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Category Archive: 9:30 Coffee Break
Friday Coffee Break: Viernes No Ingles!
Posted at 7:37 AM on November 20, 2009
by Steve Seel
(36 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Time again for our periodic Friday feature, Viernes No Ingles - when we take your requests for songs sung in any language but English. It's just that simple. Jot 'em down below, or here.
Thursday Coffee Break: Second At The Mic
Posted at 7:56 AM on November 19, 2009
by Steve Seel
(37 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, here's an idea: songs sung by the person who served as the secondary lead singer in the band. Some props to the backup guy or gal who took the mic every now and then and fully held his or her own with the regular frontperson. Offer up your suggestions below, or here.
Wednesday Coffee Break: To Friend or Un-Friend?
Posted at 8:59 AM on November 18, 2009
by Steve Seel
(33 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Perhaps you've heard about new the "word of the year" - the Oxford American Dictionary chooses a new word each year as a summation of the year's zeitgeist. This year, it's one you may have used yourself - or at least hear others use: "unfriend." If you're on Facebook, that's a concept you've likely been exposed to (and hopefully, not been the victim of yourself).
So in honor of the word of the year, we gotta do breakup songs for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Tuesday Coffee Break: Sky Songs
Posted at 8:41 AM on November 17, 2009
by Steve Seel
(22 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Did you look up in the sky in the early hours of this morning to check out the Leonid meteor shower? Did you opt to forgo experiencing one of the wonders of the natural world to get a couple extra hours of sleep? (The latter was the popular option here on the morning program). Either way, we're turning our eyes skyward for today's 9:30 Coffee Break as we take your suggestions for "sky songs" - songs with "sky" in the title. Leave 'em below, or over here.
Monday Coffee Break: Off To China
Posted at 8:58 AM on November 16, 2009
by Steve Seel
(20 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
With President Obama in China, we've got the all things Chinese on our minds today for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Make your suggestions for songs with the words china or chinese in the title below or here.
Friday Coffee Break: Movies Named For Songs
Posted at 8:30 AM on November 13, 2009
by Steve Seel
(28 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's been a popular source for movie names over the decades: song titles. It seems like it became a particularly common method of naming movies in the '80s, but there are fine examples from other eras too. What are some good ones? Help us think of some and we'll put together a set for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Thursday Coffee Break: Key Change!
Posted at 8:49 AM on November 12, 2009
by Steve Seel
(35 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
What ever happened to the mid-song key change? You just don't seem to hear them like you used to. Is it because rock musicians these days don't quite know their music theory like musicians of previous generations did, and only learn their parts to songs chord by chord? Whatever the reason, it's just rare to hear anymore. So help us put together a solid set featuring key changes today for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Wednesday Coffe Break: Veterans Day
Posted at 8:41 AM on November 11, 2009
by Steve Seel
(14 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
For the 9:30 Coffee Break, help us put together a diverse mix honoring vets today. It doesn't even have to be a song specifically about veterans; if it feels appropriate for the day, let us know what it is and we'll weave together a good set with your help.
Tuesday Coffee Break: Hats Off To Sesame Street!
Posted at 8:39 AM on November 10, 2009
by Steve Seel
(32 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Sesame Street is 40 years old today, an anniversary you're probably aware of if you've been over to the Google lately. So in honor of this fine program that taught us, among other things, to count, we're doing counting songs for today's 9:30 Coffee Break. Specifically, songs that have counting in them (as opposed to just "count-offs" at the beginning). One, two, three ... go! Suggest 'em below, or here.
Monday Coffee Break: Break It Down, Mr. Gorbachev
Posted at 7:59 AM on November 9, 2009
by Steve Seel
(16 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
And guess what? He did. It was 20 years ago today that the Berlin Wall fell.
Today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, there's only one topic that seems appropriate: freedom. Obviously, that's a broad topic and there are a lot of directions we can go with this. But as always, we're leaving the creativity to you. Suggest songs about freedom in general, or tunes that feel relevant to this specific historical event in particular. Leave your suggestions below, or here.
Friday Coffee Break: Hidden Tracks
Posted at 8:44 AM on November 6, 2009
by Steve Seel
(36 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Step right up and lend us your requests for today's topic: hidden tracks is the subject of today's 9:30 Coffee Break. Examples can include CD or vinyl, or even tracks that became so popular that they became "un-hidden" on subsequent pressings of the album. Leave your suggestings below, or here.
Update: Thanks for your suggestions, which covered a wide variey of hidden track types:
1) The Clash, "Train In Vain"
2) The Beatles, "Her Majesty"
3) R.E.M., "Superman"
4) The Rolling Stones, "Untitled (from Her Majesty's Satanic Request)
5) Green Day, "All By Myself"
6) Atmosphere, "Say Shhh..."
Thursday Coffee Break: Bands That Survived A Change Of Lead Singer
Posted at 8:50 AM on November 5, 2009
by Steve Seel
(26 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
That's the topic for today's 9:30 Coffee Break. Notice that all we said was survived (we didn't say that they necessarily prospered). Of course, there are tons of classic rock examples (Journey, anyone?), but we need your help to come up with a broad swath of choices here today. Chime in below, or here. Can't wait for your suggestions.
Wednesay Coffee Break: By The Way, Which One's Pink?
Posted at 8:20 AM on November 4, 2009
by Steve Seel
(46 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Why would you name your band after a person who's not actually in the band? Because it's clever, confusing, and therefore fun. Not to mention ironic, which is always good too. Today's 9:30 Coffee Break is all about such bands, like Jethro Tull or Lynyrd Skynyrd (both were real people, incidentally - just not in the band, since the former was an 18th-century British agriculturalist and the latter a guy actually named Leonard Skinner who was a gym teacher the guys in the band had in high school). Naturally, we'd like you to help us think of some others (not that we'd never play either of those ... don't tempt us).
Update: Here are our six selections from your over 150 awesome suggestions:
1) Walt Mink, "Miss Happiness"
2) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, "40 Day Dream"
3) Fujiya & Miyagi, "Transparent Things"
4) Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, "Think I Wanna Die"
5) Bettie Serveert, "Tomboy"
6) Belle & Sebastian, "Dear Catastrophe Waitress"
Tuesday Coffee Break: Cast Your Votes
Posted at 8:00 AM on November 3, 2009
by Steve Seel
(16 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
In light of election day in Minnesota today, it's time for another round of election, voting or democracy themed songs for today's 9:30 Coffee Break. Democracy is serious business of course, but that doesn't mean the Coffee Break has to be. Make some fun song suggestions and then do your duty and head to the polls! Submit your suggestions below or right here.
(Now for the serious part: to find your polling place, click here).
Friday Coffee Break: Get Yer Ghost
Posted at 8:50 AM on October 30, 2009
by Steve Seel
(28 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Time for the official Halloween installment of the 9:30 Coffee Break today: ghost songs. We're looking for songs with the word "ghost" in the title, or at least featured prominently in the lyrics.
Thursday Coffee Break: Let's Do It!
Posted at 8:34 AM on October 29, 2009
by Steve Seel
(25 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's the last day of The Current's Fall Member Drive, and we can use some extra musical motivation. What's a good phrase to get us pumped?
How about "do it"? That's pretty immediate!
Le'ts hear your suggestions for song titles that contain the words "do it" in the title. That'll be the topic for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Wednesday Coffee Break: Tell Us A Story
Posted at 8:35 AM on October 28, 2009
by Steve Seel
(26 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's story time today for the 9:30 Coffee Break: we want your suggestions for songs that tell a story. Happy tales, sad tales, funny ones ... in three to four minutes and rhythmic. Go!
Tuesday Coffee Break: Science!
Posted at 8:57 AM on October 27, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Get our your test tubes, beakers, and quadratic formula today - we're taking your requests for songs touching on science for the 9:30 Coffee Break. The song title can have "science" in it, or the theme of the song can be scientific in nature. Give us what ya got ...
Monday Coffee Break: Your Requests In Da House
Posted at 8:25 AM on October 26, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
A house, a home, a crib or a domicile ... we're looking for "house" or "home" songs today for the 9:30 Coffee Break. We're feelin' your love in our house this morning, since you helped us meet our membership challenge from Best Buy. (Today's coffee break is also in honor of Jill closing on her house this afternoon; welcome to domesticity Jill).
Update: Your requests we played:
1) Commodores, "Brick House"
2) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "Our House"
3) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, "Home"
4) LCD Soundsystem, "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House"
Friday Coffee Break: Viernes No Ingles, Membership Edition
Posted at 8:29 AM on October 23, 2009
by Steve Seel
(27 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's time for another edition of Viernes No Ingles, or No English Friday for the 9:30 Coffee Break! Request your favorite song in any language other than English, and we'll put together a set!
Here are the sets we played last time
and the time before that.
Thursday Coffee Break: Phone Songs!
Posted at 8:46 AM on October 22, 2009
by Steve Seel
(20 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
It's the first day of the Member Drive, with the constant din of phone number recitation hanging in the air, we thought we'd defer to the traditiional first-day topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break: songs about telephones! Make your comment to the blog below, or submit your request here.
Update: Well, it was two big favorites and one very special oddball "ringer" (sorry) today:
1) Electric Light Orchestra, "Telephone Line"
2) Leroy Van Dyke, "If A Woman Answers (Hang Up The Phone)"
3) Cake, "Never There"
Thanks everyone!
Wednesday Coffee Break: Get Your Spy Vibe On
Posted at 8:51 AM on October 21, 2009
by Steve Seel
(16 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Let's get out the shades, the pressed suit, the cool ride (government issue or not), and help us go out and fight some crime today with the right music. That's the topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break today: spy sounds!
Update: Wow, I think this was one of my favorite coffee breaks ever. We had great suggestions - a combination of songs actually written for spy and/or crime dramas paired with tunes that utilize the elements of that sonic language (it's a fascinating study in how a certain combination of sounds can come together to signify something as specific as "spy music"). Your requests we played:
1) Johnny Rivers, "Secret Agent Man"
2) Bitter:Sweet, "Trouble"
3) Shirley Bassey, "Goldfinger"
4) The Go! Team, "Junior Kickstart"
5) Quincy Jones and His Orchestra, "Soul Bossa Nova"
(Why the last track? If you don't know it by title, you'll recognize it when you hear it as Austin Powers music).
Tuesday Coffee Break: The Simpsons Still Rock
Posted at 8:03 AM on October 20, 2009
by Steve Seel
(25 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
For the upcoming 20th anniversary (!) of The Simpsons, the show is looking for suggestions for a new character, who will appear on the anniversary episode which will also include Coldplay. It was the Coldplay angle got NME thinking about the awesome history of the show's cameos by famous musicians - like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paul McCartney, Sonic Youth and others (check out NME's slideshow here).
We're highlighting favorite band moments from the show's history for this morning's 9:30 Coffee Break, and we'd love to take your suggestions if you've got your own favorite.
Update: Here are your request we played, after beginning with a short sample from the show itself (The Ramones playing "Happy Birthday" to Mr. Burns):
1) The Rolling Stones, "It's Only Rock N' Roll"
2) Smashing Pumpkins, "Zero"
3) The White Stripes, "The Hardest Button To Button"
Monday Coffee Break: Let The Wild Rumpus Begin!
Posted at 8:21 AM on October 19, 2009
by Steve Seel
(23 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Do you catch Where The Wild Things Are this weekend? The reviews have certainly been all over the place; the New York Times beamed, while writers such as Stephanie Zacharek in Salon savaged it (her argument being that it was clearly for adults, not for kids ... duh?). Anyway, let's have a wild rumpus today and create a beastly set for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Songs about monsters, beasts, and, uh, (cough) wild things ...
Update: Your requests we played (special props to the clever person who supplied the last request):
1) David Bowie, "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)"
2) Supernova, "Chewbacca"
3) X, "Wild Thing"
4) Sheb Wooley, "The Purple People Eater"
5) KC and The Sunshine Band, "I'm Your Boogie Man"
Friday Coffee Break: The Return of Viernes No Ingles
Posted at 8:05 AM on October 16, 2009
by Jill Riley
(28 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's time for another edition of No English Friday. Make your requests for songs sung in anything but English today for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Here's what we played. Thanks again for your suggestions for this popular topic!
Seu Jorge "Rebel Rebel" (Bowie song in Portugese)
David Bowie "Heroes" (in German)
Dungen "Panda" (Sweden)
Falco "Der Kommissar" (Austria)
Prototypes "Je Ne Te Connais Pas" (France)
Colomach "Cotocun Gba Gounke" (African psychedelic rock!)
Thursday Coffee Break: Paying Homage in a Song Title
Posted at 7:08 AM on October 15, 2009
by Jill Riley
(37 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Every now and then a band/musician will write a song about someone famous. Actors, politicians, singers, models, etc. For the 9:30 Coffee Break, help us put together a set of tunes with a famous name in the title.
Here are few ideas to trigger the brainstorming:
David Bowie "Andy Warhol"
Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes"
Bauhous "Bela Lugosi's Dead"
Mason Jennings "Ballad of Paul & Sheila"
With your help, here's what we went with for the 9:30 Coffee Break set:
The Replacements "Alex Chilton"
Billy Bragg "Levi Stubb's Tears"
Weezer "Buddy Holly"
Van Morrison "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven)
Cake "Frank Sinatra"
The Decemberists "Valerie Plame"
Wednesday Coffee Break: Mystery Set #2
Posted at 7:59 AM on October 14, 2009
by Jill Riley
(1 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, it's another edition of the mystery set. We pick the songs, and then you figure out what the theme is and tell us. There's no prize, but you'll feel some pride for knowing the right answer.
So, if you think you know what the songs have in common, give us a call at 651-989-4893.
Coffee Break Set:
Persephone's Bees "Nice Day"
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Where'd You Go"
The Shangri-Las "Leader of the Pack"
The Answer:
All the songs in the coffee break had motorcycle sound effects. Congrats to Naomi, listening in River Falls, WI. She was able to pick it out!
9:30 Coffee Break: Goin' Solo
Posted at 8:11 AM on October 13, 2009
by Jill Riley
(14 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Two former members of Husker Du are performing shows this week. Bob Mould is at First Avenue tonight in Minneapolis and Grant Hart has a show right next door at The Entry Thursday night. Mould's latest record "Life and Times" was released this past April and Hart has a brand new release called "Hot Wax."
Today's 9:30 Coffee Break topic is all about musicians who've gone solo. For the sake of making good radio, what solo projects have worked?
*UPDATE*
Bjork "Human Behavior" (The Sugarcubes)
Morrissey "First of the Gang to Die" (The Smiths)
Joan Jett "Bad Reputation" (The Runaways)
Justin Timberlake "Rock Your Body" (NSYNC)
Jenny Lewis "The Big Guns" (Rilo Kiley)
9:30 Coffee Break: Bring on the Nintendo Rock!
Posted at 9:07 AM on October 12, 2009
by Jill Riley
(9 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
I like to call it Nintendo Rock, but I suppose the correct terminology, or genre name, would be 8-bit rock. Is there a correct term for music made with gamer equipment? Give us your 2 cents, err, 8 bits for this set.
--updated--
Here's what we played:
Beck "Bad Cartridge (E-Pro remixed by Paza)"
Caly McMorrow "The Rain Came"
Unicorn Dream Attack "Alone"
Glomag "Pocket Calculator" (This came from a compilation called "8-Bit Operators: The Music of Kraftwerk")
Friday Coffee Break: Songs For A Girl
Posted at 8:37 AM on October 9, 2009
by Steve Seel
(66 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
You know, there are a few songs in existence who's titles are female names. Just a few.
Brian's list: "Rosanna, Roxanne, Michelle, Allison, Sarah, Angie, Brandi, Mandy, Gloria, Cecelia, Maggie May, Jessica, Nancy, Barbara Anne, Billie Jean, Layla, Lola, Polly, Helena, Jenny From the Block, Sherry, Laura, Wendy, Maria, Peggy Sue, Minnie the Moocher, Tracy, Jean, Jane, Maryanne, Eleanor Rigby."
So here's your assisgnment for today: help us come up with some examples that Brian doesn't name in this clip. That'll be our mission for today's 9:30 Coffee Break!
Update: Holy Barbara Anne, Batman! 60-plus comments and over 100 requests via the online submission form, plus countless phone calls? Jill and I will definitely be doing this one again. Here are your requests we selected:
1) Dolly Parton, "Jolene"
2) Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse, "Valerie"
3) The Four Seasons, "Dawn (Go Away)"
4) They Might Be Giants, "Ana Ng"
5) Donovan, "Jennifer Juniper"
6) Glasvegas, "Geraldine"
THANKS everybody! Great job.
Thursday Coffee Break: Guiro Hero!
Posted at 8:15 AM on October 8, 2009
by Steve Seel
(9 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Do you know the guiro? You probably know it when you hear it, if you don't necessarily know the name, or the sound it makes just by looking at it. Here's a little video aid:
Now you know it, right? Well, we'd like to put together a little set of tunes featuring the guiro today. Just think of where you've heard this sound, and you can do it. The guiro is the topic for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
In the meantime, here's a fun little gag we enjoyed:
Wednesday Coffee Break: Good Vibes For The Twins
Posted at 8:35 AM on October 7, 2009
by Steve Seel
(12 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Got any tunes you'd like to play for the Twins today as they gear up for the game tonight against the Yankees? We're putting together a set for the 9:30 Coffee Break and we'd love to take your suggestions. Respond below or here.
Update: Some of your requests we were more than happy to play:
1) A & R, "Joe Mauer '09" (Joe Mauer's "at bat song")
2) Elvis Costello, "Pump It Up"
3) Black Flag, "Rise Above"
4) The Baseball Project*, "Pastime"
5) The Hold Steady, "Take Me Out To The Twins Game"
6) The Hold Steady, "Stay Positive"
*The Baseball Project is a collaboration from last year between Steve Wynn, Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Linda Pittmon - it's a CD of songs all about baseball. This particular song was requested by Kevin the Twins Music Manager; thanks Kevin!
Tuesday Coffee Break: Covers That Are Better Than The Original
Posted at 8:48 AM on October 6, 2009
by Steve Seel
(35 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
We won't give you any hints or suggestions, because we want to hear your ideas. But there might be some examples of covers that are better than the originals that we can all agree on; there also might be a whole bunch of examples Jill and I have never thought of, and those are the ones we really want to hear. Get your suggestions in for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: Let's repeat: subjective is obviously the word of the day. One person's improvement is another's sacrilege and another's "it's just different, not better or worse." But these were the standout requests:
1) Jimi Hendrix, "All Along The Watchtower" (Dylan)
2) Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen)
3) Ike and Tina Turner, "Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
4) Elvis Costello and The Attractions, "What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?" (Nick Lowe)
Thanks everyone! And thanks to Vanessa for suggesting today's Coffee Break topic.
Monday Coffee Break: Side Projects
Posted at 8:11 AM on October 5, 2009
by Steve Seel
(3 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
There's a lot of buzz about Thom Yorke's new band right now (they don't have a name yet): the band is made up of Yorke, drummer Joey Waronker (R.E.M. Beck, Walt Mink), Radiohead/Beck producer Nigel Godrich, and Flea. It's got us thinking about side projects today. What are some projects by members of significant and/or successful bands which have been succesful or at least interesting in their own right? That's the topic for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Friday Coffee Break: The Giants of Production
Posted at 7:47 AM on October 2, 2009
by Steve Seel
(15 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
In honor of our interview feature this morning with Brian Eno - one of modern music's most distinctive and sought-after producers - we thought we'd honor some of rock's other celebrity producers ... folks who's names are often just as big as the bands they produce. Give us some good examples and we'll play songs from some of their notable projects today for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Thursday Coffee Break: Mystery Set
Posted at 8:43 AM on October 1, 2009
by Steve Seel
(12 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, it's the first of a periodic feature: we pick the songs, and then you figure out what the theme is and tell us.
Sorry, there's no prize. Other than our love, and a tender pat on the head. But this should still be fun.
Here's one hint: all the tunes relate to a band who was fond in one way or another of the songs and/or bands we'll play.
Wednesday Coffee Break: Home To Austin
Posted at 8:44 AM on September 30, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
This weekend is the annual Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, TX, this year featuring such giant name marquee acts as Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and indie faves like Andrew Bird, The Avett Brothers and Blitzen Trapper.
For today's 9:30 Coffee Break, though, we thought we'd pay tribute to this very, very musical town from another angle: by taking your requests for bands that actually hail from this fair city.
Tuesday Coffee Break: Sweet Dreams or Nightmares?
Posted at 8:35 AM on September 29, 2009
by Steve Seel
(22 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Your assignment today, should you choose to accept it, is to help us mine the rich vein of songs that deal with dreams. Song with "dream" in the title. We'll pass on Heart and Aerosmith ... you can help us dig deeper (or at least get sillier). That's the 9:30 Coffee Break today.
Monday Coffee Break: God Save The King
Posted at 8:54 AM on September 28, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
With Kings of Leon performing at the Target Center tonight, we got to thinking: there are a lot of performers with "king" in their name. We'd like to put together a set with some examples, with your help. That's today's topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Friday Coffee Break: He's Neither Heavy Nor My Brother
Posted at 7:48 AM on September 25, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Yesterday's topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break was musical siblings. During the course of taking your requests, though, some folks made suggestions for fictional siblings - and we thought, "hey - there's Friday's topic." So there you go: bands who's members have the same last names, although they're not really related. This is a tricky one, but we know you can do it.
Update: You did it!
1) The Ramones, "Rockaway Beach"
2) Ween, "Transdermal Celebration"
3) The Blues Brothers, "Rawhide"
4) The Fratellis, "Chelsea Dagger"
5) The Partridge Family, "C'Mon Get Happy"
6) The White Stripes, "Hotel Yorba"
Thursday Coffee Break: Sibling Harmony
Posted at 8:15 AM on September 24, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
You've got your Hansons, your Jonas Brothers ... but let's delve a little deeper into the world of brotherly and sisterly music-making today. What are some duos, trios, quartets et cetera who rock the common surname? Siblings: that's our topic today for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: your suggestions we played:
1) Tegan and Sara, "You Wouldn't Like Me"
2) The Kinks, "Victoria"
3) The Magic Numbers, "Forever Lost"
4) The National, "Brainy"
5) The Five Stairsteps, "Ooh Child"
6) The Fiery Furnaces, "Tropical Iceland"
Wednesday Coffee Break: Falsetto!
Posted at 8:16 AM on September 23, 2009
by Steve Seel
(27 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Let's hit those high notes today! The really high ones! Help us put together a set of tunes featuring those crystal clear highs achieved with the help of a little falsetto for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: WOW ... great response, folks! We had way too many awesome suggestions, so Jill and I decided we would do this topic again soon. Some of your requests we played today, starting with the top vote-getter both online and on the phone:
1) The Darkness, "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
2) Prince, "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
3) Bon Iver, "Beach Baby"
4) The Castaways, "Liar Liar"
5) Radiohead, "Reckoner"
And with that, we ran out of time. But for your viewing pleasure today, since it registered s high on the enthusiasm scale:
Tuesday Coffee Break: Musical Matrimony
Posted at 8:19 AM on September 22, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Death Cab's Ben Gibbard and singer/actress Zooey Deschanel tied the knot over the weekend.
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
Those happy wedding bells have left us with "musical matrimony" on the brain this morning. Who are some other notable couples in music? We'll go first and get John and Yoko out of the way ... who else?
Update: Some of your fine suggestions we selected:
1) Johnny and June Carter Cash, "Jackson"
2) Mates of State, "Goods (All In Your Head)"
3) Low, "Starfire"
4) Sonny and Cher, "I Got You Babe"
5) Sonic Youth, "My Friend Goo"
By the way, there was one thing we would have loved to play, but alas, it's an extremely hard-to-find, long out-of-print relic (Rolling Stone famously called the album "worthless" upon it's release, and gave it zero stars). But dig this cover:
Monday Coffee Break: With Strings
Posted at 8:49 AM on September 21, 2009
by Steve Seel
(12 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Who says strings don't rock? Not The Beatles, not The Stones, not any band who's ever found that a little string-section action couldn't punch up a song and make it that much more romantic/wistful/powerful.
What are some of your favorite rock, soul, hip hop or r&b tunes that benefit from a healthy does of violins, violas and cellos backing up the band? That's the topic for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: Nice suggestions, folks! Here's what we played (beginning with the crowd favorite):
1) The Verve, "Bittersweet Symphony"
2) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, "Rattlesnakes"
3) Sufjan Stevens, "Chicago"
4) Camera Obscura, "Let's Get Out Of This Country"
Friday Coffee Break: Wowee Zowee!
Posted at 8:48 AM on September 18, 2009
by Steve Seel
(3 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Start spreadin' the news: Pavement is reuniting for a series of shows in 2010. As far as news goes in the indie rock world, that's pretty big. Pavement's label Matador makes it official here.
The band's first official scheduled show will be in Central Park in September of 2010. There's a ticket presale beginning today. The password is "zowee" (the link to the presale is contained in the link above).
What are some of your favorite Pavement songs? Tunes that they must cover in their forthcoming shows? Let me know today and I'll put 'em together in a set for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: here were some of the top vote getters that I played:
1) "Gold Soundz"
2) "Spit On A Stranger"
3) "Shady Lane"
4) "Cut Your Hair"
Thursday Coffee Break: Best Backup Vocals
Posted at 8:13 AM on September 17, 2009
by Steve Seel
(21 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's all in the vocal arrangement today: what are some background vocals that truly make the song? They can be credited (i.e. anything from Gladys Knight and the Pips to The Beatles) or uncredited studio singers. Help us put together a fun set!
Wednesday Coffee Break: Out Of Breath
Posted at 8:38 AM on September 16, 2009
by Steve Seel
(12 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
We know what rock n' roll is about, right? (Dancing and cars ... ba-dump-bump). The term was coined, after all, as a descriptor for, well, uh, lovin'. And so it's not surprising that as rock became more, er, emotive, moving through the 60's to the sexy 70's to the explicit 80's to the downright obscene 90's and beyond, that heavy breathing should become a prominent vocal effect. So what are some examples? That's our topic today for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Oh boy, this could go lots of ways ...
Tuesday Coffee Break: Call And Response
Posted at 7:16 AM on September 15, 2009
by Steve Seel
(13 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
We're looking for tunes that contain call-and-response today: either between vocals, or vocals and instruments (like, say, a harmonica, in a great blues song). An example that we might use: The Zombies' "Time of the Season" and its "What's you name (what's your name?) Who's your daddy (who's your daddy)?" Or, a tune who's response is literally that -answers to the questions posed in the first part of the line. Put your thinking cap on and help us put together a good set.
Monday Coffee Break: That 80s Drum Sound
Posted at 8:54 AM on September 14, 2009
by Steve Seel
(10 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
You know it, you love it. It's ridiculous. The sound of 80s electronic drums, and specifically, those tom fills. Think every other song from the Top Gun soundtrack.
Well that cheesy percussive sound is what we're celebrating today on the 9:30 Coffee Break. Do-da-doom-doom-doom ...
Update: Today's set wound up being by no means a definitive set. But the tracks we played, culled from your requests:
1) Datarock, "Give It Up" (an example of a new song with that 80s drum sound)
2) Orchestral Maneuvers In the Dark, "Tesla Girls"
3) Jan Hammer, "Miami Vice Theme"
4) Cocteau Twins, "Lorelei"
The Coffee Break: Color-Full Friday
Posted at 8:12 AM on September 11, 2009
by Steve Seel
(49 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's a no-brainer subject today, 'cause it's the end of the week. Let's do Primary Color Colorful Friday: yer reds, blues, yellows. greens, oranges, and purples. Happy shiny colors as we look toward the weekend.
Thursday Coffee Break: La's, Na's, Da's, and Ba's
Posted at 8:12 AM on September 10, 2009
by Steve Seel
(26 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Song-filler? And excuse to not finish writing the lyrics? Nonsense. La la's and na na's are all part of the rock n' roll song canon (despite the fact that Mark Wheat is on record saying their overuse drives him crazy). So this morning for the 9:30 Coffee Break, your assigment is to put together a set with some of the finer la's and na's, da da da's and ba ba ba's in pop.
Wednesday Coffee Break: Songs *About* The Beatles
Posted at 8:48 AM on September 9, 2009
by Steve Seel
(16 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Beatles month is here on The Current, as you can clearly see from all the stuff going on elsewhere here on the website, and can hear on our airwaves as well. We'll be playing a lot of Beatles tunes themselves, so today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, Jill and I thought we'd spin it a little differently: what are songs that reference The Beatles in their lyrics?
Update: Nice choices, folks:
1) Metric, "Gimme Sympathy"
2) David Bowie, "Young Americans"
3) The Clash, "London Calling"
4) Oasis, "Don't Look Back In Anger"
5) Daniel Johnston, "Lennon Song"
6) Mott the Hoople, "All The Young Dudes"
Tuesday Coffee Break: Back To School
Posted at 8:51 AM on September 8, 2009
by Steve Seel
(11 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
As much as we'd enjoy playing you that school-themed Replacements song you'd love to hear this morning, the FCC would smack our butts with a $350,000 fine quicker than Sister Mary Madeline would ruler-whip your hands for passing notes. So, other than that tune, got any suggestions for school songs for today's 9:30 Coffee Break? We've heard a few over the years. Let us know which ones you'd like to hear this morning.
Update: Some of your fine requests that we played:
1) The Ramones, "Rock n' Roll High School"
2) The Smiths, "The Headmaster Ritual"
3) The Jackson 5, "ABC"
4) The Suburbs, "Chemistry Set"
5) Louis XIV, "Hey Teacher"
6) The Beach Boys, "Be True To Your School"
Friday Coffee Break: Summer's Final Fling
Posted at 8:37 AM on September 4, 2009
by Steve Seel
(18 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
Everybody knows that despite the fact that summer doesn't "officially" end until the 21st, Labor Day is the accepted end of the season. Labor Day is America's weekend of bidding adieu to summer, with one final three-day fling.
So, it's goodbye summer today on the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: Cool suggestions, folks. We appreciated the mix of hues - looking back to summer, and forward to the change of seasons. Your requests we selected:
1) The Beach Boys, "All Summer Long"
2) Death Cab For Cutie, "Summer Skin"
3) Sly and the Family Stone, "Hot Fun In the Summer Time"
4) The White Stripes, "We're Going To Be Friends"
5) The Decemberists, "Summersong"
6) The Kinks, "Waterloo Sunset"
Thursday Coffee Break: All Things Psychedelic
Posted at 8:55 AM on September 3, 2009
by Steve Seel
(11 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
WIth the Beatles Rock Band trailers making their way around the internets right now (not to mention the 40th anniversary of Woodstock), there's a lot of psychedelic imagery being (re-)introduced into popular consciousness. We'll certainly have our share of Beatles hype going on throught the month of September, so why not just celebrate musical psychedelia in general this morning? That's our topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: We enjoyed taking requests for psychedelia both old and new - classic and "revivial" (and evene local in the case of First Communion Afterparty). A handful of your awesome requests that we played:
1) Strawberry Alarm Clock, "Incense and Peppermints"
2) Kim Fowley, "The Trip"
3) The Black Angels, "Black Grease"
4) First Communion Afterparty, "2CB"
5) Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit"
6) Electric Prunes, "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night"
Update II: Jill and I also had some fun getting ridiculous with sound effects this morning. In case you missed it ...
Wednesday Coffee Break: You Performed with Who???
Posted at 7:58 AM on September 2, 2009
by Steve Seel
(21 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
So this morning we played the Grizzly Bear tune "While You Wait For the Others" featuring Michael McDonald on the lead vocals, the version that Bill DeVille blogged about yesterday. It's truly a thing of beauty - gob-smackingly surreal and (intentionally?) hilarious as it may be.
So, howabout odd and/or unusual collaborations for this morning's 9:30 Coffee Break? We bet you can think of a few down through the years.
Update: Boy-o, thanks for all the awesome requests, people! The handful that we played:
1) Bing Crosby and David Bowie, "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy"
2) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Killing The Blues"
3) Hindu Love Gods (Warren Zevon backed by R.E.M. without Micahel Stipe), "Raspberry Beret"
4) Tom Jones w/ The Cardigans, "Burning Down The House"
5) Loretta Lynn w/ Jack White, "Portland Oregon"
Tuesday Coffee Break: Theramin Lives!
Posted at 8:19 AM on September 1, 2009
by Steve Seel
(11 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
You might not know the electronica artist Moldover, but his profile is starting to rise considerably at the moment thanks to one of the more ingenious marketing gimmicks in recent memory. Just when fewer and fewer people are buying physical CDs themselves, Moldover has given you reason to buy one: he's put a real, working theremin inside the jewel box of his new release.
That's way cool, and it's got us thinking about theremins in general. What are some rock tunes that feature it? We're putting a set together, and would love your input too if you've got some favorites.
Update: Some of your requests we played:
1) The Pixies, "Velouria"
2) Mercury Rev, "Holes"
3) The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
Now, imagine how we felt when we started listening closely to the Mercury Rev tune and thought, "Wait a minute ... is that a theremin or a musical saw?" Turns out it's the latter. Ah well; thanks to those who requested it, it's still an awesome song and we love playing it.
Monday Coffee Break: I Hate Your Guts, Let's Write a Song
Posted at 8:10 AM on August 31, 2009
by Steve Seel
(2 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
With this weekend's announcement (via the band's blog) by Noel Gallagher that he had quit Oasis - citing the fact that he "couldn't go on working with Liam a day longer" - the band's future is in doubt at the moment. Was this just another outburst of brotherly hate? Will they reconcile, or is this really the end?
We can be forgiven for not being sure, given the Gallaghers' long history of strife and pugilism. I think we can also chalk up some of our dubiousness, though, to the fact that so many significant bands throughout rock history have been comprised of members who, at one time or another, couldn't stand each other. And yet, they persevered, and even made great music (at least for a while, for some of them).
So, for today's 9:30 Coffee Break: let's play some bands made up of folks who had (or still have) more than their share of animosity between their members.
Update: Some of your requests we played:
1) The Beatles, "We Can Work It Out" (John vs. Paul, at the end)
2) Talking Heads, "Artists Only" (David Byrne, resented by the others but especially Tina Weymouth)
3) Simon and Garfunkel, "I Am A Rock"
4) The Police, "Driven To Tears" (Sting vs. Stewart Copeland, fist fights and all)
5) Van Halen, "Everybody Wants Some!" (Diamond Dave, hated universally)
Friday Coffee Break: Viernes No Ingles
Posted at 8:32 AM on August 28, 2009
by Steve Seel
(48 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
It's No English Friday! Make your requests for songs sung in anything but English today for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Why? Why not?
Update:
Wow!!! What a response. Of course, I guess that's not surprising when you come up with a topic as broad and fun as this one. Clearly, we will have to make this one a regular feature - and also narrow down the topic to a different language each time.
Just a handful of your requests (as usual, we only had room for our maximum of six):
1) The Sandpipers, "Enamorado" (Spanish)
2) The Beatles, "Sie Leibt Dich" ("She Loves You" in German)
3) Nena, "99 Luftballoons" (German)
4) Sigur Ros, "Gobbldigook" ("Hopelandic" - a combination of Icelandic and gibberish)
5) Serge Gainsbourg, "Bonnie and Clyde" (French)
6) Bossocucanova feat. Zuco 103, "Samba Da Minha Terra" (Portugese)
Thursday Coffee Break: What Does the State Fair Sound Like?
Posted at 7:54 AM on August 27, 2009
by Steve Seel
(22 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
Being that it's the first day of the Minnesota State Fair, we of course have all things Fair-related on our minds - like the food (click on "View" next to the various vendors to read some of their insane-and-insaner offerings this year). Also, we'll of course be broadcasting from the fair every day -get all of the details of what happens when right here. Today, Mary Lucia welcomes Haley Bonar live onstage at 4pm.
For the 9:30 Coffee Break, we want you to request some songs that set the mood for the fair - or any fair or carnival. Rides? Clowns? Food? Scary people? Kiosks selling feathered roach clips? Make your requests right here, or below.
Update: Your requests that we played:
1) The Suburbs, "Cows"
2) Freddy Cannon, "Palisades Park"
3) White Light Riot, "Midway Souvenirs"
4) The Hollies, "On A Carousel"
5) The Beatles, "Piggies"
6) The Breeders, "Saints"
If You're Happy And You Know It ...
Posted at 8:23 AM on August 26, 2009
by Steve Seel
(26 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
Today's 9:30 Coffee Break is very simple. Hand claps. That's it. Happy, bouncy hand claps that make a song even happier. It's certainly the cheapest production technique to fill out your pop song with just the right sound; even cheaper than a tamborine or a pair of maraccas, and often even more effective. Jill and I were amazed that we've apparently never done this as a topic.
Get your hand claps on today!
Update: Wow, a happy deluge of requests this morning. Tons of great suggestions. We played:
1) The Cars, "My Best Friend's Girl"
2) The Hopefuls, "Virgin Wood"
3) Beck, "Where It's At"
4) The Cure, "Close To Me"
5) The Bird and the Bee, "My Love"
Thanks everyone!
Tuesday Coffee Break: Gene Simmons is 60
Posted at 8:42 AM on August 25, 2009
by Steve Seel
(5 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him - and he wouldn't have it any other way. Gene Simmons of Kiss is 60 years old today.
He's said incredibly offensive things. He's proven a master entertainer, promoter, and marketer. He claims to have never taken drugs, drank or smoked in his entire life. He's socially very liberal but strongly supported the military objectives of the Bush administration. He has achieved exactly what he set out to do as a young man: become a multi-millionare rock star, by knowing exactly how to manipulate the message and the medium. He's really quite gross, but that's all part of the marketing strategy, isn't it?
So help us wish Gene Simmons a happy birthday today, with a set of songs that communicate your own special fondness or antipathy toward the guy. Whatever you say, we're sure he'll take it as a compliment.
Update: your requests we played:
1) Carly Simon, "You're So Vain"
2) The Beach Boys, "Hold On To Your Ego"
3) The Who, "You Better You Bet" (why? Because of this - explained in the first entry under "Controversies")
4) KISS, "Ladies Room" (so chosen because It's a classically offensive KISS title, and Gene sings it)
Monday Coffee Break: End Of An Era For The Uptown?
Posted at 8:51 AM on August 24, 2009
by Steve Seel
(22 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
Is the Uptown Bar closing? That's the word that started to dribble in over the last few days. Recently, the patio was demolished, and now news comes through the grapevine that the club itself - which hosted countless significant indie rock shows to generations of hipsters over the past few decades - might be leveled as well, to make way for new retail space.
As this story develops, we thought we'd still reflect on the history of the place and what it means to countless Twin Citians who have had significant musical experiences there. What are some meaningful shows you've caught at the Uptown over the years?
(update: your requests that we played):
1) The Flaming Lips, "She Don't Use Jelly"
2) Guided By Voices, "Motor Away"
3) The Replacements, "Customer"
4) Nirvana, "About A Girl"
5) Uncle Tupelo, "Chickamauga"
6) Pavement, "Perfume-V"
Friday Coffee Break: The Hometown Team
Posted at 7:40 AM on August 21, 2009
by Steve Seel
(16 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
The Onion A.V. Club is giving the hometown some props with an article called "Songs of the 612": an inventory of tunes that mention and/or pay tribute to Minneapolis. Naturally there's The Hold Steady, plus the expected contingent of local acts that have penned famous local odes (Atmosphere, The Replacements), but there's also mention of some of our favorite Mini-apple tunes by the likes of Tom Waits and Lucinda WIlliams.
Let's chime in today on the 9:30 Coffee Break with a little home town fest of our own, to dovetail with the Onion's tribute. What Twin Cities songs would you like to hear? (or heck, even Minnesota songs, if you're so inclined)?
Update: your requests that we played:
1) Johnny Cash, "Big River" (mentions St. Paul)
2) Jeremy Messersmith, "Franklin Avenue" (one of many local odes by Mr. Messersmith)
3) That Dog, "Minneapolis" (is this about Alan Sparhawk? Discuss)
4) Tom Waits, "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis" (maybe, or maybe not, actually about Minneapolis ... "Euclid Avenue"? Okay, there's a Euclid close to Lake of the Isles, but it would never have been in the vicinity of a "dirty bookstore")
5) The Dandy Warhols, "Minnesoter" (we'd invited you to request songs about "greater Minnesota" too)
6) Atmosphere, "Shhh..." (The be all, end all)
Thanks as always, everybody.
The Coffee Break: Stormy Wednesday
Posted at 7:18 AM on August 20, 2009
by Steve Seel
(6 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below with your requests)
You better believe we got ambushed by Mother Nature yesterday, when a tornado (or possible tornados, plural) touched down around the Twin Cities, surprising even the most stalwart meteorologists. You may have seen some damage in your own neighborhood, and even our beloved landmark The Electric Fetus got slammed. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt as far as we know.
So, it's a no brainer: gotta play your storm songs today for the 9:30 Coffee Break!
Update: Your requests we played ...
1) Pixies: "Stormy Weather" (We certainly could have played the jazz standard, but when you figure the total times this song has been played in the history of the world compared to that one, the choice seems obvious)
2) Parliament/Funkadelic: "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker" (and, brain surgeon that I am, I played the short version that doesn't actually contain the title of the song anywhere in the lyric, making this to official obscure tune of the day. I can only imagine a number of people thinking, "What does 'we want the funk' have to do with storms?" My bad).
3) Cloud Cult: "Everybody Here Is A Cloud" (from Feel Good Ghosts Tea Partying Through Tornadoes, no less)
4) Neko Case: "This Tornado Loves You" (the popular favorite today)
5) The Kills: "Last Day Of Magic" (you know: "my little tornado... my little hurricane-o..."
Thanks everyone!
Wednesday Coffee Break: Makin' Up Your Mind
Posted at 7:54 AM on August 19, 2009
by Steve Seel
(9 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
So he finally decided: Brett Favre, that is. Number four is now a Viking. Of course, if you hadn't heard that yet, welcome back from your trip to Greenland.
The story of Favre's maybe-I-will-no-I-won't-ok-I-will has been amply recounted elsewhere. This morning, we're really just concerned with one thing: the whole concept of waffling. Not being able to make up your mind ... changing it, being indecisive, finally deciding. That's today's theme for the 9:30 Coffee Break.
Update: Your requests we played ...
1) The Clash, "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
2) The Lovin' Spoonful, "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind"
3) Bucks Fizz, "Making Up Your Mind"
4) Raspberries, "If You Change Your Mind"
5) Devo, "Freedom Of Choice"
Who are Bucks Fizz, by the way? Oh, my my. Ready for some cheese? Some severely caucasian cheese?
Bucks Fizz were a kind of Britsh ABBA, back circa 1980. This was their major hit, and it was a finalist in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Tuesday Coffee Break: I Scream, You Scream ...
Posted at 8:06 AM on August 18, 2009
by Steve Seel
(8 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated with your requests, below)
What's your favorite scream in rock n' roll?
A few months ago, a record started circulating around New York, featuring nothing but notable screams in popular music. Not songs containing screams, but just the screams. A limited-edition, 500-pressing record called Favorite Recorded Screams, it contains familiar blurts and yelps from the likes of James Brown, The Pixies, Bjork, and a bunch of others. The record and it's creator, LeRoy Stevens, is profiled in yesterday's New York Times online.
Seemed like a pretty fun topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Request some of your favorite screams today!
Update: Your requests that we played:
1) The Beatles, "Revolution"
2) The Sonics, "Psycho"
3) James Brown, "The Payback"
4) Screamin' Jay Hawkins, "I Put A Spell On You"
5) Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Travelin' Band"
6) The Who, "We Won't Get Fooled Again"
That last tune, by the way, turned out to be an imperative; we got so many requests for it that we thought we might cause an online riot if we didn't comply. You gotta admit, Roger Daltrey's vocal explosion before the last verse probably is the most famous recorded scream in rock history.
Monday Coffee Break: A Jim Dickinson Tribute
Posted at 11:14 AM on August 17, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
As Bill DeVille noted yesterday, legendary Memphis session man and producer Jim Dickinson died over the weekend at the age of 67. Dickinson lent his keyboard talents, arranging, and producing to a surprisingly wide array of projects over the years, and we dediced to pay tribute today on the 9:30 Coffee Break. The tunes we played:
1) The Rolling Stones, "Wild Horses" (piano)
2) Big Star, "Thank You Friends" (producer, Third/Sister Lovers)
3) Aretha Franklin, "Spirit In The Dark" (piano)
4) The Replacements, "Alex Chilton" (producer, Pleased To Meet Me)
Friday Coffee Break: A Les Paul Custom
Posted at 2:16 PM on August 14, 2009
by Steve Seel
(1 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
The music world has been continuing to mourn the passing of a true legend and innovator with the death of Les Paul on Thursday at the age of 94. Paul's invention of the solid-body electric guitar - in essence, an innovation that made the sound of rock n' roll possible - can not in any way be underestimated.
Barb Abney began our tributes yesterday afternoon after we first got the news of Paul's death by playing a set featuring guitarists who have been visible players of the iconic Gibson guitar that bears Les Paul's name. This morning for the 9:30 Coffe Break, Jill and I continued that salute with your input. We also began by playing a little Les Paul himself, along with his wife Mary Ford.
1) Les Paul and Mary Ford, "How High The Moon"
2) Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page - '58 and '59 Standard Sunburst), "Dancing Days"
3) Green Day (Billy Joe Armstrong - Les Paul "Junior"), "Know Your Enemy"
4) Guns N' Roses (Slash - Standard Sunburst), "Sweet Child O' Mine"
5) KISS, (Ace Frehley, Les Paul Custom) "Shout It Out Loud"
6) Neil Young ('56 Goldtop painted black), "Hey Hey My My"
Thursday Coffee Break: Tom Waits as The Devil?
Posted at 7:54 AM on August 13, 2009
by Steve Seel
(1 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
(updated below)
If you could cast anyone as the Devil, who would you pick? Ever consider Tom Waits?
Filmmaker Terry Gilliam thought Waits would be the ideal actor to portray Satan for his new film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Now that's something we can't wait to see. Only, according the Movieline, we may have some trouble actually seeing it - because the film has yet to find a US distributor. This despite the fact that it's apparently Heath Ledger's last film. Well then, the film must be awful, right? Uh, no - check out the praise-filled blurbs in the trailer below (lifted from credible review soureces like GQ, the LA Times and the Daily Mail - not exactly hacks from small-market TV stations). Unbelievable, eh?
So today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, we asked for some of your favorite devilish songs by Tom Waits.
(Updated): Your requests that we played:
1) "What's He Buiding?"
2) "Goin' Out West"
3) "Singapore"
4) "How's It Gonna End"
Tuesday Coffee Break: Abbey Road Cover Turns 40
Posted at 3:04 PM on August 11, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Jill and I thought it might be fun to bring you a special edition of the 9:30 Coffee Break today: to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' Abbey Road cover photo session - which was this past Saturday - we decided to play the complete side two medley.
Abbey Road is both Jill's and my favorite Beatles album. For me, it was the core Beatles record of my youth, thanks to my music mentor sister who put it front-and-center in my consciousness. And the Side 2 medley - comprised of a host of never-finished songs the band strung together in a kind of "get 'em all on the last record finished or not" free-for-all, is almost an accidental masterpiece because of the almost stream-of-consciousness nature of the pastiche. It's brilliant. Let's play it on the radio, we thought, since you rarely hear the whole thing all the way from "You Never Give Me Your Money" to "Her Majesty."
9:30 Coffee Break: the Travellin' Blues
Posted at 9:32 AM on August 10, 2009
by Jim McGuinn
(1 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
The weather is clear. It's a short direct flight home, right? How about mechanical failure and a 30-hour delay, including more than doubling the distance travelled in order to get home? That's what my weekend turned out to be. Arriving at the airport in Albany on Saturday afternoon to get home from a vacation week in Vermont, I knew something was up when I saw them unloading the luggage from our plane at the exact time we should have been boarding. After cancelling the flight due to mechanical issues, my wife, 3-year old son and I entered that specifically Kafka-esque zone when this happens. Sure, the airline got us a room (just what you always wanted - Saturday night at a horrid hotel in a non-descript chain store part of town!), but it ended up costing us over $100 in unwanted food expenditures (although it was fascinating to make our first ever trip to an Outback!). Returning to the airport the next day, there were no problems, but it's always a drag when your simple direct flight is switched to a rather non-direct detour thru... Atlanta, which last time I checked was nowhere near the most logical path from New York state to Minnesota.
Thanks for the suggestions and commiseration today, although after reading this story in NewsCut, I feel positively lucky to have arrived back home at 1am this morning.
1) Beach Boys - Sloop John B ("I wanna go home")
2) Built to Spill - The Wait ("you wait" repeat 50x)
3) Tom Petty - The Waiting (well, it is the hardest part)
If you've got a great tale of travel woe, feel free to share below...
9:30 Coffee Break: A John Hughes Tribute
Posted at 9:50 AM on August 7, 2009
by Steve Seel
(3 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
A bittersweet morning today, with very sad news that director John Hughes died yesterday of a heart attack at the age of 59. Why bittersweet, you ask? Because Hughes' death has brought forth so many memories for so many people - quoting their favorite Hughes-movie lines, talking about their favorite scenes ... and recalling the music. John Hughes ushered in an era where pop music was used in the score in a way it hadn't been before; he really gets the credit for this. And the reasonance he created with his use of music truly shows to this day, both in modern film and in the way those original movies created indelible memories in the people who saw them. Indeed, the music was at least as important as the the story and the actors in many John Huges films.
So today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, I asked what some of your favorite tunes were from John Hughes movies, and the response was overwhelming. I wish I could have played them all, but in 30 minutes, I only got to about a quarter of them. So here's a sampling - including, naturally, the biggest hits, and a couple of the more obscure ones.
1) Simple Minds, "Don't You Forget About Me" (The Breakfast Club)
2) The Smiths, "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" (Pretty In Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
3) The Beatles, "Twist And Shout" (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
4) Kate Bush, "This Woman's Work" (She's Having A Baby)
5) The Psychedelic Furs, "Pretty In Pink" (Pretty In Pink)
6) The Jesus And Mary Chain, "The Hardest Walk" (Some Kind Of Wonderful)
Oh my, there are so, so many more. We might have to extend this into next week. I didn't even get to Sixteen Candles! Then there's Planes Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, the Nation Lampoon Vacation movies (which he wrote), and others (did you know he wrote Mr. Mom? I didn't either. Beer? Scotch?)
Rest in peace, Mr. Hughes. If anybody messes with the bull in heaven, you tell 'em they'll get the horns.
Block Party, Anyone?
Posted at 10:38 AM on August 4, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
This evening is National Night Out 2009; so are you planning to hold a block party of your own? Maybe to attend one held by one of your neighbors? It seemed to me like a fine opportunity to base the 9:30 Coffee Break around songs to help us get in the mood to socialize with our fellow neighborhoodies tonight, in a safe and family-friendly kind of way. Your requests that I played:
1) Marvin Gaye, "Got To Give It Up Pt. 1"
2) Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Down On The Corner"
3) Martha and The Vandellas, "Dancin' In The Street"
4) Chemical Brothers, "Block Rockin' Beats"
5) Bob Marley, "Jammin'"
Have fun tonight, and be safe!
What Are Some More Bands Who Have Never "Jumped the Shark"?
Posted at 11:42 AM on July 31, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It all started back when Thurston and Lee from Sonic Youth visited our studios last week: we got to talking around the office about bands, such as Sonic Youth, who have never "jumped the shark." (You know the phrase, right? If not, here's a primer). Who are some other artists who have never made an ill-advised record or career decision, precipitaing their artistic decline? First, the discussion got going on Musicheads, where Bill DeVille and company talked about The Cure and Beck as fitting the criteria in their opinion (you can join in on that discussion here as well). But today, I put it to you for the 9:30 Coffee Break, so we could actually play some of your suggestions for such bands on the radio. The top vote getters, with selected songs:
1) Radiohead, "All I Need"
2) Yo La Tengo, "Little Eyes"
3) Bjork, "Earth Intruders"
4) Ween, "Shamemaker"
5) The Flaming Lips, "The W.A.N.D."
Where Does That Highway Go To?
Posted at 12:57 PM on July 29, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Whatever your opinion on the notorious Hell's Angels, their arrival in the Duluth area for the annual USA Summer Ride (including the requisite stop in Sturgis) provided the grist for today's 9:30 Coffee Break: songs for hitting the open road. We went with:
1) Bob Dylan, "Highway 61 Revisited" (ironic, given Bob's entry in "Today in Music History", below)
2) Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Road Trippin'"
3) Roger Miller, "King Of The Road"
4) Sufjan Stevens, "Chicago"
5) Yo La Tengo, "Speeding Motorcycle"
Phat Horns Please!
Posted at 10:29 AM on July 27, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
We thought you might benefit from a Monday pick-me-up today, and Jill and I decided bands with phat horn sections were just the right topic for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Your requests that we went with:
1) Sam and Dave (w/ the legendary Stax Horns), "Hold On I'm Comin'"
2) Average White Band, "Pick Up The Pieces"
3) Antibalas Arfobeat Orchestra, "Go Je Je"
4) Tower of Power, "What Is Hip?"
5) The JB's, "Pass the Peas"
So You Think You Can Act?
Posted at 10:28 AM on July 24, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
It's been a question before on our Musicheads program, and today for the 9:30 Coffee Break, we put it to you on the air: who are some musical performers who have successfully made the transition to acting? (Actors who have made the transition to being a musician will have to be a topic another day ... as Jill pointed out, that seems to be the much more difficult task). Your suggestions we went with:
1) Tom Waits, "Jockey Full of Bourbon"
2) Cher, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"
3) Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Higher Ground"
4) Frank Sinatra, "I Get A Kick Out Of You"
5) David Bowie, "Fashion"
Cher, Bowie and Sinatra should be obvious to most ... fewer people might be aware of Tom Waits' movie career, but it's been an extremely distinguished one: from Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law to Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula to Robert Altman's Short Cuts, and tons more. But what about the Chili Peppers? Well, Flea has actually had a number of bit parts over the years, such as in The Big Lebowski and the 2nd and 3rd Back to the Future movies. But it's in Point Break that you get to see Keanu Reaves beat both him and Anthony Kiedis at basketball. Ridiculous.
Breathe Deeply, Count To Ten ...
Posted at 10:47 AM on July 23, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Today being the one-year anniversary of Kid Rock's sentencing for starting a fight at an Atlanta Waffle House (see Today In Music History, below), we made other rock stars who could benefit from anger management counseling today's topic on the 9:30 Coffee Break. Your requests that we chose:
1) Oasis, "Don't Look Back In Anger" (you get two band members for the price of one here!)
2) Bjork, "Army of Me" (see video, below)
3) Ryan Adams, "Nuclear" (don't call him "Bryan")
4) Amy Winehouse, "You Know I'm No Good"
Everyone listed above has become notorious for an explosive temper, but only one of the four is the subject of some specific and oft-viewed video evidence.
The Doctor Is In
Posted at 1:46 PM on July 22, 2009
by Steve Seel
(2 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
In honor of President Obama's press conference tonight concerning his plans for health care reform, we took your requests for songs related to health for the 9:30 Coffee Break. Never let it be said that we don't go the distance for our listeners to play your requests, especially regarding the first song here.
1) Motley Crue, "Dr. Feelgood"
2) Peggy Lee, "Fever"
3) Nilsson, "Coconut"
4) Morphine, "Cure For Pain"
Everything Is Wonderful In The World of Magic
Posted at 10:46 AM on July 17, 2009
by Steve Seel
(1 Comments)
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Ah, nothing like quoting Doug Henning every now and then. Anyway, since this week saw the premiere of Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, we've got magic on our minds today, so all things magical was the topic for today's 9:30 Coffee Break. Hoo boy ... happy Friday.
1) The Flaming Lips, "The W.A.N.D"
2) Pilot, "It's Magic"
3) The Kills, "Last Day of Magic"
4) Focus, "Hocus Pocus"
That's right, "Hocus Pocus." C'mon! You know you love it. Besides, Doug Henning himself looks like he could have been in this band.
Everybody's Talkin... Supremely Senatorial
Posted at 2:02 PM on June 1, 2009
by Jim McGuinn
Filed under: 9:30 Coffee Break
Today lawyers for both Norm Coleman and Al Franken had their day in court - the MN Supreme Court. As the non-election rolls into month 7, depending on their ruling, this could be the end of the line (maybe) for Coleman campaign, or not. So the theme today was arguments and lawyers... and to quote Radiohead's "Electioneering" -
I will stop, I will stop at nothing.
Say the right things when electioneering
I trust I can rely on your vote.
When I go forwards you go backwards
and somewhere we will meet.
When I go forwards you go backwards
and somewhere we will meet.
Ha ha ha
Songs played: Warren Zevon "Lawyers, Guns, and Money
The Clash "I Fought the Law"
The O' Jays "992 Arguments"
My favorite "song that shouldn't but totally does fit" was a request for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" -
Will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go-let me go
No,no,no,no,no,no,no-
Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go-
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me...
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