FEEL GOOD HITS & AN ICE PACK TO THE GROIN = A WINNING COMBO MEAL

If you’re a follower of this newsletter, I’m assuming you believe music to be the healing force of the universe – or at least find it to be an excellent distraction from the outside world and its vast array of annoying inhabitants. With plenty of time on my hands while I recoup from a procedure some pervert would pay good money to have performed on them, I’ve been dwelling on this idea of music being more than a sound that makes dummies happy. It’s certainly been the thing that has made the past few days a bit more tolerable, although I have to send a shout-out to the various versions of the devil’s lettuce I’ve been consuming. 

I wish I could provide another wham-bam interview with an iconic band or artist from the 90s, but all I got for you this time around are some select tracks that have brought tiny blips of bliss on my road to wellness. Maybe you care. Maybe you don’t. This is all done to fill time and give me something to do and/or enough of a sense of importance to withstand chronic dick pain. 

O.V Wright - “Trying To Live My Life”
I prefer Wright’s version of this song over Otis Clay, Seeger, and Brinsley Schwarz's. One of the main reasons is the way he says ‘cigarettes’ in the opening line. It reminds me of my old workmate Thomas Williams III and how he would announce his smoke breaks. Good dude. Even better song!

John and Beverly Martyn - “Auntie Aviator”
If I could ride this song like a winged serpent through a misty dusk, I would. For now, I’m content to listen to it while sitting on my deck and wondering where the smell of rotting muskrat is coming from.

Tribe of Resistance - “Contraversy”
Nothing like some Bay Area anarcho-core to give your bladder the rinsing it truly deserves. Is there anyone not from the Slovic Republic who would like to part with a copy of T.O.R’s seven-inch EP? If so, get at me!

The Red, Pinks, and Purples - “What Is A Friend?”
More like “What a Great Song”, ammi right? Mr. Donaldson keeps firing them out like hot pies packed with the sweet complexities of life. I will continue to sit here with my gullet open ready to receive them (Ooer! Sounds Abit Rude!)

Larry Jon Wilson - “Ohoopee River Bottomland”
As a form of homeopathic therapy, I’ve been straddling the Sonos and letting Larry Jon’s deep gravely baritone work its magic on my aching nether region. So far, I can’t say it’s relieved any of the pain, but my taint hasn’t looked this young in years!

Hackamore Brick - “Oh! Those Sweet Bananas”
I taught myself to play this song on the guitar in my late 20’s and thought it was a real accomplishment. In the rearview, I take that as another sign of undiagnosed developmental issues.

Azymuth - “Seems Like This”
This one mesmerizes me in the same way Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver” sent middle-aged teenagers of the 90s into comas of euphoria. A puff out on the deck combined with a listen to this is a sure way to feeling fine like plum wine.

Trevor Beales - “City Lights”
When this collection of home recordings from an unknown 70’s UK folkie was released late last year, it didn’t get much fanfare. Maybe everyone is burnt out on the romantic concept of a lone, senstive beard-o pouring his soul into a Tascam, but whenever I stumble across a blurb on a distro website mentioning all of the above, it still sends a chill of intrigue down my nerd spine. A damned fine guitarist with a cinematic way with words, Beales would have been celebrated like a champ if this whole heap of songs were released twenty or so years ago. Today, *we merely ‘like’ it on a streaming service and promise yourself to buy it on vinyl the next time Forced Exposure has a sale.

*(By ‘we’, I mean ‘me’. Bringing you all in on this makes me feel less guilty)

THANKS FOR OPENING THIS E-MAIL I SENT TO YOUR INBOX. HOPEFULLY, THEY’LL BE MORE SOON…