WWJRD

After I put together WWJRD15 last spring I had a couple tracks that were a little heavy for how that turned out. I decided to use them to start another Vibe mix, where I just throw together tracks that pop in my head without doing a lot of research. It wasn’t until after I had a rough draft that I realized that almost half of the tracks were either from DC bands, or at least involved someone who’s associated with the DC scene. And with the final mix, we’re up to 10 of the 17 tracks are DC related. I swear that wasn’t intentional.

Track List

1. 1933 – Frank Turner – Be More Kind
2. Womanarchist – Bad Cop/Bad Cop – Warriors
3. Stay Lucky – The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
4. Stars & Gutters – Two Cow Garage – The Death of the Self-Preservation Society
5. True Trans Soul Rebel – Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
6. Motorist – Jawbox – For Your Own Special Sweetheart
7. Written Words – Hammered Hulls – Hammered Hulls
8. This Ship – Soulside – This Ship
9. Too Many Husbands – Coriky – Coriky
10. Go Far – Autoclave – Autoclave
11. Three More – Del Cielo – Us Vs. Them
12. Dig Me Out – Sleater-Kinney – Dig Me Out
13. Empty Head – Screaming Females – Rose Mountain
14. Beast – Ex Hex – Rips
15. Ride – The Owners – Low Rent Paradise
16. The Frequency of Fear – The Casual Dots – Sanguine Truth
17. Romance – Wild Flag – Wild Flag

Continue reading “WWJRD 22: Tell Me You’re From DC Vibes”

Back in August I was watching the session 0 episode for a new D&D campaign on Twitch called Be Gay, Do Crime. The “theme song” for the series is the Super Cassette track Be Gay, Do Drugs, Hail Satan; and it hit me that this would pair really well with the old indie pop track George Romero by Sprites. I’d been meaning to dig back into the indie pop world and see what was going on so I decided to try and pull together a mixtape around these two songs. This is the results of that attempt, a mix of old and new indie pop, with most of the new stuff coming from Slumberland Records.

The title of this episode is a reference to the first actual episode of the campaign where the players decided to start a cult to Venus in the women’s washroom. It’s a pretty chaotic campaign so far.

Track List

1. George Romero – Sprites – Modern Gameplay
2. Georgette Plays a Goth – Tullycraft – Every Scene Needs a Center
3. Despise – Artsick – Fingers Crossed
4. Write It In The Sky – The Umbrellas – Write It In The Sky
5. Black Car – Black Tambourine – Black Tambourine
6. When Can I See You Again – Kids On A Crime Spree – Fall In Love Not In Line
7. Catherine Says – The Aislers Set – How I Learned To Write Backwards
8. Can’t Ever Sleep – Saturday Looks Good To Me – Sound On Sound
9. Let’s Pretend We’re Not in Love – The Reds, Pinks & Purples – Summer At Land’s End
10. Homeless Club Kids – My Favorite – The Happiest Days of Our Lives
11. Musician, Please Take Heed – God Help The Girl – God Help The Girl
12. Suspended From Class – Camera Obscura – Underachievers Please Try Harder
13. Our Love Is Heavenly – Heavenly – Le Jardin De Heavenly
14. September’s Not So Far Away – The Field Mice – Coastal
15. Honey, Honey – Acid House Kings – Honey, Honey Single
16. Be Gay, Do Drugs, Hail Satan – Super Cassette – Be Gay, Do Drugs, Hail Satan Single
17. Training Montage – The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out

Continue reading “WWJRD 21: Cults of the Women’s Washroom”

If I’m being honest, there’s a part of me that’s a little surprised that I’ve made 20 of these. Even more surprised that I only missed one month in all of that time. Now I’m curious how long I can keep this up.

This mixtape has been bouncing around since last spring. I think it started with Snail Mail and Pom Pom Squad, but I’m not sure. I’m not completely happy with how it turned out, but I can’t figure out where else to go from here so I’m go ahead with this and move on. Not everything has to be perfect.

From a house keeping point of view, I’m dropping back to a monthly schedule, the twice a month schedule was fun, but I’m not sure it’s sustainable and I’d rather not push it for now.

Track List

1. Refracting – Superchunk – Wild Loneliness
2. In the Surface Noise – Archers Of Loaf – In The Surface Noise
3. The Destruction of the Kola Superdeep Borehole Tower – The Mountain Goats – Dark in Here
4. Can’t Do Much – Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud
5. Always Together With You – Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful
6. Bad Love – DEHD – Blue Skies
7. Understood – Built To Spill – When The Wind Forgets Your Name
8. Dinosaur Act – Low – Things We Lost In The Fire
9. Robber – The Weather Station – Deluxe Edition of Ignorance
10. Lights Out – Deep Sea Diver – Impossible Weight
11. Valentine – Snail Mail – Valentine
12. Shotgun – soccer mommy – Sometimes, Forever
13. Kissing Lessons – Lucy Dacus – Single
14. Head Cheerleader – Pom Pom Squad – Death of a Cheerleader
15. Knead – illuminati hotties – Let Me Do One More

Continue reading “WWJRD 20: Names Are Boring”

The vibes continue.

Track List

1. In The Pines – Adia Victoria – Single
2. Wild Turkey – Amythyst Kiah – Wary + Strange
3. Don’t Cry – Morgan Wade – Reckless
4. Survivor – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – The Future
5. First High – Nikki Lane – Single
6. What the Hell is Wrong with Me – Sean McConnell – A Horrible Beautiful Dream
7. Candy Lunch – Lilly Hiatt – Walking Proof
8. The Sound of Silence (Electric Version) – Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silense
9. Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore – John Moreland – In The Throes
10. Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels) – Jim Croce – Photographs & Memories
11. Grace Has A Gun – Katie Pruitt – Expectations
12. Verlaine Shot Rimbaud – Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else
13. Anxiety – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound

Continue reading “WWJRD 19: More Vibes”

There were days
and there were days
and there were days between
Summer flies and August dies
the world grows dark and mean
Comes the shimmer of the moon
on black infested trees
the singing man is at his song
the holy on their knees
the reckless are out wrecking
the timid plead their pleas
No one knows much more of this
than anyone can see anyone can see
– The Days Between lyrics by Robert Hunter/music by Jerry Garcia

The Days Between run from Aug. 1st thru Aug. 9th. From Jerry Garcia’s birthday to the day that he died. I meant to post this yesterday to commemorate the start, but I had other things on my mind. Which seems appropriate, these 9 days means different things to different people, to me it’s always been a call to reflect and take stock. After this past year that seems appropriate.

So consider this my offering to what and who ever.

Track List

1. Days Between (12/11/1994) – Grateful Dead – Ready or Not (Live)
2. He’s Gone (8/27/1972) – Grateful Dead – Long Strange Trip Soundtrack
3. They Love Each Other (11/23/1991) – Jerry Garcia Band – Pure Jerry Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Brown-Eyed Women (5/21/1974) – Grateful Dead – Pacific Northwest ’73 – ’74 Believe It If You Need It
5. Ramble On Rose (7/7/1989) – Grateful Dead – Crimson, White & Indigo
6. Deal (11/23/1991) – Jerry Garcia Band – GarciaLive Volume Eight
7. Touch of Grey (6/13/1987) – Grateful Dead – Long Strange Trip Soundtrack

Continue reading “WWJRD 18: Days Between”

No big plan of attack here. No grand statement. It all started with a bit of a mood and then it turned into a vibe. A throw back of sorts to earlier episodes.

Track List

1. A Strange World (Know That I Love You) – Cloud Cult – Metamorphosis
2. Who Am I – NEEDTOBREATHE – Out of Body
3. Beautiful – Hey, King! – Hey, King!
4. End of the World – Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors – Dragons
5. Angel – First Aid Kit – Angel Single
6. Crisper – Shook Twins – What We Do
7. Rock’n’roll – Baskery – Rock’n’roll Single
8. Zoo – SHEL – Wild Child
9. I Don’t Mind – Paper Bird – Paper Bird
10. Turn out the Lights – The Crane Wives – Foxlore
11. We Battle Giants – Bandits on the Run – Now is the Time!
12. Little Sadie – Crooked Still – Shaken By A Low Sound
13. Raise the Dead – Caravan of Thieves – The Funhouse
14. Cheshire Kitten (We’re all mad here) – S. J. Tucker – Mischief
15. The Dark – ZZ Ward – The Dark Single

Continue reading “WWJRD 17: A Vibe”

At the end of May Trash Theory did an episode on the history of Power Pop, which put me in a bit of mood. The result of that mood was this mixtape. A mix of classic Power Pop groups from the golden era, some from the 80s and 90s underground, and some, let’s say Power Pop adjacent songs, thrown in to keep it all interesting. Hope you enjoy

Track List

1. Surrender – Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight
2. Jet Fighter – The Three O’Clock – Sixteen Tambourines
3. Remember the Lightning – 20/20 – 20/20
4. September Gurls – Big Star – Radio City
5. We Got The Beat – The Go-Gos – Beauty And The Beat
6. Radio, Radio – Elvis Costello and the Attractions – This Year’s Model
7. Pulling Mussels (From The Shell) – Squeeze – Singles – 45s And Under
8. Balloon Man – Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians – Globe Of Frogs
9. Alex Chilton – The Replacements – Pleased To Meet Me
10. Could You Be the One – Husker Du – Warehouse Songs And Stores
11. Evangeline – Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend
12. Joining A Fan Club – Jellyfish – Spilt Milk
13. Low – Cracker – Kerosene Hat
14. Pop Song 89 – REM – Green
15. Drug Girls – Velocity Girl – Simpatico
16. The Punks are Writing Love Songs – Tullycraft – Every Scene Needs a Center

Continue reading “WWJRD 16: The Power of Pop”

Last episode was intended as a bit of a palate cleanser after all the punk/post-punk/indie rock of the last couple of episodes, but after thinking about it I feel like we may need a palate cleanser for the palate cleanser. And when I remembered that Los Lobos’ Good Morning Aztlan was a thing that existed this mixtape just kind of fell into place. Nothing fancy here, just some good old fashion rock and roll. Feels appropriate for June.

Track List

1. Good Morning Aztlán – Los Lobos – Good Morning Aztlán
2. Usual Suspects – Ha Ha Tonka – Death of a Decade
3. Z – Carrie Rodriguez – Lola
4. Living In The City – Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator
5. Sallisaw Blue – John Moreland – Big Bad Luv
6. Righteous, Ragged Songs – Lee Bains III + The Glory Fires – There is a Bomb in Gilead
7. Really Wanna See You – Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else
8. Last Will & Testament – Bonnie Whitmore – Last Will & Testament
9. Take On The Dark – Amanda Shires – To The Sunset
10. Records – Lilly Hiatt – Trinity Lane
11. Hope The High Road – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound
12. We’re All We Got – Becky Warren – Undesirable
13. Let Me In – Austin Lucas – Stay Reckless
14. Sweet Saint Me – Two Cow Garage – Sweet Saint Me
15. Mainstream Kid – Brandi Carlile – The Firewatcher’s Daughter

Continue reading “WWJRD 15: It’s Only Rock and Roll”

When you decide to build a mixtape around a 20 minute Acid Mothers Temple track, you have to acknowledge that things are just going to get a little weird.

Over the last year or so I’ve discovered the world of Minecraft YouTube videos and very early into putting this mixtape together I found myself recalling some advice I’ve heard for new MC builders, to mix up the textures of your build to give them a little more visual spice. I decided to do something similar here and mix up the audio textures. I’m digging the results.

Track List

1. Tenere Maloulat – Tinariwen – Amadjar
2. Pink Lady Lemonade (Astral Disco Queen – Coda) – Acid Mothers Temple – Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part 2
3. Leo Flash’ Return To The Underworld – Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Ding Dong You’re Dead
4. Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates of Hell – Deerhoof – Actually, You Can
5. Down By The River – Low and Dirty Three – In The Fishtank 7
6. It’s What I Want To Do, Mum – Mogwai – As The Love Continues
7. Águas De Março – Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobin – Elis and Tom

Continue reading “WWJRD 14: It’s All About Texture”

After all this backward looking looking stuff of the last several episodes, I wanted to do an episode that was more forward facing, but not just focused on what’s coming out currently (the back half of Ep 12 did that). Instead I wanted to look at younger bands. This lead to me thinking about the title of The Who documentary The Kids Are Alright as a possible title. The deeper I got into this though the more that title got twisted around. Like all of the best music created by young people, there seems to be very little concern about what older people will think about it. Instead it’s music by, for, and about what’s happening now in their lives. And you either get it, or you don’t.

Track List

1. Fuck The Cistem – The Muslims – MAYO SUPREME
2. They-Them – Dream Nails – Single
3. Happy Birthday – Hospital Bracelet – South Loop Summer
4. In Birth – Witch Fever – Reincarnate
5. i’m gonna tell my therapist on you – Pinkshift – Saccharine
6. Cleopatra – Nova Twins – Supernova
7. Routine Plan – Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces Everyone
8. Never Thought – Mel Bryant & the Mercy Makers – Mel Bryant & the Mercy Makers
9. Monday Mourning – Black Ends – Stay Evil
10. Homesick – Dream Wife – So When You Gonna…
11. Monday – The Regrettes – Further Joy
12. On My Radio – Screaming Females – On My Radio Single
13. Godless, Lawless, & Non-Monogamous – New Here – Single
14. Pool Hopping – illuminati hotties – Let Me Do One More
15. Blood – butch baby – Stoned Butch Blues
16. Wet – Dazey and the Scouts – Maggot
17. I-Me-Myself – Will Wood – The Normal Album

Continue reading “WWJRD 13: The Kids Don’t Care What You Think”