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Friday, Aug 30 2019, 10AM
This is the second song on Drew's playlist "Shuttle Lift-off/Ground Control."
This is the seventh song from Drew's playlist. See more mixtapes submitted by KEXP listeners and staff here: www.kexp.org
"Rosalita" appeared on Betsy's "Introducing You to Me" mix.
Betsy says: "I had started dating this guy in October of 1986. I was living in DC and he was in DC doing an internship at a law office. He had another semester of law school to complete at Stanford, so he left just before Christmas of that year. We didn't really profess any great commitment - we had really only been dating for a few weeks before he left. But we stayed in touch, and I sent him this mixed tape along with a few others as a way to be connected. The technology was laughable. I would hold a recorder up to my turntable to get the songs. I remember being proud of figuring out ways to 'fade in' a song so that you wouldn't hear the click of the recorder at the beginning or end of the songs.
"The tape is long gone, probably eaten by a cassette machine somewhere or lost in a series of moves, including one across country to Seattle. There was also a long, handwritten letter that went with the tape explaining the song choice. I wish I could find that now, as honestly I'm confused by some of the choices! Most of the songs I still love, but others, while I recognize them, would hardly be described as favorites. Fortunately my taste in men has remained more constant. After more than a year of having a long distance relationship, 'the guy' moved back to DC and eventually we got married. We will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in 2020."
Betsy says: "I had started dating this guy in October of 1986. I was living in DC and he was in DC doing an internship at a law office. He had another semester of law school to complete at Stanford, so he left just before Christmas of that year. We didn't really profess any great commitment - we had really only been dating for a few weeks before he left. But we stayed in touch, and I sent him this mixed tape along with a few others as a way to be connected. The technology was laughable. I would hold a recorder up to my turntable to get the songs. I remember being proud of figuring out ways to 'fade in' a song so that you wouldn't hear the click of the recorder at the beginning or end of the songs.
"The tape is long gone, probably eaten by a cassette machine somewhere or lost in a series of moves, including one across country to Seattle. There was also a long, handwritten letter that went with the tape explaining the song choice. I wish I could find that now, as honestly I'm confused by some of the choices! Most of the songs I still love, but others, while I recognize them, would hardly be described as favorites. Fortunately my taste in men has remained more constant. After more than a year of having a long distance relationship, 'the guy' moved back to DC and eventually we got married. We will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in 2020."
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere was Neil Young's first album with Crazy Horse as his backing band.
From Amanda's mixtape "The Union Jing." Amanda says: "It's the mid nineties, two American girls in London at the height of the Brit Pop phenomenon. The battle between heavy hitters Blur and Oasis was in full swing, with singles Country House and Roll With It released on the same hot day in August. This competition had a rich backdrop of artists; the shoegaze of Lush making way for the brash noise of groups such as Elastica, Echobelly and Sleeper; the 70's throwback vibe of bands like Dodgy, the Charlatans and the Boo Radleys; the vox populi of Pulp. Truly a glorious time to be a music fan in the UK!"
See the video for Oasis' "Roll With It" here: www.youtube.com
"Connection" interpolates "Three Girl Rhumba" by Wire, taking the original riff and transposing it down one semi-tone.
This is the first song on Miss Michael's playlist "Summer Is a Comin'!" Says Michael: "I make a summer mixtape every year and I especially like this one. It combines my love of most genres and each song has a summer feel to me. From childhood yacht rock memories to new songs that feel familiar and strange all at once."
This song originally came out in 1981, the same year as all of the songs on Mixtape Week Grand Prize Winner Jana's "Hot Cheetoh Fantasy." See more from that mixtape here: www.kexp.org
Brian Wilson said that "Good Vibrations" was inspired by his mother: "[She] used to tell me about vibrations. I didn't really understand too much of what it meant when I was just a boy. It scared me, the word 'vibrations.' She told me about dogs that would bark at people and then not bark at others, that a dog would pick up vibrations from these people that you can't see, but you can feel." (From Keith Badman's book The Beach Boys, The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio.)
A cover of British soul group Hot Chocolate’s 1978 hit "Every 1’s A Winner."
See one of Ty Segall's sets at KEXP here: www.youtube.com
See one of Ty Segall's sets at KEXP here: www.youtube.com
From Parker's playlist "Audio Time Machine."
Says Parker: "I moved from Grand Rapids Michigan to Seattle a few years back and will be moving to Los Angeles within the next month. This is my own personal playlist that comforts me in times of change and loneliness. None of the songs are about change particularly, but each song reminds me of a special place and time I will most likely never return to.
"This mixtape allows me to reminisce about spending time with old friends, challenging emotions, past loves, and other life events. It reminds me of the corners in life I will never experience again, whether good or bad. Each song is an emotional time capsule that can bring me back to a specific moment whether it be hanging out with friends who will never be in the same room again or spending time with a gal where we both knew it would be our last date. As I move forward and change in life my time capsule grows larger.
"None of the songs are in chronological order in my time listening to them. One of the earliest songs on my list, The Air Near My Fingers, is at the end of the list yet it reminds me of the excitement it brought me when listening to full White Stripes records with my dad as he picked me up for the weekends after the divorce. TM Juke was an artist I most recently discovered with a friend while sharing drunken goodbyes on a Seattle rooftop only months ago yet it is in the middle of my list. I paced this mixtape from upbeat, to slow, then to upbeat again to mirror my feelings during change. I become excited about the change, endless possibilities are at hand! I then become a bit sad about what will be left behind. After the sadness I am hit again with excitement that the change is happening at all and become hopeful for what the future will bring, more songs most definitely.
"This mixtape is no where near done, I reckon I will have dozens of tracks added before I pass away. But it is very important to me and I thought I'd share."
Says Parker: "I moved from Grand Rapids Michigan to Seattle a few years back and will be moving to Los Angeles within the next month. This is my own personal playlist that comforts me in times of change and loneliness. None of the songs are about change particularly, but each song reminds me of a special place and time I will most likely never return to.
"This mixtape allows me to reminisce about spending time with old friends, challenging emotions, past loves, and other life events. It reminds me of the corners in life I will never experience again, whether good or bad. Each song is an emotional time capsule that can bring me back to a specific moment whether it be hanging out with friends who will never be in the same room again or spending time with a gal where we both knew it would be our last date. As I move forward and change in life my time capsule grows larger.
"None of the songs are in chronological order in my time listening to them. One of the earliest songs on my list, The Air Near My Fingers, is at the end of the list yet it reminds me of the excitement it brought me when listening to full White Stripes records with my dad as he picked me up for the weekends after the divorce. TM Juke was an artist I most recently discovered with a friend while sharing drunken goodbyes on a Seattle rooftop only months ago yet it is in the middle of my list. I paced this mixtape from upbeat, to slow, then to upbeat again to mirror my feelings during change. I become excited about the change, endless possibilities are at hand! I then become a bit sad about what will be left behind. After the sadness I am hit again with excitement that the change is happening at all and become hopeful for what the future will bring, more songs most definitely.
"This mixtape is no where near done, I reckon I will have dozens of tracks added before I pass away. But it is very important to me and I thought I'd share."
Cheryl featured "Don't Waste My Time" by Sault on the latest edition of the KEXP Podcast Music that Matters. This week's episode also features music from Julia Jacklin, Purple Mountains and Ty Segall. Download it here: www.kexp.org
From Jay's mix CD "Chicken Salad - Premium Quality." Says Jay: "I made this mix in 2014 (I think) after listening to Southern Culture on the Skids’ 'Live at El Sol' album where three separate songs all referenced chickens. At first I thought it would be funny to make a mixed cd of chicken songs, but when I started compiling it I convinced myself that it was no joke—somehow the humble chicken just brings out straight up insanity from musicians, from verbal squawks, to country chicken pickin’, to the funkiest grooves...I don’t know what it means, but this mix has it all and just had to be made (life, love, lust, complete nonsense, existential dread, funk with abandon). I gave it to my friend Taylor out of the blue, and the unexpectedness of it blew his mind, which was validating, a good mix should be full of surprises. Can I also say I made it for the Chicken Lady (my favorite Kids in the Hall character and inspiration for a lifetime of inside jokes)?"
Iron & Wine performed live on KEXP back in 2017. See it here: www.youtube.com
Link Wray was a Shawnee musician, perhaps best known for his 1958 hit "Rumble," which was initially banned for fear that it would incite teen violence.
Southern Culture on the Skids play the Tractor Tavern this Monday, September 2.
The Meters are a New Orleans funk band, originally formed in 1965 by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar), and Art Neville (keyboards).
Marni's mixtape "Marni's Modern Mix - Dec 1996." Says Marni: "This was an emotional support mix I made for myself. I was in my first year of law school approaching finals week and needed comfort from songs I loved that reminded me of home and made me feel strong emotions. (Btw, I did really well on those finals. The mixtape worked.)
"P.S. I just listened to Tori Amos's Winter (Track 18) again for the first time in a long time. It is particularly emotional for me because my father died suddenly last week (7/24/19) and in his eulogy, I discussed how he used to take me ice skating on winter Saturdays. Typing through my tears now. Thank you for motivating me to pull out my old mixtapes."
"P.S. I just listened to Tori Amos's Winter (Track 18) again for the first time in a long time. It is particularly emotional for me because my father died suddenly last week (7/24/19) and in his eulogy, I discussed how he used to take me ice skating on winter Saturdays. Typing through my tears now. Thank you for motivating me to pull out my old mixtapes."
Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan played live on KEXP back in 2014. See it here: www.youtube.com
See Paul Weller live on KEXP here: www.youtube.com
From Eric Robinson's "Rock My Soul" mix CD. Says Eric: "I made the mixtape with my ex after 9-11. We sent it to friends for Christmas 2001 as a gift. It was such a powerful event in our history and we thought about when the towers were built in the 70's and the music we loved then. From that we made this tape of songs from the 70's that told our feelings around 9-11 and music which we reflected what was going on and our love of New York."
This song was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.
John Lennon's third single with the Plastic Ono Band was written and recorded on the same day, and released just 10 days later. Upon its release he told the press that he "wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner". Lennon wrote "Instant Karma" in the morning of January 27th, 1970.
Written by Bowie, Carlos Alomar & John Lennon. You can also hear Lennon's voice as the falsetto "Fame" throughout the song.
Paul's "Dead Rat, Fishbowl Floating" mixtape: "As far as mix tapes go, the one I submit here is nothing extraordinary. From the time my older sister had the wherewithal to buy a double cassette deck boom box, I was recording some of the inspiring radio stations in Minnesota, including KJ104, Radio K and Rev 105 (my first exposure to the great Kevin Cole!). I made mix tapes for all occasions, various themes and as gifts for many different friends. This tape, Dead Rat, Fishbowl Floating, holds the distinction as being the one and only tape that was returned to me.
Anna, the tape recipient, was my girlfriend in the heady times of 2001 (the time after Bush II was inaugurated but before the attacks of Sept 11th). There was an impending sense of doom around my community and in the school where I worked (I was in my second year of teaching Spanish in Washburn, Wisconsin). Anna and I had a fun relationship for about 8 months before she moved to Chicago for grad school. When my sense of loss was the greatest, probably toward the end of August 2001, I put this mix together and mailed it to Anna with a short card wishing her well in her new semester. She acknowledged its arrival and said she enjoyed the tape.
For my taste, this isn’t my favorite mix. Artists are repeated. My mix lacks the “left field” songs that I typically like to throw in for variety and humor. Worst of all, the mood is really just too dark in comparison with the relationship I was trying to encapsulate. After I sent it off, I was glad to be done with the mix project and perhaps relieved to close that chapter of my life. About a year later, much to my surprise, the tape was returned to me in the mail. Perhaps Anna had heard I was dating someone new. More likely, she had met someone else and was moving on with that lucky someone. Either way, she returned the tape, with my very amateurish attempt at cover artwork (including the poem by Jose Marti that I pegged inside!), still in tact. For that reason, it is one of the only cassettes I still hold on to. I’m not sure what it is that I cherish about this tape but it certainly holds a place in my heart and it brings me back to that time and place (my Minnesota roots totally shine through with some classic tracks!). Thanks to all of you at KEXP for sending me back down memory lane and giving me an excuse to post the (long) story behind this mix. I love the station! I can’t wait to hear how mixtape week comes together and I appreciate the chance to share mine."
Anna, the tape recipient, was my girlfriend in the heady times of 2001 (the time after Bush II was inaugurated but before the attacks of Sept 11th). There was an impending sense of doom around my community and in the school where I worked (I was in my second year of teaching Spanish in Washburn, Wisconsin). Anna and I had a fun relationship for about 8 months before she moved to Chicago for grad school. When my sense of loss was the greatest, probably toward the end of August 2001, I put this mix together and mailed it to Anna with a short card wishing her well in her new semester. She acknowledged its arrival and said she enjoyed the tape.
For my taste, this isn’t my favorite mix. Artists are repeated. My mix lacks the “left field” songs that I typically like to throw in for variety and humor. Worst of all, the mood is really just too dark in comparison with the relationship I was trying to encapsulate. After I sent it off, I was glad to be done with the mix project and perhaps relieved to close that chapter of my life. About a year later, much to my surprise, the tape was returned to me in the mail. Perhaps Anna had heard I was dating someone new. More likely, she had met someone else and was moving on with that lucky someone. Either way, she returned the tape, with my very amateurish attempt at cover artwork (including the poem by Jose Marti that I pegged inside!), still in tact. For that reason, it is one of the only cassettes I still hold on to. I’m not sure what it is that I cherish about this tape but it certainly holds a place in my heart and it brings me back to that time and place (my Minnesota roots totally shine through with some classic tracks!). Thanks to all of you at KEXP for sending me back down memory lane and giving me an excuse to post the (long) story behind this mix. I love the station! I can’t wait to hear how mixtape week comes together and I appreciate the chance to share mine."
Here's what Drew had to say about the playlist: " "I grew up in Berkeley CA in the 70s learning to love music from the left side of the dial. That meant KPFA and the tunes played by all their anarchy-loving genius student DJs. This was the foundation – cutting my teeth on the MC5, the Stooges, and then Ramones, Talking Heads, and Television. I was a stagehand for the Berkeley Community Theater and worked the first concert by the Clash in the US. I also moshed and bled at the Sex Pistols’ last concert at the Cow Palace. Side B is an homage to KPFA and that time in my life.
Take all of that insanity from Berkeley in the 70s and sedate it with college, work, marriage, kids, and yet . . . the nature of rocket fuel is to explode and propel. KEXP was the spark, and the love of great music overcame a long hibernation. As a KEXP member, I’ve been to great concerts put on by KEXP and starring Sufjan Stevens, Ghostland Observatory, Arcade Fire and many others. Side A is the soundtrack of reawakening to my music-loving self, with full credit to the heroes of the dial at KEXP. Notice that all cuts are from the Live at KEXP compilation discs.
As for the bonus tracks: the disc wouldn’t be complete without Common Market’s shout-out to KEXP’s awesome DJs… and a Message that remains all too relevant today. THANK YOU KEXP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"