Twirl Radio

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #896 – 11/23/2019: Interview doubleheader with Ev Gold of Cinema Cinema and Don Hawkins!

Ev Gold of Cinema Cinama

In my continuing effort to bring you up to date, here’s another show from the recent past. This one featured two interviews. The music was stylistically from opposite ends of the spectrum–but both types fit in well on Twirl Radio, and the interviews were both fun.

In the first hour, we met Ev Gold of NYC-based “Experi-Metal Punk” band Cinema Cinema. Their sound has been described as having a distorto-drenched post-grunge and damaged-funk assault. Whew! That’s a mouthful, an earful, and a headful. It’s really good, intense music. Ev himself is a great guy–full of fun and life. We had a really spirited chat, and heard a couple of tracks from their recent album, CCXMD. You’ll learn an interesting little secret about that album title when you listen to the interview. Check ’em out at www.cinemacinemaband.com.

Don Hawkins

In the second hour, a we had a long-anticipated interview with Don Hawkins. Don originally comes from Sacramento, and was originally part of Anton Barbeau’s band JoyBoys. He started making his own music, and has been going strong at it for the past couple of decades. He now lives up in Washington state, and has released several albums just in the past 3-4 years alone. We talked about his recent effort, Stutter Step, which features some amazing songwriting and playing. (#3 album of the year, Twirlie Awards.) If I had to narrow down the sound, I’d say it reminds me of some of the smart, quirky alternative rock from the early 1990s that I loved so well. This album is a must-listen. https://www.amazon.com/Stutter-Step-Don-Hawkins/dp/B07S2DPR3H

More episodes coming soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the show!

Ev Gold interview
Cinema Cinema | Cyclops | CCXMD
Cinema Cinema | Colors | CCXMD

Don Hawkins interview
Don Hawkins | So Much To Learn | Stutter Step
Don Hawkins | Acquisition | Stutter Step

March 22, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #895 – 11/16/2019: Beth Dobson interview!

Radio presenter Beth Dobson

On this episode, we get to meet Scottish radio presenter (that’s UK-speak for DJ) Beth Dobson! She has started to get a lot of notice on social media lately, for her discerning taste in music. This originally aired back in the fall, when she (only) had one radio show, on Grampian Hospital Radio. We talked about her start in radio, and her love of music discovery–and even some popular Scottish foods!

Shortly after this interview, Beth got invited to do a second radio show, on Neighborhood Weekly Radio, called the Indie Lounge. All of her shows, and her online persona, fall under the umbrella of Planet Beth. She now covers the airwaves several hours a week. And the best part–her enthusiasm for music discovery, and for indie music in particular, is contagious! If you think there just isn’t a lot of great new music to be discovered–then you need to go visit Planet Beth!

As a special bonus, Beth provided a handful of new tracks from bands that she likes a lot. Stay tuned, there is a second visit with Beth coming soon. In the meantime, enjoy the show! https://neighborhoodweeklyradio.com/shows/planet-beth-presents-live/

March 5, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #894 – 11/9/2019

Well, I’m back to trying to catch up with the backlog of Twirl Radio episodes to post online. On this episode, we take a rare breather from interviews, and just dig in and play some of the best music in my collection. But don’t worry, you’ll still get to hear my (hopefully) pithy commentary and (unfortunate) “dad humor”, between sets of music. But listen to the music–that’s what we all came for!

February 21, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 1 Comment

2020 Twirlie Award Winners (Show #904 – February 1, 2020)

Mike and Marty weathering the pandemonium of the Twirlies.

Here is the complete list of 2020 Twirlie Award winners, presented live on Twirl Radio, Saturday, February 1, 2020, in Sacramento, California, at Access Sacramento’s KUBU 96.5 FM. Congratulations to all, and more importantly, a big thank you to all the great independent musicians who make it possible for me to do this radio show.

In 2019, Twirl Radio expanded to a full three hours. This enabled us to really do the Twirlies right–we started things off with a half hour “pregame show”. My colleague at KUBU radio, Bill Fuller, was my special co-host and color commentator. We used the time to discuss the colorful history and culture of the Twirlie Awards.

At 3:30, the official awards presentation began. My longtime co-host Marty Anaya joined the fray, and we immediately started opening envelopes and giving out awards left and right. Scroll to the bottom to see more photos of the festivities.

One of our top two categories, Song of the Year was announced at the Twirlies on Saturday, but we held back on the rest of the Top Songs list until the following Tuesday. The entire list was revealed and played in its entirety on Woody Radio on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. It’s what we in the biz refer to as “the best of both worlds”. Additionally, the podcasts for both of these shows will be placed here as soon as they are made available.

I give you…The 2020 Twirlie Awards:

Twirlie Awards show, 2/1/2020:

Twirlie Awards top songs countdown show, 2/4/2020:

Album of the Year
Lannie Flowers, for his album Home

Album of the Year Runner up
Lost Leaders, for their album Promises Promises

Song of the Year
Kai Danzberg, for his song Not Only Sunshine (Reprise)

Song of the Year Runner up
Wade Johnson, for his song When Will It End

Female Vocalist of the Year
Michal Towber, for her album No Resolution

Male Vocalist of the Year
R. Stevie Moore, for his album Afterlife

EP of the Year
Project: Ghost Outfit, for their EP Project: Ghost Outfit

EP of the Year Runner up
Elk City, for their EP Souls In Space

Ear Candy (tie)
The Bobbleheads, for their album Myths And Fables

Ear Candy (tie)
Matt Langlois, for his album Merde!
The Ear Candy Award is given to an album that is a “go-to” album. You can pick any song, and it sounds great in any set of music, at any time.

Ear Worm Song
The Kariannes, for their song “This Song Is A Cure”.
The Ear Worm Award is given to a song that sticks in your head for hours after you’ve heard it–and you don’t mind at all. In fact, you invite it back into your head often!

Debut Album of the Year
Johnathan Pushkar, for his album Straighten Up

Best Songwriting
Lannie Flowers, for his album Home

Best Line in a Song
Michal Towber. The album: “No Resolution”. The song: “Old”. The line: “I’ll be 17 until the day I die…but secretly, both you and me, know I’m old…” Alternative choice–the song Rockstar. Can’t say it on the air, but do look up this song and its lyrics.

Best Interview
Victor Erwin of Spyderpop Records and John Ashfield/Rob Harford of The Bobbleheads, 5/18/2019 (There were 64 interviews on Twirl Radio in 2019.)

Best Live, in-studio Session
The Armoires w/Blake Jones, 8/17/2019

Best Concert Performance
Bellygunner, Twirl Radio Popfest, 5/26/2019, Blue Note Brewing Co., Woodland, CA

Music Scene of the Year
Woodland, CA, as curated and promoted by Chuck Dodds.
Chuck created the Sunday concert series at Blue Note Brewing Company, and First Friday concerts in a historic former bank building. He works with other local venues–coordinates schedules, so as not to compete with their music nights.

Record Label of the Year
Big Stir Records

Spirit of Twirl Award
Craig Carlstrom, for posting and reposting about Twirl Radio shows and events

Best Rock And Roll Moment
1. Broadcasting live from Texas (John Borack, Stephen “Spaz” Schnee, Dave “Boogieman” Kaufman. Guests included Alan Petsche, Victor Erwin, Lannie Flowers, Wade Johnson, Danny Wilkerson.
2. Twirl Radio expands to 3 hours.
3. Fres-cast: 10/5/2019, live broadcast from Blake Jones’ Whispermaphone Studios, featuring Sparklejet, Poplord, Blake Jones, Chelsea Jones.
4. Meeting the following musicians in person: Bill Lloyd, Craig Carlstrom, Dean Seavers, Brent Seavers, Brian Machado (The Decibels), James Bourbeau (Sex 66), Larysa Bulbenko (The Armoires).
5. Spyderpop Tour comes to Sacramento.

Wayback Award
Harvey Danger, for their 1999 album “Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone?” Just discovered the rest of this 20 year old album beyond “Flagpole Sitta” in 2019, and it is an alternative-era classic.

Cover Song of the Year
Popdudes, for their cover of the Walter Egan classic “Magnet And Steel”. This came from their album Maximum Rock Stupidity.

Best Compilation Album
Big Stir Singles: The First Wave.
Big Stir Singles: The Second Wave.
Big Stir Singles: The Third Wave.
Big Stir Singles: The Fourth Wave.
Four waves so far, a fifth is on the way.

Reason To Live Award
New albums coming in 2020 from Sunshine Boys, The Handcuffs, Anton Barbeau, The Corner Laughers, Chris Church, The Seven and Six, Forrest, Sparklejet, and more.

Best Album Title
Matt Langlois, for his album titled “Merde!”. It’s a French word; look up the translation, and look up its use in theatrical productions in France.

Best Band Name
Sally’s Six-Gun Sorrow (Krista Acheson)

Beverage of the Year
Top beverages consumed during production of Twirl Radio.
1. Water, refillable bottle
2. Water, paper cup with ice
3. Water, military canteen/flask (tie)
4. Water, fountain down the hall
5. Water, single use bottle

Top Albums of 2019:
1. Lannie Flowers – Home
2. Lost Leaders – Promises Promises
3. Don Hawkins – Stutter Step
4. Drunken Prayer – Cordelia Elsewhere
5. The Bobbleheads – Myths And Fables
6. R. Stevie Moore – Afterlife
7. Richard X. Heyman – Pop Circles
8. The Armoires – Zibaldone
9. In Deed – Everest
10. Matt Langlois – Merde!
11. Trip Wire – Once & Always
12. Anton Barbeau/Salt – Berliner Grotesk/The Loneliness Of Clouds
13. The Rubinoos – From Home
14. Anny Celsi – Kaleidoscope Heart: 12 Golden Hits
15. The Decibels – Scene, Not Herd/Big Hits! (Plus Twelve More)
16. Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands – My Colors Dark
17. Popdudes – Maximum Rock Stupidity
18. Nick Eng – Long Shot
19. JonEmery and the Unconventionals – Wrecked
20. The Morning Line – North
21. Girls On Grass – Dirty Power
22. The Gold Needles – Through A Window
23. Karen Haglof – Tobiano
24. Johnathan Pushkar – Straighten Up
25. The Well Wishers – The Lost Soundtrack
26. Steven Bradley – Summer Bliss And Autumn Tears
27. Heiskell – Songs In The Key Of H
28. Identical Suns – Week Minded
29. Jeremy – Pop Overflow
30. David Brookings & The Average Lookings – Scorpio Monologue

Top Songs of 2019:
The full list was revealed and played on Woody Radio on February 4, 2020.
1. Kai Danzberg – Not Only Sunshine (Reprise)
2. Wade Johnson – When Will It End
3. Girls On Grass – Down At The Bottom
4. Don Hawkins – So Much To Learn
5. In Deed – Heart Attack
6. Identical Suns – Miss Her Reminiscing
7. Heiskell – The Great Opaque
8. Drunken Prayer – Cordelia
9. Lannie Flowers – Free To Dream
10. The Kariannes – This Song Is A Cure
11. The Morning Line – Nostradamus/Synthadamus
12. Lost Leaders – All That I Want
13. Diplomats Of Solid Sound – Already Gone
14. The Armoires – Responsible (Reuptake)
15. The Decibels – Big Hits
16. Salt – A Song For Jerome
17. Blake Jones and the Trike Shop – Disentangled
18. Nick Eng – Too Good For Anyone
19. Elk City – Luncheonette
20. Richard X. Heyman – Upside And Down
21. Amoeba Teen – Like A Hit To The Head
22. The Bobbleheads – I Really See You
23. Trip Wire – Easy Exit
24. JonEmery And The Unconventionals – If You Think You’re Heartbroken Now
25. The Amplifier Heads – Who’s That Girl?
26. 50 Watt Heavy – Absolutely Fading (Nasty)
27. Michal Towber – Rockstar
28. Chancellorpink – A Rainbow’s Knocking
29. R. Stevie Moore – Another Day Slips Away
30. Bill Mumy – You’re My Inspiration
31. Project: Ghost Outfit – Mess My Mind
32. Steven Bradley – Capitol Hill
33. Matt Langlois – You Are My Weekend
34. Librarians With Hickeys – Until There Was You
35. Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands – My Colors Dark
36. Johnathan Pushkar – We Could Be Together
37. Sally’s Six-Gun Sorrow – 5 Miles From Home
38. My Little Hum – Don’t Build It Alone
39. The Lilacs – Shadow Of Doubt
40. Karen Haglof – Tobiano Twirl

Top EPs of 2019:
1. Project: Ghost Outfit – Project: Ghost Outfit
2. Elk City – Souls In Space
3. The Armoires – Side Three
4. Rogers & Butler – Diana Dors
5. The Seven And Six – EP#1
6. The Lilacs – The Lilacs Endure
7. Disturbed Furniture – Continuous Pleasures
8. The New Duncan Imperials – Hunny Bunny
9. Janet LaBelle – I Only See You
10. Heazza – Heazza

Bill Fuller, co-host of the Twirlies pregame show. Check out his League of Musical Detectorists and Longhair Detectorists Guild shows on KUBU 96.5 FM in Sacramento

Marty at the 2020 Twirlies

Mike at the 2020 Twirlies

February 2, 2020
Categories: Playlists, Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 2 Comments

The 2020 Twirlies are coming!

Mike wearing the legendary tuxedo T-shirt–worn only once a year, at the Twirlie Awards!

We are in what the entertainment press refers to as “the run up to the Twirlies”! That is, if the entertainment press were to cover this fine independent music awards presentation.

As it turns out, the twelfth annual Twirlie Awards happens this weekend. Save the date–it’s Saturday, February 1st, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. Pacific time, at KUBU 96.5 FM, Sacramento’s voice, and http://www.twirlradio.com. We’ll be broadcasting live from the red carpet. Or at least from a room that has carpet in it.

We’ll start things off with a pregame show, featuring Bill Fuller (of KUBU’s “League of Musical Detectorists”) and Mike Lidskin. They’ll be doing a deep dive into Twirlie history, Twirlie culture, and, well, just killing 30 minutes. Then longtime co-host Marty Anaya joins the fray, and we’ll start presenting such coveted awards as Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Male and Female Vocalists of the Year, and many others. We will be ripping open hermetically-sealed awards envelopes, and revealing the top albums and songs lists, for work released in 2019 and played on Twirl Radio. We’ll have the well-loved red carpet interviews that Marty is known for. And finally–there will be interviews with some of the top winners. You simply cannot afford to miss this epic show. In fact, we will be taking attendance, so you’ll want to listen to every minute of it!

Program note: for the Top Songs of the Year category, the winner will be announced, but the entire list will be revealed and played on the air on Woody Radio on Tuesday night, February 4th, starting at 8:00 p.m. Pacific, at www.woodyradio.com.

In all seriousness, we are glad to honor the great musicians who give Twirl Radio its reason for being. Hope to see you there!

More information: The 2020 Twirlie Awards event on Facebook

January 25, 2020
Categories: Twirl Radio Events . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #893 – 11/2/2019: Interview with Heazza!

Heazza

On this show, we meet Heazza, a remarkable Chicago-based vocalist. Her given name is actually Heather Leonhardt, but I’ll let her tell you how she acquired the stage name Heazza–it’s kind of a fun story. But more importantly, her music. She has a wonderfully rich voice, full of drama and passion. And her songs–grown-up, cinematic, sometimes downbeat, othertimes dreamy. She calls her sonic palette “muted neon”–a fairly accurate and unique description. I call it wonderful. Her debut EP, “Heazza”, is a great introduction to this amazing songwriter-vocalist. A true artistic statement. http://www.heazzaofficial.com/

We spent the rest of the show playing a whole bunch of great music from 2019, mixed in with some great older stuff. Give a listen!

Heazza interview
Heazza | Stuck | Heazza
Heazza | Occupied | Heazza

January 22, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #892 – 10/26/2019: Interview with David Bash of the IPO music festival!

David Bash, very likely announcing a band at IPO

About a decade ago, I had David Bash on my show, in anticipation of the 2010 Liverpool edition of IPO. He is the founder and CEO of the IPO Music Festival (International Pop Overthrow). It was a good time, and I always thought I’d like to get him back on the show someday. Then earlier last year, I interviewed Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome of Big Stir Records, while they were inside a parked car outside the L.A. IPO festival. During the interview, John Borack and David Bash joined them, and we all had a good time on the call. Later in the year, I was again chatting with Christina and Rex, who were at Christina’s house, and who should be there once again, but David Bash!

I may be slow, but I do eventually get the message: this was a clear sign that it was time to get David back on my show. I felt a little guilty that he wasn’t getting a full interview, just bits and pieces here and there. So finally, October 26th was the day–the return of David Bash to Twirl Radio!

The IPO, named after famed Chicago band Material Issue’s debut album, has been around since the late 1990s. It’s basically a music festival that travels to about 15 different cities in North America and Europe, and runs for multiple nights in each city. The idea is to bring together a lot of worthy, indie rock and roll bands in a veritable music smorgasbord. David and I talked about the origins of the festival, the current state of music, and even listened to a few tracks off the IPO 2019 compilation. It was a fun chat, and we covered a lot of ground. Get yourself to an IPO near you for some great live music.
https://internationalpopoverthrow.com

January 15, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #891 – 9/28/2019: Interview doubleheader: Elaine McAfee Bender and Johnathan Pushkar!

Elaine McAfee Bender

This week’s show features a couple of fun interviews. We start off with Fort Worth, Texas-based music historian/ lyricist/ dancer/ –I could go on and on with the slashes–she’s multitalented, and has done so much–Elaine McAfee Bender! She got her start in her teens, setting up one of the very first Beatles fan clubs in America, and doing live radio music reports in Dallas-Fort Worth, back in the 1960s. She’s met a lot of the legendary, now-classic rock artists back in their heyday. She’s written songs, poetry, reviews, and more. She was basically right there at ground zero of 1960s rock and roll! I’ve known her for several years, and have always enjoyed her amazing personal stories of those days–delivered with an infectious enthusiasm. I recently realized that I needed you to hear those stories too, so today’s the day. We’ll hear some old music that she loves, and some newer music that’s grabbed her attention.

Johnathan Pushkar

Nashville-based Johnathan Pushkar may be chronologically young, but he is a musical “old soul”. Like Elaine, he’s a huge fan of the 1960s music, style, and attitude, and it comes through in his upbeat music and persona. Pretty quickly, he got signed by the legendary Jem Records label. His debut record, “Straighten Up”, shows influences from The Beatles through Weezer and more. It’s 10 tracks of upbeat power pop, compactly written and buoyantly performed. There’s 12 string Rickenbacker guitar all over this album, and it lulls, jangles, and crunches as needed, to serve the songs. Great vocal harmonies pull it all together. This is a fun listen for sure. My conversation with Johnathan was fun and inspired, and I’m looking forward to what comes next for him.
https://www.johnathanpushkar.com

Enjoy the great stories and music!

Johnathan Pushkar interview
Johnathan Pushkar | We Could Be Together | Straighten Up
Johnathan Pushkar | Boyfriend | Straighten Up

January 13, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #890 – 9/21/2019

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about my Twirl Radio shows, due to various reasons. But let’s just say that I pretty much missed an entire autumn’s worth of shows, and I’m now starting to catch up.

That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been doing any radio. On the contrary–I’ve still been doing the live radio shows. But I realize that it’s time to get them out there so that you can have a listen. So here we go–this is what September 21st sounded like. No guests that day, just 3 hours of great rock ‘n’ roll. Enjoy!

January 12, 2020
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: 3 Comments

Twirl Radio Playlist – Show #889 – 9/14/2019: Interview doubleheader: George Miller of Solid Bronze and Genya Ravan!

Solid Bronze

Well, it’s now fall, and I’m just now starting to put the finishing touches on the fun summer we had here at Twirl Radio. This episode was pretty exciting. In the first hour, we chatted with George Miller of New Jersey funk-soul band Solid Bronze. He and his musical partner Ian Everett recently released their debut album, “The Fruit Basket”, and it’s a great listen. Since summer goes on until about Halloween here in Sacramento, I can highly recommend driving around town with the windows rolled down to this album. It’s very summery, and it’s hard not to move to this music. Very funky and listenable, and there’s even a guest vocal turn by Atlanta-based hip hop artist CLEW. It was produced by Mickey Melchiondo, better known as Dean Ween, who took a genuine liking to Solid Bronze’s music, and was inspired to help them finish the album rather quickly at his studios. Give a listen–this is some of the grooviest music of 2019 so far. www.solidbronzeband.com

Genya Ravan

I was only a “little” nervous in the moments leading up to the second interview. After all, how often do you get to interview a living legend? Well, about 5 seconds into my phone call with Genya Ravan, my mind was put at ease–she was sweet, rowdy, and completely friendly and gracious. And man, does she have some stories to tell. Genya pretty much formed and led the first all-female rock and roll band (Goldie and the Gingerbreads), took it to England and toured with The Rolling Stones and met with plenty of success there. Later on, she played a leading role in the burgeoning NYC punk rock movement, producing The Dead Boys’ debut album. She’s played on the same bills as the likes of Chubby Checker, Lou Reed, Bo Diddley, Donna Summer, Dave Mason, and so many others. She’s fronted her own bands, released solo records, written a book, painted art, and currently, hosts a pair of radio shows on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Her good friend Little Steven Van Zandt persuaded her to join his station, the Underground Garage. She supports female artists on her Chicks and Broads show, and champions unsigned artists on her other show, Goldie’s Garage. Oh yeah–and here it is, 2019, and she has a new album out, “Icon”. It rocks pretty hard–drawing heavily from her years in the New York/CBGB scene of the punk era. Her voice is strong, and her attitude even stronger. I’ve only scratched the surface of her many achievements–you really should visit her at www.genyaravan.com, to find out more!

Enjoy the show!

George Miller interview
Solid Bronze | Papa’s Bug | The Fruit Basket
Solid Bronze | Like That Ol’ Saying Goes | The Fruit Basket

Genya Ravan interview
Genya Ravan | He Got Me (When He Got His Pants On) | Icon
Genya Ravan | Mean It | Icon

Enjoy these bonus pics from Genya Ravan’s career:

Genya at the helm as producer

Genya with Robert Klein and Frank Zappa

Genya and Mick Jagger

Genya with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show

September 22, 2019
Categories: Playlists . . Author: The Lids . Comments: Leave a comment

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