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Musics

Getting The Spins: The B-52’s – Wild Planet

(Warner Bros., 1980)

I’ve always had a soft spot for The B-52’s. Over the past few years, however, that soft spot has grown into a full-on love affair. OK, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but I really do adore these weirdos. And Wild Planet is such a killer record…I may even like it a touch more than their spotless self-titled debut; just don’t tell anyone. This record boasts songs like “Devil In My Car” and the better-known “Private Idaho” but I absolutely love the darker and more subdued trot of “Dirty Back Road,” with Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson reining in their vocals while still letting them perfectly melt together. No one sounds, nor looks, like The B-52’s–pure punk, new wave, surf, girl-group weirdness. And more influential than they get credit for. Time to rekindle your love affair with this Athens, Georgia, peach right now.

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Podkissed

The Carl & Daddy Show, Ep. 6: Trees and Plants

By Carl, 2020.

Carl’s been wanting to do this episode for some time…so here it is. Plants! Trees! Trees! Plants! We need them. They help keep the air we breath clean. They provide food. They’re beautiful. And they’re fun to plant! Just ask Carl. And just listen here.

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Musics

DJ Mark In the Dark…Live From the Garage

Our current reality informs me that this is how I’ll be doing DJ sets for some time (I wrote about it here). So be it. These have actually been fun, and I look forward to spinning records in my garage each week–endless music, endless whiskey and, of course, connecting with friends and even strangers…join me tonight on Twitch and let’s have fun (hey, it’s all we’ve got right now!). Tonight is all genres, requests and mayhem (Saturday sets are themed/genre specific). Things start at 9pm PST, and I’ll go as long as people are hanging out. And head over here to find out my weekly DJ schedule.

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Musics

Junie Had a Little L(7)amb

A couple weeks ago my beloved L7 put out a call for people to send photos and videos to potentially be included in a new video for their single “Fake Friends,” which includes Joan Jett on backing vox.

I may have had an old photo laying around of my sweet li’l riot grrrl, June, holding a stuffed lamb wearing a shirt with the L7 logo embroidered in it (made by a dear friend, who knows me all too well). I submitted it, and when the video went live today I gave a look, and there she was–June Jett, right at the 2:30 mark.

The 7-inch for “Fake Friends” and “Witchy Burn,” which I wrote about a month ago, is also available for preorder now on Jett’s label Blackheart Records. I love rock ‘n’ roll!

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Podkissed

The Carl & Daddy Show, Ep. 5: “Distance”

Distance. And wear a mask.

There was some hesitation to do an episode about our current pandemic/quarantine reality. But one of the main reasons for starting The Carl & Daddy Show in 2019 was to document what was happening in Carl’s life at specific times. And while some listeners might be tired of reading/talking about COVID-19, it’s our reality nonetheless. Here’s what two months of quarantine has been like from the perspective of a precocious 5-year-old. Listen from a responsible distance right here.

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Musics

Getting The Spins: Betty Davis – They Say I’m Different

(Just Sunshine, 1974)

Betty Davis was ahead of her time in so many ways–lyrically, musically, visually. She did not give a fuck. Davis only released three records–her 1973 self-titled, this one, and 1974’s Nasty Gal–but they were a force. She was a force. I’m not going to say Betty Davis slid into complete obscurity after her three-album run–people knew of her–but it was probably Light In the Attic’s 2007 reissues of her three records, along with a release of outtakes produced by her then-husband Miles (yes, that Miles Davis), that more people got to know Betty Davis and her cosmic funk (a documentary was also released in 2017).

They Say I’m Different smokes, and the grooves are as nasty as her lyrics, evident in the first two tracks “Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him” (sampled by Ice Cube on “Once Upon a Time In the Projects”) and “He Was a Big Freak” (“I’d tie him up with my turquoise chain…”). I found an original copy a few years ago, which has been–as I call it–partied hard. But the crackles are part of the party. And this record is always the life of the party. Guaranteed to knock your socks off…or your turquoise chain.

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Podkissed

The Carl & Daddy Show, Ep. 4: Star Wars…OG!

A very serious The Carl & Daddy Show, where we discuss the original Star Wars trilogy. And perhaps answer the most important question of our time: Which is better: Empire, or Jedi? Find out here.

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Musics

Getting The Spins: David Bowie – Station to Station

(RCA, 1976)

Which is your favorite Bowie record? It’s a fun question that brings out all sorts of answers due to the extensiveness of David Bowie’s catalog. Station to Station might not be my number one Bowie record (that might go to The Man Who Sold the World), but it is easily in my top three. Ask me next week, and I’m sure I’ll give you a completely different answer. Station to Station marks a pretty significant transition for Bowie, as it combines the funk and soul influences of his previous record Young Americans, while nodding toward the German electronic influence that would shape Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, starting with 1977’s Low. Bowie infamously doesn’t recall the recording of this album, partly due to his heavy cocaine use at the time, evidenced by this 1974 interview with Dick Cavett, as well as this fantastic and fantastical film, which Bowie starred in before recording Station to Station.

Oh yeah…the record! “Golden Years” was a big single for Bowie, one that even landed him an appearance on Soul Train, in which he lip-synced…again, sorta awkward and coke-up. It’s a fantastic song. And the title-track is one of my favorite all-time Bowie songs–a 10-minute, spaced-out disco inferno, which showcases the hot-shit rhythm section of bassist George Murray and drummer Dennis Davis. “Word On a Wing” is one of Bowie’s most aching songs, both lyrically and vocally. I listened to it over and over after Bowie’s death in 2016, and it absolutely crushed me. Still does. Welp, this got sad real quick. Soooo…what’s your favorite Bowie record?

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Musics

Getting The Spins: Smog – Knock Knock

(Drag City, 1999)

I’m a Bill Callahan fan–although, I have to say I’m not super familiar with his vast catalog. What I do know is that Knock Knock is a phenomenal record, worthy of any occasion. Like a lot of people, my first exposure to Smog came though 2000’s High Fidelity, which featured “Cold Blooded Old Times.” It’s an upbeat, chugging rock song with a black heart, as Callahan lobs a barrage of lyrical darts about an abusive relationship and the affects it has on a child. Of course, Callahan has the voice to make those words really sting. Musically Knock Knock is essentially a folk record with lots of layers–children’s choirs, horns, fuzz guitars–and essentially a lot of the creature comforts of ’90s indie rock. And just look at the cover for chrissakes. If I saw that sleeve, knowing absolutely nothing about the artist, I’d assume it was either the worst band in the world, or the greatest. Smog is neither. But when I put on this record, it’s definitely the greatest experience in the world.

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Podkissed

The Carl & Daddy Show, Ep. 3: Mommy!

Mother’s Day is coming up, so Carl and Daddy pay tribute to our mommies, and mommies everywhere. Right here.