Twirl Radio #830 – Sunshine Boys, Gretchen’s Wheel, and Krista D

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!

Lindsay Murray of Gretchen’s Wheel interview
Gretchen’s Wheel | Something’s Coming | Black Box Theory
Gretchen’s Wheel | Plans | Black Box Theory

Krista D interview
Krista D | Land Mine | Look At Me I’m Krista D
Krista D | Simple Social Tragedy | Look At Me I’m Krista D

THIS WEEK’S GUESTS:
On this week’s show, I was given a really nice Father’s Day gift: the chance to do a double show–4 full hours of radio! Bill Fuller, who normally does the show before mine, took the day off and asked me to fill in. So what do you do with a gift like that? You share it, and bring more musicians onto the show. So we did. Three interviews, and it went like this.

Sunshine Boys is a new Chicago supergroup, made up of veteran musicians Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering, The Slugs), Freda Love Smith (Blake Babies, The Mysteries of Life), and Jackie Schimmel (Justin Roberts, Big Hello). Their debut album, Blue Music, is simply special. I’ve listened to it many times through, and it hits all my musical sweet spots. Kind of a zoomy early 90s sound, shot through with a Midwest wistfulness (a term we all agreed on during the interview), and a positive outlook. This flawless record belongs in your record collection, and the in-depth conversation explores what went into it. http://www.sunshineboys.net

Gretchen’s Wheel is Lindsay Murray’s very successful project. She’s been super prolific with it too. Black Box Theory is her fourth full length album since 2015. Not only that, but she’s had time to release an EP, and to be part of a few all star tribute compilation albums, most recently, those covering Matthew Sweet’s catalog and songs from the James Bond movies. Black Box Theory is quite possibly her artistic and technical peak to date. Strong rocking songs, well-crafted, intelligent lyrics, excellent vocals, and she plays all the instruments except for drums. If you want to know what a powerful, mature album sounds like, pick up this one. http://www.gretchenswheel.com

Krista D is one of the many artistic endeavors of Krista Acheson. She’s got three music projects, and three visual arts projects, and she compartmentalizes them, because they are so varied. Adam Waltemire forwarded me a copy of her EP, Look At Me, I’m Krista D, and I was instantly hooked. She describes the sound as a ska/doo wop combination. Although she doesn’t think she has any specific musical influences, growing up in the 90s, the bouncy ska sound left an imprint on her. So when you listen to her songs, the upbeat melodies catch you at first, but there are some darker undertones to be found once you start really hearing and understanding the lyrics. They tell a story, but give hope to the listener. All six songs have been played on my radio shows, and they are all equally strong. It’s a great collection of songs, and you might want to get yourself a copy of your own. http://theoriginalkristad.bandcamp.com
Enjoy the show!