A few months back, I decided on a fun project: to begin to put out online mixtapes every two weeks or so. I decided to call give it a name I’ve had floating around in my head since I was probably in high school, “It Came From Outer Space (And IT Was Me).”

I created a Mixcloud account, built my first playlist, converted it into a single MP3 stream, and posted it to Facebook with some commentary. Every few weeks, wash, rinse, repeat. Here are links to the first three mixtapes, along with their accompanying commentary…I’ll post the rest of the mixtape links with commentary in two additional posts.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (AND IT WAS ME) MIXTAPE #1 – LINK

Hey folks,

During the pandemic, one of the things that’s been sustaining me and giving me joy has been listening to the radio again, and revisiting some music I really love from many, many years ago. One thing that emerged for me was seeing how freeform my listening tends to be. I was considering for a while trying to get a radio show on Hollow Earth Radio, but then decided I just didn’t have the capacity to commit to some external, so instead, I decided to start making online, streamable mixtapes that I could share with folks on an irregular basis. I’m intending to do this maybe once a month or so. Anyway, here’s the first of the mixtape series, which I’m calling It Came From Outer Space (And It Was Me). It’s mostly 1980s to now, and indie rock-focused, but future editions may include some themes, such as an ambient/experimental music mixtape, a goth/industrial mixtape, etc. But I’ll likely keep most freeform.Tracklist info and links to bandcamps are in the comments below the stream.I’m also posting a Youtube playlist of the songs I wrote about in my Subterraneans series of blog posts, reflecting on somewhat lesser-known David Bowie songs I love following his death. Enjoy. Or not, I guess.

PS I really felt it necessary to start off this whole project with the first song.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (AND IT WAS ME) MIXTAPE #2 – LINK

Alright, I know I said I’d likely be putting these online mixtape streams once a month, and it’s only been two weeks. But anyway…second in the series. Working on some themed ones, such as an ambient/experimental music mixtape, a goth/industrial mixtape, etc. But I’ll likely keep most freeform. Tracklist info and links to bandcamps are in the comments below the stream.

A few notes on this mixtape:

• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is my co-favorite movie, alongside Fargo.• Love and Rockets was one of my favorite bands in high school. I’ve been revisiting them heavily of late.

• The McGruff song is from a whole album of anti-intoxicant and pro-health songs called Smart Kids. Google it…it’s all on Youtube.

• A few songs (by Helms Alee and The Jesus and Mary Chain) are heavier/noisier than the first one. Just a heads-up.

• Hoover’s drummer Chris Farrell is my favorite drummer of all time, with Hozoji Matheson-Margullis from Helms Alee as my current top I get to see play regularly. She’s doing some of the singing while playing those wild drum parts, and she’s an incredibly nice person, as are the other two folks (Ben and Dana) in the band.

• I briefly played with Lauren Hoffman and the Secret Storm while living in Charlottesville. This song “Family Ghost” was my favorite to play, next to the song from the first mixtape, “Reasons to Fall.”

• “Play the Game” is one of three songs I want played at my funeral. The The’s “Love is Stronger than Death” from the first mixtape is another, and Bowie’s “Teenage Wildlife” is the third.

• And “Mr. Me” has the one of the best hooks for a kids’ music style song ever.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (AND IT WAS ME) MIXTAPE #3 – LINK

A few notes on this mixtape:

· “Here Sometimes” both lifts and destroys me.

· There is only one Grace Jones, and be glad we’ve been blessed with her on this planet, at this time.

· Though a longtime fan, I wasn’t into Versus’ “Saturday Saints” until I saw them play it live at the Sunset Tavern here in Seattle. I totally fanboyed at the show, bringing my 20-year old 7”s for them to sign. “Instead of being broken apart / we may as well be broken together…”

· Another one of my favorite jams from Love and Rockets. I drew their logo on the back of so many notebooks during high school.·

The first time I ever saw Scout Niblett play, I felt like a bomb had gone off deep inside of me. So open and raw and real.

· I had a massive crush on 10,000 Maniacs’ Natalie Merchant. And on a girl I knew in high school who was a near-doppelganger for her.

· Kim Gordon is the best part of Sonic Youth; “Cross the Breeze” is easily my favorite song from Daydream Nation because of her.

· If you ever listen to enough of my drumming over the years, it’s very similar to the vibe Bill Berry brings to R.E.M.’s “Sitting Still.”

· “Dethrone” by Wax Idols feels like such a brutally relevant song right now.

· I heard the Sundays cover of “Wild Horses” for many years before hearing the Rolling Stones’ original. I still prefer the Sundays one better.

· And this one’s PJ Harvey-heavy, just because.