Hi Kids. Welcome to post #7 of Test of the Boomerang. I’m glad the Popdose crew have decided to keep me around. The weekly Popdose beer busts have been great. The getaway weekends at the Popdose resort compound have done wonders for my complexion and have really augmented my beard growth. My office at Popdose HQ is slowly coming together…okay, so it’s a janitorial closet, but it is way more “office-like” now than it is “closet-like.” There is no utility sink and only a couple brooms, but that’s it. Sure, I’m currently “sharing” the office with Tony the Custodian, but he’s like, never there.

Anyway, as summer draws to a close, the Man is burned, New Orleans prepares for Gustav’s arrival, and John McCain travels the country showing off his Inuit granddaughter, I decided to make a mixtape. At first, I thought about some brooding, introspective stuff to greet the days of fall, but I went ahead with something different. Some summery tunes to keep the summer vibe alive through the colder months, without the goddamn mosquitoes. There’s something for everyone here. Play loud and in any order you like.

Easy Star Dub All Stars – The Great Gig in the Sky (featuring Kristy Rock) from Easy Star All Stars’ Dub Side of the Moon (2003)
Living Funk – Let Your Mind Take The Place Of Your Body (Part One) from Club Africa Volume Two (2000)
Tony Curtis – Rolling from These Are Serious Times (2006)
Reconstruction – Dear Prudence (live 1979) from unknown live show (1979)
Mudcrutch – Crystal River from Mudcrutch (2008)
The Meters – Handclapping Song from New Orleans Funk (2000)
The Disco Biscuits – Home Again from They Missed the Perfume (2001)
Sentimentalist – Third Crossing from Green Samurai Clan – Elemental Spheres (2006)
Sound Tribe Sector 9 – Beyond Right Now from Peaceblaster (2008)

I have a Sound Tribe Sector 9 article in the works for an upcoming test, so let this track from their new album whet your appetite.

You can find the rest of the “Elemental Spheres” compilation (and two other dope comps) for free download from The Green Samurai Clan.

The Reconstruction song came to me in an unlabeled batch of mp3s, so I’m not sure of the exact date or venue. Reconstruction was a band originally formed by bassist John Kan and Moby Grape (and Boulder Creek resident) guitarist Jerry Miller. In January 1979, Miller left the band and Jerry Garcia stepped in to play with the band until September 1979. Also in the band was long-time Garcia collaborator Merl Saunders, Ed Neumeister and Ron Stallings on trombone and tenor saxophone, and Gaylord Birch, who also played for Santana and Herbie Hancock, on drums.

Crack open the last of the Summer Seasonals and enjoy the tunes. I’ll meet you back here next week. Namaste!

About the Author

Ben Wiser

Test of the Boomerang is an in-depth exploration of some of the best material found on the Live Music Archive.

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