Back to Regularly Irregular Programming

My goodness! It's taken me this long to get around to posting a thank you to everyone. It's been insane at work. Anyway- October 2009 was the BEST YEAR EVER for the Annual Halloween Extravaganza! Thanks to everyone who tuned in! We had very high numbers all day October 30, and Halloween we were sold out most of the time. The website got so much traffic it used up all its bandwidth! A great time was had by all in the NeverEnding Halloween chat room and it was just generally a great time! Next year is the 10th Anniversary of the Halloween Extravaganza, so something really special is sure to happen!

We're back to the regular crazy mix on NeverEndingWonder Radio, with some fabulous new music. Welcome to Weirdsville remains on the air! you can tune in at:

Welcome to Weirdsville

What's new on NeverEndingWonder Radio?

THIS JUST IN:


Mags, from The Mad Maggies sent me a surprising package- the 2010 West Coast Accordion Babes Calendar with companion CD. A deluxe 12" X 12" calendar with wild, weird & winsome photos of female accordion players, all from the West Coast. For fans of the outre' this is the perfect gift. You can order the calendar & cd at:

SqueezeboxGoddess.com

And you can hear the CD on NeverEndingWonder Radio!

Harp46 - Entanglement

I was a big fan of Harp46's 2005 debut, Passage. Jazz fusion harp, who'd have thunk it? This new release finds them moving into the World Beat arena, with just as much assurance and finesse. It's beautiful!

Mike Longo Trio - Sting Like a Bee

Mike Longo studied piano with Oscar Peterson and played with Dizzy Gillespie. He's a journeyman jazzman, and this CD shows him in fine form, accompanied by Bob Cranshaw on bass and Lewis Nash on drums.

David MacKenzie and Josh Johnston - Notes Home

Take swing jazz, add some blues and Latin influences and you have this warm and colorful album.

John Steiner - Into the Green

Minimalist solo piano that reveals a deft sensitivity to sound and silence.

That's all for now! Come join us at:

NeverEndingWonder Radio
Or- in iTunes, find us in the radio section under Eclectic.

Lots of Obscure Psychedelia, Some Classic Rock & Some New Indies

I've recently added four volumes of the "Love, Peace & Poetry" series- a very cool series of anthologies collecting psychedelic music from various countries. I've added the volumes collecting Brazilian, Mexican, Latin American and Japanese music from the 1960s and 1970s. Really cool stuff that shows United States and Europe were not the only places to feel the psychedelic influence.



Also added three volumes of the Girls in the Garage series showcasing early rock n roll by women.

Stone the Crows - Teenage Licks
Great bluesy/hard rocking band from the 60s with vocals by Maggie Bell.

Frank Zappa - Cruising With Ruben and The Jets
When this album was originally released there was no indication it was a Frank Zappa album.It was simply released as "Cruising" by some band named Ruben and The Jets. If you were a Zappa fan, however, there was no mistaking his twisted take on doo wop music.

Casey Redmond - Real Life Adventures of a One Man Band
Cool five song EP from crazy man Casey Redmond who pens songs like Ian King of Beers and Rockin' the PTA. Reminds me a bit of an acoustic Link Wray. He promises a full album of monster songs for Halloween! I'm waiting!


Jennings - Storybook EP & Femtastic
Powerful singer/songwriter Mary Jennings has a strong voice and a varied musical palate to enthrall us. Her Femtastic release includes two discs- one fully produced and one "stripped down." It's an interesting and revealing technique. We get to evaluate the songs on several levels. The more recent Storybook Ep reveals songwriting just as strong, but with a somewhat more polished production. Both worth a listen.

Korla Pandit - Exotica 2000
Korla Pandit, who, like Yma Sumac had created an elaborate alternate identity for himself, was one of the founding father of Exotica music. Unlike other Exotica practitioners like Martin Denny or Richard Lyman, Pandit didn't pepper his music with musical tricks and sound effects- it was just him and his Hammond B3. He came to fame in a daily 15 minute TV show in which he simply played his unusual arrangements of songs on his organ while he stared intently at the camera. He was a sensation.

I've also been beefing up my selection of Summer music. We switch to our Summer music lineup on June 1st and we've got some great surprises for you!

You can hear all this music on NeverEndingWonder Radio
Or tune in via iTunes by going to the radio section and finding us in the Eclectic section.

Richard Bliwas - Uncovered

I was listening to Richard Bliwas' new release, "Uncovered" and wondering what was going on. This latest CD from jazz pianist/keyboardist Bliwas contains 17 tracks and ten of them are covers. But the name of the CD is UNcovered. And there are pictures of baskets everywhere- front, back, inside- even the disc itself is printed with a woven basket graphic.

Bliwas reveals a wealth of influences here- show tunes like "I could Write a Book," a venerable standard (That Old Black Magic), several Lennon/McCartney compositions, even a folk song and a country tune - all surrounded by Bliwas originals. Then I realised what he was doing. Bliwas is showing us his musical influences, his heritage- he's uncovered them for us, and like a great basket weaver, these influences are woven together with Bliwas' own unique style, the strands and twines of this basket revealed to us in its complex pattern.

Here is Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes" as you never thought you'd hear it- bubbling and bleeping with Richard's intricate rhythms and time structures. Same with Lennon & McCartney's "Julia." Bliwas turns it into a haunting evocation of memories as his voice weaves in and out of the melody along with piano runs and organ fills. "That Old Black Magic" seems like a magical spell of its own- the various elements swirling and mixing together to create a unique yet familiar potion.

Listening to the album creates a tapestry of forces and emotions. It's a bit like an experimental jazz version of The Residents Third Reich and Roll. Richard Bliwas is a brave musician- - he has uncovered his musical past for us and woven it into a brand new creation, a unique vision. It's a lovely, startling, rewarding basket. Pick it up, feel it, listen to it, explore it. It's a wonderful treasure.

Check out Richard's website:
Richard Bliwas

And tune in to hear Uncovered on NeverEndingWonder Radio:
NeverEndingWonder Radio
(Or in iTunes, go to the radio section and find NeverEndingWonder Radio in the Eclectic category)

Independent Artist Links

For YEARS I've been working on updating the links to Independent Artists I play on NeverEndingWonder Radio. Well, for a long time I worked really hard on it, then for a long time I just kinda pushed the project aside because it's so massive an undertaking. I finally just decided to put the pages up a they were- something is better than nothing. It's very out of date- there are hundreds of artists not listed yet. Some of the links are probably outdated by now. The interface sucks- it's minimal and disorganized. Very little info is included. Meh. As I said- it's better than nothing. I'll continue to work on adding all the artists not yet included and then I'll work on making it more user friendly. Finally I'll work on adding more meat to the bones.

To all you amazing artists who have donated CDs to NeverEndingWonder Radio over the years- my apologies on my sloth. Anyway- here's the new link to independent artists we play on NeverEndingWonder Radio:

Independent Artists

Back From the Dead!

It's been quite a while since a proper post. I got ill this Winter and it just seemed to linger, sapping my energy for a month or so. Seems to happen to me every Winter now. After that I was having some connectivity issues and after that our city manager went on vacation, and as assistant city manager I had to work very long hours. On top of that, I've discovered and become obsessed with an online role playing game called Popmundo, where you try and become a rock star. It's a long term game and I'm sucked into the whole world. You can check it out here:

Popmundo

That doesn't mean I've been completely inactive as far as NeverEndingWonder Radio goes. Here's a rundown of some cool stuff recently added:

Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan - Song of the Second Moon
Classic electronic weirdness from 1968. Has that 1960s primitive electronic sound I love so much.

Graffiti - Graffiti
Proto-psychedelic grooviness from 1968. Some really nice touched and a really off-kilter vocal arrangement make this band quite interesting.

Widespread Panic - Uber Cobra
Live album from one of my favorite modern bands.

Beatrice Kay
A selection of fun tunes by burlesque dancer, actress and singer Beatrice Kay, who had a lengthy career on the stage, in movies & TV and recordings.

Red Racan
Really cool eclectic experimental band. Love their stuff! Check out their Myspace page:
Red Racan

Savage Resurrection
Another great psychedelic gem from the 60s.

Tingstad & Rumbel - Leap of Faith
Another flawless release from New Age tunesmiths Tingstad & Rumbel.

Martha Reich - Evidence of Life
Beautiful heartfelt songs by singer/songwriter Reich.
Martha Reich

Goodluck Boys - A Gift of Time
Lo-fi, electronic noise ritualistic freakout experimental tribal psychedelic greatness from Japan!
Goodluck Boys

Spencer Hoveskeland Trio - Harbinger
Guitar, violin, bass. Jazz. Perfection.

Bernie Journey - The World in the Eye of the Beholder
Pop electronic tunes with soulful vocals and just a touch of weirdness.
Bernie Journey

And those are just highlights! Tune in please- I miss you all!

NeverEndingWonder Radio
Also available on iTunes in the radio section under "eclectic."

NEW ADDITIONS

Well, I've been ultra-busy lately. Getting ready for the big Annual Halloween Extravaganza. Lots of surprizes coming this year- stay tuned!

Of course that doesn't mean I haven't been adding new music to the station. Of course I have! Lots!



Lord Buckley - A Most Immaculately Hip Aristocat & Jet Ride
Two albums of classic hipness from the great beatnik poet.



Les Fradkin - One Link Between Them
Very cool sounds from Les Fradkin, master of the synthesizer guitar.


Best of The Yoshida Brothers
Compilation from the masters of electric samishan.



Victor Bravo - Sky Full of Messages



Charles Magnante and His Orchestra - Carnival in Far Away Places
Awesome exotica!


Torben Thoger - Harmony


Torben Thoger - The Present


Cushma, Cides, Alexander - Not Different But Not the Same


Harry Kaapuni and His Royal Polynesians - Blue Hawaiian Waters


Roy D. Mercer vs. Yankees
More prank call whoop ass from Roy D. Mercer.


Masters of Horror
Songs used in the television horror anthology series.


Dr. James Hopkins - Golden Ratios
Healing music using an instrument made by Dr. Hopkins that is over seven feet long and the patient lays upon while it's being played!


Craig Einhorn - Choros
South American guitar.


Advent Sleep - No More You



Jetsunma - Ellinwood Ranch Blues


Neal Fox - Now It's Personal


Astro Al - Psychedelic Drive-In Music
Twisted ruminations on Spooky Subjects


Twilight Dementia
Darkly Romantic.


Parallel Worlds - Obsessive Surrealism
Wonderfully classic sounding electronics.


Tingling Mother's Circus - A Circus of the Mind
Songs from this rare obscurity were in my very first broadcast. One of my favorite rare albums from the 60s. Wonderful pop whimsy.


Stone Coyotes - VIII


Ola Gjeilo - Stone Rose


Ram Dass & Kriece - Cosmix
Ram Dass meets the 21st century as he reads his poetry accompanied by electronica beats supplied by Kriece.


Eddie Benitez - Lovers Never Say Goodbye

It's all in play here:
NeverEndingWonder Radio