OCD- Obsessive Coincidental Discovery
Before my already fading memory fails to recall the details, I wanted to share my recent experience of a coincidental music discovery. I was at two concerts in the past month that both referenced the music of a particular band in two very distinct ways. I'm being ambiguous as I don't want to divulge the band name until I get to that part of the story.
The first part of this story takes place at the Wonder Ballroom. On this particular occasion, I was going to check out the Breeders, as I had missed the opportunity to see them when the original lineup played Last Splash in its entirety for the 20th anniversary of the album's release date. While this story isn't intended to focus on the Breeders, I have to at least say that they were in fine form, playing like a band who knows exactly what they need to do to get the crowd fired up. They played a rapturous set filled with fan favorites like "Last Splash", "Divine Hammer" and "Happiness Is a Warm Gun", as well as deep cuts from all three albums, and even a few new songs that will hopefully show up on the new record.
It was a phenomenal set that could only be enhanced further by the music that played immediately after the band left the stage. While I typically feel like the choppy transition of music directly after a show jolts me out of the experience I was having, the venue definitely got the music right tonight. The herky-jerky spastic new wave/punk song that played immediately after the Breeders set sounded perfect to my ears. It was a euphoric tune with a catchy chorus that was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on where I had heard it before. Thankfully, due to the latest technological advances, I was able to find the song with the Shazam app on my iPhone. It was a track by Devo called "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise". While I was never the biggest fan of Devo when I was growing up, I always liked the sexually charged 80's hit "Whip It" and their incredible rendition of the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction". Until now, aside from these tracks, I'm afraid that I've been greatly unaware of the greatness that is Devo.
Devo: The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise
From: Duty Now For the Future [1979, Warner Bros]
The second part of my story takes place at the recent Built to Spill show at the Crystal Ballroom. In the middle of their set, they played a track that I'd never heard before. While Doug Martsch has an extensive repertoire of songs in his arsenal, I was fairly sure that this wasn't an original song. After the show, I searched the internet to see if Built to Spill's recent playlists indicate that they have played any covers. Sure enough, they had covered Devo's "Gut Feeling/Slap Yer Mammy" at a couple shows in the past month. I searched YouTube for "Gut Feeling" and was happy to discover that this was the song that they covered the other night.
Devo: Gut Feeling/Slap Yer Mammy
From: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! [1978, Warner Bros]
Sometimes I wonder if the universe intends for certain songs and/or bands to land in your stratosphere at a particular time in your life. While I hadn't given Devo much of a chance up to this point, I will definitely have fun making up for lost time. It just goes to show that you never know when, where or how you are going to discover new music, you just have to keep your mind and ears open to the possibility.
I would love to hear about any of your stories about similar musical discoveries, so drop me a line in the comments.
The first part of this story takes place at the Wonder Ballroom. On this particular occasion, I was going to check out the Breeders, as I had missed the opportunity to see them when the original lineup played Last Splash in its entirety for the 20th anniversary of the album's release date. While this story isn't intended to focus on the Breeders, I have to at least say that they were in fine form, playing like a band who knows exactly what they need to do to get the crowd fired up. They played a rapturous set filled with fan favorites like "Last Splash", "Divine Hammer" and "Happiness Is a Warm Gun", as well as deep cuts from all three albums, and even a few new songs that will hopefully show up on the new record.
It was a phenomenal set that could only be enhanced further by the music that played immediately after the band left the stage. While I typically feel like the choppy transition of music directly after a show jolts me out of the experience I was having, the venue definitely got the music right tonight. The herky-jerky spastic new wave/punk song that played immediately after the Breeders set sounded perfect to my ears. It was a euphoric tune with a catchy chorus that was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on where I had heard it before. Thankfully, due to the latest technological advances, I was able to find the song with the Shazam app on my iPhone. It was a track by Devo called "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise". While I was never the biggest fan of Devo when I was growing up, I always liked the sexually charged 80's hit "Whip It" and their incredible rendition of the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction". Until now, aside from these tracks, I'm afraid that I've been greatly unaware of the greatness that is Devo.
Devo: The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise
From: Duty Now For the Future [1979, Warner Bros]
The second part of my story takes place at the recent Built to Spill show at the Crystal Ballroom. In the middle of their set, they played a track that I'd never heard before. While Doug Martsch has an extensive repertoire of songs in his arsenal, I was fairly sure that this wasn't an original song. After the show, I searched the internet to see if Built to Spill's recent playlists indicate that they have played any covers. Sure enough, they had covered Devo's "Gut Feeling/Slap Yer Mammy" at a couple shows in the past month. I searched YouTube for "Gut Feeling" and was happy to discover that this was the song that they covered the other night.
Devo: Gut Feeling/Slap Yer Mammy
From: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! [1978, Warner Bros]
Sometimes I wonder if the universe intends for certain songs and/or bands to land in your stratosphere at a particular time in your life. While I hadn't given Devo much of a chance up to this point, I will definitely have fun making up for lost time. It just goes to show that you never know when, where or how you are going to discover new music, you just have to keep your mind and ears open to the possibility.
I would love to hear about any of your stories about similar musical discoveries, so drop me a line in the comments.
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