40 Watt Gigolo

In many cases, the first track on the first album represents that magical moment when an artist stands beneath the spotlight for the first time.  It is the moment when they unleash their talents on the world; when they say "This is who I am.  This is my art.  I matter and I will not be denied."

These songs are vital.  They are full of energy and promise.  They are the essence of rock 'n roll.  Of the punks.

This mixtape series captures two hundred, or so, of my favorite opening statements spanning the past sixty plus years of popular music.

Episode One features some of the greatest "track ones" ever recorded, by artists from Little Richard to Smashing Pumpkins.


Here is the playlist:

Uncontrollable Urge - Devo

Oh Boy! - The Crickets

Harlem - Bill Withers

I Feel Free - Cream

Janie Jones - The Clash

Hero Takes A Fall - The Bangles

I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles

Break On Through - The Doors

Gloria - The Patti Smith Group

I Am One - Smashing Pumpkins

Train - The Buddy…

from the single Dreamcatcher (2018)

Diego peaked through the kitchen door at the ordinarily-dressed man seated at the counter.

"Amelia, it is him," he whispered.  "It is him."
"How can you tell?  You have never even seen his picture."
"Look at him, Amelia.  He has the dignity of a great chef.  I know it is him."
Diego rushed to his workstation and began preparing the greatest dish of his life, convinced that the man at the counter was The Peruvian - the mystical chef - who, for a few days in January 2000, served The Millennium Taco.
Word of The Peruvian's creation had first spread locally, through the streets of Veracruz.  Soon after, lines circled the blocks around his tiny restaurant.  Many who tasted The Millennium Taco weeped.  A poet shook as though it were the rapture, while burning his notebook.  Even the bishop knelt before The Peruvian and asked for a blessing.
Then one morning, The Peruvian was gone.  The restaurant closed.  He was…

from the album Lush (2018)

Summer is a magical season.  When I think back to all those past summers, music often helps define it; whether on the ferry to Atlantique - listening to With A Little Luck - or rockin' poolside to Rancid's Time Bomb.

Heat Wave by Snail Mail is a perfect song for the season.  A tale of troubled summer romance, the song is set to hazy, sun-drenched tones with a pop sensibility.  Its hooks and melody lines stay with you as the tension between the jangling rhythm guitar and shredding lead add a layer of depth and purpose.

You can easily imagine yourself driving in the convertible along 27A, picking up your friends, hitting the Southward Deli, and making a day of it.

I love summer singles.

Click Here to watch the official video for Heat Wave by Snail Mail.

from the single Heaven's Only Wishful (2018)

MorMor is the stage name of Seth Nyquist, a singer and producer based out of the Toronto area.

I really enjoy his song Heaven's Only Wishful.  It not only finds the perfect intersection of indie rock and synth pop, it also finds the perfect pocket to deliver pop success in both.

There is no doubt that MorMor can sing, but, to properly appreciate his talents, you need to take a close listen to the song's arrangement.  I dig how the guitars of the opening verse seamlessly give way to synthesizers, only to return - a little more ruffed up - for the final verse.  I also dig how the steady and precise beat is sometimes removed. building anticipation for its return.

If you are a songwriter or producer, there is a lot to think about in this delightful little tune.

Click Here to watch the official music video for Heaven's Only Wishful by MorMor.

from the EP Where The One Is (2018)

Art Of Tones is the stage name of Ludovich Llorca, an amazingly talented DJ and producer specializing in House.  He is a Parisian, currently based in NYC.  I have recently been digging his tune Reprise De Fonk.

In the wee hours of this morning, I decided to take a four-mile walk along the Las Vegas Strip.  Headphones on, Art Of Tones made the perfect companion for the walk.  The groove put a bounce in my step and the vibe was perfectly suited for all the bright lights, as they waned in the pre-dawn indigo.

My mind was focused on the future.  In particular, I wondered if I had finally returned to that proverbial fork in the road; that exact spot where I've stood twice before.  That moment of truth where I needed to decide whether to follow my head or follow my heart.

The last two times, I chose my head.  However, this time, experience tells me that following my head will lead me right back to where I currently stand and that to, once again, deny …

from the single Let's Get Together (2018)

One of my favorite nights in recent memory was following a wedding in York, England.  A dozen, or so, of us were looking to continue the revelry and stepped into a bar called The Spread Eagle.

In the back room were some older chaps spinning sweet old records and dancing with beautiful women.  Their dance steps were fairly intricate and everybody participated.

It was like a time warp.  The music, the people, and the vibe gave a sense that somebody turned the clock back to the late 1960s.  It was Northern Soul night!

Northern Soul is an upbeat dance movement started by British Mods and features American black soul music from artists including Jackie Wilson and Little Anthony.  Had my Shazam app been loaded, I'd have captured the names of every unfamiliar tune.

Ultimately, the dancers amongst us had the time of their lives; while the dinners amongst us staggered  to our lodging.

Timmion Records is a great independent label based in Helsin…

from the EP Sugar & Spice (2018)

Big, lush dream pop from Brisbane, Australia.

Hatchie, whose real name is Hariette Pilbeam, breaks thru on her debut EP with an incredible mixture of talent, pop sensibility, and the ability to overlay tracks to create a massive vibe.  Move over Phil Spector, this is a really big sound.

I am enamored with the way each layer adds to the overall vibe.  Adding this many vocal and instrumental layers without having everything turn to mud is a very tricky proposition.

I also enjoy two of the central lyrics of the song: "no, you don't call me baby anymore" and "we could outlast it all."  Hopeful.  Positive.  Upbeat.  I am smitten.

As a guilty pleasure, play this super loud on your car stereo, while speeding along the highway and singing your heart out.

Click Here to watch the official music video for Sugar & Space by Hatchie.

from the single Love Of Mine (2018)

If you are looking for a mindless summer vibe to lose yourself in - and who isn't? - then check out Love Of Mine by Bardo Martinez.

This song by the Chicano Batman frontman is something of a lo-fi masterpiece.  I dig the jangling guitars, simplistic use of a vintage electric piano, and the catchy groove.  I also enjoy the twists and turns in the arrangement, as well as the generous splashes of echo.

This song isn't going to change the world, except by making you a hipper, groovier human being.

Click Here to listen to Love Of Mine by Bardo Martinez.

Click Here to read my March 2017 blog post for Friendship (Is A Small Boat In A Storm) by Chicano Batman.

from the single Pitch Black City Reunion (2018)

One of my favorite albums of all time is The In Crowd by the Ramsey Lewis Trio.  This 1965 release featured a collection of the trio's live recordings captured at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington D.C.

Aside from it representing an incredible fusion of bebop, funk, and afro-jazz, what makes the record "real" for me is its warmth.  I feel as though I am in the room.  I can smell the cigarette smoke.  I know just how that cocktail glass feels in my hand.  I know that the rest room is over by the blue neon light.

Ultimately, that warmth is a sense of organic.  The piano, bass, and drums are so vibrant, so real; causing it to connect with me unlike almost any other record I know.

In the world of electronic music, Detroit House legend - Moodymann - has stood above all others for roughly thirty years in his ability to create warm and organic vibes in the typically cold electronic genre.  He creates this vibe in the roundness and…

from the album Freedom (2018)

In the spheres of art and literature, the color of a rose carries much symbolism.  A red rose for passion, a white rose for spirituality, a black rose for rebirth; but a blue rose?

The blue rose does not naturally exist in nature.  As such, it often symbolizes the quest for the unattainable; in many instances associated with love.

A futile quest for love.  Is there a more holy grail?

In his song Blue Rose, Damon McMahon yearns for a more satisfying relationship with his father; delivering a lyrical account of reality, while his music speaks to the connection he desires.  It is one of the most beautiful songs of 2018.  The closing lines nearly break my heart:

Said you weren't much a man to me
But you're the only one I ever had

To all those seeking a blue rose, I love you.

Click Here to watch the official video for Blue Rose by Amen Dunes.

from the album Soul Side Of Town (2018)

Playing music with other dedicated musicians is one of the most joyous experiences imaginable.  I believe that, when playing, you become totally emerged in the moment.  Playing, listening, anticipating.  It is all absorbing and total pleasure.

I think of this while listening to the instrumental Butter Fried on the new Tower Of Power album.  These incredible musicians are completely locked in to each other; making their music cohesive by interlocking at every step.

Every musician is fully in the moment.  Nobody is thinking about getting the tires rotated on their car or about ho they are going to cover medical expenses.  They are simply having a moment of ecstasy with their fellow music makers.

Tower of Power have been doing this for fifty years.

Dig it.

Click Here to listen to Butter Fried by Tower of Power.

from the single The Late Nite Tuff Guy Salsoul Reworks (2018)

Love Having You Around is a song written by Stevie Wonder.  It is the first track on Music Of My Mind, the 1972 album where Stevie pivoted away from his teenage and Motown era to become a mature master of rhythm & blues, soul, funk, and pop.  That this record was made by a twenty-one year old is nothing short of phenomenal.

Although the song most people remember from that album in Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You), it is Love Having You Around that kicked off the record and introduced the world to grown-up Stevie.  With the scores of iconic songs to follow, Love Having You Around became related to deep cut status.

In 1977, the female vocal trio First Choice released a dance rendition of the song.  This brought the tune back to life, filling early disco dance floors with the mighty groove.  Despite being a cover, you can hear Stevie dripping from every measure.

Fast forward forty-one years, and a remixed versi…

from the album Ocala Wick (2018)

Gobbinjr is the synth-pop project of Emma Witmer, a budding Wisconsin musician who moved to NYC, enrolled in NYU, and began making her musical dreams come true.  I find her songwriting to be top-rate and her attention to detail impeccable.

When I first came across her new song, Fake Bitch, I smiled and gave it a spin.  To my delight, the opening visual image (as well as the remaining lyrics) touched my heart:

I felt you press your dick against my thigh
When we hugged
I didn't ask for it
You're not the one I want
'Cause you're a fake bitch and you know it
Even when you try not to show it
You're a fake bitch and I know it

Weren't you expecting the song to be about a chick?  I sure was; but - bam - the subject's dick gets mentioned in the first line.  It is clever, ironic, and worthy of our respect.  The fake bitch is a dude!

Once you get past the lyrics, check out the chord structure and the arrangement.  They are fantastic.  I dig h…

from the album Emozionando (2018)

Sharply dressed in black, I step inside the chapel a moment after the ceremony begins.  Sure-footedly, I march down the aisle, passing a handful of attendees on either side, and stop immediately behind the bride and would-be groom.

I face those assembled.  In a deep and official tone, I announce, "Ladies and gentleman, please pardon the interruption.  This should only take a moment"  Next, I advise the best man, "Sir, I need you to take this gentleman into the atrium and await my further instruction."  He complies.

I then turn to the bride, nod my head, and ask, "May I have a word?"

We solemnly approach the side entrance, her back towards the wide-eyed congregation.  We lock eyes.  She smiles.

"I've got two tickets to."

"This is really happening," she amusedly interrupts.

"Yes.  It is."

Roughly seventy hours later, we check out of the Antica Locanda Dei Mercanti, grab the keys, put the to…