Tag Archives: Indie

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 154 (2020-02) The Pandemic Episodes

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Happy Easter to you all! A new episode from my bunker. I am immediately following up last week’s episode with this new and improved version of the Pandemic Episodes of Tales From the Drop Box. Okay, it is not an improved version as Tales From the Drop Box was already perfect and this episode is perfect as well! Trust me this episode is going to kick some Covid-19 ass and if you are feeling a little blue from being involuntarily self-isolated this episode will bring a little sunshine into your room. This episode is new – most of these tracks are from this year, still available on Bandcamp, from various internet retail outlets in physical format, and various streaming services. If you like something I play on this podcast – go buy a record from these fine acts. They all could use your money. Also, there is nothing like the first time you pick up a vinyl LP, crank up the volume on your receiver and dance around your room holding that record sleeve and singing away to the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve. You can do the same with this episode, but it is not quite the same.

In any event – crank this mother up!

Here is what you’ll find in Episode 154:

  1. Yumi Zouma – “Lonely After” (Truth or Consequences)
  2. Mike Mains & The Branches – “Walking Backwards”) (When We Were in Love)
  3. Maximo Park – “Books from Boxes” (Our Earthly Pleasures)
  4. The Chats – “Identity Theft” (High Risk Behavior)
  5. Slowly Slowly – “Creature of Habit” (Race Car Blues)
  6. Brkn Love – “I See Red” (Brkn Love)
  7. Slift – “Ummon” (Ummon)
  8. Anti-Flag – “Hate Conquers All” (20/20 Vision)
  9. The Drowns – “Them Rats” (Under Tension)
  10. Eyelids – “Starlight (Limelight Machine)” (Accidental Falls)
  11. Boyo – “Wake Up” (You Don’t See Me)
  12. Average Sex – “Come Over” (Come Over EP)
  13. Violent Soho – “Pick It Up Again” (Everything is A-OK)
  14. Blue Oyster Cult – “Burnin’ For You” (Cult Classic)
  15. Juniore – “La Verite’ Nue” (Un, Deux, Trois)

Hate is a bloody word for love It can’t erase me from a world where I feel numb . . . Hey / Give me some space and let me … And would you let me sneak inside of your room just to see what you are up to?

KFR

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 153 (2020-01) The Pandemic Episodes

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I honestly didn’t think that it would take a real pandemic for me to restart production of these broadcasts albeit from an underground bunker where I am now holed up. But it did and I did. I am back for now and bringing you the usual oddball assortment covering all the good musical genres. That last statement confirms that I am acknowledging that there exists a few genre of music that are just un-freakin-listenable.  This episode follows my traditional rules for musical selection: If it’s catchy – I’m playing it. If it’s not catchy – I’m not. See simplicity is good during a pandemic. “Wear a mask,” wash your hands”, “stay the F away from me” are also other fine examples of the guidance we need to hear now in order to survive. And I assure you that you will survive the Covid-19 pandemic – if you keep downloading and listening to Tales From the Drop Box. The music in this edition would have been the tracks comprising the next episode I would have released in 2019. I know its way late but the music is still excellent! We’ll start fresh next episode, okay?

A note for those of you who are actually surprised to find another episode hitting your notifications. I tried several times to release a new podcast to tide you over since my last one in July of last year. It obviously didn’t happen. I am committed to the release of a couple more of these for now because you shouldn’t make critical decisions amidst a pandemic. Really. short term thinking is better. However, we need to look forward as well, because to look in the near view mirror makes me a little angry. All this needless and avoidable death. I could go on but I won’t. This podcast is for you to escape your reality. It should make you happy. It makes me happy. I believe we need to be happy, now.

Here is what you’ll find in Episode 153:

  1. Abjects – “Sad Song” (Never Give Up)
  2. Muncie Girls – “Car Crash” (Sleepless)
  3. Mobina Galore – “Back To The Beginning” (Don’t Worry)
  4. Jaded Truth – “Social Viro” (Rx)
  5. Have Mercy – Heartbeat (The Love Life)
  6. Lazy Susans – “R U Ok” (Now That the Party’s Over)
  7. Flash Forward – “Dancing In The Dark” (Golden Rust)
  8. Circa Waves – “Movies” (What’s It Like Over There?)
  9. Blisses B – “Six Plus One” (Tell Your Friends You Love Them And Why)
  10. Found Items – “Still The Same” (All Bets Are Off)
  11. The Bronx – “Into The Black” (Dead Tracks, Vol. 1)
  12. The Briefs – ‘She’s The Rat”(Platinum Rats)
  13. Satan Takes a Holiday – “I Believe What I See (If I See In My Feed)” (A New Sensation)
  14. Viagra Boys – “Shrimp Shack” (Street Worms)
  15. Material Issue – “Satellite (Demo)” (Issues Vol. 3)
  16. Gloo – “I’m Not Gonna Change” (Stop and Stare)

I’ll kick liquor and cigarettes if it’ll help you remember me like the way that I used to be . . . I put a towel in a bag with formaldehyde I put that shit up to my mouth and get really high

KFR

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 152 (2019-19)

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As I mentioned last episode week, I have been able to line up a few shows with a selection of some cool tracks, some going back to last year. I am truly excited about the massive amount of genuinely interesting music coming out. Sure, it comes in all shapes and sizes. Some is hype worthy, but the majority of new music is missed in the wave that is releases on a daily basis. Thank goodness I am not a music-journalist. I think it would be difficult to come up with new ways to describe what must be heard. Tales From The Drop Box Episode 152 is must listening. Just like all of the episodes in this series – the goal is a humble one: to expose you to 15 tracks each week by bands you might have only heard in passing and are putting out songs that merit your attention. That’s it. Sure, I genre hop around quite a bit. Everything I play can almost be classified as rock – a pretty darn big descriptor. Sure, there is not much metal, hardcore, post-hardcore, djent, black metal, viking progressive metal and certainly no classical, country, rap or hip-hop. It is a very diverse world, and I tend to spend quite a bit of time in the center – a mix of punk, pop, folk, indie rock and alternative. I find it fascinating that you can with very little practice, neatly classify an accumulation of sounds as belonging to a particular musical genre. Genres are merely emotional filters to assist the listener in accessing the “fight or flight” response, or more aptly as The Clash put it – should I stay or should I go?

I hope you stay.

Here is what you’ll find in Episode 152:

  1. Neurotic Fiction – “Loose End” (Pulp Music)
  2. Mutemath – “Voice In The Silence” (Voice In The Silence EP)
  3. Anteros – “Call Your Mother” (When We Land)
  4. The Pale White – “End of Time” (Take Me To The Strange EP)
  5. Meliora – “A Face That Toils So Close To Stones” (Everything’s Amazing Nobody’s Happy)
  6. Bony Macaroni – “Doom” (Bony Macaroni EP)
  7. Brat Farrar – “I Don’t Know What To Say (Unreleased)” (Trash On: A Tribute To P. Trash Records)
  8. Sophie Auster – “Dance With Me” (Next Time)
  9. Cari Cari – Summer Sun” (Anaana)
  10. Public Practice – “Bad Girl(s)” (Distance Is A Mirror)
  11. Moving Units – “Dragon’s Blood” (This Is Six)
  12. The Heck – “That Moon” (Who? The Heck!!)
  13. Bisån – “Turn It Up” (Became Mountain)
  14. Bluebells – “Cath” (Big Gold Dreams: A Story Of Scottish Independent Music 1977-1989)
  15. Amyl & The Sniffers – “Monsoon Rock” (Amyl & The Sniffers)

I looked to the gutter, I looked to the drain everywhere I looked, it was all the same
we can’t control the weather . . . so weary and low I’m sad to the core of all your lying and I’ll have no more

KFR

 

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 151 (2019-18)

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I am gravely concerned that my day job interferes with my enjoyment. I am seriously considering abandoning work altogether. This plan would permit me to engage in having more fun i.e. doing things that give me pleasure. Now, I just have to figure out how to eat. No one informed me that working and eating go together. But music and sloth do! I’d like to spend my days f_ing around listening to music. It would be simple. However, until I can get the axis of my life to all rotate in the same direction, this is podcast is going to have to serve as the fun in between work. Like a sandwich. Tales From The Drop Box Episode 151 sandwiches 15 songs into about an hour of time. It is fun. It is filled with a bunch of cool bands you’ve probably not heard much about or have yet to discover. So, strap in, play loud and shake a tale feather while immersing yourself into the groovy tunes. Enjoy slothfulness.

I’m sorry I was away for a couple of weeks. I’m back. So are you. Are we good?

Here is what you’ll find in Episode 151:

  1. Mexico City Blondes – “Road Noise” (Blush)
  2. The Prescriptions – “Hollywood Gold” (Hollywood Gold)
  3. Th’ Losin Streaks – “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down ((This Band Will Self Destruct In) T-Minus)
  4. Reese McHenry – Bye Bye Baby” (No Dados)
  5. The Valley Lodge – “True” (Fog Machine)
  6. Finches of Attica – “Behind Below” (Far From Like Myself)
  7. Just Pacific – “Bang” (Virgo)
  8. All Gonna Die – “Traitor” (Traitor)
  9. Allister – “Moper” (Best Of . . . 20 Years And Counting)
  10. Spiral Stairs – “The Fool” (We Wanna Be Hyp-No-Tized)
  11. Writhing Squares – “Steely Eyed Missile Man” (Outside Of The Ether)
  12. Foxgrave – “Upper” (Dichotomy)
  13. Radar State – “Anywhere” (Strays)
  14. Generation X – “Kiss Me Deadly (2019 Remaster)” (Generation X)
  15. Melby – “Always” (None Of This Makes me Worry)

Take control of the population boom it’s in your living room keep a generation gap
try wearing a cap . . . and soon we forget about the way we looked, the dumb things that mattered as our lives just slipped away . . .

 

Tales From The Drop Box Episode 150 (2019-17)

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Wow! Tales From The Drop Box Episode 150! I am not sure how I arrived at this point, but I can guarantee you that I enjoyed the adventure. After 150 episodes of these podcasts, the sheer quality of new music being released never ceases to amaze and inspire me. It is truly sad that a number of these artists and bands will disappear because they didn’t fit the format of whatever the heck radio wants to play. However, the more than 150 hours of these shows is evidence of what radio misses. Further, Tales From The Drop Box has captured approximately 2000 different bands over the past 4 years. Among them are a disproportionately large number of artists (many of which will never have the radio spotlight pointed their way) deserving to be heard! Maybe future generations will discover these lost gems and pay those discoveries forward. A society is represented by its music and culture and Tales From The Drop Box has presented over the past 4 years this most under represented segment of musical culture.

As I move on beyond these first 150 episodes, I hope to continue to bring you more of the unfiltered, poignant, catchy as hell, unexposed genius that catches my fancy – and hopefully yours as well.

Here is what you’ll find in Episode 150:

  1. Drahla – “Gilded Cloud” (Useless Coordinates)
  2. Winnetka Bowling League – “Sixteen” (Cloudy With A Chance of Sun EP)
  3. The Wheel Workers – “Nothing To Say” (Post-Truth)
  4. The Ramonas – “2016 F_ck This” (First World Problems)
  5. Authority Zero – “A Blind Eye” (Persona Non Grata)
  6. Priors – “Call For You” (Call For You EP)
  7. The Guiding Wave – “Instrument” (To Dance Around Love EP)
  8. Of Grace And Hatred – “Nourish The Curtain” (Toxic Vows)
  9. Bad Religion – “End Of History” (Age Of Unreason)
  10. Dead Bars – “I’m A Regular” (Regulars)
  11. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – “Why A Butterfly Can’t Love A Spider” (End Of Suffering)
  12. Danko Jones – “I’m In A Band” (A Rock Supreme)
  13. Fury – “Inevitable Need To Reach Out” (Failed Entertainment)
  14. Dead Kennedys – “Holiday In Cambodia (Live)” (DK40)
  15. Empath – “Roses That Cry” (Active Listening: Night On Earth)

So, you’ve been to school for a year or two and you know you’ve seen it all in daddy’s car
thinking you’ll go far . . . Halcyon days are not a thing nostalgia is no excuse for stupidity
I don’t believe in golden ages or presidents that put kids in cages . . .

KFR