Episodi

  • Life In a Blender - twee? Discuss.
    Jan 20 2026

    I talked a lot about and played some Life In a Blender, a fantasticly creative band from NYC who are coming up to Milford this Friday, January 23rd, 2026. And I also played some music that I'd consider twee, although I don't think that's a bad word. (Google's "AI Overview" is telling me "'Twee' describes something overly cute, sweet, quaint, or sentimental, often in an affected or delicate way, originating from a baby's pronunciation of 'sweet,' and also refers to a subgenre of innocent, simple indie pop music and an aesthetic featuring childlike whimsy, though it can sometimes be used as a mild insult" (cf. SNL's "Bein' Quirky With Zooey Deschanel").

    I actually do not consider LIAB "twee". Well, possibly, at moments, but not really. Anyway, this show was a melange of intelligent pop music I like, and I hope you like it too.

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    Something's Gonna Happen – Ronnie Spector
    Save It For Later – The English Beat
    To Love Somebody – Al Green
    How Much I Really Love You – June & The Exit Wounds
    The Old Law – Father John Misty


    Baby Please Come Home – Bubble
    Oh Gilbert (I Need Help) – The Junipers
    Snowglobe – Sugar Fight
    Vacancy for a Bluebird – Life In a Blender


    Mobile Wash Unit – Life In a Blender
    The Church of Laundry – Kelley Ryan
    I Want You to Give Me Enough Time – Sunflower Bean


    Fountains of Bellagio – Life In a Blender
    Zoo – Altimeter


    Magic Touch – Courtney Marie Adams
    Here I Am – Dionne Warwick
    Kaze Wo Atsumete – Happy End


    Multiply – Dora Jar
    My Bar – British Birds


    Karate Dentist – Ward White
    Until You Come Back to Me – Stevie Wonder
    Send It To Zoom! - the cast of Zoom
    Memo To My Son – Randy Newman

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    1 ora e 55 min
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day: let's celebrate it while we still can
    Jan 19 2026

    In a recent interview with the New York Times, President Donald J. Trump said he felt the Civil Rights Movement and its reforms were harmful to white people, who “were very badly treated.” Also, the administration made sure that Martin Luther King Jr. Day - still a national holiday (for now) - would not be a day where people could visit America's national parks for free. Trump did, however, make his own birthday as a day for National Parks free admissions. For Christ's sake.

    I usually steer away from political commentary on the Snap Crackle POP! show, but I wanted to do my part (as infintesimly small as it may be) to celebrate this important American holiday. I am hearing there are more-than-usual MLK Jr. day celebtations happening today, which I'm grateful for. I remember his assasination day and I was so confused by it - why? Just... why? And why are some sh*tty. powerful, hate-filled people trying to erase this day in 2026?

    Happy Birthday, Martin. And thank you for your brilliance and bravery. Our lonely nation (still) turns its eyes to you.

    ====================

    Happy Birthday – Stevie Wonder
    Harvest For the World – The Isley Brothers

    Like a Ship (Without a Sail) – Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir
    Many Rivers to Cross – Jimmy Cliff
    The Harder They Come – Jimmy Cliff
    A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke


    This Land Is Your Land – Sharon Jones & The Dap–kings
    This World (Is Going Up in Flames) – Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band
    Tell Me Mr. President – Eugene McDaniels


    Impeach The President – The Honey Drippers
    Morning Matters – Yazmin Lacey
    Warning Sign – Hannah Jagadu

    Memory Be a Blade – waterbaby
    Hold Steady – Queen Esther

    I'm Going Down – Rose Royce
    Mississippi Goddam – Nina Simone
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott–Heron


    Inner City Blues – Marvin Gaye
    Scripto Labor Strike speech (Atlanta GA, 1964) – Martin Luther King Jr.
    Give the People What They Want – PJ Morton, Yola
    We Shall Overcome speech (Southern Methodist University, on March 17, 1966) – Martin Luther King Jr.
    We Shall Overcome – Mahalia Jackson

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    1 ora e 55 min
  • I Only Ever Wanted to See You Enjoying the Radio Show
    Jan 13 2026

    The title of this podcast is influenced by a Reds, Pinks and Purples song lyric. Lotsa good new/new-ish music here, much in the tradition of the show I'm filling in for - Steve Di Costanzo's RADIO BASE CAMP.

    Hard Livin' – Railroad Earth

    Save Your Soul – Kathleen Edwards

    Pick Up That Knife – Wednesday

    Frontrunner – Horsegirl

    Gimme Time – Hannah Jagadu

    All We Ever Do Is Talk– Del Water Gap

    Oh Dorian – Ben Kweller (feat. MJ Lenderman)

    Dancing in the Club – This Is Lorelei (MJ Lenderman Version)

    Summer Seizures – The Cribs
    Hot Wheels – The Wedding Present

    Brassneck – The Wedding Present

    Therapy II – Viagra Boys

    Heroes – David Bowie

    Warning Sign – Talking Heads

    Miss Modular – Stereolab

    Wreck – Neko Case

    I Only Ever Wanted to See You Fail – The Reds, Pinks and Purples

    Cruise Ship Designer – Dry Cleaning

    So Long – Fischer–Z

    Popsicle – Juliana Hatfield

    Forgotten Dreams – Leroy Anderson

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    1 ora e 55 min
  • Fare Thee Well, Bob...
    Jan 12 2026

    On this morning's show, I did a tribute of sorts to the great Bob Weir, who passed away over the weekend. A great big thanks to Lane Steinberg for writing insightfully about what Bob could really make happen on guitar. But before that we started off with some sexy mornin' Dusty.

    Just a Little Lovin' – Dusty Springfield

    Some of Your Lovin' – Dusty Springfield

    Pussywillow, Cattails – Gordon Lightfoot

    Little Bird – The Beach Boys

    Glad and Sorry – The faces

    My Friend the Sun – Family

    How To Live – Del Water Gap

    Lose – Hannah Jadagu

    Small Town Joan of Arc – Del Water Gap

    Never Ending Game (Panda Bear Remix) – Angel Du$t

    Holo Boy – This is Lorelei

    Popafangout – Sharp Pins

    Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand – The Who

    Truckin' – Grateful Dead

    Playing in the Band (Live at Manhattan Center NYC 4/6/71) – Grateful Dead

    Jack Straw (Live in Paris 1972) – Grateful Dead

    Cassidy (Live at Radio City Music Hall, 1980) – Grateful Dead

    Don't Let It Bring You Down – Neil Young

    Here She Comes Now – The Velvet Underground

    Sally, Go 'Round the Roses – The Jaynetts

    Damn – Del Water Gap

    Sugar Magnolia (demo) – Grateful Dead

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    1 ora e 55 min
  • Coke? Suede? Waterbeds? Yes please, Sopwith Camel!
    Jan 6 2026

    In which I finally give up and acceptance the consensus worship of my friends re: Sharp Pins.

    Life Is – Jessica Pratt
    Guess I'm Dumb – Glen Campbell

    Mock The Hours – David Nance

    Say It On – J Mascis

    Coke, Suede and Waterbeds – Sopwith Camel

    Not Enough – Benny Sings

    Cruise Ship Designer – Dry Cleaning

    Wreck – Neko Case

    Edge of the Ocean – Ivy

    Keep On Movin' – Soul II Soul

    Hold Steady – Queen Esther

    Vague Utopia – Tia Gostelow

    I Knew Love – Sunflower Bean

    Under the Milky Way – The Church

    Astor Place – Edward Rogers

    Dominoes – Mary Timony

    Traffic and Weather – Fountains of Wayne

    Popsicle – Juliana Hatfield

    Is It Better – Sharp Pins

    Queens of Globes and Mirrors – Sharp Pins

    Queens of Cans and Jars – Guided By Voices

    But You Just Woke Me Up – This Is Lorelei

    Elderberry Wine – Wednesday

    Baby, Now That I've Found You – Alison Krauss

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    1 ora e 55 min
  • Deep Dish '70s
    Jan 5 2026

    For the first show of a precarious new year, I chose to focus on a theme of reletively obscure 1970's "deep cuts", apropos of... nothing. Some great songs, though. The first song isn't all that obscure, but the movie it served as the theme song for is deeply quaint; it's about a late '70s commercial rock radio station being forced (gasp) into using a format and playing from a songs list , and the outrage that then ensues - how dare they take away the deejay's rights to play whatever the hell they want? Like I said, quaint... in terms of commercial radio, of course... but not so much for our beloved WPKN.

    FM – Steely Dan
    She Might Have Been a Nice Girl – The Guess Who
    Gramophone Man – Spirit


    Bluebird – Leon Russell
    She Wandered Through the Garden Fence – Procol Harum
    Heart To Hang Onto – Ronnie Lane & Pete Townsend
    Lily (Are You Happy) – Darryl Hall & John Oates


    Look What You've Done – Bread
    Strawberry Flats – Little Feat

    O Lucky Man! – Alan Price
    Grey Seal – Elton John

    Friends – Elton John
    Running Back – Phil Lynott


    Suite: Clouds, Rain – David Gates
    Thatcherie (from "Inner Space") – Sven Libaek
    Strawberry Letter 23 – Shuggie Otis

    Real Thing – Drugdealer (feat. Weyes Blood)

    Keep It Warm – Flo & Eddie
    Critics Choice – Chicago


    Let's Pretend – The Lemon Twigs
    Overnight Sensation – The Raspberries


    Friends – Buzzy Linhart

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    1 ora e 54 min
  • New Year... Happy?
    Dec 30 2025

    This was a fill-in episode for Steve Di Costanzo's classin WPKN morning show, RADIO BASE CAMP. I should be doing a lot of these Tuesday shows as well as the Monday shows, and that's good because I can get better at this.

    Because it's the Eve of New Year's Eve, I went with that as the theme; hour 1 is more of a downer than hour 2.

    Millennium – Robbie Williams

    Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo

    Enjoy Yourself (It's Later than You Think) – Guy Lombardo

    In These Shoes? – Kirsty MacColl

    Happy New Year Next Year – Violent Femmes

    Getting Ugly Out There – Wille Nile

    A Town Called Malice – The Jam

    New Year – SVT

    Together We'll Ring In the New Year – Motion City Soundtrack

    The New Year (demo) – Death Cab For Cutie

    My New Year's Resolutions – Mae West

    Resolution Blues – Dinah Washington

    Brand New Year – Eric Carmen

    Better Things – The Kinks

    Life Gets Better – Graham Parker

    Shooting Star – Sunflower Bean

    Happy New Year – Camera Obscura

    Walk Out to Winter – Aztec Camera

    Romeo – Edward Rogers

    This Will Be My Year – Semisonic

    A Little Bit of Light Banter – Sparks

    Glad Tidings – Van Morrison

    Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder

    This Will Be Our Year – The Zombies

    Auld Lang Syne – The Beach Boys

    Wake The World – The Beach Boys

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    1 ora e 55 min
  • CBGBs + CTBG's salute, plus: that weird time period between Christmas and New Years
    Dec 29 2025

    There's been a lot of CBGBs in the air lately at WPKN, courtesy of programmers Dave Schneider (The Zambonis), Chris Frantz (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club) - yes, THE Chris Frantz -and Rob Tannenbaum, a great music journalist who produced a must-have (IMHO) new box set for Cherry Red Records named "CBGB: A New York City Soundtrack 1975-1986". Inspired by the annual CTBGs show at the Fairfield Theater Company, I programmed a mainly-early CBGBs music set. This music is so important to me - and to many many other musicians and fans, whether they realize it or not. Punk Rock, "New Wave" and Alternative Rock STARTS HERE.

    In The Congo – The Bongos

    My Three Sons (Revolve Around the Earth) – The Individuals
    Fa cé-La – The Feelies
    Jealousy – The Colors
    Love & Emotion – Mink DeVille
    Trapped Again – Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes

    Teenage News – Sylvain Sylvain
    Two Tub Man – The Dictators
    I Need a Million – The Laughing Dogs
    Beat On the Brat – The Ramones

    Red Lights – The Marbles
    Black and White (Don Dixon Mix) – The dBs
    Tell Me Your Plans – The Shirts

    Pretty Dress – Cryptic Soup
    Picture This – Blondie
    Frederick – Patti Smith Group

    Days – Television
    The Book I Read – Talking Heads

    Green For Go – Polyrock
    There She Goes – Nervus Rex
    Christmas Weather – Student Teachers

    December 26th – Alicia Witt (feat. John Paul White)
    (I'll Be Glad When) Christmastime Is Done – Bite the Wax Godhead

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    1 ora e 55 min