Fastbacks (or the story is in the radio…keep your ear to the tapes)

Here’s an homage to a group of Seattle-ites that got me thru my teen angst years. Short story….

On January 8th, 1995 I set my tape recorder up to record the very first Self Pollution Radio broadcast by Pearl Jam. They were going live on the air, and were gonna play some tunes and do some DJ stuff, and basically play by there own rules for a couple of hours and for the next couple of months, I listen to those tapes every night.

The Fastbacks were my main focus from those tapes. What I heard spoke to my core and to this day, I get the warm fuzzies thinking about driving down to Thayer Street, heading into Tom’s Tracks and fumbling nervously through the bins, trying to look like I knew what I was doing, just mumbling to the clerk “Fastbacks?” and he, cooler than thou, and not being a dick about it, pointing to the back of the shop, on the right….

I had my copy, in hand, of Answer the Phone, Dummy.

Here, I offer to you, (within the drop.io d/l link), that LP, and the live tracks played on that radio show (God bless PJ fans for archiving that shit) plus one of their 7″ singles from 1981. I love that birthday song.

Uncle Tupelo kills The Paradise, Boston 1992

“And they don’t tell me which way I oughta run
or what good I could do anyone.
‘Cause my heart it was a gun,
but it’s unloaded now
so don’t bother me now.
Don’t bother

Crawling back to you now
I sold my guitar to the girl next door.
She asked me if I knew how
I told her I don’t think so anymore.”

                                         – Jeff Tweedy on “Gun”

By 1992, Uncle Tupelo had begun to hit the alternative mainstream, selling 15,000 copies of their debut album No Depression based on their reputation for putting a punk rock ethos into the re-telling of old dustbowl tunes. When they hit the studio again, in the summer of 1991, they decided to thwart the expectations of making an “alternative”-style record. When Still Feel Gone hit the press, it had a decidedly heavy, J Mascis sort of feel. I remember reading in the book I Am Trying to Break Your Heart that the band wasn’t extremely happy with the sound, but the album set the stage for a tumultuous 3 years that would find Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy at complete odds with one another, resulting in a messy break at the peak of Uncle Tupelo’s grandeur. However you see it, the tension that existed on stage fueled the music.

Today I present to you a great show from The Paradise, a small club on Landsdowne St. in Boston. The band was in town to support Teenage Fanclub (yeah, those guys), and by the end of their short set, it seemed that most patrons were full-on Uncle Tupelo converts. Check out the INSANE cover of Gang Of Four’s “I Found That Essence Rare”, and Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”. It’s no wonder why…

Jimmy Buffett – KSAN: Live @ The Record Plant Sausalito, CA October 24th , 1974

There was a time when Jimmy Buffett wasn’t the corporate megamonstrosity inc. that he is today. Long before the Parrotheads, the restaurants, the novels, the collaborations, and even the soccer moms flashing their boobs in some suburban parking lot-turned tailgate party…. there was Jimmy Buffett, the Singer-Songwriter. The Traveler. The Raconteur.  The Bum. This is the Jimmy Buffett I like.

I don’t need to pay a hundred bucks for a lawn seat to enjoy this bootleg of Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band playing in-studio at KSAN’s Record Plant in Sausalito, CA. One only needs to listen to the first couple of seconds of this session to know that this was a good old, hard-partying time in Cali. I don’t think Jimmy realized that “whatever he was snorting” was very close to a live microphone…. (good times, good times)

Who’s gonna steal the peanut butter?
I’ll get the can of sardines.
Runnin up and down the aisle of the mini mart,
Stickin food in our jeans.

We never took more than we could eat,
There was plenty left on the rack
We all swore if we ever got rich,
We would pay the mini mart back.
Yes, sir, Yes sir! We would pay the mini mart back!

Uncle Tupelo: Live On Heat, NPR Radio July 18th, 1990

It’s been several weeks since I’ve posted some material from the Uncle Tupelo /Wilco /Son Volt catalog that I have stashed away over here. I figure if I dangle the carrot….maybe a few more lucky souls will hit that big old subscribe button over there to the right…. If you already subscribe, thanks! If not, please do… just for the single purpose of making me feel like I’m reaching people. 

So it’s starting to get a little nicer here in Rhody, and what better to commemorate a 50 degree day with Uncle Tupelo, performing during a heat wave in NYC, in July, on a radio show called ‘Heat’ nonetheless. This occurs right after the now-iconic No Depression was released by Rockville records. And, since this is a shorter session, I’ve previewed one of the inbetween song interviews about the band coming up in the world….  Enjoy – TDTD

The Frames – Live at Vicar Street, Dublin 10-01-2006

“We have all the time in the world, to get it right…”

The Frames… what to say. In a long, slow, dramatic history between myself and this band, our relationship has blossomed into something that is well beyond the standard. The feeling and emotion that is conveyed through their music is so overpowering and universal. It envelopes the listener, delivering a beautiful product that transcends and transforms. I don’t like to be without them.

So today, I offer up a show from Dublin, their hometown. While the recording itself isn’t, by any means, perfect, I find it to be an enjoyable listening experience in front of a great hometown crowd. It’s of a band lifted on high by the energy in the room, beautiful music that reminds us that U2 aren’t the greatest Irish band in the world. (sorry, had to.)

Zooey Deschanel LOVES Cotton.

The Touch, The Feel, The Fabric Of Our Lives…

Zooey Dechanel, everyone’s favorite aural sweetheart (and she’s really easy on the eyes, too) has teamed up with, um, the folks that bring you Cotton. She’s appearing in a new TV spot (below) and, the coolest part is, the full version of the song is currently available on The Fabric Of Our Lives’ Website (no joke) along with a track by country radio sweetheart Miranda Lambert.

If, like me, you find yourself wanting to play the song, over and over again…. incessantly….annoying neighbors and scaring the cat, then the d/l link can be found both here (below) and there (Website above). Please PLEASE visit “there”. God knows I don’t need the good ol’ US government breaking down my door.  Not today. Not on Tax Day…

Next up for Zooey…maybe the “Other White Meat” folks.  Or perhaps the “Hankering for a Hunka Cheese” Council. Who knows?

Zooey Deschanel – The Fabric Of My Life.mp3 [stream]

D/L mp3

Congrats are in order to Providence’s The Low Anthem

Little Rhody’s own The Low Anthem announced today that they have been signed to Nonesuch Records. How cool is that.  Now, seeing them perform at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on April 24th will taste even sweeter.

Tickets are still available, for 12 bucks. Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and Deer Tick (BOTH of whom are current blog favorites- check the last.fm page) are also on the bill. (Click HERE for tickets to the event)

from their web site

Today is a great day for The Low Anthem! We have signed a wonderful and fair record deal with the world’s best record label. Nonesuch Records will be supporting our national rerelease of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin without asking us to change anything! The tentative rerelease date is June 9. Proper concert celebrations with all bells, whistles, whiskeys, etc. will be announced shortly on the website. Heartfelt thanks to all. Can’t wait to see you!!

XO
Ben Jeff Jocie
The Low Anthem

Great Lake Swimmers – Pulling on a Line [new video]

The Great Lake Swimmers’ new album, Lost Channels, is dropping on 3/31 and I cannot wait. From the tracks I’ve heard, it sounds amazing. Enjoy, TDTD

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Iron and Wine – Live @ The Social, Orlando, Florida [preview/download]

OK, back in music hosting mode, finally. Thanks for bearing with me.

There’s few comparisons with the music of Sam Beam.  His sound is entrenched in hypnotic pulses of acoustic guitar and often highlighted by the perfectly dissonant harmonies that create a lush and somnabulent listening experience.  Here, Sam brings a mostly solo set to a great climax, resulting in a nice session from The Social in Orlando, Florida.  Enjoy!

Iron and Wine @ The Social – Orlando, Florida – August 17th, 2003

01. He Lays in the Reins
02. Sodom, South Georgia
03. Burn That Broken Bed
04. The Rooster Moans
05. Waitin’ for a Superman (Flaming Lips)
06. Free Until They Cut Me Down
07. Lion’s Mane
08. Upward Over The Mountain
09. Naked As We Came
10. Watch and Chain
11. Bird Stealing Bread
12. Dearest Forsaken
13. Muddy Hymnal
14. Each Coming Night
15. Jesus The Mexican Boy

Fastbacks (or the story is in the radio…keep your ear to the tapes)

Here’s an homage to a group of Seattle-ites that got me thru my teen angst years. Short story….

On January 8th, 1995 I set my tape recorder up to record the very first Self Pollution Radio broadcast by Pearl Jam. They were going live on the air, and were gonna play some tunes and do some DJ stuff, and basically play by there own rules for a couple of hours and for the next couple of months, I listen to those tapes every night.

The Fastbacks were my main focus from those tapes. What I heard spoke to my core and to this day, I get the warm fuzzies thinking about driving down to Thayer Street, heading into Tom’s Tracks and fumbling nervously through the bins, trying to look like I knew what I was doing, just mumbling to the clerk “Fastbacks?” and he, cooler than thou, and not being a dick about it, pointing to the back of the shop, on the right….

I had my copy, in hand, of Answer the Phone, Dummy.

Here, I offer to you, (within the drop.io d/l link), that LP, and the live tracks played on that radio show (God bless PJ fans for archiving that shit) plus one of their 7″ singles from 1981. I love that birthday song.