Month: April 2005

show 172 – Justin Power

Hi, everybody; this is Todd. As I’m writing this, it’s about 2:30 a.m, and it’s warm and beautifully rainy outside. I love the smell and sound of rain in the middle of the night; I guess I’m a Portlander at heart.

Wow. Fun show today! Justin was great, and the show flew by. I felt a little nervous–doing my first interview, live performance, AND pledge drive, all at the same time–but I felt like the show had a good flow overall. Justin’s a really nice guy, and if you have a chance to see him live, you really should do so. He makes it look effortless, and his songs are beautiful.

Here’s the playlist:

E – Hello Cruel World – A Man Called E (Polydor)
Crystin Byrd – Please Let Me – My Silence (self-released)
Elliott Smith – Angeles – Either/Or (Kill Rock Stars)

Justin Power live:
       Smoldering Matchstick
       Needle Spin
       You Are A Statue
       Before History Was Born

Aimee Mann – She Really Wants You – The Forgotten Arm (Superego)
Michael Penn – Walter Reed – Mr. Hollywood Jr. 1947 (forthcoming)
Marty Willson-Piper – Will I Start To Bleed – Spirit Level (Rykodisc)
Fredo Viola – Our Lips Are Sealed – Fredo Compilation (self)

And if I may, I’d like to give a shout out to Jawninottawa!

It’s A Celebration


As my way of saying thanks to you listeners, and also as a way to celebrate pledge drive, I’ve restored all old mp3s here at the site. Any link that was broken before will now work (try this one — it was never actually posted) . I will keep these old mp3s up for the entire pledge drive. Please call 503-725-5945 tonight (or go online) and make a donation to KPSU. A dollar, 5 dollars, 10 dollars, 50 — it is all tax-deductible and goes to a great cause — community college radio. Many local business have donated goods and services to be used as premiums (as a way of saying thank you for your donation), so if you pledge something substantial tonight you will walk away with your pick of some great gifts – including the HCW Mix CD.

I have received some emails asking what artists are included on the mix cd (see the post before this one). Here is a partial list: Tanya Donelly, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Rose Polenzani, Lloyd Cole, Billy Bragg, Warren Zevon, Kaitlyn Ni Donovan, and Joanna Newsom.

Don’t forget about Justin Power tonight. Not only will he be appearing on the radio program tonight, but also he will be performing not long after as the showcase artist at the now-famous White Eagle Open Mic night. The festivities start at 8pm (get there at 7:30pm if you want to sign up and play), and Justin Power goes on at 9pm.

limited edition mix cd for pledge drive

First of all, the inimitable Todd C. Bayles will be hosting Hello Cruel World for the next two Sundays. And he has guests — Justin Power this coming Sunday and Benjamin Bochner the next.

Secondly, KPSU’s pledge drive begins this coming Sunday. Hello Cruel World is always thrilled to be part of the opening-day pledge drive festivities. We love KPSU, and we know you do too. Pledge drive runs from April 24th – May 6th, and is the only time this year that we will ask for your monetary support. Our goal is to raise $5,000 this year, and really — that’s not too much money. We raised just over $4,000 last year, and so could really use your help this year. You definitely do not need to live in the Portland area in order to participate — hundreds of people around the globe are enjoying our live internet stream at any given hour. You can use this handy online form to make a pledge to KPSU.

Finally, as a thank you gift for those listeners who pledge $20 or more to the station, I’ve made a special limited edition Hello Cruel World mix cd. This mix is called “Happy Accidents”, and consists of all my favorite playlist moments in the history of the show (over 170 shows now!!). DJ’s like myself are always looking for flow — for songs that blend seamlessly together or that sound really cool bumped up next to each other, and over the course of 3 years I’ve been lucky enough to have had about 10 of these AHA moments while constructing a set. I went down to KPSU a few weeks ago, and stitched all those moments together into a free-flowing 80 minute mix. I made jokes about it last week on the show, because indie-folk is not a genre that springs to mind when you think of flow or mixtapes. But you’ve gotta try this — I think you’ll like it.

The mix cd’s are a limited edition of 8. They feature cool silk-screened artwork and quirky blister cases courtesy of 5inch.com.

Please give generously! Tune in! Call Todd up at 503-725-5945 during the show and let him know you want to pledge. Pledge over $20 and mention the mix cd.

I’m off to Ottawa — thanks so much for your support,

John B. Jones

show 171 – Laurel Brauns


Laurel brought some great new songs in – very dark and goth (in the Shelley sense). I’ve decided that we need to keep some candles down at the station just for such an occasion – turn down all the lights and soak up these songs.

Madeleine Peyroux – Careless Love – Careless Love (Rounder)
Crystin Byrd – I Surrender – My Silence (self)

Laurel Brauns with Travis Goff on bass:
        Mannequin
        North 93
        Outside
        Strawberry Banke

Laurel Brauns – Percy Schmeiser – Periphery (Red Trail)
Chris Martin – Yello (solo piano version) – Sounds Eclectic Too (Palm Pictures)
Elvis Costello – Veronica – Spike (Warner Bros.)
Sarah Harmer – Everytime – You Were Here (Zoe/Rounder)

mp3 is available here.
podcast is available here.

show 170 – Super XX Man In Concert


L to R: Zach, Michelle, and Scott

It’s a special night – I’ve wanted to have Super XX Man on the program for over a year now, but the timing has never been right — until tonight!

Brandon is doing sound, and Super XX Man (Scott, Michelle, and Zach) are playing for the entire hour. I hope you are tuning in.

Super XX Man played
        My Usual Way
        Lonestar
        Collecting Rocks
        Up Up Up
        Love Was As Cold
        I’m Alive Again
        Stroll On Through New Orleans
        Grace
        Garage Apartment
        I Know You Before
        See You In The Evening
        Generosity
        Coulee City
        To Beat The Devil (Kris Kristofferson)

You can download an mp3 of the show here.

show 169 – Laura Gibson

Lara Michell – Sinking – Ruby Red (self)
Laurel Brauns – Going Back To Boston – Periphery (self)
Michael Penn – Lucky One – MP4: Days Since A Lost Time Accident (Epic)
Laura Gibson – Amends – Amends EP (self)

Laura Gibson in-studio:
       Soul
       Roll
       The Longest Day
       In A Constant Rain

Felix McTeigue – El Paso – Radio Perfecto (self)
Smokey & Miho – Blue Glasses – Smokey & Miho EP (self)
Super XX Man – Steamboat Jean – Volume VII: My Usual Way (Lelp)

Thanks to Laura and Todd. Next week — Super XX Man!!!