2010 is here...or has been for over 2 months. If you were born in 1980, you will be turning "30" sometime this year, if not already. It's scary to think that the "80s" started thirty years ago. Also, it's amazing when you realize that the "Reagan" era started nearly thirty years ago as well.

However, I do not have any interest to write about politics because 1980 was also an incredible year for music. Often looked upon as the year that we lost one of the greatest drummers of all time and one of the most beloved singer/songwriters (John Bonham and John Lennon), as well as the poster boys for American punk (Darby Crash) and English post-punk (Ian Curtis), 1980 had much to offer for young lovers of new music. In fact, it may be my personal favorite year for modern rock. A few of my all time favorite bands released their debut album in 1980; Psychedelic Furs (self titled), Echo & The Bunnymen (Crocodiles), and Bauhaus (In The Flat Field).

1980 was probably the most productive year for The Clash. While their double LP London Calling (released in December 1979) kept The Clash in the forefront of the modern rock world, Joe Strummer and company spent half the year recording the triple-album Sandinista (which saw a December 1980 release date). If the Clash had their way, they would had released stand alone (non-album) singles every month in 1980. They did, however, break out with one -  "Bankrobber" - before CBS Records halted the idea.

While 1980 may have been the highlight year for the post-punk movement as it helped establish "new wave music" as a viable commercial format, many punk rock songs were able to break the airwaves as well. "Los Angeles" by X, "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll, and various songs from The Ramones come to mind. Joan Jett released her debut album in 1980 before recruiting members of Rik L. Rik and The Avengers to form the Blackhearts (the album would later be released to greater ears in 1981). 1980 was a great year for AOR as well when you consider breakout records by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pat Benatar, and The J. Geils Band.

This is not the first time i have been fixated about the year 1980 and the soundtrack of those 12 months. Whenever my curiosity gets the best of me and I find myself skimming through the playlists/charts of modern rock radio stations today, I often fantasize how these playlists would look had the stations, now controlled by their mega-media conglomerates, operated in 1980. Outside of college stations, there was not much in the way of commercial alternative radio in 1980. If a new wave record with hit potential had enough of a guitar driven sound (think The Cars) it would probably had made it's way to AOR radio. If a song had more of a dance beat to it, it may had found it's way directly on top 40 radio.  Then again, I often question if there was a major new wave radio station in every major media market, how much of their format would be AOR crossover - much like how so much of modern rock radio can be heard on the active rock station a few turns of the dial away.

So here I present my official 1980 playlist...as sort of a what a modern rock station heavy rotation list would look like 30 years ago. 30 songs from 30 artists. Just for fun and to celebrate my favorite year in music.

 

HELLBOUND GLORY - Old Highs and New Lows (Gearhead Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to buy the CD from AMAZON



Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Old Highs and New Lows

I worked the shift for the big game yesterday and needed a few good drink specials to promote. Since the game was held in Miami, I decided to come up with a tropical shooter using some overstocked ingredients and named it the South Beach Slammer. Everyone loved it, so I thought I would share.


SOUTH BEACH SLAMMER (shooter)
1/2 oz. Margaritaville Passion Fruit Tequila
1/2 oz. Pineapple/Coconut Pucker
The tiniest splashes of orange, cranberry, and grapefruit juices.

Add all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain & pour.

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FLOWER OF ZEUS - Diamond Rings EP (Trumpton Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to download the EP from AMAZON



Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Diamond Rings

THE NUMBER - EP (Zine Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to download the EP from AMAZON



Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from EP

Erractic Radio was nice enough to bring garage rock and piss-punk to the FM radio airwaves in Phoenix and Phoenix should be nice to come on out and help keep the show on the air.

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Just want to point your direction to a few things I have been reading about lately.

• AZPUNK.com is reporting that plans are underway to re-open the notoriously famous Nile Theatre basement in Mesa under the new name The Underground.



• Bob Lefsetz from The Lefsetz Letter wrote this about the new Dashboard Confessional album "Remember when emo was the rage, when "Screaming Infidelities" ruled MTV? Well, that audience grew up, got jobs and got married.  Maybe Chris Carrabba needs to too."



• MK Magazine is reporting that Michael Monroe has unveiled his new band featuring Sammi Yaffa and Todd Youth.



• Battery In Your Leg has an exclusive single (free download) from Cosmo Jarvis.
  

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SPOON - TRANSFERENCE (Merge Records)

review coming soon

Click the above album image to buy the CD from AMAZON


Clicking >>HERE<< will give you a pop-up player where you can hear samples from Transference

I am a few months behind on posting my rants. Some of these came from the holiday season, therefore may appear outdated.

Holiday Rants

• One of the many highlights of my holiday season: buying a CD at ZIA in Tempe and having the cashier, who sounded like Jeff Spicoli, read the name on my debit card in a while telling me my last name sounded "Metal".
• Here is an X-mas shopping rant. I went to Borders which, besides Bookmans and the library, has the largest book inventory. Looked up Personal Foul by Tim Donaghy on their self serve computer directories: "NOT IN STORES". This book came out a month before Christmas and was talked about on every sports program that covered the NBA. It's not like it's a rare book from an small indie press. This is the type of non-intuitiveness in retail that hurt the record stores. Get with it, Borders!
• The best thing about the concept of Santa Claus: not having to wrap large and oddly shaped gifts. Just place the gift near the tree with a bow attached. The element of surprise is already there when the family member wakes up to find that Santa left a gift. No gift wrap needed.

Music Rants

• Although Chuck D. doesn't actually rap on it, "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth is truly the most powerful rock/rap collaboration EVER. The fact that Kim Gordon and Chuck D unite over their mutual disgust for LLCool J solidifies my revelation.
• I learned a very important lesson about jukebox wars: there is absolutely no way to trump a David Allen Coe "classic".
• My top 5 musicians born on January 8th: 1. David Bowie 2. Elvis Presley 3. Robbie Krieger (The Doors) 4. Mike Reno (Loverboy) 5. Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley). Sorry, R. Kelly.
• If your band has been around for 10 years and you are still pulling only 10 people to your shows, now is not the time to perform your entire 10 year catalog on stage. And if you didn't hear what people were saying, no matter how much you play faster and harder, they still think you sound like Creed.
• You would think that a band called Neon Trees wouldn't look so gray and dull.
• I wasn't expecting Inward Eye to rock. I should had done my homework. They're from Canada and have songs that sound like The Clash's more pop-oriented material.
• Nico Vega = Yeah Yeah Yeahs with screamo vocals and less imaginative guitars.
• One thing I always wondered: did Grand Funk Railroad ever actually play funk music?
• Storm The Beach ripped it up a few weeks back. Impressed. The oldest punk rock guitarist I have ever seen. Older than any of the guys in the Relics. Yes, perhaps even older than any of the guitarists who have ever played in One Foot in the Grave.
• So all your prayers have been answered. Scorpion vs Tarantula finally hired a bass player and became a quartet. They've always rocked but damn does that bottom end help.
• This is not an endorsement of Social Distortion, although I have been a fan in the past. I just want to say that covers of "Ring of Fire" should start and stop with Social D. Hearing 2nd rate "punked up" covers of this Johnny Cash classic during jewelry commercials and TV theme songs must stop.
• I recently heard the most ridiculous thing scanning through XM/Sirius. On the 90's\grunge station Lithium they are advertising "Black Hole Sundays" for those who want to hear Soundgarden all day. My bet is that they don't even play anything off Ultramega OK.
• Okay, every once in awhile I like to play "Dream Weaver" on the jukebox for giggles. But to hear some newly turned 21 year old young lady say "Oh My God...It's Flock Of Seagulls" is truly priceless humor in so many ways.
• I saw a band the other night (name escapes me) that sounded like either a really bad Jimmy Eat World knockoff or Journey. I couldn't decide which one.
• Hey bands: when you set up your Myspace page, make sure you don't put any booking/contact info. And while you are it, please make sure you don't add a proper description of yourself in the "About" section, like a bio or anything. And when you upload songs, make sure you select the option that doesn't allow anyone to add songs to their Myspace playlists. You wouldn't want your music to go viral now, would you?
•  I saw Toad for the first time. Powerful rock. It was like stoner-synth-punk.

Food/TV/Sports/Culture Rants

• Something I was pondering while watching a Cardinals game a few weeks back: when does Chips & Salsa stop becoming a snack and start becoming a meal? 1/4 bag in? Half bag? Now, I hate to go "Andy Rooney" on my readers, however when you think about salsa, some say it's a dip and some say it's a condiment. Shouldn't salsa technically be considered a salad?
• Now this made me chuckle. Vince Thomas from NBA.com calls cornrolls the "NBA Mullet". www.nba.com/2009/news/features/vince_thomas/11/17/retired/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1
• Comments about 3 commercials I saw while watching episodes of the second season of S.O.A.. 1. Even when he is telling people to drink responsibly, I still can't stand Kid Rock. I wonder what all his new friends in Nashville think about him pimping cherry flavored bourbon. 2. Some dude just taught us how to make a Disarano and cranberry. Gee...guess what the ingredients were? Unbelievable. 3. "From the director of Juno...starring George Clooney"...yikes.
• I loved watching the Lou Amundson dunk over Zack Randolph during the first Memphis-Phoenix meeting this season. Randolph laughed because he knew he deserved the payback after the stunt he pulled last year. Is there better revenge for getting smacked in the face during an NBA game than to posterize your nemesis? Now someone needs to teach Steve Nash how to dunk over Tracy McGrady.
• Cardinal games are not as fun to watch without Kurt Warner. Maybe Leinart can do a beer bong during the game to entertain me.
•  I hate the "WIRED" gimmick on the TNT/ESPN NBA Broadcasts. I don't want to hear what the coaches are saying because they never let us hear anything worthwhile. I don't want to hear Kobe "be himself" on the court. Hey NBA, do you want to make it fun and worthwhile? Turn that mic up whenever there is a altercation. Let us hear what Rasheed actually says to the ref before he gets hit with a "T".
• I watched X-Files: I Want To Believe finally. Now that it is revealed that Mulder and Scully have a romantic connection and are physically involved, anyone find it odd that they still call each other by their last name?
•  If there are any single or divorced men reading this who are thinking about getting married , watch Deadly Women on the ID network. One episode of that show might change your mind.
• I was watching Serial Mom at a friend's house this past weekend. I was trying to guess the year it came out. Rikki Lake looked so young but Matthew Lillard played her brother and looked around the same age. Come to find out that the movie came out in 1994 and Lillard recently turned 40. Shocked me...I thought he was much younger.
• I just looked up Youth In Revolt on Wikipedia. Someone please tell me why Michael Cera is still playing 16 Year old boys in movies. The dude is like almost 30 now, right?
• There is justice in the world when a great actor like Gary Oldman finally gets top billing in a blockbuster movie playing opposite Denzel Washington.
• Since Guy Ritchie has been setting up sequels in his last 2 films, I just hope the sequel to RockNRolla comes out first.
• Only in the NBA can a player who has only played 47 minutes the entire season thus far due to injury and is on the trading block be 2nd place in All Star voting for West Conference guards. Just because of China and the fact he is teammates with Yao Ming. Then again, if the NBA separated Shooting Guards and Point Guards in the voting categories,this wouldn't be an issue. Fortunately Nash ended up winning that second spot.
• So I realize that a show like "The Jersey Shore" will be laughed at, ridiculed, mocked, and then forgotten about six months after it goes off the air. My question is why can't we just ignore crap like this to begin with? Why can't we, as a society, just shake our heads, turn the channel, and let our initial lack of enthusiasm speak for itself? How can such creative minds be so easily amused?
• The Taco Bell Drive-Thru diet? OK, they got my attention. I actually like the Fresca-style tacos. But keep this in mind: Atleast Jared walked or rode his bike to Subway every day. I am not sure how not even getting out of your car is going to burn those Taco Bell calories.
• Someone just offered me a Velamint. Ofcourse I ate it, but do they even make these anymore? How old do you think this mint was? It was still yummy.
• I wonder if they have a patch for Mentos addiction
• Watching these Cisco commercials I realize that Ellen Page really needs a good movie script to showcase her "charm"
• I stayed up late one night to watch Die Hard on Spike. They are now showing commercials for penis pumps on TV. They are using the whole E.D. angle to push them. They even had a half-dozen testimonials from various senior citizens. Bizarre
• Which beer company showcases their customers as total douchebags more? Budweiser or Miller Lite?

Fatherhood Rants

• One of the instructors at my son's karate school claims to have once been Chuck Norris' bodyguard. Why would Chuck Norris need a bodyguard? He's freakin' Chuck Norris! Doesn't anyone at this school read the internet and know how awesome Chuck Norris is?
• The Monday before Thanksgiving, I had lunch at my son's school and participated in the turkey trot .Now I can see where my lunch money goes.Microwaved bagel dogs? And if the kids want PB&J instead, they have to spread it on themselves. WTF!
• I can't help to think that the music teacher at my son's school looks like the lead singer of Samiam. Maybe the school orchestra will breakout into "Capsized".
• I was stoked to hear "Grace" by Supergrass on my son's Lego Rock Band last night.

Miscellaneous Rants

• If my cat is smart enough to understand the concept of my alarm in the mornings, how come he doesn't understand what the snooze button is?
• "Ya gotta love this", "Ya gotta love that". No, I don't gotta love it. Not everything I once deemed as terrible deserves my sense of irony.
• Time management doesn't seem like a option for someone who multi-tasks between things that are his responsibility and things he is passionate about.
• Think twice before offering suggestions to an ambitious delegater.
• From this point forward, I no longer work at "Hollywood Alley in Mesa". Instead, I work at "Hollywood Alley located in the heart of the DoRa district in west Mesa".
• There is citrus-scented hand sanitizer at my day job that, when applied, smells like a Absolut Citron & tonic. It always makes me wish there was a happy hour in my near future.
• The best Hot Toddy recipe in the world. Cup of hot water, one squeeze of a lemon, one shot of Wild Turkey Honey Liqueur. That's it.
• I am not a fashion cop but track pants with chain wallets look awful.

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Antique Scream returns for Truck Stop Rock Fest at Hollywood Alley. They will be joined by Greenhaven, Hogjaw, Adam Lee Cogswell. Also, PBR is supplying limited edition 32 oz. Trucker Travel Cups. They come filled with Pabst for $5 and each refill is only $3.

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