I’ll make this short and sweet, because we’ve got pints of resinous, piney, fruity and/or floral deliciousness to down in celebration of of India Pale Ale. Even if the hop-forward and occasionally bitter brews are not your favorite, August 6 is International Beer Day, inclusive of all varieties. So let’s tick through some songs about the best thing to happen with fermented yeast since, well, before sliced bread.
Stream the full August 8, 2021 #ThematicStatic show (listen!👇🏼) and raise a glass to the brewers, canners, distributors and beer-tenders that keep our mouths happy and our bellies bloated.
Martha Ann’s Reel Big Fish request provided a fitting start to the set, and evoked fond memories of white boy ska-punk getting its day in the mainstream rock sun (I’m looking at you, mid-90s). Check out 👇🏼 the pain-numbing qualities of “Beer”:
And if I get drunk, well I’ll pass out on the floor, now baby
Reel Big Fish
You won’t bother me no more
And if you’re drinkin’, well, you know
That you’re my friend and I’ll say
I think I’ll have myself a beer
Old-school East Nashvillian Todd Snider knows how to spin a yarn, and “Beer Run,” from his second Oh Boy Records release, New Connection, is a sing-along about underage bros grabbing beers via fake ID. When you come up with a lyric that rhymes “Abilene” with “Robert Earl Keen,” you could presumably just drop the mic, but Snider’s still cranking out the tunes. Thanks for requesting this one, Ethan! Watch 👇🏼 Todd last September, during his Purple Building live-streaming series, psyching us out with a meandering lead-in to the silly song:
Diamond Rugs — the supergroup featuring members of Deer Tick, The Black Lips, Dead Confederate, Los Lobos and Six Finger Satellite — burst onto the bar brawl rock ‘n roll scene in 2012 with their self-titled album. Track 2, “Gimme a Beer,” sets the stage for the exploits that follow in charmers like “Call Girl Blues” and “Hungover and Horny.” 😳 Robbie on Instagram made the request!
Hazy memories of too many beers may have been the inspiration for Chance the Rapper‘s 2016 hit “Drinking All Night”:
With supple vocals from brother Seth Avett, North Carolina’s occasionally barn-burning Avett Brothers showcased their softer side on The Gleam EP in 2006 (and two more installments of acoustic loveliness, The Gleam II and The Gleam III, since then). “When I Drink,” offers a hefty portion of “forgive yourself,” which is especially comforting on head-splitting mornings after nights of too many beers:
When I drink
The Avett Brothers
I spend the next morning in haze
But we only get so many days
Now I have one less
Just do your best
It’s the only way to keep that last bit of sanity
Maybe I don’t have to be good, but I can try to be
At least a little better than I’ve been so far
Beck‘s 1994 breakthrough album Mellow Gold spawned the absurdist slacker anthem “Loser,” but also includes “Beercan.” This one features the artist’s trademark grooves and mostly nonsensical vocals, and the song’s official video is equally whimsical. Watch!👇🏼
In a final sprint of locals love, I played “Just One Drink” from Jack White‘s 2014 solo record Lazaretto, which features vocals from Ruby Amanfu. Check out the chorus, chronicling situation that’s a pretty far cry from domestic bliss:
Just one drink gets me closer
Jack White
Just one drink, it rolls you over
Then I start to think you’re growing colder
The older and older I am
And we closed out #ThematicStatic with JEFF The Brotherhood‘s summer weather banger “Sixpack,” accompanied by a video that will have you running first to the convenience or liquor store and then straight to a body of water. (Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for your irresponsibility in adulting.) Watch!👇🏼
Make requests via voice memo at wnxp.org/feedback! :: clinks frothy mugs with you (but not on air) :: 🍻