Yo La Tengo//Autumn Sweater

Hi pals. Can you believe I've never posted this song before? Can you believe it's fall already? Can you believe it's actually mid-October? You know once we hit Halloween, it's all totally over. Time becomes a complete and total vacuum until New Years. Whoa. I am not really ready for it yet.

Some of you may have noticed that this blog has gotten a little...uhm...less reliable. This fall-to-winter period is bringing a lot of ch-ch-ch-changes to my life. As a result of some of these, I am sad to say that this blog is going to get a bit more sporadic. It's weird and sad for me too, but as I manage freelancing, a bi-coastal move and general life upheaval, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to post an update everyday. Don't get me wrong--OSS is NOT over. It's just different. It's going to become more like your best friend who shows up without calling than your cousin who works as an accountant. It's been really fun to hang out with you guys EVERY SINGLE WEEKDAY, but we can still have fun hanging out when we both feel like it. With so many good songs in the world, we'll never run out of opportunities.

This song is the best fall song ever. It sounds like fall. It's about fall. It's lyrical focus is a girl and her sweater. It's by Yo La Tengo. It's a hipster cliche from the dawn of the hipster age, but it's still awesome. It's completely quintessential.

I've seen Yo La Tengo (one of Jersey's proudest musical exports along with Patti Smith and The Boss) twice. The second time was awful. The first time was magical and was the result of finding free tickets in a balloon emblazoned with an image of Tori Amos. But that, friends, is another story for another day.

Enjoy your sweaters before they become coats. I am enjoying mine.



Autumn Sweater.mp3

We could slip away,
Wouldn't that be better?
Me with nothing to say
And you in your autumn sweater.

Lauryn Hill//Lost Ones

I’m back on the grid! Tour was a total blast, but I have to say, I am having serious trouble with the re-entry. For the last week, I’ve had very limited access to all things electronic and was hanging out with new and old friends in different cities every night. Yesterday morning, Karl and I were sharing a pear by some train tracks and talking about how we felt like some kind of hobos that didn’t exist anymore. Then, today, I’m back at the office. It’s freaky.

Anyway, in addition to going old school in life, we went (somewhat) old school in our van and only listened to CDs for our whole trip. This was fun and also refreshing. When I heard this song come on (I was in the WAY BACK at that point), I was so excited. I yelled up to the front seat, “is this The Miseducation?! Please tell me we have this whole album! Please tell me we also have The Score!” Kenny confirmed that yes, it was and yes, we did and yes, we also did. YESSS!

I don’t think I’ve listened to this since high school, but shit, it rules. Lauryn Hill should only rap and never sing, something she completely got wrong after this one. Additionally, she hadn’t yet gone off the deep end of Jesus and cults and making everyone call her “Empress.” Whoa, Nelly. It's also interesting how this song starts with the line, “it’s funny how money changes situations,” considering the musicians who helped make this album (aka New Ark) had to sue Hill to be paid for it and settled with her to the tune of $5 million out of court.

Anyway, crazy pants antics aside, some of these tracks are Hill at her finest (“Doo Wop (That Thing)”was both a number one hit and a number one jam). My friend Tom Walker actually gave me this album. He was teaching me how to drive and we started talking about The Fugees. He told me I had to hear it and it showed up in the mail a few days later. Getting handmade postcards or music in the (snail) mail unexpectedly is basically the best ever. Speaking of, I’m really looking forward to opening up the package that contains a Pony Pants album. Oh, yes yes.



Lost Ones.mp3

Some wan’ play young Lauryn like she dumb,
But remember not a game new under the sun.
Everything you did has already been done.
I know all the tricks from Bricks to Kingston.

Ted Leo//Biomusicology

On Saturday, May 5, 2007, I was with my friend Pat (who now plays in Any Day Parade) and we were seeing Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Webster Hall. It was an amazing show. Live, Leo rips songs to shreds with what seems to be never-ending energy. He covered (of all things) a Chumbawumba song, and made it sound incredible. He also shouted out Essex County, the county in New Jersey where both Pat and I grew up. We yelled “JERSEY!” back, obviously to show our support.

Even though Leo is a Jersey boy (born in South Bend, Indiana, but grew up in Bloomfield), I didn’t hear him until I was in Michigan. I remember being in my friend Tash’s car with our friend Dan. Dan put this album on and this song started up and I had to stop mid-sentence to ask, “WHO IS THIS?” So good.

There’s something about Ted Leo’s energy and songwriting that hooks you immediately, like somebody grabbing you by the throat, but in a friendly way. In a way that makes you want to say, “hey, I liked how you grabbed me by the throat! Can you do that again?”



Biomusicology.mp3

All in all, we cannot stop singing.
We cannot start sinking.
We swim until it ends.
They may kill and we may be parted
But we will ne'er be broken hearted.

The Fugees//The Mask

As I'm sure you know, last week Haiti had one hell of an earthquake and shit is seriously fucked up there right now. In the wake of that disaster, I wanted to remind everyone to donate to relief efforts via text (or other means) and that the man making this all possible is none other than WYCLEF, member of one of my favorite '90s NJ (W.O.!) hip hop outfits, The Fugees.

On a lighter note, when this album came out, I was in 7th grade, and The Fugees BLEW UP. They were on the radio, on MTV. I went to a house party in London and the English kids were even playing them there. The Score is one of the jammiest albums, with some of the best rhymes. Hits like "Ready or Not," "How Many Mics?" and "Fu-gee-la" are completely bumpin', but I find that this song, about the mask that everyone is sometimes forced to hide behind, is consistently my favorite.

Once, some friends and I were listening to it and decided that someone should start a reality TV show based on one of the song's lyrics, "How would you like a quarter raise? Step up to the register?" The show, which would obviously be called "Quarter Raise," would revolve around a diverse cast of characters from around the country. It's too complicated to explain the rest, so I'm just gonna stop.

Also, another friend and I have had many conversations about Wyclef's frequent use of the term, "Haitian Sicilians." Usually, they start with the question, "dude, Wyclef, what ARE Haitian Sicilians?" The best guess I have is that it's a slangy way to refer to Haitian organized crime. If you know for sure, I would love it if you told me.

Back to the heavy stuff, I've heard both Pras (who made some pretty controversial statements about benevolent dictators on NPR) and Wyclef raising a lot of consciousness about Haiti (pre- and post- quake) and I think it's so awesome that they have always represented so hardcore.

Apparently The Fugees all kind of hate each other now, so don't hold your breath for a reunion...but please do enjoy this jam and give Haiti a hand.



The Mask.mp3

"How would you like a quarter raise? Move up the register?
Large in charge, but ya gotta be a spy,
Come back and tell me who's baggin my fries,
Getting high on company time."
Hell no sirree, wrong M.C.
Why should I be a spy, when you spying me,
And you see what ya thought ya saw but never seen.
Ya missed ya last move,
Checkmate! Crown me king!
Hold my 22, pistol whipped him in the face.
Hired, now I'm fired,
Sold bud, now I'm wired,
Eyes pitch red, but the beat bop my head.
Hit the streets for relief, I bumped into the Feds.
I got kidnapped, they took me to D.C.,
Had me working underground building missiles for World War III.

Patti Smith//Gloria

I would like to introduce a brand new tag to the OSS tag universe today. Joining the ranks of such classics as Animal Band Names and Superlative Band Names, please welcome Classic Rock/R+B Songs Covered by Punk/Post-Punk Girls. There are more of these then you'd think there'd be.

From my perspective, Patti Smith is the crown jewel of New Jersey cultural exports (move over, Bruce). There's been quite a resurgence of interest in this poet/musician/artist/activist/general queen-of-the-downtown-scene recently thanks to a new documentary about her.

When I first got Horses, I listened to it obsessively on repeat. It is a beautiful, beautiful masterpiece of an album that sounded completely different than anything that had come before it at the time. Additionally, Smith is an incredibly influential songwriter/musician, especially to other female artists, with a legacy that stretches from Cat Power to REM to Kate Bush to Tori Amos to The Smiths to (no matter how much she denies it) PJ Harvey.

Smith has also worked with a to-die-for list of collaborators and punk greats, including John Cale (see: yesterday), The (aforementioned) Boss, Alan Ginsberg, Michael Stipe, Robert Mapplethorpe and Tom Verlaine (of Television; look forward to that post, guys). She was also married to Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5. OK. I'm totally done now. Patti Smith is basically the coolest person ever. Over.

This song was written by Van Morrison for his band Them...but honestly, who even cares? It's not that it's bad, but the sheer energy of this version knocks the original out of the park.



Gloria.mp3

Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine.

Sah Ril//Respiration

Newark can give you chills, and it's Local Music Friday the 13th!
Tell me...what is this Local Music Fridays?

I know Matt aka Sah Ril from work. Actually, he just made a very Newark-centric video with another colleague, Amil.

I don't talk about it that much, but I do work in Newark, which is a weird city. As a kid I grew up joint custody--7/8 Jersey suburbs, 1/8 Washington Heights/Yonkers. As a youth, to me, Newark was the place where people went to buy drugs. Like Detroit, it's a city that suffered the most severe burn out post race riots...and you can still feel that vibe there. That said, it's doing everything it damn well can to try to bounce back.

I think what's super strange about the city to me is that the gentrification seems a bit forced. A few years ago, government came in with a big push: bring in businesses, improve safety, improve infrastructure, clean things up. It worked...kind of...but the result is a too-clean place that just feels off. The city skipped a step in the cycle of natural gentrification--there was a serious lack of artists and queers, the groups that make up the first wave of change (extreme examples: The LES, Williamsburg).

That's why it really makes me happy to see artists who are doing their thing for real in Newark. I think Newark would thrive with more strong artists, in all disciplines, to build a culture beyond the upper tier of what's in Museums or places like NJPac or the PRU Center. It just needs to regrow an organic scene.

That said, it seems like hip hop has always had a place to land in the bricks. One of my favorite and most cherished memories in high school was driving around listening to a tape that Sean had copied from a local music broadcast on WSOU. It featured tons of freestyling local rappers who were based in or heavily associated with Newark, including our favorite Tame One. Even now, we simply refer to this as The Tape and many of my friends can still rhyme the thing start to finish.

What's really cool about what Sah is doing is that it's original. You can tell the guy has a ton of influences (I know for a fact that he loves Prince and Bjork) and he's doing what he can to push up to and over the edges of the genre in which he's working.

This track is off his newest mixtape, Back Where the Pain Is- Vol 2: De La Minded. You can download the whole thing for free here.



Respiration.mp3

Nowadays it's either
What's new
Or
Fuck you.

Unrelated:: but in other Local Music news, The Fifty Fifty turns One tomorrow. Come celebrate with us.

Bruce Springsteen//Johnny 99

When I was writing about Kurt Vile yesterday, I went to link to my Bruce Springsteen post...and then realized I didn't have a Bruce Springsteen post. WHAT?! How could this be true!? I'm from Jersey; I love Bruce Springsteen. It's, like, in my DNA.

Actually, maybe that's not exactly true because one of my best high school-era friends, Paige, didn't like The Boss. She didn't like him so much that she threatened to make a tee-shirt with the words "Not My Boss" set underneath a screen-printed picture of The Boss. How rude. Still, that's a funny idea for a tee-shirt. She never made it, but if she had, I would have worn it. Maybe I would have X'ed out the word "Not" with a sharpie, because that was how I rolled at the time--altering tee-shirts with scissors, sharpies and patches. Punk! And because that dude IS my Boss. Duh.

Nebraska is one of my favorite albums OF ALL TIME. It's moody and gritty and lofi and lonely. It was recorded on a four-track, meant initially to be demos for the next album with The E Street Band, but Springsteen was hellaciously depressed when he wrote it, so it just sounded weird and wrong with the band. It was decided that the album would be realized as it was...and each song is its own brilliant and dark portrait of America.

This song is especially relevant right now. It's about recession, poverty and what it does to people in America. Johnny lost his job at the auto plant (in Mahwah!) and ends up robbing a store and shooting a dude in process. Not to say that Johnny was in the right, but society also plays a role.

Well, new numbers are pointing to the fact that the recession might be over. I hope that's true, but it's not to say that plenty of Americans aren't already in some pretty desperate situations. I know there's been a lot of shitty violence in my hood lately. Fingers crossed that everyone can hold out until the positive change actually starts to get down to the ground level. This song is all about the stress of this situation--feeling powerless and trapped, on the wrong side of that great big beautiful American dream.



Johnny 99.mp3

Now judge, I had debts no honest man could pay.
The bank was holdin' my mortgage and they were gonna take my house away.
Now I ain't sayin' that makes me an innocent man,
But it was more than all this that put that gun in my hand.

Paul Simon//Graceland

I’m back now from an awesome weekend of Midwest tourstravaganza. It was sweet! We played three really fun shows, saw a ton of old friends, made many new ones, and spent over 30 hours in cars, driving over 1,800 miles in the course of four days. HARDcore.

I brought along a few CDs to listen to while on the road, but I think a real favorite was Graceland, the classic 1986 (Karl read the notes to get that) Paul Simon album, left in the car by Kenny’s mom. By the time we were just an hour away from Brooklyn yesterday and loopy as all hell from the combo of no sleep and car overload, it was the perfect album to calm our nerves.

Graceland is a landmark album as it is generally thought of as the decisive beginning of world music being injected into the American mainstream. I actually remember Simon coming up often in my Latin America class as being a big music ambassador, along with David Byrne. Thanks, Paul!

Also: quick shoutout—Paul Simon’s from Newark, NJ, which is where I am right now. Brick City, represent!



Graceland.mp3

I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war.

Nancy Sinatra//Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

Pony Express Monday Mail
What is Monday Mail?

A few weeks ago, Tonia from The Orchard, wrote in about a brand new Nancy Sinatra rare singles collection called Cherry Smiles. Here’s what she said:

The undisputed mother of female rock, Nancy Sinatra, recently dug into her expansive archives to compile Cherry Smiles – The Rare Singles, the brilliant new digital-only collection of rarities that she recorded between 1970 and 1980. Coinciding with this year’s 60th anniversary of the 45 RPM format, Cherry Smiles includes twelve tracks which were previously only available as 45s, originally issued via Reprise, RCA, and the Private Stock label. Two of the cuts, "There Ain't No Way" and "Southern Lady," have never before been released in any format.

This of course made me think of “Bang Bang,” the Sinatra song used to perfectly in Tarantino’s Kill Bill. A quote from the famed director was included in the email:

“‘Bang, Bang’ is “the music the movie will work to the beat of… That was in my head six years ago when I first came up with ‘Kill Bill’. Nancy’s version is so soulful. She sings it like poetry. It gives you new respect for what a wonderful vocalist she is.” – Quentin Tarantino, in reference to his use of Nancy’s version of Sonny Bono’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” as the theme song to Kill Bill Volume I

Sinatra, daughter of Ol’ Blue Eyes, is a singer and actress, but remains most famous for her hit, “These Boots Were Made for Walkin.” She is also the subject of the song, “Nancy with the Laughing Face,” which is really an awesome jam itself.

This song was (WEIRDLY) written by Sonny Bono and originally recorded by Cher, at a much faster tempo. Sinatra’s creepy somber version, all wistful vocals undercut by that single tremolo-heavy guitar, turns this song into a haunting masterpiece.



Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).mp3

I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down.

Fountains of Wayne//Hackensack

Will was asking me about a Fountains of Wayne song yesterday, which jogged my memory about this one.

I feel pretty 80 (Nay)/20 (Yay) about FoW, but holy shit, I love this song...and not just because it's about Hackensack aka my birthplace. I was kind of holding it back, thinking maybe someday I'd do a NJ week or something, but hey, I think it works here, so why not?

The real Fountains of Wayne, after which the band is named, is indeed a retail establishment where you can purchase various lawn ornaments off Rte 46 in Wayne, NJ. I spent much of my childhood, sitting in a backseat, driving by it. The store, which also had a featured scene in another NJ classic, The Sopranos, was rumored (in March) to be closing. Haven't been by this stretch of 46 lately, guys. Is this true?

Fountains of Wayne, the band, started in the 90s and have been rocking the purist of power pop since. The went on hiatus in 1999 and reformed in 2001, covering, wait for it, a Kinks song. Wonders never cease.

Also, something hilarious: remember that movie, That Thing You Do. Adam Schlesinger apparently wrote that song? Also, Ethan just pointed out to me that he's in this "super" group. SO weird.



Hackensack.mp3

I used to work in a record store, now I work for my Dad
Scraping the paint off of hardwood floors. The hours are pretty bad.
Sometimes I wonder where you are, probably in L.A.
That seems to be where everybody else ends up these days.
But I will wait for you
As long as I need to
And if you ever get back to Hackensack,
I'll be here for you.

The Ultra Death Men//Pizza Tower

1+1+1=3, Local Music Friday.
Tell me...what is this Local Music Fridays?

You probably never thought you'd hear anything mathy here on OSS, but prepare to have your mind blown like it was when you got placed in that advanced Calculus class that turned out to be way over your head senior year of high school.

Today was the third full day of Palmyra recording this week, which meant lots of hangout time with Karl, Kenny, Sean and Jon. Well, this gave me the idea to feature Sean and Jon's OTHER (OTHER) band today, which has the best name ever: The Ultra Death Men. Yes, these dudes are in my band.

It's hard to outdo their own self-description. Read on:

The Ultra Death Men are an improvised, noisey, thrashy, free jazzy type group turned weird, math-rock mess from Verona NJ.

The group was started in concept in the Verona Summer Music classrooms, where all three members teach for one month each year.

I really like rocking out and thrashing around my room in strange spasms to Pizza Tower. We also enjoyed listening to it in the Volvo on tour.

An additional note: after hearing UDM play a live show, I noted that their music is, "like someone's playing a trick on you...but you like it." I stand by this assessment.

I'm wondering how high you could actually build a tower of pizza. Oh boy. I may have fried my brain with copious recording.



Pizza Tower.mp3

Learn so much more about the Death Men here. And also, have an awesome weekend. Summer is winding down, so get to the beach! Eat some ice cream! Jesus, do both. That's my plan.

Les Paul and Mary Ford//Tiger Rag

Hey Loves! I’m back in the USA! I left Annie’s house in Costa Rica at 4Am on Wednesday and didn’t get back to Brooklyn until 2AM on Thursday! This included a super-fun and totally unexpected seven hour layover in one of the worst places period, Dallas, Texas. Holy 22 hours of international travel, batman!

CR was amazing and totally mind-blowing. I could not even begin to adequately describe the experience here, but I was by-and-large cut off from technology/modern world, and it was awesome. No cell. No internet. Just incredible people, lots of bugs, beautiful mountainous rainforest views and super horrifying roads. Some pictures are here.

Sadly, while I was in layover hell, real life guitar hero Les Paul was living out his last few hours. Much has already been written about this 94 year-old extremely innovative legend who played weekly sets until his last days, so I’ll skip the obit. He still definitely deserves to be honored for his writing, performance and electronic innovation though. Please enjoy this 50s recording, with his wife Mary Ford, of “Tiger Rag,” (given to me in mix form from Emily) featured on NBC’s The Les Paul Show and observe a moment of music for this incredible individual. RIP, fine sir.



Tiger Rag.mp3

Has anybody seen that tiger?

PS. Also, thanks Les Paul, for giving us multi-track recording, because it's my favorite invention EVER!

Palmyra//Various

It doesn't get any more [Local! Music! Friday!], than this.
Tell me...what is this Local Music Fridays?

This has something I’ve shied away from from the start of the blog, but I think I’m going to go ahead with some 100% shameless self-promotion, so I hope you’ll forgive me and bear with me this time.

I will be taking a week-long hiatus from OSS while I go on tour. And to celebrate, today, on this Local! Music! Friday!, I am going to post a band which couldn’t get any more local to me: my band—Palmyra.

A little history: While I’ve been playing shows, solo and in bands, and recording, home and in studios, since I was about 16, Palmyra is now my main squeeze. The band has been working hard to create a unique sound that’s representative to all its parts, while also striving to be greater than. Jon Lango (drums, percussion) and Sean Lango (synth, bass) bring a lot of Jazz knowledge and rare sound-sets to the group. Kenny Roebuck (trumpet, background vox) contributes great horn hooks and a diverse palette. Of course, Karl Sturk (guitar) is a driving force of rock and roll, and his electric guitar lines make the songs come to life in a new way. I write the songs, play acoustic guitar and sing the main vocals. I try to write music that is my own, while also being up-front about a wide range of personal influences.

I wanted to be square on songs with you for next week, so I’m posting five here. Two are Mp3s, the first of which is our single from our first album, Mis-en-Scene and the second of which is a remix (by an upcoming L!M!F!er Canary in the Cave) from the accompanying bonus disc. The other three (an unreleased demo, another track off Mis and a new live track) are in a zip file along with information on a Coloring Contest that we’re running. If you like coloring, this is right up your small-road-between-two-buildings!



Regrets.mp3

Wool Remix.mp3

Coloring Contest Info and Tracks.zip

Our tour is covering these cities:
-Philadelphia, PA
-Jersey City, NJ
-Brooklyn, NY
-Boston, MA
-Burlington, VT
-Worchester, MA
If you live in any of these cities, we would love to see you at a show! All the info is here and more on the band is here.

See you next week!

Any Day Parade//Couple Hours

Local Basement! Local North Brooklyn!

[Local! Music! Friday!]
Tell me...what is this Local Music Fridays?

If you’re here in NYC like me, it’s quite a weekend of shows.

First of all, former L!M!F!er Patrick Elkins plays early tonight with Charlie Slick at Pianos in the LES and later tonight at The 50/50. JaaaAaaAms.

Second, Jersey City’s Any Day Parade, releases a brandy new EP on Saturday at Spike Hill in Williamsburg. Here’s a shining example of what you can expect from the band on this forthcoming album.

I first met ADP when we played a really fun/really weird show with them at a Tattoo Parlor for a Jersey City First Friday. The show was a riot for a number of reasons. Here are some:

1. It was in a tattoo parlor…which was functioning.
2. We had to wait until patrons were done receiving tattoos before we could play.
3. Did I mention we were in a tattoo parlor?

Anyway, ADP’s live act was an amazing rock ‘n’ rollin’ straight whiskey-swillin’ party, complete with big sexy guitar riffs and plenty of vocal bravado. This track, which tackles that tricky “are we just hooking up or is something else going on?” relationship, is no exception.



Couple Hours.mp3

Any Day Parade releases their new EP, Where We Fall, tomorrow night with Palmyra at Spike Hill. More details here.

I don’t want to say no.
Why don’t you say yes?
I don’t want you to go.
Well, I haven’t left.

Glad Hearts//The Afternoon Passed Like A Summer Cloud

What's your resolution? Mine's to keep giving you
[Local! Music! Friday!]
Tell me...what is this Local Music Fridays?

Mr. Avello introduced me to his friends from New Brunswick, Glad Hearts. Next thing you know, we’re playing a show with them at Goodbye Blue Monday. Next thing you know after that, they’re playing a show in my basement!!!

That’s right, Glad Hearts will be up next at The 50/50! And judging by the last one, you’ll definitely want to be there, because they put on one hell of a show...and so does the fifty!!!



The Afternoon Passed Like A Summer Cloud.mp3

Everything Glad Hearts here.

We’ll sing along with the radio on.

Tape and Wire//Teenage Pricks

[Local! Music! Friday!]
Tell me...what is this Local Music Fridays?

Ok, if the Folk Implosion track from a few days ago was about wanting to grow up and get the hell out, this song is speaking to the exact opposite—it’s all about hanging on to that youthful feeling of fresh exuberance for life and no consequences. And that’s fun! Foils! Not just for high school English class anymore!

Tape and Wire is the band of friend (and…ahem!...colleague) Chris Avello. Here’s something I like about them a lot: they’re catchy, but you can feel the 90s indie aesthetic permeating from the music. Is it coincidence that what I always want to listen to next is Archers of Loaf or Unrest? This is downright respectable!!!



Teenage Pricks.mp3

Here’s what’s more: Tape and Wire play a rare show and release their album tomorrow night at Bushwick’s own indie institution, Goodbye Blue Monday. My band is also joining in the fun (sar, SSP!!!).
More info here.

FRIDAY! Like it’s 1994!