This one is a bit later than I meant it to be.

But on with the show:
When They Performed some of the singles off of Goodbye Blues at the Canopy Club awhile back, I was right in thinking this next album would be a real development.

The Hush Sound has come out with their third album now, titled Goodbye Blues.  It really shows some change from the previous albums, but keeps the delightfully jazzy sound that the Hush Sound members do so well.  The Album rocks harder than any of the previous ones, with a heavier kickpedal and bass/guitar infulence, with the piano somewhat reduced, though still very present.  The beat of songs like Medicine Man (I'm betting it will be their next single off the album)  really carry you out, and I can say personally that they do great live, too.

Another interesting note on Goodbye Blues is the sudden action of Greta taking the forefront as singer.  She sang a number of songs in the past, but their guitarist, Robert ("Bob") normally took the forefront of vocals, and such was the case live as well.  Bob is only the lead singer on two songs in the entirety of the album, with "Not Your Concern" and "As you Cry".  Otherwise, Greta dominates the album, and sings stronger than in either Like Vines or So Suddden, the previous albums. 

Livewise, I can say that it shows, too: Greta's singing is much, much stronger.  I remember when I saw them in 2007, and she seemed wiped by the end of the show.  Here in 2008, she held strong and sang better the entire show, not that she was even weak previously. 

If I gave star ratings, I'd give Goodbye Blues a 5 out of 5.  It is well balanced, strong throughout, and shows development of style without abandoning roots.  I just wish Bob sang more, but I know I still have their other two albums, and they still perform quite a bit of the material from them live as well. 

So yeah, if you want to get a feel for the album, checkout the following songs:
Honey (Now on 88.7 the Wave!) (Also, Music Video @ youtube)
Medicine Man
The Boys are Too Refined
Love you Much Better
Not Your Concern

Okay, so that is like... half the album... but if you like this "New-Jazz" sound, you should love this stuff. 

They are still awesome.

It goes a bit like this:

Lydia is a gal who I gave some music by the Hush Sound to. Why? Well, because she is a DJ at the radio station who runs a specialty show Saturdays that features a "girls only" style format.  (Check it out, by the way... Saturdays Noon-2)  As listeners know, Hush Sound frequently features their keyboardist as a vocalist... in fact, the whole band sings.

Anyways, Lydia told me they were going to be in town, and I had absolutely no idea!  Turns out that the Canopy really didn't seem to do much to promote it.  We went.

'Twas a good show.  Opening acts included Paper Rival, Charolette Sometimes, and The Secret Handshake.  Frankly, all put on a good show, and I particularly liked Paper Rival and Charolette Sometimes.  Secret Handshake was more of a dance/electronic vibe, not my thing... but the girls seem to love it.  They did it well, I'll give them that.  Chances are, a few of the above will end up on 88.7, so keep your ears open, eh?  Paper Rival fits our format to the dot, and have an interesting sound that incorporates some of their Nashville roots into the Modern Alt Rock Sound.  They are releasing their first LP soon, but I picked up a copy of their EP for a sample.  It's Nice.  CS sounds great on their myspace, and fits awesome with Hush Sound, so I can't wait to see some cuts on disk.

As for our main act, it was fantastic.  Last time I mentioned that the Hush Sound seemed a little tired by the end of their show... this time, I hear they mentioned that they had practically no sleep, but they performed strong to the end, doing "2 more songs" before leaving, and then coming back for an encore after we whined about them being done.  They hit a number of their best, including Wine Red, Sweet Tangerine, Like Vines, and Crawling Towards the Sun.  But here is the best part: they are working on a NEW album, and we got to hear some of the new material!  In fact, the show at the Canopy was the first on their tour, so we were the first ones! I can say that this new album ought to be great, it carries the same sound, but sounds harder, almost a bit more rock-vibed than jazz.  So yes, Goodbye Blues is certainly one I am going to pre-order.

Bonus: they did not one, but TWO covers that night.  First, a cover of Tom Petty's American Girl.... astounding!  For their final, it was a cover of Love Fool (You know you've heard it... "Love me, Love me, say that you Love me... etc etc) by... the Cardigans?  I dunno.  That's what the internet says, but Lydia thought it was Madonna.  I don't know, and frankly it doesn't matter to me enough to really look into it now.

So yes, good times, good music.

Okay, I was asked when I was on Air during the week:

My Alternative Rotation Shift:
10AM-Noon on Tuesdays

The Sunny Side of the Street - Metal for Muthas
4-6pm Saturdays

And, if you are up late enough, you can hear a recorded version of me Midnight-2AM Fridays.

Always on 88.7 The Wave

This Just In:

The Hush Sound: still Awesome.
Details later.

I didn’t even know that Flogging Molly was coming out with a new CD.  Imagine my surprise when I was offered the chance to review it.  I jumped on it.

“Requiem for a Dying Song” is a great opening.  The album has its fair share of songs with a strong rock feel with plenty of Gaelic flavor.  “Paddy’s Lament”, “Lightning Storm”, “Float”, and “Between a Man and a Woman” also stand out from among the other songs, though there were hardly any songs I could call weak links.  “Float” and “The Story so Far” are both slower songs, but carry their own weight in a swaggering emotional swelling.  I didn’t quite like “The Story so Far” as much, but I have a feeling it is one of those songs that grow on you.  

All in all, Float is a good CD.  It doesn’t offer anything spectacularly new, but it feels far from stale.  Flogging Molly sounds the same as they always have, but this album doesn’t have the same feel as Within A Mile of Home, which is my personal favorite of their albums that I have heard.  But that isn’t a bad thing. Float just doesn’t rock in the same way.  I think that is a good indicator, it shows the band and the members have grown.  You can’t record the same type of album twice, and if you try, it usually doesn’t work out.  

So: If you like Flogging Molly, then I imagine you would like this album.  It is a good addition to your collection. If you are new to them, this is a great example of their sound, so you should pick it up if you want to try it out.  This one might turn into a new favorite for me, I'll only know with time.

Ah, we are adding "Requiem for A Dying Song" to Rotation during regular programming on 88.7!  So if you want an early sample, give the lines a jingle at 373-3790, and request it!  Otherwise, you'll have to wait till March 4th.

-Lucas M

Yay.

I guess.

My Parents and I went shopping yesterday, bought me some new clothes.  I've been in bad need of pants that fit.  We also ate out at Za's.  Dad hadn't been there, so I thought it would be fun.  It was nice to see my parents, and I had a pretty good time.

Today was busy.  People at the station were really nice about things, which I appreciated.  After class, though, I kinda crashed.  I pretty much didn't eat for the first 12 hours of my day.  I felt miserable.  I ate some Arbys, and that helped.  I pretty much sat around the apartment all day otherwise.  Not much really new. 

I got a text message from an old friend, that made me smile.

It reminds me of last year, when things were good, but I just ended up feeling kinda sour by the end of the day.  I've never been much of a person for celebrating anything, I guess.  For some reasons, days that are supposed to be all-around-awesome end up making me feel kinda down.  I dunno why.  I'm usually happier on regular 'ol days of the year. 

But enough of getting down on myself. I've made it 2 decades so far, and there was honestly a time I didn't think that was going to happen.  I hope the next year is as good as this one has been.

PS: The Hush Sound will be back in town March 2nd! I'm totally going.

<embed src="http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/videoplayer/flvplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="355" flashvars="file=http://www.theonion.com/content/xml/72981/video&autostart=false&image=http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/conentric_circles.jpg&bufferlength=3&embedded=true&title=Breaking%20News%3A%20Series%20Of%20Concentric%20Circles%20Emanating%20From%20Glowing%20Red%20Dot"></embed><br/><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/video/breaking_news_series_of?utm_source=embedded_video">Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot</a>

Well, I haven't posted about the show in awhile.  So here is any news about it:

For starters, I realized nobody reads this in context of the show anyways, so I dumped even mentioning it on the show.  I still try an mention the email line for suggestions, but still, no responses.   Suppose such is the curse of doing a show on Saturday Afternoons on a college station.  However, 88.7 is getting more popular... just not my show.

Second, listeners may have noticed that I dropped 99% of the alternative from the show, which I began doing as I moved through October to the "Special" metal show, which marked the start of the change of format.  It is metal now, obviously.  I saw the move coming, but didn't want to do it.  I don't consider myself a "metalhead" really, though I really like a lot of metal bands.  I like a lot of other music, too.  But the hodgepodge show was too messy, and people want to know what they are going to hear.  So, I stuck with metal, which I have the most of, know the most about, and got the most requests for.  I've tried moving any of my old alternative, such as Ben Kweller, Uncle Tupelo, Bosstones, etc, into regular rotation for WPCD's regular format.  Some have made it, some haven't.  Those decisions are up to our station manager, really. 

Third, hey, look, I changed my theme.  Yay.  I'm still not really happy with it, but it is a change, so I'll settle.  Nobody reads this besides my friends anyways.

Back to music, here is a current list of everything I play now.  As always, remember I almost always buy entire albums, so if an artists has multiple songs, chances are I have an album or two by them. 



So keep in mind, if you have ideas for bands that would fit in the list, lemme know! sunnyside887@gmail.com is the email for the show.

If you happen to read this and don't want to email me, call 373-3790 during regular show hours.  I'm always live, so I'd love to hear recommendations then.  I was thinking that the next show I'd stress some of this. 

One last thing, there are about 8 Months left for the show.  Then I have to move along on my way.

That's all for now, folks.

I read a story about some "shock jocks" making fun of a waitress they had seen that had been badly burned as a child.
HERE

This is why I hate morning DJs. 
They tend to be childish losers who think nothing of what they are doing. 
Scum.

Just a quick entry.
I was looking through my notes for my Religion 121 course (eastern religion) and found a note I had jotted down:

Youtube - Prickles & Goo

It was a video our instructor told us about.  It's a little paper-style work done by Matt Stone and Trey Parker over the audio of Alan Watts talking about 2 kinds of people in the world.  Now, I'm not a huge south park fan, but I like to watch it now-and-then.  This is a cool thing, really.  I also watched another one on Music and Life. Check'em.

Prickles & Goo

Music & Life

For My MUS 124 Class, I'm doing final paper comparing and contrasting metal legends Motley Crue and Iron Maiden.  It is kind of interesting, since the two handled themselves in completely different ways, and both formed around the same time period.  Also, both were formed by Bass Players that could write songs.

I can listen to both bands, but when it comes down to it, Maiden Rocks, Crue Eats Socks.
Anyways, back to writing.

Today, I found something very strange posted at Penny Arcade.

It was a link to http://desertbus.org

The idea is this: These folks (LoadingReadyRun.com) are going to play a game called "Desert Bus" that came with Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors, on Sega CD.  If you've never heard of it, that's because it was never released. I guess a magazine or two may have done a "preview" of it though.  There is more information at the site.  The minigame involves driving a bus from Tuscon, Arizona to Las Vegas, in real time.  No pauses, no breaks, at 45 mph.  That is an 8 hour trip.  8 Hours of monotonous, bus-driving gameplay. 

Now, you say, "But can't they just leave the game alone and let it do its thing?"

Nope.
The Bus drifts slightly to the right, so you have to stay there and keep the bus on the road, otherwise you get towed back to Tuscon... still in real time.

Okay, so people are playing a boring game. Big deal.  Right?
No, there is more.  They are playing this for Child's Play, the Charity set up by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the guys who do PA.  The charity is for video games and movies for children who are sick in the hospital.  As long as there are donations, the 4 drivers keep taking shifts. 

Seriously, go to the site, check it out.  I think this is a cool idea.  They have live webcam feeds of the game and the player, as well as some other information that I'm to lazy to re-type.

Eleni (Our Station Manager) asked if I'd like to listen to this album to see if there was any of it that would be good for our station. I had never heard of Streetlight Manifesto. She told me it was ska, and that their previous albums had been good. I haven't heard good ska in awhile, so I thought I would give it a try.

This is one fun CD, I have to say.

The opening track, We Will Fall Togehter, had me hooked the second I heard it.  The horns have this calypso-like fanfare that sounded super familiar, as if I had heard the song before, but very alien at the same time.   The Vocals have an old-punk gritty scream to them, but don't go over the top like so many bands do nowadays.

Really, what sold me on Somewhere in the Between was the third and fifth songs, Would You Be Impressed? and Watch it Crash, respectively.  Catchy lyrics, amazing drumming and rhythm, and those horns again.  What Streetlight Manifesto really impresses me with is their horn section.  I'm a mild ska fan, and have a couple CDs by Reel Big Fish and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but their horns don't quite have this type of grab to them.  It's almost as if the reggae roots of ska have mixed with some new Latin American influences, and it really adds something new.  It has a dance feel to it, jazzy and march-like at the same time.

I'm going to check out some more Streetlight Manifesto when I have the time.

My Apologies if this seems watered down compared to my review of Venus Doom.  I'm not familiar with this band, so it is hard to review how they have developed or compare with other albums.  Also, remember, I'm a mild ska fan, so I'd feel out of place going extensively into this.  Oh, and I have to type a lot these days.  Enough excuses.


Oh, by the way, Sunnyside won't be airing this Saturday (the 17th) due to the fact 88.7 is airing a (basketball?) game.  I might not air on Thanksgiving weekend either, we'll see.  I should have time, but I have a lot of Essays to be writing, and Schoolwork comes first.  If all goes well, I should still have time do one.  We'll see.  I just thought I would mention it if any of my listeners just happen to check this blog ever.

I just received news that the younger brother of a friend from highschool died in a car crash today.
It's a bit surreal.
My father has been singing with this kid's dad since I was young.
He was a senior in high school.
I grew up with his brother. 

It's just bizzare.
I don't know what to feel, really.
 
Rest in Peace Ethan.
I'll play something on Sunnyside for you Tomorrow.

-LM

It broke down today.
I guess it's mooching rides and using buses now.

I think it's funny. If you get offended, you probably need to lighten up a bit.

Well, Yesterday was I day I thought was far away.

Our Engineer and his assistant installed a set of auxiliary inputs on the Board System.  On today's show, I'm going to experiment with using my computer as a input to the system, making life easier on this DJ.   (Heck, if I wanted, I could just let the thing play itself, but I always like to hand-pick my songs.)

In related news, I'm working on the new playlist.  I've carefully picked out all the "indie" stuff that I used to play, though it'll still be featured (albeit lightly) up till the 27th.  Some slower songs are disappearing too, as well as some "classic rock".  The reason for that is there's a fellow who runs a Bar-Jukebox-Rock style show after me now, and I don't want us to end up playing the same stuff as eachother.  I'll still play some (especially if you request it), but I'm going to have a primary focus on Metal/Heavier Alternative, much to the dismay of my Mother.

I will certainly miss playing Uncle Tupelo, The Format, and a few others though.  I'm trying to get our station manager to add Tupelo to the list.  No luck so far.  I think it's because we're trying to get a younger demographic, and they don't want to listen about how " There was a time / you could put it out of your mind / leave it all behind / there was a time / that time is gone".  Y'know. About growing up.

Look forward to a post update roundabout the 27th.  That'll be the new playlist. Right now, it's 253 songs, but I want more. A lot of those a repeated artists, with different songs.

Edit: I want to show of the Halloween Flyer that I've hardly posted anywhere.


The hand was originally this nice rich green. It was made more pale to be optimized for the Web. Hmph.

Today, we had a lab in Astronomy 101.  It was about spectral emissions (how hot gasses emit certain bands of light, so we can determine a star's composition by matching the lines, etc).

A girl was trying to leach answers from me.  I hate it when people do this. 
Keep in mind, I'm far from a genius. 

"...Is the sun a gas, then?"

..yes, it's a pretty hot ball of gas.

"...is it dense then?"

At his point, I just asked if she had ever learned anything about the sun.  I was nice enough to cover the sound of my spite with the amusement I was not feeling. 

In all seriousness, we just spent Monday learning about the formation of the solar system, about how a nebula with motion condenses down into a swirling disk, etc etc.  About how the sun is a giant ball of hydrogen and helium fusing together.  About how the sun is a huge, dense, !*&$@#% ball of gas.

I think I've been drilled about this fact since about 3rd grade. 

Words escape me on this.
All I know is that something is seriously wrong with our educational system.
Or maybe how much value we put on it.

Soooo,
I've been doing some thinking.

I get a lot more response to the show when I do heavier stuff.
Regular Listeners may notice that the show has been getting heavier and heavier lately.  Especially true of the last hour of the show.  I try and open light, and it always drifts heavier.  I guess that is what people want?

It's hard for me to tell.  I'm on a crossroads of what to do with the show. People want to know what they are going to hear when they tune in, and Sunny Side of the Street is just, well, unpredictable.  I like to showcase all sorts of different stuff... but I just don't know if I'm going the right route with that anymore.

The Last show I did sucked, too, 'cause I've been feeling sick over the past week.  Hopefully I'll get over it soon.

The problem I'm finding is trying to mix everything together in a single two-hour period.  Ben Kweller and Slayer just don't fit together.  Personally, I like to hear a wide variety, to keep it mixed up.  But I can't keep this up, things are getting... too diverse.

Anyways, It's going to boil down to one of a few possible choices:

1) Drop the 'lighter' or 'indie' material from the show completely.  This means no more Ben Kweller, Uncle Tupelo, etc.  It would become a Rock-and-harder show.  I'd keep things like The Gone Jackals, Franz Ferdinand, etc, for variety.  But Mellow Material would become a rarity on the show.

2) Splitting the Program Half-and-Half.  In other words, starting with my indie/alternative and working up to grunge, punk, metal, etc in the second hour.  I like this idea, because it lets me play Uncle Tupelo, who I've had a few request for before in the show.

3) Only Playing Hatebreed, Slayer, etc, by Request only.  Frankly, I pretty much do this already.  Hardcore just ain't my thing.  But If it's yours, feel free to ask for more.

I guess that what it comes down to. 
I'm really split on this, but we're doing a survey on the WPCD MySpace to see what our Listeners want more of.  I'm going to use information from that, and any emails/comments I get to help me figure this out. 

By the way, you know you don't need to be a member of LJ to comment, right? You can always email me too.
Email: Sunnyside887@gmail.com