S7E375 - Gangstagrass 'The Blackest Thing On The Menu' with Alana Anton

With only one official studio album to his name - 1994's Grace - there has always been an air of mystery and melancholy in the music of Jeff Buckley. Tragically drowning in 1997 at the age of 30, his was a unique talent still developing and expanding. Our guests this week, Kerry Jones and Kyle Alexander of the Portland, OR art rock band Death Doula, bring us his posthumous live release, 'Mystery White Boy'... "This is our last goodbye I hate to feel the love between us die But it's over, just hear this and then I'll go You gave me more to live for, more than you'll ever know" Songs discussed in this episode: Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley (Live at King Theater, Seattle, WA 1995); Obstacles, Disembark - Death Doula; Last Goodbye, Grace, Dream Brother, I Woke Up In A Strange Place, Mojo Pin - Jeff Buckley; Lilac Wine - Nina Simone; Lilac Wine, Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hai (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan cover - Live at Sin-é, NY 1993), What Will You Say, Last Goodbye, Eternal Life, Grace, The Man That Got Away - Jeff Buckley; Kangaroo - This Mortal Coil; Kanga Roo - Jeff Buckley; Panalo - Ez Mil; Dory Joins Alfred - Death Doula

Author, radio host and songwriter Binnie Klein (WPKN Radio, In These Trees) brings us Joni Mitchell and her stunning 1972 release, 'For The Roses'. Searching for balance in her life after a tumultuous relationship with James Taylor - and trying to escape the craziness of Los Angeles - Joni trekked back up to the Canadian wilderness and wrote most of this, her 5th studio album, while in retreat: "You've got to shake your fists at lightning now You've got to roar like forest fire You've got to spread your light like blazes all across the sky They're going to aim the hoses on you Show 'em you won't expire Not till you burn up every passion, not even when you die" Songs discussed in this episode: Blonde In The Bleachers (Joni Mitchell cover) - Lou Barlow; Winter's Girl - Tartie; Orchard, Quiver - In These Trees & Tartie; You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor; Banquet, Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire - Joni Mitchell; Heroin - The Velvet Underground; Barangrill - Joni Mitchell; Visions Of Johanna - Bob Dylan; Lesson In Survival, Let The Wind Carry Me, For The Roses, See You Sometime, Electricity, You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio, Blonde In The Bleachers, Woman Of Heart and Mind, Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune) - Joni Mitchell; Orchard, Meet Me On The Mountain Top - In These Trees & Tartie

Once considered polar opposites, country music and rap have had a bit of a moment together as of late with artists like Jelly Roll & Post Malone and releases like Beyonce's Cowboy Carter hitting the charts. The thing is, Brooklyn, NY born bluegrass/hip-hop group Gangstagrass have been doing it since 2007. Returning guest, sociologist Alana Anton, brings us their latest release: 'The Blackest Thing On The Menu', and makes the case that these genres have more in common than record label marketers would have us believe. Songs discussed in this episode: Long Hard Times To Come (Justified Main Theme), Freedom - Gangstagrass; Feathered Indians - Tyler Childers; The Only Way Out Is Through - Gangstagrass; Rebel Without A Pause - Public Enemy; Good At Being Bad - Gangstagrass; Hunger Strike - Temple Of The Dog; Up High Do Or Die, Gone Gone - Gangstagrass; Texas Hold 'Em - Beyonce; You Can Have The Crown (Sturgill Simpson Cover) - Post Malone; Mother, Obligatory Braggadocio, Avenue B, Palette, It's Alive, Sankofa, Mother (Instrumental Jam Mix) - Gangstagrass

Singer/songwriter Django Haskins (The Old Ceremony) is the one to FINALLY bring a Randy Newman record to TRGMH, 1999's 'Bad Love'. With equal doses of snide wit and honest emotion, Newman's slyly cynical 10th studio album is sure to get under your skin and fester for a while... Songs discussed in this episode: I Miss You (Unplugged), Short People, It's Money That I Love - Randy Newman; God's Comic - Elvis Costello; Shadows, Lonely Mayor, Too Big To Fail - The Old Ceremony; My Country, Shame, I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It), Every Time It Rains, The Great Nations Of Europe, Rednecks, The One You Love - Randy Newman; Here I Go Again, Efige - The Old Ceremony; Chelsea Hotel #2 - Leonard Cohen; The World Isn't Fair, I Love LA, Big Hat, No Cattle, Better Off Dead - Randy Newman; Smile - David Byrne; I Miss You, Going Home, I Want Everyone To Like Me - Randy Newman; North American Grain - The Old Ceremony

For this BONUS Patron-curated episode, we invited patrons of the podcast to send in their favorite political and/or protest songs. They came up with a surprisingly eclectic playlist of songs that will make you angry, fired-up and ready to (metaphorically) rumble! Fight The Power, indeed!! Songs discussed in this episode: War - Bob Marley (Live 1977 at The Rainbow, London); Happy New Year (Prince Can't Die Again) - Mac McCaughan; Haillie Sellasse, Up Your Ass - Propagandhi; Ignoreland - R.E.M.; Nobody Knows - School Of Language; Porcupine or Pineapple? - Brakes; Lowest of the Low - The Barricade; Charles Windsor - McCarthy; I Pity The Country - Willie Dunn; Living For The City - Stevie Wonder; An Old Colonial's Hard Luck Story - X-tal; The Ghost of Tom Joad - Bruce Springsteen (with Tom Morello); Fight The Power - Public Enemy; Power, Power (Live, 1992) - The Dead C; Urban Guerilla - Hawkwind; Please Don't - David Byrne & Fatboy Slim (featuring Santigold); The Body Electric - Hurray For The Riff Raff; Major John - The Wake; Where's All The Money Gone? - Asian Dub Foundation; The Three Great Alabama Icons - Drive-By Truckers; Holiday In Cambodia - Dead Kennedys; Divide and Conquer - Husker Du

Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, Ministry were one of the most terrifyingly aggressive industrial acts around. But in 1983 Al Jourgensen introduced himself to the masses - and this week's guest, producer/musician Dave Trumfio (Chicago's Pulsars) - with the decidedly New Wave 'With Sympathy'. This is NOT your grandma's Ministry, unless your grandma is a moody goth kid singing snappy little synth-pop tunes in a faux-British accent. Enjoy! Songs discussed in this episode: Revenge (VJ Rob Edge Mix) - Ministry; Submission Song, Tunnel Song, Suffocation - The Pulsars; Burning Inside, Just Like You, Effigy (I'm Not An) - Ministry; Body Bag - Effigies; Going For Adds - Moving Units; Revenge - Ministry; My Spine Is The Bassline - Shriekback; I Wanted To Tell Her - Ministry; Money Is Not Our God - Killing Joke; Work For Love, Every Day Is Halloween - Ministry; Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain; Here We Go, What He Say, Say You're Sorry, I Should Have Known Better, I'm Falling, She's Got A Cause - Ministry; It's Not Right - DEVO; Das Lifeboat - The Pulsars

California pop/punk royalty Descendents took a break in 1987, becoming All so singer Milo Aukerman could pursue a career in biochemistry. 1996 marked the return of Milo, and the release of their 5th studio album 'Everything Sucks'. This week Rob is joined by artist/drummer Woody Compton (Is This Tomorrow), as they both unleash their 12-year-old selves to unpack this hook-filled gem of a record. Songs discussed in this episode: When I Get Old (Descendents cover) - Filipps Firma; She's My Ex - All; My War - Black Flag; Wendy, Everything Sux, I'm The One, Coffee Mug, Rotting Out - Descendents; Ramona - Ramones; Sick-O-Me, Caught, When I Get Old, Doghouse, She Loves Me, Hateful Notebook, We, Eunuch Boy, This Place, I Won't Let Me - Descendents; Heart Songs - Weezer; Thank You, That's The Breaks, Grand Theme, Glad All Over (The Dave Clark Five cover) - Descendents

Formed in 1979, Hawthorne California's Redd Kross are having quite the year. With a feature documentary - Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story directed by Andrew Reich - a fantastic new self-titled double album, and a new memoir by brothers Jeff & Steven McDonald and award winning journalist Dan Epstein: Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross coming October 29th. Dan joins us to discuss the book and the Redd Kross record that first got him high: 1987s 'Neurotica'.  "Come on, lose your mind Now you're one of us" Songs discussed in this episode: Born Innocent, Linda Blair, Dancing Queen - Redd Kross; Convoy - C.W. McCall; Neurotica - Redd Kross; I Want You Back - Hoodoo Gurus; Play My Song, Frosted Flake, Janus, Jeanie and George Harrison, Blow You A Kiss In The Wind - Redd Kross; Blow You A Kiss In The Wind - Elizabeth Montgomery; Love Is You - Redd Kross; Creatures Of The Night - Kiss; Peach Kelli Pop - Redd Kross; Round and Round - Ratt; Do The Eggroll - Peach Kelli Pop; McKenzie, Switchblade Sister, Ballad of a Love Doll - Redd Kross; Left Of The Dial - Replacements; What They Say, What They Say (Demo), Ghandi Is Dead (I'm The Cartoon Man) - Redd Kross; In and Out of My Life (In a Day) - The Pandoras; Beautiful Bye-Byes, Tatum O-Tot and the Fried Vegetables, Pink Piece of Peace - Redd Kross; Going Down to Liverpool - The Bangles; It's the Little Things - Redd Kross

When this week's guest, Minneapolis-based writer and drummer David Jarnstrom, was tasked with choosing a record to discuss, he surprisingly went with something both relatively obscure AND near-and-dear to Rob's heart: the 1990 debut - and sole full-length record - by criminally unsung Miami pop-punk heroes Quit, 'Earlier Thoughts'. Go figure! Songs discussed in this episode: Intro - Quit:Live at Churchill's Pub Goodtastic Films Video Excerpt; Run It Out - Rad Owl; VANNEN, the friend - John Snodgrass; Drive Away - Gratitude; Dine Alone - Quicksand; Defy, All The Same, Changes, Could Be Wrong, Remember, Feeling OK, Dedication - Quit; Fixed - The Holy Terrors; Me For Me, Waiting - Quit; Everything & You - Lightworkers; Shepherd's Pie, Did You See, Billness, Quit - Quit; Quiet While You're Ahead - Rad Owl

Back in March, 2021 when TRGMH was still a two-man operation, musician & human Bob Fay (Sebadoh, Deluxx, Folk Implosion) joined Rob and Barry to discuss The Frogs and their controversial 1989 cult classic 'It's Only Right and Natural'. That episode was never released. Until now... Songs discussed in this episode: Homos - The Frogs (Live at The Knitting Factory, Los Angeles CA 05-16-2003); Not Too Amused - Sebadoh; I'm Just A Bill - Deluxx Folk Implosion; I've Got Drugs (Out Of The Mist), I Don't Care If U Disrespect Me (Just So You Love Me), Hot Cock Annie, These Are the Finest Queen Boys (I've Ever Seen), Rosy Jack World - The Frogs; Songs For Swinging Larvae - Renaldo & The Loaf; Someone's Pinning Me to the Ground, Baby Greaser George, (Thank God I Died in) The Car Crash, Gather 'Round for Savior #2, Richard Dick Richards, Men (Come on Men), Christian With A Gun, Dykes Are We - The Frogs; Diary Of A Shiteater (Excerpt) - Girls Who Hate Their Mothers and The Chicken Fucks; Been a Month Since I Had a Man - The Frogs; Homos (Live) - The Lemonheads; Homos - The Frogs; Sforzando! - Bob Fay