Yes, another mp3 blog. Trying to share what I like with the world. The music here is for sampling only and are up for a limited time. It's simple really you see. If you like the music then go out and support the artists. Buy a cd/mp3/eight track, make a request on radio, see them live, tell others about it. This way this wonderful medium hopefully won't be stomped on.
Sweet Static is an mp3 blog that allows me to share the music I love and also to point out other cool things around the internet that catch my attention. It is also a place where I can talk about my radio show by the same name, now on Thursday nights from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on CJAM 91.5 FM in Windsor, Ontario.
Got something I should hear? Email me at sweetstatic @ gmail.com. All comments left here are emailed to my inbox, so you can get a hold of me that way also. You can also follow the show/me on twitter at sweetstaticcjam.
Interview With White Cowbell Oklahoma On Tomorrow's Show
It's with great excitement that I'm proud to announce that the almighty White Cowbell Oklahoma will be interviewed on my radio show tomorrow night. They are playing this Saturday night at The Blind Dog in Windsor.
Hopefully there won't be the same technical difficulties that plagued my first attempt to interview them. As a reminder Sweet Static is on from 7-8 pm tomorrow night and you can listen in at www.cjam.ca.
To tide you over here's an oldie but a good one from The Bell.
I've always been a huge fan of Jon Bartlett's bands from my first exposure. I have no idea when it was exactly but it was around the year 2000 when the first Rhume album, Snack Of Choice, came out. They were playing a show in Windsor at the now defunct Press Club, where I worked the door sometimes and I had played a couple of songs on my radio show to plug the gig. I really enjoyed the record and a friend played on it as well so I grabbed a copy of it before their gig started.
Well then the live show blew me away that night and that would be repeated every time I saw them after. I've been trying to remember how many times they came down here. To my best recollection it was three times as Rhume and once as Bartlett's country outfit Greenfield Main. In the course of the three times I saw Rhume I saw Jon Bartlett do such memorable things as
-in mid song going to the pool table, removing his shoes and socks and putting baby powder on his feet, while not missing any part of the song -once again in mid song followed a female in the washroom with the mic, not missing and lyrics. Unfortunately the female did not see the humour in this and promptly left the bar right after. -did the worm across the floor at The Coach & Horses here in Windsor. This may not seem like much but if you've ever been there you know that it takes a great deal of bravery.
From what I've heard these type of things happen often at his show. This video below is one of the most infamous.
For me though it wasn't just the crazy, high energy live shows. I've always been a fan of his music. I always find myself pulling out Rhume's Snack Of Choice and Jeu De Puissance and Greenfield Main's Hunting Tips For Everyone and Barnburners & Heartchurners. He was also in Steaming Toolie but I've never got around to really getting into them but that will be changing.
Sadly there hasn't been much of his own music out the last few years but he's kept busy with his label Kelp, which has put out music from many great bands like The Acorn, Andrew Vincent, Hilotrons and Andy Swan to name a few.
This April Kelp celebrated it's fifteenth anniversary with a mess of shows. On a radio appearance Bartlett was "completely floored on CBC Morning here in Ottawa when John Higney and Alan Neal did their big "reveal" of this compilation. Secretly, throughout the spring, Higney, Rolf Klausener and several schemesters got together and recorded old songs of mine, producing this flattering disc of covers, pretty much all of which are way better than the originals." Here is the track listing.
Snack Of Choice-Recoilers Brethren, She Will Never Lose Home Tonight-Andy Swan Jump Shooting For Ducks-Jim Bryson Roadfill-Catriona Sturton Greasy Tongues-Flecton Big Sky Surprising Upenders- The Acorn Kerosene Clean-Estee Tabernac (featuring Jail Curse, Sawtooth, and Chef George) Under The Gun-Greenfield Red River Valley-Andrew Vincent Squirrels Too? -Portolan Soleil Moonfrye-Silkken-Laumann Empoissssssonne (RMX)-B/A/C/O/N Game Over-C.C.R. (Crack Cocaine Revival) Turn Up The Jets-Camp Radio
As a huge fan of his work I love this album. Definitely worth checking out which you can easily do. He's put the compilation up on the Kelp website as a free download.
You should also do yourself a favor and check out the original material. There are four songs from Rhume and Greenfield Main on the page of free Kelp downloads.
Yes, a real post. While I was neglecting my own blog here, I was also ignoring most of the other fine blogs I've come to appreciate since starting this. So I hit You Ain't No Picasso and was excited to see a post on the new video by The Bicycles.
They have a brand new album out called Oh No, It's Love and the video is for the title track. Enjoy.
I have a confession to make. I was slow and I can't believe how slow I was. Flight Of The Conchords have been around for a bit but I've only got into them in the last couple of weeks. I love this band and the show. Like I said I'm coming to this late but I still wanted to share it.
Here are a couple of videos, first for one of my favorite songs, "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)"
Next their great hip hop song, "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros"
And of course Sub Pop is always good about putting up mp3s to sample so here is one from them.
Long time, no post. Going to see Feist and Hayden tomorrow night in Detroit and in anticipation I thought I'd bring you two of my favorite Hayden videos. First off is "Bad As It Seems"
Next up is "Trees Lounge"
I highly doubt they'll be played with him plugging a new album and all but I can always hope.
I know this video is out there, I saw it on Stereogum, but this video is really funny so I'm going to put it up here. Jason Collett's new album comes out February 5th. One of the albums I can't wait to hear.
Oh if anyone knows of a way to get a Labatt 50 hat like in the video please let me know.
Hope everyone is having a good holiday season. Just a couple of things from me here.
-As I said on my show last week, I was going to post the Christmas songs I played on December 14 on the site, since most were from other mp3 blogs. So tonight I made the flie up, zipped it and then went to Rapidshare and boom, not working. So keep an eye out the next couple of days and hopefully I'll have it up. -Last week I did a post on Jim Guthrie wondering what he was up to. Of course leave it to Michael Barclay over at radiofreecanuckistan to answer the question. Guthrie is working on his new album and has been writing commercial jingles. You can read the full interview over here. -I'm really looking forward to Walk Hard coming this Friday so when I saw this promo video from Judd Apatow from Funny Or Die I was excited. Watching it, the excitement held up. Enjoy it here.
So I headed down and really enjoyed the show. Definitely worth listening to. Check out this video for "Are The Birds Caught in the Trees" from her new EP How We Think About Light. Also songs are streaming on her homepage and Myspace page.
The Old Soul is a Toronto band. Really great, energetic stuff. Anyways, Friendly Fire Records has released, from the best that I can see, a compilation of their two previous releases. Looks like a mix of the two Canadian records for the U.S. One of my favorite bands from the last couple of years, both live and recorded so definitely check them out. Friendly Fire has a couple of mp3s up and the retro-tinged video from "River Of Daughters" is up on You Tube. The Old Soul-"Nectar Of The Nitwit" The Old Soul-"River Of Daughters"
Sorry for the lack of updates this week. Just been in one of those moods and not into blogging much. Going to correct that though.
Tomorrow night at Phog Lounge in Windsor is what should be an incredible show as the Fembots and Nathan Lawr perform. Only thing that sucks is that Luke Doucet is playing the same night at The Avalon Front. If I had my way I'd hit both shows but unfortunately I have to choose one and I go with Fembots/Lawr. Honestly you can't go wrong with either show.
Anyways a couple of songs from the Fembots and videos to try and persuade everyone in the area to go.
Bob Wiseman, The Phonemes and Jason Trachtenburg Show In Windsor
A big show next Wednesday, May 9, in Windsor aa Bob Wiseman, The Phoenemes and Jason Trachtenburg appear at Phog Lounge. I'm really excited about the show. Someone from one of the bands is supposed to call in to the radio edition of Sweet Static this Friday at around 11:30 am.
Some stuff to preview and get everyone excited about the show.
Here's a video of Jason Trachtenburg for everyone.
I've never heard of Daytrotter but really wish I had before today. Got a message of a new blog post from Rock Plaza Central on Myspace. So checked it out and found out that the band did a session for Daytrotter when they toured in the States last month. The session is pretty sweet, has four songs and includes a cover of the Rheostatics "Record Body Count" and the unreleased "Stereo Trucks" which I love and heard from a demo CD I got previously.
As extra here's the new video for "Anthem For The Already Defeated"
Lastly since I thought it disappeared on Youtube (although it's there now), here is the mash up of the Rock Plaza Central's "Sexy Back" with the Justin Timberlake video.
I just saw the video for Jason Collett's "I'll Bring The Sun" on Bravo up here in Canada and enjoyed it so much I thought I'd put it up here. I've really enjoyed his last two albums and can't wait for new stuff from him.
I was watching CBC tonight and found this brilliant video. It's unfortunate that more hasn't been said about the sad state that everyone's good friend Kermit has been in. From his website
"Soon after the death of Jim Henson, Sad Kermit the Frog turned to a life full of drugs, alcohol and sex. His fall to rock-bottom was quick and unrelenting. These songs document Sad Kermit's pain during these years...and years to come."
As people know I love my covers, hence my Menage A Trois segment on the radio show. So when I saw this video I knew I had to post it. Hence I bring you God herself (well according to Dogma) Alanis Morissette covering "My Humps".
Saw this on Stereogum and wanted to put it up myself. I've really been loving the new Apples In Stereo album and this song specifically. So when I saw the video thought I'd throw it up here.
With the last Rheostatics show coming up this Friday at Massey Hall in Toronto expect a lot of post this week based on the band. Going to be a mix of videos, stuff from my collection and also some things from the Rheostatics Live Archive.
Today just going to simple with a couple of excellent vidoes.
First off is one for "The Tarleks" feauturing Frank Bonner himself from WKRP.
Next up is "P.I.N", one of my favorite songs from their later years.
Well with the earlier post about The Bicycles, I immediately thought about Henri Faberge & The Adorables. Quick search on YouTube and I came across this video for "Ventriloquist Love", my favorite song from them.
So I was checking out the Zunior page and they mentioned that a favorite of mine, The Bicycles had a new video. So I headed over to YouTube, found out that just using "The Bicycles" isn't really a good idea for a search. Eventually found the video. Glad I did. Really funny, a little disturbing but totally The Bicycles. Check it out below.
