Lucked Up

Saturday night, DJ Fontaine hosted a guest appearance by Tom Peloso and the Virginia Sheiks, which was a real treat to engineer- many years ago, I did a recording for his old band King Sour, which featured current Sheiks guitarist Austin Fitch, who was a guitar maniac back then...also in the Sheiks is former GWAR bassist, Mike Bishop. The Sheiks sound is very thoughtful, mature and honest...Tom and I have walked on a lot of common and dangerous ground and his songs hit me close to home once I got a chance to sit down and listen to them...check out 'Night Sky' on his myspace. It's slightly faster than they played it on-air, but I like both versions.

As the song says, I'm lucky to be here to see the night sky.

It wasn't until after the session that I found out that Tom is in Modest Mouse and it wasn't until much later that that I learned (via Whim) that Modest Mouse is a very succesful band with gold and platinum CDs and many fans, including herself...I swear, I'm probably the least cool, most un-hip DJ/Sound man on the planet, always the last to know...I could be doing sound for Elvis Presley and I'd probably be too busy trying to isolate a bad signal to realize that The King was standing in the studio with me.

Things kept getting better after I got home...Suzie Crotchrot (#666) of the Chicago Outfit Roller Derby team left a comment on my last post, which mentioned her by name...hmmm. I'm hanging out with rock stars while Roller Derby chicks read my blog. I must be doing something right.

I really am lucky to be here.

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THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB, JULY 25, 2009

The Kinks- This Is Where I Belong/This Time Tomorrow
If you asked me who my all-time favorite song-writer was, Ray Davies would come to mind...I played a double-shot of Kinks because...because I wanted to.

Ace NoFace-Regret/ Toxic Charm
I am trying to do less harm than good. Am I succeeding? I hope so.

The Old Haunts- Not Hopeless/Poisonous Times/Kill Rock Stars
Down. Not out.

Anousheh Khalili- Modern Genius/Let The Ground.../Triple Stamp
Anousheh (Ah-noo-shay) is a gifted Richmond-based singer/songwriter of Iranian ancestry who just happened to be the very first artist I engineered at WRIR, back when our studio was a living room and our equipment was kept in the trunk of my car.

Monika Jalili- Biya Bare Safar Bandim
Fiddle-driven danceable Iranian power pop. Music is soooo much better than war.

Clara Bellino- Tout est Fini/Embarcado Love/Binky Beano
Keeping it upbeat and international!

Arvel Bird- Caballo
It's your typical Celtic/Native-American jazz fusion jam. In other words, it's awesome.

Underwhelmed- Angel/Reveal/Problematic
Nothing fancy, just meaty slabs of rock big enough to topple the Flintstone's car.

Peter Bayreuther- Kinder vom Universe
Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time!

Kaiser Cartel- Carroll Street Station/Brand new promo!
Hot off the email express, not yet released- a bit rocky, in the good sense.

Sound of the Blue Heart- The Poisoning/Wind of Change promo
Very new and very cool. Johnny Indovina is great.

Jenn Cleary Band- Doesn't Make Sense
I think Jenn Cleary and I see eye-to-eye on this topic. Amen!

Garbage- Push It/2.0/Almo
I'm a sucker for slick production...and for sexy redhead singers. That is why I love Garbage.

Ross Phazor -You'll Never Change/Mr. Mango Man/Rossmusic
One day I'm just gonna play this song 25 times, make a few public service announcements, go home and call it a show.

Steve Hillage- Light in the Sky/Motivation Radio/Atlantic
Holy fuck! Gong -with Hillage back on guitar- are putting out a new LP this year!

Zappa & Beefheart- Muffin Man/Bongo Fury/Discreet
One of my favorite live records, ever.

Television-Friction/Marquee Moon /Elektra
F-R-I-C-T-I-O-N

Be Bop Deluxe- Love With The Madman/Futurama/Capitol
Bill Nelson sings longingly of fugacious love. Look it up.

Manda Mosher- Lay Me Down
This is good rockin' done right.

Stefanie Seskin- Jerkin' My Chains/Edge of Reason
Her use of violin metaphor fits my fiddle-heavy show.

Jennings- Doorway/Storybook/Jenningsmusic
I keep on liking this song.

Ashlee Rose- Save My Soul
If I have a soul, music saved it. This song nails it.

Southern Backtones- Forever
Nothing lasts forever. Too bad about that.

Area 27- Black Sun
Nice nod to Alan Parsons at the end...production!

Shauna Burns- Bloom
New to me and already digging it. Texturally pleasing to my ears..

Damien Dempsey- Sing Our Cares Away/Shots/UFO
Damo!

Gang of Four- Natural's Not In It/ Ubiquitous during the lost years of my youth...

Geoff Westen- Angry Young Man
This song- which is partially sung in jagged phrasing much like 'Natural's Not In It'- sounds more like 1980's New Wave than 1980's New Wave does...setting the stage for DJ Jon H, who followed me with our weekly 1980's show...

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I'm a lucky guy.