Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for listening.

Jay brings us a Thanksgiving-themed Three for Thursday. The holiday may not be known for its music, but there’s plenty of songs with titles that belong on a Thanksgiving table.

Songs:

Certainly So - “Turkey Leg”

Ray Charles - “Sweet Potato Pie”

Dogs on Fleas - “Cranberry Sauce Flotilla”

Nick wants to provide some music related news for discussion at the family gathering, it’s “News with Nick.” Tame Imapala’s Kevin Parker invented a new instrument, and Apple is making an authorized Fleetwood Mac documentary. Shaboozy’s “A Bar Song” is ties a No. 1 Billboard record, and Drake sues UMG because he lost to Kendrick.

Song: Roy Haynes Quartet - “Long Wharf”

Finally, we end with a game. The full lineup for Coachelle 2025 has been released and Greg quizzes Nick & Jay in another episode of “Marquee or Snarky.”

Song: Kendrick Lamar - “Squabble Up”

Bandmates get to know each other really well on the road. Last week Greg spent some time listening to jam bands, a favorite genre of Red Not’s drummer Pete. This week we’re gonna listen to some jam bands (and a song by Chick Corea featuring Roy Haynes). It’s Three For Thursday!

Songs:

Phish - “Down With Disease (from ‘Bittersweet Motel’)”

Grateful Dead - “China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider (5-3-72)”

Chick Corea - “Steps/What Was”

Nick found his way back to Pitchfork and discovered a throwback Sunday review of Pink Floyd’s 1975 Wish You Were Here. The album was the band’s follow up to Dark Side of the Moon and when Nick was a kid, he listened to it the way a kid listens to his favorite anything. Anyway, this is “Review the Review.”

Songs:

Pink Floyd - “Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5”

Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here”

Jay found a recent published list, titled “50 Global Guitar Greats” and shares some newly discovered gems from the list. We have a rare “Three More For Thursday” for you this week.

Songs:

Robbie Basho - “A North American Raga (The Plumstar)”

Derek Gripper - “Jarabi (Passion)”

Franco & le T.P OK Jazz - “Massu”

We play “Guess the Guest” with Jay as host. This week the theme is “songs we already know” and the game is to guess the guest on the song played. Greg is calling in from DC on a special project with the US legislature, and Nick spent the previous 2 nights camping without much sleep. Who will prevail, tune in to find out!

Song: Cordovas - “Love Is All It Takes”

Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick. North Carolina musician Michael Smith has been accused by the FBI of creating hundreds of thousands of fake, ai-generated songs, then putting them on streaming platforms, and streaming the songs using upwards of 10,000 fake streaming accounts. He’s being charged with stealing royalty payments from digital platforms, which is illegal, right? TayTay endorses Harris, Kendrick is headlining the Super Bowl, and Tito Jackson passed at the age of 70.

Song: METZ - “No Reservation / Love Comes”

Greg’s taking us back to Hot Topical. He decides the Dave Grohl situation is a little too fresh, so we shift over to the news that Jane’s Addiction’s singer Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro on stage at a concert in Boston the week. They have since cancelled the rest of their tour and this whole thing sucks. They still rock.

Song: Jane’s Addiction - “Ocean Size”

It seems as though the 2022 Holiday Season was particularly hectic this year and we’ve decided to take the week off. However, instead of just skipping, we thought we’d revisit a few of our favorite episodes from the past year…a clip show, if you will. We hope everyone is having a lovely holiday and we’ll see you next week. Happy New Year!

Jay features his old friend Keith Degrasso, from episode #163.

Greg was excited to re-listen to episode #159, featuring his son Jackson Loman.

Nick wanted to play some parts of his son Cam Kline’s guest appearance on episode #158 & recall the Supreme Court decision on Fair Use coming up in 2023, which the guys discussed on episode #167.

Episode 177 Page

It’s that time of the year and we’ve spared no expense, it’s the Annual YSCIO Holiday Extravaganza!!

This year we spend the first 20min of the show revisiting the epic World Cup Final between Argentina and France and then we’re back to the holiday stuff. For 2022, we’re not sure why they made it, here’s our incomplete list of Inexplicable Christmas Albums.

Hope you enjoy, thanks for listening and, of course, Happy Holidays!!

Greg’s Picks

James Brown (Soulful Christmas) - “Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto”

Snoog Dogg & Nate Dogg (Christmas in the Doghouse) - “Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto”

Christopher Lee (Heavy Metal Christmas) - “The Little Drummer Boy”

Christmas with Colonel Sanders - “Jingle Bell Rock (feat. Chet Atkins)”

Jay’s Picks

Regis Philben & Donald Trump (The Regis Philbin Christmas Album) - Stinkin Rudolph The Rednose Reindeer

Bright Eyes (Bright Eyes, A Christmas Album)- “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

Scott Weiland (The Most Wonderful Time of the Year) - “Silent Night”

Nick’s Picks

The Three Stooges (Christmas Time With the Three Stooges) - “We’re Coming to Your House” 

William Shatner (Shatner Claus) - “Jingle Bells (feat Henry Rollins)”

Bootsy Collins (Christmas Is 4 Ever) - “Merry Christmas Baby”

Welcome to "You Should Check It Out," a podcast where friends come together to share their passion for music. Today's episode is a special one, as we are joined by the talented Gabe Noel, the mastermind behind the new jazz album "The Randy Paserntes Trio."

Gabe sits down with the guys to discuss his latest project, a collaboration with friend and saxophonist Sam Gendel & singer Inara George. The album features the AI jazz singer Randy Paserntes, whose vocal stylings are truly impressive. With its blend of jazz, "The Randy Paserntes Trio" is an album that explores the depths of audio's uncanny valley.

Released on Colorfield Records at the urging of Pete Min, one of the label's founders, "The Randy Paserntes Trio" is an album that truly stands out. Gabe shares some behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the album, including the challenges they faced and the moments of pure magic that happened in the studio.

Throughout the episode, we will be listening to tracks from the album and discussing the creative process behind its making. Gabe sheds light on the creative process behind the album, his musical influences, and the importance of supporting your friends in the industry. It's a must-listen for fans of jazz, bass guitar, saxophones, and the beauty of friendship in the arts.

If you're a fan of jazz, you need to check out "The Randy Paserntes Trio" by Gabe Noel and Sam Gendel. It's an album that will transport you to a different time and place. Tune in to "You Should Check It Out" to hear the full conversation with Gabe Noel.

(Thanks ChatGPT! ;-)

Episode 175

Jay has some history for us this week. In 1942, musicians, led by James C. Petrillo, went on strike. For the two years and three months there was no new recorded music. Jay brings us the details…

Song: The Bronx - “Sore Throat”

Nick’s song last week was from a new group called The Randy Paserntes Trio, Sam Gender & Gabe Noel that released “now at last,” a very different sounding vocal jazz album. On a quest to discover the story behind the album, Nick uncovered some interesting information….

Clips:

The Randy Paserntes Trio - “Autumn Serenade”

The Randy Paserntes Trio - “Waterfalls” (0:35-0:49)

The Randy Paserntes Trio - “My best girl” (2:03-2:51)

Song: Fievel is Glauque - “Save The Phenomenon”

Greg closes us out this week with a news inspired edition of Heavy Rotation. While their founding guitarist, Dimebag Darrell, and his drummer & brother Vinne Paul have passed, Pantera’s singer & bassist have assembled a tour with some, seemingly worthy, fill-ins. Greg takes us down his love affair with the band and we discuss how the tour is being received.

Song: Pantera - “Floods”

Episode 174 Webpage

Greg presents the sales data for the debut studio album of American Rapper Saweetie, as her success in acquiring 13 million Instagram stands in stark contrast to her meager 2000 total copies sold in the album’s first week out. Is this because everyone listens to it on streaming or an issue with the quality of the content? We join an ongoing internet debate… Then some followup to a discussion regarding the missing audience from Keith Jarrett’s latest album.
Song: Chick Corea & Elektric Band - “Got a Match?”

This week on News with Jay… Ryan Adams latest project is concerning; make your Spotify history into a music festival with InstaFest; Jack White eloquently explains how he feels about Seven Nation Army’s popularity to Conan; and finally, Jay gets Greg’s take on Metallica today.
Song: Mick Jagger - “Too Many Cooks”

Nick presents a detailed report on Ticketmaster’s failed execution of ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s latest tour. A monumental load of traffic reached Ticketmaster’s servers last week, they weren’t ready & TayTay is not happy about it…
Song: The Randy Paserntes Trio - “Now At Last”

Episode 173

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Thank you for listening! This year we’re sharing the artists that we’re most thankful for:

Nick’s Artists

Arie Hoenig
Arie Hoenig - “Child’s Prey (feat Gadi Lehavi & Ben Tiberio)”

Morgan Simpson
Black Midi - “27 Questions”

Michael Cavanagh
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Change” for his endurance

Greg’s Artists

Rage Against the Machine - “Bulls on Parade (Live in L.A.)”

Smashing Pumpkins - “Jellybelly”

Pink Floyd - “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”

Jay’s Artists

Lafayette Gilchrist - “Assume the Position”

Brian Eno: "Ambient 1: Music for Airports 1/1"

Sturgill Simpson: "A Little Light"

Episode 172 Page

Jay brings us three things worth checking out this week.

“Blockhead” by Ghost Funk Orchestra

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” began as a spoof trailer on Funny or Die that became so popular it was made. The entire movie, which was filmed in less than 3 weeks, stylistically fits Weird Al perfectly as it continuously parodies movie tropes old and new.

The Philosophy of Modern Song is a book by Bob Dylan containing 66 chapters of Dylan’s musings and reflections on modern song. The audiobook features famous actors and is another experience altogether.

Nick wants to celebrate Mimi Parker, who passed earlier in November at the age of 55 from ovarian cancer. Mimi and her husband Alan Sparhawk made quiet music that seemed to be a source of comfort or companionship for those in low places. Outpourings of beautiful stories have followed and Nick shares his own.

Songs:

Low - “Fly”

Low - “Monkey”

Finally, it’s a brand new game from Greg Loman Productions and it’s sure to be hit! In “Locate the Lyric,” contestants are given a sample of a popular song’s lyrics and must name the artist &/or song to accrue points. The winner has the most points at the end of the game and it’s harder than it sounds (at least for Nick & Jay).

Song: Weird Al Yankovic - “Smells Like Nirvana”

Episode 171 Page

Relieved to make it in time for the show, Greg joins us from Florida where he’s been playing some live shows and recording in the studio with The Resilient. We hear about his week past and get him to promise to premiere their latest music on the show (when the time comes).

Song: Tony Williams - “Pro-Cosmos” (Featuring Allan Holdsworth)

Nick has finished “The Beatles: Get Back” and is ready to give his two cents (just over 11 months after Jay & Greg’s original conversation in episode 122) and he’s got plenty to say. Also, we have a mini NERD ALERT about a new code based music creation and performance tool called Sonic Pi (https://sonic-pi.net/).

Song: The Beatles - “Birthday”

Finally, Happy Birthday Jay! While the show paid for him to attend the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles and paid for his room upgrade at the Four Seasons (and entire minibar consumption)…it’s his birthday and he doesn’t wanna talk about all that…so we have a new bit. Jay’s Thoughts are random thoughts from Jay set over calm music. It’s a once-a-year-birthday-indulgence that we think you’ll enjoy!

Song: Taylor Swift - “Anti-Hero”

Episode 170 Page

Jay runs us through the short-lived rock & long-lived country career of Jerry Lee Lewis, who passed last week at the age of 87. He was a true pioneer of rock n’ roll and continued making music well into his 80s. His contributions to music will always be appreciated. Thanks Killer!

Songs:

Jerry Lee Lewis - “Crazy Arms”

Jerry Lee Lewis - “Rock & Roll Time”

Next up, we have our latest edition of Tales From the Concert! Nick & Jay had the honor of seeing King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard perform at The Anthem on 10/23 and bring us stories from the show. It was an incredible performance and we’ll be seeing them anytime they come to town in the future. Somehow the Gizz also released a new album last week, so we take a listen to a track from that as well. This band is something else!

Song: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Astroturf”

Finally, Greg brings us a brand new TayTay Today! Currently holding all top 10 spots in the Billboard Top 10, which is a first, her latest album “Midnights” dropped as a surprise between her reissue project. Additionally, a story from 2018, wherein Ms. Swift demanded that all UMG artists receive a substantial cut from any future sale of any Spotify stock as part of her record contract, allowed Greg to tie her back to some of popular metal artists on the same label. Good on ya TayTay & well engineered Greg!

Song: Electric Wizard - “Dopethrone”

Episode 169

**Warning** Some of these songs are legit disturbing, we’re not playing anything inappropriate…but we’re not talking about Thriller either. Also, Jay has a great time with his sound effects & Greg’s got reverb. Thanks for all the suggestions on Facebook. If scary or disturbing music isn’t your thing, you might stay for the laughs…if not, we totally understand!

Greg’s Picks

Leviathan - “VI - XI - VI”

Marc Blackwood recommended “100 Years” by The Cure

Theresa Sanchez recommended “Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan

Jay’s Picks

Dean Hurley - “Night Electricity Theme”

Krzysztof Penderecki - “Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” performed by Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia w Katowicach

Mr. Bungle - “Everyone I Went to High School With Is Dead”

Nick’s Picks

Pink Floyd - “Welcome to the Machine”

Nine Inch Nails - “Mr. Self Destruct”

Louis Cole - “Let Me Snack”

Episode 168

We have a very special episode for you this week! The Resilient returns to the show to discuss their new album, “One More.” Nathan Kalwicki (guitar), Erik Kalwicki (bass), Juan "Dom" Dominguez (drums), Evan Kornblum (engineer, mixing), and Greg (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals mandolin, percussion) take us song by song and discuss how the album came exist. Evan, who has mixed or engineered all of the band’s releases, joins us for the first time and shares his philosophy on working effectively with and for bands. While singer (and harmonicist) Tim Donley wasn’t able to join us for the show, we were grateful to have Evan & the rest of band on to discuss the album. You should check out “One More” by The Resilient on your preferred streaming platform, or over at their BandCamp page.

Songs:

The Resilient - “One More”

The Resilient - “Lost and Just Fine”

The Resilient - “Driftwood”

The Resilient - “Threads of Color”

The Resilient - “Whispers”

The Resilient - “Classified”

The Resilient - “Fall in Line”

Nick kicks things off with a case from the current docket of the Supreme Court. “Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith” is the case of the photographer Lynn Goldsmith, whose photograph of Prince was licensed by Conde Nast exclusively for a cover photo (she kept the rights for any other licensing opportunities). Years later, Conde Nast commissioned Andy Warhol to do a series of Prince prints with the cover photo as their reference photograph. Goldsmith is suing because she argues the prints are too close to her original photograph and The Andy Warhol Foundation, which has made hundreds of millions in sales and licensing from the Prince prints, argues that it falls under fair use. So, per the SCOTUS blog, the decision comes down to “whether a work of art is “transformative” when it conveys a different meaning or message from its source material” or whether a judge is allowed to make that interpretation. [NPR]

Song: Frank Zappa - “San Ber'dino (Live In Ljubljana, November 22, 1975)”

Greg found a great article from NPR by Nate Chinen suggesting a new genre for the class of prolific (often) jazz influenced musicians that have emerged as influencers on YouTube. “Viral jazz” was coined on Twitter by artist Vijay Iyer and includes artists such as Louis Cole, MonoNeon, DOMi & JD Beck, and Jacob Collier. Among other qualifications, Chinen asserts that the genre requires prolific chops and that the medium/channel that they broadcast on informs their process. It’s a great read and we have a cool discussion about the concept, whether we like it and whether it’ll stick.

Song: Louis Cole - “Dead Inside Shuffle”

Jay is back with a game to close out the show. The last time we played “Tag The Track,” Nick had his butt handed to him. This time around, Jay decided to try and help his odds by doing a “Drum Intros Only” edition. Greg & Nick listen to the first few seconds of a song that begins with a drum fill and have to guess the artist and song. Will Nick redeem his record when the clips feature only drums or is Greg just too strong to take down? You’ll have to listen to find out…

Song: Bill Callahan - “Natural Information”

Episode 167 Page

First up, Jay presents a lovely retrospective of Loretta Lynn’s impressive career. She was 30 and had six kids before directing her time and energy into her music. The daughter of a coal miner, Lynn’s authenticity became a feature of her music and story. She embraced her roots, wrote and sang about her life and never shied away from taking a stand on issues, regardless of whether they were popular or not. She wrote 24 No. 1 songs, won 3 of the 18 Grammy nods, and had 11 of her 60 albums reach No. 1 on the charts. We listen back to a few of her best and pay our respects to America’s favorite Coal Miner’s Daughter.

Songs:

Loretta Lynn - “Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)”

Loretta Lynn - “The Pill”

Loretta Lynn - “Fist City”

Nick was feeling some King Gizzard withdrawal a couple episodes ago, but only because he hadn’t bothered checking the news! They’ve just released “Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava”, their first of three albums coming out this month. For this album, they went into the studio with a tempo & a mode, jammed and then made a song of each. Nick decided this was a good time for a refresher course on Modes. Greg jumps into music teacher mode and breaks it down. All is right with the world again! Here’s Greg’s worksheet for music modes (pdf).

Songs:

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Mycelium” (Ionian)

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Magma” (Phrygian)

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Lava” (Lydian)

Finally, Greg found a great interview with Mike Patton over at Bandcamp (here). We discuss the strange and wonderful voices/characters that Patton has created across his many bands/projects/collaborations. From Mr. Bungle to Faith No More, Fantômas to Dead Cross to Tomahawk; collaborations with artists like Björk, John Zorn, The Melvins; in styles covering scatting, crooning, rapping, growling and more… he’s a prolific artist worthy of multiple examinations.

Song: Tomahawk - “Capt. Midnight”

Episode 166 Page

Greg has some fun updates from the past week and brings us an amazing new album. Keith Jarrett has released his 2016 live improvised concert in Bordeaux and it is incredible. Jarrett retired in 2018 due to health issues, so this may be one of his last shows. It’s very different than his Köln Concert from 1975, highlighting his classical influences as much, if not more than, jazz. For anyone seriously interested in piano or jazz or Jarrett, it is a must listen.

Songs:

Keith Jarrett - “Part V”

Keith Jarrett - “Part VII”

Jay was listening to the 2004 reggae album True Love by Toots & the Maytals. Each song features a different guest artist. Given that Nick & Greg rarely listen to reggae, Jay took the opportunity to make a special Reggae Edition of Guess the Guest.

Song: Club d’elf - “King Kong”

Nick’s love for Pitchfork is waning and he wants to talk about that. Jay is very receptive to this change and full supports the direction Nick seems to be heading.

Song: Nu Fvnk - “East Bop”

Episode 165

Nick is back on the King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard train, this time he’s bringing Polygondwanaland, the fourth album they released in 2017 called. With a band this prolific, Nick’s chosen to slow walk the courtship and is happy to report it’s going quite well so far.

Songs:

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Ice V”

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Crumbling Castle”

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “The Fourth Colour”

Greg was back on The East Coast this past week for the Sag Harbor Festival and they were joined by, none other than, G. E. Smith. A hard working and prolific American guitarist since 1979, Smith was the lead guitarist for Hall & Oates during their heyday, fronted & co-directed the SNL band for most of the 80s and has played with an impressive number of artists. Greg gives us the details and we listen to some audio as well!

Songs:

The Resilient (feat. G. E. Smith) - “Gloria”

The Resilient (feat. G. E. Smith) - “Wide River To Cross”

The Resilient (feat. G. E. Smith) - “American Girl”

Jay has always appreciated the music of Ryan Adams, and the controversy surrounding his mistreatment of women (and some men) hasn’t swayed that appreciation. The music stands on its own, as all art must, and Adams hasn’t stopped making it. Quite the contrary, he’s grown more and more productive in his isolation. Jay brings us two track from Adams’ latest record Devolver.

Songs:

Ryan Adams - “Don’t Give It Away”

Ryan Adams - “I’m In Love With You”

Episode 164 Page

Keith Grasso, owner of Island Music Company in La Plata, MD, is back to talk about the return of Rocktoberfest LP! Back in 2013, Keith was frustrated by the local school boards repeated cuts to the county’s music program, so he decided to raise money by holding a concert at a bar near his store. Overwhelmed by the response, the event grew year over year and now takes over main street La Plata for an all day event. The 2019 iteration of the show raised over $46,000 for the Charles County Music & Arts Program and this year is going to be the biggest one yet!

This year’s event, headlined by the 80s Glam Metal band Kix, will be held in downtown La Plata on Saturday, October 1st. Online tickets are sold out, but that’s only to leave plenty available at the gate. If you’re anywhere near the area, come on out!

Song: Kix - “Cold Blood”

Episode 163 Page

Black Midi came to Rams Head Live! last week in Baltimore, Maryland. Nick & Jay caught the show and bring us another Tales From The Concert!

Jay’s Song: Norah Jones (feat. Bill Frisell) - “Steer Your Way”

Nick’s Clips:

Black Midi - “953”

Black Midi - “Slow”

Meanwhile, Greg just returned from a weekend tour in Nashville and some East Coast cities and he shares his stories from the road!

Songs:

Dustin Christensen - “Parked Out By The Lake”

Bo Burnham - “Country Song” (from Netflix is a Joke)

Episode 162

Nick found a wild piece in ProPublica about an Instagram verification scheme that relied on Google’s criteria for identifying trending musicians as a short cut to verification. It’s a wild ride! [ProPublica]

Song: Bitchin Bajas - “Amorpha”

Greg gives us a rundown on the first of two Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts. The one, from this past week, happened in London and featured an All Star list of guests. Some of Greg’s favorite moments include:

Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters - “Live Forever”

Wolf Van Halen and Foo Fighters - “On Fire”

Foo Fighters featuring Shane Hawkins - “My Hero”

Finally, for any parent out there that sings made up or silly songs to your kids, well done! Jay fills us in on an article from The Atlantic called “What Babies Hear When You Sing to Them” and it’s delightful read. [Atlantic]

Song: Danny Gatton - “Homage to Charlie Christian”

Episode 161 Page

Jay brings us a new bit…. Let’s say it’s a slow music news week and/or you went away for a golf weekend in the sun with your brother. You do a casual music podcast with your friends and you need to come up with something for the show. Might I pose a question for you in this hypothetical scenario, have you listened to any new releases or reissues lately? If so, you are in luck my friend, we recommend trying “Three for Thursday.” It’s simple, the first song is your new release, the second is a track from that reissue you’ve really enjoyed, and the third is whatever song you want (warning, this week the wildcard is scary). Put ‘em all together, “Three for Thursday!”

Songs:

Tom Waits - “God’s Away on Business (Live in Scotland)”

Buddy Guy - “Gunsmoke Blues (feat. Jason Isbell)”

Diamanda Galás - “Broken Gargoyles I. Mutilatus”

Nick’s segment via a question was inspired by a story shared on a group chat last week about California Governor Newsom’s planned signing of a bill that would ban an artist’s lyrics from being used as evidence in criminal cases. Rife with politics, Nick dodges the story and instead poses a broader question, should an artist’s lyrics (or art) be used as evidence against them in a criminal case? We discuss….

Song: Bartees Strange - “Escape This Circus”

Finally, Greg tells about the remarkable life and career of jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, who died this past week at 51. Discovered by Miles Davis on the “Midday with Bill Boggs” television program, DeFrancesco went on to have an incredibly prolific career and has been called “the best organ player on the planet.” Four time Grammy winner, with over 30 albums under his name alone, he was also known for his work with John McLaughlin, Miles Davis, and Jake Langley. We listen to some of his music and lament the loss of another amazing artist.

Clips:

Miles Davis on Midday with Bill Boggs

John McLaughlin, Joey DeFrancesco, Dennis Chambers - “Limehouse Blues”

Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco - Relentless

-Check out past episodes on our website, this episode can be found at #160 Page

We are delighted to introduce this week’s very special guest, Greg’s 7-year old son Jackson! Before jumping into our topic, Jackson tells us about his summer so far, including his awesome experience on Disneyland’s latest attraction “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance”. But Jackson also wanted to tell us about some of his favorite video game music, which means we’re doing an 8Bit! It was wonderful to have him on and we can’t wait to hear from him again!

Songs:

Blue Oyster Cult - “Godzilla” (YouTube)

Splatoon 2 - “Fly Octo Fly” (YouTube)

Cuphead - “Fiery Frolic” (YouTube)

Kirby & The Forgotten Land - “Grassland Theme” (YouTube)

Jay introduces us to Jim Ford, a musician he just recently discovered. Mr. Ford was an American singer-songwriter who released one album, his one shot, in 1969. It’s a great record and has gained in popularity in the past 15 years or so. Jim worked and wrote songs for a lot of amazing artists, including Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack and the Temptations. We enjoyed learning about him!

Songs:

Julian Lage - “Auditorium” (YouTube)

Jim Ford - "I'm Gonna Make Her Love Me" (YouTube)

Jim Ford - “She Turns My Radio On” (YouTube)

Nick brings us two stories and one topic. One concerns broadway and classical music concert attendance & the other is the trend among Pop’s largest acts to take up residencies in large cities. Should we be concerned about concert going trends and the consolidation of top concert acts consolidating into larger cities?

Song: Moreish Idols - “Hangar” (YouTube)

First up this week is our very special guest Camillo (Cam) Kline, Nick’s second son. Since turning 9 (which is the same age Ciri was when he was on the podcast back on episode 38), Cam has really excited to come on the show and talk about his favorite band, AJR! Comprised of three brothers, AJR are put in the Indie pop genre, but Cam thinks they’re more electronic alternative and he loves where they’re going as a band. We listen to their progression over the past 12 years and agree and we were so happy to have him on!

Songs:

AJR - “Bang!”

AJR - “Infinity”

AJR - “Go On Take a Chance”

Jay found a poignant article about the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, whose purpose is “aimed at promoting Ukrainian culture and denouncing Russia’s invasion.” We also discuss and listen to the 1970s band the Relatives, whose 2013 & 2016 revival albums are a story worthy of a film.

Song: The Relatives - “Things Are Changing"

Finally, Greg brings us the 2015 jazz album “Well I Should Have…” by Jon Benjamin. Jon Benjamin, known primarily for his work as a voice actor (Bob from Bob’s Burger, Archer from Archer, etc), doesn’t play the piano & has never really liked jazz that much. He just thought it’d be funny to make a jazz album playing piano with top notch drums, bass & sax behind him…and he was right, it’s hilarious!

Song: Birth - “For Yesterday”

Round 10 of “Viral or Eyeroll” finds Nick as host, with Jay & Greg sitting the contestant chairs. It’s an Oasis heavy edition, and we have a clear winner when the dust settles.

Song: Tigran Hamasyan - “The Curse (Blood of an Innocent is Spilled)”

Greg introduces his latest project, Beck’s Bolero, a tribute to the solo work of Jeff Beck. The project came together thanks, in large part, to Greg’s new practice space. He’s assembled a talented group together and we listen in on a few practices to hear what they’re up to. The lineup features Greg Loman on guitar, Cain Daniel on drums, Taylor Shell on bass, Doug Organ on, obviously, the keys, and a whole list of backup musicians ready to jump in, if needed, whenever they start booking shows. No idea when that’ll be, but it’s already sounding awesome.

Songs:

Beck’s Bolero - “Scatterbrain”

Beck’s Bolero - “You Know What I Mean”

Beck’s Bolero - “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”

Jay finishes this week up with an introduction to musician, Jesse Malin. “Silver Patron Saints.The Songs of Jesse Malin” is a triple-vinyl benefit album coming out on Sept 20 and featuring some impressive musicians and bands, including Bruce Springsteen, Billie Joe Armstrong, Dinosaur Jr., Counting Crows, and more. Who is this guy? We learn about this musician’s musician and frequent collaborator with all the artists featured on this benefit album. The album is raising money to cover the costs of Jesse’s medical bills, following the rare spinal stroke that he suffered last year.

Songs:

Bruce Springsteen - “She Don’t Love Me Now”

D Generation - “No Way Out”

Welcome back, we’re now on Year 4! Thanks so much for listening :-)

We recap the second leg of Greg’s trip to Europe, with week two spent with his family in France. We’re glad to have him back safe! Fresh off the plane he was texting us about a new bit he’s calling “TinselTunes”. We’re looking for the best songs from movies that are written in the world of that movie.

Here’s what we came up with:

The Wonders - “That Thing You Do”

Spinal Tap - “Stonehenge”

Nothing Ever Happens on Mars (Waiting for Guffman)

Lone Rangers - “Degenerated”

The Lonely Island - “Equal Rights”

Jay is excited to bring us news of an updated WinAmp! Some of you may be wondering if people still download music…others may be asking “What’s WinAmp again?”…the remainder just asking why? All of this, we attempt to tackle.

Song: Elmore James - “Done Somebody Wrong”

Last up, Nick kicks it off with a remembrance to Lamont Dozier and his incredible songwriting career (NY Times). Then we get to a question and a story. The question is, for music that you love, how much does a band’s story matter to you? The story is about a fictitious band bio written by Chuck Klosterman for the band Delicate Steve. The band’s bio is a work of art and incredibly entertaining. No part of it is real, he hadn’t even met the band or listened to the album when he sat down to write it. It’s so good it’s hard to find anything to complain about, but Nick also takes issue with the label’s need to defend the gag by saying band bios are pointless. You can read the press release at the end of this story on NPR.

Songs:

The Supremes - “You Can’t Hurry Love”

Delicate Steve - “Playing in a Band”

Episode webpage can be found at youshouldcheckitout.com/episodes/157

This week we celebrate our first Beyoncé album since starting the show. Nick felt like the only proper way to celebrate this was to quiz Jay & Greg on their Beyoncé knowledge. That’s right, it’s time for “Viral or Eyeroll”!

Song: Beyoncé - “Move”

Greg is joining us from Cyprus this week, possibly making this our first international broadcast as well, and he’s got some news and songs from this year’s Newport Folk Festival. We also do shout outs to Kaz’s extended family and thank them for their generous hospitality (and for keeping Greg safe)!

Song: Joni Mitchell (and many more) - “Big Yellow Taxi”

This past week a band called Chat Pile has been popping up all over the music news with their new album “God’s Country”. Jay takes us on a dark & terrifying tour of the new album from the Oklahoma noise rock group. It’s not the kind of album you’d expect Jay to present, which made the conversation all the more interesting and special.

Songs:

Chat Pile - “Slaughterhouse”

Chat Pile - “Why”

We’re officially calling this the last episode of Season 3 and we can’t thank you enough for listening! We’ll be back next week to kickoff Season 4!

Jay kicks us off with the story behind “I Am The Moon”, a four album exploration of Layla’s perspective from the old Arab story “Layla & Majnun”. Then we move onto the controversy of the past week. Ticketmaster has rolled out its dynamic pricing system just in time for Bruce Springsteen tickets to go on sale. Tickets to some shows have gone for as much as $5000 due to demand. Most of that money is going to Bruce (instead of the scalper that bought it a reasonable price and resold it to the highest bidder), which begs the question: Why does this still feel unfair? We discuss…

Song: Tedeschi Trucks Band - “Hold That Line”

Nick has a bit? Nick has a bit! “Show Must Go On” is about bands that are so inspired by their founder’s vision that they continue playing as a group after the founder’s passing. This week on our inaugural edition, we learn about Sun Ra Arkestra. Sun Ra, born in Birmingham AL in 1914, had a brilliant ear and took to the piano at a very early age. Growing up an African American musician in the deep south during the 1920s was incredibly difficult and, early in his college years, he had a vision of ascending to Saturn where Africans could live with the freedom and self-agency that they could not attain in many parts of the Western world. He was an incredibly prolific artist, performer and philosopher. His lifelong project, Sun Ra Arkestra, lives on to this day to keep his vision alive.

Songs:

Sun Ra Arkestra - “Somebody Else's Idea”

Sun Ra - “I Am Strange / I Am An Instrument”

Greg gives us the story behind a recent gig that The Resilient performed for AFSCME at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Hired to perform a handful of songs, a request came in to play some Springsteen. Greg recalled a Bruce song that Tom Morello taught the Music Corps Band back at Walter Reed Hospital called “Ghost of Tom Joad”. After playing the show, Greg had a friend send Morello a clip of their performance and heard back…which kind of means we have Tom Morello’s cell number now! More importantly, The Resilient are amazing and we were excited to hear about their latest outing!

Songs: The Resilient - “Ghost of Tom Joad”

Greg’s coming in strong with three stories on his latest edition of “Heard It Through The GregVINE”.

We hear a song and talk about the life of Zeebo Steele, the DC Reggae singer, known most prominently for his work with the Thievery Corporation - (Song: The Richest Man in Babylon) -
Also, check out Zeebo’s work over on Spotify.

Huntsville has become the first ‘music city’ in Alabama. We learn what that means and why it’s so freaking cool [Brookings]

Finally, Greg has a snark laden NY Times story on the Winklevoss Twins cover band concert in Amagansett [NY Times]

Jay, via our silent friend of the show, Kresimir Tokic, came upon some tracks by Dawes that are appearing on their upcoming album “Misadventures of Doomscroller” to be released tomorrow (July 22, 2022). They’ve changed their approach and we like it very much. Check out these tracks and see if you wanna listen further:

Songs:

Dawes - “Everything Is Permanent”

Dawes - “Ghost in the Machine”

Nick was surprised to see a new album drop by a band he’s loved from the start. black midi released their third album “Hellfire” last Friday and it’s been received extremely well by the critics. Nick feels this is entirely justified and that they’re finally coming into their own. Greg makes the point that he finds it hard to get into music that he can’t share with others…and this may fit that description. Their execution is flawless, but it’s all over the place. If you enjoy it too, please let Nick know over on Facebook.

Songs:

black midi - “Sugar/Zhu” into “Eat Men Eat”

black midi - “Still”

black midi - “Dangerous Liaisons”

With Jay’s second child here just over a year now, it’s time to rejoin the family beach trip and that means we get to hear how, friend of the show, Michael Weddington is doing! We first had him on in Episode 50 and we’re excited to have him back. He brings with him, this time around, a rough and tumble storyteller with a wry sense of humor by the name of Ray Wylie Hubbard. Born in 1946, Hubbard has been writing and performing outlaw country and Country rock since the early-to-mid 1970s & Michael has been listening and following his career since, almost the beginning. If you enjoy what you hear, we strongly recommend you check him out. Thanks so much Michael for joining us!

Songs:

Ray Wylie Hubbard - “Bad Trick”

Ray Wylie Hubbard - “Open G”

Ray Wylie Hubbard - “Live and Die Rock and Roll”

Greg stuck around the east coast last week to catch “Roger Waters: This Is Not A Drill” live in Pittsburgh, PA & we get the whole scoop on another “Tales From The Concert”! After learning that Greg & friends would not be going back stage due to COVID protocols, Greg all that was left for the night was to enjoy the show and he did! Waters is notorious for putting on incredibly impressive live shows and this appears to be one of his best. If he’s coming to an arena near you and you needed a nudge, consider this a nudge :-)

Song: Roger Waters - “The Powers That Be”

Nick was hanging with some friends when a particular band came up. It’s not a new band, often appearing in lists alongside Tame Impala & King Gizzard, but always disregarded…entirely due to the band’s name. Rather than get philosophical about all of that, Nick introduces us to the Perth Australia band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.

Songs:

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Cornflake”

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Hymn for a Droid”

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - “Sherbet Straws”

Jay’s got a new segment up his sleeve! “Independence PAYS” explores artists whose success on their own eclipses that of their previously successful band.

Song: Nat Stuckey - “Don't Pay the Ransom”

The Copyright Board has decided that artists’ royalty rate from streaming services is going up, from 10.5% to 15.1% for 2018-2022. Nick dove in and came away with a question, how profitable should streaming services be? [Variety]

Song: Dutch Uncles - “Brio”

Greg has some fun updates from his July 4th weekend with the Resilient (we added some pictures on the episode page). He also discovered an article by Drew Margery at SFGate that makes the case that The Smile means Radiohead is now done as a band. It’s a bold claim, one we find very difficult to accept…so we discuss. [SFGate]

Song: The Smile - “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings”

Greg introduces us to the very talented producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson. He’s worked with Father John Misty on all of his albums, produced artists like Billy Strings & Dawes, cowrote some music with Erykah Badu and has released 4 albums of solo material. He has a very unique style and sound and is credited with reviving the Laurel Canyon scene, first popularized by Joni Mitchell, CSNY, and others. He’s currently playing with Roger Waters, which is how Greg discovered him and the guys thoroughly enjoyed his tunes.

Songs:

Jonathan Wilson - “Desert Raven”

Dawes - “Time Spent in L.A.”

Jonathan Wilson - “69 Concrete”

Last Thursday, Greg joined Jay, Nick, friends of the show Kresimir Tokic & Gabriel Riccio (and Kresimir’s neighbor Christophe Mondot) for an awesome jam session. We discuss the dynamics, the setup, the mix, the songs… all of it. It was such a rare and wonderful evening that we thought we’d share some of the songs with you guys. Hope you enjoy!

Songs:

Sleepers - “Glaze”

Sleepers - “All Blues”

Sleepers - “Structural Integrity”

Nick spent this past Saturday in South Fork, PA for a family reunion and came away with a sweet cigar box guitar, created by Bruce Standley (his first-cousin-once-removed-in-law…figuring that out took some work ;-). Bruce has been making these for fun for a few years and the result is fantastic. If anyone is interested in learning more, shoot us an email at ysciopodcast@gmail.com and we’ll put you in touch. Then, after apologizing to the relative that he outbid for the guitar (Hi Aunt Amy!), Nick had a delightful conversation about King Gizzard with his second-cousin Chase Gleason, who plays bass and guitar. To sum it all up, Nick just wanted to let everyone know that going to a family reunion and just being present with the relatives around that you’ve never had a chance to get to know is pretty freaking cool. We had lots of good feels this episode!

Song: Tune-Yards - “Bizness”

The San Antonio Symphony, nine months into a labor dispute with the orchestra musicians, decided to dissolve as an organization last week. First opened in 1939, the Symphony has been mired by financial troubles in the past decade, but it makes San Antonio the largest U.S. city without an orchestra. Nick wants to know why this matters and that’s what we discuss… [San Antonio Report]

Song: David Fiuczynski - “Bright Size Life”

Greg is coming off a slew of shows in Western Pennsylvania and was settling down in his parents place in Maryland when he joined us with a brand new in hand. In “Ample Samples” we listen to a song and try and figure out what later song sampled it. Some sound identical to they source and others have been significantly altered, this one was fun, we hope you enjoy.

Original Song -> Sampled Song:

King Floyd - “Please Don’t Leave Me Lonely” -> Wu Tang - “For Heaven’s Sake”

Jackson 5 - “All I Do Is Think of You” -> Jay Dilla - “Time: Donut of the Heart”

B.B. King - “How Blue Can You Get” -> Primitive Radio Gods - “Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand”

Jay came up with a clever variation on “Guess the Guest”, a game where we hear a song and have to name the guest singer or musician. We can’t tell you what the clever variation is, because that would give it away…but we can show the songs he picked. Let us know if you get it before Nick & Greg do…

Songs:

Young MC - “Bust a Move”

Johnny Cash - “Heart of Gold”

Alanis Morissette - “You Oughta Know”

Jay brings us a genuine feel good story this week. World Records, in Bakersfield California, is celebrating its 40th year in business and it is quite a success story. A recent article in SFGate applauds their model and notes they’ve been able to do live music without relying on any major ticketing service. You buy your ticket at the record shop and the show is in the back, it’s pretty sweet!

Song: Joe Maneri - “Paniots Nine”

Nick came across a wild story in Wired this week about a saxophonist that smuggled messages into the USSR via encoded music notation. Merryl Goldberg’s trip makes for quite a story, as the KGB suspects her ensemble is somehow communicating with members of the Phantom Orchestra, but never thought to look closer at the pages of music she had alongside her the whole trip. Check out the story over at Wired.

Song: GoGo Penguin - “The Antidote is in the Poison”

Finally, Greg noticed, on his social feeds, that there seemed to be a lot of music snobbery about kids getting into an old Kate Bush song after it was used in a particular scene in Stranger Things. Feeling like we’re safely on the other side of this 20/30-something phenomenon, we discuss whether we have an issue with discovering music from popular television shows (we don’t), times in our lives when we’ve been the music snob and why we can’t condone it anymore. It was quite an interesting conversation, hope you enjoy! :-)

Songs:

Galactic - “Crazyhorse Mongoose”

Kate Bush - “Running Up That Hill”

Greg spent the weekend at NAMM. This year’s conference was significantly smaller than years past, with some major manufacturer’s opting out of buying a pricey booth. While this is concerning from a ‘Future of NAMM’ standpoint, it made for a better experience and was much less overwhelming. Greg was asked to do an onstage demo of the Versoul Raya Ronnie Wood guitar from the Finnish company Premiere Guitar [YouTube].

Song: Joey DeFrancesco - “Ring a Ding”

Jay’s back with 8Bit, this time we’re listening to the music of the first two Tony Hawk video games. Embodying skate culture’s love of punk, ska & mixtapes, the game felt like hanging out at a skate park. If you spent any significant amount of time playing Tony Hawk, these songs take you back…if you didn’t, it’s out on Switch now! Also, Jay tells us about his recent exploration of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s catalog and why he’s now completely on board the GizzTrain (this is very exciting news!).

Songs:

Bad Religion - “You”

Anthrax & Public Enemy - “Bring the Noise”

Nick is celebrating the fact that, with Greg’s birthday on June 6th behind us, we’ve all crossed the threshold into 40. For a little perspective, and to celebrate our collective milestones, we take a quick look at the music of 1981 & 1982.

Songs:

Kim Carnes - “Betty Davis Eyes”

Survivor - “Eye of the Tiger”

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather, we’ll be back next week!

Jay shares the fascinating history of the traditional American country folk song, “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” Sparked by the recent meme “Gegagedigedagedago (Cotton Eye Joe)” and a video by Polyphonic, Jay traces the song back to its 19th century roots and works his way to today. We listen to versions by the Rednex, Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, Bob Wills, Burl Ives, Karen Dalton, Nina Simone (and a few others).

Song: John Zorn Resource - “With Blinding Sight”

Get ready for it, it’s News with Nick! Finale’s rough finale, Martin Shkreli loses his Wu Tang Clan album, and the Boss is here to stay.

Song: Tune-yards - “Water Fountain”

“Heard It Through the GREGvine” that Oasis is reuniting for a U.K. tour! Plus, what should we make of Linkin Park’s countdown timer? Finally, the plot thickens in the Foo Fighters “My Hero” licensing disputes with Trump.

Song: Nirvana - “Smells Like Teen Spirit (first live performance, from Hype!)”

We are pleased to bring you the first side of a two-part episode. This week we’re talking with Taejon Romanik of Wild Wild Wets about their new album, ‘Love Always’, released May 27th. We’ll be going through each song, discussing the inspiration and process behind the first five tracks. Listen or buy it on Bandcamp, or stream it on your service of choice, here’s the links for Apple Music, Spotify & YouTube. You should check it out!

Side A:

1. Always Guilty

2. Holding

3. Say So

4. The Cut

5. Carnevale’ (Del Lupo)

We are pleased to bring you the first side of a two-part episode. This week we’re talking with Taejon Romanik of Wild Wild Wets about their new album, ‘Love Always’, released May 27th. We’ll be going through each song, discussing the inspiration and process behind the first five tracks. Listen or buy it on Bandcamp, or stream it on your service of choice, here’s the links for Apple Music, Spotify & YouTube. You should check it out!

Side A:

1. Always Guilty

2. Holding

3. Say So

4. The Cut

5. Carnevale’ (Del Lupo)

Halsey is not happy that her label is holding back her new single because it wants to come up with a viral TikTok video to release alongside. This disgusts Jay, but further digging into how TikTok has become a viable platform to launch a music career (or at least attract some major labels), led him to a bigger question. How is TikTok changing music & what does that mean for musicians?
Song: Little Barrie - “Why Don’t You Do It?”

Nick found Jay’s topic so interesting that he jumped at the opportunity to discuss a new article titled “How NFTs Are Shaping the Way Music Sounds” [Pitchfork]. Much like TikTok has become a viable model for attracting major label attention, NFTs are quickly becoming a viable income for the marketing minded musician. This all led, as these roads so often do, back to whether NFTs can serve any useful purpose in the long run. (We get much further along in the discussion this time.)
Song: The Smile - “Thin Thing”

Greg brings us yet another new bit. It’s so simple, but possibly the purest, most perfect YSCIO bit to date. “Guess the Guest” someone plays a song that features a guest artist & asks if anyone can name the guest artist. No points are allotted, but each right answer yields a solid “Attaboy” (and let’s be honest, those feel great)! :-)

Songs:

David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”

Deftones - “Passenger”

Roger Waters - “What God Wants Part 3”

Greg has a two parter for us this week. First up, we were excited to hear Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit playing “Cover Me Up” at The First Waltz at The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, AL [YouTube]. The impressive venue was designed by Greg’s father, Jeffrey Loman & his associates at David M. Schwartz Architects. They’ve already got a solid summer concert series, check it out!

Right on cue, bird clock chirps us into the second part…with the reverberations of Isbell’s voice still fresh in our ears, we find ourselves somehow back in Birdland. That’s right, The Bird is Back and he’s singing us a song!

Videos:

The bird that sounds like Axel Rose [Facebook]

Dog plays piano and sings [YouTube]

Data Sonification: Black Hole at the Center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster (X-ray) [YouTube Shorts]

Jay was thrilled to listen to the latest Rolling Stones release, “Live At The El Mocambo” from a concert performed in 1977. The band wanted to play a show before their big tour kicked off, so they decided to open for a local band April Wine as “The Cockroaches”. It was a remarkable show and it’s not the only great live album to come from the stage at The El Mocambo. That being the case, we trek up to the Great White North, with Toronto as our destination, for our latest “BienVenue.”

Song: Rolling Stones - Hand of Fate (Live at the El Mocambo 1977)

Last up, we’re diving back into NFTs folks! Let’s call this a NERD ALERT, even if the episode title couldn’t fit it. Nick’s exploring a new service called Sound.xyz. The, self-proclaimed, first artist contract owned NFT music platform, Sound.xyz embraces the hype required to successfully launch an NFT. With only 68 active artists (invite only), it’s in the concept stage, but Nick felt like it was a concept worth exploring, so we do!

Song: - Kendrick Lamar - “Mother I Sober”

By way of “Review the Review” (and with Greg's consent), Nick would like to discuss “Omnium Gatherum” by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It is an adventure ride through KG&LW’s id, where no two, of the sixteen songs, sound alike & the first song is over 18min alone. It seems like those that love KG also love this album & those that don’t hesitate to say so (hence Pitchfork’s 7.3, here’s the review). They are such prolific songwriters & talented musicians that it’s hard not to respect them, whatever your opinion of the output.

Songs:

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Blame It On The Weather”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Kepler 22B”

Greg has been combing eBay for cool records that would be amazing to add to his collection & taking note of some crazy Buy It Now prices...which is the kind of situation Greg would turn into a bit…Welcome to “Vinyl Fantasy”! Contestants take a guess at the price of some highly collectible records. The closest guess without going over takes the point. Nick & Jay square off on our first of, if the name’s inspiration is any clue, many many iterations to come. Hope you enjoy!

Song: The 1975 - “Heart Out (Live at the O2)”

Jay shared a recent Adam Neely video, detailing how his band, Sungazer, nearly lost $17,000 on a recent tour due to COVID cancellations. Neely cleverly made his video about something else though. Recounting past circumstances where bands have shared financial details from a tour, Neely calls out the perception, as exemplified by the angry comments, that musicians should starve to make a tour work. Should they have to ‘sleep in the van’? Also, given the lost revenue caused by the COVID cancellations (as in, the band members got COVID), should bands even be touring in 2022? Greg shares his thoughts and experiences and we all discuss the inherent problem with expecting adults to sleep poorly in freezing conditions to prove they love playing music. (Here’s the video)

Song: Mickey Gilley - “Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time”

Jay remembers the great Naomi Judd, who passed last week at the age of 76. The matriarch of the mother-daughter country group “The Judds”, Naomi was a driven and talented artist who struggled with severe depression near the end of her life. She became an advocate for mental illness and was inducted the day after her passing to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Songs:

Lizzo - “About Damn Time”

The Judds - “Mama, He’s Crazy”

The Judds - “Rompin’, Stompin’ Bad News Blues”

Nick brings us the latest from Tigran Hamasyan, an album of jazz standards called “StandArt”. Hamasyan’s frenetic energy is on full display and his liberal melodic interpretations of the standards chosen seem to have upset his interviewer over at Bandcamp. You be the judge and let us know what you think!

Songs:

Tigran Hamasyan - “Big Foot”

Elmo Hope - “De-Dah”

Tigran Hamasyan - “De-Dah”

Ella Fitzgerald - “Laura”

Charles Mingus - “Laura”

Tigran Hamasyan - “Laura”

Greg’s got a new bit! Touring across the country, there’s a lot of old historic venues that have amazing stories waiting to be told! Welcome to “BienVenue”, this week we learn about a little gem in Bloomington, Indiana. The Bluebird, capacity ~750 and about 5 blocks from Indiana University Bloomington, has a great atmosphere (even on Dollar beer nights!). It’s also hosted some pretty impressive acts over the years, in part because of it’s location between St. Louis & Cincinnati. Most important, it’s managed to stay open through the pandemic and for that we’re grateful!

Songs:

Lou Reed & John Mellancamp - “Walk On The Wild Side - Live 1987”

Dawes - “Most People - Live 2013”

Sturgill Simpson - “I Never Go Around Mirrors - Live 2017”

Greg follows up on stories from the year past. First up, blowback from Eric Church’s decision to cancel his concert so he could attend the Tarheels Final Four game (Digital Music News) & then we hear how the Neil Young Spotify news affected Joe Rogan’s listener stats (Digital Music News). In the news Mick Jagger names Machine Gun Kelly & Yungblud as Rock & Roll saviors (Rolling Stone). Finally, some news that hits a little closer to home, a Detroit resident is fuming after buying tickets to the “Red Not Chili Peppers” (Detroit News) & Venus Williams offers Greg consolation via Instagram.

Songs:

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - “Gaia”

Yungblud - “The Funeral”

Jay was in Philly this weekend to see The Darkness perform at Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia. His ears are ringing and his vision is blurry, but he found his way back home and is ready to regale us with another “Tales from the Concert”! We hear about the new venue, get an idea of what standing two rows back from the front of the stage sounds like & get a post-concert interview with Daniel Pflager (Jay’s brother).

Songs:

Richard Thompson - “Streamwalk”

The Darkness - “It’s Love, Jim”

Nick makes good on last week’s promise…we’re playing “Viral or Eyeroll”: Coachella Edition! A rare Jay vs Greg matchup promises an exciting round. Nick’s also had two weeks to come up with the questions and gets carried away really easily…so this is a fun one!

Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “Presumptuous”

Wherein Nick is juggling too many things and decides a handful of stories would be fun to share in snippets, it’s News with Nick! Coachella begins, theremins are still a thing, Harlem’s bringing back the Cultural Festival and we have a date on Kendrick Lamar’s new album!
Song: Lothar & The Hand People - “Space Hymn”

Greg is curious how we should remember the late Art Rupe, a record executive responsible for discovering Little Richard, Sam Cooke & many others, who died last week at the age of 104. Mr. Rupe is credited with bringing Rhythm & Blues to the mainstream, but is also famous for being on the unfair side of a notoriously unfair record deal with Little Richard. It’s complicated, but we explore it from different angles and work our way around to something resembling consensus.
Song: Danny Elfman - “Simpsons Theme (Live at Coachella 2022)”

Last up, Jay was fortunate enough to meetup with our good friend Michael Weddington over the Easter weekend and he came home with three boxes of Michael’s old CDs. That means it’s time for another round of “Tape Stash”!

Songs:

Galactic - “Cineramascope”

Maggie Koerner - “He Calls Me Mama”

Johnny Cash - “Time of the Preacher”

Jack White had a big week last week! Last Friday saw the release of his second solo album “Fear of the Dawn”, followed by a performance of the national anthem at the Detroit Tigers opening day game, and ending with an onstage proposal (and subsequent marriage ceremony) at his the first concert of his “Supply Chain Issues Tour”. Jay brings us all the details and then leans into the new solo album, which is spastic, progressive sounding and hard!

Songs:

Jack White - “Taking Me Back”

Jack White - “Hi-De-Ho”

Jack White - “What’s the Trick”

A NY Times article about the German National History Museum’s carefully considered Richard Wagner exhibit got Nick thinking about ways a society can both admire a person’s contributions to the world, while also acknowledging their shortcomings. It’s an interesting conversation and touches on a some current issues still up for debate.
Song: Primus - “Conspiranoia”

Finally, Greg reveals his thoughts and reflections on the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s latest album Unlimited Love. Seeing as Greg will need to learn some, or many, of the songs for the Red Not Chili Peppers, he took many runs at the album before feeling like he was up for a full discussion. That time has arrived and we dig in deep!

Songs:

Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Aquatic Mouth Dance”

Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Poster Child”

Red Hot Chili Peppers - “The Great Apes”

Nick gives a full recap from the 2022 Grammy’s. Unlike years past, most of the multi-award winning artists have been throughly discussed on the show this past year, including Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, Silk Sonic, and Chris Stapleton. We dig into some of the nominated (and overlooked) songs and artists, and land on ‘tepid optimistic’ about the whole thing going forward.

Song: Silk Sonic - “Leave the Door Open”

Jay picks up where Nick left off, proudly reporting that this year’s “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella” Grammy Award went to The 8-Bit Big Band for a rendition of “Meta Knight’s Revenge” from Kirby Superstar. That can only mean one thing, it’s time for another round of 8Bit: Remakes. Jay presents different artists from different genres with the shared purpose of remaking their favorite music from video games.

Songs:

The 8-Bit Big Band Featuring Button Masher - “Meta Knight's Revenge (From ‘Kirby Superstar’)”

Dr. Pez - “The soundtrack of Ocarina of Time, but it’s a prog rock concept album’

The 8-Bit Big Band - “Want You Gone (From ‘Portal 2’)”

Overclocked Remix - “Triggernometry”

Finally, in celebration of their latest release, Greg brings us another round of “Heavy Rotation” featuring Meshuggah! An extreme metal band from Sweden formed in 1987, these guys have been consistent in their sound and process for nearly 35 years. They’ve decided to embrace that unfaltering track record, calling their latest album “Immutable” & Greg is so smitten! We dive in and discuss the many merits of Meshuggah.

Songs:

Meshuggah - “Broken Cog”

Meshuggah - “God He Sees in Mirrors”

Meshuggah - “New Millenium Cyanide Christ”

Meshuggah - “Ligature Marks”

We’re excited to have Jackson back on the show this week, and he’s pumped to be here! He’s got some songs to share that he’s discovered on his new Spotify account before he heads up the road to Mammoth Lake to see Dad perform at a Red Not Chili Peppers show.

Songs:

Friday Night Funkin’ Vs Cartoon Cat - “Trapped Mouse”

Friday Night Funkin’ Vs Cartoon Cat - “RERUNS”

Nick & Jay tag team the latest episode of “Tales From the Concert.” They, along with Nick’s gang in tow, saw King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard perform their first U.S. Concert at the Anthem in Washington, DC. It was, by all accounts, an epic show.
Songs:

Geese - “2122 Live”

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - “The Dripping Tap”

Jay followed up that show with a wild weekend in Richmond. He’s been playing with a group called The Ken Demith Collection, and they recently performed a show at The Lilly Pad Restaurant in Richmond, VA. The outdoor restaurant is located in a marina on the James River and the band had an amazing night.

Song: Dick Curless - “End of the Road”

We begin this week with a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the talented and charismatic drummer for the Foo Fighters, who died unexpectedly last week at the age of 50. It was completely unexpected and tragic and the music community at large seems still to be grappling with the news. Greg takes the reigns…

Songs:

Foo Fighters - “My Hero”

Alanis Morisette - “You Outta Know”

Foo Fighters - “Rope”

Taylor Hawkins Drum Solo

Foo Fighters (with Taylor on vocals) - “Somebody to Love”

Nick read a story about the success that the independent label Wrong Speed Records has found in the 2 years since its founding. It got him thinking about the role of small independent labels in today’s music industry. What is the point of a small label? That’s what we aim to find out and the conservation is pretty interesting!

Song: Black Midi - 21st Century Schizoid Man

Jay doesn’t like jam bands. This statement, possibly an over-generalization, was something Jay felt he’d settled on…until he discovered Goose (he’s definitely a fan). So what’s with this ‘jam band’ genre anyway? Jay digs into the good, the bad and the Dead…

Song: Goose - “So Ready”

For those of you wishing to learn more about A.R.S.E.S. Foundation, please feel free to leave a comment on our website and Jay will get in touch!

Jay has very important news at the top with the announcement that the A.R.S.E.S. movement is upon us! This, so far, boils down to needing a higher quality 1/8” to 1/4” headphone adapters, but Jay sounds pretty serious about it!

For his topic, Jay recently discovered American blues rock guitarist Eric Gales through his latest album “Crown”. A master of his genre and active since 1990, Gales has come a long way and sounds as sharp as ever. Jay catches us up on what we’ve missed in his 32+ year career.

Songs:

Eric Gales - “The Crown”

Eric Gales - “I Want My Crown (feat. Joe Bonamassa)”

Nick found a great article by Giovanni Russonello discussing the thriving jazz scene that’s been happening outside of traditional NYC jazz clubs. As bars and clubs shut down during COVID, the music didn’t stop, it just migrated from homes to restaurants to street corners. He reflects on the qualities of the genre that allow it to thrive in situations like these; revisits the conditions that led to the great influential jazz periods of the past, drawing similarities to today, and he presents a hopeful case that we’re about to enter another. [NY Times]
Song: Derrick Hodge - “The Cost”

Inspired by an article explaining why the 1971 song “Only a Fool Would Say That” by Steely Dan is a scathing rebuke of John Lennon’s whole thing, Greg decided it was time for a new bit! “DISS TRACK” looks at the songs written and performed to bring some one else down a notch (or two). Incidentally, Pusha-T was in the news this week after releasing a McDonald’s ‘diss track’ disguised as an Arby’s ad. Coincidental? Probably.

Songs:

Periphery - “Racecar”

Brad Mehldau - “Racecar”

Pusha T - Arby’s Commercial

Steely Dan - “Only a Fool Would Say That”

Queen - “Death on Two Legs”

Nick pulled together a list of music news articles detailing the various types of responses artists, and the companies that represent them, have had to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. It’s not heavy on discussion, nor is it a topic we usually discuss, but Nick felt like it was too important not to acknowledge...even for a music podcast.
Song: Tigran Hamasyan- “De-Dah”

Greg has uncovered 3 undiscussed DJ Cummerbund gems and that means it’s time for “Bangers & Mashups” Round 5! We listen to three increasingly complicated mashups that Greg (we all) believe are genuinely impressive works of art. Anyone that believes “Black Hole Sun” & “Kiss From A Rose” fit together is an interesting character to follow!

Songs:

DJ Cumberbund - “It’s Not Unusual Dammit”

DJ Cumberbund - “Get Away”

DJ Cumberbund - “Kiss From A Sun”

Jay was saddened to read that the Ernest Tubb Record Shop has been sold, along with the building that it’s occupied since 1951. First opened in 1947 by Ernest Tubb, it helped spread country music by offering a catalog version mailed for record collectors across the country. Ultimately the new ownership, which took over in 2020, couldn’t find a way to keep the store afloat while sitting in a greatly appreciated building on Music Row in Nashville. We discuss where things stands and why this store is such an important piece of American music history.
Song: David Bromberg - “Sharon”