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Dustin / Chris | “why, I outta…”

Today is April 7th, 2009, and if he were still alive, my childhood best friend, Christopher Atkins (more on him later), would be turning 25 years old on this day. Therefore I will be celebrating the quarter of century mark in a little over a week myself. Coincidentally, Pitchfork Media started a new feature today titled 5-10-15-20, in which they ask artists or whomever to cite their favorite songs at the increment years of 5, starting at age 5 (and if you know me, you know I love increments of 5).

However, the more I thought about it, skipping from the song that I most identify and significant at age 15 to then age 20 leave out so many milestones missed. I understand this is just a fun exercise but looking at my own history this negates the all important discovery of Hardcore music, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Steve Reich, and Miles Davis, all I perceive to be some of the most pivotal turning points in my musical evolution. Oh well, here goes…

Dustin Reid, 24 years, 11 months, 17 days :: click more to read on

Age 5

Ray Parker Jr: “Ghostbusters“

I promise you I would love to say that I was getting in early on Cap’n Jazz or something like that at Age 5, but the reality is, I have little memory of music during this era. Basically if there wasn’t a kick ass cartoon accompanying a particular song, chances are I wasn’t paying attention. I know at some point early on in my life I remember my dad teaching me the lyrics to “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys, for the purpose of having my brother and I perform in front of all their friends. That song was made famous at the time by the classic Cruise movie Cocktail which was released in 1988, so the math works out that “Kokomo” and not “Ghostbusters” could have possibly defined my 5 year old musical world. I can’t quite say. Another possibility would be Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme,” like I said, kick ass cartoons and their themes. Ultimately, busting ghosts just made me feel good.

Age 10

Weezer: “Undone – The Sweater Song“

Christopher Atkins, my best friend growing up (I still miss you Chris R.I.P.), pretty much introduced me to all the music I would listen to from age 10 until later on in middle school. Outside of Chris, at home the only music exposure came in the form of Christian pop and as most people have discovered from that industry, there’s not a lot of depth there, nor are there many artists involved recording music for the sake of music. Most of them seem to have other agendas.

So Chris had a “cool” aunt who was in college, and listened to “cool” music (kidding Amy I love you), and she would often give Chris CD’s that we weren’t hearing on the radio…yet. Weezer’s Blue Album was the best example of that. At the time they had no radio play and were relatively unknown. I mean, look at those goofy looking guys on that album cover. We took one look at this and thought, why should we care what these guys sound like, and maybe we never did but when we put on this album finally that was the first realization that there is good music that is not being played on the radio and that on the contrary not all music on the radio is necessarily good. As history goes, Weezer eventually blew up and become one of the bigger radio bands in that time period but the seed had been planted and a lesson was learned. Stone Temple Pilots “Vasoline” was a close second, just sayin’.

Age 15

The Get Up Kids: “Ten Minutes”

I can’t objectively say, but I think I was pretty emo before emo, and that’s nothing to brag about. The sad thing is, I don’t think I even have a copy of this recording anymore. I sold all my old emo records during an anti-emo rage. Honestly, I wouldn’t likely listen to any of it anyway, but for this practice it would have come in handy. Before The Get-Up Kids came along, I was entrenched in the likes of Third Eye Blind and Christian punk music (see MXPX) of which I found The Get Up Kids in the “thank yous”  of linear notes from those old punk records. “Ten Minutes” wasn’t the song I listened to (or cried over) the most from Something To Write Home About, but it was the first song I heard by them and it (naturally selected) started me down a new path of counter culture and music made by very accessible people. Soon after I formed Silence Magazine and began to interview these bands in the dingy clubs of Deep Ellum and Denton, TX as a barely legal to drive teenager. In many ways The Get Up Kids incidentally made a large impact on my life, and I’d say I wasn’t doing bad for my age considering I didn’t really have much of a mentor when it came to music. Justified.

Age 20

Brian Eno: “Another Green World“

By this point, my musical world has accelerated ten-fold and you begin to realize that much would have to have happened in 5 years for me to jump from The Get Up Kids to Brian Eno, and you would be right. Radiohead’s Kid A, which came out the year after Something To Right Home About, had a lot to do with this eventual transition- but one thing that definitely didn’t inhibit this progression was a change in my physical surroundings and a new culture. In 2004 I lived in England and worked at a music venue called the Zodiac in Oxfordshire.

I knew who Brian Eno was before I went, but it wasn’t until I experienced that literal other green world, that I tapped into the foundations of alternative music. While I was there I was introduced to Daniel Johnston, Grizzly Bear (from a promo CD of Horn Of Plenty that had black fur glued to the cover; I thought this band is nice, similarities to Animal Collective but neither is going anywhere), Smog, Will Oldham, Gordon Downie, Stereolab, & The Velvet Underground. When I came back from England this new way of looking at music led me to discover jazz and minimalism in the forms of Steve Reich and Miles Davis, while still lending my ear to homemade indie-rock such as Chad VanGaalen and those artists of the Pacific Northwest. These were good times. One song however that seems to take me back the the fields of University Park in Oxford every time it’s played though is “Moss Mountain Town” by The Album Leaf. That song gives an alternate definition of my 20th year.

Age 25 (almost)

Dirty Projectors: “Rise Above“

I know this record came out a few years ago, but I think the time for this song couldn’t have a better fit. I probably like the Getty Address or what little I’ve heard of Bitte Orca live than the album Rise Above, but the lyrics of “Rise Above” give me what I need during this most cynical stage of my life. Especially given the particular opinion and outlook I have for our government and the economic position they’ve put us all in. Obviously, by the time my 25th year ends this may not be an accurate assessment, I’ve probably listened to more older more obscure things lately, or perhaps Samamidon’s All Is Well, my record of 2008, could have easily featured a song here at 25 as well- but I don’t want to depress myself just yet. I’m almost 25, I am only 25, I want to still feel like I can “Rise Above.”

To understand the emphasis on “Rise Above” I must divulge further in the past.  I was getting into estranged musicians such as Peter and the Wolf. P&TW’s album, Lightness, had a profound effect on my life in the in-between-stages. I was severely depressed as a 22 year old, life wasn’t good in a lot of areas, but Red Hunter’s lyrics and vocal delivery had this cynical-detachment of reality that I really connected with at the time. It gave me a (possibly false) sense that my troubles weren’t actually real but cinematic fantasies of trials and tribulations that simply made good drama to push along my life’s plot. Psychologically, that might not be a bad place to put your sorrows.  After I met the guy he introduced me to afro-beat and it was all uphill from there. Today however, I find myself slipping slightly back into that mood of the winter of 2006. That’s inveitable though, that’s why we must rise above.

Pitchfork tried this feature experiment first on The Thermals frontman Hutch Harris who is 33 and he chose for his 25th Radiohead’s “In Limbo.” By this point since Kid A came out when I was getting my driver’s licence, I’ve worn that album out so many times I now have to space out my listening sessions every 5 years almost just to keep it fresh- but “In Limbo” accurately describes this 25 year old recent college grad with no wife and no kids; it’s just not what I’m listening to at the moment, and isn’t that the point of this exercise? What will I be listing at 30? Check back in five years, that is to say the Internet hasn’t been shut down by Jay Rockefeller.

Oh right, there was a set list in here somewhere from the Gnarled Oak, check it out:

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“BLOG RADIO AINT GOT NOTHIN’ ON THIS”

red verwood @ gnarled oak | sunday, april 5, 2009

1. Brian Eno & David Byrne :: Help Me Somebody
2. Amadou & Mariam :: M’ Bifé Balafon
3. Bullion :: Time For Us All To Love
4. La Roux :: In For The Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Remix)
5. Stereo :: Tv News
6. The Whitest Boy Alive :: Timebomb
7. Adrian Orange and Her Band :: Question Love Answer
8. Neon Indian :: 6669 (I don’t know if you k now)
9. Micachu & The Shapes :: Golden Phone
10. Nite Jewel :: What Did He Say
11. Here We Go Magic :: Ahab
12. Madlib :: Shades of Pete (Super)
13. The Futureheads :: Decent Days And Nights (Max Tundra Remix)
14. Bark Psychosis :: 400 Winters
15. Joan Of Arc :: Them Brainwash Days
16. Department Of Eagles :: Teenagers
17. Cocteau Twins :: Sugar Hiccup
18. Echo & The Bunnymen :: Back of Love
19. John Cale :: Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend
20. Bill Callahan :: Eid Ma Clack Shaw
21. Dirty Projectors :: Rise Above
22. M83 :: Too Late
23. Lisa Hannigan :: Lille
24. The Magnetic Fields :: All My Little Words
25. Pale Young Gentlemen :: She’s All Mine, I Think
26. Ola Podida :: Instead
27. Peter and the Wolf :: Strange Eyes
28. Peter and the Wolf :: The Old Mystery
29. Soko :: Shitty Day
30. Yo La Tengo :: Damage
31. Brain Eno :: Becalmed
32. Chad VanGaalen :: Kill Me In My Sleep
33. Terry Riley :: A Rainbow In Curved Air
34. Terry Riley :: Poppy Nogood And The Phantom Band

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-Dustin Reid (aka DJ Doctor Jones-Red Verwood)

Gnarled Oak Stream (every Sunday 9-11pm Pacific):
http://216.75.6.248:8050/

Velvet Stream (every Thursday 6-8pm Pacific):
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