Sidestream Radio Show - Episode 4 (11-10-2009)

Here's what Peter has to say about Episode 4 of Sidestream Radio Show:

"In this episode, there's a special tribute to my dad in the beginning who just had surgery for colon cancer that morning, hence the 80s music in the beginning. There's a problem with the mics, so that's why my voice sounds so bad. "

Episode 4 Playlist:

Alice Cooper - "Poison"
AC/DC - "Thunderstruck"
Aerosmith - "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"
Def Leppard - "Rock of Ages"
Porcupine Tree - "The Yellow of the Evening Train"
Porcupine Tree - "Time Flies"
Porcupine Tree - "Degree Zero of Liberty"
The Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice - "Surrounded"
The Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice - "Scorpio Rising"
The Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice - "Emerging"
Sunny Day Real Estate - "Seven"
Sunny Day Real Estate - "Faces in Disguise"
Jeremy Enigk - "A New Beginning"
Jeremy Enigk - "Been Here Before"
Jeremy Enigk - "Mind Idea"
Jeremy Enigk - "Late of Camera"
Mock Orange - "Song in D"
Mock Orange - "Ms. Brown's Morning Cup"
Mock Orange - "Old Movies"
Marcy Playground - "Sex & Candy"
Marcy Playground - "It's Saturday"
Marcy Playground - "Bye Bye"
Marcy Playground - "Blackbird"
Marcy Playground - "Gin and Money"
Marcy Playground - "Good Times"
Aloha - "The Sound Between"
Aloha - "Perry Como Gold"
Aloha - "We Get Down"
The Police - "Masoko Tanga"

Enjoy the show!

Sidestream Radio Show - Episode 3 (CHERRY FLAVORED!) (10-27-2009)

Alright, if you still don't know what Sidestream is all about, then really, just go back a few posts and read the description that the great Peter Henckel wrote about his own show (no biases, I promise!). We've got a whole lot of new and generally unheard of music to show you guys this week, so please check it out and, most importantly, enjoy the show!

Peter says, "On this special spooky episode of Sidestream, I get a listener from the UK and play a few songs in celebration of Halloween."

Episode 3 Playlist:

The Blanks - "Superman"
The Blanks - "Six Million Dollar Man"
31Knots - "Welcome to Stop"
31Knots - "Corporal's Lament"
31Knots - "Compass Commands"
matt pond PA - "So Much Trouble"
matt pond PA - "Several Arrows Later"
matt pond PA - "The Moviegoer"
Tunturia - "Panic Attack"
Tunturia - "Echoes of the Unmoved"
Tunturia - "Cast Shadows on Clouds"
Jack Conte - "Push"
Jack Conte - "Passenger Seat"
Jack Conte - "Kitchen Fork"
Easy Star All-Stars - "Time"
Easy Star All-Stars - "Let Down"
Easy Star All-Stars - "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
The Monkees - "Randy Scouse Git"
The Monkees - "Porpoise Song"
The Monkees - "Mommy and Daddy"
Maritime - "Someone Has To Die"
Maritime - "Adios"
Maritime - "Pearl"
The Blanks - "Happy Halloween"
matt pond PA - "Halloween"
Bobby "Boris" Pickett - "Monster Mash"
The Police - "No Time This Time"

Enjoy!

Sidestream Radio Show - Episode 2 (10-20-2009)

The latest episode of Sidestream Radio Show, from October 20, 2009.
If you don't know what Sidestream is all about then go back and read the last post. It's the same idea as the last show. Peter plays unknown music and ends the show with The Police.

With that I give all the ambitious listeners a challenge and everyone the playlist.

Episode 2 Challenge:
Can you spot the facebook and xfire sounds?

Episode 2 playlist:
Land of Talk - "May You Never"
Land of Talk - "Yuppie Flu"
Land of Talk - "Death By Fire"
Land of Talk - "Some Are Lakes"
The Dears - "We Can Have It"
The Dears - "Lost in the Plot"
The Dears - "You and I Are A Gang of Losers"
The Slip - "Honey Melon"
The Slip - "Sometimes True to Nothing"
Plants and Animals - "Lola Who?"
Plants and Animals - "Good Friend"
Plants and Animals - "Faerie Dance"
Plants and Animals - "Mercy"
Abandoned Pools - "Clone High Theme"
Abandoned Pools - "The Remedy"
Abandoned Pools - "Tighter Noose"
Apostle of Hustle - "National Anthem of Nowhere"
Apostle of Hustle - "Rafaga!"
Bonobo - "Transmission 94 (Parts 1 & 2)"
Bonobo - "On Your Mark"
The Police - "Peanuts" from their live album "Live!"


Enjoy the show!

Sidestream Radio Show - Episode 1 (10-13-2009)

Sidestream is a weekly online radio show broadcast every Tuesday from 5 to 7 pm at sri.uwec.edu. Each week, bands are picked that typically float under the radar and deserve attention. Listen in as Peter offers his take on some of the best bands you've never heard of.

Episode 1 playlist:
Aloha - "Let Your Head Hang Low"
Aloha - "All the Wars"
Aloha - "Brace Your Face"
Jose Gonzalez - "Crosses"
Jose Gonzalez - "Hints"
Jose Gonzalez - "Down the Line"
Volta Do Mar - "On Hand Held Sky"
Volta Do Mar - "Searchlights Burn Cornfields Bright"
Volta Do Mar - "Fall Out of Cars Fall Out of Night"
Ivor Biggun - "Let's All Get Demented"
Nancy Tucker - "Everything Reminds Me of My Therapist"
Loudon Wainwright III - "Dead Skunk"
The Slip - "The Earth Will Dissever and Consume You After These Messages"
The Slip - "Happy Snails"
The Slip - "Driving Backwards With You"
The Slip - "Children of December"
The Slip - "Even Rats"
Karate - "Small Fires"
Karate - "The Lived-But-Yet-Named"
Karate - "Sever"
Deltron 3030 - "3030"
The Police - "Murder By Numbers"

The Case of the Missing Energy

I wrote this for a five-point physics assignment. The objective was to demonstrate concepts we've learned so far in the class and apply them to the real world. I went kind of overboard on it, but I thought it turned out really well. Also, that simile about the lead weight is somewhat of an inside joke. Basically, I accidentally hit my physics professor with a lead weight in front of the entire class of 45 students. I know, hilarious, right? Anyway, here's the story of the Case of the Missing Energy:

I have two books in my desk. One’s a book of matches that light my cigarettes. They make me look cool. The other’s a book of physics that keeps my head cool. I’m Phil Sicks, Private Investigator.
The door to my office creaked open. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in months stepped in. I let her know that before she could get a word in.
“Oh, my, thank you. I’m sure it’s just the light. It sure is dark in here,” the dame said, blushing.
“Honey,” I said, “Light is simply a name for a range of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye. But that’s a different story. What’s yours?”
“Well, it all started when I was driving home from work the other day. A squirrel dashed out in front of me, and I hit the brakes. The car came to a screeching halt. Like any normal person, the first thing that came to my mind was what happened to the car tires’ energy? It’s like it vanished into thin air. I hear you’re the best when it comes to physics problem investigations.”
“You heard right,” I said. “Now hurry on out of here, and I’ll get back to you when I have answers. This could be an all-nighter…”
After the lady left, I reached for my signature trench coat and, of course, my physics textbook. Then I hopped into my car. After hours of accelerating then slamming on the brakes outside the local Walmart parking lot, all I had come up with were two pairs of worn out tires.
“Okay,” I said to myself, “play time’s over. Let’s get to business. Textbook, do your thing.” So I began to read; shocking, I know. I managed to find a clue in the form of a formula:
Initial Kinetic Energy + Initial Potential Energy + Work = Final Kinetic Energy + Final Potential Energy
“Let’s start with Potential Energy,” I said. “Potential Energy is Mass times Gravity times Height. Well, I’m on the ground, so the height’s gotta be zero. That means I can cancel out both Potential Energies. Suspect P.E., you’re free to go.
“Okay, what’s next? Let’s have a look at the Final Kinetic Energy. Kinetic Energy is one-half times Mass times the Velocity squared. But the car’s stopped, which means my final velocity is zero. Looks like I got rid of another suspect, Mr. Final Kinetic Energy. But the car was moving when she started her story, so there’s gotta be an initial velocity. Not so fast, Initial Kinetic Energy. I’m not done with you just yet. “That just leaves Work. Now that’s Force times the Distance. Well, we definitely have both of those. The Force must be friction between the tires and the ground, in this case.”
Then it hit me like a lead weight to the chest. The energy didn’t disappear; it moved! It must have transferred from the tires to the ground. You managed to make your getaway right under the nose of the beautiful female driver (whose name I didn’t seem to get…). Clever, clever, but not clever enough I’m afraid, Energy. Looks like another case solved for… Detective Phil Sicks. Now to solve the mystery of how I get paid...

An Evening in Eau Claire

Today I walk out of my dorm room, deciding to explore the city of Eau Claire further than I had previously. I've heard good things about the Acoustic Cafe and determine to venture there. I jaywalk across a street and walk over a bridge on Lake Street. A river slowly passes below. I can see a seemingly random painting of the Mona Lisa pasted on the corner of a building across the bridge.I take a left on Barstow and continue my journey on the right side of the street. I pass a couple that look to be seniors on campus and a family of three exiting an art supply shop. I notice across the street is something that would appear to be a movie theater with the word "HOLLYWOOD" plastered above it, but upon closer inspection ends up being a church. There are many Christian-related buildings surrounding it. I come up to an actual budget movie theater. "Up" and "Transformers 2" are playing twice each later tonight. Eventually, I reach the end of this strip of buildings and still no
Cafe. I cross the street and trace my way back from where I came. "Drawing Lessons" by Tin Hat Trio comes up on my iPod. The sound of it seems to fit the mood of this part of the city. I get to a crosswalk and wait for the white light of the walking man to appear, signaling my safe passage across the river of speeding cars. An older woman waits opposite me smoking a cigarette, staring off into space. The light changes, and we each cross paths going our opposite ways. We'll probably never see each other again. I'm not even sure if she noticed me. I come across a model train store. Then a shop selling Native American merchandise. It seems rather ironic. Next up is a school of martial arts. A little boy of no more than ten walks out in his karate uniform in his bare feet. His mother follows closely behind him. The boy begins showing off some of his kicks in front of me, the bottoms of his feet quickly turning black from the dirty concrete. I begin to lose faith in finding the sacred Acoustic Cafe. Perhaps I should stop at that church shaped like a theater. Sorry, bad joke. Anyway, just before I make the turn back across the bridge, I finally spot it. I must have missed it while staring at the ugly-yet-pretty river. I step up to the door. A man outside asks if I have a light. I don't, tell him so, and finally walk inside. Most of the people here are a few years older than me. I order a dish of vanilla ice cream for $1.99, receive a penny as change, sit down at a booth, and write this.

New Shins News

http://pitchfork.com/news/35257-shins-james-mercer-spills-about-lineup-changes-new-album-other-projects/

Be sure to click "MORE>>>" at the bottom of the article.

I'm worried. Mercer has completely changed the line-up and replaced everybody, and now he's saying he's changing his style. The reason I think he's such a great songwriter is because you'd hear some upbeat songs but once you actually take the time to really listen to it, you realize it's actually melancholy. Now he's saying they're going to really be upbeat. What's the point?

So, say what you will, but I think the next Shins album will not sound like the Shins. He claims this is his "best work." I take that to mean it's different from his previous work, which, for me at least, is not good.

A couple of my friends had this to say:
Andrew: I hate line-up changes in general (because they're rarely changes for the better (Coheed & Cambria, Wolfmother, etc...)), so that's rather disappointing. The Modest Mouse drummer is promising, but still just seems really foolish. I like the guy, but Mercer has no reason for doing this...seems like he's forcing an "epic change album" or something, just trying different things to get attention and see if something good will come of it...Almost every time that a band member leaves other bands its because they hate each other or one wants to pursue a solo career. I guess Mercer wanted to go "solo" and keep the band name? Selfish...(Wolfmother?)

As for the less melancholy stuff, I'm not too worried about that. When I think upbeat I think Franz Ferdinand, and that's not a bad thing. I don't think we should label all change as bad. If my theory is at all correct and he's just doing it in hopes of catching people's attention, it could be bad.

And it's a little unnerving what he says about the possible label change..."Because you get more money"... I understand that making money is an issue for everyone, but really? Maybe he's not familiar with the negative connotations of selling out...

Arseny: I guess you can't blame a guy for being happy with life. It would be funny if he flipped the Shins lyric mechanic on his head and started playing heavy metal with really upbeat lyrics
And, I guess in the end... no matter how well crafted the songs might be, I know that at least I always regard upbeat-song bands as sort of... silly? I guess, I just don't take them very seriously. Like The Killers. I like some of their songs, but no matter how hard they try to be a serious band I just think they are sort of... silly. Same with Franz Ferdinand. I like them, but still, they seem a bit un-serious. I just can't take them seriously.
All this comes with a disclaimer, though. I mean, it's pretty glaring, the Beatles are definetely an upbeat band and yet I love them. But the song craftsmanship was so good that it didn't seem silly.