15.12.09 The Tuesday Night Diner - 'Christmas music can actually be good'

Playlist for the Tuesday Night Diner this week is as follows!

Karim Fanous - Thin Bits
50ft Woman - (Strictly) Only Swinging
Hail The Size - Hot Mom
Katelyn Berreth - Universal Lie
Jeff Merchant - Children of Light
Tom Alford - Yes It's You
Laura Pharoah - Rainbow Street
Chancellorpink - Third Time, No Charm
Imani Hekima - Nothing's What It Seems
The Decibels - Overcast Day
Dandelion Killers - You'll Find Me In The Archives
Handcuffs - Ressurection
The Taters - Fun At Home
Heiskell - Your Touch
Wayne Stateley and the Manor's - We're Exploiting Christmas
Allen - Those SimpleThings
Winzenried - Soul is Mine
Thinking For Tuesday - Falling
Kat Jones - He's The One I Need The Most
Baby Scream - Suddenly
Goodfinger - Another Night
Rob Bonfiglio - That's Alright
Maxi Dunn - I Mean That
Jimmy Catlett - 3.0
Laurie Biagini - Christmas In The Air
The Pilgrims - War Hero
Splitsville - The Kids Who Kill For Sugar
June & The Exit Wounds - Hey Hey Hey

Well here we are in the thick of the holiday season. It seems like Christmas music is everywhere. Booooring...same old songs serve as the soundtrack for what is otherwise a really nice time of year.

Chef Mike to the rescue. What if I presented to you three Christmas songs that sound like none you`ve ever heard before? We`ve got Wayne Stateley and the Manor`s with a song about the exploitation of the season. Some say these guys invaded Pete Hackett`s Cult of Wedge West Midlands bunker studios and forced him to record this one. Too cynical? How about Kat Jones with a song about the reason for the season--one of the most beautiful and unexpected holiday songs I`ve ever heard. And lastly, how about a taste of sunshine from my favorite Canadian honorary Californian, Laurie Biagini? If you could spend Christmas at the beach, this is how you`d do it.

But don`t worry--that`s not all we`ve got. We also have our usual Tuesday night genre-hopping mix, which goes from hard rock to reggae, country, and alternative, and back again. Lots of debuts, which is kind of what you`d expect from a show that`s only 5 weeks old. Several bands took the initiative to send me some of their great music, and their efforts have been rewarded with airplay on the single best show that we air on Tuesday nights--and I can say that with full confidence!

There`s a new band called Thinking For Tuesday which Jordan sent my way, partly because I`m American, and he thought it would be a good fit for my tastes (whatever those might be), and partly, I think, because of the name--you simply must play a band like that on Tuesday. I`d like to know what you think--if you`re American, do you like their style of music? And if you`re British, do you also like it, or leave it to the Americans?

Drop me a note--mike(at)rechargedradio.com. I`d love to hear your take on this, and the other music we play. Make a request. Take a stand. But listen!

See you Tuesday nights, 8:00-10:00 p.m.

08.12.09 The Tuesday Night Diner - 'Freezing in Cali!'

Wow--it`s snowing in Sacramento, California! Really--well, not where I live, but in certain parts of town. Unbelievable--that`s the first time in 33 years. Here where I live, it`s kind of a bummer to be this cold and NOT snow--all we got is really cold water.

Why am I telling you this? Hmmm...I guess this is the blog equivalent of making small talk.

So good evening! This week`s Tuesday Night Diner is chock full of musical goodness from all over the English-speaking world--and even parts of the Spanish-speaking world! We`ll be featuring bands from Argentina, California, and the UK. Domus hails from Argentina, and, well, they`re pretty cool--lots of lively, tasteful, Argentinian acoustic guitar licks. Terese Taylor hails from San Francisco, and sounds a little like early Liz Phair, but without all that "men are evil and they done me wrong" vibe. And Maxi Dunn sends some holiday sweetness our way--in her wistful way.

30 tracks, I tell you. 30 tracks! I`ve squeezed so much music into this show, it`s going to pop if you don`t listen to it. But don`t let that happen--join me on the Tuesday Night Diner--8:00-10:00 p.m. It`d be a shame to waste all this musical goodness!

01.12.09 The Tuesday Night Diner - 'Are You Still With Me?'

Greetings from California!

Well, if those three words don`t put a smile on your face, maybe this will. The December 1st edition of Tuesday Night Diner, is by default, the very first program to air over Recharged Radio in December! Heavy responsibility there, and I hope to be up for the task.

Here`s the plan. Lots of debuts. Some hard rockin` music. Some country songs. A couple of humorous tunes. And a couple of requests taken right out of our chatroom during last week`s show. Our waitress Shirley will take your song orders, and I will serve them up, all hot and steamy and stuff.

Back to that country theme for a second. I`ll be debuting a track by Skip Heller--just to prove that good country music can be made in Los Angeles (a place better known for X, Los Lobos, Guns `N Roses, The Doors, Van Halen, etc.) But if you`re not a country fan, just wait three minutes, and I`ll change the format of the show again. And again. And again. We`re getting known on these Tuesday night airwaves for our rapid music mood swings. Not to worry--it`s all good. Tuesday Night Diner has something for everybody to love--and to hate! (Mostly love, I think.)

More big news--our brand new Advent calendar is on the upper right hand corner of the home page, under "It`s Christmas". Our own Miss Minki created this incredibly cool countdown calendar, and each day features one of our favorite artists here at Recharged Radio. We all had a say on who appears on this calendar, and I think you`ll be quite pleased. Just come back each day between now and Christmas Eve, for a brand new artist.

17.11.09 The Tuesday Night Diner

Well, it seemed like last week`s inaugural edition of Tuesday Night Diner was a huge success--or at least not a rousing failure, as evidenced by the fact that no one has kicked me out on my posterior!

So with that in mind, I get to keep going. And I`ve got a great selection of tuneage for you this week, ranging from rock to blues to ukebilly, and more. Ukebilly? Well, you`ll just have to tune in to find out more about this compelling musical genre, as practised (note the excellent British spelling--not bad for a lad from California, eh?) by Mad Tea Party. You`ll also hear Maxi Dunn, Chancellorpink, and brand new music from one of my very favorite (American spelling, to prove I`m bilingual) bands, The Taters, from Richmond, Virginia.

And just who do I think I am to be spending two hours of your valuable Tuesday night with you? Why, I`m Chef Mike, proprietor of the Tuesday Night Diner! And I hope you`ll join me, every Tuesday night, from 8:00-10:00 p.m., as I serve you tasty musical morsels. Hope to see you there!

17.11.09 The Tuesday Night Diner

Our brand new show hosted by Mike Lidskin! The Tuesday Night Diner will be back every Tuesday, from Sacramento California, from 8-10pm. Make sure you catch it. It's better than Come Dine With Me.