I see the stats for this blog and I know that you, loyal reader, like when I post songs about drinking. Who can blame you? It’s tough to beat a good drinking song. In this particular tune by Secret Country, the narrator has enough awareness to know that he’s too drunk to walk, drive, and even think. (If only everyone could have that much self-awareness when they drink.) He does, however, realize that he’s not too drunk for one thing: more drinking. That sounds a little more like real life. Oh, and if you like that drinking song (it sure is a catchy one), the band has a couple more drinking songs on the album Women, Whiskey, and Nightlife.
Archive for the ‘music find’ Category
Too Drunk by Secret Country
Posted: May 6, 2013 in music findTags: drinking song, kearny new jersey, not too drunk to drink, secret country, too drunk
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Take ‘Er Easy Thursday: Daphne Lee Martin and Raise the Rent
Posted: May 2, 2013 in music findTags: Daphne Lee Martin, Dudeism, honky tonk cabaret, raise the rent, stay in bed, take er easy Thursday, The Big Lebowski, The Dude
Stay in bed and take ‘er easy
Welcome once again to our weekly celebration of the ethos of The Dude. Our very own weekly Dudesday if you will. I found this particular song by Daphne Martin and Raise the Rent when I was searching ReverbNation for songs about sleeping in. After all, it’s not like The Dude has any pressing appointments. He can sleep as late as he wants.
The Dudeist philosophy is immediately evident with the first lyrics being “You’ve got your coffee and your robe…” OK, so The Dude would have a White Russian, not a cup of coffee, but still…a leisurely beverage while wearing a robe. It’s off to a good start, and it gets better. “Let the worries of the world just be the worries of the world. There ain’t no room for them here.” Sound familiar? It should. How about when The Dude says, “I can’t be worried about that shit! Life goes on, man!” Daphne carries on the Dudeist philosophy when she sings about having bills and errands to take care of, but decides to stay in bed all day. Hey, do you think The Dude gets weighed down by errands? We know he doesn’t get weighed down by bills because he gets a very gentle reminder about his rent…on the 9th of the month.
This song can be your anthem the next time your alarm goes off and you’re filled with dread about having to go to some job that you can’t stand. Just ask yourself, what would The Dude do? OK, The Dude would probably fix a White Russian and do a J. I’m not necessarily advocating that. However, if you feel like you need a day to stay in your robe and sip White Russians, who am I to stop you? Let the worries of the world be the worries of the world. Well, that about wraps ‘er up. Until next time, you take ‘er easy. I know that you will.
It’s Sunday, Punk: Cobra Skulls
Posted: April 28, 2013 in music findTags: Bad Religion, Cobra Skulls, it's sunday punk, punk rock, Reno
This is punk rock, baby!
You could probably have a pretty good debate about what punk is, particularly since there is so much variation within bands that label themselves as punk. A lot of bands that are straight rock n roll bands come across as more punk than pop-punk bands who seem to inject a lot of whining into their music.
You could debate whether Cobra Skulls is really a punk rock band. In fact, on the band’s Twitter page, Cobra Skulls is described as “sorta punk kinda” from Reno. But I’ll tell you what: I’ll stack this band against any “punk” band that gets played on commercial radio. Songs like “Doomsday Parade” are an all-out assault on the instruments. They are loud, fast, and brief. And isn’t that what punk is all about? Also, like Bad Religion, this is a band that puts some thought into its lyrics. This isn’t a band that writes all its songs about keggers and loose chicks (not that there is anything wrong with songs about those topics).
Getting back to the whole loud and fast thing….If you think “Doomsday Parade” is uptempo, just try to keep up with “HDUI (Honorary Discharge under the Influence.” Holy moly! I don’t know if this song could be played at any faster a tempo. Plus, it’s a good story with smart lyrics. I don’t think many bands could come up with a song this smart that rocks as hard as this one does.
If you ask me, there is no debate about whether this is a punk band. Do yourself a favor. Listen to this band and when you do, crank up the volume. You can thank me later.
Take ‘Er Easy Thursday: Simmer Down
Posted: April 25, 2013 in music findTags: bob marley, Dudeism, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, simmer down, Skatalites, The Dude, the dude abides
One of these guys needs to simmer down
It’s time once again for our weekly celebration of the ethos of The Dude. The way I see it, we could all stand to take things a little easier. Now, this particular song came along long before The Dude was ever innerduced to the world. However, the message of the song is basically the same one The Dude delivered to Walter after Walter decided to pull his piece on Smokey during a league game: “Will you just take it easy, man?” Only Bob Marley (or whoever sings it) put it this way:
Simmer down, oh control your temper
Simmer down, for the battle will be hotter.
Am I wrong? Am I wrong?
Just think about how many people need to hear the message to simmer down. Maybe it’s your spouse. Maybe it’s that jerk behind you on the freeway (he’s probably driving a Corvette) who looks like he’s making his best effort to park his car in your trunk…while going 75 miles per hour and gesticulating at you because you’re not going 90 like he wants. Or maybe it’s your boss who keeps pressing you for that report that you know no one is going to read anyway. The point is that we’ve allowed ourselves to get way too uptight and maybe we’d all be better off if we just simmer down. In fact, I think it’s such a necessary message for all of us that I am including three different versions of the tune. Until next time, you take ‘er easy. I know that you will.
Take ‘Er Easy Thursday: Overdose on Vitamins
Posted: April 18, 2013 in music findTags: Dudeism, Overdose on Vitamins, take er easy Thursday, the dude abides
“Quit your job.”
I’m not going to lie to you, loyal reader. I had a hard time finding a tune for Take ‘Er Easy Thursday. Granted, this one is not about The Dude like last week’s selection, but it does celebrate The Dude’s ethos. For starters, the song is called “Quit Your Job,” which is something The Dude would most certainly applaud. And then about 30 seconds into the song, the vocalist says, “money is only as important as you make it out to be.” Think about it. Do you ever see The Dude handle money? Not only that, but when he’s in Maude’s limo, The Dude tells the driver, “You can’t worry about that shit. Life goes on, man.” Indeed. The vocalist also questions whether making it to the upper class qualifies you as a success. Seriously, can you think of a better example of that than The Big Lebowski?
Even though Overdose on Vitamins doesn’t specifically reference The Dude, this band does a pretty good job of singing all about The Dude’s ethos. All in 3:44. Well, that about wraps ‘er up for this week. Until next time, you take ‘er easy. I know that you will.
Take ‘Er Easy Thursday: The Dude Abides by Max Random
Posted: April 11, 2013 in music findTags: 420punk, Dudeism, Max Random, Pittsburgh, take er easy Thursday, The Big Lebowski, The Dude, the dude abides
Helping us all abide
Once upon a time, loyal reader, someone told your humble narrator, “Someone’s gonna write a song about you one day.” (By the way, if you want to be that person, I’ll start accepting submissions immediately. Oh, and you’ll be rewarded with some Incognito gear.) Well, sometimes there’s a man (and I’m talking about The Dude here) and even if he’s not a hero, he’s worthy of having a song written about him.
This isn’t the first song written about The Dude, but it’s a good one. It makes me laugh to beat the band. Max Random has managed to encapsulate…well, maybe not the entire movie…but a lot of the ins, outs, and what have yous of the film in a little less than four minutes. Not to say that there are any spoilers exactly. Except maybe when he mentions Bunny’s toe (or is it?). Awwww…look at me. I’m ramblin’. The thing is, sometimes there’s a song and it’s the song for its time and place. With the weekend right around the corner and all of us trying to get through one more workday before the weekend, this-a here song I’m about to innerduce just might help us all abide a little better. And I take comfort in that. I done innerduced it enough so that about wraps ‘er up for me. Until next time, you take ‘er easy. I know you will.
Funny Sunday: The Earps
Posted: April 7, 2013 in music findTags: cowpunk, drag queen, funny Sunday, get a room, man crush, The Earps
If you like Man Crush, get this album
The Earps is a band that knows how to rock with its own unique brand of cowpunk. It’s also a band that knows how to write a funny song. I mentioned one of them in my post about 5 guilty pleasure songs. That one is called “Drag Queen” and talks about a sexual misadventure while the band is on the road. Another song on that same album (Here Come The Earps) is called “Hoggin’.” That is about a contest the band members have in which the one who scores with the biggest girl wins some prize. Juvenile? Yes, but still funny.
Then there is “Man Crush” off the album Get a Room. Let’s face it. Not a lot of guys could write a song about having a man crush on just one guy. This song lists three guys past and present on whom the narrator has a man crush. It is both a bold and humorous confession. Enjoy “Man Crush” then check out the rest of the band’s stuff, including an album of covers of Buck Owens songs. These guys make some good tunes. You can find all of their albums on CD Universe.
Ska Saturday: The Hang Lows
Posted: April 6, 2013 in music findTags: Pittsburgh, punk ska, Ska Saturday, The Hang Lows
Catchy, infectious, and funny ska
I’ve mentioned it several times before, but one of the reasons I do Ska Saturday is that this music is so infectious and catchy. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you’re listening to ska. It’s partly because ska is generally pretty upbeat and bright with the horns. But it’s also because ska bands generally know how to have fun with music.
Take The Hang Lows for instance. Sure, the songs are upbeat and catchy, but they also tell a story that can make you laugh. If you want to laugh, just listen to “Walk of Shame.” Now, probably everyone has their own walk of shame story to tell. In this one, the subject is walking with his hat pulled down and his shirt on inside out. Even if you haven’t had this experience yourself, you probably know someone that has and you can always play this song for that person.
Another song that will probably make you laugh is “Dangerfields of Rock.” Rather than explain to you why this song is so great, allow me to just present it for your listening pleasure.
This band has the ska aspect down pretty well, but it also has a punk aspect, not just in the melodies but also in the vocals. This singer sounds a lot like Tim Armstrong. If you want some upbeat punk-ska, check out The Hang Lows from Pittsburgh. They’ll get you moving your feet.
Related:
Tim Armstrong performs “Big River” at Guitar Center
Have a laid-back Friday, everyone
Posted: April 5, 2013 in music findTags: blues, Jay Robinson music, laid back Friday
Laid back…the perfect way to be on a Friday
Well, you’ve done it. You’ve reached the end of the work week. And not a moment too soon. However you choose to do it, have a laid-back Friday. You deserve it. And here is a song for the occasion. It is a solid but mellow blues groove from Jay Robinson. I say listen to it at work. After all, you might have to stare at a computer screen for eight hours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be laid back.
Funny Sunday: Biscuithead and the Biscuit Badgers
Posted: March 31, 2013 in music findTags: Biscuithead and The Biscuit Badgers, funny Sunday, humor, Leeds, tuba
I have written about this band once before (specifically “My Lovely Moustache), but this band is hard to top for a Funny Sunday. I mean, just listen to the first song on this album. It is an ode to the color beige. Now, I live in a place where everything (yes, even the great outdoors) is beige. Looking around Orange County and seeing all the beige, I never would have guessed that someone could write a song about this drab color. I especially never could have imagined that anyone could write a song this catchy about a color so dull.
Beige isn’t the only sort of unexpected subject. The Greatest Show on Toast also contains songs about a sandwich that’s gone off and “warming up your custard.” And perhaps the best thing about this band in addition to making you laugh and making you dance is the fact that it includes a tuba. I for one think it’s hard to go wrong with a tuba. And frankly, it’s hard to go wrong with this band, particularly if you want a few good laughs.
