For Christina

Hey everyone welcome to Outloud. Believe it or not, this is the 30th edition of my column. It certainly doesn't feel like ti has been that long It seems like just yesterday that I accepted my job with Broken Dial and pitched my idea to one of Broken Dial's resident overlords, Shawn. Shawn took one look at my idea, which was and still is, just an excuse for me to geek out all over your computer screens every week, and saw some promise in the idea.

In the past couple of months we have seen it all: rare clips from established acts, fixing the spotlight on bands that time seems to have forgotten along with the weird obscene and the controversial. Hopefully you have enjoyed the ride. At the end of the day, I love writing this column, but my focus is on you loving it too.

Well, since this is my birthday party, or at least my creations birthday party, that I can have any band come and play at the bash. My selection is one of my favorite all time bands, whom whenever I mention them I get blank stares from even those who claim to be musically educated - Camper Van Beethoven. The name be familiar to some of you but only because you have probably heard the band's "hit" song, "Take the Skinheads Bowling" a couple of hundred times. Well, my friends, good old Camper is much more then a one trick pony. Each one of their albums has been fantastic. They even managed to pull of the ultimate rarity and released a great comeback album after an over decade break with all the original members. Nothing can stop Camper.

To me Camper, really trade marked the kind of slacker cool that would later come to light in acts like Pavement. Camper's simple song structures like on the three chord wonder, "Where The Hell is Bill?" and the first track i am going to share with you, "Ambiguity Song" are fine examples. Of the smart, over educated suburban kids being forced into jobs that don't completely fulfill them or the potential that their parents had set aside for them. Camper is unsure, uncaring and that is what made them so endearing. It seems as if genius just flowed from their finger tips.

This clip comes from what I can only guess is the tour for their major label debut, Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. Check it out.



The reason that I love this particular version so much is because it manages to echo the, "campfire sing-a-long" vibe that the song just screamed for on the record. The super sweet simple melody along with catchy and wonderful lyrics simply make it a smash. Plus it is a joy to hear the kids in the crowd singing along

Another one of my favorite Camper Van Beethoven cuts is their hilarious, almost country-rock, recasting of Black Flag's classic "Wasted". Believe it or not, the song was the perfect fit for them.
Not only does it blend the insane with the beautiful, which Camper did on a regular basis, but the lyrics, although punk rock to the bone can actually come out of lead singer David Lowry's mouth. It's not hard to believe that the guys in Camper Van Beethoven, were hippies, burnouts and were surfers.

Postcard 7

Hey Everyone welcome back to the Postcard From Hell radio show. It has seemed like ages since I have done a radio show and I am oh so happy to be back. You may have noticed some changes to how things get done around here already. For starters you no longer need to download the files to hear them. I have decided that it would be a better move to stream them so you can listen and enjoy without the guilt of killing your hard drive space. The files are listed below and all you have to do is simply press play on them and then the fun can begin. You will have to excuse the space between the widget that makes this all possible and the tracklisting for a certain part. I tried to change this but I ran into trouble, so I decided to just leave it as it is. At least to me, it is not that distracting and I hope you will not hold it against me.

Before we get started just let me state that I am not doing this for any kind of monetary gain. There are no paid advertisements, wither they be in verbal or in the form of links. I do this show because I love music and I love sharing music with people. Helping someone find out about a new band or a song that they are absolutely going to love.

Support the bands by visiting their links (which are provided in the tracklisting section, right under the file) or clicking on the links below to go to one of the many websites to buy a cd

Insound
CD Baby
Asian Man Records
Amazon
CD Universe

Thanks for dropping by and giving me a listen. It means the world to me. Hopefully you will have some fun. oh and as always, if any band or artist disagrees with their material being posted here the show will be taken down immediately. Also, the radio show will only be up for two weeks so I would hurry up and enjoy it before it is gone. If you like what you hear please tell your friends. Now on to the fun.


Postcard 7
Part One


---Me Talking
The Orion Experience - Obsessed With You (Cosmicandy)
The Nerves - Hangin On The Telephone
Big Dipper - She's Fetching (Heavens)
---Me Talking
Aqueduct - Split The Difference (Or Give Me Death)
Awek - Phototype (Awek EP)
Allen Clapp - Something Strange Happens (Something Strange Happens)

Part Two


---Me talking
Pernice Brothers - Clearspot (Overcome By Happiness)
Pavement - Grave Architecture (Wowee Zowee)
Low - Murderer (Drums and Guns)
---Me talking
Thing One - Move It (Thing One EP)
Heavy Vegetable - Song For Wesley (Frisbee)
Autumn Defense - Silence (Circles)

Part Three


---Me Talking
Brainiac - Vincent Come on Down (Hissing Prigs of The Static Coutre)
Arthur Russell - A Little Lost
Belle And Sebastian - Get Me Away From I'm Dying (If your feeling Sinister)
---Me talking
Leadbelly - Where Did you Sleep Last Night?
Flying Burrito Brothers - My Uncle (Gilded Palace of Sin)
Old Crow Medicine Show - Hard To Love (O.C.M.S)

Part Four


Hickey - Naked Cult (Various States of Disrepair)
We Are Wolves - Maquiqe (Pure Maquiqe)
The Coast - Stop The Kazoo Symphony
---Me Talking
Ladybug Transistor - The Swimmer
Paul Westerberg - Love You In The Fall (Open Season Soundtrack)
Sea Wolf - Your A Wolf (Get To The River Before It Runs Too Low)

Part Five


David Peel - Lower East Side (Have a Marijuana)
Colossal - Table Settings
Phosphorescent - Be Dark Night (Pride)
----
Dan Bern - The Fifth Beatle (Live)

Sting gets Stung

As you people may or may not know, I absolutely hate Sting. And it seems it has been a banner year for Sting haters world-wide. Heroes of mine like, ex-Jam frontman Paul Weller, have come out in full support of the cause. Weller's contribution was spitting on a photo of Sting and saying that his music sucked at an art opening (for more information on this and the article please visit "Now That's Entertainment". Well done, Mr. Weller. Anyways, I am happy to announce that more anti-Sting statements are filing in from all over the country. Which genius has decided to waltz into my hear this week by calling Sting a "petulant pansy"? Stewart Copeland that's who. For those that are not aware, Stewart Copeland plays drums in Sting's group The Police. Copeland did not need to publicly speak out against Sting to win my respect and admiration because he already has it from being a good drummer and getting in several fist fights with sting during The Police's career. I thank Stewart again for his contributions to the cause. For more on this hilarious story take a gander at the article

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070601/en_nm/police1_dc

The Show Must Go On

Hey guys,

I am back from my extended break from the Postcard from Hell radio show. I have been so busy writing, interviewing, doing press and nearly everything under the sun to really take the time to sit down and play some rock and roll. Well, have no fear I have come to my senses and I am ready to get back to work and putting on the best damn show I can for you guys. So stay tuned for further developments on this front.

Ann Coulter is Satan

Ann Coulter is Satan. I usually don't post or focus on politics, but I found myself drawn to this hilarious clip of Coulter trying to fight her way out of a hole and it spiraled downward from there. Before I knew it I had several clips I wanted to share with you guys about how stupid, bigoted and homophobic she really is. Sadly, instead of laughing at a bulk of this footage it makes me cry. The fact that not only does she hold these views and get on TV but that people buy her books, go to see her speak and respect this fucking lunatic. It should make you want to vomit blood. This stuff should make you want to pick up a guitar, start a website, start a political discussion group or just riot in the streets. We need to do something to stop people like this.

Prepare to be crushed

Ladies and gentlemen, the human race is now one genius shorter. Author/genius/poet/essayist and all around great guy Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday after suffering from brain damage which he received after falling several weeks prior. Words cannot express the level of admiration I have for this man. His unique vision, word choice, story subjects and overall attitude are not only fun to read but also extremely important lessons in writing 101. He will be greatly missed by all of his friends and fans worldwide. Luckily, we still have his books to guide us through the tough times.

Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007

So That's Don Bolles Crime

In the weirdest story you are likely to hear this year, Don Bolles, drummer of great punk bands like The Germs, Nervous Gender and .45 Grave, is under arrest. His crime? Drug possession. Here's what happened. Bolles was driving around LA when he was pulled over for having his taillight out. Like any good American, Bolles pulled over and spoke politely with the cop. For some reason, the cop searched Bolles car and came up with an odd bottle of shampoo: Dr. Bonner's Shampoo. For those of you that don't know, Dr. Bonner's Shampoo is made using hemp seed oil. The officer seeing the bottle quickly did a drug test on it and guess what? It turned up positive for pot. Bolles was then removed from his car and arrested. At the moment he is being held on possession charges. He has a set bail but at the moment he can't pay it. His friends are asking for good people like you and me to throw in a couple of bucks to help out one of our heroes. So, if you got a little extra cash in your pocket or your need a dose of good karma send an email to: deernora@yahoo.com and say that you want to help fight the good fight.