Gentlemen, A: Dan Auerbach

Song: "Whispered Words (Pretty Lies)"
From the album Keep It Hid

Dan Auerbach:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: The guitar-wielding Black Key put out his self-produced debut solo album in February. No surprise here -- it sounds just like the Black Keys.

Auerbach is currently on tour in Europe, but we lucky Midwesterners have the opportunity to see his solo show at Lollapalooza this August. — BJ

Gentlemen, A: Ryan Adams

Song: "Chin Up, Cheer Up"
From the album Demolition

Ryan Adams:   Web site

DJ comments: Mandy Moore (Mrs. Ryan Adams) recently said that Adams could always join her backup band if he needed work. Seeing as he's the same guy who takes those "Bryan Adams" jokes so well, I hope Mandy's OK after saying this. — cwc

Gentlemen, B: Devendra Banhart

Song: "Lover"
From the album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Devendra Banhart:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I've been a big fan of Devendra Banhart for a few years, but hadn't heard this song until recently watching Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Needless to say, I scrambled for 2007's Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. Thank you Michael Cera for opening my eyes to everything good in this world.

Anywho, Banhart formed a new band with Priestbird drummer Greg Rogove. The name, you ask? Megapuss. Yum.

According to his Myspace page, Devendra is finishing another solo album. Not sure when, but you can expect it soon. — BJ

Gentlemen, B: Syd Barrett

Song: "Octopus"
From the album The Madcap Laughs

Syd Barrett:   Web site

DJ comments: I think Syd and Pink Floyd both benefit from his early departure from the band. The Floyd evolved beyond Barrett's quirky psychedelia to make some of the greatest space rock ever, while Syd made some interesting music as a solo man and maintained his legend as a tragic genius. Tragic if you consider a hermit's life after an inordinate amount of LSD something tragic. — cwc

Gentlemen, C: Ray Charles

Song: "(Night Time Is) The Right Time"

Ray Charles:   Web site   Wiki

DJ comments: I just remembered that Ray Charles was the spokesman for Pepsi for a long stint during the Nineties. That's an easy one to remember, but there's another ad series that may not play in your head as easily -- check out video two. — BJ

Diet Pepsi Ad featuring Ray being a pimp:


An even cooler ad featuring Ray Charles:

Gentlemen, C: Leonard Cohen

Song: "Avalanche"
From the album Songs of Love and Hate

Leonard Cohen:   Web site

DJ comments: "Everybody Knows" is a great song, but I wanted to play something off Cohen's fabulous Songs.... Get this great album. — cwc

Gentlemen, D: Nick Drake

Song: "From the Morning"
From the album Pink Moon

Nick Drake:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I just wanted to thank Chris for giving me Nick Drake's Family Tree LP for my 23rd birthday.

Apparently Nick had a pretty lame career during his lifetime (he died in 1974), but he has a relatively huge fan base these days. His music was featured in Garden State and The Royal Tenenbaums. Hell, Brad Pitt narrated a BBC radio special about this D. — BJ

Gentlemen, D: Donovan

Song: "Colours"
From the album Fairy Tale

Donovan:   Web site

DJ comments: I first heard this song during an interesting split-screen scene in the Roger Avary adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's The Rules of Attraction. Great song, great movie. Probably freaked out 99% of James Van Der Beek's fans at the time, which is awesome.

Easton Ellis is probably best known for his book American Psycho, which is highly overrated as a book. His books have made for some good movies, except for the first case I'll cite...

Less Than Zero: GREAT book, bordering on god-awful movie.
The Rules of Attraction: Good book, great movie.
American Psycho: Average book, great movie by Mary Herron, starring Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Mathis, and Jared Leto.
Lunar Park: Good book.

Anyway, this started out about Donovan... — cwc

Gentlemen, E: Elliott Smith

Song: "The Biggest Lie"
From the album Elliott Smith

Elliott Smith:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Not that Elliott Smith is depressing or anything, but reading about his childhood is fairly upsetting. To say the least, he had a strange relationship with his stepfather. I guess you could say it's heart wrenching. — BJ

Gentlemen, E: Joe "Bean" Esposito

Song: "You're the Best"
From the Karate Kid soundtrack

Joe "Bean" Esposito:   Wikipedia

DJ comments: Holy shit. The guy who did this song is a Grammy winner. I wouldn't have guessed that in a thousand years.

You'll find the accompanying Karate Kid video below. Watching this reminded me of something that always bugged me about the casting of the Cobra Kai: how did the guy who ended up playing Lamar in Revenge of the Nerds land a role wearing the golden snake of the Kai? The same guy who threw the floppy javelin for Lambda Lambda Lambda has no business in the "strike first, strike hard, no mercy" karate crew. — cwc



Also thought I'd include this awesome near-end-of-movie-montage-theme from Teen Wolf. This is "Win in the End" by Mark Safan.

Gentlemen, F: Lowell Fulson

Song: "Reconsider Baby"
From the album Chess Blues Guitar

Lowell Fulson:   Wiki

DJ comments: Lowell Fulson can be compared to T-Bone Walker. During the 1940s, he worked with other West Coast artists such as Ray Charles, before he was Ray Charles. Today Fulson is probably best known for his songs "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" and "Tramp", which was covered by Salt-N-Peppa on Hot, Cool & Vicious. — BJ

Gentlemen, F: Fatboy Slim

Song: "The Rockafeller Skank"
From the album Why Try Harder

Fatboy Slim:   Web site

DJ comments: If we had more time, I would definitely be playing the 11-plus-minute "Song for Shelter," which is used effectively in the Larry Clark film Bully. — cwc

Gentlemen, G: Al Green

Song: "Love and Happiness"

Al Green:   Web site   Wiki

DJ comments: Al Green is still alive. In reality, he's pretty lucky to be 63 years old -- a former girlfriend, who was married at the time, assaulted him before she killed herself. How did she assault him, you ask? She poured hot grits and oil on him. Talk about a psycho bitch. — BJ

Gentlemen, G: Serge Gainsbourg

Song: "Bonnie and Clyde" (with Brigitte Bardot)
From the album Comic Strip

Serge Gainsbourg:   Wikipedia

DJ comments: Keeping the G's in the family, as I picked Serge's daughter Charlotte for my G during our Ladies show two weeks ago. — cwc

Gentlemen, H: John Lee Hooker

Song: "Walkin' the Boogie"
From the album Chess Blues Guitar

John Lee Hooker:   Web site   Wiki

DJ comments: I generally like hookers, but this one is a very special one. You may know him from one of the greatest music movies ever made, The Blues Brothers, in which he played his best-known hit, "Boom Boom". He was an obvious choice for the movie, as John Belushi based his character Jake after the boogie-woogie blues man.

Outside of The Blues Brothers, Hooker played with the likes of Van Morison, Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt.

I guess you could say this is one hooker who doesn't suck. — BJ

Gentlemen, H: Ben Harper

Song: "I'm Breakin' Down"
From the album Welcome to the Cruel World

Ben Harper:   Web site

DJ comments: Great song off Harper's stellar debut. — cwc

Gentlemen, I: Bon Iver (Justin Vernon)

Song: "Flume"
From the album For Emma, Forever Ago

Bon Iver:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I could lie and pretend that I cheated on this one, which I did, but I simply had a mental block. I forgot that Bon Iver is not the name of the singing man, it is the name of the band. I'm a moron, but we'll keep the entry as I've already played the song.

Justin Vernon is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, which is not too far from where Chris and I call home. I love finding out that great musicians are from the Midwest -- let people know we're not just a bunch of rednecks having fun with pigs on our parents' farms. I suppose I shouldn't speak for everyone who lives in this wonderful region... — BJ

Gentlemen, I: Iggy Pop

Song: "Sister Midnight"
From the album The Idiot

Iggy Pop:   Web site

DJ comments: So what if Iggy's pimping Carnival cruises these days... — cwc

Gentlemen, J: Mason Jennings

Song: "Jackson Square"
From the album Boneclouds

Mason Jennings:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: I wonder how Mason Jennings likes Minneapolis after being born in Honolulu, Hawaii. You know, because January is just a little more enjoyable when it's 75 degrees instead of -35. — BJ

Gentlemen, J: Jack Johnson

Song: "Holes in Heaven"
From the album Thicker Than Water

Jack Johnson:   Web site

DJ comments: Still don't quite get all the hate directed at Jack. It's not that he's overplayed by the radio. Is it that "unhip" kids like him? Is it that much of his music sounds the same? He writes some great tunes, he has a cool voice...I don't know what the problem is. — cwc

Gentlemen, K: B.B. King

Song: "3 O'Clock Blues"
From the album Original Greatest Hits

B.B. King:   Web site   Wiki

DJ comments: Do you think B.B. King sold his soul to the devil, like they suggest in Metalocalypse? He's 76 with little to show for it outside of some gray hairs. This year he has an extensive European tour planned to follow his West Coast installment.

Fun fact: B.B. King's real first name is Riley. — BJ

Gentlemen, K: Lenny Kravitz

Song: "Come On and Love Me"
From the album Are You Gonna Go My Way

Lenny Kravitz:   Web site

DJ comments: Unlike Jack Johnson, I do understand why some people dislike Lenny. Some of his late '90s stuff is weak. But I love his first three albums, and I especially like this gem, which is buried on Are You Gonna Go My Way. — cwc

Gentlemen, L: Lyrics Born

Song: "I Changed My Mind (Stereo MCs Rattlesnake Mix)"
From the album Same !@#$ Different Day

Lyrics Born:   Web site   MySpace

DJ comments: Hey, I played this song this week last year.

Lyrics Born just played Iowa City. Hopefully you were there to witness the madness. I was not able, but I'm sure it was a hoot. — BJ

Gentlemen, L: John Lennon

Song: "Look at Me"
From the album Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon:   Web site

DJ comments: Far and away my favorite Beatle, it's too bad John's solo output isn't a little better. But I do love almost every track on Plastic Ono Band. — cwc

Gentlemen, M: Mos Def (an RJD2 remix)

Song: "Wylin Out (RJD2 Remix)"
From the album RJD2 Is God

Mos Def:   Wiki   MySpace

DJ comments: I'm not sure what to say about Mos Def outside of the fact that he is one hell of a man. He's sexy, he can act, he can write, he can rap, I've heard he's hilarious and I'm sure he can do a slew of other things I can only dream about. — BJ

Don't know who it is, but I love that there's a burnt out hippie-looking dude jamming to the right of Mos Def.

Gentlemen, M: Bob Marley

Song: "Redemption Song"
From the album Uprising

Bob Marley:   Web site

DJ comments: Some days I'd rather hear the more upbeat Marley ("Is This Love" or "Could You Be Loved"), but today I'd rather hear the more sedated Bob. — cwc

Usually when embedding is disabled, I say fuck it, but here's a link to a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGgbT_VasI