Today we have a large block dedicated to Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. We know Ty from our earlier shows. Mikal is in his band, and also has a solo record which offers a new standard for the snot punk scene. It’s a wonderful result that showcases a new, yet fully mature songwriter. We also have a new album for The Bangles and their producer, Matthew Sweet. Glossary are back with the new record Long Live All of Us. John Doe tours USA with X, they were in Cleveland on Tuesday, but he also has a solo record out called Keeper. Tommy Keene is back with Behind The Parade. We dedicate today’s show to Jerry Leiber, one half of the songwriting tandem Leiber and Stoller, who passed away on August 22 this year.
Elkie Brooks – Love Potion nr. 9;
Nazz – Open My Eyes;
The Bangles – Open My Eyes;
Matthew Sweet – She Walks The Night;
Pink Floyd – Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk;
Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin – Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk;
Mikal Cronin – Situation;
Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread;
John Paul Keith – Anyone Can Do It;
Kelly Kneiser – Don’t Give Up On Me;
Glossary – A Shoulder To Cry On;
John Doe – Never Enough;
Roy A. Loney – Ruin Your Shoes;
Jumprope – Kites Are Fun;
Tommy Keene – Deep Six Saturday;
Tommy Keene – Places That Are Gone;
Richard Barrett – Some Other Guy;
Little Willie Littlefield – Kansas City aka KC Lovin’.
The first time I heard of Bill Morrissey was on a very interesting compilation record called Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music. It included 15 singer songwriters that were all new to me in 1989. It was a new, original take on old folk theme, and gathered an exciting new scene that was budding at the time. Bill was definitely one of the stand-outs. He was based out of New Hampshire and he had several excellent solo records. Check them out especially if you are a fan of Townes Van Zandt or Butch Hancock. But, unfortunately, Bill Morrissey died in a hotel room somewhere in Georgia four days ago and in this show we say goodbye to him. We also have a new song for Detroit Cobras which appeared on the new Buddy Holly tribute. Masonics are a new name at the Lighthouse and they come from London UK. Finally, Disciplina Kicme is also back with a brand new album Uf! and it once again rocks my world.
Today’s show is dedicated to Clarence Clemons, the original saxophonist of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. We start with three E Street songs in which I think Clarence particularly shined. We also have new albums for the Serbian band Eva Braun and college rock legends The Silos. Their new album is an unusually shiny summer deal and it’s call Florizona – obviously a name that connects Florida and Arizona. Talking about Arizona, Howe Gelb also has a new album called Snarl Some Piano. It’s mostly a piano record, and we check it out today as well. We hear, Tommy Stinson is about to finish up recording the new record and some of the songs that will appear on this album were beautifully showcased on Minnesota Public Radio. The one that I picked for today has a part co-written with Paul Westerberg. And finally, we introduce a new name at the Little Lighthouse, his name is Frederick Squire and he has a new single with Kate Maki. The last song on the playlist is an old underground hit for the Cleveland band Death of Samantha. They had a brief reunion last weekend when Doug Gillard, their original guitarist, returned to town.
More bad news this week… Steve Popovich, rock maverick from Cleveland who indebted the world with many great records died last week in Tennessee at the age of 68. Steve was a musical promoter and record label owner in the golden age of ’70s when he helped manage careers of Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Boz Scaggs, Joe Grushecky, Southside Johnny, Ronnie Spector, Meat Loaf, Johnny Cash – just to name a few. He was a rare breed, a promoter who truly cared for the music he was promoting, someone who believed in what he liked, even if there was no conventional logic for pushing what he pushed. In that way, he is a true inspiration. We also say goodbye to Benny Spellman, a New Orleans singer who also died last week in his hometown at the age of 79. He left behind exciting early rock songs such as Fortune Teller and Lipstick Traces On A Cigarette, both written by Allen Toussaint. We also throw in a few new records. We introduce Dead Rock West from LA, a band clearly influenced by X. Also, we have new albums for Kate Maki and John Paul Keith. Mama Rosin, zydeco band from Switzerland is also back with a collaboration with Hipbone Slim.
Today we have one cause and three obituaries. First the cause… We would like to help the music producer from Arizona Craig Schumacher to raise funds for his battle with cancer. Through the nineties and on Craig helped either as an engineer or a guest musician or a producer on many great records by various bands in and out of Arizona (such as Green On Red and Calexico or Tim Lee 3, Steve Wynn and Neko Case). Craig is now battling the cancer (and the health system) and needs your help. Go to this link and check out what you can do: 
We are sad to hear that two ladies that influenced pop and rock music greatly from completely opposite directions passed away recently within a single day. One is Poly Styrene, legendary front woman from the X-ray Spex. This punk sister changed the music forever with the unforgettable opening lines “Some people think that little girls should be seen and not heard. But i think: oh bondage, up yours! 1,2,3,4!”. The other one is Phoebe Snow, a singer songwriter from New York City that also changed the face of the music with her first album in 1974. Many performers today, and not only women, borrow today a lot from these two and they will be remembered. Other than paying tributes to Phoebe and Poly, we also introduce a new female singer songwriter Bonnie Whitmore from Nashville. Sam Phillips is also back with her new album. Then we also have a brand new EP for Ty Segall, which entirely consists of T Rex covers. Another new name today is Hunx and His Punks, also from San Francisco, just like Ty Segall.
Today we remember Jet Harris, the original bass player for The Shadows. He died on March 18 this year. We also have two new supergroups today. Middle Brother consists of members from musicians that normally play in Deer Tick, Dawes and Delta Spirit. They have a great new album, which I think surpasses everything they did in their individual bands. The other supergroup is Obits, which consists of former members of Hot Snakes and Edsel. We know their previous album I Blame You very well at the Little Lighthouse, and now they have a new one called Moody Standard and Poor.
Today’s show is dedicated to Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan’s muse from the early days. He wrote some his most beautiful love songs about her. One of his most bitter songs Ballad in Plain D is about his breakup with her. She passed away on February 25th this year. We also have the new music from the New York garage rockers The Fuzztones and London singer songwriter John Bisset. Grant Hart has a new rarities compilation and Strage Boys have a fun single dedicated to the American radio dial.
Today we have two obituaries. Jazz vibraphonist from Zagreb, BoÅ¡ko Petrović, better known as B. P, died on January 10. The Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty died on January 4. He is best known for his hit singles Stuck In The Middle and Baker Street, but he actually had a pretty consistently good songbook through the entire recording career. We pay tributes to B.P. and Gerry in today’s show. Bubblegum Lemonade is a new Scottish band that’s out to continue their countryman Rafferty’s work. They, however, roughly belong to the new 80s revival, with sound that’s resembles what once was on The Creation label or Paisley Underground, even a good dose of shoegaze. Jump Back Jake from Memphis are here again with yet another ep. Tim Lee has a new double LP called Raucous Americanus – the first truly (and literally) big record for 2011. Gentleman Jesse has yet another new 45. Kyle Thomas’ band Happy Birthday (he’s also in King Tuff) has an LP that came out quite a few months ago, but I only got it now. It’s a really phenomenal record with great pop tunes. Thomas’ proves again that he’s a very talented songwriter.
The last Little Lighthouse for 2010 is dedicated to wonderful rock musicians and rock personalities that left us in the past year. We have a practice at the show where we give small tributes whenever someone leaves this ugly world we live in, but we missed to pay a proper tribute to Andy Hummel, bass player of Big Star who had died in the summer while the show was on the break. We correct this omission now with two Big Star songs that Andy wrote. Of course, Alex Chilton from Big Star also died this year, which leaves the drummer Jody Stephens as the only surviving original member of this amazing band. Then we go on and pay tribute, one by one, to the other great musicians who died this year: Bobby Charles, Jay Reatard, Mark Linkous, Kenny Gethway, Captain Beefheart, Ari Up, Solomon Burke, Vic Chesnutt, Predrag Ivanovic and two rock’n’roll sidemen: Malcolm McLaren and Billy Ruane. To all of them, rest in peace and to all of us – happy new 2011.