MPS MIXTAPE PRESERVATION SOCIETY HOUR 24

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Yes, that is a picture of the real me, and right next to me is Roky Erickson, the legendary Texas rock pioneer whose seminal garage band The 13th Floor Elevators pretty much provided the blueprint for American psychedelic music in the '60's. This was taken at Canter's Deli in 2008 after a Halloween show I did with my band-at-the-time Ninefinger. I chose one of Roky's song, "I Walked With A Zombie", to open the podcast because everything Roky does is geared towards Halloween: the writer of such songs as "Creature With The Atom Brain" and "Night Of The Vampire" certainly deserves to be included in anything related to All Hallow's Eve.

But as much as I could devote an entire show to the likes of Roky and his storied past, this week's installment has me pondering the more mainstream aspects of modern music. Especially since I now live in a state where country music is more popular than rock and big touring bands tend to skip by because they don't sell out venues, I've come to an interesting crossroads in my life: do I dig in and try to hold on to the past and all its musical glory, or do I open my arms and try to embrace today's latest sounds?

The answer, as always, is both. I don't see a reason why I can't look back fondly on the masterpieces of old while also keeping an eye out for the Next Big Thing, even if it is Top 40 and probably hurts my ears at first. They say all great art is ugly at first, and perhaps it is the same with music... except the music I am having a hard time listening to is not atonal or avant-garde or experimental... it's been Auto-Tuned to death and fabricated to hell and over-produced to the extreme.

And I may as well have fun as I contemplate that conundrum. So I invited a friend to have sushi with me at Kona Jack's before she heads off to Nashville to work at the fabled Dark Horse studios. Haylie Sampsel regales me (in yet another two-part interview!) with tales of playing drums in school, working for Apple, and her musical tastes, all the while enjoying some tasty sushi courtesy of the two sushi chefs on hand to feed us as we record the podcast. Her perspective is a breath of fresh air, and her optimism is contagious.

I play songs from bands and artists as diverse as Dead Kennedys, Selena Gomez, X Ambassadors, and Edgar Winter. You'll also hear some Deodato in the background, with jazz-fusion renditions of "Nights In White Satin" and "Rhapsody In Blue" as I introduce the segments. I also make an offer to create original mixtapes for anyone listening, so leave a comment if you so desire one.

Enjoy!


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