I’m a huge fan of Neil Young. So much, that an old friend once half-joked that Neil Young is my John Lennon. Obviously, I was thrilled to learn that Young’s new documentary and soundtrack Coastal gets released today. Daryl Hannah directed the film and it’s about his post-Covid return to the stage as a solo performer. The soundtrack blends live takes of newer songs and older fan favorites. To my ears, the two main standouts include a haunting, threadbare reworking of “Expecting To Fly,” easily my favorite song of Young’s during his time with Buffalo Springfield. But it was a stripped-down version of “Vampire Blues” that stopped me in my tracks – this performance is peeled to the proto-grunge marrow of vocals and a heavily overdriven electric guitar. It’s a timely translation that features Young crooning over the heavy, tube-driven distortion of “Old Black,” his famously modified 1953 Les Paul, plugged into a 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe amplifier that’s so hot-rodded, his techs usually train two fans on the back of it, to ensure the amp doesn’t ignite and catch fire. Of course, listening to this incredible rendition of the song just made me want to revisit its origins – and my favorite era of his music – the Ditch Trilogy.   After the overwhelming success of 1972’s Harvest, Young was poised for superstardom. And since the album topped the Billboard 200, everyone at Reprise Records expected the hits to keep coming. After all, “Heart of Gold” went to No.1 and Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972. But Young isn’t the kind of artist who cares much about other people’s expectations. In the liner notes to the 1977 compilation Decade, he wrote, "’Heart of Gold’ put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride, but I saw more interesting people there." Subsequently, Young’s next three consecutive albums were dubbed “the Ditch Trilogy.”   Young seemed cursed with adversity in the wake of Harvest. His marriage was falling apart. His friend and bandmate Danny Whitten from Crazy Horse overdosed and died the night that Young sent him home from rehearsals for being too strung-out to play. Not long after Whitten’s death, Young’s close friend and roadie Bruce Berry also died from an overdose. Young’s next three consecutive albums reflected some of the artist’s darkest times.   Young recorded both Time Fades Away and Tonight’s The Night in 1973 before tracking On the Beach in 1974. He once told an interviewer, “[Time Fades Away] is the worst record I ever made.” But over the following years, the sonic patina has fermented beautifully – an intimate live album, it stands as a sonic documentary of an overwhelmed superstar’s amplified vulnerability. Young’s label wouldn’t even release the album on CD until 2017. Reprise also shelved Tonight’s The Night for nearly two years. None of these albums yielded anything resembling a radio hit. But all three of these beautifully desolate sounding recordings have aged amazingly well, especially Tonight’s The Night. In 2018 Reprise also released ROXY: Tonight's the Night Live, an awesome document of Young and the Santa Monica Flyers playing the album in various live settings at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Strip in 1973. And this is especially interesting because they initially thought the album was too gloomy to release after it was recorded. But that’s exactly the vibe Young was trying to capture. He wanted the studio versions of these songs to cast a heavy spell on the listener. Void of any production magic, Young insisted on rolling tape without rehearsing the songs beforehand. He wouldn’t let anyone overdub their mistakes. He purportedly kept his band sleep-deprived and wasted on tequila and “honey slides,” an intense concoction of homemade marijuana edibles. If Young’s goal was to distill a reflection of emotional fatigue and spiritual desperation, he succeeded. Listen to worn and weary “Borrowed Tune” or the exhausted “Mellow My Mind” and it sounds like he’s at the end of a frayed rope. His voice haggard and falling apart on the high notes, this is the sound of a man slowly being crushed by the weight of the times.   And make no mistake, the early ‘70s were some heavy times. The nation’s morale was wounded from the Vietnam War and Los Angeles was still paranoid from the Manson murders. Young mused on the latter in “Revolution Blues” where he sings, “Well I heard that Laurel Canyon is full of famous stars. But I hate them worse than lepers and I’ll kill them in their cars.” Understandably, this upset a lot of people. The Eagles’ Glenn Frye reportedly asked Young, “Why are you doing this to yourself?” Although On the Beach was recorded in 1973, the title-track’s most timeless lyric still resonates with haunting relevance during these currently heavy times: “The world is turning. I hope it don’t turn away. All my pictures are falling from the wall where I placed them yesterday. The world is turning. I hope it don’t turn away.” Over four decades later, Young’s darkest and most emotional work is still connecting with people. Give this doomed triptych some spins and it becomes understandable why the palpable emotion and raw desperation running through these three albums has garnered a deep Ditch Trilogy cult. Listen and join.     ... View more

If you have a good record collection, Black History Month is every month. But when it comes to the annual calendarized commemoration, I like to hold space for exploring the more classic winding roots of Black music that have helped influence subsequent popular culture. This year, I’m revisiting recordings by those who shaped the origins of Elvis Presley.   A lot of people credit Presley for inventing rock ‘n’ roll, but that’s simply not true. There’s no doubt that the man personified rock ‘n’ roll, but he did not invent it. Neither did Chuck Berry. Sure, Berry helped pioneer rock ‘n’ roll guitar playing. But there was someone before him. Tracing an easy-to-follow timeline of recordings will reveal that rock ‘n’ roll was invented by a queer Black woman. Two decades before “Johnny B. Goode” dropped, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was amplifying a hybrid of gospel music and boogie-woogie to packed houses. She is credited by many ardent music historians and musicologists to be the bonafide godmother of rock ‘n’ roll.     With a soulful wail and ferocious electric guitar style, Tharpe built the bridge that helped her gospel-boogie music influence Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, and of course Presley, who famously covered her 1947 version of the gospel traditional “Up Above My Head” on his ’68 Comeback Special. So why is he still regarded as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll? Perhaps because back in the 1950s, it was easier to sell rock ‘n’ roll to suburban teenagers if it was made by a blue-eyed heartthrob.       There’s an old saying – history was written by the winners. Of course, the same goes with music history. Some music writers would have you believe that the Elvis Presley phenomenon happened in a vacuum. And sure, he ended up selling more albums than Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton, Otis Blackwell, Arthur Crudup, Joe Turner, Little Willie John, Junior Parker, Wynonie Harris, and and Lloyd Price. But without these Black musicians and many others, Presley would not have had his early hits and fan favorite songs with such source material as “Hound Dog,” “That’s All Right,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Shake, Rattle & Roll,” “Fever,” “Mystery Train,” and many more.     And aside from the obvious cover material, Elvis’ herky-jerky singing style and his breathy crooning can be heard in prior recordings by Chuck Willis and Clyde McPhatter from The Drifters as well as Ketty Lester and The Orioles.     With this playlist, I’d like to acknowledge, spotlight, and celebrate some of the Black musicians who inadvertently invented Elvis Presley. And please understand that none of this is a slight on the King – after all, he shared this incredible music with us. Without Elvis’ deep love for these songs and the Black artists who inspired him, it would have been much more difficult to discover all these amazing and impactful recordings. As I lifelong fan, I can only love him more for turning me on to this treasure trove of Black music. Thanks, Elvis!     ... View more

Every November when we trace our hand with a crayon so as to make an illustrated Thanksgiving turkey, we often forget that Thanksgiving is about so much more than hand turkeys or matching the big brass buckles on our shoes with a bigger brass buckle on our large black hat. You can't spell "Thanksgiving" without the words "giving" and "thanks." So, this season, we are giving extra thanks for music and all the comforts and escapism that it provides.     Press play to listen to Pandora Picks – November 2024       My pick for this month comes from the album, Music For Hard Times by The Living Earth Show & Danny Clay. While the name of the album speaks for itself, the story behind it is really interesting. It was built with the aim of offering a sonic resource for comfort and calming. The composers created an eight-movement work using a series of composed, calming exercise. And they say it was created to answer a fundamental research question. Is it possible for us to use the tools of classical art music to make people feel better? If you like this song, I definitely recommend checking out the entire album. It is blissful and indeed music for hard times. -Noel         My pick for this month is by Dr. Malia Jade who is a music theory professor, and she has just released 90s songs for like, piano (piano version), an entire collection of solo piano covers from the 90s. It includes stuff like Radiohead's “Creep” and “Hurt” by originally by Nine Inch Nails (also covered by Johnny Cash). But I picked (Massive Attack’s) “Teardrop.” I love José González's cover of “Teardrop.” And Malia's version of this is in that vein. It's super fun. -Jamie         This year, I am thankful for Guck who are a new Los Angeles band I saw this year for the first time and they're pretty rad and they put out their first song that is not like a Bandcamp/YouTube thing. It's a track called “IDGAG.” Presumably, “I don't give a guck” is what I think it means. And they sort of remind me of this ‘90s synth era of like Six Finger Satellite or Brainiac and like the 2000s Load Records-era bands like Coughs. But they're happening now and they're great. Check out Guck. -George         So, you're about to hear the latest single from LA-based instrumental trio, LA LOM, which is short for the Los Angeles League Of Musicians. They've got a really cool thing going, only been around since 2001. They borrow sounds from Cumbia Sonidera, Peruvian Chicha, old school soul, classic romantic boleros, and even a drop of Bakersfield country. This music kind of makes me feel like I'm in an LA dance hall in 1960 waiting to get asked to dance. Or in a lively tiki bar in 2024, soaking up the hypnotic melodies and feel-good rhythms with my honey and my Navy Grog. This is “La Tijera.” -Michelle         This November I am thankful for the gift of music discovery. While visiting San Francisco, I went to the Make-Out Room to see my favorite West Coast shoegaze band, Seablite. Thankfully, I arrived early enough to check out the opener, Rachel Travers, and where the hell has her music been my whole life? She describes her songs as “low serotonin girl pop,” but to my ears, her gorgeous songs blend 20th century dream pop with earlier influences of post punk, and modern-day bedroom lo-fi charm. “Vertigo” is my favorite song from her Sentimental Poverty EP. It starts with a fuzzed-out tremolo before blooming into a dreamy, dancy, gauzy, gazey, gem of a song that just had to be my Pandora Pick of November 2024. But honestly, all three songs on the EP are amazing. -Eric S         Dub Is A Weapon is the name of the artist. “Forwarding Home” is the track. This is my pick for November. Led by New Yorker, Dave Hahn, Dub Is A Weapon that plays live dub, and they have actually been support and backing band for Lee “Scratch” Perry on one of his final tours. From their Vaporized album, this brings together some very classic dub elements but also some new twists and I will say some rather wicked lead guitar playing. -Eric D         This month, I am thankful for good ambient music. To that end, look no further than the amazing Vica Pacheco. I've chosen her track “Detrás del Teide” from the album, Aquapelagos, Vol. 3: Pacífico, an excellent example of her immense creativity in this space. -Diego         My pick for this month's Pandora Picks, is new music from Paysage D'hiver. Three years after his most recent full-length, the one-man band known as Paysage D'hiver returns with another sprawling, suffocating, snow-capped masterpiece. Originally a side project of Swiss black metal space lords (and lady) Darkspace, Paysage D'hiver has outpaced its musical mothership with more than 20 releases since his 1998 debut. The new record is called Die Berge, and its centerpiece is the three-part, nearly 35-minute song suite called “Transzendenz” which culminates in my pick, “Part III,” a plotting, buzz-drenched dirge that’s as epic as it is sonically dense. Minor key, melancholy drifts woozily amidst swirling clouds of disembodied riffage, while death march drums offer a bit of direction, the song churning and loping, eventually disappearing into the sound of wind and snow right where it began. Check it out. -Andee ... View more

Harvest moons, costume parties, cheap candy, scary movies, pumpkin carving... what's not to love about October? Especially when we're talking about music! For the October 2024 edition of Pandora Picks, we get into some spooky tunes, some new songs, and some old favorites. Here's your bag of audio treats!     Press play to listen to Pandora Picks – October 2024   My pick for October is Florist and the song is called, “This Was a Gift.” I've been a big fan of Florist for a long time now and they keep putting out great music. They just put up this new single and it's the perfect fall listen – it's super autumnal and melancholy and has beautiful instrumentation. They just always do really great work and I hope you enjoy it. -Dan   My pick for Halloween is “Vampire Love” by Kat Robichaud. She's a Bay Area artist and she's been on The Voice. Kat has this gorgeous, rich, singing voice and she's got this fun track called “Vampire Love” and it's so perfect for October. Hope you enjoy it. -Jamie   My Pandora Pick for October comes from the Pacific Northwest - Post Post Punk project Sex Park is everything I ever wanted from Interpol, but never got. Musician Paul Burkhart describes this music as part of “the “Goth Vampire Sex Music Scene” and in that regard, it’s perfect for Halloween! But to me, it’s much more than that. Sex Park’s new album Interlude was recorded in 2024, but there’s so much here that reminds me of the early 1980s: The cold and piercing analog synthesizer tones, the minimalist yet dynamic drum machine beats that beg to be accompanied by a fog machine, and singer Daniel Blumenthal’s vocals that fit snug between those of Paul Banks and the late, great Ian Curtis. And while every song here is outstanding, it’s “Obligation” that stays with me like the smell of clove cigarette smoke after attending a Depeche Mode concert. -Eric S   So, I thought I'd share a really cool discovery that could also work perfectly on your vintage Halloween playlist. This is Lou Johnson, who was a soul maestro known for his expressive voice and emotive delivery. He made a significant impact in the 1960s, most notably by his collaboration with the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. And you're about to hear one of those. This is a brilliant slab of soul music that was a staple on the UK dance halls. Take a sip of this “Magic Potion.” -Michelle   October 2024 Halloween! Okay... MEMORIALS! “Acceptable Experience” is the first cut off their new album, Memorial Waterslides. Yeah, I've chosen a MEMORIALS song before for my Pandora Pick. You don't remember it. Whatever. It's got everything! It's got neo psychedelic, it's got post punk, progressive tendencies, punk urgency and sweet, sweet, vocal harmonies. Dig it. -Chris D   I wanted to tell you about The Submissives who are a group from Montreal, Canada. And it sort of looks like a cult or a performance art project. But the music is sort of like… I don't know… the ‘90s band Quixotic mixed with The Shaggs mixed with Peggy Lee. And all of the songs are kind of about being submissive. And yeah, this is a live album – Live at Value Sound Studios. This is one of my favorite songs by them called, “Obsessed.” -George   My pick for this month's Pandora Picks is Geordie Greep who used to play guitar in the band, black midi, but this is nothing like black midi. The new record is called The New Sound and it kind of really is a new sound. It's all over the map so much so that it's kind of hard to describe… prog, post punk, classic crooning, free jazz. Very wild, very strange, which for me is maybe best exemplified by the record's opener, “Blues,” which is most definitely not that. Instead, it's stuttery, noodly, bass-driven, theatrical, prog rock with very dramatic sung/spoken vocals, kind of like a more frantic, more caffeinated Mark E. Smith (and very, very strange lyrics). The whole thing builds to a super chaotic burst of wild, drum-heavy, freakout with a buried horn section and swirling keyboards. The whole thing is very tense and driving and it's all a slow ramp up to some sort of controlled chaos. Very cool, very weird. Check it out. -Andee   My pick for this month is from Belgian artist Nala Sinephro and this comes from her new album Endlessness out on Warp Records. I have to thank a fellow coworker and friend Diego for turning me on to this record. It was one of those experiences where you just hear something and the first time you hear it, you know that it makes a huge impact on you. It's a really cool, very different blending of jazz, electronic, ambient, atmospheric elements. She's an up-and-coming artist and so it's very cool to learn about this album and I just can't say enough good things about it. I highly recommend digging into this one, but here is the first track from that record, “Continuum 1.” -Noel   My pick for October is one from the wayback machine: the 1975 chart-topper “Fire” by Ohio Players. I love that when they publish the lyrics online for this (which you can find on the Pandora page attached to this very playlist) that they actually printed out all of the lyrics including all of the “ows” and “wows” and “heys” and “hos” and “woos,” et cetera. And it's just such a perfect arrangement, complete with this short-ranging guitar solo, the rhythmic breakdown, and the key change dramatically going up a whole step. This is the album version, not the edited single. And they're both hot, but I prefer this one. -Eric D ... View more

    During this autumnal, candy-corned season of Samhain, I like to dim the lights and listen to all the “graveyard smashes” that I grew up on. But I also indulge in some horror rock. Not to be confused with gothic rock or "goth," (although it should be noted that some of today’s goth bands like Vision Video are really stepping it up, horror-wise), horror rock has existed nearly as long as rock 'n' roll has. Inspired by horror films and comic books as well as by the Halloween holiday, horror rock is often regarded as "shock rock" and many music historians credit Screamin’ Jay Hawkins as the very first shock rocker. He had a hit in 1956 with “I Put A Spell on You” and he would emerge from a coffin during his live performances that included smoke bombs going off as he howled into a skull-shaped microphone.     This inspired other early horror rockers like Screaming Lord Sutch and Bobby "Boris" Pickett who had a hit in 1962 when he and his band the Crypt-Kickers recorded the spooky fun song “Monster Mash,” replete with Pickett performing a Boris Karloff imitation. What people are just now realizing about this Halloween hit is that the song “Monster Mash” isn’t the actual Monster Mash. It’s a song about the Monster Mash, which is not itself heard on the track, and is fundamentally unknowable to us.     As the 1950s werewolfed into the 1960s, it wasn’t uncommon to find a few garage rock bands dabbling in horror rock. 13th Floor Elevators frontman, the late, great Roky Erickson, was perhaps the most haunted of all these rockers in that he made many recordings that took on themes of demons, vampires, the Necronomicon, and the devil himself. Other artists of this era dabbling in themes of the macabre include Arthur Brown who used to wear face paint on stage, years before it became a thing with a few 1970s hard rock bands and some 1980s metal acts. Back then, it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of the horror rock pumpkin pie, even Sonny Bono, who appeared as the schmaltzy shock rocker Deacon Dark on a 1979 episode of The Love Boat. And Donny Most, famous for playing Ralph Malph on the television series Happy Days, appeared as the demonic glam rock icon Moloch on a 1982 episode of CHiPs – both fictitious characters’ face paint bore a striking resemblance to Arthur Brown.     Of course, you can’t talk about Horror Rock without mentioning Black Sabbath. Hailing from Birmingham, England, the band’s moniker was inspired by the 1963 Mario Bava directed horror film Black Sabbath, starring the aforementioned Boris Karloff. But here was something different than the kooky, ghoulish, garage rock of the 1960s (so different, that the band is often credited for pioneering a genre known as doom metal). Musing on themes of the occult and satanism, Black Sabbath’s early songs were so scarry, that many people believe that the phenomenon known as satanic panic started here. Despite the fact that the band’s lyrics served to warn their listeners of evil, a small population of overly concerned parents looked right past the lyrics and wrongfully deemed Black Sabbath as Satanists.     Sabbath paved the way for the dark theatrics of Alice Cooper, who helped inspire horror rock titans, KISS. By then, satanic panic was freaking out legions of protective parents, some who started a false rumor stating that KISS was an acronym for Knights In Satan’s Service. Of course, this became a hard propagandic pill to swallow for any young KISS fan who had heard the band dabble in disco and watched them appear on corny television shows. Ironically, rather than frightening their own children out of listening to this music, some of the more talented kids of this generation were inspired to start ghoulish groups of their own like Misfits, Gwar, White Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and many more horror rocking legends including much of the black metal genre... but that’s an entirely different can… er… casket of worms for another time.   ... View more

The end of summer doesn't always have to be a bummer! For many of us, it means heartier meals, building fires, football season snacks, changing colors, apple picking, the death of mosquitos, and cozying up with a book...or a playlist! Here are some of the songs that stood out for us this autumn equinox.     Press play to listen to Pandora Picks – September 2024   My pick for this month is Kendra McKinley's new single, “Make Up.” I'm choosing Kendra because she had a situation with her LP delivery. We have received our LPs a whole year after we ordered them because her manufacturer just couldn't get it together. So, this is a celebration of finally getting her LP called, WHERE DOES A BODY BEGIN? But I've chosen the single that's come out since then.   -Jamie   My Pandora Pick for September 2024 is “Dying Inside” from the new album Attack of The Strange Ones, by Bay Area band The Strange Ones. To my ears, it strikes a perfect balance between catchy punk and timeless rock ’n’ roll. But there’s something about it that just feels and sounds so innately rooted in East Bay ethos - the winding riffs, the driving rhythm, the barbed hooks, and the attention paid to overall mix and tone. It’s the kind of song that makes me want to grind the curbs on a new skateboard with old friends at the Rockridge BART station.   -Eric S.   The band Baus has a new single called “WALLS.” It's a band that I've been seeing for like a decade and until recently, I thought they were called “Boss.” But, yeah, it's spelled B-A-U-S. It's pronounced, “boss.” They're from Southern California and Northern California at the same time, just like me.   -George   My pick for this month's Pandora Picks is the band TR/ST pronounced, “Trust.” Like previous records, this new one Performance sounds like some grimy, sinister, alternate reality, ‘80s new-wave dance party. I picked the song “The Shore” which shifts from brooding, creepy, slow motion, soundtracky, synthscape to a sort of darkly groovy, alien, new wave. The music is amazing but so is Robert Alfons, the main guy's curious, ultra processed vocals which change everything sonically.   -Andee   So, I had the fortunate opportunity to attend AMERICANAFEST in Nashville, which is an amazing celebration of legendary and up-and-coming artists in the Americana and Americana-adjacent music scene. It was an absolute blast, and I came back with a nice list of my favorite musical discoveries. One of whom you’re about to hear this is Alabama singer-songwriter, Early James, who is part of the Easy Eye Sound label family run by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Early James’ “What A Strange Time To Be Alive” brings an eclectic, eccentric, and utterly unique blend of jilted blues, mournful folk, southern gothic, and an idiosyncratic voice and a way of storytelling that will give you chills and ultimately haunt your dreams.   -Michelle   This month I'm paying tribute to Trish Keenan of the legendary band Broadcast. Last week would have been Trish's 56th birthday, but she passed away back in 2011, at far too young of an age. I've spent a lot of time with the Broadcast catalog over the years and they recently released Distant Call - Collected Demos 2000 - 2006. Their music seems to only get better with time as it ages. To me, it sounds suspended in time. And I remember exactly when and where I was the first time I heard this song. Specifically, I was in a tour van on the road with the band Tarentel in 2000. My friend Danny popped a tape of their album The Noise Made By People into the stereo. And I was transfixed. Was it new? Was it a lost recording from the late 1960s? I couldn't tell. And I became a lifelong fan on the spot. The song I've selected is “Come On Let’s Go” from the Maida Vale Sessions, recorded live over their years as a band at the BBC. You really can't go wrong with jumping into their catalog. But Maida Vale is a great place to start. I hope you enjoy it. And thank you, Trish.   -Noel   I was recently reminded of how much I love The Loved Ones – the Oakland Loved Ones, who recently reformed and did a couple of gigs (which by all accounts were utterly smashing) and that they teased some new material. Looking forward to hearing that. Their hit in the Bay Area and beyond from their earlier incarnation (that I remember because they used to play it on KFOG in San Francisco), “You Better Do Right” is fronted by the inimitable Bart Davenport. This group has had [almost] the same lineup since the beginning and in all of their reunions I think. And that in itself I think is special and really cool. And they have a unique flavor that is modder than mod. And I just love them. -Eric D. Do you like spacy, ambient, synthesizer, cosmic music? Like from the 70s? Like Tangerine Dream? And do you like brutal, technical sci-fi, death metal? And do you like them both in a sort of chocolate-in-your-peanut butter kind of combination? Then you will like my pick for this month, something that just came out last week. It's the latest from the Colorado death metal band and also cosmic space rock band, Blood Incantation. And we're going to hear the track “The Stargate [Tablet I],” – eight minutes – blast off! -Allan   Hello dear listeners, Diego here again bringing you a last gasp of summer by one of the least summery bands ever. Please enjoy the slice of sunshine that is “Inside” by Bardo Pond. -Diego   ... View more

For lack of a better moniker, it’s National Hispanic Heritage Month (I prefer Latin Heritage Month). And being that I’m half Mexican (the good half!), I wanted to celebrate the present by rocking out to the past. More specifically, my ears were craving some Mexican garage rock, beat bands, and cumbia from the 1960s. So I programmed a playlist: Mexico Rocks The 60s.     Admittedly, I didn’t grow up on a lot of Latin music. My mom, born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, was more into Styx and the Eagles. But every now and then she’d put on some Julio Iglesias and Luis Miguel. And even though my music obsession began at age six, nobody in my family (except my uncle Carlos who used to play “Mr. Bojangles” to us on his acoustic guitar when we were little kids) seemed to be nearly as enthusiastic about it. In fact, I had already been a recording and touring artist for over three decades before anyone in my family cared to share with me that we had another singer in the family.     Way back in the 1920s, my grandfather’s cousin José Mojica recorded some songs for Edison and the Victor Talking Machine Company. He also did some acting – his debut role was a Spanish outlaw in the 1930 romantic musical One Mad Kiss, starring Mona Maris. Mojica also wrote a book and did some opera singing and then became an ordained Franciscan priest. He and I are the only people in my family to have released our music on vinyl.   Try as I might, my music tastes veer very far from the recordings that my grandfather’s cousin made in the 1920s. Ever since getting caught up in the mod revival of the 1980s, much of my attention span still belongs to recordings of the 1960s. I think that’s because this was the decade when a lot of subculture and underground proto punk ethos started to seep into songs that were recorded around the world, even though much of it was inspired by UK beat bands.       When people talk about the British Invasion of the 1960s, most of these discussions tend to reflect on how bands like the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, etc. influenced music in the United States. But beat bands from this era also inspired much of the Latin underground music scene, especially Mexico. As with most other garage rock bands around the world, many of Mexico’s teen scenesters started off playing covers of their favorite songs. But listen closely and you can hear how artists like Los Yaki, Los Dug Dug’s, Los Belmonts, and others found their sound through taking on songs by the Yardbirds, the Coasters, the Zombies, and of course Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.       Dig deep into the pebbles and rubble of any ‘60s garage rock scene and you’ll hear how much of it was still rooted in the late 50s. Mexico was no exception – the DNA of underground rock in the 60s wasn’t far from the denim and leather neer-do-wells and nogoodniks of rock ‘n’ roll delinquency from the 50s (except in Mexico, “Runaround Sue” was named “Susy la Coquetona”). Still, some of my favorite recordings from Mexico in the 60s leaned less on aural assimilation. Whether playing funk, psych, rock, or cumbia – I’ll always favor Mexican music that sounds like the Mexico I’ve experienced. After all, having grown up a half-Mexican “pocho” child of the 80s, it is Mexican instrumentation, Mexican rhythms, and Mexican lyrics that still transport me to those bygone backyard parties and family reunions in Chihuahua where the food, music, stories, and love are all swirled into some of my favorite memories.     ... View more

Every August it seems like half of us are a little sad to say goodbye to the summer, while the other half looks forward to crisper days and the coming of autumn. This edition of Pandora Picks straddles a similar line with new and old songs, both warming and chill. What songs soundtracked your end of summer?     Press play to listen to Pandora Picks – August 2024          My August pick is “Karma Queen” from New Orleans, all-women, brass band, Brass Queens. They have an album coming out in October called Hot Tub Sessions, Vol 1. I love to see a band full of women. I love to see women on stage performing music, no matter what. And I love to see women supporting women. So, enjoy Brass Queens. -Jamie   Callahan & Witscher is the duo of Jack Callahan and Jeff Witscher – two people that I know from kind of experimental noise music – and together, they decided to make like a Sugar Ray type album and it's a bit baffling. The album is called Think differently. And this is one of the singles, vocals by someone named Sedona. Always baffling, Callahan & Witscher. -George   I usually try to pick new music every month, but I just discovered this, so it's basically new to me and hopefully new to you too. Besides having one of the best band names ever, Spain's The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness delivers laid-back heartfelt bright and shiny pop. And while I feel like I could have picked any song on the record (because I love them all), I picked a song with one of those rare chord progressions that instantly sears itself into your brain. “Can't You See?” is a short, sharp, ultra humble chunk of woozy jangle pop, replete with a falsetto bridge, an a cappella break, and a verse that's somehow even catchier than the chorus. There's some alternative timeline out there where this band is as popular as they should be in this one. So, check out The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness from 2021’s Songs From Another Life. -Andee   My pick for this month comes off the new Vampire Weekend album. I had the pleasure of seeing Vampire Weekend at the Greek Theater in Berkeley on Father's Day of this year and we decided to go, kind of last minute. But it was just one of those amazing, beautiful days where it was sunny out, the band was incredible, and it really turned me into a Vampire Weekend super fan to see them live and playing this album. So, I hope you like it – if you do, I definitely recommend checking out the rest of the album. It's “Capricorn” by Vampire Weekend. -Noel   So back in like 2011 somebody uploaded some amazing VHS footage of Stevie Nicks from 1981. She’s sitting in the makeup chair at Annie Leibowitz’s studio during a Rolling Stone photoshoot and she’s singing along to a demo version of “Wild Heart,” the title-track to her 1982 sophomore solo album. A lot of people commented about how they preferred the simplicity of this version over the finished studio mix. And I totally agreed with them, wondering when would someone smart enough record a cover of this version? Thirteen years later, I see posts on John Strohm’s socials championing Abigail Rose for doing just this. And while I wish Stevie could release that original demo version, this is really the next best thing because it also introduced me to the gorgeous voice of Abigail Rose as well as her own music.   -Eric S   My pick for August is “And Through The Wire” by Peter Gabriel. This is from the wayback machine(ish). I believe it was 1980. “And Through the Wire” features Paul Weller of The Jam on guitar. The Jam was recording in a nearby studio and Peter was a Jam fan and the pieces came together. Weller's aggressive Rickenbacker rhythm style, presumably through a Vox amp, was just perfect for the song and it sort of brings together the post prog rock world of Peter Gabriel and his history with Genesis and whatnot with the very active new wave of the time as personified by Mr. Weller. -Eric D   My pick this month is “Image” by Magdalena Bay. I'm a big fan of their 2021 album Mercurial World and their new album Imaginal Disc is equally far out. I really admire their production and interpretation of psychedelic pop music. There's a lot of twists and turns, plus it sounds fantastic with headphones on. -Chris N   My pick for this month is coming straight from Japan with the song “Feel My Pain” from HEY-SMITH. I never considered myself a ska fan, but this song is making me rethink it all. It's some sort of ska-punk. Maybe it's ska/skate punk. The instrumentals can almost feel like metal. There's something pretty magical about Japanese punk rock – it's so fast and fun. It just makes me want to run really fast in a circle. This song was also used in the new season of Kengan Ashura, the anime on Netflix. HEY-SMITH are touring the US in September with The Suicide Machines and I cannot wait to check them out. I hope you like it. -Julien   In 1998 I was walking up lower Haight Street on my way to my job at a record store. I saw a guy selling records. So, of course, I had to take a look and one of them was the Rough Trade Records sampler, Wanna Buy A Bridge, which had on the A side all the best early Rough Trade singles. I have the green cover variant with the Grant Street Address for Rough Trade, San Francisco. Anyway, one of the standout cuts on that is “Part Time Punks” by Television Personalities. Oh, what a humorous punky cut! Now, I know what you're thinking: “Chris! You know, all about punk!” And yeah, I pretty much do, but I don't know everything. And it took me decades to investigate Television Personalities more. I should have done this years ago. Anyway, I've been going down that rabbit hole deep, and the cut that's really standing out to me is “Three Wishes” off their album, They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles. It’s a really great, weird, haunting song of early punk jangle. And I'm just getting into it now. So, who's the part time punk now? -Chris D   In the dog days of summer, I’ve been enjoying an album by an unlikely collaboration: Six Organs of Admittance and Shackleton. Ben and Sam somehow blend their disparate styles into a heady mix of dubby bass lines, finger picked guitar, and hushed vocals is a perfect soundtrack to a warm evening on the deck with a frosty beverage in hand. Check out “Stages of Capitulation” for a taste!" -Diego   ... View more

August 26 is International Dog Day! This year also marks its 20th anniversary. The holiday was created back in 2004 by pet lifestyle professional and animal advocate Colleen Paige, who chose August 26 to commemorate the day she first adopted a canine family member. In establishing International Dog Day, Paige hoped to bring awareness to the act of adopting and rescuing dogs.   Ok, full disclosure: I used to be a cat person. I’m still a cat person. That is, I still love cats. But about 15 years ago, I began to keep company with little dogs instead of feline friends. Why? Because small dogs are still cat-sized companions, but they’re totally different to interact with. The domestic cats I’ve known and loved were mostly independent entities who drove our relationships (and I suspect that some had secret families). Conversely, the dogs in my life have always let me lead. Unlike cats, who seemed more like roommates I could sometimes cuddle with on their terms, dogs felt more like best friends and sidekicks. They’re usually down for whatever, whenever. It’s a lot easier to take a small dog to the beach or the local tavern than it is to take a cat. And I’ve never camped with a cat. But I can’t even count the times I’ve taken my little guy Noonan (yes, he was named after the protagonist in Caddyshack) out on camping trips and other outdoor adventures. Sure, some cats can do these things – Chris from Beachwood Sparks used to take his cat Carl on tour with the band! But the dogs in my life (especially Noonan), have always been more open to bond with and casually hang out.           I can pretty much take my boy anywhere and he’s just happy to be with me. I’ve even taken Noonan into the recording studio a few times. While our guitar player was overdubbing his leads on our second album, I taught Noonan how to roll over and how to catch treats. And when I was tracking vocals, he would just curl up next to my feet, waiting patiently. Like many dogs I’ve known, Noonan feels at home in the studio. This has led me to deduct the following conclusion: dogs rock! Think about it – dogs are descended from wolves. And nothing against cobras, but no animal is more metal than a wolf. So then, it stands to reason that if wolves are metal, dogs are rock. And this is why we’re going to pedestalize our canine companions on this internationally celebrated day with a compilation of pooch punk, hound hits, and other electric guitar-based mutt music. Crank the volume and howl along! This is Dog Rock!   Ok cats rock too, but that’s mostly soft rock – a playlist and Pandora Story for another time. Speaking of cats, let’s talk about Jimmy Page! Because in 1964, he was a studio musician who played probably my favorite guitar solo of all time on The First Gear’s B-side cover of the 1959 R&B hit by Little Willie John, Titus Turner, and James McDougal, “Leave My Kitten Alone.” Then in December of 1971, Led Zeppelin released “Black Dog” as the first track on their fourth album. So, Jimmy Page was a session cat deep into dog rock long before many of the musicians on this playlist were musing on mutts.       If you need further evidence that dogs rock, just listen to Nazareth’s “Hair of The Dog” or AC/DC’s “Givin the Dog a Bone.” And let’s not forget that before Aerosmith recorded “Walk This Way,” they released a cover of Rufus Thomas’ “Wa lkin’ The Dog.” Of course, you can’t argue with one of the heaviest dog rock songs ever, Ozzy’s “Bark At The Moon.” But is it dog rock or mutt metal? Hit play and decide for yourself! Then find your favorite dog and scratch their belly so good that their leg shakes to the music! And remember that August 26th comes once a year, but International Dog Day can be every day if you want. I have the dedicated, double denim, dog rock threads to prove it!   ... View more

It's the end of July and we're already starting to see "back to school" marketing. But you know what? We're still going to celebrate summertime with some of our favorite songs from the month that gave us fireworks, barbecues, picnics, music festivals, and swim parties.   Press play to listen to Pandora Picks – July 2024       Hey, this is Jamie from the creator services team and AURORA from Norway is back with another album. It was really hard to pick my favorite track, but I settled on “Do You Feel,” which just has this amazing, like Godly ethereal thing going on. She is my favorite forest nymph, so I guess it all makes sense. Hope you enjoy. - Jamie   Hi everyone, this is Julien. My pick for this month is a band that just made history as the very first metal band to play an Olympic ceremony. I am talking about Gojira. It was an immense moment of pride from fans all around the world, when somehow this band showed up on their TV on Friday. What makes me very happy is that Gojira is absolutely legit. They always did things their own way and really earned their place as one of the heaviest bands in the world. As a French metal fan, what a week. So let me introduce or reintroduce you to Gojira with the song “Another World” from their latest album, Fortitude. Enjoy. - Julien     Hey, Michelle Solomon here from Pandora's Creative Services team and head of jazz, oldies, and stage & screen programming. Hold on to your hats – I've got a delightful doozy for you. You're about to hear the new single from New York-based jazz fusion band, Forq. Which is a Brazilian carnival meets a circus carnival and crashes into Afropop. So, think Sergio Mendez meets Ray Conniff and Esquivel meets Salif Keita with a transistor organ, celebrating the band's undeniable grooves, singular sonic brand, and mischievous humor. Forqin’ awesome! - Michelle     Hi, this is Eric Shea. So even though I’ve lived in Athens, Georgia for over five years now, I still get a lot of friends asking why I made the move from the San Francisco Bay Area. There are always many different reasons, but one of the main ones is that it’s a town overflowing with stellar, underground music and I’m constantly discovering really amazing bands. One such band is Little Gold who can effortlessly blend infectious indie rock with timeless Americana, especially on this new song “Strange Vacation.” With a little help from Classic City darlings like T. Hardy Morris and Hunter Pinkston from the Pink Stones on the Telecaster, this song plays kind of like mid ‘90s Silver Jews reinventing “Sloop John B.” - Eric S   Hey, this is Eric Din, curator at Pandora. And my pick for the month of July is Steve Wynn's cover of Peter Case’s “A Million Miles Away,” which was originally recorded by the Plimsouls. Some of you know Steve Wynn from the Dream Syndicate. There's this lovely compilation of Peter Case originals performed by different artists, and it's called A Case for Case. And you know, it's all worth looking into. But I went right for the hit because I really love this song. I have very fond memories of the original. And I was delighted to hear how Steve Wynn's version opens it up and really gives you a look under the hood of the song. It's at a bit of a slower tempo and he does his country twang thing with it, and this just works beautifully. What an amazing song. - Eric D       You know, in the mid-to-late 90s, I was all about that New Zealand noise thing. So, when I walked into Aquarius Records and picked up a copy of Alastair Galbraith’s 1995 release Talisman packaged in a slimline cardboard CD case, I was all, “Word up!” Well, 20-some-odd years later it gets a nice expensive reissue on vinyl for the first time. So of course, I was like, “What? I gotta get that, yo.” So, I did, but I can also listen to it digitally. Check it out: “Cemetery Raga” by Alastair Galbraith 1995/2024. Legit respect, yo. - Chris D     This is Diego from the Content Systems team. I've been revisiting the Comsat Angels lately and greatly enjoying their brooding post-punk vibes. A "band's band," the Angels have an outsized influence on a large amount of other artists, even if they never achieved widespread success. If you enjoy tracing threads of this sort like I do, check out "Island Heart." - Diego   Hey, this is Chris from the Pandora for Creators Community. My pick this month is “Sky Lab” by Electronic System. It's a groovy and hypnotic instrumental track. And while it is over 14 minutes long, you're going to wish it never ends. - Chris N   ... View more

Did you know that July 2nd is International Mullet Day? With all the 1980s nostalgia-based programs currently playing on various streaming services, you would think that all Gen X-ers grew up dressing like Molly Ringwald and members of Duran Duran, driving Lamborghinis to exclusive nightclubs and art openings. But let’s be honest. While many ‘80s ladies flawlessly flexed that Brat Pack style, a lot of the guys were probably wearing Oakley Blades and Hypercolor tank tops while driving to the mall in a lowered truck with the Top Gun soundtrack blasting from the tape player. And they were probably en route to having their mullets frosted at Supercuts.   Don’t worry guys, I’m not here to judge you. I’m here to help. Why? Well, because after remembering that July 2nd is International Mullet Day, I realized that many of us have been cheated out of honest nostalgia. Here at Pandora, we don’t believe in the guilt associated with so-called guilty pleasures, even if you still listen to what we affectionately call “mullet rock.”     Over the years, there has been some discussion as to just what constitutes mullet rock. Some city folks believe it’s ’80s metal. Others of more pastoral upbringings may say it’s southern rock or Reagan-era country. And these are very fair guesstimates. After all, let’s not forget the teased mullets of Dokken, or that Billy Ray Cyrus has a tune called “I Want My Mullet Back,” a song he released 12 years after he “flew the flap” on the cover of Storm in the Heartland.   But this mullet-inspired playlist specializes in the kind of mullet rock to which today’s Gen X dads can relate. During the 1980s, these mullet-donning, cul-de-sac-dwelling, future dads listened to a lot of what’s also called “power rock,” the little brother to the power ballad. For example, Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You” is a power ballad. Conversely, their more upbeat and anthemic “Juke Box Hero” is power rock. Similarly, “Open Arms” by Journey is a very powerful power ballad. But their fist-pumping 1980 hit “Any Way You Want It” is pure power rock. A power rock song is sometimes just a really fast power ballad, and the line dividing the two can sometimes get a bit blurry.   Our International Mullet Day playlist, The Mullet, also includes mellow power rock songs like Gerard McMann’s “Cry Little Sister” from the 1987 soundtrack to the film The Lost Boys. Sure, it’s a bit slower than, say, Night Ranger’s “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” but consider this: most of the vampires in The Lost Boys had mullets. Though even with all their collective vampire power, none of their mullets could come close to competing with the lengthy locks of “Lost Boys Sax Guy,” Tim Cappello. What is it with vampires and mullets? Even Eddie Murphy had a slick, flowing mullet in Vampire in Brooklyn to warm the back of his cold, undead, vampire neck. No matter what you call your neck warmer – your “Kentucky waterfall,” “Mississippi mud flap,” “Boston beaver tail,” or “Canadian passport,” just know that we see you. And we’ve got you covered. So let your freak flap fly! Turn up that volume on some mullet rock and have an awesome International Mullet Day! ... View more

  During our annual celebrations of those dear dudes we call dads, it’s quite common to stream some dad rock after firing up the grill and filling the cooler with a couple bags of ice. But for this Father’s Day, let’s pop on our pinched-front fedoras and explore a slightly smoother musical corner of a dad demographic not often talked about in beard-scratching circles: Dad Jazz & Father Fusion.     For all intents and purposes, dad jazz (aka father fusion) is basically jazz rock. Some music heads say that jazz rock was born from progressive or prog rock. Still, others believe that the advent of the fretless bass inadvertently invented jazz rock. Perhaps both are correct. I’d like to point out to anyone adverse to jazz that you can’t spell “jazz rock” without “rock.” So, yes… this genre actually rocks (more so if you turn up the volume). And while we’re celebrating all fatherly figures, living and immortal, let’s dig deep into the smooth sounds of this largely underrated subgenre with help from Chuck Mangione, Weather Report, Once And Future Band, Rickie Lee Jones, Steely Dan, Chicago, Soft Machine, and many more jazz rockers. Let’s go cruisin’ for some fusion (sorry… dad joke)!             Of course, as with any named music genre, there are outliers and not all dad jazz is jazz rock. Curtis Mayfield’s epic “Move On Up” is a great example of top-shelf soul jazz. And Joni Mitchell’s “Coyote” is straight-up folk fusion. Frank Zappa’s “Apostrophe” could be classified as “avant dad.” “Zombies” by Magma might be described as a prog opera fusion opus. And Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Birds Of Fire” has been referred to as “acid fusion” – not to be confused with acid jazz, a short-lived and ultra-hip early ‘90s subgenre which drew more from disco, soul, R&B, and acid house – anyone remember the Brand New Heavies?     So, this Father’s Day, consider scoring a fretless bass or a shiny new flugelhorn for your old man. Or try to hunt down a big brown fedora like the one on the cover of Heavy Weather. Another consideration: does your dad’s sweaters have enough suede elbow patches? For the frugal father gifter, you can always save some dough by making a Father’s Day card and sending him this Pandora Story – watch him delight to the jam jazz of Medeski Martin & Wood, the six-string samurai fusion of Al Di Meola, the somber subtleties of Pat Metheny Group, the jazz odessy of Henry Cow, the hot-buttered saxual healing of Tom Scott, and of course the free flowing flute jazz recordings of the oil-chested Dionisius known by dad jazz scholars and father fusion afficionados as Herbie Mann. Stay smooth, y’all!   ... View more

What was your May 2024 jam? You might notice fewer submissions for this edition, but that's only because a lot of Pandora people are enjoying vacation and the sweet turning of the season. Spring fever aside, our Pandora Picks for May 2024 could be played any time of year... or any year, for that matter!     Listen to Pandora Picks – May 2024   I'm paying tribute this month to master sound recording engineer and musician Steve Albini, who passed away unexpectedly this month at 61. As I reflect back on the albums he's had a hand in creating in some way, I don't know that my musical taste would be anywhere near what it is today without his influence. From his work with Joanna Newsom to Dirty Three to Low to Slint to his albums with Big Black and Shellac, those records and many others were like forks in the road for me, where a new musical horizon opened up on the other side of the bend. It's well documented that he has stated his goal is to get out of the way and let the musician he's working with deliver the sounds that are most true to their art. And from that vantage point, he was the absolute best in his class. It was tough to pick a song that could possibly sum up his career. So, I'll share the first track off of his band Shellac’s new album, which through sheer coincidence was released a week following his unexpected death. -Noel     I'm super excited to share the lead single and first track off the upcoming new release by up-and-coming jazz multi-instrumentalist, Julius Rodriguez. His track “Mission Statement” takes us on a cool, loopy, cosmic, journey with a mega dynamic sax solo, which will certainly appeal to both jazz music novices and open-minded jazz heads who dig late ‘70s and ‘80s jazz fusion. -Michelle         My pick for May 2024’s Pandora Picks is from Gastr Del Sol. Finally, these pillars of post-rock get a long-overdue retrospective. The core duo of Jim O’Rourke and David Grubbs have musical pedigrees like you wouldn't believe, from Squirrel Bait to Sonic Youth. But together as Gastr Del Sol, they created something wholly unique – a darkly delicate but often noise-drenched world of spidery, crystalline guitar escapes, abstract percussion, hushed drones, mysterious field recordings, looped noise, and gorgeously-textured ambience. Check it out. The song is “Dead Cats in a Foghorn.” -Andee     One of my favorite new discoveries in the Los Angeles music scene is Chorus Pedal, who used to be a drums/guitar/bass trio and recently got rid of all their instruments and are just playing samplers and doing drum machine beats with the same singer. So, they've completely changed their sound. And the first example of that is this single called “Tripsitter” from their forthcoming album. -George     Beak> “Hungry Are We” – oddly venture a freeway, unnervingly British, blatantly tape saturated… my mind, a chorus pedal. This is Chris in content curation with my Pandora Pick for May 2024. -Chris     In the 1981 prog pop song “Tom Sawyer” by Rush, Geddy Lee sings the lyrics, “Always hopeful, yet discontent/ He knows changes aren't permanent/ But change is.” And I’ve always tried to remember these wise words whenever mourning the loss of a favorite music venue or restaurant. But with their new song “Matter of Time” from the album About Time, Bay Area band Stonedog reminds us that it’s ok to lament loss and change. And they do it in this melodic, power pop, new wave of new wave style that reminds me of Fountains of Wayne’s obsession with the Cars, but with soaring vocal harmonies and a shredding solo that makes me want to tape up my guitar like the late, great Eddy Van Halen. -Eric S.     Happy almost summer! My pick for May 2024 is called “Noisy Little Robot” from Sweet Potato Music. There's a new album called Pop Pop Bubbles and they're all original songs that Leah Paul created for music classes for babies and toddlers. And I love this song “Noisy Little Robot” because it introduces the concept of rests and silence in music, which is always so important. And it's just a fun little ditty. Hope you enjoy. -Jamie   As we ease into the summer from the spring out here on the sparkly West Coast of California, I'm feeling a bit tropical today. And I found this track on a Vintage Calypso collection, music from the 1950s and 1960s. And there is a version of the classic Calypso “Bassman” by a group called the Tradewinds of which I know very little about, except that I really love this track and it captures the moment for me today. And I hope you enjoy it poolside or maybe with a rope swing and a river. -Eric D.     This month, I’m sharing a new discovery for me, the Classical Arabic Orchestra of Aleppo. I’ve been a student of Middle Eastern music for over a decade, and this is one of the better Takht albums I’ve heard in a while. The Takht is the basic ensemble of Arabic classical music, and Aleppo has been a highly regarded center for this kind of music. I’ve chosen the ensemble’s recording of “Samai Bayati (Maqam bayati)” with some lovely improvisations on oud and qanun. Enjoy! -Diego       ... View more

I’ve been waiting for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to write a little bit about Hawaiian slack key guitar. But honestly, I listen to this beautiful and relaxing genre of music much more than one month out of the year. Whenever I’m feeling stressed or anxious, the watery and ethereal recordings of slack key can loosen my knots and put my hackles down in just a matter of minutes.   It was my friend and roommate Billy Bliss who turned me on to this music back in the late 1990s. Well, his father did. “Gentlemen, dinner will be ready at 6:00 PM. Cocktails in the den at 5:00. Please dress appropriately.” Billy’s dad glanced at his watch and added, “I hope you fellows like smoked tri-tip.” I was still a bit full from our lakeside lunch, but Mr. Bliss had been smoking that cut for the better part of the day and it smelled amazing.   Before leaving for Tahoe, Billy had asked me and our friend Ted to pack some collared shirts and sweaters because his father took cocktail hour seriously. Billy’s dad was an incredibly inspiring guy. In his 70s, the man’s library smelled of the old leather-bound books that crowded his shelves and his desk was dotted with small woven baskets overflowing with stone arrowheads he had found over the past few decades on his daily walks around the lake.         As we were changing out of our swim trunks and into our dinner clothes upstairs, I thought that Billy, Ted, and I looked ridiculous with our slicked-back hair, sweaters, and sunburns on a relatively warm summer evening. But I really respected Mr. Bliss and wanted to make a good impression. His den was outfitted with a small bar and long polished wooden benches cut from old growth logs. And his art collection was an impressive array of classic western themes and Polynesian paintings. Thinking about it now, I wish today’s guys were less into man caves and more into dens. Mr. Bliss poured me a bourbon over ice. I thanked him and we talked about his collection of Hawaiian art and his lifelong love for the South Pacific. “Speaking of Hawai’i,” he said, “let’s put on one of my favorite record albums.” His eyes lit up enthusiastically when our conversation turned to the music of Hawaiian slack key guitar and the genre’s most notable player, Gabby Pahinui.         Having originated in Hawaii, slack key guitar is a style built on a myriad of open tunings and a dexterous arpeggio technique wherein a single guitarist’s thumb and fingers are simultaneously playing two – sometimes three (bass, rhythm, and lead) separate parts on the same guitar. The name for this indigenous style of six-string playing comes from slacking the standard guitar tuning. There are so many different tunings, that no historians of slack key guitar know exactly how many exist. But scholars of Hawaiian culture have traced the genre back to the 1830s, when King Kamehameha III hired Mexican and Portuguese ranchers to teach the paniolo Hawaiian cowboys about cattle-herding techniques. After some of those ranchers left behind their acoustic guitars, their Hawaiian protégés adapted the tuning and playing of the instrument to accompany their traditional “mele” music.       Mr. Bliss set his drink down and walked over to the stereo system. After a few seconds, soft strumming began to seep out from the old walnut hi-fi speakers and the room warmed up with the lively bounce of Gabby Pahinui and Atta Isaacs’ 1969 album Two Slack Key Guitars. He handed me the record sleeve and explained how this was one of his favorites – two of the biggest slack key guitar legends from the band Sons of Hawaii playing and singing together. I was immediately drawn to the Atta Isaacs-sung song “I'm-A-Livin'-On-A-Easy” and its freewheeling narrative that romanticized a chill island lifestyle of minimalism involving a bottle of whiskey and a woman named Maggie. After the first side finished, Mr. Bliss flipped the vinyl over, gently placed the stylus on side two and said, “If you listen to this...I mean stop and really listen, you can hear how much fun they’re having.” He picked up his drink and swirled it around a couple times before adding, “You can hear their history of family and friendship in this music.”   ... View more

  Nothing against dad rock, but back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was mom rock that wafted from the family station wagon speakers and created the soundtrack to my formative years. My dad was always traveling for work, so it was really my mom and my little sister who provided most of what I have come to know as quality time. Like a crochet Afghan blanket on the sofa or a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup on a rainy day, mom rock was music that made me feel…mothered. But to be honest, mom rock as a subgenre wasn’t something I even considered until my mid 20s.   It was back in the mid 1990s, when my old band played our first of many shows with Beachwood Sparks in Los Angeles. Following their spectacular set, we were invited to an afterparty at the band’s Silverlake abode. It was there among the boot-cut donning longhairs and hip young lurkers where bass player Brent Rademaker put on an album by Bread before cracking open a cold beer. Shortly after recognizing the chorus of “Make It With You” (a staple in my mom’s 8-track rotation), I asked him, “Hey, is this Bread?” Brent replied without a hint of irony, “Yeah, man. I love Bread. They make me want to tuck in my shirt and wear a belt.”     This moment provided an awakening realization that there are no guilty pleasures. And that I should like what I like and just be myself. But it also ignited my obsession with soft rock. Admittedly, my first deliberate flirtations with these recordings were based in base nostalgia. After all, these songs reminded me of the awesome woman who raised me.     This is the music that played in the background of her Tupperware parties. These are the songs that sang from the little transistor radio she placed on our quilted, earth-tone, picnic blanket when the family posted up at the neighborhood park to watch Fourth of July fireworks. Among many other similar artists, it was the warm and mellow sounds of The Association, Carole King, The Alan Parsons Project, America, Carpenters, and Neil Diamond that made me feel safe at home.     Although soft rock started in the late 1960s, it flourished in the early 1970s as a melding of singer-songwriters, folk-rock, and AM radio pop. The general sound was characterized by a contrast of simple songwriting with lush (and sometimes orchestral) production. Many soft rock enthusiasts believe that the genre peaked in the late 1970s before it morphed into adult contemporary by the 1980s. While I remember much of this “AM gold” being played in my mom’s avocado green Pinto station wagon on the way to soccer practice, I would later discover some of my favorite songs by the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Valerie Carter, Jackson Browne, The Free Design, Iain Matthews, David Gates, Brewer & Shipley, and Prelude. Not to be confused with yacht rock, soft rock wasn’t just for smooth sailors and bearded bachelors. Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” was a soft rock anthem for anyone who sulked in the shadows of the popular kids in high school and Pure Prairie League’s “Aimee” twanged along with other legends of ‘70s country rock.   Sure, the definition of mom rock differs for every generation. More modern moms might like our Mom Jeans playlist or our Dear Mom pop songs even more than I like alliteration. And of course metal moms might like it louder than most – not to worry, we’ve got them covered with our Intro to Hair Metal playlist. We’ve even got country moms covered!  This Mother’s Day, we’d like to celebrate all moms, living and immortal, with the songs that make you feel mothered and… motherly. ... View more

  Just like all the new growth that sprouts in spring, April unearthed some blossoming new tunes! Per usual, we also found a few old jams to help score our pre-summer soundtrack. Dial up that volume, grab your garden shovel, and dig what we've been digging!     Listen to Pandora Picks – April 2024       Some real nice stuff. I don't know much about this person. I don't know if they perform live ever, if they've ever come to America. I think they live in Argentina. The artist is called necesito el valor tanto como necesito el miedo. I'm taking Duolingo - I don't know if I got that right. It's nice and dreamy lo-fi, singer songwriter stuff. Here we go. -George       What's up, you guys? It's Lisa from Pandora Music Analysis. This month, I stumbled across an artist. I was unfamiliar with named MaKenzie. I couldn't find a lot about her online, but the music definitely speaks for itself. I had a hard time choosing a track off the album. The whole thing is really good, but I went with “Cashmere.” It’s sort of an angry, romantic, conflict type of song. It's pop R&B in the sort of Prince vein, with a little bit more electronic production and also a really beautiful string arrangement that pops in at the end. So, I was really impressed with her voice and super impressed with the production. It really gets you right in your feels if you're having a sort of angry romantic day. So, check out “Cashmere” by MaKenzie. -Lisa       My pick for this month's Pandora Picks is from Adam Wiltzie, who's one half of the orchestral guitar drone duo, Stars Of The Lid, a group whose substantial body of work is utterly stunning in its subdued epicry. Sadly, the other half of Stars Of The Lid, Brian McBride tragically passed away in 2023. So Wiltzie's new record Eleven Fugues For Sodium Pentothal is a gorgeous. elegy for his fallen comrade, continuing the same sonic path. Like Stars Of The Lid, Wiltzie creates miniature supernovas of sound – small symphonies that quickly expand to fill a space exponentially greater than their constituent parts might in less skilled hands. It's an expansive song suite that delicately fuses Arvo Pärt and sunn O))) into an orchestral drone bliss. Equal parts dark ambience and smoldering majesty, this is “We Were Vaporized” by Adam Wiltzie. -Andee       I've got a pick for you this month, a track by the band Gramma from Minneapolis. It's off their latest full-length called Eat, which came out last month. This band plays a brand of bouncy, distorted, poppy, punky rock – a little bit Weezer, a little bit grunge. Very melodic and chaotic as well. Maybe a sort of like a more cheerful version of something like the band So Pitted from Seattle (who also have a new album that came out last month called Cloned). I picked the track “MOM ETC.” which is the second song on this album. And if you like it, you'll probably dig what comes after. And most of the tracks are pretty short too, under two minutes or even a minute. So, yeah, good times. Check it out. -Allan       Hey y'all, I am so stoked to share the debut track from a brand-new project called Parlor Greens, put out by the always amazing Coalmine Records. With guitarist Jimmy James, drummer Tim Carman, and Hammond B3 organist Adam Scone, their track, “West Memphis” sounds something straight out of the 1960s Stax/Volt vaults. Hope you dig it. -Michelle     I’ve been obsessed with this epic long-player ever since it dropped in January. The last time I had honest difficulty picking a favorite song from an album was when I first fell for Link Wray’s 1971 eponymous LP. The brilliantly crafted music of San Francisco’s Chris Guthridge isn’t that different from said Link Wray album - the prolific Guthridge played most of the instruments here and recorded these songs in his home studio. And like Link, he shares an affinity for timeless, kitchen sink, Americana, with musical roots that dig deep into the fertile soils of soul, country, and psychedelia. Speaking of all things psychedelic, this song “Jackie” from his second album Mental Health has been putting a kaleidoscopic spin on my spring and I hope it does the same for you. -Eric S.       My pick for this month is AO Music and they have a new album called Otherness. And the track I really like is called “Nata Ire Vox.” AO Music is a conglomerate of musicians from all over the world who work with children's choirs from all over the world. So, you get this really awesome mix of timbres and sounds and instruments and I just really like it. I really, really dig this sort of thing. I don't know if you want to call it world fusion or whatever, but I really enjoy it. Hope you do too. -Jamie     My pick this month is a reggae cover of the John Lennon & Yoko Ono song, “Every Man…” by Tchai & The Merger. I'm a total sucker for reggae covers of pop songs and this one does not disappoint. The song is on a compilation titled Riddim Poetry which highlights the emergence of the reggae movement in France through a selection of hidden jams from the 80s – highly recommended tunes. -Chris N.     Hello, Pandora friends and associates. If you know me (and by now I’ll bet you do), you know that I like obscure bands from who knows where with names that I can't pronounce properly. This month I bring you a track from Cukor Bila Smert' from Ukraine, going way back to like 1990. This is some freaky stuff. In fact, most of the album is so insane, I can't actually get through the whole thing. But this cut “The Great Hen-Yuan’ River” is ok. I can get with it. It’s still pretty freaky. So, dig in and I don't know, just get weird. Get freaky. Get Ukrainian. -Chris D.   For three strange days, I have been thinking about this hit song from the very early 90s. One of my favorites from the period by a band called School Of Fish. I listened again this morning, sort of wondering if the track would stand up to the glory of my memory of it. And wow, it absolutely does. The interplay between the vocal and the guitar melodies builds a stage for the lyrics in which every scene comes to life vividly, like a movie. Singer/guitarist Josh Clayton-Felt died very young and guitarist Michael Ward passed just recently. They both went on to other musical heights in their careers which are well worth diving into. And they left us this timeless, gorgeous, undeniable smash, “3 Strange Days.” -Eric D.     I went with a springtime-themed track. This is Pharoah Sanders’ “Love Is Everywhere.” The springtime is my own interpretation, in that I feel like this song encapsulates an explosion into ecstasy, which may sound dramatic, but reminds me a lot of how with spring, we get flowers and trees budding into leaves. And so, there's sort of this frenetic feel as the earth begins to wake up from winter. So please enjoy this song. It's eight minutes of fun, magical saxophone. -Lee   ... View more