The very highly-regarded Twirlie Awards show just got a major boost–we’re going international! That’s right, the Twirlies, indie music’s answer to the Grammies (even though the Grammies didn’t ask for an answer), will air on London, UK’s prestigious Recharged Radio!

The good folks in London agreed to let this two hour slice of California sunshine air during their Tuesday night staple, The California Diner. This gives a tremendous boost to the excellent musicians who made 2010 so rich for both radio stations.

Check it out. The festivities run on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 from 8-10 p.m. GMT (12-2 p.m. Pacific), only at Recharged Radio. http://www.rechargedradio.com. See you there!

February 14, 2011
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Here is the complete list of 2011 Twirlie Award Winners, presented live on Twirl Radio, Saturday, February 5, 2011, in Sacramento, California. Congratulations to all, and more importantly, a big thank you to all the great independent musicians who make it possible for me to do this radio show.

Album of the Year
The Corner Laughers, for their album Ultraviolet Garden

Album of the Year Runner up
Maple Mars, for their album Galaxyland

Song of the Year
Vegas With Randolph, for their song The Better Part

Female Vocalist of the Year
Lindy LaFontaine

Male Vocalist of the Year
Joey Oskys

Ear Candy
Beth Thornley, for her album Wash U Clean

Best Debut Album
Sarah Taylor, for her album The Cure To Everything

Best Songwriting
Bill Mumy, for his album Glorious In Defeat and Sarah Taylor’s album The Cure To Everything

Best Guitar Solo
Teina Anthony, for the solo in his song A Natural Life

Best Line In A Song
Dave Stephens, for his song Mr. Wonderful. The line was “Mr. Wonderful, you’re so big and tall, too bad quarterbacks only live so long…”

Best Humorous Album
The Clutter Family, for their album The Clutter Family

DJ’s Playlist Most Pilfered From
Sparky from ShockPop Radio

The Wayback Award (aka the “Please Come Out Of Retirement Award”)
June And The Exit Wounds, for their 1998 album A Little More Haven Hamilton, Please

Top Albums: (alphabetical order)
Baby Scream – Baby Scream
Mark Bacino – Queens English
Laurie Biagini – A Far-Out Place
The Corner Laughers – Ultraviolet Garden
Debora Iyall – Stay Strong
Maple Mars – Galaxyland
Bill Mumy – Glorious In Defeat
Nushu – Hula
Allyson Seconds – Bag Of Kittens
Dave Stephens – Time Will Tell
Sarah Taylor – The Cure To Everything
Beth Thornley – Wash U Clean

Top Songs: (alphabetical order)
Boomchick – TGTW
Kate Burkart – Cross The Street
Anny Celsi – Tangle-Free World
The Clutter Family – Artist In The Office
Dead Heart Bloom – Sentimental Cures
Todd Dillingham – Crimson Spires
Debora Iyall – Stay Strong
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop – Forestiere Gardens
Laurie Larson – All Year Long
Tina Lie – Twilight Hour
Rich McCulley – Tell Me, I’m Listening
The Scratch – Alcohol’s A Depressant
Joe Symes – Lost Along The Way
Vegas With Randolph – The Better Part
Beth Thornley – You’re So Pony

Top female vocalists you should listen for: (alphabetical order)
Laurie Biagini
Kate Burkart
Hillary Burton (Nushu)
Anny Celsi
Maxi Dunn
Lindy LaFontaine
Laurie Larson
Lisa Mychols (Nushu)
Allyson Seconds
Sarah Taylor
Beth Thornley
Emily Zuzik

February 6, 2011
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

This year’s Twirlie Awards are coming up on Saturday, February 5th, 2011. (4-6pm Pacific, http://www.twirlradio.com.) We always seem to hold them on Super Bowl weekend, so that you’ll have an easier time of remembering when the big game is!

But seriously, it’s a chance for us to take note of the great musicians who made the previous year so much fun, musically speaking. And with that goal in mind, it pleases me greatly to present to you, the Top Albums and Top Songs of 2010!

Top Albums: (alphabetical order)
Baby Scream – Baby Scream
Mark Bacino – Queens English
Laurie Biagini – A Far-Out Place
The Corner Laughers – Ultraviolet Garden
Debora Iyall – Stay Strong
Maple Mars – Galaxyland
Bill Mumy – Glorious In Defeat
Nushu – Hula
Allyson Seconds – Bag Of Kittens
Dave Stephens – Time Will Tell
Sarah Taylor – The Cure To Everything
Beth Thornley – Wash U Clean

Top Songs: (alphabetical order)
Boomchick – TGTW
Kate Burkart – Cross The Street
Anny Celsi – Tangle-Free World
The Clutter Family – Artist In The Office
Dead Heart Bloom – Sentimental Cures
Todd Dillingham – Crimson Spires
Debora Iyall – Stay Strong
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop – Forestiere Gardens
Laurie Larson – All Year Long
Tina Lie – Twilight Hour
Rich McCulley – Tell Me, I’m Listening
The Scratch – Alcohol’s A Depressant
Joe Symes – Lost Along The Way
Vegas With Randolph – The Better Part
Beth Thornley – You’re So Pony

We’ll announce an Album of the Year and a Song of the Year on the Twirlie Awards show, picked from these lists. But these artists are all winners, and we hope you’ll buy some of their music and support what they do. Congratulations to all, from Twirl Radio!

February 3, 2011
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Welcome Debora Iyall fans! The legendary leader of 1980’s New Wave band Romeo Void joins us live and in studio on Saturday, Dec. 11.

This is not a test: this is the real thing! That’s right–we get to hang with her for the full two hours, starting at 4:00 p.m. Pacific.

How’s that you say? Well, as my good fortune would have it, Debora now lives right here in Sacramento. Imagine that–this musical treasure right here in our midst!

Debora and Romeo Void had several huge hits back in the day, including “Never Say Never” and “A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)”. Well, it’s nice to see that she’s back, and her songwriting and vocals are as strong as ever. She’s gone all indie on us, with the release of a great new solo album, “Stay Strong”. And that’s a good thing! Touches of New Wave, alternative, and even some acoustic sounds get you in the door, but the deep, insightful, and often playful lyrics keep you listening. And before you know it, you’ve blown through 11 tracks and want to start listening all over again from the top.

We’ll chat with her, hear some classic Romeo Void and sample some of the new tracks, and as a special treat for all of us, in the second hour, Debora takes over and spins some tunes from her personal vinyl collection. I personally have not spun a 33 or a 45 in the last 13 years, so after a quick refresher course, we’ll play both! I can’t wait to hear what she’s got in store for us.

Don’t miss the fun. This is sure to be one of the most memorable shows we’ve done in quite a while. We’ll see you right here at http://www.twirlradio.com, 4:00-6:00 p.m. Pacific. Just press the “Magic Twirl Button” or the “Listen Live” link at showtime, and the audio will magically fill your room, live and in real time, all the way from Sacramento, California! See you there!

December 10, 2010
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 2 Comments

Great news for fans of Bill Mumy: the legendary actor/singer-songwriter/voiceover artist/radio guy (sorry–I’m running out of slashes here) will be joining us on Twirl Radio this Saturday, October 16, 2010!

As you most likely know, unless you’ve been somewhere else for the last several decades, Bill is a really well known television actor. He was “Will Robinson” on the classic sci-fi TV series Lost In Space. (You know, when people say “danger, Will Robinson”? Yes, THAT Will Robinson!) He was also in several episodes of the Twilight Zone, most notably in the “Cornfield Kid” episode. He was in Babylon Five. And the list goes on, but since I’m paying by the character, I’ve got to cut it short (I’m kidding!).

Here on Twirl Radio, we’re especially interested in Bill’s music, and he just released a heck of a fine album called Glorious In Defeat. It’s a bluesy affair, written with a keen observer’s eye and performed and produced solely by Bill. We’ll learn what went into the crafting of these songs, and a little more about his musical past. We’ll even ask the hard-hitting question about what inspired him to write the novelty classic “Fish Heads”, during his Barnes and Barnes years!

And if that weren’t enough–we’re going to play enough great indie and well-known, but slightly off the beaten track music to fill your musical plate. Join the fun–Saturday, Oct. 16, 4-6 p.m. Pacific, http://www.twirlradio.com.

October 15, 2010
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 3 Comments

Yesterday was a pretty big day for my radio show. My friends Rich Samuels and Greg Baldwin of worldaccordingtorich, an emerging YouTube channel, documented a day in the life of Twirl Radio. We had musical guests Mark Bacino on the phone, and Adrian Bourgeois and Ricky Berger live in the studio!

Now you too can jump into the world of social media. Follow the link, and see what Twirl Radio looks like on the air. Then subscribe to the worldaccordingtorich channel, for some funny, pertinent, and impertinent video enjoyment! While you’re here, you might also consider subscribing to twirlradio.com–I’ll send you blog and playlist updates.

Here’s the link–enjoy the show!

June 13, 2010
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Opportunities abound. Today’s Twirl Radio is going to be the biggest show I’ve had in a while. What do we have going on?

Well, let’s take it from the top. We’ll have a live phone interview with New York City singer/songwriter Mark Bacino, who just released a magnificent album called Queens English. We’ll find out what the name means, and hear some tracks.

A couple of up-and-coming Sacramento musicians, Adrian Bourgeois and Ricky Berger are going to be visiting us in the studio. They’ve just completed a three month long driving tour across the United States. I’ll bet you’re curious to see how many miles they’ve logged on the tour van. We’ll chat with them, and hear some of their latest music as well.

Former California gubernatorial write-in candidate Greg Baldwin, a longtime friend of Twirl Radio, will also be in the house. We might even coax some punditry out of him today.

And did I mention that a multiple Emmy Award winning television producer and his crew will be documenting all of today’s activities? Rich Samuels, from worldaccordingtorich (just search for this on YouTube, and subscribe to it), has been strongarmed into asked if he could make Twirl the subject of one of his Vlogs. Who am I to say no?

Join us today, Saturday, from 4-6pm Pacific, at http://www.twirlradio.com. It should be a lot of fun!

June 12, 2010
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

The International Pop Overthrow (IPO) Liverpool festival will be featured in a radio special, hosted by Mike Lidskin. This 45 minute program features interviews with a few of the artists who will grace the stage of the world renowned Cavern Club. We’ll also hear their music, and a special interview with the IPO’s founder, David Bash. Mike chatted with folks in four different countries, and can’t wait for you to hear what it all sounds like!

This special will air twice this week. Catch it on Twirl Radio (based in Sacramento, CA) Saturday, May 22, from 4-6pm Pacific, http://www.twirlradio.com. It will play again on Recharged Radio’s Tuesday Night Diner (based in London, UK) on Tuesday, May 25, from 8-10pm GMT. And if you’re anywhere near Liverpool, you owe it to yourself to check out this amazing collection of musicians!

For more information, go to www.internationalpopoverthrow.com.

May 22, 2010
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

We here at Twirl Radio decided to start a new tradition this month: the Month of May-hem Celebration! This year is the first time we’ve done such a thing. So what did 2009’s May-hem consist of? Well, a different theme each week. Some of these were harder to pull off than others, but we’re almost out of the woods, so here’s a recap.

Saturday, May 2: Thrift Shop Special. My radio friend Bhim and I went on one of our now-legendary expeditions to the wilds of Berkeley, CA, to hunt for new sounds. We went to a couple of America’s finest used CD shops, which literally took hours to get through. I returned to the friendly confines of Sacramento with over 40 discs, and on this episode, played only music acquired on this trip.

Saturday, May 9: Name That Backwards Tune. Literally, as the title implies, a strange game show format. I played choruses from really well-known songs backwards, and the home audience tried to guess which tunes they were. After a few seconds, I then played the songs the right way. My takeaways: some nice songs sound creepy backwards. Some nasty songs sound hilarious backwards. Some songs sound about the same backwards and forwards. And–some songs just shouldn’t be played backwards. A great experiment!

Saturday, May 16: Pop Garden Radio visits Twirl Radio. My friend Adam Waltemire is the host of Pop Garden Radio, a great Saturday night radio show on WMEL AM 1300 in Cocoa Beach Florida. However, Adam was pre-empted by NASCAR racing and Orlando Magic playoff games for nearly a month, so I knew he was jonesing to do some radio. He was gearing up for his big six hour anniversary show the following week. His show normally airs from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern, and in the radio business–it’s an HONOR–not a pain–to put in more time on the air. Plus–I wanted to finally meet the guy!

Saturday, May 23: Memorial Day Special. On this holiday weekend, we honor our servicemen who have protected this great country of ours. On Twirl, I chose to honor a couple of American holiday weekend traditions: traveling, and eating like crazy! Hour 1: American Road Trip. We featured songs about places in the U.S. Hour 2: Memorial Day Cookout. We featured songs about food. It was incredibly easy to find songs about places in the U.S., and traveling around our country. But it was surprisingly hard to find songs about food. My challenge was to see if I could put together an hour of food-oriented songs without tapping into the vast catalog of Weird Al Yankovic. I could have easily put together an hour of food songs by Weird Al, but I wanted to do it the hard way.

Saturday, May 30: MAY I Take Your Order? I threw this one open to my friends on Facebook. I mentioned that I was having trouble deciding what theme to go with for this last show of the Month of May-hem. I got suggestions including Ska, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (Muppets), artists born in May, and music from Manchester, UK. So I just said–great–let’s do it all! A great way to wrap up a fun month of Twirl Radio. And I thank you for joining the fun!

May 28, 2009
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment