12-30-08 & 1-02-09 playlist

One last show of 2008 on Tuesday and first of 2009 on Friday. This week features the introduction of The Skulldiggers, a Boise punk band circa 1984 featuring Brad Angell of the Pugs (see previous playlist). We also have more goodness from Fort Hazel's Jeremy who shared selections from Lowbelly's newest creation, "X", with me. Highly recommended.

H is for Hector - “No Go”
Lowbelly - “Make this Circuit”
Finn Riggins - “Hraka”
The Halo Benders - “Bury Me”
Black Happy - “3-Day Weekend”
Freak in a Jar - “Kick Your Momma When She's Down”
Central Boise Library - “Molehill into a Mountain”
fourgirldrive - “Vroom”
Butterfly Train - “Rain”
The Very Most - “Bleess”
The Zekes - “Let's Have a Party”
La Knots - “Cannons and Daggers”
The Skulldiggers - “Green-Fleshed Zombies”
Dirtboy - “Stung”
Caustic Resin - “Healing Cough”
Graveltruck - “Cousin It”
Treepeople - “No Doubt”
Fury III - “Flying Dog Vomit”
Dirt Fishermen - “Lost Country Fair”
Ian Waters - “Jet Plane”
G. America - “This is the Sound”
Splinter - “Speak of Moons”
The Unicorn Feather - “Bad News”
The Left Coast - “Predating the Existence of Cancer”
State of Confusion - “MX”
Geyser - “Sample”
The Hand - “Fall Inside”
The Invasion - “Homecoming”
El Dopamine - “Snare”
Crogan - “Call You Up”
Brett Netson Family - “Title TBD 5”
Discoma - “Paramecium”
Stuntman - “Before Going Under”
Brandon Follet - “Unreleased 14”
Built to Spill - “nowhere nothin' fuck-up (live)”
System and Station - “For the Pawns”

12-19-08 playlist

Sorry for all the glitches! This show will play tonight and a couple of times next week to give you all a chance to listen.

Hey Idaho rock fans! Sorry for the technical diffuculties the last couple of weeks, we're back and hopefully running smoothly this week. Lots of goodies and introductions this week... starting with a Christmas track from The Very Most, courtesy of Mr. Jeremy Jensen. Then we have a long “Medley Track” by H-Hour, a Boise-to-Seattle band from the mid 80's whose drummer Tad Doyle went on to become TAD. Another 80's Boise band, The Pugs, make their first appearance, too... I don't know a lot about them, but you can find more tunes by clicking the link. Scott Scmaljohn's The Hand and Boise hardcore stalwarts, Haggis, also make their first appearance (lots of Haggis tracks are available online courtesy Mark Hanford). Two bands in the Caustic Resin family tree also make their debut... Tommy Dirtweed (led by Caustic bassist Tom Romich) and Size of Alaska (led by Pat Perkins of The Universal, Godzounds and Caustic).  Many thanks to folks who have contributed or helped me find new/old music: Jeremy Miller, Jeremy Jensen, Phil Merrell and Mark Hanford.

The Very Most - “This year, Christmas came November 4th”
H-Hour - “Medley”
Caustic Resin - “Semiconductor”
Discoma - “Svelte”
Le Fleur - “Grooming Song”
Ian Waters - “The Radio Drown”
Raspberry - “Alex's Day”
The Hand - “The Hand”
Piso Mojado - “Track 3”
Size of Alaska - “alien pigs”
Haggis - “Large Size Houses”
Treepeople - “Funnelhead”
Low_Fi - “Paper Airplanes”
Kris Doty - “Pivot”
The Pugs - “Don't You Now It's A Sin”
Stuntman - “Inspiration Please!”
Black Happy - “Washcloth”
Built to Spill - “Carry the Zero”
Splinter - “Every Six Months”
Bovalexia - “Moodswing”
The Suffocation Keep - “Holes and Clouds”
Narcissus Isthmus - “Glass Course Compass”
25 Wheeler - “Don't Tell Me”
Grant Ave - “Tallest”
Hillfolk Noir - “Other Eye on the Crow”
Bock - “Final Sunset”
Tommy Dirtweed - “Coo-Koo”
Bonefish Sam & His Power Orchestra - “Smorgasbord”

12-02-08 playlist

Hope you all can make it to the Third Annual Practice New Year's Eve at the Bouquet on Friday, Dec. 5 it's a benefit for Boise Community Radio and should be a fun night. There's another benefit for the station the next night, Saturday, Dec. 6 Finn Riggins will be playing at the VAC. They will be sharing the night with a few other bands including Hard Math stars The Very Most and Super XX man (Scott Garred of Raspberry, Crogan). Big thanks to Jeremy Miller of Fort Hazel, Fury III, Lowbelly and Monster Dudes... he hooked me up with some great stuff including the Piso Mojado track here... don't know much about them, but my pals Ed and Sam (25wheeler & plumb bob) were involved. Check out Jeremy's awesome radio at therearemillions.com. 

Built to Spill - “Goin' Against Your Mind”
Piso Mojado - “Track 1”
Butterfly Train - “Insomnia”
Freak in a Jar - “Eat Your Brain”
The Universal - “Dead Battery Accident”
Stuntman - “The Right Channel”
The Invasion - “Emperor of San Francisco”
Graveltruck - “Sulk”
The Unicorn Feather - “Golden Wing”
Finn Riggins - “Pancakes”
Splinter - “Put that Down”
Central Boise Library - “A Flying Fly”
Treepeople - “Stay”
The Very Most - “HIstorical Movement”
A Man Called Sun - “Road Song”
The Suffocation Keep - “Walking Distance”
el Dopamine - “Worksong”
Flycatcher - “Craig”
Dirt Fishermen - “Plum”
Fury III - “George at the Bottom”
System and Station - “Axic”
Dirtboy - “Trentmobile”
Caustic Resin - “Keep On Truckin”
Grant Ave - “Bright Yellow”
The Halo Benders - “Will Work For Food”
mayerforceone - “Angels”
Narcissus Isthmus - “4-way stop”
Juan Fangio - “Walk All Over You”
Morningly - “Metro”

11-25-08 playlist

Today's show kicks off with a mayerforceone track courtesy of Mr. Mayer himself.... good stuff and we hope to hear a full album from that camp in the near future. We also have the introduction of the old 90's Moscow band Royball. I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of theirs, but guitarist Carlos Lantz is a fellow Lewiston High School alumni and was hands down the best guitarist in our school... his talents are on display here. Check out radioboise.org for info about the upcoming Practice New Year's Eve benefit at the Bouquet... Hard Math radio allstars The Universal and The Invasion will be headlining and playing some interesting covers from decades past... 

mayerforceone - “shadowboxing”
The Treatment - “Crown of Stars”
Grant Ave. - “Chevy Van”
Treepeople - “Ballard Bitter”
Raspberry - “Twin”
Discoma - “Making You Good Feeling”
Kris Doty - “Lately”
25 Wheeler - “Gluegun”
Royball - “Slices”
Falldowns - “Belt Loop”
Dirt Fishermen - “Passion”
Finn Riggins - “Flying”
Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “Glacial Ruins”
Caustic Resin - “Taste”
Hillfolk Noir - “Voodoo”
Flycatcher - “Jewish Carpenter”
Geyser - “A Part of Me”
Clock - “In Hospital”
Stuntman - “Mostly Always”
Lovey - “No”
Le Fleur - “Truce”
Bovalexia - “The Lunar Light”
fourgirldrive - “Fireflies in my Head”
Brett Nelson - “Sunshine”
Low-Fi - “Kitty Suicide”
The Yukon and You - “Marker Fight”
Doug Martsch - “Cracked and Crazed”
Kid Corduroy - “Hambone”
One Fantastic Bind - “Carbonation Sickness”
State of Confusion - “Education”
Built to Spill Caustic Resin - “When Not Being Stupid Is Not Enough”

11-18-08

Here's your weekly helping of Idaho tunes... starting off with some monster rockers from Caustic Resin. one of my personal favorite boise bands of all time. If you are new to the Hard Math radio show and curious about any of the bands, do a search on this blog for more info (most bands are linked to their webpages... or those of subsequent musical projects). You can also email me here with any inquiries and I'll do my best to answer any questions or point you in the right direction. Thanks to the many great musicians who have shared tunes with me, both new and old.

Caustic Resin - “Mysteries Of...”
Caustic Resin - “Hold Your Head Up”
Falldowns - “Big Lake”
Finn Riggins - “Geology”
Treepeople - “Liquid Boy”
Flycatcher - “Strong Chin”
Dirt Fishermen - “Vena Cava”
Fury III - “D.D.N.D.I.A.V.”
The Zekes - “Be My Test Tube Baby”
Gusto - “3rd Degree”
Bock - “After the War”
Crogan - “Terrible Shoes”
Built to Spill - “Hazy”
Freak in a Jar - “Locust Bean Gum”
Graveltruck - “Love and Boredom”
Lowbelly - “Motel West Virginia”
Butterfly Train - “Decompression”
Central Boise Library - “The Saddest Thing”
el Dopamine - “eXtension”
Booth Sitter - “Those Are Not Real Monsters, Just Robot Parts”
The Very Most - “Polygraph”
Dirt Fishermen - “Tongue in a Bag”
G. America - “Helicopter”
Black Happy - “Such Much Suck”
Godzounds - “Jobromofoho”
The Invasion - “Evinrude”
Narcissus Isthmus - “Army Murders on Beta”
Brandon Follet - “Unreleased 13”
Hillfolk Noir - “I'll Dig Through My Marbles”
A Man Called Sun - “The Traveller”

11-11-08 playlist

The Left Coast - “What? Nothing But Black?”
La Knots - “Swisherbong”
Caustic Resin - “Longdrive Jam”
Bovalexia - “Complicated”
Geyser - “Running Around”
Low-Fi - “Where You Are”
Raspberry - “My Brother Pat”
Built to Spill - “You Were Right”
The Universal - “Beware the Sun”
Shack Nasty - “If She”
Lowbelly - “Sharks Among Us”
Le Fleur - “Ceramic Dog”
Splinter - “Gone Again”
The Suffocation Keep - “Jet Stream”
Discoma - “Powder On My Lips”
Boise Cover Band - “Chain Gang (Pretenders cover)”
Bonefish Sam and His Power Orchestra - “Wonky-Wonky”
Caustic Resin - “Man From Michigan”
Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “Over”
Stuntman - “Miles”
Juan Fangio - “The Lesbian Problem”
Kid Corduroy - “Ball Valve”
Skidfish - “Disconnected”
Kris Doty - “Whale”
Brett Netson Family - “Track 9”
H is for Hector - “Sleepcrawl”
State of Confusion - “Silence”
Butterfly Train - “Dog Day”
Lovey - “Didn't Mean To”
Grant Ave - “Saving Grace”
The Invasion - “Death and Life”
el Dopamine - “Hidden Track”
Halo Benders - “Snowfall”
Treepeople - “Wha'D I Mean To Think You Said”

11-05-08 playlist - GO VOTE!

Happy Election Day!

This week's show has one introduction... another Boise band featuring both a Nelson and a Netson: LA Knots. This young garage-punk duo features Tuck Nelson on vocals and guitar and Demmi Netson on drums. They are young, they are scrappy and their new cd can be purchased in the local section at the Record Exchange. Get it and play it loud.

Brandon Follet - “Unreleased 12”
Finn Riggins - “a president, a pacifist, an auto restorer”
Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “croatian soundboard”
Treepeople - “Every Time When I Fall Down & My Head Hits The Floor Hard”
Black Happy - “One Fine Automobile”
Freak in a Jar - “Thrash Song”
La Knots - “The Tangles”
Stuntman - “The Feminist”
Flycatcher - “State 8”
Dirt Fishermen - “Pelmen”
Morningly - “111 n 11th St”
Kris Doty - “Anyway”
Halo Benders - “Rebel's Got a Hole in It”
Monster Dudes - “{Star}”
Bonefish Sam and His Power Orchestra - “Bonefish Wedding March”
Butterfly Train - “Grey”
Lovey - “Richie Pants”
Hillfolk Noir - “The Great Grizzly Bear Scare”
Bock - “The Infection”
Built to Spill - “Sick and Wrong”
Gusto - “Get in to this”
Dirtboy - “Leaps & Bounds”
The Treatment - “Grudge”
G. America - “Space is Old”
Plumb Bob - “Russian Wanted”
Low-Fi - “Goin' On”
fourgirldrive - “Try It”
25 Wheeler - “Lemonhead”
Narcissus Isthmus - “Ring For The Pilot Tree”
Geyser - “DUI”
Raspberry - “Think About It”
The Very Most - “Profoundly Imperfect”
Caustic Resin - “Spinedog-Re”

10-28-08 playlist - Happy Halloween!

First hour of this show was vaguely Halloween-themed... enjoy! I think, Boise Cover Band, appears here for the first time... they are: Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch, virtuoso guitarist Ned Evett, Kid Corduroy's Ian Waters and producer John Mullin, formerly of Suffocation Keep, Slim, etc.

Stuntman - “Watch the Skeletons Dance”
Kid Corduroy - “Grave”
Discoma- “Dark Halos”
The Halo Benders - “Scarin”
The Very Most - “I Can't Believe You Actually Died”
Lowbelly - “One Eye Patch”
State of Confusion - “TV Mutation”
The Left Coast - “Ghost vs Real Person”
Caustic Resin - “Violent Game”
Le Fleur - “Brother”
Graveltruck - “Leave Her Alone”
Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “Sickeningly Dark Sad Circus Music”
Bovalexia - “Vampires”
Godzounds - “Sketching Out”
Crogan - “Turns for the Worst”
Boise Cover Band- “Strange”
el Dopamine - “Prolonged”
Clock - “A Warmer Shade of Grey”
Grant Avenue - “You’re So White, Are You Snow Or Sand?”
Lovey - “Trust Fund Baby”
Treepeople - “Slept Through Mine”
Brett Netson Family - “Title TBD”
Central Boise Library - “Covered in Mud”
Glow- “Bill Clinton”
The Invasion- “How's The Weather Up There?”
Geyser - “Tired (Looking Back)”
Black Happy - “Basically Wrong”
Butterfly Train - “Ashtray”
Built to Spill - “The Plan”
Dirt Fishermen- “Simple Step”
Fury III - “Picture Window”
Narcissus Isthmus - “not the armored truck”

10-21-08 Episode...

Show #10. Every week when I compile a new show I'm amazed by the wealth of great Idaho music that I have to pick from. So far I haven't repeated any tracks and I think the last few shows are every bit as good as the first. That's 20 HOURS so far of Hard Math and great music from this state.  Since my listenership is still pretty small I'm going to start letting myself repeat tracks which will help me keep some newer bands with fewer releases in regular rotation and allow me to repeat the same classic Raspberry 7 inch every week if I get the urge.

Hard Math - “Stachetober Theme”
Caustic Resin - “Summertime Of Your Life”
Fury III - “Cowboy Blend”
Bonefish Sam And His Power Orchestra - “Struttin' Along And Then Something Neat Happens”
Bovalexia - “Got It Goin On”
Finn Riggins - “Box Elder”
Stuntman - “Wax Pattern”
fourgirldrive - “Snake”
Built to Spill - “Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup”
Central Boise Library - “Only a Boise Song”
Flycathcer - “Blue”
Bock - “Dead by Christmas”
Raspberry - “Treepoison”
Geyser - “Stung”
Splinter - “Red Ball”

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “anit-mathematics”
A Man Called Sun - “Someone”
Hillfolk Noir - “Butcher In The Cemetary”
Treepeople - “Handcuffs”
Freak in a Jar - “Meaningless Ramble”
Butterfly Train - “Chocolate”
The Yukon and You - “French Song”
Plumb Bob - “Napolean Strike”
Stuntman - “Just Don't”
Dirt Fishermen - “Hole Song"
G. America - “You and Your Sister”
The Suffocation Keep - “Except for This”
Juan Fangio - “She Broke”
The Halo Benders - “Halo Bender”
Kris Doty - “Lemonade”
Caustic Resin - “Hate In Your…”
Dirtboy - “Fred Went to Texas”

10-14-08 Playlist

Show #9 - I'm very pleased to be playing some exclusive material from Mr. Brandon Follet, Brett Netson and Central City Music Company... thanks for the tracks fellas, Boise Community Radio listeners love you! These week we hear from Finn Riggins  for the first time. I can't tell you much more about this Hailey, Idaho indie band than their myspace page, but I know they play Boise a lot and their new album, A Soldier, A Saint, An Ocean Explorer, on Portland label Tender Loving Empire is worth a listen.

Kris Doty - “Eggs”
H is for Hector - “Cool Car”
Stuntman - “Bleed”
Dirt Fishermen - “Appetizer”
Narcissus Isthmus - “sparkling soda”
Butterfly Train - “Louise”
The Unicorn Feather - “We’re All Made of Love”
Treepeople - “Bus 8”
Low-Fi - “War”
Juan Fangio - “See Neil Young”
Black Happy - “Garlic”
The Halo Benders - “Canned Oxygen”
One Fantastic Bind - “Sleeper”
Lovey - “When I Woke Up”
Central City Music Company - “(My Girlfriend's Got) No Sense of Smell”
Lowbelly - “Pookey Rah”
Raspberry - “Girl”
Brandon Follet - “Unreleased 3”
Skidfish - “Pretty”
Pajama Party in A Haunted Hive - “You Turn Me On”
Brett Netson Family - “Unreleased 6”
Discoma - “Aggro”
Built to Spill - “So & So & So & So From Wherever Wherever”
Dirt Fishermen - “East”
The Very Most - “Swoon”
The Invasion - “Homecoming”
Kid Corduroy - “Right”
The Treatment - “High School”
Le Fleur - “Silver and Gold”
Crogan - “Head Down”
The Suffocation Keep - “Outside In”
Finn Riggins - “Gove Comprtmnt”
Spliner - “Oilfrog”
Caustic Resin - “Yeah Right”

10-07-08 playlist

Show #8! Old Boise garage rockers, Juan Fangio, are making their first appearance this week...

State of Confusion - “Anarchy Street”
Lovey - “Fly Around”
Juan Fangio - “Do the Mope”
The Invasion - “Paranoid”
Treepeople - “Outside In”
Geyser - “Aeroplane”
Bonefish Sam & His Power Orchestra - “Cheap Gear Jam”
The Left Coast - “Courting Like A Mexican”
Built to Spill - “Three Years Ago Today”
The Very Most - “Good Fight Fighting”
Low-Fi - “Getting To You”
Flycatcher - “Caught Up”
25 Wheeler - “Love You, Bye-Bye”
Raspberry - “Euro K Nothing”
Butterfly Train - “Beneath”
Clock - “Belly Eye”
Universal - “Corpus Callosum”
Splinter - “College”
The Halo Benders - “Bombshelter, Pt. 2”
Hillfolk Noir - “Jesus Christ God!”
Veronica & the Mental Foreplays - “In Front of the Cactus Bar”
Caustic Resin - “Damaged Animal”
Dirt Fishermen - “Wrath Of Rabbit”
Grant Ave. - “Sam Cooke”
Crogan - “Hearts and Stars”
Chris Bock - “Lost and Found”
The Unicorn Feather - “You‘re Invisible Now”
The Suffocation Keep - “Some Amazing Mistake”
Stuntman - “Weave to the Rt.”
El Dopamine - “Discarded”
The Yukon and You - “The Old College Try”
Treepeople - “Pity”
The Treatment - “Sugarbuzz”
Morningly - “I'm so tired”

9-29 playlist

Sorry for the delay... this show played mute last Tuesday... so I decide to rerun it this week. This show introduces Monster Dudes, Boise’s finest father-son rock combo, and Felt Neighbor, an old Tim Willis (Gusto) fronted band... this track like many others over the past weeks is from the Rotating Tongues comp. This also marks the official debut of Central City Music Company, but that's a technicality because main man Sam Council has been on the show with the bands Central Boise Library, Plumb Bob and 25-Wheeler. Oh... don't miss "Come Over" at the end of the show... a very odd track featuring Built to Spill that comes to us from the Tim and Eric Show... Doug goes drag as he sings from the perspective of your randy neighbor lady.


Built to Spill - “Still Flat”
Central City Music Company - “Lorie”
Lovey - “Worrier King”
Low-Fi - “Overtime”
Glow - “Push Thru”
Monster Dudes - “I know that you’re okay”
G. America - “Fake Love”
Stuntman - “Robert Marshall Long”
Bock - “Low Low Times”
Kris Doty - “Baby”
One Fantastic Bind - “don’t you ever ask me that again”
Bovalexia- “Vampires”
A Man Called Sun - “No Worries”
Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “Astrological Charts”
Dirt Fishermen - “Heavy Metal KT”
Raspberry - “Empty Beer Can”
Caustic Resin - “Once and Only”
Hillfolk Noir - “The Devil Loves You”
The Halo Benders - “Inbred Heart”
Flycather - “Tony’s the Boss”
The Invasion - “Radiant Goddess”
Kid Corduroy - “Noise”
Felt Neighbor - “Baked”
Falldowns - “Trafalgar”
The Very Most - “Call the Cops”
Treepeople - “Heinz Von Foerster”
The Suffocation Keep - “Through the Ceiling into the Clouds”
Le Fleur - “Silver Hair”
Discoma - “Mucous Membranophone”
Crogan - “Make Your Mind Up”
Narcissus Isthmus - “Ways Of Milkkk”
Fury III - “I've Done So Many Bad Things”
Tim and Eric (featuring Built to Spill) - “Come Over”
Butterfly Train - “Paper Thin”
G. America - “Razor”
Godzoundz - “Tell Me Were You Blind?”

9-23-08

Today's show appears to be playing silently... Not sure what is going on (technically speaking), but if you like silence and song titles today might be your lucky day! I'll post a playlist after this show actually plays in a hearable fashion. 

9-16-08 Playlist

I’m not sure if anyone reads these, but here goes... This week’s show has some great cover songs. Two of them come to us from Mr. Doug Martsch, Treepeople's classic “Flies in My Coffee” (Carly Simon) and Built to Spill take on “Mr. Crowley” (Ozzy Osbourne). Pajama Party does a nice, quiet cover of Dirty-era Sonic Youth classic “Sugar Kane”. I think the only introduction this week is a radio with guts, but that is only technical because it is jeremy miller of the Fort Hazel Magic label who has appeared here as Jeremy from Boise and as a member of Lowbelly and Fury III.

The Zekes - “Let’s Have a Party”

Plumb Bob - “Authority in Question”

Stuntman - “Game Face”

Built to Spill - “Mr. Crowley”

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “Sugar Kane”

a radio with guts - “Good Ol’ Solid Oak”

Treepeople - “Flies in My Coffee”

The Left Coast - “Ghost Vs. Real Person”

25 Wheeler - “Sunday Melody”

Bonefish Sam And His Power Orchestra - “Hoorah”

Brett NeLson - “Except for This”

Caustic Resin - “Wizard of the Upper Snake River”

Geyser - “Cherry Bomb”

Halo Benders - “On a Tip”

The Universal - “Supermassive Microbursts”

el Dopamine - “Temporary Setback”

State of Confusion - “Blanket Power”

The Unicorn Feather - “Made in USA”

Clock - “When Trouble Comes”

Freak in a Jar - “Peace of Sheep”

Kid Corduroy - “Ice Cream”

Splinter - “Twig”

Treepeople - “Bag of Wood”

Lowbelly - “Call of the Llama”

System and Station - “So Long”

The Treatment - “Want You Now”

The Yukon and You - “Christmas Eve Eve”

Falldowns - “Two Dollars”

Low-Fi - “Ghost Pilot”

Brett Netson Family - “Title TBD”

Veronica and the Mental Foreplays - “CK 1”

Built to Spill Caustic Resin - “She’s Real”

9-9-08 playlist

Sorry I wasn't on during my regular scheduled times last week... some programming snafus were going on and I don't have much control over that stuff. AND I spent Thursday and Friday in Seattle seeing shows by Boise's Built to Spill (with The Universal) and the the reunited Chapel Hill band Polvo (with great openers Trans Am). Here's what's on the menu for this week:

Caustic Resin - “Spore”

One Fantastic Bind - “Life Left Dear”

Doug Martsch - “5 on 3”

A Man Called Sun - “Battered Boat”

I remember seeing this band open for Built to Spill in the late 90's.... and this whispery, quiet song points a finger directly at that era of indie-rock. I really like the pretty guitar line at the end. I don't know much about this band other than the facts gleaned from this garageband link: This Carey, Idaho band featured Daniel Sparks on vocals/guitar, Brandon Gillis on lead guitar/keyboards, James Sparks on bass and Michelle Sparks on drums. This site says they moved to Portland... anybody?

Flycatcher - “Weather King”

Black Happy - “F-Word”

Kris Doty - “Rain”

Central Boise Library - “Don't (Fall Down And) Spin Away”

Godzoundz - “Sweat”

Discoma - “Hot Carl”

Fury III - “Tokoroten”

Crogan - “Frog”

Scott Garred's Crogran has been here before, but I had to mention that this is a cover of a great song by Versus.

Freak in a Jar - “Dee”

So back in my days at the BSU Arbiter I gave Freak in a Jar a negative review after hearing a couple of tracks on a split 7 inch. Recently a couple of friends have requested their songs on the show and directed me to a myspace page where I could download some tracks. After downloading some tracks and giving them a listen I can say that Freak in a Jar were a more decent punk band than I gave them credit for... Their youth is on display as they try on a few different musical hats, but they generally stay pretty close to the path blazed by The Ramones and The Descendents. Line-up listed on their site is: John on guitar/vocals, Brent on drums and Jason on bass. Fun stuff.

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “Elevation Map”

Stuntman - “The Devil”

The Very Most - “When Not Being Stupid is Not Enough”

The Zekes - “Be My Test Tube Baby”

This classic and obscure piece of vinyl comes to us from Lewiston sometime in the 80's and I think it could stand up next to singles by other contemporary bands like the Vapors and the Go-Go's. The single has a sticker on the front that says The Zekes, while the back credits the band as Stryker (which sounds like the name of an old Lewiston metal band). The bassist for this band contributed to Lewiston’s culture for many years by running one of the few record stores in the area, Pepperland Records (R.I.P.).

H is for Hector - “Eight Minutes”

Le Fleur - “Ceramic Dog”

Bock - “Farewell Address”

Hillfolk Noir - “Spittoon Tuner’s Blues”

G. America - “Somebody”

Treepeople - “Pretty Girl”

The Suffocation Keep - “Sunshine”

Dirtboy - “Gloworm”

Skidfish - “Waste”

I have a lone single by old Boise punk band, Skidfish. I was only 20 or 21 when I saw these guys and they were several years younger... they played enthusiastic punk/ska tunes. The line-up as credited on this 45 is Jess (vocals), Dan (guitar), Zakk (bass) and Clint (drums). I remember seeing Clint with several bands around the time (original Fury III?) and thinking he was a pretty exciting drummer. The singer, Jessica Fry, played around town solo/acoustic a few years later, but has since left this berg.

Raspberry - “I Don't Care”

Morningly - “I'm a little ray of sunshine”

fourgirldrive - “There's Nothing Wrong With Doug”

The Invasion - “House on Fire”

Bovalexia - “Bop”

Butterfly Train - “Cartoon Hole”

The Halo Benders - “Virginia Reel Around The Fountain”

8-26-08 Playlist

Sorry for the late playlist! We have a few new appearances this week, they will be noted as they appear:

Veronica and the Mental Foreplays - “First Corinthians 13:13”

A poem with a great bass line... Brandon Follet is the voice that drives this spoken-word band and his pal Josh added bass. I think they eventually had a couple more members. Brandon is a poetry slam champ and world traveler who thankfully has documented his peculiar take on the word in word, song and video. Hungry? Click Here.

Built to Spill - “Randy Described Eternity”

Grant Ave. - “Life Smiles Back”

The Very Most - “Sweet Job”

Raspberry - “Pokey”

The Suffocation Keep - “Rocket Thousand”

Lovey - “Without You”

Treepeople - “Feed Me”

Splinter - “Post Falls”

Geyser - “Drag King”

Graveltruck - “Graveltruck”

Ian Waters - “Modern Man”

Solo material from the singer/guitarist of Kid Corduroy, I don't have a link. But I heard a rumor that Ian is working on new recordings with some of those wizardly folks in the Universal camp.

The Halo Benders - “Don't Touch My Bikini”

System and Station - “Factory”

The Invasion - “Emperor of San Francisco”

Bonefish Sam and His Power Orchestra - “Dumb Cute Ditty”

Caustic Resin - “Nice Wings”

Falldowns - “Big Lake”

Shamus - “Beating”

Gordie Howe Trio Unit - “Trio Unit Jacob Unit”

This is a compilation track from Coming in Second's Big Trouble in River City. I don't know much about the Trio Unit except that, I think Bug and Ben Clapp from the Adversives were involved and their singer went by Shane Insane. I saw them once or twice and it seems like Glenn from the Dirt Fisherman drummed, but I could be wrong. Sorry for my general lack of knowledge on the more hardcore side of the scene. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed a good Torn Anus show at the House of Rock as much as any red-blooded American.

Lowbelly - “Scattered Posts”

Dirt Fisherman - “Used To”

Treepeople - “Prostitute”

Glow - “Lottery”

Fuzzy cassette track from an old Lewiston band. They once played the Crazy Horse and the bassist stayed on the floor of my BSU dorm room. Nothing happened, I swear. But later on I had a threeway zine publishing gig with him and his girlfriend. Glow's main singer dudes are now Seattle rockers in The Lights and The Valley. I love Glow's wall of guitar static ... this track is from one of those classic 5-song cassettes with xeroxed cover art... Recorded at a studio on Spokane I believe.

Gusto - “Stand on the Girl”

Bock - “Head Full of Stars”

The Unicorn Feather - “Autumn Air”

Clock - “Photopathic”

Stuntman - “Car Crash”

The Universal - “Dead Battery Accident”

Caustic Resin - “Worm Wood”

Low-Fi - “1957”

Black Happy - “The New One”

8-19-08 playlist

Hi. Thanks for tuning in for WEEK III. There were a few new bands in the mix this week like Hillfolk Noir and fourgirldrive... I'll introduce them as they appear.

The Yukon and You - “Alien Girl”

Early Jeremy Jensen (The Very Most) band active in the mid-90's, featuring Jensen on guitar and vocals, wife Sarin Jensen on bass and Josh Royter on drums.

The Suffocation Keep - “Some Sad Song”

Low-Fi - “Where You Are”

Chris Bock - “Connie”

Hillfolk Noir - “Samantha Evans”

This band is led by Travis Ward who has played around Boise for several years refining his boxcar blues as Travis Ward and the Junkyard Bandstand. Hillfolk Noir features Ward on guitar and vocals, wife Alison Ward on  "cocktail kit” and vocals, Sam Merrick (Juan Fangio, Hive, Nymphs) on baritone guitar and vocals and Mike Waite (el Dopamine, Lowbelly) on stand-up bass.

Caustic Resin - “Cable”

Boneflower - “1600 Miles”

Yet another inclusion from the Screemin’ Fez Rotating Tongues comp... which I don't have in front of me, but I know this band featured ex-Dirt Fisherman David Grapp on guitar/vocals and local photographer/longtime Neurolux bartender Rick Kosarich on bass. This is the only track I have by this band... not sure if more exist.

Flycatcher - “Light as a Feather”

This mid-90's Moscow band features Craig Chambers on guitar/vocals and Jeff Albertson on bass/vocals... the duo moved to Boise and formed The Left Coast before mutating into The Lights in Seattle.

Le Fleur - “Truce”

Fury III - “Boy Named Dog”

Morningly - “In a purple shoebox”

I may have seen these guys perform an opening spot somewhere along the way, but only recently picked up their disc. (I highly recommend checking out the local used section at the RX for great steals on many of the cd's featured on this show). I figured you can't go wrong with something on the Fort Hazel label and I was right... This was my favorite song on first listen.

fourgirldrive - “Country Jail”

More For Hazel alumni. fourgirldrive was a band led by Gina Gregerson between her time in Dirt Fisherman and Lovey... though not quite as focused or tight as either of those bands, fourgirldrive were always fun to listen to and watch. Gregerson played guitar and shared vocal duties with bassist Patty Payton and second guitarist Heather Ganz. I can't remember the name of the girl who played drums here, but their earlier incarnation as Simple featured Fury III’s Tristan Andreas.

Crogan - “Put Down”

Stuntman - “Nose Dive”

Splinter - “Cows Over Tokyo”

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - “The Day She Died”

Black Happy - “Up the Faith”

Treepeople - “Wasted on You”

El Dopamine - “Tied Hands”

25 Wheeler - “Duped”

Central Boise Library - “Cousin Martha”

Discoma - “Just the Eyes”

The Left Coast - “I Want to Hurt Someone”

Narcissus Isthmus - “Shelbyville”

Shack Nasty - “Down”

This Lewiston, ID-Clarkston, WA band from the early 1990's featured singer/bassist Dan Beloit and drummer Jim Laws... 2/3 of Seattle's The Valley. Catch them at Bumbershoot at the end of this month if you are up North.

Butterfly Train - “What's Falling About”

Kris Doty - “Idaho Skies”

Jeremy from Boise - “Quilt”

This Boise Jeremy would be Jeremy Miller of Fury III, Lowbelly, Monster Dudes and the Fort Hazel record label. This great little tune garnered one of my favorite bits of Idaho Statesman criticism: “Harmless, but mildly disturbing" - a phrase that applies to some of the music columns run in that paper over the years. Jeremy from Boise previously recored under the Bukowski-inspired moniker, a Radio with Guts. Jeremy also has a great show on KBSU 730 AM (Sunday Noon in the Boise area)... it is also available each week as a podcast: There Are Millions

The Unicorn Feather - “Turn Up The Love”

Brett Netson Family - “God is Wrong”

Some BRAND NEW material from Brett Netson (Caustic Resin, Built to Spill, Reversion). I'm not sure of the personnel, but I think David Grapp (see Boneflower above) helped out. Thanks to Dave and Kelly B. for sharing.

The Treatment - “Longest Night”

The Invasion - “The Interview and The Arguement”

Bovalexia - “Kabuki”

Playlist 08-12-08

Thank You, friends. I know it isn't easy to remember to listen to an internet radio show, but I appreciate those of you who have made the effort and/or sent words of support. I knew there was at least a few people out there who'd be into hearing some of the Idaho music that proves there's more to this state than horny Senators in airport bathrooms. A little less introduction text on the playlist this week, but band names are clickable links to their myspace or web pages or to a newer band that features key members.

The Universal - "Beware the Sun"

This Boise band is active and plays out quite a bit... catch them opening for pals Built to Spill at the end of the month at the Knitting Factory. The Universal have been around for a few years, but their members are have been in plenty of Boise bands Godzounds, Luscious Fuzz, Size of Alaska, Ion, Doublewide, Me and My Ego, The Hand, etc. Those member are: Pat Perkins (drums, vocals), Matt Perkins (bass), Lawrence Van Bishop (guitar, vocals) and Phil Merrell (guitars).

Butterfly Train - "Bitter Like This"

This is my favorite Butterfly Train song from their 3-piece era with vocalist Brett Nelson sharing bass duties with Forrest Orr and forsaking the six-string altogether (Tim Harris drums). This is also my favorite track from my favorite Boise comp Rotating Tongues on the Screemin' Fez label.

Dirt Fishermen - "I Will Wait"

Great track from the Dirt Fisherman's second full length, Vena Cava, on Seattle's CZ Records.

Dirtboy - "27"

Yet another band with Mike Rundle (currently of Low-Fi) on drums. When I first saw/heard Dirtboy I was in a big indie rock phase and they seemed a bit scuzzy and conventional, but I gave this a listen recently and it reminds me of some of the early NW grunge stuff... they'd be comfortable on a bill with Tad for sure. The rockers are: Rundle, Greg Eslinger (vocals), Jeff Brewer (bass) and Marc Frisk (guitar). This is from Monster Truck Showdown on the Screemin' Fez and Silence record labels.

Gusto - "Worst Hunting Dog Ever, Pt. 1"

Gusto was active in the late 1990's. Led by vocalist/guitarist Tim Willis (ex-Felt Neighbor), Gusto cranked out some great indie pop during their run. Willis is backed by Ryan Davis (guitar) and Mike Stivers (bass) - who played in H is for Hector together and many other bands separately - and Steve Hall (drums).

Shamus - "Thank You"

Coming at you from a dusty old self-released cassette is some pop-punk goodness from Lewiston's Shamus featuring Doug Osbourne (guitar, vocals) and future Seattle rockstars Jeff Albertson (bass, vocals) and Dave Welker (drums), from The Lights and Man the Guns, respectively.

The Very Most - "Dodged Ev'ry Bullet, Pt. 1"

Some candy for your ears. Anybody who's followed Jeremy Jensen's development from The Yukon and You, Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive and The Very Most won't be surprised that he's writing nearly effortless pop songs these days.

Grant Ave. - "Summer's Been Easier Since I Shaved"

An ex-girlfriend and I used to argue about the merit's of Grant Olsen's voice. She felt that he was a talented musician, but really needed to enlist the services of better singer. I always argued that it would be ridiculous for Grant to have someone else sing HIS songs. I can't imagine this moving, unlikely epic with any other voice at the helm. This is the last track on Grant Ave's Bright Yellow and The Life Smiles Back album.

Kris Doty - "Lately"

Kris Doty has earned her reputation as one of Boise's finest (and hardest) working singer-songwriters with steady gigs and a great album, Smoke in the Mirror. Her backing band includes Built to Spill cellist John McMahon (guitar, bass, cello), Kid Corduroy's Ian Waters (guitar) and Louie Simon (drums).

Crogan - "Silver Scooter"

This Raspberry sideband was shortlived, but Scott Garred borrowed the title of this song when he relocated from Moscow to Austin and started playing as Silver Scooter. This band featured Raspberry's Tom Hudson on drums and upper-Idaho allstar Jeff Albertson on bass.

Low-Fi - "Paper Airplanes"

Each time I listen to the debut CD by Low-Fi I like it more. Their name hints at classic 1990's indie-rock influences and the album, Where You Are, has bits NW indie, but the clean guitars and strong melodies remind me of a lot of classic pre-alternative college rock. Low-Fi are Todd Sloan (guitar, vocals), Josh Gilmore (bass) and Mike Rundle (drums). Check em out.

The Halo Benders - "Blank Equation"

Basement punk with a little gravitas... Calvin Johnson plays Sonny to Doug Martsch's Cher, no, not really...

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - "Tape Hiss"

This track is from Pajama Party's pitchforkmedia reviewed Building a Building. Find PPIAHH mastermind Elijah Jensen playing as With Child.

Geyser - "Meow"

1/2 Dirtfisherman. 1/2 Craters of the Moon. 1/4 Revolt! Revolt!

Bonefish Sam And His Power Orchestra - "Musical Chainsaw"

The sound of a toystore on acid? Nobody knows much about this Bonefish Sam character except that he lives among the hillfolk and rides and scooter. Oh and he has a myspace page, too.

Stuntman - "Slaves"

Classic from the first self-titled Stuntman debut.

Lowbelly - "Spy Theme II"

What began as a side-project by the Fury III/Fort Hazel guys eventually outlasted that band and put out a handful of cd's with various line-ups. Named after the dog on Gumby? I hope so. I assumed Lowbelly was still going, but Jeremy Miller tells me that his co-hort Tristan is in Belgium.

Pajama Party & Bonefish Same - "Funnelhead"

A goofy take on a local classic (I mean goofy in the best possible way). I think this was meant for some sort of Treepeople tribute that may or may not have happened... I for one support more keyboard interpretations of classic Treepeople songs.

Raspberry - "My Brother Pat"

If you ever find a 7" single in the record store bin with a big red Raspberry on it, get it for me because I'm convinced that mine will eventually wear out. The red vinyl record can barely contain the propulsive pop in the grooves as a bassist Shawn and guitarist Scott weld a couple of different songs/vocals together and play them as if they were in a sprint. Easily one of my favorite Idaho singles of all time.

Built to Spill - "Car"

Speaking of my favorite Idaho singles of all time... I got the Car/Girl 7" the summer before I moved to Boise and literally played it over and over again. A perfect summer song that was among a handful of singles BTS recorded in Olympia, WA after their first record that announced their pop phase... a brief period in their history that helped influenced a whole indie movement.

Kid Corduroy - "Make Believe"

This song got cut-off last week, sorry guys. See last week's playlist for info.

Lovey - "Rose Magic"

I loved this song enough to spend several months working on an animated video for it, so I'm a little biased...

Racing Vent - "South"

When local drummer Ryan Heise stepped out to front a band the music that sprung forth was some of the heaviest, dynamic music on the scene at the time (Sunny Day Real Estate and the vocal style of Jeremy Enigk were an obvious touchstone). Heise shared guitar and vocal duties with Palmer Cloud and their contrasting vocal styles were a signature of the band. They had a pretty aggro rhythm section with bassist Pete and ex-Butterfly Train drummer Tim Harris. After Racing Vent Heise went on to form System and Station and their current Portland, OR incarnation features Cloud on guitar.

Godzounds - "Icicles"

This was transfered inexpertly from an old cassette, please excuse the fidelity, but I felt that Godzounds needed to make an appearance this week. I remember seeing these guys alongside a bunch of fellow confused underagers at The Dreamwalker (aka Teenstalker) around 1994 or 1995. These guys were pretty freaky... it took me a few shows to figure out what I thought of them, but I figured out that they were playing the coolest, fucked-up rock this side of Caustic Resin (whom singer/guitarist Pat Perkins was the original drummer for). Perkins was joined by brother Matt on bass, Ron Thomas (StumbleBlind) on drums and a couple of different guitarists.

Treepeople - "Filter"

A classic Scott Schmaljon Treepeople track from Something Vicious For Tomorrow, the Treepeople's first ep for CZ Records which was recorded by legendary NW producer Steve Fisk.

Hive - "Butterfly"

This is another track from the Rotating Tongues comp. This band featured Treepeople's Pat Brown on vocals and guitar, Anna Fell (Lovey, Pop Tart) on vocals and bass, 

Falldowns - "Trench Broom"

Drummer Andy Capps sings lead on this track from Falldown's "Trafalgar"

H is for Hector - "Rock Sniper"

Again, excuse the fidelity, but I had to include a classic track by Brian Mayer's H is for Hector... 

Plumb Bob - "Midnight Blue"

Post-25 Wheeler. Pre-Central Boise Library - Central Music Company. Pre-Ed G. Music Man.

The Unicorn Feather - "Math Rock"

Another track cut off last week. Obvious contender for Hard Math Radio theme song. See also Pajama Party and With Child.

The Left Coast - "Predating the Existence of Cancer"

The flipside to the "What? Nothing But Black?" single I played last week. GOOD SHIT. See also The Lights.

Caustic Resin - "Station Wagon"

And to play us out today, one of my favorite Caustic Resin songs, the closer to their Fly Me to the Moon record on UP Records. Singer Brett Netson once told the story of this song from the stage... apparently it is about riding shotgun in a station wagon down Chinden with a driver on a meth-binge with cops in pursuit... “There ain't no easy way to die.”

Feel free to correct or enlighten me on any of the above... that's what the “comments” are for.

08-07-08 playlist (delayed DEBUT!)

So here's this week's playlist. I don't plan to always do this much explaining, but since the show is new and some of you will be new to some of the bands I've included a bit of info about the tracks and links to bands or band member websites when available. (NOTE: this isn't definitive, just some random notes... sometime I'll mention other bands a person has been in, the reality is that most local musicians have been in many bands and I don't know everybody's complete history).

NOTE: Sorry for the glitches this week... thanks to those who listened. The last few songs were cut off, so we'll make sure to include the tracks by The Unicorn Feather, Kid Corduroy and Halo Benders toward the beginning next week!

Stuntman - "Esquincles"

GREAT old Boise band active in the mid-90's. After recording a final album as the Treepeople, Scott Schmaljohn (the last Treeperson standing) and John Polle (Pullman, WA import) headed from Seattle to Boise and built Stuntman from the ground up with Boise go-to drummer Mike Rundle and another Pullman pal, Sean Lennon. Stuntman borrowed some of the energy and the idea of intense guitar interplay from Treepeople, but carved their own niche as one of the most intense indie guitar bands of the late 90's. But after a couple albums on minor indie labels the band splintered into separate projects and 3/4 of the band left Boise. Scott now plays with Boise bands The Hand and Gladness, John fronts Tuscon's Solace Bros., Sean plays in San Fran's Off Campus and Mike is back in Boise playing with Low-Fi. This song is from their final and appropriately titled 1996 lp, The American Fadeout. The album was dedicated to recently fallen Replacement Bob Stinson which pretty much sums it all up.

Raspberry - "Twin"

This Moscow band was a favorite of mine around the time I moved to Boise in 1994. This song was on a 7" with 3 other bands. Lewiston/Clarkston's Sugar Daddies and Purr, and Spokane's Motherload. Singer Scott Garred and drummer Tom later started playing more acoustic indie pop as Crogan before moving to Austin, TX and having success as Silver Scooter. Scott began recording solo material as Super XX Man and now lives in Portland, OR playing with a band of the same name.

Splinter - "Mangle Me"

I only saw this band once or twice and didn't hear the bulk of their recording until after singer/drummer Andy Capps death a couple of years ago. Andy played on Built to Spill's classic "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" along with fellow Twin Falls transplants Doug Martsch and Brett Nelson. In Splinter Andy shared vocals with Elyse Thorpe (bass) and Trent McNair (guitar). I was surprised to learn that Splinter recorded three "albums" (probably cassettes) and some other tracks in the early 1990's. I know Andy and Elyse later played in 10th St. Hornets, and Andy played in Butterfly Train and the Falldowns.

Le Fleur - "Grooming Song"

Here's a new Boise band... this song is from the e.p. they released last year... and it kills. It reminds me of Lonesome Crowded West era Modest Mouse with an intense, delicate female vocal. Check these guys (and girl) out... I think Le Fleur are playing at the VAC on Sept. 3 with The Invasion and The Universal.

Caustic Resin - "Creedence Jam"

Caustic Resin was a Boise institution from the early 1990's into the 2000's... they are often associated with Built to Spill because Caustic guitarist and singer Brett Netson is often on their records and is now a permanent member. This song is from their outtakes record, The Afterbirth, and sounds like a mellow detour during the sessions for their monstrous, The Medicine is All Gone. This is the core line-up responsible for most of their recorded work Netson on guitar and vocals, Tom Romich on bass and James Dillion on drums.

Discoma - ".SEQ"

Discoma is the beguiling electronic music of Jake Hite who was been playing under this moniker since the mid 90's. Jake also pounded the skins for legendary Boise bands Graveltruck, Fury III and Lowbelly.

The Left Coast - "What? Nothing But Black?"

One of the best singles to come out of this town, in my humble opinion. The Left Coast were Craig Chambers vocals/guitar, Jeff Albertson vocals/bass, PJ Rogalski drums and Sean M. Lennon guitar. After ruling Boise and being labeled "kings of difficult listening" by the Weekly, the band, minus Lennon, moved to Seattle and morphed into the more minimal The Lights. The song by Albertson is quite the opposite of minimal... I'm not quite sure what it is about... goth girls? This single came out on Bug's 208 Records and was also on their Fort Hazel Magic casette release.

Lovey - "Pocket Girl"

I'm not sure if Lovey is still active, but I love this band. Co-frontwomen Gina Gregerson (Dirt Fisherman, fourgirldrive) and Anna Fell (Hive) plus drummer Judy Wheeler conjure powerpop gems with ease, but they ease off a bit for this smaller song. UPDATE: This just in... According to drummer Judy the band's newest cd is done and titled Should've Kissed You.

25 Wheeler - "Sinkhole"

This relatively short-lived band was comprised of Eddie Gutierrez on bass, Sam Counsil on drums and Rob Isozaki on guitar with all members sharing vocal duties (Ed is at the mic here). Not sure why they broke-up, but Ed and Sam moved on to Plumb Bob which later morphed into Sam's Central Boise Library (now Central City Music Company). Ed is now in Oakland performing as Ed G. Music Man. This song is from 25 Wheeler's 1998 cd "Your Shoes on My Feet."

Treepeope - "Hide and Find Out"

If Built to Spill is Boise best known indie band, Doug Martsch's earlier band, Treepeople, is probably our most legendary. 3/4 of the hardcore band State of Confusion switched things up a bit and added Martsch to create this seminal band. Scott Scmaljohn shared lead vocals and lead guitars with Martsch, Pat Brown played mean bass and Wayne Rhino Flower drummed frantically. This single is one Wayne Flower short of the original line-up (Eric Akre plays drums here), but it shows them at the height of their powers. A muscular bass line, a twin guitar attack and a spoonful of angst...

The Very Most - "Sod Off"

I think it is safe to say that The Very Most is Boise's preeminent indie pop band. On their latest record, Congratulations Forever, mastermind Jeremy Jensen and his rotating cast of Boise musicians have created a sweet, layered, hummable masterpiece. Jeremy's vocals would have sounded great on this song, but he shows his talent as a songwriter and producer by borrowing Boise singer Kris Doty to sing lead... the results are nearly perfect. The Very Most has solidified its current live unit and if you keep your eyes and ears open you should be able to find them on a stage near you. Oh, and get that cd. Jeremy Jensen also runs the Coming in Second record label.

The Suffocation Keep - "Bona Fide Regret"

Brett Nelson has long held the position of bass player in Built to Spill, but he's built up an impressive catalog of his own music with two albums each by Butterfly Train and The Suffocation Keep, plus his fantasic Suffocation Keep demos - Brett Not Netson - which alludes to the confusion between Brett Nelson and Brett Netson, who also plays in Built to Spill. This great track is from The Suffocation Keep's second record and FREE ONLINE DOWNLOAD A Few Minor Modifications of the Stars. The line-up for this album was Nelson on vocals, keyboard and guitar, Grady Kimsey on guitar, Scott Beazer on bass, Joe Hensley on drums and Jon Mullin on keyboards.

Narcissus Isthmus - Monrail

This band was active in the mid to late 90's in Boise and I never knew too much about them. I only caught Narcissus Isthmus live a couple of times and say their great pre-cursor My Mother the Iconoclast once, but I loved the two self-recorded, self-released cd's they put out. This song is the opener on their first lp, Mercator Projector. According to their myspace page two of the members moved to Portland and started a band called Case Study.

Geyser - "Man's Best Friend"

Geyser was comprised of 1/2 of the final Dirt Fisherman line-up (KT Shanafelt vocals, guitar and bass and Glenn Newkirk drums) and 2 members from a trio I saw perform as Stuffed Animals (Chris Bock vocals, guitar, bass and Anthony Richetella guitar). They were active in the late 1990's and played many shows alongside bands like Stuntman, The Left Coast and Slim. This is probably my favorite songs of theirs, both live and on tape... I think it is about greyhound racing, but Chris Bock's awesome double-tracked vocals and the "woo-hoo" vocal breaks will hook you. KT and Anthony are playing together again as Craters of the Moon.

el Dopamine - "Two + One"

This is the title track from el Dopamine's 1994 album on Anneliessa Balk's Screemin' Fez label. John O'Neil always performs in a suit... the man means business. Rock business. Here colleagues bassist Mike Waite and drummer Joe Hensley back Mr. O'Neil's ragged riffs and meandering leads. These guys were active in the mid 90's and then went into hibernation for awhile before resurfacing in 2006. I hope they are still on the "active" list.

Central Boise Library - "Car Sides"

Led by ex-Plumb Bob members Sam Counsil and Lorie Broumand Central Boise Library crafted a couple of albums worth of oddball pop and played a bunch of shows before departing for Portland and becoming Central City Music Company. Sam has returned to Boise... check out his stuff and catch a show if you can.

The Invasion - "The Madness"

I finally discovered The Invasion this year, or maybe they found me, but regardless I really dig these guys. They build their ambitious rock songs around guitarist/piano player Aaron Brown's pop songs and distinctive vocals and pull in influences from classical music and classic rock to create indie rock songs. The debut lp "How I learned to stop worrying and love the madness" was produced by local grammy-winning producer Art Hodge and has an epic sound. They swing from delicate and moody to jaunty pop to edgier guitar-based rock moments with ease. Check them out.

One Fantastic Bind - "Carbonation Sickness"

This 7" came with a sticker that said, "As seen in SPIN" - that still cracks me up. I wish these guys would have stuck around longer because the brothers Samuelson, Rick on bass/vocals and Mike on guitar/vocals, plus Meridian Steve Fisk on drums had a unique, raw sound. The vocal performance by Rick on this song is crazy... I think both Mike and Rick work at the Garden City Public Library.

Fury III - "Autumn Leaves"

This band was fronted by the guys who ran the Fort Hazel Magic label, Jeremy Miller and Tristan Andreas. The earlier incarnation of Fury III was a three-piece with Miller and Andreas switching between bass and guitar and sharing vocals. By the time they recorded their debut, Marco Polo, they were joined by bassist Debi Agenbroad and drummer Jake Hite. Miller, Andreas and Hite also played in Lowbelly.



Dirt Fishermen - "People in Trees"

Alongside Caustic Resin and Treepeople, Dirt Fisherman were one of the Boise bands from the early 90's to tour outside of Idaho and release a cd of Seattle's CZ Records. The Dirt Fisherman went from a jangly, college rock five-piece to a tighter, fuzzier four-piece over the course of their life. This is the first track from their debut album, Glenn's Car. The line-up is David Grapp, Gina Gregerson and KT Shnafelt on vocals and guitar and Dan Krejci on bass and Glenn Newkirk on drums.

Built to Spill - "Lie for a Lie"

This band really needs no introduction. Led by Doug Martsch, Built to Spill have recorded five albums, a singles comp, an ep and a live record. It's easy to forget that this band set the blueprint for NW indie pop and wrote blank checks for Death Cab and the Shins to take to the bank. This track is from their first album, Ultimate Alternative Wavers on Seattle's CZ Records.

G. America - "Rocket"

Grant Olsen led the three piece rock trio, Grant Ave. through the early and mid 1990's before writing a batch of songs on a piano and turning into G. America. His 1999 album Fake Love found Grant stretching his sound and creating some quirky piano pop with his Dylanesque vocals riding on top. This track, despite it's organ-y bookends is one of the albums rockers and actually features the Grant Ave. line-up of Mike Stivers bass and Ryan Heise drums.

Graveltruck - "Yes Again"

This is one of those classic Boise bands that I don't know a lot about... I believe they were active in the early 90's. I saw them once and remember that they played an cool cover of Liz Phair's "Divorce Song" ... I had a class with bassist JR Marson a couple of years later and he gave me a copy of their 1994 Screemin' Fez release "Gives Me The Creeps". David Lenz played guitar and sang, Jake Hite (see Discoma above) played drums.

Falldowns - "Belt Loop"

This Boise group was comprised of veterans Eric Penny (guitar/vocals) and Andy Capps (drums/vocals) who had played together in an incarnation of Butterfly Train, along with bassist Matt Perkins from Godzounds. This is from their terrific, but too short Trafalgar cd which was produced by Seattle producer Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Band of Horses, Modest Mouse).

State of Confusion - "I-84"

This band is from way before my time, but 3/4 of this band went on to become the Treepeople, so they are worth a listen. The Schmaljohn brothers, Pat and Scott, lead the attack on vocals and guitar, respectively, and Wayne Rhino Flower plays the bass. Textbook hardcore, but it is interesting to hear the roots of a whole slew of bands: Treepeople, Violent Green, Built to Spill, Stuntman, Halo Benders, The Hand, etc.

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - "no more nu wave"

Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive was the title of a classic Beat Happening song and the recording name of Nampa/Boise artist Elijah Jensen. This track is from his extremely lo-fi collection, Central Canyon. Pajama Party released a handful of cd's, got a review on Pitchforkmedia.com and went through a couple of different line-ups during their lifespan and then Elijah resurfaced as The Unicorn Feather and now With Child.

Bovalexia - "Ginger"

It seems like Bovalexia has been around for most of the 2000's with their pop/heavy rock. I like the way singer/guitarist Tod switches from his regular singing voice to his scream/holler... not unlike a certain N-band that no small band should probably be compared to. This is from their 2007 record, When Good Went Bad. This band is really fun and always entertaining.

Butterfly Train - "Undiseased"

Another old band of Brett Nelson (The Suffocation Keep, Built to Spill). This incarnation of Butterfly Train featured Nelson on vocals, guitar and bass, Eric Penny on guitar and vocals on a couple tracks, Andy Capps on drums and Ambrose Richardson on bass. This is from their second UP Records release, Distorted, Retarded, Peculiar.

Booth Sitter - "Those Are Not Real Monsters, Just Robot Parts"

Singer/guitarist Brian Mayer has fronted H is for Hector, 10th St. Hornets, Mayerforceone and now Mayerforceone Academy of Arts and Sciences. This band was Brian and Judy Wheeler from Lovey. This is looong song, but stays true to it's hook and doesn't wear out it's welcome...  great melodies and singing, rad title.  From the Idaho Greentracks compilation from the Idaho Green Party.

Black Happy - "Dry and Confused"

If I saw a band described as a 9-piece rock band with horns now I'd probably cringe, but when Coeur d'Alene's Black Happy dropped a box of 7" records off in Lewiston in the late 80's and then played a couple of shows there (no bands played Lewiston!) they won over a legion of fans... me included. This may have been one of the first, if not THE first, vinyl singles I ever purchased. I'm not a big fan of their later material, but I love their debut single and album. They didn't like being called funk and that label doesn't account for their hardrock/metallic guitar sound, but they were... well... funky. This song served as their introduction and borrowed some lines from a Public Enemy song.

Sugar Daddies - "Lewiston, ID"

How could I not include an anthem about the town where I went to high school? The Sugar Daddies featured Jeff Albertson (The Left Coast, The Lights) on bass and vocals and Dan Beloit (Seattle's The Valley) on guitar and vocals. They morphed into Gow and released a cassette before splitting. This is from the same FEED records 7" as Raspberry's "Twin".

The Treatment - "Built for Love"

Fronted by Scott Schmaljohn (Treepeople, Stuntman, The Hand) and Angela Schmaljohn (Doublewide), The Treatment married insistent driving rock with danceable groves... The Treatment had a few different line-ups including Boise musicians Chris Bock, Jason Serna and Dave Redford. Although this band is defunct the Schmaljohns have started a new band called Gladness featuring Boise guitarist Eric Penny (Butterfly Train, Falldowns) and the drummer for the punk band Moral Crux.

Clock - "Plan D"

Another band I only saw a couple of times and heard their records after the band had split. Their textured, dynamic rock reminds me a bit of Pinback. Not sure what happened to all the members, but singer Leviethan Cecil is making music in Portland and later member Thomas Paul plays around Boise as a solo artist and has been in several bands.

Bock - "All Alone"

Chris Bock was the singer/guitarist/bassist for Geyser (and played in other earlier bands like Big Mud Wagon). His solo material as Bock is bit lighter and looser than the full band assault of Geyser. For his first album he was backed by Grant Olsen on piano and Ryan Heise on drums. Chris played with The Hand and The Treatment in the last few years and is now playing the Bock material and new songs with drummer Jason Serna as Revolt! Revolt!

Caustic Resin - "Station"

See Caustic Resin entry above. This song actually works better on the album (The Medicine is All Gone) where it flows into "Mysteries of..." but I thought it would be funny to play "Station" before the station ID.

The Unicorn Feather - "Math Rock"

I also thought it would be goofy to play "Math Rock" after a Hard Math station ID. Unicorn Feather is Elijah Jensen - see Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive above.

The Halo Benders - "Sit On it"

The Halo Benders are really more of a NW supergroup than a Boise band, but three of their members, Doug Martsch, Wayne Flower and Ralf Youtz are originally from Idaho and have played in important Boise bands... so they are in. Of course, that deep voice belongs to Olympia, WA's Calvin Johnson, legendary singer of Beat Happening and head honcho of K Records. I've heard rumors of a new Halo Bender record after a reunion show last year, but I don't think anything has happened yet. This song is from their 1994 debut, God Don't Make No Junk.

Kid Corduroy - "Make Believe"

Another release from Screemin' Fez records. Kid Corduroy was a long running, underappreciated Boise band throughout the nineties. They were comprised of Ian Waters guitar/vocals, Dave Wall bass and Mike Rundle drums. Although Rundle played in several bands at once  - most Boise musicians usually played in more than one group - Kid Corduroy ended when Wall and Rundle became the rhythm section for System & Station and relocated to Madison, WI. Ian has played solo shows and released an ep, he has also played with Kris Doty.

Some Bands...

So as I prepare for my first show I thought I'd share this list of bands that will be appearing on my show. I don't think I'll get to everyone in the first show... it may take a few shows. Bands with multiple records will probably get played more than a band with one 7" or compilation track, but I'll try to mix it up. Here's some of the bands you'll hear me play:

Black Happy, Bock, Bone Flower, Bonefish Sam, Booth Sitter, Bovalexia, Built to Spill, Butterfly Train, Caustic Resin, Central Boise Library, Clock, Crogan, Dirt Fisherman, Dirtboy, Discoma, el Dopamine, Falldowns, Fly Catcher, fourgirldrive, Fury III, G. America, Geyser, Glow, Godzoundz, Grant Avenue, Graveltruck, Gusto, H is for Hector, The Halo Benders, The Hand, Hive, Ian Waters, The Invasion, Kid Corduroy, Kris Doty, Le Fleur, The Left Coast, Lovey, Low-Fi, Lowbelly, Narcissus Isthmus, One Fantastic Bind, Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive, Plumb Bob, Racing Vent, A Radio with Guts, Raspberry, Shack Nasty, Shamus, Splinter, State of Confusion, Stuntman, The Suffocation Keep, Sugar Daddies, The Treatment, Treepeople, The Unicorn Feather, The Universal, The Very Most, The Yukon and You, 25 Wheeler and more!

More will be added to this list and I'm open for suggestions... just beware that I'm running the show and it's based on my tastes... so this probably isn't going to turn into the Boise Metal Show or Jason's Emo Hour (but there's probably room somewhere for those shows on BCR!) 

Welcome Aboard

Thanks for checking out this blog... not much here yet, but once my show gets going I'll have some playlists to share and will do my best to post some links to various bands' websites and share some basic info about bands and songs.

I've lived in Boise for almost 14 years and lived in Lewiston, Idaho for another 7. In 1994 I was living in Montana and debating on where to transfer after completing two years at a community college. I hadn't spent anytime in Boise, but applied to BSU and a handful of other western universities. I ended up getting a decent Comm. scholarship to BSU in addition to an out-of-state tuition waiver, but the deciding factor was that my favorite album of recent memory, Built to Spill's Ultimate Alternative Wavers, came from Boise. I figured if that music came from here there must be something good going on. I went to work at the college paper and was blown away to find Pat Schmaljohn (aka known as Pat Brown) serving as editor-in-chief. Pat was the original bassist for the Treepeople, Boise/Seattle underground rock legends. His brother Scott who played guitar and sang for the band also worked at the paper as a designer. With Pat's encouragement I wrote an all-vinyl music review column that he titled "The Vinyl Solution" and interviewed many local acts. When I conned my way into an telephone interview with Pavement's Steve Malkmus, Pat took the article for his underground rag, Streetmag, rather than letting it run in the university paper. Pat passed away in 1999, but his spirit lives on in many of us he inspired (musicians, designers, writers).

In the late 1990's I published a local zine called Antfarm with Debra Curry and Jeff Albertson, some high school friends from Lewiston who arrived in Boise after graduating college at U of I. Jeff had been a member of many Lewiston-Clarkston and Moscow-Pullman bands and in Boise he played in The Left Coast as bassist/singer. Our zine featured a lot of local music-related content from giddy reviews of our favorite local albums to too-candid interviews with the likes of Caustic Resin. The zine got shelved as many friends moved and I went back to college. During my college years I started making animations for local bands and friends like The Suffocation Keep, Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive, G. America and Lovey. I continue to make videos, but finish them very slowly because of my family, job and other things that compete for my time. I also try to snag an occasional poster or cd project for local artists.

This show came about because I was put in touch with Jeff at Boise Community Radio to do some event posters a couple of months ago. I heard that BCR was looking for DJ's and jumped at the chance to play a show of my favorite music. As I was deciding on the focus for the show the idea to make it a Boise-centric show became more and more appealing. As I started making stacks of local CD, tapes and records from my music collection I realized just how much good music has come out of this town in the years since my arrival. In addition to Boise bands I have some great stuff from friends up north... many of whom eventually ended up down here in bands at one point or another. (On a programming note: we'll bend the state lines a little bit to include Clarkston and Pullman, Washington because of their proximities to Lewiston and Moscow, respectively, and all the musical inbreeding amongst those towns).

As I compiled this show I enjoyed rediscovering some old favorites and discovering a few that I missed along the way. I hope that you'll enjoy listening and we can discover some local classics, new and old, along the way.