This show is an exploration of a very serious topic: good opening songs for albums. We kick off 2011 with lots of side one track ones. It’s like listening to 20 records for three minutes each. Much thought has likely been given by bands and producers to which song to put first. Here we try to unpack some of that, while, in the mix, saving ourselves a lot of time queuing CDs. Keep starting to listen?
The definitive opening cut.
Everyone in our family got the same present this year.
Happy holidays. Play this and trim the tree.
Afterward we attempt to join with Todd Hunter in a year-in-review show. This fails to bring the holiday warmth to William, as Hunter refuses to turn off the IM on the big Windows laptop he is using to play music. Listen and grit your teeth with every ping.
We dedicated a two-hour radio show to the Mellotron, which was a popular keyboard instrument using tape loops as a sound source – the first sampling keyboard, (analog) – popularized in the 1960s in “Strawberry Fields Forever” and many other songs. Though we couldn’t totally avoid King Crimson, Zombies, and early Genesis, the show focused on recent examples. Featuring incidental mellotron music by Paul Kotheimer. Afterward hear a bit of a live in-studio concert by Santah. Download the playlist. Or skip the spoiler and listen with open ears.
Followed by a live performance by Santah on the WEFT Sessions.
Professor Philip Graham, the world’s preeminent Byrds scholar, joins us for a lively conversation about the surprising, important legacy of America’s first folk-rock, raga-rock, bluegrass-rock, and country-rock band. It seems that, in addition to being the best fiction coach in the world, Dr. Graham also boasts of knowing more about the band the Byrds than any other living human, including, it seems, the Byrds, whose memories of that great time, understandably, are a bit fogged.
We didn’t know. Now we do. You too can listen in and make your knowledge of this under-appreciated band eight miles wide.
On a stormy 11/22 Honcho emerged from the mists to collaborate on a long-awaited Scott Walker show.
We covered Walker’s career in chronologic order, touching on every solo album along the way.
Honcho took part 1, William took it from there.
Get serious. Listen, and follow us into the darkness.
On November 1, John Steinbacher of Smile Politely Radio joined us, expertly mastering the WWII-era WEFT mixing board, and hosting a show of songs by national artists that mention “Champaign” (Illinois), and then, to fill the remaining hour and 45 minutes, songs by national artists that mention other downstate Illinois communities, songs by downstate Illinois bands that mention Champaign, songs with “Champaign” in the title that are about something else, and bands that have the word “Champaign” in their name. At no point was REO Speedwagon played. Nor, apparently, does anybody have anything to say about “Urbana.” Listen to our world.
Songs about the almighty dollar, the love of which is the root of all evil and a lot of crap stadium rock. What better theme to get us through a pledge drive? Listen and you can still call in a pledge if you’re so moved.
Why does Paul Kotheimer have so many songs about money?
The Great Halloween show. LISTEN.
Honcho and his merry ghouls.
For this show, Ethan Madarieta and William Gillespie took turns spinning songs chosen in response to the song the other one just played, creating a spontaneous lattice of segues, transitions, connections, arguments, and intermusical references.
Listen, download, tune in, and UNDERSTAND. Here’s the playlist.
This is as much fun as we’ve ever had…so much material to fight over and argue about… Listen as we go totally off the rails.
