Completely Conspicuous 511: On With the Show

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing experience. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show
- Driving before and briefly after an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA
- Jay: Big fan of club shows
- Like to get up close to the stage
- The downside of theater shows
- Some shows are made for big venues
- Getting your face melted by Ty Segall
- Demographics: We're the target market for Maiden, but often among the oldest when seeing newer acts
- If you were 30 when you saw Maiden during their early days, you're pushing 70 now
- Still weird to be "the old guy"
- No institutional knowledge of what came before
- Gary: Raised our kids on the Beatles
- Jay: My kids love Taylor Swift; at least she writes her own songs
- I listen to a lot of pop these days when I drive the girls around
- Making the kids listen to your music
- Gary: We played Beatles Rock Band a lot as a family
- Will we still go to rock shows as senior citizens?
- No such thing as guilty pleasures
- We both love the Bee Gees
- Jay: Traded the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack for a Zeppelin album
- Reconciled with my disco-loving childhood
- People who watch a show through their smart phones
- Making Gary self-conscious about phone use at concerts
- Artists who ban cellphone use at shows
- After the concert
- We paid extra to park in a lot to get out earlier
- High energy, over-the-top stage show
- Saw some people with toddlers
- Fun to go to a big show with friends
- Gary's next show: Raconteurs in September
- Jay's next show: Sleater-Kinney in October
- Gary plays about 20 shows a year

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 510: Maiden Voyage

Celebrating 13 years of podcasting with part 1 of my conversation with guest Gary Barth as we discuss the concertgoing experience...while we drive to a concert. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded in Gary's car on the way to the show
- Driving to an Iron Maiden concert at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA
- Gary's first concert: Huey Lewis and the News in 1985
- Huey's got rock cred
- All the big shows back in the '80s were at hockey rinks
- Many bands now play smaller theaters and clubs
- Jay: Used to go see only arena shows back then
- Arenas in Worcester, Portland, Providence
- Shows were cheaper back then, but we had less money
- People would get really wasted before concerts
- The guy who sat behind us and still missed the entire Maiden show
- Getting rides to concerts from parents
- Gary plays in a Grateful Dead cover band, Deadbeat
- Listening to some "nice hahd rawk"
- Jay's (very) short-lived high school band
- Jay: Liked a lot of metal and hard rock in high school, turned away from it in the '90s
- We both started listening to Maiden again in 2006
- Bands don't make money from selling albums anymore
- Saw Drive-By Truckers at the local theater in Beverly
- Go see Deadbeat at the Bull Run in Shirley, MA on 8/9
- Cover bands are doing pretty well these days
- Heavy Metal Cul de Sac
- Bands keep touring into their old age
- The Iron Maiden guys are all in their 60s but put on a high-energy show
- To be continued

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 509: The Good Stuff

It's part 3 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download it directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Breitling's #6
- Changing his take on "Steve Miller Band for millennials"
- Kumar's #6
- Band recently relocated to Nashville
- Breitling's #4
- Another accomplished Boston indie rock act continues to evolve its sound
- Kumar's #5
- Don't call it a comeback; fuzzy power pop from low-key indie rocker
- Breitling's #3
- Reissue of mid-'90s release from San Jose hardcore trio
- Definitely check out the reissue of Silkworm's In the West
- Kumar's #3
- Scrappy pop punk from Toronto band
- Breitling's #2
- Veteran act with inspired new release
- Kumar's #2 and Breitling's #5
- Inspired by '80s riff rock
- Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #4
- A triumph from a legendary rock god
- Possibly as good as anything from his previous bands
- Kumar's #1
- Out of left field for me, but a great sweeping folk pop record
- Female solo artist who has come into her own
- New albums coming from Titus Andronicus, Sleater-Kinney, Redd Kross, Purple Mountains, possibly Ava Luna

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 508: Ten Spot

It's part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling as we discuss our favorite music of the year so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Breitling's bubbling under albums: Purple Mountains, Katie Dey, Ava Luna, Coaches, Fennesz, William Basinski
- Kumar's not-quite top 10: Swervedriver, Piroshka, Cherry Glazerr, L7, Jenny Lewis, Flat Worms, Hash Redactor, Versing, Kiwi Jr., Business of Dreams
- Breitling's #10
- Veteran indie pop act from Seattle
- Kumar's #10
- Fuzzy power pop that's short and sweet
- Breitling's #9
- Shout out to Matt Graves
- Glittery guitar pop from Austin
- Kumar's #9
- Vital post-punk noise straight outta Dublin
- Breitling's #8
- Shoegaze from prolific LA band
- Kumar's #8
- Welcome return from indie rock veterans
- Breitling's #7
- Blistering EP from great Boston indie act
- Perry Farrell's face
- Kumar's #7
- Western Canadian stoner rock
- Next week: Our top 6 albums of the year so far

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 507: Half and Half

I'm joined by guest Jay Breitling as we discuss the year in rock music so far. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at Clicky Clicky world HQ
- Back for the attack
- Kumar: Just back from Philly
- Coming up in December: We pick our favorite music of the decade
- Apple is doing away with iTunes, but it's not that big a deal
- Some people are freaking out, but there are other options
- It was good for making playlists
- Kumar: Still need downloads to build radio show playlist
- People don't need to own music anymore
- Kumar: Use free versions of Spotify and YouTube to stream
- Somebody stole a bunch of Radiohead outtakes, band responds by putting it up for sale on Bandcamp
 - Breitling's curb vinyl haul
- The Dio hologram tour is ongoing
- Our verdict: Stay home
- The festivals keep going
- The Woodstock 50 debacle
- Our verdict: Festivals suck
- Breitling may want to choke you
- Reality show people are annoying
- Ja Rule explains it all
- Both of us have gone to fewer concerts this year
- We like watching the rock videos on the YouTubes
- Whither Arsenio?
- Next week: Our favorite albums of the year so far

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 506: Wake of the Flood

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's album Wake of the Flood. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at CompCon world HQ
- Jay: Knew nothing about this album until recently
- First album on the Dead's own label
- New phase for the Dead: No Mickey Hart, the Godchauxs arrive, Pigpen had died
- Shades of jazz fusion
- Three years after their last studio album, American Beauty
- Material was well-honed in concert before making it to studio recording
- Horns featured throughout
- Phil: Live versions of these songs are better
- Two big shows with Allman Brothers and the Band that summer
- The rise of Frampton
- Nobody cares about live albums anymore
- "Stella Blue" is a standout track
- On the merits and demerits of Rush
- Back when AOR stations would play album sides
- Pulled back on the country influence of previous two albums
- No immediate "hits"
- Touring is one of the few ways bands can make money nowadays
- Ultimately, not one of their best, but a piece of the puzzle

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

Completely Conspicuous 505: Europe '72

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the Grateful Dead's live triple album Europe '72. Listen to the episode below or download directly.


Show notes:
- Recorded at CompCon world HQ
- Triple album documenting the Dead's European tour
- Displays new Americana sound
- Mickey Hart's gone, Keith and Donna Godchaux join
- Full tour was documented on a 73-CD box set
- Letting it all hang out at an Oregon show
- Garcia and Weir released solo albums this year
- The Dead's influenced ranged wide, eventually including members of punk/indie acts like Black Flag and Meat Puppets
- Greg Ginn, noted Deadhead
- The greatness of "Jack Straw"
- Later covered by eventual guest keyboardist Bruce Hornsby
- Grateful Dead keyboardists : Spinal Tap drummers
- "A long f-ing album"
- Unrelated: The Dirtbombs rule
- "China Cat Sunflower" sounds very different here than the original
- This is Peak Dead
- The band captured the communal live experience and attracted a huge following
- When you party too hard before the show
- Pigpen's last hurrah
- "Morning Dew" is stretched out to 10+ minutes of apocalyptic jam
- Tangent: Janelle Monae is great
- Variety is important
- No more guilty pleasures
- Waaaaaaay off topic
- The strange career of Robert Palmer
- Phil: Europe '72 is like comfort food
- Next up: Wake of the Flood

Completely Conspicuous is available through the iTunes podcast directory. Subscribe and write a review!

The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.