I remember watching reruns all the time time as a kid, but I’d be hard pressed to give you an example of what of the shows were about. I am sure if I watched the Monkees now… it would be an unsettling adventure in Deja Vu.
The Monkees were a “rock band” styled after the Beatles to be a TV series that ran for a couple years in the late 60s. They also concurrently released albums which, during the height of the Pre-Fab Four… all topped the pops.
I recall The Monkees being derided as being a joke band or not real. Considering we live the era of bullshit artists… I guess I have softened on what The Monkees are all about.
They did stage a revolution with their corporate overlords for greater artistic control and direction of the Monkees brand. This led the musical mastermind to be fired (or quit). The guy’s name was Don Kirshner and he hated that The Monkee’s were actors and not real musicians (fun fact, the guys actually were decent musicians and song writers). He didn’t treat the Monkee’s well and the boys had no love for him. It came to a head during a meeting were Monkee Michael Nesmith punched a hole in the wall and said, “next time its your face.” Now that is pretty rock and roll.
At some point Kirshner finally fucked up and violated his contract so the Monkees could get rid of him. So what did Don do? Formed a new pre-fab band… ala The Gorillaz. An animated cartoon group called The Archies who could not revolt and wrestle away creative control.
The Monkees music is pretty pop-tastical (well the ones that are famous that I can remember). Walking to the Zone today, “Last Train to Clarksville” popped on the iPod.
The song is very fun, but the story is actually kinda dark. Its about a man asking his wife or girl to get on the last train to Clarksville so they can spend a final night together before he ships off on a dangerous mission where he might die (Vietnam). Heavy.
Last night I was in a it of a mood and sick so I settled into my book. I drifted off to sleep around 12:30 midnight on the couch… which I do a lot but it always weirds me out. I came to around 3:30AM and shuffled off to bed, but could not sleep to save my life.
I had all these old 60s songs blasting through my head so loud, it was like I was listening with headphones on. I thought for sure listening to music would put me to sleep so back to the living room I went to listen to music.
That was a mistake, I ended up staying awake till 7AM and listened to hours of tunes.
I have said before, 60s music is all weird… and one of the stranger cuts to come up was 1967’s number 1, “Kind of a Drag” from Chicago rockers The Buckinghams.
Using that fine 60s cracker slang to describe how annoying it is when your “baby don’t love you anymore.”
That makes sense till he hits the chorus then dives into creeper stalkerism.
Get nostalgic and listen to this.
“I still love you… I’ll always love you…. ANYWAY!…ANYWAY!… kind of a drag.”
Alriught, I need to crush another Halls and get ready to squeak on the radio for four hours.
I am having a minor obsession right now with a free Axis and Allies computer simulator I found.
I am a super nerd but if you’re into it: Triple A.
I like the game because it has a First World War variant. I have always, always wanted to play a Great War strategy game, and even though this game leaves a lot to be desired, it works and I play it late into the night when Coral and Mads are asleep. (if you know of a great and maybe free World War One simulator for Mac… let me know!).
The great joy I am finding to play my nerdy war game late into the night (aside from crushing the Central Powers) is that I get to play a lot of music during my time.
I was inspired by a couple things I’ve ready over the past few days. One was an article that Ryan sent me. It as an epic odyssey that a thirty-something is writing about his recollection of 90s grunge and mainstream music. I like how he is going back and re-listening to all the old albums he used to love as a kid again with fresh ears and the perspective of time.
The other was Jon William’s Top 10 of 2010 list. He mentioned a couple bands that had records out this year that I used to love, but never listen to anymore.
Deftones? C’mon, those guys rip and I fell off the band wagon.
Last night while invading France (I flipped it around and played the game as the Central Powers) I fired up the Deftone’s most excellent second record Around the Fur.
The record is an amazing adventure in 90s alt-metal and also the home to one of the best Deftone’s songs in their catalog, “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).”
Deftones – “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)”
The song is so soothing while also being aggressive. The juxtaposition is wonderous on the ear. The story of the song is an emotion that I am sure many of us have felt throughout or lives. I don’t really know what the song is about but to me, its a song about freedom (and girls oddly).
Maybe its the single and album cover?
Such a striking and sexy picture of a girl at a party in Seattle in the mid-90s. I wonder who she is?
The band recorded the album in Seattle and during a party a photographer snapped this shot. Now this girl’s boobs are on my blog.
The interesting part of this album cover to me… is that it primes the record as a “sexual” experience even though none of the songs are about “sex” in a linear way. I have always thought of Around the Fur as a sex record or about grils even though it probably really isn’t about either. Its all because of this image.
The other strong emotional connection I have to the Deftone’s “Be Quiet and Drive” is that a big part of my life from 16 was the roadtrip.
We would constantly take long drives to random places for the sake of the adventure and try somewhere new. I remember one summer, it was really in vogue to go from breakfast in small towns in the interior. Hope or Princeton or Spuzzem or Spence’s Bridge. Somewhere a couple hours out of the city. We’d leave at some ridiculous hour and head east. At 6AM-ish we’d stop, get pancakes and caravan home. Gas also cost like .50 or .60 cents a litre, so you could do shit like that and it only cost a few dollars.
I remember we filmed the trips a few times, I wonder if those tapes live anywhere? Good times, the song “Be Quiet and Drive” always makes me remember some of those drives.
An event that began as Dylan’s Mom wondering why the Zone doesn’t do MORE to help kids has escalated into a great event on Friday, December 17th. DW and Jason will be at the Mayfair Mall parking lot at 6AM till 10 doing their radio show. Please bring new unwrapped toys.
Not that you need another reason to do the right thing, but Future Shop has kindly donated FIVE prize packs that are valued at at least $1,000 each! You can win if you bring toys. Plus Future Shop is starting to fill our Cruze with music instruments for kids that could really use them. Wow.
On top of the $1,500 in Toys from Brett and Dave Wheaton Chevy and Dylan says another $250 from The Real Canadian Superstore.
A Zoner also showed up with TWO boxes filled with Toys as he can’t make the broadcast on Friday.
***
The Killers are on the hiatus… but they are not letting that stop them for jamming out a Christmas song for the holidays.
I do believe it is number 5 in their series of Christmas singles.
What I like about the song “Boots” is that its not overtly Christmassy. I don’t think they say “Christmas” in it once… while still painting a beautiful (and slightly melon collie) holiday song.
The song talks about watching Christmas programs on TV… like “Its a Wonderful Life.”
The Killers – “Boots”
And since I’m feeling a wee bit festive…
I got an email from Ellisa Hartman… I *think* she is a local singer-songwriter… There was no bio on her website.
She did a nice take on “Little Drummer Boy.” Which… and I didn’t know this, is religious. I know now because Treehouse had a cartoon on the other day that was about the little drummer boy being a slave to some fat evil guy… then he ran away to see the baby Jesus. Good times.
The third studio record from Band of Horses didn’t get the mad crush of love that their previous two records received but I ended up playing at home and during my lounge sets. I will always love the song “Laredo” and so much of what I perceive to be a Old Western?Mexico/Desert vibe.
Band of Horses – “Laredo”
09) Vampire Weekend – Contra
We’ll need to stretch our memory back to one of the first big hyped releases of the year for this LP. Vampire Weekend’s anticipated follow-up Contra is number nine on my list.
VW never had huge traction on the radio with their quirky blend of world beats filtered through privileged Brooklyn/Hipster/Ivy Leaguers. I loved Vampire Weekends first album but I enjoyed this one so much more.
A monster number 1 record and grammy nominated album from the Arcade Fire. When this disc came out, we had it on pretty steady at the Veneto and the single “Ready to Start” enjoyed a residency at number one on The Zone’s Modern Rock Countdown. There was a lot I loved about this record. Mostly the nostalgic story lines of growing up in the suburbs, because hey, I grew up in the suburbs. For a feature song, I will chose one of Simon’s faves off the record.
Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
06) Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Another record that didn’t receive wide-spread praise or seem to do a whole lot onto further push FR onto the mainstream conciseness.
Being a heavy user of their previous music, I was hungry for a new disc. I was downloading anything that leaked or squeeked out leading up to this record so maybe I was little too primed, but they are one of my fave bands period, this disc got jammed out. It might not have changed my world like the first time I heard Frightened Rabbit, but it is still a great record of melodramatic rock and roll.
My favourite cut was the first single and it remains so today.
Frightened Rabbit – “Swim Until You Can’t See Land”
06) Broken Bells – Broken Bells
The dude from the Shins, that dude named Danger Mouse… joined forces like the Dinobots to create one sexy masterpiece. I don’t even want to speculate how many babies were conceived this because of this record.
Lots doesn’t seem like an adequate word.
Listening to a randomized playlist on my iTunes one time, this song came up and it has become on my favourites off the record. maybe sounds a little more Shins and little less Danger Mouse, but that’s cool. I believe this song made it on Coral and my one year anniversary mixtape.
Broken Bells – “October”
05) Jimmy Eat World – Invented
Another band that does no wrong by me. Since I’ve been with Coral, JEW has held a special place in my heart and they earn that chance to make a record and I immediately go out and buy it.
I like their 7th studio record because I found it enjoyable outta the box much sooner than it too me to get into their previous Chase This Light.
Chase would grow on me but I liked how there were more than a couple song son this disc that I liked right away one listen in. And others that I would grow to love with repeated listens.
My feature cut is a romantic song (but hey, aren’t all JEW songs sappy?) that I believe also made it on the 1 Year Anniversary mixtape.
Jimmy Eat World – “Littlething”
04) Four Tet – There is Love In You
No record had a bigger influence on me from outside my normal perspective than this electronic disc from the UK’s Kieran Hebden… aka Four Tet.
Around this time last year I bought my DJ rig and by January I was experimenting with DJing simple beats. Right around the time this record came out.
A very modern, simple, and relaxing record to put on to soundtrack my days events. Coral bought this record on vinyl and when I do fire up the record player, The is Love In You is a go to.
Its four sides so I almost go right to side D track one so I can hear the most wonderful song on the record.
Four Tet – “She Just Likes to Fight”
I could listen to that song forever on repeat and never go fully insane. Shit, I might get smarter.
03) The Black Keys – Brothers
I was late to The Black Keys party, but when I finally got the invite, I dived in hard.
The whole swampy bluesy core styled rock music happening right now seems to originating from Akron, Ohio.
To pick a single feature is impossible. Pol likes “Howling For You” and Allie likes “Everlasting Light”
I’m gunna go with the more blue-collar dirge.
The Black Keys – “Too Afraid to Love You”
02) Middle Class Rut – No Name No Color
Rock and Roll has returned. For me, the Renaissance was felt with Japandroids. But there are only so many fuzzy retro rocker songs to hear. The Black Keys kept me marching to the beat locked in. Then Dave Sawchuk lighted up Sacramento’s Middle Class Rut during our weekly music meeting… and became evangelical.
Rarely do I hear a song that captures my imagination so completely and immediately. I felt like a little kid with excitement to hear “New Low.” Downloaded it and then the record. And since then, it has become such a huge record in my life.
It is a bit of a grinder and lyrically it can be depressing. but I do find something uplifting to their tales of the working man’s lows. My ultimate fave is the lead off cut from their record. Sometimes I go for drives in the Cruze just so I can play this song at maximum volume.
Middle Class Rut – “Busy Being Born”
01) The National – High Violet
We all have favourite bands and The National is my favourite.
The day this record came out and they had a vinyl copy down at Ditch I went to get it. I remember that day. I rode my bike and it was really nice out. Then I went to Canoe Club to meet with Don about some music stuff. While waiting for him I was chatting with the waitress… she had never heard of The National. WTF?
So I cracked open the record and gave her the free download MP3 card so she could check it out. I hope she did.
The first single “Bloodbuzz Ohio” to me is masterpiece song. But after repeated plays of this album I do have a few key cuts. A song that always stuck out for me has a weird military theme.
The National – “Lemonworld”
Thank you for reading my Top 10 and checking out some new music.
Madelyn standing in the pouring rain. Chinatown, Vancouver
Part of me thinks I’ve titled my blog with those same Japandroids lyrics before? huh.
I had a very fulfilling adventure to Coquitlam and Vancouver with Madelyn. Over the couple days we covered a lot of ground. Had some fun times with Grandma and Grandpa and Matt and Andrea. Visited with Paul and Sarah. Saw some sights, explored some city. All the while, pissing rain.
Whenever I visit the lower mainland I get nostalgic and think I want to move back. But then I drive in rush hour traffic and scratch my head. How and why do any of you do it? Life is too short. I’d be a transit cat for sure. (which I love and so does Madelyn).
Driving around one afternoon and sampling the radio I heard the DJ talk about a band called Sick Puppies.
This Aussie band sometimes gets requested on the Zone by people that are into “alternative rock.” I’d never heard of them before so I was intrigued and cranked it up.
Sick Puppies – “Maybe”
I guess. Rock, kinda. Alternative, no.
The DJ even quoted the lyrics on the radio like they were some sort of deep manifesto. Change? Being Unique? Fear? Challenge? Trying for something more? All these great points lost in distortion, soaring vocals and syrupy production.
Alternative rock should push you a little. Its should be vulgar, off center, and intriguing. All I take from “Maybe” is a smooth and even listening experience, if I forget the lyrics. Listening to the message of the song makes me mad. The song takes some basic human emotions and puts virtually no unique spin on them… just presents them. The melodrama violated my ears. Think of the word genuine… then to described Sick Puppies use the antonym. I need something a wee bit more left of the dial. God bless ya if that’s your style of Alternative rock, but it ain’t mine.
I don’t want to be hard on the Sick Puppies. They’re just a band trying to make a buck at rock and roll. They wrote the best song they could and it got played on the radio a half world away. Anyone should be commended by that feat which is truly a unique and challenging thing to do… Maybe I am more upset in the mass buy-in required to create the half world where that is possible. There are worse songs that get played in the mainstream more and better songs that never do. Weirds me out man.
Oh no, the poor Cruze this morning. I blogged about this yesterday but I love it.
The car wishes you safe journeys.
whoa… journeys is spelled with an “eys” and not “ies.”
huh.
I’ll tell ya, I could not have picked a better week to have a tester car. I planned on driving it to Vancouver, maybe a station event or two then have to give it back. but instead I have turned into a commuter.
The bad news… riding my bike way less and my bike is my one form of cardio. I keep planning to fire up my own bootcamp at home. I need a couple (or one really) medicine balls and a resistance band and maybe a jump rope, and I can do all the exercises form bootcamp. Just haven’t got there yet. I have a car, I should drive to the sporting goods store!
I am concerned that I am slowly drifting further away from any type of physical fitness. Radio DJing is not exactly physical work. Its not physical at all. Lounge DJing, a bit only because I lug gear and stand. Sometimes they let me fetch ice or clear tables…. but that’s it.
“WOLD” is a song based on a true story about radio presenter Jim Conners. Conners worked at a Boston AM radio station in the early 70s and was responsible for championing Harry Chapin and getting his first single “Taxi” to become a hit. While at the studio for an interview, Chapin overheard a phone conversation between Conners and his ex-wife.
The song “WOLD” is presented as a phone conversation between an aging radio presenter and his ex-wife where he looks back at his life as a radio broadcaster and how all the years later, what he really misses is his relationship and family.
I actually used to jam this song out on college radio. weird. But I love it.
Its such a great song, because as a radio broadcaster, its true. radio broadcasting makes you fat. period.
It got me thinking about the time I used to write for a music blog back in the day before the word “blog” was invented. It was a site called Indulged.com and was started by Andy out of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He had a small stable of writers and one of the dudes was a guy named Matt. They were all into By A thread which I thought was cool, because they lived across the continent.
Indulged is long and gone. Andy lives and works in North Carolina now and Matt… Matt what do you do?
I still cyber stalk the boys on Facebook and Matt was telling me that By A Thread was supposed to release a second record. Sure enough, John Franco facebooked me to say that indeed, the record is done and it is up to their record label, Revelation to release.
If/when it happens… I’ll be sure to blog about it.
***
I received an email from a recent Victorian settler named Dave:
Hey Jeremy,
I want to request the song Air Combat by an up and coming band from Kamloops called Sharks! On Fire!
These guys are playing at the German Cultural Center in Nanaimo on Nov. 26th w/ On Call Heroes and The Kick Off’s.
p.s. My wife and daughter and I moved here in July from Kamloops, and just want you to know I haven’t heard radio this good in a long time, and I truly mean it. My turn month was frig’n rad and love all the new and old music you play.
Thanks, the zone rocks!
Cheers
Dave
***
Thank you Dave! Lets have a listen to Kamloop’s Sharks! On Fire!
Its funny… growing up, I was never much of a car guy. My folks always had a car I could borrow. I bought an old 1969 Triumph Spitfire in highschool. It was dilapidated by the end of grade 12.
In college I bought a Dodge Colt for about $400 from my brother (who had bought it from my Dad).
I shared that car with Alex (my old girlfriend). And by shared I mean, she mostly drove it and I took skytrain to work. When we moved to Victoria, she drove it till it literally died in the street and needed to be towed.
Her brother gave us his old car, a Hyundai, the worst car ever. But it was free and we needed it at the time; it was a pretty clutch gift. The car smoked black smoke all over the city. It was so bad, that sure enough at a stop light, someone would say, “hey, your car is smoking.”
I was on my way to the ferry to pick up my sister when it died on the Pat Bay by the funeral home. I had to call Sara P on the radio and a Zoner picked me up!
After that, Alex bought a Volvo. Then she moved to Vancouver. So I was walker.
Driving me to the ferry one morning in the rain, she spun off the road and we crashed. The RCMP drove me to the ferry.
Then Alex bought a Suzuki sidekick or something and we broke up (gosh dang sidekicks!).
And then I was for sure a walker (no not a Zombie!). I also bought a scooter. I lived a long time without a car.
When I met Coral, she also had no car. Oy Vey!
It wasn’t till me moved in together that my aunt gave me her old pick-up truck. Then Coral got pregnant so we sold that to her Mom and leased a Jeep.
But mostly Coral drives the Jeep.
I ride my bike or walk most the time.
Until now.
I borrowed a Chevy Cruze from Dave Wheaton Chevrolet and almost immediately, we became a two-car family that seems to NEED two cars!
This morning, the challenge was getting Madelyn to Nana’s then to work as Coral also had to go to work at the same time.
Madelyn didn’t seem to appreciate our commitment to keeping a schedule and fought me all the way to the car. In her pajamas! In the snow!
I clipped her car seat in and while doing that she decided to run in the snow.
She also doesn’t appreciate that the “red car” is a borrowed lender/test drive dealio. Ugh. Snow everywhere in the back seat.
It did calm me down when I turned on the car and the display screen said “Be careful, there could be ice on the road.”
Whoa… the car is smarter than my two-year-old.
Being a music/radio guy, the stereo is THE most important part of any car. To me, the car is a rad stereo system on wheels.
I don’t know what they charge for a Cruze, but the information center is big and easy to navigate around. The thing also has XM satellite (boo), but secretly… I dig it.
If there was a way to put the satellite and radio together in a way that compliments both, this is the system. I have had satellite in a car before and I had to turn on the Sirius, or the radio… but with this car, I get to have The Zone as button #1, and then 60s on 6 as button #2. And I can flip. (The DJs on 60s on 6 are so tragic). Then maybe Coast-to-Coast AM as button #3 and all my fave stations, on different formats and frequencies are all in one easy place.
I do have a new theme song because of 60s on 6.
I think my radio show needs a theme song at the beginning (and one at the end).
The old Morning After Show had this long intro I made that eventually settled into “Secret Agent Man” by Johnny Rivers. And we ended every show with the “Why Do You Build Me Up” by the Foundations.
The Modern Rock Countdown starts with Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watch Tower” and ends with Ennio Morricone “Ecstasy of Gold.”
But how about this song?
The Happenings – “I Got Rhythm”
But I think it would be more hilarious if I sang it or had an a cappella group sing it. The song sounds like the theme music to a 1960s buddy comedy sitcom. I love it.
Did anyone grow up watching The Monkees on TV?
The Morning After 