radiobombast

Croix de Bombast: Transmission 15, 2013 February 6

It was our quinceañera, and we were wearing our prettiest dress. The Durutti Column's "LC," side two this time [plus a little extra!] served as our "Physical Evidence" for the week. There were two visits to the "Listening Parlour," as usual. Life was good. On the show, I did have what I've been thinking of as a "Cokie Roberts moment," for lack of a better reference. You can figure out what that is by listening. I can't do all your homework for you. But it does prompt me to discuss how the sausage is made. Most radio stations that play music, especially those that have done so for decades, have music libraries. While never an absolute necessity, even in the pre-digital era--hosts could always bring in their own records--a library is a tremendous resource. One thing a library makes possible, or at least easy, is the "request." You call up the station, ask the host if s/he can play something, and it probably happens. Unless your chosen piece of music isn't in the library. Or the host is being a douche. Another, somewhat related, thing a library makes possible is improvisation. You are playing a piece of music on the air and a sudden whim strikes you, or you suddenly sense a connection to another piece of music that you hadn't considered until this moment--you can pull that record or cd from the library and play it. [The bad thing a library makes possible is laziness, to which I was certainly prone in my past life. When you reach a certain level of experience and expertise, you can get cocky, and feel that you don't need to think very hard about what you are doing. You don't "plan" your show in any meaningful sense of the word, and you just stroll into the station, like a rock star, 2 minutes before air time, lacking only a satin jacket and a suspicious case of the sniffles to complete the sorry picture.] Anyway, at WRFI we don't have a music library to speak of. We do have maybe 30 or so CDs, with Putumayo compilations being of particular interest to somebody--but nothing that would make BOMBAST possible even as a one-time thing. So the show, haphazard as it sometimes sounds, is "planned," and I do have to "bring in" music to play. Now. Some of it is tangible stuff from my personal collection, or that of Lady Catharsis, and some of it is, let us say, "acquired" from "places." But--let's just use a recent example--Factory Benelux, let us say, does not freely send us new records and cds on the off chance that we, a low-power FM station in the middle of nowhere, might play them. [Believe it or not, in the hard-copy-only era, this was a thing that would happen, and it was wonderful, oh my god.] That is our hard truth for the week. Sorry if I have shattered any illusions. But like I said at the outset, I'm all grown up now, and so are you. If not, don't worry, the Easter Bunny is coming in about 7 weeks. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 February 6, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

1. Fai Baba: "Sail Away" [A Tree in a Field]
2. Fanga and Maalem Abdallah Guinea: "Gnawi" [Strut]
3. Rone: "King of Batoofam" [Infine]
4. Lee Hazlewood: "We All Make the Flowers Grow" [LHI] / "Listening Parlour"
5. Swindle: "Forest Funk" [Deep Medi Musik]
6. Christiaan Virant: "Monkey Mind" [CVMK]
7. Starkey: "Command" [Civil Music]
8. Kiki Gyan: "Sexy Dancer" [Soundway]
9. Abba: "Voulez-Vous" [Polar]
10. The Durutti Column: "Never Known" [Factory Benelux] / "Physical Evidence"
11. The Durutti Column: "The Act Committed" [Factory Benelux] / "Physical Evidence"
12. The Durutti Column: "Detail for Paul" [Factory Benelux] / "Physical Evidence"
13. The Durutti Column: "The Missing Boy" [Factory Benelux] / "Physical Evidence"
14. The Durutti Column: "The Sweet Cheat Gone" [Factory Benelux] / "Physical Evidence"
15. Mark Lanegan: "Stay" [Sub Pop] / "Listening Parlour"
16. Emilia Amper: "Vals fran Valsebo" [Bis]
17. The Ordinaires: "Kashmir" [One Little Indian]
18. Pinkie Maclure: "Horns Off" [One Little Indian]
19. Ham: "Voulez Vous" [One Little Indian]
20. Sam Willis: "Foxglissandro" [Half Machine]
21. Dakota Suite: "Lumen" [Glitterhouse]

Next time: Lady Catharsis, live! Enjoy. --kid catharsis

Slipped Discs: Transmission 13, 2013 January 23

[UPDATED 2013 Feb. 01, 6:05 a. m.] Josh Dolan co-hosts and acquaints us with the first three albums by The Slackers, taking some time out for Pixies and second-wave ska.  More importantly, he pitches for a fundraising event, the "ABC Cafe for a Day," which wound up raising $2500 for Gardens 4 Humanity.  No time is a bad time to contribute to this worthy cause, so if you missed it, "leave wringing of hands."  And, as I wrote on the show's Facebook page, if you don't live in the area, you can always find a similar initiative close to home and support that. This reminds me of something I've been meaning to announce.  If you live in the listening area and have a non-profit or charitable event that you would like to promote, please contact me or the station and we will try--try--to get you on the air.  We still don't have as much live programming as we would like, but we do have a small handful of programs on which you might promote this or that community endeavor.  Get in touch via this website, or the Bombast Facebook page, or the WRFI Facebook page, or by emailing info@ithacaradio.org.  I would assume, since you're here at this website, reading my prose, that there might be some overlap in a Venn diagram illustrating your taste in music and mine.  So perhaps, if you wind up on this program, you could "pull a Josh" and provide music as well as talk.  Anything to break up the Cathartic monotony.  LET'S LIGHT THIS CANDLE. Anyway, so yeah, podcast-site storage problems notwithstanding [UPDATE--I THINK I MIGHT HAVE FIGURED A WAY AROUND THESE, POSSIBLY NO PROBLEMS HERE, EXPLANATION SOON], there was indeed a program last Wednesday--just no Internet evidence of it yet, save for this playlist right here.  [UPDATE--NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE, SCROLL DOWN FOR AUDIO, THERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE, HOLMES.] Aside from learning about the inner lives of restaurant staff, and that "collie" can mean something other than a breed of dog, we experienced a couple of other novel things on the broadcast.  Lady Catharsis, in what I openly suspect is a gradual takeover bid, gets three segments on the night, all devoted to the same band.  And I kick off a feature I've been meaning to run, called "Slipped Discs"--tentatively.  So tentatively, in fact, that I can already tell you it won't really be called that. I've been thinking about the issue of "currency" lately, and about this lecture given by Billy Bragg late last year, and about this other lecture [part of the same series] given by Pete Townshend in 2011.  I conceived of Bombast as a "new music" show, and am happily committed to that.  I have discussed elsewhere on this website the idea that this program will try to exist in the moment, not look backward, and allow the continual onslaught of new releases to push the broadcast where it needs to go each week--it certainly beats dead-end nostalgia. The downside of this approach, from the standpoint of radio, is that the new music is available to everyone, for free, legally or illegally--it's already out there somewhere, and listeners don't particularly need me [or any other host] to provide access to it. It is true, as Bragg contends, that the breadth and idiosyncrasy of a presenter's taste can open windows for the listener that "Spotify Radio" and its similarly dreary counterparts are not likely to open, but it is equally true that you can automatically create value for listeners by playing what they cannot easily find and hear.  And that means, in most cases of recorded music, venturing into the past, when a given release didn't appear immediately on iTunes, or get leaked to the Internet beforehand, or come with a free download code. If I might go all "Uncle Catharsis" for a moment, and invite you to sit on my knee so that I can tell you a story about the way things were--back in the olden days, when there were only four television networks and we were still using rotary phones, owning recorded music meant committing to the possession of a physical object.  We now call something like this a "hard copy."  Back in the day there was no need for this term, because there were no "soft" copies--a third-generation audio cassette was no more physically disposable than the "original." And that, to me, throws light upon a shortcoming of contemporary music--not its content, but its delivery.  To paraphrase Hitchens, that which can be obtained without sacrifice can be jettisoned without sacrifice.  Okay, that was a really loose paraphrasing, but the point is that the availability and disposability of the digital file changes our relationship with music. A 12-inch piece of vinyl that you don't happen to like is not easily discarded--so not easily, in fact, that sheer laziness might just induce you to keep it around long enough for it to start growing on you, as many now-treasured recordings have done with me.  The .mp3 doesn't stand a chance.  Also, it's possible to own so many digital files, and so many isolated files removed from their original contexts, that you can "shuffle" yourself into a life of endless, shallow novelty, never experiencing a complicated structure of individual expression carried out over the course of a "long-player." Listening experiences like this one are rare and perverse today--much to Lady Catharsis's delight [one of "three bands she can't stand," apparently] but not to mine. On a similar note, Townshend wonders aloud how and where this album or this one could be heard in their entirety if released today. An unfortunate "trickle-up" effect is the likely result--knowing that no one will listen sequentially or all the way through, you simply stop making such recordings. These things, and the fact that many quality releases, even from the CD era [how odd that that now feels like a past-tense expression], have been overlooked in the Pandorization of Everything, lead me to think that Bombast could and should regularly embody my conviction that hard copies are beautiful things. Hop down now--because my leg hurts, and things were getting awkward between us--and let me show you this gem of a recording that inaugurates the "Slipped Discs" feature--"Jah Shaka Presents Dub Masters Volume 1," courtesy of Mango Records [UK].  We have been waiting 24 years for a Volume 2. I'm beginning to suspect it's not forthcoming. This record and I have been through a lot together--finding it in NYC while on a visit from home in California, I actually flew it back on the plane with me, and it has since endured several changes of residence, not to mention an apartment flood in the late 1990s that damaged about 1/3 of my collection at the time. Even without such bonding experiences to endear it to me, this is a killer LP--it's easy in 2013 not to know or remember how massive Jah Shaka was before dancehall and robo-reggae took over, what with his back catalogue barely touched by the on-demand music services, so this LP is valuable evidence of a great talent, and perfect on this skank-heavy evening. So most weeks I will endeavor to program something like this--let us say, 15 to 20 minutes' worth [the length of an EP, or an LP side, roughly speaking] of a release that exists only in "meatspace."  At least I didn't come up with a feature name incorporating that term.  You're welcome. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 January 23, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

1. Rites of Spring: "End on End" [Dischord]
2. Wailing Souls: "Very Well (Dub)" [Mango UK / Digikiller] ***"Slipped Disc"
3. Unrest: "Imperial" [Teen Beat]
4. The Specials: "A Message to You Rudy" [Chrysalis]
5. The Slackers: "Rude & Reckless" [Hellcat]
6. Junior Murvin: "Police and Thieves" [Island]
7. The Velvet Underground: "Stephanie Says" [Verve] ***"Listening Parlour"
8. The Evens: "Wanted Criminals" [Dischord]
9. Human Cargo: "Carry Us Beyond" [Mango UK] ***"Slipped Disc"
10. The Slackers: "You Must Be Good" [Hellcat]
11. The Selecter: "Johnny Too Bad" [Castle]
12. The [English] Beat: "Jackpot" [Go-Feet / London]
13. The Velvet Underground: "Lisa Says" [Verve] ***"Listening Parlour"
14. Darkstar: "Timeaway" [Warp]
15. Pixies: "Build High" [4AD]
16. Pixies: "Evil Hearted You" [4AD]
17. The Slackers: "No Love" [Hellcat]
18. The Selecter: "My Sweet Collie" [Castle]
19. Girls Against Boys: "Jamie" [Slate / Adult Swim]
20. Aswad: "Mossman Skank" [Mango UK] ***"Slipped Disc"
21. The Specials: "Too Hot" [Chrysalis]
22. The Slackers: "Wasted Days" [Hellcat]
23. The Velvet Underground: "Candy Says" [Verve] ***"Listening Parlour"

next time: I strongly recommend the happy pills. --kid catharsis

“A Work of (Pretty Close to) Genius”: Transmission 12, 2013 January 16

If I should ever do a "perfect" show, meaning one in which factual errors and malapropisms don't spill out of my mouth, and in which every track I play is the intended one, properly cued, I will be at a loss for a "topic" of weekly commentary. As you might guess, that hasn't happened yet. I will let you listen to this week's episode and see what happens, as I do realize I give too much away in these notes of apology. My tribute to John Peel was intended as a one-time thing back in December, not an ongoing weekly genuflection, but "fortune presents gifts not according to the book." Hey--if I might make a request--and I might--if you're visiting this page but don't happen to be a "friend" of the show on Facebook, would you consider "liking" us? We're vain that way. Also, there's this, which is well worth "liking" too. You could also, oh, I don't know, write a "comment" to someone telling them how much you like the show, or something like that. The past two weeks have blended together somewhat, with repeat appearances by Konkoma, Chico Mann, Debruit, Kelpe, et. al.  What can I say?  These are terrific records.  "Grail overfloweth." Konkoma, in particular, is generating much positive feedback. Nevertheless, in what seems to be an ongoing dialectic of style, the electronica's been predominant lately, and I've flown solo for three weeks in a row, which, amazingly, hasn't happened before on WRFI. To address these myriad issues we hope to have a co-host next week, so stay tuned, literally. BOMBAST playlist, 2013 January 16, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

1. Lapalux: "Forgetting and Learning Again" [Brainfeeder]
2. Magit Cacoon: "Show Up Show Down (LaFleur Remix)" [Whatpeopleplay]
3. Felipe Venegas: "Sueno Lucido" [Cadenza]
4. SCNTST: "Rhythm Sticks" [Boysnoize]
5. Joy Division: "Warsaw" [London Records Japan]
6. Fun Boy Three / Bananarama: "It Ain't What You Do" [Chrysalis] ***"Listening Parlour"
7. DeRobert and the Half-Truths: "Nashville Country Bump" [G.E.D. Soul]
8. Kelpe: "City" [Svetlana Industries]
9. Debruit: "Cri (Kelpe Remix)" [Civil Music]
10. Konkoma: "Sibashaya Woza" [Soundway]
11. Other Lives: "Dead Can" [TBD]
12. Dan Friel: "Exoskeleton" [Thrill Jockey]
13. Kumbia Queers: "Tropikalipsis" [Comfortzone]
14. Terakaft: "Awa Adounia" [World Village]
15. Joanna Newsom: "Emily" [Drag City] ***"Listening Parlour"
16. The Perfect Disaster: "Where Will You Go With Me" [Fire]
17. Moreno and L'Orch First Moja-One: "Aoko (Danger Girl)" [Stern's]
18. Konkoma: "Sibashaya Woza (Chico Mann Remix)" [Soundway]
19. Chico Mann: "Dilo Como Yo - Te Estan Llamando" [Soundway]
20. Monokle: "Swan (Daisuke Tanabe Remix)" [Ki]
21. Godspeed You Black Emperor!: "Strung Like Lights at Thee Printemps Erable" [Constellation]
22. Boris Noiz: "Aurora" [Yellow Machines]

next week: more talking, probably, but less of it by me--kid catharsis

“I Gave You the Good Side”: Transmission 11, 2013 January 9

This week's commentary will take the form of a list of confessions.  You have to go where the information takes you.

• I think Catharsis Junior might have more discerning taste than mine.
• Phone calls unnerve me when I am on the air.
• I goofed on the label that released the Jodis record; it is Hydra Head, not Hyper Head.  Hyperhead was the name of a band that, if I recall correctly, rose from the wreckage of Gaye Bikers on Acid, whose music somehow eluded me in its time, but--let's be honest--would probably have piqued the interest of Young Master Catharsis when he was expending too much effort on alternative cool.  I more or less enjoy the one Hyperhead song that I have heard, which features this guy on drums.
• I feel no shame about the length or run-on quality of my sentences.
• It gives me great pleasure to write "TT Shakin" no less than three times, that being this week's "label that we dare not announce."  Technically that probably does not qualify as obscenity, but who wants to argue that in court?  Not us.
• I too enjoyed the Partridge Family.  When I was about six years old.  And we had that record in my house.  This song was a personal favorite.
• A more substantive explication of the New Order thing must wait, as I don't currently have the energy.  When I do, it will probably be ad hoc anyway.

BOMBAST playlist, 2013 January 9, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

1. Zombie Nation: "Schoove" [Turbo]
2. Xinobi: "(I Hate the Sound of) Guitars" [Discotexas]
3. Debruit: "Ouest Wind's Seagulls (Mweslee Remix)" [Civil Music]
4. Alex Gopher: "Hello Inc. (DJ Falcon Remix)" [GO4 Music]
5. Kelpe: "Bags of Time" [Svetlana Industries]
6. Vatican Shadow: "Peace Rage" [Hospital Productions]
7. Konkoma: "Kpanlogo (Debruit Remix)" [Soundway]
8. Talking Heads: "And She Was" [Sire] ***"Listening Parlour"
9. Leslie Winer: "He Was" [The Wormhole]
10. J. C. Davis: "The Splib, pt. 1" [TT Shakin]
11. Jodis: "Corridor" [Hydra Head]
12. Blind Idiot God: "Wise Man Dub" [SST]
13. The Originals: "The Whip" [TT Shakin]
14. Lincoln Chase: "Miss Orangatang" [Jazzman]
15. Chico Mann: "Luz" [Soundway]
16. Fela Kuti: "Zombie" [Celluloid]
17. The Partridge Family: "Bandala" [Bell] ***"Listening Parlour"
18. Yma Sumac: "Five Bottles Mambo" [Capitol]
19. Sven Kacirek: "Narratives (Opiate Rework)" [Pingipung]
20. The Frantics: "The Whip" [TT Shakin]
21. Deetron: "Crave (Dub Mix)" [Music Man]
22. Morgan Zarate: "BHC" [Hyperdub]
23. Frikstailers: "Guacha (Los Reyes de la Milanga Remix)" [ZZK]
24. Deux: "Everybody's Night" [Minimal Wave]
25. Brassica: "Modern Magic" [Civil Music]
26. New Order: "Ecstasy" [Factory / Qwest]

next time: epic durations. --kid catharsis

“Talent Made Me Love You”: Transmission 9, 2012 December 26

Lady Catharsis and Catharsis Junior visit the studio on a night that is too snowy for most people to be out. "Rescue Dog Radio" was meant to air live before BOMBAST, and "Radio Waves" was meant to air live afterwards, but both Allison and DJ Stu were sensible enough to stay home.  Not the Catharsis family!  We crazy.  I did finally get to speak to DJ Stu, when he called in to say that he wasn't going to risk a drive into town.  He said that he routinely listens to BOMBAST, which I took as a compliment.  It was, right?  I routinely listen to "Radio Waves," which is the only show I've heard in 10 years of living in Ithaca that has broken off this chunk of funk. This was a vacation night for all three of us, and such a night will not occur for another four months or so.  It seemed like a good opportunity to bring the two "other voices" of BOMBAST into the studio live instead of recording and editing voiceovers--live is much easier for people with lazy tendencies like me.  As luck would have it the National Weather Service predicted 10-14 inches of snow for us beginning that afternoon.  We only wound up with about 4, but most of that happened before showtime. Thanks to global warming the city is now out of practice dealing with situations like this, and the roads weren't in any condition for driving.  We are not going to win parents of the year for this, but it is much easier to get a 9-year old to walk a mile in the snow, each way, if she is hopped up on candy--this explains the "gummies" reference late in the first hour, as Catharsis Junior is by this point about to give up back-announcing music and sink into a vortex of sugar-assisted Ninjago research. But all of this is worth it for the sake of tuneage, isn't it, listeners?  Lady Catharsis brings her "A" game in this soundclash--why have only two visits to the "Listening Parlour" when the Lady is going to be sitting in the studio for two full hours?  We unfortunately had to truncate the spoken-word segment at the end of the Bongwater track in case any cranks were listening, pen in hand, waiting to report something to the FCC [this really does happen].  But we did finally get to play Blancmange--we had meant to during the 12-inch extravaganza a couple of weeks ago, but the extended version of "Feel Me" is, we both felt, quite poor.  Allison deserved a better song for her vinyl rehab, so "Bedsitter" got the nod.  Just as well--I don't know how I would have followed the Blancmange track had I not just discovered the Jimmy Edgar recording this past week. For your further enjoyment, here are some links to accompany the banter from the voiceover segments.  The making of the "Debaser" record was indeed documented by The Raw Story, via Wired; information on the John Dowie 7" is available here and here [apparently there are, pace me, inexpensive copies kicking around, if you're willing to go featherless and pay for shipping from Germany]; finally, here are those leg warmers. Technical note about the mp3 files: I continue to struggle with them.  There's a difference between what I capture on my digital recorder and what people hear when they actually tune in to the station.  When you listen to radio, whether it's a receiver snagging terrestrial broadcasts out of the air or an internet stream, what you are hearing has undergone dynamic range compression, sometimes pretty severe depending upon how commercial the station is and how it chooses to compete for listeners' attention.  "Dynamic range compression," for the lay person, is the process of smoothing out differences in volume, so that the loudest parts of the signal are made quieter and the quietest parts of the signal are made louder.  This is done to pretty much all recordings and radio broadcasts--when you consider that many people listen to music in pretty noisy environments [a workplace, a car on the highway, and so forth], it makes sense. What my recording device actually captures is the signal straight from the control room mixing board, BEFORE this compression is applied.  That's just the way the station is set up at this moment, and I think everyone's just recovering from the fundraiser and the holidays, so the signal paths in the studio probably aren't going to change any time soon.  Also, I don't think the microphones in the studio are compressed before their signal goes to the board, as is often the case in "professional" radio.  So the raw sound files I'm working with are riddled with crazy dynamics, which is "good" from a "documentary" or "art" standpoint but makes for a weird listening experience at times. Before uploading the podcasts to this website, I edit the sound files using Audacity freeware.  I've been experimenting with the built-in compressor settings in this application but I'm really not happy with what I hear, especially when it's applied "globally" [to the whole file].  I have resorted to spot-fixing the craziest peaks in the signal, "normalizing" the individual channels to 0 dB, and letting it go.  So, except for these sporadic problem spots, the sound files are uncompressed, meaning that they might sound "quieter" than other recordings you hear on the internet.  While no digital file can exceed 0dBFS in volume, a compressed file seems "louder" because the human ear perceives averages, not peaks.  Apologies for the quietude--you can always crank it!--and for the long explanation.  It's just that I've spent a considerable amount of time on this particular sound file, trying to give you the best listening experience I can. I know there are better audio editors out there--I have some--but Audacity is currently the "quick and dirty" solution that is giving me the easiest time, such as it is, working with sound files of 2 hours' duration.  If any tech-heads out there hear some anomalies in the files that they feel I could solve more effectively, and have specific advice on how I might do so, please send me a PM. Technical note about the podcast website: I'm considering this a milestone, but I have finally reached my storage capacity, meaning that beginning with Transmission 1, today, each new podcast upload means that an old broadcast goes to the "archive."  Subscribing on iTunes by clicking the box on the right-hand side of the page is a way to get all the existing episodes. BOMBAST playlist, 2012 December 26, 8-10 p.m.

1. AFX: "Boxing Day" [Rephlex]
2. The National Jazz Trio of Scotland: "Oh Xmas Tree" [Karaoke Kalk]
3. Bob Dean and his Hi-Way Wanderers: "I'll Take Her from the Valley" [Collectables] ***"Listening Parlour"
4. The 13th Floor Elevators: "You're Gonna Miss Me" [International Artists]
5. Tom Waits: "Frank's Song" [Manifesto] ***"Listening Parlour"
6. Shelter Point: "Forever for Now" [Hotflush]
7. Opal: "Happy Nightmare Baby" [SST] ***"Listening Parlour"
8. The Carnations: "Scorpion" [TT Shaker]
9. American Music Club: "The Hula Maiden" (live) [Demon] ***"Listening Parlour"
10. Pixies: "Debaser" / "Gigantic" (live) [4AD / FNAC]
11. John Dowie: "It's Hard to Be an Egg" [Les Temps Modernes]
12. Loretta Lynn: "Hey Loretta" [MCA] ***"Listening Parlour"
13. Little Annie / Baby Dee: "Perfect Gift" [Tin Angel]
14. Darling Farah: "Aangel" [Civil Music]
15. Commodo: "Raymond" [Didlybom]
16. Blancmange: "Feel Me" [Island] ***"Listening Parlour"
17. Jimmy Edgar: "Hrt Real Good" [Hotflush]
18. Divinyls: "Ring Me Up" [Chrysalis] ***"Listening Parlour"
19. Throbbing Gristle: "20 Jazz Funk Greats" [Industrial]
20. Primal Scream: "Slip Inside This House" [Creation / Sire]
21. Miracle Legion: "Sea Hag" [Morgan Creek] ***"Listening Parlour"
22. The Bags: "Survive" [Artifix]
23. Bongwater: "Talent is a Vampire" [Shimmy Disc] ***"Listening Parlour"
24. Moullinex feat. Peaches: "Maniac" [Gomma]
25. Thin White Rope: "Burn the Flames" [Munster]
26. The Human League: "Marianne" [Caroline / Virgin] ***"Listening Parlour"
27. Teenage Fanclub: "December" [Creation / DGC]

next time: a small avalanche of small records.  --kid catharsis

“I Always Come Back”: Transmission 8, 2012 December 19

On a night when we "celebrate" the Winter Solstice and the upcoming "Mayan Apocalypse," who better to serve as co-host than Persephone "Goddess of the Underworld" Doliner?  Nobody, that's who.  So glad to have her intelligence and wit livening up the broadcast again. The good thing about guests is that they take the show to unexpected places.  I would never play the Rolling Stones under normal circumstances--see the "Under-Exposure Policy" for details--but the opening of "Gimme Shelter" is a sublime passage of music, and perfect for this show on this night.  The Dropkick Murphys--again, not really on my radar--bumped a similar-sounding recent tune from Half Man Half Biscuit, which I hope to play very soon. We herewith [begin to] induct the departed Coil into the Bombast Hall of Legends, where they join The Fall, Stereolab, and Billy Childish.  We have heard quite a bit from them at this point, so we'll put them aside until the Spring Equinox rolls around.  Since "modesty is a virtue, but honesty is [my] policy," I will say that the segue between the Current 93 piece and Coil's "Magnetic North" and the one going from "Christmas is Now Drawing Near" into "Crashing Sphere" are two of my finest moments in radio.  Coil!  Your difficult music lends itself to beautiful transitions!  Salut! If you want to hear those last few moments of David Tibet's voice in their original isolation, "I Have a Special Plan for This World" is available on Youtube. BOMBAST playlist, 2012 December 19, 8:00-10:00 p.m.

1. Gabriel Ananda / Alice Rose: "Struck by Light" [Basmati]
2. Magnetophone: "And May Your Last Words Be a Chance to Make Things Better" [4AD]
3. Prefuse 73: "The Only Recollection of Where Life Stopped" [Warp]
4. Coil: "A White Rainbow" [Eskaton]
5. Esquivel: "I Feel Merely Marvelous" [Bar/None]
6. Thee Headcoats: "John the Revelator" [Damaged Goods]
7. Willie Williams: "Armagideon Time" [Heartbeat]
8. Johnny Cash: "I See a Darkness" [American] ***"Listening Parlour"
9. Los Saicos: "Demoler" [Munster]
10. The Flaming Stars: "Lit Up Like a Christmas Tree" [Vinyl Japan]
11. The Rolling Stones: "Gimme Shelter" [ABKCO]--Persephone's selection
12. Coil: "North" [Eskaton]
13. Orbital: "Where Is It Going?" [ACP]
14. Current 93: "I Have a Special Plan for This World" [Durtro]
15. Coil: "Magnetic North" [Eskaton]
16. Kristin Hersh: "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" [4AD] ***"Listening Parlour"
17. The Dropkick Murphys: "The Season's Upon Us" [Born & Bred]--JD's selection
18. Fai Baba: "In My Time of Dying" [A Tree in a Field]
19. Coil: "Christmas Is Now Drawing Near" [Eskaton]
20. Starkey: "Crashing Sphere" [Civil Music]
21. The Clash: "Armagideon Time" [Epic / Legacy]
22. The Specials: "You're Wondering Now" [EMI]

Next time: the Catharsis Family Circus, en vivo.  Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

The Hall of Legends: Transmission 6, 2012 December 9

[UPDATE 2015 January 2]
The Hall of Legends continues to grow, slowly. There are now 15 inductees:

The Fall [charter members, explained below]
Stereolab [charter members, explained below]
Billy Childish [inducted 2012 December 9, audio below]
Coil [seasonal inductions--Winter Solstice 2012; Spring Equinox 2013; Summer Solstice 2013; Autumn Equinox 2013]
Prince Far-I [inducted 2013 April 13]
Dif Juz [inducted 2013 June 26; Gary Bromley interview; Richie Thomas interview]
Little Annie [inducted 2013 August 21; interview]
A.R.Kane [inducted 2013 August 28; Rudy Tambala interview part 1 and part 2]
The Dub Syndicate [inducted 2013 October 19]
The Wolfgang Press [inducted 2014 May 14; Mark Cox interview; Andrew Gray interview; Michael Allen interview]
Ivo Watts-Russell [inducted 2014 June 4; interview]
Breathless [inducted 2014 August 19; Ari Neufeld interview; Dominic Appleton interview]
John Peel [inducted 2014 August 30]
The Durutti Column [inducted 2014 November 25; Vini Reilly interview]
Heidi Berry [induction 2015 January 6]

We herewith induct Billy Childish into the Bombast Hall of Legends.  The Hall, as I mentioned in an earlier post, is a sparsely-populated place.  There are only three members.  [UPDATE: see above.] First of all, I chose the word "legends" as opposed to "fame" because the show tends to celebrate music that is mostly un-celebrated by the larger world.  Second, as you might guess, I have some weird standards in place to assess candidates and determine membership. One door to the Hall of Legends is marked "utility."  No, it is not a closet, but instead a recognition that the show "uses" someone's music or ideas on a regular basis.  In fact the two existing "members" of the Hall of Legends entered through this door.  I don't have the time to give induction speeches here, but I will explain how they "got in." (1) The Fall: "Bombast" is the Fall song that you hear as the usual introduction to the broadcast [when the show is not specifically-themed].  That song, especially the phrase, "feel the wrath of my bombast," works in the same way that the show tries to--you can read it according to its contemporary meaning, that is, "expression too pompous, inflated, or pretentious for the occasion," or its archaic meaning, the stuffing or padding that filled out a garment, i.e. superfluous fluff not meant to be seen directly.  Is that enough to justify inclusion?  Hell to the yes, but were it not for this, they could easily have entered the Hall through its other door, probably as the first inductee. (2) Stereolab: I mentioned this earlier, but they provide the usual underscoring to Lady Catharsis's introduction to the "Listening Parlour" segments.  Is this enough?  Unlike the Fall, they just provide underscoring rather than an enduring concept for the program.  But they, too, would probably have entered through the other door, sooner or later. What is that other door?  "Sustained Extreme Genius Without Much Appreciation," through which our third inductee strolls on this podcast.  "Wait," I hear you saying.  "Aren't those first two bands--as well as Billy Childish--pretty well appreciated?" No.  I mean, sure, their fans are devoted, but feel free to PM me when any of them turn up in a Victoria's Secret holiday special, or a hurricane relief concert.  Or when Coachella offers them seven figures to reunite and headline, instead of relegating them to this or that tent. What is "Sustained Extreme Genius?"  Okay, here's where I admit I just make this stuff up as I go. How about this for a totally subjective litmus test: a 2-hour [or thereabouts] program entirely devoted to this artist's music is just enough to barely scratch the surface of the awesome stuff.  How about--instead of picking ten albums* by 10 different artists that would make an extended stranding on a desert island** bearable, I would feel totally complete being stuck with just about any ten records by this one act? *the exact number isn't important. **I never understood this tired hypothetical exercise--if your iPod doesn't run out of power, is that a long enough stay for you to call it "being stranded?"  If it does lose its charge, what does it matter what you've loaded onto it?  Or--if we substitute a device that won't run out of power--why would I have been traveling near this remote place with a wind-up gramophone?  What was my destination?  What was my agenda?  Wouldn't those circumstances have determined what music I was carrying with me? Anyway.  There are other totally subjective litmus tests in play, but those are the two that came to mind most readily.  Childish aces them both.  Also, anyone with the authority to send Jack White to the dunce's corner has to at least make the Hall of Legends ballot.  "Momentary Extreme Genius at a Time When Someone Needed to Display It" might be a third door to the Hall, but I fear that it would become more of a floodgate. Anyway, friends, I present to you Billy Childish, Legend. As expected, the follies continue.  I refer to Childish the painter as "William Hamper" instead of "Steven Hamper," his given name, although I would hope to be forgiven for this since Billy has used several noms de guerre over the years, and "William Hamper" does appear here and there in the discourse.  Also, I narrowly avoid "striking out" in my attempts to play my first vinyl records at the station.  I get nervous and say stupid things like "I'm lowering the needle onto the stylus" or whatever it was.  ["You're a nervous host," Lady Catharsis tells me.]  "Strike 1" and "Strike 2" provide some lengthy bits of dead air before I finally bloop a base hit with "Headcoats On."  This leads me to think I'm Rod Carew or something, giving me enough false confidence to plow forward with ambitious plans for the subsequent program.  But that is a discussion for next time. BOMBAST playlist, 2012 December 9, 2-ish-4 p.m.

1. Thee Mighty Caesars: "Wiley Coyote" [Big Beat]
2. The Buff Medways: "Troubled Mind" [Transcopic]
3. Thee Milkshakes: "I Can Tell" [Hangman's Daughter]
4. Holly Golightly: "Virtually Happy" [Damaged Goods]
5. Thee Headcoats: "Pocca Hontas Was Her Name" [Damaged Goods] ***"Listening Parlour"
6. Mickey and Ludella: "Stop and Listen" [Vinyl Japan]
7. Thee Headcoatees: "Louis Riel" [Vinyl Japan]
8. The Pop Rivits: "Laughing at You" [Sub Pop]
9. The Pop Rivits: "Kray Twins" [Sub Pop]
10. Thee Headcoat Sect: "Headcoats On" [Hangman]
11. Thee Mighty Caesars: "Strange Words" [Crypt]
12. The Buff Medways: "Don't Hold Me Back" [Vinyl Japan]
13. Thee Milkshakes: "I'll Use Evil" [Hangman's Daughter]
14. Thee Milkshakes: "Can't Seem to Love That Girl" [Hangman's Daughter]
15. The Delmonas: "Temptress of Love" [Sub Pop]
16. Thee Headcoats: "My Dear Watson" [Estrus]
17. Mickey and Ludella: "Do I Expect Too Much" [Vinyl Japan]
18. Thee Headcoat Sect: "Deerstalking Man" [Hangman's Daughter]
19. Holly Golightly: "Head Start" [Damaged Goods] ***"Listening Parlour"
20. Thee Mighty Caesars: "Death of a Mighty Caesar" [Big Beat]
21. The Buff Medways: "Mons Quiff" [Transcopic]
22. Thee Milkshakes: "Seven Days" [Big Beat]
23. Thee Headcoatees: "Ballad of the Insolent Pup" [Vinyl Japan]
24. Thee Headcoats: "All My Feelings Denied" [Crypt]
25. Mickey and Ludella: "That Look You Gave to Me" [Vinyl Japan]
26. Thee Mighty Caesars: "Don't Break My Laws" [Crypt]
27. Holly Golightly: "Look for Me Baby" [Vinyl Japan]
28. Thee Headcoats Sect: "Ready Sect Go" [Vinyl Japan]

next time: hopefully we do more good than harm.  Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

Keeping It Peel: Transmission 5, 2012 December 8

This show pays tribute to legendary BBC 1 host John Peel, who died eight years ago.  There were many words written at the time of his passing, from some of those who have made a big difference in the world of music, and the BBC even retains its tribute webpage, "Keeping it Peel," to this day.  To get a comprehensive bio, or an account of just how much he meant to musicians and other people in radio, sites like this are the best resources. I can only tell you a personal story, in two parts. THE BEGINNING: In a previous life, I had a weekly radio program on a college station.  I began volunteering there in the fall of 1986.  That term, New Order, one of my favorite acts, had released their Brotherhood album, a record which disappointed me at the time [but, in retrospect, one that I think many bands would kill to make].  It is silly to invest so much emotion as to be "disappointed" by these wonderful things called "records" that drop into our lives from time to time, but that was one of the least silly things about the person I was back then. Anyway, in the "Currents" bin at the station there appeared that October another record by New Order.  This one did not have the usual Factory / Qwest imprint but was instead the first release [cat. # SFPS 001] on a brand-new label called "Strange Fruit."  The four songs had been recorded four years earlier, and only for radio broadcast.  All of our records at the station had stickers on the cover so that DJs could comment on the contents.  [Related anecdotes will follow, I'm sure.]  This sticker bore just five six words: "the way things used to be." And those contents?  New Order's cover of Keith Hudson's "Turn the Heater On" was a boundary-stretching reggae excursion that quickly got my mind off Brotherhood-- but more importantly that record started a life-long obsession with the "Peel Sessions" series of recordings made specifically for John Peel's BBC show.  Not living in the UK, this was the closest I could hope to get to this greatness, ironically inspired by England's restrictive "needle time" laws mandating that most music on the radio be performed "live."  I could not have the same experiences that Her Majesty's subjects of all ages have testified to, listening avidly to John Peel several times a week, having their lives changed by his stunningly broad taste in new music, his charmingly haphazard delivery of the music, and the freedom and comfort that artists felt when recording for him.  But I could at least listen to the records, without which my life would be much shabbier. THE END: By October of 2004, the BBC had been streaming online for about 3 or 4 years, during which time I had finally been able to experience the John Peel "wingding" in its full context.  The "needle time" regulations had been relaxed, but Peel was still inviting bands to Maida Vale, still the finest studio environment that some of those bands ever experienced.  I finally got to hear my share of segments like "Pig's Big 78" and the legendary "Festive Fifty" yuletide countdown.  On a nightly basis, Peel, by now in his sixties, was outpacing his younger Radio One colleagues in taste and innovation.  It was the best of times. That fall I was especially busy for whatever reason and had neglected the program's streams and archives for several weeks.  I tuned into the stream one night and heard unfamiliar voices on the air.  I immediately wondered whether Peel had been let go, or quit--his slot had recently been moved to a later hour, and I seem to remember reading that he wasn't very happy about it, what with it screwing up his nightly commute from London to his house in East Anglia. Soon, it struck me that something much worse could have happened to him, so I did a quick news search to see if my fears had any foundation.  I was relieved to discover that he was simply on vacation in Peru, and that the guest hosts that week--I don't remember whether it was Siouxsie or the guys from Orbital on this particular night--were totally planned.  I went on with my day, thinking that I would catch up with John Peel when he was back from vacation. A few hours later that evening, I was doing a news search for something totally unrelated, and saw the headline: "John Peel Dies." Sometimes the circumstances in which you are struck by loss compound the loss itself and become inextricable from the actual event.  I don't know how things would have been different had I heard the news in some other way and not experienced the brutally random stomach-punch of this bizarre evening.  But I do know that it somehow gets a little dusty in the room every single time I think about this, even eight years later.  And as much as I treasure my personal collection of Peel Sessions recordings, I would trade the whole thing in exchange for still having John Peel around. If any of my programs approach a fraction of the quality that Peel delivered on a routine basis, I will consider that a life goal: met. ANYWAY-- I do feel very good about this particular show, in large part due to the companionship of a fellow volunteer at WRFI, Persephone ["Goddess of the Underworld"] Doliner [thanks for that, Catharsis Junior!].  Persephone, as you will hear, is a natural for radio and her commentary on the music is a delight.  I know you will agree with me on this.  I begged her to come visit me again during the normal Bombast show, and I am happy to report that she will return.  I need to take advantage of the free time she has before she [hopefully] gets her own program, tentatively named (I hope I have this right) "Gran-ola's Variety Hour." Of course the show could not pass without a grievous error, and I called it beforehand, but we still repeated it three times: Amayenge are of course from Zambia, not Zimbabwe.  Also, I'd forgotten to bring my Cure cd, so I was playing that track off my laptop, which accounts for the momentary craziness of the levels and the fact that the next track starts playing through the station ID at the end.  Some would call it slapstick.  There will come a time when you will consider that a tame example. Notable omissions: I should really have played Peel favorites PJ Harvey and The Wedding Present, and planned to, but it is a habit of mine to ramble in my shows, guest or no guest, to the point where I must skip some items in my intended playlist.  No doubt "Jeremy," friend of Bombast, will be disappointed that the David Gedge Experience didn't get a deserved airing.  Jeremy: if you ever find yourself in the Ithaca area, I'm hoping you will make an appearance on the program so that we can properly induct them into the Bombast Hall of Legends.  I can't give them the pomp they deserve all by myself. BOMBAST playlist, 2012 December 8, 7-9:30 p.m.

1. The Specials: "Longshot Kick de Bucket / Liquidator / Skinhead Moonstomp" [EMI]
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Day Tripper" [Experience Hendrix / MCA]
3. Orbital: "Lush [Euro Tunnel Disaster] / Walkabout" [Internal]
4. Robert Wyatt: "I'm a Believer" [Strange Fruit / NME]
5. Young Marble Giants: "Brand New Life" [Strange Fruit]
6. George Lewis & His New Orleans Music: "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula" [Trikont] ***"Listening Parlour"
7. Plaid: "Eph" [Warp]
8. Eat Static: "Area 51" [Strange Fruit]
9. The Flaming Stars: "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" [Vinyl Japan]
10. Billy Bragg: "This Guitar Says Sorry" [Dutch East India]
11. Nico: "Secret Side" [Strange Fruit] ***"Listening Parlour"
12. mum: "Awake on a Train" [Fatcat]
13. Culture: "Lion Rock" [Strange Fruit]
14. Amayenge: "Munise Munise" [Strange Fruit]
15. Timeshard: "Oracle" [Strange Fruit]
16. Olly Oakley: "The Jovial Huntsman" [Trikont] ***"Listening Parlour"
17. Stereolab: "Difficult Fourth Title" [Strange Fruit]
18. The Fall: "Theme from Sparta F.C." [Castle]
19. Pixies: "Wild Honey Pie" [4AD]
20. Gang of Four: "At Home He's a Tourist" [Strange Fruit]
21. Gallon Drunk: "Drag '91" [Strange Fruit]
22. The Cure: "10:15 Saturday Night" [Strange Fruit]

Next time: Put on your headcoat.  Strap that thing upon your head.  For now, enjoy the music and banter! --kid catharsis

Bombast meets Sapsquatch: Transmission 4, 2012.12.08

[UPDATE 2013 Feb 17: Realized that final track of show was actually a repeat of "Real Gone Crazy Dub." This program is archived now, so a golden moment lives forever.] At times, it was difficult to get people to commit to airtime during the WRFI fundraiser.  We were / are a bit understaffed, not everyone has programming ideas or a "concept" for an ongoing program, others have ideas for programs but aren't ready to roll them out yet, people have better things to do with their Saturday afternoons [not me, of course], and so on.  This is one of two instances in which I stepped in to fill a void.  I just loaded up my case with a bunch of random reggae and ska collections.  Naturally, the lack of planning led to a great show. "Sapsquatch" is not a person but a side venture undertaken by Josh, who is now a friend of the program.  We had a really good conversation, both on and off-air.  He'll be back on the show, and we're hoping he also gets a show of his own. Meanwhile: if you're living in the Ithaca / Watkins Glen / Odessa area, consider "liking" Gardens 4 Humanity and attending their Pop-Up Kitchen series.  I really do miss the ABC Cafe, despite how deadpan I sound at the moment I say it. Lots of mistakes during this show--playing the wrong track on a cd, etc.  "No show would be complete," and all that.  No "Listening Parlour" selections this time out due to short notice.  Sorry, peeps, you're stuck with me. BOMBAST playlist, 2012 December 8, 4-ish-6 p.m.

1. Little Roy: "Bongo Nyah" [Heartbeat]
2. King Tubby and the Aggrovators: "Real Gone Crazy Dub" [Blood and Fire]
3. Nana McLean: "Don't Worry About Me" [Heartbeat]
4. The Gladiators: "Know Yourself Mankind" [Front Line / Caroline]
5. The Heptones: "Book of Rules" [Mango]
6. Keith Hudson: "Michael Talbot Affair" [Blood and Fire]
7. Dub Specialist: "Banana Walk" [Heartbeat]
8. U Roy: "Runaway Girl" [Mango]
9. I Roy: "Black Man's Time" [Music Club]
10. Lord Tanamo: "I'm in the Mood for Ska" [Trojan]
11. Prince Buster: "Judge Dread" [Dojo]
12. The Cables: "Baby Why" [Heartbeat]
13. Little Joe: "Tradition Skank" [Blood and Fire]
14. Lee "Scratch" Perry: "Satan Dub" [ROIR]
15. Prince Far I: "Message from the King" [Front Line / Virgin]
16. The Ethiopians: "Reggae Hit the Town" [Mango]
17. Leroy Smart: "Ballistic Affair" [Mango]
18. Ini Kamoze: "Trouble You A Trouble Me" [Mango]
19. The Maytones: "Money Worries" [Palm]
20. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation Upsetters: "The Tackro" [Attack]
21. Horace Andy: "Problems" [Pressure Sounds]
22. Harry J All Stars: "Liquidator" [Music Club]
23. The Untouchables: "Tighten Up" [Trojan]
24. Prince Philip and the Musical Intimidators: "Falling Dub" [Blood and Fire]

next time: a visit from the Goddess of the Underworld.  Enjoy the music! --kid catharsis

“This is Hi-Fi”: Transmission 3, 2012 December 5

This is the first of several shows that happened in quick succession during a week when I spent more time at the station than at my house.  Really, the week was a blur, and I'm sure there are parts of it I should be glad to have forgotten.  At any rate, WRFI has a new control room with new recording capabilities.  I think the music sounds better on this podcast than on the previous ones--the levels are more consistent, anyway.  I sound like I'm on a crap microphone, but our mics got switched around quite a bit last week.  I'm intelligible, at any rate--at least in terms of sound quality.  Bear with it; the sound gets better as the show progresses. This broadcast features a few subtle bits of comedy--it marks the first time that Lady Catharsis and I bickered over a "Listening Parlour" track.  While The Selecter were by no means my favorite band of that temporal/geographic/cultural nexus, they are within the strike zone of what I would play on my show if left to my own devices.  The "Listening Parlour" is meant to be LC's chance to hack the show.  Not to play out the quibble here, but I feel that she has done better, and she will intervene more drastically soon.  Oh, and she's got two "Listening Parlour" segments on this show--it just made more sense to do one per hour than one total.  People really like these respites from me.  It's beginning to make me paranoid. Also, I sound out of breath when back-announcing the Thievery Corporation track because I literally was.  I had just run down three flights of stairs and back to let Allison, fellow volunteer and host of the "Rocket J Canine Radio Hour," into the building.  I really need to get in shape. Oh yeah, and the Mary Lou Lord song is "His Indie World," not "His Indie Scene."  The show wouldn't be complete without basic factual errors. Dec. 5 was the first of many "themed" shows--3 more during the fundraising week, which will be posted soon, as well as a 12-inch tribute on Dec. 12 and an "Apocalypstice" program on the 19th.  On Boxing Day we will resume our usual shambolic mix.  I'm looking forward to it! Near the end, prior to the Bob Marley track, and again after the Steel Pulse track, Rene comes in for some extended on-air pitching.  Say hello to Rene, everyone.  Anyway--he, along with Brian Kerkan, basically finished the building of our new control room.  He is an old-timer, having been with WRFI from the beginning, which is about 10 years ago.  People who love music and would prefer less talking--I did think about editing some of the fundraising segments, but I figured that at the end of the day this is just a humble low-resolution podcast, and once I start surgically removing things that actually happened, even though they might not make for great radio, where does it stop?  Bombast has enough policies at this point.  I think it's more important simply to post the shows as documentary evidence of what actually went out on air. Oh, and by the way, we could still use your money--wrfi.org. Before I leave you, I also want to introduce Catharsis Jr., who does our new intro.  Look for some interesting segments from her, soon. BOMBAST Playlist [2012 December 5, 8-ish to 10:00 p.m.]

1. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: "Radio Prague" [Virgin]
2. Love Corporation: "Palatial" [Creation]
3. Denim: "Middle of the Road" [Boys' Own]
4. Felix Da Housecat: "Analog City" [City Rockers]
5. Meat Beat Manifesto: "Radio Mellotron" [Play It Again Sam]
6. Mission of Burma: "This is Hi-Fi" [Fire]
7. Kings Have Long Arms: "Rock And Roll Is Dead" [Discograph]
8. The Jazz Butcher: "Road Runner" [Glass]
9. Pablo Moses: "Music Is My Desire" [Mango]
10. The Paragons: "The Same Song" [Trojan]
11. The Selecter: "On My Radio" [Chrysalis] ***"Listening Parlour"
12. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: "This Is Helena" [Virgin]
13. Thievery Corporation: "Radio Retaliation" [Eighteenth Street Lounge]
14. Mary Lou Lord: "His Indie World" [Kill Rock Stars]
15. The Cramps: "It's Just That Song" [New Rose]
16. J Dilla: "Anti-American Graffiti" [Stones Throw]
17. Justified Ancients of Mu Mu: "Don't Take Five (Take What You Want)" [KLF Communications]
18. The Clash: "Revolution Rock" [Epic]
19. Nearly God: "I Sing for You" [Durban Poison / Island]
20. Bob Marley and the Wailers: "Trenchtown Rock" [Tuff Gong / Island]
21. Steel Pulse: "Sound System" [Mango]
22. Thomas Dolby: "Radio Silence" [EMI] ***"Listening Parlour"
23. Billy Childish and the Spartan Dreggs: "Radio Dreggs" [Damaged Goods"]

next transmission: reggae hits the town.  --kid catharsis