Louis Michot is a busy guy. The Louisiana-based Cajun musician has been a bit hard to get ahold of lately, because he’s constantly touring and gigging with several bands, including the Lost Bayou Ramblers, which he co-founded, and the spinoff Michot’s Melody Makers. But we finally pinned him down for a bit, and I had a nice chat with him about the new music.

Michot’s Melody Makers recently released their debut record, “Blood Moon”. The songs are mostly very old Cajun songs, but given a modern treatment. They date back to the days before accordion became a commmon instrument in the genre, and the fiddle was king (incidentally, Louis is a fiddle player). The rock and roll equivalent would be the era before the guitar took over as lead instrument–and saxophones ruled the world.

In the interview, we also find out that there’s going to be a documentary film about the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Louis has yet another band called Soul Creole, and he recently released the first of 12(!) albums from his recent residency at The Stone, John Zorn’s legendary performance space, in New York City. Busy much?

All in all, it was a fun conversation. We heard a couple of his new songs, and then returned to the rock ‘n’ roll right after that. More info at https://michotsmelodymakers.bandcamp.com/.

Artist | Track | Album
Jim Basnight | Avenue Of The Star | Not Changing
Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands | Final Say | Risk Profile
William Duke | Hotels And Meetings | Quatro
Pretenders | Bad Boys Get Spanked | Pretenders II
Maxi Dunn | Everything | Edmund & Leo
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop | RedWhite&BlueSoBlue | Pop Songs & Kyries
Los Lobos | Mas Y Mas | Colossal Head

Louis Michot interview
Michot’s Melody Makers | Two-Step De Ste. Marie | Blood Moon
Michot’s Melody Makers | La Lune Est Croche | Blood Moon

Lisa Said | Some Dudes | Estranged
Spygenius | Godfearing | Pacéphale
The Rubinoos | Countdown To Love | 45
Byron Isaacs | Disappearing Man | Disappearing Man
Lannie Flowers | Everything A Man Could Want | Single release
The Cherry Bluestorms | Brighter Days | Whirligig!
Elk City | Sparrow | Everybody’s Insecure
Duncan Faure | Machine From The Other Side | Machine From The Other Side
Anton Barbeau | Disambiguation | Natural Causes
The Sleep Junkies | The First Time Is Never The Last Time | The Fowl Tone Sampler
Sunshine Boys | Glider Pilot | Blue Music
Vegas With Randolph | Three Red Hooks | Legs And Luggage
Karen Haglof | Palomino Steady Rocking | Palomino Steady Rocking
Steve Barton | Gimme Your Hand | Tall Tales & Alibis 3

January 28, 2019
Categories: Playlists . . Author: twirlradio . Comments: 1 Comment

Dara Ackerman’s been a good friend of Twirl Radio for the past 5 years, ever since I met her when she joined Bay Area powerhouse band Felsen. At that point, I thought Felsen was the perfect band, strong in the studio and incredibly powerful and dynamic in the live setting. They lacked nothing. Then Dara came along and joined as a vocalist and percussionist. I was wrong–the perfect band got a little better–she’s joyous and full of life on stage.

At a Felsen show in 2014, Dara handed me her first album, Skyland. That’s when I first noticed her amazing vocal talents, on the album which concerned itself with her 7 years in India. There was a spiritual aspect to the album.

So the past fall, Dara sent me an advance digital copy of her forthcoming release, Partially True Stories, and it is a more than worthy successor to her debut. It’s a little more rockin’ and upbeat–and she lets the fun flag fly on this one! Terrific vocals abound, but it completely matches the joy you see when she performs on a stage. We had a great chat about all of this, and heard a few tracks on the show. More info at http://www.daraackerman.com/.

Artist | Track | Album
Freedy Johnston | On The Way Out | Never Home
Steve Barton | When She’s Lost Your Mind | Tall Tales & Alibis 1
Bud Rogers | Pictures Of A Modern World (Acoustic) | Single release
The Cherry Bluestorms | Roy Wood | Whirligig!
The Imperial Sound | Daylight | The New AM
Maxi Dunn | Change The Record | Edmund & Leo
HUGElarge | Have Love Will Travel | HUGElarge

Dara Ackerman interview
Dara Ackerman | Party Bus To Vallejo | Partially True Stories
Dara Ackerman | A Million Flowers | Partially True Stories
Dara Ackerman | Oil & Honey | Partially True Stories

Lannie Flowers | Let It Go | Single release
Tawny Thiele | Happy Together | The Fowl Tone Sampler
Sunshine Boys | There Goes Another One | Blue Music
Duncan Faure | Nightfall | Anthology
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop | Make A New Day | Make
Rachel Taylor Brown | Up You | Run Tiny Human
The Judybats | Incredible Bittersweet | Pain Makes You Beautiful
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. | Operator | Glamping
Bill Lloyd | Til The Day That I Break Down | Working The Long Game
Victor Sotelo | Desperately Tired Of White Noise | Homeland Insecurities

January 20, 2019
Categories: Playlists . . Author: twirlradio . Comments: Leave a comment

Today was “edgy day” on Twirl Radio. What do I mean by that? I was fortunate enough to interview two different singer-songwriters on the show, who both have an adventurous edge to their music and songwriting. Both released albums this past fall.

In the first hour, we met Elizabeth Le Fey of Globelamp. Her new album, Romantic Cancer, is a stripped-down affair, whose songs deal with the turbulence of relationships, and how you come back from a rough one. One writer referred to her vocals as having “outlandish phrasing”. That’s true at times–Elizabeth uses her voice as a tool to express emotions and feelings, to more powerfully serve the song. She listens to a lot of music, and has many influences, but rarely sounds like any of them. This record sounds a lot like her live shows, which are often solo gigs, just voice and guitar or keyboard. It’s the melodies and intimate, yet powerful vocals which stand out here. More info can be found at https://globelamp.bandcamp.com/album/romantic-cancer-2.

After that, we got to chat with Mychal Towber. She’s a force of nature. Signed to Columbia/Sony Records at the age of 17, she put out several albums. Then went to Yale, and Columbia Law School, and practiced law for several years. She also won an Emmy Award as part of the music team for One Life To Live. But most recently, she released her 10th album, No Resolution. (Sharp-eyed viewers note that the “re” in “resolution” is grayed out, as a visual play on words.) It’s gritty at times, hard-rockin’ at times, and beautiful at times. A lot of it is loosely based on different phases of Michal’s life. She’s classically trained, yet counts the 90s alternative rock era as an equally strong influence (think Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails). Her voice is powerful and evocative, and if you listen to her performance on the song “Rockstar”, you’ll realize that’s exactly what she is. Get your copy at https://www.amazon.com/No-Resolution-Explicit-Michal-Towber/dp/B07J2VTJF8.

Artist | Track | Album
The Imperial Sound | Six To A Room | The New AM
Jordan Thomas | In The Evening | Single release
Victor Sotelo | Hey Paul! | Homeland Insecurities
Juliana Hatfield | The Edge Of Nowhere | Please Do Not Disturb
Anton Barbeau | Mumble Something | Natural Causes
Bill Lloyd | Merch Table | Working The Long Game
Maxi Dunn | Messed Up | The Neglected Gambit

Elizabeth Le Fey interview
Globelamp | Everything’s A Spiral | Romantic Cancer
Globelamp | Sorceress Of Your Soul | Romantic Cancer

Duncan Faure | Wouldn’t It Be Good | Anthology
Byron Isaacs | Daddy’s Farm | Disappearing Man
Lisa Mychols | Goodby To All Carousels | Sugar
Mark’s Men | Where Were You Last Night | The Fowl Tone Sampler
Astral Drive | No One Escapes | Astral Drive
Lannie Flowers | Good | Single release
Sunshine Boys | Caroline Yes | Blue Music

Michal Towber interview
Michal Towber | Rockstar | No Resolution
Michal Towber | Old | No Resolution

Steve Barton | The Day My Baby Went Blind | Tall Tales & Alibis

January 13, 2019
Categories: Playlists . . Author: twirlradio . Comments: Leave a comment

2019 started off with a bang. I had planned to interview music author John Borack via Skype or telephone, from his home in Southern California, for the first Twirl Radio episode of the year. But then he dropped me a little note, and asked how I’d feel if the interview were an in-person one instead. Sign me up! He decided to combine the interview with a visit to family here in NorCal, and Sacramento was the perfect jumping off point.

John’s got quite a few irons in the fire. He recently finished his book “Shake Some Action 2.0: An updated guide to the 200 greatest power pop albums 1970-2017”. I didn’t know him last decade, when his first book was published, so we had a lot to catch up on with just that topic alone.

But wait–there’s more. If you purchased the book, you also got the long awaited CD from his band Popdudes, “Maximum Rock Stupidity”. Popdudes is a loose musical collective, featuring Michael Simmons, and a rotating cast of other musical characters, including Robbie Rist–but the one constant is John, holding forth behind the drum kit. They’ve released several singles over the years, a perfect blend of originals and creative covers, but never released a proper album. Until now. It’s a really fun listen.

John also writes reviews for Goldmine Magazine, and is quite the collector himself. We went music shopping earlier in the day here in Sacramento with our mutual music friend Stephen “Spaz” Schnee, and just wait until you hear what John unearthed on vinyl. Yes, he really did “go there”, and you’ll hear the results on the show.

All in all, a fun visit. Here’s some more info about John: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBorackAuthor/

Artist | Track | Album
Pete’s Copter | Magic Circle | The Fowl Tone Sampler
Heiskell | Still Life With Broken Heart | Emotional Terrorism
The Cherry Bluestorms | Purple Heart Magic | Whirligig!
Maxi Dunn | Make It Better | The Neglected Gambit
Bill Lloyd | Satellite | Working The Long Game
Sunshine Boys | Only A Million Miles | Blue Music
Steve Barton | Before I Get Too Young | Tall Tales & Alibis 3

John Borack interview
Popdudes | Ding Dong, Ding Dong | Maximum Rock Stupidity
The Greenberry Woods | I’ll Send A Message | Rapple Dapple
Popdudes | The Logical Song | Maximum Rock Stupidity
The Test Pressings | The Love Boat | White Lace And Promises
Lannie Flowers | Doin’ Fine | Single release
Dara Ackerman | A Million Flowers | Partially True Stories
Elk City | Ride The Slide | Everybody’s Insecure
David Geddes | Run Joey Run | Run Joey Run
Irene Pena | Pieces Of You | IPO Volume 21
Popdudes | Beautiful Sunday | Maximum Rock Stupidity

January 10, 2019
Categories: Playlists . . Author: twirlradio . Comments: Leave a comment