It is a short show to check in on this Friday, October 21st. We have The Substitutes for your enjoyment.

The Substitutes were a Bay Area band that were active in the heyday of podcasting. Unfortunately, they are no longer with us as a band, but they left behind some great tunes.

Today we are playing “Taken a Lifetime.” This was one of the tunes that made them members of the RfL Royal Court.

I also talk about why it is so hard to get shows out these days, how I am trying to get the passion back for podcasting, and my entry into the sport of boxing.

I did this show fast and on a whim. I was not monitoring while I recorded and the show mic was a bit hot. Sorry for the sound in the spoken parts. I will monitor next time.

Enjoy the show. Cheers!

Eban

The early 90′s was a great time for music. A moment in time where good, adventurous music was being released across many genres. Rock was good. R&B was good. Rap was good. New Age was peaking. Pop was epic. And to top it all off, although the music known as alternative had started it’s slide from being truly alternative to being marketing drivel, the mix of true indie and the pre-fab corporate stuff was really shaking up the scene.

Add into this that culture itself was in a transition. Transitioning to what we had no idea at the time, but transitioning was the fun part. It mattered not where we ended up.

Back then, tattoos and piercings still were a sign of rebellion. A real statement. I even lost a job due to tattoos and piercings. Today teenagers get tats and piercings before graduating school.  Every cause seemed so important.

——————-

It was the year 1993. That was a huge year for me. That was the year the Air Force tried to prosecute me for an accident  resulting from by a medical condition caused by my service. Although that ended up in my favor, it left me a bit jaded and wounded. That incident culminated in my most famous tattoo and peircing, which I have written about quite a lot. (Even got into a bit of web exposure, which is still out there somewhere. The naughty Santa)

Being out the Air Force and searching for meaning in anything led to that year being spectacular. Effie and I were alone in Colorado, broke, barely making it, and having the time of our life.

We attended every festival and event we could. It was free and since there was so much going on culturally at the time, we were exposing ourselves to everything. We were vegetarians, extremely liberal (yeah, that changed big time over the years, Libertarians are created, not born), and were exploring art, music, and our place in the culture.

One event the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. This was held in the streets just north of the recently opened upscale Cherry Creek Mall in Denver. It was an amazing festival, and that was the first year we attended.

That was a landmark event for us. The memory still stands out as a high point in our life. More so even than attending Lollapalooza festivals and more well known events. Even after our subsequent visits to the festival, 1993 stands out as the best.

Being into music, I had heard the song Possession a few times on the radio, but it was just another song to me. I did not know about any other music by Sarah McLachlan. I don’t know that I could have even named Sarah McLachlan as the artist. That was about to change big time.

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Both of our cars, a Mitsubishi Montero and a Plymouth Colt, were down and we could not afford to fix them. This relegated us to the bus system. It was not a big stretch as even when the cars were working we took the bus often. It was hip in 1993 to try and save the planet. We arrived at Cherry Creek early to make a whole day out of the event. It was a day’s entertainment for only the cost a couple of vegetarian hot dogs at Paul’s Place in the mall.

I wish I knew the DJ, or whoever was in charge of the music that day. He did something really interesting, and usually not recommended. He put Sarah McLachlan’s new album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, on a continual loop for the whole day.

We started checking out the art and there was some really original stuff there. We had been to many street art festivals in our days. This one was different. The level of talent at this festival seemed higher  than any we had attended up until that point. Instead of just walking around, spending a day out as cheaply as possible, we started to explore the art. We spent a lot of time talking with the artists, even grilling some of them. We were expanding our horizons.

At first, the music did not register. I heard it, but it had not penetrated my psyche yet. The day was already becoming special. There was one artist there that created life realistic resin sculptures of himself, others, and his body parts. Another did amazing abstracts, which up until that time I considered kiddy art. It was this festival that lead to my eventual study of art and my becoming an artist myself.

After an hour or so, the music hit me like a bomb. We were probably on our third listen of the album by that time and I had started to pay attention. That album was enchanting. I realized that I was walking around the city in which I had lived since 1989, but it felt more like a fantasy land. The whole scene was becoming surreal.

After a few more hours and a cheap lunch we went right back into checking out the art. The best part of the day was about to begin. We went to the performance stage to watch the late Denny Dent do his thing.

His thing, by the way, is producing a celebrity painting in the space of one to three songs. He used up tp six brushes at a time as well as just his hands. It is quite a sight watching him go at the canvas with three brushes in each hand, then flinging the paint directly from the cans and slapping the canvas with his hands.

We watched him do Mick Jagger and John Lennon. It was a very energetic show. As with all great showmen, he saved the best for last.

I had seen his show closer on TV before this event, but Effie had not so I kept quiet. He started painting to the first of three Hendrix songs and continued through the second. At the end of the songs the music stopped and Denny took to the mic. The painting looked like a jumbled mess. He talked about being the best you could be and almost apologized for the canvas. Then Purple Haze started and Dent dropped to his knees as if praying. He sat there, his hands shaking, looking towards the sky as the song built up. Then, just as the main guitar line kicked in, Dent jumped up, rotated the canvas, and viola, it was done. He had painted the entire thing upside down.

The crowd roared. Very few seemed to know what was coming. Seeing Dent perform live was a real treat. Unfortunately, Dent suffered a heart attack a few years back and since then several imitators have sprung up in his absence. I can always say I saw Dent perform three different times. Each time, the Hendrix bit  brought a smile to my face.

After that, It was back to the art, and to Sarah. As the night sky started to replace the day, we started back to the bus stop. We had spent less than ten dollars and had one of the best, eye opening days we have ever had. Truly a magical day. It was that day I felt that anything was possible. I turned to Effie, and with no point of reference or idea how to make it happen, I proclaimed, “In one year I will have us living in Germany.” Guess how that turned out. Things did seem to click after that day.

——————-

The next day, even though we were still broke, and would be for at least another year or so, we headed out to our favorite indie music shop. It had to be indie. Unfortunately, the years have played havoc with my memory and I can no longer remember the name. At the time, we did have the distinction of being the customers that spent the most in one day at that store the day we switched from cassettes to CD’s. We had not always been broke.

We bought Fumbling Towards Ecstasy that day. Sarah McLachlan has been a major part of my life since. As major as an artist that I have never and probably never will meet can be. She has never put out a bad disk, and her most successful was the follow up to Fumbling, titled Surfacing. Still, that CD, that day, and that particular moment in time, the early 90′s, was just magical. Sarah McLachlan was, and still is, a major part of that.

She was a cultural changer. Few, no matter how popular, can really make that claim. I know that day would not have been the same without Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Cheers to you Sarah!

 

We are going to hear from Ari Shine, Rotoscope, The Substitutes, The Genders, and The Distillers. That is some great music.

Music on the Show

Ari Shine-Try A Little Harder

Rotoscope-All That’s Left and Drive

The Substitutes-Taken a Lifetime

The Genders-When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Stoner

The Distillers-LA Girl

I have found myself in the same argument over and over again through the years. The argument is that there is no indie movement, or alternative, or anything of the type. The second something becomes a movement, it no longer really exists, at least not as it started. I was reminded of this argument again yesterday when I was followed by two guys that were the white boy hip-hop version of the ‘Night at the Roxbury’ guys. It would have been funny if it was not so sad. They were so indie with their cred………..NOT!

Take hippies for example. They were counterculture, they were broke, they were pretty smelly, but at first they were genuine. Then the marketing guys and retail outlets latched on. If you were buying your bell bottoms at Montgomery Wards or Sears, and ordering your ‘paint your wagon’ patches from magazines, you missed the hippie movement. Sorry to say it, but you did.

Let’s look at the ‘alternative’ music scene. If you were listening to Radio Free Europe in the 80′s, you were part of the ‘college scene’ or alternative scene as it would start to be known. If you liked Husker Du, you may have been alternative. If the Replacements were in your tape deck, you still had cred. If you listened to any of these bands after seeing Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ or were turned on to REM with ‘Losing My Religion’, then no, you were not really part of the scene. Grunge? Give me a break.

I remember having this conversation with my ‘sort of’ niece. I would try to get her to understand that if something was being played on top 40 radio, it was not alternative. She would say it was called alternative. At this point I would try to explain the bastardization of words, but it never got through. This was also the time when wearing those sparkly butterfly tee shirts was so popular and would show off your individuality. Proof of this was that you could buy them anywhere from Macy’s, to Wal Mart, to Hot Topic. And yes, this was another argument I could never win.

The whole myth of indie culture is laughable. I have said it before, the coolest guys I have ever known, real coolness, were the folks that could care less about following trends or fashions. They really did their own thing and to hell with everything else. These were the guys I looked up to. At times I have been able to emulate them, but I am still an bit too much of a trend follower for my taste. I do care a bit too much about appearances and what others think. Just being honest about it.

But one thing I have gotten out of my system is the need to be ‘indie’ in any way. Hell, being indie can just about make you go broke. I mean, it costs a lot today to look ‘so cool that you don’t care.’ Also, the indie scene is so crowded. I mean being an indie individual person type is very popular, with all those individuals wearing the same thing, attending the same functions, talking alike, and basically doing everything else the same as well.

Back in August The Art of Manliness had a great take on why indie is bunk, hell that was the title of the post, Why Being “Indie” is a Bunch of Bunk. Check it out, it is a good read. Probably more coherent than my take.

Now, back to your normal programing.

Cheers,
Eban

Songs
Demons and Illusions, Machine, and My Everything

Be sure to check back in next week as we will have a couple of full episodes for you. That is right, SJ and all!

Enjoy today’s show and have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Eban

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Oh yes, it is the Juggernaut, which is normally Hard Rock and Metal Friday, but this week it is Hard Rock and Metal Saturday. We have music from around the globe to kick your ass today.

We have bands from around the world for your ears. From The Netherlands, we have Chiraw and Non Devine. From California, we have favorites In Silence. From Nevada, we have royal court members Darque Carnival. From Washington, we have Lucid. And from Norway, we have K9!

That is a lot of great hard rock and metal music! Seriously!

But you know it would not be RfL 2.0 if that is all we offered you. We have our look at celebrity birthdays as well as trivia from Jan 24th. How about the first beer can? That is interesting, right? How about the gold rush? What about the product that got us all saying “anal Leakage?” Even the Eskimos, pies, and indirectly, Steven King, play into all of this.

Sj takes the reigns to tell us what happened to the stars of the movie, “The Breakfast Club”, and even confuses Judd Hersch with Judd Nelson. What an idiot! And just for kicks, he also let’s us know just why Andy Dick is, well, a total dick.

That is a lot to fit into a show, but we do it, mistakes, mis-takes, and all.

It may not always be pretty, but it is always fun.

Cheers!

Music on the show!

Lucid – Sirens

Non Divine – Visions

Darque Carnival – Down Driven

In Silence – To Walk Away

K9 – Fraction of Time

ChiRaw – Domination

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This is the Reaching for Lucidity 2008 Halloween Special!

This is going to be fun.

SJ starts things off today. It is fitting as he is a 500 year old red demon boy form the 5th dimension. The music today is all kinds of spooky.

We hear from Calabrese which opens and closes the show. Never so True brings up zombies, while monsters are the theme from Never so True, Matchbook Romance, The Hoodlum Circus, and The Powerknobs.

See, spooky!

SJ and I talk about the history of Halloween, Rfl style. We hit on the spooky Halloween celebrity birthdays. We even have some trivia for you that all happens on October 31. To top things off, SJ tries the toxic punch that is brewing through the show, with an extreme reaction.

Demons, eh?

Enjoy the show, and have a great Halloween.

Cheers,

Eban and SJ

Music on the show

Calebrese: Zombie I, Midnight Spookshow, and Backseat of My Hearst

Never So True: Zombie Movie

Matchbook Romance: Monsters

The Hoodlum Circus: Space Monster

The Powerknobs: Monster Party

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For the first time ever, RfL goes into a trance, the trance stylings of DJ and Producer Makrolon, that is.

Yep, Trance.

It is episode 401, and I thought it would be a good time to try something different. Since it is a Quickjabs today and not a full show, I figured why the hell not.

The show is all about DJ and Producer Makrolon from Croatia. He is a classically trained musician and is just at ease with Mozart as with the electronic scene.

Still, no Mozart in sight today. All trance.

These songs are remixes and reworked pieces from Makrolon’s impressive catalog.

Also, we hear from our buddy Brent Bradley. He sent a great audio clip for the 400th episode, but I got the email after I recorded the show, so we hear it today. Brent is the host of Podshow Radio, which is one of the best music shows on the net. Get over there and subscribe!

Songs on the show

Inner Smile – make a Change (Makrolon Radio Mix)
Estive – Fame (Makrolon Reworked)
Digital Nature and Manuel le Saux – pretender (Makrolon Remix)
Dj Merlin and Dj C Bass- Trancemission (Makrolon Remix)

Enjoy!

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We have music from In This Moment, Poisonblack, Into Eternity, and Attackhead. We are going to send you into the weekend with the best metal and hard rock stuck in your head.

Would you want it any other way?

I thought not!

No big celebration today, just great tunes. Again, would you want it any other way?

Again, I thought not.

We also have our regular segments, celebrity birthdays, trivia, and finally back from vacation, it is the return of SJ!

Yeah, you could have probably lived without that one, but we take the good with the bad, eh? (Yes, I will have to deal with SJ after writing that)

So, kick back, buckle your seat belts, and get ready for some brain scrambling music. It would not be a proper Friday at RfL otherwise.

Cheers!

Eban and SJ

Music on the show

In This Moment: Forever

Poisonblack: HateLove and Left Behind

Into Eternity: Splintered Visions and Time Immemorial

Attackhead: Waste of Life and Lead the Blind

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We are actually going to hit episode 400 on Friday as planned. But first, let’s take care of this show.

We are focusing this quickjabs on two incredibly talented ladies, and longtime royalty at Reaching for Lucidity. We have two songs each by Karmyn Tyler and Cheryl B. Engelhardt. And yes, that makes for a great show.

Karmyn Tyler by Micheal Dambrosia

Cheryl B. Engelhardt

As you may be able to hear in this episode, I am feeling a lot better than the last show. I am hoping to be 100% by the Juggernaut on Friday. SJ is also chomping at the bit to get back into the action.

Hey, the little demon boy is feeling left out.

Another thing you may notice is this Wednesday Coffee House is coming out on a Thursday. Well, the show was recorded on time, my sites at Dreamhost were unfortunately going down, then back up, then down again yesterday. This website highway to hell was keeping me from posting yesterday. Hey, one day late is not too bad, eh. We have had worse here.

I normally love Dreamhost, but lately, things have been a little wonky. (actually that is not totally true. Dreamhost has offered the best hosting experience I have ever had online. I, with no hesitation, endorse their services)

Well, enjoy the show and be back here for 400!

Songs on the Show

Karmyn Tyler: Drifting and Forbidden Love (pic by: Ballerini Cooley Studios)

Cheryl B. Engelhardt: Hard to Come By and Proof

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Well, being sick is not fun. That is one thing I think most people will not argue about. Being sick while having to fly all day is hell, not only for the sick, but for all those surrounding the sick.

Luckily, I am on the mend right now. I am still having a lot of trouble with my left ear. I can barely hear out of it, and as a media producer – an audio guy to be more specific, this is not a good thing. I may be making a trip to the doctor soon.

The trip to California, the orientation for my new job, went great. Other than the cold, that is. The new position is bigger than I thought and I am being given a long leash to prove the power of social media to drive business. (or to hang myself, but we know that won’t happen, right?) I love situations like this, it is up to me to make or break it, and that is cool. I am the only person I trust 100% at least 45 % of the time.

For those that do not know, I am the E-commerce Director for the Wake Forest branch of Certified Golf. So now let’s see just how many heads I can blow in this position. My boss in Wake Forest and the big guys in California seemed to scratch their heads about my ideas, but are excited enough about what I said to let me go and prove my points. It seems like us tech types speak a foreign language at times. At least that is what I am told.

How is that for an adventure?

Well, that is my update for now. Look for a new Wednesday Coffee House and show #400 on Friday. Yes, it will be a Juggernaut, and it will rock hard! Also, check out the Monday show, which features indie artist and podcaster, Cush.

Cheers,

Eban

See, Loooooong name.

We finish out the episode with, “The Velmas.”

That is a lot of great tunes for you.

Add to that our trivia section and our celebrity birthdays, and you have a darn good bit of entertainment today! We even have a special, in house, birthday today. It is digital assistant/princess Faith’s birthday today. So, we should quit typing and get to preparing.

Cheers,

Eban and SJ

Music on the Show

The Cribs–I’m a Realist

Lato–Love in a Heart Shaped Box and Tune In

The Curtains and their Terrifying Story–Love You Everyday and Chain of Daisies

The Velmas–Sun

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Just what you need to help get over humpday so we can sprint to the weekend!

We also have our regular look at celebrity birthdays and some trivia to help you win your water cooler wars.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for some great rock! We will be focusing on groove rock, and that is always a fun show!

Cheers,

Eban and SJ

Music on the show

Ozark Insight–Ball and Chain

Rob Costlow–Forbidden

Mark Marshall–Satellite Suite

David Beard–Caissa 1 and 2, Sad and Lonely and Jolly Playtime

Marc Enfroy–The Summit

Walt Ribeiro–Alone

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Today,we have a great band out of the UK, originally from Australia, The Kits!Good old fashioned, sloppy, rock and roll for you.

Be sure to get back tomorrow for indie and alternative Tuesday.

Cheers,

Eban

Songs on the show

Primitive Tales, She’s the Number One, and Don’t Want to Lose This Fight

http://www.myspace.com/thekits

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Today we hear from Hybrid Dawn, DC4, Cavalar, and Elevator Death Squad!

We have a lot of celebrity birthdays today as well, such as Rose McGowan! There are more, but come on, Rose Freakin McGowan!

Does it get better than that?  Not on this podcast!

We even have trivia on top of all that. Wow, huh?

Now, we need to go get ready for Hanna, which may hit as a cat 1 hurricane tonight.

Cheers,

Eban and SJ

Music on the show

Hybrid Dawn–A Kind of Heaven

DC4–God Complex and Candy Caine

Cavalar–Rush and V Red

Elevator Death Squad–Poison Apple

A Mevio production–be sure to check out all the great entertainment they have to offer.

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