jackasspenguins - Tumblr blog

[jackasspenguins]

[jackasspenguins]

ren and stimpy valentines from 1993

[jackasspenguins]

[jackasspenguins]

I'm on Bluesky now so that's where I spend most of my time at the moment.

[jackasspenguins]

Updated list of bands that I have seen live - August 2023

Robert Plant x7

Weezer x5

Flogging Molly x4

Fu Manchu x4

Alanis Morissette x2

Berlin x2

earthlings? x2 (first one included guests Josh Klinghoffer and Chris Goss)

Fenians x2

Garbage x2

Hot Hot Heat x2

Jerry Cantrell x2

Kings of Leon x2

Lifehouse x2

Mojave Lords (including guest Sean Wheeler) x2

Ozomatli x2

Smashing Pumpkins x2

Sean Wheeler x3 (guest appearances with Brant Bjork & Mojave Lords)

Brian Wilson x2

311

A Flock Of Seagulls

The Aggrolites

Alain Johannes

The Aquabats!

Arcade Fire

The B-52s

The Bangles

Travis Barker & DJ AM

Beck

Best Coast

(BIG)PIG

Big Scenic Nowhere

Biz Markie

Brain Vat

Brant Bjork

Blasting Concept

Blind Pilot

Blues Traveler

Bouncing Souls

The Bravery

Jeff Bridges and the Abiders

Cake

Candlebox

Circa 62

Gary Clark Jr.

The Creepy Creeps

Death Machine II

Dishwalla

The English Beat

Fatso Jetson

Fenix TX

Fishbone

FM-84

Foo Fighters

Michael Franti and Spearhead

The Freeks

Gabriella Evaro

Garbage

John Garcia (acoustic w/Ehren Groban)

John Garcia and the Band of Gold

Kyle Gass Band

Current version of The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Goldfinger

Hollywood U2 (cover band)

Israel Vibration

Jet

The Lions

Little Axe

Live

Los Lobos

Madcap

Madness

Madonna

Marcy Playground

Mammoth Thunderpower

Mates of State

Maureen and the Mercury 5

Paul McCartney

The Midnight

Missing Persons

moe.

The New Dubliners

The New Pornographers

Nobody Cares

Oasis

Nick Oliveri (Death Acoustic)

One Man Army

Ozma

Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes

Page & Plant

Petty and the Heartshakers (cover band)

Robert Plant and Allison Krauss

Ra Ra Riot

Red Hot Chili Peppers (caught Chad’s shredded drumstick after Under the Bridge)

The Rentals

The Revolution

The Romantics

Save Ferris

Smash Mouth

Current version of The Sons of the Pioneers

Ringo Starr (2 songs with Paul McCartney)

Steel Pulse

Stinky Pinky

Stöner

Three Dog Night

Thunderpussy

Transers

Tricky

U2

Violent Femmes

M. Ward

Stevie Wonder

Yawning Man

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

ZenToniC

Zwan

-Didn’t see live, but was in the vicinity or interacted-

I was at a record signing for the Pretenders at Licorice Pizza at La Cumbre Mall in Santa Barbara and met the band when I was 10 months old or so. I don’t remember it, but Chrissie said I was going to be a drummer. I guess I was banging on the table.

Should have been at the Where The Streets Have No Name video shoot, but U2 started early thanks to the LAPD and I missed it by an hour. People were still hanging out at the corner in downtown LA when I got there. Eventually got around to seeing U2.

I had an email exchange with Brian Kehew of The Moog Cookbook sometime around 1999.

I camped at the next campsite over from Gyl Bonus, guitar player for The B Foundation. I haven’t seen them live, but I hear it’s a great show.

I had a ticket to see Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes with Fu Manchu in Irvine in 2000, but Jimmy cancelled the tour. Technically, I have seen both bands, so this should not be in this section.

Was invited to the recording of the live section of the “Enemies” EP by Frank Jordan, but I had to work my shift at Kmart. I should have gone.

A friend offered to give me his ticket and could have made it to the last half of a Pearl Jam concert in Irvine, but was too lazy. I should have gone.

Back to Santa Barbara, Bob Marley & the Wailers played a concert and I was in the same city at the same time but I was 3 months old or some shit. I wish I could have gone and been capable of enjoying it.

I was in close proximity to Johnny Halliday and his wife when they arrived at LAX a few years ago. Johnny was known as the “French Elvis”. There was a good amount of paparazzi, so I may be in the background of a picture in a French tabloid.

Met the band Spacetrucker at the Sky Valley sign on their tour which included Stoned and Dusted the next day. They gave me a free copy of their first album and the whole experience was amazing and magical.

Have been the presence of Dandy Brown, Jesika Von Rabbit and Lee Joseph in Palm Springs, and Arthur Seay at the Sky Valley sign.

I am friends with the drummer of Overwhelming Colorfast, of which Weezer once opened for, and who opened for The Ramones.

I am considered family by extremely close family friends of which one was the drummer for Out Vile Jelly and Idaho, and also made some great songs under the name twodoggarage.

[jackasspenguins]

I barely use reddit and I don't think I was ever smart enough to use it properly

[jackasspenguins]

If I ever get some free time again I have plans for a new album. Until then you can enjoy my latest album New Morning wherever you enjoy listening.

[jackasspenguins]

It's my 10 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

[jackasspenguins]

[jackasspenguins]

[jackasspenguins]

I need to stop baking for my family. It's a total waste of time. They don't have any interest in eating what I worked so hard to make for them. These things are turning out amazing too, but they aren't interested at all. This is the second straight holiday this has happened.

[jackasspenguins]

Number 1: The Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick" it is barely over two minutes long, but to me this is Christmas perfection. It's one of those rare Christmas songs that is even better than some of the group's regular season repertoire. It doesn't make sense that this song would be so good, but it instantly puts me in the Christmas spirit whenever I hear it. That shuffling beat is reminiscent of their earlier hit Little Deuce Coupe and it may have been the intent to branch off of that song. It helps that they had the voices of angels back then too. It's a potent recipe for creating my Favorite Christmas Song of All Time.

[jackasspenguins]

Number 2: The Chipmunks "The Chipmunk Song" Sure, it's a gimmick, but it's a charming gimmick. The manipulation of tape speed to create the Chipmunk effect was innovative for 1958. There is so much to listen to in the song, from the melodies to the dialogue, and the waltz format gives it a wistful feel. The song was also very successful, earning no less than 3 Grammys and being the first Christmas song to top the Billboard Hot 100, a feat which would not happen again until The Song That Won't Be Mentioned by Mariah. All in all, a worthy song to be my Number 2 Favorite Christmas Song. https://youtu.be/joAXosrtocg

[jackasspenguins]

Number 3: Vince Guaraldi Trio "Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)" when the Peanuts team came to the CBS executives with this West Coast piano jazz soundtrack for the first animated Peanuts feature, most of the bigwigs were aghast. Were they actively trying to make this a flop, they wondered? Charles Schulz insisted that they use this music or the whole thing would be called off. So reluctantly they agreed to those terms with the expectation that the project would go down in flames. Little did they know that staying true to Charles Schulz's artistic vision would make this arguably the most beloved Christmas program ever created for television which would still be popular 56 years later. The music is absolutely timeless and captures the childlike innocence, wonder and beauty of the Christmas season with a hint of melancholy. A lesson that it's most of the time better to trust in the artist's vision and not in the so-called experts.

[jackasspenguins]

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Before we move into the Top 3 tomorrow I wanted to share six more songs for a total of 31 on my list of my Favorite Christmas Songs. These songs were either erroneously left off my official Top 25 list or couldn't make the cut because this is harder than it looks. There are still a bunch of great songs that are getting left off, but that's what will happen when you are whittling it down from the 430 songs that are in my Christmas playlist. So without further ado, in no particular order, here are my six honorable mentions.

I will start with the one that I wrote down for being included in my top 25 but completely messed up in my counting: The Killers' Christmas masterpiece "Joel the Lump of Coal." As you may or may not know, a few years ago The Killers released a Christmas album of mostly original songs. It's one of my favorites, but the one that stands out above all the others is this one. Santa is a jerk in most of their album and that continues in this song. Joel is a sweet naïve lump of coal who thinks he is a wonderful gift for a lucky kid but quickly learns that he is quite the opposite. Joel is reluctant to leave Santa's sleigh but after seeing the sad face of the naughty kid who got him in their stocking, decides to give up his life and urges the child to channel their disappointment and anger by squeezing Joel until miraculously Joel transforms into a diamond. It's just a beautiful story and I adore this song so much. https://youtu.be/RqZxJK0JN54

Next we have the politically incorrect "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues. It's definitely on the best of lists of many, and I do love the melodies in this song, but I can't have it on my list because of the archaic language in it. Apart from that, it definitely is a memorable song that takes the down and out mood typical of The Pogues and beautifully adapts it into a drunken Christmas tale. https://youtu.be/j9jbdgZidu8

In a similar vein as the last song, I am including "Christmas Duel" by The Hives and Cyndi Lauper. This has more profanity but it's just your garden variety profanity. The couple is absolutely bonkers and their relationship is all but ruined, but like new-fallen snow hiding the filth underneath, Christmas overshadows their hatred of each other and they long to spend it together. https://youtu.be/My5Bzf0PQhc

Moving back on the brighter side of Christmas, the next song is just over two minutes long but that's all it needs to hit the spot. I'm talking about Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" which was penned by none other than Johnny Marks, who also wrote a plethora of Christmas songs including "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Holly Jolly Christmas." I love rockabilly and this is without question the best rockabilly Christmas song out there. https://youtu.be/DSHGd4lmLd4

This isn't necessarily a Christmas song, but I like it better than his actual Christmas song. I'm talking about George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)." He tried releasing a Christmas song a year later called "Ding Dong Ding Dong" but I think it's vastly inferior to Give Me Love. It's a plea to God to help deal with his "heavy load" which in that time of his life was quite a lot. https://youtu.be/LYW9cjcO_SY

Last but not least I wanted to share my high school classmate's song "Christmas Day." David Moorhead released a whole Christmas album of great songs two years ago and this track in particular really stood out to me as a potential hit. It's got that mid-60's Beach Boys vibe to it and absolutely deserves to be played all over the land this time of year. https://youtu.be/_cDqRHjYLhM

[jackasspenguins]

Number 4: Darlene Love "White Christmas" the absolute definition of Wall of Sound studio mastery and the epitome of southern California in the Christmas season, this is truly a Christmas Gift For You, as promised on the album cover. Darlene Love is the true Queen of Christmas Music, don't believe the hype for Mariah. This was written by the legendary Irving Berlin while enjoying the beautiful weather in La Quinta, in the Coachella Valley, and Darlene adds imagery of swaying palm and orange trees on a typical sunny and mild December day in LA. This is a blockbuster of a song to only make it to Number 4, so stay tuned for the next three on my list of my 25 Favorite Christmas Songs.

[jackasspenguins]

Number 5: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "Christmas All Over Again" it's hard to imagine that this only came out in 1992 because it's so ingrained into the holiday season these days. This song completely soars on the great backing track and Tom's smooth vocal delivery. It is reminiscent of the great Wall of Sound songs that I love so much. I also love the little wishlist spoken word outro at the end. It's just a perfectly wrapped sonic Christmas present for your ear holes. https://youtu.be/qPoHul8ngNw