Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash & Shows # 919 & 918

The first Replacements album Sorry Man, Forgot To Take Out The Trash was first released in 1981 on the Twin/Tone label. Although associated with other bands in the Minneapolis scene, they were different. While their uninhibited snotty energy tapped into punk, Paul Westerberg’s songwriting even in this early stage, stood out from the other bands at the time. Featuring Paul Westerberg on guitar/vocals, Tommy Stinson on bass, Bob Stinson on lead guitar and Chris Mars on drums, The Replacements first album featured 18 tracks.

The songs delved into themes of boredom, angst, despair, relationships, booze and everything in between. Containing now classic tracks such as “Takin’ A Ride,” “Customer,” “I Hate Music,” “Johnny’s Gonna Die,” “Shiftless When Idle,” and “I’m In Trouble,” throughout the Sorry Ma album, the songs are also filled a unique sense of humour and also abandon. Recorded at Blackberry Way in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the album was produced by Steve Fjelstad, Paul Westerberg and Peter Jesperson. Although it has been stated many times before, Peter Jesperson was instrumental in getting The Replacements not only gigs at The Longhorn (a venue he was helping book shows at), but he also helped get them a record deal to make Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash. Also a taste maker in the music scene in the Twin Cities at the time, when he first heard The Replacements 4-track demo tape, he flipped out. He became an instant lifelong fan and supporter. He also helped to record early demos of the band in addition to helping produce this album.

In 2021, a deluxe edition of Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash was released on Rhino Records. This edition, like the previous deluxe editions of their other albums that have come before this, expands a certain time period in the band’s history. This set features the original Sorry Ma album remastered with the B-side country ballad “If Only You Were Lonely,” along with 67 unreleased tracks and an unreleased live show live at 7th St Entry in Minneapolis on January 23rd, 1981. Included in the set is the original 4-track demo that got them their record deal, the demo that proceeded it (when they weren’t even known as The Replacements yet), a plethora of other early demos and recordings, there are alternate takes and outtakes from the Sorry Ma sessions as well. The 4 CD set also comes with a vinyl edition of the album made up from the alternate takes and some demos from this time period giving Sorry Ma a different sonic outlook called Deliberate Noise -The Alternate Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash. There is also a book with previously unreleased photos, interviews with the band members and associates as well as writings from band biographer Bob Mehr. Peter Jesperson, Rhino’s Jason Jones and Bob Mehr produced this deluxe set. Whichever version you listen to Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash is where it all began for The Replacements. There is chaos, reckless abandon and depth in the songs. Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash captures The Replacements in their earliest and rawest form.

Show 919 Playlist (Originally Aired On January 29th, 2022)(Destroyer, Teenanger, Cellos, The Replacements):

1. Broken Social Scene - Curse Your Fail
2. Gray - Wig
3. Ada Lea - Oranges
4. Fiver - Paid in Pride
5. The Sadies - Message To Belial
6. Bill Fay - Backwoods Maze
7. Good2Go - Hold Me Close
8. The Detroit Cobras - Bad Girl
9. The Retail Simps - Love Without Friction
10. Thee Headcoatees - Don't Try and Tell Me
11. Neu! - Hallogallo
12. Destroyer - Tinoretto, It's For You
13. Teenanger - Good, You?
14. Aversions - Sharp Left Turns
15. Devo - Strange Pursuit (Demo)
16. Trampoline Delay - Don't Let Go
17. Cellos - Moustache Rock
18. Lucy Dacus - First Time
19. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Penelope Halfpenny
20. Basement Revolver - Tunnel Vision
21. Cat Power - Pa Pa Power
22. The Replacements - Lookin' For Ya (Demo)
23. The Replacements - Raised In The City (Demo)
24. The Replacements - Careless (Alternate Version)
25. The Replacements - I'm In Trouble (Alternate Version)
26. The Replacements - Don't Ask Why (Alternate Mix)

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

 Show 918 Playlist (Originally Aired On January 22nd, 2022)(Fontaines D.C., Outtacontroller, Ronnie Spector, Dave Whitehead, Crissy DeVerbert, Hilary Bockham/Ida Red and Rachel Nagy Tributes):

1. Fontaines D.C. - Jackie Down The Line
2. Lammping - Everylasting Moors
3. Trampoline Delay - Personal Space
4. Outtacontroller - Parts Unknown
5. Matt Ellis - Everything Sucks/I Hate It All
6. Print Head - Only Being
7. Print Head - Trouble Doubt Brewin'
8. Howlin' Wolf - Who's Been Talkin'
9. Roy Orbison - Lana
10. Paul Simon - Run That Body Down
11. Al Green - La-La For You
12. No Frills - I Don't Want To Be Your Dog Anymore
13. Scarlet Drops - It's Time To Do
14. Tunic - Ex-Epic
15. L00ping - Wasn't There
16. Diamondtown - Stride
17. Lost Patrol - I’m Not The One
18. Lost Patrol - Grow Up Hard
19. The Guitar Army Ft. Dave Whitehead - Pills (Live at The Vic 1998)
20. Zellots - On The Dole
21. Zellots - Soldier
22. The Delmonas - Comin' Home Baby
23. The Delmonas - Peter Gunn Locomotion
24. Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band feat. Ronnie Spector - Be My Baby
25. The Ronettes - What'd I Say
26. Ronnie Spector - You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory
27. The Ronettes - Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love
28. The Detroit Cobras - He Did It
29. The Detroit Cobras - Stay Down
30. The Detroit Cobras - Cha Cha Twist

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

Revolution Rock: The 2021 Interviews & Show # 917

This year on Revolution Rock, the program featured eleven different interviews. Eight were audio based interviews that aired on the show and three were done through email specifically for this website. On this episode we featured highlights (or clips) from each of the audio interviews and music from each of the artists that were interviewed, whether it was for the radio program or for this website. Below you will find some info about these interviews plus the playlist and download/streaming links to the episode.

An Interview with Richard Hell (February 2021): 

In February 2021, as part of Revolution Rock’s annual theme month programming we spoke with New York punk icon Richard Hell. Known as one of the originators and pioneers during the early days of New York punk, Hell quit the music world in 1984 to focus on writing, only reappearing a few times on some music projects. Having co-founded Television, being one of the original members of The Heartbreakers (featuring Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan of The New York Dolls), Hell formed Richard Hell & The Voidoids in 1976 and released their debut album, Blank Generation in 1977. Hell’s look and aesthetic would go on as a template for punk music that would influence others, most notably The Sex Pistols, who in turn would influence their own music scene. The Voidoids first album is seen as a classic, with its title track still sounding as vital and thought provoking today. In 1982, he released the often misunderstood Destiny Street. The album has a long history, which Richard goes into detail about in the interview. It was reissued in 2021 as Destiny Street Complete via Omnivore Recordings. The set contains four versions of the album, along with a few outtakes. The original 1982 version remastered, the 2009 Destiny Street Repaired version, a newly remixed version of Destiny Street and a collection of demos that show early and different versions of the songs that would make up this album. Destiny Street Complete re-establishes the great moments of Destiny Street for everyone to hear. Richard Hell is an author, poet, musician and actor. In this interview Richard Hell covers the time period making Destiny Street, parts of his writing career and influences, along with his songwriting process in the Voidoids and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Patrick Flegel (of Cindy Lee/Women) & Michael Wallace (of Preoccupations/Women) (February 2021):

As part of a special program focusing on the 10th anniversary of Calgary band Women’s second and final album Public Strain we spoke with vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Patrick Flegel and drummer Michael Wallace. Recorded in the span of ten months in the dead of winter in Calgary by Chad VanGaalen, Public Strain explored more post punk sounds, often darker and more jarring, but at the same time there is something strangely beautiful that permeates this record. The album received widespread critical acclaim, eventually being long listed on the nominees for the Polaris Prize in 2011. Women toured heavily from 2008-2009. They also toured in support of Public Strain, but that tour was cut short in October 2010. Following a show that occurred in October 2010 in Victoria BC, Women stopped playing as a band. The band members went their separate ways. Bassist Matthew Flegel and drummer Michael Wallace went on to form the band Viet Cong (before changing their name to Preoccupations), guitarist/vocalist Patrick Flegel would continue creating music eventually creating music as Cindy Lee and Christopher Reimer joined the band The Dodos as their touring guitarist while collaborating and creating music until he passed away in his sleep unexpectedly in 2012. In these exclusive interviews Patrick talks about creating the music with Women for Public Strain, his influences as well as recording and performing as Cindy Lee. Michael Wallace, gives his own account of the sessions, recording with Chad VanGaalen and the moments leading up to the album, joining the band Women, Preoccupatons beginnings as well as plans for their next album. 

Listen to the full interviews here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Chad VanGaalen (March 2021):

Chad VanGaalen released World’s Most Stressed Out Gardner in 2021 on Sub Pop and Flemish Eye Records. The music that he creates while it is sometimes folk, sometimes psychedelic, sometimes indie rock, sometimes strange, is really its own thing. The universe in which the songs of Chad VanGaalen belong is a strange, wonderful, kind of messed up, cosmic place at times. As we enter these worlds we find ourselves absorbed by the sounds and stories that he produces. World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener is eclectic and offers more variety musically than ever before on one of his albums, but still has the same feel of the best of Chad VanGaalen’s work. In the interview Chad discusses how the album was created and altered when he came up with the song “Samurai Sword” just before the album was set to be printed, working on songs and recording. He also discusses his time recording Women’s Public Strain and working with members of the band on their first two albums, buying stuff of Kijiji, gardening and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Chris Murdoch (April 2021):

Halifax musician, DJ and writer Chris Murdoch released the full-length debut album Collapse with his band Souvenir in April of 2021. This followed 2020, Beating into Dust EP. In 2020, we also spoke with Chris for this website through email to discuss his music history playing in bands and Black Dots: An Afropunk Primer. Black Dots is an eight-page essay is somewhere in between a zine and pamphlet that also includes exclusive illustrations done by graphic designer/musician Raymond Biesinger. Inside over the course of 2800 words, Chris Murdoch covers his own experiences being a musician and attending shows in Halifax along with information about when Black first met punk in the UK and US. It was released through the Pentagon Black label in Montreal and over $3000 was donated to Black Lives Matter Solidarity Fund Nova Scotia from its sales. Souvenir is a band out of Halifax, Nova Scotia featuring bassist/vocalist Lachie MacDonald (Tom Fun Orchestra, Great Plains, Dyscontrol), guitarist/vocalist Dave Banoub (Jon Hynes) and Chris Murdoch on drums/vocals (Word On The Street, Weekend Dads, Outtacontroller). Produced by Charles Austin (Outtacontroller, Future Girls) out of Ocean Floor Studios in Halifax, Collapse is the debut full-length album from Souvenir. With all three members contributing vocals and songs, Collapse features nine songs and album cover artwork by illustrator Raymond Biesinger. In the interview Chris talks about the recording and writing process that the band went through to create Collapse, politics in punk and more. 

 Listen to the full interview here:

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An Interview with Paul Jacobs (May 2021):

Montreal musician Paul Jacobs latest release Pink Dogs On The Green Grass was released via Blow The Fuse Records in 2021. With just thirteen tracks, this album follows 2020’s outtakes/demo collection Portrait of George (Demo & Songs I Forgot About) and 2018’s EASY. Already having several albums in his discography (and two releases as part of post punk group Pottery), Pink Dogs On The Green Grass shows Paul Jacobs branching out by finding a new way of approaching his music. Musically, references have been made to Cass McCombs, Kurt Vile, early Beck, but you can also hear the influence of 60s psychedelia and bands such as The Byrds and Lou Reed. Lyrically, Jacobs words are at times surreal. They are sometimes about different characters or observations and often take on cryptic meanings. While some have said that the lyrics reveal unwanted moments that stick with you, Pink Dogs On The Green Grass is much more than that. In the interview Paul talks about recording his new album, illustrating the videos for this album, who Bobby is from Pottery’s Bobby’s Motel album, David Lynch and more. 

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Mark Arm & Steve Turner of Mudhoney (August 2021):

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the second full-length album from Seattle’s Mudhoney. An expanded 30th anniversary edition was released by Sub Pop in 2021 featuring demos, outtakes and non-album tracks. Originally released on July 26th, 1991, the album shipped 50,000 copies when it was originally released. Just a few months later, Nirvana’s Nevermind would be released and the whole musical landscape would change. Prior to being recorded, Mudhoney recorded five tracks with producer Jack Endino (who also produced their Superfuzz Bigmuff EP and the Mudhoney album) in a 24-track studio. Unhappy with the results, guitarist Steve Turner pushed for a change of direction. Liking the results of Conrad Uno’s 8-track recording studio called Egg Studios on the Thrillsphere album by Tacoma, Washington’s Girl Trouble, the band decided to record a selection of punk covers with Uno to see what it would sound like recording there. Several of these songs came out on singles or on compilation albums, but not all of them. In spring of 1991, Mudhoney began recording Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. On this album Mudhoney switches their focus embracing 60s garage influences such as The Sonics, Lollipop Shoppe, Neil Young, Spacemen 3, post hardcore, 80s hardcore and the sounds of bands such as Zounds and Hawkwind. In the interview Mark Arm & Steve Turner of Mudhoney talk about making the 1991 album, being in an unaired TV pilot for Fox, the influence of The Wipers, fuzz pedals and more. 

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

An Interview with Matt Ellis (May 2021):

Hamilton musician Matt Ellis has played in many different bands such as The Vapids, Flesh Rag and PlasticHeads. Usually on guitar, Matt recorded a series of Ramones inspired EPs in 2020 at his home where he played all of the instrumentation. All of the proceeds from these releases went towards different non-profit organizations in Toronto and Hamilton. Following a remix, the addition of real drums provided by Jimmy Vapid of The Vapids, Curtis Tone from PlasticHeads and two new tracks, Full Moon Fever was released on vinyl at the end of February 2021 on Surfin Ki Records. With an obvious Ramones influence, the songs that make up Full Moon Fever pull from the Dee Dee Ramone penned catalogue of Ramones tracks with a dash of The Spits, DBOY and Seattle band HEAD. At 18 tracks, none of the songs on Full Moon Fever go past the two-minute mark. Running through themes of isolation, frustration, boredom and escapism, Full Moon Fever delves into a manic dynamic of punk rock and suburban paranoia. Ellis released an album with another band called Anxious Pleasers on cassette that featured members of Hamilton band TV Freaks. In January 2021, he released a new digital single titled Everything Sucks. Matt Ellis did an exclusive Q&A for this website covering his music influences/history, the making of Full Moon Fever, guitars and his favourite Ramones albums. 

Read the full interview/post here.

An Interview with Shawn McDonald (June 2021):

London, Ontario musician Shawn McDonald has been involved in numerous rock bands over the years. In 2021, he made several albums from his discography with different bands he’s been in available digitally for the first time. One of his earlier bands, Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit released the album Hollandays digitally. It was a lost, previously unreleased album. In addition to this album he made other albums from this band available through Bandcamp and other streaming services. In 2018, 2 was released by the band Baby Giant. Baby Giant is made up of musicians Shawn McDonald and Tim McDonald. The band started out around 2017 to record a collection of reworked/reimagined songs in commemoration of an earlier band that the McDonald’s had been in called Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit (that album is called Grassy Magic). Being in numerous bands such as The Fine Print, Dragsville, Hurricane & Able and many others Shawn McDonald really showcases his songwriting abilities on 2, both on his own and in collaboration with Tim McDonald. The album was recorded by Tim McDonald (credited as King Woobs). Shawn McDonald did a Q&A for this website covering the writing of several songs in Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit, some of the bands he has played/recorded with and what he is currently working on. 

Read the full interview/post here.

An Interview with Neil Jarvis (July 2021):

Perhaps best known as being in the Manchester band Sprinters, Get The Band Back Together is the third solo album released by Neil Jarvis. Prior to this Sprinters released two excellent albums, 2017’s Sprinters and 2019’s Struck Gold. Neil’s earlier solo albums were recorded the same way as this one was, on a 4-track cassette recorder. Weekends (2012) and Halloween Summer (2014) featured lo-fi, psych/surf influenced sounds that were sometimes experimental. Get The Band Back Together is more acoustic based, but it still features the sometimes haunting nostalgic feeling that is present throughout all of Neil’s songs. Recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder during lockdown in April 2020-June 2021, Get The Back Band Together takes Jarvis’ earlier tried and true method of recording/writing songs, but adds a sense of maturity and poignancy that sets this collection of songs apart from both Sprinters and his earlier work. Neil Did a Q&A for this website where he covers recording and releasing an album during the pandemic, the influence of musician David Berman and some of his earlier solo releases. 

Read the full interview/post here.

An Interview with The Garrys (October 2021): 

Get Thee To A Nunnery is the fourth full-length album by Saskatoon’s The Garrys. This three-piece sister trio features Erica Maier (guitar/vocals), Julie Maier (bass/vocals) and Lenore Maier (drums/vocals). They first started appearing on underground music radar with 2017’s Surf Manitou, which brought their prairie inspired surf dynamics and combined them with folk-like tales of Manitou Beach, SK, a family vacation spot that the Maier’s visited when younger. In 2020, The Garrys released their score to the 1922 silent film Haxan:Witchcraft Through The Ages, which was performed and recorded live as the film played in a theatre. They describe their music as “dreamy blood harmony surf rock doom-wop on morphine.” Get Thee To A Nunnery has been getting critical acclaim appearing on Bandcamp Daily, other sites and charting on the Earshot Top 50 Album Charts across campus radio in Canada. Revolution Rock spoke with Erica, Julie and Lenore Maier of The Garrys. In the interview they discuss their formation, recording/writing songs for Get Thee To A Nunnery, working with Dallas Good as producer, doing the live soundtrack to Haxan:Witchcraft Through The Ages and more.

Listen to the full interview here:

Find the original post here.

Show 917: The 2021 Interviews Playlist:

1. Richard Hell - Kid With The Replaceable Head  (Remastered) (Destiny Street Complete - Omnivore Recordings - 2021)

RICHARD HELL INTERVIEW CLIP

2. Richard Hell - Ignore That Door (Remixed)  (Destiny Street Complete - Omnivore Recordings - 2021)
3. Women - Narrow With The Hall (Public Strain - Flemish Eye - 2010/2020)

PATRICK FLEGEL (OF CINDY LEE/WOMEN) INTERVIEW CLIP

4. Cindy Lee - Love Remains (Cat O’Nine Tails - CCQSK Records - 2020)
5. Women - Everyone Is So In Love With You (Rarities 2007-2010 - Flemish Eye - 2020)

MICHAEL WALLACE (OF PREOCCUPATIONS/WOMEN) INTERVIEW CLIP

6. Preoccupations - Monotony (Preoccupations - Jagjaguwar/Flemish Eye - 2006)
7. Chad VanGaalen - Starlight (World's Most Stressed Out Gardener - Sub Pop/Flemish Eye - 2021)

CHAD VANGAALEN INTERVIEW CLIP

8. Souvenir - Ransom (Collapse - 2021)

CHRIS MURDOCH (OF SOUVENIR) INTERVIEW CLIP

9. Souvenir - Holding Pattern (Collapse - 2021)
10. Paul Jacobs - Half Rich Longer (Pink Dogs On The Green Grass - Blow The Fuse Records - 2021)

PAUL JACOBS INTERVIEW CLIP

11. Paul Jacobs - The Telephone (Revisited) (Story About Anything EP - 2018)
12. Mudhoney - Into The Drink (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (30th Anniversary Edition) - Sub Pop - 2021)

MARK ARM & STEVE TURNER (OF MUDHONEY) INTERVIEW CLIP

13. Matt Ellis - Flowers In The Moonlight (Full Moon Fever - Surfing Ki Records - 2021)
14. Grassy Knoll & The Magic Bullit - A-Jam (Hollandays - 2021)
15. Baby Giant - Japan (2 - 2018)
16. Neil Jarvis - Get The Band Back Together (Get The Band Back Together - On The Grind Records - 2021)
17. The Garrys - Devil’s Dip (Get Thee To A Nunnery - Grey Records - 2021)

ERICA, JULIE & LENORE MAIER (OF THE GARRYS) INTERVIEW CLIP

18. The Garrys - In The Dawn (Get Thee To A Nunnery - Grey Records - 2021)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the January 15 file to download/stream the episode.

2021 Album Highlights & Shows # 917, 916

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 2021 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 2021, 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 2021.

2021 Album Highlights:
Written by Dave Konstantino

Paul Jacobs - Pink Dogs On The Green Grass

Paul Jacobs latest release is Pink Dogs On The Green Grass is out via Blow The Fuse Records. With just thirteen tracks, this album follows 2020’s outtakes/demo collection Portrait of George (Demo & Songs I Forgot About) and 2018’s EASY. Already having several albums in his discography (and two releases as part of post punk group Pottery), Pink Dogs On The Green Grass shows Paul Jacobs branching out by finding a new way of approaching his music. Musically, references have been made to Cass McCombs, Kurt Vile, early Beck, but you can also hear the influence of 60s psychedelia and bands such as The Byrds and Lou Reed. Lyrically, Jacobs words are at times surreal. They are sometimes about different characters or observations and often take on cryptic meanings. While some have said that the lyrics reveal unwanted moments that stick with you, Pink Dogs On The Green Grass is much more than that. With Pink Dogs On The Green Grass, Paul Jacobs reveals that the grass sometimes turns yellow on the other side and that sometimes the green grass can be found in the every day moments we find ourselves in. 

The Garrys – Get Thee To A Nunnery

Get Thee To A Nunnery is the fourth full-length album by Saskatoon’s The Garrys. This three-piece sister trio features Erica Maier (guitar/vocals), Julie Maier (bass/vocals) and Lenore Maier (drums/vocals). They first started appearing on underground music radar with 2017’s Surf Manitou, which brought their prairie inspired surf dynamics and combined them with folk-like tales of Manitou Beach, SK, a family vacation spot that the Maier’s visited when younger. They also sung of sea monsters that lurked those parts. In 2020, The Garrys released their score to the 1922 silent film Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages, which was performed and recorded live as the film played in a theatre. They describe their music as “dreamy blood harmony surf rock doom-wop on morphine.” Surf, psychedelia, doo-wop, garage and cinematic sounds of composers such as Ennino Morricone influence the music, but it is so much more than that description. Produced by Dallas Good of the Sadies, Get Thee To A Nunnery presents The Garrys capturing that nostalgic feeling that they do so well, that exists both in the past and the present, as it questions topics relating to family roots in Saskatchewan, isolation and decay of rural life, worldviews and faith in different generations and oppression. It doesn’t just address the past saying everything is great because that isn’t how it was. While also taking influence from Shakepeare’s Hamlet, Get Thee To A Nunnery goes further in The Garrys’ songwriting abilities. It explores new and old themes placing them in larger contexts that drift out beyond the borders that we once knew.

Chad VanGaalen – World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener

World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener is the follow up to Chad VanGaalen’s 2017 album Light Information. If we are counting the two outtake albums that were released in 2020 (Odds & Sods 2, Lost Harmonies), it is his ninth studio album. Released in March 2021, World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener is an eclectic collection of songs from VanGaalen. The music that he creates while it is sometimes folk, sometimes psychedelic, sometimes indie rock, sometimes strange, is really its own thing. The universe in which the songs of Chad VanGaalen belong is a strange, wonderful, kind of messed up, cosmic place at times. As we enter these worlds we find ourselves absorbed by the sounds and stories that he produces. World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener offers more variety musically than ever before on one of his albums, but still has the same feel of the best of Chad VanGaalen’s work. Like his illustrations and animations, the songs that Chad VanGaalen creates capture a sense of something of the unknown, the otherworldly, visually and sonically. With World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener, Chad VanGaalen digs deep to show us a world that is dark, multifaceted and sonically captivating.

More 2021 Album Highlights:
Written by Adam Peltier

The Weather Station – Ignorance

Tamara Lindeman's past albums have displayed keen observations into human relationships, but her latest offering shifts the songwriter's insights to the relationship between people and the world around them. It would belittle Ignorance to think of it only as a “climate change” album; its exploration of complex themes and the intricacies existing between personal and ecology trauma refuse such a simple interpretation. Take the opener “Robber” - it may be about man-made environmental devastation, but it also evokes ideas of colonialism, capitalism, and meritocracy. However, there is no denying Lindeman's identification with nature on this album, from the pleading “Wear” to the cathartic closer “Subdivisions.” There is an artfulness to how Lindeman handles such themes, which in the wrong hands could be ham-fisted or pedantic. Instead, she offers an emotional vulnerability to her performance and lyrics, while never falling into fragility. In fact, the Weather Station has never sounded more confident or emboldened than on this record. Part of the album's charm is easily the band Lindeman assembled, whose performance incorporates elements of folk, baroque pop, and jazz, a combination which has led to many mid-70's Joni Mitchell comparisons. Certainly, Ignorance shares a lot of the warmth of albums like Court & Spark and Hissing of Summer Lawns, but distinguishes itself through its propulsive grooves and the immediacy of its lyrics. Rather than wallow in the environmental collapse of our world, Ignorance offers a passionate response to the societal apathy (and “ignorance”) that has led us down this path.

Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg

“Do everything feeling nothing.” Is there a greater distillation of how 2021 felt than this line? Florence Shaw's deadpan intonation is the perfect vessel to deliver this and the dozens of other quotable lyrics on New Long Leg, the debut album from the much hyped UK band Dry Cleaning. Unlike majority of other great white hopes touted by the British music press, Dry Cleaning delivered not only a solid album of grunge-tinged post-punk, but introduced the world to one of rock's most understated intense performers in Shaw. Her laconic delivery and dry observations imbue her lyrics with a mixture of dread and humour, reflecting the burned-out ennui felt by so many during the thick of these late-era capitalist pandemic years. Whether riffing on casual misogyny, Brexit, or eating Twix, Shaw should go down as one of the most unique and timely voices of the year.

Black Country, New Road - For the First Time

Long-associated tour mates of black MIDI (another band who released a fantastic album this year), the debut album by Black Country, New Road offered a breath of fresh air to the often hegemonic world of post-rock. While comparisons can be made to recent releases from Swans or Slint (who are name-checked on the track “Science Fair”), For the First Time is also indebted to klezmer music, free jazz, and noise. There probably isn't a greater crescendo this year than on the track “Sunglasses,” while the reserve of “Track X” shows the band also knows how to wring intensity from quieter compositions. Black Country, New Road have given listeners one of the most eclectic guitar rock releases of the year, and with a forthcoming sophomore album promised for 2022, continue to entice fans with wonders of where their sound will go next.

Show 916 (Originally Aired On January 8th, 2022)(Albums of 2022 Part Two):

1. King Khan Unlimited - Narcissist (Opiate Them Asses - Bargain Bin Records - 2021)
2. Visibly Choked - Third Time’s The Charm (Visibly Choked EP - Mothland - 2021)
3. La Luz - Watching Cartoons (La Luz - Hardly Art - 2021)
4. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Matt Sweeney – My Popsicle (Superwolves - Drag City Records- 2021)
5. Snail Mail – Automate (Valentine - Matador Records - 2021)
6. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – OK Idicts (Theory of Ice - You've Changed Records - 2021)
7. The Weather Station – Robber (Ignorance - Fat Possum - 2021)
8. black midi – John L (Cavalcade - Rough Trade - 2021)
9. Black Country, New Road – Sunglasses aka The Guest (For the First Time - Ninja Tune - 2021)
10. Motorists - Surrounded (Surrounded - We Are Time - 2021)
11. TUNS - Double Down (Duly Noted - Murder Records - 2021)
12. Anxious Pleasers - Suck (Anxious Pleasers - Neon Taste Records - 2021)
13. Mononegatives - Living In The Age (Apparatus Division - Big Neck Records - 2021)
14. Jesse Fellows - Mail Bomb (The Four Oranges EP - 2021)
15. Ty Segall - Waxman (Harmonizer - Drag City Records - 2021)
16. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Fire at Static Valley (G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END! - Constellation Records - 2021)
17. Low – Days Like These (HEY WHAT - Sub Pop - 2021)
18. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Hand of God (Carnage - Goliath Records - 2021)
19. Chad VanGaalen - Nightwaves (The World's Most Stressed Out Gardener - Sub Pop/Flemish Eye Records - 2021)
20. Parquet Courts - Homo Sapien (Sympathy For Life - Rough Trade - 2021)
21. The Garrys - Sintatula (Get Thee To A Nunnery - Grey Records - 2021)
22. Viagra Boys -Ain’t Nice (Welfare Jazz - Year0001- 2021)
23. Paul Jacobs - Day to Day (Pink Dogs On The Green Grass - Blow The Fuse Records - 2021)
24. Paul Jacobs - Your Last Words (Pink Dogs On The Green Grass - Blow The Fuse Records - 2021) 

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

Show 915 (Originally Aired On January 1st, 2022)(Albums of 2022 Part One):

1. Dry Cleaning – Scratchcard Lanyard (New Long Leg - 4AD - 2021)
2. illuminati hotties – Knead (Let Me Do One More - Hopeless Records - 2021)
3. Julie Doiron – The Letters We Sent (I Thought of You - You've Changed Records - 2021)
4. Andy Shauf - Spanish On The Beach (Wilds - Anti- - 2021)
5. Courtney Barnett - Sunfair Sundown (Things Take Time, Take Time - Mom + Pop - 2021)
6. Bill Jr. Jr. - Renaissance Man (Homebody - 2021)
7. Snake River - High Rides (The Lost Album - 2021)
8. Sunshiny Daze - The Night Knows (What The Day Don’t) (Clouds Melt Away - 2021)
9. Neil Jarvis - Time (Get The Band Back Together - On the Grind Records - 2021)
10. Danny Kroha - Come Out The Wilderness (Detroit Blues - Third Man Records - 2021)
11. Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Nocturne Child (Cobra Poems - You've Changed Records - 2021)
12. Hot Garbage - Sometimes I Go Down (RIDE - Mothland - 2021)
13. PONY - Couch (TV Baby - Take This To Heart Records - 2021)
14. Souvenir - Circles (Collapse - 2021)
15. Squid – G.S.K. (Bright Green Field - Warp - 2021)
16. Idles – When the Lights Come On (Crawler - Partisan Records - 2021)
17. Iceage – Dear Saint Cecilia (Seek Shelter - Mexican Summer - 2021)
18. Ryley Walker – Axis Bent (Course in Fable - Husky Pants Records - 2021)
19. PRIORS - VideoDrome (My Punishment On Earth - Brain Gum Records - 2021)
20. Wine Lips - Get Your Money (Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party - Stomp Records - 2021)
21. Matt Ellis - My Neighbourhood Is A Dump (Full Moon Fever - Surfing Ki Records - 2021)
22. Amyl & The Sniffers - Security (Comfort To Me - Rough Trade/ATO Records - 2021)
23. Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - (Are You) Ready Freddy (Swing From The Sean DeLear EP - In The Red Records - 2021)
24. Packs - Cling Film (Take the Cake - Fire Talk/Royal Mountain Records - 2021)
25. TEKE::TEKE – Barbara (Shirushi - Kill Rock Stars - 2021)
26. Kiwi Jr. - Maid Marian's Toast (Cooler Returns - Sub Pop - 2021)
27. Ducks Ltd. - 'Twas Ever Thus (Modern Fiction - Carpark Records/Royal Mountain Records - 2021) 

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.

It's A Wonderful Record & Shows # 914 & 913

Released in 1994, It’s A Wonderful Record is an EP that was originally released on vinyl by Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet. This Christmas and holiday themed release featured SMOASP playing different holiday songs in addition to some originals. When it was originally released the album featured one side that was recorded at 45 RPM while the other side (side two) was recorded at 33 1/3 RPM. Side one, the 45 RPM side featured the instrumental track “Winterfresh” with its shuffle beats and frosty rhythms that are complimented with jingle bells towards the songs close and a choir. Track two on side A is actually a track by New Orleans band M.O.T.O (Masters of the Obvious). “Christmas is Coming” is a short garage pop track that is also jangly and catchy.

Track three starts side two. It is SMOASP’s take on the Christmas classic “Deck the Halls.” It is brief and also features the Vienna Boys Choir (as mentioned in the song). This coupled with the band’s trademark instrumental rhythms makes for a brief, but fuzzy feeling atmosphere that is captured on this holiday classic. It’s a Wonderful Record ends with longer track “The 12 Answering Machine Messages of Christmas.” This track is made up of both spoken word and musical parts. It is both hilarious and festive. The band launches through phone machine messages, brief instrumental tracks and even a message from Joey Ramone in twelve separate segments all composed into one collage of sounds. This track is one of the highlights of this release. It shows the band in all with their irreverent humour and instrumental prowess all in one track. It’s A Wonderful Record ends with the band’s take on “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” Following the release of this EP, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet did the soundtrack to the film Double Happiness (released in 1995) and are featured on three tracks of Fred Schneider’s Just Fred album (released in 1996). Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet did a reissue campaign of their albums in 2016, along with a reunion, not all tracks from their releases were present. It’s A Wonderful Record was also one of the last releases by the band before their original split in 1996. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet has a myriad of different, unique and cool releases in their catalogue. This is just another example. 

I wrote about SMOASP’s K Records EP Music For Pets recently. You can read about that here.

For more info about Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet visit:
Shadowy Site on a Shadowy Web
SMOASP Facebook Page

Show 914 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 25th, 2021)(2021 Holiday Episode):

1. James White - Christmas With Satan
2. Suicide - Hey Lord
3. Cristina - Things Fall Apart
4. Boris - Last Christmas
5. The Residents - Santa Dog '78
6. El Vez - Santa Claus Is Sometimes Brown
7. Iggy Pop - White Christmas
8. Arcade Fire - Jingle Bell Rock
9. King Khan & Friends - Christmas Time
10. The Galaxies - Please Come Home For Christmas
11. Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Canadian Christmas
12. Surf Hermits - Santa's Rant
13. Low - Just Like Christmas
14. Descendants - Christmas Vacation
15. Duotang - Old Man Davie's Christmas Kingdom
16. The Ramblin' Ambassadors - Don't Fear the Reindeer
17. The Pointed Sticks - Power Pop Santa
18. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Faster Santa Claus, Ho Ho Ho
19. The Damned - There Ain't No Sainty Claus
20. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Santa's Compromise
21. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Winterfresh
22. Thee Dundrells - Green Christmas
23. The Bell Peppers - I Can't Wait For Xmas
24. Deja Voodoo - Bugs For Christmas
25. Reigning Sound - If Christmas Can't Bring You Home
26. The Cosmonauts - It's Christmas Day
27. Quintron & Miss Pussycat - Jingle Bell Rock
28. Psychic Ills - Run Rudolph Run
29. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - The 12 Answering Machine Messages of Christmas

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

Show 913 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 18th, 2021)(The Scarlet Drops, Radiohead Kid A Mnesiac, The Beatles Let It Be):

1. Squid - Clapping Music
2. Ducks LTD - As Big As All Outside
3. Yoo Doo Right - The Moral Compass of a Self-Driving Car
4. Look Blue Go Purple - Cactus Cat
5. The Scarlet Drops - Dogma Self
6. The Scarlet Drops - Strain
7. The Adam Brown Band - Spirit Tacos
8. Ex~Po - Constant Commuter
9. Dean Marino - Pieces
10. Teke::Teke - Corpse Pose
11. Courtney Barnett - Turning Green
12. Casper Skulls - Thesis
13. Daniel Romano - Novus
14. Brown Hornet - Atomic Wasteland
15. Obits - Talkin' To The Dog (Live)
16. James Sullivan - Get Our Sense Away
17. Atomic 7 - Loving Not Goughing
18. Bloodshot Bill - Guess What
19. La Luz - Metal Man
20. Radiohead - The National Anthem
21. Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong
22. Radiohead - If You Say The Word
23. Radiohead - Trans-Atlantic Drawl
24. The Beatles - For You Blue (Take 4)
25. The Beatles - One After 909 (1969 Glyn Johns Mix)
26. The Beatles - I Got A Feeling (Take 10)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the December 18 file to download/stream the episode.

Hunky Dory's 50th Anniversary & Shows # 911 & 912

2021 marked the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s Hunky Dory album. This album is commonly referred to as the album where “David Bowie became David Bowie.” It was the beginning of a new artistic path that would continue for some time. From this album forward David Bowie would continue to push the boundaries of pop music. Prior to Hunky Dory, David Bowie recorded and released the album The Man Who Sold The World. This album was more guitar heavy and was originally released in 1970. Following this album’s release Bowie took some time off from recording and touring. He began writing songs on piano instead of guitar. The songs that he wrote would make up music on what would become 1971’s Hunky Dory and 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. This was also the first album to feature his backing band The Spiders From Mars. Although guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick Woodsmanley played in Bowie’s previous band, this band featured the addition of Trevor Bolder (who replacement previous Bowie bassist Tony Visconti). Rick Wakeman (of the The Strawbs and eventually Yes) joined on piano as well. 

Hunky Dory explored more pop and pop art elements in the music. Songs such as “Changes” and “Life On Mars,” would both become very well known David Bowie songs, but at the time of Hunky Dory’s initial release it was not a commercial success. It would not be until 1972’s release The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars that it would find success. But, in 1971, Bowie was proposing a more piano pop driven album. Lyrically, the songs found themselves on a deeper lyrical level. “Changes” explored elements of artistic reinvention and also was the first Bowie recording where he played saxophone. The song itself is an art pop track that features some different time signature changes that all add to the song’s originality. “Oh! You Pretty Things” is an almost music hall song that has an infectious chorus, sounding like it pulls from a Ray Davies/Kinks influence as lyrically it is essentially about the fall of the human race as it reflects the philosophical influence of Nietzsche and occultist Aleistar Crowley. 

Three of the songs on Hunky Dory are also about American icons. Bowie was inspired to write these songs after a tour of the US that he had done. “Queen Bitch,” the heaviest guitar oriented track on Hunky Dory (a song he would explore in greater depth on his next album with The Spiders From Mars) was his tribute to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. “Song For Bob Dylan” is folkier and pop oriented. Lyrically, it is pretty self explanatory, but in 1976 Bowie commented on the song’s intentions in Melody Maker: “That laid out what I wanted to do in rock. It was at that period that I said, 'okay (Dylan) if you don't want to do it, I will.' I saw that leadership void. Even though the song isn't one of the most important on the album, it represented for me what the album was all about. If there wasn't someone who was going to use rock 'n' roll, then I'd do it." “Andy Warhol” is an acoustic driven track about Warhol featuring a very distinctive guitar riff played by guitarist Mick Ronson. 

Other tracks such as the future hit single “Life On Mars,” is a lush piano and orchestral driven track that was inspired by Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” “Kooks” was written about Bowie's newborn son Duncan Jones. This optimistic pop driven track was also influenced by Neil Young musically, “Quicksand” is a powerful track with piano, acoustic and electric guitar. It also features string arrangements by Mick Ronson and producer Ken Scott. Like “Oh! You Pretty Things” this song digs deep into philosophical influences and darker themes contrasted with its pop style. Bowie also touched on elements of the golden era of Hollywood throughout Hunky Dory. This is in addition to the other themes mentioned. Hunky Dory's cover also pays tribute old-fashioned Hollywood lobby cards. It was shot in monochrome then coloured later. 

As mentioned earlier, Hunky Dory’s success came with a delay. Although critically acclaimed in the press, it wasn’t until Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars in 1972 that Hunky Dory found success. It would re-chart and it’s singles would find themselves on the on the charts as well. There is just something about the songs on this album. They connected with the outcast as well as oppressed and marginalized people. This album is now viewed as one of Bowie’s best albums. Artistic reinvention would be something throughout Bowie’s career and with this 1971 album, after an initial delay, everything started looking hunky dory for Bowie.

Show 912 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 11th, 2021)(David Bowie's Hunky Dory (50th anniversary), The Minutemen's The Punch Line (40th anniversary), Mononegatives, Chad VanGaalen):

1. Paul Revere & The Raiders - Louise
2. West Coast Pop Explosion Experimental Band - Shifting Sands
3. Wilco - Kamera
4. SpaceSlave - Brightside
5. Green River - Queen Bitch
6. The Muffs -  Changes
7. Dinosaur Jr. -  Quicksand
8. Seu Jorge - Life on Mars
9. David Bowie -  Queen Bitch
10. David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things
11. David Bowie - Kooks
12. David Bowie - Andy Warhol
13. David Bowie - The Bewlay Brothers
14. Mononegatives - Terminal Voices
15. Mononegatives - Vision to Screen
16. Lemon Grab - Guitar
17. Night Court - Circus of Wolves
18. Chad VanGaalen - Egg Race
19. Chad VanGaalen -  Sing A Song
20. The New Pornographers - Jackie
21. Cindy Lee - Dry Dive
22. Mac DeMarco - Robson Girl
23. The Famines -  I'll Save My Sympathy
24. Thee Oh Sees - Rogue Planet
25. The Salvation Army - Mind Gardens
26. The Minutemen - Tension
27. The Minutemen - The Struggle
28. The Minutemen - History Lesson
29. David Bowie - Eight Line Poem
30. Arcade Fire (Featuring David Bowie) - Life on Mars  (Live)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the December 11 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 911 Playlist (Originally Aired On December 4th, 2021)(Django Reinhardt, Bo Diddley, Black Flag Damaged (40th anniversary), Sloan's This One's An Original):

1. Django Reinhardt - Django's Blues
2. Bo Diddley - Diddy Wah Diddy
3. Bo Diddley - Down Home Special
4. Bo Diddley - I'm Sorry
5. Bo Diddley - Pills
6. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley Is Loose
7. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney - Not Fooling
8. Packs - Cheshire Cat Grin
9. Iceage - Wider Powder Blue
10. Hot Garbage - Soft As Gold
11. Suckerpunch - Zap O'Hell
12. Reigning Sound - Shaking & Moving
13. Reigning Sound - Make It Up
14. Ed Keupper - Not Too Soon
15. Cate Le Bon - Running Away
16. Sloan - Fountains
17. The Stolen Minks - Party All Night
18. Mad Ones - No Pleasure
19. Actual Water - Ivory And Oak
20. Lemmy - Thirsty & Miserable
21. No Age - Six Pack
22. Los Campesinos! - Police Story
23. Misfits - Rise Above
24. Black Flag - Gimme Gimme Gimme
25. Black Flag - Spray Paint The Walls
26. Black Flag - TV Party
27. Wine Lips - Mall Walker
28. Century Egg - Mirror
29. Jesse Fellows - (The) Fly
30. Sloan - Nervous Breakdown

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the December 4 file to download/stream the episode.

CJAM FM 2021 Fundraiser & Shows # 909 & 910

This past week marked CJAM FM’s annual funding drive. Once a year, CJAM does a week of programming devoted to raising funds for their funding drive. Being a non-profit campus and community based radio station CJAM FM’s fundraising looks to raise a $30,000 to maintain CJAM’s daily operations. As has been stated in the past, CJAM relies on listener and community support to continue broadcasting. For 38 years, CJAM FM has been offering music and spoken word programming unlike anywhere else in Windsor/Detroit and online through downloads/streaming and archives at www.cjam.ca.

In addition to broadcasting at 99.1 FM in Windsor/Detroit, CJAM has large online listenership. People listen from all over. Nowhere else will you hear this much independent, local, international, obscure, older, non-pop, non-commercial music. If you're sick of hearing the same 10 songs on mainstream radio, consider donating and thanking the hosts who dig each week to find the music you hear on CJAM. These funds go towards equipment, insurance, digital music storage space, staff salary, and other necessities that allow CJAM to operate day-to-day. CJAM is also looking to bring our operations further into our digital age with an updated website and a more user friendly mobile site. As mentioned, CJAM FM is a non-profit based radio station. You are not bombarded with ads and you don't have to pay a subscription fee. Whether listening online or on the FM dial, CJAM is something free for the community and by the community.

Revolution Rock in the last year and half has become syndicated across ten different campus/community stations in Canada being heard in more places than ever before. We curate a program weekly to offer a different side of independent music in the garage, 70s punk/new wave, indie, surf and alternative genres. We often feature exclusive interviews and branch out from these genres creating something different. Revolution Rock would not exist without CJAM, as would many of our great long running and new programs. CJAM offers a voice to artists of all genres and to different spoken word and language based programs that would not have a platform otherwise. That in itself is a great reason to support CJAM FM during this time.

CJAM also offer incentives as a thank you for your support.

$5 – CJAM Sticker
Various designs

$10-20 – Music Prize Pack
Allows donors to receive great music & band merch from the CJAM prize room

$20 – Classic CJAM T-Shirts
Allows donors to get a classic t-shirt from previous fundraising years – Sizes vary

$30 – 2021 CJAM Tote Bag
Limited edition canvas tote bag
Design by Julie Hall // @dooublevision on instagram

$50 – 2021 CJAM T-Shirt
Limited edition 2021 T-Shirts in various colours Design by Julie Hall @dooublevision on instagram

$100 incentive – Ultimate Gift Pack
2021 t-shirt, music prize pack AND vintage t-shirt

CJAM will be taking online donations through SQUARE this year! We’ve set up a new online store so you can make donations of any amount without receiving swag, browse & purchase previous t-shirt designs (limited sized available) and pre-order our new design. Illustrated by local artist Julia Hall, the 2021 design will be available on t- shirts AND tote bags this year!

Donation & merch site: https://cjam-merch.square.site/s/shop

Below you can find some playlists to recent episodes of Revolution Rock and an example of the type of programming that we offer.

Show 910 Playlist (Originally Aired On November 27th, 2021)(Alice Cooper's Killer, LAMF the Found 77 Masters, Snail Mail, La Luz, Idles):

1.  Idles - The Wheel
2.  L00ping - Honestly
3.  Visibly Choked - Too High
4.  Geese - Fantasies/Survival
5.  Manic Street Preachers - Under My Wheels
6.  Vibrating Egg - Be My Lover
7.  Alice Cooper - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
8.  Alice Cooper - Desperado
9.  Alice Cooper - You Drive Me Nervous
10. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - Born To Lose
11. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - I Wanna Be Loved
12. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - One Track Mind
13. Julie Doirion - I Thought of You
14. Colleen Green - Posi Vibes
15. Snail Mail - Glory
16. The Garrys - Hwy-11 Tumbleweed
17. Steig - Saloon
18. Fraser Wayne - TY 4 The Times
19. North Lakes - After The Drifts
20. TeeTahs - Rat Babe
21. TeeTahs - Okee Dokee
22. La Luz - Goodbye Ghost
23. HJ & The Constellations - Swamp Beat
24. Huevos Rancheros - Rocket To Nowhere
25. Color Me Psycho - Sacred Valley Penetration
26. Thee Headcoats - I Wasn't Made For This World
27. Motorists - Latent Space
28. Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Magnificent Hurt
29. Parquet Courts - Homo Sapien

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 27 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 909 Playlist (Originally Aired On November 20th, 2021)(CJAM Pledge Drive 2021):

1.  Psychic Void - City of Waste
2.  Cellos - Blight
3.  Orphan Choir - Cross Your Fingers
4.  Orphan Choir - 1983
5.  Trophy Knife - America's Favourite Pastime (Live Off The Floor At CJAM)
6.  The Monsters - Smell My Tongue
7.  James Sullivan - Getaway
8.  Talking Violet - Indigo
9.  Paul Jacobs - Most Delicious Drink
10. Sly & The Family Stone - (You Caught Me) Smilin'
11. Iggy Pop - Family Affair
12. The Raincoats - Running Away
13. Gil-Scott Heron - Inner City Blues
14. The Strokes - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
15. Marvin Gaye - What's Happening Brother? 
16. The Lounge Lizards - Sharks Can't Sleep
17. The Lounge Lizards - She Drove Me Mad
18. The Lounge Lizards - The Pedestrians
19. The John Lurie National Orchestra - Flutter
20. Rollins Bands - Four Sticks
21. The Replacements - Misty Mountain Hop
22. Jerry Lee Lewis - Rock and Roll
23. Suckerpunch - Ten Thousand Reasons
24. The Sadies - Stop and Start
25. The Space Plan - Tread Lightly
26. The Lost Patrol - Blues Theme
27. What Seas What Shores - Texas

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 20 file to download/stream the episode.

The Lounge Lizards - Voice of Chunk & Episodes # 908, 907, 906

Formed in 1978 by Saxophonist John Lurie and pianist and brother Evan Lurie, The Lounge Lizards were part of the underground New York music scene. The band went through line up changes throughout the years and had a devout following in not only the US, but in Europe and Japan as well. The Lounge Lizards were a jazz band, but not your typical jazz band. They challenged jazz conventions. The Lounge Lizards had been described as tongue-in-cheek jazz earlier in their career, but went on to combine different genres mixing elements of sophistication and chaos. John Lurie recently released The History of Bones, his memoir. In the book, he discusses his life as a musician and artist. He holds nothing back. The book covers recording and his time with The Lounge Lizards, his acting, several of the scores he created for films and many other things.

In 1988, The Lounge Lizards recorded an album called Voice of Chunk. A lot of work went into this album, but at the time they couldn’t get a label to release it in the US. It was released in Europe and Japan and selling well, but there was difficulty in the US. In order to promote and sell this album, Lurie decided to release it himself on his Strange & Beautiful Music label. But, to sell it in the US, he decided to record a few infomercials to sell it over the late night TV airwaves through mail order. Voice Of Chunk would be the last album to feature this particular line up of the band. Throughout their career only John and Evan remained constant. This line up on this album features Marc Ribot (guitar/trumpet), Dougie Bowne (drums), Erik Sanko (bass), Roy Nathanson (alto soprano/tenor saxophone), Curtis Fowkles (trombone), E.J. Rodriguez (percussion), Evan Lurie (piano) and of course alto/soprano saxophonist and main composer John Lurie.

The album starts off with the track “Bob the Bob,” a song that has a soulful tranquility to it and one that seems to also draw on jazz and world music rhythms. The song was a written as a tribute as John Lurie’s roommate and friend Kazu Makino, who would later go on to play with Blonde Redhead as the vocalist/rhythm guitarist. The title track is a bit more chaotic and is a good example of how the Voice of Chunk album and song capture a noisy anarchy while at the same time contrasting it with softer, more melodic melodies. The drums played by Dougie Bowne and the bass hold down the chaotic nature of the song as saxophones from John Lurie and Roy Nathanson move with erratic guitar from Marc Ribot to a certain type of sophistication that the listener gets lost in. The title of the song “One Big Yes” was inspired by a personal ad that appeared in the back of the Village Voice that Lurie read. The music on this track is truly captivating as it combines different time signatures and genres in a way that The Lounge Lizards did so well.

“The Hanging” has a cinematic feel to it that could be described as jazz noir. It pulls you in with its sultry charms. “Uncle Jerry” has a calming intensity to it, the song’s title is a reference to Lurie’s uncle of the same name. Halfway through the song, it switches tempos as it builds up to a manic rush before reaching its calming culmination. “A Paper Bag and the Sun” begins with a series of exotic, world music rhythms as noisy guitar and drums come in slowly and juxtapose themselves with the earlier melodies. As the song progresses they seem to carry on throughout the noisy elements of the song in a way that eventually overtakes everything in a feverish style. “Tarantella” changes the pace and stands out as quite different from the rest of the tracks found here. Dominated by the bouncy bass from Erik Sanko and piano played by Evan Lurie, the song exudes an eerie vaudeville nature while also drawing on Italian folk dance music. “Sharks Can’t Sleep” is a claustrophobic and truly frenzied track that is the second last track found on this album. "Travel" ends the album with otherworldly jazz sounds.

On Voice of Chunk, The Lounge Lizards display their avant-garde jazz sounds in what many feel is their best album. It’s hard to disagree with this statement. Every Lounge Lizards album has something to offer that is different. There are always shades of the avant-garde, melodious moments, something that is wild and unpredictable, but each one feels different. Elements of the experimental with the influences of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, world music and a noisy anarchy that crosses rhythms with more melodic melodies are found on Voice of Chunk. The adventurous nature of their earlier work is present here on this album, but the melodies are stronger, smoother and more sophisticated. With Voice of Chunk, The Lounge Lizards showcase their own inspired brand of beautiful anarchy.

Voice of Chunk Commercial:

John Lurie's memoir The History of Bones.

 

Show 908 (Originally Aired On November 13th, 2021)(Lounge Lizards, Marvin Pontiac, Heavy Trash, Odonis Odonis, Ty Segall):

1.  Andy Shauf - Judy
2.  Jon Mckiel - Cold Hand Becomes The Master
3.  Daniel Romano's Outfit - Tears Through A Sunshine
4.  The Sadies - A Steep Climb
5.  James O-L - East On Your Own
6.  Hot Garbage - X-Ray
7.  Spectres - To The Victor
8.  Odonis Odonis - Impossible
9.  Gal Gracen - Grass Mask
10. Heavy Trash - Bedevilment
11. The Blues Explosion - Rivals
12. Jon Spencer - Do The Trash Can
13. The Contortions - Contort Yourself
14. BADBADNOTGOOD - Mirror City
15. The Lounge Lizards - Incident On South Street
16. The Lounge Lizards - Fat House
17. The Lounge Lizards - My Trip To Ireland
18. The Lounge Lizards - Bob the Bob
19. The Lounge Lizards - Queen of All Ears
20. Marvin Pontiac - Small Car
21. Wavves - Thru Hell
22. Tough Age - "Walk!"
23. Amyl & The Sniffers - Freaks to the Front
24. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Don't Die
25. Ty Segall - Feel Good

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 13 file to download/stream the episode.
 

Show 907 (Originally Aired On November 6th, 2021)(Jarvis Cocker, Tricky Woo, Teenage Cavegirl, Parquet Courts):

1.  Jarvis Cocker - Dans Ma Chambre 
2.  Jarvis Cocker - Contact 
3.  La Luz - I Won't Hesitate
4.  Pointed Sticks - There's The Door
5.  Knoxville Girls - 50 Feet High 50 Feet Down
6.  Ada Lea - Damn 
7.  Possum - Gala at Universe City 
8.  Circuit Des Yeux - Dogma 
9.  Hand Habits - No Difference 
10. Illuminati Hotties - Joni: LA's No. 1 Health Goth 
11. Wolf Alice - Play the Greatest Hits 
12. Dogo Suicide - Ostrava 
13. Wine Lips - In the Clear
14. The Mystery Lights - Can't Get Through My Head 
15. Warm Drag - Butch Things 
16. Teenage Cavegirl - Space Girl 
17. Teenage Cavegirl - No Good/So Bad 
18. The 3Ds - Hey Seuss 
19. Ancient Shapes - My Adidas (Revisited) 
20. Ancient Shapes - Political Rain 
21. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Needle Boy
22. Tricky Woo - Get Around 
23. Tricky Woo - Teach Us American 
24. Tricky Woo - Fly The Orient 
25. Thee Headcoatees - Give It To Me
26. Visibly Choked - A Snake Called Ean 
27. Molchat Doma - Sudno
28. Parquet Courts - Black Widow Spider 
29. Guided By Voices - High in the Rain
30. Fontaines D.C. - Black Angel Death Song
31. RAYS - Lost in the Cage
32. Actors - Strangers
33. Fifth Column - Donna
34. Property! - Running Away 

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the November 6 file to download/stream the episode.

Show 906 (Originally Aired On October 30th, 2021) (Horror Soundtracks Edition):

1.  Howard Shore - Welcome To Videodrome (Videodrome Soundtrack - Varèse Sarabande - 1992)
2.  Colin Stetson - Charlie (Hereditary (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Milan - 2018)
3.  Disasterpiece - It Follows (It Follows (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Milan 2015)
4.  Howard Shore - Head Full of Strangers (Scanners / The Brood - Mondo - 2015)
5.  The Garrys - Djavulen (Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages - Grey Records - 2020)
6.  The Garrys - Apelone's Dream (Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages - Grey Records - 2020)
7.  Stewart Copeland - Strange Things Happen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Music From The Motion Picture) - I.R.S. Records - 1986)
8.  Devo - Let's Talk (Fright Night (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Private I Records - 1985)
9.  Creedence Clearwater Revival - Sinister Purpose (Green Room (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Milan - 2016)
10. Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man (Zodiac Soundtrack - Lakeshore Records - 2007)
11. Colin Newman - Alone (Silence of the Lambs Soundtrack - MCA Records - 1991)
12. Tragically Hip - Locked in the Drunk of a Car (Devil's Mile (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - 2014)
13. Little Richard - Keep A Knockin' (Christine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Motown - 1983)
14. The Cramps - Goo Goo Muck (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Music From The Motion Picture) - I.R.S. Records - 1986)
15. Joe Tex - The Love You Save (May Be Your Own) (Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Maverick/Warner Bros. - 2007)
16. Willy DeVille - It's So Easy  (Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Maverick/Warner Bros. - 2007)
17. April March - Chick Habit  (Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - Maverick/Warner Bros. - 2007)
18. The Cramps - Surfin' Dead (The Return of the Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Enigma Records - 1985)
19. Roky Erickson - Burn the Flames (The Return of the Living Dead (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Enigma Records - 1985)
20. Broken Social Scene - Horses (The Tracey Fragments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Darla Records - 2008)
21. Fembots - Who's Gonna Know Your Name (The Tracey Fragments (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Darla Records - 2008)
22. John Carpenter - Halloween 1978 (Halloween (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Columbia - 1979)
23. E.C. Woodley - Dream #1 (Antiviral (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Lakeshore Records - 2013)
24. E.C. Woodley - Hallucination (Antiviral (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Lakeshore Records - 2013)
25. Ralph Jones - Main Titles (The Slumber Party Massacre (Original Motion Picture Score) - Web Records - 1982)
26. Ennino Morricone - End Titles & Credits (The Thing: The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack) - LScores/MCA - 2010)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the October 30 file to download/stream the episode.

For those keeping track, episode 905 was a repeat of episode 904, which featured an interview with The Garrys. You can find that playlist here and download/listen to the episode here.

Get Thee To A Nunnery: An Interview with The Garrys & Show # 904

Get Thee To A Nunnery is the fourth full-length album by Saskatoon’s The Garrys. This three-piece sister trio features Erica Maier (guitar/vocals), Julie Maier (bass/vocals) and Lenore Maier (drums/vocals). They first started appearing on underground music radar with 2017’s Surf Manitou, which brought their prairie inspired surf dynamics and combined them with folk-like tales of Manitou Beach, SK, a family vacation spot that the Maier’s visited when younger. They also sung of sea monsters that lurked those parts. In 2020, The Garrys released their score to the 1922 silent film Haxan: Witchcraft Through The Ages, which was performed and recorded live as the film played in a theatre. They describe their music as “dreamy blood harmony surf rock doom-wop on morphine.” Surf, psychedelia, doo-wop, garage and cinematic sounds of composers such as Ennino Morricone influence the music, but it is so much more than that description. Produced by Dallas Good of the Sadies, Get Thee To A Nunnery was released on vinyl, cassette, CD and digitally on September 24th, 2021 via Grey Records.

“Get Thee To A Nunnery” starts off the album. The song begins with a splurge of organ sounds before the mod-pop sound of artists such as April March and Frances Gall filter in with the band’s surf dynamics. This album and this track specifically are influenced by stories of the band’s mother in her teenage years attending an all girls Catholic boarding school in the 1960s Saskatchewan. Lyrically, The Garrys delve into themes of Catholic guilt and the push and pull redemption that comes with it with words such as “You’re breaking your mama’s heart, baby/They hardly even know you lately/Could you straighten out now maybe?/Gotta get thee to a nunnery,” while at the same time there is an undeniable tension and nostalgic quality that runs through this track (and album). “Ambrosia Salad” provides an instrumental break in the early moments of the album, but one that is painted in cinematic tones of sepia. Although there are no lyrics in this track, other than the haunting vocal harmonies that drift in and out between surf riffs, the title of this song ties in with Greek Mythology and the folk-like tales that have familial and roots of the surrounding prairies that are present throughout Get Thee To A Nunnery.

“Sintaluta” brings in darker psychedelic surf vibes. Taking its title from a small prairie town in Saskatchewan, lyrics such as “And when I knew it was something good/I was afraid to leave where I stood/I called to you but you walked away/And didn’t notice, I guess that’s okay,” express a fleeting existential feeling in-between swirling guitars and otherworldly sounding vocals. “Devil’s Dip” brings in trippy, psychedelic surf guitar riffs mixing in with soulful basslines and laidback drumbeats. “Bury Me With My Money” is an on edge, yet melodic track that is surrounded in waves of darker lyrical thoughts of a greedy outlaw that wouldn’t be out of place in black & white western movie. With its B-movie horror inspired organ and descending basslines that lock in with the travelling drumbeats, “Hwy 11-Tumbleweed” floats with wandering surf guitars, as “Fallen Woman” comes in as the eighth track on Get Thee To A Nunnery. With its crunchy garage rock guitars and words such as “You keep tellin’ me but I can’t see the light/I can hear what you’re saying but it can’t be right/From the demon, liar, priest, and sacrificed,” this song questions a religious upbringing and oppression. It also operates on other levels as it analyzes trying to find your place within traditions and values you had growing up in the present.

“It’s Over” is a song that is heavily influenced by doo-wop music. Or as described by the band “doom-wop,” this catchy and melancholic track captures a 1950s atmosphere drawing on 1950s heartbreak songs and girl group aesthetics. It also swims with feelings of wistfulness. While it deals with lies and an ending relationship, it also ties in with other themes present on album when juxtaposing with stories and occurrences of the past. “R.M. of Wolverine” ends Get Thee To A Nunnery. The longest track on the album at four minutes and thirty two seconds, this track has instrumental interludes between sparse lyrics such as “Just a hole in the ground/nothing more” and “Just the wind/In the grass/Now it’s all in the past/Like we were before,” that creates a mood as it ebbs and flows with cinematic dark surf vibes, intense fuzz guitar and eerie vocals. Taking its title from the Rural Municipality of Wolverine in Saskatchewan, The Garrys take this small town setting and characterize it, giving the song and album some deeper metaphysical open-ended thoughts in its final moments.

Get Thee To A Nunnery presents The Garrys capturing that nostalgic feeling that they do so well, that exists both in the past and the present, as it questions topics relating to family roots in Saskatchewan, isolation and decay of rural life, worldviews and faith in different generations and oppression. It doesn’t just address the past saying everything is great because that isn’t how it was. While also taking influence from Shakepeare’s Hamlet, Get Thee To A Nunnery goes further in The Garrys’ songwriting abilities. It explores new and old themes placing them in larger contexts that drift out beyond the borders that we once knew.

Listen to the interview that Revolution Rock did with Erica, Julie, Lenore of The Garrys:

Show # 904 (Originally Aired On October 16th, 2021) (The Garrys Interview):

1.  The Mummies - The Thing From Venus
2.  The Goldstars - Stroll In Hell
3.  Raeburn - Bongo Dracula
4.  Mothership - Fire In The Sky
5.  BBQT - High Wasted
6.  Tricky Woo - Let Us Sing
7.  James Sullivan - Lea Bridge
8.  The Garrys - Ice Cream Sandwich
9.  The Garrys - Mike's Beach Bar

THE GARRYS INTERVIEW PT I 

10. The Garrys - Karna
11. The Garrys - Fallen Women

THE GARRYS INTERVIEW PT II 

12. The Garrys - Burger Buoy
13. The Garrys - Devil's Dip
14. The Garrys - It's Over
15. Illuminati Hotties - MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA
16. Low - White Horses
17. BADBADNOTGOOD - Signal From The Noise
18. The Replacements - I Hate Music (Studio Demo)
19. The Replacements - Takin' A Ride (Live)
20. The Zeros - Wild Weekend
21. The Zellots - Vampire Love
22. The Dishrags - I Don't Love You
23. Pylon - No Clocks (Channel One Version)

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE.