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.

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)

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

ALLEN GINSBERG, CLASSIC COMEDY, RARE ELECTRONIC, NEW INDIES AND MORE

And even more new additions to NeverEndingWonder Radio:


Jacky & Strings - New Era
Groovin', dramatic expertly executed doses of Latin music. Jacky is one hell of a guitarist, and his compositions show off his skills. They also have an exquisit sense of melody and rhythm. Extremely enjoyable listening.

Jacky & Strings


Timothy Cooper - Light on the Water
Solo piano compositions based around the theme of water. Sweeping, sensual, flowing, majestic- these are all words that describe these compositions.
Timothy Cooper


Richard & Robert Sherman - Tinpanorama
Another of my favorite albums from my rare vinyl collection. A dozen tunes penned by the songwriting team that gave us Mary Poppins and many other Disney musicals. These aren't from their musicals though- these are parodies of various styles of music from Tin Pan Alley to early rock music. Given that these guys really know how to write songs the results are delicious. Their "Boogie Woogie Bakery Man" delightfully sends up "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Likewise "I'm Blue for You (Boo Boo Boo Boo Boo)" sends up Bing Crosby styled crooning and "Rutabega Rag," voiced by veteran voice talent Paul Frees, is a spot on parody of Al Jolson. "Fountain of Teardrops (In the Valley of Sorrow)" neatly sends up the oh so serious Folk Scare of the early 60s and "You Bug Me Ann-Arlene" is a fun little early rock n roll song pre-Beatles invasion. Every song is perfectly arranged and performed by top voice talents with Camarata handling the musical direction. A real lost gem.



The Laugh of the Party
Another gem from my vinyl collection. This collection of comedy bits from the mid 50s is a perfect cross section of the state of comedy of that era. The Buddy Hackett routine "The Chinese Waiter" could NEVER get released today. Highlights include "The VERY Square Dance" by Steve Allen, "World News Roundup" by Bob & Ray, "The Life Story of Henny Youngman" by Henny Youngman, Old Old Vienna" by Eddie Lawrence and "Tea and Ceylon" by an apparently increasingly inebriated Hermione Gingold and Terry Thomas.


Dudley Saunders - The Emergency Lane
Dudley Saunders more closely resembles Jacques Brel or Edith Piaf than a modern singer/songwriter. That's not to say that his songs sound old fashioned- how could something titled "Love Song for Jeffrey Dahmer" be anything but thoroughly modern? No, it's the delicate precision with which each piece is drawn, the detailed look at a moment in time that remind me of Brel & Piaf. Additionally, the arrangements are equally delicate and precise. Saunders' quitar is lent substance by a seven piece band that includes unique instrumental touches from harmonium, strings, mandolin & dobro. Special mention must be given to producer/arranger Milo Decruz. He is completely in tune with Saunders and draws out the best qualities of each song. Saunders is extremely talented. I look forward to his future releases.
Dudley Saunders


Oskar Sala - My Fascinating Instrument
A wonderful artifact from the history of electronic music. Sala's instrument was the Mixtur-Trautonium. This album was recorded in the 1960s, I believe. Reportedly the Mixtur-Trautonium was so intricate that nobody but Sala could play it. Its voices are stupendously varied for an instrument of its time and the compositions beautiful and weird.


Allen Ginsberg - Ginsberg's Thing
Spoken word release from the beat poet master. Typically amazing Ginsberg, one of the great poetic voices of the 20th Century- and now the 21st.



Random Touch - A Box and a Word & Duologue
Random touch is a perfect name for this collective, as it's all about improvisation. Every time they play together it's completely new. They have released ten albums to date. Duologue, aptly named as it's a collaboration between Christopher Brown (drums and vocals) and Scott Hammill (guitars). It's experimental, dense, wide ranging, frightening at times, but always engrossing.
A Box and a Word adds James Day (keyboards) into the mix. These documents are a fascinating journey into a world of experimentation. If you've an open mind and an ability to appreciate music that's not focused around a three minute pop structure, then this is for you. Hearing these pieces unfold in real time as the musicians play with each other musically is joyous. The interplay, the counterpoint, are intriquing, and ultimately rewarding for the listener who appreciates a challenge.
Random Touch


John Keating - Space Exploration 2
Great synthesizer album loosely based around the theme of space. Classicly trippy sounds.


The Tiger Lillies & Kronos Quartet - The Gorey End
It's hard to describe the music of the Tiger Lillies to someone who hasn't heard them. Gypsy Cabaret mixed with alt rock, experimentalism and chanson. Think Kluas Nomi. Their music is breathtaking, and add the Kronos Quartet to their already quirky sound and you have something truly splendid. This album is based on a number of unpublished Edward Gorey stories. What else do you need to know? How much better could it get?

All this amazing music can be heard on NeverEndingWonder Radio