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Archive for the ‘Scranton, PA’ Category

Bill Loehfelm–Fresh Kills [excerpt] (2008)

Posted in Adventure, Bill Loehfelm, Contests, Marriage Trouble, Nirvana, NPR/PRI/PBS, Scranton, PA, Teenage Fanclub on April 9, 2008| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: TEENAGE FANCLUB-Bandwagonesque (1991).

In honor of this post about an author I went to college with (go class of ’91) I’m going to mention this album from ’91.  According to the movie, 1991 was the year that punk broke.  And, with all of the grungey/alternative bands that got onto major labels at the time, you;d think it was true.  Or, you can read it like it was the year that punk broke, meaning fell apart, which may not be far from the truth either.

But enough of that.  This album was the breakthrough for Teenage Fanclub who then went on to release several even better records that nobody bought. This record has a great hit call “The Concept.”  It had a great chorus, fabulous harmony vocals and a seering guitar solo.  And that actually sums up much of Teenage Fanclub.  They knew how to write some great songs.  Their later records all grew increasingly poppy, but they always maintained an alternative edge.  In fact, you really can’t go wrong with any Teenage Fanclub record.  This one always holds aplace in my heart though, as the one I first heard.  “What You Do to Me” will stay in your head for decades (as it has done in mine!)

In Spin magazine, readers voted Bandwagonesque album of the year, beating out Nirvana’s Nevermind.   I guess they never got the memo about that though, as DGC dropped them pretty much right after the record was released.  Oops.

[READ: March 2008] Fresh Kills

The opening sentence of this story was, for me, not auspicious. It starts with a gun and a naked woman. Uh oh, I thought, another “hard boiled crime story.” But after the setting and plot premise had been established, this story showed really impressive depth. (more…)

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Rudolph Delson–Maynard and Jennica (2007)

Posted in Aerosmith, Consumerism, Funny (ha ha), Rudolph Delson, Scranton, PA on February 11, 2008| Leave a Comment »

maynard.jpgSOUNDTRACK: MONSTER MAGNET-4 Way Diablo (2007).

4way.jpgMy friend Matt and I saw Monster Magnet open for Aerosmith in Scranton, Pa many many moons ago. We had never heard of them, but were really impressed by their set. I especially enjoyed the song he introduced as “I Know Life’s a Bummer, Baby, But That’s Got Precious Little to Do with Me.” (Fact is, I was sold by the title alone). This song would of course be “Bummer” from the Powertrip album. That album became the soundtrack of our summer.

Evidently Dave Wyndorf, the singer, had a life threatening drug overdose not too long ago, and, much to my delight, came back from his experience pretty well unchanged, at least as far as his lyrics go. He’s still out in space, with a cock made of vinyl, amongst other fascinating details. Although perhaps the most fascinating thing for me was to find that he’s over 50 years old. Whoo hoo indeed!

This new album rocks just as hard, is just as trippy as the last few records (the first few ones were actually more trippy and less metal) and still really really catchy. There must be something in the water in beautiful Red Bank, NJ, because Wyndorf knows how to crank out a stellar album. It took me until 2008 to get this record, even though it’s a 2007 release, but I would say it was one of the best of 2007. Even the instrumental “Freeze and Pixillate” is fantastic. It comes near the end of the album and seems to revitalize it, as the three tracks that follow are some of the best on the disc.

So, really, how to describe the record? It’s a metal record for its bass heavy sensibilities, but it also grooves really well, and probably just falls into a heavy rock category more than metal. (And they cover a Rolling Stones song “2000 Light Years from Home,” so that shows you some of their influences, anyhow). They’re often referred to as stoner metal, and that’s probably got to do with the weird lyrics he writes: “Like a stone God, I drink from the moon.” Probably the real selling point of the band, though, is Wyndorf’s voice. He doesn’t scream, although he can from time to time, but he’s got a great mellow singing voice; even when the music is fast and furious, his voice remains calm and, okay, I admit, sorta stoned.

There’s really not a bad song on the record, and even though none could match the majesty of “Bummer” I’ve been listening to it over and over again.

[READ: January 10, 2008] Maynard and Jennica.

I saw an ad for this book in The Believer. This was the first time The Believer had accepted ads, and they promised the ads would be for books we would find interesting. At this point, the ads have been only for books, and I have in fact read several of them already. But at the time of the ad for Maynard and Jennica, I wasn’t sure what I thought about them doing ads. Well, I am now all for it. Maynard and Jennica was a great, great read. (more…)

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Michael Bell (editor)–Scouts in Bondage And Other Violations of Literary Propriety [UK subtitle is “And Other Books from an Innocent Age”]

Posted in Books about writers, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Michael Bell, Nirvana, Scranton, PA, Short Books, They Might Be Giants on November 15, 2007| Leave a Comment »

scouts.jpgSOUNDTRACK: NIRVANA: With the Lights Out (2004).

withthe.jpgIt probably sounds like an urban myth to say that Nirvana was a catalyst for new music way back then. But I can recall when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was first on the radio, and I was living in a region of the country (hey Office fans, it was Scranton, PA) that was devoid of anything interesting on the radio; it was like a flash of light: there is interesting music out there, somewhere. So, yup, Nirvana was a great moment for me.

Now, I’ll backtrack by saying that I had just graduated college, where I had been music director of our college’s radio station. We specialized in good indie music, so I was no stranger to Sonic Youth or They Might Be Giants, or anything that would soon be played on 120 Minutes, or labeled “alternative”; but as our station had a range of about 50 feet, I couldn’t even hear it from my apartment. So, I was left with Rock 107–not a bad station, just a typical classic rock outlet–and Marywood College’s very hip, very cool radio station, that came in if the weather agreed.

And suddenly there was Nirvana.

I wasn’t that bummed when Cobain killed himself, as I’d enjoyed their releases, but they were no longer the huge band in my life. So I got some of the posthumous releases, but held off on the box set because, who needs an expensive collection of outtakes? Well, for Christmas, Amazon was selling With the Lights Out for super cheap (sometimes it pays to wait), so I figured I’d grab it.

The best thing I can say about it is that it really rekindled my appreciation for Nirvana. It also made me realize that they only released three albums (not including all of the comps and live releases), which is a teeny output for such a huge band). And, finally, and most shockingly it made me realize that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is over 5 minutes long…WHAT? How did a 5 minute song become a hit??

Anyhow, I’ve enjoyed listening to this collection. It was cool to hear some of the early demos of songs, and see how they morphed into the ones I know. There’s a few 8 minute jams that aren’t worth hearing more than once, but overall, it’s good for those who like Nirvana and would like a little more of their story. Especially if you can get it cheap!

[READ: November 12, 2007] Scouts in Bondage

This is a fantastically funny book. It is a collection of book covers from antique and rare books that are now shockingly inappropriate. I feel that the UK subtitle is more apt for the book, because when these books were written, they weren’t meant to be risque, but as times and language has changed, they are now full of double entendre.

(more…)

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