Well's 2006 Picks

First and 10:

Album of the year: THE KNUCKLEBALL SUITE - Peter Mulvey. Another one for the ages and better, if at all possible, than his last KITCHEN RADIO. Soft and spare, startlingly introspective folk, bouncy pop, at least one waltz, one stroll, you name the style and it's on here, executed with such skill and restraint that the mind boggles. All this woven through a lyric about the poignancy and unpredictability of life - or as the album titles it, THE KNUCKLEBALL SUITE. It's rather ineffable stuff to try and address directly, and Peter manages to outline and sketch it in before occasionally going head on with a turn of phrase that can make you weep outright. And it's all done with insidiously catchy music and a sense of humor in full flower. Unreservedly recommended, and an album I will happily enjoy for the rest of my life.

1. STRANGE CONVERSATION - Kris Delmhorst. You know that one girl you heard sing, about ten years ago, in a smoky, slightly country nightclub with
decent drinks, you know the one with the voice that made you fall in love all over again? Yeah, her. She just put out a new album. Technically I suppose this is some famous poetry put to music, though it's hard to see past Kris' ethereal tones and the top-notch musicianship. No secret in Americana circles, she has been opening gigs for Richard Thompson of late which means it'll all go national by this time next year.

2. THE LIFE PURSUIT - Belle and Sebastian. The best pure pop album since.well, MARSHMALLOW last year. Another shimmering pop album for summer:
wonderful, almost too-pure harmonies, tasty arrangements, earworms and sing-alongs galore. The background production touches are delightful, and give much joy in repeats. For awhile there I listened to it nearly every day.

3. OLE TARANTULA - Robyn Hitchcock. 10 out of 10 armadillos agree, Robyn is energized and rocking at his best for the first time in ages. R.E.M acts the
rent-a-backing-band, and the news that they already have another album in the can is beyond cool. It's ultra-supermarine-double-dog-dare-cool.

4. TEN SILVER DROPS - Secret Machines. Monster rock songs that build layers of guitar on propulsive drums to thundering climaxes, spacey psych, catchy
4-minute power-pop, sneaky lyrics - these guys bring it, and hard. If your rock has killer backbeat, this is for you. When I was their age I was worried about college homework and getting stoned, and they're opening for U2. There's a reason for that.

5. A CASE FOR CASE (a tribute to the songs of Peter Case) - Various Artists. If you're like me, then you think that Peter is one of the four or five best
pop/country/folk songwriters this country has ever produced. but then you also hate his voice. Enter this 3-disc collection, where anyone who could angle their way onto the project got in their take on a classic. Here the lyrics can really shine, interpreted by new vocal cords and in ways that manage to point up how good the source material is without overcoming it. Might be the best "tribute" album I have ever bought, and that's saying something.

6. NASHVILLE - Solomon Burke. Serious soul voice on classic lyrics, recorded in a week with the Nashville A-list in Buddy Miller's living room. Great sound and a couple of goose bumps along the way.

7. THE ANIMAL YEARS - Josh Ritter. The best review I read of this likened it to a circus train winding slowly through a rural town. There's a heavy story
to tell here, instrumentation and lyrics aplenty.but never done in a hurry, at times a rusty squeezebox and others like momentum building in a revival tent. Excellent continuity and production.

8. HOPE AND OTHER CASUALTIES / INNOCENT WHEN YOU DREAM - Mark Erelli. Two albums in one year, both pretty intensely personal stuff.one a pointed call for peace, the other a collection of lullabies and quiet songs, including some surprisingly tender covers. Overall not my favorites by this artist, but a vote here for quality done in quantity.

9. BLOOD MOUNTAIN - Mastodon. Do you like music made by guys raised on speed metal and core? I sure do. Maybe not the equal of their staggering Moby
Dick-inspired opus LEVIATHON (2004), but brutal and insane nonetheless. Really too much to deal with at one sitting.

10. THE FLOW OF TIME - Shivkumar Sharma. How can one suggest ragas on a pop list? By being extremely mellow of course! Masterful stuff, just right for
pulling your personal thing together in the half-light hours. Berries and mat sold separately.

Others that hover nearby:

9th WARD PICKIN' PARLOR - Shawn Mullins. The first half is Album of the Year. The second half is from some burned-out basement, circa 1975. Seriously, I can't recall such a glorious record going off the tracks so completely. Still mad props for the opening four or five tracks.

BANG BANG ROCK & ROLL - Art Brut. What is this, gloriously ridiculous Brit post-punk? To me kind of the same quadrant Nic Armstrong works in, but with
more far more banging and less melody, if that makes any sense. Fun for background party rock, but I don't expect a lot of staying power.

UNTIL WE FELT RED - Kaki King. Noted lesbian fretboard freak trades experimental acoustic guitar music for experimental electric guitar music plus vocals, drums, keys and strange squiggly noises. No wonder the label dropped her like a bad habit, but still a lovely, weird album from someone who clearly doesn't give a shit what people like Sony think.

AGE OF WINTERS - The Sword. A decidedly Sabbath-like angle instead of the thrash of Mastodon. Occasionally a bit sludgy, but for fans of a more traditional metal sound this is the best thing in years.

POST-WAR - M. Ward. More offbeat, partially obscured fuzzpop with the occasional breakout melody. In other words, just like any other M. Ward
album.

RETURN TO THE SEA - Islands. It's to the point where you have to use indie bands to not describe other indie bands. Is this like P:ano with some Quasi
and a little general rhythmic weirdness thrown in, or not? Bonus points for using Friedrich's 'Sea of Ice' on the cover.

AND THE GLASS HANDED KITES - Mew. Mew, mew, mew, mew, mew, mew.mew.

GHOST REPEATER - Jeffrey Foucault. Midwestern folkie moves east, yet does a deceptively busy album with multi-instrumentalist producer Bo Ramsey in
Iowa. Go figure, but it's darn good.

ORPHANS (Disc 3) - Tom Waits. Eddie was right about this. On other lists, they will wonder about that comment, and I will smile.

SLOW NEW YORK - Richard Julian. A little too much slow in the New York, but a couple of dynamite songs.

FUTURE WOMEN - The M's. Local boys. Like 'em.

UNDER THE IRON SEA - Keane. Evidently it was the booze.

SKUNKMELLO - Guy Davis. This is a tough one, initial read was not positive but it's growing on me. I was hoping to like it a lot more though.

Single of the year, non-Snow Patrol division: "Little Red Radio" by Pas/Cal, from their EP debut DEAR SIR.

Release that everyone was on about but that I give a hearty "ehh" to: THE GREATEST - Cat Power

Best album title: IMPEACH MY BUSH - Peaches.

2005 reissues worthy of a couple shekels and which I'm just getting around to now: STAGES - Count Basie and FOOL'S MATE - Peter Hammill

JOTD: The Test

A lawyer, an engineer and a mathematician were called in for a test.

The engineer went in first and was asked, ''What is 2+2?'' The engineer thought awhile and finally answered, ''4.''

Then the mathematician was called in and was asked the same question. With little thought he replied, ''4.0''

Then the lawyer was called in, and was asked the same question. The lawyer answered even quicker than the mathematician, ''What do you want it to be?''

GSOTD: Friendship

By TENACIOUS D

Friendship is rare,
Do you know what I'm sayin' to you?
Friendship is rare.
My derriere,
When you find out much later
That they don't really care.
It's rare to me, can't you see?
It's rare to me, can't you see?

Oh shit there's a bear,
Could you hand me that shotgun buddy,
Also that chair?
We're fighting a bear
Now your life's in grave danger
And you don't even care.
It's rare to me, can't you see?
It's rare to me, can't you see?
It's rare to me,
Say a prayer for me,
'Cause it's rare to be
In Tenacious D.

Friends will be friends
They're running naked in the sand,
Friends holding hands
Will someday surely form a band,
Friends will be friends
They say that friends are friends
To the bitter end.
Long-as-there's-a-record-deal-we'll-always-be-friends!
Long-as-there's-a-record-deal-we'll-always-be-friends!

Friends will be friends
They're running naked in the sand,
Friends holding hands
Will someday surely form a band,
Friends will be friends
They say that friends are friends
To the bitter end.
Long-as-there's-a-record-deal-we'll-always-be-friends!
Long as there's a record deal we'll always be friends, yeah

El Mozote's SOTD: All Things Must Pass

All Things Must Pass / George Harrison

Sunrise doesnt last all morning
A cloudburst doesnt last all day
Seems my love is up and has left you with no warning
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away

Sunset doesnt last all evening
A mind can blow those clouds away
After all this, my love is up and must be leaving
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
None of lifes strings can last
So, I must be on my way
And face another day

Now the darkness only stays the night-time
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
Its not always going to be this grey

All things must pass
All things must pass away
All things must pass
All things must pass away

Albert's A-Z

My rather prosaic choices:

Tori Amos
David Bowie
The Cure
Bob Dylan
Eminem
Flaming Lips
Gang of Four
Robyn Hitchcock (if that's cheating, then how about Husker Du?) Chris Isaak Jesus and Mary Chain Kraftwerk Longwave Magnetic Fields or Bob Mould--can't make up my mind Nirvana Old 97s The Pixies or the Pogues (both in my top five favorite musical acts of all
time)
Q and Not U (for lack of any other choice)
The Ronettes
The Sundays
T. Rex
U2
Velvet Underground
Tom Waits
X
Young Fresh Fellows
Frank Zappa

Marc

Dwarf's A-Z

The Afghan Whigs; The Beatles; The Cure; The Bob Dylan; Echo & The Bunnymen; The Finn Brothers; The Go-Betweens some syd barrett wannabe; Interpol; Joy Division; The
Kinks; Luna; Kirsty MacColl; New Order; Roy Orbison; Pixies I own no Qs; R.E.M.; The Smiths; Talking Heads; U2; The Velvet Underground; Tom Waits; XTC; Neil Young; I
own no Zs

"I believe in the marketplace of ideas even if the
other guy doesn't have any." -- Keith Olbermann

Nuppy's A-Z II

Nuppy's List:

Ayers, Roy
Beatles
Captain Sensible
dB's
ELO
Firehose
Marvin Gaye
Hitchcock!
The Invisible
Jamiroquai
The Karelia
Love
Monochrome Set
New Musik
Of Montreal
Jose Padilla (anyone hear his album "Souvenir"? Wow.)
Q??
Raining Pleasure
Squeeze
They Might Be Giants (the 1st 2 albums have been in my car)
U2
Velvet Underground
Would Be Goods
XTC
Yes
Zero Zero

Dolph's A-Z

American Music Club
Brainiac
John Cale
Daniel Amos
Elbow
Marianne Faithfull
Patty Griffin
John Wesley Harding
Charles Ives
Japan
King Crimson
Low
Morphine
NEU!
Over The Rhine
Robert Pollard
Quasi
Josh Ritter
Sugar
Talk Talk
Uncle Tupelo
Vigilantes Of Love
Lucinda Williams
XTC
Yo La Tengo
The Zombies

FS Thomas' A-Z

Looking at recent playings via iTunes:

Astrud Gilberto
Billy Bragg
Camera Obscura
David Gilmour
Elvis Costello
Field Mice, The
Gnarls Barkley
Half Man Half Buscuit
I Am The World Trade Center
Juliana Hatfield
Kruder & Dorfmeister
Lorelei
Mareva Galanter
New Pornographers, The
Orchids, The
Pink Floyd (soooo typical)
Quincy Jones
Richard Thompson
Saint Etienne
Tapes 'n Tapes
UK Subs
Velvet Underground, The
Wedding Present, The
Xavier Cugat
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Zero 7

GSOTD: Explosivo

By TENACIOUS D

Climb upon my faithful steed,
Then we gonna ride,
gonna smoke some weed.
Climb upon my big-ass steed,
And ride, ride, ride.

Eeeee-eee-eee-eeeee-eeeee-eee-eee-eeeee-eeeee-eeeee-eeeee,
What's the name of the song,
Explosivo!
Don't know what it's about,
But it's good to go.
What's the name of my girlfriend
I don't know,
But she's built like the shit
And she's good to go, go,
She's good to go,
She's good to go.

We are fuelled by Satan,
Yes we're schooled by Satan.
Fuelled by Satan!
Writin' those tasty riffs
just as fast as we can.
Schooled by Satan!

We were the inventors
of the cosmic astral code.
We've come to blow you away,
We've come to blow your nose.
We've come to fuckin' blow,
We've come to blow the show.
We've come to fuckin' blow,
You know it, you know it!

Eeeee-eee-eee-eeeee-eeeee-eee-eee-eeeee-eeeee-eeeee-eeeee,
What's the name of the song,
Explosivo!
Don't know what it's about
But it's good to riddle-ah!

[spoken]
I am not one of you. I come from an ancient time.
I am known as The Kicker of Elves. I am also known as The Angel Crusher!

(somthing is said in the wild guitar playing)

Explosivo.

Ostrander's A-Z

a abba / tori amos



b beatles / bowie / bjork / beck / bragg / blondie / beach
boys / beastie boys / buckley / big star



c clash / costello / cure / clapton / csny / george clinton
/ camper van / chumbawamba



d dylan / duran / di franco / doors



e echo / eno / eurythmics



f fall / fleetwood mac / franti / aretha franklin



g gabriel / genesis / grateful dead / gaye / guided by
voices / godfathers / g love



h hitchcock / pj harvey / hendrix / husker du / heart



i inxs



j janis / jane's addiction / jesus & mary chain / joy
division



k alicia keys / kinks



l led zeppelin / le tigre / the like



m mekons / marley / van morrison / midnight oil / madonna /
maria mckee / moby / moby grape / manic street preachers



n new order / olivia newton-john / laura nyro / nirvana



o shuggie otis / sinead o'connor / olivia tremor control



p presley / prince / pretenders / pink floyd / police /
pixies / pearl jam / public enemy / psych furs / phair



q queen



r stones / radiohead / r.e.m. / roxy / ramones / richman /
replacements / rundgren / roots / chili peppers



s smiths / springsteen / sonic youth / sleater kinney / st
etienne / paul simon / simple minds / santana / sly & the family / stooges / elliot smith / seal



t throwing muses / talking heads / tears for fears / the the
/ t rex / that petrol emotion



u u2 / ub40 / undertones



v velvets / suzanne vega



w tom waits / who / stevie wonder / waterboys / winwood /
white stripes



x x / xtc



y neil young / yo la tengo / yes



z frank zappa

Mark P.'s A-Z

ABBA
Bags, The(BOSTON Bags!)
Creation, The
dB's, The
Ely, Joe
Foghat
Gigolo Aunts
Hangman's Beautiful Daughters, The
Insomniacs, The
Jasmine Minks
Kinks, The
Let's Active
Mod Fun
Neighborhoods, The
Orgone Box
Primal Scream
Queers, The
Radio Birdman
Stems, The
Television Personalities, The
Ups And Downs, The
Velvet Crush, The
Watemelon Men, The
X (don't get NO better!)
You Am I
Zarkons, The

Bert's A-Z

Anthrax
Beck
Chicago
Dead Kennedies
Eric Clapton
Frank Sinatra
GWAR
Hole
Infectious Grooves
Jerry Garcia
Korn
Led Zepplin
Motorhead
Nirvana
Overkill
Pantera
Queensryche
Robert Johnson
Suicidal Tendencies
Tool
Uncle Kracker
Venom
Wings
Yes
Frank Zappa

Hagedorn's ABCs

Abba
Big Star
Costello, Elvis
Drake, Nick
Eleventh Dream Day
Feelies, The
Go-Betweens, The
Hitchcock, Robyn
Ideal
Jazz Butcher, The
Kinks, The
Lemonheads, The
Mann, Aimee
Nirvana
Oasis
Prefab Sprout
Queen
R.E.M.
Smiths, The
Television
U2
Velvet Underground, The
Wire
XTC
Yo La Tengo
Zappa, Frank

There used to be a radio show in Germany named "Von Abba bis Zappa" ... and there you have it. The list *feels* weird, but it's probably pretty representative of my taste.
--
Hagedorn
http://darkstar.spinfo.uni-koeln.de/~hgd/

"Being just contaminates the void" - Robyn Hitchcock

Kevin's A-Z

Here's a provisional list, which of course changes hourly:

The Bonzo Dog Band's entire corpus

1970s Anthony Braxton

Buffalo Springfield, who I'll love till I die...

Most of John Cale solo especially Fear, Sabotage, Music For a New Society Chrome, 3rd From the Sun Miles Davis, In a Silent Way up through Pangaea Tanya Donnelly generally 801 Live Richard & Mimi Farina generally Jane's Addiction, pre-reunion 1972-74 King Crimson Pere Ubu generally, also David Thomas' Monster Walks the Winter Lake, More Places Forever, Meadville Todd Rundgren, most anything up through the late Seventies but particularly Todd. Terje Rypdal, Odyssey, also Descendre Doug Sahm generally The Slits, Cut The United States Of America Vivan Stanshall, Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead and Teddy Boys Don't Knit X, Wild Gift, also See How We Are the later Mothers Of Invention

Stacked's A-Z

it's been such a great year for music, i wondered if i could put together a list considering only rekkids released in '06...

A - Joseph Arthur (i've not actually heard *Nuclear Daydream* yet, but judging from the tour it'll be in my top-five) B - Boris C - Calexico D - The Decemberists E - Jeremy Enigk F - [open] G - Gnarls Barkley (lisa germano may top this, once i get my ears on it) H - Jolie Holland (polly jean harvey may top this) I - The Invisible Eyes J - [open. however, the late, great juno are playing a coupla shows here in a few weeks!! dunno if this means there are plans for a new recording.] K - Gregg Kowalsky L - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins (the lights will surely top this) M - Mogwai N - Willie Nile O - [open] P - i've not heard it yet, but Grant-Lee Phillips will probably be serviceable. Q - Quasi R - Radio 4 S - Snow Patrol T - TOOL U - [open] V - The Village Green W - Tom Waits X - [open] Y - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Z - [open]

...pretty damned close. that's one helluva good year!

Bachman's A-Z

Cd's at work

Mindi Abair
Belle & Sebastian
Captain Beefheart
Duke Elington & John Coltrane
Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones (I love the Smilin' Jones
cut!)
GB3
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Nancy King
Love
Lee Morgan
OMD
Madeleine Peyroux
The Rapture
Mindy Smith
Talk Talk
Whore - Various Artists play Wire

Dignan's A-Z

OK - this looks like fun:

Adrian Belew
Beatles (tied with Brian Eno...damn "first name" lists!) Crowded House (very close again...) David Bowie Elvis Costello (sorry Mr McCulloch) Foo Fighters Go-Betweens Hunters & Collectors Iggy Pop John Cale The Kinks Leonard Cohen The Mutton Birds New Model Army (narroly ahead of Neil Young) Ocean Colour Scene Pink Floyd Q... um... can I buy a vowel? Robyn Hitchcock Shriekback (narrowly ofver Shihad and Simon & Garfunkel - what a combination!) Talking heads Ultra Vivid Scene Velvet Underground (just pipping Van the man) The Who XTC Yo La tengo Zeitgeist

James

Spotted Eagle Ray's A-Z

Picked up the iPod and kept hitting "next" through a randomized queue until I filled in all 26 letters. So, not necessarily all-time favorites, but my immediate musical future contains:

Aimee Mann

Beck

Chemical Brothers

Dolph Chaney

Echo & the Bunnymen

Flying Burrito Brothers

George Harrison

Hunters & Collectors

Ils & Solo

John Barberian & the Rock East Ensemble

The Kingston Trio

Liz Phair

Mort Garson

Nico Fidenco

Of Montreal

The Pogues

The Quiet American (okay, this is a score, but it was that or wait for Queens of the Stone Age to come up)

Richard Hell & the Voidoids

Sweet

Thirteenth Floor Elevators

Ultra Vivid Scene

Vic Chesnutt

Wilco

X-Ray Spex

Yo La Tenga

The Zombies


Sorta what I'd expect, sorta not.


There should be some kind of "random rules" style game we can spin out of this, but I'm not sure how it would work...

Eb's A-Z

A: Tom Waits
B: The dB's
C: Paul McCartney
D: Barry Adamson
E: The Beatles
F: Of Montreal
G: dunno
H: The Who
I: Pink Floyd
J: Bjork
K: dunno
L: The Clash
M: Elliott Smith
N: Brian Eno
O: Elvis Costello
P: Bruce Springsteen
Q: Squeeze
R: Creedence Clearwater Revival
S: The Essex Green
T: XTC
U: Husker Du
V: The Iveys
W: Matthew Sweet
X: The Explorers
Y: Bob Dylan
Z: dunno

I thought it was kind of a stale question, so I did it by second
letter instead.

Eb (and don't you dare suggest Skinny Puppy)

2006 Favs by THE GREAT QUAIL

1. Beck, "The Information"

2. Hank III, "Straight to Hell"

3. Tool, "10,000 Days"

4. Decemberists, "The Crane Wife"

5. Robyn Hitchcock, "Ole Tarantula"

6. Bob Dylan, "Modern Times"

7. Joanna Newsom, "Ys"

8. Thom Yorke, "The Eraser"

9. Neko Case, " Fox Confessor Brings the Flood"

10. The Raconteurs, "Broken Boy Soldiers"

Also really dug:

The Mountain Goats, "Get Lonely"

Sonic Youth, "Rather Ripped"

T-Bone Burnett, "The True False Identity"

Rob Zombie, "Educated Horses"

Ice Cube, "Laugh Now, Cry Later"

Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Stadium Arcadium"

TV on the Radio, "Return to Cookie Mountain"

Les Claypool, "Of Whales and Woe"

...and of course, the Tom Waits box, but that's not really *new*, so....

Well's A-Z

Some in current rotation as I piece together the year-end lists...

Art Brut
Belle & Sebastian
Curreri, Paul
Doughty, Mike
Easton, Tim
Fahey, John
Gan Bua (local Irish outfit)
Hannah Montana (by way of having an 8-year old daughter) Islands Jim's Big Ego King, Kaki Lazerlove5 Mastodon Nits, The (thx Nuppy) Odin (courtesy of Eb's psych blog link) Pas/Cal Quicksilver Messenger Service Ritter, Josh Stillway, Jamie The Secret Machines U2 Vaughan, Stevie Ray Waits, Tom (Eddie was right about d3 of the new one) X Youth, Damien Zort (ambilectro)

SYV: Fuck Her Gently

By TWO GAY DUDES IN A SLEAZY MOTEL

SYV: Fuck her gently

By SOME JERKOFF WITH A TRUCKER HAT

GSOTD: Fuck Her Gently

By TENACIOUS D

This is a song for the ladies
But Fellas listen closely
You don't always have to fuck her hard
In fact sometimes that's not right,to do
Sometimes you've got to make some love
And fuckin' give her some smoochies too
Sometimes you got to squeeze
Sometimes you got to say "Please..."
Sometimes you got to say "Hey..."

I'm gonna fuck you, softly
I'm gonna screw you gently
I'm gonna hump you, sweetly
I'm gonna ball you discreetly

And then you say "Hey I brought you flowers"
And then you say "Wait a minute Sally"
"I think I got somethin' in my teeth, could you get it out for me?"
That's fuckin' team work!

What's your favorite posish?
That's cool with me
It's not my favorite but I'll do it for you
What's your favorite dish?
I'm not gonna cook it
But I'll order it from Zanzibar!

And then I'm gonna love you completely
And then I fuckin fuck you discreetly
And then I fuckin bone you completely
But then I'm gonna fuck you haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard

Stew's A-Z

Okay, then, from the collection:

Animal Collective
The Beta Band
Calvin, Don't Jump!
Dressy Bessy
E
The Flaming Stars
Grandaddy
The Hidden Cameras (or that Hitchcock guy)
The Instruments
Jennifer Gentle
Konono #1
The Ladybug Transistor (coulda hadda feg here: The Late BP Helium)
Major Organ & The Adding Machine
Neutral Milk Hotel
Okkervil River
The Polyphonic Spree
Quentin Crisp
Radiohead
The Sunshine Fix
Trio
The Ukranians
Von Hemmling
The Wailin' Jennies
XTC
Yello
Zakary Thaks

Q was a stretch, but I have a track of his on Pillows & Prayers. I only
had to mine Nuggets for Z, and I had the Anthology of American Folk
Music in backup in case I couldn't get any more.

Rob's A-Z

Don't usually bother with this sort of thing, but it's lunchtime & I'm bored, so based on what artists are currently in my ipod:

Arab Strap
Belle & Sebastian
The Coral
The Delgados
Eels
Fratellis
Guillemots
Hard-Fi
Isobel Campbell
James
The Kaiser Chiefs
Lou Reed
Malcolm Middleton
New Model Army (scaping the barrel a bit here)
The Offspring (again scraping the barrel)
Placebo
Queen (not ashamed to admit it)
Radiohead
Sons & Daughters
Thom Yorke
U?
Velvet Underground
White Stripes
Xray Spex
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Zutons

Rob

L. Elizabeth's A-Z

Not exactly under the radar but here goes:

Aimee Mann
Beatles
Chameleons
David Bowie
Elliott Smith
Fiona Apple
Gang of Four
Howard Devoto
Iggy Pop
Joy Division
Kinks
Leonard Cohen
Magazine
Nico
Old 97s
Public Image Ltd
Q - will donate for another B
Robyn Hitchcock
Stephin Merritt et al
Tori Amos
Ultravox
Velvet Underground
Wire
X
Y - will donate for another B
Zombies

JOTD: Electricity Mathematics

Q: How many men does it take to screw a light bulb into a socket?

A: One -- because men will screw anything.

Capuchin's A-Z

Well, since I am, in fact, the average guy or gal in cyberspace, I will go ahead and reply. Here's a list that feels good at 2am after a long day of algebraic graph theory (stripping definite articles just for the sake of the whiners -- and also to make it easier to choose a "T"):

Au Pairs
Brian Dewan
Cub
Dance Hall Crashers
Epoxies
Fun Boy Three
Gang Of Four
Higsons
Information Society
James Figurine
Kraftwerk
Laura Cantrell
Morgan Grace
Nomeansno
Os Mutantes
Public Enemy
Roger Miller
Queers
Sparks
Tracy + The Plastics
Unwritten Law
Violent Femmes
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
X-Ray Spex
You And What Army
Zombies

It's something different, anyway.

To bed.
J.

Berzerker's A-Z

Off the top of my head... I'm so METAL!

Anthrax
Black Sabbath
Cannibal Corpse
Danzig
Exodus
Flotsman & Jetsam
Gwar
Helloween
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
King Diamond
Lunatic
Motorhead
Native Blood
Overkill
Pantera
Quit Riot
Rollins, Henry
Suicidal Tendencies
Testament
Unleashed
Venom
White Zombie
X - Sinner
Yellow
ZZ Top

Guntarski's A-Z

I took the first thing that pops into my head approach with this list:

A - Arctic Monkeys
B - Beck
C - Camper Van Beethoven
D - Devo
E - Eels
F - Ben Folds
G - Gun Club
H - Robyn Hitchcock
I - Iggy & the Stooges
J - Jesus & Mary Chain
K - Kings of Leon
L - The Libertines
M - Morphine
N - Nirvana
O - Skinhead O'Connor (I can't fucking think if any other O's)
P - Elvis Presley
Q - Queen
R - R.E.M. but Jonathan Richman is a very close second.
S - The Strokes
T - They Might Be Giants
U - Uncle Tupelo
V - Violent Femmes
W - The Who
X - XTC
Y - Young Fresh Fellows
Z - Frank Zappa

Tom Jones' A-Z

Here's a topic for everyone - favorite bands/artists A to Z. Here are mine:

AC/DC
The Beatles
Eric Clapton
Bob Dylan
The Eagles
The Firm
Guns N' Roses
Jimi Hendrix
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Kiss
Led Zeppelin
Megadeth
Nirvana
Ozzy Osbourne
The Police
Queen
The Rolling Stones
Stryper
Tesla
U2
Van Halen
The Who
Yes
ZZ Top

I have no favorite for X. I reserve the right to make changes.

SYV: Double Team

By TENACIOUS D

SYV: History

By TENACIOUS D

GSOTD: History/Double-Team

By TENACIOUS D

This is a song called the history of Tenacious D
And its not just a list of bullshit that we've done in the past
It's a chronicling of our rise, to power!

We ride with kings on mighty steeds
Across the devils plain
We've walked with Jesus and his cross
He did not die in vain, NO!

We've run with wolves, we've climbed K2
Even stopped a moving train
We've traveled through space and time my friends
To rock this house again, rock!!

We ride and we ride and we'll never subside
And we'll ride till the planets collide
And if you say that we do not ride
I'll turn you're fucking hide, ride!!

Kyle's fingers be silver, Jacks voice then be gold
But lest you think we're vain
We know you're all robots and we don't care
Tenacious D, we reign!

We rei-eign, supreme, ooooh god!!
Burrito supreme, and a chicken supreme
And a cutlass supreme
Supreeeeeme yeaaaaaah
go now Kyle! 1-2-3
Supreme!!!

********************************

[spoken]
Damn, a hard day's rockin'. Better slip off ma shoes.
Maybe give a little stretch, and a bend.
Dip m'toe to jacuzzi, baby. Slip out this book:
The Buttress of Windsor. Ho ho ho, who's this? How's it goin'?
[sung]
That's the first thin' I say to you.
How's it goin'? Are you flowin'?
Listen honey,
Thinkin' 'bout a couple things to say to you,
Showin', growin',
Man I'd like to place my hand
upon your fuckin' sexy ass and squeeze.
And squeeze!

Take off your blouse,
And your underpants,
Then take a look,
'Cause here me and KG come naked,
Out of the side-hatch,
With the oils and perfume and incense.
Now you're groovin',
Put on a cool '70s groove.
A funky groove to fuck to.
A funky groove to fuck to.

Me, me and KG,
It's all about sex supreme,
We likes to cream jeans. (sex)
Have you ever been worked on
By two guys who are hot for your snatch? (sex)
That's what I'm offerin' you.
You step into our room,
And then you smell the perfume,
You lay upon our roundish bed,
And then you feel a tickling on your head.
It's KG with the feather and the French tickler,
Look out baby he got the tools.
And then you feel sumpin' down by your feet.
It's me, it's JB, I'm suckin' upon your toes.

We don't mind sucking on toes!
Good luck finding a boyfriend who sucks toe, ow!
Havin' sex with me and KG,
Now you're talkin' double team supreme.

Let's roll!
Oh!
[2-part:] Ahh, oh!

What! Yeah! Huh! Nah! Oh!
Ah, that's it, that's right, ohmygah, oh-I-think-I'm-gonna, Ohh!
Deht! Deht! Eeee!
...Splooge!

[spoken]
That was the one.

[KG:] Hail Satan!
[JB:] Hail Satan!
[KG:] Hail Satan!
[JB:] Hail Satan!

JOTD: X-Mas

Yo mama is so stupid, I told her Christmas was right around the corner - so she went looking for it.

ATM: The Departed

Wow! I finally saw this Thanksgiving night after struggling the entire dayw with the flu. This should receive multiple nominations for the Acadamy Awards.

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

RS: 4of 4 Stars Average
User Rating: 3.5of 4 Stars

2006 Warner Bros. Pictures All Movies

Maybe you've heard the Internet buzz about The Departed being an old-school cop flick, unburdened by profundity. Maybe you'll think so too if you don't pay a lick of attention to what's onscreen. Or maybe you'll recognize The Departed for what it is: a new American crime classic from the legendary Martin Scorsese, whose talent shines here on its highest beams.

A title card sets the scene: boston. some years ago. And we're off, watching Leonardo DiCaprio as a cop pretending to be a hood and Matt Damon as his opposite. Both are trapped in circumstances where you can't tell the good from the bad.

All the actors bring their A games to this triumphant bruiser of a film, its darkly wanton wit the only defense against complete chaos. DiCaprio and Damon give explosive, emotionally complex performances, but it must be said that Jack Nicholson reaches undreamed-of heights of decadent devilment as Irish mob kingpin Frank Costello. Whether he's wielding a gun or a dildo, buying off cops, dissing Catholic priests as pederasts, seducing children into a life of crime, letting it snow cocaine on favored hookers or chatting while elbow-deep in blood, Nicholson is electrifying. Dispassionately executing a woman on a beach, Costello notes to his henchman Mr. French (a terrific Ray Winstone), "She fell funny." But Costello is no campy Joker. Channeling James Cagney in White Heat and Paul Muni in Scarface, Nicholson leeches out the glamour to create a landmark portrait of evil.

William Monahan's stinging script, a revelation after his murky meandering in last year's Kingdom of Heaven, transfers the plot of the terrific 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs to his native Boston so he can drill down to its depraved core. Those familiar with the gangs of Beantown will see Whitey Bulger -- the Irish thug still being pursued by the FBI -- in Nicholson's sick twist of a character. This is vital, visceral filmmaking, indebted to Michael Ballhaus' vibrant cinematography and Howard Shore's evocative score, boosted by Scorsese's typically astute soundtrack choices -- a unique uniting of the Stones, John Lennon, Nas, Van Morrison, the Beach Boys and Patsy Cline. And once again, Thelma Schoonmaker turns editing into an art form. She's the wizard at Scorsese's side, getting the action to jump off the screen while setting up psychological provocations that reverb hellishly in your head.

Ignore the irrelevant fan-boy questions: Will Scorsese finally win his Oscar? Is The Departed as brilliant as GoodFellas? Is it too gory to be a blockbuster? The Departed, flawed by a few underwritten characters and some overwrought imagery (the symbolic rat), pins you to your seat.

Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Damon), unknown to each other, are both trainees at the Massachusetts State Police Academy. For Billy, it's a goodbye to the Southies, the South Boston criminal element that formed him. For Colin, it's a chance to play mole for Costello, who trained him since boyhood. The drama intensifies when Billy is told that he will never wear the Statie uniform. His father figure, Capt. Queenan (Martin Sheen), wants Billy to go undercover and infiltrate Costello's crew. Billy's identity will be known only by Queenan and his flinty enforcer, Sgt. Dignam (a locked-and-loaded Mark Wahlberg gives a supporting role major dimensions). Colin, who thinks the Statie uniform makes you look "dressed to invade Poland," joins the suits led by Capt. Ellerby (the reliably superb Alec Baldwin) in the Special Investigations Unit. And so two rookies, assigned to rat out the people they work with, begin to unravel from the strain of maintaining identities antithetical to their true natures.

As in Infernal Affairs, there's a heap of coincidence. You might want to revoke the film's dramatic license when Billy and Colin both fall for Madolyn (Vera Farmiga), the shrink who treats Billy and moves in with Colin. Luckily, Farmiga (Down to the Bone) is a glorious actress, a combustible mix of smarts and sex appeal, who reveals that Madolyn is as lost and off-the-rails as the two men.

The violence? Most of it is saved for the film's final act, where it's enough to give you whiplash. Scorsese correctly refuses to go wussy on the corruption that extends from Costello's nest of vipers to the State House, whose gold dome Colin sees from the window of his chic apartment on Beacon Hill. Damon, building on his no-bull turns in Syriana and the two Bourne films, brings a coiled-spring intensity to Colin, whose double life is taking its toll (for one thing, he's often impotent). Scorsese allows telling glimpses of the child in these men. Colin dreads betrayal by Costello, the thug who filled his scrawny twelve-year-old arms with groceries and made him his slave. Billy uses drugs to numb his fear but can't find anything -- family, friend, lover, church, government -- to trust. DiCaprio does himself proud in a risky role that stabs at the heart as Billy's bravado loses the battle to his jangling nerves. Though DiCaprio and Damon share only one big scene, their climactic rooftop face-off reflects the film's bleak view of a world where nothing is held sacred.

Scorsese doesn't need gore to make his points. A scene with Billy and a vibrating cell phone matches Hitchcock for suspense. Another, deftly borrowed from The Third Man, simply involves Madolyn walking past Colin at a funeral, her impassive gaze deadlier than a speeding bullet. Issues of sin, redemption, identity and loyalty resonate in Scorsese's films, including the atypical Kundun, Age of Innocence and The Aviator. Each new film absorbs the others, creating a body of work that can stand with the greatest. Scorsese tops the list of American directors because, even when he fails, he strives passionately to make movies that matter. The Departed, a defiantly uncompromised vision of a society rotting from the inside, is one of his best. Act accordingly.


PETER TRAVERS

(Posted: Sep 28, 2006)

TENACIOUS D Posters

Tenacious D Cover Art

GAOTW: Tenacious D

Tenacious D is a cult American rock band composed of musician/actors Kyle Gass (a.k.a. "KG", "Kage","Rage Kage") and Jack Black (a.k.a. "JB", "Jables"). Their style fuses rock with other musical styles such as comedy rock and country rock and also vocal harmonies. They are known for their upbeat classic rock style and vulgar comedy. The band first gained popularity in 1999 when they starred in a self-titled HBO television series, in which JB and Kage tried to establish themselves as "The D" and the "Greatest Band in the World." The series is occasionally aired on Comedy Central and is available on the The Complete Masterworks.

Jack Black met 24-year-old Kyle Gass when he was 16 in Los Angeles in 1985 when they were members of the "The Actors' Gang" theater troupe. Ironically, Black and Gass didn't get along at first, but eventually worked out their differences. Later, Gass taught Black to play the guitar in exchange for Black helping him with his acting. They eventually formed the band which played their first gig in Al's Bar. While they can both sing and play the guitar, Black is billed as lead singer and Gass as lead guitar. The band's name is derived from a term used by sportscaster Marv Albert about the tenacious defense of the NBA's New York Knicks.

In 1997, HBO aired two episodes of the Tenacious D T.V. series, right after Mr. Show for two weeks. The other 4 episodes were not aired until 1999. The show was about the trials and tribulations of a band trying to make it in the music business. The show's six episodes featured many songs that went on to be re-recorded and put on the band's first album, but also featured songs that remain unreleased to this day. These shows were as follows: The Search for Inspirado, Angel in Disguise, Death of the Dream, The Greatest Song in the World, The Fan and Road Gig.

Tenacious D released Tenacious D (#38 UK), in 2001. For their first album, they enlisted the help of Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl on drums, keyboardist Page McConnell of Phish, guitarist Warren Fitzgerald of the Vandals, and bassist Steve McDonald. The Dust Brothers produced the album. The majority of the songs on the album are based on their short-lived HBO television series.

Several songs on this album are preceded by "skits" where Jack and Kyle go through some sort of rudimentary creative process or argument which immediately precedes the next song. Most of these skits are adapted from episodes of their show and showcase the band's absurdist humor.

The first single off of the album was the band's signature song Tribute a tribute to the "greatest and best song in the world", which, as the song describes, they once played to outwit a demon, but which they have now forgotten. Celebrity Ben Stiller has a cameo in the music video, as Black grabs his arm while passing by. Also appearing is Dave Grohl, as the Demon. Early versions of the song incorporated guitar riffs borrowed from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", suggesting comically that the so-called "greatest song" was in fact that song, but this was minimized in the album version. The ending of the studio version is the words "and we played the greatest song in the world" to the tune of Stairway to Heaven's "and she's buying a stairway to heaven", which are the last words of the song.

The second single was Wonderboy, which has since become popular on both college radio and modern rock stations.

Two more singles would be released for the album. Dio, a tribute to rock singer Ronnie James Dio, asked for Dio to stop playing rock music and allow them to fill his shoes. Dio liked the song enough to let the band appear in the music video for his song, "Push." And the last single was Fuck Her Gently, which had a music video that featured animations by Spümcø, the studio behind Ren and Stimpy.

In 2003, they released a DVD entitled The Complete Masterworks, which features the entire run of their TV series, videos, and a live performance from London's Brixton Academy (recorded on November 3, 2002).

In July 2004, the band started production on their film, Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. Filming then started in April 2005 with director Liam Lynch, who also directed the band's "Tribute" music video. A month later, in May, 2005, the band started recording songs for the soundtrack of the movie, which will also be their second studio album, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.

The film portrays the fictional beginnings of the band and their rise to super-stardom and was released on November 22, 2006. The soundtrack was released just over a week earlier, on November 14 and reached number #10 in the UK charts.

To coincide with the release of their new movie and album, they embarked on a tour of the USA and United Kingdom.

The first appearance of Black and Gass performing together came about in Bio-Dome (1996), and they later both appeared in The Cable Guy (1996) and Saving Silverman and Shallow Hal, both released in 2001, although none of these appearances were officially by Tenacious D. Bongwater (1997) featured Black, as his character Devlin, performing "Jesus Ranch", which would later be featured in an episode of their TV series. Black also starred in a number of films himself.

Black and Gass were featured as puppets performing "Friendship" from their first album on an episode of Crank Yankers. Later, the duo made an appearance in the first episode of Tom Goes to the Mayor to be televised on Adult Swim. In the episode, the duo were known as "The Bear Trap Brothers," two competitive brothers who ran bear trap shops that were located side-by-side. At the 2006 American Music Awards (11/21/06) the duo performed the title song of their album and movie "The Pick of Destiny".

Guitarist Kyle Gass also plays guitar and sings vocals for the band Trainwreck, under the pseudonym "Klip Calhoun". Also in Trainwreck is JR "Lee" Reed, who is the lead roadie and sometimes vocalist of Tenacious D. Reed performs under the pseudonym "Darryl Donald". They are also the musical guest on Saturday Night Live's 12/2/06 show. They previously appeared as a special guest in the show's 23rd season.

Also, the duo have appeared on music videos by other bands, including "Push" by Dio and "Learn to Fly" by the Foo Fighters.

GSOTD: Babe

This is mercifully, the last STYX song this week and by far the worst one I could possibly choose. Denise DeYoung's schmalty over-the-top theatrics and perm have to go. I'm still struggling to find a 'T' band. It may just have to be TENACIOUS D to raise my testesterone level back to an appropriate level after a week of this shit.



By STYX

Babe, I'm leaving, I must be on my way
The time is drawing near
My train is going, I see it in your eyes
The love, the need, your tears
But I'll be lonely without you
And I'll need your love to see me through
So Please believe me, my heart is in your hands
And I'll be missing you.

Cause You know it's you Babe
Whenever I get weary and I've had enough
Feel like giving up
You know it's you Babe
Giving me the courage and the strength I need
Please believe that it's true
Babe, I love you.

You know it's you Babe
Whenever I get weary and I've had enough
Feel like giving up
You know it's you Babe
Giving me the courage and the strength I need
Please believe that it's true
Babe, I love you.

Babe, I'm leaving, I'll say it once again
Somehow try to smile
I know the feeling we're trying to forget
If only for a while
Cause I'll be lonely without you
And I'll need your love to see me through
But Please believe me, my heart is in your hands
Cause I'll be missing you
Babe, I love you.
Babe, I love you.
Oooohhhhhhh Babe

GSOTD: Too Much Time On My Hands

TOM JONES' Favorite STYX Tune



By STYX

Sitting on this barstool talking like a damn fool
Got the twelve o'clock news blues
And I've given up hope on the afternoon soaps
And a bottle of cold brew
Is it any wonder I'm not crazy? Is it any wonder I'm sane at all
Well I'm so tired of losing- I got nothing to do and all day to do it
I go out cruisin' but I've no place to go and all night to get there
Is it any wonder I'm not a criminal?
Is it any wonder I'm not in jail?
Is it any wonder I've got

Too much time on my hands, it's ticking away with my sanity
I've got too much time on my hands, it's hard to believe such a calamity
I've got too much time on my hands and it's ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands

Well, I'm a jet fuel genius - I can solve the world's problems
Without even trying
I have dozens of friends and the fun never ends
That is, as long as I'm buying
Is it any wonder I'm not the president
(He's not the president)
Is it any wonder I'm null and void?
Is it any wonder I've got

Too much time on my hands, it's ticking away with my sanity
I've got too much time on my hands, it's hard to believe such a calamity
I've got too much time on my hands and it's ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands

JOTD: Bribe & Groom

During the wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the pastor with an unusual offer:
"Look, I'll give you $100 if you'll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I'm supposed to promise to ''love, honor and obey'' and ''be faithful to her forever,'' I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave that out."

He passed the minister a $100 bill and walked away satisfied. On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom''s vows, the pastor looked the young man in the eye and said:

"Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?"

The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, "Yes," then leaned toward the pastor and hissed: "I thought we had a deal."

The pastor put a $100 bill into the groom's hand and whispered: "She made me a better offer."

Styx Sucks

There's really no debate.

SYV (Happy Thanksgiving): Cold Turkey

By JOHN LENNON

JOTD: Law School Graduation Gift

Q: What do you buy a friend graduating from Law School?

A: A lobotomy.

GSOTD: Blue Collar Man

By STYX

Give me a job, give me security
give me a chance to survive
I'm just a poor soul in the unemployment line
my god, I'm hardly alive
my mother and father, my wife and my friends
You see them laugh in my face
But I've got the power, and I've got the will
I'm not a charity case

I'll take the long night, impossible odds
keeping my eye to the keyhole
if it takes all that to be just what I am
well I'm gonna be a blue collar man

Make me an offer that I can't refuse
make me respectable, man
this is my last time in the unemployment line
so like it or not, I'll take the

long nights, impossible odds
keeping my back to the wall
if it takes all night to be just what I am
well, I'm gonna be a blue collar man

keeping my mind on a better life
where happiness is only a heartbeat away
paradise can it be all I heard it was
I close my eyes and maybe I'm already there

I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
keeping my back to the wall
all that to be just what I am
well I'm gonna be a blue collar man

do do do do do do do do do do do

you don't understand

do do do do do do do do do do do

I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
keeping my eye to the keyhole
if it takes all night to be just who I am

well, I'd rather be a blue collar
got to be a blue collar
gonna be a blue collar man

DRESDEN DOLLS INTERVIEW with ERIC BLAIR

SYV: I Don't Want To Grow Up

By THE RAMONES

SYV: Chocolate Jesus

By TOM WAITS

SYV: Pretty In Pink

By DRESDEN DOLLS

SYV: The Ghost in You

By DRESDEN DOLLS

SYV: The Ghost in You

By ROBYN HITCHCOCK

SYV: Vibrating

By ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS

SYV: Madonna of Wasps

By ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS

SYV: Birds In Perspex

By ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS

SYV: Raymond Chandler Evening

By ROBYN HITCHCOCK & THE EGYPTIANS

Robyn Hitchcock Alternative Beat Interview 1989

JOTD II: A visit to Grandma's house

A 5-year-old boy went to visit his grandmother one day. Playing with his toys in her bedroom while grandma was dusting, he looked up and said, "Grandma, how come you don't have a boyfriend now that Grandpa went to heaven?" Grandma replied, "Honey, my TV is my boyfriend. I can sit in my bedroom and watch it all day long. The religious programs make me feel good and the comedies make me laugh. I'm happy with my TV as my boyfriend."

Grandma turned on the TV, and the reception was terrible. She Started adjusting the knobs, trying to get the picture in focus. Frustrated, she started hitting the backside of the TV hoping to fix the problem.

The little boy heard the doorbell ring, so he hurried to open the door, and there stood Grandma's minister. The minister said,

"Hello son, is your Grandma home?" The little boy replied, "Yeah, she's in the bedroom bangin' her boyfriend." The minister fainted.

El Mozote's KABOTD: The Telepathic Butterflies

Sit back, enjoy the ride - here are the Telepathic Butterflies!

Against a backdrop of rhythmic guitars, moving bass lines and frenetic drums are tuneful melodies and harmonies that will have you humming long after the show is over or the cd is put away.

Their name is inspired by a passage in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Breakfast of Champions. Comprised of Jake on drums and Rej on guitars and vocals, this dynamic duo subscribes to the indie school of thought. They have been toiling in their basement studio for months, recording and mixing their album. The result is their debut cd entitled 9 Songs.

Their music is a blend of modern psychedelia and power pop. Their songs meander through multi-layered arrangements steeped in saturation often with a bent towards upbeat melancholia.

Upon hearing the Butterflies in a live setting, you will be compelled to ask: "Are there only 2 musicians up there?" Their sound is surprisingly full and they entertain by virtue of their energetic tight playing and their fresh material. On occasion, fellow musicians drop in on the act. This band has had experience on the local Winnipeg scene. In their previous incarnations as Mayonnaise and the Groove, they have performed at many venues and outdoor festivals.

They have paired down in numbers, and the metamorphosis is complete. Tune in to the Telepathic Butterflies - they are coming your way!

Rejean Ricard: Rejean was born and raised in Winnipeg. He began playing guitar at the age of 13 and spent the next 10 years holed up in his basement honing his guitar playing and song-writing skills, periodically coming up for air.

His prolific song-writing abilities have enabled him to create an expansive catalogue of well-crafted tunes, which made the picking process for the CD a daunting task. He is an avid music listener with a penchant for '60's rock, alternative pop and spiderman music. His rocking chair and headphones are his friends.

Jacques Dubois: Like Rej, Jacques grew up in a francophone household in St.Norbert. His parents saw the wisdom in buying him a real drum set after bowls, buckets and legos went missing to build a makeshift kit in his room. Thus began a veritable passion for beats and rhythms. Listeners never fail to remark on Jake's solid playing and varied fills. He is always up for a jam session. He plays a regular drum kit, the congas, the tablas and the dashboard. His inspirations are Keith Moon, John Bonham and the great outdoors. He and Rej have been playing together for 10 years. ;

Eric Van Buren: The latest member to join the butterfly contingent. Formerly the bassist for Grand Theft Canoe/Voit, he retired to his cocoon when the band called it quits in '98. His affinity for retro-pop and his adept bass playing make him a valuable addition to the band. And, like all good bass players, he remains somewhat enigmatic to the rest of the group.

Angus Kirkpatrick: Angus can best be described as a rock'n'roll encyclopedia and veritable walking jukebox. His penchant for English pop/rock undoubtedly stems from his early exposure to music while growing up in England. Equally comfortable on bass and guitar, Angus was a founding member of Grand Theft Canoe and also currently fronts Angus and the Pacemakers along with Rod Slaughter and Sean Allum of Duotang.

Rob Pachol: The most animated butterfly, on and off the stage. He is a veteran of the Winnipeg music scene, having met Rej when both were members of The Driving Wheel - a mod/English soul outfit led by Colin Bryce. His guitar prowess never overshadows his own intruitive melodic sensibilities. In true rock'n'roll fashion, he sports an authentic bongo cut. He and Rej are currently moonlighting with Winnipeg pub-rock unit The Windups.

JOTD: Harvard Graduate

How do you get a Harvard graduate off your porch?

Pay him for the pizza.

GSOTD: Heavy Metal Poisoning

By STYX

murolceS odrO suvoN sitpeoC tiunnA

What the devil's goin' on
Why don't your turn that music down
You're going deaf and that's for sure
But all you do is scream for more

Get the lead out go for broke
Pop your pills and drink and smoke
Shoot those chemicals into your vein
Anything to ease the pain

Heavy metal (heavy metal) poisoning (it's a poison)
A toxic wasteland (got a toxic wasteland) in your ear canal (in your ear canal!)
Overloaded (I'm overloaded), suffering (yeah!)
Overloaded (overloaded) on sex and drugs

Everything is black and white
You are wrong and we are right
First we'll spank your big behinds
Then we'll twist your little minds

I'm Dr. Righteous (I'm Dr. Righteous), and I'm here to sing (yeah!)
That heavy metal (heavy metal) is poisoning
It's a music wasteland, that destroys the young (yeah!)
They're overloaded (overloaded) on sex and drugs, sex and drugs, sex and drugs
And rock and roll!

sterces eht sdloh nataS

I'm Dr. Righteous (I'm Dr. Righteous), and I'm here to sing (yeah!)
That heavy metal (heavy metal) is poisoning
It's a music wasteland, that destroys the young (yeah!)
They're overloaded (overloaded) on sex and drugs, sex and drugs, sex and drugs
And rock and roll!

Heavy metal (heavy metal) poisoning (it's a poison)
A toxic wasteland (got a toxic wasteland) in your love canal love canal!)
Overloaded (I'm overloaded), suffering (yeah!)
Overloaded (overloaded) on sex and drugs, sex and drugs, sex and drugs
sex and drugs, sex and drugs, sex and drugs, sex and drugs, sex and drugs
"Righteous! Righteous!..."
"Shut up!"
"...Righteous! Righteous! Righteous! Righteous! Righteous! Yeah!"
"Shut up! Shut up!"
[giggles]

Hitchcock at Maxwells

as expected, i didn't make on sunday but a friend of a friend did and they sent their recollected setlist to our friend (who now lives in
hawai'i) who forwarded it on to me:

Well, it seems that everyone (except me) has been
seeing Robyn. Some friends of mine went to see
Sunday's show at Maxwell's.I'm not sure if you have
the set list for Sunday night, but this is what my
friend remembered (though he wasn't sure of the
order). I guess Robyn was filming something for the
Sundance Channel and did a 2hr, 2o minute set.

Solo Set:
I Often Dream of Trains
English Girl [Spooked]
The Speed of Things [Luxor]
Uncorrected Personality Traits (Morris Windsor showed
up and did the harmonies)
My Wife and My Dead Wife
Ghost Ship [You & Oblivion]
Glass Hotel
Visions of Johanna (Dylan)
Queen Elvis
Sometimes a Blonde [Spooked]
Full Moon In My Soul [Spooked]
The Wreck of the Arthur Lee

Set w/ the Venus 3
Adventure Rocket Ship [Ole Tarantula]
NY Doll [Ole]
Sally Was a Legend [Jewels for Sophia]
Ballad of a Thin Man (Dylan)
The Authority Box [Ole]
Arms of Love [Respect]
Propeller Song? (something that Peter Buck wrote music
to with Robyn lyrics)
Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat (Dylan)
Ole Tarantula [duh]
Sometimes (Beatles... 2/3 of it, anyway)
Beautiful Queen
I Wanna Destroy You [Underwater Moonlight - Soft Boys]
(A Man's Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs [Ole]

anybody make this show? anyone record it?

woj

RIP: Robert Altman

About 10 years ago, while living in Chicago, my roommates and I were visited by a guy claiming to be Robert Altman's production assistant. They were scouting the apartments near Wrigley Field for a location in an upcoming film and asked if we minded if Robert stop by to check our place out the next day.

Being fans, we said yes and embarassingly "randomly" placed our VHS copies "Short Cuts" and "The Player" in view. The next day, we see Altman and his assistance walking down Sheffield Avenue. They went into the building next to ours and never made it to our apartment.

Bummed, we broke out a copy of the film "Blink" which actually used our apartment for a few scenes. The thought of Madeline Stowe naked in my living room always brings a smile to my face.

It's too bad about Altman, though.

-Guntarski

GSOTD: Grand Illusion

By STYX

Welcome to the Grand illusion
Come on in and see what's happening
Pay the price, get your tickets for the show
The stage is set, the band starts playing
Suddenly your heart is pounding
Wishing secretly you were a star.

But don't be fooled by the radio
The TV or the magazines
They show you photographs of how your life should be
But they're just someone else's fantasy
So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because you never win the game
Just remember that it's a Grand illusion
And deep inside we're all the same.
We're all the same...

So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because your neighbors got it made
Just remember that it's a Grand illusion
And deep inside we're all the same.
We're all the same...

America spells competition, join us in our blind ambition
Get yourself a brand new motor car
Someday soon we'll stop to ponder what on Earth's this spell we're under
We made the grade and still we wonder who the hell we are

The Aristocrats by SARAH SILVERMAN

SYV: Come Sail Away

By ERIC CARTMAN

JOTD II: Professors

Two retired professors were vacationing with their wives at a hotel in the Catskills.

They were sitting on the veranda one summer evening, watching the sun set.

The history professor asked the psychology professor, "Have you read Marx?"

To which the professor of psychology replied, "Yes and I think it's these pesky wicker chairs."

JOTD: Drinking Buddies

There once were two Irishmen, named Shawn and Pat, who were the best of friends. During one particular night of revelry, the two agreed that when one passed on, the other would take and spill the contents of a bottle of fine, Irish whiskey over the grave of the fondly missed and recently dead friend.

And as fate would have it, Shawn would be the first to pass.

Pat, hearing of his friend's illness, came to visit his dear friend one last time.

"Shawn," said Pat, "can you hear me?"

Faintly, Shawn replied, "Yes, Paddy, I can."

Bashfully, Pat started, "Do you remember our pact, Shawn?"

"Yes, I do Patty," Shawn strained.

"And, you'll also remember that I was to pour the contents of a fine, old bottle of whiskey over your grave, which we have been saving for, going on 30 years now?" said Pat.

"Yes Patty, I do," whispered Shawn.

''It's a very old' bottle now, you know," urged Pat.

"And what are you gettin' at Pat?" asked Shawn, briskly.

"Well Shawn, when I pour the whiskey over your grave, would ya mind if I filter it through my kidneys first?"

Rollins November Newsletter

Hello Folks.

It’s November and it’s been awhile since I have done a newsletter. This was a long year with a lot of work and I hope that next year will be just as busy.

We have started work on the next season of the IFC show and so far, the performances from the bands we taped are pretty mind blowing: The Mars Volta, Ryan Adams, The Blood Brothers, Peeping Tom, just to name a few. We have not done any sit down guest interviews as yet but I guess that starts soon enough. The first show of the new season will air at beginning of April. I’ll get that start date to you as soon as it’s firm.

I will be going out on another USO tour in December. The location is still being worked out and they tell me where I’m going only a few days before I leave for security reasons. Wherever it is I end up will be the right place to be. It will be my 7th USO tour. I am looking forward to it. These trips are never easy to do but always worth it.

I have a few talking shows tentatively booked for late this year/early next year in Dubai and Israel. I don’t expect I’ll be seeing many of you at these shows but I thought I’d let you know. When and if the dates firm up, I’ll post the details. I plan on getting some interesting travel done in the next several months so I’ll have some good stories for next year’s talking tour.

I hope some of you have checked out the radio show I do on Indie 103.1, Tuesday nights, 8-10 p.m. PST. You can go to www.harmonyinmyhead.com and read all the show’s play lists and broadcast notes. I perhaps spend too much time working on the show but it’s been a good time so far and I think I’m getting some good music out there. It’s cool to get my record collection off the shelf and on the air. The show is listened to by people all over the world via the internet (you can access it via the above referenced website).

It is the end of the year and it’s time to unleash our new stuff. Here are the details:

NEW BOOK

A Dull Roar: The full title is A Dull Roar (What I Did On My Summer Deracination). When my old band mates and I decided that after not playing together since 1997, we were going to get back together and tour in the summer of 2006, I figured there might be some good stories to tell. So, in March I started a journal to document the four months I allotted myself to prepare mentally and physically for the tour and also the tour itself. During this period, I finished the 2nd season of my show on The Independent Film Channel, worked in the Film Wrong Turn 2, performed at the Download Festival in England and made trips in and out of New York City for band practice and press. As I have in the past, I overworked, underslept, blew out joints and generally had a swell time. The tour itself had its shares of ups and downs, which are documented in the book.

I know what some of you are thinking, and no, it’s not the Dispatches file. For fans of my books Broken Summers and Smile You’re Traveling, you may find this book to your liking. We printed a limited 1st edition of 1000 copies that will differentiate itself from the rest of the press run by having a different colored cover, a signed & numbered title page and the coolest part (to me anyway) is the flexibound cover. This book will not be at retail for a long time, if ever.

NEW DVD

Live In The Conversation Pit: Some of you may have seen this one on EBay or on Amazon.com at some absurd price. That’s because a small run of them were pressed in Australia several months ago and found themselves on other shores. The domestic version is all done and it’s the same as the one that came from Australia only at a much better price. The DVD is from a multi-night run of shows in Sydney Australia in May of 2005 while on the 25 years Of Bullshit Tour. It came out looking and sounding good.

OLD DVD BETTER PRICE

Up For It: There’s nothing new about this DVD but there’s some good news about it. Years ago, we did a licensing deal with another label to release this title and we had to buy pieces from them to sell on our site and they charged us plenty. That old deal just ran out and we pressed up a run of them and wouldn’t dare charge that kind of money now that we have it back here where it belongs. It was 24 bucks but now that we’ve cut out the middle man, it’s 15 bucks. The new cover is cooler looking, but there’s nothing new about the DVD itself.

IN THE WORKS

Fanatic! Vol. 2: As the year winds down, so too does the work on the next installment of my labor of obsession, Fanatic! Vol. 2. Same as the previous volume, this is the broadcast notes from my show on LA’s own Indie 103.1 (where I have a radio show, once a week on Tuesday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. PST called Harmony In My Head). I liked what we did with the first volume but for Vol. 2, I wanted to add more images so I started digging deep into my reserves for flyers, press clippings and other stuff relating to the songs that would be great to look at. I reached out to some fellow Fanatics and borrowed some great Damned and Black Flag flyers and clippings and made Carol and Dave crazy with all the scans and reductions but it will be worth it when you see it. As soon as Dull Roar was away to the printer and off our desks, we immediately started in on this book. It’s almost done and should be ready at some point in 2007.

Talk Is Cheap Vol. 5: I haven’t had time yet to sit down with Rae and go through the shows that were recorded on the 25 Years Of Bullshit Tour but I will have some time soon and will be on the case. When Talk 5 is done, I’ll let you know.

Rollins Band Re-Issues: We will be re-releasing some of the old catalog in 2007. The first two up will be Hot Animal Machine and Life Time. Nothing will be different with Hot Animal Machine but Life Time will contain all the live tracks from the original CD release as well as all the studio tracks from the sessions. All these tracks on one CD will be a first. Later in the year we will put out the Hard Volume album and the Turned On album will be remastered and indexed with track numbers. There will probably be some other things from that era coming out as well. We’ll keep you posted. _____

New items, A DULL ROAR, LIVE IN THE COVERSATION PIT, UP FOR IT, ROLLINS BAND 2006 TOUR POSTER, available now at www.21361.com

GSOTD: Come Sail Away

By STYX

I'm sailing away,
Set an open course for the virgin sea,
'Cause I've got to be free,
Free to face the life that's ahead of me,
on board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard,
We'll search for tomorrow on every shore,
And I'll try, Oh Lord I'll try, to carry on

I look to the sea,
Reflections in the waves spark my memory,
Some happy, some sad,
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had,
We lived happily forever, so the story goes,
But somehow we missed out on the pot of gold
But we'll try best that we can to carry on

A gathering of angels appeared above my head,
They sang to me this song of hope and this is what they said,
They said come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me lads,
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me,
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me baby,
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me

I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise,
We climbed aboard their starship, we headed for the skies
Singing come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me lads
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me...

GSOTD: Mr. Roboto

You can clearly see why the other members from STYX hated Dennis DeYoung!



Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Mata au hima de
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Himitsu o shiri tai

You're wondering who I am (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
Machine or mannequin (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
With parts made in Japan (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
I am the modern man

I've got a secret I've been hiding under my skin
My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBM
So if you see me acting strangely, don't be surprised
I'm just a man who needed someone and somewhere to hide
To keep me alive, just keep me alive
Somewhere to hide to keep me alive

I'm not a robot without emotions, I'm not what you see
I've come to help you with your problems so we can be free
I'm not a hero, I'm not a savior, forget what you know
I'm just a man who's circumstances went beyond his control
Beyond my control, We all need control
I need control, We all need control

I am the moldren man (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
Who hides behind a mask (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
So no one else can see (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
My true identity

Domo arigato, Mr, Roboto
Domo, Domo
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Domo, Domo
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
(Thank you very much oh Mr. Roboto
for doing the jobs that nobody wants to)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
(And thank you very much oh Mr. Roboto
for helping me escape just when I needed to)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
(Thank you thank you thank you)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
(I wanna thank you)
Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto
(Please thank you)

The problem's plain to see
Too much technology
Machines to save our lives
Machines de-humanize

The time has come at last (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
To throw away this mask (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
Now everyone can see (Secret secret, I've got a secret)
My true identity

I'm Kilroy! Kilroy! Kilroy! Kilroy....

NYC: Hiro Ballroom gig

Wow.

First of all, the Hiro Ballroom in Chelsea is kind of a perfect place to see Robyn. It's deliberately done up to look like the set of a martial arts flick, particularly the Crazy 88 scene in "Kill Bill vol. 1." All dark wood, Japanese lanterns, mirrors, candles, enigmatic murals, rising suns, Chinese dragons....it's really fun, though were were somewhat shocked when two beers and a small glass of sake came out to $31.

Even though the show was sold-out, the crowed was a perfect size, always a sign of a well-run venue. (Though restroom attendants always freak me out. They fill me with this bourgeois cognitive dissonance: this is one of the worst jobs on earth, but for a dollar, this guy will help me wash my hands. Oh boy.)

I have to say, there was a real air of excitement in the crowd that I haven't seen at Robyn shows. David Fricke was present, there were a lot of Reserved Tables filled with suspiciously older, well-groomed people, and the general crowd was just buzzing with anticipation. I had the feeling that this was a definite "event" -- hell, even the New York Times ran a *photo* of Robyn. I bet even Lawndart was there.

Thanks to Gary Assassin being an early bird, my group (Me, LJ, and a first-time friend) actually scored one of the only free tables. (Unfortunately, I missed Jon Lewis, but Gary said he saw Mr. Hooker, so a quick shout-out.)

Anyway, the gig was simply fantastic. Robyn was in peak form -- cheerful and happy, and filled with loopy digressions, improvised song fragments, and surreal stories. It was really a delight to see him like that again. (Black shirt, white polka-dots, very little blinking.) He made reference to his bad back, but played standing up for most of the show, only taking to a chair toward the end.

The band was fantastic. The Venus 5 were tight, and played the songs like a real band, not just very talented back-up musicians. I kept thinking, "Please stay together for a while, write new music, have some fun, please...!" Toward the final third of the set, Morris Windsor joined them on stage, singing harmonies and playing a few shaky-rattley things. And yeah, he still looks just like Morris Windsor. It was really a lovely moment, and the crowd cheered like greeting an old friend.

But back to the amazing performance. All the songs, new and old, had this certain texture, a rich density coupled with a real sense of propulsion. There was an urgency to the music I haven't heard since the Soft Boys reunion, and more to the point, the Egyptians.

I think a lot of credit for this goes to Scott McCaughey. His bass was a definite switch from Metcalfe or Seligman -- it was muscular, driving, and loud. Don't get me wrong, I love those Eighties guys a whole lot. But Scott's style provided a backbone to the songs that really let Robyn and Peter cut loose and play....

And boy, did they shine. There were a few times that the two of them fell into a perfect groove, guitars interlocking in a mesmerizing series of shimmering arpeggios. You could tell it in their faces, too -- Robyn and Peter just seemed so *happy,* like they knew they were making magic. It reminded me of a jangle-pop King Crimson at times. Early on, when one of these crystalline exchanges dissolved into a perfect "Chinese Bones," I had the feeling that this was going to be among the best Robyn shows I've seen.

They played most of the new album, which came across fully fleshed-out and dead-on. "Underground Sun" and "Authority Box" were the highlights. Another was "Television," which never sounded more haunting and ethereal, and genuinely spooky.

As far as old tunes, while I didn't keep a set list, I recall a super-tight "If I Was a Priest," a chiming "Queen of Eyes," a passionate "Jewels for Sophia," and a delightful (and surprising) "Vibrating." They also played "Radio Storm," which took a while to get off of the ground, but finally gelled into one of the best songs of the night. A snarling "I Wanna Destroy You" was dedicated to the Republicans ("Well, Rumsfeld is on his way out, but this is to the rest of them.") There was a similar sense of anger to "Somewhere Apart," with Robyn invoking his best John Lennon. And finally, "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)" was introduced by, "There are a lot of ways to care about nothing. This is one of the best, and one of the most happy song's I've written," or something to that effect.

Thankfully, no overplayed songs like "Balloon Man" or "Queen Elvis," and no gimmicky songs. Sadly, there were very few covers, even though I was expecting a "Kung Fu Fighting" for sure, given the room.

Encores included the Minus 5's "Oh Shit Man," and a deliriously psychedelic "Eight Miles High."

All in all, I've been to over 30 Robyn shows, and this was among the top five....

--Quail

STYX Posters

Styx Cover Art