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Category Archive: Theft of the Dial
Theft of the Dial : FELT (with audio)
Posted at 9:05 PM on November 18, 2009
by Mark Wheat
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Enjoy the banter between Slug, Murs and Aesop Rock as they celebrate the release of their new cd "A Tribute to Rosie Perez" and argue over their respective picks.
Predict who selected which of these tracks, who really likes Insane Clown Posse!?!?
1. Felt - Protagonists
2. Roma Di Luna - Plenty
3. Kings of Leon - Revelry
4. The Mountain Goats - Palmcorder Yajna
5. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
6. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
7. Attracted To Gods - Dirt Road
8. Felt - Ghost Dance Deluxe
Theft of the Dial ; Felt
Posted at 7:39 PM on November 16, 2009
by Mark Wheat
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Slug from Atmosphere has teamed up with Murs again for their third Felt project and they've Aesop Rock on board this time. It was a thrill to have them all in the studio together. They'll be hanging out at the Rhymesayers store Fifth Element on Hennepin tomorrow night to celebrate the new "A Tribute To Rosie Perez". Check the Rhymesayers site for details and the video that we talked about, the Ray Shermersy TV show, here's what they picked;
1. Felt - Protagonists
2. Roma Di Luna - Plenty
3. Kings of Leon - Revelry
4. The Mountain Goats - Palmcorder Yajna
5. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
6. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
7. Attracted To Gods - Dirt Road
8. Felt - Ghost Dance Deluxe
Theft of the Dial: Moby
Posted at 2:49 PM on October 9, 2009
by Jill Riley
(4 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Moby was an amazing guest DJ. He's not only a musician, but a huge, passionate music fan. It's my hope that he steals our radiowaves again in the near future.
Here's the playlist from Moby's Theft of the Dial. We also included two of his new tracks.
1. Moby - Pale Horses
2. The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You
3. TV on the Radio - Staring At The Sun
4. Suicide - Cheree Cheree
5. John Lee Hooker - Will The Circle Be Unbroken
6. Joy Divison - Atmosphere
7. Goldfrapp - Utopia
8. Moby - Mistake
Mason Jennings' Theft of the Dial
Posted at 7:05 PM on September 22, 2009
by Mark Wheat
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
It was very special for me to get the chance to do this feature with Mason. He tells the story of how I was the first DJ that he heard play his song, the first in this set. Since that start here in the TC's it's been fun watching him travel the planet and build a loyal following. His new album is a departure for him in many peoples eyes as he has gone back to playing electric guitar, but he told the story of taping Whitesnake songs from the radio to learn the riffs, that's where he bagan his love affair with music! He's also a great DJ who likes to turn us on to new artists like Chad and tells sweet stories of why the Nina Simone song has always stuck with him and why Zep are his fave band of all time, enjoy!
1. Mason Jennings - California II
2. Chad Vangaalen - Echo Train
3. Matt Jennings - City Under The Lake
4. Greg Brown - Hey Baby Hey
5. Nina Simone - Turn Me On
6. Led Zeppelin - I'm Gonna Crawl
7. Nick Drake - Time of No Reply
8. Mason Jennings - Blood of Man
Theft of the Dial with Craig Minowa of Cloud Cult
Posted at 12:00 PM on August 20, 2009
by Lindsay Kimball
(8 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Last month at the 10,000 Lakes Festival near Detroit Lakes in Minnesota, I sat down with Craig Minowa of Cloud Cult. As the main singer/songwriter/composer in the group, we invited him to nab our airwaves for a bit as he selected the songs he wanted to hear for Theft of the Dial. Like most Theft of the Dial sessions, Craig picked songs from all over the musical spectrum, but the one thing I noticed was that, as a listener, you can hear the influences of all the songs on the Cloud Cult sound. From the introspective XTC and Kate Bush to the bombastic Janes Addiction and sonically intense Peter Gabriel to the light, dancey Frank Mills and Tom T. Hall, you can hear how those pieces fit together to impact Cloud Cult's music.
Song list:
1. Cloud Cult - No One Said It Would Be Easy
2. XTC - Dear God
3. Kate Bush - This Woman's Work
4. Jane's Addiction - Chip Away
5. Peter Gabriel - Passion
6. Frank Mills - Music Box Dancer
7. Tom T. Hall - I Love
8. Cloud Cult - Love You All
Theft of the Dial: The Dead Weather
Posted at 10:28 AM on August 13, 2009
by Jill Riley
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence (LJ) of The Dead Weather took over the airwaves of The Current during another edition of Theft of the Dial.
Here's what they played while they sat in as DJ's.
1. Captain Beefheart - Sure Enough and Yes I Do
2. Townes Van Zandt - It's Easier Than Just Waiting Around To Die
3. Screaming Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You
4. Blue Cheer - Out Of Focus
5. Geeshie Wiley - Last Kind Words
6. RUNDMC - Peter Piper
Theft of the Dial with Glenn Kotche of Wilco
Posted at 7:27 PM on August 6, 2009
by Lindsay Kimball
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Glenn Kotche, the drummer in Wilco, at the 10,000 Lakes Festival before their show on July 23rd. The Current collected questions from listeners before we headed up there, and we chose five questions to ask Glenn. Hear the answers to those questions as well as Glenn's picks for Theft of the Dial.
Glenn Kotche's Playlist for Theft of the Dial:
1. Glenn Kotche - Mobile, pt 3
2. Captain Beefheart - Low Yo Yo Stuff
3. Low - Cue the Strings
4. Kassin +2 - Esquecido
5. Dirty Projectors with David Byrne - Knotty Pine
6. Tortoise - High Class Slim Came Floatin' In
7. Glenn Kotche - Clapping Music Variations
If you missed the broadcast of this Theft of the Dial, listen to it here:
Theft of the Dial: Sonic Youth
Posted at 10:37 AM on July 31, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
I can only say that I was "agog" as Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth sat before me in our studios playing DJ for this latest edition of "Theft of the Dial." They were awesome DJs! Totally comfortable at the gig. If you missed it, I highly encourage you to listen to the whole thing - not just for some great radio, but also an extremely cool insight into what makes these guys (and thus Sonic Youth in general) tick. With the exception of the very swampy John Fahey cut, I felt occasionally like I was listening to sort of an examination of the stuff that Thurston and Lee felt like they'd influenced themselves; from the band Hush Arbors, on Thurston's own label, to a the very Sonic Youth-y Pavement track "Fight This Generation," to one of Cat Power's darkest tracks, "Names."
Thanks Thurston and Lee for being great hosts. Here's their playlist:
Awesome Color, "Free Man"
Hush Arbors, "Rue Hollow"
Cat Power, "Names"
Pavement, "Fight This Generation"
Wooden Wand, "The Pushers"
John Fahey, "Revelation On the Banks of the Pawtuxet"
Theft of the Dial: Craig Finn of The Hold Steady
Posted at 1:50 PM on July 24, 2009
by Mary Lucia
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
The Hold Steady may hold the honor of being the most frequented artists to visit the Current Studios.
Having been on a world wide tour in support of Stay Positive for the last year straight, the band will head back to New York this summer to take a much earned break, to water their plants, kiss their girlfriends, do laundry and start thinking about their next CD which they plan to record in upstate New York.
Craig Finn is never at a loss for words, he has a lot to say in his own music so we knew he would make a perfect Theft of The Dial guest host to talk about other people's music.
Listen
Black Francis stole our dial!!
Posted at 7:15 PM on July 22, 2009
by Mark Wheat
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
We started off the set with a track from the new album that Francis (as David Bowie calls him) or Charles (as his wife calls him) has made with his wife Violet, in the spare time that they have between raising 5 kids under the age of 11?!?!? The name of the project comes from Luxembourg...well listen to the stories that he tells and see if you can guess as the playlist unfolds, what is the theme that links it all together?
1. Grand Duchy - Ermesinde
2. The Platters - The Great Pretender
3. The Beatles - Savoy Truffle
4. Iggy Pop - Tell Me A Story
5. De La Soul - 3 The Magic Number
6. Elliott Smith - Needle In The Hay
7. MGMT - Kids
Theft of the Dial with P.O.S.
Posted at 5:11 PM on May 21, 2009
by Mary Lucia
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Handing the controls over to P.O.S (Steph) was a blast. We're lucky we got P.O.S. before he takes off to tour Europe for a month, join the Warped tour, and then go out west for shows with (GASP!) The Bad Brains!
I love the tracks he picked and his reasons why he chose them: amazing beats, great songwriting, little known tunes (and new to me), and a hilarious rap about Chicago Mustaches, O'Douls, and Da Bulls.
Songs played
1. P.O.S. - Optimist
2. Spoon - I Summon You
3. Death From Above 1979 - Black History Month
4. Paul And Linda Mccartney - Monkberry Moon Delight
5. Santigold - The Creator
6. Serengeti - Dennehy
7. Sims - Like You Mean It
8. P.O.S. - Low Light Low Life
Theft of the Dial: Franz Ferdinand
Posted at 11:11 AM on May 5, 2009
by Jill Riley
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Bob (bass) and Paul (drummer) of Franz Ferdinand dropped by to take over the airwaves of The Current. They were a pleasure to chat with and a very capable pair to steal our airwaves on another edition of Theft of the Dial.
My Shadow by Jay Reatard
Two Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel
Ogre Battle by Queen
Woe is You and Me by The Strange Boys
Sea within a Sea by the Horrors
Credit by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti
Theft of the Dial: Robyn Hitchcock
Posted at 9:12 AM on April 24, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
It was a thrill of a lifetime for me to welcome indie-rock statesman Robyn Hitchcock to the DJ booth for a Theft of the Dial today. He was all the things he has the reputation for being: elegant, funny, genteel, and surreal. And he was a great DJ! Listener Mike wrote in during the session and asked, "Steve - can you get him in once a week?"
First, we played the title track from Robyn's latest record with his band The Venus 3, "Goodnight Oslo." Robyn then took the DJ chair and played his picks:
1) The Decemberists, "The Rake's Song"
2) The Minus 5, "Cigarettes, Coffee and Booze"
3) Love, "And More Again"
4) Gillian Welch, "Look At Miss Ohio"
5) Bob Dylan, "Cold Irons Bound"
6) Neko Case, "People Got a Lot of Nerve"
7) Jimi Hendrix, "Are You Experienced?"
8) The Doors, "Strange Days"
Finally, Robyn treated us to an exclusive piano performance of one of his classic tunes from the early 80s "Flavour of Night" from I Often Dream of Trains. My skin was vibrating at this point.
I couldn't possibly do justice to describing what it was like to be present for this unbelievably awesome radio experience ... but I don't have to! If you missed it, or want to enjoy it again, here it is.
And seriously, listen through to the end, to hear Robyn's piano stylings. They're a real treat. Our thanks again to Robyn Hitchcock - a natural DJ if there ever was one.
Theft of the Dial : Half of Death Cab For Cutie
Posted at 2:33 PM on April 23, 2009
by Mark Wheat
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Bass player Nick Harmer and guitarist/producer Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie both did radio while in college, and talked about how it had influenced their band. Chris also told a great story of buying a Shellac single because it had a photo of Todd Trainer's bedroom with all the recording equipment set up. The diagram of how to plug everything in on that 7" sleeve was Chris' blueprint to set up his first studio to record his friends on an eight track...he also revealed that it was either that 8-track or ski equipment as a purchase. Boy were we lucky!
They evidently love being in a band so that they can discuss music all day and took it in turns to pick the songs and tell the stories. They did reveal that the changes in the music business are affecting their decision making process. They now have to tour more to make their living and take less time in the studio. They also admire Jack White and his philosophy of NOT taking too much time in the studio, inducing Chris to say; "You know, rock'n'roll's dispensable!"
Listen:
Pale Young Gentlemen - Marvelous Design
- Chris found this Madison group through their producer Bo.
TV on the Radio - Dancing Choose
- Nick wants to shop and ride in elevators to these guys!
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Reading In Bed
- Chris's intrigued by Emily's postal service connection to Robert Wyatt!?!
The Dead Weather - Hang You From The Heavens
- Nick thinks Jack White is the best exanple of how to be a rock star!
The Gaslight Anthem - The 59 Sound
- Tegan & Sara, liked the GA sound so their diligent producer Chris bought it.
Antony & The Johnsons - Knocking On Heaven's Door
- Nick appreciated Antony reclaiming this song from Guns'n'Roses!
We introduced the segment with a track from their new Open Door EP "A Diamond and a Tether" which also includes a demo version of "Talking Bird" with Ben playing a ukelele. Apparently he has another side project based on the uke coming in the summer! We went into a Tragically Hip track from their new album. Chris is a long time fanand will be producing Gordon Downie's next cd as well as the new Tegan & Sara.
Theft of the Dial ; Andrew Bird
Posted at 4:44 PM on April 17, 2009
by Mark Wheat
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
Right after performing an awesome set in our UBS Forum and being grilled by Steve Seel, Andrew very kindly let me guide him through the process of being a DJ. He had never done it before and seemed curious to try. He explained how listening to "Blues Before Sunrise" on a station near his home in Illinois when he was young was an inspiration to him. It ran overnight and he would put a tape in when he went to sleep and wake up to turn it over!
That's probably when he first heard artists like Charlie Patton, played on old 78rpm vinyl records! The African, polyrthymic tracks in the centre of his set are both from "Ghana Soundz" compilations. He likes the way that all the instruments lock into one groove. The Cass McCombs track is from the '03 album simply entitled 'A'. Andrew expressed amazement at how Cass can construct songs out of such bewildering lyrical constructions. Interesting, as he had explained earlier to Steve how the new songs on his own 'Noble Beast' were the first that he had tried to get the lyrics down first before finishing the rest of the song. He then explained that the way his band plays, with his and Martin Dosh's loops interweaving means that the songs are never the same twice. They become a precarious tightrope act live, a kind of jazz, as they improvise around the results that they can never completely control. So ending the set with a little jazz was appropriate. And look for him to cover the song he kicked off with sometime also a favourite of mine from the hugely talented Bill Callahan;
1. Smog - Cold Blooded Old Times
2. Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band - Olufeme
3. Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band - Bukom Mashie
4. Charlie Patton - Shake It Break It
5. Django Reinhardt - I Cover The Water Front
6. Cass McCombs - I Went to The Hospital
7. Lester Young - The Man I Love
This new feature is very fulfilling, the musicians react in a totally different way than when talking about their own music. They come up with ways of describing music in a different way from fans, DJ's and critics.
Andrew also shared his near-electrocution story from last years Rock The Garden! He admitted that the band was not happy with the way the show was going before the short thunderstorm moved in. They nailed it when they came back on however for what many people described that day as a magical musical moment. Let's hope we get more of those this year, without any threats of electrocution!
Theft Of The Dial: Dave Wakeling
Posted at 11:59 AM on April 16, 2009
by Barb Abney
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
When I think about Dave Wakeling. I honestly get a little giddy. I mean, this guy has been a professional musician since I was in grade school! I remember hearing "Mirror In The Bathroom" years ago and loving that sound because I had honestly never heard anything like it before. Fast forward to just a few days ago... English Beat were in town and they stopped by for an in-studio interview/performance with Mark Wheat. Imagine how giddy I was when Dave Wakeling agreed to do a Theft Of The Dial session with/for me!
Dave wanted to trace the roots of ska a bit and told us some great stories about not only English Beat's history, like how another one of my heroes, John Peel, gave them their big break! Dave also taught me a thing or two about the history of ska. Dave and I thought it would be fun to call this session The Ska Stimulus Package.
We kicked off the fun with the classic English Beat track "Ranking Full Stop." And then Dave played...
The Wailers - "Simmer Down"
Desmond Dekker - "It Mek"
Lord Tanamo and The Skatelites - "I'm In The Mood for Ska"
Toots & The Maytals (often called 'The Vikings' in the UK) - "6th and 7th Books"
Justin Hinds and the Dominoes - "Carry Go Bring Come"
Derek Morgan - "Forward March"
Once Dave returned the mic to me, we talked about the next step for English Beat. The band intends to release a 7-song single/EP later this year. We played one of the new tunes you'll find on the album that the band had recorded earlier during their an in-studio interview/performance... "The Love You Give Lasts Forever."
Thanks again to Dave for being such an incredible dude and for making great radio! If you missed it, or simply want to experience it again...
Bob Mould on "Theft of the Dial"
Posted at 8:36 AM on April 3, 2009
by Steve Seel
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
What a thrill, what a gas, what a treat it was to have Bob Mould take over the DJ chair for another edition of Theft of the Dial. He arrived very excited to play a selection of tunes that kind of encapsulated the entire Bob Mould aesthetic, if you will - almost a snapshot of the trajectory of his own career and evolution of his musical tastes and interests. So, in his words, we traveled from "noise punk to melodic punk to shoegaze," and then onto some more electronic-oriented stuff that represents his affinity for dance music and his club DJ-ing persona as well.
First, we started by playing "I'm Sorry Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Anymore" off of Bob's latest CD, Life and Times. Then, Bob took it away. His playlist:
1) No Age - "Minor"
2) ****'ed Up - "Black Albino Bones"
3) Black Strap, "Rough Parade"
4) Phoenix, "1901"
5) Yuksek, "Tonight"
6) Royksopp, "This Must Be It"
Quite a snapshot of the continuum of Bob's extremely varied musical loves. Finally, we wrapped up with one more from Bob's latest, Life and Times, "City Lights."
Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Bob Mould for coming in and making some awesome radio for all of us on a Friday morning!
Missed it, or wanna here it again? Here's the entire segment, complete with songs:
Theft of the Dial: Michael Franti
Posted at 8:29 AM on February 18, 2009
by Steve Seel
(17 Comments)
Filed under: Theft of the Dial
I can think of no better musician to inaugurate our new feature, Theft of the Dial, than Michael Franti. A gentleman, a wellspring of generosity and positive energy, and also a very funny guy. Oh: and someone with great taste in music too, natch.
Theft of the Dial is when your favorite musicians will get to take control of the mic (and the CD player) for a spell and spin some of their favorite music - and talk about why they dig it. I think it's safe to say that Michael has set the bar pretty high for all the future guests to follow him.
We started with one of Michael's tunes with Spearhead: "Say Hey (I Love You)" off of their latest, All Rebel Rockers, and then Michael took the wheel to play his choices:
1) Bob Marley, "Sun Is Shining"
2) U2, "One"
3) Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire"
4) The Clash, "Train in Vain"
5) Sublime, "What I Got"
6) Joy Division, "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
7) Elvis Costello and the Attractions, "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding?"
We then closed witih another one from Michael and Spearhead, "Hey World," also from, All Rebel Rockers.
Our serious, serious thanks to Michael Franti for coming down and having so much fun making an awesome hour of radio on our airwaves.
If you missed it, you can listen to the whole thing right here.
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