2000s – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Tom Russell – Woodrow

Tom Russell has always been one of those artists who rewards repeat listens. The first time I heard this song, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It seemed to wander a little, and I found myself wondering where it was going. Then it clicked. That’s the beauty of Russell’s writing. He doesn’t always give you a catchy chorus or an obvious hook. Instead, he invites you into a story and lets it unfold at its own pace. If you like songs that make you think, and maybe send you looking up a little history afterward, it is well worth your time.

Tom Russell has always had a gift for writing songs that blur the line between history and storytelling. Whether he’s singing about the American West, Mexico, or forgotten characters from the past, his songs often feel like short stories set to music. This one is no different. At first listen, it may leave you wondering where it’s headed, but stick with it. Like many of Russell’s best songs, it slowly unfolds into something memorable.

The song first appeared on Tom Russell’s 2005 concept album Hotwalker, the middle chapter of a trilogy that began with The Man From God Knows Where (1999) and concluded ten years later with The Rose of Roscrae (2015). The album tells a story that stretches across generations and the American frontier, mixing fictional characters with real historical figures.

With this song, Russell tips his hat to Woody Guthrie (Woodrow Wilson Guthrie), weaving history into the lives of ordinary people. It’s a style Russell has made his own over the years. Rather than simply retelling history, he puts listeners right in the middle of it. I will admit, when I saw the title, I thought it was about President Woodrow Wilson.

Musically, the song has the easy, conversational feel that suits Russell perfectly. He has never needed big production to hold your attention. His strength has always been his writing and the way he paints scenes with simple details. That’s one reason so many songwriters admire him. He trusts the story to carry the song, and more often than not, it does.

Woodrow

When people twist your words, Woodrow
Oh, they’ll twist at every whim
It’s thugs that run the unions now
And use your songs like hymns
Once your music danced on women’s thighs
In the arch of a hobo’s brow
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what they’ve done
To your brown-eyed baby now
Ah, the trains leave every morning
Some go east and some go west
And the clacking of the iron
Is the sound you loved the best
It’s the great escape from railroad bulls
And the Coney Island girls
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what we’ve done
To your brown-eyed boy with curls

Sing the truth, scream it loud
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what they’ve done
To your brown-eyed baby now

Ah, those boxcars full of Chinese junk
The caboose has been junk piled
And we’re all buying groceries now
From men with crooked smiles
You were a drunken, wild misogynoir
And your politics were crude
As you sat home writing nursery rhymes
And drawing women nude
And all those politicians’ breath stink bad
Be they left or be they right
And the ones who play with rhetoric
Are not the ones who fight
Don’t go comin’ ’round here, Woodrow
They’ll stretch you from a rope, yeah
And your corpse won’t ever find a bar
Where a man can drink and smoke

Sing the truth, scream it loud
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what they’ve done
To your brown-eyed baby now

Did you hear the screen door slam, Mom?
Woodrow’s gone again
He’s writing obscene letters now
And the feds might bring him in
But every song he ever wrote
Is hangin’ on the breeze
With the laundry in the Guthrie yard
Full of Huntington’s disease
So, Woodrow, rest in peace, old pal
There ain’t nothin’ for you here
We’re in the scrub oak country now
The land of dread and fear
And Whitey’s in the woodpile
And the writing’s on the wall
But your ring of truth still echoes down
The gray stone clinic halls

Sing the truth, scream it loud
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what they’ve done
To your brown-eyed baby now

So here’s to all outsiders
All the ones who could not fit
The troubadour, the prisoners
The drunken Indian
Ah, the circus freaks, the wounded lovers
We’ll make it through somehow
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, we are ridin’ blind
With your brown-eyed baby now

Sing the truth, scream it loud
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what we’ve done
To your brown-eyed baby now
Scream the truth, scream it loud
Ah, Mrs. Guthrie, look what we’ve done
To your brown-eyed baby now

Sloan – If It Feels Good, Do It

Every time I hear Sloan, I think of deKe…he is the one who turned me on to them, and since then they have been on my playlists.

I’ve never understood why Sloan didn’t become a major band in the United States. They had great songs, fantastic harmonies, and could play just about any style of rock they wanted. Maybe they were too melodic for modern rock radio and a little too loud for pop radio. Whatever the reason, America missed out on one of Canada’s finest bands. This song is the perfect introduction if you’ve never heard Sloan before. It’s power pop with some muscle behind it.

There are power pop songs that make you smile, and then there are power pop songs that kick the door open. Sloan’s falls into that second category. It has all the hooks you’d expect, but it’s wrapped in crunchy guitars and attitude. Power pop with a great riff and a chorus you can’t get out of your head.

By the time Pretty Together was released in 2001, Sloan had already become one of Canada’s most respected rock bands. Formed in Halifax before relocating to Toronto, the group was unusual because all four members, Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, Jay Ferguson, and Andrew Scott, wrote songs and sang lead vocals. That gave every album a different personality. One song might sound like The Beatles, the next Cheap Trick, then Big Star, followed by something with a little more crunch. Somehow it all fit together. They never seemed interested in chasing trends. They simply wrote the kind of records they wanted to hear.

Patrick Pentland wrote this song, and it became the lead single from Pretty Together. The song opens with Chris Murphy asking, “What rock and roll should really be?” before the band answers with four minutes of pure energy. It’s catchy without sounding too sweet. The guitars have enough bite to satisfy rock fans, while the melody stays in classic power pop territory. It was nominated for Best Single at the 2002 Juno Awards and was on the Triple Play 2002 video game and the film The Girl Next Door.

If It Feels Good, Do It

Your sight-specific knack
I fall under attack
The only time you cross the line
Is when you’re crossing back

Have you changed the song we were singing
Or have I just lost the air
If I said your behavior suffocates
Would you care?

Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t…

You found the perfect spot
For Jimmy’s wicked thoughts
It’s in my permanent collection
Now like it or not
Wishing away that the legacy left
Came in a frame and was the victim of theft
It adds more worth to work I’ve done
But as long as you’ve had fun

Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t…

I didn’t get your revisions
But sometimes life’s not fair
To think you almost apologized

Put her there, there, there
Don’t be sad at all
I’m about to get killed off
The writing’s on the wall
If you believe everything that you read
Turn to the only thing that you ever need
It says to do unto other
But the thing is you do

Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t…

Don’t stop
Don’t stop
Don’t stop, if it feels good do it
Don’t…

Marriott and Lane – Lonely No More

I ain’t lonely no more
Got a woman, got a kid
Got a whole lot more
Got my own backyard
With a fence and a big front door

As big a fan of Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott as I am, I never heard their 1981 album Majik Mijits. Sometimes when I run across something, I get really excited. This is one of those times. Marriott is probably my favorite vocalist of that genre.

It was recorded in 1981 but not released until 2000, after both had passed. The opening song, Lonely No More, has a nice choppy rhythm and a fantastic groove. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, but they are so grounded in everyday life that I love them. I was 14 in 1981, and I would have bought this if it were released.

This album came from a reunion that probably surprised a lot of people. By the early 1980s, Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott had been apart for years. Their time in Small Faces was long behind them, and both had gone through hard stretches. Lane was dealing with multiple sclerosis, and Marriott had come through the rise and collapse of Humble Pie. When they crossed paths again around 1981, the old connection returned quickly. They had argued in 1969 when Marriott left the Small Faces, but their friendship was still there, and so was the music.

They recorded under the name The Legendary Majik Mijits, bringing in musicians from the British pub-rock world. The songs sounded natural, closer to musicians sitting together in a room than looking for radio play. Recording together again gave them a chance to step away from pressures and expectations. There was no pressure to recreate Small Faces. They were older, and the music reflected that.

The album sat in limbo for 19 years after it was recorded. Part of that came down to Lane’s health. Touring and promotion would have been difficult, and there was little interest in pushing the record without him being fully involved. Marriott said he did not want the album turned into something that forced Lane into a situation he could not handle physically. So the tapes stayed unreleased, almost becoming forgotten sessions. Majik Mijits finally appeared in 2000 and was remastered in 2014.

They did one show together. This next is from Lane’s website:

Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane got back together in 1981. Steve flew back from Atlanta, Georgia, to play a one-off gig with Ronnie at the Bridge House pub in East London. The gig on 1st September included the band Blind Drunk with old mates Jim Leverton on bass, Mick Green of the Pirates on guitar, Mick “Wynder K Frog” Weaver on keyboards, and Dave Hynes on drums. Sam Brown, daughter of Joe joined on backing vocals.

Lonely No More

I ain’t lonely no more
Got a woman, got a kid, lord, got a whole lot more
Can’t be lonely no more
Got my own back yard, I got my own front door

(lonely no more)
Can’t be lonely no more
(lonely no more)
How can I paint what I was now I ain’t gonna be lonely no more
(lonely no more)
(lonely no more)

I ain’t lonely no more
Sat here by the fire with my dog on the floor
Can’t be lonely no more
That’s one thing I know, lord, I’m certain, I’m so sure

(lonely no more)
can’t be lonely no more
(lonely no more)
How can I be what I was, don’t you see I can’t be lonely?
(lonely no more)
(lonely no more)

lonely no more
(lonely no more)
I ain’t lonely no more
got a woman, got a kid, I got a whole lot more
can’t be lonely no more
I got my own backyard with a fence and a big front door
look out

(lonely no more)
woo
(lonely no more)
(lonely no more)
lonely no more
(lonely no more)
can’t be lonely
(lonely no more)
can’t be lonely
(lonely no more)
can’t be…

Max’s Drive-In Movie – Frequency

This is not a “great” movie but a very entertaining one.

This 2000 movie has two of my favorite elements, time travel and baseball. It’s NOT about baseball, but the 1969 World Series was used as a talking point and to prove a point. This movie has a cool twist on time travel. No one walks into the future or past, but father and son talk on a ham radio 30 years apart. That World Series is used in a way that convinced the dad that his son was talking to him over a ham radio 30 years in the future.

This movie, overall, is a good vibe movie. Yes, things work out more than they probably should, but it’s just that kind of movie. I love the way they communicate 30 years apart. There are many twists and turns, but it pays off at the end. So if you want a dark, dark movie (it does have dark spots), this one is not for you, but it’s not overly sweet either. The actors did great. Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Elizabeth Mitchell, and others were on target.

It begins in 1999. John Sullivan is a New York City police detective still affected by the death of his father, who died in a warehouse fire in 1969. One night, during a rare solar event, John discovers that his father’s old ham radio is picking up a signal from the past. He soon realizes he is speaking directly to Frank (his father) in 1969. At first, they test the connection with personal details. John tells Frank (his dad) about the 1969 World Series and what happened. Frank doesn’t believe him at first, but soon does, and his life is saved.

Once convinced, John warns Frank about the fire that will kill him the next day. Frank listens, changes his actions, and survives. When the timeline shifts, John wakes up in a new version of 1999 where his father lived longer, but other events have changed. Saving Frank sets off a chain reaction. In the altered timeline, John’s mother is murdered by a serial killer who was active in 1969.

John and Frank, now aware of their link across time, work together to track the killer in both eras. John uses modern police records to guide his father’s investigation into the past, while Frank gathers evidence that affects the future. Their actions create more changes, sometimes helping, sometimes making things worse. The film moves between 1969 and 1999 as both men close in on the suspect. In the final act, events from both timelines converge, leading to a confrontation that resolves the case and restores their family.

Frequency avoids complicated science explanations. The radio connection simply exists, tied to solar activity. The crime plot gives the story tension, but the center remains the conversations between a father and son who were given one more opportunity to speak. Overall, it’s a time-travel feel-good movie…and I’m a sucker for time-travel movies.

Band of Heathens – Medicine Man

I found this band a few weeks ago, and they have stuck with me. This song I really like because it’s subtle and not in your face, but strong at the same time. A slow groove that hooked me in. Give it a try…you might like it. I think I’ve found a winner. I’m digging into more Texas bands. They have it going on there.

The band was formed in Austin by Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi, and Gordy Quist in 2005. They were built around multiple singers and songwriters. The band’s name originated from a misprint in a local newspaper. The three original singer-songwriters used to perform separate sets at an Austin club called Momo’s on Wednesday nights, billing the show as “The Good Time Supper Club.” A local paper mistakenly listed the act as “The Heathens,” and the name stuck.

Some songs are bombastic and kick down the door, but this song just walks in easily and uneasily at the same time. It rolls on slowly but with depth. They are doing what they do best, blending Southern rock blues with gospel harmonies.

Musically, this 2011 song breathes. The guitars don’t rush the song whatsoever; they flow like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream (Thank you, John Candy for that quote!). The rhythm section keeps things steady but loose, and the groove settles into your bones. You can hear a little of The Band and Little Feat in them, but nothing here feels copied. This is a band that understands dynamics, knowing when to turn up and when to let silence do the talking.

This is some great roots rock. Pour a drink, turn it up just enough, and let it do its work. Cognac or Brandy, anyone?

A BONUS song…Hurricane by The Band of Heathens.

Medicine Man

Across the land, I’m spoken of*Wise as a snake, tame as a doveJust like a wolf, in the sheep’s clothesShake the dust off, before I goI’m your medicine manI’m your medicine manI walk the land never seen beforeI’m on a mission, conquistadorI’ll be your slave, I’ll be your kingI’ll be what you want, be your everythingI’m your medicine manI’m your medicine manGot juju beads and a mojo drumGotta a whole lot more, where that come fromI’ll make a sign, I’ll cross your headMake you shake and dance, Gonna raise the deadI’m your medicine manI’m your medicine manI’ll take your pulse, I’ll fix your healthGive what you need, to save yourselfMight lose your house, might lose your homeBut I’ll give you back more than you have knownPut you in the black, gonna shake your bonesYour healer, your dealer, your only oneI’m your medicine manI’m your medicine man

“You shouldn’t like music that was made before you were born”

I thought I would do something different today. I was reminded of this by the phrase, “it was before my time.” Movies and music fall into this category. I do know people who will not watch movies made “before their time.” I don’t think many of my readers would agree to this statement, but who knows?

I had a co-worker in the early 2000s (Sam) tell me that I shouldn’t like music that was before my time because it was unnatural (yes, he said that). I was first kinda of amused and shocked. I like Sam a lot, and we would talk a lot; he is a smart fellow. However, on this point, I didn’t understand. Why? Is there some unwritten law that I can’t like 1950s or 1960s music up to 1967, when I was born? That cut off some of the best music of the 20th century and beyond.

He grew up in the 80s, as I did, and was probably around 5 or so years younger than me. I’ve seen other people act the same way. If it were before they were born, then they would not give it a second listen. If a movie is black and white, they act as if they are near a radiation leak!

I think the subject centered around how I loved 50s and 60s music and The Beatles, The Who, The Stones, and The Kinks. He said I should be listening to music from my teenage years (well, I WAS…60s music was my soundtrack growing up), but I DID listen to the top 40 when I was a teenager, which, to me, didn’t live up to those bands to any degree or form. Maybe it wasn’t fair to compare Men Without Hats to those 1960s bands. It was hard to stomach some of the ’80s for me, but not all. Now I’m busy catching up on music I missed that wasn’t on Top 40 radio at the time. I did find an oasis in the 80s, alternative music like The Replacements and REM…and the classic bands.

I still want to find other music and movies I like. Why would age have any effect on the music, whether we like it or not? That doesn’t mean I don’t like new music. I have posted newer bands here before who have just released albums. If it’s good, it doesn’t matter what era it came from, at least not to me. Christian, Graham, and Lisa all posted some newer songs that I liked. With movies, yes, I find some I like. I just saw Weapons and loved it, plus there are others.

I’m not putting people down at all who think like that. Hey, if that is what they believe, more power to them. I never believed in criticizing people for their opinions, music, or otherwise. Whatever blows their hair back.

Anyway, what do you think?

…

Sam Roberts – The Inhuman Condition …EP review

I just found this Canadian artist on a recommendation, and I’m loving what I’ve heard so far. I picked a song that I wanted to cover, but I started to listen to the EP and decided to make an EP review instead. I picked up on every song, and it stuck.

Sam Roberts was born in Westmount, Quebec, Canada, in 1974. He started with the violin and then transitioned to the guitar. He was influenced by classic rock and Brit Pop and makes no apologies about it.

Roberts was still an indie artist when he released his 2002 EP The Inhuman Condition, recording much of it on his own dime. The song “Brother Down” caught fire organically; it wasn’t hyped or manufactured. It was word-of-mouth, the way rock used to spread. When the song crossed over to mainstream radio, it became a hit in Canada.

Roberts recorded much of it on his own, along with musician Jordon Zadorozny. Right out of the gate, “Brother Down” hit like an unexpected home run. That track alone could have carried the EP, and he could have filled it with filler, but he didn’t.

Back in 2002, before Spotify and playlist culture, there were still artists working their way onto the airwaves the old-fashioned way, by writing songs so good you couldn’t ignore them. Six songs, no filler, all good. It introduced a new voice to Canadian rock that felt classic and also forward-looking all at once. He is a guy who could hang with Tom Petty, The Clash, and Sloan, yet still sounds completely like himself.

I was intrigued by Brother Down, but then I listened to “Don’t Walk Away Eileen,” which was power pop joy. Big jangly guitars and a hook that could’ve been written in 1966 and still sound fresh. I won’t go through every track but the tracks go in different directions, but stay firmly with his style. When I listen to this EP, I think of The Tragically Hip and Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes. I’ve spot listened to his other albums and this EP, and this one is a great place to start enjoying the music of Sam Roberts.

For you Canadians, if you only know “Brother Down,” go back and play the whole EP. It’s six songs of everything rock should be: melodic and human…and catchy.

Brother Down

One life to live but we’re doing it wrong
You see, got my brother down cause it’s nothing to me
Everyone’s saying that it’s wrong to cheat
But there’s no other way to get my life on easy street

Someone else telling you what you’re living for
Been knocking you down, now you’re looking for more
The only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they’re bringing you war
Rich man’s crying cause his money’s time
And poor man’s smiling cause he knows he ain’t blind
There’s a man over there says he’s tougher than me
But i got eyes that can see through fantasy

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Take it all back cause it don’t mean nothing
If you give it away and you’re looking for something back
Wake up every morning when there’s nothing there
No reason to die but no reason to care

Someone else telling you what you’re living for
Been knocking you down now you’re looking for more
The only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they’re bringing you war
One life to live but we’re doing it wrong
You see, got my brother down cause it’s nothing to me
Rich man’s crying cause his money’s time
Poor man’s smiling cause he knows he ain’t blind

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Jayhawks – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

I first found out about this group in 2000 with this song. When I heard it I knew I had to find out more about this band. The Jayhawks formed in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in 1985 and played alternative country-rock. They have released 10 studio albums and are worth checking out.

The song peaked at #5 in the Billboard Triple A Chart in 2000. It was off the album Smile, and The Jayhawks took a more pop approach to this album than their earlier alt-country albums. Gary Louris… guitar player, singer, and songwriter, when this album was released: “I grew up listening to pop music, and that was my love. I loved the Beatles and I loved Big Star.”

There is a difference between this and their earlier music. They stuck on the alt-country for a long time. I would call this their “power pop move,” but there’s still that unmistakable Jayhawks DNA, those rich vocal harmonies, the bittersweet chord changes, and Louris’s yearning delivery in the vocals.

The evolution of the song was interesting… Gary Louris: “I wrote that song when my ex-girlfriend walked out the door… I had a different chorus that was a little more subtle, a little more of an artist’s song that you wouldn’t even know is a chorus maybe but it was cool.”

The record label and producer Bob Ezrin wanted a better chorus to make it more accessible. “And that became the thorn in my side, y’know, because I had written a song I liked and it seemed like that’s what it was. This was the beginning of a long process where I wrote with a lot of different people… And I saw a lot of people I respected write many different ways on the same song.”

A suggestion from songwriter Taylor Rhodes helped Louris find the hook he needed. “So that was definitely a lot of hard work on that song. Now I love it, but for awhile I just wanted to be left alone. I didn’t want to ever hear that song again.”

They recently backed Ray Davies on his albums Americana and Our Country – Americana Act II. Their 2016 album Paging Mr. Proust was produced by Peter Buck of REM.

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

The world never ends
It’s only the beginning
And we can’t pretend
To discover it’s meaning

We talked for hours at a time
Then I came to my senses
You’re more than a friend
You’re my perfect lover

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

It’s the least I can do
Just to make you my baby
No words could describe
Oh, pinch me I’m dreaming

Your hair’s long and black
As it lays ‘cross my pillow
When I stare in your eyes
I get lost in your glory

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

When you were a little girl
Your great big world came tumbling down
So sad

Yeah, the river it bends
But it flows to the ocean
And baby here I am
I’m your sea of devotion

I’ll never be all you want me to
But that’s all right

I’m gonna make you love me
I’m gonna dry your tears
And we’re gonna stay together
For a million years

Levon Helm – The Mountain

I remember when this album was released, it sounded so pure. Some singers you can spot a mile away. Dylan, Young, Cash, and Levon are part of that group. His strong southern roots tie him to a worn-in in earthy sound.

Sometimes a singer is married to a feeling that no one else has, and Levon had that quality. Some songs are meant to be heard by him, and Robbie Robertson was the first to notice this and used it to its full effect. This song was on Dirt Farmer, Levon’s 2007 comeback record and his first solo album in a quarter-century. He was battling throat cancer when he recorded it, his voice raspier than in the old Band days, but somehow more potent.

The song was written by Steve Earle, and Levon brought the song to life. Earle does a great version of it as well, but it was a perfect song for Levon to interrupt. The arrangement is a slow march of banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, paced like a funeral procession up a foggy Appalachian ridge. But it’s that voice that carries the load. Levon sings it not as a narrator but as a ghost buried with his kin under the mountain he gave his life to.

What’s remarkable about Dirt Farmer is how Helm made it in the twilight of his life, and yet it plays like the core of his legacy. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone or reinvent The Band; it’s pure Levon. It was produced by Larry Campbell and Amy Helm, his daughter.

The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February 2008. I usually don’t list Grammy awards, but if any album deserved an award…this one does.

This live video is shaky but the only one I found. The sound is fine.

The Mountain

I was born on this mountain a long long time ago
Before they knocked down the timber and stripped mined all the coal
When you rose up in the morning before it was light
To go down in that dark hole and come back up at night
I was born on this mountain, this mountain’s my home
She holds me and she keeps me from a worry and a woe
Well they took everything she gave, she gave it now she’s gone
But I’ll die on this mountain, this mountain’s my home

I was young on this mountain but now I am old
And I knew every holler, every cool swimmin’ hole
Til a one night I lay down and I woke up to find
That my childhood was over I went back down in the mine

There’s a hole in this mountain it’s dark and it’s deep
And God only knows all the secrets that it keeps
There’s a chill in the air only miners can feel
There’re ghosts in the tunnels that the company sealed

…

Los Lonely Boys – Heaven

I only had to hear the guitar intro to know I was going to like this song. A perfect blend of Tex-Mex soul, swing, and spirituality, and it sounds natural and flows.

The band is made up of three brothers from San Angelo, Texas: Henry Garza (guitar and vocals), Jojo Garza (bass and vocals), and Ringo Garza Jr. (drums and vocals). Music was literally the family business. Their father, Enrique Garza Sr., had been part of a Tejano group in the ’70s and ’80s called The Falcones, with his brothers, and the boys grew up playing alongside him, learning the ropes on stage instead of in a garage.

They moved to Nashville for a short time, chasing the dream and refining their style, a mix of Chicano rock, blues, country, and soul that they called Texican Rock ‘n’ Roll. It wasn’t long before they relocated back to Texas and began building a name playing live gigs anywhere they could

Their big break came when they were discovered by Willie Nelson, who caught wind of their live show and invited them to record at his Pedernales Studio. That led to a 1997 self-released album, then a self-titled major-label debut in 2004. This is the album that Heaven was on. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard US Heatseekers Albums, #16 on the Billboard Album Charts.

The single peaked at #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts, #16 on the Billboard 100, and #46 on the Billboard Country Charts. I would have never guessed they slipped in the Country Charts.

Heaven

Vamonos

Save me from this prisonLord, help me get away‘Cause only you can save me now from this misery

I’ve been lost in my own place and I’m gettin’ wearyHow far is heaven?And I know that I need to change my ways of livin’How far is heaven?Lord, can you tell me

I’ve been locked up way too long in this crazy worldHow far is heaven?And I just keep on prayin’, Lord, and just keep on livin’How far is heaven?Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?How far is heaven? (‘Cause I just gotta know how far, yeah)How far is heaven? (Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?)

Tu que estas en alto cieloEchame tu bendicion

‘Cause I know there’s a better place than this place I’m livingHow far is heaven?And I just got to have some faith and just keep on givingHow far is heaven? (Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?)How far is heaven? (‘Cause I just got to know how far, yeah)How far is heaven? (Yeah, Lord, can you tell me?)How far is heaven? (‘Cause I just gotta know how far)I just want to know how far

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My Jeep Adventure

Occasionally, I’ll post something personal, but I haven’t in a long time, so I thought I would today.

In 2011, I purchased a 2000 Jeep Wrangler for around $8000. Love the Jeep, but I would never want to make a cross-country trip in one, or you would feel like a human milkshake. In 2017, it was missing quite bad and the brake lines rusted. We really didn’t need a second car then, so it sat for a year or so. I bought some brake lines and installed them. After that, I got in the car and bled the brakes, and then a brake caliper busted as soon as I pushed down on the brake pedal.

It sat longer after that, for 7-8 years, which is probably the worst thing you could do to a car or a house, for that matter. We have, and that would be me and my mechanic/bass player friend Greg (more Greg than Max), installed new spark plugs, wires, fuel injectors, exhaust manifold, and brake sensor, and I ordered some tires but forgot to get raised white letter tires, but I’ll get them when the new ones wear out. I’m replacing these because they are slightly dry-rotted, and I’m not taking chances. I drove it to work but made a 45-minute trip into an hour and twenty minutes because of going only on back roads.

The cleaning process was long and tedious. Here is a partial picture of what it looked like before, and the arm of my friend Greg. Mold, grime, dirt, mud, tree sap, and things that were never identified.

Well, an update…we did everything but one thing…Check the lug nuts. On the second day of driving it…I thought I heard a blowout because of the tires… no, it was the wheel flying off. The lug nuts had worked themselves loose…I checked the others to be sure, and they were tight. No damage at all, so now with new tires it rides good…well as good as a Jeep will ride. The only thing I can think of is I took the wheel off 8 years ago and only tightened the lug nuts a little snug since I was going to change brakes or something else….lesson learned!

Here is the picture I took when I got out of the car and noticed the wheel came off…this is not a posed shot…the wheel ended up exactly like this. It’s back running probably better than the day it was bought in 2011.

Getting Tires

At work yesterday, before the tire change.

Max’s lesson of the day…always check the lug nuts.

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Angels – Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

Many of you who have read this blog for a while know I have a soft spot for bands that never got their full due, especially the ones who could torch a stage and turn a riff into a mountain. Australia’s The Angels (or Angel City, depending on which record bin you’re digging through) are exactly that kind of band.

If you were hanging around an Aussie pub in the late ’70s, there’s a good chance you heard a blistering set from The Angels. Imagine a little the of Bon Scott-era AC/DC, the attitude of punk, and the tension of a film noir, and now picture that exploding from the back of a sweaty pub in Adelaide. That’s The Angels. As the old saying goes, they took no prisoners.

The Angels began as the Moonshine Jug and String Band in 1970, a folk/jug band formed by brothers Rick and John Brewster. But by 1974, they swapped their washboards for electric guitars and rebranded as The Keystone Angels. The real turning point came when they were spotted by AC/DC’s Angus Young and Bon Scott, who were impressed enough to recommend them to their label, Albert Productions.

Like many Australian acts, The Angels took a swing at the U.S. market, but there was already a band called Angel over here, all makeup and white spandex. So, The Angels became Angel City in the US and released several albums under that name, including Dark Room (1980) and Night Attack (1981).

They had the songs. They had the live chops. But they never quite cracked America the way INXS, AC/DC, or Men at Work would. This was their first single back in 1976, and it peaked at #58 in Australia. It was on their debut self-titled album. Band members John Brewster, Rick Brewster, and Doc Neeson wrote this song.

They did have one song that peaked at #35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts called Underground. Underground was released in 1985. They also covered The Animals We’ve Gotta Get Outta This Place in 1986, which peaked at #7 in Australia and #13 in New Zealand.

When the band plays it live, fans start to answer the chorus with an expletive-laced chant, and it became part of the show. “No way get f*****, f*** off.” It’s become, unofficial part of the song. They are still together, releasing albums.

Here is another song by the Angels…Take A Long Ride

Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

You may recognise yourselves here

Went down to Santa Fe, where Renoir paints the wallsDescribed you clearly, but the sky began to fall

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Tram cars and taxis, like a waxworks on the moveCarry young girls past me, but none of them are you

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Without you near me, I’ve got no place to goWait at the bar, maybe you might show

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

I’ve got to stop these tears, that’s falling from my eyeGo walk out in the rain, so no one sees me cry

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again? Yeah

Can’t stop the memory that goes climbing through my brainI get no answer, so the question still remains

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Am I ever gonna see your face again? (No way, get fucked, fuck off)Am I ever gonna see your face again? (No way, get fucked, fuck off)Am I ever gonna see your face again? (No way, get fucked, fuck off)Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?Am I ever gonna see your face again?

Hey, I wanna see your face, your sweet smiling faceI wanna see your face, see your face again ‘n’ again ‘n’ again, again, oh

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Big Sugar – Diggin a Hole

I was looking for a band to cover, and CB sent me a link to this terrific Canadian band. I liked the music right away. The first thing I noticed was the great musicianship on the songs. They are the real deal musically, and the guitarist Geordie Johnson is top shelf, and so is the bass player Garry Lowe.

They were formed in Toronto in the late 1980s, initially as a blues trio built around the guitar work of frontman Gordie Johnson. Before Big Sugar became popular, Johnson started out backing legends like the Muddy Waters alumni and Mavis Staples.

Another member who made them sound distinctive was bass player Garry Lowe. Lowe joined Big Sugar in 1994 and played on eight of their albums. He bridged the reggae and Rastafarian culture of his native Jamaica with a rock audience. Lowe was sometimes criticized for working in Big Sugar by Rastas and Jamaican music followers who wanted him to keep reggae pure, but he continued to play and blend his style into others.

They have released 11 studio albums since 1991 and 2 live albums. Their last studio album was released in 2020 and is called Eternity Now. Their success has been mostly in Canada, with one song getting some US airplay with You Better Get Used To It.

I’ve been listening to different cuts, and they cover a lot of ground. They have some heavy blues riffs, some reggae rhythms, roots music, with a pinch of psychedelia here and there. Their breakthrough album was Five Hundred Pounds, which hit big on Canadian college radio at the time.

This song was on the 1996 album Hemi-Vision. It was their biggest hit in Canada, peaking at #9 in the Canadian Charts. I asked my friend Deke if he had heard of them, and he has seen them live a few times. He also sent me this video of Jack White (who is a fan) who is releasing their album Five Hundred Pounds again on vinyl.

Diggin A Hole

Got my head in a haze
Feel like a cat in a cage
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart
Give me the lies on page
I’m feelin’ twice my age
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart

Digging a hole is that the way you treat me
Digging a hole just tie me up and beat me

Got my head in a haze
Feel like a cat in a cage
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Give me the lies on page
I’m feelin’ twice my age
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart

Digging a hole is that the way you treat me
Digging a hole just tie me up and beat me

Got my head in a haze
Feel like a cat in a cage
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Give me the lies on page
I’m feelin twice my age
I’ve been crying for days and I’m falling apart
Digging a hole in my heart
Digging a hole is that the way you treat me
Digging a hole just tie me up and beat me

Happy Birthday Bailey

This is a little departure from my regularly scheduled programming. 25 years ago, my son Bailey was born on 4-20-2000. So after midnight, it’s official. I wanted to put this up for him. I couldn’t ask for a better son…even though he arrived on the official Weed Day lol.

One of Dylan’s songs he really likes.

And Beatles

Omeleto

This won’t be a long post, but it’s something that you might like. I like movies a lot, but I don’t have time to watch a bunch of them. Omeleto is a company that shows short films from different filmmakers. I’ve seen them from 4 minutes to 30 minutes long.

They have every kind of short film you can think of. Time Travel, Sci Fi, Art Films, romantic, action, comedy, thrillers, and more. All the films I’ve seen have high production values. These are not amateurs…these are quality. Many are award-winning shorts. Now, some are hit and miss to me, but worth the short amount of time you put into them. They also come from all parts of the world. I’ve seen some with subtitles, but I’ve seen a lot of Irish and British-made ones as well.

Here is the LINK to their channel.

I’ll recommend two here. One is about a Time Loop with two completely different brothers, and the other is a horror film.

Exit Strategy…a time loop film. 15 minutes long.

This one is a horror short film…19 minutes long.