Category: General

Practice Resurrection!

Hello Cruel World is back, on a new station and a new timeslot!

KZME is a brand-new community radio station here in Portland. The frequency is 107.1 FM, and we’ll be broadcasting at least for the next year or so out of the KMHD2 studios located at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR.

The show will air Saturdays from 4-6pm. The format will change slightly to highlight more local music (KZME’s slogan is “Music Where You Live”). We’ll have in-studios on as often as we can….yesterday’s inaugural show for KZME featured local acoustic duo Jaime & Becky in hour 1, and rappin’ cowboy Chris “Sandman” Sand in the second hour (he’s also the star of a documentary called “Roll Out, Cowboy” that is showing next week here in town at the Reel Music Film Festival).

Next Saturday’s guests are Jarad Miles and Barry Brusseau, they have a joint cd release party at The Woods on January 20th.

Site Update Sept 2006

Over dinner last week, someone asked me about this website. “Do you ever update it?”

I had to admit that I don’t. Hello Cruel World ended November 13, 2005 with its 200th show.

But I do think about HCW – often. A few months ago, I spotted a local songwriter coming out of the grocery store. She had been a guest on my show once, but I could not recall her name. It bothered me for days (I’ve since remembered – hey Tamara J!), and really hit home how lost and out of touch I’ve felt since I ended things last fall.

I do plan on updating things here a bit more regularly. I have plans for the future, and I want to better document the 200 shows of Hello Cruel World via this website. My first little project is to create some playlist statistics for the show using Google’s new online spreadsheets.

2005 Playlist Statistics (in progress)

I hope to eventually do stats for all four years, and then a sum of all the years. It will be interesting to me to see which artists got the most play on HCW.

I also plan to create a Flickr account for HCW to document the show’s history via photos.

Finally, once I get my cd’s and home studio unpacked and put together, I plan on creating a couple of podcasts. Hopefully I can get one done before year’s end.

That’s all for now. If you listened to the show, thanks very much. If you still visit the site hoping for a glimpse of activity, it’s here (though it’ll mostly be nostalgic in nature).

Update: Flickr account created! One pic for now (hey Johnny K!) and more as I find them (on hard drives, floppies, etc.)

usa datinguk datingadult datingorder cialisbuy cialisorder viagrabuy viagra

show 188 – Alan Kanning

Hi everybody, this is Todd.

If you were one of the lucky people who heard the show live, either on the air or on the net, you know that Alan and I had a great time. Unfortunately, due to a comedy of errors, the show was not archived by KPSU, nor did I record the show onto MiniDisc, so it may be lost in the ether forever. We comfort ourselves by thinking that somewhere there exists a parallel universe in which both KPSU and I recorded the show, and it’s available in that universe for you to listen to.

In addition to that, Alan and I left in a bit of a hurry, so I left my playlist at the station. I’ll try to recreate the show from memory. Here we go:

Erin McKeown – We Will Live On The Moon
(I think there might have been one more song here)
Kat Jones – Elliot
Steve Earle – Jerusalem – Sounds Eclectic Three

Alan Kanning live:
A Thousand Things (“The Truck Driving Song”)
Song 2
Song for Samantha
(Alan, if you’re reading this, PLEASE e-mail one of us with the names of your songs!)

Stuart Valentine – Not Ready
Jacob Ray – Do I Dare. . .?
Lara Michell & Todd Bayles – Into The Dream
Song 4

Beck & Jon Brion – Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime

I for one (and John for two) am very bummed that this show only got archived in a parallel universe. I had a blast; Alan was great as always, and HE even had a blast. (sigh) Oh well, there will be plenty of good shows to come. Thanks for listening, and can I just take a minute to say congratulations to John for being ‘all graduated’ now? Yay!

the sunshine warmup hour

Mark DeGliAntoni – Mermaid – Horse Tricks (Tzadik)
Billy Bragg – Everywhere – Don’t Try This At Home (Elektra)
Billy Bragg – Cindy Of A Thousand Lives – Don’t Try This At Home (Elektra)
Spoon – My Mathematical Mind – Gimme Fiction (Merge)
Geraint Watkins – Heaven – Dial W For Watkins (YepRoc)
Menomena – Sistah Social Theme Song – PDX Pop 2005 Compilation
Eels – Going Fetal – Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (Vagrant)

The Mooney Suzuki – Alive & Amplified – Alive & Amplified (Red Ink)
The Decemberists – Apology Song – 5 Songs EP (Hush)
Nouvelle Vague – This Is Not A Love Song – Nouvelle Vague (Luaka Bop)
Marine Girls – Love To Know – Lazy Ways (Cherry Red)
Amy Farris – Anyway – Anyway (YepRoc)
Phoenix – Everything Is Everything – Alphabetical (Astralwerks)

The Long Winters – Unsalted Butter – The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (Barsuk)
Sondre Lerche – Two Way Monologue – Two Way Monologue (Astralwerks)
They Might Be Giants – LMNO – Here Come The ABC’s (Disney)

show 180 – jawn stil gawn; tawd rawks

Hi, everybody. This is Todd. Like I said on the air, today was “no guests, no interviews, no pledge drives, just me, you, and the Rock.” I like doing the live guests and stuff, but I’m so shy by nature that I don’t ever feel comfortable doing that. I’d be perfectly happy if I never had to speak at all on the air. 🙂

So anyway, here’s the playlist for the one hundred and eightieth show:
       Julie Doiron – Sweeter
       Christine Fellows – Advice
       Crystin Byrd – My Silence – My Silence (self-released)
       A.C. Newman – Come Crash – The Slow Wonder

       Leigh Marble – Long Overdue – Peep
       Butterfly Boucher – Beautiful Book – Flutterby
       Yann Tiersen – Bagatelle (live) – C’etait Ici
       Paul McCartney – Piece Of Cake – Ram

       Dan Bern – City Of Models – Smartie Mine (self-released)
       Neil Finn – Turn And Run – One All
       Dido – Don’t Think Of Me – No Angel
       Fiona Apple – Extraordinary Machine – Extraordinary Machine
       Erin McKeown – Perastra – We Will Live Like Birds

Note to anyone who’s really interested: I MEANT to end the show with “Life On The Moon” by EM. That’s what I announced. Oh well; “Perastra” is a perfectly good song. Maybe through the magic of technology, we can just edit this show, slip “LOTM” right in there, and no one will be the wiser!

I’d like to dedicate this show to John Inman-Zanita.

show 173 – Ben Bochner

This is Todd again.

I have a confession to make; I didn’t know of Ben Bochner before the show. All my Google searches turned up nothin’. So I was pleasantly surprised by what a nice and accomodating guy he is, and a total professional (not to mention a really cool songwriter!). I think Ben’s going to do well here. Chicago doesn’t know what it’s missing.

(Note to self: “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” is my favorite song to end the show with, but I’ve done that a few times now, so it’s probably time to find an alternative.)

Here’s the playlist:

Crystin Byrd – Shadow – My Silence (self)
John Vecchiarelli – To The Brim – Songs From Whoville (Speck)
Yann Tiersen & Shannon Wright – Dragon Fly
Susie Blue – Slip – Sink (Sinking Ship)

Ben Bochner live:
       Food Chain
       Bobby Just Got Out Of Jail (false start)
       Faller’s Girl
       Everybody’s Ass Is Up For Grabs

John Wesley Harding – When The Beatles Hit America (dedicated to Thuy)
Ben Folds – Give Judy My Notice
Mia Doi Todd – Digital
Beck & Jon Brion – Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime – “Eternal Sunshine” s.t.

Thanks to all those who pledged to HCW and KPSU!

I’d like to give a shout out to John N. Dallas.

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!

Lately, Hello Cruel World has been like a chocolate croissant – flaky on the outside with a rich solid center.

I’m hoping things will be less flaky in the weeks to come.

The next two shows should be very cool – some great guests – Laurel Brauns tomorrow night, and Libby Kirkpatrick the Sunday after that.

Don’t forget to tune in!

subbing for Raggle Taggle Gypsy

Raggle Taggle Gypsy is a show focusing on folk music from around the world.

But the only folk music I know about is from places like Iowa, Boston, Colorado, and here in Portland.

So as I was subbing today, I guess the only guideline I gave myself was MELLOW. It airs Sunday from 11am to 1pm, so no matter what I played, I felt it should have that “beams of sunlight entering the kitchen as you take your first sips of coffee and maybe do the Sunday crossword or something” feel to it.

John Vecchiarelli – To Sleep – Tiny Rooms (Denver Coffee Achievers)
Ben Folds – Give Judy My Notice – Sunny 16 EP (self)
Stereolab – Captain Easychord – Sound-Dust (Elektra)
St. Etienne – This Is Radio Etienne – Fox Base Alpha (Warner Brothers)
The Stranglers – La Folie – La Folie (Liberty)
Michelle Shocked – Moanin’ Dove – Deep Natural (Mighty Sound)
Durutti Column – Love Is A Friend – Someone Else’s Party (Artful Records)

David Sylvian – The Heart Knows Better – Blemish (Samadhi Sound)
Ani DiFranco – Tamburitza Lingua – Revelling/Reckoning (Righteous Babe)
Bruce Springsteen – Balboa Park – The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Columbia)
Moby – Memory Gospel – Play: The B-Sides (V2)
Kate Bush – The Fog – The Sensual World (Columbia)

Stew – Way Of Life – Something Deeper Than These Changes (Smile Records)
Lucinda Williams – Greenville – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (Mercury)
Charlie Patton – Mississippi Bo Weavil Blues – Founder Of The Delta Blues (Yazoo)
Joan Baez – Silver Dagger –
Momus – Tape Recorder Man – Folktronic (Le Grand Magistery)
Mark Hollis – The Colour Of Spring – Mark Hollis (Voiceprint)

Joe Henry – Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation – Scar (Mammoth)
Honey Tongue – True Love – Nude Nudes (Playtime)
Thomas Dolby – Screen Kiss – The Flat Earth (Capitol)
The Minders – Time Machines – Down In Fall EP (SpinArt)

(With 15 minutes left, I decided to pick up the pace a bit:)
Mike Doughty – Ossining – Rockity Roll EP (self)
Hamell On Trial – When Destiny Calls – Tough Love (Righteous Babe)
Mates Of State – Whiner’s Bio – Team Boo (Polyvinyl)

Stereo Total – Schoen Von Hinten – Monokini (Kill Rock Stars)

After two years of telling myself that I was going to hand-code a website for my radio show, I’ve decided to be realistic and use livejournal instead.

Hello Cruel World is a one-hour radio show focusing on singer/songwriters and acoustic music. The show airs on Sunday nights from 5 to 6pm on KPSU at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. You can hear KPSU at 1450AM, 98.3 FM (on-campus only) and via RealAudio, Windows Media, and OggVorbis streams at http://www.kpsu.org/webcast.html

Here on this webpage, you can expect to find playlists, photos, links to mp3s and video clips (of in-studio guests). I hope to use the “entry by phone” feature and get some artists to call and update us on their latest exploits.