The Lucky Thirteen: 4/16/12

In honor of Record Store Day this Saturday, this week's Lucky Thirteen is all about records. The first six songs are all from local records. By local records, I mean albums that you can purchase on vinyl as opposed to CD. The next six tracks are from artists who will be performing at various Record Store Day celebrations. And the last song, well, it would only be appropriate to end with Record Hop, keeping with the record theme and all.

Standard playlist disclaimer: any artists, record labels, etc. who do not wish to be on the playlist for any reason whatsoever, email me at ghostofblindlemon@gmail.com and I will gladly remove the track. And if you'd actually like to be on the playlist, you can use the same email address to email me your mp3's. If I like the song, then odds are it'll wind up on a playlist.

1. "Garage Sale", Old 97's
   Old 97's and Funland released this split EP back in 1995, featuring the Old 97's classic "Stoned" and Funland's "Garage Sale". In addition to the original versions, the ten inch single also featured each band covering the other band's song. By overwhelming demand, the single was later released on CD.
2. "Unstoppable", Salim Nourallah
   After making music for over two decades, one would think that the quality of Mr. Nourallah's output would have weakened by now. Based on what I've sampled of Hit Parade, the exact opposite is the case. Salim's songs are as catchy and witty as ever. Unstoppable would seem to be the appropriate adjective for Mr. Nourallah. He'll be playing an acoustic set Saturday night at Allgood, then later that night he brings a full band set to Bryan Street Tavern. And on top of that, he performs live Sunday at Good Records.
3. "16 Candles", Morning Elephant
   Shameless Crown and Harp plug: Clay Pendergrass's project Morning Elephant will be performing there Friday night. Perhaps he will even bring some vinyl copies of Music Is Unfinished Conversation to add to your collection.
4. "So, Within", Seryn
   While I have no data to back this statement up, I would predict that no local artist sold more vinyl copies of an album last year as Seryn's This Is Where We Are sold.
5. "Hotel Denalian", Bravo, Max!
   Sure, I could have chosen any of the fine tracks from Dog's Light to play. But when the opening line of the song is "Put a record on/Put the needle down/Dance to the fear/Round and round", well, that just ties into the Record Store Day theme all too well.
6. "Indian Melody", Calhoun
   My favorite CD and record of the year was unarguably Heavy Sugar. And had they released it on cassette and 8-track, it would have been my favorite album in those mediums as well.
7. "Steampunk Jetpack", Sealion
   If you're looking for the biggest names to play Record Store Day, you'll find them at Good Records. The store managed to get some quite famous nationally known acts to play the event: Civil Twilight, Switchfoot, and Tings Tings are all part of the festivities. I must say that I regret not seeing more local favorites on the list. Still, Good Records has managed to get some good homegrown talent on the bill, with Sealion being my favorite of that bunch.
8. "Seven", Ducado Vega
   Bill's Records is getting in on the festivities as well, with performances from Blacktop Gypsy, Thieves of Sunrise, and Darryl Lee Rush, to name a few. And then of course there's GOBL favorite Ducado Vega and Bloodrich, who always bring a soulful energy to every show.
9. "A Black Wave Is Comin'", Doug Burr
   For Denton folks not wanting to drive down 35 for Record Store Day, Recycled Records has everything you'll need. Ryan Thomas Becker? Check. Glen Farris? Check. Doug Burr? Check. Lots of records to buy? Just like every other day of the year, check.
10. "Tryin' to Have a Good Time", The O's
11. "Save Me", Siren Sea
12. "Mine", Emmeline While Good Records may have the biggest names of any celebration, I honestly feel that the award for best lineup easily goes to CD Source. If you click here to check out their Facebook event, you'll notice that the lineup looks like a roll call of musicians that I both love and have booked on a regular basis. The previous three artists are only but a small sampling of the tasty musical treats available that day. And if tasty edible treats are more your thing, there will be plenty of food available in the store. And as always, there are plenty of musical treats available for purchase, both on CD and vinyl. My hat goes off to store owner Lance Price for putting together such a strong day of entertainment.
13. "Rocket Seance", Record Hop
    Interesting enough, I do not believe Record Hop ever released anything on an actual record. It's a shame that they disbanded. Few bands in the metroplex have managed to create as captivating hard rock as Record Hop did. This song exemplifies everything that is right about Record Hop, where it be the guitar hooks in the intro or Ashley Cromeen's melodic screams. And don't even think of playing this song on anything other than full blast.