The OH-IO Mix

There is a man -- let's call him Deejay Graybosch -- who likes to send me links to news items of obese people cemented to lawn chairs or accidental deaths via sex toy with the express purpose of following up with "...and it happened in Ohio!"

California's my birth state and where I've lived for the past 6 years, but I spent my childhood and college years in the Buckeye State. Most people here, upon hearing that fact, assume that I'm adopted or wonder why I'm not wearing overalls. You ever have someone from Bakersfield try to clown on the city you're from? Unbelievable.

But aside from me, there are tons of extraordinary people from Ohio. Oscar winner Halle Berry, "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride" NBA star LeBron James, indie auteur Jim Jarmusch, Sarah Jessica Parker from that one show, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and a slew of other notables. And when it comes to music, we're not too shabby either.

Below is the best and brightest Ohio has to offer in terms of musicianship. For obvious reasons, I omitted 98 Degrees, Lil' BowWow, and with a heavy heart, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. BTW, it is an Ohio rite of passage to say you saw a member of Bone at your local Kroger grocery store. Ask any Ohioan. Well, any Ohioan of color.

1) The Pixies "Here Comes Your Man" -- Kim Deal, bassist, from Dayton, OH



Bonus: My boyfriend Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing "Here Comes Your Man" from 500 Days of Summer.



2) The Black Keys "She's Long Gone" -- from Akron, OH




3) The National "Blood Buzz Ohio" -- from Cincinnati, OH




4) The Pretenders "Creep" (Radiohead cover) -- Chrissie Hynde, lead singer, from Akron, OH




5) Macy Gray "Wake Up" (Arcade Fire cover) -- from Canton, OH




6) Kid Cudi "All Along" -- from Cleveland, OH




7) RJD2 "Smoke and Mirrors" -- from Columbus, OH




8) Soul Position "Keep it Hot for Daddy" -- RJD2 and Blueprint, from Columbus, OH




9) Adam WarRock "Angry Asian Man" -- Ohio State University alum




10) Hi-Tek "Breakin' Bread" -- from Cincinnati, OH




11) John Legend "Slow Dance" -- from Springfield, OH




12) Bobby Womack "Across 110th Street" -- from Cleveland, OH




13) Ohio Players "Summertime" -- from Dayton, OH




14) Nancy Wilson "Satin Doll" -- from Chillicothe, OH




15) The Isley Brothers (feat. Jimi Hendrix) "Looking for a Love" -- from Cincinnati, OH




16) The O'Jays "How Does It Feel" -- from Canton, OH




17) Kool and the Gang "Summer Madness" -- Robert and Ronald Bell, from Youngstown, OH




18) Bootsy Collins "Funk McLovin'" -- from Cincinnati, OH




19) Deee-Lite "Groove is in the Heart" -- Lady Miss Kier, lead singer, from Youngstown, OH




20) Zapp and Roger "I Wanna Be Your Man" -- from Dayton, OH

Daniel Johnston: Crazy or Genius?

Hey there! Boy things have been busy. Thank god Greybush has been holding down the fort! Hopefully you downloaded his Soul Mix 6. On the mix is Mayer Hawthorne covering Daniel Johnston's Held the Hand. I had never heard of Daniel Johnston but after doing a little bit of research I have come to realize that he is one of the greatest American singer/songwriters in the last 30 years. Seriously.

Aside from being completely crazy (ok, bi-polar) Daniel's voice sucks. His instruments are junk. His recordings were made in his bedroom. Yet, you can still tell that you're listening to something magical. This is why so many artists have covered his work. Here are some covers and some originals. Leave a comment and tell me whether you like his songs or the covers more.

First up is Walking the Cow. I've got a version by Teenage Fan Club, Kathy McCarty and Daniel. I purposely left off versions by Pearl Jam, A Side and fIREHOSE because they just aren't as good.

Teenage Fan Club - Walking the Cow (2004)


Kathy McCarty - Walking the Cow (1994)


Daniel Johnston - Walking the Cow (1983)


Next up is the song Go covered by Sparklehorse and the Flaming Lips. Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse was actually a big fan of Daniel Johnston's. He worked on a few projects with Johnston; trying to make old Johnston recordings sound more mainstream.

Sparklehorse and the Flaming Lips - Go (2004)


Daniel Johnston - Go (1985)


And finally, the song that introduced me to Daniel Johnston's work; Mayer Hawthorne's Cover of Held the Hand.

Mayer Hawthorne - Held the Hand (2010)


Daniel Johnston - Held the Hand (1990)


So what do you think, genius, or crazy?

Jeffro

Reflection Eternal Tour Dates

Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek accepted each others friend requests and not only have a new album coming out but a tour as well. These two were responsible for some of the go to jams in my college days.  We used to put on "This Means You".....and then continue to sit there not doing much of anything.  But boy did that song make me want to get hyped.  If only getting hyped didn't require so much energy.

Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek featuring Mos Def- This Means You


Check them out if they are coming to your city.

4/22 Cincinnati, OH/Covington, KY Xavier University/Madison Theater
4/24 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection
4/25 Pontiac, MI Crofoot Ballroom
4/27 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
4/29 New York, NY Nokia Theater Times Square
4/30 New Brunswick, NJ Rutgers University
5/2 Long Island, NY Crazy Donkey
5/3 Washington, DC Black Cat
5/5 Philadelphia, PA The Note
5/10 Kansas City, MO Midland Theater
5/11 Tulsa, OK Cain’s
5/12 Houston, TX Warehouse
5/13 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
5/15 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
5/16 Denver, CO Bluebird
5/19 Los Angeles, CA House Of Blues
5/20 Anaheim, CA The Grove
5/21 Phoenix, AZ The Clubhouse
5/22 Tucson, AZ DV8
5/23 Ventura, CA Ventura Theater
5/24 San Francisco, CA Fillmore Theater
5/25 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
5/26 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst Nightclub
5/28 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
5/29 Seattle, WA ShowBox at the Market

Info from Talib's site Year of The Blacksmith