Playlist #128

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Happy Monday, or Indigenous People’s Day as we call it around here. If you wanna celebrate that Columbus guy, go get lost in the spice aisle at the Kroger.

  1. Wreckx-n-Effect, “Rump Shaker”: My wife was not familiar with this song, somehow. Even I know this song, and I spent the 90s in a virginal haze of video games and Pink Floyd music.
  2. The National, “Terrible Love (Alternate Version)”: I prefer this version because the drums are better than the original.
  3. The Mountain Goats, “This Year”: Never not good.
  4. David Gray, “Stella the Artist”: Somehow, over the years, Hold the Line became my favorite David Gray album. I know there aren’t too many people with a favorite David Gray album, but I have one. It’s Hold the Line.
  5. Richard Thompson, “Beeswing”: Just such a beautiful song.
  6. Glen Phillips, “Everything Matters”: A heartfelt love song that encourages me on dark days.
  7. Van Morrison, “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven)”: The rave up we deserve. If more Van Morrison songs were like this, the world would be better.
  8. Murder By Death, “Creep”: You just have to listen to this one to full appreciate it. It’s not the Radiohead “Creep,” and it’s not the Stone Temple Pilots “Creep.” No, it’s the other one. The one you wouldn’t think a crusty-sounding white dude would sing.
  9. Moxy Fruvous, “Greatest Man in America”: Who doesn’t love a song that just gives the middle finger to Rush Limbaugh? Fuck that dude, even if he is dead already.
  10. The Who, “A Quick One, While He’s Away”: If I asked for an orchestra, and the suits told me no, I’d probably have just sung the word “cello” instead of hiring a cellist out of my own pocket, too.

Playlist #127

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The packing continues unabated. We have electricity and water at the new place. And I have a new playlist for you.

  1. Shemekia Copeland, “Clotilda On Fire”: Sure, I came to this song because Jason Isbell plays lead guitar on it, but I stayed for the absolute baller story of a slave ship burning.
  2. Jason Isbell, “Relatively Easy”: I was realizing over the weekend that Jason Isbell might be my current favorite musician. His songs are just so damn good.
  3. Owen Danoff, “Never Been Kissed”: Haven’t heard much from this guy lately, which is a shame. He’s a solid songwriter.
  4. Ram Jam, “Black Betty”: Bam-a-lam.
  5. Ringo Starr, “Photograph”: It’s easy to crap on Ringo. The dude just seemed happy to be there most of the time. But he’s a fantastic drummer and had a good ear for songs early on in his solo career (the less said about Ringo the 4th, his abysmal foray into disco, the better). It helped that some of the songs, like “Photograph,” were contributed by former Beatle bandmate George Harrison (the same album had songs from John and Paul as well).
  6. Van Morrison, “And The Healing Has Begun”: That spoken word interlude always drives me up the wall. Just sing, Van. Just sing.
  7. The Grass Roots, “I’d Wait A Million Years”: I just love this song. I love the Grass Roots. I wish they’d done even more music than they released.
  8. Glen Phillips, “Men Just Leave”: I still really enjoy the sound and style of Glen Phillips’ first album. I wish he’d pursued this style more instead of the more polished, Toad the Wet Sprocket-esque stuff he did afterwards.
  9. Gillian Welch, “Revelator”: My introduction to this song was the Glen Phillips cover. Her original version is better.
  10. Electric Light Orchestra, “Twilight”: Was still on an ELO kick last week, and ended up listening to Time. It’s still an interesting latter-day ELO album, filled with interesting ideas and quirky musical directions.

Playlist #126

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It’s a Tuesday following a holiday on a Monday, which makes it a Playlist day! The next Eddie Hazzard book, a short story collection titled Quick Cases, is up for pre-order! I’ll post the cover reveal as soon as I have it back from my illustrator.

  1. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, “Death Wish”: Isbell’s latest album, Weathervanes, continues to drill deep into my soul.
  2. Pearl Jam, “Corduroy”: Was Vitalogy the last truly great Pearl Jam record? Or was it Vs?
  3. EL VY, “Happiness, Missouri”: This is a two-minute shot of adrenaline right in the arm.
  4. The Raconteurs, “Carolina Drama”: Who is Billy’s daddy? Is it the priest or the milkman?
  5. Rhett Miller, “The El”: The most romantic song written about a public transit system since…um, ever, I guess. I can’t think of any other romance songs based around public transit.
  6. Yola & the Highwomen, “Hold On”: No, it’s not a Wilson Philips cover, sadly. It’s still a good song, though.
  7. Fun., “Carry On”: It’s a fun song by Fun. I’m always a bit suspicious of bands that include punctuation in their name. I’ve got my eye on you, band that hasn’t released an album since 2012.
  8. Foo Fighters, “These Days”: Hey, it’s a Foo Fighters song I can play on guitar! What fun!
  9. Florence + the Machine, “Shake It Out”: Every Florence + the Machine song feels like running an anthematic marathon, and I am exhausted at the end of it.
  10. Electric Light Orchestra, “Eldorado”: I had an argument (or a debate or whatever) with my brother over the weekend in regards to this album. I claim it’s their most consistent album, thematically and stylistically. He argues that the point of ELO is that Jeff Lynne had so much more diverse inspirations than your typical ’70s rock band and that cohesion was never the point. I think he’s just mad about “The Whale” on Out of the Blue).

Book Seven is with the Editor!

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I finished the initial draft quite some time ago, but I finally got Book Seven sent off to my editor this past weekend. She’s giving it the once-over as we speak, so I should probably have the edited text back within a week or so.

Of course, before I can publish Book Seven, I want to publish the short story collection I’ve put together. That will probably come out in November, and Book Seven will come out in spring of 2024. I’m excited for y’all to read the next chapter in Eddie’s story, which is a bit of a culmination of the whole kit and kaboodle.

In other creativity news, my brother has started mixing the songs for the next album, tentatively titled Middle Aged Heartthrob. It’s the coffeehouse album that I’ve definitely always had in me.

Playlist #125

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Happy Monday! It’s a gorgeous day here in Northern Virginia, and it sounds like the weather will continue to be beautiful for the whole week. Too bad I have to spend it all inside teaching.

  1. Better Than Ezra, “Desperately Wanting”: I’ve been on a Better Than Ezra kick this past week for reasons I cannot even begin to explain. I think it’s because most of their songs are so easy to play on the guitar, which my cowboy chord heart really appreciates.
  2. The Record Company, “Control My Heart Blues”: I like these guys, though they suffer from the most generic band name I think I’ve ever heard. I mean, short of “The Band.”
  3. The National, “Laugh Track (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)”: Oh, look, the National surprise dropped a brand new album today. It’s very good, though this might be my favorite song on it.
  4. James Gang, “Funk No. 49”: I feel like, if you’re having to number the funks, you might have too much funk.
  5. John Hartford, “In Tall Buildings”: I refuse to live anywhere above the first floor from now on.
  6. John Prine, “Spanish Pipedream”: Comical stories of topless dancers telling you to go find Jesus aside, this song has always and will always be awesome. The Avett Brothers do a good cover of it, too.
  7. Kaiser Chiefs, “I Predict a Riot”: That’s right, I’m gonna riot if I don’t get what I want! Okay, maybe not riot, per se. Maybe just grumble and complain under my breath for a while.
  8. Langhorne Slim & The Law, “Put It Together”: I will never tire of this song. It just hits something primal in my soul and gets it all hyped up.
  9. Mark Knopfler, “Donegan’s Gone”: A skiffle-esque tribute to the guy who brought the musical form to the shores of Merry Ol’ England.
  10. Mike Doughty, “Fort Hood”: Best song that features the coda from the 5th Dimension’s “Age of Aquarius” as a chorus? Yes.

Playlist #124: Home

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Happy Monday, folks. By tomorrow, the wife and I will be homeowners (and the sister-in-law)! We’ve been renting the same townhouse for almost 14 years now, so it’ll be strange to leave it and call some other place home. There’ll be new traffic patterns to learn, a new (slightly longer) route to work, and I’m sure a whole host of challenges and foibles associated with moving into a new place. But I’ll have music to keep me going there, including this week’s playlist.

  1. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, “Our House”: We’ve only got the one cat, and she won’t really be allowed out (we don’t really have a yard, per se. We’re moving into a condo), but this still feels fitting.
  2. Hem, “Home Again”: Our intention is to move into this place and just settle in. I don’t see us moving again for a very, very long time, if ever.
  3. Iron & Wine, “Walking Far From Home”: I’m hoping to find some walking trails or something close by so I can start exercising again. I will miss having the park right across the street where I could go do that.
  4. Norah Jones, “Long Way Home”: As I mentioned above, this new home will put us slightly further out from work, but that was the trade-off: live further out, find a place you can afford.
  5. Eric Clapton, “Back Home”: We really do like the place. It’s got plenty of very usable space, it’s in a nice neighborhood, and I think we’ll settle in very well there.
  6. Sheryl Crow, David Alvin, Phil Alvin, & Taj Mahal, “Home Again”: This is from the Ghost Brothers of Dark County original soundtrack, that stage play that John Mellencamp and Stephen King collaborated on.
  7. Healthy White Baby, “Home”: Great band, absolutely terrible band name.
  8. Simon & Garfunkel, “Homeward Bound”: A classic.
  9. Jack Johnson, “Home”: If our homes feels as comfortable and laid back as a Jack Johnson song, I’ll be content.
  10. Aretha Franklin, “Bring It On Home To Me”: God, this woman could just SING.

Playlist #123

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Happy Tuesday! We spent Labor Day going through our Dining Room in preparation for moving next month. It was a bear. Here’s some songs!

  1. Smash Mouth, “Walkin’ On The Sun”: The lead singer for this band died over the weekend. I think we can all agree that this one and “All Star” are both fun. I prefer this one of the two.
  2. Jimmy Buffett, “Margaritaville”: Jimmy Buffett also passed away over the weekend. “Margaritaville” might be the most obvious choice for a Buffett song, but it’s still one of my favorites (though it’s no “Cheeseburger in Paradise”).
  3. Hall & Oates, “You Make My Dreams (Come True)”: Heard this one at the diner during family dinner yesterday afternoon. It’s still a banger.
  4. Husker Du, “Sunshine Superman”: Who doesn’t love a hardcore cover of a Donovan song?
  5. Slowdive, “andalucia plays”: Just heard about these guys over the weekend. They’re pretty cool, in a shoegaze-y sort of way.
  6. Better Than Ezra, “At The Stars”: This song will never not be good to me.
  7. Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?”: The soft/loud dynamics of this band were trendsetting for a reason. This song rocks.
  8. Peter Gabriel, “Intruder”: You know that ’80s gated reverb drum sound? The one that dominated ’80s music? It starts with this song.
  9. Nina Simone, “Feeling Good”: The slow burn of this song, the build…it’s just so damn good.
  10. Merle Haggard, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink”: Someone recently pointed out that country music from back in the day was all anti-authoritarian, anti-rules, pro-individuality, and contemporary country is all about licking authority’s boots. They’re not wrong.

Playlist #122

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Happy Monday, folks! Unless you live in Florida, in which case, um, have fun getting hit by a hurricane?

  1. The Gaslight Anthem, “Positive Charge”: This song has been stuck in my head for two or three weeks at least. Maybe this will finally dislodge it. Maybe.
  2. Charlie Sexton, “Regular Grind”: Of all the musicians I listen to, this is the one who needs to put out a new album the most. It’s been almost 20 years, man! Give us something new!
  3. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, “King Of Oklahoma”: This man, on the other hand, cranks ’em out like clockwork pretty regularly. And damn if this song doesn’t make me feel something.
  4. John Cougar Mellencamp, “Rumbleseat (2022 Mix)”: Generally speaking, I’m curious to hear what musicians come up with when they remix their old albums with modern techniques and studio trickery. This feels…unsuccessful on that front. The guitars are too muted, the drums are too loud and yet also lifeless, and it just feels like it was a huge missed opportunity to really punch everything up.
  5. Drive-By Truckers, “Used To Be A Cop”: The Drive-By Truckers can take even the most irredeemable character – in this case, a cop who had a nasty streak and has all sorts of misogynistic tendencies – and still make them someone you want to sympathize with. That’s impressive.
  6. The Head And The Heart, “Lost In My Mind”: “How’s that bricklayin’ comin’/How’s your engine runnin'”? is one of those couplets that seems innocuous when you first listen to it, but the stuff that follows – “Is that bridge getting built/Are your hands getting filled/Won’t you tell me my brother/’Cause there are stars/Up above” – and the way their voices soar in harmony is just…damn, it’s just really good.
  7. Mark Knopfler, “Hill Farmer’s Blues”: Speaking of musicians who can make downtrodden and misunderstood characters feel sympathetic, here’s Knopfler singing about a farmer going to town for supplies and making it seem freakin’ epic.
  8. Fall Out Boy, “Dance, Dance”: You get a pass this one time, Fall Out Boy, but only because you’re named after a Simpsons reference.
  9. The Beatles, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”: Michelle and I were listening to this song over the weekend and just commenting on how great a song it is. Smokey Robinson knew what was up, my friends.
  10. Van Morrison, “Magic Time”: Though it happens less frequently than it used to, Van Morrison can write a stunningly beautiful song. This one counts and makes me wish he hadn’t become some sort of weird Covid skeptic and conservative curmudgeon in recent years.

Playlist #121: Back To School

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Happy Monday and welcome to the new school year, everyone! Today is the official first day of school here in Northern Virginia, and I’ve got a new playlist bursting with new school year vibes for ya.

  1. The Call, “Let The Day Start”: As I think I mentioned the first time I featured this song on a playlist, this song was played on KRXO (the classic rock station in OKC) every morning as I was going to school. I equate it with the beginning of the day and with the beginning of a school day in particular. And so here it is, to inaugurate my 19th year of teaching.
  2. OK Go, “Here It Goes Again”: As I just mentioned, this will be my 19th year teaching. It’s all pretty old hat at this point. For the first time in nearly two decades, I actually slept really well the night before the first day of school this year. I know! I’m surprised, too. Anyway, this song just reminds me that we’re on this merry-go-round again.
  3. The Mountain Goats, “The College Try”: No, I don’t teach college. But I’m also pretty sure he’s not singing about college spirit at a football game in this song, either.
  4. T. Rex, “20th Century Boy”: I just need this riff injected straight into my veins, man.
  5. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”: I aspire to be like Taylor Swift: not just part of the problem, but the whole problem.
  6. Tom Waits, “Get Behind The Mule”: Teaching is a lot like walking along behind a mule: there’s the smell, and occasionally you have to shovel some shit out of your path.
  7. Wreckless Eric, “Whole Wide World”: It’s garage rock at its finest and sloppiest, and I love it.
  8. The Raconteurs featuring Pete Townsend, “The Seeker”: If I had the chance to play a song with Pete Townsend, this one would probably be pretty high up on the list. And “Squeeze Box.”
  9. Sex Bob-Omb, “Threshold”: Did you see they’re doing a Scott Pilgrim animated series with the voice cast being the cast from the movie? I am super stoked.
  10. Adeem the Artist, “My America”: There’ve been a couple of country songs lately that espouse a very conservative, reactionary ethos that have rubbed me the wrong way. And I’ve thought about writing a response song to them. But Adeem the Artist beat me to the punch, penning this song that digs into the heart of what these newer songs that I don’t care for are trying to say: “The America I love seems to be disappearing and no one seems to care, and that makes me feel afraid.” Adeem is a self-described “cast iron pansexual,” so I don’t think they’re doing this as a “this is how I really feel about things” sort of song. That’s not the way they’ve described it, at any rate. But it does make me feel a little empathy for these white men who are so afraid and so angry that all they can do is lash out.

Playlist #120

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Happy Monday, folks! As I sit here at school, in between meetings, waiting for a call from my realtor to let me know whether or not I’m condemned to spend the rest of my days in an overpriced rental, I present to you a new playlist full of songs to brighten your week.

  1. Willie Nelson, “Don’t Give Up (Featuring Sinead O’Connor)”: I discovered this song last night as I was getting ready to hop in the shower, and had to stop and just listen to it all the way through. It’s a beautiful take on the Peter Gabriel tune,
  2. Neil Young, “Star of Bethlehem”: Neil Young’s Chrome Dreams is a fascinating snapshot of where he was in the late ’70s, mixing in some Crazy Horse guitar workouts and some softer, more contemplative acoustic numbers. This one is mellow and beautiful.
  3. Kevin Morby, “Rock Bottom”: I like this song for nothing else than the inclusion of the line, “They’re all gonna laugh at you.” Old-school SNL fans know what’s up with that one.
  4. The Rolling Stones, “Far Away Eyes”: The single hokiest country song to ever country it up.
  5. The Record Company, “Turn Me Loose”: Feel-good rock’n’roll.
  6. Ray Charles, “(Night Time Is) The Right Time”: Those backing vocals are just killer.
  7. Preservation Hall Jazz Band And Jason Isbell, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out”:
  8. Tom Waits, “Big Black Mariah”: If you know me, you know I love me some Tom Waits, especially weird Tom Waits. This fits.
  9. The Horrible Crowes, “Go Tell Everybody”: This song reminds me of a Gospel rave-up sing-along. That is a very good thing.
  10. The Heavy, “What Makes A Good Man”: Thumpin’ and bumpin’. Really dig this song.