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You what song I can’t get out of my mind? “Mambo No. 5.” And really it’s only the part of the song where he says “The trumpet! The trumpet!” If there’s a perfume called “Essence of Hell No. 5″ Lou Bega is certainly the creator of it. I can’t stand the song, but what do I listen for? Yep, “The trumpet! The trumpet!” I hate you Lou! But I’m grateful, too. Simply because Lou gave me an idea for a mix. Yes, “Mambo No. 5″ made me start thinking of pop songs where the trumpet takes a solo, and once I started down that road, well the following mix fell into place pretty quickly. Enjoy!

“Handlebars,” Flobots

From Denver, this band is one of those rare acts who was helped by radio — before they got signed to a major label. How often does that happen in this day and age? I started hearing this tune on my local modern rock station in San Francisco a couple of month ago, and was struck by the clever way the band blends musical styles. The are also noted for their commitment to social activism and progressive causes. Trumpet solo by Joe Ferrone. (more…)

DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX HERE

Life is full of contradictions, isn’t it? For example, I’m not a fan of country music, yet I like songs and artists who fuse country elements into their songs. Go figure. Lately, those country sounds have been popping up on my iPod when I’m driving to work. So I decided to grab some of those songs and add a few others and throw them into the musical blender and see how it all mixes.

“33 RPM Soul,” Michelle Shocked

Back in the days when I had more disposable income, when it came to artists I really liked, I would buy almost every recording they produced. Michelle Shocked was one of those “gotta buy everything” artists. I instantly liked her after seeing the video to “When I Grow Up” on MTV. By the time she released Arkansas Traveler, however, I was starting to fall out of love with her — but not completely! I still love the pop goodness of this track, even though the rest of the CD is kind of uneven. (more…)