And a Festmas to you and yours.....

Stompers- Christmas Stomp



Bey Ireland-All I Want for Christmas is a Go-Go Girl



Enchanters- Mambo Santa Mambo



Brendan Hanlon and the Batmen- Christmas Party



The Waitresses- Christmas Wrapping


The Wombats- Is This Christmas


Sufjan Stevens- That Was the Worst Christmas Ever


Ryan Lindsey-Sad Christmas



Neko Case-Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis [Tom Waits]



Tom Waits- Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis [live - Austin City Limits, 1978]

She Likes the Boys in the Bands

Rick James called her Super Freak...

"She likes the boys in the band
Thinks that I'm her all-time favorite"

Micheal Jackson called her Dirty Diana...

"She likes the boys in the band
She knows when they come to town
Every musician's fan after the
curtain comes down"

... and I'm pretty sure I can think of at least 3 other songs that mention a girl who ''likes the boys in the band''.

Lets give it up for the groupies and the girls who can't help but know when their coming to town......because we all know, women are only interested in music to fulfill their fantasies of getting with boys in bands, right? And boys only play in bands to get girls to notice them...right!

The original groupie we love to love/hate... Yoko....

Somehow I've never really been big fan of the Beatles, or any side product of The Beatles, but Yoko has always managed to secure my attention. She beautiful, intelligent, political, holds her own and best of all, provided John with a melange of material for the remainder of his career. Sure she's crazy, eccentric, makes awful music and potentially destroyed The Beatles careers... but if any lady can inspire a song like "Oh Yoko", that lady deserves a prize.

A very large meaningful prize.

John Lennon - Oh Yoko


Check out this remix on Cousin Cole and Pocketknife's "Tambourine Dream" on Flamin' Hotz Records, one of the best remix albums I have heard in ages. An album that actually makes me interested in remixes again. (remixes of Beirut, Nico, Bruce Springsteen, Jose Gonzales, Joanna Newsom and more)


John Lennon - Oh Yoko! (Pocketknife's Numero Ono Remix)




Here's another of my favorite tracks on the album...

Beirut - Scenic World (Pocketknife's Breathtaken Remix)


(special thanks to my friend Mike B. for getting me hooked on this album)

The Torch Song

I swear I'm not doing this on purpose. I know its summer, all everyone wants is a hot jam to have spontaneous dance parties to. But amongst the "that's my jam's" I can't help but throwing in a little melancholy, heart break in a minor key and dissonant sounds just for kicks.
Ever wanted to have your heart ripped into shreds? But like, in a good way?

Nothing like a good ol' fashioned torch song to take care of the deed. A torch song is the most desperate of songs, a song written for or about a lover moved on, or one that was never there at all. It comes from the term "to carry a torch" but it's not like the crazy stalker ex-boyfriends of songs. Its the song you had that heart wrenching romance with on your summer trip to Paris, the one that moved on too soon, the one you convinced yourself was meant to be, that one that got away. It's the song that gives you a lump in your throat when you see it with its hotter new girlfriend/boyfriend song at the bar. It's the song you think about calling at 4am when your drunk and feeling desperate and lonely and can't possibly think of how you'll ever find another song just like it!!!

OH the fucking torment!
Get it out, get it all out....FEEL IT my brothas and sistahs!


Eddie Holman- Four Walls

"Im waiting for you, to return
Open the door
Walk right on in
Darling, let's start all over again"

Sometimes I dress like an Indian too

I've always wanted a hot track to dance to while wearing my boys size "indian" fringed vest.

Don Arnando's 2nd Avenue Rhumba Band - I'm an Indian Too

Soul Train on mute.

Lately there have been a lot of thunder storms on account of it being hurricane season in Alberta or something. They are the kind of thunderstorms that you can hear coming for miles and shakes the ground when it arrives. I seem to really enjoy waking up to thunder lately, there's something comforting about waking up to weather in a miserable state; not me in a miserable state, the weather. It feels like the world has already caught up to your looming bad mood and says "its ok, your mood pales in comparison to what we're feeling right now, its all good".

"The hippest trip in America..."
By far my favorite rainy day activity these days is watching soul train on mute with other tunes, no matter what the track is, fast or slow, upbeat or intensely somber, it always somehow seems to work out.

I'm sure most people know about Soul Train but if you don't, Soul Train is a variety music show that started in 1970 that is a plethora of large afro's, jerry curls, high-wasted-wide-leg pants, and most importantly the most amazing dancing you'll see in your lifetime.

It showcases mostly soul, r&b, and Motown artists with live performances and interviews, but the bulk of the show is like 'electric circus' if 'electric circus' was good and people pre-choreographed their dance moves instead of just eye raping the camera and awkwardly grinding the air.

(I think its important to note that Soul Train only ever got syndicated because of sponsorships from Afro-Sheen Hair Products and Sears, I think they probably had enough Afro-Sheen on set to keep that company in business at least until 1984.)

Here's the prescription;
Step 1) Play track
Step 2) Mute YouTube video
Step 3) Play video, repeat
Step 4) Watch and Listen

"...We wish you love, peace... and SOUL!"

Rufus Wainwright- Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix)


The Cure- Fire in Cairo (Egyptian Remix)

Y Tu Madre - A mix for my mom.

First of all I should probably preface this posting by saying I no longer have the radio show "La Petite Morte", in fact it went through a little death about a year ago. But I am bringing it BACK..in the form of a music blog/things I am interested in blog. I'll be posting regular mixes and podcasts, and trying to maintain some sort of order without going into whiney blogger category.

Here's a screen shot from my most favorite show in the world: Soultrain (vintage only). I'll probably do a posting on this show alone sometime!

So here's my first reposting. This is a mix my friend John and I made for my mom who could definetly use some postive good tunes in her life right now. My mom is really into dub, reggae, afrobeat, etc (I swear she was a rasta in a previous life) and since John has lots of good vinyl in those genres, I asked him to help out. I threw in some soul and funk for the kill too. (sorry about the levels being a little off... we mixed it live and thought we could adjust the levels later... turns out thats not such a good idea)

Nostalgia77-Cheney Lane
Mad Professor-The African Connection
Yellowman-Mr Chin
Creative Source-I'd Find You Anywhere
Ellen McIlwaine-Higher Ground
Ananda Shankar- Dancin & Drums
Manu Dibango- New Bell
Nina Simone- Take Care Of Business (Pilooski Edit)
Femi Kuti-Beng Beng Beng (Da Lata Remix)
Jimi Tenor & Kabu Kabu- Hermetic Man
Beatconductor- Out Of Bondage
George & Gwen McRae- The Rub
Phirpo Y Sus Caribes- Comencemos
Laurel Aitken & The Soulmen- Never You Hurt
Hot 8 Brass Band- Sexual Healing