13.09.11 California Diner - 'Back To School!'

Here it is, mid-September, and you really should be back in school! (With apologies to Rod Stewart.) What--you think you’re too old for school? Nonsense. Learning opportunities abound every day, and in this week’s California Diner, we’re going to learn about music. Which, by the way, needs to be driven, not controlled. Tippy Canoe, a wonderful San Francisco Bay Area singer/songwriter/ukulele player, is going to be putting on a house concert this Saturday night at Ukelele University! (www.ukeuniversity.com) That’s right--we here in Sacramento have some pretty cool schools, and Tippy is going to school us happy students on how upbeat, old-timey music with a rockin’ edge should sound! You can actually enroll at this school, and learn how to play uke. There’s a unique twist--I will be broadcasting this concert live on Saturday night, September 17th. And if you’re going to be in Northern California then, drop me an email, and I’ll get you details on the show. I’ll also have some information on the webcast later this week. For now, we’ll hear a track from Tippy’s Parasols and Pekingese album. www.tippycanoe.net Rich McCulley, a great Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter/guitarist, is going to school you on cathartic guitar solos. I’m not a fan of pointless solos--you know the kind I mean--where a hotshot virtuoso noodles around for an eternity, showing us that yes, he is indeed the bomb. I’m more interested in great songwriting, an arrangement that fits, and then a solo that serves the song. Neil Young had an amazing one note solo in the song Cinnamon Girl years ago. But the way he played that one note was incredibly expressive--that solo had more soul than so many more complex, but bland solos. We’re going to listen to a song from Rich’s Far From My Angel release, which serves as a perfect example of the solo serving the song. It’s a breakup song from an album about divorce, and the passions run strong and deep. The lyrics give you the background, but it’s the guitar solo near the end that drives right into your soul. www.richmcculley.com Sometimes, we need to rock out to some serious power pop. What, you ask, is power pop? Well, it’s often considered to be snappy, upbeat American rock ‘n’ roll. The songs are punchy, usually three minutes or under, and feature guitars, bass, drums, and lock-tight harmonies. How do you know if it’s not power pop? If there’s a keyboard, it’s probably not power pop. If there’s fiddles, probably not power pop. If there’s a dance crew--definitely not power pop. You could sit here all day and re-read this last paragraph, and still not know what power pop is. Or you could let The Smith Bros., a great band from Ohio, teach you. Mike Clark, Pat Dollenmayer, and Kris Phillips have been making this fun music for a while now. They’re working on a new album, and we’re going to hear a sneak preview of one of the songs. They never disappoint, and you’ll thrill to the soaring guitars and harmonies. www.reverbnation.com/thesmithbros If you'd like to make a request, just drop me a line at mike(at)rechargedradio.com. If you'd like to become an honorary California citizen, drop me a line at the same address. And if you'd like to hear all this great music—simply tune in to the California Diner, Tuesday night, 8:00-10:00 p.m. (GMT), 12:00-2:00 p.m. Pacific, only at Recharged Radio—www.rechargedradio.com. This note also appears in the News section on the home page of RechargedRadio.com. See you then! Chef Mike mike(at)rechargedradio.com MN2BDNC Corner Laughers - The Red Queen Dylan Walshe - Your Belly Not Mine Sexfresh - Dilemma June & The Exit Wounds - Idly By Peter Daltrey - In The Room Of Percussion Model Society - Systematic Tippy Canoe & The Paddlemen - Mass Transmissions Sweet Sweet Concorde - Armadillo Man Sound Sessions - Be My Shaper The Vertigos - Rubix Throwback Suburbia - Asking Why Nelson Bragg - Forever Days Heidi Klum's Bangs - Leigh Raistalla - Supermodel Jay Fraser - That's How We Roll Laurie Biagini - A Face In The Crowd Three Hour Tour - Pig in Disguse Kitty & The Lost Boys - Rushing To My Side Baby Scream - Cold Weather Reggae The Smith Bros - Kerrie Anne Maxi Dunn - Why Do I Want You? The Pilgrims - Whole Level Down Maple Mars - Butterfly Effect Boomchick - Joyland Jimmy Catlett - 3.0 Lindy LaFontaine (with Kyro) - Haunted Joseph Swidenbank - Scattered The Handcuffs - Miss You on Tuesday Splitsville - Pretty People Rich McCulley - Far From My Angel Terese Taylor - The End