101 Series Lesson 53: Elektra Records

In 1950 two college hipsters named Jac and Paul started folk record label in their dorm room. Why? Because that’s what you do when you drink a lot of wine from a jug while smoking reefer and listening to Leadbelly if you were in your early 20s before rock and roll changed everything. In Lesson […]

101 Series Lesson 52: Church Rock

The one thing we at the Balcony truly consider blasphemous is when you consider gospel and rock two different things. You ever seen a big choir put on a show? They’ll kick your ass more than an Arcade Fire concert, that’s for damn (darn, sorry) sure . . . In Lesson 52 of the 101 […]

101 Series Lesson 51: Blues Between the Wars

Once upon a time, sometime between WWI and WWII, a wisp of wind found its way to a lonely crossroads and met a man named Robert Johnson. And when that meeting was over The Blues was born. There was nothing the wisp could do. And so with Lesson 51 of the 101 Series we look […]

101 Series Lesson 50: Surf!

Hello, students. Time to gas up the Woody, break out the Sex Wax and pack up the cooler with beverages. The weather is getting warmer and the waves are getting higher so it’s time for some sun and sand in your sandwiches. Lesson 50 of the 101 Series says it’s “Surf’s Up!” –  we get […]

101 Series Lesson 49: New Orleans

We at the Balcony don’t mind sweating a little . . . or fried food . . . or kick ass music. So, we went to New Orleans. And found all that. Especially the fried food and sweat. (They might have sweaty fried food there, it’s that humid.) In Lesson 49 of the 101 Series, […]

101 Series Lesson 48: The Doors

Out of the bushy wilds of Mulholland Drive and salty air of the Pacific Coast Highway, came slithering a band that set L.A. and then the fucking world on fire. In Lesson 48 of the 101 Series, we put on our leather pants and nicest feather headdress and dance around like shamans . . . […]

101 Series Lesson 47: Toots and The Maytals

Every once in a while we at the Balcony get in a boat with no sail and drift off toward Trenchtown, somewhere near Kingston (we’ll find it). On this trip to the islands we meet a group of friends called Toots and The Maytals. Jamaica doesn’t have garage bands, but they got tin roof bands […]

101 Series Lesson 46: The 70s (Again)

Oh, no . . . it’s the 70s. Again. Hey everyone, come and get happy with us at the Balcony as we sit down for part two of our tribute to the tunes–groovy and not–of the 1970s. It’s the 101 Series, and Lesson 46 has a chest hair, a leisure suit only buttoned to nipple-height, […]

101 Series Lesson 46: The 70s (Part 1)

When The Beatles broke up everything went to hell . . . one hit wonders, inflation, gas shortage, Nixon. The 70s. In Lesson 46 of the 101 Series we sit down on the shag carpeting and play all the day glo a.m. jams you remember. Join us for the first of two episodes (no disco!) […]

101 Series Lesson 45: Elton John

We here at Balcony Radio love a diva and we can’t think of a bigger one than Lord Dame Elton John.  In Lesson 45 of the 101 Series we focus more on the tantrums than the tiaras (you’re welcome) of one Reginald Dwight. We spend more time in the 70s than the 80s or 90s […]