A friend of mine says the Punch Brothers sound like the “Yes” of bluegrass. Maybe I should have put a Yes song on here too. Maybe that would make my "friend" happy.

7] Waltz | Robin Holcomb
I think this was a typo and it was supposed to say “Walt’s” as in: “Walt Disney’s.” Also, the guitar solo on this song is by Bill Frisell. And everybody knows who he is.

8] Spoonful | Chris Whitley
This is a tribute song to the band “Lovin’ Spoonful.” Here’s a bit of trivia for you. I have no idea who “Lovin’ Spoonful” is, when they were a group, or what songs they played. So now, if you ever get asked what Chris Henson knows about that band in one of those trivia games, dude, you’ve so got this one.

9] Blood Makes Noise | Suzanne Vega
A lot of people don’t know that Suzanne Vega is a hemophiliac, which loosely translated means she’s got “very loud blood.” It’s why her songs sound the way they do. Try this experiment. In a quiet room, stuff gauze deep into your ears. If you hear something that sounds like blood, you’re getting there. Keep pushing the gauze in. Now, try to write a song that doesn’t sound like this one.

10] Trampoline | Joe Henry
For her fourth birthday, we bought our daughter a trampoline. It was fun and all. But, after you hear a few of the “horror stories” about trampolines, you start to think, “Man, I should have just bought a loosely-capped vial of the Ebola virus.” At least, that’s what I thought until the vial arrived. My advice? Go with the trampoline.

11] Day After Tomorrow | Tom Waits
Everyone knows Tom Waits is a big movie buff, right? Well, this is his song about the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” The connection to the movie is really hard to get from the lyrics. You sort of have to change them in your mind. I think he also did one about “Bad Boys II.” But, I couldn’t find it on Rhapsody.

Final notes: I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to be a stowaway on your musical excursion. If the whole point of it was to introduce me to new, interesting and great music, then “Mission Accomplished!” And I mean that in the real way. Not in the “I’ve just screwed up really badly and I’m covering my ass” way.

Credit goes to some guys in a New Wave/Punk band in Blacksburg circa 1985 for coming up with the idea of "Art 11." I should also thank Joe Dashiell, from WDBJ7, for the photos of Artie Levin. “Thanks, Joe!”

Round I ends, looking ahead

With Chris Henson up this week, the CD squad moves into its final rotation. People have asked what we're going to do.

I had assumed we'd take a week or two off and start up again. With changes, perhaps. People have suggested: Inviting more members, inviting a community school student, removing the mandatory 11-song cap, removing people who want out.


This post was created to collect thoughts as we go forward.

Harrison's track list

1- Yo La Tengo -- The river of water.
I understand there may be some YLT haters out there. To them I extend an insincere apology.
Yo La Tengo is an enigmatic band. Half their songs are filled with catchy melodies. The other half are drawn-out grinding songs that only the most hardened guitar-head could appreciate. So which is it? Are they a pop band that occasionally cuts loose or are they a noise band with a softer side?

2- The Sea and Cake -- Showboat Angel
If you ever thought that "restrained screaming" is an oxymoron, this song is here to prove you wrong.

3- Esther Phillips -- Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave
This song has no business with all the other songs here. But I love how heartfelt it is so I included it.

4- Avett Brothers -- Talk On Indolence
I saw this band at the Coffee Pot at few years ago and the place was packed with teenyboppers. The Avett Brothers are a kind of bluegrass boy band but it's OK because they're completely nuts.

5- Neko Case -- Star Witness
I like how this song has a sort of slacker-gothic tinge to it. Especially the line "Come on pretty baby get high with me/ We can go to my sister's if we say we'll watch the baby..."

6- Beck -- Hollow Log
A delightfully absurd hobo romp. Like a mid-90's Big Rock Candy Mountain.

7- Coco Rosie -- Ohio
While you were out, a child ghost called and left this haunting message on your answering machine.

8- Pixies -- Caribou
Alaska and its fauna have been much in the news lately. Consequently, this song has been in my head.

9- St. Etienne -- You're In A Bad Way
Because, really, who doesn't need occasional reminding that your "jeans are old and your hair's all wrong/ Don't you know that crew cuts and trainers are out again?"

10- Mason Jennings -- Empire Builder
Mason Jennings has been voted the Minneapolis musician most likely to become a superstar for something like 10 consecutive years. We're still waiting.

11- Luna -- Sweet Child of Mine
Is it sacrilegeous to say I like this better than the original?

CD Squad Synergy!

I'm loving the way this club is a'bumpin' and a'thumpin' along.

I say we now -- given the amount of tech geeks in attendance -- branch out to include the occasional member-made video.

This is, of course, largely because I've already made a couple of music videos and have one to post.

But I'd love to see more pop up.

Here's my entry which a few of you have already seen. And as I've also noted in the Youtube comments, your enjoyment of this will be greatly improved if you click "VIEW IN HIGH QUALITY" in the lower right-hand margins of the screen, which you can really only access by following this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3VQ_wQTRvo

This was cobbled together from random footage I shot with a point-and-shoot, using only natural light, usually while on my dinner breaks from work. Flimsy as it is, it owes great debts to the early work of Gus Van Sant and to the wonderful closing credits in the film, "Comedian."

Patriotic Songs

01 Jamas te olvidare, chucho avellanet
I don't think you need to speak Spanish to understand it's a mixed blessing when Chucho says he will jamas te olvidare ("never forget you"). It's like he's walking the Latino version of Johnny Cash's line between menace and flattery with questions like "Where could you be? Who are you with? And tell me who ... who are you kissing?"
Fortunately the bright horn section smooths out any lingering weirdness, and maybe reminds his woman how much fun Chucho is.

02 Electric feel, MGMT
SCENE: My 5-year college reunion, 2:14 a.m.
PETE: Where's Matt?
MATT'S X-GIRLFRIEND: He's playing bass for this one band. They're big in Europe. What do you do?
PETE: I write for a newspaper. It's small in Virginia.

03 White winter hymnal, fleet foxes
I hear the Beach Boys' influence in a lot of music right now. Here, we see what Brian Wilson might have done as a 14th century minstrel.

04 Fidelity, regina spektor
Strictly a crowd pleaser. Its batting clean-up because my girlfriend suggested some of these might potentially alienate a listener. Now the haters can say, "I skipped everything but that HA-A-A-A-A-A-ART song."

05 After laughter (comes tears), wendy rene
Macy said she doesn't like minor songs. But there's hope here. The way Wendy wails at 2:45 suggests some bittersweet make-up lovin.

06 Man made lake, calexico
I've spent a lot of time with most of these songs, so I wanted to include one I heard for the first time last week. I imagined Smith Mountain Lake.

07 Don't be scared, a.r.e. weapons
This song's message is particularly important in the post-9/11 era.

08 Nashville, liz phair
Liz's building, almost breaking, voice at 1:50 is one of my favorite song climaxes. Once, after a concert, I asked her what it meant to "feel it seep through the slick divide." She sang the lyric softly to herself and said, "Well, I was hanging out with Urge Overkill a lot then and it sorta felt like I was about to be famous."

09 Heaven is a truck, pavement
I got into this band when I was in my 20s, but always wished a cool uncle had said "You should listen to Pavement" when I was a teenager. I was iffy about including it. Then Matt mentioned he liked piano hooks.

10 The trident pool, pedro + the dolphins
This is me and my buddy Laurence. Every word is true. My mom walked in on us and, at 1:17, asks "Guess who called." It was still our best take so kept it.

11 Blue room, chet baker
This is like a cross between a love song and a ghost story. Chet Baker was a lifelong addict, who said he had to use the horse to even be able to sing in his unmanly tenor. And here it is totally naked.



Afterword: I wanted to order these songs so that they would be undressing production-wise -- like from heaviest production (Chucho) to as bare as it gets (Chet).

saturday = youth

1. "Underground" by Das Pop from Das Pop (2009)
This is a somewhat unknown outfit from Belgium, which is why I lifted the infectious single from their forthcoming self-titled album. I wanted the first track of the mixtape to be something unfamiliar.

2. "Doing It Right" by The Go! Team from Proof of Youth (2007)
Off the Reading, England, quintet's sophomore effort, this track leaves me exhilarated almost every time I listen to it.

3. "D.A.N.C.E." by Justice from Cross (2007)
"That song made me want to sing the alphabet." That's what Jared said when he heard it. That's what I was hoping someone would want to do.

4. "Strange Love" by Depeche Mode from Music for the Masses (1987)
The only reason I included this in the mixtape was to have A Song That Is Actually From the 1980s. It didn't fit in the mixtape the way I hoped it would.

5. "Red Socks Pugie" by Foals from Antidotes (2008)
"You put in too much of that dance shit you like." One of the recipients of the mixtape said that. I don't remember if that was what (s)he said verbatim, so I won't say who it is.

6. "Foundations" by Kate Nash from Made of Bricks (2008)

7. "Dawn of the Dead" by Does It Offend You Yeah? from You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into (2008)

8. "Pogo" by Digitialism from Idealism (2007)
This song is a perfect example of that dance shit I like. They're a German duo, and their entire debut album is excellent.

9. & 10. "Montreal -40" and "Pate Filo" by Malajube from Trompe-L'oeil (2007)
The dudes from this Quebec outfit (say it MAL-a-zhoob) manipulate old-time pop craftsmanship to create tracks that are at the same time funny and beautiful. They can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with artists like Arcade Fire or the Flaming Lips, but most people will never hear about them because they sing in French.

11. "Patrick Swayze Lenny Kravitz" by Adelphi from myspace.com/adelphi (2008)
This is a band from Baltimore County, Md., and an example that many people out there, somewhere, are making awesome music in a basement, somewhere.

Matt's Eleven Songs

Here you go, my rendition of our eleven song standard.

First things first: the odd title on your disc (each disc has a different one) is an anagram of "Matts Eleven Songs."

Methodology: Well, I just started by picking my seven or eight favorite artists and/or songs that I thought the crew might appreciate. I borrowed Jorge's ethic of choosing more accessible songs if the artist might be more obscure.

After that I just organized what I had organically. I knew what I wanted first, and each song after that is one the previous song reminded me of on some organic level, which I either won't disclose or can't articulate. I filled out the remaining songs based on that idea -- this song or that reminded me of one I didn't have in the mix yet, so I added it. Somewhere in my pea brain, these all flow perfectly one to the next.

The numbers: Being a data guy, I can't help but notice the numbers. Eleven songs, 48.9 minutes. That's an average of almost 4:30 a song. Pretty long. Four songs here are over five minutes, and one is over six. Three are four over four minutes.

The notes:

1. "Use It" by The New Pornographers.
Great band, Canadian I think, and this is among their latest releases, if not their latest. I wanted something with pace and energy to start with. I listen to this album often, and picked this for, among other reasons, the great piano hook. I love poppy kind of hooks.

2. "To Go Home" by M. Ward.
Neil turned me on to M. Ward in a mix he gave me before we started the group. My fave song by this guy is the one Neil gave me, but I didn't want to gift that back to Neil, so I picked another off the same album, which I bought immediately after hearing "Chinese Translation, which Neil posted in video form on this blog. More piano here, kids singing backing vocals, which I think is cool, and this great lyric: "God it's great to be alive, takes the skin right off my hide, to think I have to give it all up some day.

3. "While You Were Sleeping" by Elvis Perkins.
Pandora introduced me to Perkins. I loved this song instantly, the way it builds from a simple folk song with guitar and vocals to a kind of acoustic riot by the end, with each verse adding an instrument. Perkins, if you don't know, is the son of actor Anthony Perkins of "Psycho" fame and who died of AIDS may years ago. His mother was on a plane that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. He can be kinda dark, but I love this album.

4. "Elephant Gun" by Beirut.
Jorge gets credit for turning me on to Beirut, which is mainly this teenage prodigy (when he started the band, anyway) from New Mexico. It's the atmosphere and ethnic flavor of this stuff that grabbed me, along with the horn hook.

5. "All Her Favorite Fruit" by Camper Van Beethoven.
Before David Lowry turned out to be an enormous asshole and Cracker went to crap, Lowry wrote amazing songs for Camper Van. The European flavor of the Beirut song I think reminded me of this tune, a favorite of mine for its mood and lyrics. "She serves him peppered steak, and corn... and pulls her dress up over her head."

6. "Hang Down Your Head" by Tom Waits.
Back when I was an unrepentent punker, it was Tom Waits who opened my mind to the music I was missing by blowing my mind. I saw him on Letterman one night doing "In the Neighborhood" from "Swordfishtrombones." Bought the LP the next day at The Record Exchange and I've loved Waits ever since. This is from "Rain Dogs," the follow up to "Swordfishtormbones," an album more guitar-driven and country and blues flavored than the former. Keith Richards plays on a few tracks.

7. "Dried Up" by the Ass Ponys
If Skynard and Crazy Horse had a bastard child and left it in an orphanage in Cincinnati, this is what it would sound like. Simple songs here, alt.country basically, lyrically moody -- and often hilarious, though not on this song. Alot of these songs evoke for me being a kid in the 70s and having a teenage brother. "I recall the smell of summer on your skin. We were 17 and everything was pounding and it wouldn't top." I feel like I've seen this before, kind of like when I watch "Dazed and Confused."

8. "Two Way Monologue" by Sondre Lerche
Chris introduced me to this album by this Norwegian guy, which is alternately Beatle-ish, poppy and jazzy. Great arrangements, too.

9. "Fiery Crash" by Andrew Bird
This is Bird's second appearance on an 11-song disc, and this is from the same album Beth chose hers from. I could have picked any number of songs from the album, but chose this one because earlier this year, I was sitting in O'Hare in line to board a plane and this song came on my iPod. "You have to imagine the fiery crash."

10. "Real Estate" by Scott Brookman
This guy is from Salem -- Salem!!! Scott's an old, old friend of mine who I used to play a lot of music with when he stilled lived here. He's based in Richmond now. Scott's enamored of 60s pop, even the stuff you might consider dreck, like Burt Bacharach. But bear in mind that people as uber-cool as Elvis Costello have recognized Bacharach's genius and recorded with him. I find Scott's whole album -- and I say this with obvious bias for my friend -- to be absolute candy. (Shameless plug: Available on iTunes and eMusic.)

11. "Missing the War" by Ben Folds Five
This may be the most common song on the disc, but I love Ben Folds and I love this song because it evokes the life of a middle-age male pretty damn well. I think one of the main reasons I included it, though, was to give the song before it some context. Plus, it builds to a terrific finish, which every mix needs.

Now we know why the android is paranoid!

Because Radiohead ripped off the Pretty Things.

See for yoself.

Da Harvey Code

Neil has intimated, by comment and color-scheme, that his mix tape is in three parts. But what are the separate parts of this triptych? And who can unlock the ageless secrets of Da Harvey Code?

Harvey 11 - (Play This Loud)

Screw it. Here's my playlist ....

1) Dialogue: A message about non-comformity and collaboration by Jack Palance. Just be aware that we're getting close to ... burnout.

2) "Blockbuster" - by Sweet

3) and 4) "The Good Mr. Square"/"She Was Tall, She Was High" - by The Pretty Things

5) "Brain" - by The Action

6) Dialogue: A snippet from 1950's radio personality Symphony Sid, introducing Miles Davis' nonet during sessions for the "Birth of the Cool" album.

7) "Fools" - by The Dodos

8) "The Passenger" - by Iggy Pop

9) "The Littlest Birds" - by The Be Good Tanyas

10) "Corrina, Corrina" - by Bob Dylan

11) Dialogue: Excerpt from "The Twilight Zone" episode titled "Where Is Everybody?"

12) "Navajo Joe" - by Ennio Morricone

13) "Today's Your Day (Whachagonedu?)" - by Fatlip featuring Charli 2na

14) "Departures" - by Karminsky Experience, Inc.

"One with a Bullet"

I'm in the process of remixing and remastering my disc for this week.

Here's a very short Tobias Wolff story I came this close to tossing onto the tail end of the mix, just as kind of an odd parting gift or a "hidden track" Easter egg or something.

In the end it was easier just to post here.

T.C. Boyle reads it and if you're going to listen you should just go in cold and skip the pre-game discussion and scan forward to 2:45 on the track where the story starts.

mixes with no song limits

As some of you know I'm a member of another "Seedy Club" that trades mixes on a monthly basis. It's pretty much some college friends and friends of friends.

The two mixes I've received so far have been pretty genre-based. The first was a mix of mostly-instrumental DJ stuff: Aphex Twin, that sort of thing. The second was a two-disc set entitled "Classical Music You Probably Don't Have," which is self-explanatory.

I'd initially thought I'd do a two-disc mix with a pair of my favorite genres: Bluegrass and American hardcore punk. But as you'll see from the set-list below, I decided instead to build on my contribution to the 11-Songs CD club.



1) Eye On Springfield
- When I can put as many songs as I want, I like to start with something that bears little resemblance to the rest of the mix but still helps set the tone. Here we've got Kent Brockman's news theme song from the Simpsons.

2) Bankshot – Operation Ivy
3) Step Right Up – The Pietasters
- These were on my 11-Songs mix. It's a bit risky to put two instrumentals up front but I think works OK.

4) Carry Go Bring Come – The Selector
- Different song by the Selector than "Too Much Pressure" which was on the 11-Songs mix.

5) Nice Nice – The Kingstonians
6) Asshole Dub – Minor Threat
- More repeats from before.

7) Asshole – Government Issue
8) Wasteland – Artificial Peace
9) I Object – Youth Brigade
- DC Hardcore section.



10) Nerd Herder – Descendents
11) Henchman – Bad Religion
- A step to poppier hardcore punk.

12) Hate the Police – Mudhoney
13) Get It Away – SSD
14) No Te Debo Nada – Los Crudos
15) Fusible Front – DS-13
16) Umea Hardcore – DS-13
- A step back to the harder-edged stuff. Los Crudos is a Spanish-language neo-thrash band that broke up a few years back. DS-13 is from Sweden and absolutely awesome. "Umea Hardcore" ends in a way that I hope transitions to the next section.

17) Among the Living – Anthrax
18) Gypsy – Emperor
19) Raining Blood – Slayer
- Which is metal. "Gypsy" is a cover of a King Diamond song by a Norwegian black metal band. Anthrax and Slayer are of course classic thrash metal bands whose songs from the '80s don't sound anything like oldies.



20) My Window – The Resident
21) The Purgatory Line – Drive-By Truckers
- Slayer's "Raining Blood" ends with the sound of a thunderstorm passing through, so it serves as a nice transition to this pair of quieter, more contemplative tracks.

22) Where the Devil Don’t Stay – Drive-By Truckers
23) Ode to a Black Man – The Dirtbombs
- Rockers. "Where the Devil Don't Stay" is about moonshining.

24) It Was a Very Good Beer
25) The Irony of It All – The Streets
- Another Simpsons track that helps transition to a sort of novelty hip-hop track where a UK rapper debates the dualing mindsets of alcoholics and reefer addicts.

26) Judge Dread – Prince Buster All Stars
27) Jumpin’ Beans – The Beans
28) Carry Go Bring Come – Justin Hinds and the Dominoes
- Stuff from the 11-Songs mix. Note that this original "Carry Go Bring Come" brings the mix full-circle from the Selector cover up top.

29) Children Go Where I Send Thee – Marshall Family
- Send 'em home with an a cappella gospel tune. Which also compliments the satanic leanings of Emperor and Slayer.


The entire thing clocks in at just over 77 minutes.

And this, my friends, is what I think of while listening to it:

Double DUTCH

Sometimes I think it would be better if things were a little different or if Gwen Ifill had asked things different so that everyone would see that
OMG!!!!!

Macy's Eleven nonlinear notes

1. "Every Way," Mad Tea Party. I'm not lying: This is really just two people making all this noise, a couple from Asheville. He's playing the drums with his feet, the guitar with his hands and when he's not singing sometimes he plays the harmonica too. She plays the ukelele and sings and wears very awesome Frye boots, which make me real covetous. Thanks to our musician pals, Frances and Lee West, for tipping us off to them when they played 202 Market last month. And next time they're in town, I'll definitely let the squad know -- we should pack the place!

2. "I Love the Rain Most," by Joe Purdy. When I was little, I was the youngest in my neighborhood, and some of the bigger kids were too cool for me but sometimes they begrudgingly let me play. When it rained, I was 100-percent sure that they would not be outside playing without me.

3. "Downtime," by Chuck Prophet. Just a super-cool groove I happened onto via one of those "if you like that song, then you'll really like this song" features on itunes.

4. "At the Beach," by the Avett Brothers. They were in town recently, and I really wanted to go. Instead, I was at the Patrick Henry High School vs. Cave Spring football game watching my son's band march to "The Pyramids of Egypt." Priorities, man.

5. "Casimir Pulaski Day," by Sufjan Stevens. The line about the dad driving to the Navy yard parking lot just to prove he was sorry — killer story-telling. Writing like that makes me believe.

6. "Down the Line," by Jose Gonzalez. Recommended by the coolest niece ever named Willa Rose Vogel who was going to the Grassroots music festivals outside of Ithaca, N.Y., with her hippie parents when she was still in diapers (in their shit-brown van with the "check engine light" flashing red). She has a radio show on Monday nights at Colby College in Maine (though she's in Spain this semester). I'll send you the link when she's back on the air, and maybe she'll give us a shout-out.

7. "Soft and Sweet," by G. Love & Special Sauce. He's all gushy with his new baby on this one — so this is for Sam and Seth and Kathy and John and all our newly urped-upon pals out there.

8. "Everybody Move It," by Teddy Thompson, son of Richard and Linda Thompson, recommended a while back by Kurt Rheinheimer, who writes great short stories about baseball and heartbreak.

9. "Scythian Empires," by Andrew Bird, recommended months ago by our mystery guest, Chris Henson. Chris creates amazing things on his computer while at the same time listening to music and watching "Citizen Kaine" and reading liberal blogs — and yes, I do worry about him come Nov. 5 — at 4:30 in the morning.

10. "Plaid Lined Jacket," by Tom Brosseau, another Willa Rose favorite.

11. "Ed is a Portal," by the Akron Family. I don't know what it means, but it's a great groove to work out to.

The debate's starting, gotta run. Thanks for all the great tunes -- I'm really enjoying these little weekly gifts.

Late night video mini-mix

None of these songs or bands will be included on my mix (which will soon be released on random days at random times in random ways).

The Chinese Translation.

T. Rex.

4 Cent.

The Monks.

The NEW Schedule

Sos I made a mistake with the first schedule cause Grant J. is a squad member and was mistakenly left off the schedule that I posted here before. So here's the UPDATED calendar which we will now be using:

Sept. 3: Mason
Sept. 10: Meg
Sept. 17: Jared
Sept. 24: Tad
Oct. 1: Beth
Oct. 8: Neil
Oct. 15: Jorge
Oct. 22: Matt
Oct. 29: Pete
Nov. 5: Grant
Nov. 12: David
Nov. 19: Mystery member Chris Henson

Closing notes:

>This primarily affects the end of the order: David and Chris. And Matt, who will probably have to tell Chris.

>And remember to include Grant on your CD distribution list.

Apologies,

Pete

Anyone want a random, unlabeled mix?

I'm trying to burn a mix for my *other* mix group, the Seedy Club, but my disc is so mind-blowingly awesome it's apparently short-circuited the program I'm using to burn the CDs.

Three times now I've had the right set list on my screen, but when I burn the disc some songs are left off and others are re-ordered.

The mixes are unlabeled but include a mix of the ska music from my first disc, some early 80s hardcore and revivalist neo-thrash from the early 00s, a couple of Drive-By Truckers tunes, a rocker from the Dirtbombs and even a couple of metal tracks including one from SLAYER~~~!!!!!11!

I've got three.

Come see me if you want one.

11_4_1

Getting these together was a cluster, because of my tiny, tiny brain.

Some of you will get a CDs with a zip file written on them.

Some of you will get a CD with a list of songs in this order:

1. Spirit, King Johnson
2. Strollin' With Bone, T-Bone Walker
3. Pray Enough, The Wood Brothers
4. Teen Town, Weather Report
5. Methamphetamine, Old Crow Medicine Show
6. Lester's Dream, Benny Goodman small band, feat. Charlie Christian and Lester Young
7. All I Do, Derek Trucks Band
8. Davy Crockett, Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit
9. Funky Revival, Satan and Adam
10. Congo Square, Sonny Landreth
11. Drunk All Around This Town, Scott Miller

Others will get order (the one I originally intended):

1. Funky Revival, Satan and Adam -- Adam Gussaw was a broken-hearted Princeton post-grad student wandering around in Harlem when he discovered Sterling "Mr. Satan" McGee, a one-man band busking on the streets. Gussaw pulled out his harp, and Satan and Adam was born. This song is from "Word on the Street", a collection of those Harlem street performances. I think of it as urban-blues-trance music.

2. Spirit, King Johnson -- The first of two cuts centered on my old Musicians Institute pal, Oliver Wood. King Johnson was one of Atlanta's most popular roots bands, but broke up when the bass player moved. Oliver's just fine -- he's recorded two albums with his brother, Chris (of Medeski Martin & Wood), under the name The Wood Brothers, and he just finished producing Shemekia Copeland's upcoming album. Shemekia told me Oliver is a genius. By the way, Oliver and I were part of a small group that hung out a lot, but we never heard him sing a word.

3. Strollin' With Bone, T-Bone Walker -- Walker was the predecessor to Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and Prince. He did splits. He played the guitar behind his back. And he played blues licks that everyone who followed has stolen. Berry, in my opinion, owes at least half his guitar style to Walker.

4. Pray Enough, The Wood Brothers -- More from the aforementioned Mr. Wood.

5. Teen Town, Weather Report -- Jaco Pastorius on bass. Alex Acuna on drums. God's own rhythm section. Pastorius and his fretless bass work laid the ground for many fusion players to follow. He was a drunk and a heroin addict, and was so belligerant at a hometown bar one night that bouncers beat him to death. They had no idea who he was, not that it would've mattered.

6. Methamphetamine, Old Crow Medicine Show -- Brand new music from an old-time band. Songwriter Ketch Secor told me that U.S. 220 is a road from which he draws much inspiration, which in part explains his line about meth's reach "from Rocky Mount to Northeast Tennessee." The rest of the explanation is poetic license. Great tune, great band. They'll be in Roanoke Oct. 25. Ya'all come out, y'hear?

7. Lester's Dream, Benny Goodman small band, feat. Charlie Christian and Lester Young -- Both Young and Christian prefigured bebop in a lot of ways. They were usually at the late-night club sessions that created it. Goodman was a killer clarinetist, but his real strength was finding cats like these.

8. All I Do, Derek Trucks Band -- Trucks is my favorite guitar player right now. He takes it to Mars and back on the ending solo. In between, he and Kofi Burbridge trade fours with guitar and flute, after Burbridge has torn up a clavinet solo. I have a lot of Trucks music, and if you want to hear more, just ask. Or go see DTB at Jefferson Center on Oct. 24.

9. Davy Crockett, Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit -- I almost never hear a song in a record store that inspires me to buy a CD, but this song did that. I was at Tower Records, Nashville, and my life has not been the same since. Hampton is a musical father to Trucks, by the way. On this song, hear smoking solos from Matt Mundy (mandolin), Oteil Burbridge (Kofi's older brother, on bass) and Jimmy Herring (on guitar).

10. Congo Square, Sonny Landreth -- The Neville Brothers scored a minor hit with this song, written by Landreth and Mel Melton. This version is better. If Trucks is my favorite, Landreth is second, or tied with Trucks. In that respect, it's not a coincidence that they're both transcendant slide guitar players.

11. Drunk All Around This Town, Scott Miller -- I believe that everything Miller wrote about in this song actually happened.

Notes to come.

What to do with a tardy Tad...

Hate to play squad cop, friends, but it's come to this.

Mr. Dickens is late. Two days at this point (Friday, 10:19 a.m.).

Inevitable this would happen, I guess, people being flawed as they are. We could let him off with a warning, but I suggest to you that if we let the rule of law slide on this, we one day confront anarchy in our little regulated world. What's next, CDs with TEN, nay, TWELVE songs?

We must hold the line and discipline our brother, and do it because we love him, and because we are a squad of laws.

What to do with a tardy squad member...

Require push-ups? Running laps? Too gym class, perhaps.

Pull his pony tail? Too WWE, it would seem.

Perhaps strap him to his chair, tape his earbuds in and make him listen to some of the high quality promo discs he's stooped to part with lately. Can't understand why he'd want to let go of "Words of Love" by Jil Aigrot or "Prism: The Human Family Songbook" by Beth Nielsen Chapman.

And your ideas?




-- Matt

Songs for long-distance lovin'

Seems that no matter how close a relationship you've got to your significant other, you're going to spend some time apart at some point or another.

Music is of course a great way to bridge the gap for a bit.

But long-distance love mixes are fraught with peril. You've gotta vet every song on that mix or risk sending an unintended message. Example: I love story songs. But a lot of them deal with killings, sometimes of loved ones, so those tunes should probably be ruled out.

So with that in mind, here are a few time-tested favorites that come Mason-recommended:

• "This is Love" by PJ Harvey. Classic opening line here: "I can't believe that life is so complex, when I just wanna sit here and watch you undress."
  
  
• "That Purgatory Line" by the Drive-By Truckers. This is a newer song and not what you might expect from the Truckers. Bassist Shonna Tucker kind of reminds me of a low-rent Emmylou Harris or Neko Case. Good lyrical phrasing over an atmospheric sound.
  
  
• "Wait a Minute" by the Seldom Scene. Bluegrass legends take it down a notch to sing about lovers leaving to go "far away again." Sad and muted.
  
  
• "Nothing With You" or "Cheer" or any of the Descendents' pop-punk love songs. They're fun, sincere and help balance out any of the more mournful songs like "That Purgatory Line" or "Wait a Minute."
  
  
• Anything by Barry White. The funk-soul crooner's appeal is obvious: His songs practially drip with sultry sexual overtones. Barry's only flaw is that he's often a bit heavy-handed; one way to avoid that is to go with a cover. Two of my favorites are the Dirtbombs covering "I'm Qualified to Satisfy You," giving it a garage makeover, and the Afghan Whigs covering "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Baby" where singer Greg Dulli dispenses with White's smoothness, opting instead for a desperate howl that sounds like a addict craving something he's missing. Of course, sometimes you want to go for something more direct than a cover can provide. And in that case, don't be afraid to break out Barry.
  
  
• Selected songs by the Twilight Singers or the Afghan Whigs. I love both of these bands (who both include the aforementioned Dulli) for their alterna-soul sound. They say, "I grew up on grunge in the 90s, but I've got plenty of swagger and slinkiness too." They're raunchy but have a sensitive side as well. Definitely stay away from the Afghan Whigs Gentlemen album though. It's great but definitely sends the wrong message for this kind of mix.
  
  
• Selected songs from the Motown and Stax labels. It doesn't get any better than the great soul singers that were showcased on these two labels: Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas and many many many more.
  
  

Just a final note. Not every song has to be love-based, of course. I always like to include something that's relevent to the reason you're separated. If she's away at college, for instance, I might use the Descendents' "Mass Nerder," with its timeless refrain: "Gonna kick their asses in class, gonna get good grades."

The Schedule

Pplz have asked for the schedule.

Sept. 3: Mason

Sept. 10: Meg

Sept. 17: Jared

Sept. 24: Tad

Oct. 1: Beth

Oct. 8: Neil

Oct. 15: Jorge

Oct. 22: Matt

Oct. 29: Pete

Nov. 5: David
Nov. 12: Mystery member Chris Henson

--Pete

Liveblogging "Bros" by Panda Bear

0:00 was that an owl?

0:14 yes it was

0:25 I'm feeling a Phil Spector-Beach Boys collaboration

2:48 I heard someone menace a child in the background

4:34 hypnotic

6:38 the owl is back

6:56 ...and in full effect

7:33 if you play this part backwards they're saying "milk. milk. lemonade."

9:03 the child has been fully menaced

9:27 "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

10:55 a lady bug just landed next to my computer, perhaps responding to some primitive rhythms from the Panda Bear percussion section

--Pete

Stalking by mixed tape

This talk of mixed tapes puts me in mind of weird experience I had when I first started working here. I think everyone in the squad, save Beth, will be too young to remember this, and few actually know about it.

I started working here in 1993, and very soon after that wrote a column -- my first real story for TRT -- about what a drag it was to have a masters degree and still need three jobs to get by. A day later, I got a vaguely threatening message on my answering machine at home in a distorted voice.

I promptly changed my phone number and made it unlisted.

A few weeks after that, I got an obscure padded envelope in the mail. It was a mixed tape, a Maxell full of 90-minutes worth of songs of which I can't remember a single title. It wasn't awful. There was no identifying information, but I listened to the tape out of curiosity to see if there was something on it that might indicate who it was from.

Near the end of the first side, I think, there was an interruption by a voice that resembled, more than anything else, that of Cookie Monster. The voice said, almost like a chant, "Lisa, Lisa, who's your boyfriend now?"

Creepy.

Soon after that, I got a call from a woman who lived in Raleigh Court named Lisa, who happened to work in the backshop at the paper. This was in the days when we had a backshop and still put the paper together with Exacto knives and hot wax. She wanted to know why I had sent her some weird mixed tape. She had received a package like mine, with my name and home address as the return address. (I'm not sure, but I think mine may have had her address, too.)

We talked, she trusted that I hadn't in fact sent the tape, and the only connection we could make was that we both worked at the paper.

It remained a mystery. Some other things happened. I got some more weird mail that was usually about people who worked at the paper. I remember one reference to then-Editor Frosty Landon as a "menacing troll."

As it turned out, I wasn't the only one being harassed. The others were mainly women, at least one of whom still works here in the news department. Unbeknownst to me, they had complained of weird behavior by a certain Manpower employee who worked in the backshop. His name was Scott. That triggered an investigation, and one day the guy, whom I recognized instantly, was escorted from the building.

Thus ended my initiation into the weirdness that working for a newspaper invites.

--Matt

Eleventeen by Jared

1.) All This Time by The Heartless Bastards
You can't beat the line "Since you took my breath again, would you share your oxygen."

2.) Cindy Incidentally by The Faces
Everyone needs to own a copy of their album "Ooh La La."

3.) Free Tonight by Dri
Straight out of Lawrence, Kansas. She makes dance music for stoners.

4.) You Make Me Feel Good by The Zombies
This song was in heavy rotation on the jukebox at the bar I frequented back in Lawrence. It took me a year to figure out who played this song but I could sing a long without missing a beat.

5.) Bros by Panda Bear
So...what if it's a twelve minute song. It feels like I'm on a walking tour of a water colored fishing village in Portugal during the spring with a Brian Wilson impersonator as my guide.



6.) Proofs by Mates of State
I like organs.

7.) Let's Get Out of This Country by Camera Obscura
I enjoy listening to this song in airports or any mode of transportation.

8.) Diamond Ring by The Rosewood Thieves
When I'm sick of all my music I can always come back to these guys.

9.) Outta Mind (Outta Sight) by Wilco
There are two versions of this song on Wilco's Being There album. The other version may have been on Vanessa's mixtape.

10.) Prank Calls by Kelly Stoltz
If someone decides to make a movie about me I'd love for this song to be in the "feel good wrap up section" of the film. This song makes me smile.

11.) Queen Bitch by David Bowie
I don't claim to be able to read music or understand chord changes but I will say that this song is played in the key of fun. It makes me we want to cause trouble but in a good way, like that kid in Home Alone.

--Jared

The Wackness

In "The Wackness," now playing at the Grandin, two characters exchange mix tapes. (It is 1994, so the technology make sense.) And shortly, a scene ensues that every mix-tape maker hopes for:

Ben Kingsley, playing a middle-aged psychiatrist and classical music lover, puts on the tape, sparks a J and improbably nods along to the De La Soul song "Can I Kick It?"

That's worth at least 50 points on the mixmaking scoreboard. It is -- and here it means introducing someone to a new genre, artist and song that they immediately decide they like -- a great pleasure of playing mixologist.

Other mix points

+ 20 points :: an obscure pop song from the late '70s that no one has heard and everyone immediately likes

+ 15 points :: a song by R. Kelly that is later played at the mix recipient's wedding

+ 5 points :: a song everyone has heard before,  but in the context of your mix makes people reconsider it and ultimately decide they like it more

+ 0 points :: a song with the words "Love is like..." 

- 25 points :: Kid Rock's "All Summer Long"

Meanwhile, here is "The Wackness" soundtrack.

--Pete

Indecision 2008

I've got the first song selected for my edition of the 11 club. In fact I've had it in my head well before Mason's disc was burned, sleeved, and shared with the group. The closing song could go a couple different ways depending upon how the mix comes together but I've got a few options. So, I guess that's the question I'm attempting to answer right now on this Monday night.

I'm at a fork in the road or several.


Do I try to weave together a story with each track, hoping that the listener picks up on the subtleties of each song to understand the whole narrative arc of the mix? Maybe, I rewind to '96 and recreate the compilation I passed to Vanessa Bohaty after third period. Or do I try to make an all star selection of beer jams that completely rock the party? The obscure is often admired, maybe a collection of Finnish grooves. Since it's an election year I could go all political and really try to make a statement through some crunchy tunes.

But, really I think I'll just overthink it, say the hell with it at the eleventh hour and just hit burn on the last 11 songs on my iPod's "Recently Played" list.

--Jared

Make it a dozen

We have a new (mystery) member of the 11.S.C.D.S. His name is Chris Henson and he's not in the newsroom. He's a buddy of Matt's (and Beth's, too). 

Matt explains:

...I was telling a friend of mine, Chris Henson, about the whole deal. Long and short, he wants in. Like me, he's looking for ways to find new music.

If it helps, he's got terrific taste.

But you don't have to burn an extra CD. Matt said he'll handle it. And for the record, I'll put Chris down for Nov. 12.

--Pete

RetroPost: Mason's Picks

11’s #1: Mason

1) Concrete Jungle – The Specials

I chose this song to lead off the mix because I like the "Blitzkrieg Bop" (Ramones) tease by the crowd and band at the beginning.

2) Rudy a Message to You – Dandy Livingstone

This is from a two-disc mixing of old Trojan ska tunes by DJ Spooky. There's not much change from the originals, other than he cleaned up the sound and emphasized the bass a bit.

3) Step Right Up – The Pietasters

This is the band I learned to drink beer to and the band I learned to dance to. They play Roanoke sometimes and are worth seeing.

4) Nice Nice – The Kingstonians

Also from the DJ Spooky thing.

5) Carry Go Bring Come – Justin Hinds and the Dominoes

Love the pairing of the horn melody and beat in the first few bars.

6) Judge Dread – Prince Buster All Stars

I really like "judge" songs in the ska & rocksteady genre. Probably my favorite was the bits done by the Specials in "Stupid Marriage" but I only have that on vinyl and not on CD.

7) Jumpin’ Beans – The Beans

Not much to say, other than this is a sort of complement to the Pietasters song.

8) Hey Leroy – Honey Boy Martin

This one cracks me up: "Call your mamie!"

9) Too Much Pressure – The Selecter

It's only in the past year or two that I started to look at second-wave ska beyond the Specials and the English Beat. The Selecter is a really good, underrated band and I had a tough time picking whether to go with this song, their version of "Carry Go Bring Come" or another one or two of their tunes.

10) Bankshot – Operation Ivy

Some of these guys went on to form Rancid. I like this instrumental b/c it's peppy and short.

11) Asshole Dub – Minor Threat

This early 80s Washington DC band is known for its hardcore punk (which is aweome) but this is a really good dub song, especially for a band not used to playing that style. The original punk version, by DC punks Government Issue (GI), is a great song and worth seeking out too.

--Mason

RetroPost: Mason's CD

Mason started things for the Squad last week, with some easy skanking:

[...] It's a little more genre-based than I thought my first effort would be, but that's the kind of stuff I've been listening to lately. My next offering will be a little more eclectic.

Enjoy!

It was a lot of new material for me. Though, from my Sublime-heavy adolescence, I recognized the "stop your messing around" riff on the song "A Message To You, Rudy." Sublime teased it in their song "DJs" (hit the 3:00 mark on the video below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72m3mmyD4PM

As you listen, put on a pair of JNCO's, grow a 19-hair goatee and pretend you drive a VW Fox. Now you're pretty much me in high school. Whazzup, Pete.

--Pete