Caught On The In Between

Caught on the In Between Playlist 05-04-10

2010-05-09T11:11:00.002-04:00

1. Alan Caddy - Workout - An Outbreak of Twangin'
2. Josh Ritter - Long Shadows - So Runs The World Away
3. Josh Ritter - Orbital - So Runs The World Away
4. Josh Ritter - Change of Time - So Runs The World Away
5. La Strada - The Sun Song - La Strada EP
6. The Blow - True Affection - Paper Television
7. Broken Social Scene - All to All - Forgiveness Rock Record
8. Broken Social Scene - Meet Me in the Basement - Forgiveness Rock Record
9. The Tallest Man on Earth - Love Is All - The Wild Hunt
10. Dr. Dog - It - Shame Shame
11. The Tallest Man on Earth - Burden of Tomorrow - The Wild Hunt
12. The Hold Steady - The Sweet Part of the City - Heaven is Wherever
13. The Hold Steady - Our Whole Lives - Heaven is Whenever

Caught on the In Between Playlist 04-27-10

2010-05-09T11:07:00.002-04:00

. Dick Dale - Fish Taco - Unknown Territory
2. Mariana and the Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (Fool's Gold Remix) - Single
3. Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel - Fool's Gold
4. Kuero - Chan Chan - Calleson
5. Sergent Garcia - Llevale Mi Canto - Un Poquito Quema'o
6. Manu Chao - Me Llaman Calle - La Radiolina
7. Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar - Good Things
8. Aloe Blacc - Patria Mia - Shine Through
9. U-Roy and the Paragons - The Same Song - Version Galore
10. Phyllis Dillon - Don't Stay Away - The Story of Jamaican Music: 1958-1967
11. U-Roy and the Paragons - The Tide Is High - Version Galore
12. John Holt - Love Me Forever - Up Park Camp
13. Gregory Issacs - Let's Dance - Cool Ruler

Caught on the In Between Playlist 04-13-10

2010-05-09T11:04:00.001-04:00

1. The Untamed Youth - Rollerland - Untamed Melodies
2. Marina and the Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (Fools Gold Remix) - Single
3. Future Islands - Tin Man - In Evening Air
4. Discovery - Can You Discover - LP
5. ChocQuib Town - San Antonio - Somos Pacifico
6. ChocQuib Town - Alquien Como Tu - Somos Pacifico
7. Tony Rebel - If Jah - Roots Rock & Reggae
8. The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa - Warm Heart of Africa
9. MIA vs. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Sunshowers - Mash-up Single
10. Noir Desir - Le Vent Nous Portera - des Visages des Figures
11. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Paris - Re-Foc
12. Willie Rosario - Calypso Blues - Unknown
13. Mighty Sparrow - Gun Slingers - First Flight
14. Mighty Sparrow - Mango Vert - First Flight

Caught on the In Between Playlist 04-06-10

2010-04-09T12:57:00.004-04:00

Tonight's show was all about the great state of Minnesota. Last night (Monday 4/5), Melinda and I saw The Hold Steady at Higher ground and they were incredible. Much better than I had anticipated and I've been anticipating seeing them for years. Not much between song banter from lead singer Craig Finn, which caught me by surprise, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that his lyrics and singing is banter in itself. They were constant, powerful, and so full of energy. Finn was unstopable onstage and so endearing with his nerdiness. He reminded me so much of a childhood friend of mine that it made me want to do a show all with Minnesota bands.

Another reason I wanted to focus on Minnesota bands is an article I read in Bicycling Magazine that listed the 50 best cycling cities in the Nation and the mini-Apple took 1st prize. Which is so odd due to it's intense cold winter months. People there are so very hardy and healthy. It's a lot like Vermont in that they're very progressive politically, very active, and very health-conscious. Mid-westerners, especially Minnesotans, have always seemed so very real and grounded to me. I've always felt comfortable around them.

And they play some pretty damn good music. The first band I focused on was The Trashmen (a surf-rock band from Minnesota!!!???) who had one of the most famous surf rock tunes ever--Surfin' Bird. It's odd how they came up with the song though...they basically combined two songs by The Rivington's--"The Bird is the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". Next up was the incredible Hold Steady who have members who were originally from Minneapolis, but now reside in Brooklyn. They're such an awesome, straight-ahead, intelligent rock'n'roll band and are really unlike any other band out there right now. And they have a new album coming out on May 4th.

Next up was The Replacements who no doubt inspired The Hold Steady. They started out in the late 70's around the same time as Husker Du who I didn't put on my show. They were out of the Twin Cities and inspired numerous bands around the country. Mason Jennings came next on the show and, while he wasn't originally from the land of 10,000 lakes, he did move there and lived there as he gained national attention as a musician. He has put out tons of albums and my favorite album of his is Boneclouds. Great lyrics, especially on If You Need A Reason.

Last but definitely not least is the Duluth born Bob Dylan. There's no way I could write anything that hasn't been written before. And I tried to play some of his more obscure tunes -- Mozambique and Billy 1 from my favorite Dylan album, Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid. In other Dylan news, his son Jakob Dylan just released an album that has given me a reason to finally become a Jakob Dylan fan. He's joined by Neko Case and it sounds much less commercial, and more real than his previous albums.

If you have a chance to visit Minnesota I highly recommend it. Especially if it's by bike.

1. The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird - Surfin' Bird
2. The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer - Stay Positive
3. The Hold Steady - Sequestered In Memphis - Stay Positive
4. The Hold Steady - Both Crosses - Stay Positive
5. The Replacements - Hold My Life - Tim
6. The Replacements - Little Mascara - Tim
7. The Replacements - Bastards of Young - Tim
8. Mason Jennings - Be Here Now - Boneclouds
9. Mason Jennings - If You Need A Reason - Boneclouds
10. Bob Dylan - Mozambique - Desire
11. Bob Dylan - Billy 1 - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-30-10

2010-04-09T12:12:00.006-04:00

"It's okay, it's alright, I'm alive and it's good to be" - Backyard Tire Fire

Winooski is the spot! I'm so stoked and impressed on how it's growing. It's a slow process, but it's coming on. We now have a great coffee shop in the roundabout--The Block Gallery. Excellent coffee and lattes in there and they also have the best seat in Winooski. There's a couch overlooking the roundabout and bridge to Burlington. There are some great restaurants -- Sneakers has the best breakfast around (Veggie hash and eggs), Donny's pizza is great with an excellent bar (Try the Sicilian slices. I'm not usually a deep dish/Sicilian guy, but theirs is great), Tiny Thai (Drunken Noodle, Pad Thai, Curries, everything is good and it's BYOB so it's cheap!), Asian Bistro has the best sushi in Vermont (Eel and avocado), McKee's (good burgers), and a new restaurant is coming in where Sneakers used to be (The 7 Days write-up made it sound pretty interesting. The Monkey House is the best bar in the area, hands down. Excellent beer, perfect crowd, and they have so many great shows booked over the next couple weeks it's not even funny -- The Cush's farewell shows (4/9 & 4/10), Tallest Man On Earth (4/15), The Morning Benders (4/16), Thao and the Get Down Stay Down (4/19), Heavy Trash (4/20), Backyard Tire Fire (4/22). That is such a nuts schedule!!! And I can't believe it's all going down in Winooski...just a short half mile walk/bike from my house.

Winooski pride!!! Go Spartans!!!!

1. Wayne Hancock - Midnight Stars And You - Viper of Melody
2. Rough Francis - Waiting - Introducing...Rough Francis
3. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union - The Monitor
4. Backyard Tire Fire - Good To Be - Good To Be
5. Backyard Tire Fire - Brady - Good To Be
6. The Heligoats - Fish Sticks - Goodness Gracious
7. The Heligoats - Been A Drill - The End of All-Purpose EP
8. The Heligoats - Heat Vents - Goodness Gracious
9. Jeff Tweedy - Pecan Pie - Live

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-16-10

2010-03-21T10:23:00.003-04:00

How to get to Hadestown
You’ll have to take the long way down
Through the underground, under cover of night
Laying low, staying out of sight
Ain’t no compass, brother, there ain’t no map
Just a telephone wire and the railroad track
Keep on walking and you don’t look back
’til you get to the bottomland -- Hermes explaining how to get to Hadestown to Orpheus on the song Wait For Me from Anais Mitchell's new album, Hadestown

So begins the song describing Orpheus going to Hadestown to rescue Eurydice off of Anais Mitchell's new album, Hadestown. It's a folk opera set in post-apocalyptic depression era south that is based on the Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the original story, Orpheus is the best musician and poet around and is very much in love with his wife Eurydice. When she gets bitten by snakes and is pulled down to the underworld, Orpheus is convinced by others to do what very few have done before -- go down to the underworld, rescue Eurydice, and pull her back to the living world. He makes it down successfully and, through his beautiful music, is able to convince Hades to let Eurydice return with him to the living world. However, Hades will only let her go on one condition -- Orpheus must walk ahead of her and he can't look back until they're both out of the underworld. Of course Orpheus agrees and walks ahead, but once he gets out of the underworld, he is so excited that he looks back before she's out and she gets pulled back down forever.

Anais Mitchell's telling of this tale is very creatively set in the depression-era South with Hades being the king-boss of a wall-building corporation in the underworld city of Hadestown. Since it's set in the depression, he convinces the citizens to come to Hadestown b/c he can offer work. What they don't know is, once they go down, they can never return. B/c Orpheus is poor and can't support her, Eurydice is lured down to Hadestown. Orpheus doesn't trust Hades and tries to convince Eurydice to stay with him. She won't listen and ends up taking the train down to Hadestown. Orpheus then meets Hermes who tells him how to secretly get down to Hadestown and Orpheus sets off to rescue Eurydice. Just like the original story, and with a little help from Persephone--a speakeasy owner selling air, rain, and sunshine in Hadestown--Hades is convinced to let Orpheus take Eurydice out of the underworld. As the story goes, they both walk out, but only Orpheus escapes and the opera ends with Persephone and Eurydice singing a reverse elegy to Orpheus.

It's an incredibly creative and interesting album and includes a cast of modern indie-rock stars -- Orpheus is played by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Hermes is played by Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem, Hades is played by Greg Brown, Persephone by Ani DiFranco, and Eurydice by Anais Mitchell. I highly recommend it.

This week's show was originally inspired by the movie Crazy Heart and as I gathered similar songs all week, I stumbled upon Hadestown. So tonight's show includes songs inspired by Crazy Heart as well as tunes inspired by Hadestown.

1. Link Wray - Big City After Dark - Missing Link Vol. 2
2. Jeff Bridges - Hold On You - Crazy Heart Soundtrack
3. Ryan Bingham - The Weary Kind - Crazy Heart Soundtrack
4. Ryan Bingham - I Don't Know - Crazy Heart Soundtrack
5. A.A. Bondy - How Will You Meet Your End - American Hearts
6. A.A. Bondy - There's A Reason - American Hearts
7. The Low Anthem - To Ohio - Oh My God Charlie Darwin
8. The Low Anthem - (Don't) Tremble - Oh My God Charlie Darwin
9. Anais Mitchell - Wedding Song - Hadestown
10. Anais Mitchell - Wait For Me - Hadestown
11. Anais Mitchell - Why We Build The Wall - Hadestown
12. Townes Van Zandt - If I Needed You - High, Low, And In Between

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-09-10

2010-03-14T22:30:00.006-04:00

"he's got the pages in his pockets that he ripped out of the bible from his bedstand in the motel. he likes the part where the traders get chased out from the temple. i guess i heard about original sin. i heard the dude blamed the chick. i heard the chick blamed the snake. i heard they were naked when they got busted. i heard things ain't been the same since." -- The Hold Steady "Cattle and The Creeping Things"

The Hold Steady are playing Higher Ground on 4/5!!!!! Be there or be square. And a month later on 5/8 Rodrigo y Gabriela are playing The Flynn!!! Two amazing shows. I've always wanted to see both bands and thought I may need to travel out of the city to do so. But they are coming here and Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Flynn will be awesome. I've been wanting to see a band there ever since I saw Feist there a couple years ago. That show was one of the greatest shows I've ever seen, so I'm very anxious to see R y G.

1. The Beach Boys - Surf Jam - Surfin' USA
2. Very Best - Ambling Alp - Single
3. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp - Odd Blood
4. Washed Out - Belong - High Times
5. Real Estate - Beach Comber - Real Estate
6. Broken Bells - High Road - Broken Bells
7. Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside - Broken Bells
8. Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Diem - Re-Foc
9. The Hold Steady - Cattle and The Creeping Things - Separation Sunday
10. Tan Analog - What Peer Pressure - Demo
11. Might Sparrow - Mango Vert - First Flight
12. Mighty Sparrow - Russian Satellite - First Flight

Caught on the In Between Playlist 02-23-10

2010-03-14T22:17:00.003-04:00

"Old times always stay the same and brand new days are strange
But you never lose yourself and all you do is change" -- Adam Carroll "Home Again"

1. The Trashmen - Malaguena - Surfin' Bird
2. Fang Island - Daisy - Fang Island
3. Fang Island - Life Coach - Fang Island
4. Cast Spells - Glamorous Glowing - Bright Works And Baton
5. Cast Spells - Potted Plant - Bright Works And Baton
6. Wild America - Drink It Dry - Casual Victim Pile
7. The Golden Boys - Older Than You - Casual Victim Pile
8. The Morning Benders - Excuses - Big Echo
9. Julian Casablancas - Left & Right In The Dark - Phrazes For The Young
10. Julian Casablancas - Out Of The Blue - Phrazes For The Young
11. Yeasayer - Tightrope - Dark Was The Night
12. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp - Odd Blood
13. Adam Carroll - Home Again - South Of Town
14. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Gardener - Shallow Grave

Caught on the In Between Playlist 02-16-10

2010-02-17T09:39:00.003-05:00

Melinda and I are heading to the island of Curacao in June to get married and tonight's set was the first of many to start getting us in the island mood. AND, it's also to combat this horrible winter we've been having in Vermont--cold and no snow. I'm turning into a real winter wuss. I'm retiring to Florida 30 years too early.

1. Untamed Youth - Contentment - Untamed Melodies
2. Abel Zenon - Pas O Soue La - Tumbele!
3. Clarence Curvan & His Mod Sounds - Calypsoul - Calypsoul 70
4. Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban - Patricia - Mambo Sinuendo
5. Estrellas del Caribe - Cara Bunita - Riba Dempel
6. Mighty Sparrow - Mango Vert - First Flight
7. True Born Calypsonians - Nowhere Like Limon - Calypso Limon Legends
8. U-Roy & The Paragons - Tide Is High - Version Galore
9. U-Roy & The Paragons - The Same Song - Version Galore
10. Hepcat - I Can't Wait - Right On Time
11. Hepcat - The Secret - Right On Time
12. Jehro - Shantytown Carnival - Jehro

Caught on the In Between Playlist 02-09-10

2010-02-15T21:15:00.004-05:00

I've been on a Replacements kick lately and this is a great picture of the Minneapolis band. They've touched and influenced so many bands over the years. There is just something so solid and real about a mid-west band.

Another solid, real, and straight-ahead rock'n'roll Minneapolis band, The Hold Steady, state that The Replacements (along with The Band's movie, The Last Waltz) are the reason they started a band in the first place. The Hold Steady are playing Higher Ground on 4/5 and I'm so excited.

1. The Ready Men - Disintegration - Get Ready!
2. The Soft Pack - C'mon - The Soft Pack
3. The Soft Pack - Answer To Yourself - The Soft Pack
4. The Soft Pack - Mexico - The Soft Pack
5. The Tallest Man on Earth - The King Of Spain - The Wild Hunt
6. Dawn Landes & Justin Townes Earle - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind - Single
7. Josh Ritter - Change of Time - So Runs The World Away
8. The Replacements - I Will Dare - Let It Be
9. The Replacements - Unsatisfied - Let It Be
10. The Replacements - Answering Machine - Let It Be
11. The Hold Steady - How a Resurrection Really Feels - Separation Sunday
12. Harlem - Come Back Jonee - Single

Caught on the In Between Playlist 01-12-10

2010-02-15T21:04:00.004-05:00

They're supposed to be beach combers in honor of Real Estates excellent song "Beach Comber". I really like the range of artists I included in this show.

The three songs are from Vampire Weekend's new album, which is phenomenal. Very varied. The aforementioned song by Real Estate is reverb-filled excellence and the set by Surfer Blood reminded me of a couple different bands -- Weezer, Vampire Weekend, and a bit of Pavement. Great all-around band of non-surfers from Palm Beach, FL.

And of course, I can't end this post without mentioning the very meaningful tune "First Day Of My Life" by Bright Eyes...

The more I look at this playlist, the more I realize how much I like these bands.

1. Los Straitjackets - Midnight In Salerno - Supersonic Guitars in 3-D
2. Vampire Weekend - White Sky - Contra
3. Vampire Weekend - California English - Contra
4. Vampire Weekend - Diplomat's Son - Contra
5. The Heligoats - Fish Sticks - Goodness Gracious
6. Real Estate - Beach Comber - Real Estate
7. White Rabits - Percussion Gun - It's Frightening
8. Surfer Blood - Swim - Astro Coast
9. Surfer Blood - Take It Easy - Astro Coast
10. Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes - Astro Coast
11. Adam Carroll - Red Bandana Blues - South of Town
12. Chris Smither - Leave The Light On - Leave The Light On
13. Bright Eyes - First Day Of My Life - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning

Caught on the In Between Playlist 01-05-10

2010-01-10T19:09:00.004-05:00

The unthinkable happened today. I went to the gym and, as I started to run around the track whilst planning out my upcoming radio show, I accidentally tripped over my headphones wire and dropped my iPod. Now I've dropped my iPod plenty o' times in the past, as I'm sure all of you have, but this time it was different. The track I was running on is an elevated track on the 2nd floor overlooking some tennis courts. So unable to operate at ninja-like speed to catch my iPod (probably due to my excessive Christmas-ing and New Years-ing), I helplessly watched as it dropped to the track and then bounce and fall over the ledge towards the tennis courts below. It was one of those really long falls during which you can think about life and other matters at hand. I leaned over the railing and watched as my life fell before my eyes and hit the green ground below. Oh man. No bueno. So I ran out the door, down a flight of stairs, and got to my iPod. It was laying outside of it's "protective" case and the screen was still on. That's good. I picked it up, put it back in it's case, and went about trying to operate it. The buttons seemed to work. OK, this isn't so bad. I navigated through the artists and albums screens successfully. Nice. Then I selected a song and pushed play. Dang. Nothing happened. The time on the left of the screen stayed at 0:00. I waited and stared. Nothing. I pushed play again thinking it was only paused. Nothing. Crap. I held menu and the center button at the same time to reset it. As the apple icon appeared, I still had hope. But after a bit of staring at the apple, a huge, scary red circle with an X in the middle appeared. I had never seen that before. It was officially broken. Bummertown, USA, population: me.

I still haven't plugged it into a computer yet to see if I can at least pull my music off of it. I'll try in a bit. If I can, then it's not that bad. I can grab my music and maybe upgrade to a new one. But this one was a 160gb that they don't make anymore. Whatever. I'll survive.

Here's my playlist from last Tuesday. It's been over a month since my last show, so it was awesome to be back in the studio. With a broken iPod, we'll have to see how my upcoming show goes...

1. Termits - Bailemos - Back To Peru
2. The Sonics - Boss Hoss - Here Are The Sonics!
3. Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away - Best Ever Buddy Holly Vol 1
4. The Ditty Bops - You Head's Too Big - Moon Over the Freeway
5. Laura Viers - July Flame - July Flame
6. Yeasayer - Tightrope - Dark Was The Night
7. Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky - Fall Be Kind EP
8. Amy Millan - Day to Day - Masters of the Burial
9. Amy Millan - Low Sail - Masters of the Burial
10. Amy Millan - Towers - Masters of the Burial
11. Dr. Dog - Me and My Girl - Passed Away Vol. 1
12. Cordero - La Yegua - De Donde Eres
13. Buddy Holly - Blue Days Black Nights - Best Ever Buddy Holly Vol 1
14. Richie Valens - Come On Let's Go - Richie Valens

Caught on the In Between Playlist 11-17-09

2009-11-18T07:34:00.004-05:00

National Geographic now has a record label called NatGeo. They have only 4 releases thus far, but if these releases are a sign of whats to come out of this label, then we're in for a good time. I focused on two of them today--the Brazilian party band Forro In The Dark and the dusty Spaniard Depedro. Forro In The Dark will get the party started and keep it going all night and Depedro is a great partner to your next-morning coffee as you laugh your way through the previous night's events with your amigos.

Another artist I'm excited about lately is Aloe Blacc. He's American but was born to Panamanian parents and their frequent trips to South America helped to sprinkle some Latin influence into his soul and onto this album. His music readily jumps from hip-hop, to soul, to R&B, and crosses between Spanish and English.

Finally, Fool's Gold is a newish band out of Los Angeles with sounds coming from all over the world, especially Israel. They are playing Club Metronome on Sunday night (11/22).

1. Los Coronas - Coronas Stomp - Surfin 'tenochtillan
2. Forro In The Dark - Caiphirinha - Light A Candle
3. Forro In The Dark - Perro Loco - Light A Candle
4. Forro In The Dark - Saudades de Manezinho Araujo - Light A Candle
5. Depedro - Te Sigo Sonando - Depedro
6. Depedro - La Memoria - Depedro
7. Depedro - Equivocado - Depedro
8. Aloe Blacc - Dance For Life - Shine Through
9. Aloe Blacc - Patria Mia - Shine Through
10. Aloe Blacc - Gente Ordinaria - Shine Through
11. Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel - Fool's Gold

Caught on the In Between Playlist 11-10-09

2009-11-16T21:18:00.002-05:00

"So here's what's striking me
that some punk could argue some moral abc's
when people are catching what bombers release" -- Fugazi -- The Argument

1. Dick Dale -- Fish Taco -- Unknown Territory
2. Mano Negra -- Senor Matanza -- Best Of
3. The Very Best -- Warm Heart of Africa -- Warm Heart of Africa
4. The Clash -- Let's Go Crazy -- Sandinista!
5. Fugazi -- Ex-Spectator -- The Argument
6. Fugazi -- Nightshop -- The Argument
7. Fugazi -- The Argument -- The Argument
8. Discovery -- Can You Discover? -- LP
9. Headress -- Amazing Baby -- Single
10. Cave Singers -- Seeds of NIght -- Invitation Songs
11. The Felice Brothers -- Cooperstown -- Yonder Is The Clock
12. The Felice Brothers -- Wonderful Life -- The Felice Brothers

Caught on the In Between Playlist 11-03-09

2009-11-07T21:33:00.005-05:00

"Spend the night in my arms" -- Deer Tick

A week before Halloween, Melinda, Mike Carney (Emcee MC), and I went and saw the new Deer Tick documentary "To The City of Sin" at Palace 9 Theatre in Burlington. It was part of the Vermont International Film Festival and was a documentary put together by a student at Burlington College. A music documentary will either make me like a band a lot more or a lot less. Kind of like seeing them live. Either they pull me in more or push me away. This documentary definitely pulled me in more. I've listened to Deer Tick for the last 6 months or so and have really liked them, but sometimes I get over the singer's voice and have trouble understanding where they're coming from. This doc really helped me to like them more. Actually, a lot more. So I started off tonight's show with a set by them.

I've also really been into AA Bondy lately. He was in the band Verbena who were OK in my book, but his solo stuff is excellent. He's homies with the Felice Brothers, so that seals the deal for me as I love those guys. The 2 songs I played tonight are off of his 1st solo album. I have 2 songs off of his newest album, When The Devil's Loose, and I can't wait to get the rest of it.

1. Surfin' Elephant - Craig Cohill - The Ultimate Surfin' Hits
2. Sorry You're Sick - Ted Hawkins - Watch Your Step
3. The Whole Damn Thing - Those Darlins - Those Darlins
4. Furr - Blitzen Trapper - Furr
5. Spend The Night - Deer Tick - War Elephant
6. Song About A Man - Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day
7. The Ghost - Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day
8. Alaska - Dr. Dog - We All Belong
9. Ask Isaac Asimov - Spanish Prisoners - Los Angeles Guitar Dream
10. in the aeroplane over the sea -Matt Pond PA - What Has Been
11. There's A Reason - AA Bondy - American Hearts
12. Vice Rag - AA Bondy - American Hearts
13. Which Side Are You On? - Billy Bragg - Peel Sessions
14. Riding the Rods - Murry Hammond - I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way
15. Come Out With Me Tonight - Cordero - Somos Cordero

Caught on the In Between Playlist 10-20-09

2009-11-07T21:27:00.005-05:00

At the gym the other day, I saw this picture from the new movie The Road. It's based on the book by Cormac McCarthy that I tried to read but I never was able to get into. As I write this, I'm getting motivated to read it so I'm going to pick it up again either tonight or tomorrow morning over coffee. The General Manager of the company I work for has tried a couple times to get me to read inspirational business books but they just never interest me. They seem so dry. They talk about business situations and life situations and how you should act in them, but I've always felt that I want to learn that stuff on my own. Experience it myself and decide on my own how I think I should act in those situations based on what happens in my life, rather than a book. Anyway, he just gave me the book Blink and I've heard good things about it and I've tried to read it, but I just can't. It's a lot like the Psych books I read in college. So I think I'll give up on it and pick up The Road. Those are the types of books I'm interested in. I've read a couple other Cormac McCarthy books--No Country For Old Men, All The Pretty Little Horses, I attempted The Crossing but didn't YET finish it, and I think that's it. I'm ready for The Road. And a lot of it has to do with wanting to read it before seeing the movie that comes out in a couple weeks (no way I'm going to finish by then b/c it takes me forever to finish books).

The picture I saw in the gym was a screen shot of the movie and it looked so bleak and cold and intense and it reminded me of some music that I liked. It mainly made me think of The Drones out of Australia. Then I started thinking about the Nick Cave scored movie The Proposition. And with the weather getting colder and the leaves falling off of the trees, it made me want to listen to that type of music. And in doing so, I started to put together a soundtrack for the movie and book that I've never read all based on a picture I saw in a magazine. I know the gist of the book/movie from reading a portion of it and reading about it, so based on that, I was inspired to put together what I thought would be a great soundtrack for the movie.

1. Sliding In - The Marauders - The Ultimate 60's Surf Rock
2. Nail It Down - The Drones - Havilah
3. Oh My - The Drones - Havilah
4. This Time - The Drones - Wait Long By The River and The Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By
5. Bury Your Burden - Oakley Hall - Gypsum Strings
6. The Wolves - Fast Piece of Furniture - Adventures in Contentment
7. Beast For Thee - Bonnie "Prince & Matt Sweeney - Superwolf
8. I Go with Him - Nina Nastasia - The Blackend Air
9. Hunter - Bjork - Homogenic
10. Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros - Takk...

Caught on the In Between Playlist 10-06-09

2009-11-07T21:19:00.005-05:00

Quite an array of music on the show tonight but my hightlight(s) was/were the songs by The Exit and Stiff Little Fingers. I remember the first time I heard both bands. First was Stiff LIttle fingers. I was working in the warehouse at Sole Technology out in CA in probably the Spring of 2000 and was good buddies with a guy named Sam Jorgensen. Whenever we'd get super busy and have a ton of work to finish up for the day, Sam would put in the Stiff Little Fingers album "Inflamable Material" and it would never fail to put us in a zone. We'd happily pack up and ship skate shoes to whomever all across the country. It always got us going and I love that album still today. It's such a raw, real, and honest album.

The first time I heard The Exit, my buddy Johnny Dunn forwarded it to me while I was sitting at my new desk job at Burton Snowboards. It sounded like a modern day Police meets Stiff Little Fingers. I was really, really impressed. I just remembered it sounding so refreshing. I also remember Johnny leaving me a voicemail talking about the album and he said he just can't wait to get home to listen to it again. I remember feeling the same way. It's such a raw, real, and honest album.

1. Fort Lauderdale, USA - Bill Friell - The Ultimate '60s Surf Classics
2. Bang! - The Raveonettes - In & Out of Control
3. Boys Who Rape - The Raveonettes - In & Out of Control
4. Last Dance - The Raveonettes - In & Out of Control
5. Horchata - Vampire Weekend - Contra
6. Memphis - Chuck Berry - The Chess Box Set
7. Surprise Hotel - Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold
8. Two Guitars Clash - Stiff Little Fingers - All The Best
9. Stands To Reason - Stiff Little Fingers - All The Best
10. Touch and Go - Stiff Little Fingers - All The Best
11. Trapped - Exit - New Beat
12. Lonely Man's Wallet - Exit - New Beat
13. Question The Chorus - Exit - New Beat
14. Card Cheat - The Clash - Clash on Broadway 2

Mondo Mix

2009-10-22T10:49:00.001-04:00

This is a link to a great radio mix of a bunch of different types of music from all over. Crank it up and travel through your computer!

mondomix.com - all colors of music!

Caught on the In Between Playlist 09-22-09

2009-09-23T18:10:00.003-04:00

The standout of tonight's show for me are the Sam Corbin tunes. I stumbled across him when I was perusing the blog Songs:Illinois. He's a Michigan singer/songwriter and he sings some great heartfelt comforting music. Check him out here www.samcorbin.com

1. Fish Taco - Dick Dale - Unknown Territory
2. It Ain't Gonna Save Me - Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall
3. Plenty For All - Hot Snakes - Audit In Progress
4. The Bleeding Heart Show - The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
5. Blood Oranges - Foreign Born - Person To Person
6. Finish Line - Fanfarlo - Reservoir
7. Olive Hearts - Bowerbirds - Hymns For A Dark Horse
8. Baby - Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
9. Chinese Children - Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
10. Michigan's Waltz - Sam Corbin - Michigan's Waltz
11. Twenty Three - Sam Corbin - Goodnight Candlelight
12. Beach House - The Cave Singers - Welcome Joy

Caught on the In Between Playlist 09-13-09

2009-09-23T17:58:00.003-04:00

I got into the honky tonk feeling at the end of the night. Wayne The Train Hancock is amazing and the bassist for the local heroes, Starline Rhythm Boys, used to play with him. I need to see the Starline Rhythm Boys play again soon. They have a bunch of shows over the next couple months, but one that sticks out is 10/24 for a Bike Recycle Vermont at Burlington City Hall! I'll be there!

1. Without Warning - The Ghastly Ones - Target Draculon
2. A Thousand Men - Joe Pug - In The Meantime EP
3. More Than Fair - Deano Waco - Deano Waco Meats The Purveyors
4. Tequila Sunday - The Maldives - Listen To The Thunder
5. When The Devil's Loose - AA Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
6. I Can See The Pines Are Dancing - AA Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
7. Molalatladi - BLK JKS - After Robots
8. On The Floor - Family Portrait - N/A
9. Mega Secrets - Family Portrait - N/A
10. Are The Good Times Really Over For Good - John Doe and the Sadies - Country Club
11. Texacos and Roadmaps - Starline Rhythm Boys - Better Luck Is A Barroom Away
12. Dog House Blues - Wayne Hancock - Viper of Melody
13. Bottle Of Wine - Deano Waco - Deano Waco Meats The Purveyors
14. No Gal Cooks Like Mine - Starline Rhythm Boys - Red's Place
15. Midnight Stars and You - Wayne Hancock - Viper of Melody

Caught on the In Between Playlist 08-18-09

2009-08-18T20:12:00.004-04:00

Tonight I'm updating my blog as I do my show. It's a first, so we'll see how it goes. I'm up here with my buddy Mike (Emcee MC for all of those that listen on Thurs nights at 11pm) and we just had a couple brews down at 3 Needs and discussed the upcoming Queen City Social Club event. We're trying to set up a salsa night sometime around 9/10 and hoping to have it at LIFT--a new club in downtown Burlington where 2nd Floor used to be. Mike has been running point on it and setting it all up and is pulling in the peeps from Salsalina to help with the salsa lessons. If we can do it that week, it'll be the Thurs during Latino Fest so it'll be perfect. We'll start it off with some salsa lessons to get us all knowing the moves and then it'll be full on dance party with DJ JahRed who used to do the Thurs Salsa Nights at Half Lounge, so he knows what he's doing.

Starting off tonight's show was Dick Dale and the Del-Tones doing Surf Beat. Then for the first set I played some tunes by Mariachi El Bronx. The Bronx is a hard punk band out of So Cal which features 2 members of Los Lobos. With those 2 hombres in the band, it was only a matter of time before they released some Mexican tinged tunes. Usually when a punk band decides to come out with some traditional music of any style, it seems contrived and forced. However, these guys nail it. Pick up the album and you'll enjoy it.

Second set started off with a band I first heard about today called Depedro. I found them on Spinner.com and really love what I hear from them. I was playing it at work and my buddy who sits behind me was really digging it too. The band consists of singer/guitarist from Madrid, Jairo Zavala, and the dudes from Calexico. It's great Spanish pop music. I played the song Don't Leave Me Now off of their s/t album. Next song was by Gentleman Jesse who I first read about in Paste. I played his song All I Need Tonight (Is You) and it sounded very similar to Jay Reatard, so if you like his stuff, then you'll like this. I finished the set off with current blog superstars--Passion Pit with their song To Kingdom Come.

Last week I was out in CA on vaca at my girlfriend's parents' house in Auburn, CA. There's gold in them there hills. While there I picked up the new Michael Franti & Spearhead album and I'm going to say that it's just alright. There are some jems--especially the song Say Hey (I Love You) and the first song on the album, Rude Boys Back in Town. I started off the next set with the latter. The rest of the album seems to be pretty bland. After that I jumped into a tune by the incredible Very Best (Radioclit and their Malawian friend, Esau Mwamwaya). The song was Rain Dance and featured some vocals by M.I.A. They have a new album coming out on November 1st and it's sure to kill. Finishing up the set was Le Loup and their tune Beach Town.

Next up was Mattafix--a DJ duo out of the UK. The songs I played are off of their 2007 release called Rhythm & Hymns. It's great RnB, Hip Hop, Reggae, and Caribbean style music. Songs I played were In The Background and Things Have Changed. Check 'em out.

I was planning on playing another song by Mattafix, but I was impatiently interrupted by two wine drinking gals who requested a song be dedicated to them. Thinking on my toes, I quickly chose Say Hey (I Love You) and sent it out to them. As the beat came in, I could picture them dancing around the kitchen to the tune.

I finished off the set with a cover song by Amy Milan of Broken Social Scene and Stars fame. It's a cover of the Death Cab For Cutie song called I Will Follow You Into The Dark.

1. Surf Beat -- Dick Dale and the Del-Tones -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. Quinceniera -- Mariachi El Bronx -- Mariachi El Bronx
3. Slave Labor -- Mariachi El Bronx -- Mariachi El Bronx
4. Holy -- Mariachi El Bronx -- Mariachi El Bronx
5. Don't Leave Me Now -- DePedro -- DePedro
6. All I Need Tonight (Is You) -- Gentleman Jesse
7. To Kingdom Come -- Passion Pit
8. Rude Boys Back In Town -- Michael Franti & Spearhead -- All Rebel Rockers
9. Rain Dance (ft. M.I.A.) -- The Very Best
10. Beach Town -- Le Loup -- Family
11. In The Background -- Mattafix -- Rhythm & Hymns
12. Things Have Changed -- Mattafix -- Rhythm & Hymns
13. Say Hey (I Love You) -- Michael Franti & Spearhead -- All Rebel Rockers
14. I Will Follow You Into The Dark -- Amy Millan -- Masters Of The Burial
15. Angel -- Mattafix -- Rhythm & Hymns

Sunny and summer. It's about time.

2009-07-28T08:36:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it. Four sunny and hot days in a row! This summer has been nuts here--rain, rain, and more rain. For all of you who are experiencing their first summer in VT (you know who you are...), I promise this summer is not the norm. These past four days are the norm. Then throw in one day of rain to cool it off and change it up a bit. Then back to sun. That's the norm and hopefully August will be the summer month that we've been waiting for!

The 96th Tour de France is officially over and it held tons of stress, but no big surprises. Actually, I think it's pretty surprising and impressive that Lance finished 3rd. Contador won by a wide margin as most expected. He's incredible and has won the last 4 Grand Tours that he's entered -- Tour de France '07, Giro d'Italia 08, Vuelta a Espana '08, and now Tour de France '09. He's going to make a legendary name for himself.

For me, this has definitely been the summer of biking. Besides gluing myself to the TV every night to watch the Tour, I've been exploring the roads of VT on my new Trek 520 Touring Bike. Sometimes with my sidekick, Norma Jean, in her sidecar (Rover pet trailer) and sometimes alone to get in long distances. Two weekends ago I made my first attempt of my goal of riding a century ride, but got a flat upon reaching 82 miles. I was feeling great at the time too, so if it weren't for the glass I rode over, I would have had my goal already in my back pocket. No biggie though, it'll just give me another opportunity to go for it.

Show tonight. Looking forward to it. Tune in 8pm at www.theradiator.org or, if you live in the Burlington, VT area, 105.9 FM.

Caught on the In Between Playlist 07-14-09

2009-07-15T12:50:00.008-04:00

The 96th Tour de France is riding in full force. As anticipated, with all of the past champions riding, it has been amazing thus far. It started off with a short time trial in Monaco, which was the first time we all got a glimpse at Lance back in the saddle in the Tour since 2005. He ended up in 10th place in the time trial, but after 11 stages is sitting in 3rd place just :08 off of leader Rinaldo Nocentini. 2007 champ Alberto Contador is sitting in 2nd place, :06 seconds back. Contador was the favorite to win coming into the race, but you can never count out Lance. Even if they are on the same team...

Team Astana is the heavy team favorite with loads of firepower -- Contador, Lance, Levi Leipheimer (3rd in 2007), Andreas Kloden (2nd in 2004 & 2006), Haimar Zubeldia (5th in 2003 & 2007), Yaroslav Popovych (won White Jersey in 2005 and finished 8th in 2007), and a couple other notable riders. This is arguably the greatest team ever to compete in the Grand Tour. And they are living up to their legend -- 4 of the top 6 riders are from Team Astana.

There are tons of other great riders, as always, in the Tour, but this year there are 3 past champions in Contador, Lance, and last year's winner, Carlos Sastre. Cadel Evans has finished 2nd the last couple years.

I'm a huge Tour nut and love to follow every stage and detail. This year has been great and is the first year that I've had the Versus network so I can watch from home. In the past, I've been "forced" to follow the race from my PC or from the TV at Ski Rack in downtown Burlington. The race is currently on the flat stages between the Pyranees and the Alps. We've already had an individual time trial and a team time trial (dominated, of course, by Astana). The Pyranees were relatively uneventful with the exception of a brief, incredibly powerful attack by Contador to show that he's the best rider in this year's field. They hit some mtns this weekend, have the 2nd rest day on Monday, and then Tuesday through Sunday is when the real action comes:

Tues 7/21 -- Two huge climbs in the Alps (HORS and Cat 1)
Wed 7/22 -- Most mountainous stage of the Tour -- 5 mtn passes (4 are Cat 1 and 1 is Cat 2)
Thurs 7/23 -- Individual Time Trial (with very tired legs). They can't hold back in the Time Trial, but there is a huge mtn stage the next two days so it will be interesting!
Fri 7/24 -- Mild mtn stage.
Sat 7/25 -- The ULTIMATE mtn finish on Mont Ventoux!

I will be glued to any and all media outlets over those 5 days.

The stage up Mont Ventoux will be the most memorable stage of this tour. It's one of the most grueling climbs ever experienced in the tour, but has never been in a stage that is within 24 hrs of the finish in Paris. That alone will make it so entertaining. In the 1967 Tour, Tom Simpson collapsed dead while making the ascent up Mont Ventoux and in 1970, the legendary Eddy Merckx rode himself to the brink of collapse but still ended up winning the Tour after being administered oxygen. This year, the climb up Mont Ventoux could define who wins the tour and if it does come down to this climb, my money is on Contador. But then again, you can never count out Lance. It would be insane if they were in 1st and 2nd and they decided to duel it out. Contador has age on his side, but Lance has mental strength and history on his side.

Whatever happens, this year's Tour has been the most exciting I've seen in years. Get out on your bike no matter what the weather.

1. Lonely Bull -- The Challengers -- Killer Surf!
2. Tengazako -- The Very Best -- The Very Best Mixtape
3. Warm Heart of Africa -- The Very Best -- The Very Best
4. Sugar In My Spoon -- Sean Bones -- Rings
5. Easy Street -- Sean Bones -- Easy Street 7"
6. Born Again -- Cory Chisel -- Death Won't Send A Letter
7. Los Angeles Guitar Dream -- Spanish Prisoners -- Los Angeles Guitar Dream EP
8. Tom Joad (Part 1) -- Woody Guthrie -- Dust Bowl Ballads

Caught on the In Between Playlist 06-30-09

2009-07-12T22:46:00.004-04:00

1. Telstar -- The Challengers -- Killer Surf!
2. Wild One -- Those Darlins -- Those Darlins
3. Red Light Love -- Those Darlins -- Those Darlins
4. I Would Die 4 U -- Mariachi El Bronx -- Purplish Rain
5. Diablo Rojo -- Rodrigo y Gabriela -- Rodrigo y Gabriela
6. Rumba De Barcelona -- Manu Chao -- Radio Bemba Sound System
7. La Comprita -- Dimension Latina Vol II -- Salsa Brava
8. The Day John Henry Died -- Drive-By Truckers -- Dirty South
9. John Henry -- Bruce Springsteen -- We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
10. The Legend of John Henry's Hammer -- Johnny Cash -- The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983
11. Three Great Alabama Icons -- Drive-By Truckers -- Southern Rock Opera

Caught on the In Between Playlist 06-23-09

2009-07-12T22:15:00.008-04:00

"Well the rodeo is more than rough. It's a fact of life and it's tough to cut and it's beaver hats. It's drinking Beer and pulling trailers. Tight lamae on barrel racers and of course the buckin'." -- Johnny Cash - Bull Rider

1. Bumble Bee Twist (The Wasp) -- The Ventures -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. Angry Charlie -- Generationals -- Con Law
3. When They Fight -- Generationals -- Con Law
4. Wildlife -- Generationals -- Con Law
5. Ancestors -- Throw Me The Statue -- Creaturesque
6. Lolita -- Throw Me The Statue -- Moonbeams
7. About To Walk -- Throw Me The Statue -- About To Walk
8. Welfare Bread -- King Khan & The Shrines -- What Is?!
9. 69 Faces of Love -- King Khan & The Shrines -- What Is?!
10. No Regrets -- King Khan & The Shrines -- What Is?!
11. Bull Rider -- Johnny Cash -- The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983
12. Jolene -- The White Stripes -- B-Sides
13. Nail It Down -- The Drones -- Havilah
14. Marie -- Steve Earle -- Townes
15. Goin' Home -- Dan Auerbach -- Keep It Hid

Caught on the In Between Playlist 05-26-09

2009-05-30T20:43:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-21T07:32:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-15T07:59:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-08T14:23:00.003-04:00

"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

2009-05-06T08:24:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-06T08:06:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-06T08:01:00.002-04:00

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

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-17-09

2009-04-20T21:04:00.002-04:00

1. Rioja -- Aquamen -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. Sorry You're Sick -- Ted Hawkins -- Ted Hawkins
3. On The Beach -- The Paragons -- Version Galore 2
4. Tide Is High -- The Paragons -- Version Galore 2
5. The Same Song -- The Paragons -- Version Galore 2
6. Tom Drunk -- U-Roy and Hopetown Lewis -- 200% Dynamite
7. Drive Her Home -- U-Roy and Hopetown Lewis -- Version Galore
8. Take It Easy -- Hopetown Lewis -- The Story of Jamaican Music -- '58-'67
9. Sounds & Pressure -- Hopetown Lewis -- 200% Dynamite
10. Everything I Own -- Ken Boothe -- The Story of Jamaican Music -- '68-'74
11. Bad Card -- Bob Marley & The Wailers -- Uprising
12. Uptown Top Ranking -- Althea & Donna -- Uptown Top Ranking
13. No, No, No -- Dawn Penn -- Studio One Rockers
14. Many Are Called -- The I-Threes --
15. Dancing Mood -- Delroy Wilson -- The Story of Jamaican Music -- '58-'67
16. Mi Believe (Summer Holiday) -- Yellowman -- King Yellowman
17. Police & Thieves -- Junior Murvin -- Police & Thieves

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-10-09

2009-04-20T20:57:00.003-04:00

"I think I do."
"I know I do."

1. Wipe Out -- The Challengers --
2. Words of Love -- Jessica Lea Mayfield -- Sweetheart
3. Is THis Love? (with Dan Auerbach) -- Jessica Lea Mayfield -- With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt
4. Kiss Me Again -- Jessica Lea Mayfield -- With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt
5. Whispered Words (Pretty Lies) -- Dan Auerbach -- Keep It Hid
6. When The Night Comes -- Dan Auerbach -- Keep It Hid
7. Ya No Te Veria Mas -- Rocha -- The Hottest State Soundtrack
8. Somewhere Down The Road -- Feist -- The Hottest State Soundtrack
9. It Will Stay With Us -- Jesse Harris -- The Hottest State Soundtrack
10. Always Seem To Get Things Wrong -- Willie Nelson -- The Hottest State Soundtrack
11. Big Old House -- Bright Eyes -- The Hottest State Soundtrack
12. Lonely No More -- Magnet -- Simple Life
13. One Red Thread -- Blind Pilot -- 3 Rounds and a Sound
14. I'm An Animal -- Neko Case -- Middle Cyclone
15. This Tornado Loves You -- Neko Case -- Middle Cyclone
16. Lady Madonna -- The Beatles -- Love
17. Art Isn't Real (City of Sin) -- Deer Tick -- War Elephant

Caught on the In Between Playlist 03-03-09

2009-04-20T20:40:00.001-04:00

1. Back Beat -- The Challengers -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. Brother Sport -- Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. My Girls -- Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavilion
4. Summertime Clothes -- Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavilion
5. Paper Planes -- M.I.A. -- Kala
6. El Pico -- Ratatat -- Ratatat
7. Lament -- James Hardway -- A Positive Sweat
8. A Ghosts Business -- Dosh -- The Lost Take
9. O Mexico -- Dosh -- The Lost Take
10. MPLS Rock and Roll -- Dosh -- The Lost Take
11. Bird Watching at Inner Forest -- Cornelius -- Point
12. Drop -- Cornelius -- Point
13. Remember -- Air -- Moon Safari
14. Shampoo -- Elvis Perkins in Dreamland -- Elvis Perkins in Dreamland
15. Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville -- Elvis Perkins in Dreamland -- Elvis Perkins in Dreamland

Caught on the In Between Playlist 02-17-09

2009-04-20T20:38:00.000-04:00

1. The Godfather -- Satan's Pilgrims -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. She Made Me Love -- Nathan Moore -- You Yeah Smokin' Hot
3. Now We Can See -- The Thermals -- Now We Can See
4. Let Them Ring The Bells -- The Little One's -- Sing Song EP
5. Snow Is Gone -- Josh Ritter -- Hello Starling
6. Don't Haunt This Place -- The Rural Alberta Advantage -- Hometowns
7. Waiting On A War -- Morning Benders -- Hear Ya Live 6/17/08
8. Mississippi Squirrel Revival -- Ray Stevens
9. Never Had Nobody Like You -- M. Ward -- Hold Time
10. Monolith -- T. Rex -- Electric Warrior
11. Sun -- Hacienda -- Loud Is The NIght
12. Stick By Me -- John Holt -- The Story of Jamaican Music '68 - '74
13. Don't Lose Your Cool -- Ted Hawkins -- Watch Your Step
14. Korean Dogwood -- Devendra Banhart -- Cripple Crow
15. What'd I Say -- Ray Charles -- Essential Collection
16. Dream A Little Dream -- Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong -- Ella & Satchmo

Caught on the In Between Playlist 02-10-09

2009-02-16T10:13:00.003-05:00

"They mess around in every town
But now they've learned the rules
They used to be rough,
They used to be tough
But now they're keeping cool

They don't fight, they look just right
In their tonics and button downs
If you see them around,
Don't put them down
They're the coolest guys in town" -- The Specials - Rude Boys Outta Jail

"He's got deductions right on down the line/Dependent claims on all of mankind/Have no fear he's right here drinking beer just trying to get down" -- Jeff Tweedy - The Ruling Class

"Look Miles Davis, I've been swayed by the cool/There's just something about the summertime/There's just something about the moon" -- The Gaslight Anthem - Miles Davis & The Cool

1. Cruel Sea -- The Challengers -- Killer Surf! The Best of the Challengers
2. The Ruling Class -- Jeff Tweedy -- Sunken Treasure
3. California Stars -- Jeff Tweedy -- Sunken Treasure
4. The Door Was Always Open -- Joe Pug -- Daytrotter Sessions
5. High Lonesome -- The Gaslight Anthem -- '59 Sound
6. Meet Me By The River's Edge -- The Gaslight Anthem -- '59 Sound
7. Miles Davis & The Cool -- The Gaslight Anthem -- '59 Sound
8. Nite Club -- The Specials -- The Singles Collection
9. Rude Boys Outta Jail -- The Specials -- The Singles Collection
10. Gangsters -- The Specials -- The Singles Collection
11. Too Much Too Young -- The Specials -- The Singles Collection
12. Me Llaman Calle -- Manu Chao -- La Radiolina
13. Indian Summer -- Chicha LIbre -- Sonido Amazonico
14. 'Deed I Do -- Blossom Dearie -- Blossom Dearie
15. Tout Doucement -- Blossom Dearie -- Blossom Dearie
16. Howl -- Musikanto -- HearYa Live Session 01-08-09
17. Lost and Found -- Phoenix -- It's Never Been Like That

Caught on the In Between Playlist 02-03-09

2009-02-04T15:47:00.007-05:00

"They say true talent will always emerge in time" -- The Clash - Hitsville UK

"It has been said not only here --
'Alianza dollars are spent
To raise the towering buildings
For the weary bones of the workers
To go back in the morning
To be strong in the morning'" -- Joe Strummer - Up In Heaven (Not Only Here)

I've always been intrigued by bands that don't concern themselves with musical boundaries. Bands that are free to try different music styles. I've been in bands before and played music with others before and there's a certain feeling you can have when playing that just feels so free. It's a moment when you feel like you can play anything and your friends and bandmates are right there with you and you're unstoppable and everything just clicks. It's more of a way of thinking. Or rather, more of a way of subconciousness. It's not concerning yourself with boundaries. And even further--not realizing that you're not concerning yourself and not aware that there should even be boundaries. It's a complete openness of thought. But often times it's only for a moment. Only for a song. And then it's gone. And it can't be forced back. It may or may not come back.

There are bands out there that seem to live in this moment all the time. The Clash were one of those bands. They started out in the late '70's in London as a punk band alongside the Sex Pistols and The Damned but weren't confined to that type of music as narrow-minded punks often can be. The Clash were musicians and they reached out and responded to many different types of music throughout their careers. Lead singer Joe Strummer's heart was rooted in rhythm and blues, guitarist/singer Mick Jones' in rock 'n' roll, bassist Paul Simmonon's in reggae, and drummer Topper Headon's in all things with an off-beat. And they pulled all of these influences and loves into their music and they were open and free and made some of the most inspirational and incredible music of all time.

In 1980 they released the album Sandinista! that displayed all of these genres in it's 36 songs spread across 3 records. Showing their consideration for their fans and their music, they elected to not take any royalties on the album in order to release it at a double-album price.

The name of the album is a reference to the Nicaraguan political party that had just come to power a year prior to the release of the album.

It's a great album start to finish, bursting with various musical genres. Check it out.

1. Mr. Moto -- The Lively Ones -- Surfrock Extravaganza
2. Police On My Back -- The Clash -- Sandinista
3. The Leader -- The Clash -- Sandinista
4. Up In Heaven (Not Only Here) -- The Clash -- Sandinista
5. Junco Partner -- The Clash -- Sandinista
6. One More Time -- The Clash -- Sandinista
7. The Magnificent Seven -- The Clash -- Sandinista
8. Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice -- The Clash -- Sandinista
9. Ivan Meets GI Joe -- The Clash -- Sandinista
10. Hitsville UK -- The Clash -- Sandinista
11. Charlie Don't Surf -- The Clash -- Sandinista
12. Somebody Got Murdered -- The Clash -- Sandinista
13. The Call Up -- The Clash -- Sandinista

Caught on the In Between Playlist 01-28-09

2009-01-28T09:09:00.005-05:00

"I left my home in Norfolk, VA, California on my mind." -- Chuck Berry - The Promised Land

Me too, Chuck. In 1998 I pulled away from Norfolk, Virginia in my Isuzu Trooper with California on my mind. I spent six nights on the road (mainly Hwy 40) between VA and my aunt and uncle's house in Phoenix, AZ and it was one of the best and most important weeks of my life. I remember it being a hot summer so I would drive only in my shorts--no shirt, no shoes--and I was listening to a lot of Bad Religion at the time. Specifically Suffer and How Could Hell Be Any Worse. I had a case of Mountain Dew and a multiple bags of pretzels and my camera. And that's how I drove 'cross country solo for the first time in my life.

Reading Kerouac's Dharma Bums while drinking wine in my tent next to the French Broad River outside of Asheville, NC on the first night of my trip threw me into the road trip/adventure mentality that would fuel the rest of my voyage. When a slow moving train chugged by on the other side of the river, I could barely hold myself back from hopping aboard and hobo-ing it to wherever the train was heading. I just may have done it if the train wasn't heading East. I was Westbound and down.

On Beale St. in Memphis I felt the need to completely immerse myself in the culture so I ordered some gumbo while I watched a 3-man blues band wail in front of me. Not thinking that gumbo usually is filled with some kind of shellfish (my archnemesis) I spent the rest of the night sucking on ice cubes to make my throat swelling go down.

The next day at Graceland and Sun Studios I saw where many of the most listened-to and important tunes were imagined and laid down to wax. I also saw where many of the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches were made and consumed.

A few days later, I saw the plateaus and buttes of New Mexico for the first time with my own eyes and I knew that I was headed in the right direction. Seeing the sun rise over the Grand Canyon on the last morning of my voyage was the perfect way to ease my way off of the road and to my new home.

Below are some great songs that I played this week on the show and if I'd known about them ten years ago, I may have listened to them on my road trip. Or maybe I would have stuck with Bad Religion.

Of the below tunes, I'm currently most excited about Musikanto. He's a Chicago rocker about whom I don't know much, but I do know that I love the two songs that I played. Search the blogs to find copies for yourself or, better yet, go to CD Baby and buy a copy to help him out.

1. Have Love Will Travel -- The Sonics -- Here Are The Sonics!!
2. Misty Morning -- Musikanto -- Ghost Pain
3. Ain't Your Rock -- Musikanto -- Ghost Pain
4. Old Man Jude -- Red Cortez
5. World At Rest -- Red Cortez
6. Seven Mile Island -- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit -- Seven Mile Island
7. Trouble Weighs A Ton -- Dan Auerbach -- Keep It Hid
8. One More Cup of Coffee -- Roger McGuinn & Calexico -- I'm Not There (Disc 1)
9. I Won't Be Found -- The Tallest Man on Earth -- Shallow Grave
10. The Promised Land -- Chuck Berry -- Reelin' And Rockin'
11. Maybellene -- Chuck Berry -- The Anthology
12. Dear Dad -- Chuck Berry -- Chess 1926
13. Red River Rock -- Johnny And The Hurricanes -- Yesterday's Gold
14. Come On Let's Go -- Ritchie Valens -- Richie Valens
15. Rave On -- Buddy Holly -- Baby Love Vol 2
16. Maybe Baby -- Buddy Holly -- American Graffiti Soundtrack
17. That's All Right -- Elvis -- Platinum: A Life In Music (disc 1)
18. I Met Him On A Sunday -- Shirelles
19. You Send Me -- Sam Cooke -- Greatest Hits

2009-01-22T21:55:00.004-05:00

"It's a wonderful time to be here. It's nice to be alive." -- Devo - Beautiful World

"There are nights that I think that Sal Paradise was right. Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together." -- The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations

"How you get a rude and a-reckless? Don't you be so crude and a feckless. You been drinking brew for breakfast." -- The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail

"The weekend is coming soon. Well it's time to pick yourself up off the floor. Well let's grab a case of lager and some old beat up shoes." -- Dr. Dog - The Weekend

"Someday some morning sometime, sometime. I'd like to hold your hand in mine." -- Billy Bragg and Wilco - Someday, Some Morning, Sometime

1. Disintegration -- The Ready Men
2. Beautiful World -- Devo -- Duty Now For The Future
3. Cool, Cool River -- Paul Simon -- The Rhythm of the Saints
4. Let's Go Crazy -- The Clash -- Sandinista
5. Stuck Between Stations -- The Hold Steady -- Boys And Girls In America
6. Long Distance Call -- Phoenix -- It's Never Been Like That
7. East -- Marah -- 20,000 Streets Under The Sky
8. Salga La Luna -- Mano Negra -- Patchanka
9. Rudie Can't Fail -- The Clash -- London Calling
10. Kids -- MGMT -- Oracular Spectacular
11. Will You Return? -- The Avett Brothers -- Emotionalism
12. Wagon Wheel -- Old Crow Medicine Show -- O.C.M.S.
13. Weekend -- Dr. Dog -- We All Belong
14. What Am I Living For? -- Danny and the Velairs
15. Someday Some Morning Sometime -- Billy Bragg & Wilco -- Mermaid Avenue Vol 2
16. Summer Breeze -- Jackie Mittoo -- The Keyboard King at Studio One

Caught on the In Between Playlist 01-06-09

2009-01-07T12:14:00.004-05:00

"You can have all the diamonds. You can have all the gold. But someday you're still gonna get old. You've gotta learn to get happy along the way." Diamonds and Gold by Langhorne Slim

I had a blast on the show last night. Thanks for listening.

Quick tidbits on the show:

Henry Clay People list their influences as Neil Young, Pavement, and Dire Straits. Definitely hear the Pavement influence. I also hear a bit of The Hold Steady, Ted Leo, and The Thermals. This is an excellent straight up rock and roll band--the kind that plays to a beer-soaked crowd in a small bar. Surprisingly they come from Los Angeles, but don't hold that against them.

Dan Auerbach is the singing/guitar-slaying half of The Black Keys. He's got a solo album coming out called Keep It Hid. The song I played is from that album. He also produced the much heralded band, Hacienda. If you're a fan of Dr. Dog then you'll be a fan of this San Antonio based band.

"Restless" by Langhorne Slim is an exceptional song. His s/t album that recently came out is much fuller and more complete than any release he's had to date. "Diamonds and Gold"s lyrics are the truth. If you didn't like his earlier stuff, this album is still worth listening to as it may change your mind.

I played two tunes by a couple local dudes. One was Kelly Ravin's "Those Days" and the other was Paddy Reagan's cover of John Prine's "My Mexican Home". If you live in the Burlington area, do not miss a chance to see these guys. They play a lot at the Skinny Pancake and also the Monkey House. Paddy is the booking guy at The Monkey House and he's really turned that place around and has put on some incredible shows there over the past year. The songs I played came from Jonah's website of live locally recorded tunes www.VermontLivemusic.com. He records a ton of shows around town and makes the mp3s available to download for free on this site, so go check it out. There is a great show of Paddy Reagan, Kelly Ravin, and Lowell Thompson all playing an acoustic set together that is worth your first download.

1. I Live For Cars And Girls -- Untamed Youth -- Untamed Melodies
2. Working Part Time -- The Henry Clay People -- For Cheap or For Free
3. Something In The Water -- The Henry Clay People -- For Cheap or For Free
4. This Ain't A Scene -- The Henry Clay People -- For Cheap or For Free
5. I Want Some More -- Dan Auerbach -- Keep It Hid
6. She's Got A Hold On Me -- Hacienda -- Loud Is The Night
7. Restless -- Langhorne Slim -- Langhorne Slim
8. Diamonds and Gold -- Langhorne Slim -- Langhorne Slim
9. Radio Song -- The Felice Brothers -- The Felice Brothers
10. Frankie's Gun -- The Felice Brothers -- The Felice Brothers
11. Wonderful Life -- The Felice Brothers -- The Felice Brothers
12. Early In The Morning -- Bobby Darin -- The Bobby Darin Story
13. Your Love (Outfield Cover) -- Bon Iver -- Live at Music Hall of Williamsburg
14. Blood Bank -- Bon Iver -- Blood Bank EP
15. Those Days -- Kelly Ravin Trio -- 5/2/08 Skinny Pancake
16. My Mexican Home -- Paddy Reagan -- 5/13/08 Monkey House
17. River Song -- Dennis Wilson -- Pacific Ocean Blue
18. Blue Ridge Mountains -- Fleet Foxes -- Fleet Foxes
19. Grace Cathedral Hill -- The Decemberists -- Castaways and Cutouts

Caught on the In Between Playlist 12-30-08

2009-01-03T17:53:00.003-05:00

“If there’s something inside that you wanna say. Say it out loud it’ll be okay.” The Beta Band – Dry The Rain

Adios 2008. Hola 2009. Game on and get ready for a good year.

Surf rock started it off as it always does. “Pabst Blue Ribbon” (my pop’s go to brew) by the Untamed Youth (best surf rock band name ever) set off the last Caught on the In Between broadcast of 2008. I can truly say that this has been one of the best years of my life and there’s no reason that 2009 shouldn't be the same if not better.

Keeping the surf feeling alive on a cold night, we jumped into “Do You Wanna Dance?” by the So Cal boys, The Beach Boys, next. They are one of the great, unique American bands and about the best thing that you can listen to in the summer. It feels like a long way from summer on this cold, 8 degree January night.

Lowell Thompson is a local rocker that I’ve played many times on my show and is my favorite local artist. His list of influences on his myspace page reads like my iTunes. He has a full length s/t album out there that was my album of the summer of 2006 and has been in constant rotation since, but he’s finally coming out with a new one at some point this winter. For the next set of tunes, I played three that Lowell recorded with his band (Bill Mullins – lead guitar, Kirk Flanagan – Bass, and Steve Hadeka – drums) at Egan Media in Colchester, VT on 11/17/08. I got the recordings from local recording maestro Jonah’s website (www.vermontlivemusic.com), so go scoop them for yourself. The song names aren’t listed on the website, so I made up song names for each based on some of the lyrics. The one that I called “Black Butterfly” is actually a Bill Mullins song and is sung by him. Bill is now in yet another band, The Persian Claws, which I caught at Tick Tick’s White Wind last month and they are yet another great BM production.

After the set of Lowell, we jumped into the Akron, OH, artsy fartsy boys, Devo with a great, lesser known tune by them called Come Back Jonee off of their debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Next up was Les Sans Culottes with Poupee De Cire and rounding out the set was the Amherst, Mass, folk/rock/gypsy band Rusty Belle with Hellion Song off of their S/T album. I caught them this summer at the excellent Langdon St Café down in Montpelier and they rocked a packed, sweaty, beer soaked house. And it was awesome. Check them out whenever they come up, especially if they play to the great crowds at Langdon St.

For the next set of tunes I focused on The Beta Band. Beta Band were a band that started in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1996 and lasted until about 2004. They released 4 excellent studio albums (including the 3 EP’s compilation), my favorite being 3 EP’s, but most people probably know them from a scene in the John Cusack film High Fidelity. In the scene, Cusack is talking to Todd Louiso at the record store in which they work and says “I will now sell five copies of The 3EP’s by the Beta band” and then turns on the song Dry The Rain. And slowly you start to see heads bobbing. Here’s the link to the scene on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJAkN4m9bY

We heard Dry the Rain and also heard two songs off of their Hot Shots II album – Broke and Quiet.

Closing out the show, I slowed it down a bit like I usually do. First off came Birds by Emiliana Torrini from her Me and Arminin album. The breakdown and subsequent rise back up with drums in this song is awesome. And lastly, I played the very appropriate “I Must Be In A Good Place Now” covered by Vetiver on their Things of the Past album. This song was originally done by Bobby Charles.

1. Pabst Blue Ribbon -- Untamed Youth -- Untamed Melodies
2. Do You Wanna Dance? -- The Beach Boys -- Sounds of Summer
3. Last Girl -- Lowell Thompson Band -- From 11/17/08 Egan Media
4. Black Butterfly -- Lowell Thompson Band -- From 11/17/08 Egan Media
5. More Than It Hurts Me -- Lowell Thompson Band -- From 11/17/08 Egan Media
6. Come Back Jonee -- Devo -- Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
7. Poupee De Cire -- Les Sans Culottes -- Fixation Orale
8. Hellion Song -- Rusty Belle -- Rusty Belle
9. Broke -- The Beta Band -- Hot Shots II
10. Dry The Rain -- The Beta Band -- 3 EP's
11. Quiet -- The Beta Band -- Hot Shots II
12. Birds -- Emiliana Torrini -- Me And Armini
13. I Must Be In A Good Place Now -- Vetiver -- Things Of The Past

Caught on the In Between Playlist 12-16-08

2008-12-29T10:22:00.002-05:00

“Put some records on while I pour…” Bing Crosby to Doris Day in ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’

I’m a sucker for holiday music.

Baby, Its Cold Outside and Blue Christmas are the two best xmas tunes ever. However, I heard a couple great new ones this year—The Waitresses ‘Christmas Wrapping’ and Brett Dennen’s ‘The Holidays Are Here And We’re Still At War’.

Someday Some Morning Sometime is probably my favorite tune of this set. Billy Bragg and Wilco were contacted by Nora Guthrie, daughter to Woody Guthrie, to put music to some of her father’s lyrics and they came out with the two volumes of Mermaid Avenue. This song has some great lyrics and Jeff Tweedy’s voice is perfect for it, although I long to hear Woody sing this one.

If you live in Vermont, get out to see the Starline Rhythm Boys live—they put on an awesome honky tonk show. The song I played, Texacos and Roadmaps, is all about hitting the road and living a life of ramblin’ around. “…I’ve streamlined my life back, to Texacos and roadmaps…” Sounds good to me.

1. Christmas Weekend – Los Straitjackets – ‘Tis The Season For Los Straitjackets
2. Always Wanting More – Jay Reatard – Matador Singles ‘08
3. Set In Stone – Catfish Haven – Devastator
4. Cheer – Descendents – Somery
5. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Doris Day & Bing Crosby
6. Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley – Elvis’ Christmas Album
7. Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry
8. I Met Him On A Sunday – Shirelles
9. The Coast – Paul Simon – The Rhythm of the Saints
10. Mi Confesion – Gotan Project Feat. Koxmoz – Lunatico
11. Truckin’ Trees For Christmas – Red Simpson
12. Texacos and Roadmaps – Starline Rhythm Boys – Better Luck is a Barroom Away
13. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys – Sounds of Summer
14. Santa Claus Blues – Champion Jack Dupree
15. Someday Some Morning Sometime – Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue Volume 2
16. Sunken Treasure – Jeff Tweedy – Sunken Treasure
17. Two Hearts – Chris Isaak – San Francisco Days
18. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
19. What Peer Pressure – Tan Analog

Caught on the In Between Playlist 12-08-08

2008-12-29T10:19:00.003-05:00

"We’ve been waiting so long, for someone to come along…" Death 'Politicians In My Eye'

I’ve lived in Vermont for 4 and a half years and during that time I’ve seen a ton of great shows. The bigger – The Decemberists, DeVotchka, Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams, Dr. Dog, Against Me!, Feist at the Flynn, Old Crow Medicine Show, Wilco, Gogol Bordello, etc—and the smaller—In Memory of Pluto, Lowell Thompson, the Radio Bean birthdays, Honky Tonk Tuesdays, The Husbands AKA, Barbacoa, etc—but no show has been more hyped up than the Rough Francis shows over the weekend of 12/6. They came out of nowhere, but immediately it was all the talk around town. Their unique story helped to fuel the fire and the mystery kept it going strong. The story goes a bit like this…

Back in 1974, the brothers Hackney (David, Daryl, & Bobby Sr.) were a rock n roll band playing in their grandmother’s garage in Detroit. They went by the name Death and released a self-recorded demo that gained a lot of ground and attention around the punk, r&b, Motown, and rock’n’roll crowds of Detroit. Eventually the demo found its way to Clive Davis who was at Columbia Records at the time. He offered them a record contract with the stipulation that they had to change their name. They wouldn’t budge on the name and thus he didn’t offer them the contract. Eventually Death split up and Daryl and Bobby Sr. made their way to Vermont and have been playing roots reggae music ever since with the band Lambs Bread International. It seemed that, like many bands over the years, Death had seen their day and would soon be lost and forgotten.

And for the most part they were, until one of this generations Hackneys was out at a party in California and heard the demo being played. He called his dad and told him that the demo had started being played in some underground parties and clubs and was picking up a cult following. Needless to say, Bobby Sr. was shocked. Fast forward a couple months and Drag City Records will finally be releasing the album in Feb ’09 and Rough Francis set up 3 shows over 6 days playing the demo in its entirety.

I caught all three shows and all were excellent, but the standout was definitely the very first show at 242 Main on Friday. The show at the Monkey House on Saturday was cool due to the fact that I was standing up front next to Bobby Hackney Sr. as he watched his sons play the songs that he had written over 30 years ago in their grandmother’s garage. According to Bobby Jr., Rough Francis will be staying together as a band and will be writing some of their own music, but I’m sure they’ll keep some Death tunes in their live sets. They are a band to keep on your radar, so if you see that they are playing around town, get off your couch and go check them out.

In honor of these shows, I started off the show (after the intro surf rock version of California Sun by Dick Dale) with two of the Death songs that came from their original demo—Keep on Knockin and Politicians in My Eye. These mp3s are around the Net, so look for them and get yourself a copy. They’re great tunes and they’ll get you pumped up to get what Bobby Jr. calls “the best record I’ve heard in my entire life” when it comes out in Feb.

I kept the punk going for the rest of that set with the Descendents tune Suburban Home, The Buzzcocks Ever Fallen In Love?, and finally Television’s Venus from their incredible album Marque Moon.

For the next set I played some music that would be very hard to classify. I started off the set with Washington Bullets by The Clash which I believe is on their triple album, Sandinista!. Following that I played a song from the Diplo produced mix-tape, Top Ranking, featuring Santogold and Movado called L.E.S. Artistes which has one of the most catchy melodies I’ve heard in awhile. Diplo is a great DJ/producer who has put out a bunch of great mix-tapes and as well as did most of the beats to M.I.A.’s phenomenal album, Arular. Next up was Parade by Pretty Girls Make Graves. They can be hit and miss, but I really like their Elan Vital album that this song comes from. It’s mostly punk-ish music, but this one has a slower beat to it and also a great melody. This set finished up with Vampire Weekend’s The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance off of their excellent self-titled album that came out over the last couple years. These guys get a lot of flack from people, probably b/c of the amount of attention they got from the press this year, but I’m a big fan b/c of their obvious Paul Simon influence.

Ted Hawkins dominated the next set with Watch Your Step and If You Love Me, two fantastic tunes off of his album, Watch Your Step. Next we we jumped into a little of the legendary Sam Cooke next with Bring It On Home To Me and then finished off the show with Donovan’s Colours, a song all about my favorite time of the day—morning.

1. California Sun – Dick Dale – Unknown Territory
2. Keep on Knockin – Death – Demo
3. Politicians in My Eye – Death – Demo
4. Suburban Home – Descendents – Milo Goes To College
5. Ever Fallen In Love? – The Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady
6. Venus – Television – Marquee Moon
7. Washington Bullets – The Clash – The Clash On Broadway
8. L.E.S. Artistes (feat. Movado) – Santogold – Top Ranking
9. Parade – Pretty Girls Make Graves – Elan Vital
10. The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance – Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
11. Watch Your Step – Ted Hawkins – Watch Your Step
12. If You Love Me – Ted Hawkins – Watch Your Step
13. Bring It On Home To Me – Sam Cooke – Greatest Hits
14. Colours – Donovan – Donovan’s Greatest Hits

Tim...

2008-12-05T10:38:00.001-05:00

Quit creepin on my blog!

Caught on the In Between Playlist -- 12/02/08

2008-12-02T22:38:00.003-05:00

I'm listening to an excellent Ted Hawkins album as I type this. My little bro sent this on to me today and it's great thus far. It's a crazy blend of 50's rock, honky tonk, rock 'n' roll, motown, R&B, etc. I can't really place this guy. It's great and it's an album like I've never heard before.

I think that going forward I'm going to have my show from 8-9pm and then Frank will come in for his show from 9-10pm. He's not quite ready to run his own show yet, although I'd argue his dj skills are much better than mine, he's still learning all the controls. I have fun with him in there and I get to learn a bunch of tunes from him, so I see no problem in this set up. I'll be director-slash-choreographer of his talent show.

So during my hour I set it off in the usual surf-rock style with a tune by Los Straitjackets. It was a tune that I'm sure everyone knows and loves and it's one we really only play around this time of year--Jingle Bell Rock. The past few months have been on hyper speed. I can't believe it's already December 2nd.

After that tune I jumped into a set featuring Calexico's 2nd album, The Black Light. I've been a huge Calexico fan for many years and it was the sound of this album that originally attracted me to them. I was living down in Southern California and the mix of having both the desert and Mexico close by made the sounds of Calexico sound so great to me. I'm always attracted to music that is relevant to the area in which I'm living. After reading about then somewhere, either the internet or the OC Weekly, I drove up to Spaceland in LA to check them out. The show was phenomenal and I've been a fan ever since. That first show was more their rock 'n' roll side, but if you go see them now they have tons over other instruments -- blaring mexican trumpets, slide guitar, etc, etc and it's a much more eclectic show. Over the years they've put out tons of albums since 1996, but The Black Light was their 2nd and really the one that put them on the mariachi/spaghetti western/surf/twang/50's jazz map and it's the one that has the sound that attracted me so I did a short feature on this album tonight.

After the Calexico set I played a song by Emiliana Torrini, whom I found out about by seeing her album in the studio and being "drawn" to her picture on the cover. I'm not usually that much of a pushover based on an album cover, but this is a good one. I took a chance on it and it turns out that it's great and very creative. Last week I played the title track to the album and tonight I played the song called Jungle Drum. Both are great into songs to her music.

After her, we heard Marah's Angels on a Passing Train off of their latest album, Angels of Destruction! I did a feature set on them back on 7/22, so check out that write up for more info on them. Great Boss-esque rock'n'roll from Philly.

The set was wrapped up with a Richmond, VA, guy by the name of David Shultz. The song was Apples and it's off his album Sinner's Gold.

Next we jumped into a set by Session Americana fronted by Rose Polenzani. A couple months ago my buddy JJ and I rolled down to Montpelier to check out Army of Fun's Langdon St Block Party outside of Langdon St. Cafe, which is the 2nd best coffee shop (2nd to Radio Bean, of course) in VT. Potentially, 2nd best I've been to in my life. It's a shop run by an artist collective and it's very comfortable inside, with mis-matched furniture/lights, a nice wooden bar, great coffee, great music, great art, and great beers. This summer they had the 2nd annual (I think) block party and it was totally awesome. There were a bunch of great bands playing all day outside--Prodigal String Band, Amapola, Rusty Belle, Rose Polenzanie w/ Session Americana, and a few others. I had heard of Session Americana before, but had never seen them. They were fronted that night by Rose Polenzani who is usually a solo act, but recently put out an album with them as her backing band. A live show by them consists of them sitting around a small cafe table, with beers and mics on top, and lot's of acoustic instruments ranging from guitars, banjos, mandolins, to harmonicas, small organs, and a suitcase drum kit. It's a very comforting set-up and they're damn good at the music they play. I played three tunes off of the album she recently released with them. I'd like to get one of their albums as well.

After that set we jumped into a set beginning with a song that has meant a lot to me right now called "See The World" by Gomez. The words are great and very pertinent to my life right now. Next up was a tune by a band called Two Cow Garage that I read about on No Depression magazine's new website. Song was called "Swingset Assassin" and it's a solid song with some good lyrics. Finishing up the set was a tune off of the latest Josh Ritter album called Good Man. Another fitting jam right now.

I finished my portion of the show before Frank got there with a Ted Hawkins tune called "Sorry You're Sick", which I just got today from my little brother, then an Old Crow Medicine Show tune from their new album, Tennessee Pusher, called Methamphetamine, and finally my favorite Beatles song, Don't Let Me Down, that I dedicated to Frank as he chose some songs to play.

Frank took to the controls next and played his latin jams. Thanks for listening. See you next week.

Sully
1. Los Straitjackets -- Jingle Bell Rock -- Tis' the Season For Los Straitjackets
2. Calexico -- Gypsy's Curse -- The Black Light
3. Calexico -- Frontera -- The Black Light
4. Calexico -- Stray -- The Black Light
5. Calexico -- Trigger -- The Black Light
6. Emiliana Torrini -- Jungle Drum -- Me and Armini
7. Marah -- Angels on a Passing Train -- Angels of Destruction!
8. David Shultz -- Apples -- Sinner's Gold
9. Rose Polenzani W/ Session Americana -- If I Could Hit You -- When The River Meets The Sea
10. Rose Polenzani W/ Session Americana -- You Were Drunk -- When The River Meets The Sea
11. Rose Polenzani W/ Session Americana -- The Soft Parts -- When The River Meets The Sea
12. Gomez -- See The World -- How We Operate
13. Two Cow Garage -- Swingset Assassin -- Speaking in Cursive
14. Josh Ritter -- Good Man -- The Animal Years
15. Ted Hawkins -- Sorry You're Sick -- Watch Your Step
16. Old Crow Medicine Show -- Methamphetamine -- Tennessee Pusher
17. The Beatles -- Don't Let Me Down -- Let It Be...Naked

Frank
1. La Jente Del Pais -- Cantares de Navidad
2. Luis Vargas -- El Envidioso
3. Frank Reyes -- Quien Eres Tu
4. Carlos Vives -- Fruta Tresca
5. Frankie Ruiz -- Te Estoy Estudiando
6. Kinito Mendez -- El Bocinon
7. Joe Veras -- Intentalo Tu
8. Luis Vargas -- Volvio El Dolar
9. Johnny Ventura -- Merenguero Hasta La Tambora

Caught on the In Between shows -- 11/18 - 11/25

2008-12-01T21:55:00.004-05:00

The last two shows have been invaded by a ball of energy from the Dominican Republic, commonly referred to in the US as Frank. I help teach a weekly ESL class at Fletcher Free Library and that's how I came to know Frank. He's always the most talkative, and most flirtatious with the ladies, person in the class so he always makes the class fun. Frank moved here about 4-5 months ago and I still don't fully understand how he chose Vermont. But nevertheless he's here and he's very nervous about the upcoming winter as he's never, ever experienced a winter to the caliber of what nature provides up here. In the DR, he worked as a firefighter but also moonlighted as a journalist and sports DJ on the radio, so he was totally in his environment in the studio. All of his music is still down in the DR, so he was playing songs through YouTube on the studio PC. Not the best quality, but that didn't stop Frank. As with most Latinos, he can't sit still during a song. He was a dance machine, moving and shaking, laughing and singing all throughout the small studio. A couple times he turned up the mics and told me to clap into them to the beat. He's a force of nature.

We're in the process of setting Frank up with his own weekly show. He's hoping for a 2 hour time slot either Friday or Saturday night. It will be a great show and a great introduction into Latin music for Vermonters. The show title -- Sabor Latino (translates to "Latin Flavor").

Here are the playlists from the last two shows.

11/18 Playlist
1. Bio Ritmo -- Seguiras Criticando -- Bionico
2. Chicha Libre -- un Shipibo en Espana -- Sonido Amazonico
3. Juan Luis Guerra -- La Cosquillita
4. Frankie Ruiz -- Puerto Rico -- Los Maestros de la Salsa
5. Paul Simon -- Gumboots -- Graceland
6. Generation X -- Triumph -- Perfect Hits 1975 - 1981
7. Hector Lavoe -- Timbalero
8. Johnny Ventura -- Merengue Hasta La Tambora
9. Juan Luis Guerra -- A Pedir Su Mano
10. Nat King Cole -- Quizas, Quizas, Quizas
11. Manu Chao -- La Vacaloca -- Proxima Estacion: Esperanza
12. Julio Jaramillo -- Fatalidad

11/25 Playlist
1. Dick Dale -- Caravan -- Tribal Thunder
2. Les Sans Culottes -- Allo Allo -- Fixation Orale
3. Jay Reatard -- An Ugly Death -- Matador Singles '08
4. New Pornographers -- Electric Version -- Electric Version
5. Kings of Leon -- Velvet Snow -- Aha Shake Heartbreak
6. Little Ones -- Lovers Who Uncover -- Sing Song EP
7. The Raveonettes -- Great Love Sound -- TBA
8. Michael Franti & Spearhead -- Say Hey (I Love You) -- All Rebel Rockers
9. Paul Simon -- Kodachrome -- Concert in the Park 8/15/91
10. Beirut -- Nantes -- Black Session: Studio 104 Maison de Radio France
11. Yo La Tengo -- You can Have It All -- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
12. TV on the Radio -- Province -- Return to Cookie Mountain
13. Life Without Buildings -- The Leanover -- Any Other City
14. Thao and the Get Down Stay Down -- Geography -- We Brave Bee Stings & All
15. Bio Ritmo -- Chuleta -- Bionico
16. Emiliana Torrini -- Me & Armini -- Me & Armini
17. Jehro -- Shantytown Carnival -- Jehro
18. Ry Cooder & Manuel Galban -- Echale Salsita -- Mambo Sinuendo
19. The Slickers -- Johnny Too Bad -- The Harder They Come
20. Felix Del Rosario -- Alegre Vengo
21. Kinito Mendez -- El Bocinon
22. El Gran Combo -- Timbalero
23. Elvis Crespo -- Suavemente
24. Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz -- Juan en la Ciudad
25. Juan Luis Guerra -- La Cosquillita

Caught on the In Between Playlist 11/11/08

2008-11-18T19:17:00.005-05:00

In Memory of Pluto are a band from "downtown" who I first saw at the Bands of Burlington show at Metronome back in Sept and they blew me away. I felt like I was back in the '90's watching a Jade Tree Records show. And that's a great thing. They brought me back to a comfortable time of music. It was a time of great creativity and energy within that scene and IMOP have it nailed. Not that they're trying to nail that sound, it's just what they love and so it naturally comes out in their music. I've since seen them two other times and they've been equally as good and I can't recommend their live show enough. Go check them out when they play. You won't be disappointed.

And they're all cool dudes. Fellow DJ, MC Emcee (Mike Carney to Superman's Clark Kent), and I put on a benefit show to raise money for the Radiator on Mon 11/17 at Metronome and IMOP, as well as The Fatal Flaws, Cave Bees, and Nosebleed Island, all played for free so that all door loot could go to the station. That shows the kind of dudes they are. IMOP also agreed to come into the studio for tonight's show to play some tunes and answer some questions. I'd never interviewed anyone before, but once we started talking music it all came out great.

One of the things that impressed me most about these guys is how cool and modest they are. I asked them about memorable shows that they've seen or played in and they said that they've learned from every band and every show they've played and seen. They pick up something and see something new from each band and they just love to play live. It seems like IMOP are just super happy guys, having a blast doing what they're doing. Hopefully they keep it up.

While they were in the studio, we played a bunch of tunes off of their newest album, Cutting Open The Fiction, so go pick it up. It's available at Pure Pop and Advance Music. And go here to see when they're playing next.

1. Cap'n Jazz -- In the Clear -- Analphabetapolothology
2. In Memory of Pluto -- Berlin -- Cutting Open The Fiction
3. In Memory of Pluto -- A Century In The Dust -- Cutting Open The Fiction
4. In Memory of Pluto -- If They Collide -- Cutting Open The Fiction
5. In Memory of Pluto -- Cutting Open The Fiction -- Cutting Open The Fiction
6. In Memory of Pluto -- Thunder D -- Cutting Open The Fiction
7. In Memory of Pluto -- Dancy -- Cutting Open The Fiction
8. In Memory of Pluto -- From The Back Seat -- Cutting Open The Fiction

Caught on the In Between Playlist 10-28-08

2008-11-07T08:50:00.002-05:00

Obama!

Tonight's show was a spur of the moment look at the DC punk scene in the 80's to early 90's. It's impossible to cover it all in an hour, so I just looked at the top few bands and played some of their tunes and talked about how each band came about and evolved and, in most cases, split up. Fugazi has not yet declared a break up, but all members are doing their own things and they haven't put out a Fugazi album in years. Ian is off doing The Evens with Amy Farina, which is a great live band. I caught them in Montreal a bit ago and they played Mount Pleasant so well that the crowd demanded that they play it again. It was hilarious. I've never seen that before in a live show. Joe Lally released a solo album on Dischord that is very bass and poetry heavy. Brendan is up in Portland recording bands (most notably Ted Leo's latest and The Thermals). Not sure where Guy is, but I'm sure he's doing something awesome. I imagine they'll all get back together at some point to record. At least I hope so. Here's the list.

1. Beach Bag -- Los Straitjackets -- Supersonic Guitars in 3-D
2. Stand Up -- Minor Threat -- Complete Discography
3. Supertouch -- Bad Brains -- Rock For Light
4. Right Brigade -- Bad Brains -- Rock For Light
5. I and I Survive -- Bad Brains -- Rock For Light
6. Banned In DC -- Bad Brains -- Rock For Light
7. For Want Of -- Rites of Spring -- Rites of Spring
8. All There Is -- Rites of Spring -- Rites of Spring
9. Theme -- Rites of Spring -- Rites of Spring
10. Building -- Embrace -- Embrace
11. No More Pain -- Embrace -- Embrace
12. Spoke -- Embrace -- Embrace
13. Suggestion -- Fugazi -- 13 Songs
14. KYEO -- Fugazi -- Steady Diet of Nothing
15. Give Me The Cure -- Fugazi -- 13 Songs

PS -- there is a huge Radiator Benefit show coming to Metronome on Monday 11/17. The lineup is incredible -- Cave Bees, Nose Bleed Island, The Vacant Lots, and In Memory of Pluto! $5 donation at the door ($8 for under 21) all goes to the Radiator so we can keep our doors open and the music blaring for you! So support your community radio station and see an awesome show while doing so!

Caught on the In-Between Playlist 10-21-08

2008-10-21T22:24:00.005-04:00

It's a cold, rainy October night. This cold weather always seems to sneak up on me, even though there's nothing more guaranteed than cold weather in VT. This has been a great Fall--very sunny and great leaf-peepin' action, so I can't complain. I love this time of year, but it definitely packs a brooding feeling that another long, cold VT winter is a comin'. I'm sipping a Wolaver's Will Steven's Pumpkin Ale while I type, which is another reason I like this time of year. I'm a huge fan of seasonal beers and pumpkin ales are high on my favorites list.

Two more weeks until election day and I'm ready. It's time. It's been a long campaign season with the Democratic primary being so hotly contested. It started off incredibly interesting to me, but after a bit in an election like this, the media just starts pining for any story they can get, so it eventually gets incredibly trivial. CNN is on my last nerve. I'm ready to vote and move on. I'll happily and contentedly cast my vote for Barrack. I have full faith that he can do great things for this country and our image throughout the world. We need it badly right now.

Not sure how I jumped into politics from the weather.

This beer sure is good. So is the Gram Parsons I'm listening to right now. He's singing the song She through my speakers and it's great. He was one of a kind. There are a handful of artists that have touched my life in so many ways and he's one of them. The Clash, Manu Chao, Fugazi, Calexico, and Ryan Adams are a few more. I've finally given Paul Simon a good listen over the past year and he's jumping into that crew as well. Steve Earle too. They are artists that, to me, can do no wrong.

So, tonight's show was a block party. I played (besides two songs) 4 blocks of music consisting of songs by Catfish Haven, Dr. Dog, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Soft Boys. I started the show off with a Challengers tune called K-39 off of an album of the same name and ended the show with a Heartless Bastards song All The Time also by an album of the same name.

K-39, I believe, is a song referring to a surf spot in baja Mexico. K-38's (38th kilometer into Mexico from California) is a very famous surf spot and a place where I camped with my brother, Jason, and some of his friends about 6 years ago. So, since it's a surf rock song by a Malibu band, I'm guessing that it has something to do with this surf spot.

First set of rock was by Catfish Haven and I can't say enough about how solid of a show these guys put on. The lead singer plays through an acoustic guitar cranked all the way up, belting a soulful howl over the top, and is backed up by an incredibly tight bass and drum duo. They currently reside in Chicago, but originally hail from Missouri where there is a trailer park from which the band acquired their name. I saw these guys up in Montreal a few years back when they opened for The Black Angels and they put on a solid rocking show. When I listen to their songs I picture them playing in a church basement, much like the vinyl tile floored one's that held wedding receptions and other such gatherings that I attended in my Iowa days. They have sound/feeling of small town rockabilly, but not as over the top or categorical as other declared rockabilly bands may have. They have that same small town community rock ‘n’ roll feeling in their music, but their music and style is entirely their own. They're great and you should check them out. The website www.daytrotter.com has two great live sets by them that were recorded in the Futureappletree Studios One in Rock Island, Ill.

Stiff Little Fingers took over the next set. The first time I heard these guys, I was working in the warehouse shipping skate shoes for Sole Technology and their album Inflamable Material was our go-to album whenever we got busy. It always got us pumped up and feeling good. It's a solid album start to finish and the perfect intro to this great band from Bellfast, Ireland. It's an album full of working man's rock/punk--great song writing and in-your-face distorted guitar, drums, and bass. Alternative Ulster, from Inflamable Material is probably their most known tune (that and probably Suspect Device which was covered excellently by Ted Leo on his iTunes only Sharkbite Sessions) and it was written at the request of a local fanzine in '78 of the same name so they could include it as a flexi-disc with their publication. I played tunes that spanned their albums from '78 - '81. They broke up in '83 after their Now Then album, but reunited in '88 to do some more touring. I believe they're still playing to this day.

Dr. Dog pushed their way into the next set. I can't get enough of these guys since their 10/6 show at Higher Ground. They were so good live. See them if they come to a spot near you. This is a band in which you can't just rely on their recordings b/c, as good as they are to me now, they didn't mean crap to me before I saw them live. I couldn't get into them at all, but once I saw them live, my interest in them took a drastic 180.

Last block of the night was the Robyn Hitchcock fronted Soft Boys from Cambridge, England. Hitchcock is one of those artists whose name I kept seeing repeatedly in all of the websites, record labels, and publications that I frequent and knew that I'd get into him at some point in my life. I'm still slowly finding my way into the Hitchcock world and The Soft Boys album Underwater Moonlight has helped speed this process. It's a great album of creative rock tunes that displays Hitchcock's song writing ability. I'm still learning about this band/guy, so I'm going to leave it at that.

Here's the playlist for tonight's show. Thanks for listening and reading. I'll also throw in a VT Fall picture for you non-Fall getters that are living to the south of me.

1. The Challengers -- K-39 -- K-39
2. Crazy For Leaving -- Catfish Haven -- Tell Me
3. Please Come Back -- Catfish Haven -- Daytrotter Sessions
4. Madelin -- Catfish Haven -- Please Come Back
5. Grey Skies -- Catfish Haven -- Tell Me
5. Barbed Wire Love -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Inflamable Material
6. Back To Front -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Back to Front Single with Mr. Fire Coal-Man on the b-side
7. Nobody's Hero -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Nobody's Hero
8. Go For It -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Go For It
9. Alternative Ulster -- Stiff Little Fingers -- Inflamable Material
10. The Ark -- Dr. Dog -- Fate
11. From -- Dr. Dog -- Fate
12. The Queen of Eyes -- The Soft Boys -- Underwater Moonlight
13. Underwater Moonlight -- The Soft Boys -- Underwater Moonlight
14. Positive Vibrations -- The Soft Boys -- Underwater Moonlight
15. All This Time -- Heartless Bastards -- All This Time

Caught on the In-Between Playlist 10-07-08

2008-10-16T22:39:00.004-04:00

Back in action. My reason for the delay is that I was in California for the past week. That's also why I wasn't on the air this week. Hopefully you were able to survive without me, whoever you are. I was out in CA for Tony "Cap'n Caveman" Durbano's holy matrimonial joining of two hearts and also to work out of my company's Irvine office. It was great being back out there with all of my friends and all of the incredible Mexican food. I'm not sure which I miss more. So here's the breakdown of the show on 10/7.

I started it off with a little Los Straitjackets playing their song Isn't Love Grand off of their Supersonic Guitars in 3D album. It's a great album of what you come to expect from this excellent/unique band--instrumental surf rock. This album is a bit more tame than they can be, but very melodic nonetheless.

On Monday 10/6, my neighbor Josh and I rode bikes up to Higher Ground to catch the Charlie Louvin/Old 97's show. It was my first time seeing both and both impressed. Charlie began his career sharing a mic with his brother Ira as the Louvin Brothers, a harmonizing duo in the '40s and 50's. Ira died in a car accident in the mid-60's, so Charlie was forced to go on alone. He released an album in 2007 that included some contemporary artists like Jeff Tweedy, Elvis Costello, and others. He's an old fella--clocking in at 81 years old--so he had a bit of trouble hitting all notes, but his between song banter was hilarious.

Old 97's hit the stage next and were great as expected. Singer Rhett Miller played the first half through an acoustic guitar (backed up by the band) so it wasn't as loud as I wanted it to be, but once he plugged in his tele, that all changed. It was the loud, rocking, surf country Old 97's that I like best.

Their show ended by about 10ish, so as Josh and I were leaving, we noticed that Dr. Dog was just taking the stage in the Showcase Lounge next door. Josh is a huge fan and I've heard good reviews from friends, but never really got into them, so we talked our way into the show. What I saw on stage absolutely floored me. Perhaps it was the Switchback brews, but I don't think so b/c I've never seen anything like that before. They were so good, so passionate, so powerful, so creative, etc, etc, etc. They completely and utterly rocked my socks off.

Since that show, I've found a new respect for their recordings, so I played a set of tunes off of their We All Belong album -- The Girl, Old News, and Ain't It Strange.

Next up I jumped into a set of tunes by a couple of British Invasion bands--The Yardbirds doing I Ain't Got You and The Animals playing their way through their Blue Feeling. Last song of this set was a Levon Helm song off of his latest album, Dirt Farmer, called I Got Me A Woman. This song is about his "good woman" who shaves his beard and keeps his tractor clean and burns his bread and makes him eat collard green. Sounds like a great gal.

The next set featured some Murry Hammond songs off of his recently released solo album I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving. Murry plays bass and sometimes sings for the Old 97's and this is his first solo album. It's a very quiet, soothing, humble album of him singing over an acoustic guitar with a few other string instruments sparsely thrown in. This was the perfect album to listen to as I relaxed on my flight out West last week. Murry is a kind-hearted soul and 100% of the proceeds from sales of this album will be donated to Project Mercy (www.ProjectMercy.net) which is similar in mission to Habitat For Humanity. They build houses in a section of neighborhood east of Tijuana called Colonias for many people who will get running water for the first time. With every 234 albums he sells, a new house is built, so pony up and go buy the album. Songs I played were Lost At Sea, Wreck Of The 97, and Next Time Take The Train.

To show another side of Hammond, I next played a couple by the Old 97's--The One off of their latest album Blame It On Gravity and Doreen off of Wreck Your Life (although I played the better version in my opinion, which came from their greatest hits album Hit By A Train). The One is a song about the band and robbing banks in California and taking their time escaping via Highway One.

Cash on the Barrelhead is an old song by the Louvin Brothers that has been covered many times by other artists (most notably Gram Parsons) and is about a young man being shown the world of no free lunches. It's all about paying up front. The Old 97's did a bit of their own version of the song, but called it Crash On The Barrelhead on their album Fight Songs. Rumor has it, the song is about Ryan Adams in his Whiskeytown days and how his hard partying ways will be the end of him. It speaks of a great artist who could meet his maker much too soon. To show the similarities of the tunes, I first played the Louvin Brothers tune and then the Old 97's. And to give equal airtime to the supposed subject of the tune, I played a Ryan Adams tune off of Cold Roses called If I Am A Stranger. A lot of people give Adams beef, but I'm a huge fan of his and eagerly receive any of his many releases.

I wrapped up the show with a little Dwight Yoakam off of his Dwight's Used Records album with the song I Said (Paradise Reprise). This is a take on the John Prine song called Paradise. Back in my college days, I worked one summer at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel as a bell hop and had the honor of helping Dwight Yoakam with his bags. He wasn't very friendly, but his manager gave me $20 which is a huge sum when you're in college. That job also provided me with the opportunity to look through Demi Moore's bag and put my arms around Boy George, but those are stories better left for another time.

1. Los Straitjackets -- Isn't Love Grand -- Supersonic Guitars in 3D
2. Dr. Dog -- The Girl -- We All Belong
3. Dr. Dog -- Old News -- We All Belong
4. Dr. Dog -- Ain't It Strange -- We All Belong
5. The Yardbirds -- I Ain't Got You -- Greatest Hits 1964-1966
6. The Animals -- Blue Feeling -- The Story of the Animals
7. Levon Helm -- Got Me A Woman -- Dirt Farmer
8. Murry Hammond -- Lost At Sea -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving
9. Murry Hammond -- Wreck Of The 97 -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving
10. Murry Hammond -- Next Time Take The Train -- I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm Leaving
11. Old 97's -- The One -- Blame It On Gravity
12. Old 97's -- Doreen -- Hit By A Train
13. The Louvin Brothers -- Cash on the Barrelhead -- Close Harmony
14. Old 97's -- Crash on the Barrelhead -- Fight Songs
15. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals -- If I Am A Stranger -- Cold Roses
16. Dwight Yoakam -- I Said (Paradise Reprise) -- Dwight's Used Records

Caught on the In Between Playlist 09-30-08

2008-10-05T19:15:00.005-04:00

Got in some good tunes tonight--I wanted to play a faster set.

1. Furr -- Blitzen Trapper -- Furr
--great band with a solid album here. Horrible logo though.

2. If She Wants Me -- Belle & Sebastian -- Dear Catastrophe Waitress
--B&S is an institution. Check them out if you have never heard them. They've been around for years and this album is my favorite of theirs

3. Southern California -- Brian Wilson -- That Lucky Old Sun
--Wasn't even aware that this CD was out, but I found it in the studio. I took a chance on this song based on the lyrics I read in the album booklet. It was a slow one, but it's about Wilson's time with the Beach Boys.

4. Pipeline -- The Chantays
--My mom says she used to dance "The Swim" to this tune.

5. The Train Kept A-Rollin -- The Yardbirds
--Page, Clapton, and Beck all were in the Yardbirds at one time.

6. River Deep, Mountain High -- The Animals -- The Story of the Animals
--Singer Eric Burden has some pipes.

7. I Like It Like That -- Them -- The Story of Them
--Van "the man" Morrison led group from Northern Ireland in the '60's.

8. The Magnificent Seven -- The Clash -- Sandinista
--In 1980 when hip hop was still pretty underground, The Clash traveled to NY and laid witness to Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five and tried their hand at creating a hip hop song. This song shows how great and well-rounded the Clash were. They could and did play any kind of music.

9. I Know What I Know -- Paul Simon -- Graceland
--This is such a great and solid album start to finish.

10. Sound System -- Operation Ivy -- Energy
--Bay area ska-core band that was only around for two years, but made an incredible impact on punk and ska music.

11. Salvation -- The Cranberries -- To The Faithful Departed
--I went through a huge Cranberries phase in High School and actually saw them live at some place in VA. I think it was either the Abyss or the Boathouse.

12. Safe -- Dag Nasty -- Can I Say + Wig Out At Denko's
--DC punk band from the mid-80's.

13. Past Lives -- Hot Snakes -- Automatic Midnight
--Jon Reis at it again with his unique raw punk rock.

14. Carl Perkins Cadillac -- Drive-By Truckers -- The Dirty South
--Song about Sam Phillips of Sun Records and his promise to buy a Cadillac to the first of his artists to score a gold record. Carl Perkins beat out Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis to get himself a Cadillac.

15. Buick City Complex -- Old 97's -- Satellite Rides
--Texas country/surf/rock group that is playing at Higher Ground tomorrow night 10/5/08 and I can't wait.

16. Wreck My Car -- Scott H. Biram -- The Dirty Old One Man Band
--Bloodshot Records singer/guitarist/foot stomper/madman

17. Gold For Bread -- Blitzen Trapper -- Furr
--Another great one from the NW Trappers

18. Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead -- Ted Leo & The Pharmacists -- Hearts of Oak
--Unique, creative singer/guitarist that was originally in Chisel and then went his own way and started the Pharmacists which started out as an experimental act that played some dub, rock, reggae, punk, etc. The band included Amy Farina who went on to form The Evens with Ian Mackaye and James Canty, younger brother of Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty.

19. Summer People -- The Webb Brothers -- Maroon
--3 brothers and another guy playing pop rock.

Caught on the In Between Playlist 09-23-08

2008-09-25T21:03:00.003-04:00

So I broke my first FCC law tonight. About midway through the show, I jumped into Ron Wood's Act Together (a great song that was covered by Band of Horses when they played Higher Ground a couple years back). A minute and a half into the song, during the first chorus, he sings the word "shit" and it totally caught me off guard b/c I forgot that he said that, otherwise I wouldn't have played the tune. The Radiator may be a small, low-frequency commercial free station, but we still have to follow The Man's laws. Can't ever escape that man, can we? That guy's reach stretches far and wide.

So after the "shit" went down, so to speak, I slowly faded the song out and read the disclaimer, which basically frees the station of any responsibility, and jumped right into the Whiskeytown tune Turn Around. I was a bit flustered by the "shit", as it threw me off course a bit in my show, however I was ready to get it back on track. Well, even though I was on track, the cd was off track and started skipping on that song. Awesome. Flustered further, I stopped that song and crossed my fingers and jumped into some 2 Live Crew. Just kidding. I put on a little Husker Du ditty called Never Talking To You Again and got the show rolling again.

Later on in the show, I played my favorite three songs of the night. It was a local set that included the three all-stars of the Burlington scene in my opinion--Lowell Thompson, Kelly Ravin, and Paddy Reagan. I've been really immersed in some local tunes lately through the Radiator, the Bands of Burlington show, Art Hop shows (Blowtorch specifically), and some Monkey House shows.

The first song was Kelly Ravin's Those Days and I can't write enough about this song. I downloaded it from his myspace page, so check it out. I don't know much about him, but downloaded a live set by him, Paddy Reagan, and Lowell at the Monkey House from this website http://www.vermontlivemusic.com/Paddy%20Reagan,%20Lowell%20Thompson%20and%20Kelly%20Ravin/2008-05-13%20-%20Monkey%20House/MP3%20Format/
and it's such a great, full set of awesome tunes by these guys. Check it out and download it. Kelly's song in this set stood out immediately--especially the "drive fast cars" lyric about a 2 minutes in. Check it out.
The next to stand out is the next song I played and is Fortunate to Sing by Paddy Reagan. Paddy is the booking guy at The Monkey House and is responsible for turning that place around and making it the best hang out in the area by far. They have great beer, awesome music, and always a cool crowd. The shows they've been pulling lately (thanks to Paddy) have really filled a void in the area for me. The bands aren't limited to the usual singer songwriter--although there's nothing wrong with that--but they branch out to punk bands, rock bands, electro-trash bands, salsa night, etc. They also hold a lot of the Tick Tick promoted events which are always guaranteed to be awesome. And best of all, it's only about 5 stumbling blocks from my house. So back to Paddy's song, it makes some great VT references and is a solidly crafted tune with a good vocal melody over the top.

I finished off the local trio with my guy Lowell Thompson's tune called You. He finger picks his way through this slower ballad of a song and impresses me, as always, with his song writing ability. I'm surprised that he is not bigger than he is, but am kind of happy he's not, in a very selfish way b/c I like being able to see him in smaller environments. His set at the Bands of Burlington event at Nectar's/Metronome last Thursday was the first time I'd seen him play with a full band since the very first time I saw him a couple years ago and it was an incredible set of rocking tunes ala The Stones, Kings of Leon, rockin' Boss, etc.

There were a bunch more tunes that I threw into the show tonight that I love and next week I think I'm going to speed it up a bit and get some more hard rocking going on, so tune in.

1. Tombstone -- Barbacoa -- Barbacoa
2. Self-Destructive Zones -- Drive By Truckers -- Brighter Than Creation's Dark
3. 7 Months, 39 Days -- Hank Williams III -- Lovesick, Broke, & Driftin'
4. Stop the World -- Dwight Yoakam -- Dwight's Used Records
5. Standin' -- Vetiver -- Thing of the Past
6. Turn Around -- Whiskeytown -- Stranger's Almanac
7. Never Talking to You Again -- Husker Du -- Zen Arcade
8. Those Days -- Kelly Raven
9. Fortunate to Sing -- Paddy Reagan, Lowell Thompson, & Kelly Raven -- 5/13/08 Monkey House Winooski, VT
10. You -- Lowell Thompson w/ Lowell Thompson & Kelly Raven -- 5/13/08 Monkey House Winooski, VT
11. I Must Be In a Good Place Now -- Vetiver -- Thing of the Past
12. Bury Your Burden -- Oakley Hall -- Gypsum Strings
13. I Was A Stranger -- Smog -- Red Apple Falls
14. Swimming Song -- Loudon Wainwright III

Caught on the In Between Playlist 09-16-08

2008-09-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

Tonight's show was a feature on the website www.daytrotter.com. It's a website that plays live tracks recorded in the mid-western studio Futureappletree Studio One in downtown Rock Island, Ill. Rock Island is one of the 5 (ironically) Quad Cities -- Illinois cities Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline and Iowa Cities Davenport (my birthplace) and Bettendorf (where I lived the first 7 years of my life). I check the site often and have gotten some great tracks from it.

Starting off the show was Surf Jam by The Beach Boys off of Surfin' USA and then we jumped into the Daytrotter tracks --

1. Surf Jam -- The Beach Boys -- Surfin' USA
2. Another Late Night -- Catfish Haven -- Daytrotter
3. White Winter Hymnal -- Fleet Foxes -- Daytrotter
4. Are You As Excited About Me As I Am -- Jeff Daniels -- Daytrotter
5. Restless -- Langhorne Slim -- Daytrotter
6. Marlboro Man -- The Felice Brothers -- Daytrotter
7. Furr -- Blitzen Trapper -- Daytrotter
8. Biscuits -- Justin Townes Earle -- Daytrotter
9. Dry -- William Elliott Whitmore -- Daytrotter
10. Flume -- Bon Iver -- Daytrotter
11. Alive Among Thieves -- Oakley Hall -- Daytrotter
12. Priest, Poet, and The Pig -- Vietnam -- Daytrotter
13. You Ain't Going Nowhere -- Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson -- Daytrotter
14. Goodbye Dear Old Stepstone -- Bonnie "Prince" Billy -- Daytrotter

My favorite song out of all of them is the Jeff Daniels tune. Go download it right now. I was shocked at how good it is and it wasn't what I was expecting it to be at all. Yeah, that's Harry Dunne. Mock, Yeah, Ing, Yeah.

Another great one is the Catfish Haven song Another Late Night. It's a rocker that sounds like it's played at some big town hall and people are dancing up a storm to it. The other songs they've recorded for Daytrotter are great as well, specifially Please Come Back.

William Elliott Whitmore has a voice like a weary, travelled 75 year old man. And plays the banjo like one too. It's front porch music.

The Felice Brothers are complete and unique and can't be lumped into indie rockers trying to play old timey. They're creative and have great voices and control of their instruments. Their set at the Newport Folk Festival, although I only caught the last couple minutes of it, was amazing--the power had gone out, so they jumped down into the crowd with their instruments and voices and had everyone clapping, dancing, and singing. It was one of those shows where the audience would barely let the band leave the stage at the end.

Langhorne Slim is hit and miss in my opinion. This tune is a strong hit. I saw him live at Higher Ground and the show was also hit and miss. He's got his way of playing and singing, but sometimes the songs tend to blend together.

Oakley Hall is a great band out of Brooklyn. Their album Gypsum Strings is a good place to start if you're looking to check them out. The Daytrotter songs is an even better place.

So hopefully that's a good guide to www.daytrotter.com. It's a great blog to support as it's not your run of the mill blog...just talking about music...er...wait...

Caught on the In Between Playlist -- 09/09/08

2008-09-09T22:36:00.002-04:00

Tonight's show is dedicated to my brother Brad b/c today is his birthday. Happy birthday, Brad!

We started off the show with the local boys Barbacoa and a tune called Stratosphere. Bill Mullins is in another band these days--Blowtorch--and I had the pleasure of catching them last Friday at the Art Hop behind Speaking Volumes. They put on a great show and I see them as a mix between Robyn Hitchcock, Bad Religion, and The Descendents. I liked the feel of that tune, so I played another similar styled tune by The Untamed Youth called I'm Going Away.

Next up we jumped into a block of David Byrne tunes. Setting it off was Strange Overtones off of his new collaboration album with Brian Eno called Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Following that was a live version of Psycho Killer off of their live album Stop Making Sense that is from the DVD of the same name. Rounding out the set was a tune off of his album on which he jumped with both pies into Latin music called Make Believe Mambo. The album is called Rei Momo and features Byrne's take of various Latin music styles such as merengue, Cumbia, Rhumba, Bolero, Cha Cha Cha, etc. It's a great, diverse album.

Last week I was down in VA for a family reunion and my dad's cousin Carolyn Matousek was there. I always knew that she and her husband used to play music together, but over the 3-4 days that I was down there, I found out just how big of an act they were. Her husband, Danny Matousek, started a band called The Flairs in 1958 when he was still in high school in Sioux City, Iowa. Eventually they became The Screamers and finally The Velaires. In 1961, their cover of Chuck Berry's tune Roll Over Beethoven was a top ten hit nationally and went to #1 in Los Angeles according to Billboard. They toured for the next several years and became the only band out of Iowa to be on American Bandstand. Eventually Danny and Carolyn became a duo and started incorporating country music into their tunes and moved to Nashville to do some recording and performing. In 1997 they were inducted into the Iowa Rock N Roll Hall of Fame and in 1998, after Danny passed away due to a heart ailment, the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame began giving out the Danny Matousek Lifetime Achievement Award each year to "those persons that have displayed, during their lifetime the same dedication, the same spirit, the same professionalism, and made a lasting contribution to Iowa Rock and Roll music as did Danny Matousek."

The first Danny and The Velaires tune that we played was a B Side called Shaggy Dog that is actually featured, albeit sneakily, in the movie Pineapple Express. After that we heard "What Am I Living For" which really showcases how great of a singer Danny was.

We next rolled into the tune Broken Heart off of Deke Dickerson's The Melody album, which is a concept album on which Deke did his best to construct tunes with great melodies and hooks that never leave you throughout the day. Following that was Elvis doing Don't Be Cruel off of the new Platinum: A Life In Music box set, which features a ton of unreleased versions of Elvis tunes. Finishing out the set was Peer Pressure by my buddies Tan Analog.

One of my favorite bands of all time is The Clash. Their openness to different genres of music is what most pulls me toward them. When most punk rockers were being narrow minded and sticking to their same punk style, The Clash ventured into all kinds of different music from ska to reggae to R&B to funk and to even early hip hop with The Magnificent Seven. More bands need to take a cue from them and open up a bit. We played the songs Revolution Rock and Rudie Can't Fail off of London Calling and Bankrobber which was not on an official studio release, but ultimately came out on Black Market Clash.

Calexico's new album Carried To Dust was released today, so in honor of them I played one of their new tracks called The News About William. I'm happy to hear that tune heading more towards their Southwest style as opposed to their middle of the road last album Garden Ruin. Hopefully the rest of the album sounds the same b/c I liked this song. Next up we jumped into some instrumental tunes -- Beans For Breakfast by Blktop Project which features the three skate legends Ray Barbee, Tommy Guerrero, and Matt Rodriguez, then Ciudad Del Swing by the Colombia based DJ Quantic and finally a tune off of Tommy Guerrero's album A Little Bit of Somethin' called 100 Years. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next week.

1. Stratosphere -- Barbacoa -- Barbacoa
2. I'm Going Away -- Untamed Youth -- Untamed Melodies
3. Strange Overtones -- David Byrne and Brian Eno -- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
4. Psycho Killer -- Talking Heads -- Stop Making Sense: Special New Edition
5. Make Believe Mambo -- David Byrne -- Rei Momo
6. Shaggy Dog -- Danny and The Velaires
7. What Am I Living For -- Danny and The Velaires
8. Broken Heart -- Deke Dickerson -- The Melody
9. Don't Be Cruel -- Elvis Presley -- Platinum: A Life in Music (disc 1)
10. What Peer Pressure -- Tan Analog
11. Revolution Rock -- The Clash -- London Calling
12. Rudie Can't Fail -- The Clash -- London Calling
13. Bankrobber -- The Clash -- Black Market Clash
14. The News About William -- Calexico -- Carried To Dust
15. Beans For Breakfast -- Blktop Project -- Blktop Project
16. Ciudad Del Swing -- Quantic Presents Flowering Inferno -- Ciudad Del Swing
17. 100 Years -- Tommy Guerrero -- A Little Bit of Somethin'

Great live show -- Bands of Burlington show 9/18 at Nectars/Metronome

2008-09-08T17:02:00.002-04:00

Check out this great show on Thurs 9/18 at Metronome/Nectar's. The admission benefits our beloved Radiator, so make sure you go to the show! Not that you need an excuse b/c the lineup is incredible -- Swale, Husbands, Lowell Thompson!, etc.

Make sure to check it out!

http://whatsgood.7dvt.com/2008/08/local-music-101.html#more

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

2008-09-07T22:22:00.003-04:00

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

Caught on the In Between playlist - 08-12-08

2008-08-25T22:49:00.002-04:00

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/

Caught on the In Between playlist - 08-05-08

2008-08-07T07:16:00.002-04:00

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...

Show cancelled tonight too

2008-08-05T20:13:00.004-04:00

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.

Tonight's show cancelled

2008-07-29T10:43:00.002-04:00

"Unfortunately" I don't think I'm going to be able to have my show tonight b/c I'm going to see the Avett Brothers at Higher Ground. Should be a great show. I may hop in the studio for a bit before the show, but I don't think I'll have time.

Anywho, check back next week as the show will definitely be on. And I'll probably pretty good and inspired by the Newport Folk Fest that I'm attending this weekend. Here are the bands that I'm most excited to see:

Steve Earle and Allison Moorer
She & Him
Jim James
Son Volt
Calexico
Gillian Welch
Levon Helm

I'm also really looking forward to checking out a lot of the artists on the schedule that I don't know about yet.

Can any of you out in internet land recommend any of the other artists on the schedule?

Caught on the In Between playlist - 07-22-08

2008-07-22T22:27:00.004-04:00

So I just finished my show and rode my bike home from the station in the pouring rain. It's about a 2.5 mile ride and I got soaked, but luckily my iPod and laptop were tucked safely in plastic bags in my backpack. As I was riding across the bridge into Winooski, I got totally drenched by a car driving by. I swear the guy swerved into the puddle just to cover me. My immediate reflex was to flick him off. But then I started laughing b/c it's pretty funny and I would have done the same thing. Unless it was an old grandma or something.

The show was different tonight. My brothers and Rufer called in to let me know that they couldn't hear it over the internet. I wasn't quite sure it was broadcasting out over the radio locally as well, so I wasn't sure if anyone could hear me or not. When I got home, I flipped on the radio and it was coming through, but it's still not coming through over the internet. Bummer.

This week I continued the format I started last week--I featured two bands and jumped into them pretty deeply, playing multiple songs by each. In between, I played a couple tunes by other bands.

I started off the show with a track called The Hearse by Untamed Youth. They are fronted by surf/rockabilly/honky tonk guitar maestro Deke Dickerson who has put out a ton of stuff on his own and with Untamed Youth. The Youth have great surf rock songs and they have some great album artwork that really captures the energy of surf rock.

The first of my two featured bands was Australia's The Drones. They're a rock 'n' roll, gritty blues, menacing electric folk band who write and play sincere, unique, and genius sparse-beginning songs that build to a climactic explosion of passion and speaker splitting rage. They are fronted by Gareth Liddiard who sings in a voice that I'm sure my mom doesn't consider singing. His emotion and Aussie accent pour out in his lyrics and the raw energy of the band hits hard at all jagged angles. I don't remember how I stumbled upon them, but I was looking around the internet a couple years ago and somehow came across the video for "Shark Fin Blues". The riff and the melody Liddiard sang over the top, coupled with the tenacity of the live footage in the video, captivated me. I was hooked. I watched it multiple times in a row. If you've never heard The Drones, the song "Shark Fin Blues" is the perfect place to start. I had trouble finding their stuff around any local record shops, but I eventually got the album that the song is on -- Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By. Then I picked up their live album from Spaceland out in LA and finally their latest, Gala Mill. I saw them live in Montreal last year and was completely blown away. It was amazing. If you ever have a chance to see them live, don't think twice--just go to the show. You will not be disappointed. Tonight we heard three songs by them, the first being I Don't Ever Want To Change off of Gala Mill. It's an excellent high energy, rock song with a great guitar line in it at the 2:09 mark. Next song we heard was This Time off of Wait Long...and the final song was Dog Eared which is a tune off of Gala Mill, but the version I played was from their live Spaceland album.

After The Drones set, we heard a couple songs to cleanse the palate between the next featured band. Starting off was a tune off of the Fleet Foxes excellent new self titled album called White Winter Hymnal. They're a band that employ Beach Boys-esque harmonies and do it well. Next up was Liam Finn, an artist off of the excellent and multi-genre label, Yep Roc out of North Carolina. Yep Roc is a great label that makes an effort to not pigeon hole itself into one genre, but instead focuses on excellent artists/bands regardless of genre. They have an incredibly consistent, yet genre jumping line-up of bands, from Billy Bragg to Marah to Radio Birdman to Caitlin Cary, and are one of my favorite go-to labels. Growing up, in order to find new bands, I would search record stores for anything on Dischord records. Now, I've widened my "discover new bands" search criteria a bit to include Yep Roc, Bloodshot, New West, and Matador. And, of course, always Dischord. Finn, like The Drones, is also from the land down under and he the son of a guy from Crowded House. The song we heard was Second Chance off of his album I'll Be Lightning. It's an awesome song and a great introduction to this great album. We ended this mid-section set with the unbeatable Fugazi, with a tune off of The Arguument called Nightshop. I could go on and on about Fugazi, so I won't even start.

The next featured band was the Philly inspired, surprisingly Brooklyn based, Marah. I say surprisingly, b/c they love and sing so much about Philly, I'm surprised they still don't live there. They are an incredible, incredible band and I'm shocked, but selfishly happy, that they're not bigger and more known than they are. They are raw, blue collar type rock 'n' rollers who embody early Bruce Springsteen and sing about the grittiness of the streets and booze inflicted city wanderings. Their close associations with author Nick Hornby are pretty interesting to me. He wrote the books High Fidelity and About A Boy, among others, and always seems to feature music in his books--especially in High Fidelity. Most of us know this from the excellent John Cusack flick of the same name in which the title character creates endless top 5 lists of music, girls, etc. There are some great music references in the movie and I'm excited to read the book to see how similar it is or if there are other musical references in it that were left out of the movie. Hornby is really inspired by Marah and in a top 10 list of his own, he listed their song My Heart Is The Bums On The Street as #3 on his of 10 songs he can't live without. They were also in his "Top 5 Gigs Of All Time" list alongside The Who, The Clash, The Boss, and Southside Johnny and Dave Edmunds. That's some great company to be listed with. Hornby has traveled with Marah in the past and joins them on stage to read some of his music essays about various artists. Once he's finished, Marah will take the stage and play songs by that artist. Hornby has also written some Marah essays and he has read them on stage to open up the Marah set. I'd love to be able to see that. I would love to just be able to see Marah. We need more bands to come way up here to ol' VT. Tonight we heard five Marah songs off of four of their albums. First up was the first song of theirs that I ever heard--The Closer off of If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry. This album is a great introduction to Marah as I think it's a full, top to bottom, excellent album. Next up we heard a couple tunes off of Kids In Philly (on Steve Earle's label E Squared) called Point Breeze and the Nick Hornby fav My Heart Is The Bums On the Street. Next tune came from their first album, Let's Cut The Crap And Hook Up Later On Tonight, called Formula, Cola, Dollar Draft and we finished the set with East off of 20,000 Streets Under The Sky.

That took us all the way to about the end of the show. I ended the show with the live version of Plenty For All by the Hot Snakes off of their Australia recorded live album, Thunder Down Under. So I guess I unintentionally had an Australia theme to tonight's show.

Here's the setlist. Thanks for listening. Check out the show next week--hopefully the internet will work.

1. The Hearse -- Untamed Youth -- Untamed Melodies
2. I Don't Ever Want To Change -- The Drones -- Gala Mill
3. This Time -- The Drones -- Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By
4. Dog Eared -- The Drones -- Spaceland Presents: The Drones In Spaceland 11/15/06
5. White Winter Hymnal -- Fleet Foxes -- Fleet Foxes
6. Second Chance -- Liam Finn -- I'll Be Lightning
7. Nightshop -- Fugazi -- The Argument
8. The Closer -- Marah -- If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry
9. Point Breeze -- Marah -- Kids In Philly
10. My Heard Is The Bums On The Street -- Marah -- Kids In Philly
11. Formula, Cola, Dollar Draft -- Marah -- Let's Cut The Crap And Hook Up Later On Tonight
12. East -- Marah -- 20,000 Streets Under The Sky
13. Plenty For All -- Hot Snakes -- Thunder Down Under

Caught on the In Between playlist - 07-15-08

2008-07-15T22:28:00.003-04:00

I had a blast on the show tonight. I had some Hold Steady cued up at the start of my playlist b/c their newest (4th) album, Stay Positive, was released today. At lunch I went downtown to 1.) get the new album; and 2.) get a free burrito at Boloco! Boloco just opened up here last Friday and it is so good! It's a chain and I'd had it once before in Boston. This town was in desperate need of a good burrito shop--we have Moe's which really isn't that bad, but it doesn't blow me away. Their beans have a funky taste and it's up by Higher Ground, so it's not walking distance from downtown. I had incredibly high hopes for Bueno Y Sano, but they just haven't done it for me. Their burritos are more like cannonballs than tasty logs and there's no spicy flavor to them. I did, however, just get some chicken tacos there the other night that were great. But still, between the two, there was something lacking. Boloco has filled that void for me. And they filled it twice today. And it didn't cost me a cent.

So getting back to the music, after lunch I went over to Pure Pop to scoop the new Hold Steady, but unfortunately it wasn't in yet. Back to work I went and spreadsheeted my ass off until about 7ish and then headed back downtown. First to burritotown and then to Pure Pop, but the album still wasn't in. I'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

I had a blast doing the show tonight and felt really good about it. I played some solid music that I have really been into hard lately. The Hold Steady and Steve Earle have really been all I've played over the past month or so. I can't get enough of Steve Earle. I have his albums Transcendental Blues, The Revolution Starts Now, and I just picked up his first, Guitar Town, this weekend. He has a ton more, so I'm just at the tip of a very awesome iceberg.

I received a mix from New Guy Chris, by way of my little brother, the other day and on it were some more great tunes that got me going in the Bloodshot Records direction. Scott H. Biram really stood out as did Trailer Bride. Bloodshot is full of great artists and bands and one in particular has hit me hard the last couple days. Justin Townes Earle -- son of Steve, and named after Mr. Townes Van Zandt, is a young singer/guitarist who writes and sings in the style of Hank 1 and other old time honky tonk guys.

I played a couple local guys too. Lowell Thompson is a singer/songwriter around here whose self-declared influences mirror all of my favorite bands--Gram Parsons, Wilco, Fugazi, The Beach Boys, Dick Dale, Lucinda Williams, Whiskeytown, Bruce Springsteen, etc. I bet our music collections are nearly identical. He's an awesome singer and I need to get out and see and support him more around town. I started off the show with the usual surfrock/instrumental tune, this time by local crew Barbacoa. This was the very first band I saw when I moved to Burlington. It's fronted by guitar wiz Bill Mullins, who was kind enough to send me their album for free--thanks Bill!--and I saw him out playing with Lowell once, so I bought him a beer to thank him.

Finally, I ended the show with a song by Paul Westerberg, who I incorrectly said was in the Pretenders, but who was really in the Replacements. I couldn't remember which one it was for some reason, and the mic is like a spotlight, so I just blurted out one and it ended up being wrong. I finished the show with a tune by Fast Piece Of Furniture out of Toledo (beat laid down by none other than Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat/Dischord) called "Pictures Of You And Me".

All in all, I was very pleased with the show. My lil' bro, Jason, was recording it, so we'll see how it sounds tomorrow. Thanks for listening, here's the playlist.

1. Barbacoa - Hang 'em High School - Barbacoa
2. The Hold Steady - Positive Jam - Almost Killed Me
3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive - Stay Positive
4. The Hold Steady - The Swish - Almost Killed Me
5. Scott H. Biram - No Way - Graveyard Shift
6. Justin Townes Earle - Hard Livin' - Turn
7. Lowell Thompson - Turn Me Home - Turn
8. Steve Earle - The Gringo's Tale - The Revolution Starts Now
9. Steve Earle - Condi, Condi - The Revolution Starts Now
10. Steve Earle - I Thought You Should Know - The Revolution Starts Now
11. Steve Earle - I Can Wait - Transcendental Blues
12. Paul Westerberg - Runaway Wind - 14 Songs
13. Fast Piece Of Furniture - Pictures Of You And Me - Adventures In Contentment

Caught on the In Between playlist - 07-08-08 (Birthday show)

2008-07-13T19:27:00.003-04:00

So this show was on my bday and it was the first show that I actually tried to put into a format. I did a musical year condensed into one hour--I played Summer songs, Fall songs, Winter songs, Spring songs, and then brought us back to Summer. It was a super fun show to do, but I found the format a bit limiting. Here is the playlist:

SUMMER SET
1. The Hold Steady -- Take Me Out to the Ball Game
2. Devo -- Beautiful World -- Duty Now For The Future
3. The Beach Boys -- Farmer's Daughter -- Surfin' USA
4. The Decemberists -- July, July! -- Castaways and Cutouts
5. U-Roy & Hopetown Lewis -- Tom Drunk -- Version Galore

FALL SET
1. The Marching Hokies -- The Hokie Fight Song
2. Steve Earle -- Galway Girl -- Transcendental Blues
3. Bad Religion -- In The Night -- How Could Hell Be Any Worse?
4. Ryan Adams -- My Windy Wheel -- Heartbreaker
5. Bobby "Borris" Pickett / The Misfits -- Monster Mash-Up

WINTER SET
1. Los Straitjackets -- Sleigh Ride -- 'Tis The Season For Los Straitjackets
2. Gene Autry -- Here Comes Santa Clause -- Gene Autry Christmas
3. Bjork -- Joga -- Homogenic

SPRING SET --
1. Sigur Ros -- Staralfur -- Agaetis Byrjun
2. Noir Desir -- Le Vent Nous Portera -- Des Visages Des Figures
3. M. Ward -- Here Comes The Sun Again -- Transistor Radio

SUMMER OUTRO
1. Surfari's -- Wipe Out -- Surfer Joe Single

Caught on the In Between playlist - 07-01-08

2008-07-13T19:14:00.002-04:00

The show this week was a bit longer since the DJ that comes on at 10pm just had a baby the day before so he wasn't going to be able to make his show. It was rad for me b/c I was able to just keep going. I almost went all night.

1. Dick Dale -- Mexico -- Unknown Territory
2. Manu Chao -- Machine Gun -- Radio Bemba Sound System
3. Cordero -- Abuelita -- Somos Cordero
4. El Guincho -- Palmitos Park -- Alegranza
5. Feist -- One Evening -- The Black Session
6. BilL Callahan -- Footprints -- Woke On A Whaleheart
7. The Thermals -- A Pillar of Salt -- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
8. Descendents -- Good Good Things -- Somery
9. The Buzzcocks -- What Do I Get? -- Singles Going Steady
10. The Replacements -- Bastards of Young -- Tim
11. Paul Simon -- The Boy in the Bubble -- Graceland
12. Lucinda Williams -- Crescent City -- Lucinda Williams
13. Steve Earle -- Halo ' Round the Moon -- Transcendental Blues
14. The Drams -- Des Moines -- Jubilee Dive
15. The Drones -- Shark Fin Blues -- Wait Long By The Rifer and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By
16. Starline Rhythm Boys -- No Gal Cooks Like Mine -- Red's Place
17. The Murder City Devils -- Press Gang -- In Name and Blood
18. The Night Marchers -- Whose Lady R You? -- See You In Magic
19. Rocket From The Crypt -- Lipstick -- RFTC
20. Hot Snakes -- This Mystic Decade -- Peel Sessions EP
21. Fugazi -- Waiting Room -- Peel Sessions 1988
22. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists -- The Sons of Cain -- LIving With the Living
23. The Forty-Fives -- Lost Track of You -- Fight Dirty
24. The Forty-Fives -- The Devil Beats His Wife -- Fight Dirty
25. Tortoise & Bonnie Prince Billy -- Thunder Road -- The Brave and the Bold
26. Jason Isbell -- In a Razor Town -- Sirens of the Ditch
27. Townes Van Zandt -- To Live is to Fly - High, Low and In Between
28. Willie Nelson & Calexico -- Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) -- I'm Not There

Radiator Show #1

2008-07-13T18:45:00.004-04:00

I just started a radio show on the Radiator (105.9 -- WOMM-LP) in Burlington. It's a low-frequency, commercial free station run by Big Heavy Jim, Sean Larock, and Lee Anderson from the Radio Bean. It's an incredible set up and I'm so happy to be a part of the team there. I'll be posting my set lists here every week and have ambitions to post podcasts of my shows in case people miss them live and would like to hear them. I'd love (if I get the energy) to continue to expand this blog to include music reviews, upcoming releases/shows, and just general music talk. It would be great to get some mp3's up here as well, but I'll have to up my technological know-how in order to pull this off. In the meantime, I'll just ramble and post my weekly show playlists and ramble some more.

My show is every Tuesday from 9-10pm and the show is also called Caught on the In Between. The name comes from a song by my high school band Donna Martin Graduates. But I think it also sums up my musical tastes--I like all kinds of different music from all kinds of different places.

My first show was on 6/24 and here is my playlist (Artist, Song, Album):
1. Generation X - Ready, Steady, Go - Generation X
2. Fast Piece of Furniture - Miles From Nowhere - Adventures In Contentment
3. Whiskeytown - Yesterday's News - Strangers Almanac
4. Catfish Haven - Still Hungover - Please Come Back
5. Daedelus - Aplomb - Invention
6. Them - Here Comes The Night - The Story of Them
7. Marah - Faraway You - Kids in Philly
8. The Night Marchers - I Wanna Deadbeat You - See You In Magic
9. The Sentinels - Latin Soul - The Mighty Rufer's Surfrock Extravaganza
10. Calexico - Across The Wire - Feast Of Wire
11. DeVotchka - Undone - A Mad And Faithful Telling
12. She and Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? - Volume One
13. Lowell Thompson Band - Is It Really That Easy - Live at Metronome 12/15/06
14. Noir Desir (feat. Manu Chao) - Le Vent Nous Portera - Des Visages Des Figures
15. Josh Small - Moses - Tall By Josh Small
16. The Clash - The Card Cheat - Clash On Broadway (disc 2)