I can be a troll if need be... not proud of it... who am I fooling, I love it. But it's not sustainable: eventually you just want to be able to go online and NOT start a fight with a perfect stranger. I am not looking to get in people's faces constantly, but sometimes THEY bring it to YOU. And so it helps to be able to handle your own in an online squabble. I have great admiration for artists who can handle their own in the real world. Audiences (even the paying ones) aren't always hospitable to performers, especially if alcohol is involved. Hecklers can get a sense of entitlement and decide that THEY, and not the person on the marquee, is worthy of attention. In my opinion, a good live perfoemer can squash that beef in no time flat. It just takes the guts to redirect that energy right back at the perpetrators. Going on stage is not as easy as it looks-- it can be gut-wrenching and anxiety-inducing. And so when someone in the crowd acts out of line and gets called out on it...

"Louie Louie" has an unusual history in the rock canon, and I explore it in the podcast for Hour 58. The episode features covers of the song by everyone ranging from Joan Jett to Black Flag to Blondie, and also there are some selections that show the song's origins. I pontificate on what it is about the tune that makes it such a rock classic, and then I pull out my brand new acoustic guitar in order to give a quick tutorial on the dirty lyrics that prompted an investigation from the FBI!

It's been some time since I posted a new podcast, an even longer time since I updated the blog... and I shout it out at the end of every episode, but then again I have yet to get anyone commenting or demonstrating that they read this, so I guess it's not that big of a deal. I've got a new logo for the podcast-- because of its schizophrenic nature (being both an audio podcast and a video series as well) I made the logo a little more friendly to the naked ol' eye. Unfortunately, for now, we are no longer on Apple Podcast. I intend to correct that issue very soon. I didn't even notice that they weren't carrying this podcast anymore, that's how out of the loop I've been. Since it's been a while, I'll take this opportunity to promote Buzzsprout, a platform I've been using to house the MPS podcast since the beginning of last year, before the pandemic really kicked in. I was still actively doing the podcasts up until a few months ago; I ha...

I don't know why I couldn't get it together and remember that this was going to be the 48th and NOT the 49th podcast of MPS... I guess I'm ready for that 50 landmark threshold... but in reality I've done well over 50 podcasts total if you count the  YouTube channel . When I first started this podcast it was a weekly thing and now it happens when it happens. Quarantine gave me enough free time to do some catching up but really I'm just taking it as it comes. This week I rap with my old friend Asaf, who played drums in bands I was a part of in high school and my early twenties. As a matter of fact, you can hear some of Asaf's contributions to the rap group I was in back in the '90s-- just check out  Hour 17  of this podcast to hear examples of his drumming, the best being "Ganja Stick". Asaf is an avid vinyl collector and so the majority of our conversation is about LPs and our passions for records. He gives me some selections to try on for size such...

After a considerable slowdown in activity I am proud to announce that I have not one, not two but THREE podcasts that are available to digest... and they are all video podcasts so they fall under the MUSIC PODCAST SERIES umbrella rather than MIXTAPE PRESERVATION SOCIETY. For anyone unclear on the dual banner: MUSIC PODCAST SERIES is mostly the video version of the MPS podcast realm, although I sometimes provide audio-only versions on my Soundcloud account. These originated at Wave One Media in downtown Indianapolis but now that I am savvier at using Zoom it looks like Chuckie (my co-host) and I will be producing these ourselves. In these podcasts I go by the name of DJ LED. MIXTAPE PRESERVATION SOCIETY is the audio-only podcast which is sort of the flagship of this enterprise, hosted under the name BJ Fornicatti and which is soon going to celebrate its 50th podcast. I have some future episodes waiting to be released but I took the downtime afforded by the quarantine to develop...

The lockdown continues, and despite the depressing reality of our surroundings I am excited to be getting shit done! That's because I was raised in chaos and feel at home with this state of affairs. And if you needed any more proof of my thriving in chaotic situations, look no further than the latest podcast. Me and my classmates had a bus commute that was approximately AN HOUR AND A HALF, even though we all lived within fifteen minutes of our school. Thats's because LAUSD had bus drivers pick up two other elementary schools and drop them off before they took us to school. Likewise, on the way home the other schools got taken home first, and so we had a lot of time on the bus to do dumb shit... but nothing criminal or delinquent. Rather, we listened to comedy albums of the era, traded tapes, and re-enacted skits from our favorite TV shows, movies, and radio bits. In fact, I created a fake radio station with the call letters KRAP (because I was a pre-teen and I thought i...

As you can tell from the exponential jump in episode numbers, it's been a minute since I done did anything up in here. But with the world going buck nutty over COVID-19, it seems like my time is a little more free and I can finally get on with the "business" of making podcasts. I have a backlog of material recorded at Wave One studios but I probably will not be producing podcasts out of that facility anymore. Certainly coronavirus is a factor, but I had actually been thinking about going back to in-house production as far back as January. Frankly, if I had sponsors then I would love to do the podcast from the Wave One studios. Wyatt Felling and his crew were nothing but cordial and accommodating. However, it costs money to rent the studio time and even though I had a positive response to a Go Fund Me profile that allowed me to record for at least one month longer than I could realistically afford, the project still needs regular sponsors.. and I just don't have t...

New episodes of the Wave One  MUSIC PODCAST SERIES have been posted sporadically to  You Tube  but this time of year was a bad time to start an enterprise like this: I haven't had any time to really put out content regularly. Fortunately, a killer band from Des Moines, Iowa hit me up on  Soundcloud  asking for an interview, so I got on the phone with  LAV.ISH  and had a great time talking to these guys. I wasn't sure which podcast to include them on, so I opted for the classic one, since it requires no video and I hadn't done anything on it in quite some time. I'm going to spend January 2020 adding video content, but I'd like to do Mixtape Preservation Society at least once a month. The blog may need to be updated more often, so wish me luck on that. The time it takes to do all of this has been scan as of late but I hope to have it all rolling smoothly again by February of next year. In the meantime, if you know of any potential sponsors or a...

Welcome to MUSIC PODCAST SERIES, a more traditional podcast with a mainstream structure, broadcast out of Wave One Media Studios  in Downtown Indy. MIXTAPE PRESERVATION SOCIETY will continue in an unofficial capacity but MUSIC PODCAST SERIES will be hosted weekly by DJ LED, CONCRETE SAILOR, AND DJ GREENHOUSE. Both podcasts will be collectively known as MPS. This blog will keep its position as the online guide to each episode, with hopefully more content as well as photos and video links to the show as it is being recorded. The first episode of MPS SEASON TWO includes a lengthy discussion of Kanye West's Jesus Is King album; a conversation with Jeremiah Cosner aka Concrete Sailor, including a selection from one of his recent live gigs; and DJ Greenhouse's Vinyl Pick of the Week. DJ LED also makes mention of the new Netflix movie Dolemite Is My Name starring Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore. Tune in to a whole new listening experience! Apple Podcasts link Soundcloud...

This was the longest hiatus yet. As John Lennon once sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". Luckily the small following that listens to this podcast has yet to catch up to my latest episodes, so I could probably take a whole year off before anyone asks me "Hey, where's the latest episode?" Now that I'm all settled in, we'll see how long it takes me between podcasts. Maybe I'll finally have sponsors, something I have not even made the least amount of effort to secure. I have guests for days, but as evidenced by the fact that my latest guest was interviewed seven months ago (!) it really boils down to how I use my free time. But I have a studio now, and so I am hoping that this will inspire me to produce more music, content, and audio in the future. For the time being, I am finally caught up on my interviews... and this one is kind of worth the wait. One of my deepest conversations about music, Hour 45 has...

Yes, it's been a long time since I first got down... I moved my girl Miss Wendy from Los Angeles to Indianapolis; on the way I stopped in Denver, Colorado and talked with my friend Jake Stern, whose band I will be featuring on the next installment of the podcast; and since we've been here I just haven't felt the pressing need to do the podcast. I've been busy, for sure. Playing gigs with Concrete Sailor, working a 9 to 5 plus finding time to do other things and also hang out with my soon-to-be wife and my son... honestly, the podcast was something that started when I didn't have a lot going on. And now, I've got a lot going on.  Shit happens, what can I say? But the podcast is still very important to me. I think about it all the time. I do it because I truly love it, but it has definitely been de-prioritized on my list of things to do. Getting the gumption to get up and upload the podcast (plus update the blog, promote it, and everything else ...

Yes, I know I said I was going to post a whole bunch of stuff in February, and I am aware that I actually did none of it. I did a lot last month that kept me away from the editing bay (moved my girl across the country, among other things) and so I apologize. I should've had Side Two of The Doors' L.A. Woman squared away already, which would've allowed me to delve further into the recent news stories involving R. Kelly and the late Michael Jackson. Since these stories (and the fallout that has been stirred up in their wake) won't be dropping out of the headlines any time soon, I feel the need to comment now, as quickly and succinctly as I can. To ramble on and over-explain this entire situation is something I am prone to doing, but in my opinion there should not be any confusion or complication over this. It's quite simple: I believe the accusers; I believe that MJ and Kells are guilty as hell; and yet, if I happened to be a die-hard fan of their music (which ...

Happy New Year! So I guess I didn't get a chance to do two podcasts in December of 2018, but with the holidays taking their toll and time from me I really don't feel too bad. I would like to get into the habit of doing these twice a month in the new year, however. I really enjoy making these podcasts despite the fact that I am basically playing to no one. I am learning a lot about the process and hope to one day be able to advertise on it. Until then, I will plug away at this as dutifully as I can. So, a few things about Hour 42, which is basically a continuation of the format I've been sticking to for the last few episodes: first, the album is Side One of The Doors' L.A.Woman , which was Jeremiah Cosner's choice. We sat down in his Vinyl Room and dissected the tracks, musing out loud abut all sorts of business. A few tidbits that need clarifying: 1. A changeling is actually  something completely different  from what I described to Jeremiah in response to th...

This podcast used to be a weekly thing. Nowadays, once a month is the best I can manage. I just don't have the free time I had when I started MPS. I missed the entire month of November and didn't even have the gumption to rerun an hour or do something simple like just lining up a playlist. So I aim to post TWO installments in December. I love doing the podcast but since I do it for free and have no ads (and barely any listeners, for that matter) it's just going to have to be something I do in my spare time, of which I don't have a lot of these days. I definitely love doing it though. I'm trying to get more straight-forward guests but the analytical side, where I just talk with friends about music, seems to be where this podcast is settling into. Local musician/frequent collaborator Jeremiah Cosner and I do this thing where we listen to one side of a vinyl record, then break it down. We call it "Jeremiah's Vinyl Room" and we record it at his pla...

Ahh, the rock biopic. Rife with tropes and cliches and stereotypes, abundantly mythologizing and fetishizing their subjects beyond the pale... playing fast and loose with the facts and compressing years of music history into neatly packaged montages... they often end up being technically brilliant productions that lack any emotional resonance and usually leave more discriminating viewers feeling vaguely dissatisfied while the fans and enthusiasts come away feeling like they might have learned a thing or two about a singer, musician, or music group that they might admire or listen to. When they're good, they're really good, and when they're bad, well... you can still enjoy them. For every I'm Not There , you can bet there's a Great Balls Of Fire that still manages to entertain you even as it insults your intelligence. The extremes between good and bad, however, house a large berth that is highly subjective: is Oliver Stone's The Doors any worse than Taylor Ha...

Jeremiah Cosner and I go back to when I first arrived in Indianapolis. He and I met through our then-wives (I am now divorced but he is still happily married) and started making music in a band called The Concrete Sailors. The band dissolved but we still collaborate on projects and hang out to listen to music and shoot the shit. He recently called me up and told me how he finally heard the music of The Velvet Underground for the first time. Of course, I flipped... they're probably one of my all-time favorite groups and Lou Reed is a personal musical hero. So I jumped at the chance to sit back, sip some coffee and reflect on the first side of VU's third, eponymous album . It was interesting to hear the opinion of someone for whom The Velvets have little meaning, other than some really good and earnest rock 'n' roll. That's not to say that Jeremiah doesn't care about them: the album had a lasting impact on him. But being a VU virgin means he can give an u...

For Labor Day weekend this year Wendy and I were invited to my friend Eric Hammes' house to celebrate his annual birthday/backyard jam celebration. As usual, the man set up a tent next to a fire pit in the back with all his musical gear hooked up and let anyone who wanted to jam take up an instrument and get down. I was smart enough to pull out my new iPhone and record snatches of the jams as Eric collaborated with fellow musicians and had a grand ol' time. Eric is a hard guy to pin down but after many attempts to get the man to sit down with me and do a podcast, I finally prevailed. He is always busy with music, whether it's his own material or any of the various gigs he has around town as a musical director, low-end bassline deliverer, or open-mic-night manager. I was able to corner him for a few minutes at The  Mousetrap in Broad Ripple where he and a collective of jammers known as the Fam Jam  get together weekly for some tasty riffage. Sometimes the party atmosph...

I decided to just jump into the show this week-- no opening segment where I discuss what's coming up. Fuck that; if you listen regularly then you know what's up and if you just started listening... well, you have 37 previous hours to go through to catch up. It's not necessary at this point, and it gives me more time to throw in other segments and more music. And speaking of music, I think playing excerpts of songs instead of entire cuts keeps some of the discussions compact and lean. I am referring to the second segment of the podcast, a new thing I call "Some Ill Shit w/ Nick Culp ". This segment is going to be a regular feature where Nick and I talk about our mutual love of hip-hop. The segments are culled from a long conversation I had with him (like his appearance on my last podcast featuring him , this is conducted over the phone from his home in Oakland CA) and mostly just touch upon our personal reminisces and anecdotes about growing up in the rap era...