Quick Interview with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants

Mar 06

On my regular (grownup) shift on the River on Sunday, I did a short interview with John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants.  They’ll be on the station Thursday afternoon before their show at the Calvin (don’t have tickets yet? get ’em now), and we’ll record an in-studio with them to air probably on March 17.  You can listen to Sunday’s interview here:

[audio:https://sparetherock.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Flansinterview.mp3|titles=Flans Interview]

Jonathan Coulton is opening the show, and we’ll be getting him in the studio too.

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Spare the Rock, Spoil the Tacos. Or something.

Mar 05

If you’re a fan on Facebook (and you really should be), you may have seen this already, but just to be sure we get all of you RSS-only folks: We’re moving to Austin, Texas in August.  I’m joining a law firm there as senior counsel (and leaving teaching).  We’ll get to spend a chunk of summers in Minnesota, as the firm is based there.  We’re super sad to be leaving the Valley, but excited about being nearer family both in the South and the Midwest, and about being in the amazing city that is Austin.

I plan to have the radio show continue in one form or another, possibly (probably?) syndicated — meaning you’ll have the opportunity to try to get a station that’s local to you to carry it.  Or maybe we’ll find a station in Austin that wants our weird little show.  But I really don’t know.  We only made the final decision a week ago, and the next steps for the radio show were on the back burner until we knew for sure.  So, there will be more news.

By the time we move, we’ll have been doing the show for seven years — the first year and a half or so on Valley Free Radio, and since then on the River (also still broadcast on VFR).  I would never have expected to be doing this show for anything near that long, but I am utterly thrilled that we have.  And I’m equally thrilled that both kids really want to keep doing it.  So we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that happens.

Thanks to all of you for listening, making music, rocking, emailing, and so on.  You’re the best.

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2012-03-03 Playlist

Mar 03

Listen any time you like at our page at WRSI.com!

Segment 1
TMBG – It’s Spare the Rock
ID
TMBG – Pictures of Pandas Painting
Eels – A Daisy Through Concrete
Caspar Babypants – Lonely Glove
ID
Dean Jones – Little By Little
Enzo Garcia – Monkey Motions
ID
Leon Redbone – Polly Wolly Doodle

Segment 2
Kira Willey – Mr. Cricket Hop
Lori Henriques – Outside My Door
L’Autobus a Vapeur – Bonjour Bonjour
ID/prep to rock
TMBG – Don’t Spare the Rock!
ScribbleMonster – I Want to Hold Your Ear
Frances England – Come Back Home
Billy Bragg & Wilco – Hoodoo Voodoo
ID

Segment 3
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem in-studio

Segment 4
ScribbleMonster – Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
ID
Nields – Who are You Not to Shine
The Pop-Ups – Connect the Stars
ID
Decemberists – June Hymn
Alejandro Escovedo String Quartet – Sad and Dreamy (The Big 1-0)
ID

Segment 5
Elizabeth Mitchell – Lovely Day
Asylum Street Spankers – Be Like You
ID
Lunch Money – Original Friend
Justin Roberts – Best Friend
ID
Frank Turner – I Still Believe

Segment 6
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – Gotta Be Me
Earth Wind & Fire – Shining Star
ID
Uncle Rock – Rock & Roll Babysitter
OK Go – Three Primary Colors
Violent Femmes – Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)
ID
TMBG – Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
TMBG – Spare the Rock

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Playlist for 2/25/2012

Feb 25

Listen any time you like at our page at WRSI.com!

Segment 1
TMBG – It’s Spare the Rock
Ella ID
TMBG – Alphabet of Nations
Patty Griffin – I Love
Black History Month ID
Bob Marley – Three Little Birds
ID
Dr. John – Row Row Row Your Boat
Deedle Deedle Dees – A Song for Abigail Adams
Michelle Shocked – Got No Strings
ID

Segment 2
ID
Gustafer Yellowgold – Pancake Smackdown
Dean Jones – Wheelin’ and Dealin’
ID/prep to rock
TMBG – Don’t Spare the Rock!
The Board of Education – Why Is Dad So Mad?
CandyBand – Octopus On My Head
ID

Segment 3
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Tamacun
Mister G – Run
ID
Buckwheat Zydeco – Skip to My Blues
Justin Roberts – New Haircut
ID

Segment 4
ScribbleMonster – Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
ID
Clementown – Dutch Sneakers
Black History Month – Meters
Meters – They All Ask’d For You
Booker T & the MGs – Tic-Tac-Toe
Keith Munslow – Are You Gonna Eat That?
ID

Segment 5
Little Miss Ann – Sometimes
Kristy Harkshaw – Telephone Song
ID
Bari Koral Family Rock Band – Kick Drum Heart
Libertines – What Katie Did
ID
Yosi – Hole in the Ground

Segment 6
Laura Veirs – Tumblebee
Too Many Cookies – The Monkeys Are Breaking Out the Zoo
ID
Clifton Chenier – Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem – Green Grass Grows All ‘Round (in-studio)
Uncle Rock – Shadow Dance (Many Hands)
ID (Rani 3/3 First Churches and in-studio, Uncle Rock 3/10 Flywheel)
TMBG – I Am a Paleontologist
TMBG – Spare the Rock

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Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem wish to give your children parts to make a harmonica.

Feb 25

For real.  Scott will tell you about it here:

They’re playing at First Churches in Northampton on Saturday, March 3, at 10:30, and everyone gets the parts to make one, and your child, too, can play an abbreviated national anthem.

We’ll air an in-studio with them that morning, including this excellent version of “Zudio,” from Many Hands:

 

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Playlist for 2/18/2012

Feb 18

Listen any time on demand at our page at WRSI.com!

Segment 1
TMBG – It’s Spare the Rock
Ella ID
TMBG – Fibber Island
Eno/Cale – Been There, Done That
Dean Jones – Lucky
ID
Little Mo McCoury – God Gave Names to All the Animals
Grenadilla – Sunday Afternoon
ID

Segment 2
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem – Here We Go, Zudio
Ladysmith Black Mambazo & Kermit the Frog – African Alphabet
ID/prep to rock
TMBG – Don’t Spare the Rock!
Ramones – Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio
Key Wilde & Mr Clarke – Rattling Can
Robbert Bobbert – We R Super Heroes
ID

Segment 3
Tito Guest DJ Set
Hipwaders – My Dog Steve
Artichoke – Iguana
Holly Throsby – Putt, Putt
Butterflyfish – Lemonade
Lori Henriques – Something You Learn

Segment 4
ScribbleMonster – Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child
Buddy Holly – Rock Around with Ollie Vee
Richard Hell – The Kid with the Replaceable Head
Time-Outs – Clap Your Hands
Telephone Company – Bomb Pop
Hipwaders – Bubble Machine PSA
Superchicken – TV Theme
Band of Bees – Chicken Payback

Segment 5
Mills Bros – Diga Diga Doo
Twink – Three Wishes
Squirrel Nut Zippers – Le Grippe
Viv Stanshall – Are You Having Any Fun
Hipwaders – Last Song

Segment 6
ID
Big Star – The Ballad of El Goodo
Uncle Rock – Shoe Bandit
ID (ROCK tomorrow at 10:30 at Florence Community Center, Rani Arbo next Saturday at First Churches, Uncle Rock 3/10 at Flywheel)
Laurie Berkner – We are Dinosaurs
Mates of State – Starman
ID
TMBG – Science is Real
TMBG – Spare the Rock

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Download this: New Heidi Swedberg!

Feb 14

Want a sweet Valentine’s Day tune from Heidi Swedberg?  Download it here, just for today.  It’ll get grown a bit for her next full-length CD, but I love the two-ukes-and-vocals vibe.  Listen here:

[audio:https://sparetherock.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/OwlAndPussycat.mp3|titles=Heidi Swedberg – Owl And Pussycat]

Or download the MP3 here:

Heidi Swedberg – Owl & Pussycat

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