Yes, it’s true. I’m in prison. And I’m working on a master’s degree. I just happen to be working on it in prison.

I’ll address Matt Wardlaw’s fanciful allegations soon enough, but for now you should know that prison truly is the best place to earn a degree in library science. Why? Because you have all the time in the world to read! Granted, you do have to budget some of your time to not getting shanked, and you shouldn’t read in the shower since that might cause you to get distracted and drop your guard, not to mention other things that really shouldn’t be dropped in such a place. (Besides, I hate it when my iPad gets wet.) But aside from those inconveniences, you have plenty of time as you’re doing time to indulge in the prison library’s wide selection of used Bibles and seemingly misplaced young-adult literature (I’m not part of Judy Blume’s target audience anymore, but Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is still a heck of a good read), as well as discover which particular atlas can knock a man cold with a single blow to the head.

On August 14 of last year Mr. Wardlaw provided Bootleg City with the first volume of Y100 Sonic Sessions, an eight-CD series of live performances recorded for Philadelphia’s WPLY 100.3 FM from 1995 to 2004. This week he provides us with the seventh and eighth volumes because, truth be told, we’ve been jerking the chain of Y100 fan and Bootleg City reader “JT” for far too long with these final two installments. Here you go, JT. Now run! Run as fast as your legs can carry you from this death-trap, suicide-rap town! Run proud, my boy, but most of all, run free!

I’d like to thank Mr. Wardlaw and Matthew Boles for keeping Bootleg City from going dark while I was away, but I’d especially like to thank everyone who sent me positive vibes in the past month, albeit in coded comments such as “The MP3 links aren’t working” and “Robert Palmer is awesome.” My last name isn’t Palmer, but I’ll take what I can get. Next time, though, send a carton of smokes. ‘Preciate it.

Y100 Sonic Sessions, Vol. 7
Just Because (Jane’s Addiction)
Go to Sleep (Radiohead)
Take It or Leave It (The Strokes)
The Scientist (Coldplay)
Bring Me to Life (Evanescence)
No One Knows (Queens of the Stone Age)
Rock You (The Roots)
The Red (Chevelle)
The Anthem (Good Charlotte)
Fine Again (Seether)
Bandages (Hot Hot Heat)
Best of Me (The Starting Line)
Burrito (Pete Yorn)
Head On Collision (New Found Glory)
Always (Saliva)
In This Diary (The Ataris)

Y100 Sonic Sessions, Vol. 8
Hands Down (Dashboard Confessional)
Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet)
Ruby Soho (Rancid)
New York City Cops (The Strokes)
Send the Pain Below (Chevelle)
Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand)
Ocean Avenue (Yellowcard)
So Cold (Breaking Benjamin)
Real Wild Child (Iggy Pop)
Get Your Hands Off My Woman (The Darkness)
Big Brat (Phantom Planet)
Get In or Get Out (Hot Hot Heat)
Wake Up (Make a Move) (Lost Prophets)
Signals Over the Air (Thursday)

About the Author

Robert Cass

Robert Cass lives in Chicago. For Popdose he's written under the Sugar Water, Bootleg City, and Box Office Flashback banners and collaborated on the series 'Face Time with Jeff Giles and Mike Heyliger.

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