A new episode of the The Pretty Big Place Video Hour — the monthly TV version of my radio show — is up at FACT-TV. It got stretched to widescreen, as mysteriously happens sometimes. Just adds to the fun.

And it seems that you can download it as an MP4 now. Those play on phones, right?

The Breeders – Cannonball | Tom Waits & Iggy Pop – Coffee And Cigarettes part 1 | Baccara – Yes Sir I Can Boogie | Television – Foxhole (live) | Tom Waits & Iggy Pop – Coffee And Cigarettes part 2 | Len – Steal My Sunshine | T-Rex – 20th Century Boy | Tom Waits & Iggy Pop – Coffee And Cigarettes part 3 | Doves – Catch the Sun | Alicia Bridges – I Love the Night Life | Amy Winehouse – Rehab | Coming to Alderaan | Andrea True Connection – More More More | Shocking Blue – Venus | Vision of the Future! | The Dead Milkmen – Punk Rock Girl | The Monochrome Set – B.I.D. Spells Bid | Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music

Decided not to play any music. None. Just talk. There were some calls, including a delightful exchange with Allie (young daughter of Mark Kenney from Ear Bisque, Fridays 8-10pm), a couple of them with Dickie (The B-Side, Thursdays 7-9pm), plus the broadcast-shy winner of a pair of tickets to her pick of screening during the Bellows Falls Opera House classic film series. Border Pete came by (Border Radio, Mondays 8-10pm) and told the spooky tale of a small piece of skull, and others. Good times!

1. Andrews Sisters – Well All Right
2. Ad Libs – The Boy From New York City
3. De Ndirande Pitch Crooners – Elube
4. Meryn Cadell – Sweater
5. Aceyalone – Lonely Ones ft Bionik
6. Gnarls Barkley – Run
7. Wedding Present – It’s Not Unusual
8. Vaselines – I Hate the ’80s
9. Advantage – Ducktails (Moon)
10. Pierre Dutour et son Orchestre – Elephant Theme
11. Scavanger Quartet – Excitable Sea Porcupine
12. Ordinaires – Grace
13. Automaton of Jaquet Droz – Baroque Music 3
14. Kresge Co – Background Music No 123 12
15. Ella B Gibson – Country Rock
16. Ridiculous Trio – No Fun
17. Weisstronauts – Hoopin’
18. Sub Focus and Brookes Brothers – Late Run
19. Monruedi Phromchak – Na Nao Sao Khruan
20. Prototypes – L’amour, L’amour, L’amour
21. Sweet Talks – Akampanye
22. A-Gen-53 – Stalingrad-Stumpfsinn
23. Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop
24. Minutemen – Please Don’t Be Gentle With Me
25. Baby Astronauts – Tricycle Hell
26. Electricity In Our Homes – Gymnastics
27. Kills – DNA
28. Wolf Parade – Semi-Precious Stone
29. Zeus Rooster – Wound
30. Great Lake Swimmers – Pulling On A Line
31. Kelly Harrell – Rovin’ Gambler
32. Louise Massey and Her Westerners – I’m Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
33. Peter Yarrow and John Simon – The Wabe
34. Byrds – Lazy Days
35. Beatles – One After 909
36. Bjork – Oh Mein Papa
37. Lovely Eggs – Have You Ever Heard a Digital Accordian
38. Karen O and the Kids – Animal
39. Tanita Tikaram – Poor Cow
40. DJ Cheb i Sabbah – Qalanderi

A new episode of the The Pretty Big Place Video Hour — the monthly TV version of my radio show — is up at FACT-TV. It got stretched to widescreen, as mysteriously happens sometimes. Just adds to the fun.

And it seems that you can download it as an MP4 now. Those play on phones, right?

The Move – Brontosaurus (live) | The Cleverlys – Walk Like an Eqyptian (live) | Syndicate of Sound – Little Girl | Ani DiFranco – Promiscuity (live) | Nice Muscle!! commercial | Stray Cats – Rock This Town (live) | NBC News: Sex Pistols’ First US Tour | Mr. T – Treat Your Mother Right | Tiny Tim – The Other Side (live) | Greenwashing PSA | Teenage Fanclub – Star Sign | Betty Wright – Clean up Woman (live) | Cyriak – Cycles animated short | Death Metal Rooster | Todd Michaelsen – Sita’s String Theory animated short | The Happy Life animated short | Claudio Montuori – The Lisbon Birdman live busking | Hevisaurus – Jee Hevisaurus

Leap day, the one extra day that comes around every four years. That’s what it took to get back to normal. Except for the snowstorm, which turned our brown winter nicely white. I hope that isn’t becoming a once-every-four-years thing too.

The weather kept Julio up in his mountain hideaway, so I did back-to-back shows. Clipper, who haunts the studio most of the time these days, stopped in for part of my show and launched Julio’s with a live set from one of The Monkees 2001 reunion shows in remembrance of Davy Jones, who died today. I’ve nonetheless omitted that set from the playlist. (more…)

These guys from the What Doth Life music collective are gonna have a great show, I tell you what. Good music, fun banter. They graduated tonight. But they still need to face the management team gauntlet before they get a showtime though. And after tonight’s Red Button incident with Julio, that might be hard going.

I don’t have a playlist to post here again this week, but it was a great show. Including Ave Maria sung by a dog.

Trainees tonight! A couple guys from the What Doth Life rock-n-roller co-op collective thing up there Windsor way. www.whatdothlife.com

They hung me by my undies on a peg on the wall and hijacked the show. I don’t have a playlist to share. Thanks to Julio for helping me down after they left.

Tune in next week – it’s their last training day.

I went into the cassette vault looking for something that I never did find. But I emerged (gasping for breath) with a handful of my favorite demos and DIY releases from some Minnesota and Wisconsin bands from the heyday of the late ’80s and early ’90s. I didn’t have anything to do with making these recordings; I just like ‘em. (more…)

A new episode of the The Pretty Big Place Video Hour — the monthly TV version of my radio show — is up at FACT-TV. It got stretched to widescreen, as mysteriously happens sometimes. Just adds to the fun.

Shonen Knife – Top of the World (live) | Arcwelder – Missing | Battles – Atlas (live) | Laurie Anderson – Sharkey’s Day (live) | Doomsday (trailer) | Barnes and Barnes – Fish Heads | Gary Numan – Cars | T-Rex – Jeepster (live) | Parry Gripp – Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On A Pig) | Chumbawamba – Tubthumping | Devo – Satisfaction | The Flying Lizards – TV | The Road Warrior (trailer) | The Residents – Hello Skinny | The Minutemen – This Ain’t No Picnic

Tonight we stole a page from the playbook of the Mixtape Radio show (hosted by Jade Barbee on Tuesdays from 9-11 ET) and played stuff supplied by a couple members of the army of six weird listeners: Rodney and Megan, who both happen to live in Minnesota. Delightfully good! Next week – if there aren’t trainees – I’ve got some great ones lined up courtesy of Jeremy. Anybody else want in? (more…)