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FTB presents Mixtapes "Guilty" May 2024

6/2/2024

PLAYLIST

Loudon Wainwright III-Mr. Guilty
Randy Newman-Guilty
Joe Cocker-Guilty
Beth Hart-Guilty (live at Paradiso)
Jerry Lee Lewis-I'm the Guilty One
Hank Snow-Conscience I'm Guilty
Crosby Stills & Nash-Long Time Gone
The Bad Plus-Guilty (Live)
Lou Reed-Guilty (feat. Ornette Coleman)
Dave Alvin-Guilty Man
Bruce Springsteen-He's Guilty (The Judge Song)
The Kinks-Guilty
Action Figures-Guilty Gene
All-Guilty
Stiff Little Fingers-Guilty As Sin
UB40-Guilty
The National-Guilty Party
Alejandro Escovedo-Guilty
The Buck Pets-Guilty where's my head
Ism-Proud to Be Guilty
Madonna & Joe Henry-Guilty By Association
Russ Ballard-Guilty
Blues Brothers-Guilty
Willie Mabon-Guilty Blues
Buddy Guy-Guilty As Charged
Black Joe Lewis-Guilty
The Young Fresh Fellows-Guilty Ones
Al Green-Guilty (& The Soul Mates)
The Muffs-Guilty
The Black Crowes-Waitin' Guilty
Neil Young-Guilty Train

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FTB #250 INCEPTION IN TWO PARTS (PART 2)

5/31/2024

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Finally! Everything is restored and safe. Enough of the front end work is finished to a point that allows me to finish this overdue conclusion of FTB #250 and get it posted in May. Sparing you the technical nightmare, lets just say that 20 Terabytes of music files can be a bit unwieldy. I am going to continue to post shows to Mixcloud, if there’s any questions I can answer, reach out at my Yahoo address, which is very easy to find and I will get back. It’s always best to go to http://mikemarrone.com first, if there’s a show a link will always be found there before anywhere else. I would love to dump FB/Mega, as Social Media is becoming less interesting by the day. X is long gone. It's still the best way to get the word out. 34 Counts, all guilty. The next Mixtape is programming itself. New things on this episode include The Third Mind, Okkervil River, Fontaines D.C., June Moss, The Afghan Whigs, Bobby Rush, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Black Pumas, The Sticky Sweethearts and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. They are joined by a host of dignitaries, including Kristin Hersh, The Waterboys, Nirvana, Julian Coryell, Def Leppard, Prince, Julian Cope w/Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Ben Folds, Translator, The Bad Plus, Peter Gabriel, Mick Hucknall, Allman Brothers Band, The Esquires, J. Geils Band, Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, Morphine, Jeff Buckley, The Beach Boys, Glen Campbell, O Positive and more.

Fundraiser ends on June 3rd... click for link

Looking for The Playlist? click me.

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FTB #250 Inception In Two Parts (part 1)

5/4/2024

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Part 1 Saturday May 5, 2024
January 15, 2011 is just a few months beyond a dozen years ago and marked the first post ever in this so-called Blog. Looking back now it truly feels like a lifetime ago, and in many ways that is exactly what it is. At the time I was a decade into working at my dream job; programming, designing and presenting The Loft, the station I was hired to create for XM Satellite Radio in Washington, DC. The merger of XM and Sirius had already happened. While this web domain had already been personally acquired and was used for a range of things like “Segue Lessons,” it had become clear to me that although I loved my job, it would likely not be the one I remained at until Retirement or death, whichever came first.

There were not many of the original XM people left in what was our beautiful HQ at Eckington Pl. in DC. and now “The Fuckery” was fully underway. My mantra was to do my job, keep my head down and continue doing what I was born to do and still loved. I managed to do just that for a while, but by the time I turned 60 in 2016 they didn’t realize I was that old and completely removed the gloves. I felt like Casey Stengel in 1960 at the end of his Yankee career, vowing never to turn 60 again! By January 15, 2017 I had already given notice that the end of the year would be my final day. I was feeling terrible and no longer had the strength or resolve to continue to fight them off. I knew I was sick, but not how sick, and the lies and daily abuse had developed into an unnecessary hostile work environment. I gave them a full month notice, made what I felt was an upbeat announcement (https://www.mikemarrone.com/mikes-basement/archives/12-2017) and worked until 10 minutes to Midnight on New Year’s Eve, completing all of the programming for the next week, loading it, perfectly timed out, backed up and ready to go, making sure that Franny, Chris, Meg, David and Larry could take their Holiday breaks. I signed off the SXM server and 10 minutes later, exactly at Midnight my service was shut off by the powers that be. Haven’t even heard a minute of their service since.

And then the shit really hit the fan!

I don’t regret a single minute of those 17 years but this is what I want to do now. I hope you enjoy it and continue to offer your support and ears.

Peace and Love or Peas and Loaf,

Mike Marrone
Absecon, NJ
May 4, 2024

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MIXCLOUD LINK

Hear This Link

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FROM THE BASEMENT #249“ NEVER FIGHT UPHILL, ME BOYS!”

4/20/2024

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It’s anyone’s guess at this point but if we are really at the Self-immolation stage in our society, especially regarding an individual so clearly on the brink of breakdown at the possibility of finally being held to account, perhaps it’s already over and we just don’t know it. I am completely flummoxed, more about who the object of adoration is more than anything else. All I can do is turn the music up and continue to hope for the best.

Episode #249 is jam packed with new music from Steve Conte, Andrew Bird Trio, Amy Winehouse, Nick Cave; Warren Ellis, Stanton Moore, Black Country Communion, Will Hoge, James Mastro, Alejandro Escovedo, The Pineapple Thief, Trifecta, Meshell Ndegeocello, Manic Street Preachers, José James, Melody Gardot, Nathaniel Rateliff, T Bone Burnett and The Black Keys. Along with contributions that run the gamut from Duke Ellington and John Coltrane to Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. We lit 80 candles for Dave Edmunds’ cake and offered a fond farewell to Brother Dickie Betts. Once I figure out how Robert E. Lee had an Irish accent, I let you know. Until then, stay safe, thanks for listening and turn the music up. Love to all.

THE PLAYLIST CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING THIS

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FROM THE BASEMENT Episode #248

4/13/2024

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It is difficult enough as an aging Boomer to accept the inevitable deterioration of our personal skin suit, even with options and upgrades. I can attest that regardless the level of visible decay, the mainframe at the core of my personal CPU can’t compute that June will mark the 68th year since the initial install. I guess that’s a good thing, not that it matters but I do feel fortunate much more often than the inverse. Certainly not in financial terms but that was never a top priority, music was. Dignity, love, happiness and beauty have nothing to do with finance, Barrett Strong and John Lennon taught us that in grade school. The answer has always been music. Regardless the flavor. There are no wrong answers, as long as you can remain honest to yourself. There is no fake news contained in the science that listening to music is the only activity that involves all areas of your brain. Imagine that.

To paraphrase one of his best songs, Alejandro Escovedo towers above. For over four decades he has done the work, without shortcuts of any kind. I came aboard in the early 90’s, when knowing the backstory my first listen to “She Doesn’t Live here Anymore” completely laid me out. That feeling has never left me, but I can’t put into words anything close to a definition, while certain you know exactly what I’m referring to. Art is confirmed when the ability to inspire that emotion is achieved. Alejandro’s musicality, intellect, emotional depth, integrity, taste and a whole lot of soul never lets me down. Time and again his songs have torn out my heart with their honesty and brilliance, causing a slow exhale and “Thank you, Sir. May I have another?” escaping in a horse whisper.

Other new arrivals include Gary Clark Jr. (with Stevie Wonder), Bartees Strange, Starsailor, T Bone Burnett, Lucius and Crowded House. We say goodbye to Brother Dege and keep wondering if Blitzen Trapper’s single “Cosmic Backseat Education” will break its spell over me, forcing me to play at least once, but usually 3 times a day, every day since March 3. Thanks as always for your ears and heart. Enjoy the show. dl

PLAYLIST CAN BE YOURS BY CLICKING THIS.

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From The Basement #247

3/17/2024

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During the intro to this episode you will hear a voice say, “We are a virus with shoes.” That voice belongs to William Melvin Hicks. February 26, just a few weeks back marked the 30th year that voice was silenced at the tender age of 32 by Pancreatic Cancer. It’s absurd to me that Bill Hicks left the planet 8 months before our only child entered. While tragic on a number of levels, I can safely say I’ve done my part to keep his spirit alive, as have quite a few others. My daughter can pretty much recite his best bits, rants and philosophy and it makes me proud. Now that’s good parenting. During our long road trip west a few years back, I’ll never forget the question she managed to choke out between tear-inducing laughter, “Dad, how long ago was this?” “He left before you got here, Sweetie. I miss him more every day.” Personally, I wish he could at least get a short furlough from the afterlife so I could get his take on the current mess our society and culture depict three decades later. Bill Hicks, George Carlin and Lenny Bruce were “the crucial three.” Made you laugh while pointing out the absurdity of the human condition. There were others, Mort Sahl, Steve Allen, Dick Gregory, Chris Rush, but I can’t find a current voice that has come close to filling the void. And we need one. We better lighten up and tighten up because entirely too many of our fellow citizens seem to be perfectly fine with having Germany in the 1930’s reappear a hundred years later here in the U.S.A.

I was called for Jury Duty on Monday, so there may be a FTB break in the action. This episode finds new stuff from Keith Richards, The Black Crowes, Nils Lofgren, Anders Osborne, Kanak, Paul Collins, Tyler Ramsey and the return of Peter Garrett. We also bid farewell to Eric Carmen and do the usual/unusual hop, skip and jump through the library in an attempt to make sense of it all. So much else in our current world simply doesn’t add up. Thanks for listening and your terrific support.

YOU WANT IT? YOU GOT IT! THE PLAYLIST IS HERE

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*FTB present A Tribute: Karl Edmund De Vere Wallinger 1957 - 2024

3/12/2024

1 Comment

Once again the DMCA continues to stifle reforms for something that actually has done nothing but hurt artists,. That it is the most important, while serving to enrich the monopolistic tendencies of what remains of the Record Business here in the U.S.A. What are we down to now, 3 Major Labels? I'd like to relay that the “Biz” is ablaze with roaring chatter and this is going to cause upheaval on a massive scale, but sadly I cannot. The simple fact is that nobody works in the Music Business anymore. Honest. At best I would say the numbers in percentages would be 3-5%. That posits since 1974, my High School Graduation,there currently are 95-97% fewer people employed in the Record Business in one form or another.

This diatribe was inspired Saturday, when they did some “maintenance” without bothering to inform us that starting at 2AM they were going to essentially stir the primordial stew. I would have shut down all systems and grabbed a book. Instead I spent the next day reconfiguring my server and home network.Admittedly a bit moist with glee that my UPS was on guard and operational. Now here comes the good part!

Having reached the absolute limit of safe blood pressure maintenance, I did the only logical thing and went to their retail store. As Kenny Loggins warned us repeatedly too many years ago, sometimes you need to enter the “Danger Zone” it cannot be avoided. Plus, I needed someone to look directly into my eyes and just try to give me the AI standard reasons to my face. The workplace was filled to the brim with grossly overpriced phones and tablets and could not have been a more sterile environment. The tragic fluorescent lighting was at least partially responsible for the blank stares on the faces of the matching Polo clad 20 and 30-something workers, each with a connected tablet computer literally attached to their wrist and cold, dead eyes not focused on anything at all.

Now, I do possess extensive retail experience, working my way up from a clerk to managing stores before the age of 19. But ladies and gentlemen it was apparent within 90 seconds this was as far away from my experience as possible. Even mall stores had a fun vibe on the floor and music, great music playing, often loud. We would spin customers up and down the aisle, each and every employee an expert in at least 2 but often many more subsets or Genres (a pet peeve we’ll not go into now). I met Steve Popovich in the East Brunswick Harmony Hut, where I managed the Tape Department and would head off to Musicden for a part-time gig 5 nights a week. That meeting literally changed my life. He was asking someone else about artists and finally reached the peak of that poor Dude’s knowledge, so he sent them my way informing him “If he doesn't know about it, it doesn’t exist. I was just wrapping up a sale and cheerfully turned to him asking how I could help. He proceeded to inquire about a wide variety of artists, Poco, Jimmie Spheris, Donovan, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, etc but when he included George Jones, Chase and Maynard Ferguson and Charlie Rich I smelled a rat. I looked him in the eye and said “OK, what’s going on here?” He knew that I knew. And tried a “What do you mean?” I answered with a grin and laughingly said, “Every single artist you mentioned is on Epic or an Epic Associated label.” It blew his mind and he took me to lunch. That’s when I knew I would never leave the music business.

Returning to present day, I explained the problems I was having with the service from Comcast/Xfinity and I swear he was starting to shake, I reassured him that I didn't want to give him any nonsense as I understood completely he had nothing to do with it,
I simply wanted advice on what my next step should be. The poor kid was now twitching a little, and meekly said, we hear it all the time, they have it setup so you never get to speak to a human and the internet site is purposefully designed to run you around in circles. We try to pass these problems up the chain but are ignored. He said the only thing I am allowed to do is schedule a tech to come to the house and check your line, he then tried to get me to switch to their cellular plan in order to save some money. I laughed and said, no thanks but I’m headed to Consumer Cellular since I’m retired and I never use my cell phone anymore. I said I guess we’ll set-up a line check. He started pulling forms and quickly said that it would cost $100. Now I had the blank stare, and something clicked. I genuinely laughed and said, you have got to be kidding me. “That’s all they allow us to do, I’m really sorry.” Having never lost my composure, I thanked him for his time. They have a Monopoly in this area and just don’t fucking care. Sure they tell lie after lie, but they are making a ton of money. Get it while you can.

Karl Wallinger, only a year younger than me, was as fine a musically obsessed human that I ever encountered. He loved playing live but I’ve always felt that his happy place was in his studio alone. His drive to record every Beatles song was absolute proof, money was not what drove his decisions. It was always the art alone that inspired and guided him. I only encountered him twice, but I really feel like I lost a friend. I hope I did him justice with this 2 hour tribute crafted under the Rules of the DMCA. It could have been so much better. Thanks for listening.

The PLAYLIST is here

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FTB Episode #246 “The Search For Inspiration In A World Gone Wrong”

3/9/2024

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Uh-oh this one has a title. Let me attempt to explain why it was warranted. And, no it is not a Political show, regardless how it begins. Although Politics are certainly one of the main creative catalysts, along with frustration, confusion, the decline of open and honest communication, common courtesy, basic manners, respect, dignity, even the sacrifice of the greatest game ever invented with the addition of ghost runners and a clock in order to satiate our culture’s current gnat-like attention span. Too much noise finally caused a psychic break, with the fetal position replacing the warmth, adventure and abject joy usually found in the embrace of the studio. Are that many fellow citizens really OK with transparent lies and thievery jammed down their gullet 24/7? Have we reached the abyss of our grand experiment? Are we really that fucking stupid? How long can you call it rain when it’s clearly urine coming down in torrents while we march underground leaking equal parts resignation and desperation.

The needle hit the first groove well before the start of The State Of The Union with some comedy and Beatlesque Pop to lighten the spirit, then funk from the inner city and The Big Easy pushed into an extended stay at the overflowing New Arrival Bin, a bit of wisdom from the deeply missed Mr. Carlin and a great new effort from Bruce Sudano, rare James Walsh, the crafty delight that is Amy Rigby and even more rare Soul nuggets and somehow a Foghat song from High School and the woefully underappreciated genius, Michael Hall. A break in the action was just what the doctor ordered, and the only way to fully appreciate the shellacking administered by The President to a room rife with thieving, lying, treasonous cowards was to stand and salute. He might be an octogenarian but he put on a display of wisdom, passion, dignity and honor, all of them together squared couldn’t come within a country mile of. And not even a fib was uttered. I finished with a smile widening deep into the night and hope you find even a small percentage of my current soundtrack useful to help keep you in the light. Thanks for listening. DL

You are definitely more in need of a PLAYLIST with this episodeCLICK ME DL

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FTB episode #245

2/19/2024

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I have come to realize and accept that at this point we can pretty much expect to cover a musical passage in just about every episode of FTB. The calculus is crystal clear when you get to my age. Thankfully, the hunger and hunt for interesting music continues to burn brightly within. We bid adieu to the last remaining member of The Spinners, Henry Fambrough stepped to the Velvet Rope of the afterparty at the ripe old age of 85, while Dex Romweber continued his tragic family history of leaving too early at a mere 57 which is a full decade younger than me. Old friend Hal Jalikeakick came by to help with our Audio Obit about halfway through the show. The New Release Bin was overflowing so expect to hear fresh stuff from Nina Simone, The Black Keys, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Weeklings, Brittany Howard, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Blue Öyster Cult, Ducks Ltd, Paul Collins, Grandaddy, Tyler Ramsey, The Pineapple Thief, Frontier Ruckus, Nouvelle Vague and Iron & Wine. They are joined by Red Flag, Prefab Sprout, The Smiths, The Rave-Ups, Stevie Wonder, Roland Gift, The Afghan Whigs, The National, Booker T Jones, David Bowie, Matthew Sweet, Jellyfish, Wilco, Barbara Keith, The Monochrome Set, Laura Nyro and a bunch more. Just as I got ready to send the show I received news that Dick Swetits, the GM of WHTG has passed on as well. More on that next time. Hug your loved ones and thanks for all the support.

A Playlist is essential for some, if that includes you simply click here and it shall be so.

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From The Basement presents:Valentine’s Day 2024 Mixtape

2/12/2024

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We let love rule for Valentine’s Day this year and they have convinced me to make this mix personal. When you consider this edition of “Mixtape” is a whopping 328 minutes, perhaps we should have called it the Valentine’s Day Box Set? Regardless, I swear on a stack of Zappa original pressings that every song included has in one way or another been inspired by real events and/or utilized by me to celebrate or get me through my 67 years on the planet in regard to matters of the heart. And I easily could have at least doubled the run time, but these tunes represent those top of mind at the moment and the always important flow. Use it to celebrate with someone you love or get through a rough patch of your own. Consider it a sonic love blast from all of us in The Basement, straight to your heart. Thanks for listening and whenever possible, turn it up.

Click this thing here and The Playlist is yours.

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FTB presents Mixtapes "Guilty" May 2024

FTB #250 INCEPTION IN TWO PARTS (PART 2)

FTB #250 Inception In Two Parts (part 1)

MIXCLOUD LINK

Hear This Link

FROM THE BASEMENT #249“ NEVER FIGHT UPHILL, ME BOYS!”

FROM THE BASEMENT Episode #248

From The Basement #247

*FTB present A Tribute: Karl Edmund De Vere Wallinger 1957 - 2024

FTB Episode #246 “The Search For Inspiration In A World Gone Wrong”

FTB episode #245

From The Basement presents:Valentine’s Day 2024 Mixtape

Mike Marrone

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Mike Marrone

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