Today we continue discontinuity with Chris Cacavas. He had an album in 2009, which we pronounced the best LP that year, called Love’s Been Discontinued. It turns out that Chris had more than just 12 songs back then. There were 11 more demos which he decided to finish out recently and turned into the continuation of the 2009 album which just came out recently. So, how do you continue discontinuity? Cacavas came up with the new term (re)discontinuity. Brilliant! We also have three new bands this time: English Singles from Sacramento, CA, Futurebirds from Atlanta GA, Gooch Palms from Perth, Australia. Marshal Crenshaw is back with the new EP called Stranger and Stranger and Connection of Portsmouth, NH are back with the new, self titled single. We also have three nice compilation records connected to the 60s rock’n’roll scene in Memphis and Muscle Shoals: Feeling High The Psychedelic Sound of Memphis and Hall of Fame Volume 2. The third one is called Pesme ispod pokrivaca and it is put together by the gig promoter Ivan Loncarevic from Pop Depression who is celebrating 10 years of activity.
NRBQ – Rocket Number 9;
Connection – Connection;
English Singles – Ordinary Girls;
Green on Red – A Tragedy;
Chris Cacavas – Let Me Hear;
Chris Cacavas – We Are History;
Dan Stuart – Can’t be Found;
Steve Wynn – Follow Me;
On Tour – Follow Me;
Low Cut Connie – Cleveland;
Futurebirds – Virginia Slims (Live in CLE);
The Gooch Palms – Just Like Romeo and Juliet;
The Gooch Palms – Participant No. 91;
Step-Panther – Rock and Roll Alone;
Oblivians – Back Street Hangout;
The Goatdancers – Eat Me Alive;
Jackie – Unfortunately;
Susanna Hoffs – Picture Me;
Marshall Crenshaw – Mary Anne.
We begin today’s show by listening to Kurt Vile from Philadelphia who had a very good album called Childish Prodigy last year. The rest of the show is filled with our favorite short forms of 2009 (eps, singles, single downloads…) and compilations.
Our award for the best musical Internet project in 2009 goes to the Australian singer songwriter Paul Kelly. Throughout 2008 and 2009 he ran a continuous Internet project in which for each month of the year he posted several songs re-recorded in the “unplugged” variants. Each month, one letter of the alphabet was covered (except V and X). This was a wonderful project in which Paul Kelly recorded over 100 hundred songs and posted them for free download at http://www.paulkelly.com.au/. In todays show, we cover at least one song for each letter of the alphabet, and for the other 80 plus songs, visit Paul Kelly’s website. Happy New Year by the way!
 Here we are at the end of another year in rock’n’roll. It’s behind us… We entered it hoping it would be an exciting one, and for the most part, musically, it did bring a few exciting moments. We’re taking time right now to rediscover these moments in our year end list of best albums in 2009 at The Little Lighthouse. Chris Cacavas took the cake this year without too much contemplation, at least in this microcosm that we call The Little Lighthouse. Take a chance to review the rest of the list, read my reviews and of course – take a listen at the show. Exit 2009, enter 2010…
Keyboardist of Green on Red and a solo artist for twenty years, Chris Cacavas is definitely left a huge mark in rock’n’roll. But Love’s Been Discounted is likely his crowning masterpiece when at least in the solo period. I don’t know much about the events that happened in Chris’ life that fueled this record with inspiration, but record seems like a break-up record, a serious redefinition of the term “love” for sure. Musically, it’s a soft record with wonderful guitar solos, songs that dramatically build up. Incredible background harmonizing that takes you by surprise at the most unsuspecting moments often constitute the most dramatic places of this record. 
A close second on this list. Former Husker Du drummer is back with a new solo record after 10 years of putting it together over in Twin Cities. The opening rocker You’re The Reflection of the Moon On the Water starts from a big fat 10 second fade in as if Grant is a bit shy to start with a full blast after 10 years of silence. But Grant Hart quickly draws you into his world with nine flawless tracks, done in the style of 60s psychedelic records. Lots of Hammond-style organs, hand claps and whirling psychedelic instrumental passages. California Zephyr stands out as an incredible road story of a man who settles down in San Francisco and then left out of there when people started dieing. Life and death playing a clinching game that binds us all. Tonight.
Satin Gum is a new band from Pittsburgh who surprised us early in 2009 with a neat four track EP. Later in the year this EP was expanded into a nine track LP and here it taking a high third position in our year end list. This record combines several very interesting rock moments into one thing. You will hear shoe-gazing guitar riffs of My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana pathos and Cheap Trick lighthearted humor. Simple record that economically clocks out at 26 minutes will stay long in your player on repeat. We can only hope that this band will eventually leave the confounds of their local scene. Let it be noted that the neighboring Cleveland was the second stop on that journey! 
Philadelphian musician Greg Koons turned back the clock almost 35 years backwards and, without too many unnecessary innovations, he recorded an album in the best outlaw singer-songwriting traditions of Guy Clark and Gene Clark. 2009 was definitely the right time to return to these traditions as we begun to loose track of these great records. When you put this record on, you will find 11 modern songwriting masterpieces. At the same time, Koons’ backing band The Misbegotten will give a sharp rocking edge to his laments on heartbreaking loves, hookers and cities passed on the road. A picture of a US soldier who died in Vietnam is a dedication to the outlaw sentimentality and an anti-war cry at the same time. No misses on this one.
When I lived in Louisiana, I saw a wonderful German movie Schultze Gets the Blues about an old German guy who moves to Louisiana to play zydeco. This bizarre trans-global story is a wonderful dedication to the beauty of Louisiana music. In 2009, the most exciting zydeco album in ages came from the same “neck of the woods”… Switzerland! Trio of Swiss guys who calls themselves Mama Rosin, collected 13 furious zydeco tunes on their second album Brule Lentement. Some of the songs are classics (Opelousas Sostan!) and some are their own pastiches written in zydeco and Cajun style. The sound on the record is incredibly authentic. It sounds like those old documentary recordings of zydeco tunes and nothing like the watered down sound you can hear these days in tourist shops of New Orleans. Mama Rosin somehow found the original soul of Mamou, Louisiana on the banks of Lake Geneva.
Memphis musician John Paul Keith puts together the best sounding live show you’ll ever hear. Moreover, his album Spills and Thrills is also the best sounding vinyl record in years. While most Memphis bands like their sound dirty and wonderfully screwed up, John Paul Keith’s sound is crisp and clean. Still, it belongs to the same musical tradition that still keeps Memphis as the cradle of rock’n’roll. This was recognized by legendary Jim Dickinson who hired John Paul Keith for his last band called Snake Eyes.