Categories
Musics

Getting The Spins: Old 97’s – Drag It Up

(New West Records, 2004)

Shit’s crazy out there, and I just needed some comfort food. My beloved Old 97’s always deliver the feel-goods. Plus I’ve been thinking about the band lately. Partly because I’ll be interviewing the band’s frontman Rhett Miller on Monday (stay tuned for the interview right here!) about their new record and other topical stuff. I also got into a Twitter discussion with a friend today about which album was their worst. Honestly, they haven’t put out a truly bad record, although Drag It Up seems to come up in those types of discussions by fans and the band alike. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed when it was released in 2004 (later reissued on vinyl in 2012), coming off the big-production power pop album Satellite Rides. Comparatively, this one is far more raw and subdued, but over the years it’s become one of my favorites by the band. “Valium Waltz” and “In the Satellite Rides a Star” (the latter of which was accompanied by one of the best videos ever made) are fantastically somber and doesn’t sound like anything the band has done. In fact, the entire record doesn’t sound like anything they’ve done, from the mid-fi production to the diversity and overall dark weirdness of the songs. Definitely a cult classic…or a sleeper hit in waiting–at least in my feeble mind.

Categories
L-I-V-I-N

Stay Strong

To say we’re living in crazy times is an understatement at this point. Aside from the usual day-to-day political madness, we are dealing with an escalating pandemic. Now I’m not here to add to the hysteria around COVID-19, but we should take the precautions seriously. Especially for those most susceptible to getting sick.

Personally, I’m trying to not be overly paranoid, but I also don’t want to be flippant about the severity of the virus. And because the information on the Coronavirus is changing so quickly, I’m really relying on basic common sense–avoiding large crowds when possible (this is, of course, has essentially been mandated in some states), working on not touching my face, and washing my hands more often. This will help alleviate the spread of the virus.

If we’re not smart about it now this will affect more and more people, even those who are young and healthy. It’s already affecting people’s livelihoods, and the financial harm will likely wreak more havoc than the virus itself. Be smart. Be compassionate toward others. Listen to your doctor. Listen to your local government. Read trusted news sources (while keeping in mind that the information available is constantly changing). And stay strong.

Categories
Musics

Getting The Spins: Steve Hillage – Green

(Virgin, 1978)

I’ve been looking for this for a while now. For some reason this one ain’t cheap, even though you can find other Hillage records for under 10 bucks. Anyway, I traded in some old junkers and got this shiny Japanese pressing for nothing, and I’m stoked. Steve Hillage was, of course, once part of the mighty Gong, the tripped-out British space prog band that put a out a string of (inter)stellar records in the 1970s. While Hillage’s first three solo albums are guitar onslaughts, Green dives into more synthesizers and gets a little funkier. This one has lots of twists and turns, and it’s probably my favorite Hillage record, which I’m sure to many is considered Hillage sacrilege.

Categories
Politicking

Stupor Tuesday

How is it we’ve come to the conclusion that Biden and Trump are the best options for this country?
A sad ass.

We’re fucked. And I don’t necessarily mean because Joe Biden picked up more delegates than Bernie Sanders on Tuesday. I mean, yeah…that’s not good. At all. But this country is in a bad way right now.

When the racist, incompetent, ignorant and deceitful sphincter-mouthed sociopath currently in office won in 2016, the first word that came to mind was “education.” That’s a very oversimplified conclusion to how Donald Trump–Donald-fucking-Trump–became president of the United States of America, and I’m not saying everyone needs to go to college. But I felt, and still feel, that a lack of critical thinking among the electorate has been a major factor in getting us to this point. It doesn’t help that voters are duped at every turn. Or that certain segments of the population are suppressed. It’s a recipe for whatever you want to call what’s currently happening.

And for some ungodly reason, we haven’t learned anything from 2016. Like, we still can’t even get behind the idea of a woman as president (in 20-goddamn-20!), which I’m convinced is the reason why Elizabeth Warren–the most qualified candidate in this current field–has had such a miserable showing. Simultaneously the DNC continues to play games and create more distrust and apathy among voters. That those running still refuse to talk about the environment is just another wilted cherry on this turd sundae.

This is not over. But the growing emergence of Joe Biden–a man with dementia and no policy–and Donald Trump–a man with dementia and no penis–as the most suitable choices to lead the people of this country is a dire spot to be in. We’re stupid. We’re ignorant. And, worse yet, we’re complacent (why aren’t there protests every weekend?). I naively used to have faith in humanity, but this feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Coronavirus, take us away.

Categories
Musics

Getting The Spins: Buffy Sainte-Marie – Illuminations

(Vanguard, 1969)

Easily the best $10 I spent at the Eugene Record Show this past weekend. I’d forgotten this was on my list until I saw Buffy looking back at me from the bin. This cosmic cult classic veers from Sainte-Marie’s more traditional style of folk music (although, she was an outsider even then)–it’s darker and more experimental than anything she’s done, pushing her voice and instrumentation into ghostly realms. Sainte-Marie is a trailblazer on many levels. On Illuminations she ran her vocals through a Buchla 100 synthesizer, something that hadn’t been done before. She was probably the first woman to talk about, and breastfeed, on television. Throughout her career she’s been outspoken about women’s and Native Americans’ place in society. She denounced Vietnam and the Nixon Administration. Simply put: Illuminations and Buffy Sainte-Marie were lightyears ahead of their time.

Categories
Musics

DJ Mark In the Dark @ Ground Kontrol

Tonight! Another raucous night of heavy metal at Ground Kontrol. I bought a couple of rippers today at the Eugene Record Show, and they’re ready to be unleashed. 8 p.m. – 2 minutes to midnight!

Categories
The Liberal Media

Fake News Revue

Facebook really saved me this morning from potentially sharing this “news story” from The Onion. Turns out Facebook’s team of crack fact-checkers couldn’t verify the validity of a claim that a WWE staff member shot an aggressive wrestler after a child had climbed into his cage. First off, I’m relieved it wasn’t true, as it would have been a tragedy for the child and their family, not to mention the irreversible damage the WWE would have incurred. Second, I almost shared this link on my social medias…then what would’ve happened? It would have likely been shared by parents and grandparents and that one uncle, gone viral, and then the president himself would have tweeted about it. We live in scary times.

Categories
Musics

Getting The Spins: Richard and Linda Thompson – I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight

(Island, 1974)

There aren’t many artists that can easily bring me to tears, but Richard and Linda Thompson sure can. Linda’s voice alone does that, but add Richard’s low-end harmony and I melt into a puddle. Or when he squeezes off one of those moving guitar solos. Or when he drops a minor chord in just the right spot. I listen to I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight a lot–sometimes it’s the only thing that gets me through the day with my faculties intact. “The Cavalry Cross” makes time stand still, and the title track is a joyous sliver of hedonistic ’70s barroom rock. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Timi Donald, whose laid back, yet precise drumming is one of my favorite things about this record (he’s also excellent on John Cale’s Slow Dazzle). This album is perfection and, if you’re looking for more, 1975’s Pour Down Like Silver notches only slightly lower for me.

Categories
Musics

Getting The Spins: U2 – The Joshua Tree

(Island, 1987)

As a metalhead–and a knucklehead–in high school, bands like U2 and INXS were like poison (not Poison…I liked them), and best avoided. And just imagine my horror back then when The Edge was making “best guitarists” lists alongside Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett. I grew to appreciate those bands (and The Edge) after the fact. While I still enjoy The Joshua Tree for the most part, I can see it for being the overwrought record that it is. Honestly, I just put it on so I could listen to “In God’s Country,” which is still a magical three minutes, and, to me, the reason The Edge made those lists back in 1987.

Categories
L-I-V-I-N

Happy Birthday, Mark In the Dark

My friend Mark Arnone would have been 47 today. He was the OG DJ Mark In the Dark and, as you can see, a massive KISS fan. In fact, that’s how we met in high school. I was drawing Gene Simmons on my notebook, and he saw it, and that was it. We did all kinds of degenerate things together. We went to a bunch of KISS shows. I was the best man in his wedding. Mark died too soon–only 36–and that is only amplified the older I get. I miss him. Happy birthday, friend.