Today we have new music from the Australian band Chook Race and the spanking brand new tune from Tav Falco and his Panther Burns with Mike Watt on bass. We alco introduce Beware of Darkness from California, Apocalypse Blues Revue from Florida, Bob Hillman also from Cali and The Meredith Hunters from France. Safeties are in our Live in CLE block.
Pezband – Close Your Eyes;
Wasted Potential – Here’s Your Exit Letter;
Chook Race – Pictures of You;
American Sharks – Iron Lungs;
Faux Killas – Shimmer;
Beware of Darkness – Surrender;
Apocalypse Blues Revue – The Tower;
John Schooley and Walter Daniels – Winston Churchill Cigar Blues;
Meet Your Death – Straight, Hard and Long;
Atlantic Thrills – Live for the Weekend;
Bob Hillman – Alison’s Part of the Equation;
The Meredith Hunters – A higher price to pay;
he I Don’t Cares – Sorry For Tomorrow Night;
The Cry – Same Old Story;
The Safeties – Evidence Cursed (Live in CLE);
Ricked Wicky – Imminent Fall from Grace;
Fernando – Burned Out Love;
Tav Falco’s Panther Burns – Where the Rio Dolorosa Flows.
Tav Falco’s book on Memphis Ghosts Behind Sun: Splendour Enigma and Death begins as a story narrated by the city itself, continues with a detailed and informed description of the city’s rock scene and throughout it’s never clear if it’s the city itself telling the story, Tav Falco or his alter ego Eugene Baffle. That’s what Tav Falco really is – uncatchable non-stop art concept.
Today we introduce Dead Ghosts from Vancouver and Hierophants from Australia. Also from Australia, their rock’n’roll stars You Am I are back with the new record called Porridge and Hotsauce. Fred and Toody Cole from Dead Moon visited Cleveland, and we check it out. Calibro 35 from Italy, are here today with the new record as well. Ned O’Millick of Tito’s Boys from Pula, Croatia has a new solo project featuring Mike Watt on bass. Sadly, we send farewell to one the most amazing figures in New Orleans music, Allen Toussaint. He passed away on November 9th suffering from a heart-attack after his gig in Madrid.
Today we begin with some vinyl reissues from Superior Viaduct – 100 Flowers and Flesh Eaters. Then we hear a Sweet Apple B side, which is a cover of Scientists’ Frantic Romantic. Then we go to Italy, where our friends Cheap Wine have a new record, tenth in seventeen years! Jesse Winchester who passed away earlier this year, recorded an LP worth of stuff which has just come out and we check it out. Singer songwriter Kim Simpson returns with music set to the DuÅ¡ko Trifunović lyrics. And Maggie Björklund who we know well from her collaborations with Howe Gelb and John Doe has a record on her own. Also, Mike Watt and his Italian sailors visited my town, and we have it on a tape. Il Sogno Del Marinaio! The most famous musician out of Boise ID, Paul Revere passed away and we pay a small tribute to his legacy.
Mike Watt is a rock’n’roll sailor and now his in the boat with two Italian fratello’s Andrea Belfi and Stefano Pilia. Their band Il Sogno Del Marinaio has a new record out called Canto Secondo and they are about to embark on a big American tour. Before you catch them in your town, here they are at the Little Lighthouse. Talking about Italians, there’s a new band out from over there called Sultan’s Bathery. They were also on the tour in the ol’ US of A just recently. John Mayall has a new record and since we’re at the letter M in our Blues Alphabet, it’s the right time to spend some airtime on this great British bluesman. John Doe has a new best off record and it also contains two brand new songs. We feature one of them today. Also, somehow the news of Peter Banks passing away escaped me last year, so we pay a little tribute to the legendary guitarist of Syn, Yes and Flash.
Today we are saying the last goodbye to one of the true rock’n’roll legends. Reg Presley of the Troggs left this ugly world on Fabruary 4th this month. We listen to his music at the end of the show. We also have some new stuff. Mike Watt put out a record with his Italian friends Stefano Pilia and Andrea Belfi. The three of them make together a trio called Il Sogno Del Marinaro. Richard Thompson is also back with a new record called Electric, and it is one of the better ones he made in recent years. We also have two new bands today, Punks On Mars from Brooklyn, NY and the Schills from Portland, OR. Glttery Schills are ran by the Paisley Pop Records boss Jim Huie and this label also released a tribute to Bobby Sutliff recently. Today we continue listening to this record with a selection from a very interesting collaboration between Velvet Crush and Matthew Sweet.
Grunge is dead. We have Cute Lepers opening today’s show with the new album Adventure Time and if you just hear their sound you’d think they’re from Memphis or Atlanta, but actually they come from the grunge capital of the world, Seattle WA. 1991 was veeery long time ago! We also catch up with Dave Schramm, who played in many band throughout the years. One of them was The Okra All Stars who’s cover of Purple Rain was a popular song 10 years ago when we were on KLSU. Dave is now a part of a great podcast called 
First half of the show today is dedicated to legendary punks and last Monday in Cleveland. On that day, we had two events that threaten to be the events of the year. First, at the Rock’n’roll Hall of Fame we had a chance to see four legendary Cleveland punks who returned to the city to promote their new books. David Thomas, Cheetah Chrome, Mike Hudson and Bob Pfeifer had a great chance to reconnect with their native audience and reaffirm their well known love-hate relationship with the sweet home of Cleveland. Then, at the Grog show we had a chance to see Mike Watt live with his Missingmen. They played their new opera in its entirety and it worked really great as a single piece without interruptions. The next set was a short but furious and unforgettable Minutemen set. It was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. The second half of todays show is dedicated to some new records that came out. Lords of Altamont have a new record and they covered The Litter’s Action Woman. Another great cover today is that of Kill Devil Hills song Drinkin’ Too Much, this time on the new record for James Leg, the front man of Black Diamond Heavies. Meat Puppets are also out with the new record called Lollipop.
Legendary bass player of Minutemen and fIREHOSE is a busy man. He tours with several bands right now, his Stooges gig being obviously the most demanding thing. So, his solo records come out in large intervals of time. His last three solo records were all rock operas. Hyphenated-Man is a collection of over 30 short songs, which are really choppy parts of a larger single piece, which is the whole record itself. It’s a dense work that requires repeated listening. Also, Watt does not stick to a firm libretto this time, but the idea is to capture busy life of an over-the-hill punk rocker who still lives the old postulates of true a punk.
This 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.