Shoot. It’s been a minute. I’m hoping I don’t start every single one of these with “Shoot it’s been a minute blah blah.”
I’ve been working at Whole Latte Love and learning more about espresso machines in less than a year than I knew in my previous 14 years in coffee. I’m gearing up to head to the biggest annual coffee event in the US (SCA) in Houston in a couple weeks. I’ll be at the Varia booth, and bopping around too.
Right from Houston, I fly to New Jersey for band practice. Athletics will leave on the 1st of May for China. We’ll play two festivals, one in Tianjin on May 4th called Bubbling&Boiling, and then New Beat Fest on May 5th in Chengdu. Both shows will be with legendary post-rockers Mono. The schedule is so wild that I forgot to figure out how I’m getting home at first. I do have that detail squared away now.
Before things get totally wacky, let me show you what I’ve been listening to. Here’s your links as usual:
Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/brotherless-radio-episode-9-4-10-25/pl.u-BNA62aNtvJpBl
Spotify:
And like that, I present to you, Brotherless Radio, Episode 9.
We’re kicking off with “Born In Chicago” by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. This recording has the vintage quality that you can’t replicate on purpose. My Dad blasts this record when Mom’s out of the house, and it still sounds fabulous on vinyl. You hear Paul Butterfield tell you he was born in Chicago in 1941. These guys are not boomers, and not from “the greatest generation” either. This is a band comprised of dudes from what’s known as the Silent Generation, aptly named, since they were too young to fight in the war, and too old to have a huge population of peers. Enjoy.
Thin Lizzy is somehow making their way into the hearts and minds of my friends and family lately. For me, I blame one of my closest confidants, Kyle, for getting me into them. Their first several records are nothing to write home about, but things start getting good on their fourth album, Nightlife. By their 5th album, Fighting, I was sold. They began a string of perfect records starting here. The verses in “For Those Who Love To Live” could be from a Steely Dan song.
“Date With the Rain” by Temptations co-founder Eddie Kendricks hits the sweet spot of danceable, funky, and vintage. This has made its way into my DJ sets.
I got back into Placebo, and had to show off the first song I ever heard by them, “Pure Morning.”
The Smile, which is pretty much Radiohead, hits back with what could’ve been from the indie-dance era of the 2010’s: “Zero Sum.”
Years ago, my friend David told me that Smino does not miss. Even when he goes a little harder than usual, like on his more recent single “mister misfit but ain’t missed a fit in months,” Smino still clocks no misses.
“Rock ‘N’ Roll Gangster” by Aalon could be a night ender, but I’m using it here to take a quick break. It’s a song about basically just not being beholden to anyone else’s schedule.
“Two Birds One Stone” comes to us from The Bronx‘ fifth self-titled album. Yes, fifth. I have no idea what this song is about and I don’t care — this band has always rocked so hard.
I discovered Otis Redding’s cover of “Satisfaction” from an episode of AppleMusic’s Gratitude podcast with Ray Davies of The Kinks. He pours out over how great the album is, and it is, it’s great, but I was blown away by the fact that a cover of “Satisfaction” could actually be good.
Rounding out this block with “When You Are Who You Are” by Gil Scott-Heron from his not just legendary, but important album, Pieces of a Man. Get it, get it, get it, get it, get it, get it, get it.
I grew up hearing “He Got Game” by Public Enemy on the radio and MTV, and hadn’t heard it again until the final scene of the Netflix limited series The Madness. Still hits.
Chase & Status have been on Brotherless Radio before, and they’ve since become a favorite of mine. There’s so much to explore and be challenged by in their catalog. “Selecta ft. Stefflon Don” makes me smash my head through a wall the way a hardcore song does.
I’ve written about I Adapt (along with Modern Life is War) on this blog before, so I won’t bore you with more stories, but “Historical Manipulation in a Nice Suit” is one of the highlights of the Icelandic hardcore band’s masterpiece, Chainlike Burden.
My friend April told me about a bunch of supergroups not long ago, one of which was Institute. The band features Gavin Rossdale of Bush on vocals, and other members from Helmet, Rival Schools, and of course, my favorite drummer, Josh Freese. “Information Age” should give you a good idea of what this band accomplished.
I haven’t given The Weakerthans enough attention here. “Bigfoot!” is written from the perspective of the guy who has the most famous claim of witnessing Bigfoot. It’s a sad song that shows what the guy goes through. Should he have kept it to himself? Would it have been worth it to avoid the public attention, and oftentimes, ridicule? Who would do this to themselves on purpose? Seeing a sight like that, or at least claiming to, can be a burden indeed. It makes me think of other people with outrageous claims, most of whom are some version of snake oil salesfolk. But what if some of them isaretelling the truth? What if one of them is this guy? What a weight to carry around.
I must show you my new favorite song, “I Love The Way You Love” by Little Beaver. I’ve found a bunch of Little Beaver’s work before finding this song, and I’ve loved it all. Maybe I have a new favorite artist from this era of blues/funk?
I’ve been compiling songs for this episode for so long that “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts was relevant the last time I heard it.
An old co-worker, Bryan, revealed that Eternally Even by Jim James is a perfect album in his eyes. He’s not wrong, it is a triumph. “The World’s Smiling Now” stood out to me.
“Que Beleza” was the first song I ever heard by Tim Maia, the legendary Brazilian funk pioneer. I bust out Tim Maia’s name whenever I want folks from Brazil to know that I ain’t no nerd.
LaRussell hits us with “Finer Thangz” on his collab album with Wonderlust. This man puts out so much music that I’ve become overwhelmed and can’t keep up anymore.
Enigma’s “Sadeness (Part I)” was a relic from the 90’s when anything passed for radio-ready. There was once a time when anything passed for terrestrial radio — no hooks necessary.
I can’t have one of these episodes without an Oasis track. “It’s Better People” is a B-Side from the “Roll With It” single. These guys were so good at putting killer songs on tough-to-find formats, and not on a proper album. With this strategy, they created a die-hard fanbase that made a habit (or lifestyle) of digging around for the band’s best stuff.
Pere Ubu came at me out of nowhere. I don’t know anything about this band, but when I heard “Non-Alignment Pact,” it scratched every itch I have for early-punk, post-punk, new wave, etc. Good luck with the first 25 seconds of that song. (Edit: Just looked ’em up — this is from 1975. This band formed from the ashes of Rocket From The Tombs. Dead Boys and The Saucers also formed after RFTT’s demise.)
Marathon was one of the best punk bands to ever grace the Rochester area. I am not the authority on this matter, but I might be right. This band is part of a long family tree of Rochester punk & hardcore from the early 90’s – 2000’s, and it was an era I never really got over. “Gouge ‘Em Out, They’re Useless Anyway” should give you an idea of what this band was on about.
If I said “new wave meets Oi! punk,” would you think it’s possible? Have a listen to “Nation” by Home Front and let me know.
From the Empire Records soundtrack, “Nice Overalls” by Lustre leans into that Hum thing without becoming too shoegaze.
Here’s a song from the new clipping. album. “Dominator” teases you — you think the beat’s about to drop, and it don’t. I plan to mix this with classic club beats.
Bear with me: The song “Retard” by Vaudou Game absolutely rips. In French, that word means “Delay.” So relax.
UFO hits us with those heavy 70’s rock riffs that we love around here on “Rock Bottom.”
Jockstrap is kind of a Portishead-ish experimental band, but “50/50” creeps into house territory. Nice.
Tay-K has a trunkthumper gangster rap jam with “The Race (ft 21 Savage)[Remix]”.
Brenda Lee’s “Sweet Nothin’s” kicks off with an “uh huh honey” that would later be sampled in a Kanye song (but we don’t talk about him much around here anymore). Her raspy voice here is what gets me.
Hey, check it out, a country song, for once! I can thank Tim Avery for “Heartbreak Mountain” by Buck Owens & His Buckaroos. Either that or an episode of The Righteous Gemstones, I can’t remember.
On the way out here, one of my favorite Irish balladeers, Liam Clancy, sings “Patriot Game” for us. If you’re ever curious about my political leanings, study the Irish perspective. A lot of Irish thought is relevant today. I’m being cryptic because I want you to seek out traditional Irish music.
Thanks for listening, my friends. The next time we speak, I’ll have some recommendations from friends on the other side of the world.
Brotherless, underscore, yo. 