12.29.06

Ah, the freedom to just play music. If only I didn't feel like hurling myself into the mighty Housatonic; the melancholy was reflected in the music, I guess. For a while. Most of the show was done in a dark studio, a feature that had a nice self-indulgent feel to it. Then, out of thin air, Dennis Watlington showed up, and announced on the freakin' air that he'd come to ask me to be the musical director for his "Rock and Soul Reading" show that he's been doing in support of his extraordinary memoir Chasing America (see this blog back in June '06). You know I'm all over that shit. The last half-hour was just one iTunes playlist after another, while D and I chatted off-line. And I was gonna play some JB, but my JB CD case was empty.

Morells, That Mellow Saxophone

Chappaquiddick Skyline, Everyone Else is Evolving
Steve Earle, I Feel Alright

Bettye Swann, Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
Haale, Again/Baz
Los Straitjackets, Black is Black (feat Raol Malo)

Jack Bruce, Theme For an Imaginary Western (live)
Cream, We're Going Wrong (live 2005)

Cat Power, The Greatest
rx, Imagine/Walk on the Wild Side
Akira the Don, Clones (David Caron cover)
The Rudds, Something Great
Todd Rundgren, Just One Victory

Kamikaze Hearts, Defender
You Can't Just Get Up and Leave
Sky Smeed, Nothing to Fear
Neanderthals, Space Oddity

Yann Tomita, Love
Jackie DeShannon, Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Buzzcocks, Ever Fallen in Love
University of Ghana Post Office, Canceling Stamps (field recording)

Hartz Mountain Company, Parakeet Training Record
The Kinks, Where Have All the Good Times Gone
Richard Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights (live, fr More Guitars)

The Bonzo Dog Band, The Intro and The Outro
Motorhead, God Save the Queen (Pistol's cover)
Teenage Fanclub, About You

12.22.06

What a riot. My pal Ted Potrikus drove over from A-town with an armload of X-Mas CDs and we put together one of the most unspeakably shocking X-Mas shows ever, if I say so myself, which I do. Thanks to Al Q, Eddie G, Lou B, Uncle Dave, Bigozine, Keegan Grayson, Biotic, and of course, Billy Idol, for helping make this all so ridiculous.

Unknown, Trumpet Christmas (a remarkable sonic experience, and instant station fave)
Canned Heat & Alvin & The Chipmunks, The Chipmunk Song / Christmas Boogie

Laffy, Deck the Halls
Hoss, Deck the Halls (fr. Christmas on the Ponderosa)

Patti Smith Group, White Christmas
Billy Idol, Jingle Bell Rock
Marshall Crenshaw, Feliz Navidad
Chris Isaac, White Christmas

Paska, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Sam Ulano, Twas the Night Before Christmas
The Kendall Mint, Beatles v. Barking Dogs
Dickie Goodman, Santa and the Satellite (parts 1 & 2)

DJ bc, Imagine Santa
Go Home Productions, Christmas in Boston
Nybbi, Hippocamp Christmas (thanks for stopping by Biotic!)

Rick Blackson, Helicopter Santa Claus
We Three Bings, Silent Night
Nancy LaPlante, Debbie's Last Christmas
Brian Wilson, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Rev JM Gates, Did You Spend Christmas Day in Jail?
Los Straitjackets, Marshmallow World
Sam Phillips, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
NRBQ, Christmas Wish

Robert Lund, Nuttin' But Spam
Brady Bunch, The First Noel
Cletus T. Judd, Tree's on Fire
The Fab Four, Away in a Manger

Universal Robot Band, Disco Christmas
Joe Tex, I'll Make Everyday Christmas (For My Woman)
James Brown, Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto
Run-DMC, Christmas iin Hollis

Paul McCartney, Wonderful Christmas (Rhythm Scholar Kringle Kut Remix)
National Lampoon, Evil Santa
Unknown, Trumpet Christmas (reprise!)
Tommy Christy, All are Waiting for Christmas

12.15.2006

Sky Smeed stopped in to talk about his great new CD Mill River and the release party for it at Helsinki tonight. He brought along his pal, author Alex Olchowski, who talked about his new novel The Relevance of Men. Then Alex did a reading from the novel with musical accompaniment from Sky. Very, very cool.

The rest of the time I played selections from Spend Xmas With Eddie G, one of Eddie G's compilations of unspeakably strange and often disturbing holiday songs.

Morells, That Mellow Saxophone

Bill Robbin and the Blue Jays, White Christmas
Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang, What Will Santa Claus Say?
Edward Dawson Conniffe, Bake the Johnny Cakes, Christmas Coming

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, Merry Christmas
Tashiro Midori, Jinguru-beru
Electric Jungle, Funky Funky Christmas

Brandon Hanlon and the Bat Men, Christmas Party
Warren Smith, Dear Santa
Sonny Boy Williamson, Christmas Morning Blues

Sky Smeed and Alex Olchowski interview and performance

Joe Loco Quintet, Winter Wonderland
The Kent Harlan Orchestra, Christmas Cha Cha Choo Choo Train
Reuben Anderson, Christmas Time Again

The Twistin' Kings, Christmas Twist
Fountains of Wayne, Man in the Santa Suit
The Sisterhood, The Rockin Disco Santa Claus

Big Bud, Snow Man Rock
Rev. JM Gates, Hell Will Be Your Santa Claus
White Stripes, Candy Cane Children

Mighty Sparrow, Postcard to Sparrow
Art Carney, Twas the Night Before Christmas
Bing Crosby, Happy Holidays (Beef Wellington Remix)

12.1.2006

Had a great visit from Justin Mather who was the very first live guest on Splatto lo all these months ago. He's writing political now, rockin' a little harder. He sang a bunch of songs, and we played some demos he's recorded over the past year. Everything sounded great.

Justin's moving next week to Vegas, of all places. Happy trails, Amigo, and come see us when you're back in town.

Morells, That Mellow Saxophone

Justin Mather interview and performance

Joe Cocker w/ Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Blue Medley: Drown in My Own Tears, When Something's Wrong with My Baby, I've Been Loving You Too Long
Blue Rodeo, Fools Like You

Jamie Cullum, Blame it on My Youth
Eno, Glitterbug Track 10
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Leavin on a Jet Plane (I think there was a "fuck" in there....oops)

Nick Lowe, Rocky Road
Boogie Knights, I Wanna Be Your Wife's Guard
Byrne and Eno, Jezebel Spirit (from Bush of Ghosts)

Ronnie Spector, Ode to LA
Ann Ternheim, China Girl
Matt Mays and El Torpedo, On the Hood

Bryan Ferry, Love Me Madly Again
Beatles, If I Fell

Habana Sax, Pensando en Serio