Moondog 90th Birthday Tribute with Robert Scotto Wednesday, May 24th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Irwin's show
He was blind, dressed in ancient Viking regalia, and slept on 6th Avenue
during the 1950s. And he was a musical genius. Irwin and guest Robert Scotto
pay tribute to the majestic Moondog from noon to 1 pm on May 24, two days
before what would have been the late musician's 90th birthday. Hear
recordings from the 1950s to the 1990s. Strange sounds and exotic beauty by
one of the most underappreciated American composers of the 20th century. He
recorded with animals, self-made instruments, and tugboat horns. He composed
percussion pieces, chamber music, and works for 25 saxophones. Moondog
wasn't "sort of like" anybody -- he was an original. Guest Robert Scotto, an
assistant professor of literary studies at Baruch College, is writing the
first full-length biography of Moondog.
The Guilty Hearts Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
Two generations of L.A. punk rock join forces to for the explosive Guilty Hearts, featuring former members of Blood on the Saddle and the Rippers.
White Light Monday, May 22nd, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Irene Trudel's show
Last May, guitarist Peter Biedermann debuted his psych-electronic trio White Light on Irene's show. They've had a major upheaval in the form of the passing of
Peter's son, Colin, the driving light behind the
percussion/electronics and much of the compositional elements of the band.
White Light is carrying on with original member Jim Stagnitto on trumpet,
flugelhorn, keyboards, and laptop electronics. The retooled outfit features
the addition of rhythm meister Steve Meltzer, the only drummer Biedermann
says has the electronic and improvisational sensibilities that would fit
the new ensemble. They'll bring a little outer space to WFMU's
performance studio this afternoon.
Times New Viking Saturday, May 20th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Columbus Ohio's, Times New Viking are a young
trio playing pop songs coated with equal parts punk and art noise. Their excellent album from 2005, 'Dig Yourself,' was produced by Mike Rep, (the lo-fi mastermind behind Guided by Voices "Propeller" album). Times New Viking's sound is perhaps best described as a collision of "fly-in-the-bug zapper" guitars, trashed-out drums, and tremulous keys played with tons of energy. It actually sounds like an exact cross between a 90s era Siltbreeze noise band and utterly simple, teenage garage punk. Alastair Galbraith meets the Alarm Clocks or early Modern Lovers? Tune in and decide!
The Extras, Inc. Thursday, May 18th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Pat Duncan's show
The Extras, Inc. have been playing together for almost 2 and a half years, delivering a mixture of punk, rock, and pop sounds. Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., and Replacements references abound...
Guest DJ Richard Gehr Wednesday, May 17th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Irwin's show
Journalist Richard Gehr will spin calypso and chat about the music as Irwin's guest programmer on Muriel's Treasure, Wednesday May 17. For over two decades, Gehr has written about international music for countless publications, including the Los Angeles Reader and Spin -- at both of which
he held editorial posts -- as well as for the Village Voice, Rolling Stone,
the New York Times, Musician, and Blender. Gehr closed out the previous
millennium by co-authoring The Phish Book, and began the current one as
Sonicnet.com's World Music Editor. He now serves as eMusic's World Music and
Reggae columnist, and continues to energetically freelance from polyethnic Brooklyn.
David Tibet of Current 93 Tuesday, May 16th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Brian Turner's show
As the center of Current 93 and as a very frequent contributor to Steven
Stapleton's Nurse With Wound, David Michael Tibet has defined himself as
one of the most enigmatic figures to grace England's modern day
experimental music, art and literature scenes. Starting in 1985, C93
emerged from the movement that put
wind in the sails of peers like Coil and Psychic TV, but has evolved on its own
over the years to a much more emotional song-based tradition while Tibet
still continues to be a master of apocalyptic imagery. He's also a
longtime friend of WFMU who thrives on sharing and consuming eclectic music
of all kinds, and in this rare radio interview with Brian he will be doing that
at length. Tune in to hear some of David's favorite esoteric records and an
overview of the long history of Current 93 including music from the brand new
"Black Ships Ate the Sky" record (which features vocal contributions from
friends like Marc Almond, Shirley Collins, Antony and more).
Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers Tuesday, May 16th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
Supersuckers main dude Eddie Spaghetti stops by Jersey City to give us the lowdown on his band's new releases, premier new Supersuckers material, and perform tunes from his second solo record, appropriately titled "Old. No. 2"
The Kitchen Cynics + Nick Schillace, Mike Tamburo, and Keenan Lawler Monday, May 15th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Irene Trudel's show
A double plus good show, starting off with Alan Davidson, the chief Kitchen Cynic. Alan's a longstanding Folk/Psych practitioner from Aberdeen, Scotland
with lots of recordings of every stripe under his alter-ego. His emphasis
is on love, loss, and decay with an equal blend of humor and history. The
latest Kitchen Cynics release, "Distant Voices, Distant Songs"
focuses on Alan's parents stories with his own unique
interwoven music. Irene caught up with Mr. Davidson just prior to his stint
at Terrastock in Providence.
Next up, a trio of American Piimitive practitioners. Nick Schillace, Mike
Tamburo, and Keenan Lawler all are skilled fingerstyle guitarists who are
traveling together this spring. Their music collectively is both serene and
mesmerizing. You'll hear more than a few small musical references to
Fahey, Basho, and more.
Lamazi Kolektsia is an all-female A Capella group with some of the most beautiful voices in Brooklyn. They
explore the common ground between the folk music from the former Caucasus Republic of Georgia, and the raw exuberance of British Isles folk and early American shape-note singing.
Luminescent Orchestrii will be up next, with their punked up gypsy attack featuring no less that three fiddlers. Finally, stick around for Musette Explosion's re-creation of the music of the great French Accordionists of the 30's and 40's who, along with Django Reinhardt, borrowed from American Jazz to create Hot Swing, Gypsy Swing, and other delightful hybrids.
Hosts Rob Weisberg and Irene Trudel will be on-hand to distribute mountains of WFMU swag upon all who stop by the broadcast booth to say hello, so please come down and be a part of the night! Once again, Barbes is located at 376 9th St., in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Showtime is 6 PM.
Priestess Saturday, May 13th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Montreal's Priestess are Heavy Metal in the 1970s way, calling to mind heavyweights such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Nazareth, and AC/DC. The mixed bag of stoners, garage rockers, punks, indie kids, dirtbags, and metalheads their shows attract is likely due to their predilection for mixing equal parts heavy rock with melody and hooks. Priestess recently caught the the attention of Lemmy from Motorhead, who asked them to open for them on their last tour.
The Major Stars Tuesday, May 9th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Brian Turner's show
Through the 80's and 90's Wayne Rogers and Kate Village went on a psychedelic guitar warpath with such bands as Crystalized Movements, Vermonster, B.O.R.B., and Magic Hour, all centered around their mighty Massachussetts-based Twisted Village label and store. These days the Major Stars are completely without peer as *the* guitar rock ensemble to beat live in terms of sheer destructo-power, touching cornerstones of Hendrix, Quicksilver and Cream and blasting it all at massive volume into spiralling, insane over-the-top modal jams that rival anything else previously on the map as "out psychedelia". They've kept upping the stakes too, last year adding a third guitarist, new bassist, new drummer and even new lead singer Sandra Barrett. This is the session of mayhem we've all been waiting for.
Radio 4 Monday, May 8th, 2006, 8pm - 11pm
on
Mike Lupica's show
Brooklyn's unparalleled proponents of dance-punk theory pay a long overdue visit to Mike's show in advance of their "Enemies Like This" album on Astralwerks. Radio 4 have fought long and hard to earn their top of the heap status, and like the band's records and live shows, this evening's performance is destined to be one for the ages.
Les Sans Culottes Saturday, May 6th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Formed in Brooklyn in 1998, Les Sans Culottes are NYC's first and original, real fake French rock band! they play high energy French rock n roll inspired in equal parts by Serge Gainsbourg and the Kinks. Their live show is a blast, and they bring a veritable Cirque du Soleil stage presence! They've made five recordings and will soon be making a new one for the upstart Vibratone label.
Danny Krivit Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006, 2am - 6am
on
Put the Needle On the Record with Billy Jam
Legendary New York club DJ/producer Danny Krivit started his music career
early in life. His mother was a jazz singer and his step-father ran the
Greenwich Village club Ninth Circle where he hung out at as a kid and
first DJ'd at age 14 -- some 35 years ago. Since then Danny Krivit has
evolved and grown as an integral part of NYC's disco and house scenes:
from such now-legendary New York clubs as the Loft, the Gallery, and
Paradise Garage where he nurtured long term collaborations with Larry
Levan (considered by many to be the greatest DJ of all time) and Francois
Kevorkian (with whom he and Joe Claussell later ran the internationally
acclaimed "Body & Soul' parties). Currently Danny hosts regular parties in
both New York and Japan, and continues to produce. He joins Billy Jam for
an interview and a special DJ mix on "Bring That Beat Back".
Avarus Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Brian Turner's show
The Finnish Invasion continues on Brian's show! Making their first trip to America as a group, Avarus have since 2001 sported a revolving cast of up to 20 of Finland's free music characters from such outfits as Maniacs Dream and Kemialliset Ystavat. Their dreamlike jams have incorporated everything from folk to Krautrock to free jazz, and have been known to seamlessly transform from hushed improvisations to roaring slabs of clatter and noise, almost like forest-dwelling bretheren to New Zealand's Dead C. You can see them beforehand at Terrastock in Providence (April 21-23), but by all means don't miss this sure-to-be-blissful live set.
Thee Exciters Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
Not to be confused with the girl group of "Tell Him" fame, this band adds the extra 'E' in 'Thee', which stands for EXTRA fuzz and scuzz -- just what you'd expect from a crazy 'Thee' band from London town!
The Magic Carpathians Sunday, April 30th, 2006, Midnight - 3am
on
Inflatable Squirrel Carcass with Rich Hazelton
The Magic Carpathians have spent years bringing forth a joyous noise combining elements of krautrock, drone, folk, and backwoods jazz improvisation. Their delight in anything that makes a sound sees them using an eclectic arsenal of instruments, toys, and found objects to weave their enveloping sonic tapestry. On their way from Poland to the Terrastock festival, they stopped by WFMU to appear on the Inflatable Squirrel Carcass (a tough sell for any band) for an hour of great music beginning at midnight. They'll be returning to the New York area on May 8 to perform at Tonic.
The Modey Lemon Saturday, April 29th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
This Pittsburgh band delivers insane rock a la MC5, Oneida, Ram Jam, and Golden Earring. Their intense sound is complemented with Moog, synth, and other noises to create a truly hypnotic and ominous noise. The Modey Lemon's album on Birdman Records entitled "The Curious City" was Terre T's 3rd Best Fave record of 2005!
Roosevelt Franklin Wednesday, April 26th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Coffee Break For Heroes & Villains with Noah
Mr. Len is a DJ and a producer who founded the legendary hip-hop group Company Flow. Kimani Rogers is a rapper and used to run a great independent label called Third Earth Music. Together these two comprise the duo called Roosevelt Franklin who will perform live on Noah's show.Their new record "Bare Food" is available for free anywhere there is a computer at
www.myspace.com/rooseveltfranklin
The Muldoons Tuesday, April 25th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
Punk rock, family style: 9-year-old Shane Muldoon writes lyrics poignant for any age while his 12-year-old brother Hunter writes guitar riffs equal parts Asheton and Ramone. Their dad Brian plays drums. Their EP was produced by Jack White. Nuff said!
M.O.T.O. Saturday, April 22nd, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Hailing from Chicago, Singer/guitarist Paul "Jet" Caporino formed MOTO in the early 1980s. MOTO are punk rock cult legends and Terre is proud to have them on! MOTO play lo-fi propulsive, energetic, pop-infused buzzsaw punk that's also funny as hell! MOTO have been tenaciously slugging away at their pop-hook laden lo-fi ponk rock for so long that they are often called the "punk rock Guided by Voices!"
Roger O'Donnell, ex-member of The Cure Thursday, April 20th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Pat Duncan's show
Roger O'Donnell, ex-member of The Cure, will present the premiere live performance of his new CD "The Truth In Me" on Pat's show. Is it Punk? Goth? No, more like Tangerine Dream, IfWhen, or
even Fripp & Eno! Synthetic Pleasure!!
Mighty Sparrow Tribute, with special guest Van Dyke Parks Wednesday, April 19th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Irwin's show
The Mighty Sparrow is the greatest calypsonian -- the Elvis, Sinatra,
Lennon, and Dylan of calypso. "Birdie," as he is sometimes known, made his
first recordings in 1956. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of a legendary
career, guest co-host Lane Steinberg joins Irwin on Muriel's Treasure for a
two-hour retrospective of Sparrow's first half-century. Part of the program
will feature a live phone interview with arranger/composer Van Dyke Parks,
who produced an album for Sparrow in the mid-1970s. In addition to
recordings covering all decades, the tribute will feature a radio interview
with Sparrow that aired in the UK in the late 1980s. At age 70, he still
records and tours worldwide. Find out why no one disputes that, when it
comes to crowning a King of Calypso, the unanimous choice is The Mighty
Sparrow.
ALSO: April is Poetry Month. Lawyer/poet Lawrence Joseph helps celebrate.
Sharron Kraus, with Alec K. Redfearn and Helena Espvall Monday, April 17th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Irene Trudel's show
A British songbird from the dark regions of psych, Sharron has a new album out with Christian Kiefer called "The Black Dove," which upholds the glorious English folk tradition of 'gloom and doom'. Christian can't make the current east coast tour, so Sharron will be playing the remaining shows together with Alec K. Redfearn on accordion and Helena Espvall of Espers on cello. They'll be at Pianos Monday evening, and on Irene's WFMU show just before it for an afternoon of gorgeous murder ballads and insect incest.
The Choke Saturday, April 15th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
The Choke is a New York City Punk n' Roll band dedicated to urban odes of lust, longing, and human desperation. Their sound filters soul, garage, and girl group influences through the raw attack of punk rock calling to mind bands like the The Bags, The Avengers crossed with the Shangri-Las crossed with the Dead Boys! The Choke is currently finishing its debut full-length LP with Tony Barber, bassist/producer of the legendary Buzzcocks, again behind the boards. This summer they will hit the road in the USA.
Hear why THE CHOKE'S demo was in Terre T's Best Faves of 2005...
Gorilla Angreb Thursday, April 13th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Pat Duncan's show
Gorilla Angreb hai from Denmark and are an early 80's style punk band. Think X, Avengers, Dils, Bags, and other bands from the classic Dangerhouse label. They're currently on tour with the Subhumans (UK).
Four Tet and Steve Reid Thursday, April 13th, 2006, 9am - Noon
on
This Is the Modern World with Trouble
Trouble welcomes one of her personal favorites from the spectacular world of lush electronica: Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet. Straight from visiting with Her Majesty the Queen of England, in regards to his recent knighthood: oops, that's actually another personal Welsh fave: Tom Jones. Anyway, Kieran is
mixing it up live with legendary jazz master drummer Steve Reid. Although not Welsh, or a Knight, Steve Reid has drummed with some of the most fantastic music greats of our time, including Sun Ra, Miles Davis, James Brown, Fela, and Ornette Coleman. Listen in and feel the royalty.
The 45 King Wednesday, April 12th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Coffee Break For Heroes & Villains with Noah
If you don't know who 45 King is, then you don't know Queen Latifah, Jay Z, Eminem or countless other hip-hop notables. Just about every known rap artist has passed through the subway turnstile at his studio and walked out with a golden track. Tune in as The 45 King and Noah chat about music and play some sides.
Boots Riley of The Coup Wednesday, April 12th, 2006, 2am - 6am
on
Put the Needle On the Record with Billy Jam
Outspoken emcee/activist Boots Riley of longtime Oakland hip-hop group The Coup will speak on the inspiration behind the politically charged album "Pick A Bigger Weapon" that he and collaborator DJ Pam the Funkstress are about to release on Epitaph. The self-described communist will also offer his theories on such topics as "America's new slavery" and address the heated
controversy surrounding the cover art to the Coup's September 2001 release "Party Music" which portrayed the Twin Towers burning after being attack.
Hans Grüsel's Kränkenkabinet Tuesday, April 11th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Bill Zurat's show
Imagine a post-apocalyptic nightmare world where mutated Hans Christian Andersen characters play noisy synthesizers stretched through an assortment of brain-bleeding sound effects and oscillators and you'll be halfway to comprehending Hans Grüsel's Kränkenkabinet. This San Francisco outfit is set to release their new album "Happy as Pitch" following the two stunning albums that devastated these airwaves last year. Lucky for us, Hans has Gretel and Johan Livingston Grüsel lending a hand during the performance. Be prepared for a rare opportunity to hear these Teutonic hellions twist your unadulterated synapses.
The Dark Brothers Tuesday, April 11th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
The Dark Brothers are a new band featuring New Jersey punk rock veterans led by Josh Silverman, probably best known from Bar/None recording artists Shirk Circus. Josh's last trip to WFMU was a few years ago as a solo artist on Trash, Twang, and Thunder, and expect this to be another raucous affair!
Nikolai Dunger Monday, April 10th, 2006, 3pm - 6pm
on
Irene Trudel's show
After being discovered while singing on a balcony in his home town of Piteå in northern Sweden, Dunger gave up a promising career as a Swedish national soccer player and decided to pursue his passion for music. He has since recorded or toured with artists as varied as Soundtrack of Our Lives, Will Oldham, Calexico, and Sufjan Stevens. Nikolai has a new album on the Zoe Label and drops by the WFMU studios to play a few of his tunes.
BonBomb Thursday, April 6th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Pat Duncan's show
BonBomb return to WFMU to present their complex & danceable punk with subtle political undertones. They have released two CDs; "The Sedated Nations" & "Is Who We Are And Right Now, We Are..." and are currently recording their 3rd.
TWO GUESTS: Brian Coleman & Boots from The Coup Wednesday, April 5th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Coffee Break For Heroes & Villains with Noah
Brian Coleman is the author of 2005's "Rakim Told Me: Hip-Hop Wax Facts, Straight From The Original Artists. The '80s." In the past decade he has written for Scratch, Wax Poetics, XXL, and Complex. From 1995 through 2005 he was also the host of the popular "School Beats" and "Funk To The Folks" radio shows on WZBC 90.3 FM in Boston, MA. He is currently at work on Volume Two of his book series, focusing on classic albums from the 1990s. Fix the dial to hear Brian play some of his favorites and talk about his amazing book! Also appearing will be The Coup, who are one of the most respected groups in Hip-Hop for their diversity, live instrumentation, heavy funk, and political awareness. Debuting on the legendary Wild Pitch Records on 1993 and now on Epitaph
Records, The Coup continue to enlighten minds and ear holes! Listen up as Boots comes by and chats with Noah & Brian Coleman!
Tommy Boy Records retrospective with Tom Silverman Wednesday, April 5th, 2006, 2am - 6am
on
Put the Needle On the Record with Billy Jam
What do Afrika Bambaataa, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Coolio, Paris, and Digital Underground all have in common? They are among the countless acts that were signed to Tommy Boy Records. On the "Hip-Hop History" segment of this week's 'Bring That Beat Back' Tom Silverman, who set up the pioneering label 25 years ago, will talk with Billy Jam about his label's history and play music from Tommy Boy's extensive back-catalog.
Kelley Stoltz Tuesday, April 4th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
San Francisco home-recording multi-instrumentalist Kelley Stoltz brings
his special combination of psych rock, folk, blues, and improvised pop back
to WFMU. His latest LP is called "Below the Branches". Last time he was
here, he did Echo & the Bunnymen covers with Spiral Stairs, so who knows
what'll happen this time.
Theo and the Skyscrapers Thursday, March 30th, 2006, 11pm - 2am
on
Pat Duncan's show
Theo and The Skyscrapers, featuring Theo Kogan, singer of the legendary Lunachicks, will perform live on WFMU in support of their new CD/DVD. They perform a hypnotic concoction of dark, new wave lazer punk. Blondie meets Slayer!
Author Karen Schoemer Wednesday, March 29th, 2006, Noon - 3pm
on
Irwin's show
Author Karen Schoemer will discuss her new book, "Great Pretenders: My
Strange Love Affair With '50s Pop Music." Far from being a definitive
history of the genre, the book recounts Schoemer's personal odyssey to
discover how creamy teen ballads of the late 1950s reflected her parents'
marriage -- and how the music's fall from grace presaged their divorce.
Schoemer is a former Pop Music critic for Newsweek, and wrote the book
partly to refute the common hipster notion that white-bread hits of the '50s
are worthless crap. Along the way, she interviewed Pat Boone, Patti Page,
Connie Francis, and other pop idols of the '50s. Her journalist colleagues
thought that writing such a book was a waste of time. Tune in and find out
why Schoemer disagreed.
Daniel Johnston Documentarian Jeff Feuerzeig Tuesday, March 28th, 2006, 8pm - 11pm
on
The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling
Tom welcomes Jeff Feuerzeig - the award winning director of the amazing
documentary THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON - to The Best Show On WFMU. Listen
in as Jeff talks about the man behind the film, what it's like handing your
life over to a movie, the finer points of producing a film with the drummer
from Crime and more! THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON opens on March 31st at a
theater near you.
All times listed are Jersey City time, EST.
Questions? E-mail Brian or call (201) 521-1416
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