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.

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

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

Show #43 October 16, 2010

For Melanie...


Melanie- Nervous Eaters Eat This!
Yesterdays Gone- Manual Scan Manual Scan 1
I Have a Date- Simpletones I Have A Date
Let's Be Friends Again- The Toms The Toms
The Wild One- Suzi Quatro The Wild One -The Greatest Hits
Holdin' On- Rooney Eureka
The Last Word- Svt Heart Of Stone 45
Come Out and Play- The Paley Brothers DIY Come Out And Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78)
^Surrender- Cheap Trick Heaven Tonight
Your Own Nightmare- Eugene Edwards My Favorite Revolution
Boys Will Be Boys- The Undertones Hypnotised
Friendship- Sloan A Sides Win Singles 1992-2005
Goin' Steady- The Producers On The Beach 45
Baby Let's Twist- The Dictators Blood Brothers
*That Girl- News That Girl 7"
*That Girl- The Scientists The Scientists
*That Girl- The Techtones Shake Some Action Vol. 6
*That Girl- The Windbreakers Meet The Windbreakers
Foolish- DM3 Dig it the Most
Your Little Hoodrat Friend- The Hold Steady Separation Sunday
(I Lost My Love On A)747- The Continentals Fizz Pop(Modern Rock) 7"
She's An Obsession- 20/20 20/20
I'm Not Down- The Clash London Calling
Overcome By Fumes- Rudi Big Time
>Just Like Me- Paul Revere & The Raiders Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era Box Set
Sensation- The Motors Airport - The Motor's Greatest Hits
Play On- Raspberries Starting Over
Johnny Guitar- The Nice Boys The Nice Boys
Somewhere Outside- The Barracudas Drop Out
Sooner Or Later- Flintlock Glitterbest
You Don't Know- The Pleasers Thamesbeat
Dressed In Black- Ben Vaughn Mood Swings
Gimme Back My Dog- Slobberbone Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today

^Power Pop Peak: #62 Billboard Hot 100 7/22/78

*SacroSet: Songs About That Girl (but not Marlo Thomas, not that she doesn't rock too)

>Power Pop Prototype: 1965

Live rock & roll shows in Sonoma county are often feast or famine- and the last two weeks it's been feast city. Doobie Brothers manager/winery owner Bruce Cohn's annual Fall Music Festival finally had some Power Pop bands on the bill. Cheap Trick played in Sonoma Valley!! How cool is that? The $95 ticket for their Saturday show (which also included Grand Funk Railroad and the Doobies) was out of my price range but Sun FM morning man Ken Brown hooked me up with a pass for Sunday.

The first band I saw was The Turtles. The vocals were a little shaky but Flo & Eddie are great entertainers- Flo was especially funny. These guys produced a Boston rock & roll masterpiece (DMZ's first album) so they get props in my book. The next group was the Greg Kihn Band who impressed me by opening with The Only Ones' "Another Girl, Another Planet," a true Power Pop classic. Unfortunately Ryan (Son of Greg) Kihn's guitar was woefully out of tune so he blew the song's intro and solo, which was very frustrating. Who doesn't tune up before a show? The rest of the set was good, especially "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em Like That)," but not great. I would have preferred to hear more originals- Greg Kihn has written a lot of great songs over the years- but they played it safe with several more covers.

I was never a fan of Night Ranger. Aside from the insane "Sister Christian" scene with Alfred Molina in Boogie Nights, I'd never given the band much thought. I have to say though, they really tore it up at BR Cohn on Sunday. Jack Blades is a great front man and the crowd of mostly 40 and 50-somethings that sat clapping politely for The Turtles and Greg Kihn was on its feet going nuts during Night Ranger's entire set. I've always believed in the power of live rock & roll- how it takes you out of yourself, making you part of something big and out of control. Been a long time since I've seen a band slaughter an audience like Night Ranger did that day. It got me thinking that loud, over the top, mind blowing rock shows, a staple of my youth, may be a thing of the past. I've never seen a hip hop performance with 1/20th the power of a rock show and the few live rap shows I've been to have sucked outright. (Seriously, how is a dude and a turntable going to stand in for screeching guitars alongside thundering bass and drums? With a dance crew? I think not.)

I want all young people to experience the transformative power of a great rock & roll show. I've taken my son Jack to see AC/DC and Green Day, so he's got the idea. In fact, I just asked him if he'd rather see a good band whose songs he didn't know play live or spend the day playing X-box Live with his friends. "Are their songs catchy?" he asked. "Yes," I replied, "Then the rock show- definitely." Now I just need to plan Nica's rock & roll indoctrination. I wonder if The Donnas are still playing out?

Speaking of great live bands, Australia's Hoodoo Gurus are the real deal. The week after the BR Cohn show the band played the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, about 25 minutes away. I was embarrassed that only 40 or so people came out (the theater probably holds 300) but the band rocked like it was a sold-out show. I've seen the Hoodoos about ten times over the last 20 years and they continue to be one of my favorite live bands. That's me with the group's lead singer and principle songwriter Dave Faulkner above. (My friend Frank took the picture- the three crystal-clear "practice shots" he took earlier didn't really help when it was go time.) I got to shake Dave's hand and tell him he is one of my favorite songwriters. He said "Thanks ...songwriting is what I take the most pride in." What a great guy. God bless The Hoodoo Gurus.

Here's Hour 1 of tonight's show (right click and "Save Target As")

and here's Hour 2

Show #42 October 2, 2010

This one goes out to Annalisa as well as the cast and crew of Silver Moon Theater's production of Agatha Christie's Murder On The Nile


Annalisa- Chris Von Sneidern Sight & Sound
Leave Us Alone- The Rousers A Treat Of New Beat
Dozen Girls- The Damned Strawberries
Everyday- Rikk Agnew All by Myself
It's A Secret- Regular Guys Regular Guys E.P. 7"
Falling Away- Richard X. Heyman Hey Man!
Cast A Long Shadow- The Monochrome Set The Independent Singles Collection
Send A Letter- The Keepers By The Same Name
^Real Love- The Cretones Thin Red Line
After Last Night- The A's The A's
Don't Leave Me Tonight- The Rockers The Rockers E.P. 7"
Waiting For The Weekend- The Vapors Anthology
Jackie's Gone- The Vertebrats Jackie's Gone 7"
Your Number or Your Name- The Knack Get the Knack
*Come On, Come On- Cheap Trick In Color
*To Get Back In- Grand Funk Railroad The Anthology - Thirty Years of Funk 1969-1999
*Think I'm In Love- Eddie Money Greatest Hits: Sound of Money
*Sorry- Greg Kihn Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On: Beserkley Story
Tunnel Of Love- The Sunnyboys The Sunnyboys
Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn't've?)- Buzzcocks DIY Starry Eyes: UK Pop II (1978-79)
Tear Me Down- Various Artists Hedwig And The Angry Inch
Best Friend- The Krinkles 3 - The Mordorlorff Collection
School- Mickey Jupp Juppanese
Six- Neats 1981-84 The Ace of Hearts Years
Cheer- The Descendents Enjoy!
Somewhere In The Night- The Monroes The Monroes
Forget That Guy- The Vores The Vores 7"
>Almost There- The Turtles Solid Zinc: The Turtles Anthology
Lost Time- The Plimsouls Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal
How About Me and You- The Carpettes How About Me And You 7" EP
Girl In Golden Disc- The Records Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses

^Power Pop Peak: #79 Billboard Hot 100 5/3/80

*SacroSet: BR Cohn Fall Music Festival 2010

>Power Pop Prototype: 1965

While other kids dreamed of being Dwight Evans or John Havlicek when they grew up I wanted to be Gene Simmons. Rock & roll was my first love and as the ALL KINDSA GIRLS radio show and blog can attest, it still occupies a hallowed ground in my life. Hearing The Ramones in 1977 made playing in a band seem possible in a way it never had in the years I was listening to Kiss, Aerosmith and Rush. I started on the guitar that year and by 1980 was in a band (as lead singer as my guitar playing was still horrendous at the time). I've been in several groups over the years and currently play in an on-again/off-again party band called The Dadz (with an anarchy "A" of course).

I love playing music- figuring out songs, rehearsing and playing shows, but with work and family commitments it's hard to keep the music thing going. After my Sonoma band V.O.I.D. (Vain, Obnoxious, Ignorant, Degenerates) broke up in the late 90's I was looking for a creative outlet and my wife Jaime suggested I try theater. She's a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC and has been acting in theater productions for years. In a case of perfect timing, a Sonoma community theater production was casting a production of 12 Angry Men that spring and I won the part of "Juror 11" (the sniveling ad agency dork). Rehearsing a play is nowhere near as fun as playing in a band but when you get closer to opening night the rush of nervous anticipation is comparable. That first show was a HUGE success and people still talk about it today.

In the intervening years I've played many roles in shows including Glengarry Glenn Ross ("Williamson"), Plaza Suite ("Jesse") and my favorite, playing "Seymour" to Jaime's "Audrey" in Little Shop of Horrors. My approach to acting at this time consisted of memorizing all my lines and adding "character" afterward. Not too surprisingly, to an astute audience this yielded performances that looked like I learned all my lines and added "character" afterward.

At Christmas that year Jaime gave me a two day acting seminar by a guy named Kirk Baltz, who is best known for his role as the cop who gets tortured by Michael Madsen to the strains of "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel in Reservoir Dogs. I still see him in occasional walk-on TV roles but I think he spends most of his time on the acting seminars which are pretty amazing. I came out of that weekend with a whole new approach. Now when I prepare for a role, everything starts on day one; lines, backstory, character- it all comes together at once. This process takes a lot longer but it has made me a much better actor. I put it to use as "Mark" in a play about the first hospice called The Shadow Box and it was invaluable in my most recent role as "Simon" in Agatha Christie's Murder On The Nile.

Agatha Christie is not my thing but since they don't seem to be launching any productions of Hedwig & The Angry Inch or Avenue Q in Sonoma I figured I'd take a shot. Being a dude is a definite plus in any community theater casting call so I felt good about getting a role but didn't expect to land a part as big as "Simon." The audition was in February and I got the script in March thinking I'd have a good part of my lines down before the first rehearsal in mid-June.

Of course I only managed to read the play once before we started but luckily didn't do any line work because at the first read through the director asked for British accents. This really freaked me out because I'd never done it before and it took me about ten more days to even open the script. I began by over-enunciating consonants and playing with vowels but it wasn't until I started thinking about the character that it came together. The play is set in 1937 so I had Simon as a low born enlisted man who had lied about his age to fight for England in World War I. He ran away often but fought well the times he couldn't avoid it, noticing that when the battle was in question the wealthy officers tended to disappear only to return when victory was imminent. Simon vowed that if he survived the war he would do everything he could to become one of those rich men that had others do their fighting for them. Once I put this backstory together the lines and accent fell into place. It was a very challenging role playing pleasant naivete, physical pain, rage, grief, duplicitousness as well as loss of consciousness (not once but twice).

We were the final production in the inaugural season of Sonoma Stage Works and the Sonoma Theater Alliance. For the first time in over 20 years, Sonoma had a summer theater season. This is dream come true for Jaime and she worked tirelessly for a year to make it happen. So along with the cast and crew of Murder On The Nile, I owe my wife a huge debt of gratitude for an experience I'll never forget.

You can download Hour 1 of tonight's show here:
http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-10-02__20_59_57.mp3

And here is Hour 2:
http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-10-02__21_59_57.mp3

Show #41 September 18, 2010

Marilyn is the Belle of our Ball...

Marilyn- The Popes Hi We're The Popes 
Atmosphere- Velvet Crush Teenage Symphonies To God 
What's In It For Me- Hoodoo Gurus Purity Of Essence 
Love In a Hurry- The Proof It's Safe 
Beautiful Amnesia- Visqueen Message To Garcia 
Spit It Out- Brendan Benson The Alternative To Love 
I've Got Rock- The Tweeds Perfect Fit 
Holding My Breath- Mad Turks Cafe Istanbul 
^Army- Ben Folds Five The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner 
Legal Tender Love- The Pop Go! 
Baby Snatcher- The Moondogs Imposter Single
Lookout- Cheap Trick Cheap Trick 
Best Chance- Big Star In Space 
After Hours- The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground 
*Living a Lie- The dB's Repercussion
*Perfect Light- Arrogance Mondo Montage 
*Shock Therapy- The Spongetones Beat and Torn 
*Co-star- Let's Active Cypress / Afoot
Little Boxes- Teenage Head Teenage Head
Baby You're A Fool- The Names Why Can't It Be 45
Long Goodbye- London Cowboys Animal Pleasure
Mass Romantic- The New Pornographers Mass Romantic
Step By Step- Poison Squirrel Step By Step 45
Modern Times- Code Blue Code Blue
>Ruby- Sneakers Sneakers
Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind- The Dickies Stukas Over Disneyland
Rock'n'Roll Millionaire- Blue Ash Front Page News
She- The Taxi Boys The Taxi Boys
You Can Borrow My Car- The Necessaries You Can Borrow My Car 7"
Love Affair- The Tearjerkers Love Affair 7''
Brighter Worlds- The Connells Welcome To Comboland

^Power Pop Peak: #17 Billboard Modern Rock Chart 6/1/99

*SacroSet: North Carolina Power Pop

>Power Pop Prototype: 1976

As I've said many times before, the late 70's/early 80's was an amazing time for music- I don't think I'll ever see another like it. Past SacroSets have documented scenes from that era in places like Seattle WA, Kansas City MO, Boston MA, Milwaukee WI and Davis CA as well as in states like Illinois and Ohio. For this week's show I headed down south to North Carolina.

Thanks in large part to world class universities in Winston-Salem (Wake Forest), Chapel Hill (UNC), Durham (Duke) and numerous other schools like Raleigh's NC State, culturally North Carolina seems to have a lot more going for it than its neighbors Virginia or South Carolina. Witness all the great Tar Heel State Power Pop I played tonight:

• The Popes, Arrogance and Sneakers from Chapel Hill;
• The dB's, Let's Active and Ben Folds Five from Winston-Salem;
• The Spongetones from Charlotte;
• The Connells from Raleigh.

Chris and Alex at CBGB in 1977

That is some serious Power Pop pedigree. While all the bands have a distinctly southern sound, my favorite The dB's, were also "flavored" by time spent in New York City. After Sneakers (tonight's Power Pop Prototype artist) broke up in 1977, Chris Stamey moved to NYC and started playing with Alex Chilton just as punk

rock was breaking on the stages of CBGB's and Max's Kansas City. Having already started independent label Car Records for the Sneakers EP, Stamey went on to put out some legendary records by Chris Bell of Big Star, Peter Holsapple (his soon to be bandmate in The dB's), as well as The dB's debut 7" "I Thought You Wanted To Know."

The dB's

I credit my best friend Frank for introducing me to The dB's with their second album, Repercussion, pictured above. Despite having helped craft the southern pop sound that REM subsequently used to make millions, The dB's couldn't get a record deal in the US. They signed with UK label Albion which did a cool thing by bundling Repercussion with a free cassette copy of the LP (you still see copies of the LP in record stores where the cassette creased the album cover). Frank heard or read something about The dB's and ponied up for Repercussion, one of the most perfect Power Pop records ever.

Allston, Mass

Frank played the record for me at his apartment in Allston, MA and I was as taken with The dB's as I was with his place.  Frank was living with three other guys from Duxbury who were working or in college. I was still in high school and had never known anyone who had their own place- it offered a level of freedom that blew my mind. They had a stereo in the living room that everyone used to play their records. In what I think was supposed to be a formal dining area there was a recessed buffet that had three large drawers all filled to the top with porn!  My friend Jim and I would take the Red Line all the way in to Park Street and the Green Line all the way out to Allston just to hang out there.


Even now, I think about how cool that place was. Yes it was filthy, roach ridden and robbed three times (once when Frank was sleeping in a bedroom) but I

16 Westland Ave,
post 1990's restoration

loved it. So much so that two and a half years later Frank and I got our own roachy railroad flat on Westland Ave in Boston, right around the corner from Symphony Hall.  They tried to rob us three times too, but luckily never got in. Some of my fondest memories are of hanging around with friends listening to/arguing about music in those crappy apartments.

You can download tonight's show here:
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #41

Show #40 September 4, 2010

 

 For Christine and the Mods of '79

Christine- Gruppo Sportivo Pop! Goes The Brain/Design Moderne  

He's A Mover- Nikki & The Corvettes Nikki & The Corvettes  

OK U.K.- The Smirks Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On: Beserkley Story

Hey Princess- Popsicle Laquer

Rock 'N' Roll Heads- The Scruffs Teenage Gurls Tournament Of Hearts- The Weakerthans Reunion Tour

Hear This- Slaters The Big Black Bug Bled Black Blood

Things Will Be Different- The Shods Thanks For Nuthin'

^Just The Girl- The Click Five Greetings From Imrie House

Down- The Rooks Encore Echoes

New Little Girl- Off Broadway On

Right Now- The Wild Giraffes Right Now  

Prove It- Tweezers Already!  

Coit Tower- Millionaire At Midnight Titan: It's All Pop!

*Away From The Numbers- The Jam Direction, Reaction, Creation 

*Millions Like Us- Purple Hearts DIY Starry Eyes: UK Pop II 

*One Way World- Secret Affair Glory Boys/Behind Closed Doors 

*Cortina MK.2- The Lambrettas Beat Boys In The Jet Age Can't Take It- Numbers Add Up  

She's A Sleestak- Nerf Herder How To Meet Girls  

Tell That Girl To Shut Up- Holly & The Italians DIY Shake It Up: American Power Pop II  

Whole Wide World- Wreckless Eric Big Smash  

Dying In Fiction- The Front Lines Where Do We Go From Here? EP  

When Reality Hits You- The Genuine Fakes When Reality Hits You 

>Substitute- The Who Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy  

Break My Heart Tomorrow- Steve Blimkie & The Reason Steve Blimkie & The Reason  

I'm Shakin'- Blasters The Blasters 

It's Too Hot- Billy Karloff And The Extremes Let Your Fingers Do The Talking  

House of Mirrors- Will & The Bushmen Will & The Bushmen  

I Can't Wait- The Jolt The Jolt

 

^Power Pop Peak: #11 Billboard Hot 100 8/16/05

 

*SacroSet: Britain's Late 70's Mod Revival

 

>Power Pop Prototype: 1966

Duxbury High School in the late 70's was home to several rigidly defined social groups. The Jocks (mostly football players, and some soccer players who could keep up beer for beer, in long sleeve oxford shirts, Levi's cords and expensive Addidas sneakers) were at the top of the social ladder followed by The Yachties (rich kids and soccer players, heavily layered in Izod shirt over a white turtleneck with optional crew neck sweater, khaki pants with whale belt, Top-siders shoes). Also at the top were some high functioning members of The Druggies (kids from families with less money, or upper middle class kids trying to pass in the DHS smoking area, most wearing white thermal under a flannel shirt and down vest, jeans and Timberlands). At the bottom of the pecking order were The Brains (in glasses, oxford shirt, v-neck sweater vest, Levis cords, and off-brand sneakers), most of The Druggies and the unnamed dorks, dweebs, nerds, etc. The majority of the school, myself included, was in-between these two poles, usually rising or falling with the vicious cycle of high school popularity. Against such a mundane background, how could I not be completely enthralled with the multiple youth movements in Britain at the time: 

 

• The last of the Glam Rockers (make-up, spandex, sequins, top hats, etc.)

 

  

• Punks (legit- imately ripped up shirts, sweaters, leather jackets or those purchased, probably from Malcom McLaren)
  

 
 

• Teddy Boy Revivalists (Drape jacket, brocade vest, bootlace tie, drainpipe trousers, creepers on their feet) 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

• RudeBoys/ Skinheads (Bomber jacket, jeans, Fred Perry shirt, suspenders, Doc Martens ) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the subject of tonight's SacroSet:

• Mod Revivalists (Italian three-button, narrow lapel suits, button-down collar shirts, skinny ties, military parka, pointy-toed "winklepickers" on their feet)

While my favorite music in high school was Punk Rock, I didn't have the guts to pull off any "punk" style beyond The Ramones' ripped t-shirt, jeans, Chuck Taylors look. Plus, I lacked the social "blind spot" shielding me from the ridiculousness of a middle class American suburbanite dressing like a working class British punk. The Mod Revival look was another thing altogether though. I might not be able to look like Johnny Rotten, but I could certainly pull off Paul Weller. Right across the street from the original Newbury Comics in Boston was a store called High Society- the first vintage/mod/new wave clothing store I'd ever seen. With the little paper-route money I had left after buying records I'd buy a skinny tie or a badge from High Society. My first major clothing purchase with my own money was this incredibly cool blue plaid satin tuxedo jacket that I wore for years and my son Jack wore to a few ballroom dancing lessons when he was in the seventh grade. Around this time my friend Ted Maguire, who had older sisters and was the most fashion forward guy in our group, discovered the glorious bounty of the Salvation Army. From that point on thrift stores became a regular part of our routine. A few towns north of us, there was an amazing store at the Cardinal Cushing School in Hanover. Once a month, on the 1st Tuesday I think, they would have a "Dollar a Bag" day. I still have suits, shirts, ties, tuxes and shoes I bought back then. Even to this day, I get a little thrill whenever I walk into a thrift store for which I thank the bands in the late 70's British Mod Revival. 

 

Here is the link to stream/download this week's show: 

ALL KINDSA GIRLS #40 

Show #39 August 21, 2010

The Back To School Special is dedicated to Carrie Anne....


Carrie Anne- The Hollies 30th Anniversary Collection
School Is In- Josie Cotton Valley Girl: Music From The Soundtrack
I Don't Want It- The Genuine Fakes I Don't Want It
Don't Let Go- Seventeen A Flashing Blur Of Stripped Down Excitement
Stupid Rock Star's Dream- The Riffbackers PPO 2009 Top Ten
What Happens Next- The Cute Lepers Smart Accessories
I'm Gonna Be The Lonely Boy Tonite- Cherry Twister At Home With Cherry Twister
Rebel 81- Pictures Kicks & Tips 7"
^Teacher, Teacher- .38 Special The Very Best Of The A&M Years
A Few Home Truths- Hoodoo Gurus Purity Of Essence
X-Ray Proved- Princes Of Peace X-Ray Proved 7"
If You Don't Want Me No More- Dogs Legendary Lovers
Kids Today- The Strand Seconds Waiting
Chance To Play- Milk 'N' Cookies Milk 'N' Cookies
*Hot For Teacher!- Thundertrain Teenage Suicide
*Teenage Dirtbag- Wheatus Wheatus
*Teacher's Pet- The Quick Untold Rock Stories
*School of Rock- School of Rock Soundtrack
Saturday Nite Is Dead- Graham Parker Squeezing Out Sparks
Guerilla- The Numbers Govt. Boy 7"
You Can't Touch Her- Paul Warren & Explorer One Of The Kids
You Don't Have To Tell Me- The Blitz Panic Button 7"
Walk Away- The Pets Misdirection
Sing It Shout It- Starz Violation
>School Days- The Runaways The Best of the Runaways
When The Girls Get Here- The Young Fresh Fellows The Men Who Loved Music
Listen To The Heartbeat- DL Byron Shake Some Action Vol. 4
Sunrise On Sunset- The Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars
Throwaway Style- The Exploding Hearts Guitar Romantic
What I Got- The Wigs File Under: Pop Vocal
Schoolgirls- The Headboys The Headboys
I Wish I Could Go Back To College- Original Broadway Cast Avenue Q

^Power Pop Peak: #25 9/29/84

*SacroSet: Back To School >

>Power Pop Prototype: 1967

My son Jack started his freshman year at Sonoma Valley High School on August 18th and daughter Veronica's 6th Grade year at Woodland Star Charter School begins on August 25th (and don't think she isn't grinding on her brother about him starting a week earlier). Doing research for this Back To School Special, I found so much music to play that I think I'll be able to make it a yearly event. I have to say though that the song I'm most excited about this week is The Genuine Fakes "I Don't Want It." I found the band when I was rounding up music for the Swedish show and I can't get enough of the song right now. The funny thing is, had I come across The Genuine Fakes in a record store I might have passed them by because they break one of my Record Shopping Rules, in this case "#5--No facial hair." As the picture above shows, The Genuine Fakes are 4 for 4 in the mustache department. Even with the offsetting positives of matching black short-sleeved shirts and ties, the soup strainers would probably be a deal-killer.

This got me thinking about about other Record Shopping Rules that I have almost subconsciously followed in my 35 years as a music consumer:

• The best music ever made came out between 1975 and 1985. You could probably even narrow it down to 1976 to 1982. Now, that's just me talking, but I bet even the current bands I love (Hold Steady, Sloan, Fountains of Wayne, Big Kid, The Weakerthans, Kevin K and, for that matter, The Genuine Fakes) would agree.
• Guitars are a must. I don't think I own any records that don't have guitars and I'm pretty sure I don't want to.
  
• No more than five guys in the band. And it's five only because I'm making an allowance for a lead singer who doesn't play an instrument or MAYBE a keyboard player (see below). If it takes more than four people to play it, it's probably not for me. This is an excellent way to avoid Ska bands (other than the 2nd Wave British groups- The Specials, English Beat, etc.- it's a genre I avoid like the plague). The Boomtown Rats (lead singer, 2 guitars, bass, drums, keyboards) are a rare exception to the "5 Man Max" rule.
• No "percussion." If the drummer needs to be called a "percussionist" or if the group has both drummer and "percussionist," I'll take a pass. And, if it says "drum programming," double check that you're in the right section of the record store because that ain't right.
  
• No facial hair. Name one great punk rock band (aside from The Stranglers) that has a guy with facial hair. Now, name one Southern Rock band with a guy who ISN'T sporting whiskers. See?
  
• Beware of keyboards. Think twice about a group that has a dedicated keyboard player. Organ may be okay (especially Farfisa, then maybe Hammond) but avoid groups with synthesizers, synclavier and anything else that sounds like it was made at NASA.
• Women who rock are the exception, not the rule. I love the ladies, but let's face it, there are A LOT more women our there who want to be Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus or Destiny's Child than want to be Suzi Quatro, Joan Jett or The Go-Go's. No judgement; that's just the way it is. After Blondie's success in the late 70's, all these female-fronted Power Pop groups got record contracts but many sounded like a pop singer in a rock band- "pretty" vocals with no grit to them- so I now proceed with caution.
  
• Distrust horns. Granted there a few great bands with a saxophone player (X-Ray Spex, Hanoi Rocks...oh, I guess there are only two) but you've got to watch trumpets, trombones, etc. because again you're getting dangerously close to Ska territory. There's a reason Fear had a song called "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones."
• A record cover photo is worth a thousand words. Is the band wearing suits and skinny ties or cowboy hats and leather vests? They are sending you an important message- ignore it at your own peril. Of course, I played .38 Special tonight who are 100% in the latter category, so there are rare exceptions.
  

I'm sure there are other "rules" I've been following over the years, but like I said before, they are almost subconscious at this point. If I think of any more I'll be sure to include them in future posts. Also, if you have any of your own Record Shopping Rules, please leave a comment and I'll put them in as well.

Here are the links to download this week's show (Right Click and "Save Target As"):

Hour 1 http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-08-21__20_59_57.mp3

Hour 2 http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-08-21__21_59_57.mp3