Pete Droge
This week, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD features the legendary Pete Droge (OMG!)… we are MASSIVE fans here at Outlandos. Hopefully you will be, too.
Incidentally, for a refresher, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD is our guest post series where we invite musicians we are utterly nuts about to take over and write whatever they like. Three rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music, and the weirder the better. Fun stuff!
What I love about this post from Pete (and I hope I don’t embarrass him too much) is that number one, he was a tad skittish, as a lot of folks are about publishing a blog, if blogging isn’t your usual thing, perfectly human reaction (and its nice to know our idols are human). It’s great though is that none of it has to be perfect, it just has to be genuine for me — and for you — to dig it. And Pete’s got genuine in spades, as you can read below. But what’s more is, this idea of his is quite smart… if you’re going to dive into an iconic catalog, chronologically doesn’t always make sense. This would make a good book actually, a guide to the best order in which to sift through iconic catalogs. You up for that Pete?
Thanks for letting me twist your arm to do this one!
Dear Music Fan Who Is Not up to Speed on JJ Cale, Leonard Cohen or Gram Parsons,
I find that where you enter an artist’s catalog can make a huge difference on how they connect with you. Case in point, my friend who thought, “I really should check out this Bob Dylan cat that so many hipsters are into… hmm where to begin? How about his first album?” Seeing as Bob is so adored for his writing and his first record consists of mostly covers this is probably not the best place to enter his body of work (If you have not heard his version of Man of Constant Sorrow go get it right now… George Clooney, eat your heart out). I digress. I have many times served as mid wife in the birthing of a newborn Dylan fan. I am always shocked, outraged and ultimately jealous of anyone who is naive to all things Bob. Generally speaking, with Bob, I would point the newbie towards Bringing It All Back Home. Side One is Bob 101. Opens with Subterranean Homesick Blues, need I say more? Side Two, Bob 201. Opens with Mr. Tambourine Man and closes with It’s All over Now, Baby Blue, and in between those two, Gates of Eden and It’s Alright Ma, (I’m Only Bleeding). After that, I would point them to more records from the 60s like Highway 61, Times They Are a Changin’, and Blonde on Blonde before sending them out to other eras (Oh Mercy, Time Out Of Mind, Infidel, Planet Waves, Blood on the Tracks, Basement Tapes and so on).
Enough on Bob. I’m sure you are all up to speed already. Let’s get to some folks that some of you may not be into.
JJ Cale. I remember the first time I heard JJ Cale… or John as his friends call him… yes, that’s right, the name John Cale was taken (ok musical hipsters, John Cale was a member of what seminal ban? Anyone… anyone? Yes, THE seminal band of all seminal bands, the Velvet Underground. Very good). I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, the first time I heard JJ Cale. In my Datsun 210, on the once great rock station KISW (Seattle’s Best Rock). I know this song, but holy shit — this is way swampier than Clapton’s version, I thought. It was of course the original version of Cocaine that Eric had the big hit with. This track stopped me in my tracks. So, I would recommend to anyone who wants to look into JJ Cale start with the album it comes from, Troubadour. It was his fourth record. Next stop… go back in time to his first record Naturally (which opens with another song Clapton had a hit with, After Midnight)… then jump ahead to Okie, then back to his second record, Really, then his fifth, Five. By this time, if you are not a total fan who is ready to devour every note he has ever laid down, then I would suspect that you are a cold blooded reptile from another planet. You will never get it and I am sorry for you (that sounds a tad harsh… sorry). Moving on.
Leonard Cohen. Again, I was in transit when Leonard Cohen’s music really got to me. We were on a cross-Canadian tour, early winter 1996, supporting Neil Young. Something about curling up in my bunk with Leonard’s voice on the headphones soothed my paranoia about the bus careening off the road (I was also reading Kafka on that tour and suffering from codeine-induced stomach aches. Good times, indeed. And my fans wonder why I don’t tour anymore). I digress. With Leonard, I would make a case for taking things chronologically. By the time he made his first record in 1967, he was already a successful poet, so he had the word thing together (listen to me — “he had the word thing together” — now I am beginning to feel very self-conscious about my writing here… don’t give in… push on… it’s only a blog after all… it is supposed to read like a first draft). Songs of Leonard Cohen, Side One, song one: Suzanne. Great place to start. But wait, some of the songs on this album, though incredible, might not quite their hooks into the uninitiated. Bearing this in mind, I started to compile a list of cuts you could grab on iTunes… I got to his second record and realized almost all of my picks are on a compilation album The Essential Leonard Cohen. Now let me be clear, I do not condone you buying this collection and calling it good. But, it’s a good place to start. Props to Leanne Ungar & Bruce Dickinson for putting together a great intro to LC. (Bruce Dickinson was the lead singer of what heavy metal band? Anyone… anyone? Yes, that’s right… Iron Maiden. Something tells me it’s a different guy, what do you think?) I digress. This is a good place to start. The one spot I think they miss is an album produced by Phil Spector called Death of a Ladies Man. It does stand out within LC’s catalog as a bit of an odd bird. And I would say it’s a record you should buy — if for no other reason than because you can brag about owning it at dinner parties. Try it and watch your hipness quotient go thru the roof (you could also collect some stories about Phil actually brandishing a pistol during the sessions and this will surely impress your dinner guests). I digress. Leonard’s work is always so thorough and complete, I can’t imagine not owning all of the records. If there are songs that don’t get you right away, keep listening. And really go to the words. Be with the words. Lyrics don’t get better.
Gram Parsons. With Gram, I would take the opposite approach as we did with LC. Start at the end and work your way back. He was interested in what he called “cosmic American music.” Others would later make it sound way less interesting and call it country-rock. And many would give the late great Gram credit for inventing it (as much as I love Gram and his legacy I always felt like this was not very accurate. To me, that is like saying someone invented soup. Maybe Monsanto will genetically modify country-rock and claim a patent for it. If you don’t get this joke, rent Food Inc.) I digress. Gram did have a vision though. Sadly, his career was cut short by a heroin OD in 1973. I would start with both of his solo records at once. GP and Grevious Angel. At first, if you are having trouble with the frailty of his vocals and you are thinking, “it sounds like he just smoked a huge doobie,” keep in mind, he probably did. Many of you will recognize the voice of a young Emmy Lou Harris singing harmony. Next step is to move back in time to the group he formed with Chris Hillman, The Flying Burrito Brothers. 1969’s Gilded Palace of Sin. Then check out the record he made when he was a member of the Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo (This is a total classic record that makes lots of all time best album lists). From this classic, we are entering into terrain more suited to the already established super fan, so if by this point, you feel you qualify, get Burrito Deluxe, the International Submarine Band’s Safe at Home (his first official record). And then you can start digging into the live stuff (he had an amazing road band and some of the live stuff is among my all time favorite live recordings).
I will sleep like a baby tonight, knowing that in my small way I may have helped you to find your way into a wealth of music that these three artists have given us.
Happy listening,
Pete Droge
1/5/10 | Comments (2)Tags: CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, Jeremy Messersmith, KATE BRADLEY, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, OUTLANDOS MUSIC, Pete Droge —
So it’s off to Austin, Texas for me this Saturday. Going all-out this year for a 10 day stint, covering interactive, film & music at SxSW. If you’ve been before, you get that this is a fairly brave undertaking. Which is why I’ve got tons of Emergen-C, Tylenol, and eye-cream ready to go with. And I purchased an iPhone over the weekend to make it easier to navigate all those texts, etc., I feel so 21st century! God damn, this thing is friggin’ cool. It’ll be perfect once I transfer my “Truth Hits Everybody” ring tone from my old phone. In any case, by the end of Sx, all the walking, talking, the late nights, the tacos and Lone Star Ale having taken their toll, I’m sure I’ll feel at least 10 years older. But it’s a small price to pay. Showcases I’ll be at below, in case you happen to be in town 
. I’ll have a blog for you guys next Monday for the full report of the front half of the festival, at least insofar as much as I can take in the first couple of days. In the meantime… here’s what’s been spinning around the office this month so far:
Simone White, Yakiimo
If you haven’t met Simone just yet, the above is a decent taste… a commercial that played all over Europe and the UK with her song, “The Beep Beep Song” from the first album, I Am the Man. Spectacular record. The new one on the way is Yakiimo, with a release across the pond scheduled for June. Working on getting it out here as well. I think of her as a modern-day Joni Mitchell. Fave tracks from Yakiimo include Victoria Anne, Candy Bar Killer, and You Are Loved. You can hear them all here. Totally worth the import price.
Clem Snide, Hungry Bird
When Eef Barzelay isn’t busy doing his solo projects (which I equally adore) he’s got his hands full with Clem Snide. Always a good buy. My picks: Me No (a rocker!) and Pray, so very R.E.M. Hear them here.
Glasvegas, Glasvegas
Lamely, the actual video is no longer embed-able (Columbia Records, you fucking idiots). But still, holy crap, this is heaven. So very very Brit Box. Glasgow pop at its uber-finest. Genius name. Can’t get enough and can barely stand the wait to see them in Austin. So God damn brilliant. Echo and the Bunnymen meets The Family Cat. Double-shit hot.
Sometymes Why, Joey
Yep, it’s a Concrete Blonde cover, gorgeous. You can get it on their new album, Your Heart Is a Glorious Machine.
Michael Miller, I Made You Up
Unfucking believable. It’s a creeper so make sure you hang with it. Really hard to decide favorite tracks because the whole thing just builds. Nonetheless, “Munkie,” “Sweetness,” “Carolina Skyline,” “Gomer Put Your Fist Down,” “Sutures.” Hear them here. I’m telling you, this is a five-star record, all the way. Due out this summer. Pete Yorn, Tracy Bonham, Amy Correa and others guest. Plus it’s an all-star backing band. How the hell isn’t this guy famous? Working on that.
That’s all for now, talk to you guys from Austin next week. Here’s where I’ll be among other places:
- Breath of Fresh Air Showcase 12-6 PM, Wednesday 03/18, Threadgills, 301 W Riverside Dr (Brownshoe, Jeremy Messersmith, Romantica, Chris Velan, The Secret, Life of Sofia, Amy Speace, Winterpills, KaiserCartel, The Damnwells)
- Bloodshot Records Showcase 12-6 PM, Friday 03/20, Yard Dog, 1510 S. Congress (Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Ben Weaver, Charlie Pickett, Exene Cervenka, Deadstring Brothers, Ha Ha Tonka, The Meat Purveyors, Dex Romweber Duo, The Silos, Andre Williams, Justin Townes Earle, Rosie Flores, Waco Brothers
xo
3/9/09 | Comments (2)Tags: Amy Correa, Amy Speace, Brit Box, Charlie Pickett, Chris Velan, Clem Snide, CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, Echo and the Bunnymen, Eef Barzelay, Glasvegas, Ha Ha Tonka, Jeremy Messersmith, Joni Mitchell, KATE BRADLEY, Michael Miller, NOW PLAYING, OUTLANDOS MUSIC, Pete Yorn, REM, Simone White, Sometymes Why, The Damnwells, The Family Cat, Tracy Bonham, Winterpills —
Guest post this week from co-lead singer Philip Price of Winterpills, who I shamelessly adore, as you know.
dear hole in my head through which the foul winds of winter blow,
they say i don’t need you. i beg to differ. without you, the wind would not whistle through in that musical way; it would become very hot and stale in here; nothing would leave or be let in. so i am told you are not only a benefit to me but here to stay. from you, things are allowed to leave that may have felt trapped; others are let in that may be unwelcome.
its hard to let things in during this kind of New England winter — or out. i’m inclined to never, ever leave the house. when i do, my body clenches up, my shoulders hunch and ache, my lungs hurt. i try to take long gliding strides but i keep slipping on the ice, so i pussyfoot.
an hour long walk through the world, walking gingerly and trying not to fall, knotted up in various forms of mild pain, is how i take my exercise these days. and i listen to music, using a small electrical device that pumps sounds through tubes, and i look for things on the ground and in the air, and always i hear the whistling of you, the hole in my head.
listening to music isn’t what it used to be, you know. now when i take in that which used to feed me, i am mainly only reminded that it did feed me once — the hunger for the old Leonard Cohen album, now sated, for example, is somehow lacking. but still in spite of the unwelcome perspective i now i have, sometimes music enters my life with that old alchemy when i am not looking. perhaps this is age; perhaps it is the new electrical devices that make it all so easy that nothing is precious anymore.
i think about this as i trudge through the March snow and stumble and wipe snow from my face. last night i woke during the Nor’Easter wailing outside to get a glass of water and then could not get back to sleep, realized that you, the hole in my head, had been cut off by a strategic cave-in, made worried lists in my steamed-up mind, wrote nonsense words on chalkboards, failed pointless tests — and music was playing the whole time. Not from my electrical device! this went on for about two solid hours until i finally collapsed into sleep from over-exertion.
here is a sampling of the music that was playing:
• Carol Brown by Flight of the Conchords — mainly just one verse and chorus, over and over.
• God and Suicide by Blitzen Trapper — a song i don’t know that well, so again, just the first verse over and over.
• Little Boy Ghost by me (new song in progress) — the whole song.
• Moonbeam Song by Harry Nillsson — mainly the melody, i don’t know all the words, but it builds so beautifully.
• Bridge by Lucy Wainwright Roche — just the chorus. of course, over and over.
• You Always Hurt The One You Love by the Mills Brothers – the best version ever. before the swingy beat comes in on the guitar. i enjoyed hearing it, with even the scratchy vinyl sounds.
• some weird classical music riff that repeated over and over — i think it was a Mozart phrase that was welded clumsily onto a Souza march, and never resolves. pure sonic hell.
• And Then..? by Miracle Legion, melding with the version that Winterpills (my band) has recorded for a Mark Mulcahy covers album.
• a troubling chord progression for a half-baked new song that has only a title: Three Drops of Blood.
• Queen Bee by Neil Halstead. that drum beat, the chorus — ‘what did you say, hey hey girl?’ — calming and also in my twilit mind unsettling. what DID you say, hey hey girl?all this, a soundtrack for midnight worry, midnight lists, midnight tests, while a storm carries on outside, more snow, filling in all the holes, and come morning, the wind still whistled with conviction through my porous head. i need you.
Philip
hadley, ma, march 2, 2009
Winterpills are on tour by the way, you can catch them (and me!) in Austin at SxSW:
Breath of Fresh Air Showcase 12-6 PM, Wednesday 03/18, Threadgills, 301 W Riverside Dr (Brownshoe, Jeremy Messersmith, Romantica, Chris Velan, The Secret, Life of Sofia, Amy Peace, Winterpills, KaiserCartel, The Damnwells)
Signature Sounds Showcase 8PM-1AM, Wednesday 03/18, The Velveeta Room, 6th St. & Red River (Caroline Herring, Peter Mulvey, Chris Smither, Eilen Jewell, Winterpills)
Join us for a great evening of music!
3/2/09 | Comments (0)Tags: Blitzen Trapper, Chris Smithers, Chris Velan, CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, Flight of the Conchords, Harry Nillsson, Jeremy Messersmith, KATE BRADLEY, Leonard Cohen, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, Neil Halstead, OUTLANDOS MUSIC, Peter Mulvey, Philip Price, The Damnwells, Winterpills —
