Dad's Car Radio

Down on Amie Street

Actually, I am rather UP on Amie Street a new music selling website created by a couple of Brown University students. My Dad went to Brown and he knows I like music and do Internet things and he's retired and has time to read newspapers. So, when he spotted an item in the Providence Journal about this new site he cut it out and mailed it to me.

Isn't that quaint? 

Anyway, I looked at the article and kinda shrugged it off and put it on the counter. A couple of weeks later I found the article again and checked outthe site. Turns out it's very cool.  All songs start out FREE and as they get more popular the price increases, to a maximum of .99 per song.  Many songs go for just a few cents each. You can even earn money, paid in store credits, by suggesting songs to them, and if you are a musician you can sell your songs here.  Of course, there is a ton of stuff you've never heard and some you will never want to hear again.  But that's all part of the fun.  Free registration.

Take Me to Amie Street!

Those Upset Uptight Parents Were Right

Remember a few years ago, back when Britney Spears was just a teen-age virgin who acted like a slut? 

Ah, those innocent days...  Remember all the parents who were so upset at the bad role model she was? Remember thinking, "Jeesh, get a life - she's just a girl singer - who cares?" 

Oops. I did it again, indeed.  I misjudged the uptight parents. It turns out they were right.

Could this be Britney's new man???

They Don't Write 'em Like That Anymore

I was thinking about radical cover versions this morning and the vision of Devo playing  "Satisfaction" on Saturday Night Live in 1978 came to mind. Sadly, it isnt on YouTube anymore - but the promo video version is...

At the time it was a mind blower. a real WTF??? Moment.  Some people loved it, some hated it, others simply didn't understand at all. It is still brilliant. Your kid likes lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh, too. He does the music for Rugrats among other things... 

These Devo thoughts led me to consider other Devo Classics, including the disturbing "Mongoloid" from the first album.

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid

Happier than you and me

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid

And it determined what he could see

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid

One chromosome too many

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid

And it determined what he could see

And he wore a hat

And he had a job

And he brought home the bacon

So that no one knew

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid

His friends were unaware

Mongoloid he was a mongoloid

Nobody even cared

They just don't write 'em like that anymore...

The First Podcast!

Ta-Da! Here is the first episode of Dad's Car Radio to make it to the air, or web, or your itunes or ipod. I am uploading it RAW, unedited, unprocessed, with bumps and stumbles, warts and all.

It's in 2 parts.  Enjoy and pass along - feedback welcome - we'll get better at this I promise.

Download file0035.mp3  This is part one 4:28.

Download file0036.mp3 and here is part two 9:46

This Just In: WDVE 102.5FM Pittsburgh Still Sucks

From 1976-1980 I attended Bethany College where I was part of a dedicated bunch of freaks that based their lives around the college radio station, WVBC. It was a 10 watt station but with our tower perched atop Old Main, the tallest building on campus we got a decent Mono signal that could be heard all over town and a few miles down the pike.  Meanwhile 45 mile to the north-east from the top of the US Steel building in downtown Pittsburgh was the massive 50,000 Watt-stereo-processed-o-the-max-flame-thrower-power-house, WDVE.  At the time they were playing a popular version of album oriented rock called "Superstars" a format reproduced around the country which focused on artists rather than hit singles - playing multiple tracks from a new Eagles album for example and not just the hit.  It was a success and they were our arch rival.

Of course, they didn't know we existed, but never mind that. We needed to win in Bethany.  We needed to be connected to the community and over an alternative to the mass market formula fare that was WDVE - and we did. 

So, the other day, I happened to be on the WDVE website - (long story) and hit the button to listen live. First song - Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Tuesday's Gone"    followed by Steely Dan "Reelin' in the Years".  Both of these songs would have fit right in on WDVE and frankly, depending on the DJ, also on WVBC in 1977.  They would have been "Library Tracks"  not current, not even - "re-current"  but not yet Golden Oldies.  Both songs were about 5 years old at the time and had already been played to death.

But they still spin - well not exactly spin - let's see, they played it first from the LP, then from a Cart, then from a CD, and now from an Audio Vault.

 

But still they play them over and over and over and over. In the couple of days that have passed since I heard them, they have played them yet again. 700 song playlist - 4 minutes a song 2800 minutes of music 1440 minutes in a day - yeah they've repeated them by now...

So, the bottom line: WDVE Still Sucks.  Meanwhile at WVBC, it is January term so the station is running on automation - the kids come back next week. On a quick call to the station office I asked what the last few songs were. 

Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, and 98 Degrees. 

Well, let's see - it's a bit after 12 noon - hmmm in 1980 My shift ended at Noon and Mark Wilcox came on - I hated his taste - and he hated mine and it appears that he is still holding down the Noon - 2 slot...

Ode to the R.I.A.A.

Both Dad and Chelsea love a good song parody. Here's a pretty funny one on a serious topic for all music fans.  From David Pogue, technology columnist at the New York Times. He really should have done a Karaoke version for the website - but you know YMCA well enough to supply the tune in your mind.

Ode to the R.I.A.A.

 

Before the Music Dies

I just watched this very interesting documentary on the current state of the music business. It was much better than I expected and I encourage you to seek it out. Perhaps your local library has a copy. Or you can find it at Amazon by clicking on the link below. Some great performance footage and insightful commentary from Branford Marsalis, Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, and many others.

While the usual villains are called out, The Telecommunications Act of 1996, Clear Channel, et al, the news is not all bad - The dis-intermediation provided by the Internet has allowed musicians to connect with fans as never before and computer based recording technology has put a recording studio that in 1980 would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars within the reach of almost any musician. We can hope that somewhere tonight the next Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Brian Wilson or Prince is pouring his heart and soul out and getting it all down on an iBook.

Before the Music Dies (Featuring Dave Matthews, Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, and Branford Marsalis)

Let it Snow

Here in the front seat of Dad's Car, we have hardly had to turn on the heat for the past couple of weeks. Let alone throw it into 4 wheel drive or scrape the windshield. It is getting odd. On Sunday I wore shorts all day, last night we went out to see Dreamgirls and I didn't even take a coat - it was 68 degrees at 8pm. That is pretty darn odd for January 15th... I have no interest in those Midwestern ice storms moving over this way - but a little cold weather would make things feel a bit more - dare I say it - normal.  The NFL playoff game in San Diego was colder than the one in Baltimore.  I don't often look for normal, but right now, yeah - bring on the normal. It's coming, the wind has shifted to the Northwest and the temperature is supposed to drop all day - down to about 21 tonight, but no snow in our local forecast yet...

I went looking for a nice winter clip this morning and came across this one from Luscious Jackson - "Let it Snow"  Putting all of their indie cred at risk - the girls just wanna have fun.

Bad Day

We're going to send this out the the Baltimore Ravens - and all of the fans.  It was a Bad Day indeed.

Start Wearing Purple

The other morning on local radio station WBAL, they were talking about the Baltimore Ravens' upcoming playoff appearances and wondering if there was a song around to capture the spirit of the games and the hearts and minds of the population as "Who Let the Dogs Out" did back in 2000.

They did a keyword search for "Purple"  and came across Gorgol Bordello's rousing "Start Wearing Purple".  This was a new one on Dad, but I had heard the band's name before. They are a lower east side of Manhattan band made up of eastern European immigrants who play a music best described as "Gypsy Punk".  They have released several albums and toured  extensively. A nice bio entry on Wikipedia can be read here.

The front-man, Eugene Hutz,  bears a striking resemblances to Borat and is highly energetic and entertaining, and damn if this song isn't catchy.  See and hear for yourself.

Could this emerge as the most unlikely NFL theme song ever???  Beats the heck out of the Baja Men in Dad's humble opinion.