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Hey all…

Back in the mid-1990s, I was introduced to the Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA) with their self-titled album. It included two songs, “Lump” and “Peaches,” which had quite warped lyrics. It was very easy to like this band with their lyrics like: “Lump sat alone in a boggy marsh / Totally motionless except for her heart / Mud flowed up into Lump’s pajamas / She totally confused all the passing piranhas.”

And I hate to admit it, but over the last decade I seem to have forgotten about them. (Sorry guys.)

Let’s start with a little history: Back in 1993, three guys – Chris Ballew, Dave Dederer, and Jason Finn – met and formed a band that came to be known as PUSA. They recorded an album in 1994 and were signed to one label (PopLlama Records), then signed to a bigger label (Columbia Records), and in 1995 the world heard PUSA play “Lump,” “Peaches,” and “Kitty” on the radio. A legend was born. In an era where radio airplay was often overrun by serious music, PUSA was a breath of fresh air.

By 1996, the Presidents had become so famous that “Weird Al” Yankovic recorded a parody of “Lump” called “Gump” on his album Bad Hair Day. I think this was one of their early peaks. They toured for a few years and eventually went their separate ways, but eventually reformed in 2004 with a slightly different group of guys. But they’re still touring and making music and that’s the main thing.

Back in January 2009, about the time Barack Obama was voted in as President, I found a song on the internet called “(Obama is) Moving In” and started poking around to see what else PUSA had been doing.

Turns out they’ve been quite busy touring and putting out EP albums now and then. I found three EPs, including Ladybug, Bad Times, and the just released Rot in the Sun. Though the songs are few, they are still the same wacky band I remember.

The song “Rot in the Sun” has its own music video online which is hilarious. I’ll sum up the song by using one of my Mom’s quotes about what she likes to do on vacation – “Be a beach ball!” In their song, PUSA expresses a desire to basically become a fruit left out to rot in the sun, which is a perfect analogy for being on vacation, don’t you think?


Rot in the Sun from DFuzed on Vimeo.

“Scrappy Puppy” is another song I could definitely identify with – yes, it’s about a lost dog in the neighborhood, but it can be expanded to just about anyone you know who gets distracted and lost from time to time.

But I think “Bad Times” is my new favorite song from PUSA. How these guys came up with this idea is beyond me, but it fits them to a T… “You never got hurt by sticks and stones / You never choked on any big chicken bones / You never got mauled by a mad baboon / You never lost all the air in your balloon / You never got poked in the eye with a spork / You never got sick from all that leftover pork…” The song ends with “So many things did go wrong / But the list is not long enough / Not enough bad things to fill up a song…” It’s a love song, but what a twisted one.

So if you’re like me and have lost touch with PUSA, now is a great time to check them out and grab some new music. With as often as they tour, there’s a good chance they’re even touring in your area, so be sure to check out their website at PresidentsRock.com.

The Presidents of the United States of America have not lost a step and are still a ton of fun after all these years. Be sure to check out their EPs – Bad Times, Ladybug, and Rot in the Sun!

–Fitz

p.s. Pick up some classic PUSA music at Amazon:

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Hey there…

It’s time for a rant. I apologize in advance if you’re not here for rants, and I understand if you don’t want to read on… But what the <bleep> is going on in the world?

<rant on>

While driving around this weekend, I saw a mother walking a dog with her daughter and cutting across the lawn of the house on the corner to do so. Now, this house has been on the market for 2+ years and was foreclosed on last year sometime, so it’s bank owned, and in poor repair. But it’s the principle of the thing. It’s not their lawn, so why would they tread on it?

But it’s not just that… My job has me annoyed by doing some very dumb things with company policies. My wife’s company is also doing some inane things that will result in eventually closing the actual location she works at because the company is making it impossible to actually work there (money grubbing corporate medicine).

The news ticks me off when I watch newscasters and analysts tearing apart Obama’s first few days in office… The man hasn’t even BEEN in office for 100 days and we’re already tearing him apart for things he has or hasn’t done yet. And then they rip on other members of the administration for <gasp> admitting mistakes or misspeaking from time to time?

Is our country going to hell this fast?

Yes, the economy stinks. Yes, we’re still fighting an insane war in Iraq and not giving enough support to our troops there and in Afghanistan. Yes, the middle east is in turmoil (honestly, when isn’t it?)…

But can’t we still be polite to each other? Treat one another with a certain modicum of respect?

The world would be a better place if we all remember our “Please” and “Thank you’s”, don’t you think? And mind our own actions even if we think nobody’s looking.

Come on people… let’s get our acts back together. Or should we just let common courtesy rest in peace?

<rant off>

This has been an off the cuff rant by yours truly. I apologize if anyone was offended, but these are my thoughts — this is my forum — and thankfully I don’t have to contend with network TV censors.

Until next time…

–Fitz

Hi all…

When Daria Musk’s self-titled debut album arrived in my mailbox, I hadn’t heard of her. And when I played the album for the first time, I wondered why the heck not. This girl can sing! And she makes it seem so damn easy!

Daria has an amazing grasp of very different styles and a groove all her own. Opening with “Maybe” with soaring vocals and guitar licks, she transitions to the almost instrument-less “On Your Shoulders” which allows you to really get a feel for the range and quiet power of her voice. And once she has you, she doesn’t let go.

Raised in the woods of Connecticut in a musical family, she has her own distinct style of vocals, guitar playing, and lyrics. Each lyric has a poetic quality that is lost on so many young stars focused more on pop stardom than on their music. With Daria, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The fans of Ourstage.com knew about her long before the rest of us did. She’s been a consistent chart-topper since 2007, and that led her to playing a sold out show at the Paradise in Boston, The Mercury Lounge in NYC, among other venues. She’s also won honorable mentions at a number of songwriter competitions in the last few years.

Among my favorite tracks, “Mermaid” has to be at the top of the list. What a groovy beat and guitar in the background, mixed with those flying vocals. Uplifting, fun, and amazing.

And then she follows it up with “Chalk” — a city beat, conversation that tells a story. Singsong with amazing instruments in the background that could all too easily take over, but even with this style she wrangles the beat and makes it her own.

“Space” opens with a haunting guitar piece that blends into a Basia-like bassanova beat. Again, seamlessly blending vocals, poetry, and jazzy style.

And if the album wasn’t enough, to honor the historic election of Barack Obama as President, she’s released a new song – “Vote 4 Change” that you can hear on her MySpace page.

If you’re looking for something new, upbeat, and classy to add to your collection, I’d definitely grab Daria Musk’s self-titled album. She deserves a listen. And I can hardly wait to hear what she does next!

Check her out at MySpace, Sonic Bids, or Ourstage.com.

Tracks on the CD:

• Maybe
• On Your Shoulders
• Ordinary Town
• Mermaid
• Chalk
• Space
• California
• It’s Cold
• The World Is What You Make Of It
• Q&A
• AWOL
• Those Days

Be sure to check it out! Keep an eye on her MySpace page at MySpace.com/DariaMusk for details on when the album is to be released. It’s worth your time!

–Fitz

Hi all…

Today is Election day. It’s time to get out and do your part to contribute to our democracy. But that fact alone got me thinking a bit this morning… (Get ready for the ramble…)

Image via Wikipedia

Is there a difference between blissful ignorance and willful ignorance? I think so.

If you’re blissfully ignorant, you truthfully don’t know any better. And being willfully ignorant means you don’t want to know.

In the current political season, I have to wonder…

It’s impossible to be totally blind to politics the year leading up to a presidential election unless you live in the woods and shun television, movies, games, radio… and people who don’t shun those things. You pretty much have to crawl under a rock and stay there, especially for the last month leading up to the actual election.

I love our country. But I’m sick of political ads. It’s sad when I’d rather go back to listening to ads about car sales than about what measure or person I as a voter should vote for. It’s also sad when on Sunday, you get people knocking on your door urging you to vote for their candidate.

I voted via mail-in ballot this year. I’m done. But the hullabaloo isn’t done yet.

It’s time for the election to be over. Then we can get on with whatever damage the next candidate (and measures) happen to do.

But that said, I’m glad I voted. You should vote too. If you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain.

So get out and VOTE!

–Fitz

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Hi all…

To continue the theme of poverty started by the Blogger Action Day movement, I thought I’d feature one of the short documentaries I’ve found on the web about poverty in New York.

The following is the abstract for the film at SnagFilms.

“This short film confronts America’s widening poverty gap through a creative journey along New York City streets, observing the stark contrast between the rich and the poor contained within only a few blocks. People from all walks of life, whether they live on the street or study at Columbia University, approach the glaring problem through unique perspectives. The viewer sees the honest tour of New York’s poverty gap and ideas of how to solve it, through the thoughts of everyday people and through the eyes of poverty herself.”

Let’s rise above our differences and open our eyes to see solutions to the common problems on our own streets.

–Fitz

Hi all…

Yes, this is an odd article for me. It struck while I was mowing the lawn in 90 degree heat. Blame it on the baking of my brain while listening to Sting’s album “Dream of the Blue Turtles”.

I’ll state right up front that this is an opinion piece. It’s not related to the entertainment industry other than the fact that it was songs from Sting’s album “Dream of the Blue Turtles” which spurned me to write the article. So if you’re opposed to liberal thinking, stop reading now.

It came to me that there are at least three lessons to be learned from this amazing album of his.

1. If you love someone, set them free.
2. Regardless of ideology, we all share the same biology.
3. There’s no such thing as a winnable war. It’s a lie we can’t believe any more.

Though I consider myself conservative, I know I have some liberal streaks in me. And this album plays those streaks like guitar strings.

But if you consider the messages… If you love someone, set them free. This is a tough lesson to learn when you’re growing up. People are not possessions. You can’t shove the ones you love into cages and keep them for when you need them. People sometimes grow apart. And if you truly love them, let them go. Sometimes they come back (not in a Pet Cemetery kind of way), and the journeys you’ve both taken is worth the risk.

Regardless of ideology, we all share the same biology. Yes, we’re at war with terrorists. But it’s very easy to fall into the trap that all of those who follow the teachings of Islam are terrorists. We can’t just kill all Islamic people. That would be insane. We may not share the same ideology, but they’re people. And rational Islamic people exist. All we can do is hope that eventually the rational people are able to take control. In the United States and elsewhere in the world.

And lastly… No such thing as a winnable war. We won the war in Iraq. Twice. What did we achieve? Stability? Nope. Improved living conditions for the Iraqi people? Nope. Self-governance? Not yet. And still we argue here over what’s the best course of action. We have done what we went in to do. Saddam is out of power. The Iraqis have established a representative government. And still they don’t have the ability to police their own country. It’s a big place. There are a lot of people who want chaos to succeed in the place of rational thinking. But haven’t we paid the price enough already?

McCain doesn’t have a good handle on economic policy IMHO. He also seems to want to do in Iraq what we’ve done in South Korea, Okinawa, and Germany… keep US forces there in perpetuity. Ugh.

Obama has a better handle on economic policy. He wants to bring our troops home responsibly. It’s time to focus on healing the wounds of 9/11 and the looming economic crisis. Let’s focus on finding new ways to combat the energy crisis. Let’s hope for the best — plan for the worst, but keep that hope alive.

It’s time for us to simplify things for our representatives in Congress and the White House. Send the message it’s time to take care of things at home. Then we can refocus our efforts on other worldwide issues such as AIDS, malaria, starvation, and all the things we choose not to focus on. Yes, we entertain ourselves to get away from the world — but maybe it’s time to focus on the problems at hand and pay less attention to what Lindsay Lohan has done or whether Brittney has forgotten to wear underwear this week.

Let’s do what’s right for the people of the United States for a change.

I’m done ranting for now. Listen to the message and apply it to our everyday lives. We have a lot of work to do. Let’s get started.

Thanks

–Fitz

Image via Wikipedia

Hey guys…

Check this out! These guys are whacked!

http://www.dustfilms.com/movieflathead.htm

–Fitz