The stage is ready

From The Board Ep 4

“Bootlegger”? That’s such a twentieth century term . . . we like the phrase “Music Awareness Sharer.” Join us, will you, for our fourth session of listening to live music: From the Board. In this episode we play all the jams that you heard while standing in line for the porta potty . . . 

The Mothership has arrived

101 Series Lesson 44: P-Funk, et al.

The Mothership has landed . . . on The Balcony. Alright, boys and girls of the universe, pull up some shag carpeting and be prepared to get your asses blasted a-w-a-y. In lesson 44 of the 101 Series we sit down with George Clinton, Bootsy (baby), Eddie Hazel, Bernie, a guy in a giant diaper […]

This is how your radio works

The FreeSpace Ep 4

To be honest with you . . . being a d.j. is a small way to play god. When you control the airwaves you control . . . information. We, on the other hand, use our power for good: bringing you all music to rock your ass right there in your swivel chair. Every once […]

Duane is my favorite

101 Series Lesson 43: Southeastern US Music

The southeastern United States has provided us many things–good literature, bar-b-que, racism–but the one great gift it’s given the world is some kick ass rock and roll. Roll on in for Lesson 43 of the 101 Series: Music of the Southeast United States. Join us for two hours of tunes from places under the Mason-Dixon […]

Donovan is a fucking gypsy, mate

Found Gems Ep 4

Ty Cobb has the highest batting average in history: .365. That racist bastard failed six hundred thirty five times out of a thousand . . . songwriters hope to hit the same average . . . and usually don’t. Even your big stars have songs that don’t become hits. Most of the songs they write […]

He does

101 Series Lesson 42: Pacific Northwest Music

Hello, Students. Our musical road trip to the first day of Spring continues as we take the classroom to a music hotbed. This week Lesson 42 of The 101 Series listens to the Pacific Northwest. Before Cobain and Hendrix there were The Kingsman and The Sonics. It’s a musical heritage that goes beyond grunge and […]

Do we have enough tape

Embryonic Ep 4

The lights are off, the groupies are all asleep . . . it’s time to pull out the pen and the acoustic guitar. All the songs you like don’t come out fully formed and finished, first you have to do a little thing call a demo. (How the hell else are you going to teach […]

BART!

101 Series Lesson 41: Bay Area Music

Get on the BART, we’re going into the city (because why drive some place that has nine parking spaces in fifty square miles) . . . Here we are for Lesson 41 of the 101 Series: our trip to see the beautiful people making noise in the Bay Area. Join us for two hours of […]

John Martyn!

Dusty Gems Ep 4

If you dig into the crate, you’re going to come up with some tunes you’ve never heard before that can (and will) knock your fucking sox off. So, we your friends at the Balcony got out those extra long tongs and started collecting all these tunes in a big burlap sack marked “Dusty Gems” and […]