It's the Eve of My Last Midwest Concert Road Trip...

I received a little package at work from the J in the UK today. In it were two issues of Kerrang! and one issue of Rock Sound. It couldn't come at a better time. Tomorrow I head out on the road for one last time before moving down south and for obvious reasons have been thinking about J a lot. My friend C and I will be heading to the Indianapolis Projekt Revolution show going on tomorrow night, then heading to Chicago to catch it there on Saturday. HIM and MCR together, two nights in a row. I may not be the same after this trip. I don't think C understands what she has signed up for! -K

Love you and miss you sweety.

The Uninvited

I went to the local coffee house at lunch to nurse my hangover and over the supposedly soothing and mild tunes played overhead, there were two screaming babies. Move along babies! You don’t need caffeine! Since the overhead sounds were not soothing, I am suggesting an alternate coffee house soundtrack. I’m calling it “Drowning Out Baby at the Coffee House”. It’s a mixture of songs to both repel the stroller crowd but also, if they choose to stay in spite of the music, plant the seed of future teenage rebellion.

Tie Your Mother Down – Queen

So Whatcha Want – Beastie Boys

I’m Not Okay – My Chemical Romance

Bulls on Parade – Rage Against the Machine

Add It Up – Violent Femmes

Anarchy in the UK – Sex Pistols

Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing – Chris Isaak

All of Sticky Fingers – The Rolling Stones

Playlist for the Bank Holiday

In America, it seems that holidays have some higher meaning although we rarely do anything on the holiday to acknowledge it. Examples would be Memorial Day or Martin Luther King Jr Day. But here in the UK it’s simply “bank holiday”. I asked someone what does this mean, and they looked at me like I was an idiot and said that it means the banks are closed. Okay, I guess that’s it. Anyway, I have the day off of work and we are having a gloriously sunny weekend so I got loaded with a work colleague and put together this playlist to celebrate. –J

Breakin Up – Rilo Kiley
A new fave of mine

Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
I can’t pick up a newspaper here without her mug on the cover. This week she and her husband emerged from a London hotel bloody from some kind of spat and rumors of heroin and crack addiction. Ugh, are they the 2007 version of Sid and Nancy?

Lola Stars and Stripes – The Stills
I love this song. It also makes me think of my little red beetle in the States, Lola. She’s a temptress.

Live Forever – Oasis
Oasis has much more clout here than they ever did in the States. This song is one of the moments where I can understand maybe why.

Telephone Line – ELO
A few months ago I told K that I was having a bad day and started to tear up driving to work listening to this song. She laughed at me as I hoped she would. But you have to admit, Jeff Lynne sounds desperate on this song, and it’s a desperation that we in the modern world with cell phones, etc. don’t have to endure.

American Girl – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Okay, this just proves I was drunk today because I got teary eyed listening to this song! “After all it was a great big world, with lots of places to run to”

Boys Keep Swinging – David Bowie
My brother M likes to remind me that my taste in music sucks. Maybe he will be pleased with this selection although he may just say that I picked the one David Bowie song that sucks. I don’t care, I love this song.

The Pretender – Foo Fighters
There seems to be a preponderance of either men with shaved heads (is this a football thing?) or young boys with extremely coiffed spiky hair here. How about just a long haired scruffy guy every once in awhile? After seeing the video for this song, Dave will have to do.

Dosed – Red Hot Chili Peppers
This song makes me think of our road trips. Miss ya K!

California Waiting – Kings of Leon
It’s all about the cowbell.

Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
These lyrics and the way that Al Green sings them, isn’t this what every woman wants to hear?

Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright – Bob Dylan
This song is on the soundtrack of a River Phoenix movie, Dogfight. It’s a sweet little film.

Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
It never gets old.

Nausea – Beck
I don’t always like Beck’s music, but I always love his voice.

Keep Yourself Alive – Queen
Every time I see my brother S I ask him the same question, You really don’t like Queen? His answer never changes but it’s such a head-scratcher to me when you listen to a song like this. Oh well, he’s probably still scratching his head over having to take me to see Duran Duran in 1984.

Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight

Q magazine is calling it an album full of gems. J is going to call it an album with a few gems. I was thinking today as I was listening to this record, what genre is this band? iTunes calls them “alternative”, but that doesn’t seem right. Jenny Lewis’ voice and the twangy guitars at times sound kind of alt-country but this album is all over the place. A few of my favorites are Silver Lining, The Moneymaker, and Give a Little Love. But a song that I keep playing over and over is Breakin Up. This song will be on heavy rotation. The lyrics ask if they’re breakin up but the way they are sung, I don’t think she gives a shit. –J

Reading and Leeds

In my tiny room on my tiny telly I get four channels and most of the time these channels cover news, football, or British travel. The most exciting thing about about British free television is the festival coverage. Last night they broadcast highlights from the first day of the Reading and Leeds festivals. Reading alone has 35,000 attendees. Dave Grohl has said from playing there with both Nirvana and Foo Fighters that it’s the festival that scares him the most. People go absolutely crazy and the crowds are so big you just hope no one dies during your set. So I was perfectly fine watching from the comfort of village life. I stayed up long enough last night to watch performances by Razorlight (yawn), Kings of Leon, Jack Penate, and The Gossip. I love The Gossip’s single Standing in the Way of Control. Beth Ditto has a powerful voice, and after hearing her live performance, that voice is not studio magic. HOWEVER, Beth is a large gal, the kind of large you don’t see in pop music. During the set she stripped down to a black bra and black granny panties to reveal lots of pasty flesh that looked like it never sees the sunlight and should stay that way. Wow, thank goodness they showed some other bands after The Gossip so I could let go of that visual. --J

Weekend Entertainment

A couple of things:

1. I feel so out of touch right now. Not having to drive anywhere, I don’t listen to music on a regular basis.
2. I’m totally broke so I have to really watch how I spend my money.

I was desperate to buy something new, so I cautiously approached the local record store here in my little English village. It’s one of those places where you kinda wonder if when you bring your purchase up to the counter, if they might refuse to sell it to you. I wanted to buy the new Rilo Kiley record but after looking I had to approach the counter and ask if they carried it. They did, one copy. They have one of those systems where they put the case out for display and then all the CDs are filed in the back in little white envelopes, so it took an awkwardly long time to make my purchase. There was so much crap piled up on the counter, paperwork, promotional junk, boxes, it just does not look like a record store, but instead an office space for a pack rat that has been untouched since about 1975, which is actually pretty cool. By the way, CDs are about double the cost here, so I better like this! –J

The Vanishing

A friend of mine once quoted a song lyric to me. It had something to do with knowing how one's night went by the state of the ashtray the morning after. This lyric is haunting me tonight because my night is already starting to show. August is turning out to be a helluva month. Having moved from proper Kleenexes to toilet paper, I felt it best to focus on the one thing that never leaves me- the ever-present morphing melody in my head. So here is my latest playlist aptly titled The Vanishing. -K

Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac
I was just reading Jancee Dunn's But Enough About Me, wherein she talks about interviewing Stevie Nicks and the lyrical perfection in describing a lover's waning affections.
Don’t Walk Away - ELO (Xanadu soundtrack)
J gave me her copy of Xanadu before she left. Mock us if you will, but it has a stellar soundtrack.
Suspended In Time - Olivia Newton-John
Watch me add another Xanadu song to this playlist! Doing it!
I Won't Forget You - Poison
CC's guitar solo is what kills me in this song. I was never a huge Poison fan back in my hair band days, but this song has always been a favorite.
Think About You - Guns N Roses
Appetite for Destruction is 20 years old this month. That seems insane.
I Just Don't Think That I'll Get Over You - Colin Hay
I drink good coffee every morning / Comes from a place that's far away / And when I'm done I feel like talking / Without you here there is less to say
A beautiful song on the still impressive Garden State soundtrack. Who knew the lead singer of Men At Work had such depth!
Angie - The Rolling Stones
ain't it time we said goodbye A song that Mick wrote for David Bowie's soon to be ex-wife. Funny, that such a beautiful song was written for a woman who would later claim to have caught the two men in bed together.
Crazy - Patsy Cline
This song is such a classic that I don't really need to write anything. It's pretty self-explanatory why it ended up on my list.
One Last Time - HIM
Ah, my old romantic, broken-hearted standby, HIM. There were about 20 of their songs that could have made this playlist. But, this one is simple and to the point. Nothing really gothic here. Just a man, standing before his woman, asking for one last chance at making it work. Alternately, it could be a man, standing before his woman, asking for one last romp before the inevitable end comes. You can choose your own interpretation. I found a live performance of this on Myspace once and it may be better than the recorded version.
Like We Never Loved Before - Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
I have always loved Faith Hill. Anyone who listens to these lyrics and feels the ache will understand.
Baby Hold On - Dixie Chicks
J and I listened to this song once on the way to a Foo Fighters show in Chicago. I noticed that we both had glistening eyes during it, though I'm sure it was for different reasons. Though the context doesn't apply to our friendship, it always reminds me of her.
(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away - Andy Gibb
I remember my sister and her best friend P, who had a tiny little birth mark around her mouth, watching Andy on Solid Gold. We had one of those gigantic supercomputer-sized tvs that had no remote whatsoever. Back then, Saturday mornings meant American Bandstand and Saturday nights meant Solid Gold. Oh, how I dreamed of becoming a solid gold dancer: shimmying to my favorite hits, backing up my favorite artists as they awkwardly lip-synched through a song, and stretching out over those big cylindrical objects onstage.
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield
Dusty's romantic bargain plea. Sometimes you'll take less than you deserve in the hopes of not losing someone you love entirely.
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Sigh. I just don't know what to say here. How often did we send the title of this song to each other due to the number of miles between us? Only my cell phone carrier knows.
Bell Bottom Blues - Derek and the Dominos
The harmonies in this song are killer. There is such desperation in the questions Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you / do you want to hear me beg you to take me back? This leads to a beautiful harmonized chorus: I don’t want to fade away. / In your heart I long to stay.

I think this one will take some time getting used to.

...msu

Hinder and P!nk

I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm getting mentally prepared to move back home where Hinder-back rules the radio, but I am really digging Hinder's "Homecoming Queen." I heard it on the radio today during lunch and rocked out. It's kind of poppy and very hair band, which I love. Probably one for the ladies, in which case I'm the audience. I also recently downloaded "Who Knew" by P!nk. Another good one. I was in a Pottery Barn in Huntsville and heard it for the first time as I was browsing items that I couldn't yet afford. I really hope the gossip about her cheating husband is false. -K

Olde Towne Revival

Huntsville’s only brewery, Olde Towne Brewery, recently burned down. It was a blow to the beer loving government employees and southerners that inhabit this city. It was an especially sad situation for my dad since he and his friends had always been extremely loyal to the owner and his brew. Last night there was a benefit held at Crossroads for the Olde Towne and my father and I both went together. It was the first time I would go to a bar with my dad. I was kind of nervous.

Bird's eye view from the smoking lounge looking down onto the stage.

The first band, The Turner Family Band, lead by a vocalist/guitarist and the brother-in- law of my friend and coworker, M, moved through a selection of covers from Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and others. The second local band, whose lead singer looked uncannily like my ex-boyfriend T, was called Johnny Black and the J-Birds. I am not sure how to describe what I was feeling when they came on, but it was almost a feeling of relief. On this kind of night I would have expected something more like The Blasters, which is great for some but snoozefest for me. So, when this four-member band came onstage and blew our faces off with quick-moving, melodic punk/rock/rockabilly original tunes, I was ecstatic. Check them out.

Here's Johnny. Usually not this bad of a photographer, but I was caught off guard and didn't come prepared with a good camera!

Though my dad and I didn’t stay for the rest of the bands scheduled to perform, I have to say that it has to be a success when after a couple of hours of loud music my dad put his arms around me, smiled and said he loved me. My friends/coworkers met and mingled with his friends/coworkers. For once, mixing worlds was not challenging. I actually had fun with my dad and it didn't involve Lord of the Rings! And to think I spent years as a teenager running away... -K

Learn about the Free the Hops movement.

Musical Sidenotes

I haven't driven a car in a week since my move to the UK, so I haven't really listened to music. I did download the new FF single, The Pretender. They deliver a satisfying solid rock song but it is not exactly covering new ground. The Foos are playing all over the UK right now but nowhere close. It's as if Dave wants to hover close to me but not seem too obvious.

Amy Winehouse is the Lindsay Lohan of Britain. Every day there is a new article about her drug and alcohol problems.

Every night at midnight one of the stations airs a live performance of a popular band from one of the summer festivals. It's very cool.

I stepped into a small independent record store around the bend from my office. I got the High Fidelity stare. You know, are you worthy to buy something that I sell? I would have bought something if they had anything that I was interested in that I didn't already own.

I fear that I won't be catching any shows soon. While there are some coming that I would like to see, I'm on a remote train line into London right now and I'm not keen on riding the train late at night by myself. K, I miss you! --J

OD-ing on UK Music Mags

One of the things that I promised K when I told her I was moving to England was that I would send her fave magazine, Kerrang! in the mail. As you can see I picked it up and a few others today. I couldn't resist buying NME since our favorite trainwreck and judakris poster boy, Pete Doherty was on the cover. --J

Last Show in St. Louis

When I was visiting Alabama back in May I was having a conversation with some old friends about music. One of my friends told us in her heavy southern accent that her life-long dream was to learn how to play "boogie woogie piana". I thought about her last Wednesday when I was watching Chuck Berry and his band at the Duck Room in Blueberry Hill. Chuck has a standing gig there every month and I have been saying for four years that I was going to go. I was glad before seeing this performance that I had recently watched the documentary Hail Hail Rock n Roll which was filmed twenty years ago in St. Louis. It explained a lot about Chuck's performance. Basically Chuck Berry does whatever the hell he wants to and his band has to watch him intently to keep up. Chuck's son plays guitar in his band and also acts as guitar tech. When Chuck broke a string, Chuck Jr. took the guitar from his dad, handed him another, and exited the stage to re-string. Chuck's daughter also performs with the band, singing the blues and playing harmonica. She is a force of nature. The other members of his band, including a boogie woogie piano player have been playing with him for a long time. While I imagine at 80, Chuck's performance is not as energetic as it used to be, it was an amazing night of blues and old time rock and roll. To hear him play the beginning of Johnny B. Goode sent the room into a frenzy. The audience included college students as well as people who could have been those college students' great grandparents. It was truly an experience. --J

Wear the Funky, Funky Eye Patch, Bret.

Flight of the Conchords: an HBO show about two musicians from New Zealand, Jermaine and Bret, who are struggling to make it in NYC. Bret occasionally has nocturnal imaginary visitations from a poor advice-giving David Bowie (who looks an awful lot like Jermaine). If you're a Bowie fan like me, you will not be disappointed. -K

Ziggy Stardust era


Ashes era


Labyrinth era

This is the Day Your Life Will Surely Change...

I remember years ago all of the hullaballoo around the song Revolution being used for a Nike commercial. In my youth, I didn’t understand what the big damn deal was. Another sign that I am old, I suddenly do. I recently heard one of my favorite one hit wonders in an M&Ms commercial, The The’s This is the Day. Don’t get me wrong, if the artists made some cash, good for them but geez, I don’t want to think of that stupid commercial when listening to that song. And I also, as the commercial encourages me to do, don’t want to go to the M&M website and make an M&M candy of myself. Okay, I went to the stupid website and made one and it’s funny because as you can see, it looks as irritated as I am. --J