285: “Deep In A Fried Pickle” by Billy Martin & Wil Blades

May 29, 2012 1 Comment

Ok, guys, give me your best I'll-kick-your-ass face.If you’re doing it right, every once in a while, you look at an amazing sunset or a beautiful person’s rear end and think to yourself, “Holy Hunks of Inter-Dimensional Is-ness, it is amazing that I am alive and that I am able to witness THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE… High five, Universe. Thanks for having me.”

And if you’re picking your music well, you might wind up listening to Shimmy (2012) by Billy Martin on skins (of Medeski, Martin & Wood) and Wil Blades on the keys. And you might just think… THIS RIGHT HERE.

The album just dropped, and it’s worth earhole insertion. Word on the street: Billy Martin wasn’t getting his quota of funky keyboard licks from bandmate John Medeski, and stepped out to two-time with Blades, who is on a less astral plane than Medeski and dispenses funky licks freely. That is how I would write the movie version, anyway.

There are a few smoking tracks on Shimmy, but I humbly submit “Deep In A Fried Pickle” as the single greatest trizzle on the bizzle.

You don’t need to understizzle. Just enjizzle.

Song: Deep In A Fried Pickle
Artist: Billy Martin & Wil Blades
Album: Shimmy
Label: The Royal Potato Family
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes

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284: “Freedom At 21” by Jack White

May 24, 2012 Leave a comment

Setting is everything when you're on a trip.Jack White dropped his first SOLO album this year.

I’ll just come straight out with my thought process… If I were a producer-man paid to get the most dollar signs out of Jack White, I’d concoct influential potions for his every thirst and whisper in his ear to make more songs like this one, from Blunderbuss (2012).

I’d say, “Listen here, Edward Scissorhands, write more songs like ‘Freedom at 21,’ dude. That’s where your third chakra will find balance.” And so on.

I would be persuasive, using mental judo to lever his philosophical center of gravity around the pivot of his strongest desires.

Then I’d flip his ass right onto a gas-drenched pile of Tenacious D and Foo Fighters and see what kind of sweet musical explosions might occur with all those cats in the studio together.

You feel me, Jacks? I’m talking Benjamins. Snap. Black-girl-head-shake. Walk away.

Enjoy.

Song: Freedom at 21
Artist: Jack White
Album: Blunderbuss
Label: Third Man Records / Columbia
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes
Listen: MOG | Spotify
Watch: Colbert Report | Later with Jools Holland

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283: “Every Ghetto, Every City” by Lauryn Hill

May 22, 2012 Leave a comment

Damn, she fine.Lauryn Hill is aging backward. She’s a tiny baby now, shrinking to a reverse-potential fetus.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) is her classic, sitting outside the persuasions of chronological time.

Baby Lauryn is cooing at the sky right now, and children all over the world are repeating the patterns woven into the songs of her past future.

She’s eating mooshed up pears and ham, and dreaming of her next album.

We’re all trying to break into a new timeline.

Do enjoy.

Song: Every Ghetto, Every City
Artist: Lauryn Hill
Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Label: RUFFHOUSE
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes
Listen: MOG | Spotify
Watch: YouTube

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282: “Divine Image” by David Axelrod

May 15, 2012 Leave a comment

If you could only see what I see... illuminated by the glare from behind my hair...The song is “Divine Image” by David Axelrod, Songs of Innocence (1969). Axelrod cooked up some funky orchestral chemistry back in the prime Quincy Jones days. Check his stack, jack.

Put this song on a list such as:

-Listen to “Divine Image”
-Wax back, etc.
-Think about what is most important
-Stay hydrated
-Wipe toward tailbone
-Adjust/improvise
-Emanate voluminously
-Butter
-Work hard & enjoy…

Song: A Divine Image
Artist: David Axelrod
Album: The Edge (David Axelrod at Capitol Records 1966-1970)
Label: Captiol Records
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes
Listen: MOG | Spotify
Watch: YouTube

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281: “Je Réve Dans Mon Réve” by Link Quartet

May 10, 2012 Leave a comment

I found a brand new beat, y'all.I got a new bumper sticker for my car. Here’s a picture.

I’ve noticed the sticker is causing me to try to look happy when I’m driving, because I think it would suck if someone saw my ridiculous bumper sticker and drove past, and looked to see I was scowling. No, I don’t want that.

I made just a handful of the stickers through a popular online custom print company whose name may or may not sound a lot like “VistaPimp.” I’ll withhold the identity of the company as bargaining collateral for when they come asking for rights to my brainproducts.

If anyone wants one of these works of bumper art, simply email an emotionally balanced haiku on the subject of your choice to jay@[the domain name on the pictured bumper sticker]. I will mail you one if your haiku has a nice smell to it, and if I have any stickers left.

Segue.

And here’s a song to grow the multi-cultural synaptic pathways connected to your earholes. It’s a band out of Piacenza, Italy, called Link Quartet, but the lyrics are in French. See what you think of the French funk. The album, 4 (2011) is definitely worth a listen. It’s mostly instrumental and diverse like the universe.

It’s okay if you giggle, or even wiggle, when you listen to this track.

Enjoi.

Song: Je Réve Dans Mon Réve
Artist: Link Quartet
Album: 4
Label: Hammondbeat
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes
Listen: MOG | Spotify

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280: “Season of the Witch” by Stephen Stills, Al Kooper

May 6, 2012 1 Comment

Season of the TwitchAs a child, my grandparents’ and cousins’ houses were separated by a few fences and some pastureland. One of the fences was electrified.

The electric fence provided me, my brother, and my cousin with hours of entertainment. We experimented with all sorts of different conductive materials and creative dares. One day, we were simply rolling under the electric fence, in transit between houses (we were too small to jump it, around 9 and 10 years old). My cousin, Clay, was holding a golf club without its head that my Grandfather used to carry on walks, with which to whack aggressive dogs…

So, Clay rolled underneath the electric fence while holding the metal golf club. And he rolled in such a way that the club touched the fence while he was laying directly underneath it. It started shocking the crap out of him, but the golf club was SITTING ON HIS CHEST AND LEANING AGAINST the electric fence above him. He was shaking and gurgling as he writhed to try to get away from the electrified golf club. I wanted to help, but my stronger inclination was not to get shocked, so I yelled at him and the golf club. “AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Clay shook and gurgled for what seemed like forever (it was probably 3 seconds). Eventually, he convulsed/wriggled until the club fell and lost contact with the fence.

When I realized he was okay I had a good laugh at his expense. Clay took a while to find his humor again.

Clay, I’m sorry I didn’t think to kick the club away. But you’ve had healthy kids and that twitch went away, so I guess no permanent damage was done.

This story has nothing at all to do with the music below, by Stephen Stills and Al Kooper from Super Session (1968).

Enjoy the energy in this track.

Song: Season of the Witch
Artist: Stephen Stills, Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield
Album: Super Session
Label: Columbia / Legacy
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes
Listen: MOG | Spotify
Watch: YouTube

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279: “Underbrush” by Robert Walter’s 20th Congress

May 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Man, lay it down. Lay it DOWN! ... Now clean that up!What’s in the underbrush?

Snipe? Or the next Model-T-Style Revolution?

In my’stimation, you’d best to rustle them bushes, and see what comes out.

Robert Walter’s 20th Congress deserves time in your ‘brushy ear holes. Here’s “Underbrush” from Giving Up The Ghost (2003).

Just listen and thank about thangs, y’all. Shake something loose.

And enjoy.

Song: Underbrush
Artist: Robert Walter’s 20th Congress
Album: Giving Up The Ghost
Label: Magna Carta Records
Buy from: Amazon | iTunes
Listen: MOG | Spotify

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