DJ Kicks With a Massive Extra Foot

I've got a long week ahead of me, so I'm not sure how often I'll have a chance to post in the next few days. Plus, I was up all night on Sunday transcribing my interview with Colin Meloy of THE DECEMBERISTS, which I then used to write an article for a local paper as a preview for their show in Omaha on Saturday.

It might sound odd, but I also had a musically exhausting weekend. I didn't think it was possible. After working 9 hours at the record store on Friday (I did the Meloy interview on my lunch break), Mike and I did our usual shift at The Goofy Foot. At the end of the night, the owner asked if I could come back in the next night at 9, making for a 4 and 1/2 hour set. Not wanting to play the same set twice, I spent most of Saturday finding new stuff on the web.

After Saturday night, I don't think I listened to music for two days. There may have been music on in my presence, but I wasn't hearing it. I played 80 songs. I fought off two requests for Bon Jovi. I gave a woman who snidely commented that I wasn't playing enough New Wave for her a facefull of soul and hip-hop, avoiding her genre for at least a half hour. What's up with bar patrons? It's bad enough they can't listen and notice that Bon Jovi would fit nowhere in this set, but they usually toss out a rude comment about what you are playing instead of their song, and never even offer to tip you when they're mistaking you for a jukebox. Seriously, if you've never had the experience, go DJ somewhere and see what it's like. A few weeks back, I had a guy preface his request for AFI with, "So, what're you guys doing here? It seems like you're just jumping around, playing everything, and it doesn't make any sense." That's how you ask for a favor?

But damn those suckas, because there were still plenty of people there who appreciated the chaos. Here's the listing for my 80-song set (big Thanks go out to Mike for letting me use his vinyl), along with at least a CD's worth of tracks for you to mix in with Bon Jovi however you please.

THE GOOFY FOOT
Saturday October 14th, 2005

1. Hello Tomorrow (KAREN O. & SQUEAK E. CLEAN)
2. Maps (ADA)
3. Me and Mrs. Jones by BILLY PAUL: The only people in the bar at this point were the bartender, her friend and Mike. I wasted a perfectly good booty jam on no one.
4. Lay Lady Lay (MAGNET w/GEMMA HAYES)
5. Baby (CAETANO VELOSO & GAL COSTA)
6. Flim (APHEX TWIN)
7. Can We Pretend (BILL WITHERS): Another booty jam wasted!
8. Meeting in the Aisle (RADIOHEAD)
9. Building Steam With a Grain of Salt (DJ SHADOW): Has anyone else out there seen this site, where a high school music instructor hosts video of his class performing 2 DJ Shadow songs at a school performance? It's absolutely incredible. Listen to this track, and then follow that link to watch it performed live, by kids who don't yet know how truly cool they are.
10. Paperbag Writer (RADIOHEAD)
11. Brakes On (AIR): The bar started seeing a crowd at this point, and I'm guessing a few people almost lost their minds at the psychedelicness of this track. I watched a table full of stout women in sweatpants play pool while this played.
12. I Walk on Guilded Splinters (JOHNNY JENKINS)
13. Keep On Doin' (THE ISLEY BROTHERS)
14. Good Lovin' Woman (DOLORES HALL)
15. Let the Music Play (BILLY PRESTON)
16. The Night Time is the Right Time CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: The only user comment on eMusic for the Creedence box set is someone making fun of these guys for being hicks. I say, "Fuck you, good sir." Also, Creedence were from California. Deep south, that one.
17. Harmonica (GRAHAM BOND ORGANISATION)
18. Whole Lotta Love (KING CURTIS)
19. For What it's Worth (LOU RAWLS prod. by DAVID AXELROD)
20. Everything I Do Gohn be Funky (LEE DORSEY)
21. A Natural Man (LOU RAWLS)
22. Never Let 'Em Say (BALLIN' JACK)
23. Got to be a Love (GREYBOY feat. SHARON JONES, PAUL NICE remix)
24. Yeah Yeah (BLACKROCK)
25. The Corner (COMMON)
26. Chicken Payback (THE BEES, MADLIB remix)
27. Tender (BLUR, CORNELIUS remix)
28. Dare (GORILLAZ, SOULWAX remix)
29. KooKooKa Fuk-U (!!!)
30. Guns Blazing (U.N.K.L.E. w/KOOL G. RAP)
31. Rock and Roll (EDAN feat. DAGHA)
32. Letsgetabitarockin' (THE 101'ers): This was the first band of The Clash's Joe Strummer.
33. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (DEVO)
34. Rave n' Rock (DADDY MAXFIELD)
35. Little Red Book (LOVE)
36. Kick! (ADAM & THE ANTS)
37. A Certain Romance (ARCTIC MONKEYS)
38. Psychotic Reaction (COUNT FIVE)
39. Motoring (THE WHO)
40. Mannequin (WIRE)
41. It's a Curse (WOLF PARADE)
42. Contort Yourself (JAMES CHANCE)
43. I Got the Feeling (SHARON JONES)
44. Mirror in the Bathroom (THE BEAT)
45. Get Your Snack On (AMON TOBIN)
46. Dimension (WOLFMOTHER)
47. Emerald (THIN LIZZY)
48. Yo Gonna Get Yours (PUBLIC ENEMY)
49. Microphone Fiend (ERIC B. & RAKIM)
50. Right Place, Wrong Time (DR. JOHN)
51. Moods for Moderns (ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIIONS)
52. Brand New Caddilac (THE CLASH)
53. Bigmouth Strikes Again (THE SMITHS)
54. Do You Remember Walter? (THE KINKS)
55. This Dirt is Made for Shoulders (JAY Z. vs. NANCY SINATRA): Mike says the backing track might be the Lee Hazelwood version of "Boots," not the Nancy Sinatra hit. I'm inclined to agree.
56. The Clapping Song (SHIRLEY ELLIS)
57. Handclapping Song (THE METERS)
58. Cussin' Cryin' and Carryin' On (IKE & TINA TURNER)
59. Mrs. Robinson (BOOKER T. & THE MGs)
60. Wouldn't it be Nice (BEACH BOYS)
61. What's a Matter Baby (TIMI YURO)
62. I'm Looking Thru You (THE BEATLES): This is the way sweeter alternate version that appeared on The Beatles' "Anthology 2." This is also the version of the song that Wes Anderson originally intended to roll over the credits of "The Royal Tenenbaums."
63. We Can Work it Out (STEVIE WONDER)
64. Sweet Wanomi (BILL WITHERS)
65. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON)
66. Down Home Girl (THE COASTERS)
67. Stood Up (RICK NELSON)
68. Get Thy Bearings (DONOVAN)
69. Is it Because I'm Black (KEN BOOTHE)
70. Fearless (PINK FLOYD): This was supposed to be the "last call" finale. It was kind of cool to watch the bar slowly empty to this, especially during that football chant at the end of the song.
71. Any Way You Want Me (ELVIS PRESLEY)
72. GhostWriter (RjD2)
73. Nobody Knows (PAUL MCCARTNEY): What's up with no one ever guiding me toward the awesomeness of Paul McCartney's second solo album (aptly titled "2")? Was this record just too weird for his fans back then, and it eventually got buried and forgotten? While "Nobody Knows" is probably the most normal song on it, this record kills and is full of crazy electronic experimentation and kind of cool white-boy funk.
74. You Just Gotta Know My Mind (DANA GILLESPIE)
75. Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher (EILEEN): Yeah, that's right, the French version of "These Boots Were Made for Walking."
76. Come On Honey (ALEX CHILTON)
77. Ask (THE SMITHS)
78. Sound of Free (DENNIS WILSON)
79. Miss Amanda Jones (ROLLING STONES)
80. Jeepster (T.REX)

SLEATER-(f*cking)-KINNEY

God, Lesley, was I wrong.

Many years ago, my friend Lesley and I debated over SLEATER-KINNEY. If I'm not mistaken, this would have been around 1998, before the release of their fourth album "THE HOT ROCK." I honestly just wasn't feeling them. Part of it was that I had a hard time with Corin Tucker's vibratto screaming. Another part of it was that I wasn't giving them a real shot.

Sleater-Kinney had been getting all kinds of press for "DIG ME OUT" and were heading toward "Next Big Thing" status, which made me wary. I just want to get to like a band on their own merit, without a bunch of people building them up. Have you ever avoided reading a book or seeing a movie because so many people seem to like it that it makes you suspicious that it might actually suck? Well, I'm dumb like that sometimes. (Nevermind the fact that I write a blog and all I ever do here is get in the way of you learning to love a band on its own merits.)

Fast-forward to a few years ago, when I stumble upon an .MP3 of Sleater-Kinney's "Combat Rock," a scorching protest song about the shameful lack of protest in America these days, from their equally excellent 2002 album, "ONE BEAT." The huge, almost arena rock guitar sound. Tucker's shaky and soaring voice punctuated with Carrie Brownstein's soulful moan. It finally clicked.

I had the honor of seeing them play at Omaha's Sokol Hall Underground the other night, and I'm absolutely sure it was one of the best concerts I've seen in years. They were explosive. I have a newfound respect for Janet Weiss's skills on the drums, too. Despite some problems with Brownstein's amp, they played about 75 minutes, finishing their set with an unwanky and blistering psychedelic jam on the epic "Let's Call it Love," the pentultimate track from their newest album, "THE WOODS." Midway through the song, I turned to a few of my friends and exclaimed, "FUCK!"

The end of "Let's Call it Love" blended right into the beginning of "Entertain," the band's new single (available HERE from Sub Pop). They tore the roof off the motha and said goodnight. If they'd turned the house lights on at that moment, I would have been satisfied. But they didn't. They came back onstage and did exactly what you always want every band you've ever seen in concert to do for their encore. They did a fistful of covers... Bruce Springsteen's "The Promised Land," Richard and Linda Thompson's brilliant "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" and the Danzig cock-rock masterpiece, "Mother" (the latter two tracks featured the lead singer of openers THE GOSSIP on vocals).

As the lead singer of The Gossip hurled herself into the front row in a suprise stage-dive, as if we were in 1990 Seattle, Sleater-Kinney tore into one final track, their own "Dig Me Out." I was so thrilled to be in that crowd, I got chills.

Tonight, my friend Lesley will bask in the glory of knowing that I will be eating crow for weeks to come. I will stick my tail between my legs and begin amassing the rest of their catalogue. Being wrong never sounded so good.

FOR MORE ON TONIGHT'S POST:
- Buy fugging sweet jewelry and more from Lesley and her husband Mike at Hunt N Peck.
- More on Sleater-Kinney at Sub Pop.
- They have a ton of downloads at their official site.

Your orders:

If you like The Shins or Death Cab for Cutie, the new MATT POND PA album - "SEVERAL ARROWS LATER" - comes out today. I think it's better than Death Cab's "PLANS." You should buy it.

Much like on my Dylan post last week, I don't want to beat a dead horse here. I've written about Pond before... he was even my first post on my previoius, short-lived music blog.

Check out these tracks and see what you think. Rolling Stone magazine called them one of the next bands to watch. That'll probably be the kiss of death for them, but don't let that stop you.


"Halloween"
"From Debris"

Good night.

The Other DYLAN

Anybody else catch "No Direction Home," Martin Scorcese's 3.5 hour documentary on the rise of BOB DYLAN? If you didn't, you missed a hell of a document on the man and what events forged his legendary status. Full of all kinds of never-before-seen footage, the flick took us from Bob's childhood in Minnesota to the motorcycle crash that put him in seclusion from touring for years in the late 1960s.

Every few months I go through a Dylan phase. I'm sure this isn't news to anyone who reads this blog. This is probably the second or third time I've written about the guy since January. What can I say... I've been fascinated by the guy since I took a gamble and bought "THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN" when I was in high school. I liked Dylan a bit before that, but hearing that record blew me away. Here's a high school kid listening to all kinds of punk, hard rock and hip-hop, and in comes this raw little heartbreaking record featuring a guy and his acoustic guitar singing songs about the world - and his heart - in collapse.

Last week, a few days after watching that Scorcese doc, I got to interview JOAN BAEZ for one of the local entertainment papers in town. I was talking to the person who was personally responsible for putting one of my favorite songwriters on the map. I wouldn't say I'm the world's biggest Joan Baez fan (I own none of her records), but I have a newfound respect for her after speaking with her and watching her interviewed in that movie.

Her interpretations of Dylan's songs have always been stirring and pretty powerful. Tonight I'm putting up a few more interpretations of his work. While none of these songs - in my mind - top the originals, I hope that maybe they'll steer a few people towards his work who may have ignored him in the past.

"Isis" by THE WHITE STRIPES
"Don't Think Twice, it's All Right" by NICK DRAKE
"Mama, You've Been on My Mind" by JOHNNY CASH
"Mama, You've Been on My Mind" by JEFF BUCKLEY
"Lay Lady Lay" by MAGNET (w/GEMMA HAYES)
"I Shall be Released" by MARION WILLIAMS
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" by NINA SIMONE


For more on some of tonight's artists:

- One of my previous Dylan posts
- A pretty comprehensive Nina Simone site
- Home of Magnet
- The official Jeff Buckley site.
- Nick Drake, A to Z
- A Wikipedia entry on Marion Williams
- The White Stripes performing "Ball and Biscuit" with Bob Dylan. Tons more downloads available at WhiteStripes.net.