Shepherd Express interviews (Rich Mars)

Dave Luhrssen of the Shepherd Express called me a while ago and wanted to interview me and sort of tie it into WMSE's 30th anniversary. The result is in this week's print edition and on their website at http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-14112-kirchens-radio-rich-career.html
I really appreciate the article. The only issue I have is that I was identified by my 'day job' name. I did the interview as Rich Mars -- but that's rock 'n roll.

Let the 'MSE 30th anniversary celebration begin

This week I did my first of three "special" '80s at 8:30 segments to mark WMSE's 30th anniversary, which officially is on March 17. I took the risk of playing cassettes of a couple shows I did on the station back when -- that would be 1981 and 1982. Next installment (March 16) will be a couple sections of the incredibly short-lived "music talk show" we called Talk Talk. Co-hosted by Divina Infusino of the Milwaukee Journal and yours truly. Anyway, below I give you this week's new tracks and then the '81-'82 stuff.

6 pm hour

Chain and the Gang -- Why Not?
Wye Oak -- Dog's Eyes
Drive By Truckers -- Automatic Weapon
Tapes N Tapes -- Desert Plan
Gil Scott Heron and Jamie xx -- Running
Mogwai -- San Pedro

Recurrent (4-12 months old)

Walkmen -- Victory

7 pm hour

The Go! Team -- Rolling Blackouts
Yuck -- Holing Out
Devotchka -- The Man From San Sebastian
We Are Enfant Terrible -- Make You Laugh
Smith Westerns -- End of the Night
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers -- Hookers
Deerhoof -- The Merry Barracks
Wanda Jackson -- Nervous Breakdown
PJ Harvey -- The Words That Maketh Murder

Recurrent

Giant Sand -- Spellbound

8 pm hour

Wire -- A Flat Tent
Dum Dum Girls -- He Gets Me High
Anna Calvi -- I'll Be Your Man
The Kills -- Satellite
Gang of Four -- You'll Never Pay for the Farm

Recurrent

Neil Young -- Walk with Me

The 80s at 8:30

From my show Aug. 28, 1981.....

The Undertones -- Fascination
Human Sexual Response -- Jackie Onassis
Dead Kennedys -- Holiday in Cambodia
Oil Tasters -- Smoke

From Aug. 26, 1982......

John Hiatt -- You Used to Kiss the Girls
The Prosecutors -- I've Got a Message
Channel 3 -- Out of Control
Red Ball Jets -- Stars Are Right

The truth about Wednesday night

It can now be revealed that I pre-taped this week's showgram so I could attend UWM's basketball victory over Valpo. I hate to do that (pre-tape) and hardly ever do. If I really was cool or nuts, I would have been at the Motorhead show. I hope to see the Lemmy movie at the Times, tho.

6 pm hour

The Go! Team -- Running Range
Devotchka -- Exhaustible
Girls -- Alright
Southern Culture on the Skids -- Come As You Are/ Lucifer Sam
Cloud Nothing -- Another Man
Warpaint -- Bees
Wanda Jackson -- Nervous Breakdown

7 pm hour
LCD Sound System -- Get Innocuous
Fergus & Geronimo -- Girls with English Accents
Gang of Four -- You Don't Have to be Mad
Say Hi -- Devils
Tapes n Tapes -- Freak Out
The Generationals -- Trust
We Are Enfant Terrible -- Wild Child

8 pm hour
Yuck -- Holing Out
Smith Westerns -- End of the Night
Deerhoof -- Secret Mobilization
Mogwai -- San Pedro
Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers -- Heaven in Stereo
Red Red Red -- It Never Ends

80s at 8:30 -- tribute to British ska revival

Selector -- They Make Me Mad
The Beat -- Twist & Crawl
Specials -- Nite Klub
Madness -- On the Beat Pete
Bad Manners -- Lip Up Fatty
Selector -- Danger
The Beat -- I'm Your Flag
Specials -- Hey Little Rich Girl

Post blizzard pre-February freeze showgram playlist

I was fortunate enough to traverse roads that were pretty well plowed by the time I arrived at the station last night. Some other DJs faced more daunting challenges earlier in the day but, gosh darn it, they made it to the MSE studios downtown. It warms my heart, sort of like the new tracks and 80s at 8:30 I played this week (with special guest Bunnyman)......

New tracks

6 pm hour

Bobby Bare Jr. -- Your Goat is on Fire
Say Hi -- Devils
Giant Sand -- Ride the Rail
British Sea Power -- Living is So Easy
Mogwai -- San Pedro
Fergus & Geronimo -- Girls with English Accents
Smith Westerns -- End of the Night

Recurrent (4-12 months old)
Clinic -- Milk & Honey

7 pm hour

Deerhoof -- The Merry Barracks
Wanda Jackson -- Nervous Breakdown
Devotchka -- The Common Good
Go! Team -- The Running Range
Cloud Nothings -- Rooftop
Gang of Four -- You'll Never Pay For the Farm
Darker My Love -- A Lovely Game

Recurrent
The Fall -- O.F.Y.C. Showcase

8 pm hour

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers -- Hookers
Tapes n Tapes -- Desert Plane
Off! -- Jeffrey Lee Pierce

The 80s at 8:30

This week's theme -- bands in the '80s covering garage rock and psychedelic songs of the '60s

The Inmates -- Talk Talk (Music Machine)
The Feelies -- What Goes On (Velvet Underground)
The Danse Society -- 2000 Light Years from Home (Rolling Stones)
999 -- Little Red Riding Hood (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs)
Lords of the New Church -- A Question of Temperature (Balloon Farm)
The Damned -- I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night (Electric Prunes)
Love and Rockets -- Lucifer Sam (Pink Floyd)
Husker Du -- Eight Miles High (The Byrds)

New tracks Jan. 19 '11

Frigid outside but it's only rock 'n roll inside the MSE studios. Here are new tracks from this week and then, of course, the 80s at 8:30.

Oh, and I mentioned on the air that I would start giving you more on the blog. Here goes for a starter. Link to a new article and video by Tapes 'n Tapes.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/134897-tapes-n-tapes-freak-out-with-new-video-video-tour-dates/

6 pm hour

Testa Rosa -- The Black Saltwater Sea
Black Dub -- Last Time
Deerhunter -- Desire Lines
The Black -- Freeway (Exiled)
Jonathan Burks -- Hand to Hold
Tapes 'n Tapes -- Freak Out

7 pm hour

Suuns -- PVC
Billy Nayer Show -- Reno
Small Black -- Goons
Stereolab -- Laserblast
Giant Sand -- Brand New Swamp Thing
British Sea Power -- Living Is So Easy
Marnie Stern -- Nothing Left

Recurrent track (4-12 months old)
Gil Scott Heron -- Your Soul and Mine

8 pm hour

Gang of Four -- You'll Never Pay for the Farm
Off! -- Jeffrey Lee Pierce
Off! -- Blast

Recurrent
Zola Jesus -- Manifest Destiny

The '80s at 8:30

The Ramones in the '80s!

I'm Affected
We Want the Airwaves
Psychotherapy
Planet Earth 1988
Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
Garden of Serenity
Pet Cemetary
Chinese Rock

Finally the Fave tracks of 2010 (some of 'em)

Finally got ahold of my scratched-in entries on my playlist from Wednesday night to post tunes I played during my 90-minute tribute to (some of) my favorite tracks of 2010 (and one from very late 2009). Here goes.

Black Keys -- Sinister Kid
Devil's Brigade -- Gentlemen of the Road
John Wesley Coleman -- Get High Babe
Jaill -- The Stroller
Deerhunter -- Coronado
The Slew -- 100%
Drive By Truckers -- Drag the Lake Charlie
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- Bad Blood
Sleigh Bells -- Infinity Guitars
Anders Osborne -- Killing Each Other
Walkmen -- Angela Surf City
Hold Steady -- The Smidge
Goodnight Loving -- Earworm
Galactic feat. Rebirth Brass Band -- Boe Money
Black Angels -- Yellow Elevator #3
Bobby Bare Jr. -- The Sky is the Ground
Dum Dum Girls -- It Only Takes One Night
Gil Scott-Heron -- New York is Killing Me
Gogol Bordello -- We're Coming Tougher (Immigraniada)
The Fall -- Mexico Wax Solvent

Slice of (musical) heaven in 2011

OK it was just a regular City Rock Showgram. Well somewhat regular. I played some of my favorite tracks from 2010 between 7 and 8:30 (I will post that playlist by this weekend when I retrieve the info.). The 80s at 8:30 featured artists who released recordings in 2010 or late 2009 and were doing the same back in the day.

New tracks

6 pm hour

Stereolab -- Laserblast
The Pomegranates -- Skull Cakin
Warpaint -- Set Your Arms Down
Viva -- What's Your Sign Baby?
Crocodiles -- Sleep Forever
Grinderman -- What I Know
Marnie Stern -- The Things You Notice

7 pm hour

Devils Brigade -- Gentlemen of the Road
John Wesley Coleman -- Get High Babe
Deerhunter -- Coronado

8 pm hour

Bobby Bare Jr. -- The Sky is the Ground

(Most of the 2010 stuff I played is no longer in the "new" rack at the station, so I CANNOT include it in my "new tracks" list!)

The 80s at 8:30

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -- The Mercy Seat (TV video mix) / 2010 release by Grinderman
Mission of Burma -- Fight Academy Songs/ 2010 release by Mission of Burma
Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians -- Goodnight I Say / 2010 release by Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
Green on Red -- Track You Down / 2010 release by Green on Red member Chuck Prophet
Jason and the Scorchers -- Help There's a Fire/ 2010 release by Jason and the Scorchers
Laurie Anderson -- Sweaters/ 2010 release by Ms. Anderson
Dream Syndicate -- Tell Me When It's Over / 2010 release by Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3
Dinosaur Jr -- Just Like Heaven/ 2010 release by Dino Jr. member Lou Barlow