Random Old Records

It's been about six months since I last did a podcast, and over a year since I did these with any regularity, but a funny thing happened several weeks ago. I had figured returning to podcasting would be damn near impossible at this point. I hadn't done them monthly in forever, so where the hell was I gonna start?! I think I've bought and listened to something like three hundred records in the past year, and all of them are worthy of your attention in some way. So, I sat down and made a list, and by the time I was done I had filled both sides of a piece of paper and started writing more names in between the cracks. The simple theme of Random Old Records #45 is "things that blew my freakin' mind since the last one."

To be more specific, this episode features music that is slightly bent, cracked, or mutilated, with nothing much resembling standard pop, rock, or punk music. You'll hear freaky prog-folk from original Vertigo label acts Cressida and Tudor Lodge, blown-out punk noise by Flipper, Running, Obnox, and Sector Zero, and plain ol' weirdness by E.T. Habit, MX-80 Sound, and Captain Beefheart. Hope you all enjoy!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the episode below. As always, thanks for listening!

1. Cressida - "To Play Your Little Game"

(Cressida, Vertigo 1970)

2. Anonymous - "Up To You"

(Inside The Shadow, Machu Picchu Ltd. 2013)

3. Salvia Plath - "House Of Leaves"

(The Bardo Story, Weird World 2013)

4. Tudor Lodge - "Nobody's Listening"

(Tudor Lodge, Vertigo 1971)

5. Dark - "R.C.8."

(Round The Edges, Machu Picchu Ltd. 2013)

--Runaway Daughters!!

6. Sector Zero - "Hiding In My Car"

(Sector Zero 7", Goner 2013)

7. Running - "Why Can't You Be In Running"

(Vaguely Ethnic, Castle Face 2013)

8. Obnox - "Ciara"

(Corrupt Free Enterprise, 12XU 2013)

9. Whatever Brains - "Summer Jammin' 2"

(Whatever Brains, Sorry State 2012)

10. The Mallard - "Decade"

(Finding Meaning In Deference, Castle Face 2013)

11. Public Image Ltd. - "Low Life"

(First Issue, Light In The Attic 2013)

--Tarantulas!!

12. Human Eye - "Alligator Dance"

(4: Into Unknown, Goner 2013)

13. Flipper - "Get Away"

(Sex Bomb Baby, Subterranean 1988)

14. Gary Wrong Group - "Heroin Beach Serpents Attack"

(Knights Of Misery, Total Punk/Jeth-Row 2013)

15. ET Habit - "Hooves & Tails"

(Panthers On The Roof, ET Habit 2012)

16. MX-80 Sound - "Kid Stuff"

(Hard Attack, Superior Viaduct 2013)

17. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - "Moonlight On Vermont"

(Trout Mask Replica, Straight 1969)

18. The Gospel Truth - "A Lonely Man Does Foolish Things"

(A Lonely Man Does Foolish Things, 12XU 2013)

I've been sorta hibernating for the winter, so this is as good of time as any to put together a new podcast. Random Old Records #44 is the first one I've done since September 2012, and it's an uninterrupted hour of whimsical psychedelic pop from the 60s to the present. This is nineteen tracks from one man band weirdos, forgotten heroes, new wizards, and everything in between. There's two Creation covers, obscure compilation tracks, and at least two legit chart hits. I hope everyone likes this as much as I did when I was putting it together. Thanks for listening!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the episode below.

Random Old Records Podcast #44

Released 02/13/13

1. XTC - The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead

2. The Marble Vanity - Assemble

3. Gene Clark - So You Say You Lost Your Baby

4. Love - The Daily Planet

5. The Fun & Games - It Must Have Been The Wind

6. Orpheus - Can't Find The Time

7. XTC - Respectable Street

8. Blur - Star Shaped

9. Ride - How Does It Feel To Feel?

10. Thee Oh Sees - If I Stay Too Long

11. Terry Malts - Waiting Room

12. Carter USM - This One's For Me

13. The Resonars - Invisible Gold

14. The Olivia Tremor Control - Courtyard

15. The Go - Tease My Ears

16. Jacco Gardner - Puppets Dangling

17. Maston - Night

18. The High Llamas - Island People

19. Gap Dream - My Other Man

Random Old Records Podcast is back from its summer vacation! Not gonna try to make up any crazy excuses, the truth is that I was running low on inspiration after 3+ years of blogging and doing a monthly podcast, and decided to put it to rest for awhile instead of cranking 'em out just to keep the streak going.

Considering that it was four months in the making, EPISODE #43 of Random Old Records is a one hour MONSTER of fresh rock n' roll for your ears. It starts out with some ugly, noisy jams from Puffy Areolas and the K-Holes and crucial new punk rock from White Lung and Dikes Of Holland, hits the best tracks from the latest releases by The Fresh & Onlys, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees, and highlights some psych pop newcomers like The Marble Vanity and Jacco Gardner. This edition hits all the bases from the noisiest free-form freakouts to tight power pop and everything in between. It's simply a collection of the best shit I've heard all year, and I hope you all have as much fun listening to it as I did putting it together. Let's all have fun together!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the episode below.

Random Old Records #43

Released 09/14/12

1. Puffy Areolas - "1982"

(1982: Dishonorable Discharge, HoZac 2012)

2. K-Holes - "Nightshifter"

(Dismania, Hardly Art 2012)

3. Holograms - "Memories Of Sweat"

(Holograms, Captured Tracks 2012)

4. White Lung - "Bag"

(Sorry, Deranged 2012)

5. Dikes Of Holland - "Braindead USA"

(Braindead USA, Screamers 2012)

6. A Giant Dog - "Hang Around"

(Fight, Tic Tac Totally 2012)

--Isle of sin!

7. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - "All To Myself"

(All To Myself 7", Hosehead 2012)

8. Mrs. Magician - "There Is No God"

(Strange Heaven, Swami 2012)

9. The Fresh & Onlys - "Yes Or No"

(Long Slow Dance, Mexican Summer 2012)

10. The Marble Vanity - "Assemble"

(The Marble Vanity, Slow Fizz 2012)

11. Thee Oh Sees - "Goodbye Baby"

(Putrifiers II, In The Red 2012)

12. Jacco Gardner - "Summer's Game"

(Where Will You Go 7", Trouble In Mind 2012)

--The narcotics story!

13. Apache Dropout - "Archie's Army"

(Bubblegum Graveyard, Trouble In Mind 2012)

14. The People's Temple - "Looter's Game"

(Looter's Game 7", HoZac 2012)

15. Ty Segall Band - "The Tongue"

(Slaughterhouse, In The Red 2012)

16. Human Eye - "Junkyard Heart"

(They Came From The Sky, Sacred Bones 2012)

17. Spanish Moss - "Chemical Catherine"

(KELP, Spot On Sound 2012)

--Walking by night!

18. Missing Monuments - "(I'm Gonna) Love You Back To Life"

(Love You Back To Life 7", HoZac 2012)

19. White Wires - "Everywhere You Were"

(WWIII, Dirtnap 2012)

20. Woollen Kits - "Down Your Street"

(Shelley 7", Trouble In Mind 2012)

21. Cozy - "Sugar On My Mind"

(Cola Shock Kids 7", HoZac 2012)

22. The Liminanas - "Bad Lady Goes To Jail"

(Crystal Anis, HoZac 2012)

So yeah, after over three years and 41 monthly episodes, I needed a little break from Random Old Records Podcast. When I started thinking about EPISODE #42 back in March, there was just too much shit going on, and the inspiration wasn't there, so I figured it was best to take a break (my first!) and stack up tracks for awhile. I never imagined that I would actually get e-mails from people asking when the next episode would be out. Well, it was only two, but still! You guys rule, and I can't thank you enough for listening to Random Old Records and patronizing this blog, even though I haven't posted a goddamn thing for months.

Anyway, Random Old Records #42 is out, and I'm super proud of this one. This episode functions as a sort of "BEST OF 2012 SO FAR"-type playlist, featuring new tracks from Wax Idols, Natural Child, Gentleman Jesse, Nobunny, Heavy Cream, and Sugar Stems, a bunch of new releases on Trouble In Mind from The Resonars, The Paperhead, Hollows, and Estrogen Highs, Record Store Day Exclusives from Nobunny and The Black Angels, and so much MORE! Hope y'all dig it, check out the playlist below, and be on the lookout for #43 soon!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! More classic episodes from the past ten years are being added to the feed as well, so check those out as well. You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the new episode below. On the horizon is the yearly 5/10/15/20 episode featuring classic tracks from the past, along with an episode of fresh recent punk and garage rock. As always, thanks for listening!

Released 06/04/2012

1. Natural Child - "8 AM Blues"

(For The Love Of The Game, Burger 2012)

2. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - "Violent Girls"

(The Banana Split, Hosehead 2012)

3. The Tough Shits - "Birds (Don't Get Tired Of Flying)"

(The Tough Shits, Burger 2012)

4. Gentleman Jesse - "I'm A Mess"

(Leaving Atlanta, Douchemaster 2012)

5. Sugar Stems - "Never Been In Love"

(Like I Do 7", Certified PR 2012)

6. The Resonars - "Sit Right Down"

(Long Long Thoughts 7", Trouble In Mind 2012)

--Love, architecture, etc.

7. Wax Idols - "Schadenfreude"

(Schadenfreude 7", Suicide Squeeze 2012)

8. Rayon Beach - "Airplane With Tits"

(This Looks Serious, HoZac 2012)

9. Heavy Cream - "Tunnel Vision"

(Super Treatment, Infinity Cat 2012)

10. Nobunny - "I Can't Stop"

(Maximumrocknroll 7", Goner 2012)

11. The Hex Dispensers - "Young Blood In The River"

(Parallel 7", Red Lounge 2012)

12. Estrogen Highs - "Grass Of Leaves"

(Irrelevant Future, Trouble In Mind 2012)

--Beauty as a weapon!

13. The Black Angels - "She's Not There"

(RSD 7", Blue Horizon 2012)

14. Allah-Las - "Catamaran"

(Catamaran 7", Innovative Leisure 2012)

15. Outer Minds - "Gimme A Reason"

(Outer Minds, Southpaw 2012)

16. The Paperhead - "She Is Above Me"

(Pictures Of Her Demise 7", Trouble In Mind 2012)

17. Ty Segall & White Fence - "Easy Ryder"

(Hair, Drag City 2012)

--Deadly spawn!

18. Tiger High - "Boys At The Bottom"

(Myth Is This, Burger 2012)

19. Cosmonauts - "Gillian"

(If You Wanna Die Then I Wanna Die, Burger 2012)

20. Radar Eyes - "Disconnection"

(Radar Eyes, HoZac 2012)

21. Hollows - "Up & Down"

(Vulture, Trouble In Mind 2012)

22. Best Coast - "My Life"

(The Only Place, Mexican Summer 2012)

Holy moly, things are crazy in the midwest right now! Tornadoes, hail, sunshine, and a huge pile of badass rock n' roll records to listen to are among the highlights. EPISODE #41 of Random Old Records features an hour of rad jams from what is shaping up to be one of the best music years on record. This is also South By Southwest week, so #41 features a bunch of bands playing the annual music orgy plus so much more!

We're talkin' amazing pop tunes from La Sera, Frankie Rose, and Summer Twins, raging punk from LA slackers FIDLAR, the noisy Ramones trip of Terry Malts, and the Denton weird power pop of Mind Spiders. We're talkin' brand NEW tracks from Portland's Mean Jeans and Guantanamo Baywatch, whose new LPs won't be out for another month. We're talkin' brain-frying psychedelic rock n' roll from The Sufis and Ketamines. Most of all, we're talkin' about a track called "Conversation" from one of the most impressive debut LPs I've heard in forever, the 60s sunshine pop/psych hybrid known as OUTER MINDS. Seriously, this album is so good that it's unreal. Think early Arthur Lee and Love mixed with the complex vocal harmonies of The Association, and just run to the record store NOW.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! As always, thanks for listening!

Released 03/15/12

1. Summer Twins - "Got Somebody To Dream About"

(Summer Twins, Burger 2012)

2. La Sera - "Break My Heart"

(Sees The Light, Hardly Art 2012)

3. Frankie Rose - "Gospel/Grace"

(Interstellar, Slumberland 2012)

4. Dreamdate - "What Could I Do"

(Melody Walk, Tic Tac Totally 2011)

5. Camera Obscura - "Let's Get Out Of This Country"

(Let's Get Out Of This Country, Merge 2006)

6. Alicja Pop - "I Can't Remember"

(I Can't Remember 7", Neat Neat Neat 2011)

--Zombie beach party.

7. FIDLAR - "No Waves"

(No Waves/No Ass 7", Mom & Pop 2012)

8. Mean Jeans - "Life On Mars"

(On Mars, Dirtnap 2012)

9. Terry Malts - "Nauseous"

(Killing Time, Slumberland 2012)

10. Mind Spiders - "Play You Out"

(Meltdown, Dirtnap 2012)

11. Glow Kit - "Misunderstood"

(Glow Kit, FDH 2012)

12. XRay Eyeballs - "Pill Riders"

(Splendor Squalor, Kanine 2012)

--Hunx is FAMOUS!

13. Hunx - "Do You Remember Being A Roller?"

(Hairdresser Blues, Hardly Art 2012)

14. King Tuff - "Bad Thing"

(King Tuff, Sub Pop 2012)

15. Teenanger - "Frights"

(Frights, Telephone Explosion 2012)

16. Spider Fever - "Done Wrong"

(Spider Fever, Windian 2012)

17. Guantanamo Baywatch - "Chest Crawl"

(Chest Crawl, Dirtnap 2012)

--Australian new wave explosion!

18. Blasted Canyons - "Get High"

(2nd Place, Castleface 2012)

19. Teledrome - "Double Visions"

(Double Visions 7", HoZac 2012)

20. The Sufis - "Wake Up"

(The Sufis, Burger 2012)

21. Ketamines - "Spaced Out"

(Spaced Out, Southpaw 2012)

22. Outer Minds - "Conversation"

(Outer Minds, Southpaw 2012)

Woah! 2012 is less than two months old, and there's already so much kick-ass rock n' roll coming out that it's making my head spin! So yeah, this time around Random Old Records Podcast #40 is an uninterrupted hour of straight-up jams because there just wasn't any room for the quirky soundbytes you all know and love. HAHA. This fat stack of tracks features one song each from the latest batch of HoZac Records releases, including The Band In Heaven, Radar Eyes, Teledrome, and Bare Mutants, which all rule as usual. Teledrome's super-catchy electro-punk is the real gem this time around. Seriously, give this dude a proper studio and budget and he'll be on the cover of magazines in a year. Mark my words!

Random Old Records #40 also features an EXCLUSIVE track from the upcoming second LP by killer Wisconsin garage punk duo The Hussy! It's called "Mind Alright," the LP is called Weed Seizure, and it's set to be released by Tic Tac Totally sometime next month. This record is a monster folks, just check out the sick artwork by Ben Lyon below! Elsewhere, you'll hear BRAND NEW tracks from upcoming releases by The Sugar Stems, Digital Leather, and Terry Malts, current tunes by Coasting, Gap Dream, Wiccans, The Pharmacy, and Gary Wrong, classics from the Angry Samoans and Teengenerate, and more, more, MORE!!! It all finishes up with a modern classic pop tune from former Lost Sounds and River City Tanlines frontwoman Alicja-Pop that will shake you up good if you're paying attention. This is one of my favorite episodes I've coughed up in awhile, so I hope y'all dig it!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! More classic episodes from the past ten years are being added to the feed as well, so check those out as well. You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the new episode below. Watch this space next month for the another episode of Random Old Records. As always, thanks for listening!

Released 02/09/12

1. The Pharmacy - "Dig Your Grave"

(Dig Your Grave, Kind Turkey 2012)

2. Terry Malts - "Mall Dreams"

(Killing Time, Slumberland 2012)

3. Digital Leather - "Thrill Is Gone"

(Modern Problems, FDH 2012)

4. Teledrome - "Dial Tone"

(Double Vision, HoZac 2012)

5. Gary Wrong - "Pollen Christ"

(Gary Wrong 7", Total Punk 2012)

6. The Consumers - "Your Problem"

(All My Friends Are Dead, In The Red 2011)

7. The Onions - "Alien Astronaut"

(Alien Astronaut 7", Certified PR 2012)

8. The Hussy - "Mind Alright"

(Weed Seizure, Tic Tac Totally 2012)

9. Angry Samoans - "The Todd Killings"

(The Unboxed Set, Triple X 1995)

10. Teengenerate - "Wild Weekend"

(Smash Hits, Estrus 1995)

11. Wiccans - "Witches"

(Skullduggery, Katorga Works 2011)

12. Lantern - "Nothin' Comes Easy"

(Stranger I Come, Stranger I Leave, Night People 2012)

13. The Lonesome Savages - "Black Hair Woman"

(All Outta Love, Kind Turkey 2012)

14. The Band In Heaven - "Summer Bummer"

(The Band In Heaven 7", HoZac 2012)

15. Radar Eyes - "I Am"

(Radar Eyes, HoZac 2012)

16. Gap Dream - "Heart"

(Gap Dream, Burger 2012)

17. Bare Mutants - "Without You"

(Bare Mutants 7", HoZac)

18. Coasting - "Starts And Stays"

(You're Never Going Back, M'Ladys 2011)

19. Pamela - "I'm Nobody"

(Pamela 7", Southpaw 2012)

20. Squish - "Shame Spiral"

(Squish 7", HoZac 2012)

21. Sugar Stems - "Did You Ever"

(Greatest Pretender 7", Certified PR 2012)

22. Summer Twins - "I Will Love You"

(Summer Twins, Burger 2012)

23. Neverever - "Wedding Day"

(Shake-A-Baby, Slumberland 2012)

24. Alicja-Pop! - "Water Death"

(I Play The Fool 7", Certified PR 2012)

Hey folks! We're entering the fourth year of Random Old Records Podcast, so what better way to kick off 2012 than EPISODE #39, which is packed with more killer rock n' roll than ever before?!

This time around, you'll hear the second straight KILLER single from ex-Mika Miko sisters Bleached, a selection from the current crop of garage punk releases from Wisconsin's Dusty Medical Records, hazy glam-psych from Cleveland weirdo Gap Dream, stellar tunes from Mark Sultan, Wheels On Fire, Digital Leather, Burnt Ones, Coasting, Mikal Cronin, Xray Eyeballs and more! It's a crucial sixty minutes that is the perfect soundtrack for blasting your way out of the winter blahs.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via iTunes, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! More classic episodes from the past ten years are being added to the feed as well, so check those out as well. You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the new episode below. Watch this space next month for the another episode of Random Old Records. As always, thanks for listening!

Released 01/11/12

1. Digital Leather - "Mind Eraser"

(Sponge, Crash Symbols 2012)

2. Xray Eyeballs - "Sundae"

(Sundae 7", Hardly Art 2011)

3. Burnt Ones - "Gonna Listen To T. Rex (All Night Long)"

(Black Teeth & Golden Tongues, Roaring Colonel 2010)

4. The Barreracudas - "Baby Baby Baby"

(Nocturnal Missions, Douchemaster 2011)

5. Bad Sports - "Inside And Out"

(Kings Of The Weekend, Dirtnap 2011)

6. Wheels On Fire - "Dead Of Night"

(Dead Of Night 7", Milk N' Herpes 2011)

--Reform School Girl!

7. Mikal Cronin - "You Gotta Have Someone"

(Tide 7", Goner 2011)

8. Tomorrow's Tulips - "Eternally Teenage"

(Eternally Teenage, Galaxia 2011)

9. Radar Eyes - "Miracle"

(Miracle 7", HoZac 2011)

10. Gap Dream - "Go Ahead"

(Gap Dream, Burger 2011)

11. Swiftumz - "More Than Sleep"

(Swiftumz, Holy Mountain 2011)

--It came from Detroit!

12. Lantern - "I Don't Know"

(I Don't Know 7", Mammoth Cave Recording Co. 2011)

13. Head On Electric - "Here They Come Now"

(Sleep Slaughter Sheep, Dusty Medical 2011)

14. Dead People - "Misleady"

(Dead People 7", Windian 2011)

15. The Famines - "Faux Famous"

(The Complete Collected Singles, Mammoth Cave Recording Co. 2011)

16. Guilty Pleasures - "Put Your Mouth To It"

(Summer Strange, Dusty Medical 2011)

--Gary Busey has a big wednesday.

17. Bleached - "Searching Through The Past"

(Searching Through The Past 7", Suicide Squeeze 2011)

18. Coasting - "Snoozefest"

(You're Never Going Back, M'Ladys 2011)

19. Neverever - "Bitch Boys"

(Angelic Swells, Slumberland 2010)

20. Bazooka - "Back Tou You"

(Jupiter 7", Dusty Medical 2011)

21. Mark Sultan - "If I Had A Polaroid"

(Whatever I Want, In The Red 2011)

2011 is almost over, and oh my goodness where did the time go?! The past twelve months were filled with all kinds of good things for me on the life front, and much like last year, there were SO MANY crucial rock n' roll records released and a bunch of killer shows that damaged my eardrums even further. EPISODE #38 of Random Old Records cuts away all of the extra padding and somewhat clever soundbytes and presents an hour of my personal favorite songs of 2011 with no interruptions!

You'll hear all the songs I've been raving about since January, including heavy hitters like "Gold Sneakers" by Wax Idols, "Weekend" by Smith Westerns, and "Into Black" by Blouse. You'll hear heavy-duty psychedelic blowouts from The Paperhead, Thee Oh Sees, and The People's Temple, and perfect pop from Dum Dum Girls, Colleen Green, and The Babies. Have a great 2012, and thanks for listening!!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the new episode below. Come back next month (or so) for another episode of Random Old Records. As always, thanks for listening!

Released 12/14/11

1. Smith Westerns - "Weekend"
(Dye It Blonde, Fat Possum 2011)
2. Dum Dum Girls - "Bedroom Eyes"
(Only In Dreams, Sub Pop 2011)
3. Wax Idols - "Gold Sneakers"
(No Future, HoZac 2011)
4. Colleen Green - "Y Do U Call Me?"
(Green One, Hardly Art 2011)
5. Vivian Girls - "Dance (If You Wanna)"
(Share The Joy, Polyvinyl 2011)
6. Natural Child - "Chris' Blues"
(1971, Infinity Cat 2011)
7. Black Lips - "New Direction"
(Arabia Mountain, Vice 2011)
8. Bare Wires - "Sweet Little Stranger"
(Cheap Perfume, Southpaw 2011)
9. Jacuzzi Boys - "Automatic Jail"
(Glazin', Hardly Art 2011)
10. Mikal Cronin - "Again and Again"
(Mikal Cronin, Trouble In Mind 2011)
11. The Babies - "Breakin' The Law"
(The Babies, Shrimper 2011)
12. The Paperhead - "Can't Keep My Eyes Open"
(The Paperhead, Trouble In Mind 2011)
13. Thee Oh Sees - "Chem-farmer"
(Carrion Crawler/The Dream, In The Red 2011)
14. The People's Temple - "Axe Man"
(Sons Of Stone, HoZac 2011)
15. Blouse - "Into Black"
(Blouse, Captured Tracks 2011)
16. Widowspeak - "In The Pines"
(Widowspeak, Captured Tracks 2011)
17. Ty Segall - "Goodbye Bread"
(Goodbye Bread, Drag City 2011)
18. The Strange Boys - "Mama Shelter"
(Live Music, Rough Trade 2011)
19. Jeffrey Novak - "Looking Down At You"
(4 Track Solo EP, Trouble In Mind 2011)

Hey folks, I've been on VACATION! Yeah, it's been a year now since I got a full-time grown-up job, so I finally decided to cash in and take a week of paid vacation. Lemme back up a bit and be honest. I didn't just go nuts and check out for awhile, I went nuts and impulsively bought tickets to the Friday night show of the Norton Records 25th anniversary celebration at the Bell House in Brooklyn! I just couldn't miss the Reigning Sound, Mark Sultan, the Great Gaylord, Jackie and The Cedrics, Mighty Hannibal, Andre Williams, and an all-star band led by Mick Collins on guitar. What a lineup! After a five day weekend in NYC that involved much record shopping (original pressings of the second New York Dolls LP AND PiL's Flowers Of Romance, YES!), a midnight show at the KILLER Spectacle Theater, a trip to Coney Island for a Nathan's Famous, and a few moments of clarity in a garden on top of a seventeen story building, I'm back and proud to present Random Old Records Podcast #37, which also happens to be the third anniversary show!

Yep, I've been doing this podcast for a solid three years now and it might seem easy, but it can get hard as hell to scour the bins and blogs for a monthly hour of fresh jams sometimes. Luckily, the fall has coughed up a whole bunch of sizzling slabs that I can't stop spinning, and the springboard was a killer weeknight show at local dive The Comet, featuring Davila 666, Jacuzzi Boys, and Barreracudas. You'll hear a track from each band on this episode, kicking off with Davila's modern classic "El Lobo." Elsewhere, there's bubblegum-catchy glammy power pop punk junk from Italy's Giuda, Bare Wires, Video, and White Faces, another track from the AMAZING new Strange Boys LP (the best American rock n' roll band since the Replacements, for real), dark mysterious pop from Captured Tracks heroes Blouse and The Soft Moon, noisy Ramones worship from Terry Malts, noisy 90s slacker-rock worship from Heavy Times, and a whole helluva lot MORE!

I know that I say it every time a new episode comes out, but seriously, THANK YOU for reading this blog and listening to the podcast! Whether you've been here since the beginning, or just found this site while searching for Mediafire links to the new Bad Sports LP or whatever and decided that REAL old school music writing still had merit in 2011, I'm glad you came along for the ride. Every time I think about quitting and settling into old age and complacency, my mind is blown by another bunch of kids with guitars and the cycle starts all over again. If going to the Norton bash taught me anything, it's that real, passionate rock n' roll still pokes through the cracks in this monolith of Internet cultural saturation every once in awhile, and it's no less vital than it was back in whatever time and place you decide is THE DAY. Hope you dig episode #37, and here's to three more years!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the new episode below. Come back next month (or so) for another episode of Random Old Records. As always, thanks for listening!

Released 11/15/2011

1. Davila 666 - "El Lobo"

(Davila 666, In The Red 2011)

2. The Strange Boys - "Punk's Pyjamas"

(Live Music, Rough Trade 2011)

3. Bare Wires - "Ain't Worth Walkin' Away"

(Cheap Perfume, Southpaw 2011)

4. White Faces - "Star Of Bright"

(White Faces, Windian 2011)

5. The Barreracudas - "Don't Roll Your Eyes"

(Nocturnal Missions, Douchemaster 2011)

6. Giuda - "Don't Stop Rockin'"

(Racey Roller, Dead Beat 2011)

--record collectors suck.

7. The Penetrators - "Gotta Have Her"

(Gotta Have Her 7", Windian 2011)

8. Heavy Times - "Let It Die"

(Jacker, HoZac 2011)

9. Terry Malts - "Something About You"

(Something About You 7", Slumberland 2011)

10. Bad Sports - "Can't Just Be Friends"

(Kings Of The Weekend, Dirtnap 2011)

11. Video - "Eyes"

(Leather Leather, Play Pinball 2011)

12. Spider Fever - "Back To You"

(She's No Saint 7", Cave Punk 2011)

--muscleheads on a muscle beach.

13. Jacuzzi Boys - "Cool Vapors"

(Glazin', Hardly Art 2011)

14. Reading Rainbow - "White Noise"

(Prism Eyes, HoZac 2010)

15. Super Wild Horses - "Enigma"

(Fifteen, HoZac 2010)

16. Bad Banana - "Teleport Tonight"

(Cry About It, Puzzle Pieces 2011)

17. Colleen Green - "Jesse Has A New Girl"

(Cujo, AF 2011)

--Bob Ross, just painting some trees. NBD.

18. Half String - "Evergreen"

(Tripped Up Breathing, Independent Projects 1994)

19. The Soft Moon - "Alive"

(Total Decay, Captured Tracks 2011)

20. Blouse - "They Always Fly Away"

(Blouse, Captured Tracks 2011)

21. Wax Idols - "Grey Area"

(No Future, HoZac 2011)

Woah, is it really October already?! Judging by the clock at the bottom right of my computer screen and the flannel shirt wrapped around my torso, it must be. Where has all the time gone? It seems like April was only a few minutes ago, and now the year is damn near over. I've been to a bunch of shows, crossed a couple of folks off my live bucket list (New York Dolls, Wanda Jackson), and spent probably a few grand on records, and what do I have to show for it? Slightly more damaged eardrums and a whole buncha physical media that will be a real pain in the ass to lift if I ever move into a new place, I reckon. Seriously though, 2011 might have already topped 2010 as one of the best music years since the mid-90s, and it's not over yet!

Random Old Records Podcast #36 is out now, and it's loaded with just over an hour of jams, starting off with the raging opening salvo from Let's Wrestle's new LP, "In Dreams Part II." It sounds so much like the aforementioned mid-90s that you'd swear that 15+ years of godawful over-produced mainstream rock didn't kill good music after all and that the kids really and truly are alright. The kids really ARE alright, even though their space phone zombie walks and Twitter posts suggest otherwise. Forget about the waves of whiny bedroom folk and trendy corporate "garage rock" wannabes, there's real and VITAL rock n' roll still being cranked out by the truckload all over the world. No better example can be found than the second track on this here podcast, a sizzling blast from the brand new 10" LP from smooth punk titans Bare Wires, who continue their unparalleled streak of insta-classic bangers with "Sweet Little Stranger." That nasty fuzz and snarling vocal might just lift you out of your plush computer chair, Mr. Internet cynic!

Elsewhere, you'll hear the lead-off single from the Strange Boys' highly anticipated new LP out in a few weeks, which finds the Austin garage rockers moving even closer to that Exile On Main Street vibe, another perfect 80s pop jam from the new Dum Dum Girls album, some delightfully evil synth punk from Swedish noise terrorists Black Bug, a fuzzed-out Beach Boys homage from Moonhearts mainman Mikal Cronin's debut solo nod on Trouble In Mind, some obnoxious analog oscillations from California's Blasted Canyons, some dusty reverb rock from Texas teenagers Fungi Girls, and a catchy beach-pop latecomer from the former Mika Miko members in Bleached. Random Old Records #36 finishes up with 18 or so minutes of classic mid-90s indie rock from Material Issue, Hazel, The Spinanes, and Sebadoh, who I'll be glad to cross off that live show bucket list in a couple weeks. Bakesale was released 17 years ago, and if that's not enough to make a guy feel old, I don't know what does. In between the tracks, you’ll hear a series of spooky inserts from “Death Of A Doll,” an episode of Inner Sanctum Mysteries originally aired October 18th, 1948. Right in time for Halloween, it will send a chill up your back!

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Random Old Records via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or RSS. If you like the show, please rate it and write a review! You can also go the traditional route and stream or download the new episode below. Come back next month (or so) for another episode of Random Old Records. As always, thanks for listening!

Released 10/12/2011

1. Let's Wrestle - "In Dreams Part II"

(Nursing Home, Merge 2011)

2. Bare Wires - "Sweet Little Stranger"

(Cheap Perfume, Southpaw 2011)

3. Fungi Girls - "Honey Face"

(Some Easy Magic, HoZac 2011)

4. Mikal Cronin - "Get Along"

(Mikal Cronin, Trouble In Mind 2011)

5. The Ketamines - "Line By Line"

(Line By Line 7", HoZac 2011)

6. The Wrong Words - "Summer's Gone"

(The Wrong Words, Trouble In Mind, 2011)

7. XRay Eyeballs - "Big Toe"

(Not Nothing, Kanine 2011)

--Death Of A Doll

8. The Strange Boys - "Me And You"

(Live Music, Rough Trade 2011)

9. Colleen Green - "Green One"

(Green One, Hardly Art 2011)

10. Black Bug - "Shard Of Glass"

(Police Helicopter 7", HoZac 2011)

11. Blasted Canyons - "Death And A Half"

(Blasted Canyons, Castleface 2011)

12. Burning Itch - "Dead End Street"

(Burning Itch, Tic Tac Totally 2011)

13. Wax Museums - "Mosquito Enormo"

(Eye Times, Trouble In Mind 2011)

--Death Of A Doll, Part 2

14. Dum Dum Girls - "Heartbeat"

(Only In Dreams, Sub Pop 2011)

15. The Pretenders - "Wait"

(The Pretenders, Sire 1980)

16. Bleached - "Think Of You"

(Carter 7", AF 2011)

17. The Spinanes - "Noel, Jonah, and Me"

(Manos, Sub Pop 1993)

18. Hazel - "Blank Florida"

(Are You Going To Eat That?, Sub Pop 1995)

--Death Of A Doll, Part 3

19. Material Issue - "A Very Good Thing"

(Freak City Soundtrack, Polygram 1994)

20. The Figgs - "Favorite Shirt"

(Low-Fi At Society High, Imago 1994)

21. Sebadoh - "Rebound"

(Bakesale, Sub Pop 1994)

22. Unrest - "Make Out Club"

(Perfect Teeth, 4AD 1993)