Jim's Guts

Friday morning pick-me-up

Greetings from Boise Idaho - This FMPMU is a little different (think Mocean Work), but the best part about this song (and all of there stuff really) is it works on so many levels - It could be a great chill song, or excellent in a lounge setting. Here's Bitter:Sweet "Mating Game"...

The L&T and I got caught up in watching VH1's "100 Greatest 80's Songs" (it'll come as no surprise that I disagreed with a lot of them) but Modern English's "I'll Melt With You" made the list and I mentioned that I didn't think that was there best song. The L&T hadn't ever heard any other Modern English so here's my personal favorite - "Ink and Paper;

Friday morning pick-me-up

I call it "The Rule of 3" - Before I spend the money to buy a CD I try to find at least 3 songs on the disc that I like. These guys are an exception, they were in the new music bin and I took a flyer based on their single "The Compromise". I'm glad I did because I like the rest of the album a lot. This is The Format - "She Doesn't Get It"

The classic goes out to Mr. Jones, Tim-mah, and Fina who introduced me to the YFF and to the L&T who introduced me to Seattle. Going way deep into the archives, here are the Young Fresh Fellows with "The Aurora Bridge Song";

Friday morning pick-me-up

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

Today is the 232nd anniversary of one of the most brilliantly crafted document in history. On this day in 1776 our Founding Fathers set a course for a new country and a new world.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I don't always agree with my government, or my neighbors, but I'm grateful to live in a country where that's okay. For this special July 4th edition of the FMPMU I present two very different but equally fantastic versions of "America The Beautiful"

First up is "The Commandant's Own", the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corp from a Sunset Parade in 1996;

As much as I love the USMC version of the song, this is my favorite; here's the incomparable Ray Charles from a 1991 concert;

Have a safe and wonderful 4th!

Friday morning pick-me-up

The Gorrilaz are a sort of modern day Kiss... Until just recently the band members played on a darkened stage with their animated alter-egos being projected above them. It was a little odd, but having seen some of their concert footage it kind of worked. Anyway here's a couple of those alter-ego's in "Dare";

And now one from the lost and found file - This is one of my favorite 80's songs and it was next to impossible to find (thank God for Rhino Records). Then I found the video and I forgot how much fun it is as well. I'm showing my advanced age, but it's from back in the days when artists made concept videos rather than just random crowd and performance shots. Of particular note are the gorillas (woohoo Theme FMPMU!!) dancing in the background, and his reading "50 Flying Tips". Here's Jon Astley - "Jane's Getting Serious"...

Friday morning pick-me-up

It's not just from the UPS commercials - This is the Postal Service with "Such Great Heights";

With apologies to the L&T, here is one of the best songs to come out of the 80's and it's something I've been looking for on YouTube for quite some time. Burning Sensations - "Belly Of The Whale";

Friday morning pick-me-up

I know I haven't posted in a while, it's been a busy couple of weeks, but it's still Friday and I still need picking up, hope you all do too...

People tend to have strong opinions about Fall Out Boy, they either like them or hate them. I probably fall into the former category, and while I heard "Sugar We're Going Down" first this was the first video of theirs that I saw - Here's the full version of "Dance, Dance";

Let's stay with the "Dance" theme... "All right! / Stop whatcha doin' / 'cause I'm about to ruin / the image and the style that ya used to"... Digital Underground with Shock G's "Humpty Hump" - "The Humpty Dance";

Friday morning pick-me-up

At San Diego's Sea World "Hot Summer Nights" the soundtrack to the park and the shows is pretty upbeat, fun, "summer" music. The nighttime dolphin show is now different, and as the dolphins were "playing" one of the songs was from Yellowcard. I've always liked the song, but now it brings back a ton of great memories too. Here's "Ocean Avenue"

I only have Swing Out Sister's 1st album, but I enjoy it it. Here's the first single off that album, "Breakout"

Friday morning pick-me-up

The Presidents Of The United States Of America have a new album out! This is the first single off of it "Mixed Up SOB" (and here's the odd part) it's directed by "Weird Al"...

And now for something completely different... This dance dance ain't for everyboday... Morris Day & The Time with "Jungle Love"

Friday morning pick-me-up

For the purpose of this series I've decided that anything in the last 5 years is going to qualify for "Current" and anything older will henceforth be categorized as "Classic" (I like this "blogging" thing, you can make up your own rules!!)

I'm surprised that I like this song, but I really do, the video is pretty good too. Here's Kate Nash with "Foundations"

The Classic is from my "Blue Lake 10" disc/post. Here's a very funny video from Reel Big Fish, "Everything Sucks":

“Blue Lake 10” (part 2)…

Elvis Presley vs. JXL "A Little Less Conversation" – Before going to Las Vegas there are two movies I watch to get me in the mood (and hopefully bring some luck). The first is "Guys & Dolls", and the other is the 2001 version of "Ocean's 11". I'm not fan of Elvis, but this remix, particularly with the driving beat, it just a great song that always puts me in the Vegas mood.

Luce "Good Day" – At some point I'm going to need to finish the history of Golfapalooza (in brief, it's an annual golf trip with Mr. Jones and Timmah, this year will be the 9^th edition), but from a compilation disc that Mr. Jones made for G5 in the Okanagan, British Columbia came this song. The chorus said it all about that trip – "It's a pretty good day, I'm looking forward to tomorrow".

Oingo Boingo "Happy" – There was just too much history with this band not to have a Boingo song on the disc, the real question became which Boingo song? I must have changed this song 100 times alone. So many great songs, so I finally went with a fairly obscure one. This is from the soundtrack to the 1987 movie "Summer School", but it's a pretty good example of an Oingo Boingo song. (I really need to find that movie on DVD).

Foo Fighters "No Way Back" – Even on a deserted island you need a little progressive rock and here's a track that will get you moving.

Reel Big Fish "Everything Sucks" – I really like Ska music, I've got stuff from old (Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker) to new (RBF, Aquabats) in my collection, and tons of stuff in between, so I needed a Ska track. Being stuck on an deserted island, even if there was surf, would probably get old after a while, so this song seemed appropriate.

Now for next year's challenge – 10 Songs that Rock you. I'm already on version 4…

Friday morning pick-me-up

You may have heard or seen Ben Lee's "Catch My Disease", here's a different song but the same sensibility; "Love Me Like The World Is Ending"

For the classic here is one of my favorite INXS songs, "Don't Change"

“Blue Lake 10” (part 1)…

The idea sounds simple – If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only have 10 songs with you, what would those ten songs be? Well, if you've read this blog much you've probably figured out via the FMPMUs that I like a lot of different music, so this hasn't been as easy as it might seem. Because I like so many different types of music, I wanted to make sure I had stuff from a lot of different genres covered, but I also wanted songs that meant something to me, or reminded me of something (if you're going to be stuck on an island all alone, you want to keep your memories with you as much as you can). The lineup for this disc has probably changed over 50 times, and if I had more time before the deadline (Guys' Weekend) it would probably change 50 times more. It's a near Herculean effort to pick 10 songs from our current library of over 16,500 songs, but here's the lineup I'm going with (artists in italics are ones that I've seen perform live, which added a nice bit to this as well)…

Cake, "Arco Arena / Comfort Eagle (JCS Edit)" – This was a very late addition to the disc. On Sunday evening I went with Mr. Jones and Timmah to see Cake in concert (which I need to write a review at some point) and this is what they opened with. Great show, good song(s)

Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens, "The Streets of Bakersfield" – Lot's of options for an "alt" Country or Country song; BR5-49, Blue Rodeo, Tift Merritt, heck even Brad Paisley is close. Then as I was looking down the list I found this great song that hits on so many levels. As I grew up my folks listened to Country, and "Hee Haw" was on every weekend, add to that Bakersfield which was the midway point between San Diego and home, then there's the great Tejano/Conjunto sound, and this became a great choice for this slot.

The Sandals, "Theme from Endless Summer" – I had to get a surf track on the disc, something to listen to as I built my surfboard (God wouldn't put you on a deserted island without surf and the stuff to make a board out of]). Besides being a great example of the 60's "Surf Sound", it always makes me smile.

Randy Newman, "I Love LA" – See the April 4^th FMPMU for details.

Frank Sinatra, "(Live) Luck Be A Lady" – I wanted to make sure I had both a song from someone like "The Chairman" on the disc and I wanted a show tune from something I'd seen as well. I get both with this track. I didn't see Frank in "Guys and Dolls" (he was in the movie version and actually plays a different character from the one that sings this song), but I love the show.

I didn't realize how long this post would be! That'll do it for the "A-side" (you younger kids ask your folks what that means). I'll post the "B-side" later. Also a programming note – The Friday Morning pick me up is going to be late this week because of travel. Look for it Friday evening instead.

Friday morning pick-me-up (Updated)

Update - As Mr. Jones noted in the comments, Cake's video's are very much like the band, and the video that I think captures that best is "Love You Madly", but embedding is disabled so it wasn't one of the two yesterday. That said, even if you're not a big fan of the music, the video is worth watching as Cake's drummer and trumpeter hold an "Iron Chef" style cook off - Battle Pumpkin! - With celebrity judges Rick James, Phyllis Diller, and Jeff Smith. Go, watch, now.

A pre-concert doubleheader this morning in preparation of the arrival of a band from where I grew up - Sacramento's Cake is coming to the Paramount on Sunday night!

This is probably their best known (that's a relative term of course) song, off their 3rd album "Prolonging The Magic" here's "Never There"

The band may or may not qualify for the "classic" category, but the song is certainly does. Here's Cake's version of "I Will Survive"

This is one of those songs that I had to hear several times before I enjoyed it. I don't know why that is, but I can tell you it's happened with several songs in the past couple of months. Maybe it's a(nother) sign I'm getting old(er). Anyway here's Rouge Wave's "Lake Michigan"


And for the classic how about going way back and really picking it up with a track from Dave Edmunds - "Slipping Away"

Friday morning pick-me-up

One of the really great things about the rise of new media (satellite radio, the internet, etc.) is the opportunity to find new music. I "found" these guys on Sirius' Left Of Center, here's What Made Milwaukee Famous with "Sultan" (BTW - Look for a cameo at the end from a certain former professional bike rider)...

How about another really obscure one? I'm not sure even Mr. Jones (the best music programmer I know) is familiar with this one - Tenpole Tudor "Swords Of A 1,000 Men"

Friday morning pick-me-up

Tift Merritt was in town last weekend and I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to go see her, but here's the first single off her new album "Another Country" - "Broken"

Sticking with a female theme for this week's FMPMU (thanks to Mr. Suitcase for coming up with the acronym) here is The Belle Stars with "Sign Of The Times"

Friday morning pick-me-up

The Kooks have a new album coming out and here's the first single off of it - "Always Where I Need To Be"

And for the classic? I've been waiting to spring this on you all for a while now. We're going deep into the playlist for this one. Falco's "Vienna Calling"

Friday morning pick-me-up

I will grant you that the lyrics are pretty simple, but the music is excellent, and the video is beautiful. Seattle's own Band of Horses - "Ghost In My House"

And for the "classic" - I'm a So Cal guy, I loved it when I lived there and I miss it at times. There are just so many great memories in this song, from the place where I met the L&T, to surfing, to Bertha's Soul Food. Much like the title of Randy Newman's song - "I Love LA"

Friday morning pick-me-up

This is a music video from a little indie film from Australia called “Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger” which I really hope shows up at SIFF this year. Bertie Blackman - "The Only One"

And for the "Classic" how about a great song, but a so-so video? Here's INXS with one of my all time 80's favorites, "Don't Change"

Why I love teh internets, part 268...

These kids (and they really are kids, still in high school) are awesome, and while the quality here isn't great check out their MySpace page because the stuff that they've had produced is excellent. The Wrong Trousers - "Video Killed The Radio Star" (live in Balboa Park)...

This also seems like a good place to post BNL singing a Bluegrass version of "One Week"

Friday Morning Pick-me-up...

The Hives - "Tick Tick Boom";

And here's one for the L&T, Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive";

Friday Morning Pick-me-up...

A new favorite of mine, not quite Ska but definitely some Ska influences, Vampire Weekend - "A Punk"

For the classic I wanted to go some true Ska, but there's a lot of rudeness to chose from; Prince Buster, The Skatalites, Desmond Dekker, in the end I decided to go back to one of the first "mainstream" ska bands. This is Two-Tone - "Gangsters" by The Specials

Friday Morning Pick-me-up...

I'm making a small change to the "Friday Morning Pick-me-up" because there is just so much great new music out there, and a ton of fantastic "vintage" stuff as well. So as of today the FMP will be a double shot every week, with one newer band/song/video and one classic...

New - Here is a brilliant video for Spoon's "The Underdog". The song itself is a great, complex with a ton of layers, and the video reflects that using one long steady-cam shot around the studio;

Vintage - Billy Bragg's "Sexuality" a great pop(ish) tune featuring the late Kirsty MacColl;

Missy Higgins @ The Tractor Tavern

As I mentioned in yesterday's FMP, I got a chance to see Missy Higgins at Ballard's venerable Tractor Tavern this evening. I found this artist via Yahoo! Music (which has been surprisingly good at playing up and comers) and was excited to see that she was going to be headlining a small venue show here instead of touring in support of someone else. This was my first show at the Tractor, which while not especially comfortable, had surprisingly good sound and a warm, intimate atmosphere.

As for the show – Well besides being a talented singer / songwriter, she's very engaging. There were several stories about any number of things…The history of the songs, how she and her band mates are trying to tour "carbon neutral", about her trip to the Pike Place Market, pretty much whatever came to mind, which made for a very entertaining show.

I was also pleased to find that her albums haven't been over produced and that, with the exception of individual riffs, what you heard on the disc is what you heard in concert. She started with a 4 piece backing band who left for a few solo songs (Missy plays both the guitar and keyboards), then came back for the "big finish".

Speaking of the big finish – Missy announced that they didn't do encores, and I wish I could remember verbatim how she explained it, but the gist of it was that everyone knew that there would be another small set after a pretend break, so why not just play through it. Very refreshing. It was an excellent show and at only $18, I've paid a lot more for concerts I haven't enjoyed nearly as much. In the music business you never know who will make it, and who won't, but I have high hopes for Missy.

"But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know that you control where you go
You can steer..." – "Steer" – Missy Higgins

Friday Morning Pick-me-up...

In honor of her concert at the Tractor Tavern tomorrow night (which I'll be attending) here's a double shot of Missy Higgins...

From her US debut album "On A Clear Night" - Steer...

And from her 1st Aussie EP - Scar...