Pistols At Dawn (could only work for so long...)

Hey, I like making mixtapes. You do too... come on. Who hasn't made one for their lady or dude in the day?
Yeah, no one has actually put the shit on a cassette in ages, but a mixtape is a mixtape, right?

For several years now, the Dibbick Schmibbick Collective has taken the art form of mixtape composure to a next level, a nearly competitive stratus. We started hosting Mix Trade Parties as a way to challenge one another into making the "most fly" mixtape and then sharing it with the group. Inevitably, themes pop up or common strings to make sense of all the song-mashing... I love it.
I was always the dude who would force his headphones on unsuspecting chumps or force people to "hey, wait... listen to this shit!" when hanging out. My late entry into the world of driving held me back from forcing others to listen whatever kooky jams I would be bumping in the whip, so I had to make up for it by working at Hall of Heroes and playing the most anti-retail music I could come up with to drive my Michal Jackson-obsessed boss up a tree.
So, I am natural mixtape obsessive. I have spent years working on my craft. MP3s and the digital media have made the shit almost too easy... just draggin' and droppin' shit into a playlist isn't the same as spending hours in front of your tape deck making sure your 'transitions' are on point. But c'est la vie... I go with what works. Embrace the future.

Just a few weeks ago, my main man Jack Luminous hosted this summer's Mix Trade BBQ and my goofy summer schedule prohibited me from joining the fracas. But that does not mean I didn't compose a submission that I am very proud of. Early on, while thinking of what I would do to put the "most fly" mixtape together, I was inspired by the couplet "...but pistols at dawn, could only work for so long..." from the Destroyer track Helena (click here for the Dan Bejar lyric generator - it's fun and will give you snob points +5). Heavily drawing from the term Pistols At Dawn, I wanted to craft a mix that would evoke the feeling of morning, or sunrise. As most of my mixes tend to do, the shit went off-track real quick, though there are some elements of "morning" and "renewal" and of "breaking the fast" present in my ultimate selections. Though the theme can be a little heavy-handed at times, I think I approached the mix with a really open-mind and let loose with some shit that has been in both heavy rotation and, as always is the unspoken intention of the mixtape, some shit that I am hoping will get those that may be unfamiliar with the artists chosen perhaps a bit more familiar.

So, here is my submission - Pistols At Dawn. I had some dope artwork worked out for it, and still plan on distributing the "hard copies" as it were, so the images used her are like the plan B jawns.

PISTOLS AT DAWN - TLP 2K9 / PIX MADE TRARTY
1. The Wheel Rolls On - Archie Bronson Outfit
2. Early In The Morning - Harry Nilsson
3. Indian Summer - Spectrum (Sonic Boom)
4. First Heart Mighty Dawn Dart - T Rex
5. Mini-Manhunt - David Shire
6. Check Your Bucket - Eddie Bo (NOLA)
7. Empty Is - Frank Sinatra
8. Helena - Destroyer
9. Can You See? - Thee Oh Sees
10. Wild Eyes - Vivian Girls
11. Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down - Kris Kristofferson
12. Tight Frame Loose Frame - Smart Went Crazy
13. Weeds Breaking Through The Concrete - Jonathan Richman
14. Good Morning Kaptain - Jackie-O Motherfucker
15. Shelter - Black Mountain
16. I Don't Feel at Home In This World Anymore - Two Gospel Keys

So, download the shit here. But, because I love everything I added to this mix and would be stoked to see the artists get theirs, each track in the listing above is linked to a spot to buy the shit right-proper. Do the right thing.

And to those involved in JL's Mix trade BBQ that I pussied out on and and could not make it to, I am very sorry. Please know that I have the hardest of the hard copy ready for you to hold in your grubby hands.