May Day!

My CD collection entitled May Day! went out in the mail today. I had a blast collecting all of the songs for it and at the same time expanding my musical tastes a bit more as well.

I had a few goals when creating this CD. First, I wanted it to be a mix of bands that were long-time favorites of mine, ones I've been meaning to check out for some time, and finally, ones that were brand-new to me so I can maintain some semblance of keeping up with the times.

Also, I wanted to see if I could create a collection using entirely free, legal MP3s that are available on the Web. That was the most challenging goal, and I'm pleased to report that I succeeded, and in the process found a lot of cool music blogs and other sites where your musical horizons are just waiting to be expanded.

Here are a few of my favorites sites, some of which were the source for the MP3s I used:

http://betterpropaganda.com/Default.aspx

http://www.clickitticket.com/articles/topAlternativeblogs.htm

http://freealbums.blogsome.com/other-music-sources/

Below are the liner notes that I've also included as an insert with the CD you'll receive soon. I had more great songs but these are the 21 that made the cut, and just barely fit under the 80 minute capacity for the CD.

The Black Lips - “Cold Hands” : This self-described “flower punk” band from Atlanta has more in common with 60s garage bands than they do the Sex Pistols, but their musical diversity stretches from punk to doo-wop to country, and back again.

Sleater-Kinney - “Oh!”: Emerging of out the 90s queercore and riotgrrrl movements in Olympia, Washington, Sleater-Kinney was named after the road that led from the interstate highway to one of their early practice spaces. This song from their 2002 album One Beat showcases this female trio's (two guitars and drums) groove-heavy riffing, sweet harmonies, and lead vocalist Corin Tucker's impassioned warbling.

Moldy Peaches - “Anyone Else But You”: After years as an underground favorite duo on the anti-folk circuit, the Peaches entered mainstream culture when this song was famously included on the soundtrack to the movie Juno. Its low-fi minimalism and male-female vocal duet give it a ragged charm, and Kimya Dawson's muttered aside at :09 is the most obvious post-bong hit musical utterance (complete with cough) I've ever heard.

Mission of Burma - “Max Ernst”: When MOB emerged from the Boston punk scene in 1979 I went to a lot of their local shows, up until their last one, a grand finale at the Bradford Hotel Ballroom in 1983, and they became one of my all-time favorite bands. They reunited in 2002 so you can now catch the magic in its second coming. Their fusion of punk intensity, experimentalism (tape loops figured prominently into their sound) and art rock complexity has made them a seminal band with world-wide impact in the indie music world. “Max Ernst” is the B-side of their first 45, and this ode to the German Dada and surrealist artist shows them at their furious, enigmatic best.

Gang Of Four - “Damaged Goods”: I'm including one of my favorite British post-punk bands right after MOB in homage to the phenomenal triple bill I saw at The Channel in Boston in the early 80s with GOF as the headliner, MOB as the middle act, and Pylon as the opener. Talk about a dream lineup. “Damaged Goods” was their first single in 1978 and then included on their superb 1979 album Entertainment! Mixing leftist politics, funk, and bristling punk attitude, GOF was the perfect band to dance to as the world burned.

Minutemen - “Ain't Talking 'Bout Love”: Not only does the Minutemen's cover of this seminal Van Halen song turn the original on its head, they do it in their “econo jam” style in just 40 seconds. I was lucky enough to see them multiple times during the early 80s. Fusing hardcore punk with jazz, funk, R&B, classic rock, beat poetry, surrealism, and an occasional Latino flourish, the Minutemen are considered one of the most influential American post-punk bands ever. When singer/guitarist D. Boon died in a van accident in 1985 it was a bigger deal to me than losing Elvis or John Lennon.

Dub Narcotic Sound System – “Teenage Time Bomb”: This Olympia, Washington indie-funk/punk band is one of my latest discoveries. Band founder Calvin Johnson named the group after his Dub Narcotic recording studio. They made a lot of albums in the mid to late 90s and still tour and record occasionally.

Neon Indian - “Children of the Revolution”: These chillwave/glo-fi darlings take the old T. Rex song on an electronic magic carpet ride. Groove on this song to feel retro and cutting edge at the same time.

Ten Foot Polecats - “Chicken Head Man”: I found this self-described punk blues band playing at a dive bar in my town of Framingham, Massachusetts one Friday night a few years ago and became an instant fan. Think Howling Wolf backed up by the Ramones after they've split a jar of moonshine. They've since broken out nationally and have been signed to the Hillgrass Bluesbilly record label in Austin, Texas. I'm already saying I knew them way back when.

Das Racist - “Swate”: Think hip-hop is just a 'hood product? Check out the words and beats from Das Racist, an Indian-American and Latino duo who went to Wesleyan University instead of jail. The title is a reference to the street pronunciation of the word “sweet”. It's ominous-sounding, hypnotic, street and book-smart, all at the same time. They're an underground sensation and would probably shudder at the idea of pop success.

The Fall - “U.S. 80's – 90's”: Mark E. Smith's nasal whine in a strong Manchester accent is one of the most distinctive voices in British alternative music. With its roots in the Brit punk of the late 70s, The Fall has now endured for over thirty years and dozens of albums, with Smith being the only constant member. With a bleak, brittle, and caustic sound, they're an acquired taste for some but in my opinion a taste well worth acquiring.

Jim Carroll Band - “It's Too Late”: Like Patti Smith, Carroll started out as a poet who then began singing in a rock band. This live version of one of his best-known songs highlights his biting lyrics over a kick-ass beat. Sadly, he died in 2009 at age 60, just before his long-awaited first novel was completed, which was published posthumously.

Bikini Kill - “I Like Fucking”: Time for another riotgrrrl band, one of my weaknesses. Formed in Olympia, Washington in 1990, Bikini Kill influenced Sleater-Kinney and many other female-led groups in the 90s. You've got to give props to a band that releases a single whose title almost guarantees it will get little airplay, even though the lyrics only contain a single f-bomb.

Carolina Chocolate Drops - “Hit 'Em Up Style”: A contemporary black string band from Durham, North Carolina, the Drops perform a stunningly reworked cover version of R&B singer Blu Cantrell's 2001 hit. This is a concert version of the song, which is also included on their wonderful 2010 studio album Genuine Negro Jig.

The Black Keys - “Ohio”: One of the few bands that give me faith that soulful blues rock lives. The fact that they're only a two-piece, guitar and drums, makes their full and chunky-funky sound all the more amazing. The best thing out of Akron since Devo (who they opened for at a 2008 benefit concert for Barack Obama).

Jason Ricci and New Blood - “Snowflakes and Horses”: Jason Ricci is considered one of the best contemporary harmonica players in the world, but his tenure with his band New Blood is what really made his star shine. With guitar phenom Shawn Starsky and jazz-trained bass player Todd “Buckweed” Edmunds he created some of the most electrifying music on the blues/jazz/rock/jam band circuit in the past ten years, playing an average of 300 live dates a year. Luckily I caught them in 2009 before they broke up. A live version of one of the songs from their album Rocket Number 9, this tale of the perils of cocaine and heroin use has a groove that won't quit.

Billy Bragg - “Wrong Star”: Billy Bragg is what Phil Ochs would sound like if he had been born in the UK and come of age in the punk era. He's an incredibly earnest, left-leaning songwriter who skewers people across the political spectrum. Bragg has created an impressive body of work over his long career that combines social awareness with spare arrangements and great song hooks.

Buzzcocks - “Jerk”: One of my favorite bands ever, they mix punk speed and energy with an unerring sense of pop melody and hook-laden love songs. Since their initial run from 1976 to 1981, they've broken up and reformed several times. This is from their 2003 EP of the same name. One of my best memories of my early punk days was seeing them at the Bradford Hotel Ballroom in '81. Everyone who was anyone in the Boston underground music scene was there, singing along and dancing ecstatically in this lavish ballroom like we were at a punk rock prom.

Gil Scott-Heron - “Me and the Devil”: The godfather of rap goes electronic in this haunting, ultra-cool cover of proto-bluesman Robert Johnson's tale of his encounter with the prince of darkness.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Conscience Killer”: Yes, they've moved beyond their noise merchant origins to often incorporate a more American roots music sound. This song, from the 2010 album Beat the Devil's Tattoo, is still rollicking enough with its fuzzed-out guitars and shout-out choruses to be included in the video game Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

The Wiyos - “Dying Crapshooter's Blues”: For my money one of the best bands on the “oldternative” circuit. The Wiyos, named after a 19th century New York City street gang, put out great recordings (I have them all) but their live show is not to be missed (I've seen them three times). They play American roots music with a fervor like few others, with a mix of covers and originals that range from hillbilly swing, blues, New Orleans jazz, to contemporary elements like beat-boxing. Covering Blind Willie McTell's classic in this live version, vocalist Michael Farkas' harmonica plays a mournful dirge and the band's harmonies reverberate like a Greek chorus.