2008 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: Mizzou 38, Arkansas 7

The Missouri Tigers had their most successful season ever, and came to Dallas for the 2008 Cotton Bowl on Jan 1, 2008. Slice, Bu, and Wibbler joined me from the homeland to witness their dismantling of the hapless University of Arkansas Razorback "men's" "football" "team." The Tigers offense started slow, but once they realized Arkansas was dropping up to 8 men back in the secondary to stop their potent aerial attack, they simply let Tony Temple take the ball and run. And run and run and run. He racked up a Cotton Bowl record 281 yards rushing to help the Tigers roll in their bowl. Here are some pics from that glorious and historic day.


See more pics at my flickr here.

Modest Mouse 12/14/07 Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie, TX

Modest Mouse rolled back into town on December 14, 2007, and once again, they were nice enough to let me hang out with them and document another wonderful performance. Here are some pics:





Lots more pics here at my Flickr. Thanks again to the band for rocking North Texas. See y'all next time around!

NeffTunes MixTape November 2007: Put Your Hands Together! Vol, I & II

i scoured my library and extracted the best hand-clappin' songs by my favorite artists. i came up with 49 songs that can fit on (2) CDs. A word of caution: Be careful when listening to these songs while driving. They may cause you to clap along, endangering you and your fellow travelers.
Download Volume I here.

Volume I Tracklist:
01 - Lamb on the Lam (in the city) by Band of Horses
02 - Wrecking Ball by Viva Voce
03 - Penny by The Tellers
04 - Women Are Born In Love by Oh No! Oh My!
05 - Fancy Claps by Wolf Parade
06 - Your Move by Blackalicious
07 - OK, Alright by The Whigs
08 - Hey Man (now you're living) by eels
09 - Clap Hands by Beck
10 - Away From Home by Crystal Skulls
11 - The Way It's Meant To Be by The Features
12 - Alone Again Or by Calexico
13 - Kicking The Heart Out by Rogue Wave
14 - Love and War (11-11-46) by Rilo Kiley
15 - We Used To Be Friends by Dandy Warhols
16 - Knockin' Em Back by Paul Westerberg
17 - 12-51 by The Strokes
18 - Slaveship by Josh Rouse
19 - Chill, Relax, Now by ScottMiller&TheCommonwealth
20 - Oh Sweet Susanna by The Mooney Suzuki
21 - Touch You Touch You by Hot Hot Heat
22 - The Way We Get By by Spoon
23 - Phantasies by Stephen Malkmus
24 - ReceptacleForTheRespectable by SuperFurryAnimals
==========================================
And get Volume II here.

Volume II tracklist:
01 - Stream Running Over by Apples In Stereo
02 - Ten O'Clock Your Time by The Waxwings
03 - Point Breeze by Marah
04 - Oppenheimer by Old 97's
05 - Happy Hour by The Promise Ring
06 - You Blew Me Off by Bare Jr.
07 - Amy 88 by The V-Roys
08 - Boom Swagger Boom by Murder City Devils
09 - Turn It On by Sleater-Kinney
10 - Where It's At by Beck
11 - Free and Easy Take 2 by BrianJonestownMassacre
12 - Connection by Elastica
13 - Public Witness Program by Fugazi
14 - Kitchen by The Lemonheads
15 - 99 Red Balloons by 7 Seconds
16 - VictimOfCircumstance by JoanJett&TheBlackHearts
17 - Rock The Casbah by The Clash
18 - Centerfold by The J. Geils Band
19 - Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
20 - My Best Friend's Girl by The Cars
21 - Right on Time by The Brothers Johnson
22 - American Girl by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
23 - Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder
24 - All The Young Dudes by Mott The Hoople
25 - My Obsession by The Rolling Stones
=======================================
Enjoy these tunes safely.
Hear somethin' you like? Buy it!

NeffTunes MixTape October 2007: Gloomy Day Music

The other day, a friend at work told me she needed some music for the gloomy day we were having, so i put these tracks together.

Download the zip file here.

01 - Either Way by Wilco
maybe the sun will shine today
02 - Ocean of Noise by Arcade Fire
a world of empty streets
03 - Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore by NickCave&TheBadSeeds
once there came a storm in the form of a girl
04 - The Past and Pending by The Shins
as someone sets light to the first fire of autumn
05 - Apartment Story by The National
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave
06 - Cleanse Song by Bright Eyes
full of fever dreams that scare you sober
07 - I'll Be Around by Bobby Bare Jr's YCSL
when you need a warmth inside
08 - Open Doors by Josh Ritter
you don't see shadows on a cloudy day
09 - And It Rained All Night by Thom Yorke
the drops were the size of your hands and face
10 - It Covers the Hillside by Midlake
winter comes it sure is rough
11 - Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen
your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free
12 - The Bank and Trust by The Elected
the streets are full of snow, and the shops are closin' down
13 - Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans
the sidewalks are watching me think about you
14 - Let's Stay In by Bright Light Fever
we're gonna stay inside 'til it begins to rain
15 - Fine Day by Jawbreaker
fine day to sleep
16 - Plastic Jesus by The Flaming Lips
i don't care if it rains or freezes
=====Enjoy! :o]=====

NeffTunes MixTape September 2007: Don't Call It A Sellout

In the past few years, i have noticed that Madison Avenue has been using tracks from some of my favorite artists to hawk their products. Some call the bands that lend their sounds for big corporations' marketing campaigns "sellouts." i'm not one of those people. i am happy to see these bands rewarded for their years of touring and toiling in virtual obscurity with some cold, hard cash. In many of these cases, the soundtracks for commercials are their first wide national exposure, which leads to greater interest, which in turn leads to more album sales, bigger tours and more cash to make more music. Everybody wins, except for the jealous, whiny "fans." i say, hooray for them. It's the American way. This MixTape is comprised of some of my favorite examples of NeffTunes on TV.
Download it here from MediaFire, fine readers and enjoy these catchy nuggets of American capitalism responsibly. And remember to support these artists by buying their albums and going to their shows. And if ya get a chance, congratulate them for cashing in. Word up.

01 - We've Been Had by The Walkmen
02 - Ocean Man by Ween
03 - Molly's Chambers by Kings of Leon
04 - 10am Automatic by The Black Keys
05 - The Revolution Starts Now by Steve Earle
06 - The W.A.N.D. by The Flaming Lips
07 - Gravity Rides Everything by Modest Mouse
08 - Woman by Wolfmother
09 - The Thanks I Get by Wilco
10 - Go by Apples In Stereo
11 - Ice Cream by New Young Pony Club
12 - Such Great Heights by The Postal Service
13 - So Here We Are by Bloc Party
14 - TheBleedingHeartShow by TheNewPornographers
15 - New Slang by The Shins
16 - One Two Three Four by Feist
17 - Chanty by Son Volt
18 - Ariel Ramirez by Richard Buckner
19 - Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine
20 - You're My Best Friend by Queen
Bonus: The Pizza Hut commercial that never was. In 2002, Ween was commissioned to provide a jingle for Pizza Hut's new "Insider" pizza - the one with a cheese-like substance baked into the crust. Track 21 is what they submitted.
21 - Where'd The Cheese Go? by Ween
Pizza Hut rejected it and told them to try again. Track 22 is what they came up with.
22 - Where'd The Cheese Go? (remix) by Ween
Needless to say, Pizza Hut didn't like the remixed version either. Just another testament to the genius of Ween. :o]

The National: An Awesomeometer Super Post

The National is officially this blogger's Favorite Band in the Whole World at the Moment, and their stellar 12-track album, Boxer has retained the title of The NeffList's Top Album of 2007 since its release earlier this spring. They played a kick-assed set at Dallas' Granada Theater Friday, September 14, 2007, and i was fortunate enough to be one of the many super-stoked fans in attendance. See my flickr page for tons of pics from that memorable performance.
They recently played "Fake Empire" on Late Night With David Letterman, and will play another track from Boxer, "Apartment Story" on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on Wednesday Sept. 26. So plan on staying up late or look for it on the YouTube the next day.
In June, The National was featured on NPR's Live Concert Series. Listen to their performance from DC's 9:30 Club here.
Filmaker Vincent Moon is completing a documentary featuring The National as they recorded Boxer last year. The film is titled A Skin, A Night. Check out Vincent's incredible footage of intimate performances of each song from Boxer here. Wow.
For all of you fans of The National who already have all of their CD's, but are left wanting more, i have scoured the darkest corners of the interwebs and uploaded all of the non-album tracks i could find. And you're very welcome. All files are zipped and uploaded to Mediafire for your convenience. You can find the tracklists for each file in the comments section of this post. Vive le National!!

The National: Black Session April 2005
The National: Live KEXP Radio 2005
The National: Boxer Demos
The National: Live Radio Show England 2007
The National: Live On Spinner 2007
The National: White Session May 2007
The National: Daytrotter Live
The National: Stray Tracks

Enjoy, you motherscratchers!!

Other links:
The National - Official Page
Daytrotter
NPR Concert Series
Spinner

NeffTunes MixTape August 2007 "Girly Sounds"

This one's for all the ladies out there. Aww yeeeeaaah...Download the zip file here.
"Girly Sounds" Tracklist:

01 - Doing It Right by The Go! Team
02 - Alaska by Camera Obscura
03 - I Hate Camera by The Bird and The Bee
04 - Living Proof by Cat Power
05 - I Feel It All by Feist
06 - Hello Hello I'm Back Again by Shivaree
07 - Tears Dry On Their Own (live) by Amy Winehouse
08 - Come Running by Sol Seppy
09 - If You Fall by Azure Ray
10 - Back In Your Head by Tegan & Sara
11 - Mockingbird by Minnie Driver
12 - The Sad Milkman by Sally Timms
13 - Lion's Jaws by Neko Case
14 - Odd Said the Doe by Nina Nastasia & Jim White
15 - Don't Break My Heart by Kate Walsh
16 - Trouble On The Line by Loretta Lynn
17 - You Cant Buy A Gun by Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs
18 - Wildness by Trailier Bride
19 - Blueberry Tree Part II by Husky Rescue
20 - Words by Lucinda Williams
21 - One Kiss Don't Make a Summer by Lucky Soul
22 - Lifesize by A Fine Frenzy
23 - Officially Dead by Veruca Salt
24 - Paper Planes by M.I.A.
25 - I Love You More by Sarah Silverman

Enjoy these fine females, and remember: behind every successful band, there's a woman.

NeffTunes MixTape July 2007

Stealin', thievin', perpetratin' and otherwise runnin' afoul of the man has always been a common theme employed by some of my favorite artists to tell stories. This month, i share with you some sweet tunes with an outlaw narrative from many perspectives. Download the zip file here. Tell your friends. Enjoy!

Thieves, Crooks & Criminals tracklist:
01 - FolsomPrisonBlues by JonnyCash & WillieNelson
02 - 21 Days In Jail by The Blasters
03 - A Week In A Country Jail by Tom T Hall
04 - InTheJailhouseNow by SteveEarle & TheV-Roys
05 - Crime Don't Pay by Mike Ness
06 - Steal The Crumbs by Uncle Tupelo
07 - Baby Out Of Jail by The Knitters
08 - Don't Steal Our Sun by The Thrills
09 - Robbers by Cold War Kids
10 - Bandits by Midlake
11 - Sympathy Crime by The Black Heart Procession
12 - Steal A Ride by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
13 - X Offender by Blondie
14 - Rhymin' and Stealin' by Beastie Boys
15 - Crime and Punishment by Fun Lovin' Criminals
16 - Crime & Medicine by Mos Def
17 - Bankrobber by The Clash
18 - Rude Boys Outta Jail by The Specials
19 - Did You Steal My Money? by The Who
20 - Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction
21 - Stealing People's Mail by The Dead Kennedys
22 - Joker & The Thief by Wolfmother

NeffTunes MixTape June 2007

Down here in the Dallas, we will almost set a record for the most rainfall in any June in recorded history. That's a lot of water comin' down on us. So here are a bunch of tunes from some great albums (some of which have not been released to the public yet) that i can listen to while dreaming about being outside somewhere that isn't all wet. Download the zip file here. Enjoy it, and remember to tell your friends where ya got it. If you like what you hear, seek out these artists so you can buy some of their stuff. They deserve it. Creating art is difficult, and not always financially lucrative, so they would appreciate your support. And i thank you.

Tracklist:
01 - Nobody Listens To Silence By Ryan Adams
02 - Light Me Up By Ween
03 - Suco De Tangerina By Beastie Boys
04 - Natty Dreadlocks Pon The Mountaintop By Bad Brains
05 - Eddie's Ragga By Spoon
06 - Roman Holiday By Camera Obscura
07 - Like Castanets By Bishop Allen
08 - Innocent Bones By Iron & Wine
09 - Lady Detemer By Tim Armstrong
10 - Wastelands By The View
11 - Moving Pictures By The Cribs
12 - Hat And Rabbit By Page France
13 - Four Winds By Bright Eyes
14 - Go Places By The New Pornographers
15 - A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene By Okkervil River
16 - Bee Of The Bird Of The Month By They Might Be Giants
17 - Ice Cream By New Young Pony Club
Stay dry!

NeffTunes MixTape May 2007

Zamage, Inc., and The Awesome-o-meter present the NeffTunes MixTape, May Twenty Ought Seven Edition. There's no common thread, no overarching theme, or any real connection between these tunes except that each one kicks a ton of ass. And they make me happy. Download the zip file here: NeffTunes MixTape May2007

Remember to support these artists by buying their records and going to their shows and tellin' your friends how their lives lack the luster of yours because these awesome bands aren't part of it.

Tracklist:

01 - Technology by The Whigs
02 - Work Hard Play Hard by Palace Music
03 - We've Got To Keep Running by Chin Up Chin Up
04 - You're Supposed To Be My Friend by 1990s
05 - You Blew Me Off by Bare Jr
06 - Broken Hands by Bright Light Fever
07 - Afro by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
08 - Grindhouse (Main Titles) By Robert Rodriguez
09 - Into Action by Tim Armstrong
10 - Connection by Elastica
11 - The Perfect Crime 2 by The Decemberists
12 - Hurricane by Division Day
13 - Nite Lights, Dark Days by Oakley Hall
14 - Here's Hopin' by The Handsome Family
15 - Exile On My Street by ThePonys
16 - Nicotine by Nuisance
17 - Lit Up by The National
18 - Nourishment Nation by Rogue Wave
19 - The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt 1 by Neutral Milk Hotel
20 - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken by Camera Obscura
21 - Pepper by Butthole Surfers
22 - Worst Trip by Dr. Dog
23 - Fuse by Radio Moscow

Modest Mouse May 10, 2007 Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie, TX

Modest Mouse came and rocked the Nokia Theatre last Thursday night with opening bands Love As Laughter and Man Man. i hooked up with Modest Mouse percussionist Joe Plummer, an old buddy i used to hang with when we were mischievous teenage skaters in Pleasanton, CA. Joe moved away when he was a junior in high school, leaving our old neighborhood and close friends for grungy Seattle, WA. After high school, Joe played and toured in bands such as Bare Minimum, The Magic Magicians, and The Black Heart Procession, among others. After living in L.A. for a couple years, he settled in Portland, OR where he started jamming with Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse before joining them on tour in support of 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News album. i finally caught up with my old friend on Thursday, and i spent the day catching up with Joe and chillin' with the bands and crew of Modest Mouse's current tour (including the legendary and super-cool Johnny Marr!). Below are some of my favorite moments from this most awesome day. See more at my flickr page.
Click on each pic for a larger view.









Thanks to the bands, Modest Mouse, Love As Laughter, and Man Man for letting me hang out for a day and snapping these sweet pics. Don't pass up an opportunity to see any of these bands when they come to your area - you will be rocked. Also a very special thanks to Joe for granting me access and permission to intrude on evryones rock 'n' roll lives. It was a blast.

NeffTunes MixTape April 2007 edition

Thanks to Marco Athie for the kick-assed cover art.
Tracklist:
01 - Small Talk By The Ponys
02 - Emily Jean Stock By Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
03 - She Took All The Money By Black Francis
04 - Promises Like Pie Crust By Carla Bruni
05 - Need Some Air By Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
06 - Fans By Kings Of Leon
07 - Hidden Hand By Grant Lee Phillips
08 - Brainy By The National
09 - Steam Engenious By Modest Mouse
10 - L Train By Son Volt
11 - D Is For Dangerous By Arctic Monkeys
12 - Ironworkers By Warm In The Wake
13 - Fire In The Canyon By Fountains Of Wayne
14 - Westward Ho By Richmond Fontaine
15 - Been There All The Time By Dinosaur Jr
16 - Look At You Now By Golden Smog
17 - Got Up This Morning By Sage Francis
18 - Cannot Get Started By Handsome Furs
19 - The World Stops Turning By Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
20 - Ain't Never Been Cool By Lucky Soul
21 - Sickos By Harlem Shakes
22 - Stitch Me Up By Minus Story
23 - Spilt Needles By The Shins
Download from MediaFire
Enjoy these tunes and tell everyone where ya got it.

NeffTunes White Trash MixTape

i went to a White T party a coupla weeks ago, so i made us a MixTape with a buttload of kick-assed jams that rocked everyone silly like. Here it is for you, dear readers. Download it to your 'puter, then rock it yourself. Then share it with your friends, but make sure you tell 'em where ya done got it at, which is here.

MixTape track list:

01 - WhiteTrash By Southern Culture On The Skids
02 - Trailer Mama by Bottle Rockets
03 - KeepYour Hands To Yourself by Georgia Satellites
04 - You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC
05 - 8 Miles A Gallon by ScottMiller & the Commonwealth
06 - Where the Devil Dont Stay by Drive By Truckers
07 - Why Do I Need A Job by Bare Jr
08 - Country Honey by T Rex
09 - Okie From Muskogee by Merle Haggard
10 - Thousand Dollar Car by Bottle Rockets
11 - Dixie Chicken by Little Feat
12 - Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White
13 - I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide by ZZ Top
14 - Gas Girl by Bottle Rockets
15 - I Love RocknRoll by JoanJett & the Blackhearts
16 - Swamp Music by Lynyrd Skynyrd
17 - Country Honk by The RollingStones
18 - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down By The Band
19 - Free Man Now by Southern Bitch
20 - Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh
21 - I Don't Know by Hank Williams III
22 - Fried Chicken & Gasoline By Southern Culture On The Skids
23 - Consevative Christian Right Wing Republican By Todd Snider

Uncle Tupelo last show May 01 1994 StL

Rodgers & Hammerstein...Lennon & McCartney...Jagger & Richards...Peaches & Herb...and then there was Jeff Tweedy & Jay Farrar. The Belleville, IL kids who, together with Mike Heidorn, formed Uncle Tupelo in 1988. Though they were only in existence for about 6 years, their influence is felt and heard far all across the world. Not bad for a band that was voted "4th Best Country Band" by the readers of the St. Louis alt weekly Riverfront Times in 1993.
Uncle Tupelo played their very last show on May 1, 1994 at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis, MO. While i was not at that particular show, i did witness their 3rd-to-last show at the Blue Note in Columbia, MO on April 29, 1994. Good times.
Last week, i stumbled across a recording of their very last show here. The file i downloaded was one long mp3, so i split it up for your convenience and pleasure, and i present it to you today, gentle reader. The file i uploaded contains 18 songs from that set. For some reason, the original file did not include the encore that included a raucous version of "Gimme Three Steps" with the Bottle Rockets who joined them on stage that night. Kind of a bummer, but you can go here to peep an historic video that documents the very last notes ever played by Farrar & Tweedy together.
Download Uncle Tupelo's last show here. The zip file also contains some pics that i found in various places on the internets. Please enjoy responsibly.
P.S., if any of y'all out there know where i can find a recording of the encore, please let me know and i will post it too. i believe the songs are "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," "Whiskey Bottle," "Truck Drivin' Man," "Looking For A Way Out," and "Gimme Three Steps".

See also: Wilco Son Volt Jay Farrar Factory Belt Uncle Tupelo at Gumbo Pages Uncle Tupelo at NPR Legacy Rcordings

The NeffList 2006

At long last, i have compiled my 7th annual compilation of the best tracks from the top albums of 2006. Over the past 15 months, i have carefully reviewed 151 albums that were released in the US and A over the course of the year. Click here to download a txt file list of all eligible albums. After careful consideration, i sequenced my favorite 72 tracks - enough to fill up 3 CDs and kick your ass for over 234 consecutive minutes. Right about now, you're probably thinking, man that seems like a lot of work! Well, yeah. i have spent countless hours in front of my 'puter organizing all these albums, and an equally incalculable amount of time listening to each and every one of them very carefully, taking copious notes and scribbling drafts of track lists and composing journal entry after journal entry about what each song means to me and how each song fills a certain space in my previously cavernous soul. i have since lost all those notes. i guess i shoulda wrote all that deeply personal stuff on something more permanent than gum wrappers and Starbuck's receipts.

i also suffered a potentially catastrophic setback when my external hard drive made by Seagate crashed in November. All 150GB of my music was lost. after some self-administered grief therapy and a new hard drive, i was able to overcome this adversity and soldier on. It took lots of work and a little help from my friends, but i was able to reacquire most of my tunes.

i now present to you the NeffList 2006 in 5 FREE downloadable parts. Download the files and enjoy. If you don't agree that this is the awesome-est end-of-the-year compilation on all of the internets, i will gladly refund every penny, including sales tax.

Part 1[95,243kb]

Part 2[99,618kb]

Part 3[97,496kb]

Part 4[96,785kb]

Part 5[47,917kb]

The complete tracklist is in the comment section.