Eclectic Grooves

I apologize for neglecting to post anything last week. It was a long work week, and then my weekend seemed to vanish without a trace of inspiration left for writing in any way, shape or form. I have also been working on a new podcast that will hopefully see the light of day within the next couple weeks. I touched on this a couple weeks ago in the Nothing But Crickets post, but I have to say that the response to this blog has been pitiful lately. I imagine that the only way I can inspire you enough to leave a comment is if I post full albums of new releases (such as a leak of the new Grizzly Bear album two months before it's released). Sure that would be something that's high in demand, but would I feel good about doing that. I realize that the majority of people trolling for music on the blogs are looking for rapidshare links for new albums that they can quickly download and go about their business. Unfortunately, that goes against my beliefs of supporting the music of the art...

This week's episode of What's Playing On My Stereo features the stinging guitar solos of Johnny Guitar Watson right next to the melodic psychedelia of the 13th Floor Elevators. Johnny Guitar Watson- Space Guitar and Gettin' Drunk From: Space Guitar: The Essential Early Masters [Varese Sarabande, 2004] For those of you who are only familiar with Johnny Guitar Watson's 70's funk output on DJM Records, you will be quite surprised with the songs I have selected for today. These two tracks are back to back on this collection, but they couldn't be more different in sound. "Space Guitar" sounds less like a space-themed song than a cutting-edge blues song with blistering guitar solos that are both rhythmic and inventive at the same time. The next track, "Gettin' Drunk," is a rollicking jump blues that is guaranteed to get your body gyrating to the rhythm. Listen up! Johnny Guitar Watson is here to get you up out your seat, so don't disapp...

I saw this photo on the internet, and I couldn't resist using it for presenting my weekly feature What's Playing On My Stereo. I hope the person who posted the original photo doesn't come after me with a vengeance, but that's a chance I am willing to take. Before I posted the first episode of this series, I had been listening to the same CD's for three weeks straight. So, I had the opportunity to really sink into the sounds that I was presenting to you. Unfortunately, I haven't had the luxury of listening to these in great length, so the reviews will be more like quick takes. Need New Body- Tittiepop and Gamble On/Banji From: S/T [ File13, 2003] First, I am featuring a couple tracks from Philadelphia's merry pranksters Need New Body. I remember hearing this back when I worked at Music Millennium, but I must have filed it away in my "too weird to break out just any day" pile. The sounds of post-rock, electronic, free jazz, rock, avant garde and fo...

The tenth episode of I Hear a New World is available to be downloaded at: http://ihearanewworld.podomatic.com/ This is the conclusion to the Excursions In Space trilogy. Some of the artists that are included in this part of the podcast are: Ken Nordine, Broadcast, Kraftwerk and Angus Maclise. This episode focuses on a journey through space as well as the inevitable return back to civilization on planet Earth. Once again, I have interspersed the podcast with snippets from various sources of novelty records as well as cult sci-fi films to retain the theme of space travel. I hope you guys have enjoyed this series as much as I've enjoyed compiling them. For those of you who like surprises, don't read the tracklist below. Instead, let your mind travel to new and exciting worlds as your brain searches for the sources of inspiration used to create this podcast. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about this episode. I Hear a New World Podcast #10- Excursions In Space...

Over the past week or so, I've been battling a quite persistent flu bug. One thing I realized during this time is that I needed to break out the heavy artillery. I loaded up on orange juice, daytime herbal teas, Nyquil, Vitamin D, Airborne, Theraflu and so many fluids that I found myself running to the bathroom every twenty minutes. Ohhhhhhh, how great it tis to be sick and tired of being sick and tired. While steadily fighting this sickness, I have thought up a new feature for Eclectic Grooves. It's called What's Playing On My Stereo and essentially it will feature a few artists that I am currently spinning in my car or home stereo. Hopefully this will be a fresh idea that will encourage more readers to participate in discussions about music. This week I will be covering a couple records that I've been listening to in my car stereo over the past couple weeks. Amadou and Mariam- Wallide and Mali Denou From: Wati [ Circular Moves, 2003] The first record that I think des...