Playlist #288

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Happy Monday, folks. It’s the end of the first quarter here in Northern Virginia, but rather than attending my school’s professional day I’m at home taking a mental health day. Part of that involves giving y’all a new playlist, so here ya go.

  1. The Palms, “Maybe”: If I were the type of person to drive along the coast at midnight with the top down and the music cranked up, this would probably be the song I’d have on blast. Well, this, or America’s “Ventura Highway.”
  2. Drive-By Truckers, “Danko/Manuel”: Songs about The Band are uniformly pretty good, I’ve discovered.
  3. Counting Crows, “If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)”: Honestly, though, if I had a nickel for every song about the death of Richard Manuel, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it is weird that it happened twice.
  4. John Lee Hooker, “Boom Boom”: If I had a voice like John Lee Hooker, I would sing the damn phone book and it would sound awesome.
  5. Eric Clapton, “Sign Language”: If you ever want to hear Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan duet and sing about eating a sandwich, have I got a song for you.
  6. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “Chile”: I have always loved this song. It’s dark and mysterious and even after listening to it for almost 30 years, I still have no idea what it’s about. I love that.
  7. Jimmy Eat World, “The Middle”: I love that this song is basically the pop-punk version of George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass.”
  8. Mike Doughty, “Fort Hood”: “My new song is done.” “That’s great. What’s it like?” “Well, y’know, usual stuff in the verse, but then the chorus is just ‘Let the Sunshine In.'” “Great. Let’s record it.”
  9. Southern Culture on the Skids, “Voodoo Cadillac Blues”: It’s weird and grungy and feels slightly slimy in the best way possible. Smells like diesel smoke and Marlboro Reds and beer piss in the best way possible.
  10. Leo Sayer, “More Than I Can Say”: It’s 70s schmaltz, but I really like it. It’s a nice song. I sometimes listen to nice songs.

Playlist #287

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Happy Monday, folks! I know a lot of people are getting geared up for Halloween this weekend. I’ve never been one for dressing up for the holiday; it can often be tricky to find costumes that (1) I like and (2) fit. Anyway, here’s some music that will hopefully fit your mood.

  1. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “No Second Thoughts”: The thing I love about Tom Petty is how, just when I think I have a solid handle on his catalog, I can go back and listen to the second album (You’re Gonna Get It!) and discover a song I didn’t remember at all.
  2. Eddie 9 Volt, “Love Moves Slow”: It feels like lo-fi beats to study to had a baby with 90s R&B. I dig it.
  3. John Prine, “My God Thank You John”: Prine’s sense of humor never fails to amuse me and warm my heart.
  4. Indigo Elephant, “Don’t Wanna See It”: New indie pop-rock with plenty of the keyboards kids these days seem to love and some decent vocals.
  5. Charlie Sexton, “Burn”: Every day, I hope to hear an announcement that Charlie Sexton has recorded and is releasing a new album. And every day, my hopes are dashed to pieces. But hope springs eternal.
  6. Blackstreet, “No Diggity”: No diggity, no doubt.
  7. The Rolling Stones, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”: The Stones at their most drugged-out, their loosest, their most harrowed and haunted. And damn, it kicks ass.
  8. The Wallflowers, “The Bleeders”: I love the little organ flourish thing that starts this song. I someday hope to have such a flourish at the beginning of one of my own songs.
  9. The Who, “Going Mobile”: If you asked people for their top ten – no, their top twenty – Who songs, I doubt this would appear in one of every ten people you asked. Most folks wouldn’t recognize the song at all. It’s not a big one. But a snipit of it used to appear, however briefly, in a radio promo for KRXO back in Oklahoma when I was in high school, and it is stuck in my brain like a brain worm.
  10. Jesse Malin, “Crawling Back To You”: Beautiful Tom Petty cover, and a great way to round out the set this week.

Playlist #286

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s chilly in Northern Virginia this morning, which is fine by me. Gives me an excuse to break out a cardigan and head to work in style. Here’s a new playlist to get you through this autumnal week.

  1. Lucinda Williams, “Can’t Let Go”: I love the grungy delta blues feel of this song. I might even prefer this version to the Robert Plant/Allison Krauss version? I dunno, that feels a bit like blasphemy.
  2. Fantastic Cat, “Donnie Takes the Bus”: An indie singer-songwriter supergroup? It’s more likely than you’d think. I do love their sense of humor about themselves (their first album is called The Very Best of Fantastic Cat, which feels very Traveling Wilburys to me), and they can write a catchy as hell song.
  3. Andrew Bird & Ted Poor, “Here’s the Rub”: Am I disappointed that this just sounds like another Andrew Bird song? Like, that’s not a bad thing, of course. I like Andrew Bird’s stuff. But this just feels…I dunno, like he’s sitting in place for once, and that is not a trait I usually associate with his music.
  4. The Beatles, “For No One”: I just dig the French horn solo, okay? Also, it’s a beautiful, heartbreaking song.
  5. Better Than Ezra, “At the Stars”: This band just made great music that I can’t help but sing along to.
  6. Electric Light Orchestra, “All She Wanted”: What is better than Jeff Lynne and George Harrison getting together on a song? Nothing, that’s what.
  7. Neil Young, “Harvest”: Is there a better Neil Young song? I submit to you that there is not.
  8. Louis Armstrong, “Mack the Knife”: My wife can argue with me about the Bobby Darrin version all she likes. It doesn’t have Bobby throwin’ it to himself for the trumpet solo, so this version is obviously better.
  9. Frank Turner, Silent Key”: We’ve been showing our classes the movie A Million Miles Away, about the first Latin-American astronaut, Jose Hernandez, and it always puts me in mind of this song about the failed Challenger mission in the mid-80s. I watched that mission on tv with my kindergarten class, and I distinctly remember watching that shuttle explode. It was harrowing.
  10. The Moody Blues, “Ride My See-Saw”: If you need a pick-me-up, this is the song for you. The Moody Blues are seldom what I’d call a fun band, but this song is definitely fun and upbeat and a good one to sing along with.

Playlist #285

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Happy Monday and happy Indigenous People’s Day! We don’t talk about that Italian guy who sailed for Spain around here. We do talk about our new kittens, though! Say hello to Chloe (the Siamese) and Gert (the tortie)!

They are adorable and I would die for them. They’re both absolute cuddle bugs and just purr like an outboard motor. I would rather be at home hanging out with them than stuck here at work. Anyway, here’s a playlist

  1. .Mondo Cozmo, “Shine”: Is this a Contemporary Christian song? I fear I’ve lost the ability to tell, really. It’s a good song, though, with plenty of energy and a fairly sing-along sort of chorus.
  2. The Cranberries, “Dreams”: I was telling my brother the other day that, even if you only ever heard the big Cranberries songs like this one, “Zombie,” or “Linger,” you’d still be able to immediately know exactly what a Cranberries song sounded like. They are very identifiable.
  3. Ron Wood, “Mystifies Me”: This is just such a damn good love song, from right as the Faces were falling apart but just before he joined the Stones (in fact, Keith and Mick both appear on this album).
  4. Starsailor, “Good Souls”: I still think the rhythm to this song sounds like the Who’s “The Seeker.” Maybe it’s just that bassline.
  5. The National, “Wake Up Your Saints”: Love the horns in this song. It’s one of the jauntier tunes in the band’s catalog.
  6. David Gray, “As I’m Leaving”: It’s a quiet, folky song that I love listening to in darker times.
  7. HAIM, “The Wire”: Start with the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight,” then go off at a completely different angle. That’s this song. It’s pretty good.
  8. Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”: Quiet and jazzy, thoughtful and soulful. I expect nothing less from Norah Jones.
  9. Stevie Wonder, “Superstition”: God, that clav intro is just so. Damn. Good.
  10. Stray Cats, “Rock This Town”: The way the guitar just struts through this song always sends me.

Playlist #284

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s a dreary one here in Northern Virginia, but that won’t stop the rock!

  1. The Beatles, “Little Girl”: A song cut from Rubber Soul, and if I’m being honest, there was good reason. There’s just not much to the song, lyrically or musically. I mean, even John Lennon can stumble once in a while.
  2. Elvis Costello, “Miracle Man”: Aside from listening to the super deluxe version of Rubber Soul (which features three different versions of the album. Three!), I’ve also started listening to the 49th Anniversary edition of Costello’s My Aim Is True, and it’s still a great record. The acerbic wit just does not let up with this man.
  3. Gin Blossoms, “Idiot Summer”: Classic Gin Blossoms. Only downloaded the album because I assumed it was rerecorded versions of old songs, but this did not turn out to be the case. It’s the original versions, all of which I already have on other albums and did not need a second time. This is still a good song, though.
  4. Arlo Guthrie, “East Texas Red”: Who doesn’t love a song about a murderer who rides the rails in East Texas getting what’s coming to him?
  5. Elton John, “I Want Love”: Does anyone else remember the video for this song that featured Robert Downey, Jr.? The song itself reminds me of the Beatles Anthology new songs.
  6. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “Too Much Ain’t Enough”: Early Petty has a loose energy that later, more-refined songs simply lacked. I enjoy such loose energy.
  7. Huey Lewis & the News, “If This Is It”: To this day, I am constantly amused by the fact that these guys named an album Sports, a pun that my team teacher only just got today when I explained it to her.
  8. The Band, “The Weight”: Is this the best song about taking your Martin to Nazareth, PA, to get it fixed that exists? Is that too narrow a genre? It might be because they nailed it in one.
  9. Ben Folds, “Rockin’ The Suburbs”: It’s a Ben Folds song that features guitar! But he famously plays piano! How wacky.
  10. The New Pornographers, “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk”: If AC Newman and Neko Case could work together forever cranking out amazing pop rock songs like this, I’d be okay with that.

Support: It’s Not Just For Bras!

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As I get back into writing and recording music again, I remember that I’ve done certain things like created a Patreon account that folks can support me at. Why don’t I ever mention it? Because I am bad at marketing! And also forget for long stretches to post anything there. But I feel like if I had a few Patrons, maybe I’d remember better? It’s a roll of the dice, but hey, you’d be supporting me in my efforts to bring my sad sack rock to the masses. There’s currently only 1 tier, a $1 tier that gives everyone access to whatever songs I happen to have been recording lately (and occasional surprises, like the fancy version of “Okay” that Clyde put together a couple of weeks ago).

Speaking of bringing my music to the masses, I’m planning on visiting an actual, factual recording studio in the near future! There’s one nearby that a coworker has used a couple of things that does good work and doesn’t charge too much for their services. I’m putting together a backing band (still need to find a drummer) and hoping to hit the studio before Christmas. I’ve picked out songs for us to play and everything. I’m very excited about it, and a little nervous, but I think it’ll be fun and very different from my usual recording process.

Playlist #283: Covers and Covers and Covers

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Happy Monday, folks! Though it’s a bit of a dreary one here in Northern Virginia. I assume it’s because of the Nor’easter or the El Nino or whatever. I’ve spent the morning jamming to an old collection of Elton John Covers (it’s called Two Rooms, if you’re curious), and it is the most 1991 collection I have ever heard. Anyway, here’s some covers!

  1. Kate Bush, “Rocket Man”: Why did she make this a reggae song? Why is there Northumbrian pipe in the last minute and a half of it? Because she’s Kate Fuckin’ Bush, that’s why.
  2. Santana, “Oye Como Va”: If you’re gonna cover Tito Puente, you go hard with it.
  3. Wilco, “Thirteen”: There are approximately seventeen billion covers of this Big Star tune, and each one offers just a little something different than the others. There’s a broken vulnerability to the music and Jeff Tweedy’s vocals here that I really like.
  4. Joe Cocker, “The Letter”: I always associate Joe Coker with powerful covers of others’ songs. He and his band just rip into this one for a barnstormer of a live show.
  5. Sturgill Simpson, “In Bloom”: Did you know this grunge mainstay could sound all country and soft? Neither did I until Sturgill Simpson covered it.
  6. Cake, “I Will Survive”: Dripping with 90s irony and not looking to make any friends, this song challenges the listener to meet it on its own terms and just rocks out with trumpet and electric guitar in the extended coda.
  7. Johnathan Coulton, “Baby Got Back”: Who doesn’t love the quirky white boy covering the Sir Mix-A-Lot classic?
  8. Harvey Danger, “Save It For Later”: Did you know Harvey Danger recorded more songs than just “Flagpole Sitta?” Did you even know the name of that song was “Flagpole Sitta?”
  9. Luna, “Most Of The Time”: I’ll admit, I did not expect this band to have a male lead singer. I guess that’s one of my own biases I need to reassess.
  10. George Harrison, “If Not For You”: Yeah, I’m ending the list with not one but two Dylan covers. Which I can do because it’s my website and my playlist. I can do whatever I want, and I want to end with a beautiful George Harrison cover of a great Bob Dylan song. So sue me.

Playlist #282

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It is still technically Monday, so happy Monday, folks. Here’s today’s playlist.

  1. Earth, Wind, and Fire, “September”: You are contractually obligated to put this song on a playlist on this date. I don’t make the rules.
  2. Tom Waits, “The Earth Died Screaming”: I told my brother to listen to this one earlier today. He…did not care for it, I don’t think. Which is weird to me, because it’s a great if rather odd song. Y’know, it’s a Tom Waits song.
  3. Elton John, “Come Down In Time”: So it turns out Tumbleweed Connection is just a fantastic album. It’s earthy and thoughtful in ways I don’t usually associate with Elton John, but damn does he pull it off.
  4. Steely Dan, “Deacon Blue”: I know the lyrics are acerbic and often bordering on the nasty, but the music feels far too well-mannered for my tastes. It sounds like what you’d hear at an upscale cocktail longue in the early ’80s.
  5. Matt Berninger, “Ask For Water”: The National lead singer put out an EP last week mostly filled with songs we’d already heard from him, but it included a couple of new ones. This was the better of the two new songs, in my opinion. Not that the other song is a slouch or anything, but this is just a better tune.
  6. Laser The Boy, “Don’t You Know Who I Am”: Just a beautiful song about identity and self-doubt and relationships and all that kind of stuff. Laser knows his stuff.
  7. Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, “What I Am”: Anytime I reference this song (usually when someone makes a reference to philosophy, to which I reply, “Is just the talk on a cereal box”) I just get blank stares from my students. Maybe it’s time to update my pop culture references?
  8. Jason Isbell, “Super 8”: No one wants to die in a Super 8 Motel. It’s embarrassing. You’d die of embarrassment if you were caught dead in a Super 8 Motel. Don’t go to a Super 8, is what I’m saying. Nothing good comes of it.
  9. The Wallflowers, “After the Blackbird Sings”: A throwback to their debut album, the one that no one really listened to. You can really hear the debt he owes to Tom Petty in this album, especially this song. It just feels like a Tom Petty song to me. It also feels like the closest they got to sounding like what I think of as the Wallflowers on this album, but I digress.
  10. Tom Petty, “Wake Up Time”: I used to skip this song on Wildflowers. Didn’t care for it. As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve come to appreciate it, understand its beauty and simplicity and know that it’s got a lot to tell me if I’ll just listen. It’s a damn good song, as it turns out, and it was the perfect way to end his best album.

Playlist #281

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Happy Monday, folks. The weather outside shows no signs of cooling off anytime soon, which is unfortunate given my love of and desire to wear flannel shirts every day. But that doesn’t stop the playlists from occurring!

  1. Siba & Monkyman, “Dounana”: The entire song is in a language I cannot even begin to understand. The singer is a poet originally from Palestine living in Germany. But damn if it isn’t catchy as all hell and an absolute bop. Also, it’s about Israeli occupation of Gaza.
  2. Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, “Li’l Red Riding Hood”: I’m sure if it were currently 1966, when this song was originally released, we’d feel less creepy about it than I currently do. Because man, this song is just…well, it’s a great song, but the lyrics are a little on the skeevy side in the Year of Our Lord 2026.
  3. This Is Lorelei, “The Singer In My Band”: She doesn’t have Texas in her heart, man, she just wants to get to Chicago. She does not want to be the singer in your garage band.
  4. Chance Emerson, “Doing A Number”: I really dig this guy’s vibe. And the song is pretty catchy, too. Doesn’t overstay its welcome.
  5. The Fray, “How To Save A Life”: I’ve liked this song for years now, but it really bothers me that he never specifically tells you how to save a life. It’s right there in the title, man! How you gonna let the whole song go by and not do the thing that’s in the title?
  6. The Minus 5, “The Town That Lost Its Groove Supply”: I feel so bad for this town. To completely lose one’s groove supply…how do people know what to do when it’s time to get down? Will they be prepared for next week’s Earth, Wind, and Fire groove explosion?
  7. XTC, “Earn Enough For Us”: Even back in the 80s, XTC knew what was up with shitty economies and the struggle to earn enough money to keep your lady in the finer things like, y’know, enough food to eat.
  8. Leonard Cohen, “I’m Your Man”: He’s confident, suave, and has a voice deeper than the Mariana’s Trench. I’d trust this man.
  9. The James Gang, “Funk No. 49”: Funks 1-48 were all terrible, let me tell you. They really locked it in on number 49.
  10. Ray LaMontagne, “Trouble”: To go from working in a shoe factory to recording some of the most affecting music of all time…it’s not an easy transition, I’m sure, but Ray pulled it off with aplomb. Aplomb, I say.

Playlist #280

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It’s Labor Day, and still technically Monday. We had to have our beloved elderly cat, Cici, put to sleep over the weekend. The house feels weirdly empty now.

  1. Aubory Bugg, “ive come to realize”: I think a lot about grief. Probably too much, if we’re being honest. I completely understand where this song is coming from, asking if my mother ever needs her mother. I get the feeling that never goes away.
  2. Ben Folds Five, “Evaporated (Shelved First Attempt)”: I’m a sucker for sad Ben Folds songs, even if they’re still rather unpolished and rough. I like sad songs that are a little rough around the edges. Feels more authentic.
  3. Cassandra Wilson, “Harvest Moon”: Ever wanted to hear a jazz cover of a Neil Young song? I didn’t think so either, but it’s really damn good.
  4. The Jayhawks, “American Midnight”: I always thought it seemed a little weird, referring to the Jayhawks as “alt-country.” They didn’t seem to have the punk energy of Uncle Tupelo or the jumped up amperage of the Old 97s. But they’ve got that country heart and those beautiful harmonies, so I let it slide. They just make good music, whatever genre you want to call it.
  5. The Head and the Heart, “Rivers And Roads”: There’s a longing in this song that I can’t quite express with words. You just have to listen to it to understand it, I think.
  6. Bahamas, “Lost In The Light”: I always like it when a band’s name gives you a good idea of what they sound like. The Beach Boys? You know that surfin’ is in their DNA. AC/DC? If they even know what an acoustic guitar is, I’d be surprised. With Bahamas, I can feel the warmth from the beach bonfire, hear the young people singing along and playing volleyball as the sun sets. It’s evocative and effective.
  7. The Gaslight Anthem, “Positive Charge”: One of the things I like about the Gaslight Anthem is that they remain, at heart, hopeless romantics and eternal optimists.
  8. Iron & Wine, “Hard Times Come Again No More”: Returning to the topic of grief, I wish I could set it aside and move on from it. It’s probably something I should discuss with my therapist. All that being said, this old standard feels fresh and timeless in the hands of Iron & Wine. I love it.
  9. Langhorne Slim, “Put It Together”: What I like about this guy’s stuff is it all sounds like it’s on the verge of just absolutely falling apart, but the band manages to hold it together at the last second and pull it all off. I like that ramshackle feel.
  10. Wilco, “What Light”: Jeff Tweedy remains another optimistic songwriter, crafting simple songs that remind you that you’ve got all that you need to add something beautiful and wonderful to the world if you just try. I kinda love that.