10 SONGZ: My Stomping Grounds

Forbes used to release an annual list of the most miserable cities in the U.S. From California's Central Valley, the city of Stockton has been ranked #1 on this list multiple times. Why would I mention this? That's where I grew up.

This blogpost isn't about my childhood exposure to the uniquely American brand of misery, but bragging about the cool music that grew from there. Bragging about my upbringing is usually reserved for letting people know that I played on the same little league team as Aaron Judge when I was in 3rd Grade. But today is for the neighborhood weirdos who made it into the music industry. Those who represent the fertile farmlands and concrete wastelands of the Central Valley.

Spoiler: I'm not gonna write about Deftones.

Here's 10 SONGZ!

Pavement Lions (Linden)

While I remember our Stockton zip code of 95215, we lived pretty darn close to the small town of Linden. And Stockton's own alt-rock legends Pavement wrote a song about the Linden High School Lions, where I attended high school as a Freshman. This song is ugly and stupid. I'm not gonna expound on the spiritual context I get from this.

Grandaddy Everything Beautiful Is Far Away

Modesto sits just south of Stockton, about the same size and perhaps even a bigger eyesore of a city. Grandaddy was Modesto's golden gift to 90s alt-rock. If you were raised in Modesto, you'd probably write a song called "Everything Beautiful Is Far Away" too.

Chris Isaak Wicked Game

Chris Isaak doesn't capture the ugliness of Stockton. He successfully capitalized off a sleek rockabilly sound and a sexy ass voice. I honestly don't think anyone did this better than the man himself. 

Flying Blind Smokescreen

Flying Blind is from the small town of Hughson. My favorite local radio station B93.1 played this song a lot, as this was their respective breakout single. Who knew a band from little ol' Hughson would land a song on the American Pie 2 soundtrack?

The Dave Brubeck Quartet Blue Rondo à la Turk 

Dave Brubeck grew up in the foothills of Ione, where I played many soccer games in middle school (for some reason). Dave later attended the University of Pacific, where he started his collaborative jazz projects. Time Out would go on to be the definitive West Coast Jazz album, and Dave has sole songwriting credit for the dopest song ever written in 9/8 time.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Lodi

CCR are from San Francisco, which I can't claim to be part of the Central Valley. But Lodi is actually a real place! It's the city on the northern border of Stockton. The more you know!

Death Grips Stockton

I'm finally giving up and resorting to talking about acts from Sacramento. I figured I'd start with a song titled after my hometown, a 50-minute drive south of Sactown. I must admit: I don't think this song is actually about Stockton, but whatever. Also: Very much NSFW.

DJ Shadow Midnight in a Perfect World

DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... is my favorite album from Sacramento, and boasts itself as the first album ever made entirely out of samples. This is the most popular song from there, and anyone whose heard it knows it's absolutely deserving of the praise. 

Blackalicious Make You Feel That Way

Blazing Arrow by Blackalicious has become a personal favorite rap album over the years. This song in particular reminds me of my favorite semester of college. But yeah, mandatory RIP to Gift of Gab; this stuff still sounds pristine.

CAKE Short Skirt/Long Jacket

Considering I started this list talking about Pavement and Grandaddy, I think CAKE is the appropriate accommodating band from Sacramento. Kind of a favorite band among me and my siblings, plus a career that's garnered a delightful--dare I say, bulletproof--batch of hits.

10 SONGZ: September Songs

As I write this, the first day of autumn is just 3 days away. The mornings are much colder, the afternoons are still hot. That's the September experience. 

In fonder times of my life, I associate September with the beginning of the school year. Whatever my life was like in the summer, that was soon to vanish. But sometimes... I was okay with that. A lot of music memories attached with my college days of trying to accumulate friends I could keep around for the semester, to prepare myself for the forthcoming seasonal depression about to hit me like a truck.

Here are some songs that take me back to wandering campus like a lost tourist, and the slightest breeze had the potential to blow away my scattered little mind.

Here's 10 SONGZ! 

Neil Young & Crazy Horse Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

I'll just get this out of the way: Neil Young is the King of Autumn Music. Most everything here is merely an extension of the folk rock sounds he created. Neil lasts from Sep-Nov every year. Pick an album. You can't really lose.

Nick Drake Three Hours

Nick Drake is the other King of Autumn Music. Nick mastered melancholy on multiple musical levels (that's a lot of m's). This song might be his most intricate.

Built to Spill Fling

I absolutely consider Built to Spill's There's Nothing Wrong with Love an autumn album. A lot of crunchy guitars and Neil Young influence. Granted, the rest of the album sounds nothing like "Fling." But it's that sour cello part that keeps it an autumn song for me.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Young Adult Friction

There's an autumnal side to indie rock, not to be confused with the naturally grainy strands of indie folk. I mean like, hipster stuff. Some of the whitest music you'll ever hear. Skinny dudes in knitted sweaters spilling all the intelligent charm they can muster into their schoolwork, flirting, and music. 

Uncle Tupelo Slate

Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne doesn't sound anywhere nearly as aged as you'd expect from early 90s country music. I think this is how Neil envisioned the future of country when he made Harvest. This is a brisk fall morning if I've ever heard one.

Bob Dylan Girl from North Country

It's hard to pinpoint the state of modern music lyricism in the early 60s, and why Bob was such a revolutionary standout. But dang, I definitely remember my first time listening to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the 2010s. The simplest songs carry the most emotional weight. 

The Pastels Nothing to be Done

Another indie rock pick, although the characters feel a lot different. If The Pastels were taking classes at all, they sure sound like they were failing. The chemistry here is cute and the guitars are corrosive. Holding hands and drinkin' beers. Gotta love it.

The Band When You Awake

The first 2 albums by The Band make for some of the prettiest music I've ever heard. "When You Awake," like the rest of the band's self-titled album, is meant to take place during the U.S. Civil War. The bearded Canadian rockers accidentally reinvented 100 years of American music.

Elliott Smith Alameda

I believe there's an Elliott Smith album for every season. I don't think Either/Or is depressing enough to be his winter album, but it can definitely a downer. A reminder of the cold things to come. Singing along to "Nobody broke your heart, you broke your own...." Yeah, that first hint of autumn chill just shot down my spine.

Big Star September Gurls

Not to get too on the nose here, but c'mon. It's September. I guess I could have added the Earth, Wind & Fire song, but I gotta have that crunch. This song is a walk in the autumn sun. 

10 SONGZ: Grocery Store Classics

Let's take a trip to the grocery store! 

I have childhood memories of going to grocery stores once a month with my mom. As an adult, I go to grocery stores frequently. Full disclosure: I don't know what I want to eat 2 weeks from now, yet still somehow always proceed to buy the same crap for myself every few days. ANYWAYS... Many songs I heard at grocery stores as a kid are still being played there today.

I guess this list could get very long if I included music from the late 90s, but the staples that come to mind are from an older time. These are some unintentionally milquetoast hits that became popular before The Chronic officially shattered the innocence of music marketing. Late 80s and early 90s. So today we breakdown the Grocery Store Classics. Don't act like you're above it, when it sure looks like you love it.

Here's 10 SONGZ! 

Don Henley The Heart of the Matter

This song has been king of the grocery store circuit for years. Kind of a perfect recipe for how to end up here. Singer is 10 years removed from his famous rock band, takes a crack at making a Grammy-baiting "mature" album, and its 4th single attains grocery store glory.

Steve Winwood Roll with It

I've heard this song in like 100 different grocery stores and only just now found out it's by Steve Winwood. And I always thought it was titled "Work with It." This man has lived like 7 different careers. Didn't know karaoke machine R&B was also in his bag.

Toad the Wet Sprocket Walk on the Ocean

Sometimes things at the grocery store can get pretty serious. "Somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better" hits a lot different while you're contemplating which flavor of Pop-Tarts you should buy this week. I often imagine walking on the ocean with Toad the Wet Sprocket.

John Fogerty Rock and Roll Girls

John Fogerty's best-selling solo album has a couple notable hits on there. But I feel like I've only ever heard its 3rd single "Rock and Roll Girls" while grocery shopping. Is that just me?

James Brown Living in America

I don't know what was actually considered "cool" in the mid-80s. Was Rocky IV cool? I just remember hearing this once at a Walmart in July while their station was counting down the greatest patriotic songs, and I found myself laughing through the whole thing.

Marc Cohn Walking in Memphis

Like I said before, sometimes things at the grocery store can get pretty serious. I don't think I ever doubted the sincere spirit of this song. Infusing soft rock with gospel isn't a crime. But because the world works the way it does... I'm always gonna associate it with the produce section.

Howard Jones Things Can Only Get Better

I didn't want to include too much synth-pop on here, as it predates most grocery store standards. But Howard Jones should have known when he wrote this hook that this song was gonna be more tied with adult contemporary than anything Duran Duran ever did.

Whitney Houston I'm Your Baby Tonight

There's always something funny about hearing a minor key song at a grocery store. I can feel my eyebrows narrowing downward. The shopping focus you walked in with has now become intense. You reach out for that can of tomato sauce and whisper into it: "I'm your baby tonight."

Huey Lewis & The News Doing It All for My Baby

These guys released 6 singles from their album Fore! and this was single #6. Sounds like an excessive amount, but singles like these tend to live forever in the grocery store circuit. For what it's worth, I've heard some Fore! songs on the radio. But this one's made for the bread aisle.

Go West The King of Wishful Thinking

Choosing songs for this blogpost, I couldn't believe this wasn't made in the 80s. I mean, 1990 is almost the 80s, but still. I wondered if this was by Calloway, but no. They're 2 white guys, and they look like a couple of dorks in their 30s. Just like me. I don't know if I should feel inspired or embarrassed.

10 SONGZ: My Favorite Jerome Summer

We're already back!

I've realized that this 10 SONGZ series is a really easy premise to work with. I could be churning these out every 2 weeks. At least until I'm tired of it. I don't know how to make the blurbs more universally interesting, so I could at least make them personally nostalgic. 

On that note... I've spent my whole summer in Jerome. I've done this a few times in my adulthood. But nothing has come close to my favorite summer in Jerome. Sometimes I walk outside and get a whiff of the air around me and it takes me back...

The year is 2008! I'm 17 years old, between junior and senior year of high school. I could list off a bunch of self-referential stuff that made this summer stick out to me. The bike rides, the late nights, the backpacking trip, The Laramie Project, the 1984 Honda Civic... To me, music is memory. I decided I'd write about the new music I was into from this time. Maybe this will get you reminiscing over your first time watching The Dark Knight or something.

Here's 10 SONGZ!

R.E.M. Supernatural Superserious

The most accurate bellwether for my music taste at the time is the fact that I bought this CD the week it was released at the Twin Falls Best Buy. Accelerate might be R.E.M's best post-Bill Berry album, but I'm pretty biased.

Beck Modern Guilt

I also bought this CD the week it was released at the Twin Falls Best Buy. I show a little embarrassed smile whenever I talk about Beck. He was my favorite artist when I was 17. I thought he was weird + cool, and I also thought I was weird + cool. I might have been 0 for 2 on that... 

Fleet Foxes Blue Ridge Mountains

Just magical times, man. I watched Fleet Foxes play this song on Letterman, then immediately bought the album. Funny to think things used to work that way. The indie folk sound was very much new to me. Didn't know this would go on to influence some of the most annoying music of the 2010s.

The Hold Steady Sequestered in Memphis

I also watched these guys play on Letterman. I really believed there was reasonable anticipation for an event like that. The Hold Steady were definitely part of my transition from scanning alt-rock radio stations to discovering indie acts on the internet. "Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis!"

Santigold L.E.S. Artistes

If you want to know where I was getting all my music recs from, all these first 5 songs were from albums that got 4 stars from Rolling Stone. Santigold was super hyped at the time, like she was the modern day trailblazer for new wave. Didn't know she released that debut album at 31 years old.

Coldplay Lost!

Coldplay was everywhere this summer. This was an album I owned, and a bunch of my friends did as well, so just a lot of shared memories here. I'm still confounded by the song "Viva La Vida" being such a huge hit. "Lost!" was the better single. And "Strawberry Swing" deserved more spotlight.

Lil Wayne Mr. Carter (ft. Jay-Z)

Lil Wayne was everywhere this summer. Rap was still off limits to me at this point. But I basically heard the whole album by way of my friends driving me around everywhere, and they were all listening to Tha Carter III. Learned a lot of new uses for referencing genitalia in a sentence.

Mudcrutch The Wrong Thing to Do

Mudcrutch was a Tom Petty side project that strictly stuck with southern rock. I didn't ask for it, but my high school drama teacher burned me a copy of the album. Honestly, I appreciate it more with age, as a guitarist. And this song is badass.

Love Hӓndel You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart

I was never a Disney Channel guy. But here I was, a 17 year-old watching new Phineas and Ferb episodes after work with my 16 year-old sister. The songs never really go away. The Love Hӓndel episode might have been the best. "Goodnight, Tri-State Area!"

Usher Love in This Club (ft. Jeezy)

It took me so long to appreciate pop music. I look back on late-2000s pop fondly, because it feels so blatantly overblown and ironic. "I wanna make love in this club" is a sentiment I'm sure we can all relate to. When Usher played the Super Bowl, I was sad that he didn't bring out Jeezy for his verse here. I needed that. Sexually, mentally, physically, emotionally.

10 SONGZ: New Wave

I've been wanting to do this series for a long time. Once a month, I blog about 10 songs I like. I decided this would be a lot easier to do if I stuck with a theme for each one. This episode (if you will) is about a genre that doesn't seem to get the shine it used to: New Wave.

I remember my earlier days of discovering music on the internet, and I was led to believe new wave was this super important cultural movement from the late 70s. Do people still talk about it like that? I mean, my dad does. The narrative has changed from "all your favorite bands were influenced by The Cars" to "lol David Byrne has the same brand of autism that I do." Nah man. The joke with new wave is that these artists were never meant to be taken too seriously. And perhaps nobody on the radio ought to be. Music is cool. Music is stupid.

Here's 10 SONGZ!

Blondie Hanging on the Telephone

I don't think I fully appreciated this song until I watched the music video. Debbie Harry is just making faces in front of the camera the whole time. Is it so wrong to be expressive? In pop music, having a personality somehow became overridden by maintaining a persona. 

XTC When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty

I believe XTC was the exemplary new wave band. They had the technicality and the pop appeal. As though a comic strip transformed into a rock band. They also mastered the most common song topic in new wave: Guys talking about girls like nerds trying to communicate with an alien lifeform. 

The B-52s Rock Lobster

There used to be a video on Facebook of me dancing like a maniac to this song in the parking lot of an LDS church at age 17. Can't find it though. Sorry :(

Talking Heads Pulled Up

I believe Talking Heads deserve all the publicity flowers they've received in recent years. Today, I'd like to turn the spotlight to their earlier work. The Name of the Band Is Talking Heads is probably the only live compilation I return to regularly. Love the way this song sounds on there.

Pretenders Brass in Pocket

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Chrissie Hynde is one of my favorite voices of all time. There's just so much genuine confidence in this song. It's not even about some #selfempowerment façade. It's pure character and conviction. 

DEVO Midget

I stumbled into a DEVO YouTube rabbit hole when I was in college. I just remember grainy footage of the band walking like robots while this song played in the background. Just an all-time internet moment for me, like... "Is this song real? Are they really saying these words?" God bless DEVO.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions No Action

Elvis Costello's solo debut established new wave as we know it. He had the look, the voice, the wit, the checkerboard art. When he added The Attractions, he kicked off the new album with "I don't wanna kiss you, I don't wanna touch," followed by that electric keyboard sound... The "Godfather of New Wave" debate was over before it even began.

Tom Verlaine Kingdom Come

One problem with new wave is I'm not totally sure what classifies under that genre's umbrella. I only discovered this song recently, as I knew the David Bowie cover and knew this was the dude from Television. Albeit dark and self-reflective, this is my blog and I'm calling this song new wave.

The Cars Just What I Needed

It took me over 30 years to realize The Cars had 2 different lead singers who sound exactly alike. Ric Ocasek wrote all their songs, although the blond-haired Benjamin Orr does the occasional lead vocal. Orr sang this song, as well as "Drive." Sheesh. I feel like I've been had.

The Police Darkness

This is the only song on here not from in the 70s, as I'm much more enamored with The Police albums from the 80s. These synthesizer effects sound so freaking good. And "life was easy when it was boring" is a straight BAR.

My 20 Favorite Bands!

My 20 favorite bands! I've been wanting to make this a big fat ordeal. But it just isn't. 

There were many factors to consider when formulating this list:

-How highly I think of this band

-How often I actually listen to them

-Must include favorites from long ago

-What mood I'm in today

So yeah, a lot of deep thought put into this. Zero fun at all. Very serious business. I wrote some short blurbs for each band, all climbing up to my Mount Rushmore. My top 4 bands, set in stone. Everything ranked outside of that is definitely not set in stone. But whatever. 

Because I can't be a normal person about this, here are many unranked honorable mentions: 
Spoon. Bright Eyes. The Mountain Goats. Sonic Youth. The Microphones. The Killers. Black Sabbath. Smashing Pumpkins. Deerhunter. The Stooges. Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fleetwood Mac. The Velvet Underground. Broken Social Scene. Big Star. Superchunk. Destroyer. Beach House. Talking Heads. Belle & Sebastian. TV on the Radio. Fleet Foxes. Vampire Weekend. Flaming Lips. U2.

Now here's the list!

20 The Clash

The Clash never lied to me.

19 Coldplay

Despite not sounding much alike, it's hard for me not to compare Coldplay to U2. It's U2 for 15 year-old boys whose personal conflict is less like The Troubles in Ireland, and more like just not having a girlfriend. 

18 Pixies

Mischief should be a prioritized quality in all rock bands.

17 Arcade Fire

Just wanted to say this... I believe Arcade Fire's early work was extremely influential. Every indie act was trying to imitate their sound. And yet... nobody wanted to imitate their singer. Sorry, Win.

16 Dinosaur Jr.

For those of you who believe Michael Jackson invented modern pop music, may I present to you... The band that invented rock 'n' roll! If you like "Billie Jean," you'll love "Sludgefeast." 

15 Barenaked Ladies

It should be noted that my music taste shifted drastically when I turned 17. Barenaked Ladies were my childhood favorite band, building up to when I saw them live on my 16th birthday. Still a genuinely interesting (challenging?) discography to dig through.

14 Radiohead

I don't consider myself to be some unique Radiohead fan. I know people who are more into them than I am. But I listen to a lot of their stuff, frequently. So I had to put them somewhere on here.

13 The Beatles

See my Radiohead blurb. 

12 The Beach Boys

I like The Beatles because they're The Beatles. I like The Beach Boys as though they were an indie act that peaked in my lifetime.

11 LCD Soundsystem

Speaking of indie acts that peaked in my lifetime... These guys don't have a lot of material. They actually have an album I don't even like. But I think this is how normal people think of Queen. Like, as an institution, it feels mandatory to include them among the greats. LCD blatantly ripped off Talking Heads, and TV on the Radio may have been the more consistent New York indie band. But the peaks are too high for me ignore.

10 Guided By Voices

There are approximately 40 Guided By Voices albums I've never heard before. No exaggeration. This insane amount of output in its own right makes these guys spiritual guides for me.

9 Led Zeppelin

I was "the classic rock guy" in middle school. I spent all my allowance buying Led Zeppelin CDs. Even bought my own electric guitar. School of Rock came out on my 13th birthday, and I knew every rock band referenced. If that was still my thing, Zep would be #1. 

8 Animal Collective

I listen to Animal Collective a lot. Their first decade of material (EPs included) has become standard for me. Most human beings reading this wouldn't like their stuff at all. But maybe this was always just music made for animals. 

7 Yo La Tengo

Wish I could remember who said this, but "Yo La Tengo is just the Grateful Dead for people with liberal arts degrees."

6 Built to Spill

Deciding the higher rank between numbers 5 & 6 was truly a nitpicking process. Built to Spill were a pivotal part of my young adult life. Doug Martsch is not only a personal guitar hero, but he also attended the same elementary school as my aunt Lynn. What more could you want?

5 Modest Mouse

My Modest Mouse journey has been rocky. They're strictly here because I was obsessed with their 90s stuff throughout my 20s. The Moon & Antarctica was in 2000, but we'll call that 90s today. I almost forget that I owned a copy of their new album Good News for People Who Love Bad News when I was 14. I just never thought I'd live out an isolated adulthood in the Mountain West. Welp. This is what that sounds like. The Lonesome Crowded West.

MOUNT RUSHMORE

4 R.E.M.

I was told that R.E.M. was the first alternative rock band, and I believed it. I knew a lot of their 90s hits growing up. This eventually led to a deeper dive of their full career of work, and I found their 80s stuff easy to get into. Just such a unique career. There may be no better collective of musicians I appreciate more than this. The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Wu-Tang Clan, etc. I can easily identify the characteristics of each musician here. If they didn't invent alternative rock, they defined it.

3 Pavement

The ultimate 90s band. Cherry on top: They're from my hometown of Stockton CA. Their song "Lions (Linden)" is about the high school I attended my freshman year. I lived in California in the 90s, and the band only made albums in the 90s. But I didn't discover them until I lived in Idaho as a teenager discovering music via the Internet. Pavement was love at first listen. Stockton remains one of the ugliest cities I've ever seen, and Pavement perfectly turned that ugliness into a sound. 

2 The Replacements

The Replacements are the band that sound like my soul. I'm fully convinced that the character presented by Paul Westerberg is the real article. The sentiments seem universal, yet the message is apparently only understood by an occult few. I love this band. It's not just an admiration, it's an identity. 

1 Wilco

Yeah, no crap, I love Wilco. There are times where I just put their whole discography on shuffle, and I smile as I think to myself: "This is the greatest band of all time." I'm not even sure what Jeff Tweedy's songwriting style reminds me most of, but he can go from John Fogerty to Lou Reed within the same song. I admit I prefer the albums they made when Jay Bennett was in the band. But to continue their career with Nels Cline and rebrand themselves as the face of "dad rock" was a freaking brilliant move. They've always been who they were supposed to be. Wilco is the fully realized, achieved purpose of Americana.

Who Am I Without You?

Who am I without you?

17 years ago, I lost you.

16 years ago, I tried living without you.

10 years ago, I realized I needed you.

7 years ago, I mistook you for someone else.

Even without you, I can only be me.

But without you, my life cannot be lived.