You Should Check It Out: Recent Episodes
You Should Check It Out
Music news and releases from the folks that brought you...well, so far just this...but you should check it out. Join us for a weekly discussion of the music and stories that made us think.
Greg is busy dow in Florida pulling together another Resilient show, so Nick & Jay go it alone this episode…
Brian Wilson was a gifted songwriter, musician, singer and producer. His influence is immeasurable. We share some thoughts on the loss of this legend.
Song: Beach Boys - “God Only Knows”
For the past ten years, Jay & Nick have been writing and recording nearly weekly (along with bassist, Kresimir Tokic) with the intent to release a second Sleepers album. The time has finally come. They discuss the process and play some songs from the new record. You can stream it for free or order it on vinyl over at bandcamp (https://sleepersmd.bandcamp.com/album/sleepers-2). It’s also available on Apple Music & Spotify as well.
Songs:
Sleepers - “Structural Integrity”
Sleepers - “The Mark”
Nick picks up where he left off last week with another “News with Nick.” Have a few thousand dollars sitting around and always wanted to own something that belonged to David Lynch? Here’s an auction just for you! TayTay buys back her records, and Eminem is suing Instagram (Meta).
Song: Rival Sons - “Thundering Voices”
In recent years, Greg has developed a deeper appreciation for Word of Mouth, Jaco Pastorius’s second solo album. While the record receives mixed reviews—some hearing signs of the personal struggles with addiction and mental health that would later claim Jaco’s life at just 35—Greg has come to believe there's something really special about it. You should give it a few listens and let us know what you think.
Songs:
Jaco Patorius - “Crisis”
Jaco Patorius - “Three Views of a Secret”
Jaco Patorius - “Liberty City”
Jay remembers Rick Derringer & Sly Stone. Mr. Derringer, who passed at the age of 77, had a decades long career as a guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Stephen Thomas Erlewine said, in Allmusic, “James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it." Mr. Stone passed last week at the age of 82.
Songs:
Steely Dan - “Showbiz Kids”
Sly & The Family Stone - “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) Live”
As Jay mentions at the top of this episode, we had some significant technical issues this episode and only managed to get the first 30min of the conversation… we’ll be back next week with a full episode.
Jay debuts a new game, “Yes, And.” Jay presents a theme and the contestants each have one minute to name things, back and forth, that fit that theme.
Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Dragon (Live in Lithuania)”
Nick has some news for us to catch up on, unfortunately we only hear the first half of it. Billy Joel cancels tour due to diagnosis & Emmy winning composer Alf Clausen has died at the age of 84.
Song: Pipe-Eye - “Chakra”
We’ve reached the magic month of June, and it feels like Summer has arrived. This time of year makes Keith nostalgic for the music released during our formative summers in the early-to-mid 90s.
Songs:
Primitive Radio Gods - “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand”
Baz Lurman - “Everybody’s Free”
Greg brings a unique situation to the show this week. Pitchfork recently reviewed the album “Face Down in the Garden” by Tennis. Tennis, in turn, released a review of the review (sound familiar?) that went viral (nevermind). This week, we’re reviewing a Review the Review!
Song: Turnstile - “Lookout for Me”
Jay caught an amazing show at Merriweather Post Pavilion last week, it’s Tales from the Concert. Sturgill Simpson has been getting some serious cred from the jam band community and Jay explains why. Starting at precisely 8pm, Simpson, and his incredibly talented band, went on to play 3 straight hours without stopping between songs. The performance, according to Jay, was impeccable and the stamina of the band was an impressive feat in its own right. If you get a chance to see him on his next tour, definitely do so.
Song: Sturgill Simpson - “A Good Look (Live at Merriweather)”
Finally, what do you know about Eurovision? Nick knew next to absolutely nothing before seeing it in the headlines and reading up on it. Armed with about 30min of knowledge, he decided to quiz the guys on their familiarity with the 69 year old event via Viral or Eyeroll.
Song: Goose - “Thatch”
Nick catches us up on the news of the week. Zak Starkey is re-fired by The Who, BandCamp adjusts their terms and conditions, and Trump orders Springsteen investigated after The Boss criticized his administration on stage.
Song: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Qwik Maff”
Greg first caught wind of Sleep Token back in 2022 and he had a feeling they were going places. Their latest album, Even in Arcadia, is now the number 1 album on Billboard 200 and that caught the attention of our good old friends at Pitchfork. This week, we’re back with a good old fashioned “Review the Review.”
Songs:
Sleep Token - “Emergence”
Sleep Token - “Past Self”
Jay was pondering Theseus’s Paradox on a recent drive (not really, but go with me on this) which is the thought experiment that questions the identity of an object over time when all of its parts are replaced. There are some touring bands that one could apply this question to, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kansas, REO Speedwagon, Heart, and others. What do you think, is a band whose original members have all been replaced still the same band?
Jay is bringing back his favorite YSCIO game show, “Tag the Track.” Nick & Greg choose from three categories and wager how many seconds it will take for them to “tag the track.”
Song: Phish - “Reba”
In Feb of 2024, SoundCloud quietly updated their terms of service to include that users’ uploaded audio could be used to train AI. Apparently it took about a year for anyone to notice and now there’s a bit of backlash. Nick and guys discuss.
Song: Thee Sacred Souls - “We Don’t Have to Be Alone”
Greg’s got some stories to share, it’s “Heard It Through the GREGvine.” Turnstile turned out over 10,000 at free concert in Baltimore, a jazz pianist reacts to Andre 3000’s piano sketches, and Rick Beato finally offers his thoughts on Giacomo Turra.
Song: Turnstile - “TLC (Turnstile Love Connection) Live at Wyman Park Dell Baltimore, MD”
To celebrate our 300th episode, we thought it’d be fun to ask each other questions in a round-robin interview style. This might be our favorite episode, we hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for listening.
Joining us for the show this week is Nick’s oldest son, Ciri. He’s reached that formative age (14) where, for music lovers, his appetite for new music is insatiable. He wants to play some songs he’s been really enjoying and get some recommendations based on the tunes.
Songs:
Childish Gambino - “Me and your Mama”
Earl Sweatshirt - “Riot!”
JPEGMAFIA - “Hazard Duty Pay!”
Greg caught Phish at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend and shares the experience with a Tales from the Concert. Greg has nothing but amazing things to say about the show and highly recommends everyone see this band at least once in their lives. High praise from Mr. Loman.
Song: Phish - “Light (Live from The Hollywood Bowl 4/25/25)”
What was originally intended to be a Jay’s Jambalaya ended up being a follow up interview between Jay and Ciri about music, AI and Gen Alpha.
Song: Neal Francis & Say She She - “Broken Glass”
Jay recently discovered a summer program offered by McDaniel College called Common Ground on the Hill. Created in 1994 by Walt Michael, the program provides the opportunity to teach and study various musical instruments and art forms across various ethnic and cultural traditions. This year features world renowned banjo player Tony Trischka, a particular favorite of Jay’s. We also dive into Tom Bukovac’s latest episode of Homeskoolin’ featuring Gordon Mote (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X45QbOdKwII).
Song: Momoko Gill - “Rewind / Remind”
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick! New Pornographers depart from their drummer, Zak Starkey stays on as The Who’s drummer, Keanu Reeves as a Weezer villain, and Alice Cooper is back.
Song: Mac Demarco - “20191009 I Like Her”
Greg caught the latest Meshuggah show at The Forum in LA (now the Kia Forum), shares a classic Apex Twin song and plays a recently released 1966 McCoy Tyler & Joe Henderson album. It’s Three for Thursday!
Songs:
Meshuggah - “Obzen”
Aphex Twin - “Start as You Mean to Go On”
McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson - “In 'N Out (Live)”
Greg is red hot angry about the news that broke regarding internet celebrity guitarist Giacomo Turra. You can check out the video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI4nuce3ppA). It appears that a large swath of Mr. Turra’s ‘improvised jams’ are note for note ripoffs of much lesser known guitarists that post on YouTube & Instagram. As a result of this news, nearly all of the manufacturers that endorsed Giacomo have taken down his gear and are no longer associating with him.
Song: The Brecker Brothers - “Some Skunk Funk”
Whenever Jay has a melange (or a stew, or a gumbo) of different topics to share, he serves up Jay’s Jambalaya. This week, musicians that sponsor football clubs, plus Benn Jordan is promoting a new poison-pill technique to ruin AI algorithms (learn more here https://youtu.be/xMYm2d9bmEA?si=SVWWND_J6zPE7Ch0).
Song: My Morning Jacket - “Squid Ink”
Nick has been listening to a lot of new music this last week and he’s sharing some on a Three For Thursday. Turnstile has a new album coming, The New Pornographers have a new single, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets released a new E.P.
Songs:
Turnstile - Never Enough
The New Pornographers - “Ballad of the Last Payphone”
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “March on for Pox Ramona“
Nick kicks us off with some new music from The Hives and checks in with Jay on the announcement that Bruce Springsteen is releasing seven unreleased albums in June. Greg is out this week, so Keith Grasso is kind enough to join us again. Nick takes the opportunity to check in with the owner of Island Music (and five-time cohost) on the state of music equipment sales amid a tariff war.
Song: The Hives - “Enough is Enough”
Keith’s feeds were blowing up this past week when it was announced that Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Warren DeMartini are touring together again after a ten year break.
Song: RATT - “Way Cool Jr.”
Jay closes things out with a Three For Thursday. We have a track off the new Springsteen project, an Apple Music Discovery find, and another from Sirius XM.
Songs:
Bruce Springsteen - “Rain in the River”
Lola Kirke - “Bury Me In NYC”
Birdtalker - “Season of Charade”
Jay takes us back to 1997 to revisit the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. by Incubus. The album preceded their commercially successful 1999 album, Make Yourself. It’s heavier and funkier and was the last album to include DJ Life. It is worth a listen, you should check it out.
Songs:
Incubus - “Summer Romance (Anti-Gravity Love Song)”
Incubus - “Deep Inside”
This week on News with Nick, Snoop & Dre collab on a Nashville Gin bar, and we have a selection of music related films coming out soon to discuss.
Song: Tortoise - “Organesson”
Finally, can we talk about Greg Loman for a second? We close the show out with a very special Review the Review. It seems as though a write for SDShowz made it to the Beck’s Bolero & Red Not Chili Peppers’ gig in San Diego last week and, boy oh boy, were they impressed with Greg! We read the whole darn review, we bask in Greg’s awesomeness and we celebrate his modesty. If you wanna read/laugh along, you can find it here: https://sdshowz.com/f/red-not-chili-peppers-beck-bolero-at-house-of-blues-san-diego
Song: Nas - “N.Y. State of Mind”
Greg’s side project, Beck’s Bolero, opened for the Red Not Chili Peppers to a sold out crowd at the House of Blues in San Diego this past weekend. It the group’s first show and Greg shares the experience. The band features Harry Waters on the keys, Greg on guitar, Cain Daniel drums, and Zephyr Avalon on bass.
Songs:
Beck’s Bolero - “Air Blower”
Beck’s Bolero - “Scatterbrain”
Whenever Jay has an melange (or a stew, or a gumbo) of different topics to share, he serves up Jay’s Jambalaya. Jason Isbell eschews the songwriter approach on his new solo acoustic album, King Gizzard has an unreleased documentary called Chunky Shrapnel, and the greatest two-hit wonders as written by Chris Dalla Riva (https://www.cantgetmuchhigher.com/p/the-greatest-two-hit-wonders).
Songs:
Jason Isbell - “Gravelweed”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “The River”
We close with Three for Thursday. Nick brings new indie/alternative tracks released in the past month from Moreish Idols, Sharp Pins, and YHWH Nailgun.
Songs:
Moreish Idols - “All In The Game”
Sharp Pins - “With A Girl Like Mine”
YHWH Nailgun - “Tear Pusher”
At the top we have confirmation of a new album by Mars Volta, and speculation of something new from Radiohead. Then, Tempo Music Investments recently acquired a quarter interest in Bruno Mars 2012 song “When I Was Your Man.” The company is now suing Miley Cyrus, claiming exploitation of their copyright for her Grammy winning 2023 hit song “Flowers.” Cyrus claims she wrote it for her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, who reportedly dedicated the song to her in the past. Cyrus’ lyrics seem to respond to the chorus of the Mar song. Does that entitle the new copyright holder to a cut? Apparently that’s for a hurry to decide.
Song: KEG - “Strangers”
Greg shares some Sound Advice from Chick Corea. The legendary & influential jazz pianist and composer laid down some serious wisdom about playing and improvising with other musicians. Greg found and is sharing these nuggets for everyone to reflect on. Also, Beck’s Bolero will be opening for the Red Not Chili Peppers at the House of Blues in San Diego Friday, March 21. Check it out if you’re in the area.
Songs:
Miroslav Vitouš - “Freedom Jazz Dance”
Chick Core - “Humpty Dumpty”
This past Sunday, a 70 year drought ended when Newcastle United beat Liverpool in the EFL Cup Final. Jay has been a fan since childhood and he’s celebrating the win with an album review from Newcastle native Sam Fender. We listened to the title track from “People Watching” a few episodes back, but the full album is now out and Jay feels like it’s something worth checking out.
Songs:
Sam Fender - “Little Bit Closer”
Sam Fender - “Rein Me In”
Sam Fender - “TV Dinner”
We sprang forward last week and are celebrating our hour lost with three Three for Thursdays. We named our celebration, too. Threes for Thursday.
If you, like Jay, are watching the “Primus Interstellar Drum Derby” series on YouTube, then the last episode you saw was Mike Stone’s audition. Prior to the episode, Mr. Stone had recently recorded a song and an album with Secret Chiefs 3. Les Claypool was quite impressed by this fact. You may have wondered, who is Secret Chiefs 3? Jay did, too, and he looked into it and shares what he found.
Songs:
Secret Chiefs 3 - “The Four (Great Ashra Ki Sun)”
Secret Chiefs 3/Traditionalists - “What’s Wrong With Cytherea”
Secret Chiefs 3 - “Chitzonuyut” (John Zorn)
We lost the massively influential vibraphonist, composer, and producer, Roy Ayers, this past week. The “Godfather of Neo Soul” began in bebop and migrated to the jazz funk scene in the early 1970s. His music has been sample hundreds of times over the past 4 decades, most often by rappers. Nick presents some of his signature tracks.
Songs:
Roy Ayers - “Sound and Sense”
Roy Ayers Ubiquity - “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”
Roy Ayers Ubiquity - “We Live in Brooklyn, Baby”
Kendrick Lamar - “Good Kid” (first 30 sec)
As demonstrated thus far, we often have themes when presenting a Three For Thursday. This is often just to demonstrate that we’ve invested slightly more effort than the segment initially called for. Greg takes it to the next level this week by offering a sub-genre of the segment. “Captain Hook” is a Three For Thursday featuring songs with impeccable hooks. Greg closes us out this week with Part 1 of “Captain Hook.”.
Songs:
Bad Bad Not Good - “Last Laugh”
Aphex Twin - “Flim”
Fontaines DC - “Here's the Thing”
Greg is back with another Heavy Rotation. Spiritbox headlined a recent Periphery show in the UK and Chat Pile returns with “Cool World.” Finally, it’s been 13 years since he left the band, but Mike Portnoy is back with Dream Theater on their new album Parasomnia.
Songs:
Spiritbox - “Holy Roller”
Chat Pile - “Shame”
Dream Theater - “Night Terror”
To celebrate the entire Unplugged series now available on Paramount+, Jay is having an unplugged Three for Thursday. It’s amazing how impactful this series was for musicians growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, before watching your favorite artist perform was a quick search on YouTube. Jay highlights some moments from the series, which spanned twenty years from 1989 to 2009.
Songs:
10,000 Maniacs - “Because of the Night (Unplugged)”
Maná - “Se Me Olividó Otra Vez (Unplugged)”
JAY-Z - “Izzo (H.O.V.A.) Unplugged”
Get ready for it, it’s another News with Nick. Neil Young schedules a free concert in Ukraine, Bob Dylan did not show up for the Oscars, and Drake cancels the rest of his Australia & New Zealand tour due to a scheduling conflict.
Song: Brown Spirits - “Fault Lines”
Nick brings us a Three For Thursday for Roberta Flack, who passed this week at the age of 88. She grew up in Arlington, VA, and upon graduating high school at the age of 15, she received a full music scholarship to Howard University. She began singing professionally in 1968, was signed to Atlantic Records, and went on to have a whirlwind of a successful career in the 1970s. Her voice touched a generation and she will be missed.
Songs:
Roberta Flack - “Compared to What”
Roberta Flack - “Killing Me Softly (With His Song)”
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - “I (Who Have Nothing)”
Heard it through the GREGvine that Christina Ricci really hates Live, but particularly “Lightning Crashes.” Also, Marshall Allen, current bandleader of Sun Ra, releases his debut album at age 100, breaking all sorts of records. Finally, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded music catalog is for sale, you can own it today for clean $350 million.
Song: Bob Dylan “One More Cup of Coffee (feat. Scarlet Rivera)”
Jay brings a listener inspired (thanks Mr. Lentz!) BienVenue for a long-gone Baltimore music spot: The Painters Mill Music Fair. It began as a tent in a parking lot in 1960, with the 2500 person venue constructed in 1967. A venue of that capacity hosted some pretty large acts in the years to come. Dave Brubeck, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Chick Corea, Bruce Springsteen, and more over the next fifty-five years. It was also where Greg Allman played his final show with the Allman Brothers. In 1991, the venue burned to the ground when a burglar attempted to access the safe with a butane torch.
Song: Frank Zappa - “What’s New in Baltimore? (Live at Painters Mill Star Theatre)”
It’s that time of year again, Jay brings us the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. We each pick five artists/bands from the fourteen nominees and see how we did when they announce the inductees in late April. This year’s nominees are Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Cindy Lauper, Mana, Oasis, Outkast, Phish, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes.
Song: Anthony Joseph - “Tony”
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick. Bryan Adams gets fatberged, Black Sabbath’s final concert, Drake drops a new album, and the Kennedy Center is under new management.
Song: Yussef Dayes - “Black Classical Music (feat. Venna & Charlie Stacey)”
Greg’s brings us a Vulfpeck inspired Three For Thursday. The band has been releasing singles from their new album, ‘Clarity of Cal’ over the past few weeks and we give some a listen.
Songs:
Vulfpeck - “Big Dipper”
Vulfpeck - “New Beastly (feat. Joe Dart)”
Vulfpeck - “Matter of Time”
Greg gives us a recap of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime and tosses in a “Review the Review” for good measure. "Kendrick Lamar Just Rewrote the Rules of the Super Bowl Halftime Show” written by Andrew R. Chow of Time [Review Link] is in the hot seat this week!
Song: Kendrick Lamar - “Super Bowl Halftime Show Intro”
We discussed, sometime last year, that the Black Keys had cancelled their North American tour because ticket sales were less than expected for the arena that had been booked. This past week the band, Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney, gave an interview with Rolling Stone recounted the circumstance. Jay brings us the details.
Song: Sharon Van Eton - “Idiotbox”
We wrap things up with a News with Nick. Sheeren busted for busking in India, Chappell Roan puts her money where her mouth is, Jack White likes short sets, and….Kanye returns with some more thoughts.
Song: Freckle - “Paranoid”
Nick kicks things off with a recap of the 2025 Grammys. Dawes & friends celebrate L.A, Kendrick Lamar wins big, Beyonce finally wins album of the year, and Chappell Roan tells it like it is.
Song: Dawes - “I Love L.A.”
Greg is back with Round 10 of “Bangers & Mashups.” This round features mashups from Instagram creators and we listen to the latest from the master DJ Cummerbund.
Songs:
Harleysantana239 - Take the Power Back + James Brown
Jimlapbap - Last Resort + Here Comes the Sun
Jimlapbap - I Wanna Dance With Somebody + In The End
DJ Cummerbund - Everybody & The Sunshine Band
Jay wraps up the episode with an album he fell in love with in the early 2000’s. Steve Earle first made it big in the Alt Country scene of the 1980s. Earle lived the rock and roll lifestyle a little too hard and wound up in prison for drug possession charges in the early 90s. Upon his release, he started his own label, embraced the clean life and released the album “I Feel Alright.” Jay shares some of his favorite songs from the album.
Songs:
Steve Earle - “Hardcore Troubadoor”
Steve Earle - “Valentines Day”
Steve Earle - “I Feel Alright (Live at Cold Creek Correctional Facility)”
Jay has a game for us this week. While the rules and play follow strict Jeopardy rules, he’s calling this one Danger! Will Greg regain the quiz crown or will Nick defend his one game winning streak, find out on this week’s Danger!
Song: Calvin Keys - “Aunt Lovey”
Nick has a handful of music stories to share this week in another News with Nick.
Song: GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith - “Ill Times”
Greg shares a compilation called “Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbia’s from Peru” that he came across many years ago. It’s stuck with him and we listen to some tracks and learn why.
Songs:
Los Destellos - “Para Elisa”
Los Mirlos - “Sonida Amazónico”
Los Destellos - “A Patricia”
Greg kicks things off with a remembrance to beloved director, David Lynch. He was a visionary filmmaker, who incorporated music in his films in unique and surreal ways. He died this week at the age of 78.
Songs:
“In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)”
Twin Peaks Intro Theme
Nine Inch Nails - “The Perfect Drug
Jay brings a special Three For Thursday. He remembers Garth Hudson, of the Band, celebrates the return of a favorite artist, and debuts a track by his son, Ben Rossman.
Songs:
The Band (Garth Hudson) - “The Genetic Method (Live)”
Jason Isbell - “Bury Me”
Ben Rossman - “Our Detective Agency”
Get Ready For It. It’s News with Nick. Despite no reunion, Rush still jams on a weekly basis. Drake files a new lawsuit against UMG for defamation. 2024 streaming stats are released, and the alarm is raised on the state of screen music in L.A..
Song: White Denim - “Bounce Back”
Greg updates us on his situation in Los Angeles following the devastating fires that swept across LA County. Much of the music news this week concerned the fires, the artists affected directly, and the industry’s response. News with Nick catches us up on the latest.
Songs:
Sam & Dave - “Hold On, I’m Coming”
Freckle - “Taraval”
Jay is about two weeks into a trial of Apple Music to determine whether it can replace Spotify as his primary music streaming subscription. He updates us on the good, the bad, and the meh.
Song: Ringo Starr - “Time On My Hands”
We’re kicking things off with a special guest. For the past six months, Jay has been playing guitar in a group called Ken Demith Collection, and today, we meet the man himself, Mr. Ken Demith. The band is performing this Friday, January 10th at Earp’s Ordinary in Fairfax, VA with Chèvre. If you’re in the area, please go check them out. Chèvre hits the stage around 7 and Ken Demith Collection plays on around 8pm. You can catch Jay over on Ken’s YouTube Channel Songwriter SESH here - https://youtu.be/QhkxBLWvS0o
Songs:
Fontaines D.C. - “Starburster”
Ken Demith Collection ‘There You Were”
Greg shares his top 5 albums of 2024. We’ve heard from most of them in the past year. In no particular order, Bad Plus - Complex Emotions, Kendrick Lamar - GNX, Squarepusher - Dostrotime, Opeth - The Last Will & Testament, and finally, his favorite, Louis Cole - Nothing.
Song: Bad Plus - “Casa Ben”
Nick went on a journey during the snow storm this week and listened to a track from as many albums scheduled to be released in 2025 that he could find. The result? It’s a Three for Thursday - 2025 edition.
Songs:
Mogwai- “God Gets You Back”
Bartees Strange - “Sober”
Eddie Chacon - “Empire (featuring John Carroll Kirby)”
Greg kicks things off this week with a recap of the The Loman Brothers show at Bossa Bistro this past weekend in a ’Tales from the Concert.’ Jay and Nick were in attendance and share their thoughts. If you missed it, it was an incredible show, but you can watch a solid recap of the performance over on Sandi Redman’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knKHDXUYzvE
Song: The Loman Brothers - “Actual Proof” (Herbie Hancock)
Jay watched the Yacht Rock Doc that Greg covered last week and he loved it. YouTube perrsonality, multi-instrumentalist and music educator Rick Beato watch it too, and he hated it. Jay takes us down to Hot Topical to discuss.
Song: Sam Fender - “People Watching”
The Drummers of Frank Zappa was a special released on Drum Channel over 16 years ago, but it’s new to Nick! He recaps the conversations had by Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, Chester Thompson, Ralph Humphrey and Ruth Underwood about their time playing with the legendary composer. You can watch it too on Drum Channel’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruB1JplOmTw
Song: Frank Zappa - “RDNZL” (from You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol 2)
Happy New Year! Nick kicks things off with Three For Thursday: 2024 Albums of the Year Edition. We’ve heard songs from these albums over the past year, but Nick believes they’re the cream of the crop in 2024.
Songs:
Ghost Note - “Where’s Danny?”
Vampire Weekend - “Mary Boone”
Plantoid - “Insomniac (Don’t Worry)”
Greg brings us up to speed on a documentary he’s recommending we all watch over the holiday break. Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary can be found on Max and recounts the rise in popularity of the, later dubbed, yacht rock genre that emerged from the west coast in the late 70s.
Song: Doobie Brothers - “What a Fool Believes”
Jay wraps the week (and the year) with a fantastic article in the Jan 2025 Harpers Magazine titled “The Ghosts in the Machine” [Harpers Magazine]. The article reports Spotify’s internal program aimed at filling ‘background music’ playlists with licensed sound-alike content that costs much less that the royalties paid to streaming artists. It re-raises a familiar question on the show, can the economics of the music industry ever result in a system that benefits and is fair to its artists.
Song: Frank Zappa - “Andy” (checkout Tyler Bartrem’s video about this song if you’re interested -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Jq0DX0bfc )
Jay is out this week rehearsing with the Ken Demith Collection so friend of the show Keith Grasso is sitting in, and he’s bringing a substantial amount of, much needed, holiday cheer. Last year Keith decided to record his own rendition of “Blue Christmas” and he enjoyed the process so much that he’s done it again this year.
Songs:
Keith Grasso - “Christmastime is Here”
Keith Grasso & John Rossman - “Hard Candy Christmas”
In lieu of actual presents, Nick found some feel good news story to share via “News with Nick.” Notre Dame’s organist returns for the grand opening, Pearl Jam announces a tour, as does the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band.
Song: Barenaked Ladies - “Deck the Stills”
Greg wraps up our show this week with a Three for Thursday. New music from Opeth & Kelsey Shell, and a classic Christmas Carol by Bill Evans.
Songs:
Opeth - “§3”
Kelsey Shell (album - sleepwalker) - “When You’re Lying There”
Bill Evans - “Santa Clause is Coming to Town”
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays everyone, thanks so much for listening!
Greg brings some news & a guest this week. Friend of the show and Greg’s little brother, Austin Loman is back on the show this week! Greg & Austin usually jam over the holidays and decided to book a show this year. If you’re in or around DC on Saturday, December 28, you can catch The Loman Brothers at Bossa Bistro + Lounge from 7:30pm-9:30pm (all ages welcome).
Songs:
Austin Loman Band - “After Image”
Jeff Beck (Live at Ronnie Scotts) - “Angel (Footsteps)”
Alan Holdsworth - “Looking Glass”
Taylor Swift has just concluded her twenty-one month, 149 show, worldwide Eras Tour, which is on record as the highest grossing tour of all time. Jay brings us all the stats on Tay Tay Today.
Song: Bill Evans Trio - “Nardis (Live, 1970, Norway)”
Finally, Nick came across a Top 50 Albums of the 21st Century post on a spammy looking website. The post relied entirely on Metacritic to determine the albums and rankings. Metacritic is an aggregator of music reviews, weighted based on the critic and/or publication’s reputation. The resulting list is quite interesting. (https://stacker.com/music/50-best-albums-21st-century-according-critics).
Song: Wadada Lee Smith - “Dred Scott, 1857”
We kick things off this week with “News with Nick.” Joey Kramer closes his coffee line right as Push T launches his own. Meanwhile, Drake’s 2nd petition against UMG claims defamation while Kendrick’s GNX lands No. 1 album.
Song - Avishai Cohen - “Beyond”
Next up, Greg digs into Lamar’s new album GNX by way of “Review the Review.” The NY Times review by Jon Caramica portrays a provoked Lamar settling back into his comfort zone. The guys debate it out and ultimately, review the review. If you care to read the review, you can find it here.
Songs:
Kendrick Lamar - “Reincarnated”
Kendrick Lamar - “TV off”
Kendrick Lamar - “Peekaboo”
Jay shares some music discussions he had with his family at Thanksgiving and introduces us to his nephew’s current favorite band, The Rare Occasions (thanks Will). The topic at hand, however, is the 2024 Consequence Artist of the Year, Jack White. While Greg loved him from the start, it’s taken years of persistent awesomeness for Nick & Jay to fully embrace his. Nevertheless, the guys are all on board.
Songs:
The Rare Occasions - “Backwards”
Jack White - “Bless Yourself”
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for listening.
Jay brings us a Thanksgiving-themed Three for Thursday. The holiday may not be known for its music, but there’s plenty of songs with titles that belong on a Thanksgiving table.
Songs:
Certainly So - “Turkey Leg”
Ray Charles - “Sweet Potato Pie”
Dogs on Fleas - “Cranberry Sauce Flotilla”
Nick wants to provide some music related news for discussion at the family gathering, it’s “News with Nick.” Tame Imapala’s Kevin Parker invented a new instrument, and Apple is making an authorized Fleetwood Mac documentary. Shaboozy’s “A Bar Song” is ties a No. 1 Billboard record, and Drake sues UMG because he lost to Kendrick.
Song: Roy Haynes Quartet - “Long Wharf”
Finally, we end with a game. The full lineup for Coachelle 2025 has been released and Greg quizzes Nick & Jay in another episode of “Marquee or Snarky.”
Song: Kendrick Lamar - “Squabble Up”
Bandmates get to know each other really well on the road. Last week Greg spent some time listening to jam bands, a favorite genre of Red Not’s drummer Pete. This week we’re gonna listen to some jam bands (and a song by Chick Corea featuring Roy Haynes). It’s Three For Thursday!
Songs:
Phish - “Down With Disease (from ‘Bittersweet Motel’)”
Grateful Dead - “China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider (5-3-72)”
Chick Corea - “Steps/What Was”
Nick found his way back to Pitchfork and discovered a throwback Sunday review of Pink Floyd’s 1975 Wish You Were Here. The album was the band’s follow up to Dark Side of the Moon and when Nick was a kid, he listened to it the way a kid listens to his favorite anything. Anyway, this is “Review the Review.”
Songs:
Pink Floyd - “Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5”
Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here”
Jay found a recent published list, titled “50 Global Guitar Greats” and shares some newly discovered gems from the list. We have a rare “Three More For Thursday” for you this week.
Songs:
Robbie Basho - “A North American Raga (The Plumstar)”
Derek Gripper - “Jarabi (Passion)”
Franco & le T.P OK Jazz - “Massu”
With Halloween behind us, Jay decided that it was time again for his nearly-annual Audio Advisor HiFi Gift Giving Guide Gameshow! Hear the description of the product and guess the price. The nearest price without going over is the winner. It’s yet another totally original YSCIO gameshow!
Song: You Can Dance - “Addis Abèba bété”
Nick brings us the 2025 Grammy nominees and a deep dive into how this list is made every year.
Song: Tyler the Creator - “Judge Judy”
Greg catches us up on some news and throws in a new episode of “Tourrror Stories.” We find ourselves with The Resilient at a fly-in country club in Florida…
Song: Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Sikamikanico”
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick. King Gizzard announces a 2025 orchestral world tour, Thom Yorke does not appreciate being heckled, MadLib sues former manager, and Young Thug is released from jail after pleading guilty and getting time served.
Song: King Gizzard - “Phantom Island”
Greg joins us from vacation in Hawaii this week and he wants to take us on a little journey. We’ll be accompanied by the music of Squarepusher on our travels. Welcome back to “Three for Thursday.”
Songs:
Squarepusher - “Tensor in Green”
Squarepusher - “My Red Hot Car”
Squarepusher - “lambic 9 poetry”
Squarepusher - “Unreal Square”
Jay leads us into a celebration of Quincy Jones, who died last week at the age of 91. An accomplished musician, bandleader, record producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer, Jones won 28 Grammy Awards and many other accolades in his 70 year career. We could do entire shows about this guy and still miss important contributions that he made to music. He lived a long and productive life and we’re grateful for it.
Songs:
Quincy Jones - “Ai No Corrida”
Quincy Jones - “Soul Bossa Nova”
Frank Sinatra - “You Make Me Feel So Young”
Happy Halloween! We pretty much have a regular show for you this week, but Jay managed to bust out some spooky sound bites to celebrate the holiday. Enjoy!
Jay leads off with a tip of the hat to Phil Lesh, the amazing bassist for the Grateful Dead who passed last week at the age of 84. We also discuss the article “When Do We Stop Finding New Music? A Statistical Analysis” from Stat Significant.
Song: The Black Keys & Alice Cooper - “Stay in Your Grave”
On “News with Nick” this week, the music industry hopes to capitalize on the increased popularity of Halloween, Oasis invalidates 50,000 tickets listed on the secondary market, and UMG forms a strategic partnership with the ‘ethical AI music company’ KLAY.
Song: Ashnikko - “Halloweenie VI: Possess Me”
Greg presents “Bangers & Mashups” Round VIII. We get a little bit of DJCummerbund, a dash of ThereIRuinedIt, and some TeleBiggie.
Clips:
Uptown Frank
Stevie Wonderwall
TeleBiggie
Greg joins us from the road for another Three for Thursday. He kicks off with The Cure, moves on to Mastadon, and ends with some classic Alan Holdsworth.
Songs:
The Cure - “A Fragile Thing”
Mastadon - “Show Yourself”
Allan Holdworth - “Atavachron”
Jay’s back with another “Rock Review” courtesy of our Loudersound. We listen & react to a few tracks from the website’s "Classic Rock Tracks of the Week." Plus, Jay shares his latest song from his 4-Track recording project.
Song:
Jay - “Oh, Bismarck”
Devon Townsend - “Gratitude”
The Struts - “Can’t Stop Talking”
Fantastic Negrito - “I Hope Someone’s Loving You”
Lead Feather - “Roll the Dice”
Nick is excited to talk about the new co-op organization, Subvert.fm, which aims to become “a collectively owned Bandcamp.” They’ve released a manifesto on their website detailing the downfall of Bandcamp and why their model will be different. It’s an exciting and ambitious project that harkens back to the ethos of the early internet and it’s a great way to end the show this week.
Song: Font - “Hey Kekulé”
Get ready for it… “Mmm...food” turns 20, Dookie demastered, Guitar Player ends publication after 58 years, and Pink Floyd sells out. It’s another News with Nick.
Song: Big Thief - “Vampire Empire”
Greg brings us a Three for Thursday. This week it’s something old, something new, and something ambient?
Songs:
Frank Zappa - “Eat That Question”
Dawes - “Front Row Seat”
Aphex Twin - #3
Finally, Jay closes out the week with a special Au Revoir edition of BienVenue. Rams Head Live in Baltimore has announced that it is leaving the Power Plant venue that it’s occupied since 2004. While the venue will continue to host live music, Rams Head has had some pretty amazing shows over the past 20 years in Baltimore.
Song: Sturgill Simpson - “Sam”
Jay has a random assortment of news and music to share on the show today and he’s introducing a new segment. “Jay’s Jambalaya” is somewhere between “Three for Thursday: Deluxe” and Jay’s version of “News with Nick” or “Heard It Through the GREGvine.” This week it’s new music from The Smile, George Soros gets into radio, and the Grateful Dead are back on the Billboard Top 200.
Songs:
The Smile - “Zero Sum”
Grateful Dead - “Estimated Prophet, (Live at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, 4/12/78)”
August of 2023 was a bad month for the Internet Archive. The nonprofit digital library website, most famous for its Wayback Machine, lost a case against book publishers regarding their “Emergency Library Project” launched during the pandemic. The same day the case was decided in District Court, UMG & Sony Music filed a copyright infringement lawsuit over the Archive’s “Great 78 Project.” The project is an unprecedented effort to digitize obsolete 78 rpm records. Maximum damages, if the Archive were to lose, would top $621 million. Let the “Battle for the Soul of the Internet” commence.
Song: Thee Sacred Souls - “Love For You”
Greg has a song pick and then a very interesting Three For Thursday for us this week. Three songs, where each song takes an original Michael Jackson track and applies a rule to it. For example, “Human Nature but every time he says nature an animal joins the song.” We recommend playing along, but that requires you don’t read the following track names.
Song: Dhafer Youssef - “Odd Elegy”
**Spoiler Alert**
Songs:
"Beat It but every note is С”
"Smooth Criminal but every other beat is missing”
"Billie Jean but every time he makes a weird noise it gets 5% faster”
Greg is excited to announce that The Resilient, in order to further their mission helping veterans navigate adversity, launched The Reborn Project (rebornproject.org). The initiative aims to identify individuals and groups that exemplify hope, raise awareness, and empower veterans to rise from adversity. The project kicks off with the Leave No Man Behind Tour, an eight show tour in 2025.
Song: The Resilient - “Sleepwalk/Hallelujah”
Jay remembers the late great Kris Kristofferson, who died this past week at the age of 88. The American country singer, songwriter, and actor was a pioneer of the 1970s outlaw country movement and Jay shares some songs and stories from his life.
Songs:
Lonnie Mack - “Wham!” (1963)
Kris Kristofferson - “Sunday Morning Coming Down”
Kris Kristofferson - “The Silver Tongue Devil & I”
This week on News with Nick, Radiohead meets Shakespeare, YouTube’s copyright dispute with SESAC, Oasis returns to America, and Macklemore attracts more bad press.
Song: Geordie Greep - “Blues”
Nick has a new game for us this week. Jay & Greg have to choose which of two artists had “Record Sales” in the past 30 days. The tricky part is that the list is based on sales from a used vinyl store in the UK (https://eil.com/features/topartistspage.asp).
Song: Vulfmon & Evangeline - “Got To Be Mine”
Next up, Greg recaps the his experience performing at The Congressional Record with elected members of the house and senate last week.
Songs:
The Congressional Record - “Let It Be”
Astromax - “Treasure Island”
Jay is still playing around LastFM and just discovered Scottish rock singer, Frankie Miller. We believe the algorithm has learned that Jay is a sucker for the ‘artist that suffered a major health event requiring more famous artists to contribute to their benefit album’ genre.
Songs:
Frankie Miller - “Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)”
Frankie Miller - “Shoo-rah”
Frankie Miller & Elton John- “Where Did the Guilty Go”
We play “Guess the Guest” with Jay as host. This week the theme is “songs we already know” and the game is to guess the guest on the song played. Greg is calling in from DC on a special project with the US legislature, and Nick spent the previous 2 nights camping without much sleep. Who will prevail, tune in to find out!
Song: Cordovas - “Love Is All It Takes”
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick. North Carolina musician Michael Smith has been accused by the FBI of creating hundreds of thousands of fake, ai-generated songs, then putting them on streaming platforms, and streaming the songs using upwards of 10,000 fake streaming accounts. He’s being charged with stealing royalty payments from digital platforms, which is illegal, right? TayTay endorses Harris, Kendrick is headlining the Super Bowl, and Tito Jackson passed at the age of 70.
Song: METZ - “No Reservation / Love Comes”
Greg’s taking us back to Hot Topical. He decides the Dave Grohl situation is a little too fresh, so we shift over to the news that Jane’s Addiction’s singer Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro on stage at a concert in Boston the week. They have since cancelled the rest of their tour and this whole thing sucks. They still rock.
Song: Jane’s Addiction - “Ocean Size”
We have a very special episode for you this week! The Resilient returns to the show to discuss their new album, “One More.” Nathan Kalwicki (guitar), Erik Kalwicki (bass), Juan "Dom" Dominguez (drums), Evan Kornblum (engineer, mixing), and Greg (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals mandolin, percussion) take us song by song and discuss how the album came exist. Evan, who has mixed or engineered all of the band’s releases, joins us for the first time and shares his philosophy on working effectively with and for bands. While singer (and harmonicist) Tim Donley wasn’t able to join us for the show, we were grateful to have Evan & the rest of band on to discuss the album. You should check out “One More” by The Resilient on your preferred streaming platform, or over at their BandCamp page.
Songs:
The Resilient - “One More”
The Resilient - “Lost and Just Fine”
The Resilient - “Driftwood”
The Resilient - “Threads of Color”
The Resilient - “Whispers”
The Resilient - “Classified”
The Resilient - “Fall in Line”
Round 10 of “Viral or Eyeroll” finds Nick as host, with Jay & Greg sitting the contestant chairs. It’s an Oasis heavy edition, and we have a clear winner when the dust settles.
Song: Tigran Hamasyan - “The Curse (Blood of an Innocent is Spilled)”
Greg introduces his latest project, Beck’s Bolero, a tribute to the solo work of Jeff Beck. The project came together thanks, in large part, to Greg’s new practice space. He’s assembled a talented group together and we listen in on a few practices to hear what they’re up to. The lineup features Greg Loman on guitar, Cain Daniel on drums, Taylor Shell on bass, Doug Organ on, obviously, the keys, and a whole list of backup musicians ready to jump in, if needed, whenever they start booking shows. No idea when that’ll be, but it’s already sounding awesome.
Songs:
Beck’s Bolero - “Scatterbrain”
Beck’s Bolero - “You Know What I Mean”
Beck’s Bolero - “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”
Jay finishes this week up with an introduction to musician, Jesse Malin. “Silver Patron Saints.The Songs of Jesse Malin” is a triple-vinyl benefit album coming out on Sept 20 and featuring some impressive musicians and bands, including Bruce Springsteen, Billie Joe Armstrong, Dinosaur Jr., Counting Crows, and more. Who is this guy? We learn about this musician’s musician and frequent collaborator with all the artists featured on this benefit album. The album is raising money to cover the costs of Jesse’s medical bills, following the rare spinal stroke that he suffered last year.
Songs:
Bruce Springsteen - “She Don’t Love Me Now”
D Generation - “No Way Out”
Jay shares the fascinating history of the traditional American country folk song, “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” Sparked by the recent meme “Gegagedigedagedago (Cotton Eye Joe)” and a video by Polyphonic, Jay traces the song back to its 19th century roots and works his way to today. We listen to versions by the Rednex, Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, Bob Wills, Burl Ives, Karen Dalton, Nina Simone (and a few others).
Song: John Zorn Resource - “With Blinding Sight”
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick! Finale’s rough finale, Martin Shkreli loses his Wu Tang Clan album, and the Boss is here to stay.
Song: Tune-yards - “Water Fountain”
“Heard It Through the GREGvine” that Oasis is reuniting for a U.K. tour! Plus, what should we make of Linkin Park’s countdown timer? Finally, the plot thickens in the Foo Fighters “My Hero” licensing disputes with Trump.
Song: Nirvana - “Smells Like Teen Spirit (first live performance, from Hype!)”
We’re excited to have Jackson back on the show this week, and he’s pumped to be here! He’s got some songs to share that he’s discovered on his new Spotify account before he heads up the road to Mammoth Lake to see Dad perform at a Red Not Chili Peppers show.
Songs:
Friday Night Funkin’ Vs Cartoon Cat - “Trapped Mouse”
Friday Night Funkin’ Vs Cartoon Cat - “RERUNS”
Nick & Jay tag team the latest episode of “Tales From the Concert.” They, along with Nick’s gang in tow, saw King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard perform their first U.S. Concert at the Anthem in Washington, DC. It was, by all accounts, an epic show.
Songs:
Geese - “2122 Live”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “The Dripping Tap”
Jay followed up that show with a wild weekend in Richmond. He’s been playing with a group called The Ken Demith Collection, and they recently performed a show at The Lilly Pad Restaurant in Richmond, VA. The outdoor restaurant is located in a marina on the James River and the band had an amazing night.
Song: Dick Curless - “End of the Road”
Greg kicks us off this week with a deep dive into the new album by Louis Cole. nothing is a suite of new Louis Cole songs recorded (mostly) live in collaboration with Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley. It's a really interesting listen and the guys dig in and discuss it.
Songs:
Louis Cole - Things Will Fall Apart
Louis Cole - A Pill in the Sea
Louis Cole - These Dreams Are Killing Me
Jay discovered a Reddit thread this past week that called out a handful of 'artists' performing AI generated covers on Spotify and reaping in royalties. While it appears that Spotify has removed the artists listed in the post, the circumstance is bound to occur again and poses a serious concern for artists.
Song: Frank Sinatra & Count Basie - My Kind of Girl
Nick is back and has some catching up to do. We close out the week with another "News with Nick"
Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - "Raw Feel"
Nick calls in an update from his adventures in Croatia and plays some traditional Dalmatia & Croatian music he uncovered on his travels through Split & Komiza.
Meanwhile, Jay & Greg carry on and are joined this week by Keith Grasso. In light of the recent cancellation of their farewell tour, Keith thought a thorough conversation of Aerosmith was in order. The guys discuss the group’s impact on music and we listen to some favorite songs from their massive library of hits. This week, we celebrate Aerosmith.
Songs:
Aerosmith - “F.I.N.E.”
Aerosmith - “Mama Kin”
SNL - Wayne’s World Theme, feat. Aerosmith
Steven Tyler/Train/Slash - “Dream On”
Aerosmith - “Cryin’”
Nick leads us off this week with two articles meant to start a conversation about our emotional relationship with music. A recent study shows that age has no affect on our ability to remember melodic themes. Another article summarizes an interview that Forbes did with Kesha about her need to create music to process her emotions. It’s an interesting chat.
Songs:
Dawn of Midi - “Io”
Clothing - “Kingdom”
Greg is up next with a recap of the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremonies, particularly the performance of the heavy metal band Gojira. Also, Greg digs into a new album by Kurt Rosenwinkel and The Next Step Band. The group had an eight-year residency at Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village back in the 1990s, resulting in the album The Next Step. The new album, just released, is a live recording from Smalls and is absolutely incredible.
Songs:
Gojira - “Ah! Ça Ira (Live at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics)”
Kurt Rosenwinkel with The Next Step Band and Brad Mehldau - “Zhivago” Live at Smalls 1996
Kurt Rosenwinkel with The Next Step Band - “The Next Step” Live at Smalls 1996
Jay wraps things up this week with a “Three for Thursday.” We have new music from Charley Crockett, and Sturgill Simpson performing as Johnny Blue Skies. He also celebrates the life and contributions of John Mayall.
Charley Crockett - “Visions of Dallas”
Johnny Blue Skies, Sturgill Simpson - “Scooter Blues”
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers -“Little Girl (Mono)”
It’s been some time since we broke down a disparaging music album review, but Eminem’s latest album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) has been mostly panned by mainstream music critics. Jay rather enjoyed the album and thought a dissection of Dash Lewis’s 4.9/10 review in Pitchfork was in order.
Song: Bernie Worrell, Sean Ono Lennon - “Re-Enter Black Light (Phase II)”
A Substack post entitled “A Few Indisputable Points About Poptimism and Then I Give Up” caught Nick’s eye this week. The post presents a detailed criticism of the current state of music criticism, particularly focusing on poptimism, which argues that pop music is authentic and deserving of professional interest and critique. The author, Freddie Deboer, argues that Gen Z music fans too closely associate their musical tastes with their identity, and are incapable of handling people that don’t share their tastes. This may be the first instance of a Millennial rant that deserves an “Okay, Boomer” type response, but it brings up some interesting points that touch on the state of music criticism.
Song: Phish - “Evolve”
Finally, Greg is continuing a conversation started at the end of episode #258 about ways to organize your vinyl collection. As our Chief Theme Developer, we’re calling this another Vinyl Fantasy. Jay has his own thoughts on the subject, and Nick takes copious notes.
Song: Frank Zappa - “The Gumbo Variations”
Greg celebrates the life of 60’s French star Françoise Hardy, who died in June at the age of 80. The French singer-songwriter and actress was a leading figure in the 1960s yéyé movement and went on to become a cultural icon in France and worldwide.
Songs:
Françoise Hardy - “Tous les Garcons et les Filles”
Françoise Hardy - “Comment Te Dire Adieu”
Françoise Hardy - “Le Temps De L’amour”
Jay brings us the breakup story of the Everly Brothers and everything that led up to it. The infamous 1973 concert, where they publicly broke up the group on stage, was the culmination of a decade of decline by the duo. They still rock though.
Songs:
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Le Risque”
Everly Brothers - “All I Have To Do Is Dream”
Finally, it’s another News with Nick. American Filmmaker Gary Hustwit’s has created 52 quintillion documentaries about musician and composer Brian Eno. We celebrate the life and incredible career of the Grammy-winning talent scout Mary Martin, who passed at 85. Finally, the Zappa Family Trust is set to release an Apostrophe box set this September.
Song: Cornelius - “Mind Train”
It’s that time of the year, Jay’s back at the beach with the family and brings on Michael Weddington and brother, Daniel Pflager, to join the conversation. Michael poses the following question, when you first hear a song, what makes a song when you first listen to it? Is it the music, the vocals, or the lyrics? What catches your ear first? We discuss and then listen to some picks from Michael & Daniel.
Songs:
Grainne Duffy - “Blue Skies”
Christina Vane - “Long Way Home (Live)”
Miley Cyrus feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith – “Nothing Else Matters”
Nick is up next with something old, something new, and something blue(sy)…it’s Three for Thursday!
Songs:
Frank Zappa & the Mothers - “The Duke - Take 2 (live at the Whiskey a Go Go, 1968)”
Mabe Fratti - “Kravitz”
Wilco - Hot Sun
Finally, Greg is pumped about a French music website that he’s just discovered. Radiooooo.com calls itself the Musical Time Machine. Visitors can select from nearly any country in the world, and a decade and listen to a curated radio station full of the music that would have played at that place and time. It’s really cool to play with, you should check it out.
Greg’s clips all came from Radiooooo.com this week.
Don Henley is back in court. With the criminal case to get back the original Hotel California lyrics thrown out, he’s turned to a civil lawsuit. Jay brings us the story.
Song: Mdou Moctar - “Funeral For Justice”
News with Nick this week includes a governor cutting a state’s arts budget, an update to the Young Thug trial, and a remembrance of producer Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi), who died last week at the age of 73.
Song: Church Chords - “Apophatic Melismatic”
Finally, Greg catches us up on this year’s Glastonbury Festival on a Heard it Through the GREGvine.
Songs:
Black Pumas - “More Than a Love Song”
Idles - “I’m Scum”
Coldplay - “Fix You (featuring Michael J Fox)”
Greg catches us up on his week and then fills us in on Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth Concert. Officially called ‘The Pop Out - Ken & Friends,’ the show has been described as a victory lap that united Los Angeles. Lamar’s friends ended up being Dr. Dre, YG, Tyler, the Creator, Roddy Rich, Schoolboy Q, Steve Lacy, and others. Reports also referenced a large attendance by celebrities, athletes, and both members of the Bloods and the Crips. Aside from joining with the crowd to celebrate his victory in his Drake beef, Lamar focused his message on unity and it seems to have resonated. It is already being called one of the biggest moments in hip hop history and Snoop has declared Kendrick Lamar the West Coast King.
Song: Kendrick Lamar - “Not Like Us (Juneteenth Live)”
Jay brings us some new rock songs this week, curated in the Classic Rock section of Loudersound.com. The guys give their opinions on ‘the best new rock songs you need to hear right now.’
Songs:
iNi Kamoze, Salaam Remi - “Here Comes The Hotstepper”
Massive Wagons - “Missing On TV”
Bones UK - “Bikinis”
Orange Goblin - “The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine”
Mr Big - “Up On You“
Finally, Nick breaks the news that our end credit music generation provider, Suno.ai, is being sued alongside Udio by the RIAA & all four major record labels for copyright infringement. The AI music generation services are being accused of plagiarizing unlicensed music digested and fed into the AI models. Suno CEO claims they refused discussing the matter and Udio has a nice song in response to the accusations. It’s all new ground for the courts and sure to be interesting to follow as both services claim the index of songs digested to be proprietary information.
Song: Sam Evian - “Wild Days”
Get ready for it! This week on "News with Nick" we have a special report from returning guest, Ciri Kline, on the music game app Soundmap. He joins us on his 14th birthday and reveals his picks from the local vinyl store. In other news, Scooter Braun quits music management and George Strait breaks the concert attendance world record.
Song: MF Doom - “Doomsday”
Greg is up next with a Three for Thursday. We start with a clip from MF Doom’s 2005 “Live at Planet X,” continue on to “Inner Glimpse” by Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner, and finish up with the latest single, “Flea” by St. Vincent.
Songs:
MF Doom - “Live from Planet X”
Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner - “Inner Glimpse”
St Vincent - “Flea”
Jay closes us out with an update to the story, first discussed a few years back, about the unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Purchased for $2 million in 2015 by Pharma-Bro Martin Shkreli, the album was seized by the government in 2018 when Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud. The album was auctioned yet again in 2021 by the U.S. Justice Department to the NFT collectors PleasrDAO (Crypto-Bros). The binding original purchasing agreement stipulated that the album could not be commercially exploited until 2103. PleasrDAO, whose stated purpose is to honor "anti-establishment rebels" and wishing to return the music to the people, has been selling shares of the album as NFTs. PleasrDAO has stated that each share of the album sold would reduce the album’s release by 88 seconds. Jay had to get in on this…and he brings us a clip of the album to play.
Songs:
Hermanos Gutiérrez - “Barrio Hustle”
Wu-Tang Clan - clip from Once Upon a Time in Shaolin
On a recent episode of the new show Reflector, the breakdown of the Young Thug trial has captivated Jay. At question is the admissibility of lyrics as evidence in a trial. We dig in further than our original conversation about the subject back in an earlier episode. The podcast kicks off with the PMRC Senate hearings and Frank Zappa’s involvement, which a time-tested way to hook Jay into any topic.
Song: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder - “Pig in a Pen“
Nick celebrates his grandfather, Alfred E. Gill, who passed last week at home at the age of 95, with a “Three for Thursday: Granddad Edition.”
Songs:
Peter, Paul and Mary - “The Lemon Tree”
The Rooftop Singers - “Walk Right In”
Joni Mitchell - “Both Sides Now”
Finally, Greg recaps the incredible work of producer and engineer, Brendan O’Brien. O’Brien was featured on a recent Rick Beato episode and Greg highly recommends you check it out.
Songs:
Black Crowes - “Hard to Handle”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Give it Away”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Under the Bridge”
Stone Temple Pilots - Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart”
Pearl Jam - “Better Man”
Rage Against the Machine - “Bulls on Parade”
Greg dissects “The Lick,” the musical phrase found in countless jazz and pop songs over the past century. It’s been used by Stravinksy & Coltrane, Santana & Herbie Hancock, Pink Floyd & Prince. What is it and why has it been described as the Wilhelm Scream of jazz?
Song: Alex Heitlinger - “The Lick” (YouTube compilation of past performances of “The Lick”)
Jay brings us another birthday celebration, as June 4 marked the 40th anniversary of Bruce Springteen’s iconic album “Born in the U.S.A.” The album was recorded over a two year period between 1982 and 1984, with songs originating from the same demos that became the album “Nebraska,” Jay’s favorite Springsteen album. “Born in the U.S.A.” is an album that Jay came to appreciate later in life, but one that he’s come to love as much as millions of other fans around the world.
Songs:
Bruce Springsteen - “Downbound Train”
Bruce Springsteen - “Born in the U.S.A. (1982 demo)”
Before jumping into our final topic, the guys discuss last week’s homework, Billie Eilish’s new album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” The reviews are mixed. Then Nick presents the details of the Justice Department’s case against Live Nation/Ticketmaster, which appears to aim to re-breakup the merged organization. The implications of the lawsuit can’t be underestimated and could reshape the future of live music.
Song: Billie Eilish - “Lunch”
We kick things off with a special guest this week. Nick’s youngest son, Charlie Kline, joins us to recount seeing his favorite artist, NF, in concert last week at CFG Arena. Charlie particularly likes his positive lyrics and was excited to share his favorite moments from the show.
Songs:
NF - “Time”
NF - “When I Grow Up”
Next up, it’s Heard It Through the GREGvine. The hardcore band, Knocked Loose, dethroned Taylor Swift for a moment on streaming services with their single “Suffocate,” Billie Eilish & Taylor Swift have beef, and Greg has some thoughts about a slew of recent tour cancellations.
Song: Knocked Loose - “Suffocate”
Jay wraps up the episode with Round 3 of “Top of the Charts.” Nick and Greg face off in the 90’s pop music trivia game that Jay received from Aunt Patti about 25 years ago. Can Nick pull off a upset or will Greg defend his title? You’ll soon find out on “Top of the Charts!”
Song: Billy Strings - “Little White Church”
After evaluating all possible options for the 250th episode of You Should Check It Out, Greg, Jay, and Nick landed on a good old fashioned hang out (plus Greg has a new “Tales From the Concert”). Thanks for listening!
Songs:
NF - “Hope”
Frank Zappa - “Punky’s Whips (Baby Snakes)”
Idols - “Mother”
This week, Greg and Jay dive into the legacy of Steve Albini, the legendary recording engineer (which he preferred over the title “producer”) and musician who unexpectedly left us at 61. He was the audio engineer for Pixies 1988 Surfer Rosa, which was incredibly influential on alternative rock and grunge. His refusal of the title “producer” included refusal to accept royalties on the hundreds of artists he went on to record in his lifetime. He just wanted to be hired to record the best version of a band’s sound as was possible. We discuss his body of work and legacy and say goodbye, too soon.
Plus, what is a song? Nick tries to lighten the mood with a recap of a legal analysis that asks that very question. The article, written by Ben Sisario at the NY Times, walks back through some more famous copyright cases from years past. How could that not lighten the mood?
Songs:
Song: Pixies - “Where Is My Mind”
The Jesus Lizard - “Mouth Breather”
Black Midi “953 (Live at Electrical Audio)”
We start with another News with Nick. UMG returns to TikTok, FKA Twig eloquently requests exclusive control of her own AI deepfake in Congressional testimony, and the New York Times explains the current legal definition of a song.
Song: Vampire Weekend - “Classical”
Greg digs deep into the current beef with Kendrick Lamar & Drake, which escalated considerably in the last week and a half. How did we get here? That’s what we dig into this week on another Hot Topical.
Songs:
Kendrick Lamar - “King Kunta”
Big Sean - “Control”
Finally, Jay remembers the career and influence of Duane Eddy, who passed last week at the age of 86. Voted most influential music personality in the world in 1960 by NME, Eddy was a major influence on the artists that comprised the British Invasion. His signature twangy sound can be heard in films by David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, and Robert Zemeckis. He inspired and influenced generations of artists and he will be missed.
Songs
Duane Eddy - “Rebel Rouser”
Duane Eddy - “Stalkin”
Back during the pandemic, our friends and fellow podcast Rockin’ the Suburbs hosted a weekly Zoom jam session for its listeners called the “Friday Night Hootenanny.” It was at those jams that Jay met our guest this week, Mike Wagner. Mike’s just released an album, as Total Strangers, featuring many of the musicians that joined those Friday jams.
Songs:
Total Strangers - “All Falling Down”
Total Strangers - “Card Trick”
Nick joins the show minutes after moving into his new place and brings us a Three for Thursday this week.
Songs:
Quade - “The Balance”
Lusine - “Come and Go”
Scary Goldings - “Professor Vicarious”
Via Music Radar, Greg discovered an interview from late March on the The Colin & Samir Show with Jacob Collier. In it, Collier takes issue with Rick Rubin’s “Creativity Manifesto” and the guys discuss his points. It’s a conversation worth sticking around for…
Song:
Bach - “Prelude No. 2 in C Minor”
This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are in and we see how we did with our picks from Episode #236.
Jay regales us in a recap of the Martin Guitar factory tour he experienced last week in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. The custom order tour, made possible friend of the show, Keith Grasso, and two Island Music customers, includes the standard tour plus a look in Martin’s selections of rare woods that it keeps under lock and key. Long story short, Jay was sold on the quality and is currently working out the budget for a D-28.
Song: Richard Thompson - “Freeze”
Next up it’s a special TayTay edition of “News with Nick.” Following the spectacular failure of TayTay’s Eras Tour ticket sale, Ticketmaster parent company Live Nation is about to be sued by the justice department for antitrust concerns. Then it’s on to the New York Times, in an article titled “Taylor Swift Has Given Fans a Lot. Is It Finally Too Much?” Jay actually gave the album a listen and has some thoughts, Nick tried but bailed for the new Ghost Note album. Greg doesn’t want anything to do with it.
Song: Ghost Note - “JB’s Out! (Do it Babay)”
Greg brings us a remembrance of Allman Brothers co-founder, Dickey Betts, who died last week at the age of 80. Along with writing some of the bands larger hits, Betts forever changed how we think two rock guitars should sound together. He was a massively influential guitarist and his legacy lives on in the generations of music that his playing inspired.
Songs:
The Allman Brothers - "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"
The Allman Brothers - “Ramblin’ Man”
Greg catches us up on Coachella 2024, including Grimes’ unfortunate mishap on stage. Then, thanks to a an email from anonymous listener, Kresimir Tokic, we’re honored to welcome Victor Mitrani back to the show. Victor, recording as Little Oil, released his 2nd album, Twelve Songs, last month, He shares stories behind some songs and explains why he indulges humor when writing lyrics to to his songs.
Songs:
Little Oil - “Hey Judas”
Little Oil - “Love Scenes”
Little Oil - “Empty, Vacant, Pure, Divine”
Little Oil - “Peace in the Wasteland”
It was great having Victor back and you should check out Twelve Songs. Thanks for listening!
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick. This week, Lizzo didn’t quit, Spotify raises prices again, and artists, on break from arranging the chairs on the Titanic, unite in opposition to AI.
Song: Hiatus Kaiyote - “Everything’s Beautiful”
Greg revisits Manor/Mijor, exploring popular songs altered from major keys to minor (or vice versa). This week features Smash Mouth, the theme to the X-Files, and Californication.
Songs:
The Budos Band - “My Girl”
Smash Mouth - “All Star (minor)”
Theme Song to X Files (major) Muted Vocal
RHCP - Californication in major key - Oleg Berg
After a quick Don Henley update, Jay dives deep into the 1990 album Toy Matinee by Toy Matinee. The project, created by Patrick Leonard, brought top session artists from early Madonna albums together for one glorious end-of-the-80s pop album. Jay has the story…
Songs:
Toy Matinee - “Last Plane Out”
Toy Matinee - “Queen of Misery”
Before we begin, we follow up on last week’s Ai, Ai, Ai with a special track from Suno.ai [YSCIO End Credits - https://app.suno.ai/song/14adf014-7265-4ab1-a9c4-c696e648dddc/]
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Jay brings us a review and discussion about Beyonce's new album Cowboy Carter.
Songs:
Mark Knopfler & Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes - “Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)”
Beyoncé - “Sixteen Carriages”
Beyoncé - “Daughter”
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Nick has a lot of new music to share so he’s bringing us a Three for Thursday.
Songs:
mega cat - “Rat Fight”
Little Oil - “We’re Lost”
Adrianne Lenker - “Fool”
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Greg has the news this week with a brand new Heard It Through the Gregvine. Saxophonist and sonic explorer, Casey Benjamin passed away last week unexpectedly at the age of 45 while in recovery from surgery. Lizzo calls it quits, and Billie Eilish doesn’t like vinyl variants.
Songs:
Mdou Moctar “Imouhar”
Robert Glasper Experiment - “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Greg talks about the Germantown, MD band Clutch, whose album Blast Tyrant was released 20 years ago last week. Comprised of its original lineup since 1991, the hard rock band has developed a loyal fanbase nationwide.
Songs:
Clutch - “Worm Drink”
Clutch - “Earth Rocker (Live)”
Jay notes another milestone as the PBS program Austin City Limits is about to begin its 50th season. The live music experience has produced some famous performances and is a beloved destination for many artists mid-tour. Each season features the top 13 meticulously documented performances from a season of 24-30 concerts. Artists are allowed to play whatever song they want and are given permission to participate in the mix and edit of the production. The past fifty years have brought a who’s who to the stage and we listen to a handful of past performances.
Songs:
Kendrick Lamar - “For Free, Live from Austin City Limits”
Flaco Jimenez - “Ranchero, Live from Austin City Limits”
Eric Johnson - “Cliffs of Dover, Live from Austin City Limits”
Nick is curious about the state of AI generated songs and decided the best way is to dive right in. Ai, Ai, Ai challenges an AI Song generating service to impress our hosts. This week we’re diving into Suno.ai. You’ll have to listen to hear how it goes…
Song: Deerhoof - “The Perfect Me”
Leading off, Nick updates the gang on Neil Young’s reluctant return to Spotify and then discusses YouTuber George Collier. A college sophomore, George posts his favorite music or musician’s videos from YouTube with the staff notated score as the video’s caption. He then offers the sheet music for free in the description. You can find his channel at @GeorgeCollier.
Song: Deerhoof - “Scarcity is Manufactured”
Greg brings us a brand new Three For Thursday -Trumpet Edition. Celebrating some of the great jazz trumpeters, we begin with Miles Davis, move onto Freddie Hubbard, and end with Clifford Brown.
Songs:
Miles Davis - “Paraphernalia”
Freddie Hubbard - “You’re My Everything (from HubTones)”
Clifford Brown and Max Roach - “Daahoud”
Jay discusses one his favorite 90’s band, the Gin Blossoms. New Miserable Experience was one of the first music books he obtained in middle school and the band holds a special place in his heart. Formed in 1987 in Tempe, AZ, the band didn’t achieve major success until it shed its founding member and songwriter, Doug Hopkins, in 1992. The band’s success grew as Hopkins’ mental health and alcoholism declined, ending tragically in his suicide in December 1993.
Songs:
Gin Blossoms - “Hold Me Down”
Gin Blossoms - “Hey Jealousy (Live in Tempe AZ Sept 1989)”
Jay has a special public service announcement for anyone over the age of 35 about music the kids are listening to these days. Inspired by a Pitchfork article, titled “The Musical Age of Shitpost Modernism,” details ‘a new frontier of profane genius that walks the tightrope between cringe and cool.' Chock full of pop-culture references and inside jokes, this is absurdist music made by and for Gen Alpha.
Songs:
AgusFortnite2008 - “Dos Jeans”
real wayne - ‘Sticking Out Your Gyat For the Rizzler’
Oddwyn - “KRUSTY KREW ANTHEM”
St Mercator - “Da Biggest Bird”
Jay Foster - “Weird Liars”
Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick! We begin with a fun story from friend-of-the-show (and “News with Nick” theme creator) Erik Lenhart, and then move onto news that the Black Crowes have reunited! Nick closes out with an impressive piece of legislation proposed by Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman that proposes adding a $4 to $10 tax to streaming services. The Artist Compensation Royalty Fund would guarantee all artists 1cent per stream for the first million streams a month and then equally distribute the proceeds to all artists after the first million streams.
Song: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “The Wheel”
Finally, Greg concludes the episode with Vol. 8 of “Bangers & Mashups.” It’s all DJ Cummerbund, baby!
Songs:
DJ Cummerbund - “Dolphin’s May”
DJ Cummerbund - “Wake Me Up Before You Go to Rehab”
DJ Cummerbund - “Can’t Stop the Distance”
Greg found himself home in L.A. most of last week and decided to catch Extreme at The Bellwether. Living Colour opened the show. Tom Morello was in the crowd watching his childhood hero, Nuno Bettencourt. Mr. Bettencourt’s remains unaffected by time. It’s Tales From The Concert!
Song: Extreme - “Get the Funk Out”
Jay brings us two important remembrances. American sound and radio engineer Bill Heil, founder of Heil Sound, passed last week at the age of 83. Known for creating/inventing the modern rock sound system, Heil worked with legendary acts like The Grateful Dead & The Who, and invented the "Talk Box.” We also lost Brit Turner, drummer for Blackberry Smoke, last week at the age of 57. The Southern Country Rock band, founded in 2000, successfully combines blues, rock, and country with a jam-band worth ethic, amassing many loyal fans, including Jay.
Songs:
Zack Oakley - “Hypnagogic Shift“
Blackberry Smoke - “Waiting for Thunder“
Last week, Nick mentioned the success of Ye’s latest collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign and then read a NY Times piece this week about the success of disgraced artists. The piece thoughtfully discussed the pushback on pop-culture’s cancellations and, to a lesser but present extent, the reality that it’s always been this way. It’s a rare dip into Sociology, but that’s where we’re end things this week!
Song: Plantoid - “Wander/Wonder“
Get ready for it, we kick things off this week with “News with Nick.” Brian Wilson’s conservatorship, Vultures 1 tops the charts, and four Beatles biopics are up for discussion.
Song: Tapir! - “Unknown”
Next up, Greg brings us “Three For Thursday.” Idles latest album Tangk is their first work with producer Nigel Godrich and the band, while staying true to form, delves appropriately deeper with the new producer than on past albums. The influential Squarepusher is out with a new album, as is Australian progressive metal band Caligula.
Songs:
Idles - “Gratitude”
Squarepusher - “Wendorlan”
Caligula’s Horse - “The Stormchaser”
Jay has prepared charts and diagrams to breakdown the drama over the Eagle’s long lost, or apparently stolen, handwritten lyrics to Hotel California. First lent, in the late 1970s, to writer Ed Sanders for an unpublished book about the Eagles, the handwritten drafts were sold to a rare manuscript dealer. The dealer, Glenn Horowitz, is now being charged, along with two other individuals, with “possession of stolen property.” We attempt to unravel the story, with moderate success.
Song: Brigitte Calls Me Baby - “Eddie My Love”
Keith Grasso joins Nick & Jay to co-host a special episode remembering Bill Higgins, the founder and owner of Bill’s Music in Catonsville, Maryland, who passed last week at the age of 81. First opened in 1965, the store has been a staple store for Maryland musicians for the last 58 years. Jay & Keith both landed a job at Bill’s around 2002 and left in 2007. Jay went into the audio/visual industry, while Keith went on to open his own music store.
This week we reminisce about the life and legacy of Bill Higgins.
Songs:
Beatles - “In My Life”
Keith Grasso/Jay Rossman/Nick Kline - “Atlantic City“ (Bruce Springsteen cover)
If you take the extracted drums out of popular songs, can you still recognize the song? That’s the question Jay aims to answer with his latest game “Drums, No Chaser.”
Song: John Hartford - “Joseph’s Dream”
Nick presents the latest batch of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees. This year, fifteen different artists are in contention for induction, with the ceremony coming later this fall. The guys are in consensus about inducting A Tribe Called Quest, Jane’s Addiction, and Ozzy Osbourne, but split over Oasis and Dave Matthews Band.
Song: Margaret Glaspy - “Get Back”
Finally, Greg rounds out the show with a Three For Thursday (Greg’s Version). We catch up on the latest shows from the Red Not Chili Peppers, learn about the re-release of the 2004 documentary DIG! about the Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre, and hear some new tunes (including one from Greg’s new Jeff Beck project).
Songs:
Brian Jonestown Massacre - “Servo”
Beck’s Bolero - “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”
Due to the torrential L.A. rains and a total lack of interest, Greg neither attended nor watched the Grammy Awards this year. He was, however, kind enough to cover the show for us this year. (Thanks Greg!)
Songs:
Jeff Beck - “Stratus (Live at Ronnie Scott's)”
Jay brings a rare, feel good, bipartisan news story this week as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle lock arms to keep AM radio alive. With major auto manufacturers ditching the old technology, the right claims censorship of conservative talk radio’s favorite little spectrum, while the left wants to put “Unsafe in Emergency” warning labels on the new vehicles. While shared frustration over amplitude modulation has gripped the nation, all is not lost. Turns out, according to Jay, internet radio is actually pretty awesome and we should all be listening to that now instead!
Song: The Smile - “Read The Room”
Internet Radio Stations:
https://www.shadypinesradio.com/
https://www.wtmd.org/radio/
https://www.wwoz.org/
https://walmradio.com/jazz/
https://www.laurelcanyonradio.com/
https://motherearthradio.de/
Finally, Nick reports that UMG has called a time-out on TikTok as millions of videos went silent over the weekend. While the failed license negotiations are meant to generate better pay for the artists, UMG somehow completely botched it on the PR front as stories, such as the viral TikTok from @codyfrymusic, of artists losing revenues dominates the news. Aren’t they supposed to be good at PR?
Song: Plantoid -“G.Y. Drift”
Love them or hate them, Pitchfork’s influence over the music industry for the last two decades is undeniable. When news leaked in mid-January that half the staff was let go and that the music review site was to be rolled into GQ Magazine, the internet lost it’s mind. But, does it matter?
That’s what we’re talking about this week!
Songs:
Jet - “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is”
Coachella released the full lineup for its 2024 festival and, as the typeface grew smaller, so did Greg’s familiarity with the bands listed. He started wondering if the bands listed were even real. Then he realized this was all a great premise for a new game! “Marquee or Snarky” asks contestants to decide whether a given band can be found on the marquee, or whether Greg’s just being snarky.
Song: Captain Beefheart - “Party of Special Things to Do”
Next up, Jay shares a cautionary tale of an audiophile obsessed with building the perfect home stereo. Ken Fritz spent nearly forty years and one million dollars building a custom stereo, but the true costs were the relationships he lost along the way. It’s not an uplifting tale, but one that Jay has paid heed. Watch “One Man’s Dream” on YouTube, or read it about it in the Washington Post.
Song: Kassi Valazza - “Johnny Dear”
Nick will kick things off next week with a long discussion of the recent Pitchfork news. Plus, we celebrate friend of the show Ciri Kline’s success on his YouTube channel (@ciriacoke).
Song: Egyptian Blue - “Skin”
Nick was invited by his brother, Alex, to see Tool CFG Arena in Baltimore. Unaware of this, Jay self-gifted himself a great floor seat to the same show. Today, they join forces for another round of Tales from the Concert.
Nick’s Songs:
Umphrey’s McGee featuring Huey Lewis & Jeff Coffin - “Let’s Dance”
Tool - “Jambi”
Jay’s Songs:
Tool - “Rosetta Stoned”
The Black Crowes - “Wanting & Waiting”
Greg came across this post containing the advice that Thelonius Monk wrote down for Steve Lacy in 1960. These are words of wisdom that any musician should consider and reflect upon. Confident there are more out there, Greg went ahead and made this a bit. Get ready to receive some “Sage Advice.”
Song: John Coltrane & Thelonius Monk - “Epistrophy”
Jay leads off with a true “Three for Thursday,” which includes something old, something new, and something blue. After hearing Bela Fleck’s Drive recommended on another podcast, Jay’s been experiencing a bit of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon all week regarding Mr. Fleck. Also, Ryan Adams has released five full length albums so far this year.
Songs:
Bela Fleck - “Whitewater”
Ryan Adams - “Shinin’ through the Dark”
Bela Fleck - “Rhapsody in Blue(grass)”
Nick came across a recent NY Times piece on American guitarist, Cordell Jackson. Born in Mississippi in 1923, she is believed to be the first woman to produce, engineer, arrange and promote music on her own rock label. An eccentric creative with a thrash playing technique that she developed as a teenager, she first starting getting acknowledgement in the mid-80s, culminating in an appearance alongside Brian Setzer in a 1996 Super Bowl commercial.
Songs:
Cordell Jackson - “Rockin'Rollin'Eyes”
Brian Setzer with Rock-A-Billy Icon - Budweiser Commercial
While he’s homebound this week for jury duty, Greg was on the road with the Red Not Chili Peppers last week and shares his experience. Landing a gig at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA has taken years for the band, as the venue is owned, operated and booked exclusively through Live Nation. We hear what it’s like working with the industry behemoth and celebrate the band’s successful dalliance with the devil company…will there be more in the future? We’ll keep you posted.
Song: Mitski - “A Pearl”
Greg spent last week at home for the holidays and had the opportunity to hang out, catch up and jam with his brother. Austin. Having recently moved to Brooklyn to pursue his jazz guitar career, we listen to The Loman Brothers jam and some new material from Austin Loman Group. Next up, Greg found a story about Michiru Aoyama, a Kyoto based musician that has recorded and released an album a day for over two years.
Songs:
The Loman Brothers - “Cherokee”
Austin Loman Group - “After Image”
Michiru Aoyama - “Topic”
Next up, Jay ran across an interesting article in AP News about "Indie" artists “takin' a shine’ to country music and thought we could in and discuss a few examples. Jay presents a few “Indie Twang” tracks to determine how much country can be heard in this latest subgenre.
Songs:
Mitski - “My Love Mine All Mine”
Big Thief - “Simulation Swarm”
Wednesday - “Chosen to Deserve”
Get ready for it, it’s “News with Nick” to close the show this week! Nirvana is dragged back to court over Nevermind's cover, Wilco’s 2024 Solid Sound Festival will feature features Wednesday, Jason Isbell and a handful of podcasters. Finally, we review some of the new albums we’re excited to hear this year.
Song: Kaiju Demolition Squad - “Godzilla's Revenge”
PS - By way of Mitski, Greg talks about the “Creep” chord progression, in theory.
Happy New Year! Thank you so much for listening. We’re about to conclude another year of great music and conversations and we have some of our favorites to share. This year we’ve decided to each bring our favorite artist, album and show of the past year. We’d love to hear yours, please reach out on Facebook or Instagram if you care to.
Album of the Year:
Intercepted Message by Thee Oh Sees (Nick)
Raven by Kelela (Greg)
Chronicles of a Diamond by Black Pumas (Jay)
Show of the Year:
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Hollywood Bowl on June 20, 2023(Greg)
Queens of the Stone Age at The Anthem on August 14, 2023 (Nick)
Nod to Nanook by The Experience & Delightfully Deranged at 8x10, Baltimore on 12/20/23 (Jay)
Artist of the Year:
Black Pumas (Nick)
Sleep Token (Greg)
Charley Crockett (Jay)
Songs:
Thee Oh Sees - “Blank Chems”
Kelela - “Washed Away”
Black Pumas - “More Than a Love Song”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Magenta Mountain (Live at Hollywood Bowl 6/20/23)”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “The River”
The Experience & Delightfully Deranged - “The Black Napkins”
Black Pumas - “Sauvignon”
Sleep Token - “The Summoning (Live from Wembley Arena 12/16/23)”
Charley Crockett - “Welcome to Hard Times (Live from the Ryman Auditorium)”
While it may not be the extravaganza of years past, we are back again with our 4th Annual Holiday Show! This year we’re listening to some lesser known holiday songs and Greg takes on a classic Vince Guaraldi song, in theory.
Thank you all for listening! We wish you a safe and happy holiday season!
The Holiday Songs:
Keith Richards - “Run Run Rudolph”
Paul Simon - “Getting Ready for Christmas Day”
The Resilient - “Hallelujah/Sleepwalk”
Keith Grasso - “Blue Christmas”
Doug Munro & La Pompe Attack - "Sliegh Ride"
Lucius - "Christmas Time Is Here" Plus Christmas Time is Here, In Theory
Loretta Lynn - “To Heck With Old Santa Claus”
Bill Evans - “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
Nick joins us in a fever state with a News with Nick. Twice the fun, half the accuracy! We learn about the sequel to Spinal Tap, celebrate TayTay as Time’s Person of the Year, and dig into a Senate Bill that may fix the concert ticketing problem (fever dreaming!).
Song: The Dears - “Never Destroy Us”
Greg’s version of “Three for Thursday” involves two songs, two other things and some follow up! Greg sings us the theme, catches us up with the Red Not Chili Peppers latest tour schedule, updates us on Sleep Token’s continued success, and has some follow up thoughts on past topics.
Song:
Sleep Token - “Take Me Back to Eden”
Wayne Krantz - “Whippersnapper”
Jay debuts a new bit called "If I Could Turn Back Time." In it, he alters a moment in history and presents a hypothetical scenario for discussion. For our first run we discuss what might have happened to Nirvana if Kurt Cobain lived.
Song: Norma Tanega - “Treat Me Right”
Jay kicks us off this week with a remembrance and celebration of the late Shane MacGowan, who died last week at the age of 65. Known best as the frontman for the Celtic punk band the Pogues, MacGowan brought traditional Irish music to the UK punk scene of the 1970s & 80s. His lyrics were both crass and profound, his voice fit his hard-lived appearance perfectly, and he will be missed.
Songs:
The Pogues - “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”
The Pogues - “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”
The Pogues (feat. Kristy MacColl) - “Fairytale of New York”
Elaborating on a story from last week’s News with Nick, we learn more about the lead up to New Mountain Capital’s acquisition BMI. Alongside ASCAP, BMI appealed to the Justice Department in 2014 for an update to the 1941 consent decrees that control major aspects of their organizations. In response, the Justice Department refused to modify any of the restrictions and added new requirements that seem to force the organization to find a better way to do its business. Read more from the NYTimes here and here.
Song: White Denim - “Matter of Matter”
Finally, Kaz’s brother Mike thinks Taylor Swift’s song “Don’t Blame Me” sounds curiously close to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” and wants Greg to look into it. In Theory is a bit that does just that. Greg busts out the keyboard and breaks the songs down to determine whether there’s something to the claim.
Songs:
Hozier - “Take Me to Church”
Taylor Swift - “Don’t Blame Me”
Greg catches us up on the past two weeks been subbing as lead guitarist for “Victory Kid.”
Song: Jawbreaker - “Fireman”
Out last week, André 3000’s New Blue Sun comes 17 years after the release of Outkast’s final album Idlewild. The new album is a complete divergence from André’s rap roots as it features 87 minutes of exploratory ambient instrumental music, with André in the role of flautist. This led Jay on a search for other artists that have released similarly unexpected albums, and he landed on a new segment he’s calling “Curveballs.”
Songs:
André 3000 - “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”
Willie Nelson - “Do You Mind Too Much If I Don’t Understand” (Country Man)
Paul McCartney - “Transpirtual Stomp” (The Fireman)
Stevie Wonder - “Earth’s Creation” (The Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants)
Pat Metheny - “Part 1” (Zero Tolerance for Silence)
Nick brings us news from the music industry over the past two weeks with another News With Nick. Hall sues Oates; BMI is acquired by a private equity firm; The Hives have a new franchise opportunity; and more.
Song: Raze Regal & White Denim - “Complaining In Heaven”
Happy Thanksgiving! We’ve reassembled to celebrate the holiday together and enjoy a sponsor paid feast of, mostly potatoes. We’re recounting the concerts that we’re most thankful for, and we’d love to hear about yours (Comment on our episode page):
Nick decided to spin this topic and broke his three into categories. First are the concerts with friends, like the King Gizzard & Black Midi shows he saw with Jay last year. Next we have concerts with family, like Queens of the Stone Age with his brother Alex, Local Natives with his sister Jillian, and the Brian Regan show earlier in the year with Mom, siblings & their spouses. Finally, it’s concerts performed by friends and attended with friends and family…which was just a way to bring up the Red Not Chili Peppers.
Songs:
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Presumptuous”
Queens of the Stone Age - “My God is the Sun (Live at The Anthem)”
Local Natives - “Wide Eyes (Live at 9:30 Club)”
Red Not Chili Peppers - “Can’t Stop”
Greg runs through the shows that he’s most thankful for seeing, particularly because the artists he saw have since passed. In 2001, Greg and a college buddy had the chance to catch Pantera at Towson Center Arena. That same year, Greg’s interest in jazz is piqued when he attends a Michael Brecker Masterclass at the University of Maryland. Finally, his freshman year of high school, he stood front and center for the Stone Temple Pilots show at the Patriot Center. Songs:
Pantera - “Walk’
Michael Brecker (w/ Herbie Hancock and Roy Hargrove) - “The Sorcerer (Live at Massey Hall)”
Stone Temple Pilots - “Crackerman”
Jay received the best kind of Christman present from his Aunt Patti, concert tickets! In 1997 he saw American Bluegrass musician Russ Barenberg at a small venue in Tennessee. Next up, it’s springtime, junior year in high school, and a weekend away with his girlfriend in Philadelphia to see the Dave Matthews Band. Finally, if you know Jay, you’ve likely heard this one. Bruce Springsteen at M&T Stadium, Jay is in the front row because of the Boss’ general admission lottery system. (Check out the photo over on Instagram)
Songs:
Russ Barenberg - “Flabston and Chubby Go South”
Dave Matthews Band - “Lie in Our Graves”
Bruce Springsteen - “The Promised Land”
Jay finally finds an appreciation for Todd Rundgren’s 1973 experimental album, A Wizard, A True Star.
Songs:
Todd Rundgren - “Hello It’s Me”
Todd Rundgren - “International Feel”
Todd Rundgren - “You Need Your Head”
Todd Rundgren - “When the Shit Hits the Fan / Sunset Blvd.”
Nick is traveling for work and joins us alongside Greg this week. Spending his evenings strolling the span of Long Beach, he brings us a travelogue Three for Thursday.
Songs:
Midlife - “Citations”
Ásgeir - “Borderland”Arbor Labor Union - “Hovering Stone”
Greg pulled the short straw & brings us this years Grammy nominees!
Song: Black Pumas - “Rock & Roll”
Aloha! Greg reaches us from Hawaii with another blast from the past, reminiscing about the 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s In Utero. The band’s return to a pre-Nevermind grunge, under the direction of Steve Albini, marked the band’s last release before singer Kurt Cobain death. We listen to a newly released live clip, as well as some remastered demos/b-sides from the session.
Songs:
Nirvana - “Sappy (2023 Remaster)”
Nirvana - “I Hate Myself And Want To Die (2023 Remaster)”
Nirvana - “School (Live In Los Angeles, Great Western Forum - December 30, 1993)”
With the re-release of their 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, Jay has been thinking a lot about Talking Heads. Formed in New York City in 1975, the band helped pioneer New Wave music. Jay has especially come to love their 1980 album Remain In Light, the last produced by Brian Eno.
Songs:
Talking Heads - “Crosseyed and Painless - 2005 Remaster”
Talking Heads - “Girlfriend is Better (Live) - 2023 Remaster”
Talking Heads - “(Nothing But) Flowers - 2005 Remaster”
Friend of the show Erik Lenhart suggested our final segment this week, in an SMS to Nick over the weekend. “I’ll be curious if you guys mention the new Beatles song in the podcast?” Erik sent with Siri. “New Beatles song, you say?” Nick replied. “Oh, AI assisted to boot! Thank you sir, I’ll be sure to talk about this.”
Song: Beatles - “Now and Then”
Nick leads off this week with an NY Times deep dive into the field of Music Therapy. Considered effective at helping patients deal with chronic pain, anxiety, limited mobility and hypertension, its popularity, along with the number of practicing music therapists, has grown considerably in the past decade. [NY Times]
Song: GUM - “Argentina”
Inspired by a video post from friend-of-the-show, Travis Orbin, covering “Ars Morendi”, Greg decided this week to discuss Mr. Bungle’s 1999 album California. The album was due to come out the same day as Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Californication, but RHCP singer Anthony Kiedis had Bungle’s release date changed, sparking a feud between the groups. Greg believe Mr. Bungle’s California was their last great album and the pinnacle of the groups magic.
Songs:
Travis Orbin - “Ars Morendi (Mr. Bungle Cover/Interpretation)” [YouTube]
Mr. Bungle - “None of Them Knew They Were Robots”
Mr. Bungle - “Goodbye Sober Day”
Finally, Jay brings us an update on Spotify’s latest attempt to fix the inequities of streaming royalties for artists…which is to say, they’re cutting out the little guys entirely, cracking down on long play noise tracks, and refusing to confirm any of it after the story ran on both Billboard & Music Business Worldwide (MBW). While the challenge of paying artists fairly for streaming royalties is bigger than Spotify, the company sure does make it harder on themselves.
Song: Robert Finley - “Waste of Time”
The new Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds has finally arrived! As Jay was listening and celebrating it sounding exactly how he hoped and expected, he “stumbled” upon a review from his favorite website, Pitchfork. Thus begins the latest edition of YSCIO’s oldest bit, “Review the Review.” The guys discuss Mr. Haver Currin’s blistering take down of the celebrated band’s 2nd album in 20 years, and share their thoughts about the album as well.
Song: Molly Tuttle - “Take the Journey”
Compliments to friend of the show Kresimir for pointing Nick to a story about the developers behind the iOS app Tape It new app Denoiser. The freeware AI-powered noise reduction tool boasts studio quality noise reduction. After reading up on the features and giving them a try, Nick definitely recommends checking them out.
Song: Thee Oh Sees - “Stunner”
Greg is up last this week, and brings with him a brand new bit. Inspired by a comment from a recording engineer in a recent session, “Demo-itis” is a segment where we listen to the earliest demo of popular songs. Anticipating this will be a recurring segment, we’re going to just call this Round 1. It’s a strong one, evenly spanning four decades and yet somehow mostly sounding reggae…
Here are your demos:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Californication”
Pink Floyd - “Money”
Men at Work - “Down Under”
Green Day - “Basket Case”
Greg saw two shows, so we’re in for a double dose of “Tales from the Concerts” this week! Greg finally gets to hear how Sleep Token sounds live, plus another fantastic Les Claypool & The Flying Frog Brigade.
Song: Lee Moses - “California Dreaming”
Jay reveals some new gems from the latest iteration of Rolling Stone’s “250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” Taylor Swift has released a movie of her latest concert, and it’s breaking some serious records. The film earned $96 million in the US in its first week.
Song: Joseph Spence - “Brownskin Girl”
Nick wants to discuss Rudolph “Rudy” Isley, who passed away last week at his home in Illinois. He was a founding member of the Isley Brothers, which formed in the 50s with brothers Kelly & Ronald. They wrote and recorded some milestone songs, across multiple genres, throughout their 6 decades making music. Though he left the group in 1989 to become a minister, his contributions helped create and establish their reputation.
Songs:
The Isley Brothers - “Testify Pts 1 & 2”
The Isley Brothers - “It’s Your Thing”
The Isley Brothers - “What It Comes Down To”
Get ready for it, it’s “News with Nick.” Bandcamp’s employee union wants recognition from Songtradr, the acquiring company was unavailable for comment. We briefly discuss the horror at the Supernova festival in Israel, targeted by Hamas militants as part of a much larger surprise attack. At the time of this writing, at least 260 people were confirmed dead. Some good news as the BBS announced that Oasis tops the chart for most streamed albums of the nineties. Finally, the best news of week comes out of Canada as Drake has announced that he will take a break from music to focus on his health. Here’s to a slow recovery!
Song: Wilco - “Cousin”
Greg is back and excited to share some new music he’s been listening to with a “Three For Thursday.” Soft Play, the band formerly known as Slaves, turned their fan hate into the lyrics of the newest track “Punk’s Dead,” Roger Waters has released “Dark Side of the Moon (Redux),” and Tool opens for Metallica at Powertrip.
Songs:
Soft Play - “Punk’s Dead”
Roger Waters - “Eclipse” (from Dark Side of the Moon Redux)
Tool - “Pneuma”
Jay brings us the first full-on segment of the week after reading a story from The Verge about the growing dysfunction between the Discogs community and it’s owner. Recent updates to its pricing structure for sellers, along with some speculative funny business regarding the algorithm, seems to be simmering up to a potential mass exodus. Time will tell, but Discogs was also not available for comment.
Song: Black Pumas - “Mrs. Postman”
Jay has something old, something new, and something blue-ish…it’s Three For Thursday. We hear a track from the 1969 album Ahead Rings Out by Bloodwyn Pig, a new song Tyler Childers, and another impressive new track from The Rolling Stones.
Songs:
Bloodwyn Pig - “The Modern Alchemist”
Tyler Childers - “Rustin’ in the Rain”
The Rolling Stones - ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven (feat. Lady Gaga & Stevie Wonder)”
Nick learned late last week about the decision by Epic Games to sell Bandcamp a mere 18 months after acquiring it. Purchased by the Australian based music distribution service Songtradr, the fate of the site remains unclear but Nick is optimistic that Bandcamp could be a great fit.
Song: Animal Collective - “Broke Zodiac”
Due to scheduling issues and some technical issues, Greg recorded his segment remotely this week. After performing with The Resilient at a wounded veteran 5K event in Pennsylvania, the band headed down to Maryland to record some tracks at Stages Music Arts. Greg will be back next week but we appreciated the update and can’t wait to hear the new music.
Greg loves bringing Nick & Jay music that push their comfort levels and that’s usually music of the heavy persuasion. That’s right, we’re doing another Heavy Rotation! This week he’s focusing on heavy music featuring female artists…
Songs:
Kylesa - “Tired Climb”
Code Orange - “Mirror”
Turnstile - “Mystery”
Jay found a brand new album out by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is not a band name but, in fact, the government agency charged with promoting the safety of consumer products. The album, called “We’re Safety Now Haven’t We” aims to make their message viral. Enjoy!
Songs:
CPSC - “Phone Away”
CPSC - “Se Pone Caliente”
Larry Townsend - “Welfare, Just a Temporary Way of Life”
Metro Trains in Melbourne - “Dumb Ways to Die”
CPSC - “Beats To Relax / Be Safe To”
Finally, Nick is coming to us this week from a conference in Augusta, GA and he has some music to share. We’re ending the episode with a brand new Three For Thursday! Side note, if you’re interested in monetizing King Gizzard’s prolific output for yourself, check out Bootlegger.
Songs:
Clem Snide - “Ballad of Eef Barzelay”
Petter Eldh - “Hawk Mountain (feat. Eric Harland)”
bootleg gizzard - “Music to Think Existentially To”
Nick shares a recent financial report from Variety summarizing the RIAA’s (Recording Industry Association of America) latest mid-year report. [Variety]
Song: Superviolet - “Big Songbirds Don’t Cry”
Greg takes us back to Hot Topical, this week to discuss the controversy surrounding recent comments that Rolling Stone founder, Jann Wenner, made in a NY Times interview. [NY Times]
Song: Baroness - “Last Word”
Finally, after seeing a story speculating that Paul McCartney’s broken guitar may sell for $5000, Jay decided that a game of “Over/Under” was in order. Nick & Greg are given the story behind a piece of music memorabilia & a fictitious auction price. They must decide whether the real item sold over or under that price.
Song: Norah Jones - “Why Am I Treated So Bad? (feat. Questlove & Christian McBride)”
What begins, for Jay, as a Tales From the Concert segment, ends as a Tourror Story.
Who: The Janine Wilson Band (with Jay)
Where: Clarksville Commons
How: Cats and Dogs (the raining type)
Song: The Rolling Stones - “Angry”
Next up, Nick gives us the latest on another News with Nick. Over 50% of musicians surveyed in the UK make less than £14000 a year (about $17500 at the time of recording) [The Guardian], French distributor Believe stands firmly against Deezer’s new streaming distribution plan [Digital Music News], and kids in Decatur, Indiana are trying out instruments with the local symphony [Greensburg Daily News].
Song: Captain Beyond - “Mesmerization Eclipse”
Finally, Greg has some stories from road to share this week as well. Friends of the show, The Resilient, played an amazing show this past week. Agreeing to a speaking and performance gig at the VA Hospital in Columbus, the band went into it the engagement hoping to give a solid show and a little unsure what to do with the speaking part. What followed was a truly touching experience for Greg and the band.
Song: Brad Mehldau - “Exit Music (For a Film)”
Greg leads off with a tasty clip from his Ye-ye gig last week and then leads us on our seventh “Bangers & Mashups” expedition. We explore the past (DJ Morgoth), present (DJ Cummerbund), and, potential future (DJ LoVi) of the genre, while continuing to refine our definition of what makes a good mashup.
Songs:
DJ Morgoth - “Never Gonna Give Up Your Teen Spirit”
DJ Cummerbund - “Sweet Lord House”
DJ LoVi - “Meshuggar Hill Gang”
Next, to celebrate Labor Day, Jay presents us with songs of the working man. Music has, throughout history, been a powerful vehicle for amplifying the voices of the downtrodden, sometimes doing it through storytelling, commiseration, or even humor. Jay gives us a taste of each…
Songs:
“Union Maid” featuring Billy Bragg, Mike & Ruthy Merenda, Dar Williams, and New York City Labor Chorus
John Lennon - “Working Class Hero”
Johnny Paycheck - “Take This Job and Shove It”
Last up, Nick submits the band Woods for contention in the next “Dad Rock” listicle and then brings us a new Pitchfork article. “Why Songwriters Can’t Have Their Own Strike—Yet” [Pitchfork] summarizes the decisions from the US legal system that have crippled musicians ability to organize for better compensation. The article points out, however, that the tides may shift if the House approved “Protect Working Musicians Act” is taken up by and passed by the Senate. While Greg remains dubious about the effectiveness of unions as a means of negotiation, he firmly supports having more money. Nick would like anyone who does agree that unions can be effective at negotiating better pay, to send their Senator a letter via this helpful website: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/support-the-protect-working-musicians-act
Songs:
Woods - “Strange to Explain”
Woods - “The Void”
We celebrate the first day of school, the intro that Greg made when the Red Nots play Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and Ciri’s fantastic Summer Recap 2023 video. Then its on to the show…
First up, Nick shares his profound love and appreciation for the music of Stars of the Lid and its co-founder Brian McBride, who passed this week at the age of 53. McBride met co-founder Adam Wiltzie in 1993 at a party in Austin and have performed as Stars of the Lid for the last 30 years. Composted and performed on two guitars, the duo drew out incredibly rich and emotional melodies over the course of minutes or entire albums. Their final albums The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid (2001) and And Their Refinement of the Decline (2007) are worthy of good workday listen. Thank you for sharing your art Mr. McBride, you will be missed.
Songs:
Stars of the Lid - “Music for Twin Peaks #30, Pt 1”
Stars of the Lid - “Even If You’re Never Awake”
Greg got a called from one of his earliest L.A. friends, Brittany, to play a house party this weekend in L.A. Having lived in Greg’s home country of France for a few years, Brittany became enamored with Yé-yé, a style of pop music that emerged in France in the early 1960’s. Greg is quite familiar with this genre, as it’s the music his mom listened to when he was growing up. We dive into the genre as Greg reckons and accepts the fact that his Mom’s music turns out to be after all.
Songs:
Jacqueline Taieb - “Le Cœur Au Bout Des Doigts”
Jacques Dutronc - “Les cactus”
Brigitte Bardot - “Contact”
Forty years ago this month, Tom Waits released Swordfishtrombones. Twenty years later in a Baltimore apartment, Jay was introduced and immediately fell in love. While he still bemoans the time lost before first hearing it, he’s made up for lost time and counts the reasons why Mr. Waits music remains so appealing to this day. The 1983 album has been remastered and we discuss a recent interview with some major artists that share Jay’s affection [The Guardian].
Songs:
Tom Waits - “Underground”
Tom Waits - “16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six”
Tom Waits - “Clap Hands”
Tom Waits - “Temptation”
Jay is taking us back to the mall, it’s time for another Hot Topical! This week we discuss “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony. Initially recorded on his phone at his home in Virginia, the YouTube video garnered more than 9 million views on YouTube in its first 5 days. Rooted in the deep frustrations of the working man that have been hurting the past few years, the song has immediately became an anthem for millions of Americans. The song addresses inflation, taxes, and welfare, which has resulted in a Right/Left that’s all too familiar. We dive in…
Songs:
Post Malone - “Enough is Enough”
Oliver Anthony - “Rich Men North of Richmond”
After issuing an apology to Ohio at the top, Nick is back and he’s bringing us Three For Thursday! This time we’re listening to an old song from The Who, a remix from BadBadNotGood & Turnstile, and a new track from Night Beats.
Songs:
The Who - “Getting in Tune”
Night Beats - “Hot Ghee”
Turnstile / BadBadNotGood / Blood Orange - “Alien Love Call”
Greg is back on tour with the Red Nots and joins us again from Philly this week. Throughout the year, Greg has entertained us with stories from the road, but life on the road isn’t always easy. A recent show in Asheville proved particularly challenging and that inspired Greg’s newest bit, Tourrer Stories. This week Greg takes us back to his days in Oddzar to a particular night in Witchita….
Songs:
Sequoia System - “Dancers to a Discordant System”
Meshugga - “Dancers to a Discordant System”
Oddzar - “El Cahon Pass”
Due to an unfortunate off-air rant, Nick is on Administrative Leave this week (details discussed briefly in the episode). He was, however, permitted the opportunity to send in a remote Tales From The Concert. He and his brother Alex were nearly front row at the Queens of the Stone Age concert at the The Anthem on August 14th. They report back on the experience & venue, including the opening acts The Armed & Phantogram. In addition to learning his lesson, Nick (and Alex) had an amazing time at the show and he’ll be back with us next week.
Songs:
Queens of the Stone Age - “My God Is the Sun“
Queens of the Stone Age - “Go With the Flow“
Greg catches us up on he and Jackson’s experience at the new Super Mario World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles (spoiler, it’s amazing!). He then brings us the first remembrance of the evening as Sixto Rodriguez (known as Rodriguez) passed earlier this month at the age of 81. Rodriguez released two albums in 1970 & 1971 that met with little fanfare in the U.S. In 1976 he quit music and lived for the next 40 years in a derelict house in Detroit. While he wasn’t a massive success in the US, his music was incredibly successful in South Africa and Australia. His story was told in the 2012 documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” and he had a resurgence in fame in later years. It’s an amazing story of an amazing musician, one that will be missed.
Songs:
Rodriguez - “Climb Up on My Music”
Rodriguez - Live in South Africa
Black Pumas - “Sugar Man”
Jay brings us the second remembrance of the show as we also lost the beloved Robbie Robertson this past week. He was the lead guitarist for The Band and co-wrote most of the songs with Bob Dylan & he collaborated with Martin Scorsese on many film scores. He’s often seen as a peripheral 70’s rock star, but Jay tells us why his contributions should be considered as important as many of the big name rockers that he came up alongside. His music helped define the Americana genre and his projects with musicians and film makers established him as a consummate collaborator. Rest in Power Robbie Robertson.
Songs:
The Band - “Chest Fever”
The Band - “Look Out Cleveland”
Robbie Robertson - “Fallen Angel”
Greg is kicking things off this week with a very special return guest. Jackson Loman is back and we’re talking video games, so we’re doing an 8Bit! This time around Jackson brings us music from Friday Night Funkin’, a challenging game, similar to Dance Dance Revolution, that Jackson has mastered! He tells us all about it and we listen to some select tracks from the game. It was a delightful visit and we can’t wait to have him back!
Songs:
Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross - “New Form of Life Itself (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Soundtrack)”
Friday Night Funkin’ - “Bobeepo”
Friday Night Funkin’ - “Gettin’ Freaky”
Friday Night Funkin’ - “Sussus Moogus”
Next up, Nick brings us a Pitchfork interview with Gary Adler, head of the National Association of Ticket Brokers, on the value of secondary ticket brokers to the concert going public. While it feels like a self-serving and dubious claim, Mr. Adler brings up several interesting points worth discussing. So we dig in and discuss it!
Song: Arthur Hnatek Trio - “Pulser”
Finally, Jay brings us a Three For Thursday, where we hear something old, something new and something else worth listening to. Inspired by the office playlist that a manager pulled together from Jay and his coworkers, here’s the list!
Songs:
G. Love & Special Sauce - “Cold Beverage”
Rhiannon Giddens - “Yet to Be (feat. Jason Isbell)”
Jordan Mackampa - “Over & Out”
Jay is choosing to celebrate the end of the hottest month on record with a brand new game! “?Que Es Muy Caliente?” presents a clue to a song and artist. The trick is, the song title will have “hot” or “heat” in the title. It’s harder than it sounds…
Song: Neal Francis - “Can’t Stop the Rain”
It’s another “News with Nick” & this time we’re talking about the writer’s strike, Harry Styles’ philanthropy, and remember Sinead O’Connor, who passed last week at the age of 56.
Songs:
Geese - “I See Myself”
Sinead O’Connor - “Nothing Compares 2 U”
Coming hot off the premiere of “Hot Topical,” Greg’s bringing it back for Round 2. This time we discuss the whole ‘chucking stuff at the performers during concerts” trend. It makes no sense but it’s happening a lot lately, so we get into it.
Song: The Budos Band - “Frontier’s Edge”
Greg has wild followup news about Alex G at the top, and then he takes Jay & Nick to the local mall for his latest segment, Hot Topical. In our premiere visit to Hot Topical, we discuss country singer Jason Aldean and the controversy surrounding his song “Try This In A Small Town.” We’re all in on affect this week ;-)
Song: Jason Aldean - “Try This In a Small Town”
Jay is back with another NerdAlert. This time we’re learning the story behind the acquisition and maintenance of the open source project museScore. We also get to hear a composition by a brand new composer, Mr. Ben Rossman!
Songs:
John Coltrane - “Impressions (feat. Eric Dolphy)”
Ben Rossman - “Poop Pee Poop”
Finally, Nick celebrates Tony Bennett. The painter, singer and songwriter died last week at the age of 96. Discovered in 1949 by Bob Hope following his return from fighting in WWII, Mr. Bennett never stopped performing and creating.
Songs:
Tony Bennett - "Because of You"
Amy Winehouse & Tony Bennett - “Body and Soul”
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - "I Get a Kick Out of You”
Operating on beach-time this week, Nick joins with a slight time delay to share a NY Times story about composer Harriet Goldberg. She started composing in her 40’s and, with the help of friend and saxophonist Billy Novick, managed to record and release her compositions. You’ve probably heard her stuff too, as her jazzy instrumental songs have made her the queen of hold music.
Song: Harriet Goldberg - “My Time To Fly”
Greg brings us the latest news from Spotify, as the company has just cancelled their $20million investment in a Harry & Meghan podcast that never really got off the ground.
Song: Blake Mills - “Skeleton is Walking”
In episode 113, Jay posed the question: Was the Beatles success because of their talent or was it “right place/right time” with the right people involved? Some academics heard the call and return with the research. We dig in!
Song: Lukas Nelson - “Wrong House”
Jay is at the beach and that means we get our annual check in with Michael Weddington! This year we have three topics to cover with Michael:
-The Florida wood cockroach, or palmetto bug, is a large cockroach species found in the South and can grow between 30-40mm. Jay really dislikes them.
-Louisiana blues artist Michael Juan Nunez blew Michael away at this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest. While the Louisiana Music Factory is currently out of stock (still the greatest record shop on the East Coast, in Michael’s opinion), he found his music online and brings it to us today.
-In most of Jay’s memories, Michael is wearing a Grateful Dead tee shirt, so Jay was extremely excited to catch up with him at beach week this year and talk about his own new obsession. While he wore the tee shirts, and obtained them at Dead shows, Michael’s love for the Dead stops there. He just liked the scene… but as far as the music, he’s on the record as being “casually enthusiastic”.
Songs:
Michael Juan Nunez - “Lemonade”
Michael Juan Nunez - “Rouxsta”
Greg brings us a brand new Three For Thursday. Alex G is an eclectic indie artist that’s been picking up steam this past year (thanks for the recommendation Zoya!). Aphex Twin has a new album coming out at the end of July and his single is worthy of a listen. Last up, Alan Holdsworth is one of Greg’s favorites and bookends the segment quite nicely.
Songs:
Alex G - “Gretel” & “Runner”
Aphex Twin - “Blackbox Life Recorder 21F/in a room F760”
Alan Holdsworth - “Zarabeth”
It was a busy week for Nick & a slow week for music news (plus Nick is still pumped about his new theme song), so this week we get “News With Nick: De-Tour” It’s a new game with similar rules to most of the other games… Contestants are presented with a true story from the life of an artist on tour this week and they must choose the right artist from the options provided.
Song: Raffy Bushman - “Silver Lines”
Jay’s been coming across a particular production house on many of his latest vinyl purchases. The company Thirty Tigers bills itself as an entertainment company that specializes in independent label services. They offer distribution, marketing, promotion, management and publicity on an album by album basis & take a commission on the record’s sales. It seems to be gaining traction as a diverse range of artists seem to be signing on.
Song: Frank Zappa - “Chunga’s Revenge“
News with Nick is back and, thanks to friend of the show Erik Lenhart (Thanks Erik!), it now has a theme song! This week, we have a Travis Scott update on the Astroworld Festival tragedy from last year, then we hear what Jon Batiste has been up to, and we end up on the Genius v. Google case that the Supreme Court isn’t interested in hearing.
Song: Queens of the Stone Age - “Carnavoyeur”
Finally, Greg has kept his mouth shut for long enough, it’s time to talk about “The Idol.” The show has been uniformly panned by critics and audiences alike as confusing and distastefully gratuitous. Starring The Weeknd & Lily-Rose Depp, it’s been reported that the show was over 80% shot when The Weeknd & Sam Levinson took over control of the show. It was then quickly reworked, poorly rewritten & shot mostly at The Weeknd’s mansion. The result is, per Greg, muddled and awful. You should not check this out.
Song: Kurt Rosenwinkel - “The Past Intact”
Greg received a very special Christmas present this past year, two tickets to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. This was his first time seeing the Gizz & they did not disappointed. The actual show garnered some press as they played a 3 hour set and, by all accounts (Greg’s included) crushed it. They are quite an impressive group of musicians!
Songs:
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - “Magenta Mountain”
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - “Gila”
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - “Shanghai”
Reported in a fascinating story by SF Gate, it turns out the CIA tested LSD on unsuspecting Johns at a San Francisco brothel (also owned and run by the CIA) in the 1950s. Named Operation Midnight Climax, the operation meant to test how LSD could be used in obtaining information from Soviet spies…they were basically checking to see if it was a truth serum. Every element of the story spoke to Jay, so he had to cover it. That being said, there’s an interesting connection back to music. In the late 1950’s, Ken Kesey participated in government studies of hallucinogenic drugs to supplement his income. When, in the early 1960s, he & Neal Cassady formed the Merry Pranksters and hosted Acid Tests in their La Honda house, they mentored a young band called the Grateful Dead, which served as the house band for the parties.
Song: Beck & Phoenix - “Odyssey”
Earlier this year, a podcast called Trax by Avenged Sevenfold released an episode that contained audio of the band’s singer M. Shadows saying they wouldn’t be playing two at shows at festivals later this summer. When the episode aired, the singer took to Twitter to deny the information, claiming the podcast had been hacked and that A.I. was used to create the audio of his voice. Flash forward, turns out it was just a hoax by M. Shadows himself. While he claims it was meant to ‘make a point,’ Nick’s decided the only point it made is that he’s an idiot.
Song: Squid - “Green Light”
Greg is coming home from a tour with the Red Nots and on a layover in Chicago as we recorded. He could only make it for the middle half of the show of the show this week & we had some audio issues throughout, but, hang in there because it’s a fun ride.
Nick spent last Thursday in Harrisburg with longtime listener Theresa Kline (Nick’s Mom) and his boys (Ciri, Cam. and Charlie) in tow to see the Red Not Chili Peppers at XL Live. As his Tales From The Concert segment was about to begin, Greg joins the show. As we start to discuss the Red Nots stellar performance, we bring the boys on to give their thoughts.
Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Flamethrower”
Greg continues the discussion with a quick catchup from their recent tour with Badfish, the Sublime tribute band that set the bar for a successful tribute band operation.
Songs:
Sublime - “Saw Red“
Queens of the Stone Age - “Paper Machete”
In the weeks since seeing Dead & Company, Jay has continued down the Dead Head path and wants to talk discuss his journey thus far. It seems that Phil Lesh is critical and we learn there’s a consistent structure to the band’s live performances. It’s still early in his trip, but Jay is starting to see and appreciate the band in new ways.
Finally, Jay discusses The Recording Academy’s (organization behind the Grammy awards) decision on A.I. generated music. It is a vastly non-committal policy, but a human has to have been meaningfully involved somewhere in a part of the writing and/or performance of the song...there’s room for it to adapt as needed, but they put out a policy and that’s what matters!
Song: Grateful Dead - “Slipknot“
It’s “Three for Thursday” as Jay brings us three new releases to check out. First up, Jason Isbell released his ninth studio album, “Weathervanes,” this past week. It’s a calmer and more intimate sounding record than some of his previous and is getting great reviews from past critics. Next up we have a reordered & amended reissue titled "The Complete Dirty South" by The Drive-By Truckers. Comprised of songs from their 2004 album “The Dirty South,” but in a different track order and with some new songs added. Jay received his special edition vinyl prior to the actually release date, so we’re getting some early hot takes. Finally we give Bob Dylan’s latest (surprise) album "Shadow Kingdom" a listen. The album features re-recorded versions of past songs and there’s a movie too? Apparently there is, and apparently it’s awesome.
Songs:
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - "Death Wish"
Drive-by Truckers - "TVA"
Bob Dylan - "Watching the River Flow"
Nick came across a NY Times story about the adoption of A.I. technology within the classical music world. From classical singer Jen Wang’s performance Alvin Lucier’s “The Duke of York” accompanied by a digital rendition of her voice, to composer Robert Laidlow’s “Silicon,” which incorporates various technologies throughout the movements of the piece, to the music designed by George E. Lewis for the last four decades, the article presents a conservative genre exploring controversial aspects of music’s relationship to technology. There was plenty to discuss…
Song: Huntertones - “Stede”
Finally, Greg is excited to announce that because Manchester City completed the treble this past weekend, Liam Gallagher will have to make good on his tweets and reunite with brother Noel for an Oasis reunion. Then the bickering and taunts commenced and now they’re at each other’s throats again…freakin brothers. Nevertheless, we haven’t talked much about the band Oasis and decided now was the time!
Songs:
Oasis - “Supersonic (Live at Knebworth 1996)”
Oasis - “Champagne Supernova (alternate take)”
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First off, thank you for the lovely messages of support. We hear from Harry Waters, Scott Tournet, Kaz PS, Nate Kalwicki, Austin Loman, Keith Grasso, Charlie Lentz, Ciri, Cam, and Charlie Kline, Alex Kline, Katie Stover & Erik Lenhart! (Thanks to Jay’s impressive networking acumen, we also had some, somewhat enthusiastic messages from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Hibbert & even King Charles III!)
Greg kicks things off with a remembrance for Tina Turner, who passed at the age of 83 late last month. Then we hear about the latest album from Greg’s latest favorite new band, Sleep Token. Take Me Out To Eden, their third album, came out in mid-May and has only
Songs:
Tina Turner - “Heard It Through the Grapevine”
Tina Turner & Bryan Adams - “It’s Only Love”
Sleep Token - “Ascensionism”
Jay recently emerged from the haze of his first Dead & Company concert at Jiffy Lube Live and has vague recollections to share on our latest episode of “Tales From The Concert.” Dragged along by friend of the show Kresimir, Jay braved the lone road to Bristow. Inch by inch he crawled through the concert traffic, walking a mile to and from the concert. In the end, all that remained was exhaustion and fond memories of Bob Weir’s song ending. We get to hear a clip of John Mayor tearing it up and celebrate Jay’s first step into his eventual conversion to the jam band genre.
Song: Dead & Company - “Throwing Stones”
Finally, Nick has been dying to follow up on a story from episode 167 about the Supreme Court’s decision affecting creativity and fair use. To recap, Conde Nast licensed photographs of Prince from photographer Lynn Goldsmith for a Vanity Fair article in 1984. Andy Warhol used the photograph as inspiration for his Prince series and Conde Nast licensed one of those images for 2016 remembrance of the late artist & litigation ensued. In the end, the court decided that the Warhol Foundation was not within the Fair Use guidelines because it was competing directly with Goldsmith’s photographs for magazine use. It feels like a very narrow decision and the implications will take years to affect future litigation, but it seems like a fair balance to the guys.
Song: Cory Wong - “Flyers Direct”
In the lead up to our 200th episode, we thought it’d be fun to do three episodes based on the original premise for the show. We’ll each present an album over the next three episodes that we think should be heard and appreciated.
Last up, Nick brings us an album that he first heard only months ago, but that has brought him an incredible amount of inspiration and positive energy. He talked about it briefly in episode 187, but Billy Cobham’s “Total Eclipse” left an immediate and powerful impact. It’s not Cobham’s most popular album and isn’t cited by too many sources as particularly notable, but, taking into account the vast array of drummers that cite Cobham as a major influence, Nick presents the case that this album best exemplifies why he’s been influential. With the five-movement progressive-fusion opener “Solarization,” to the both loveliest & hardest hitting title track “Total Eclipse,” and all the funk-fusion in between, Nick argues that this album is Cobham at the peak of his ambition.
Songs:
Mahavishnu Orchestra - “Vital Transformation”
Billy Cobham - “Solarization”
Billy Cobham - “Lunarputians”
Billy Cobham - “Total Eclipse’
Billy Cobham - “Bandits”
Billy Cobham - “Moon Germs”
Billy Cobham - “Sea of Tranquility”
In the lead up to our 200th episode, we thought it’d be fun to do three episodes based on the original premise for the show. We’ll each present an album over the next three episodes that we think should be heard and appreciated.
It’s Jay’s turn at the helm and he brings us an album that, over the past 10 years, has increasingly fascinated and impressed him. It’s not at album that reaches out and grabs you at first, but David Bowie’s 1977 album Low has become one of his most revered album. Recorded in Berlin alongside Brian Eno, side A features seven avant-pop songs, influenced by German bands like Tangerine Dream & Kraftwork. Side B is a collection of mostly instrumental compositions by Brian Eno. It, at every turn, defies expectations of a what a 1970s David Bowie album should sound like and, to some extent, that’s the point. Bowie’s mastery and manipulation of the concept of celebrity is turned inward as he struggles to kick his drug habits and absorbs the mood of cold-war Berlin. If you’re into Bowie or want to know why drums sounded the way they did in the 80s, then you should check it out.
Songs:
Iggy Pop - “Sister Midnight”
David Bowie - “Speed of Life”
David Bowie - “Breaking Glass”
David Bowie - “Sound and Vision”
David Bowie - “Be My Wife”
David Bowie - “A New Career in a New Town”
David Bowie - ”Warszawa”
David Bowie - “Weeping Wall”
David Bowie - “Subterraneans”
In the lead up to our 200th episode, we thought it’d be fun to do three episodes based on the original premise for the show. We’ll each present an album over the next three episodes that we think should be heard and appreciated.
First up, Greg brings us the album Thrust by Herbie Hancock. Released in 1974, it was Hancock’s fourteenth studio album and the second under The Headhunters billing. Greg makes the case that the albums complexity and dynamic compositions shines as a seminal work in jazz fusion & stands as an inflection point between jazz and funk. The album continues to have influence on many of the leading jazz musicians today. During Greg’s tenure with The Funk Ark, the album stood atop the peak of their aspirations. For the rest of us, it is essential Herbie Hancock and a classic album that you need to check out.
Songs:
Miles Davis Quintet - “I Fall in Love Too Easily”
Herbie Hancock - “Eye of the Hurricane”
Herbie Hancock - “Chameleon”
Herbie Hancock - “Actual Proof”
Herbie Hancock - “Butterfly”
Gretchen Parlato - “Butterfly”
Robert Glasper - “Butterfly”
Before we begin, we’re going to celebrating the lead up to our 200th episode by bringing back the original concept for the show. For the next three episodes, we’ll each be picking an album that we want everyone to check out. Greg’s up first next week with the album “Thrust” by Herbie Hancock. Give it a listen before the show!
Nick kicks the week off with a story from the NY Times about a mid-50s folk artist named Connie Converse and her mysterious disappearance in 1974.
Songs:
Connie Converse - “Talkin’ Like You (Two Tall Mountains)”
Connie Converse - “Trouble”
Greg was discussing the Spiderman series Maximum Carnage with his son Jackson when they came upon an old Sega game with the same name. Interestingly enough the title screen included a credit to the 90s band Green Jellÿ. Greg brings us the strange story behind the self-declared “Worst Band in the World,” including how it has over 780 active members…
Songs:
Green Jellÿ - “Three Little Pigs”
Green Jellÿ - “Maximum Carnage (8Bit)”
Green Jellÿ - “Maximum Carnage”
Finally Jay brings us the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and we do some serious whittling. In the end we decided Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine & Kate Bush earned their spots and the rest…not yet.
Songs: Various tracks by the 2023 Class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
Jay kicks us off with a remembrance of another lost legend. Considered one of Canada’s greatest songwriter, Gordon Lightfoot passed away at the age of 84. He helped define folk-pop in the 1960s & 70s and we celebrate his music and legacy.
Songs:
Gordon Lightfoot - “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
Gordon Lightfoot - “If You Could Read My Mind”
Nick started a new job a few months back and he’s been working on pulling together the Annual Event for his new employer. Part of that includes a cocktail hour before the festivities and, knowing his audience and some details of past events, wants some help coming up with a music playlist that would be appropriate.
Song: Medeski Martin & Wood - “Pappy Check”
With the Ed Sheeran/Marvin Gaye trial underway, Greg takes his turn in the Copyright chair this week. Rather than discuss the underlying legal issues surrounding the case, Greg is focusing on the theory behind it all. He’s busting out the keyboard again folks and you don’t wanna miss it.
Song: Torche - “The Triumph of Venus”
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Greg has been quite busy since we last left him, all of it related to the shows with Red Not Chili Peppers. So much so that there’s too much to tell as an aside, so he’s going all in….We Want Chilly Willy!
Song: Sleep Token - “DYWTYLM”
Jay took a trip with Nick out to visit friend of the show, Keith Grasso, to play some music. Along the way, his beloved Newcastle United was absolutely obliterating Tottenham Hotspurs (6-1). It’s been discussed on the show before, but Jay is a true Newcastle fan. What does that mean exactly? Glad you asked…
Songs:
“The Blaydon Races”
Mark Knoplfer - “Why Aye Man”
AC/DC - “Shot in the Dark”
After his mother & Greg forwarded this story to him, Nick decided to explore the weekend mime “Heart on My Sleeve.” The AI song made to sound like Drake & The Weeknd is quite impressive…and a little fishy.
Song: The Murlocs - “Undone and Unashamed”
Nick’s excited that Coachella is back but only so we can play your favorite game, “Viral or Eyeroll.” For any new listeners, in this game contestants hear a headline and decide it’s a viral sensation or a total fabrication. Given the subject matter, every story is anyone’s guess!
Song: Julius Rodriguez – “Blues at the Barn”
Keep those seatbelts on kids, because Greg is taking straight to NAMM! The National Association of Music Merchants is an annual exhibition and one of the largest music product trade shows in the world. Greg has participated in the last five or six and, aside from giving us the scoops on the latest gear, mostly wanted to use his time to convince Nick & Jay that they have to attend next year’s event.
Song: Squid – “Swing (in a Dream)”
Jay provides a remembrance for another jazz legend as Ahmad Jamal passed last week at the age of 92. Aside from being one of Jay’s favorite jazz pianists, Jamal's career spans over seven decades and his laid-back and sparse style influenced future legends like Herbie Hancock & Keith Jarrett. We’ll let Miles Davis have the last word, as he once said “All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.”
Songs:
Ahmad Jamal – “Dolphin Dance”
Ahmad Jamal – “Stolen Moments”
The owner of the 930 club is opening a new venue at it’s original location & they’re calling it The Atlantis, after the club that originally preceded them. With a maximum occupancy of 450, they’re offering $44 tickets 44 shows to see major acts like Foo Fighters, Pixies, Maggie Rogers and more. Jay is participating in the TicketMaster experiment and has some really positive initial thoughts.
Song: Herbie Hancock - “Space Captain”
This week on News with Nick, remembering ABBA guitarist Lasse Wellander, Yes says no, Taylor Swift says no Joe, and The Bodyguard musical singalong uprising is quelled.
Song: Instagram Clip
Greg’s spotting some concerning trends in the treatment of our elder 80’s rockers by their slightly younger band mates and You Heard It Through The GregVine!
Song: Extreme - “Rise”
Greg kicks things off with a remembrance of the Japanese composer, record producer and actor, Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed this week at the age of 71. A prolific composer and performer, he rose to fame as a founding member of the influential Yellow Magic Orchestra in the late 70s. From there he worked with everyone under the sun & his accolades are too many to list. Go and listen to his music, it’s beautiful.
Next, Greg & Jay join up for a brand new “Tales From The Concert,” Hank Dietle’s edition. Last episode Jay mistakenly said he was playing a show in Ellicott City, when he was actually playing a show in Rockville. The venue, Hank Dietle’s, is a mile away from Greg’s parents, where he’s visiting for the week. The stage for our segment is now set…
Song: David Sylvian - “Topic”
Jay also brings us a brand new Three For Thursday. We get some new music, some old music, and, finally, some more old music that’s new to Jay.
Songs:
Elle King - “Tumbling Dice”
*Robert Palmer - “Sailing Shoes”
Robson Jorge, Lincoln Olivetti - “Jorgea Corisco”
Finally Nick gives us his first impression of the new Apple Classical Music app. The app adds a tremendous amount of meta data to each work, and provides an interface to explore that data in refreshing ways. The idea of genre focused apps is discussed for a bit and then it’s an overall round of applause from the group.
Song: Tauk - “Informant”
Last week Nick ditched his planned topic to discuss a new band, so this week he’s circling back. “Streaming in the Dark: Where Music Listeners’ Money Goes—and Doesn’t” by Meredith Rose was released as a whitepaper by the think-tank Public Knowledge and it deals, entirely, with the reasons we don’t and can’t find out what artists are making through streaming services. It’s dense, comprehensive and difficult to summarize in a quick segment. Checkout Meredith on “Money For Nothing” or read the whitepaper over on Public Knowledge for more details.
Song: Yves Tumor - “Fear Evil Like Fire”
Greg is back with part 6 of his 38 part series “Bangers and Mashups”. This week we stay and steep in the latest DJ Cummerbund compositions. Apparently he won an MTV Music Award last year, and absolutely deserved it!
DJ Cummerbund - “The Anti-Hero That I Get”
DJ Cummerbund - “That’s The Holy Diver”
DJ Cummerbund - “Crazy Together”
Two years ago, in the thick of the pandemic, Jay was sharing some favorite YouTube channels by artists with a lot of time on their hands. American session guitarist Tom Bukovac’s Homeschoolin’ series was among his favorites. At the time, Bukovac announced that he was working with Dean DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots anyone?) on a project. It turns out that project was released last year, but we’re listening to it this week. Naturally this led Jay to ask the guys for a list of their favorite collaborations, and that’s what we’ve got!
Trip the Witch - “Saturn We Miss You” (feat. Jon Anderson)
Trip the Witch - “Black Light”
Madvillain - “Accordion”
Episode 190 Page
“Viral or Eyeroll” is clearly our most beloved game so you should know the drill by now! This week Jay takes on hosting duties while Greg & Nick occupy opposing sides of the scoreboard. Plus you get to play too, can you guess if each story is a viral sensation or a total fabrication?
Song: Charley Crockett - “Odessa”
Nick wants everyone to stop what they’re doing at some point this week and listen to “Zonkey,” the 2016 mashup album by jam-band Umphrey’s McGee. If DJ Cumberbund were a band, it’d be this album.
Songs:
Umphrey’s McGee - “National Loser Anthem” ("The National Anthem" by Radiohead, "Loser" by Beck, "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins)
Umphrey’s McGee - "Bulls on the Bus" ("Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against the Machine, "Mark on the Bus" by Beastie Boys)
Umphrey’s McGee - "Can't Rock My Dream Face" ("Rock With You" by Michael Jackson, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac, "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd)
Greg brings us the latest from the GREGvine. This week it’s all about the ladies! Meg White does not suck, thank you very much! Chrissy Hynde smites the Rock Hall of Fame & TayTay does some stage magic.
Song: Allan Holdsworth - “Letters of Marque”
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Greg brings us an obscure micro-genre from the 70’s, one that combines jazz, funk, and R&B, called Rare Groove. While the artists and their albums may not ring a bell, portions of their songs might, as the mico-genre was created by the DJs that sampled them.
Songs:
Eugene McDaniels - “Headless Heroes”
Beastie Boys - “Get it Together”
Roy Ayers - “We Live in Brooklyn”
The Charmels - “As Long As You've Got You”
Jay found a great Rolling Stone article about horrible albums from brilliant artists. [Rolling Stone] Nevertheless, we don’t talk about that because Jay really wants everyone to share the most distinct ‘bad album from an artist you love’ experience.
Song: The Grateful Dead - “Playing in the Band”
Nick’s been hinting about this the last few episodes, but he’s really gotten into the music of drummer Billy Cobham lately. Cobham came up in the late sixties playing with artists like Miles Davis & John McGlaughlin and then broke out with a series of successful jazz fusion solo records in the early 70s. Also, he plays really fast.
Songs:
Mahavishnu Orchestra - “Vital Transformation”
Mahavishnu Orchestra - “One Word”
Miles Davis - “Feio”
Billy Cobham - “Quadrant 4”
Pitchfork has six ideas on how to solve the broken ticketing system and Nick is eager to discuss them. Central to the question though is the premise that ticketing is actually broken. Is it and, if so, how?
Song: Billy Cobham - “Solarization”
Greg remembers the father of modern jazz, Wayne Shorter, who passed lsat week at the age of 89. Gaining prominence in the 50’s, the jazz saxophonist earned a reputation as a prolific composer unafraid of breaking melodic conventions. His music, if you check it out, sounds so familiar today, but only because of how influential his music has become. He music lives on, but he will be missed.
Songs:
Art Blakey & The Messengers - “Free for All”
Wayne Shorter - “Yes or No”
Miles Davis - “Pinocchio”
Weather Report - “Black Market”
Jay remembers stringed instrument master (“maxi-instrumentalist”) David Lindley, who passed last week at the age of 78. Another fallen legend, Lindley can be seen on YouTube playing dozens of obscure held-stringed instruments with very famous people. His distinctive lap-steel guitar on Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” may be his most known performance, but his range was endless and he appeared with artists of all genres. He too will be missed.
Songs:
Jackson Browne - “Running on Empty”
David Lindley - “The Indifference of Heaven”
Episode Webpage
Jay opens things with a crazy Rolling Stone article about the demise of the 90’s alt rock band Live. The band’s 1995 performance on MTV’s Unplugged sparked Jay & Nick’s lifelong friendship. They remained a strong band through the 90’s, but it all went to hell after that…
Song: Live - “Stage”
Nick has some rare follow-up to a topic back in episode #135, when he discussed Epic’s acquisition of Bandcamp. So, what’s happened since then? Has minority stakeholder Tencent used it to spy on independent artists as it simultaneously transformed Epic Games’ image into the rogue indie studio that it yearned to be (Pitchfork’s prediction)?
Song: Phillip Selway - “What Keeps You Awake At Night?”
Finally, Greg takes on a tour of the year 1955. We begin with Gould’s first Goldberg Variations, recorded in June. “Rock Around the Clock” by His Comets and “Ain’t That Ashame” by Fats Domino were both hits, Bebop is fading as the Birth of Cool begins. The first Guiness Book of World Records was released and the year ended with the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. It’s also the last time Newcastle won a cup…
Song: Glenn Gould - “Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 5 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.”
Greg had a spark of inspiration last week while listening to an early Ornette Coleman album. Now regarded as a pioneer of was jazz for founding free jazz, Coleman was a very polarizing saxophonist in his time. He was kicked out of his high school band for improvising during a song… “wait a second,” thought Greg, “Lisa in The Simpsons intro…YES.” A meme was born, and then posted. “This is my masterpiece…this might be the greatest accomplishment of my life.” said Greg aloud. (Check it out on our episode page.)
Song: Ornette Coleman - “Eventually”
Episode 185 Page
Rudy Van Gelder recorded nearly every Blue Note record from 1957 to 1967, and Jay loves him.
Songs:
Sonny Clarke - “Cool Struttin”
Art Farmer -“A Night at Tony’s”
Hank Mobley - “Remember”
Sonny Clark - “BeBop”
Finally, did you know Rihanna is pregnant? It’s “News with Nick!”
Song: Mark Giuliana - “Mischief”
Nick & Jay tell us about their journey to Chambersburg, PA to see Wynton Marsalis in our latest Tales From the Concert. A traditionalist, Mr. Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performed a night of Duke Ellington compositions at the historic Capitol Theater. Song: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra - “Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald”Greg reports on the Tweet storm that resulted when Steve Albini decided that he needed to vent his hatred of Steely Dan to the world. It responded and so are we.Songs:Michael Leonhart and the Abramavi 7 - “Seahorse and the Storyteller”Steely Dan - “Aja”Steely Dan - “Kid Charlemagne”Jay, through the power of YouTube, has a discovered a deep appreciation for J Dilla. His ability to find obscure samples and transform them into incredible songs is on full display this segment!Songs:Common - “The Light”Bobby Caldwell - “Open Your Eyes”Churikah Blue - “Dreamflower”Erykah Badu - “Didn’t Cha Know?”
Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” Tour has become the most profitable tour in history, as reported by Pollstar. Pollstar has been tracking concert industry tickets sales for over 40 years. They recently published a list of artist’s with the most tickets sold & the highest grossing concerts. Jay found this to be an interesting treasure trove of potential quiz material…and so we have one.
Song: Parannoul - “Arrival”
Nick reports on the 2023 Grammy Awards. Viola Davis is 18th on the EGOT list, Beyoncé breaks the record for most Grammy’s, Questlove arranged a 15min homage to 50 years of Hip Hop and Wilco’s ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ won 21 years late!
Song: Wilco - “Jesus, Etc”
Greg is back with another Heavy Flirtation and this week he’s snuggling up with Sleep Token. Who are they? No idea, in fact no one does! Masked and anonymous, the English progressive-post-metal-indie band is about to release their 3rd studio album. A string of singles from the upcoming album have been incredible successful on streaming platforms and Greg likes what he’s hearing!
Songs:
Sleep Token - “The Summoning”
Sleep Token - “Chokehold”
Sleep Token - “Hypnosis”
Greg is back from playing at one of his favorite venues and decided the time was right for BienVenue. Cain’s Ballroom, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was built in 1924 and converted into a dance school in 1930 when it was purchased by Madison W. “Daddy” Cain. Host to many country western stars in the 40’s & 50’s, it later hosted early punk & heavy metal acts. It’s popularity has only grown and today it’s considered a coveted stop for bands touring across the country.
Songs:
— Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls (1986 Live at Cain’s Ballroom)
— JJ Cale - Cocaine (1975 Live at Cain’s Ballroom)
— Tame Impala - “Endors Toi” (2013 Live at Cain’s Ballroom)
Jay’s on the A.I. beat this week. Google, possibly reeling from the heralding Chat GPT has received, has released a concept for a music generating A.I. called Music LM. Given a text only prompt, Music LM can create complex and long-form songs. You can’t try this out yet, but we have an example page!! We dig right in and…aren’t too worried about this one yet.
Song: Bob Dylan - “Mississippi (Version 1)”
Finally, Nick brings us up to speed on the Congressional Hearing to complain to LiveNation about Ticketmaster. It was a rare display of bi-partisanship because no one is happy with their merger, approved in 2010. Meanwhile, the Justice Department investigation continues…
Song: Television - “Marquee Moon”
Episode Page
Nick kicks things off this week with a brand new game! With the arrival of technologies like Chatbot GPT, a predictive language engine that’s scaring as many people as it’s impressing, songwriters like Nick Cave have been responding, uh…strongly (you can read his post here). Cave claims the attempt to emulate his writing is atrocious, but is it? Introducing A.I. or Real Guy? Contestants are presented with an artist and 4 lines from a song verse and have to decide whether it was written by A.I. or a real guy?
Song: Billy Cobham - “Red Baron”
Jay tells us about the American songwriter Ginny Redington Dawes who died on New Years Eve at the age of 77. She is best known for the commercial jingles she wrote for top brands in the 70’s & 80’s, including McDonald’s & Coke. We don’t talk a lot about music and advertising, but it felt right doing so for the loss of an accomplished master.
Song: Scott Tournet - “Fever”
Greg decided it was time to hear from our old friend Wayan about some of the latest stories we’ve been discussing. We touch on David Crosby, Jeff Beck, a recent Red Nots show in Portland, and also Ryan Adams. We love having him on and he never disappoints!
Song: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - “Deja Vu”
This week we converge to listen and remember the music and life of legendary guitarist, Jeff Beck, who died last week at the age of 78. He was such an influential guitarist with a born gift for the instrument, and we spend the whole hour talking about his life & legacy as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time.
Songs:
Jeff Beck - “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”
The Yardbirds - “The Train Kept A-Rollin’”
The Yardbirds - “Stroll On”
Jeff Beck - “Shapes of Things” (Truth, 1968)
Stevie Wonder - “Lookin’ For Another Pure Love”
Jeff Beck - “Led Boots”
Roger Waters - “What God Wants, Pt 1”
Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart - “People Get Ready”
Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop - “Day in the House (with Terry Bozzio & Tony Hymas)”
Jeff Beck - “Beck’s Bolero”
Greg brings three metal adjacent bands to the show this week, more of a heavy flirtation than a heavy rotation. English rock band Porcupine Tree, led by the prolific Steven Wilson, formed in 1987. The progressive rock band Karnivool is our latest Aussie band to add to the show, hailing from Perth since 1997. Finally we listen to the prog metal band Opeth, which formed in Stockholm in 1990. Combined Greg’s got 95 years of international prog rock experience coming at you this week and it is delightful!
Songs:
Karnivool - “Set Fire to the Hive”
Porcupine Tree - “Arriving Somewhere But Not Here”
Opeth - “Deliverance”
Jay’s had mixed emotions with Ryan Adams recent output. Two new cover albums at the tail end of 2022 seemed like great news! Fear set in when he discovered that the albums were Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska & Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, which was quelled when he learned they would free! Then he listened to them…
Song: Stuff - “Foots (Live Montreux ’76)"
Nick brings us some legal news as UMG found itself on either side of two lawsuits this week. Black Sheep is suing UMG, partly due to a claim that they accepted lower streaming revenue in exchange for ownership stake in Spotify. UMG denies the claim and, meanwhile filed a suit against the video-sharing social network Triller for $750 million for unpaid license fees. UMG has no ownership stake in Triller, but Nick’s not implying anything by that, right?
Song: Keith Jarrett - “Part V (Live in Stockholm 1972)”
Hey everybody, Happy New Year! We return unrested from the holidays with our favorite album picks from 2022. We hope everyone had a great holiday and thank you so much for listening!
Nick’s Picks
black midi - Hellfire
Dawes - Misadventures of Doomscroller
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Changes
Greg’s Picks
Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
The Bad Plus - The Bad Plus
Meshuggah - Immutable
Jay’s Picks
Dawes - Misadventures of Doomscroller
Julian Lage - View With a Room
Ryan Adams - Devolver
Episode 178
It seems as though the 2022 Holiday Season was particularly hectic this year and we’ve decided to take the week off. However, instead of just skipping, we thought we’d revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the past year…a clip show, if you will. We hope everyone is having a lovely holiday and we’ll see you next week. Happy New Year!
Jay features his old friend Keith Degrasso, from episode #163.
Greg was excited to re-listen to episode #159, featuring his son Jackson Loman.
Nick wanted to play some parts of his son Cam Kline’s guest appearance on episode #158 & recall the Supreme Court decision on Fair Use coming up in 2023, which the guys discussed on episode #167.
Episode 177 Page
It’s that time of the year and we’ve spared no expense, it’s the Annual YSCIO Holiday Extravaganza!!
This year we spend the first 20min of the show revisiting the epic World Cup Final between Argentina and France and then we’re back to the holiday stuff. For 2022, we’re not sure why they made it, here’s our incomplete list of Inexplicable Christmas Albums.
Hope you enjoy, thanks for listening and, of course, Happy Holidays!!
Greg’s Picks
James Brown (Soulful Christmas) - “Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto”
Snoog Dogg & Nate Dogg (Christmas in the Doghouse) - “Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto”
Christopher Lee (Heavy Metal Christmas) - “The Little Drummer Boy”
Christmas with Colonel Sanders - “Jingle Bell Rock (feat. Chet Atkins)”
Jay’s Picks
Regis Philben & Donald Trump (The Regis Philbin Christmas Album) - Stinkin Rudolph The Rednose Reindeer
Bright Eyes (Bright Eyes, A Christmas Album)- “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Scott Weiland (The Most Wonderful Time of the Year) - “Silent Night”
Nick’s Picks
The Three Stooges (Christmas Time With the Three Stooges) - “We’re Coming to Your House”
William Shatner (Shatner Claus) - “Jingle Bells (feat Henry Rollins)”
Bootsy Collins (Christmas Is 4 Ever) - “Merry Christmas Baby”
Welcome to "You Should Check It Out," a podcast where friends come together to share their passion for music. Today's episode is a special one, as we are joined by the talented Gabe Noel, the mastermind behind the new jazz album "The Randy Paserntes Trio."
Gabe sits down with the guys to discuss his latest project, a collaboration with friend and saxophonist Sam Gendel & singer Inara George. The album features the AI jazz singer Randy Paserntes, whose vocal stylings are truly impressive. With its blend of jazz, "The Randy Paserntes Trio" is an album that explores the depths of audio's uncanny valley.
Released on Colorfield Records at the urging of Pete Min, one of the label's founders, "The Randy Paserntes Trio" is an album that truly stands out. Gabe shares some behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the album, including the challenges they faced and the moments of pure magic that happened in the studio.
Throughout the episode, we will be listening to tracks from the album and discussing the creative process behind its making. Gabe sheds light on the creative process behind the album, his musical influences, and the importance of supporting your friends in the industry. It's a must-listen for fans of jazz, bass guitar, saxophones, and the beauty of friendship in the arts.
If you're a fan of jazz, you need to check out "The Randy Paserntes Trio" by Gabe Noel and Sam Gendel. It's an album that will transport you to a different time and place. Tune in to "You Should Check It Out" to hear the full conversation with Gabe Noel.
(Thanks ChatGPT! ;-)
Episode 175
Jay has some history for us this week. In 1942, musicians, led by James C. Petrillo, went on strike. For the two years and three months there was no new recorded music. Jay brings us the details…
Song: The Bronx - “Sore Throat”
Nick’s song last week was from a new group called The Randy Paserntes Trio, Sam Gender & Gabe Noel that released “now at last,” a very different sounding vocal jazz album. On a quest to discover the story behind the album, Nick uncovered some interesting information….
Clips:
The Randy Paserntes Trio - “Autumn Serenade”
The Randy Paserntes Trio - “Waterfalls” (0:35-0:49)
The Randy Paserntes Trio - “My best girl” (2:03-2:51)
Song: Fievel is Glauque - “Save The Phenomenon”
Greg closes us out this week with a news inspired edition of Heavy Rotation. While their founding guitarist, Dimebag Darrell, and his drummer & brother Vinne Paul have passed, Pantera’s singer & bassist have assembled a tour with some, seemingly worthy, fill-ins. Greg takes us down his love affair with the band and we discuss how the tour is being received.
Song: Pantera - “Floods”
Episode 174 Webpage
Greg presents the sales data for the debut studio album of American Rapper Saweetie, as her success in acquiring 13 million Instagram stands in stark contrast to her meager 2000 total copies sold in the album’s first week out. Is this because everyone listens to it on streaming or an issue with the quality of the content? We join an ongoing internet debate… Then some followup to a discussion regarding the missing audience from Keith Jarrett’s latest album.
Song: Chick Corea & Elektric Band - “Got a Match?”
This week on News with Jay… Ryan Adams latest project is concerning; make your Spotify history into a music festival with InstaFest; Jack White eloquently explains how he feels about Seven Nation Army’s popularity to Conan; and finally, Jay gets Greg’s take on Metallica today.
Song: Mick Jagger - “Too Many Cooks”
Nick presents a detailed report on Ticketmaster’s failed execution of ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s latest tour. A monumental load of traffic reached Ticketmaster’s servers last week, they weren’t ready & TayTay is not happy about it…
Song: The Randy Paserntes Trio - “Now At Last”
Episode 173
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Thank you for listening! This year we’re sharing the artists that we’re most thankful for:
Nick’s Artists
Arie Hoenig
Arie Hoenig - “Child’s Prey (feat Gadi Lehavi & Ben Tiberio)”
Morgan Simpson
Black Midi - “27 Questions”
Michael Cavanagh
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Change” for his endurance
Greg’s Artists
Rage Against the Machine - “Bulls on Parade (Live in L.A.)”
Smashing Pumpkins - “Jellybelly”
Pink Floyd - “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”
Jay’s Artists
Lafayette Gilchrist - “Assume the Position”
Brian Eno: "Ambient 1: Music for Airports 1/1"
Sturgill Simpson: "A Little Light"
Episode 172 Page
Jay brings us three things worth checking out this week.
“Blockhead” by Ghost Funk Orchestra
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” began as a spoof trailer on Funny or Die that became so popular it was made. The entire movie, which was filmed in less than 3 weeks, stylistically fits Weird Al perfectly as it continuously parodies movie tropes old and new.
The Philosophy of Modern Song is a book by Bob Dylan containing 66 chapters of Dylan’s musings and reflections on modern song. The audiobook features famous actors and is another experience altogether.
Nick wants to celebrate Mimi Parker, who passed earlier in November at the age of 55 from ovarian cancer. Mimi and her husband Alan Sparhawk made quiet music that seemed to be a source of comfort or companionship for those in low places. Outpourings of beautiful stories have followed and Nick shares his own.
Songs:
Low - “Fly”
Low - “Monkey”
Finally, it’s a brand new game from Greg Loman Productions and it’s sure to be hit! In “Locate the Lyric,” contestants are given a sample of a popular song’s lyrics and must name the artist &/or song to accrue points. The winner has the most points at the end of the game and it’s harder than it sounds (at least for Nick & Jay).
Song: Weird Al Yankovic - “Smells Like Nirvana”
Episode 171 Page
Relieved to make it in time for the show, Greg joins us from Florida where he’s been playing some live shows and recording in the studio with The Resilient. We hear about his week past and get him to promise to premiere their latest music on the show (when the time comes).
Song: Tony Williams - “Pro-Cosmos” (Featuring Allan Holdsworth)
Nick has finished “The Beatles: Get Back” and is ready to give his two cents (just over 11 months after Jay & Greg’s original conversation in episode 122) and he’s got plenty to say. Also, we have a mini NERD ALERT about a new code based music creation and performance tool called Sonic Pi (https://sonic-pi.net/).
Song: The Beatles - “Birthday”
Finally, Happy Birthday Jay! While the show paid for him to attend the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles and paid for his room upgrade at the Four Seasons (and entire minibar consumption)…it’s his birthday and he doesn’t wanna talk about all that…so we have a new bit. Jay’s Thoughts are random thoughts from Jay set over calm music. It’s a once-a-year-birthday-indulgence that we think you’ll enjoy!
Song: Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”
Episode 170 Page
Jay runs us through the short-lived rock & long-lived country career of Jerry Lee Lewis, who passed last week at the age of 87. He was a true pioneer of rock n’ roll and continued making music well into his 80s. His contributions to music will always be appreciated. Thanks Killer!
Songs:
Jerry Lee Lewis - “Crazy Arms”
Jerry Lee Lewis - “Rock & Roll Time”
Next up, we have our latest edition of Tales From the Concert! Nick & Jay had the honor of seeing King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard perform at The Anthem on 10/23 and bring us stories from the show. It was an incredible performance and we’ll be seeing them anytime they come to town in the future. Somehow the Gizz also released a new album last week, so we take a listen to a track from that as well. This band is something else!
Song: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Astroturf”
Finally, Greg brings us a brand new TayTay Today! Currently holding all top 10 spots in the Billboard Top 10, which is a first, her latest album “Midnights” dropped as a surprise between her reissue project. Additionally, a story from 2018, wherein Ms. Swift demanded that all UMG artists receive a substantial cut from any future sale of any Spotify stock as part of her record contract, allowed Greg to tie her back to some of popular metal artists on the same label. Good on ya TayTay & well engineered Greg!
Song: Electric Wizard - “Dopethrone”
Episode 169
Warning Some of these songs are legit disturbing, we’re not playing anything inappropriate…but we’re not talking about Thriller either. Also, Jay has a great time with his sound effects & Greg’s got reverb. Thanks for all the suggestions on Facebook. If scary or disturbing music isn’t your thing, you might stay for the laughs…if not, we totally understand!
Greg’s Picks
Leviathan - “VI - XI - VI”
Marc Blackwood recommended “100 Years” by The Cure
Theresa Sanchez recommended “Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan
Jay’s Picks
Dean Hurley - “Night Electricity Theme”
Krzysztof Penderecki - “Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” performed by Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia w Katowicach
Mr. Bungle - “Everyone I Went to High School With Is Dead”
Nick’s Picks
Pink Floyd - “Welcome to the Machine”
Nine Inch Nails - “Mr. Self Destruct”
Louis Cole - “Let Me Snack”
Episode 168
Nick kicks things off with a case from the current docket of the Supreme Court. “Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith” is the case of the photographer Lynn Goldsmith, whose photograph of Prince was licensed by Conde Nast exclusively for a cover photo (she kept the rights for any other licensing opportunities). Years later, Conde Nast commissioned Andy Warhol to do a series of Prince prints with the cover photo as their reference photograph. Goldsmith is suing because she argues the prints are too close to her original photograph and The Andy Warhol Foundation, which has made hundreds of millions in sales and licensing from the Prince prints, argues that it falls under fair use. So, per the SCOTUS blog, the decision comes down to “whether a work of art is “transformative” when it conveys a different meaning or message from its source material” or whether a judge is allowed to make that interpretation. [NPR]
Song: Frank Zappa - “San Ber'dino (Live In Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)”
Greg found a great article from NPR by Nate Chinen suggesting a new genre for the class of prolific (often) jazz influenced musicians that have emerged as influencers on YouTube. “Viral jazz” was coined on Twitter by artist Vijay Iyer and includes artists such as Louis Cole, MonoNeon, DOMi & JD Beck, and Jacob Collier. Among other qualifications, Chinen asserts that the genre requires prolific chops and that the medium/channel that they broadcast on informs their process. It’s a great read and we have a cool discussion about the concept, whether we like it and whether it’ll stick.
Song: Louis Cole - “Dead Inside Shuffle”
Jay is back with a game to close out the show. The last time we played “Tag The Track,” Nick had his butt handed to him. This time around, Jay decided to try and help his odds by doing a “Drum Intros Only” edition. Greg & Nick listen to the first few seconds of a song that begins with a drum fill and have to guess the artist and song. Will Nick redeem his record when the clips feature only drums or is Greg just too strong to take down? You’ll have to listen to find out…
Song: Bill Callahan - “Natural Information”
Episode 167 Page
First up, Jay presents a lovely retrospective of Loretta Lynn’s impressive career. She was 30 and had six kids before directing her time and energy into her music. The daughter of a coal miner, Lynn’s authenticity became a feature of her music and story. She embraced her roots, wrote and sang about her life and never shied away from taking a stand on issues, regardless of whether they were popular or not. She wrote 24 No. 1 songs, won 3 of the 18 Grammy nods, and had 11 of her 60 albums reach No. 1 on the charts. We listen back to a few of her best and pay our respects to America’s favorite Coal Miner’s Daughter.
Songs:
Loretta Lynn - “Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)”
Loretta Lynn - “The Pill”
Loretta Lynn - “Fist City”
Nick was feeling some King Gizzard withdrawal a couple episodes ago, but only because he hadn’t bothered checking the news! They’ve just released “Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava”, their first of three albums coming out this month. For this album, they went into the studio with a tempo & a mode, jammed and then made a song of each. Nick decided this was a good time for a refresher course on Modes. Greg jumps into music teacher mode and breaks it down. All is right with the world again! Here’s Greg’s worksheet for music modes (pdf).
Songs:
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Mycelium” (Ionian)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Magma” (Phrygian)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Lava” (Lydian)
Finally, Greg found a great interview with Mike Patton over at Bandcamp (here). We discuss the strange and wonderful voices/characters that Patton has created across his many bands/projects/collaborations. From Mr. Bungle to Faith No More, Fantômas to Dead Cross to Tomahawk; collaborations with artists like Björk, John Zorn, The Melvins; in styles covering scatting, crooning, rapping, growling and more… he’s a prolific artist worthy of multiple examinations.
Song: Tomahawk - “Capt. Midnight”
Episode 166 Page
Greg has some fun updates from the past week and brings us an amazing new album. Keith Jarrett has released his 2016 live improvised concert in Bordeaux and it is incredible. Jarrett retired in 2018 due to health issues, so this may be one of his last shows. It’s very different than his Köln Concert from 1975, highlighting his classical influences as much, if not more than, jazz. For anyone seriously interested in piano or jazz or Jarrett, it is a must listen.
Songs:
Keith Jarrett - “Part V”
Keith Jarrett - “Part VII”
Jay was listening to the 2004 reggae album True Love by Toots & the Maytals. Each song features a different guest artist. Given that Nick & Greg rarely listen to reggae, Jay took the opportunity to make a special Reggae Edition of Guess the Guest.
Song: Club d’elf - “King Kong”
Nick’s love for Pitchfork is waning and he wants to talk about that. Jay is very receptive to this change and full supports the direction Nick seems to be heading.
Song: Nu Fvnk - “East Bop”
Episode 165
Nick is back on the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard train, this time he’s bringing Polygondwanaland, the fourth album they released in 2017 called. With a band this prolific, Nick’s chosen to slow walk the courtship and is happy to report it’s going quite well so far.
Songs:
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Ice V”
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Crumbling Castle”
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “The Fourth Colour”
Greg was back on The East Coast this past week for the Sag Harbor Festival and they were joined by, none other than, G. E. Smith. A hard working and prolific American guitarist since 1979, Smith was the lead guitarist for Hall & Oates during their heyday, fronted & co-directed the SNL band for most of the 80s and has played with an impressive number of artists. Greg gives us the details and we listen to some audio as well!
Songs:
The Resilient (feat. G. E. Smith) - “Gloria”
The Resilient (feat. G. E. Smith) - “Wide River To Cross”
The Resilient (feat. G. E. Smith) - “American Girl”
Jay has always appreciated the music of Ryan Adams, and the controversy surrounding his mistreatment of women (and some men) hasn’t swayed that appreciation. The music stands on its own, as all art must, and Adams hasn’t stopped making it. Quite the contrary, he’s grown more and more productive in his isolation. Jay brings us two track from Adams’ latest record Devolver.
Songs:
Ryan Adams - “Don’t Give It Away”
Ryan Adams - “I’m In Love With You”
Episode 164 Page
Keith Grasso, owner of Island Music Company in La Plata, MD, is back to talk about the return of Rocktoberfest LP! Back in 2013, Keith was frustrated by the local school boards repeated cuts to the county’s music program, so he decided to raise money by holding a concert at a bar near his store. Overwhelmed by the response, the event grew year over year and now takes over main street La Plata for an all day event. The 2019 iteration of the show raised over $46,000 for the Charles County Music & Arts Program and this year is going to be the biggest one yet!
This year’s event, headlined by the 80s Glam Metal band Kix, will be held in downtown La Plata on Saturday, October 1st. Online tickets are sold out, but that’s only to leave plenty available at the gate. If you’re anywhere near the area, come on out!
Song: Kix - “Cold Blood”
Episode 163 Page
Black Midi came to Rams Head Live! last week in Baltimore, Maryland. Nick & Jay caught the show and bring us another Tales From The Concert!
Jay’s Song: Norah Jones (feat. Bill Frisell) - “Steer Your Way”
Nick’s Clips:
Black Midi - “953”
Black Midi - “Slow”
Meanwhile, Greg just returned from a weekend tour in Nashville and some East Coast cities and he shares his stories from the road!
Songs:
Dustin Christensen - “Parked Out By The Lake”
Bo Burnham - “Country Song” (from Netflix is a Joke)
Episode 162
Nick found a wild piece in ProPublica about an Instagram verification scheme that relied on Google’s criteria for identifying trending musicians as a short cut to verification. It’s a wild ride! [ProPublica]
Song: Bitchin Bajas - “Amorpha”
Greg gives us a rundown on the first of two Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts. The one, from this past week, happened in London and featured an All Star list of guests. Some of Greg’s favorite moments include:
Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters - “Live Forever”
Wolf Van Halen and Foo Fighters - “On Fire”
Foo Fighters featuring Shane Hawkins - “My Hero”
Finally, for any parent out there that sings made up or silly songs to your kids, well done! Jay fills us in on an article from The Atlantic called “What Babies Hear When You Sing to Them” and it’s delightful read. [Atlantic]
Song: Danny Gatton - “Homage to Charlie Christian”
Episode 161 Page
Jay brings us a new bit…. Let’s say it’s a slow music news week and/or you went away for a golf weekend in the sun with your brother. You do a casual music podcast with your friends and you need to come up with something for the show. Might I pose a question for you in this hypothetical scenario, have you listened to any new releases or reissues lately? If so, you are in luck my friend, we recommend trying “Three for Thursday.” It’s simple, the first song is your new release, the second is a track from that reissue you’ve really enjoyed, and the third is whatever song you want (warning, this week the wildcard is scary). Put ‘em all together, “Three for Thursday!”
Songs:
Tom Waits - “God’s Away on Business (Live in Scotland)”
Buddy Guy - “Gunsmoke Blues (feat. Jason Isbell)”
Diamanda Galás - “Broken Gargoyles I. Mutilatus”
Nick’s segment via a question was inspired by a story shared on a group chat last week about California Governor Newsom’s planned signing of a bill that would ban an artist’s lyrics from being used as evidence in criminal cases. Rife with politics, Nick dodges the story and instead poses a broader question, should an artist’s lyrics (or art) be used as evidence against them in a criminal case? We discuss….
Song: Bartees Strange - “Escape This Circus”
Finally, Greg tells about the remarkable life and career of jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, who died this past week at 51. Discovered by Miles Davis on the “Midday with Bill Boggs” television program, DeFrancesco went on to have an incredibly prolific career and has been called “the best organ player on the planet.” Four time Grammy winner, with over 30 albums under his name alone, he was also known for his work with John McLaughlin, Miles Davis, and Jake Langley. We listen to some of his music and lament the loss of another amazing artist.
Clips:
Miles Davis on Midday with Bill Boggs
John McLaughlin, Joey DeFrancesco, Dennis Chambers - “Limehouse Blues”
Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco - Relentless
We are delighted to introduce this week’s very special guest, Greg’s 7-year old son Jackson! Before jumping into our topic, Jackson tells us about his summer so far, including his awesome experience on Disneyland’s latest attraction “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance”. But Jackson also wanted to tell us about some of his favorite video game music, which means we’re doing an 8Bit! It was wonderful to have him on and we can’t wait to hear from him again!
Songs:
Blue Oyster Cult - “Godzilla” (YouTube)
Splatoon 2 - “Fly Octo Fly” (YouTube)
Cuphead - “Fiery Frolic” (YouTube)
Kirby & The Forgotten Land - “Grassland Theme” (YouTube)
Jay introduces us to Jim Ford, a musician he just recently discovered. Mr. Ford was an American singer-songwriter who released one album, his one shot, in 1969. It’s a great record and has gained in popularity in the past 15 years or so. Jim worked and wrote songs for a lot of amazing artists, including Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack and the Temptations. We enjoyed learning about him!
Songs:
Julian Lage - “Auditorium” (YouTube)
Jim Ford - "I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me" (YouTube)
Jim Ford - “She Turns My Radio On” (YouTube)
Nick brings us two stories and one topic. One concerns broadway and classical music concert attendance & the other is the trend among Pop’s largest acts to take up residencies in large cities. Should we be concerned about concert going trends and the consolidation of top concert acts consolidating into larger cities?
Song: Moreish Idols - “Hangar” (YouTube)
First up this week is our very special guest Camillo (Cam) Kline, Nick’s second son. Since turning 9 (which is the same age Ciri was when he was on the podcast back on episode 38), Cam has really excited to come on the show and talk about his favorite band, AJR! Comprised of three brothers, AJR are put in the Indie pop genre, but Cam thinks they’re more electronic alternative and he loves where they’re going as a band. We listen to their progression over the past 12 years and agree and we were so happy to have him on!
Songs:
AJR - “Bang!”
AJR - “Infinity”
AJR - “Go On Take a Chance”
Jay found a poignant article about the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, whose purpose is “aimed at promoting Ukrainian culture and denouncing Russia’s invasion.” We also discuss and listen to the 1970s band the Relatives, whose 2013 & 2016 revival albums are a story worthy of a film.
Song: The Relatives - “Things Are Changing"
Finally, Greg brings us the 2015 jazz album “Well I Should Have…” by Jon Benjamin. Jon Benjamin, known primarily for his work as a voice actor (Bob from Bob’s Burger, Archer from Archer, etc), doesn’t play the piano & has never really liked jazz that much. He just thought it’d be funny to make a jazz album playing piano with top notch drums, bass & sax behind him…and he was right, it’s hilarious!
Song: Birth - “For Yesterday”
Welcome back, we’re now on Year 4! Thanks so much for listening :-)
We recap the second leg of Greg’s trip to Europe, with week two spent with his family in France. We’re glad to have him back safe! Fresh off the plane he was texting us about a new bit he’s calling “TinselTunes”. We’re looking for the best songs from movies that are written in the world of that movie.
Here’s what we came up with:
The Wonders - “That Thing You Do”
Spinal Tap - “Stonehenge”
Nothing Ever Happens on Mars (Waiting for Guffman)
Lone Rangers - “Degenerated”
The Lonely Island - “Equal Rights”
Jay is excited to bring us news of an updated WinAmp! Some of you may be wondering if people still download music…others may be asking “What’s WinAmp again?”…the remainder just asking why? All of this, we attempt to tackle.
Song: Elmore James - “Done Somebody Wrong”
Last up, Nick kicks it off with a remembrance to Lamont Dozier and his incredible songwriting career (NY Times). Then we get to a question and a story. The question is, for music that you love, how much does a band’s story matter to you? The story is about a fictitious band bio written by Chuck Klosterman for the band Delicate Steve. The band’s bio is a work of art and incredibly entertaining. No part of it is real, he hadn’t even met the band or listened to the album when he sat down to write it. It’s so good it’s hard to find anything to complain about, but Nick also takes issue with the label’s need to defend the gag by saying band bios are pointless. You can read the press release at the end of this story on NPR.
Songs:
The Supremes - “You Can’t Hurry Love”
Delicate Steve - “Playing in a Band”
Episode webpage can be found at youshouldcheckitout.com/episodes/157
This week we celebrate our first Beyoncé album since starting the show. Nick felt like the only proper way to celebrate this was to quiz Jay & Greg on their Beyoncé knowledge. That’s right, it’s time for “Viral or Eyeroll”!
Song: Beyoncé - “Move”
Greg is joining us from Cyprus this week, possibly making this our first international broadcast as well, and he’s got some news and songs from this year’s Newport Folk Festival. We also do shout outs to Kaz’s extended family and thank them for their generous hospitality (and for keeping Greg safe)!
Song: Joni Mitchell (and many more) - “Big Yellow Taxi”
This past week a band called Chat Pile has been popping up all over the music news with their new album “God’s Country”. Jay takes us on a dark & terrifying tour of the new album from the Oklahoma noise rock group. It’s not the kind of album you’d expect Jay to present, which made the conversation all the more interesting and special.
Songs:
Chat Pile - “Slaughterhouse”
Chat Pile - “Why”
We’re officially calling this the last episode of Season 3 and we can’t thank you enough for listening! We’ll be back next week to kickoff Season 4!
Jay kicks us off with the story behind “I Am The Moon”, a four album exploration of Layla’s perspective from the old Arab story “Layla & Majnun”. Then we move onto the controversy of the past week. Ticketmaster has rolled out its dynamic pricing system just in time for Bruce Springsteen tickets to go on sale. Tickets to some shows have gone for as much as $5000 due to demand. Most of that money is going to Bruce (instead of the scalper that bought it a reasonable price and resold it to the highest bidder), which begs the question: Why does this still feel unfair? We discuss…
Song: Tedeschi Trucks Band - “Hold That Line”
Nick has a bit? Nick has a bit! “Show Must Go On” is about bands that are so inspired by their founder’s vision that they continue playing as a group after the founder’s passing. This week on our inaugural edition, we learn about Sun Ra Arkestra. Sun Ra, born in Birmingham AL in 1914, had a brilliant ear and took to the piano at a very early age. Growing up an African American musician in the deep south during the 1920s was incredibly difficult and, early in his college years, he had a vision of ascending to Saturn where Africans could live with the freedom and self-agency that they could not attain in many parts of the Western world. He was an incredibly prolific artist, performer and philosopher. His lifelong project, Sun Ra Arkestra, lives on to this day to keep his vision alive.
Songs:
Sun Ra Arkestra - “Somebody Else's Idea”
Sun Ra - “I Am Strange / I Am An Instrument”
Greg gives us the story behind a recent gig that The Resilient performed for AFSCME at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Hired to perform a handful of songs, a request came in to play some Springsteen. Greg recalled a Bruce song that Tom Morello taught the Music Corps Band back at Walter Reed Hospital called “Ghost of Tom Joad”. After playing the show, Greg had a friend send Morello a clip of their performance and heard back…which kind of means we have Tom Morello’s cell number now! More importantly, The Resilient are amazing and we were excited to hear about their latest outing!
Songs: The Resilient - “Ghost of Tom Joad”
Greg’s coming in strong with three stories on his latest edition of “Heard It Through The GregVINE”.
We hear a song and talk about the life of Zeebo Steele, the DC Reggae singer, known most prominently for his work with the Thievery Corporation - (Song: The Richest Man in Babylon) -
Also, check out Zeebo’s work over on Spotify.
Huntsville has become the first ‘music city’ in Alabama. We learn what that means and why it’s so freaking cool [Brookings]
Finally, Greg has a snark laden NY Times story on the Winklevoss Twins cover band concert in Amagansett [NY Times]
Jay, via our silent friend of the show, Kresimir Tokic, came upon some tracks by Dawes that are appearing on their upcoming album “Misadventures of Doomscroller” to be released tomorrow (July 22, 2022). They’ve changed their approach and we like it very much. Check out these tracks and see if you wanna listen further:
Songs:
Dawes - “Everything Is Permanent”
Dawes - “Ghost in the Machine”
Nick was surprised to see a new album drop by a band he’s loved from the start. black midi released their third album “Hellfire” last Friday and it’s been received extremely well by the critics. Nick feels this is entirely justified and that they’re finally coming into their own. Greg makes the point that he finds it hard to get into music that he can’t share with others…and this may fit that description. Their execution is flawless, but it’s all over the place. If you enjoy it too, please let Nick know over on Facebook.
Songs:
black midi - “Sugar/Zhu” into “Eat Men Eat”
black midi - “Still”
black midi - “Dangerous Liaisons”
With Jay’s second child here just over a year now, it’s time to rejoin the family beach trip and that means we get to hear how, friend of the show, Michael Weddington is doing! We first had him on in Episode 50 and we’re excited to have him back. He brings with him, this time around, a rough and tumble storyteller with a wry sense of humor by the name of Ray Wylie Hubbard. Born in 1946, Hubbard has been writing and performing outlaw country and Country rock since the early-to-mid 1970s & Michael has been listening and following his career since, almost the beginning. If you enjoy what you hear, we strongly recommend you check him out. Thanks so much Michael for joining us!
Songs:
Ray Wylie Hubbard - “Bad Trick”
Ray Wylie Hubbard - “Open G”
Ray Wylie Hubbard - “Live and Die Rock and Roll”
Greg stuck around the east coast last week to catch “Roger Waters: This Is Not A Drill” live in Pittsburgh, PA & we get the whole scoop on another “Tales From The Concert”! After learning that Greg & friends would not be going back stage due to COVID protocols, Greg all that was left for the night was to enjoy the show and he did! Waters is notorious for putting on incredibly impressive live shows and this appears to be one of his best. If he’s coming to an arena near you and you needed a nudge, consider this a nudge :-)
Song: Roger Waters - “The Powers That Be”
Nick was hanging with some friends when a particular band came up. It’s not a new band, often appearing in lists alongside Tame Impala & King Gizzard, but always disregarded…entirely due to the band’s name. Rather than get philosophical about all of that, Nick introduces us to the Perth Australia band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.
Songs:
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Cornflake”
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Hymn for a Droid”
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Sherbet Straws”
Jay’s got a new segment up his sleeve! “Independence PAYS” explores artists whose success on their own eclipses that of their previously successful band.
Song: Nat Stuckey - “Don't Pay the Ransom”
The Copyright Board has decided that artists’ royalty rate from streaming services is going up, from 10.5% to 15.1% for 2018-2022. Nick dove in and came away with a question, how profitable should streaming services be? [Variety]
Song: Dutch Uncles - “Brio”
Greg has some fun updates from his July 4th weekend with the Resilient (we added some pictures on the episode page). He also discovered an article by Drew Margery at SFGate that makes the case that The Smile means Radiohead is now done as a band. It’s a bold claim, one we find very difficult to accept…so we discuss. [SFGate]
Song: The Smile - “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings”
Greg introduces us to the very talented producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson. He’s worked with Father John Misty on all of his albums, produced artists like Billy Strings & Dawes, cowrote some music with Erykah Badu and has released 4 albums of solo material. He has a very unique style and sound and is credited with reviving the Laurel Canyon scene, first popularized by Joni Mitchell, CSNY, and others. He’s currently playing with Roger Waters, which is how Greg discovered him and the guys thoroughly enjoyed his tunes.
Songs:
Jonathan Wilson - “Desert Raven”
Dawes - “Time Spent in L.A.”
Jonathan Wilson - “69 Concrete”
Last Thursday, Greg joined Jay, Nick, friends of the show Kresimir Tokic & Gabriel Riccio (and Kresimir’s neighbor Christophe Mondot) for an awesome jam session. We discuss the dynamics, the setup, the mix, the songs… all of it. It was such a rare and wonderful evening that we thought we’d share some of the songs with you guys. Hope you enjoy!
Songs:
Sleepers - “Glaze”
Sleepers - “All Blues”
Sleepers - “Structural Integrity”
Nick spent this past Saturday in South Fork, PA for a family reunion and came away with a sweet cigar box guitar, created by Bruce Standley (his first-cousin-once-removed-in-law…figuring that out took some work ;-). Bruce has been making these for fun for a few years and the result is fantastic. If anyone is interested in learning more, shoot us an email at ysciopodcast@gmail.com and we’ll put you in touch. Then, after apologizing to the relative that he outbid for the guitar (Hi Aunt Amy!), Nick had a delightful conversation about King Gizzard with his second-cousin Chase Gleason, who plays bass and guitar. To sum it all up, Nick just wanted to let everyone know that going to a family reunion and just being present with the relatives around that you’ve never had a chance to get to know is pretty freaking cool. We had lots of good feels this episode!
Song: Tune-Yards - “Bizness”
The San Antonio Symphony, nine months into a labor dispute with the orchestra musicians, decided to dissolve as an organization last week. First opened in 1939, the Symphony has been mired by financial troubles in the past decade, but it makes San Antonio the largest U.S. city without an orchestra. Nick wants to know why this matters and that’s what we discuss… [San Antonio Report]
Song: David Fiuczynski - “Bright Size Life”
Greg is coming off a slew of shows in Western Pennsylvania and was settling down in his parents place in Maryland when he joined us with a brand new in hand. In “Ample Samples” we listen to a song and try and figure out what later song sampled it. Some sound identical to they source and others have been significantly altered, this one was fun, we hope you enjoy.
Original Song -> Sampled Song:
King Floyd - “Please Don’t Leave Me Lonely” -> Wu Tang - “For Heaven’s Sake”
Jackson 5 - “All I Do Is Think of You” -> Jay Dilla - “Time: Donut of the Heart”
B.B. King - “How Blue Can You Get” -> Primitive Radio Gods - “Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand”
Jay came up with a clever variation on “Guess the Guest”, a game where we hear a song and have to name the guest singer or musician. We can’t tell you what the clever variation is, because that would give it away…but we can show the songs he picked. Let us know if you get it before Nick & Greg do…
Songs:
Young MC - “Bust a Move”
Johnny Cash - “Heart of Gold”
Alanis Morissette - “You Oughta Know”
Jay brings us a genuine feel good story this week. World Records, in Bakersfield California, is celebrating its 40th year in business and it is quite a success story. A recent article in SFGate applauds their model and notes they’ve been able to do live music without relying on any major ticketing service. You buy your ticket at the record shop and the show is in the back, it’s pretty sweet!
Song: Joe Maneri - “Paniots Nine”
Nick came across a wild story in Wired this week about a saxophonist that smuggled messages into the USSR via encoded music notation. Merryl Goldberg’s trip makes for quite a story, as the KGB suspects her ensemble is somehow communicating with members of the Phantom Orchestra, but never thought to look closer at the pages of music she had alongside her the whole trip. Check out the story over at Wired.
Song: GoGo Penguin - “The Antidote is in the Poison”
Finally, Greg noticed, on his social feeds, that there seemed to be a lot of music snobbery about kids getting into an old Kate Bush song after it was used in a particular scene in Stranger Things. Feeling like we’re safely on the other side of this 20/30-something phenomenon, we discuss whether we have an issue with discovering music from popular television shows (we don’t), times in our lives when we’ve been the music snob and why we can’t condone it anymore. It was quite an interesting conversation, hope you enjoy! :-)
Songs:
Galactic - “Crazyhorse Mongoose”
Kate Bush - “Running Up That Hill”
Greg spent the weekend at NAMM. This year’s conference was significantly smaller than years past, with some major manufacturer’s opting out of buying a pricey booth. While this is concerning from a ‘Future of NAMM’ standpoint, it made for a better experience and was much less overwhelming. Greg was asked to do an onstage demo of the Versoul Raya Ronnie Wood guitar from the Finnish company Premiere Guitar [YouTube].
Song: Joey DeFrancesco - “Ring a Ding”
Jay’s back with 8Bit, this time we’re listening to the music of the first two Tony Hawk video games. Embodying skate culture’s love of punk, ska & mixtapes, the game felt like hanging out at a skate park. If you spent any significant amount of time playing Tony Hawk, these songs take you back…if you didn’t, it’s out on Switch now! Also, Jay tells us about his recent exploration of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s catalog and why he’s now completely on board the GizzTrain (this is very exciting news!).
Songs:
Bad Religion - “You”
Anthrax & Public Enemy - “Bring the Noise”
Nick is celebrating the fact that, with Greg’s birthday on June 6th behind us, we’ve all crossed the threshold into 40. For a little perspective, and to celebrate our collective milestones, we take a quick look at the music of 1981 & 1982.
Songs:
Kim Carnes - “Betty Davis Eyes”
Survivor - “Eye of the Tiger”
Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather, we’ll be back next week!
We are pleased to bring you the first side of a two-part episode. This week we’re talking with Taejon Romanik of Wild Wild Wets about their new album, ‘Love Always’, released May 27th. We’ll be going through each song, discussing the inspiration and process behind the first five tracks. Listen or buy it on Bandcamp, or stream it on your service of choice, here’s the links for Apple Music, Spotify & YouTube. You should check it out!
Side A:
-
Always Guilty
-
Holding
-
Say So
-
The Cut
-
Carnevale’ (Del Lupo)
We are pleased to bring you the first side of a two-part episode. This week we’re talking with Taejon Romanik of Wild Wild Wets about their new album, ‘Love Always’, released May 27th. We’ll be going through each song, discussing the inspiration and process behind the first five tracks. Listen or buy it on Bandcamp, or stream it on your service of choice, here’s the links for Apple Music, Spotify & YouTube. You should check it out!
Side A:
-
Always Guilty
-
Holding
-
Say So
-
The Cut
-
Carnevale’ (Del Lupo)
Halsey is not happy that her label is holding back her new single because it wants to come up with a viral TikTok video to release alongside. This disgusts Jay, but further digging into how TikTok has become a viable platform to launch a music career (or at least attract some major labels), led him to a bigger question. How is TikTok changing music & what does that mean for musicians?
Song: Little Barrie - “Why Don’t You Do It?”
Nick found Jay’s topic so interesting that he jumped at the opportunity to discuss a new article titled “How NFTs Are Shaping the Way Music Sounds” [Pitchfork]. Much like TikTok has become a viable model for attracting major label attention, NFTs are quickly becoming a viable income for the marketing minded musician. This all led, as these roads so often do, back to whether NFTs can serve any useful purpose in the long run. (We get much further along in the discussion this time.)
Song: The Smile - “Thin Thing”
Greg brings us yet another new bit. It’s so simple, but possibly the purest, most perfect YSCIO bit to date. “Guess the Guest” someone plays a song that features a guest artist & asks if anyone can name the guest artist. No points are allotted, but each right answer yields a solid “Attaboy” (and let’s be honest, those feel great)! :-)
Songs:
David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”
Deftones - “Passenger”
Roger Waters - “What God Wants Part 3”
Greg has a two parter for us this week. First up, we were excited to hear Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit playing “Cover Me Up” at The First Waltz at The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, AL [YouTube]. The impressive venue was designed by Greg’s father, Jeffrey Loman & his associates at David M. Schwartz Architects. They’ve already got a solid summer concert series, check it out!
Right on cue, bird clock chirps us into the second part…with the reverberations of Isbell’s voice still fresh in our ears, we find ourselves somehow back in Birdland. That’s right, The Bird is Back and he’s singing us a song!
Videos:
The bird that sounds like Axel Rose [Facebook]
Dog plays piano and sings [YouTube]
Data Sonification: Black Hole at the Center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster (X-ray) [YouTube Shorts]
Jay was thrilled to listen to the latest Rolling Stones release, “Live At The El Mocambo” from a concert performed in 1977. The band wanted to play a show before their big tour kicked off, so they decided to open for a local band April Wine as “The Cockroaches”. It was a remarkable show and it’s not the only great live album to come from the stage at The El Mocambo. That being the case, we trek up to the Great White North, with Toronto as our destination, for our latest “BienVenue.”
Song: Rolling Stones - Hand of Fate (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)
Last up, we’re diving back into NFTs folks! Let’s call this a NERD ALERT, even if the episode title couldn’t fit it. Nick’s exploring a new service called Sound.xyz. The, self-proclaimed, first artist contract owned NFT music platform, Sound.xyz embraces the hype required to successfully launch an NFT. With only 68 active artists (invite only), it’s in the concept stage, but Nick felt like it was a concept worth exploring, so we do!
Song: - Kendrick Lamar - “Mother I Sober”
By way of “Review the Review” (and with Greg's consent), Nick would like to discuss “Omnium Gatherum” by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It is an adventure ride through KG&LW’s id, where no two, of the sixteen songs, sound alike & the first song is over 18min alone. It seems like those that love KG also love this album & those that don’t hesitate to say so (hence Pitchfork’s 7.3, here’s the review). They are such prolific songwriters & talented musicians that it’s hard not to respect them, whatever your opinion of the output.
Songs:
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Blame It On The Weather”
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Kepler 22B”
Greg has been combing eBay for cool records that would be amazing to add to his collection & taking note of some crazy Buy It Now prices...which is the kind of situation Greg would turn into a bit…Welcome to “Vinyl Fantasy”! Contestants take a guess at the price of some highly collectible records. The closest guess without going over takes the point. Nick & Jay square off on our first of, if the name’s inspiration is any clue, many many iterations to come. Hope you enjoy!
Song: The 1975 - “Heart Out (Live at the O2)”
Jay shared a recent Adam Neely video, detailing how his band, Sungazer, nearly lost $17,000 on a recent tour due to COVID cancellations. Neely cleverly made his video about something else though. Recounting past circumstances where bands have shared financial details from a tour, Neely calls out the perception, as exemplified by the angry comments, that musicians should starve to make a tour work. Should they have to ‘sleep in the van’? Also, given the lost revenue caused by the COVID cancellations (as in, the band members got COVID), should bands even be touring in 2022? Greg shares his thoughts and experiences and we all discuss the inherent problem with expecting adults to sleep poorly in freezing conditions to prove they love playing music. (Here’s the video)
Song: Mickey Gilley - “Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time”
Jay remembers the great Naomi Judd, who passed last week at the age of 76. The matriarch of the mother-daughter country group “The Judds”, Naomi was a driven and talented artist who struggled with severe depression near the end of her life. She became an advocate for mental illness and was inducted the day after her passing to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Songs:
Lizzo - “About Damn Time”
The Judds - “Mama, He’s Crazy”
The Judds - “Rompin’, Stompin’ Bad News Blues”
Nick brings us the latest from Tigran Hamasyan, an album of jazz standards called “StandArt”. Hamasyan’s frenetic energy is on full display and his liberal melodic interpretations of the standards chosen seem to have upset his interviewer over at Bandcamp. You be the judge and let us know what you think!
Songs:
Tigran Hamasyan - “Big Foot”
Elmo Hope - “De-Dah”
Tigran Hamasyan - “De-Dah”
Ella Fitzgerald - “Laura”
Charles Mingus - “Laura”
Tigran Hamasyan - “Laura”
Greg’s got a new bit! Touring across the country, there’s a lot of old historic venues that have amazing stories waiting to be told! Welcome to “BienVenue”, this week we learn about a little gem in Bloomington, Indiana. The Bluebird, capacity ~750 and about 5 blocks from Indiana University Bloomington, has a great atmosphere (even on Dollar beer nights!). It’s also hosted some pretty impressive acts over the years, in part because of it’s location between St. Louis & Cincinnati. Most important, it’s managed to stay open through the pandemic and for that we’re grateful!
Songs:
Lou Reed & John Mellancamp - “Walk On The Wild Side - Live 1987”
Dawes - “Most People - Live 2013”
Sturgill Simpson - “I Never Go Around Mirrors - Live 2017”
Greg follows up on stories from the year past. First up, blowback from Eric Church’s decision to cancel his concert so he could attend the Tarheels Final Four game (Digital Music News) & then we hear how the Neil Young Spotify news affected Joe Rogan’s listener stats (Digital Music News). In the news Mick Jagger names Machine Gun Kelly & Yungblud as Rock & Roll saviors (Rolling Stone). Finally, some news that hits a little closer to home, a Detroit resident is fuming after buying tickets to the “Red Not Chili Peppers” (Detroit News) & Venus Williams offers Greg consolation via Instagram.
Songs:
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Gaia”
Yungblud - “The Funeral”
Jay was in Philly this weekend to see The Darkness perform at Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia. His ears are ringing and his vision is blurry, but he found his way back home and is ready to regale us with another “Tales from the Concert”! We hear about the new venue, get an idea of what standing two rows back from the front of the stage sounds like & get a post-concert interview with Daniel Pflager (Jay’s brother).
Songs:
Richard Thompson - “Streamwalk”
The Darkness - “It’s Love, Jim”
Nick makes good on last week’s promise…we’re playing “Viral or Eyeroll”: Coachella Edition! A rare Jay vs Greg matchup promises an exciting round. Nick’s also had two weeks to come up with the questions and gets carried away really easily…so this is a fun one!
Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Presumptuous”
Wherein Nick is juggling too many things and decides a handful of stories would be fun to share in snippets, it’s News with Nick! Coachella begins, theremins are still a thing, Harlem’s bringing back the Cultural Festival and we have a date on Kendrick Lamar’s new album!
Song: Lothar & The Hand People - “Space Hymn”
Greg is curious how we should remember the late Art Rupe, a record executive responsible for discovering Little Richard, Sam Cooke & many others, who died last week at the age of 104. Mr. Rupe is credited with bringing Rhythm & Blues to the mainstream, but is also famous for being on the unfair side of a notoriously unfair record deal with Little Richard. It’s complicated, but we explore it from different angles and work our way around to something resembling consensus.
Song: Danny Elfman - “Simpsons Theme (Live at Coachella 2022)”
Last up, Jay was fortunate enough to meetup with our good friend Michael Weddington over the Easter weekend and he came home with three boxes of Michael’s old CDs. That means it’s time for another round of “Tape Stash”!
Songs:
Galactic - “Cineramascope”
Maggie Koerner - “He Calls Me Mama”
Johnny Cash - “Time of the Preacher”
Jack White had a big week last week! Last Friday saw the release of his second solo album “Fear of the Dawn”, followed by a performance of the national anthem at the Detroit Tigers opening day game, and ending with an onstage proposal (and subsequent marriage ceremony) at his the first concert of his “Supply Chain Issues Tour”. Jay brings us all the details and then leans into the new solo album, which is spastic, progressive sounding and hard!
Songs:
Jack White - “Taking Me Back”
Jack White - “Hi-De-Ho”
Jack White - “What’s the Trick”
A NY Times article about the German National History Museum’s carefully considered Richard Wagner exhibit got Nick thinking about ways a society can both admire a person’s contributions to the world, while also acknowledging their shortcomings. It’s an interesting conversation and touches on a some current issues still up for debate.
Song: Primus - “Conspiranoia”
Finally, Greg reveals his thoughts and reflections on the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s latest album Unlimited Love. Seeing as Greg will need to learn some, or many, of the songs for the Red Not Chili Peppers, he took many runs at the album before feeling like he was up for a full discussion. That time has arrived and we dig in deep!
Songs:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Aquatic Mouth Dance”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Poster Child”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “The Great Apes”
Nick gives a full recap from the 2022 Grammy’s. Unlike years past, most of the multi-award winning artists have been throughly discussed on the show this past year, including Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, Silk Sonic, and Chris Stapleton. We dig into some of the nominated (and overlooked) songs and artists, and land on ‘tepid optimistic’ about the whole thing going forward.
Song: Silk Sonic - “Leave the Door Open”
Jay picks up where Nick left off, proudly reporting that this year’s “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella” Grammy Award went to The 8-Bit Big Band for a rendition of “Meta Knight’s Revenge” from Kirby Superstar. That can only mean one thing, it’s time for another round of 8Bit: Remakes. Jay presents different artists from different genres with the shared purpose of remaking their favorite music from video games.
Songs:
The 8-Bit Big Band Featuring Button Masher - “Meta Knight's Revenge (From ‘Kirby Superstar’)”
Dr. Pez - “The soundtrack of Ocarina of Time, but it’s a prog rock concept album’
The 8-Bit Big Band - “Want You Gone (From ‘Portal 2’)”
Overclocked Remix - “Triggernometry”
Finally, in celebration of their latest release, Greg brings us another round of “Heavy Rotation” featuring Meshuggah! An extreme metal band from Sweden formed in 1987, these guys have been consistent in their sound and process for nearly 35 years. They’ve decided to embrace that unfaltering track record, calling their latest album “Immutable” & Greg is so smitten! We dive in and discuss the many merits of Meshuggah.
Songs:
Meshuggah - “Broken Cog”
Meshuggah - “God He Sees in Mirrors”
Meshuggah - “New Millenium Cyanide Christ”
Meshuggah - “Ligature Marks”
We begin this week with a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the talented and charismatic drummer for the Foo Fighters, who died unexpectedly last week at the age of 50. It was completely unexpected and tragic and the music community at large seems still to be grappling with the news. Greg takes the reigns…
Songs:
Foo Fighters - “My Hero”
Alanis Morisette - “You Outta Know”
Foo Fighters - “Rope”
Taylor Hawkins Drum Solo
Foo Fighters (with Taylor on vocals) - “Somebody to Love”
Nick read a story about the success that the independent label Wrong Speed Records has found in the 2 years since its founding. It got him thinking about the role of small independent labels in today’s music industry. What is the point of a small label? That’s what we aim to find out and the conservation is pretty interesting!
Song: Black Midi - 21st Century Schizoid Man
Jay doesn’t like jam bands. This statement, possibly an over-generalization, was something Jay felt he’d settled on…until he discovered Goose (he’s definitely a fan). So what’s with this ‘jam band’ genre anyway? Jay digs into the good, the bad and the Dead…
Song: Goose - “So Ready”
For those of you wishing to learn more about A.R.S.E.S. Foundation, please feel free to leave a comment on our website and Jay will get in touch!
Jay has very important news at the top with the announcement that the A.R.S.E.S. movement is upon us! This, so far, boils down to needing a higher quality 1/8” to 1/4” headphone adapters, but Jay sounds pretty serious about it!
For his topic, Jay recently discovered American blues rock guitarist Eric Gales through his latest album “Crown”. A master of his genre and active since 1990, Gales has come a long way and sounds as sharp as ever. Jay catches us up on what we’ve missed in his 32+ year career.
Songs:
Eric Gales - “The Crown”
Eric Gales - “I Want My Crown (feat. Joe Bonamassa)”
Nick found a great article by Giovanni Russonello discussing the thriving jazz scene that’s been happening outside of traditional NYC jazz clubs. As bars and clubs shut down during COVID, the music didn’t stop, it just migrated from homes to restaurants to street corners. He reflects on the qualities of the genre that allow it to thrive in situations like these; revisits the conditions that led to the great influential jazz periods of the past, drawing similarities to today, and he presents a hopeful case that we’re about to enter another. [NY Times]
Song: Derrick Hodge - “The Cost”
Inspired by an article explaining why the 1971 song “Only a Fool Would Say That” by Steely Dan is a scathing rebuke of John Lennon’s whole thing, Greg decided it was time for a new bit! “DISS TRACK” looks at the songs written and performed to bring some one else down a notch (or two). Incidentally, Pusha-T was in the news this week after releasing a McDonald’s ‘diss track’ disguised as an Arby’s ad. Coincidental? Probably.
Songs:
Periphery - “Racecar”
Brad Mehldau - “Racecar”
Pusha T - Arby’s Commercial
Steely Dan - “Only a Fool Would Say That”
Queen - “Death on Two Legs”
Nick pulled together a list of music news articles detailing the various types of responses artists, and the companies that represent them, have had to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. It’s not heavy on discussion, nor is it a topic we usually discuss, but Nick felt like it was too important not to acknowledge...even for a music podcast.
Song: Tigran Hamasyan- “De-Dah”
Greg has uncovered 3 undiscussed DJ Cummerbund gems and that means it’s time for “Bangers & Mashups” Round 5! We listen to three increasingly complicated mashups that Greg (we all) believe are genuinely impressive works of art. Anyone that believes “Black Hole Sun” & “Kiss From A Rose” fit together is an interesting character to follow!
Songs:
DJ Cumberbund - “It’s Not Unusual Dammit”
DJ Cumberbund - “Get Away”
DJ Cumberbund - “Kiss From A Sun”
Jay was saddened to read that the Ernest Tubb Record Shop has been sold, along with the building that it’s occupied since 1951. First opened in 1947 by Ernest Tubb, it helped spread country music by offering a catalog version mailed for record collectors across the country. Ultimately the new ownership, which took over in 2020, couldn’t find a way to keep the store afloat while sitting in a greatly appreciated building on Music Row in Nashville. We discuss where things stands and why this store is such an important piece of American music history.
Song: David Bromberg - “Sharon”
In preparation for 1989’s License to Kill, the second James Bond film featuring Timothy Dalton, composer Michael Kamen invited David Gilmour, Jeff Beck & Eric Clapton to play on the Opening Credit song. Only Eric Clapton showed up and the film went on to use a Gladys Knight song instead and the rest is history…until someone uploaded the original song for the world to hear. Jay, being a huge Clapton & Bond fan, gives us the story.
Songs:
Fantastic Negrito - “Highest Bidder”
Michael Kamen & Eric Clapton - “Lost License to Kill Theme”
Gladys Knight - “License to Kill”
Nick discusses Epic Games’ acquisition of BandCamp and what it bodes for the artist-focused music platform. We get up to speed on the scope of the community’s concerns and speculate heavily as to why this happened in the first place.
Song: Wayne Krantz - “Rushdie”
Finally, Greg’s been having an internal dialogue about repertoire, and whether original music is even worth making. Along the way, he dug up an April 2020 Pitchfork article titled “Why Do We Even Listen to New Music?” and decided this was a topic worth discussing. Greg also makes good money playing in a successful Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. So, that’s the question…Why make new music when no one listens to it and you get paid for playing the music people already love?
Song: Igor Stravinsky - “Rite of Spring (Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra)”
Shortly after recording #133, Greg learned that pioneer Grunge vocalist Mark Lanegan had passed away at 57 from COVID complications. Lead singer for the Screaming Trees, Lanegan was a friend and collaborator with so many great musicians; Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Isobel Campbell (Belle and Sebastian), PJ Harvey, and more. He was considered a true friend to so many musicians, all of which have been expressing condolences and paying tribute since his passing. We discuss it all and pay tribute ourselves, Rest in Power Mark Lanegan!
Songs:
Screaming Trees - “Nearly Lost You”
Mark Lanegan & Kurt Cobain - “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
Queens of the Stone Age - “In The Fade”
Mad Season - “Long Gone Day”
Jay has been enjoying “Earthling”, the latest solo album from Eddie Vedder over the past few weeks…and then he read what Pitchfork had to say. Welcome back to “Review the Review”, where we review someone else’s album review (almost exclusively from Pitchfork). This round we spend most of the time trying to figure what the hell Alfred Soto even thinks about the album in question. [Pitchfork]
Song: Eddie Vedder - “Try”
Nick picks up last week’s discussion about the qualities of an ideal bandleader with the following scenario... so you want to start a band. You've arranged some musicians (maybe friends, maybe strangers) and you're having your first practice in one week. What does that ideal first practice look like and what do you do to prepare?
Song: Mark Guiliana - “Song for Investigating Consciousness”
Another topic inspired by interviews with Jon Batiste, Nick kicks the show off with a question: What makes a good bandleader? We discuss this a good bit and end up working on another question as well, does every band need a leader?
Song: Tame Impala - "The Boat I Row"
Greg was reading a Guitar World interview with Joe Satriani from the week past. In the interview, Satriani is asked what exercises he recommends to students. His response was, essentially, I'm not entirely sure I'm qualified to answer that because a lot of these kids on Instagram "play so much better than I could ever play in terms of speed, dexterity and complexity". He followed that incredible compliment with the suggestion, "Young people have to understand they should spend more time playing music for people and with people because that’s our job as musicians". Do they though? Is Satriani's point valid or is just another Boomer throwing complimentary shade at the next in line?
Song: Joe Satriani - "Surfing With The Alien"
Finally, Jay spent the last week looking at all the Spotify-alternatives he could find. He brings a feature list, price comparison & artists compensation comparisons. Nick & Greg provide anecdotal thoughts about their preferred streaming services, Apple Music & Tidal.
Song: Bernard Purdie - “Soul Drums”
Have any thoughts to share about this episode? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram.
Jay is guest hosting “Viral or Eyeroll” (A Greg Loman Production) today and the topic is Halftime Music History! Greg has been running this game since day 1, but it’s his first time out on the field today. Will it matter? Meanwhile, Nick makes his fifth appearance as a contestant today but, for the audio listeners, is noticeably grayer than when he first played the game. Is he starting to slow down? You’ll have to listen to find out!
Song: Dr. Dre - “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang”
Nick brings us a story from Rolling Stone about the major labels reluctance to participate in the conversation regarding Neil Young’s PR nightmare-of-a-gift to Spotify. It turns out Sony & UMG each hold about 3% ownership in Spotify. So the two largest music record labels have a significant investment stake in Spotify; the primary streaming service that artists have been begging to increase their pay-per-listen rate. This was known but apparently not often discussed, so we discuss it.
Song: Spoon - “The Hardest Cut”
Greg catches us up on 8-shows-in-9-day tour of Florida with the Red Not Chili Peppers. Tons of fun stories, interesting landmarks along the way & the superior value a band gets playing live shows over practicing. There’s always something interesting on the road!
Song: Meshuggah - “The Abysmal Eye”
Greg’s joins us from the tour bus this week and kicks things off with some news from world’s most prestigious music conservatories. Adam Gautille, former hiring coordinator for Berklee School of Music, resigned after unsuccessfully advocating for the musicians and engineers he booked to be paid union wages. A large number of these professionals are former Berklee graduates with a lot of student debt….so this segment touches on a lot of hotly debated topics and we dive in head first. [WBUR Boston]
Song: Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Black Summer”
Jay has a great question for the group: “Name bands or artists you want to like (or have been told you should like) but you just can’t get into”. A great topic, however everyone names at least one band beloved by another, but also some dangerous waters to traverse. It’s a fun a ride :-)
Song: Clarence Carter - “Slip Away”
Finally Nick found a Rolling Stone piece attempting to argue that “…the CD Revival is Finally Here” & everyone laughs at the premise. Also, one of bands Jay just can’t get into happens to be the artist responsible for Nick’s song pick the week…Jay’s still not a fan…maybe next time! [Rolling Stone]
Song: Animal Collective - “We Go Back”
Last week we briefly discussed Neil Young’s decision to remove his music from Spotify and Greg predicted it was going to grow into something bigger. He was right & we dive back into it. Other artists have joined Young, including Joni Mitchell, India Arie, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash & Nils Lofgren. Podcasts such as “Science Vs”, exclusively on Spotify, as well as prominent hosts Brené Brown & Roxanne Gay have also joined the movement (most after we recorded the show). Joe Rogan, host of the Joe Rogan Experience & the target of Young’s ire for his choice in anti-vaccine guests, released a 10min video apology on Instagram…but it doesn’t seem to be slowing down the trend. We discuss whether we agree with the purpose of the movement and where things may go from here.
Song: Ghost Note - “Swagism”
Nick’s eldest son (and past guest) Ciri introduced him to the artist Jack Stauber on a road trip this past weekend. The artist has been counted a member of the microgenre “hypnagogic pop”, alongside a disparate number of other artists that borrow heavily from past 70s & 80s genres. ‘H-pop’, as it’s also called, has been summarily denounced by the vast majority of these artists & it seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring up our new recurring theme “Old vs New Music”.
Songs:
Jack Stauber - “Leopard”
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - “Bright Lit Blue Skies”
Jay is sad to report the loss of another titan in music. Legendary session keyboard player Hargus “Pig” Robbins, a member of "The Nashville A-Team" continued playing until shortly before his passing last week at the age of 84. We listen to a few of his most notable contributions, but we barely scratch the surface of an endless impressive 65 year career. The man was a truly gifted and technically precise performer and the generations of musicians that he influenced will be felt and heard for many years to come.
Also, Jay highly recommends you check out Mdou Moctar playing live in Niger on YouTuhe when you get a chance.
Songs:
Mdou Moctar - "Chismiten"
George Jones - “White Lightning”
Patsy Cline - “I Fall To Pieces”
Charlie Rich - “Behind Closed Doors”
The Atlantic asks “Is Old Music Killing New Music?”, naturally this attracted Jay’s attention, so we dig in…
Song: Sparks - “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us”
Nick lays out the big stories of the week. Taylor Swift is angry tweeting about a slight, Bob Dylan sells his recorded music, Kanye demands final editorial rights to a documentary (no dice), & Neil Young wants off Spotify.
Song: King Crimson - Larks Tongue in Aspic: Part One
When We Were Young is a nostalgia-rich Emo festival coming to Las Vegas this autumn & Greg wants to talk about it… we have little to no love for Emo so…wait, why don’t we love Emo? Let’s listen and discuss…
Songs:
Failure - “Frogs”
My Chemical Romance - “Helena”
Greg brings us a hilarious (and quite popular) post from McSweeney’s titled “What Your Favorite Sad Dad Band Says About You” & it’s a fun read! We visit some of our favorites and take turns picking the closest Sad Dad Band & corresponding description appropriate for each other.
Song: Lenny Breau - “The Claw”
Jay has noticed, over the years, that the year 1972 seemed particularly prolific for music. An article in the San Diego Union Tribune (“Is 1972 the best year ever for great albums?”) validated this hunch. So he posed the question “What’s the best year ever for great albums?” and we had ourselves a debate! Greg brings a strong case for 1991 & Nick devised a methodology that led him to 1970. What do you think? Tell us on Facebook.
Songs:
Rod Stewart - “True Blue”
Ornette Coleman - “Civilization Day”
Nick went on a Nate Wood expedition following last week’s episode and stumbled upon an incredible jazz pianist named Tigran Hamasyan. Born and raised in Armenia, with a dream of becoming a thrash metal guitarist, Tigran took to the piano at a very young age & his family relocated to California in his teenage years so that he’d have the best opportunity at reaching his potential. His mastery of rhythm and harmonic structure are something worth noticing. Hope you enjoy!
Songs:
Tigran Hamasyan - “Vardavar”
Tigran Hamasyan - “Vortex (feat. Tosin Abasi)”
Tigran Hamasyan - “Levitation 21”
Nick’s been chewing on a story from Pitchfork last month about Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ian Urbina’s yet-to-be-profitable revenue sharing venture with a few hundred artists…some of which turn out to be equal parts angry and loud. It, uh, hasn’t gone well. [Pitchfork]
Song: The Smile - “You Will Never Work In Television Again”
Greg read an article that provided some context to Nick’s segment last week about venues receiving COVID-19 relief funds and remaining open; according to the Wall Street Journal, venues have reported seeing No-Show rates as high as 20% in the last year. With a large percentage of their revenues coming from food and alcohol sales, many venues are struggling to make ends meet… [WSJ]
Song: Kneebody - “Lowell”
Jay brings us the story behind an amazing 30 minutes of footage from the infamous 1969 Altamont Free Concert that was released this week by the Library of Congress. The film, captured by an audience member on a silent 8mm camera, provides little clarity into the death of Meredith Hunter, but does feature remarkable closeup footage of the artists present for the show.
Song: CAN - “Brighton 75 Vier - Live”
Bruce Springsteen lands a $500 million deal with Sony for the rights to his masters and back-catalog, becoming the latest artist to cash out amid the entertainment industry’s scramble to acquire content. Jay brings us the details…
Song: John Scofield - “Bartender’s Blues”
Nick brings us an update on the Save Our Stages Act, the portion of the COVID-19 Relief bill that passed in 2020. Many clubs had already closed their doors by the time funding rolled out, but over 4800 independent venues around the country have received 13 of the 16 billion promised to keep their operations alive…
Song: Kid Ory’s Sunshine Orchestra - “Ory’s Creole Trombone”
Greg’s back with another 8Bit, our segment exploring music in video games. This round we’re listening to the music of the wildly successful indie game Cuphead, a run-and-gun game inspired by the rubber hose animation style used in early 20th century animation. The 1930s inspired jazz soundtrack, composed by Kristopher Maddigan, has an incredible energy that fits perfectly alongside the gameplay…
Songs:
Cuphead OST (Kristofer Maddigan) - “Sugarland Shimmy”
Cuphead OST (Kristofer Maddigan) - “Victory Tune”
Cuphead OST (Kristofer Maddigan) - “Shootin n' Lootin'”
Happy New Year!! We each present our top three albums of the past year and then, for possibly the only time, arrive at a consensus pick for YSCIO’s Album of the Year! Thank you so much for listening, we’ll be back in 2022!
Did we miss your favorite album of the year? Shoot us your pic on Instagram @youshouldcheckitout (or yell about it on Facebook) :-)
Happy Holidays! Thanks so much for joining us for our 3rd Annual Holiday Extravaganza! The song topic for this year’s episode is Winter Songs…and the complete liberty to interpret that however you like. We also check back in with Van Morrison, get Paul McCartney’s thoughts on “Get Back” and even exchange some gifts! We hope you enjoy!
Songs:
Simon & Garfunkel - “Hazy Shade of Winter”
Black Sabbath - “Snowblind”
Frank Zappa - “Nanook Rubs It”
Fleet Foxes - “White Winter Hymnal”
Dr. John - “Cold Shot”
Bon Iver - “Creature Fear”
Wherever you are & whomever you’re with, Happy Holidays!
Jay’s bringing Top of the Charts back & it’s not a close game…
Song: The Staple Singers - “Freedom Highway”
Nick talks a lot about Elvin Jones…
Songs:
Sonny Rollins - “Softly As The Morning Sunrise (Live)”
Wayne Shorter - “Wild Flower”
John Coltrane - “A Love Supreme, Pt. 3 - Persuance”
Greg plays us variations of the Benny Golson standard “Along Came Betty” in our latest bit “Like a Version”…
Songs:
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - “Along Came Betty”
Pat Martino - “Along Came Betty”
Anthony Braxton - “Along Came Betty”
Tito Puente - “Along Came Betty”
Greg returns back from his gig in Dubai with the details of his incredible trip. Song: Rodrigo Amarante - “Tuyo (Narcos Theme Song)”
Meanwhile, Jay’s been so excited to discuss “The Beatles: Get Back” and Greg was able to catch the first two of three episodes on his flight over…it’s time for another film review! Song: Kaidi Tathom - “Try n Follow”Finally, the premise of a recent RS article about bands reuniting gave Nick the idea for the question that we close on this episode. What band would most like to see reunite? Song: Límbico - “Outono”
We’ve never had a reason to discuss Adele, but the new album is making too many waves not to discuss it…so it’s time to talk Adele. Nick tackles this one…
Songs:
Adele - “I Drink Wine”
Adele - “Woman Like Me”
Adele - “To Be Loved”
Greg’s luckily keeping it light with his newest bit “Manor Mijor”. If you’ve never seen or heard it, there’s a remix-offshoot of YouTube from around 2013 that was dedicated to altering existing songs from minor to major keys (&/or vice versa). It’s both hilarious and a little disorienting…and quite fun. Hope you enjoy!
Songs:
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion in a Major Key
Michael Jackson - Beat It in a Major Key
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Are In A Major Key
Finally, as part of the 20th Anniversary nod to Kid A/Amnesiac, Radiohead decided to celebrate the art created for the albums with a museum exhibition in London. A global pandemic hit and ongoing location issues eventually led the band to pivot to a virtual experience. Jay tells us all about it with another round of 8Bit: KID A MNESIA EXPEDITION
Song: Billy Strings - “Know It All”
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! First and foremost, thank you for listening! Let us know what albums or music you’re thankful for over at our Facebook page. Here’s our 2021 list:
Jay’s Songs:
Derek Trucks - "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free"
Hardwell - "We Are Legends"
Staple Singers - "Respect Yourself"
Nick’s Songs:
Nate Smith - “Altitude"
Rush - “Manhattan Project”
Jon Batiste - “Freedom”
Greg’s Songs:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Purple Stain"
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - "Automation"
Benny Golson and The Philadelphians - "Stablemates"
Greg’s on a metal kick & has some new albums to share at the top of this week’s episode. We’ve got a theme song for these types of situations, so we’re at episode two of “Heavy Rotation”. This time around: Archspire is insane, Idles is dark & Nirvana rocks!
Songs:
Idles - “The Wheel”
Archspire - “A.U.M.”
Nirvana - “Negative Creep (Live in Tokyo)”
Jay’s ideal working music could be described as “moderately interesting instrumental” and Spotify tossed him “Mountain Banjo” by Rhiannon Gibbons and there was something familiar about the song…so he switches over to Spotify and sees that it’s from the Red Dead Redemption 2 Soundtrack. Boom, just like that and we’re into a new episode of “8Bit”! Rockstar Games takes the music in their games so seriously that they recently created a record label and are dropping music from their label in their own games’ updates. A few years back they engaged Daniel Lanois to compose the music of RDR2 in collaboration with some really talented artists and that’s the topic this round!
Songs:
Willie Nelson - “Cruel World”
Rhiannon Gibbons - “Mountain Banjo”
D’Angelo - “Unshaken”
Nick is super psyched about Silk Sonic. Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak went all out to create an authentic funk experience, even enlisting Bootsy Collins as the album’s guide & narrator. Greg quipped that there isn’t a moment in the album where they don’t do exactly what they should have done…which is to say, it is a fun listen, pure and simple!
Songs:
Silk Sonic - “777”
Silk Sonic - “Smokin Out the Window”
First things first, Happy 40th Birthday Jay!
So that’s the good news…then Nick kicks off the show with a thorough discussion of the AstroWorld Festival disaster. How much responsibility does Travis Scott bear for the eight killed and hundreds injured? Could he or the venue have prevented it or stopped it once things were clearly out of hand? Could anyone? It’s all up for discussion right now as details are still emerging & investigations continue, but the feeling that this was entirely preventable persists.
Song: Geese - “Low Era”
Greg pulls us out of the weeds with a report from the Nov 3 Tame Imapala show at the Hollywood Bowl. Then, back on familiar ground, we dive into another episode of Review The Review. This time we’re reviewing Pitchfork’s review of Pink Floyd’s 1971 album Meddle. Falling squarely between the departure of the band’s founder Syd Barrett & their iconic 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon, the album sounds today like the transition album that it truly was. The review is, to be honest, fantastic and provides a complete accounting of the songs’ origins, as well as a deep analysis of the band members state of mind and creativity as they figure out how to make music without the eccentric, brilliant & deeply troubled Barrett at the helm. [Pitchfork]
Song:
Tame Impala - “Mind Mischief” Live Versions
Pink Floyd - “Echoes”
Jay wraps things up with the news that Radiohead has just released Kid A Mnesia, a triple album with remastered versions of their monumental records Kid A & Amensiac & a bonus album of additional material from those sessions. They sound as beautifully disorienting and haunting as they did when they first dropped 20 years ago. True masterpieces.
Songs:
Radiohead - “Pulk/Pull - True Love Waits Version”
Radiohead - “Fog Again Again Version”
Jay discovered the yet-to-be-watched Tom Dowd & the Language of Music in his collection recently and decided to give it a shot. A documentary made in 2003, the film is about the gifted and charismatic multi-instrumentalist and physicist turned legendary recording engineer & producer, Tom Dowd. Jay couldn’t say enough about the film and Greg recalls seeing it shortly after it’s release and concurs. We’re definitely adding this the YSCIO movie list!
Songs:
Tragically Hip - "New Orleans Is Sinking" (Hi Susan!)
Wilson Pickett - "Something You Got"
Nick saw the news that The National is releasing its entire catalog on BandCamp, a few weeks following a similar announcement from Radiohead. Alongside an article by Mark Mulligan on by Midia Research back in June titled “How Bandcamp could really fix the music business” [link], the topic seemed ripe for the picking. So today we discuss BandCamp and how it does (and could) fit in an artist’s strategy to achieving a livable wage creating and performing music.
Song: Thee Sacred Souls - “It’s Our Love”
Shortly before recording, we learned that legendary jazz guitarist & composer Pat Martino passed away at the age of 77. Greg grew up idolizing Mr. Martino, who retained his incredible skills well into his 70s, and shares some really personal stories, including meeting and even receiving a lesson from the legend. It’s another tough loss, but this one seemed to hit deeper. He will be missed
Songs:
Pat Martino - “Just Friends”
Pat Martino - “Minority”
A new 1965 recording of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”, recorded live in Seattle WA, was released earlier this week and has been making waves in the jazz world. Greg brings us the story behind the original album, which was considered a masterpiece almost immediately after its initial release (also in 1965). Coltrane, who died of liver cancer in 1967, refused to play his pivotal work in the years following its release, making this new release a true rarity.
Songs:
John Coltrane - “A Love Supreme, Pt. 1 - Acknowledgement”
John Coltrane - “A Love Supreme, Pt. 4 - Psalm”
Jay brings us some new music to sample this week. We listen to some songs and discuss new albums from My Morning Jacket, La Luz, and Parquet Courts. Also, catch Jay this Saturday playing with the Janine Wilson Band live on Facebook.
Songs:
La Luz - “In the Country”
My Morning Jacket - “Lucky to be Alive”
Parquet Courts - “Walking at a Downtown Pace”
To wrap up this week, Nick presents the following questions to the group for discussion: How important is it to know the jazz greats to appreciate jazz? It’s a great discussion, prompted by the first episode of new series by Radiolab called Mixtape. Hope you enjoy!
Song: Dismemberment Plan - “Time Bomb”
We’re pleased to be joined by Victor Mitrani this week to discuss his new self-titled album “Little Oil”. Written and recorded at home during the pandemic, Victor laid down most of the acoustic guitar and vocals in one take with one mic. Additional instruments (mostly drums, bass, backup vocals and some more guitars) were layered on remotely & it was mixed by our good friend Kresimir Tokic (Happy Birthday Buddy!). The result is an energetic, acoustic guitar driven blend of punk, indie and blues. Most important, he’s a joy to talk to and it was great having him on. Check it out over at Little Oil’s Bandcamp Page
Songs:
Little Oil - “So I Called His Name”
Little Oil - “First Comes Walking”
Little Oil - “Through the Trees”
Little Oil - “Friends”
We catch up with Greg in Key West, a few shows into a stretch of tour dates with the Red Not Chili Peppers. The day before he had a chance to land front row tickets to Pat Methany at Orchestra Hall in Detroit MI & was absolutely blown away. Listening to Greg describe seeing this incredibly important personal influence is a treat, hope you enjoy!
Song: Sugar - “Your Favorite Thing”
Shortly following the 2020 US Elections, Jason Isbell tweeted that if Georgia went to Joe Biden, he’d record an album of Georgia related covers. Good on his word, the album is out and Jay is loving it.
Song: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - “Sometimes Salvation”
Greg (Not Pete) is back with three new clips for our 4th round of “Bangers & Mashups”! First up, the incredibly talented Bill McClintock carefully weaves together two disparate sounding songs, “I Can't Get Closer For That” is the result. DJ Cummerbund returns with “Another One’s Hot In Here” and we’re left with “Sein of Blue” by Zach Lapidus. Greg is also touring a lot the next couple months with the Red Not Chili Peppers, catch him if you get a chance!
Jay gives us the story behind Les Paul’s ‘Number One’, the first Gibson Les Paul prototype that he approved himself. The guitar was put up for auction at Christie’s, estimated to sell between $100,000-$150,000. Les Paul, with help from his personal luthier Tom Doyle, spent the next 57 years modifying and tweaking the guitar, constantly seeking to improve its sound and resonance. Following the episode, the auction on this rare instrument ended, with the final price of $930,000. [Yahoo! News]
Songs:
Fleetwood Mac - “Need Your Love Tonight”
Les Paul - “How High The Moon”
Pitchfork, celebrating their 25th Anniversary, has decided the time for some introspection and self-awareness has arrived and they’ve rescored 19 reviews that they believe they’d gotten wrong. Nick felt he could both defend Pitchfork’s reputation while poking fun at each of the rescores. Jay feels this is another step towards vindicating his visceral dislike of the website & Greg (Not Pete) feels like we’re watching a bully discover they’re a bully. All points are valid and we have a fun chat about it along the way! :-)
Song: BADBADNOTGOOD - “Signal from the Noise”
Everything Everything released their first album Man Alive back in 2010 & Nick, who discovered them last Thursday, was an immediate fan. After a few listens, he decided to see what his old pals at Pitchfork had to say about this (still) fresh debut from a talented bunch of musicians; he did not like what he found. This week, Nick’s admiration for the crew at Pitchfork is put to the test. [Man Alive Pitchfork Review]
Songs:
Everything Everything - “Schoolin”
Everything Everything - “Weights”
Dr. Lonnie Smith passed away last week at the age of 79 & Greg brings us a remembrance. An American jazz Hammond B3 organist, Smith merged jazz, funk, and soul as both a member of the George Benson Quartet (among other groups) and as a bandleader in his own right. He continued recording well into 2021 and his illness and subsequent passing came quickly. He’ll be greatly missed and Greg’s queued up a handful of his many gems to share his appreciation of his music.
Songs:
Dr. Lonnie Smith - “Scream (Live at Club Mozambique, Detroit, 1970)”
Lou Donaldson - "Alligator Bogaloo”
Dr. Lonnie Smith - “Sunshine Superman (feat Iggy Pop)”
Finally, a question about The Beatles. Well, first let’s listen to "Hey Bulldog" and then get some assumptions out of the way:
-The Beatles are as close to universally loved as any band in history.
-The Beatles are one of the largest influences on popular music in the latter-20th and 21st centuries.
-They’re respected on a musical, cultural and technical level by the vast majority of musicians and non-musicians alike.
-With the exception of Drake fans, no one thinks The Beatles were just a bunch of hacks that got lucky.
Okay, so the question: Were The Beatles successful because of their early teeny-bopper appeal or did stars truly align to make them a once-in-a-century phenomenon? Followup question, will we ever see something like them again? The guys discuss.
Also, Greg’s going to be on tour with The Red Not Chili Peppers over next couple weeks, check them out if they’re playing nearby!
Jay catches us up on his week with the latest “Tales From The Concert”. We hear about the Janine Wilson band’s performance on the VIP Stage at the Jiffy Lube Arena last Wednesday, with The Black Crowes as the main attraction for the evening…then we’re on to the Outlaw Music Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion. It’s great that live music is back!
Song: Sungazer - “Threshold”
Nick wants to talk about predictive algorithms… NERD ALERT!!!! How do streaming services predict songs we’ll like? We discuss it at length.
Song: Fruit Bats - “The Balcony”
Greg brings us a past due acknowledgement & appreciation with Rolling Stones late drummer Charlie Watts. A jazz drummer first, Watts was approached by longtime touring saxaphonist Tim Ries to play on an album of jazz renditions of Stones hits. We talk about Charlie & give it a listen. Rest in Power Charlie Watts!
Song: The Rolling Stones Project - “Honky Tonk Woman”
Greg kicks things off with a cool explanation of John Coltrane’s “Countdown” (and it’s inspiration, Miles Davis’s “Tune Up”) & we even get a fantastic demonstration on guitar. Moving onto his topic, news that the Red Hot Chili Peppers previous guitarist Josh Klinghoffer will be joining Pearl Jam as a touring guitarist dropped and this story struck all the right nerves. We discuss Klinghoffer’s work prior to and including his 10 year stint with RHCP and his new gig as the third guitarist for Pearl Jam.
Songs:
John Coltrane - “Countdown”
Miles Davis - “Tune Up”
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Dark Necessities”
Following last week’s discussion of the VMAs, Jay decided we should all embark on a collective journey into the music atop the Top 40. It is a journey and Greg’s disdain for Drake lights the way. Welcome aboard!
Songs:
Bela Fleck - “Slippery Eel (feat. Billy Strings & Chris Thile)”
Drake - “Way Too Sexy”
Justin Bieber and The Kid LAROI - “Stay”
Glass Animals - “Heat Waves”
Doja Cat - “Need to Know”
Finally, after a long wait and two false starts, Donda has been released and Nick is ready to talk about it. Everyone gave it a listen and everyone’s got thoughts to share.
Kanye West - “Hurricane”
Kanye West - “God Breathed”
Kanye West - “New Again”
It’s Nick’s topic but everyone helps fill out a discussion on the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. The show was a bit of a mess and the majority of the performances were lackluster, but DJ Cummerbund took home an award, so we have that to celebrate!
Song: Phox - “Kingfisher”
Coming off the great conversation with Honest Lee last week, Greg’s been keeping an eye out for other tribute albums & The Metallica Blacklist just dropped last week. A tribute to Metallica’s Black Album, celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary this year, it contains over 4 hours of covers by a wild range of artists. We listen to a few and discuss how The Black Album changed Metallica’s trajectory and opened them up to a much wider audience.
Songs:
Miley Cyrus - “Nothing Else Matters (feat. WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith)”
Corey Taylor - “Holier Than Thou”
Mac DeMarco - “Enter Sandman”
Finally, Jay uses the just released Pat Metheny Side-Eye V1.IV live album to come clean about his lifelong dislike of Metheny’s sound. He has recently come around though on Metheny’s 1976 breakthrough Bright Size Life. This album was hugely influential for Greg and he’s been trying to get Jay to listen to it for years. Mission Accomplished.
Songs:
Pat Metheny - “It All Starts When We Disappear”
Pat Metheny - “Bright Size Life”
This week we’re joined by Mylie (Honest Lee) Durham IV. Lee is a Maryland native, a drummer (formerly of Funk Ark with Greg), and co-founder of Growroom Productions. He’s here to talk about his latest project, a song-for-song cover of Morphine’s 1993 “Cure For Pain” in its entirety. We begin the discussion with the original album and the unique and full sound Morphine were able to achieve with only drums, a sax, and a two-string bass. With such sparse instrumentation the album relies heavily on the quality of the songwriting, which is incredible.
On and off over the past 8 years, Lee has played with the idea of recreating the album. Faced with a global pandemic and a recently completed backyard studio, he got to work soliciting tracks from his musician friends and acquaintances & it’s finally complete! A song-for-song cover of the classic album, featuring a handful of DC's most prestigious acts, luminaries from the Growroom Galaxy, and one of NYC's most eccentric bandleaders. It’s worth checking out & you can buy it here!
Songs:
Morphine - “Thursday”
Morphine - “Cure For Pain”
Deborah Bond & the Compellers - “Cure For Pain”
Gordan Sterling & Candice Mills - “Let’s Take a Trip Together”
Honest Lee ft Frank Mitchell - “I’m Free Now”
Backbeat Underground ft Brother GoodLove - “Buena”
MKMKMK - “All Wrong”
For the past four years, Greg has been playing the role of John Frusciante (“Non Frusciante”) in the Red Not Chili Peppers. This past weekend, they played at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center & Nick drove up to check out the show. The segment begins and ends with a retelling of the evening’s adventures, with a solid “what it’s like playing in a tribute band” discussion smack in the middle.
Song: Morphine - “Buena”
Greg brings us two new albums to check out this week. Halsey created a tight & unsettling vibe on “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”, produced by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. Halsey delivers an albums worth of powerful songs and it’s particularly worth a listen if you like what Reznor & Ross do with most of the music they touch. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s Turnstile deliver a perfect end-of-the-summer bright and heavy rock album with “Glow On”. Greg’s particularly excited about this album and we discuss the bands rise in ranks alongside Power Trip & Code Orange.
Songs:
Halsey - “Girl is a Gun”
Turnstile - “Blackout”
Jay, joining us from his vacation in Ocean City, wants to talk about Robert Plant. In the years since Led Zeppelin broke up, Plant has produced 11 solo albums. Jay recently decided to give some a try and was immediately impressed by the quality of the songwriting. The experience has left him inspired by Plant’s burning desire to rediscover himself in his music and constantly rethink his sound. It’s a great conversation.
Songs:
Robert Plant - “29 Palms”
Robert Plant - “Freedom Fries”
We learned the news of Charlie Watts passing the day after this was recorded. He was a legend of a drummer and his influence will be heard for generations to come. Rest in Power Charlie Watts.
Jay brings us the news that Tom T. Hall, country music’s “Storyteller”, died at his home in Tennessee last week at the age of 85. His career as a songwriter began in the 1960’s, but his songs, which told rich and complex stories in 3 minutes or less, live on to this day. He will truly be missed. Thank you for the stories Mr. Hall!
Songs:
Sturgill Simpson - “Juanita”
Tom T. Hall - The Year That Clayton Delaney Died
Tom T. Hall - The Ballad of Forty Dollars
Tom T. Hall - Fox on the Run
Nick decided it’d be better to get this over with while the iron’s hot, so the guys continue their in-depth discussion of Trout Mask Replica. We dig a little deeper into how it was made, why it’s considered a masterpiece, who it’s influenced and whether the band deserves more credit than Captain Beefheart for its place in music history.
Songs:
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Hair Pie: Bake 2
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Pachuco Cadaver
If you haven’t heard of Daptone Records or the recordings they’ve released in the 20 years since its founding, this is your lucky day! Greg was reading an excerpt of an upcoming book in Rolling Stone about Charles Bradley & Daptone Records (Rolling Stone) & decided it was time to share with us a label that is near and dear to his heart. “It Ain’t Retro: Daptone Records and the 21st-Century Soul Revolution” is available now and tells how artists like Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, Antibalas, Menahan Street Band have helped bring about a modernized soul and funk revival. The music is incredible, seriously though, you should check it out!
Song:
Charles Bradley - “Changes”
The Budos Band - "Ride or Die"
The Daktaris - “Eltsuhg Ibal Lasiti”
The Frightnrs - “All My Tears”
With the news that “Trout Mask Replica” by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band had finally arrived to streaming services, Greg decided it was time to take the dive. We’ll cover that next week, but this week we dip our toes in the wildly creative and experimental masterpiece released in 1969 & produced by Frank Zappa. It’s a superbly challenging listen the first few times, but so many interesting and respected artists and creators swear its a masterpiece.
Songs:
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - “Frownland”
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - “Veteran’s Day Poppy”
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - “Dali’s Car”
Jay is pumped to bring us a long awaited second round of “8 Bit” & he’s even got a theme!! This week we dive into a 2009 Kickstarter project called “Kind of Bloop” (kindofbloop.com), a track-by-track homage to Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” orchestrated for the NES sound emulator. It’s…well, you’ll hear…it’s a cool idea & we have nothing but respect for the artists that worked through that process out of respect for the original material. However, this isn’t even the main story. It seems that the organizer, while managing to go through the proper channels and secure the rights to the music, neglected to run the pixel art version of the album’s cover by the Photographer. A few years later & it’s been settled out of court, with the project’s creator paying the photographer $32,500 & agreeing to cease using the pixel art cover… there’s a lot to discuss.
Song: Joe Cocker - “You Can Leave Your Hat On”
Last up, Nick brings us the news that Live Nation will be requiring all artists, staff & attendees be vaccinated or show proof of a negative Covid-19 test from within 72 hours of the show. While some consider it a controversial position for a company to take, we all agreed that this was entirely good news!
Song: Pinegrove - “Darkness”
After a second listening party and another subsequent release date missed, Kanye West’s “Donda” is all over the music news. Nick’s feeling like this is all looks like marketing, but it’s unclear whether that’s intentional or accidental. Regardless, we’re talking about it again…
Song: Paranoid Void - “Karma No Inu”
Greg’s been practicing a new technique on his Abasi 7-string guitar that his friend and “Animals As Leaders” founder and lead guirarist Tosin Abasi gave him. The technique is similar to the one Victor Wooten uses on bass, where the thumb, in one fluid motion, hits the intended string and comes back up to hit the same string again. Adding the left hand hammer-ons and some extra fingers yields all sorts of interesting combinations… and Greg gives us a demo live. It’s great!
Songs:
JAWNY - “Take It Back”
Animals As Leaders - “Infinite Regression”
Animals As Leaders - “The Woven Web”
Jay was dismayed to hear that Rolling Stone’s drummer Charlie Watts would be missing his first tour since joining in 1962 as he’s recovering from a medical procedure (but is doing well). Naturally the next question is, who the heck is filling in? Luckily they’ve booked the great Steve Jordan and we explore this drummer’s style and past to decide whether he’ll make the cut (spoiler: yeah, this is good, Jay’s excited).
Songs:
Big Thief - “Not”
BB King - “Ain’t Nobody Home”
Donald Fagen - “Walk Between Raindrops”
John Mayer - “Waiting on the World to Change”
John Mayer (Live) - “Wait Until Tomorrow”
Jay brings two Prince related items to the table this episode. First up, we listen to a track from “Welcome 2 America”, the first Prince album released posthumously. We discussed this back in Episode 15 when it was announced that the estate would be releasing material from the archive. We were for it then & we stand by that position now. Next up, Prince’s youngest three siblings have sold their rights to the estate to a large NY publisher that plans to use his music for licensing and promotional deals while the oldest three siblings maintain ownership and vow to keep Prince’s legacy intact….so there’s also that to keep an eye on...
Song: Prince - Check The Record
Following “Lost in the Shuffle” last week, Nick decided it was time for a discussion about time…specifically time signatures. How do you determine a time signature when you can divide time infinitely? So we jump into it. What’s 6/8 feel like & how is it different than 3/4? What about odd time signatures, how do you figure those out?
Song: Haitus Kaiyote - Chivalry Is Not Dead
Last up Greg brings us news from the week. ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill passed at the age of 69, ending the band’s 51 year run as the longest surviving band with its original members intact. We also lost the incredibly talented drummer Joey Jordison, most known as the original drummer for Slipknot. They’ll both be missed greatly!
Songs:
Bob Dylan/George Harrison - If Not For You (Live)
ZZ Top - “I Thank You/Waitin' for the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago”
Slipknot - Eyeless
This week, as Greg rounds up his recent tour exhausted and anxious to get home. Meanwhile, he’s had a segment idea where we discuss what a “shuffle” rhythm is and listen to examples…so he’s combined the two and calls the whole segment “Lost in the Shuffle”. He’s really on fire with the named bits so we’re happy to have the streak extended. We’re also excited to dig into shuffle rhythms. What are they exactly? We listen to some examples, disagree a bit and then return back to a conclusion by the end.
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Over & Over Again
Jellyfish - “New Mistake”
Toto - “Rosanna”
Steely Dan - “Home At Last”
Jay was inspired by something Greg said last week when he mentioned the notion of a personal Mount Rushmore of Musicians. Feeling the scope was possibly too broad and personal, Jay’s decided to challenge the team to come up with a Mount Rushmore of Jazz as a group. It was quite enjoyable, we’re sure we’ve left out a bunch of big names, focused too much on the 50s-60s, etc etc…. You’ll have to listen for the results, but we’ll leave the comments on the episode’s page open. Agree? Disagree? Offended? Let us know!
Song: David Bowie - “Be My Wife”
Nick gives us a long awaited Kanye West update. Kanye’s been tweeting about a new album lately and last Friday he held a listening party at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The album was scheduled to drop at midnight the same night, but still hadn’t appeared in streaming services at the time this episode was recorded. According to reports, a song featuring Jay-Z, newsworthy for the event, was being recorded earlier that day….and this confirms Nick’s suspicions that Kanye is the most confident individual that the music industry has ever seen.
Song: Low - “Days Like These”
Nick shares remembrances for two artists that passed away last week. Biz Markie was a rapper & producer known for his humor and positivity. The outpouring from fans & fellow artists is an incredible testament to his artist importance and legacy. We also remember Robby Steinhardt, the co-founder, co-vocalist & violinist for the band Kansas. His contribution as a violinist helped distinguish Kansas’ sound and his energy on tour helped build the fanbase that’s kept them going nearly 50 years.
Songs:
Biz Markie - “Just a Friend”
Kansas - “Song For America”
Greg caught a new documentary on YouTube called “Jaco Pastorious: The Lost Tapes”, but he doesn’t recommend it if you’re not already a fan. Instead, he recommends listening to Jaco…which we proceed to do without complaint. In other news, Last week John Mayer released “Sob Rock”, his 8th studio album. Many early reviews tread cautiously, but our friends at Pitchfork gave us a little something to work with so Greg decided it was time to bring back “Review The Review”! [Pitchfork]
Songs:
Jaco Pastorius - “Crisis”
John Mayer - “Shot in the Dark”
Jay loves the new Wallflowers album “Exit Wounds” & so do a lot of typically harsh hipster music critics. This is worth noting.
Rick Rubin takes a deep dive into Paul McCartney’s memory of his days in the Beatles & Wings in the new Hulu Series McCartney 3,2,1. This leads to a lengthy discussion about bass in which no bassists were permitted to participate, apologies for that.Last up, Thunder Road’s opening line has been unequivocally settled and “Mary’s dress sways”.
Have a great week everyone!
Song: Wallflowers - “Maybe Your Heart’s Not In It No More”
Jay was absolutely blown away by the documentary “Summer of Soul”, now available on Hulu. Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson’s directorial features clips from the little known Harlem Cultural Festival that occurred over six weeks during the summer of ’69 in Harlem. Given Jay’s glowing review & the musicians featured in the film, we strongly recommend anyone remotely interested give this film a solid watch!
Songs:
Stevie Wonder - It’s Your Thing
Gladys Knight & The Pips - Heard It Through The Grapevine
In 1979, John Lennon was at a NYC Disco when he heard the B-52’s “Rock Lobster” & decided that the music he & Yoko had made from 69-74 was ready for a bigger audience. He & Yoko hit the studio and recorded “Double Fantasy”. It was hours after signing a copy of said album that Lennon’s assassin shot him in the back in front his apartment building. It’s a moment in music history and Nick thought it was a good story to dig into for an otherwise quiet week.
Song: Nate Smith - Square Wheel
Greg is back with Round 3 of “Bangers & Mashups”! This week, a rarity, where the sum of the parts nearly exceed the originals as Brittany sits in with the Deftones. Next we hear Bill Withers collaborate with Pantera and we also get DJ Cumberbund’s BlitzMMMBop. We hope you enjoy!
We’re all together this week to record our 100th episode! We got the kids together, we swam in the pool at Nick’s childhood home, and we listened to some songs of summer. This one doesn’t follow our normal format but we had a great time doing it! We hope you enjoy it too!
Lots of Songs:
-The Loving Spoonful - “Summer in the City”
-
Joe Satriani - “Summer Song”
-
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - “Catching Smoke”
-
Blues Traveler - “Run Around”
-
Pearl Jam - “Alive”
-
Outkast - “Hey Ya”
-
Jonathan Thulin - “Hat Trick” feat. Derek Minor (and Ben Rossman)
-
Queens Of The Stone Age - “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer”
-
Incubus - “Aqueous Transmission”
-
Incubus - "Summer Romance (Anti Gravity Love Song)"
Before we kick things off, Jay shares the news about the birth of his daughter, Ava Marie Rossman!
Greg brings us some sad news with the loss of Blackalicious founder and rapper Gift of Gab & he’s decided it’s time to name his frequent hip hop segments. “Rap It Up” features hip hop news or highlights an element of rap that Greg loves and appreciates. We celebrate Gift of Gab’s gift for gab by listening back to a classic track.
Song: Blackalicious - “Alphabet Aerobics”
Jay decided to take this week to explore songs that artists wrote for their son or, particularly in this case, daughter. We go through our favorites and listen to a handful. It’s all in celebration of the arrival of Ava Marie, born last Tuesday, June 22nd. Welcome to the world Ava!
Songs:
Bob Dylan - “Forever Young”
Ben Folds - “Gracie”
Stevie Wonder - “Isn’t She Lovely”
For our ninety-ninth & final 90s episode, Nick brings us the music of 1999. Browsing the charts, it doesn’t look like an impressive year, but 1999 included some very important and influential music (at least to Nick) and we listen to a lot of it.
Songs:
Liquid Tension Experiment - “When the Water Breaks”
Dismemberment Plan - “The City”
Flaming Lips - “Race for the Prize”
We recorded this one early & quickly as Jay was off to the hospital for the scheduled delivery of his second baby (it’s a girl!!) Congrats to Jay & Ann! We look forward to getting the details next week, but in the meantime….
It’s “News with Nick”
Flagged as expected but gotta mention it…Taylor Swift announces her next re-recorded album, coming out in November, is “RED” & will contain 30 tracks in total.
Possibly a first on the NFT front…Roc-A-Fella is suing Damon Dash over an NFT of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt. The NFT has since been taken down but the
Song: The Killers (feat Bruce Springsteen) - Dustland
Greg brings us our album of the week and it is a hell of a ride! Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show is a marvelous performance, spanning 2 discs (4 vinyl albums) & was released June 18th by the Zappa estate. If you appreciate incredible musicianship, you should really really check this album out…for real!
Songs:
Frank Zappa - The Black Page (New Age Version, Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/25/88)
Frank Zappa - Stairway To Heaven (Live at Towson Center, Towson, MD 3/23/88)
For our ninety-eighth episode, Jay brings us the music of 1998. It wasn’t the most prolific year, things are winding down for the decade and the genres and trends are bending yet again. Some early 90s bands release albums that could be categorized as ‘meh’ (Pearl Jam Yield,Smashing Pumpkins Adore); Kid Rock & Godsmack unfortunately release debut albums. Nick’s favorite Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was released, which he insists is enough to salvage the year. Lastly, Jay’s idol Eric Clapton released Pilgram, his long awaited album of new original songs & Jay considers it one of his most disappointing first listens of his life…so, not the best year….but we find some silver linings… specifically this video of an early Rage Against the Machine gig, which wasn’t from 1998 (enjoy!).
Song: Dave Matthews Band - Crush
Eurocup 2020 has finally arrived and Jay’s brought his favorite national anthem from each group to the show this week for a little side contest of sorts. We rate each based on originality and artistic merit, tally the scores and come up with our own tournament winners.
Song: The Sheepdogs - Rock & Roll (Ain’t No Simple Thing)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard just released their 18th album Butterfly 3000 &, while it’s first time hearing the band, Nick is all in. The album is very different from their previous efforts, which is actually a common trait of the band. This time they bring a Psychedelic/Prog/Pop sound to the table and, everyone concurs, it is an absolute joy of a listen!
Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Catching Smoke
For our ninety-seventh episode, Greg brings us the music of 1997. After a run through of the best albums released, Greg decided to take the newsworthy events of the year and turn them into the latest edition of “Viral or Eyeroll”. The competition is fierce as Nick & Jay battle it out, trying to recall obscure moments from their sophomore year in High School. Another good adaptation of our ongoing 90s in the 90s & quite enjoyable to boot!
Song: Radiohead - “Airbag”
Greg’s just returned from a Midwest tour and during his travels he started thinking about an experience that every band has when they’re starting out, opening for a bigger act. The phrase “I saw them open a concert back before they were big” is a badge of pride for any music lover. Today we discuss our favorite Openers in the latest round of “Tales From The Concert”.
Song: Foxy Shazam - “Oh Lord” (Jay & Greg saw them open for The Darkness back in 2011)
Jay found two stories worth sharing this week. The first is the announcement that NY City will host a Re-Opening Celebration Concert in Central Park this August. The bands haven’t been determined and the date is tentative, but we’re happy it’s happening. The coolest part is they’re reserving 70% of the tickets for fully vaccinated New Yorkers…and it’s free!
Next up, a few dozen big name acts/artists (Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono & Van Morrison to name a few) have penned a collective letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pleading for better pay for artists and songwriters from streaming services. The proposal argues that a new performing rights organization, similar to ASCAP & BMI for radio play in the US, be established to facilitate the terms/collection/distribution of funds from streaming services to artists. We’re on the fence about it, but it’s continuing to shed light on a very real issue, so we’ll count it as a net positive. ;-)
Song: The Black Keys - Going Down South
For our ninety-sixth episode, Nick brings us the music of 1996. Grunge and alternative are starting to fizzle as Pop music sweeps the radio waves. With the birth of boy bands like Backstreet Boys, to the debut of artists like Fiona Apple, Neutral Milk Hotel, Modest Mouse, and Belle & Sebastian, the music is changing in abrupt and notable ways. We dive into the music news of the year, as well as the albums released & bands formed. A very enjoyable conversation about a so-so year in music.
Songs:
Tool - “Third Eye”
Jay-Z - “Can’t Knock the Hustle”
Stereolab - “The Noise of Carpet”
Nick has two albums to present this week. The first has been on his radar for a while and it did not disappoint his expectations! Black Midi “Cavalcade” was just released and it’s worth a listen if you’re into 80’s (and up) King Crimson or Bowie’s “Blackstar”. In other news, “Sweep It Into Space” by Dinosaur Jr. has been received very well by the critics & Nick very much disagrees with their assessment.
Songs:
Black Midi - “Chondromalacia Patella”
Re:rec - “Guys Like Girls That Look Like Bears”
Black Midi - “Ascending Forth”
Dinosaur Jr. - “I Ran Away”
Greg was inspired by all the big festivals popping back up this summer & he’s created a new segment called “FestQuest”. It’s kind of a choose-your-own-festival adventure. This week we’re creating our most enticing festival, a festival we would have to go to if it were announced.
Jaystock, a three day outdoor festival featuring The Rolling Stones, Radiohead & Tedeschi Trucks Band, will be coming to Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego next May; and Nickapalooza, a four day outdoor festival featuring Black Midi, Black Pumas & Radiohead, will be in Reykjavik Iceland this July. Neither are real, both sound like a lot of fun.
Song: Charles Mingus Sextet - “So Long Eric”
For our ninety-fifth episode, Jay brings us the music of 1995, with a twist. We cover the music news from the year and then, right when we’re about to discuss the music, Jay surprises everyone with a “Tag the Track”: Music of 1995 Edition show. It was a fantastic way to listen back to the songs from that year. We hope you enjoy!
Song: Phish - “You Enjoy Myself”
This week we’re happy to welcome Scott Tournet to the show. Scott’s the frontman for Elektric Voodoo & a founding member of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (2003-2014). He joins us this week to talk about Elektric Voodoo’s upcoming album, Telescope, due in August & their latest Rarities, Vol 1 which dropped back in March. We also dig into his back story a good bit & had such a nice time we asked him to stick around for our discussion of the music of 1994, which was the year Scott first picked up the guitar. Keep an eye out for their new album & see the latest tour dates at https://www.elektricvoodoo.com/
Songs:
Electrik Voodoo - “Wake Up”
Electrik Voodoo - “Second Guess”
For our ninety-fourth episode, Greg brings us the music of 1994. We lost the great Kurt Cobain this year, but we gained a tremendous amount of incredible music. Green Day Dookie, Alice in Chains Jar of Flies, Soundgarden Superunknown, Jeff Buckley Grace, Notorius B.I.G. debut Ready to Die & a bunch of others. Another great year for music!
Songs:
Primus - Tweakers
Soundgarden - Spoonman
Warren G - Regulators
Greg has decided to formalize a recurring theme & he already made a theme song (with an incredible drum track by friend of the show Travis Orbin)! We’re excited to present “Heavy Rotation”, wherein Greg introduces us to a great new (or recently discovered) metal album or artist & then, eventually, veers into the defense of heavy metal lane (with Nick & Jay agreeably in tow).
This week, Greg brings us “Fortitude” by GOJIRA. It was the best selling album in the U.S. in its opening week, a first for the French heavy metal band, which formed in 1996. With full consensus from Nick & Jay, this album is pure energy injected directly into your ears. Go check it out.
Songs:
Gojira - “Another World?”
Gojira - “New Found”
Today Jay found a story about his hero Eric Clapton. It seems Mr. Clapton was scared and angry when the side effects of his second vaccine shot made his hand cold and numb. Aware that an anti-establishment tirade released online, as his friend Van Morrison did, wasn’t going to win him any accolades, he penned an anti-vaccine/big-brother letter to a friend which was forwarded immediately to the media. In other news, Eric Clapton is now fully vaccinated and can resume touring. Concerts, especially in Europe, will be attended by vaccinated people… Get The Shot!
But that’s not even Jay’s topic, because we’re bringing you a second album pick this week! Released last week, “Daddy’s Home” by St. Vincent is a funky 1970s soul inspired gem of an album, available on 8-Track & recorded entirely using equipment made before 1971. Check this one out too.
Song: St. Vincent - “The Melting of the Sun”
For our ninety-third episode, Nick brings us the music of 1993. There are too many debut albums & monumental releases to name just a few. Nirvana & the grunge movement have made its mark and everything starts to shift to the sound we now consider 90s or alternative rock. It was a good year for music.
Songs:
A Tribe Called Quest - “God Lives Through”
Radiohead - “Anyone Can Play Guitar”
Frank Zappa - “Dog Breath Variations“
Nick found a new album he’s excited to share this week. Legendary bassist Pino Palladino & producer, multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills released “Notes With Attachments” earlier this year. It’s both very easy to listen to and a 13 piece band performing complicated jazz arrangements of West African & Cuban inspired funk melodies. It’s also worth checking out!
Songs:
Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - “Djurkel”
Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - “Ekuté”
Greg joins us from the road on his way up to Seattle & he thought it was a perfect opportunity for another “State of the Art”. Greg sticks with Seattle this time, Jay shares his favorite bands & artists from his home state of Pennsylvania & Nick tosses in some Maryland bands as well.
Song: Bill Frisell, David Holland, Elvin Jones - “Moon River”
For our ninety-second episode, Jay brings us the music of 1992. We start off with Tom Waits “Bone Machine”, swing by the pop charts for a bit, move along to Dr. Dre’s “Chronic”, stop at Pavement’s debut “Slanted & Enchanted” & Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled first album, en route to Aphex Twin’s “Selected Ambient Works 85-92” and rendezvous at September 29, which gave us Alice In Chains “Dirt” & Stone Temple Pilot’s debut “Core”. Turned out to be a pretty solid year!
Songs:
Tom Waits - “Dirt in the Ground”
Alice in Chains - “Them Bones”
We recorded this one on Facebook Live, if you wanna join us next time, keep an eye on our Facebook Page.
Jay’s back with “Tales From The Concert” - Let Down Edition. This round we’re sharing concerts that we went into with high expectations & left sorely disappointed. Greg also collected a lot of listener stories and we hear from some of those as well. Thanks so much to Matt, Dina & Luis for sharing your stories with us!
Song: Dave Matthews Band - Rapunzel (Live at the United Center)
Nick’s hosting games tonight, this time we’re playing the 1984 game Solid Gold Music Trivia. Will Greg maintain his music trivia dominance or will Jay’s love of rock history prevail… you’ll have to listen to find out.
For our ninety-first episode, Greg brings the music of 1991. Instead of focusing on the whole year, Greg honed in on the 24th day of September, which brought us Nevermind by Nirvana, Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers & The Low End Theory by Tribe Called Quest. Quite a day!
Songs:
Nirvana - Territorial Pissing
Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Righteous & the Wicked
Tribe Called Quest - Buggin’ Out
We’ll be live on Facebook next Monday, 5/3/21 at 9:30pm EST. Join us at facebook.com/youshouldcheckitout
Greg has just returned from a four show tour in Texas with the Red Not Chili Peppers & reports back on the trip. The crowds were wonderful & generous in their appreciation for the live music (except for this one guy in Dallas) & Greg shares all sorts of fun stories. Also, we highly recommend everyone get vaccinated!
Song: Khruangbin - “Mr. White”
Jay has a slew of music podcasts he’s been really enjoying lately and shares them with us today. The Blues Kitchen is a Spotify exclusive podcast about blues & rock from the past 80 years. Broken Record Podcast features fantastic musician interviews by Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell & Bruce Headlam. Jay describes Cocaine & Rhinestones as “Hardcore History” for Country Music. The project is the brainchild of Tyler Mahan Coe and, in each episode, he takes an extremely deep dive into a Country music artist or song or album.
Song: The Felice Brothers - “Inferno”
Nick was infuriated by a recent article about the Small Business Administration’s announcement that they’ve relaunched a portal to allow independent venues to apply for relief…a mere 13 months after closing their doors due to COVID restrictions. Rather than complain about the delay, the guys discuss how much they think the federal government should be helping musicians & whether bailing out small businesses is the right use of money….it’s quite contentious but hopefully enjoyable :-)
Song: Kurt Vile - “One Trick Ponies”
This week on “Tay-Tay Today”, Nick brings us a list of the records Ms. Swift broke in the past week. Releasing her first of six albums she’ll be re-recording, Fearless debuted at Number 1 on the charts… which makes the first time a re-recorded album has reached #1. She became the only female with 3 #1 albums within a year & each of her last three albums
Song: Greta Van Fleet - “Built By Nations”
Greg brings out a new bit called “How It Started, How It’s Going”, where we discuss artists that were bigger solo than the band that made them famous.
Songs:
Heatmiser - “Blackout” -> Elliot Smith - “Coast to Coast”
Velvet Underground - “Beginning to See The Light” -> Lou Reed - “Vicious”
Faces - “Had Me A Real Good Time” <- Rod Stewart - “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”
Jay enjoyed a recent episode from the podcast “Wong Notes” so much that we’re talking about it on the show! Cory Wong, from Vulfpeck, speaks with famous guitarists about their craft. The episode up for discussion featured blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Jay was particularly interested to discuss Joe’s deep appreciation for vintage gear & the rationale behind Joe’s decision to rent each venue for his tour and handle ticket sales & promotion on his own.
Song: Tony Joe White - “Boot Money”
One of Jay’s heroes released a memoir last week! Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975” is a memoir covering Thompson’s days in Fairport Convention and his transition to a solo career. We discuss the book & the band at the center of the story.
Songs:
Fairport Convention - “A Sailor’s Life”
Fairport Convention - “Autopsy”
News that Danny Elfman is releasing his first solo studio album in 37 years reached Nick’s feed this week. “Big Mess” comes out June 11, but some music videos have been dropping on YouTube in the lead up to the release. We discuss Mr. Elfman’s prolific career as a composer, singer and songwriter.
Songs:
Danny Elfman - “True”
Danny Elfman - "Kick Me"
Greg has another artist to spotlight this week. Mike Patton’s band Tomahawk recorded a new album during the pandemic and it just dropped. Mike Patton is a vocal anomaly and the lead singer for Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantômas and Tomahawk. Tomahawk’s latest album, “Tonic Immobility”, is a strong contribution to their catalog & gives the band more room to shine than in previous records. Along the way, we touch on Patton’s talent, philosophy, energy and antics.
Song: Tomahawk - “Business Casual”
Lastly, we were sad to hear of the passing of DMX this past week. We offer our appreciation to the iconic rapper and discuss his contributions to the hip-hop world.
Thanks so much for listening, we’ll see you next week!
A headline caught Greg’s eye this week. “In Computero: Hear How AI Software Wrote a ‘New’ Nirvana Song” is the work of Over The Bridge, a Toronto based organization that deals with mental health and recovery in the music community. Taking songs from musicians that were lost at the age of 27 and feeding it into an AI art engine, they’ve assembled news songs that they imagine could have been made by artists such as Nirvana, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix & more. We listen to a few and work through a handful of our concerns with computer generated music, all while praising the message behind the project of course ;-)
Song: Garage A Trois - “The Epic”
Jay is delighted that baseball has returned and was inspired by a recent trolling of the Astro’s when the Oakland Athletics played “Before He Cheats” prior to the Astro’s lineup announcement (deserved). So Jay’s sorted segment into three groups: original songs about baseball, popular songs now associated with baseball, & songs written about specific teams. It’s a celebration of America’s past time & then Scott Stapp steps in…
Songs:
The Baseball Project - “They are the Oakland A’s”
The Treniers - Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)
Eddie Veddar - All the Way
Orioles Magic
Scott Stapp - “Marlins Will Soar” (this is awful)
Apple (along with Alphabet & Andreessen Horowitz) invested $50 million into the music distribution service UnitedMasters. Nick found the company’s “a record label in your pocket” value proposition interesting, especially alongside UnitedMaster’s push to help artists maintain ownership of their music. Is it all just marketing copy? What does a label bring to the table these days?
Song: Ryley Walker - “Striking Down Your Big Premiere”
This week we’re joined by friend of the show Wayan Zoey!
Nick particularly wanted to get Wayan’s take on a recent Pitchfork article regarding LiveNation’s market dominance and stock growth despite having no live music the past year. We discuss how LiveNation has come to dominate so much of the live music industry in the last decade & whether that’s a problem.
Song: Black Midi - “John L”
Greg shares an album released back in 2006 but that’s received an increasing amount of recognition since its initial release. J Dilla made his final album “Donuts” from his hospital bed while being treated for the rare blood disease that he succumbed to days after the albums release. The guys concur that it’s an incredibly compelling listen and discuss J Dilla’s contributions to instrumental hip-hop in particular, and music overall.
Song: J Dilla - “Stop”, “Mash”
Jay adds to discussion of TONTO back on #065. Malcolm Cecil, the co-designer & producer of TONTO, passed at the age of 84 last week. We discuss his role as a pioneer of the analog synthesizer & his collaboration with Stevie Wonder during his prolific 1970s run of albums.
Song: Stevie Wonder - “Superstition”
We hope you’re all doing well, see you next week!
Jay was doing a little spring cleaning last week and discovered a music themed trivia game buried in a closet. “Top of the Charts” was a gift from a relative (Thanks Relative!) and Jay decided it’d be perfect for the show. We go in Round Robin fashion and much fun is had!
Song: Jimmy Cliff - “Sitting in Limbo”
Nick’s head is still stuck on the NFT train and he had an idea to share with the guys for his segment this week. If music NFTs tracked anonymous playback like they track sales, the creator of the NFT could be paid an exact share of revenue generated by streaming services whenever their song is played. We discuss how that could work, dig into the spec a little bit and talk about why it could simplify streaming services accounting process…which might actually make it an idea worth considering.
Song: Jon Batiste - “Tell The Truth”
Greg learned a lot about one of his favorite Hip-Hop artists from a biopic that dropped on Netflix at the beginning of the month. “Biggie: I Got a Story To Tell” is a fantastic documentary about the life, influences & career of The Notorious B.I.G. We dig into a bit and Greg discusses what he learned & why he appreciates Biggie so much.
Song: Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme the Love
Greg just got home from a 4 show, 3 city tour with the Red Nots in Florida. Overall the experience was incredibly positive and he brings us up to speed on his travels.
Song: The Jesus Lizard - “Boilermaker”
It’s finally Greg & Jay’s turn to Face-Off. Nick drew the Grammy straw this year & he brings us a recap and a quiz! Things devolve as Nick’s questions get increasingly difficult, but that makes it all the more entertaining to listen to!
Song: Wilco - “We Were Lucky”
Jay brings us the story behind The Weeknd’s Grammy boycott. How is it that one of the most successful singles of the year was completely disregarded? Should we care? No promises on a resolution, but we dig into it.
Song: Shorty Long - “Here Comes The Judge”
Jay hit it on the mark last week when he raised the question “What are NFTs and could they be used by musicians to release music?”. About 12 hours before the episode aired, a story dropped in Rolling Stone announcing that Kings of Leon would be releasing collector editions of their new album as an NFTs (as well as some extra special auctions with lifetime front row concert tickets included…brilliant). So, we dig into how they’re doing it and whether we can see it as a scalable means for artists to generate more direct revenue. [Rolling Stone]
Song: Toots & the Maytals - “Time Tough”
Nick found an article from last month called “What to Know About Music’s Copyright Gold Rush”. It breaks down why artists like Bob Dylan, David Crosby & others are selling the rights to song catalog, and why private equity firms are scooping them up. [Pitchfork]
Song: Mogwai - “Ceiling Granny”
Greg joins us from the road this week, performing a handful of socially distanced/outdoor shows in Florida, and he realized that the band behind his song was also from Florida. This got him thinking about the states that have produced the best bands AND a segment was born. “State of the Art” has a simple premise, pick the state that your favorite bands call home. This week, Greg takes Florida, Jay has Georgia & Nick’s in North Carolina.
Song: Death - “Spirit Crusher”
Greg brings us Round 2 of “Bangers & Mashups”. We’ve got “No Take It” by DJ Cummerbund, followed by a Radiohead/Mariah Carey Christmas Creep thing & finally “Chained Uptight” by Bill McClintock. It’s harder than it sounds to make & we dig into the work that goes into these & ideas around reharmonization & more.
NERD ALERT: NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have been popping up all over the place this past week, so Jay decided to dig into them and see if they how they could be used by musical artists.
Song: Jellyfish - "Joining a Fan Club"
Nick found a new artist that he’s really admiring. It seems there’s something in Australia’s water, as they keep producing some pretty remarkable one-person-bands in the Indie vein this past decade. This week, we explore the music of Tash Sultana.
Song: Tash Sultana - “Greed”
Nick brings us the news that Daft Punk have officially called it quits after 28 years. Announced via a video released on YouTube called “Epiologue”, the guys discuss the band’s history and
Songs:
Daft Punk - One More Time
Daft Punk - Digital Love
Greg has a new segment for us this week & he’s brought an intro for us as well!
Welcome to BIRDLAND- the segment where we WING it. Today I asked my friends on Facebook to name their favorite Bird-themed songs, no matter the genre... in other words, talk BIRDY to me. It felt a little HAWKward at first but I have to say I was shocked- so many folks CHIRPED in! It was a real BEAKon of hope in these strange times. A few of the songs suggested were a bit of oSTRICH, but most of them are OWLsome- simply POULTRY in motion. And I gotta admit, some of them really QUACKed me up. Once these folks started brainstorming they couldn’t stop RAVEN! And in the end, this list is imPECKable. So if it’s not too much of a BIRDen, I’d like to say my top 3, and then ask you guys what your top 3 bird songs are! And while I can tell, you guys think this is going to be unPHEASANT... trust me, it’s gonna be be a HOOT!
Friend of the show Kresimir Tokic, along with Jay & Greg pulled together a special gift for Nick this week. Following the death of his father & past guest Guy Kline, the guys decided the only fitting way to show their love & support and to pay tribute to Guy, was through music. Jay presents Working Man by Rush. Guitars & vocals by Jay, bass & mixing/editing by Kresimir & lead guitar by Greg.
Note from Nick - Love you guys, I’m so fortunate to call you friends, thank you.
We recorded this one on Facebook Live, if you wanna join us next time, keep an eye on our Facebook Page.
Jay brings us the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees & we weigh in with our top 5 picks (we really appreciated the audience participation!).
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (T.o.D.) released their 10th album last month & Nick felt it was deserving of a segment this week. Jay & Greg, both willing and able to render their requested opinions, return a split verdict & a lively discussion ensues.
Song: …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - “All Who Wander”
Greg brings us a well considered reflection on the legendary Chick Corea, who passed last week at the age of 79. He is and was an absolute legend of a jazz composer & keyboardist, and he will be greatly missed.
Songs:
Return To Forever - “Dayride”
Chick Corea - “Crystal Silence”
We’re taking this week off to replay an episode we aired back in November that featured Nick’s Dad, Guy Kline. Guy passed away unexpectedly this past week at the age of 62 and we’re really going to miss him. We’ll be back next week with a new episode. In the meantime, thank you Guy Kline (love you Dad)!
Greg shared a new album a few weeks back that he was really enjoying. Idles released their sophomore album “Ultra Mono” back in September and is chock-full of some much needed energy this winter. Curious how others felt, Greg sought out the opinions of others, specifically the ones paid for their opinions, and landed on our friends at Pitchfork….so, first up on our special Review The Review TIMES TWO, we review Pitchfork’s review of “Ultra Mono” by Idles.
Songs:
Idles - “Model Village”
Idles - “The Lover”
Jay, on his semi-regular perusal of YouTube’s music-related offerings, came across a video called “The Dark Side of Spotify” (YouTube) by Slightly Sociable. The video presents a series of very concerning issues with the platform that Spotify has built, specifically that fraudulent streams were taking hundreds of millions of dollars out of a lot of artists pockets. We dig into the argument and, presuming this video has its facts right, dig in to Spotify quite a bit more. It’s a really good conversation, hope you enjoy it.
Song: Ryo Fukui - “It Could Happen To You”
Bookending the episode, we have our second round of Review The Review. This week Nick decided to jump right into last week’s “Album’s Coming in 2021” and listened to “OK Human” by Weezer. Feeling he may have started the year off on the wrong album, he consulted a variety of Google’s favorite articles; affirming his suspicion. Finding one article particularly well written, he submitted it for consideration in the week’s pool of potential segments &, to everyone’s surprised that he was awarded the opportunity to present a rare 2nd Review the Review to you today!
Okay, I may have exaggerated some of that…
Jay listened to it first and texted that everyone that it sucked. Nick immediately ran to Pitchfork to see if they too thought it sucked too (they did!) & then proceeded to listen to the album...also the ‘pool of articles’ part is entirely untrue…Nick didn’t like it either, that part was true though! [Pitchfork Review]
Songs: Weezer - “All My Favorite Songs”
Thanks so much for everyone that joined us on Facebook Live (you can watch it here)!
Nick runs through some lists of albums coming out this year and we discuss which ones we’re excited to hear. [Rolling Stone, Pitchfork]
Song: Kings of Leon - “Knocked Up”
Greg brings us Round 4 of “Viral or Eyeroll” and it was a blast! For reference, here’s Greg’s spreadsheet of questions.
Jay (or John, if you prefer) brings us the story of Phil Spector, who died last week in prison. By his early 20s he was a chart-topping songwriter and was known through the 60s for his innovative music and production style. Later in life, his lesser side prevailed and he was 11 years into a life sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson when he passed. A spirited discussion ensues…
Song: The Ronettes - “Be My Baby”
We hope to do more live streams in the future, keep an eye on our website or Facebook to find out when!
Gabriel Lucas Riccio is a vocalist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, transcriber, and engraver from Salisbury, MD, currently residing in Chicago, IL. You can find a whole lot more about him on his website (TheGabrielConstruct.com). He was so much fun to talk to that we’ve split this conversation up into two episodes.
This week we bring you the second half of our conversation. About 7 years ago, Gabe uploaded a transcription of King Crimson’s “The ConstruKction of Light” to YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kd5kG4847I], completing his senior comprehensive exams. A few hours later, a positive comment from Trey Gunn appeared & the two connected. Gabe went on to transcribe a book for Trey Gunn (and another for The Stick Men) before tackling King Crimson. With a team of proofreaders & Trey’s assistance, the completed “King Crimson: The Discipline Era” is now available. It includes all three 1980s Crimson records: “Discipline”, “Beat” & “Three of a Perfect Pair”. We really get into the weeds on this one & it is absolutely delightful (hope you agree)!
*Unfortunately it’s recently sold out, but we believe more will be coming in the near future…so keep an eye out if you’re interested!
Thank you again Gabe for coming on the show & have a great week everyone!
Songs:
King Crimson - Neal & Jack & Me
King Crimson - Dig Me
Gabriel Lucas Riccio is a vocalist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, transcriber, and engraver from Salisbury, MD, currently residing in Chicago, IL. You can find a whole lot more about him on his website (TheGabrielConstruct.com). He was so much fun to talk to that we’ve split this conversation up into two episodes.
This week we dive into Gabe’s music & process. His first album Interior City, released as The Gabriel Construct in 2013, was his first major endeavor in a studio setting & he poured everything he had, creatively speaking, into the project. Believing the project would be therapeutic and finding himself, at the end of it, unsatisfied with the result, he spent the next few years struggling to create more music while he contributed to other artists’ projects. He also spent that time learning to cope with his depression. The process has been long but he’s rounded a corner the last 18 months and he’s brought some fantastic new music to share with us today.
We’re thankful to Gabe for coming on the show and hope you join us next week for Part 2, where we dive into his work transcribing King Crimson. Have a great week everyone!
Songs:
The Gabriel Construct - Inner Sanctum
Gabriel Riccio & Sophia Uddin - Between Entwines
The Gabriel Construct - Hiding a Light
The Gabriel Construct - Build
What makes Keith Richards a great guitarist? Glad you asked! Jay’s long considered Mr. Richards one his favorites and brings us his case this week. We dissect his style & approach to the rhythm guitar, and listen to a selection of Jay’s favorites.
Songs:
Keith Richards - “Wicked As It Seems“
The Rolling Stones - “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”
The Rolling Stones - “Sympathy for the Devil”
The new Pixar movie “Soul” is phenomenal. The protagonist is a gifted jazz pianist, working by day as a middle school band teacher, trying to figure out what to do with his life. Greg first suggested it, but Nick got the luck of the draw presenting it this week. We break it down and listen to some clips. The jazz segments in the movie were written and performed by Jon Batiste, with the remainder of the score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. It’s worth a watch, whatever your age.
Songs:
Jon Batiste - “Bigger Than Us”
Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross - “The Great Before”
As the year was closing out, news dropped that MF Doom passed earlier in the year. It’s yet another loss, but just as painful. Greg discusses the unique sound he brought to the worlds he created & how his raw talent inspired so many other artists. He will be sorely missed.
Songs:
MF Doom - “All Caps”
MF Doom - “One Beer”
MF Doom - “Live from Planet X”
In 1991, a handful of 20 year olds calling themselves Slint recorded an album in Chicago and then promptly split up. The album, titled Spiderland, had no promotion and sold about 5000 copies. Nearly 30 years later, it’s hailed as a foundational post-rock album. Greg shares the story and the album with us. [The Guardian]
Song: Slint - “Good Morning, Captain”
Jay brings us two more remembrances this week. Tony Rice was an influential acoustic guitarist & master bluegrass guitarist who got his start playing in The New South in 1970. He collaborated with some of the best during his long career, including Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Gaudreau, Bela Fleck, Alison Krauss, David Grisham & more. We also remember Leslie West, guitarist & lead vocalist for the hard rock band Mountain. Rest in peace gentlemen & thank you, so much, for the music.
Song: Tony Rice - Nine Pound Hammer
This year has sucked hard, but it’s given us some fantastic music along the way. Nick, Jay & Greg share some of their favorite songs & albums of the year & then goof off a good bit on the way out.
The Songs
Nick: Tame Impala - “Lost in Yesterday”
Jay: Sturgill Simpson - “Just Let Go”
Greg: Deftones - “Pink Maggit (Squarepusher Remix)”
The Albums
Nick: Microphones - Microphones in 2020
Jay: Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You
Greg: Power Trip - Live in Seattle
Thanks so much for listening, see you in 2021!
Happy Holidays Everyone! This year we decided to pull together songs or albums that we’ve come to associate with the season. Apparently we were very impressionable middle schoolers. We also exchange gifts (Jay wins) & chat with almost Van Morrison about...nothing, really. We keep it light this week, hope everyone out there is warm & safe.
Charley Pride passed last week from COVID-19 complications & Jay shares his story with us today. He was an incredible bright and optimistic voice out of the Nashville scene starting in the late 1960s & he will be missed. We learn about Charley & listen to one of his classics [Washington Post]:
Song: Charley Pride - I’m Just Me
Bob Dylan sold the rights to his entire catalog last week. The price wasn’t disclosed, but estimates were in the $300 million range. Nick thought this seemed low and needed to check with Greg & Jay to get their thoughts as well. [NY Times]
Song: Hamilton Leithauser - Here They Come
The Dylan story led us right into Greg’s topic for the week. There’s been a slew of testimonies from famous musicians across varying legislatures and they’ve all been on the topic of artists revenues from streaming services. It’s a hot mess and we haven’t discussed in a while, but it’s back and we dig in a good bit. [The Guardian & Louder Sound]
Song: King Crimson - Frame by Frame
If you have anything to add to this conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at ysciopodcast@gmail.com. In the meantime, have a great week everyone, we’ll see you next week for our Holiday Extravaganza!
Also, here’s a link to the Museum of Bad Album Covers, enjoy!
Almost 5 years ago, actor/director Alex Winter launched a Kickstarter to help save the private vault of Frank Zappa & promised the customary Kickstarter-Schwag + a movie in return. Well dear listeners, the latter end of that deal has finally arrived! So…we’re going to spend the whole episode talking about it & hopefully you find that enjoyable!
We really enjoyed this movie and it seems non-fans are enjoying it as well. Whether you love him or hate him, Frank’s fierce dedication to his art shines through & we feel like it’s a worthy watch for that reason alone. We play a lot of clips & talk about segments throughout the film, so definitely check it out if this pique’s your interest. Thanks for listening!
Movie: Zappa Movie (website)
Songs:
The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free (Spotify)
The Mothers of Invention - Oh No (Spotify)
Ruth Underwood - The Black Page (composed by Frank Zappa) (YouTube)
Scumbag - Frank Zappa w/ John Lennon & Yoko Ono (YouTube)
Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (Spotify)
How is obscure 1970s Japanese Ambient music so popular on YouTube? A recent article in Ars Technica attempts to tie it to YouTube’s algorithm, but Nick thinks it’s simpler than that. (Thanks for the suggestion Kresimir!)
Song:
The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
Mother Earth’s Plantasia
The 2021 Grammy Nominee list is out & Greg was super pumped to see Antibalas on the list for Best Global Music Album. We discuss the list, including Black Pumas three nominations (well deserved), and share our unsolicited thoughts & feedback.
Song: Antibalas - Lai Lai
Jay brings us a delightful YSCIO Gift Guide for the 2020 Holiday Season. From $7 Neil Young Rolling Papers to a $2500 power cable fit for the audiophile in your life, this life has it all!
Song: The Dirty Knobs - She’s Got The Sugar
Welcome back friends! Maybe it hasn’t been a poster year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do this Thanksgiving right! This year we’ve built an elaborate (and completely silent) rail system, allowing for a socially distanced meal. We also didn’t purchase all the food from the dollar store, so … progress!
We were able to find plenty to be thankful for though and we thank you for listening! Please be safe out there and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Just a few hours prior to recording, a couple stories grabbed Greg’s attention & inspired our newest named segment, which he’s calling “Tay-Tay Today”. A little over a year ago, former Kanye West manager Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Label Group which owned the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums. In spectacular fashion, the Swifties unleashed on Scootie and drama ensued (interesting to note, Scooter has incredibly thin skin, which is really surprising, given his name, which is Scooter). So this week news dropped that Mr. Braun sold the rights to her catalog & Taylor confirmed that she’s been re-recording her entire catalog to give fans a way to listen to her music without supporting her adversaries. Oh Taylor, we genuinely love you! [Variety & Variety]
Song: Here Lies Man - “I Told You (You Shall Die)”In other news, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires announced that they were leaving the Country Music Association over the CMA’s failure to honor John Prine (as well as Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver) during the ceremony. So, basically the most perfectly assembled Jay story ever. We get into it and pivot to some overall issues facing Nashville today. [Pitchfork]
Song: Barry Gibb - “Word of a Fool”Nick has some bad news, apparently vinyl is on its way out & we have COVID-19 to blame!! Actually, it looks like production is down because of plant shutdowns and sales haven’t been as high (probably because of the aforementioned drop in production, resulting in reduced availability). Nevertheless, Pitchfork is proclaiming the “Vinyl Revival” in jeopardy & we proclaim that assessment “Total BS”. [Pitchfork]
Also, he’s really been digging Microphones in 2020 & everything else Phil Elverum has ben making the past few years.
Album/Song: The Microphones in 2020
Knotfest is ON! Online that is. Nick discovered the festival, put on by Slipknot for the past 8 years, is going virtual amid the pandemic this year. How enjoyable is a metal festival from the comfort of your own home? We shall see, but the proceeds from the event are going to Musicares, a top notch non-profit helping musicians during the pandemic.
Song: Foo Fighters - “Shame Shame”
Ladies & Gentleman, welcome to Round 3 of your favorite game show, “Viral or Eyeroll” (A Greg Loman Production). Nick & Jay are tied with a win a piece, so there’s a lot on the line. Greg brings out his fresh batch of stories, and he’s really upped the difficulty.
Song: Mad Season - “Lifeless Dead”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony aired on HBO this past Sunday. We covered our picks last year, and Jay wants to celebrate one of the inductees. Nine Inch Nails, whose only permanent member is composer and singer Trent Reznor, have been at it since 1989 & released their 10th & 11th studio albums this past March. Jay has always been a huge fan and we discuss Reznor’s style and impact. It’s a great discussion, and we close out the episode listening to some clips from the Hall of Fame presentation.
Song: Nine Inch Nails - “Everyday is Exactly the Same”
Have a great week everyone!
After a lifetime checking NO next to all “Fan of Yes?” checkboxes, Jay heard “Close to the Edge” and found he really really enjoyed it. Wondering if there were more Yes songs out there for his enjoyment, he turned to his cohosts for help.
Greg & Nick both consider themselves fans, but were dubious of the challenge. Having tried a few times over their 20 year friendship, Nick decided they needed backup. YSCIO is happy to welcome Nick’s father, Guy Kline to the show for the first time. Among many other things, Guy is a drummer and avid Yes fan and was up for the challenge. We’re so glad he joined us to tackle Jay’s question… “Yes….or no?“.
Greg spent last week doing shows in the Midwest and has a lot to share about his experience. It’s a really interesting conversation and we’d love to hear what you think about it.
Songs:
Yes - Close to the Edge
Yes - The Clap
Yes - Mood for a Day
Yes - Heart of the Sunrise
Yes - Changes
Yes - Starship Trooper
Yes - Yours is No Disgrace
All Them Witches - “Enemy of My Enemy”
Greg leads off with a story about Angie C, a musician/scientist in Calgary that has wired up a brainwave monitor to TONTO, an early synthesizer made in 1971. To clarify, she’s tracked parts of her new album using a brainwave monitor that converts her thoughts into synthesized sounds via a one-of-a-kind 40 year old dinosaur of an instrument (that’s TONTO). You don’t have to be a nerd to think this is ridiculously cool, right? Either way, this one had legs! We spent a good bit of time speculating how this actually works, whether it needs tuned per person, whether training is required to improve performance and what that would be like... We even workshopped how we might be able to try this thing out ourselves, not a remote possibility, but this story really stimulated some creative thinking, so that was fun.
Song: Tonto’s Head Expanding Band - Cybernaut
Next up, Jay knew he would be presenting Letter To You, the latest album from Bruce Springsteen this week. Having only been out a few days, at the time we recorded this, he just wasn’t sure how he’d be presenting it. Having read the overwhelming positive reviews, he couldn’t trust that the critics had it in them to say what they really thought. Having listened for himself, he 100% concurs & a celebration ensues!!!
Song: Bruce Springsteen - Janey Needs A Shooter Now
Nick is unable to keep the positive flow moving, bringing us the NY Times profile on Keith Jarrett, who has suffered two strokes in the past two years and has lost the use of his left hand. It’s a hard story and we wanted to discuss his impact as well, so we delve into an album that our guest Harry Waters was influenced by, The Köln Concert (1975). We discuss the entirely improvised solo piano performance, the crazy back story that preceded it & the impact it’s had on keyboardists and music in general. We’re truly grateful for his music and hope for the best regarding his recovery.
Song: Keith Jarrett - Part II B (The Koln Concert)
Nick kicks things off this week with an album recommendation. “Shore” by Fleet Foxes was released in time for Fall last month, but is a surprisingly brighter sounding record. We discuss frontman Robin Pecknold’s new found optimism and whether Jay is allowed to like something so central to Pitchfork’s aesthetic.
Song: Fleet Foxes - “Jara”
Next up, we have a special guest this week! Kaz PS co-wrote, directed and shot “The Halcyon”, which was released on the sci-fi shorts channel Dust. The film, co-written and co-scored by our very own Greg Loman, was picked up by Dust to be included as part of a collection of post-apocalyptic short films. When that fell through, Dust was cool enough to put out “The Halcyon” as a featured release on their YouTube channel, but didn’t include any context or explanation about the genre discrepancy. So a decent number of Dust’s most loyal sci-fi loving fans chose to express their confusion and outrage via the comments. So, Nick & Jay decided to read some of them on the show to give Kaz & Greg a chance to respond. Kaz was a fantastic guest and we look forward to having her back in the future!
Song: Peter Schilling - “Major Tom”
Jay bookends the episode with an album pick of his own, the wonderful re-release of Tom Petty’s 1994 solo album “Wildflowers”. Originally a 24 track album, the re-release contains all the songs that didn’t make it into the original release, as well as demo & alternate versions of the tracks. It’s a 4 hour master class on song composition and structure, studio tracking & editing. You should check it out ;-)
Song: Tom Petty - “Climb That Hill”
Shortly after recording #062, we received news that Eddie Van Halen passed after a long battle with throat cancer. This week, we celebrate the virtuoso’s groundbreaking, effortless technique on electric guitar & his massive contribution to music & guitarists everywhere. We’re joined again by Keith Grasso, who is, among many other things, the biggest EVH fan we’ve had the pleasure of knowing. It’s part history, part fan-remembrance, part listening party. You shall be missed Eddie Van Halen, thank you for changing music forever!
Songs:
Van Halen - I’m the One
Van Halen - Spanish Fly
Van Halen - Unchained
Michael Jackson - Beat It
Van Halen - Why Can’t This Be Love
Clips:
Interview from American University
First, we have some good news to share this week! Our very own Greg Loman spent a little time last year shooting a short film & it’s dropping today on the Sci-Fi platform Dust! The Halcyon, written & directed by Kaz PS, is a really cool project and we’re proud to help get the word out! Important to our episode though, it was inspired by music composed & performed by Harry Waters & Greg. They first met at a rehearsal for one of the many wounded veteran benefit concerts put on by Harry’s father Roger Waters, co-founder/bassist/singer/songwriter of Pink Floyd. We discuss how the music behind They Halcyon came to be and how it inspired the film. Check it out at watchdust.com
We’re really excited to have pianist/songwriter & composer Harry Waters join us this week for a broad discussion of topics. He’s been writing and recording the past few years with Larry John McNally under the name McNally Waters. We listen to their latest single “Bang Bang”, discuss some of their music & process. We talk about live music, the proper usage of downtime during a pandemic (an ambiguous split between practicing & videos games) & our shared connection, working with Greg. Thank you so much Harry for joining us this week! Check out Harry’s latest videos, view his showreel at harrywaters.com, & keep up to date on the latest from McNally Waters at mcnallywaters.com.
Songs:
Greg Loman & Harry Waters - “Mogli“
McNally Waters - “Bang Bang”
Mose Allison - “Parchment Farm”
This week we decided to check in with two past guests to see how they’ve adapted & held up during the pandemic…but first, Nick had a song to kick things off… Fleet Foxes - Can I Believe You
Up first we have Keith Grasso, owner of Island Music Co., a musical instrument and gear shop in La Plata, MD. They are going strong, to say the least, & Keith has spent an impressive amount of time & energy making sure it stays that way. We discuss the uptick in music instrument sales and what Keith’s expecting in the months to come…hearing this guy describe pulling himself out of a funk when the shutdowns first started, and single-handedly run an entire store for months is incredibly inspiring. We hope you agree :-)
Song: Van Halen - Romeon Delight
Wayan Zoey has relocated to Portland since we last spoke with him. He weighs in on the future of live music, the inherent determination that musicians already possess to make a living in music and he shares some of his experiences in the past few months living in Portland. The guy is a wellspring of knowledge and experience and we really enjoyed the conversation.
Song: Butcher Brown - 1992
Both of these guys were inspiring to talk to and we’re really thankful they came on with us again. We hope everyone’s doing well and we’ll see you next week with a new very special guest.
Jay nails the song & topic pairing for the week with a story about the song “Long Violent History” by Tyler Childers. Written during a moment of national reflection following the killing of George Floyd, it’s now, just a few months later, being released to a country with a very different mindset. In anticipation of the blowback from some fans, Tyler released an accompanying video imploring anyone unreceptive to his desire to create empathy with his fellow black Americans to seek moral clarity over polarization & tribalism. It’s a heavy start, but a great discussion.
Song: Tyler Childers - Long Violent History
Nick brings us more songs of controversy. Van Morrison is releasing three new tracks in the near future that characterize the pandemic as a government hoax to enslave all citizens, so that sucks. We discuss whether this qualifies as a ‘protest song’, whether it was necessary for the Northern Ireland health minister to issue a full response, whether it’s socially irresponsible for Van Morrison to be saying this stuff, and where we stand on all of this crap.
Song: Flaming Lips - Watching the Lightbugs Glow
Greg elevates the mood considerably with the news that, despite reports from The Washington Post back in 2017, the guitar is very much alive! With sales breaking records across the country, we mostly make fun of The Washington Post, but then we return to celebrating all the new guitars in their new homes and all the great music yet to be made!
Song: Al Di Meola,Paco De Lucia,John Mclaughlin - Mediterranean Sundance
It’s been a rough week in California, so we thought it’d be the perfect time to send some love Hollywood’s way with an awards show celebrating our favorite Movies About Music! Let’s call it the Movies About Music Awards Show (working title)! We took this one as far as we’ve taken any hypothetical awards show before, and then went just a bit further :-)
Greg (who created the MAM Awards over a week and a half ago) kicks thing off with the fiercely competitive “Films That Make You Least Want To Become A Musician” category. We recommend staying away from all of these, and recognize them tonight, but only as a “head’s up” to anyone unsure on the whole music-as-a-major-and-or-a-career-path thing, you follow your dreams... The nominees this year for the category are:
“Last Days”
“Shine”
“The Pianist”
“Whiplash”
Song: Buddy Rich - Solo 1 (Live from Toronto, CA/1977)
Jay presents a brand new category (while all categories are technically new, this one seemed newer than the others), it’s the award for the “Best Fictional Movie Band Name” (see what I mean? it just sounds cooler). Our nominees this year are:
"Wyld Stallyns" from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
"Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem" from The Muppet Movie
"Sex Bob-Omb" from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
"Crucial Taunt" from Wayne's World
During the commercial break that we cut out, Jay was awarded a special “Best Fictional Podcast Band Name” award for “Ravenous Taint”. Great job Jay!
Song: Tia Carrere - Ballroom Blitz
Nick presents the final category of the evening, the acclaimed “Movies That Make The 70s Seem Enjoyable”. It’s hard to watch a movie and know you’re being misled, it’s even harder to love one…so it’s a particularly inconsistent and tough category to keep stocked. Nevertheless the nominees for the award this year:
Mrs. Doubtfire*
Rocketman
Bohemian Rhapsody
This is Spinal Tapp
Almost Famous
Song: Led Zepplin - Tangerine
*likely caused by a glitch in the nomination process
Thanks for listening everyone!
Will the 2020’s be just like the ‘Roaring 20s’ because they both kicked off with a Pandemic? It’s not rock solid prediction, but we conclude that it’s good that someone made it.
With current events out out of the way, we begin an episode long discussion on Avant Garde music. Nick gets the ball rolling with a rundown on the history and roots of some really weird (and important) music. Naturally this required we listen to some Frank Zappa right up top!
Song: Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat (Live)
Greg grabs the baton & brings us some good news & some bad news. The bad news is we lost another titan this week. Jazz bassist Greg Peacock was most famous for his work with Keith Jarrett, and we discuss his work and legacy. The good news is that a Halberstadt, Germany performance of John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)” is changing the chord it’s been playing for 8 years. A project that kicked off in 2001, and scheduled to take 639 years to complete, it’s just getting started. We discuss why this is happening & dig into John Cage the composer a good bit.
Song: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette - Flying Pt 2
Jay completes our expedition by discussing some of his favorite artists from the genre, especially the minimalist Steve Reich. We get into some of Reich & his peers techniques & methods, we also talk about ways to listen to & hopefully enjoy this music.
Song: Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast
What should a music podcast’s episode on deliberately uncomfortable music aim to achieve? In an effort to show the genre our sincere appreciation and respect, we decided our goal was create discomfort for the Avant Garde crowd by making an enjoyable show. Let us know what you think!
Jay kicks things off this week with a Special Edition Game Show Trivia version of NERD ALERT, which we’ve decided to call NERD ALERT: Trivia Edition (copyright pending, see below). Today’s contestants separately submitted a list of favorite bands and Jay has chosen one from each list. Alternating turns, each contestant will choose from one of the following categories: Band History, Albums & Songs, Controversy or Potpourri. Greg will be answering questions about Nirvana & Nick will be answering questions about Rush. While this all sounds very straight forward and formal, this was an absolute blast!!! In other news, Jay has decided to release his trademark on the highly original band name “Ravenous Taint” so that is now free for the world to use as it sees fit!
Song: Leo Kottke / Mike Gordon - Ants
Stop. Right. There. Put your nerd glasses back on your nerd face… because it’s time for another round of Nick’s Copyright Corner!! This week Nick frustratingly recounts the details of a copyright lawsuit, frets over the arbitrary nature of said law, and concludes by getting angry again at the capricious decisions juries returned in similar suits. So, it’s a lot like all the other times he brings this stuff up. This time however, he’s even more frustrated because the Grammy & Pulitzer Prize winning artist Kendrick Lamar finds himself on the receiving end of the latest lawsuit. The guys talk it out and Nick eventually calms down, so that’s good.
Song: Kenrick Lamar - PRIDE.
Greg tells us a bit about the Dallas based Thrash Metal band Power Trip and remembers their lead singer, Riley Gale, who passed at the age 34 last week. Riley was an incredibly positive influence on a lot of people and the outpouring from his diverse fans has been constant online since his passing. Power Trip was just coming up the ranks and making a name for themselves and Greg presents a solid case why they had what it took to be huge (Metallica comparisons are made frequently). We listen to some Power Trip and discuss Riley’s brief but lasting contribution to the genre. Rest in Power Riley Gale!
Song: Little Beaver - I Can Dig It Baby
Greg discovered that some restless Germans have conducted an indoor concert experiment. Contrary to the story cited, we believe the reported purpose of this experiment to be a ruse. The researchers were really testing whether they could come up with a valid reason to get the hell out of their homes and see a freaking show already. The answer to their question appears to be yes. Naturally they decided to also record and measure a lot of important data points so they could put out a useful findings report and maintain their reputations, but, we know why they really did it! ;-) For real though, if this does anything, like anything at all, to help concerts come back safely & soon, then it’s totally worth it! [KESQ]
Greg’s Song: Deftones - Ohms
On a recent weekend, Jay found himself driving his son home from the playground with the car stereo randomly selecting tracks from a huge library when it happened. It’d been years since the last time, he’d honestly almost forgotten about it…. I mean, with a library with thousands and thousands of songs… how much time would you need to spend in a car before the same song came up twice? Jay figured years seemed about right, and here it was, a needle sized turd of a song in a library that’d taken his lifetime to assemble. The play count on “She’s Waiting” by Eric Clapton had just reached 4.
It’s not really a new bit yet, but it might be. Songs that we hate by artists that we love. We’re thinking about calling it “Skip That Track”, what do you think?
Also, we remember Justin Townes Earle, who passed this weekend at the age of 38.
Jay’s Songs:
Eric Clapton - She’s Waiting
Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
Nick stumbled across “Imploding the Mirage”, the latest album by The Killers & was both blown away and very confused. A second listen while mowing the lawn left him with the same exact feeling. Third and fourth listens alongside the family did nothing to abate the unease. What the hell does Brandon Flowers sound like when he sings like Brandon Flowers?? Finally, desperate to see if this was bothering anyone else, he turned to the place where you go to see if anyone could find something bad to say about an album. No, not reddit, he went to the bottom of the barrel, Pitchfork. So we Review the Review & share our own thoughts about the album. This one was a whole lot of fun!
Songs:
The Killers - My Own Soul’s Warning
The Killers - Caution
The Killers - Fire in Bone
Also, checkout our playlist of songs from the show!
Nick came across a new album by Bruce Hornsby this week, started digging around his discography and realized how many artists he’s worked with over the years. What makes some artists such prolific collaborators? We discuss…
Song: Bruce Hornsby - My Resolve
Greg found himself lost in a YouTube vortex (happens to us all) and ended up watching some very well done song mashups. He presents the first in our new series, "Bangers & Mashups" (theme song included).
Clips:
Imagine/Jump
RAVC
DJ Cummerbund - Vanessa Carlton/Nirvana
DJ Cummerbund - Jereloose
DJ Cummerbund - Earth Sand and Fire
Jay brings us some good news as we close the summer out, the annoying ice cream truck song is changing! Good Humor announced back in June that due to the problematic (extremely racist) history of the classic ice cream truck song, they would be releasing a new song later in the year. Enter RZA...
Song:
Bon Iver - AUATC
You should check out our YouTube channel & let us know what you think! Onto the show…
Jay mentioned, back in #050, receiving a box of cassette tapes filled with selected tracks for his teenage ears to enjoy (this is called a mixtape). An astute listener (Jay's mom) discovered the aforementioned tapes and that's given birth to our newest segment "Tape Stash". Repeat thanks goes out to Michael Weddington for making the tapes & Mrs. Debbie Pflager for finding them.
Songs:
Sue Foley - Gone Blind
Radiohead - Faithless the Wonder Boy
Nick found a story in the NY Times about Creem Magazine, the self-proclaimed "Only Rock & Roll Magazine in America". It's a story from the early days of rock; chock-full of sex, drugs, fighting and excessive egos, but it made for a good conversation. [NY Times]
Song: Anderson .Paak - Lockdown
Greg brings us the latest news from the brilliant marketing minds of the band also known as Vulfpeck. This time around they've decided to auction off Track 10 of their upcoming album. What this actually means, how it'll work & why they're doing it are all topics discussed. It's quite a concept!
Song: Logic - Hit My Line
Catch us elsewhere & listen to past episodes on our website: youshouldcheckitout.com
Greg brings us a second round of “Viral or Eyeroll” and it was a nail biter! Will Jay pull off an equalizer or will he go down 0-2 to Nick? I can’t give too much away, but it’s a fun one!
Song: Julian Lage - I'll Be Seeing You (Live in Los Angeles)
Jay received an interesting call this past week in which he was asked to recommend an album of approximately 1.5-2 hours in length. Short answer, White Album; but more broadly it raised a question, what are some great double albums & why are they worth the extra time?
Song: The Clash - Death or Glory
Finally, Nick has been listening to Folklore, the latest from Taylor Swift. It’s, as of this recording, broken countless sales & streaming records. Surprised by it’s depth and creativity, it appears that Nick is now a fan of Ms. Swift. Jay welcomes him aboard and Greg has some generally nice things to say as well. We’ve really grown a lot in the week leading up to season 2, however the jury’s still out as to why. :-) Hope you enjoy!
Song: Taylor Swift - peace
Thanks for listening!
We decided to celebrate the 52nd episode of our weekly show by going back through our favorite clips from the past year. Gotta be honest with you, we’re proud that we hit this milestone & we’re so thankful for everyone that’s helped and listened along the way. Thank you all! We’ll be back next week with Season 2.
It only took 51 episodes, but we have our first repeat guest back on the show this week! Austin Loman was first on our Brothers episode and we’re happy to have him back in the hot seat! We kick things off by discussing the amazing talented Jacob Collier, a multi-instrumentalist composer/artist that Austin’s been keeping track of for a few years. Things get technical pretty quick and there’s a bit more theory this episode than usual, but that’s exactly why we wanted to have him on!
Next up, we’re pleased to announce our latest, custom-built-for-Austin game show called “Note the Note”. In this game, contestants must name the note/chord/mode/interval/whatever-else-Greg-cooks-up being played. Honored repeat guest aside, Austin is still a little brother of the show, so Nick & Jay team up to take him on (spoiler, Austin has perfect pitch).
It was a fun time, we hope you enjoy! Thanks again Austin!
Last call for any favorite clips for the show next week, send them to ysciopodcast@gmail.com.
Songs:
Rolling Stones - Criss Cross
Jacob Collier - Serendipity
Jacob Collier - Fascinating Rhythm
Jeff Tweedy - At a Distance
Ennio Morricone - The Ecstasy of Gold
Jay’s checking in from vacation this week and was kind enough to explain how he’s managed, consistently for nearly 30 years, to discover so much incredibly influential music while he’s at the beach each year. It turns out to be more of who question than a how; in short, catch up with Michael Weddington. Lucky for us, this year is no exception & we’re excited to have Michael join us today! We talk about missing live music, Jay shares some stories from summers past & we get Michael’s take on Neil Young’s latest album Homegrown. It’s a great conversation and we really appreciate Michael coming on!
Song: Sonny Landreth - Firebird Blues
Greg brings us a story that could almost be a fable. A band, with seemingly good intentions, commit an oversight on a pretty big decision, but they stick to their good-intention-guns, missing the point entirely in the process, and things quickly devolve into the exact story that the good intentioned band first wished to avoid. We had a lot of face palms this segment. [Pitchfork]
Song: Lamb of God - New Colossal Hate
Nick wraps things up this week with some veteran artists thoughts on a summer without live music. Some are fine and waiting things out, some are not and need to get back on the road. The feelings & thoughts of the artists vary greatly, as do everyone’s, including our own. Things are a bit precarious in the US right now & all available options have real consequences that will affect us all going forward. Stay strong everyone & please wear a mask when you go out.
We’re coming up on Episode 52 & we’d love it if you shared a favorite clip or segment from a past episode! Email us as We’re coming up on Episode 52 & we’d love it if you shared a favorite clip or segment from a past episode! Email us as ysciopodcast@gmail.com.
This week, as a bookend to last week’s episode, we review 3 new albums from some old souls.
Jay’s opens the episode by introducing “First Rose of Spring”, the latest from Willie Nelson, his 70th solo studio album. It’s sweet, it’s reflective, it’s both sad & witty the way Willie Nelson does it best. It’s a gift that he’s still making new music & hope the output continues as long as he’s loving it.
Songs:
Willie Nelson - I’ll Break Out Again Tonight
Willie Nelson - Stealing Home
Nick drew the lucky card this week, bringing us Bob Dylan’s latest album, “Rough & Rowdy Ways”. Lauded by the critics, we are fully on board with their conclusions & happily so. It’s exactly the type of album we discussed last week, where the cohesion and complimentary themes of the individual tracks fit so well together that the whole is definitely better than the sum of it’s parts (although the songs are wonderful in their own right).
Songs:
Bob Dylan - I Contain Multitudes
Bob Dylan - My Own Version of You
Greg caps things off with a lost & just released treasure from Neil Young. Recorded in 1974, Homegrown is an album of tracks the Mr. Young considered too raw & depressing. It’s an excellent listen, regardless of whether you’re already a fan or not…however, if you are already a fan, it’s a dream come true…an excellent set of cast-out songs that fit perfectly between “On the Beach” & “Zuma”. A real treat!
Songs:
Neil Young - Vacancy
Neil Young - Separate Ways
We deeply love & have a profound respect for the album as a form. It’s why we started this show, our initial plan being that we’d discuss a new album each episode; so this week, we’re talking about albums.
Greg kicks things off with a “How To” discussion. Most albums take months, even years to create, so what’s the best way to consume them? Inspired by a recent LA Times piece entitled The Art of the Deep Listen, we dive right in for a lively discussion.
Song: Thundercat - I Love Louis Cole
Jay takes us down memory lane for a vintage edition of “Review the Review” to discuss some epic fails over the years from Rolling Stones. This got Jay Pitchfork-angry & the lively discussion continued. [Rolling Stone] [Reel Harmonies]
Song: Cory Wong - Golden
Nick closes us out with an open question, “Will albums last as a form?” To this, we embark on an extensive and exuberant conversation (it seemed like using ‘lively conversation’ again would have been overkill, but we’re bringing a lot of energy to this one folks 😉).
Song: The Dirty Projectors - Self-Design
Nick has taken a real liking to anything Sonny Rollins is willing to share publicly. Mr. Rollins is back again with some thoughts on current events, including what the he expects to see following the Coronavirus, as well as his thoughts on the death of George Floyd & the subsequent protests. [New Yorker]
Song: Ambrose Akinmusire - Moon (the return amplifies the unity)
Greg is really missing summer concerts, so he’s a sucker for any headline alluding to live music. Luckily this was a good one: Name a band whose best album is a live album. This article comes from Louder Sound and we discuss their 10 picks & then move right onto our own additions. It was a fun one. [Louder Sound]
Songs:
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Hawkwind - Born to Go
Jay brings us our newest segment, NERD ALERT! (theme song included). The premise, thus far, is that someone takes a deep dive into a technical subject surrounding music. This week, Jay’s strolling down memory lane to share a story about the first multi-track recording software he ever fell in love with, & it’s name was Cool Edit Pro (thanks again Peter Quistgard). [Sound On Sound]
Song: Can - Vitamin C
Jay kicks the show off this week with the second round of the potentially award winning, nearly original YSCIO game, “Tag The Track”! Nick & Greg face off to see who can name a popular song in the least amount of time. Will Greg retain his title and repeat his Round 1 performance? Will Nick get enough questions right to make the game close? How long will Jay tolerate being constantly interrupted? There’s only one way to find out…
Song: Norah Jones - To Live
Next up, Nick shares a story from NPR about a recent project launched by the Library of Congress to commission music of the Coronavirus pandemic. Inspired by stories collected by the 14th century Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio about the Black Death, the project aims to challenge talented composers to create a work in isolation. [NPR]
Song: Nina Simone - Isn’t It A Pity
Greg read a recent installment in the A/V series “Permanent Records” & was delighted to find an artist that he knows well from his childhood. Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, poet (et cetera) active from 60s-80s. A controversial figure in his heyday, he’s now regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop. Greg shares some of his memories and some history on the artist, it’s a fun wrap to a great episode. We hope you all enjoy! [A/V Permanent Records]
Song:
Serge Gainsbourg - Bonnie & Clyde
Serge Gainsbourg - Je t’aime moi non plus
Serge Gainsbourg - Ballade de Melody Nelson
This week we share our thoughts on the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, the events surrounding & the music that emerges from movements of resistance and change; whether in rallying response or even as a catalyst. It’s a different conversation than the one we’re used to. We talk about some subjects that we usually try and avoid, but we all agreed that it needed to be had & we’d say what we felt needed to be said….and we talk about music too.
Greg’s Songs (side note, Happy Birthday Greg!):
Run The Jewels - walking in the snow
Fela Kuti - Zombie
Nick’s Songs:
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Odetta - Ain’t No Grave
Jay’s Songs:
Miles Davis - Oleo
Inspired by Bob Boilen’s recent piece in NPR, we decided to spend this week sharing stories from one of the best live music venues that this country has to offer. The 9:30 Club, first opened in 1980, has an ethos that can only really be experienced. Welcoming to fans 16 years and older (one of the very few), and with a reputation for treating artists incredibly well, it’s amassed generations of loyal and adoring patrons that have kept it around and thriving for the past 4 decades. Nick kicks us off with a history of the venue and offers his thoughts on the features that make the club so special.
Jay shares some of his favorite 9:30 shows, including a Richard Thompson show from 2007 & a particularly wild evening, in which TV on the Radio opened for The Faint. It wasn’t a particularly foggy evening, but that’s how Jay remembers it so he brought on an old friend, & fellow musician, Taejon Romanik to help recall the events in question. Taejon turns out to have an excellent memory and shares some other shows that have meant a lot to him as a fan and musician.
Greg, who hasn’t kept easily-accessible records of his concert attendance over the years, was only able to recall 32 shows that he remembers seeing at the 9:30 Club. More importantly, Greg’s been lucky (and talented) enough to have played on stage at 9:30, opening for Trombone Shorty with his band at the time The Funk Ark. He brings us home this week with some memories from the crowd & stories from the stage.
Songs:
Richard Thompson - "Man in Need" (live @ 9:30 club, June 22 2007)
The Faint - “Birth”
King Crimson - "Heroes" (live @ 9:30 Club, November 8 2000)
The Black Crowes - "Good Friday" (live @ 9:30 Club, October 28 2008)
JEFF the Brotherhood - "Heavy Days" (live @ 9:30 Club, February 2 2012)
The Funk Ark - “Green Trees”
Nick brings a test to the table this week, specifically a Music IQ Test put out by some folks at Harvard on The Music Lab.. The guys spend a solid 20 minutes working through their issues with the methodology issues before sharing their scores. It’s actually pretty interesting, check it out on The Music Lab & here’s the Adam Neely video we mentioned.
Song: Jehnny Beth - Heroine
Greg brings us a delightful treat, a tasteful selection of video game music. We go from classic NES all the way up to some current platforms. It’s just a taste and there’s more to come if you enjoy it! Also, our friends “The Resilient” released a music video from quarantine for their single “Freedom’s Cost” and it is fantastic! Check it out on YouTube!
Song: Mega Man 3 - Magnet Man Theme
Jay brings us something from the NEWS! It’s a difficult one to unpack quickly in a sentence or two…regardless, it involves a song in the end credits of Killing Eve, Jack Leopards & the Dolphin Club, and an obscure artist named Taylor Swift. [E! Online]
Song: Prince & The Revolution (Live in 1985) - Let's Go Crazy
This week we’re joined by two very special guests. We’re happy to welcome Jim Lenahan & Patrick Foster, the hosts of the daily music podcast Rockin’ the Suburbs to the show!
These gents have been putting out five shows a week for the past 4 years and have done a fantastic job growing and keeping an active audience, so we took plenty of notes. We actually first launched YSCIO with a three part series on Frank Zappa that Jim & Patrick somehow allowed us to drop into their show feed. We’re still brainstorming the perfect gift to show our gratitude for their kindness and trust, but thanking them aloud when we had them on our own show? No, my friends, that just seemed too small to even bother with (whoops 👍 ).
So what did we discuss then, you ask? Honestly, the topics were too broad and random to list, but you will learn a considerable amount about Sleepy LaBeef (finally get to check that one off your list) & much much less about Martin Briley (we gotta leave something for the next time we have them on, am I right?). Seriously though, much thanks to Jim & Patrick for joining us, they really are fantastic at their craft and it was such a joy to have them on!
Songs:
Martin Briley - Salt of My Tears
Sleepy LaBeef - Shotgun Boogie
Wingtip Sloat - Anything Could Happen
Jim & Patrick have been hosting a Friday Night Hootenanny on Zoom for the past couple months and you, yes, you dear listener are invited to join. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to learn how you can get into the party. Check out their show or subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.suburbspod.com/
You can check us out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Thanks for listening everyone, we’ll see you next week!
Jay brings us the fascinating story behind The Caretaker’s Everywhere At The End Of Time. A 390 minute composition, separated by 6 movements, or stages as he calls them. Each stage is meant to represent a stage of dementia and the experience, which begins quite pleasantly (and was inspired by the music that plays during the bar scene from The Shining), slowly degrades throughout the piece, ultimately ending in madness (there’s amazing art that goes along with it as well). Jay spent a day listening to the entire piece and brings some selections to all of us to partake in. We also discuss some of the controversy surrounding the composer, James Leyland Kirby’s decision to announce that The Caretaker has, with the completion of the project, died as well.
Song: The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time
Nick remembers Little Richard, who died at the age of 87 this past weekend of cancer. He was a founding father of Rock & Roll and his influences are, pretty much everything that’s happened since the 60’s… He shall be missed, but his influence will, absolutely without a doubt, never leave us.
Song: Little Richard - Keep on Knockin
Greg’s been spending more time reflecting on his teaching the past few months and shares some of the music his students have been listening asking him to teach them. He also had a really interesting reflection, what happens to musical tastes, and music appreciation in general, when nearly everything you could think to listen to is completely accessible to anyone connected to the internet? Immediately feeling old for remembering a time when a new CD a week was living large (and required a job), the guys dive right in. Long story short, practice more you damn kids, you will never have this much free time again in your life…also, keep bringing Greg good music, YSCIO (& hopefully the listeners) appreciate it greatly ;-)
Song:
Polyphia - G.O.A.T.
Alt J - Left Hand Free
Childish Gambino - Redbone
Episode 40 is here and we’re feeling great!
There’s a handful of influential artists that Greg returns to every so often, reevaluating how they sound to his evolving tastes and musical experiences. Today he brings us his current rediscovery; the late, incredibly influential, but greatly under-appreciated Allan Holdsworth. A British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist and composer, known most for his work during the 70s and 80s, he an influenced guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Alex Lifeson, and many more. We discuss his career, his style, and why Greg appreciates him so much.
Songs:
Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue
Allan Holdsworth - City Nights
Jay is proud to introduce our newest named segment, it’s “Tales from the Concert” (as well as a corresponding theme song, Rock on Jay)! A new recurring segment, Jay’s asking each of us to share a story from a concert we attended based on a common theme. This week, we discuss our most Surprising concert experience. We won’t spoil anything by describing it further, but there were many shared experiences rekindled and it was quite a fun segment. We hope you enjoy!
Song: The Who - Young Man Blues (live)
Nick, amid all this fun, is unable to repress the need to forcibly relate a story from history back to the state of things today. This week it’s the story behind CSNY’s famous “Ohio”. Inspired by the Kent State shootings, which happened 50 years ago this week, we discuss whether we think there’s parallel’s to today and whether a group like CSNY could even exist today. Also, we discuss and listen to a bit of Bob Dylan’s latest song, “Murder Most Foul”.
Hope everyone’s safe, see you next week!
Nick’s kicks us off today talking concerts. All of a sudden it feels like spring has settled in, but then, just underneath that, the faint awareness that we’re really in a new place for some unknown time to come. So, what about those concerts and all the artists that depend on them for their livelihood. How long before it’s safe to start those up again? A random article in Taste of Country cites an expert as predicting that it won’t be until the Fall of 2021. What? … When?
This reminded Greg that his buddy Wayan Zoey, Production Manager at Brooklyn Bowl, would be great to bring some on-the-ground perspective to the conversation. He brings a lot of that and we were really glad to have him on.
Wayan’s Song: Butcher Brown - 918
Greg also brings us, not only another round of “Review the Review”, but a brand new theme song (killing it Greg!)! This time we tackle Jenn Pelly’s review of Fiona Apple’s latest album “Fetch the Bolt Cutters”. A fantastic album, to say the least…but a 10/10? From Pitchfork? What’s going on here? Let’s “Review the Review”!
Song: Fiona Apple - Under the Table
Lastly, Jay has curiously managed to remain work-day productive and tonight he finally comes cleans on his secret. Apparently all you have to do is listen to the music mentioned on this nearly-every-work-week-day/daily newsletter called Flowstate (nope, they didn’t pay for that)…oh, a year’s worth of daily meditation is also super helpful. Anyway, awash in his efficient workflow last week, Jay discovered this Ethiopian musician and has really gotten into his 1985 release “Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument”. It’s a great album and also an interesting story.
Song: Hailu Mergia - Ambasel
We hope everyone is doing as well as possible right now. This may not be ending soon, but it really will be over someday, not in a blink, but in steps and retreats and then, eventually, a slow fade... and then all we’ll have left is the scar of the memory. Just hang-in there and do the best you can. It’ll be nice to tell it like that one day to a young person trying to imagine what it must have been like, “We just hung-in there..and did the best we could”. 🙂
This week, we bring another delightful diversion from our normal format. Nick’s oldest son Ciri was recently given an assignment by his 4th Grade music teacher to interview an adult about music. An adult, as in, just one? Why not three?
Ciri joins us today to ask some well-considered questions and we have a great chat! Hope you enjoy!
Ciri’s Song Pick: Vance Joy - Riptide
The stage of Madison Square Garden is where the members of The Resilient first met and played together. Our very own Greg was working as a musician and freelance teacher in DC at the time. Tim, Dom, and Nathan had been living at Walter Reed Military hospital after recovering from life altering injuries received in Afghanistan. After a few years of playing together on and off, The Resilient was formed on Nantucket Island in the fall of 2017. They join us today, alongside Greg (of course), to share their stories.
Singer Tim Donley didn’t exactly ask to be made the band’s front man, but his drive and relentless optimism took over when the band pushed him to grab the mic & he’s more than met the challenge. We discuss how the band met, some of those early challenges and how he faced them head on (with a little on-stage help from Roger Waters’) and how he sees resilience as the characteristic that fuels and the band & his own life.
Song: The Resilient - Freedom’s Cost
Rhythm guitarist Nathan Kalwicki started playing guitar around 14 and caught the metal bug. When he and Greg first met, they immediately bonded over their love of the genre and became quick friends thereafter. We discuss the band’s song writing process, what he believes the band stands for, some music he’s excited about these days and how all of the above resonates now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than ever.
Songs:
Sturgill Simpson - Remember to Breath
The Resilient - Last Memory
Drums are Dom Dominguez’s 4th instrument, having learned trumpet, guitar & bass during his school years. He joined the Marines after school and, during a tour in Afghanistan, was wounded by an IED, resulting in the loss of both legs and his right arm. It was sometime during, or shortly after, his recovery & PT that he decided to make the switch to drums & he hasn’t looked back. He shares with us the logistics of his process, his friendship with Roger Waters &, most important, how music has remained a steadfast fixture in his life.
Song: The Resilient - Accept the End
STAY RESILIENT!
You can find more about the band at http://theresilientband.com/
Thanks so much for listening, stay safe everyone, we’ll see you next week!
Legendary singer/songwriter John Prine passed on Tuesday from complications caused by the Coronavirus. We discussed his hospitalization a couple episodes back; hoping, without much conviction, but hoping nonetheless that he would find his way through this, this…have we found the words yet to describe whatever this is? A 21st century plague; a mutation that thrives when we come together, only to suffocate and exhaust when it has us alone; this scourge of isolation. As with so many others, surviving was not in the cards for Mr. Prine & he will be missed, dearly.
Jay has always known John Prine’s music and, rather than wait another week, we all decided we should have this conversation now. So, with all that said, we bring you a weekend special: ”The Five Sides of John Prine”
Songs:
That's the Way the World Goes Round
Far from Me (Live from the House of Strombo)
Dear Abby
Lake Marie
Onomatopoeia
All the Best
Illegal Smile (performed by Jay Rossman & his family)
Here's the deal, much like our current economy, news from the music industry has significantly slowed down over the past 4-6 weeks. Additionally, with everyone being cooped up in their homes, we've discovered that our families are actually more fun to talk to then we probably would have admitted a few months ago...so, this week we bring some of those conversations to you.
We each have little brothers that have surpassed us, in terms of intelligence, influence and success. In normal times, all of them are too busy to listen to our show, but these, dear listeners, are not normal times. So we thought we'd have them on to talk about how they're coping with the social isolation & what music they've been listening to during all of this.
First up, we meet Nick's little brother Alex, beloved by the family as the 'goofy one' until he ran off to West Point and got all successful...he brings goofy side back though and we chat about the music that's he's enjoying alongside his wife, 4 kids and a dog (hint, Tool).
Next, we give Jay's brother Daniel Pflager a ring and ask him how he's holding up in NY City, working at NYU Medical, & what music he's turned to as he watches all this unfold around him.
Greg's brother Austin closes us out with some tasty new music he's been making with his band The Austin Loman Project. We find out near the end that he has perfect pitch, so we're excited to come up with a future game show involving that :-)
As always, thank you for listening. Stay safe everyone!
It’s been another crazy week and we’re all still absorbing the new reality that we find ourselves in, so we each decided to pick albums that we’ve turned to for respite during this collective period of self-isolation. Some of the albums we recommend playing out loud, alone or otherwise; they seem to brighten a room just enough to help, but not so much that you’re required to forget all of this to enjoy them. A couple are intended to provide an escape & should be listened to with headphones. The remaining are for reflection and may require repeat listens before you feel like you’ve heard everything there is to hear; in some ways, this is the point. Anyway, all that aside, we had a blast going through these and hope you enjoy them too!
We also learned this week that John Prine is in critical condition with the Coronavirus. He’s one of, at the time of this writing, roughly nine hundred thirty thousand people who have contracted the virus. For Jay this news hit pretty hard. John Prine is the soundtrack to some of Jay’s earliest memories…those ones where, you’re 8 years old and and you hear a song on the car radio and you it hits you that this is the song that Dad (or Mom) has been singing around the house since, well, forever… and then, years later you come to a bigger realization; that there’s so much more to this artist’s music that you never heard as a kid and you begin re-listening and…hopefully you get the picture. We listen to a few of Jay’s favorites to close out the show and sincerely hope that Mr. Prine, and everyone else suffering with this, recovers fully and quickly.
We hope everyone is safe and doing well. If you’d like to come on the show and share music that you’ve been listening to, please contact us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Jay brings us our newest game, Tag The Track! Nick & Greg wager each other down to see who can Tag the Track in the least amount of time. Where he came up with the idea, we’ll never know, but it was a good time!
Song: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
Nick shares two recent articles, the first is for fans looking for ways to support out of work artists and music industry workers during the pandemic & the second is a comprehensive list of resources available for those in the industry.
How Fans Can Support Artists And Music-Industry Workers During The Outbreak - NPR
Coronavirus: State-by-State Resource Guide for Music Professionals Who Need Help - Billboard
Song: Black Midi - Talking Heads
Greg found an article from a few years back about Daniel Lanois, a producer that isn’t as well known as he should be and an incredible pedal steel guitarist.
Song: Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca - Time On
We’re finding inspiration wherever we can find it folks :-) and hope everyone’s safe and sane.
Introducing "Viral or Eyeroll" (A Greg Loman Production), Hygiene Tips for Podcasters & Musicians, Zappa's Hot Rats Turns 50
Greg brings us a brand new show, "Viral or Eyeroll", wherein Greg reads Jay & Nick a story and they have to guess whether it's true or completely made up...he's had this one on the back burner for a little while and brought it out at just the right time! This one was a lot of fun, hope you enjoy! Clip: Deltron - Virus
Jay has developed a comprehensive list of hygiene tips and tricks that Podcasters & Musicians can use to keep safe during a worldwide pandemic. They have not been sanctioned by anyone or anything, but they're worth considering...considering might be too strong a word, entertaining? Yeah, they're worth entertaining. Clip: Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes - Sick Again
Nick just wants to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats" and his way of dealing with the anxiety we're all feeling is to completely change the subject and talk about something else.... but also we find a way to turn it into a nice conversation about the creativity that emerges during stressful times. [LA Times] Clip: Frank Zappa - Peaches En Regalia
We hope you're all safe and find some cool new hobbies in the next couple months, we'll see you next Thursday!
Nick found a story about some guys that made an algorithm that generated every possible melody, copyrighted them and then released them all to the public domain...does this solve copyright law? [Vice]
Clip: Thom Yorke - Suspirium
Greg brings us our latest rememberance, the legendary jazz painist McCoy Tyner died at 81 and we discuss his career and contributions [NY Times]
Clip: McCoy Tyner - Passion Dance
Jay gave us some homework this week and we're going to pass it along...an episode from another podcast called Reply All about a guy with song stuck in his head...a song that he remembers extremely well, but NO one that he talks to has ever heard...including the internet... somehow we manage to avoid spoiling it but have a great discussion nonetheless [Reply All - #158 The Case of the Missing Hit].
Clip: Martin Tallstrom - Twin Peaks Theme
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Travis Orbin has been a major force in the evolution of drumming over the last 15 years & has been documenting and releasing videos of most of his recording sessions for the majority of that time. An incredibly technical and creative drummer, Travis is also a good friend of Greg and he joins us on the show today to talk about the process he undergoes in composing his drum parts and original songs. He also shares some stories about the drummers that first inspired him, his introduction to and subsequent audition with Darkest Hour, and how Greg was pretty sure Travis was pranking him when he first looked at the guitar part Travis asked him to perform on an upcoming track.
Start at TravisOrbin.com to find everywhere else you can find him online & catch him on tour with Darkest Hour starting in mid-April.
Rage Against the Machine is gearing up for their 2020 tour and Jay is fuming at the band's decision to start all ticket prices at $125...we dig into the back story and do little to reduce Jay's frustration. [Rolling Stone]
Richard Thompson - Fire In The Engine Room
Sonny Rollins, one of jazz's most prolific and well known tenor saxophonists gave a phenomenal interview to the NY Times and Nick brings the topic to the gang for discussion. [NY Times]
Sonny Rollins plus 4 - Pent-Up House
Greg discovered that Primus, long before the death of Neil Peart, has been planning a Rush tribute set in their upcoming tour. They'll be playing "A Farewell to Kings" in its entirety, while we do our own impersonations of Les Claypool (this one is better). [Rolling Stone]
Primus - Jerry Was a Racecar Driver
We’re all into the new Tame Impala album and Greg thought, in lieu of listening to us collectively praise the album, we’d instead weigh in on the Pitchfork review. It’s a new segment we’re calling “Review the Review”, kind of an editorial-panel-judge style discussion with game show sound effects. Pitchfork gave the album an 8 out of 10, but how does the review rate? [Pitchfork]
A fire at a California manufacturing facility earlier in the month has been characterized as 'devastating' to the worldwide vinyl record industry. Jay brings us the details and we discuss why vinyl still matters. [Pitchfork]
Nick's heard of Robbie Robertson but hasn't ever given the Canadian pioneer of Americana rock a solid listen. Jay & Greg bring him up to speed and give some suggestions on what to check out from his 50+ years of making music. [Rolling Stone]
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You might not know this, but our podcast was taken down last week. More on that from Nick... Clip: (I don't even want to write it down, but it's HOT)
Greg was delighted to discover that Robert Fripp granted a rare interview (10 months ago). Fripp hates the genre he helped create, which is no surprise to anyone who follows Robert Fripp. [Rolling Stone] Clip: David Bowie - Heroes
Jay, too, has issues with the Prog Rock genre and chose to express them in the form of a quiz. () Clip: King Crimson - Radical Action Meltdown
We’re joined this week by Roland Lewis to discuss his debut album “Starting Over”. A composer and filmmaker by trade, his album Starting Over documents a particularly rough period in his life and he joins us to share his story & craft. It’s an incredibly heartfelt conversation and the kind of the thing we were aiming for when we decided to launch this podcast. We hope you enjoy!
A composer by night, you can find (and license) Roland’s music on MusicBed, keep up with him on Instagram (@iamrolandlewis) and listen to his album wherever you get your tunes (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Deezer). He’s also a very talented filmmaker, check out his music videos & his recently launched children’s series on YouTube called Bings & Potts.
With the crazy number of hits they put out in 2 years, why doesn't Creedence Clearwater Revival have as much gravitas as similar bands of the same era? It's a question we know has been on everyone's mind and Jay decided to go ahead and make his topic for today. Spoiler - We do not come to a consensus. Song: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Commotion
Nick fell victim to Rolling Stones latest click bait article (it's a good one) and we collectively go through the 70 albums coming out in 2020 to find some we're excited about (except Greg). Song: Roland Lewis - Recover
Greg's buddy Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) just announced a new Summer tour "This is Not a Drill". Waters is known for for putting on incredible live shows and also for taking bold positions on controversial topics... so there's plenty to discuss. [Rolling Stone] Song: Pink Floyd - Sheep
Also, catch Greg on tour with the Red Not Chili Peppers - http://www.redhotchilipepperstribute.com/!
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Greg just got back from NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants conference) and really wants all of us to go next year; however, there's some fine print... [NAMM] Song: Eminem - Godzilla
Jay brings us the news that singer/songwriter David Olney passed away peacefully mid-concert last Saturday. What a way to go. [Rolling Stone] Song: David Olney - When The Deal Goes Down
Nick's been thinking about an interview Jimmy Iovine did with the NY Times outlining his concerns about the future of music and tech...conjecture follows. [NY Times] Song: Vulfpeck - Cory Wong
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023 - Remembering Neil Peart
1/16/2020
We were fully prepared to get back on track, and then Neil Peart passed… This week we talk about Neil and Rush & some other stuff, it's a good chat.
"...we are young, wandering the face of the earth, wondering what our dreams might be worth, learning that we're only immortal for a limited time"
-Neil Peart (Dreamline, Rush)
While the sentiment is true, I believe it doesn't hold true for you Neil, your affect lives on in all of us.
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Back in 2007, something compelled Keith Grasso to quit his commercial real estate job, move back home to suburban Maryland and open a musical instrument and gear shop... This week we hear how Island Music Company has managed to thrive and grow every year since.
You should check out Keith's podcast, Determination & Overdrive & his store Island Music Company. (https://islandmusicco.com/podcast/)
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Happy New Year!! Due to holiday related scheduling issues, this episode is being brought to you free of banter. These are our favorite albums of the 2010s, we’ll be back next week with a regular episode. Here’s to 2020!
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Happy Holidays Everyone! We took the easy road this week and decided to share our favorite holiday songs... Jay has fun with sound effects...Greg has to open his own Secret Santa gift...Nick is there too. Thanks to everyone for listening! We'll see everyone in 2020!
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Jay kicks things off this week with a recent "60 Minutes" story about a musician's mission to collect, record & release the compositions and arrangements that came out of the Holocaust...it's a heavy but fascinating topic. Song: Francesco Lotoro - Kz Musik, Vol. 17
Nick recently traveled to NYC and caught a set at the legendary Village Vanguard by Christian McBride & The Inside Straight...in attempting to make this a topic, the gang discusses why jazz shouldn't be intimidating & what's going on onstage when watching a group perform... Song: Inside Straight - Gang Gang
Greg brings us the news that John Frusciante has rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Josh is out, John is in, Greg is happy)...as well as how it'll affect his side gig as a guitarist in a RHCP tribute band... Song: John Frusciante - Going Inside
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Nick was introduced this past week to the band Battles, loved them immediately and proceeded to completely overthink why that turned to disappointment after learning "how" they create music (he just complains about loop pedals). Song: Battles - Snare Hangars
Greg brings an excellent long-read about the increased popularity of Hardcore...a self-declared un-mainstream genre that's always held itself out as accepting of the outsider, but finds itself struggling to accept its mainstream acceptance (it's not as confusing when we talk about it). Song: Code Orange - The New Reality
Jay decided to take this week to highlight the awesome music and production values of his son's favorite show "Ask the Storybots" (pretty sure Jay likes it more though). Song: Storybots - Planets
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Greg mixes things up and decides to talk about movies this week...specifically Scorcese's comments about comic book movies...but really he just wanted to discuss The Watchmen... Song: Trent Reznor - Watchmen Soundtrack
Jay found Kurt Cobain's famous sweater from Unplugged...well, he found a story about a guy buying it for $137500 (puke stain included). Song: Allen Toussaint - Sweet Touch of Love
Nick brings up Rolling Stone's 50 Most Important Music Moments of the Decade and the gang discusses. Song: Kendrick Lamar - GOD.
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Welcome, grab yourself a seat and join us for our first Thanksgiving Special! Greg's cooking a turkey in his acoustic oven, Nick made the potatoes extra lumpy, and Jay brought some rutabaga and plenty of stewed tomatoes.
This week we all share songs we're thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and thanks so much for listening!
Nick brings us our first listener-suggested topic. How we feel about posthumously releasing work that an artist had not wanted released...Happy Holidays!! It's a good talk though, thanks so much Kresimir for the suggestion. Song: The Teskey Brothers - So Caught Up
Greg was sad to read about Drake's unexpected brush with an underwhelmed crowd of Tyler the Creator fans... Song: D'Angelo - Spanish Joint
Jay brings us our monthly Kanye feature, this week his new opera "Nebuchadnezzar". Plus we hear Jay's review of his brother's wedding DJ and he responds to the latest Black Crowes news. Song: The Black Crowes - Nebekanezer
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Greg brings us some great news, Rage Against the Machine is reuniting for a tour! Song: Run the Jewels - Close Your Eyes (And Count to F**k)
Jay is gearing up for his brother's wedding next week and shares with us tips and tricks from his days side hustling as a Wedding DJ. Song: Jason Hawk Harris - Giving In
Nick is exceedingly excited to have a reason to talk about Spinal Tap, as they've recently settled arbitration with Universal Music Group... Song: Spinal Tap - Gimme Some Money
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Jay brings us a story about Lizzo's lawsuit against some people that claim they suggested an idea for a lyric in her song "Truth Hurts" & should likewise get a piece of the pie. Song: Tom Waits - Get Behind the Mule
Nick addresses a recent update to the lyrics of a classic Holiday song "Baby It's Cold Outside" & there's some agreement on the premise but not as much on the execution of the effort. Song: Wilco - Everyone Hides
Greg shares the news that Prince, prior to his untimely death in 2016, was working with Dan Piepenberg on an autobiography. "The Beautiful Ones" has now been released &, unsurprisingly, delivers some provocative thoughts and reflections on music and entertainment (spoiler Ed Sheeran is bad, Kung Fu Panda 3 is good). Song: Black Pumas - Colors
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Nick went to see Bon Iver in concert (so did Jay!) and shares his thoughts (so does Jay!). Song: The Doobie Brothers - Listen to the Music
Greg saw an article about Tom Petty's guitars and guns being stolen and it reminded him of the time he and Jay followed Tom Petty around a vintage guitar shop... Song: Stevie Nicks w/ Tom Petty - Stop Dragging My Heart Around
Jay's about half way into drummer Steve Gorman's tell-all book about the Black Crowes... Song: The Magpie Salute - In Here
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Vulfpeck sells out Madison Square Garden without a label or even a manager... How does a band do that? Greg tells us the story. Song: Vulfpeck - Dean Town
Jay brings us this year's nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and we all weigh in. Cast your vote for the 2020 Rock Hall of Fame Song: MC5 - Back in the USA
Nick discusses the delay of Tame Impala's new album and poses the question, is it okay to edit a song you've already released? Song: Tame Impala - Let It Happen
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Jay discusses the new "concept" album from The Darkness. Here's a fun review from Hot Press.
Song - The Darkness - "Easter Is Cancelled"
Nick geeks out on some ideas surrounding paying artists fairly for their music & a lively conversation ensues.
Greg remembers Ginger Baker, who passed last week at age 80, and we listen to a some of his favorite songs to close things out.
Ginger Baker Songs: Cream - White Room Fela Kuti - Let's Start Do What You Like
Nick completely phones it in and talks about a Rick Wakeman concert he recently attended...and then offers up a John Coltrane track from the recently released Blue World. Song: John Coltrane - "Blue World"
Greg - If you haven't heard, Tom Delonge has some things to tell us about UFOs and Greg is all in! If that's not wacky enough for you, here he is on The Joe Rogan Experience - #1029 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n_3mnJfHzY) Song: The Messthetics - "Touch Earth Touch Sky"
Jay found a story about Richard Thompson (and his upcoming 70th birthday celebration), so that's naturally his choice for a topic... [The Guardian] Song: Y La Bamba - "Sonadora"
In part two we discuss Zappa's contribution to commercial music, as well as some of the musicians that rose up the ranks under his tutelage and, of course, we listen to some more great tracks.
We were honored to have the opportunity to guest host for a few days on Rockin the Suburbs, be sure to check them out too!
Clips: Cosmik Debris (Apostrophe('), 1974) Inca Roads (One Size Fits All, 1975) Murder By Numbers (Broadway the Hardway, 1988)
Who is Frank Zappa and why did we decide to do a three part series on him? In part one we also discuss Zappa's influences, early life and listen to some of his more popular hits along the way.
We were honored to have the opportunity to guest host for a few days on Rockin the Suburbs, be sure to check them out too! Clips:
Peaches En Regalia (Hot Rats, 1969) Joe's Guitar (Joe's Garage, 1979) Montana (Over-Nite Sensation, 1973)
Greg shares the exciting news Hasbro has acquired Death Row Records, which makes total sense... Song: Snoop Dogg - "Lodi Dodi (feat. Nancy Fletcher)"
Jay reviews the new Tool album from the perspective of the guy 'least likely to listen to metal' Song: Tool - "Descending" (Side note, Greg decided to show how much he loves the new album by recording a cover of Pneuma - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMfX7QnrHck)
Nick brings the mood down considerably with news of the loss of David Berman from the Silver Jews & Purple Mountains Original Washington Post profile of Berman Song: Purple Mountains - "Darkness and Cold"
Jay shares an interview with Henry Rollins about what punk is in 2019. Song: Ramones - "Pet Semetary" Nick is really excited about the new Bon Iver album. Song: Purple Mountains - "Darkness and Cold" Greg talks about Kanye West's church services from the perspective of the musicians hired to play
Nick takes issue with the copyright lawsuit that Katie Perry recently lost… Song: King Crimson - "Three of a Perfect Pair"
Jay wants to talk about the recent announcement that Woodstock 50 is officially off. His catchy song choice comes from a friend's band: Wild Wild Wets - "The Fix"
Greg's topic and song are both about the NEW TOOL ALBUM… Pitchfork article Song: Tool - "Fear Inoculum"
Greg keeps things light by bringing up President Trump's response to the A$AP Rocky Sweden story… Song: Roy Hargrove - "Strasbourg/St. Denis"
Jay is excited about Martin Scorsese's recent Bob Dylan documentary on Netflix, "Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story", which, strangely, is about 20% made up, complete with actors playing people who didn't exist, stories that didn't happen, and faked photos. Reaction has been....mixed. Song: Nick Lowe - "Trombone"
Nick dredges up a story that Jay has wanted to discuss for a while... an update on the Ryan Adams. Song: Black Midi - "953"
Jay discusses Radiohead's responds to a hacker that obtained the source material for OK Computer… Song: Nick Lowe - "Trombone"
Nick brings up a story about a 2008 fire that destroyed the archived masters of some really important music recorded in the last 50 years… Song: Flying Lotus - "More"
Greg finds a reddit discussion about Branford Marsalis, in which he contests whether Robert Glasper is really a jazz player… Song: Mac DeMarco - "Choo Choo"