radiobombast

This Is How We Roll: Transmission 36, 2013 June 8

Not much to say or much time in which to say it. We bid farewell to Saturdays for the time being with a good show to enjoy on an overcast mediocrity of a day. I thought "Physical Evidence" called out for something "rocking" this week, and The Stairs satisfy that need in glorious mono. Also, Janice Whaley performs what has to be the first Smiths cover I have ever enjoyed [side note: The Smiths join Cabaret Voltaire on the list of "bands whose music I can't believe I have not yet played"]. And, it really did happen the way I described--Thee Mighty Caesars made the sun break through the clouds. I'm sure it is just coincidence, but I have been fantasizing about having played at least a serendipitous role in that Eric Random record seeing the light of day. I have no idea who or what is responsible for all the feed hits and episode hits that this website tells me I am getting, since I seldom hear from anyone and have a modest number of Facebook "likes." Maybe the Klanggalerie people are on board? Anyway, big things are in the works, as I have hinted previously, and it would be "awesome, awesome" [as I am apparently fond of saying] if serendipity or something more would grace the music I am about to air in a couple of weeks. For now, we "roll on" with a regular show on Wednesday June 12 [it's Wednesdays on the reg now] at 9pm EDT. Hope you will spend it with me. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 June 8, 1500-1700:

1. Jack Hammer: "Twist in the Morning" [Popcorn]
2. Boy + Kite: "Our July" [self-released]
3. Safety Scissors: "Lemon Scented Moist Pillowette" [BPitch Control]
4. The Stairs: "Mary Joanna" [Go! Discs] / "Physical Evidence"
5. EM.MA: "Peridot" [Keysound]
6. Rodney & The Blazers: "Warpaint" [TT Shaker]
7. The Durutti Column: "Stupid Steppenwolf (Pt. 1)" [Factory Benelux]
8. Moleskin: "Burst" [Keysound]
9. Pascale Comelade: "Spinoza Was a Soul Garagist" [Because]
10. Hooded Fang: "Sailor Bull" [Full Time Hobby]
11. The Magnetic Fields: "Absolutely Cuckoo" [Merge] / "Listening Parlour"
12. The Stairs: "Mad Song" [Go! Discs] / "Physical Evidence"
13. Tony Allen & Abayomy Afrobeat Orquestra (Feat. Bnegao): "Afro Beatz - Remix by Robin LeDuc" [Comet]
14. Thee Mighty Caesars: "Psycho" [Damaged Goods]
15. Ferrein: "Hover" [Musik Gewinnt Freunde]
16. King Tuff: "Ruthie Ruthie" [Burger]
17. Francisco Allendes: "El Regreso de Los Abuelos" [Desolat]
18. The Stairs: "I Can Only Give You Everything" [Go! Discs] / "Physical Evidence"
19. Mount Kimble: "Fall Out" [Warp]
20. A Certain Ratio: "Knife Slits Water (7" version)" [Factory Benelux]
21. The Pastels: "Check My Heart" [Domino]
22. double helix: "LDN VIP" [Keysound]
23. Tijuana Panthers: "Tony's Song" [Innovative Leisure]
24. Pixies: "Tony's Theme" [4AD / Elektra]
25. The Stairs: "Squashed Tomato Stomp" [Go! Discs] / "Physical Evidence"
26. Vic Chesnutt: "Fun / Party / Shoestring Store" [New West] / "Listening Parlour"
27. Janice Whaley: "Shoplifters of the World Unite" [self-released]
28. Eric Random and the Bedlamites: "Hardcore" [Doublevision]
29. Afro 70: "Week End" [Soundway]

next time: I said I didn't want to jinx it. Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

Have Love Will Travel: Transmission 35, 2013 June 01

"I just wanted to chill," says our host, figuratively and literally. June makes a scorching debut, and BOMBAST rocks out in an air conditioned studio [sort of] with little regard for exterior conditions. I had paid my outdoor dues, earlier in the day, at our Ithaca Festival booth, conveniently located in the wind tunnel that was the Cornell Daily Sun lot. Breezes are nice, even artificial ones, but dear god what miserable weather we were having. AFAIAC, anyone whose favorite season in Ithaca is not "Winter" is a straight-up crazy person. Please do not speak to me of the road-soiled, shrinking piles of snow that characterize our Spring, or the two or three days of "Fall colors" that Nature grants before subjecting us to eight weeks of slimy, wet, brown leaves underfoot. As for "Summer," I would like to imagine universal agreement on the point that 91-degree days in Ithaca are good for nothing more than finding out just how much a human being can sweat, but I suppose it takes all kinds. Wednesday night, parade night, was much more refreshing--a 15-minute thundershower giving way to a moderate evening for walking [or rolling, in my case] through the streets of downtown. Our float and live broadcast were raging successes, or so I am told. Check out the pictures at our Facebook page. Musically, this program was a lot of fun. I don't feel as good about many shows as I do about this one. No doubt Thee Michelle Gun Elephant plays a large part in this, but in general the segues are tight and the voice-overs are delivered more smoothly than usual. The Program Director in me thinks that maybe this Kid Catharsis has a future in radio after all, which probably means that next week's show will be a shambles. Also, it was great to receive a phone call from Switzerland immediately after the program. While we try to press forward mercilessly as far as music is concerned, history and legacy mean something to us, so it was a privilege to speak to a broadcasting legend. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 June 1, 1500-1700:

1. The Lionheart Brothers: "The Drift - Morten Oby & Prins Thomas Edit" [Full Pupp]
2. Dur-Dur Band: "Garsore Waa Ilaah" [Awesome Tapes from Africa]
3. Stiv Bators: "Have Love Will Travel" [Bomp]
4. Kinski: "Skim MILF" [Kill Rock Stars]
5. Ackin', M. Akamatsu: "Tembezi - Marcellus Pitman Remix" [Internasjonal]
6. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant: "Smokin' Billy" [Alive] / "Physical Evidence"
7. Chymera: "Disc" [Dirt Crew]
8. Justin Walter: "Awakening" [Kranky]
9. Scott Wood: "Chicken Rock" [TT Shaker]
10. Throwing Muses: "Ride Into the Sun" [4AD] / "Listening Parlour"
11. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill: "Supercops" [Echo Beach]
12. Gray: "Mockingbird" [Plush Safe]
13. Witch: "Kangalaitoito" [Now-Again]
14. Jerry Johnson: "Zion Rock" [Deeper Knowledge]
15. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant: "West Cabaret Drive" [Alive] / "Physical Evidence"
16. Rodion G.A.: "Caravane" [Strut]
17. The Black Keys: "Have Love Will Travel" [Fat Possum]
18. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant: "Satanic Boom Boom Head" [Alive] / "Physical Evidence"
19. Aera: "Baby / Comet / Face" [Aleph]
20. The Black Dog: "Cult Mentality" [Dust Science]
21. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant: "Free Devil Jam" [Alive] / "Physical Evidence"
22. Jesse Ruins: "Uxbal in A Allusive" [Lefse]
23. Lalo Guererro: "Los Chucos Suaves" [Jazzman]
24. Fredda: "Journal Intime" [Le Pop Musik]
25. Tom Waits: "Childrens Story" [Anti-] / "Listening Parlour"
26. Man or Astro-Man?: "Defcon 4" [WARM Electronic]
27. Swamp Dogg: "Total Destruction to Your Mind" [Alive]
28. Thee Headcoatees: "Have Love Will Travel" [Vinyl Japan]

Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

Saturday Night Style: Transmission 34, 2013 May 25

Professional obligations conflicted with the afternoon time slot, so Bombast did a switcheroo with "Blues Unlimited" (not "Blues Station") and went nocturnal once again. I have to say, it felt good. I think the afternoon experiment has been fun, but this is my natural habitat. Also, the lovely Julia Holter tunes sound like nighttime transmissions from...elsewhere. It is indeed a small world, wherein my old station makes a recording, which is then issued by a German record label, and subsequently played by me on my new station. The whole thing gives me a warm feeling inside. There was a work party Saturday night, complete with pizza, and little kids running all over the place. We had to produce about 600 fundraising letters on very short notice, and get the envelopes stuffed and stamped. It is always great to see the office buzzing with activity, and fun to be involved in collective projects. Good times! If you're in the terrestrial-broadcast listening area, watch for us in the Ithaca Festival parade, Wednesday 5/29, and visit our table in the Cornell Daily Sun lot on Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st. Meanwhile, it does indeed seem that BOMBAST will have two more Saturday afternoon hullabaloos, this week and next. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 May 25, 2100-2300:

1. Mikey Dread: "Saturday Night Style" [Mojo Magazine]
2. The Fall: "Victrola Time" [Cherry Red]
3. Classixx: "Hanging Gardens" [Innovative Leisure]
4. Wild Nothing: "Ride" [Captured Tracks]
5. Julia Holter: "Maria" [Human Ear] / "Physical Evidence"
6. Âme: "Erkki" [Rush Hour]
7. Akron/Family: "Whole World is Watching" [Dead Oceans]
8. Witch: "Nasuka" [Now-Again]
9. Stiv Bators: "Morrison Rant" [Bomp]
10. Danny Scrilla: "Fallout - Goth Trad Remix" [Civil Music]
11. The Collins Kids: "Shortnin' Bread Rock" [Sony Special Products] / "Listening Parlour"
12. Roman Flugel: "Duck and Cover" [Rush Hour]
13. Bibio: "The First Daffodils" [Warp]
14. Marcus Worgull, Motor City Drum Ensemble: "Onassis" [Rush Hour]
15. Julia Holter: "A Gold Thunder [Human Ear] / "Physical Evidence"
16. Andy Cato: "Rear Window" [Apollo / R & S]
17. Julia Holter: "2HB" [Human Ear] / "Physical Evidence"
18. Pure X: "Rain at Dawn" [Acephale]
19. Frikstailers: "Meloteamo" [ZZK]
20. The Lions: "New Girl" [Stones Throw]
21. COH: "Aniki" [Editions Mego]
22. Julia Holter: "Je Vivroie Lament" [Human Ear] / "Physical Evidence"
23. Beaches: "Weather" [Chapter Music]
24. American Music Club: "Bad Liquor" [Demon] / "Listening Parlour"
25. Brother JT: "T Rex Blues" [Thrill Jockey]
26. Julia Holter: "In the Same Room" [Human Ear] / "Physical Evidence"
27. Acoustic High-End Research: "Beer and Air" [Rush Hour]

next time: machine gun etiquette, misconstrued.

When You Sing, the Itching Stops: Transmission 33, 2013 May 18

Bombast completes a hat-trick at the expense of iTunes, et. al., this week, thanks to the meatspace-only [as of now] release of LSXX by The Breeders, which contains the 7 tracks from Live in Stockholm that serve as this week's "Physical Evidence." Also, an irregular feature called "Junior Selector" makes its debut, with Catharsis Junior inserting two excellent songs into the playlist. The real magic happens in the last half-hour of the program, thanks to my adherence to two basic guidelines: 1) When Jim Murphy, to whom I feel I basically owe this program's existence, asks me to play a record, I comply; 2) not coincidentally, the answer to most "improvisational" situations in live performance is to say "yes." Enjoy the David Roter Method, everyone. I don't have much time to write this week [sorry], but I want to point out that: a) our schedule will be a bit inconsistent over the next couple of weeks, as the station and I run the personal and public gauntlet that is the triptych of weekends prior to, including, and after Memorial Day--watch the show's Facebook page and the station's Facebook page for updates; b) we hope to bring you some special things over the summer, including live in-studio performances and (hopefully) the fruit of some recent "outreach" that I have conducted. Stay tuned.

BOMBAST playlist, 2013 May 18, 1500-1700:

1. Visage: "Tar" [Polydor] / "Listening Parlour"
2. Lukas Bohlender: "Club Chateau" [Compost Black]
3. Lee "Scratch" Perry: "Inakaya (Japanese Food)" [M.O.D. Technologies]
4. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill: "A Fistful of Dub" [Echo Beach]
5. AM & Shawn Lee: "Steppin' Out" [Park the Van]
6. John Fred and the Playboys: "Boogie Children" [BBE]
7. Witch: "Lazy Bones" [Now-Again]
8. Dance of Freedom Project: "Stubborn Girls" [Not on Label] / "Junior Selector"
9. Klaus Dinger & Japandorf: "Sketch No. 1_B" [Gronland]
10. Dur-Dur Band: "Halelo" [Awesome Tapes from Africa]
11. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman" [Mute / Homestead]
12. Survival: "Tragedy Reprise" [Thrill Jockey]
13. Beaches: "Keep on Breaking Through" [Chapter Music]
14. Co La: "Remarkable Features" [Software]
15. John Lee Hooker: "Drug Store Woman" [Vee-Jay]
16. The Breeders: "Shocker in Gloomtown" [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
17. The Breeders: "New Year" [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
18. The Breeders: "Hellbound" [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
19. The Breeders: "Saints " [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
20. The Breeders: "I Just Want to Get Along" [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
21. The Breeders: "S.O.S." [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
22. The Breeders: "Roi" [Breeders Digest] / "Physical Evidence"
23. Frikstailers: "Mueve la Cuchi" [ZZK] / "Junior Selector"
24. David Roter Method: "Bambo" [Unknown Tongue] / [Jim Murphy Selection]
25. Blondie: "Here's Looking at You" [Chrysalis] / "Listening Parlour"
26. Way Yes: "Tog Pebbles" [Not on Label]
27. John Hughes Daydream: "Ebony Eyes" [Cut Mistake]
28. Destroyer: "Leave Me Alone " [Mojo Magazine]
29. The Men: "I Saw Her Face" [Sacred Bones]

next week: "phoning it in." Enjoy the music! --kid Catharsis

Incorporate and Amalgamate: Transmission 32, 2013 May 11

This week's episode was a difficult puzzle to complete, and I admitted as much during one break when I said I couldn't find a segue into the Lord Kitchener song. Other than that, somehow this week's trail mix hit the spot; I received a nice compliment online and picked up a couple of virtual friends. I rely on this kind of thing since my own self-assessments are untrustworthy. I don't have time for an extended post. But I will say that this past Saturday was a lot of fun. We broadcast some important and exclusive "public affairs" content and survived our first live sporting event on-air. During my show, the studio was bustling--in the "live room" next door, another host was doing a four-person recording for later broadcast, while a couple of management-types were shuttling equipment out to the Cass Park rink for that evening's roller-derby coverage, and yet another volunteer was taking a GPS unit up to our new transmitter location so that we can report accurate coordinates to the FCC. I'm comparing this level of activity and capability with the way things were when Bombast began. The next episode effectively marks our six-month anniversary. We had what must be one of the softest launches in history, debuting the night before Thanksgiving with a couple of hours' notice and no promotion. The first two programs were mixed on a small console more appropriate for home recording than professional broadcast use, and I received strict instructions not to adjust any of the faders before being left completely alone in the studio. No one came in on any kind of business, and I knew that no one would--there was very little "business" then. It almost feels like a real radio station now. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 May 11, 1500-1700:

1. Marnie Stern: "Nothing is Easy" [Kill Rock Stars]
2. West African Rhythm Brothers: "Adura" [Honest Jon's]
3. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill: "Rasta Pasta" [Echo Beach]
4. Akron/Family: "Way Up" [Dead Oceans]
5. King Timothy: "Gerrard Street" [Honest Jon's]
6. Paula Kelly Orchestra: "Life for Life" [Brainwashed] / "Physical Evidence"
7. The African Messengers: "Highlife Piccadilly" [Honest Jon's]
8. Walls: "Ecstasy" [Mojo Magazine]
9. Wolf People: "NRR" [Jagjaguwar]
10. Adventure: "Nervous" [Carpark]
11. Matmos: "Staircase" [Brainwashed] / "Physical Evidence"
12. Eric Hayden: "Give Her the No. 1" [Honest Jon's]
13. Kristin Hersh: "What'll We Do with the Baby-O" [4AD] / "Listening Parlour"
14. Dean Blunt: "Dread" [Hippos in Tanks]
15. Beacon: "Late November" [Ghostly International]
16. Lord Kitchener: "My Wife's Nightie" [Honest Jon's]
17. Nudge: "Greener" [Brainwashed] / "Physical Evidence"
18. Melvins: "Carpe Diem" [Ipecac]
19. Danny Scrilla: "Thorium" [Civil Music]
20. Young Growler: "V for Victory" [Honest Jon's]
21. PJ Harvey: "Victory" [Island]
22. Lord Beginner: "Mix Up Matrimony" [Honest Jon's]
23. U Roy: "Drive Her Home" [Virgin / Frontline]
24. Johnny Cash: "I Got a Boy and His Name is John" [Columbia] / "Listening Parlour"
25. Colin Stetson: "What Are They Doing in Heaven Tonight?" [Constellation]
26. Randweg: "Comico Pera" [Funken]
27. A Place to Bury Strangers: "Sunbeam" [Brainwashed] / "Physical Evidence"
28. Ulrich Schnauss: "A Ritual in Time and Death" [Scripted Realities]

Just so you know, I almost wrote the phrase "I couldn't find a segue into 'My Wife's Nightie.'" But I stopped myself, until I didn't.

Test Pattern: Transmission 31, 2013 May 7

In a surprise show thrown together on short notice, Bombast cleans out the "junk drawer," unleashing a host of tunes that were scheduled for airplay at some point in the past but were shelved for various reasons. Listen, and you will hear little difference between this and a "real" Bombast program. Whether that demonstrates that even the "overflow" music is great or that my "regular" selection isn't that good is something you can decide for yourself. The introductory sound file at the top of the program does something I don't expect it to do, which actually turns out to be a blessing--like a pitcher who gives up a base hit in the first at bat, I no longer feel the pressure to throw a perfect game, and I settle in. Yes, Billy Bragg was in town a couple of weeks ago, and no, we did not get to see him--no money and no time. Months and months ago I had big plans for his arrival, but did not expect back then that I would become a "management type" and be saddled with "responsibilities." So things kind of fell through the cracks. Then, my sporadic, unofficial "Bombast v. iTunes" feature intervened--I'm not in charge of when records are released, I just "answer the call"--and even my minimal nod to Mr. Bragg had to be deferred. It was weird and disappointing that no one asked us whether WRFI was "doing anything" related to Billy Bragg's concert at the State; maybe I overestimated the number of people who care. I had deemed Billy Bragg too well-appreciated for the Bombast Hall of Legends, but I will have to re-think that. At any rate, as it always was with my heroes at Factory Records (this would be a non-sequitur, right here), all my "big ideas" wind up being several days late and several dollars short. Lately the word "pathology" has repeatedly surfaced in our online and in-person radio discourse, and thankfully, that has referred to other people--at least it has when I've been party to the discussions. My experiences in radio past and present demonstrate that it brings out the weirdness in people, and I don't put myself above that. My involvement in WRFI is a kind of therapy for me, and therapy is not meant to be easy. I am learning a good deal about my own pettiness, insecurity, and jealousy. Some days I do a pretty good job managing it; some days I feel as though the bad stuff is being triggered. I had some "triggering" experiences Tuesday night but, listening to the program, I think I hid it well. Anyway, speaking of pathologies--did you know that I have a cyber-stalker? It's true. A few weeks ago I posted a notice about a programming change on someone's Facebook page--not even the station's, mind you--and an individual unknown to me shared that post with one of my colleagues. I actually received an incoherent and minor scolding for it. I'm not trying to make light of stalking--I was once stalked in real life, by someone dangerous enough to be institutionalized--but it does amuse me that someone feels compelled to follow and report on my volunteer-community-radio-station moves on the Internet, as if there are real stakes, and it strikes me that that's appropriate punishment in and of itself. Anyway, say hello to the mole, everyone--I'm sure that person is among us here. It is "true" that our schedule is supposed to change in the next few weeks. I have an idea of where I'm hoping Bombast will fit into the week, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 May 7, 2100-2300:

1. Fugazi: "Steady Diet" [Dischord]
2. Janka Nabay & Bubu Gang: "En Yay Sah" [Luaka Bop]
3. Toby Tobias: "Running Away (Homeboy Dub)" [Burek]
4. Billy Bragg: "Strange Things Happen" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
5. Wild Billy Chyldish and the Spartan Dreggs: "The Sir John Hawkins Memorial Car Park" [Damaged Goods]
6. Burning Spear: "Institution Dub" [Mango UK]
7. The Evens: "Wonder Why" [Dischord]
8. Dawda Jobarteh: "Tama Silo" [Stern's Africa]
9. Girls Against Boys: "Kitty-Yo" [Slate / Adult Swim]
10. Billy Bragg: "Love Gets Dangerous" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
11. Kiasmos: "Thrown (FaltyDL remix)" [Erased Tapes]
12. Billy Bragg: "A New England" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
13. Fallou Dieng: "Jog Leen" [Stern's Africa]
14. Withered Hand: "Heart Heart" [Brother & Dad]
15. Bad Brains: "Riot Squad / The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth" [PVC]
16. Cassegrain: "The Rain is a Spilling Lake" [Prologue]
17. Half Man Half Biscuit: "The Coroner's Footnote" [Probe Plus]
18. Billy Bragg: "Fear is a Man's Best Friend" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
19. Ablaye Thiossane: "Talene Lampe Yi" [Stern's Africa]
20. John Talabot: "Zanzibar (80s tapemix)" [Permanent Vacation]
21. Billy Bragg: "A13, Trunk Road to the Sea" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
22. Scream: "Still Screaming" [Sixth Int'l / Dischord]
23. Gabriel Ananda: "Short Story" [Basmati]

Next time: some pieces for moms. Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

Shakespeare in Dub: Transmission 30, 2013 May 04

This week's highlights include Lady Catharsis smacking the stuffing out of two belt-high fastballs with a pair of "dreary" selections, one from the 1/4-Welsh Velvet Underground and another from the fully-Welsh Tom Jones, as well as a host of new tunes, several of which also happen to come from Wales. It just transpired that way. Bombast does not focus on "international" music, or on "obscure" music--it just works out that much of the music I like is under-appreciated stuff from all over the place. This week marked one of those happy confluences of events: I finally "found" a record that had been on my radar (Y Record Las, released on Recordiau Lliwgar) and Neon Neon released a new album, prompting me to do something I'd been meaning to do, which was to give old favorites Llwybr Llaethog their turn under the "Physical Evidence" microscope. As much as I would like to tell you a story about "Da!" that involves difficulty of acquisition, failed romance, or some similar adventure, I don't have any particular memories about this record. I've simply owned it for 25 years [or whatever it is], and consider it one of the treasures of my collection. It doesn't take me back to a moment in time, because Llwybr Llaethog never really had a "moment." I guess you could say there was a brief period when various parties--Side Effects Records, ROIR, the "Funky Alternatives" people--thought maybe there was some interest in what Llwybr Llaethog were doing, but if it ever translated into "success" for the band, I missed it. While other people must own Llwybr Llaethog records, I have never met one. I'm not boasting about that, merely stating a fact. Bombast isn't really about how awesome my record collection is [okay, maybe it is a bit]; it is meant to give exposure to great music you're not likely to hear in other places. When is the last time you heard Llwybr Llaethog on the radio? Exactly. Now you can consider yourself a dabbler in Welsh industrial/dub/hip-hop music. This is some good science to drop at your next cocktail party. Don't thank me, it's my pleasure. Oh, and in other news, the people at Soundway dropped another absolute bombshell this week, the "Kenya Special" collection. We will definitely hear more from that later. If only Google Translate offered "Bantu" as an option. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 May 04, 1500-1700:

1. Afro 70: "Afrousa - Move On" [Soundway]
2. Ymarfer Corff: "Hi Yw'r Haul" [Recordiau Lliwgar]
3. The Lulus Band: "Mutumia Muriu" [Soundway]
4. Llwybr Llaethog: "Ai Bod" [Side Effects] / "Physical Evidence"
5. Cheick Hamala Diabate: "Prudence (Jon Kennedy Mix)" [Electric Cowbell]
6. Ifan Dafydd and Alys Williams: "Celwydd" [Recordiau Lliwgar]
7. Tom Jones: "Delilah" [Parrot / Decca] / "Listening Parlour"
8. Born Losers: "Mindwaves" [Mean Disposition]
9. Seekae: "Ultraviolence" [Mojo Magazine]
10. Dur-Dur Band: "Aada Fududey Iga Ahow" [Awesome Tapes from Africa]
11. Llwybr Llaethog with Rufus Mufasa: "Rhagfarn" [Recordiau Lliwgar]
12. Section 25: "Program for Light (Outernationale Mix)" [Factory Benelux]
13. Ital Tek: "Re Entry" [Civil Music]
14. Lord Kitchener: "Kitch's Mambo Calypso" [Honest Jon's]
15. Fela Kuti and Africa 70: "Monkey Banana" [Knitting Factory Records]
16. Neon Neon: "Praxis Makes Perfect" [Lex]
17. Llwybr Llaethog: "Cyfundrefn Gyfalafol" [Side Effects] / "Physical Evidence"
18. The Mombasa Vikings: "Kibe Kibe" [Soundway]
19. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill: "Armagideon Time" [Echo Beach]
20. The Velvet Underground: "Black Angel's Death Song" [Verve] / "Listening Parlour"
21. H. Hawkline: "Cric Yn Y Cymlau" [Recordiau Lliwgar]
22. The Men: "Bird Song" [Sacred Bones]
23. Llwybr Llaethog: "Megamics" [Side Effects] / "Physical Evidence"

Next time: a special "pre" Mother's Day piece of Physical Evidence. Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

The Beat from Badsville: Transmission 29, 2013 April 27

This week's program takes us to a place called "Badsville," once a fictional place in a Cramps album title, now apparently the real-life archive of Lux Interior and Ivy Rorschach. We also travel backwards in time to the calypso scene in Swinging (and pre-swinging) London, courtesy of Honest Jon's records, who are just tearing it up of late. Aside from a last-minute transcription error that had me crediting "A Spare Man" to someone named "Priscilla Brown," this was a pretty flawless show, in content and technique. So I will talk about some other stuff. The week-and-a-half leading up to this program had been a gauntlet, with dicey moments on-air followed by backstage drama. It got to the point where I was afraid to listen to the radio or to check my inbox. "What now" and "what next" were the two questions on my mind, seemingly throughout this dark passage. I did manage to find a coping strategy Saturday morning--on the treadmill, naturally. There I was at the gym, sweating away to Spin Doctors or whatever the hell I was being subjected to,* trying to borrow trouble by imagining the next calamity. Finally, good sense triumphed, and I asked myself, "how bad could it [the next calamity] be? As bad as child sex trafficking?" No. No calamity at WRFI could possibly be as bad as child sex trafficking. And there you have it. I can't tell you how much easier this has made everything. Actually, I can: a LOT easier. I'ma tell you another feel-good story. Yesterday, circumstances brought me face-to-face with one of those interns, often mentioned, seldom seen. I had to provide The Intern with technical assistance--the Host Who Has Interns was doing a "live remote" broadcast of a concert, and The Intern and I were staffing the studio, making sure everything went according to plan. The Intern is a bright young thing, a college sophomore who, we hope, will one day spin off from the Host and do a solo show. Anyway, The Intern and I were talking about this and that when the conversation turned to the "kind of station" WRFI is. "You mean," said The Intern, eyes lighting up as if having just discovered evidence that Santa Claus is actually real, "you don't tell the deejays what to play?" Yes, Virginia, dat true. As wonderful as it is to explain that to someone, it is equally sad to be reminded that very few people The Intern's age have any conception that radio could be that way. Common sense [and, if not that, station protocol] prevents me from talking about Ithaca's other two "independent" radio stations on the air, but I can do it here. When I moved here in 2003, I was disappointed to find that our two "college" radio stations were travesties of the concept as I understand it. One station has a commercial license and calls itself "real rock radio," "real rock" meaning Aerosmith, Nickelback, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is managed by business majors. I'll just stop there, before I get sick.** The other station calls itself "the station for innovation," "innovation" apparently meaning a rotation heavily indebted to "modern rock," whatever ratio of Strokes / Vampire Weekend / Deerhunter / etc. that happens to be. [I might actually be giving it more credit than it deserves.] It is part of a "pre-professional" program (apparently "vocational" was voted down by the focus group) training people for "careers" in broadcasting. In short, one of our stations is training ClearChannel management, the other ClearChannel "talent." This sort of thing is happening all over the country, with only a small handful of "free form" college stations--those that allow real people to do real things on air--left standing. Ithaca was ahead of the curve on this--both of our college stations went "corporate" in the late 1970s. So it has been a long time for us. Last night, as The Intern and I were leaving, the "Alcance Latino" crew was setting up. That's a new, and excellent, Spanish-language program we are proud to offer. I was complimenting Gabriela, the program's anchor, lamely pointing out that I only understand bits and pieces of Spanish but that I thought they really hit last week's program out of the park. She mentioned to me that it had always been her dream to do radio when she lived in Mexico and never imagined that she would finally get to do it in Ithaca, of all places. I get misty just recalling it. Imagine "Alcance Latino" making it onto one of those other stations. We are doing some incredible things, and every day we are on the air is a beautiful day. Reminding myself of this might actually be a more pleasant coping strategy. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 April 27, 1500-1700:

1. Mel Smith and the Night Riders: "Pretty Plaid Skirt (and Long Black Sox)" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"
2. Ulrich Schnauss: "I Take Comfort in Your Ignnorance" [Scripted Realities]
3. Simian Mobile Disco: "Your Love / Run Theme Live" [Delicacies]
4. The Mighty Terror: "Women Police in England" [Honest Jon's]
5. Fujiya & Miyagi: "Your Silent Face" [Mojo Magazine]
6. Linda Leigh and Treasure Tones: "My Guy" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"
7. Randweg: "Labster" [Funken]
8. Rupert Nurse's Calypso Band: "Calypso Rhythm Dance" [Honest Jon's]
9. Tom Tom Club: "Genius of Love" [Sire] / "Listening Parlour"
10. West African Rhythm Brothers: "Ominira" [Honest Jon's]
11. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill: "Smoke on the Water (Victor Rice Remix)" [Echo Beach]
12. Springintgut: "Western Kyoto" [Pingipung]
13. Golden Gunn: "A Couple of Blackbirds" [3Lobed]
14. Public Image Ltd.: "Public Image" [Light in the Attic]
15. Gregory Isaacs: "Plant Some Love (Angels Mix)" [Necessary Mayhem]
16. Bill Carter and the Rovin' Gamblers: "Baby Brother" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"
17. King Timothy: "Football Calypso" [Honest Jon's]
18. Homer Denison Jr.: "Chickie Run" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"
19. The Jesus and Mary Chain: "Never Understand" [Demon]
20. Luv Jam: "We Play Mouse" [We Play House]
21. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five: "It's Nasty" [Sugar Hill]
22. The Kuf-Linx: "Service with a Smile" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"
23. Ginger Johnson: "Mambo Contempo" [Honest Jon's]
24. Fela Kuti and Africa 70: "Everything Scatter" [Knitting Factory Records]
25. Betty McQuade: "Tongue-Tied" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"
26. Divinyls: "Boys in Town" [Chrysalis] / "Listening Parlour"
27. Crush Sr.: "Sweet Cheetah" [Dutch East India Trading]
28. Priscilla Bowman with Al Smith's Orchestra: "A Spare Man" [Stag-O-Lee] / "Physical Evidence"

*Why do Spin Doctors make me think of child sex trafficking? I don't know. "It is what it is." **I've been reminded that the station in question does "community radio"-type stuff on weekends, with commercials.

(One Hundred and) Twenty Minutes of Pap: Transmission 28, 2013 April 20

Goofiness triumphs on this episode of the Bombastic program. Mrs. Miller makes her first appearance, and New Order present us with a classic "disposable" recording that serves as both "Physical Evidence" and an impromptu "Croix de Bombast." [How many of these latter trinkets have you collected?] I make a bunch of mistakes in the program, not fading songs out, playing the wrong track,* etc. In short, it is one of my shows. [* EDIT: I am understating this massively, especially after the previous post's #humblebrag re. not "being able" to play songs a second time.] In an announcement that will delight all of you who visit these pages, I have to say that I am pretty well fed up with words this week. The last eight days I have been immersed in the world of language and I can only report that I am more convinced than ever of its failures. So have a playlist. And a dancing bear. Peace out. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 April 20, 1500-1700:

1. K-X-P: "Melody" [Melodic]
2. Frikstailers: "Hazlo Tu Mismo" [ZZK]
3. Wanda Jackson: "Funnel of Love" [Fryers]
4. The Lions: "Let's Go Out Tonight" [Stones Throw]
5. Debruit: "Ata (LV Remix)" [Civil Music]
6. Fela and Africa 70: "Zombie" [Celluloid]
7. (artist unknown): "Bamba" [Honest Jon's]
8. Javelin: "Drummachines" [Luaka Bop]
9. Mister Lies: "Dionysian" [Lefse]
10. Dub Spencer & Trance Hill: "Dub Cup (Victor Rice remix)" [Echo Beach]
11. Mrs. Miller: "Sweet Pea" [Capitol] / "Listening Parlour"
12. S.C.U.M.: "5_8_6" [Mojo Magazine]
13. Bullwackies All Stars: "No Equal Rights in Babylon (version)" [Deeper Knowledge]
14. Daniel Dexter: "Birds" [Poker Flat]
15. New Order: "Video 5_8_6" [Touch] / "Physical Evidence"
16. Elvis Costello: "I Almost Had a Weakness" [Warner Bros.] / "Listening Parlour"
17. Osborn: "Oyasumi" [Rush Hour]
18. Born Losers: "Tokyo Drifter" [Mean Disposition]
19. The Sign of Four: "Topsy Turvy" [Jazzman]
20. Wayne Jarrett: "Come Let's Go" [Deeper Knowledge]
21. Johnny Clark and the Four Playboys: "Jungle Stomp" [BBE]
22. Jack Rabbit Slim: "Long Time Dead" [BBE]

Next time: our second race with iTunes is coming down to the wire. Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis.

James Kirk Is Not on the Case: Transmission 27, 2013 April 17

Tonight we get a little bit "darker" and, in our Thatcher send-off early in the program, maybe a bit more mean-spirited than normal--which I hope is not saying much. Bombast is filling time, earlier in the evening than expected, fulfilling its nominal promise to be the unimportant stuffing that accompanies the relevant programming. The show is also sitting in for "The Dark Parade," a show that usually fills the Wednesday 9-11 time slot. We planned on 90 minutes, but due to "technical difficulties" we got 150. I hope that's alright with you. "Seems like a decade ago...time has flown so fast." For someone to whom words matter, I can be downright incoherent at times. What I meant to convey at that moment was that stuff is very different for me, the station, and the program than it was back in January. An elaboration on that will have to come in pieces, as it seems to have done up to this point. Anyway, sheesh, there's a reason why I always end these posts by saying "enjoy the music"--the talking leaves much to be desired. I would like to say a word about A.R. Kane, and I am always down to publicize the Agonies of Saint Catharsis. As I was trying to plan this particular program, the Hall of Legends Induction Committee was strongly considering A.R. Kane's candidacy, and the doors to the Hall nearly swung open tonight. Nearly. The Committee [consisting entirely of myself] ultimately decided that: (a) A.R. Kane just didn't record enough excellent music--even the 90-minute time slot that we assumed I would fill would have exhausted pretty much all of it, and I couldn't have devoted 2.5 hours to them alone, so thank goodness I didn't find myself in that position; (b)--and this is really sad--my gut just told me that 90 minutes of A.R. Kane wouldn't be the best inducement for first-time listeners to follow me over to Saturday afternoon. I KNOW. That is awful, isn't it? But "operating with transparency" is part of our mission, so as the saying goes "there you have it." I realize that I could avoid such torment by revoking my "anti-rotation" policy, and maybe also by outgrowing the need to care how many people are listening. You know, just a few minor adjustments. Anyway, A.R. Kane burned so very brightly--you would be hard-pressed to find a band active between 1987 and 1989 that was doing more groundbreaking and influential stuff, or getting less credit for it, a tradition which I carry on here. They were initially dubbed by the English music press as "the black Jesus and Mary Chain," which says more about the JAMC being a reference point for just about everyone from England who used a fuzz pedal in the 1980s than it does about the actual music anyone made. Like My Bloody Valentine, A.R. Kane took the JAMC's basic (re)discovery--that a thick fuzzy chord, like happiness itself, was its own reward, not needing to be justified on any other terms--and applied it in a unique, incomparable way. A.R. Kane's addition was the summery, languorous quality of their melodies, and the boominess of machine beats and dub bass. When journalists either got tired of mentioning A.R. Kane's blackness or got wise to the fact that the band was creating something new, they dubbed this music "dream-pop," and I don't really know why--at any rate A.R. Kane became a new reference point for later acts that found more success, all while only about 500 people [a rough estimate] were actually listening to A.R. Kane records. They started a label of their own and were probably hurt by the demise of Rough Trade in the early 1990s--they resurfaced on Luaka Bop / Warner a few years later and were not the same. The lesson, as it so often is, is not to lift your nose from the grindstone. Or maybe it's not to sign with major labels. Or both. Anyway, common mistakes. I don't underestimate their genius--it was just so concentrated, and so brief, that a "tough decision" had to be made w/r/t a full tribute. It is, after all, the Hall of Legends, not the Hall of Justice. I freely admit to being "part of the problem." The silver lining is that I still have a bunch of great songs in my holster, to be deployed at other opportune times. When else could I have dropped "Baby Milk Snatcher," required listening for any would-be A.R. Kane fan? What would a future induction program, if I change my mind about this, be without that number? How can I abandon the precious anti-rotation policy? Do you see what I'm talking about? Agonies. About whether I think a heavy dose would appeal to marginal Bombasticons--I have lived it, son. Write in and tell me if you think I'm wrong. Did I really write the phrase "summery, languorous"? BOMBAST playlist, 2013 April 17, 2000-2230:

1. Cy Dune: "No Recognize" [Family Tree]
2. A.R. Kane: "Baby Milk Snatcher" [One Little Indian]
3. UB40: "Madam Medusa" [Virgin]
4. Danielle Dax: "Fizzing Human Bomb" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
5. Karl Bartos: "The Binary Code" [Bureau B]
6. D Tiberio: "Raver 5" [Time Table]
7. The Human League: "The Black Hit of Space" [Caroline / Virgin] / "Listening Parlour"
8. The Cannanes: "Molecule" [Explosion Robinson / Lamingtone]
9. Danielle Dax: "Pariah" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
10. Mogwai: "Wizard Motor" [Rock Action]
11. Pickwick: "Myths" [self-released]
12. Telekinesis: "Wires" [Merge]
13. Danielle Dax: "Ostrich" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
14. Lapalux: "Strangling You with the Cord" [Brainfeeder]
15. Monokle: "Slower" [KI]
16. Gems: "Logan's Run" [Don't Be a Lout]
17. Wire: "Reinvent Your Second Wheel" [Pinkflag]
18. The Clash: "Train in Vain" [Epic] / "Listening Parlour"
19. Borko: "Hold Me Now" [Sound of a Handshake]
20. Danielle Dax: "Numb Companions" [Dutch East India Trading] / "Physical Evidence"
21. Vondelpark: "Come On" [R & S]
22. Kelpe: "Bags of Time (Neon Jung Wormhole Remix)" [Svetlana Industries]
23. The Besnard Lakes: "At Midnight" [Jagjaguwar]
24. Helado Negro: "Illumina Vos" [Asthmatic Kitty]
25. Steve Hauschildt: "Constant Reminders" [Kranky]
26. Benoit Pioulard: "Hawkeye" [Kranky]
27. Bill Baird: "Big Sur Reverie" [Pau Wau]
28. Lansing-Dreiden: "Dividing Island" [Mexican Summer]
29. Breathless: "Just for Today" [Tenor Vossa]

p.s. How great is Danielle Dax?