pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

THE ORCHARD MIX CLUB

OCTOBER 2005 presented by posty mcposterton in A-to-Z style.

Too much music? Nah, that could never be!

Introduction… well, I’m definitely more of a rock fan; so my compilation is gonna lean more that way than more of the folk/alt.country camps that a lot of y’all have come from… but alas, hopefully you’ll find something new and exciting on here. If something on here is atrociously not your thing… sorry. There may be some heavy riffage goin’ on in parts… again, sorry. And due to the A to Z nature of it all (asinine, I know), sometimes one song doesn’t flow all that well into another… again, sorry. Even with 36 tracks to share, I still feel like I’m cutting off my left arm for the sake of my right sometimes in selecting songs. If you ever wanna hear more of an artist, let me know.

The following is a glut of information about the artists on this compilation if your interests have been piqued by the Mix CDs. I won’t be offended if ya toss this info sheet, though… ya bigger tosser… Oh, you might wonder why I also note “Indie Meter” for some artists… well, I love a lot of music, but I love to support indie artists a lot, too. I think it’s important to support good music. The downside… I tend to not know songs like Van Morrison’s “Moondance” or Elton John’s “Rocket Man” on first listen, and the first time I heard Over the Rhine covering “Blackbird” I asked Bruce who they were covering (that was 6 years ago, and I wasn’t really big into the Beatles until early 2000). Yeah, my wife laughs at me a lot.

CD #1

(track 01) A is brought to you by The Album Leaf.

Song: “Streamside”

Album: In a Safe Place (Sub Pop, ©2004)

Indie Meter: All of The Album Leaf’s albums have been on dinky indie labels, and this one on a larger indie label, Sub Pop. I give him major indie props.

Webpage(s): http://www.albumleaf.com/

Hails from: San Diego via Iceland (or Iceland via San Diego, depending)

Info: I got into The Album Leaf (aka Jimmy LaValle, formerly of Tristeza) via a Sigur Rós connection (read: a link from their site to some sound samples with the SR guys guesting). This recent album was produced in Sigur Rós’s swimming pool studio in Iceland. I have a tendency to really like organic-meets-electronic-driven, melodic efforts by one-man bands (Ken Andrews/ON & Kevin Moore/Chroma Key being the other notable ones). The Album Leaf has a smattering of about 6 albums/EPs (plus some 7” vinyl)… In a Safe Place is the best place to start. Some of the songs have vocals, but I’d earmark The Album Leaf as primarily an instrumental, soundscape artist. If you like The Album Leaf, I’d say also check out Tristeza (more guitar-y, but still instrumental).

(track 02) B is brought to you by Blackfield.

Song: “Blackfield”

Album: Blackfield (Snapper, ©2004)

Indie Meter: Released on indie Snapper in Europe in ‘04 and indie Koch in North America in ‘05

Webpage(s): http://www.blackfield.org/

Hails from: England and Israel

Info: Blackfield is a wonderful collaboration between Porcupine Tree singer/guitarist Steven Wilson and Israeli popstar Aviv Geffen. Normally I would cringe at a band/album/song combo all having the same name… but, hell, it’s a good song regardless of the triple-team naming with which it is associated. The Blackfield album fits in with the Porcupine Tree catalog, as Steven’s fingerprints are all over this one-off collaboration. I actually hope it becomes more than a one-off, but I don’t mind Steven’s Porcupine Tree stuff either… ;)

(track 03) C is brought to you by Copeland.

Song: “No One Really Wins”

Album: In Motion (The Militia Group, ©2005)

Indie Meter: Always on indie labels… but about to blow up, if you ask me…

Webpage(s): http://www.thecopelandsite.com/

Hails from: currently Atlanta, GA

Info: I got into Copeland based on one of those damn in-store listening booths. J Great packaging, cover art… and when I popped the headphones on, I got an immediate Ken Andrews/Failure rush… when I turned over the CD, I saw that Ken had mixed the album (he’s relentlessly all over the rock scene). Anyway, the best part of Copeland, to me, is Aaron Marsh’s vocals. Enjoy.

(track 04) D is brought to you by The Dissociatives.

Song: “Goodbye (Prop Sleepyheadz Mix)”

Album: The original version appears on LP, The Dissociatives (Virgin Eleven, ©2004)

Webpage(s): http://www.thedissociatives.com/

Hails from: Australia, the country and continent

Info: The Dissociatives is comprised of Daniel Johns and Paul Mac (and some touring members). Daniel Johns of Silverchair is a rock-n-roll hero of mine. At age 15, he had his first international super-hit (“Tomorrow” from Frogstomp). Alas, Silverchair were just a 2^nd rate grunge band at the time. I’ll save my ramblings about Silverchair for Song #S, but just know that my interest in The Dissociatives came from Silverchair (who is now on hiatus while Daniel is busy with The Dissociatives). The Dissociatives’ debut album came out in 2004 in Australia, and I’m extremely thankful that of all countries with high potential for importing CDs to me, Canada and Australia have great exchange rates in favor of us Stateside. It was my #1 album of 2004, BY FAR. The Dissociatives record got international release in 2005… you can get it for a reasonable price at Amazon and iTunes. Do it, you know you want to…

(track 05) E is brought to you by Erin McKeown.

Song: “Bells and Bombs”

Album: We Will Become Like Birds (Nettwerk, ©2005)

Indie Meter: Former indie-queen now on a biggie.

Webpage(s): http://www.erinmckeown.com/

Hails from: Northeastern U.S.

Info: I first saw her open for Over the Rhine some years back, and I wasn’t impressed. Then I saw her on one of Ani Difranco’s tour DVDs… still not much to get me to purchase her stuff. Then I saw her newest CD above in a listening booth at my local shop, and there was a song that Peter Mulvey sang with her on the CD (he’s a personal favorite of mine). I got the CD, and the Peter Mulvey track isn’t even in the top half of the good songs on this album… and that’s a very pleasant surprise. This record is a pop-folk delight.

(track 06) F is brought to you by Faith No More.

Song: “Stripsearch”

Album: Album of the Year (Warner Reprise, ©1997)

Indie Meter: Never since probably their Courtney Love days were FNM indie. Now they are in the “dead band” category.

Webpage(s): http://www.fnm.com/ – – – http://www.cv.org/

Hailed from: San Francisco, CA

Info: Faith No More (and Mike Patton offshoots) are in my Top 5 Artists of all-time. I just love ‘em… This here is a mellower song from their final album. I’m glad I got to see them before they broke up. My only pain is that the opener for that Fall 1997 Faith No More show was Limp Bizkit, who went on to sell a cagillion records while Faith No More broke up for “artistic reasons.” Faith No More was comprised of 5 very divergent musicians, who at the end of it all, hated each other’s artistic direction. This is what I feel made Faith No More so brilliant: five musicians who wanted something completely different in their sound. It was that great tension that birthed some wonderful music. Oh, and yes, Courtney Love was once their singer… I’m glad that other singers took over and eventually Mike Patton brought it all together.

(track 07) G is brought to you by The Galactic Cowboys.

Song: “Still Life of Peace”

Album: Space In Your Face (Geffen, ©2003)

Indie Meter: The later part of their career was on the indie label Metal Blade Records. Now they are in the “dead band” category as well.

Webpage(s): http://www.galacticcowboys.com/ – – – http://www.montycolvin.com/

Hailed from: Houston, TX

Info: I got into the Galactic Cowboys in the Fall of 1994 – aka freshman year in college. I got into so much new and different music that first quarter alone… my buddy’s band Enslaved (now unfortunately called Gnashing of Teeth) led to Dream Theater which led to the Galactic Cowboys and subsequently King’s X. Anyway, I also got into creating webpages, and in 1995 after I got out of the Air Force ROTC I had all kinds of free time… so I created the 2^nd Galactic Cowboys page on the “internet” (but humbly it was the best GC website at the time). It was 1995 – the internet was picking up credibility. Anyway, a bit after starting my little fanpage, I get an email from their guitarist (Wally Farkas). I built up a good connection with them, and for a while was their primary source of web content until they launched their own official webpage about 4 years later. Their bassist (Monty Colvin) is also a painter; and I just recently bought one of his originals… All the above is to say that the Galactic Cowboys have a special place in my heart — the left ventricle, I think. Anyway, their music ranged from prog-metal at the beginning into what ended up being a melodic-hardrock at the end (like the Beatles mashed with Foo Fighters or something). The song featured here is in my Top 5 Songs of all-time, which is why I couldn’t cut it even after it was on the chopping block for this compilation about a dozen times. Where else can you get tasty quasi-speed metal riffage, strings, sitar, screwed up time changes, four-part harmonies, and an allegory for Corporate America?

(track 08 ) H is brought to you by Hotel Lights.

Song: “Miles Behind Me”

Album: Hotel Lights (self-released, ©2004)

Indie Meter: Sold completely indie via their webpage, shows, and CDBaby. Big indie meter points!!

Webpage(s): http://www.hotellights.net/

Hails from: North Carolina

Info: The primary vocals and songwriting is done by Darren Jesse, the drummer for the now-defunct Ben Folds Five. Refer to his penned song “Magic” from the Five’s The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner CD for more quality songwriting of his. Darren doesn’t drum in this band, though. He plays guitar and sings lead. This song is fairly indicative of their sound… great indie pop.

(track 09) I is brought to you by an Incubus side-project called Time-Lapse Consortium.

Song: “Cholula”

Album: Time-Lapse Consortium Live at the Roxy (Epic Official Bootlegs, ©2003)

Webpage(s): http://www.timelapsebootlegs.com/ – – – http://www.enjoyincubus.com/

Hails from: Southern California

Info: As far as I know, this was a band put together for only a few shows in 2003. I hope it comes back in the future for a reprise album or tour… It is the brainchild of Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger and his musician friend Suzie Katayama. It also featured Incubus’ drummer Jose Pasillas and The Roots’ bassist Ben Kenney (who later joined Incubus), as well as horn and string sections. The CD made my Top 5 CDs of 2003 (see the old Actwin archives for proof). It was a delightful surprise. It is primarily jazzy numbers like “Cholula” (named after an authentic Mexican salsa), and it also has a few Incubus songs thrown in near the end, with Brandon Boyd coming out to sing on “A Certain Shade of Green.” It is primarily an instrumental effort, though.

(track 10) J is brought to you by Jude (Christodal).

Song: “Brad and Suzy (Petralia Mix)”

Album: You’re So Hot I Love You -EP- (Maverick, ©1999), the original version is on No One Is Really Beautiful (Maverick, ©1998 )

Indie Meter: Now completely indie via his webpage, shows, and CDBaby. Big indie meter points!!

Webpage(s): http://www.judemusic.com/

Hails from: Los Angeles, CA

Info: Once indie, once Madonna’s whipping boy, now indie again. I saw Jude open up for Ben Folds Five over Memorial Day weekend in 1999 down in Nashville. By his second song, I was a lifelong fan. I bought his only majorly-distributed CD the next day at Best Buy. He went into hiding for a while after his label rejected his follow-up album and made him re-record it. The result was King of Yesterday, which was good, but quite… um, “forced.” He eventually got out of his contract and seemingly disappeared. In late-late 2003, he mysteriously had a new album on CDBaby (I ♥ CDBaby). Anyway, for the past few months Jude has been updating his webpage almost daily, like some kind of hard-to-maintain manual blog. It is often humorous, and I proudly say that I try to visit it daily. He’s got several projects in the works… 2006 looks like it’s gonna be a good year for Jude fans.

(track 11) K is brought to you by Michael Kelsey.

Song: “Wild Blue Ride”

Album: November (H Note, ©2003)

Indie Meter: Completely through his webpage, local shops, and shows… major indie props!

Webpage(s): http://www.michaelkelsey.com/

Hails from: Lafayette, IN

Info: My first Over the Rhine concert was also my first Michael Kelsey concert. He was the opener, and he blew me away. His records are great, but his live show is something of legend. I once saw him play a song, break a string, and change the string while not stopping the song. In 2004, he was awarded the top prize in Guitar Center’s Best Unsigned Guitarist search. He’s got 4 records and a DVD-EP, and his music is about half instrumental and half vocal. If you only do one thing in your life from here on out, add yourself to his email list and go see him live if he comes to your town.

(track 12) L is brought to you by Jason Ludwig.

Song: “Godspeed”

Album: PeLL MeLL (self-released, ©2003)

Indie Meter: A complete DIY-er from Cincinnati… gotta love his tenacity…

Webpage(s): http://www.jasonludwig.com/ – – – http://www.noctaluca.com/

Hails from: Cincinnati, OH

Info: All I can really say it that I really dig Jason’s debut CD, and I hope Noctaluca (Jason’s band incarnation) get that damned debut album recorded… they’ve been threatening to finish it for about two years now… in concert, they’ve got a nice Pink Floyd meets Radiohead meets <insert jam-band name> vibe.

(track 13) M is brought to you by Mr. Bungle.

Song: “Goodbye Sober Day”

Album: California (Warner Bros, ©1999)

Webpage(s): http://www.mrbungle.com/ – – – http://www.cv.org/

Hails from: San Francisco, CA

Info: Mr. Bungle was Mike Patton’s band before, during, and after Faith No More. They are what I’d call loungy-cartoon-beachbum-circus-deathrock. They’ve only released three proper albums, all on Warner Brothers… which was lucky for them, otherwise they’d probably be sued for their logo. They are on a long-term hiatus right now, meaning that Mike Patton is busy with his 80-million other musical and filmic side-projects. I believe that Mr. Bungle’s music is utter brilliance, yet I also concede that it’s not for everyone. It’s on this mix CD to expose your brain to something different. At least listen to it once all the way through… after that, I wouldn’t be offended if you skipped it. Again, it’s not for everyone. It’s definitely up my proverbial alley, though. Me likes me some Bungle.

(track 14) N is brought to you by No-Man.

Song: “Chelsea Cap”

Album: All That You Are -EP- (Hidden Art, ©2003)

Indie Meter: Only on European indie labels.

Webpage(s): http://www.no-man.co.uk/

Hails from: England

Info: Steven Wilson sneaks his way onto this compilation once again. This side-project is fronted by Tim Bowness, though. It’s a two-man band of sorts. Tim writes the lyrics and sings, and Steven writes and plays the music. On some of their albums, they also have some additional studio musicians (Porcupine Tree kin and others). Great melodic rock, sometimes painful lyrically.

(track 15) O is brought to you by Office of Strategic Influence.

Song: “Hello, Helicopter!”

Album: Office of Strategic Influence (Inside Out, ©2003)

Indie Meter: One album out on an indie progrock label.

Webpage(s): http://www.osiband.com/ – – – http://www.chromakey.com/ – – – http://www.mikeportnoy.com/

Hails from: The members were from Long Island, Montreal, and Costa Rica at the time, but it was recorded in upstate NY.

Info: A “supergroup” with Kevin Moore (of Chroma Key), Jim Matheos (of Fates Warning), and Mike Portnoy (of Dream Theater). “You had me at Kevin Moore.” It’s like a Chroma Key record, but it didn’t even start with Kevin’s involvement. Now continuing on for OSI #2, it’ll be primarily Kevin and Jim. Anyway, the album is a loose concept of sorts about the media, political administrations, and the failed attempt of the Pentagon/Homeland Security Department setting up a real “OSI” to make the U.S.’s “war on terror” be viewed in a more favorable light overseas. Given all of that backstory drivel, the music isn’t overtly political.

(track 16) P is brought to you by Placebo.

Song: “Twenty Years”

Album: Once More With Feeling (Astralwerks-EMI, ©2004)

Webpage(s): http://www.placebo.co.uk/

Hails from: England

Info: My favorite “exactly half gay band”… EVER. By the way, that’s their description of their three-piece rock group, not mine. I got into Placebo with their song “Pure Morning.” They only got better after that. The song on this Orchard compilation is actually the previously unreleased song from their culmination of singles compilation put out last year. Most compilations like that are a sign to an end of a band… ya know, record contract fulfillment. I’m relieved that they’re in the studio now for a new release in 2006. Brian Malko’s got a golden voice that bridges the gap between the Placebo sound of britglam and punkrock.

(track 17) Q is brought to you by Queen (via Extreme).

Song: “Love of My Life”

Album: Song for Love -EP- (A&M Records, ©1992)

Webpage(s): http://www.cherone.com/ – – – http://www.population-1.com/ – – – http://www.queenonline.com/

Hailed from: Boston, MA

Info: Well, you didn’t really want me to put Queensrÿche on here, did you? And, I admittedly don’t own any Queen. They just never were my thing, even though I do like some of their stuff. Rather than Queensrÿche, you all should be thanking me for opting for Extreme covering a Queen song. They even have Queen’s guitarist Brian May on the track. Extreme was/is in my Top 5 Artists of all-time list. Count how many times I say that – I think I’ve got 4 of those Top 5 Artists on this compilation, with my postscript being all about the 5^th separate mention of the Top 5 Artists. Say what you will, but Extreme was so much more than the “More Than Words” hairband. They just came out either too late or too early for their time, depending on how you look at it. They were more of an art-rock band, but no one seems to believe me when I say that… alas, this song doesn’t go in that direction either. But trust me, Extreme was an art-rock band. J

(track 18 ) R is brought to you by Radiohead.

Song: “Meeting In the Aisle”

Album: Airbag (How Am I Driving?) -EP- (Capitol, ©1998 )

Webpage(s): http://www.radiohead.com/ – – – http://www.greenplastic.com/

Hails from: England

Info: Cough… Radiohead is one of my Top 5 Artists of all-time. I yield blindly to Thom Yorke’s will. I’d buy a record of him dumping in a plastic bag, shut up Steve. In other words, I don’t feel as if I have to defend Radiohead. Their music speaks for itself. Some people don’t like it. Some people do… a lot. I’m in the later group.

CD #2

(track 01) S is brought to you by Silverchair.

Song: “Tuna In the Brine”

Album: Diorama (Virgin Eleven, ©2002)

Webpage(s): http://www.chairpage.com/

Hails from: Australia

Info: Cough… my 3^rd Top 5 Artists of all-time in a row… OK, I’m done with that for now. Silverchair started out as a 2^nd rate grunge band but evolved into an amazing force. Their last two albums, Neon Ballroom and Diorama, are pulled out of my CD racks a lot to spin. Diorama was easily my favorite CD of 2002. The album features the orchestration of the legendary Van Dyke Parks on three tracks (including this track, “Tuna In the Brine”). Silverchair is currently on hiatus, but I hope Daniel Johns and company get back to working up new music soon. They’re only 24 or 25 now; so they’ve got hopefully plenty of time to put out some more great music.

(track 02) T is brought to you by Tool.

Song: “Reflection”

Album: Lateralus (Zoo/Volcano, ©2001)

Webpage(s): http://www.toolband.com/

Hails from: Southern California

Info: Tool is one of the most intelligent rock groups around. Sure, some of their content might be questionable to some, per se, but that’s all part of their artistic and conscious striving to be subversive towards the mainstream. This track is one of their most beautiful pieces of music. Much of their music is harsher than this, but it’s all quite stunning music, in my opinion. Maynard James Keenan has one of the best voices in metal – hands down. If you don’t mind the “f-ck your god” lyrics, I’d also recommend checking out Maynard’s other mainstream-subversive band, A Perfect Circle, with former-Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel and former-Failure guitarist Troy Van Leeuwuen. Back to Tool… Danny Carey plays the most insanely creative drumming that I‘ve heard – but he remains very understated in his approach. Adam Jones’ guitar playing is oft understated as well, while also being oft powerfully abrupt. I don’t know much about their bassist Justin Chancellor, but I’m sure he likes bubble gum as much as the rest of them.

(track 03) U is brought to you by Unbelievable Truth.

Song: “Solved”

Album: Almost Here (Virgin, ©1997)

Webpage(s): http://www.unbelievable-truth.co.uk/

Hailed from: England

Info: I first saw them on tour with Tori Amos. I second saw them on tour with Tori Amos. I third saw them on tour with Tori Amos. Yeah, I am a Tori junkie, and I got hooked on Unbelievable Truth by the third time. They reminded me of a cross between Radiohead and Toad the Wet Sprocket, which is a comparison that still rings true (for me). I came to find out that the reason why they sounded a lot like Radiohead was that their front man was none other than Andy Yorke (Thom’s younger brother). They only released one album on a major, then went quite underground and independently released 2 to 3 albums (depending on your continent) before they eventually called it quits.

(track 04) V is brought to you by Vigilantes of Love (Bill Mallonee).

Song: “Solar System”

Album: Audible Sigh v. 3 (Meat Market/True Tunes/Compass, ©1999/2000/2000)

Indie Meter: Bill and VOL has been primarily indie for their entire career… except for the brief period when they had one greatest hits and a studio album on a Warner subsidiary.

Webpage(s): http://www.billandvol.com/

Hails from: Athens, GA

Info: Bill Mallonee is Vigilantes of Love. Some people love him, some people don’t. This song comes from the third issue of Audible Sigh. It’s my favorite album of VOL’s since the Blister Soul / Welcome to Struggleville era. The trouble is that it got released three separate times on three separate labels with different tracks… a-nnoying, but a great record nonetheless. Bill Mallonee is a prolific songwriter, and I enjoy his brutal honesty. Sometimes he gets too countrified or too sesame street-harmonica for my tastes, but many times he gets it spot on. My wife likes his Snuggle fabric softener song.

(track 05) W is brought to you by Carissa’s Wierd (the misspelling is theirs, not mine).

Song: “Ignorant Piece of Shit”

“Explicit” Lyrics: None other than the title…

Album: Songs About Leaving (Sad Robot, ©2002)

Indie Meter: Completely indie or self-released, and sometimes very difficult to track down…

Webpage(s): http://www.sadrobotrecords.com/ – – – http://suicidesqueeze.net/s_artist.html

Hailed from: Seattle, WA

Info: I thank [jp/p] from the Orchard for getting me hooked on Carissa’s Wierd. I wish they would learn to spell, though. At first I thought they just took the whole “i before e” rule too seriously, but a look at their liner notes shows that they really just don’t know how to spell many words correctly. Eh… regardless, I love their raw, emotional music. They are now on official hiatus/break-up, but Jenn Ghetto has a couple of albums out and about under the band name “S”…

(track 06) X is brought to you by the X-ecutioners vs. General Patton.

Song: “¡Get Up, Punk! (0200 Hours)”

Album: Joint Special Operations Task Force (Ipecac, ©2005)

Indie Meter: On Mike Patton’s own Ipecac label

Webpage(s): http://www.ipecac.com/bio.php?id=32

Hails from: San Francisco, CA & New York City

Info: This was way better than the alternative for “X.” J This is a one-off side-project between Mike Patton and the hip-hop turntable crew X-ecutioners. I don’t have much to add other than saying that much of this album is disjointed, but the few actual songs on it are wonderful…

(track 07) Y is brought to you by Year of the Rabbit.

Song: “Rabbit Hole”

Album: Year of the Rabbit (Elektra, ©2003)

Webpage(s): http://www.yearoftherabbit.net/ – – – http://www.kenandrews.com/ – – – http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/on

Hails from: Southern California

Info: Year of the Rabbit is the most recent Ken Andrews band in existence… it’s not officially done, but he’s off working on other stuff right now. I dig Ken Andrews a lot… I first got into him through his solo effort, ON. It’s very organic, yet very electronic pop. Then I got into his old band, Failure. Their album Fantastic Planet is probably one of the most underrated gems in modern rock. It’s utterly fabulous. He also had a cover project called The Replicants that Maynard James Keenan (of Tool) and others appeared on… Since my slots for F, O, and R were taken, Year of the Rabbit appears on this compilation. YOTR is rockier than ON and more polished than Failure. Ken has also produced or mixed upwards of 100 artists… the list is gi-mongous…

(track 08) Z is brought to you by Frank Zappa.

Song: “Duke of Orchestral Prunes”

Album: Läther (Rykodisc, ©1996)

Webpage(s): http://www.zappa.com/

Hailed from: primarily Southern California

Info: Frank Zappa was a prolific songwriting satirist who often wrote ridiculously and often politically. He many times stumbled on to a great thing, but many times he also didn’t know when to quit. He pushed the boundaries of rock, and specifically the concept of the rock composer. After issues with the biggies, he became an astounding do-it-yourselfer. Over his career, he put out over 70 albums of original material, and most likely appeared on a hundred other albums. In his later years, he became more and more avant-garde. My usual standby FZ instrumental track is “Peaches In Regalia” from Hot Rats (I even included it on our wedding music CDs), but I opted for something different in this compilation… and I didn’t want to offend anyone; so I picked an instrumental track. As for essential Zappa, Strictly Commercial (a hits package) is where I started, but other essential albums are Apostrophe (’), Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka…

(track 09) 0 is brought to you by Remy Zero.

Song: “Gramarye”

Album: Villa Elaine (Geffen, ©1998 )

Webpage(s): http://www.remyzero.com/

Hailed from: Birmingham, AL

Info: Hmmm… what to say about Remy Zero? I got into them back in 1998 when I saw the video for “Gramarye” on some late-night alternative rock cable-access station. I bought both of their albums at the time for cheap at a used shop… both great purchases at a $5 level. When their last album came out, The Golden Hum, I think I got it the day it came out. I saw them in concert that year, then I watched the first episode of Smallville after one of our weekly Buffy nights. First few bars of the TV show’s opening credits, I blurted out, “holy crap, this is Remy Zero!” Everyone else in the room looked at me like I was a psycho (which is a highly reliable reaction considering the source). Anyway, I thought it was cool that a fairly unknown band has getting such prominent exposure. Apparently this overexposure ended up breaking the band up.

(track 10) 1 is brought to you by Population-1.

Song: “Unhappy B-day”

“Explicit” Lyrics: Not really, but it does include “shit” a few times.

Album: Population-1 (self-released, ©2002)

Indie Meter: Puts out his albums out independently or also on Polydor Japan

Webpage(s): http://www.population-1.com/ which will eventually morph into http://www.dramagods.com/

Hails from: Australia & Los Angeles (and formerly Boston)

Info: Nuno Bettencourt is a rock hero of mine. After Extreme broke up, he put out a great solo album under the moniker of just “Nuno” called Schizophonic. He then put out two albums under the moniker Mourning Widows. The first MW record was still a solo album, and then by the second he made a band out of it. He briefly changed the name of his band to Near Death Experience, and then he changed it to Population-1. And now, two days before the beginning of October 2005, I find out that there are plans to change the name from Population-1 to Dramagods. Oy vey! Needless to say, I think Nuno’s got identity issues or something. All of his post-Extreme days have been melodic power-rock efforts… some showcasing his guitar-playing, but mostly showcasing his songwriting. I’m kind of an idiot, because this song doesn’t really showcase his “great songwriting” (it was just a fun “party” tune). Population-1/Dramagods hopes to release their third record (2^nd full-length) in early 2006. Three members of Population-1/Dramagods (definitely including Nuno) are also working with Perry Farrell (of Jane’s Addiction & Lollapalooza fame) and Tony Kanal (No Doubt’s bassist) on a side-project called Satellite Party, which had its live debut at the Chicago 2005 Lollapalooza fest. I have no news about a Satellite Party studio effort…

(track 11) 2 is brought to you by The Jelly Jam’s album 2.

Song: “She Was Alone”

Album: 2 (Inside Out, ©2004)

Indie Meter: Small prog-rock label…

Webpage(s): http://www.tytabor.net/ – – – http://www.kingsxonline.com/jellyjam/

Hails from: Texas, New York and Boston

Info: This is a veritable prog “supergroup” of Ty Tabor (King’s X), Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), and John Myung (Dream Theater). It actually started as Platypus (with former-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian), but splintered off into two side-projects – The Jelly Jam (sans Derek) and Jughead (Ty, Derek and Matt & Gregg Bisonnette from The Mustard Seeds). Of the three bands (Platypus, Jughead, and The Jelly Jam), I dig Jughead the most… but they’re all great rock bands.

(track 12) 3 is brought to you by Secret Chiefs 3.

Song: “Knights of Damcar”

Album: Book M (Web of Mimicry, ©2001)

Indie Meter: Completely.

Webpage(s): http://www.secretchiefs3.com/ – – – http://www.webofmimicry.com/label.php?band=sc3

Hails from: unsure, but probably the SF Bay Area

Info: No, you’re not listening to a band from the Middle East. You’re listening to a gang of musical fringe players who run in circles with the noiserock, punk, and hardcore underground, including members of Mr. Bungle. No, Mike Patton has no involvement in this group, but fellow Bungles (Trey Spruance, Trevor Dunn, and Danny Hiefetz) are all over the Secret Chiefs 3. The Secret Chiefs 3 catalog is “mostly made up of Indian/Asian-sounding melodies overlayed with wildly cavorting techno rhythms and a tiny bit of metal, infused with a sense of mystery and paranoia from the thematic artwork based on number theory and assumedly Hindu belief systems” (allmusicguide). Most of it fits in with the eclectic Bungle sound – ie: The Secret Chiefs 3 can’t be defined or pigeonholed.

(track 13) 4 is brought to you by Porcupine Tree’s EP that has a “4” in the title.

Song: “Disappear”

Album: 4 Chords That Made a Million -EP- (k-scope/Snapper, ©2000)

Webpage(s): http://www.porcupinetree.com/

Hails from: England

Info: I should thank (or blame) both Steve C. and Zayne for getting me into Porcupine Tree. A brilliant progressive band comes along just when I’m about fed-up with progressive rock. Porcupine Tree’s earlier albums are more Pink Floyd influenced, and their most recent albums (In Absentia and Deadwing) have a heavier edge to them. PT comes highly recommended in both the live and recorded setting. Porcupine Tree is also related to two other bands in this compilation… Steven Wilson (the primary songwriter in PT) is also a major contributor in both Blackfield and No-Man.

(track 14) 5 is brought to you by Jurassic 5.

Song: “Monkey Bars”

“Explicit” Lyrics: Not really, but it does include “shit” a few times.

Album: Quality Control (Interscope, ©2000)

Webpage(s): http://www.jurassic5.com/ – – – http://www.cutchemist.com/

Hails from: Los Angeles

Info: Jurassic 5 is quite frankly one of the few hip-hop groups out there that truly excites me. I enjoy their “old school” style and their art of making the hip-hop sound be a lot about musicality. Their DJs (Cut Chemist and Nu Mark) bring a level of musicianship and playfulness to the band. J5’s MCs also tend to keep it clean (for the most part) and rap about positive and/or thought-provoking topics… not “hoes and gats”… This song (“Monkey Bars”) is just a fun song about the elements of hip-hop.

(track 15) 6 is brought to you by King’s X.

Song: “Six Broken Soldiers”

Album: Faith Hope Love (Megaforce, ©1990)

Indie Meter: They started out indie, then got signed up for an asinine 14-record contract with Atlantic. Yikes! Luckily Atlantic honored their request to be dropped, and they have been indie ever since 1996.

Webpage(s): http://www.kingsxonline.com/ – – – http://www.tytabor.net/

Hails from: Katy, TX

Info: I’m going to preface all of this by stating that this song is an aberration of most King’s X songs… it is sung by the drummer, and it’s primarily nonsensical… alas, it had “six” in the title. King’s X is one of those rare bands who have withstood the test of time. They have been around for over 25 years, and they are still active in the rock music scene without having any major hits or chart success. They are a band that has spawned countless influenced-by colleagues – Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Collective Soul included – and gained much respect from musicians all over the world. All three members of King’s X (Doug Pinnick, Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill) have side-projects and solo efforts and remain loyal to King’s X through it all.

(track 16) 7 is brought to you by Zero 7.

Song: “Truth & Rights”

Album: Another Late Night (Kinetic, ©2002)

Webpage(s): http://www.zero7.co.uk/

Hails from: England

Info: Thanks to Luke for his pop-up Zero 7 Player post before When It Falls came out. Beautiful vocals and smooth jazz. This band became a quick favorite.

(track 17) 8 is brought to you by Elliott Smith.

Song: “Figure 8”

Album: Son of Sam -single- (Dreamworks, ©2000)

Indie Meter: indie-pop king who somehow got nominated for an Oscar against Celine Dion… J

Webpage(s): http://www.sweetadeline.net/ is a good posthumous webpage

Hailed from: primarily Portland, OR, but also New York City and Los Angeles along his career path

Info: I thank Bruce for getting me into Elliott Smith right before he came to town in 2000. I’m glad I got to see him before he died. He was a treasure, and he is very much missed. This track was from the Figure 8 sessions and made its way onto the “Son of Sam” import single.

(track 18) 9 is brought to you by Buckethead.

Song: “911”

Album: Bermuda Triangle (Catalyst, ©2002)

Indie Meter: countless albums on countless indie labels

Webpage(s): http://www.bucketheadland.com/

Hails from: a chicken coop

Info: Buckethead is crazy. He plays guitar like few others. He wears a KFC-style bucket and a white mask during shows and photo ops. He plays guitars with nunchuks. He dances the robot. He’s got an album with Viggo Mortensen that is surprisingly good. He works a lot with Les Claypool and Bootsy Collins. He was in Axl Rose’s latest touring incarnation of Guns N’ Roses. There is very little known about his origins or personal life. Most of his music is in a metal vein, but two of his albums would be well-suited for fans of mellower music: Colma and Electric Tears. I even used some Buckethead tracks in our wedding CDs… J

FIN.

Enjoy! Sorry for overloading… but once I got the “A to Z” mix concept in my head, there was no smoting it.

~Dan

PS– You might be asking yourself, “why is Chroma Key clearly absent?” Well, I’ve got an OSI track on there, which is essentially Chroma Key on steroids. If you wanna hear some Chroma Key (ie- my #1 favorite band of all-time), just ask me. Or check out some of the following links for sound samples:

http://www.chromakey.com/

http://www.cdbaby.com/all/chromakey456

The Chroma Key albums Dead Air For Radios and You Go Now have gained my 100% buy-back guarantee… if you buy them and don’t like ‘em, I’ll buy ‘em off your hands for what you paid for ‘em (max $13.95/ea). Honest to God!