This is my New Year’s résolution.

E.

T.

C.

Today I discovered that I need bifocals as I continue to watch my body deteriorate. #HappyNewYear

First fireworks: 5:12 PM. There’s over six hours ‘til midnight.

What are you doing tonight? Best answer wins.

Getting ready to take your calls and answer your questions on KMUZ! 10 PM Sharp!

The Loveline is open at 10 PM, PST. Call in, and we will listen to your problems, weigh them earnestly, and offer advice that we think will help you in all areas of relationship concerns. It’s the best way to end the new year, and a tradition at this point. Join us!

“The individual featured in the photograph has not been identified.”

Archive Update. I have about seven Banker’s Boxes full of CDs. (For context: about four of these “sleeves” fit in one Banker’s Box.) After I finish sorting through to separate the “must keep” from everything else, there should be about four or so Banker’s Boxes full of CDs that I would like to swap.

This collection goes back to High School, with a lot of stuff that isn’t just your average thrift store fare. That’s why I’m hesitant to just give them away. Ideally, I would love to trade / swap with people who are genuinely interested, and we can each hear new tunes that make us happy.

Anyone interested in digging?

Last call on the LPs. Three boxes. Anyone?

Do I have any Max Headroom fans among my friends? Like, a major fan?

Finally got around to sending in a tune for the Complexity Compilation Series, and it’s in the one that came out today! Let’s explore Complex Numbers now…
https://tiforg.bandcamp.com/album/complexity-4

Happy Holidays, George & Betty.

Drop everything. This is extremely important!

It’s our big Christmas Show, with the sounds of the Butte County Free Music Society!
https://anywhenanywhere.com/2018/12/25/a-very-bufms-christmas/

Same.

Which channel has the Kolchak marathon?

It’s not Christmas until Wallace & Davis woo the Haynes Sisters.

Happy Holidays.

As the year unwinds completely before we ramp back up again, I’m in a position to reflect on 2018. This has been an incredible and difficult year, emotionally complicated and full of horrors that I didn’t think humanity was capable of committing.

But concurrently, it has also been an incredibly rewarding year, with more creative accomplishments and output than ever. I had incredible adventures with Marla, who continues to impress and surprise me every day. I challenged myself to do things that scared me and filled me with dread, and I also spent a lot of time hanging out with incredible people who I love dearly.

I lost people who are important. And I met people who are now a good part of my life.

So I don’t know what to make of a year like this. In some ways, it’s been the hardest year. In other ways, the happiest. I feel better off in some ways and behind the 8 Ball in others. I’ve worked on my imperfections more than I was an awful person, which sorta feels like a win. But there is so much about this year that feels awful, it is hard to say this was “good.”

But all that said, this has certainly been a very strange year, and since we live In the future, it is only getting weirder.

But at least it’s getting weirder with all ya’ll, and for that I feel thankful.

Happy Holidays everyone. Let’s do this again next year.

Yule Log Be With You

This Tea Party is off the hook.

“Honestly, I thought the audio of people fighting outside — accompanying the sound of someone vomiting in a trash can — was a bit much. It just doesn’t jive with the ‘Christmas in the Alps’ vibe she curated for the rest of the town.”

Punk Grandma Adds Tiny Venue to Christmas Village Display

I got mine. Peggy’s vegan hot sauce #GhostsofXmas

Justin Hanlon and Leigh Stevens: weren’t we just talking about this?

This bodes well.

When I take off my [steptracker name redacted] I think about shouting, “Resist The Diet Shackle! Candy & Sloth! Candy & Sloth!”

Then I silently wait for it to charge so I can put it back on.

White Elephant gift from Joshua Blanchard’s Holiday Party last night. It cost me two puzzles, a coffee mug and a container of Nescafé. I mean, I guess I could have printed out the Internet or something, so carrying this around is not only exercise, but will save me paper and ink. Plus I have something I can use to drop and break someone’s toe with, or incapacitate small rodents, so it’s multi-functional.

I crossed the street outside of the crosswalk and didn’t get in trouble.

This shutdown is pretty insane.

We know you’ll be binging anyway, so we made this just for you. Two Hours of TV Tunes, dipped in Holiday Cheer, from our remote, to yours. For stream or download.
https://midvalleymutations.com/2018/12/21/christmas-tv-special-128/

If I had more free time, I would start a zine called “Hot Spock.” It would just be really boring essays about politics. But to spice things up, there would be pictures of young Leonard Nimoy.

Badass.

Strollin’

Getting ready for our Christmas TV special tonight! Tune in at 10 PM, Sharp!

This is The Archive. This is where my cassette and CD collection has wound up, along with all the material from the last 25+ years of ‘zines, bands and radio. Fliers, comics, broken drum sticks, random mementos, etc. All the random crap that I’ve accumulated.

The goal for 2019 is to sort this archive into something more useable. Hopefully I can put in some shelves so I can access the tapes and CDs a little more readily; I wanna make a larger “book” to house the fliers, etc.

I don’t claim it’s anything special. It’s largely a lot of junk that probably will get tossed when I realize how much of it hasn’t aged well and / or isn’t necessary to keep moving forward. As someone who is overly sentimental and has only lived out of boxes for most of my life, most of the time I haven’t had the opportunity to to do more than toss more shit into a box and put it in storage. So this should be an interesting project. I’m certain to be embarrassed by most of it. But I’m sure a gem or two will pop up here and there.

And, I’ll be happy to see it slim down, in the end.

I can’t let the past go, apparently.

Teenager: I’m into this game, D&D. It’s really cool
Me: Yeah, I played that when I was your age.
Teenager: No! You don’t understand! I’m playing D&D, not you!

Our Christmas TV Special is tomorrow night at 10 PM! Tune in to hear your favorite ghosts of TV past, as they they blast forth from your radio, just in time for the holidays! All your old TV friends are here: Walt Disney, Jimmy Durante, Albert Finney, Kogar The Swingin’ Ape, Tom Fuckin’ Peterson, Pee-Wee Herman, Ron Moody & Twiggy?, The Riverbottom Nightmare Band, Bob & Doug McKenzie, Richard Brautigan and a cast of thousands! Join us as we channel surf through the hits we all know and love. Friday at 10 PM, Sharp.

This is so excellent. Special thanks to Marc Time and Jared Richard, who — between the two of them — reduced this pile by three crates. This is such an excellent albatross lifted from around my neck, and I thank both of you for the help.

There are still these three left. Anyone wanna rummage before these are donated to Freeform Portland?

I know I’m fighting a losing battle. But: why not consider using “actually” instead of “literally”? It is actually funnier than literally anything else.

Baking fixes everything.

Mail Art (Sent 18 December 2018) by Austin Rich.

Want to receive some mail art? As the kids say: slide into my DMs…

We have the beginning of your New Year’s Eve weekend planned out, with Sadgasm returning to the show!

Jeff is a lot of fun to chat with, and as someone who has been trolling his blog for years, it was cool to get insight into his motives behind Panic on 13th: A Eugene, Oregon music blog. Enjoy!
https://anywhenanywhere.com/2018/12/18/jeff-cellars-remember-25-years-ago-when-you-were-in-a-band/

I mean, who among us didn’t know that it’s a crime to lie to the FBI? I mean: c’mon.

Is there an classical epic poem about Metallica yet? Seems like there should be.

These need a new home. I can no longer care for them. Do you want them? Are you interested in even some of them? Know a friend who might? I would love to find a way to get them in the hands of somebody who would care. Do you?

Silly.

Various outlets online seemed to take issue with my Melvins / Muzak mash-up, but I find this a soothing way to celebrate this time of year. This is included on the new digital album, Seasons Greetings.

There are two spoken word pieces on this album read by me: a poem by Robert Service recorded in 1998, and a modern recording of a holiday story written by Richard Brautigan. Along with some live Mini-Mutations holiday jams, this is the perfect way to celebrate the coldest of Seasons. Enjoy!
https://wtbc.bandcamp.com/album/seasons-greetings

So much of the dialog from The Great British Bake Off just sounds dirty.

This was ridiculously fun. Hanging out with JUICE MACHINE… and jamming live with them in hour two? It was MY holiday gift, and I love getting a new JUICE MACHINE.
https://midvalleymutations.com/2018/12/14/how-much-is-that-juice-machine-in-the-window-127/

Getting ready for our show tonight, and we’ll be having Audience Participation in full effect during the show. While JUICE MACHINE and I are jamming away, feel free to call in, and join the show. You can make some noise, sing along, or accompany us in some other manner that makes sense to you. Have you ever felt like radio was missing the personal touch? Well, now we can add that very thing we were missing: you. The fun starts at 10 PM.

Here’s a podcast version of my appearance on “Analog Love Letter,” hosted by Holiday Special (Denise Chelini). There’s plenty of blah blah blah by me about what Mini-Mutations is / means to me, and then a live Holiday-themed performance at the back-end. I’m quite proud of this. Check it out?
https://midvalleymutations.com/2018/12/11/analog-love-letter-11-december-2018/

If you are an early-’80’s synth nerd, love the tape-trading / ‘zine networks of the olden days, or happen to be a fan of the Numero Group, and their new release – Switched-On Eugene – then you will want to listen to this one. His work as a classical guitar teacher could probably fill any entire show on its own.
https://anywhenanywhere.com/2018/12/11/peter-thomas-i-can-really-do-something-with-this/

Goddammit I love you Jad Fair.

I thought that David Bowie and Bing Crosby singing a duet was fairly odd growing up, but that isn’t even the strangest part of this Special. Crosby wanders into Charles Dickens study, and Dickens is there, alive, whining about how he’s not as famous as he should be in a weird fourth wall breaking exchange. Then Twiggy walks in and starts zinging Dickens about his terrible books. Afterwards, they all sing a song from from the point of view of the different characters in A Christmas Carol, where they are arguing about which one of them is the main character of the story. This is accompanied by something that looks like a scene from Scrooged, as all the Dickens characters are played by Twiggy and other English actors.

And the rest of the Special has a side plot about Crosby tracing his family tree, where he segues into Bowie’s “Heroes.”

Did somebody dose my tea!??

My new goth band is just called V V. I can’t wait to hear kids as for either “Doubleyou” or “You You” at the record stores.

“We don’t care what grown ups say.”

Damn straight.

I fear that I’m more interested in this book than the thee year old is.

There’s a lot of great stuff you can watch with kids, but sometimes you have to explain a little too much for it to really make sense. How do I explain why it’s funny that Lynn Swann is dancing ballet with Bob The Dog?

I am so very torn. When I meet people in the world, they are kind and full of love and sadness and stories that are amazing and interesting. But most news, politics, and social media suggests a selfish, horrible world full of mean people who have no time for anything or anyone else.

I am sure that both of these worlds exist. That there really are selfish assholes and kind people in the same world, and that they are only represented disproportionately in my experiences. And yet, how can I quit all news and politics only because it enrages me?

How do you deal with this disparity in the world? I have no room for toxicity in my life, but huge swaths of it are full of awful, terrible people. My daily interactions are usually with wonderful and nice people, but if I open myself up to the world via media, it’s a horror show. What do you do? How do you handle this?

Just in time for the Holidays…

Playlist Details

Time for a Riverbottom Adventure!

It must be a different tense. I Smoke, You Smoked, We Will Smock.

To be fair, who among us hasn’t misspelled the same word twice on Social Media when lying to the entire world about previous lies that we may or may not have been caught in?

There was never a better band.

“I always try to wonder
how it must feel to be real.
In one door, out the other.
On the cover, do you think it shows?”

We need some of that French attitude over here.

“We the punx are out tonight!
We’re gonna start a riot! What a sight!
Burning cop cars and looting stores.
Eating the rich because we’re poor.

Nazi cops and nazi skins,
sometimes it seems theyre gonna win.
Gotta stick together! Gotta tighten up!
Then were gonna fuk shit up!”

They cruised around the universe.
They were looking for girls, I guess.
All I could think of was,
‘How did I ever get myself into this mess?’

I didn’t have much money.
They didn’t have much class.
I didn’t even want to go,
and they made me pay for gas.

They swerved around the planets,
at a thousand miles a minute,
singings songs, I sang along.
But my heart just wasn’t in it.

They dropped me off at home,
and in a wink they were gone.
They didn’t even apologize
for the skid marks on my lawn.

They said that some day they might be back.
I wish they would let me be.
In fact, if I don’t ever see them
it’ll be just fine with me.

There’s Emo, and then there’s Rites of Spring.

“I… wish… sometimes…
the mind were blind.

(I see) what must be seen.
(I feel) what can’t be real.
(I know) what’s done is done.
It goes on and on…”

Do you like food, experimental music, and the Holiday Season? Join us at The Space Concert Club tonight!.

Still looking for two volunteers for the show tomorrow. Must like to eat and not be afraid of being in the show. Interested?

Tomorrow

Tomorrow

Tomorrow

We’re already getting some positive feedback from our live listeners, so here’s the podcast, available for stream or download. Happy Holidays!
https://midvalleymutations.com/2018/12/07/seasons-greetings-126

We’re already getting some positive comments from listeners who tuned in live, so why not enjoy this holiday edition of our show, now available for stream or download. Enjoy!

You know that feeling when you’re done with a huge story and you feel a little empty, and you don’t know how to fill that hole just yet?

Sigh.

Getting ready to go live at 10 PM with a new episode of Mid-Valley Mutations. Holiday stories, new music, and live jams. Tune in!

So… now what?
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-federal-crime-michael-cohen-1250466?utm_source=Facebook

Looking for two volunteers to help with the stage show at The Space on Sunday. Interested?

I love seeing and hearing all this Pete Shelley music. Yes, I’m bummed, but holy cow, what a fuckin’ bouncey, beautiful vision for what punk could be. These records will last a zillion years, they’re so pure and golden and trying find that pain we are all too familiar with, and transform it into a skating anthems that made you feel connected to the larger world of lonely, sad people. I even give his shitty new wave records a pass too, because it’s clear to me he means it. What a great artist. I was lucky enough to see him three times, and each one filled me joy, in spite of the sadness at the core of his tunes. Keep the Buzzcocks coming. Let’s rock the night away.

When did you realize what was supposed to be in these small wooden barrels around a rescue Dog’s neck?

Sometimes childcare is a three year old who is crying because she wants to watch Frosty The Snowman. But she doesn’t understand she is watching Frosty The Snowman, but he isn’t in every scene.

Sigh. Kids are not very smart, nor do they have good taste.

Who wants to buy me tickets to see Arthur Brown? This will probably be amazing?

Watching kids cartoons now is a really creepy trip through the rubicon; when the characters don’t talk directly to the screen, it’s a commercial for a toy that looks like a YouTube unboxing video.

Oh shit! Schlong is playing a rare gig! Road trip, anyone?

So, not your first or second. But what is your third or fourth favorite TV show?

Here’s the short version.

I want to make a Christmas movie that, “remembers a good old fashioned Christmas, the way it was when I was a kid.” Then you realize that the year must be at least 3625, given context clues and dialog hints. Then it turns into Die Hard in Space, because I guess people like Die Hard?

Order something “offline” and join The Blanks. This is not a joke.

Wow. Marla Rich and I have been living together for seven years. I didn’t think it had been that long. I love you!

I’ve been hearing stories of the prolific mix-tape making of Lux Interior, but I didn’t imagine that we’d be lucky enough to actually get a Christmas mix tape.
https://dangerousminds.net/comments/songs_santa_claus_taught_us_download_the_christmas_mix

I appreciate what you’re trying to do Sesame Street, But Elmo Riverdancing to teach kids about feet seems a bridge too far.

And: (AND!) [/and] we now have a new home. Check us out at anywhenanywhere.com! (Old links work; new links are better!)
http://anywhenanywhere.com/

While this isn’t “news,” I’m still reeling. Being in the Dial-A-Song network is pretty exciting. Thanks They Might Be Giants!

Catch up with WTBC Radio In Beautiful Anywhere, Anywhen! Join me for chats and performances by Hal McGee, The Paintings, Forrest Friends, The Weatherman, Mark Hosler, Wobbly & Geoff Parks! (Plus a tour breakdown / live performance by Mini-Mutations.) We’ve had a good run, but there’s more to come, so subscribe!

New podcast episode! My conversation with Geoff Parks! I don’t want to spoil anything, but we talk about memes. Be prepared.
https://anywhenanywhere.com/2018/12/04/geoff-parks-it-always-takes-a-while-to-find-yourself/