Vinyl Dreams on Record Store Day

I received my education from Haffa's Fine Used Records in Athens, Ohio.

In that small, grimy basement store, I learned the passion, joy, despair and the cold hard realities of buying and selling used vinyl.  I discovered Miles Davis, Tom Waits and the cutout bin there.  

It was a beautiful way to kill that hour between classes and to watch, in fascination, as the used vinyl was sorted for rejection or acceptance for a quarter or two.  The best records were bought for a buck. I sold vinyl there when I needed money.  Spent it there when I had it. 

For me, Haffa's was a portal.  A transmitter linked to a much wider world.  A world of musicians playing in smoky clubs and sweaty, downtown bars  - and all the excitement, rebellion and freedom it represented to me.  I wanted to drink it all in - like it was coming from a fire hose.  It made me want to leave my cave and take a look around.  I can't thank Haffa's enough for that. 

Saturday is Record Store Day and the festivities at Haffa's start at 11 a.m.  Record Store Day is a national celebration - and remembrance - of the wonderfully-unique culture that inhabits the independent record store. Most stores feature in-store performances and special album/EP releases.   

I will be paying my respects to Top Five Records in Lake Worth - a great, vintage vinyl and CD place. Cash only.  Singer-songwriter and Local Hero John Ralston will kick off the full day of in-store performances at 1 p.m.

Future Film Soundtracks from Chi-town

In honor of AH contributor Ian's imminent departure to film school and a bevy of new adventures in the Second City, we present three offerings for his future film soundtracks. As we are in the business of opinions, also offered are suggested sequences to accompany these instrumentals or damn-near instrumentals.

“Torpedo” by Hawaii Mud Bombers (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Nothing sparks your indie cred like placing a Swedish surf punk group on your play list. In "Torpedo," the Hawaii Mud Bombers channel Dick Dale and provide the perfect getaway music.

“Knife Chase” by Tom Waits (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

A little darker than the upbeat "Torpedo," "Knife Chase" by AH deity Tom Waits screams of grittiness, back alleys and too many late nights. Save this for your film noir.

“Mosquito” by the Mosquitos (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

With this little indie rock/bossa nova, the NYC/Brazilian trio provides a quirky little ditty that evokes the seductive rhythms of summer. Or, if you are feeling a little Tarantino-ish, match this song up with a frightening mosquito attack in a classic horror style.

Have fun. Explore your art. Create big smiles.

Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes.

Robert Altman

Early Influences of Tom Waits

The good folks at Aquarium Drunkard posted a 1974 radio interview and performance by After Hours deity Tom Waits. The interview, by the late Howard Larman on the classic Folkscene show on Los Angeles' KPFK, finds Waits coming off tour opening for Frank Zappa and before the release of his second album, "The Heart of Saturday Night."

A mere 24-year-old, Waits didn't have his iconic gravelly-voice nor any of the experimental orchestrations of his later work. The interview and performance is a glimpse into Waits' early career, as he was searching to find type of music he wanted to make.

At the time, Waits was developing his bohemian hipster persona. He also was exploring the Spoken Word wing of Bohemia. Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski are cited as heroes and influences of his work. The two writers impact on Waits is immediate. Listen to the spoken rap of Waits' "Diamonds on My Windshield" below along with recordings from Kerouac and and Bukowski. You would swear you were at the best poetry night ever at the best Village jazz club.

Snap. Snap. Snap. Daddy-O.

Download the whole interview and performance here.

“Diamonds on My Windshield (live)” by Tom Waits (mp3)

“San Francisco Scene (The Beat Generation)” by Jack Kerouac (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

“From The Dept. Of English” by Charles Bukowski (mp3)

What Did Tom Waits Do To You?

By marty

Really, what did Tom Waits do to attract this attention?

Always a popular source of cover song material, our long-distance drinking buddy Tom (we drink and he stays a long distance away) has been the subject of two recent tribute/vanity projects of varying degrees of success/listenability. 

The most infamous of these two outings was that large, festering heap of whale excrement known as "Anywhere I Lay My Head" by noted sexpot actress Scarlett Johansson.   

As a friend asked (and I paraphrase to avoid offending nearly everyone), "What personal talents did this young lady exhibit to persuade a struggling music industry to give her an album?"  Obviously, it was not Ms. Johansson's musical talents. The album is truly unlistenable.  Whenever I am forced to listen to such drivel, I feel like scratching the inside of my eyelids.  It is simply that bad. 

For the masochists out there, I humbly offer the following:  

Download: Falling Down by Scarlett Johansson (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

The other 2008 Tom Waits tribute album is the intriguing "Grapefruit Moon: The Songs Of Tom Waits" by Southside Johnny.  In this Big Band jazz interpretation of various Waits tunes, Southside Johnny, who once rode the Jersey Shore musical wave following the Springsteen tsunami, is joined by Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, a former Asbury Juke and current member of the Max Weinberg 7. Rosenberg arranged and produced this lush, Nelson Riddle-like album with a heavy emphasis on the horn section.  The results are surprisingly sublime - a rare jewel. 

Download: New Coat of Paint by Southside Johnny (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Perhaps the most surprising part of this whole trend is Waits' tolerance of such offerings. Waits is well-known for not allowing his songs to be used for commercials and ready to get litigious on Madison Avenue's derriere when it does.  However, he apparently allows anyone who wonders into a recording studio to sing his songs.  

Other Waits tribute albums have come from Holly Cole, John Hammond and an obscure, but well worth the search, 2000 compilation entitled a "New Coat of Paint," where Neko Case does a wonderfully bluesy "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis." 

For your listening pleasure, I offer three great versions of "Jockey Full of Bourbon" - covers by John Hammond, Los Lobos and the original from the main himself. 

Download: Jockey Full of Bourbon by John Hammond (mp3)(Amazon)

Download: Jockey Full of Bourbon by Los Lobos (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

Download: Jockey Full of Bourbon by Tom Waits (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)