JULY!
Matt's Phind
-
Matt's Phind -
Meat Puppets II - Meat Puppets Vinyl
Great phind at a great record store (shoutout CD Cellar in Falls Church, VA)
This one’s a 40th anniversary reissue from 2023, so not the rarest find in the world, but it’s the first Meat Puppets vinyl I’ve seen in the wild, so I jumped on it. Pretty good price too, for a new shrink-wrapped record in today’s inflation hell; $24 – that’s like two McDonald’s Quarter Pounder meals now.
Anyway, what an LP. What a banger to kick it off too, with Split Myself in Two. Curt Kirkwood’s slacker, lackadaisical vocals on top of an almost prototypical punk guitar/drum/bass backing is a jarring combo. You’re kind of expecting an angry Joe Strummer growler-type or some primal screaming (maybe like Meat Puppets I) but, instead, it’s more of an exasperated stoner who only sort of cares about singing and might ditch the song at any time. Then it gets psychedelic and sort of rockabilly and boppy and it’s just so ridiculously original sounding and then it leans further into the style til you’re floored by it all. And Curt’s songwriting is so simple but profound and thoughtful and interesting, you have all these things that don’t mix on paper but somehow congeal into a perfect, fully-formed drug. And the album art (also Curt) is so touchable.
The inside sleeve has a little message from Curt as well… not sure what it means but I like it:
Will definitely head back to CD Cellar again soon. They had the Meat Puppets’ next album there as well, Up on the Sun, another classic, and tons of CDs that brother John will def buy too many of 😝
Luke's Phind
-
Luke's Phind -
Isiah Thomas Starting Lineup
While at a small but neat store called M.O.B Vintage in Kensington, Maryland, I found an Isiah Thomas Indiana Starting Lineup figure. Even though it was tucked away on a corner shelf next to some G.I. Joes and random toys from the late '80s, my Starting Lineup radar went off and I managed to discover it.
The only other NCAA SLU that I currently own is a Patrick Ewing Georgetown figure, so I’m glad to make this addition to the collection. Plus, it’s Isiah Thomas! He may have been a terrible GM, but he was one hell of a player. Some of those crossovers he’d pull off were nasty. One of my favorite quotes from Isiah Thomas is from Bill Simmons's book, The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy. When asked what’s the secret to a winning basketball team he said:
“The secret of basketball is that it's not about basketball”
If you’ve ever played pickup basketball, this is an incredibly relatable statement. It is not about having the best players on your team, it’s about having teammates who play defense, pass, and hustle. Team culture is more important than star players!
I’ve taken this philosophy to some of my recent fantasy basketball teams. Vibes over stats. While the vibes are great, it unfortunately has not translated to many wins.
John's Phind
-
John's Phind -
LivePhish 2003 Sampler - Phish CD
Here’s my phind of one of my phavorite bands…Phish! I was ecstatic to snag this on ebay for only $13 bucks! These usually range from $45 to even $100! What a beautiful buzz…
This CD was handed out in the traffic lines during Phish’s IT Festival in Limestone, Maine. A pretty nice welcome gift if you ask me! It recaps some of the best jams from 2003 leading up to the festival.
The 4 picks include;
Tweezer (2/28/03 @ Nassau)
Piper (7/9/03 @ Shoreline)
Twist (7/9/03 @ Shoreline)
Seven Below (7/13/03 @ Gorge)
I’d say the winner of the bunch is the Nassau Tweezer! It’s a classic 2.0 jam that goes off to many different levels of jamming.
I’ve always been a fan of these promo/ sampler releases. They’re quick but they get the point across. Some even end up being pretty collectible too, which is always appreciated in the Philbin’s Phinds culture. It’s a nice gift from the boys in Vermont, and showcases its more stronger points during the dark ages of 2.0. Give it a listen and step into the freezer!
