31.01.12 California Diner - 'Hey--I Know You!'

Way back in the old days, when I was a fledgling Recharged Radio presenter, I was a bit unsure how to proceed. I mean, yeah, I’d been doing radio for over 10 years, on and off. (And really, my whole life, if you count those geeky moments in front of a mirror with a cassette player or turntable, and a fake microphone. Okay, don’t count those years--we all have our youthful indiscretions, don’t we?) When I jumped on board the fast-moving train called Recharged Radio, there were only a few shows on at the time, and I needed some examples of what to do to make my show fit in, while trying to remain distinctive. Sure, I had the American accent, which is pretty novel on our station. But I was born with that, and it really didn’t take a lot of effort to perfect it. Not that’s it’s perfect, but it’s mine. But I was looking for guidance. So I turned to our flagship show, the Forum, on Friday nights. Among its features I found that each show had a named theme. I thought: “Astounding! These guys come up with something new each week!” So I figured I’d give it a try, but I knew the fresh and original themes would simply have to dry up after a few weeks, right? Much to my surprise, I’ve been able to come up with a new theme every week for the last 109 shows. And I realized that I don’t write the themes. The themes write me. Seriously, I don’t produce a show knowing exactly what’s going to happen. I just know that I’ll be playing about 30 or so great indie songs, and some kind of theme emerges--often, after the playlist is put together. And yep, this one wrote itself. Looking at the playlist of 32 songs this week, I realized that I’ve interviewed nearly half of the artists on my shows at some point. There are several more on the list who I know personally, and will get on the show as soon as possible. And that’s the beauty of indie rockers--they want to be here every bit as much as I do. While I don’t have an interview this week, it’s gratifying to know that I know so many of these wonderful musicians personally. I think that’s the strong suit of the DIY indie ethic--these folks are real people--and at the same time--great artists--oftentimes more enjoyable to listen to than the well-known musicians. Among those great indie musicians who we’ve met before, and made the playlist this week are legendary London-based psychedelic musician Peter Daltrey, Washington, D.C. power pop giants Vegas With Randolph, North Carolina ukebilly pioneers Mad Tea, Sacramento-based popster Adrian Bourgeois, and (San Francisco) Bay Area Americana chanteuse Kate Burkart. And so many more--check ‘em all out! www.gragroup.com/daltrey.html www.reverbnation.com/vegaswithrandolph themadtea.wordpress.com www.adrianbourgeois.com www.kateburkart.com Hey! Recharged Radio now has a magazine! It’s a free monthly music e-zine called Sound of the Suburbs (not to be confused with our radio show of the same name--oh heck, go ahead and confuse it--we don’t mind!) It’s our joint effort with our friends at Perfect Pop Co-Op. You can get it on the left hand side of the home page of Recharged Radio. Just scroll down a bit, and get reading! 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. See you then! Chef Mike mike(at)rechargedradio.com MN2BDNC Heiskell - Your Touch Wonderboy - Tracy Young Vegas With Randolph - Supergirl Model Society - Horizon The Scratch - Alcohol's A Depressant Sexfresh - Dilemma Bud Rogers - Santa Monica Sunshine Nushu - Another Rainy Weekend Adrian Bourgeois - Mr. Imaginary Friend Anita Maj - Playtime Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - Sun Up Maxi Dunn - Make It Better Three Minute Tease - Love Is Onion Joe Swidenbank - Coming Up For Air Maple Mars - Borrowed Sunshine Chancellorpink - Chancellor Pink Roman Foot Soldiers - Waterfront Snow Byrds - Master Of Ceremonies Laurie Biagini - Head In The Sand Duncan Faure - Where Is The Music Throwback Suburbia - Caroline Braam - Burlington Northern Jointpop - Monday Morning Love Situation Peter Daltrey and Damien Youth - Blue Girl Eyes Lindy LaFontaine (with KYRO) - Alizee Baby Scream - Secret Place Kate Burkart - Cross The Street Cult Of Wedge - Malevolent Black Snow Onward Chariots - Seven Miles Away The Vertigos - Rubix Terese Taylor - Hermit Mad Tea Party - Found A Reason

24.01.12 California Diner - 'New, Newer, Newest!'

The California Diner, and Recharged Radio in general, are all about the newest independent music. So how new is “new enough” for you? I’ll give you a few examples, and you tell me. Cult of Wedge is the solo recording project of Peter Hackett, he of Rowley Regis, UK. Every so often, he disappears into his musical bunker, and does mysterious things down there, not to be seen again until a masterpiece emerges. If asked to describe the Cult of Wedge sound, Pete will tell you “A bit like a car crash involving members of E.L.O, Genesis, Human League, Kraftwerk, Motorhead and Yes. With John Shaft and Starsky and Hutch being the first on the scene, with Beck and Air driving the ambulances”! I think that pretty much sums it up. Pete’s released some nifty original singles and some choice, deconstructed covers (a more electronic version of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and a really somber, intense version of Bryan Adam’s “Summer of ‘69), and he’s done magnificent production work on Maxi Dunn’s albums. A couple of months ago, he released the debut Cult of Wedge album, “Tape Recorders Changed Everything”. And we’ll sample one of his new songs on this week’s show. www.reverbnation.com/cultofwedge Even newer than that would be the new album by Portland, Oregon band Throwback Suburbia. Shot Glass Souvenir came out this month, January 14th, and it is a power pop masterpiece. Hooks aplenty adorn this album. Every song sparkles, and the whole album makes you feel better about the state of rock and roll. Each song presents a new sonic possibility. You absolutely have to hear this music--it’s one of my favorite albums to hit my inbox in a long time. www.throwbacksuburbia.com This next music is so new, it’s not even out yet! And this one is so meaningful to we jockeys of Recharged Radio. Spencer Berger, the magnificent vocalist known to the world as Auditorium, has been a part of our playlists since prehistoric times--back in 2009, when Recharged was a fledgling station without a Chef Mike! We’ve thrilled to this operatically-trained singer, with the unique, quirky and fun songs and multi-layered vocals. One Spencer Berger is great, several are even better! So he’s putting out a new EP, Nights Worth Living on February 28th. You should preorder this one as soon as you can--it’s cheap, and it will help satisfy your need for some more tuneage from the vocalist’s vocalist. auditorium.bandcamp.com/ Hey! Recharged Radio now has a magazine! It’s a free monthly music e-zine called Sound of the Suburbs (not to be confused with our radio show of the same name--oh heck, go ahead and confuse it--we don’t mind!) It’s our joint effort with our friends at Perfect Pop Co-Op. You can get it on the left hand side of the home page of Recharged Radio. Just scroll down a bit, and get reading! 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. See you then! Chef Mike mike(at)rechargedradio.com MN2BDNC Duncan Faure - Man Of A Thousand Dreams Throwback Suburbia - Sinking Feeling Emily Zuzik Band - Motels Jimmy Catlett - 3.0 The Little Philistines - Hot Phone Maxi Dunn - Weather Warning Bud Rogers - Caught In A Wheel The Handcuffs - This is a Test Auditorium - The Sex Offenders The Ks - Little Plaything The Shindig Addicts - Not Long Now Joey Oskys - Here In This Town Tina Lie - Twilight Hour Braam - Mama I'm Scared Kyro (with Lindy LaFontaine) - This Too, In Time, Shall Pass Uncle Meat and the Highway Children - Long Gone Mobile Bill Mumy - Take Us Home M.A.D.I.S.O.N. - Try Weird Shapes - Blue Sky at Night Beth Thornley - A to Z Three Minute Tease - Thanks for Lifting My Leg Maple Mars - Citizen Roger Rob One - Flames Laurie Biagini - The California Quake Dylan Walshe - Your Belly Not Mine The Dashing Suns - Sally Moore Man or Mouse - Jackson Fortune Dwellers - Keep It Simple Cult of Wedge - The Birds and the Bees and Jaime Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - Who'

17.01.12 California Diner - 'Anton Barbeau Interview!'

Here’s a quick California Diner trivia question for you: how many people have been interviewed in both the London AND the Sacramento studios of Recharged Radio? If you guessed four, you’re right! And for extra bonus points--how many people have been interviewed in both of those studios TWICE? That leaves only one, this week’s special guest, Anton Barbeau! The well-traveled Mr. Barbeau is a prolific singer/songwriter who was born and raised right here in Sacramento, California. He then moved to the UK, spent enough time there to create an international following, hook up with Robyn Hitchcock’s former band The Egyptians--Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor--and form a band with them--Three Minute Tease! Can you imagine having a musical idol’s band of yours become your band? A dream come true. A couple of other noteworthy things that happened for Anton while in the UK: he opened a couple of gigs for another of his musical idols, Julian Cope, and got to hang with the Drude himself. No kidding, this kind of stuff just happens to him. And he’s been on our flagship show, Friday night’s The Forum a couple of times as well. He got to be one of the pundits in the box. He also played at our Brighton festival last summer as well. And now another dream comes true--he’s living in what he’s always considered to be a cool city--Berlin. Yet another music scene to conquer. It’ll make the commute a bit longer to get to the Recharged studios, but I have a feeling that won’t be an issue. Hey--he’s commuted over 5,000 miles to visit here! And speaking of that last visit--he appeared on a few local radio shows, played a boatload of sold out gigs here and in San Francisco, including a couple with the Corner Laughers. (That’s the rest of the answer to the trivia question: Karla, Khoi, and Charlie have also visited both our Sacramento and London studios.) So what does Anton sound like? Well, certainly, he’s got that Robyn Hitchcock eccentric feel, and having the bassist and drummer from the Egyptians reinforces that. He’s always had a bit of that sound, and the occasional psychedelic touch as well. But he’s one of the most original artists I’ve ever heard. He’s got his own voice, and killer pop hooks most songwriters would give an extremity for. And what a way with words. You’ve just got to hear him. And I did mention prolific before, didn’t I? In the last two years that I’ve been playing his stuff on the radio, he’s sent me 4 or 5 original albums. I asked him point blank how many albums he’s made in his career, and at best count, it’s upwards of 15. This guy can’t help but create--it’s his passion. Give a listen to the interview. We’ll hear several of his songs, and some great tales from the road. And for God sakes, buy some of his albums. Support him, and make yourself happy. These will be some of the most fun and interesting albums in your collection! www.antonbarbeau.com 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. See you then! Chef Mike mike(at)rechargedradio.com MN2BDNC Blake Jones and Tom Magill - Life Turns On A Dime Ben Swidenbank - Girl (Leave That Animal Tonight) The Scratch - Homely Crackle Anny Celsi - Tangle-Free World Bill Mumy - I Owe A Little Money Laurie Biagini - The Heart Of The Song Popdudes - Desperation Time Sound Sessions - Baby's Just An Avatar Anton Barbeau Interview Anton Barbeau – Love Is Onion Anton Barbeau/Allyson Seconds – If I Could Bring You Trouble Anton Barbeau – Queen Of Apples Anton Barbeau – Boat Called Home Maxi Dunn - Messed Up Maple Mars - Beautiful Mess Throwback Suburbia - Caroline Note To Self: Don't Die! - Hell Auditorium - Karaoke Freight Train Lindy LaFontaine - I Might Not Love You Sal Valentino - Lovin' Fallin' The Damnwells - No One Listens To The Band Anymore Sarah Taylor - Easy To Forget Sparklejet - Clever Personality The Clutter Family - Artist In The Office Skip Heller - The Man I Used To Be Little Guilt Shrine - What I'm Thinking Peter Daltrey and Damien Youth - Blue Girl Eyes Rob Swanson - Oh No! Ricky Berger - Silly Boy, Goodnight Tom Alford - Shiloh

10.01.12 California Diner - 'Hello 2012!'

The last year on the Mayan calendar, 2012, is here! Doom and gloom, you say? No way! You just need to take a minute, and think logically about the rest of the story. Let’s see, the great and mighty Mayan civilization flourished a very long time ago, in what we moderns refer to as “ancient history”. They created this calendar on a stone tablet, which was supposed to last for 5,126 years. Guess what? The last date on this rather heavy day planner is December 21, 2012. So if you haven’t gone digital, and you’re still using a day planner, what do you do when your calendar is about to run out? You simply run to the stationery store and buy the next one. So I went to my nearby Mayan stationery store, and picked up the refill. Well, I didn’t really pick it up--as heavy as it was, I rolled it home. But the good news is that after December 21st, we’ve got another 5,126 years until we have to buy the next refill. (But just in case we don’t, I’m pre-recording my January 2013 shows!) Okay, that tells me I’d better stick to what I know! I’m excited that we’re embarking upon another new year, and that means more great music is coming your way. We’ll hear some old and new, as this time of year usually has me looking in both directions. We’ll reach into the vaults and pull out a gem from Maxi Dunn’s debut album that we haven’t spun in a while. Something from amazing Canadian vocalist/songwriter Rose Reiter that came out over a decade ago, and sounds fresher than ever. And as for new? Well, brand new tracks from Skip Heller and Bud Rogers. Your last chance to vote for a certain Whiskey Saints song for Pete Renzullo’s “That Time Of The Month” competition. maxidunn.info rosereiter.com skipheller.com reverbnation.com/budrogers thewhiskeysaints.com Oh--and just one more thing--but it’s a biggie. I am pleased to announce that starting this week, I will be sharing my Tuesday night airwaves with a BRAND NEW show! It’ll come on at 10:00 p.m. GMT, and it’s called Sound of the Suburbs. And not only that, but it’s hosted by: Andy Scratch and John “Vintage” Viney of THE SCRATCH! Yep--the wild D.I.Y. guys from Hertfordshire. And their mission is to play only three kinds of music: old, new, and future! So yeah, basically no rules. We can dig this. 4 hours of musical anarchy on Tuesday nights. No grownups in the room! And I’m so pleased and excited to be opening for these guys, I just can’t stand it! Give them a warm Recharged Radio welcome, will ya? thescratch.co.uk 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. See you then! Chef Mike mike(at)rechargedradio.com MN2BDNC Maxi Dunn - How Was I To Know? Skip Heller - Fools Like Me The Fuegos - Against The World Sexfresh - Love Ration Karim Fanous - Thin Bits Agony Aunts - Me Being Maximum M.A.D.I.S.O.N. - If You Want Me To Anton Barbeau - MTV Song Tom Alford - Yes It's You The Handcuffs - Baby I Love You Vinnie Zummo - John Lennon Bud Rogers - Slave To Passion Nushu - Another Rainy Weekend Duncan Faure - Nightfall Rose Reiter - Where You Are Nelson Bragg - Tell Me I'm Wrong Hail The Size - I Can't Die In L.A. Braam - Way Away Brave Chandeliers - Madmen Laurie Biagini - My Little SUV The Whiskey Saints - Every Little Thing The Smith Bros - Kerrie Anne The Big I Am - Better Days The Decibels - That's When Happiness Began Baby Scream - Hit And Run Auditorium - I'm the Enforcer Soundserif - John Titor or the Time Traveler Lindy LaFontaine - Free To Breathe Sweet Sweet Concorde - Armadillo Man Peter Mayer - The Marrying Kind Rich McCulley - Far From My Angel Sarah Stanley - When I Lose My Heart