Sunday, November 28, 2010

Show #45 November 13, 2010


Let's hear it for Andrea!

Andrea
- Tommy Keene Driving Into The Sun
Take Me Back- Tinted Windows Tinted Windows
Something New- The Genuine Fakes The Striped Album
I'll Be Taking Her Out Tonight- The Tremblers Twice Nightly
Press Gang- The Radiators TV Tube Heart
Tell Me About It Slim- Robert Johnson Close Personal Friend
Turn Down- Three Hour Tour Three Hour Tour - 1969
Grudge F***- Pernice Brothers Live A Little
^What I Like About You- The Romantics DIY Shake It Up: American Power Pop II (1978-80)
Summer Snow- Visqueen Message To Garcia
It's A Secret- Regular Guys Regular Guys E.P. 7"
Young Hearts- The Cute Lepers Smart Accessories
She Kills Me- Ian North Neo
We Float About- Cherry Twister Cherry Twister
*6- Neats DIY: Mass. Ave. - The Boston Scene (1975-83)
*16- Green Day 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours
*24- Game Theory Tinkers To Evers To Chance
*29- Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience
Teenage Foxes- The Blondes The Blondes
It's Better This Way- The Imposters Don't Get Mad 45
Jetleg- The Merrymakers No Sleep 'til Famous
Irreplaceable- The Genuine Fakes Irreplaceable
Big Tears- Elvis Costello & The Attractions This Year's Model
Fashion Of The Times- The Reducers Let's Go
>Don't Worry 'Bout Love- Arrows First Hit
Hang On- Runarounds Waiting For The Hurricane
Mean And Rotten- Just Water The Riff
Mission- Research Turtles Research Turtles
I Fell Dumb- Jr. Gone Wild Less Art, More Pop
Sex Fit- Meantime Two For One 45
The Genuine Fakes- The Genuine Fakes The Striped Album
Heart Burning Down- Hoehn & Duren Blue Orange

^Power Pop Peak: #49 Billboard Hot 100 2/16/80

*SacroSet: Numbersongs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1976

Each ALL KINDSA GIRLS show is put together on my laptop with iTunes software. The crossfading in the program is a little clunky, so I don't think iTunes is very good for playing songs on the radio, but it is a great music database. Past SacroSets featuring artists of the same name or songs with the same title are a direct result of iTunes ability to sort on multiple fields. While other programs I've used put numerical songs ("16") or artists ("10,000 Maniacs") first, before "A," iTunes puts them last. Past searches on title, turned up four songs called "On The Beach" and another four called "That Girl" (which have both been used as SacroSets) and a growing list of "Numbersongs" that meet these criteria:
  • Title must be limited to a number;
  • Title must be expressed numerically (for example "29" not "twenty-nine")
After I found Green Day's "16" I tried to find songs named "4," "8," "15," "23," and "42" as an homage to Lost, one of my favorite TV shows of the last few years, but I came up short. After the fact, I realized The Neats "6" is listed as "Six" on both the original Propeller EP vinyl release and the recent 1981-1984 The Ace of Hearts Years album. In my defense, the version I played was from Rhino's DIY: Mass. Ave. The Boston Scene (1975-83) and they list the song as "6." So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, like I said the songs only had to meet the parameters above so from a content perspective, the selection was totally random. I find it very interesting then that three of the four are about age-driven angst.
  • from Green Day's "16:"
    Every night I dream the same dream
    Of getting older and older all the time
    I ask you now, what does this mean?
    Are all these problems just in my mind?
  • from Game Theory's "24:"
    And everyone asks if I'm leaving, no sir
    I get around but I don't get closer
    Is it because I'm 23, not 24?
  • from Gin Blossoms' "29:"
    Time won't stand by forever if I know it's true
    And I've learned not to say never
    Or else I'll seem the fool
    Twenty-nine you'd think I'd know better
    Living like a kid
I've never been obsessed with age, probably because whenever one of the big milestones comes up (21, 25, 30, 40, etc.) I've always been pretty happy with my life. Even when I was looking at 40 and 35 pounds overweight it was more of a call to action than anything else. (I had seen video of myself in a bathing suit on my sister in law's boat the previous summer and had one of those [insert Oprah voice] "OH HELL NO!" moments.) I know age is a major source of anxiety for a lot of people, so I count myself lucky in this regard.

Now, if you didn't already think I am a HUGE music geek....

Tonight's show marked what may be the American broadcast debut of The Genuine Fakes' "The Striped Album." Technically it doesn't have a name but similar to Weezer's "Blue" "Green" and "Red Albums" and, of course, The Beatles "The White Album" the cover design (pictured above) provides the record's de facto title. After writing about The Genuine Fakes' mustaches in an earlier post (Show #38 August 21, 2010) I thought I'd e-mail the band to see what they thought and also to thank them for the free download of "I Don't Want It." I didn't expect to hear anything back, but less than 24 hours later I heard back from lead singer Joey Fake himself- he thanked me for playing the song and said he liked the blog post too. Not only that, he sent me a download link for the new album! How cool is that- I tell you it took me back to my early days as a loyal member of the KISS ARMY! Check out the band's website for more information on a record that I'm already pretty sure will be one of my Top 5's of 2010.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Ton O' Links For You

I'm working on getting up to date with the blog posts. The links for Shows 40-44 are still active. In the meantime, here are a bunch of links to past shows as well. Not sure how long they'll be up so download while you can. Enjoy!

If you'd like to be on my bi-monthly e-mail list (I send out a reminder for each new show), please leave a comment with your e-mail address.

Thanks!

#13(Originally aired 7/11/09) LOUISE
Power Pop Peak: Someday, Someway- Marshall Crenshaw
SacroSet: Illinoise
Power Pop Prototype: Open My Eyes- Nazz
Hour 1
Hour 2

#30(Originally aired 4/10/10) HILLARY
Power Pop Peak: Is She Really Going Out With Him?- Joe Jackson
SacroSet: Boston’s Ace of Hearts Records
Power Pop Prototype: The Shape Of Things To Come- Max Frost & The Troopers
Hour 1
Hour 2

#31(Originally aired 4/24/10) JOSEPHINE
Power Pop Peak: He Could Be The One- Josie Cotton
SacroSet: Power Pop Cover Songs
Power Pop Prototype: Wayside- Artful Dodger
Hour 1
Hour 2

#36(Originally aired 7/10/10) RENEE
Power Pop Peak: I Think We’re Alone Now- The Rubinoos
SacroSet: America Songs
Power Pop Prototype: All of My Friends Were There- The Kinks
Hour 1
Hour 2

#39(Originally aired 8/21/10) CARRIE ANN
Power Pop Peak: Teachers- .38 Special
SacroSet: Back To School
Power Pop Prototype: Schooldays- The Runaways
Hour 1
Hour 2

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Show #44 October 30, 2010 HALLOWEEN SPECTACULAR!



Dead-icated to Vampira...




Vampira
- Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen Flying Dreams
Halloween (She's Coming)- The Dead Elvi Graveland
Flying Saucer Attack- The Rezillos Can't Stand The Rezillos
Dig It Up- Hoodoo Gurus Stoneage Romeos
The Ballad Of Dwight Fry- Alice Cooper Love It To Death
Skeleton Man- Frank Black & the Catholics Pistolero
When I Was Dead- Rudi Big Time
Jack The Ripper- John Cale Happy Halloween! All Haunted Hits!
^The Ghost In You- The Psychedelic Furs Mirror Moves
She's A Monster- The Stems Violets Are Blue
Halloween Girl- Blue Ash Around Again
Graveyard Rock- The Joneses Someone Got Their Head Kicked In
Where The Wolfbane Blooms- The Nomads Outburst
Haunted House- Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs Greatest Hits
*The Dog- The Damned Strawberries
*Do the Vampire- Superdrag Head Trip In Every Key
*Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)- Concrete Blonde Bloodletting
*Night Of The Vampire- Roky Erickson and the Aliens The Evil One
Dead Rock and Rollers- Detention Dead Rock and Rollers 7''
Sweet Death- The Monochrome Set The Independent Singles Collection
The Ripper- The Headboys The Headboys
An Ugly Death- Jay Reatard Matador Singles '08
She's Dead- Tuff Darts Tuff Darts
Monster Island- The 3-D Invisibles Love On Mars 7"
>Teenage Head- The Flamin' Groovies Groovies Greatest Grooves
Kill It (Before It Multiplies)- The Panics The Panics 7"
I Saw My Death In A Dream Last Night- The Barracudas Drop Out
Frankenstein- New York Dolls New York Dolls
Halloween- Dream Syndicate Days of Wine and Roses

^Power Pop Peak: #59 Billboard Hot 100 5/12/84

*SacroSet: Vampiresongs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1971

Halloween has always been a big night in the Love household, both the one I grew up in and the one I live in now. One of my earliest Halloween memories was an Indian costume my mother put together for me when I was five or six. My "war paint" consisted of magic marker my dad drew on my face. We later found out that magic marker on skin was toxic, but I thought it was really cool at the time. Even so, I was a shy kid and still very nervous about going to the party at Kennedy Elementary School that night. Then, when I was anxiously looking at myself in the mirror I started to think about my new hero, Chief Jay Strongbow. Cousin Rich introduced me to wrestling earlier that year and Chief Jay was my favorite. I was already glued to the TV screen for several hours of Saturday morning cartoons, so it wasn't a big deal to stay through the afternoon for wrestling. Andre the Giant and Haystack Calhoun were a little scary but something about Chief Jay spoke to me. Anyway, thinking of myself as Chief Jay Strongbow rather than a generic "Indian" gave me the confidence to go to the Halloween Party and even participate in the costume parade. I think that's when I first started to love Halloween.

Over the years, I had used Halloween as a "Girlfriend Litmus Test," much the way Steve Guttenberg's fiancee in Diner had to pass a Baltimore Colts trivia challenge for the marriage to proceed. If the girl didn't like Halloween or would only dress in some lame dignity-saving costume (like the perennially boring "Black Cat") she'd be gone by Thanksgiving. So, when I invited Jaime to a Halloween Party at my house in Brookline, MA shortly after we started dating, I doubt she had any idea how much was at stake. This was the second of third Halloween party my roomates and I had thrown and we were starting to get a reputation. One year I came as Jesus, complete with a six foot cross that I kept accidentally bumping into people saying "I forgive you" each time. Anyway, Jaime passed with flying colors- she came as Laura Palmer (sheer skin tone pajamas, soaked prom-style hairdo, deathly pallor make-up with blue lips, wrapped head to toe in a huge sheet of plastic) as in "Who Killed Laura Palmer?" from Twin Peaks which was my favorite TV show that fall. How awesome is that?!?

Fast forward several years to Sonoma where our annual Halloween Party for our friends and their kids is a must-attend event. This is mostly because we rock, but also because we've always lived in perfect Halloween neighborhoods- high density housing, away from busy through streets. My son Jack was the kind of kid that started planning his Halloween costume in January (one of my favorite pictures of him is in his high chair as "Count Jackula" in vampire makeup and cape). This year three-year old Jack was a Wild Thing from the Sendak book and he and his friend Mason were on a rampage through the neighborhood. After managing to wrangle all the kids together for the fourth of fifth time, we were heading for home and came to a house with the light on and the door open. Jack and Mason were in a hurry so they went right up the front steps and into the house before Jaime and I could stop them. Our neighbor had left her post for a minute to re-stock her candy bowl and these two little boys walk through her living room and right into the kitchen, followed by their horrified parents spouting apologies. She was a good sport about it though so the story has become Halloween folklore.

When the kids got older they didn't want to have the party anymore, so we started trick or treating like everybody else. This is the first year Jack didn't go with us, choosing instead to hang out a friend's house (closely supervised). My daughter Nica and her friend Anne even got to go out in the immediate neighborhood by themselves this year. This left Jaime and I at home handing out candy (our neighborhood still attracts hundreds of trick or treaters). I still try to keep it interesting though by showing a movie with my LCD projecter and putting speakers in the front windows. Since we have lots of young kids coming, I try to not get too intense and screen a black and white classic. Last year it was Carnival of Souls, this year Romero's classic Night of The Living Dead. So, never fear, or better yet, fear, because Halloween still lives at the Love's House!

Here are download links (Right click and "Save Target As") for the ALL KINDSA GIRLS HALLOWEEN SPECTACULAR!
Hour 1
Hour 2