LISTS

It's a new year and everyone and their cousin is making a list. Or two. Or more. Do we really need another from me?

Well, my friend Todd Remley tagged me on his "Top 15" list on Facebook, and my friend Belinda, at Bubbles in the Think Tank has her list and talked to me about mine, so I guess there are two people in this world who care.

Todd went with 15, Belinda tried to stick to 10 but I think she had one extra. I'm going to split it into 10 "new" releases and 5 "archival" releases. And then I'm going to have a couple of "gotta mention this one, too" selections at the end, because really, I just want to have the chance to share and recommend some cool stuff, and I don't care exactly how many there are.

So sue me.

NEW RELEASES (alphabetical)

======================

Beat Caravan - On Parade

Japanese power-pop. Some serious hooks and nice harmonies coming from this band. They even cover Cape Cod's Link Montana!

http://facebook.com/beatcaravan

http://myspace.com/thebeatcaravan

http://twitter.com/beatcaravan

Elizabeth Cook - Welder

A great mix of humor, pathos, and party songs, all with a great twang. She sure seems to me to be the real deal. This is the kind of country music I love.

http://www.elizabeth-cook.com/

http://facebook.com/ElizabethCookMusic

http://myspace.com/elizabethcook

John DeVries (Agitpop) - X No

A really wonderful mix of styles, most with some nice, dark lyrics on this release from John DeVries, also a member of the 80's art-punk band Agitpop. I had forgotten this was a 2010 release until near the end of my review process and threw it on just to check it out again and whadaya know, it bumped up into my faves list.

http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=1648715969

http://myspace.com/johndevriesmusic

The Figgs - The Man Who Fights Himself

Power-pop in the spirit of the Replacements, hard-edged guitar-based music with serious hooks. They live in different parts of the US now and have other projects, so they don't get together to tour or record all that much. A new release is always a treat. Definitely see them if they come to your area - they might be even better live than on their releases.

http://thefiggs.net/

http://facebook.com/pages/The-Figgs/89126473046

Jack Grace Band - Drinking Songs For Lovers

Witty honkytonk drinking and truck driving songs and serious musicianship. 'nuf sed.

http://jackgrace.com/

http://www.facebook.com/thejackgraceband

Movin' Jelly - Yay Disc

Japanese rock & roll band influenced greatly by the Incredible Casuals, NRBQ, and Cheap Trick. This album shows off more of the Cheap Trick influence than their first album. My fave cuts are "My Birthday", "Movin' Jelly Twist", "Cell Phone Number Please", and "She Cried". Sadly, this is a posthumous release for one member of the band, guitarist Masaaki "Masa" Gunji.

(whatever journalistic integrity I think I might have tells me I should inform you that I am thanked in the credits ... but it really is a fun album)

http://myspace.com/movinjelly

The CD is available in the US from Cape Cod's SonicTrout on their catalog page:

http://sonictrout.com/products/catalogue.php

Edward O'Connell - Our Little Secret

Power-pop from DC-based Edward O'Connell. He wears his influences on his sleeve, but they're great influences (Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, for example), and wears them proud and well. A really lovely album, not a bad song in the bunch.

http://edwardoconnell.com/

The Parkington Sisters - Till Voices Wake Us

Five sisters from Wellfleet, MA on Cape Cod who play various string instruments (guitar, violin, banjo and cello) and piano and sing really really pretty. Lydia, the youngest of the five, has voice that haunts.

http://parkingtonsisters.com/

http://facebook.com/pages/Parkington-Sisters/127612167255868

Stan Ridgway - Neon Mirage

What a wonderful surprise. Stan's put out some good stuff over the years, but this one is really something. And great reed contributions by the great Ralph Carney, too.

http://stanridgway.com/

Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here

The poet returns. The guy's led a hard life, and he doesn't sugarcoat it one bit on his first album in many years. I found this album haunting.

http://gilscottheron.net/

ARCHIVAL RELEASES (alphabetical)

===========================

Bruce Springsteen - The Promise

Bruce certainly doesn't need my help in selling this, a 2 CD collection of outtakes from "Darkness on the Edge of Town", but man-o-man do I love it.

http://brucespringsteen.net/

Sun Ra - College Tour Vol 1: The Complete Nothing Is ...

This is a 2-CD ESP Disk release of the complete 1966 set from which the "Nothing Is ..." album was taken, plus part of the 2nd set the band performed that night and part of the soundcheck for the show. All-in-all 90 additional minutes of material. A fantastic performance and well-recorded. I love the transitions the band makes from song to song, from a big band swing number into cacophonous roar into a space chant and back into swing. It's a wonderful thing.

Oh, and that's Massachusetts' Governor Deval Patrick's father Pat Patrick playing baritone sax.

http://elrarecords.com/

http://espdisk.com/

http://facebook.com/pages/Sun-Ra/63446498680

http://outerspaceways.info/

Travis & Shook - The Essential Travis, Shook & the Club Wow

First CD release of this early-70's LP release (no one seems to know the exact year as it seems there were a LOT of drugs going 'round in those days). In addition to the songwriting and beautiful harmonies of Chandler Travis and Steve Shook, not to mention Steve's unique guitar picking and voicing, this album features guest appearances by members of NRBQ, and songs written by Terry Adams, Sun Ra, and Keith Spring.

http://chandlertravis.com/

http://sonictrout.com/products/catalogue.php

Frank Zappa - Greasy Love Songs

The original 1968 stereo mix of "Cruising with Ruben & the Jets" plus a whole bunch more alternate mixes and unreleased tracks. The title says it all, really.

http://zappa.com/

http://killuglyradio.com/

http://zappateers.com/

Frank Zappa - Hammersmith Odeon

Oh, one of my fave Zappa lineups, maybe because it's the first one I saw live (Poughkeepsie, NY in September or October '77, these shows are from the end of the same tour, January & February '78). THREE discs of live material assembled to feel like a full (extra long) show from that era. Some really tasty guitar solos from both Zappa and Adrian Belew and a gorgeous sounding production.

http://zappa.com/

http://killuglyradio.com/

http://zappateers.com/

I JUST HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT

==========================

Terry Adams Rock & Roll Quartet - Facebook/Soundcloud Digital Downloads

Seven live tracks have been made available so far from the formerly notoriously close-to-the-vest Adams - for FREE! Who are you and what have you done with Terry? I'm not arguing, I like the new openness and I sure hope people spread the word just how good this band can be. Reports are that there will be a studio release from the band sometime in 2011. Let's just say I'm pretty excited about that.

http://terryadams.net/

http://nrbq.com/

http://facebook.com/pages/The-Terry-Adams-Rock-Roll-Quartet/130350920355925

http://soundcloud.com/TARRQ

The Baseball Project - Broadside Ballads

Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5), Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate, Gutterball), Peter Buck (REM, Minus 5), and Linda Pitmon (Zu Zu's Petals, Steve Wynn) wrote 9 downloadable songs over the course of the 2010 baseball season, commenting on various baseball events that struck their fancy (anticipation of the season, the possibility of a triple crown winner, another 30 game winner, too many players spending time on the disabled list, the phenom Stephen Strasburg, a eulogy to former player Jose Lima, ...)

http://thebaseballproject.bandcamp.com/album/broadside-ballads

http://yeproc.com/artist_info.php?artistId=12539

Tim Carroll - All Kinds of Pain

This is a 2009 release I just found out about at the end of 2010. It would most definitely have been on my favorites list. I've been a fan of Tim Carroll's for many years, since I first heard the singles he wrote and recorded with the Blue Chieftains, a New York City country band that recorded for the Diesel Only label. Oh, and he's married to Elizabeth Cook (see my 2010 faves above).

http://myspace.com/timcarrollmusic

FAVORITE SHOWS

==============

Clare & the Reasons / Van Dyke Parks - Iron Horse, Northampton, MA

Man, I was in a foul mood that day. Getting sick, feeling general miserable. But I had tickets for the show and we were playing an after-show gig across the street (a Chandler Travis Trio gig that ended up having 7 band members), so I rode up to Northampton with Chandler & Rikki. Clare & the Reasons had already started (adding to my foul mood - I hate missing part of a show), but I swear as soon as I walked into that room I started to feel better, their sound was so calming, the volume at a perfect level where you really had to stay quiet to hear everything (and for the most part, the audience did). By the end of the night, thanks to both the music, Van Dyke Parks' between-song patter, and a few vodka tonics, I was transformed - joyous, I'd call my mood. What a wonderful night. Clare & the Reasons' "Live in Amsterdam", which just missed my fave 10 (partially because I knew I could mention it here), offers a very good representation of what we heard that night.

Incredible Casuals - Valentine's, Albany, NY

OK, I work for the band, I'm a total sycophant. I've seen them practically every Sunday between Memorial Day and Labor Day for 12 years. And I'm a relative new-comer to the band, compared to some of their fans. Their home turf these days is the Wellfleet Beachcomber and there's always something different about those shows compared to their shows in other venues, particulary off-cape venues, I think (with the exception of the Japan tour in 2006 ... that was CRAZY!) Anyway, the show at Valentines was the closest thing to a mid-summer Beachcomber feel that I've gotten from them at any off-cape gig since, well, probably Japan in 2006. There was this great give & take between the audience and the band, and things rose to a fever pitch by the end of the night. I was really proud of the boys that night, hanging out at my merch table, and I was thrilled to be there.

KK & the Meds / The Catbirds / Treat Her Right - Lizard Lounge, Cambridge, MA

A CD release party for Kimon Kirk, the Boston debut of the Catbirds (Rikki Bates, Dinty Child, Steve Wood, and Chandler Travis), and reunion of Treat Her Right alumni, all in the friendly confines of the Lizard Lounge. Kimon was wonderful and can really sing a ballad beautifully. The Catbirds played a nice, tight set of their stronger material and the sonic interplay of Steve and Dinty was great. Treat Her Right played a fun set, the memory of Mark Sandman definitely there. Also notable for me as being the last night I saw Billy Ruane.

Parkington Sisters / Tin Hat - Wellfleet Library, Wellfleet, MA

BLEW. MY. MIND. After a very nice opening set by locals the Parkington Sisters (I think their CD release party at the Wellfleet Congregational Church a couple of months earlier was a better show, but there was nothing to sneeze at with this opening set), Tin Hat performed an amazing set of acoustic music that defied classification. Jazz? Classical? Who cares what you call it, it was stunnng. The group features sparse instrumentation (guitar/dobro, piano/accordion, clarinet/contra-alto clarinet, violin, voice) and what seemed to be arranged pieces with room for improvisation, though I suppose it could all be arranged, I forgot to ask them. The group was on the cape to rehearse for a new tour. Apparently, Carla, their violinist/vocalist has moved to the cape with her husband and new born, so hopefully we'll get occasional shows here in future.

Ticks / Greenheads / Earth Jr ('Coma opening night '10) - Wellfleet Beachcomber, Wellfleet, MA

Always a great night, always a favorite of mine. It's the beginning of Summer, a night to reconnect with folks we hardly ever see during the off-season. For the last several years it has featured these three bands. For the last couple of years I've had the chance to sing backup with the Greenheads on a handful of songs. Opening night 2010 is particularly memorable for one thing: The Ticks playing "Crazy Train". Yeah, that kicked off the season just grand.

Nyjer Morgan

Not that anyone is asking me, but I sure don't blame Nyjer Morgan for charging the mound after being thrown at twice in one game tonight against the Marlins. I understand why he got hit the first time (retaliation for his cheap shot hit on the Marlins catcher the previous night), and he didn't start a fight after that one, but then they threw at him again later in the game. What up wit that?

Apparently he broke some unwritten rule by stealing 2nd & 3rd with his team down by 11 runs after he got hit by a pitch earlier in the game. So what? Like a team has never come back from that far down? Every run counts, and the name of the game is to get yourself in a position to score runs. When a batter hits a home run after getting hit by a pitch his previous, we laud his determination. But Morgan isn't known as a home run hitter, he's a base stealer and run scorer, so he did what comes naturally ... he stole bases and got to 3rd base, where all sorts of things could have resulted in his scoring.

Don't get me wrong, I think Morgan is a bit of a punk, and he's definitely got some issues (he recently threw a ball at someone in the stands), but when the ball gets thrown behind you when you've already been hit by a pitch in the game, well ... he's sure not the first guy to charge the mound after something like that.

Would I rather have seen him get on base and steal 3 bases, including home, this time? Hell yeah. That would've shown 'em!

'bout stinkin' time!

Just heard that Jim Rice was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his last year of eligibility. I'm so glad he finally got in.


There are a few baseball games I remember fairly clearly, here's an example of one that sticks in my memory purely because of Jim Rice.

My first game at Fenway Park was in the fall of 1980. I went with some MIT fraternity and a group of freshman during MIT's "rush week". We sat way in the back of the bleachers section, on honest-to-goodness real bleachers, if I remember correctly (I think that was the last year of real bleachers in the bleachers section at Fenway). I think we were just underneath the front of the centerfield video scoreboard (back then it was still black & white, and if you were looking straight up at it, it was basically unwatchable). The Red Sox were playing the Billy Martin-managed Oakland A's (this was the height of "Billyball"). The Sox were down in the 9th inning and Jim Rice hit a home run to start a game-tying rally, then another home run in the 10th to win the game.

Here's a box score of the game.

That second home run was one of the longest I've ever seen hit at Fenway. The back of the centerfield bleachers is FAR away from home plate, and I swear it landed just a few rows in front of where I was sitting.

Congrats, Jim-Ed! You deserve it.

Oh, and congrats to Rickey "Hot Dog" Henderson, too - no doubt he deserves it, too. Hell, I half expect him to come out of retirement and play in the majors again after being elected to the Hall of Fame.

that'll do, pig

Earlier today, I emailed the following to a couple of baseball buddies of mine:

I think the Sox bats are awake now, and tonight they'll get more than the two runs they got off of Shields in game 1. If Beckett can pitch well (admittedly, that's a big if in this post season), I think the Sox take tonight's game. I bet Beckett is on a short leash tonight - maybe they go to Wake if things get tough? His knuckleball can be pretty magical inside a dome.

I like their chances with Lester on the mound for game 7.

Final score tonight, Red Sox 4, Tampa Bay 2. I thought the Sox would score a few more runs than that, but they did just fine, and it was great to see Veritek contribute to the cause, since he's been in a mostly year-long slump. Beckett allowed 2 runs on 4 hits (2 solo homers), a walk, and 3 strikeouts over 5 innings - not dominating, but damn good enough to get the job done tonight.

Oh, and check out this blog post about Game 5 by one of the all-time masters in writing, Roger Angell. As my buddy Joe commented, "Damn-- who else actively writing these days can mention something that happened in 1929 and then say, in all seriousness, that he remembers it well? I guess we should treasure Angell while we have him." Really, folks - read all the Roger Angell you can - there's an amazing collection of his baseball writing that came out maybe 7 or 8 years ago, called "Once More Around the Park: A Baseball Reader" ... Joe-Bob says check it out.

And yes, I still like the Sox' chances with Lester going on the mound for game 7.

Great Googly-Moogly!

The Boston Red Sox, down 7-0 to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 7th inning, score 4 in the 7th, 3 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to win the game 8-7 and keep their chances alive in the American League Championship Series - that's just plumb crazy!

After the first run by the Sox, my buddy the Hollywood property master texted me "at least they scored" - he's kinda bummed about the Dodgers not getting into the World Series, too. Soon thereafter, David "Big Papi" Ortiz hit a 3-run home run, and I texted back "right where we want them". Semi-joking, but boy, when it got to the 8th inning and they had Wheeler (Tampa's relief pitcher) rattled ... geez, it really felt like they were going to get the job done tonight.

Thanks, Red Sox - that was fun tonight!

All-Star Game opening ceremony

"The greatest collection of baseball All-Stars ever assembled on one field."

Really?

I'm sorry, but the best they could do for catchers was to get Yogi and Gary "where's the camera?" Carter? I certainly understand Yogi being there, but if Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk aren't there, too, what's the point?

And is Willie Mays really the only great living center fielder left? I was thinking maybe he was, but according to baseball-reference.com, Duke Snider is still alive.

Also should've been there: Yaz, Sandy Koufax, and, of course, Stan Musial

I thought that introducing HoF managers and executives was a great idea, but it suggested a big improvement to me ... they should have used a Hall of Fame announcer (my choice would be Ernie Harwell) instead of Joe Buck, or at least along side Joe. Heck, they have possibly the greatest living stadium announcer right there in Bob Sheppard - let him introduce everyone!

Oh, and I thought it was great that Sheryl Crow played the National Anthem live, but that it was too bad she had such trouble with it (looking at the fingerboard when making chords, trying to hit that silly high note at the end) ... still, it could have been a whole lot worse!

Just my 2 cents ...