Waiting on a friend...

So, yeah. My best friend is named Jamie. He just got out of Boot Camp in the United States Army. You may or may not know him. If you do, I'm sorry...if you don't I'm sorrier still. He's a fairly decent human being with half a brain. His fashion sense is lacking, his grammar skills are non-existent and his social mores are questionable at best. That being said, he is also the best person to ever have in your life. He is my Id. He is my conscience. He is my right hand. He is my life barometer.

He is also, for some odd reason, fairly good at Zelda.

His worst point is that he chose to live in Florida. What a godforsaken cesspool...but I digress. Jamie is the only constant I have had for nearly 20 years and for that I thank him. We've shared many a hairy adventure and the only downside is that I hate the feeling of not being able to be there for him in his near future. We've always been within a call, but where he's heading is not the easiest place to get in touch with someone. I only hope he knows that I'll always do my best to have his back, no matter the cost. My brain tells me that we'll have a merry old time when he returns, but my heart hopes it will be sooner than later.

So, without further ado, these are for you buddy. Y'know, since your musical tastes suck so bad...

Steve Earle-the Warrior



Rancid-Vanilla Sex



Dropkick Murphy's-Fortunate Son



the Fuzztones-My Brother The Man



Madcap-Hometown



Angel City Outcasts-Rev It Up



Betty Blowtorch-I'm Ugly and I Don't Know Why



Frank Zappa-He's So Gay



Hamell on Trial-I Hate Your Kid



Tilt-Bad Place



Rancid-Killing Zone



Dropkick Murphys-the Gauntlet



Steve Earle-Willin'






Bouncing Souls-True Believers



Kate Bush-This Womans Work


So anyway, this is for PFC James L Arthmann. A finer soldier could never be asked for, nor a finer friend found.
I love you man and I'm proud of you, and you have my utmost respect. Godspeed and get your ass back here soon. I'll be waiting.

This is for you, meant sincerely and from the heart.

Your friend always,

Matt

Lee Hazlewood-May Your House Be Safe From Tigers

Whatever happened to Country Music?

Remember when you used to be able to tell country and pop music apart? I still love 'older' country and 'classic' country but this new wave just seems like pop music made from people that are slightly more rural than New Jersey. Don't get me wrong, there are some newer artists that are still carrying the torch, but c'mon...where are the Willie, Waylon, Kris, Johnny, Merle?!?!?!?!

I'll keep hoping that someday soon we'll get a new surge in getting back there but until then? I'm happy with what I've got.



the Highwaymen-Big River



David Allan Coe-Longhaired Redneck



Hank Williams-Long Gone Lonesome Blues



Patsy Cline-Sweet Dreams



Emmylou Harris-Making Believe



George Jones-White Lightning



Kris Kristofferson-Help Me Make It Through the Night



Merle Haggard-Mama Tried



Buck Owens-Mental Cruelty



Jerry Jeff Walker-Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother



Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys-I'm A Ding Dong Daddy



Tex Ritter-Jingle Jangle Jingle



Dolly Parton-The Seeker



Hank Thompson-California Women

the AARP is overjoyed!

Today, December 1, 2009 marks the greatest day in my life. My sister has turned a milestone age today and I have an entire years worth of teasing to do. What could be better than that?

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that my dear OLD sister has turned out alright. Sure, she may not be at my level, but that should in no way dissuade you from thinking she is actually a fairly decent human being. She is my movie buff mate, my audio amigo...I dare say she is my *takes deep breath* friend. There, I said it. Happy now? Her greatest achievement in life is the fact that she allows her quite cool son to take all of my old stuff. I like to think of her as my own personal Good Will.

Anyhoo, since it's her birthday I figured I'd slap up some music that she is sure to remember and is definitely going to know the reasoning behind each song and why I posted it. So, without further ado...Happiest of birthday's Al, I wish we were closer in geography so I could share it with you.

*side note:Eliot claims that Alison is, indeed, his favorite Aunt.


Mae West-They Call Me Sister Honkytonk



the Pixies-Allison (okay, so they spell it wrong but I'm pretty sure she's the person they had in mind...)



INXS-Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)



Prince-I Would Die 4 You



David Bowie-Cat People



Van Morrison-Tupelo Honey



REM-Wendell Gee



Hothouse Flowers-Don't Go



Bodeans-Still the Night



Echo & the Bunnymen-Villier's Terrace



54-40-I Go Blind



Tom Waits-Alice
This is because she LOVES to be called Alice!



Jim Carroll Band-Three Sisters



Rolling Stones-Sister Morphine



Puppini Sisters-Sisters

Danko Jones

There's just something about Danko Jones that makes me want to sit in a smoke filled bar and chat with the withered hookers. Sure he's cocky, but I'd bet if you could, you'd want to be him for at least a day. This Canadian rocker tours constantly and has the work ethic that is sorely lacking in a lot of the music acts out there. His live shows are always energy fueled and loud. Really loud. But really, what other way is there to play his tunes? If your ears don't get a little numb then you should get your hearing checked, either that or TURN IT FUCKING UP!







Danko Jones-Samuel Sin



Danko Jones-the Mango Kid



Danko Jones-Rock Shit Hot



Danko Jones-Take Me Home



Danko Jones-Code of the Road



Danko Jones-Invisible



Danko Jones-Lover Call



Danko Jones-Woogie Boogie



Danko Jones-R.I.P. RFTC



Danko Jones-Fucked Up



Danko Jones-Pump It Up (Elvis Costello cover)

Cover Break!

Time for some more cover songs! These are a few that I have come across that I found interesting enough to listen to a few times. I hope you hear one that gets your attention...
WARNING!: Some mellower tunes contained herein...







Stiff Little Fingers- the Message (orig. Grandmaster Flash)



Rufus Wainwright-Harvest (orig. Neil Young)



Neil Finn-Billie Jean (orig. Michael Jackson)



Dar Williams-Starman (orig. David Bowie)



Chris Smither-Visions of Johanna (orig. Bob Dylan)



Nils Lofgren-Wonderful World (orig. Sam Cooke)



Cassettes Won't Listen-Change (orig. Blind Melon) Kind of trippy one?



KT Tunstall-I Want You Back (orig. Jackson 5)



Steve Earle-Way Down In a Hole (orig. Tom Waits)



Don Ho-Shock the Monkey (orig. Peter Gabriel)



Little Richard-Brown Sugar (orig. Rolling Stones)

The Continuing Recipe of Clampypants

So, I came across a copy of a mix that someone had made for me a few years back. It was a mix that was specifically geared toward what the person that made it thought of and about me and I thought it would be fun to post it here. I hope you enjoy it, it's a treasure of mine...









Grapes of Wrath-Peace of Mind



the Waterwalk-Turn Your Face Away



Blind Melon-Change



Sonic Youth-100%



Indigo Girls-Galileo



Cat Power-I Found A Reason



Meat Puppets-Out My Way



H2O-Memory Lane



Bill Fox-Bonded To You



4 Non Blondes-Drifting



Civ-Wait One Minute More



Flaming Lips-Plastic Jesus



Public Image Limited-FFF



Ani DiFranco-the Arrivals Gate



Max Q-Way of the World

Protest Songs Part II

Here's a continuation of the Protest Song post. It's really difficult for me to limit it to just a handful...











Red Rockers-Eve of Destruction



Bob Dylan-Masters of War



the Clash-Clampdown



Public Enemy-Fight the Power



Stiff Little Fingers-Harp



Kate Bush-Army Dreamers



The Tossers-Altercations



Wizo-R.A.F.



The The-Sweet Bird of Truth



Black 47-James Connolly



Billy Bragg-Help Save the Youth of America(Live)



the Waterboys-A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall(Live)



Drivin' N Cryin'-With The People

Songs of Protest Part I

Songs of protest have always been around. No matter how much the political and cultural landscape has changed, they always seem relevant. I admire the artists that create them and I admire the folks that adhere to them. I admire the cheeky ones as much as the serious ones because they still make a point as do the ones in different languages (these serve to inspire research). I like that people have the ability to put themselves on equal footing and it gives me hope that one day, my children will live in a better world than ours.




Steve Earle-Christmas In Washington



Consolidated-Friendly Fascism



Dropkick Murphys-Boys On The Docks



Billy Bragg-Which Side Are You On



Ian Brown-Illegal Attacks (ft Sinead O'Connor)



Joe Strummer-Redemption Song



Junip-Ghost of Tom Joad (Springsteen)



Power In A Union (Unknown)



Ani DiFranco-Hello Birmingham




The Men They Couldn't Hang-Ghosts of Cable Street



Tim Barry-This Land Is Your Land

The World Turned Upside Down

This cover post brings me into the next section-Songs of Protest.
This version, by Billy Bragg, is the quintessential version to me. It spoke to me early and it still has my ear. It lead me on a journey that I have yet to conclude...




Billy Bragg-the World Turned Inside Out

We was on the outside. We never done nothing, we never seen nothing.

I've always liked this song, but for some reason this is my favorite version. Sometimes, the cover settles with me more than the original.






Everything But the Girl-Kid (originally by the Pretenders)

The story of a Fastenerslacks.

This is just a bunch of songs that either I can relate to or have been told remind someone of me. I like 'em all pretty much, so that's cool.











the Waterboys-Fisherman's Blues



Royal Crescent Mob-Corporation Enema



Tim Barry-Avoiding Catatonic Surrender



the Replacements-Swinging Party



Billy Bragg-Milkman of Human Kindness



House of Freaks-White Folks Blood



Screaming Blue Messiahs-Big Brother Muscle



Violent Femmes-Mother of a Girl



Lemonheads-Fucked Up



Beth Hart-Get Your Shit Together



Soul Asylum-P-9



Against Me!-Don't Lose Touch



Danko Jones-Samuel Sin

Robert 'Birdy' Mullen

There aren't enough pages in this blogosphere to contain the words I could say about Birdy. He was the top. Gone entirely too soon and there's part of my heart that has never mended. He was my guardo camino. My muse, my compadre, my brother. I can state 100% truthfully that without him I would not be who I am today. He taught me. He helped me. He showed me that music isn't just what you hear, it's what you feel. He helped me understand that music that isn't shared isn't meeting its potential. He was the best musician I have ever seen, heard, or imagined. I'm truly sorry if you didn't know him because you're life would have been all the better if you had.

Every song I've ever heard reminds me of Birdy. Every song I will ever hear will remind me of him.

These are the ones that have special meaning to me and the ones that are the soundtrack to the movie in my memory.


New Order-True Faith



the Clash-Stay Free



the Gun Club-Walking With The Beast



the Nipple Erectors-So Pissed Off



the Rave-Ups-In My Gremlin



Screaming Trees-Beyond This Horizon



Michael Hutchence-Rooms For The Memory




Love And Rockets-Haunted When The Minutes Drag



Stranglers-North Wind




I miss you brother.

















the Wonderstuff-Sing the Absurd

Natalie Wall

Natalie was probably my closest friend in high school. She understood me better than I understood myself. She is one of the (if not the) smartest friends I've ever had. Her mind worked in ways that I can only imagine. And, of course, she was one of the very few that could get me to shut up.I miss her more every day and I wish I could know she was well.

She was the John Lydon expert at the age of 14 and yet she couldn't drive a stick shift...
PiL-Seattle


She liked this tune and so do I.
Sarah Brightman-Meadowlark

Brandon Sjogren

Brandon is one of the most unique characters ever. He follows the beat of about 38 of his own different drums. If not for Brandon I most likely would have been in a book tower somewhere at a very early age. Of course, being his friend was one of the craziest ideas ever...

I miss him a lot and I know that one day soon he'll drop back into my life again.

the Meatmen-One down Three To Go



Metallica-Last Caress

Dale Sjogren

Dale is Brandon's mother. She is one of the most beautiful souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I always marveled as she went from playing her cello with the finesse of a master and then up and decided that she should learn the harmonica. I spent hours with her discussing everything from opera to film to sociology to politics to mythology and fairy tales to Samuel Beckett to the finer points of junk food.


10,000 Maniacs-Verdi Cries

Jason Phillips

Jason and I were always on the fringe of each other. It wasn't until his last year of school that we started to hang out more. Unfortunately, I always knew that when his senior year was done he would be getting out while I was still stuck getting by. He was a good friend and taught me a lot about underground newspapers, fun music, and the benefits of Friendly's bottomless cup of coffee. He's certainly no Deadbeat. Wait a second...yes he is.










He really does say bzzz bzzz bzzz just because...
The Cramps-Human Fly



God I really want a coffee now. Who has a pad of paper and a pen?
? & the Mysterians-96 Tears

Stewart Erlich

Stewart is one of the best people I know. I didn't spend a ton of time with him, but he'll always stick with me. His passion for music made me realise just how much I still loved music. He accompanied me to a magic Neil Young show and it's one of my all time favorite gigs. I never thought anyone could do Neil better than Neil...until I heard Stewart's rendition of this tune.







Neil Young-World On A String




By the way, check out his new gig Wadirum

MaryStarr

So, what to say about MaryStarr? Well, she's got a heart of gold and is one of the most inspirational people on the earth. She has more talent in her little toe than most people have in their entire body. If she ever stopped dancing, the world would cease.


















Whenever I hear this song, it's her voice that soothes my mind.
Judy Collins-Jerusalem



And this song? Well she certainly was, and is, a truly free spirit. She will always be my friend.

Phish-Wading In the Velvet Sea