Ickmix Podcast: Alternative Thursday Night, Vol. 1
The Pre-Game Show
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I spent my evenings working in a tiny little club in a college town somewhere in upstate NY. It was the mid-90’s and while the other establishments in town focused on “Ladies Night” and “All Request Dance Night”, the bar I called ”home” was featuring “Alternative Thursday Night”. Originally helmed by DJ “Mad Man” Ray, I took over a few years later and dubbed myself DJ Flood. (There’s a long story that goes with that name but we’ll save that for another week.)
Pete’s recent trip down Cripple Creek inspired me to revisit the tunes that I used to spin to the masses and I got to thinking that this could be a great opportunity to regale in some short term nostalgia and put together some killer mixes. At the moment my plan is to make this a bi-weekly feature with the prior week’s mix only being available until the next one is released. I’ll keep the mixes to about 30 minutes at a clip but in the end you’ll be able to play the set back to back and get the full experience. Without further adieu, here’s Volume 1:
Download: Alternative Thursday Night, Vol. 1 (24.0 MB MP3)
Playlist (26.03):
“Something I Can Never Have” by Nine Inch Nails
(from Pretty Hate Machine)
“Under the Gun” by The Sisters of Mercy
(from A Slight Case of Overbombing: Greatest Hits, Volume One)
“Hell Is Round the Corner” by Tricky
(from Maxinquaye)
“Glory Box” by Portishead
(from Dummy)
“Paraffin” by Ruby
(from Salt Peter)
“Condemnation” by Depeche Mode
(from Songs of Faith and Devotion)Comments on Vol. 1:
When setting up and getting ready for the night I usually would run through two or three tunes to make sure everything sounded right. I was usually coming in the night after “80’s Night” and the previous night’s DJ inevitably left the EQ a mess and I had to make sure that I wasn’t going to blow the system up. There were usually only a few patrons in the place that early and generally it was just staff so I could get away with leaving longer and mellower tracks on and bellying up to the bar for my first round of shots and “Seinfeld”.
“Something I Can Never Have” by Nine Inch Nails was always my opening. There is something about that tune that despite all its tortured measure is quite peaceful and beautiful. Following that are the haunting lyrics behind “Under the Gun” which features the vocals of Terri Nunn formerly of Berlin. For a very long time that was one of my favorite songs and to this day holds a spot in that goth part of my heart. The paring of “Hell Is Round the Corner” and “Glory Box” is a no-brainer as they both borrow heavily from “Ike’s Rap II” by Isaac Hayes. “The Bristol Sound” was coming up and I fully embraced it for all its Trip-Hop goodness. “Paraffin” by Ruby keeps with the Trip-Hop and is probably the only song that I can recall that is about an old man’s ass. Closing volume one is “Condemnation” by Depeche Mode which is, for me, one of their defining songs. The emotion in David Gahan’s voice is nothing short of breathtaking.
So that’s it for Vol. 1, feel free to leave any requests (because a good DJ always takes requests), comments, compliments or complaints below and I’ll meet you all back here in 2 weeks for Vol. 2.
A Nudge in the Right Direction
- Passion of the Weiss bestows upon us a MONSTER Fela Kuti post. Get there now!
- Revisit some tunes from that classic 80’s movie we all love, Valley Girl, over at The Vinyl District.
- Did you miss Popdose‘s Weekend of Wham!? For shame! Catch up on all the Wham! goodness here and here and here and here and here!
- Ben gives us a Southside Johnny / Little Steven show from ’93, and a Bobby Womack Appreciation Day over at A Deeper Shade of Soul.
- And finally, Matt at Ben loxo du taccu gives us Mauritius Week – Mauritius is an island country in the Indian Ocean, not far from Seychelles, where my wife is from.
Into the Dark
I realize that I’m about a week or two behind the curve of the blogosphere in gushing over the new Hot Chip record. Much like their last record I needed to listen to it a couple of times before forming my opinion. It’s not a bad thing, but I find that with many of these ‘hyped’ acts there is not much to sustain the hysteria past the initial listen. That aside, Made in the Dark merits more than the casual listen and is clearly deserving of every bit of hype. Running the gamut from full-on electronica to the soul bearing solo piano ballad, the record delivers on many levels. And I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that the track “Wrestlers” will end up on more than a few Valentine’s Day mix tapes. Check it out and let us know what quirky tune you’ll be singing to your Valentine.
Hot Chip – Wrestlers (MP3)
You can also check out the entire album at Last.fm.
Buy Made in the Dark: Amazon | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
The Boss at Harley’s 105th
[via FoxyTunes / Bruce Springsteen]
So is anyone out there planning on catching Bruce & the E Street Band at Harley’s 105th Anniversary Celebration? He’ll be in Milwaukee rocking the crowd on August 30th. Now that would be something to see…
As for his Magic tour, I still check every day to see if a Phoenix date has been added. Still nothing. There’s a big fat gap between April 8th in Anaheim and April 13th in Dallas. Plenty of room for a swing through Arizona. But the closer we get, the less I think it’s gonna happen. But – must…keep…the faith.
Bruce Springsteen – Gypsy Biker (Full track @ LastFm)
Happy Fat Tuesday
How did Mardi Gras sneak up on us so quickly? Happy Fat Tuesday to all. Check out Home of the Groove for some quality New Orleans flavor. Let the beads fly…
And you can watch all the folks party down in the French Quarter from the comfort (and saddening solitude) of your office chair by checking out this Live Cam from Bourbon St.
Beausoleil – Cochon de Lait
BUY on Amazon
Ohmega’s Platypus Strut
Ohmega Watts is a hip-hop producer / MC from Brooklyn. Nestled within his impressive most recent release, Watts Happening, is this funky, old-school, afrobeat-licious instrumental groove called “The Platypus Strut”.
Everyone should have a personal theme song or two to play in their head (or iPod) while they’re walking down the street. For me, this may have to join the Commodores’ “Machine Gun”, Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”, and Prince’s “Sexy MF” in my list of “walk down the street like a bad-ass” theme songs.
What’s your theme song?
Ohmega Watts – “The Platypus Strut”
Buy Watts Happening
Super Petty – Live in 1990
In anticipation of what I’m sure will be a rockin’ Super Bowl Half-Time show, here’s a look back at Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, circa 1990. You can argue this was Petty at his peak in popularity. He was riding the wave from his very popular first solo album, Jeff Lynne-produced Full Moon Fever, which was released in 1989.
Enjoy…
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Southern Choice
Wilmington, NC
May 18th, 1990{{Here comes my ZIP}}
Bye Bye Johnny
The Damage You’ve Done
Breakdown
Free Fallin’
The Waiting
Benmont’s Boogie
Don’t Come Around Here No More
Southern Accents
Even the Losers
Listen To Her Heart
Face in the Crowd
Something Big
I Won’t Back Down
I Need To Know
Refugee
Running Down a Dream*Note about the MP3’s – whoever divided these songs into tracks did a poor job. Some mp3’s start a few seconds into the song. But if you listen to the whole show, you won’t notice a thing. 😉
———————————
Super Bowl Weekend
It’s Super Bowl weekend, folks. Who else out there thinks that either Monday should be a national “recovery” holiday, or the big game should be moved to Saturday to allow for one day of rest before returning to work. More people would show up to work on Monday, productivity would increase, yada yada…
So it’ll be a surprise to no one that, for the second year running, I’m more looking forward to the Half Time Show than the game itself. Last year, Prince bathed in the Purple Rain at Dolphin Stadium to rave reviews, and this year, Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers will get their chance to wow the millions upon millions of viewers right across town from me in Glendale, Arizona. I’ve seen TP about a half dozen times over the years, and have never been disappointed. I’m glad he’ll have his moment in the spotlight, he deserves it.
Predictions: “Free Falling” opener, “American Girl”, “Shout”, and “Running Down a Dream”.
And look for a Benmont Tench nip-slip at 2:23 of “Running Down a Dream”.
To get us psyched up for Super Bowl weekend, let’s take a trip back to last year’s amazing half-time show, courtesy of our purple friend…..
Part 2 is here.
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: February 1, 2008
On an average week, most of my Friday afternoon is spent resisting the urge to count the minutes until the weekend and getting the last of my work done before ‘unplugging’.
Last week’s five ran the gamut from the ‘so unusual’ Cyndi Lauper to Pantera with a detour through Compton. It also seems like the Ickmusic crowd likes to share right along. If you missed last week the premise is this I’ll share the first five tracks that comes up in my shuffle (and some thoughts, anecdotes and defenses, you know in case a Panic! At The Disco or Poison track comes up) with all of you.
In turn, feel free to add your random ‘Friday Five’ in the comments and be honest! We all have those guilty pleasures…
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire (from The Legend of Jonny Cash)
Growing up my definition of “Country” music was the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Cash. I would listen to them on every family road trip and around the house and still listen to this day with the same reverence for what are really some of the greatest songwriters and performers ever to grace a stage.
[audio:RingofFire.mp3]
2. Great Big Sea – Sweet Forget Me Not (Graceful And Charming) (from Courage & Patience & Grit)
I was actually fortunate enough to see Newfoundland and Labrador’s favorite son’s on this tour at The Town Hall in NYC. The studio version of this song was actually part of the music played as a prelude to my wedding ceremony. Part of a collection of traditional Newfoundland songs this is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
[audio:SweetForgetMeNot.mp3]
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Pretty Little Ditty (from Mother’s Milk)
I hate that this tune was forever ruined by it’s inclusion in the Crazy Town track “Butterfly”. It’s one of those tracks where you almost feel like a fly on the wall while they band is doing what they do best.
4. Pink Floyd – Coming Back To Life (from The Division Bell)
I remember what a big deal this record, which turned out to be the bands last, was at the time of its release. I was managing a record store and recall that it was one of the first times that I had to deal with an actual line to buy a single release. While not my favorite track from this album, I always connected to this tune.
5. Black Flag – Louie Louie (from Duck and Cover)
Henry Rollins singing “Louie Louie” is an instant classic and not to be missed!
[audio:LouieLouie.mp3]
So now it’s your turn, what comes up in your shuffle?
The Heavy: Funk from the Land of Noid
Here’s a nice one that came through the inbox recently. The Heavy hails from a small town outside Bath, England called Noid. Their U.S. debut, Great Vengeance and Furious Fire, will be released on April 8th. In the meantime, you can preview one of their funk-rock hybrids here. It sounds like they went with the Spinal Tap technique and turned their amps up to 11 in the studio. Funky horns, bangin’ drums, and what could pass as a jet engine backing them up.
The Heavy – That Kind of Man (mp3)
The Heavy’s Official Site | MySpace
