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

Show #36 July 10, 2010

Dedicated to Renee...
and for Tommy, and Pete and Andy


Renee- Hoehn & Duren Blue Orange
I Will Dare- The Replacements Let It Be
Come And Take Me Tonight- Loaded Dice No Sweat
Call My Name- Dirty Angels Dirty Angels
Faded Portraits- Critical Mass It's What's Inside That Counts
Baby Baby- The Vibrators Pure Mania
You're What I'm Looking For- Rooney Eureka
All I Can Do- The Jolt You're Cold 7"
^I Think We're Alone Now- The Rubinoos Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About
Rock Problems- The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever
Hello Mr. Johnson- The Shades Shake Some Action Vol. 4
Every Minute- The Grip Weeds Infinite Soul: The Best of
My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms- Tuff Darts! Tuff Darts!
Baby Please Believe Me- Pete Holly & The Looks Baby Please... 45
*American Beat '84- The Fleshtones It's Super Rock Time!
*American Fun- The Stompers The Stompers
*American Kix- Candy Whatever Happened To Fun
*So American- The Mutants So American 45
Hideaway- The Finders Calling Dr. Powerpop
I Wanted To Tell You- Matthew Sweet Girlfriend
Well You Never...- Sex Beatles Well You Never 45
Hush Hush- The Plimsouls Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal
Grown Up Age- The Bureaucrats Feel The Pain 7"
The Coast Is Always Changing- Maximo Park A Certain Trigger
>All Of My Friends Were There- The Kinks The Village Green Preservation Society
Dream Girls- Modulators She's So Cynical 7"
Windy Beach- Battered Wives Cigarettes
Bechamel- Pernice Brothers Goodbye, Killer
Mustard Sally- Chino Mala Leche

^Power Pop Peak: #45 Billboard Hot 100 3/5/77

*SacroSet: America Songs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1968

For the most part I'm okay with growing older. It sucks having to get up during the night to go the bathroom and I'm no longer able to ride centrifugal force carnival rides like Tilt-O-Whirl and The Sizzler but generally I'm doing okay and as the punchline from the old joke about aging goes: "it's better than the alternative." Thanks to running and cycling I don't feel much different than I did fifteen or twenty years ago. I also still have most of my hair, so I've got that going for me.

At the same time, it's impossible not to feel old when so many of the singers and musicians you grew up with are dying. Drug and alcohol related deaths like Dee Dee Ramone's and Johnny Thunders' have been part of rock & roll from the beginning. But for me, things started changing with Joey Ramone's death in 2001. Even so, he'd been fighting cancer for seven years so it wasn't a shock. Joe Strummer's death the following year, however, was like a kick in the stomach- he is a hero of mine and, what made it even worse, was in the midst of a musical renaissance with his band the Mescaleros.

Maybe because All Kindsa Girls has me paying more attention, but 2010 already seems like a deadly year for musicians I like. The first three months of the year marked the passing of Jay Reatard (1/13/10), Doug Fieger (2/14/10) and Alex Chilton (3/17/10). Six weeks later we lost Will Owsley (4/30/10). When I was preparing this week's show my friend Brian sent an e-mail lamenting the death of original Kinks bass player Pete Quaife (6/23/10), which I noted with this week's Power Pop Prototype "All My Friends Were There" from the The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, his last record with the group. Then a day later I read that Memphis singer-songwriter Tommy Hoehn (6/24/10) is gone (that's his picture above and tonight's dedication song "Renee" is one of my favorites from his time playing with Van Duren). Now, when I finally get to this post I see another member of Big Star, bass player Andy Hummel (7/19/10), has died. That makes four Memphis musicians (Reatard, Chilton, Hoehn, Hummel) dead in 2010 and the year has over four months to go! WTF!!

When my wife Jaime gets into one of her dark moods she'll ask me "is this all there is to the second half of life- your body falls apart and people you love start dying?" Now I'm a "glass is half full" person but I see what she means; I guess death is going to be a much bigger part of our lives from here on out. Since we don't really have a say in the matter we're just going to have to accept it, but that doesn't mean we have to like it. I have to admit it was starting to get to me on this week's show though when after The Kinks I played Chino (featuring Alex Soria who killed himself on 12/13/04) and had Jim Carrol (heart attack, 9/11/09) cued up. I actually said something like "I promise no tributes to dead people next show," but as my friend Jeff once said, that sounds like "throwing a glove down before the Gods," so I take it back.

I loved the TV show Six Feet Under and one of the lines I remember most was Nate Fisher's response to the question "Why do people die?" He said: "To give life meaning." I think he's right- the ticking clock provides a sense of urgency. Otherwise death is just a cruel joke and I can't believe that. So, Rest In Peace Andy, Tommy and Pete- thanks for all the great music guys.

You can download Hour 1 of tonight's show here (Right click and "Save Target As"): http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-07-10__20_59_57.mp3


And here is Hour 2: http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-07-10__21_59_57.mp3

Show #34 June 5, 2010

My Bonnie lies over the ocean...

Bonnie- Big Dipper Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
This Far Before- Material Issue International Pop Overthrow
Burnt Orange- Hoodoo Gurus Purity Of Essence
I Want You- The Moberlys Sexteen
Your Imagination- Shoes Shoe's Best
Every Night Of The Week- Seventeen A Flashing Blur Of Stripped Down Excitement
You Were So Warm- Dwight Twilley Band Sincerely
Talk About Nothing- Farrah Moustache
^Found Out About You- Gin Blossoms New Miserable Experience
Way Out World- Shrapnel Go Cruisin' 7''
La La La- The Cavedogs Joy Rides for Shut-Ins
Cool City- The Cute Lepers So Screwed Up
Why- The Strand Seconds Waiting
I Wanna Get Married- De Cylinders I Wanna Get Married Single
*Phenomenal World- The Orbits Make The Rules 45
*Tell It All- The Wigs File Under: Pop Vocal
*When I Was Younger- The Shivvers Teen Line 45
*Body Language- The Haskels Haskels The E.P. 7"
Tall Trees- Crowded House Woodface
Culture Shock- Shake Culture Shock 10" EPTreat Me Right- Sass Radio 45
No Promise- The Flashcubes Bright Lights
Have You Seen Her- The Colors Rave It Up EP
After The Fire- Little Murders Stop Plus Singles 1978-1986
>Mama Weer All Crazee Now- Slade SladestEmpty Faces- Push Ups Empty Faces 45
Waiting To Shine- Adam Schmitt IlliteratureHeartache- Protex I Can Only Dream 7''
Ultimato- Crackers Sir Crackers!
Looking Forward to Destroy- Mad Turks Cafe Istanbul
Someday's Gonna Come- The Reducers Cruise To Nowhere
This Is The Way- The Stilettos Shake Some Action Vol. 3
Sticky Sweet Girls- The Zeros 4-3-2-1-The Zeros
Are You Sleeping- Hoodoo Gurus Purity Of Essence

^Power Pop Prototype: #25 Billboard Hot 100 1/15/94

*SacroSet: Milwaukee Early 1980's Power Pop

>Power Pop Prototype: 1972

Let's face it- All Kindsa Girls is NOT a new music  radio show. So it seems like an embarrassment of riches to have not only a new Hold Steady album but also a new one from The Hoodoo Gurus (who are pictured above). Being on the other side of 50 hasn't dulled Dave Faulkner's pop sensibilities any, in fact some of the ballads on the record are as good as any he's written. There is also a scorching song about getting older called "Burnt Orange" that I played tonight:

When I was 17 my blood was gasoline

No matter where I turned, I got my fingers burned
I wouldn't go back there if I could

But then I turned 21, no fear of anyone
I always let them know if they were friend or foe
I wouldn't go back there if I could

I remember very well, way back then I went through hell
Always thought I was smart, never played it from the heart

I never listened to my Daddy's point of view
And though I wish I had, things they turned out so bad
I wouldn't go back there if I could

When I was in my teens and early 20's I used to hate the Rolling Stones and other groups that were still touring despite becoming musically irrelevant. I'm sorry but a 12" Disco Mix of "Miss You?" Or how about "Emotional Rescue," which to me makes Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music sound like London Calling. Part of the problem was people were listening to these dinosaurs when I thought they should be listening to something new, like say London Calling. Another thing I disliked was how the Stones were trying to ignore the passage of time, especially Mick at 45 jumping around like an anorexic teenage girl. I've since mellowed quite a bit and fully admit that taking Jack to see AC/DC in 2008 was the equivalent of going to any Rolling Stones tour after 1976. Furthermore, while nowhere as skinny as Mick, I have been known to jump around the stage while playing with my band The Dadz.

One of the things I find so cool about Dave Faulkner and The Hoodoo Gurus is that they acknowledge the passing of time and their songs benefit from the different viewpoint of guys who have been around a few years. Craig Finn and The Hold Steady do the same thing- they aren't afraid to act their age but still rock...hard. Hopefully these guys are exploding the myth that rock and roll is only a young man's game.

Click to stream this show, or to download right click and "Save Target As:"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #34