Sometimes I don’t catch reader comments until they’ve long left the main page. That’s the case here, when a reader named Clodbuster was jonesing for a B-side of a Trunk Federation 7″ I posted about in September.

Quick recap: Trunk Federation from Tempe. Should have been big. Weren’t. Sad. 7″ in dollar bin at Amoeba. Read more here.

Recipe for Mud is the B-side to the Hi-Fi for Small Fry 7″, which includes History of Dead Ends on the A-side. Why these guys weren’t popular when Gin Blossoms were is a question that never can be answered.

Here’s both tracks. Enjoy, especially you, Clodbuster.

Trunk Federation | History of Dead Ends
Trunk Federation | Recipe for Mud

Related:
Tim Fite resuscitates Trunk Federation.

It’s settled: The Gray Kid wins the Hardest-Working Man of the Year award. On the heels of his hilarious PaxilBack spoof of JT’s SexyBack comes The Pilgrimage: Y’All Some Turkeys, a free (FREE!) mixtape out today that features a few new Gray Kid originals as well as the Kid takin’ on Clipse, Bjork and Jay-Z, among others, with assistance from DJ Mister Best.

Seriously. It wasn’t enough for the Kid to drop his LP … 5, 6, 7, 8 (@ iTunes), a soulful blend of hip-hop, funk and falsetto crooning, this year. No, dude must be livin’ in the studio, sweatin’ out the hits. (He blogs, too. Damn, son!)

You can download the entire mixtape (via zip) below or sample a few tracks at the Kid’s MySpace. If (nay, when) you download it, pay heed to Another Day in the Life; I’m already partial to its spaced-out keys and minimal kick-kick-snare beat.

The Gray Kid | The Pilgrimage mixtape

Related:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: The Gray Kid
The Gray Kid: PaxilBack video
The Gray Kid feat. My Brightest Diamond: Bang

I’m in the process of tranferring the domain www.somuchsilence.com from one host to another, so you won’t be getting anywhere if you’re using that link. For now, somuchsilence.blogspot.com is the way to go.

Thanks for your understanding in these trying times.

I had to (gulp) leave the eMac with the Apple store for its “kernel panics.” They’re telling me it could be a simple as a new logic board, in which case I’d get it back in one or two days, or it could be something else, which could delay the process by a week. That would depress me greatly.

I felt like I was dropping my child (if I had a child) off for the summer at camp or something. Poor little guy. Hope they’re treating him well.

That said, I’m doing this from work, which likely will get me fired in no time. Until I get my computer back (or until I buy one of these, which might be sooner than I think), Chris is going to drop in and keep things running around here. So major thanks to him.

Hopefully, I’ll have the ol’ computer back in time to record this.

Sorry, this is a somewhat personal post. Seven-hundred and thirty days ago, my wife and I were married. This one is for her. In two years, 24 months and 730 days, some days have been better than others. I can only promise the best is yet to come.

Badly Drawn Boy | The Shining
Stevie Wonder | I Believe (When I Fall in Love it Will be Forever)

After 143 days without measurable rainfall – 143 days, people! – it rained all day Saturday in Phoenix and even snowed – SNOWED! – in the far north reaches of the Valley. The rain is supposed to continue today.

I mean, how pathetic is it that it’s so rare we see rain that I’m inspired to create a rain-themed post? You see, we have to live this up, for 100-degree temperatures are fast approaching. Seriously, this is front-page news in Phoenix, top story on the local news. Big, big stuff. While CNN reporters face hurricanes, our intrepid reporters brave almost 2 inches of rain!

On the downside, a local ostrich festival was canceled.

Sunny Day Real Estate | Rain Song
Neko Case | Buckets of Rain (Bob Dylan cover)
(Thanks to Gina for this one!)

Also, I’m watching after Gorilla vs. Bear this week while Chris is at SXSW. So visit me there, too (as if you don’t go there already).

EZarchive appears to be acting up, so now is as good a time as any to tie up a few loose ends, eh?

• First off, tonight is the debut of iSpin. Anyone in Arizona reading this should head down to the Paper Heart and check it out. We’ll be up after the nice boys in Secret Life of Painters play their rock. Open iPod DJ sets; how can you resist? Our great sponsor, iLounge, has hooked us up something serious with iTunes gifts cards for $50, $25 and $15 for the best three sets. Be there!
• Have you visited Audio for Drinking? Our friend Josh over there is a kind soul. Go say hi.
• You guys all know about what’s going on with WOXY, right? The online radio station is moving to a listener-supported model and needs your help because of music royalty and licensing fees. Read more. The WOXY Lounge Acts podcast is one of my favorites, and the station is a great source for some of my posts. Go support.

How did I forget this? I saw The Hold Steady (above) on Saturday on a whim after work. Another great show from Stateside Presents. I was really impressed with Craig Finn’s stage presence because he’s not the most physically imposing figure. I’m still not sure I get the Bruce Springsteen comparisons in the music, but maybe I’m not paying close enough attention. Anyway, here’s an mp3 from the group’s Web site, a great track off Separation Sunday, available at eMusic:

The Hold Steady | Your Little Hoodrat Friend

A little fact about me: I love presidential history. For whatever reason, I especially enjoy the Founding Father era. And I’m a Harry Truman fan. In fact, I have David McCullough’s somewhat intimidating, 1,120-page epic Truman staring at me on my bookshelf, waiting to be read in this lifetime.

Learn about all the presidents here. Anyway, I haven’t often done theme posts, so I thought today would be a good day for that.

Blackalicious | Paragraph President
Eric B. & Rakim | Eric B. is President
Death Cab for Cutie | President of What?
(Version from You Can Play These Songs with Chords)

Tonight …

Going to check out Nada Surf, Rogue Wave and the King of France at the Clubhouse in Tempe. Can’t wait. Plus, I’ll be checking out Nada Surf doing an in-store acoustic set at Stinkweeds Records. Depending on the set-up, I’ll likely record (and post) that set.

On that note, surely you’ve already checked out the double post from Rogue Wave’s December show in Phoenix. Right?

Remix Week has come to an end, but there’s plenty to get to this week. (As a reminder, I’ll be knocking out the remix links by about midnight tonight.)

I have a feeling I could be going heavy on the hip-hop this week. I picked up Blueprint’s 1988 (on Rhymesayers Entertainment) last week, and I love it. I also have another new Aceyalone track.

First, a few loose ends for this Sunday:

A reader, Ryan, sent me an mp3 of a mashup that his DJ friend put together of two songs he considered to be the best and worst of 2005: Neighborhood 3 My Humps (mp3). (Even though I think it’s widely accepted that the Arcade Fire’s Funeral came out in 2004, this still was pretty damn funny.) Thanks, Ryan.

There seems to be a load of concerts that I wanna hit in the AZ in the coming months:

• Jan. 25: Digable Planets, at the Orpheum Theatre in Flagstaff.
• Jan. 26: Rob Dickinson, at Anderson’s Fifth Estate in Scottsdale. ($5 at the door.)
• Feb. 5: Of Montreal, at Clubhouse in Tempe. (Tickets here.)
• Feb. 18: The Hold Steady, at the Old Brickhouse in Phoenix. (Tickets here.)
• Feb. 20: Nada Surf, Rogue Wave and the King of France, at Clubhouse in Tempe. (Tickets here.)
• Feb. 26: Tim Fite with the Wedding Present, at Plush in Tucson. (Tickets here.)
• March 21: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, at Solar Culture in Tucson.

Looks like lots of coolness going on in Tucson, which brings me to an email I got from The Golden Boots, a “crumbly western and alt-alt country” band outta the Old Pueblo. Check out their MySpace for some tunes. They’re playing in Phoenix at the Trunk Space on Jan. 23 and I wanna do a more thorough post in the coming days.