This is a ‘mildly spooky’ playlist, because it’s Halloween time as I’m writing this and I’m feeling festive. Nothing obvious or overtly goth or doomy, for the most part, just songs that have a tint of dark/weird vibes. Good to listen to while decorating your Halloween Tree.
1. The Words That Maketh Murder – PJ Harvey
(Because she’s awesome and it’s clever how she references ‘Summertime Blues’ while describing the horrors of war.)
2. So Alive – Love and Rockets
(One of my favorite songs. Awesome backing vocals.)
3. Penetration – The Stooges
(More rock songs need to utilize a celesta. Or not.)
4. Fool – Nadine Shah
(I listened to this song on repeat for a month. Such a cool vibe and perfectly made.)
5. In Madonna’s Gazebo – Circus Devils
(When I can’t take time out of my day to have an uncomfortable acid trip, I listen to Circus Devils.)
6. Vomiting Mirrors – Clockcleaner
(I can’t really make out what he’s singing. Probably on account of the mirrors he’s vomiting.)
7. Jimmy, Renda-Se – Tom Zé
(Making this song fit the theme might be a stretch. I just love it and want to include it.)
8. Carnival of Souls – Combustible Edison
(Exactly what you’d expect to hear at a carnival of souls.)
9. Mass Dream – TV Ghost
(I found this song on a music blog once and it stuck with me like a bad dream.)
10. Call Across Rooms – Grouper
(Liz Harris is an amazing musician and artist. I want to live in this house in which rooms are being called across.)
11. Cut-Out Witch – Guided by Voices
(Guides by Voices is one of my favorite bands, so they must be included.)
12. Drugs – Talking Heads
(There’s a strong possibility that this song is about drugs.)
13. Ugly – Love and Rockets
(Spooky, mildly.)
14. Shrivel-Up – Devo
(I’ve always wanted to cover this song but I think I need to get an Energy Dome first.)
15. Sunday – David Bowie
(What a dude. Heathen is probably my favorite album of his.)
16. Fall Breaks And Back To Winter – The Beach Boys
(What the hell?)
17. Hi I’m Martha, How are you? – Circus Devils
(My third Bob Pollard song on this list. I have problems, but so does Martha.)
18. The Twilight Zone – The Ventures
(Because we are living in the Twilight Zone.)
19. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
(I want to sing this song at karaoke but it’s hard to come by.)
20. Glazed Eye – Girls Against Boys
(Sweet dreams.)
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David Thomas Jones’ new album Occult Years is out on November 13th. Keep up with him here, or via Instagram, Twitter, or Bandcamp!
I picked these songs because they always make me feel so good when I listen to them. That’s why I named the playlist: “Elevation station”. The music that lifts me up and lights up my world.
I listen to all kinds of music, mostly anything that makes me feel something. When I started to write songs, I listened to a lot of blues and folk music. I got inspired by how people could express emotions through songs and I fell in love with it. I think that was the reason why I started to write my own songs.
What all these songwriters, musicians and artist have in common is that their music is pure, timeless and real. They didn’t let anyone get in their way, no matter what, they held on to what they believed in.
1. I know It’s Over – Jeff Buckley
2. Simple Twist Of Fate – Bob Dylan
3. Waitin’ Around To Die – Townes Van Zandt
4. Stars – Janis Ian
5. Words – Neil Young
6. Stuck In The Middle With You – Stealers Wheel
7. Meet Me In The Morning – Bob Dylan
8. Glory Box – John Martyn
9. Day Is Done – Nick Drake
10. River – Joni Mitchell
11. Nobody Knows You – Bessie Smith
12. Dink’s Song – Dave Van Ronk
13. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley
14. Love & Hate – Michael Kiwanuka
15. I Found You – Alabama Shakes
16. Wayfaring Stranger – Emmylou Harris
17. Piece of My Heart – Janis Joplin (Big Brother & The Holding Company)
18. Wild Is The Wind – Nina Simone
19. Racing With The Sun – Ella Jenkins
20. Give me a smile – Sibylle Baier
21. Heart Beat Slow – Angus & Julia Stone
22. Folsom Prions Blues – Johnny Cash
23. I Love You More Than Words Can Say – Karen Dalton
24. How Can I Put Out The Flame – Candi Staton
A lifelong resident of Jeffersonville, IN, NickDittmeier finds a needed reprieve from the looming presence of loss in his life with his new record All Damn Day (due October 26th). Fronting NickDittmeier & the Sawdusters, the singer-songwriter lingers on the omniscient Grim Reaper in a way that’s hopeful and uplifting as it is forlorn, harkening to the works of such literary giants as John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Roald Dahl and Mark Twain. Read Dittmeier‘s story on his first musical influence below:
The first musical experience I had that really made me want to be in a band was watching the scene in The Muppet Movie where Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are introduced at their rehearsal space. Although the band was comprised of Muppets, they looked like an actual rock n’ roll band and the song they played really grooved. But it was really the band’s attitude that made me wanna be in a pack like the Electric Mayhem.
If you don’t recall the scene, let me refresh you. Kermit and Fozzy, on their road trip to Hollywood, stop in an old church where they discover a psychedelic Muppet band playing music. Dr. Teeth, the band leader, has a strikingly resemblance to Dr. John and other members of the band had loose characteristics to other rock stars of the day. You could say Janis resembles Joni Mitchell and Animal resembles John Bonham. They lay out their long term plans for the church, which included a music venue and coffee shop with organic food.
What I loved about Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem was that everyone in the band was visibly weird and quirky but were completed accepted within the context of the group. They had invented their world and all lived in it. Part of the larger premise of the Muppets was racial and gender diversity, and that’s why many of the characters’ identity was fairly ambiguous. Some characters you couldn’t really discern if they were animal or human. Why they had bright green skin, if they were human, but that wasn’t important— all you needed to know is they looked different but were accepted.
The lyrical content of the song they sang was basically how great it was being in a band and helping people and each other. Also, everyone in the band sang. That scene didn’t make me go out and get a guitar, but it did plant a seed in my head about what kind of community I could be a part of if I learned an instrument.
All of those lessons in the scene are applicable to the current situation I have with my band and the people surrounding it. We’ve gotta manage quirks and personalities and realize we’re for the most part strange people, but those are the personalities that drive this business. It takes a certain kind of weirdo to stop band practice to help a frog and a bear paint their Studebaker psychedelic colors.
Follow the Roof Dogs as their live music journey takes them through Cincinnati, Lexington, Nashville, St. Louis, Bloomington, Chicago, Toledo, and all the in-betweens on their most recent autumn tour!
Cincinnati, Sean and his bass on the drive. Touring in a Toyota Corolla can be difficult. While The Bascinets’ vehicle held most of the gear for tour, on the way to Cinci we had to travel with Walker’s drum hardware and Sean’s bass in the backseat.
Pre-show R&R at the Airbnb
Found a lighter with some flare.
Nick Wellman of The Bascinets fishing for Pigs at Northside Yacht Club.
Tristan (Bascinets) before he lost his glasses. Tristan would continue to lose several other items before the tour was done.
Andrew with Bourbon (neat). Andrew played NSYC’s “$4 Whiskey Wheel of Wonder,” he landed on Jim Beam.
Dinge. Was the first time we played with them for about three years. They rock.
The Bascinets
Ezra (Dinge)
Trevor (The Bascinets)
Tired after day one…
Our friend Nick (left) let us hangout on his rooftop in Northside after the show. He also let us play his harmonium and theremin. Great fun was had by all.
“Please, no pictures” – Zlata
Eden Park, Cincinnati
Lexington, KY. Game day. The show didn’t start until 11:30 because the Wildcats were “stomping ass.”
Andrew strings up
There was a lot of time to kill, but luckily the door guy charged the folks who came for the game. Many hung around when the show started, too.
Setlist debate
The Bascinets, feat. Mannequin
Abandoned motel shoot between Lexington and Nashville.
Twinning. It seems that almost all of the Midwest claims ownership of Lincoln. The same cannot be said for Andrew.
Nashville: Trevor insisted on $5 cups of coffee at his favorite spot. (They were actually amazing though so it’s okay). Jesse pictured here writing nursery rhymes.
Alberto & Friends in their delightful basement.
The Bascinets
Matt of Superstarfamus1day. He was closely supervised by the doll. They played an impressive impromptu set when their drummer George got very sick right before and couldn’t play.
Our performance did not meet Alberto’s expectations. He locked us up by the doghouses.
Shew (left) and Alberto (right). Post-show hangs in the backyard. His house was an old doctor’s office from way way back in the day (the 40’s?) so his backyard was actually a parking lot that was converted into a giant driveway. They have the perfect band house and we are jealous.
Triple Jesse
We loved the wallpaper.
Sleepy bois. The Bascinets brought along portable cots.
Wellman in the haunted basement.
“No pictures in here, honey. Some people aren’t here with the people they’re supposed to be with.” Hermitage Cafe in Nashville. Great country-fried steak.
St. Louis: At the Arch
Bright bois, where’s Walker?
Farmer Nick
Andrew with the cigarette machine at CBGB.
The Snapchettes, they typically perform as a seven piece.
Frankie Valet. Jack (at microphone) hosted us and took us to a good breakfast spot the next morning. Incidentally, he and Jesse share a birthday on September 14.
Outside CBGB
Felix at the board.
Sean relaxes at Jack’s. He managed to cranked out The Silmarillion on tour. Jack’s excellent cat can be seen in the background.
Jack, our host in St. Louis
Tristan after breakfast. There are more cash-only diners in this country than I ever knew.
Forest Park, St. Louis
En route to Chicago. It was somewhere around this point that Sean and Jesse began to argue over the fortitude of their respective bladders. Sean would soon prevail.
Walker driving
Chicago. We had two days off here with a show in the middle. There was a lot of relaxing but we didn’t get as many pictures here, but had a great time exploring the city. On our last night we rode the train to a 107 year old jazz club, the Green Mill in Uptown where they were broadcasting live on AM radio.
But first a visit to the lake.
Beers on the pier
Tristan and the great beyond
Curious old maintenance man tinkers at the venue.
Wallpaper
Fahrenheit 808, who was, sadly, not allowed by the venue to play due to dumb age restrictions. They were gracious about it.
Oxford, OH. Captain Redbeard and the S.S. Friendship. We played at our friends house, The Secret Garden. It’s a beautiful home.
Trevor, some light leak, and a stray vine. After the show we all went to Bagel & Deli and waded through an ocean of college students to the counter. Every five minutes or so, one worker at the shop would get iced (Smirnoff) by customers and proceeded to jump on the counter and chug to the applause of everyone. I’m pretty sure we waited in “line” for like half an hour. Someone stole my bagel once and I had to order again. Ultimately the wait was worth it. -Andrew
Hot sauce with salt at Hometown Eatery. College Corner, IN. Tristan apparently eats this to curb his appetite. He chose to spend his diner money on a candy apple red Jaguar.
Propane rodeo star, Andrew Marczak.
At Joe’s house in Oxford.
“Joe, where are the forks?”
Wellman with spork.
Toledo, OH. Ottawa Tavern, our last stop, with bangin’ sign.
Watching the game. “Pizza Cat,” the attached restaurant, was delicious and had good deals for performers. We were all satisfied.
Teamonade ripping it right up.
Trevor the angel
Wavves
“It Can Happen to YOU”
One shot of the Roof Dogs playing.
Family photo. We then parted ways and ventured back to Columbus for a day off before we all went back to our day jobs at NASA.
My influences throughout the years have been a huge part of who I am today. Madonna I feel the biggest connection because of her emotions when she sings and her daring nature! I have a bit of an alter ego as well. Sia has left a big impact on me as well. Her songs hit deep within lyrically and are full of so much power. I can only hope to move people the way she does me. Others are Lana Del Rey, Christina Perri, and Lady Gaga. My moodiness in my songs often mirrors some of Lana’s. I love the storytelling nature of Christina, and Gaga is a powerful soul that I see moving through genres which I what I see myself doing. I feel I am a piece of all of them.
Keep up with Natasha Jane Julian here and at her website and keep your eyes peeled for her new album Happily Ever After.
A common theme here is that a lot of the music that influences and inspires us is pretty weird and catchy. This taught us that its okay to do whatever we want and write however we feel. We’re lucky that it happens to be catchy enough to remember!
Play on shuffle or in order. This is just a quick handful of songs that were thrown together so we can hang out. Enjoy!
Stone Temple Pilots – Meatplow
This song has a certain grime and groove with such “sing-along-ability” that just hits the spot every time.
Musically wacky, yet unmistakably STP. Just one of those songs that says its okay to be weird.
Bush – Swallowed
Just a great song off of a great album. Steve Albini sort of took his “In Utero” Nirvana sounds and plugged Bush into them.
Say what you will about people stealing people’s sounds, but the fact is that this shit moved us as impressionable babies and just made us want to play harder and louder to get our lil’ feelings out.
Pearl Jam – Brain of J
We’re all pretty big Pearl Jam fans. I only chose this song because it was right in front of me and its not a go-to PJ song.
I could go on all day about what Ten and VS did to us when they came out, or how I sat about a foot away from the tv during that ridiculous MTV Unplugged performance…
Soundgarden – Burden In My Hand
Try not to sing along. They beat the system. They wrote some of the weirdest stuff, while being SO fun and easy to listen to.
We all really love this band and this is a good safe song choice everyone can dig. Miss you, Chris!
Meat Puppets – Backwater
This is such a Jeff song. I think we covered it once. If you’ve heard a handful of Sunshine Riot songs, It ain’t hard to hear
how we were influenced by these dudes.
Eels – Novocaine For The Soul
Just another weird 90’s jam that makes you go “Oh yeah! I remember this!” Our Jonny has a whispery voice like this sometimes, so I guess that’s a thing.
Aerosmith – Jaded
Hometown heroes I guess. Nobody in the band is a huge Aerosmith fan, but JESUS FUCK this might be the
catchiest song ever written and its always cool to stop and think about how they were once just some pals in a basement trying their best.
Nirvana – Serve The Servants
I don’t even know how to fully express how much this band and album means to us. This is that Albini sound I was
referring to earlier. Its just so damn important and I’m so glad we all love it so much. Thanks for everything, Nirvana.
Foo Fighters – Floaty
This is a very pretty one off of that first album that was actually only Dave Grohl. Another one that made me want to play
hard and with all the feeling. A lot of the stuff on this album is actually kind of a nightmare to play on any instrument, but it sounds so simple and catchy! Super inspirational.
The Replacements – Bastards Of Young
Metal dudes say Lemmy is God. Other, less tuff dudes say Paul Westerberg is God.
Another big influence on us. Replacements mastered that raw, borderline bad sound that just makes you feel.
Now that you have a bit of an explanation of us, go check out our new tunes off our upcoming record ‘Lonely Hotel’ and then go ahead and dig into that back catalogue to really get to know us! See you soon, dweebs.
On September 19th, Andrew W.K. took over recordBar in KC for the second time in the last year, preaching the gospel of PARTY to the midwest. Photographer Ashleigh Lee caught some epic action shots for us, as the crowd went wild with Andrew W.K.’s infinite positive message, brought to us through the power of rock.
