Category Archives: Music

๐ŸŒญ Dunked, Drunk, n’ Dried Dogs & Potato Wedges ๐Ÿฅ”

Posted on by Standard Reply

There are way too many ways to cook a hot dog. Not long ago, if you suggested I boil some… I would politely have found the quickest way out of that conversation. This time I simmered the dogs in beer, then popped them in the oven on the air-fryer setting.

I blogged about cooking hot dogs in 2010 when I asked how you do it, & later listed a bunch of different ways, and I like to slip them in on the New Year’s Pork n’ Sauerkraut. 2010? Hell, it only took me 15 years to get around to suggestion #3. Were air-fryers popular back then? I think it was just countertop grills.

Then again, sometimes I get weird ideas that won’t go away until they come to fruition. Hot dogs aren’t my favorite food, but they’re fun to make different every time. If not grilling, I like to cook them in the oven, especially when cooking dinner for the family & wanting a whole pack cooked at once. This time I did something different.

Lager-Simmered Air Fried Criss-Cross Cut Hot Dogs & Crispy Potato Wedges!

Man, I miss the legendary Dormont Dogs.

After you read this recipe, tell me what you’d do different, or what you like on your dogs! Oh yeah. sides too. I wanted to use corn starch on the potato wedges, but I was out, so flour it was. It crisped them up just enough to keep it interesting. I was heavy on the black pepper, so they had a bite.

Oh yeah, I cracked open a can of baked beans too.

I used ChatGPT to sort of bounce ideas around, and it helped me make a plan.

๐ŸŒญ๐ŸŒญ๐ŸŒญ

Wieners, โ€™Taters & Beans (Oh My!)

๐Ÿฅ” Potato Wedges

  1. Prep
    • Cut potatoes into wedges, about ยฝ” thick at the skin edge.
    • Soak in cold water 30 minutes (this pulls starch so they crisp better).
    • Drain, blot very dry. Moisture = soggy wedges.
    • Toss in a bowl with:
      • 1โ€“2 Tbsp cornstarch
      • 2 Tbsp oil (olive, canola, or peanut)
      • Seasonings: paprika, garlic/onion powder, salt, pepper, maybe cayenne or smoked paprika for punch.
  2. Cook
    • Oven air fry or convection at 425ยฐF (both will crisp better than standard bake).
    • Spread on parchment-lined sheet, not touching.
    • Cook 25โ€“30 min, flipping halfway.

๐ŸŒญ Hot Dogs

  1. Parboil
    • In a small pot, add:
      • 1 bottle/can Yuengling
      • 1 beef bouillon cube
      • ยฝ tsp onion powder
      • ยฝ tsp minced garlic
      • ยผ tsp ground mustard (optional, but yes itโ€™ll add a tangy depth)
    • Bring to a gentle simmer. Drop in hot dogs, simmer 5โ€“6 min (donโ€™t boil hard).
  2. Finish in Oven
    • After parboil, move hot dogs to a rack or foil-lined pan.
    • Toss them in the oven (same rack as potatoes if you can) for 8โ€“10 min at 425ยฐF (air fry/convection), flipping once, so skins blister and caramelize a little.

๐Ÿฅ– Buns + Cheese

  1. At the last 2โ€“3 min of hot dog oven time, open buns, lay on pan.
  2. Add cheese slices. Toast until buns are warm and cheese is gooey.

๐Ÿ”„ Timing Plan

  1. Start soaking potatoes โ†’ 30 min.
  2. Preheat oven to 425ยฐF (air fry/convection).
  3. While soaking, prep hot dog beer bath.
  4. Drain & coat potatoes. Get them in oven first (they take longest).
    • Timer: 25โ€“30 min.
  5. While wedges cook, simmer hot dogs in beer bath (~5โ€“6 min).
  6. About halfway into potato time (15 min mark), move hot dogs to oven on pan/rack.
    • Theyโ€™ll need ~8โ€“10 min to finish, which lines up with potatoes finishing.
  7. Last 2โ€“3 min: add buns + cheese.

Everything should hit the plate hot at the same time.

๐ŸŒญ๐Ÿซ˜๐Ÿฅ”

๐Ÿซ˜ Drunken Baked Beans

A simple can of beans made rich with the leftover beer broth from the hot dogs. Deep, savory, slightly maltyโ€ฆ itโ€™s like BBQ beans with a secret ingredient.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large can of baked beans
  • ยฝ cup reserved beer broth from hot dogs (strained)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp mustard (yellow or Dijon)
  • Optional: dash of hot sauce or crumbled bacon

Method:

Taste and adjust seasoning โ€” more sugar if you like sweet, hot sauce if you like heat.

Combine beans with broth, sugar, and mustard in a saucepan.

Simmer low and slow (20โ€“30 minutes), stirring occasionally, until thickened and glossy.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Extra Tips:

  • Flip wedges and hot dogs at halfway for even browning.
  • If wedges look done before hot dogs, crack the oven door and let them hang on residual heat.
  • You can reduce a little of the beer/bouillon liquid into a quick dipping sauce (mix in mustard/ketchup) if you want to go wild.
  • I added the beer/bullion liquid to the baked beans with BBQ sauce… not what ChatGPT suggested.

๐Ÿซ˜๐Ÿซ˜๐Ÿซ˜

Needless to say, I didn’t follow that exactly… but I did toast the buns, & made the dogs to order. Mine had relish, my son’s had fresh jalapeรฑo from the garden, my wife didn’t want cheese, and my daughter didn’t want mustard.

Dunk, Drunk, n' Dried Dogs
Dunk, Drunk, n’ Dried Dogs

I gotta buy some damn corn starch.

Crispy Potato Wedges
Crispy Potato Wedges

I used Yuengling, but I also would use Straub Amber, Penn Pilsner, Lion’s Head, or Smithwick’s. What would you use?

If you do make this, you gotta crank some punk rock Dad Shit. (The Amazon Playlist has more than Spotify.)

Playlist | Proto-Punk ๐Ÿงท

Posted on by Standard 7

Inspired by the comments on a reddit post, I wanted to dig into some pre-“punk” proto-punk. I set Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, & Copilot to the task as I’m fascinated by their ability to parse & compile information if prompted accurately. (I’m also fascinated my their penchant to provide completely incorrect or even made-up information. Some time I will have to blog about my experiment in having them search restaurant menus in an area to see if they serve shellfish. Copilot recommended some seafood places, so clearly it wants to kill me.)

I added my own stuff that some of them disagreed with, but it is my list after all. ๐Ÿคฃ Going back to little Richard and including Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” were points of contention, as I would expect from a conversation with people.

Music snobs aficionados, audiophiles, and punk rock gatekeepers will argue all day every day about the origin of punk… but for me, to be clear, it’s the moment that the Ramones’ self-titled album dropped. So, with that in mind I gave the language models this prompt:

There is and always will be constant debate, but if we agree for the premise of this exercise that the Ramones self-titled debut album was the first punk albumโ€ฆ What are 25 songs that should belong on a proto-punk or punk precursor playlist?

I would assume bands that get mentioned as the progenitors would most likely include The Kinks, the Sonics, Link Wray, The Stooges, the MC5, the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, & more I’m sure to be missing. Maybe even the band Death who hailed from Detroit MI?

All songs on the list should have been released before April 23, 1976โ€ฆ and be listed in order if release date by single or album, whichever dropped first.

This has been corrected for my typically egregious spelling/typing/lack-of-proofreading errors. After tossing the rules to the wind, keeping to the spirit of punk rock, we arrived here:

  • “Little Demon” โ€“ Screaminโ€™ Jay Hawkins (1956)
  • “Tutti Frutti” โ€“ Little Richard (1955)
  • “Whole Lotta Shakinโ€™ Goinโ€™ On” โ€“ Jerry Lee Lewis (1957)
  • “Rumble” โ€“ Link Wray (1958)
  • “La Bamba” โ€“ Ritchie Valens (1958)
  • “Love Me” โ€“ The Phantom (1958)
  • “Louie Louie” โ€“ The Kingsmen (1963)
  • “Surfinโ€™ Bird” โ€“ The Trashmen (1963)
  • “Baby Let Me Take You Home” โ€“ The Animals (1964)
  • “House of the Rising Sun” โ€“ The Animals (1964)
  • “Iโ€™m Crying” โ€“ The Animals (1964)
  • “You Really Got Me” โ€“ The Kinks (1964)
  • “Gloria” โ€“ Them (1964)
  • “I Canโ€™t Explain” โ€“ The Who (1964)
  • “Dirty Water” โ€“ The Standells (1966)
  • “My Generation” โ€“ The Who (1965)
  • “Strychnine” โ€“ The Sonics (1965)
  • “Iโ€™m a Man” โ€“ The Yardbirds (1965)
  • “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” โ€“ The Animals (1965)
  • “96 Tears” โ€“ ? & The Mysterians (1966)
  • “Wild Thing” โ€“ The Troggs (1966)
  • “Complication” โ€“ The Monks (1966)
  • “Psychotic Reaction” โ€“ Count Five (1966)
  • “Pushinโ€™ Too Hard” โ€“ The Seeds (1966)
  • “7 and 7 Is” โ€“ Love (1966)
  • “Iโ€™m Not Like Everybody Else” โ€“ The Kinks (1966)
  • “Youโ€™re Gonna Miss Me” โ€“ The 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
  • “Talk Talk” โ€“ The Music Machine (1966)
  • “Iโ€™m Waiting for the Man” โ€“ The Velvet Underground (1967)
  • “Doctor Please” โ€“ Blue Cheer (1968)
  • “Sister Ray” โ€“ The Velvet Underground (1968)
  • “Fire” โ€“ The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (1968)
  • “Jigsaw Puzzle” โ€“ The Rolling Stones (1968)
  • “Kick Out the Jams” โ€“ MC5 (1969)
  • “I Wanna Be Your Dog” โ€“ The Stooges (1969)
  • “Little Doll” โ€“ The Stooges (1969)
  • “TV Eye” โ€“ The Stooges (1970)
  • “Paranoid” โ€“ Black Sabbath (1970)
  • “Get It On” โ€“ T. Rex (1971)
  • “Schoolโ€™s Out” โ€“ Alice Cooper (1972)
  • “Suffragette City” โ€“ David Bowie (1972)
  • “Raw Power” โ€“ Iggy & The Stooges (1973)
  • “Search and Destroy” โ€“ The Stooges (1973)
  • “Personality Crisis” โ€“ New York Dolls (1973)
  • “Jet Boy” โ€“ New York Dolls (1973)
  • “Urban Guerrilla” โ€“ Hawkwind (1973)
  • “Violence” โ€“ Mott the Hoople (1973)
  • “Cum On Feel the Noize” โ€“ Slade (1973)
  • “Editions of You” โ€“ Roxy Music (1973)
  • “Ooh La La” โ€“ Faces (1973)
  • “Subway Train” โ€“ New York Dolls (1974)
  • “Hey Joe” โ€“ Patti Smith Group (1975)
  • “Piss Factory” โ€“ Patti Smith (1975)
  • “Roxette” โ€“ Dr. Feelgood (1976)
  • “The Next Big Thing” โ€“ The Dictators (1975)
  • “Chez Maximes” โ€“ The Hollywood Brats (1976)
  • “After Eight” โ€“ Neu! (1975)
  • “Ghost Rider” โ€“ Suicide (1977)
  • “Little Johnny Jewel” โ€“ Television (1975)
  • “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” โ€“ Pere Ubu (1975)
  • “Burn My Eye” โ€“ Radio Birdman (1976)
  • “Politicians in My Eyes” โ€“ Death (1976)
  • “Cherry Bomb” โ€“ The Runaways (1976)
  • “Roadrunner” โ€“ The Modern Lovers (1976)
  • “She Cracked” โ€“ The Modern Lovers (1976)
  • “Shake Some Action” โ€“ Flaminโ€™ Groovies (1976)
  • “Blank Generation” โ€“ Richard Hell & the Voidoids (1977)
  • “Anarchy in the U.K.” โ€“ The Sex Pistols (1976)
  • “Sonic Reducer” โ€“ Dead Boys (1977)
  • “Neat Neat Neat” โ€“ The Damned (1977)
  • “Chinese Rocks” โ€“ Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers (1977)
  • “Psycho Killer” โ€“ Talking Heads (1977)

I used Tune My Music to import it to Spotify from a text file, then copy to Amazon Music from there. I tried to go to Amazon first, but it messed up quite a bit of the songs. I did have to add “7 and 7 Is” by Love manually as it shows as “Seven and Seven Is” on Spotify. It weirdly plopped a Bob Marley song in that spot. Amazon was full of weird covers and the wrong songs when trying to import from text.

So, what do you think of the list? What’s missing? What needs added? Are my parameters skewed? Do you not accept anything past the date of what parameters were set? What obscure band that 14 people heard at the time is missing from this list? Don’t come at me with the Sex Pistols over the Ramones. Should we whittle it back to 25? Only have 1 song per artist? Come at me with healthy discourse.

Looking for a video of that one time I sang “I Turned Into a Martian” on stage with the Misfits.

Posted on by Standard Reply

Every once in a while, I just throw this into the รฆther just to see if it gets any response. One time, I got to pop up on stage and sing “I Turned Into a Martian” while Jerry Only played bass, sang, & Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein played guitar, & Goat (a.k.a. Eric Acre, a.k.a. “Chupacabra”) played drums. I’d love to find a video of it if it’s out there.

We take for granted that everything is recorded these days, but back then it wasn’t. Misfits bootleg videos were a hot trade commodity at one point online. I’m pretty sure this show was recorded, because Crowbar had closed-circuit TV’s that were displaying the show as it happened. It may have been deleted or not recorded, it may have hit a personal private collection. Someone else may have been in-house recording. Not sure if Doug Evil was there?

Thanks to Misfits Central & Concert Archives, I now have a specific date: Sunday, November 5, 2000. It was at the now-defunct Crowbar in State College, PA.

Actually, thanks to the Wayback Machine, I found some old photos form the show! Problem being I guess that I took them, but did not hand off my camera while I was on stage.

An-Die & I road-tripped to State College several times with several different groups to see the Misfits in several iterations in addition to seeing them a bunch in Pittsburgh… so my memories may be conflated. I know Russ from TVCasualty.com was there!

I’m pretty sure Murphy’s Law & Impotent Sea Snakes also played. I only remember this because Goat was pulling double duty, and our friend Laurel was apparently hit in the face with an… adult toy… during the ISS set.

I remember An-Die telling me that I had stage presence, and obviously Jerry Only has a huge stage presence, and it did not jive. Ha ha. I’m sure I looked weird, but holy shit it was fun. (I always feel weird signing without a guitar in my hands anyway.)

Another fun fact, this was after I had broken my nose, and i was wearing a bandage covering most of my face. I know I have photos of that somewhere but I cannot find any.

The Misfits - 11/05/2000 lineup @ Crowbar in State College PA | Jerry Only, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, Eric Goat/Chupacabra Acre, & some random a-hole.
The Misfits – 11/05/2000 lineup @ Crowbar in State College PA | Jerry Only, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, Eric Goat/Chupacabra Acre, & some random a-hole.

Oh yeah, I broke my nose stage diving at American Music Cafรฉ. Who’s set was it? I think it was Third Place, Tybalt, or maybe even Ten Pounds Lighter/Secrets Lie Within. I just remember someone fake kicking me that ended up not being a fake kick, a weird celery crunching noise, and my nose being mostly under one eye. I ought to try to chronicle old show stories some day.

I was the Fiend Club “Chapter Head” for a minute in the late 90’s early 00’s, so I got to see the band when they were in & around town. I think Jerry & Rocky sort-of kind-of knew who I was, but I always tried to not be a pain in the ass & ask for stuff or to get on the Turbo Die or anything. It was a fun time in life.

If you have the video, or have info that could help me track it down, I’d really appreciate it! Feel free to help by sharing this in fan forums & what-not online. We Are 138!

You can hit me up at the contact form here, on Threads, on FB, on Instagram, on BlueSky, TikTok, YouTube, or even X.

For more Misfits content here at the blog, check out:

Rock N’ Roll Movies ๐ŸŽฌ

Posted on by Standard 3

I like rock n’ roll movies. I’ve seen a bunch. I still need to see a lot of them, or it’s been too long to remember what I thought of them.

What are your favorites? Mine are noted below: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜… is good โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†โ˜† is bad. I just threw them in a table, then sorted by rating then title.

Please don’t say Rock of Ages. I have no interest in musicals. ๐Ÿคฃ

I used AI to partially successfully create a table with as-of-now correct IMDB & RT ratings. I’ll copy & paste it below, & link to my spreadsheet.

AiXeLsyD13’s Rock N’ Roll Movie List!
Movie:My Rating:IMDB:RT ๐Ÿ…:RT ๐Ÿฟ:Category:
A Mighty Windโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.287%82%Comedy
Airheadsโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.222%57%Comedy
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventureโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.081%75%Comedy
Boom: A Film About the Sonicsโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…8.9n/an/aDocumentary
Empire Musicโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.831%84%Comedy
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sagaโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.563%81%Comedy
Fat Kid Rules the Worldโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.484%61%Drama
Heavier Tripโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.091%n/aComedy
Heavy Tripโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.094%85%Comedy
Honeysuckle Roseโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.360%74%Drama
Josie and the Pussycatsโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…5.653%53%Comedy
Lemmy: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son of a Bitchโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.789%88%Documentary
Mad Tigerโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.767%57%Documentary
Mission to Larsโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…6.781%70%Documentary
Pick It Up!: Ska in the ’90sโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…8.0n/an/aDocumentary
Rayโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.780%87%Biopic
School of Rockโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.292%64%Comedy
The Other F Wordโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.278%82%Documentary
The Punk Syndromeโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.894%87%Documentary
This Is Spinal Tapโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.995%82%Comedy
Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punkโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.882%93%Documentary
Walk the Lineโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…7.882%90%Biopic
Willie Nelson & Family (series)โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…8.386%100%Documentary
8 Mileโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.275%54%Drama
Anvil: The Story of Anvilโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.998%89%Documentary
Beware Mr. Bakerโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.698%81%Documentary
Bill & Ted Face the Musicโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†6.082%65%Comedy
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journeyโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†6.356%56%Comedy
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramonesโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†8.190%91%Documentary
It Might Get Loudโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.680%84%Documentary
Muscle Shoalsโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.797%90%Documentary
Ordinary Worldโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†5.553%46%Drama
Searching for Sugar Manโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†8.295%92%Documentary
Sound Cityโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.8100%90%Documentary
Straight Outta Comptonโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.889%91%Biopic
The Blues Brothersโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.973%87%Comedy
Wayne’s Worldโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†7.079%84%Comedy
Whiskey on a Sundayโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†8.9n/an/aDocumentary
A Complete Unknownโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†7.4n/an/aBiopic
Almost Famousโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†7.989%92%Drama
Metal Lordsโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.762%84%Comedy
Metallica: Through The Neverโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†7.182%74%Drama
Onceโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†7.897%91%Drama
Rock ‘n’ Roll High Schoolโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.781%70%Comedy
Rockstarโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.352%57%Drama
Some Kind of Monsterโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†7.589%86%Documentary
Studio 666โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†5.756%80%Horror/Comedy
That Thing You Do!โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.993%82%Comedy
The Rockerโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.241%57%Comedy
The Runawaysโ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.570%66%Biopic
Wayne’s World 2โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†6.260%61%Comedy
CBGBโ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†6.67%39%Biopic
Hired Gunโ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†7.240%72%Documentary
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School Foreverโ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†4.6n/a55%Comedy
SLC Punkโ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†7.463%89%Drama
The Dirtโ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†7.039%94%Biopic
Hysteria: The Def Leppard Storyโ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†6.6n/a57%Biopic
Becoming Led Zeppelinn/an/an/an/aDocumentary
Bohemian Rhapsodyn/a7.960%85%Biopic
Cadillac Recordsn/a7.066%68%Biopic
Elvisn/a7.377%94%Biopic
Gutterdammerungn/a7.6n/an/aWeird
Heavy Metal Parking Lotn/a7.583%78%Documentary
High Fidelityn/a7.591%90%Drama
Jimi: All Is By My Siden/a5.768%41%Biopic
Junen/a7.5100%83%Documentary
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Parkn/a4.8n/a60%Action
La Bamban/a6.991%78%Biopic
Metal: A Headbanger’s Journeyn/a8.090%91%Documentary
Punk’s Deadn/a4.6n/a36%Drama
Punks Not Deadn/a7.090%76%Documentary
Rocketmann/a7.389%88%Biopic
Sid & Nancyn/a7.088%84%Biopic
Sound of Metaln/a7.797%90%Drama
The Buddy Holly Storyn/a7.1100%82%Biopic
The Decline of Western Civilizationn/a7.5100%83%Documentary
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Yearsn/a7.276%76%Documentary
The Decline of Western Civilization Part IIIn/a7.2100%80%Documentary
The Doorsn/a7.258%83%Biopic

As I have finished up, damnit I forgot Filmage, Tenacious D’s Pick of Destiny (& the TV show), Crossroads, Purple Rain, Frank, CB4, Big Money Hustlas, Salad Days, Pump Up The Volume, We Are Lady Parts, Popstar, Beavis & Butt-head, Breakin’, Pirate Radio, & more. I’m gonna have to do a part 2. Or maybe this is part 2 or 3 already? I blogged about rock movies back in 2012 a bit, & about rock docs.

Yinz like weird playlists?

Posted on by Standard Reply

I have been making goofy ones lately.

The latest one is Contradictions / Companions and it’s made up of songs that contradict or compliment each other. I mainly listen to Amazon Music, but this one was fun so I copied it to Spotify too.

Contradictions / Companions | Amazon Music

Contradictions / Companions | Spotify

I have a bunch more weird ones. Sometimes I reach out to Oddly Specific Playlists on Facebook or r/punk for help. Some have a specific order, some are designed for chaos goblins who always choose random.

Here’s some fun ones if you listen to Amazon, let me know if you want me to copy them to Spotify! (I usually do that with Tune My Music):

And there are plenty more weird ones. Lemme know if you check one out and think I’m missing some good obvious tracks that fit!

For those about to rock, we salute yinz! (AC๐Ÿ—ฒDC โ€ข PWR๐Ÿ—ฒUP โ€ข Pittsburgh)

Posted on by Standard Reply

โ€ข AC๐Ÿ—ฒDC โ€ข PWR๐Ÿ—ฒUP โ€ข Acrisure Stadium โ€ข Pittsburgh PA โ€ข Thursday May 8th, 2025 โ€ข

So, I have been a casual AC/DC fan for as long as I can remember getting into music. They were always there, always a mainstay, always the butt of “same sounding songs” jokes alongside fellow icons the Ramones. I believe I bought Razor’s Edge & Back in Black about the same time in Jr. High. I really dug “Big Gun” from the Last Action Hero soundtrack, and of course, loved the older stuff with Bon Scott as I got into them.

My kids heard me playing “Big Balls” when they were younger, and of course glommed onto it as the most hilarious song ever. I think I created a rock fan with my son, as he has really dug into the AC/DC catalog.

He wanted AC/DC tickets for his birthday, so we got some… then later traded up when a good friend said he wanted to come to town to catch the show with another buddy, as the speculation spread that it may be their last tour and they weren’t playing out his way.

I prepped by making a playlist of suspected tunes on Amazon Music & Spotify thanks to Setlist.fm. I also have one called 100% Certified Angus on Amazon & Spotify that we rock sometimes too! And my son has been spinning Back in Black on vinyl of all things. (I refuse to get into vinyl or guitar pedals, because I already have a guitar problem.)

Off we went for my son’s first stadium show, first time seeing Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium, & first time seeing AC/DC live! We did catch The Aquabats! at the Roxian last year and that was super badass. That was his 1st concert (if we don’t count the incredible & talented Laurie Berkner for a Christmas concert when the kids were super small) and 1st punk rock show!

A pastiche of images from the AC/DC show in Pittsburgh in 2025.
๐Ÿค˜ For those about to rock, we salute you! ๐Ÿค˜

Just a mashup of clips I got that evening of my dude enjoying his night:

If you follow me on the socials, you probably saw a few signs that we were there. It’s super exciting to me to bond over music as it has been such an important thing to me over the years, as a creative outlet, a place of joy, and comfort.

I can say he said it was “the best night of his life,” so I think he had fun! Ha ha. I am glad I got to see Angus & Brian perform. Man, the band are tight, but with a nice loose groove. I knew they were powerhouse rock icons, but to see it? Absolutely amazing. The show production was crazy with the infamous bell, canons, fireworks, huge LED screens, pyrotechnics, confetti, on-the-fly graphics enhancing live video… but at the same time it all seemed very simple. I’m not sure how to convey it. The frills were not the focus. Obviously Angus and his SG’s are the focus. Even Brian knows this, and he looks like he is having the time of his life up there, knowing he has the coolest job in the world.

I think Angus may be slightly slower now that he was in the 80s or 90s, but at 70 years old… he is undeniably crushing it skipping, shimmying, and duck-walking around the stage while playing rambling angry blues licks, goading the crowd into cheering, stripping off parts of the schoolboy uniform, & taking 17 minute extended guitar solos. At one point, he even defiled the fretboard with his necktie as a slide. That is how you put on a show. Some sources online seemed to think Brian’s vocals were low in the mix. I think that was the case where we were at on the floor… but videos from elsewhere have it perfect. His voice is amazing, and again, at 77… he is running around belting out these immortal songs like it’s nothing for 2 damn hours.

The crowd was sedate, lots of people fist-bumping or throwing horns or thumbs up to my dude as we went through the crowd & got to our seats. There were obviously visible drunks, but nothing I saw got too out of hand, even the tailgating outside seemed to be chill.

Scott Mervis has a great review from the PG, and Mike Palm has one from the Trib. I was also able to find a TON of video on YouTube so we can remember the night as long as YouTube is a thing. Ha ha. Check out this bonkers playlist that I am still updating:

It has all kinds of videos from promo stuff, to stage setup, to pyrotechnic stuff, vloggers, and nearly every song individually, from a bunch of different vantage points, and someone grabbed the whole show!

We have had a lot of craziness going on lately, so this was a fun respite and I think we needed it. Hopefully this will be a day long remembered by both of us as a highlight to this year.

So, were you there? Share your stories, pictures, & videos in the comments! I’d love more YouTube stuff to add to the playlist too. I think the only individual song I’m missing is “Rock N’ Roll Train.”

If you weren’t there, or saw them some other time, or in your city, or just want to drop some AC/DC memories or lore, do that too!

๐Ÿค˜โšก๐ŸŽธ

I wish I had a pedal-mobile.

Posted on by Standard Reply

I don’t have a pedal-mobile like the savagely sardonic Pat Finnerty, but I do have some weird mostly cheap pedals. You’ve seen my guitars, you may have heard some of my musical output, but I need to set up a spot to rock again after letting chaos accumulate in my jam space.

A bunch of guitar pedals on the dirty concrete floor.
Pedals-Schmeadals

I posited the following to social media, and AI:

How would you hook up the following components to maximize use/effectiveness of the given equipment for a guitar rig?

The Amps:

  • Gorilla TC-35 (Combo)
  • Fender Blues Jr. (Combo)
  • Positive Grid Spark (Combo)
  • Lil’ Smokey (Combo)
  • Orange Micro Terror (Head)
  • Laney 2×12 (Cab)
  • Yamaha MSR 100 (PA)

The Pedals:

  • D’Addario/Planet Waves PW-CT-04 Tuner
  • Ernie Ball 6185 Wah
  • Quinnamp Dirt & Ernie (Distortion/Boost)
  • The Spamp+ (Amp / Preamp)
  • Ammoon Pock Loop (Looper)
  • LiveWire Solutions ABY1 ABY Box
  • Joyo BAATSIN (Overdrive/Distortion)
  • Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium (Overdrive)
  • Mooer E7 Synth
  • DigiTech Trio Band Creator + FS3X Footswitch

Is there a good order to the pedals? Typically I have the Trio going out to the Yamaha PA, and the ABY going into the Micro Terror/Laney and the Blues Jr. Ignoring the Spark & (sadly) the TC-35. I’m not sure which way to order the pedals, though.

Also, do I split the signal early & put different effects to each amp? I have done that with the wah and it sounds neat.

I get that it’s all subjective, but I love to over-think things… so help me do that.

I did ask Perplexity, ChatGPT, & Gemini for advice, and they seem to provide pretty standard stuff that you may see in guitar forums.

From Perplexity:

๐ŸŽธ

To set up your guitar rig effectively, the goal is to optimize signal flow for tonal clarity while integrating the ABY box and DigiTech Trio Band Creator with your PA system. Here’s a structured approach:

Pedal Order Recommendations

  1. Tuner (D’Addario PW-CT-04):
    Place first to ensure a clean signal for accurate tuning136.
  2. Wah (Ernie Ball 6185):
    Follows the tuner, as wah pedals interact best with an unaltered guitar signal135.
  3. Distortion/Boost (Quinnamp Dirt & Ernie):
    Early gain staging preserves dynamic response. Stack with subsequent drives145.
  4. Overdrives (Joyo BAATSIN, Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium):
    Order these based on preference (e.g., lower-gain first into higher-gain)146.
  5. Preamp (The Spamp+):
    Acts as a tone-shaping buffer. Place after drives to avoid coloring their response34.
  6. Synth (Mooer E7):
    Position after drives for consistent tracking. Synths can behave unpredictably with distorted signals45.
  7. DigiTech Trio Band Creator:
    Place here to analyze your processed guitar signal. Route its output to the Yamaha PA for bass/drum separation24.
  8. Looper (Ammoon Pock Loop):
    Last in the chain to capture the entire signal, including the Trioโ€™s guitar input. This ensures loops include all effects34.
  9. ABY Box (LiveWire ABY1):
    Split the final signal to your Orange Micro Terror/Laney 2×12 and Fender Blues Jr.2.
    • Enable ground lift/isolation if using both amps simultaneously to avoid hum2.

Amplifier Configuration

  • Orange Micro Terror: Connect to the Laney 2×12 cab (ensure impedance matching).
  • Fender Blues Jr.: Use as a standalone combo.
  • Yamaha PA: Dedicated to the Trioโ€™s band mix for a full stereo/backing track experience24.

Key Considerations

  • Experiment with Drive Order: Test the Joyo BAATSIN and Unobtanium in different sequences (e.g., BAATSIN as a mid-boost into the Unobtaniumโ€™s higher gain)14.
  • Synth Placement: If tracking issues arise, try moving the Mooer E7 earlier (post-wah)5.
  • ABY Ground Noise: Use the LiveWire ABY1โ€™s ground-lift feature if humming occurs2.

This setup balances conventional signal-chain logic with your specific gear, ensuring the Trioโ€™s band tracks and dual-amp rig work cohesively. Always test and tweak to suit your playing style!

Citations:

  1. https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/w23bgj/my_first_pedals_in_what_order_do_i_put_them/
  2. https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/18q86t2/aby_with_pedal_boards_and_2_amps/
  3. https://spartanmusic.co.uk/blogs/smblog/12314153-the-essentials-of-setting-up-ordering-your-guitar-pedals
  4. https://www.strymon.net/setting-up-your-effect-signal-chain/
  5. https://www.earthquakerdevices.com/blog-posts/aarons-bass-hole-get-in-line-pedal-order-101
  6. https://articles.boss.info/is-there-a-perfect-pedal-order/
  7. https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/what-is-the-best-pedal-order/
  8. https://catalinbread.com/pages/pedal-order-101
  9. https://www.laney.co.uk/blog/an-easy-guide-to-ampless-guitar-rigs-explained/
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmSEigSiXXY
  11. https://articles.boss.info/the-ultimate-guide-to-guitar-effects-pedal-order-and-signal-chain/
  12. https://forum.orangeamps.com/viewtopic.php?t=22000
  13. https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/news/141962/
  14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH9FO1EMIPQ
  15. https://www.radialeng.com/blog/understanding-aby-switchers
  16. https://thejhsshow.com/articles/understanding-pedal-order
  17. https://www.reddit.com/r/GuitarAmps/comments/lqs3c2/trading_orange_micro_terror_and_cab_for_a_blues/
  18. https://www.musiciansfriend.com/effects-pedals
  19. https://www.reddit.com/r/GuitarAmps/comments/11gnatf/how_do_people_setup_multiple_amps/
  20. https://forum.orangeamps.com/viewtopic.php?t=20110

Answer from Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/how-would-you-hook-up-the-foll-tU6VWW5dR1eQrF1her2o1g?utm_source=copy_output

๐ŸŽธ

Perplexity would not generate a schematic, but ChatGPT & Gemini did… or they tried. They look cool upon first glance, then get real weird when you zoom in… and they don’t even follow the advice of the chain setup. Clearly there is a disparity between the text generation & the image generation. Some of the pedal representations are really cool though, especially with GhatGPT. I can’t help but wonder where it is stolen from. Guitar mag/website rig rundowns?

Gemini generated pedal schematic.

I dunno when Fender started using orange tolex & separate heads… but the pedals look fancy.

ChatGPT generated pedal schematic.

It clearly used the Dirt & Ernie art for the Unobtanium, but it stole that gorgeous Micro Terror from somewhere… and WTF is a Crazy Tauloc? Sounds like an extra on Star Trek.

Granted, I am generally a plug-in, crank the gain, and keep the volume low kind of player. I don’t so effects much. I would like to monkey around with that I have.

Here is where I solicit your advice in the comments and on social media. ๐Ÿค˜

James Gunn’s Creature Commandos Playlist

Posted on by Standard Reply

I’ve been digging Gunn’s painstakingly curated Creature Commandos Spotify Playlist… But, I just noticed he has been deleting as well as adding content since the first episode. I have been maintaining a copy on Amazon Music because we have that, I refuse to pay for Spotify, & I’m not listening to a 2:1 song to commercial ratio.

There’s also something that calls itself Creature Commandos Sountrack Max DC that touts music “from and inspired by” the show. Well, which is from and which inspired by, Warner Bros.?

I did find this Screen Rant article listing all the songs, because… of course.

Are you watching Creature Commandos? You should be. I thought Peacemaker was perfect & it had a banger of a soundtrack too. This one is Gogol Bordello heavy where that had a sleaze metal vibe. I remember seeing Gogol Bordello at least once live. Maybe opening for Flogging Molly?

Also, obviously music was huge for The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, but who remembers the Tromeo & Juliet soundtrack? (Someone made a playlist for that, too.)

Thumbnails from various Creature Commandos playlists, and the Spotify & Amazon Music logos.
Creature Commandos Music

Christmas Music?

Posted on by Standard Reply

So, while I lean into punk & metal on a regular basis, I enjoy a wide variety of Christmas music. A lot of it I can find on Amazon Music (I refuse to pay for Spotify when we have all kinds of other Amazon stuff). Some I can’t. I’ll have to make a YouTube or free crappy free commercial-filled Spotify playlist.

What are some of your favorites? Here are a few of mine.

I also really dig the Bad Religion, Vandals, & Twisted Sister Christmas albums, and so many punk rock comps, and the Willie Nelson & Johnny Cash ones… and the Billy Idol one.

Here are my holiday playlists:

Share your favorites & playlists in the comments!

Also, this rules:

Christmas Playlist Thumbnails from Amazon Music

The World Needs Airheads II.

Posted on by Standard 1

I have blogged about the song from Airheads before, just wondering about the recording of the Reagan Youth cover song, and never really uncovered much about the specific process or the whole change of lyrics & the arrangement, but I did get some replies from various social media from Paul Cripple, Rich Wilkes, & Sean Yseult. (Rich made a really informative comment on my post here. You should check out all of his work!)

There is, however, an incredible article from The Hard Noise about how the song came to be used in the film, & how the band eventually got paid a bit for it… Which is great to know.

I recently copied an old Reddit post of mine (complete with an egregious typo) to threads, and it took off a bit: https://www.threads.net/@aixelsyd13/post/DDh7SppR64k (When is WordPress going to integrate Threads embedding without me getting a plugin?)

I have asked before, & I'll ask again; How do we get Adam Sandler, Brendan Fraser, & Steve Buscemi to make an Airheads 2 where the plot is they break into Spotify to get paid for streaming when they learn that thanks to Nostalgia, social media, or placement in a TV show or movie, "Degenerated" has become a hit again? Does Sandler still have his Netflix deal? Someone, call Hollywood about this and get it done! The Lone Rangers

After some digging, I have been suggesting the idea since at least 2015.

So, who is with me? Social media seems to be on board if you read my comments/replies. Can we get a petition or something? Or the comments here going? Or a social media campaign? Let’s get Rich Wilkes the resources he needs to do a 2nd script and get it in front of the actors! Nostalgia waves are at an all time high.

Perhaps a stupid blog post can get the ball rolling?