Bad Housewife
A little less than a couple of months ago –
if you’ll recall – I posted about a blues guitarist named Popa Chubby. As almost an afterthought, I also mentioned Galea, who sings on one of the tracks I posted.
After I had heard about and posted about Popa Chubby, I continued investigating and tracked down some music by the lovely Miss Galea. I can’t tell you much about her, other than I learned that – in addition to handling occasional bass and vocal duties for Popa – she is also his wife. And, a few years ago – 2005, to be exact – Galea gathered ‘round the boys, including her husband, and recorded
Diary of a Bad Housewife.
Diary is chock-full of country / rockabilly / blues tastiness, much like you’d expect from the bride of Chubby. Galea’s voice reminds me of the old time country singers: Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, that sort of style. There is no Carrie Underwood here.
Alongside her original material, Galea picked a range of covers, which show off her range of influences: Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, and Willy DeVille are just a couple of the artists to whom tribute gets paid. One interesting cover is “Brand New Key,” the early 70s hit by pop singer Melanie. Galea countries it up and the song is titled “Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)” after a parody by British country act The Wurzels (“I’ve got a brand new combine harvester...”), but she sticks with Melanie’s original lyrics. Anyway, it’s an interesting take on a song I haven’t heard in a long time. “Truck Drivin’ Man” is one of Galea’s original songs that I think will show you what she’s all about.
Brand New Key (Combine Harvester).mp3 Truck Drivin’ Man.mp3 Labels: blues, country music, rockabilly
Doing the Cabo Wabo
Fifteen or so years ago, when I was still married, the ex and I took a weeklong trip to Cabo San Lucas. Coming from the deserts of Southern California, we were ill-equipped to handle the brutal humidity we found there. But the subsequent sweatfest was only the beginning of the fun.
A couple of nights into the trip, we made the obligatory trip to Sammy Hagar’s bar, Cabo Wabo, where mucho drinking ensued, natch. The bar was way crowded and at some point another couple ended up at our table. They seemed decent enough, so we had drinks with them. Then at some point before closing time, they disappeared. When the tab appeared, guess who hadn’t paid? The ex and I were young, drunk, and in love, and decided, fuck this: We threw our share on the table and beat it out the door.
This might seem hard to believe, but in Cabo there’s not much to do at night except drink. So, a couple of nights after the discrepancy with the tab, we found ourselves headed back at Cabo Wabo. You would think that in a town filled with gringo tourists, one would pretty much look like another. No way. Cabo Wabo’s managers and bouncers were on us before we could even sit down.
“You skipped out on your bill,” they said.
“Wtf?” we said.
Our explanation of being stiffed by the other couple seemed to hold no
agua with these guys and they promised there would be police involvement if we didn’t pay up.
After a brief conference, we decided it would be in our best interest to pay the tab and consider it a lesson learned. I forked over a credit card, signed as appropriate, and managed to look sufficiently contrite as the manager told us we were not welcome back in his bar.
And that, my friends, is the story of how I was banned for life from Cabo Wabo.
This track comes from Van Halen’s 1993 album,
Live: Right Here, Right Now.
You Really Got Me / Cabo Wabo.mp3 Labels: guitar heroes, live albums, rock
Just Say 4/20 - the repost
This is a repost from 4/20 a couple of years ago. My thinking goes along the following lines:
- I always kinda liked this post;
- I can't be arsed to dig up five or six more songs about weed;
- If you're really celebrating 4/20, you probably don't remember I've posted this before.
Also note that Nirvana's "Marijuana" is likewise known by the name "Moist Vagina."~~~~~
I’ve been more or less responsible all day, so it’s time to go ahead and roll out (roll up?) some music and celebrate 4/20.
I know a couple of people who are actually taking the day off of work tomorrow and plan on celebrating the day as if it’s some sort of religious holiday. I’m not that dedicated.
In case you don’t know what 4/20 is (and if
I know, there’s no reason
you shouldn’t know!), High Times magazine can help expand your mind: “420 is not so much a time or place as it is a state of mind. The original story of 420 begins with five fellow students – all of whom assumed the
nom de pot ‘Waldo’ – who met after school at the appointed hour to smoke some of California’s finest, and occasionally searched for a hidden pot field they’d heard about in the hills outside town.” Click
here for the very informative “History of 4/20” timeline.
For today’s post, I’ve gathered a variety of appropriately themed music; I’m sure there are some classics I’ve, ahem, forgotten. Be safe and know that I am not endorsing any sort of illegal activity.
Smoke Two Joints.mp3 ~ Sublime
Sweet Leaf (live).mp3 ~ Ozzy
30 Days in the Hole.mp3 ~ Humble Pie
Sweet Leaf.mp3 ~ Black Sabbath
Hits from the Bong.mp3 ~ Cypress Hill
Let’s Get High.mp3 ~ Dr. Dre
Marijuana.mp3 ~ Nirvana
Labels: classic rock, grunge, hip-hop, ska-punk
Music from My Mailbox
I just realized that the last time any of you heard from me I was on my way out of town to see BugGiRL. For all any of you know I never made it back. But I did. The BugGiRL show was great – they gave it their all despite the small crowd. If you get a chance, definitely you need to see them live.
I’ve really had a lack of posting inspiration lately, so I thought the best solution would be to hit up the mailbox. It turned out there were a few gems hidden there. Straight away I need to mention Long Island’s Roast Beef Curtains. The band’s name alone is hilarious if you realize what exactly a roast beef curtain is. Besides that, there are the lyrics to “5th Base Girl”: “My fifth-base girl likes Diet Coke and glory holes.” I actually laughed out loud the first time I heard that.
The Burnt Ones wear their Johnny Thunders influence proudly, with reverby, echoey vocals and the almost patented Johnny Thunders lo-fi recording style. As a matter of fact, I like these guys so much I tossed in a bonus track, a cover of Motörhead’s “Damage Case,” which was a special Record Store Day download.
A couple of other things: I saw Ke$ha on SNL last night and I wasn’t really impressed. I’m sure she’s this summer’s Kelis. The Clucks’ cover of “Tik Tok” is interesting and at least as good as the original. Also check out garage rockers Thick Shakes for more of that tasty lo-fi rock ‘n’ roll I know you love.
As always, follow the links for more information
Thick ShakesGarage / Punk / Pop
From: Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Band
MySpace(Baby) You’re a Starfish.mp3 Midnite TheoryAlternative / Hip Hop / Other
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band
MySpaceAngel On Sunset.mp3 **
now with correct links! **
ClucksIndie / Rock / Garage
From: Seattle, Wash.
Band
MySpaceTik Tok (Ke$ha cover).mp3 
The Roast Beef CurtainsReggae / Dub / Punk
From: Long Island, N.Y.
Band
MySpace5th Base Girl.mp3 The One AM RadioNew Wave
From: Los Feliz, Calif.
Band
MySpaceCredible Threats.mp3 NormanIndie / Folk / Rock
From: Willamette Valley, Ore.
Band
MySpaceHell, If I Love.mp3 
Terese TaylorExperimental / Black Metal / Folk Rock
From: San Francisco, Calif.
Band
MySpaceMy Shine, Doesn’t Shine.mp3 The FutureheadsNew Wave / Indie
From: Sunderland, UK
Band
MySpaceStruck Dumb.mp3 Burnt OnesMinimalist / Psychedelic / Rock
From: Indianapolis, Ind.
Band
MySpaceGonna Listen to T-Rex (All Night Long).mp3 Bonus:
Damage Case (Motörhead cover).mp3 ~~~~~
(pictures, top-to-bottom:
Thick Shakes, The Roast Beef Curtains, Terese Taylor)
Labels: acousticness, covers, folk, garage rock, indie, new wave, pop muzik, rock
Blood, Sweat, and Beers Tonight
If you’re in or around South Florida, I need you to join me tonight at The Monterey Club in Ft. Lauderdale to check out BugGiRL.
Long-time listeners will know that I have posted before about this hard-rockin’ Australian duo (
here and
here) and have been oh-so-patiently waiting for them make the 9000 mile trip to this side of the U.S. so I can see some Blood, Sweat, and Beers all up close and personal like.
The first band is scheduled to go on at around 8 p.m. Also playing is Mekango N.T., who I believe are from Florida. The show is 18-and-up and you can find
The Monterey Club at 2608 South Federal Highway (aka US 1). I’ll be the old guy near the bar looking like he’s one beer from having had one too many.
Hot Tonight.mp3 Labels: Australian, hard rock, local stuff, upcoming shows
Malcolm McLaren: 1946 - 2010
I just heard this afternoon about Malcolm McLaren’s death from mesothelioma at the age of 64. The following is a repost from November 2006.~~~~~~
Malcolm McLaren: Clothing designer, impresario, rock ‘n’ roll swindler, and manager of some of the most unique musical acts ever to grace a stage.
He began his career as a rock and roll manager by attempting to resurrect the fading New York Dolls. He brought to this – and his other efforts – the philosophies of the French Situationist movement, which advocated provocative, even absurd, actions as political statement and performance art. Following the Dolls, he of course introduced the Sex Pistols to the world. After the Pistols’ crash landing, he launched the careers of Adam Ant, Bow Wow Wow, and Boy George.
Always moving forward, McLaren began his own musical career in the early 1980s, with the single “Buffalo Gals,” which combined traditional folk music with hip-hop. The single was credited to McLaren and the World Famous Supreme Team, and became a Top Ten hit in the U.K. The remix mini-LP “D’Ya Like Scratchin’” gave McLaren his first American album chart entry in February 1984.
Which leads us to today’s music: A sampling from that EP, which was released in 1983. There’s a long, but interesting story about McLaren titled
“The Unlikely Origins of UK Hip Hop” posted on a message board. In it, the author writes about McLaren’s discovery of hip hop while in New York: “It was extraordinary cos the sound coming out was totally inarticulate; it was a load of rough noises, noises that sounded a little like guitar, but had a sort of concrete chisel sound and the sound I realised was actually coming from the way they were messing around with their hands on the decks, moving records backwards and forwards [
sic ].”
The posting goes on to talk about how the British initially dismissed scratching and other sonic experimentation (particularly from McLaren, a white man, of all things!). Ultimately it was the video for “Buffalo Gals” that changed the minds of the British youth and opened the floodgates for the British B-Boys.
D’ya Like Scratchin’.mp3 She’s Looking Like a Hobo.mp3 Buffalo Gals.mp3 Labels: current events, hip-hop, repost
Screaming Out of the Night
Talk about a blast from the past. I found a new Krokus album in my mailbox yesterday. That’s right – a new Krokus album.
Hoodoo, the band’s 21st release, is the first since 1983’s
Headhunter to feature the classic Krokus line-up of Marc Storace, Chris von Rohr, Fernando von Arb, and Mark Kohler. On-and-off-since-1977 drummer Freddy Steady is also back in the fold for this metal rendezvous.
I’ll admit I put the disk into my player kind of warily; I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Swiss metal-meisters. I’d only been a casual fan back in the days when they were making their biggest hits. I wasn’t sure if I would hear a Def Leppard-ish style of pop metal or... or what, really. I didn’t know what to expect, especially after so many years.
What I got was a trip back to the early ‘80s. Krokus isn’t redesigning the wheel here and you’re going to hear riffs you’ve heard before, but they put it all together in a fun package. And that’s what rock ‘n’ roll should be about. These songs hearken back to their classic era without sounding any more dated than the last AC/DC album. Krokus have gone back to their roots, decided what they do best, and returned with an 11-song showcase.
The first single from the album, “Hoodoo Woman,” should give you a pretty good taste of what
Hoodoo is about.
Hoodoo Woman.mp3 Hoodoo is scheduled for a May 25 release here in the U.S., but the album has already hit stores in Switzerland. For more information and for tour dates, check the Krokus
Website.
Labels: metal, new stuff
Fighting Piranhas on Easter
Easter sort of snuck up on me this year, although I suppose it came the first Sunday in April just like every other year. Not that there are many traditions in Apt. 104, but at least I could have bought groceries last week in case my local market is closed today.
As far as today’s post, I went back and forth on what I could do. A couple of years ago I found some old, old blues songs that were somewhat religious in nature and thought those might make good Easter fare. I also thought about going tongue-in-cheek with the Cramps’
Songs the Lord Taught Us.
In the end, I went with this White Stripes song because of two lines: “It’s Easter morning, and there’s no one around / So I unroll the cement and walk into the town.” Like a lot of Jack White’s lyrics, it’s ambiguous, possibly meaning everything or nothing or a little of both. Either way, it’s an apt description of Easter morning around these parts.
This particular recording comes from the White Stripes’ July 14, 2007, show at the Savoy Theater in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
I Fought Piranhas (live).mp3 Labels: Detroit, garage rock, holiday, White Stripes
Technical Difficulties: Please Stand By
I'm not sure what this means, but apparently my file host has disabled my hosting capabilities. If I understand the email correctly, I was getting something like eight requests per second for an
Eminem song I posted back in February 2009. All I can think is spammers or a
haxor or something equally nefarious. Unfortunately everything hosted under the "apt104" domain name is affected.
I hope to have this sorted out shortly. If not, there are about three months left on my host and I may be pulling the plug on them (and, in all likelihood, this blog) sooner than I had planned.
**************************
UPDATE: As of this morning (April 02), I'm back online. Let me know if you encounter any problems.
thanks!Labels: no music
A little less than a couple of months ago – if you’ll recall – I posted about a blues guitarist named Popa Chubby. As almost an afterthought, I also mentioned Galea, who sings on one of the tracks I posted. 
