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."