Looking Forward to Look Back or Transistors, Man

A Workforce Block and a Twofer from Scotch LaRock

It's The Little Things

I know we don't chat up the movies much around here, but every time the Guardians Of The Galaxy trailer comes on and I hear Norman Greenbaum's “Spirit In The Sky” backed with Blue Swede's “Hooked On A Feeling,” I go back. Well-played tugging at my childhood heart strings, Marvel.

Imagine I was a wee lad navigating the AM dial during the age of transistor radios when I stumbled upon 66WNBC. My world changed. Soon I discovered what you know today as AM Gold and Howard Stern. I heard the Monkees on the radio after seeing them on TV and thought that was the craziest thing ever. I do vaguely remember a WNBC tag line calling Stern How-weird Stern, but that could all be a foggy dream. Over time, I graduated to a new FM radio and WNEW. WNEW had Scott Muni, TwoFer Tuesday, and Workforce Blocks. The second or third track in a Workforce Block set could net you a deep cut. I loved it. Then, there was Get The Led Out with Carol Miller. Side note: I had a big crush on her and imagined we went to concerts together. Clearly, I had the radio on all day; and it was strange times for me. I lived in my headphones.

Eventually I swung around to where the Replacements wanted you to join them on the “Left of the Dial." Don't even get me started on the part where I found Kool DJ Red Alert on KISS-FM, 'cause that's a whole other universe and includes the story of how I acquired this nickname.

So today in the spirit of radio days gone by, here's my Workforce Block. I'm gonna call it: “They're Back."

Over the past couple of weeks there's been news of interesting new releases and some tracks “dropped." Is that what kids say now? "Dropped." Anyway, there are some tunes that I'm excited about for some bands that I've been missing. I've written about Frontier(s) before, and the track "Bare Hands" is great. It mixes everything that I've enjoyed about the history of the members of this band, right through to the now. I don't want to rush summer, but seeing them live can't come soon enough.

Braid's Frame & Canvas is one of my favorites of the 90s. I saw them a bunch of times. You know the story. Well the kids are back with a classic. "No Coast" is like an old friend that dropped by and you picked right up where you left off the last time you were together.

I'm glad Spoon are back. It's been a minute or two. And what a return. I can't wait to spend time with this record when it comes out. Girls Can Tell, Kill The Moonlight, Gimme Fiction and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga all feel like classics to me. Oh, "The Underdog," man that is a tune. "Fitted Shirt." Britt Daniel you songsmith, you. "Rent I Pay" is the first single and it flat out rocks. It's been on a loop for the last twenty minutes. Yeah belt it out, Britt.

Another in the welcome back category are The New Pornographers. A little AC Newman here, a little Neko Case there and a lot of me waiting around for the magical mist to whip it all together. I always leave Dan Bejar out, and that's just rude of me (CoolDad: Dan Bejar's songs are my personal favorites: "Jackie," "Chump Change," "Ballad of a Comeback Kid," "Myriad Harbour." ). They, too, are touring. I will have to wait 'til November, but that is just fine. It will give me enough time to learn the words and imagine I'm one of their 68 members. Maybe I can shake a tambourine...

And now here's a twofer... featuring members of The Bouncing Souls.

Take it waaaaay back there. "Joe Lies." Vintage. The Souls are playing the Pony Summer Stage this summer and my boy T.Slice is going. I'm going to try and hit the House of Vans show with Gorilla Biscuits as well. Our songs, they're sing along songs here, too.

The Pete plays guitar in Smalltalk. Jim had a killer review. You should read it. I've been playing this on repeat as well. So back when I was spending time caught in the middle of two very weak radio signals, I'd flip from WDRE/LIR over to WHTG and back again in an attempt to catch a something that I couldn't find elsewhere. Smalltalk kicks back to those times. Go see them.

Keep up with the CoolDad while he looks forward at the Northside Festival. I'm going to man the fort here with headphones on and look back, keeping tabs on some of my past faves making music today. If you're out, say hi; and, as always, see you 'round the schoolyard.