Putting The I in Migas

The House that Brings a Smile

It's easy to dismiss the infinite number of music blogs out there as an echo chamber of wanna be insiders that only will praise a band until you've heard them.  But to do so means missing out on some great original writing  and endless insights into music both familiar and the unknown.

One site that gives reason to believe is When You Awake.  The owner, Jody Orsborn, is equal part curator of the past -posting epic clips from around the web and putting together a terrific series of mix tapes- and trustworthy gateway to the present - with honest reviews of emerging artists and thorough coverage of the LA music scene. 

Over the past few months she's turned me onto my favorite new band, Hacienda, as well as my new favorite dead artist, Jim Ford. (check out both below, and be ready to wonder how you've never heard of Jim Ford before, I have been asking myself that for two months and still haven't come up with a reason) 

Here's a quick smattering of some other stuff that has made my day: Linda Rondstat covering Tumbling Dice,  a mixtape of Kris Kristofferson covers (BTW: if anyone has ever looked more beautiful than Rita Coolidge in that video, I haven't seen them) and a 2009 interview with the ever bizarre Van Morrison.

This week Jody has a great guest mixtape from the Pete Osberg, curator of Wolfgang's Vault, who until Nick Meriwether got hired, might have had the best job going.

Listen:
Hacienda Who's Heart Are You Breaking" (buy)
Hacienda Apples
Jim Ford  Sounds of Our Time (buy)
Jim Ford  Workin My Way to L.A

 

If its not a rhapsody, well it will just have to do...

An old friend of mine recently dropped her job, kidnapped her sister and set out on the open road. Traveling with little more than a working vehicle, a digital camera and a vague notion of where they'll sleep that night the two are making there way across the US. 

Music and long drives are like peas and carrots, so I figured I'd whip up a quick mix tape and email it over to them.  Considering I was choosing from the limited selection of music on my work laptop I was shocked at how much I liked the mix. Still it was missing something, and from there I couldn't help but think it needed some liner notes to be fully appreciated.  

My afternoon was ruined.

I clearly couldn't e-mail these notes to them.  It would have freaked them out. 

So I brought to migas.  For your listening enjoyment or fodder to mock, have at it: "Trip to Cleveland:  Road Daze Fall 2009 BFF"  along with some song notes, a couple good pieces of trivia and every overblown rock cliche this side of "sun drenched california psych pop"

Download zip file here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/999987/No%20Trip%20to%20Cleveland.zip

Mendocino (1969)- San Antonio native Doug Sahm was originally signed to cash in on the popularity of british invasion bands. The marketing wizards came up with the name The Sir Douglas Quintet to give these Texans an air of aristocracy to match their regal sound. Sahm and the other blokes in the band headed to San Francisco in 1966, where for the only time in the city's history it was a cultural center, creating something on par with its physical beauty.  Even though SDQ was a center piece in the creation of the scene, Texas was never far from Sahm's heart and he returned to Texas in 1969.   But to show that it was nothing personal, Sahm penned this love letter to his adopted city.  Its hard to find a better example of the window between garage rock and psycadelic sounds.

Second Hand News (1970) This under-appreciated album opener provides a refreshing balance to the played to death tracks off of Rumors. Along with the jaunty acoustic guitar work and dynamic harmonies News stands alone atop an all too short list of catchy, not so subtle pop songs that address the mysteries and power of cunnilingus. 

40 Dogs Romeo and Juliet (2009) Austin native Bob Schneider has been ready to break it big for the past twenty years. Since his excellent Lonelyland the hardest working man on the third coast has been cultivating a sound that might best be described as what Jack Johnson would sound like if he wasn't so terrible. This latest single is more conservative than his previous efforts but brings it home with a snappy, fun, summer groove that makes you unashamedly crank up the volume, roll down the windows and get dirty to some good adult oriented rock.

40 Day Dream (2009) I was lucky enough to catch Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros during south by southwest. I left impressed and convinced that I had discovered something new. I soon learned that Columbus had already found them, and I was an old man.  Nonetheless, 40 day dream captures the organic, join the band, no shower no problem, hippie energy of the outfit.

Kick Drum Heart (2009)The Avett Brothers have caught some flack from fans for this faux lo-fi, new wavey cut on the otherwise sonically rich I and Love and You. I guess I can see that, but fuck it- the song makes me want to dance.

Borderline (2009) The Flaming Lips give this dance-hall classic a shot of ketamine chased with cough syrup. The hazy verses and droned out climaxes lead to Wayne Coyne's echo hall chorus and almost adds gravitas to what Madonna made sound like bubble gum.

Abandoned Love (1975)Widely bootlegged and revered by Dylan hardcores it took ten years for this song to surface on an official Dylan recording. Recorded in 1975 as his first marriage dissolved, this chestnut is as well written and fresh sounding as any of the material released while Dylan was busy inventing rock and roll a decade earlier.

Use Yr Love- (2007) KT Perry's classy cover of the Outfield 80's classic tale of guy who turns to a young impressionable girl for comfort while his current steady is out of town. Working with epic lines like "don't you know I like my girls a little bit older" Perry adds her own twist to this wholesome family favorite. Surprising fact: Along with their chosen handle, The Outfield expressed their love for america's pasttime in several different tracks.  The kicker?  They're limey's. 

The Man Behind the Drums (2009) Like the Grateful Dead, the ardor of Robert Earl Keen's hardcore fans results in him being dismissed by tastemakers.  But along with the glory of binge drinking, white hatted southern frat boys are right about this guy. REK is a serious songwriter who doesn't let that get in the way of having a great time. On this tribute to Levon Helm, Keen falls short of besting the Drive by Truckers's "Danko/Manuel" in the quest for the best song about The Band, but that's stiff competition and Man Behind the Drums serves as a worthy companion piece.

Midnight at the Movies(2009): Justin Townes Earle is able to play old time texas swing and not-nashville country music with an authenticity that so many alt-country bands feign. At least I think so, without a reference point I can only rely on the way his voice on this track melts me. The lyrics drip like honey through a light Texas-waltz and makes a lonesome activity turned casual encounter sound as American an outing as attending a high school football game.

Sugar (2009) : I know very little about Birmingham Alabama's Vulture Whale. Along with their btown brethren, The Dexateens, this band was recommended by the good folks over the Adios Lounge. Now there is a blog worthy of your eyeballs. Though postings have slowed, the recommendations and in depth studies of artists both new and old have been driving my music purchases for over a year now. So when Lounge Chief Proprietor LD raved that Sugar was what "pop music should sound like" I knew I had a safe bet.

Mother and Child Reunion (2007) Good piece of trivia. Paul Simon got the name for this song at a chinese restaurant where the menu featured an egg and chicken dish called the Mother and Child Reunion. I love that story.  But its only once and a while that you get shown the light in the strangest of places. The Morning Bendersfound their in a more familiar place- They set up a four track in their bedroom, recorded some of their favorite songs on whatever instruments were available and posted them on-line. This might be the best of "The Bedroom Covers" but its worth downloading here and judging for yourself.

Rhapsody (2001):While Alejandro Escovedo was awarded "Artist of the 90's" by No Depression in 1996, he created saved some of his best work for this 2001 release. I'm not sure if Rhapsody is the best song to post, but it has the rare quality of sounding familiar on the first listen but not derivative. For you fans of political miscellany  When informed that his rocker "Castanets" was on the jogging mix of President George Bush, Escavedo decided to stop playing the crowd favorite live.

Kingpin (1996):The opener at the first Wilco concert I saw has been my favorite Tweedy song ever since. Bob Egan's peddle steel makes its way inside of your body, slides under your spirits and wiggles them right on up to the top. .

The Weight- The best cover of the best song out there. Enjoy.

Tex Mex Mile (2009)- God bless the Gourds. The ever brilliant Kevin Russell captures the fun, slightly sloppy, irreverent essence of Americana at its finest. Originally titled the "Tex Mex, Tattoo Pakistani Package Mile" Russell turns the shady legal and illegal commerce between hookers, hippies and other undesirables into a romantic and joyous depiction of a South Austin that had changed long before I arrived.  Much like the South Congress streetwalkers described here, the Gourds "ain't good looking but they got that freaky style".

What Are Their Names?

In 1971 David Crosby released "If I could Only Remember my Name".  While its billed as a solo record, all of the players on the recording are household names.  CSNY are all there sans Stills, as are Garcia, Lesh, Bill Kruetzman and Mickey Hart from the Good Old GD.  Jorma, Grace Slick, Jack Cassidy, and Paul Kanter from Jefferson Airplane join in and her highness, Joni Mitchell, provides her services also as do countless other dirty hippies living Northern California at the time.

In the midst of all this talent, Garcia shines throughout.  This was a heady time for the Fat man and arguably a career apex.  1970 had the Dead releasing their two finest albums and playing some 142 live dates.  Garcia also found the time to all but produce CSNs "Deja Vu" and lay down the most memorable pedal steel performance of all time (Teach Your Children).  While his guitar playing was fully developed his heroin addiction was not, and though plenty of the live pre china-white material was captured by industrious tapers, there isn't enough strong studio work on tape from this time period.

The long intro to "What are Their Names" is the high point of Garcia's effort.  It comes in with a dreamy, out of the ether Garcia/Lesh interplay that typified "Weather Report Suite" or "Wharf Rat" intros.  When the vocals finally begin Garcia finishes floating and starts driving with conscious, pointed leads while Lesh lays down a backbone that firmly establish who is controlling the direction.  Garcia's guitar  provides vintage Jerry fills throughout Tamalpais High (At Around 3 O’clock). These delicate, ambient licks are as notable for the spaces he finds to not play as the instantly recognizable flourishes he does play. His slightly spacey pedal steel in "Laughing" offer the song perfect accents, but his confident solo sends notice to Jorma, letting the guitarist know that Garcia should probably be playing the lead piece as well.

Aside from Garcia's work, there is something for everyone here.  The epic "Cowboy Movie" gives Crosby's take on the demise of CSNY below a raunchy blues riff.  The slightly precious "Laughing" serves a rebuttle to George Harrison's new found leader and the last two tracks sound like they could be on the next Fleet Foxes release.  The record is not completely void of the hippy aesthietc, but the artists never lose themselves in butterfly chasing, excessive noodling or quests for the sound of desert air.  The album as a whole shines more as a chronicle of the early 1970's, organic, sunny California sound with a taste of The Band then it does as a relic of late 60's indulgences.

It wasn't until 2005 that Rhino finally released If I Only Could Remember My Name on cd and it had evaded my consciousness until only a few weeks back..  It's been a welcome addition since, but it's a classic that belongs in case logic books (or harddrives) stashed in the cinderblock dorm rooms of bright but lazy kids clad in fleece, looking for answers at the bottom of bubblers and marveling over  girls in philosophy 101.

Note:  If i continue to punish you with music reviews, specifically old releases, I will at least add an MP3 player- look for it in the coming days.    

I go to the movies, and I go downtown

There is no room for cynicism on Tuesday.  Tomorrow's swearing in is the most important moment in American history our generation will have ever seen.  I am excited to see every second of the event.  I'll be watching, I'll cry tears of joy and will feel a swell of patriotism I've never felt before.  I'm looking forward to it.  I'll tell my democrat friends that I had a meeting and missed it.  But my dear readers, I share with you my secret, I wish I was in Washington to lay witness to the glorious moment.

But it's not yet midnight in the Central time zone, so I'd like to be critical for a moment.

What on earth was Jon Bon Jovi doing singing "A Change is Gonna Come" on the mall on Sunday?  Bettye Lavette held her own and gave the song a taste, but Jon Bon Jovi?  I'm not saying he did a terrible job(he did a terrible job) but that's who they chose to put our best foot forward? 

It's not a race thing, I'm not saying an African-American should have sung it (an African American should have sung it). It's a gravitas thing.  To sell that song you need to have atleast experienced some sort of struggle in your life.  Have you ever seen the Bon Jovi behind the music?  Its the worst BTM ever.  The "Price of Fame" chapter revolved around over the counter sleeping pills and Heather Locklear. 

Jon Bon Jovi may live on a prayer, he might have been born to be my baby and his love might even be like bad medicine.  But Jon Bon Jovi couldn't make anyone believe that he was born on a river in a little tent, that he's ever asked his brother (asked his brother) 'brother help me please' or that he now thinks he has the strength to carry on. He should not have been on the wings of the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, and he certainly should not have been singing arguably the best recorded song in American history. 

Al Green is still alive, Stevie Wonder. Usher. Alicia Keys. Tina Turner. Fiest for all I care.  A lot of people could have done a great job with it.  We made a list during the Raven's game.  Maybe there was some sort of symbolism to having a mixed race duet.  I don't think it needs that but fine, get Willie Nelson up there with Bettye, or that other guy from New Jersey. But even then it’s a loss.  That song is too good, too important.  You want to talk about uniting the country?  Get Aretha up there, even the Queen at 66 with laryngitis could knock that song so far out of the park that Ann Coulter would be plastering her Chevy Tahoe with Shepard Fairey stickers.

It's after midnight, so I'm done with it.  It's behind us. I am now confident and filled with hope that a better version of change is gonna come tomorrow.

I like embedding videos, hopefully though the owner of this will have this removed to spare you the pain

The choice is up to you my friend

Every six months or so the "business press" release a book of profound importance.  A tome that examines psychological and sociological studies and offers pearls of wisdom and insights that will completely change the way you understand the world.  These books are usually titled Catchy Buzzphrase colon Thesis Statement and will be the talk of the conference room until the next one comes out.  I hate these books and, through the grace of my laziness, have only read one of them.

But I hear about them from terri Gross when i'm listening to FRESH AIR.  Specifically The Paradox of Choice caught my attention a few years ago, and I've been referencing it since.  The basic jist is that that we're presented with so many choices that we depress ourselves by always having what if scenarios floating in the back of our mind.  Again, I didn't read the book but it seemed to make sense, if that's not in fact what the book is about let me know, because it makes sense to me and I'd love to get a book deal.

It was with this in part of my mind that I decided to get a record player.   You're probably cringing at the mere thought. Immediately doing the line of succession of awful back to basic trends dudes have gotten mixed up with over the years--- expensive beers, cigars, trucker hats, scotch, shaving cream, cheap beer---and you're probably right.  Or maybe you're thinking about some dbag "audiophile" you've met who talked ad nauseaum about how much purer vinyl sounds, how warm it is and how harsh cds sound, or the friend of your friend who seems like a good guy until he starts to talk about the death of cover art or the joys of putting on a record, reading the liner notes and listening to the album as a piece of art, carefully sequenced to optimizing your pleasure. 

You're right, on all counts.  Its a trend and really iPods, mp3's and bit torrent are so convenient, easy and affordable that anyone who buys a record player is a luddite and might as well start using a typewriter.

The thing is, about four months ago, I listened to my stereo and thought this sucks.  I have the iPod set up to play through the speakers and any song at my finger tips but it wasn't something I could handle, I took little joy from it.  No matter what song was playing, I couldn't help but think of what I could be hearing and nothing sounded like I wanted it too.  It was the paradox of choice at work. A record is the exact opposite.  You pick the record, clean it, drop the needle and unless you want to keep getting off the couch you listen to it all.  And appreciate it all.

So i did some homework, got out to some stores and ended up with new speakers and a new turntable.  Since then I've been spending a lot of time in used record stores, listening to music I hadn't heard before, talking to dudes a lot more knowlegdable but no less single than I am, and twirling my handlebar moustache and thinking about the social relevance of Belle and Sebastian.  All and all a good time.