This post is super late. I was out in CA all last week and never found time to post on the 8/12 show. Since I was out there last Tuesday, I wasn't on the air last week so if you tuned in at my usual time and didn't like what you heard, don't fret.
The 8/12 show was pretty crazy. I usually go between iPod and CD during my show so as to avoid dead air, but the CD that I prepared wasn't playing in the CD drive for some reason. And it threw me for a loop.
Here is the playlist:
1. Tube City -- The Trashmen -- Rufe's Surfrock Extravaganza
2. Psycho -- The Sonics -- Here Are The Sonics!!
3. Sweet Thing -- Van Morrison -- Astral Weeks
4. Frankie's Gun! -- The Felice Brothers -- The Felice Brothers
5. Chip 'N' Tony -- Alejandro Escovedo -- Real Animal
6. Timebomb -- Old 97's -- Too Far To Care
7. Window -- Doug Martsch -- Now You Know
8. If You Need A Reason -- Mason Jennings -- Boneclouds
9. Highway Song -- Nancy Sinatra -- Country, My Way
10. Yeah Saphire -- The Hold Steady -- Stay Positive
11. Epic Problem -- Fugazi-- The Argument
12. Spring -- Rites Of Spring -- End On End
13. Dance Of Days -- Embrace -- Embrace
14. Purpleface -- Hose Got Cable -- Discography
15. The First Vietnamese War -- The Black Angels -- Passover
Tune in tomorrow at 9pm EST on 105.9 FM or http://www.theradiator.org/
Monday, August 25, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Caught on the In Between playlist - 08-05-08
So the below post says I wasn't going in tonight. And I wasn't planning to. But after I called Higher Ground and found out that Gogol Bordello was going on at 10pm instead of 9pm, I decided to cruise up to the station and get on the air for at least 40 mins. I wasn't prepared with a plan of tunes to play or anything and just wanted to wing it to see what happened. The show turned out to be so much fun and I got so many great calls and requests that I ended up going the full hour.
I started the show off uncharacteristically with a non-surf rock tune by No Age called Teen Creeps. They're getting a ton of attention in mags and blogs, but I'm not completely into them yet and I'm not convinced that I ever will be. However, I'm always up to play these types of bands to see if they end up sparking something in me. I grabbed their disc Nouns off of the station's music shelf and tossed on song 3. Its noise rock and it was alright, but I feel that it was the hole in tonight's playlist.
Next up I jumped into Boss Hoss by The Sonics. I was down at the Newport Folk Festival with my friends Matt and Maggie Rufe this past weekend and had an incredible time. They came bearing the single best gift I've ever received in my life--see the picture below. I'm truly blessed to have friends like them in my life. Actions like that make the world better. Pay it forward. So back to the song--Matt had sent me some Sonics tunes awhile ago and I had given them some spins, but not my complete attention. On Sunday morning we were driving from our campsite to the Folk Fest and he played this song and I immediately loved it and planned on playing it on my next show. The Sonics are a garage rock band from the mid-1960’s that played raw, rock tunes and sang about the teen culture in the ‘60’s (this song specifically is specifically about hot rods and muscle cars).
Christmas in Washington by Steve Earle was the next tune up. I saw him for the first time this weekend at the Folk Fest and he completely captivated me and the entire audience. It was one of those pin-dropping silent shows. This was the song with which he started his set. It was a great start to an incredible set. Another notable song (among many) in his set was Sparkle and Shine which I'll probably play next week.
After Earle, I made an unsuccessful attempt at playing an unknown band--Balkan Beat Box. B/c I was going to the Gogol Bordello show, I wanted to try to get that kind of vibe rolling. He's mentioned Balkan music as one of his many influences, but I think I chose the wrong song off of this album. Of course, being the Mexican fanatic I am, I chose the song called Mexico City. It wasn't quite what I expected--it had a good beat coming in, but then it sounded like G Love took over. No offense to G Love, but he's just not what I'm looking for in music. So I quickly phased out that tune and brought in the real heroes of the night, Gogol Bordello, with their song Oh No. It's a great song about how music can pull people out of their times of trouble and get them dancing and celebrating. It doesn't take dough to have a good time--just good music and good friends ready to enjoy the music to its fullest.
Next up we rolled into Mala Vida by Mano Negra. This is the band that really started to get Manu Chao notoriety. They were a French band in the '80's playing a mash-up of a ton of different styles of music from punk, ska, reggae, R&B, and pop that they called Patchanka. However, this tune originally came from his first band The Hot Pants, but was changed up a bit and released with Mano Negra.
Acorda Que Eu Quero Ver by Brazilian Beat Brooklyn came next. I don't know much about this album beyond the fact that this was a compilation put together by a couple NY djs and is more or less a bunch of '70's original Baile Funk tunes. It's a great album to throw on to spice up any get together or road trip and get people feeling good and dancing.
The DeVotchka tune Queen of the Surface Streets followed and this is the tune that stood out the most to me when I saw them a few years back at Higher Ground. Nick Urata's phenomenal voice singing the chorus to this song is something to see live at any chance you get. This song stayed with me ever since the show even though I never had a version of it on my iPod, but finally I picked up a copy of their album Una Volta. I believe this song is also on the soundtrack to Little Miss Sunshine too, as are a bunch of DeVotchka tunes.
It was during the DeVotchka tune that I got the best phone call of the night. My very first friend, Spencer Zimmerman, called in to say he, his wife, and his parents were listening to the show in Bettendorf, IA. I was blown away and so completely elated to hear from him. It totally made my night. He requested that I play a Tom Waits tune. I have some Tom Waits tunes, but I've never fully jumped into the Tom Waits boat. Not that I have anything against Tom Waits--I've always highly respected his music (his acting skills in Down By Law leave something to be desired)--I just haven't yet reached that time in my life that I know I will reach where I fully understand him and am fully into his music. I was looking for the song Long Walk Home, but couldn't find it on the spot so instead took a gamble and played 2:19. It turned out pretty good.
During the Tom Waits tune, I got a text from my brother Brad with a great request--Bhindi Bhagee by Joe Strummer & The (incredible and incredibly missed) Mescaleros. It was a perfect request and a perfect fit for the show. Joe Strummer embodies the type of genre-crossing musician with which I'm fascinated and it's tragic that he passed on so young. He made such an impact on so many people (take the lyric from the song Constructive Summer off of the latest Hold Steady album "Raise a toast St. Joe Strummer / I think he might have been our only decent teacher") and it's difficult to think about how much impact he could still be having. The Mescaleros were a nearly perfect band in my opinion and I need to figure out what happened to those guys when Joe passed on.
Despues de the Mescaleros tune, we kept the dancing going with the Specials cover of the Toots and the Maytals song Monkey Man. The Specials are always a go-to album to spice up any party. If you don't know who they are, they are an English 2 tone style band from the '70s. The 2 Tone term comes from the name of a record label that was started by The Specials and it referred to the black and white checker board style that was incorporated into their visual style. Many also see it as a fusion between reggae (a predominantly black music) and the punk skinhead movement (a predominantly white scene) that came to be known as 2 Tone Ska.
Talking Heads followed up with Love->Building on Fire. I wish I could have been of concert-going age when the Talking Heads were still playing live in small clubs as I can imagine that their shows would be amazing. I was down in Montpelier a couple months ago and wandered into Langdon St Cafe one night (2nd Best coffee shop in the world (1st is, of course, Radio Bean)) and there was a Talking Heads cover band going completely crazy and the whole place was a thick, low-ceilinged, sweaty, dancing mess.
I finished the show with one of my favorite Jimmy Cliff songs, and it was a request from my little brother, Jason, Beware. It's a great mellow reggae tune that will nicely compliment any reggae mix out there.
So that was the show and I had a blast. I wasn't even planning on going into the studio, but I'm so happy I did. Walking down the stairs out of the studio, I hopped on my trusty steed (Motobecane Mixte) and Lance Armstrong'd (or should I say Carlos Sastre?) it up and over the Main St. hill to Higher Ground to have my socks rocked off by Gogol Bordello. He always puts on an incredibly, energetic show and he blew me away as always. He can get a bad rap by hipsters or snobby music nerds, but it's impossible to deny the energy and power and excitement that he packs into each show.
Tune in next week and we'll keep the party going.
1. Teen Creeps -- No Age -- Nouns
2. Boss Hoss -- The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics!!
3. Christmas in Washington -- Steve Earle -- El Corazon
4. Oh No -- Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
5. Mala Vida -- Mano Negra -- Patchanka
6. Acorda Que En Quero Ver -- Brazilian Beat Brooklyn -- Baile Funk 2: Agora E Moda
7. Queen Of The Surface Streets -- DeVotchka -- Una Volta
8. 2:19 -- Tom Waits -- Orphans 1 - Brawlers
9. Bhindi Bhagee -- Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros -- Global A Go-Go
10. Monkey Man -- The Specials -- Specials
11. Love->Building on Fire -- Talking Heads -- Once in a Lifetime (2003)
12. Beware -- Jimmy Cliff -- Wanted...
I started the show off uncharacteristically with a non-surf rock tune by No Age called Teen Creeps. They're getting a ton of attention in mags and blogs, but I'm not completely into them yet and I'm not convinced that I ever will be. However, I'm always up to play these types of bands to see if they end up sparking something in me. I grabbed their disc Nouns off of the station's music shelf and tossed on song 3. Its noise rock and it was alright, but I feel that it was the hole in tonight's playlist.
Next up I jumped into Boss Hoss by The Sonics. I was down at the Newport Folk Festival with my friends Matt and Maggie Rufe this past weekend and had an incredible time. They came bearing the single best gift I've ever received in my life--see the picture below. I'm truly blessed to have friends like them in my life. Actions like that make the world better. Pay it forward. So back to the song--Matt had sent me some Sonics tunes awhile ago and I had given them some spins, but not my complete attention. On Sunday morning we were driving from our campsite to the Folk Fest and he played this song and I immediately loved it and planned on playing it on my next show. The Sonics are a garage rock band from the mid-1960’s that played raw, rock tunes and sang about the teen culture in the ‘60’s (this song specifically is specifically about hot rods and muscle cars).
Christmas in Washington by Steve Earle was the next tune up. I saw him for the first time this weekend at the Folk Fest and he completely captivated me and the entire audience. It was one of those pin-dropping silent shows. This was the song with which he started his set. It was a great start to an incredible set. Another notable song (among many) in his set was Sparkle and Shine which I'll probably play next week.
After Earle, I made an unsuccessful attempt at playing an unknown band--Balkan Beat Box. B/c I was going to the Gogol Bordello show, I wanted to try to get that kind of vibe rolling. He's mentioned Balkan music as one of his many influences, but I think I chose the wrong song off of this album. Of course, being the Mexican fanatic I am, I chose the song called Mexico City. It wasn't quite what I expected--it had a good beat coming in, but then it sounded like G Love took over. No offense to G Love, but he's just not what I'm looking for in music. So I quickly phased out that tune and brought in the real heroes of the night, Gogol Bordello, with their song Oh No. It's a great song about how music can pull people out of their times of trouble and get them dancing and celebrating. It doesn't take dough to have a good time--just good music and good friends ready to enjoy the music to its fullest.
Next up we rolled into Mala Vida by Mano Negra. This is the band that really started to get Manu Chao notoriety. They were a French band in the '80's playing a mash-up of a ton of different styles of music from punk, ska, reggae, R&B, and pop that they called Patchanka. However, this tune originally came from his first band The Hot Pants, but was changed up a bit and released with Mano Negra.
Acorda Que Eu Quero Ver by Brazilian Beat Brooklyn came next. I don't know much about this album beyond the fact that this was a compilation put together by a couple NY djs and is more or less a bunch of '70's original Baile Funk tunes. It's a great album to throw on to spice up any get together or road trip and get people feeling good and dancing.
The DeVotchka tune Queen of the Surface Streets followed and this is the tune that stood out the most to me when I saw them a few years back at Higher Ground. Nick Urata's phenomenal voice singing the chorus to this song is something to see live at any chance you get. This song stayed with me ever since the show even though I never had a version of it on my iPod, but finally I picked up a copy of their album Una Volta. I believe this song is also on the soundtrack to Little Miss Sunshine too, as are a bunch of DeVotchka tunes.
It was during the DeVotchka tune that I got the best phone call of the night. My very first friend, Spencer Zimmerman, called in to say he, his wife, and his parents were listening to the show in Bettendorf, IA. I was blown away and so completely elated to hear from him. It totally made my night. He requested that I play a Tom Waits tune. I have some Tom Waits tunes, but I've never fully jumped into the Tom Waits boat. Not that I have anything against Tom Waits--I've always highly respected his music (his acting skills in Down By Law leave something to be desired)--I just haven't yet reached that time in my life that I know I will reach where I fully understand him and am fully into his music. I was looking for the song Long Walk Home, but couldn't find it on the spot so instead took a gamble and played 2:19. It turned out pretty good.
During the Tom Waits tune, I got a text from my brother Brad with a great request--Bhindi Bhagee by Joe Strummer & The (incredible and incredibly missed) Mescaleros. It was a perfect request and a perfect fit for the show. Joe Strummer embodies the type of genre-crossing musician with which I'm fascinated and it's tragic that he passed on so young. He made such an impact on so many people (take the lyric from the song Constructive Summer off of the latest Hold Steady album "Raise a toast St. Joe Strummer / I think he might have been our only decent teacher") and it's difficult to think about how much impact he could still be having. The Mescaleros were a nearly perfect band in my opinion and I need to figure out what happened to those guys when Joe passed on.
Despues de the Mescaleros tune, we kept the dancing going with the Specials cover of the Toots and the Maytals song Monkey Man. The Specials are always a go-to album to spice up any party. If you don't know who they are, they are an English 2 tone style band from the '70s. The 2 Tone term comes from the name of a record label that was started by The Specials and it referred to the black and white checker board style that was incorporated into their visual style. Many also see it as a fusion between reggae (a predominantly black music) and the punk skinhead movement (a predominantly white scene) that came to be known as 2 Tone Ska.
Talking Heads followed up with Love->Building on Fire. I wish I could have been of concert-going age when the Talking Heads were still playing live in small clubs as I can imagine that their shows would be amazing. I was down in Montpelier a couple months ago and wandered into Langdon St Cafe one night (2nd Best coffee shop in the world (1st is, of course, Radio Bean)) and there was a Talking Heads cover band going completely crazy and the whole place was a thick, low-ceilinged, sweaty, dancing mess.
I finished the show with one of my favorite Jimmy Cliff songs, and it was a request from my little brother, Jason, Beware. It's a great mellow reggae tune that will nicely compliment any reggae mix out there.
So that was the show and I had a blast. I wasn't even planning on going into the studio, but I'm so happy I did. Walking down the stairs out of the studio, I hopped on my trusty steed (Motobecane Mixte) and Lance Armstrong'd (or should I say Carlos Sastre?) it up and over the Main St. hill to Higher Ground to have my socks rocked off by Gogol Bordello. He always puts on an incredibly, energetic show and he blew me away as always. He can get a bad rap by hipsters or snobby music nerds, but it's impossible to deny the energy and power and excitement that he packs into each show.
Tune in next week and we'll keep the party going.
1. Teen Creeps -- No Age -- Nouns
2. Boss Hoss -- The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics!!
3. Christmas in Washington -- Steve Earle -- El Corazon
4. Oh No -- Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
5. Mala Vida -- Mano Negra -- Patchanka
6. Acorda Que En Quero Ver -- Brazilian Beat Brooklyn -- Baile Funk 2: Agora E Moda
7. Queen Of The Surface Streets -- DeVotchka -- Una Volta
8. 2:19 -- Tom Waits -- Orphans 1 - Brawlers
9. Bhindi Bhagee -- Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros -- Global A Go-Go
10. Monkey Man -- The Specials -- Specials
11. Love->Building on Fire -- Talking Heads -- Once in a Lifetime (2003)
12. Beware -- Jimmy Cliff -- Wanted...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Show cancelled tonight too
I truly hate to write this, but unfortunately my show will be canceled tonight too. There are just too many Tuesday shows around here! Tonight Gogol Bordello is playing at Higher Ground and they always put on a wild and entertaining to say the least, so I'm heading up there in a few minutes.
However, next week I'll be back on the airwaves and fully inspired by all of the great music I've seen and heard over the past 3 weeks, so please come back and check out the show then. Just writing about it has me so excited to get back in there. I have a ton of good songs already set aside for us to listen to.
Until then, I'll leave you with this tasty little treat. Here is a pic of my new guitar thanks to my tremendous friends Matt and Maggie Rufe.
However, next week I'll be back on the airwaves and fully inspired by all of the great music I've seen and heard over the past 3 weeks, so please come back and check out the show then. Just writing about it has me so excited to get back in there. I have a ton of good songs already set aside for us to listen to.
Until then, I'll leave you with this tasty little treat. Here is a pic of my new guitar thanks to my tremendous friends Matt and Maggie Rufe.
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