Sorry this is coming a day late. So much going on, I had no time to write this out yesterday.
I am really excited about the new time slot as well as the new show concept, which you can read about in my last entry. I barely got any sleep on top of everything because Trail of Dead was in town playing the Echoplex on Tuesday night. I wound up hanging out with all of them until about 1am and watching Conrad wring the sweat out of his shirt as if he had been thrown in a pool with his clothes on. The show was good. The sound was a bit weird in the room, but the energy was high. Mostly, I was happy because they played "A Perfect Teenhood" intercut with Patty Smith's version of Gloria, which is my favorite song to watch them play (with the exception of the time that the power cut off in the middle of Caterwaul when we were at Sasquatch Festival and Jason got the entire crowd to chant the song until the power came back on...amazing!).
Anyway, going to bed at 1am and setting my alarm clock for 4:30 was no fun especially since my sleep was filled with nightmares about the show. Kind of sad to admit this, but I still get stage fright. My dreams were about turntables not working, playing the wrong tracks, dead air and every conceivable problem a radio show can have. By the end of the dream I was so frustrated that I trashed the studio (maybe being around Trail rubbed off on me somehow).
Okay, so by the time I got to the station for real, things went significantly better. The highlight, of course was my interview with Marnie Stern, which I will post shortly. Everyone needs to come out on Wednesday to see her at the Echo. Anyway, here is the set list and commentary:
1) Iron Maiden - Aces High
Thanks to Dustin Sussman (Link) for helping me narrow down the perfect Maiden song for 6am. After I played this I went on air and claimed that the new Wednesday 6-10 slot is called "Maiden Voyage: Eddie, Set, Go!" 4 hours a week of Iron Maiden Songs, Iron Maiden covers, Iron Maiden side projects and Iron Maiden news. To me, this is funny.
2) Eumir Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra
A Rhodes-heavy '70s Jazz fusion version of the song by Richard Strauss. Prominently featured in the film "Being There" with Peter Sellers.
3) Olivia Tremor Control - Memories of Jacqueline 1906
4) Abe Vigoda - Don't Lie
5) Liars - Sailing To Byzantium
6) Andrew Bird - Not a Robot But A Ghost *
This track sounds like Radiohead. I love it.
7) The Bran Flakes - Stumble Out Of Bed *
Seriously? Sampling 9-5 by Dolly Parton? I feel awkward about how much I enjoy this song.
8) Madlib/Beat Konducta - No More Time *
9) Odd Nosdam - Top Rank *
10) Amon Tobin - Chomp Samba
11) Squarepusher - Love Will Tear Us Apart
12) Kid 606 - Catstep/My Kitten/Catnap
Remember when Kid 606 was the craziest most innovative DJ you had ever heard? Every track made you pull your car over and say "what the fuck?" like it was the first time your parents ever heard "A Day In The Life"? What happened? Why is he putting out mediocre Techno albums now like Pretty Girls Make Raves? I miss IDM Kid 606.
13) Trail of Dead - Bells of Creation
14) Animal Collective - Everyone Whistling
From the oft overlooked album, Spirit They've Gone Spirit They've Vanished.
15) Fuck Buttons - Ribs Out
16) MI AMI - The Man In Your House *
17) Little Teeth - Between My Ears
I love this band so much! More people need to buy this record. Grating, moody and pretty at the same time.
18) Geraldine Fibbers - Lilybelle
Speaking of moody pretty music...
19) Dent May - The Girls in the Square
20) Pterodactyl - First Daze
Former members of Ex-Models. Also, Zach and Matt played a few shows as Marnie's backing band.
21) Melt Banana - Picnic in Panic
22) Lightning Bolt - Ride The Sky
23) Dan Deacon - Get Older
This is not a new add, but mark my words it will be soon. If KXLU doesn't add this record you, listener/reader, should riot. This album will wind up on so many best of lists come December. It sounds like the missing link between Animal Collective albums where they discover warmth. This record is a big deal.
24) The Mae Shi - I Get (Almost) Everything I Want
25) Glenn Branca - Lesson No 1 *
26) Surf City - Records of a Flagpole Skater *
Played at the recommendation of Milk Man Miles. That dude is on top of it! Listen to his show before mine at 2-6am (my old slot).
27) BlackBlack - Skulls
I got more calls asking who did this song than any other song I played all morning. This song is so pretty. The effect of the gentle yet disaffected vocals of Diva intertwined with Alex (AKA Clark Schädelkopf) pushing The Misfits' words like "And the blood drains down like devils rain, We'll bathe tonight" is so wonderfully eerie yet totally engaging. I never play this song without having it stuck in my head for at least 3 hours.
28) Bauhaus - Antonin Artaud
Kind of a cheap follow-up song as Diva and Lola from the above BlackBlack incarnation are the daughters of Kevin from Bauhaus. On the other hand, this is my favorite Bauhaus song and I play it all the time so it was going to show up on the program at some point, might as well put it next to BlackBlack.
29) Flesh Eaters - Digging My Grave
30) 999 - Homicide
31) Marnie Stern - The Crippled Jazzer
Interview with Marnie Stern:
I will post the interview on my blog shortly. Highlights include:
-Missing a strip club because they were stuck in line for fast food. Apparently, at this very special strip club exists a stripper named Blondie who "crushes beer cans in her boobs and her butt".
-Marnie explaining how she feels 30 years older while smoking Capri cigarettes and is becoming the eccentric elderly rock 'n roll aunt at the family picnic.
-Marnie's likes and dislikes about travel...okay, just dislikes.
Listen to the interview and then come out on Wednesday to see her play at the Echo.
32) Marnie Stern - Shea Stadium
33) Marnie Stern - Healer
34) Wavves - Sun Opening My Eyes *
35) Man Man - Top Drawer
36) Belle and Sebastian - Me and The Major
Live at Barbican thanks to Zoe Davis
37) Arthur Russell - Love is Overtaking Me
38) Yes Please - Love Probe *
39) Beach House - Wedding Bells
40) Lavender Diamond - When You Wake For Certain
Becky Stark will be guest DJing on my show soon. More details to come.
41) New Order - Blue Monday +
This was a request. I was asked to play a song for a friend of the caller at CAA. I figured, since the song Blue Monday is rumored to be about the bombing of the Falkland Islands, a largely senseless and violent war. I imagine that this is a comparable experience to working at CAA.
42) !!! - Take Ecstasy With Me
43) Liquid Liquid - Optimo *
* KXLU New Add
+ Request
Okay, that's it for this week's show. Hope you enjoyed it! Hope we see you tonight at The Little Joy for this
Showing posts with label Little Joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Joy. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Save The Little Joy
It seems that my blog about the downfall of The Little Joy gained some attention.
My friends at the bar have asked Danny and I to come out one more time and try to have a night of remembrance. We want to have a night like it used to be: good music and good people.
After so many years of this bar being good to us, Danny and I want to celebrate everything that was once great about the Little Joy and recreate it for a night (as long as we can ignore the new lighting and paint).
As mentioned in my last post, I have been on a record shopping binge, so I'm excited.
Please come out and support our friends who work at the bar. If they don't get a break from Aerosmith and whatever Quentin Tarantino soundtrack the new DJ is playing off of his computer, people might die. Do it for the community!
More updates to come. Maybe even a snarky flyer. We're thinking about actually putting effort into this...that's how important it is! Mark your calendars and tell your friends.
Thursday, March 19
My friends at the bar have asked Danny and I to come out one more time and try to have a night of remembrance. We want to have a night like it used to be: good music and good people.
After so many years of this bar being good to us, Danny and I want to celebrate everything that was once great about the Little Joy and recreate it for a night (as long as we can ignore the new lighting and paint).
As mentioned in my last post, I have been on a record shopping binge, so I'm excited.
Please come out and support our friends who work at the bar. If they don't get a break from Aerosmith and whatever Quentin Tarantino soundtrack the new DJ is playing off of his computer, people might die. Do it for the community!
More updates to come. Maybe even a snarky flyer. We're thinking about actually putting effort into this...that's how important it is! Mark your calendars and tell your friends.
Thursday, March 19
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Downfall of The Little Joy
I feel like a friend has died and I missed the opportunity to say goodbye. I have avoided going to The Little Joy for a week. I forgot that Danny and I were supposed to DJ there last Thursday. We never showed up and I felt terrible about it. Finally, I decided to apologize to Drew, the manager, and to start off the weekend at my favorite bar.
I approached the door and saw my friend Pete was working, checking IDs. Pete had been in Alaska, salmon fishing and otherwise taking a cold road to better money. He was back. As we caught up, something struck me as odd: "is that The Black Crowes playing 'hard to handle'" that I'm hearing"? "Oh, you haven't heard?" Pete responded, "just wait, it gets worse".
I walked in and the song changed from "Hard to Handle" to "Jungle Boogie". Some dude (and I use that word explicitly) threw his fist in the air and grinded up on his lady's leg. I saw Drew and told him that I owed him a huge apology. "For what" he asked. I didn't bother explaining. It seemed that he had forgotten that we were supposed to DJ as well, just like the month before when he double booked us with another DJ. Don't get me wrong, I have known Drew for a long time and have always and will always like him, but the DJ calendar has fallen to the wayside of late. Not that it matters, I flaked on my own night, so who am I to complain?
I gave Heather, the bartender, a hug. She had a look of total contempt for the crowd and the DJ on her face. Aerosmith was playing "Walk This Way".
I screamed and worked my way out of the room. I found Pete still at the door. "What did I tell you"? He explained that after Joe (the old manager) was fired, the owner made the woman who had cleaned the place for 14 years a partner. Now, I'm all for rewarding that kind of loyalty and I think that the move was very generous, but I have a few complaints:
1) The woman who cleans the place? I didn't know that the place got cleaned. If you have ever been inside you know; part of the charm of the Little Joy is that it looks as if there may or may not have been a recent fire.
2) Why couldn't she remain a silent partner? I'm cool with good suggestions coming from anyone and anywhere, but these changes are atrocities! She bought "furniture" but apparently has the decorative eye of a burned out janitor. I was told, as P-Funk's Flashlight came on, that the DJ was a friend of her son.
The crowd had changed too. It had the slight feel of the East Side's answer to Saddle Ranch. I said to Pete that it seemed like all of the people inside were people that Joe would have kicked out for no reason at all other than that he didn't like the cut of their jib. It was exactly this attitude that led a lot of people to hate the little joy and to hate Joe. He was always a friend to me, though. He was the first person to ever let me DJ and for that at the very least I will always owe him. He was always good to my friends and I, and I know many others also felt that way. Say what you will, but Joe ran the bar like it was his living room. If he didn't like you he didn't want you in his home and he let you know it. Certainly, claims of exclusivity or snobbery are valid here, but his bouncing policy was not nearly as "discerning" as any Hollywood velvet rope and didn't really have its root in elitism. The policy (as far as I could tell) was that if there was a hint of douchiness you were out. Joe was the sole barometer...at his best he was a benevolent dictator and, admittedly, at his worst he needlessly excluded some good people. Not two minutes after I had mentioned this to Pete (I swear this is true) someone walked into the bar and says to his friend, "Bro! I haven't been to this bar since I got kicked out that time".
This scene flooded my mind:
I know I am inviting calls of snobbery, but we all choose who we let in our living rooms. We all try to expel certain vibrations from the place we feel most comfortable. That is why, if you loved The Little Joy it felt like home like no other bar could.
As I was leaving the bar with the sounds of The Strokes' "Last Night" playing over the speakers it made me laugh. Strokes drummer, Fab Moretti named his new band (at the behest of his bandmate and girlfriend, Binki) Little Joy after the bar (Whose album I have been listening to as I write this). In one interview it was said, "What I always thought was beautiful about the bar, is that it’s just a door in the corner all full of stickers and you see a very mixed crowd hanging out there-hipster kids, old Chinese men from the restaurant across the street-all kinds of people. There’s pool and they play good music". The stickers are gone, the music is awful and the crowd has changed. I do get a kick out of the thought that someone, someday might visit the Little Joy to see what this band found so great, walk in and say, "what the fuck were they talking about"?
I approached the door and saw my friend Pete was working, checking IDs. Pete had been in Alaska, salmon fishing and otherwise taking a cold road to better money. He was back. As we caught up, something struck me as odd: "is that The Black Crowes playing 'hard to handle'" that I'm hearing"? "Oh, you haven't heard?" Pete responded, "just wait, it gets worse".
I walked in and the song changed from "Hard to Handle" to "Jungle Boogie". Some dude (and I use that word explicitly) threw his fist in the air and grinded up on his lady's leg. I saw Drew and told him that I owed him a huge apology. "For what" he asked. I didn't bother explaining. It seemed that he had forgotten that we were supposed to DJ as well, just like the month before when he double booked us with another DJ. Don't get me wrong, I have known Drew for a long time and have always and will always like him, but the DJ calendar has fallen to the wayside of late. Not that it matters, I flaked on my own night, so who am I to complain?
I gave Heather, the bartender, a hug. She had a look of total contempt for the crowd and the DJ on her face. Aerosmith was playing "Walk This Way".
I screamed and worked my way out of the room. I found Pete still at the door. "What did I tell you"? He explained that after Joe (the old manager) was fired, the owner made the woman who had cleaned the place for 14 years a partner. Now, I'm all for rewarding that kind of loyalty and I think that the move was very generous, but I have a few complaints:
1) The woman who cleans the place? I didn't know that the place got cleaned. If you have ever been inside you know; part of the charm of the Little Joy is that it looks as if there may or may not have been a recent fire.
2) Why couldn't she remain a silent partner? I'm cool with good suggestions coming from anyone and anywhere, but these changes are atrocities! She bought "furniture" but apparently has the decorative eye of a burned out janitor. I was told, as P-Funk's Flashlight came on, that the DJ was a friend of her son.
The crowd had changed too. It had the slight feel of the East Side's answer to Saddle Ranch. I said to Pete that it seemed like all of the people inside were people that Joe would have kicked out for no reason at all other than that he didn't like the cut of their jib. It was exactly this attitude that led a lot of people to hate the little joy and to hate Joe. He was always a friend to me, though. He was the first person to ever let me DJ and for that at the very least I will always owe him. He was always good to my friends and I, and I know many others also felt that way. Say what you will, but Joe ran the bar like it was his living room. If he didn't like you he didn't want you in his home and he let you know it. Certainly, claims of exclusivity or snobbery are valid here, but his bouncing policy was not nearly as "discerning" as any Hollywood velvet rope and didn't really have its root in elitism. The policy (as far as I could tell) was that if there was a hint of douchiness you were out. Joe was the sole barometer...at his best he was a benevolent dictator and, admittedly, at his worst he needlessly excluded some good people. Not two minutes after I had mentioned this to Pete (I swear this is true) someone walked into the bar and says to his friend, "Bro! I haven't been to this bar since I got kicked out that time".
This scene flooded my mind:
I know I am inviting calls of snobbery, but we all choose who we let in our living rooms. We all try to expel certain vibrations from the place we feel most comfortable. That is why, if you loved The Little Joy it felt like home like no other bar could.
As I was leaving the bar with the sounds of The Strokes' "Last Night" playing over the speakers it made me laugh. Strokes drummer, Fab Moretti named his new band (at the behest of his bandmate and girlfriend, Binki) Little Joy after the bar (Whose album I have been listening to as I write this). In one interview it was said, "What I always thought was beautiful about the bar, is that it’s just a door in the corner all full of stickers and you see a very mixed crowd hanging out there-hipster kids, old Chinese men from the restaurant across the street-all kinds of people. There’s pool and they play good music". The stickers are gone, the music is awful and the crowd has changed. I do get a kick out of the thought that someone, someday might visit the Little Joy to see what this band found so great, walk in and say, "what the fuck were they talking about"?
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