FYI: Pat's spinning at The Loop Lounge: "Start!"along with DJ Brian Molloy
Thurs. June 1st (no cover $2 PBRs)
and they're giving away Arctic Monkeys tix...
Being someone who came of age in the late 1970s, I have my biases and favorites. Sometimes I don't go for the "Summer Begins On Memorial Day Weekend" schpeil. This year, however, mother nature complied, and New Jersey is in full blown Summer Mode, so the tuneage must follow suit.
I'm not talking about surf music, although that's fine if ya like surfing and Southern California. I do have a warm spot for my fellow brethren who'd split for Baha when the time was right, but they were listening to The Chameleons and the Sex Pistols back in those days (mid 1980s).
For me, I sense there's something unwritten about tunes that resonate when this time of year sneaks around. Basically it's your boy-girl pop and power pop stuff. Endless Summer. Endless Summer Nights. Drive All Night. School's Out. Do Whatever We Want To.
As my friend Mike Lively would often do once the North Country lost hold of the Arctic blast and something smelling like fresh summer air came through, I like to gather the stuff that works best as the soundtrack. The weird thing these days, is that there's really not a lot of stuff that makes the cut past 1980 (compared to the motherlode of the 1970s; which for some reason really gave us some bonafide top-down classics).
Sure we have a lot of pop groups who tried/try to work the nostalgia angle, but that doesn't cut it. Of course, I'm working from a generational disadvantage (if you're looking for new songs that fit "Here Comes The Summer").
So why all the blabber??? Here in New Jersey we've had a slightly testy Spring, with nary a shot of summeresque luv. And so this past weekend's blast of HEAT & SUN came as a supercharged surprise. No one was expecting this to be the case. (Sadly, Monday saw thunderstorms break the luv.)
Today it's back in the mid 80s and it's a bit humid. Thank you. So off I go and hopefully our station's transmitter won't be shutting down before they get the new A/C in. Extend the holiday. Or at least pretend to.
Brian Wilson Knows Your Name And I've Seen His.
