Pop/Rock

Dive back in, team, because we’ve made it back to the Kevin Barnett zone. This week, the fellas discuss the Alaskan pianist, composer, and former Jefts family neighbor’s album Daylight Moon (2014)—an instrumental jazz collection that kicks off with the sound of a fishing reel and just keeps slamming dunks from there. Also: mud room decorations, Shawn’s construction-related shame, and the hardest part of living with our parents. Slam on your least slippery gloves and come on!

Do you miss live music? Then you’re in luck, because the four-CD extravaganza The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts (2009) is here to give you more live music than you can handle! After some obligatory CoronaChat, the fellas discuss this beefy box set, a total grab bag of hits and misses whose final track you will NOT see coming. Also, Shawn debuts a game called “What Is Dad Looking At?” Quit hot-doggin’ and hit play already!

We could all use some good news right now, and this week the brothers bring you the extremely good news that ZZ Top is really awesome actually?? Shawn and Cameron discuss the band’s 1973 release Tres Hombres, an album resplendent with kickin’ drums, vivid images, and a truly iconic gatefold. Also, memories of the band’s 1997 tour, which the Jefts family saw together in Anchorage. And some stuff about pants. Strap yourself to a pickup truck and hit the gas, folks!

Saxophonist Mindi Abair is many things: a wine entrepreneur, an author, an activist, and—listeners may remember—a person Dad absolutely raves about. This week, the fellas discuss her extremely vibey 2003 album It Just Happens That Way, a collection of exquisitely performed sax solos with a real curveball of a cover thrown in. Also: helicopter noises, radio stations of the greater Anchorage area, and the secret to a perfect pound cake. Grab your favorite I Heart Dad artwork and come on!

Recorded at the Jefts family’s favorite restaurant, Shawn, Cameron, and special guest Dad discuss containing multitudes, the music of 2019, and the state of Anchorage itself. Who prefers Amazon for their music, and who’s a Spotify queen? How cold is too cold? Why does Shawn say the word “ambient” like that? The answers to all of these questions—plus, a lot of chewing into fried foods—on this sizzling new Pop/Rock!

Fresh off the discovery that their elementary school music teacher, Rick Zelinsky, makes adventurous, sax-driven jazz, the fellas discuss two of Mr. Z’s albums: Strange Mountains (2019) and Alone Together (2015). Zelinsky crushes it across the board, and also he seems like the most interesting person in the world?? Other topics of discussion include picture books about inclusivity, copyright law, and musical instruments the boys didn’t know existed. Lock that clock in a closet and dive in!

Dad owns two copies of Jefts Family Neighbor Kevin Barnett’s 2010 album Alpenglow, so this week the fellas cover it again. And you know what? It’s a delightful spread of instrumental tone poems! Also: how Shawn learned how to knit, why Cameron finds whale song comforting, and—perhaps most importantly—the brothers discover that their elementary school music teacher is an ACCOMPLISHED EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ MAN? Dive on in, cuz this water runs DEEP.

The 1989 comeback album by The B-52’s, Cosmic Thing, is the treasure that gave us “Love Shack,” “Deadbeat Club,” and so much more. Written in the aftermath of a personal tragedy, the album reflects a depth of emotion while still managing to pump out fun, danceable tunes about PARTY ALIENS. It rules! Other topics of discussion include: Cameron’s extensive study of juggling in middle school, Shawn’s park-based beef with Andy, and treasures from the B-52’s deep catalog. Sincere thanks to dad!

Hop in our Chrysler, because this week the fellas discuss the B-52’s 1998 best-of Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation. Which of these songs was Cameron’s first ringtone? Why is this album’s cover art seared into all the Jefts’ memories? What is Quiche Lorraine, anyway? The answers to all of these—plus some key intel about both Radio AAHS and Marie Callender’s restaurants(!)—on this very fun discussion of this very good album. Bang bang on the door, baby!

Welcome, friends, to the B-52’s space. And boy oh boy is this week’s album—the band’s 2008 comeback Funplex—a real good time! Sexy guitar riffs, sexy synths, sexy robots in space: this album has it ALL. Also, the fellas both independently grew weird beards and are now committing to becoming hot by September 1st (please, hold them to it!). But for now, slide into your teeniest shorts and step on into “the spandex spiral vortex”(!)

Load up that truck, folks, cuz this week the fellas discuss the 1995 compilation album The Best of Bluegrass: 50 All-Time Greatest Hits. And, tell you what, these songs are some HITS. We’ve got the Beverly Hillbillies Theme. We've got "Rocky Top." We’ve got a song about a mystical clock. But most of all, we pay homage to the Jefts family’s favorite impressionist (he does Elvis). Bile ‘Em Cabbage Down and come on!

Wow, everybody. This week’s album—simply titled Best of Blues—is GOOD. This diverse, comprehensive survey of the genre somehow pulls off feeling adventurous yet grounded, vast yet intimate. Also, it is unclear whether Dad thinks Cameron curated it himself or not? Other topics of discussion: a much-needed franchise reboot, Shawn’s opinions on flooring, and the weirdest record Cameron owns. Stream “Beans and Cornbread” immediately, then listen to this hot hot ep!

You know what’s a good album? Morning Phase by Beck, that’s what. This week, the fellas don’t just discuss the many merits of the Grammy-winning 2014 masterpiece; they also call Mom to get her thoughts on Beck’s oeuvre. Other topics of discussion: a tour of Cameron’s new bedroom, Shawn’s greatest impression, and a friend of the pod goes FB-official with a new sig oth. Here’s to enjoying life and all life’s natures, folks!

This week, the fellas discuss Beck’s 2017 album Colors, which is quite good! Except for one terrible song, but we celebrate an artistic risk-taker. Other topics of discussion include the 1979 movie The Warriors (which is great!), famed music group Rockapella (strong work ethic!), and Shawn’s collection of office plants (floundering!). Also, Cameron invents a bar designed for the wackiest barfights possible. Get by that window, folks—it’s time to shine!

Let’s talk about Beck, baby! The album of the week is Sea Change (2002), and boy is it VERY SAD and VERY GOOD. Also, Shawn gives an intro to Beck’s oeuvre, Cameron doctors a People Magazine, and the fellas both discuss their favorite parrots. But most importantly: what secrets did mom and dad discover in Shawn and Cameron’s rooms? Grab your mystery bag and tune in!

Shawn and Cameron’s greatest relational shortcomings are SOLVED through creative entrepreneurship on this week’s illuminating new episode of Pop/Rock. Oh, also, the fellas sort of discuss Keola Beamer’s 1995 album Moe’uhane Kika (Tales from the Dream Guitar), but mostly they discuss the SLAM-DUNK JAKE SHIMABUKURO CONCERT Cameron went to! It was seriously great. Also: highlights from the Jefts family’s Hawaii vacation (Christmas 2000), what an overtone series is, and all-time favorite sports...

Keola Beamer is an absolute MASTER of Hawaiian slack-key guitar, and he displays that mastery beautifully in his 1994 album Wooden Boat. This week, Shawn and Cameron discuss the album, as well as the unique experience of experiencing a form of art you have no real reference for. But also, there’s plenty of dumb talk about sky cocktails, dark sirens, and our new favorite ukulele player. Stick two straws into your favorite jug of champagne and come on!

Chase Brantley (of Athens, GA’s Moonlight Theater) joins the fellas this week to discuss the music festival compilation album AthFest 10, a treasure trove of deliciously mumbled vocals and fun lyrics about vices. Other topics of discussion include half-comedy, the “Nightswimming” vibe, and the artistic beauty of owning what’s wrong with you. Throw on a black turtleneck and grab your favorite cowbell, baby—we’re living it! Follow Moonlight on insta: @moonlight_theater_company

Extremely Special Guest Uncle Chris joins the fellas this week to discuss a real fun grab-bag of a compilation album, AthFest 2007. AthFest is an annual music and arts festival in Athens, GA (where Chris lives!), and its 2007 iteration was AWASH with dreamy synths, wacky instrumentations, and rap music about being moderately successful. But honestly there’s not too much AthFest talk, because we’ve gotta get to the big questions, like: what was dad’s haircare secret as a twentysomething? The...

There’s nothing quite like The Barstool Romeos’ 2012 album Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal, and album Dad owns yet does not enjoy. Join Shawn (who liked it) and Cameron (who… loved it?) as they trace the ups and down of this booze-soaked Country/Rock fusion, their relationships to Country music in general, and the broader function of masculinity in contiguous U.S. culture. Also, a phone call to Bobby yields some primo Jazz recommendations. Toss on your most shocking merch and enjoy!