Rock Garden Tour

Thriller! Night!

If you caught last night's Rock Garden Tour live-recording on KCFS 94.5, you know that we bounced around a bit - from zombie cucumbers, to ghost plants, to bat flowers, to the political process. I'm not sure where we ended up exactly, but it was a thrill. I do recall blasting out Lee Greenwood's 'Proud To Be An American' on the performance kazoo though. I also recall hearing the greatest Halloween story every told - The Legend of the Hub City Slasher! If you want to hear it, click on the Fresh Friday podcast mp3 at the bottom of this post. If you want to hear the podcast from last night's show, stay tuned. And if you want to take a look at the playlist from last night's show, boom boom:

The Haunted - 125

Aerial Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Fright Night

 Metal Hearts - No More Ghosts

Spoon - The Ghost Of You Lingers

TWEAK BIRD - Sky Ride*

The National - Anyone's Ghost

Tallest Man On Earth - The Gardener

Tim Kasher - I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here

John Hiatt - The Open Road*

Tired Pony - Get On The Road*

Jarvis Cocker - Petey's Song*

Ramblin' Jack Elliot - Roll On Buddy*

Fruit Bats - Being On Your Own*

William Elliot Whitmore - Lifetime Underground

Wolf Parade - Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts

Reverend Billy H Grady - Holy Rock*

The Mountain Goats - Going To Malibu*

Tonic - Flowerman

* Thrilling tunes that aren't about ghosts or gardening.

Enjoy this week's Fresh Friday podcast - The Legend of the Hub City Slasher!

FF_74_Hub_City_Slasher.mp3

I want my RGTV.

These are exciting times in rural America. SDPB Radio gave the RGT crew a new time slot, so we gave them a new TV ad to promote it. We make the big switch this Saturday, tomorrow like, so if you see a bunch of fireworks going off in the skies high above Norway Center, now you'll know what's up. Anyway, last night's live recording on 94.5 KCFS went off with a few hitches, but we did our best. More on that later. Check the playlist:

Pip Proud - Bedwrecker

Young Fresh Fellows - Power Mowers Theme

British Sea Power - Blackout

Spinal Tap - (Listen To The) Flower People

Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers Part I

MOTORS - Dancing The Night Away*

Ray LaMontagne - For The Summer

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Four Night Rider

BOAT - Quickly And Quietly*

Screaming Females - Sheep

Good Old War - That's Some Dream

Breathe Owl Breathe - Dragon

Robert Plant - Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday

The Mountain Goats - Stars Around Her

MC5 - The Human Being Lawn Mower

Tonic - Flowerman

*Bands with all cap names.

Vote! Vegetable! Vote! Future!

Last night we named the top 7 nominables for Veggie Of The Year 2009. Intenisty. That is what we set out to do, the rest is up to you. Take a look at the list, think on it for a spell, and then cast a vote down there in the comments section beneath this post. Vote multiple times if you like. Speak your mind. Challenge Oil Can's belief that mesquite beef jerky should be considered a vegetable. The nominables are:

Snow Pea: All we are saying is give peas a chance.

Jicama: Jicama sun...buh, duh, duh, duh...Jicama sun...its all right.

Baby Carrot

Squash: Squarsh yer troubles dude.

Potato: The potato is what freedom is all about.

Mesquite Beef Jerky

Asparagus: Your asparagus is as good as mine.

 
In addition to some witty banter about vegetables, last night's show featured some most righteous free range rock and roll. Here's the playlist if you're interested. Keep it rural.

Oscar Brand - Fair And Free Elections (1800)

Harper Simon - Cactus Flower Rag

Jonquil - Whistle Low

Built To Spill - Planting Seeds

Neko Case - I'm An Animal

Oscar Brand - I've Got A Ballot (1948)

The Birds [UK] - No Good Without You

Radiohead - Vegetable

Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers Part I

Steve Martin - Clawhammer Medley

Judee Sill - There's A Rugged Road*

Langhorne Slim - Back To The Wild

The Band Of Blacky Ranchette - Getting It Made

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - Them Old Days Are Gone

The Elois - By My Side

The Clash - Capital Radio Two

The Mountain Goats - Seeds

Headlights - Secrets

Tonic - Flowerman

* Best song that I've heard in 2010, though it was recorded in the 70's.

You mean to tell me that you built a time machine? Out of a seed catalog?

 
Happy New Seed Catalog to you and your kin. It felt great to get back into the studio last night after a couple weeks off. I talked about Paul Harvey, and the often mispronounced pawnsetta plant, but mostly I talked about seed catalogs, glossy and new, vintage and torn, Gurneys, Burpees, I talked about them all. I also played some most righteous free range rock and roll. Have a look at last night's playlist and keep it rural.

The Mickey Finn - Garden Of My Mind*

Steve Martin - Dadddy Played The Banjo*

Los Campesinos! - There Are Listed Buildings

The Eyes - I'm Rowed Out

The Fiery Furnaces - Ray Bouvier

Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky

Steve Martin - Pretty Flowers*

Free Energy - Dream City

The Creation - Biff! Bang! Pow!*

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - Bugs & Flowers

The Hold Steady - Magazines

We All Have Hooks For Hands - Made Up Of Tiny Lights

Rock Plaza Central - When We Go, How We Go

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Family Band - Let Your Light Shine

The Mountain Goats - Going To Georgia

Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel

Daniel Johnston - Like A  Monkey In A Zoo

Tonic - Flowerman 

* Tracks from albums that I purchased with Christmas money

Yes Petunia, There Is A Flowerman

We intended to play a classic holiday show but wound up talking about dung, parasites and buffalo scrotums. Did Oil Can sneak in a few Jimmy Stewart impressions? Of course he did, but it was too little too late. At least the tunes were festive. Have a look at this week's Rock Garden Tour playlist and keep it rural.

Buck Owens - Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy*

Sufjan Stevens - Put The Lights On The Tree

Pixies - Holiday Song

Los Campesinos! - There Are Listed Buildings

Hooray For Earth - Surronded By Your Friends

John Prine - Christmas In Prison (live)

Flight Of The Concords - A Kiss Is Not A Contract

Hasil Adkins - Teenie Weenie Waddy Kiss

Pearl Jam - Let Me Sleep

Buck Owens - One Of Everything You Got*

Bob Dylan - Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See The Land

Fanfarlo - The Walls Are Coming Down

Bob Wills - Big Ball's In Cow Town

Joanna Newsom - Peach, Plum, Pear

Buck Owens - Blue Christmas Lights*

The Mountain Goats - Going To Georgia

Sufjan Stevens - I Saw Three Ships

Tonic - Flowerman

* Thanks to our Forestberg, SD correspondent for putting us in touch with some holiday originals by Buck Owens

Good Neighbors Control Noxious Weeds

Last night's show went about as well as can be expected when you consider that we spent the night talking about some of the most invasive plants on the planet. I'd love to tell you more about it. I'd love to tell you that we enjoyed ourselves, that the in-studio audience enjoyed themselves, that we weren't forced to flee the studio under a storm of noxious weed goo, that we didn't end up in a closet at the 7-11 where we chowed on electric blue freezies and Twin Bings. I'd love to tell you all about our wonderful radio program, but that would be a disservice to the brave men and women of the Rock Garden Tour who spent last night talking about noxious weeds. At least the music sounded good. Have a look at the playlist, stay tuned for the podcast, and keep it rural.

Mayer Hawthorne - One Track Mind*

Pearl Jam - The Fixer*

Flotation Toy Warning - Made From Tiny Boxes*

The Reverend Peyyton's Big Damn Band - Let Your Light Shine

Rosanne Cash w/ Jeff Tweety - Long Black Veil*

Lou Barlow - The One I Call*

Conor Oberst - Milk Thistle

Seam - Petty Thievery

Animal Collective - Who Could Win A Rabbit

Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard - Low Life Kingdom*

Phoenix - Rome

Joannna Newsome - Peach, Plum, Pear

John Doe & The Sadies - Are The Good Times Really Over For Good

We All Have Hooks For Hands - Something To Live For*

Love Is All - Felt Tip

The Mountain Goats - Snow Song

Tonic - Flowerman

* Tunes off of new albums that you should really consider listening to.

The Most Gruesome Rock Garden Tour EVER!

Twas a massive show last night as we dedicated the entire 2 hour block to the farming men and women of rural America. Our Harvest Playlist episode started off with innocent banter about heavy metal thrashers Anvil, and Moe Berg the catcher turned spy during World War II. Our show ended with graphic stories of fingerless farm hands and exploding mice, all in a good night's work. We did feature some good clean harvest variety rock and roll though. Have a look at the playlist, stay tuned for the podcast, and keep it rural.

Doc Watson - Mole In The Ground

Neil Young - Are You Ready For The Country*

John Langford And The Sadies - Mayor Of The Moon

Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring*

War On Drugs - Taking The Farm*

Levon Helm - Poor Old Dirt Farmer*

The Avett Brothers - Hard Worker*

Neil Young - Harvest*

Blitzen Trapper - Big Black Bird

Tim Van Eyken - Barleycorn*

Frank Black - Johnny Barleycorn*

The Kinks - Animal Farm*

We All Have Hooks For Hands - Something To Live For***

The Rolling Stones - Salt Of The Earth*

The Mountain Goats - Itzcuintli-Tozli Days

Chuck Prophet - American Man*

Tonic - Flowerman

* Tunes inspired by the harvest

*** Tunes inspired by Frenchy Gale 

Sex, Puritans, Rock & Roll

What can I say about last night's show? I had hoped to talk about everything from the First Lutheran Bazaar to the rare and glorious giant squid. But, as is often the case in the high pace world of rock and roll gardening shows, I ended up talking about yams instead. Have a look at the playlist and keep it rural.

Hasil Adkins - High School Confidential

Breakestra - Get It Right

Young Fresh Fellows - Let The Good Times Crawl

The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane

The White Stripes - Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn

Girls - Lust For Life

Lissie - Little Lovin

The xx - Heart Skipped A Beat

Chuck Prophet - Barely Exist*

The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations

The Hidden Cameras - In The NA**

Phoenix - Lisztomania

The Born Again Floozies - We Got The Power

Say Hi - Maurine

The Mountain Goats - Deuteronomy 2:10

Chuck Prophet - American Man*

Tonic - Flowerman

* Tunes off of Chuck Prophet's latest and most righteous album !Let Freedom Ring!

** Tunes I'd put on a mix tape for LeTwan (wife and pest control team leader)

Yield Morphology Cultivar Assessment

Last night we instructed Queen City gardeners on the finer points of the Yield Morphology Cultivar Assessment, YMCA for short. I'd tell you more but you know the drill, I'd rather not give away the ending. We blasted some serious free range rock and roll last night. Everything from Mike Watt to Hasil Adkins. Have a look at the playlist and keep it rural.

David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing Dancing 

Hasil Adkins - No More Hot Dogs*

The Rural Alberta Advantage - The Deadroads

 Beat Happening - Other Side

We All Have Hooks For Hands - Made Up Of Tiny Lights

Girls - Lust For Life

Camper Van Beethoven - We Workers Do Not Unerstand Modern Art**

The Chi-Lites - I Found Sunshines**

Mike Watt - Pedro Bound!**

Rickie Lee Jones - Nobody Knows My Name**

Chuck Prophet - Let's All Help The Cowboys (Sing The Blues)**

Fanfarlo - Thhe Walls Are Coming Down

Kings Of Leon - Taper Jean Girl

Fruit Bats - Ruminant Band

Rock Garden Tour Family Band - Guns & Impatiens

Bob Mould - I'm Sorry Baby But You Can't Stand In My Light Anymore

The Mountain Goats - Distant Stations

Tonic - Flowerman

* Tunes about hot dogs and murder

** Tunes by artists that we haven't featured for far too long 

Kind Of A New Show

Tried something kind of new last night. If you listened close, you heard the live show that we produced in Deadwood, SD a few weeks ago. At the same time, or at least in between segments from the Deadwood show, you heard me talking about giant pheasants. So if you tuned in, you really heard 2 live shows going on at once, which is something I've always wanted to try. Another short term goal accomplished.

Here's the playlist from last night's show:

John Doe & The Sadies - Are The Good Times Really Over For Good

Young Fresh Fellows - Let The Good Times Crawl

The Greenhornes - Good Times

Langhorne Slim - Say Yes

Prescott Curly Wolf - Gold In The Mud

Michael Hurley - Hog Of The Forsaken

Polite Sleeper - These Are Not Fall Colors

Blitzen Trapper - Big Black Bird

The Glands - When I Laugh

Neutral Milk Hotel - King Of Carrot Flowers Part I

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Home

Ra Ra Riot - Oh, La

Pavement - Gold Sounds

The Clash - Gates Of The West

The Mountain Goats - Going To Cleveland****

Tonic - Flowerman

**** Songs that I'm listening to on repeat today because I ran out of time last night and didn't get a chance to play them. **** Also means songs about Cleveland.

Join us next Thursday night for a show about the Pioneer Power Show of Menno, SD, and keep it rural.