“Men”, Martin Mull, RIP

This way: Men

Martin Mull (August 18, 1943 – June 27, 2024) was an American comic actor whose career included contributions as a musician and painter. Mull gained visibility on screen for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and its spin-off Fernwood 2 Night. His other notable roles include Colonel Mustard in the 1985 film Clue, Leon Carp on Roseanne, Willard Kraft on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Vlad Masters / Vlad Plasmius on Danny Phantom, and Gene Parmesan on Arrested Development. He had a recurring role on Two and a Half Men as Russell, the drug-using, humorous pharmacist. Mull broke into show business as a songwriter, penning Jane Morgan's 1970 country single, "A Girl Named Johnny Cash", which peaked at No. 61 on Billboard's country charts. Shortly thereafter, he began his own recording career.

Throughout the 1970s, and especially in the first half of the decade, Mull was best known as a musical comedian, performing satirical and humorous songs both live and in studio recordings. Rather than use the stage trappings of most musical acts, Mull would decorate his stage with comfortable thrift store furniture. Notable live gigs included opening for Randy Newman and Sandy Denny at Boston Symphony Hall in 1973; Frank Zappa at Austin's Armadillo World Headquarters in 1973; Billy Joel in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1974; and for Bruce Springsteen at the Shady Grove Music Fair in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in October 1974. His self-titled debut album, released by Capricorn in 1972, featured many noteworthy musicians, including Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Levon Helm from The Band, Keith Spring of NRBQ and Libby Titus.

[Spotify] Men 

“Memory Go”, Peter Murphy

This way: Memory Go

Peter Murphy (born 11 July 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the vocalist for the post-punk/goth rock band Bauhaus. After Bauhaus disbanded, Murphy formed Dalis Car with Japan's bassist Mick Karn and released one album, The Waking Hour (1984). He went on to release a number of solo albums, including Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986) and Love Hysteria (1988). In 1990, he achieved commercial success with his single "Cuts You Up", which went in the top 60 of the US Billboard Hot 100 which is for the singles sales. His album Deep also reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200. In 1992, Murphy released Holy Smoke, which reached No. 108 on the Billboard 200 chart along: it featured lead single "The Sweetest Drop". In 2002, Murphy released Dust with Turkish-Canadian composer and producer Mercan Dede, which utilizes traditional Turkish instrumentation and songwriting, abandoning Murphy's previous pop and rock incarnations, and juxtaposing elements from progressive rock, trance, classical music, and Middle Eastern music, coupled with Dede's trademark atmospheric electronics.  

[Spotify] Memory Go

“Go”, The Apples in Stereo

This way: Go

The Apples in Stereo are an American indie rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory System. The band is largely a product of lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Robert Schneider, who writes the majority of the band's music and lyrics.[1] Currently, The Apples in Stereo also includes longstanding members John Hill (rhythm guitar) and Eric Allen (bass), as well as more recent members John Dufilho (drums), John Ferguson (keyboards), and Ben Phelan (keyboards/guitar/trumpet). 

The band's sound draws comparisons to the psychedelic rock of The Beatles and The Beach Boys during the 1960s, as well as to bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and Pavement, and also draws from lo-fi, garage rock, new wave, R&B, bubblegum pop, power pop, punk, electro-pop and experimental music. 

In late 1991, Robert Schneider met Jim McIntyre on a commuter bus in Denver, Colorado.[3] Schneider had recently moved to Colorado from Ruston, Louisiana, and often initiated conversations with McIntyre. When Schneider asked McIntyre what his music interests were, McIntyre named his two favorite bands: The Beatles and The Beach Boys — two bands which Schneider was particularly fond of. Realizing that they shared many musical interests, McIntyre introduced Schneider to Hilarie Sidney. McIntyre already had a band called Von Hemmling in which McIntyre played bass and Sidney played drums. 

[Spotify] Go

“Valleri”, The Monkees

This way: Valleri

The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of the television show of the same name, the Monkees were one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s. With international hits, four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs ("Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer"), they sold more than 75 million records worldwide. 

The Monkees were originally a fictional band created for the NBC television sitcom of the same name. Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork were cast to portray members of a band in the sitcom. Music credited to the Monkees appeared in the sitcom and was released on LPs and singles beginning in 1966, and the sitcom aired from 1966 to 1968. At first, the band members' musical contributions were primarily limited to lead vocals and the occasional composition, with the remaining music provided by professional songwriters and studio musicians.  

This single "Valleri", would be the band's last American top-10 hit, their last to receive a push from their television series and their last to be certified gold. The song was featured on the band's fifth album, "The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees", released in April 1968. The follow-up single, "D. W. Washburn," was not featured on the show, and only reached #19 on the pop charts.    

[Spotify] Valleri

“Here Comes the Warm Jets”, Eno

This way: Here Comes the Warm Jets

Art seminar class, High School, probably 1976 or 7. This LP gets folded into the mix, we were already hip to Roxy Music. And it really doesnt get much better than this. Thanks to Gerri B!  

[Spotify] Here Comes the Warm Jets

“Tiger Circus”, The Last Gray Wolf

This way: Tiger Circus

The Last Gray Wolf is a Music project by Coner Gleeson and  Jason Abraham Roberts based in San Francisco.  

[Spotify] Tiger Circus

“Weathered Statues”, T.S.O.L.

This way: Weathered Statues

T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, T.S.O.L.'s music has varied on each release, including such styles as deathrock, art punk, horror punk, other varieties of punk music, and hard rock.

Formed in 1978 in Long Beach, T.S.O.L. originated as a punk band. While the band first used the name Vicious Circle, they eventually changed their name to T.S.O.L by September 1980. The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jack Grisham (who has been credited as Jack Greggors, Alex Morgon, Jack Ladoga, Jack Delauge and Jack Loyd, among pseudonyms), guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche and drummer Todd Barnes. According to legend, the band acquired their instruments by casing a local music shop, waiting until closing, and then performing a smash-and-grab robbery.

T.S.O.L.'s debut five-song EP, T.S.O.L., was released in spring 1981 by Posh Boy Records, featuring the reconvened original lineup. This first release was harshly political, featuring tracks such as "Superficial Love", "World War III" and "Abolish Government".

Their first full-length album, Dance with Me, was released later in 1981 on Frontier Records, and showcased a more gothic/deathrock sound. They then signed to independent label Alternative Tentacles, releasing the Weathered Statues EP early in 1982, and the melodic Beneath the Shadows album later that year; the latter featured a new member, keyboardist Greg Kuehn.  

Amid personal turmoil, Grisham, Barnes and Kuehn all left the band in 1983. This from 1982.

[Spotify] Weathered Statues

“DNA”, Margaux

This way: DNA

On her debut album, the New York singer-songwriter grapples with the big feelings and small details of young adulthood the 23-year-old NYC–based artist has curated a dazzling blend of . . . Margaux, born Margaux Bouchegnies, is a Seattle-born singer-songwriter and bass guitarist whose 2019 debut EP, More Brilliant Is the Hand That Throws the Coin, captured . . .     

[Spotify] DNA

“Bull Doze Blues”, Henry Thomas

This way: Bull Doze Blues

Henry Thomas (1874 – 1930) was an American country blues singer, songster and musician. Although his recording career, in the late 1920s, was brief, Thomas influenced performers including Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Grateful Dead, and Canned Heat. Often billed as "Ragtime Texas",Thomas's style is an early example of what later became known as Texas blues guitar. 

Thomas was born into a family of freed slaves in Big Sandy, Texas, in 1874. He began traveling the Texas railroad lines as a hobo after leaving home in his teens. He eventually earned his way as an itinerant songster, entertaining local populaces as well as railway employees.

He recorded 24 sides for Vocalion Records between 1927 and 1929, 23 of which were released. They include reels, gospel songs, minstrel songs, ragtime numbers, and blues. Besides guitar, Thomas accompanied himself on quills, a folk instrument fabricated from cane reeds whose sound is similar to the zampona played by musicians in Peru and Bolivia. His style of playing guitar was probably derived from banjo-picking styles.

His life and career after his last recordings in 1929 have not been chronicled. Although the blues researcher Mack McCormick stated that he saw a man in Houston in 1949 who met Thomas's description, most biographers indicate that Thomas died in 1930, when he would have been 55 or 56 years old. Thomas's legacy has been sustained by his songs, which were revived by musicians beginning in the folk music revival of the early 1960s. Among the first of these was "Honey, Won't You Allow Me One More Chance", which was reinterpreted by Bob Dylan on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963 under the title "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance". Dylan may have been introduced to Thomas through Harry Smith's 1952 compilation Anthology of American Folk Music, which includes two of Thomas' songs, "Old Country Stomp" and "Fishing Blues". Dylan may have heard Thomas's song on the 1962 album Henry Thomas Sings the Texas Blues. Dylan reworked the melody and almost totally rewrote the lyrics, but he credited Thomas as co-writer on his album Freewheelin'. 

[Spotify] Bull Doze Blues

“Acceleration”, Bill Nelson

This way: Acceleration

Here is one of my all time favorite recording artists. Bill Nelson (born 18 December 1948) is an English singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter, video artist, writer and experimental musician. He rose to prominence as the chief songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of the rock group Be-Bop Deluxe, which he formed in 1972. Nelson has been described as "one of the most underrated guitarists of the seventies art rock movement". In 2015, he was recognised with the Visionary award at the Progressive Music Awards. In 1973, Nelson's debut solo album Northern Dream, released on his own independent Smile label, drew further attention from Peel which eventually led to Nelson's band Be-Bop Deluxe signing to EMI's Harvest Records subsidiary and releasing Axe Victim in 1974. Nelson replaced the original band members for Futurama in 1975. The lineup of Bill Nelson (guitar), Andrew Clark (keyboards), Charlie Tumahai (bass) and Simon Fox (drums) recorded Sunburst Finish and Modern Music in 1976, the live album Live! In The Air Age in 1977 and their final studio album Drastic Plastic in 1978.  

[Spotify] Acceleration

“American Jesus”, Bad Religion

This way: American Jesus

Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and extensive use of three-part vocal harmonies. The band has experienced multiple line-up changes, with singer Greg Graffin being the band's only constant member, though fellow founding members Jay Bentley and Brett Gurewitz have also been with the band for most of their history while guitarist Brian Baker has been a member of the group since 1994. Guitarist Mike Dimkich and drummer Jamie Miller have been members of the band since 2013 and 2015 respectively. To date, Bad Religion has released seventeen studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, three EPs, and two live DVDs. They are considered to be one of the best-selling punk rock acts of all time, having sold over five million albums worldwide. 

After gaining a large underground following and critical praise through their releases on Gurewitz's label Epitaph in the 1980s and early 1990s, Bad Religion experienced mainstream success after signing to the major label Atlantic in 1993. The band pioneered the punk rock revival movement of the 1990s, establishing a formula for California-based punk bands such as Green Day and Epitaph-signed acts the Offspring, NOFX and Rancid. They are also cited as an inspiration or influence on the 1990s and 2000s pop punk, skate punk, post-hardcore, screamo and emo scenes

[Spotify] American Jesus

“Overdrive”, Ratcat

This way: Overdrive

Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from both the indie and skate-punk communities. They found mainstream success with their extended play, Tingles (October 1990), album Blind Love (June 1991) and the single, "Don't Go Now" (April), which all reached No. 1 on the ARIA Charts during 1991. Ratcat ceased performing live regularly in the late 1990s; however, they continue to perform sporadically. During their career, much of Ratcat's albums and singles artwork was created by Simon Day. 

[Spotify] Overdrive

[The not acoustic version] Overdrive

“The Death of Pop”, The Rub

This way: The Death of Pop

Debut album by San Pedro CA's THE RUB, a pop/punk three-piece with alternately wry and heartfelt material. Count WHO KILLED BOB CRANE? among the former and THE DEATH OF POP among the latter. Upon its original release in 1987, lauded by the LA Weekly as one of the year's top 10. Released January 1, 1987.

E. Patrick Mooney - bass, vocals; Daniel Duarte - guitar, vocals; Tim Baker: drums. Produced by Dan Duarte 

[Spotify] The Death of Pop

“Bloody Hammer”, Roky Erickson

This way: Bloody Hammer

Roky Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre. 

Erickson was born in Dallas, Texas to Roger and Evelyn Erickson, and had four younger brothers. The nickname "Roky", a contraction of his first and middle names, was given to him by his parents. His father, an architect and civil engineer, was stern and disapproving of Erickson's countercultural attitudes, once forcibly cutting his son's hair rather than allow him to grow it out Beatles-style. His mother was an amateur artist and opera singer, and encouraged Erickson's musical talent by taking guitar lessons herself so she could teach him.

In late 1965, at age 18, Erickson co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators. He and bandmate Tommy Hall were the main songwriters. Early in her career, singer Janis Joplin considered joining the Elevators, but Family Dog's Chet Helms persuaded her to go to San Francisco instead, where she found major fame. In 1968, while performing at HemisFair, Erickson began speaking gibberish. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and sent to a Houston psychiatric hospital, where he involuntarily received electroconvulsive therapy.

The Elevators were vocal proponents of marijuana and psychedelic drug use, and were subject to extra attention from law enforcement agencies. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of a single marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a potential ten-year incarceration, Erickson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to avoid prison. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escapes, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital in Rusk, Texas, where he was subjected to more electroconvulsive therapy and Thorazine treatments, ultimately remaining in custody until 1972.

This album, The Evil One,  from 1980.

[Spotify] Bloody Hammer

“Watch the Moon Come Down”, Graham Parker

This way: Watch the Moon Come Down

Graham Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Graham Parker and the Rumour appeared on BBC television's Top of the Pops in 1977, performing their version of The Trammps' "Hold Back the Night" from The Pink Parker EP, a top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart in March 1977. At this point, Parker began to change his songwriting style, hoping to break into the American market. The first fruits of this new direction appeared on Stick To Me (1977), which broke the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart.  

[Spotify-Live version] Watch the Moon Come Down

“Going Up”, Echo & the Bunnymen

This way: Going Up

Crocodiles is the debut album by the English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. It was released on 18 July 1980 in the United Kingdom and on 17 December 1980 in the United States. The album reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. "Pictures on My Wall" and "Rescue" had previously been released as singles.

Recorded at Eden Studios in London and at Rockfield Studios near Monmouth, Crocodiles was produced by Bill Drummond and David Balfe, while Ian Broudie had already produced the single "Rescue".  

Echo & the Bunnymen formed in 1978 and originally consisted of Ian McCulloch (vocals and rhythm guitar), Will Sergeant (lead guitar), Les Pattinson (bass) and a drum machine. They released their debut single, "The Pictures on My Wall", in May 1979 on the independent label Zoo Records. The band then signed with WEA subsidiary label Korova and were persuaded to employ a drummer. Pete de Freitas subsequently joined the band, and in early 1980 they recorded their second single, "Rescue". The single was recorded at Eden Studios in London and produced by fellow Liverpudlian and ex-member of Big in Japan Ian Broudie. 

[Spotify] Going Up

“That Summer Feeling”, Jonathan Richman

This way: That Summer Feeling

I, Jonathan is the fourth solo album by Jonathan Richman, released by the Rounder Records label in 1992. As the founder of influential proto-punk band The Modern Lovers, Richman had striven to convey authentic emotions and storytelling with his music. I, Jonathan continued this aesthetic with simple and sparse rock and roll arrangements, and straightforward lyrics about everyday topics, such as music, parties, summer, and dancing. It is widely-regarded as one of his best works, and is considered an influential album in the lo-fi genre.

Songs on the album addressed topics such as backyard parties ("Parties in the U.S.A"), memories of neighborhoods in which Richman had lived ("Rooming House on Venice Beach" and "Twilight in Boston") and his admiration of his primary musical inspiration, the Velvet Underground ("Velvet Underground"). The latter song includes a brief interlude of the Velvet Underground song, "Sister Ray". 

[Spotify] That Summer Feeling

“Endlessly”, John Foxx

This way: Endlessly

John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh; 26 September 1948) is an English singer, musician, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, teacher and lecturer. He was the original lead singer of the new wave band Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a solo career in 1980 with the album Metamatic.

The Golden Section is a 1983 album by English musician John Foxx. A progression from the sound of The Garden (1981), Foxx called The Golden Section "a roots check: Beatles, Church music, Psychedelia, The Shadows, The Floyd, The Velvets, Roy Orbison, Kraftwerk, and cheap pre-electro Europop". The album was Foxx's first work with a producer since his final Ultravox album, Systems of Romance, in 1978; The Golden Section was co-produced by Zeus B. Held, well known in the Krautrock scene of the 1970s. In addition to Foxx's wide array of synthesizers, the production made extensive use of vocoder effects and sampling, along with traditional rock guitarreggae and new wave music. 

[Spotify] Endlessly

[Cool extended version] Endlessly

“Everytime the Sun Comes Up”, Sharon Van Etten

This way: Everytime the Sun Comes Up

Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released the albums Because I Was in Love (2009), Epic (2010), Tramp (2012), Are We There (2014), Remind Me Tomorrow (2019) and We've Been Going About This All Wrong (2022).

Van Etten was born in Belleville, New Jersey, the middle child of five. She lived in Nutley, New Jersey, then moved to Clinton, New Jersey as a pre-teen. She attended North Hunterdon High School, at which she participated in the chorus and performed in stage musicals.

 

Later, she moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University and studied recording, but dropped out after a year. She ended up working at the Red Rose, a coffee and record shop and music venue in Murfreesboro for about five years. She fell into an abusive relationship with a rock musician who discouraged her from writing songs. After five years, she left in the middle of the night with whatever she could carry. She lived in Brooklyn, New York for a number of years, in the neighborhood of Ditmas Park. Van Etten self-released handmade CDs until 2009, when her debut studio recording was released. Before her studio debut, she worked at Astor Wines and as a publicist at Ba Da Bing Records.

[Spotify] Everytime the Sun Comes Up

[Charming Live] Everytime the Sun Comes Up

[Charming Billy Corgan Live] Everytime the Sun Comes Up

[Original Sharon] Everytime the Sun Comes Up

“Drugland Weekend”, Hounds

This way: Drugland Weekend

So sorry to have to post this, but it is not good. But it is so odd that I must. I saw that they appeared on the New Wave sampler from CBS that I happen to have. But dude that's a lot of hair and beards to be new wave. It was made at that intersection period of is it rock, glam, hard rock? And record companies wanted to cash in on the new new new. I can see this being a good opening band for Queen. Spinal Tap would have a crush on this band. That cover pic is very Smell the Glove.

Manufactured By – CBS Records 1978. With Bass – Joe Cuttone, Drums, Percussion – John Horvath, Guitar – Glen Rupp, Jim Orkis, Vocals, Keyboards – John Hunter.

[Spotify] No!

The whole record is here: Unleashed

“Is that Love”, Squeeze

This way: Is that Love

Squeeze are an English rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles "Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction", and "Labelled with Love" were top-ten chart hits. Though not as commercially successful in the United States, Squeeze had American hits with "Tempted", "Black Coffee in Bed", and "Hourglass", and were considered a part of the Second British Invasion.

In the vast majority of their material, lyrics are written by Chris Difford and music by Glenn Tilbrook, who are guitarists and vocalists in the band. The duo were hailed as "the heirs to Lennon and McCartney's throne" during the band's initial popularity in the late 1970s. The group formed in Deptford, London, in 1974, and first broke up in 1982. Squeeze then reformed in 1985, and disbanded again in 1999.

 

The band reunited for tours through the United States and United Kingdom in 2007. In 2010, they issued Spot the Difference, an album of newly recorded versions of older material. The band's first album of all-new material since 1998, Cradle to the Grave, was released in October 2015, followed by another album, The Knowledge, in October 2017.

[Spotify] Is that Love

“Shopping Center Sunsets”, T. Hardy Morris

This way: Shopping Center Sunsets

The guitarist and singer with the psych-influenced, defiantly Southern hard rock band Dead Confederate, Georgia-born T. Hardy Morri has also made a name for himself as a solo artist and as a gifted collaborator working with several side projects. Formed in Augusta, Georgia in 1997 by Thomas Hardy Morris and longtime friend Walker Howle, Dead Confederate slowly evolved from a jam band called Redbelly that favored 20-minute improvisations to a tighter, more ambitious group thanks in part to Morris' growing skills as a songwriter. Despite Dead Confederate's busy schedule, Morris had more than enough musical ideas to go around, and in 2011, his friend John McCauley of Deer Tick invited him to join an ad hoc band featuring Ian St. Pé of the Black Lips, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, Bryan Dufresne of Six Finger Satellite, and McCauley's bandmate Robbie Crowell. Dubbing the project Diamond Rugs the quintet released a self-titled debut album in 2012 and a second LP, Cosmetics, in 2015. In 2013, Morris had accumulated a number of songs that didn't fit Dead Confederate or Diamond Rugs, and he opted to make his first solo album; Audition Tapes, credited to T. Hardy Morris & the Outfit, revealed a different side of his music, with a looser and more languid tone than he showed in Dead Confederate. In 2015, Morris dropped a second solo effort, Drownin' on a Mountaintop, this time under the group name Hardy & the Hardknocks. This track from 2021. 

[Spotify] Shopping Center Sunsets

“Money Changes Everything”, The Brains

This way: Money Changes Everything

The Brains were an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, led by songwriter Tom Gray in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their 1980 debut album was entitled The Brains, and was produced by Steve Lillywhite for Mercury Records. The album included "Money Changes Everything", originally released by the band in 1978, which became a hit single for Cyndi Lauper when she covered it in 1983. After a second Mercury recording in 1981, Electronic Eden (also produced by Lillywhite) and then an independently released EP, Dancing Under Streetlights, the band split up. A song from Electronic Eden, "Heart in the Street", was covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band on their 1980 album Chance as "Heart on the Street."

The band appeared many times at Atlanta's premier new wave/alternative rock venue, 688 Club (named for its address, 688 Spring Street), referred to locally as simply "688." The video for Dancing Under Streetlights was filmed one night in Spring Street, out in front of the club. The video would receive light rotation on MTV in early 1983 They were also the opening act for the August 3, 1980 Devo concert at Atlanta's Fox Theatre, an April 1981 headlining performance at J.B. Scott's in Albany, New York, and the May 22, 1982, headlining performers at the Milestone Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.    

[Spotify] No!

Cyndi Killing it: Money Changes Everything

“Albatross”, PiL

This way: Albatross

Not all music should be enjoyable.
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon (previously known as the lead vocalist of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene (one of the original members of The Clash), bassist Jah Wobble, and drummer Jim Walker in May 1978. The group's line-up has changed frequently over the years; Lydon has been the sole constant member.  

Following Lydon's departure from the Sex Pistols in January 1978, he sought a more experimental "anti-rock" project and formed PiL. That year PiL released their debut studio album First Issue (1978), creating an abrasive, bass-heavy sound that drew on dub, noise, progressive rock and disco. PiL's second studio album Metal Box (1979) pushed their sound further into the avant-garde, and is often regarded as one of the most important albums of the post-punk era.

By 1984, Levene, Wobble and Walker had departed and the group was effectively a solo vehicle for Lydon, who moved toward a more accessible sound with the commercially successful studio albums This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get (1984) and Album (1986). After a late 1990s hiatus, Lydon reformed the group in 2009 and has released several further albums, including What the World Needs Now... (2015). 

[Spotify] Albatross

“Cracking Up”, Nick Lowe

This way: Cracking Up

Nick Lowe is a Producer extraordinaire, so he knows his way around a studio. The production on this track seems to be so fantastic I can not quite explain it. 

Nick Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in pub rock, power pop and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with being a vocalist, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica.

He is best known for the songs "Cruel to Be Kind" (a US Top 40 single) and "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and others. Lowe also wrote "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", a hit for Costello and "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll)", a hit for Rockpile bandmate Dave Edmunds.

[Spotify] Cracking Up

“No More Nukes/Nasty Secretary”, Joy Ryder + Avis Davis

This way: No More Nukes/Nasty Secretary

Joy Ryder embodied the best of all possible styles ... Although Ryder has been called a blues singer, she was a jack of all trades: jazz stylist, punk diva, and rock 'n' roll rabble rouser and deeply and widely loved by the whole of NY's musical community who are the poorer for her loss.

Brooklyn-born Ryder (nee Denise Whelan) was the daughter of jazz singer and bassist Phil Whelan, who had a hit with the song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" with his band The Five Encores. Her childhood was filled with her father's rehearsals and her own piano lessons from the age of four. 

This Track from 1979.

[Spotify] No More Nukes

“Just What I Need”, Nikki and the Corvettes

This way: Just What I Need

Nikki Corvette (born Dominique Lorenz in Detroit, MI), is a singer best known as a member of the band Nikki & The Corvettes from 1977 through 1981.

Corvette grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She was always fascinated with music, and at 16 ran away from home because her mother refused to allow her to attend an MC5 concert. 

Nikki and the Corvettes

In late 1977 or early 1978, a friend of hers arranged for Nikki to headline a concert at a bar. At the time, she was not a member of a band, and she spent the next few weeks organizing Nikki and the Corvettes. The new band had never rehearsed, and played together for the first time at the concert. Originally, they played mainly cover songs as well as a few original songs written by Corvette and her former boyfriend Peter James, who had played with The Romantics. The Corvettes were signed by Bomp! Records and released an album, Nikki and the Corvettes, in 1980.[1] Mike Miliard of the Boston Phoenix described the album as "power pop perfection" which "[split] the difference between the Ronettes and the Ramones".[1] Adrian Mack of The Georgia Straight describes Corvette's early work as a "brief, if beautiful, career belting out innocently snotty bubblegum punk with the gutter-budget girl group Nikki and the Corvettes. Their solitary, highly prized 1980 album is still launching new bands and teenage-misfit boners, though Corvette herself didn't realize its impact until a reissue in 2000."[2]

Nikki and the Corvettes disbanded in 1981. At this time, it was still more common for a man, rather than a woman, to front a rock band. The notoriety that Nikki Corvette earned for her role in breaking those barriers led to her being namechecked in the song "Gimme My Radio" by The Donnas.

Nikki and the Stingrays

Corvette returned to music in 2003, forming a new band called Nikki and the Stingrays. Corvette described the new band as "the next progression of the Corvettes. It's got the same quality to some of it, but I grew up a little bit. Which is good, since it's only what, 27 years later?" The Stingrays released an album, Back to Detroit on Dollar Records.

[Spotify] Just What I Need

“The Song of a Hundred Toads”, The Handsome Family

This way: The Song of a Hundred Toads

The Handsome Family is an American music duo consisting of husband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks formed in Chicago, Illinois, and as of 2001 based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are perhaps best known for their song "Far from Any Road" from the album Singing Bones, which was used as the main title theme for the first season of the 2014 crime drama True Detective. The band's tenth album, Unseen, was released in 2016. The band's 11th studio album Hollow, was released on September 8, 2023.

Husband-and-wife duo Brett Sparks (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Rennie Sparks (bass, banjo, vocals) formed the band in 1993, along with drummer Mike Werner. The band would later revolve around Rennie, who writes the lyrics, and Brett, who writes the music. Guest musicians complete the band line-up for recordings and live work. 

Regarding the band name, Brett said in an interview: "It's just kind of a stupid name. We used to have this really obnoxious drummer, and he used to call me 'Handsome', that was his nickname for me, I think for sarcastic reasons... And he wanted to call it the Handsome Family... and we thought it was funny, too. We thought it was a good name."

[Spotify] The Song of a Hundred Toads

“Gutters of Love”, Quivers

This way: Gutters of Love

Quivers, of Melbourne, Australia, have been a cathartic jangle pop band for long enough now to get supportive ears at Pitchfork, NPR, JJJ and even the band R.E.M., who once slid into the bands DMs to send fire emojis. Quivers have performed at Dark Mofo, Meadow, Boogie, and SXSW after which they filmed a session for beloved Seattle station KEXP. They have also supported the likes of The Hold Steady, Sonny & the Sunsets, and Methyl Ethel.  Late 2022 saw Quivers love every minute of a much postponed 16-date US tour to celebrate 2nd album Golden Doubt, described by Pitchfork as “like a Go-Betweens with Coachella-conquering ambitions”. With a Bella-sung 7” single, If Only, now nearly sold out.  

[Spotify] Gutters of Love

“On+on+on”, The Vanilla Milkshakes

This way: On+on+on

This band from Denver, Colorado is the result of a wild and tough sled of a life by singer/guitarist David McGhee. He moved to Denver at 18 years old after growing up the the southeastern US.  The freedom and chill vibe of his new surroundings was refreshing but also led to some bad things like heroin abuse and depression. After being diagnosed with Asperger's life started to make sense and turn much happier. The joy led to hooking up with drummer and vocalist Frank Registrato and later bassist JanKarl Hayes. Their sound is an interesting mix of 90’s punk and grunge sounds but most of all it is refreshing to hear the joy spill into the music. 

[Spotify] On+on+on

“You Avoid Parties”, The Posies

This way: You Avoid Parties

The Posies were an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1986. The group initially consisted of songwriters Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow but later added other members.

The group's musical style has often been described as "power pop". Their music has its origins in Merseybeat and the Hollies. They are influenced by Hüsker Dü, XTC, Elvis Costello and Squeeze. 

The band split up in October 2021, following several allegations of sexual misconduct made against bandmember Ken Stringfellow.

Core members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, who met as students at Sehome High School in Bellingham, Washington, began writing songs together in late 1986 while Stringfellow was in school at the University of Washington. Their first public performance came as an acoustic duo in 1987 while Stringfellow was home in Bellingham. They recorded twelve songs in Auer's family's home studio. Though intended as demos to attract other members and form a full band, the recordings became the Posies' first self-released album, Failure.

This track from 1990.

[Spotify] You Avoid Parties

“Loneliness”, Minimal Man

This way: Loneliness

Minimal Man was an American industrial and experimental rock project, formed in 1979 in San Francisco, California by leader Patrick Miller. Minimal Man was formed in San Francisco, California in 1979 by leader Patrick Miller, a visual and sound artist who moved to San Francisco in the late 1970s. The band often changed members, featuring at different times members of bands such as Tuxedomoon, Factrix and others active in the then-thriving San Francisco experimental, post-punk and industrial scenes. Minimal Man remained active in San Francisco recording on the Subterranean Records label until the mid-1980s, after which Miller relocated to Europe, often working with compatriots Tuxedomoon who had made a similar move previously. 

The Minimal Man output ceased after the 1980s, and Miller returned to Los Angeles, where he worked as a set dresser. Miller died at his home in Eagle Rock on December 14, 2003.

This track from 1981.

[Spotify] Loneliness

“Sick of Myself”, Matthew Sweet

This way: Sick of Myself

Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990s as a solo artist. His companion albums, Tomorrow Forever and Tomorrow's Daughter, were followed by 2018's Wicked System of Things and 2021's Catspaw, his 15th studio effort. 

Sweet was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from Southeast High School in Lincoln, in 1983. Upon graduation he moved to Athens, Georgia to attend college. As a high school student in 1980, Sweet wrote songs and recorded them on four-track cassettes. He joined the band The Specs and released his first recording on a battle of bands LP produced by a local radio station,  and fronted his own local band called The Dialtones. After graduating, Sweet traveled to Athens, Georgia, to attend college during the vibrant Athens music scene. That same year, Sweet, who had met the band R.E.M. when they played a show in his hometown the previous year, collaborated with frontman Michael Stipe in a duo group under the name Community Trolls, as well as played guitar in Stipe's sister Lynda Stipe's band, Oh-OK. In addition, he formed another duo, The Buzz of Delight, with Oh-OK drummer David Pierce, releasing an EP, Sound Castles, in 1984 on DB Records. On the strength of this 12" vinyl, Sweet was signed to a solo recording contract with Columbia Records.

[Spotify] Sick of Myself

“Nine Pin”, Kaia Kater

This way: Nine Pin

Kaia Kater (born in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitar, piano and banjo player.

Kater was born in Montreal, Quebec, where she spent her early childhood in Mile End. She started playing the banjo at 12 years old. She also lived in Wakefield, Ottawa and Winnipeg before attending Davis & Elkins college in Elkins, West Virginia on a banjo scholarship. In Elkins, she also learned to flatfoot and deepened her knowledge of body percussion (hambone). Kater spoke about her experience being a woman of color in West Virginia, and experiencing racism. "If 70 or 75 percent of the time it was a wonderful experience, there was also that other part of the experience where I did encounter some racism, or I witnessed racism. I felt the racial divide very strongly, more so than in Canada".Her mother is from Quebec, and her father immigrated to Canada from Grenada as a teenager in 1986 as part of a young speakers program, after the U.S. invasion. She grew up spending significant time in the North American folk music community, attending festivals, camps and conferences frequently during her teen years. 

[Spotify] Nine Pin

Playlists on Spotify

Here is the compendium of all the playlists for SOTD: Screaming on Spotify.

This way to spot: sotd b02

This way to spot: sotd b01

Pure pop drivel for those masses

Please enjoy responsibly, 

Thanks a million,

—brENDan, screaming

also:

playlist 10: a10

playlist 9: sotd playlist #9

playlist 8: sotd playlist #8

playlist 7: sotd playlist #7

playlist 6: sotd playlist #6

playlist 5: sotd playlist #5

playlist 4: sotd playlist #4

playlist 3: sotd playlist #3

playlist 2: sotd playlist #2

playlist 1: sotd playlist #1