Clang & Clatter

Glen was recently a guest on The Songwriting Podcast. Give it a listen.

From the website:

The Songwriting Podcast is a monthly music podcast where three hosts revel in the technical and creative aspects of the craft of songwriting, with the help of a guest songwriter or some other music industry professional.

But this show is a BONUS episode featuring a 70-minute interview with singer-songwriter Glen Phillips, who is the frontman of the ‘90s alternative rock band, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and he’s a successful solo artist, as well.

Glen talks with us about his songwriting process; which instruments he prefers to write on; how songs were written as collaborations in Toad — including some background info on the writing of “Walk on the Ocean” and “I Will Not Take These Things for Granted.”

Glen also talks about what he values in a co-writer; whether he finds it easier to write for an assignment; the background for his collaboration with John Askew on “Secrets of the New Explorers” and “Remote Tree Children.” We also ask Glen for his thoughts on writing lyrics and avoiding cliches.

Toad fans will be interested in hearing Glen briefly speak about the new album that Toad the Wet Sprocket is working on, and the style and flavor of the new songs he’s been writing for that album. Oh, and we include a speed round of about 20 random questions on Glen’s various preferences that aren’t necessarily musically related.

And as always, we play an entire song by our guest. Glen chose his song, “Rise Up,” and he shares a very personal story behind the writing of that song.

I didn’t think you cared about my Friday Five at Popdose.

Galactic Cowboys - “Bucket of Chicken” (Let It Go, 2000)
A funky organ-based instrumental filler of sorts from the Cowboys’ swan song. Not a bad track, but not what you’d expect from this group.

Foo Fighters - “Best of You” (In Your Honor, 2005)
One of the best (and commercially successful) tracks from this double-album from the Foos. Say what you will, but Dave Grohl knows how to write a good rock song.

Metallica - “That Was Just Your Life” (Death Magnetic, 2008)
Much ado was made about the mastering of this album, so much so that the songs themselves were often overlooked. Death Magnetic was a return-to-form of sorts—not the revisiting of the Master of Puppets glory days that fans have long craved—and in my opinion it was an excellent album and exactly the shot in the arm the band needed after the beating they took for St. Anger. This song kicks off a relentless James Hetfield riff-fest that slows down only a couple of times during the album’s 72 minutes, and that’s just fine by me.

Queensrÿche - “Sign of the Times” (Hear in the Now Frontier, 1997)

Would someone please let me know
How we have spun out of control
Has the captain let go of the wheel?

Little did guitarist, primary songwriter, and founding member Chris DeGarmo know how prophetic these words would be as longtime fans currently find themselves scratching their heads wondering what has happened to this band. Or maybe he did. HITNF was the last album with DeGarmo on-board as a full-time member, choosing instead to follow a career as a professional pilot and a short stint as a hired gun for Jerry Cantrell’s backing band. This album doesn’t get much respect in the Queensrÿche ouvre—and that’s understandable in light of some of the classics that preceded it—but for the most part, it’s not a bad album. It’s just that as a Queensrÿche album it’s fairly forgettable, and it was definitely a sign that the band’s better days were behind it.

Glen Phillips - “Didn’t Think You Cared” (The Unreleased Songs Compilation, 1st Edition, Disc 1)
Just like it says on the tin, this is a compilation of live and demo versions of (at the time) unreleased Toad the Wet Sprocket and Glen Phillips solo material. This is a typical ballad-y Glen song from a poor quality bootleg played to an audience that was obviously way more interested in talking (and eating? I think I hear clinking silverware in the background). I’ve heard a couple of other bootleg shows like this one, and it never ceases to amaze me how much chatter there is when Glen isn’t playing a Toad song.

Listen to this entire Friday Five playlist on Spotify.

The Friday Five over at Popdose is the one, it’s the one, yeah you know it’s the one, it’s the one (yeah, you know it’s the one).

Torche - “Amnesian” (Meanderthal, 2008)
I (ahem) acquired this album from a friend, and while I like the sludgy, Soundgarden-y, stoner-rock riffage, I wish I liked the actual songs as much as I like the album title. Now that’s pure genius.

Ginger Wildheart - “You’re the One, You’re the One, Yeah, I Know You’re the One, You’re the One (Yeah, I Know You’re the One)” (555%, 2012)
The (former? current? future, hopefully?) Wildhearts frontman’s PledgeMusic experiment to create a new triple-album solo release was wildly (maybe insanely?) successful, far exceeding his pledge goal and reaching 100% of the target in less than 6 hours. The album’s title reflects the point at which Ginger chose to cut off availability of hard-copy versions of packages that include CDs or vinyl, with all pledges beyond that receiving digital-only versions (and because 5 is Ginger’s favorite number). With 16 days remaining to pledge, the project stands at 581% of target with 6010 pledges. Impressive. But what about the music? 30 songs, most of them top-notch, none of them throw-aways, and in true Ginger fashion, stylistically all over the map. This particular song is one of the best of the bunch.

The Beautiful Mistake - “Stabbing Backwards” (Light a Match, For I Deserve to Burn, 2002)
OK, so this is an emo/screamo band, and as the album title suggests, they take themselves a little too seriously. I only wish other emo bands took their musicianship as seriously as these guys did on this release—tight performances with great production and good songs, for the most part. “Stabbing Backwards” is one of the best tracks on the album. I could do with a little less of the screaming, though. I like my screaming with a little dose of metal, crazy guitar solos, more attitude, and less whining.

Glen Phillip - “Dam Would Break” (Live at Atlanta’s Red Light Cafe with Nickel Creek, 2003)
Excellent cut from an excellent bootleg of an excellent show the former Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman performed with special guests Nickel Creek appearing for the second half of the show. The bootleg is available at the Internet Archive and is definitely worth the download if you like Glen, Toad, Nickel Creek, or good muscianship.

Arcade Fire - “Deep Blue” (The Suburbs, 2010)
Another acquisition from the aforementioned friend. It seems I have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to this album as it is often hit or miss with me. This particular song leans toward miss today.

Foo Fighters - “But Honestly” (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, 2007)
Dave Grohl has to be one of the hardest-working people in rock music today, and say what you will, I like most everything he’s ever done on one level or another. “But Honestly” is no different. I love the simplicity of first half of the song with just Dave’s voice and acoustic guitar and how it builds into this whole other stadium rock anthem thing.

Glen Phillips - “Cleareyed” (Winter Pays for Summer, 2005)
Fingers crossed that iTunes continues to serve up a good Friday Five. Glen Phillips is one of my favorite songwriters, and again, there’s not much he does that I don’t like. Winter Pays for Summer should have been a breakthrough album for the former Toad the Wet Sprocket singer, but I’m beginning to realize that I just don’t understand the music industry. At all.

Victor - “Victor” (Victor, 1996)
Uh-oh, here’s where iTunes goes wonky on me. This comes from a solo album Rush’s Alex Lifeson released under the project name Victor. The title track bears absolutely no resemblance to anything Rush has ever released, and if you didn’t already know this was Lifeson, you wouldn’t believe it. While most of the album features former I Mother Earth singer Edwin on vocals, “Victor” is a spoken-word track of sorts with Lifeson handling the “vocals.” Victor is mostly made up of heavier, post-modern alterna-rock-styled tunes, but this one is just plain strange.

The Scooters - “Throw Your Arms Around Me (Live)” (Peepshow, 2000)
I’m not sure how I came across the Scooters, but given the catchy pop tunes and sweet vocal harmonies, I’m guessing it was probably from my favorite rock ‘n’ roll snob Jay. This particular song is a live cover of a tune from the Australian band Hunters & Collectors, and while it strips away the decidedly 80s feel of the original, it is so unlike the rest of the Peepshow EP that you can’t use it as the measuring stick to judge whether you would like the rest of the album.

Thin Lizzy - “Romeo and the Lonely Girl” (Jailbreak, 1976)
This is not my favorite Thin Lizzy tune, but the more I listen to Phil Lynott’s work, the more I find to like. This is a good way to close out today’s Friday Five.

iTunes, you did alright by me this week.

Short and sweet pre-vacation Friday Five today. And my first track sorted by name is Anthrax’s “A.D.I./Horror of It All” from Among the Living.

Saosin - “The Worst of Me” (In Search of Solid Ground, 2009)
Possibly the best song on this emo/screamo band’s most commercial (and most recent) release to date.

Glen Phillips - “Got to Get On” (The Unreleased Songs Compilation: Vol. 1)
Interesting track from a set of live versions of songs Glen had not released prior to its compilation. A bit different from the norm for Glen, but still really good.

King’s X - “Marsh Mellow Field” (Please Come Home…Mr. Bulbous, 2000)
Equal parts groove, sludge, and psychedelic. Love it.

Owl City - “Dental Care” (Ocean Eyes, 2009)
OK, confession time. Although I purchased this for my son during his brief obsession with this artist, I have kept it around since I find it catchy and not too annoying—at least most of the time. “I’ve been to the dentist a thousand times, so I know the drill.” Funny.

Smashing Pumpkins - “Siva” (Gish, 1991)
Michael recently questioned what he ever saw in Smashing Pumpkins. This is it. The slow, mellow middle breakdown is why I Mother Earth reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins at times.

It’s Friday. IckMusic. Friday Five. You know the drill.

At the Drive-In - “Skips on the Record” (Acrobat Tenement, 1996)
At the Drive-In. Love the attitude. Hate the out-of-tune guitars on their debut. And you can’t blame it on the usual culprit Omar Rodríguez-López since he was playing bass at the time.

I Mother Earth - “Three Days Old” (Scenery and Fish, 1996)
iTunes is at it again. This week it’s a another selection from I Mother Earth’s second release. This particular tune has too many thematic shifts for me to really get into. Your mileage may vary.

Switchfoot - “Twenty-four” (The Best Yet, 2008)
Switchfoot is one of those CCM bands that I really used to like (around the New Way to be Human era) but is becoming much harder to stomach of late since becoming so popular. I purchased this “best of” collection for my pre-teen son who began to listen to some of their songs a couple of years ago. “Twenty-four” comes from the fourth release The Beautiful Letdown, which was the last major release from the band that I purchased, and is the band’s typical radio-friendly ballad, not that that’s a bad thing. Had I known at the time that The Best Yet was the usual last-ditch effort to cash in on the band by the record company after Switchfoot ended contract relations with Columbia/Sony, I would have refused to buy it.

King’s X - “Prisoner” (King’s X, 1992)
One of my all-time favorite King’s X tunes from their often-overlooked—though at one point most popular and best-selling—self-titled fourth release. This was the last album on which the band would work with manager/producer Sam Taylor, citing the usual creative differences reason. Seeing as the band’s next release was the stripped-down, grunge-ish Dogman, and hindsight being what it is, it’s not hard to believe that now. King’s X retains that classic King’s X sound from the first three albums, but introduces a bit of a darker side, both sonically and lyrically. Guitarist Ty Tabor’s playing is excellent throughout the entire album as it is here on “Prisoner,” making the album worth checking out if for that reason alone.

Toad the Wet Sprocket - “Scenes from a Vinyl Recliner” (Bread and Circus, 1989)
I first heard this song on a live bootleg of a Glen Phillips solo concert, and I much prefer that stripped-down acoustic version to the one on the TTWS debut album. That being said, I love the song, and in typical Glen Phillips fashion, the lyrics and song title become deep and weighty as you dig into them, with the allusions to the “circus” portion of the album title (itself a phrase that has come to mean to placate the masses) and the hint of comfortably and safely watching the misfortunes of others from the outside. Deep.

Hey, no Rush or Geoff Tate this time. I guess that’s something.

I think I’m goin’ blind from shufflin’ IckMusic’s Friday Five!

Rush - “The Spirit of Radio” (Rush in Rio, 2003)
Rush has always been an amazing live band, and this DVD/CD combo helps solidify the fact that the band was as good as ever in the early 2000s. The Rio crowds are crazy fanatical about their music, and this entire concert is a lot of fun.

Coheed and Cambria - “The Velourium Camper I: Faint of Hearts” (In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, 2003)
Comic book rock from the very talented and creative mind of Claudio Sanchez. I just wish all of their stuff was as catchy as this. Heck, I wish the second half of this song was as catchy as the first half. “Koo koo k’choo!”

Dinosaur Jr. - “Goin’ Blind” (KISS My Ass, 1994)
Admirable kover of this klassic KISS kut. Ahem. I didn’t really know what to think of this album when it first came out, especially since it was so closely controlled by Gene and Paul. But then again, what in the KISS circus isn’t?! This is definitely one of the better tracks from this collection that stylistically is all over the map.

The Wildhearts - “Top of the World” (The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed, 2003)
Ginger should be the most sought-after songwriting partner in the world. At the very least, he and The Wildhearts should be a much, much bigger deal than they are. Catchy, well-written songs, great melodies, and crunchy riffs.

Mutual Admiration Society - “Think About your Troubles” (Live at The Bowl at Lime Kiln, 8/17/2004)
I’ve never really cared for this Harry Nilsson cover, but I love the combination of Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek. They recorded and completed their debut album in 3 days, but it took 3.5 years to get it released due to record company shenanigans. The recorded versions of their songs are good, but this collective really shines in a live environment.

I’ve got Friday—and IckMusic’s Friday Five—on my mind.

Glen Phillips - “Don’t Need Anything” (Winter Pays for Summer, 2005)
This is not my favorite tune from the album that should have put Glen’s solo work on the radio, but a not-so-good Glen Phillips song is usually still a pretty good song. Short, sweet, and simple.

Smashing Pumpkins - “Rocket” (“Unplugged” 100% Pure Acoustic Performances, 1993)
This version of the Siamese Dream track is from a compilation of bootlegs. “Rocket” is apparently part of a performance for a radio station in the Netherlands and is a nearly spot-on reproduction of the album version.

Rush - “Sweet Miracle” (Vapor Trails, 2002)
Vapor Trails was my entry back into the Rush fold. I have always been a big Rush fan, but I cautiously watched them from a distance for the Counterparts and Test for Echo albums, which is interesting since those two discs saw the band move back toward a more guitar-centric sound and are now among my favorites in their catalog. Despite the extensive use of technology used to piece together the songs for this album, it has an organic, cohesive feel to me and expresses almost a sense of urgency to get back to making music after the tragic events in Neil Peart’s life that led to a five-year hiatus that would have sidelined most bands.

Mötley Crüe - “Bastard” (Shout at the Devil, 1983)
I had a strange infatuation with the Crüe in the mid-80s and with this album in particular. Was the band mad at the devil and really shouting at him? And if so, why record an instrumental named “God Bless the Children of the Beast?!” Or were they the devil’s minions? The album’s satanic imagery would lead one to believe the latter over the former. But I could never really figure this album out other than it was a loud, heavy, rocking good time with tunes about drugs, sex, the devil, and a Beatles cover. How could that be bad? I also never figured out what “Bastard”—or most of the other songs, for that matter—were really about, but it had the F-bomb in it, which was cool for a mostly-compliant teenager who only really ever rebelled in the area of music. As I look back at it now, I realize the album was mostly a result of the over-abundance of drug use and not some grand musical statement. But isn’t that what rock ‘n’ roll is about anyway?!

Joe Satriani - “Cool #9” (Joe Satriani, 1995)
So once again Satch comes up during my Friday Five shuffle. Interesting that this doesn’t happen too often at other times. Anyway, this opener from his self-titled album is a slow groove that is reminiscent of another of his tunes that I can’t quite put my finger on at the moment. Something off Surfing with the Alien or Flying in a Blue Dream I’m sure, since those are the two albums I’m most familiar with. Nice chilled-out tune to end this Friday Five, complete with some Tom Morello-like whammy pedal antics.

It’s Friday, I’m in love (with IckMusic’s Friday Five)!

Glen Phillips with Nickel Creek - “Let It Fall” (Live at the Red Light Cafe, Atlanta, GA, August, 1, 2003 at the Atlantis Music Conference)
Newgrass trio Nickel Creek joined former Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips for the second set of this excellent live performance. They played acoustic versions of everything from TTWS, Glen Phillips, and Nickel Creek tunes to Randy Newman and Elliot Smith covers. “Let It Fall” is a track from Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins’ debut solo album and is one of my favorite songs that Glen has ever lent his vocals to. If you’re interested, you can pick up the entire set at the Internet Archive’s live music archive.

Soasin - “Sleepers” (Saosin, 2006)
Melodic emo/screamo track from Saosin’s debut album. I know little of the band’s history other than a vocalist change that at one point seemed to polarize fans of the Newport Beach, CA post-hardcore outfit. Showy, excessive, dynamic, and emotional, the track is much too short at 2:51. But I like it.

The Cars - “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight” (The Cars, 1978)
I can remember a time back in the early- to mid-80s in my teens when I used to spin this vinyl at least once a week—back when I actually had the vinyl and a turntable. I have neither these days, but I do have these lovely 0s and 1s to listen to whenever I get the itch for some early Cars goodness. Their debut is still one of the best albums these guys ever released.

Hayseed Dixie - “Let’s Put the X in Sex” (Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to KISS, 2003)
I’ve always had this affinity for cover tunes—even more so these days since I discovered the Coverville podcast several years ago—and over the years I’ve amassed quite a few hokey covers of songs that I never really cared for in their original form. “Let’s Put the X in Sex” is once such song, and I would like to forget that one of my favorite bands of all time ever released it. As a matter of fact, I like to pretend that the KISS of Unmasked and onward is some impostor band that has the real Gene Simmons chained up in a dungeon someplace.

Queensrÿche - “Get a Life” (Hear in the Now Frontier, 1997)
HITNF was the last Queensrÿche album to feature guitarist and founding member Chris DeGarmo, and in my opinion, was the point where the band began a downward spiral they have yet to pull out of. While I liked quite a bit of the followup Q2K, they have released little since this album that I could really grab onto or identify with as a huge fan of their progressive metal beginnings of The Warning and their excellent 1982 EP.