Caught on the In Between Playlist 05-26-09

New Lowell Thompson album out! Pick it up. It's great.

1. A Taste of Honey -- The Challengers -- Best of the Challengers
2. I Am Goodbye -- Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- Beware
3. Horses -- Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- Sings Greatest Palace Music
4. Afraid Ain't Me -- Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- Bewares
5. Restless Year -- Caledonia -- We Are America
6. We Are America -- Caledonia -- We Are America
7. Friday Night Rock Song -- Caledonia -- We Are America
8. The Love You Had -- Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot -- Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot
9. Play That Part -- Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot -- Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot
10. Sleep -- Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot -- Lowell Thompson & Crown Pilot
11. Go West -- Austin Lucas -- Somebody Loves You
12. To Live Is To Fly -- Steve Earle -- Townes
13. Younger Generation -- Lovin' Spoonful -- Greatest Hits

Caught on the In Between Playlist 05-19-09

Sunny backyard music. BBQ'n music. Gardening music. Workin' on your bike music. Beach party music. Layin' on a front porch couch music. Summertime breakfast music.

Can't wait for the long, sunny Memorial Day weekend.

1. Rollerland -- Untamed Youth -- Untamed Melodies
2. Calypsoul -- Clarence Curvan & His Mod Sounds -- Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover '69-79
3. Nowhere Like Limon -- True Born Calypsonians -- Calypso Limon Legends
4. Too Late -- Half Pint -- Recollection
5. Seen Him -- Jim Brown -- Studio One DJ's
6. Power Version -- Dennis Alcapone -- Studio One DJ's
7. I'm Still In Love -- Alton Ellis -- Studio One Story
8. Stick By Me -- John Holt -- Tougher Than Tough
9. Don't Worry Baby -- The Beach Boys -- I Get Around Single B-Side
10. Pretty Girls Don't Cry -- Chris Isaak -- Baja Sessions
11. Continuando -- Jehro -- Jehro
12. Me Llaman Calle -- Manu Chao -- La Radionlina
13. Amor de Loca Juventud -- Buena Vista Social Club -- Buena Vista Social Club
14. 100 Years -- Tommy Guerrero -- A Little Bit Of Something

Caught on the In Between Playlist 05-12-09

Local music is alive and very well in Burlington.

There's such a great community of bands up here and such a great creative vibe when it comes to the music scene. There are tons of great venues from The Monkey House in Winooski, Radio Bean, The Bakery in the Old North End, Nectars, 1/2 Lounge on Church St, Higher Ground, etc etc etc. The spot I'm most impressed with is The Monkey House b/c Paddy Reagan (Cannon Fodder, Paper Castles, etc) has been pulling in tons of great bands with the help of Tick Tick and Bear Cub productions. It's just a great place to see shows and a great place to hang. They have great beers (ask for the special keg below) and great art and it's downtown Winooski which is the spot these days. There's always a good crew there too.

And when talking about local music, you of course can't forget The Radiator! This station is amazing and I'm so happy to be a part of it. It's helping to bring so many people together and we have Lee from the Radio Bean and Big Heavy Jim to thank for it. Burlington is such a unique city in it's own right, but to have a community radio station puts it into another league. It's such a great thing to have a chance to listen to or broadcast out any music you can think of and talk shows. So we have to keep it alive. The station runs only on grants, donations, and fund raising, so if you like what you hear (let us know!) and donate on the homepage (www.theradiator.org).

There are a couple other spots that you can find local VT music in town. The VT Music Library right outside the studio (215 College St above Pure Pop) is a place that Big Heavy World put together which works to catalog all recordings made by VT artists. It's open to the public to go listen to during the day, so check it out. And finally, you can go to www.vermontlivemusic.com to check out a ton of live shows that have been recorded and posted online for your downloading pleasure. Thanks to Jonah for taking care of this.

So tonight I did a focus on the local scene of Burlington to help spread the scene out into the world. The Radiator doesn't only broadcast out in this area, rather it can be heard all over the world via iTunes or our homepage. This is an amazing chance to show everyone out there what Burlington has to offer. Here's a breakdown on the bands I played.

Barbacoa -- Local surf rock (surf rock in Burlington?!) trio led by Bill Mullins. This is the first band I saw when I moved here 5 years ago. Bill Mullins is in a ton of different bands--Barbacoa, Lowell Thompson and Crown Pilot, Lonestar Chain, Persian Claws, Blow Torch, etc

Lowell Thompson -- This is my favorite singer in town. He plays great alt-country/rock and his list of inspirations pretty much mirrors mine -- Gram Parsons, Wilco, Fugazi, The Beach Boys, Gillian Welch, Whiskeytown, Bonnie Prince, Lucinda Williams, NOFX, Dick Dale, Frank Black, Buddy Holly, etc. When I read that list I knew I'd like his stuff. First time I saw him was a couple years ago at Metronome and I've been going to his shows ever since. He has a new CD coming out next Friday (5/22) and I can't wait to hear it. He's playing at Nectars that night, so go check it out.

The Lonestar Chain -- This is a new-ish band in town lead by Burette Douglas of The Cush and features Bill Mullins on lead guitar. It's great music that sounds like "walking through the parking lot of a rodeo in a small west Texas town."

Missy Bly -- I don't know much about her but have heard her name around a bunch. I think I saw her at one of the Radio Bean birthday parties which are insane days. Bands start at like 6am and play until midnight. About 40-ish bands play throughout the day. Incredible. Anyways, I grabbed a couple of her CD's from the VT Music Library and I like what I hear so I'll check her out and listen more. Good pop music.

Villanelles -- These guys remind me of Dr. Dog and play great rolling piano rock. Lots of energy.

In Memory of Pluto -- I did an interview and a feature on these guys last Nov and it's here. Go read it to hear all about these awesome dudes. Side note -- lead singer Seth Gallant just released a solo album that sounds really good from his myspace page. Go check him out live and scoop an album b/c all of the profits go to an orphanage in Kolkata that he worked at. Totally awesome. Support these dudes.

Starline Rhythm Boys -- These guys are legendary and not many Vermonters know about that. They have ranked high (possibly #1) on various CMJ lists with their excellent honky tonk music. I've seen them twice at Red Square and have been incredibly impressed both times. People of all ages love these honky tonk rockers and they are the real deal. This is not some revival group, these guys live the part and play honest, authentic honky tonk music fueled by Schlitz in a can that people both dance and drink to.

Kelly Ravin -- Local alt-country singer/songwriter/guitarist/drummer that crafts some great tunes. He plays with Cannon Fodder and with his trio and plays out a ton, so peep his myspace page to see where and go check him out. I've seen him play great shows with Paddy Reagan and Lowell Thompson and these are not to be missed.

The Farm -- After hearing a ton about these guys, I finally went and saw them at The Monkey and they didn't disappoint. Creative experimental folk rock with tons of different instruments. They have a great album out called The Cave and they are taking some time off (after their show 5/16!) to record a new one.

Bottom line -- GET OUT TO SHOWS IN BURLINGTON. As I said before, local music is alive and very well in Burlington. It's up to you to go out and check it out.

1. Taco Bell's Cannon -- Barbacoa -- Barbacoa
2. Broken Hearts (in a bag) -- Lowell Thompson -- Turn
3. The Gasoline Age -- The Lonestar Chain -- The Lonestar Chain
4. Make Me See Stars -- The Lonestar Chain -- The Lonestar Chain
5. She N' Me -- Missy Bly -- Clean Bee
6. River Phoenix -- Missy Bly -- Clean Bee
7. Wait It Out -- The Villanelles -- Egan Studio Sessions
8. Dancy -- In Memory of Pluto -- Cutting Open The Fiction
9. A Century In The Dust -- In Memory of Pluto -- Cutting Open The Fiction
10. Better Luck is a Barroom Away -- Starline Rhythm Boys -- Better Luck is a Barroom Away
11. Do A Little Wrong Tonight -- Starline Rhythm Boys -- Better Luck is a Barroom Away
12. Those Days -- Kelly Ravin -- Kelly Ravin
13. Revelation Sessions -- The Farm -- The Cave
14. Vaquero -- The Farm -- The Cave
15. You -- Lowell Thompson -- Live at Skinny Pancake With Paddy and Kelly

Caught on the In Between Playlist 05-02-09

"Me oh my oh, it's Cinco de Mayo
Me oh my oh, it's the 5th of May
Jose Cuervo & pico de gallo
Cinco de Mayo it's the 5th of May"

Yeah that's right. I started the show off with "My Heart Will Go On". What of it? However, it weren't no Celine Dion version. It was the lucha-libre-masked surf rock avengers, Los Straitjackets! That's how we roll on Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico's independence, right? It's the day that all Mexicans dress like skeletons, right? It's the day that American youth use as an excuse to indulge in way too much Corona and Jose Cuervo, right?

No. No. Si.

Cinco de Mayo is actually a holiday that is really only celebrated in and around the town of Puebla, Mexico. It was the day in 1862 when a greatly out-numbered and out-armed group of Mexican soldiers defeated what was then the most powerful military force on the planet, the French Army. Times sure have changed. Before this battle, Mexico's economy was in ruins and France used Mexico's failure to pay it's debt as an excuse to try to invade the country. Their goal was to take over Mexico City and install Napoleon's relative, Maximilian of Austria, as ruler. However, those hard fighting Mexican soldiers had other plans in mind. And the rest is history, albeit, not very well known. To honor this victory, I played a show full of Mexican-ish tunes.

The first set included the Minutemen's song, Corona, being performed by Tuscon, Arizona's Calexico. Since Corona has become the symbol of Cinco de Mayo, I couldn't think of a better way to start off the show. After that I gave a couple history lessons via tunes by El Vez and John Adams, both titled "Cinco de Mayo". The tune by El Vez is an excellent rock tune that explains the whole situation and reasons for the battle of 5/5. All you history teachers should use it whenever you do a lesson on Cinco de Mayo. The John Adams song on the other hand is a folk tune more about the America's version of Cinco de Mayo.

There's no way I could have done a Mexico inspired show without doing a set by Calexico. The standout of this set was the live tune they did with Mariachi Luz de Luna.

The rest of the show was scattered with other various Mexican tunes or other tunes that could be affiliated with 5/5.

Adios.

1. My Heart Will Go On -- Los Straitjackets -- The Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets
2. Corona -- Calexico -- Convict Pool
3. Cinco De Mayo -- El Vez -- Graciasland
4. Cinco De Mayo -- John Adams -- Hold On To The Dream
5. Minas De Cobre -- Calexico -- The Black Light
6. El Picador -- Calexico -- Hot Rail
7. Cancion del Mariachi -- Calexico feat. Mariachi Luz de Luna -- Roskilde Festival 7/1/2000
8. Tequila (Champs cover) -- Orchestra America Romantica -- Brazilian Beats 6
9. Viva Mexico -- Mariachi Veracruz -- Testigos de un Amor
10. Chiquita Banana -- The Mariachi Brass featuring Chet Baker
11. South of the Border (Down Mexico Way) -- Chris Isaak -- Baja Sessions
12. Rum -- True Born Calypsonians -- Calypso Limon Legends
13. San Antonio -- Chocquib Town -- Somos Pacifico
14. Mexico/El Son la Negra -- Mariachi Luz de Luna -- Live at Chuy's

Caught on the In Between Playlist 04-28-09

I caught La Strada at the Monkey House when they opened for The Cush on 4/18. The crowd, including me, loved them so much that they actually requested an encore. You don't normally see that with opening bands. Check them out. I'd say that they're a mix between Devotchka and The Fleet Foxes. They have a good video on Youtube for their tune, The Sun Song.

1. The Cruel Sea -- The Ventures -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. The Sun Song -- La Strada -- EP
3. Starling -- La Strada -- EP
4. Everything About It Is A Love Song -- Paul Simon -- Surprise
5. Life Is Long -- David Byrne and Brian Eno -- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
6. Come Dancing -- The Kinks -- Come Dancing With The Kinks
7. Devastator -- Catfish Haven -- Devastator
8. If You Ever Get Famous -- The Duke and the King
9. New Song -- The Rural Alberta Advantage -- HearYa Live Session 04-01-09
10. Luciana -- The Rural Alberta Advantage -- HearYa Live Session 04-01-09
11. Seeds of Night -- The Cave Singers -- Invitation Songs
12. Easy -- Deer Tick -- Born on Flag Day
13. Bummed Out City -- Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros -- Global A Go-Go

Caught on the In Between Playlist 04-14-09

Punk night on Caught on the In Between! As I was putting this show together, it was cool to see how a lot of these bands tie together or were around at the same time.

A lot of the bands I played were around So Cal during the late 70's/early 80's --
-Agent Orange started in Orange County in 1979
-Circle Jerks were in Hermosa Beach in 1979. This was a band that included Black Flag's original singer before Henry Rollins took over, Keith Morris. It also included future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson
-Bad Religion -- started in So Cal in 1980 and are led by the great Greg Graffin
-Adolescents -- Fullerton, CA in 1980 and included some guys who were also in Agent Orange
-Descendents -- Started in Hermosa around 1978.
How great would it have been to live in that area during that time!!!
-Dag Nasty -- weren't from So Cal from around that time, but it was a band started by Brian Baker, formerly with Minor Threat, and he went on to later join Bad Religion

Another thread that wound it's way through the show that had to do with So Cal is the John Reis/Rick Froberg connection. They were together in early bands such as Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu. Reis went on to form the legendary Rocket From The Crypt while Froberg headed east for a bit. While on a break from Rocket, Reis recruited Froberg for a side project that eventually became the incredible Hot Snakes. Now that Hot Snakes has broken up, Reis has formed and is playing with The Night Marchers and Froberg is playing with The Obits. Both of these bands have continued the Rocket/Hot Snakes sound that these guys have perfected. Obits also features members of the DC band Edsel, so I gotta say that I'm a bit more into them than Night Marchers, but both are great.

1. Mr. Moto -- Agent Orange -- Living in Darkness
2. Ditch -- Marked Men -- Ghosts
3. Ever Fallen in Love -- The Buzzcocks -- Singles Going Steady
4. One Hundred Punks -- Generation X -- Perfect Hits 1975-1981
5. This Mystic Decade -- Hot Snakes -- Peel Sessions EP
6. Jump in the Fire -- The Night Marchers -- See You In Magic
7. Two-Headed Coin -- Obits -- I Blame You
8. Put it in Writing -- Obits -- One Cross Apiece
9. Widow of my Dreams -- Obits -- I Blame You
10. Bikeage -- Descendents -- Somery
11. Wild In The Streets -- The Circle Jerks -- Wild In The Streets
12. What Can You Do? -- Bad Religion -- Suffer
13. Soft Things -- Devo -- Duty Now for the Future
14. Godfather -- Dag Nasty -- Can I Say + Wig Out at Denko's
15. X-Ray Eyes -- Randy -- Welfare Problems
16. Keep On Knocking -- Death -- ...For All The World to See

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-31-09

This show was a tribute to all of the great shows that are/were coming to the area. I made it to as many as I could that have already happened. The standout show was definitely the Felice Brothers. See them any chance you get. Phenomenal show.

Really looking forward to the David Byrne show at the Shelburne Museum on 6/1. Gogol Bordello will be great as always. I bought a ticket to Bonnie Prince Billy, but now I don't think I can make it which totally sucks. If anyone needs a ticket, let me know!

ALSO....this just in. I just found out that Steve Earle is playing a show on the waterfront on my birthday!!! Are you kidding me!? Can't wait for that one. Hope someone gets me a ticket for my bday....

1. Full Throttle, Empty Bottle -- The Ghastly Ones -- Target Draculon
2. Run Chicken Run -- The Felice Brothers -- Yonder Is The Clock -- Higher Ground Sat. 4/11
3. Wonderlust King -- Gogol Bordello -- Super Taranta! -- Higher Ground Sat & Sun 6/6 & 6/7
4. The River -- David Byrne and Brian Eno -- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today -- Shelburne Museum 6/1
5. True Believers -- Bouncing Souls -- How I Spent My Summer Vacation -- Higher Ground Sun. 5/3
6. I Don't Belong To Anyone -- Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- Beware -- Higher Ground Mon. 5/18
7. Snookered -- Dan Deacon -- Bromst -- Higher Ground Tue. 5/12