KDHX blog http://kdhx.org/blog your community - your media Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:08:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en your community - your media no Scrooge Converted: Recitation and Music for the Holiday http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/12/24/scrooge-converted-recitation-and-music-for-the-holiday/ http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/12/24/scrooge-converted-recitation-and-music-for-the-holiday/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:39:59 +0000 John Wendland http://kdhx.org/blog/?p=1875

Photo by Sara Finke

This Christmas Eve morning on Memphis to Manchester on 88.1 I had the pleasure of airing a recitation from A Christmas Carol, featuring the voice of Anne Tkach and the guitar of Andy Ploof (who are my band mates in Rough Shop). It’s pretty special, so I wanted to share it with online followers of KDHX.

My thanks to Anne and Andy (and fellow KDHX programmer Roy Kasten for recording the piece), and happiest of holiday wishes to you and yours.

“Scrooge Converted” (Anne Tkach and Andy Ploof)

]]> http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/12/24/scrooge-converted-recitation-and-music-for-the-holiday/feed/ Photo by Sara Finke This Christmas Eve morning on Memphis to Manchester on 88.1 I had the pleasure of airing a recitation from A Christmas Carol, featuring the voice of Anne Tkach and the guitar of Andy Ploof (who are my band mates in Rough Shop). It’s pretty special, so I wanted to share it with online followers of KDHX. My thanks to Anne and Andy (and fellow KDHX programmer Roy Kasten for recording the piece), and happiest of holiday wishes to you and yours. “Scrooge Converted” (Anne Tkach and Andy Ploof) This Christmas Eve morning on Memphis to Manchester on 88.1 I had the pleasure of airing a recitation from A Christmas Carol, featuring the voice of Anne Tkach and the guitar of Andy Ploof (who are my band mates in Rough Shop). It’s pretty [...] Discovery: The Voyces http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/10/17/discovery-the-voyces/ http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/10/17/discovery-the-voyces/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:50:03 +0000 Roy Kasten http://kdhx.org/blog/?p=1729

The Voyces’ song “Let Me Die In Southern California” reminds me of so much, most of which I shouldn’t say, lest you never listen to it for the first time or again.

But I’ll say it anyway.

The thick, opening guitar hook: Thin Lizzy’s “Wild One”
The melody: “Sister Golden Hair”
The whole damn thing: “Horse With No Name”
The guitar solo at 2:45: A mega-compressed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” but not as awesome.
The voice: Auto-tuned Matthew Sweet, but auto-tuned well.

It’s classic rock red meat, sure, in a Hold Steady sort of vein (but not as jubilant), utterly without irony, nearly without self-consciousness.

The Voyces are mostly former Californian and now New Yorker Brian Wurschum, with Jude Kastle, Frank Carreno and Eric Puente backing him up. The band’s second full-length, Let Me Die in Southern California (released in September on the Planting Seeds label), is a song cycle devoted to the Golden State even when it’s not. It’s gentle and reflective at times, cool and boss at others, a little nostalgic, a little mythic, and always indebted to ‘70s California pop. It won’t change your life, but it will warm up your autumn wherever you are.

Visit the Voyces online for more free downloads.

Let Me Die in Southern California

]]> http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/10/17/discovery-the-voyces/feed/ The Voyces’ song “Let Me Die In Southern California” reminds me of so much, most of which I shouldn’t say, lest you never listen to it for the first time or again. But I’ll say it anyway. The thick, opening guitar hook: Thin Lizzy’s “Wild One” The melody: “Sister Golden Hair” The whole damn thing: “Horse With No Name” The guitar solo at 2:45: A mega-compressed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” but not as awesome. The voice: Auto-tuned Matthew Sweet, but auto-tuned well. It’s classic rock red meat, sure, in a Hold Steady sort of vein (but not as jubilant), utterly without irony, nearly without self-consciousness. The Voyces are mostly former Californian and now New Yorker Brian Wurschum, with Jude Kastle, Frank Carreno and Eric Puente backing him up. The band’s second full-length, Let Me Die in Southern California (released in September on the Planting Seeds label), is a song cycle devoted to the Golden State even when it’s not. It’s gentle and reflective at times, cool and boss at others, a little nostalgic, a little mythic, and always indebted to ‘70s California pop. It won’t change your life, but it will warm up your autumn wherever you are. Visit the Voyces online for more free downloads. Let Me Die in Southern California The Voyces’ song “Let Me Die In Southern California” reminds me of so much, most of which I shouldn’t say, lest you never listen to it for the first time or again. But I’ll say it anyway. The thick, opening guitar hook: Thin [...] Egg Chef and Ninja Academy - Live and in Costume at KDHX http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/10/15/egg-chef-and-ninja-academy-live-and-in-costume-at-kdhx/ http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/10/15/egg-chef-and-ninja-academy-live-and-in-costume-at-kdhx/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:50 +0000 Spazztick http://kdhx.org/blog/?p=1701 This week, Spazztick featured “melodic sludge pop” outfit Egg Chef, from Belleville, IL. The group, who showed up to the KDHX studios clad in matching hazmat suits, was recently selected as the “Best Band Name” by the Riverfront Times in its annual “Best of St. Louis” issue. To find out the interesting origin of their name and to hear a full set and interview from the group, check out the archived KDHX live performance from October 13 here.

“Big Dark Puddle” - Recorded live at KDHX 10/13/09

And if that isn’t enough fun in uniforms for you, check out photos and a track from the Los Angeles drum and bass duo Ninja Academy, who had an in-studio session on Spazztick last month.

“Your Kung Fu Sucks” - Recorded live at KDHX 9/22/09

]]> http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/10/15/egg-chef-and-ninja-academy-live-and-in-costume-at-kdhx/feed/ This week, Spazztick featured “melodic sludge pop” outfit Egg Chef, from Belleville, IL. The group, who showed up to the KDHX studios clad in matching hazmat suits, was recently selected as the “Best Band Name” by the Riverfront Times in its annual “Best of St. Louis” issue. To find out the interesting origin of their name and to hear a full set and interview from the group, check out the archived KDHX live performance from October 13 here. “Big Dark Puddle” - Recorded live at KDHX 10/13/09 And if that isn’t enough fun in uniforms for you, check out photos and a track from the Los Angeles drum and bass duo Ninja Academy, who had an in-studio session on Spazztick last month. “Your Kung Fu Sucks” - Recorded live at KDHX 9/22/09 This week, Spazztick featured “melodic sludge pop” outfit Egg Chef, from Belleville, IL. The group, who showed up to the KDHX studios clad in matching hazmat suits, was recently selected as the “Best Band Name” by the [...] Podcast: Joe Schwartz Rides the Mystery Train http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/09/14/podcast-joe-schwartz-rides-the-mystery-train/ http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/09/14/podcast-joe-schwartz-rides-the-mystery-train/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:07:04 +0000 Roy Kasten http://kdhx.org/blog/?p=1640 In his new book of short stories, Joe’s Black T-Shirt, St. Louis native Joe Schwartz casts a wry, realist eye on life in the Gateway to the West.

He explains: “St. Louis is an amazing city where elitists, idealists, and pacifists co-exist with the disenfranchised, the amoral, and the secretly racist. Ignored, except by the brave who decide to live here or the damned with no other choice…”

On September 14, Schwartz joined Mystery Train host Tim Rakel to discuss and read from his new collection. If you missed it, listen below or download the podcast.

Joe Schwartz on KDHX’s Mystery Train 9/14/09

]]> http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/09/14/podcast-joe-schwartz-rides-the-mystery-train/feed/ In his new book of short stories, Joe’s Black T-Shirt, St. Louis native Joe Schwartz casts a wry, realist eye on life in the Gateway to the West. He explains: “St. Louis is an amazing city where elitists, idealists, and pacifists co-exist with the disenfranchised, the amoral, and the secretly racist. Ignored, except by the brave who decide to live here or the damned with no other choice…” On September 14, Schwartz joined Mystery Train host Tim Rakel to discuss and read from his new collection. If you missed it, listen below or download the podcast. Joe Schwartz on KDHX’s Mystery Train 9/14/09 In his new book of short stories, Joe’s Black T-Shirt, St. Louis native Joe Schwartz casts a wry, realist eye on life in the Gateway to the West. He explains: “St. Louis is an amazing city where elitists, idealists, and pacifists [...] The Lot Festival, Saturday 8/29, featuring Jon Hardy & the Public http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/08/25/the-lot-festival-saturday-829-featuring-jon-hardy-the-public/ http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/08/25/the-lot-festival-saturday-829-featuring-jon-hardy-the-public/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:59:32 +0000 Roy Kasten http://kdhx.org/blog/?p=1608

I can’t say that I’ve attended every year, but the Lot Festival, which started up in 1998, is one of my favorite ways to wind down the summer. Sponsored by Metropolis St. Louis (and co-sponsored by KDHX), it’s a low-key, hype-free, locally produced, outdoor concert on the parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room. It’s free and all ages.

This year there will be booths with art and non-profit organizational folks, local restaurants with food, guest DJs and a solid line-up of Saint Louis bands: Luca Brasi, the Hibernauts, Jon Hardy & the Public, Soulard Blues Band, the Dock Ellis Band, Hazard to Ya Booty, the 75s, and the Blind Eyes.

I’m especially fond of the group that goes on around 9:20 pm, Jon Hardy & the Public, a band that hit my radar in 2007 with the album Working In Love, one of the finest records to come out of Saint Louis since, I dunno, Nellyville. They’ve also become a hellacious live act, with a hard and soulful horn section, keyboards, a deeply grooved rhythm section and Hardy’s street-tough baritone front-and-center. In the band, two southern genres come together–soul and power pop—and then burst apart with emotional songwriting.

Hardy and Co. recently released a four-song EP of Randy Newman songs, which is available for exclusive, free download here, and just cut a cool video for the title song, “Little Criminals.” They’re working on songs for a new record (release date unknown), and were kind enough to stop by the Magnolia Avenue Studios of KDHX to play some music and chat about where things stand.

Below you can listen to a sneak preview, the new song “Worst I Ever Had,” and catch the whole session on 88.1 FM or streaming live @ KDHX.org, this Wednesday morning at 9:00 am CST, on my show Feel Like Going Home. And don’t miss them down at the Lot Festival on Saturday evening.

Jon Hardy & the Public - “Worst I Ever Had” - Live @ KDHX

]]> http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/08/25/the-lot-festival-saturday-829-featuring-jon-hardy-the-public/feed/ I can’t say that I’ve attended every year, but the Lot Festival, which started up in 1998, is one of my favorite ways to wind down the summer. Sponsored by Metropolis St. Louis (and co-sponsored by KDHX), it’s a low-key, hype-free, locally produced, outdoor concert on the parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room. It’s free and all ages. This year there will be booths with art and non-profit organizational folks, local restaurants with food, guest DJs and a solid line-up of Saint Louis bands: Luca Brasi, the Hibernauts, Jon Hardy & the Public, Soulard Blues Band, the Dock Ellis Band, Hazard to Ya Booty, the 75s, and the Blind Eyes. I’m especially fond of the group that goes on around 9:20 pm, Jon Hardy & the Public, a band that hit my radar in 2007 with the album Working In Love, one of the finest records to come out of Saint Louis since, I dunno, Nellyville. They’ve also become a hellacious live act, with a hard and soulful horn section, keyboards, a deeply grooved rhythm section and Hardy’s street-tough baritone front-and-center. In the band, two southern genres come together–soul and power pop—and then burst apart with emotional songwriting. Hardy and Co. recently released a four-song EP of Randy Newman songs, which is available for exclusive, free download here, and just cut a cool video for the title song, “Little Criminals.” They’re working on songs for a new record (release date unknown), and were kind enough to stop by the Magnolia Avenue Studios of KDHX to play some music and chat about where things stand. Below you can listen to a sneak preview, the new song “Worst I Ever Had,” and catch the whole session on 88.1 FM or streaming live @ KDHX.org, this Wednesday morning at 9:00 am CST, on my show Feel Like Going Home. And don’t miss them down at the Lot Festival on Saturday evening. Jon Hardy & the Public - “Worst I Ever Had” - Live @ KDHX I can’t say that I’ve attended every year, but the Lot Festival, which started up in 1998, is one of my favorite ways to wind down the summer. Sponsored by Metropolis St. Louis (and co-sponsored by KDHX), it’s a low-key, hype-free, locally [...] Jim Dickinson Is Gone, Amy LaVere Returns http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/08/20/jim-dickinson-is-gone-amy-lavere-returns/ http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/08/20/jim-dickinson-is-gone-amy-lavere-returns/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:29:40 +0000 Roy Kasten http://kdhx.org/blog/?p=1595 Amy LaVere @ Twangfest | Photo by Jason Baldwin

Amy LaVere @ Twangfest | Photo by Jason Baldwin

Amy LaVere is no stranger to Saint Louis, though she’s only had a handful of shows in town. This past June she opened up the first night of Twangfest, filling the cavernous space of the Pageant with her alluring voice, a uniquely Memphis blend of grit and delicacy, and her rhythmically supple (she’s an underrated slap bass player) jazz, blues, soul and rockabilly songs. If Hot Club of Cowtown and Alejandro Escovedo hadn’t been waiting in the wings, I could have listened to her all night.

It’s safe to say she would have found her voice on her own, but the voice she did find owes much to Jim Dickinson, the legendary (adjective not used lightly) Memphis producer, session man and mentor to many, who passed away on August 15. I spoke to Amy on the phone the day before, and she was hopeful for his recovery, saying that Jim seemed to be getting better as he was greeting visitors by flipping them off. She desperately wanted to record another album with Jim (who produced her first two LPs). My full interview with Amy will run in the August 27 Riverfront Times, but here’s a salient quote:

“[Jim] encouraged me to take risks, to make mistakes, and to experiment. He reminded me that music is about being spontaneous and youthful and not agenda driven.”

You can hear that in nearly every recording Dickinson produced, played on, or inspired. The list is long and essential: Big Star’s Third, The Replacements’ Pleased To Meet Me, Aretha Franklin’s Spirit In the Dark, Ry Cooder’s Into the Purple Valley, Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind, and a little record called Sticky Fingers. That’s Jim’s piano on “Wild Horses.”

Jim is gone now, but Amy LaVere will be coming back to Saint Louis, playing a full night at Off Broadway on Sunday, August 30. I wouldn’t miss that evening for all the soul food in Memphis.

Amy LaVere “Killing Him” (produced by Jim Dickinson)

]]> http://kdhx.org/blog/2009/08/20/jim-dickinson-is-gone-amy-lavere-returns/feed/ Amy LaVere @ Twangfest | Photo by Jason Baldwin Amy LaVere is no stranger to Saint Louis, though she’s only had a handful of shows in town. This past June she opened up the first night of Twangfest, filling the cavernous space of the Pageant with her alluring voice, a uniquely Memphis blend of grit and delicacy, and her rhythmically supple (she’s an underrated slap bass player) jazz, blues, soul and rockabilly songs. If Hot Club of Cowtown and Alejandro Escovedo hadn’t been waiting in the wings, I could have listened to her all night. It’s safe to say she would have found her voice on her own, but the voice she did find owes much to Jim Dickinson, the legendary (adjective not used lightly) Memphis producer, session man and mentor to many, who passed away on August 15. I spoke to Amy on the phone the day before, and she was hopeful for his recovery, saying that Jim seemed to be getting better as he was greeting visitors by flipping them off. She desperately wanted to record another album with Jim (who produced her first two LPs). My full interview with Amy will run in the August 27 Riverfront Times, but here’s a salient quote: “[Jim] encouraged me to take risks, to make mistakes, and to experiment. He reminded me that music is about being spontaneous and youthful and not agenda driven.” You can hear that in nearly every recording Dickinson produced, played on, or inspired. The list is long and essential: Big Star’s Third, The Replacements’ Pleased To Meet Me, Aretha Franklin’s Spirit In the Dark, Ry Cooder’s Into the Purple Valley, Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind, and a little record called Sticky Fingers. That’s Jim’s piano on “Wild Horses.” Jim is gone now, but Amy LaVere will be coming back to Saint Louis, playing a full night at Off Broadway on Sunday, August 30. I wouldn’t miss that evening for all the soul food in Memphis. Amy LaVere “Killing Him” (produced by Jim Dickinson) Amy LaVere is no stranger to Saint Louis, though she’s only had a handful of shows in town. This past June she opened up the first night of Twangfest, filling the cavernous space of the Pageant with her alluring voice, a uniquely Memphis blend [...]