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Call it a concerned citizen performing his civic duty, or a Quixotic dreamer shouting headlong into a December gale, but I recently mailed the following to my representative in Congress, who also happens to be the Speaker of the House:

Dear Madame Speaker,

As one of your local constituents, I urge you to take action against an out of control executive branch with no respect for the laws of our nation or for the rights of the American people.

The polite approach has failed the Democratic party time and time again. The elections of 2006 were a mandate from the citizens of the US and a declaration that a majority of us now recognize there is a Constitutional crisis at hand and that we demand something be done about it.

It is time that our only sensible option be implemented. We ask that the House begin impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush and Dick Cheney immediately. We can't wait until Inauguration Day to end this administration's insane, irresponsible, destructive policies. america needs your leadership in this matter.

Yes, Democrats will be slammed and slandered by the opposition and the mainstream press for this. But by now it should be clear that they will do that anyway. This cannot be a consideration when there is so much at stake. I am joining my fellow citizens in requesting that you use your power wisely by impeaching the President and Vice-President for crimes against the US and the world. The situation demands nothing less.

Respectfully yours,
XXXXXXXXXXX

We're not dead yet! Thanks for tuning in. And thanks for the votes for X-tal! Nice surprise.

I wonder who is weirder: us, for putting this of all possible Clash songs on our playlist, or you all for voting it up to number 2! We aim to shock, delight and go against all conventional wisdom here at Ear Candle Radio. Also: a hat tip to Danny Scherr for his first Top 20 showing. It was good to see you at the party.

1. X-tal - Windbags - Who Owns Our Dreams
2. The Clash - Mensforth Hill - Sandinista!
3. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Feel So Good (Previously Unreleased) - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective
4. Jefferson Airplane - The House At Pooneil Corners - Crown of Creation
5. The Mekons - This Funeral Is For The Wrong Corpse (Full Version) - I Have Been To Heaven And Back: Hen's Teeth... Vol.
6. The Beastie Boys - Something's Got To Give - The Sounds Of Science
7. Tarika - Sonegaly (Senegalese) - Son Egal
8. ESG - Ufo - A South Bronx Story
9. Danny Scherr - Too Far Down - Richmond Special
10. Bert Jansch - Angie (Live) 1964 - Bert Jansch
11. The Avengers - I Want In - Died for Your Sins
12. New York Dolls - Looking For A Kiss - New York Dolls
13. Mudhoney - On The Move - Under a Billion Suns
14. David Bowie - Always Crashing In The Same Car - Low
15. Bright Eyes - Clairaudients (Kill Or Be Killed) - Cassadaga
16. Val Esway - Birthday - Pretend To Believe
17. Rod & the MSR Singers - Beat Of The Traps - The American Song-poem Anthology: Do You Know The Difference Between Big Wood And Brush
18. Junior Kimbrough & The Soul Blues Boys - Crawling King Snake - Mojo Stooges Jukebox
19. Heartless Bastards - All This Time - All This Time
20. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Moon, Turn The Tides...Gently, Gently - Electric Ladyland

Crucifix were a group of young kids from the East Bay who had put out a couple of EPs on their own and appeared on the first Maximum Rock & Roll compilation. I´d seen them once at the On Broadway and heard some of their recordings, but they sounded like a big sloppy blur to me. Of all people, they had been chosen to be the first US release on the Crass-run Corpus Christi label. Crass had been looking for a band from the Bay Area that fit in with what they were doing.

"Why them and not, say, Social Unrest?" I asked.

Maati tossed her head dismissively. "Social Unrest are egomaniacs and they want too much money. Crucifix already have a rapport with Crass. They have the right kind of attitude." Her face suddenly lit up. "John Loder wants me to produce the album!"

"Wow." All I could think of was how cool it would be to see her name on an album cover. "You think you can get a good recording out of them?"

"You have to see them again. Wait till you hear the newest songs. And they´re great people! They´re just young boys, full of energy, but…really honest and respectful. Sothira was a refugee from Cambodia, did you know?"

"Really? So he actually knows a thing or two about war then, huh?"

"Exactly. He´s not just another white suburban kid trying to look tough!" We were both getting fed up with the standard hardcore image: four muscular Caucasian boys barking orders at the world over a fast beat. It got monotonous very quickly.

"Well, if you say they´re great, they probably are. I´ve always trusted your judgement."

"This is what I´m doing this for. You remember how we felt three years ago? First Reagan gets elected, then they shoot John Lennon a month later. It´s not a coincidence."

"I certainly never thought so."

"Everything my generation worked for is being destroyed by these fuckers. I thought I was going to see something better than this in my thirties."

"Me too!" (I was 26 at the time.)

"And sure, it´s great to have all these English people making a statement, but"…she flicked her wrist, indicating all the stacks of promos in the room. "Finally, here are some American kids. And they really rock. Maybe they can get across to the teenagers in this country now."

"They´re that good, really?"

"Go see ´em again, Neo."

The hot, humid, smoke-filled interior of the Valencia Tool and Die was charged with energy. I was close to the stage, fending off the spiral of moshing kids behind me. I hardly noticed; I was so absorbed in the band. Sothira´s raspy growl made it impossible to catch every word. (Comprehensibility was a common problem in thrashy punk bands with a message---some would attempt to remedy the situation by passing out lyric sheets at shows; others like Dave Dictor of MDC would actually recite a whole song as a spoken word piece and then the band would jump in and bash it out. Most just expected you to read their interviews, buy their records, and pay attention to what they had to say between songs. It was one of the unspoken punk rules: "Figure it out for yourself!") But certain phrases would pop out that made it clear where Crucifix were coming from: "These men! Bought by prejudice!" ""Indochina! Lost forever!" "Youth! Violence! Youth! Don´t! Fight!"

And the band was tight. Not quite stop-on-a-dime Minor Threat tight, but a unified roar that was fast and massive at the same time. Matt Borruso was an unbelievable bass player: strong and steady as a tree come to life, throwing out deep, monstrous riffs that grabbed you and pulled you into the current.

"This is our last song!" Sothira announced breathlessly. "It´s called ´Stop Torture´!" The band crashed right in, faster and harder than ever, like "Ace Of Spades" played at triple speed, while Sothira ranted passionately, struggling to fit the syllables into the song. Suddenly they lurched into a slow, grinding Black Sabbath-like riff while Sothira railed, "US government-backed butchers! In the guise of friendly advisors! The friendly neighbor with a bloody trade!" then they returned to the fast verses and skidded off to a halt with one last shout of the title phrase. I was stunned and elated. Somebody finally got to the point and reduced the whole critique to a simple, prefect statement. Stop torture. Fuckin´-A. This is what rock and roll is supposed to do. Maati was right, as usual.

Maati and the band got to work, shopping around town for a studio and an engineer that could bring out the full force of their music. Crucifix´s goal was to combine the speed and intensity of Discharge with the overwhelming, undeniable momentum of Motorhead. The winning candidate was a veteran English musician and recording wizard named Peter Miller, who had floated around the periphery of the music scene since the early ´60s and had a passion for vintage rock & roll and vintage equipment. His own most recent self-released album was titled Pre-CBS, in honor of the guitars built by Fender before Leo Fender sold his company to CBS. A rock & roll "moldy fig" enamored with the technical minutiae of the past might have seemed an odd match for such a band, but Maati saw Peter as the perfect set of ears to see the project through.


The phone rang at Landers St. and I answered.

"Neo?" a familiar breathy female voice cooed.

"Maati! I haven´t heard from you in a week! How are the sessions going?"

"I got so much to tell you. Why don´t you come over right now? And bring a bottle of wine."

"Sounds good to me."

I arrived with a bottle of decent Valpolicella from around the corner and knocked.

"It´s open." I entered to the sound of hyperfast instrumental thrash punk. "These are some basic tracks. That´s all I´ve been able to bring home so far."

"It sounds even faster than they play live. How on earth is Sothira going to keep up with that?"

"Poor Sothira. He´s a nervous wreck. He was supposed to finish the lyrics and he hasn´t been able to. The others are getting really impatient, which obviously isn´t helping."

"I didn´t know there were songs that aren´t finished. They seemed to have plenty of material when I saw them."

"Yeah, but they´re not happy with all the songs. Now that Crass are involved…you know. Suddenly they´re having more expectations put on them. But I think it´ll be OK. I had them take a break and I took Sothira out for a walk. He needed some air. So I say to him, ´Look, you came here as a child from Cambodia. Your family escaped the Khmer Rouge and you lived here as refugees. But you haven´t written about any of that yet. You have all these songs about war and prejudice and they´re great, but maybe what´s missing is your own story. All the people who come see your band don´t have any idea of the things you´ve gone through. Why don´t you try writing some songs about that? It might be what you´re looking for.´ And he was really listening. I think he´ll come up with something good."

"´The personal is political´, and all that?"

"Exactly." She paused. "This could be what I end up doing. I really like being in charge of a recording session. Being a record producer is a lot like being a teacher, and I always wanted to be a teacher." She focused her eyes on me. "You ever hear of the concept of ´right livelihood´?"

"Mmmm…no."

"You have to read more Buddhist books! You need to know about more things than just music! It means earning your living by doing things that are good for humanity. I want to make a positive impact on culture, and I like working with sincere young kids in bands. I can never decide what I want to do; maybe this is it! All I need is a good engineer. Peter is really cool and fun to work with."

She cranked up the volume on the cassette player. "Listen to that guitar sound. ADT really makes a difference. The sound is so big and full, they´ll probably hate it at Maximum Rock & Roll," she grinned. "If it doesn´t sound like shit, it´s not real punk to them."

"It´s gonna be an amazing record. I hope Sothira comes through with those lyrics. A well-told story is way better than a lecture."

Maati´s pep talk was just what was needed. Sothira came back with "Another Mouth To Feed" ("from country to country/you´re treated like shit/one camp to another/where do you fit?") and a rewrite of one of their most exciting live songs, a fast number with a catchy, lurching chorus, originally titled "Nobody´s Fooled", now recast as "See Through Their Lies": "Slept under mosquito nets/we used kerosene lamps/I remember the discomfort/the air was so damp." On the front cover of the album was an image of a weary mother and a crying baby taken from Is Anyone Taking Any Notice?, a collection of horrifying pictures by the British war photojournalist Donald McCullin published in 1973. The book featured image after image of starving or disfigured children, dismembered corpses, desperate refugees, and other collateral damage from the ongoing global game where important men make important decisions and the human cost is hidden from the view of average citizens so as not to spoil their appetites over breakfast. The shot we chose was probably the mildest one of the lot.

1. Essential Logic - Aerosol Burns - Fanfare In The Garden
2. Petra Haden - I Can See for Miles - Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out
3. Barbara Manning and the Go-Luckys! - Marcus Leid - Transatlantic Trips
4. WIRE - Map Ref. 41 Degrees North, 93 Degrees West - 154
5. Delta 5 - Try - Singles & Sessions 1979-81
6. Project Soul - Ebony - Bay Area Funk 2
7. Peter B & Friends - Kirtan Got Soul - Peter B's Birthday Party
8. Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - This Wheel's On Fire - Mojo: Dylan Covered
9. Dicks - No Fuckin' War - Dicks: 1980-1986
10. Bikini Kill - Carnival - The CD Version of the First Two Records
11. The Dry Spells - The Village - The Dry Spells
12. The Dandy Warhols - Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth - Come Down
13. John Lennon - Serve Yourself - Wonsaponatime
14. Rob K - Those Things - The End Of The Earth
15. Eux Autres - Ecoutez Bien - Hell Is Eux Autres
16. X-tal - Mark Time - Who Owns Our Dreams
17. The Beatles - Dizzy Miss Lizzy - Help!
18. Ill Ease - Sick Groove - Circle Line Tours
19. Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - South Carolina (Barnwell) [Live] - From South Africa To South Carolina
20. Bert Jansch - Angie (Live) 1964 - Bert Jansch

From the ever-delightful Christopher Stigliano's Christmas list:

"If you can't find any of that, a tape of J. Neo Marvin being strangled by one of a variety of faithful BLOG TO COMM readers using a string from his guitar should suffice."

I can't go out my own door anymore now without being accosted by overweight Republican record collectors lunging feebly at me with rusty Ernie Ball Slinkies. Luckily, the San Francisco hills invariably render them out of breath by the time they get to my neighborhood, so I'm not too worried right now. My wife, on the other hand, is ready to turn him in to the FBI as a terrorist. I won't stand in her way.

We're still here, but for how much longer?

You may or may not have heard the news, but the Copyright Royalty Board recently set new royalty rates for internet radio that not only far exceed those for other forms of broadcasting, but are also retroactive through the beginning of 2006, and will be measured PER LISTENER. Sounds like a great windfall for the artist, right? Wrong. This decision threatens the very existence of online radio stations like ours, who play music that mainstream radio will never touch and even college radio may not notice. Thus far, our host, live365.com, has not passed on any rate increases to personal stations like ours, but I'm not counting on this to remain the case unless something changes. (And you should know that if our monthly fee rises above the nearly $60 a month we pay right now, we may have to consider packing it in. We will be directly affected by what goes down in the coming months.)

There is a response rising in the form of a new bill in Congress, the Internet Radio Equality Act, which would set royalty rates for online stations at a level comparable to the rest of the airwaves. Supporters of small broadcasters like ourselves need to educate themselves on what they can do. Check below for some detailed info on all these issues by people more informed and articulate than I am:

http://www.live365.com/choice/

Running this station for the last few years has been a labor of love and a joy for Davis and myself. We have nearly 500 regular listeners now and treating them to our own mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar has been an incredible experience. We have made friends with artists all over the world (a brief tip of the hat to Elevation, Shine Cherries, the Window Shoppers, Stephen Simon, Halcyon High, Sparta Philharmonic, 17 Pygmies, Del Rey and the Sun Kings, and too many more to mention...thank you for sharing your music with us) and we've had the opportunity to share exclusive unreleased music of our own with you all too. We are both artists and broadcasters, and we refuse to accept this divisive strategy by the RIAA that only serves to line their own pockets and keep the unheard music from being heard. So if you've been digging what we do, now is a good time to call your representatives in Congress and support stations like ours.

End of lecture. Time to give you this month's charts, which are topped quite appropriately by "Another Genius Idea From Our Government" from the marvelous new album by Erase Errata. This time out, our top 20 is chock full of great female artists, including double doses of both Terese Taylor and Ut! Thank you all for your ever-fascinating and ever-perceptive votes. We are still putting the finishing touches on our all-new playlist for spring, which includes several of these numbers and much more. Keep listening, and keep internet radio alive. Thank you.

http://www.live365.com/stations/jneomarvin

1. Erase Errata - Another Genius Idea From Our Government - Nightlife
2. Elias & His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes - Tom Hark (1955) - John Peel And Sheila: The Pig's Big 78s: A Beginner's Guide
3. Sleater-Kinney - Words and Guitar - Dig Me Out
4. Rob K - Those Things - The End Of The Earth
5. The Experimental Bunnies - Grief - Music From The Integrity Tone Scale
6. The Temptations - Masterpiece - Psychedelic Soul
7. Terese Taylor - Dog Jackson - Good Luck Investigationship
8. Terese Taylor - Call In Sick - Good Luck Investigationship
9. Val Esway - Whiskey Trail - Pretend To Believe
10. Ut - HomeBled - In Gut's House
11. The Celibate Rifles - Bill Bonney Regrets - The Turgid Miasma Of Existence
12. Barbara Manning and the Go-Luckys! - Marcus Leid - Transatlantic Trips
13. The Pogues - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Rum Sodomy & the Lash
14. Sharon Cheslow & Coterie Exchange - Fatigue Creep & Dynamic Fracture - Lullabye From The Sky
15. S.H.E. - Outta Reach - Mojo Music Guide Vol. 1 - Instant Garage
16. Twistyfix - Wake The Hammer - Twistyfix
17. The Velvet Underground - European Son (Mono Version) - Velvet Underground & Nico
18. Rhythm & Noise - Filament In Strata - Chasm's Accord
19. Y Pants - That's the Way Boys Are - Y Pants
20. Ut - Evangelist - In Gut's House

1. The Subtonix - Trophy - 7" single
2. MC5 - Looking At You - The Big Bang: The Best of the MC5
3. Kevin Ayers & the Whole World - May I? - Shooting at the Moon
4. De La Soul - Eye Know - 3 Feet High And Rising
5. The Missing Links - You're Driving Me Insane - Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond, Vol. 3
6. Love - Gather Round - Out Here
7. It Thing - The Ode - The OTBJBDTAE
8. The Mountain Goats - The Anglo-Saxons - Ghana
9. Wire - Map Ref. 41 Degrees North, 93 Degrees West - 154
10. Vashti Bunyan - Rose Hip November - Just Another Diamond Day
11. Mudhoney - Where Is The Future - Under A Billion Suns
12. Tom Verlaine - Saucer Crash - Warm and Cool
13. The Window Shoppers - So What Do You Think? - Clear Your Dirt
14. The Fall - Boxoctosis - The Real New Fall LP (American Version)
15. Fairport Convention - Percy's Song - Unhalfbricking
16. Chris Knox - What Do We Do With Love? - Beat
17. Memphis Jug Band - Memphis Shakedown - Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 4 (Disc 1)
18. Leonard Cohen - Who By Fire - The Essential Leonard Cohen
19. The Celibate Rifles - Bill Bonney Regrets - The Turgid Miasma Of Existence
20. Sleater-Kinney - Good Things - Call the Doctor

A very interesting chart this month. Both splinter bands of our local heroes the Cat Heads are represented, with the Ex Cat Heads topping the charts with Sam Babbitt's spooky rendition of Frank Kogan's "Waterfall" and It Thing's mood piece "Off The Other End I Was" at number 11.

Former Content Providers guitarist (and ex-housemate of Davis and Neo) Glenn Stevens' charming "Lady V" popped in out of nowhere to sit at number 2, while our own "Ex-Supernova" is at #10. Thanks for the thumbs up, listeners.

I'm glad to see many of our electronic pen pals on here like Elevation, Twistyfix, Shine Cherries, and Sparta Philharmonic, as well as Mezmetic, a CD we actually bought on Haight St, one day from its creator because he seemed like such a cool guy. His music is cool as well, sample-dub trip-hop grooves that stay in your memory. Check out all of these people's myspace pages and hear some great stuff that's too under the radar for even the popular indie magazines to cover. YET.

It's also good to see ex-locals the Brian Jonestown Massacre showing up here. I can't resist a band that swaggers this dreamily. And no, I have not seen the movie Dig; I'm not so sure I want to find reasons to dislike people who make music this great. As it is, Anton Newcombe has some of the best bulletins on myspace, keeping the kids informed and angry about our current sorry state of affairs. I wonder if the next BJM release will have lyrics that reflect Newcombe's current righteous political anger. As it is, noisy garage rock protest is well-represented by a different track from that ubiquitous Neil Young album (the title song this time) and Mudhoney's brilliant "Where Is The Future".

Whew. Keep tuning in and giving us your feedback. We'll be putting together our all-new spring '07 playlist soon.

1. The (Ex) Cat Heads - Waterfall - Our Frisco
2. Glenn Stevens - Lady V - 2002 Demo
3. Elevation - Busstop - Neotext
4. Twistyfix - Wake The Hammer - MP3 single
5. The Go-Betweens - Caroline And I - Bright Yellow Bright Orange
6. Grifters - Last Man Alive - Ain't My Lookout
7. Yo La Tengo - Tighten Up - Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics!
8. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Number 1 Hit Jam - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective
9. Petra Haden - I Can See for Miles - Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out
10. J Neo Marvin & the Content Providers - Ex-Supernova - What Is Truth?
11. It Thing - Off The Other End I Was - The OTBJBDTJE
12. Antietam - Chronicle of a Gift Horse - Victory Park
13. The Gris Gris - Year zero - For the Season
14. Shine Cherries - Atmosphere - Shine Cherries
15. Neil Young - Living With War - Living With War
16. Flipper - Sacrifice - The Flipper Follies, Austin 1982
17. The Sparta Philharmonic - Paper-Mache Mountains - Paper-Mache Mountains
18. Mudhoney - Where Is The Future - Under A Billion Suns
19. Mezmetic - Bilar De La Noche - A Handful Of Sand (... And A Strange Distant Wave)
20. Liliput/ Kleenex - DC-10 - Liliput/ Kleenex

A double dose of Cannanes this month! And many other nice things besides. Keep your votes coming, Gentle Listeners.

1. Chris Knox - What Do We Do With Love? - Beat
2. Paul Revere & the Raiders - Melody For An Unknown Girl - Paul Revere & The Raiders - Greatest Hits
3. The Human Expression - Optical Sound - Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era
4. The Cannanes & Steward - Hey Leopard - Communicating at an Unknown Rate
5. Sly & The Family Stone - Babies Makin' Babies - The Essential Sly & The Family Stone
6. Rhythm & Noise - Bilge - Chasm's Accord
7. Young Marble Giants - Wurlitzer Jukebox - Colossal Youth
8. Penetration - Silent Community - Moving Targets
9. Marine Girls - Dishonesty - Lazy Ways/Beach Party
10. Kevin Ayers - Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong - Joy Of A Toy
11. Eric's Trip - Secret For Julie - Love Tara
12. The Stooges - Down On The Street - Fun House
13. The Replacements - Seen Your Video - Let It Be
14. K. McCarty - Golly Gee - Dead Dog's Eyeball: Songs of Daniel Johnston
15. Elias & His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes - Tom Hark (1955) - John Peel And Sheila: The Pig's Big 78s: A Beginner's Guide
16. The Cannanes - Japanese Train Station - Living the Dream
17. The Rolling Stones - Shake Your Hips - Exile On Main Street
18. Leonard Cohen - The Guests - The Essential Leonard Cohen
19. Kraftwerk - Showroom Dummies - Trans-Europe Express
20. James Brown - I Got The Feelin' - Star Time

My good friend Celine Keller (who some of you may know for her artwork on the first two Content Providers albums, Slowly I Turned and What Is Truth?, has made a new animated movie. As always her art is haunting, funny and vulnerable. The new movie, "Sonderzeichen", addresses infatuation and loneliness from the point of view of a lovesick lesbian in Buenos Aires. The title, according to the ever-unreliable Babelfish, translates from German to English as "Special Character".

Watch Sonderzeichen here. And if your heart is broken, you may get some ideas on how to bring it back to life.

Check out Celine and her partner Paula's video blog here. You can watch some more of Celine's work as well as some really trippy commercials they have edited.

It's always great to see old friends doing well.

Roy Edroso on James Brown. God DAMN, that man can write.

1. T. Rex - Jeepster - Electric Warrior
2. Rob K - 5 Yamas - The End Of The Earth
3. The Dry Spells - The Village - The Dry Spells
4. The Sparta Philharmonic - Paper-Mache Mountains - Paper-Mache Mountains
5. Grifters - Last Man Alive - Ain't My Lookout
6. Ut - HomeBled - In Gut's House
7. The Beach Boys - Diamond Head - Friends/20-20
8. Vashti Bunyan - Rose Hip November - Just Another Diamond Day
9. The Big Boys - What's the Word? - The Fat Elvis
10. Love - Gather Round - Out Here
11. The Fall - My New House - This Nation's Saving Grace
12. The Experimental Bunnies - Normal - Integrity Tone Scale
13. Kaleidoscope - Keep Your Mind Open - Blues From Baghdad - The Very Best Of Kaleidoscope
14. The Fall - What About Us - The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004
15. Captain Sensible - The Man Who's Gotten Everything?/Our Souls To You - A Sides (Part One 1979-1982)
16. Eight Lamas From Drepung - Invoking The Spirit Of Kindness Though Sound - Tibetan Sacred Temple Music
17. The Window Shoppers - So What Do You Think? - Clear Your Dirt
18. Subtonix - Ashtray Girl - Tarantism
19. Mecca Normal - 1922 - The Observer
20. Linda Smith - You Changed - Emily's House

Some nice words from DJ Nylon of Pirate Cat Radio:

J. Neo Marvin and the Content Providers - What happens when a Punk grows up, grows old and chronicles the lives of the people and the world around him? J. Neo Marvin. This is music that tells stories good and bad. Not folky at all but matter of fact. Gone are the cranked up amps, the wailing drums and wall of angst ridden youth. What is left is a lifetime of living, sometimes out living your friends, but optimism abounds.

He (or she?) also offers a good review of our pal Terese Taylor:

Terese Taylor - She catagorizes her music as "Folk", but don´t expect to hear strumming on an acoustic guitar and mandolins and violins all day long. This body of work is a fuzzed out rocking jaunt into the backyards and back woods that is at times dark and beautiful. Terese´s voice can be delicate enought to convey loss, longing and hurt, but never do you get the sense that it overwhelms. In fact these songs are a testiment to someone who survived.

(Antietam and the Soft Machine continue to linger from September. You guys have such good and unique taste. Thanks!)

1. Antietam - 509 - Scraps
2. Keith Tippett Group - This is what happens - Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
3. J Neo Marvin & the Content Providers - Late Night - Covers Session
4. Soft Machine - Moon In June - The Peel Sessions
5. Can - Bring Me Coffee Or Tea - Tago Mago
6. Ut - HomeBled - In Gut's House
7. The Adverts - Safety In Numbers - The Punk Singles Collection
8. The Zeros - They Say That (Everything's Alright) - Don't Push Me Around
9. Citizens Here and Abroad - Enter the Elevator - Ghosts of Tables and Chairs
10. The Crabs - Sand and Sea - The Sand & Sea
11. Linda Smith - You Changed - Emily's House
12. K. McCarty - Golly Gee - Dead Dog's Eyeball: Songs of Daniel Johnston
13. Incredible String Band - Astral Plane Theme - U
14. Dangerous Birds - Smile On Your Face - Typical Girls Bootleg CD Vol. 2
15. John Fahey - Sligo Mud - The Best of John Fahey, Vol. 2: 1964-1983
16. Harry Belafonte - The Jack-Ass Song - Calypso
17. Braille Stars - Dream Totem - Golden Dream
18. Bessie Smith - Trombone Cholly - Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Vol. 3
19. Subtonix - Ashtray Girl - Tarantism
20. Essential Logic - Aerosol Burns - Fanfare In The Garden (disc one)

We were offline for a week, so it's late! But here it is for your enjoyment:

1. Ana Da Silva - Climbing Walls - The Lighthouse
2. Neil Young - Let's Impeach the President - Living With War (Gee, you guys aren't tired of this yet, are you? Sign of the times indeed...)
3. Antietam - 509 - Scraps
4. Eux Autres - The Sundance Kid - Hell Is Eux Autres
5. Mini-Jacket - Shapeshifted - The Band June - Demo
6. Systemwide featuring Dr. Israel - Crisis Time - Pure And Applied
7. Soft Machine - Moon In June - The Peel Sessions
8. Bonzo Dog Band - Rhinocratic Oaths - The Best of the Bonzo Dog Band
9. Ninety Nine - Mesopotamia - 180 Degrees
10. Captain Sensible - The Man Who's Gotten Everything?/Our Souls To You - A Sides (Part One 1979-1982)
11. Automat - Third Beach - Happy Trials
12. Peter B & Friends - Kirtan Got Soul - Peter B's Birthday Party
13. The Fall - Bill is Dead - Extricate
14. The Blame - Wagons And Boys - The Blame
15. Shine Cherries - Atmosphere - Shine Cherries
16. J Neo Marvin and The Content Providers - Primate House (1731 11th Ave.) - What is Truth?
17. Mutants - Furniture - Fun Terminal
18. Young Marble Giants - Wurlitzer Jukebox - Colossal Youth
19. Spurs of the Moment - Mom - Various Artists: Guess Who This Is
20. Sun Ra and His Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra - Images - Space Is the Place

1. Scrawl - Don't We Always Get There? - nature film
2. Girls at Our Best - Getting Nowhere Fast - Pleasure
3. Delta 5 - Shadow - Singles & Sessions 1979-81
4. Petra Haden - I Can See for Miles - Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out
5. Prolapse - Zen Nun Deb - Backsaturday
6. The Rolling Stones - Shake Your Hips - Exile On Main Street
7. Booker T. & the MG's - Hang 'Em High - The Very Best of Booker T. & the MG's
8. Au Pairs - Armagh - Equal But Different - BBC Sessions 1979-1981
9. Tall Dwarfs - Nothing's Going To Happen - The Short And Sick Of It
10. Yo La Tengo - Tighten Up - Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics!
11. Various Artists - Inspector J From Delhi - Bombay The Hard Way: Guns, Cars And Sitars
12. Soft Machine - Moon In June - The Peel Sessions
13. Tom Verlaine - Saucer Crash - Warm and Cool
14. Dennis Brown - I Am The Conqueror - Money in My Pocket: Anthology 1970-1995
15. Cat Power - Willie - The Greatest
16. Bettie Black - I'm Nobody's Dog - Mega
17. Barbara Manning and the Go-Luckys! - Marcus Leid - Transatlantic Trips
18. Crashing Dreams - Paint The Town Red - Minimum To Exist
19. The Window Shoppers - This Government - Clear Your Dirt
20. Love - Mushroom Clouds - Love

1. Neil Young - Let's Impeach the President - Living With War
2. Elevation - Busstop - Neotext
3. Sleater-Kinney - Entertain - The Woods
4. J Neo Marvin & the Content Providers - You Of All People - Freedom Fried
5. The Monkees - Zor And Zam - The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees
6. Blue Orchids - A Year With No Head - The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain)
7. Terese Taylor - Chief Letters - Clothes We Wore Before We Were Married
8. Kevin Ayers - Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning) Featuring Syd Barrett - Joy Of A Toy
9. Stereolab - High Expectation - Switched On
10. X-tal - Long Dark Night - Who Owns Our Dreams?
11. Television Personalities - I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives - And Don't the Kids Just Love It
12. Shine Cherries - Mosquito - Shine Cherries
13. Penetration - Silent Community - Moving Targets
14. Mecca Normal - 1922 - The Observer
15. Ana Da Silva - Climbing Walls - The Lighthouse
16. Love Is Chemicals - Misery Card - Love is Chemicals
17. LiLiPUT - U - LiLiPUT
18. John Lennon - Nobody Told Me - Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon
19. George Harrison - Guru Vandana - Wonderwall Music
20. Avengers - The Good The Bad And The Kowalskis - Died For Your Sins

Last Friday, diabetes complications claimed the life of the great tragic genius, Syd Barrett, who had been living as a recluse for over 30 years. It has been said that he lived a life of quiet contentment and had found peace with himself by wiping away all memory of his brief, legendary career, but I've never been one of those who believed that pretending something never happened can ever truly make it go away. Syd's story was a very sad one, though at least most people had the good manners to respect his privacy. It's a shame he never was able to accept how much his music moved so many people. It might have helped him make peace with his past.

I first heard The Madcap Laughs as a teenager, and it's probably not an exaggeration to say it changed my life. The fragility of the music barely hid the absolute mastery of melody and structure within. The lyrics and singing were sometimes as whimsical and sweet as the Kinks, yet could veer into utter incoherent terror at any moment. As a portrait of a brilliant mind struggling valiantly against its own fragmentation, it may be one of the most moving collections of music ever recorded. I learned every song on guitar, playing along with every faltering moment. I hope some of the best of it rubbed off on me somewhere along the line.

Here is an mp3 of J Neo Marvin & The Content Providers covering "Late Night", recorded last year at the Wally Sound. The band was myself, Davis Jones, Steve Abbate, and Heiko Bachmann. I hoped we conveyed a little bit of Syd's soul in our own way and did justice to one of my all-time favorite songs.

Bon voyage, Roger Keith Barrett. I hope someone will tend your garden while you're gone.

Chosen, as usual by our listeners. For no particular reason I said to myself, why 10? Why not 20? So here it is.

1. Linda Smith - I see your face - Nothing Else Matters
2. Gregory Isaacs - Extra Classic - Extra Classic
3. Beach Boys - H.E.L.P. Is On The Way - Landlocked-
4. Love - Seven & Seven Is - Da Capo (Get well, Arthur!)
5. Busi Mhlongo - Izinziswa - Only The Poorman Feel It
6. X-tal - Long Dark Night - Who Owns Our Dreams?
7. Robert Wyatt - Forest - Cuckooland
8. Y Pants - Magnetic Attraction - Y Pants
9. Mike Appelstein - Central Station - Oda King Made This Dress
10. The Go-Betweens - Cattle and Cane - Before Hollywood (We're all missing Grant, aren't we?)
11. Slumber Party - I'm an Example - Slumber Party
12. Link Wray - Raw-Hide - Rumble! The Best of Link Wray
13. Deerhoof - You Can See - The Runners Four
14. Nik Phelps & The Sprocket Ensemble - Askin' for Trouble - Fetch!
15. Kendra Smith - Valley Of The Morning Sun - Five Ways of Disappearing
16. Augustus Pablo - Memories Of The Ghetto - East Of The River Nile
17. Leonard Cohen - Democracy - Essential Leonard Cohen
18. John Cale - China Sea - The Island Years
19. Sister Double Happiness - On the Beach - Sister Double Happiness
20. Mekons - Alone and Forsaken - The Edge of the World

An interesting selection. Keep those votes coming.

Interesting chart this month. Pearl is an artist that Davis and I met through myspace. Her CD single is an urgent bit of hip-hop journalism that slams the maliciously inept response to the destruction of New Orleans. I figured it deserved to be heard on the station. Obviously it hit a nerve.

1. Pearl Burrell - Somebody Help Me - Somebody Help Me: Hurricane Katrina Disaster
2. Roky Erickson - We Sell Soul (The Spades) - I Have Always Been Here Before: The Roky Erickson Anthology
3. The Ramones - I Want You Around - Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology
4. J Neo Marvin and The Content Providers - Fiscal Year Zero (Charge of the Lite Brigade) - What is Truth?
5. Eleventh Dream Day - Bagdad's Last Ride - Beet
6. Neil Young - Let's Impeach the President - Living With War
7. LiLiPUT - U - LiLiPUT
8. Quasi - Death Culture Blues - When The Going Gets Dark
9. Spearhead - Wayfarin' Stranger - Chocolate Supa Highway
10. Penetration - Lovers of Outrage - Moving Targets

Found out the other day that I'm even more of a late bloomer than Leonard Cohen. Cohen put out his first album when he was 31; when X-tal's first album came out, I was (gulp) 32. Let's just say I was "collecting valuable life experience" in my twenties, and leave it at that.

Anyway, late bloomer that I am, I only just took notice of this whole myspace thing the kids are into these days. Yet another competitor to the likes of Friendster, Tribe, etc., Myspace has certain features that bands and music fiends have been taking advantage of for a while now (band pages that hold four songs plus room for videos, photos, a blog, a gig calendar; as well as the whole "friend collecting" aspect, which makes for a nice colorful, personalized way to compile a mailing list), which has caused it to stretch into something a bit bigger and more, dare I say it, important than what was probably its original purpose: yet another vehicle for teenagers to make small talk and swingers to hook up. It's already starting to become a cliche to talk about "crappy bands with their myspace pages", but hey, anything that is cool and practical for musicians is bound to draw crappy bands. You'll just have to be discerning and dig a little bit more. It's worth the trouble.

So we've jumped on the old bandwagon ourselves. I now have my own personal myspace page, as does Davis. We also have one for the Experimental Bunnies, which contains some great sound and video clips. (We'll put up one for the Blame as well, once we amass some more material!) Not only do bands have pages, but also there are some enterprising souls who create fan pages for their favorite artists, so I am now able to include the likes of Sun Ra, Captain Beefheart, the Monkees, and Robert Wyatt among my friends. Pretty cool.

Lately, our actual friend and collaborator Steve has been e-mailing some amazing stuff from Youtube, another trendy site that allows people to upload and share video clips, and as a result, has grown from the predictable "America's Funniest Home Videos" showcasing of cute pets, kids falling down and guys getting hit in the balls to a treasure chest of extremely rare and cool shit. I ended up spending way too much time last night poking through the Youtube search engine to see what I could dig up.

A few of my current favorites:

A highly disgruntled Robert Wyatt (after being told that the sight of a singer in a wheelchair would be too depressing for TV) performing "I'm A Believer" on Top Of The Pops.

A really early and very psychedelic Soft Machine clip of Kevin Ayers singing "We Know What You Mean" on some TV show.

A German documentary about "women in rock" from around 1980 with some great Slits footage and brief glimpses of the Au Pairs and Girlschool.

The Beach Boys on the Mike Douglas show doing their cover of a Charles Manson song.

A Velvet Underground/Lawrence Welk mashup that has to be seen to be believed. You'll fall on the floor, I swear.

Warning: this becomes highly addictive. I'm merely scratching the surface of what's available here. Don't say I never did anything for you!

I'd say it was $20 well spent. The newest lineup of the Fall did what they needed to do, bashing out those brutally emphatic riffs while wizened enigma MES strolled around the stage, barking out his ever-more-fragmented lyrics, fidgeting perversely with mikes and mike stands, and creating impromptu dub mixes by fiddling with everyone's amps. "Mountain" and "What About Us" were particularly crackling. Whatever the state of Mark E. Smith's mind may be, he delivered tonight.

The night before, the Experimental Bunnies performed live for the first time at Noc Noc. Pretty successful. One regular thought we sounded like Hawkwind. Guess I'd better check them out.