Editor’s note: 2 DJs and a Boombox is exactly that. Jake, a former DJ at Campustown bars, and Moss Pit, a local mobile music DJ, play a few tunes for each other and let their thoughts flow.

Jake and Moss Pit: One, two, three …

J: Paper covers rock. Undefeated.

“Feel It”

Sister Hazel

J: This is from an independent CD before they became rock stars.

MP: I read about this in the cover of the other Sister Hazel CD.

J: There were so many fans that kept asking for songs they just went into a basement or garage and recorded all this stuff. I like it because, like a lot of band’s first CDs, you can hear their talent and not necessarily what they master in a studio over a couple months’ time. You can hear string noise and guys breathing during harmonica solos.

MP: I like a raw sound a lot. I think that’s why the first Nadas CD is probably still my favorite.

J: I got hooked on Sister Hazel down at StarFest. They came out and put on an amazing show. They didn’t have that much radio success yet, but the entire crowd was singing along. And there was a lot of women flashing them.

MP: That’s always fun.

J: I think it distracted the band a couple times.

MP: I interviewed Sister Hazel right before Starfest, and one of the things we talked a lot about was how they are such a happy band and how a lot of people see that as a negative thing.

J: People see it as a fake front like, “How can they be so happy?”

MP: Because they’re doing what they want to do.

“Changes”

2Pac

MP: I don’t know what it is about this song, but I totally dig it. I love the beat. Have you heard this?

J: I think I’ve flipped past it on MTV. My roommates won’t let me listen to rap on MTV.

MP: Mine won’t either, but we all like this song.

J: Now, do you think 2Pac’s dead?

MP: No.

J: There’s no way he’s dead.

MP: He’s had like five records out since he died. No one has that much music stored up. I can understand like one record, you know, Eddie and the Cruisers style, but not five.

J: And all his songs are about how “I’m gonna keep going after I’m dead.”

MP: Yeah, who writes like eight songs about that before they coincidentally die?

J: The least he could have done was what Biggie did and have someone else write about him.

MP: I hated 2Pac before he died…

J: You mean “died.”

MP: Yeah, yeah. Then I started listening to his lyrics a little closer and he is pretty poetic. And at VIBE, 2Pac is a god. So working there made me appreciate him even more.

“Tripping Billies”

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds

J: I love the musical purity. Just two guys and acoustic guitars. And the crowd is respectfully attentive. I guess when they did this show in Ames, the crowd was so rowdy that Dave actually yelled at them a few times.

MP: I like this tune acoustic.

J: The way they make up for the lack of other instruments by singing the parts is cool. And the interaction between the songs, they’re both just talking out their ass.

MP: He didn’t really talk at all at the last Ames show.

So was this record done all at one show?

J: Yeah, at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. It was done in February of ’96, so almost three years ago. It sounds like they just recorded from beginning to end and just went with it, which is impressive.

“The People’s Choice”

Vanilla Ice

J: I’m scared, I see the “Cool As Ice” soundtrack in front of me.

MP: I don’t know, I must have had a rap burr up my ass this morning or something. Have you heard this?

J: I don’t think I ever found a copy of that.

MP: It’s a tough one to get. You’ve seen the movie though?

J: I’ve never seen the movie.

MP: And you call yourself a fan? Well, I’ll set up this song for you: Vanilla and his posse walk into this small-town bar and there’s some country band on the stage, so they raid it and his DJ throws his turntables down and Ice comes out rapping. Of course everyone goes nuts, and he dances with some hot chick.

J: So he gets mad phat props from his peeps on the streets.

MP: Exactly.

There’s two or three really good songs on this CD that if people wouldn’t have totally hated Vanilla Ice when this came out, they would have been huge radio hits. It’s kind of sad.

“Ahh yeah. I’m gonna drop some funky lyrics.”

J: I feel like I’m in junior high again.

M: Vanilla’s love interest in the movie is in the occasional soft porn on Skinemax. She’s quite the looker, too.

J: Outstanding. I knew she looked familiar.

“Sucka MCs.” That’s what I hope to be someday.

MP: I think I’m already a sucka MC, but I’m not quite sure what that means.