Tune Tag #97 with Nate Miller of Nate Spins Vinyl: Boyz II Men, Less Than Jake, Yardbirds, Foghat, The American Dream, Archie Bell, Billy Butler, Billy Vera

The march to #100 (and The American Dream) proceeds apace, with a coupla Billys and a Bell, the testosterone-rich trio of Boyz II Men, < Jake, Hogfat, a real Jimmy Page-turner, and tons more!

Well, someone’s anxious to play Tune Tag, so let’s get to it!

Tune Tag welcomes

Nate Miller

of Nate Spins Vinyl!

Nate and his middle son (age 11) with Homer Simpson (left, with white shirt) at Universal Studios, Florida in Feb. 2025.

Nate Miller spent more than a decade as a sports writer, analyst, editor, and podcaster in the digital space. Now, he’s pursuing another passion with his craft: A love for popular music and its history. Please follow along as he collects, listens, researches, and shares stories on records spanning from the 1960s-2000s at the Nate Spins Vinyl newsletter!

Nate is an older millennial (February 1985) who lives with his wife and three sons in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, GA. He’s been there all 40 of his years on the planet. You can find him cheering on his beloved Atlanta Braves, regularly scouring record stores and antique shops, and often vacationing in Orlando, FL or at a campground in the family RV.

Last week, we enjoyed the company of Pe Dupré of

The Twelve Inch (Disco/80s)

:

Tune Tag #96 with Pe Dupré of The Twelve Inch, Pt. 2: Heart, Matia Bazar, Marilyn, Grass Roots, Jody Miller, Peter Gabriel, Partisans, Kate Bush

Next week, we’ll welcome

Nuno Babo

of

Needle in a Substack

for his first Tune Tag!

This Tune Tag is dedicated to the memory and music of Brian Wilson. “When day is over, I close my tired eyes. Music is in my soul. The world could come together as one if everybody under the sun…add some music to your day.” “Add Some Music to Your Day,” acapella--written by Mike Love, Joe Knott, & Brian Wilson.

Nate’s song #1 sent to Brad: Less Than Jake, “The Science of Selling Yourself Short,” 2003

Nate’s rationale: Less Than Jake’s album, Anthem (Sire/Warner Bros. Records, produced by Rob Cavallo), was released on May 20, 2003. I graduated from high school the same week. “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” was the biggest song from the album. It began my love of what I learned to call “ska.”

I got to see LTJ for the first of seven times in my life at that summer’s Warped Tour, and the song became one of the “anthems” of one of the pivotal summers of my life, the space between high school and college.

Brad’s song #1 sent to Nate: The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page), “I’m Confused” aka “Dazed and Confused,” 1967

Nate’s response: Admittedly, after some research, I think I finally put together the connection between such different songs from such different eras. Previously, I was really only familiar with Led Zeppelin’s rendition of “Dazed and Confused.” Digging deeper into the history of the song, I learned it was originally written by Jake Holmes. Aha, “Jake.” Could that be the connection to “Less Than Jake?”

Brad’s rationale: Less Than (Jake) Holmes, who wrote “Dazed and Confused.” YouTube content creator, Guy Gelso, with “The Story of ‘Dazed and Confused’”:

Nate’s song #2: Foghat, “Slow Ride,” 1975