Completely Conspicuous

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite albums of 2017. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - JB's #10 - Tommy Stinson can still bring it - JK's #10 - A welcome return after 17 years - JB's #9 - A turnkey post-shoegaze solution - JK's #9 - Double LP return for the great Ted Leo - JB's #8 - A different sound for She Sir - JK's #8 - Strong effort marred by...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the year in indie rock. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - Eighth annual year in review - Rock isn't part of the top 40 conversation anymore - Apple is going to stop selling downloads and iPods - Music as a service - Does higher quality audio really matter? - People who died - Pat DiNizio recently passed; the Smithereens had...

This week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots with Brian listening to Living Colour while I dig into early solo Beatles records. Show notes: - Brian listened to Vivid, Jay listened to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - Adventures in Skype - Jay: Wasn't familiar with much of this album - Very raw, exposed album for Lennon - Lennon didn't release many albums befor...

This week, it's part 2 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about how we deal with losing musicians we love. Show notes: - Replacing a beloved band member is tough - Tom Petty's legacy - Steely Dan's interesting catalog - The problem with hearing the same songs over and over - The lighter side of Prince - Prince's prolific later years - A master of any style - Jay: Downie's loss hits harder now becau...

This week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about how we deal with losing musicians we love. Show notes: - Gord Downie died a few weeks ago - Many high-profile music deaths in last few years - Musicians are getting older, but also some tragic deaths - Phil: Elvis Presley's death was memorable - Lennon's death was shocking - Phil: Cobain and Jerry Garcia's deaths hit hard - Jay: The pl...

This week, it's part 2 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about albums that changed our lives.  Show notes: - Jay: Was a nerdy kid who listened to music all the time - Phil liked college rock, but never got the Violent Femmes - Jay: Loved Red Hot Chili Peppers back in the day, but can't stand them now - Back and forth on the Eagles and Doors - Of Linda Ronstadt and Barney Gumbel - Grunge makes an i...

This week, it's part 1 of my discussion with Phil Stacey about albums that changed our lives.  Show notes: - Phil: At age 6-7, hearing older kids listening to Aerosmith - Heard a lot of easy listening music - Had a music-loving uncle who introduced him to the Who, Hendrix, Talking Heads - Jay: Listened to AM rock station in Toronto - Bought 45s of Queen, Cheap Trick, Joe Jackson - Phil: U2's Boy w...

This week, it's part 3 of my discussion with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Show notes: - Brian listened to Somewhere in Time, Jay listened to Sheik Yerbouti - Deja vu all over again - Brian: Somewhere in Time is the most dated, least raw of the three albums I listened to - Band didn't play to its strengths - Victim of mid...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss our uncertain world. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Echo and the Sea - Escapism is tempting - Shopping by alcohol content - Is ignorance bliss? - Dumb and happy - Cynical about politics at all levels - Corruption is rampant - Appearances count - Politics have never been this divisive...or have they? - Internet comments are the w...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Matt Phillion as we discuss our uncertain world. Show notes: - Check out Matt's book Echo and the Sea - Recorded before the Las Vegas incident and Trump's visit to PR - Everything's uncertain - Don't know what to expect from the news - Trump: Savvy or master of chaos? - Twitter as distraction - Social media amps up the anxiety - FB as the center of vitriol over...

This week, Brian Salvatore and I discuss more musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Show notes: - Brian listened to Number of the Beast, Jay listened to Apostrophe - Brian: No surprises on Number of the Beast - Familiar with half the album - Liked the fast and heavy stuff, not the slower songs - Jay: This was my introduction to Maiden - The transition...

This week, Brian Salvatore and I discuss more musical blindspots. Brian will learn about Iron Maiden while I dig into Frank Zappa. Show notes: - Jay: Somewhat familiar with Zappa's hits and guitar work - Intimidating catalog; more than 100 albums released - Brian: Knew a few Maiden songs but never a fan - Listened to 1980 self-titled debut - Liked the faster songs and Paul Di'Anno's vocals - Enjoy...

Another installment of Driving With Kumar as I discuss my recent European vacation. Show notes: - Spent over two weeks in London, Paris, Belfast and Dublin - Went to London in '96 - Less drinking on a family vacation - Elderly passenger in distress - Hotel room in London was tiny - Walked nearly 100 miles the entire trip - Ran along rivers in the four cities we visited - Ate a lot of pub food - Lo...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the year so far. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - JB: The Orb released a remix EP - JK: The prolific Ty Segall does it again - JB: Vagabon brings fresh take to indie rock - JK: Boss Hog's first album in 17 years - JB: The evolving sound of Spoon - JK: The consistently excellent New Pornographers back w...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of the year so far. Show notes: - Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ - Plenty of great rock music, but not on the charts - It's all about playing live; rock radio exposure is nonexistent - Billy Squier still gets the airplay - Nobody's figured out how to make money from streaming music - Get pumped for Husker Du bootleg bo...

Part 3 of my conversation with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian listens to another Sloan album while I check out a third record from Ween. Show notes: -Win-win situation - Brian had Sloan's "The Double Cross" and Jay had Ween's "Quebec" - Brian: My favorite of the three I listened to - Beatles comparisons - Brian will go back and check out rest of Sloan catalog - No solo albums, but...

Part 2 of my conversation with Brian Salvatore about musical blindspots. Brian listens to another Sloan album while I check out a second record from Ween. Show notes: - Brian: Impressed with the progression of Sloan's sound - Jay: Hadn't heard anything from The Mollusk previously - Plenty of genre jumping - Nautical theme - Elements of prog, psych - Brian: My favorite Ween record - Ween varies pla...

This week, Brian Salvatore and I talk about delving into the catalog of bands we don't know much about. Brian will learn about Sloan while I dig into Ween. Show notes: - Each of us picks a favorite artist of the other that we don't know much about - Jay listened to Ween's Chocolate and Cheese, Brian listened to Sloan's Twice Removed - Both 1994 releases - Both of us had heard a few songs before -...

This week, I talk to guest Brian Salvatore about the legacy of the late Chris Cornell. Show notes: - Brian: Was never a huge fan of Cornell's early singing style - Rediscovered his love for Soundgarden in recent years - Jay: First heard him when Temple of the Dog came out in '91, then got  Badmotorfinger - The greatness of Mother Love Bone - Soundgarden was perfect bridge between '80s hard rock an...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the evolution of the music blog. Show notes: - Breitling recently shut down his fine music blog Clicky Clicky - Some band reunions shouldn't happen - A whole new target audience for newer live acts - The kids wanna snap - Some bands can make a living selling merch and playing small live gigs - No time for comics anymore - The inflated price...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about the evolution of the music blog. Show notes: - Breitling recently shut down his fine music blog Clicky Clicky - MP3 blogs soon evolved into something less legally risky - Wrote about music for other online pubs: Splendid EZine, Junkmedia - Had a personal page and then launched Clicky Clicky in 2006 - Contributors had other commitments, life...

This week, it's my conversation with guest Christian Douglass as we discuss what life would be like without the Internet. Show notes: -  Recorded on the road in a snowstorm - What if the Internet went away? - Back to mid-'90s technology - We'd have to talk to each other - Generational dip - The Lou Grant Revolt - We'd lost a lot of conveniences - The kids and the promposals - People are constantly...

Part 3 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Brian's #3 - The final Pixies album with original lineup - Jay's #2 - Do we need to hear Nevermind again? - Symbolically historic - Raw vs. polished - Brian's #2 - Tribe Called Quest brought a serious jazz feel to their sound - Focused on the groove, not...

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Albums that didn't make our top 5 of '91 - Brian: Feelies, Slint, Prince - Skipping a Prince show - Jay: Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Temple of the Dog - Brian: Firehose, De La Soul, Cohen tribute, Jonathan Richman - No more "Hallelujah" covers,...

Part 1 of my conversation with guest Brian Salvatore as we look back at the music of 1991. Show notes: - Check out Brian's podcast Input/Output - Wrapping up our look at the music of the years 1980-1999 - 1991 really kicked off the '90s musically - Brian was 9, Jay was 23 - Alt-rock took off in '91 - Big year for Metallica - Plenty of pop and one-hit wonders - Bryan Adams and Color Me Badd had str...