Maybe one day I should make a mix tape of power tunes. You know the ones? The ones that kind of help you get through those times when you wish you could write a song, but then you found somebody who expressed what was on your mind a little better than you thought anyone else could? Stretch Arm Strong kind of did that for me. These guys kind of carried me through some tough spots in high school. You may have already heard their version of “Get This Party Started” from Punk Goes Pop or perhaps “Express Yourself” from Too Legit for the Pit: Hardcore Takes the Rap. “For the Record” is one of their originals that may have made it around the airwaves as well. Anyway, I am not super into hardcore as a genre, however there are a few artists who have managed to pluck my little heartstrings with the way they scream poetry. This group is one of them, and they did it with this song.

Stretch Arm Strong: For Now.

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Johnny Cash… No introduction necessary.
Nine Inch Nails… ’nuff said.
“Hurt” was written by Trent Reznor and released in 1994 on the NIN album “Downward Spiral.”
In 2002, after his wife died, but before he died himself (wow, really?), Johnny Cash released the cover. I heard the Cash version on the radio in the work truck while I was working with my brother in San Diego. Before that, I had never heard the original version… to my knowledge. I was never a fan of Nine Inch Nails. I was always a fan of Cash. Now through Cash, I have become a fan of Reznor. I don’t think I would have acknowledged his writing in any other way, than the one I was shown.

“Hurt” from the album American IV: The Man Comes Around

Pennywise has always kind of been hit and miss with me. They do not really have a huge variety of sound, and their singer kind of gets on my nerves after a while. I don’t think I ever bought one of their albums new, but I do know that I have owned a few of them. I know that when I was in high school, I appreciated their version of “Stand By Me.”
To the point. Pennywise released a self titled album in 1991. The song “Come Out Fighting” was on this album. It was a good song… When The Vandals released their version of the song on an album in 1998, I liked it better. Much better.

The Vandals: Come Out Fighting, from the album “Hitler Bad, Vandals Good”  Check it.

Cover songs. Tribute albums. I know that there are those out there who have a strong distaste for cover songs. Some who feel like it is taking something precious and personal and corrupting it in some way, and therefore ruining it. There are also some who think why should you try and change a good thing? Okay. Cool. I get it… maybe I don’t.
Have you ever heard the phrase: “Mimicry is the most sincere from of flattery?” I guess that when you are singing along with your favorite song on the radio, it doesn’t count… because… you aren’t recording it? I don’t know. I like the idea of somebody taking something they really like, and kind of making it their own. Anyway, I have found some cover songs that I truly enjoy. I sometimes enjoy the original as well, but sometimes not. So… the Soft Cell version made this song famous in 1981. Originally composed by Ed Cobb, “Tainted Love” was first recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965. over the years this song has been covered and put on albums by dozens of artists from a variety of genres. A few notable names, and versions to check out, are Marilyn Manson, The Pussycat Dolls, Max Raabe, and Shades Apart.
My personal favorite rendition of this song (to date) is done by the group “The Living End.” Click here and listen.

Until I did a little bit of research for this article, I never really knew if the Dead Milkmen were really a spoof or not. I thought about it last night when one of my line servers asked me the question: “If you could see any band or artist alive or dead, in the prime of their career, who would it be?” I had to think about it a little bit. I was thinking that I felt like I had seen most of the shows that I really wanted to see. I had even been on 18 hour road trips where we drove, saw that show, and drove back in order to make it fit around my work schedule. Anyway, after about 10 minutes, it hit me, The Dead Milkmen. Yep these guys are on the list of bands that I wished I could have seen, but most likely never will… The two songs that I have to name drop when talking about this band are “Punk Rock Girl,” and “Bitchin’ Camarro.” Most people have heard one or the other. I like them both just fine, but also love most of the other stuff these guys put out… there are a couple that I listen to more than others… If I was at a show, this is one that I would yell out before the encore in hopes of hearing it directly from the source. Enjoy.

City of Mud by Dead Milkmen

-pete

I know that Jake is a pretty big fan of hip hop, or at least a much bigger fan than I, so it kind of surprises me that I have managed to find a group that I endorse, and Jake hasn’t written about. I will just cover the nuts and bolts, and maybe if I’m lucky, I can read a critique article next week. I don’t know much about underground hip hop. Most of what I know I learned from La Musica Coolica, and Cousin Kimball, aka “Litmus One.” He is also half of the duo that makes up Imbibe. The other member of the group is Cousin Preston. These two brothers have spent the last few years in Denver putting music together. They have done a couple of shows, and have yet to put out an album. I feel like I should have more to say about the music they make, however most of their music that I have heard has been in front rooms at house parties, and bedroom recording studios set up on card tables. *sidenote* sigh… I miss hanging out with these guys. *end note* Anyway, you can find them on MySpace, and in Denver, and on my family phone list. Please, enjoy.

song: lostouttabody (mrnils beat)

I am no a metal expert. I have never really cared for GNR. I think that the opening riff to “Crazy Train” is one of the all time sickest riffs ever… no contests period. My wife and I danced down the aisle after being pronounced man and wife to “The Rhythm of Love.” I have never owned a Metallica t-shirt. One time I dated a girl who had a sister who had an ex-husband who had performed at The Whiskey once. Although I can name-drop many of the greats, I can only pick a few out of a listening line-up. I guess I could be called a dabbler at best.
The band I am thinking about has probably never even owned a cassette-recorder. I am sure that their demo tape was sent out digitally. I do know that they do have long hair, muscle tees and cutoff jean shorts. I also know that since my buddy Matt and I went on a 100+/- mile, 5 store, 2 burrito, and full afternoon search for the album after hearing the single, I was hooked. Behold… Black Tide… my current favorite metal fix. I typically enjoy them at about 5am on my way to work, or pretty much anytime I feel the need to get tough.
Sooo, the question now is what am I talking about? I am talking about what happens when you put together 4 teenagers, lots of hair, rock instruments, a lyric written using barely 35 different words, and record it all about for about 6 minutes… a song called “Warriors of Time.” That’s what.

One day when I was about 10 years old or so, I asked my older brother, who had a pretty extensive collection of music, if I could borrow a couple CDs. I was looking for something besides my usual suspects: symphonic rock, the Phantom of the Opera, and the Chipmunks.

One of the CDs he gave me was The Specials: Specials.

The Specials original line-up had actually broken up the year before I was born, and to this date have not played together in their entirety, although many of the original members have formed and re-formed many times in many combinations over the last 30 years to put out an occasional album or play on tour here and there. I remember a concert for the Special Beat being advertised by KJQ. According to the house rules, I wasn’t old enough to go.

That is pretty much where it all started. Since the first time, The Specials have always been music that I could get down to. In San Diego, some of the local radio stations play “A Message to You, Rudy” a couple times a day. It is my all time favorite “on the way home from a 10 hour day in the work truck and stuck in traffic because it took us too long to get the job done” song. Sometimes during my shifts at Starbucks, I get to listen to some of my old time favorites: “Monkey Man,” “Nelson Mandela,” “Ghost Town,” and even their version of “Pressure Drop,” as they have made it onto official “hear music” play list.

However, none of the aforementioned songs were ones that I would listen to on repeat in my room for hours at a time while reading or playing videos games or whatever. “Doesn’t Make It Alright” was.

To my brother, I say: thanks for sharing.

To everybody else, I say: enjoy.

Click to Play———–> “Doesn’t Make It Alright”

Earlier this month, I received an email from my brother Peter about contributing to the La Musica Coolica feature of Jake’s New Blog. He told me that my commentary about music was getting tired, and needed to be refreshed. Hahahaha. He didn’t really tell me that. But he did offer to chime in with some track selections and commentary of his own. Of course I gladly accepted.

Doing some sort of online collab’ with my brothers is something that I have had a desire to do for quite a while. Back in the day, I registered jakensam.com, in the hopes that I could get my brother Sam to publish a flash cartoon with me, or something. As it turns out, Sam was more interested in WOW than in publishing marginally funny flash sketches. So, it never really materialized, and I let the registry lapse. Alas my excitement to collaborate in online debauchery with brothers has been renewed, with receipt of the email from Peter.

Pete, like myself is a bit of a music junkie. He will now be authoring LMC on the final Tuesdays of the month (possibly more), starting January 26, 2010.

By way of  background, my brother Peter Breinholt, is not he balding musician from Salt Lake City. He is the apron wearing accident magnet from San Diego (for another week). Pete and his wife are in the process of moving from San Diego to Salt Lake, so that they can be near our other siblings with their new baby, while he finishes his undergraduate studies. He is a great guy, who isn’t afraid to get creative with his facial hair. He has a technical understanding of precision photography that I am extremely envious of. He is well read, and thoroughly versed in the various ways to turn java from a bean into a delicious beverage. He is no stranger to the ER, with more first-person accounts of possibly life-threatening pedestrian-auto accidents (always playing the role of pedestrian), than most stunt men.  Also, his initials are PJB, the same as Piper. So, you know he’s cool. You can read more about his latest developments on his blog Idiotbook.