A Cold-Hearted Post

My father phoned me this afternoon,he called it a "pre-emptive" Father's Day call, which is ironic because I really hadn't planned on contacting him- I avoid talking to him whenever he drinks, which is always.

At first, he sounded reasonably sober and almost upbeat but I could hear his words becoming progressively more slurred and contentious as we spoke, after about an hour I finally got sick of asking him to repeat himself, so I lost my patience and offered this bit of advice:

"Dad, have you given any consideration to not drinking? "

"Yes," he said as if it meant something, "I just went an entire week without a drink. Until today."

"Great. Why didn't you call me when you were sober? You know I hate talking to you when you are drunk."


Dad kept telling me that he was afraid that I was upset because I lost my job...he could tell I was upset because a recent radio blog I wrote consisted of a sentence or two stating that I had no time for small talk and would let the music speak for me- dad seemed to attach some sort of significance to this:

" I knew you were upset when I saw the radio thing," he said.

"What thing?"

"The part about small talk and not having time to write. I knew that meant you lost your job."

"Um, actually, I wrote that because I was running late and didn't have time to compose a proper post. It had nothing to do with work. I don't understand how you made that connection."

The more that dad insisted that I was "upset", the more at peace I felt with my unemployment...I have a a new car, a new PC, some money saved up and I'm fairly certain that I'll get my job back within a few months...plus, I'm qualified for Unemployment Bennies- I have to jump through a lot of paperwork hoops due to my status as a former Federal employee (Fed and State are like oil and water when it comes to paperwork) , but it's just paperwork- I'm an accomplished bureaucrat, I can deal with paperwork. It's going to be a pain in the ass, but so what? Paperwork always is.

Anyway, I told him not to worry, that I'd be fine.
I wasn't lying, I meant it. I have been through real serious shit in my life. Being unemployed is nothing compared to internal hemorrhaging or a twenty-five stitch beatdown. Seriously,I'll be fine.

It's a damn shame that he won't remember our conversation tomorrow.

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On a happier note, I've been receiving a lot of wonderful new music lately and it's my great pleasure to share it with you, the potential audience. Keeping up with new bands is hard work and sometimes a bit confusing, but it's also very rewarding, so I try to include links so that you can dig deeper, should you be into finding new tunes...
I sorta over-extended myself regarding a recently-shelved project, but there are other, more realistic plans in the making....and a new playlist every week!

The New Breakfast Snob, Sat . 20 June 2009

Artist-Song/Album/Label (when available)

Underwhelmed- Freak (Like Me)/Reveal/Problematic
Powerful Brooklyn rock by sturdy Italian lads. This song should be a hit- it's already lodged in my earbox!

88 Sundays- Imitation Life
Georgia rocks! Who knew? Listening to them right now, in fact!

Charlie Morris- Got Greedy
Morris -who is new to me- is an amazing slide guitarist and this song just plain fuckin' rocks! Buy his CD- he promises to spend all the proceeds on liquor and weed, which I think is commendable truth in advertising.

The Duhks- Death Came A Knockin'/Duhks/Sugar Hill
Ah, a heartfelt classic, dedicated to my friend G, his mother is gravely ill and has been for a long, long while. G has been there for her the whole time and it's taking quite a toll...soon there will be a time for rest.

Adriana Kaegi- When The Money Runs Out/TAG
Good-looking Swiss woman singing about American Poverty and life in The Hamptons...it actually works!

Sounds of The Blue Heart-The Poisoning/Wind of Change/GritPR
Brand-new undefinable but very ear-friendly multi-genre release, this song went very well with the 'Green Energy' PSA that I played immediately before it.

Cary Grace- Undertow
There are probably fewer than 12 persons under the age of 40 that know who Dik Mik was and why he was so important to psychedelic rock- and I am certain that Cary Grace is one of that select dozen. Great new rock that suits my psychedelicized self just fine.

Dare Dukes- Kick and Holler/Prettiest Transmitter/Starland
I hear new things every time I listen to this disc...the mp3 doesn't do justice to the CD, especially the nice cello touches and sparse,well-designed guitar/keyboard/vocal dubs. Great lyrics and very tight but understated production with excellent instrumental placement, an oft-overlooked skill... Special thanks to Dare for recording a promo for our station..it's always fun to let an artist 'introduce' themselves!

Daddy- Wash and Fold
There are a lot search results for Daddy, but it was worth sifting them to get my hands on this zydeco-inspired update on Neil Young's classic song Welfare Mothers.

Joe Croker- Lil' Miss Combat Boot
Joe sent me this mp3 after reading my blog- it's an ode to Enid from Dan Clowe's Ghost World and it's great fun, especially if you are a comix geek like me...Joe, are you 'Victor Banana'?

Crazy Aunt Mary- Rockin' A Hard Place
This song by LA's CAM starts with this forthright statement : "Don't leave your wife for me!" and only gets better from there... I love a woman who loves her bass with a passion usually reserved for...well, you know.

Patty Hurst Shifter- Promiscuous/Coma La Grava/Pants on Fire
Great NC southern rockers...are they breaking up? I hope not.

Hudson Fall- Factory
Americana from the UK? Works for me, great self-described "melodramatic pop".

Madi Simmons- Melissa
Jammin' reggae from the island nation of Chicago.

Kevin Cahoon -Fashionista
Anthemic! I actually edited the 'fuck' out of this for airplay.

Lisa Bianco- Already Gone/Post Data/
The more I listen to Bianco, the more I like her...great gobs of noisy guitar suddenly dropped on top of a beautifully melodic voice- my kinda thing!

Southern Culture on the Skids/Have You Seen Her Face/Countrypolitan
Full disclosure: Mary from SCOTS is a former band-mate and lifetime friend of mine. As far as I'm concerned, her band can do no wrong...see them live if you can! You'll be glad ya did. Thanks to Mary for the promo and thanks to WRIR's own Galaxy Girl for the tech support!

Niav- Smalltown
I just learned that Niav is Irish...no wonder I like her so much. This song reminds me of people and places I once knew...the whole football team? Really.

Clara Bellino- Swordfish Trombones/Embercado Love
I came home from a depressing day and found this CD in my mailbox- it cheered me up right away! Bellino's own material is wonderful - but this is a Tom Waits cover! How cool is that? Very!

Nijole Sparkis- Parallel Universe
This is cool, dreamy, hopeful and thoughtful. Nice!

Atlas Soul-Lamour en Banlieu
I don't know what the lyrics mean, but the groove is great!

Jeannine Hebb- Things Haven't Been So Bad Lately/TLTCM/
Another new fave of mine, this song is one of my show's unofficial 'theme' songs.

Michelle Malone- Grace
I have been a fan of Malone ever since I heard her play a seven-minute wah-wah/fuzz guitar solo with a three-piece group called Band de Soliel. She rocks!

Jennings- Doorway/Storybook/Jenningsmusic
Another new favorite, Jennings has a powerful, yet nuanced voice that reminds me of someone that I used to listen to...Grace Slick? Sweetwater? Thanks to MJ for providing me with a custom promo for my show, those artist tags add a nice touch to our broadcasts!


HuDost- Royal Mountain/Trapeze
This is different, yet very accessible...very well-blended styles, making it sound easy (but it isn't.)

Astronauts of Antiquity-Everywhere/Rocket Science for Dummies
One of my fave CDs of 2008! Makes me feel more sophisticated than I really am.

Eddie Ramirez- Grace
Rockin' song from Spokane artist- nice crunchy guitar tone!

Stefanie Seskin- I Keep On Trying/Edge of Reason/Check Other
Is there anything that Stefanie Seskin can't do and do well? I doubt it.
This CD is a few years old, but it's still new to me and one of my faves. Enjoy!

Well, that's it for now...I just joined Facebook, so I may be busy for the next several years.