Twirl Radio

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #794 – 9/9/2017: Karla Kane & Fun Of The Pier in-studio interviews!

Karla Kane

Today’s show featured two musical married couples–Karla Kane and Khoi Huynh of The Corner Laughers, and Helen and Mark Luker of Fun Of The Pier. Karla and Khoi are no strangers to Twirl Radio, but this time, we celebrated the release of Karla’s first solo album, “King’s Daughters Home For Incurables”. In the interview, we learned where the seemingly mysterious title comes from. While the sound of Karla’s solo songs may be a tad quieter and folkier than The Corner Laughers, there’s no mistaking who wrote the songs. Karla’s style is pretty unique among her peers–always intellectual and witty, and if a social statement needs to be made, it’s made in a gentle way that still manages to cut right to the point. A fine record indeed! http://www.karlakane.com

Fun Of The Pier

We were also treated to a visit with Helen and Mark, who are visiting us from Nottingham, UK! They’ve toured and played with The Corner Laughers in both the UK and US, and have just released their first full-length record, the delightful “14:42”. During the interview, we learned about the origins of the intriguing band name. Helen is the songwriter and singer/guitarist, Mark plays bass, and Richard Snow rounds out the trio with his signature guitar playing. The music is warm and sunny. Speaking as a Californian, it sounds very much at home here. Also a fine record! http://www.facebook.com/pg/funofthepier

Karla Kane & Khoi Huynh interview
Karla Kane | King’s Daughters Home For Incurables | King’s Daughters Home For Incurables
Karla Kane | The Lilac Line | King’s Daughters Home For Incurables

Helen & Mark Luker of Fun Of The Pier interview
Fun Of The Pier | Past/Future | 14:42
Fun Of The Pier | Cavern Song | 14:42

September 10, 2017
Categories: Playlists, Uncategorized . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #793 – 8/26/2017: Bustin’ out all the new music!

Some of the new music played on today’s Twirl Radio!

After about two dozen weeks of shows with interviews, capped off by last week’s Twirl Radio Pop Fest ’17, I thought it would be a good idea to just chill in the studio and play you some new music. I mean heck, that’s what I used to do on weekend afternoons before I had a radio show.

It becomes especially important to air out all this new music today. 2017 has been a banner year for new indie rock and roll, and instead of slowing down for the summer, the music’s been coming to me fast and furious. From Felsen to Chris Church to My Little Hum to Eric Peter Schwartz to Karla Kane to…well, you get the idea. Two-thirds of today’s show is all music released in 2017. A ton of music–yes, literally, I played 2,000 lbs of songs on today’s show!

Your homework assignment–listen to and support these artists in every way you can!

August 26, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #792 – 8/19/2017: Twirl Radio Pop Fest ’17 preview!

Twirl Radio Pop Fest ’17 poster

August 20, 1997 was, literally, the day I moved to Sacramento. One of the single biggest and best decisions of my life. Little did I know, that 20 years later, to the day, I would get the opportunity to host a music festival–bringing together great musical minds from not only my new hometown, but from all over California. That festival is happening on Sunday, August 20, 2017: Twirl Radio Pop Fest ’17, at the wonderful Blue Note Brewing Company in Woodland, CA (just outside Sacramento).

On today’s show, we heard music from the six bands that are on the bill, and interviewed some of the performers! I strongly encourage you to attend the show, if you’re in the area. The show starts at 1:00 p.m., and you’ll see these great bands:

From L.A.: The Armoires. From Fresno: Blake Jones & the Trike Shop. From San Francisco: The Bobbleheads. From Sacramento: Gabe Nelson from Bellygunner and Cake, Natalie Cortez Band, Loose Engines.

This is an amazing collection of musical talent from all over the great state of California. If you like your quirk-pop, your psych-pop, or your Americana-pop–this festival is for you! Have a brew or a soft drink! Enjoy some tasty treats from the food truck. And most of all–enjoy this great collection of bands, all of whom are played on Twirl Radio in this family-friendly Sunday matinee show at the fine Woodland venue, the Blue Note Brewing Company.

August 19, 2017
Categories: Playlists, Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #791 – 8/12/2017: Eric Peter Schwartz interview and live performance!

Eric Peter Schwartz

Eric Peter Schwartz has become a regular on Twirl Radio over the past few years. This pretty much coincides with his prolific recording career–he’s had a late start, but has put out something near eight releases since 2013! His style is folky, rock and roll, and his lyrics are relatable. He sings from a personal point of view–lots of humor, both self-deprecating and otherwise, with a good dose of nostalgia and wisdom thrown in.

He’s done a lot of online Stageit and Facebook shows–so after attending one of these, I asked if he’d do a mini show for us on Twirl Radio–and so that’s what happened today on the air!

His next album, “Highway 45”, is slated for a September 1st release–which would mark the third recording he’s put out this year! More info at epschwartz.com.

August 12, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #790 – 8/5/2017: Lisa Said interview and Hannah Judson in-studio performance!

On today’s show, we were treated to a doubleheader: an interview with singer-songwriter Lisa Said, and a live, in-studio performance an interview with singer-songwriter Hannah Judson.

Lisa Said

Lisa Said recently released an EP entitled Estranged. It’s a tight little song cycle–four well-written songs, crafted from personal experience. “Some Dudes”, the opener, is both hilarious and world wise. Think of it as a response to the Rolling Stones’ “Some Girls”, and you’ve got the picture. We chatted with Lisa from her home in Washington, D.C., and learned about what went into the making of Estranged, and what’s coming up next on the horizon for her. More info at lisasaid.com.

Hannah Judson

Right after that conversation, Hannah Judson came into the Sacramento studio, accompanied by none other than Twirl Radio favorite Pepe Espada, who “discovered” her for our audience! We chatted about her wide-ranging musical influences, which range from classical to folk to punk. And best of all–she performed two songs for us live in-studio, with her beautiful Gretsch guitar and this cool loop pedal, which gave her the ability to create her own backing vocals on the fly. You’ll simply have to hear it to believe it. More info at hannahjudson.com.

Bonus: check out this behind the scenes video of Hannah Judson performing in the Twirl studios, courtesy of Spencer Lidskin:

Lisa Said interview
Lisa Said | Some Dudes | Estranged
Lisa Said | Up Not Down | Estranged

Los Illegals | El Lay | Internal Exile
Felsen | Lay Kenneth Lay | Accidental Drowning

Hannah Judson interview/performance
Hannah Judson | Daniel (live) | Live in studio performance
Hannah Judson | Feather (live) | Live in studio performance

August 6, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #789 – 7/22/2017: Dennis Willis visit!

Dennis Willis of Soundwaves

As many of you now know, Twirl Radio has been podcasting on the venerable San Francisco website Soundwaves since this past winter. On today’s show, the proprietor of Soundwaves, Dennis Willis, came into the Sacramento studios and hung out. Since we are now a part of the Soundwaves network, you might say we had a “visit from the home office”!

Dennis is known for many things, among them, movie reviews on KGO radio, authoring “American Popcorn: Hollywood and the War on Common Sense”, and of course, the television program Soundwaves–which had 500 episodes in its initial run!

Soundwaves, the website, is a champion of all things music. When legendary San Francisco radio station KFOG changed formats, and let go of some of their legendary personalities and features, they found a new home on Soundwaves. The perennial favorite 10@10 is one example of a feature that Dennis revived, with help from the originator, Dave Morey. There’s so much more to Soundwaves, but I guess that’s why you’ll want to listen to today’s episode! www.soundwavestv.com

July 22, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #788 – 7/15/2017: A three-fer! Jimmy Horn of King James & The Special Men interview; new song introductions by Karla Kane & Sean O’Brien!

Jimmy Horn of Kings James & the Special Men

Today on Twirl Radio, we had a fun treat–a three-fer of visits with musicians! Yes–a full on interview with Jimmy Horn of King James & The Special Men, and then Karla Kane and Sean O’Brien introducing new prerelease songs.

Jimmy Horn has been making music in New Orleans, one of America’s finest cities for music (and food!), for a very long time. The latest incarnation of his band, King James & The Special Men, have been together for about 7 years. But only now have they finally committed some of their music to tape (or drive; I’m really not sure). New Orleans is a destination music city, and so the band had been mostly focused on playing live for crowds of tourists and locals alike. They’ve even played in front of such music royalty as Elvis Costello and Robert Plant! The new album, “Act Like You Know”, is a high-spirited romp through most of the musical genres native to America: boogie-woogie, blues, R&B, and old-timey rock and roll. And the band, naturally enough, features piano, a horn section and great rhythms. A delicious musical stew to be sure. The band is set to leave on their annual summer trip to Europe, where they entertain happy crowds in Denmark! Pick up this album and play it at your next party. www.specialmanindustries.com

Karla Kane

Karla Kane, of the bands The Corner Laughers and Agony Aunts, has been an integral part of my radio shows for this entire decade. She’s one of the very few people who have visited both the Twirl Radio studios here in Sacramento, and the studios of the late great Recharged Radio in London–no small geographic feat! The opportunity arose to record her first solo album–but Karla is certainly not alone in this effort. All of her Corner Laughers colleagues appear on this record in one form or another, and her and Khoi Huynh’s UK friends (affectionately referred to as The Corner Laughers UK), Mark and Helen Luker play on this one as well. I’m honored that Karla gave me such an early listen to the new album, “King’s Daughters Home For Incurables”–its release date is not until October! It’s a delightful album–a little bit less electric than The Corner Laughers, but every bit as melodic. The songwriting is every bit as sharp as you’d expect from Karla Kane compositions. A couple of Corner Laughers songs are reimagined on this record–Karla covers Karla! We chatted for a few minutes, but Karla is going to come back to Sacramento for a full blown visit in September, with the aforementioned Khoi, and the Lukers, visiting from the UK! I’m looking forward to filling up the studio with all this musical greatness! Pre-order this one now for your convenience: cornerlaughers.com/album/kings-daughters-home-for-incurables

Sean O’Brien in the studio, working on his next album

It seems like the Bay Area’s Sean O’Brien had just visited us here in Sacramento (a look back reveals that it was on 4/15/2017), and we were lucky enough to get him back on today’s show! He had some business to attend to in the Capital City. He also had a new single he wanted to drop off to me. The ever-humble Sean didn’t want to “interrupt” my show. Well, when you’re as talented and well-liked as Sean, you’re pretty much obligated to join me on the air. I thought it might be fun to have a second Bay Area artist introduce a pre-release single on the show. And so he did. He’s currently working on the next album with his band, Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands, due out in 2018–so the song we heard today, “Trying To Stop”, in all its unmastered glory–was a peek into the future. And the future sounds very good indeed. More info at: www.seanobmusic.com

Jimmy Horn interview
King James & The Special Men | Special Man Boogie | Act Like You Know
King James & The Special Men | The End Is Near | Act Like You Know

Karla Kane introduces new music
Karla Kane | King’s Daughters Home For Incurables | King’s Daughters Home For Incurables

Gretchen’s Wheel | Disintegrate | Sad Scientist
Duncan Faure | The Day That I Found Love | 4

Sean O’Brien introduces new music
Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands | Trying To Stop | Unmastered prerelease

July 15, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #787 – 7/8/2017: Interview doubleheader: Slim Cessna & The Great Sadness!

Slim Cessna

On today’s show, we pulled off a rarity for Twirl Radio: a doubleheader of interviews! There is so much interesting music out there, that we had to cram both into the friendly confines of one episode.

We started off with Denver-based Slim Cessna, of Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. This band has been around for a quarter-century, and kind of grew up in isolation in Denver–where folks who listened to country and also to harder rock sounds in the 1980s, out of necessity, created their own scene and sound. They recently released their 2008 double album “Cipher”. Cipher is by turns, mysterious, dramatic, bleak, and fun (yes, bleak AND fun!). Its re-release is rather timely–it’s kind of a strange world we live in, and the songs are left open to interpretation for the listener–who may interpret them differently now than they might have in 2008. They are about to embark on a big U.S. and European tour, winding up in Moscow. More info can be found at: scacunincorporated.com.

Cathy Cooper & Stephen McNeely of The Great Sadness

The Great Sadness is a Los Angeles-based duo, comprised of Cathy Cooper on guitars and vocals, and Stephen McNeely on drums. Their music sounds unlike anything else I currently play on Twirl Radio; it makes sense, because this band has no peers. Their current album, “Weep”, is jarring at first listen. It’s very heavy–it’s deep, rockin’, and has its roots in blues. It’s kind of how Led Zeppelin’s first album was pretty much a blues album, turned up to 11, and made larger than life. Well Weep is a blues album, turned up to 12, but made smaller, and more compressed. The songs tackle such topics as mortality and dead ends in life. You might say that this music is not for lightweights. It is cathartic, and their live shows feature a nearly telepathic musical communication between Cathy and Stephen. Learn more about the band at: thegreatsadness.bandcamp.com.

Slim Cessna interview
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club | This Land Is Our Land Redux | Cipher
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club | Children Of The Lord | Cipher

Cathy Cooper & Stephen McNeely of The Great Sadness interview
The Great Sadness | Never | Weep
The Great Sadness | Underground | Weep

The Welcome Matt | Feel Something | More Empire Days
The Cherry Bluestorms | Wear Your Love Like Heaven | Bad Penny Opera

July 8, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #786 – 7/1/2017: Richard X. Heyman interview!

Richard X. Heyman

Up until a few years ago, Richard X. Heyman was one of those artists whom I’d always heard OF, but never actually HEARD, his music. That changed with his album “X”–a magnificent record, and we talked about it on the radio back then. Fast forward to 2017, his new album “Incognito” is just as good. Lyrically, it’s very current and topical, with some subtle nuances that let you kind of “figure it out yourself”. Musically, it’s chock full of ear candy–the zoomy, atmospheric guitars that I love so well. Instead of jangly, his Rickenbacker tends to ring and soar. He’d taught himself to play slide guitar for “X” by using the cap from a lipstick tube! Now, there’s more slide guitar in the mix on this album, and surprisingly, acoustic plays a strong role on some of the songs as well. The sequencing and pacing of the songs are perfect.

In today’s episode, we explored some of the key tracks from Incognito, and we learned where that title came from. It was fascinating to learn about his recording process, where he builds each song starting from the ground up with the drums (his self-professed “main” instrument), and then paints each musical layer on top, one at a time. He’s the original DIY indie artist–he started working this way decades before it became common practice. For more information, and to purchase this great record, go to www.richardxheyman.com.

Richard X. Heyman interview
Richard X. Heyman | Incognito | Incognito
Richard X. Heyman | Gleam | Incognito

July 1, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #785 – 6/24/2017: Matt Langlois of The Welcome Matt interview!

Matt Langlois

San Franciscan Matt Langlois and his band The Welcome Matt, have been a fixture of our show for several years now. But today is the first time I’ve ever spoken with Matt. What brought us to this momentous occasion is the release of his amazing new album, More Empire Days. It is a vital document of what is happening in 2017 in San Francisco, the world, and probably your town as well. As far as the subject matter, if you were to put Chuck Prophet and Joe Strummer into a room and make them write songs, you’d probably get these songs. The sound is at times rockin’, hard-driving, and even danceable and thoughtful. That’s no small feat to mix all those styles into one album, but Matt Langlois has done it seamlessly. You need this record. Find out more at welcomemattsf.com

Matt Langlois interview
The Welcome Matt | Boutique City | More Empire Days
The Welcome Matt | The Boon | More Empire Days

June 24, 2017
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

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