Tiffany Anders >> There was a time when we saw eye to eye

I can't believe it's still California Month, tremor #59:

Tiffany Anders - "Runnin' From No Place To Nowhere"

(Up Records, 1998)

This is surely Tiffany's best-known song, since Up Records' website offered it as a free mp3 for around a decade.  I first heard this song on an Up Records sampler CD called Up Next in early '98, and immediately pegged her for indie stardom, like Cat Power with more dramatic pipes.  Info about Tiffany Anders is hard to come by online, but apparently she was born and raised in L.A., then moved up to the Northwest for a while, and now lives in Cali again.  I would have to guess Loretta Lynn is one of her idols.  Her mom, indie director Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging), used to take a teenaged Tiffany to punk shows in L.A.  Some critics have been outright hostile in regards to Tiffany's singing ability or lack thereof, but I think her voice is just dandy, and easily one of the most distinctive I've ever heard.  And I have to wonder if Cat Power's "Keep On Runnin'" was directly inspired by "Runnin' From..."

This song was recorded at some studio called Bob's Place in Amherst, MA, but I think it still qualifies for California status.  Those high-pitched backing vocals are by none other than J Mascis, who had a bit part in Gas Food Lodging and did much of its soundtrack.  Tiffany's next album was produced by PJ Harvey (allegedly after Tiffany handed a demo tape to PJ on a New York City street), but garnered just as little attention as her debut EP did.  Unfortunately, she has apparently not released anything in the last ten years.  Cue sad faces across Indie Nation...

:(

Today I randomly stopped in at a new place on Freret called Dat Dog, which only serves hot dogs.  I got one with Guinness beer cooked into it, on a perfect sourdough bun.  They were loudly playing "music" by the Strokes and the Killers, so I made sure to eat outside.  But I give them points for playing it on an actual turntable.  Then I went to the Mushroom and spent about 3 hours listening to used CDs on their Discman, and bought many, and picked up around a dozen free ones that they were giving away by the stairwell.  Coincidentally, they had Del The (Tha) Funky Homosapien's first album on used CD (see previous post), so I gave it a listen, since I'd been wanting to hear it for almost 20 years.  It was pretty disappointing.  Cue sad face with three eyeballs.  (Update: Nevermind; I found out I had already rated it 1 star out of 5 on Rate Your Music a while back.)

Planets with similar climates: Cat Power - "Keep On Runnin'" (1998/2003), Neko Case - "Hold On, Hold On" (2006), Rainer Maria - "The Imperatives" (2002).