Dig Me Out - The 90's rock podcast

From charity comps to label samplers, the 1990s may have been the peak decade for compilation albums. We discuss the qualities that make a worthy compilation album with our guests Keith Sawyer from WMBR, Jim Hanke of Vinyl Emergency and Eric Peterson of Love That Album. We pick our favorite comps and favorite compilation-only tracks, and discuss whether compilation albums are still relevant in the age of streaming music playlists. We’ve got over ten minutes of bonus content over at Patreon this week. Songs in this Episode: Intro - Sexual Healing by Soul Asylum (Marvin Gaye cover), from No Alternative 13:14 - Riot on the Rocks by The Hellacopters, from Riot on the Rocks Vol. 1 20:35 - Effigy by Uncle Tupelo (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover), from No Alternative 42:03 - Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman) by Counting Crows, from DGC Rarities Vol.1 Outro - Compilation Blues by Sonic Youth, from DGC Rarities Vol.1 Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

With her first solo outing, Tanya Donelly attempts to balance her indie rock past with a radio friendly approach. 1997′s Lovesongs for Underdogs, our latest album selected by our Patreon voters, came with the burden of Tanya having been a part of numerous successfully and respected indie rock group, including Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly. Striking out on her own with a bevy of players, she shows off a wide array of songwriting styles all grounded by her sharp and hooky melodies. Songs in this Episode Intro - The Bright Light 8:25 - Pretty Deep 12:01 - Lantern 14:06 - Bum 19:45 - Clipped Outro - Breathe Around You Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

Harvey Danger being tagged as a “one hit wonder” can be both a blessing and a curse. Is the rest of the album criminally overlooked, or does it pale in comparison? We put it to a vote on our Patreon page, and our patrons made Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?, released in July 1997 our latest review. Reviews at the time were mixed, but this album and band have gained their share of advocates, who praise lead singer Sean Nelson’s witty and self-deprecating lyrics and the tight power-pop-punk songwriting of this and their follow-up album, King James Version. One of of us thought this was a start-to-finish gem worthy of revisiting, and one of us thought the brilliance of Flagpole Sitta set the rest of the album up to fail. Disagreement! Songs in this Episode: Intro - Flagpole Sitta 9:21 - Radio Silence 14:48 - Carlotta Valdez Outro - Jack The Lion Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

For our latest roundtable we aim at the heavens and request an audience with the gods! The guitar gods, that is. The 60s had Clapton and Hendrix, the 70s had Page and Blackmore, the 80s had Eddie and a slew of gunslingers, now it’s time to christen the guitar gods of the 90s. First, we try to figure out what exactly elevates a guitarist to god status. Then we open the floor for nominations. Some of the names will be familiar and expected, while others may be more obscure and surprising. To help us, we’re joined by returning guests Andy Derer, Eric Grubbs and Joe Royland.  Make sure to visit Patreon for over fifteen minutes of bonus content from this episode at https://www.patreon.com/digmeout. Songs in this Episode: Intro - Guitar God Medley (Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, Dinosaur Jr., Pantera) 13:28 - Bulls on Parade by Rage Against The Machine 27:50 - No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne 33:09 - Chemical World - Intermission by Blur 1:00:21 - Tired of Sex by Weezer Outro - Pull Me Under by Dream Theater Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com  

Back when we started this podcast, we created a long list of albums we wanted to eventually get to, mostly due to only knowing one song off an album thanks to a lone minor radio hit single. One of those bands is Ruth Ruth, and it’s finally time we got around to checking out their 1995 debut Laughing Gallery. To help us dig into this album, we invited roundtable alum Jeff Takacs of Rocket Fuel Podcast, who authored a history of Ruth Ruth for Punktastic a few years back, for some insight on why this band with a catchy pop-punk-flavored single in the heyday of mainstream punk didn’t make it past the first single. Where they miscategorized? Does the album hold up? Tune into find out. Songs in this Episode: Intro - Uninvited 13:08 - Uptight 19:19 - I Killed Meg The Prom Queen 23:19 - I Grew Up Outro - All Readydown Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

On this Fourth of July, we could think of nothing better than to revisit the human firecracker himself - David Lee Roth. With help from our friend Gavin in Australia, we’re checking out the 1991 album A Little Ain’t Enough, the third solo release after Dave departed Van Halen. For this outing, there were lineup changes, producer changes and a changing musical landscape. Songs in this Episode: Intro - A Little Ain’t Enough 7:47 - Sensible Shoes 17:43 - Last Call / Walk This Way by Aerosmith 22:33 - Tell The Truth / Black Velvet by Alannah Myles Outro - It’s Showtime! Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

For our last review of June 2017, our Patreon patrons selected from one of four albums from June of 1997, and settled on Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, the third album by Spiritualized. Much has been written about the album, from reviews to anniversary retrospectives detailing the creation and recording of the massive achievement that finds Jason Pierce and crew exploring gospel, soul, britpop, blues, psychedelia, noise, experimentation and more, including an orchestra. It’s a headphone album of sprawling proportions one moment and cacophony worthy of a stadium the next. We try to figure out which works better for us, if at all. Songs In This Episode: Intro - Come Together 10:07 - Cop Shoot Cop... 13:46 - Cool Waves 20:15 - I Think I’m In Love Outro - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

We don’t often get a chance to check out bands from the 90s where the terms ragtime or waltz get tossed around, but The Whitlams qualify. We’re checking out the 1997 album Eternal Napcap by this Newtown, Australian band. Led by vocalist/pianist Tim Freedman, The Whitlams can tow the line between indulgent Rufus Wainwright-style balladry and Ben Folds-esque pop, remaining radio friendly with mature lyrical content. Does it all work for us? Tune in to find out. Songs in this Episode: Intro - No Aphrodisiac 11:42 - You Look Like Louis Burdett 15:09 - Life’s A Beach 20:23 - Charlie No. 1 Outro - Buy Now Pay Later (Charlie No. 3) Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

Previously we chatted about movie soundtracks of the 1990s, so this week we’re switching to the small screen and hosting a roundtable discussion on television soundtracks of the 90s. The best and memorable, the one’s that surpassed the show and stand on their own, and the one’s that were HUGE at the time but maybe haven’t aged all that well. We talk about them all (or all that we can squeeze into an hour). To help us do so, we’re joined by two veterans of our program, Eric Grubbs and Joe Royland, to talk My So-Called Life, Friends, Melrose Place and much more. Yes, even Cop Rock. Songs in this Episode: Intro - I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (from Friends) 9:53 - Teenage FBI by Guided By Voices (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) 25:36 - Good Intentions by Toad the Wet Sprocket (from Friends) 51:22 - Down in the Park by Foo Fighters (from The X-Files) Outro - Here and Now by Letters to Cleo (from Melrose Place) Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

This week we chatted with Jody Porter, who just released his third solo album this past March, Pacifier. Jody started out in the early with The Belltower, a dreamy/shoegaze band featuring Britta Phillips (later of Luna) that garnered positive press in the UK but ultimately dissolved. However, a late addition to the band named Adam Schlesinger would later form Fountains of Wayne, who Jody would join after their debut was recorded. Spending the rest of the run with the band until they ended in 2013, Jody released his first solo album Close to the Sun in 2008, followed by Month of Mondays in 2013 via Kickstarter. We talk about all that, his vast guitar collection, his earliest musical recollection learning instruments and playing bands all the way up to recording demos on Garageband for the latest release. Download Pacifier at CDBaby / Stream it at Spotify Songs in this Episode: Intro - Valerie Sometimes by Jody Porter (from Pacifier) 7:22 - Lost In Hollow by The Belltower (from In Hollow EP) 38:31 - In The Beginning by Jody Porter (from Pacifier) 48:51 - The Last Chapter by Jody Porter (from Pacifier) Outro - Supercollider by Fountains of Wayne (from Welcome Interstate Managers) Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store

This week a requested review gives us a chance to revisit the 1995 debut album Whirligig by The Caulfields. A confection of jangly guitars, story-telling lyrics and power pop melodies might remind some of 70s and 80s masters like Elvis Costello or Cheap Trick, but The Caulfields forge their own path, for better or worse. When done well, they have few peers among 90s bands. Unfortunately, the highest highs are betrayed by some pretty low lows. We try to sort it all out. Songs in this Episode: Intro - Devil’s Diary 10:17 - Alex Again 14:00 - Hannah, I Locked You Out 20:59 - The Day That Came and Went 28:06 - Alex Again Outro - Breathe Under Water Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

We gave our Patreon patrons the opportunity to vote one four different releases from May of 1997, and the consensus winner was eclectic soundtrack from the Batman & Robin movie starring George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Alicia Silverstone and more. A mixed bag for sure, there are some clear gems and some awful groaners. We sift through track-by-track and try to find more of the former than the latter. What is worth a revisit? Tune in to find out. Songs in this Episode: Intro - The End Is The Beginning Is The End by The Smashing Pumpkins 10:53 - Look Into My Eyes by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 13:46 - Gotham City by R. Kelly 21:12 - Lazy Eye by Goo Goo Dolls 27:08 - The Bug by Soul Coughing 34:15 - True to Myself by Eric Benét Outro - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning by The Smashing Pumpkins Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

The winner of our first quarter Patreon contest stops by with his free requested review pick - 1995′s Cockamamie by Jennifer Trynin. Though part of a fertile 90s Boston music scene, Jen Trynin is a bit of an anomaly, self-releasing her debut album prior to a major label bidding war. Her guitar playing shifts between familiar alternative pop and more angular riffing with a rock solid rhythm section. But ultimate, it’s the songs that matters. She managed to score a minor hit with “Better Than Nothing,” but how does the rest of the album fair? Tune in to find out. Songs in this Episode: Intro - Better Than Nothing 5:17 - Happier 8:59 - Knock Me Down 17:54 - Do It Alone Outro - One Year Down Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

We’re back with another “In The 90s” roundtable, our chance to revisit a popular artist from the 1980s and see how they navigated the shifting musical landscape of the 1990s. With fourteen Top 40 hits and two number one singles in the U.S., Duran Duran were one of the most successful artists of the 80s. However, they entered the new decade on the decline, their fifth album Big Thing failing to resonate with fans or critics the way their previous four releases had. How did their 90s output fare in comparison? To help us navigate through their catalog, we’re joined by Annie Zaleski (Salon, AV Club), Chip Midnight (Kids Interview Bands) and Keith Sawyer (WMBR). Songs in this Episode: Intro - Duran Duran Medley (Come Undone, Ordinary World, Electric Barbarella) 9:21 - All She Wants Is (from Liberty) 18:23 - Too Much Information (from Duran Duran/The Wedding Album) 28:36 - 911 is a Joke (from Thank You) 36:31 - Out of My Mind (from Medazzaland) Outro - White Lines (from Thank You) Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com

Musician, label owner, DJ, writer, teacher - you name it, Marko DeSantis has probably done it. You probably know him as the guitarist in pop punk band Sugarcult, and he shares the history of their formation, as well as his involvement in bands such as The Ataris, Nerf Herder, the Swingin Utters, Bad Astronaut. Marko shares his experiences growing up in Santa Barbara, CA, and contributing to the upcoming Sweet Relief “Strange 80s” benefit show. Make sure to visit our Patreon page for bonus content. Songs in this Episode: Intro - Pretty Girl (The Way) by Sugarcult Outro - Lately by The Ataris Request a 2017 Review / Subscribe at Patreon   Facebook / Twitter / Instagram   Zazzle Merch Store   http://www.digmeoutpodcast.com