the mystiqueros

Playlist #229

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Happy Monday, folks! Here’s this week’s playlist:

  1. Genesis, “Just a Job to Do”: The number of songs Phil Collins has written over the years about being a criminal just trying to do a (rather sinister) job is not a huge number, but it’s not a non-zero number, either. Was he secretly a hitman in the 1970s? Only he knows for sure.
  2. Margaret Glaspy, “These Days”: A lovely cover of the old Jackson Browne tune. It’s very sparse and slow, and I kinda dig it.
  3. Bruce Springsteen, “Born in the USA (Electric Nebraska)”: If Bruce had pursued this sound on Born in the USA rather than the athematic, keyboard-heavy style he used, maybe there’d have been fewer misunderstandings about what the song is actually about.
  4. The Cars, “Since You’re Gone”: Oh, 80s drum programming, never change.
  5. Andrew Bird, “Fake Palindromes”: This suprisingly uptempo song is so good, and apparently twenty years old now! Wow.
  6. Earth, Wind & Fire, “September”: No, it’s not the 21st of September, but Monday is the 22nd, so that’s too late. Therefore, have some EWF.
  7. The Shins, “Australia”: Is this song actually about the continent/island/country Australia? If so, what is it trying to tell us about it? I have no idea, but it’s a good song that I haven’t listened to in far too long.
  8. Veruca Salt, “Volcano Girls”: A 90s rock girl explosion of sound and energy, rather like a volcano.
  9. The National, “Terrible Love (Alternate Version)”: Still one of the best songs these guys have ever done, and the best version of the song.
  10. The Mystiqueros, “Good”: Back when I played with the group of musicians up in DC, this was one of the songs they played all the time. It’s a great song if you’ve got a group that can harmonize well.

Playlist #113

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By the time you see this, I’ll be in Oklahoma for my grandmother’s funeral. It’s going to be rough, but I’m glad I get to be back home for it.

  1. John Mellencamp, “Circling Around The Moon”: I have a soft spot in my heart for the Mellencamp album Mr. Happy Go Lucky. It’s very much of its time, with the drum machines and nods to rap and hip-hop in the music.
  2. M. Ward, “Hi-Fi”: M. Ward always delights and always puts out something clever and ephemeral.
  3. Matchbox 20, “Damn”: I don’t know why I like Matchbox 20 so much. I can’t explain it.
  4. MILCK, “Quiet (Stripped)”: A more subtle, acoustic version of this song that I liked very much when I heard the original version.
  5. Molly Lewis, “Our American Cousin”: Who doesn’t love a song about Abraham Lincoln’s trip to Ford’s Theater?
  6. The Mountain Goats, “Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome”: When doesn’t a Mountain Goats song make you want to eat the rich?
  7. The Mystiqueros, “Good”: I learned this song years ago at the Mansion on O Street from the band I used to play with on Sundays. It’s a pretty decent little number.
  8. The Yardbirds, “Smokestack Lightning (Live)”: Who doesn’t love the Yardbirds?
  9. Rhett Miller, “Terrible Vision”: This song is sad and beautiful and I love it.
  10. Pixies, “Debaser”: Why. not round things out with some screaming?

Playlist #28 – The Mansion on O Street

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Back in the day, I used to play on Sundays at a place up in DC called the Mansion on O Street. It’s a neat museum/hotel that features loads of nifty musical keepsakes. I sat in with a band that used it as a practice space on Sundays, having been invited by the flautist/singer of the group. It was loads of fun, and I’m kind of sorry I stopped playing with them after a while (mostly, they wanted to turn it into real rehearsal time, and I wasn’t a member of the band, so…). Anyway, here are some of the songs we used to play there.

  1. Brandi Carlile, “Turpentine”: Having recently re-discovered Brandi Carlile (due in large part to her involvement in the Highwomen), I have to say this song is a fun one to play. As with many of the songs we played, it was an easy one, with just a few chords, but the harmonies in the chorus were always great.
  2. Ethan Hipple and Podunk Road, “Cakewalk”: The other guitar player (who was actually a bass player by inclination and training) sang this one. It’s a fun country blues number.
  3. Bonnie Raitt, “Angel From Montgomery”: A John Prine cover. Beautiful. Another one where the harmonies really came through.
  4. 4 Non Blondes, “What’s Up?”: Like I was gonna put this song in any position other than number four.
  5. Gin Blossoms, “Until I Fall Away”: They were always impressed that I knew all the backing vocals to this song.
  6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Breakdown”: You know me, I love a Tom Petty tune.
  7. The Animals, “House of the Rising Sun”: I have never been able to sing this one to my own satisfaction. The singer in the band, though, she could do it.
  8. Kate Wolf, “Across the Great Divide”: I prefer the version the band did to this version. This one is too polished and too ’80s-sounding. Our version was better.
  9. Linda Rondstadt, “When Will I Be Loved?”: The country covers band my uncle used to play in played this one every night, so I was pretty damn familiar with it when this group broke out in it and I was able to contribute to backing vocals.
  10. The Mystiqueros, “Good”: The band introduced me to this song, as to so many others. It’s beautiful, in large part due to the backing harmonies, which the band always killed.