Caught on the In Between Playlist -- 08/26/08

I am super proud of this show, but bummed that it wasn't broadcast over the net. The server was screwed up again for some reason (i.e. someone probably spilled tie-dye paint on it), so the show could only be heard over the radio.

I started off with another stellar Dick Dale tune called Fish Taco. While out in CA a couple weeks ago, I got super inspired by their History of CA Surfing exhibit in the OC Airport and it had a cool section on Dick Dale. Such a great guitarist and musician.

Next up was Catfish Haven -- a Missouri band named after the trailer park that the singer hails from. The song is off of their new, as of yet unreleased, album Devastator and is called Are You Ready. It's an excellent hype song to get the show rolling right. They're a trio and they play loud, tight, soulful, bluesy rock with the singer plugging in an acoustic and turning it up to 10. He's got a great voice.

We kept the vibe going with M. Ward's To Go Home next and then jumped right into a song by the legendary Talking Heads called Tentative Decisions. I'm going to play a trio of David Byrne songs on my next show this Tuesday, so check it out. His musical career over the past 30 years is incredibly inspiring and ever changing. From Talking Heads to his solo stuff to his work with Brian Eno to the bands he chooses to put on his label Luka Bop, he's a very well-rounded musician and the kind of genre jumping musician that I love.

The next set started off with a tune from the mix-tape Top Ranking released by Diplo and Santogold called Guns of Brooklyn. The music is a lift from The Clash's Guns of Brixton (specifically Paul Simonon's bassline) and I think her voice sounds great over top of it. This song is so unique to The Clash and to Simonon in particular that it's hard to cover, but this version is great. Next up was Nacimiento by Cordero, which is a band that was started back in '99 and featured members from Calexico and Giant Sand. I'm a huge Calexico fan but not really a fan of Howie Gelb's work in Giant Sand b/c I feel it's too incomplete and his voice is more of a whisper or spoken word style than actually good singing. Cordero is fronted by Ani Cordero and has moved on from the Calexio/GS backing band to form a full band unique to Cordero and they have a new one that just came out on the excellent Bloodshot Records.

We moved on next to Life Goes Down Low by the Lijado Sisters off of the Soul Borders album and then to Tamacun by Rodrigo y Gabriella. They are a guitar destroying duo originating from Mexico but relocating to Ireland. They started off playing hard metal music, but have moved to playing guitar instrumentals in the style of flamenco. He plays the melody and she's responsible for the beat which is where the flamenco styling comes from. They haven't fully left their metal roots as they do a cover of Metallica's Orion on this album.

Shantytown Carnival by Jehro was next and is from his self-titled album. He comes from France, but most of this album is either in English or Espanol and is a very relaxing album perfect for sunny Sunday afternoons. We next moved on to the Burlington collective Guagua and their song Newest Son off of Psychotropical. The very first time I heard Guagua was 3-4 years ago when I was driving by Radio Bean on a sunny Tuesday evening. I was completely caught off guard by the sounds that were hitting me as they sound like they're straight out of South America rather than Vermont. But that's Vermont for you--always catching you off guard.

Next up I played a tune by my great friends Noel Paris, Brooke Pedersen, and Jeff Trainor from Tan Analog. I met them all when I was out in CA working for Sole Tech years ago and wish I still lived close to them to see them play. I tried to get to one of their shows when I was out there the other week, but it was sold out. I fondly remember seeing Noel playing at the Kitsch Bar and also out with The Scrimmage Heroes. The song I played was Kitten Attack.

I played a couple covers next -- Iggy Pop's Lust For Life covered by Yo La Tengo and then The Smith's What Difference Does It Make covered by Bobby Bare Jr. Ending the show was a tune by Richard Buckner called Town and then finally Sparkle and Shine by Steve Earle. This was the song that hey played to introduce his wife to the stage at the Newport Folk Fest and it absolutely captivated the audience, me included.

Thanks for listening. Tune in Tuesday at 9pm.

1. Fish Taco -- Dick Dale -- Unknown Territory
2. Are You Ready -- Catfish Haven -- Devastator
3. To Go Home -- M. Ward -- Post-War
4. Tentative Decisions -- Talking Heads -- Once In A Lifetime
5. Guns of Brooklyn -- Santogold and Diplo -- Top Ranking
6. Nacimiento -- Cordero -- Somos Cordero
7. Life Goes Down Low -- Soul Boulders -- Soul Boulders
8. Tamacun -- Rodrigo y Gabriella -- Rodrigo y Gabriella
9. Shantytown Carnival -- Jehro -- Jehro
10. Newest Son -- Guagua -- Psychotropical
11. Kitten Attack -- Tan Analog -- Pre Fabric
12. Lust For Life -- Yo La Tengo --
13. What Difference Does It Make? -- Bobby Bare Jr. -- Young Criminal's Starvation League
14. Town -- Richard Buckner -- Meadow
15. Sparkle and Shine -- Steve Earle -- Washington Square Serenade