You Should Check It Out (You Should Check It Out)

We’re joined this week by Roland Lewis to discuss his debut album “Starting Over”. A composer and filmmaker by trade, his album Starting Over documents a particularly rough period in his life and he joins us to share his story & craft. It’s an incredibly heartfelt conversation and the kind of the thing we were aiming for when we decided to launch this podcast. We hope you enjoy!

A composer by night, you can find (and license) Roland’s music on MusicBed, keep up with him on Instagram (@iamrolandlewis) and listen to his album wherever you get your tunes (Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Deezer). He’s also a very talented filmmaker, check out his music videos & his recently launched children’s series on YouTube called Bings & Potts.

We’re all into the new Tame Impala album and Greg thought, in lieu of listening to us collectively praise the album, we’d instead weigh in on the Pitchfork review. It’s a new segment we’re calling “Review the Review”, kind of an editorial-panel-judge style discussion with game show sound effects. Pitchfork gave the album an 8 out of 10, but how does the review rate? [Pitchfork]

A fire at a California manufacturing facility earlier in the month has been characterized as 'devastating' to the worldwide vinyl record industry. Jay brings us the details and we discuss why vinyl still matters. [Pitchfork]

Nick's heard of Robbie Robertson but hasn't ever given the Canadian pioneer of Americana rock a solid listen. Jay & Greg bring him up to speed and give some suggestions on what to check out from his 50+ years of making music. [Rolling Stone]

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Don't forget to rate & review the show and let us know what you think!

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Twitter - twitter.com/ShouldCheck

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Rage Against the Machine is gearing up for their 2020 tour and Jay is fuming at the band's decision to start all ticket prices at $125...we dig into the back story and do little to reduce Jay's frustration. [Rolling Stone]
Richard Thompson - Fire In The Engine Room

Sonny Rollins, one of jazz's most prolific and well known tenor saxophonists gave a phenomenal interview to the NY Times and Nick brings the topic to the gang for discussion. [NY Times]
Sonny Rollins plus 4 - Pent-Up House

Greg discovered that Primus, long before the death of Neil Peart, has been planning a Rush tribute set in their upcoming tour. They'll be playing "A Farewell to Kings" in its entirety, while we do our own impersonations of Les Claypool (this one is better). [Rolling Stone]
Primus - Jerry Was a Racecar Driver

Travis Orbin has been a major force in the evolution of drumming over the last 15 years & has been documenting and releasing videos of most of his recording sessions for the majority of that time. An incredibly technical and creative drummer, Travis is also a good friend of Greg and he joins us on the show today to talk about the process he undergoes in composing his drum parts and original songs. He also shares some stories about the drummers that first inspired him, his introduction to and subsequent audition with Darkest Hour, and how Greg was pretty sure Travis was pranking him when he first looked at the guitar part Travis asked him to perform on an upcoming track.

Start at TravisOrbin.com to find everywhere else you can find him online & catch him on tour with Darkest Hour starting in mid-April.

Nick found a story about some guys that made an algorithm that generated every possible melody, copyrighted them and then released them all to the public domain...does this solve copyright law? [Vice]
Clip: Thom Yorke - Suspirium

Greg brings us our latest rememberance, the legendary jazz painist McCoy Tyner died at 81 and we discuss his career and contributions [NY Times]
Clip: McCoy Tyner - Passion Dance

Jay gave us some homework this week and we're going to pass it along...an episode from another podcast called Reply All about a guy with song stuck in his head...a song that he remembers extremely well, but NO one that he talks to has ever heard...including the internet... somehow we manage to avoid spoiling it but have a great discussion nonetheless [Reply All - #158 The Case of the Missing Hit].
Clip: Martin Tallstrom - Twin Peaks Theme

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Don't forget to rate & review the show and let us know what you think!

Have a topic or idea? You can find us on:

Twitter - twitter.com/ShouldCheck

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/YouShouldCheckItOut

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/YouShouldCheckItOut

Introducing "Viral or Eyeroll" (A Greg Loman Production), Hygiene Tips for Podcasters & Musicians, Zappa's Hot Rats Turns 50 <p> Greg brings us a brand new show, "Viral or Eyeroll", wherein Greg reads Jay & Nick a story and they have to guess whether it's true or completely made up...he's had this one on the back burner for a little while and brought it out at just the right time! This one was a lot of fun, hope you enjoy! Clip: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrEdbKwivCI">Deltron - Virus</a> </p> <p> Jay has developed a comprehensive list of hygiene tips and tricks that Podcasters & Musicians can use to keep safe during a worldwide pandemic. They have not been sanctioned by anyone or anything, but they're worth considering...considering might be too strong a word, entertaining? Yeah, they're worth entertaining. Clip: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/2orfVXi8y4fgYwLx2MHlr3?si=8L7CROZmQPikjufNvdwxdA">Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes - Sick Again</a> </p> <p> Nick just wants to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats" and his way of dealing with the anxiety we're all feeling is to completely change the subject and talk about something else.... but also we find a way to turn it into a nice conversation about the creativity that emerges during stressful times. [<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-03-05/frank-zappa-hot-rats-anniversary-collection">LA Times</a>] Clip: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6pgg1PiWcNaBPQt1iiEVrQ?autoplay=true&v=T">Frank Zappa - Peaches En Regalia</a> </p> <p>We hope you're all safe and find some cool new hobbies in the next couple months, we'll see you next Thursday!</p>

Jay brings us our newest game, Tag The Track! Nick & Greg wager each other down to see who can Tag the Track in the least amount of time. Where he came up with the idea, we’ll never know, but it was a good time!
Song: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

Nick shares two recent articles, the first is for fans looking for ways to support out of work artists and music industry workers during the pandemic & the second is a comprehensive list of resources available for those in the industry.
How Fans Can Support Artists And Music-Industry Workers During The Outbreak - NPR
Coronavirus: State-by-State Resource Guide for Music Professionals Who Need Help - Billboard
Song: Black Midi - Talking Heads

Greg found an article from a few years back about Daniel Lanois, a producer that isn’t as well known as he should be and an incredible pedal steel guitarist.
Song: Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca - Time On

We’re finding inspiration wherever we can find it folks :-) and hope everyone’s safe and sane.

It’s been another crazy week and we’re all still absorbing the new reality that we find ourselves in, so we each decided to pick albums that we’ve turned to for respite during this collective period of self-isolation. Some of the albums we recommend playing out loud, alone or otherwise; they seem to brighten a room just enough to help, but not so much that you’re required to forget all of this to enjoy them. A couple are intended to provide an escape & should be listened to with headphones. The remaining are for reflection and may require repeat listens before you feel like you’ve heard everything there is to hear; in some ways, this is the point. Anyway, all that aside, we had a blast going through these and hope you enjoy them too!

We also learned this week that John Prine is in critical condition with the Coronavirus. He’s one of, at the time of this writing, roughly nine hundred thirty thousand people who have contracted the virus. For Jay this news hit pretty hard. John Prine is the soundtrack to some of Jay’s earliest memories…those ones where, you’re 8 years old and and you hear a song on the car radio and you it hits you that this is the song that Dad (or Mom) has been singing around the house since, well, forever… and then, years later you come to a bigger realization; that there’s so much more to this artist’s music that you never heard as a kid and you begin re-listening and…hopefully you get the picture. We listen to a few of Jay’s favorites to close out the show and sincerely hope that Mr. Prine, and everyone else suffering with this, recovers fully and quickly.

We hope everyone is safe and doing well. If you’d like to come on the show and share music that you’ve been listening to, please contact us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Here's the deal, much like our current economy, news from the music industry has significantly slowed down over the past 4-6 weeks. Additionally, with everyone being cooped up in their homes, we've discovered that our families are actually more fun to talk to then we probably would have admitted a few months ago...so, this week we bring some of those conversations to you.

We each have little brothers that have surpassed us, in terms of intelligence, influence and success. In normal times, all of them are too busy to listen to our show, but these, dear listeners, are not normal times. So we thought we'd have them on to talk about how they're coping with the social isolation & what music they've been listening to during all of this.

First up, we meet Nick's little brother Alex, beloved by the family as the 'goofy one' until he ran off to West Point and got all successful...he brings goofy side back though and we chat about the music that's he's enjoying alongside his wife, 4 kids and a dog (hint, Tool).

Next, we give Jay's brother Daniel Pflager a ring and ask him how he's holding up in NY City, working at NYU Medical, & what music he's turned to as he watches all this unfold around him.

Greg's brother Austin closes us out with some tasty new music he's been making with his band The Austin Loman Project. We find out near the end that he has perfect pitch, so we're excited to come up with a future game show involving that :-)

As always, thank you for listening. Stay safe everyone!

Legendary singer/songwriter John Prine passed on Tuesday from complications caused by the Coronavirus. We discussed his hospitalization a couple episodes back; hoping, without much conviction, but hoping nonetheless that he would find his way through this, this…have we found the words yet to describe whatever this is? A 21st century plague; a mutation that thrives when we come together, only to suffocate and exhaust when it has us alone; this scourge of isolation. As with so many others, surviving was not in the cards for Mr. Prine & he will be missed, dearly.

Jay has always known John Prine’s music and, rather than wait another week, we all decided we should have this conversation now. So, with all that said, we bring you a weekend special: ”The Five Sides of John Prine”

Songs:

That's the Way the World Goes Round

Far from Me (Live from the House of Strombo)

Dear Abby

Lake Marie

Onomatopoeia

All the Best

Illegal Smile (performed by Jay Rossman & his family)

The stage of Madison Square Garden is where the members of The Resilient first met and played together. Our very own Greg was working as a musician and freelance teacher in DC at the time. Tim, Dom, and Nathan had been living at Walter Reed Military hospital after recovering from life altering injuries received in Afghanistan. After a few years of playing together on and off, The Resilient was formed on Nantucket Island in the fall of 2017. They join us today, alongside Greg (of course), to share their stories.

Singer Tim Donley didn’t exactly ask to be made the band’s front man, but his drive and relentless optimism took over when the band pushed him to grab the mic & he’s more than met the challenge. We discuss how the band met, some of those early challenges and how he faced them head on (with a little on-stage help from Roger Waters’) and how he sees resilience as the characteristic that fuels and the band & his own life.
Song: The Resilient - Freedom’s Cost

Rhythm guitarist Nathan Kalwicki started playing guitar around 14 and caught the metal bug. When he and Greg first met, they immediately bonded over their love of the genre and became quick friends thereafter. We discuss the band’s song writing process, what he believes the band stands for, some music he’s excited about these days and how all of the above resonates now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, more than ever.
Songs:
Sturgill Simpson - Remember to Breath
The Resilient - Last Memory

Drums are Dom Dominguez’s 4th instrument, having learned trumpet, guitar & bass during his school years. He joined the Marines after school and, during a tour in Afghanistan, was wounded by an IED, resulting in the loss of both legs and his right arm. It was sometime during, or shortly after, his recovery & PT that he decided to make the switch to drums & he hasn’t looked back. He shares with us the logistics of his process, his friendship with Roger Waters &, most important, how music has remained a steadfast fixture in his life.
Song: The Resilient - Accept the End

STAY RESILIENT!

You can find more about the band at http://theresilientband.com/

Thanks so much for listening, stay safe everyone, we’ll see you next week!

This week, we bring another delightful diversion from our normal format. Nick’s oldest son Ciri was recently given an assignment by his 4th Grade music teacher to interview an adult about music. An adult, as in, just one? Why not three?

Ciri joins us today to ask some well-considered questions and we have a great chat! Hope you enjoy!

Ciri’s Song Pick: Vance Joy - Riptide

Nick’s kicks us off today talking concerts. All of a sudden it feels like spring has settled in, but then, just underneath that, the faint awareness that we’re really in a new place for some unknown time to come. So, what about those concerts and all the artists that depend on them for their livelihood. How long before it’s safe to start those up again? A random article in Taste of Country cites an expert as predicting that it won’t be until the Fall of 2021. What? … When?
This reminded Greg that his buddy Wayan Zoey, Production Manager at Brooklyn Bowl, would be great to bring some on-the-ground perspective to the conversation. He brings a lot of that and we were really glad to have him on.
Wayan’s Song: Butcher Brown - 918

Greg also brings us, not only another round of “Review the Review”, but a brand new theme song (killing it Greg!)! This time we tackle Jenn Pelly’s review of Fiona Apple’s latest album “Fetch the Bolt Cutters”. A fantastic album, to say the least…but a 10/10? From Pitchfork? What’s going on here? Let’s “Review the Review”!
Song: Fiona Apple - Under the Table

Lastly, Jay has curiously managed to remain work-day productive and tonight he finally comes cleans on his secret. Apparently all you have to do is listen to the music mentioned on this nearly-every-work-week-day/daily newsletter called Flowstate (nope, they didn’t pay for that)…oh, a year’s worth of daily meditation is also super helpful. Anyway, awash in his efficient workflow last week, Jay discovered this Ethiopian musician and has really gotten into his 1985 release “Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument”. It’s a great album and also an interesting story.
Song: Hailu Mergia - Ambasel

We hope everyone is doing as well as possible right now. This may not be ending soon, but it really will be over someday, not in a blink, but in steps and retreats and then, eventually, a slow fade... and then all we’ll have left is the scar of the memory. Just hang-in there and do the best you can. It’ll be nice to tell it like that one day to a young person trying to imagine what it must have been like, “We just hung-in there..and did the best we could”. 🙂

Episode 40 is here and we’re feeling great!

There’s a handful of influential artists that Greg returns to every so often, reevaluating how they sound to his evolving tastes and musical experiences. Today he brings us his current rediscovery; the late, incredibly influential, but greatly under-appreciated Allan Holdsworth. A British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist and composer, known most for his work during the 70s and 80s, he an influenced guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Alex Lifeson, and many more. We discuss his career, his style, and why Greg appreciates him so much.
Songs:
Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue
Allan Holdsworth - City Nights

Jay is proud to introduce our newest named segment, it’s “Tales from the Concert” (as well as a corresponding theme song, Rock on Jay)! A new recurring segment, Jay’s asking each of us to share a story from a concert we attended based on a common theme. This week, we discuss our most Surprising concert experience. We won’t spoil anything by describing it further, but there were many shared experiences rekindled and it was quite a fun segment. We hope you enjoy!
Song: The Who - Young Man Blues (live)

Nick, amid all this fun, is unable to repress the need to forcibly relate a story from history back to the state of things today. This week it’s the story behind CSNY’s famous “Ohio”. Inspired by the Kent State shootings, which happened 50 years ago this week, we discuss whether we think there’s parallel’s to today and whether a group like CSNY could even exist today. Also, we discuss and listen to a bit of Bob Dylan’s latest song, “Murder Most Foul”.

Hope everyone’s safe, see you next week!

Jay brings us the fascinating story behind The Caretaker’s Everywhere At The End Of Time. A 390 minute composition, separated by 6 movements, or stages as he calls them. Each stage is meant to represent a stage of dementia and the experience, which begins quite pleasantly (and was inspired by the music that plays during the bar scene from The Shining), slowly degrades throughout the piece, ultimately ending in madness (there’s amazing art that goes along with it as well). Jay spent a day listening to the entire piece and brings some selections to all of us to partake in. We also discuss some of the controversy surrounding the composer, James Leyland Kirby’s decision to announce that The Caretaker has, with the completion of the project, died as well.
Song: The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time

Nick remembers Little Richard, who died at the age of 87 this past weekend of cancer. He was a founding father of Rock & Roll and his influences are, pretty much everything that’s happened since the 60’s… He shall be missed, but his influence will, absolutely without a doubt, never leave us.
Song: Little Richard - Keep on Knockin

Greg’s been spending more time reflecting on his teaching the past few months and shares some of the music his students have been listening asking him to teach them. He also had a really interesting reflection, what happens to musical tastes, and music appreciation in general, when nearly everything you could think to listen to is completely accessible to anyone connected to the internet? Immediately feeling old for remembering a time when a new CD a week was living large (and required a job), the guys dive right in. Long story short, practice more you damn kids, you will never have this much free time again in your life…also, keep bringing Greg good music, YSCIO (& hopefully the listeners) appreciate it greatly ;-)

Song:
Polyphia - G.O.A.T.
Alt J - Left Hand Free
Childish Gambino - Redbone

This week we’re joined by two very special guests. We’re happy to welcome Jim Lenahan & Patrick Foster, the hosts of the daily music podcast Rockin’ the Suburbs to the show!

These gents have been putting out five shows a week for the past 4 years and have done a fantastic job growing and keeping an active audience, so we took plenty of notes. We actually first launched YSCIO with a three part series on Frank Zappa that Jim & Patrick somehow allowed us to drop into their show feed. We’re still brainstorming the perfect gift to show our gratitude for their kindness and trust, but thanking them aloud when we had them on our own show? No, my friends, that just seemed too small to even bother with (whoops 👍 ).

So what did we discuss then, you ask? Honestly, the topics were too broad and random to list, but you will learn a considerable amount about Sleepy LaBeef (finally get to check that one off your list) & much much less about Martin Briley (we gotta leave something for the next time we have them on, am I right?). Seriously though, much thanks to Jim & Patrick for joining us, they really are fantastic at their craft and it was such a joy to have them on!

Songs:
Martin Briley - Salt of My Tears
Sleepy LaBeef - Shotgun Boogie
Wingtip Sloat - Anything Could Happen

Jim & Patrick have been hosting a Friday Night Hootenanny on Zoom for the past couple months and you, yes, you dear listener are invited to join. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to learn how you can get into the party. Check out their show or subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.suburbspod.com/

You can check us out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Thanks for listening everyone, we’ll see you next week!

Nick brings a test to the table this week, specifically a Music IQ Test put out by some folks at Harvard on The Music Lab.. The guys spend a solid 20 minutes working through their issues with the methodology issues before sharing their scores. It’s actually pretty interesting, check it out on The Music Lab & here’s the Adam Neely video we mentioned.
Song: Jehnny Beth - Heroine

Greg brings us a delightful treat, a tasteful selection of video game music. We go from classic NES all the way up to some current platforms. It’s just a taste and there’s more to come if you enjoy it! Also, our friends “The Resilient” released a music video from quarantine for their single “Freedom’s Cost” and it is fantastic! Check it out on YouTube!
Song: Mega Man 3 - Magnet Man Theme

Jay brings us something from the NEWS! It’s a difficult one to unpack quickly in a sentence or two…regardless, it involves a song in the end credits of Killing Eve, Jack Leopards & the Dolphin Club, and an obscure artist named Taylor Swift. [E! Online]
Song: Prince & The Revolution (Live in 1985) - Let's Go Crazy

Inspired by Bob Boilen’s recent piece in NPR, we decided to spend this week sharing stories from one of the best live music venues that this country has to offer. The 9:30 Club, first opened in 1980, has an ethos that can only really be experienced. Welcoming to fans 16 years and older (one of the very few), and with a reputation for treating artists incredibly well, it’s amassed generations of loyal and adoring patrons that have kept it around and thriving for the past 4 decades. Nick kicks us off with a history of the venue and offers his thoughts on the features that make the club so special.

Jay shares some of his favorite 9:30 shows, including a Richard Thompson show from 2007 & a particularly wild evening, in which TV on the Radio opened for The Faint. It wasn’t a particularly foggy evening, but that’s how Jay remembers it so he brought on an old friend, & fellow musician, Taejon Romanik to help recall the events in question. Taejon turns out to have an excellent memory and shares some other shows that have meant a lot to him as a fan and musician.

Greg, who hasn’t kept easily-accessible records of his concert attendance over the years, was only able to recall 32 shows that he remembers seeing at the 9:30 Club. More importantly, Greg’s been lucky (and talented) enough to have played on stage at 9:30, opening for Trombone Shorty with his band at the time The Funk Ark. He brings us home this week with some memories from the crowd & stories from the stage.

Songs:
Richard Thompson - "Man in Need" (live @ 9:30 club, June 22 2007)
The Faint - “Birth”
King Crimson - "Heroes" (live @ 9:30 Club, November 8 2000)
The Black Crowes - "Good Friday" (live @ 9:30 Club, October 28 2008)
JEFF the Brotherhood - "Heavy Days" (live @ 9:30 Club, February 2 2012)
The Funk Ark - “Green Trees”

This week we share our thoughts on the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, the events surrounding & the music that emerges from movements of resistance and change; whether in rallying response or even as a catalyst. It’s a different conversation than the one we’re used to. We talk about some subjects that we usually try and avoid, but we all agreed that it needed to be had & we’d say what we felt needed to be said….and we talk about music too.

Greg’s Songs (side note, Happy Birthday Greg!):
Run The Jewels - walking in the snow
Fela Kuti - Zombie

Nick’s Songs:
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Odetta - Ain’t No Grave

Jay’s Songs:
Miles Davis - Oleo

Jay kicks the show off this week with the second round of the potentially award winning, nearly original YSCIO game, “Tag The Track”! Nick & Greg face off to see who can name a popular song in the least amount of time. Will Greg retain his title and repeat his Round 1 performance? Will Nick get enough questions right to make the game close? How long will Jay tolerate being constantly interrupted? There’s only one way to find out…
Song: Norah Jones - To Live

Next up, Nick shares a story from NPR about a recent project launched by the Library of Congress to commission music of the Coronavirus pandemic. Inspired by stories collected by the 14th century Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio about the Black Death, the project aims to challenge talented composers to create a work in isolation. [NPR]
Song: Nina Simone - Isn’t It A Pity

Greg read a recent installment in the A/V series “Permanent Records” & was delighted to find an artist that he knows well from his childhood. Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, poet (et cetera) active from 60s-80s. A controversial figure in his heyday, he’s now regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop. Greg shares some of his memories and some history on the artist, it’s a fun wrap to a great episode. We hope you all enjoy! [A/V Permanent Records]
Song:
Serge Gainsbourg - Bonnie & Clyde
Serge Gainsbourg - Je t’aime moi non plus
Serge Gainsbourg - Ballade de Melody Nelson

Nick has taken a real liking to anything Sonny Rollins is willing to share publicly. Mr. Rollins is back again with some thoughts on current events, including what the he expects to see following the Coronavirus, as well as his thoughts on the death of George Floyd & the subsequent protests. [New Yorker]
Song: Ambrose Akinmusire - Moon (the return amplifies the unity)

Greg is really missing summer concerts, so he’s a sucker for any headline alluding to live music. Luckily this was a good one: Name a band whose best album is a live album. This article comes from Louder Sound and we discuss their 10 picks & then move right onto our own additions. It was a fun one. [Louder Sound]
Songs:
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Hawkwind - Born to Go

Jay brings us our newest segment, NERD ALERT! (theme song included). The premise, thus far, is that someone takes a deep dive into a technical subject surrounding music. This week, Jay’s strolling down memory lane to share a story about the first multi-track recording software he ever fell in love with, & it’s name was Cool Edit Pro (thanks again Peter Quistgard). [Sound On Sound]
Song: Can - Vitamin C

We deeply love & have a profound respect for the album as a form. It’s why we started this show, our initial plan being that we’d discuss a new album each episode; so this week, we’re talking about albums.

Greg kicks things off with a “How To” discussion. Most albums take months, even years to create, so what’s the best way to consume them? Inspired by a recent LA Times piece entitled The Art of the Deep Listen, we dive right in for a lively discussion.

Song: Thundercat - I Love Louis Cole

Jay takes us down memory lane for a vintage edition of “Review the Review” to discuss some epic fails over the years from Rolling Stones. This got Jay Pitchfork-angry & the lively discussion continued. [Rolling Stone] [Reel Harmonies]

Song: Cory Wong - Golden

Nick closes us out with an open question, “Will albums last as a form?” To this, we embark on an extensive and exuberant conversation (it seemed like using ‘lively conversation’ again would have been overkill, but we’re bringing a lot of energy to this one folks 😉).

Song: The Dirty Projectors - Self-Design

This week, as a bookend to last week’s episode, we review 3 new albums from some old souls.

Jay’s opens the episode by introducing “First Rose of Spring”, the latest from Willie Nelson, his 70th solo studio album. It’s sweet, it’s reflective, it’s both sad & witty the way Willie Nelson does it best. It’s a gift that he’s still making new music & hope the output continues as long as he’s loving it.
Songs:
Willie Nelson - I’ll Break Out Again Tonight
Willie Nelson - Stealing Home

Nick drew the lucky card this week, bringing us Bob Dylan’s latest album, “Rough & Rowdy Ways”. Lauded by the critics, we are fully on board with their conclusions & happily so. It’s exactly the type of album we discussed last week, where the cohesion and complimentary themes of the individual tracks fit so well together that the whole is definitely better than the sum of it’s parts (although the songs are wonderful in their own right).
Songs:
Bob Dylan - I Contain Multitudes
Bob Dylan - My Own Version of You

Greg caps things off with a lost & just released treasure from Neil Young. Recorded in 1974, Homegrown is an album of tracks the Mr. Young considered too raw & depressing. It’s an excellent listen, regardless of whether you’re already a fan or not…however, if you are already a fan, it’s a dream come true…an excellent set of cast-out songs that fit perfectly between “On the Beach” & “Zuma”. A real treat!
Songs:
Neil Young - Vacancy
Neil Young - Separate Ways

Jay’s checking in from vacation this week and was kind enough to explain how he’s managed, consistently for nearly 30 years, to discover so much incredibly influential music while he’s at the beach each year. It turns out to be more of who question than a how; in short, catch up with Michael Weddington. Lucky for us, this year is no exception & we’re excited to have Michael join us today! We talk about missing live music, Jay shares some stories from summers past & we get Michael’s take on Neil Young’s latest album Homegrown. It’s a great conversation and we really appreciate Michael coming on!
Song: Sonny Landreth - Firebird Blues

Greg brings us a story that could almost be a fable. A band, with seemingly good intentions, commit an oversight on a pretty big decision, but they stick to their good-intention-guns, missing the point entirely in the process, and things quickly devolve into the exact story that the good intentioned band first wished to avoid. We had a lot of face palms this segment. [Pitchfork]
Song: Lamb of God - New Colossal Hate

Nick wraps things up this week with some veteran artists thoughts on a summer without live music. Some are fine and waiting things out, some are not and need to get back on the road. The feelings & thoughts of the artists vary greatly, as do everyone’s, including our own. Things are a bit precarious in the US right now & all available options have real consequences that will affect us all going forward. Stay strong everyone & please wear a mask when you go out.

We’re coming up on Episode 52 & we’d love it if you shared a favorite clip or segment from a past episode! Email us as We’re coming up on Episode 52 & we’d love it if you shared a favorite clip or segment from a past episode! Email us as ysciopodcast@gmail.com.

It only took 51 episodes, but we have our first repeat guest back on the show this week! Austin Loman was first on our Brothers episode and we’re happy to have him back in the hot seat! We kick things off by discussing the amazing talented Jacob Collier, a multi-instrumentalist composer/artist that Austin’s been keeping track of for a few years. Things get technical pretty quick and there’s a bit more theory this episode than usual, but that’s exactly why we wanted to have him on!

Next up, we’re pleased to announce our latest, custom-built-for-Austin game show called “Note the Note”. In this game, contestants must name the note/chord/mode/interval/whatever-else-Greg-cooks-up being played. Honored repeat guest aside, Austin is still a little brother of the show, so Nick & Jay team up to take him on (spoiler, Austin has perfect pitch).

It was a fun time, we hope you enjoy! Thanks again Austin!

Last call for any favorite clips for the show next week, send them to ysciopodcast@gmail.com.

Songs:

Rolling Stones - Criss Cross
Jacob Collier - Serendipity
Jacob Collier - Fascinating Rhythm
Jeff Tweedy - At a Distance
Ennio Morricone - The Ecstasy of Gold

We decided to celebrate the 52nd episode of our weekly show by going back through our favorite clips from the past year. Gotta be honest with you, we’re proud that we hit this milestone & we’re so thankful for everyone that’s helped and listened along the way. Thank you all! We’ll be back next week with Season 2.

Greg brings us a second round of “Viral or Eyeroll” and it was a nail biter! Will Jay pull off an equalizer or will he go down 0-2 to Nick? I can’t give too much away, but it’s a fun one!
Song: Julian Lage - I'll Be Seeing You (Live in Los Angeles)

Jay received an interesting call this past week in which he was asked to recommend an album of approximately 1.5-2 hours in length. Short answer, White Album; but more broadly it raised a question, what are some great double albums & why are they worth the extra time?
Song: The Clash - Death or Glory

Finally, Nick has been listening to Folklore, the latest from Taylor Swift. It’s, as of this recording, broken countless sales & streaming records. Surprised by it’s depth and creativity, it appears that Nick is now a fan of Ms. Swift. Jay welcomes him aboard and Greg has some generally nice things to say as well. We’ve really grown a lot in the week leading up to season 2, however the jury’s still out as to why. :-) Hope you enjoy!
Song: Taylor Swift - peace

Thanks for listening!

You should check out our YouTube channel & let us know what you think! Onto the show…

Jay mentioned, back in #050, receiving a box of cassette tapes filled with selected tracks for his teenage ears to enjoy (this is called a mixtape). An astute listener (Jay's mom) discovered the aforementioned tapes and that's given birth to our newest segment "Tape Stash". Repeat thanks goes out to Michael Weddington for making the tapes & Mrs. Debbie Pflager for finding them.
Songs:
Sue Foley - Gone Blind
Radiohead - Faithless the Wonder Boy

Nick found a story in the NY Times about Creem Magazine, the self-proclaimed "Only Rock & Roll Magazine in America". It's a story from the early days of rock; chock-full of sex, drugs, fighting and excessive egos, but it made for a good conversation. [NY Times]
Song: Anderson .Paak - Lockdown

Greg brings us the latest news from the brilliant marketing minds of the band also known as Vulfpeck. This time around they've decided to auction off Track 10 of their upcoming album. What this actually means, how it'll work & why they're doing it are all topics discussed. It's quite a concept!
Song: Logic - Hit My Line

Catch us elsewhere & listen to past episodes on our website: youshouldcheckitout.com

Nick came across a new album by Bruce Hornsby this week, started digging around his discography and realized how many artists he’s worked with over the years. What makes some artists such prolific collaborators? We discuss…
Song: Bruce Hornsby - My Resolve

Greg found himself lost in a YouTube vortex (happens to us all) and ended up watching some very well done song mashups. He presents the first in our new series, "Bangers & Mashups" (theme song included).
Clips:
Imagine/Jump
RAVC
DJ Cummerbund - Vanessa Carlton/Nirvana
DJ Cummerbund - Jereloose
DJ Cummerbund - Earth Sand and Fire

Jay brings us some good news as we close the summer out, the annoying ice cream truck song is changing! Good Humor announced back in June that due to the problematic (extremely racist) history of the classic ice cream truck song, they would be releasing a new song later in the year. Enter RZA...
Song:
Bon Iver - AUATC

Greg discovered that some restless Germans have conducted an indoor concert experiment. Contrary to the story cited, we believe the reported purpose of this experiment to be a ruse. The researchers were really testing whether they could come up with a valid reason to get the hell out of their homes and see a freaking show already. The answer to their question appears to be yes. Naturally they decided to also record and measure a lot of important data points so they could put out a useful findings report and maintain their reputations, but, we know why they really did it! ;-) For real though, if this does anything, like anything at all, to help concerts come back safely & soon, then it’s totally worth it! [KESQ]
Greg’s Song: Deftones - Ohms

On a recent weekend, Jay found himself driving his son home from the playground with the car stereo randomly selecting tracks from a huge library when it happened. It’d been years since the last time, he’d honestly almost forgotten about it…. I mean, with a library with thousands and thousands of songs… how much time would you need to spend in a car before the same song came up twice? Jay figured years seemed about right, and here it was, a needle sized turd of a song in a library that’d taken his lifetime to assemble. The play count on “She’s Waiting” by Eric Clapton had just reached 4.

It’s not really a new bit yet, but it might be. Songs that we hate by artists that we love. We’re thinking about calling it “Skip That Track”, what do you think?

Also, we remember Justin Townes Earle, who passed this weekend at the age of 38.
Jay’s Songs:
Eric Clapton - She’s Waiting
Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue

Nick stumbled across “Imploding the Mirage”, the latest album by The Killers & was both blown away and very confused. A second listen while mowing the lawn left him with the same exact feeling. Third and fourth listens alongside the family did nothing to abate the unease. What the hell does Brandon Flowers sound like when he sings like Brandon Flowers?? Finally, desperate to see if this was bothering anyone else, he turned to the place where you go to see if anyone could find something bad to say about an album. No, not reddit, he went to the bottom of the barrel, Pitchfork. So we Review the Review & share our own thoughts about the album. This one was a whole lot of fun!
Songs:
The Killers - My Own Soul’s Warning
The Killers - Caution
The Killers - Fire in Bone

Also, checkout our playlist of songs from the show!

Jay kicks things off this week with a Special Edition Game Show Trivia version of NERD ALERT, which we’ve decided to call NERD ALERT: Trivia Edition (copyright pending, see below). Today’s contestants separately submitted a list of favorite bands and Jay has chosen one from each list. Alternating turns, each contestant will choose from one of the following categories: Band History, Albums & Songs, Controversy or Potpourri. Greg will be answering questions about Nirvana & Nick will be answering questions about Rush. While this all sounds very straight forward and formal, this was an absolute blast!!! In other news, Jay has decided to release his trademark on the highly original band name “Ravenous Taint” so that is now free for the world to use as it sees fit!
Song: Leo Kottke / Mike Gordon - Ants

Stop. Right. There. Put your nerd glasses back on your nerd face… because it’s time for another round of Nick’s Copyright Corner!! This week Nick frustratingly recounts the details of a copyright lawsuit, frets over the arbitrary nature of said law, and concludes by getting angry again at the capricious decisions juries returned in similar suits. So, it’s a lot like all the other times he brings this stuff up. This time however, he’s even more frustrated because the Grammy & Pulitzer Prize winning artist Kendrick Lamar finds himself on the receiving end of the latest lawsuit. The guys talk it out and Nick eventually calms down, so that’s good.
Song: Kenrick Lamar - PRIDE.

Greg tells us a bit about the Dallas based Thrash Metal band Power Trip and remembers their lead singer, Riley Gale, who passed at the age 34 last week. Riley was an incredibly positive influence on a lot of people and the outpouring from his diverse fans has been constant online since his passing. Power Trip was just coming up the ranks and making a name for themselves and Greg presents a solid case why they had what it took to be huge (Metallica comparisons are made frequently). We listen to some Power Trip and discuss Riley’s brief but lasting contribution to the genre. Rest in Power Riley Gale!
Song: Little Beaver - I Can Dig It Baby

Will the 2020’s be just like the ‘Roaring 20s’ because they both kicked off with a Pandemic? It’s not rock solid prediction, but we conclude that it’s good that someone made it.
With current events out out of the way, we begin an episode long discussion on Avant Garde music. Nick gets the ball rolling with a rundown on the history and roots of some really weird (and important) music. Naturally this required we listen to some Frank Zappa right up top!

Song: Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat (Live)

Greg grabs the baton & brings us some good news & some bad news. The bad news is we lost another titan this week. Jazz bassist Greg Peacock was most famous for his work with Keith Jarrett, and we discuss his work and legacy. The good news is that a Halberstadt, Germany performance of John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible)” is changing the chord it’s been playing for 8 years. A project that kicked off in 2001, and scheduled to take 639 years to complete, it’s just getting started. We discuss why this is happening & dig into John Cage the composer a good bit.
Song: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette - Flying Pt 2

Jay completes our expedition by discussing some of his favorite artists from the genre, especially the minimalist Steve Reich. We get into some of Reich & his peers techniques & methods, we also talk about ways to listen to & hopefully enjoy this music.
Song: Steve Reich - Electric Counterpoint: III. Fast

What should a music podcast’s episode on deliberately uncomfortable music aim to achieve? In an effort to show the genre our sincere appreciation and respect, we decided our goal was create discomfort for the Avant Garde crowd by making an enjoyable show. Let us know what you think!

It’s been a rough week in California, so we thought it’d be the perfect time to send some love Hollywood’s way with an awards show celebrating our favorite Movies About Music! Let’s call it the Movies About Music Awards Show (working title)! We took this one as far as we’ve taken any hypothetical awards show before, and then went just a bit further :-)

Greg (who created the MAM Awards over a week and a half ago) kicks thing off with the fiercely competitive “Films That Make You Least Want To Become A Musician” category. We recommend staying away from all of these, and recognize them tonight, but only as a “head’s up” to anyone unsure on the whole music-as-a-major-and-or-a-career-path thing, you follow your dreams... The nominees this year for the category are:

“Last Days”

“Shine”

“The Pianist”

“Whiplash”

Song: Buddy Rich - Solo 1 (Live from Toronto, CA/1977)

Jay presents a brand new category (while all categories are technically new, this one seemed newer than the others), it’s the award for the “Best Fictional Movie Band Name” (see what I mean? it just sounds cooler). Our nominees this year are:

"Wyld Stallyns" from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

"Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem" from The Muppet Movie

"Sex Bob-Omb" from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

"Crucial Taunt" from Wayne's World

During the commercial break that we cut out, Jay was awarded a special “Best Fictional Podcast Band Name” award for “Ravenous Taint”. Great job Jay!

Song: Tia Carrere - Ballroom Blitz

Nick presents the final category of the evening, the acclaimed “Movies That Make The 70s Seem Enjoyable”. It’s hard to watch a movie and know you’re being misled, it’s even harder to love one…so it’s a particularly inconsistent and tough category to keep stocked. Nevertheless the nominees for the award this year:

Mrs. Doubtfire*

Rocketman

Bohemian Rhapsody

This is Spinal Tapp

Almost Famous

Song: Led Zepplin - Tangerine
*likely caused by a glitch in the nomination process

Thanks for listening everyone!

Jay nails the song & topic pairing for the week with a story about the song “Long Violent History” by Tyler Childers. Written during a moment of national reflection following the killing of George Floyd, it’s now, just a few months later, being released to a country with a very different mindset. In anticipation of the blowback from some fans, Tyler released an accompanying video imploring anyone unreceptive to his desire to create empathy with his fellow black Americans to seek moral clarity over polarization & tribalism. It’s a heavy start, but a great discussion.
Song: Tyler Childers - Long Violent History

Nick brings us more songs of controversy. Van Morrison is releasing three new tracks in the near future that characterize the pandemic as a government hoax to enslave all citizens, so that sucks. We discuss whether this qualifies as a ‘protest song’, whether it was necessary for the Northern Ireland health minister to issue a full response, whether it’s socially irresponsible for Van Morrison to be saying this stuff, and where we stand on all of this crap.
Song: Flaming Lips - Watching the Lightbugs Glow

Greg elevates the mood considerably with the news that, despite reports from The Washington Post back in 2017, the guitar is very much alive! With sales breaking records across the country, we mostly make fun of The Washington Post, but then we return to celebrating all the new guitars in their new homes and all the great music yet to be made!

Song: Al Di Meola,Paco De Lucia,John Mclaughlin - Mediterranean Sundance

This week we decided to check in with two past guests to see how they’ve adapted & held up during the pandemic…but first, Nick had a song to kick things off… Fleet Foxes - Can I Believe You

Up first we have Keith Grasso, owner of Island Music Co., a musical instrument and gear shop in La Plata, MD. They are going strong, to say the least, & Keith has spent an impressive amount of time & energy making sure it stays that way. We discuss the uptick in music instrument sales and what Keith’s expecting in the months to come…hearing this guy describe pulling himself out of a funk when the shutdowns first started, and single-handedly run an entire store for months is incredibly inspiring. We hope you agree :-)
Song: Van Halen - Romeon Delight

Wayan Zoey has relocated to Portland since we last spoke with him. He weighs in on the future of live music, the inherent determination that musicians already possess to make a living in music and he shares some of his experiences in the past few months living in Portland. The guy is a wellspring of knowledge and experience and we really enjoyed the conversation.
Song: Butcher Brown - 1992

Both of these guys were inspiring to talk to and we’re really thankful they came on with us again. We hope everyone’s doing well and we’ll see you next week with a new very special guest.

First, we have some good news to share this week! Our very own Greg Loman spent a little time last year shooting a short film & it’s dropping today on the Sci-Fi platform Dust! The Halcyon, written & directed by Kaz PS, is a really cool project and we’re proud to help get the word out! Important to our episode though, it was inspired by music composed & performed by Harry Waters & Greg. They first met at a rehearsal for one of the many wounded veteran benefit concerts put on by Harry’s father Roger Waters, co-founder/bassist/singer/songwriter of Pink Floyd. We discuss how the music behind They Halcyon came to be and how it inspired the film. Check it out at watchdust.com

We’re really excited to have pianist/songwriter & composer Harry Waters join us this week for a broad discussion of topics. He’s been writing and recording the past few years with Larry John McNally under the name McNally Waters. We listen to their latest single “Bang Bang”, discuss some of their music & process. We talk about live music, the proper usage of downtime during a pandemic (an ambiguous split between practicing & videos games) & our shared connection, working with Greg. Thank you so much Harry for joining us this week! Check out Harry’s latest videos, view his showreel at harrywaters.com, & keep up to date on the latest from McNally Waters at mcnallywaters.com.

Songs:

Greg Loman & Harry Waters - “Mogli“

McNally Waters - “Bang Bang”

Mose Allison - “Parchment Farm”

Shortly after recording #062, we received news that Eddie Van Halen passed after a long battle with throat cancer. This week, we celebrate the virtuoso’s groundbreaking, effortless technique on electric guitar & his massive contribution to music & guitarists everywhere. We’re joined again by Keith Grasso, who is, among many other things, the biggest EVH fan we’ve had the pleasure of knowing. It’s part history, part fan-remembrance, part listening party. You shall be missed Eddie Van Halen, thank you for changing music forever!

Songs:

Van Halen - I’m the One

Van Halen - Spanish Fly

Van Halen - Unchained

Michael Jackson - Beat It

Van Halen - Why Can’t This Be Love

Clips:

Interview from American University

Nick kicks things off this week with an album recommendation. “Shore” by Fleet Foxes was released in time for Fall last month, but is a surprisingly brighter sounding record. We discuss frontman Robin Pecknold’s new found optimism and whether Jay is allowed to like something so central to Pitchfork’s aesthetic.
Song: Fleet Foxes - “Jara”

Next up, we have a special guest this week! Kaz PS co-wrote, directed and shot “The Halcyon”, which was released on the sci-fi shorts channel Dust. The film, co-written and co-scored by our very own Greg Loman, was picked up by Dust to be included as part of a collection of post-apocalyptic short films. When that fell through, Dust was cool enough to put out “The Halcyon” as a featured release on their YouTube channel, but didn’t include any context or explanation about the genre discrepancy. So a decent number of Dust’s most loyal sci-fi loving fans chose to express their confusion and outrage via the comments. So, Nick & Jay decided to read some of them on the show to give Kaz & Greg a chance to respond. Kaz was a fantastic guest and we look forward to having her back in the future!
Song: Peter Schilling - “Major Tom”

Jay bookends the episode with an album pick of his own, the wonderful re-release of Tom Petty’s 1994 solo album “Wildflowers”. Originally a 24 track album, the re-release contains all the songs that didn’t make it into the original release, as well as demo & alternate versions of the tracks. It’s a 4 hour master class on song composition and structure, studio tracking & editing. You should check it out ;-)
Song: Tom Petty - “Climb That Hill”

Greg leads off with a story about Angie C, a musician/scientist in Calgary that has wired up a brainwave monitor to TONTO, an early synthesizer made in 1971. To clarify, she’s tracked parts of her new album using a brainwave monitor that converts her thoughts into synthesized sounds via a one-of-a-kind 40 year old dinosaur of an instrument (that’s TONTO). You don’t have to be a nerd to think this is ridiculously cool, right? Either way, this one had legs! We spent a good bit of time speculating how this actually works, whether it needs tuned per person, whether training is required to improve performance and what that would be like... We even workshopped how we might be able to try this thing out ourselves, not a remote possibility, but this story really stimulated some creative thinking, so that was fun.
Song: Tonto’s Head Expanding Band - Cybernaut

Next up, Jay knew he would be presenting Letter To You, the latest album from Bruce Springsteen this week. Having only been out a few days, at the time we recorded this, he just wasn’t sure how he’d be presenting it. Having read the overwhelming positive reviews, he couldn’t trust that the critics had it in them to say what they really thought. Having listened for himself, he 100% concurs & a celebration ensues!!!
Song: Bruce Springsteen - Janey Needs A Shooter Now

Nick is unable to keep the positive flow moving, bringing us the NY Times profile on Keith Jarrett, who has suffered two strokes in the past two years and has lost the use of his left hand. It’s a hard story and we wanted to discuss his impact as well, so we delve into an album that our guest Harry Waters was influenced by, The Köln Concert (1975). We discuss the entirely improvised solo piano performance, the crazy back story that preceded it & the impact it’s had on keyboardists and music in general. We’re truly grateful for his music and hope for the best regarding his recovery.
Song: Keith Jarrett - Part II B (The Koln Concert)

After a lifetime checking NO next to all “Fan of Yes?” checkboxes, Jay heard “Close to the Edge” and found he really really enjoyed it. Wondering if there were more Yes songs out there for his enjoyment, he turned to his cohosts for help.

Greg & Nick both consider themselves fans, but were dubious of the challenge. Having tried a few times over their 20 year friendship, Nick decided they needed backup. YSCIO is happy to welcome Nick’s father, Guy Kline to the show for the first time. Among many other things, Guy is a drummer and avid Yes fan and was up for the challenge. We’re so glad he joined us to tackle Jay’s question… “Yes….or no?“.

Greg spent last week doing shows in the Midwest and has a lot to share about his experience. It’s a really interesting conversation and we’d love to hear what you think about it.

Songs:

Yes - Close to the Edge

Yes - The Clap

Yes - Mood for a Day

Yes - Heart of the Sunrise

Yes - Changes

Yes - Starship Trooper

Yes - Yours is No Disgrace

All Them Witches - “Enemy of My Enemy”

Knotfest is ON! Online that is. Nick discovered the festival, put on by Slipknot for the past 8 years, is going virtual amid the pandemic this year. How enjoyable is a metal festival from the comfort of your own home? We shall see, but the proceeds from the event are going to Musicares, a top notch non-profit helping musicians during the pandemic.
Song: Foo Fighters - “Shame Shame”

Ladies & Gentleman, welcome to Round 3 of your favorite game show, “Viral or Eyeroll” (A Greg Loman Production). Nick & Jay are tied with a win a piece, so there’s a lot on the line. Greg brings out his fresh batch of stories, and he’s really upped the difficulty.
Song: Mad Season - “Lifeless Dead”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony aired on HBO this past Sunday. We covered our picks last year, and Jay wants to celebrate one of the inductees. Nine Inch Nails, whose only permanent member is composer and singer Trent Reznor, have been at it since 1989 & released their 10th & 11th studio albums this past March. Jay has always been a huge fan and we discuss Reznor’s style and impact. It’s a great discussion, and we close out the episode listening to some clips from the Hall of Fame presentation.
Song: Nine Inch Nails - “Everyday is Exactly the Same”

Have a great week everyone!

Just a few hours prior to recording, a couple stories grabbed Greg’s attention & inspired our newest named segment, which he’s calling “Tay-Tay Today”. A little over a year ago, former Kanye West manager Scooter Braun purchased Big Machine Label Group which owned the rights to Taylor Swift’s first six albums. In spectacular fashion, the Swifties unleashed on Scootie and drama ensued (interesting to note, Scooter has incredibly thin skin, which is really surprising, given his name, which is Scooter). So this week news dropped that Mr. Braun sold the rights to her catalog & Taylor confirmed that she’s been re-recording her entire catalog to give fans a way to listen to her music without supporting her adversaries. Oh Taylor, we genuinely love you! [Variety & Variety]
Song: Here Lies Man - “I Told You (You Shall Die)”In other news, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires announced that they were leaving the Country Music Association over the CMA’s failure to honor John Prine (as well as Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver) during the ceremony. So, basically the most perfectly assembled Jay story ever. We get into it and pivot to some overall issues facing Nashville today. [Pitchfork]
Song: Barry Gibb - “Word of a Fool”Nick has some bad news, apparently vinyl is on its way out & we have COVID-19 to blame!! Actually, it looks like production is down because of plant shutdowns and sales haven’t been as high (probably because of the aforementioned drop in production, resulting in reduced availability). Nevertheless, Pitchfork is proclaiming the “Vinyl Revival” in jeopardy & we proclaim that assessment “Total BS”. [Pitchfork]
Also, he’s really been digging Microphones in 2020 & everything else Phil Elverum has ben making the past few years.
Album/Song: The Microphones in 2020

Welcome back friends! Maybe it hasn’t been a poster year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do this Thanksgiving right! This year we’ve built an elaborate (and completely silent) rail system, allowing for a socially distanced meal. We also didn’t purchase all the food from the dollar store, so … progress!

We were able to find plenty to be thankful for though and we thank you for listening! Please be safe out there and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

How is obscure 1970s Japanese Ambient music so popular on YouTube? A recent article in Ars Technica attempts to tie it to YouTube’s algorithm, but Nick thinks it’s simpler than that. (Thanks for the suggestion Kresimir!)
Song:
The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
Mother Earth’s Plantasia

The 2021 Grammy Nominee list is out & Greg was super pumped to see Antibalas on the list for Best Global Music Album. We discuss the list, including Black Pumas three nominations (well deserved), and share our unsolicited thoughts & feedback.
Song: Antibalas - Lai Lai

Jay brings us a delightful YSCIO Gift Guide for the 2020 Holiday Season. From $7 Neil Young Rolling Papers to a $2500 power cable fit for the audiophile in your life, this life has it all!
Song: The Dirty Knobs - She’s Got The Sugar

Almost 5 years ago, actor/director Alex Winter launched a Kickstarter to help save the private vault of Frank Zappa & promised the customary Kickstarter-Schwag + a movie in return. Well dear listeners, the latter end of that deal has finally arrived! So…we’re going to spend the whole episode talking about it & hopefully you find that enjoyable!

We really enjoyed this movie and it seems non-fans are enjoying it as well. Whether you love him or hate him, Frank’s fierce dedication to his art shines through & we feel like it’s a worthy watch for that reason alone. We play a lot of clips & talk about segments throughout the film, so definitely check it out if this pique’s your interest. Thanks for listening!

Movie: Zappa Movie (website)

Songs:

The Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free (Spotify)

The Mothers of Invention - Oh No (Spotify)

Ruth Underwood - The Black Page (composed by Frank Zappa) (YouTube)

Scumbag - Frank Zappa w/ John Lennon & Yoko Ono (YouTube)

Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (Spotify)

Charley Pride passed last week from COVID-19 complications & Jay shares his story with us today. He was an incredible bright and optimistic voice out of the Nashville scene starting in the late 1960s & he will be missed. We learn about Charley & listen to one of his classics [Washington Post]:
Song: Charley Pride - I’m Just Me

Bob Dylan sold the rights to his entire catalog last week. The price wasn’t disclosed, but estimates were in the $300 million range. Nick thought this seemed low and needed to check with Greg & Jay to get their thoughts as well. [NY Times]
Song: Hamilton Leithauser - Here They Come

The Dylan story led us right into Greg’s topic for the week. There’s been a slew of testimonies from famous musicians across varying legislatures and they’ve all been on the topic of artists revenues from streaming services. It’s a hot mess and we haven’t discussed in a while, but it’s back and we dig in a good bit. [The Guardian & Louder Sound]
Song: King Crimson - Frame by Frame

If you have anything to add to this conversation, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at ysciopodcast@gmail.com. In the meantime, have a great week everyone, we’ll see you next week for our Holiday Extravaganza!

Also, here’s a link to the Museum of Bad Album Covers, enjoy!

Happy Holidays Everyone! This year we decided to pull together songs or albums that we’ve come to associate with the season. Apparently we were very impressionable middle schoolers. We also exchange gifts (Jay wins) & chat with almost Van Morrison about...nothing, really. We keep it light this week, hope everyone out there is warm & safe.

What makes Keith Richards a great guitarist? Glad you asked! Jay’s long considered Mr. Richards one his favorites and brings us his case this week. We dissect his style & approach to the rhythm guitar, and listen to a selection of Jay’s favorites.
Songs:

Keith Richards - “Wicked As It Seems“

The Rolling Stones - “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”

The Rolling Stones - “Sympathy for the Devil”

The new Pixar movie “Soul” is phenomenal. The protagonist is a gifted jazz pianist, working by day as a middle school band teacher, trying to figure out what to do with his life. Greg first suggested it, but Nick got the luck of the draw presenting it this week. We break it down and listen to some clips. The jazz segments in the movie were written and performed by Jon Batiste, with the remainder of the score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. It’s worth a watch, whatever your age.
Songs:

Jon Batiste - “Bigger Than Us”

Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross - “The Great Before”

As the year was closing out, news dropped that MF Doom passed earlier in the year. It’s yet another loss, but just as painful. Greg discusses the unique sound he brought to the worlds he created & how his raw talent inspired so many other artists. He will be sorely missed.
Songs:

MF Doom - “All Caps”

MF Doom - “One Beer”

MF Doom - “Live from Planet X”

In 1991, a handful of 20 year olds calling themselves Slint recorded an album in Chicago and then promptly split up. The album, titled Spiderland, had no promotion and sold about 5000 copies. Nearly 30 years later, it’s hailed as a foundational post-rock album. Greg shares the story and the album with us. [The Guardian]
Song: Slint - “Good Morning, Captain”

Jay brings us two more remembrances this week. Tony Rice was an influential acoustic guitarist & master bluegrass guitarist who got his start playing in The New South in 1970. He collaborated with some of the best during his long career, including Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Gaudreau, Bela Fleck, Alison Krauss, David Grisham & more. We also remember Leslie West, guitarist & lead vocalist for the hard rock band Mountain. Rest in peace gentlemen & thank you, so much, for the music.
Song: Tony Rice - Nine Pound Hammer

This year has sucked hard, but it’s given us some fantastic music along the way. Nick, Jay & Greg share some of their favorite songs & albums of the year & then goof off a good bit on the way out.
The Songs
Nick: Tame Impala - “Lost in Yesterday”
Jay: Sturgill Simpson - “Just Let Go”
Greg: Deftones - “Pink Maggit (Squarepusher Remix)”

The Albums
Nick: Microphones - Microphones in 2020
Jay: Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You
Greg: Power Trip - Live in Seattle

Thanks so much for listening, see you in 2021!

Gabriel Lucas Riccio is a vocalist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, transcriber, and engraver from Salisbury, MD, currently residing in Chicago, IL. You can find a whole lot more about him on his website (TheGabrielConstruct.com). He was so much fun to talk to that we’ve split this conversation up into two episodes.

This week we dive into Gabe’s music & process. His first album Interior City, released as The Gabriel Construct in 2013, was his first major endeavor in a studio setting & he poured everything he had, creatively speaking, into the project. Believing the project would be therapeutic and finding himself, at the end of it, unsatisfied with the result, he spent the next few years struggling to create more music while he contributed to other artists’ projects. He also spent that time learning to cope with his depression. The process has been long but he’s rounded a corner the last 18 months and he’s brought some fantastic new music to share with us today.

We’re thankful to Gabe for coming on the show and hope you join us next week for Part 2, where we dive into his work transcribing King Crimson. Have a great week everyone!

Songs:
The Gabriel Construct - Inner Sanctum
Gabriel Riccio & Sophia Uddin - Between Entwines
The Gabriel Construct - Hiding a Light
The Gabriel Construct - Build

Gabriel Lucas Riccio is a vocalist, composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, transcriber, and engraver from Salisbury, MD, currently residing in Chicago, IL. You can find a whole lot more about him on his website (TheGabrielConstruct.com). He was so much fun to talk to that we’ve split this conversation up into two episodes.

This week we bring you the second half of our conversation. About 7 years ago, Gabe uploaded a transcription of King Crimson’s “The ConstruKction of Light” to YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kd5kG4847I], completing his senior comprehensive exams. A few hours later, a positive comment from Trey Gunn appeared & the two connected. Gabe went on to transcribe a book for Trey Gunn (and another for The Stick Men) before tackling King Crimson. With a team of proofreaders & Trey’s assistance, the completed “King Crimson: The Discipline Era” is now available. It includes all three 1980s Crimson records: “Discipline”, “Beat” & “Three of a Perfect Pair”. We really get into the weeds on this one & it is absolutely delightful (hope you agree)!

*Unfortunately it’s recently sold out, but we believe more will be coming in the near future…so keep an eye out if you’re interested!

Thank you again Gabe for coming on the show & have a great week everyone!

Songs:
King Crimson - Neal & Jack & Me
King Crimson - Dig Me

Thanks so much for everyone that joined us on Facebook Live (you can watch it here)!

Nick runs through some lists of albums coming out this year and we discuss which ones we’re excited to hear. [Rolling Stone, Pitchfork]
Song: Kings of Leon - “Knocked Up”

Greg brings us Round 4 of “Viral or Eyeroll” and it was a blast! For reference, here’s Greg’s spreadsheet of questions.

Jay (or John, if you prefer) brings us the story of Phil Spector, who died last week in prison. By his early 20s he was a chart-topping songwriter and was known through the 60s for his innovative music and production style. Later in life, his lesser side prevailed and he was 11 years into a life sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson when he passed. A spirited discussion ensues…
Song: The Ronettes - “Be My Baby”

We hope to do more live streams in the future, keep an eye on our website or Facebook to find out when!

Greg shared a new album a few weeks back that he was really enjoying. Idles released their sophomore album “Ultra Mono” back in September and is chock-full of some much needed energy this winter. Curious how others felt, Greg sought out the opinions of others, specifically the ones paid for their opinions, and landed on our friends at Pitchfork….so, first up on our special Review The Review TIMES TWO, we review Pitchfork’s review of “Ultra Mono” by Idles.
Songs:
Idles - “Model Village”
Idles - “The Lover”

Jay, on his semi-regular perusal of YouTube’s music-related offerings, came across a video called “The Dark Side of Spotify” (YouTube) by Slightly Sociable. The video presents a series of very concerning issues with the platform that Spotify has built, specifically that fraudulent streams were taking hundreds of millions of dollars out of a lot of artists pockets. We dig into the argument and, presuming this video has its facts right, dig in to Spotify quite a bit more. It’s a really good conversation, hope you enjoy it.
Song: Ryo Fukui - “It Could Happen To You”

Bookending the episode, we have our second round of Review The Review. This week Nick decided to jump right into last week’s “Album’s Coming in 2021” and listened to “OK Human” by Weezer. Feeling he may have started the year off on the wrong album, he consulted a variety of Google’s favorite articles; affirming his suspicion. Finding one article particularly well written, he submitted it for consideration in the week’s pool of potential segments &, to everyone’s surprised that he was awarded the opportunity to present a rare 2nd Review the Review to you today!

Okay, I may have exaggerated some of that…
Jay listened to it first and texted that everyone that it sucked. Nick immediately ran to Pitchfork to see if they too thought it sucked too (they did!) & then proceeded to listen to the album...also the ‘pool of articles’ part is entirely untrue…Nick didn’t like it either, that part was true though! [Pitchfork Review]
Songs: Weezer - “All My Favorite Songs”

We’re taking this week off to replay an episode we aired back in November that featured Nick’s Dad, Guy Kline. Guy passed away unexpectedly this past week at the age of 62 and we’re really going to miss him. We’ll be back next week with a new episode. In the meantime, thank you Guy Kline (love you Dad)!

We recorded this one on Facebook Live, if you wanna join us next time, keep an eye on our Facebook Page.

Jay brings us the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees & we weigh in with our top 5 picks (we really appreciated the audience participation!).

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (T.o.D.) released their 10th album last month & Nick felt it was deserving of a segment this week. Jay & Greg, both willing and able to render their requested opinions, return a split verdict & a lively discussion ensues.
Song: …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - “All Who Wander”

Greg brings us a well considered reflection on the legendary Chick Corea, who passed last week at the age of 79. He is and was an absolute legend of a jazz composer & keyboardist, and he will be greatly missed.
Songs:
Return To Forever - “Dayride”
Chick Corea - “Crystal Silence”

Nick brings us the news that Daft Punk have officially called it quits after 28 years. Announced via a video released on YouTube called “Epiologue”, the guys discuss the band’s history and
Songs:

Daft Punk - One More Time

Daft Punk - Digital Love

Greg has a new segment for us this week & he’s brought an intro for us as well!
Welcome to BIRDLAND- the segment where we WING it.  Today I asked my friends on Facebook to name their favorite Bird-themed songs, no matter the genre... in other words, talk BIRDY to me.  It felt a little HAWKward at first but I have to say I was shocked- so many folks CHIRPED in!  It was a real BEAKon of hope in these strange times.  A few of the songs suggested were a bit of oSTRICH, but most of them are OWLsome- simply POULTRY in motion.  And I gotta admit, some of them really QUACKed me up.  Once these folks started brainstorming they couldn’t stop RAVEN!  And in the end, this list is imPECKable.  So if it’s not too much of a BIRDen, I’d like to say my top 3, and then ask you guys what your top 3 bird songs are!  And while I can tell, you guys think this is going to be unPHEASANT... trust me, it’s gonna be be a HOOT!

Friend of the show Kresimir Tokic, along with Jay & Greg pulled together a special gift for Nick this week. Following the death of his father & past guest Guy Kline, the guys decided the only fitting way to show their love & support and to pay tribute to Guy, was through music. Jay presents Working Man by Rush. Guitars & vocals by Jay, bass & mixing/editing by Kresimir & lead guitar by Greg.
Note from Nick - Love you guys, I’m so fortunate to call you friends, thank you.

Greg brings us Round 2 of “Bangers & Mashups”. We’ve got “No Take It” by DJ Cummerbund, followed by a Radiohead/Mariah Carey Christmas Creep thing & finally “Chained Uptight” by Bill McClintock. It’s harder than it sounds to make & we dig into the work that goes into these & ideas around reharmonization & more.

NERD ALERT: NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have been popping up all over the place this past week, so Jay decided to dig into them and see if they how they could be used by musical artists.
Song: Jellyfish - "Joining a Fan Club"

Nick found a new artist that he’s really admiring. It seems there’s something in Australia’s water, as they keep producing some pretty remarkable one-person-bands in the Indie vein this past decade. This week, we explore the music of Tash Sultana.
Song: Tash Sultana - “Greed”

Jay hit it on the mark last week when he raised the question “What are NFTs and could they be used by musicians to release music?”. About 12 hours before the episode aired, a story dropped in Rolling Stone announcing that Kings of Leon would be releasing collector editions of their new album as an NFTs (as well as some extra special auctions with lifetime front row concert tickets included…brilliant). So, we dig into how they’re doing it and whether we can see it as a scalable means for artists to generate more direct revenue. [Rolling Stone]
Song: Toots & the Maytals - “Time Tough”

Nick found an article from last month called “What to Know About Music’s Copyright Gold Rush”. It breaks down why artists like Bob Dylan, David Crosby & others are selling the rights to song catalog, and why private equity firms are scooping them up. [Pitchfork]
Song: Mogwai - “Ceiling Granny”

Greg joins us from the road this week, performing a handful of socially distanced/outdoor shows in Florida, and he realized that the band behind his song was also from Florida. This got him thinking about the states that have produced the best bands AND a segment was born. “State of the Art” has a simple premise, pick the state that your favorite bands call home. This week, Greg takes Florida, Jay has Georgia & Nick’s in North Carolina.
Song: Death - “Spirit Crusher”

Greg just got home from a 4 show, 3 city tour with the Red Nots in Florida. Overall the experience was incredibly positive and he brings us up to speed on his travels.
Song: The Jesus Lizard - “Boilermaker”

It’s finally Greg & Jay’s turn to Face-Off. Nick drew the Grammy straw this year & he brings us a recap and a quiz! Things devolve as Nick’s questions get increasingly difficult, but that makes it all the more entertaining to listen to!
Song: Wilco - “We Were Lucky”

Jay brings us the story behind The Weeknd’s Grammy boycott. How is it that one of the most successful singles of the year was completely disregarded? Should we care? No promises on a resolution, but we dig into it.
Song: Shorty Long - “Here Comes The Judge”

Jay was doing a little spring cleaning last week and discovered a music themed trivia game buried in a closet. “Top of the Charts” was a gift from a relative (Thanks Relative!) and Jay decided it’d be perfect for the show. We go in Round Robin fashion and much fun is had!
Song: Jimmy Cliff - “Sitting in Limbo”

Nick’s head is still stuck on the NFT train and he had an idea to share with the guys for his segment this week. If music NFTs tracked anonymous playback like they track sales, the creator of the NFT could be paid an exact share of revenue generated by streaming services whenever their song is played. We discuss how that could work, dig into the spec a little bit and talk about why it could simplify streaming services accounting process…which might actually make it an idea worth considering.
Song: Jon Batiste - “Tell The Truth”

Greg learned a lot about one of his favorite Hip-Hop artists from a biopic that dropped on Netflix at the beginning of the month. “Biggie: I Got a Story To Tell” is a fantastic documentary about the life, influences & career of The Notorious B.I.G. We dig into a bit and Greg discusses what he learned & why he appreciates Biggie so much.
Song: Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme the Love

This week we’re joined by friend of the show Wayan Zoey!

Nick particularly wanted to get Wayan’s take on a recent Pitchfork article regarding LiveNation’s market dominance and stock growth despite having no live music the past year. We discuss how LiveNation has come to dominate so much of the live music industry in the last decade & whether that’s a problem.
Song: Black Midi - “John L”

Greg shares an album released back in 2006 but that’s received an increasing amount of recognition since its initial release. J Dilla made his final album “Donuts” from his hospital bed while being treated for the rare blood disease that he succumbed to days after the albums release. The guys concur that it’s an incredibly compelling listen and discuss J Dilla’s contributions to instrumental hip-hop in particular, and music overall.
Song: J Dilla - “Stop”, “Mash”

Jay adds to discussion of TONTO back on #065. Malcolm Cecil, the co-designer & producer of TONTO, passed at the age of 84 last week. We discuss his role as a pioneer of the analog synthesizer & his collaboration with Stevie Wonder during his prolific 1970s run of albums.
Song: Stevie Wonder - “Superstition”

We hope you’re all doing well, see you next week!

A headline caught Greg’s eye this week. “In Computero: Hear How AI Software Wrote a ‘New’ Nirvana Song” is the work of Over The Bridge, a Toronto based organization that deals with mental health and recovery in the music community. Taking songs from musicians that were lost at the age of 27 and feeding it into an AI art engine, they’ve assembled news songs that they imagine could have been made by artists such as Nirvana, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix & more. We listen to a few and work through a handful of our concerns with computer generated music, all while praising the message behind the project of course ;-)
Song: Garage A Trois - “The Epic”

Jay is delighted that baseball has returned and was inspired by a recent trolling of the Astro’s when the Oakland Athletics played “Before He Cheats” prior to the Astro’s lineup announcement (deserved). So Jay’s sorted segment into three groups: original songs about baseball, popular songs now associated with baseball, & songs written about specific teams. It’s a celebration of America’s past time & then Scott Stapp steps in…

Songs:

The Baseball Project - “They are the Oakland A’s”

The Treniers - Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)

Eddie Veddar - All the Way

Orioles Magic

Scott Stapp - “Marlins Will Soar” (this is awful)

Apple (along with Alphabet & Andreessen Horowitz) invested $50 million into the music distribution service UnitedMasters. Nick found the company’s “a record label in your pocket” value proposition interesting, especially alongside UnitedMaster’s push to help artists maintain ownership of their music. Is it all just marketing copy? What does a label bring to the table these days?
Song: Ryley Walker - “Striking Down Your Big Premiere”

One of Jay’s heroes released a memoir last week! Richard Thompson’s “Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975” is a memoir covering Thompson’s days in Fairport Convention and his transition to a solo career. We discuss the book & the band at the center of the story.

Songs:

Fairport Convention - “A Sailor’s Life”

Fairport Convention - “Autopsy”

News that Danny Elfman is releasing his first solo studio album in 37 years reached Nick’s feed this week. “Big Mess” comes out June 11, but some music videos have been dropping on YouTube in the lead up to the release. We discuss Mr. Elfman’s prolific career as a composer, singer and songwriter.

Songs:

Danny Elfman - “True”

Danny Elfman - "Kick Me"

Greg has another artist to spotlight this week. Mike Patton’s band Tomahawk recorded a new album during the pandemic and it just dropped. Mike Patton is a vocal anomaly and the lead singer for Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantômas and Tomahawk. Tomahawk’s latest album, “Tonic Immobility”, is a strong contribution to their catalog & gives the band more room to shine than in previous records. Along the way, we touch on Patton’s talent, philosophy, energy and antics.
Song: Tomahawk - “Business Casual”

Lastly, we were sad to hear of the passing of DMX this past week. We offer our appreciation to the iconic rapper and discuss his contributions to the hip-hop world.

Thanks so much for listening, we’ll see you next week!

This week on “Tay-Tay Today”, Nick brings us a list of the records Ms. Swift broke in the past week. Releasing her first of six albums she’ll be re-recording, Fearless debuted at Number 1 on the charts… which makes the first time a re-recorded album has reached #1. She became the only female with 3 #1 albums within a year & each of her last three albums
Song: Greta Van Fleet - “Built By Nations”

Greg brings out a new bit called “How It Started, How It’s Going”, where we discuss artists that were bigger solo than the band that made them famous.
Songs:

Heatmiser - “Blackout” -> Elliot Smith - “Coast to Coast”

Velvet Underground - “Beginning to See The Light” -> Lou Reed - “Vicious”

Faces - “Had Me A Real Good Time” <- Rod Stewart - “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”

Jay enjoyed a recent episode from the podcast “Wong Notes” so much that we’re talking about it on the show! Cory Wong, from Vulfpeck, speaks with famous guitarists about their craft. The episode up for discussion featured blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Jay was particularly interested to discuss Joe’s deep appreciation for vintage gear & the rationale behind Joe’s decision to rent each venue for his tour and handle ticket sales & promotion on his own.
Song: Tony Joe White - “Boot Money”

We’ll be live on Facebook next Monday, 5/3/21 at 9:30pm EST. Join us at facebook.com/youshouldcheckitout

Greg has just returned from a four show tour in Texas with the Red Not Chili Peppers & reports back on the trip. The crowds were wonderful & generous in their appreciation for the live music (except for this one guy in Dallas) & Greg shares all sorts of fun stories. Also, we highly recommend everyone get vaccinated!
Song: Khruangbin - “Mr. White”

Jay has a slew of music podcasts he’s been really enjoying lately and shares them with us today. The Blues Kitchen is a Spotify exclusive podcast about blues & rock from the past 80 years. Broken Record Podcast features fantastic musician interviews by Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell & Bruce Headlam. Jay describes Cocaine & Rhinestones as “Hardcore History” for Country Music. The project is the brainchild of Tyler Mahan Coe and, in each episode, he takes an extremely deep dive into a Country music artist or song or album.
Song: The Felice Brothers - “Inferno”

Nick was infuriated by a recent article about the Small Business Administration’s announcement that they’ve relaunched a portal to allow independent venues to apply for relief…a mere 13 months after closing their doors due to COVID restrictions. Rather than complain about the delay, the guys discuss how much they think the federal government should be helping musicians & whether bailing out small businesses is the right use of money….it’s quite contentious but hopefully enjoyable :-)
Song: Kurt Vile - “One Trick Ponies”

We recorded this one on Facebook Live, if you wanna join us next time, keep an eye on our Facebook Page.

Jay’s back with “Tales From The Concert” - Let Down Edition. This round we’re sharing concerts that we went into with high expectations & left sorely disappointed. Greg also collected a lot of listener stories and we hear from some of those as well. Thanks so much to Matt, Dina & Luis for sharing your stories with us!
Song: Dave Matthews Band - Rapunzel (Live at the United Center)

Nick’s hosting games tonight, this time we’re playing the 1984 game Solid Gold Music Trivia. Will Greg maintain his music trivia dominance or will Jay’s love of rock history prevail… you’ll have to listen to find out.

For our ninety-first episode, Greg brings the music of 1991. Instead of focusing on the whole year, Greg honed in on the 24th day of September, which brought us Nevermind by Nirvana, Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers & The Low End Theory by Tribe Called Quest. Quite a day!

Songs:

Nirvana - Territorial Pissing

Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Righteous & the Wicked

Tribe Called Quest - Buggin’ Out

Nick found a new album he’s excited to share this week. Legendary bassist Pino Palladino & producer, multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills released “Notes With Attachments” earlier this year. It’s both very easy to listen to and a 13 piece band performing complicated jazz arrangements of West African & Cuban inspired funk melodies. It’s also worth checking out!

Songs:

Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - “Djurkel”

Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - “Ekuté”

Greg joins us from the road on his way up to Seattle & he thought it was a perfect opportunity for another “State of the Art”. Greg sticks with Seattle this time, Jay shares his favorite bands & artists from his home state of Pennsylvania & Nick tosses in some Maryland bands as well.
Song: Bill Frisell, David Holland, Elvin Jones - “Moon River”

For our ninety-second episode, Jay brings us the music of 1992. We start off with Tom Waits “Bone Machine”, swing by the pop charts for a bit, move along to Dr. Dre’s “Chronic”, stop at Pavement’s debut “Slanted & Enchanted” & Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled first album, en route to Aphex Twin’s “Selected Ambient Works 85-92” and rendezvous at September 29, which gave us Alice In Chains “Dirt” & Stone Temple Pilot’s debut “Core”. Turned out to be a pretty solid year!

Songs:

Tom Waits - “Dirt in the Ground”

Alice in Chains - “Them Bones”

Greg has decided to formalize a recurring theme & he already made a theme song (with an incredible drum track by friend of the show Travis Orbin)! We’re excited to present “Heavy Rotation”, wherein Greg introduces us to a great new (or recently discovered) metal album or artist & then, eventually, veers into the defense of heavy metal lane (with Nick & Jay agreeably in tow).

This week, Greg brings us “Fortitude” by GOJIRA. It was the best selling album in the U.S. in its opening week, a first for the French heavy metal band, which formed in 1996. With full consensus from Nick & Jay, this album is pure energy injected directly into your ears. Go check it out.

Songs:

Gojira - “Another World?”

Gojira - “New Found”

Today Jay found a story about his hero Eric Clapton. It seems Mr. Clapton was scared and angry when the side effects of his second vaccine shot made his hand cold and numb. Aware that an anti-establishment tirade released online, as his friend Van Morrison did, wasn’t going to win him any accolades, he penned an anti-vaccine/big-brother letter to a friend which was forwarded immediately to the media. In other news, Eric Clapton is now fully vaccinated and can resume touring. Concerts, especially in Europe, will be attended by vaccinated people… Get The Shot!

But that’s not even Jay’s topic, because we’re bringing you a second album pick this week! Released last week, “Daddy’s Home” by St. Vincent is a funky 1970s soul inspired gem of an album, available on 8-Track & recorded entirely using equipment made before 1971. Check this one out too.
Song: St. Vincent - “The Melting of the Sun”

For our ninety-third episode, Nick brings us the music of 1993. There are too many debut albums & monumental releases to name just a few. Nirvana & the grunge movement have made its mark and everything starts to shift to the sound we now consider 90s or alternative rock. It was a good year for music.

Songs:

A Tribe Called Quest - “God Lives Through”

Radiohead - “Anyone Can Play Guitar”

Frank Zappa - “Dog Breath Variations“

This week we’re happy to welcome Scott Tournet to the show. Scott’s the frontman for Elektric Voodoo & a founding member of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (2003-2014). He joins us this week to talk about Elektric Voodoo’s upcoming album, Telescope, due in August & their latest Rarities, Vol 1 which dropped back in March. We also dig into his back story a good bit & had such a nice time we asked him to stick around for our discussion of the music of 1994, which was the year Scott first picked up the guitar. Keep an eye out for their new album & see the latest tour dates at https://www.elektricvoodoo.com/

Songs:

Electrik Voodoo - “Wake Up”

Electrik Voodoo - “Second Guess”

For our ninety-fourth episode, Greg brings us the music of 1994. We lost the great Kurt Cobain this year, but we gained a tremendous amount of incredible music. Green Day Dookie, Alice in Chains Jar of Flies, Soundgarden Superunknown, Jeff Buckley Grace, Notorius B.I.G. debut Ready to Die & a bunch of others. Another great year for music!

Songs:

Primus - Tweakers

Soundgarden - Spoonman

Warren G - Regulators

Nick has two albums to present this week. The first has been on his radar for a while and it did not disappoint his expectations! Black Midi “Cavalcade” was just released and it’s worth a listen if you’re into 80’s (and up) King Crimson or Bowie’s “Blackstar”. In other news, “Sweep It Into Space” by Dinosaur Jr. has been received very well by the critics & Nick very much disagrees with their assessment.

Songs:

Black Midi - “Chondromalacia Patella”

Re:rec - “Guys Like Girls That Look Like Bears”

Black Midi - “Ascending Forth”

Dinosaur Jr. - “I Ran Away”

Greg was inspired by all the big festivals popping back up this summer & he’s created a new segment called “FestQuest”. It’s kind of a choose-your-own-festival adventure. This week we’re creating our most enticing festival, a festival we would have to go to if it were announced.

Jaystock, a three day outdoor festival featuring The Rolling Stones, Radiohead & Tedeschi Trucks Band, will be coming to Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego next May; and Nickapalooza, a four day outdoor festival featuring Black Midi, Black Pumas & Radiohead, will be in Reykjavik Iceland this July. Neither are real, both sound like a lot of fun.
Song: Charles Mingus Sextet - “So Long Eric”

For our ninety-fifth episode, Jay brings us the music of 1995, with a twist. We cover the music news from the year and then, right when we’re about to discuss the music, Jay surprises everyone with a “Tag the Track”: Music of 1995 Edition show. It was a fantastic way to listen back to the songs from that year. We hope you enjoy!
Song: Phish - “You Enjoy Myself”

Greg’s just returned from a Midwest tour and during his travels he started thinking about an experience that every band has when they’re starting out, opening for a bigger act. The phrase “I saw them open a concert back before they were big” is a badge of pride for any music lover. Today we discuss our favorite Openers in the latest round of “Tales From The Concert”.
Song: Foxy Shazam - “Oh Lord” (Jay & Greg saw them open for The Darkness back in 2011)

Jay found two stories worth sharing this week. The first is the announcement that NY City will host a Re-Opening Celebration Concert in Central Park this August. The bands haven’t been determined and the date is tentative, but we’re happy it’s happening. The coolest part is they’re reserving 70% of the tickets for fully vaccinated New Yorkers…and it’s free!

Next up, a few dozen big name acts/artists (Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Pet Shop Boys, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono & Van Morrison to name a few) have penned a collective letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pleading for better pay for artists and songwriters from streaming services. The proposal argues that a new performing rights organization, similar to ASCAP & BMI for radio play in the US, be established to facilitate the terms/collection/distribution of funds from streaming services to artists. We’re on the fence about it, but it’s continuing to shed light on a very real issue, so we’ll count it as a net positive. ;-)
Song: The Black Keys - Going Down South

For our ninety-sixth episode, Nick brings us the music of 1996. Grunge and alternative are starting to fizzle as Pop music sweeps the radio waves. With the birth of boy bands like Backstreet Boys, to the debut of artists like Fiona Apple, Neutral Milk Hotel, Modest Mouse, and Belle & Sebastian, the music is changing in abrupt and notable ways. We dive into the music news of the year, as well as the albums released & bands formed. A very enjoyable conversation about a so-so year in music.

Songs:

Tool - “Third Eye”

Jay-Z - “Can’t Knock the Hustle”

Stereolab - “The Noise of Carpet”

Eurocup 2020 has finally arrived and Jay’s brought his favorite national anthem from each group to the show this week for a little side contest of sorts. We rate each based on originality and artistic merit, tally the scores and come up with our own tournament winners.
Song: The Sheepdogs - Rock & Roll (Ain’t No Simple Thing)

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard just released their 18th album Butterfly 3000 &, while it’s first time hearing the band, Nick is all in. The album is very different from their previous efforts, which is actually a common trait of the band. This time they bring a Psychedelic/Prog/Pop sound to the table and, everyone concurs, it is an absolute joy of a listen!
Song: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Catching Smoke

For our ninety-seventh episode, Greg brings us the music of 1997. After a run through of the best albums released, Greg decided to take the newsworthy events of the year and turn them into the latest edition of “Viral or Eyeroll”. The competition is fierce as Nick & Jay battle it out, trying to recall obscure moments from their sophomore year in High School. Another good adaptation of our ongoing 90s in the 90s & quite enjoyable to boot!
Song: Radiohead - “Airbag”

We recorded this one early & quickly as Jay was off to the hospital for the scheduled delivery of his second baby (it’s a girl!!) Congrats to Jay & Ann! We look forward to getting the details next week, but in the meantime….

It’s “News with Nick”

Flagged as expected but gotta mention it…Taylor Swift announces her next re-recorded album, coming out in November, is “RED” & will contain 30 tracks in total.

Possibly a first on the NFT front…Roc-A-Fella is suing Damon Dash over an NFT of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt. The NFT has since been taken down but the

Song: The Killers (feat Bruce Springsteen) - Dustland

Greg brings us our album of the week and it is a hell of a ride! Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show is a marvelous performance, spanning 2 discs (4 vinyl albums) & was released June 18th by the Zappa estate. If you appreciate incredible musicianship, you should really really check this album out…for real!

Songs:

Frank Zappa - The Black Page (New Age Version, Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/25/88)

Frank Zappa - Stairway To Heaven (Live at Towson Center, Towson, MD 3/23/88)

For our ninety-eighth episode, Jay brings us the music of 1998. It wasn’t the most prolific year, things are winding down for the decade and the genres and trends are bending yet again. Some early 90s bands release albums that could be categorized as ‘meh’ (Pearl Jam Yield, Smashing Pumpkins Adore); Kid Rock & Godsmack unfortunately release debut albums. Nick’s favorite Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was released, which he insists is enough to salvage the year. Lastly, Jay’s idol Eric Clapton released Pilgram, his long awaited album of new original songs & Jay considers it one of his most disappointing first listens of his life…so, not the best year….but we find some silver linings… specifically this video of an early Rage Against the Machine gig, which wasn’t from 1998 (enjoy!).
Song: Dave Matthews Band - Crush

Before we kick things off, Jay shares the news about the birth of his daughter, Ava Marie Rossman!

Greg brings us some sad news with the loss of Blackalicious founder and rapper Gift of Gab & he’s decided it’s time to name his frequent hip hop segments. “Rap It Up” features hip hop news or highlights an element of rap that Greg loves and appreciates. We celebrate Gift of Gab’s gift for gab by listening back to a classic track.

Song: Blackalicious - “Alphabet Aerobics”

Jay decided to take this week to explore songs that artists wrote for their son or, particularly in this case, daughter. We go through our favorites and listen to a handful. It’s all in celebration of the arrival of Ava Marie, born last Tuesday, June 22nd. Welcome to the world Ava!

Songs:

Bob Dylan - “Forever Young”

Ben Folds - “Gracie”

Stevie Wonder - “Isn’t She Lovely”

For our ninety-ninth & final 90s episode, Nick brings us the music of 1999. Browsing the charts, it doesn’t look like an impressive year, but 1999 included some very important and influential music (at least to Nick) and we listen to a lot of it.

Songs:

Liquid Tension Experiment - “When the Water Breaks”

Dismemberment Plan - “The City”

Flaming Lips - “Race for the Prize”

We’re all together this week to record our 100th episode! We got the kids together, we swam in the pool at Nick’s childhood home, and we listened to some songs of summer. This one doesn’t follow our normal format but we had a great time doing it! We hope you enjoy it too!

Lots of Songs:

-The Loving Spoonful - “Summer in the City”

- Joe Satriani - “Summer Song”

- King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - “Catching Smoke”

- Blues Traveler - “Run Around”

- Pearl Jam - “Alive”

- Outkast - “Hey Ya”

- Jonathan Thulin - “Hat Trick” feat. Derek Minor (and Ben Rossman)

- Queens Of The Stone Age - “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer”

- Incubus - “Aqueous Transmission”

- Incubus - "Summer Romance (Anti Gravity Love Song)"