Ides Of March Mix

This mixtape just might be perfect for =

A. Getting a ton of early Spring cleaning done
B. Enjoying the 1st picnic of the year
C. Searching for four-leaf clovers
D. Taking photos of the great outdoors
E. Aimlessly driving or riding all over the place



So ... why the Ides of March? Why not? (Way back when, the term "ides" was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of the other months.) I like just how many Tuesdays this year have happened to fall on special days or occasions ... next Tuesday will be just after the Spring equinox and I WISH that April Fool's Day fell on a Tuesday, but alas ... no! Apparently, we can't have everything ...


I love when this time of year starts, and I originally was gonna call this mix "Spring Cleaning Mix" because I've not only recently been doing exactly that around the house, but I realized that I have a folder on my desktop titled "Future Mixes" that has been slowly been filling up for months and months now and so I consciously dug through those songs and did a bit of cleaning in that area ... that more or less explains this mixtape ... I had a lot of fun making it, I must confess ... Yes, the March madness is upon me!


The tracks are included on the mix description and in the download ...



So ... here it is ... ENJOY!!!!!!! =










And as always, you can download the mix RIGHT HERE.






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And as a bonus warm weather surprise, I've included this amazing mix by Cold Cave's Wesely Eisold that I encountered yesterday on the Altered Zones site ...



You can enjoy it BY GOING HERE.







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In a bit of unnerving news, my friend and fellow musician Jonny of Man Or Astroman? is really REALLY sick with pneumonia ...

Jonny is on the left

Brian Teasley posted the following on facebook:

"Jonny Browning from Man or Astro-Man? is still in dire condition and unable to breathe on his own. He got pneumonia at the end of the last Man Or Astroman tour and developed a staff infection that has resisted antibiotics so his lungs are basically not functioning and filled with fluid. He's been in critical condition in the ICU for over a week now. We are hoping for the best for him. One thing is that like many musicians he is without health insurance. If you would like to help donate to the fund we're doing for him to help offset the immense medical bills he and his family now have, there is a paypal account: victorvector33@gmail.com. Thanks for your kindness."


Please donate some $$$ to ease Jonny's burdons ... all you do is go to the paypal site and send money to the above email address ...



Also, THIS COMING Saturday, local bands Nowhere Squares (my band), Giant Magic, & Nightmare Waterfall will be playing a benefit show for Jonny at Bottletree ... Come out and support!




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Last Tuesday nite, Ryan (who has recently & gloriously moved to Birmingham!!!) and I went to the very rainy, yet very wonderful Mardi Gras parade on 20th Street South ... It was Birmingham's 1st Mardi Gras parade since 1901 and it was a ton of fun!
















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Ever seen these rather pathetically hilarious hand-painted-on-cardboard signs for something called "123 Clown" ?






Well last week on facebook, Walt Creel drew my attention to their WEBSITE ... Yikes! One day I should scare Ryan by sending him one of their creepy "singing telegrams" ... But then again, no ... cuz maybe he'd never forgive me ... haha






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Once again kids, it's the Psychic Tuesday Video Show!!!






I so love this new one from Foxes In Fiction =






Laura sent me (thanks!) this disturbing new video by Deerhoof saying:
"a. this is a fantastic video and b. it's incredibly creepy-timely with Japan's current events " =






Speaking of Japan, Elise posted these awesome yet tragic before/after aerial photos of the earthquake/tsunami disaster landscape ... thanks, E!



Kurt Vile's new album is hands-down amazing ... Here he is on the What's In My Bag? show =




I love Cloud Nothings and hope I see that they're playing Bottletree soooon =



Speaking of love, I can't get enough of PJ Harvey's new one ... Here's a video for one of it's tracks, "The Glorious Land" =




Roy Burns sent me this mental classic by Planet P and I always remember the end of it sorta warped my brain ... haha ... thanks, Roy! =




Since we're on a brain-warping kick, we might as well indulge in some early 80's Cabaret Voltaire =




Dig this suave guitar action from Mahib-Man Marde =







And now, here's some smile-inducing desserts for you ...



Ryan posted this bizarre CGI alien dance video (thanks!) ... I like that her hair is so stiff that it sometimes penetrates her entire body! haha =




Jennifer Harrell recently posted a new video from the real-life Gummo wonder, "babe25" ... It's like watching a train wreck ... She makes me cringe with disgust and yet I find myself still watching ... argh! ... cheers, Jennifer! =




Matthew Goodin posted this magical Paula Deen collage ... danke, Matt! =




And last but not least, Ryan sent me this crazy "Toe Jam" video by The BPA (feat. David Byrne & Dizzee Rascal) ... gracias!!! =

Chris Stewart's Bizarro Mix

This mixtape was created for you by veteran playlist wizard Chris Stewart ... Chris has a true knack for consistency and thematic unity in his mixes that really make them an awesomely enjoyable listening experience ... check out some of his amazing past Psychic Tuesday contributions :


A. William Gilbert Mix

B. Knob Schlobbin' Mix

C. Michael Jackson Is Dead Mix



This particular mix is no exception ... This is one of those music compilations that finds you laughing out loud one moment and gawking at the pure insanity of the lyrics in another ... Here's Chris to tell you more =


"Here is a collection of some of my favorite musical oddities. The early days of Ralph Records are an obvious influence for this mix, with The Residents, Yello, Renaldo and the Loaf, and Tuxedo Moon. And then there's Crispin Glover, whom we all acknowledge as being a little "out there," and the confusingly familiar squawks of Captain Beefheart. But other tracks like Jan Turkenburg's "In My Spaceship" and Gerry and the Holograms' self-titled song came to me from out of nowhere. I'm not exactly sure how these things find me, but I've always been a fan of the strange, and I made this compilation for the weirdos in all of us. Props to Mr. Paul Wilm for suggesting the Landscape and Strapped tracks for the mix. Thanks to Jamie Naugher for introducing me to "Diana" by Comus and to Greg Lowry for 10cc's "I Wanna Rule the World." "


Thanks, Chris! And strange it is, indeed! When you scroll down, you'll find that Chris was kind enough to also include music videos for most of the mixtape's songs and viewing those is quite an bizarre experience in itself ...


Also, dig that cover art up there! Here here!

Here's the tracklist =





And below is the mix itself ... ENJOY!!!

Wanna download a copy so you can listen to it each and every day of yer life?

Well, you can do so RIGHT HERE.





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In local Birmingham news, oddly enough there's going to be an actual Mardi Gras parade in town TONITE at 8PM ... the facebook event states the following :


"A Mardi Gras Parade. Free. The last time there was an official Mardi Gras Parade in Birmingham it was in 1901. The Parade will start close to Mellow Mushroom and Dave's and will end up just past Rocky's Pizza.

NOW ACCEPTING PARTICIPANTS - BANDS, Organizations, Individuals WELCOME - $10 per group, $5 per person (non-profit - costs cover permit fees). Email birminghamcarnivalsociety@gmail.com for more information and to participate.
RSVP if you are attending, email if you would like to be in the parade. Please spread the word."



I'm going! You should too!




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In art news, for the past month and 1/2 I have been on & off working on a four wall mural in Brian Teasley's bathroom of the Creature From The Black Lagoon and I am finally in the last stages of completing it!


Here are some photos of its humble beginnings =








And here are some photos of the nearly completed mural =








Also ... speaking of art, if you scroll down you can witness some really great photos that my brother Peter took ... he called the collection "Birmingham Is Beautiful" ... and well, it is!
Thanks, brother!



And speaking of photography, my fellow artists Brian Francis and Tom Bagby are having an art opening this Wednesday (5pm) at Bottletree ... the show is called "Campground Visual Collective present: Forgotten History" and looks like it's gonna be pretty incredible! Come out and support!



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And in random news, my old friend Jimmy Gordon (who now lives in L.A.) recently posted a link to this site called This Is Los Angeles which combines ambient music with live LAPD police radio ... how bizarre is that ... what's odd is that the mixture is somehow very relaxing! haha



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VIDEOS VIDEOS VIDEOS!!!

All provided for you this week by the one & only Chris Stewart ...

thanks a ton, Chris!





Gerry and the Holograms - Gerry and the Holograms:




Jan Turkenburg - In My Spaceship:




Crispin Glover - Clowny Clown Clown:




Snakefinger - Man In The Dark Sedan:




Tuxedo Moon - Baron Brown:




Captain Beefheart - Bat Chain Puller:




The Residents - Bach is Dead




10cc - I Wanna Rule the World:




Landscape - My Name is Norman Bates:




Strapped - Edna:




Yello - The Evening's Young:





And speaking of Yello, for dessert I found a truly great interview/performance piece by the band ... enjoy!





All of the photos below (sans the very 1st one, which is by yours truly) were taken by my amazing brother, Peter ... I love how many of them seem to bring out the natural beauty in their subject matter while also maintaining a sort of "documentray" quality at the same time ...

Thanks, Peter!