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How young are you? how old am I?

April 18, 2011 by morningaftershow

“Mark it zero dude!”

No… how about an ‘X?’

As it stands for those keeping score in my quest to collect The Replacements discography on vinyl:

[ ] Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
[X] Hootenanny
[X] Let It Be
[X] Tim
[X] Please to Meet Me
[X]Don’t Tell a Soul
[ ] All Shook Down

Record Store Day was on Saturday… and yes I took a more than a few text messages from Kirsten to make my way down to Ditch Records at some bizarre hour to line-up.

Blah, I could not get out of bed to save my life Saturday morning, but I still had to take part.

When I finally rolled in around what?  noon?  Jeremy (hey same name as me!) said he had something special for me.  Sure enough, the next and arguable most important treasure on my quest to collect the Replacements discography on vinyl.  Their seminal 1984 record Let It Be.

When I first got into the Replacements later in my life, the first song I heard was track one, side one off this album, “I Will Dare.”

The Replacements – “I Will Dare”

This first song I heard on a compilation collection  a bunch of years ago opened me up to what would become one of my favourite bands!  It makes having this record so special in my collection.

I made a time late last night to make a cup of coffee (I didn’t want to fall asleep!) and drop the needle with my fancy headphones on and have a listen.

One thing that became clear… I need yet another record player and probably a much better amp.  There were challenges with sound.  People talk a mean game about how much “better vinyl is.”  But basically, its work.  I like the work, don’t get me wrong… but its not for everyone.

I sat, and listened to the whole record while staring at the cover.  There was no liner notes or guts to the record I bought… just the sleeve and the record.  But that is fine.

Side one still had flares of the 80s punk/hardcore roots.  Especially after “I Will Dare.”  I really enjoyed “Favourite Thing.”

The Replacerments – “Favourite Thing” errrr “Favorite Thing.”

Let It Be is ofter considered one of The Replacements better (if not best) albums.  Having listened to much of their discography, I personally am not so sure.  There are some misses on this record sandwiched between my all-time favourite cuts.

I found on side 2, the record bogged down a bit in the middle.  However side 2 also is home to “Unsatisfied” and “Answering Machine.”  Both those songs are so emotional, exceptional and powerful.

The Replacements – “Unsatisfied”

Wow right?

So what is the best Replacements’ record?

That is hard one, I think track for track, I might lean to Tim.  But I personally enjoy “I Will Dare,”  “Unsatisfied” and “Answering Machine.” Those three I’d put at or near the top of any list of “Favourite Songs” in my life.

If you are a Replacements fan, maybe you have some insight or favourite… please do share a comment.

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

Download some NEW Jon Middleton (Jon & Roy)

April 11, 2011 by morningaftershow


Good times.  Jon Middleton (Jon & Roy) sent me his new solo record.  Always such a pleasant listen… new Jon Middleton is pretty folky and very Vancouver Island.

Jon Middleton – “Vibrant Scene”

Download MP3 >> 06 Vibrant Scene

Jon and Roy will be one of many great Vancouver Island performers taking part in this summer V.I.C. Fest on June 18th.

hey, never say say I don’t give you anything nice on this here blog.

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Mixtape >> I’m in love … what’s that song

April 11, 2011 by morningaftershow

I am about half way through the book “Our Band Could Be Your Life” by Michael Azerrad so I thought I’d put down a little mix of some of the bands featured.

The first 7 bands featured on the set are all profiled in the book. The last 3, D.O.A., R.E.M., and Meat Puppets don’t have a profile in the book.. but they get talked about a bunch and I wanted to round out the set.

I hope you like this little 30 minute set of 80s alt. rock.

***

DJ Notes

01) The Replacements – “Alex Chilton”
02) Husker Du – “Don’t Want to Know if You Are Lonely”
03) Mission of Burma – “Academy Fight Song”
04) Sonic Youth – “Teen Age Riot”
05) Minor Threat – “Good Guys (Don’t Wear White)”
06) Minutemen – “History Lesson Part 2”
07) Black Flag – “Nervous Breakdown”
08) D.O.A. – “Take A Chance”
09) R.E.M. – “So. Central rain (I’m Sorry)”
10) Meat Puppets – “Plateau”

Stream from Mixcloud >> I’m in love … what’s that song?

***

Go with yourself.

Posted in music, playlist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

it takes a lot of courage to radiate your… courage?

April 10, 2011 by morningaftershow

What was Huck saying the other day?  “It takes a lot of courage to go out there and radiate your courage?”  Something like that… maybe essence.  Courage twice doesn’t even make sense.

Huckdoll was lifting a line from the most excellent Baths‘ song “Maximalist.”  I am sure I blogged a cut from this kid before… BUT, today during this weekend’s adventure to Ditch Record with Madelyn, I happened to come across Baths’ record Cerulean.  It was just what?  $22.99.  Still has the sticker on it, I haven’t dropped the needle.   Had to have it.  Which also reminds me… I gotta bug Smiths Pub to let me DJ another vinyl set on a Wednesday… if they’ll have me.

Baths – “Maximalist”

Download MP3 >> 03 Maximalist

OK… took a break from this post to message Smiths, did you miss me?

***

The other gem I bought from Ditch is not a record at all, but rather a book.  I was talking to Jeremy (hey! same name as me!) and my love of the Replacements.  He recommended  “The Replacements: All over but the shouting.”

I love books about war… and I love books about music.  Bah, but the only issue is I am still working my way through “Our Band Could Be Your Life.”  I hate getting two books I wanna read because sometimes I start the new one before the old one is done.  Not this time, no sir… Imma read my books in due time, cover-to-cover like a grownup.

Please download some Baths as he is great (and download this one too).

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Mission of Burma and Murdering Airplanes

April 5, 2011 by morningaftershow


As I slowly meander through the book Our Band Could Be Your Life, I’ve been revisiting my collection of 1980s alt rock.

The book profiles a bunch a indie rockers of the late 70s/early 80s including many of my personal favourites… like Mission of Burma.

What’s neat about the book so far is that many of the bands’ stories share common threads, inspiration and hardships.

I have noticed that more than one of the bands found some inspiration in an artistic movement of the early 1900s called Dada.

Mission of Burma was definitely the “arty” of the early alt. rock bands and their first single “Academy Fight Song” was backed with “Max Ernst.”

The real Max Ernst was a German painter who was part of the Dada movement of the 1920s when we left the trenches of the World War One.

A lot of Dada art was a reaction to nationalism, war and capitalism.  The picture at the top of this blog post is called “Murdering Airplane” and Max painted it in 1919.

Mission of Burma must have been into the art and expressions of Max Ernst as they would later revisit Max with their 2002 song “Max Ernst’s Dream.”

Mission of Burma – “Max Ernst”

Download MP3 >> mission_of_burma_max_ernst

Nice, I love the tape-loop at the end of the band going “dada dada dada dada.”

Go with yourself.

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Rococode

April 4, 2011 by morningaftershow

Last week, Mother Mother were in town to perform a couple sold-out shows.

The band that was lucky enough to get the opener support spot was a group from Vancouver called Rococode.

Rococode feature the very lovely Laura Smith.  She is from Victoria and moved to Vancouver to go to music college.

There she hooked up with some guys to form a band and here we are…  Laura sent me a few songs and I have one to share on my blog with you today.

Rococode – “Weapon”

Download MP3 >> Weapon REV001 (2)

“Weapon” has that nice, very modern indie-rock, harmony sound thing going on.

I think Ryan Guldemond has something to do with these guys… maybe produced or helped record them? A couple members of the group also spend time as Tegan and Sara’s band. Good times.

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Keep true to the dreams of thy youth

April 4, 2011 by morningaftershow


I get a pang from time-to-time where I think it would be good to create or make something tangible.  Live in the tropics and grow stuff.

But sadly, I have no idea how to be a farmer or where I’d live.

I love coffee, so growing coffee might be fun.  But how do you even begin to become a coffee farmer?  Can I go to coffee farmer school, get a piece of paper that makes me legit then walk over to Coffee Farms R Us and use on-site financing to get a coffee farm?  Nope.

It seems to be the domain of working poor people in third-world countries or retired wealthy folks in Hawaii.

If I had to pick to be one of the two, I’d saddle up to be and be wealthy retired folk.

A quick search on the internet found that coffee farms aren’t overly expensive all things considered (I thought they’d be way more). But still outta my price range.  So maybe it’ll be my retirement goal.

But before I retire… I could take a holiday and be a coffee farmer.  My interneting took me to a website for a group called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF. You volunteer your labour on a farm, and the farmer provides a place to lay your head and some food.

AND they have a ton of WWOOF hosts on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Maybe I don’t have to sell all my processions and move my little family to Hawaii… I can just take a couple weeks off around the harvest and be mercenary farmer!

I’ll just have to keep plugging my pennies in my RRSP fund and get a little more serious about retirement saving.  Yeesh, is there anything worse than thinking about retirement?  But if there is one thing I take away from Krystal’s blog, its that if you can take some abstract thoughts (like retirement) and apply practical steps today, things can happen for you.  At least now the $000s taken from my pay-cheque every two-weeks that go to some faceless account now have a purpose.

I could get used to living like this:


There is even a University on the Big Island… maybe Madelyn will want to come live with her farmer dad…

Go with yourself.

Posted in life or something like it | Tagged , , | 7 Comments »

The problems with me are in you.

April 1, 2011 by morningaftershow


Tracked down a super fun song from NYC hipster electro party rockers Holy Ghost!

I love the single art.  When I win that million (or I guess earn it, whatever) I am going to have a room that looks just like this… complete with young lovely that just wants to listen to vinyl records and make-out and substitute Knicks stuff for Canucks.

Holy Ghost – “Wait and See”

Download MP3 >> Holy Ghost! – Wait & See

***

I’ve had a spell of inspiration lately trying to bust through the general malaise which has settled over my life for past few.  It is starting to feel kinda good welling up somewhere deep in there and I think I owe a bit of it to reading.  Weird. And listening to music.  Especially music I don’t normally listen to like old 80s hardcore punk.

A song idea came to me the other day and I think I’ll use the ideas of 80s hardcore to make it!  Short and sweet…

Go with yourself.

Posted in music | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

My Jeep is fixed

March 30, 2011 by morningaftershow

Huzzah, my Jeep is all fixed.  It was bad battery so it ended up costing a little over $200 when it was all said and done.

I got lots of great advice and feedback on my Facebook from everyone the other day in regards to getting a new battery, so thank you if you took the time.

I do love my Jeep.  This one is leased and the lease is up at the end of July.  I’ll be sad when its gone.

I was reading Krystal’s blog… like I do almost daily… and the other day she wrote a post about what she would do if she won a million dollars! Wow, fun.

Krystal’s blog is a financial blog and she is pretty hardcore so it was neat to read how she’d splurge but at the same time what a sane, responsible person would do.  Since it is my goal to one day “be responsible” I enjoy her blog.

Before I write anything about it… I’d have to really think hard.  One of the only things I might buy is  a Jeep.

But then I really think about it, and I just like cars period.  That’s not very Green party of me, but I do. A Jeep, a motorcycle maybe… and still yet, shit I’d have to invest the money quick… because I’d randomly buy cars!

Go with yourself.

Posted in life or something like it | Tagged | 3 Comments »

I still owe money to the money to the money I owe.

March 29, 2011 by morningaftershow

Back to work after a savage weekend of the sick.

To think, if this was the 1900s… they would have have just left me for dead.  They’d say, “Oh the war didn’t get him?  He wasn’t carried away by werewolves?  And he’s 31!  Well he lived a life longer than any man has a right to.”

God bless modern medicine.

I did venture outside yesterday for the first time in a couple days to take Madelyn for a bike ride.  We bought her this little bike in February but I haven’t really had a chance to take her out.  I feel so like the Dad from a Harry Chapin song.

She must be riding it out at Nana’s because she was a bit of a wizard on the thing.  We went around the track by our condo twice.  But in the end, the call of swings and slides were too much.  She bailed on the bike to be pushed in a swing.

Today is my first day back to work and already filled with stress.  Lame.  My Jeep died so I had t take that to the shop.  Likely $200 if its a minor repair or covered under warranty and cost to me will be $0 if its major.  So I hope its major?  Seems weird, but thus is the modern car industrial complex.

I get to the Zone and see I have a missed call from HSBC.  I get calls from them all the time.  Drives me nuts.  I already have a term loan with them and haven’t missed a payment so I always wonder what there is to talk about… yet every month… like my own private period.

Now I get it, if I walk into a bank with my hand out, I am going to get a serious helping of rejection. That’s not lost on me.  So I stopped doing it.

But I guess the banks missed me, because every month, HSBC calls me.  Then they pull up my file and reject me.  Thank you HSBC for the reminder I am failing at capitalism.

Today’s call was a bit of an extra dagger.

HSBC: “Hello Mr. Baker, I am going through your file and see you have a loan with us.”

Me: “yes”

HSBC: “Wow, it is a really terrible loan.  a bagillion percent interest rate. Is that a real number?  I am embarrassed we even offered it.  We’re worse than the worst loan sharks.  Really, this should be illegal.  We straight up took advantage of your need/ignorance.”

Me: “You did. Its fine, I’ll deal.. its a term, it’ll end in my lifetime.  thank you for calling to tell me I’m a retard.  I don’t get that enough in my life at home or at work.”

HSBC: “Well I’m calling to tell you we can do better to get that rate down.”

Me: “Fuck eh! then do it.”

HSBC: “OK, well let me punch up your file.”

Me: “you just said you reviewed my file.”

HSBC: “Are you a home owner?”

Me: “oh god.”

HSBC: “I’m sorry sir, you’re still poor and can’t take your business elsewhere.  There just isn’t enough equity in your home yet for us to stop fisting your anus.  But you know, you can call us in like a year or if you win the lottery and then maybe we can take your winnings or swindle you out of your house then.”

Me: “Why would I phone you when your auto-dialer will just waste my life force next month with another bullshit call?”

HSBC: “OK have a nice day, thank you for using HSBC.”

Me: “Fuck me.”

The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”

Download >> The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio

go with yourself.

Posted in life or something like it | 2 Comments »

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