DJ Mike Show #174 – 12/19/2020: Ryan Scully interview and new track premiere from The Mysteries of Life!

DJ Mike Lidskin spent ten years at a National Public Radio station in Chicago, returned to California in 1997 and created Twirl Radio, and now hosts 30 hours of programming a month at Woody Radio. His two shows, “The Show With No Name” and “The Saturday Thing”, feature 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 the DJ Mike Shows live on Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. PST and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. PST at Woody Radio, http://www.woodyradio.com.

Ryan Scully interview
R. Scully | Look At Papa | New Confusion
R. Scully | Covid Sheets | New Confusion

Woody Radio debut of new track from The Mysteries of Life:
The Mysteries of Life | Jupiter and Saturn | Single release

THIS WEEK’S GUEST AND SONG DEBUT:
We are rapidly winding down the year 2020. As long and drawn out as this over-stimulated, far too eventful year has been, it’s wild that we are now in the last week of it. And congratulations–if you’re reading this–we’ve made it this far!

So on this episode of the Saturday THING, we welcomed Ryan Scully, aka R. Scully. He’s a New Orleans-based rock musician, who’s been an integral part of that city’s arts and music scene for decades. He moved to New Orleans, fell in love with the Upper Ninth Ward, and made it his home. Ryan lived through Hurricane Katrina–and literally swam through the neighborhoods to rescue his wife. He’s seen some stuff.

He’s been in punk and Americana bands, he’s made children’s records, and curated Friday nights at his beloved BJ’s Lounge, at least up until pandemic quarantining began.

So what does a survivor like Ryan do when the world shuts down? He holed himself up in the attic, and started writing the album “New Confusion”. The songs started pouring out, and it was all he could do to catch them and craft them into finished pieces. New Confusion is a great listen. To my ears, there are elements of funk, punk, and electronica throughout. It’s an intelligent album that Ryan says is a “map of my mind”. What really sealed the deal for me is that it’s out on Nouveau Electric Records, Louis Michot’s South Louisiana-based record label, that’s known for being adventurous while respecting the region’s musical traditions. What a great pairing. More info at: https://nouveauelectricrecords.limitedrun.com/products/684793-r-scully-new-confusion

A little later on, I had the great privilege of debuting a brand new track from The Mysteries of Life, for Woody Radio. The Mysteries of Life are Jake Smith and Freda Love Smith, and their work is always excellent. Their most recent EP came out five years ago, and has been a favorite on my radio shows. On this new song, “Jupiter and Saturn”, we get to hear backing vocals from Freda’s bandmate in Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield. Add in some stellar cello by Anna Steinhoff, and you get the single that you need to hear right now! But wait–more good news–this is the first shot from their forthcoming album, “Blue Jay”, due out in 2021. You can make this your own at https://themysteriesoflife.bandcamp.com/track/jupiter-and-saturn

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