Waco Brothers Back Bernie at Union Hall

The Waco Brothers play in Chicago.  And SXSW.  And that's it.  So when I saw that they were coming to Union Hall, my curiosity was piqued.  When Chris Mills & the Distant Stars were confirmed as the opening act, my Wednesday night plans were decided. 

The crowd applauded as the Mills and the Stars shuffled onto the stage.  "Don't get too excited," Chris said with a laugh before charging into "Atom Smashers," promptly winning over the Wacos' fans with the satiric, propulsive rocker.  Chris' banter was on-point as always, revealing that he'd just recently returned from Walt Disney World.  "Has anyone here been to Disney World last week?" he asked before proceeding to discuss the absence of a certain racist character from Splash Mountain.  "Anyway, it's a fun ride.  Fifty-foot drop," he added.  Though it wasn't terribly noticeable, Chris admitted that he's been having some issues with his vocal cords, and is currently in speech therapy.  The repetition of phrases such as "My mom makes us marmalade" and "Marv loves my mom" has Mills pondering a future as a copywriter for speech therapy exercises, but wishfully he'll stick to songwriting, so we can get more tunes like standouts "Blooms" and "Castaways."

Just prior to 10:00, the Waco Brothers took their spots at the head of a room so packed that fans were standing on the pews along the right wall.  Jon Langford re-dubbed the band of socialist cowpunks the "Bernie Bros," dedicated to exposing the "Clinton myth."  They started by taking on Bill with "See Willy Fly By."  Langford later threatened the audience to vote for Bernie Sanders or else the Wacos would have to beat them up and set their houses on fire.  "You say you want a revolution," he punctuated with a cackle.  Their music is just as subtle as their politics, and coincidentally, the reason why the concert was so captivating.  You couldn't help but be taken by the front line-attack of bassist Al Doughty, guitarist Langford, guitarist Deano Schlabowske, mandolinist Tracey Dear, and violinist Jean Cook crammed shoulder-to-shoulder to sing at the narrow stage's edge as they stabbed at the air with their instruments.  While the five folks up front might be the face of the band, they'd be nothing without the excellent drumming of Joe Camarillo, seated beneath that old lady portrait, which Langford jested was Camarillo's grandmother and had been painted in prison "with the ink of beetles he caught in his cell."  The jokes continued as Jon passed out the Chris Mills setlists that remained on the stage to crowdmembers in the front.  "I'd like to give you this.  And you this," he offered.  The Wacos' own setlist pulled heavily from their latest record, Going Down in History, with cuts like "Had Enough," "All or Nothing," and the title track fitting snugly alongside older anthems like "Hell's Roof" and "Plenty Tough - Union Made."  Partway through the encore, Mekons' drummer Steve Goulding replaced Camarillo as the anchor, Langford teasing the Who's "Pinball Wizard" until they plunged into "Folsom Prison Blues."  Each Brother (including Cook) took a turn soloing on the Cash number, with Doughty's deep-end effort causing to Langford to remark, "I'm gonna void my bowels," before they wrapped everything with T. Rex's "20th Century Boy."

With the invention of Google's autonomous car, we may actually get to see the Waco Brothers on the east coast more often.  Langford noted it would be their preferred method of transport, as they could just get drunk and lay on the floor.  "That's the only reason why you'd make a car with no driver.  Why the fuck else would you do that?" he questioned.  Let's hope Google speeds things up, so we can all get wasted and see the Waco Brothers without having to trek to the middle of the country.

Check out my podcast interviews with Jon Langford and Chris Mills.  They're two of my favorites.

CHRIS MILLS & THE DISTANT STARS - 04.13.16 - UNION HALL (46 minutes)

SET -
Atom Smashers / Crooked Vein / Alexandria / Rubicon / Escape from New York / Blooms / Brand New Day / Diamond / Sleeptalking / Walking on a Wire / Castaways

WACO BROTHERS - 04.13.16 - UNION HALL (1 hour, 33 minutes)

SET -
See Willy Fly By / Red Brick Wall / Had Enough / Receiver / Going Down in History / Harm's Way / Pigsville > Devil's Day / Too Sweet to Die / Walking on Hell's Roof Looking at the Flowers / All or Nothing / Plenty Tough - Union Made / Fox River / Building Our Own Prison / I Fought the Law / Revolution Blues / Do You Think About Me?

ENCORE -
Orphan Song / White Lightning / Stick Around Here Till I Die* / Pinball Wizard (tease) > Folsom Prison Blues > 20th Century Boy

Steel Pulse Brooklyn Bowl Setlist

Review to come.

STEEL PULSE - 04.12.16 - BROOKLYN BOWL (1 hour, 35 minutes)

SET -
Blues Dance Raid / Sound Check > Prediction > Macka Splaff > Drug Squad > My Favorite Things (tease) > Drug Squad / Not King James Version / Black & Proud / Nyah Love > Rocksteady / Taxi Driver / The Star-Spangled Banner > Worth His Weight in Gold (Rally Round)

ENCORE -
Interlude / Chant a Psalm / Babylon Makes the Rules / Roller Skates / Don't Shoot (Hands Up, I Can't Breathe) / Steppin' Out

Monthly Mix #13: March 2016

March 2016:

Somewhat sunnier than February because it's getting warmer outside.

1. Catfish & the Bottlemen - "Soundcheck"

I haven't heard crunchy, power-pop guitar like this in years.

2. The Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back"

Classic.

3. Hero the Band - "Expectations"

Another band of brothers.  I'm not entirely sure why I like this song so much, but I cannot.stop.listening.

4. The White Buffalo - "Don't You Want It"

"Oh, like the first of spring..."

5. Caleb Caudle - "Tuscaloosa"

My friend Mel used to work with this guy at a pizza place.  "Well, I'm not looking to be fixed / Just understand that parts are broken" is a brilliant lyric.

6. The Flaming Lips - "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)"

Worth a revisit, especially considering the current political climate.

7. Johnathan Rice - "What Am I Going to Do?"

One of my favorite tunes.

8. Penguin Prison - "Calling Out"

Just as catchy as "Don't Fuck with My Money," but you can sing it in public without any shame.

9. Electric Light Orchestra - "Telephone Line"

I never realized how sad this song is until recently.

10. Randy Newman - "Losing You"

Yeah.

The Heavy National Sawdust Setlist

Review to come.

THE HEAVY - 03.08.16 - NATIONAL SAWDUST (1 hour, 10 minutes)

SET -
The Apology / Miss California / Not the One / Short Change Hero / Can't Play Dead / The Big Bad Wolf / Curse Me Good / Slave to Your Love / Same Ol' / What Makes a Good Man? / Since You Been Gone / Last Confession / Turn Up / What Happened to the Love? / How You Like Me Now?

Monthly Mix #12: February 2016

Now you can listen to a year's worth of monthly playlists.  That's 120 songs hand-selected by me.  Do it.

February 2016:
Picks up right where January left off.



1. Ozomatli - "Super Bowl Sundae"
I heard there's some football game this month.

2. The Postal Service - "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"
TPS covered this Phil Collins number for the Wicker Park soundtrack.  Still haven't seen the movie.

3. Jermaine Jackson - "Let's Get Serious"
Seriously funky.  Stevie Wonder produced, co-wrote, and performed on this one.

4. Dr. Dog - "Good Grief"
New Dr. Dog album is out.

5. Bob Marley & the Wailers - "Waiting in Vain"
Bob would've turned 71 this month.  I like how the line "In life I know there's lots of grief" kinda hearkens back to the Dr. Dog track.

6. Grace Potter - "Something That I Want"
This is also from the soundtrack to a film I've never seen.

7. Hey Anna - "If You're Wondering"
I don't think I believe you, Anna.

8. Pop Etc - "What Am I Becoming?"
Chris Chu gets a lot heavier on this number from Souvenir.

9. The Cure - "Pictures of You"
"Disintegration is the best album ever!" yelled Kyle to Robert Smith way back in South Park's first season.  While it's not the best ever, it's pretty amazing when you get to that point in life when you totally realize why he said that.

10. Rayland Baxter - "Freakin Me Out"
With Baxter going solo on the Soho EP, this song takes on a further level of introspection as compared to its full-band album version.

Monthly Mix #11: January 2016

January 2016:
You can use context clues to figure out this one.



1. The Helio Sequence - "Lately"
I love this song because you can interpret it how you need to.  I always think he's lying though.

2. Mason Jennings - "New York City"
I agree with Mason.

3. David Bowie - "Lazarus"
It's amazing that Bowie was able to release this beautifully dark record for his fans before his untimely passing.

4. Grey Reverend - "My Hands"
All the more poignant if you know that Grey has focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that affects the dexterity of his hands.

5. Lord Huron - "She Lit a Fire"
A reawakening.

6. Otis Redding - "Pain in My Heart"
It's insane when you remember that Redding was only 26 when he died.

7. The 1975 - "Ugh!"
The next single from their upcoming album.  I like it much better than the '80s retread "Love Me."

8. Royal Headache - "Wouldn't You Know"
While this song is a throwback to '60s pop/rock, most of the tunes on this Australian band's second LP have a punkier feel.

9. The Flaming Lips - "Do You Realize??"
Those lyrics tho.

10. Eagles - "Desperado"
R.I.P. Glenn.

Top 40 Songs of 2015

Top 40 Songs of 2015

Last year, I put out a list/Spotify playlist of my top forty song picks.  Why should this year be any different?  Starting from the bottom...



40. B.o.B - "Back & Forth"
Bump this and try not to sing along.  Also, it takes on a different meaning if you've seen Me & You & Everyone We Know.

39. Dawes - "Right on Time"
I really like the guitar work in this one.

38. Jr. Jr. - "Hypothetical"
They may have dropped the Dale Earnhardt from their name, but fortunately they also dropped this chill jam.

37. White Reaper - "Pills"
Lo-fi and cocksure.

36. Warren G feat. Young Jeezy, Bun B, & Nate Dogg - "Keep on Hustlin'"
It was a total surprise when some new Nate Dogg music came out this summer.  Jeezy and Bun don't add much, but Nate's hook is as smooth as always.

35. Kacey Musgraves - "Pageant Material"
Musgraves makes it apparent that she's not just another pretty face with her clever lyrics in this song.

34. Trey Anastasio - "In Rounds"
Funky ditty from Phish's frontman.  When he can't help but smile out a couple "yeah"s during the horn jam, you can tell this was recorded live.

33. Gold Clubb - "Sweat It"
The Majorleans may not have dropped a new LP this year, but that didn't stop Nicky Franchise from flowing over this Ben Foldsian beat.  Not on Spotify, but you can stream and download here.

32. Leon Bridges - "Better Man"
I don't really think he's the next Sam Cooke, but he ain't bad.

31. El Vy - "I Am the Man to Be"
It's great to finally hear the National's Matt Berninger cheer up a little.

30. Jenny Owen Youngs - "Over the Bow"
Hear Jenny tell the story behind this swirling brute of a song on my podcast.

29. Courtney Barnett - "Pedestrian at Best"
Thankfully, the title isn't indicative of this crunchy rocker.

28. Death Cab for Cutie - "Good Help (is So Hard to Find)"
Death Cab does dance-punk.

27. My Morning Jacket - "Get the Point"
Gutting.

26. Fool's Gold - "Lady of the Lake"
It's hard to describe Fool's Gold without making them seem like some sort of gimmick, so just chill out and listen.

25. Young Buffalo - "No Idea"
Nice harmonies, but so much more.  Listen to Jim and Ben talk about these harmonies and emus over beers.

24. Battles - "The Yabba"
Maybe it packs in too many ideas by its denouement, but this proggy instrumental's main groove really taps into my core.

23. Mike Doughty - "Can't Believe I Found You in That Town"
In what began as a way for him to put out acoustic versions of his songs and live recordings of his shows, Doughty's Drip.fm channel transformed into a public demoing outlet, where he sometimes released as many as five songs a week.  This little ditty, which has been hitting home recently, is not on Spotify, but you can hear a preview of it here.

22. Animal Liberation Orchestra - "There Was a Time"
Zach Gill's lyrics paint a vivid depiction of humanity throughout history: past, present, and future.

21. Hey Anna - "Little Things"
This is how you build momentum.  Listen to Erin talk about this track and more on The Next Round.

20. Adele - "Hello"
When I finally got around to hearing the smash hit of the year, I wrote down, "This song is powerful as shit."  You already know it's not on Spotify and you already know what it sounds like.

19. The Weeknd - "Can't Feel My Face"
I like this song for the reasons everyone else does.

18. Justin Bieber - "Love Yourself"
Yes, Justin Bieber.  Get over it.  Here he's accompanied by a single guitar and a well-timed trumpet part.  The lyrics are fairly universal, but Bieber's name is one that would actually mean something at a club.

17. The Arcs - "Stay in My Corner"
Reminds me of a Hendrix ballad.

16. T-Pain feat. Juicy J - "Make That Shit Work"
T-Pain has been a guilty pleasure of mine for years.  When he calls in the wind chimes, you'll see why.

15. Electric Light Orchestra - "When I Was a Boy"
Jeff Lynne reflects on his childhood dreams of becoming a musician.  Beyond thrilled to have new ELO music and to have seen them live!

14. Saintseneca - "Such Things"
The boisterous title track from Saintseneca's fantastic third LP.

13. The Weepies - "Early Morning Riser"
Such a fun song about loneliness.

12. Penguin Prison - "Never Gets Old"
Chris Glover never gets old.

11. They Might Be Giants - "Ecnalubma"
TMBG had a very busy year, putting out a song each week via their rebooted Dial-a-Song service.  This number, which would've been right at home on John Henry, was my favorite.

10. The Revivalists - "All in the Family"
It's difficult to capture the inescapable energy of a Revivalists show in the studio, but they managed to snag some of that magic for this cut.

9. Lord Huron - "Fool for Love"
Honestly, I could've picked any song from their excellent Strange Trails record, but this one has that irresistible Buddy Holly element to it.

8. Son Little - "Go Blue Blood Red"
One of those songs on my iPod where I instinctively go, "Aww, shit," every time it pops up.

7. The White Buffalo - "Go the Distance"
"You're not just my woman, you're a piece of ass."

6. Ryan Montbleau Band - "Pacing Like Prince"
Thankfully, RMB laid down this gem right before they split up.  Listen to Ryan and I discuss the split over milkshakes.

5. Alabama Shakes - "Don't Wanna Fight"
I expected so much more from Sound & Color after this outstanding leadoff single, where Brittany Howard just crushes it.  Oh, well.  I'll just listen to this on repeat.

4. Jason Derülo - "Want to Want Me"
When Derülo does it right, I'm always on board.

3. Frank Turner - "Song for Josh"
Recorded live at the 9:30 Club, where Josh Burdette had worked up until his death in 2013, this tribute to Frank's departed friend tears at my heartstrings and tear ducts.  I frequented the venue as a youth, so while I never knew Josh personally, I felt like I did.

2. Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds - "Every Road"
I don't normally focus on the drums in songs, but holy hell, this is some funky drumming.

1. Rayland Baxter - "Yellow Eyes"
One of those songs I want to hear again and again right after I listen.  I talked with Rayland about this and more on my podcast.

Monthly Mix #10: December 2015

December 2015:
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  (Sorry, I'd wanted to get this up sooner because no one listens to Christmas music after this week, but I've been going through a lot.)



1. Kishi Bashi - "It's Christmas, But It's Not White Here in Our Town"
Originally released only on flexi-disc, check out this dreamy snowflake of a song.

2. Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmastime"
Pretty sure this is my favorite Christmas tune.

3. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - "Big Bulbs"
A little holiday innuendo.

4. Donny Hathaway - "This Christmas"
So soulful.

5. Oppenheimer - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
Sounds enough like the original, but they definitely make it an Oppenheimer song.

6. The Band - "Christmas Must Be Tonight"
An often-overlooked holiday gem.

7. They Might Be Giants - "Feast of Lights"
I had to throw in a Hanukkah song, so it might as well be a good one.

8. Willie Nelson - "Here Comes Santa Claus"
Willie Nelson is somehow able to make any song he sings sound like he wrote it.

9. Jack's Mannequin - "The Lights & Buzz"
I don't listen to any of Jack's Mannequin's other stuff, but this song really hit me hard back in 2009 when I was living in California.

10. Bob Dylan - "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
It's now a family tradition for me to see how deep into Bob Dylan's Christmas in the Heart we can get before my dad yells, "Turn it off!"  Funniest Christmas album ever, though perhaps unintentionally?