I Got Beers

I'm crazy about Surly Abrasive Ale!  Being a fan of Hops, this totally tops my list as my favorite beer of the moment.  Even though  the price gets me a little Surly I think it's definitely worth it.  I also like the fact that it's 9% so I can have a couple and catch a nice buzz while listening to records or hanging outside in the summer sun. Like Furious, I can taste hints of pineapple and grapefruit.  Definitely my favorite beer of the moment!

West Coast Poplockin'

Ronnie Hudson - West Coast Poplock

The one thing that makes me want to talk about this song/record is something that keeps occuring at work.  During our first break at 9am, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is usually on the television.  She has a part in her show where she gets the crowd to dance with her.  They have a selection of about 8 songs that they rotate everyday.  One of those songs is "California Love" by 2pac.  Everytime "California Love" is the song played, a 23 year old coworker always says "Damn..they're going old school." This single statement goes with the time 5 years ago where I asked the guy at Cheap Skate in Blaine if he could play "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton and he told me that they only bring those songs out on adult skates.  They both make me feel like i'm getting old.  Anyways..Old school? Are you kidding me?  I for one do not like 2pac. There are so many other legends that were about 20 times better then him that deserve the credit, but that's for another day.  "California Love" samples "West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson and The Street People.  This track is from 1982-83 and it would go perfect on a summer throwdown mixtape/playlist.  Upon first listen you will recongnize the chorus Roger Troutman sings on "California Love" with instead of "We keep it rockin'" it's "we're poplockin". Another funky treat is Mr. Hudson singing about Poplockin' in Howard Johnson's and Holiday Inn's which sounds like if this was a dream I was having it might be one of the best dreams i've ever had.  I mean come on..Poplockin' in hotels, keepin' it rockin..california sun!! It's a lot faster then "California Love" and a lot more funky.  Why do I keep comparing "West Coast Poplock" to "California Love"? Because if you can't stand 2pac and people who's music listening is based on what Clear Channel tells them to, then throw "West Coast Poplock" on at the party and it will get the real people on the dancefloor.

Listen Here.."West Coast Poplock" by Ronnie Hudson and The Street People

Record Store Day Journal 2010

Like Jake did, I thought I'd write about my Record Store Day 2010 experience.  The last two years I really missed out on the special releases because i'd show up at noon or after being that it was a Saurday morning.  Being that I'm a bit older, I have a hard time dealing with crowds and a even harder time dealing with hipsters, but I thought i'd give showing up early a shot. I woke up in the morning thinking I'm not going to get what I want.  Of course The Hold Steady release would be awesome but limited to 400 copies sounds impossible to find unless I showed up a day in adavance and waited in line.  But whatever, I found some cool things last year late in the day, i'd get a goody bag of samplers, and I'd get some food if I went to t he fetus. At a little before 9am, I drove past The Electric Fetus and it was a madhouse! The line was down the block with hipsters and I wasn't going to wait in line for 2 hours.  So I remembered last year Jake said that nobody really went to Down In The Valley.  I went on a Saturday morning drive to Golden Valley and when I arrived at 9:30, a half hour before store open, two people were in line!  I got in line behind a overweight over 40 year old woman with a MUSE shirt who asked me if I'm able to grab the MUSE special release would I grab it for her?  I told her sure.  At 10 am the doors opened with only about 7 of us and I picked up...

"Tighten Up/Howlin For You" - The Black Keys 12 inch
"Mind Eraser No Chaser, HWY 1, Interview" -Them Crooked Vultures picture disc vinyl
"Fences" - Phoenix pink vinyl 12 inch
"Little Secrets/Little Secrets Felix Da housecat mix"- Passion Pit 7 inch
"Compass/Lies Inside" Jamie Lidell 7inch
"live at clark university" Jimi Hendrix Experience vinyl

Besides these finds, at down in the valley I won a Motion City Soundtrack autographed vinyl and I got a free MGMT vinyl slipmat plus a goodie bag full of samplers and stickers.  After I got home I read that the black keys put a secret inside thier release.  I found nothing but after looking at the vinyl, in the dead wax it said Akron Split with an email address.  I emailed the address and twenty minutes later I got a email back saying I was one of 200 lucky winners of a black keys/devo split 7inch!  Needless to say, I had a great day!

Let Me Be Honest With You

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Primary Colours **** out of 5

I discovered this album by doing some crate digging at Treehouse Records on Lyndale and 23rd.  I was the only one in the store besides the clerk and it was playing over the speakers.  The clerk was reading some British music magazine and had a look on his face like he didn't want to be bothered but I asked him anyways what was playing.  He told me "Primary Colours" by Eddy Current Suppression Ring and I bought it there on the spot.  I think it's the second best album I bought last year.  Listening to this album will kick your ass as it is on some straight raw Sonics esque type stuff.  Although I noticed in the newest issue of Esquire, Britt Daniel from Spoon calls Eddy Current Suppresion Ring the greatest rock band since AC/DC and one of his favorite artists.  While I like the comment and the press they probably got from that, I can't help but feel a little jealous that a band that I thought I kind of had to myself will start getting a little more popular.  I know it's selfish to think that but it's probably what makes me the music snob that I am.  I read that they just put out a new album which will definitely be a purchase this week.  Listen to clips from all their albums at Eddy Current Suppresion Ring.

By the way, I heard three songs from the new LCD Soundsystem album and I love what I hear so far.  Even the cover of the new album is fantastic!

Let The Sun Come In Like A God Into Our Room..

Beck with Record Club "New Sensation"

I like Beck and I'm kind of intrigued by his Record Club where he records whole albums in a day with some of his musician friends. Even though I was a little dissapointed that after talking about it they put off doing "Sex Packets" by Digital Underground for a later date.  This time around they're doing "Kick" by INXS.  I like INXS mostly because my girlfriend Hilary got me into their album "Listen Like Theives".  I've always been a fan of "New Sensation" though and I was interested to see how Beck and Co. would do it.  After listening to it, I'm blown away!  I love how they totally did a different version of it which is slower then the original.  One thing I noticed about listening to this version is it made me listen to the lyrics more which made me realize what a beautiful song lyrically it is.  Another thing i'd like to know is who's filming these sessions?  Each episode of a song looks like it's a professionally filmed documentary.

Ill Street Blues

Kool G.Rap & D.J. Polo "Live And Let Die" ****1/2 out of 5

This is one of my favorite hip hop albums and a very intriguing one at that.  Some past reviews of the album have described it as a east coast version of "Amerikkkas Most Wanted".  Like Ice Cube coming to the east coast for Amerikkkas, Kool G. Rap went to the west coast and had Cube alum Sir Jinx produce "Live and Let Die".   He pretty much used the same formula Cube did to keep things fresh.  He switched up the formula and used west coast production ideas. The cover art caused major delays with the album.  The cover depicts Kool G. Rap and D.J. Polo with masks on dangling raw meat in front of rottwilers, who are chained to chairs that have narcotic officers with nooses standing on them.  The album remained out of print untill 2008 because of this and the lyrical content.  Kool G.Rap is a classic rapper because of his use of multisyllabic rhymes and it is evident throughout this album.  This is also one of the traits that makes Kool G.Rap one of my favorite rappers of all time.  The singles from this album were "Ill Street Blues" and "On The Run".  "Ill Street Blues" makes great use of the sample "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by Joe Williams from the Blue Note label. You can also hear "Are You My Woman" by The Chi Lites which Beyonce used for "Crazy In Love" in the song "#1 With A Bullet". One of my favorite aspects of this album as well as most of the hip hop albums from the 80s-mid 90's is that there is only one producer.  Having only one producer seems to make an album more consistant and I think multiple producers is something that makes me lose interest in most hip hop albums today.  A lot of todays hip hop albums seem to go all over the place and make me lose interest.  Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Scarface and Buswick Bill are the guest stars on the album and all make quality performances.  Kool G.Rap is also credited as the first rapper to use mafia references in his raps which is pretty interesting since most rappers today make that reference on a regular basis.  A deluxe 2 disc edition of the album was released in 2008 and includes all the 12 inch versions and remixes.  The remix of "On The Run" is better than the original so it's inclusion is great.  Like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, Kool G. Rap is a legend who definitely deserves more recongnition then he has.  "Live and Let Die" along with "Road To The Riches" and "Wanted Dead Or Alive" are all required listening for classic hip hop heads.