Baseball 2011!

Smell that green grass and ignore everything off the field it's time for baseball again! Yes!

Here are my predictable predictions.

American League

East: Boston Red Sox
They added the right guys in Adrian Gozalez and Carl Crawford. In addition the team should be much healthier with Youkilus, Pedroia and Ellsbury all well.
Central: Detroit Tigers
They loom better than the Twins and I think this year they'll eek it out.

West: Los Angeles Angels
After an off year I think they'll return to the top of the Division

Wild Card: New York Yankees
They're still the Yanks and they still win but if they get Pujols at the trade deadline, they win.

National League
East: Philadelphia Philies
They still got the hitting and with Lee, Oswalt, Hamils, Haliday they have one of the best looking starting rotations seen in a long, long time!
Central: Milwaukee Brewers
The seem to be the hot choice for the division and I'm on board, St. Luis seems to be weaker now even with Lance Berkman and Cincinnati doesn't strike me as a team that can repeat in their Div.

West: Colorado Rockies
I hat calling the N.L. West because nobody did anything to improve themselves dramatically and the division never makes any sense. There is no complete package.
Wild Card: Atlanta braves
They got enough to get in but if they fail it will be the Cardnals



While the predictions aren't crazy it is probably best that way. Once again the Western Divisions are curiosities while the Eastern sets are pretty damn solid. Things of interest this season, where will Albert Pujols wind up? Who can pay him, the Yanks? The Dodgers? The Giants? The Red Sox? The Cubs? How will the Orioles do beneath manager Buck Showalter, will they replace Tampa as the team that sucked suddenly being tough? Speaking of which how will Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon do with the Rays? Will there be more no hitters? Will Stephen Strasburg pitch again effectively? Will the Nationals' other big draft Bryce Harper hit in the majors this year or will the world have to wait?

Things remain to be played out and that's why this is exciting, PLAY BALL!

Weekly Mix #57

This Mix was made in 2007 and while sort of seems like a collage of unrelated songs there are a couple threads here and there. Pantera shows up for the first time. A couple one hit wonders also show in the forms of Blind Melon and The Toadies. The most outlandish song is That Ain't Right. Enjoy the music if you can!

1. Firerworks by Siouxie & The banshees

Majestic, Gothic pop from the 80s

2. Rockers to Swallow by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Karen O get's a lot of her vocal sounds from Siouxie so I thought I'd compare the two side by side.
3. Pretty Green by Mark Ronson feat. Santo Gold
The previous song ended with, "hey!" and this one begins with, "hey"; it makes a lot of sense. Ronson put out this album of his music and singers he liked; it worked. The beat of this songs goes well with the next.
4. Freedom 90 by George Michael
A good song that was maybe more famous for it's video which featured the day's super models and not one image of the singer.


 
5.This Is Hardcore by Pulp
Moody, haunting, sexy and totally coked out!
6. Gloves by The Horrors
The Horrors were my favorite band at the time when this mix was made in 2007
7. No Rain by Blind Melon
Say  little prayer for their dead singer Shanon Hoon and enjoy this classic 90s song about a boy and his bong.
8. Hey, Good Lookin' by Hank Williams
Didn't ever listen to the cowboy until the mid 00s and then I thought he was pretty cool
9. Broken Boy Soldier by The Racanteurs
Creepy music by Jack White and friends
10.Misery Business by Paramore
Poppy music with a chick singer and a almost rock guitars. If anything I learned what the word paramour meant after hearing this band.
11.Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry
Where to start . . . Notorious. What I've learned about this song is that while some women don't appreciate this song at all while others use it as their ring tone. The guitar part was written by Slash.
12.Unglued by Stone Temple Pilots
In many ways STP are like those 70s bands that everybody but the reviewers liked. This song is a good rocker.
13.That Ain't Right by Heavy Trash
 Cowboy up and listen to this tale of domestic troubles. I think this was a joke band but I have no idea really.
14.Tick Tick Boom by The Hives
Not only is this the bands best song but sports broadcasts love to use it as the clock ticks down.
15.Could This Be Magic by Van Halen
One of the stranger pieces of music Van Halen put out as it's just a little acoustic guitar, foot tapping and Diamond Dave singing about boozing it up and having a great time in the tropics. Actually the other guys do step in for the chorus.
16.The State of Massachusetts by The Dropkick Murphys
This songs starts like an Irish sea shanty but then explodes; it's what the Dropkicks are good at.
17.Fucking Hostile by Pantera
While most rock bands were getting weak and lame, Pantera was insistent on being METAL! They rocked very hard and gave teenage boys hope that somebody understood them. Hell, listening to this song now get's my adrenaline going. Welcome to the world of my mixes. Rest In Piece Dimebag.
18.I Don't Wanna Stop by Ozzy Osbourne
A good metal effort by an old man on the wrong medication. I first heard this gem in a car which made it more awesome than it really is.
19.Possum Kingdom by The Toadies
Our second stop on the weird 90s review is this song about . . . well I'm not sure, girlfriend murder, maybe?
20.Elizabeth My Dear by The Stone Roses
Just a minute long this isn't really a song and was used just a s filler. Though a song about killing the queen of England to the tune of Scarborough Fair is super weird.
21.Stronger by Kanye West
This song has nothing to do with the rest of the mix but it was there for using so I took it and ended my mix with a dance beat!    


PS Next weeks mix is real good!

Dead Stars: Liz Taylor

Liz Taylor, one of the huge Hollywood personalities of her day passed away to day from heart failure at age 79. Known for as much for her drinking as her violet eyes the actress won the academy award twice (Gloria in Butterfield 8 and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf) and married eight times, to seven husbands. She donated much of her personal time to AIDS research.
Liz Taylor is one of those stars I think I'm too young to appreciate as the generations older than I was enamored with her but people my age and younger don't seem to get her; she was just that woman who hung out with Michael Jackson in the 80s.

Rest In Peace Liz

Weekly Mix # 56

Am I clever? No. But I did manage to put Me, Mr. & Mrs. Jones all in the same mix; it's trouble especially because "me" in this case is two different people, A skinny junky girl from England and a middle aged black man from Philadelphia. Both got great pipes and got soul but I think that's it. This was good mix for 2007, not the best but good. Several good 00s bands represent for the a multiple time like Interpol, White Stripes and Clinic while Tim Armstrong makes his first appearance as a solo artist.
Enjoy if you can!


1. Me & Mr. Jones by Amy Winehouse
"What kind of fuckery is this?" Only Amy will know

2. She Builds Quick Machines by Velvet Revolver

This is from the sophomore effort of the supergroup of the decade; it wasn't very good but this tune is okay.

3. Sheena Is a Parasite by The Horrors

I heard this song and I was changed! This is one of 2007's best rock songs and somewhat of a reply to the Ramones' Sheena is a Punk Rocker

4.Silent Lucidity by Queensryche

Do you remember this song from 1990? I did too and I listened to this number for about a week straight when I was making this mix.

5. The Heinrich Maneuver by Interpol

They want to know how things are on the west coast and I guess they're pretty good.

6. In The jailhouse Now by The Soggy Bottom Boys

Not a real band but an awesome band from a great movie, O Brother Where art Thou?

7. Conquest by The White Stripes

This is some cover or other

8. The Ghost of You Lingers by Spoon

I'm not a fan of Spoon but this song I like
9. If You Could Read your Mind by Clinic
Sounds like spy rock

10.Crying by Roy Orbison

So sad, so very, very sad. Roy had one of the best voices

11.Your Cheatin' Heart by Hank Williams

Hank was a conflicted man and spawned two generations of music I don't care too much for.

12.Texas Radio & The Big Beat

This poem has nothing to do with dance music

13.This Is How It Feels by Inspiral Carpets

Art School kids loved this band back in the early 90s, You may know their bigger and more danceable hit, Commercial Rain

14.Abra Cadaver by The Hives

Abrasive, loud and weird: The Hives are Rock n' roll!

15.Smile by Lily Allen

She's a mean little Brit chick

16.She's So Cold by The Rolling Stones

Sometimes I just like the Stones and sometimes one relationship shot deserves another

17.Kiss, Kiss by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Dark and Moody!

18.Friends by Led Zeppelin

Off the Led Zeppelin III album which is sort of a mess in it's cohesion

19.God Smack by Alice In Chains

Still crazy sounding after all these years

20.Just by Mark Ronson feat. Phantom Planet

This is a Radiohead cover and I think I might like it better than the original.

21.Take This City by Tim Armstrong

Front man of Rancid, Tim has put out some cool shit since.

22.Really Rich Italian Satanists by Dirty Sanchez

This song blows my mind in ways I'm never going to discuss openly

23.Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul

Somber and sweet but definitely not a healthy relationship song. Bill Cosby loved this song

Smell it!

Baseball is on it's way and that means I can be very moody depending how my team does.

Weekly Mix #55

New Arrivals! peter Bjorn and John, Amy Winehouse, Cold War Kids, Justin Timberlake, Silversun Pickups and the Horrors! This mix was better than I thought! On this mix I started to put more emphasis on new music rather than a couple new tunes surrounded by oldies, for better or worse I think it works very well here! So go and listen, the Heretix song is hard to find btw.


1. Enter Sandman by Metallica

Before this song Metallica was a speed metal band that terrified all. The black album was released and suddenly they were just a big rock metal band that made more money than ever before.

2. Down by Stone Temple Pilots

This is a good song to have as an alarm in the morning. This may be the last ++ song they did.

3. Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John

PB&J gave whistlers something hot! There's a sweet melancholy in the romance of this Scandinavian band's biggest hit to date. We can welcome them to the mixes too.

4. You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse

From 2007's best album, Amy Winehouse got very real with us in her do wop, soul way.

5. The Chauffeur by Duran Duran

Off one of the great 80s albums, Rio. In live shows, Simon does poetry to this song and whips about a flute from his trousers . . . AWESOME!

6. Sexyback by Justin Timberlake
This song was so huge it even made me want to dance and up until this song I loathed Justin Timberlake and all his mouse buddies.
7. Big Man With A Gun by Nine Inch Nails

Loud, short and nasty

8.Sick, Sick, Sick by Queens of the Stone Age

This song does in fact sound ill

9. Crazy by Patsy Cline

A classic bar room song and heartbroken song

10.You Only Live Once by The Strokes
The New York Boys seemed to loose steam on their third album; it would be five years until their next release.
11.Awake by Letters To Cleo

This song was supposed to be huge for the Boston band; it was supposed to be their big second hit after their song, Here and Now that was on the Melrose Place soundtrack. Never happened for 'em.

12.Sherriff by Heretix

One good Boston band follows the other.

13.Got Me Wrong by Alice In Chains

Let's set the way back machine to 1992 when Alice and Chains came out with their Sap EP.

14.For the Girl by The Fratellis

This song is pleasant

15.Baby, Please Don't Go by Aerosmith

This is from Aerosmith's old rock rhythm and blues album; it was sort of silly as everything sounds too slick.

16.Walk Away by James Gang

Joe Walsh playing guitar and being the man before he got drafted by the Eagles to make them rock.

17.Icky Thump by The White Stripes

Not their best effort but still so good!

18.Hang Me Up to Dry by Cold War kids

 Good song by a little known band

19.She Is The New Thing by The Horrors
Organ is back in a creepy Adam's Family rock style
20.Identify by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Critics loved them for a while but for me this album was the only one worth it's balls
21.Common Reactor by Silversun Pickups.

I like this song tons! I liked it much more than their single at the time,  Lazy eye. If Billy Corgan wasn't so insane and full of himself this is what the fourth Smashing Pumpkins album would have sounded like and there would have been great rejoicing instead of a collective, "whateveh" I hope you like reverb!

Weekly Mix #54

The first mix of 2007! Lordy be! What does that mean? I don't really know but I can say this, don't fear it. Listen and enjoy the music.


1. Superhero by Jane's Addiction
It wasn't really thirteen years in the making but it was thirteen years between Ritual De Lo Habitual and Strays. The band that spearheaded the Alternative Rock movement in the early 90s seemed to forget everything they did and went bland. If nothing else this is the intro to the show Entourage.
2. Elegantly Wasted by INXS

The last Michael Hutchence INXS album. Obviously there's nothing one can read into these lyrics and dance beat.

3. Fergalicious by Fergie
This is what happens when I stop being a music snob; i listen to this stuff
4. Show Me What you Got by Jay-Z
Jay- Z is the man
5. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Theme by Schooly D
This is for all those who watch Adult Swim
6. Random by Lady Sovereign
She's got the tongue and the rhymes
7. Walking Spanish by Tom Waits

Walking Spanish is a term that means you're being walked to your death.

8. Wolf Like Me by TV In the Radio

This band had this one incredible song and then some other stuff that wasn't in competition.

9. Raw Power by Iggy & The Stooges
I feel it!
10.The Metal by Tenacious D
This song is fairly accurate. Jack Blacks band is this.
11.Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi

Have you seen a million faces? Have you rocked them all? Probably not. This is the first time I showed any favor towards the New Jersey band, until this point my stance was that they were hair and smiles.

12.Burner by Motötrhead
Mötorhead doing what they do best. They play loud and fast! This is also the first 2007 song on a mix.
13.(Reach Up for The) Sunrise by Duran Duran
I first heard this tune in Italy and I expected it to be a huge hit in the states when I returned but I was very wrong, radio didn't care.
14.Tony the Beat (remix) by The Sounds
Get out your keyboards and pretend it's the 80s
15.Dreaming by Blondie
Sweet melodies from a downtown New York band
16.What I Like About you by The Romantics
This is what you call a classic 
17.Psychobilly Freakout by Reverend Horton Heat
early 90s magic!
18.Great Balls of Fire by Jerry lee Lewis
They used to say he was the devil but the he married his cousin and faded away. he is still alive and making music however. The killer, I wish I could have seen him when he was young!
19.Flathead by The Fratellis
This song got more airplay in the iTunes adds than it did on the radio.
20.Young Girls by John Sartain
This song is very astute
21.Victim Of Love by The Eagles
More creepiness from The Hotel California
22.We Are The Champions by Queen
If you don't know this song you are a rock n' roll hater and a sports hater.
23.The Saints Are Coming (live) by Green Day & U2
I think all the proceeds from this song went to New Orleans; it's pretty over the top and silly.