I left work promptly at 5pm and made it to Mohegan Sun in an hour and 40 minutes. Not too shabby. My friend arrived shortly thereafter and we went to the ticket window to get the tickets about a half hour before the start of the show. No offense to the first opener, Angel Taylor, but our first priority was getting dinner rather than catching the opening act. Luckily, we were able to get an immediate seat at Big Bubba’s BBQ and had a nice meal (I opted for the chicken and ribs combo, and she had meatloaf. Because two out of three ain’t bad.).

After dinner, we headed into the arena in the middle of Ben Kweller’s set. He was pretty darn good. I especially enjoyed Sawdust Man. After Ben Kweller, though, it was the moment of truth. Barenaked Ladies were going to take the stage and this was my first time seeing them without Steven Page.

And you know what? I didn’t miss him at all. They opened their set with Who Needs Sleep? (an always odd choice, in my opinion), and then broke into The Old Apartment. It was as it always is with them. They rocked the house. It wasn’t long before Ed Robertson was freestyle-rapping about playing at Mohegan Sun, and then him and the band started talking about how he’d gotten schooled at poker that day. It appears he played a $200 buy-in tournament and learned a couple lessons along the way. Lesson 1: Trip 9’s aren’t worth a damn (“I was outkicked!”), and lesson 2: Queens full of 10’s? Fold ‘em! (“He slowplayed me!”). All was right with the world. I’m not familiar with much of the new stuff, but Angel Taylor did come out to sing with Ed on one of the songs I DO know, Every Subway Car, and it sounded really good. They even played a song called Eraser from their kid’s CD Snack Time, which was great fun. The other band members (mainly Kevin Hearn) took over a lot of Steven Page’s vocals, and his absence was barely felt. In fact, the only time I really thought about him was when they played You Run Away, off their new All in Good Time album, which is clearly about him.

And as always, as I was hoping, they did their famous medley finale. It started with Kevin Hearn playing the piano and singing Magic by Pilot. This led into the band doing a song and dance routine that included Empire State of Mind by Jay Z, I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas (who were coincidentally playing the XL Center in Hartford the very same night), Baby by Justin Bieber, and California Gurls by Katy Perry, topped off by “Mohegan Sun, won’t you come” at the very end to the tune of Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden (which they’ve done at their previous Mohegan Sun shows). The crowd, of course, clamored for an encore, and BNL gladly obliged. They played 3 songs for their encore, and for the first, Ed Robertson played drums while Tyler Stewart stumbled across the stage belting out Alcohol (that song was made for him to perform), and they finished the night with Brian Wilson (the song, not the Beach Boys singer).

We left thoroughly satisfied with the show, and continued to do a little gambling on the penny slots. And even though it only took me an hour and twenty minutes to get home, it was still 2:15am. But who needs sleep, right?

jamie wrote this on 08/09/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 10s music, 70s music, 80s music, 90s music, alcohol, all in good time, angel taylor, baby, barenaked ladies, beach boys, ben kweller, big bubba's bbq, black eyed peas, black hole sun, bnl, brian wilson, california gurls, ed robertson, empire state of mind, eraser, every subway car, hartford, i gotta feeling, jay z, jim creegan, justin bieber, katy perry, kevin hearn, life in a nutshell, meat loaf, mohegan sun, pilot, poker, sawdust man, snack time, soundgarden, steven page, the old apartment, two out of three ain't bad, tyler stewart, who needs sleep, xl center, you run away

jamie wrote this on 03/15/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 1 comment so far | TAGS: 00s music, 10s tv, 90s music, andy samberg, digital short, do the bartman, julian casablancas, saturday night live, snl, the lonely island, the simpsons, the strokes

jamie: wearing shrap-NEL in his SKIN
jamie: that was just on the radio
matt: how nice for you
matt: I don’t hate any songs more than that one
jamie: really? ANY songs?
matt: I can’t think of a single song I hate more
jamie: wow…including Celine Dion? Whitney Houston?
matt: them i can tolerate
matt: if I need to
jamie: you don’t wanna wait? for your life to be over?
matt: but Paula Cole is like nails on a chalkboard for me, which come to think of it, still sounds better than Paula Cole

Ever since the song came out, we’ve made fun of the way she sings “wearing shrapnel in his skin”, but until this conversation, I never quite realized the level of hatred that Matt has for her. Not that I’m a fan by any means. Hearing the song and having this conversation reminded me of many years ago when Matt and I were staying at his cousin Eric’s apartment near Boston for some reason, and we were planning on getting tickets to see Radiohead at the Worcester Centrum later that summer. Tickets went on sale the morning we were at Eric’s, so I called Ticketmaster or whoever the hell you’d call back then to order concert tickets, but since they had just gone on sale, it was hard to get through, and I was put on hold. And the entire time I was on hold (at least 15-20 minutes, possibly much longer), I Don’t Want to Wait by Paula Cole was played on a loop. Part of me thought whoever set that up was incredibly clever, and part of me wanted to find them and kill them in cold blood.

I don't wanna wait, for my brains to be blown out...

Speaking of Paula Cole and Boston, she performed at the first Mixfest in Boston that Matt and I went to, along with our friends Lisa and Erica. We stayed at Eric’s apartment that weekend as well. When Paula Cole came on stage, Erica climbed up into a tree to get a better view of Paula’s hairy armpits while Matt, Lisa, and I wandered off to do something a lot less depressing. I think we went to see the Holocaust Memorial. We were also there for most of Third Eye Blind’s set as well.

Anyway, long story short: Matt hates Paula Cole and she has hairy pits. And eff Radiohead for making me listen to her song for an eternity.

jamie wrote this on 03/10/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 9 comments | TAGS: 90s music, boston, celine dion, eric's apartment, holocaust memorial, i don't want to wait, mixfest, paula cole, radiohead, third eye blind, ticketmaster, wearing shrapnel in his skin, whitney houston

It looks like the soundtrack does a good job encompassing AC/DC’s whole career with some classic old Bon Scott songs right up to a song off their most recent CD Black Ice. You can see the track listing at the link above, but here it is anyway:

1. Shoot to Thrill
2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Damnation
3. Guns for Hire
4. Cold Hearted Man
5. Back in Black
6. Thunderstruck
7. If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
8. Evil Walks
9. T.N.T.
10. Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be
11. Have a Drink on Me
12. The Razor’s Edge
13. Let There Be Rock
14. War Machine
15. Highway to Hell

And here’s the first video for Shoot to Thrill from the movie:

Keep your eyes on Brian Johnson. There’s something about a 62 year old grinding his hips that isn’t disturbing at all.

NOT.

jamie wrote this on 01/27/10 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 00s music, 10s movies, 70s music, 80s music, 90s music, ac/dc, AC/DC: Iron Man 2, angus young, back in black, big gun, bill, black ice, black sabbath, bon scott, brian johnson, cold hearted man, emilio estevez, evil walks, greatest hits, guns for hire, have a drink on me, hell ain't a bad place to be, if you want blood (you've got it), iron man, iron man 2, jon favreau, last action hero, let there be rock, maximum overdrive, rock 'n' roll damnation, shoot to thrill, stephen king, t.n.t., that was awesome, the razor's edge, thunderstruck, trucks, who made who

lunch lady land

TheGreatOne | MySpace Video

I’m making dinner tonight for Quinn and myself, and looking in the cupboard, noticed that we again have Sloppy Joe Hamburger Helper in stock. Maybe I’ll songspeak it again tonight if I make it, and perhaps Quinn will join me. Thanks to Sloppy Joe, slop Sloppy Joe.

jamie wrote this on 10/29/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 90s music, 90s tv, adam sandler, chris farley, ellen cleghorne, hamburger helper, kevin nealon, lancaster, lunchlady land, mix CD, saturday night live, sloppy joe

I also clearly remember Matt, whenever she belted out, “Just breathe!”, would sing, “Jaspreet”. I guess he thought the song was about an Indian gentleman.

So there you have it. Thanks for nothing, Faith Hill!

jamie wrote this on 09/24/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 90s music, breathe, faith hill, i can feel you breathe, i can smell your pee, indian, jaspreet, just breathe, mix 93.1

jamie wrote this on 08/27/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 00s music, 80s music, 90s music, air flute, american sunshine, be good johnny, brian, cecilia noel, colin hay, crazy, den of the wolf, down under, iron horse, it's a mistake, men at work, mohegan sun, northampton, overkill, whimsical, wolf den

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you...Butt Queen!

So for the last week, Quinn has been making us listen to that track incessantly. On Saturday, she kept giggling at the line where Ed Robertson sings, “they called me Eddie”. I asked her why she thought it was funny, and she said because his real name is Freddy. I asked her why she thought that, and she said because she looked it up on the internet. Four year olds say the darndest things. Then yesterday, all three of us were in the car, listening to it yet again, and I was telling my wife how she likes the “they called me Eddie” line, and then Quinn started saying something about how “they called him butt queen for some reason”. It took us awhile to realize what she was saying (“butt cream?” “butt freak?”), and couldn’t understand where “butt queen” came from. Until we were listening to the song again, and got to the line where Tyler Stewart sings “they called me Buckwheat!”. Apparently Quinn thought he was saying “butt queen”.

I fear now that Quinn is listening to more music, the misheard lyrics will increase at an exponential rate.

jamie wrote this on 08/24/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 90s music, barenaked ladies, butt cream, butt freak, butt queen, drake & josh, ed robertson, freddy, grade 9, great night baby, iCarly, kids say the darndest things, lancaster, mendon, queen, southwick's zoo, they called me buckwheat, they called me eddie, tyler stewart

"What? My mother knitted this sweater."

When I got home from work yesterday, my wife was doing the usual Wednesday housework while my mother had our daughter out to dinner. She usually puts the TV on one of those music on-demand channels while she does the cleaning or whatever, and yesterday she had it on the 90’s channel. For the brief time it was on while I was there, I heard some songs I haven’t heard in forever. Like Dreamlover by Mariah Carey and Walk on the Ocean by Toad the Wet Sprocket (which reminded me of how much Matt liked them back in high school). Then I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis came on. I had forgotten all about that song, and it made me remember the alternate lyrics I used to sing for it. In reality, she sings, “I love you, always forever, near and far, closer together”, but I used to like to sing, “I love you, always forever, won’t you please, take off your sweater”. Because the removal of clothes usually leads to relations. Relations of the intimate type. Giggedy giggedy.

jamie wrote this on 07/16/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 90s music, donna lewis, dreamlover, giggedy, giggity, I love you always forever, mariah carey, near and far closer together, toad the wet sprocket, walk on the ocean, won't you please take off your sweater

It's all Carrot Top's fault

While playing Guitar Hero on X-Box at a friend’s this weekend, Spiderwebs by No Doubt came up in the game. I remembered when this song came out over 10 years ago. Our friend Kevin used to think the lyrics in the chorus were “it’s all your fault I scream my balls off”, but they’re really “it’s all your fault I screen my phone calls”. But if you listen to it and listen for his misheard lyrics, it does sound like Gwen Stefani says that. Even though it makes no sense in the context of the song.

jamie wrote this on 06/08/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 90s music, carrot top, guitar hero, gwen stefani, it's all your fault I screen my phone calls, no doubt, spiderwebs, x-box

I don’t recall exactly how it happened, but somehow, an impromptu road trip to Cleveland to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was planned. The participants in this trip were myself, Matt, our friend Heather, and Adam D. (now of Killswitch Engage fame).

It's just another brick in the wall, dude

There are many memories of this trip, including Matt getting a flat tire in the leftmost lane of a busy, traffic-laden 4 lane highway just before getting into Cleveland, requiring him to make his way through three lanes of traffic to put the spare on. And then having to bring his car in to get a new tire. Also, much to Heather’s chagrin, Matt, Adam, and I sang along with the entirety of Pink Floyd’s The Wall double album. We also swung through Canada and visited Niagara Falls on the way home.

Being the summer of ‘97, Sublime was just getting popular, and their song, Wrong Way, was being featured heavily on the radio and music video channels (when they still showed videos). So the first time I saw one of those highway signs that said “Wrong Way”, I sang, “Annie’s 12 years old, in two more she’ll be a whore…” I didn’t sing the lyrics with the song title, because it was implied. Adam laughed, and so I started doing it whenever we saw one of those signs, and Adam laughed every time, again, much to Heather’s chagrin. I did it throughout the trip, and although even I was getting annoyed, I had started something that was no longer under my control.

That trip to Cleveland was awesome.  As Ian Hunter once claimed, Cleveland does indeed rock.

R.I.P. Bradley Nowell. Your band was nothing special, but any song that contains the lyrics, “a cigarette pressed between her lips while I’m staring at her tits” will always hold a special place in my heart.

jamie wrote this on 05/28/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 1 comment so far | TAGS: 90s music, adam d., adam dutkiewicz, bradley nowell, canada, cleveland, cleveland rocks, ian hunter, killswitch engage, niagara falls, pink floyd, road trip, rock and roll hall of fame, sublime, the wall, wpi, wrong way

The line that always sticks out to me, and that me and my friend Joe at the time would always make fun of, was “when the dogs begin to smell her, will she smell alone?”. I mean, WTF does THAT mean, Scott? What a weirdo.

Seriously, anyone care to analyze this mess of words they call a song?

jamie wrote this on 05/22/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | 2 comments | TAGS: 90s music, grunge, plush, rape, ridiculous lyrics, scott weiland, sex type thing, stone temple pilots, WTF

Lithium by Nirvana was the latest single all the rock stations were playing by them, and the chorus has Kurt Cobain singing, “I like it, I’m not gonna crack, I love you, I’m not gonna crack”. Various phrases are repeated, but he says the “I’m not gonna crack” bit quite a few times.

Anywho, it was nearing the end of the song, the chorus was being repeated, and randomly in the chorus, the DJ butt in and said “suck my crack” over Kurt singing “gonna crack”. It caught me off guard, and I thought it was hilarious. It was really late, but I don’t think I was imagining things. It really happened. Didn’t it?

jamie wrote this on 05/20/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 107.3, 90s music, i'm not gonna crack, kurt cobain, lithium, nirvana, stop and shop, suck my crack, WAAF

I’m about 99% positive I’m the only person asking that question. This post isn’t even about where he is. He could be dead in a ditch for all I know. Or care.

What it IS about is his one big hit, She’s So High, and yet another boring story about Matt and I sharing an office together. The song had just come out when we started working at Silver Screen Design together, so we heard it on the radio a lot.

It came on once, and Matt was really giving it his all. And when it got to the chorus, he sang, “She’s so hiiiiiiiiii…how ya doin’? How ya doin’?” It must have been a rough day, because at the time, I thought this was the funniest thing I’d ever heard.

I know, isn’t that sad?

jamie wrote this on 05/08/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 90s music, bachman-turner overdrive, dead in a ditch, randy bachman, she's so high, silver screen design, tal bachman

Songspeak bonus story: While a bunch of us were hanging out at Matt’s once, we had this CD playing. Our friend Joe, who we haven’t seen or talked to in quite some time, arrived to hang out as well, and Karma Police was playing. And he just uttered, “This is what I get, I guess”. It was this comment that caused us to include Karma Police on the inaugural songspeak mixtape, Songspeak’s Greatest Hits Volume 1.

The song has one strange video. Thom Yorke sure is a weird lookin’ dude.

jamie wrote this on 05/06/09 for SONGSPEAK which is a pretty awesome blog. | post permalink | no comments yet, be the first! | TAGS: 90s music, for a minute there I lost myself, karma police, mixtape, ok computer, paranoid android, radiohead, songspeak's greatest hits, this is what you get, thom yorke, worcester centrum