shows // Left Of The Dial
indie // hiphop // noisepop // americana // antiprog
'It was like being on an old John Peel show. Like, one of the ones where he'd play the record at the wrong speed, but it was alright, 'cause he meant well.' - Sean Cumming, frontman, John Knox Sex Club
Back for a second year, Left Of The Dial takes its cue from the Replacements' paen to college radio of the same name, paying no heed to such trifles as genre, era or trendiness in its determination to bring the most eclectic tuneage into your beautiful hovel.
Think of each episode as a mix-tape from a nerdy but well-meaning muso friend, tracks chosen and sequenced to reveal connections even he never previously realised existed. From Arab Strap to Silver Jews, The Mamas And The Papas to Sons And Daughters, Band Of Horses to Horse: The Band, Wu-Tang Clan to Sly & The Family Stone, The Byrds to The Bees - if it moves, grooves or improves, and it absolutely, without doubt isn't prog, it gets in.
Also getting in, live and in person: any willing and able bands, raconteurs and polymaths, whose number in the first year alone included Brother Louis Collective, Rodge Glass, John Knox Sex Club, Three Blocks From The Wake, The French Wives, United Fruit and Popolo.
Intimidatingly pop-culture literate. Charmingly bumbling. Willing to learn from last year's mistakes. LOTD '09 ftw.
news
baby please don't go
This week: it's the last show of the broadcast year. Hopefully not ever, but you never know, so best tune in just in case, so you can say you were there when the cult following began. Joining us in the studio to send the show off in style is Dave Gillies, frontman of Dirty Keys, to talk about the band, shooting videos and picking a few tracks. Should be a good 'un, and, circumstances allowing, should hopefully extend beyond the usual hour.
Posted at 02:41, 8th June 2010
gonna play some records in the month of... june
This week: a rat done bit my sister Nell, and whitey's playing some Gil Scott-Heron; Chris Defends is brought out of storage to make the case for The Beach Boys in the 70s; after the realisation hit that, in nearly two years on air, we've never included them in the slot, Elvis Costello & The Attractions have this week's #1 Record; and, after a bit of a stooshie on the road to getting it in the first place, the first Subcity play of the new Arcade Fire double A-side 12".
Posted at 01:32, 1st June 2010
the theme of this party's the industrial age
This week: new stuff courtesy of The Hold Steady, Male Bonding and The Roots featuring My Morning Jacket's Jim James; old stuff courtesy of a shedload of USB turntable-enabled vinyl-to-mp3 conversion, including The Byrds, The Allman Brothers Band and American Music Club; and a #1 Record courtesy of Lenny Kaye, long-time guitarist for Patti Smith and a legend in his own right as compiler of classic psych-garage cornerstone comp Nuggets.
Posted at 03:22, 25th May 2010
this is happening. right now.
This week: a hip, happening, with it group of tunes from an assortment of groovy young beat combos of the day. Or something. A selection of cuts from several fine new albums released over the past wee while in the first half, from the likes of LCD Soundsystem, The National, Flying Lotus and Surfer Blood, and a few more from folk who've played live in Glasgow this past couple of weeks in the second, including Dinosaur Jr., Pavement and the creator of this week's #1 Record, Sail Away, the inimitable Randy Newman.
Posted at 03:13, 18th May 2010