Insomnia Radio: The SoCal Sessions

Yes, there’s a place where musicians instinctively flock like the Salmon of Capistrano. Well the quote goes something like that; obviously off quite a bit, but fits the random theme of the show. Just listen through here and it may suddenly appear when you hear the song about Colorado, or maybe it was the one about California. Lots of interesting tracks abound today. We’ve got a possible aborist/experimental musician from Burbank who plays a living tree as an instrument as well as a live introduction from my trip to the The Roxy Theater in Los Angeles to see local musician Chance perform. There’s bagpipe music leading into tracks about towns in the Southern California desert, Ennio Morricone influenced pop-folk and some mutinous piratical pub-stomping rock from up the coast in Santa Barbara. We even managed to find a band that recorded their album in San Pedro to tell a tale about a sad crane operator from the Ports of LA, with a brief introduction to the town from one of my liquored up friends who speaks of Bukowski and commerce. Please enjoy today’s mixtape, so to speak. TRT: 1:04:12 TRACK LISTING 1] The Mutineers – Hell No 2] California Celts – Hills of Yucca Valley 3] Superhumanoids – Palm Springs (KKS remix) 4] Pepepiano – Millennium Wet Dream 5] Francisco The Man – Broken Arrow 6] Stone Darling – All I Wanna Do 7] The Lonely Wild – Right Side of the Road 8] From Here to LA – Colorado 9] Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Teenage Tide 10] 50FOOTWAVE – Radiant Addict 11] 400 Blows – We Killed Like Champions 12] Codpiece – Lament of the Crane Operator 13] Diego Stocco – Music From a Tree 14] White Apple Tree – Circles 15] Chance – Independent (w/ live intro from The Roxy Theatre – 2011) Download IR: The SoCal Sessions #34 Subscribe to The SoCal Sessions Original Image By debaird @ FLICKR – Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

April’s assembly of thirteen local artists have all been in heavy rotation in my player in the last few months via work commutes, expeditions through the ice & snow, powder carving on top of the world, and while sitting in the dark, illuminated only by the glow of the computer monitor – headphones firmly glued to the cranium. It’s actually been a crazy few months weatherwise, with the rare tendrils of snow (or graupel as a few local weather-snobs proclaimed) hitting the local Burbank area after a fifty to sixty or so year snow-drought. You’ll hear some crazy expletives at the head of the program in relation to this local action. On top of a record year in the Sierras a lot of rare events have been occurring, amongst some heavy heavy local burtations. I hope you enjoy our 33rd full length episode. TRT 58:41, NSFW TRACK LISTING 1) Foster the People – Helena Beat | Facebook 2) Pic Vicious – Heart of Hearts | Facebook 3) Ballerina Black – Leaves | Facebook 4) Oregon Bike Trails – High School Lover 5) The Smiles – Cala Cola | Facebook 6) Lord Huron – The Stranger | Facebook 7) Hands – Brave Motion | Facebook Romany Rye – Untitled (Love Song) | Facebook 9) Saint Motel – Puzzle Pieces | Facebook 10) The Henry Clay People – California Wildfire | Facebook 11) Tic Tic Boom! – Just Friends | Facebook 12) Airlines – Burial Grounds | Facebook 13) Damon Castillo Band – Your Fool (feat. SLO Symphony) (live) | Facebook Download IR: The SoCal Sessions #33 Subscribe to The SoCal Sessions LINKS MAIN SOUNDBEDS BY TAPE DECK MOUNTAIN (“P.I.” | “It Goes Down”) & MOGWAI (“San Pedro”) GOODNIGHT BURBANK (WEBSITE | FACEBOOK) RATHOLERADIO.ORG MAIN IMAGE OF MAMMOTH BY LORD HURON ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC PODCASTING

Febuary’s thirteen track show starts off in a comedic rock vein with some strong local tracks inspired by Tenacious D and even containing their rock-god DNA stamped all over them. From here we take you into a stretch of quality indie rock from the Little Heroes through White Lights, with a little Black Watch and more goodness in between. At the last minute I decided to take the second half of the show and turn it into a dedication to a close friend’s father who passed away in late January, with some appropriate themed space-oriented tracks and mission audio from a few of those who spoke at the service. At the tail end of the show we explain the sad situation thrust upon our friends up north at KUSF, and the fight they are taking to the FCC in a few weeks to keep Entercom and KUSC from wresting away future controls of their local airwaves through shady backroom dealings. Turn it up, support your local artists, and please help support KUSF in the next few weeks as your local college or community radio station could get gobbled up next. TRT 55:45, NSFW TRACK LISTING 1) Trainwreck – The Drummer | Facebook 2) Trey Green – I Wanna Rcck N Roll | Facebook 3) The Little Heroes – Say I’ll Be Gone | Facebook 4) The Black Watch – Like in the Movies 5) Superhumanoids – Hey Big Bang | Facebook 6) Eulogies – You Hide | Facebook 7) White Lights – Ponzi Scheme | Facebook Boris Smile – Satellites (Soundbed) | Facebook 9) High Places – From Stardust To Sentience | Facebook 10) Building a Better Spaceship – Spacey | Facebook 11) The New Division – Starfield | Facebook 12) Birdmonster – Spaceman | Facebook 13) Sleepless Nights – Radio Silence | Facebook Download IR: The SoCal Sessions #32 Subscribe to The SoCal Sessions LINKS SAVE KUSF (WEBSITE) SAVE KUSF (FACEBOOK) STARDUST MISSION PAGE MAIN SOUNDBEDS BY AUDIOSURFER:  SUNSET OVER LAGUNA, PACIFIC PARADISE, NOCTURNE ORIGINAL IMAGE BY HELDER – Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Today’s primarily Los Angeles based show slowly crept upward from 6 tracks,  doubling in size as we gradually realized that we had an oversharing problem. While this can swifly turn to embarrassment in social networking circles, here we like to think its a very good thing.   |  TRT 50:36 – NSFW RIFFS & MELODIES Nico Stai – Dead Pony (w/ short interview @ The Roxy) | Facebook Kisses – People Can Do the Most Amazing Things | Facebook The Power Cords – Texas Desert | Facebook Lelia Broussard – Satellite | Facebook Paul Avion – Stand Up, Be a Man | Facebook A Book About Elephants – Copper Kettles | Facebook El Ten Eleven – Indian Winter | Facebook Downtown/Union – Keep the Engine Running | Facebook Radars to the Sky - Mirror | Facebook American Royalty – Lately | Facebook AWOLNATION – MF | Facebook Kyle Jester – LA | Facebook Download IR: The SoCal Sessions #31 Subscribe to The SoCal Sessions

The metal has been slowly building in my system for the last few years, to where something drastic had to be done, fortunately right in time for Halloween this year. In this episode I detoxify using questionable methods, and luckily for you that means a break from my normal programming and a longer than normal look inside a select part of the metal scene from San Diego to Los Angeles. Some of the bands featured today have moved on, but that doesn’t mean the music is retired. Many of the groups here are quite active and are putting out new albums, while one or two have been around since the beginnings of the LA metal scene. Styles run the gamut from traditional metal to grindcore, including other metal influenced styles of rock. embellished with plenty of operatic screams for your enjoyment. It just wouldn’t be a proper show if it wasn’t replete with death growls for you closer to the finale, ripped out of the pages of your old Dungeons & Dragons campaign and recorded in bloody howling stereo. TRT: 1:20:16. NSFW FEATURED ARTISTS The Plague Within – Fearless (clip) W.A.S.P. – Long Way to Go Fydolla Ho – Untied Holy Grail – My Last Attack PeepHole – New Set of Eyes Black Flame 13 – Lindsay Lohan Testing Tomorrow – Grip Canobliss – Hit the Floor Jagged Thought Process – Smirking (Tastes Like Floor) Death Riders – Crucifixation In This Moment – Beautiful Tragedy Warner Drive – Lost Black Chapel – Sands of Time Prototype – Synthespian A Race Called Man – Drifter Crescent Shield – The Last of My Kind Never Like The Movies – Ballad of the Horde Ghostbuster – I Just Walked Two Miles With a Banana In My Pocket Download “IR: The SoCal Sessions #30 – Get the Metal Out!” Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All

Not everyone who sings about our little regional bubble is from the Southern California area, so I decided to place a few tracks at the head of the show today that offer a alternative viewpoint – maybe not pleasing to hardcore regional cheerleaders but still great songs and excellent bands worth your perusal and ultimate support. Today’s show also features loads of excellent new tracks from bands all over the LA area, with a brief dip below the county line to Newport Beach to visit Young the Giant and a road trip to Las Vegas where we check in with another favorite, Imagine Dragons. I saw you scratching your head looking at this graphic, so wanted to let you know that the episode’s title comes from an old-timey commercial embedded within; my dream sponsor for the program if you will. While supplies last….   -cs TRT: 1:03:08 | WORK SAFE (…as far as I can tell…) DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE TODAY’S COOKS The Lonely Forest - Live There The Voyces – Let Me Die in Southern California Halloween, Alaska – The Hollywood Sign The Sea of Cortez – The Shores Young the Giant – My Body The Secret 6 – Drama Queen Film School – Heart Full of Pentagons Imagine Dragons – Cover Up Voxhaul Broadcast – Leaving on the 5th Twilight Sleep – Don’t Fire Your Guns Ima Robot – Ruthless Fools Gold – Suprise Hotel Original photo remixed and re-released under Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. Creative Commons for the win. [vimeo]6920060[/vimeo]

IR’s SoCal Sessions return after close to a years absence, bringing quality tracks from San Diego, Temecula, Long Beach, and basically all over the LA and OC regions. Please listen and help support these artists’ livelihoods. Its good to be back! -cs TRT:  44:45 , NOT WORK SAFE THE SETUP Arms Entwined – We’re on Drugs! The Number Sixes – Beyond the Black Hole Boris Smile – Apollo Normandie Wilson – Let This Space Live Free From What You Were About To Say Mod Amish – September The Black Pacific – The System One Day As a Lion – Wild International Open Hand – Life As Is Zoli Band – Hold Me The Pirates Charles – Whiskey in the Jar California Celts – Half Way to St. Patty’s Day DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE

We were recently sent a haunting track from local Los Angeles (Highland Park) based singer-songwriter ANNY CELSI via our friends at IODA, and we haven’t had a chance to get it up until today – the day after Thanksgiving, yet still in the holiday window. This track was apparently being featured in iTunes Essentials’ ‘Thanksgiving Dinner’ collection (sandwiched between Adam Sandler & the Band) and is available as a promo track from Anny’s new CD “Tangle-Free World.” It was produced by Nelson Bragg of the Brian Wilson Band and music contributors include 60′s chanteuse Evie Sands, Phil Parlapiano (John Prine, Grant Lee Buffalo), Carl Byron (Michelle Shocked), and several more!! Here’s an excerpt from a recent review… “…after the first few bars of the title track, this album grabbed my attention, and I turned the volume, up – way up!…Thanksgiving in Hollywood…starts out with a bit of a melancholy introduction then picks up the pace with plenty of jangly guitars (which I love) and some very cool organ and lead guitar contributing to a wonderful folk-pop sound. The mood is a bit dark and mysterious, yet uplifting at the same time. One of my favorite tracks on the album.” (Laurie Biagini) DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE Anny Celsi’s Website Anny @ MySpace Anny Celsi “Thanksgiving In Hollywood” (mp3) from “Tangle-Free World” (Ragazza Music) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album

Step right up! We’ve got eighteen tracks from eighteen different indie artists hailing from the Central Valley region of California, with a regional bullseye on the city of Fresno – presented in the traditional yet beloved mixtape format. This is the supplement to our last full length episode on the Southern California feed entitled ‘IR: The SoCal Sessions #27 – Party in Fresno‘. If you haven’t already taken a listen, head on over for more great music. TRT: 1:11:40 WORK SAFE:  QUESTIONABLE, AND THEN UPON FURTHER REVIEW, NO COMMENTARY: VERY LITTLE TO NONE DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE TRACK LISTING The Argyle Pimps: Old School Metallica Subdue: Overture Rademacher: Arkansas From Indian Lakes: We Are Invincible It’s An Icicle: Donkey Kong’s Song 40 Watt Hype: Keep It Together Flywright: Velveteen Something From the Planet Hell: The Ghost of Rick James Mynis: Bye Tomorrow HateFX: Hide Off Six Ounce Gloves: Where Do I Go Sparklejet: Message To My Ear The Sleepover Disaster: Funnel Cloud Wheels of Fortune: I Know That the Answer is Nothing Blake Jones & The Trike Shop: Snapshots The Overdubs: Trying Bravery The Notones: Notown Nocturne Super Lucky Catz: It’s Alright

Per local musician Brian Kenney Fresno’s mission statement, the holy triumvirate of activities in the Central California city of Fresno are: car theft, methlabs and chop shops.   While you often hear the area lovingly roasted for such, the city does contain many more highly notable features, such as their rich musical legacy and tight-knit community that feels a little more real and less musician-migratory than a lot of major metro areas.  This may have been a possible factor that helped put Fresno onto the top #10 list of Esquire Magazine’s ‘Cities That Rock’ list in 2004, around the time Insomnia Radio was founded. After several weeks of online immersion into the music scene and a few years of CA music programming, I’ve compiled a list of musicians from the area that were accessible online and span over several years, all the way back to the early 80′s during the rich punk scene that continues to this day.  Some of the artists are still around, while some have moved on.  The list is by no means all inclusive as I had twice the number of artists I would have like to have featured, but only so much real estate here to fit them into. While there is some roasting in this show, consider this a toast to the area, its musical heritage, and the musicians who continue to call Fresno and its surrounding communities home. TRT:  1:16:52, NOT WORK SAFE DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE INVITE LIST Capitol Punishment – Elephant Man (clip) Something From the Planet Hell – Devilution The Basement – Natural The Sleepover Disaster – Hold My Tongue From Indian Lakes – We Thought Your Hearts Were Beating Sparklejet – Clever Personality The Aircrash – The Pursuit Rademacher – If U Got Some Magic Wheels of Fortune – Fresno Is a Good Little Town (Holiday Version) Kat Jones – Without a Sound (live) Super Lucky Catz – Semi-Unconditional Travis Oberg – Redemption Atari Champ – He’s the Astronaut Let’s Go Bowling – Bone Dry Flywright – Warm as the Womb Winter Wardrobe – Trouble With Friends Brian Kenney Fresno – That’s Who! LOCAL RESOURCES Dorktown [podcast] The View Looks Good From Here, Fresno Fresno Famous Fresno Punk Scene History The Fresnan Party in Fresno (fake working title)

Today we are celebrating the release of the latest album on Secretly Canadian Records by LA indie band Foreign Born, who we first played as part of our SXSW showcase compilation in 2008. The first track you will be hearing, ‘In the Shape’, was featured on that compilation and was a good taste of what was to come this year. June brought us the release of ‘Person to Person’, Foreign Born’s 2nd album, and 1st for Secretly Canadian, with a more lighthearted feel to the tracks. The song following ‘In the Shape’ is from their latest release and was called ‘Early Warning’, featuring some African guitars, a perfect song for this summer and a great way to introduce the album to you.  We also have their newest single, ‘Vacationing People’, at the tail end of the featurette.  Now for a little history: Their bio says they are a band that lives and breathes Los Angeles, starting off their career in San Francisco with different members, although finding their identity here; three of the group being native Los Angelinos – one whom is a groundskeeper in Coldwater Canyon Park. Foreign Born basically wrote, arranged, engineered, and produced this record with horn arrangements, woodwinds, strings, synthesizers, and as they put it “enough harmonies to sink a ship”, albeit in a good way. For more info on Foreign Born, do not go to foreignborn.com or you will find online services for immigrants. Check out our links embedded within the post.  Also our apologies. In this episode we incorrectly name the new album as ‘People to People’ when it is actually ‘Person to Person’.  Doh. TRACK LISTING 1) In the Shape 2) Early Warning 3) Vacationing People DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE