2016 Highlights & Shows # 647, # 648, # 649, # 651

For my best of 2016, things were done a little differently this year. Both me and my co-host picked 20 albums that we liked from 2016 and played our selections across two episodes. You can download these episodes under the playlists below. I’ve included each of our top 20 lists in this post, followed by a little write-up from each of our top five albums that we liked from 2016.

Dave’s Top 20 of 2016:

1. Parquet Courts – Human Performance
2. David Bowie – Black Star
3. Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression
4. Thee Oh Sees – A Weird Exits/An Odd Entrances
5. Preoccupations – Preoccupations
6. Ty Segall – Emotional Mugger
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
8. Shotgun Jimmie – Field Of Trampolines
9. Danny & The Darleans – Bug Out
10. Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
11. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds – La Arana Es La Vida
12. Paul Jacobs – Movies, Pictures & Apartments/I’m Into What You’re Into
13. Young Rival – Strange Light EP
14. Duotang – New Occupation
15. Monomyth – Happy Pop People
16. Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker
17. Daniel Romano – King Of Mosey
18. Nap Eyes – Thought Rock Fish Scale
19. Kim Gray – Perfume
20. Snake River – Sun Will Rise

Adam’s Top 20 of 2016:

1. Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
2. David Bowie – Blackstar
3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
4. Angel Olsen – My Woman
5. Parquet Courts – Human Performance
6. Car Seat Headrest – Destroyed by Hippie Powers
7. White Lung – Paradise
8. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam – I Had a Dream That You Were Mine
9. Swans – The Glowing Man
10. Jeff Rosenstock – WORRY.
11. Preoccupations - Preoccupations
12. Case/Lang/Veirs - Atomic Number
13. Mitski – Puberty 2
14. Cass McCombs – Mangy Love
15. G.L.O.S.S. - Trans Day of Revenge
16. Kevin Morby – Destoyer
17. Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker
18. PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project
19. Frankie Cosmos – Next Thing
20. Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression

A few write-ups on a selection of our top 20’s of 2016:

Dave’s Top Five:

1. Parquet Courts – Human Performance

Throughout Human Performance, Parquet Courts draw their lyrical inspirations from urban decay, human emotion and critical thoughts of self-doubt. It is here where the band achieves what people love about them the most. Their highly critical and intellectual lyrics are on par with bands such as Wire, Swells Maps, Pere Ubu, The Modern Lovers, and The Fall, among others. The music found on Human Performance also makes connections to the songs and sounds found on 2013’s Light Up Gold. It is also the complete opposite of 2015’s Monastic Living. This noisy/experimental release featured only one song with lyrics. As Parquet Courts gaze away from their thoughts that reflect a look out in New York City, they make broader strokes, finding a larger scope within their lyrical and musical grasp. With Human Performance, Parquet Courts achieve their most realized effort to date.

2. David Bowie – Blackstar

On January 8th, 2016, Blackstar, Bowie’s 25th full-length album was released. For this album he experimented with elements of jazz and hip hop, among other influences. Blackstar was produced by long time producer Tony Visconti in secret, as was his previous album The Next Day. Many of the themes on Blackstar deal with a man battling his own mortality and fittingly the two music videos released for this album, “Blackstar” and “Lazarus” also reflect these themes. Two days following the release of Blackstar David Bowie passed away after a battle with cancer. Lyrics from “Blackstar”, “Lazarus” and different parts of the album took on different meanings. However, as stated more eloquently in Adam’s post below, “Blackstar is a powerful record and stands, regardless of its connection with the artist’s passing”. Musically, the album is just as fresh and innovative as any of his peak creative periods. With Blackstar, Bowie delivers a compelling album that sucks the listener into the black hole of the musical universe that Bowie has created throughout the 25 albums that he has created. It leaves just as much mystery to his recorded output as anything he has ever released.


3. Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression

Iggy Pop has recently stated that this may very well be his last album. And at 17 albums in and being now 68 years old that is understandable. As the music of the album’s last song “Paraguay” picks up pace with its ending rant, Post Pop-Depression ends with a middle finger, similarly to the way he started with The Stooges. Post-Pop Depression weaves in and out with lyrical content loaded with metaphors, double meanings and musical landscapes that drift between 1877’s The Idiot, Lust For Life and his early solo output. Post-Pop Depression was recorded in the desert in Joshua Tree, California. Perhaps Pop has entered the very same “burning sands” once described in The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” or maybe it’s just a mirage. With Post-Pop Depression, Iggy Pop engages the listener and redefines what it means to be a musician and an artist on his own terms.

4. Thee Oh Sees – A Weird Exits

A Weird Exits arrives as a double LP with longer songs that showcase a new range in dynamics for the band. This is the first album to capture Thee Oh Sees new line-up which features two drummers, Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon, along with bassist Tim Hellman, who joined Thee Oh Sees in 2014, A Weird Exits produces a new type of groove. Still led by the ever prolific and frontman John Dwyer, Thee Oh Sees vicious and manic live sound is captured here in top form. If 2015’s Mutilator Defeated At Last explored more medieval and folk-like imagery in the songs, A Weird Exits blasts off into outer space, lyrically and musically taking on a cosmic context. While many may say that the sound hasn’t changed that much, Thee Oh Sees music is both undeniably Thee Oh Sees and fresh sounding. With A Weird Exits, Thee Oh Sees focus on a new entry and exit point musically in a way that only they can.

5. Preoccupations – Preoccupations

Preoccupations is the first proper release by the band that previously went by the name Viet Cong. This Canadian band originally from Calgary, Alberta changed their name due to the criticism they received. Following a festival concert that was cancelled in Australia in 2015 and a cancelled date/protest in Oberlin due to their name, it began to affect their ability to play music as a band. The name they chose was a fitting one, Preoccupations. Described as labyrinthine post-punk, Preoccupations was made differently than its predecessor, Viet Cong. This album was made while the band was in a state of transition, changing their name, each of the band members moving to different cities. The songs were put together with no central theme in mind, but several themes did emerge. While the song titles are simple such as “Anxiety”, “Degraded”, “Stimulation” and “Memory”, the music on Preoccupations is an encompassing, complex layer of musical textures that is both unnerving and visceral. Lyrically, the album, as stated on their website, “bears the visceral, personal sound of holding onto some steadiness in the midst of changing everything.” The album art of Preoccupations is simple and basic, made up of lines, repetitive fonts and a simple colour scheme. However, between the lines of this simplicity lies a focused complexity.


Adam’s Top Five:

1. Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

Radiohead’s ninth studio record could have ended up a simple clearinghouse for the band’s backlog of unrecorded songs, a slapped together collection of unrealized ideas dating back to their Kid A days. Instead, A Moon Shaped Pool proved itself to be one of the band’s best releases and an album all too reflective of the anxiety, heartbreak, and political uncertainty so many of us faced in 2016. The album evokes a mood of dread and skepticism, tackling issues of state surveillance, environment damage, and the dangers of political apathy. It is perhaps Radiohead’s darkest statement yet, the mournful feel of the record emphasized by its simple piano lines and Johnny Greenwood’s dominant string and choral arrangements. Listening to the percussive string motif on “Burn the Witch” or the moody somnambulist sounds of “Daydreaming,” it’s clear that this is the most baroque Radiohead has ever sounded. Beyond its sociopolitical concerns, the album’s other most recurring themes are love and heartbreak. While not new subjects to the diaspora of pop music, Thom Yorke lends a legitimacy and weight to these songs, no doubt inspired by the separation from his partner of 25 years, Rachel Owen. The sense of loss expressed in “Glass Eyes” and “True Love Waits” is beyond heartbreaking: its tectonic. Yet for all the album's heartbreak and skepticism, the album also offers a degree of hope. In the track “The Numbers,” a song inspired by Rachel Carson’s classic environmental book Silent Spring, Yorke sings that “the future is inside us/Its not somewhere else.” In a year racked with tragedy and the uncertainly for what the next few years will bring our world, Yorke offers a sobering reminder that it is us, individual people, who our the instigators of change. Rather than the labyrinthine rabbit holes and technocratic paranoia the band's efforts were heading towards (into particularly discomforting territory on 2011’s The King of Limbs) A Moon Shaped Pool is the sound of a band waking up and opening to the world around them. More so than being the best record of 2016, this is perhaps the most representative album of the year, and shows why Radiohead are still one of the most important bands out there today.

2. David Bowie – Blackstar

Blackstar is a difficult record in many ways. Its mutant fusion of avant-jazz, experimental rock, and arty electronic music is a clear challenge to fans who still associate Bowie as the guitar wielding androgynous “Ziggy Stardust.” Record producer Tony Viconti confirmed that he and Bowie attempted to avoid rock music’s influence while composing the album, citing a diverse range of electronic and hip-hop artists as principle influences, including Death Grips, Boards of Canada, and Kendrick Lamar. However, the hardest element to reconcile was Blackstar acting as the artist’s swan song, a rumination on his own impending death. It’s been widely publicized that Bowie wrote and recorded Blackstar after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, lending the songs on this record the certain gravity of a man grappling with his own mortality. The shadow of Bowie’s death looms over the entire record, with its seven songs containing imagery of sickbeds, hospital visits, and public executions, while the record’s centrepiece acts as a post-modern retelling of the Lazarus story. This is not to say the album is a complete gloom-and-doom affair: in the face of death, Bowie managed to craft an album that feels utterly alive. Bowie’s voice is strong and confident, the sound of an artist reaffirming their place as an art-rock legend. Donny McCaslin’s saxophone doesn’t bounce so much as ricochet throughout the record, creating alien abstract textures on tracks like “Tis a Pity She Was a Whore” and “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)”. The record is vibrant and hypnotic, the songs resounding with an urgency that hasn’t been heard from Bowie in years. While it’s impossible to listen to Blackstar while forgetting the singer’s death, Bowie’s passing shouldn’t dominate the listener’s thoughts. Rather than a resigned acceptance, this album is the sound of an artist fighting to create and live his life to the very last, proof that the man indeed did not “go gentle into that good night.” Blackstar is a powerful record and stands, regardless of its connection with the artist’s passing, as one of the greatest album’s of Bowie’s career.

3. Nick Cave & The Badseeds – Skeleton Tree

One of the misconceptions about Skeleton Tree is that it was written after the tragic death of Cave's teenage son, Arthur, in 2015. However, despite the album's recurring themes of loss and death, the majority of the record was written before the young man's passing. Certainly this loss did play an important role in the production of the Skeleton Tree, with the Bad Seed's tendency for sleazy alt rock and feral blues completely eschewed for a cascade of sound loops, minimalist electronics, and sparse piano. The album is imbued with the sound of mourning, a musical tone poem of loss. With that said, the melancholy permeating this record wouldn't be enough to make it as resounding as it was if not for truly great songwriting, and the eight songs of Skeleton Tree are among the best of Cave's career. Describing Cave's words as lyrics hardly do them justice; they are poetry. “Girl in Amber” explores memory and anxiety over its fleeting nature. The reference to W.G. Sebald on “Rings of Saturn” is justified with the song's evocation of the author's picturesque style and descriptive prose. “Anthrocene,” with Joycean wit, rebukes the theory of mankind's evolution, faced with the ecological destruction humans have caused to the planet. And then there is “I Need You,” arguably the album's crowning achievement, a prayer to discovering meaning in a world where “nothing really matters.” It would be hard to define Skeleton Tree as a rock record (it is far too sombre and pensive for that), but it instead transcends the idea of a simple collection of rock n roll songs. Skeleton Tree belongs among the likes of the Velvet Underground, Astral Weeks, and Horses, not as a great collection of rock songs, but as one of the most profound works of art committed to disc.

4. Angel Olsen – My Woman

My Woman is more than just a breakthrough record, it is the sound of an artist defining their self. Angel Olsen's fourth release defied critics wishing to pigeon-hole her as a tormented acoustic folk singer, instead showing her chops as a powerful indie rocker. The first half of the record sees Olsen unleashing her venom: after the atmospheric synths of the opener “Intern,” Olsen proceeds to take command with a series of vicious rockers. “Shut Up Kiss Me,” “Give It Up,” and “Never Be Mine” don't ask for, but demand the listener's attention, resounding with the fierceness of early PJ Harvey and the confidence of Courtney Barnett. The second half of the record returns to Olsen's more familiar folk style (a format that nods towards Bob Dylan's own snub at the music press with Bringing It All Back Home), but with newfound confidence and ambition. A pair of seven minute tracks are definitely the highlights of this side, with “Sister” and the haunting “Woman” among the best songs yet penned by the young artist. A powerful statement and an even more powerful record, with My Woman, Olsen proves she is one of the most promising and versatile talents in indie rock today.

5. Parquet Courts – Human Performance

For a band whose breakthrough album riffed through a track about being “Stoned and Starving,” its hard to believe Parquet Courts were able to make an record as focused as Human Performance. While the crackling guitars and hazy lo-fi sounds of the band's previous records remain, Human Performance sees the band reaching the peak of their abilities. The sound is powerful; the clashing guitars cut through with newfound energy and intensity. The performances are tight and the arrangements catchier than ever. As for the lyrics, they are the best yet to come from the group. While never coming across as dullards, the songs on this record demonstrate how critical and intelligent a band Parquet Courts are: “Berlin Got Blurry” examines self-realization and isolation, “I Was Just Here” uses the search for a Chinese Restaurant as a metaphor for the inevitability of change and aging, while “Dust” offers one of the jauntiest slices of existential dread I've ever heard. Then there is the title track, a sombre rumination about an individual dealing with depression and the affects it has on their ability to connect with others. This song is easily the most powerful, personal, and greatest track produced by the band. Human Performance is more than a great album, its a display of a band at their creative peak.


Playlist for Show # 651 (Best of 2016 Part Two):

1. Radiohead - Burn The Witch (A Moon Shaped Pool - XL Recordings - 2016)
2. Jeff Rosenstock - Perfect Sound Whatever (Worry. - SideOneDummy Records - 2016)
3. Danny & The Darleans - Girl (Bug Out - In The Red Records - 2016)
4. Swans - When Will I Return (The Glowing Man - Young God Records - 2016)
5. Art Bergmann - A Town Called Mean (The Apostate - Weewerk Records - 2016)
6. Shotgun Jimmie - Walkman Battery Bleed (Field of Trampolines - You've Changed Records - 2016)
7. Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - The Morning Stars (I Had A Dream That You Were Mine - Glassnote Records - 2016)
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Rings Of Saturn (Skeleton Tree - Bad Seed Ltd. - 2016)
9. White Lung - Demented (Paradise - Domino - 2016)
10. Ty Segall - Mandy Cream (Manipulator - Drag City - 2016)
11. Car Seat Head Rest - Teens of Denial (Destroyed By Hippie Powers - Matador - 2016)
12. Preoccupations - Anxiety (Preoccupations - Flemish Eye/Jagjaguwar - 2016)
13. Parquet Courts - Human Performance (Human Performance - Rough Trade - 2016)
14. Thee Oh Sees - Gelatinous Cube (A Weird Exits - Castle Face Records - 2016)
15. Angel Olsen - Give It Up (My Woman - Jagjaguwar - 2016)
16. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Anthrocene (Skeleton Tree - Bad Seed Ltd. 2016)
17. Iggy Pop - Gardenia (Post Pop Depression - Loma Vista Recordings - 2016)
18. David Bowie -Lazarus (Blackstar - Columbia Records - 2016)
19. Radiohead - Identikit (A Moon Shaped Pool - XL Recordings - 2016)
20. Parquet Courts - Berlin Got Blurry (Human Performance - Rough Trade - 2016)

Download this episode here.

Playlist for Show # 649 (Best of 2016 Part One):

1. Lesbo Vrouven - LL (Griff Piff - P572 - 2016)
2. James O-L - Trouble At Nightmare Alley (Cancer In Treble City - Famous Last Records - 2016)
3. Trout - Burning Fire, The House (Lesser EP - Psychic Readings - 2016)
4. Tim Presley - Solitude Cola (The Wink - Drag City Records - 2016)
5. Snake River - I Was Very Drunk Jeanie (Sun Will Rise - Pigeon Row - 2016)
6. Kim Gray - Tropical Low Life (Perfume - Resurrection Records - 2016)
7. Nap Eyes - Trust (Thought Rock Fish Scale - You've Changed Records - 2016)
8. Daniel Romano - Toulouse (Mosey - New West Records - 2016)
9. Leonard Cohen - Steer Your Way (You Want It Darker - Columbia Records - 2016)
10. Iggy Pop - German Days (Post Pop Depression - Loma Vista Recordings - 2016)
11. Frankie Cosmos - What If (Next Thing - Bayonet Records - 2016)
12. PJ Harvey - A Line In The Sand (The Hope Six Demolition Project - Vagrant Records - 2016)
13. Leonard Cohen - It Seemed A Better Way (You Want It Darker - Columbia Records - 2016)
14. Kevin Morby - I Have Been To The Mountain (Singing Saw - Dead Oceans - 2016)
15. G.L.O.S.S - Trans Day Of Revenge (Trans Day of Revenge - Sabotage Records - 2016)
16. Monomyth - Go Somewhere (Happy Pop Family - Mint Records - 2016)
17. Cass McCombs - Bum Bum Bum (Mangy Love - Anti- Records - 2016)
18. Duotang - Karma Needs To Come Around (New Occupation - Stomp Records - 2016)
19. Mitski - Fireworks (Puberty 2 - Dead Oceans - 2016)
20. Young Rival - Heard It All Before (Strange Light EP - Paper Bag Records - 2016)
21. Case/Lang/Veirs - Atomic Number (Case/Lang/Veirs - Anti- Records - 2016)
22. Paul Jacobs Stages For You (I'm Into What You're Into - Danger Collective Records - 2016)
23. Paul Jacobs - Pics, Movs & Apts (Pictures, Movies & Apartments - 2016)
24. Preoccupations - Stimulation (Preoccupations - Jagjaguwar - 2016)
25. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - Coyote Conundrum (La Arana Es La Vida - In The Red Records - 2016)

Download this episode here.


And for those keeping track of the episode numbers on this site. Here is all you need to know:

To find out why episode # 650 is in the middle of the best of 2016 episodes, all is explained here.

Episode # 648 was a repeat of a previous episode (my Leonard Cohen radio special) that originally aired in October 2016. You can download that episode here and view the playlist here.

Episode # 647 was a repeat of a previous episode that aired in October 2016. You can download that episode here and view the playlist here.

The O-L West Afterthoughts & Show # 650

This episode of Revolution Rock started out as it normally would have. It was also supposed to be part two of a best of 2016 episode. However, while playing the first song by The O-L West, a collaboration of local Windsor artist Johnny West and Steven Oltean-Lepp, the fire alarm went off. In my twelve odd years doing Revolution Rock, I don’t believe a fire alarm has ever affected an episode (and for the record it was a false alarm. There was no fire and no one was hurt). Regardless, I put the album on repeat and me and my co-host exited the building. Almost all of Afterthoughts, the album by The O-L West was played on the program.

Afterthoughts was born out of what began as a solo outing by Steven Oltean-Lepp called Tire Swing Co. Johnny West produced the music and accompanied O-L musically on the albums. While Tire Swing Co. is a folk based project by Steven Oltean-Lepp, The O-L West combines the musical stylings of the prolific Johnny West and O-L for something that can be described as a dark alternative folk album. The songs take the textured style of Tire Swing Co. and go deeper. Several songs feature additional guest musicians, but the majority of this album is performed and written by O-L and West.

“Paint As You Like and Die Happy” starts off Afterthoughts setting a certain tone. With textured, deep vocals sung by Steven O-L, this song reflects on past memories from what seems to be pictures and an old letter. The title shows a desire to live as you want as the music features arpeggiated guitar, subtle basslines, and reverb drenched guitar that is halfway between country and surf. “UVB-76” emerges as track two on Afterthoughts, with dominant drums and Johnny West on lead vocals. The guitar and bass plunge below the drums and vocals on this track. UVB-76 is actually a shortwave radio station that broadcasts a short buzz tone. Its purpose has never been confirmed. Like the lyrics in this song, such as “Periodic waveform mysteries” and “Respect grows out of secrets/And so is built on nothing”, West combines the mysteries of this shortwave radio station with the tones of communication we all experience in our everyday life. This is something that is sometimes just as much a mystery as the UVB-76 shortwave radio station.

“Trespassing” is a more upbeat, but melancholic track. The song features vocals by Steven O-L with Johnny West backing/double and vocals by Natalie Westfall (Teenage Geese). With lyrics that compare a relationship that has seemingly ended to a property, this song is an effective and catchy addition to Afterthoughts. “West Coast Blues” is sung by Steven in his deep baritone voice. Lyrically it deals with the little complexities of a seemingly simple situation. This is a theme that pops up throughout this album, in different forms. Musically, the song plays on a folk/roots base with thick vocal harmonies in the choruses and melodies as piano trickles in and out of the song. The harmonica that drifts in on this track is reminiscent of something found on Neil Young’s Harvest. “Yuan Dynasty” is a song that travels quickly after “West Coast Blues”, which sounds as if lyrically it could be about the emotions that come with someone moving away. Featuring reverb drenched drums and guitar arpeggios, “Yuan Dynasty” is a song sung by Johnny West, that is about a character that was hidden. The character is revealed upon learning something about fourteenth century China, which in itself is a hidden history to some. The song is short, but compelling. As with many songs on Afterthoughts, there is a balance between the longer, more drawn out alt-folk material and the shorter material.

“Afterthought No. 4 (Waiting For Armageddon)“, is one of three separate “afterthought'” musical segments that appear on this album. This track bottles itself up with words and emotions that drift, as if spilt over. The song fades out before another track “Dying To Be Born”. Awash in a mixture of effects on a lap steel, guitar arpeggios and Johnny West’s voice, “Dying To Be Born” is not a song about the reverse aging disease in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fortunately it is a tale about dealing with finding yourself. “Running Wild” is a piano driven dark folk coming of age tale, “Afterthought No.2 (Black Hole)” sucks you in with its floating melodies, as “Zebra Stripes” reveals something different. Featuring banjo, drums and dual vocals by Johnny West and Steven O-L, “Zebra Stripes” brings forward a character that finds an understanding and a deeper meaning from reminiscing about past memories. It is about a character that can't change, despite his mistakes.

“Pave Over It All” ends the album. Stretching out to over seven minutes, this track features four different vocalists. In addition to Johnny West and Steven O-L, Dave Dubois (The Locusts Have No King/Middle Sister), and Jim Meloche (Orphan Choir/Worry) join the song separately and all at once, coming together to tell a murder ballad story. The song centres on a different narrative point of view when sung by each singer. With lyrics such as “Billy walked with a limp and a bone tattoo”, “He was whiskey/He was shattered dreams/He was murder” and “Billy tired to cry/Not a sound came out of his dry crooked smile”, the vocalists of this song paint a picture that shows confusion, remorse, and how two crooked friends became this way. If that isn’t enough, this track also features violin/viola by Stu Kennedy and harmonica from “Mr. Chill” Kelly Hoppe. The combination of the harmonica, violin, words and music create an almost eerie cinematic feeling.

It’s strange that a fire alarm returned me to this album. I have played several tracks from this album when it was released near the end of 2016 on Revolution Rock, but by playing nearly all of the 15 tracks on the album, I went back and listened again, several times. I left the album to play and broadcast over the radio airwaves, ironically in an afterthought. However, when looking closer at the album and its contents, Afterthoughts reveals an album that is layered in stories, tales, musical textures and the questioning of what was stated in “UVB-76” as, many “Periodic shortwave mysteries”.

More info on this album and Johnny West can be found on Johnny West's website.


Saturday Night playlist:

1. The O-L West – West Coast Blues (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
2. The O-L West - The Yuan Dynasty (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
3. The O-L West - Dorsal Venous (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
4. The O-L West - Afterthought No. 4 (Waiting For Armageddon) (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
5. The O-L West - Dying To Be Born (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
6. The O-L West - Running Wild (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
7. The O-L West - Afterthought No. 2 (Black Hole) (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
8. The O-L West - Zebra Stripes (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
9. The O-L West - Pave Over It All (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
10. The O-L West - Paint As You Like And Die Happy (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
11. The O-L West - UVB-76 (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
12. The O-L West - Trespassing (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
13. The O-L West - Time Erodes (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
14. The O-L West - Another Turn (Afterthoughts - Tosteestosta Music - 2016)
15. Daniel Romano - I Had To Hide Your Poem In A Song (Mosey - New West Records - 2016)
16. Radiohead - The Numbers (A Moon Shaped Pool - X-Recordings - 2016)
17. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - La Arana (La Arana Es La Vida - In The Red Records - 2016)
18. Paul Jacobs - I'm Into What You're Into (I'm Into What You're Into - Danger Collective Records - 2016)
19. Tire Swing Co. - I'd Name You Aubrey (Time Away EP - Famous Last Records - 2015)
20. Tire Swing Co. - Time Away (Time Away EP - Famous Last Records - 2015)
21. Slow Down Molasses - Burnt Black Cars (Burnt Black Cars - Culvert Music - 2015)
22. Whitehorse - Devil's Got A Gun (The Fate Of The World Depends On This Kiss - Six Shooter Records - 2012)
23. United Steelworkers of Montreal - Tracie Dean (Kerosene & Coal - Weeweek Records - 2007)
24. Stompin' Tom Connors - Bridge Came Tumbling Down (My Stompin' Grounds - Boot Records - 1971)
25. Leonard Cohen - Lullaby (Old Ideas - Columbia Records - 2012)
26. Elliot Brood - Garden River (Mountain Meadows - Six Shooter Records - 2008)
27. Blue Rodeo - So Far Away (Small Miracles - Warner Music Canada - 2007)
28. Cowboy Junkies - Lay Me Down (Rarities, B-Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes - Valley Entertainment - 1999)


To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 14.

Joe Strummer Day 2016: Tymon Dogg Interview (Shows # 645 & 646)

Dubbed the “King of Gypsy Punk”, Tymon Dogg is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter that got his start in music at the age of 17. While he was later known for playing the violin in the alternative folk field, his first single “Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane” was recorded and released via Pye Records in 1968. These recordings on this psychedelic tinged pop track also featured then studio musicians Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. Shortly after this, Dogg made recordings for Apple records that featured Paul McCartney on piano and James Taylor on guitar, but other than the demo version of “Who Needs A King”, these recordings remain unreleased. Dogg, initially going by the name Timon, also played live with The Moody Blues for a brief period of time. His second single, the Justin Hayward produced “And Now She Says She’s Young/Travelling Man”, was released on the Threshold label. This was a record label created by The Moody Blues.

In the early 70’s, Dogg busked around and played folk clubs in London. It was also around this time that he met future Clash frontman Joe Strummer. Then known as Woody Mellor, the two became fast friends. The friends would later reconnect in 1980 in New York while The Clash were making their triple LP Sandinista! He contributed his song “Lose This Skin” to the album and then piano on the song “Death Is A Star” on 1982’s Combat Rock. Tymon Dogg was also a collaborator and member in Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, one of Joe Strummer’s post-Clash bands. Dogg played live with the group and was featured on 2001’s Global A Go-Go and 2003’s Streetcore. Tymon has collaborated with many musicians and has even produced other musicians. In addition to all this, Tymon Dogg has also released several solo albums, starting with his self-titled album, Tymon Dogg in 1976, an album in which he played all of the instrumentation. Battle of Wills followed in 1982 and Relentless in 1989. In 2010, Cherry Red Records released a retrospective compilation of Tymon’s work entitled, The Irrepressible Tymon Dogg: A Collection 1968-2009 and in 2015, Dogg released his fourth solo album Made of Light.

Every December 22nd, CJAM FM raises awareness of poverty in the Windsor/Detroit area by surrounding it with the music of Joe Strummer and The Clash. For this year’s Joe Strummer Day Marathon on CJAM FM, I was fortunate enough to speak with Tymon Dogg. Below you can hear the interview and download/listen to the program I put tougher featuring the music of Tymon Dogg. In addition to this, I did a program featuring music from the catalogue of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros and spoke with my co-host Adam about the resources that the Windsor Public Library has to help those who find themselves in poverty and homelessness during this time of year.

Check out my interview with Tymon Dogg:



Tymon Dogg Interview & Radio Special (Show # 645):

1. Timon - Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane (Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane/Rambling Boy - 1968)
2. Timon - And Now She Says She’s Young (And Now She Says She's Young/I'm Just A Travelling Man - 1970)
3. Timon - Who Needs A King (1968 Apple Demo) (The Irrepressible Tymon Dogg: A Collection 1968-2009 - 2010)
4. Tymon Dogg - You Turned Your Back On The Sun (For A 40 Watt Light Bulb) ((Relentless - 1989)
5. Tymon Dogg - Velvet Stella (The Irrepressible Tymon Dogg: A Collection 1968-2009 - 2010)
6. Tymon Dogg - I Caught You Dancing (Tymon Dogg - 1976)
7. Tymon Dogg - Too Small To Lead Too Big To Follow (Tymon Dogg - 1976)

TYMON DOGG INTERVIEW PART ONE

8. Tymon Dogg - Locks & Bolts & Hinges (Battle of Wills - 1982)
9. Tymon Dogg - Battle of Wills (Battle of Wills - 1982)
10. Tymon Dogg - Safeway People (Battle of Wills - 1982)

TYMON DOGG INTERVIEW PART TWO

11. The Clash - Lose This Skin (Sandinista! - 1980)
12. The Clash - Once You Know (Combat Rock Outtake)
13. Frugivores - Beyond This Frontier (New Age Songs - 1987)
13. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Mondo Bongo (Global A Go-Go - 2001)
14. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Silver And Gold (Streetcore - 2003)
16. Tymon Dogg - Pound Of Grain (Made Of Light - 2015)
17. Tymon Dogg - That’s The Way It Is (Made Of Light - 2015)
18. Tymon Dogg - Conscience Money (Made Of Light - 2015)

Download this episode here!

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros/WPL Resources (Show # 646):

1. Minstrel Boy (Black Hawk Down Soundtrack - 2001)
2. Time and Tide (Yalla Yalla B-Side - 1999)
3. Nitcomb (Rock Art & The X-Ray Style - 1999)
4. Gamma Ray (Global A Go-Go - 2001)
5. Yalla Yalla (Rock Art & The X-Ray Style - 1999)

INTERVIEW WITH ADAM ABOUT WINDSOR PUBLIC LIBRARY RESOURCES

6. Ocean Of Dreams (With Steve Jones) (Unreleased song from the Rock Art & The X-Ray Style Sessions - 1999)
7. Redemption Song (With Johnny Cash) (Johnny Cash - Unearthed - 2003)
8. Johnny Appleseed (Live) (Generations - 2007)
9. (White Man) in Hammersmith (Live) (Acton Town Hall 2002)
10. Get Down Moses (Live) (Cambridge Folk Festival 2002)
11. Guitarslinger Man (Live Streetcore Outtake 2002)
12. Coma Girl (Streetcore - 2003)
13. Tony Adams (Rock Art & The X-Ray Style - 1999)
14. Bankrobber (Live) (Acton Town Hall 2002)
15. 1969 (Live) (Generations - 2007)
16. Long Shadow (Streetcore - 2003)

Download this episode here!

Sloan's One Chord To Another 20th Anniversary & Shows # 642, 643, 644

Following the release of 1994’s Twice Removed, which received little promotion due to a number of factors, Sloan broke up as a band. Sloan would still play shows periodically, but drummer Andrew Scott relocated to Toronto and the members of Sloan became involved in other music projects. Although Twice Removed has been critically acclaimed, due to artistic differences from Sloan’s label at the time, Twice Removed never received the promotion that it should have. Unlike 1992’s Smeared, Twice Removed did not have the “grunge sound” of that time period. Sloan wanted to move away from that and do something different. The idea came to record another Sloan album for their own label Murderecords with their own money and worry about the other details later. Without major label pressure, Sloan set about recording what would eventually become One Chord To Another in 1995. The album would be released on Sloan’s own label, Murderecords in June of 1996.

The album was recorded with Laurence Currie at Idea of East Recording Studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since drummer Andrew Scott lived in Toronto, the band would send Scott demos so that he would be familiar with them. In December of 1995, he recorded his drum tracks in Sloan’s rehearsal space to save money and time in Halifax. The drums were recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder to make them sound tougher, as opposed to the bigger, more produced drum sound of Twice Removed. This was a bit unorthodox to do at the time, but wound up giving the album a certain “character”, as stated in the booklet that comes with the 20th anniversary vinyl box set of One Chord To Another. Two additional tracks for this release, the songs written and sung by drummer Andrew Scott, were recorded in Toronto with Brenndan McGuire. Recording also continued into January of 1996. The sound of One Chord To Another differed in the fact that it pulled in more influences such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and featured a more power pop oriented sound.

Since each member of Sloan was a songwriter, One Chord To Another featured four different vocalists and different styles to make up its overall aesthetic. The album opens with crowd noise that was lifted from a videotape recording that was made at the band’s last show at the time at Edgefest in August of 1995. The song “The Good In Everyone” then kicks in. Penned by guitarist Patrick Pentland, it was inspired by bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Damned’s “New Rose” musically. The song, which has a certain anthemic quality, has since become a Sloan standard. “The Good In Everyone” is also notable for its music video, which features an extended intro that is a spoof of the 1969 film, Easy Rider. “Autobiography” is one of many Chris Murphy originals, filled with words loaded with double meaning and a sound that is very Beatles influenced. Lyrically, this song like many on this album, reference Sloan’s own history and struggles with being on a major label. “Junior Panthers” is a Jay Fergusson penned track that lends itself to a more mellow sound with harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys. “The Lines You Amend” is melancholic track reminiscent of CCR, with lyrics that reference a friend’s suicide and The Beatles’ Ringo Starr. This is another track on this album that is one of the standouts, not only by Jay Fergusson, but on the album as a whole.

“G Turns To D” is an up-tempo garage song sung and written by bassist Chris Murphy. Lyrically the song is about someone using the skills you helped them learn to put you down. This song was inspired by real life events featuring Chris Murphy and Laura Borealis/Chapo. “Everything You’ve Done Wrong” was another Patrick Pentland song that the band has been known for. The song was one of the first Sloan songs to feature trumpet/horn sections and is more on the pop/ballad side of things. Lyrically, the song seems to be about finding success on your own terms and not being put down by past mistakes. “Take The Bench” is a slower, T.Rex inspired song by Chris Murphy. Filled with puns and double meanings, the song tells a story of a woman who sits on the same piano “bench” in her childhood and as her parents get a divorce. “A Sides Win” and “400 Metres” each end one side of this album. In addition to this, both songs are written and sung by drummer Andrew Scott.

“A Sides Win’ features saloon-styled piano and strong Beach Boys vocal harmonies, along with dirty sounding electric guitar. “400 Metres” ends the album complete with woozy piano and 60s sound guitar licks. Musically the song is pretty much a one-chord jam with a few surprises. The theme of the band’s past, present and potential future situations seems to be referenced in this song. The words used in the lyrics such as “I know I said I had a good time/But now I’m sprawled across the finish line” and “The situation’s heavy and the competition’s thin/Now I’ve got to wake up so I can get back on my feet again” seem to serve as evidence of this. These themes pop up throughout all the songs on One Chord To Another, usually in subtle ways. But, after repeat listens the little details pop out at the listener.

One Chord To Another won a Juno award in 1997 for best Alternative album. It serves as a period in the band’s career where they could have stopped being a band altogether, but instead they found success without major label pressure and started to do things their own way, from the music right down to the artwork. As stated in the lyrics to “G Turns To D”, on this album Sloan really could “go from one chord to another” in terms of music and style for something that was retro-influenced, but completely their own. This was the beginning of the future of Sloan’s long career, which with eleven albums in their discography, still resonates to this day.

Sloan's 20th anniversary vinyl box set edition of One Chord To Another has now sold out. A single LP edition of One Chord To Another is currently available via the Sloan Store.

Playlist For Show 644 (Originally aired on December 17th, 2016):

1. The Black Angels - Watch Out Boy
2. Pink Floyd - Flaming (BBC Session 1967)
3. South River Slim - Dirty Pool
4. Lost Patrol - So Strange (The 1991 Sessions)
5. Tea With Lincoln - Space Between The Defect
6. Pissed Jeans - Romanticize Me
7. Hot Snakes - Audit In Progress
8. The Ripps - Loco
9. Propagandhi - This Is Your Life
10. Mystics - Can't Be Happy
11. The Rationals - Feelin' Lost
12. Pet Sun - Web Of Man
13. Paul Jacobs - Born In A Zoo
14. Tea Leaves - I Want To Live In The Dirt
15. Merle Haggard - California Blues
16. Neil Young - Can't Stop Workin'
17. Cass Mccombs - Cry
18. Headache24 - Big Star
19. The Feelies - The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness
20. The Gories - Queenie (LIVE At CJAM 1989)
21. The Gories - Hidden Charms (LIVE At CJAM 1989)
22. The Dirtbombs - Chains Of Love
23. Danny & The Darleans - Soul On Ice
24. Danny Kroha - Cannonball Blues (CJAM Session 2016)
25. Jeff Rosenstock - To Be A Ghost…
26. Oromocto Diamond - Gold
27. The Nature Boys - Can't Think
28. Tim Presley - Underwater Rain
29. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 17.

Playlist For Show 643 (Originally aired on December 10th, 2016):

1. Tuns - Mixed Messages
2. Sloan - Nothing Left To Make Me Want To Stay
3. Sloan - 400 Metres
4. Gloria - Shelter
5. Permanent Mistake - Device
6. Holy Void - Climb
7. James O-L - The Pollution Is Killing Me
8. Colleen Brown - Try It Again
9. Toy - Another Dimension
10. Wolves From Dogs - Disappear Completely
11. Kestrels - Suspect
12. Thee Rum Coves - Over And Over
13. Wreckless Eric - Grown Ups
14. The Pandoras - It’s About Time
15. Cheetahs - Dynamite
16. The Future Primitives - Have You Been To Mars (Bo-Weevles Cover)
17. The King Khan & BBQ Show - What’s For Dinner?
18. The Iguanas - Walk Don’t Run
19. The Black Lips - Cruising
20. The Cramps - Can't Find My Mind
21. The Evaporators - I Can’t Be Shaved
22. Public Image Limited - Fodderstompf
23. Mission Of Burma - Fame And Fortune
24. Fugazi - Target
25. The Black Angels - Bad Vibrations
26. Knots - Rhythm and Motion
27. King Khan - Strange Ways
28. Danny & The Darleans - Bug Out Bag
29. Danny & The Darleans - Let’s Stomp

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 10.

Playlist For Show 642 (Originally aired on December 3rd, 2016):

1. Lost Patrol - Mister, You're A Better Man Than I
2. The Only Ones - Lovers Of Today
3. Fire Engines - Plastic Gift
4. The Haig Trading - In My Dynamite
5. Lesbo Vrouven - LL
6. The Pixies - Plaster Of Paris
7. The Seams - Hung Up
8. Sloan - Imagine All The Songs
9. Sloan - Flexible Flyer
10. Howlin' Wolf - Just Like I Treat You
11. The Rolling Stones - Hate To See You Go
12. The Rolling Stones - I Gotta Go
13. The Rolling Stones - The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man
14. Chuck Berry - Louis To Frisco
15. The Gories - Give Me Some Money
16. The Monkeywrench - Bottle Up & Go
17. Bralizian Money - In The Real Worldl
18. Foxhart Fishman - Hwy 26
19. Women - Shaking Hand
20. Tim Presley - Solitude Cola
21. Thee Oh Sees - Gelatinous Cube
22. Thee Oh Sees - You Will Find It Here
23. Pistol Rays - Enforcer
24. Nevegans - Downey Surf
25. Jimmy Reed - Little Rain
26. Magic Sam - All Your Love
27. The Rolling Stones - Dandelion
28. Mark Sultan - If I Had A Polaroid
29. Mark Sultan - Blodd On Your Hands

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 3.

The Scientists & Shows # 640 & 641

The Scientists are a band from Perth, Australia that not only formed from early incarnations of other bands, but also that had quite a few line-up changes throughout their history. The Scientists formed in 1978, but initially Kim Salmon guitarist/vocalist and main songwriter in the group, formed a proto-punk band called The Cheap Nasties in 1976. Following some line-up changes the band went by the name The Exterminators and The Invaders, before changing their name to The Scientists. The Scientists recorded their first single Frantic Romantic/Shake (Together Tonight) in 1979. The line-up for this single included Salmon on guitar/vocals, Rodd Radalj (guitar), Dennis Byrne (bass), and James Baker from The Victims on drums. “Frantic Romantic” is a power pop-infused track drawing influences from Big Star and guitar sounding like a cross of The Troggs and Johnny Thunders. An EP followed in 1979, with yet another line-up change. It was amended with Ben Juniper on guitar and Ian Sharples on bass, replacing Radalj and Byrne respectively. In February/March of 1980 the band appeared on the Melbourne, Australia based TV show Countdown. It was an equivalent to the British television show Top of The Pops, which primarily featured lip-synced performances to charting singles. The Scientists performed the song “Last Night” on this program.

In May of 1980, The Scientists became a three-piece band when guitarist Ben Juniper left the group. They recorded a full-length album that is commonly referred to as The Pink Album. The album mixed themes of teenage romance, alienation, girls and sounded pretty different from the other music in Perth, Australia at the time. It was shortly after the release of this album that The Scientists broke up in 1981. This would be the end of the early incarnation of the group. Their sound and vision would be much different than the version of the Scientists that would follow. This early version of the band would reflect simpler lyrical themes such as young love, and reflect the musical influences of early 70s punk and power pop that would come off in a sound that resembles The Undertones meets the Buzzcocks.

In September of 1981, Salmon and bassist Boris Sujdovic relocated to Sydney, Australia and reformed The Scientists. Along with drummer Brett Rixon and guitarist Tony Thewlis, the band also took on a new musical direction and sound. The band pulled influences from bands such as The Cramps, The Stooges, Suicide and Captain Beefheart for a sound that has been described as swampy psychedelic rock and roll. Like when they started in 1978, the band released a single, which was then followed by an album. This Is My Happy Hours/Swampland was the first single released as this incarnation of The Scientists in December of 1982. The band’s grittier sound would become more apparent on Blood Red River, which was released in 1983. The Scientists became a very popular indie band in the Australian underground music scene. In 1984, they supported The Gun Club on their European tour. The band would continue making music, releasing five more albums (This Heart Doesn’t Run On Blood, This Heart Doesn’t Run On Love (1984), Atom Bomb Baby (1985), You Get What You Deserve (1985), Weird Love (1986) and Human Jukebox (1987)) before splitting up after a show in November of 1987.

While both incarnations of The Scientists are good in their own ways, it was the second reformed incarnation of the band that would be more influential. The band’s distorted sound that flirted with swampy rock and roll and psychedelia has been called a precursor to the “Seattle Sound” that would eventually be referred to as grunge in the 90s. Lyrically, some of the themes that The Scientists sang of were things such as getting drunk, driving around in suped up cars, working crappy jobs and paranoia. Along with their earlier teenage romance and alienation themed lyrics and power pop/punk sound, The Scientists covered a large scope, which has proved to be vastly influential on music that was alternative to the mainstream.

In 2016, the Numero Group released a box set of all of the band’s recorded output. It is entitled, A Place Called Bad.






Show 640 Playlist:

1. Blue Rodeo - Dust To Gold
2. Gord Downie - Swing Set
3. Drive By Truckers - Filthy And Fried
4. Frankie & Jimmy - Got My Mojo Workin'
5. Nice Motor - Duck And Cover
6. Gramps The Vamp - The Cave Of 1000 Eyes
7. Whitney - Red Moon
8. King Khan & The Shrines - Lucky Man
9. Lesbo Vrouven - New Sealand
10. Jeff Rosenstock - I Did Something Weird Last Night
11. No Museums - No Reason To Send Letters
12. Paul Jacobs - Vincent (Don McClean Cover)
13. Paul Jacobs - Words Of Wisdom
14. Kevin Morby - Dorothy
15. Crocodiles - I'm Sick
16. Ritual Howls - Nervous Hands
17. Derm Kean & An Incredible Woman - Better Things
18. We Are Wolves - Wrong Wrong
19. Iggy Pop - I Dig Your Mind
20. New York - Dolls Bad Detective
21. Ty Segall - Orange Color Queen
22. Tad - 3-D Witch Hunt (Demo)
23. Thee Oh Sees - Unwrap The Fiend Pt.1
24. The Dickies - You Drive Me Ape
25. The Scientists - Frantic Romantic
26. The Scientists - Shake

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 26.

Show 640 Playlist:

1. The Replacements - Election Day
2. The Damned - Politics
3. Radiohead - Scatterbrain
4. Preoccupations - Monotony
5. Monomyth - Puppet Creek
6. Duotang - Nostalgia’s A Vice
7. Foxhart Fishman - Home
8. Brazilian Money - The Hammer
9. Tommorow’s Tulips - Optimistic Vibes
10. Sprinters - Last Song
11. The Seams - Seeds
12. The Zantees - Rockin’ In The House
13. The A-Bones - Sham Rock
14. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
15. The Clash - Stop The World
16. Jakob Dylan - Evil Is Alive And Well
17. Pop Group - Words Disobey Me
18. OFF! - Legion of Evil
19. Extroverts - TV Baby
20. The O-L West - Trespassing
21. The O-L West - West Coast Blues
22. Port Juvee - Double Vision
23. The Evaporators - Ogopogo Punk
24. The Fallouts - No Ambition
25. The In Crowd - Stop! Wait A Minute
26. Pretty Things - Don't Bring Me Down
27. The Diodes - Behind Those Eyes

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 19.

Duotang, Leonard Cohen & Shows # 638 & 639

Duotang's New Occupation

Forming in the summer of 1995, Duotang are a two-piece band out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The band’s sound has been called pop power and mod rock, it blends those genres with a touch of garage influences for good measure. Following a live show with The Smugglers, the band was signed to Mint Records in 1996. The two band members Rod Slaughter and Sean Allum released three full-length albums as Duotang on Vancouver based label Mint Records. Shortly after the release of 2001’s The Bright Side, Duotang went on hiatus. In 2014, the band began performing live shows sporadically and in 2016 they released their fourth album. New Occupation is the band’s first new album in fifteen years. It was released via Stomp Records. Two videos have been released for this album. A video was made for the album track “Karma Needs To Come Around”, a bass and drum heavy track with splashes of synthesizer and subtle maracas. The second video is for “Nostalgia’s A Vice”.



Leonard Cohen

On Thursday November 10th, it was announced that Canadian musician and poet Leonard Cohen passed away. This came as a shock to many as he had just released a new full-length album, You Want It Darker at the end of October. Just a few weeks ago, Revolution Rock celebrated the music of Leonard Cohen. The show featured a song from each of his albums and several from his now last full-length album You Want It Darker. This episode aired as a repeat on November 12th, 2016 in tribute to Leonard Cohen. If you would like to read the post that I made about Leonard Cohen for that episode you can view that here.

Show 638 Playlist: New Occupations

1. The Wytches - C-Side
2. Ex-Cult - Attention Ritual
3. The Birthday Party - King Ink
4. Slint - Nosferatu Man
5. Sonic Avenues - Future
6. Duotang - Karma Needs To Come Around
7. Duotang - (Can't Help Having My) Reservations
8. Parkay Quarts - These Boots Were Made For Walkin'
9. Blonde Redhead - Astro Boy
10. Deerhunter - Slow Swords
11. Suuns - Infinity
12. The Stooges - Down On The Street (Take 8)
13. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (Live)
14. Girl Trouble - Gonna Find A Cave
15. The Night And Days - Lookin'
16. The King Khan & BBQ Show - Get Down
17. The King Khan & BBQ Show - Hold Me Tight
18. Archaics - No In, No Out
19. No Aloha - Role Reversal
20. Secret Satanists - Youth Eats You
21. Bears - Decisions
22. Protex - Don't Ring Me Up
23. The Scientists - It'll Never Happen
24. Ten Commandments - Feel It

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 5.

Show 639 Playlist: Leonard Cohen Radio Special (Repeat of Episode 626):

1. Leonard Cohen - Thousands (Book Of Longing - 2006)
2. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker (You Want It Darker - 2016)
3. Leonard Cohen - Story Of Isaac (Songs From A Room - 1969)
4. Leonard Cohen - There Is A War (New Skin For The Old Ceremony - 1974)
5. Leonard Cohen - Blessed Is The Memory (Songs Of Leonard Cohen Outtake - 1967/2007)
6. Leonard Cohen - Memories (Death Of A Ladies Man - 1977)
7. Leonard Cohen - Diamonds In The Mine (Songs Of Love & Hate - 1971)
8. Leonard Cohen - Dance Me To The End Of Love (Various Positions - 1984)
9. Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (I'm Your Man - 1988)
10. Leonard Cohen - There For You (Dear Heather - 2004)
11. Leonard Cohen - Slow (Popular Problems - 2014)
12. Leonard Cohen - Different Sides (Old Ideas - 2012)
13. Leonard Cohen - The Future (The Future - 1992)
14. Leonard Cohen - That Don't Make It Junk (Ten New Songs - 2001)
15. Leonard Cohen - The Guests (Recent Songs - 1979)
16. Leonard Cohen - Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye (Songs Of Leonard Cohen - 1967)
17. Leonard Cohen - Bird On A Wire (Live 1968) (Live At The BBC 1968)
18. Leonard Cohen - Red River Valley (Live 1979) (The Other Leonard Cohen Album - 2010)
19. Leonard Cohen - Fingerprints (Death Of A Ladies Man - 1977)
20. Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire (New Skin For The Old Ceremony - 1974)
21. Leonard Cohen - Travelling Light (You Want It Darker - 2016)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 12.

CJAM FM Pledge Drive 2016 & Show # 637

Every year CJAM FM holds an annual pledge drive. The reason for this is CJAM (like other campus/community based radio stations in Canada) is a non-profit organization. All of the money raised during the week of pledge drive (which occurs for one week, once a year) goes towards the station, which is built on volunteers and programming made for the Windsor/Detroit communities. This year CJAM FM has a goal of raising $40, 000 dollars for their pledge drive campaign. You can show your support by donating in a variety of ways. Incentives are offered as a thank you for your support. Here are some reasons why a station like CJAM FM is still important and relevant in our modern digital age.

1. Programming is alternative to the mainstream. All of the programming on CJAM FM is created by volunteer programmers who put in their own time to make unique programs. Many independent bands from Windsor and Detroit are featured on our programs. If it were not for a place like CJAM, many bands would not have their voices heard in a larger context. The same goes for spoken word content featured on the station. CJAM broadcasts in over eight different languages. CJAM does things differently for the community and is created by students and programmers from our communities.

2. CJAM day by day. As mentioned during last year’s pledge drive, CJAM FM was the second campus radio station in Canada to have live streaming content. They first began doing so in 1996. This was done so because of supporters of the station. Funds raised during pledge drive also go to assist in the day-to-day operations at the station. They go towards radio broadcasting equipment, microphones, CD players, computers, their website and the general upkeep of the station.

3. Campus/community radio is still relevant. Despite the plethora of music, podcasts and internet based content, CJAM FM provides a multiple, more focused viewpoint on a variety of musical genres and spoken word/political content that is often ignored by mainstream media. In many cases, DJs provide unique programming that you won’t find anywhere else. By listening to CJAM FM, you won’t get lost in the digital world of the Internet. You can find interesting content simply by tuning in on 99.1 FM in Windsor/Detroit or by streaming/downloading programs off CJAM’s website.

If you have ever listened to the station online or on the FM dial, you can show your support for the station by calling 519-971-3630 (in Windsor) or 1-855-344-2526 (in Detroit/out of town) or by donating securely online at www.cjam.ca or at https://grouprev.com/cjamfm

You can download/listen to the 2016 pledge drive edition Revolution Rock below the playlist.

The Playlist:

1. Devo - Let's Talk
2. 9th Wave - Zombies Attack!
3. The Pharaohs - The Green Werewolf
4. Glenn Branca - Structure
5. Lydia Lunch - Red Alert
6. Mars - Helen Fordsdale
7. Sonic Youth - Freezer Burn/I Wanna Be Your Dog
8. Preoccupations - Zodiac
10. Angel Olsen - Never Be Mine
11. Shotgun Jimmie with Jose Contreras - Field Of Trampolines (CJAM Session)
12. Danny Kroha - Come Out The Wilderness (CJAM Session)
13. Chris Crossroads - 20 Eyes (CJAM Session)
14. The Growlers - City Club
15. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Anthrocene
16. Bon Iver - 666 I
17. Iggy Pop - Nightclubbing
18. Tim Presley - The Wink
19. Tuns - Look Who's Back In Town Again
20. Paul Jacobs - I'm Into What You're Into
21. Ramones - Planet Earth 1988

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 29.

Leonard Cohen Radio Special & Show # 636

Montreal singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen initially started out his career as a poet and novelist. He released several books of poetry and novels, his first being Let Us Compare Mythologies in 1956 prior to being known as a musician. Although he had always loved and became involved in poetry, Cohen played guitar and was even in a country and western band called the Buckskin Boys in his youth. In 1967, Cohen moved to the US in order to pursue a career as a folk singer due to his lack of financial success as a writer. He became involved with the Andy Warhol factory crowd. His song “Suzanne” was the song that started him on the course to be a musical artist in a more serious capacity. Judy Collins covered this song and it became a hit for her. This brought Cohen to the attention of John Hammond, who initially was going to produce Cohen’s first album for Columbia Records, but when he got sick during the recording sessions, Hammond was replaced by John Simon to produce the record. Songs Of Leonard Cohen was released in December of 1967.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen contained songs such as “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”, “Master Song”, “Sisters Of Mercy” and “So Long, Marianne”, Cohen’s next album Songs From A Room featured a slightly different approach. Released in 1969, this album would feature one of his best-known songs “Bird On A Wire”. The song was inspired by his time living in Hydra, in Greece. At the time he was living there, telephone poles were being installed for the first time there and birds would sit on the lines. This is part of what inspired the music to this song. It was also inspired, along with a few other songs such as “So Long, Marianne”, by his Marianne Ihlen, Cohen’s girlfriend while living in Greece and his muse. The version of this song that appears on 1969’s Songs From A Room features a simple production style and does not feature drums. The songs on this album are notable for their simple production style, which differed from the recordings of Bob Dylan, who had also been produced by Bob Johnston. In 1971, Johnston once again produced Cohen for his album, Songs Of Love & Hate. This album was grittier, lyrically and musically and featured compositions such as “Avalanche”, “Joan Of Arc”, “Famous Blue Raincoat” and the dirty rock oriented track “Diamonds In The Mine”.

Leonard Cohen continued to record albums and even write poetry. In 1984 he released Various Positions. Initially declared as not good enough by his record company, Various Positions would contain not only one of Cohen’s most famous compositions, but a song that has been covered by too many artists to name. That song was “Hallelujah”. He worked with Phil Spector on 1977’s Death Of A Ladies Man and in 1988, he released the synth rock oriented album I’m Your Man. Leonard Cohen returned to the live stage after not performing for many years in 2010. Live and studio albums followed. In October of 2016, at the age of 82 Leonard Cohen released You Want It Darker. An album produced with his son Adam Cohen.

Cohen’s songs resonate with people on a different level in a similar way that the music and lyrics of Bob Dylan do. The comparisons between Cohen is something that does come up often, but their music stands on their own as both separate and unique in their own ways. Leonard Cohen’s songs have been said to focus on themes of sadness. Dylan himself in a recent New Yorker article said that he sees “No disenchantment in his songs” and while there are definitely elements of the macabre found in Cohen’s lyrics that is not all that is there in the music. There is much more than that. Like a story that can be re-read and new details found, Cohen’s music is much more than music that focuses on sadness. Other subjects that often pop up in Cohen’s lyrics are religion, sexuality, isolation and politics among other things. The lyrics feature layers that demand repeat listens, and this is something that has stayed constant in all of Cohen’s albums, regardless of when they were released.

For this episode of Revolution Rock, along with my co-host Adam, we did a program that featured the music of Leonard Cohen. One song is played from each of his studio albums, some live recordings and other nuggets. We also expand on many of the themes in the above article and elaborate more on certain elements of Leonard Cohen’s music. You can download/listen to this episode in the link below the playlist.

Leonard Cohen Playlist:

1. Leonard Cohen - Thousands (Book Of Longing - 2006)
2. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker (You Want It Darker - 2016)
3. Leonard Cohen - Story Of Isaac (Songs From A Room - 1969)
4. Leonard Cohen - There Is A War (New Skin For The Old Ceremony - 1974)
5. Leonard Cohen - Blessed Is The Memory (Songs Of Leonard Cohen Outtake - 1967/2007)
6. Leonard Cohen - Memories (Death Of A Ladies Man - 1977)
7. Leonard Cohen - Diamonds In The Mine (Songs Of Love & Hate - 1971)
8. Leonard Cohen - Dance Me To The End Of Love (Various Positions - 1984)
9. Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (I'm Your Man - 1988)
10. Leonard Cohen - There For You (Dear Heather - 2004)
11. Leonard Cohen - Slow (Popular Problems - 2014)
12. Leonard Cohen - Different Sides (Old Ideas - 2012)
13. Leonard Cohen - The Future (The Future - 1992)
14. Leonard Cohen - That Don't Make It Junk (Ten New Songs - 2001)
15. Leonard Cohen - The Guests (Recent Songs - 1979)
16. Leonard Cohen - Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye (Songs Of Leonard Cohen - 1967)
17. Leonard Cohen - Bird On A Wire (Live 1968) (Live At The BBC 1968)
18. Leonard Cohen - Red River Valley (Live 1979) (The Other Leonard Cohen Album - 2010)
19. Leonard Cohen - Fingerprints (Death Of A Ladies Man - 1977)
20. Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire (New Skin For The Old Ceremony - 1974)
21. Leonard Cohen - Travelling Light (You Want It Darker - 2016)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 22.

All Vinyl Episode, Danny Kroha & Show # 635

On this week’s episode of Revolution Rock we played music from vinyl records only. The show got off to a rocky start, but it featured a selection of current, obscure music and some of our favourite records. The playlist was selected spontaneously and on the fly. You can view the playlist and download the episode in the link below the playlist in this post.

Additionally, we featured a selection from Danny Kroha’s 2015 release Angels Watching Over Me. Released on Third Man Records, this album is Kroha’s take on the traditional folk, blues and gospel genres. Danny Kroha is a founding member of the Detroit garage trio The Gories and has played in numerous garage oriented rock bands such as The Demolition Doll Rods, The Readies and others. He also currently plays in a garage band called Danny & The Darleans. Danny stopped by CJAM FM’s studios at the end of August and performed three songs for a new video/audio series that I have started that we’re calling CJAM Sessions. You can view his performance in this video below.



Saturday Night Playlist:

1. Marvin Gaye - Ain't That Peculiar
2. Mark Sultan - Pounding
3. Tim Buckley - Move With Me
4. The Beach Boys - Heroes & Villains
5. Young Rival - Workin'
6. R.E.M. - Fall On Me
7. The Smiths - Hand In Glove
8. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Season Of The Witch
9. Shotgun Jimmie - Solar Array
10. Gang Of Four - To Hell With Poverty
11. Ritual Howls - A Thoughtful Beast
12. Joy Division - Exercise One
13. Cellos - Stowaway
14. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - From Her To Eternity
15. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
16. Danny Kroha - Cannonball Blues
17. Hank Williams - Bachelor Till I Die
18. Ray Condo & The Hardrock Goners - Willing And Ready
19. Luxury Christ - Black Book
20. Dion Lunadon - Com/Broke
21. Dinosaur Jr. - Fury Little Things
22. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin - I Wear Black
23. The Diodes - Burn Down Your Daddy's House
24. Patti Smith - Free Money
25. Iggy & The Stooges - Search & Destroy

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 15.

Bell Peppers, Nirvana & Shows # 633 & 634

The Bell Peppers - Born To Love

The Bell Peppers are a rock n’ roll combo out of Manchester, UK. They play a mix of surf, R&B and beat music. This track “Born To Love” is part Bo Diddley, part surf, Part garage, and a lot of shaking rock n’ roll grooves. It is from a forthcoming EP to be released by the band. Their last release, Sizzling Hot Bell Peppers was released in 2013. All of their music is currently free to download via their bandcamp page.



Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Top Of The Pops 1991)

In September, Nirvana celebrated the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough album Nevermind. In November of 1991, Nirvana was asked to perform their hit single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the Top Of The Pops TV show in Britain. For this program musicians usually mimed along with an instrumental backing track version of the song. When Nirvana asked to perform the song live, they were denied. The vocals, however, were live. As a result, Nirvana mimed along to the instrumental backing track out of time and Kurt Cobain sang the song in a deep, low voice. It was later revealed that he was doing his best Morrissey impression, but this version of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” goes down as one of the memorable, rebellious performances of the Top Of The Pops TV show. It was cut short midway through the song when the audience rushed the stage.



Playlist for Show # 634:

1. Carl Perkins - Matchbox
2. Patsy Cline - I Got A Lot Of Rhythm In My Soul
3. Wes Dakus & The Rebels - Seesaw
4. The Chantays - Monsoon
5. La Luz - Don’t Wanna Be Anywhere
6. Kim Gray - Little Saigon
7. Kate Fagan - Master Of Passion
8. Twist - Can’t Wait
9. Preoccupations - Stimulation
10. The Wicked Awesomes - Somewhere In Nowheresville
11. Zoom - Subway Surfin’
12. The Damned - See Her Tonight
13. Rudi - Big Time
14. X Dreamysts - Dance Away Lover
15. Bell Peppers - Born To Love
16. Lightbulb Alley - Pepper Spray
17. Ricked Wicky - The Important Girl
18. Guided By Voices - My Zodiac Companion
19. Guided By Voices - I Certainly Hope Not
20. Guided By Voices - Long Distance Man
21. Run Coyote - Troubles
22. Radiohead - The Numbers
23. Ohtis - Pervert Blood
24. The Brandy Alexanders - Hey, Why'd You Do It?
25. The Nots - Cosmetic
26. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (TOTP 1991)
27. Pavement - Perfume-V
28. Teenage Fanclub - I'm In Love
29. By Divine Right - Complicated
30. By Divine Right - Uncontaminable

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 8.

Episode # 633 was a repeat of a previous episode that originally aired in January 2015. You download that episode here and view the playlist here.

Gruesomania & Shows # 631 & 632

It’s 2016, I’m standing in a local record store and looking through the used bins and CD sections to see if maybe there are any Gruesomes releases. Their music is scarce in record stores these days, but you never know. On the vinyl side of things, there are Gruesomes records missing from my collection. I recall reading that Gruesomania was reissued on vinyl recently. I quickly place an order. Emerging from Montreal and rising to popularity in parts of Europe and the North American underground music scenes, Gruesomania followed 1986’s Tyrants of Teen Trash. Originally released in 1987 on OG Music and recorded in Montreal, Gruesomania is often seen as one of the band’s best efforts released during their initial run as a band from 1985-1990.

The Gruesomes took influence from obscure garage compilations, 60’s garage and R&B acts and merged it with the visceral energy and attitude of 70s punk rock. Placing the record onto my record player, as the record catches “Way Down Below” opens Gruesomania with its spooky, fuzzy garage riff. This song draws on images of a bad relationship, hell and the band's horror/b-movie styled humour. A performance based music video for this song received high rotation on Much Music in Canada in the mid-80s. Gruesomania is filled with the same snotty energy as Tyrants Of Teen Trash, but also adds more of a soulful/R&B rhythm to their sound. This was in part due to John Knoll joining as the band’s drummer, replacing original Gruesome member Eric Davis. The album combines raved up Gruesome originals and several R&B/garage covers. The third track “Leave My Kitten Alone” is sung by guitarist Gerry Alvarez and complete with raunchy, twangy guitars and catchy vocal harmonies. This song was covered by The Beatles, but was originally released in 1959 by Little Wille John.

The rough and raunchy, “Ain’t Got Nothin’” about a snooty rich girl comes in as track four with stop and start guitar stabs and a sleazy R&B groove before the album’s first instrumental track “Whirlpool”. This short surf instrumental track is a smooth interlude awash in drums that are heavy on the ride cymbal, guitar solos, bouncy basslines and reverb soaked guitar sounds. On the back of the Gruesomania record, there is a short description of the record by Fuad Ramses and then a brief description of each song on the album, ala old blues and garage records. “I Can Tell” is a song originally by the band’s “Spiritual mentor and close friend: Mr. Bo Diddley” as it is stated on the back of the record. “Buzz Off” ends side one of Gruesomania with heavy bass, snarling vocals by Bobby Beaton and harmonica, a song that is described as a “pretty hot classic” on the back of the record.

If side one of Gruesomania started with the horror stylings of “Way Down Below” and songs that seem to question relationships that could be going wrong, side two starts off with “Je Cherche”, a song that starts off with an explosion, literally. Originally by Les Lutins in 1967, the song's title roughly translates into “I’m Searching” in English. This song starts off with lyrical subject matter that seems to question several of the topics brought up on the first side of this LP. “Why Me?” is a song about boredom, TV dinners, lack of cash and loneliness, “Time’s Gonna Come” shows The Gruesomes getting thrashier, fuelled on adrenaline, along with the instrumental “Jacknife”. “Outta My Mind” is a raved up garage song complete with harmonica, thick R&B influenced bass grooves from John Davis and intense vocals sung by guitarist Gerry Alvarez. Described as a song about “A tale of mistaken identity”, this song as do many on the second side of this LP, picks up on the band’s undeniable energy and chemistry. “You Said Yeah” is a fuzzy heavy guitar driven song that comes in as track thirteen before the album’s last track. “Heart Full Of Pain” is a slower song, complete with tremolo guitar and a paced soulful executed groove.

As Gruesomania ends, there is a short, hidden track, which features members of the band messing around on a piano and with each other. This, along with their sense of humour in their songs and in the actual liner notes, showcases The Gruesomes ethos and aesthetic. As the album ends, the record crackles and hisses as the record needle rises, I recall a review of this album from 2009, which describes the album’s production levels as “below that of farting into a ghetto blaster's built-in microphone”. This humorous comparison while partially joking brings forth the fact that The Gruesomes were all about their chemistry. The album does lend itself to the lo-fi realm of recording, despite not being recorded on 8 track. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with the sound of this album. It was never going to have over the top 80s over production techniques of the day. That isn’t the point and never was.

Rising from basements in a variety of reissues in different forms intermittently since 1987, Gruesomania was released on CD via Ricochet Sound in 2008 with bonus tracks and released on vinyl via Artofact records in 2015. Raised on bad TV shows, obscure garage nuggets, boredom and snotty, adrenalized enthusiasm, Gruesomania is infectious in its execution. Catch Gruesomania. It’s just as contagious today as it was in 1987.

Playlist for Show # 631:

1. The Barracudas - Summer Fun
2. The Submissives - Do You Really Love Me?
3. The Beatles - Cry For A Shadow
4. Wilco - I'm A Wheel
5. Tom Waits - I Don't Wanna Grow Up
6. The Good Family Album - Taller Than The Pines
7. Danny Kroha - The Road is Rough And Rocky
8. The Pogues - Bottle Of Smoke
9. Uncle Tupelo - Screen Door
10. The Gories - On The Run
11. The Pack AD - Is It So
12. Mexican Knives - Nightmare
13. Cellos - Standard And Poor
14. By Divine Right - Stretch Parachute
15. The Pixies - Holiday (live In Detroit 11.22.04)
16. Ty Segall Band - The Tongue
17. Sonic Youth - Tom Violence
18. PJ Harvey - Stella
19. Protomartyr - What The Wall Said
20. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Down At The Rock n' Roll Club (Alternate Version)
21. Blondie - Eat To The Beat
22. Weird Lines - There Are Never Too Many Matches
23. Archaics - No In No Out
24. Square Waves - All That's Left
25. The Famines - Got Lies If You Want Them
26. Dion Lunadon - 1976
27. The Gruesomes - Jacknife
28. The Gruesomes - Outta My Mind

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 17.

Episode # 632 was a repeat of a previous episode that originally aired in September 2015. You download that episode here and view the playlist here.

Thee Oh Sees A Weird Exits & Shows # 628, 629, 630

Thee Oh Sees latest effort, A Weird Exits arrives as a double LP with longer songs that showcase a new range in dynamics for the band. Being the first album to capture Thee Oh Sees new line-up which features two drummers, Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon, along with bassist Tim Hellman, who joined Thee Oh Sees in 2014, A Weird Exits produces a new type of groove. Still led by the ever prolific and frontman John Dwyer, Thee Oh Sees vicious and manic live sound is captured here in top form. If 2015’s Mutilator Defeated At Last explored more medieval and folk-like imagery in the songs, A Weird Exits blasts off into outer space, lyrically and musically taking on a cosmic context.

“Dead Man’s Gun” starts off the album in a jittery tempo that sounds as if it was plucked right out a recording from the band’s live set. The double drum rhythm section weaves in-between Hellman’s bass groove and Dwyer’s growling guitar sounds. The lyrics are sung by Dwyer in his traditional vocal style, drenched in reverb and floating above the instrumentation. “Ticklish Warrior” is a heavier track in the style of “Withered Hand” from 2015’s Mutilator Defeated At Last, “Jammed Entrance”, is where the album switches up the pace and ventures into a different direction. If the first two tracks emphasized the band’s live components, “Jammed Entrance” travels into new territory, a five minute instrumental track complete with razor sharp psychedelic guitar leads and synthesizers sounding as if they are communicating some sort of Morse code message into outer space. “Plastic Plant” showcases the band’s heavier and mid-tempo grooves, building on the sounds from “Jammed Entrance” as lyrically with words such as “Face aghast in electric glow”, “Lifeless eyes locked in a spell” and “You’re Half gone/You Can’t Deny It/But I think that you don’t know”, the song brings up emotions of feeling lost in a void, but also sound as if they could be describing a character from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

“Gelatinous Cube” picks up the pace with frantic, cleaner sounding guitars and snarling vocals from John Dwyer. The band is vicious here and rapid as the lyrics portray a hungry space-like creature on the hunt. “Unwrap The Fiend Pt.2” is another long instrumental track that explores different sounds, but one that sounds as if it could be background music in a science fiction film, perhaps Blade Runner at certain moments. “Crawl Out From The Fall Out” is an atmospheric, slow building track, vocals come in at the halfway point from both John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson. Lyrically, it seems to question a world with nothing at all in it. “The Axis” ends A Weird Exits. Covered with organ and drawing comparisons to the 1967 single “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” by English rock band Procol Harum, “The Axis” tells the tale of a character that is appalled by the other and can’t wait for them to leave. The last lines of this song “And by the time you hear these words/Your wicked face will be gone from my mind” perfectly exemplify the sentiment displayed here. The lyrics contrast with the 60s influenced melodies and like many of the lyrics on the album, they can be looked at in more than one way. They could be referencing the space imagery and the tale that is woven throughout A Weird Exits musical fabric or it be about a soured relationship.

As A Weird Exits ends, the controlled chaos found within both disconnects itself from past Oh Sees glories and stays connected with a previous make up. While many may say that the sound hasn’t changed that much, Thee Oh Sees music is both undeniably Thee Oh Sees and fresh sounding. With A Weird Exits, Thee Oh Sees focus on a new entry and exit point musically in a way that only they can.

Show 630 (Originally Aired September 10th, 2016):

1. Jay Jays - I Keep Tryin'
2. Brazilian Money - Big Money
3. Wild Racoon - Oh Well, Okay
4. No Aloha - Role Reversal
5. Car Seat Headrest - 1937 State Park
6. Tuns - Mind Over Matter
7. Tuns - To your Satisfaction
8. Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me
9. Cass Mccombs - Bum, Bum, Bum
10. Wilco - Someone To Lose
11. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Rings Of Saturn
12. Adam Ant - Friend Or Foe
13. Snake River - Who'll Tell Our Story?
14. The Sonics - Psycho
15. Caps - Red Headed Flea
16. Junior Raymen - Rumble 66
17. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - They Don't Call Them Chihuahuas Anymore
18. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - (Relax) You Will Think You Are A Chicken
19. MC5 - Future/Now
20. Van Morrison - The Way Young Lovers Do
21. Kim Gray - Frank Sinatra
22. Kim Gray - Yesterday's Smoke
23. Beat Happening - Polly Pereguinn
24. Thee Oh Sees - Tunnel Time
25. Violent Femmes - Killing Time
26. Buzzcocks - Time’s Up

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 10.

Show 629 (Originally Aired September 3rd, 2016):

1. Thee Oh Sees - Deadman's Gun
2. Thee Oh Sees - Plastic Plant
3. Condition - Wet Shoes
4. Perky Pat - The Bells
5. Art Bergmann - My Empty House
6. Kate Fagan - I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool
7. Brain James - Where Did I Find A Girl Like You
8. Rock & Roll Monkey & The Robots - Liquefy
9. Gringo Star - Rotten
10. Jeremy & The Harlequins - Oh Yeah (I Did It Again)
11. Shotgun & Jaybird - Two And Two Is Four
12. Roy Culbertson III - Whole Eden
13. White Fence - Beat
14. The Zellots - Soldiers
15. Sheep Look Up - Civil Disobedience
16. Teenage Head - You’re Tearing Me Apart (Live 1978)
17. Neil Young - Albuquerque
18. Joe Strummer & The Latino Rockabilly War - Baby The Trans
19. X - The Once Over Twice
20. The Famines - Faux Famous (Live July 14, 2008)
21. Trout - This Mystic Decade
22. Ty Segall - People These Days
23. Red Hot Gospel - Reprise
24. Jay Arner - Crystal Ball
25. Them - I’m Gonna Dress In Black (Version 2)
26. The Scientists - Shake
27. The Scientists - Swampland

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 3.

Show 628 (Originally Aired August 27th, 2016):

1. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings -Tell Me
2. Barrett Strong - You Knows What To Do
3. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Do Ya Feel It Too?
4. Cold Warps - Take Your Time
5. Cool Ghouls - Never You Mind
6. Hot Panda - Golden Arch
7. Snake River - I Was Very Drunk Jeanie
8. The Pack AD - Yes, I Know
9. Courtney Barnett - Aqua Profundal
10. Ranch Ghost - Ragged Mile
11. The Good Family - Restless River
12. James O-L - Yellow Gold
13. Ohtis - Runnin’
14. Danny Kroha - Angels Watching Over Me
15. Elvis Costello - Waiting For The End Of The World
16. The Finks - Magic Eyes
17. Gentlemen Of Horror - Overhead Projector
18. Pow Wows - You Haven’t Got Me Yet
19. Light Bulb Alley - I Only Got Two Feet
20. Pretty Things - Come See Me
21. Skinny Kids - All Gold
21. Thee Rum Coves - GCSB
22. The Halo Benders - Lonesome Sundown
23. Mystery Lights - Flowers In My Hair Demons In My Head
24. Thee Oh Sees - I Come From The Mountain (Live In San Francisco)
25. Thee Oh Sees - Tidal Wave (Live In San Francisco)
26. Thee Oh Sees - Gelatinous Cube

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 27.

Interview with John Doe of X & Show # 627

This week’s episode of Revolution Rock featured an interview with John Doe of the band X. This Los Angeles band formed in 1977 and were part of the first wave of American punk. X released seven full-length albums in their initial run as a band from 1980 to 1993. X reunited in the 2000’s and tours intermittently with the original band line-up. The band is currently on a tour and stopped by Detroit’s El Club on August 20th and 21st to perform Los Angeles and Wild Gift in their entirety. John has also been involved in numerous films and is an author. He recently wrote a book about the Los Angeles punk scene with Tom DeSavia called Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History of LA Punk. In addition to other music related projects that he has been a part of, John released his latest solo album The Westerner in April 2016.

Check out my interview with John Doe below:



The Playlist:

1. Art Bergmann - Company Store
2. U.I.C. - 2 + 2 = ?
3. John Doe & The Sadies - Night Life
4. The Sadies - Cowhand
5. X - Los Angeles (Demo)
6. X - Johnny Hit and Run Pauline

John Doe Interview

7. X - I'm Coming Over (Demo)
8. X - Adult Books
9. John Doe - Get On Board
10. Japandroids - Sex & Dying in High Society
11. The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone
12. The Go Gos - Skidmarks On My Heart
13. Young Rival - Black Is Good
14. Joel Plaskett Emergency - Come On Teacher
15. PJ Harvey - Hitting the Ground
16. Gordon Gano - Make It Happen
17. Violent Femmes - Issues
18. Alan Vega - Kid Congo
19. Alan Vega - Goodbye Darling
20. Jerry Nolan - Take A Chance With Me
21. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Smitten (Demo)
22. X - Soul Kitchen
23. X - Beyond and Back

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 21.

Revolution Rock: Radio Brain Drain - Vancouver Special & Show # 626

To kick off CJAM FM’s Radio Brain Drain, a weeklong celebration of punk rock and all its forms, Revolution Rock hosted a special program. The show focused on the early Vancouver punk music scene along with new and old music from Vancouver that shares the spirit of the Ramones and punk rock. Also featured on the program was an interview that I did with Nick Jones of the now legendary punk/power pop band The Pointed Sticks in 2015.

You can listen to the interview here and download the radio program in a link below the playlist:



Radio Brain Drain 2016 Playlist:

1. DOA - Take A Chance (Something Better Change - 1980)
2. Active Dog - Rat Race (Rat Race/Good Filthy Fun - 1979)
3. Tim Ray - Dying In Brooklyn (Vancouver Complication - 1979)
4. Adrian Teacher & The Subs - Charmless Babes (Terminal City - 2016)
5. Thee Goblins - The Good Jacket Theme (The Good Jacket Presents ... Vancouver Special - 2000)
6. Riff Randells - Sombody's Mom (The Good Jacket Presents ... Vancouver Special - 2000)
7. The Secret V’s - Waiting For The Drugs To Take Hold (No Life Like It - 1980)
8. Tough Age - Snakes & Ladders (I Get The Feeling Central - 2015)
9. Energy Slime - Bustin’ Up (New Dimensional - 2014)
10. Nervous Talk - Nothing To Say (Nervous Talk - 2015)
11. Pointed Sticks - It’s O.K. (Waiting For The Real Thing - 2006)

Nick Jones Pointed Sticks Interview

12. Pointed Sticks - La La La (Pointed Sticks - 2015)
13. White Lung - Viva La Rat (It's The Evil - 2010)
14. Japandroids - Wet Hair (Post-Nothing - 2009)
15. Maow - Ms. Lefevre (The Unforgiving Sounds Of Maow - 1996)
16. Cub - Motel 6 (Betti-Cola - 1993)
17. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic (Mass Romantic - 2000)
18. The Evaporators - I Gotta Disease (I’m Addicted To Cheese)(Ripple Rock - 2004)
19. The Evaporators - Nard Nest (Ripple Rock - 2004)
20. Mystery Machine - Japanese Dads (Western Magnetics - 2012)
21. Buddy Selfish - It’s Only Make Believe (Bud Luxford Presents: On Sale Inside - 1981)
22. Indian Wars - Denny (Songs From The North - 2012)
23. Dead Ghosts - On Your Own (Can't Get No - 2013)
24. The Modernettes - Rebel Kind (View From The Bottom - 1982)
25. The Dishrags - Carry On (Love/Hate - 1997)
26. Antheads - Think Fast (Some Plastic Flowers & Fruit - 2010)
27. Young Canadians - I Hate Music (No Escape - 1995/Vancouver Complication - 1979)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 13.

The Frights Interview, Shotgun Jimmie & Show # 625

The Frights Interview

This week’s episode featured an interview with Mikey Carnevale the singer/guitarist in The Frights. With influences such as surf rock, punk and what the band calls dirty doo wop, The Frights formed in San Diego, California in 2012. They have just released their second full-length album You Are Going To Hate This. Produced by Fidlar’s Zac Carper, You Are Going To Hate This is a more focused effort than the band’s debut album, The Frights.

Check out the interview I did with Mikey:



Shotgun Jimmie CJAM Session

Additionally, at the end of May Shotgun Jimmie stopped by Phog Lounge with José Contreras (of By Divine Right). They stopped by CJAM FM’s studios to record the second CJAM Session (one of these songs was featured on this week’s episode of Revolution Rock). Shotgun Jimmie performed three songs acoustically with José, one of which was a new song entitled “I’m Already There, Sunshine” that is from a forthcoming album by The Heat Death. This is a new band/album featuring both Shotgun Jimmie and José Contreras.

Check out this CJAM Session:




Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The Mystery Lights - Follow Me Home
2. Chad Vangaalen - All Will Combine
3. Car Seat Headrest - Joe Gets Kicked Out of School For Using Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn't A Problem)
4. Transistors - On Cashel St.
5. Weird Lines - Twin Summers
6. Foxhart Fishman - The Deed
7. Flipper - Life Is Cheap
8. The Frights - Kids

Firghts Interview

9. The Frights - Afraid Of The Dark
10. Shotgun Jimmie - Join The Band (CJAM Session)
11. The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping
12. The Beatles - And Your Bird Can Sing (Take 1 - Outtake)
13. The Beatles - Paperback Writer (Takes 1 & 2)
14. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
15. The Brandy Alexanders - Conventional Lie
16. Dinosaur Jr. - Tiny
17. The Hot Nasties - Vlad The Poet
18. The Dream Dates - Search & Destroy
19. White Lung - Kiss Me When I Bleed
20. Blondie - (I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
21. The Rezillos - It Gets Me
22. Protomartyr - Ain't So Simple

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 6.