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The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XXIX

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May was the month of Best Laid Plans, I suppose. With D moving back home for the summer, we agreed that it would be a great idea if I held onto her PC until she came back in autumn. That would give me the impetus to work on True Faith when I had time off from work. That wouldn’t happen until the end of the month, however. In the meantime, I’d moved my pallet bed from the window across the room and put my desk up next to it, just like I had in college, and made it a point to work there as much as possible. I think it was also about this time that Z had started making plans to move out at the end of the summer to San Francisco. This meant that I would either need to find a new roommate or make alternate plans once again, and it wasn’t something I wanted to think of right now.

In the meantime, life went on at the theater and at home. I’d started a collection of movie posters that I’d snag after the run was over and put up on my own wall. I also decided that maybe I should thin out my music collection a bit and see if I can get some extra money from it. Alas, that went about how you’d expect — far less cash than I’d hoped — but every little bit helped.

But damn it all, I did not want to move back home. I wanted to stay in Boston. I needed to stay in Boston, one way or another.

The Apples in Stereo, Fun Trick Noisemaker, released 2 May 1995. I think it was about this time I’d heard about the Elephant 6 Recording Company — a lose collective of several bands including this one with a love for 60 bubblegum pop — and they’d amassed a cult following with this album and others.

Soundtrack, Rob Roy, released 2 May 1995. One of many movies out this year focused on British history (real and otherwise) that were all quite enjoyable. I really liked the soundtrack for this one and would eventually get it on cassette.

Tracy Bonham, The Liverpool Sessions EP, released 7 May 1995. An Oregonian taking up residence in the Boston area thanks to Brett Milano from The Boston Phoenix, she had a sizeable following in the area and WFNX had her on constant rotation with “Dandelion” and an early version of “The One”. This EP would help her get signed to a major the following year.

Filter, Short Bus, released 8 May 1995. a Nine Inch Nails-adjacent band (singer-guitarist Richard Patrick was NIN’s touring guitarist for a few years), they may not have been as desperately dark as them but they certainly were just as loud and aggressive. The single “Hey Man, Nice Shot” was a huge hit despite its creepy inspiration, and continued to have a measure of success for years afterwards.

Supergrass, I Should Coco, released 15 May 1995. On a much lighter note, we had these three goofballs recording irresistibly fun and very British pop and had a major hit with their single “Alright”, which still gets a lot of play to this day. It’s a super fun album, and the rest of their discography is just as amazing.

Pulp, “Common People” single, released 22 May 1995. A teaser single for this band’s upcoming album, it became their most famous song and in my opinion one of the best “fuck rich people” songs ever written. The band has created a brilliant song with a super catchy and upbeat sound counterpointing Jarvis Cocker’s snide lyrics. One of the best songs of the 90s.

Soundtrack, Braveheart, released 23 May 1995. Another movie steeped in British history (real and otherwise), it gave Mel Gibson a much needed career boost, even if the story played fast and loose with actual facts. The soundtrack was highly acclaimed and still gets the occasional play on classical stations!

Low, Long Division, released 23 May 1995. One of their best early albums, although it took me a few years to catch up to that fact! This may not have gotten all that much airplay on stations like WFNX, but the college stations loved it.

Moonpools and Caterpillars, Lucky Dumpling, released 23 May 1995. I always got the song “Hear” mixed up with Letters to Cleo, and perhaps that’s why this band didn’t quite get the levels of success that LtC did, but it’s a fun album full of bubblegummy alternapop worth checking out.

Everclear, Sparkle and Fade, released 23 May 1995. This breakthrough for the band, their first on a major label, contained some of their best and well known songs like “Santa Monica” (which still gets radio play these days). Art Alexakis’ ‘therapy on public display’ lyric style might be a bit much for some, but it’s a great album despite that.

Soundtrack, Johnny Mnemonic, released 26 May 1995. Believe it or not, this movie was a huge influence on my writing True Faith. Sort of based on a William Gibson short story, directed by visual artist Robert Longo and cast with several unexpected names like Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, Ice-T, Henry Rollins and Takeshi Kitano, it’s a glorious mess but it’s also a hell of a lot of fun and is surprisingly creative in its own way. It’s a really great soundtrack as well.

God Lives Underwater, God Lives Underwater EP, released 31 May 1995. This band’s single “No More Love” played at the end credits of the above movie, which definitely helped get their name out there. This band was a fascinating industrial/synth/alt-metal band that sounded more like KMFDM than Ministry and while they were only around for a few years, their discography is full of great and impressively creative sounds.

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Next up: In which the Great Transcription Project begins, and Bridgetown gets a major upgrade.

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XXVIII

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By this time I was spending a lot of down time at work — that is, staying after my shift to watch the new films coming out. D was finishing up her own semester as Emerson and making plans to head back home for the summer, so we hung out when and where we could, whether it was at her dorm room (the last time I’d visit Charlesgate at that) or at my apartment. We talked a lot about what we wanted True Faith to be — sometimes argued about it as well — and worked on it when and where we could. The clock was ticking down and once again I’d be on my own.

This time, I wasn’t about to spiral into yet another one of my moods if I could help it.

Guided By Voices, Alien Lanes, released 4 April 1995. This was a band I’d always hear about but rarely ever hear on the radio except for the occasional rare play of a single or a deep cut. “Motor Away” caught on here and there, however, and this album ended up on many critics’ best-of lists.

KMFDM, Nihil, released 4 April 1995. This was one of the first bands I’d heard that revived that industrial techno sound that did so well in Europe, turned up the volume and the speed, and made it the soundtrack to several movies based on video games. “Juke Joint Jezebel” was featured on the wonderfully terrible Mortal Kombat.

The Dandy Warhols, Dandys Rule OK, released 6 April 1995. The first Dandys album is definitely grittier than their follow-up albums that would get more attention and airplay. Their pop sensibilities are already to the fore here, however.

White Zombie, Astro Creep: 2000, released 11 April 1995. Whenever “More Human Than Human” came on WFNX, I’d turn it up loud because it demands it. It’s such a badass song and its constant play helped give singer Rob Zombie the attention to go solo soon after.

Hum, You’d Prefer an Astronaut, released 11 April 1995. Another track worth turning up loud, “Stars” was such a great tune for the summer. This band took the sound of grunge and turned it into something palatable to cross-genre radio, and the album ended up a cult favorite of many. Well worth checking out.

Oasis, “Some Might Say” single, released 24 April 1995. A teaser single for the new album, this one sounded heavier and less glam than their previous singles. There was a buzz going on that this next album would be one of their best, and I couldn’t wait.

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Next up: Alone again and finding inspiration…and looking back

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XXVII

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Life continued apace at the Brighton Ave apartment, though I’m pretty sure the connection between Z and I would get strained at times. Between him practicing his keyboard at all hours of the night (he was also an extremely loud foot-tapper when he played, so there was also that thunk thunk thunk when he really got into the groove), and my barely making enough money to pay for a lot of the bills and the occasional actual food cooked in the apartment, we’d irritate each other quite often. Not enough for any loud arguments, because I’d do my usual hide-in-the-bedroom when things got stressful.

I mean, at the time I’d like to think I wasn’t feeling depressed or desperate like I had at the Shoebox apartment, and I was in a slightly better mood with a steady job and a girlfriend, but to be honest things could have been a lot better. I knew they could, I was just too damn broke and in debt to achieve it.

Which is pretty much why around this time I started hyperfocusing on my writing. Not on the daily just yet, but getting there. The first thing I had to do was remain focused on whatever project I was working on instead of sliding all over the place at whim.

Plus, March provided me with one hell of a great soundtrack.

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Annie Lennox, Medusa, released 6 March 1995. Annie’s second solo album is one of covers, and this too ended up a big hit for her, especially with the lovely version of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” which also ended up playing during the closing credits of the Sandra Bullock film The Net — one of many computer-themed movies that would come out that summer, many of which would partly inspire the AI subplot of True Faith.

Radiohead, The Bends, released 13 March 1995. The last thing this band wanted to do was record another “Creep” so they headed in an all new direction with this stellar record that really is worth all the accolades it’s received over the years. It’s full of tension, irritation, delicacy and tenderness, an album with equal parts anger and love. Highly recommended. I got this one via Columbia House at some point and played the hell out of it for several years afterwards, it becoming a major mainstay in the Belfry writing sessions.

Matthew Sweet, 100% Fun, released 14 March 1995. After the dense and odd Altered Beast, Sweet returned with a sunshiney pop album that’s full of fun and addictive melodies. “Sick of Myself” was the big radio hit at the time.

Goo Goo Dolls, A Boy Named Goo, released 14 March 1995. A few years before their major breakthrough “Iris”, this album gave them the ability to open that door and head on through. It’s a great album that carries a hint of their former punkish roots but also hints at the stellar songwriting they’d be known for in the future.

Mad Season, Above, released 14 March 1995. A sort-of supergroup with Layne Staley from Alice in Chains and Mike McCready from Pearl Jam, their one album could have been a by the numbers PNW grunge album but instead they took the tenderest and most introspective parts of their own bands and created a lovely record worth owning. Highly recommended.

Collective Soul, Collective Soul, released 14 March 1995. Hardly anyone expected this band’s second album to hit the heights that it did, considering their first album was good but not entirely memorable. This album, on the other hand, just kept on kicking out one hit single after the next, with “December”, “Gel”, “Smashing Young Man”, “Where the River Flows” and “The World I Know”. This too would end up getting major Belfry writing session play in the early years. It’s well worth checking out.

Moby, Everything Is Wrong, released 14 March 1995. Moby had been known in the electronic genre a bit of an oddball who made shockingly lush music that could easily be used as movie scores, and this was the record that captured many people’s attention.

Garbage, “Vow” single, released 20 March 1995. I of course knew who Butch Vig was due to his several high-status album productions like Nevermind, and I’d expected his own band to be just as great, and I was not let down. This single introduced many people to their unique sound — not quite grunge, not quite commercial alternative, but just as heavy and hella sexy.

Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, brainbloodvolume, released 21 March 1995. This band’s final album is often overlooked and forgotten as their previous album Are You Normal hadn’t done all that well either, but this became one of my favorite albums of that summer when I’d found a promo copy on cassette. It’s an album worth listening to at top volume, as it’s absolutely overflowing with energy and spirit. Every time I heard “All I Ask of Myself Is That I Hold Together” on WFNX I’d crank it up. Well worth a listen.

Our Lady Peace, Naveed, released 21 March 1995. This band, like fellow Canadians Moist, wouldn’t get that much attention around this time, but this one’s a great opening salvo for the group. Their own brand of alternative rock was twitchy yet introspective at the same time.

Joan Osborne, Relish, released 21 March 1995. Joan’s debut owes a lot to the Laurel Canyon folk and rock of the 70s, but she manages to update that sound into something fresh and fun, inserting an element of Bonnie Raitt-like blues into the mix. You’ll still hear “One of Us” on the radio, but the lovely “St. Theresa” and the sexy “Right Hand Man” is also worth checking out.

Morphine, Yes, released 21 March 1995. This band drops another album full of their unique sound of sparse and bassy blues rock, and it was a big hit on the Boston stations, especially with the single “Honey White”.

Elastica, Elastica, released 24 March 1995. Yes, I’m still annoyed all these years later that they shamelessly stole from Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba” for their biggest hit. Primarily because “Connection” got so much airplay and the first several times I heard it my reaction was ‘wow, they’re playing an obscure Wire tra–oh, wait.” That said, this is a surprisingly catchy and fun album that actually was worth all the attention it got.

Silverchair, Frogstomp, released 27 March 1995. I believe this was first band that gave me the feeling that I’d waited far too long to start a music career, heh. For a teenage trio, this album is frighteningly intense and superbly crafted from start to finish. They of course ended up on my ‘will buy anything from them’ list.

Soundtrack, Tank Girl, released 28 March 1995. I was excited about this movie, considering I was quite aware of Jamie Hewlett’s bonkers comic book about a trigger-happy punk girl living in the outback and hanging with mutant kangaroos. It was ‘what if the apocalypse was bizarre and hilarious instead of all doom and gloom?’ Sadly the movie didn’t quite capture it, having been severely watered down to be palatable to the normies, but it was a lot of fun and I sat through it several times after work. The soundtrack is amazing, however, featuring fantastic tracks from Bjork, Bush, Portishead, Belly, and a goofy cover of “Let’s Do it (Let’s Fall in Love)” with Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg.

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Coming up: Coming to a close, making some decisions.

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XXV

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A new year, a new focus: one way or another, I was going to get my shit together and make it work.

As it happened, those blurred months of job-hopping came to an end with not one but two offers: a part-time job working the media programming at the New England Aquarium, or a full-time job working at the Loew’s Theater in Somerville. Both were tempting, both paid about the same, and both had all but hired me by the middle of January…but out of financial desperation, I had to turn down the aquarium job and take the theater job instead. And the last thing I wanted was to hold down two different jobs to make ends meet, thus killing any writing time I might have.

It ended up being the best decision, actually. While I still remained relatively broke and in debt, there was a lot more job security, the commute wasn’t all that bad…and yeah, there was the fact that I could cop a free daily lunch or dinner out of it. I ate a hell of a lot of hot dogs, popcorn, soda and candy those months that I was there. Not exactly healthy…but it was better than skipping dinners and going hungry, right? And there was an added bonus: all the new release movies I could possibly watch, for free! I made it a point to see as many of the releases that I could on the pretense that I could tell our indecisive customers whether they’d like it or not, but primarily to get some heavy hands-on learning of visual and aural storytelling, the kind that I desperately needed if I was going to get my writing off the ground.

Meanwhile, I was still focusing on my writing True Faith. At this point I’d write some of it longhand and transcribe it later on when I had use of D’s computer whenever we got together. That gave me the impetus to not only write more, but to write consistently. Not just every once in a while, but as often as I possibly could. And I came up with a writing motto:

Just fucking DO it. Just shut the fuck up and WRITE.

If anyone could kick me in the arse and get me writing and get out of my habit of indecisiveness and distraction, it was going to have to be myself. I wrote this on two index cards, taped one of them above my desk, and taped the other one next to my bed. The two places I’d see them most.

Various Artists, This Is Fort Apache, released 3 January 1995. A compilation of bands that have recorded at the famed studio in Cambridge. This would include local favorites Cold Water Flat, The Lemonheads, Buffalo Tom, and Juliana Hatfield, as well as international favorites like Billy Bragg and Radiohead. You’ll still see this one floating around in the discount bins, but it really is a great mix worth owning.

Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Rapture, released 14 January 1995. The band’s last album before breaking up was even more poppy and cheerful than 1991’s Superstition, but it’s definitely a positive way to close out a long and incredible career.

Morrissey, “Boxers” single, released 16 January 1995. His standalone singles by this point were becoming more infrequent and a bit less exciting, and while this one was a fan favorite, it failed to capture the interest of the US fans.

Silverchair, “Pure Massacre” single, released 16 January 1995. After their shockingly catchy and spirited debut single “Tomorrow” released late in 1994, this band of teenagers (singer Daniel Johns was 16 when this single dropped) surprised everyone by following through with yet another strong single that could equal all the other heavy alternative bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains.

Throwing Muses, University, released 16 January 1995. The newest Muses album may have been their last on Sire/Reprise in the States, but it’s one of their strongest and most consistent albums to that date. Despite high placement in the alternative charts, however, it would be their last on a major label.

The Wolfgang Press, Funky Little Demons, released 23 January 1995. Sadly, this 4AD band was also seeing the end of a label signing, as well as the end of their run. Granted, they’d been a band for over a decade and felt the need to go their separate ways. This album doesn’t quite hit the high points that the excellent Queer did in 1992/93, but it does reflect the same kind of quirky grooviness they’d evolved towards.

The The, “I Saw the Light” single, released 23 January 1995. Matt Johnson’s newest record since 1993’s moody Dusk was quite unexpected: an album of Hank Williams covers…? Sure, why not? The teaser single was a great rocking cover of “I Saw the Light” with an equally great and vertiginous video.

Leftfield, Leftism, released 30 January 1995. I first heard “Original” on WFNX on the T Orange Line up to Sullivan Square while heading up to the theater at the start of my new job. I was fascinated by the techno aspect of it, but I was really drawn to Toni Halliday’s voice, who I hadn’t heard since her Curve days. An album worth checking out.

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Coming Up: Slowly getting my act together

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XXII

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Z and I got along okay as far as roommates go who start out as complete strangers. We had our own quirks and bad habits that annoyed each other, and he wasn’t entirely happy that I was constantly broke, but other than that we were fine. We did our own things and rarely did stuff together. My only real annoyance was that he was a musician who wouldn’t practice with headphones; he had to play with speakers. Which, y’know, fine, but some nights he’d practice until 1am when I had to wake up early the next day. And his practice style was to play the same passage repeatedly, sometimes for a good hour or so, to nail it.

Still, I had my own room, my stereo, and my own things to keep me company. Things are a bit fuzzy for me around this time as my memories of this time conflict a little with what job I had at the time and what was going on. I’m pretty sure I was in floating mode, taking it day by day. D was back to school and living at 6 Arlington — my old dorm from my own senior year a few years previous — and when I wasn’t at the apartment I was there. I had the temp jobs and the occasional tryout for other positions — I tried my hand at transcription for a few weeks, which was an interesting job but definitely not in my wheelhouse. I know Brighams asked if I wanted a fill-in shift as I’d left on good terms, but I chose not to as I wanted to move on.

The Cranberries, No Need to Argue, released 3 October 1994. The second album from this band was peppier than the first and scored a hit with the weirdly popular “Zombie”, but I preferred the lovely “Ode to My Family” instead.

Lucas, Lucacentric, released 4 October 1994. For a brief time I had cable at the new apartment and would watch MuchMusic for hours on end — it was like watching MTV only better! This track popped up on the station and I absolutely loved the Michel Gondry video. It’s a fun and silly track.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Question the Answers, released 4 October 1994. These local boys brought yet another fun and energetic album to the alternative airwaves, with the great “Kinder Words” single.

Korn, Korn, released 11 October 1994. I was totally not into the alternative metal scene at the time, but I was kind of fascinated by this group which got play on MTV now and again. Their first album didn’t quite reach the heights that, say, Tool’s Undertow did, but they did introduce the janky drop-tuned sludge metal to the masses and had a huge following for the rest of the decade.

Pizzicato Five, Made in USA, released 11 October 1994. I adored this record! It helped of course that this was music that I could hear as a soundtrack for an anime in my head — and their music was so poppy and positive that it definitely helped lift my spirits. [Note: I’m pretty sure the release date is wrong on this because I’m 100% positive that I listened to this while still living in the Shoebox. It’s possibly off by a few months.]

Laika, Silver Apples of the Moon, released 17 October 1994. A band I’d hear on WFNX off and on and was always fascinated by, but never quite got around to picking anything up from them until a few years later. Their quirky mix of not-quite-electronic, not-quite-indie grooves were super fun.

Jamiroquai, The Return of the Space Cowboy, released 17 October 1994. I remember hearing him this early, usually on WFNX’s late-night electronic and dance shows (and this fun video on MuchMusic), and I was of course fascinated by how much he channeled Stevie Wonder. I didn’t pick his stuff up for a few years either, but I always kept notice.

Sophie B Hawkins, Whaler, released 18 October 1994. I’d hear “As I Lay Me Down” quite a bit around this time — this was one of those songs you’d hear on commercial radio as well as in various movies around this time.

Heather Nova, Oyster, released 24 October 1994. She could sort of be seen as a one-hit wonder in terms of US charts, as “Walk This World” was a hit here, but she’s been around for years and doing really well in Europe and elsewhere. I’d hear this one on alt-rock and commercial radio a lot around this time.

The London Suede, Dog Man Star, released 25 October 1994. It took me quite some time to get used to this album as it’s quite the departure from their more glam-rock debut, moving towards darker moods and introspective lyrics. I did appreciate that they named it after the Stan Brakhage film, though!

Dead Can Dance, Toward the Within, released 25 October 1994. One of my favorite 4AD bands, I very nearly went to see them when they played live at Berklee but was too broke to afford tickets. They came out with this live album which would get some minor airplay but would much later be appreciated on stations like KEXP.

Lords of Acid, Voodoo-U, released 25 October 1994. I was fascinated by this band: I knew they were all about the sex and the punk-techno hybrid sound, but I never quite got around to picking them up until my HMV years sometime later. This one would become a favorite of mine later on during my Belfry writing sessions.

Dionne Farris, Wild Seed – Wild Flower, released 25 October 1994. Another summery single that got a lot of play, “I Know” was a fun and funky track that had crossover potential both on alt-rock and commercial radio. It’s one of my favorite tracks of the 90s, and the rest of the album is a fun listen as well.

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Next Up: Unexpected reunions, sad goodbyes and frozen evenings

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XXI

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I moved into the Brighton Ave apartment in September 1994 and I immediately felt less stressed out, although I knew that wasn’t going to last all that long. I was still making minimum wage at Brigham’s (a whopping four dollars and change per hour then) which barely helped with rent, groceries, and paying off my credit card when I needed to use it. And I did need to use it, more than I’d hoped, to afford eating. Something had to change.

I stayed with Brigham’s for a bit longer, but soon I’d try my hand at temp jobs instead. I knew they were out there, I just had to make an effort to sign up for them. Some lasted a few days (filing, envelope-stuffing) and some lasted a couple of weeks, but at the time what I really needed was a stable long-term position. This is when I had two of the worst jobs ever, and they were both telemarketing. I would not wish that upon my worst enemy, as it’s a terrible job with no soul and a lot of high stress. I hated them and didn’t last more than a few weeks before I quit one and was let go of the other. But that was a few months out…for now I stayed at Brigham’s for a little longer.

Not that long before I moved, however, I made a quick trip home to visit family and friends, and unexpectedly ran into my friend Natan, the former guitarist for the Flying Bohemians, and we spent an afternoon or two talking about stuff. It was interesting in that we’d rarely done that in the past without Chris being there. He’d changed considerably since I last saw him a few years previous and was getting his act together. In a few years he’d move to Salem and help usher in a new wave of tattooing in Massachusetts, which had been banned in the state for thirty-eight years, by being one of the leaders to end that ban. He now runs a well-known tattoo parlor there.

As for writing? I just kept on plugging away with whatever I could. I’d be working longhand for a while longer, so when I couldn’t work on True Faith on D’s computer I did a lot of background work and focused mostly on Two Thousand. I also did a lot more practicing on my guitar to get better at it. By the end of the month I’d recorded a solo demo tape that sounded a hell of a lot more experimental than my previous music. It was partly inspired by my meetup with Natan, who’d suggested I not let myself build so many creative barriers.

Sugar, File Under: Easy Listening, released 5 September 1994. The last Sugar entry from Bob Mould, this one’s lighter and perkier than the previous album but it’s good fun.

Blues Traveler, Four, released 13 September 1994. I’d known about this band for a few years — WFNX and WBCN often put their stuff into rotation — but this was the album that exploded for them and brought them into the big time. You’ll still hear “Runaround” and “Hook” on the radio to this day.

Various Artists, If I Were a Carpenter, released 13 September 1994. A tribute album…to the Carpenters? Sure, why not? A very Gen-X thing, come to think of it, but it does show just how great Richard Carpenter was as a songwriter, especially when so many alternative bands got a hold of them. This, interestingly enough, is also where Dishwalla first appeared on a major label!

They Might Be Giants, John Henry, released 13 September 1994. The two Johns acquire a full band and their sound expands from tight and quirky to chunky and…still quirky. “Snail Shell” got a lot of play on WFNX.

Shudder to Think, Pony Express Record, released 13 September 1994. I’d hear “X-French Tee Shirt” on WFNX a lot and I was always ‘who the hell is this and why do I always forget their name?’ It took me years to remember the song and finally track it down!

360s, Strawberry Stone, released 13 September 1994. A local band from Salem releases their last album of chunky alternative rock with a slight surfy sound. They were a band I always liked but never got around to seeing live.

Sinéad O’Connor, Universal Mother, released 13 September 1994. She’d always had an interesting and unexpected music career, and this was considered a really great return to form, even though it didn’t quite get the accolades it should have. “Fire on Babylon” was such a great song that I’d hear quite a bit.

Grant Lee Buffalo, Mighty Joe Moon, released 20 September 1994. I adored “Mockingbirds” so much. It’s one of my favorite songs of that year, and every time I visited Davis Square in Somerville (it’s where the Somerville Theater and the Rosebud Diner are) this song would come to mind. The whole album is a lovely listen, and much livelier than their previous record Fuzzy.

Liz Phair, Whip-Smart, released 20 September 1994. I still hear “Supernova” on the radio to this day. I tend to like this record better than Exile in Guyville as it feels more cohesive and less rambling.

Love and Rockets, Hot Trip to Heaven, released 26 September 1994. After a five-year hiatus, one of my favorite bands were back…and doing electronic ambient music? It took me quite a long time to get used to it, to be honest. I was much more a fan of their first four records.

Massive Attack, Protection, released 26 September 1994. A great second album from this band, featuring the beautiful but haunting title track. It would take me a whilte to get around to picking this one up, but I did like what I’d heard when they played it on WFNX.

Veruca Salt, American Thighs, released 27 September 1994. “Seether” was such a great summery track that was punky without being too grunge. The band sounded like they were having a hell of a lot of fun playing and writing, and that would help them remain a staying power for a good few years more.

REM, Monster, released 27 September 1994. I’d gone from a huge to a passive fan of this band over the past couple of years; they had some great songs but they hadn’t quite maintained my attention after Out of Time. I wanted to like this record, and I know a lot of critics love it, but it felt too disjointed and ‘hey I finally bought a distortion pedal let’s use it on every song’ for my tastes. Still, there are some great deep tracks that I enjoyed.

Soul Coughing, Ruby Vroom, released 27 September 1994. I remember both WFNX and WBCN leaning heavily on this band for its unconventional sound: spoken word poetry and jazz leanings under heavy grooves and treated samples. “Screenwriter’s Blues” remains one of my favorite songs of theirs.

Dave Matthews Band, Under the Table and Dreaming, released 27 September 1994. This band had been around for a few years, but this was the one that broke them, released on a major label and given huge promotion with teh one-two punch of the “What Would You Say” and “Ants Marching” singles. I was an immediate fan and would pick up every release from here on in.

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Next up: Barely making it but being damn stubborn about it

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XX

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The last days of living at the Shoebox were coming fast, and I knew that if I wanted to stay in Boston, I was going to need to find a roommate and a place that was much cheaper than the $500 a month I was spending. Back then of course, you couldn’t just go online and meet up virtually within minutes. You had to check the personal ads in the Boston Globe or the Boston Phoenix, call the number and leave a message and hope to hell they called you back. I knew Back Bay was too expensive and I figured that heading west to Allston and Brighton might be more in line with my pathetic finances. As long as the building was within walking distance of a T line and didn’t take forever to get across town.

D came with me for some of the initial meetups and while there were a few hard no’s, there were definitely a few wish-they’d-chosen-me’s. By the end of the month, I’d meet up with a kid who was a Berklee music student and a keyboard player looking for a roommate in Allston. His only request was that I didn’t mind him practicing at various hours and he’d even put dampers on the bedroom doors. I had no problem with that considering my own penchant for listening to music all hours of the day and night while I wrote, and the rent was $100 less than what I was paying, so that worked well for me.

It would become my final year in the city and end not with a bang but a soul-crushing whimper, but for now I took what I could. And hoped that I could turn my life around while I focused on writing True Faith.

The Judybats, Full-Empty, released 2 August 1994. The final album from this band was great but sadly the label continued to ignore them and never gave them promotion. I know “What We Lose” popped up on a few promotional cd mixes and got some minor play on WFNX now and again.

Love Spit Love, Love Spit Love, released 2 August 1994. Richard Butler’s new band after the dissolution of The Psychedelic Furs was a great new direction for his music; it injected a much needed power that was lacking in the final few Furs records, but continued with Butler’s amazing songwriting. “Am I Wrong” got significant radio play and would also pop up the following year in the movie Angus.

Stereolab, Mars Audiac Quintet, released 2 August 1994. I’d heard of this band previously but this was the one that broke them in America with their funky and bloopy “Wow and Flutter” single. I loved that they were in a universe and a decade all of their own, not quite futuristic but not quite fifties-cocktail-jazz.

Sponge, Rotting Piñata, released 2 August 1994. The first time I heard “Plowed” I was convinced it was a new Social Distortion song, but I absolutely loved how loud and unrelenting it was. It signaled a fresh new sound that had power behind it and yet wasn’t the doom of grunge. I like to think of this album as the one that opened the gates to alternative rock in the latter half of the 90s. It’s a really great record worth owning.

Barenaked Ladies, Maybe You Should Drive, released 16 August 1994. I’d heard this band many times previously, but this was the one where I finally paid attention to them, specifically with the fun and breezy “Alternative Girlfriend” single. If you like their latter work, this one’s another great record to pick up if you don’t have it already.

Portishead, Dummy, released 22 August 1994. “Sour Times” blew my mind so much I went out and bought the cassette not that long after the album came out. I was somewhat familiar with trip-hop at the time — I knew who Massive Attack was and loved a few of their tracks — but this was the one that made me stand up and pay attention. It’s not just the spookiness of the music that I love on this album, it’s the torch-song quality of the vocals as well. Highly recommended.

Jeff Buckley, Grace, released 23 August 1994. I didn’t quite understand why he was so huge in the alternative circles, as I felt some of his work was a bit too meandering, but “Last Goodbye” was the song that changed my mind. I love its slow beginning and its multiple angelic heights. And yes, I used to sing along to this to practice my falsetto! Heh.

Luscious Jackson, Natural Ingredients, released 23 August 1994. This quartet’s debut album was well worth the wait, although it took me quite some time to catch up! (Being broke and all.) “Citysong” got a lot of play on WFNX and I loved that they really leaned into the summery pop but retained their hip-hop roots.

Toadies, Rubberneck, released 23 August 1994. I could not escape the “Possum Kingdom” single for months after this came out, and I’ve come to appreciate this record. This was also band that was alternative yet decidedly not grunge, welcoming in that late-90s indie sound.

Oasis, Definitely Maybe, released 30 August 1994. This debut was huge everywhere — MTV, alternative radio, they even popped up on commercial radio. While Blur would be the pop-oriented Beatles of Britpop, Oasis was…the latter-era Beatles! The Gallagher brothers borrowed heavily from that band over the years while injecting their own sneer and swagger and becoming ridiculously popular. “Live Forever” changed my mind about them and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Bad Religion, Stranger Than Fiction, released 30 August 1994. I knew of this band during my college radio years but I never really got into them until hearing the title song for this record, which ended up opening one of my favorite mixtapes I’d make later in 1995. They’d get heavy play on both WFNX and WBCN.

Sloan, Twice Removed, released 30 August 1994. Their second album was a distinct change from their indie-grunge power pop of Smeared and their label wasn’t too thrilled by that, but this ended up being one of their smartest moves as they’d become one of Canada’s best and most loved indie bands. This one’s more melodic and poppy and it’s definitely worth checking out.

Dinosaur Jr, Without a Sound, released 30 August 1994. “Feel the Pain” seems to be the Dino Jr track that gets the most play on alternative radio these days – and that makes sense considering it’s their most radio-friendly song – but by this time the band was essentially J Mascis and friends, and his mid to late 90s records would be decidedly less about the noisy punk and more about melodic indie rock.

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Next up: a new neighborhood, a new roommate, and a slightly healthier outlook.

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XIX

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So what happened during the summer of 1994? That’s a good question. Not too much excitement, really. Living day to day, working at Brigham’s slinging scoops and making frappes, and working on True Faith. One thing that comes to mind is that I started reading again.

As much as I loved hanging out in bookstores, I would usually only get magazines and music reference books. I was just too involved in the visual, renting and watching movies because of my college years, not to mention my lack of patience and focus in actually sitting down and reading. D suggested I start reading Stephen King’s The Stand since we’d watched the miniseries by this time (she’d taped it for later viewing). Yeah, I know…going from being a non-reader to investing time in a Giant Doorstop, and the Complete and Uncut Edition at that? But it was a great idea because King can be a very visual writer in his worldbuilding and prose style, and that was the same style I was trying to create. The Stand was an unexpected yet vital influence on the Mendaihu Universe in that respect; I was fascinated by how vast the story universe was, and that inspired me to do the same. I spent the next year or so devouring several of his novels, finally realizing how much I did enjoy reading once I allowed myself to.

Meanwhile, D and I had realized we both enjoyed parody songs and came up with our own, focusing on parodying alternative rock under the name Mercy Buckets. We even had an album cover idea: on the walk to her apartment, we’d pass by an alleyway that had a sign with the misspelled words “Do not throw any thrash here.” In stark black and white, we’d be captured pogoing and headbanging in front of it. Our proudest moment was a parody of Hole’s “Miss World” written about Dan Quayle running for president. Yes, we were nerds.

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The Smashing Pumpkins, “Rocket” single, released 1 July 1994. This wasn’t my favorite track off Siamese Dream, but this single featured a great b-side that WFNX picked up on: a live-in-studio cover of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again”. The track would show up a few years later on the For the Masses DM tribute album, but this is where it first appeared.

The Prodigy, Music for the Jilted Generation, released 4 July 1994. A few years before the ubiquitous “Firestarter” song and video, this group was known then for their noisy yet exciting techno that always fired up the dance floor. This was their second album and “Voodoo People” would get minor airplay on WFNX during their weekend techno shows.

Hootie and the Blowfish, Cracked Rear View, released 5 July 1994. I know WFNX wouldn’t dare to touch this band at all, but WBCN played the hell out of them. I’d switch to that station when I was in the mood for more commercial rock stuff, and you couldn’t go an hour without hearing at least one or two tracks from this record. Terrible band name aside, this is actually a pretty decent album!

Des’ree, I Ain’t Movin’, released 5 July 1994. I would hear “You Gotta Be” everywhere I went that summer. And it really is a great track, full of lovely melody and positive and inspiring vibes. I’d also hear it a lot into the next year when I started the movie theater job as part of their in-between movie music.

311, Grassroots, released 12 July 1994. The band’s second album didn’t quite get all the attention it should have, but it did have a minor hit with “Homebrew” which would get play on WNFX and WBCN now and again.

Harry Connick Jr, She, released 12 July 1994. “(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name” was another pop gem that I’d hear everywhere. More known for his jazzy covers of old pop standards, this was an album of fresh new songs for him and was an unexpected success.

Seal, Seal (II), released 19 July 1994. I loved the first album (“Crazy” remains one of my all-time favorite songs of the 90s), but this second record is the one that pushed him further into the mainstream with its many great singles, including “Don’t Cry”, “Prayer for the Dying” and “Kiss from a Rose”, which would be used the following summer in the movie Batman Forever. This remains my favorite album of his and I highly recommend it.

Satchel, EDC, released 26 July 1994. Shawn Smith certainly got around in the 90s and 00s. He formed this band with a coworker from Tower Records, formed the band Brad with Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard soon after, formed Pigeonhed in the late 90s and had a minor hit with the remix of “Battleflag”, and showed up as a guest member on several albums and songs with bands from the Pacific Northwest. This one almost fell under the radar, but I’d heard a track or two from it and eventually found a used copy that I’d play during writing sessions now and again.

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Next up: Summer’s end, making future plans and planning future moves

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XVIII

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By the time summer arrived, I’d started spending more time with D at her apartment because a) it was air-conditioned whereas the Shoebox was a sweltering hotbox, and b) my day job was right across the street. We were that couple, spending far too much time together mainly because most of our friends were out of town and constantly joined at the hip. We were both broke and spent as little money as possible, sometimes to our own detriment to our health. We had our fun times and our down times. And we talked a lot about this science fiction project that had been dogging me for months now.

And it was here late in the afternoon on the 18th of June that I suddenly had a moment of clarity: I knew how to start that project now! We’d been talking off and on about the various versions of new age religions that fascinated us — whether they were earth-based like Wicca or universe-based like astral souls, I realized that there was a lot to mine here. Not so much with appropriation, mind you, but inspiration to come up with my own version. It was that afternoon that I’d come up with an opening scene: one of my characters appears out of nothingness in her apartment, head spinning dangerously, having just returned from some magical traveling through space and time. And this woman had returned because she knew that something big, something life-changing, was about to take place that affected the world. And it had to do with people of Earth finally reconnecting with alien ancestors.

I knew what I wanted to do with this novel now.

This would be the beginning of True Faith, a novel D and I would co-write over the next two years. Most of the writing would be done by me though she would write certain scenes featuring a certain character, and she’d also become a sounding board for all the new ideas that were bursting forth now. We soon had an idea for an extended universe complete with vague ideas for several related novels.

True Faith was never finished, spanning only seven or eight lengthy chapters, several outtakes and a lot of scribbled notes, but it would set the stage for what would be a complete rethink and revision of this universe two years later when I started The Phoenix Effect. The two novels are not related in any way other than the basic idea of alien contact via spiritual means, but I’d like to think that was where the Mendaihu Universe finally went from its planning stages to actual writing.

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Stone Temple Pilots, Purple, released 7 June 1994. I’d been a passing STP fan, but after hearing the absolutely amazing “Big Empty” single on the soundtrack for The Crow, I had to check this one out. I bought this one used at Nuggets and it soon became one of my all-time favorite records of the year. I think it’s their best record, full of great songwriting and excellent playing, and several of its songs were radio favorites. This one would get major play during my Belfry years as well.

Velocity Girl, ¡Simpático!, released 14 June 1994. This band from DC would get a lot of play on WFNX, and their lighter take on the grunge scene, leaning more towards indie pop than hard rock, was a favorite for the indie crowds in Boston. I’d hear “Sorry Again” on that station a lot that summer.

Lush, Split, released 14 June 1994. It took me a while to get around to buying this one due to being so broke, but I do remember listening to it down at Strawberries when they’d opened a store on Boylston Street not that far from the library. This one feels a lot gloomier than their previous records, more introspective and dreamlike, and while that may have caused it not to get as much play or attention, it did in fact grab my attention with the slow but gorgeous “Desire Lines” which has become one of my favorite songs of theirs.

Everything But the Girl, Amplified Heart, released 17 June 1994. This was an album that didn’t get too much attention right away, as it was another of their quiet semi-acoustic records with some good but not exciting tracks. That would change a year or so later when Todd Terry remixed “Missing” and gave them a surprisingly huges hit. I’d hear both versions sometime later after I moved back home and worked once more at the local radio station.

Ride, Carnival of Light, released 20 June 1994. Another band I loved but never got around to picking up for years other than 1992’s Going Blank Again, this one contains a great cover of The Creation’s “How Does It Feel to Feel”, making it just as noisy and psychedelic as the original.

Guided By Voices, Bee Thousand, released 21 June 1994. It took me years to finally get around to getting this band’s output, considering Robert Pollard drops new GBV every other month or so, but I do remember hearing “I Am a Scientist” on WFNX and liking it a lot. I also remember this was the breakthrough album that gained them countless new followers.

Various Artists, Kiss My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved, released 21 June 1994. An odd yet exciting tribute album featuring bands as diverse as Anthrax, Garth Brooks, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Extreme, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The latter band of course getting all the local play on both WFNX and WBCN!

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Coming up: Terrible band names, musical silliness and a pop album with unexpected longevity.

The Boston Years Continued: Slacker Central, Part XVII

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By the end of spring, D had finished off her semester and was going to live in an apartment that was literally just across the street from Brigham’s where I worked. And given that the summer of 1994 was going to be a very hot, sticky and humid one, we realized that it might be a better idea for both of us to hang out in the air-conditioned one instead of the sweltering Shoebox.

In the meantime, we both started talking about what to do with my Nocturne idea. We were both budding writers and I appreciated that she understood where I was willing to go with this story. At the time I still wanted it to be centered around the rebel “Vigil” group I’d come up with — essentially the science fictional version of my IWN characters — but I wasn’t sure exactly how to start the damn thing. I had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to work. We spent a few weeks in May beating it back and forth, doing a bit of world building and kicking ideas about. In the meantime I’d focus mostly on Two Thousand until something came of it.

Oh, and May was also when I met comedian Steven Wright, who’d walked into Brigham’s one night and ordered a milkshake and some food to go. I remember this because the place was dead due to the fact that the long-awaited television miniseries of Stephen King’s The Stand had premiered that night and everyone was at home watching it, and he could pop into our restaurant in relative peace. Being that we were both Emersonians, I recognized him but mainly talked about the college with him. [Side note: a few years earlier, when I lived with L on Beacon Street, I learned he lived the next building over. Small world!]

Sonic Youth, Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star, released 3 May 1994. I was never the biggest SY fan, but I did like “Bull in the Heather” quite a bit, and it was a huge hit on WFNX. I still hear it every now and again!

G Love and Special Sauce, G Love and Special Sauce, released 10 May 1994. WFNX also loved this band…it wasn’t quite funk, but it wasn’t quite folk or rock either, but a mix of all sorts of things. That first album is just full of goofy fun summery funk songs, and well worth listening.

The The, Solitude EP, released 10 May 1994 (US). This was primarily released in the states due to the remake of his well-known track “This Is the Day” as if played on a cheap Casio keyboard, and heard on the Threesome soundtrack earlier in the year. It’s essentially the British version of the four-tracker of the same name plus 1991’s Shades of Blue EP (which featured the great “Jealous of Youth” single).

Indigo Girls, Swamp Ophelia, released 10 May 1994. I’ve been a longtime fan of this duo since the self-titled 1989 album, and while it took me a while to get around to buying this record I loved hearing the wonderful “Least Complicated” single on WFNX.

Weezer, Weezer (aka the Blue Album), released 10 May 1994. I remember this band was just so HUGE from the very first single. Both WFNX and WBCN played the hell out of most of the tracks from this album, because it was just a refreshing take on power pop with a slight Gen-X slacker edge, but without the heavy cynicism of most indie bands of the time. It was more goofy than ironic, and I think that’s why it did so well. It took me a few singles to get around to buying it though…”Say It Ain’t So” is what sold it for me.

The Future Sound of London, Lifeforms, released 20 May 1994. Speaking of WFNX…for most of the early 90s they had a weekend evening show in which they’d play a few hours of great electronic music, and this band was one of their favorites. As I was too broke to be picky, I never quite got around to picking up this one until I found the CD used years later, but I remember liking the single mix of the title track.

Beastie Boys, Ill Communication, 23 May 1994. They’d come a long way from their meathead rap of the mid-80s, and this was the album that shot them into the stratosphere with several singles like “Sure Shot” and the listen-only-at-high-volume “Sabotage”. It’s similar to Check Your Head in that there’s a lot of actual instrument playing here, but while that album is scattershot and experimental, this one is a lot more exciting and enjoyable.

Toad the Wet Sprocket, Dulcinea, 24 May 1994. I’d been a fan of this band since hearing “One Little Girl” back in my freshman year in college, and I’d always look for their records. I owned most of them on vinyl except this one which I found used on CD. It wasn’t quite the winner chartwise but there are a lot of great tunes on it!

Frank Black, Teenager of the Year, released 24 May 1994. His second solo record isn’t quite as wild and diverse as his self-titled first album, but it does share a lot of the same weird humor that he’s always been known for, such as the happy-yet-sad “Headache” and “Two Reelers”, a song about being a Three Stooges fan. D and I loved doing his “happy dance” from this video whenever we wanted to crack each other up.

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Up next: a sudden spark of inspiration finally kicks my science fiction novel into high gear!