The POWER POP COVER-UP Show #118 March 15, 2014

The Power Pop Cover Up is dedicated to Carol!

Carol (original version by Chuck Berry)- Hello Keeps Us Off The Streets
September Gurls (Big Star)- The Bangles Different Light
Closer To The Stars (Soul Asylum)- The Hold Steady Rags
Rock and Roll Love Letter (Bay City Rollers)- The Records Rock and Roll Love Letter
Sorry (The Easybeats)- The Three O'Clock Baroque Hoedown
Jetfighter (The Three O'Clock)- Spinning Jennies Stratosphere
Shake Some Action (The Flamin' Groovies)- Jenny Dee and The Deelinquents Keeping Time
With A Girl Like You (The Troggs)- Alex Chilton Top 30
^The Letter (The Box Tops)- Paul Collins King Of Power Pop
Dyna-Mite (Mud)- The Blondes The Blondes
Androgynous (The Replacements)- Joan Jett and The Blackhearts Greatest Hits
Another Girl, Another Planet (The Only Ones)- The Replacements All For Nothing
No Matter What (Badfinger)- Gary Charlson Real Live Gary
I Can't Turn You Loose (Otis Redding)- The Plimsouls The Plimsouls... Plus
*Hanging on the Telephone (The Nerves)- Blondie Parallel Lines
*When You Find Out (The Nerves/The Plimsouls)- Joe Algeri Faux Pas
*Walking Out On Love (The Nerves/The Beat)- The Yum Yums Singles 'n' Stuff 
*Paper Dolls (The Nerves/Jack Lee)- Rubber City Rebels Rubber City Rebels
*Zero Hour (The Plimsouls)- DM3 Garage Sale
*Million Miles Away (The Plimsouls)- Goo Goo Dolls Hold Me Up
All Kinds Of Girls (The Real Kids)- The Shods Thanks For Nuthin' 
Pretty Please Me (The Quick)- The Dickies Stukas Over Disneyland 
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (The Rubinoos)- Farrah Moustache 
Cruisin' Music (Raspberries)- The Rubinoos Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About
Misadventure (Squeeze)- Queued Up S/T EP 
He's A Whore (Cheap Trick)- The Biters He's A Whore 
That 70's Song (Big Star's "In The Street")- Cheap Trick That' 70's Show Presents That 70's Album: Rockin' 
Wake Up Little Susie (Everly Brothers)- Suzi Quatro The Wild One - The Greatest Hits 
Somebody Made For Me (Emitt Rhodes)- The Merrymakers Bubblegun 
>I Can't Let Go (The Hollies)- Sloan Recorded Live At A Sloan Party! 
Cycles Per Second (The dB's)- Lisa Mychols Sweet Sinsations 
Green Shirt (Elvis Costello)- The Tremblers Twice Nightly 
It's Easy (The Barracudas)- The Kwyet Kings Been Where? Done What? 
Ballad Of El Goodo (Big Star)- Matthew Sweet Big Star Small World 

^Power Pop Prototype:  The Letter by The Box Tops #1 Billboard Hot 100 8/12/67

*SacroSet:  The Nerves Cover Up

>Power Pop Prototype:  I Can't Let Go (The Hollies) 1966 

Cover songs are a double edged sword- with one or two

Scott Asheton 1949-2014

choice selections a band can share its musical influences, creating an even deeper relationship with fans.  I'd put The Dictators cover of The Stooges "Search and Destroy" in this category.  At the time I had a vague idea who Iggy Pop was, but The Dictators got me digging deeper for The Stooges and for that I will always be grateful (RIP Scott Asheton, the Stooges and Sonic's Rendevous Band drummer- he was a true original).

On the other hand, if a band chooses cover songs poorly it can be viewed as pandering or even worse, the dreaded "sell out."  In August 1968 The MC5 established themselves on the cutting edge of the counterculture as the only band that didn't puss out on playing at the Democratic Convention/Police Brutality Exhibition in Chicago.  Their reputation was further cemented with the release of the blistering live album Kick Out The Jams in February 1969.  Midwest department store chain Hudson's refused to stock the record due to the infamous "Kick Out The Jams motherf***er!" intro and more f-words in the liner notes.  The MC5 responded with this ad in alternative paper Fifth Estate (click to enlarge), thoughtfully including the Elektra logo despite the fact that no one at the company had approved it. Hudson's then pulled ALL Elektra product from its shelves and the band was thrown off the label.  

Their outlaw status confirmed, The MC5 signed with

Atlantic Records.  They went into the studio with future Bruce Spring -steen producer Jon Landau and made Back In The USA, a record of short, super tight R and B/early rock and roll influenced music that harkens back to the stuff the band was playing in 1965-66.  I LOVE the album; songs like "American Ruse" and "Looking At You" are the very definition of proto-punk, but the hippies and freaks who dug the free-form sonic onslaught of Kick Out The Jams were not amused.  It wasn't bad enough the record was named for a patriotic Chuck Berry song (they do a straight-up unironic version), Side 1 Track 1 of  Back In The USA is a cover of Little Richard's "Tutti-Frutti."  In 1970 that was probably about as reactionary as you could get and The MC5 never seemed to recover their fan base, even with third album High Time which was a return to the Kick Out The Jams sound.

So, choose the wrong cover songs and its curtains for your band.  Or it makes you a one-hit footnote/joke (see The Lemonheads' version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," or Alien Ant Farm's take on Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal").  Of course, go all the way and you become the much derided "Cover Band," scorned by musicians, critics and "serious" fans alike.  Check out these lyrics to Red Cross' "Cover Band" if you don't know what I'm talking about:

We're a cover band
We like boring songs
Solos that are long
We listen to KIIS
Top 40 hits
We're a cover band
We're a cover band

We can't write worth sh*t
'Cause we're illiterate
We listen to The Knack
We have Marshall stacks
We can't write worth sh*t

(short solo)  


We can't write worth sh*t
'Cause we're illiterate
We listen to The Knack
We have Marshall stacks
We can't write worth sh*t

Red Cross 1980: Ron Reyes (later of Black Flag),
Greg Hetson, Jeff and Steven McDonald

I've never been sure about all the words to this song, especially "we like boring songs, solos that are long" and "cause we're illiterate."  I also thought they were talking about the group Kiss and not the Los Angeles Top 40 radio

Steven McDonald Today

station KIIS-FM.  So, for this post I decided to go to the source and e-mailed the band on their website.  Within an hour webmaster Jon got back to me with the full lyrics.  Then the next day Redd Kross bassist Steven McDonald (who I believe is 11 in the photo above and doesn't look a day older) e-mailed me the lyrics from his iPhone.  How cool is that?

Ironically when original guitarist Greg Hetson left he brought "Cover Band" to his new group Circle Jerks, who "covered" it with new lyrics, changing the title to "Live Fast, Die Young."  (I like both takes on the song, yet for sheer snottiness nothing beats the version by "Red Cross," as they were known before a lawsuit forced them to change the spelling of their name.)  If that isn't enough irony for you, in

Teen Babes From Monsanto, 1984

1984 Redd Kross put out an all-covers album called Teen Babes From Monsanto with songs by Kiss (a killer version of "Duece"), The Shagri-La's, The Rolling Stones, The Stooges and David Bowie.  Proving they were in on the joke, the group also "covered" their own song "Linda Blair" from first album Born Innocent.

Like many of my strongly held opinions about music that "sucks," my attitude toward cover bands has changed over the years, largely due to the following factors:

• For my 40th Birthday my wife Jaime threw me a party that included the debut of my cover band The Dadz.  I tell you, as much as I liked playing original music back in the day, there's a lot to be said for whipping up a dance floor of drunk 40 year olds with The Ramones' "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," The Monkees "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," and "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" by Dramarama.  How great was that night?  I still use a cut from the photo below as my profile picture.

Rick, Joe and James

• The other reason I'm much more forgiving about cover bands is that live music is rare these days and outside of major cities there aren't too many places booking bands that play original music.  So, on a Saturday night in Sonoma you're probably not going to pass up a chance to see Misfit's cover band Braineater, while over at The Mystic Theater in Petaluma they are packing them in for House of Floyd, Zepparella, and AC/DShe (the latter two all-female tributes).

• Finally, the DJ thing is out of control.  Neither of my kids has EVER been to a school dance with a live band.  They will never know the mounting anguish as the tempo picks up in "Stairway to Heaven" or "Freebird" followed by the rapture of realizing you are going to stay in a slow dance clench all the way through to the end.  Depending on the band, each of those songs could be 15 minutes long!  At the time I had never held a sweet-smelling pretty girl in my arms for that long.  What a rush!  My friends and I would mock the bands that played our school dances, usually made up of guys only few years older than us.  At the same time we couldn't help noticing how the attitude of girls in the audience changed after the band got offstage.  Once they'd seen him tear though "Barracuda" and " Smoke On The Water" on his Stratocaster, they never looked at the grease monkey from the Hall's Corner Exxon the same way again.  In any case, when live music is plentiful, hating on cover bands is to be expected yet I'll still take well played live music over a DJ any day of the week.

In closing, I'm going to share some photos of three new favorite cover/tribute bands that I've never heard but turned up in my Interweb research for this post:

The Misfats

I wonder if they hid the guy in back because he's too skinny and they didn't want to blow the concept.

Mini-Kiss

Remember these guys from from the Super Bowl commercial they did with Full-Sized Kiss? (Maxi-Kiss?)

Gabba

This London band plays Abba songs in the style of The Ramones.  Are you mad you didn't think of it first?  I know I am.


Finally, as a public service I present the following, in case you are considering a career in the cover band arts:

Who knows, this may be where The Misfats got their start....

Download link for the POWER POP COVER UP is below (Click to stream or to download, right click and "Save Link As")
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #118

Show #78 May 5, 2012

Lucille please come back where you belong!


Lucille- The Didjits Hey Judester/Fizzjob
Tonight- The Take The Take 7"
Gonna Be a Rockstar- Happiness Factor Self Improvement?
Loving Touch -The New Romans Jenny 7"
Love Like Her- Candy Butchers Candy Butchers aka The Blue Thumb Album
I'll Never Be the Same Again- The Singles Better Than Before
Lover's Rock- The Clash London Calling
Waiting- The Rooks Encore Echoes
^Ain't That a Shame- Cheap Trick At Budokan
Rock 'n' Roll Boys Rock 'n' Roll Girls- Stoneage Hearts Guilty As Sin 
Looking Glass- LMNOP Numbles 
The King Is Half-Undressed- Jellyfish Bellybutton
Quick Turns- Off Broadway Quick Turns
Don't Tell Me It's Wrong- The Fevers Love Always Wins
*Yummy Yummy Yummy- Rudi Big Time
*Pictures of Matchstick Men- The Slickee Boys Cybernetic Dreams of Pi 
*Midnight Confessions- The Fastbacks ...And His Orchestra 
*You Were On My Mind- The Vacant Lot ...Because They Can 
Shakin'- Rooney Rooney 
Jellybaby- The Adicts Smart Alex
Call On Me- Tommy Keene Songs From The Film
Modern Swinger- Pink Spiders Teenage Graffitti 
Congratulations, My Darling- Eugene Edwards My Favorite Revolution 
I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts- X More Fun in the New World 
>Back In The U.S.A.- MC5 Back In The U.S.A.
Financial Disaster (It's Only Money)- Screams Screams 
Don't Call My Name Anymore- States Mondo Montage
Down in Your Dreams- The Orange Humble Band Assorted Creams 
It Was Different When We Were Children- The Vertex Tonight The Sky Will Be Ours EP 
Back To Paradise- .38 Special The Very Best Of The A and M Years
Fools- Newtown Neurotics Newtown Neurotics Punk Collection
Something Happened- Cosmetics Guilt 45
Can't Seem To Make You Mine- Alex Chilton Top 30

^Power Pop Peak:  #35 Billboard Hot 100 8/4/79

*SacroSet:  Power Pop Cover Songs

>Power Pop Prototype:  1970

Like most groups, my first band started out playing covers.  The thing is, it takes a level of musical proficiency to play other people's music, even when the set list sticks to pretty simple punk rock songs.  My first band was called The Acoustics- a very New Wave name for mostly "sub-punk" talents.  The key to the band was a guitarist named Mike who went to Duxbury High with us and worked with me at Angelo's supermarket.  He knew how to play the guitar and was musically open minded.  I don't think Mike had heard much punk rock before we played it for him yet not only did he like it, he could also figure out how to play the songs on guitar.  Ted the bass player and Frank the drummer had been in a band called Nuclear Apathy that played original material (which gave them immediate cred in my book)  but seemed to have run its course.  Ted asked me to come over to his house after school one day and my lead singer career began.  It certainly wasn't a question of vocal talent- I was just the only one with cojones enough to do it.

My friend Paul played a little guitar and ended up joining the band as well.  This began a major transition for me as I went from being best friends with Paul, which meant getting hammered every Friday and Saturday night, to starting a friendship with Ted and Frank who at that time didn't drink at all.  This mirrors a transition in my music tastes; in a two year period my favorite bands had gone from AC/DC, Rush and Kiss to The Clash, The Ramones and The Real Kids.  Anyway, we'd lend Mike the guitarist albums and he'd choose songs to learn.  Our

early setlist included "Clash City Rockers" and "Brand New Cadillac" by The Clash, "Submission" by The Sex Pistols, The Ramones' "Commando" and The Lurkers' "Total War."  We played our first show in the Spring of 1981- a backyard party at our

friend Lance's house.  I'd been listening to a good deal of hardcore at the time and it showed in my vocal "stylings."  While Joe Strummer starts "Brand New Cadillac" with a very cool low key "drive........drive....." I chose to scream the words at the top of my lungs.  Cousin Rich taped the performance and 30 years later I am still teased about it.  Gina, my girlfriend at the time, was a classically trained pianist and after the show she asked:

"Why are you so angry and why do you have that scary look on your face when you 'sing?'" 

(The air quotes were clearly implied in her tone- and this girl liked me!)  All I can say is:  blame Dez Cadena of Black Flag and Keith Morris of the Circle Jerks- it's their fault.

Greg, Dez and Chuck of Black Flag

The original Acoustics only played that one party after which Paul left to go back to his besotted weekend antics.  Lance's drum teacher had a talent show in Quincy that we were invited to play which is when I started pushing for a name change.  The Acoustics then became....wait for it....THE DYKES!  (My parents had one of those personalized wood burned signs made for me that summer with the name of the band flanked by two circle-A anarchy symbols... how awesome is that!)  Arriving at the drum school show in our punk rock attire (I was wearing wrap glasses and a cool tuxedo I'd just found at the Duxbury Thrift Shop) we were greeted by what looked like a southern rock convention.  Long hair, beards, big ass belt buckles- and they did not care for us one bit.  I'm pretty sure I heard this Latino dude rocking overalls and a Meximullet (Mullatino? in any case, see example) call me "faggot."  My favorite part of the show was at the end of my vocal part on our closing number, I flashed a pair of British V signs, screamed "ANARCHY" at the top of my lungs, jumped off the stage and ran full speed through the audience and out the back of the theater.  (God I was insufferable in those days- seriously, why did anyone suffer me?)  It was a memorable show, though needless to say we did not place in the talent competition.  I think the winners did a note for note re-creation of the live version of "Freebird," with a guitarist (yep, it was Meximullet) wailing away the final five minutes of the song on his knees with an array of facial

Ooh it hurts!!!

expressions straight out of a 70's porno movie.  I'm not kidding, this guy would give 70's Neal Schon of Journey a run for his money in "guitar face" wankery.  And that's  saying something because Schon is one of the rudest dudes to ever desecrate a Les Paul.

The Dykes only played one other show, then Mike left for a reason I can't remember.  Yet, not being in a band did not deter Frank, Ted and I from participating in numerous photo sessions.  This photo was taken at the legendary Paragon Park on Nantasket Beach in lovely Hull, Mass.  In fact this was the night Frank took my high school yearbook photo.  (I can assure you that while my hair does exhibit mullet-like qualities, it was short in the back-- that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

 Frank, Ted, Rick

Our friend Jim was in Nuclear Apathy but skipped the Acoustics/Dykes, putting that time to good use by actually learning to play the guitar.  He was also present at several photo sessions.  I believe this photo confirms my aforementioned "no mullet" defense.  This was the same day Frank took Ted's yearbook photo, which was an homage to Elvis Costello's Trust album cover.  Someday I'll scan both Ted's and my own yearbook pictures- they certainly didn't look like anybody else's in the Duxbury High School Class of 1982 ('82- Can Do!).

 Ted, Jim, Frank, Rick

After high school Ted joined the Army, moved to New Mexico and got married so I didn't get to play in a band with him again.  Pete took over Ted's Bassmaster General duties and joined Jim, Frank and I in No Idea after we all moved to Boston for college.

I don't often give parenting advice in this blog but here's some anyway- if your boy shows limited skill and/or interest in athletics growing up GET HIM A GUITAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  Want proof?  The four guys in No Idea ALL got girls to have sex with them.  I wish I could take credit for this formula myself, but it comes from The Daily Show's Earth The Book:

IQ/(bench press) x (guitar skills) = y
where y = years of virginity

It's funny because it's true.

Click this link to stream this week's show or to download, Right click and "Save Link As"
ALL KINDSA GIRLS #78

Show #55 April 16, 2011

For Angela...

Angela- New Math Die Trying 7"
Good Day- The Click Five Greetings From Imrie House
The B-Side- The Innocents No Hit Wonders From Down-Under
Telegram- The Monitors Shake Some Action Vol. 3
I'll Cry Instead- The Monochrome Set Eligible Bachelors
King Of The Mountain- Three Hour Tour 1969
Dreamin' (Here He Comes)- City Thrills City Thrills EP
Love Me Or Leave Me- Rooney Calling the World
^Where Have You Been All My Life- Fotomaker Fotomaker
The Provider- The Outlets Whole New World
Bubblegum Factory- Redd Kross Third Eye
Automatic- Off Broadway Quick Turns
Changing With The Times- The Headboys The Headboys
Wanna Write a Letter- LMNOP Elemen Opee Elpee
*Rave On- The Real Kids Real Kids
*Red Rubber Ball- The Diodes Tired of Waking Up Tired
*Lipstick On Your Collar- The Saints 1-2-3-4 EP
*Mony Mony- The Wigs File Under: Pop Vocal
Tomorrow Night- Shoes Shoes Best
Need The Girl- The Agents Need The Girl EP
The Sky Is Falling- Owsley Owsley
My Problem (w/ Mark Mulcahy)- The Reducers Guitars, Bass & Drums
Merry-Go-Round (Love Is All)- The Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars
Too Dumb- Regular Guys Regular Guys E.P. 7"
>Cruisin' Music- Raspberries Starting Over
Oh No- The Shazam The Shazam
Someone Like You- Blue Shoes Someone Like You 7"
Thin Red Line- The Cretones Thin Red Line
Three Chord City- The Cold You 7"
Revenge- The Scruffs Wanna Meet The Scruffs
Rock N' Roll Song- Bobby Sky Titan: It's All Pop!
Charmless- The Popes Hi We're The Popes
New Strings- The Pods It's A Bummer About Bourbie EP
A Girl I Know (Precis of a Friend)- The Pleasers Thamesbeat

^Power Pop Peak: #81 Billboard Hot 100 4/22/78

*SacroSet: Power Pop Cover Songs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1974

I saw a very interesting documentary a few weeks back called The Five Obstructions. In the film, director Lars Von Trier (Breaking The Waves, Dogville) challenges his mentor Jorgen Leth to remake Leth's 1967 short film The Perfect Human five times, each with a different set of obstructions. Von Trier, who a lot of the time comes off like a bastard, has thought out some of the obstructions ahead of time (no cuts longer than 12 frames, shoot in "the worst place in the world" but don't show it on camera, remake it as an animated film) but some are just random bitch slaps (shoot in Cuba, no sets).

Leth is a pretty unflappable guy does his best to complete each task. The obstructions end up being a major factor shaping and even inspiring the work. In fact, as punishment for “failing” at one of the tasks Leth is told to remake the film any way he chooses, in other words with NO obstructions. Leth’s response to this particular obstruction is “that’s diabolical.” In the end, Von Trier admits that he failed in his attempt to ruffle his mentor's composure and that he, Von Trier, will likely never make a film as good as The Perfect Human.

In my experience playing guitar and writing songs for rock bands, I've never sought out obstructions. Let's face it, limited talent is obstruction enough- my guitar playing plateaued when I was about 19 and my songwriting never progressed much past verse-verse-chorus-bridge-solo-chorus-chorus-out. That's why I find a guy like Jack White so intriguing; he consistently puts artistic obstructions in his own path. Take The White Stripes: no bass player, a drummer with limited skills, a three color palette (white, red, black) for wardrobe and design, recording only on ancient analog equipment, etc. Yet, I would say Jack White is the only certifiable genius rock & roll has produced in the new millennium.

There's a great moment in the guitar documentary It Might Get Loud where they show Jack White on the porch of his farm house in Nashville making a "guitar" out of a coke bottle, a piece of wood and a guitar string. The film then cuts to U2 guitar player The Edge's roadie wheeling a refrigerator-sized rack of computer guitar effects into the band's rehearsal studio. It's a great juxtaposition- I'm not knocking The Edge, but in my opinion Jack White comes off way cooler, way more rock & roll.

Even though I've been appearing in plays and student films a relatively short time, I feel my acting abilities have already surpassed my musical talents. Experience has shown me that most major obstructions to a good acting performance are internal rather than external. I'll find myself getting locked into a certain way of doing something or, even worse, be thinking of what I need to do next and not listening to my fellow actors. Acting is a great metaphor for life- you have to be right there in the moment or the audience will sense you've drifted off, giving them permission to do the same. Anyway, I'm still learning. In fact, I've been cast in a new show that I'm pretty excited about. More on that in a future post.

Here are the links below to download this week's show (right click and "Save Target As"):
Hour 1
Hour 2

Show #31 April 24, 2010

For Josephine's historical and otherwise...

Josephine- Abbreviated Cieling Abbreviated Cieling 12" EP
Teenarama- The Records Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses
Hurricane J- Hold Steady Heaven is Whenever
(I Live For) Cars & Girls- The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
Let Your Fingers Do The Talking- Billy Karloff And The Extremes Let Your Fingers Do The Talking
Miss You Baby- The Yum Yums Sweet As Candy
It Won't Do Any Good- Happy Hate Me Nots It Won't Do Any Good 7"
Cold Wind- The Bis-quits The Bis-quits
^He Could Be The One- Josie Cotton Valley Girl: Music From The Soundtrack
Die Trying- New Math Die Trying 7"
Frustration- Purple Hearts Frustration 7"
Sick of Brick- Kevin K And The Hollywood Stars Cool Ways
Private Army- Richard X. Heyman Hey Man!
Tell Me Why (Can't Understand You)- 20/20 20/20
*Downtown- The Cuban Heels Downtown 7"
*Burning Love- The Wild Giraffes Right Now
*Singing In The Rain- Just Water Singing In The Rain 7"
*Cool Jerk- Human Sexual Response Fig. 15
Paper Dolls- Rubber City Rebels Rubber City Rebels
Feel So Good- Spelling Mistakes Feel So Good 7"
Baby It's Cold Outside- Pezband Pezband
I've Gotta Change My Life- The Fleshtones It's Super Rock Time!
Hey! (Not Another Face In The Crowd)- The Thrills DIY: Mass. Ave. - The Boston Scene (1975-83)
Soft in the Center- Hold Steady Heaven is Whenever
>Wayside- Artful Dodger DIY Come Out And Play: American Power Pop I (1975-78)
Diamonds In The Rough- The Vertebrats Jackie's Gone 7"
Rhythm Guitar- Ben Vaughn Mood Swings
Big Brown Eyes- The dB's Stands for deciBels
Mesmerized- The Cold Mesmerized 7"
What's The Point- Sussex Treat Me Kind 7"
She's So Cynical- Modulators She's So Cynical 7"
Running Away- The Romantics Romantics And Friends-Midwest Pop Explosion
That Girl- The Scientists The Scientists
Very Temporary- Bob Mould District Line

^Power Pop Peak: #21 Billboard Hot 100 6/29/79

SacroSet: Power Pop Cover Songs

>Power Pop Prototype: 1975

While I love digging up obscure musical gems from the past, there's nothing like having a new release to look forward to. It doesn't happen very often these days because, I'm sorry to say, I've just lost touch with a lot of new music. When I was in college I could read Boston Rock or The Boston Phoenix and know something about nearly every band in the reviews and club listings, but those days are long past. As I've gotten older, I simply don't have time to keep up on current music. For starters, there seems to be so much more of it today. When I was a teenager you'd go to Newbury Comics and there would be about 10 or 15 new LP's and 45's each week, of which I'd be interested in 2 or 3. Now the Newbury Comics e-mail blast has about 40 new cd's every week, and that doesn't count imports and 7" records. Back then, it seemed like you could have a comprehensive understanding of a genre like Boston Rock, Punk, New Wave or Power Pop. Now it would be a full time job trying to focus on one genre from one country and even then you'd probably miss a lot.

The other issue, and I know I'll come off sounding like an old man here, is that I don't like a lot of the new music I hear. I've lost count of the times someone has told me "you've got to hear this amazing band" and when I do, I'm underwhelmed. Having worked with commercial radio stations for years, I've come to the conclusion that people's music tastes are established between the ages of 16 and 24. For a huge music fan like me, you could probably broaden it out to age 10 to 26. I imagine that for the rest of my life the new bands I discover and love will share some characteristics with those I loved when I was younger. That certainly is the case with The Hold Steady, who have a new album Heaven Is Whenever out May 4th. When I listen to them it often feels like I could have written the songs myself. Not the ones about being wasted on drugs and alcohol, of course, but a lot of the ones about music:

From "Constructive Summer"
Raise a toast to St. Joe Strummer
Sometimes I feel he was our only decent teacher
Getting older makes it harder to remember
We are our only saviors

From "Massive Nights"
We had some massive highs
We had some crushing lows
We had some lusty little crushes
We had those all-ages hardcore matinée shows

From "Stay Positive"
There's gonna come a time
Where the true scene leaders
Will forget where they differ and get big picture
'Cause the kids at the shows
They'll have kids of their own
And the sing-along songs will be our scriptures

From "Certain Songs"
I guess you're old enough to know
kids out on the east coast,
roughly twenty years old,
got coaxed out by a certain perfect ratio
of warm beer to the summer smoke
and the Meatloaf to the Billy Joel.
Certain songs they get so scratched into our souls

From "We Can Get Together"
Heaven is whenever we can get together
Sit down on the floor and listen to your records
Heaven is whenever we can get together
Lock your bedroom door and listen to your records

In the last 10 years I've been much more prone to be emotionally moved by films and books than by music. That's why Craig Finn's lyrics and The Hold Steady's music are such a revelation to me; they take me back to my first love, rock & roll. The great thing is that The Hold Steady isn't nostalgia. This music meets me where I am now- a 45 year old suburban dad- which is the thing I love most about it.

The other great thing about The Hold Steady is they are one of the few bands that can get me out to the clubs. The group is incredibly powerful live and I'm really looking forward to seeing them at The Fillmore in San Francisco next week. The last time I saw them was a mind-blowing experience that I will never forget.

Here's the link to download Hour 1 of tonight's show (Right click and "Save Target As" http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-04-24__20_59_57.mp3

And here's Hour 2 http://sunfmtv.com/fm/showarchive/public/2010-04-24__21_59_57.mp3