Beastie Boys: Check Your Head

G-Cubed Edition

This next one is...the first post...on my new album.

In my senior year of High School, I met a couple guys that would end up being the best friends I made in those days; Jason and Tracy. It was weird, too, because I didn't really get to know Tracy until the night of prom, when he and Joanne went with Marie and me. We hit it off pretty well, and since we both knew Jason, ended up hanging out quite a bit that summer while we tried to figure out who we were going to be.

We bonded on a bunch of stuff, not the least of which was musical taste, and this record was a staple. Whenever I hear it, especially "So Watcha Want", I remember those days, and how close the three of us were then. Since we were three white dudes, and the Beastie's were three white dudes, I think we drew as many parallels as we could muster. So of course, our group had to have a name, too.

One day, while we were trying to think of that name (DORKS would have worked...), we were lamenting about how lame we were at attracting girls. Tracy called us, sarcastically, the "Go Get 'em Gang". And it stuck. We referred to ourselves as G-Cubed (like, G to the third power) the rest of the summer.

Man...

So, recently, the guys in Geezer and the band members of local mainstays Ilya got together to do some shows as License to Ilya, a Beastie Boys tribute. While I wasn't too fond of how this show went, I loved doing this song. Check out Zach Goode(MZA), Adam Gimbel(The King Old-Rock) and me(Nas D).

Joan Baez: Hits/Greatest & Others

If My Mom had a Record Deal Edition

...she'd sound better than Joan. Sorry folksters, Joan sucks. I'm not exactly sure why she's an icon, other than her connection to Bob Dylan, and actually, the live recordings I've heard of the two of them are pretty entertaining. His jacked up voice with her pedestrian warble = magic, kinda like Jerry Cantrell and the late Layne Staley of Alice in Chains. Solo...not so much. Together: GOLD.

I know, I know. How can I dis Joan Baez? She was an icon, an established staple of American Music at the turning point of American Music. Well, too bad. American music got good when the British came back and took it over in retaliation for 1776, forcing the Yanks to follow suit. We may have invented Rock&Roll, but they honed it, and I'm looking forward to a little later in the "B's". You know who I'm talking about.

I would like to have dinner at Joan Baez's house. I bet she makes a tasty green-bean casserole.

Bad Credit: Financial Hip-Hop

No Cash Value Edition

Five perfect tracks on this local comedy rap troupe's first CD are all it takes to make this disc worth owning. Bad Credit is all about the Benjamins, going so far as to demand the five-bucks back they loaned to Bill Gates, the sop. Their live shows were great, and though they released a full-length album, it meanders in parts, while this EP is pure entertainment that fires on all cylinders. These songs are funny and have great hooks. What else do you need on a lazy Saturday in California? Well, other than food in your belly and a roof over your head and the security to enjoy financial freedom and being able to have anything your petty heart desires in seconds?

Obviously, nothing.

Bad Mood Zeus: Bad Mood Zeus

B-ginning Edition


Hiya, Spinners! Welcome to the first entry in "B"! Brought to you by "A"...


This power trio from San Diego changed their name to the name of their label after this first CD came out. A change of bass players instigated a change of monikers, as I found out later after my friend Brenda told me about this great band she listened to called Superunloader. A little investigation revealed I'd already heard them. For manic, jam-funk 70's rock, look no further.

Seriously, when I first heard this CD way back in '93, I was astounded by how authentically retro it feels. These three guys seemed to channel all the fury of Hendrix, Woodstock era Santana, and a little of The Who for good measure. My favorite song on the record is the understated "The Maze". This one seems to favor groove over manic thrash-funk, and it's better for it. The CD is long out of print, but you can purchase all the songs through their website.

This album reminds me of the days I spent at Grossmont college right out of High School. I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be, and music played a big part in the process, for better or worse. On one side was Bad Mood Zeus, Rush, and all the prog-rock and Pearl Jam in my collection. On the other side, the local indie emo kids that I was befriending introduced me to Fugazi, Slint, Drive Like Jehu, et al. It feels good to be an adult, able to enjoy all of it without needing it to define my life. It's more fun that way. Youth is a mess, though fantastic.

Avion: Avion

Truth and Consequences Edition

I know the singer. Steve Bertrand lives in LA. He has had enough success to really taste it, but maybe not enough to fill him up. I haven't talked to him in years. Here's maybe why:

When I was in Rookie Card, Steve finished with his first band, The Tories, and started Avion. I naively asked him if we could share shows: He'd do one with us in San Diego, while we'd then do one with him in LA. It all went south. Steve agreed to do it, but wasn't really excited about it, getting the idea pretty quickly that we wouldn't draw the kind of crowd they were used to in LA. Which is true. We wouldn't, and didn't, due in part to very shitty promotion of the show on our behalf. No one in the band save me had any interest in Avion.

The night of the show, Avion came down in a bus(!) and hung out in it pretty much the whole night, except when it was time to play. I saw Steve that evening for maybe two minutes. He didn't stick around to watch our set. I guess he felt upset about the lack of turnout and the long drive. Too bad. He called me a few days later, upholding his end of the deal. I told him we'd opt out if we had to presell tickets, which he acknowledged we would have to, and mentioned that he figured as much; "No hard feelings". That was the last time I talked to the dude.

Which is fine, but kinda lame. We originally met under different conditions, before the Tories' first album came out, when he was traveling with some Christian friends from LA, including Billy Zabka (Daniel-san's Johnny!) and the as yet unknown Doug Jones (Abe Sapien from Hellboy; Pan’s Labyrinth), ministering at churches, talking about Christianity in Hollywood. After we met, I used to make a point to go see the Tories whenever they came to SD.

Steve, if you ever read this, I apologize. I've harbored some pretty bad feelings towards you for a while now, and that's wrong and useless. Let's have a cup of coffee and meet back at God, instead of at the alter of rock-&-roll, which is no god at all.

Also, I don't really like the Avion CD. Who cares?

Audience of One (Shadow Mountain Student Ministries): Audience of One

Not Ashamed, but Certainly Sensitive Edition

I believe in Jesus Christ; That He is God, that He died for the sins of the world, and that He rose from the dead. I believe He is the only way to God, and that all men will perish unless they accept His free gift of salvation by believing in Him alone.

If you are still with me, and haven't erased this blog from memory, thanks. My Christianity may come as a shock, it may offend; or maybe not. I don't even know what's shocking anymore. I'm constantly surprised. I say all that so you understand why this CD is in my collection, and why it's so important to me. Artistically, it's not very good. There is nothing to really set each song apart from the others in arrangement or timing, save one standout played at double the tempo of all the others. The recording sounds a little hollow, and while the mix is fine, there's no "oomph". There are far better CD's representing contemporary worship songs.

Still, it's the first full-length recording I ever did. My friends Adam, his sister Anna, his future wife Erin and Mike on bass had played regularly together for months by the time we recorded this, all in one long day back in 1997. When we finally got copies in hand, we were proud and excited to share it. I am still glad to have done it, though I can hear every flaw and a million ways to "do it better". I just have to ask myself, to what end would I want to; For praise of my God, or praise of myself? That is the question all Christian artists wrestle with. I am wrestling with it to this day; even as I wrote this, even as I contemplated removing the first paragraph...

Natacha Atlas: Gedida

Full Belly Dancing Edition

Last summer saw Shan and I go to three weddings: Two of them Arabic. If you've never been to an Arabic Wedding, beg borrow or steal an invitation. Good food, good drink, great music and dancing. Or, you could buy this album for a taste of the music, at least. High energy, rhythmic and sexy, you will tap your foot, even if she only sings one song in English. (And one in French!)

This album surprised me. I wasn't sure I wanted to listen to it on the ride to work, especially after the rock-show high I was on from the night before. However, I'm glad I did. While the songs here may not be purely traditional, they are likely more accessible to new listeners, with great instrumentation and rich production values. As a kid, I grew up hating the bootleg live tapes my dad used to play on long car rides of his favorite Arabic singers. Perhaps if he'd been blasting Natacha Atlas, I would've come around a lot sooner. Maybe...