Music.

It’s all the rage these days. It’s also one of the most fluid and encompassing art forms in the world. The Flip Side celebrates music from a number of different avenues. Check back to read about the latest in all that is groovy.

Jacob Floyd Ross (CRUMPLER) is everything you’d want in a musician. Solid songs. Great stage presence. All-around nice guy. Plus, he’ll be in Bloomington at nightshop on September 25.

1. Introduce the band members (who’s who and who does what)

Crumpler is essentially me, Jacob Floyd Ross on guitar and any other sound you hear except drums.  Jason Creps, Sean Burke, Michelle Roberts, Joel Ross, & Adam Vida have contributed drums & percussion on various recordings.  For the first 20 years Crumpler was primarily a composing outlet for my collaborations with film, theater, dance, radio, and other interdisciplinary arts.

Live performances by Crumpler were extremely rare prior to me leaving Chicago in 2014.  While in Chicago, I more often performed live with Ribbon Effect, Low Skies, The Warmbloods, and Man Is Man.

All that being said… Crumpler will be touring as a trio at the end of this month (more on that below) with Matt Wenzel of The Falbonauts and Husband Material on baritone guitar and our small robot friend, Madame Beat Buddy on beats.

2. Genre of music you play and why?

Americana Rock with a strong goth influence.  More specifically, we descend from the Rolling Stones fork in the rock n’ roll family tree, and once you find the post-punk, indie-rock branch you will find us out on a dark & twisted limb.

Why?  That’s a great question.  Simply put… it’s just what comes out of me when I let the music spirits flow.  Some of the why is undoubtedly connected to my growing up in Texas listening to and dreaming of post-punk and new wave music.  Joy Division and the American Southwest are the most common references in reviews of my music.

3. Your take on vinyl vs. digital music and what direction do you see music evolving into?

Whoa.  Another big one.  I suspect there are college courses dedicated to this subject.  Nevertheless, my overarching sentiment is that I believe music is good for humans and that we should engage with it in whatever formats are available to us… that includes both listening and creating.

On a more granular note… CDs are my favorite format and vinyl is my second favorite with cassettes taking the bronze and streaming/pod music gets an honorable mention.  However, that’s my personal music appreciation preference.  I’m working towards getting more of my catalog released online, because that’s clearly a top choice for millions of people.  I think it’s silly at best to judge how other people wanna listen to music.  Once the tunes are alive and out in the world, I can’t control how people listen to them nor would I want to.

As far as the future of recorded music… who knows what technologies will come and go?  But I do believe so long as there’s electricity available humans will continue to obsess over documenting and distributing all the amazing music we generate day in and day out.

4. Biggest challenges you face in getting your name/music in front of people?

Well, I’d say the biggest challenge is that there are nearly 8 billion humans freaking out on a spinning sphere of stardust flying roughly 67,000 miles an hour around a flaming ball of fusion in an infinite soup of expanding galaxies.  That’s fairly distracting for people.

But also… the lack of label support, a booking agent, publicist, manager etc. compounds the challenges of promoting my music amongst a vast sea of music.  And that’s just in the related genres, not to mention ALL the other music, art, culture, work, and family that distracts people.  It’s hard to cut through the noise, but that’s what everyone is up against.  Which is one of the reasons I love playing live shows, because it’s a truly powerful and transformative way of connecting with people.

5. What are you working on now? Any tours or performances coming up?

Crumpler is currently preparing for a Midwest tour in support of Califone at the end of September…

http://www.jacobfloydross.com/shows

https://www.califonemusic.com/shows/

Over the winter we’ll be recording a new Crumpler full length album and playing shows in CA, AZ, and NM.

6. Who do you listen to and who would you recommend to others?

I listen to a WIDE variety of styles, genres, and artists.  BUT…

Here’s a dozen artists/albums that have been in heavy rotation for 2019:

Warm Drag

Sharon Van Etten

Carpet of Horses

Karen O & Danger Mouse

Hands and Feet

The Ghost Dog Soundtrack

The Johnson Spiritual Singers from Saginaw, MI

The Moondoggies

Syl Johnson

The Falbonauts

The Chameleons UK

Erika Wennerstrom (Heartless Bastards)

7. Anything else to add?

You can’t party without water.

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Rodney Scott is a local (Bloomington-Normal) DJ who has an in-depth knowledge of music, bands, and Central Illinois. Let’s see what he has to say:

1. Introduction – who you are and what you do

My name is Rodney, but on my radio show I’m “Raydog,” My radio show, Skinny Ties & Indie Rock Dives, specializes in power pop, punk, garage, rockabilly, and surf rock–preferably of the obscure kind.

2. Are you also a musician?

I’m definitely not a musician. I always joke I have the manual dexterity of a pregnant cow, and the self-discipline of a dachshund.

I’m strictly an “on air” personality. I can’t really imagine trying to sell my services.

When I’m putting together a playlist I generally try to provide cruising songs, simple things: The Raspberries, The Barracudas, I like to play old greaser rockabilly, surf instrumentals, songs with lots of screaming, yelling, in the background, people misbehaving is usually the theme I’m after.

I like to craft playlists with regard to the current season. Around the time Fall begins I like to put on songs that are just depressing, bleak. I remember one night, when I was a kid (probably buzzed on Ritalin), I was laying in the backseat of my parent’s Ford LTD, a huge boat of a car, we were heading back home after attending my older brother’s basketball game. It was a bitterly cold night, Central Illinois, the flat landscape, barren fields with a light dusting of snow, the moon and the stars bright, then Fleetwood Mac’s “Sara” came on the radio, with its deliberate tempo, minimal instrumentation, all of that fit so perfectly with the night, the mood. After that moment I seemed to appreciate how music can dovetail with your physical surroundings, your psyche.

Jimmy Page once said something like good rock or pop music has a sense of drama about it, I can understand that. I try to incorporate that concept–with varying degrees of success or failure–when I’m putting my show together.

 I don’t know…I try not to sweat things I can’t control.

The biggest challenge I face as a radio DJ is the fact that small independent radio is not the same medium it was 30 years ago. I think it is still a viable, relevant, form of media, but honestly, most people are into streaming services like Spotify.

The experience of listening to a radio show that has a free-form, anarchic quality to it is different than streaming music you are already into, where technology enables you to leap to other bands and performers that have similar traits. Still, I try not to come off as some old geezer who hates everything new, you have to maintain perspective, ignore trends, just keep doing what you know and do best.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

Music tastes are personal. I make fun of hardcore punk, heavy metal, prog rock, top forty country, hippie jam bands on my show. Still, if you are really into haunting record stores, playing in bands, try to avoid tags, try to keep an open mind about different forms of popular music. People’s likes and dislikes are all unique, if you are really into something, try to figure out a way to actively take part in it.

Some random music that had an effect on my radio show: Norton Records, Crypt Records all served as a primer of sorts for weird, bizarre garage/rockabilly/surf rock, Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe’s Rockpile records from the mid 70’s, Big Star #1 Record and Radio City, the Zion IL power pop band Shoes, Cheap Trick, Dwight Twilley Band, and then just any number of compilations that are out there on labels like Numero that feature local and obscure no hit wonders. Graham Parker & The Rumour’s Squeezing Out Sparks, Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True and, with The Attractions, This Year’s Model were huge for me. Hearing The Replacements Let It Be in March of 1987 led me to eventually sell almost all of my heavy metal cassettes several months later. I could go on and on, really veer off on some tangents, so I had better stop…

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Let’s get our groove on with D.J. Jeremy Berg,

who currently hails from Texas.

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Let’s do one more chunk with The Quaker before we visit with some other music folks. Did you know that besides for music, the Quaker has had a personal and up close relationship with chickens? It’s true. He raised and judged them back in the day (4-H) and won awards for his mastery. Word on the street is that he’s never met a chicken he didn’t like.

Take a look at a few more reviews he’s written lately. Again, if you wish, you can find these and so many more at https://thequakergoesdeaf.tumblr.com/

Massive Wagons — Full Nelson (Earache) 4th album from these talented good-time rockers out of Lancaster, England: They play crunchy-fun, gutsy rock ‘n’ roll with a punky energy, ripping power pop melody lines, classic rock chord structures and a touch of glam. The songs are a high-speed freight train that rocks ‘n’ rolls over everything in its path, leaving a fire trail of dancing rails. Shades of The Wildhearts, White Reaper, Slade, Status Quo, Black Pussy, Redd Kross, The Exploding Hearts, Cheap Trick, Smash Fashion, Guns N Roses. “Full Nelson” is what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Just try to put this record on without smiling and bouncing around the room. I dare you. It’s pure, simple, uncomplicated and utterly brilliant. Recommended.

Wooden Shjips — V (Thrill Jockey) The 5th album from these San Francisco masters of psychedelic dreamland continues on the path of their brilliant 2013 release “Back To Land”. The songs bask in a generally subtle, smooth flow—almost jazzy at times. But the mindset is pure tripped-out bliss. Ripley Johnson’s guitar is heavenly, dreamy—a fluid, otherworldly rocketship floating through the universe on a leisurely voyage to nirvana. It hints at artists like Tom Verlaine, Mike Bloomfield, Bill Nelson, Mick Hutchinson, John Cippolina, Guy Blakeslee. The keyboards and Krautrock-tinged rhythms recall Johnson’s poppier band, Moon Duo. There are similarities to bands such as Psychic Ills, The Black Angels, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3, Suicide. “V” rises like a kaleidoscopic peacock on magical wings, extending a visionary optimism to starry-eyed dreamers and seekers of audio euphoria. Recommended.

The Limiñanas—Shadow People (Because Music) On their 5th album, this French duo have hit their stride with a vengeance; mixing magically psychedelic folk/pop-drone melodies with a rhythmic/Motorik rock flow that chugs along like a zoned-out power engine on a mission to find out where the world ends. These are songs with a hypnotic & driving beauty that’s couched in a mysteriously compelling aura of attraction; they gently demand that you come along for the ride. Guests include members of Brian Jonestown Massacre (Anton Newcombe sings on the track here), New Order, Bel Canto Orchestra, Les Enfants Des Autres, Hair & The Iotas, The Pink Tiles. Sometimes recalls artists like The Holydrug Couple, Moon Duo, Brian Jonestown Massacre, New Order, The Velvet Underground, The Black Angels, Spiritualized, BrianEno, Jesus & Mary Chain. The cohesive and consistent brilliance of the songs here, their never-ending emotional pull, and the continuity of rhythmic vibration to the next land—these all combine to make this the first greatalbum of 2018. “Shadow People” is an absolute stunner! Highly Recommended.

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Round Two with The Quaker, who originally hails from the Springfield, Illinois area. Currently, you can hear him LIVE on WESN 88.1fm every other Friday from 6pm to about 9pm. He has been writing reviews for decades – in places like The Post Amerikan (Normal, Illinois) and now-defunct magazines in Champaign, Illinois (plus more! Stay tuned) Although in the process of moving, he plans to be back on the air in either late June or July – so keep an eyeball peeled to The Flip Side for specifics.

Deerhunter—Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? (4AD) – On their 8th official studio album, this iconic band from Atlanta, Georgia continues down a path of mellow-but-weird experimental indie pop/rock. The songs play like cohesive nuggets of subconscious creativity. Bradford Cox’ ability to combine accessible pop melodies with odd and unexpected elements remains entertainingly intact. The lyrics are imbued with a concerned, if somewhat distant, existential passion. Overall it’s a comfortably peculiar bit of indie pop that feels open and vaguely welcoming. Members/guests have played in Atlas Sound, Lotus Plaza, Moon Diagrams, Macha, The Dream Scene, Drinks, White Fence, more. While there’s nothing here that makes me sit up and say “Woah!”, “Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” is a pleasantly stimulating listen that holds the promise of unfolding revelations.

Sad Planets—Akron, Ohio (Tee Pee) – On their debut album, this Midwest band with a pedigree plays classic pop/rock with a retro-radio-ready feel. Normally, I would follow a description like that with a negative comment. But there is something about the songs here that overrides that gut reaction. Maybe it’s the lack of pretense, or the utter in-your-face “non-coolness”; or maybe it’s just great songwriting and tunes that hang in your head by their own volition. The riffs and hooks are packed with the kind of nostalgic charm that just will not be denied. You’ll hear lots of relatable keyboards, guitars, bop-along grooves, garagey R&B and sweet pop melodies, with occasional psychedelic side trips. Members have played in the Black Keys, Guided By Voices, Sweet Apple, Cobra Verde,Death Of Samantha. You might hear similarities to Foxygen, Valley Lodge, The Beatles and a multitude of 60s AM radio groups. So, just open up your brain, stretch your ears wide, and soak it all up without judgement. This is pure, vintage-injected pop/rock fun! Recommended

Sundrifter—Visitations (Small Stone) – 2nd album from this Boston band who play fast, hard rumbling rock songs with pounding drums and arena rock vocals. The songs roar with a bluesy metal crunch and a 70s swagger. Molten threads of throbbing stoner rock grooves drive the desert rhythms, occasionally landing on some trippy psychedelic lead riffs, while chunky sledgehammer chords crank out the muscle. Bits of grunge and sludgy doom peek in the door. RIYL: Soundgarden, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Clutch, Truckfighters, Alice In Chains, Black Sabbath. “Visitation” is a monster for everyone who digs a varied, always heavy, metal sound

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For the premiere installment, let’s check in with The Quaker,  the musical reviewer mastermind who some of you might recognize from his bi-weekly radio show “The Quaker Goes Deaf” on WESN 88.1fm.

The Quaker (AKA Charlie Edwards) has been writing music reviews since the dawn of man. Actually, he’s been involved in the music industry for the better part of the past four decades. From owning his own record stores to DJ-ing to everything in between, Charlie understands and extrapolates on what he hears – from oldies to albums that have yet to drop. He deftly paints an “auditory picture” using imagery and comparisons to provide encapsulated reviews for his audience.

As The Flip Side is updated, you’ll read more about Charlie, his background, more reviews, and possibly, some brushes with greatness from some bands. The Flip Side is all about music – past, present, and future.

Recent Reviews from The Quaker:

The Underground Youth—Montage Images Of Lust & Fear (Fuzz Club)—On their 9th album, this Manchester, England band plays dark marching music for the terminally rejected; those who find their hope among lepers and poets. Craig Dyer yelps and wails with the articulate passion of a young Nick Cave. The songs twist and turn with an angst-driven dark rock energy, occasionally tapping into a melancholic depravity that recalls The Velvet Underground. Dyer’s baritone weaves around eerie atmospheric music that explodes in fervent eruptions with a mysterious thirst for resolution, while background guitars scratch and moan for relief. Kristof Hahn (Swans) contributes lap steel guitar on several tracks. “Montage Images Of Lust & Fear” exudes a strength and power that arises from a fearless exploration of reality’s underbelly. It’s haunted and pure, ultimately compelling. Recommended.

Craig Finn—I Need A New War (Partisan) – Craig Finn is an exceptional lyricist, a master narrator of life stories. On his 4th solo album, this New York artist, who has been a member of Hold Steady and Lifter Puller, continues to paint a vivid picture of the every man American relationship experience. His insightful vision and pathos-ridden voice, filtered through words that strike at the heart and soul, will send shivers of appreciation and compassion down your spine. The music retains much of his previous classic Americana rock feel, falling on the soft side between Drive-By Truckers and Bruce Springsteen, with horns and keyboards expanding the scope into jazzier soft ballads. If at all possible, you’ll want the lyric sheet in hand on your first listen, to drive the nails home. ”I Need A New War” is a magnum opus of lyric-driven Americana rock music. When Craig Finn writes his first novel or book of poetry, I will be at the front of the line to get one. Recommended.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre—The Brian Jonestown Massacre(A) Somewhere around the 18th album from San Francisco frontman Anton Newcombe and band finds them in top notch psychedelic form. The songs are heavy on melody with plenty of tripped-out guitar work. Newcombe’s songwriting gives you exactly what you want to hear from a Brian Jonestown Massacre album. There are no surprises here, and that’s fine, as these songs are deeply rooted in the band’s trademark psychedelic sound. Reverb-drenched guitars echo over plaintive vocals, strummed chords lay down a Western shoegaze motif, and the scent of bong smoke hangs heavy in the air. All is right with the world. Recommended.

(For more reviews from The Quaker Goes Deaf, please visit the tumblr site HERE!)