Wussy – Best Radio Sessions 2009-'14

KDHX-FM, St. Louis, MO

and KEXP-FM, Seattle, WA

pre-FM sources via Soundcloud and other web streams (sound quality VG+ to Ex-)

Wussy at KEXP in Seattle, WA, June 2014. I think Lisa likes the bike...
most excellent photos by BHarvey

ROB SEZ: I don't usually write about new or relatively unknown artists. But occasionally a band's music will catch my ear, and I feel compelled to help spread the word. Wussy is one of those groups. Check the sample to hear why Robert Christgau raves that Wussy has been "the best band in America" ever since they released their debut in 2005.

01 Little Paper Birds

02 Pulverized

03 Waiting Room

04 Asteroids

05 Magnolia

06 Airborne

07 Teenage Wasteland

08 Bug

09 Rainbows & 
        Butterflies

10 Beautiful

11 Pizza King

12 Waiting Room

13 Pulverized

14 Little Miami

BUY Attica! (2014) directly from
the band — and give 'em a big tip!

15 To the Lightning (early mix)

16 Teenage Wasteland (for Cinci Mag) 

TRACK INFO:

1 = KDHX Live Session Aug. 7, 2009

2 & 3 = KDHX Live Session June 7, 2012
4 – 6 = KEXP Live Session June 15, 2012
7 – 11 = KEXP Live Session June 20, 2014
12 – 14 = SxSW live set (KEXP rec.) March 14, 2012
15 = Wussy Soundcloud post (pre-Attica!)
16 = live session for Cincinnati Magazine, rec. Feb. 13, 2014

TT: 1:06:50 

photo by Jay Brown

MP3@256

Wussy:

Chuck Cleaver – guitar, vocals

Lisa Walker – guitar, vocals
Mark Messerly – bass
Joe Klug – drums

John Erhardt – pedal steel, etc.

WUSSY wants you to have this free collection of random tracks via Bandcamp. Isn't that nice?

NYC Taper has several live shows by Wussy.
Blogger Wick has a bunch of live shows as well.

Learn more about the music of Wussy

at the band's web site or FB page

  

Univ. of Fla., Tampa, FL 1984 + Demos 1982-'83

The dB’s

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL

Sept. 28, 1984

TOURISM ON TOUR: The dB's at Niagra Falls

(opening for R. E. M.)

audience recording (sound quality VG; iffy sound from the tape source, but I did some tweaking in Audacity, and it’s now quite listenable — might even be mistaken for a lower-quality soundboard recording; try the sample)

01 Neverland (cuts in)

Halfway up the ladder: The dB's in 1984
photo by Laura Levine

02 Love Is for Lovers

03 She Got Soul

04 Bad Reputation

05 A Spy In the House of Love

06 Not Cool

07 Amplifier

08 Suspicious Minds

09 Rendezvous

10 New Gun In Town

Demos 1982-‘83

11 She Got Soul #2

12 Spitting In the Wind

13 Rendezvous

14 White Train #1

15 Molly Says

16 Repercussion

17 The Death of Rock

18 This Crazy Town

19 Martha Helen Wood*

TT: 1:06:08

MP3@320

*Track 19 is a demo for a song written and  sung by Gene Holder's wife, Myra. A finished version of the song appeared years later on Myra's solo album, Four Mile Road (produced by Mr. Chris Stamey + 1 track by Mitch). 

NOTE: Many of the demos in the set as I received them are not included in the above. Categories of demos not included here: 
1) Ones I already shared in the ‘Like This’ Revisited post; 
2) Demos the same (or nearly the same) as those on the Ride the Wild Tom-Tom official release; 
3) Demos with Chris on lead vocals (per an earlier request from him).

 

The dB’s (1984 live show line-up):

Rick Wagner - bass

Gene Holder - guitar

Will Rigby - drums

Peter Holsapple – guitar, vocals

Let's Active - Reunion Show Videos

Let's  Active Reunion Show

Aug. 9, 2014
Cat's Cradle
Carrboro, N.C.

 Every Word Means No

THANK YOU to Larry Tucker for posting this
and these additional videos from the show!

Fell

THANKS to Rob M., who posted this 
and many others from the show.

Original Let's  Active members Mitch Easter and Sara Romweber (drums) were joined by Suzi Ziegler on bass. Suzi was a member of the late, great Game Theory, a band for whom Mitch produced many albums. 
I think they sound fab — especially Sara, who plays with her brother in the Dex Romweber Duo (which toured with Jack White not long ago). 

Read David Menconi's preview story from
The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer

T-Bone Burnett - Hamburg, GR 1983 + bonus

Rockpalast

Markthalle

Hamburg, Germany

Dec. 9, 1983

T-BONE BURNETT: producer extraordinaire and solo artist

audio rip from video (sound quality VG; very listenable show from the tour after T-Bone released his Proof Through the Night album)

REPERCUSSION: Although I don't believe T-Bone has ever collaborated with members of The dB's, he has worked with Don Dixon and Mitch Easter on occasion.

SAMPLE: "Pressure" (Hamburg 1983)

01 My Life and the Women Who Lived It

02 The Interview (song)

03 song intro

04 Fatally Beautiful / Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

05 Pressure

06 When the Night Falls

07 Power of Love

08 Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk

09 A Ridiculous Man

10 The Sixties (intro cut)

11 Hefner and Disney

12 Hula Hoop

13 Trap Door

14 Not Fade Away

15 Richard Thompson intro

16 Shut It Tight

17 The Pilgrim Chapter 33

18 Boomerang

19 You Are My Sunshine

20 Poetry

TT: 1:15:59

17 – 20 = bonus tracks from solo acoustic set, McCabe’s, Santa Monica, CA (date unknown; audience recording, sound quality VG-)

A SINCERE THANK-YOU to beeswingrm for sharing the Rockpalast set

MP3@256

Learn more about the music of T-Bone Burnett 
at his web site and/or AllMusic

 

Let's Active - San Francisco 1983 + early demos

Let’s  Active

San Francisco 1983
+ early demos

Video caps montage, “Every Word Means No” (aka, 'Puppies Run Amok')

audience recording (sound quality VG-; it’s a club show and there’s plenty of audience chatter, but still a very listenable concert; sound quality improves after first 2 or 3 songs)

  

The Kabuki, San Francisco, CA

I think it's time to use the Jeep photo...

Nov. 10, 1983 (opening for R.E.M.)

01 Easy Does

02 Make Up With Me

03 Flags for Everything

04 Ring True

05 Leader of Men

06 Room With a View

07 Ornamental

08 In Between

09 Edge of the World

10 Every Word Means No

11 Classical Gas (cover)

soundboard recordings (quality range: VG to Ex-; various sources account for the variability)

Early demos, 1981-82

Man with a musical plan: Mitch  Easter

12 In Fun Town (Version 2) demo

13 I Will Understand (Version 2) demo

14 We Do the 'What If' (demo)

15 Safety In Numbers (demo)

16 Two Yous (demo)*

17 Make Up With Me (demo)

18 Leader of Men (demo)

19 Room With a View (demo)

*diff. take or mix than version on "Wear & Tear" demos collection

Let’s  Active:

Faye Hunter (R.I.P.) – bass, vocals

Sara Romweber – drums

Mitch  Easter – guitar, vocals

MP3@320 (some of the demo tracks have lower bit rates, 192-256kbps)

 ONLY ONE OF THESE appeared in the 'Best of' demos set 

posted HERE in 2012

 

Marshall Crenshaw - Mountain Stage 1991 & 2009

Mountain Stage

Charleston, WV

1991 & 2009

bonus: Mitch Easter solo set!

Marshall Crenshaw: he's been making great music for decades

FM and pre-FM recordings

sound quality: Ex- (two great-sounding recordings)

BIG THANKS to TN for sharing the 1991 set and to a special friend of the blog for passing it along to me

REPERCUSSION: Mitch Easter produced a track on Crenshaw's third album, Downtown, and played guitar on the Don Dixon-produced follow-up, Mary Jean & 9 Others. As you can hear in the first of these shows, Mitch also played some live dates with MC.

MC plays the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass fest, 2009
photo by Debra Amerson via Flickr

Mountain Stage, Sept. 29, 1991 (aired week of 1992-10-04)
01 intro

02 Monday Morning Rock

03 Don't Disappear Now

04 Fantastic Planet of Love

05 Calling Out for Love at Crying Time

Enjoy a rare, early solo set by Mitch
photo by Paul Cory

06 Chalk Outline (Mitch Easter)

07 Turn Me, Too (Mitch Easter)

08 I Wonder (Mitch Easter)

09 Cynical Girl

10 Valerie (Richard Thompson cover)

11 You Should Have Been There

12 You're My Favorite Waste of Time 

Mountain Stage, Nov. 1, 2009
      (aired week of 2010-09-10)
13 Live and Learn

14 Someday Someway

15 band intros

16 Someone Told Me

17 Eventually

18 Passing Through

19 Never Coming Down

TT: 1:07:04

MP3@256-320kbps

Musicians, 2009 appearance:

Marshall Crenshaw - vocals, guitar

Graham Maby - bass

Tony Leone - drums

David Mansfield - various instruments

Mitch Easter - guitar, vocals (1991 appearance only)

MORE MARSHALL CRENSHAW LIVE SHOWS 

can be found at  BB Chronicles and So Many Roads.

MC's latest release is Red Wine, one in a series of 10-inch EPs.  
Buy it directly from the artist (includes digital download)

Learn more about the music of Marshall Crenshaw at his official site and/or AllMusic

 

Teenage Fanclub - Ultimate TFc Acoustic Album

The Ultimate TFc Acoustic Album

various acoustic tracks, live sessions, alt. versions
  
preFM, soundboards & FM captures
   

sound quality range: VG to Ex- (only anomalies are a very few brief, static-induced pops on 2 tracks)   

Teenage Fanclub, onstage in 2010 (this & below, CBatka/NYTimes)

ROB SEZ: One of my favorite Teenage Fanclub releases is the all-acoustic Have Lost It EP. I realized recently that I have a treasure trove of TFc tracks, and could assemble the best acoustic (or, in some cases, semi-acoustic) tracks in one place. Although a handful of these appeared on compilations given away with some publication or other, none has seen an official/commercial release.

01 Mellow Doubt (White Session) 

Teenage Fanclub: Alex Chilton was a big fan

02 Starsign (White Session)

03 I'll Make It Clear

    (White Session)

04 Sparky's Dream
    (White Session)

05 Have You Ever Seen 
     the Rain? (White Session)

06 Verisimilitude (Radio 1)

07 Going Places (Radio 1)

08 I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better

    (Radio 1)

09 Cul De Sac (SBN Session)

10 The Sun Shines from You

    (SBN Session)

11 The World'll Be OK

    (alt. version, Scotland On Sunday)

12 I Need Direction (alt. version, Scotland On Sunday)

13 Green Grow the Rushes O' (Dutch Radio)

TFc still release records and tour, on occasion

14 The Shadows (Radio 1)

15 Norman 3 (VPRO Session)

16 Your Love Is the Place 

     Where I Come From (Vox)

17 Baby Lee (Radio 2)

18 Sweet Days Waiting (Radio 2)

 

TT: 1:06:53

MP3@256

Track Info

1-5 = White Sessions, Inter Studios, Paris, FR on Bernard Lenoir show (aka Black Sessions) 1995-04-11 (track 5 is CCR cover)

6-8 = BBC Radio 1 session with Mark Radcliffe 1995-06-21
9, 10 = SBN Session (location & date unknown)
11, 12 = rec. 1991, from Scotland On Sunday EP CD (newspaper give-away, 2005)
13 = (R. Burns song); Dutch radio acoustic session 1993 with Norman + Raymond
14 = (The Creepers cover); Live on Radio 1 tape (given away with Vox mag.), 1996
15 = Villa 65 show, VPRO Radio, Hilversum, Netherlands, Sept. 1993
16 = Haute Couture compilation CD (given away with Vox mag.), 1997
17, 18 = BBC Radio 2 live, Radcliffe and Maconie Session 2010-05-26

Two other TFc posts at the blog:

A 1993 live collection with LX Chilton here,

and a split post with The Posies here.

Learn more about the music of Teenage Fanclub at TFc's own site as well as AllMusic