Revolution Rock: The 2022 Interviews & Show # 969

In 2022 on Revolution Rock, we did not feature as many interviews either on this site or on the actual show as we have in the last couple of years. However, we did have four really interesting interviews. As we have done in recent years, we did an episode that containing highlights (or clips) from each of the audio interviews that we did and played some music/music relating to each of those artists. Below you will find some info about these interviews in addition to the playlist and download/streaming links to the episode.

An Interview with Steven Lambke (February 2022):

In February 2022, as part of Revolution Rock’s Theme Month based programming, we did a program focusing on the music of the You’ve Changed Records label. We had a chance to speak with Steven Lambke, who along with Daniel Romano is one of the co-founders of the label. Steven Lambke is known as being a member of the band Constantines. He has also been the creative director of Sappyfest and has released music as Baby Eagle and as a solo artist. Since its beginnings, You’ve Changed Records has been a label devoted to quality, not quantity. The first release on YCR was Still Jimmie by Shotgun Jimmie in 2009. Also around this time Baby Eagle and Attack In Black released a split album, which was the second official You've Changed Records release. The label has released music by Shotgun Jimmie, The Weather Station, Marine Dreams, Partner, Nap Eyes, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Fiver, Jon McKiel, Status/Non-Status, Julie Doiron, music from Steven Lambke and Daniel Romano and other bands that he has been a part of or collaborated with such as Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Ancient Shapes, Baby Eagle, Julie Doiron. In the interview, Steven talks about the labels formation, meeting Shotgun Jimmie, recording albums Dark Blue and his 2022 release Volcano Volcano, in addition to working with Daniel Romano on various recordings and projects. In 2020, as part of a series of albums that Daniel Romano released (about 10 in total), Steven contributed vocals to a punk album that is a tribute to 70s punk/hardcore music called Spider Bite. He also discusses recording vocals for that album remotely and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Dion Lunadon (June 2022):

Beyond Everything is the second full-length album by Dion Lunadon. Previously of The D4 and A Place To Bury Strangers, the album was released via In The Red Records in June 2022 (and was available physically on vinyl later in 2022). Pulled from a large collection of songs written between 2017 and 2019, Beyond Everything adds more of a dynamic element to Dion’s sound building on components of his 2017 album, while not forgetting them completely. The press release for Beyond Everything reads: “Beyond your skin, beyond your screen, beyond what you think you know. What lies in this area? An area with no opinions, motives, sides or divisions. An area where governments and capitalists have no currency and the absolute truth reigns supreme.” The songs that make up this album illustrate a use of space that only adds to their intensity, melody, noise and overall impact. Dion toured throughout the US, UK and Europe in support of this album and is heading back to Europe in 2023 with his live band. In addition to his second album being released in 2022, his first, long out of print 2017 self-titled album was also reissued with a reversed track listing as a limited edition release. It has now sold out. In this interview with Revolution Rock, Dion discusses making the record and coming up with songs for Beyond Everything, in addition to the guitar and bass sounds found on the record, touring with The Black Angels, putting together his live band and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Nick Trampolino (of Podium) (July 2022):

Podium is a punk band from Valencia, Spain. Conceived by guitarist Nick Trampolino, the band started out as personal project with a drum machine and guitar, which can still be heard on their Bandcamp page. The project quickly evolved into a full-fledged band featuring Salva Frasquet (guitar), Ximo Barcelo (bass), Miguel J. Carmona (drums) and Africa Mansaray on vocals. Podium’s sound became what has been described as “Pulsating with the epic aggression of hardcore, the impersonal and perverse tone of industrial metal, and full balanced with the liveliness of the authentic surf scene.” Their debut album, titled Podium, was released on Slovenly Recordings in late November 2020. Initially pressed in a limited quantity, it sold out quickly warranting a repress. The band went on their first North American tour playing in parts of the US and Canada in the summer of 2022. Podium also released a digital single Una Coraza during their summer tour in 2022. On their Bandcamp page it states that an even harsher mix of this song will be found on an upcoming EP from the band. In this interview, we talk with founder/guitarist of Podium Nick Trampolino. We talk about the recording of this album, releasing the album on Slovenly Recordings, the music scene in Valencia, Spain, Nick’s guitar, playing live shows, having their first US tour in summer 2022 and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

Shawn McDonald (of Baby Giant) Interview (August 2022):

All Day Dreaming is the third full-length album by London, Ontario’s Baby Giant. Comprised of brothers Shawn McDonald (vocals/bass/guitar) and Tim McDonald (King Woobs) (drums/backing vocals), this new album also features contributions on some tracks from Andy Paquette (Gypsy Ghosts) on vocals/guitar and Ryan O’Driscoll (SpaceSlave) on vocals/backing vocals. All Day Dreaming was recorded in Shawn’s living room with drums recorded in the basement. The guitar on this album is more prominent as opposed to 2018’s 2 album, giving it more of a live and spontaneous feel. Throughout All Day Dreaming, there are a number of musical influences that could be named such as Guided By Voices, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Fall, T.Rex, The Byrds, The Rolling Stones, The Vaselines, but the influence of these bands combine into something else. In 2021, Revolution Rock did a Q&A for this website with McDonald covering his musical history due to the fact that several of the albums that were not available digitally online from the numerous bands he has played in over the years became available this way for the first time. With a new album out from Baby Giant in March of 2022, we got a chance to speak with McDonald about the making of All Day Dreaming, some of the songs that were written for the album, the band’s history, the music scene in London, Ontario and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

Show 969 (Originally Aired January 7th, 2023)(The 2022 Interviews Playlist):

1.  Steven Lambke - The World Filled to the Brim (Volcano, Volcano - You've Changed Records - 2022)
2.  Steven Lambke - Bats in Blue Twilight (Volcano, Volcano - You've Changed Records - 2022)
3.  Steven Lambke - White Horses (Dark Blue - You've Changed Records - 2019)

STEVEN LAMBKE INTERVIEW CLIP

4.  Spider Bite - Blood and Suffering (Spider Bite - You've Changed Records - 2020)
5.  Spider Bite - Escape Velocity (Spider Bite - You've Changed Records - 2020)
6.  Baby Eagle - Leather Jacket (Attack In Black Baby Eagle - Split - You've Changed Records - 2009)
7.  Dion Lunadon - Speed (Schreien EP - Discofridge - 2020)
8.  Dion Lunadon - Howl (Dion Lunadon - Agitated Records - 2017)

DION LUNADON INTERVIEW CLIP

9.  Dion Lunadon - Pink X (Beyond Everything - In The Red Recordings - 2022)
10. Dion Lunadon - Living and Dying With You (Beyond Everything - In The Red Recordings - 2022)
11. Podium - Una Coraza (Una Coraza Single - 2022)
12. Podium - Skating (Podium - Slovenly Recordings - 2020)

NICK TRAMPOLINO (OF PODIUM) INTERVIEW CLIP

 
13. Podium - A (Segment) (Demo - 2018)

14. Podium - Mas Fuertes (Podium - Slovenly Recordings - 2020)
15. Baby Giant - All Daydreaming (All Day Dreaming - 2022)
16. Baby Giant - High Tide (2 - 2018)
17. Baby Giant - Bloody Hands (Grassy Magic - 2017)

SHAWN MCDONALD (OF BABY GIANT) INTERVIEW CLIP

 
18. Dragsville - Crocodile (Welcome To Dragsville - 2014)
19. Baby Giant - Admired  (All Day Dreaming - 2022)
20. King Woobs - Something Lovely (Music to Watch the World Burn: A Soundtrack For Dystopian Landscapes - 2022)
21. Dion Lunadon - The City Is Ours (Talk - Action = Zero Vol.2: A Compilation Benefitting Spread the Vote - Rough Trade/Bank Robber Music - 2020) 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 7 file to download/stream the episode. 

For those keeping track, episodes # 967 and 968 were repeat episodes. Episode 967 was a repeat of part two of our best of 2022 episodes (from December 2022). You can listen to that episode here and find the playlist here. Show 968 was a repeat of our 2022 Joe Strummer Day episode (also from December 2022). You can listen to that episode here and find the playlist here. 

2022 Album Highlights & Shows # 966, 965, 964

For our annual albums of the year episodes, Revolution Rock once again did not rank any of the albums with any specific number. The following selections for the two episodes posted here feature a mix of albums from 2022 in no specific order, but all of them were albums that we enjoyed. Below you will also find six write-ups from albums that were released in 2022, three written by Dave and three written by Adam. Following these words are playlists and download/listening links to two episodes featuring music released in 2022.

2022 Album Highlights:

Written by David Konstantino

The Sadies - Colder Streams 

Colder Streams is the 11th studio album by The Sadies. Produced by Richard Reed Parry and recorded by Pietro Amato in his Montreal studio Skybarn, the album was made between 2019 and 2021. Colder Streams was completed and ready to go prior to the unexpected passing of Dallas Good in February of 2022. The album is the culmination of the decades of the bands work and combines their mixture of country, garage, punk, surf and bluegrass music so seamlessly. Lyrically, the songs dig deep, as The Sadies often do, but there is something special found in the songs here. Songs such as “Stop and Start” brings forth waves psychedelic and fuzzy garage music as lyrics “The sadness comes like a setting sun/The war is won when the fight is done” delve into themes of hope, despair and spirituality. “Message To Belial” points towards bleak, apocalyptic imagery that reflects our modern times while musically the mid-tempo, trippy and psychedelic number is an example The Sadies in their musical element. “More Alone” is a folk/cinematic surf inspired track. It is an intense and lyrically poignant track, as it is believed to be about the passing of friend Justin Townes Earle. With lyrics it goes further “I learned to accept that there’s nothing anyone can say/It hurts me to think about what could have been/And everything that won’t ever be,” “I feel more alone/Then when I’m alone,” and “In this day and age/Rage has become all the Rage,” which also touches on social commentary. 

“All The Good” is a folk/Americana track sung by Travis Good. More depth is revealed throughout the lyrics “When I search for answers/Questions are all I find/I wish I knew what I needed to do this time,” “Better Yet” jumps into garage and punk featuring fuzz guitar from Jon Spencer, “Ginger Moon” is an uptempo number, “Cut Up High and Dry” blends garage, psych and bluegrass, while “End Credits” fittingly ends Colder Streams with a moving instrumental in a cinematic, Ennio Morricone-inspired fashion. The Sadies have been a part of the indie and underground music scenes in Canada and throughout other parts of the world for quite some time now. They have often been called “unclassifiable rock” due to the sounds that they create. Colder Streams has been said to be their strongest album to date. It is hard to argue with that since everything found here captures all the best elements of The Sadies live dynamic. With the tragic passing of Dallas Good, Colder Streams serves as a document and an important moment in the bands history as they forge a new path ahead into the future.

Dion Lunadon - Beyond Everything

Beyond Everything is the second full-length album by Dion Lunadon. Previously of The D4 and A Place To Bury Strangers, the album was released via In The Red Records in June 2022. Pulled from a large collection of songs written between 2017 and 2019, Beyond Everything adds more of a dynamic element to Dion’s sound building on components of his 2017 album, while not forgetting them completely. “By My Side” begins with a drumbeat and wild, unhinged guitar sounds. Lyrically the words in the song lend themselves to the interpretative side of things as they rise and waver between the guitars, drums and distortion prevalent throughout the vocals. “It’s The Truth” cuts through with distorted guitar, thrashy sounding drums and a smooth bassline that glues it all together. This untamed injection of garage and psych rock balances itself with lyrics that evoke a feeling of absence that makes the heart grow fonder. “Screw Diver” is one of the longer tracks found on Beyond Everything. With pummeling drums and guitar riffs, the song contrasts this with a calming, yet unnerving vocal melody. “Elastic Diagnostic” is another highlight found on this album. Starting with a fuzzy, driving bassline and the lyric “Hungry just to be alive,” the song builds around the hums and tones conjured by the guitars on this track. As it captivates with its deep spellbinding groove, noise and abstract lyrics “Close my eyes/Get lost in the fall,” the song gets lost in the moment as Lunadon summons up shades of a Fun House-era Iggy Pop vocally. “Glass Doll” attacks with a distorted punk rock fragility as “Too Hard To Love, Too Young To Die” digs into a 60s garage pop meets punk atmosphere. With its repetitive lyrics, use of space and undeniable intensity, lyrically it seems to address a desire to overcome difficult hardships. 

The press release for Beyond Everything reads: “Beyond your skin, beyond your screen, beyond what you think you know. What lies in this area? An area with no opinions, motives, sides or divisions. An area where governments and capitalists have no currency and the absolute truth reigns supreme.” The songs that make up this album don’t adhere to any specific theme other than themselves. They illustrate a use of space that only adds to their intensity, melody, noise and overall impact. Beyond Everything resonates in more ways than one. 

Ghost Woman - Self-Titled

Ghost Woman’s debut self-titled album was released in July 2022 on UK label Full Time Hobby. The album was recorded, produced and played entirely by musician Evan Uschenko, a Canadian born musician, who for the last while has been a touring musician as part of Michael Rault’s touring band. Touring with the likes of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and Jacco Gardner and Mild High Club, the insight he gained inspired him to create this debut album. Although they did release the Lost Echoes EP in 2016, this album is their first full-length album. Ghost Woman simmers with the embers of 60s garage nuggets compilation tracks, while at the same time it has a hazy laidback groove that is reminiscent of 60s and 70s music. With references points in the press release such as Kurt Vile and The Black Angels (I’d also add The Kinks, Captain Beefheart, Jefferson Airplane, Can and Jon McKiel), “All the Time” starts off Ghost Woman’s debut album with a hazy kaleidoscope of 60s rock grooves. The listener gets sucked into the song and album as Uschenko’s vocals captivate when combined with lyrics such as “I haven't felt this cold in days/The wind it blew your name away,” and “But I can't get you off my mind/And lately someone's leaving all the time,” the bass groove on “Do You” combined with the psychedelic and 60s early Rolling Stones vibe present on the guitars float within the dynamics found on this album. 

Songs such as “Behind Your Eyes” are indebted to The Byrds and garage rock, lyrically the lo-fi hooks in the chorus “But you won’t understand me this time/Not much there behind your eyes” paints a mood and hazy picture that are abstract and haunting, “Dead and Gone” (originally on 2016’s Lost Echoes EP) is a fuzzy, lo-fi uptempo number that drives forward with an incendiary fashion, “Jreaming” is a lackadaisical song. It sounds like the tape was left rolling and this song was captured by accident, the song is unique and entrancing with its hallucinatory lyrics dealing with the complexity for the sense of being free while also being in need. With a second album coming in January 2023 (Anne, If) and live shows, Ghost Woman’s debut is a mosaic of sounds that could be called modern vintage. However, Ghost Woman’s kaleidoscope of hazy musical dynamics leaves the listener in a trance that is fleeting, yet stirring.

More 2022 Album Highlights:

Written by Adam Peltier

Black Country, New Road - Ants from Up There 

Ants from Up There may be the single greatest album about failure ever recorded. Isaac Wood’s intimate lyrics are less poetry than a confessional: personal insecurities, social anxiety, and isolation paint the landscapes of Black Country, New Road’s world. The portraits presented are intimate and yet elliptical: crumbs of toast scattered in a bed are the insidious signs of a relationship’s dissolution; tabletop RPG characters become stand-ins rejecting English nationalism; wet dreams of Charli XCX are portents of masculine insecurity; while a song about messing up cooking while following a YouTube tutorial evokes fears of failure and inadequacy. These probing psychological explorations are propelled by one of 2022’s greatest musical evolutions: the Slint-meets-klezmer band sounds of their debut are completely uprooted, exchanged for lusher chamber pop compositions that evoke the likes of Talk Talk, Sufjan Stevens, and Wolf Parade. There are even nods to pre-rock popular music such as the music hall touches on “Chaos Space Marine” and “Bread Song.” Then there is the band’s use of space on these compositions, which results less in songs than worlds to inhabit (see the masterfully sustained tension on “Snowglobes” or the near-ambient passages of “Good Will Hunting”). While this appears to be Isaac Wood’s last album with the band he helped to found, he is leaving on a high note, with Ants from Up There acting us Black Country, New Road’s magnum opus.

Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

In a year of incredible double albums, none seemed as sprawling or as satisfying as Big Thief’s whimsically titled Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. The album acts as a revelation in many ways. We see Big Thief eke away from their usual somber bleary-eyed folk to embrace noisy indie rock, country sing-alongs, orchestral pop, and rhythmic trip hop. Yet the even bigger reveal is just how fun the band can be. Sure, Adrianne Lenker still can break your heart and make you weep on the more intimate cuts, but tracks like “Spud Infinity” and “Blue Lightning” are just plain fun, complete with non-sense lyrics and in-between band banter. This is the sound of a group letting their hair down, taking their selves slightly less seriously, and coming across all the better for it. There is nary a dud across these twenty songs, and the overall experience shows Big Thief to be more than just another maudlin indie folk act: this astonishing turn shows the band to be one of the most versatile and ambitious acts working today.

black midi - Hellfire

Jazz-rock. Prog-punk. Baroque-noise. There are a dozen labels one could cast on black midi, each feeling somewhat right yet ultimately off. The greatest compliment to pay a band these days is to admit nothing else quite sounds like them, and while there are elements of Scott Walker, Captain Beefheart, and King Crimson in the London trio’s sound, there is no mistaking the group for anyone else. Like the shifting visceral hellscape of the album cover, Hellfire’s sound is constantly in flux. This Heat style postpunk breaks down into Jacque Brel theatrics. Laser focused punk rhythms morph into acid jazz. Geordie Greep’s vocals threaten to shift from wavering baritone to barked shrieks at a moment’s notice. The album’s a constant reminder that, hey buddy, don’t get too comfortable: everything changes, nothing is free from mutability. Considering the comfort we seek in the assurance of patterns and predictability, it only makes sense that black midi compose a hell from an ever shifting wasteland. Yet give yourself over to it, embrace the pull of the flux, and you may find the hellfire not too bad to drift in. For all it offers, and all the album refuses to do, Hellfire is one of the most startling and original works of the year.

Show 965 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 17th, 2022)  (Best of 2022 Albums Part Two):

1.  The Chats - Ticket Inspector (Get Fucked - Bargain Bin Records - 2022) 
2.  Osees - Funeral Solution (A Foul Form - Castle Face - 2022)
3.  Fruit Tones - Don’t Speak A Language (Pink Wafer Factory - Alien Snatch Records - 2022)
4.  Fake Palms - Visions (Lemons - Hand Drawn Dracula - 2022)
5.  Susans - Nine (Susans - Painters Tapes/Tedious Medium - 2022)
6.  Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Magnificent Hurt (The Boy Named If - EMI/Capitol Records - 2022)
7.  Fontaines D.C. – Jackie Down the Line (Skinty Fia - Partisan/Rough Trade - 2022) 
8.  White Lung – Date Night (Premonition - Domino Recording Co. Ltd. - 2022) 
9.  Kamikaze Nurse – Boom Josie (Stimuloso - Sub Pop - 2022) 

10. Dumb – Gibberish (Pray 4 Us - Mint Records - 2022) 
11. Soul Glo – Thumbsucker (Diaspora Problems - Epitaph Records - 2022) 
12. Animal Collective – Dragon Slayer (Time Skiffs - Domino Records - 2022) 
13. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Gettin’ to the Point (Reset - Domino Recording Co. Ltd. - 2022) 

14. Cate Le Bon – Harbour (Pompeii - Mexican Summer - 2022) 
15. The Burning Hell - Birdwatching (Garbage Island - You've Changed Records - 2022)
16. Steven Lambke - Sea Level (Volcano, Volcano - You've Changed Records - 2022)

17. Status/Non Status - When They Were (Surely Travel - You've Changed Records - 2022)

18. Tim Swaddling - Real Gone (Manifests - 2022)
19. Juliana Riolino - Why Do I Miss You (All Blue - You've Changed Records - 2022)

20. Kevin Morby - Disappearing (This is a Photograph - Dead Oceans - 2022)
21. The Paranoyds - Lizzie (Talk Talk Talk - Third Man Records - 2022)
22. Black Angels - History of the Future (Wilderness of Mirrors - Partisan Records - 2022)
23. The Volebeats - You Get Closer (Lonesome Galaxy - Mad Bunny Records - 2022) 
24. Ghost Woman - All the Time (Ghost Woman - Full Time Hobby - 2022)
25. The Sadies - Ginger Moon (Colder Streams - Dine Alone Records/Yep Roc Records - 2022)
26. Aldous Harding – Tick Tock (Warm Chris - 4AD/Flying Nun Records - 2022) 
27. Alex G – Runner (God Save the Animals - Domino Recording Co. Ltd. - 2022) 

28. Yves Jarvis – Bootstrap Jubilee (The Zug - You've Changed Records - 2022) 
29. Wilco – Mystery Binds (Cruel Country - dBpm Records - 2022) 

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

Show 964 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 10th, 2022) (Albums of 2022 Part One):

1.  Alvvays – Pomeranian Spinster (Blue Rev - Polyvinyl - 2022) 
2.  Wet Leg – Supermarket (Wet Leg  - Domino Records - 2022) 
3.  Beach House – Once Twice Melody (Once Twice Melody - Mistletoe Records - 2022) 
4.  Angel Olsen – Big Time (Big Time - Jagjaguwar - 2022) 
5.  Big Thief – Blue Lightening (Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - 4AD - 2022) 
6.  Ty Segall - Over (Hello, Hi - Drag City Records - 2022)

7.  Big Rig - Crying in a Corn Maze (Big Rig - Peaceful Tapes - 2022)
8.  Bloodshot Bill - Spitfire (Songs From The Sludge - Hi-Tide Recordings - 2022)
9.  Apollo Ghosts - Acid Jenny (Pink Tiger - You've Changed Records - 2022)
10. By Divine Right - Fuzzy Empires (Otto Motto - Fortune Stellar Records - 2022)
11. Wolfmanhattan Project - H Hour (Summer Forever and Ever - In The Red Records - 2022)
12. Jon Spencer & the HITmakers - Push Comes to Shove (Spencer Gets It Lit! - In The Red Records - 2022)
13. Dry Cleaning - Conservative Hell (Stumpwork - 4AD - 2022) 
14. black midi – Welcome to Hell (Hellfire - Rough Trade Records - 2022) 
15. Destroyer – Tintoretto, It’s For You (Labyrnthitis - Merge Records - 2022) 
16. The Smile – We Don't Know Tomorrow Brings (A Light for Attracting Attention - XL Recordings - 2022) 
17. Black Country, New Road – Good Will Hunting (Ants from Up There - Ninja Tune - 2022) 
18. Preoccupations - Slowly (Arrangements - Flemish Eye - 2022)
19. Viagra Boys - Punk Rock Loser (Cave World - Year0001 - 2022)
20. CLAMM - Monday (Care - Chapter Music - 2022)
21. Dion Lunadon - Living and Dying With You (Beyond Everything - In The Red Records - 2022) 
22. Weird Nightmare - Lusitania (Weird Nightmare - Sub Pop - 2022)
23. Sloan - Dream It All Over Again (Steady - Murder Records - 2022)
24. Kiwi Jr. - Parasite II (Chopper - Sub Pop Records - 2022)
25. Weak Signal - Spooky Feeling (War&War - 2022)
26. Baby Giant - Brightside (All Day Dreaming - 2022)

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

JSD 2022 (Show # 966)

Every December 22nd, CJAM FM holds a 24-hour radio marathon entitled Joe Strummer Day. Its purpose is to confront poverty and homelessness in the Windsor/Detroit area all wrapped around the music of Joe Strummer and The Clash. This year featured an astonishing and revealing amount of interviews addressing concerns in the area by CJAM station manager Walter Petrichyn, but it also featured some great music and other interview programs (many of them combined interviews and programs about poverty and homelessness related issues with music. Some were just music). For Revolution Rock we decided to do a program that was mainly a music program, but one that also brought up different places in Windsor for people in need during this time of year. We called the program Time and The Tide. Named after the B-Side to the Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros single Tony Adams and also found on the newly released Joe Strummer 002 box set. We featured a selection of tracks from this new box set in addition to some rare Clash live recordings featuring Keith Levene in 1976, bands associated with The Clash and some Clash/Joe Strummer covers.

Find the full schedule here and a link to Revolution Rock’s episode below the playlist.

JSD 2022 Playlist (Originally Aired December 22nd, 2022)(Covers, The Clash w/Keith Levene, Joe Strummer 002):

1.  Thee Mighty Caesars – 1977 (Caesars Remains - Hangman Records - 1992)

2.  Catbite – White Riot (Catbite/Omnigone split - Bad Time Records - 2020)

3.  Babyshambles & friends – Janie Jones (Strummerville - B-Unique Records - 2006)

4.  The Kowalskis – Complete Control (Backlash - Tribute To The Clash - Dwell Records - 1999)

5.  The Clash - I Know What To Think of You (Live at the 100 Club 08.31.1976) 

6.  The Clash - I Never Did It Live at the 100 Club 08.31.1976) 

7.  The Clash - How Can I Understand the Flies Live at the 100 Club 08.31.1976) 

8.  The Clash - Mark Me Absent Live at the 100 Club 08.31.1976)  

9.  The Clash - Deadly Serious (Dig A Hole) Live at the 100 Club 08.31.1976)  

10. The Joy Zippers – Hitsville UK (White Riot Vol. Two (A Tribute To The Clash) - Uncut - 2003)

11. Lucinda Williams – Straight to Hell [live] (A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer - 2020)

12. The Sparks – We Are the Clash (White Riot Vol. Two (A Tribute To The Clash) - Uncut - 2003)

13. Steel Leg V The Electric Dread - Haile Unlikely by the Electric Dread (Steel Leg V The Electric Dread - Virgin Records - 1978) 

14. Big Audio Dynamite - V.Thirteen (No. 10 Upping St - CBS/Columbia - 1986) 

15. Joe Strummer - When Pigs Fly  (Joe Strummer 001 - Ignition Records - 2018/When Pigs Fly Soundtrack - 1993)

16. Joe Strummer - Junco Partner (Acoustic) (Assembly - Dark Horse Records - 2020)

17. Joe Strummer - Outta Space (Permanent Record Outtakes - 1988)

18. Joe Strummer - X-Ray Style (Demo) (Joe Strummer 002 - Dark Horse Records - 2022) 

19. Joe Strummer - Time and the Tide (Joe Strummer 002 - Dark Horse Records - 2022)

20. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Get Down Moses (Outtake) (Joe Strummer 002 - Dark Horse Records - 2022)

21. Kensington Hillbilly’s - London Calling (The Crooked Beat - 2012)

22. The Hold Steady – Washington Bullets  (A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer - 2020)

23. Jeff Tweedy – Death or Glory  (A Song for Joe: Celebrating the Life of Joe Strummer - 2020)

24. The National – Clampdown (White Riot Vol. Two (A Tribute To The Clash) - Uncut - 2003)

25. Johnny West – Bankrobber (Bankrobber - 2010)

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

New Exit in Shards & Shows # 963, 962, 961

Mononegatives are a band from London, Ontario. Featuring Rob Brake on guitar/synth/vocals, Jon Lamont on bass/synths and David Cereghini on drums/synths, they put out a few self-released EPs (Sure Shock & 5 Second Future) in 2019. Mononegatives released their debut album, Apparatus Division, in 2021 on No Front Teeth Records and Big Neck Records. The album quickly sold out, garnering critical acclaim for its distinctive take on the punk meets new wave genre. Bursting with nervous energy and themes relating to technology, boredom, alienation, anxiousness and suburbia, the songs also feature strong hooks in-between all the synth-punk chaos. Their sound has been described as “raw punk meets new wave.” All members have been active in numerous bands in the London music scene such as Isolation Party, Klazo, Curb, Telegenic Pleasure and The Syndrome Disleksick.

In 2021, they released several singles and an EP (Facsimile, Frequencies Rotating Clockwise, a split single with Mystery Girl). The Facsimile EP is getting a re-release. It was originally released on cassette through the Mimetics Zine label in Italy and is now coming out through the US label Dowd Records on vinyl, who released three singles and one EP from the band in 2022. “Role Reversal” opens 2022’s Counterclockwise Interjection, starting with a dizzying array of synthesizers before an electronic sounding bass drum, fuzzy guitar and vocals and lyrics come through. “Consumer Trust” attacks like a Devo-meets-garage punk song, while lyrically the words are hard to decipher at times, they tackle consumerism themes. New Exit In Shards is a three-track maxi-single. Released on Dowd Records, “Second Self” features catchy post-punk guitars, while the chorus features lyrics such as “See parallel Lives/Opposite of sides/Framework falls apart/New exit in shards” reflecting introspective paranoia as the song picks up in a grimy punk fashion before ending in pulsating synthesizers. “Psychogenic Prison” sounds influenced by Tubeway Army and 70s/80s punk, while “House of Cards” ends the single in less than a minute as synthesizers and guitars battle each other for space while reverby vocals and drums float overtop and in-between. A limited run single entitled Retroaction was also released in 2022, it featured a different (radio edit) version of “Second Self” and the song “Consumer Trust.” Mononegatives are currently at work on their second full-length album.


Show 963 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 3rd, 2022)(Blondie, Sloan, R. Ring, Special Interest, Mononegatives, OFF!):

1. The Surf Hermits - Showdown 
2. The Rumblers - Boss 
3.  Black Angels - Vermillion Eyes 
4.  The Volebeats - All I'm Asking 
5.  Dana Gavinski - Strangers 
6.  The Velvet Underground - Story of my Life 
7.  Sunglaciers – Avoidance
8.  White Lung – Hysteric 
9.  Otoboke Beaver – I Don't Want to Die Alone 
10. The Linda Lindas – Tonite
11. Blondie - The Disco Song (1974 Demo) 
12. Blondie - X Offender 
13. Blondie - In The Sun
14. Blondie - I Didn’t Have the Nerve To Say No
15. Blondie - Detroit 442 (Take 2) 
16. Blondie - Moonlight Drive
17. Sloan – Nice Work If You Can Get It 
18. R. Ring – Still Life 
19. Apollo Ghosts – Golden Teacher 
20. Archers of Loaf – Saturation and Light
21. Teenage Art Scene – Dynastic Dialogue 
22. Sunday Morning - Junkie Don’t Care 
23. Fake Palms - Flags 
24. Mononegatives - Vision Out Of Scope
25. Mononegatives - Trauma Tourist 
26. Mononegatives - Time Warp 
27. Preoccupations – Fix Bayonettes! 
28. Special Interest – Concerning Peace
29. OFF! - Circuitry's God

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the December 3 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 962 Playlist (Originally Aired On November 26th, 2022)(Can's Ege Bamyası, Wilko Johnson, Self-Cut Bangs, Bill Callahan, Johnny West):

1.  Fruit Tones - Back In The Night (Again) 

2.  Urkimsher - Lonely Touch 

3.  Self-Cut Bangs - Stargazer

4.  Trophy Knife - Headspace Saver

5.  Mononegatives - Second Self 

6.  Can – Vitamin C

7.  Stephen Malkmus and Friends – Spoon 

8.  Beck – I'm So Green

9.  Dr. Feelgood - Talking About You (Live) 

10. Dr. Feelgood - Roxette 

11. Dr. Feelgood - Ohyeh! 

12. Dr. Feelgood - Going Back Home

13. Wilko Johnson - Bottle Up & Go 

14. Wilko Johnson - Barbed Wired Blues

15. Weary – Wax 

16. Bill Callahan – Bowevil

17. Julianna Riolino – Long Feeling

18. Carson McHone - End of the World (Camera Varda) 

19. Johnny West - Losing Light

20. Tim Swaddling - Little Timmy

21. Skye Wallace – Tear a Piece (Bite Me)

22. Built to Spill – Gonna Lose 

23. Heaven for Real – Take It Away 

24. Young Guv – Scam Likely

25. Art d'Ecco – Get Loose 

26. Bonaparte - Beat It

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 26 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 961 Playlist (Originally Aired on November 19th, 2022)(Dick Dale's Surfer's Choice 50th anniversary, Keith Levene, Dead Kennedys, PJ Harvey, White Lung):

1.  Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – Surf Beat 
2.  Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – Surfing Drums 
3.  Bloodshot Bill – Jangled 
4.  The Surfrajettes – El Condor Pasa 

5.  Tuff Darts - Head Over Heels (Live At CBGB 1976)

6.  Robert Gordon with Link Wray - Fire 
7.  Robert Gordon - Rock Billy Boogie 

8.  PJ Harvey – Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name 

9.  Big Joanie – Taut 
10. Courtney Barnett – Words and Guitar 
11. Temps – Fomo 

12. Public Image Limited - Public Image 
13. Public Image Limited - Memories
14. Public Image Limited - Radio 4

15. Public Image Limited - Flowers of Romance

16. Keith Levene – I'm Looking for Something 

17. Katy DiTondo & Keith Levene - London 1976

18. Dead Kennedys – Forest Fire

19. Dead Kennedys – Moon Over Marin
20. Bad Waitress – Racket Stimulator 
21. White Lung – Tomorrow 
22. The Berries - Night Winds
23. Threads of Fybre - Mama 
24. Allison Brown - Old Fires 
25. Ghost Woman - Broke

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 19 file to download/stream the episode. 

Lou Reed 's Transformer (50th Anniversary) & Shows # 960, 959, 958, 957, 956, 955

Originally released in November of 1972, Transformer is the second full-length album by Lou Reed. Earlier that year in April his debut and self-titled album was released through RCA Records. Comprised of then unreleased Velvet Underground songs and two new originals, the album didn’t have the reaction that it should have. It did reach #189 on the Billboard top 200 album charts, however, it mostly flew under the radar. The album was made up of session musicians, most notably Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe of the prog rock band Yes. Transformer would be Lou Reed’s commercial breakthrough album. Recorded in London at Trident Studio with (at the time) first time producers David Bowie and Mick Ronson, it is often seen as a landmark album in the glam rock genre.

For the content on Transformer, the lyrics drew on experiences from Reed’s past as part of the Factory scene with Andy Warhol in New York. “Vicious” starts off Transformer. With its razor sharp feedback and jangly guitar, this proto punk classic was written while Lou Reed was still in The Velvet Underground. With lyrics such as “Vicious/You hit me with a flower/You do it every hour/ You want me to hit you with a stick/But all I've got's a guitar pick/Huh, baby, you're so vicious,” Lou Reed offers a critique and attack of the Warhol and Factory scene that he was once a part of. “Andy’s Chest” could also fall into the critique category, however, this song, which was more upbeat when originally recorded with The Velvet Underground, has a different arrangement here. Done with the help of Ronson and Bowie, this more down tempo version of “Andy’s Chest” was originally written following an assassination attempt on Warhol in 1968. Seen as an ode to Andy, it also shows the great appreciation that Lou had for Andy and the impact that Warhol and the Factory scene had on Reed.

“Perfect Day” is a stunning ballad and another one of the strong songs found on Transformer. Featuring piano and string arrangements by Mick Ronson, this song has operated with two potential meanings, one a devotional love song and two and ode to a romanticized attitude towards drug use and addiction. Lyrics such as “Oh, it's such a perfect day/I'm glad I spent it with you/Oh, such a perfect day/You just keep me hanging on,” suggest both and while it has been stated by Reed that it is not about drugs at all, its inclusion in the 1997 film Trainspotting has led people to think otherwise. “Hangin’ Round” is another dirty driving rock song in the vein of “Vicious.” With lyrics such as “You keep hangin' 'round me/And I'm not so glad you found me/You're still doing things that I gave up years ago,” it operates as a send off track about hangers on. Side one of Transformer ends with “Walk on the Wild Side.” This song features a more jazz approach with elements of R&B and doo wop as Lou Reed tells an unfiltered character driven tale throughout its five verses about five different people in the Factory scene in New York. Lyrically, it deals with gender identities as it talks of junkies, drag queens, hustlers, drug use and parts of New York’s underground counter culture. The song with its now iconic double bassline played by Herbie Flowers, had its beginnings as song for a soundtrack to the theatrical adaption of Nelson Algren’s A Walk On The Wild Side. The play never happened. The song has been said to be “a salute to the misfits and hustlers who once surrounded Andy Warhol in the late '60s and appeared in his films.” “A Walk on the Wild Side” became a top ten hit for Reed, becoming one of his signature songs and also changing his status as underground cult musician into international star.

“Make Up” starts off side two of Transformer. A song featuring tuba and an almost jangly, cabaret musical influence, it tells the story of a drag queen and also comments on the glam rock music scene. “Satellite of Love” follows next. Another one of Reed’s well-known songs, it features another excellent arrangement by Bowie and Ronson. A song about jealousy, this song was written in 1969/1970 and was even recorded during the sessions for Velvet Underground’s Loaded album. Around this time period satellites were being sent out into space to Mars as the Space Race amplified and the song features allusions to it, but the character in song watches this technology advancing into space while realizing that his lover has left him. The satellites at the time failed in their lift off to space, which also alludes to what occurs in the song. Additionally, it features one of the strongest choruses Lou Reed ever wrote. “Wagon Wheel” is another proto punk song with some sleazy glam rock swagger, while “New York Telephone Conversation” is a short quirky almost vaudeville song driven by piano. “I’m So Free” is another guitar driven track with soulful backup singers, “Goodnight Ladies” ends Transformer. With a cabaret/big band musical style, it was inspired by the second section in T.S. Elliot’s The Wasteland (“A Game of Chess”).

Throughout Transformer, Lou Reed crafted songs that talked about things just weren’t being talked about at the time and brought them into the mainstream consciousness. It dealt in sexual politics, featured characters inspired by the Factory scene in New York in the 60s, the glam rock music scene at the time and featured a lot of different New York inspired musical styles. Lou Reed once said that each of his records are like a different chapter and that if all his albums were listened to in order, that would be his version of the Great American Novel. Initially, some reviews were mixed for Transformer. However, Transformer’s title has proven to have more meanings than one. For Reed, it cast him in a new light from the shadows of his previous band. It is one of Reed’s strongest albums. The songs, like the words found in a novel can take on multiple meanings. With Transformer, this chapter speaks to the misfits and to the outsiders. It draws on many themes, including calling for them to be themselves, whoever they may be.

Show 960 (Originally Aired On November 12th, 2022)(Jerry Lee Lewis, Low, Keith Levene, The Beatles Revolver Special Edition):

1.  Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire (Live at the Star Club, Hamburg 1964) 
2.  Jerry Lee Lewis – Long Tall Sally (Live at the Star Club, Hamburg 1964) 
3.  MJ Lenderman - You Have Bought Yourself a Boat 
4.  MJ Lenderman - TLC Cage Match
5.  Skinny Dyck – Jackson Hole 
6.  Daniel Romano – A Pig is a Pig Jig
7.  Public Image Ltd. - Swan Lake 
8.  Sunglaciers - Thought Maps
9.  Private Lives - Get Loose
10. Ancient Shapes - (I’m) Against the Wind
11. Anxious Pleasers - Errand Boy 
12. Low – Rome (Always in the Dark)
13. Low – More 
14. Low – In Metal 
15. American Lips - Waste of Crime 
16. Cursed Arrows - Rebulid As One 
17. No Museums - Silence Will Outlast Us
18. The Jackets - Pie In The Sky
19. Black Angels - Empires Falling
20. Dion Lunadon -Too Hard To Love, Too Young To Die 
21. Special Interest – Cherry Blue Intention 
22. Dumb – Excuse Me 
23. Dumb – Pull Me Up 
24. Gilla Band – Post Ryan 
25. The Beatles - Taxman (2022 Stereo Mix) 
26. The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (Songwriting Work Tape Pt.1)
27. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
28. The Beatles - Got To Get You Into My Life (Second Version/Unnumbered Mix)
29. The Beatles - Rain (Take 5/Actual Speed) 
30. The Beatles - Rain (Take 5/Slowed Down for Master Tape)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 12 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 959 (Originally Aired On November 5th, 2022)(Lou Reed Transformer 50th Anniversary Special):

1.  Lou Reed - Stockpile (1965 Demo) (Words & Music: May 1965 - 2022)

2.  Lou Reed - W & X, Y, Z Blues (1963-64 Home Recording) (Words & Music: May 1965 - 2022)

3.  Lou Reed - Wild Child (Lou Reed - RCA - 1972) 

4.  Lou Reed - Walk It Talk It (Live 1972) (American Poet - Easy Action - 2001)

5.  Lou Reed – Lady Day (Berlin - RCA - 1973)

6.  Lou Reed - Crazy Feeling (Coney Island Baby - RCA - 1976)

7.  Lou Reed - Vicious (Transformer - RCA - 1972) 

8.  The Velvet Underground - Andy’s Chest (1969 - UMe/Polydor Records/Verve - 2017) 

9.  Lou Reed - Perfect Day (I’m So Free: The 1971 RCA Demos - RCA - 2022)

10. Lou Reed - Hangin’ Round (Transformer - RCA - 1972) 

11. Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side (Live 1972) (American Poet - Easy Action - 2001)

12. Lou Reed – Make Up (Transformer - RCA - 1972) 

13. The Velvet Underground – Satellite of Love (Demo) (Peel Slowly and See - Polydor Records - 1995) 

14. Lou Reed – Wagon Wheel (Live at Alice Tully Hall Jan. 27, 1973 - 2nd Show - RCA/Legacy - 2020)

15. Lou Reed – New York Telephone Conversation (I’m So Free: The 1971 RCA Demos - RCA - 2022) 

16. Lou Reed – I’m So Free (Transformer - RCA - 1972)

17. Lou Reed – Goodnight Ladies (Transformer - RCA - 1972)

18. Lou Reed - Shooting Star (Street Hassle - Arista - 1978)

19. Lou Reed - Underneath the Bottle (The Blue Mask - RCA - 1982)

20. Lou Reed – Romeo Had Juliette (New York - Sire Records - 1989)

21. Lou Reed & John Cale – Images (Songs for Drella - Sire Records - 1990) 

22. Lou Reed - Nowhere At All (Coney Island Baby - RCA/Legacy - 1976/2006)

23. Lou Reed - Don’t Talk To Me About Work (Legendary Hearts - RCA - 1983)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 5 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 958 (Originally Aired On October 29th, 2022)(Halloween 2022 Special):

1.  The Coffin Daggers - Munsters Theme 

2.  Phono-Comb & Jad Fair - In A Haunted House

3.  Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Zombie Compromise 

4.  Mac DeMarco - Very Spooky 

5.  Bloodshot Bill - Monsters Everywhere 

6.  The Viewers - Monsters Rule OK 

7.  Slim Twig - Mansion Haunting

8.  Alex G - Heirloom Piano 

9.  La Luz - Spider House

10. Los Straitjackets - It's Monster Surfing Time 

11. Satan's Pilgrims - Spider Island 

12. Los Straitjackets - Ghoul on a Hill 

13. Los Plantronics - T for Terror

14. Los Straitjackets - The Theme from Young Frankenstein 

15. The Surfmen - Ghost Hop 

16. The Mummies - The House on the Hill 

17. The Moontrekkers - The Bogey Man 

18. The Ventures - Twilight Zone Theme 

19. The Black Flamingos - Are You Afraid of the Dark 

20. The Black Flamingos - Devil's Punchbowl 

21. The Garys - Love Potion

22. The Greasy Gills - Frankenstein's Mug 

23. Snake River - Sister Edith's Dream 

24. Matt Ellis - Monster Under My Bed 

25. Weak Signal - Haunting the Halls

26. John Spencer & The HITmakers - Death Ray Spencer 

27. Charlie Clouser - Hello Zepp 

28. Los Straitjackets feat. Southern Culture on the Skids & the Fleshtones - Que Monstruos Son

29. Los Straitjackets - Halloween Theme 

30. Men in Grey Suits - Clickety Snarl Snarl!

31. Urban Surf Kings - Zombie Road Trip 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 29 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 957 Playlist (Originally Aired On October 22nd, 2022)(Sloan, Dry Cleaning, Kid Congo Powers, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Prince):

1.  Sloan – Scratch the Surface

2.  Dry Cleaning – Gary Ashby

3.  Frankie Cosmos – Aftershook

4.  Iceage – Shake the Feeling

5.  Archers of Loaf – Screaming Undercover

6.  Life Stuff - Dance Into The Sun

7.  Private Lives - Private Lives

8.  King Woobs - Break Time 

9.  Wolfmanhattan Project - Silky Narcotic 

10. Kid Congo Powers and the Near Death Experience - Garbageman (Live in St. Kilda)

11. Jesus Lizard – Whirl 

12. Mission of Burma – That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate 

13. The Libertines – Vertigo

14. Broken Social Scene – Almost Crimes 

15. Alvvays – After the Earthquake

16. White Lung – Date Night

17. Vapid – Take a Walk, Baby 

18. Defektors – Static Age 

19. Les Shirley – Nothing Compares

20. Al Green - I’m Glad You’re Mine 

21. Stevie Wonder – Maybe Your Baby

22. Prince – Free 

23. Bill Callahan – Drainface

24. Julianna Riolino – You 

25. Cass McCombs – Music is Blue 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 22 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 955 Playlist (Originally Aired On October 10th, 2022)(Booker T & the MGs, The Milkshakes, Loretta Lynn, The Bell Peppers):

1.  Titus Andronicus – Dead Meat 

2.  By Divine Right – Smokies and Cannonballs 

3.  The Beths – I Want to Listen 

4.  Zoon – Playground

5.  Aversions – Interview 99

6.  The Volebeats - I Needed Someone

7.  Munks - Long Time Waiting 

8.  49th Parallel - You Do Things

9.  The Milkshakes - For She 

10. The Milkshakes - You’re Asking Too Much 

11. Booker T & the MGs – Mo’ Onions 

12. Booker T & the MGs – Comin’ Home Baby

13. Miles Davis – Black Satin

14. Loretta Lynn - Trouble on the Line

15. Loretta Lynn - A Hundred Proof Heartache

16. Loretta Lynn - I’m Shootin’ For Tomorrow 

17. Loretta Lynn - What Makes Me Tick 

18. Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Impossible Green

19. Al Oster - Way Up Alaska Way

20. Bloodshot Bill - Block Party

21. Alvvays – Very Online Guy 

22. LCD Soundsystem – New Body Rhumba

23. The Bell Peppers - Born To Love

24. The Bell Peppers - Soda Pop

25. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Secret Agent Man

26. The Student Teachers - Christmas Weather 

27. Gloin - Work Patrol 

28. Preoccupations - Fix Bayonets! 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 10 file to download/stream the episode. 

For those keeping track episode #956 was a repeat of episode 954 (from October 1st). You can find that playlist here.

Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska & Shows # 954, 953, 952, 951, 950

Originally released on September 30th, 1982, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska stands out in his discography. After touring behind the double album The River, Bruce bought a Tascam 144 4-Track recorder and demoed about 15 songs with just an acoustic guitar. Following the initial recordings, Springsteen reportedly carried around the cassette with him in his back pocket for weeks afterwards. Originally planned as demos that would be reworked by his band, the E-Street Band, it was decided that the album should be released as is acoustically because something was missing from the attempts at full band versions of the songs. It’s hard to argue, Nebraska is a dark collection of songs that captures a certain intimate mood. Said to have been influenced by the music of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, the prose of Flannery O’Connor and Terrence Mallick’s film Badlands, Nebraska is filled with folk story type songs of down and out characters, outsiders, criminals and murderers with no or little hopes of a future.

Nebraska begins with the title track. A somber acoustic track featuring harmonica, mandolin and glockenspiel, the song was inspired by Terrence Mallick’s 1973 film Badlands that was about the true story of Charles Starkweather and Carli Ann Fugate who went on a killing spree in 1958. This was combined with what many have said is language influenced by author Flannery O’Connor that starts off Nebraska with themes of isolation and disconnection. “Atlantic City” is a song that deals with a man who gets involved in organized crime to help pay off his debts. “Mansion on the Hill” is a song filled with reflection, but also the fragility of the American dream, which can be found driving through many of the songs on Nebraska. Told from the point of view of a child, “Mansion on the Hill” is in part about Bruce’s childhood. His father would often drive past a house out of town and stop to look at this big white house. The character in the song with lyrics such as “At night my daddy'd take me and we'd ride/Through the streets of a town so silent and still/Park on a back road along the highway side/Look up at that mansion on the hill” and “Tonight down here in Linden Town/I watch the cars rushing by far from the mill/There's a beautiful full moon rising/Above the mansion on the hill” changes perspective, first being the child from the outside looking in and then being the person living in the mansion on the hill looking out on the world.

More dramatic events occur to the characters found in the songs on Nebraska on “Johnny 99” and “State Trooper.” “Johnny 99” attacks with an almost rockabilly/50s rock aesthetic musically as lyrically Springsteen unravels the tale of a laid off factory worker who gets 99 years in jail for his crimes, but also draws on themes of waywardness as Johnny pleads for the death sentence instead. It is another story of someone on the outsides of big American towns driven to crime out of desperation. “Highway Patrolman” is a haunting track. The song flows with bleakness that was influenced by the vocal style of Alan Vega and Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop.” Joe, the protagonist in this song works for the law and is often helping his troubled brother throughout his life. It takes place in 1965 and after Joe’s brother Frankie shoots someone it is implied that he has been allowed to escape through Canada-US border. “State Trooper” ends side one of Nebraska. It seems to pick up from the point of view of the recently escaped Frankie from “Highway Patrolman." However, this is never implied. It has also been said to be about someone else entirely. With its driving acoustic rhythms, the song has an eeriness to it that captures the state of mind of the character in the song. It is a character on edge that if he gets pulled over by a state trooper, he doesn’t know what unspeakable things may occur.

“Used Cars” starts off side two of Nebraska. It is a slower acoustic and harmonica driven track. With lyrics such as “Now mister the day the lottery I win/I ain't ever gonna ride in no used car again,” the song deals with themes of poverty, shame and not having enough money to afford the simple things in your life, despite working hard. The Chuck Berry rave-up “Open All Night” arrives next. Another song featuring car imagery, lyrics such as “I met Wanda when she was employed/Behind the counter at the route 60 Bob's Big Boy/Fried Chicken on the front seat she's sittin' in my lap/We're wipin' our fingers on a Texaco roadmap,” paints a picture of love and life in America for outsiders. “My Father’s House” flips the notion of the prodigal son as it ties in with themes of “Mansion on the Hill” and the distance of a father/son relationship, while “Reason to Believe” ends Nebraska. The song seems to be very open ended as it has been seen as some to offer a glimpse of hope on an otherwise very dark album, while others see it as the opposite, as having no reason to believe in anything. Whatever you see it as, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska is a snapshot of a time in his life just before he was about to become an artist selling out stadiums. The private torment of the characters in these songs are amplified, despite being an acoustic album.

With Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen hit a nerve and connected with something different than his usual subject matter. The album did not have any charting hits and was the complete opposite of his next album Born in the U.S.A. (some of which was written during this same time period). Drawing on American gothic themes of rundown towns and post industry shutdown areas, Nebraska, weaves songs and stories that show a complexity in the darkness. It also reveals the cracks where a light can show through if you look hard enough.

Show 954 Playlist (Originally Aired October 1st, 2022)(Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 50th anniversary, R.E.M's Automatic For The People 30th anniversary, Fake Palms, Status/Non-Status, Beat Happening & Screaming Trees):

1.  The Vagrants – Respect 
2.  The Remains – Don’t Look Back 

3.  Count Five - Psychotic Reaction 
4.  Blue Magoos – Tobacco Road 
5.  Nazz – Open My Eyes 
6.  Link Cromwell - Crazy Like A Fox 
7.  Painted Ship - And She Said Yes 
8.  Canadian Squires - Leave Me Alone
9.  Ugly Ducklings - Nothin’ 

10. R.E.M. – Try Not to Breathe 

11. R.E.M. – Monty Got a Raw Deal 
12. R.E.M. – Drive [live at the 40 Watt Club 11/19/92] 
13. R.E.M. – Wake Her Up (Demo)
14. Yves Jarvis - To That End
15. The Burning Hell - The Last Normal Day
16. Fake Palms - The Curl 
17. More Kicks - Terminal Love 
19. Talking Heads - Don’t Worry About The Government 

20. Pixies – There’s a Moon On 
21. Dumb – Dropout 
22. Heaven for Real – Wait in the Doorway 
23. Skinny Dyck – TV Blue 
24. Julianna Riolino – Lone Ranger 
25. Status/Non-Status – When They Were

26. Beat Happening/Screaming Trees - Polly Pereguinn
27. Beat Happening/Screaming Trees - I Dig You

28. Parquet Courts - Application Apparatus

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 1 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 953 (Originally Aired on September 25th, 2022)(Black Sabbath Vol.4 50th anniversary, Bruce Springsteen Nebraska 40th anniversary, Beck, By Divine Right, Ghost Woman):

1.  Ghost Woman - Clockwork 

2.  Andreas - Dancing Through Dreams 

3.  By Divine Right - No 87 

4.  Sunglaciers - Stayed

5.  Kiwi Jr. - Downtown Area Blues

6.  Viagra Boys - ADD

7.  The Diodes - Polaroid

8.  Alex G - Runner 

9.  Metz – Come on Down 

10. Black Sabbath - Supernaut

11. Black Sabbath – St. Vitus Dance

12. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 

13. Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - Atlantic City (Live Brendan Byrne Arena August 6, 1984)

14. The National - Mansion on the Hill 

15. Bruce Springsteen - Johnny 99 #2 (Outtake) 

16. Bruce Springsteen - Highway Patrolman 

17. Cowboy Junkies – State Trooper

18. Bruce Springsteen – Used Cars 

19. Matthew “Doc” Dunn – Open All Night 

20. Rogue Tenant + Steve Sladkowski – My Father’s House

21. Bruce Springsteen – Reason to Believe 

22. Beck – End of the Day

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 25 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 952 (Originally Aired On September 17th, 2022)(The Gun Club Miami 40th anniversary, King Khan & BBQ Show, Lou Reed Words & Music):

1.  Dumb – Sleep Like a Baby 

2.  Heaven for Real – Do Your Worst

3.  Single Mothers – Enough for You

4.  The Murlocs – Virgin Criminal 

5.  Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Gettin’ to the Point 

6.  Paranoyds - LA 2032 

7.  The Barracudas - Summer Fun 

8.  Big Rig - Happy Song

9.  The Soft Pack - Oxford Ave

10. By Divine Right - Fuzzy Empire 

11. The Gun Club – A Devil in the Woods 

12. The Gun Club - Like Calling Up Thunder

13. The Gun Club – Fire of Love (Demo)

14. The Sadies – Mother of Earth

15. Mark Lanegan – Carry Home 

16. Big Thyme - Big Thyme

17. King Khan & The Shrines - Crackin’ Up 

18. Mark Sultan - The Problem 

19. King Khan & BBQ Show - Tryin’

20. Jon Spencer & The HITmakers - Bruise

21. Crack Cloud – Costly Engineered Illusion 

22. No Age – Tripped Out Before Scott 

23. The Beths – Silence is Golden

24. Black Angels – Fire Fly

25. Mo Troper – Play Dumb 

26. Lou Reed - Buzz Buzz Buzz (May 1965 Demo) 

27. Lou Reed - I’m Waiting For The Man (May 1965 Demo) 

28. Velvet Underground - I’m Waiting For The Man (Version 3 Live) 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 17 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 951 Playlist (September 10th, 2022)(Captain Beefheart Ice Cream For Crow, Preoccupations, Daniel Romano, The D4, Dion Lunadon, Jack White):

1.  The D4 - Running On Empty 

2.  Dion Lunadon - Nothing But My Skull

3.  Bad Decisions - Carless Whisper II 

4.  Osees - Scum Show

5.  The Cramps - Weekend On Mars 

6.  The Phantom - Love Me

7.  Broken Social Scene – I Don’t Wanna Grow Up 

8.  Tom Waits – Such a Scream

9.  Tom Waits – Goin’ Out West

10. Captain Beefheart – Ice Cream for Crow 

11. Captain Beefheart – The Past Sure is Tense 

12. Andy & the Ampersands - Going Home 

13. King Woobs - What We Cling To

14. Hurricane & Able - I Feel 

15. Baby Giant - Easy To Love 

16. Preoccupations – Slowly

17. Daniel Romano’s Outfit - VII [La Luna] 

18. Built to Spill – Understood

19. Weary - Retreat 

20. Kate Bush – There Goes a Tenner 

21. Blondie – Moonlight Drive 

22. Tops – Party Again 

23. Paula – Lover Boy 

24. The Volebeats - You Get Closer

25. Leonard Cohen - Passing Through (Live)

26. Ty Segall - Over 

27. Jack White - A Tip From You To Me 

28. Jack White - Love Is Selfish 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 10 file to download/stream the episode. 

Show 950 (September 3rd, 2022)(Jonathan Richman, CLAMM, Yoo Doo Right, Detroit Cobras):

1.  Jonathan Richman - That Summer Feeling 

2.  Jonathan Richman - Grunion Run 

3.  Les Jaguars - Jaguar Shake 

4.  Bloodshot Bill - Busted Tail

5.  Bloodshot Bill - Knock Me Out 

6.  The Staccatos - Let’s Run Away

7.  Paul Revere & The Raiders - Louie, Go Home

8.  The Descendants – Suburban Home 

9.   Asexuals – Be What You Want 

10. Minutemen – Case Closed

11. D.O.A. – Get Out of My Life 

12. The Dishrags – Cement 

13. Bo Diddley - Don’t Let It Go 

14. The Paranoyds - Single Organ Experience 

15. The Goldstars - It’s Just Not True 

16. Robbie Quine - It Came From Beyond 

17. Dylan - Pattern Nocturnal 

18. Ancient Shapes - Bird With The Iron Head

19. CLAMM - Global 

20. Black Midi – 27 Questions 

21. Yoo Doo Right – The Failure of Stiff, Tired Friends

22. Julia Jacklin – I Was Neon 

23. Cass McCombs – Karaoke 

24. Mountain Goats – Wage Wars Get Rich or Die Handsome

25. Alvvays – Easy on Your Own 

26. Jack Oblivian - Cigarillo

27. Jack Oblivian - Lone Ranger of Love

28. Detroit Cobras - Cha Cha Twist 

29. Detroit Cobras - I’ll Keep Holding On 

30. Detroit Cobras - Putty (In Your Hands)

31. Detroit Cobras - It's Easier To Cry

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the September 3 file to download/stream the episode. 

All Day Dreaming: Shawn McDonald (of Baby Giant) Interview & Shows # 949, 948, 947

All Day Dreaming is the third full-length album by London, Ontario’s Baby Giant. Comprised of brothers Shawn McDonald (vocals/bass/guitar) and Tim McDonald (King Woobs) (drums/backing vocals), this new album also features contributions on some tracks from Andy Paquette (Gypsy Ghosts) on vocals/guitar and Ryan O’Driscoll (SpaceSlave) on vocals/backing vocals. All Day Dreaming was recorded in Shawn’s living room with drums recorded in the basement. The guitar on this album is more prominent as opposed to 2018’s 2 album, giving it more of a live and spontaneous feel.

The title track starts off All Day Dreaming. Featuring crunchy guitars, an in the pocket drumbeat and a lo-fi Guided By Voices aesthetic. With lyrics such as “face, nice to see your face/that’s what I needed/place, this must be the place that I needed” that captures a feeling, one that seems to be a balance between reality and the surreal. It is also one of two tracks to feature lead vocals from Andy Paquette (Shawn McDonald is the lead vocalist on the almost all the other tracks). “Brightside” is a jangly garage pop song. Taking influence from band such as Belle & Sebastian, Magnetic Fields and Leonard Cohen styled guitar chords, “Brightside” is one of the standout tracks on All Day Dreaming. This song with its catchy guitar leads and vocal harmonies are easy for the listener to get lost in. With character driven lyrics that portray a type of nostalgia about love lost contrasted against the fact that this person is always looking on the bright side of things. “Yeah!” is a short, ramshackle garage song with fuzz guitar, acoustic guitar and a soulful bassline that seems to echo with the influence of 60s era Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds, “Admired” is a catchy, jangly track and one of two tracks featuring lead vocals from Ryan O’Driscoll. This track features watery sounding guitars that dip into elements of psychedelia, organ sounds, tambourine, fuzzy bass and a laidback drumbeat that holds everything in place. Lyrics such as “Why don’t you hang around like you used to,” and “Yeah it’s hard/Now you know what it feels like to be admired,” add a touch of melancholy and reflection as the song seems to look back at the past times while trying to be engaged in the present.

“She’s A Queen” starts off with keyboards and fuzzy guitars mixed with surf guitar licks and stop and start drums. This song brings guitar volume with a sparseness and character driven lyrics that paint the picture of someone who is in love with the extravagant parts of life. “Driving Force” provides an instrumental break that seems fraught with tension as the drums, guitar and bass propel forward. “White Stallion” is the seventh track on All Day Dreaming. With a bassline that seems to combine elements of 60s era Kinks and The Fall, while the guitar is layered with ringing tremolo heavy guitar leads, acoustic guitar and banjo that fill in the sonic space. The drums drive the song as it adjusts speeds. Lyrically, McDonald sings a Mark E. Smith styled vocal that regales the listener with words such as “I don’t know what I’ve been told/You make the rules if you’ve got the gold,” “I tried so hard for fortune and fame/Now the white stallion is calling my name,” that seem to conjure up symbolism of purity and triumph. “I’m Sick” is a fast garage track with punk elements, while “She Don’t Need A Hero” is a primarily acoustic song written by and also featuring lead vocals from Ryan O’Driscoll. About one minute in, the rest of the band joins in with organ, guitar leads and drums/percussion, while lyrically this song tells the story of someone that doesn’t need saving, as the narrator seems lost due to their lack of confidence in themself.

“Westbound and Down” is a darker track lyrically. The lyrics are surrounded in mystery about a character that is on the run as he makes a slim escape from his place then is filled with existential thoughts as he makes his way west. This character story song is one of the strongest moments on an album filled with many strong moments. The travelling drumbeat locks down the beat as guitar arpeggios and leads pepper their way throughout the song and the bass climbs and falls with the melody. The guitar rises to a searing intensity as the song hits about two minutes and forty five seconds matching the state of mind that the character in the song seems to be in. “LOVE” ends All Day Dreaming. This song features elements of The Vaselines, the guitars are layered with clean guitars and intense distorted guitar moments as the drums and bass are solid, yet fluid throughout the song. Lyrics such as “Looking for love/Alright,” and “Nighttime has its light/People pass time picking fights/Come on over baby/I’m alright” are wistful, yet hopeful.

Throughout All Day Dreaming, there are a number of musical influences that could be named such as Guided By Voices, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Fall, T.Rex, The Byrds, The Rolling Stones, The Vaselines, but the influence of these bands combine into something else. Looking at the cover artwork for All Day Dreaming we see what looks like a grainy photo of a pine tree with the words Baby Giant in bright yellow and pink colours in the top corner. There is a light hiding behind the tree that is breaking through the branches partially lighting up parts of the photo. It gives off Twin Peaks vibes, but really the songs are not what they seem at first glance. The characters throughout the songs that make up this album are in some type of daydream-like state at times trying to find their way. The lo-fi and musical aesthetic combined with the lyricism make All Daydreaming something different, something all its own.

Listen to the interview that Revolution Rock did with Shawn McDonald of Baby Giant:

Show 949 Playlist (Originally Aired On August 27th, 2022)(Baby Giant Interview):

1. R.E.M. - Sitting Still (Polka Version) (Partial)
2. R.E.M. - Siting Still
3. R.E.M. - White Tornado
4. R.E.M. - White Tornado (Take 2) (Abandoned)
5. R.E.M. – Gardening at Night [live Toronto, 1983]
6. R.E.M. - Wolves, Lower
7. R.E.M. - 1,000,000
8. Tallies – Catapult
9. Crystal Eyes - Pretty Dumb
10. Baby Giant - All Daydreaming

SHAWN MCDONALD (OF BABY GIANT) INTERVIEW PT. I

11. Baby Giant - Brightside
12. Baby Giant - White Stallion

SHAWN MCDONALD (OF BABY GIANT) INTERVIEW PT. II

13. Baby Giant - I’m Sick
14. The Fine Print - Hanging Over Me
15. Dragsville - Not Gonna Do It
16. Queens of the Stone Age - First It Giveth
17. Queens of the Stone Age - Hangin’ Tree
18. The Chats - Boggo Breakout
19. B.A. Johnson - My Neighbour Dug a Fire Pit
20. Dog Day - Inner Space
21. The Gonks - Nuns Having Fun
22. La Luz - San Fernando Shadow Blues
23. The Merseyippi Collectif - Alive and All WIllin'
24. Compulsive Gamblers - Way Down In The Hole
25. Detroit Cobras - Hot Dog (Watch Me Eat) 

DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE HERE.

Show 948 (Originally Aired On August 20th, 2022) (Gord Lewis Teenage Head tribute, Spoon, Sleater-Kinney, Interpol, Neko Case):

1. Teenage Head - Lucy Potato
2. Teenage Head - Send A Letter (Demo)
3. Teenage Head - Disgusteen (Unreleased 1977 Take)
4. Spoon - Jonathon Fisk
5. Sleater-Kinney - Oh!
6. Interpol - Obstacle 2
7. Neko Case - Deep Red Bells
8. The Shivas - Can’t Relax
9. Petrol Girls - Preachers
10. Teenanger - Weird Money
11. Pretty Matty - See You Around
12. UWUW - Scattered Ashes
17. Tim Swaddling - Real Gone
18. Ghost Woman - Do You
19. Bonnie Prince Billy - Outsider
20. Wilco - Please Be Wrong
21. John Doe - El Romance-O
22. Frog Eyes - Rainbow Stew
23. The Sadies - Ginger Moon
24. Rick White - Another Season Again
25. Crack Cloud - Please Yourself
26. Teenage Head - Somethin’ on My Mind
27. Teenage Head - Drivin’ Wild
28. Teenage Head - Frantic Romantic
29. Teenage Head With Marky Ramone - You’re Tearing Me Apart 

DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE HERE.

Show 947 (Originally Aired On August 13th, 2022) (Teenage Head, Big Star, Ducks Ltd, Beck):

1. Teenage Head - Picture My Face
2. Teenage Head - Top Down
3. Matt Ellis - Brutal Planet
4. TV Freaks - Coworker Blues
5. Psychic Void - Drug Surface
6. Personal and the Pizzas - Never Find Me
7. Big Star - Feel
8. Big Star - The Ballad of El Goodo
9. Juliana Hatfield - Don’t Lie to Me
10. Albert Hammond Jr. - Thirteen
11. Paul Jacobs - I Find It Hard To Believe
12. Leonard Cohen - The Hills
13. The Sadies - So Far, So Few
14. Rusty - Surrender To The Rhythm
15. Kiwi Jr. - Unspeakable Things
16. Ducks Ltd. & Illuminati Hotties - Head On
17. Ducks Ltd. & Jane Inc. - In Between Days
18. US Girls - So Typically Now
19. Beck - In a Cold Ass Fashion
20. Beck - Corvette Bummer
21. Beck - Asskizz Powergrudge (Payback ’94)
22. Beck - Modern Guilt
23. Beck - Blue Randy
24. Beck - Feelings
25. Beck - Schmoozer
26. Beck - Steve Threw Up
27. Beck - Garbage Truck
28. Beck - Leave Me On The Moon

DOWNLOAD THIS EPISODE HERE.