Summer’s drawing to a close. There, it’s been said. Everyone’s been avoiding it, but it’s a reality. Personally, I love the fall, even more than the summer. There’s still some warm days, but not ridiculously hot and it cools off enough to sleep if you’re not blessed with air conditioning. This is what you’re hearing today:

The Stone Roses – We Are The Champions (live)

k-os – SheClipse from “The Anchorman Mixtape” (Download it here.)
Listener – Ozark Empire, Or A Snake Oil Salesman Comes To Your Town from “Return To Struggleville”
G.R.I.T.S. – Do It Again from “Quarantine”

The Vaselines – Sex With An X from “Sex With An X” (Download it here.)
Land Of Talk – Swift Coin from “Cloak and Cipher” (Download it here.)
Franz Nicolay – This Is Not A Pipe from “Luck & Courage” (Download it here.)
Birds & Batteries – Strange Kind Of Mirror from “Panorama” (Download it here.)

Sufjan Stevens – Djohariah from “All Delighted People” EP

After my show two weeks ago, you’re probably a little sick of pop-punk. I know that was a lot to get through, but I put together a set this week of some decent stuff, so hopefully you can give it another chance. I made use of my “Way-back machine” this week to break out some old stuff by Foo Fighters and Blink 182. The Newsboys playing Jesus Freak isn’t old, but just might make you feel nostalgic for the mid-90’s. Oh yeah, and there’s some new Starflyer in there as well. Here’s the show:

Foo Fighters – Have A Cigar from “Learn To Fly”

Fake Problems – Soulless from “Real Ghosts Caught On Tape” (Download it here)
Against Me! – I Was A Teenage Anarchist from “White Crosses”
Bad Religion – Live Again (The Fall of Man) from “The Empire Strikes First”
Blink 182 – New Hope from “Dude Ranch”
Craig’s Brother – Losing My Religion

Starflyer 59 – Trucker’s Son from “The Changing Of The Guard”
Gord Downie – The Hard Canadian from “The Grand Bounce”
The National – Afraid of Everyone (Live on Late Night with David Letterman)

Newsboys – Jesus Freak from “Born Again”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

I recently participated in a Mix CD exchange. Everyone creates a mix, burns n-1 copies of the mix and then mails them to a singular person. This person then creates packages and mails everyone 1 copy of everyone else’s mixes. It was pretty cool to get a stack of new music like this and a great way to be introduced to new music. Usually this helps me with bands that I’ve been meaning to listen to but never get around to it. Case in point, today’s episode features Cat Power’s version of New York. People around me have extolled the virtues of Cat Power but up until a couple weeks ago, I had never actually listened to them. There were some other highlights as well that will probably get used in future shows, but that’s the only inclusion this week.

I think I need to rant a little bit about iTunes bonus tracks. It’s a pain, when you’re like me and prefer to purchase physical copies of albums. I’ve already bought the album once, why do I not get the entire thing? Weird. Also, for many of these, the tracks don’t really fit with the rest of the album and feel tacked on when listened to in sequence. So, I guess, why do I even bother? She Loves You by The Gaslight Anthem is actually a decent track, even if it doesn’t fit at the end of the album. (We Did It When We Were Young does a pretty good job of ending off the album). Whatever, this is what else you’re hearing this week:

Grand Analog – Electric City featuring Shad from “Metropolis Is Burning”

Laura Stevenson & The Cans – Holy Ghost
Cat Power – New York from “Jukebox”
Fiction Family – Friday, I’m In Love from “Fiction Family”

Arcade Fire – Ready To Start from “The Suburbs”
Blonde Redhead – Spring And By Summer Fall from “23″
The Gaslight Anthem – She Loves You from “American Slang”

Amanda Palmer – Fake Plastic Trees from “Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits of Radiohead On Her Magical Ukelele”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

How do you properly pay tribute to a band that was responsible for a major shift in listening habits? Back as a young teen, I was listening to a lot of CCM and pretty cheezy Christian rock. Then one Christmas, I got a copy of Teenage Politics and everything changed. I fell in love with punk rock. Being a sheltered kid in a rural area, I had never really heard punk music before, so hearing these short, three-chord ditties in the mid-90s was new to me. Through the years, I continued to buy everything this band put out, tracking down rare 7″ records, fan-club only singles and other rarities that were never officially released. I managed to see them 6 times from 1997 to 2008. They were the one band that could still tempt me into joining a most pit.

A couple weeks ago, they pretty much played their final show. They played their third album, Life In General, from start to finish as a send off to their original drummer. Now that he had started a family, he moved to a stage in his life that couldn’t support the endless touring that they did to make a living. It was still impressive that a band of teenagers, with one lineup change coming a year in, stayed together, continually touring and recording until their mid-30s. Now they haven’t officially retired the moniker and will probably still play random shows with new lineups surrounding their bass player/singer, but it won’t be the same. I’ll still look forward to the occasional release, but they’ll just be another of those bands that don’t die but will never come close to the peak.

I’m not sure what it was, but it always felt like they were on the cusp of greatness. They were veterans at a time when pop-punk was breaking through in the mainstream. They had a great live show and always went the extra mile for fans. I don’t know what it was, but they just couldn’t get that break that they needed. Anyways, MxPx will be missed, at least by me. Thanks to Rob and Mark for helping me get this episode together. It’s a little long, but it’s full of awesomeness. I didn’t even include everything that I wanted. These 31 tracks were chosen from more than 400 that sit on my iPod. Here’s what you get:

17 (I Saw Her Standing There) from “17″ 7″

Too Much Thinking from “Pokinatcha”
PxPx from “Pokinatcha”
Ears To Hear from “Pokinatcha”
The Opposite of Intellect from “Teenage Politics”
Dolores from “Teenage Politics”
Chick Magnet (Live on KNDD) from “Move To Bremerton” EP
Today Is In My Way from “Life In General”
Southbound from “Life In General”

Summer of ‘69 from “On The Cover”
Drum Machine Joy from “On The Cover”
No Action from “Before You Were Punk 2″
Janie Jones from “Burning London – A Tribute To The Clash” (Australian Import)
The KKK Took My Baby Away from “Live At The Show”
Blue Moon from “Oldies But Goodies”

Christmas Day

Tomorrow’s Another Day from “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo”
I’m OK, You’re OK from “Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo”
Two Whole Years from “The Ever-Passing Moment”
Yuri Wakes Up Screaming from “The Renaissance”
Play It Loud from “Before Everything And After”
Invitation To Understanding from “Acoustic” EP
Heard That Sound from “Panic”
Sweet Sweet Thing from “Let’s Rock”
Here’s To The Life from “Secret Weapon”
One Step Further from “Left Coast Punk” EP

Scooby Doo, Where Are You? from “Scooby Doo Official Soundtrack”
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Shout from “Animal House – Double Secret Probation Edition” DVD
Punk Rock Girl from “On The Cover II”

Punk Rawk Show from “Live At The Show”

Thanks for listening and I’ll be back to a normal show next week.

Jared

Are you ready for some more instrumental/post-rock/ambient/noise goodness? Well this week brings you 80 minutes of just this. This show was by request and since I usually only listen to this stuff in the fall and winter, I don’t have too much brand new music here. But the new stuff I do have is balanced out by some old classics by some of the greats of the genre.

I’m pretty pumped that Godspeed You! Black Emperor are back playing a couple shows this year. I’m really hoping that they stop near enough to me that I can catch them. “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven” is probably the greatest post-rock album ever. Four tracks spread over two LPs. It’s probably a little over kill to play one track from there, but if you get sick of it at the end, you can always pause it. But I don’t know why you would. It’s just that awesome.

Here’s what we’ve got this week:

Mogwai – The Sun Smells Too Loud from “The Hawk Is Howling”
Sigur Ros – Svefn-g-englar from “Agaetis Byrjun”
Dylan Ettinger – Arn Anderson’s Beard from “Laminar Excursion Monthly #14″
Explosions In The Sky – Welcome, Ghosts from “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone”
Hammock – In the Nothing of a Night from “Chasing After Shadows… Living with the Ghosts…”
Eluvium – Prelude For Time Feelers from “Copia”
Mono – Follow The Map from “Hymn To The Immortal World”
Do Make Say Think – Le’espalace
godspeed you! black emperor – Gathering Storm from “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

Not much to say that isn’t already in the show. Some good old tracks from Shad, Copeland and The 77’s with some good new stuff from Barn Owl, Cotton Jones and a very listenable track from Danielson. I know I’m shocked too. Anyways, this is what you’ll be listening to:

Shad – Out Of Love from “When This Is Over”

Barn Owl – Young Explorers from “The Roman Empire Never Ended”
Danielson – Eagle from “Moment Soakers” 7″
Zoo Seven – Hundred Ways from “Lifesaver”

Copeland – Take My Breath Away from “Know Nothing Stays The Same”
Lowry – Africa from “Guilt By Association Vol. 2″
Cotton Jones – Pressing Down The Grass from “Laminar Excursion Monthly Vol. 13″

The 77’s – Kites Without Strings from “Pray Naked”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

It’s always fun to venture back through your music collection and stumble upon an album that you didn’t listen to much when you first got it, but then once you hear it again, you get it and really enjoy it. This happens once in a while, most notably in my life with Further Seems Forever’s The Moon Is Down and anything by The Danielson Famile. It happened to me this week with Okkervil River. I had come across their Stage Names album in my collection and decided to give it a spin. I’m thankful I did. The track Plus Ones jumped out at me and I knew that I had to include it this week. Here’s what else you’re listening to:

Craig’s Brother – The Mistake Of Caring

The Sadies – Another Year Again from “Darker Circles”
Mike Ness – I Fought The Law from “Under The Influences Vol. 1″
Metric – Gimme Sympathy from their session for Daytrotter.com

Okkervil River – Plus Ones from “The Stage Names”
The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition from “Conditions”
The Love Language – Pedals from “Libraries”

The Lassie Foundation – El Rey from “El Rey”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

Whoo! We’ve hit the halfway point of 2010! Can you believe it? I was pretty shocked when I was getting this week’s episode together and realized it was the 26th show this year. That means it’s time for a compilation of my favourite tracks that I’ve played so far in 2010. There have been some amazing albums so far in 2010 and I’m sure there are many more to come. Just check out this playlist:

Die Fraktion – Schwarz Rot Gold from “Mut im Bauch”

Shad – Yaa I Get It from “TSOL”
Deepspace5 – From The Outside from “The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be”
John Reuben – Make Money Money from “Word of Mouth”

The National – Afraid Of Everyone from “High Violet”
husband&wife – Fell In Love At 22 from “Translations: A Tribute To Starflyer 59″
Teenage Fanclub – Baby Lee from “Shadows”

Mumford & Sons – Awake My Soul from “Sigh No More”
The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang from “American Slang”
Poema – 2 AM from “Sing It Now”

Library Voices – Drinking Games from “Demin on Demin”
Old Canes – Little Bird Courage from “Feral Harmonic”
Denison Witmer & The River Bends – Are You Lonely? from “… And Flows Into The Sea”

The New Pornographers – Hey, Snow White! from “Dark Was The Night”
Retribution Gospel Choir – Hide It Away from “2″
The Gertrudes & PS I Love You – Sailor from a split 7″ with Bruce Peninsula and Muskox

Spoon – Black Like Me from “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”

Thanks for listening.

Jared

Today’s podcast was put together with a little bit of a heavy heart. I spent sometime yesterday watching the Germans be bounced by the Spanish in the World Cup. I was pretty confused as to why the Germans decided just to sit back, concede most of the possession and only take a couple counter attacks. It seemed like a pretty odd decision from a team that dominated early in the tournament by playing a pretty free flowing attacking system. Oh well, I guess there’s always 2014, but I’m still holding out hope to be cheering for a Canadian team then. This is what you’re listening to this week:

The National – Terrible Love from “High Violet”

Five Iron Frenzy – It’s So Hot, I’m Gonna Have a Heat Stroke from “Cheeses of Nazareth”
YourFace – The Slurpee Song from “Trust Me”
The Inklings – Slurpee from “I’m Your Biggest Fan Vol. 1″

Joey Cape – The Ramones Are Dead
Denison Witmer – The 80’s from “Of Joy And Sorrow”
The Radical Dudez – Ukelele from “The Radical Dudez”
The Gaslight Anthem – Boxer from “American Slang”
Arkells – Heart of the City from “Jackson Square”

Spoon – Black Like Me from “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared

Well, it was bound to happen. I couldn’t find enough new music this week for an entire show, so you’re getting a house cleaning sort of episode. That’s not to say that this music is bad, but it just never quite fit in previous shows when I got the tracks, so they just sat around until I had forgotten about them. There are a couple of great new tracks (from The Roots and Blonde Redhead) but the rest is older odds & ends that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Here’s what you’re listening to on this fine Canada Day:

The Roots featuring Jim James – Dear God 2.0

Luxury – Goody Two Shoes from “Cut & Paste Collective”
Thrice – Eleanor Rigby from “If We Could Only See Us Now”
Joy Electric – I’m OK, You’re OK from “Children Of The Lord” single
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes – Mandy from “Have A Ball”

Blonde Redhead – Here Sometimes
TW Walsh – The Pitch from “The Soft Drugs In Moderation”
Pete Stewart – Bringing Me Down from “Under North Sky”

The Cure – Out Of This World (Paul Oakenfold remix) from “Join The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities”

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next week.

Jared