25.01.11 California Diner - 'Musical Grab Bag!'

What happens when you've had so many weeks of shows with really obvious themes, and all of a sudden, nothing presents itself? I mean, it was really easy when Debora Iyall was our guest, we called the show “Debora Iyall Interview”.  Or on our first anniversary, we called it the “First Anniversary Edition”. Those were pretty easy shows to name.

But here we are, with just a (gasp) “regular” show! Naahhh, this is Recharged Radio. There's nothing regular about any of our shows. The only thing regular about this week's California Diner is that I don't have a really clever name for the show. This is when I just press the glowing red button on the generic show naming machine, aka the GenShowName 5000, and see what comes out. First out: “Musical Madness”. Nope. Try again. “Tuesday Night Riot”. Hmmm. “Lawrence Welk Presents”. Okay, I'm gonna have to check for upgrades to the GenShowName 5000's operating system, because this thing just isn't working right.

I really don't need an expensive, fancy, high-powered machine to come up with a lame name for this week's show, when I can do that all by myself for free. So the “Musical Grab Bag” it is!

The reason it's a musical grab bag is because I've taken 32 great tracks, from seemingly random and diverse genres, and thrown them all together into a single two hour show, just to see what happens. And the result: two hours of musical left and right turns, racing around tight curves at breakneck speeds, with some incredible scenery and a most excellent soundtrack!

What does this mean to you? Well, highlights like straight ahead rock from Sparklejet (engineered by Steve Albini for good measure!). A brief foray into the world of electronica with Emily Zuzik and Tim Lefebvre. Ukulele-driven alternative sounds brought to you by your friends and mine The Corner Laughers. Some black humor, courtesy of The Clutter Family. Bill Mumy drops in to bring you some blues. And some cello-infused punk with The Scratch. (I probably called that last one wrong—but you'll just have to listen, and see if you can come up with a better label for their amazing song.) All in all, a grab bag!

http://www.myspace.com/sparklejet

http://www.emilyzuzik.com

http://www.myspace.com/cornerlaughers

http://www.myspace.com/theclutterfamily

http://www.billmumy.com

http://www.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.

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

Go National - Begin, Begin, Begin 

Sparklejet - The Comeback 

Mark Bacino - Middle Town 

Emily Zuzik & Tim Lefebvre - West Coast East Coast 

Get People - Odyssey 

Kaz Murphy - Midnight Fire 

Mad Tea Party - Bunny Moves On 

Vegas With Randolph - The Better Part 

Jay Fraser - That's How We Roll 

The Big I Am - Better Days 

The Scratch - Alcohol's A Depressant 

The Taters - Right B4 My Eyes 

Wim Oudijk - Spirit 

The Corner Laughers - Stonewords 

Domus - Es Mi Ola 

Skip Heller & Jim Cavender - I Hate You 

The Britannicas - Don't Go Back 

Missdavinalee - Come On 

Chad Neaves - Something In My Soul 

Maxi Dunn - Weather Warning 

Bill Mumy - All Wound Up 

Lindy LaFontaine - Free To Breathe 

The Dashing Suns - Sally Moore 

Maple Mars - Borrowed Sunshine 

Baby Scream - The Ghost Of Valerie 

Debora Iyall - Tell Me Why 

Nelson Bragg - Tell Me I'm Wrong 

Tom Moriarty - Fire in the Dolls House 

Laurie Biagini - You're A Dangerous Thing 

Tom Alford - Wasp Lands On Sunflower 

The Clutter Family - Rendering Vat 

Fearless Vampire Killers - Fearless Vampire Killers 

18.01.11 California Diner - 'Juan Pablo Mazzola (Baby Scream) Interview/Session!'

It's not every day that a musician travels all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Sacramento, California (nearly 6,500 miles) just to be on my show. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's not the only reason that Juan Pablo Mazzola, the mastermind behind Baby Scream, came to Northern California. But since he was here, and his band has become a favorite on the California Diner, it was only right that I should snag him for an interview and in-studio session.

Baby Scream just released a self-titled album in December. It's chock-full of power pop gems, and even a driving rock number (Lazy) that features a really nice Brazilian bossa nova intro.

I spent a few hours with Juan, and found that we had similar musical tastes, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of American and British music of the last four decades. What really surprised me was that he counts among his greatest influences the whole 1990s Minneapolis/Midwest Americana scene. Bands like Golden Smog, the Jayhawks, the Replacements, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, etc., really inform Baby Scream's music. Knowing this, you can really hear it in the song structures. Even so, Baby Scream is original. They combine crunchy guitars with a driving beat, breathtaking melodies and Juan's one of a kind vocals. And those lyrics. They are sophisticated and literate in English—no small feat, considering that they were written by a guy whose native language is Spanish! He writes better English language songs than many American and British songwriters I've heard!

We'll hear a couple of tracks off the new album, take a phone call from Chicago featuring one of Baby Scream's biggest fans, and Juan even takes my old acoustic guitar for a spin, and performs live versions of a couple more of his new songs.

http://www.myspace.com/babyscream

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

Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - Sun Up

The Big I Am - Clothes

Man or Mouse - Jackson

Corner Laughers - The Red Queen

Tippy Canoe & The Paddlemen - Mass Transmissions

Chancellorpink - Three People Care

Rob Bonfiglio - Nothing Will Hold You Down

Little Guilt Shrine - One Two

Juan Pablo Mazzola (Baby Scream) interview/session

Baby Scream – Mental Case

Juan Pablo Mazzola – Powerpop Crush

Baby Scream – Lazy

Juan Pablo Mazzola – Find Myself

Laurie Larson - Endless Thank You Loop

Emily Zuzik - Potential

Jimmy Catlett - 3.0

Joe Symes - Lost Along The Way

Onward Chariots - Seven Miles Away

Bill Mumy - A Hundred Good Reasons

Kat Jones - Those Expensive Eyes

Dave Stephens - Hangin' On

Laurie Biagini - Leave Me Alone

Anton Barbeau - Doctor Don't Chop My Knee Mama, Ouch Is Another Word

June & The Exit Wounds - How Much I Really Loved you

Kids Love Lies - Stars

The Smith Bros - Kerrie Anne

Maxi Dunn - Always Be My Friend

Joseph Swidenbank - Coming Up For Air

Anny Celsi - First Love Freezes

11.01.11 California Diner - 'Debora Iyall (Romeo Void) Interview!'

As promised in the last show of 2010, we're on the other side. 2011 is here. Not that I had anything to do with that, it kind of just happened.

This week marks the first new California Diner show of the year. And we're not resting on our laurels, either. We have a bit of New Wave greatness in our midst--Debora Iyall, of 1980's New Wave band Romeo Void, is our in-studio guest! This is not a test: this is the real thing! 

How’s that you say? Well, as my good fortune would have it, Debora now lives right here in Sacramento. Imagine that--this musical treasure took the opposite route of many musicians--instead of moving AWAY from California's capital city to seek fame and fortune, she found fame and fortune, then moved TO Sacramento! 

Debora and Romeo Void had several huge hits back in the day, including “Never Say Never” and “A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)”. Well, it’s nice to see that she’s back, and her songwriting and vocals are as strong as ever. She’s gone all indie on us, with the release of a great new solo album, “Stay Strong”. And that’s a good thing! Touches of New Wave, alternative, and even some acoustic sounds get you in the door, but the deep, insightful, and often playful lyrics keep you listening. And before you know it, you’ve blown through 11 tracks and want to start listening to this compelling disc all over again from the top. 

We’ll chat with her, and ask the hard-hitting questions--such as "where did the name Romeo Void come from". And I'm pretty sure she's going to "stay strong" and answer them! 

www.deboraiyall.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.

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

The Little Philistines - Hot Phone 

Emily Zuzik & Tim Lefebvre - E-Vill 

Popdudes - Neglected 

Rich McCulley - Far From My Angel 

Auditorium - I'm the Enforcer 

Nushu - Synthia 

Allen - Hold Me Tight 

Adrian Bourgeois - Mr. Imaginary Friend 

Anny Celsi - Tangle-Free World 

Debora Iyall Interview 

Debora Iyall – Be My Last 

Debora Iyall – Stay Strong 

Debora Iyall – Bring it

Maple Mars - Beautiful Mess 

Beth Thornley - You're So Pony 

Bill Mumy - Can't Complain 

Laurie Biagini - A Face In The Crowd 

Dead Heart Bloom - Sentimental Cures 

Maxi Dunn - Don't Look Back 

The Corner Laughers - For The Sake Of The Cat 

Baby Scream - Powerpop Crush 

Dylan Walshe - Your Belly Not Mine 

Kate Burkart - The High Road 

Snow Byrds - Master Of Ceremonies 

Sarah Taylor - Easy To Forget 

Chad Neaves - Something In My Soul 

Sound Sessions - Be My Shaper 

Skip Heller - Falling For You 

Hail The Size - Hot Mom

28.12.10 Califorinia Diner - 'Almost New Years 2011!'

Well, here it is. The last show of 2010. Not much to say, except that it's been a great ride. My friends at Recharged Radio have let me get away with playing all these fantastic artists throughout the year, and hardly raised an eyebrow. And luckily, you listeners haven't turned me in yet. I mean, the variety of music that I get to play is so interesting, it should almost be illegal!

So let's just keep this thing under wraps for another year, shall we? Just our little secret. We'll be seeing 2010 out with a bang, as we play new tracks from the likes of Anton Barbeau, Debora Iyall, Emily Zuzik, and Miami Dan and the Hayes Street Band. Plus lots of other favorites that made 2010 the great year that it was.

www.antonbarbeau.com

www.deboraiyall.com

www.emilyzuzik.com

www.miamidan.com

And finally, thanks so much for listening during 2010. I've had fun, and I've got even bigger and more fun surprises planned for you in 2011. Catch you on the other side!

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

Karim Fanous - So Long Jenny J 

Maple Mars - The Excursion 

The Britannicas - Don't Go Back 

Maxi Dunn - How Was I To Know 

Jerzey Street Band - Pale Blue River 

Joseph Swidenbank - Coming Up For Air 

Imani Hekima - Nothing's What It Seems 

The Mike Brown Band - Pay 

The Big I Am - Right About Now 

Emily Zuzik - This Time Around 

Twyman/Baird - Repeat Of Tomorrow 

The Corner Laughers - Stonewords 

New Disorder - Sick Feeling As You 

Nelson Bragg - I Dare You (Show Me Love) 

Tangent Sunset - Way Down 

Thinking For Tuesday - Girl In The Red Dress Too 

The Ks - 13 Steps 

50ft Woman - Ice Cream Man 

Tom Alford - Wasp Lands On Sunflower 

Lindy LaFontaine - I Do 

Bill Mumy - I Changed My Mind 

Baby Scream - The Ghost Of Valerie 

Miami Dan and the Hayes Street Band - She Was In Love 

Boomchick - Joyland 

Sparklejet - Let's Behind That Place 

Sarah Taylor - Bad Medicine 

Debora Iyall - Stay Strong 

Anton Barbeau - Fuzzchild 

Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - Forestiere Gardens 

Laurie Biagini - Leave Me Alone 

21.12.10 Califorinia Diner - 'A Very Taters Christmas!'

Well, this is the last show before the big Christmas holiday. And I can't think of a more festive way to celebrate it than with my musical buddies, The Taters.

Craig Evans, Brad Tucker, Greg Marrs, and newest Tater recruit, drummer Chris Mendez are based in Richmond, Virginia. They've been a huge favorite on both of my radio shows for several years now. Their rootsy, family-friendly Americana originals, and their choice covers are always a great draw up and down the Mid-Atlantic coast's (U.S.) live gig circuit. They've released several albums, and even got nice writeups in No Depression and Billboard magazines!

But their quick wit is what makes them an obvious choice to commandeer a full half hour segment of the California Diner this week. In this episode, they're fully out of control in Virginia, while my co-presenter Amber and I don't even attempt to rein them in. Why would we? This makes for genius radio. And their music. In a word—wonderful! They treat us to three original Christmas songs—very nicely done. And did I mention that Richmond is 3,000 miles away from Sacramento? No problem—our good friend Mr. Skype to the rescue. A clear connection makes us feel like we're right in the same room with them, listening to their great songs and witty banter, and smelling their odiferous spicy eggplant-tofu dinner. Really? Well, just give a listen, and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

thetaters.com

We'll have a few other Christmas originals to play for you. But don't worry—your Chef Mike is not getting' all sappy on ya—I'll be spinning loads of the great indie music that you've come to expect year-round on Recharged Radio.

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

Baby Scream - The Ghost Of Valerie 

Anny Celsi - Christmas in the Pines 

Joe Symes - Lost Along The Way 

Fearless Vampire Killers - Fearless Vampire Killers 

Soundserif - John Titor 

Brian Battles - Christmas In California 

Handcuffs - Resurrection 

Chancellorpink - Muster 

The Corner Laughers - The Commonest Manifesto 

A Very Taters Christmas

The Taters – My Very First Christmas

The Taters – It’s Not Christmas When My Baby’s Not Around

The Taters – The Last Lone Noel

Tina Lie - Twilight Hour 

Kaz Murphy - Hardly Think About That 

Tom Alford - Wasp Lands On Sunflower 

Maxi Dunn – You're All I Need At Christmas 

Wim Oudijk - Love you. Period! 

Dave Stephens - Mr. Wonderful 

Sarah Taylor & Bill Mumy - I've Got Some Presents For Santa 

Go National - Begin, Begin, Begin 

Laurie Larson - Endless Thank You Loop 

Tom Moriarty - Fire in the Dolls House 

Laurie Biagini - Christmas In The Air 

Nushu - ABC Song 

Beth Thornley - A to Z 

Low Water - My Life In Advertising 

Lily Sparks - Bright Christmas 

The Dashing Suns - Sally Moore 

14.12.10 Califorinia Diner - 'Old School and New Wave!'

We are well into the holiday season, and it seems that the musical gifts continue to roll in.  A few noteworthy tracks came my way in the past few weeks, and I'm pleased to debut them on the show this week.

Romeo Void—a huge New Wave band here in the States, were all over radio and TV back in the early 1980s. They played fun, yet challenging and slightly dangerous music. It was always danceable, and always listenable. Their leader, Debora Iyall, has just put out a great solo album called Stay Strong. This week—we'll debut a track off that album. Even bigger news is that Debora will be my in-studio guest on the show in January, so we'll get to catch up with her then.

deboraiyall.com/

And we've got a parallel situation with Chancellorpink. Ray McLaughlin, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania singer-songwriter, has been creating intensely personal music for the the past few years as Chancellorpink—playing every note, and producing every sound himself. One of my favorite songs of his is the self-titled Chancellor Pink—a densely-produced, power pop kind of number that has been stuck in my head and played on my radio shows since 2006. Turns out that this song dates back to the 1980s, with Ray's original band, the legendary Six Gun Jury, favorites in his home town. Ray finally opened up the vaults, and let me have a listen to the original version of this song. It definitely has that New Wave feel, and it's a very optimistic song. Absolutely fascinating to hear Ray in his early 20's, and then later on, after he's lived some life. I think he's defintely grown into his voice, but hearing the two versions is like an audio version of time lapse photography.

chancellorpink.com

We've also got an incredibly hot new track from Joe Symes. He rocked out at the Liverpool International Pop Overthrow festival last May with his former band Buzzradio. Now solo, he proves who put the buzz in Buzzradio! This track will make you drive faster, jump higher, breathe heaver, and live life to the fullest! There have been reports that people who listen to this song earn more money, grow taller, and attract the opposite sex in droves! Okay, maybe not, but it's a damn good song!

myspace.com/1buzzradio

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

The Scratch - Alcohol's A Depressant 

Debora Iyall - Be My Last 

June & The Exit Wounds - Cathy Dennis 

Joseph Swidenbank - Coming Up For Air 

Get People - Odyssey 

Sexfresh - Dilemma 

Chad Neaves - Something In My Soul 

Rich McCulley - First Word 

Jimmy Catlett - That River 

Maxi Dunn/Elizabeth Racz - Why 

Joe Symes - Lost Along The Way 

Paul Butler - Wrong Side Of Desire 

Kat Jones - He's The One I Need The Most 

Bill Mumy - Can't Complain 

Onward Chariots - Seven Miles Away 

Jesus H Christ & The Four Hornsmen of The Apocalypse - Liz the Hot Receptionist 

The Taters - Such A Good Day 

Jeff Merchant - Love Yourself Away 

Vegas With Randolph - The Better Part 

Allen - Hold Me Tight 

Laurie Biagini - Christmas In The Air 

Nushu - Synthia 

Joey Oskys - Better Days 

The Decibels - Encouraging 

Bodia - Love A Little 

Six Gun Jury - Chancellor Pink 

Kate Burkart - The High Road 

The Clutter Family - Head 

Maple Mars - Christmastime In The City 

Mad Tea Party - Blues Slip In