#0080 – Flower Power

Those guys were awesome, and while there’s hardly a tune on this mix that was played there, every ounce of aggression is put out to the universe with love for my coworkers past and present, and Flower Power

"Death Blooms"

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This mix is in long dedication to the best coffeeshop in Amsterdam, Flower Power.  The bartender/owner named Bas (Sebastian — “bas”) developed a strong rapport with Suzy and me by being a dive bar/coffeeshop that poured a good beer and cranked metal and hip hop, and didn’t mind that we were Americans who didn’t know shit about shit.  We frequented it almost everyday as it was right around the corner of of the flat we rented, and they’d seek us out to come in for a pint even when Suzy wanted us to go to a museum.  Even though they were usually closed on Sundays, they opened up especially for us on our last day in the ‘Dam.

The first time I heard 50 Cent was at Flower Power.  The bar patrons and I would also sing in chorus the entire Black Sunday album by Cypress Hill (this dude from Germany shouting out “pretty insane; got no brain” will stick in my head for all time).  We’d headbang to Aenima by Tool.  This came at the nadir of the first wave of my lessons in brutality, as I was schooled on the glory of metal and aggression from my co-workers, peers and friends Dan, Justin and Dustin.

Those guys were awesome, and while there’s hardly a tune on this mix that was played there, every ounce of aggression is put out to the universe with love for my coworkers past and present, and Flower Power.  Respect, brothers and sisters.

And hey, if you happen to be a patron past or current near Rozengracht, please give a shout back.  Those guys, as well as Kjetil, our host and landlord, made those two weeks the most awesome vacation ever.

And now… for all the hate you can muster, and a little extra to punch a Yak.

  • Static-X – Wisconsin Death Trip
  • Lacuna Coil – Our Truth
  • Soundgarden – Outshined
  • Mudvayne – Death Blooms
  • Disturbed – Stupify
  • Mastodon – Colony of Birchmen
  • Tool – Aenima
  • The Dillenger Escape Plan (with Mike Patton) – Pig Latin
  • American Head Charge – Just So You Know
  • Coal Chamber – Big Truck
  • Corrosion of Conformity – Clean My Wounds
  • System of a Down – Know
  • Rob Zombie – Superbeast
  • Snake River Conspiracy – How Soon Is Now?
  • Pantera – Cowboys From Hell
  • Machine Head – Message in a Bottle
  • Godsmack – Whatever
  • Fear Factory – Back the Fuck Up

The Second Gilded Age

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(Kevin) – Last month or so I saw a terrific Bill Moyers episode on PBS called the Second Gilded Age, and that show inspired this heavy, hardcore mix, which I’ve cleverly named, The Second Gilded Age. The 3 videos that make up the show are available here, if interested http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06132008/watch3.html . I listen to mixes over and over, and I like to put in samples of things that I either think are funny, disturbing, or that make me think about something, and these samples are designed to keep what’s happening today in the USA fresh in my mind when I listen to this mix. I like to drill key concepts into my own brain.  EAT THE RICH! Or at least the bad ones, anyway.

  1. Hear this Prayer for Her – Kingdom of Sorrow
  2. Confrontation – Otep
  3. Watch Yourself – Ministry
  4. The Death and Resurrection Show – Killing Joke
  5. Are We Alive? – Terror
  6. Gasping for Air – Jungle Rot
  7. Stand As One – Strife
  8. Surrender to Your TV – Shelter
  9. Seeing Red – Minor Threat
  10. Kill Your Idols – Static X
  11. As the Coil Unwinds – The Destro
  12. Deliverance – Earth Crisis
  13. Striving Higher for a Better Life – Warzone
  14. Coma America – Amen
  15. Build a Nation – Bad Brains
  16. F*** It All – Death Before Dishonor
  17. Mindlock / Iced – Malevolent Creation
  18. Modern Age Slavery – Beneath the Massacre
  19. God, I Hope the Data is Lying – Zombie Apocalypse
  20. Repeat Process – 100 Demons

Also, for anyone who likes the heavy stuff, I’ve re-issued the now-classic Vociferous Convulsant heavy mix. I liked the flow of songs on the mix, but after one listen was tired of hearing myself talk so much, so I went back and cut most of the audio out to a bare minimum, which also had the added benefit of getting the mix down to an hour. So, if you like these mixes, check this one out again.

#0019 – File under: Imperialism

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I was watching our President the other day and he dropped a line about avoiding World War III by keeping Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Now, whatever you think about the state of politics in the US or the world today, there’s no doubt that there’s a lot of people that just don’t like the U.S. and think we’re being too imperialistic. So this is a mix I’ve been kicking around for a while and it seems like it’s gestated long enough. This mix includes music from the soundtrack of Team America, Black Label Society, Rage Against the Machine, Front 242, The Cure, Dropkick Murphys, Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Trent Reznor, Tears for Fears, Ween, Static-X, Motörhead, Gogol Bordello, Ladytron, Outkast, Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails. Strength and Honor, citizens!