September 23rd, 2010 : Cause & Effect : Eels

When you spend a decade plus facing your own demons and wrestling them into a recording, the last thing you might want to do is explore the music of another artist whose has shared a laundry list of tragedy/ loss and who shares a similar path to healing that also involved recording music. Several people when they read the story behind my solo record recommended Eels to me and rather than be drawn towards his songs, I recoiled. The weight of my own past was a heavy burden already and I just wasn't ready to take on another's. We are both sole survivors and until you face the "and then there was none" status of going from family to none (and the bonus of mental illness within the family tree, toss in a divorce, and terminal illness), it is nearly impossible to fathom the feelings attached to it. As a sensitive person my relationship with music is already deeply personal and emotional so as silly as it may sound, I approached Eels like a country I never intended to visit because I had been there in theory.

Until now.

A fellow WRIR friend suggested the Eels as a potential show because they were coming to town to play and having laid to rest the last of my family members this year, I thought it was time to approach Mark Everett's AKA Eels catalog. It may seem like just another radio show but the truth is, it isn't. I won't be talking about any of this on air but since this is my personal blog I wanted to share the back story to this show. I've spent the few weeks cramming for this test (AKA a two hour radio show highlighting the trajectory of his musical career), visiting with his records around the clock, and listening to Mark's life story through his art. I am ready to spotlight his art tonight with the help of a guest, a mega fan who knows E's catalog inside out. (Thanks JJ!)

TONIGHT - 7pm to 9pm, only on WRIR.ORG - 97.3 on the dial for RVA locals and www.wrir.org for live streaming everyone else.

The best surprise that came with my investigation of Eels is the story of Mark's father, a rock story to the math and sci-fi community. There is a BBC documentary that is must see for music fans and those interested in the sciences.