RTP-area local music and culture

[domcasualties AT yahoo.com (Jamie McLendon)]

bendy <bendy AT example.com> wrote in message 
news:<3FF57AB3.7060506 AT example.com>...
> You know, upon hearing the news about Cris Kirkwood, I recalled the 
> article that Todd just linked to, and just assumed this was the end of 
> his suicide in progress.
> 
> I own most of the Meat Puppets catalog, and I can't exactly explain it. 
> I'm rarely in the mood to listen to them, and while they're great and 
> all, and they put one one of the best shows I ever saw, I'm not a huge 
> fan and never sought them out when they gigged nearby. Curt's singing is 
> just so grating, it gets in the way of the songcraft. I like "Too High 
> to Die" 'cause it does such a great job of covering up his off key 
> scorched voice. I was in my easily-impressed youth as SST was peaking, 
> which explains some of it. But they were never close to being my 
> favorites. I mean, they really are hippies. I guess stuff kept turning 
> up used and cheap.
> 
> What artists have you overstocked?

Thanks for posting that, Bendy. We are on the same wavelength. I
played Mirage this afternoon while cleaning up my Christmas
decorations, and was just left thinking "why do I own this?", which,
of course led to my reappraisal of the other Puppets rekkids in my
collecton: Up On the Sun and Out My Way.

I got both very cheap. I didn't have any interest in either when they
came out, though my roommates were into them. The reason was the same
as it was for you: this was music not unlike the Grateful Dead, and I
had little interest in it. Then I saw them in concert about 12 years
ago, on the tour for that first record they did for London. I was
working music retail and had a comp ticket. I was completely
unprepared for what I saw. It was an outstanding, completely rocking
show. Therefore, I picked up the lps mentioned above whenever I came
across them. My best friend told me that one incredible song we saw
them do was off of Mirage, and today was the first time I've listened
to the album (got it recently from a friend), hoping to relive that
sonic revelry from years past but, damn, it just ain't happening. My
friend must've been wrong or something. In any event, I recall really
enjoying songs off of Meat Puppets II, so I'm thinking that I'll be
searching that one out and leaving the rest of these at Nice Price. Or
at least Mirage.

Who have I overstocked on? I'll have to get back to you on that one,
but Cut the Crap is still in my collection from the Joe Strummer
allegiance of my youth. And lots of great Echo and the Bunnymen eps
that the new cd reissues have proved meaningless, except for the
really cool cover art, but I'll always be an Echo fan, so I guess that
isn't what you meant.

Jamie