And now, the announcement.

OK, as many (most?) of you will have noticed, I've been using Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls as my theme song for these sets for a long time. But it has recently come to my attention that while the whole Prop. 8 thing was going on in California (and a disgusting, hateful law it is), Amanda Palmer (the female half of The Dresden Dolls, Evelyn Evelyn, and one of the partners in the 8in8 project) staged a protest of the proposition at one of her solo shows. This I approve of. What I can't approve of (and, in fact, was disgusted by) was the form of that protest.

It seems that she, aided Margaret Cho, felt the best way to protest for marriage equality was stage a rape and forced marriage of "Katy Perry". I put this in quotes because it was a Katy-Perry lookalike that she (Amanda) introduced and had start to sing that obnoxious track, "I Kissed a Girl". Various women started coming out on stage, dressed in various stereotypical outfits seen as 'lesbian' to be toyed with and rebuffed by "Katy". Then out comes Margaret Cho wearing a strap-on and a big grin, and she forces "Katy" to fondle the strap on while Amanda has now come out on the other side of "Katy", who is by now getting really freaked out and trying to get away. Amanda forces "Katy" into a kiss while Margaret starts to move the dildo under "Katy's" skirt. At this point a sheet is raised in front of them by some of the show's cast members while Amanda, Margaret & "Katy" go through what appears to be an enthusiastic rape scene, but is in reality a costume change resulting in the sheet in front of them being dropped to reveal Margaret now in Clerical garb, Amanda in a punk wedding dress and "Katy" tied up with duct tape across her mouth trying to hop away and being restrained by Amanda while a sign reading "Fuck Prop. 8" being raised behind them.

I only found out about this just this month, a sign that the forecast singularity is not yet here because this happened 3 years ago. I have tried to find some, any, indication that either Amanda &/or Margaret have said or done anything to indicate they have some remorse for using rape imagery to promote marriage equality. But I haven't been able to find any. They have both declined to respond to anything negative that has been said to or about them on this topic. This has led me to the feeling that Amanda & Margaret somehow feel that rape is okay, if it happens to someone you don't like or believes in something you disagree with.

I struggled with this for several days before coming to a decision. Which leads to this announcement. Until such a time as Amanda Palmer and Margaret Cho make some sort of repudiation of their use of rape as a tool of revenge, I will no longer do anything to promote them or generate income for them. That means, as a DJ, I will no longer play anything I know either of them were involved with, and as a consumer, I will not buy anything they have produced or go see them at a show. I will leave it to you what your actions will be, but I will recommend you do the same.

You will notice I have not provided any links to these things. If you wish to learn more, go to Google.com and enter the search terms "Amanda Palmer Katy Perry Rape" and check out the various links. I watched a video of it once and that was enough for me. I don't want to see it again.

And on that somber note, I will sign off for today. There will be no Chai Me Up post for the May 23 show because the record button didn't get pushed for the entire show (oops), but we'll be back with the Geared-Up Jazz show on the 26th.

Geared-Up Jazz, May 19, '12

And that brings us to the fourth podcast post for the day (I hope you're going to enjoy all of this music). Instead of slowing things down, I'm just going to shut up and post the link to this podcast, and the playlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Take Good Care by Liv Kristine
3. Ultimate (BBC Sessions) by Gogol Bordello
4. Madiera M'Dear by Flanders And Swann
5. The Future Soon by Jonathan Coulton
6. Não Se Apavore by Luca Mundaca
7. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate by Preservation Hall Jazz Band
8. Dunce by Voltaire
9. Evisceration by Carfax Abbey
10. Guitar Hero [Feat. East Bay Ray] by Amanda Palmer
11. Battle Angel Chpt I by Angelzoom
12. Temptation by Diana Krall
13. Maggie's Farm by Ben Sidran
14. It's All Over Now by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Dr. John
15. Transatlantique by Beirut
16. Dance Me To The End Of Love by Madeleine Peyroux
17. Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie & The Banshees
18. Story From Strawmouth by Blackbird Raum
19. Victorian Vigilante by Abney Park *
20. I'll Still be a Geek After Nobody Thinks it's Chic by Marian Call *
21. Take Five by Dave Brubeck
22. Percy Has Returned by Katzenjammer Kabarett
23. Pair-A-Dimes by Aeon Now
24. Rip Van Winkle by Lily Wilde
25. Belleville Rendez-Vous (Demo) by Ben Charest
26. Sojourn by Corvus Corax
27. Tea for Two by Anita O'Day
28. Scarlet Carpet Interstate, Part One by Nathaniel Johnstone & The Brazilian Surf Mafia
29. Calloway Boogie by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
30. Bike Pump Meets Bucket by Aphex Twin (aka Polygon Window)
31. Even if You're Missing Fingers You Can Make a Fist by The Barons of Tang
32. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) by Duke Ellington

* = Request

And for those who'd like to acquire as many of these as you can, here's the link to the iTunes playlist.

Chai Me Up, May 16, '12 - The Oops Edition

OK, I still have egg on my face from this. The podcast you're about to listen to is missing its first 23 minutes because I forgot to push the record button.... Ooops. BUT, as can be the way with these things, I got so many requests at this show that you still get over 2 hours of party to listen in to.

So, without further ado (and attempting to escape my embarrassment), here's the link to this recording and here's the playlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Sinama Denw by Habib Koite
3. Kanun Taksimi by Sevval Sam
4. My Innermost by Angelzoom
5. Winky in C Minor by Dr. Steel
6. The Dancing Bear by Natalie Merchant
7. Caravaan by Churn Milk Joan
8. Raanjhan by Midival Punditz *
9. Tombo by Angelique Kidjo
10. The Seaweed Under the Sofa by Biscuithead & the Biscuit Badgers
11. Dragons by Caravan Palace
12. No One Said It Would Be Easy by Cloud Cult
13. Puttin' on the Ritz by Shiny Toy Guns *
14. The Old Black Rum by Great Big Sea *
15. Lisanga by Toto Bona Lokua
16. Nautical Miles From Home by Cybraphon
17. Yalla Chant by Natacha Atlas
18. (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay by Da Vinci's Notebook
19. Don't Walk Away by Insomniac Folklore
20. Amulet by Natacha Atlas *
21. Death Death (Devil, Devil, Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil, Evil, Evil Song) by Voltaire *
22. Ehad by Zohar
23. Crushed by Collide
24. Wa Marret Al Ayam by Dr. Samy Farag
25. Homocide by Asinyane
26. Domino by Jessie J *
27. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Shikisha
28. Belleville Rendez-Vous (French Version) by M+S
29. Mwafwako by Mapumba
30. My Life by Abney Park *
31. Dard-E-Disco by Sukhwinder Singh
32. Dead Man Walking by Corvus Corax
33. The Good Time Girl by Clare Fader & The Vaudevillains
34. Dil To Pagal Hai by Shah Rukh Khan *
35. Scarborough Fayre by Mediaeval Baebes
36. Acrophelia's Lament by Circus Contraption
37. Scenic World by Beirut
38. Satyros by Faun

* = Request

And for those who'd like to acquire as many of these as you can, here's the link to the iTunes playlist.

Geared-Up Jazz, May 12, '12

Moving right along, this set was, as is usual these days, recorded at the party in Faversham Square in Second Life, and you are all invited to join us at 5 p.m. Pacific time on Saturdays to be there live. BTW, in case you keep missing it, you can always request a song you'd like to hear by posting a comment to that effect on one of these podcast posts and I'll work it into an upcoming show.

In the meantime, this is the second of four podcasts I'll be posting today and here's the link you're wanting, and here's the playlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Hell's Bells by Cary Ann Hearst
3. The Chauffeur by Sleepthief
4. Jesus Christ Superstar by Laibach
5. Walkin' Boss by Garcia & Grisman
6. Lili Marlene by Marlene Dietrich
7. Personal Jesus by Johnny Cash
8. Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock
9. The Birds, The Trees and You by Alexandra Hamer
10. Steampunk Girl by John Anealio
11. Along Came Mister Nobody - Ursula 1000 by Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby
12. Child King by Abney Park
13. Dura by Ratatat
14. Caravaan by Churn Milk Joan
15. Don't Wait Too Long by Madeleine Peyroux
16. Shall We Dance by Stacey Kent
17. I Get A Kick Out Of You by Ella Fitzgerald
18. The King is Dead by Flying Chivaus
19. Script Language by Humanwine
20. Transcrypt by Aural Vampire
21. Trans Poly U Fight Song by Tom Smith
22. Hoe Down by Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
23. In the Rowans by Balmorhea
24. All You Want by Unextraordinary Gentlemen
25. I'll Still be a Geek After Nobody Thinks it's Chic by Marian Call *
26. Baroque Hoedown by Jean-Jacques Perrey & Gershon Kingsley *
27. Big Spender by Shirley Bassey
28. All That I Need Is Love by Melody Gardot
29. Mary Blunder by The Legendary Kid Combo
30. Savior of the Skies by The Cog is Dead
31. Jeepers Creepers by Louis Armstrong
32. Walk Like An Egyptian by The Puppini Sisters

* = Request

And for those who'd like to acquire as many of these as you can, here's a link to the iTunes playlist.

Chai Me Up, May 9, '12

Today I will be making a total of 5 (that's five) posts. Four podcast posts and an announcement (more on that in 4 posts). We're going to start today's posting barrage with the Chai Me Up set from 3 weeks ago.

Here's the link to this podcast and here's the playlist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Beautiful Decline by Abney Park
3. Blood Makes Noise by Suzanne Vega
4. Breathing by Shiva In Exile
5. Amarain by Amr Diab
6. Bela Lugosi's Dead (Bauhaus) by Nouvelle Vague
7. Eh Zalahy by Tarika Sammy
8. Raphael by CocoRosie
9. The World by Empire Of The Sun
10. The Coo Coo Bird by The Be Good Tanyas
11. Miniature Disasters by KT Tunstall
12. Caravan by Miranda Sex Garden
13. The Nomad by Niraj Chag
14. Lap Dog by Rickie Lee Jones
15. Breathe Me by Sia
16. They by Jem
17. Come As You Are by Laura Love
18. Steampunk Soul'd by Set Prometheus Aflame
19. Nothing Else Matters (Metallica & AOV) by Carol Tatum (Angels of Venice)
20. Answers by Aeon Now
21. Stilt Faeries by Circus Contraption
22. Batonga by Angelique Kidjo
23. The Ways of the Wind by P.M. Dawn *
24. Ya Rayah (Sonar Remix) by Dahmane el Harrachi
25. Ghir Enta by Souad Massi
26. How Have You Been by Ani DiFranco
27. Led Carmina by Fuse *
28. Kashmir by Gregorian *
29. Sarama by Vieux Farka Touré
30. Frontier by Dead Can Dance
31. Moroccan 6 by Fat Chance Belly Dance & Helm
32. The Trouble by Birdeatsbaby

* = Request

And for those who'd like to acquire as many of these as you can, here's a handy-dandy link to the iTunes playlist.

Why no Geared-Up Jazz today

I have a really good reason why there's no recording of the Geared-Up Jazz party today - I couldn't be there. You see, I got a call from my father a few hours before I was due to start DJing and found out that my 77-year-old mother had had her first accident as a driver. Seems someone decided that they needed to make a left turn right in front of her (despite not having the right-of-way) and redecorated the left-front corner of her car for her.

Mom's all right and out of the hospital with nothing more that sore muscles, and a couple of bruises & scrapes. But she wasn't released by the hospital until too late for me to make it home to DJ.

By the way folks, if you (for some stupid reason) decide to go head into head with a Prius with something smaller than a tank, expect to lose. Mom's car only took damage to her bumper and left fender. The other car's grill was missing and the bumper was in the engine compartment. And Mom's airbags didn't even have to deploy. I'm putting Priuses on a safety par with Volvos.

Chai Me Up, May 2, '12

And this it the most recent (more on that later) set to be uploaded as a podcast. With this, we are all up to date.

Here's a link to the recording of this set and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Magnetic by Tabla Beat Science
3. Nowhere Man by Auscultate
4. Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo
5. Postales by Federico Aubele
6. Mas Que Nada by The Black Eyed Peas
7. Kalan Nege by Issa Bagayogo
8. The Secret Life of Doctor Calgori by Abney Park
9. Sagal Ko [Honor Her] + Tu Dois La Proteger by Youssou N'dour
10. Hit 'Em Up Style by Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii
11. Hang Me Up to Dry by Cold War Kids
12. Turbo Tabla 4 by Turbo Tabla
13. Simplicity by Uzma
14. Remember Tomorrow by Mo' Horizons
15. I Don't Believe You by The Magnetic Fields
16. Batalti Eli by Zaman
17. My Clock Explodes (When I'm Alone) Pt. 2 by Aeon Now
18. Sawura Wako by Stella Chiweshe & the Earthquake
19. Lonlon (Ravel's Bolero) by Angelique Lonlon
20. Ever Falls the Twilight by The Gothic Archies
21. Neopolitan Dreams by Lisa Mitchell
22. Badlands by The Beauty of Gemina
23. Seduces Me by Celine Dion *
24. Following the Sun (Radio edit) by Enigma
25. Pour by Lori McKenna
26. Jai Ho by Sukhwinder Singh
27. One Fine Wire by Colbie Caillat *
28. Dancing With The Moon by Balkan Beat Box
29. Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina
30. Desert Banjo by Amsterdam Klezmer Band

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Geared-Up Jazz, Apr. 28, '12

It's time to finish catching up on these sets. Only two to post today and we'll be done. I must apologize for how some of these most recent sets have been sounding. We seem to have a problem with our ISP not transmitting data to and from stream providers, even when just listening to music on an internet radio station, as a result, we've been having problems with the stream we send out our music on dropping the connections on us. This results in my having to piece together some of these set from as many as four different files and, sometimes, the edits aren't as seamless as I'd like. We are working on this and hope to have this all resolved before the end of the year. :-/

Anyway, here's the link to the recording of this set and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Knockin' On My Coffin by Bat Country
3. The Plank by The Devil Makes Three
4. SteamCrunk Oral Literotica by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys
5. Look Them Act by Balkan Beat Box
6. Take Five by Miles Davis *
7. Iridescent by Linkin Park *
8. Every Day I Have the Blues by Count Basie Orchestra
9. Hobo Wicked Fix by Fable Cry
10. Can't Get Out of This Mood by George Treadwell and His All Stars
11. Air-Ballooning by Flying Chivaus
12. Makin' Whoopee by Frank Sinatra
13. Killer Queen by Auscultate
14. The Death Of The Hero by Abney Park
15. Irish Drinking song (Drink and Fight) by Buck-O-Nine (misidentified as Flogging Molly) *
16. The Heart Of Saturday Night by Diana Krall
17. Gangster Filly by Dave Davesworth III
18. Piston Brown by Paul Shapera
19. Backstabber Lady by Miss Li
20. Monkey Man by Cheat You Fair
21. Europa by Globus
22. Fire & Ice by Rasputina
23. Shroud (Exordium) by Fields of the Nephilim
24. Oh! Lady be Good by Bob Haggart and His Orchestra
25. Gaslight (The Ballad of Dorian Gray) by Corset
26. Gogol Mogol by Amsterdam Klezmer Band
27. Lakes of Pontchartrain by The Be Good Tanyas
28. Getting Closer (The Trance Mix) by Nitzer Ebb
29. Diva Ex Machina (Short Edit) by Cyan Roddington
30. Vainlarn's Airship by Joseph Foster
31. Telephone Call from Istanbul by Tom Waits
32. Come On-a My House by Rosemary Clooney
33. Unentitled States of Hysteria by Humanwine

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Where this music comes from

From time to time, I get asked where I find the music I play and where I find out about it in the first place.

Let's take where I find out about them first. Obviously, some of the songs I play are occasionally played on the radio. But many of the songs are not what you would call 'popular' enough to appear there. In fact, if you don't have a contract with a record label, it's almost impossible to get on anything other than a local station, as there's no way they can get in with the distributors that feed 99% of the radios stations out there.

So I find them through recommendations of people who come to my sets ("Hey, could you play X song by Y band" or "Have you heard of Z band? They sound a lot like what you're playing now."). Or I'll be listening to another DJ and think that that track sounds cool and ask them for the info on it. Or I'll check out other Steampunk sites & podcasts (like The Clockwork Cabaret) to see what they've played or liked. The same goes with the few online 'radio' stations that play Steampunk music (like Radio Riel).

And then, once I find out about the bands, I find ways to get ahold of their music. Some are easy (iTunes music store, downloads from the band's website or from Bandcamp) and some aren't so easy (the band broke up, no one has their music anymore, etc.). For those, you start to need to find music stores with connections. I don't ask about those connections, but I'm glad they exist. I'm sure you all have heard about the various illegal means of acquiring music, but I'm hardly going to promote that.

Anyway, I hope that helps and I really do recommend checking out places like Bandcamp. You might find things there that you like, but would never have heard of before. I know I have.

Chai Me Up, Apr. 25, '12

Here's the link to the set for today's second release, and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Hyperballad - (Brodsky Quartet version) by Björk
3. Iieee by Tori Amos
4. Ask (Love) by Turkish Delight
5. Untamed Dancer by Mosavo
6. Dear Prudence by Siouxsie & The Banshees
7. Oriental Distortion by Shiva In Exile
8. Djabo by X-Tribe
9. The Dark-haired Girl by Méav
10. Hanging High by Lykke Li
11. Singapore by Tom Waits
12. Copper Calloway by Joseph Foster
13. Blue Angel by Squirrel Nut Zippers *
14. Carolyn's Fingers by Cocteau Twins
15. Barra Barra by Rachid Taha
16. Witness To Marriage by Trilok Gurtu
17. What's a Girl to Do? by Bat for Lashes
18. In the Rowans by Balmorhea
19. Desert Gypsy by Mohamed El-Bakkar
20. Heroine by Blonde Redhead
21. Further In Time by Afro Celt Sound System
22. Egyptian Belly Dance Routine by Salatin Al Tarab Orchestra
23. Sea of Love by Cat Power
24. Absinthe by Beth Orton
25. 'Cept You & Me Babe by Greg Brown
26. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) by The Decemberists
27. Barry the Steampunk Monster by A Halo Called Fred
28. Kashira by Kodo
29. We Walk The Same Line by Everything But The Girl
30. Beni Beni by Niyaz
31. Bad Moon Rising by The Bastard Fairies

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.

Geared Up Jazz, Apr. 21, '12

Only two updates today. I'm about a week b behind in stitching the pieces of my sets together from having my stream cut out on me. But I'll get them sorted out soon.

In the meantime, here's the link to the recording of this set and here's the tracklist:

1. Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
2. Leaving Ground by Etherine
3. Thick As Thieves by Natalie Merchant
4. War by Poets of the Fall
5. Too Young To Die by Jamiroquai
6. You Leave Me Cold by Jill Tracy
7. Sometimes, Sunshine by Revue Noir
8. Conveniently Confused by Evestus
9. Prenzlauerberg by Beirut
10. The Fox And The Leopard by Penguin Cafe
11. Just An Old-Fashioned Girl by Eartha Kitt
12. Shout by Unwoman
13. I Got Rhythm (Take the Lead Remix) by Lena Horne, Q-Tip
14. Peek-A-Boo by Siouxsie & The Banshees
15. Whatever Lola Wants by Sarah Vaughan
16. Shoo-shoo baby by The Andrews Sisters
17. Reggae Mortis by Voltaire
18. When a Man Loves a Woman by Gregorian
19. I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by The Ink Spots *
20. Once Eliot Turned Ugly In His Lover's Bed by Katzenjammer Kabarett
21. Dark Eyes by Beat Circus
22. A song for Douglas (after He's Dead) by Cawatana
23. This Little Piggy by Rasputina
24. Upside Down by Max Raabe
25. I'm Beautiful by Bette Midler
26. Another Bag Of Bricks (Acoustic) by Flogging Molly
27. Naie Kashe by Amsterdam Klezmer Band
28. Bully Boys by The Tiger Lillies
29. Take The A Train by Duke Ellington
30. Always True To You In My Fashion by Blossom Dearie
31. Raymond Dog Boy by The Scarring Party
32. Five Months, Two Weeks, Two Days by Louis Prima, Sam Butera, Keely Smith
33. Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman

* = Request

And for those who'd like to buy some of the tracks, here's a link to what iTunes has of this set.