Twirl Radio

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #824 – 5/5/2018: Busting out more new music!

Enjoy this shot of me relaxing in the Twirl studios while playing all that new 2018 music.

In recent weeks and months, we’ve done so many interviews, that today’s show was a nice chance to take a breather, and just play some songs. Lots of them. And the cool part is the the new 2018 music keeps rolling in, either in my mailbox, my inbox, or sometimes, people just hand me a disc. So we busted out brand new tracks by such artists as Krista D., Daniel Trigger, Lannie Flowers, Michael Simmons, Gretchen’s Wheel, Poplord, Blake Jones & The Trike Shop, The Orange Peels, and more. It’s an embarrassment of musical riches–except that I’m not embarrassed, and neither should you be! Enjoy all this wonderful music, and by all means–please support the artists in any way you can. Buy their music. Go to their shows. Talk them up on social media. Do it now. I’m waiting…okay–enjoy the show!

May 5, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #823 – 4/28/2018: Interview with Jim Coleman of This Wilderness!

This Wilderness

On today’s show, we chatted with Jim Coleman, one half of the New York electropunk due This Wilderness! They are about to release their debut album, “Sorry About Tomorrow”. It’s full of contrasts. The album is both challenging and exhilarating, both dark and fun, both negative and optimistic. Much of the music sounds electronic, yet the vocals are important, and up front. It’s definitely an artistic statement.

Jim told us that they’ve been doing guerrilla shows and videos in remote locations, such as parking garages. The DIY ethic is alive with these guys, yet their music is really sophisticated and well produced. With any luck, they might get out to the West Coast on tour this summer. I suggest you give these guys a listen. http://www.thiswilderness.net

We also premiered brand new 2018 music by The Orange Peels, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., Blake Jones & The Trike Shop, Bay Station, and more. It was a good day for music lovers!

Jim Coleman of This Wilderness interview
This Wilderness | Full Time Woman | Sorry About Tomorrow

April 28, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #822 – 4/21/2018: Interview with Peter Watts and Ruth Rogers of Spygenius!

Spygenius

On today’s show, we were treated to a visit with Peter Watts and Ruth Rogers of Canterbury, UK band Spygenius. They’ve been around quite a while, but their entrance into the Big Stir* fold put them on my radar this year. So we asked the big, imperative questions, such as “Where did the name Spygenius come from?”, and “How do you pronounce the name of their album ‘Pacéphale’? That album, by the way, is being re-released on Big Stir Records sometime this year, and Spygenius is coming to California this summer, so we denizens of the Golden State will have our chance to see them play live. It was fun talking with them, 8 time zones away, and listening to a couple of their songs. You’d do well to give a listen to their music too. https://spygenius.bandcamp.com/album/pac-phale

*Big Stir: 1. Collective of bands, writers, radio people, venues, promoters of music, listeners of music. 2. Monthly series of live shows in Burbank, CA. 3. New record label. 4. Fanzine. 5. Philosophy revolving around a loose collective of items #1-#4, mostly centered around being inclusive when it comes to music performance and fandom.

Spygenius interview
Spygenius | Shall I Show You In My Mirror? | Pacéphale
Spygenius | The Friendly Stars That Glow | Pacéphale

April 21, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #821 – 4/14/2018: Serena Jost interview!

Serena Jost

Singer/ songwriter/ cellist. That’s a combination you pretty much never hear of. Well on today’s show, we chatted with singer/ songwriter/ cellist Serena Jost–where the combination actually does apply. The classically-trained cellist (and really, aren’t all cellists classically-trained?) was a founding member of the legendary female-driven, cello group Rasputina. Since then, she’s created her own space. She’s blended classical and folk-rock. Her new album, “Up To The Sky”, just came out a week ago, and was recorded over the course of two days at St. Peter’s Church in New York City. It was as if she stepped off a cliff into the musical abyss–and lived to tell. It was literally nothing but Serena’s voice and her cello, recorded live–singing as she played the cello. No overdubs, no backing musicians. And it came off beautifully, in the wonderful acoustic setting of the church. She was so inspired by this exhilirating session, that she composed some of the songs on the spot. The performance she turned in was spontaneous and alive. If you want to hear more, check out Serena’s music at www.serenajost.com.

Serena Jost interview
Serena Jost | The Cut | Up To The Sky
Serena Jost | Silver Star | Up To The Sky

April 14, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #820 – 4/7/2018: In studio interview and performance by Matt Langlois of The Welcome Matt!

Matt Langlois of The Welcome Matt in the Twirl Studio

If you remember back a couple of months ago at the Twirlie Awards, The Welcome Matt’s 2017 album, More Empire Days, tied for Album of the Year. Well I found out recently that Matt Langlois, the “Matt” in the band, was going to be in Sacramento this weekend. So I convinced him to join me on the radio. This was the first time we’d met in person, and we spent a whole hour and a half together!

We broke his visit into three segments. First, we heard some songs from his last two albums, and chatted about The Welcome Matt. Then–a real treat–he played a couple of songs live for us in studio, and really made them come alive! And finally, Matt got to play DJ. He brought along some songs from some of his favorite artists, and we spun them on the air. We also chatted with Matt’s wife Christine, a choreographer and dance professor, who’s been working on a program at Sacramento State University.

Before all this excitement got started, we had some other excitement on the show. We were given the great honor of world debuting a track from the forthcoming Blake Jones & the Trike Shop album, “Make”, to kick off the show. And we also played a brand new Jeff Litman song as well. All in all, a pretty big day for Twirl Radio!
http://welcomemattsf.com/

April 7, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #819 – 3/31/2018: Interview and performance by Skip Heller, Spike Sikes, and Birdie Jones!

Birdie Jones in the Twirl Studio

On today’s show, we were treated to a live, in-studio performance by three great musicians: Skip Heller, Spike Sikes, and Birdie Jones. Skip and Birdie drove up from L.A., and Spike drove in from the Bay Area, and converged on our small but mighty radio studio. They treated us to some fun conversation, and three great live songs. About that studio–about the size of a large walk in closet. And we had a large 1968-era keyboard in one corner, and five of us in there. There was a lot of warmth and good vibes–and I think it comes across in the performances. Between the three of them, they have three new albums out right now, and you’d do well to get them all.

More info:
birdiejones.bandcamp.com/releases
soundcloud.com/heller-fs
https://www.reverbnation.com/awesomehotcakes

Skip Heller and Spike Sikes in the Twirl Studio

March 31, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #818 – 3/24/2018: Interview doubleheader: Ben Vaughn and Elk City!

Ben Vaughn

Some days are really good ones on Twirl Radio. Today was one of those. We had two interviews, each with legendary musicians whom I’d heard of for a very long time: Ben Vaughn, and then Renée LoBue and Ray Ketchem of Elk City!

Ben Vaughn is well known for many things, including the Ben Vaughn Combo, his work on the television shows “3rd Rock From The Sun” and “That 70’s Show”, his film scores, and his production work for such major artists as Los Straitjackets, Ween, and Mark Olson of the Jayhawks. Or perhaps you know him from his syndicated radio show The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn. Back in 1995, he released an album of mostly instrumentals called “Instrumental Stylings”. This became his calling card, and his entry into the world of music for television. This album was recorded on analog equipment, but released only on CD–until this year. It finally got the treatment Ben wanted–a vinyl release. It’s a really great, varied selection of tracks, each one painting a different sonic picture, some with whimsical titles. A great listen. More info on Ben Vaughn can be found at www.benvaughn.com.

Elk City

Elk City has been around for a very long time, and although they have been described as “art pop”, a better description might be dream pop. The principals are Renée LoBue and Ray Ketchem. Renée writes the songs, and the rest of the band adds their parts and turns them into finished Elk City songs. Their most recent album, Everbody’s Insecure, just released last week and it really hits a lot of my sweet spots. It’s got some 90’s indie pop/alternative sounds in it, some great guitars, and the most personal songwriting to date for the band. The song 25 Lines, my personal favorite on the album, has been a delicious earworm for me for a couple of days. Renée’s vocals can be both muscular and ethereal, and Ray’s production is top notch. This album was mostly recorded live, so there was a lot of immediacy in the band’s contributions. Get yourself acquainted with Elk City at www.facebook.com/elkcityband.

Ben Vaughn interview
Ben Vaughn | Toestubber | Instrumental Stylings
Ben Vaughn | Aqua Blue | Instrumental Stylings

Interview with Renée LoBue and Ray Ketchem of Elk City
Elk City | 25 Lines | Everybody’s Insecure
Elk City | Ride The Slide | Everybody’s Insecure

March 24, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #817 – 3/17/2018: John Borack in-studio visit!

Author John Borack

John Borack is a man with many slashes–he’s an author/ music critic/ drummer/ songwriter–and probably others I’ve forgotten by now. I’ve had him on my show a few times in the past (via phone), and he’s been up here to Northern California a few times in the past. But–those two things have never collided before–where he was in Sacramento on a Saturday afternoon, with some time free–until this weekend! So we snagged him and roped him into the Twirl studios, where we talked about music, the books he’s penned, his Goldmine Magazine columns, the Elvis Costello tribute compilation album he and Olivia Frain put together, and his work with Popdudes and other rock bands. But most importantly, he brought along some music that he likes and wanted to introduce to the Twirl audience. He and I have a lot in common, but nothing more important than the ideal of music discovery. It all came together nicely on this week’s show. More information on John’s writing at https://www.facebook.com/JohnBorackAuthor/.

John Borack and part of his record collection

March 18, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #816 – 3/3/2018: Steve Barton of Translator interview!

Steve Barton in the studio

On today’s show, we meet the legendary Steve Barton, founder, singer, and songwriter of Translator! He just released not one, not two, but three albums! That’s no small feat in this age of short attention spans, downloaded singles, streaming, and EPs. This 37 song collection is called “Tall Tales and Alibis, Albums 1, 2 and 3”. Magnificent stuff. Each album has its own sound and personality, and if you are lucky enough as I was, to have time to listen to all three straight through, you’ll be treated to a sort of symphony in three movements. Acoustic and upbeat, slow and introspective, and then full band assault. The songwriting is terrific and the vocals are upfront. On Album 3, we are treated to two great drummers: Translator’s Dave Scheff, and Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello and the Attractions! As you might imagine, you’ll hear a variety of moods and sounds. Just go ahead and get all three, and thank me later. Better yet, thank Steve Barton for the great music!
www.stevebartonmusic.com

Steve Barton

March 3, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #815 – 2/24/2018: Sarah McQuaid interview, and previewing the Fowl Tone Sampler!

Sarah McQuaid

Sarah McQuaid is a legendary folk guitarist, singer, and songwriter. She’s known for all of those things–but to add to that–she’s a big proponent of the DADGAD guitar tuning (my musician friends should know what that is). She wrote the book on DADGAD. Literally–she did write a book about it! She’s about to release her latest album in the US, “If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous” (it’s been out for a few weeks in the UK), which was produced by the legendary guitarist Michael Chapman. And he asked if he could produce Sarah’s record–so when a guy like that wants to work with an artist–you know she’s something special. http://www.sarahmcquaid.com

We also received a very special album at the Twirl main offices this week. It’s the long-awaited Fowl Tone Records sampler disc. It features tracks from many of the Fowl Tone artists, and shows the breadth and depth of their musical stable. We played a couple of tracks on today’s show, and will feature more in the weeks to come. Go get this one, and make sure you get the CD, so you can get the informative liner notes: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/fowltone

Sarah McQuaid interview
Sarah McQuaid | If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous | If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous
Sarah McQuaid | The Tug Of The Moon | If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous

February 24, 2018
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

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