Daily Jam - Country Feedback

Work is gonna kill me this week.  Here's some R.E.M.  Listen to "Country Feedback," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Wolves, Lower

I recently finished reading Peter Ames Carlin's R.E.M. biography, "The Name of This Band Is R.E.M."  I've been mainlining the band's catalog ever since.  Here's a track from their first EP.  Listen to "Wolves, Lower" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - (Don't Go Back to) Rockville

A short while ago, i wrote about how i needed to get into an R.E.M. phase.  Proud to report that that phase is currently in swing.  Here's a track from "Reckoning."  Listen to "(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - E-Bow the Letter

I go through phases constantly where i'll get really into the back catalog of a band or artist: a Led Zeppelin era, a Prince era, a T. Rex era, etc.  And i believe i am starting to get into my R.E.M. era.  It wouldn't be the first time.  Here's a cut from the band's fantastic 1996 album "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" featuring the wonderful Patti Smith on backing vocals.  Listen to "E-Bow the Letter" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

This column was originally published in 2018, and it's tone is just as apt today.  Apparently it doesn't matter who is in office if the whole fucking system is shit.

Everyday this waking nightmare continues anew.

Everyday this horror show gets worse and worse.

Everyday my fear of what this country and this world may have in store for my sons grows and grows.

Everyday is an exercise in managing impending panic attacks.

Every. God. Damn. Day.

And so I try to do what little I can, donating what money I can spare to charitable or righteous causes here or there, amplifying the sounds of protest, and giving the proverbial finger to the awful powers that be. And in the little breaks between panic and alarm, I write blurbs about pop music, escapist fare with a smattering of nostalgia and humor.

I don’t know what else to do. So, until we take to the streets to burn this whole thing to the ground, I guess I’ll just keep on writing.

I remember when I was young, I used to get horrible social anxiety (of which I never spoke about to anyone) that often led to many a night or weekend spent home by myself. It was probably at its worst when I was in junior high school. I was shy and quiet and admittedly weird, and it was just so much easier to hang back, to remain disconnected. But then somewhere along the line when I got to high school, I opened up a little bit. I lifted my head. I made more friends. I went out. And most importantly, I tried. I swallowed my panic and I tried. And I was so much better for it.

So now, I need to make myself do the same thing. And so do you. We need to control our panic and we need to try. We need to get out there. We need to protest. We need to organize. We need to scream and shout. We need to disrupt. We need to burn this whole thing to the ground.

Anyway, here’s “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” by R.E.M.

Daily Jam - Nightswimming

It's my wife's birthday today, and she wants to do things like go to a brewery, play video games with our boys, watch college football bowl games, and then go to a hot pot restaurant for dinner.  She rules.  So here's a cover of R.E.M.'s "Nightswimming" by one of my perennial favorites The Wrens, from a Stereogum compilation celebrating the 15th anniversary of "Drive."  That compilation is now 15 years old itself.  Man, we are getting old.  Anyway, listen to the track below, our Daily Jam...and happy birthday Paige.

Daily Jam - So. Central Rain

It's Saturday morning, and around these parts this time of year that typically means cleaning the house, watching college football, and listening to music.  So here's a classic from R.E.M.  Listen to "So. Central Rain" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Strange Currencies

R.E.M. is one of those bands i can never pinpoint a favorite song of.  It constantly changes and that's awesome.  Today, my favorite is "Strange Currencies."  Listen below, our Daily Jam.