R.I.P. Big Jay McNeely; plus New Music Videos from Dot Dash (DC), White Petals (Lynchburg), and Trauma Harness (St. Louis)

Tenor saxophonist and rock'n'roll forerunner Big Jay McNeely passed away today in Watts, from cancer. He was 91. Here's the LA Weekly's obit for the man. CNQ sends condolences to McNeely's friends and family. From the 80s, here's live video of McNeely playing his 1953 blast of a song, "3-D," with Detroit Gary Wiggins:

I need to get started on a new podcast. Next one should have lots of new acquisitions from the much hallowed CNQ vinyl vault, but in the meantime, how about some new videos?

DC's Dot Dash has a new full length, "Proto Retro," it's fresh sounding jangle pop, their first since 2016 and sixth album total. You can get the CD from Ottowa's The Beautiful Music. Here's the new video for the uber-catchy single, Unfair Weather, which has been stuck in my head for a few weeks. They're giving away the single for free on bandcamp, so grip that here.

Next up, from Lynchburg, Virginia, new to me is White Petals. Here's a video from a three song EP coming out next month. The artist says the EP will be about his struggle with dissociation and cyclical bouts of anxiety. I can relate. A little nu-gazey, slightly ambient/electro, gloomy bedroom pop. I like his vox and this is a neat looking video:

From St. Louis, out on Lumpy Records, a fun video and cool synth-pop:

I'll start working on that new show...maybe first I'll play some Pillars of Eternity. Hashtag priorities.

Shootin' Some B-Ball and Maxin' To The 80s

I've been listening to a lot of 80s new wave, pop, stadium and soft rock, and hip-hop the last couple of weeks, it's just something I do sometimes. I enjoy those songs and the fuzzy nostalgia I associate with them. MTV started on August 1, 1981, and I was thinking today that it may be fun, once that 37 year anniversary comes around in two and a half months, to start a weekly video post showcasing songs and videos I enjoyed that were being played on MTV or the radio that week in 1981.

We'll see if I remember to do that in 2.5 months. I went and shot basketball by myself at the rec center tonight. It was the first time I'd done that in over a decade. I had a goal growing up and always enjoyed playing 21 and HORSE. I tried out for the basketball team my freshmen high school year but I was too much of a wuss to get past try-outs. That being said, I wasn't bad, for a white kid of semi-average height. Tonight was like riding the proverbial bicycle. It all kind of came back to me. I practiced from the free throw line first. I aimed, let the ball roll off my finger tips. After a couple of air balls and some that bounced off the rim and backboard, I finally got one in, using the backboard. After a few more, I netted one, and it was pretty thrilling. I started taking shots from various points behind the three point line. I landed a few, netted one. I tried a lay up. That didn't go well. I got some more in from the free throw line and called it a night.

My b-ball adventure only lasted about 15 minutes -- the previous 15 minutes I had been walking around the track upstairs -- I was winded and sweaty, this was the first exercise I've gotten in at least a year, if not more. I hope I keep up with it, shooting hoops was a lot of fun. I daydreamed about getting good enough that I could play a pick-up game and not embarrsass myself. We shall see.

The whole 30 minutes I was at the rec center, I had in my headphones and was listening to popular 80s music on Pandora. It's a station I've been training for years named Breakfast Club Radio. It's very comforting. Occasionally I'll hear a song I'm not familiar with, like this Depeche Mode song called Precious, which is actually from 2005. Per Wikipedia, it's the band's forty-first single, and the first single from their eleventh studio album Playing the Angel. I've only recently began appreciating Depeche Mode so I just assumed it was something from the 1980s I'd never heard.

I'm not that familiar with the Cure's discography, but most of the time, when I hear them, I find them embarrassing. All that baritone emoting is a turn-off, man. That being said, I enjoyed this track, which, per Wikipedia, is the only single from their third studio album, 1981's Faith.

I love the Fixx's "One Thing Leads To Another" and "Saved By Zero." Those are great singles. I've never really heard anything else by them though, so I was excited to hear this song, Liner, a track from Reach The Beach, their second studio album and the same one that features the above two mentioned songs. I need to check out the rest of that album.

Things I've had to thumbs down on my Pandora Breakfast Club Radio: "Bette Davis Eyes," by Kim Carnes, and "Love is a Battlefield," by Pat Benatar. I just can't anymore with those two singles. I will listen to Material Girl, or Manic Monday, or Heart and Soul by T'Pau, every day of my life, but I'm tired of Bette Davis Eyes and Love is a Battlefield. Sorry. I also had to thumbs down "We Got the Beat" by the Glee Cast. I love the Bee Gees version, and listen to it every time it comes on. I'll be goddamned if I'm gonna listen to something from the Glee Cast.

But that's just me.

Anyway, one thing I can complain about for my Breakfast Club Radio is it doesn't play near enough Lisa Lisa or Information Society. I'm gonna remedy that now.

1981

1981 was a solid year for crazy experimental post-punk, damaged pop and general weirdo rock and roll. Some amazing person has brought together a 9 disc box set of completely radical tunes from the year. MX-80, PIL, Gang Of Four, The Clean and many more! Dig it. The Complete '1981' Box Set