After ten years at a National Public Radio station in Chicago, Mike Lidskin returned to California in 1997 and created Twirl Radio, a weekly two hour radio program which features the finest independent music and artists from the rock era. Mike’s on a mission to not “just spin rock music, but to educate listeners about this vital art form.” Indeed, he doesn’t just announce the songs, but gives histories about some of the artists, the albums, and the songs themselves.
You can catch Twirl live each Saturday afternoon, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM PST on Sacramento’s Voice, KUBU 96.5 FM, and archived right here, as well as at http://www.twirlradio.com. If you haven’t headed into your Saturday night with an earful of Twirl, you’re doing it wrong!
2018 Twirlie Award Winners and podcast (Show #812 – February 3, 2018)
Here is the complete list of 2018 Twirlie Award winners, presented live on Twirl Radio, Saturday, February 3, 2018, in Sacramento, California, at Access Sacramento’s KUBU 96.5 FM. Congratulations to all, and more importantly, a big thank you to all the great independent musicians who make it possible for me to do this radio show.
The award presenters: Martin Anaya and Mike Lidskin.
Album of the Year (tie)
The Welcome Matt, for their album More Empire Days
Album of the Year (tie)
Felsen, for their album Blood Orange Moon
Album of the Year Runner up (tie)
Jody Porter, for his album Pacifier
Album of the Year Runner up (tie)
Chris Church, for his album Limitations Of Source Tape
Song of the Year
Ruby Free, for their song Owe To The Man
Song of the Year Runner up
Banjo Bones, for their song Cowboy Dreams
Female Vocalist of the Year
Rose Reiter, for her EP Leonty
Male Vocalist of the Year
Adam Marsland, for his album Bulé
EP of the Year
Cirrone, for their EP Kings For A Night
Ear Candy
Celsi, Bragg & Maitland, for their album The Road To Glasgow
The Ear Candy Award is given to an album that is a “go-to” album. You can pick any song, and it sounds great in any set of music, at any time.
Debut Album of the Year
Fun Of The Pier, for their album 14:42
Best Seasonal Music
The Bobbleheads, for their song Groovy Time Of Year
Best Songwriting
Karla Kane, for her album King’s Daughters Home For Incurables
Best String Instrument Solo
Giorgi Khokhobashvili, of Banjo Bones, for his violin solo on Cowboy Dreams
Best Line in a Song
Lisa Said. The song: “Some Dudes”. The line: Well, all of them! Lots of references to classic rock songs, while being a sort of response to the Rolling Stones’ “Some Girls”.
Best Interview
Sam Phillips, 1/14/2017
Best Live Session
Skip Heller and Spike Sikes, 5/20/2017
Best Concert Performance
The Bobbleheads, Woodland, CA, 7/30/2016
Best Rock And Roll Moment
1. BBQ/Tex-Mex/Power Pop/Swimming/Drinking/Shooting/Baseball Watching/Carousing Summit, Arlington, TX, 7/2017.
2. The live show “Twirl Radio Pop Fest ’17”, Woodland, CA 8/20/2017.
3. Starting up a second radio show at Woody Radio, 11/2017.
4. Joining the SoundwavesTV network, 3/2017.
5. Being given an electric bass guitar by my wife, Amber, for Christmas, 2017.
Best Co-hosted show
DJ Gidget from Woody Radio, 12/16/2017
Radio Comeback Award
Raffa Chavez, La Raza Soul Kitchen (the show that follows Twirl). Raffa returned to Sacramento’s Voice, KUBU 96.5 FM, after a 15 year absence.
Wayback Award (aka “How’d I miss this one the first time?”)
Natalie Cortez & The Ultraviolets, for their 1999 album “Stupid Fresh Or Stupid Bad”, which I didn’t discover until 2017.
Cover Song of the Year
Lannie Flowers, for his cover of the James Bond Theme
Best Compilation Album
Songs. Bond Songs: The Music of 007, curated by Andrew Curry
Reason To Live Award
Debut albums coming in 2018 by Sunshine Boys, Piramid Scheme, Cootes Paradise. New albums coming in 2018 by Anton Barbeau, The Bottle Kids, Maxi Dunn, Blake Jones & the Trike Shop, Cult Of Wedge.
Best Dressed
Delbert Raines, The Pengwins
Best Album Title
Sad Scientist, by Gretchen’s Wheel
Most Innovative Album Packaging
The American Professionals. Their album, Sympathetic Overdrive, was released on a custom USB memory stick.
Best Band Name
Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands
Beverage of the Year
Top beverages consumed during production of Twirl Radio.
1. Almond Milk Latte
2. Decaf Almond Milk Latte
3. Cafe Americano
4. Coffee
5. Decaf Coffee
Top Albums of 2017:
1. (tie) The Welcome Matt – More Empire Days
1. (tie) Felsen – Blood Orange Moon
2. (tie) Jody Porter – Pacifier
2. (tie) Chris Church – Limitations Of Source Tape
3. Plasticsoul – Therapy
4. R. Stevie Moore & Jason Falkner – Make It Be
5. Gene Loves Jezebel – Dance Underwater
6. Matt North – Above Ground Fools
7. Richard X. Heyman – Incognito
8. Heiskell – Emotional Terrorism
9. Banjo Bones – Cowboy Dreams
10. Karla Kane – King’s Daughters Home For Incurables
11. The Bye Bye Blackbirds – Take Out The Poison
12. Ruby Free – Shades
13. Gail George – Bloom
14. Celsi, Bragg & Maitland – The Road To Glasgow
15. Gretchen’s Wheel – Sad Scientist
16. Adam Marsland – Bulé
17. Chandler Travis Philharmonic – Waving Kissyhead Vol. 2 & 1
18. The Feelies – In Between
19. Desario – III
20. Walker Brigade – Therapy Animal
21. honeychain – Crushed
22. Richard Turgeon – In Between The Spaces
23. Eric Peter Schwartz – Highway 45
24. The American Professionals – Sympathetic Overdrive
25. Fun Of The Pier – 14:42
26. Edward Rogers – TV Generation
27. My Little Hum – Remembering Houses
28. Rich McCulley – Out Along The Edges
29. Sitcom Neighbor – Shag
30. Mod Hippie – Big Wow
Top Songs of 2017:
1. Ruby Free – Owe To The Man
2. Banjo Bones – Cowboy Dreams
3. R. Stevie Moore & Jason Falkner – I Am The Best For You
4. Gail George – A Wonderful Life
5. Lannie Flowers – Everything A Man Could Want
6. Felsen – Poor In A Wealthy City
7. Richard X. Heyman – Incognito
8. Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands – Mistakes
9. The Welcome Matt – My Town
10. The American Professionals – WMPMS
11. Heiskell – Still Life With Broken Heart
12. Plasticsoul – Therapy
13. Karla Kane – King’s Daughters Home For Incurables
14. Walker Brigade – DIsEASE
15. Chris Church – Fall Into Me
16. Lisa Said – Some Dudes
17. Jody Porter – By Your Side
18. Fun Of The Pier – Cavern Song
19. Chandler Travis Philharmonic – Going Back To Work Tomorrow
20. Gene Loves Jezebel – Summertime
21. Matt North – A Good Day In Nashville
22. Gretchen’s Wheel – The Price
23. Anton Barbeau – Milk Churn In The Morning (Antronica 2 version)
24. Richard Turgeon – I’m 30
25. Eric Peter Schwartz – Last Ditch Man
26. Irene Peña – Must’ve Been Good
27. Edward Rogers – She’s The One
28. Mike Collins & Kyle Vincent – Sign Me Up
29. The Bookends – A Girl Like Me
30. Trip Wire – Long Days Gone
Top EPs of 2017
1. Cirrone – Kings For A Night
2. Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands – Mistakes
3. The Pengwins – Go Away
4. Lisa Said – Estranged
5. Hannah Judson – I Wanna Know
6. Leonty (Rose Reiter) – Leonty
