Gafoo’s Blog

Welcome to the first edition of “Chris’s Playlist.” If you are reading this, then you probably know me through some channel: Maybe you know me personally, maybe you met me on My Space, or maybe you just found me accidentally. Whatever the case, this is my twice-weekly psuedo-podcast (not really a podcast but cool music to download though) of songs currently keeping my drivetime from being suicidal/homicidal. Feel free to download these songs and put them on your iPod (or whatever mp3 player you got) and enjoy them (hopefully) as much as I do. I have 40 gigs of music and the collection keeps growing so if you grab some tunes from me, you will never run out of cool things to listen to. Anyway, on with the show…

Up on the playlist first is a band who is probably long gone. Truth be told, as big a music nerd as I am, I actually know very little about this band. They are Hula Hoop. Their album, released on Silvergirl Records, was actually recorded in Steve Albini’s (of Nirvana fame) basement. This particular song here reminds me of early Modest Mouse with a very country feel. They are indie pop at it’s best: obscure and raw but still poppy no matter the situation. Special thanks to Randy Cochran for trading me the CD for some other cd that I can’t even remember. It was possibly the Ben Folds Five CD “Whatever And Ever Amen” but it was so long ago (around 1998/99), I can’t even remember. Anyway, here is the song, “The Queen of Gamaliel” from the album “The Loveliest Rings Of Saturn.”

Listen
/AsySound.swf?http://christhefoo.com/blogfiles/06 - Queen of Gamaliel.mp3
Download
Queen of Gamaliel

Of course I promised 2 songs so up next is a personal favorite of mine. Back when Weezer was blowing up the first time, when Undone, The Sweater Song was on the fucking radio every day things were a brewing in the background. Events that would eventually lead to the formation of the band The Rentals. The Rentals had the rhythm section of Weezer built right in. Matt Sharp and Pat Wilson. Weezer part 2 if your so inclined. Of course, this is the band that I thought and hoped would become Weezer. Don’t get me wrong, Weezer is a fantastic band, but The Rentals were fucking fantastic!!!!. Anyway, through some internet research, I have discovered that The Rentals are not out for the count as I had previously thought. They are indeed recording new material. From the Rentals official website:

WE ARE EXTREMELY EXCITED AND HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THE UNEXPECTED AND TRUE RETURN OF THE RENTALS. THE BAND IS CURRENTLY IN LOS ANGELES WRITING, REHEARSING, AND PREPARING TO RECORD THEIR 3rd STUDIO ALBUM.

THERE WILL BE NEARLY DAILY UPDATES WITH TOTALLY NEW AND EXCLUSIVE INFORMATION ON THE RENTALS, SO STAY TUNED AND WELCOME ABOARD.

The Rentals are a fantastic band and like I said before, everything I ever wanted out of Weezer and then some. If you are fan of Weezer, do yourself a favor and check out this song: “Friends of P” from the 1995 album “The Return of The Rentals”

Listen
/AsySound.swf?http://christhefoo.com/blogfiles/03 - Friends of P..mp3
Download
Friends of P.

Well, that wraps up this edition of “Chris’s Playlist.” If I get alot of positive feedback I will make it a daily thing or possibly put up more songs and history. If anyone wants to further fill up their iPod (or other brand mp3 player) with the full albums from these 2 songs, feel free to email me at chris.rodriquez@gmail.com and I will be happy to send you a link to download the full album. If I made any mistakes in the included song history just register and place a comment and I will be sure to rectify the error. That’s all for this time. Keep your volume at 11…