Dave Mattingly 3:33 pm on March 29, 2016

Guiding Lyrics

Instead of looking at genres of music, I’m going to look inside some of them, at the lyrics. Some lyrics have helped guide me through life, by giving me a deeper understanding into something, by inspiring me to keep going, by tugging at my heart strings, or otherwise leaving a deep mark within me.

These are “my” lyrics. The lyrics that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 12

Ages and Ages – Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)
- Lyric: “Do the right thing, do the right thing.
  _____Do it all the time, do it all the time.
  _____Make yourself right, never mind them.
  _____Don’t you know you’re not the only one suffering.”
- Memories: The whole song is fantastic, but the oft-repeated chorus drives it home. I’d heard the song and purchased it, but then forgotten about it until it showed up on my playlist as I was driving home from a friend’s funeral. It hit me with exactly the right words at exactly the right time. I probably listened to the song for two hours straight on my drive home. It has become a part of me.

Spottiswoode and His Enemies – I’m Back Up
- Lyric: “I read my name, and the following lines:
  _____‘Get out, get out. Get away from here.
  _____Don’t look back. Have no fear.’
  _____So I walked away, pace by pace,
  _____’til I felt the sunlight lick my face.”
- Memories: The whole song tells a story, and is much better listened to as a whole than as just a few lyrical phrases. We’ve all fallen, whether through our own doing or not, and getting back up can be difficult. Spottiswoode’s allegorical tale of his rescue from the depths is powerful and uplifting.

Transplants – D.J. D.J.
- Lyric: “Give me a chance to shine, and I’m-a blind the world.
  _____Take a stand and be the voice for those who cannot be heard.”
- Memories: These lyrics are a great reminder for me that I should not be like everyone else, and that I have a responsibility to others. The chorus’ DIY punk ethos of “We don’t need anyone, and Lord knows we don’t need you” might seem out of place with the (albeit angry) compassion here, but that’s how I grew up seeing the world, too, so I could instantly relate. It’s tough out there, and the little guy (individuality) should lead, or rebel against, the big guy (conformity). To make the world a better place, helping others starts right here with me.

Runners Up:
- King – Unity Song (“They can’t take away what you are.”)
- Depeche Mode – Get the Balance Right (“Be responsible, respectable, stable, but gullible, sound and caring, help the helpless, but always remain absolutely selfish.”)
- Ivan – Tomorrow Never Comes (“If you want to see a rainbow, you’ve gotta get wet.”)
- INXS – Dancing on the Jetty (“Watch the world argue, argue with itself. Who’s gonna teach me peace and happiness?”)
- Noah and the Whale – Life is Life (“Sick of being someone he did not admire. Took up all his old things, set ’em all on fire. He’s gonna change, gonna change his ways.”)

Go back to Part 11: Outsider Music or go on to Part 13: Earworms

Dave Mattingly 12:37 pm on March 16, 2016

Outsider Music

Outsider music is a bit of a catchall category for avant garde music that doesn’t fit into other genre descriptions. Some would say that it doesn’t even count as music.

I’ve heard that a good book inspires a reader, and that a bad book inspires a writer. The same may be true of music, since there are some bands that I love listening to despite their flaws. Or maybe because of their flaws.

This list is shorter than most, since although there are many good outsider musicians out there, there aren’t that many that I have several favorite songs from.

These are “my” bands. The bands that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 11

The Shaggs
- Known For: My Pal Foot Foot
- Memories: Often dubbed “the worst band in the history of the world,” this quintessential cacophonous family still has its charm. They have a cult following, and a number of famous musicians even cite these ladies as the inspirations and include their albums in their top ten lists. I find their unpretentious energy and passion to be exhilirating.
- Favorite Songs: Wheels, It’s Halloween, The Philosophy of the World

Wild Man Fischer
- Known For: Merry-Go-Round
- Memories: Like the Shaggs, Wild Man Fischer may have more fun than he has sense. Also like the Shaggs, he was discovered and popularized by Frank Zappa. Fischer’s songs are often little more than shouting along some some melody (or without a melody), but I do find him highly amusing. His is probably my favorite homeless asylum escapee music.
- Favorite Songs: I Got a Camera, I’m a Christmas Tree, It’s a Hard Business (with Rosemary Clooney), Flaming Carrot Theme Song

Runners Up: Stump, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, That 1 Guy, Hawaiian Pups, Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Tiny Tim

Go back to Part 10: Collegiate A Cappella or on to Part 12: Guiding Lyrics

Dave Mattingly 9:56 pm on March 10, 2016

Collegiate A Cappella

Here are some of my favorite collegiate a cappella bands. When The Bobs redefined and revitalized the concept of a cappella, many college campuses around the country began their own a cappella bands. Sort of the modern equivalent of a glee club.

The annual competition (and compilation disc) BOCA — Best of Collegiate A Cappella (and its “sister” project BOHSA for high schools) is a wonderful resource to discover new bands to delve into. I especially recommend “Wasting Our Parents’ Money” album.

These are “my” bands. The bands that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 10

UPenn Off the Beat
- Known For: Criminal
- Memories: OTB is the band to beat when it comes to collegiate a cappella. They encompass a wide range of musical styles, with an emphasis on alternative rock. Their large membership affords them many talents and specialties, so they can perform songs that would be difficult for smaller bands.
- Favorite Songs: Mixed Bizness, What I Got, Beautiful Stranger, Madness, Just Can’t Get Enough, Walking on Broken Glass, All Mixed Up, No Rain, Where the Streets Have No Name, What’s Up, Don’t Leave Me This Way, Inside Out, Africa

Stanford Mixed Company
- Known For: Somebody to Love
- Memories: Stanford Mixed Company also has an amazing repertoire spanning decades, giving them the song for every occasion. This band is a great source for vocalizing pop music. Their arrangement of “Mummer’s Dance” is astounding.
- Favorite Songs: Mummer’s Dance, Techno Medley, Let Me Go, We Belong, New Shoes, When Doves Cry, Flood, Ready to Go, Mercy

UNC Loreleis
- Known For: Death by Chocolate
- Memories: I still get chills from hearing the overlapping harmonized staccato a cappella backgrounds for Dreams.
- Favorite Songs: Dreams, O Brother Where Art Thou Medley, Layla, Roll to Me, Good Life, Harder to Breathe, Simon and Garfunkel Medley

Penn Six-5000
- Known For: Conrad Bain
- Memories: Penn 6-5000 aka Penn Six, does a great job of parodying popular songs while still keeping the collegiate beatboxing a cappella going. Their brilliant “Conrad Bain” sung to the Police’s “King of Pain” bemoans the fate of an actor known only for his role as Mr. Drummond on Different Strokes. “Conrad Bain” is also the sometime alias of a friend of mine when he doesn’t want his real name to be discovered as he checks into hotels.
- Favorite Songs: I Ran, Flagpole Sitta, Ain’t No Moonshine, Little Black Submarines

Runners Up: Dartmouth Aires, Stanford Counterpoint, Stanford Harmonics, Tufts Beelzebubs, USC Sirens, Virginia Hullabahoos, Xtension Chords, Straight No Chaser

Go back to Part 9: Covers or onto Part 11: Outsider Music

Dave Mattingly 10:33 am on February 26, 2016

Cover Music

Here are some of my favorite cover bands. Altering an existing work enough to make it your own while still respecting the original is a fine line to walk.

Since these are all covers, I’ve added a separate link to each original, after each video, marked by a ***.

These are “my” bands. The bands that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 9

Nouvelle Vague
- Known For: Ever Fallen in Love ***
- Memories: I was flummoxed and fascinated the first time I heard Nouvelle Vague on the radio. Since then, their mamba covers of new wave standards have become a fixture on my playlists. I later learned that the singers had never heard the originals before, which guarantees that their cover versions are unique. Sometimes I can’t understand how they can perform these tunes with a straight face.
- Favorite Songs: Blue Monday ***, Blister in the Sun ***, Dancing with Myself ***, I Just Can’t Get Enough ***

Big Daddy (Big Daddy 59)
- Known For: Money for Nothing ***
- Memories: Big Daddy doesn’t just cover songs, they transplant the lyrics from one song into the music for another. This totally amazes me. Mashing up “Money for Nothing” with “Sixteen Tons” is a brilliant concept. The one that really got my attention, though, was mashing up “Safety Dance” to “The Twist” (as a Men Without Hats fan).
- Favorite Songs: Safety Dance ***, Whip It ***, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ***, Welcome to the Jungle ***, I Write the Songs ***, Ice Ice Baby ***, Music of the Night ***

Richard Cheese
- Known For: Enter Sandman ***
- Memories: Cheese’s album titles and artwork instantly set the scene for the absurdities they contain, especially Lounge Against the Machine, Tuxicity, and Aperitif for Destruction. He occasionally mashes up lyrics and music like Big Daddy does (like in Enter Sandman, Stand Up, and Star Wars Cantina).
- Favorite Songs: Stand Up ***, Closer ***, Star Wars Cantina ***, Sunday Bloody Sunday ***, Brass Monkey ***, Come Out and Play ***, Another Brick in the Wall ***

The Lost Fingers
- Known For: Tainted Love ***
- Memories: The band’s jazz and acoustic take on popular music is very fun. Their arrangement of “Straight Up” continues to amuse me.
- Favorite Songs: Straight Up ***, Billie Jean ***, Pump Up the Jam ***, Hit ‘Em Up Style ***, Tom’s Diner ***, Groove is in the Heart ***, Safety Dance

Runners Up: Senor Coconut ***, Max Raabe ***, Jaymz Bee ***, various a cappella bands, Dynamite Hack ***, Walk Off the Earth *** (and Key of Awesome cover of their cover), Postmodern Jukebox ***

Go back to Part 8: Punk or on to Part 10: Collegiate A Cappella

Dave Mattingly 9:22 am on February 24, 2016

Tech Community Events

“In the spring, a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of tech…”

That’s not quite how Tennyson wrote it, but he would have, if he’d lived in Louisville at a time when coders, hackers, designers, and other geeks and nerds offer such a remarkable smorgasbord of creative techie activities. That’s my story, anyway.

Here are a few specific events that you can become a part of, plus some other cool ones further down the screen.

Code Across

The fifth annual Code Across is a volunteer event for civic hacking.

What is civic hacking, you ask? It’s “hacking” in the good sense, to improve something, not to break down.

Over the course of one day, coders and designers pitch ideas and settle into teams. They create an app, a site, or something else. At the end of the afternoon, they present what they’ve created and give it away to the world. There are even snacks and prizes.

It’s a great way to make friends, learn a new approach, work together, create or solve something, gain experience, and help the community.

Some cool projects we’ve done in the past include:

a pet adopter that helps you find the animal you want at a shelter close to you
a restaurant recommender which takes into account health scores, nearby crime, and reviews
a park amenities locator, to find the nearest potty while you’re on that hike

This year, the event will be held at Code Louisville, 252 E Market St, Louisville, KY 40202.

Keep June 4, 2016 open on your calendar for the National Day of Civic Hacking, also a Code for America event.

Our local “Code for America Brigade” is the Civic Data Alliance. We advocate to make government data open and transparent, so that everyone can learn from it. We also host hackathons and educational sessions.

Startup Weekend

Louisville’s Startup Weekend is a twice annual volunteer event for business idea creation.

Similar to Code Across, people gather, pitch ideas, form into teams, work, then show their results at the end.

The difference here is that the projects tend to be entrepreneurial, with an ongoing sustainable profit plan. This one is 54-hours long (Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon), with judges and valuable prizes. On Sunday, teams show off their creations to compete for valuable prizes.

Our local Startup Weekend has gotten some national attention. Lat year, more women than men participated. And the winning team was led by a high school girl!

Projects we’ve had in the past include:

Moov — Uber for pickup trucks
MixxThis — an easier way to process your drink orders
Foodinary — an app to explain the ingredients in your meal

This year, the event will take place at the UofL School of Business.

A lot of the movers and shakers of the local business and tech scenes help out with and attend these.

There is a modest fee to attend this one, but I believe it’s well worth it. I’ve attended four startup weekends so far.

Here’s my post about last year’s event.

Other Events

Here are even more ways that you, too, can join in on the fun.

Leadership

3/5 – Civic Data Alliance
- Code Louisville, 252 E Market St
- Besides hosting Code Across as mentioned above, the alliance hosts monthly meetings to train and advocate.

3/11 – Nonprofit Leadership Network
- American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort Ave
- If you work with any volunteer or charity group, the KNN can keep you abreast of resources, policies, and happenings.

Social/Networking

3/3 – Louisville Geek Dinner
- Bluegrass Brewing Company, 3929 Shelbyville Rd
- Hang out with geeks and nerds of all stripes.

Learning/Sharing

2/26 – Lean Coffee
- Press, 252 E Market St
- Lean Coffee is a cool way of meeting in which the agenda is created during the meeting itself.

3/18 – Digital Marketing Conference
- IUS, 4201 Grant Line Rd, New Albany, IN
- El Toro and the Courier Journal will teach on using social media for business.

Robots/Drones

2/28 – VEX IQ Challenge Kentucky State Championship
- Galt House (Fountain Room)
- The middle school state championship for robots.

4/20 – VEX Worlds World Championship (volunteer here)
- KY Fair & Expo Center
- The world championship for robots! Nearly 1,000 teams take over both stadiums and all four wings of the fairgrounds for four days, then invade Kentucky Kingdom during Thunder Over Louisville.

4/30-5/1 – Mega Drone X
- Louisville Mega Cavern, 1841 Taylor Ave
- The world’s first subterranean drone race.

Games/Entertainment

2/27 – Warp Zone Grand Opening
- Warp Zone, 609 W Main St
- Game developers, app makers, and fun builders join together. Family friendly.

3/4-3/6 – Louisville Arcade Expo
- Ramada Plaza, 9700 Bluegrass Parkway
- Play Pac-Man, pinball, and hundreds of other games all weekend! Proceeds go to the children’s hospital.

Fandom/Comics/Gaming

3/26 – Random Fandom Con
- Louisville Public Library, 9725 Dixie Highway
- Meet other fans of comics, anime, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other fun nerdy pursuits.

4/8 – ConGlomeration
- Ramada Plaza, 9700 Bluegrass Parkway
- ConGlomeration is Louisville’s oldest and friendliest science fiction con. Highly recommended. The weekend includes expert panels, costumes, gaming, music, and food.

Shopping

3/12 – Heroes Comics Grand Opening
- Heroes Comics, 361 Baxter Ave
- Another comics store! Yay!
4/1 – Louis Villainz Market for Mischief
- The Cure Lounge, 1481 S Shelby St
- All the “weird” vendors gather to offer superhero soap, goth rock vinyl, pop culture candles, psychedelic art, and lots more. Very fun.
4/2 – Authors Fair
- National Guard Armory, 1533 Clifty Dr, Madison, IN
- This annual event brings in dozens and dozens of authors to autograph books and chat with fans.

Keep in Touch

Want to stay in the loop about events like this? There are several ways that you can do that.

subscribe to my own calendar
browse through louisville.io, which automatically pulls local tech events from eventbrite and meetup
follow TALK (twitter, facebook, linkedin), LDA (twitter, facebook, linkedin), LVL1 (twitter, facebook)
join the Nerd Louisville message boards

Dave Mattingly 8:44 pm on February 20, 2016

Punk

Here are some of my favorite punk bands. Most of these are the newer punk revivalists, pop-punk, which I’ve gradually come to live more than the original genre.

These are “my” bands. The bands that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 8

Rancid
- Known For: Time Bomb
- Memories: Back in 2001, my wife interpreted for the deaf at the Billy Graham Crusade in Louisville, so I was there with her for the whole multi-day event. Since I’d hear the same things over the course of those days, I’d often wander around. While strolling the promenade, I
  saw a teenager (presumably dragged along by a family member as he pretty obviously didn’t want to be there) wearing a Rancid shirt. I eagerly talked with him about the band, and asked if he’d ever heard their cover of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song, which he hadn’t. It totally blew his mind that someone else at a Billy Graham event was a fan of the band.
- Favorite Songs: Fall Back Down, Ruby Soho, Gilligan’s Island, Roots Radicals, Memphis

The Transplants
- Known For: DJ DJ
- Memories: I first heard the Transplants on some video music channel that was running a ‘pool party’ theme, and played “DJ DJ.” It still cracks me up that their “Diamonds and Guns” piano got used in a shampoo commercial. I still love hearing Skinhead Rob’s rant in that song.
- Favorite Songs: Diamonds and Guns, Gangsters and Thugs, Come Around

Stiff Little Fingers
- Known For: Alternative Ulster
- Memories: I somehow missed hearing Stiff Little Fingers in their heyday, and didn’t discover them until later. “Gate 49” is a fun love song that picks me up.
- Favorite Songs: Gate 49, Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae, Just Fade Away

The Offspring
- Known For: Self Esteem
- Memories: I don’t generally go for a lot of the Offspring’s earlier grungy work, and prefer their faster-paced punky work. Especially when it’s a little goofy. The catchphrase lyric ‘gotta keep ’em separated’ was unique in the musical landscape at the time, having a band member sort of interrupt the chorus with commentary.
- Favorite Songs: Come Out and Play, Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), Why Don’t You Get a Job?, The Kids aren’t All Right

Public Image Ltd
- Known For: (This is Not a) Love Song
- Memories: PIL is best known for spinning off from the Sex Pistols, and John(ny Rotten) Lydon’s lyric “anger is an energy” still rings true, and helps to spur me into action. Whereas the Pistols were raw and angry, Public Image was smoother and stylized, but still with some crazy in the mix.
- Favorite Songs: Rise, Seattle

Runners Up: MC5, The Damned, Buzzcocks, The Distillers, The Clash, The Ramones, The Suicide Machines, Steriogram, Social Distortion, Wire, !!!, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Dead Milkmen, Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, The Stranglers

Go back to Part 7: Rap and Hip-Hop or on to Part 9: Covers

Dave Mattingly 5:27 pm on February 16, 2016

Rap and Hip-Hop

Here are some of my favorite rap and hip-hop bands, with maybe a little funk and soul mixed in.

These are “my” bands. The bands that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 7

Beastie Boys
- Known For: Fight for Your Right to Party
- Memories: When I was a DJ, record labels would always send us cool stuff in an effort to encourage us to promote their bands. Back when Beastie Boys was brand new, we got some shirts along with other merchandise. When I wore that shirt to their concert, someone offered me $50 for it. As it turns out, that was the same shirt that the crew wore, so it made me look like I was with the band. I also was wearing that shirt (complete with a rude saying on the back) when I met my wife.
- Favorite Songs: Girls, Rhymin’ and Stealin’, She’s Crafty, Sabotage, Remote Control, Intergalactic

Fishbone
- Known For: Everyday Sunshine
- Memories: Fishbone is a wonderful blend of funk, ska, punk, and energetic crazy, like a cross between Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madness, and Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers. They’re fun to listen to, and a great pick-me-up.
- Favorite Songs: Ugly, Party at Ground Zero, Ma and Pa, Subliminal Fascism, It’s a Wonderful Life, Sunless Saturday

Fat Boys
- Known For: All You Can Eat
- Memories: I have the Fat Boys to thank for my love of beatboxing. I’d heard rap before, and enjoyed the rhyme-throwing aspect of it, but hadn’t appreciated the possibilities of making goofy noises as a musical instrument until Human Beat Box. RIP Buff Love.
- Favorite Songs: Human Beat Box, Human Beat Box Part III, The Twist, Wipeout

Gorillaz
- Known For: Clint Eastwood
- Memories: The Gorillaz cartoon music videos are always a blast, and it’s great seeing the same characters throughout. The artistry involved in the animation is gorgeous. For several years, I used 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) as my ringtone. Get the cool shoeshine.
- Favorite Songs: 19-2000, Feel Good Inc, Rock the House

De La Soul
- Known For: Me Myself and I
- Memories: De La Soul were sometimes pegged as hip-hop hippies thanks to their positive messages focusing on peace and love. I like that about them. They’re light, fun, and uplifting.
- Favorite Songs: Tread Water, Three is a Magic Number

Runners Up: Run DMC, Missy Elliott, Apache Indian, Nappy Roots, Mystikal, Ludacris, Teddybears, Whistle, Clipse, Trick Daddy, Rye Rye, K7, Hilltop Hoods

Okay, so it seems my favorite hip-hop music is the kind that doesn’t take itself very seriously. Which is generally true for me across all music genres, and indeed all walks of life.

Go back to Part 6: Psychobilly or on to Part 8: Punk

Dave Mattingly 3:24 pm on February 15, 2016

Cool Job: Floor Show

Rug

I’ve done a lot of things for a living over the years, and after working with outer space and virtual reality I dove into the creative half of my brain. I was an artist before switching to math and tech, and I combined my art background and my programming background by working at Khazai Rug Gallery.

Cool Job, Part 3: Floor Show

The oriental rug industry certainly seems like an odd fit for developing custom software, but there was a small market of companies that needed to be able to design rugs on the computer quickly. This was back in the days of Windows 3.1. The software was essentially a cleverly disguised MS Paint, with some custom add-ins that we’d written.

Close-Up

What we created was a very primitive version of the modern photoshop. It could do a variety of common image tricks, and some that were more useful for rugs than for general images like copying and flipping rug sections (take take a corner design and mirror it into a full rug), simplify the colors (to use fewer yarn colors), and such. It could even randomize some of the threads to create “mistakes” in the weaving, making them more quaint and obviously hand-woven, right?

The end result was that the software would spit out a “rug map” — the thread-by-thread instructions for how to weave that particular rug. The rug map was made up of large colored squares, that individual craftsmen would use as a guide. If you’ve ever seen a cross-stitch pattern book, it’s sort of like that.

Rug Map

It was cool to travel to various rug design firms and demo the software. (I found out that New York City has a “rug district” where everybody who’s anybody in rug design had to have a building. Who knew?) I even got to use my art skills as a contractor designing rugs for a few weeks at such a place in Atlanta.

Mad Skillz

Thanks to writing this software, I gained the geek skill to look at any color, and take a pretty good guess to its hex value.

Roses are FF0000,
Violets are 0000FF

In a computer, colors are based on red/green/blue combinations, with values going from 0 to 255 (or 00 to FF in hexadecimal terms). So pure red would be FF0000, green would be 00FF00, and blue 0000FF. White is FFFFFF (all the colors at once), and black is 000000. All other colors fall somewhere between 00 and FF in those three

My color-hexing skill has waned over the years, but by guesstimating the RGB makeup of a color, I can still come relatively close much of the time. I’m told that many professional artists and designers can do the same thing with pantone colors (another way to uniquely identify a color).

Full Circle

The original way of writing computer software was through a series punch cards, similar to the way that a player piano plays music from rolls.

Loom Punch Cards

What’s cool is that the idea of punch cards actually came from the weaving industry. So that means the software I wrote could be used to control the predecessor of computers. As Homer & Jethro once sang, “I’m My Own Grandpaw.”

The Louisville Science Center has a kiosk showcasing that software project. The similarity between pixels and thread maps is a strong one, and finding the right match from one technology to another is still a force for innovation. “I think I see a pattern here.”

Go back to Part 2: Wolf3D or on to Part 4: Corporate Agent

Dave Mattingly 2:59 pm on February 9, 2016

Body of Work – Fanzines

Over the years, I’ve worked on a lot of fanzines and APAzines (amateur press association zines).

Here are some of the zines I’ve written for, published, edited, or otherwise contributed to. (I don’t have images for them all.)

Not pictured here are the first 23 issues of Haymaker, a couple dozen Rogues Gallery, and a few Herozines.

Click here to see my full body of work.

Dave Mattingly 1:45 pm on February 5, 2016

Psychobilly

Here are some of my favorite psychobilly bands. For those not familiar with the genre, “psychobilly” is an unlikely blend of rockabilly, punk, country, dance, goth, ska, bluegrass, glam, roots rock, surf, doo-wop, and soul. The music, fashion, and culture often incorporate an element of B horror movies.

These are “my” bands. The bands that helped shape who I am, roughly in order of how much they mean to me.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 6

Beat Farmers / Country Dick Montana
- Known For: Happy Boy
- Memories: I frequently played Happy Boy on the air when I was covering the punk and comedy beat at WLCV. They were a perfect fit for both. They’re always fun to listen to, with a rowdy irreverent wit and charm. Country Dick Montana’s deep, deep voice could probably register on seismic detectors.
- Favorite Songs: Lakeside Trailer Park, California Kid, Are You Drinkin’ with Me Jesus, Led Zeppelin Medley, Lucille

Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers
- Known For: CB Song
- Memories: No one can shake my shack like the shack shakers. They’re full of energy and fun, and simply must be played at full volume. Agony Wagon in particular is a fantastic pick-me-up song for long drives, or for getting out of bed.
- Favorite Songs: Agony Wagon, No Such Thing, Ichabod, Where’s the Devil When You Need Him, Shakerag Holler, Bible, Candle, and Skull

Southern Culture on the Skids
- Known For: Camel Walk
- Memories: I once heard Southern Culture on the Skids (SCOTS) described as the trailer park B-52’s. I can get behind that. They’re independent, playful, and bizarre. At concerts, they often throw food at the audience (fried chicken during “8 Piece Box” and pudding during “Banana Puddin'”).
- Favorite Songs: Cheap Motel, 8 Piece Box, Dance for Me, Soul City

The Cramps
- Known For: Goo Goo Muck
- Memories: The Cramps are undoubtedly the godfathers of psychobilly, even coining the term. At my publishing company, as I formatted the book pages, I saved the file as Lux Interior, in honor of the lead singer.
- Favorite Songs: The Crusher, Bikini Girls with Machine Guns, Surfing Dead (written especially for my favorite zombie movie), Can Your _____ Do the Dog?, Sheena’s in a Goth Gang

Mojo Nixon
- Known For: Elvis is Everywhere
- Memories: As the Dead Milkmen proclaim, “If you don’t got Mojo Nixon, then your store could use some fixin’!” Mojo’s high-energy bawdy anti-establishment tunes are a blast to listen Michael J Fox got no Mojo Nixon in him.
- Favorite Songs: Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child, Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin, (619)239-KING, Burn Down the Malls

Runners Up: The Reverend Horton Heat, Dread Zeppelin, Kid Rock, T Rex, Guana Batz, Nekromantix, Imelda May, V V Brown

Go back to Part 5: A Cappella or on to Part 7: Rap and Hip-Hop