Friday, May 31, 2013

May's Songs of the Day

5/1/2013 Natalie Walker Waking Dream
5/2/2013 Tori Amos Silent All These Years
5/3/2013 Jerry Douglas TV Doctor
5/4/2013 Jars of Clay This Road
5/5/2013 Kris Kristofferson Help Me Make It Through the Night
5/6/2013 Yes The Clap
5/7/2013 Frank Zappa Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?
5/8/2013 Jewel Have a Little Faith in Me
5/9/2013 Ulali All my Relations
5/10/2013 Boy This is the Beginning
5/11/2013 Cry! Cry! Cry! Cold Missouri Waters
5/12/2013 Dust Pull Away/So Many Times
5/13/2013 Porter Wagner Rubber Room
5/14/2013 Less Than Jake feat. Billy Bragg The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out
5/15/2013 Glambilly Bite the Bed
5/15/2013 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Hiding All Away
5/16/2013 The Flaming Lips Thank You Jack White (for That Fiber Optic Jesus That You Gave Me)
5/17/2013 The Steve Miller Band Babes in the Wood
5/18/2013 Bottle Rockets Radar Gun
5/19/2013 Styx Miss America
5/20/2013 Howlin' Wolf Spoonful
5/21/2013 Kronos Quartet and Foday Musa Suso Tillimoyo (Sunset)
5/22/2013 Monty Python Bruce's Philosophers Song
5/23/2013 Benny Benassi/The Biz Satisfaction
5/24/2013 The Moondoggies Keep Her on the Line
5/25/2013 Crosby Stills and Nash 49 Bye-Byes
5/26/2013 Jefferson Airplane Lather
5/27/2013 David Bowie Kooks
5/28/2013 Primitive Radio Gods Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand
5/28/2013 Dave Matthews Band Where Are You Going?
5/29/2013 Dum Dum Girls Rest of Our Lives
5/30/2013 Grand Funk Railroad I'm Your Captain
5/31/2013 Indigo Girls Closer to Fine

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Overheard at the Counter: The Weepies "All That I Want"

Verble says, you know, it's never too early for Christmas Carols!   I've been listening to these guys for years and I can't believe I never realised that this is a Christmas Carol.

It goes on this year's compilation.   In fact, I'm gonna go to Cali and beg these two to play the Z&T this year


All That I Want

Out in the harbor
The ships come in, it's Christmastime
The kids all holler carols 'cross the water
Stars that shine

All that I want, all that I want

Above the rooftops
The full moon dips its golden spoon
I wait on clip-clops, deer might fly
Why not? I met you

All that I want, all that I want

And when the night is falling
Down the sky at midnight
Another year is stalling
Far away a good bye, good night

All that I want., all that I want, all that I want

So small a turning
The world grows older every day
An ache, a yearning
Soften when I hear you say

All that I want, all that I want

And when the cold wind's blowing
Snow drifts through the pine trees
In houses lights are glowing
Likewise in your eyes that find me here

With all that I want.

Out in the harbor
The ships come in, it's Christmastime
It's Christmastime
It's Christmastime.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Overheard at Table 4: Movie Stars


We are so desirous of being the stars in the movie of our own lives that we refuse to see that, most of the time, we are only minor characters in the badly-plotted novels of the lives of others.

 

 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Overread at Booth One:

a poem doesn't grow legs,
take up arms,
march off to war.

a poem doesn build a table,
cook a meal,
invite enemies to dine with enemies
until all become friends, but

a poem can breath this energy
into those who read it.

to achieve this, a poem must be read,

thus, it is our eyes
that give a poem its breath.


Friday, May 24, 2013

Overread at Table 4: Muffin of Sunsets by Elaine Equi


Muffin of Sunsets
 
The sky is melting. Me too.
Who hasn't seen it this way?

Pink between the castlework
of buildings.

Pensive syrup
drizzled over clouds.

It is almost catastrophic how heavenly.

A million poets, at least,
have stood in this very spot,
groceries in hand, wondering:

"Can I witness the Rapture
and still make it home in time for dinner?"
 

 

Copyright © 2013 by Elaine Equi. Used with permission of the author.
(actually this was cut and pasted from a daily email sent by the American Academy of Poets, so they technically were using it by permission of the author.   It's here just because it made it into the café, and whatever is in the café, is for all to appreciate and enjoy!)

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Overheard at Table 3: Baby You

"Baby, when I first met you I knew you were either gonna rock my world or kick my ass.   I so thank you for not kicking my ass!"

Overheard at Table Two: So-called Scandals

What's up with these so called "scandals"?   Seriously, Benghazi is about a load of BS as Fast and furious, the IRS was just doing their job, and the AP was pretty much business as usual.

The only scandal here is that we the public aren't demanding these guys get real and focus their attention on serious shit, like fracking our water supply and droning more terrorists into existence.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Overheard at Table 2: Marriages and Love Letters

I had heard a great idea yesterday, about writing love letters to your wife.  It was all like, rekindle what you used to do to get her, and all about how after years of marriage we husbands slack off and don't treat our wives like the queens we used to treat them. 

So I got this card and I went home and I was going to write a something in it about how much I love her and how wonderful she is, and wouldn't you know it, just as I got into the office to start writing, she's suddenly all yelling, "Who left these cookie crumbs in here after I spent all day cleaning this whole house and who spilled the tea and nobody has ANY respect for how hard I work and I'm just sick of everybody" and

it was me who had spilled the crumbs and I suddenly remembered why I don't write love letters to her any more.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

January's Songs of the Day

1/1/2013 Bob Schneider Round and Round
1/2/2013 Led Zeppelin  Bron Yr-Aur
1/3/2013 Gotan Project La Viguela
1/4/2013 Little Willie John Need Your Love So Bad
1/5/2013 The Temptations Can't Get Next to You
1/6/2013 John Denver Poems Prayers and Promises
1/7/2013 Of Monsters and Men Little Talks
1/8/2013 Sonia Dada Lester's Methodone Clinic
1/9/2013 Buffalo Springfield For What It's Worth
1/10/2013 Eric Clapton Give Me Strength
1/11/2013 Karnak Comendo Uva Na Chuva
1/12/2013 David Gray Tidal Wave (from Lost Songs)
1/13/2013 Emmylou Harris feat. Daniel Lanois May This Be Love
1/14/2013 Slaid Cleaves Broke Down
1/15/2013 Marisa Monte Ensaboa
1/16/2013 Ray Charles I Got a Woman
1/16/2013 Gordon Lightfoot Carefree Highway
1/17/2013 Zero 7  Give It Away
1/18/2013 Miram Makeba Unhome
1/18/2013 Bob Dylan Shooting Star
1/19/2013 Al di Meola Perpetual Emotion
1/20/2013 Darol Anger and the American Fiddle Ensemble  Andre de Sabato Nuovo
1/21/2013 U2 MLK
1/21/2013 U2 Beat on the Brat
1/22/2013 Project Trio Sweet Pea
1/23/2013 Elwood Sundown
1/24/2013 Robert Earl Keen Lo Mein
1/25/2013 Box Car Racer Cat Like Thief
1/26/2013 Bell Book and Candle Rescue Me
1/27/2012 Bela Fleck First Light
1/28/2013 The Decembrists Don't Carry It All
1/29/2013 Timo Maas To Get Down (Fatboy Slim remix)
1/30/2013 Rufus Cohen and Wade Patterson So Long: Go
1/31/2013 Badly Drawn Boy A Minor Incident

February's Songs of the Day

2/1/2013 Ladysmith Black Mambazo Golgotha
2/2/2013 The Smiths Ask
2/3/2013 The Weepies Can't Go Back Now
2/4/2013 Gillian Welch Hard Times
2/5/2013 Smog Cold Blooded Old Times
2/6/2013 The New Amsterdams Turn Out the Light
2/7/2013 Marcy Playground America 
2/8/2013 Cake Love You Madly
2/9/2013 Richard Thompson 1953 Vincent Black Lightning
2/10/2013 Adriene Young and Little Sadie Plow to the End of the Row
2/11/2013 Toufic Faroukh Lili s'En Fout
2/12/2013 Neko Case Magpie to the Morning
2/13/2013 Black Landlord Dear God
2/14/2013 Tanita Tikaram Valentine Heart
2/14/2013 Peter Mulvey You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams
2/15/2013 Florence and the Machine Kiss with a Fist
2/16/2013 Dressy Bessy The Things You Say You Do
2/17/2013 A Fine Frenzy Almost Lover
2/18/2013 Liz Phair Baby Got Going
2/19/2013 White Rabbits Percussion Gun
2/20/2013 AA Bondy Killed Myself When I Was Young
2/21/2013 Tom Petty Wildflowers
2/22/2013 Lucinda Williams and Elvis Costello Kiss Like Your Kiss
2/23/2013 God Help the Girl Come Monday Night
2/24/2013 Archive Nothing Else
2/25/2013 Sufjan Stevens Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
2/26/2013 A Fine Frenzy Last of Days
2/26/2013 Muddy Waters Mannish Boy
2/27/2013 Wailin Jennys  One Voice
2/28/2013 The Lemonheads  Waiting Around to Die

the first four months of songs of the day

Verble put the playlists down, laminated, on top of the counter, for all to see.

The Barista thinks that's a little weird, even for Verble.

John Steppenwolf wants to know why he doesn't yet have any Motorhead on any of these playlists.

Verble's wife thinks it's a waste of money.

Lucky Moran is going through each song, remembering where he was the first time he heard each.

Niall Carter just wants another cappy, dammit!

Otis Redwing thinks the list, overall, is representative of American music, even though, if pressed, he would have to admit that it is just a little "too white"

"Well, then y'all can go ahead and make your own songs of the day, then!" Verble says, huffily.
" and where's that supposed poet!   Didn't he say he was going to write at least a three-liner for each song?"

Lucky says, "I think he's hunkered down in the back booth, scribbling furiously."

Verble walks back to booth five, shouting, "OY! . . .




March's Songs of the Day

3/1/2013 The Blasters Samson and Delilah
3/2/2013 Van Halen Could This Be Magic?
3/3/2013 Harvey Danger Private Helicopter
3/4/2013 Fotheringay The Way I Feel
3/5/2013 The Hush Sound Hurricane
3/6/2013 Deering and Down Whatcha Thinkin' Of
3/7/2013 Be-Bop Deluxe Crystal Gazing
3/8/2013 Modest Mouse Wild Pack of Family Dogs
3/8/2013 The Future Sound of London Spineless Jelly
3/9/2013 Catie Curtis Troubled Mind
3/10/2013 The Byrds Take a Whiff on ME
3/11/2013 Tom Morello and the Nightwatchmen St Isabelle
3/12/2013 Gregory and the Hawk A Wish
3/13/2013 Nickel Creek Smoothie Song
3/13/2013 The Crystal Method PHD
3/15/2013 Kak Flowing By
3/16/2013 The Doors When the Music's Over
3/18/2013 Dan Bern Cure for AIDS
3/19/2013 Percussao Celamar RNB
3/20/2013 Jimmy Buffet Bank of Bad Habits
3/21/2013 Bauhaus She's in Parties
3/18/2013 Eric Johnson 12 to 12 vibe
3/19/2013 David Hamburger Bryant on Six
3/20/2013 Mind of a Squid The Bridge III
3/21/2013 Los Bacilos El Edificio
3/22/2013 Bruce Springsteen One Step Up
3/23/2013 Third Eye Blind Motorcycle Drive-By
3/24/2013 The Lumineers Dead Sea
3/25/2013 Kirsty MacColl England 2 Columbia 0
3/26/2013 Fly Ashtray The Girl from the Chinese Restaurant
3/27/2013 Ten Years After Circles
3/28/2013 They Might Be Giants Birdhouse in Your Soul
3/29/2013 Zane Campbell Post Mortem Bar
3/30/2013 Alejandro Escovedo Sally Was a Cop
3/31/2013 The Briefs Move Too Slow

April's Songs of the Day

4/1/2013 Queen 39
4/2/2013 John Wesley Harding The Little Musgrave
4/3/2013 Wilco Dream of the Mountain Bed
4/4/2013 Trout Fishing in America Back When I Could Fly
4/5/2013 The Clash Spanish Bombs
4/6/2013 Iron Maiden The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
4/7/2013 Jars of Clay This Road
4/8/2013 Caravan Golf Girl
4/9/2013 The Alan Parsons Project A Cask of Amontillado
4/10/2013 Don Sanders Heavy Word User
4/11/2013 Prince Sometimes It Snows in April
4/12/2013 Still Corners The White Season
4/12/2013 Benjamin Gifford and Jay Farrar California Zephyr
4/13/2013 Randy Newman Sail Away
4/14/2013 Hungry Ghosts (Australia) I Don't Think About You Anymore, but I Don't Think About You Anyless
4/15/2013 Kansas  Cheyenne Anthem
4/16/2013 Johnnette Napolitano All Tomorrow's Parties
4/17/2013 Gogol Bordello Tribal Connection
4/18/2013 Air J'ai dormi sous l'eau
4/19/2013 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Next Week Sometime
4/20/2013 The Doves Hit the Ground Running  
4/21/2013 The Velvet Underground I'm Sticking With You
4/22/2013 The Whitest Boy Alive Keep a Secret
4/22/2013 Marina and the Diamonds Obsessions
4/23/2013 Richie Havens The Parable of Ramon
4/24/2013 Nat King Cole The First Baseball Game
4/25/2013 Quicksilver Messenger Service Fire Brothers
4/26/2013 Bullet for my Valentine The Last to Know
4/27/2013 Tycho A Walk
4/28/2013 Kris Kristofferson The Winner
4/29/2013 Rodney Crowell Highway 17
4/30/2013 Emily and the Woods Steal His Heart      

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Poem for the Day


2013-0507

 
After looking at ruins
sandwiched between tourist towns with
handpainted bricabracs and ballcaps emblazoned with the bandera de méxico,
we walk hand in hand under the Yucatan sun,
looking for a place that serves cold beer yet not that populated with
too many snaggletooths staring at your pale tourist legs,

and we talk about the stones we walked(in
reverent tones), slightly hushed, as though
ashamed to speak of the ghosts

of those so quite like our own.