Bands I Wish Would Reunite So Lucia Could See Them

It seems to be all the rage this decade for indie bands of the 80's and 90's to reunite for a tour and sometimes a record or two. These were the bands I saw live the first time around or at least on which I cut my indie rock teeth. I wish many of them would reunite in maybe five years so that Lucia could see them as well. I say five years because a concert at this stage would only scare her. She will bee rambunctious and ready to dance in five years by my estimates.

Here's my list of top 10 reunions I wish Lucia could see.

10. Coctails
Before The Sea & Cake and before there was a Chicago sound in indie rock, there was Coctails. This band brought jazz to indie shows and had a huge influence on independent music. This is a reunion I'd also be very excited to see happen. I saw them several times in the mid-nineties, including their last jaunt in '95.

9.The Velvet Underground
OK. So, if this reunion happened again in five years or so, VU survivors would barely be able to stand on stage much less sound like they did back in the day. But it would still be cool, wouldn't it? These are the grandfathers (literally and figuratively) of punk and indie rock. Lucia should see such an influence on her father's record collection.


8. The Breeders
I had to get some ladies on this list. Besides, what band knows more about reunion tours than The Breeders? My other hope is that the Deal sisters would be cleaner than they've been for years so that they would sound like they did in the mid-nineties. Lucia needs some strong ladies to look up to. The Breeders first broke through in a time when heavy, masculine music was dominating music and they didn't do it with acoustic ballads. No, The Breeders rocked and partied harder than any of their male counterparts.


7. Pixies
While I'm on Kim Deal and her many comebacks, Lucia should see yet another quintessential band in indie rock history. I already saw Pixies on one of their reunion tours, but another generation needs to witness their greatness. She should know where Nirvana learned that loud/soft aesthetic or where Isaac Brock found his growl. This band, like most on this list, have had an enormous impact on the indie landscape. I want Lucia to know some of that history. So, we'll be there for the Pixies' fifth reunion tour.


6. Dinosaur Jr.
This band has been on a perpetual reunion. They've even gone so far as to record two albums (one was a typically bland reunion album; the second is reminiscent of their best word) since returning to the scene. However, I bet they'll grow tired of each other and break up again, just in time to reunite for Lucia's sixth birthday. They'll have to play outdoors, though. I can't risk Lu losing her hearing at such a young age.


5. Archers of Loaf
I really don't understand why no one is talking about an Archers of Loaf reunion. People just don't understand how incredible this band was live. Lucia knows "Web In Front" as I used to sing it to her while helping her get to sleep sleep. She should also know the sheer power that is Archers of Loaf.


4. Nirvana/Brainiac/Elliott Smith
I realize that none of these acts are no longer active due to tragic deaths, but wouldn't it be cool if they could come back to life just to play a Zombiepalooza or something? In all seriousness, Nirvana, Brainiac, and Elliott Smith were three of the biggest reasons I spend so much time and money on records and rock shows. I was lucky enough to see all of them live. Sadly, Lucia won't be so lucky.


3. Uncle Tupelo/Neutral Milk Hotel
These are two bands that I never saw due to discovering them too late, but I imagine it would be great to see them for the first time with Lu. Uncle Tupelo made my third-favorite genre, alt.country (whatever that is), possible and birthed two of my favorite bands of the past 15 years in Wilco and Son Volt. Neutral Milk Hotel recorded maybe the greatest album of my lifetime not recorded by Pavement. Seeing them together would be the ultimate father/daughter experience.


2. Sleater-Kinney
Too much sausage in this list. Possibly my favorite grrrl band ever comes in at number 2. I only saw them a few times back in the day, but they were so, so good live. The first time I saw Sleater-Kinney was in Amsterdam. Maybe if they come back, I can tell Lucia all about that trip.



1. Pavement
I know there has been recent talk of a Pavement reunion on the internets, but this really needs to happen 2015/16. Lucia will need to see what all the fuss is about after listening to my reminiscence of all the great Pavement records with the guy yelling in the background and the nonsensical lyrics or the terrible shows that were regularly hijacked my inadequate drummers and forgetful guitarists. She needs to know Pavement power. She needs to hear SM manipulate the lyrics and phrasing to his every whim. Lucia needs to know that Mark Ibold was in a band before Free Kitten or Sonic Youth. She needs to know Pavement.

Lucia's Listening Party: Joy Division and Neutral Milk Hotel

As mentioned before, I have intentions on influencing my daughter's listening habits as much as humanly possible. Of course, at 4.5 months, Lucia has very little say in this matter. Who am I kidding? Lucia will have very little say in this area as long as I'm buying the records and paying the electric bill, but that's a topic for another day.

Today, Lucia got listen to a few of Daddy's records while he did things like folding laundry, watching college basketball, and dicking around on the internets.


The first record was a reissue of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. Honestly, I never really got into Joy Division before this past year when two films (one dramatized, the other nonfiction) were released. The band's, especially front man Ian Curtis', story is fascinating. Plus, they have had a huge influence on music despite only releasing two proper LP's.

Unknown Pleasures really holds up over the years. My copy was most likely given the remix treatment, but the songs and music stand up well in today's climate. I was really grooving to this record.

Lucia, on the other hand, did not seem to care for Joy Division. I suspect the album's downer mood had something to do with that. This baby prefers upbeat music, and Joy Division is anything but.


The next record was Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. This album really garnered Lu's attention. Of course, that may have been due to the fact that I was singing every word to her, which she seemed to approve.

Again, this record has really stood the test of time. Ten years have not wrought this album worthless. Like a good barley wine, it ages well and gains complexity. It's funny how several bands have capitalized on Neutral Milk Hotel's sound over the years to have their own success, proving that the band's work has a timeless aspect to it. Consider Beirut and Zach Condon's insistence to include trumpet breaks in every song. He would have never gotten away with that before Neutral Milk Hotel.

I tried to play Deerhunter's Cryptograms, but I had to turn it off once I realized that the bass coming from my stereo was rather audible in Lucia's room where she was now taking a nap.

I have plans to sneak in some more music during my time with Lucia. So far, she has liked Built to Spill's There's Nothing Wrong with Love and Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted, plus today's Neutral Milk Hotel selection. She has not liked Joy Division (not exactly baby music) and Wowee Zowee (that's 50% for Pavement). Tomorrow we might set the needle to a Leonard Cohen album a friend gave me or possibly a Silver Jews (RIP) record.