Feel Bad for Santa

Ho Ho freakin’ Ho! Your favorite snowmen, elves, reindeer, shepherds and wise men have assembled one more Feel Bad for You mixtape for 2012. Think of this as your early stocking stuffer. And the little angel on the cover art? That’s my nephew. Clearly, he gets his fear of fats guys with beards from his aunt.

1. Frightened Rabbit - Boxing Night
Buy: State Hospital EP (2012)
Submitted By: tincanman
Comments: Just me and these walls/And a beaten up chair/On boxing day…. You got to admit, the Scots have a unique ability to suck the fun out of anything. This band is so, so, so good!

2. Centro-matic - Fuselage (It’s Starting To Look Like Christmas Once Again)
Buy: Electric Ornaments (2000)
Submitted by: Corey Flegel
Comments: Maybe my favorite Centro song…and I love all Centro songs.

3. Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby
Buy: Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol 3 (1996)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: Sexiest Christmas song of all time. Nuff said!

4. Bob Walkenhorst - Christmas In Nashville
From: Soundboard recording from December 19, 2007 show at The Record Bar
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: The front man for The Rainmakers – then and now – performs weekly at The Record Bar in Kansas City, MO, with a mixture of old and new Rainmakers material, solo performer songs, and cover tunes. One of his traditions in recent years has been to incorporate several Christmas themed songs into the set list during one of his December shows.

5. Bohannons - X-Mas In Vietnam
From: X-Mas In Vietnam (2012)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Not your average Christmas song.

6. Jim Boggia - I’m the Humbug
Buy: Fidelity Is The Enemy (2001)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: The album as a whole is a singer-songwriter pop masterpiece. It's on Bandcamp. You should get it. And if you’re gonna stick a hidden track on your album, why not a Christmas jam?

7. Dropkick - Scampi for Xmas
Buy: 25th December (2010)
Submitted by: Simon
Comments: I hate turkey, so deep fried scampi it is.

8. Jimmy Kirkland - Hang Them High At Christmas
Buy: Cool Daddy (2007)
Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: Merry Rockabilly XXXMas!

9. The Showcase Showdown - Merry Christmas, I Fucked Your Snowman
From: Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh 7" (1995, out of print)
Submitted By: scratchedsoul
Comments: I used to see these guys regularly in the mid-90s around Boston playing the punk rock shows. How can you a) not love a band named after a segment from the Price is Right and b) not buy a 7″ that has a song called ‘Merry Christmas, I Fucked Your Snowman’ on it? The sound is nothing new, but they do it well.

10. Gretchen Peters - Waitin' On Mary
From: The Best of "Nashville Unlimited" Christmas Vol. 1 (2003, out of print)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Around 2000, Nashville session bassist Dave Pomeroy began hosting Nashville Unlimited. Performers aren’t announced in advance. Tickets aren’t sold before the night of the event. And virtually no publicity is ginned up for the event. Yet, Christ Church Cathedral is filled each year with folks who stand in line on Broadway on a first-come, first-seated basis to donate to help Nashville’s homeless through Room In The Inn. The artists who perform each year are varied and represent some of the best Nashville has to offer. I’ve seen John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Tommy Emmanuel, Riders In The Sky, Vince Gill, etc. show up unannounced to perform and help bring awareness and support. I encourage those who are so inclined to help at http://roomintheinn.org/support or by finding a way to help in your own town or city.

11. Mic Harrison - Christmas Time at the Dixie Lounge
From: Christmas Split (2008, out of print)
Submitted By: AnnieTUFF
Comments: (by Rockstar Aimz) Annie sent me nine Christmas mp3s, so I just picked two that I hadn't heard before. I picked this one because I know that Mic Harrison rules.

12. The Vandals - My First Xmas, As a Woman
Buy: Oi To The World (1996)
Submitted By: AnnieTUFF
Comments: (by Rockstar Aimz) I really hope this song is about a sex change for Christmas. OK, I'm listening to it for the first time and it's even more awesome than I thought it would be.

13. The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song
Buy: Maybe This Christmas Tree (2004)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: Sugary confection that I can’t get enough of for some reason.

14. Twisted Sister - Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Buy: Twisted Christmas (2006)
Submitted By: Gorrck
Comments: While listening to this think of "We're Not Gonna Take It." You'll thank me later.

15. Diamond Rugs - Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant
(Deer Tick’s John McCauley and Robbie Crowell, the Black Lips’ Ian Saint Pe, Dead Confederate’s Hardy Morris, Six Finger Satellite’s Bryan Dufresne, and Steve Berlin of Los Lobos)
Buy: Diamond Rugs (2011)
Submitted By: Romeo Sid Vicious
Comments: I found this one last year and was really happy about finding a new Christmas song so I figured I’d share it here in case anyone hasn’t discovered it yet.

16. Alabama - Thistlehair The Christmas Bear
Buy: Christmas (1985)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Because it's not Christmas without Thistlehair the Christmas Bear. You know in Pigeon Forge it's Christmas all year around…. ALL YEAR AROUND! Also in Myrtle Beach…Myrtle Beach is a lot like Pigeon Forge just with a beach and titty bars…. Both love Alabama and Christmas….(and meth).

17. Lightnin' Hopkins - Santa
Buy: Mojo Hand (orig. 1960)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Aimz challenged me to send in a Kwanzaa song, I’m not entirely sure how one celebrates a Kwanzaa, but my version of Kwanzaa has would have Lightnin’ Hopkins in it.

18. Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
From: The Trumpton Riots 7” (1986, out of print)
Submitted By: Mad Mackerel
Comments: As relentlessly English a Christmas song as it is possible to get. Since their first release in 1985 Half Man Half Biscuit have been slyly poking fun at British culture and geography through a series of vignettes featuring scalpel sharp lyrics and a healthy sense of the absurd. This classic offering – the b-side to their debut single – lampoons the ‘must have’ toys of the time in the UK – Scalextric car racing and the soccer game Subbuteo for which a Dukla Prague Away Kit was the ultimate in street-cred cool. To this day, fans at gigs still wear the replica shirts of this Czech football club that was formed by the Czechoslovak army in 1948 and sadly folded in 1996. This song remains a fitting festive tribute.

19. Paul Kelly - How to Make Gravy
Buy: Songs From the South (1997)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: I consider this song to be up there with John Prine’s "Christmas in Prison" in terms of modern Christmas classics. First, the narrator, Joe, is indeed in prison, but the song takes place in Australia where it is summer and everyone goes to the beach after the roast is served. Second, Joe is truly, soulfully regretful for whatever he did to land him in the clink, and laments about everyone he is going to miss over the holidays. Third, my favorite line is Joe saying, "Roger. I’m even going to miss Roger. Cause there’s nobody here that I want to fight." Like he can’t find someone in prison that he despises enough to punch. Awesome.

20. Brave Combo - Must Be Santa
Buy: It's Christmas, Man! (1992)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: I like even numbers and ending on a fun note. "Must Be Santa" was originally written by Mitch Miller, and released on his 1961 album Holiday Sing Along With Mitch Miller. Miller was a major force in the music industry from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, serving at the head of A&R for both Mercury and Columbia Records. With Columbia in the 1960s he was responsible for signing and producing many important pop standards. However, he did not like rock and folk music, and he greatly disapproved of Columbia’s signing of a certain 1960s folk singer named Bob Dylan. Brave Combo rearranged "Must Be Santa" in polka fashion for their 1992 Christmas album, and Dylan used this arrangement for his 2009 album Christmas in the Heart. Dylan’s video is all kinds of fucked up. It’s nice to know that Bob still does drugs.

The GWAR on Christmas

There's no war on Christmas, but there is a GWAR on Christmas!

I'm Shakin!

A sweet performance by Jack White and friends from last night's Conan. This cover of the classic Little Willie John song is off of White's album Blunderbus, which may make my top 10 list this year. Stay tuned....

Buy: Blunderbuss (2012)

Santa Aimz!

Santa Aimz is back and she is feeling very generous. First, one of my favorite mash-ups of all time, with accompanying video!



Rudolph (You Don't Have to Put on the Red Light)
From: Santastic V: Snow Man (2010)


This heartwarming holiday number has been floating around the web the last few days, but I don't care cause it's awesome. Rumor has it that Linus toured with the Dead from '80-'82.

It's A Bad Brains Christmas, Charlie Brown from Tad Was Here on Vimeo.

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus and Lucy
Buy: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965, remastered 2012)

Bad Brains - Pay to Cum
Buy: Bad Brains (1982)


And Neil Diamond just tweeted this, so how can I NOT post it?



Adam Sandler - The Chanukah Song
Buy: What The Hell Happened To Me! (1996)

Pre-Thanksgiving Road Trip

It's the Wednesday before US Thanksgiving, and I am sitting at home, alone, missing my friends and family, and thinking about Thanksgivings from my childhood. Here's a piece I wrote for Star Maker Machine a while ago about a childhood pre-Thanksgiving road trip.

On the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving my mother would usually take the bus to my grandparent's home in southern Wisconsin to help grandma prepare for the next day's feast. My father would pick me and my little brother up after school, and we would drive down to meet them. Our mini two hour road trip would wind south down Wisconsin Highway 26, through rolling hills in the heart of America's Dairyland. Some of the small municipalities would already have their downtown's decorated for Christmas, much to my delight. We would always stop halfway at McDonald's for a kid-approved dinner, and be on our way.

One evening as we pulled out of the Golden Arches and got back on the road, my dad fiddled around with the radio trying to find something to listen to. News? Boring. Early 1980s rock? Awful. So dad put in a cassette: The Best of the Kingston Trio, harkening back to my dad's late teenaged years of hanging out at the rathskeller with his buddies, drinking warm beer and eating cold pizza.

Traditional folk music by it's very nature is easy for kids to pick up. The lyrics are relatively simple, verses and choruses are repeated often, and themes at their most basic level are things that children can relate to. It wasn't long after my dad popped in the tape that we were singing along to "Tom Dooley," "Tijuana Jail," and "M.T.A." My most vivid memory is of my little brother, who was around age six, singing "A Worried Man" at the top of his lungs. "We're worried now, but we won't be worried looooooooooong!" I sang along, and my dad laughed and laughed, as we headed down the highway to our grandparent's house for Thanksgiving.

The Kingston Trio - A Worried Man
Buy: Kingston Trio Greatest Hits

Don't Blame Me

Richard Buckner - Traitor
Buy: Our Blood (2011)

Buckner will be performing at Radio in Somerville on Dec. 15.

Check out his killer Daytrotter session from October, 2011.

Willie Nelson for President

I'm Rockstar Aimz and I approve this message.

Willie Nelson - Heartland (feat. Bob Dylan)
From: Revolutions of Time....The Journey 1975-1993 (1995, out of print)

Feel Bad for September

Fuck September. September sucked ass! But I want to get this blog rolling again, so here's last month's lousy mixtape.

1. Black Pistol Fire - Young Blood
Big Beat '59 (2012)
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: Saw these guys open for The Scabs in Austin a couple months back and thought they were great. Songmanship takes a jump in their new album-- first time I heard this, I swore it was an old favorite.

2. Some Dark Holler - Everybody's Devil
Hollow Chest (2012)
Submitted by: Corey Flegel - This Is American Music

3. Michael Chapman - One Time Thing
Buy: Rainmaker (1969)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Had the joy of meeting the man and seeing him perform at a private party recently. He sat on the porch with an amped acoustic, no vocals....and proceeded to blow us all away.

4. The Moonstones - Miénteme
Fuzz, Farfisa y Fiesta (2011)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: These guys started following me on twitter. I found their Bandcamp site (http://themoonstones.bandcamp.com/) and was floored by their retro 60s sound. Instant fan! About half the songs are in Spanish, the other half in English. I finally found a label in Australia where I could buy their CD (and got a couple of samplers too).

5. Town Hall Brawl - Wanted
demos (2010)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: "I remember when called me up, asked me out to the laundromat, playin' pool on the dry cycle, can't have more fun than that. Never told anyone your secret, even though I know you told mine. I could never do that to another; some things should always be protected."

6. Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice - There's More Pretty Girls Than One
Skaggs & Rice (1980)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: Been doing more duo gigs lately, and there's not many better bluegrass duo records to study than this one. Also, girls are pretty.

7. Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - Like A Drug
Buy: Dirty Radio (Deluxe Version, 2012)
Submitted By: Bryan Childs (Autopsy IV)
Comments: Ding a ding dang my ding a long ling long.

Also Submitted By: @popa2unes
Comments: I’m Hooked

8. Olivia Tremor Control - Define A Transparent Dream
Music From The Unrealized Film Script Dusk At Cubist Castle (1996)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow at Altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: RIP Bill Doss.

9. Chris Knight - Missing You
Little Victories (2012)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: Not made a bad album Mr Knight and his new one is no exception, best of the plugged in releases so far for me.

10. Sloan - Coax Me
Buy: Twice Removed (1994)
Submitted By: @scratchedsoul
I loved Sloan when they first came out, but then I hated this record when it was originally released in 1994. It's absolutely grown on me over the years. I always loved the line 'I think Consolidated's OK, It's not the band I hate, it's their fans.' That line definitely applied to Consolidated at the time and has applied to many bands since.

11. Guster The Face Buster (G.F.B) - For A Time
G.F.B (2011)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: Well, is it that time again? September? Already? The start of fall is upon us? We could still go to the lake right now and take a dip during the middle of the hot day, but by the end of the month I bet we'll be wearing sweaters and eating only foods made with pumpkin. Is the pumpkin thing just me? Maybe... Anyway. Back to music. Part of fall is feeling a little bummed, summer is ending, stuff is dying, its starting to get darker in the morning, but you've got to embrace those feelings...and then punch them in the face. So, this month I'm embracing the bummer. Next month I'll continue my fall tradition with the punching my bummer in the face. For now, I'll introduce you to my brother...Guster The Face Buster.

12. Corb Lund - Bible on the Dash (featuring Hayes Carll)
Cabin Fever (2012)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: Corb Lund and Hayes Carll (and Todd Snider) are among the few songwriters still following the long tradition of using humor in country music. This song is one of the highlights off of Lund’s new album.

13. Sex Pistols - New York
Never Mind The Bollocks (1976)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: this popped up on my iPod, the whole album is just a middle finger to everyone and everything.

14. Wallpaper - Best Song Everrr
Ultimix 181 (2011)
Submitted By: tincanman
Comments: I'm jush wanna say I love you FB...FMB...shit...FBFUCKY peoples. Yesh, I've had a few brwskiiiiiiiiiis ha haha, but thatsh not it. No, I shwear, I just love you. all. Video is the NSFW version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr7pEzgW_7Y

15. Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Storms (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Buy: Just Tell Me That You Want Me - Tribute To Fleetwood Mac (2012)
Submitted By: TheSecondSingle/Beldo
Comments: My love for soft rock is no secret to those on ACT. This earnest, stripped down cover by one of my favorite duos brings out the beauty and songwriting perfection that has made so much of Fleetwood Mac's material age so well (and shine through the admittedly dated production). Now if Matt and Will would make a follow-up to Superwolf...

16. Jason and The Scorchers - If Money Talks
Rockpalast - Hamburg Germany (1985)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: I couldn't let the recent passing of Scorchers' drummer Perry Baggs slip by without some sort of trib. Two songs written by Baggs - White Lies and If Money Talks - were also two of the most iconic for the band and were staples in their setlists. R.I.P. Perry.

17. Elliott Randall - Take The Fall
Take the Fall (2007)
Submitted By: Cowbelle www.morecowbelle.net
Comments: New favorite SF Americana artist

18. Bon Iver - Calgary
Live at Triple J Studios (2012)
Submitted By: Slowcoustic
Comments: I know the crowd around here doesn't always give the time of day to Mr. Vernon but I thought I would be the softie who provided a Bon Iver track to FBFY. I like this version of Calgary as it is one where Bon Vernon uses his actual speaking voice to sing and leaves a lot of the 'signature' falsetto-style singing out of the equation. And I live in Calgary...so, there is that.

19. Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos (removed by request)
Buy: I Am the Cosmos (1992)
Submitted By: Trailer
Comments: If you don't like this song, I probably don't like you (much).

In Memory of Rid

Dan Ridley, 1972-2012

We met on the internet just before Christmas in 2007, which is embarrassing enough so I'm not going to tell you which site. Our first date was to see Rhett Miller at the Horseshoe. My idea, of course. His ongoing joke was, "I may be good looking, but I'm not nearly as good looking as Rhett Miller."

We lived about one and a half miles apart in downtown Toronto. Our birthdays were four months apart. He got me addicted to the TV show Intervention. We loved eating at Sweet Lulu's on Queen West, and then going for walks in Trinity-Bellwoods park after dinner. Or hitting the Foggy Dew for nachos and a drink. We would hang out on the rooftop patio at his condo building, with portable coffee mugs full of booze, and watch the city go by, or watch the fireworks from Ontario Place. We frequently watched movies by his favorite directors: Darren Aronofsky and David Lynch. He had a big pouty lower lip that I loved kissing. I called him "Rid," an abbreviation of his last name, Ridley.

We both loved music, but differing styles. Dan was a recovering metal-head and a fantastic guitar player. His favorite bands and artists included Jeff Martin and The Tea Party, Syd Barrett, Jimi Hendrix, Dimebag Darrell, pre-Jim Dickinson Iron Maiden, early Eddie Van Halen, old Black Sabbath, among many, many others. In the mid-90s he had recorded several albums of his original guitar work. I only saw him shred on his electric guitar once. When I met him he mostly played his 12-string acoustic, always in the DADDAD tuning (I think). Being left handed and self-taught, he played his right handed guitars on his lap, Jeff Healy-style. It was amazing to watch. Here is a video of him playing his electric guitar in 2007.



He wasn't so keen on my musical tastes. I took him to a Lucero show and he hated it and left early (it may have been due to the obnoxious Lucero fans though). He was only slightly more enthusiastic about the Drive-By Truckers. For the most part he liked Josh Ritter, and he did like Joel Plaskett (who doesn't like Joel Plaskett?). We spent New Years Eve of 2009 and 2010, at The Sadies annual show at the Horseshoe. He liked The Sadies because Travis and Dallas Good are killer guitar players. They have a completely different style than Dan does, but he appreciated their skill.

He left ridiculous comments on my blog. See the recent comment in the Anthrax post by "Professor Strangewiener." Or the comment by "Large Wang" on the post Groupies, or Lack Thereof. Or "Chucky Cheesedick" on the post Rocktober Redux. What a joker. My blog is littered with dozens of goofy Ridley comments, all "disguised" with ridiculous names. He also helped me write a post once, see Rocktober 11th.

Dan and I weren't an official "couple" for more than a few months. We figured out pretty quickly that we had some huge philosophical differences. But there was no huge blow-out or yelling match when it ended. Dan was a very even keeled, mellow guy, much more so than I am. When we broke up I cried for a few days, got drunk, and went on with my life. We reconnected a few months later, over the show Intervention, of course, and we started hanging out again. We joked that we had no friends and that all of our other friends were married and boring and had kids and were living in the suburbs, which wasn't that far from the truth. When you get to be in your mid to late 30s, it's difficult to find new people who share some of the same interests that you do. Dan and I enjoyed each others company, and we didn't have that many other people to hang out with on a Saturday night in downtown Toronto. We were actually closer friends when we were not an official couple.

Cuddly gifts from Dan

Even when we weren't a couple, Rid always brought me sweet little gifts on holidays or when I was sick. He knew that I loved dogs, so he brought me little stuffed puppies. I have a Schnauzer, a German Sheppard, two Jack Russell Terriers, plus a really cuddly Teddy Bear. We went up to his family cottage near Dorset, Ontario, one weekend. His cottage was his favorite place in the world. He loved the Dorset, Bracebridge, Huntsville area of Ontario, and wanted to retire to that area someday.

My job in Toronto was winding down, and I couldn't get a biotech job in Canada. Heck, even my friends who were Canadian citizens were having hard times finding jobs in Canada, and several of them relocated to the US for work. When I moved to Boston at the beginning of 2011, Dan helped me pick up my U-Haul truck in Eastern Toronto. I remember the feeling of his down winter jacket on my face when I cried into his shoulder because I didn't want to leave Toronto. He promised to visit me in Boston, even though his passport had long ago expired, and he hadn't been on a plane in 17 years.

Hampton Beach, NH, 2011

He followed through! He got his passport renewed, and bought a plane ticket, and met me for a week in Beantown. We saw the historical sites, did a road trip to the beach and to a Daytrotter show in Maine, saw Myrtle the Turtle at the New England aquarium, and survived Hurricane Irene by bunking down at my place with lots of junk food, booze, and bad TV movies.

Dan left Boston on August 29, 2011, and that was the last time I saw him. We talked on the phone a lot. I went through a nine month bout of unemployment, and he frequently checked in on me to see how I was doing. According to my phone, we last spoke on August 13, 2012. I needed to vent about some frustrations with my new job and with living in Boston, and he had recently reconnected with an old friend and he was excited to tell me about it. His last e-mail to me was on August 25, commenting on my new purple clothing, "I am wearing some tight purple underwear at the moment..."

I received an e-mail from Dan's sister on Tuesday, September 4, saying that Dan had died early that morning of a heart aneurysm. At first I thought it was some sick, fucked-up joke. Don't only fat old men in their 70s have heart aneurysms? When I realized it was true, I was hysterical with grief.

I talked to Dan's mom yesterday and she said that even in the ER he was making jokes with the doctor about the show Intervention, because they had given him fentanyl for the pain in his abdomen. I think his demeanor even while in severe pain is one part of his lasting legacy. In the four and a half years that I knew him he always had a positive outlook on things. He rarely complained about anything, and he always made the best of every situation. Even cracking goofy jokes to lighten the mood when things got a little too serious.

I snapped the top photo on February 3,2008, when we were hanging out in the sun room in his condo, goofing around. He grabbed his guitar and I took a photo. Who knew that four and a half years later that photo would be part of his hometown newspaper obituary.

The second half of his legacy is his music. He loved the guitar and recorded several albums before I met him. In more recent years he didn't play as often, or create that much new music, but he still loved it with a passion. I posted four of his albums below, three are of original music and one, Covers Galore, is of arrangements he made of songs that he loved. Please download them and share them with all music lovers. I also posted a track from each as an example of the album. My favorite song is "Forbidden Fungus."

Since I haven't seen Dan in a year, his passing still seems inconceivable to me. I feel like he could call me or send me a funny e-mail at any time. I can hear his laugh and feel his hands. I saw a weird guitar on Thursday and wanted to take a photo of it to send to him. He loved his family, his friends, his job, his condo, his family cottage, and his life in general. How can someone with so much love die of a hole in his heart?


Metal Head Suite
Download: Liquid Braino (1995)

Forbidden Fungus
Download: New Aged Noodlefest (1996)

Soft Planet
Download: Freak for Hi-Fi (2001)

Careful with that Axe Eugene
Download: Covers Galore (2004)

Lucero Women and Work interviews

Lucero just released a killer video including interviews with all of the band members on being in the band, and the latest album Women and Work. Enjoy!



On My Way Downtown
Buy: Women & Work (2012)

Feel Bad For THE MAN

"Rock and roll is all about sticking it to the man!" – Someone

Now that the Democratic National Convention is in full swing, I figure it's time to post the August Feel Bad for You Mixtape. This month's theme is THE MAN! The dogs days of summer are only made worse by sitting in your cubicle and slaving away for THE MAN! At least that’s how I came up with the theme for this month's mixtape. Though THE MAN could be your boss, the government, whitey, your woman, Nashville record executives, your landlord, etc. I told the contributors to be creative with this one.

1. Snog - Corporate Slave
Remote Control (1997)
Submitted By: Bryan http://ninebullets.net/
Comments: This one was easy. Snog was bashing corporate america long before it was fashionable to do so and I knew as soon as you said the theme was "The Man" I had to include one of their songs. This song originally appeared on their 1997 album Remote Control but this particular version of it is from their 2006 retrospective Sixteen Easy Tunes For The End Times. Hope y’all like it as much as I do.

2. Ben Folds - The Ascent of Stan
Rockin’ the Suburbs (2001)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: You wondered why your father was so resigned. Now you don’t wonder anymore…

3. The Clash - Clampdown
London Calling (1979)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: "The men at the factory are old and cunning / You don’t owe nothing, so, boy, get running / It’s the best years of your life they want to steal"

4. Chuck Prophet - American Man
¡Let Freedom Ring! (2009)
Submitted By: hoosier buddy
Comments: Chuck Prophet is the Captain America of guitar-slinging singer-songwriters. His trademark scarf and vest let you know he’s comfortable with the way he looks. The musical influences in this one song alone are a veritable melting pot of American culture. Twang meets classic rock and celebrates the love child with shameless 80′s riffage, His shield is the honest truth about what’s wrong, what’s weird,and what’s going on: "American man, three times your size, with blood on my lips, milk in my eyes." We all recognize this American man. Heck, some of us are him. Proud as hell, too!

5. Neil Young - Ohio
From: bootleg (1971)
Submitted By: tincanman
Comments: I had so many 'Man' punisms running through my head to impress you with I almost forgot the ultimate 'The Man hath run amok' song.

6. Woody Guthrie - Vigilante Man
Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)
Submitted By: Gorrck

7. Ralph Stanley - I Am The Man, Thomas
Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys: 1971-1973 (1995)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: I AM THE MAAAAN!

8. Minus 5 - Dear Employer (The Reason I Quit)
Down With Wilco (2003)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: Oh yeah? Wow now you’re minus SIX my friend! I’m outta here.

9. OPM - Heaven is a Half Pipe
Buy: Menace to Sobriety (2000)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: I remember this song getting a lot of play round the turn of the millenium. I don’t know if I would say its a good song but it makes me bob my head and laugh thinking, “yeah all I need is my board and my weed – the man can go eff himself!”

10. Peter Tosh - Legalize It
Legalize It (1976)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: On the eve of Jamaican Independence 50th Celebrations and on the day the country is poised to make it a male/female sprint double gold at London 2012, then it's got to be Peter Tosh's "Legalize It," this Wailer gave the bird to The Man and if the stories are to be believed that's what cost him his life. Beat this Snoop Dogg.

11. Rodriguez - This Is Not A Song, It’s An Outburst: Or, The Establishment
Buy (mp3): Cold Fact (1970)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: It's the establishment, man.

12. John Keating - Jesus Christ Superstar
Sound Gallery Vol 1 (1972)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: Andrew Lloyd Webber on FBFY, it was always on the cards.

13. Anthrax - I’m the Man (Def Uncensored Version)
I’m the Man (1987)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: Gorrck sent this CD to me in 2001 when the anthrax scare hit the east coast. We told one of our other friends that "I got Anthrax in the mail." She said, "Are you serious!!!" Our friends are not too bright. And we are immature.

14. Furnaceface - We Love You Tipper Gore
Just Buy It (1992)
Submitted By: Lord Summerisle
Comments: A song about "The Man" that's about A woman.

15. Screeching Weasel - A New Tomorrow
Anthem for a New Tomorrow (1993)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: So, when I heard the theme for this month was "The Man," I thought of rebelling against status quo, rejecting the norm and living your life the way you want to live it. Instantly I thought of this song, Screeching Weasel is a band I’ve loved for years. It doesn’t matter what music I’m listening to, or if I’m going thru a "only listening to Buck Owens on repeat/surf music 24-7/or whatever else constantly" phase, I’ll always be able to add a Screeching Weasel song to my mixtape (or really…we all know it’s a playlist…but mixtape just sounds better dudes, ok?). Anyway, back to this particular song, anytime I’m starting to question my life choices I can listen to this song and instantly feel better, really. Sound dumb? Who cares, it works for me.

16. Roger Alan Wade - Cars and Guns
Stoned Traveler (2009)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets

17. Drive By Truckers - Puttin’ People On The Moon
The Dirty South (2004)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: This was the first song that came to mind when I thought about The Man keeping ya down, especially convenient with the Mars landing just happening.

18. Bradley Wik and the Charlatans - Friday Night is for the Drinkers
Buy (Bandcamp): Burn What You Can, Bury the Rest…
Submitted By: Cowbelle www.morecowbelle.net

19. Pete Yorn (w/Natalie Maines) - The Man
Buy: The Nightcrawler (2006)
Submitted By: Trailer

20. The Countdown Five - Money Man
B-Side/Shaka Shake Na Na/Money Man (1969)
Submitted By: @popatunes
Comments: This theme seemed a bit of a challenge finding something that wasn't an obvious 'The Man' protest song, (my interpretation of the theme) so I was lead deep into the garage for an enjoyable excursion that distracted me to from my initial, but thought this little b-side gem from Texas City's The Countdown Five was worth sharing. Y'all know by now I have soft spot for low-fi psych garage grooviness. The band had two Billboard Top 100 hits, "Uncle Kirby" and "Shaka Na Na."

Nine Bullets Radio: the RNC edition

Last week my buddy Bryan at NineBullets put together a radio show loosely themed "Fuck the RNC." The poor guy's hometown has been invaded by Republicans! Per Bryan:

Last night's show was a loosely themed "FUCK THE RNC" show. It's coming to town next week, closing our streets, closing our parks, and telling us what we are and aren’t allowed to do. All the while, they're sequestering themselves away for their own private circle jerk and telling us how happy we should be that they've graced us with their presence. I also brought the local band Bootleggers And Baptists into the studio in an effort to break up the rage. So take some time and put your ears on the archived stream of the show.

Below is the playlist for August 23, 2012 {Artist - Song [Album (year)]}

01. Todd Farrell – Nine Bullets Theme
02. Otis Gibbs – The Peoples Day
[One Day Our Whispers (2004)]
03. American Graveyard – Common Ones [Hallelujahland (2010)]
04. Chris Knight – Nothing On Me [Little Victories, released 9/11/2012]
05. The Drive-By Truckers – Putting People On The Moon [The Dirty South (2004)]
06. Soul Asylum – Gravity [Delayed Reaction (2012)]
07. Bootleggers And Baptists Live In The Studio
08. Great American Taxi – Blair Mountain [Paradise Lost (2011)]
09. Chuck Allen Floyd – Hard Times [Schedule A]
10. Bootleggers And Baptists Live In The Studio
11. Frank Turner – Glory Hallelujah [England Keep My Bones (2011)]

In the words of the mighty Todd Snider, "Know what scares people these days? Republicans. That, and Democrats."

New Lucero Video

Actually, the only Lucero video. In their 14 years as a band, this is Lucero's first official video. Per Paste: "Although the band's been making music for 14 years, this is their first official music video. 'Our fans have made videos over the years, we've never made one ourselves until now,' lead singer Ben Nichols said. 'Why? Basically because we're unorganized and lazy.'" And, once again, Ben Nichols tells the story of my life.

Several weeks ago the band put a call out for fans to show up at some location south of Memphis in northern Mississippi. This video was the result of that call. It's basically a big party, and essentially exactly what happens at a Lucero show, but without the pond. (Edit: I can't speak for all Lucero shows, but previous the gigs in Toronto and Boston have not had ponds.) My favorite part of the video is when drummer Roy Berry adds a "Y" to the end "Lucero" painted on the van, to read "Roy Rules." Then he does a vile jello shot with a chaser of Budweiser. Awesome. The only thing that video director should have done differently is splice some live footage of the band performing between party scenes. Or is that too 80s?

There will be moshing on Mars

Source: Horns Up Rocks

Today in weird music news, Anthrax became the first metal band played on Mars by the Curiosity rover. I pulled this article from the Facebook group "I Fucking Love Science." Of course it begs the questions as to why a robot needs a wake-up call. Or is it that the Mars scientists are closet metal-heads? Regardless, I want the Mars robot DJ gig. Anyone have an in at NASA?

Ever wondered what the first metal band played by the Curiosity rover on Mars would be? Wonder no more! On day 6 Anthrax became the first metal band played on Mars by Curiosity, when their 1990 track ‘Got the Time’ was played on the Martian
surface as part of Mars rover Curiosity’s daily wake-up playlist.

As Anthrax's Scott Ian put it: "yes, there will be moshing on Mars."

The first metal band played on Mars was by Opportunity in 2004 - on day 12 the rover played Motörhead's 'Leaving Here' while it went for its first drive.

The people who choose the playlist clearly have a great sense of humour - The Mars rover Spirit played 'I Touch Myself' by the Divinyls when the rover examined itself with instruments on day 92.

Other music Curiosity has played: ‘Echelon’ by 30 Seconds To Mars; The Beatles ‘Good Morning Good Morning’; Good Morning, Good Morning from Singin' in the Rain; the Star Wars theme; the theme from "Mission Impossible"; Break on Through by The Doors; Got My Mind Set on You by George Harrison; Simon and Garfunkel's cover of the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Susie"; Come Fly with Me by Frank Sinatra; and Wagner’s ‘The Ride Of The Valkyries’.

You can check out the morning playlists for Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit here: http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/MER%20Soundtrack.html

Anthrax - Got the Time
Buy: Persistence of Time (1990)

Motörhead - Leaving Here
Buy: Bomber (2001)

Nine Bullets Radio 8.16.2012

I missed Nine Bullets Radio on Thursday night, so I am going to listen to it right now. Won't you join me? Stream

Playlist for August 16, 2012 [Artist - Song (Album)]

01. Todd Farrell – Nine Bullets (unreleased)
02. Austin Lucas w/ Glossary – Alone In Memphis (unreleased)
03. Chris Knight – In The Mean Time (Little Victories)
04. Shovels & Rope – Birmingham (O’ Be Joyful)
05. Spirit Family Reunion – 100 Greenback Dollar Bills (No Separation)
06. Bootleggers and Baptists – Flood Waters (unreleased)
07. Old Crow Medicine Show – Genevieve (Carry Me Back)
08. JKutchma & The Five Fifths – Used To Believe (Pastorals)
09. The Sumner Brothers – Toughest Man In Prison Camp (I’ll Be There Tomorrow)
10. Alone At 3AM – Another Round (Midwest Mess)
11. American Aquarium – Cape Fear River (Burn. Flicker. Die)
12. John Moreland & The Dust Bowl Souls – Christian Rock (Everything The Hard Way)
13. Arliss Nancy – Wrong Or Right (Dance To Forget)
14. Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – Port Authority Band
Buy: Bloudy Tenent Truth & Peace
15. Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil – Picture Frames (unreleased)
16. Love & Rockets – No Big Deal (Love and Rockets)

Shark Week Sheet Music

Since this is a music blog, and since it is Shark Week, I shall now outdo Beck and post some sheet music.

If you are ever having a bad day at work, watch this video of some scientist standing in the water surrounded by bull sharks, and after he says, "If you don't move they won't attack," a shark bites the shit out of his leg. The first time I saw this video I nearly puked. Now you know your day wasn't nearly as bad as Dr. One Leg's was. And it's only $2.77 on Amazon!

Buy (DVD): Anatomy of a Shark Bite (2005)

Eefin and Hambone - A Hee Haw Montage

I've been getting killed at work for the last two weeks, so I present to you this video montage complied from old episodes of Hee Haw. They just don't make good TV like this anymore.



I'm currently working on posts about Chuck Prophet, Adam Yauch, The Hold Steady, Kasey Anderson, and a bunch of others. Stay tuned!

Snoop Lion

Did everyone else think that Snoop Dogg was full of shit when he decided to change his name to Snoop Lion and go into reggae? Snoop played his first show as Lion last night in Toronto, and so far the reviews are pretty good. And I'll be damned if the below track isn't one sweet summer reggae mix. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Lion will do next.

July Feel Bad For You

Feel bad for me? No! Feel bad for you if you haven't heard this mixtape yet!!!

1. Arliss Nancy - The Crease
Buy: Simple Machines (2012)
Submitted By: Captainsdead
Comments: great rock record, nothing more, nothing less.

2. The Producers - I Love Lucy
The Producers/You Make The Heat (2000, CD Reissue of the band’s first two albums)
Submitted By: BoogieStudio22
Comments: I make no apologies for my love of all things ‘power pop.’ The Producers put out a couple of albums in the early 80s and seemed to fly under the radar of most people, which is too bad because these guys crafted some great songs.

3. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Travel On
Americana (2012)
Submitted By: @mikeorren
Comments: This song IS summer in America. Drive fast on a long highway and put it on repeat.

4. Amy Cook - I Wanna Be Your Marianne
Buy: Let the Light In (2010)
Submitted By: Hoosier Buddy
Comments: The most summer-soaked tune from an album produced by Alejandro Escovedo. A tasty confection: swirl cupcake in which relaxed rhythm guitar mixes with strangled cat lead tones, topped with Amy’s buttercream vocal track. You can never eat just one.

5. The Woolly Bushmen - Gotta Go Out West
The Woolly Bushmen (2012)
Submitted By: Autopsy IV (ninebullets.net)
Comments: Retro rock and roll from a group of kids from Orlando. I caught them live at Tropical Heatwave this year and they were a complete and total blast. Album came out last week and is available on Bandcamp.

6. The Wind-Up Birds - There Won't Always Be an England
The Land (2012)
Submitted By: April @ Now This Sound Is Brave
Comments: This song cemented my love for this fantastic band out of Leeds, England. Even though it's specifically about rabid nationalism in the UK, it's an almost effortless exercise to translate it to the jingoistic patriotism that has been promoted in the U.S. over the past decade. The feeling of mounting frustration and anger in this song is a thing of beauty.

7. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Wasting Away
Buy: Strung Out in Heaven (1998)
Submitted By: Ryan (Verbow @ altcountrytab.ca)
Comments: Can anyone take the essential elements of 60's music (garage, pop, psychedelia, country rock) and blend them as seamlessly as Antone Newcombe? I think not. Great, mellow track from these freaky weirdos. Love the harmonica.

8. Counting Crows - You Ain't Going Nowhere
Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) (2012)
Submitted By: @philnorman
Comments: Get your mind off winter time. You ain't going nowhere.

9. Alvin Youngblood Hart - Joe Friday
Big Mama's Door (1996)
Submitted By: Adam Sheets

10. Hurray For The Riff Raff - Little Black Star
Look Out Mama (2012)
Submitted By: TheOtherBrit
Comments: Saw these gals & guy out of Louisiana in Waverly a couple months ago and they blew me away.

11. The Doc Marshalls - Here They Come
Look Out Compadres (2012)
Submitted By: toomuchcountry
Comments: I've been playing this track repeatedly after first hearing it during one of Bill Frater's Freight Train Boogie podcasts (a great source of new Americana music). In this month we celebrate our independence and are reminded of the costs paid to defend it, many of the lyrics from this song resonated with me.

12. We Run - Like
We Run EP (2012)
Submitted By: @popa2unes

13. Little Wings - Fall Skull
Black Grass (2011)
Submitted By: Lord Summerisle
Comments: I didn't hear this album until early 2012 but it has swiftly become my favourite album of 2011. Brilliant stuff, a touch of Will Oldham, a dash of Bill Callahan and some sweet electronics burbling in the background. Perfect.

14. Lyle Lovett - Give Back My Heart
Pontiac (1988)
Submitted By: Rockstar Aimz
Comments: In spring, 1993, I was in college in Chicago at a coffee shop listening to these two other students jam away on their acoustic guitars, really killing it. They were playing some song that I didn’t know, but it stuck in my head all of these years because it was so good. Thanks to the miracle of satellite radio, I finally figure out nearly two decades later on my commute to work that they were covering this Lyle Lovett song, only adding a few curse words and massive blues guitar riffs.

15. The District Attorneys - Worry About Your Health
Slowburner (2012)
Submitted by: Corey Flegel (This Is American Music)
Comments: this was the song that reminded me to send in a submission...so, it then became my submission.

16. Willie Nile - Hard Times In America
Live From the Streets of New York (2008)
Submitted By: Truersound
Comments: Now that the 4th is over, back to reality.

17. Alex Turner - Piledriver Waltz
Submarine EP (2011)
Submitted By: Simon
Comments: I treated myself to a few pieces of vinyl on Record Store Day amongst them a Caitlin Rose 7” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJWiUOIpUS8) featuring a pair of tracks from Arctic Monkeys album Suck It and See and have been ‘spinning’ both regularly over the last month, Piledriver Waltz has got stuck in my head and become a new favourite, I stumbled across another version of the track that appeared on Alex Turner’s film soundtrack for Submarine and thought I’d throw this into this months mix. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/v6cg

18. Zodiac Mindwarp & the Love Reaction - Prime Mover
Tattooed Beat Messiah (1988)
Submitted By: Gorrck

19. Muddy Waters - Unk In Funk
Unk In Funk (1974)
Submitted By: Bowood
Comments: Muddy Waters just letting us know that funk wasn't born until he entered the world, presumably 7am on Sunday July 7th, with seven doctors in attendance. Today is July 7, the mojo is still strong.

20. Bruce Springsteen - Racing in the Street
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Submitted By: tincanman2010
Comments: The bit about the girl sitting on her Daddy's porch, all her pretty dreams torn is one of the saddest moments in song I know. Bruce's band doesn't get enough credit for the way they play this. And it's not a car song; it just sounds at first like one.

21. Japandroids - Continuous Thunder
Celebration Rock (2012)
Submitted By: Trailer

22. The Specials - Too Hot
Buy: The Specials (1979, reissued 2002)
Submitted By: annieTUFF
Comments: It's full blown summer now, and the crazy heat always makes me think of summers as a teenager, and punk. Driving around in my first car (death trap of a car that I scrimped and saved to buy after working my first fast food job) no AC, windows down, sweating like crazy, and cranking music as loud as I could thru my little battery powered tape player that I brought with me (because the stereo in the car kept blowing out the fuses for the lights...see? death trap). So, in honor of all the record breaking heat and summer tunes and memories I'm picking The Specials. And yeah, I know, it's not punk, it's ska, but c'mon it's toooooo hot.