
So this is Christmas. No no, please don't scurry away, I promise you: no more John Lennon!! OK? Are we friends again? Have you stopped screaming?? Good. I was looking back at my Chrimbo posts from last year and I was struck by how Grinchian and grumpy they were! My goodness, pre-visitation Scrooge had NOTHING on FiL circa December 2008. Much of that was due to circumstances; I shan't go into details, but it was one of those burdensome Yuletides where I knew no matter what happened it [...]

Santa ponders Tiger Woods' Christmas list How can Christmas be so close? It was just the Fourth of July ... or it seems like that. Waitin' for that next paycheck to roll around before we get out in the trenches for some combat shoppin'. No time, no time. But there's always time for a few songs. MP3: "Snoopy's Christmas" by the Royal Guardsmen MP3: "Monster's Holiday" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett [...]
Where to begin? I should start with the ornamental comb, like three white gleaming stakes from some Gnostic purification ritual, holding a jet-black stack of hair atop the fiery head of Polly Jean Har... Continue reading "SXSW Report: Friday with PJ Harvey, New York Dolls, Camera Obscura and Beyonce's Little Sister" >

Christian Kiefer - In Hindsight (featuring Bill Callahan) Frank Turner - Long Live The Queen Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs - Gettin' High For Jesus Horse Feathers - Curs In The Weeds J. Tillman - Steel On Steel Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Seven-Mile Island Gary Louris and Mark Olson [...]
We continue with more of our favorite bands appearing at this year's South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. The full schedule of showcases is here. More such posts will appear here at Powerpopulist in the coming days. Previous SXSW posts, with lots of mp3s, can be found here.A Mix of Known & New (to Me)The Asteroid #4 - These Flowers of Ours mp3The Transpersonals - Twenty Twelve mp3Magic

Being a bit young in '65 (one year old) to hear The Brogues play; it was some years before I came across them via a mixtape done by a good record-collecting friend. I raved about it, to anyone who'd listen, and many who would rather not have; tried to push it (unsuccessfully) as an ideal cover for a band i knew... "we'd have heard of it if it was any good..." they said - fools!. Thankfully, and quite rightly, many bands have not been so short-sighted as to ignore this fine tune from the very short-lived [...]

Being a bit young in '65 (one year old) to hear The Brogues play; it was some years before I came across them via a mixtape done by a good record-collecting friend. I raved about it, to anyone who'd listen, and many who would rather not have; tried to push it (unsuccessfully) as an ideal cover for a band i knew... "we'd have heard of it if it was any good..." they said - fools!. Thankfully, and quite rightly, many bands have not been so short-sighted as to ignore this fine tune from the very short-lived [...]

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Christmas Eve Eve. Are you done shopping yet? I used to have an uncle who would work until 5 p.m. every Christmas Eve, then set out to do his shopping before coming over for dinner. He [...]
I satisfied Big Jack for the moment. On the heels of the brutal post that Jimmy Morbid is preparing I thought I would get off my ass and post some music. It's been a busy week-- work, personal issues, obligations, etc. The kids are off to the great white north with the grandparents this weekend, I will be celebrating Swiss Day, and hitting the beach! So check it! Song: Zombies Artist: The King Khan and BBQ Show Album: Whats for Dinner? Comments: More like whats up this weekend? [...]
At the Love-In, baby! Toonage: Chocolate Watchband - Are You Gonna Be There? Slickee Boys - Are You Gonna Be There? Chesterfield Kings - Are You Gonna Be There?
I first heard the Chesterfield Kings back when I was doing rock and roll radio in Syracuse in the early 80's. The station played Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd and Van Halen but the all-night DJ girl, who I got to date for a few months, turned me onto all the cool bands in the clubs. She was one part Ramones , one part the Who and looked like a cross between Joan Jett and Liza Minelli . She had a voice to die [...]
Fun show this week. Had a special guest in the studio: my 9 year old son. We talked about favorite bands and college basketball. And we spun some killer tunes. Have a listen -- the kid's pretty good. Beat Surrender Podcast: March 20, 2008 Show [66 min] Playlist for March 20 -- click here for a more detailed playlist The Jam - Beat Surrender * The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner Guided By Voices - Back to the Lake The Raconteurs - Intimate Secretary * Nick Lowe - Shake & [...]

Oooh, I learned some rugby basics this weekend, moving me exponentially along the spectrum of familiarity from "why are they all locking arms and butting heads?" to "He was robbed of a try! Don't miss the conversion!" What a crazy, visceral, fantastic sport. Like soccer, gone mad. British friend Jamie invited me to his viewing party on Saturday to watch the Rugby World Cup which pitted England against South Africa (I know the history of Dutch colonization, but shouldn't there be more than like two non-white people on that team?). Jamie's house was festooned with with St. George's [...]

For the second holiday music mix, I have compiled 24 tracks about that fat, jolly dude from the North Pole. There may be better versions of some of the songs out there (i.e. Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby is far better than the Pussycat's) but the theme that binds this mix together is ridiculousness. Whether it's the inclusion of two Lynyrd Skynyrd songs (yes, Skynyrd did indeed release an Xmas album), a Slim Shady parody or the Cheech and Chong classic, this is one goofy mix of Santa-centic tunes. 1 ~ Brave Combo: Santa's Polka [...]