Radio Free California Episode 2123, plus the story of my latest single.

 

Very solid week for new music, featuring Danny Elfman, The Scurbats, me, Ceasless Groove, Ainsley Costello, Dave Koz with Cory Wong, Sparks with an all-star cast, Paulsen-Shepler, Olivia Rodrigo, Lou Barlow, 2 tracks from the amazing Rodrigo Aguilera and so much more. Enjoy!

Here is a listing of this week's artists, and as per usual these are twitter handles unless otherwise marked:

@ChairWarriors
@dannyelfman
@CrownLandsMusic
@animeraider
the_linda_lindas (Instagram)
thescurbats (Instagram)
Camilo C Ramirez, who so far you can only find at
https://open.spotify.com/artist/44GDajKe82HK6lHlSYVcA9
kostas_theflip (Instagram)
@STORMDRAIN7

raguileras1 (Instagram, but also check him out on Spotify) - https://open.spotify.com/artist/36CXgvYqOsyjWqNnKpMCqC
Aaron W. Kaufman (No social media presence I could find)
@ModernAmusemen2
ajpaulsen (Instagram)
@DansikDave (I hope I picked the right profile)
https://www.facebook.com/ceaselessgroove/
@Prettybnd
@DaveKozMusic and @corywong
@ainsleymusic07
@opeels
@sparksofficial with Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard and @simonhelberg
@JuliaJacklin with https://www.facebook.com/RVGBAND/
@bccamplight
@Olivia_Rodrigo
@bachelor_band
@dispatchmusic
@TheLouBarlow
@texastheband
@jorgeelbrecht
@blackberrysmoke with @thewarrenhaynes
@magiccastles

++++++++++++++++++++++++

I've had a storied and almost-successful career as a musician. Here's one story, about the 4th song on this week's RFC.

So way back in the way back when I used to record under the name Jim Christopher. It was recommended that I do this to avoid confusion with the lead singer of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, who is also named Chris Reed. I released two albums under that name, and recorded a third between the first two. The first album happened in 1990, after a surprise club hit I recorded in 1989 called "Favorite Partner", recorded complete on acoustic instruments. I recorded an album to back that all up, but I always knew it was going to be a one-off. I had never really worked in the style but I struck while the iron was hot, and then went back to what I was doing.

What I was doing was alt-pop/rock - sort of as an extension of where my old band ASK was going. After the unexpected success of my first album, with radio play on hundreds of radio stations despite no record deal and very little promotion, I wanted people to discover the real me. So I recorded a demo with full production values and called it The Jack Acid Society.

One of the record labels I shipped the demo to gave me an offer, which I accepted after a great deal of back and forth. I was suddenly a signed artist, in early 1992. I worked on fleshing out the demo into a full album, which I gave to the label in early spring. I told them that based upon reaction from people I had played the music to that "Tuesday Morning" should be the single. It's poppy, hooky, and full of life with lots of angsty alt-feel.

They said no.

In fact, they rejected every song I had recorded. I was told to go back and record more music like my first album. Pull out that 12-String Acoustic Guitar and be the next Michael Penn. That's why we signed you. They never gave a damn about what I was doing now, just what I had done in the past.

Like I said a few paragraphs back, I recorded the acoustic stuff as a one-off. I had no interest in being the next Michael Penn. Even Michael Penn no longer had any interest in that (you should hear his 2nd album - it's a complete rejection of his first). Within a month the very A&R Rep who had signed me produced a back-dated letter saying that he had rescinded my contract, although they would retain the masters of the music I had recorded for the album. Apparently this isn't uncommon.

That label no longer exists, having fallen to mismanagement and poor treatment of their artists, including a fixture of the Los Angeles scene of the 1990's known as Mary's Danish (a great band, by the way). The masters are lost, having been destroyed in a warehouse fire a few years ago. The A&R Exec went into movies, and last year died of COVID. I'm not going to name him. I'm done with all of that.

But I had recorded that demo, and those 5 songs belonged to me. It wouldn't be until 1997 that I finally released a full album again, this time on a minor label that never really promoted the record. But it had those five songs on it. I re-named it "Fiction".

This would wind up being the last album I released as Jim Christopher. After terrible experiences with two record labels under that name I decided to reclaim my own name, and if it ever came to it there would someday be a figurative knife fight between me and the British Chris Reed.

I made the decision to just move forward and not look back.

When the masters were destroyed in the fire I came to the realization that I could finally use these songs as I saw fit. I could re-record the original Jack Acid Society album. But did I want to? I already had other things in the works. I still haven't decided. I might someday. I still practice a couple of those songs.

I was still moving forward. As some of you may have noticed, I've released a LOT of music in 2021. Much of it is previously unreleased material as well as a bit of new stuff while I've been working on a new album. While putting it all together I came to the realization that it's been 30 years since I recorded the song that I had wanted to be the first single from "Jack Acid Society".

It's time. Even though it's been previously released, I'm going to put it out as a single. I had a lyric video commissioned and scheduled the release. It dropped March 28, 2021.

"Tuesday Morning" is the new single, 30 years in the making. Enjoy.

No cheap shots today. Be at peace.

Radio Free California Episode 2122, plus that one cuss word I don't like to use

Great week for new music, including new music from Del Amitri, Crown Lands, Nancy Wilson, The Ceys, Chris Trapper, St. Vincent, Remerge Band, Donovan, Mdou Moctar, Lydia Ainsworth and so much more. 2 hours of new music - Enjoy!

Here is this week’s list of bands. Twitter handles unless otherwise noted.

@DelAmitri
the_linda_lindas (Instagram)
@ceys_music
@CrownLandsMusic (and holy crap how have I missed this band until now?)
nancywilson (Instagram)
@copperstoneband
@christrapper (I first met Chris when he was touring with @colinhay, so it’s only fitting that he covers this song)
@2ndgradephilly
@kflay with @tmorello (who seems to be working with just about everyone these days)
@braking_lane (they’re buds from slaps.com)
@RemergeBand (them too)
Quilloughby with Lisa Simpson (He’s far too superior to have any social media presence, and she’s too young – in theory)
@wolfalicemusic
@st_vincent
@donovanofficial (yes, THAT Donvan) with @DAVID_LYNCH (yes, THAT David Lynch)
@durand_jones with @AaronFrazer_
@pomplamoos with @KOlusola
@modestmouseband
@thisisLUMP
@twentyonepilots
@wearefacs
@JAHJAHMULDROW
@gruffingtonpost
mdou_moctar (Instagram)
@ReigningSound1
marin_guero (Instagram)
@matkearney
@outsidechild13

@lydiaainsworth  (what an awesome cover she does too) 
@ducksltdband
Darktea (Instagram)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

As my faithful readers know, all tens of you, I'm not afraid to swear. I didn't do it much (if at all) when I was young so I'm making up for lost time. I called a member of Congress a Racist Motherfucker to his face (although to be fair, he wasn't in congress yet when I did). My mother overheard me doing it, and called me out for it - saying to be careful when I use that insult, because you're insulting his mother at the same time. She had no objection to me calling the little fuck a racist. I've been careful using that one ever since, although I have no compunction against using it against most adults anymore - hell, I've had sex with someone's mother.

But that's not the word I don't like. That word is "cunt". I've never been all that comfortable with how much weight that word can be given, how demeaning it is, and how cruel. I've used it towards men, because I find that funny, but against a woman I am loathe to use it. Being male myself it just comes across as too hateful, even for me.

(As a side note, I've come to realize that using "cunt" against men is a double-edged sword as well, because what if you use it against a trans man? That's got to be about as cruel as it can possibly be - so I'm also careful to use it against men who are known to be fucking bigots against the trans community, and then only sparingly. Mostly Congressmen).

But along comes Game of Thrones and they throw the word "cunt" around like it's watered-down wine. In Westeros that word comes around as often a "fuck", sometimes hilariously (Tyrion saying "Why are the Gods such cunts?") to the insulting (Walder Frey about his own sons) but it's there all the freaking time. Even the magnificent Dame Diana Rigg used it. I never watched the show all that much but I find since then the word "cunt" climbs more to the surface. I used it on my cats once (they like to try to trip me - not a comfortable feeling from a man who once broke both of his arms in a fall) and I got such a frown from my daughter - deservedly so.

I am an asshole sometimes.

So why bring it up at all? Because there is a woman who deserves this epithet. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a fucking cunt.

She's compared public health safety measures (wearing masks) to the HOLOCAUST, and said that Jews support her in saying so. She's a fucking liar.

She has referred to Speaker Nancy Pelosi as mentally ill. What a fucking cunt.

She has filed two homestead tax exemptions in Georgia, where only one is allowed. She's a fucking tax cheat.

She screamed, "Why do you support terrorists and antifa?" at a member of Congress, on the House floor. What a bitch. (By the way, if you're against antifa, fuck off. This COUNTRY is antifa - we fought a pretty big fucking war over it, and supposedly WON.) As a friend of mine said, "I've seen enough anime to know someone is tsundere when I see them. She wants to fuck AOC."

She's an anti-vaxxer. In other words, she supports the outbreaks of smallpox, diptheria, and COVID-19 that have happened in this country. What a fucking cunt.

She has claimed that it wasn't #OrangeShitgibbon's supporters that rioted on January 6th, 2021. She's a fucking liar.

She tried to have Maxine Waters expelled from Congress. Ms. Waters has served 16 terms. Ms. Green has "served" 16 weeks.

Although her account is active now, she's been suspended on twitter multiple times. Okay, I'm calling the kettle black here because I've been suspended once. For calling someone I once called a racist motherfucker a cunt.

She has called traveling companion Matt Gaetz innocent of being a child rapist. Even though his co-conspirator has plead guilty and his ex-girlfriend has turned state's evidence against him.

She posted a big fucking sign outside her office that being trans is against god and that science supports only two sexes. She being willfully stupid, as gender has been shown scientifically to be a spectrum for over 70 years now, thanks to pioneering research from the University of Indiana. As for the god part - I've never seen a god in any modern religion be so fucking awful as to hate someone for just existing. That's a people thing.

She has been abusive to people in neighboring offices - so much so that two of them have moved. What a fucking cunt.

She threatened fellow Republican Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler of Washington state for testifying in the 2nd Impeachment of #ShavedGrimmace, the same way the rioters of January 6th did.

I brought the receipts. She's a cunt. I don't like that word, but I have none more appropriate.

++++++++++++++++++++

And because I love you, here's one of our featured artists for this week, Crown Lands:

Also, the new Del Amitri is fun too:

And by the way, if you haven't seen the most epic stunt ever played by John Oliver, here it is:

Radio Free California Episode 2121, plus cheap shots.

 

Yet another solid week for new music including Everything Except Reality, The Black Keys, a surprising album from Paul Weller, a fantastic new record from San Francisco band Pardoner, a surprise from Dennis de Young and Tom Morello (!), Crowded House, Julianna Hatfield and much more! Enjoy!

This weeks band’s socials. Twitter unless otherwise noted.

EXRBand (Facebook)
@TheChills
@MODSUN
@EscapeTheFate with @LindseyStirling
@LilithCzar
@machinegunkelly with @Kellinquinn
@LEVARAmusic (who booted out founding member @TrevLukather 2 days after the album dropped, after 5 months of singles. I do not know what happened, but the album is great.)
@p_menis with Yasmine (I couldn’t find her socials, but she’s on Spotify)
Floodmusic2112 (Instagram)
@theblackkeys
@phoebe_bridgers with @mooseofrob
@paulwellerHQ
@TheChills
@julianahatfield
@MattBerryMusic
@JohnnyFlynnHQ and @RobGMacfarlane
@pardonerbandsf (from my adopted hometown. Great new album – I had trouble decided which track to put on the playlist)
Currentjoys (Instagram)
Damienjuradomusic (Instagram)
@unclelionelboy
Wanderingwithmusic (Instagram)
@CrowdedHouseHQ
@wpgonzalez with @RoseDougall
@lesliemendelson
Dennis DeYoung (yes, THAT Dennis DeYoung) with @tmorello
@BonnieLegion (friend of the playlists!) with @wav_Dr and Al Black
@WasniewskiToni
@GoGo_Penguin with @corneliusjapan(リミックス)

Cheap Shots:

Naughty Favors? Is that meant to be a euphamism for a Rolling Stones album?

This could be bad.

Bipartisanship? In this day and age?

Reacting to normal tourists.

Sharing is caring.

Even worse.

Critical Ignoring. I'm stealing that one.

Maybe it's Florida that's planning to break away. Pity it's going to be underwater in a few years.

Tick Tock Butthead (or is it Beavis?).

Yeah, a little bit funny.

And because I love you, let me teach you how to make a Whiskey Sour:

Radio Free California Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Episode

 

They're all on there, most of them more than once and several multiple times. There's even a JAY-Z song, and I don't like JAY-Z. I could have curated a playlist of just @toddrundgren and it would be in 50 different styles. Every song on @Carole_King's "Tapestry" album could be on there (she wrote "The Locomotion" for crying out loud!). A Wide selection of @foofighters and The Go-Go's. I'm not as big a fan of @LoveTinaTurner but no denying the hits. As for @llcoolj, I had to pick the stuff he did when working with Pop's Cool Love. Gil-Scott Heron has some amazing stuff. I kept the Kraftwerk to a minimum because they're not everyone's taste but damn they're important. Alas, Randy Rhode's output is far too minimal. And then There is, of course, Billy Preston. I grew up on that man's music and have included several of those songs. Enjoy!

And some videos:

That was the 2nd video ever played on Mtv.

#Fraudit.

I shouldn't have to say this, but apparently I do - for some of you. The #fraudit happening in #Arizona right now has nothing to do with getting the Orange Grimmace back in office. There is NO MECHANISM to overturn the election. It's done. Over. Nothing matters once it's been certified and it's been certified multiple times. There are no take-backs, no do-overs. It's done.

Trump will not be president again because of any recounts, or anything being overturned. He cannot become president until 2025 at the absolute earliest, and certainly not even then. That's not what this is all about. The GQP does NOT want that man back.

I don't care what any of these fuckers say - they do NOT want him back. They are lying. Every single one of the fuckers. All of them. ALL OF THEM.

What they DO want is to keep passing these "election fraud" laws in as many places as possible, to keep active participation (voting) as low as possible, because it greatly increases the odds of them winning elections - because lord knows they can't do it on policy. So they longer everyone keeps screaming "fraud" in a crowded legislature the more likely they'll be able to suppress more and more voters.

That's what they want. I promise you, they' rather that Trump was off the map, and preferably in prison, just as much as we do. Anyone who says otherwise is a fucking liar. You can tell them I said so.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney voted with Trump 96% of the time. The woman who is about to replace her 78% of the time. But Cheney is out from the leadership because she keeps pointing out that there was no fraud - that the American System WORKED. The Republican Party simply LOST. I don't much like Ms. Cheney, but I've never thought she was fake. She's not. She's just not working the play the same way everyone else is.

The goal is to suppress the vote. Not to put Trump back in office. The only person who wants that is Trump.

And again, there is no mechanism to make that happen. Read the Constitution yourself - see if you can find even a single word about overturning an election. Biden can be thrown out, but he'd be replaced by Harris. Harris can also be thrown out, but she'd be replaced by Pelosi. THAT'S ALL IN THE CONSTITUTION. (And say what you want about her but Pelosi won her election and no one disputes that).

So the #fraudit in Arizona, which is supposed to end this week BY LAW, is now going to be extended for months. Not to put Trump back in office: if that was the goal they'd move as fast as humanly possible. The goal is to suppress votes, and keep the issue alive long enough to pass in more state legislatures.

It's not about putting Trump in office. It's about keeping YOU from voting next time.

So how do you beat this? Simple. Whatever happens in the state you live in, find out the rules. Prepare for it. Be ready to vote and kick their cock-sucking motherfucking asses the fuck out of there.

Educate yourself.

Radio Free California Episode 2120

A solid week for new music including standbys like Weezer, Cory Wong, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Black Thought as well as artists like South America's Toni Wasniewski, The Supermercados,  Ice Age, Ainsley Costello and much more!

Included this week is the following (twitter handles unless marked otherwise):
@Weezer
@hellothesuperm1
Derekorsi (Instagram)
Wolvesatmidnight (Instagram)
Neveel.a (Instagram)
_laminarflow (Instagram)
@WasniewskiToni
@_rvstless_
Theseaismineofficial (Instagram)
@madskynorway (Facebook)
Tonowhereofficial (Instagram)
Iceage (Instagram)
@ddoorroo
@willlstratton
@doddleoddle
sophia.kennedy___ (Instagram)
@mmbosstones
@DaveKozMusic (hey, I know him! Or at least I used to) with @corywong
Thelillywave (Instagram)
@rummyhx
@ainsleymusic07
@MikeNovaArtist
@blackthought with @CNSO_official and Vince Mendoza (not found on social media)
@theblackkeys
@TheChills
@ScreamOfficial with @jehnbeth


Cheap Shots:

I would bet a paycheck that Tucker's been vaccinated.

LGBTQAGOOD.

I vant to stick your arm!

So very fucking white.

Fraudits and idiots.

Someone please kick Peter Navarro in the testicles. Hard. This motherfucker too.

Given how many of these fuckers have beat up Asians in the past few months this seems counter-intuitive.

A damned shame.

Cancel Cutlure? Fuck no. Animal Abuse? Fuck yes.

Perhaps you can explain this to me like I'm 6 years old, but how is teaching about racism "divisive", if you're not a racist yourself?

This makes me sad.

Flip your own damned burgers.

Wbat was this dude smoking?

And because I love you, BAND-MAID:

And as an added bonus, have some new Randy Rainbow:

Radio Free California Episode 2119

 

We have a pretty good week of new music this week, including my new favorite band that plays in Drop Tuning (Tetrarch), a monster pop tune by Levara, The great Leonid & Friends playing original music instead of their usual sparkling Chicago covers, Tom Morello with Pussy Riot, Ergo, Bria, Jessie Ware, Willow, Gojira, The Coral, The Legal Matters, Guided by Voices, The Supermercados and so much more!

Included this week is the following (twitter handles unless marked otherwise):

@Chicagovich
@LEVARAmusic
@Tetrarch
@sabiin.e (Instagram)
@GojiraMusic
@tmorello and @pussyrrriot
@OfficialWillow
@animeraider (hey, that’s me!)
@scarypockets with @HeyItsMarioJose, @ItsKenton and@indiacarney
@WhoisHughLee
@ergobria
@JessieWare
@HewMiller
@thelittleidiot with @GregoryPorter and @amythystkiah
@gracepettis with @Indigo_Girls
@vinylwilliams
@royalblooduk
@hellothesuperm1
@wolfalicemusic
@BonnieLegion with @wav_Dr
@TeenageFanclub
@thecoralband
@ManchesterOrch
@_GuidedByVoices
@DawnRichard
@theheavyjamz with @signifyingwolf
Graveflowersbongoband (Instagram)
@ldoaofficial
@LegalMattersThe

Cheap shots (Agave Tequila only, please):

And in some countries, they use it in soup. SOUP!!!!!

#Fraudit.

Yet another unanticipated side effect of the pandemic.

Yeah, this is a sizzle reel.

I've taken a look at all of the "Other Stuff" and 100% of it is infrastructure. Mitch McConnell is just a cunt. (I've gotten my wife's permission to use that word - as long as I'm using it on men).

And by the way, dude, I am the one who called McConnell a cunt. That doesn't mean that every liberal in the world will call him one, wants to call him one, or has even considered it. It only means that THIS motherfucker (me) did.

"Goggle Ticker".

In case you were wondering, Slavery is still practiced in some parts of the South.

White Privilege is a thing.

Asshole.

If you've been following the rules you're pretty shit-faced by now (oops, sorry - that's another one). But seeing as we need to go no further than Huffington Post for some feel-good type gossip, read up on the original Black Captain America.

Okay, maybe he micro-chipped and tracked one person. Too soon?

About Goddamned time.

And because I love you, you should really see the video for the Leonid & Friends number that opens this week's playlist: