Ragged Records Playlist Four: The Dirtnap Edition

by Ryan Meehan

The miracle of life is a wonderful thing.  The feeling of holding something living in your hands reminds us that indeed our existence is a very lucky one indeed.  But at some point everybody is going to count worms, even those who have made the music that we’ve grown up to love over the years.  With the exception of Tupac Shakur, we’re not going to be seeing any new releases from the artists who have handed in their dinner pail.  While ProTools may give you the opportunity to pick apart material compiled during an individual’s life and set it to a beat, it’s fair to say that when it comes to songwriting once you’ve bought it the world isn’t going to be blessed with what you have to give in that department from that point forward.  That’s why life is so precious, and why some of this is going to hurt a bit.  Before we get started, we need to set some ground rules for this piece.

1.  First off, we’re going to toss out any artist who had a majority of their success before 1968.  It’s safe to say that anyone who was cashing huge checks before the RFK assassination is probably lucky to be alive.  I’m sad that Robert Johnson is dead too, but if he weren’t he’d be 103 years old and probably not the world’s most exciting touring musician.

2.  None of the artists on this list are going to be obvious choices.  Anybody can make a playlist comprised of John Lennon songs, but that’s already been done millions of times.  Same thing goes for George Harrison, Frank Sinatra, and Robbin Crosby from Ratt.  Those guys are complete legends, and we all know enough about them that they don’t effectively need to be discussed in further detail.

3.  I am not a fan of Jimi Hendrix.  Yes, the guy was a great guitar player.  Yes, I am aware that he performed a few blocks away from the store at the legendary Col Ballroom.  And no, I don’t own a single Jimi Hendrix album, CD, or MP3.  Let’s not make a huge issue of this.  Everybody has their own personal preferences, and one of mine is that I’m not big on the founding fro of the fretboard.

4.  Iggy Azalea, 2 Chainz, T-Pain, and all of the members of Nickelback are all still alive.  While I’ve read all of your emails and I completely understand the sentiment, I can’t order out any more hits until I’m off probation.  There are plenty of people in Nevada who can make this happen, I suggest you contact them for further information as I can be of no immediate assistance.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get down to business and sharpen our shovels.   Welcome to the fourth installment of the Ragged Record Playlist series:  This is Ragged Records Playlist Four:  The Dirtnap Edition.   

10 Questions with Max Cavalera

by Ryan Meehan

If you’re a metal fan, three must-own albums would have to be Sepultura’s “Beneath The Remains”, “Chaos A.D.”, and “Roots”.  The man behind the powerful thrash metal guitar and gruff vocals that songwriters and metal fans all over the world came to know and love through those three records (among many others) is Max Cavalera.  Max continued to write music after his departure from the band and started Soulfly before finally reuniting with his brother after a decade to form his current project Cavalera Conspiracy.  Their new record is called “Pandemonium” and it’s out today in Europe, with the UK release date set for November 3rd and the fourth here in the states.  I am honored to have the legendary Max Cavalera as my guest today in 10 Questions.