Hawkin' The Pandemic

There are so many songs from this band that I wanted to pick and I will admit that this song is not their best. The reason I picked this song is because I think it's important to have songs that you can relate to, and right now it's important to have songs that you can vent out all your frustrations too. This song is about being down in the bottom of the barrel. Broke, lost, tired, etc. The punk hip hop beat is masterfully crafted by non other than Travis Barker (Blink-182) with Rob Aston telling it like it is. The song is further accentuated with the boozy sluured vocals of Tim Armstrong (Rancid) and groaning backing vocals of Brodie Dalle (The Distillers). Despite it's down trodden theme, the song is still very breezy and light in a way. In the end, the lyrics come back to that punk attitude of staying strong and holding on as long as you can. This ain't a happy one, but it's better than some depressing old sad bastard song.

The Transplants - Weigh On My Mind




I don't write about much jazz music here as it's never really been my deal, but as of the last year and a half I have been dipping my toe into the jazz world and have found a lot of stuff I really like, along with a lot I don't like (sorry Coltrane I respect you, but I don't get it.) One of my favorite suggestion I have received is the album Chet Baker Sings. While it's not anything wild, in fact it's pretty similar to a lot of the crooner artists like Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble, but in my opinion, way better. If your not familiar with Bakers work he is a jazz trumpet player and singer from Oklahoma who rose through the ranks in the early 50's. His delicate style both vocal and instrumental earned him a place in the "cool" jazz category. Towards the late 50's his career fizzled out due to drug problems and those problems followed him throughout the 60's. He made a slight comeback in the 70's and 80's but years of addiction had take their toll on his voice, however critics do say that his most notable years of playing were between the late 70's and 80's. He passed away in 1988 in Amsterdam after falling from a hotel window. This is a very different from the indie stuff I put up, but it's a real treat. On a side note, if you're a romance doofus and reading this, this is the one to to play when you want to get intimate. *wink wink nudge nudge*

Chet Baker - Always You




I have been in the house for almost 2 weeks now due to the Covid-19 lock down in my state. I have never been an extrovert so the time inside is pretty normal for me and I have plenty to do. However, I have found myself tiring of binging TV shows and movies and now I am trying to find some interesting documentaries to dive into, especially anything about music. If you watch any music documentary during your quarantine, let it be this one. The Wrecking Crew is the story of historic legendary L.A. session musicians who have played on numerous top hits throughout the 60's and 70's yet were never really noticed by people outside of the studio. I can almost guarantee you have heard at least a song or two they played on. The list is mind blowing. While randomly browsing YouTube looking for a song to write about I saw that YouTube has the movie up for free. You'd be a fool to pass on it if you are even slightly into music history. It's really well made, unlike a lot of music docs out there with plenty of interviews and fun moments. It's even rated PG so it's something you can watch with the kids. Educational and entertaining....B-B-B-BONUS!





Speaking of being stuck inside and boredom I want to share with you readers the story of my mohawk. I was reading the news yesterday and I am sure like many, I ran my fingers through my hair out of frustration (I am surprised I am not bald at this point). Since I had yet to take a shower my hair just stayed up and didn't go back down. It was only until I passed by the mirror that I noticed it was pretty damn long and in need of a trim. I usually just go the buzz cut look in the summer and I have a clippers so I can do it myself. It's not that hard to do on your own. I realized that in all my 40 years on this planet I have never rocked a mohawk. Not even when I was at the height of my my punk rock phase in my late teens. I figured I'm not going to see anyone for a while in person, it's getting warmer, and if I continue to let it grow by the time I come out of quarantine I might look like Cousin It. If somehow I have to go back to work and be a professional, I can just shave the rest. So I put on some punk rock for inspiration and went to work.

I don't think it turned out too bad.

It's not the cleanest looking in the back, but for my first try and doing all the work myself, I think I did well. I really like the way it looks and might actually try to get it done professionally when things get back to some semblance of normal. My buddy said he was thinking of mohawking it as well and he suggested starting a mohawk covid-19 challenge. If you get "hawked" you either shave your head down to a mohawk or make a donation to a charity that needs help during the pandemic. I have no idea how to make things go viral, but I love this idea and maybe there is someone smarter than me who can do so. Look at it this way, a lot of people are going to be cutting their or someone else's hair anyway and there will probably be a lot those that go awry. So if it happens don't have a bad hair day about it! Make he best of it and have some fun. We all need to have a few laughs these days and why not help others while we are doing it. Throw on some punk rock and get to hawkin'!

MXPX - Bad Hair Day



Since most of this post is going to be pandemic adjacent, and we had a song that helped us vent our frustrations, I feel we need the music equivalent of hand sanitizer. We need to wash away that frustration and be reminded that we are a lot stronger than we think we are and are capable of overcoming tough situations. This song is a prime example of that. It's about reaching deep finding bravery, determination and fortitude. It's about staying in motion, even if it's the smallest step, when in everything is against you. That is your inner ninja. Hell, you might as well try to act like a ninja, we already look like one wearing our masks. We can all be ninjas together.

Classified - Inner Ninja (Feat. David Myles)



He lights the days last cigarette as the music faintly flows the the screen door and onto the porch like a refreshing breeze. It's dark and the tiny white bulb above his head casts a silver glow on the trees in the back yard. The night air is cooling and fresh compared to the temperature in cramped house he was in earlier. There may have been too many people for his taste, but all in all it was worth it. There would be quite a bit of clean up, but that would be for his sober self in the morning to deal with. The fun exciting energy that filled the house just an hour ago has finally trailed off. The day is ending, faculties are out of place, and in this moment he is happy and free. Now all that is left to hear is the soft rustle of swaying leaves, crickets and a familiar back beat. As he reaches down to grasp his nearly drained beverage, his hand is wet with condensation. He pays no mind as when he tilts the bottle to his lips and the beads drip onto his leg. They feel good on his skin and he has no intention of wiping them away. Just a little signal that in this moment he is alive and electric. He empties the remainder of the bottle and lets out an audible refreshing "Ahh" and clumsily walks back inside. As he makes his rounds shutting things down before climbing the stairs to his bed, he can't help but chuckle and think to himself, "This will be a night to remember."

G3RSt - Stand By Last Friday Night (Katy Perry vs. Ben E. King)