Title Tracks

"In Blank" lyrics

2011-11-21T00:52:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone. Some people have asked if I could make Title Tracks lyrics available online, so here they are for "In Blank":

---
SHAKING HANDS

Time is the sound of a torn page
Everything goes away
You may have a handle on your quiet rage
But everything goes away

Oh, I don’t know about you
But I think maybe that the human race is through
And, ooh, it’s terribly true
Everything goes away

Shaking hands are never fun
No, you’re not the only one
Shaking hands are never fun
Guide this ship into the sun

Point your compass back to silver town
Everything goes away
Find all your brothers in faint renown
Everything goes away

And I need you to know that you can’t take me seriously
If it’s gone, it’s all right that it’s gone

I know when you speak where I was, where I am, where I’m going to be
If I sink or snap you’ll make a new map

Dash out your visions in a runic scrawl
The kid ain’t got much to say
Reach over the wires at the top of the wall
And maybe you can run away

TURN YOUR FACE

Gimme normalcy
The kind I used to have such a long time ago
Pretty vacancy
Take me to the places that I already go

So, did you turn your face into
Wounds that don’t define you
No one’s chasing you
When they walk behind you

I kinda mind the treatment that I find at the end of it all
Little kicks turn to permanent fix in your patent leather pall

No, you’re disturbing the scenery
Oh, my power isn’t really plenary, no
Go, be a good little denizen
Take out your teeth so you can taste your medicine
It’s going, going back

What will happen if I stop and turn away?
I think I already know
Lock up your downers
‘Cause your panicked encounters are starting to show

So, there’s no hope for the citizens
Darts in your back when every heart attacks if you are listening
Are you listening?

No, is this life only glistening?
Heat kinks in the tracks led to lives where we lack simple necessities

Gimme normalcy
The kind I used to have such a long time ago

CLENCH YOUR FIST (A LITTLE CLOSER TO ME)

You’re the kind of rhythm that I need to run
You’re the kind of lie that made the lights go out
All that I did can never be undone
But I don’t understand the loss you talk about

And one by one your lives are undone
I know you recall the time
We both looked ahead and I really should have said

Clench your fist a little closer
Clench your fist a little closer to me
Clench your fist a little closer
Do your worst and I’ll stay

The side of your tongue is a crowded space
Anxious words are waiting there to be spit out
Blank spots on the map are the only place
People like the story that you’re spinning out

And one by one your lives are undone
I know you recall the time
The sparks in your head made me think you finally said

Clench your fist a little closer
Clench your fist a little closer to me
Clench your fist a little closer
Do your worst and I’ll stay

‘Cause I don’t want to go
Don’t want to know
Didn’t you know
That I do what I say?

I won’t stay away next time you come around
I want to hear the lies that made the lights go out
Votive dreams are all I have to slake my thirst
For the kind of fire that I will never doubt

‘Cause I don’t want to go
Don’t want to go
Didn’t you know what you’ll do if I stay?

LIGHT SLEEPERS

I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to make a scene
You’ve got to break away. You’ve got to break away from me

There’s only so much time that you should wait for me
You’ve got to break away. You’ve got to break away from me

Take all your broken strings
I make mine for free
We’ve done this childish thing for too long, I see

It’s not that I don’t want to know about the things
You’re going to take away; you’re going to take away from me

But I believe that staying here’s a waste of time
You’ve got to break away. You’ve got to break away from me

You’ve got so many things
You don’t need me
Mine is the kind of knife
That won’t cut you free

I wonder why you want to sleep so light at night
Did you know I never forget to say you’re right?

Somebody said that you’re a fool to stand by me
You ought to break away. You ought to break away from me
I wonder if they know you like they think they do
Go on and break away. Go on and break away from me

Stitch up your sewing kits
I don’t think you see
What’s left in front of you
You can buy for free

I CAN’T HIDE (Cyril Jordan/Chris Wilson)

FORGET THE GHOST

The individual was found beneath the clover
He stared with eight-ball eyes and skin as white as Dover
Nobody could recall the title that he carried
But they still wondered just how soon he might be buried

Forget the ghost in me
We’ve reached some kind of understanding
You’ll see the ghost in me
Has no respect for where you’re standing

The consequences of his style were comprehensive
His silence read as unamused instead of pensive

Forget the ghost in me
We’ve reached some kind of understanding
You’ll see the ghost in me
Has no respect for where you’re standing

And in the dusky mist that tells you he is there
You’ll hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs

No strangers were allowed besides the apparition
Its body couldn’t be convinced to change positions
He whispered threats into your ear while you were sleeping
The snapping shades illuminate where he’s been creeping

Forget the ghost in me
We’ve reached some kind of understanding
You’ll see the ghost in me
Has no respect for where you’re standing

Don’t try to call your friend ‘cause static will invade
Just look him in the eye and watch him start to fade

The room was warmer than you ever could remember
You cracked the window to be bitten by December

Forget the ghost in me
We’ve reached some kind of understanding
You’ll see the ghost in me
Has no respect for where you’re standing

ALL TRICKS

Tell me how to color where’s there’s no contagion
Or where I should be looking for the next invasion
Your involuted phrasing only fans frustration
Can you hear it now?

Push your empty hands deeper in your pockets
Brush your metal fingers up against the sockets
You had nowhere to kneel when your knees were knocking
Do you need it now?

You’re so close to crying right now
Your field of view isn’t equal to
All of these things for you

Oh, the tide’s gone out
You know it’s true
No one talks about all of these things for you
What did you do?

Play the type of tricks that bring you numbers
Stab them with your picks in the penumbras
If you want ‘em to feel a little bit dumber
You’re succeeding now

Noisome beggars at the gates of science
Zero times zero times beta minus
Through the yawning void behind your frontal sinus
Are you falling now?

It’s all tricks
Waiting there professionally
It’s all tricks
Sharing the regression with me
It’s all tricks
Ruin to recovery
It’s all tricks
Catch them while they’re hovering

Layer the foundation to obscure the potholes
Stare right through the mirror you keep in your foxhole
Hold your paper tight while you apply the charcoal and you’ll see it now

Covering your maw with the blood of ancients
Your teeth are like a saw we found in the basement
You’re never ever gonna learn to see your patience and I believe it now

CAIN AND THE TWIGS

You received your final phone call
At the murder of a brick wall
Take your hands and wash the steps
Grind your teeth and light the depths

To find innocent pleasures
You took inaccurate measures
All of the windings you weathered
Led to the end of a tether

Does it sting when eyes go red
Any more than unmade beds
Steady tears untied a knot
Guess you were born with all you’ve got

To find innocent pleasures
You took inaccurate measures
All of the windings you weathered
Led to the end of a tether

What makes you run, empty one?
You’ve just started what I already won

She speaks in shibboleths
With every vapor in every breath
Like snakes are sibilant
Keep wandering, sister of Seth

Lunar landscapes make a home
For all of those condemned to roam

NO AIR

There is no order in the universe, if anyone was wondering
Attach yourself to anything
You might have spent an evil hour in the kind of storm that’s thundering

So nobody told you there’s
No air in your inheritance
No tell in your intelligence
No strange in your estrangement
There’s no sight inside of you

I really tried to correspond with you when you were in your litter box
So, what did I say?
Make sure to indicate which one should hold the key to your brittle locks
Before they wash away ‘cause there’s

No air in your inheritance
No tell in your intelligence
No strange in your estrangement
There’s no sight inside of you

Somebody’s balance is listing
Fragile conditions existing
Measure the jokes that you’re missing
Defraud the faces you’re kissing

Transform the narrative you’re carrying and you won’t have to call collect
Which no one does anyway
Pick up a shovel and start looking for the origin of your intellect

Still nobody tells you there’s
No air in your inheritance
No tell in your intelligence
No strange in your estrangement
There’s no sight inside of you

IT’S WRONG

You can keep doing what you want to do
There’s no one there to stop you
You can keep doing what you want to do
There’s no one there to tell you

Oh, it’s wrong
You know it’s wrong
Oh it’s wrong
Too stay to long
Oh, it’s wrong
You know it’s wrong
All the lights in the gutters will call for their mothers someday

It’s time you did what you had to do
You’ve waited for a time or two
The flames will get too far ahead of you
If you don’t scale the standards

Oh, it’s wrong
You know it’s wrong
Oh it’s wrong
You stayed too long
Oh, it’s wrong
You know it’s wrong
All the lights in the gutters will call for their mothers someday

You know it’s all for nothing
I hope it’s not for nothing

You can keep doing what you want to do
There’s no one there to stop you
You can keep doing what you’ve got to do
There’s no one there to tell you

WINNERS CRY

Yes, I will forget your name
If you persist in making all our differences the same
Nobody wants to hear your greatest hit
We must admit

Take apart a bad excuse
And hit them in the wits with all the kinds of sticks you use
Your body shudders at the latest hits
You suffered so for it, so

Keep going
Going to where winners cry

You sure stayed out in the cold
But all you’ve really proven is you are what you haven’t sold
No drums, no bugles to announce your war
So, what’s it for?

Hold onto what you’ve perceived
The farther that you go away, the further I’m relieved
Don’t swing away to find a face to hit
Your tears are split between it

Keep going
Going to where winners cry

Singing cinders in the aftermath
Tell the time to stop the telegraph
Under heaven with nothing to hold
Cast a glance towards all the tents you’ll fold

Unrelated sequences
Have led you down the path to start the day of wrath you choose
We’ll drop the low-budget distances
So start again

No more trips to the abyss
But I’ll always remember before you were an ember, too
What number can you call to tell the truth?
Defend your youth from yourself and

Keep going
Going to where winners cry

Title Tracks on Tumblr

2011-07-20T18:34:00.002-04:00

I have a Tumblr page now where I post about music, movies and other stuff that used to clutter up the Title Tracks blogspot (which is now just band news/tour dates, etc.). You can see it over at titletracksdc.tumblr.com.

Epitonic Playlist

2011-06-26T14:11:00.002-04:00

Epitonic.com has recently relaunched after many years on hiatus and I think they're doing a cool thing. Basically, their site collects the free mp3s that record labels release to promote a new album, which is sort of the new standard practice. The website is pretty easy to search and, the more I dug, the more good new bands I found on there. So, it was a way to hear some bands that I'd heard about but hadn't heard yet (Jeff The Brotherhood, your song is pretty good). Anyway, Epitonic asked me to do a playlist of some of the stuff on their site that I liked and here's a link to it.

UPDATED SUMMER SHOWS

2011-06-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

June 25 - Baltimore, MD. - Ottobar - w/Sloan, Hot Kid and Gary B & The Notions - 8pm - $15 - ALL AGES (TT plays first at 9pm)

July 11 - Washington, D.C. - Fort Reno - w/America Hearts and Cat Jack - FREE - 7pm (TT plays 3rd at 8:15)

July 22 - Philadelphia, PA. - Kung Fu Necktie - w/Everyone Everywhere - 8pm - $8/$10 - 21+ (TT plays 3rd)

July 23 - New York, NY. - Cake Shop - w/Follower - 8pm - $8/$10 - 21+ (TT plays 2nd)

SUMMER SHOWS

2011-06-01T13:19:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone. Title Tracks will be playing some more shows this summer in the eastern half of the U.S. It should be noted that our Baltimore show on the 17th has been postponed but we'll be playing Baltimore just a week later. Details for that show will be announced shortly. Anyway, we'll keep announcing shows as we confirm them but here are a few to get you started:

June 18 - Durham, NC. - The Casbah - 8pm - $8/$10 - 18+
June 19 - Richmond, VA. - Strange Matter - w/Antlers and White Laces - 8pm - $8 - 18+
June 25 - Baltimore, MD. - Ottobar - w/Sloan, Hot Kid and Gary B & The Notions - 8pm - $15 - ALL AGES (TT plays first at 9pm)
July 11 - Washington, D.C. - Fort Reno - w/America Hearts and Cat Jack - FREE - 7pm
July 22 - Philadelphia, PA. - Kung Fu Necktie - 8pm - $8/$10 - 21+
July 23 - New York, NY. - Cake Shop

"Turn Your Face" video premiere on AP.com

2011-05-02T21:18:00.002-04:00

Alternative Press is exclusively premiering the video for "Turn Your Face" right now. You can see it here: http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/exclusive_title_tracks_turn_your_face_feat._john_davis_of_q_and_not_u/.

"In Blank" AVAILABLE NOW

2011-04-19T10:51:00.003-04:00

The new Title Tracks album is out now, at last. If you want to hear it before you buy it, you can stream it in its entirety here:

http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/spinner#/5

U.S. Tour Dates

2011-04-10T16:35:00.010-04:00

Hey everyone. We have some U.S. shows coming up. We play our record release show in D.C. on April 20th at Black Cat (and we'll be joined by Foul Swoops). A week or so later, we'll be heading out for two weeks of shows, mostly in the midwest. If you want to help us fill in shows in the gaps, let us know. Thanks:

May 6 - Madison, WI. - The Terrace - w/Ted Leo (Solo) and Davey Von Bohlen - 8:30pm - FREE - ALL AGES
May 7 - Monticello, IL. - Any Frequency (In-Store Show) - 5pm - FREE
May 8 - St. Louis, MO. - Vintage Vinyl (In-Store Show) - 4pm - FREE
May 8 - St. Louis, MO. - Off Broadway - w/Ted Leo (Solo) and Blind Eyes - 8pm - $10/$12 - 18+
May 9 - Chicago, IL. - Empty Bottle - w/Malaikat dan Singa and The Field Auxiliary - 8:30pm - FREE - 21+
May 10 - Pontiac, MI. - The Pike Room - w/Here We Go Magic and Aroara - 8pm - $10/$12 - ALL AGES
May 11 - Cincinnati, OH. - MOTR Pub - 9pm - 21+
May 12 - Pittsburgh, PA. - Brillobox - w/Legs Like Tree Trunks and Robin Vote - 9pm - $8 - 21+
June 18 - Durham, NC. - The Casbah - 8pm - $8/$10 - 18+
June 19 - Richmond, VA. - Strange Matter - 8pm - $8 - 18+

Free Download of "Turn Your Face"

2011-03-29T21:18:00.002-04:00

Download the new song, "Turn Your Face," for free, thanks to the folks at RCRDLBL. Check it out right here.

Turn Your Face

2011-03-22T13:34:00.001-04:00

"Turn Your Face" from the forthcoming Title Tracks album "In Blank":

Turn Your Face by Title Tracks

All Tricks

2011-03-22T13:33:00.002-04:00

"All Tricks" from the forthcoming Title Tracks album "In Blank":

All Tricks by Title Tracks

PRE-ORDERS FOR "IN BLANK" NOW ACCEPTED

2011-03-15T18:42:00.003-04:00

"In Blank" is now available for pre-ordering on CD or LP by going to the Ernest Jenning Record Co. website.

IN BLANK CD/LP OUT APRIL 19TH!

2011-03-10T20:31:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone. Like it says above, the new Title Tracks album, "In Blank," will be available on April 19th. It will be released by The Ernest Jenning Record Co. (the vinyl is a co-release with Windian Records). We'll be playing the record release show on April 20th at the Black Cat (with more U.S. tour dates to follow right after). We'll have details on how to pre-order the album very soon. Thanks. - JD

"It Was Easy" is Album Of The Year on Power Pop Overdose

2011-02-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on this but one of my favorite power pop blogs named "It Was Easy" their pick for top album of 2010. Go here to check it out:

http://powerpopoverdose.blogspot.com/2010/12/ppo-top-ten-power-pop-albums-of-2010.html

European Tour Dates : March/April 2011

2011-02-21T15:30:00.008-05:00

Hey everyone. Title Tracks will be touring parts of Europe in late March and early April. If you're interested in helping with a show or want us to come by your radio station, etc., drop a line. Thanks.

---

March 24 - Dresden, Germany - Beatpol - w/An Pierle and White Velvet
March 25 - Leipzig, Germany - Zorro w/Steve Adamyk Band and Sonic Avenues
March 26 - Verona, Italy - Interzona
March 27 - Pescara, Italy - Mono Spazio Bar
March 28 - Bari, Italy - Taverna Vecchia del Maltese
March 29 - OFF
March 30 - Villadossola, Italy - Titty Twister
March 31 - Gießen, Germany - AK44 - w/Caves
April 1 - Bremen, Germany - Friesenstrasse
April 2 - Braunschweig, Germany - Nexus - w/Les Aspirateurs and Kafer K
April 3 - Berlin, Germany - Privatclub - w/Les Aspirateurs
April 4 - Hamburg, Germany - Byte FM - Live acoustic set at 3:15pm
April 4 - Kiel, Germany - Subrosa (EARLY ACOUSTIC SHOW AT 6PM)
April 4 - Hamburg, Germany - Gruener Jaeger - w/Gnill
April 5 - Aalborg, Denmark - 1000fryd
April 6 - OFF
April 7 - Münster, Germany - Gleiss 22 - w/Trip Fontaine
April 8 - Luzern, Switzerland - Treibhaus - w/The Bucket
April 9 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Kraftfeld - w/Haddocks
April 10 - München, Germany - Orangehouse/Feierwerk - w/An Horse and Periscope
April 11 - Prague, CZ. - 007
April 12 - Nürnberg, Germany - K4 - w/Trip Fontaine and Sex Jams
April 13 - Würzberg, Germany - Cafe Cairo

NEW ALBUM etc.

2011-01-31T23:37:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. Just letting you know that I should be able to post some more info on the upcoming album soon (release date and artwork, in particular) but here's some to get started. The album is called "In Blank" and it has 11 songs:

1. Shaking Hands
2. Turn Your Face
3. Clench Your Fist (A Little Closer To Me)
4. Light Sleepers
5. I Can't Hide (Flamin' Groovies cover)
6. Forget The Ghost
7. All Tricks
8. Cain And The Twigs
9. No Air
10. It's Wrong
11. Winners Cry

The album will be released by The Ernest Jenning Record Co. (who released the first Title Tracks record, "It Was Easy"). We're hoping for a release date of sometime later in March or April. The album was recorded at The Bastille in Arlington, VA and was produced, engineered and mixed (in mono) by Nick Anderson. I play guitar and sing, Michael Cotterman plays bass and Andrew Black plays drums. More info to come, including tour dates in the U.S. and Europe for this spring.

I Knew It Was You

2010-12-13T23:09:00.000-05:00

This was great. Cazale is one of my favorites and it was nice to see him get some attention. It was also cool to see the flood of respect he was getting from a slew of acting heavyweights. The dude was special. Please see it and then rewatch his five films.

Protex : I Can't Cope

2010-12-09T00:35:00.000-05:00

Great song:

Andy Hummel

2010-07-19T23:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Andy. Amongst my favorite 3 or 4 Big Star songs. You're appreciated and you'll be missed.

Hey Love

2010-07-18T12:44:00.000-04:00

This is probably the best compilation that I own and, without a doubt, the best commercial I've ever seen for one of these comps:

Jerks

2010-06-06T18:13:00.000-04:00

The Music Machine: Trouble

2010-05-26T13:27:00.000-04:00

The Great Arthur Alexander

2010-02-06T02:12:00.001-05:00

The Lancasters

2010-01-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

Jesse Winchester

2010-01-24T01:49:00.001-05:00

Holy cow.

35 Of My Favorite Songs From 2009

2009-12-16T02:18:00.001-05:00

I'll be playing these this weekend on my radio show (1234 More More More) on WOXY.com. Tune in at 2pm eastern this Saturday 12/19.

Something In The Way - Best Coast
Swans - Camera Obscura
Battle Of The Bands - The Aquarium
Forever - Love of Diagrams
Like a Hitman, Like A Dancer - A.C. Newman
Always On - Casper Bangs
Tomorrow's Gone Tonight - Tommy Keene
Running Family - Cale Parks
Unpronounceable Name - Chain and the Gang
The Atlantic Ocean - Richard Swift
Oh No, Baby Don't - Bye!
Tattoo - Wye Oak
Change of Heart - El Perro Del Mar
Grow - Le Loup
Gloomy Monday Morning - The Black Hollies
Two-Headed Coin - Obits
Poised And Ready - Brendan Benson
Dream City - Free Energy
Sawdust Man - Ben Kweller
It Ain't Gonna Save Me - Jay Reatard
Come Saturday - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Beat In Hell - The Points
Over There - Brilliant Colors
When We Were Alive - The Thermals
Blade Of Grass - Swing Youth
Madagascar - Lake
Things That We Do - Rose Melberg
To The Quick - Roofwalkers
All The Pleasures Of The World - The Crayon Fields
Hey Boy - The Magic Kids
Consolation Prize - Julie Doiron
If I Were You - John Paul Keith & the One Four Fives
Steve Don't Party No More - The Mean Jeans
I Got A Lot (New New New) - Mika Miko
Red Light Love - Those Darlins

The Rutles - With A Girl Like You

2009-11-06T02:43:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite songs from The Rutles -- that album actually has some really great songs on it.

The Dolls on THE BEAT!!!

2009-10-31T02:23:00.000-04:00

This is a great clip of a rare Northern Soul gem -- The Dolls (outta Waco, TX) from 1966 on Loma Records. The clip is from a show caled The Beat!!! which ran for a brief period in early'66. I believe it was from Nashville and was hosted by Bill "Hoss" Allen, a legendary local DJ, an awesome presence and a surprisingly good dancer -- all of this in spite of seeming a little bit like a bad guy from Oliver Stone's "JFK." You can find this show on DVD now and I've been working my way through it disc by disc and I've been deeply appreciating the footage from folks like Esther Phillips, Joe Tex and southpaw guitarist Barbara Lynn. The Dolls, as you'll see below, are the true favorite for me so far.

Captain 20

2009-08-26T18:06:00.001-04:00

Speaking of local television, I'm psyched to see this movie. DVD soon, I hope?

When we were planning what turned out to be the lone Georgie James video, the original script called for three actors to play television executives who were going to basically be tinkering with and ultimately destroying our Georgie James variety show. I contacted Captain 20 (aka Dick Dyszel) to see if he'd be in it and he was interested, but ultimately our budget plummeted and we had to re-script the entire video. Would've been great. Actually, now that I think of it, when we were recording the GJ album, the idea came up that there was going to be this minute-long faux interview in the middle of the record that would gradually devolve into total nonsense and would essentially be a laundry list of D.C. references (i.e. Jim Vance, Ollie's Trolley, Captain 20, Jhoon Rhee, The Sports Machine etc.). I guess I can see how that might not have sat well with the otherwise polished vibe of that record, though, so I can't blame us for cutting the idea.

Cherry People

2009-08-26T17:53:00.000-04:00

I had seen that a modern band (The School) had scooped me on my plan to do a cover of The Left Banke's "And Suddenly," a great, overlooked song from their fairly small body of work. Although the Left Banke's version wasn't a hit, the Cherry People came back a year later and were able to find a minor hit with it. While the Left Banke's version is a bit more blue eyed soul in the Spiral Starecase vein, Cherry People's take on it leans more towards the style of Curt Boettcher's productions (i.e. The Association) ... and besides, Cherry People were from D.C., so I'm partial. Anyway, I recently found a clip of Cherry People's "And Suddenly" being played on a teen dance show from Ohio and it was as if I had special ordered it. Great song, local programming, awkward dancing ... all of my favorites!

The Beat: Rock N Roll Girl

2009-08-20T01:02:00.000-04:00

In my top 5 for all songs of any type ever, period. Sure, they're lip-synching here, but c'mon it's the Bandstand! I met Paul Collins when I was 5 years old at a radio dinner that my Dad took me and my brother, too (my Dad was in radio). So, there's a photo of me, my dad, my bro, a couple of radio dudes and Paul Collins chilling at a table circa '81 and it's pretty sweet. In the meantime, here's the Bandstand clip:

Modernettes

2009-08-20T00:57:00.000-04:00

A classic! And with the Streisand spelling!

Hank Locklin

2009-07-03T00:02:00.001-04:00

Skeeter Davis

2009-06-25T02:55:00.001-04:00

Me And My Arrow

2009-06-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

Books I Read in 2008

2009-01-11T17:45:00.000-05:00

As the subject suggests, here are the books I read in 2008. I think I liked most of them, especially Spitz's Beatles book. I like keeping track of the books I read 'cause I think I might forget some of them, really. Also, I like looking back and reminding myself of the friends and family that I borrowed books from over the course of the year (Michael, Scott, Merideth, Mom and Dad) -- as well that old book-lending friend the D.C. Library system. It's also interesting to me to remember what I was doing when I was reading each book, which I'm fairly well able to place. Some places were good, others bad. I guess it's just a different way to reflect on the year. Anyway, here's the list:

“Nickel And Dimed” - Barbara Ehrenreich
“Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life” - Steve Martin
“Breaking Back” - James Blake
“Murder At The Watergate” - Margaret Truman
“Jim Brown: The Fierce Life Of An American Hero” - Mike Freeman
“Echo Park” - Michael Connelly
“The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy” - Jonn Christian and William Turner
“The Beatles” - Bob Spitz
“It’s Not Easy Bein’ Me” - Rodney Dangerfield
“Nine Innings” - Daniel Okrent
“The No Asshole Rule” - Robert Sutton
“Crime Beat” - Michael Connelly
“Murder At The Pentagon” - Margaret Truman
“Murder On The Potomac” - Margaret Truman
“Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds’ Gene Clark” - John Einarson
“Since Then” - David Crosby and Carl Gottlie
“The Notorious Byrd Brothers” - Ric Menck
“Nightline: History in the Making and the Making of Television” - Ted Koppel
“The White Book” - Ken Mansfield
“Thunderstruck” - Erik Larson
“Rumsfeld” - Andrew Cockburn
“The One Percent Doctrine” - Ron Suskind
“Brave New World” - Aldous Huxley
“4 Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader” - Dave Zimmer
“Roy Orbison: Invention Of An Alternative Rock Masculinity” - Peter Lehman
“Gotcha Capitalism” - Bob Sullivan
“Blackwater” - Jeremy Scahill
“The Turnaround” - George Pelecanos
“The Tommy Keene Handbook” - Geoff Cabin
“Simple Prosperity” - David Wann
“In Utero (33 1/3) - Gillian G. Gaar
“The Professor And The Madman” - Simon Winchester
“Buzzcocks: The Complete History” - Tony McGartland
“Catch A Wave” - Peter Ames Carlin
“Queens Noir” - edited by Robert Knightly
“Black Maps” - Peter Spiegelman
“Las Vegas Noir” - edited by Jaret Keene
“Act Of Creation” - Stephen Schlesinger
“America’s Splendid Little Wars” - Peter Huchthausen
“The Stepford Wives” - Ira Levin
“Decade Of Nightmares” - Philip Jenkins

Favorite songs of 2008

2009-01-07T00:53:00.000-05:00

Jared at 5acts.com asked me to submit a list of my favorite songs from 2008. I gave him 15 and here they are, with a few others that I forgot to add:

Elvis Costello - American Gangster Time
Kelley Stoltz - When You Forget
Sloan - Cheap Champagne
Mountain High - St. John Bouvier
John Paul Keith And the One Four Fives - Lookin' For A Thrill
French Kicks - Abandon
El Perro Del Mar - Somebody's Baby
Julie Ocean - At The Appointed Hour
School Of Language - Rockist Pt. 1
The Week That Was - Scratch The Surface
Headlights - Market Girl
The Points - No Girl
Cale Parks - Some Sew, Some Find
Stereolab - Self Portrait With Electric Brain
Lake - The Places We'll Go
Edie Sedgwick - Sissy Spacek
Friendly Foes - Wild (Once In A While)
Edward Rogers - You Haven't Been Where I've Been
Gentleman Jesse - If I Can See You (You're Too Close To Me)

Nobody Bothers Me

2009-01-03T02:42:00.000-05:00

D.C. people: Anyone remember this? I still quote this commercial (circa '82?). And what a tune! Lofgren, who knew?

The Wannabeatles (Pt. 1)

2008-12-15T03:58:00.000-05:00

There comes a time in your fandom for certain bands where the real thing isn't always enough. In my case, as much as I love the Beatles, I nearly equally love tracking down all of the loads of bands that ripped them off and/or took guidance from the fellas themselves (Badfinger, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax). I thought I'd make a mix of some of the best of these for a friend of mine and here's the track listing. This also makes me think that a Wannabeachboys (Cryan Shames, Tony Rivers, Mark Eric) or Wannabyrds (The Choir, R.E.M., New Colony Six) mix could be in the works, too. I also realize that there are a ton of exemptions on this mix. No Rutles? "Cheese and Onions" is a great tune for sure. The Fourmost? Dave Clark Five? The Idle Race/ELO? Let me know who else you'd think belongs. For now ... meet the Wannabeatles Pt. 1 (I'll post Pt. 2 ASAP).

"Here I Go Again" - The Spongetones (from "Beat Music", 1982)
This North Carolina band sounds so much like the early Beatles that I wish THEY could have been commissioned to handle the music on that "Backbeat" movie from the early '90s. Woof, that was brutal. Dulli as Lennon? PIRNER as Macca? Absurd. Anyway, although it might've behooved the Spongetones to take some sartorial cues from the Fabs as well (as great as the Spongetones are, they sort of look like hockey players from the early 80s on their album covers -- see Maruk, Dennis/Gartner, Mike), the music here cannot be denied. No bones are to be made that "A Hard Day's Night" and "Meet The Beatles" are the template here, but the songwriting on "Beat Music" is great and keeps the band from drifting into tribute turf. The band's records are a bit scarce, but there's a compilation CD called Beat & Torn that has all you need if you can track it down.

Everything's Alright - The Aerovons (from "Resurrection", 1969/2003)
A completely overlooked back from the late 60s, The Aerovons were a group of kids from St. Louis that took the Beatles fixation that thousands of other bands their age shared and took it much, much further. On the strength of a demo tape, EMI signed the band and brought them over to Abbey Road to record, where they met George. "Everything's Alright" is a peppy number in the vein of a "Getting Better" or "Penny Lane," and is one of the many excellent songs on the "Resurrection" CD that RPM released in 2003. Despite the band's deal with EMI, nothing was released aside from a pair of singles that both stiffed, so it was years before anyone really had a chance to listen to how great some of this band's output really was.

I Just Want to Touch You - Utopia (from "Deface The Music", 1980)
As much as I love Todd Rundgren, I had never really dipped into the Utopia catalog, the band he put together around '73/'74 following his massive solo success in the early 70s, until recently. His first three solo records (Runt, The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything) are firmly ensconced in my musical DNA. When I realized that one of the Utopia albums, 1980's "Deface The Music" was an homage to the Beatles, I checked it out and "I Just Want To Touch You" is one of the best of the batch. But the entire album is a really deft tribute to the Beatles and goes through a variety of the band's styles -- though the early records and the psych-pop of Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour get most of the attention from Rundgren.

Goodbye John Frost - Pete Ham (from "Golders Green," 1999)
Pete Ham is one of rock's great, though unsung, tragic figures, as has well been covered. His band, Badfinger, is oft-cited as one of the prime examples of a band that got hit with all of the industry bullshit and suffered for it. As much as the Beatles put Badfinger on the map, they also anchored them firmly in their shadow, despite Badfinger's relatively massive success (4 singles in Billboard's top 15 over a span of four years, not to mention the enduring success of their album cut, "Without You," which was very successfully covered by the likes of Nilsson and Mariah Carey, amongst others). Following the collapse of the band under the weight of unrealized expectations and bad management, Ham took his own life in 1975. He left behind a number of demos, which were assembled on a pair of CDs, "7 Park Avenue" and "Golders Green," Several of the songs demoed wound up on Badfinger records and some of the songs were discarded. One of the latter, "Goodbye John Frost" is a jaunty, piano-driven tune that clocks in at just under 2 minutes and certainly would've fit in fine on any of the band's early Apple output. Great singing and a great hook. Like many before me, I can only wonder at the great records that Ham had in front of him.

Goodbye - Mary Hopkin (from the "Goodbye" single, 1969)
Another member of the Apple Records gang, Mary Hopkin was a young Welsh singer that McCartney took under his aegis. Producing her debut single, "Those Were The Days" and her debut album, "Postcard," McCartney also wrote and produced her second single, the great "Goodbye."

I Dreamed I Was A Beatle - Murray Kellum (from the "I Dreamed I Was a Beatle" 7", 1964)
There were scads of tunes that cropped up in the wake of Beatlemania that sang the praises of the Fabs. "I Dreamed I Was a Beatle" is one of my favorites Beatlesploitation numbers. Unlike most of the tributes, it's actually a good song and Kellum (otherwise best known for his hit, "Long Tall Texan" -- which was covered by the Beach Boys) turns in a lyric that is about the most Wannabeatle there is. This can also be found on the entertaining compilation, "Beatlemaniacs!!!," which puts together a thorough compilation of Beatlesploitation tunes.

Somebody Made For Me - Emitt Rhodes (from the "Emitt Rhodes" LP, 1970)
Following the dissolution of his band, The Merry Go Round, Emitt Rhodes headed into the garage and churned out a series of classic albums that presaged the DIY/lo-fi boom of the 80s and 90s. Despite its humble recording environs, Rhodes (who played eery instrument on the record himself) makes a regal and well-crafted batch of songs, particularly on his 1970 debut. "Somebody Made For Me" is my favorite from this record and would've fit in on Macca's solo debut from the same year, if Paul was looking to do a more concise pop thing at that point.

I Want You Mine - Sex Clark Five (from the "Strum & Drum" LP, 1987)
They may sound like a Merseybeat band, but they're really an 80s band from Alabama, strangely enough. Their album, "Strum & Drum" is a great collection of pop classics. This one's my favorite and I first heard it on one of the "Teenline" comps that Hyped To Death puts out. Their cover of The Byrds/Gene Clark's "She Don't Care About Time" inspired me to do one of my own.

Together Forever - We All Together (from the "We All Together 2" LP, 1974)
Oh well, another Peruvian psych-pop Beatles rip-off band. We all know the world doesn't need another one of those (after all, who can forget ... um, We All Together?). We All Together took their tomfoolery to pretty extreme levels (with their nearly note-for-note -- and exquisite -- covers of Macca solo tunes like "Tomorrow," "Bluebird," "Some People Never Know" and others), though it also displays their great taste in cover choices. Here, they merely rework "I Will" into another sorta treacly ballad (though, use of the word "treacly" is no dis, as "I Will" was the processional at my wedding) with nearly equally great results. Track down either of the two records that have been reissued ("We All Together" or "We All Together 2") or, possibly easier to find, a compilation called "Singles." Neck and neck with Emitt Rhodes for King of the Wannabeatles, you need to hear We All Together if you haven't already.

This Kind of Feeling - The Last (from the "L.A. Explosion" LP, 1979)
Generally lumped in with the punk boom in L.A. in the late 70s, The Last quite frequently just sounded like a Merseybeat band, especially on songs like "This Kind Of Feeling." The production hovers in this weird world where it doesn't sound grimy enough to be from the 60s, but also lacks the dated touch of most recordings that were contemporary to it. While other bands from this era (The Nerves, The Plimsouls, The Knack) might have had elements of the Beatles in the mix, The Last really had it best, what with great songs like this one, "Bombing Of London," "She Don't Know Why I'm Here" and others from the L.A. Explosion album.

Tip Of My Tongue - Tommy Quickly (from the "Tip Of My Tongue" 7", 1963)
One of the many songs that Lennon & McCartney wrote in their early days but never got around to issuing recordings of, "Tip Of My Tongue" wound up in the hands of Tommy Quickly (part of Brian Epstein's Liverpool NEMS posse). A peppy, sort of dippy, lightweight rocker (the sort of which inspired the existence of the Rutles), it's still a great pop song and one of the hidden gems in the pair's vast songwriting catalog.

One And One Is Two - The Badbeats (from the "One And One Is Two" 7", 1979)
Here's another song that Lennon & McCartney wrote but didn't officially release, this one is interesting in that it's done by The Badbeats, a band out of Long Island from the late 70s whose two singles consist solely of covers (one was "Tip Of My Tongue"/"One And One Is Two," both Lennon/McCartney compositions, and the other was The Zombies' "Tell Her No" and the Knickerbockers' "Lies"). The band did put together an album, Here Are The Badbeats, but it never came out. What keeps this single interesting, aside from the quality of the songs they were covering, was the performance. Authentic, in a sense, but also still with a whiff of the punk energy that was bristling throughout music at the time. Perhaps a little too reverent, yes, but this first Badbeats single is still a great one and full of vigor, while "One and One Is Two" itself is another lost Beatles classic.

(more to come...)

The Sisters Love - "Give Me Your Love"

2008-12-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

It's almost unheard of that someone covering Curtis Mayfield would be able to match his original, let alone possibly surpass it. In this case, I'd say that the Sisters Love have at least matched his original version of "Give Me Your Love" (originally found on his "Superfly" LP). The Sisters Love version is grittier, less cinematic. It's certainly more immediate. It doesn't possess Curtis' virtuosic touch, but the simplicity, force and focus of this version really make it work.

Laurie and The Machine

2008-12-08T03:11:00.000-05:00

Can't stop listening to Laurie Spiegel's "The Expanding Universe." Here she is at work.

Adriano Celentano

2008-12-01T01:17:00.000-05:00

Tom Jones meets Bollywood = Adriano Celentano's "Prisencolinensinainciusol"

Researching Roy Orbison

2008-11-08T00:37:00.000-05:00

I worked on a project over the summer at the University of Maryland, where I helped to research, plan and write an exhibit exploring the career of Roy Orbison. The Special Collections at UMCP (SCPA) contains, among many other collections, the Hugo Keesing Collection. Dr. Keesing is a guy from Columbia, MD. who has collected pop culture related stuff for most of his life and Orbison was one of his prime subjects (as well as The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and others). There were boxes and boxes of stuff there -- tons of magazines, photos from concerts, t-shirts, CDs, LPs, singles, a newspaper purloined from Orbison's front porch, correspondence ... all kinds of stuff. Since the 20th anniversary of Orbison's death is in December, SCPA decided to pull together an exhibit that examined both Orbison and the Keesing collection and I'm glad I was able to help. The exhibit is on display now through the spring, so check it out if you can. Go to http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/SCPA/orbison/ for more info on the project, including a bio and other stuff that I wrote.

To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of Orbison's heading into this project and I suppose that my opinion hasn't changed much since this summer, regarding the music. It's fine and it has some great moments, but it doesn't speak to me the same way that it does to some others. To me, though, he is a fascinating figure in the history of rock n roll. His influence is undeniable (testimonials from the likes of Dylan, The Beatles, U2, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley and on and on certainly attest to that), but who sounds like him? Who looks like him? Who does anything like what he did, no matter how many hosannas are sent his way? It's a very interesting case and one that really fostered my respect for what he accomplished over a very turbulent career.

Top 10: 10/7/08

2008-10-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

1. Booker T. & The MG's at the 9:30 Club 9/21/08 -- The first 45 minutes were kind of brutal. Felt like blues night at the Zoo Bar, but then they kicked into "Green Onions" and "Time Is Tight," which were both solid. That would've really been good enough, but then they brought out Eddie Floyd and he was incredible. The dude is 73 and he certainly taught me a lesson about performance. Plus, The MG's are such a solid backing band that it was interesting to see them slip into that mode so effortlessly. "634-5789," "Knock On Wood," "Soul Man" ... it was solid.

2. Felt Letters at the Black Cat 10/6/08 -- The first D.C. show (I think) from Ian Svenonius and Brendan Canty's new trio. It was an interesting combination of their respective sensibilities, even if the Spiv's seemed to dominate. Although the music was good, again, it was the notion of rethinking a performance that was most interesting to me. Between songs, attention would shift to the right wall of the club as Ian controlled a slide show that was narrated by two people not in the band (one of whom, Justin Moyer, shares my practice space). The series of slides corresponded with a Svenonian dialogue between two aliens contemplating a visit to Earth. Meanwhile, the band would resume playing, but every song ended with one of the band members pointedly (with tongue in cheek) telling the other that they fucked up the song and they needed to stop playing. Really, though, it was just a pleasure to see Ian and Brendan performing onstage again. That, and Ian's dialogue leveling the charge that to say one "plays" music is to infantalize musicians, was also kind of awesome.

3. "The 50 Years War" - a PBS documentary from the late 90s on the Arab-Israeli conflict since the creation of Israel. Epic (6 hours), but seemingly thorough, I felt that I learned a lot from it.

4. "Your Gold Dress" - Dukes Of The Stratosphear - a prime cut from XTC's psychedelic alter-ego. I especially love the point where the song shifts into pristine, Beatlesque pop after a minute of grungy Count Five psych/garage

5. The Mice - Canterbury Bells - A while back, my friend (Muddy Brackbill) introduced me to this Ohio power-pop/punk trio. There had been a CD compilation of the band's LP and an EP and it was a great mix of the aforementioned genres and definitely seemed to set the table for the indie-rock likes of Superchunk (who did indeed cover "Bye Bye Kitty cat"). Anyway, I came across a blog that had the songs that were to make up the never-released swan-song album, "Canterbury Bells." More great songs ("Resurrection Day," "Music Here") and a very nice surprise. The place to start, though, is the "Forever Ever Scooter" CD on Scat Records.

6. Recent acquisitions from the LP holy grail list = Tommy Keene's "Strange Alliance" and the Michael Guthrie Band's "Direct Hits."

7. Josh from Red Onion Records' suggestion that Title Tracks cover The Flamin' Groovies' "Shake Some Action" from start to finish. Maybe so, but "St. Louis Blues"? I'm not sure if I could see us playing that. Hmmm, we'll see. We already know "I Can't Hide," so that's a start.

8. "Anguish" - a 1985 horror film that pulls off the notable feat of combining two mediocre movies into one decent one, via the meta "movie in a movie" scheme. Michael Lerner and Zelda Rubenstein in the same movie is too much for me, but there is some unintentional hilarity and the "real life" scenes in the movie theater can be pretty righteous.

9. "I Got Kind Of Lost" - Big Star - this is from the "Thank You Friends" comp that recently came out and explores the history of Ardent Records/Studios. "I Got Kind Of Lost" was a Chris Bell song that wasn't included on either of the first two Big Star records (although Bell only played on the first one, some of his compositions appear uncredited on "Radio City" -- and there are rumors that he did some backing vox). "I Am the Cosmos" a CD that Ryko back in the 90s is a collection of all of the unreleased Chris Bell recordings, so I know the version of this song from that album best. But this is a take of Big Star doing it and it's easily equal to the Bell solo version. False starts, a more raunchy, lugubrious feel and great, great harmonies from Chilton and Bell. Fantastic and worth the purchase price of the 2xCD alone. "How was that?"

10. The new music blog from my friend, Chris Richards -- Summer Bleeding. It's like being in the van again.

Top 10: 8/17/08

2008-08-17T19:12:00.001-04:00

1. listening quite a bit to all of the Bee Gees records from "1st" through "Trafalgar"
2. Cabin John Park - that place is like a time machine. Nothing's changed in 25 years.
3. Mad Men - Season 1 on DVD, but also Season 2 on the actual TV. I never watch shows every week like this.
4. Night Of The Comet (1984) on DVD. Kind of flimsy, but has some good valley girl/new wave moments and holds up with other fin de humanité flicks like "Miracle Mile" and "On The Beach."
5. Seemingly anything that Burt Lancaster was in. Elmer Gantry, The Swimmer, Criss Cross, Sweet Smell of Success, Birdman of Alcatraz, Executive Action -- all flicks watched semi-recently and all are great
6. I'm also on a Jack Lemmon tip (The Apartment, The Fortune Cookie, The Odd Couple, Save The Tiger)
7. Not really into the Olympics like I used to be, but it's still great on occasion
8. The Accents - Yesterday, Today and A Bit Of Tomorrow LP - sort of like the Sandpipers or the Association
9. The Wire - Season 5 on DVD
10. Arthur Alexander - You Better Move On LP

Top 10 : 8/4/08

2008-08-04T00:32:00.000-04:00

1. Booker T. & The MGs - Soul Limbo LP (thanks, Scott)
2. Cuby & The Blizzards - "Your Body, Not Your Soul"
3. Mad Men - my favorite show since The Wire
4. Don And The Goodtimes - "I Could Be So Good To You"
5. The new Pelecanos book. Haven't read it yet, but I'm psyched.
6. The Hitmen - "Private Eye" - more poor man's angry young man new wave, of which I'm always a fan
7. Neil Young - "The Ways Of Love" and "Hangin' On A Limb," both from Freedom. Would've fit nicely on Comes A Time.
8. Mortimer - "Singing To The Sunshine" - after years of searching, I finally found this album a few months back (at Red Onion in D.C.).
9. The Idle Race - "Days Of The Broken Arrows"
10. getting a sealed copy of The Sex Clark Five's "Strum and Drum" (many thanks, Rick)

New Blog

2008-08-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

Hey all. This is new spot for my blogging, however infrequent. Thanks.

JD