Flashlite #17

John Hiatt The new Laura Cantrell’s album deals with means of transportation. Trains, boats, planes… One of the songs on it is Merle Haggard’s Silver Wings and we check out several versions of it in today’s show. We also make two quick runs through the John Hiatt and Hold Steady songbooks, including their brand new albums. The show ends with Danish band Cola Freaks that I saw live last year. They Will be coming back to the USA (and Cleveland) in August.

Thee Oh Sees – Two Drummers Disappear;
The New York Dolls – Babylon;
John Hiatt – Perfectly Good Guitar;
John Hiatt – Cherry Red;
John Hiatt – Memphis in the Meantime;
The Hold Steady – Sequestered In Memphis;
The Hold Steady – Same Kooks;
The Hold Steady – Banging Camp;

Voodoo Lounge – Tumbling Dice;
Laura Cantrell – Silver Wings;
The Knitters – Silver Wings;
Merle Haggard – Silver Wings;
Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham – A Woman Left Lonely;
Eva Braun – Evergrin;
Living Stereo – No Life Crisis;
Cola Freaks – Keder mig.

Flashlite #16

Willie and PetraX lead us into today’s episode of the Little Lighthouse. I finally saw them live in Cleveland after a failed attempt due to the sold out club in New Orleans and it was unforgettable. We also have some new stuff – The Old 97’s are back with a very good album Blame it On Gravity and Willie Nelson has an amazing box set out, One Hell of a Ride, that reminded me how great he really is. Not that I ever doubted! We also introduce Heartbreak Willie (actually Luka from My Buddy Moose) and Petra, brother and sister from Rijeka who made some nice demos in their home studio.

The Replacements – Johnny Fast;
X – We’re Desperate;
X – Johnny Hit And Run Paulene;
Husker Du – Gilligan’s Island;
Red Cross – Annette’s Got the Hits;
The Lovedolls – Beer & Ludes;
The Old 97’s – Four Leaf Clover;
The Old 97s – Early Morning;
The BellRays – That’s Not The Way It Should Be;
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – So You Think You’re In Love;
Robyn Hitchcock – So You Think You’re In Love;

Daniel Johnston – Grievance;
Heartbreaking Willie – Grievance;
Petra – Four Strong Winds;
Ian & Sylvia – Four Strong Winds;
Bruce and Terry – Four Strong Winds;
Terry Melcher – Down In Mexico;
Roy Acuff – Pins and Needles (In My Heart);
Willie Nelson – Pins And Needles (In My Heart);
The Mojomatics – Hole In My Heart.

Flashlite #15

Drazen Vrdoljak with ZappaSad news from Zagreb, folks! Drazen Vrdoljak, one of the most memorable sidemen of Yugoslav rock’n’roll scene died recently at the age of 57. The first part of the show is dedicated to the music he either liked or participated in making. In any case, Drazen Vrdoljak was one of the most enthusiastic promoters of rock music back in the country that I came from. We also have some new stuff at the lighthouse, The Mojomatics are in with the new album Don’t Pretend That You Know Me and Thalia Zedek with Liars and Prayers. Eddy Current Suppression Ring is a new band from Australia and they debut at the Little Lighthouse with Primary Colours LP.

Johnny Cash – I Still Miss Someone
Haustor – pogled u bb
Film – Neprilagoden
Elektricni Orgazam – Svaka nova noc
Buldozer – Ljubav na prvi krevet
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention – Mother People
The Mojomatics – Clean My Sins
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Wrapped up
Eckman, Race, Brokaw – Sun City Casino

Come – William
Thalia Zedek Band – We Don’t Go
Kamo sutra – Rodeo
The Wedding Present – Don’t Cry No Tears
Slovenly – Don’t Cry No Tears
Neil Young – Don’t cry no tears
Tim Lee 3 – The Bridge
Howe Gelb – Four Door Maverick

Drazen Vrdoljak 1951-2008

Drazen VrdoljakDrazen Vrdoljak wore the most recognizable moustache on Yugoslav TV, he had the strangest accent on the entire radio scene, but those are all just small funky things about him that don’t really matter at this point in time… The news comes to me that he had passed away recently at the age of 57, leaving a great legacy of rock journalism and rock enthusiasm that is rarely seen anywhere. He started off in the late sixties/early seventies by publishing eloquent and analytic music press texts raising a bar in that branch on the local scene. He moved on to television, but his most important influence lied in his close and friendly ties with musicians. Here is the list of five greatest Drazen’s contributions that made the Yugoslav rock scene the better place:

1) His participation at Buldozer’s 1975 LP Pljuni istini u oci. This LP was by far the most unexpected, the most outrageous LP recorded in Yugoslavia before the new wave. The band was greatly influenced by US avant-garde groups such as The Fugs or Mothers of Invention. Conceptually, it was designed as a tabloid newspaper and each song was one bizarre “article” in it. The LP also caused quite a stir with a controversial cover-art. Drazen helped coming up with the ideas for it.
2) Drazen organized and announced new wave concerts at the height of the Yugoslav new wave. Two greatest live albums ever recorded in Yugoslavia, Film’s Uzivo u Kulusicu and Elektricni Orgazam’s Braco i sestre open with his unforgettable announcements.
3) Drazen made country music cool back home in several ways, he wore publicly western outfits and cowboy boots in the middle of Zagreb, Croatia, he played the coolest country acts in his shows and encouraged formation of local country bands in Zagreb.
4) He helped Haustor record one the greatest new wave singles ever recorded in Yugoslavia Moja prva ljubav and
5) He interviewed Frank Zappa on Yugoslav television back in the early seventies as if he was a regular pop star.

Every local scene needs people like Drazen!

Flashlite #14

Pierced Arrows First 30 minutes of today’s show is very loud and the the other half of the show we mellow down easy with some folksy type of rock… at least if you consider young savage Westerberg strumming his acoustic guitar mellow. We do. So, yes that second block begins with his “protest” song Bad Worker that’s one of the “extras” on the newly re-re-released expanded versions of first four Replacement records. We check them out pretty carefully in today’s episode. The we had also the new Billy Bragg’s double CD which he calls Mr Love and Justice. Steve Wynn recoded an album in Ljubljana, so we check that out as well. In the first half, we have the new band for the former Dead Moon members Fred and Tony. They call it Pierced Arrows. We also check out new records for Wedding Present and The Ettes. Also, I got a chance to shake hands with legendary Tommy Ramone who played a show with his bluegrass duet Uncle Monk in Cleveland. So, the show ends with one of the songs that I recorded on my voice recorder that night. So, yeah – a lot of new stuff today. Dig in.

Mona Lisa Overdrive – It’s Just Too Much;
Dead Moon – Graveyard;
Pierced Arrows – Guns Of Thunder;
The Wedding Present – Happy Birthday;
The Wedding Present – Spider-Man on Hollywood;
The Wedding Present – Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm;
The Ettes – To Arms;
The Replacements – Perfectly Lethal;
The Replacements – Shutup (Demo);
The Replacements – (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock;

The Replacements – Bad Worker (Solo Home Demo);
Billy Bragg – The Johnny Carcinogenic Show;
Billy Bragg – The Johnny Carcinogenic Show;
Steve Wynn – Tuesday;
Steve Wynn – Slovenian Rhapsody II;
Richard Buckner – Li’l Wallet Picture;
Paul Kelly – Every Fucking City;
Uncle Monk – Mean To Me.

Flashlite #13

Hugo RaceFor all the hard working people all over the world, happy May Day! We’re bringing you some interesting new stuff at the Little Lighthouse today. First of all, Tim Lee is back with a rocking new album Good2b3. Also, rock’n’roll kings without crowns, Kamo Sutra from Zagreb have brand new recordings which will soon be their new release. They sent out the raw, still unmastered recordings and we sample them with one wonderful song Kretendo. Cheap Time from Tennessee is an interesting new band and we check them out too. Former Bad Seed, Hugo Race, has a new album called 53rd State. We heard Hugo earlier this year as one of the Dirtmusic participants. We continue exploring the San Francisco 60’s rock scene with The New Breed. Here it is, episode lucky number 13. I would also like to drive your attention to our this week’s bonus. Zikica Simic in his show Down On The Corner this week features his favorite SST Records LPs. Kim Fowley once said that the music you loved during your high school summer vacations is something that stays forever with you. That’s SST for me folks, so please check that out.

Fun Boy Three – The Lunatics (Have Taken over the Asylum);
The Windbreakers – That Girl;
Tim Lee 3 – Saving Gracie;
Tim Lee – Across The Tracks;
Birdinumnums – She-Say-Go-vocal;;
Peachfuzz – Hero Of Nineteen Eighty Three;
The Beatles – Paperback Writer;
The New Breed – Want Ad Reader;

Quiver – Reason For Staying;
The Wallabies – White Doors;
Dirtmusic – Still Running;
Hugo Race & True Spirit – Dumb Down;
Jeffrey Novak’s One Man Band – Don’t Leave Me Alone;
Cheap Time – Glitter & Gold;
Kamo sutra – Kretendo;
Subhumans – America Commits Suicide;
Dinosaur Jr. – Just Like Heaven.

Tim Lee 3 – Good2b3

Tim Lee 3Tim Lee is a southern gentleman with a respectable career in rock’n’roll behind him. He started out in Mississippi’s own new wave outfit The Windbreakers. Like all proper things that come from the south, Tim’s new wave was deeply rooted in rock’n’roll traditions while still being always fresh. Forward thinking college rock crowd at the time embraced The Windbreakers as a rare jewel and the band kept their cult status throughout the years. Tim also had a very special interstate adventure with Matt Piucci when they gathered Gone Fishin’ recorded a great lost masterpiece Can’t Get Lost When You’re Goin’ Nowhere in 1987. But, much like his friend Steve Wynn, Tim Lee is experiencing a new, exceptionally strong artistic inspiration in past several years with his new trio Tim Lee 3. Baring the sound down to the bones – bass, guitars and drums with added confessional lyrics to top it all, Lee and his trio deliver a straight-forward rock with honesty rarely found today and any day. The new album Good2b3 (Paisley Pop Label 2008), is third in row aimed at the same direction. What adds extra oil to this burning hot platter is contribution from Susan Bauer Lee, bass player of the band and Tim’s wife, who contributes as an author and performer as much as Tim does on this new album. A special credit for this record definitely goes to its engineers Craig Schumacher and Chris Schultz who run Wave Lab Studios in Tucson AZ and who are obviously responsible for capturing the greasy, Crazy-horse-like, live sound of the band.