Monday, September 18
Hippopotamus is the 23rd album from the band Sparks. Formed as Halfnelson in Southern California in 1968, the band has only achieved cult status in its native country while maintaining a loyal and appreciative following in Europe and the UK. We’ll hear selections from this latest effort from the band plus selections from Queen’s 1980 release, The Game. We'll also remember Grant Hart, co-founding member of the St. Paul, Minnesota band Husker Du. That trio, along with acts such as Soul Asylum and The Replacements, was central to the Minneapolis-St.Paul music scene of the 1980s. We'll hear some of Hart's key songs from Husker Du's nine-year run as well material from his solo career and from his William S. Burroughs-inspired group Nova Mob.
Tuesday, September 19:
We celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day with selections from the band Tempest, Ye Banished Privateers and others.
Wednesday, September 20
Recorded on a single night in 1976 Neil Young’s Hitchhiker has remained unreleased until now. Several songs from that one-day session have emerged on albums such as Rust Never Sleeps and Hawks & Doves but this new release provides listeners the first chance to hear the material in its proper context. Listen for selections from Hitchhiker as well as music from Mike Keneally’s 2001 effort, Wooden Smoke.
Thursday, September 21
There and Back Again is a 2002 release from the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh, featuring contributions from Gov’t Mule guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes. We’ll hear selections from that recording on this episode of the show plus music from the Grateful Dead’s archival Rockin’ The Rhein, recorded in Dusseldorf, Germany during the Dead’s legendary 1972 tour.
Friday, September 22
Since the second breakup of The Replacements in 2015, the group’s former vocalist and primary songwriter Paul Westerberg has been largely silent. That changed late in the summer of 2017 when he began releasing new songs via a Soundcloud account, referencing the material as Dry Wood Garage. Westerberg has recently released a new batch of songs, including the ballad “Mrs. Beethoven,” which some are calling his best song in more than 20 years. We’ll hear music from Dry Wood Garage on this episode plus selections from Westerberg’s former Replacements bandmate Tommy Stinson in the band Bash & Pop.
Saturday, September 23
Gizmodrome is a new band featuring Stewart Copeland (The Police), Adrian Belew (King Crimson, David Bowie) and Mark King (Level 42) along with Italian musician Vitorria Cosma. We’ll hear selections from the quartet’s debut album as well as music from the latest by Living Colour, Shade.
