Turn to the Byrds: Jog! Jog! Jog!

It’s easy to forget today how controversial folk-rock was in its time—they nearly booed Dylan off the stage at the Newport Folk Festival when he showed up with a plugged-in backup band. A prime factor in folk-rock’s acceptance was the emergence of the Byrds. This LA group achieved fame on the basis of its cover of Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man, but truthfully they were leaders, not followers. Roger McGuinn’s dense, multilayered, slightly dissonant guitar riffs helped set the stage for the psychedelic music revolution, and their harmonious arrangements were later echoed in the 70s by groups like Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Eagles. Even the Beatles acknowledged their influence. So what are you waiting for? Surf over to Podwogging.com and Jog! Jog! Jog!

Happy Nü Year

Seems only fitting to ring in 2009 with U2, whose angst-drenched anthem from their 1983 album War is, fittingly, New Year’s Day. This is an ÜberWog, meaning it’s longer than usual, and it’s Very Vigorous, at that. Early U2 could rock hard—listen to Rejoice and I Will Follow. Nü Year’s Wog also features gorgeous songs from their post-War era (Desire, Three Sunrises, Red Hill Mining Town, Bad), the 90s (Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car, Mofo) and the new millennium (Miracle Drug, Beautiful Day). All in all, eleven songs from eleven different albums for a sublime Weekly Wog indeed. Check it out on Podwogging.com!

Dizzy Balloon: Pretty Cool

This Saturday my 14-year-old son took me to see Dizzy Balloon, a local pop group barely out of high school, along with a couple of other East Bay bands. No doubt about it, the Inflatable Ones stole the show. In addition to playing vivacious, danceable, and catchy numbers, they featured a bagpipe player and a wildly entertaining yo-yo demonstration, plus the usual cool lights, lasers, fog machines, etc. I have their CD, so I smell a Single Album Wog coming up. They’re leaving on a California tour—check their web site http://www.dizzyballoon.com/.

Wogging Out the Year End

What better way to put 2008 away than with a wog featuring Bob Marley’s reggae? So I let that Jamaican rhythm carry my feet effortlessly in this week’s wog, Lively Up Your Walk. The nice thing about these songs is that even if you don’t actually jog, the pace feels a lot livelier. Don’t be surprised if you throw in some extra moves, let your body surprise you with the way the rhythm takes you.

It’s a great way to at least temporarily forget about the horrors of war in the Middle East, Israel’s unfathomable act of destruction, aided by our own government. Many around the world anticipate the advent of a new America with the inauguration of Barack Obama, and wouldn’t it be nice if he actually takes a stand against the forces of destruction? Now that might put me in a permanent skiplek.

‘Tis the Season to be Swampy

Creedence Clearwater Revival—or CCR to their fans—was one of the few acts from the 60s that still sound contemporary today, and John Fogarty, their musical and spiritual leader, still performs with the same intensity, meshing solid roots rock with philosophical and political insights. It takes a certain genius to perform a song with a message in a way that doesn’t sound contrived or precious, and Fogarty has that in spades. This week’s wog, Keep On Jogglin’, is a brisk 36 minutes of some of his old group’s best numbers, including my favorites Ramble Tamble and Fortunate Son. Go to Podwogging.com if you want to wog through the jungle.

Bic Flickers!

Back in the day, before there were mosh pits (say, what?!?), adoring fans would pay tribute to their fave rockers by holding an illuminating object in the air, usual a cigarette lighter, at the end of said rockers’ performance. Hence Bic Flickers. No, they didn’t have to be Bics. Yes, I know this probably violated entire volumes of fire code. Let’s just be thankful that nobody did it while pogoing up and down and banging into each other. Anyway, this week’s wog is a Quickie—only 20 minutes long—so you’ll be flicking before you know it. Flame on! At Podwogging.com.

All Uber the World

Woggers of the World, Unite!

Don’t get me wrong, I love American and British pop music. But sometimes I get a hankering for something a bit different. So lately I’ve been checking out music from different places around the world, particularly Africa and Central Europe, and have discovered some fabulous stuff that makes for a truly international workout. This week’s wog features, among others, the hyperkinetic Afro Celt Sound System’s unique cultural fusions, a truly supernatural Finnish folk song by the gorgeously talented Värttinä, and two irresistible “gypsy punk” pieces off the very danceable Gypsy Groove CD. Also groovy are Latin Hip Hop artists Ozomatli, French/African sensation Zap Mama, and even the world’s greatest Klezmer clarinetist, Giora Feidman. Your passport is waiting at Podwogging.com.

But, I mean Jazz-ma-Tazz

Jazz purists may sneer at rock with a jazz bent as not being real jazz at all, but what of it? Jazz rock marries percussive power with lyrical expressiveness; if the beat is consistent enough, it makes beautiful wogging material. This week’s wog, Jazz-ma-Tazz, is also a flatliner—every song comes in between 120 and 129 BPM. Flatliners are ideal for treadmills, since they don’t require major adjusting between songs. This flatliner is a brisk walk all the way, and features Sade, Steely Dan, Weather Report, Traffic, and the Youngbloods. Immerse yourself in the vibe and the stride at Podwogging.com.

Reminder: Short samples of each song can be found in iMix; this requires the use of iTunes.