Flashlite #101

John Wesley ColemanUK label Acid Jazz has started re-issuing rare ep records and demos of the garage rock legends from England. In today’s show we represent two of those eps, both dealing with the past of Small Faces – Ian McLagan’s Muleskinners and Steve Marriot’s early solo work. Another cool reissue is the legendary Gibson Bros. LP from 1986 Build A Raft together with a busload of extras. Loretta Lynn has a new tribute album that gathered a mottle crew of artists. Logically, the tribute’s title is Coal Miner’s Daughter. Our good friends from the early days of the show, San Francisco duet ing, is back after a few years of silence with a luxurious CD/DVD release of Dial which is a musical that in parts deals with a loss of Mark Smotroff’s life partner Jack. John Wesley Coleman, a singer-songwriter from Austin is busy lately with putting out albums quite frequently. This time we listen to a track from his latest album Bad Lady Goes To Jail. And we also have one brand new band today, they are very loud and their name is Bottle Up And Go. So let’s go!

Iron City Houserockers – Rock-ola;
John Wesley Coleman – Bad Lady Goes To Jail;
John Wesley Coleman – Liquor Store;
Steve Wynn And The Miracle 3 – We Don’t Talk About It;
Steve Marriot – Money Money;
The Muleskinners – Need Your Lovin;
Eamon McGrath – Land of Dogs;
The Bevis Frond – The Daily Round;
The White Stripes – Rated X;
Black Dub – Surely;
Trixie Whitley and Daniel Lanois – Surely;
Bottle Up And Go – These Bones;
Gibson Bros. – 16 Tons;
Vanilla Fudge – Take Me For A Little While;
ing – Springfiled Avenue;
ing (with special friends) – Drop;
Mike Watt – Hollowed Out-Man.

Flashlite #100

FawnHere we are for the 100th time at Radio SC in Zagreb. We have three new bands introducing today. Black Dub is a new band for Trixie Whitley and Daniel Lanois. Trixie is daughter of Chris and we trace the total of three of her recordings from the tender age of 9, ’till today. Kill Devil Hills are rocking out of Perth, Australia. Fawn are a melodious new band in Detroit that I’ve seen opening for the Electric Six here in Cleveland recently. Speaking of E6, they have a new album and they cover Spinner’s Ruberband Man on it. Greenhornes are also back with the new record which they call Four Stars. We give it five. And at last, we have Richard Thompson’s new live record called Dream Attic.

Bill Janovitz – Girl’s Club;
The Greenhornes – Song 13;
The Greenhornes – Shine Like The Sun;
The Greenhornes with Holly Golighthly – There Is An End;
Chris and Trixie Whitley – Alien;
Trixie Whitley – Waiting For Tomorrow;
Black Dub – Last Time;
The Rolling Stones – The Last Time;
Apache – OMC;
Monstrous – Gimmie Your Love;
Fawn – Hip Parade;
Kill Devil Hills – Hungry & Down;
Reigning Sound – Love Won’t Leave You A Song;
Spinners – Rubberband Man;
Electric Six – The Rubberband Man;
Richard Thompson – Demons In Her Dancing Shoes;
Kropotkins – When I Found You In My House.

Flashlite #99

Mike WattThis is one of the heaviest shows with new materials if you consider what rockers we have with new records this time: Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Mike Watt, Steve Wynn and Greg Cartwright. What a line up, huh? So, let’s see – the Boss dug out old sessions for the Darkness at The Edge of The Town album and has them out now as a double disc called The Promise. Costello recorded an album called National Ransom with T. Bone Burnett in LA and Nashville. Mike Watt has a new conceptual record called Hyphenated-Man and it’s about his life as a middle aged punk. Steve Wynn gathered his Miracle Three over in Richmond to record a new album which they call Northern Aggression. That one’s somewhat of a loose concept too – Yanks belting out in the Southern man’s land. Greg is here with a new band called The Parting Gifts, apparently an one time gig for him and Coco Hames of The Ettes.

Paul Westerberg – Knockin on Mine;
The Ettes – I Can’t Be True;
The Parting Gifts – My Mind’s Made Up;
Reigning Sound – The Bells;
Doug Gillard – Only a Loan;
Underscore Adia – One Whole Week;
Bruce Springsteen – I’m On Fire;
Bruce Springsteen – Fire;
Elvis Costello – The Spell That You Cast;
Elivs Costello And The Attractions – Opportunity;
Scarcity of Tanks – Cardboard;
fIREHOSE – Mas Cojones;
Mike Watt – Wheel Bound;
Peter Case – Dig What You’re Putting Down;
Dream Syndicate – Dying Ambers;
Steve Wynn and The Miracle Three – Death of Donny B;
Aaron Spade – Certain Touch.

25 Years of “Tajanstveni voz”

On November 6 1985, exactly 25 years ago, one tradition started to take shape. Zikica Simic in Belgrade (Yugoslavia), decided to start a radio show featuring “the new American rock music” called Tajanstveni voz (Mystery Train). Zikica was featuring bands of the 80s rock’n’roll scene that was impossible to hear anywhere in the world except on college radio stations in the USA. He recognized the respect that these bands had for traditional rock’n’roll and persistently for the next 25 years (and hopefully more) he followed this musical genre as it transformed throughout the years: Husker Du, Green On Red, Violent Femmes, Giant Sand, Tav Falco then a new injection of power with Uncle Tupelo in the nineties and now with Endless Boogie, Phosphorescent, Black Keys and Kurt Vile. He introduced a small army of listeners to the true rock’n’roll sound, including myself. To be perfectly honest, influence of Zikica’s radio show is so enormous on me, that I can easily say how Little Lighthouse is a pale copy of Mystery Train, and still consider it an understatement and a compliment to my show. In the latest installment of his show, Zikica Simic re-played his very first playlist and also threw in a few songs from todays moment in between. A great way to mark quarter of a century of one helluva show.

Playlist 25 years ago…

Violent Femmes – Add It Up
The Long Ryders – I Had A Dream
Beat Rodeo – Without You
R.E.M. – Driver 8
The Del-Lords – Mercenary
Dream Syndicate – Medicine Show
Husker Du – Books About UFOs
Beat Farmers – Bigger Stones
Green On Red – That’s What Dreams
X – What’s Wrong With Me
Minutemen – Cheerleaders
Guadalcanal Diary – Ghost On The Road.

Flashlite #98

Billy RuaneBilly Ruane was a promoter and music event organizer in Boston. He had a huge impact on the Boston rock’n’roll scene and many Bostonians and others remember him fondly. Sad news came to us last Thursday that he has passed away in the age of 52. Today’s show is dedicated to him, as well as the beautiful song by Varsity Drag which bears his name. Besides this dedication, we also present some new music in this show. Gentleman Jesse has another 45 as well as the Memphis soul band Jump Back Jake. Croatian garage rockers Erotic Biljan and His Heretics have also a great new single. Jim Jones Revue are here for the first time, so we play two of their songs – one from the new album Burning Your House Down and the other from Mojo Magazine’s tribute to The Beatles album Let It Be. Underscore Adia sent us their song Buick. They come from Pittsburgh and they can really rock. Excellent Australian power-poper Dom Mariani is back with a new album and so is Susan Cowsill who calls her new album simply Lighthouse. I have a crazy fantasy that she named her album after my show… Am I right?!

Phosphorescent – Across The Universe;
Mission Of Burma – Fame And Fortune;
Varsity Drag – Billy Ruane;
Eamon McGrath – File Under Fire;
Gentleman Jesse And His Men – She’s A Trap;
Jump Back Jake – Call Me Your Man;
The Sadies – Another Day Again;
Electric Light Orchestra – Fire on High;
The Stems – Love Will Grow;
Dom Mariani – Melt;
Susan Cowsill – River of Love;
The Jim Jones Revue – Get Back;
The Jim Jones Revue – Burning Your House Down;
Erotic Biljan And His Heretics – R’n’R Revolution No.5;
Satin Gum – Flea Markets and Libraries;
Underscore Adia – Buick.