by Tom Neal on February 26th, 2009
Taking advantage of the reach and resources afforded by Facebook, I have started a group there called Those Who Ride With Neal at the Wheel … and now have more than 60 FB friends in that group. I use the group page to communicate news about WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) and about my show (Roundtrip, airing 7-9 on Thursday nights). You can post comments, check out my playlists, make suggestions, share music, and do all these things within the context of a group. Please check it out and join. And, of course, tune in Roundtrip for an eclectic mix of new and vintage alternative music representing various genres.
by Tom Neal on January 30th, 2009
Last night’s Roundtrip show on WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) was one for the books. As I started up the program, I went onto Facebook to announce that I was on the air. Soon, I had communication with friends from Texas. They couldn’t hear the show, but seemed to enjoying it … weird!! Here’s what I wish they could have heard:
The Decemberists, The Carne Wife 3
Ray Davies, You’re Asking Me … from the Kinks’ leader’s latest solo effort
George Harrison, Run of the Mill
Okkervil River, Savannah Smiles
Wilco, Forget the Flowers … heard this the other night at Malarkey’s
The Cure, The Walk
Band of Horses, Wicked Gil
The Raconteurs, Level
Rolling Stones, Midnight Rambler … live in Brussels ‘73 (this was amazing!)
John Prine, Hello in There
Nick Drake, Things Behind the Sun
Kings of Convenience, Surprise Ice
Chris Whitely, From a Photograph
Sufjan Stevens, All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands
The Electric Prunes, I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night … bet this one caught people by surprise!
Elbow, Grounds for Divorce
David Bowie, Up the Hill Backwards
Roxy Music, Editions of You … “boys will be boys will be boy-yoy-yoys”
Fleet Foxes, Ragged Wood
Kings of Leon, Crawl
Mute Math, Control
Squeeze, F-Hole
Mose Allison, If You Live … “… your time will come”
Savoy Brown, Stay With Me Baby
Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Possess Your Heart
by Tom Neal on January 23rd, 2009
Last night’s Roundtrip show on WNRB-LP (93.3. fm, Wausau) was a joy to present. I enjoyed the mix of very new and very old music, all sharing approaches, sounds and energy. Just goes to show ya. Anyway, good fun … if you’d like a time slot of your own, let me know. Here’s the list:
Uncle Tupelo, Life Worth Livin’
Taste, On the Boards … guitar star Rory Gallagher showing what he can do with a sax
Cat Power, I Believe in You
Fleet Foxes, Ragged Wood … these guys are a bit bizarre (I like that)
Weezer, Hash Pipe
Moby Grape, Fall On You … what’s purple and sleeps in the ocean?
Neil Halstead, Sometimes the Wheels
Patti Smith, Gloria … “Jesus died for someone’s sins, but not mine”
Rolling Stones, Stray Cat Blues
Rolling Stones, Jumping Jack Flash … Neal pumps out a hit!
Mute Math, Control … xlnt stuff
The Seeds, Rollin’ Machine … vintage West Coast garage rockers
Kaleidoscope, Elevator Man … I’m giving this oldie a lot of airplay
The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing
Okkervil River, Our Life is Not a Movie
The Panderers, Come On
Blitzen Trapper, Furr
Man Down Medic, Extra Extra
John Lennon, Scared
Franz Ferdinand, The Fallen
Traffic, Giving to You
Pavement, Cut Your Hair
Winterpills, Take Away the Words
Radiohead, Electioneering … twelve years ago already!
Arcade Fire, Intervention
Okkervil River, Savannah Smiles
by Tom Neal on January 16th, 2009
Last night’s Roundtrip radio show on WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) was an exercise in hitting the mental shuffle button. I just brought a stack of CDs to the station and started playing tunes. The result was great fun for me. If you tuned in, I hoped it was good for you. Here’s the lowdown:
The Flaming Lips, W.A.N.D. (The Will Always Negates Defeat) … we’re uptempo out of the gate
Keane, Is It Any Wonder … Brit band with a U2 feel
Beatles, Bad Boy
Them, Mystic Eyes
Talking Heads, Animals … “they’re setting a bad example …. they’re living on nuts and berries”
The Animals, Don’t Bring Me Down
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Arms Aloft
The Replacements, Hold My Life … “trizzle trazzle truzzle trome, time for this one to come home”
Alexi Murdoch, Breathe
Bon Iver, re: stacks … cabin dweller from Eau Claire, very nice introspective acoustic stuff
Sufjan Stevens, The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
Elvis Costello, Satellite
Radiohead, House of Cards
Son Volt, Left A Slide
The Kinks, 20th Century Man … “ruled by bureaucracy, got no privacy, got no liberty”
Ben Harper, Get It Like You Want It
Furry Lewis, Good Mornin’ Judge … “what may be my fine?”
Foo Fighters, Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners
Peter Gabriel, And Through the Wire
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Gypsy Eyes
Mute Math, Typical
Roxy Music, Virginia
M83, Teen Angst
Grateful Dead, Saint Stephen … live version
Variety is the spice of life!
by Tom Neal on January 9th, 2009
After missing 2 shows due to holidays, I returned to WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) last night with Roundtrip … 2 hours of music. It was fun. Even as I battled the leftovers of a stubborn cold. Here’s the lowdown:
Radiohead, Electioneering
Grateful Dead, Shakedown Street … hey, touring this year!!!
The Stranglers, 96 Tears
Stooges, I Wanna Be Your Dog … RIP Ron Asheton
The Cure, Shiver and Shake … mascara rock
Kings of Leon, Black Thumbnail
Cream, Sitting on Top of the World … great guitar tone from Eric
Fleetwood Mac, Albatross … nice instrumental from Peter Green
Vampire Weekend, A-Punk
Fleetwood Mac, The Green Manalishi … some of Peter Green’s scariest stuff ever
The Bravery, The Ocean
Beatles, The Inner Light … exotic ditty from George
Wilco, Muzzle of Bees
Kaleidoscope, You Don’t Love Me
Oasis, Lyla
Eno, Cindy Tells Me
The Bonzo Dog Band, Don’t Get Me Wrong … buy everything of theirs you can find!
Timbuk 3, Life is Hard … recalling Pat McDonald’s Malarkey’s appearance last October
Paul Westerberg, Black Eyed Susan
Blitzen Trapper, Lady on the Water
Hot Tuna, Candy Man
Tom Waits, Invitation to the Blues … “she’s up against the register, with an apron and a spatula”
The National, Start a War
Small Faces, I Feel Much Better
The Pogues, Lullaby of London
Simple Kid, Lil’ King Kong
Queens of the Stone Age, Lullaby
by Tom Neal on January 8th, 2009
After 3 weeks away from the air chair, I’m returning to the studio of WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) tonight (Thursday 1/8/09) for my 2-hour radio show (Roundtrip, 7-9 pm). Have some new-old and new-new music to inject into the mix. I guarantee you’ll hear “The Green Manalishi” by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, a sampling of current alt rockers, and deep album cuts from familiar greats of days gone by. Nursing the last bits of a cold, so I may not be ultra-talkative … great news for you! Please consider tuning in and giving me a call 842-8390 (x210).
by Tom Neal on December 19th, 2008
Last night’s Roundtrip on WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) said “hello” to the week before Christmas with a smattering of seasonal tunes, albeit out of the mainstream. The song list was right up my alley, which is to say it was probably right out of left field for lots of normal people. I mean, at times, it was downright weird.
Kaleidoscope, Come On In … “ain’t nobody home but me” original ’60s west coast experimenters
Weezer, The Christmas Song .. a Weezer tune my son didn’t know existed!
Great Lake Swimmers, Your Rocky Spine … Canadian alternative something
Randy Newman, Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear … from no movie’s soundtrack
Rolling Stones, Sing This All Together
Chieftains / Elvis Costello, St. Stephen’s Day Murders … I’m dreaming of a dark Christmas
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Arms Aloft … ex-Clash singer (thanks, David Keefe!)
Beatles, All Together Now
Dave Clark 5, Glad All Over
Traveling Wilburys, Dirty World … Dylan, Harrison, Petty, Orbison, Lynn, wow!
LCD Soundsystem, Someone Great
TV on the Radio, Wolf Like Me … “howling forever”
The Who, Christmas
The National, Start a War
Captain Beefheart, Ain’t No Santa Claus on the Evening Stage
Johnny Cash, The Man Comes Around … a little Bible reading
The Kinks, Father Christmas
Elbow, Weather to Fly
Cream, Wrapping Paper
King Crimson, Indoor Games
John Lee Hooker, Blues for Christmas
Incredible String Band, Fair As You … obscure Brit psyche-folkers who played Woodstock
Tom Waits, Innocent When You Dream
Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Long Shadow
Jim Noir, Eanie Meany
Kaleidoscope, Elevator Man
Lightnin’ Hopkins, Merry Christmas
and … yes, Merry Christmas!
by Tom Neal on December 5th, 2008
As promised, last night’s Roundtrip show on WNRB-LP (93.3 fm, Wausau) was, in large part, a nod to snow and winter. When we transition from late fall to our first covering of snow, there seems to be a mood shift … at least for me. And that affects musical choices. I start to drift (pun!) toward certain albums and tunes I’m less apt to listen to at other times. I hope last night’s listeners got in the mood.
Counting Crows, Long December … “maybe this year will be better than the last”
Simon & Garfunkel, Hazy Shade of Winter
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bold As Love
Iron and Wine, Faded From the Winter
Kate Bush, Under Ice … “the river has frozen over … there’s something moving under the ice … it’s me, IT’S ME!!”
Nazz, Under the Ice … Todd Rundgren’s early days band
Van Morrison, Snow in San Anselmo … “my waitress, my waitress, my waitress said it was coming down” wow!
Traffic, Walking in the Wind
Richard Thompson, Ghosts in the Wind
The Stranglers, Golden Brown … harpsichord punk love song!
Rolling Stones, The Lantern
Beatles, I Am the Walrus … “goo-goo-goo-joob”
Robyn Hitchcock, Freeze
George Harrison, Wah-Wah
Elbow, Grounds for Divorce
Donovan, Roots of Oak
Fat Mattress, Mr. Moonshine … Jimi’s bass player Noel Redding’s ’70s band
Grateful Dead, Mountains of the Moon
Steve Miller Band, Nothing Lasts
Squeeze, Vanity Fair
Paul McCartney, Riding to Vanity Fair
Elvis Costello, Harpies Bizarre
Hem, Leave Me Here
Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter … what an intro!!!!
Next Thursday? We’ll see.
by Tom Neal on December 4th, 2008
See the post below re: “The Mood” … last night I pulled the bulk of the music I will feature on tonight’s show, and I’m pretty pleased with the possibility of a particularly nice and moody program. Remember, it’s not a Christmas music show … it’s a wintry mood show … or at least will try to be. Why don’t you get in a wintry mood tonight (7pm) and I’ll provide a couple hours of soundtrack for your evening.
by Tom Neal on December 3rd, 2008
On this Thursday night’s Roundtrip radio show (WNRB-LP. 93.3 FM, Wausau, 7-9 pm), I’m going to try to feature music that somehow evokes or complements the current snowy conditions. There are tunes that just, for some reason or other, make me think of winter. Now, I’m not talking about “Christmas music” … not even talking about tunes that overtly deal with winter themes necessarily. Some tunes remind me of snow, maybe because I originally heard them under those conditions. George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album comes to mind … it was released in late November (decades ago), and it remains a winter album to me. Same with the Stone’s Satanic Majesties Request album. Or Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother.
So, this Thursday night (12/4), why not light up a fire (or whatever it is you like to light up), turn the lights down low, sit by the window and gaze out as you listen to music that Tom thinks might fit that mood. I’ll do my best to not let you down.
You can always call the studio (842.8390, ext. 210) for a fireside chat.
GarykPatton 7:01 pm, June 15 on Oot & Aboot
Mike Wall 7:54 pm, February 14 on They Couldn’t Listen, But Tuned In Anyway