RANDOM RULES
A longtime mixtape maker and playlist fine-tuner, I cast aside any semblance of a plan in favor of making song decisions on the spot. Will Glen Gould playing Bach's "Goldberg Variations" sound good after psychedelic 1970s Zamrock? Only one way to find out!
Broadcasting live on Mondays at 6:00pm ET - WRFR-LP 93.3 in Rockland & 99.3 in Camden (Maine) - Streaming on WRFR.org
Broadcasting live on Mondays at 6:00pm ET - WRFR-LP 93.3 in Rockland & 99.3 in Camden (Maine) - Streaming on WRFR.org
April 24 2023 - Discreet Music
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Six hours ahead of them while in Lecce, Italy in mid-March, I had the absolute pleasure of talking to Paul Collins (@cimiotti.recordings) and James Corrigan (@brooklinej), two ace NYC musicians who, along with a handpicked ensemble, have recently released a reimagining of Brian Eno’s “Discreet Music,” considered to be the first example of intentional ambient music. The Guess Work Ensemble approaches a legendary piece with such grace and patience, it’s truly a thing of beauty…
A sprawling (but edited!) conversation between the three of us where we dig into the impetus for the project, what it means to create musical experiences, supporting one another in the music community, friendship, fatherhood and, of course, lots of Eno! Highlights include: Guess Work Ensemble, Liz Phair, Charlie Haden |
January 23 2023 - Happy Birthday Django Reinhardt!
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One of Europe's most treasured gifts to jazz would've been 113 on this day and where would we be without him? With the help of Django freak and beloved amigo Jason Goodman assuming co-hosting duties, we celebrate the man and his huge vibe and all the musique he gave us. Plenty of numbers from the Quintette du Hot Club de France and wonderful tracks from contemporary gypsy jazz players - many of which were recorded through Jason's Salt Stage project - whom Django had a profound impact on. Plus essays (including one from moi!), musings, and ephemera from 1930s Paris. Highlights include: Brazil, You Rascal You, Nuages |
May 9 2022 - Grateful Dead Birthday
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May 9th is my birthday and as a gift to myself and y'all, I'm sharing a listening tradition I've been digging into for a bunch of years... In 2017, my pal Brian gifted me the newly released "Get Shown the Light" box set of the Dead's magnificent week in May 1977 and since then I've played their May 9th show in Buffalo on my birthday every year. Hot off of the hallowed Barton Hall show in Ithaca the night before, the energy is huge and it's become my fave from their super focused spring run - a really nice way to ring in another year of being alive. Highlights include: Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower, Cassidy, Peggy-O |
April 12 2021 - Godspeed You!
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I was hitchhiking through Germany and lost my wallet + all my loot. Springtime in Heidelberg and sleeping on bridges. When I finally got some cash, the first thing I did was pick up this copy of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s “Lift Your Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven.” It’d be another month before I could take a listen, it being wedged carefully into my backpack full of stinky clothes... A full run down of that big, youthful adventure with this post-rock masterpiece guiding us through, as well as some other gems from my collection. Highlights include: Sade, Reigning Sound, The Baird Sisters |
March 29 2021 - Time Machine, 2002
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About 20 years ago, your fresh-faced guy hosted his first radio show on the Goucher College student station. My show didn’t even have a name, but I had it in my mind to play all punk and hardcore (hence the very to the point flier I taped around campus) but after doing that a few times, I found that - although I was really into that music - I was getting bored. There was all of this other music that I was psyched about and wanted to share. So it ended up being how I like to build my mix tapes and sort of how Random Rules operates: a little bit of everything. This past summer, while cleaning out desk drawers at my parent’s house, I found a notebook from that time with a playlist that I was clearly tinkering with during class. I’m not sure if I turned the ideas into a show, but Random Rules will whisk you back to the early aughts in Towson, Maryland with a recreation of that show, complete with 2002 requests. Highlights include: DJ Shadow, Owls, and Aesop Rock |
March 22 2021 - New Haven Doo Wop
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If you’re from Connecticut, you’re from the Nutmeg state. And us Nutmeggers know that we need to take our points of pride where we can get them. Case in point: the doo wop coming out of New Haven in the 1950s. The volume of groups and the level of talent was INSANE and included The Five Satins, who recorded what might be the most recognizable doo wop number of all time, “In the Still of the Night,” in the basement of St. Bernadette’s church on Townsend Ave. Some love for my birth city with an hour of Elm City doo wop that’ll knock yer bobby socks off. Bonus: great interview with lead Satin, Fred Parris, about the origin of that monster single... Highlights include: The Scarlets, The Academics & The Skylarks |
March 8 2021 - Happy Birthday Townes Van Zandt!
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Yesterday would have been the 77th birthday of one of the greatest songwriters our country has been graced with, ol Townes Van. His songs have continued to light up something singular in me over the years, especially in writing songs of my own... Nothing but TVZ songs for the hour: live ones, goofy ones, sad as hell ones. All masterpieces of American songwriting. Highlights include: Pancho & Lefty, Kathleen & Dead Flowers |
March 1 2021 - Happy Birthday Harry Belafonte!
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Do you remember watching Beetlejuice for the first time and seeing Catherine O’Hara and her whole dinner party possessed by ghosts and getting weird, singing and dancing to some cool song and the shrimp cocktail comes to life and you’re thinking, this is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen but also what is this song? It was Harry Belafonte’s "Banana Boat Song" of course, and that was my first taste of calypso. March 1 was Harry's 94th birthday and we celebrated by bringing his warmth to a dreary Maine evening. Highlights include: Super Djata Band, Dexter Gordon & Sturgill Simpson |
February 23 2021 - with Brett Willard
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Got ol buddy Brett back on! The last time he was in the studio was right Before Everything Changed (BEC) and it felt great to be cozy inside with freezing rain and slop outside. This time around, we used the Discogs randomizer function to choose albums for us and we went track for track that way. Plenty of beautiful folk songs and funky jams. Photo: Halloween 2019 when Alexis and I costumed up as a very freaky Ren & Stimpy and Brett (cactus) tolerated our being lunatics. Highlights include: Albert King, Jackson C. Frank & Sleater-Kinney |
February 15 2021 - Chick Corea Tribute
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I remember it like it was last night. Tenth grade. Super Bowl Sunday. Driving around town when Andy put on “Light as a Feather,” the Chick Corea and Return to Forever album from 1973, and played it loud. I just remember, feeling it more than thinking it: I’ve never heard music like this before. His electric piano shot bolts of lightning into me. I felt like I was bouncing down a road in the jungle in Brazil instead of the back seat of Andy’s truck as we drove through the dark wintery back roads of our town. Lost another absolute legend last week. What Chick was able to communicate and share on the keys, especially the electric piano, was truly dazzling. Highlights include: Return to Forever, Jacob Miller & Neko Case |
February 8 2021 - Special Siblings Edition
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The four of us have spent a lot of time listening to, arguing over, and loving music together over the years. Long car trips with one mix tape, “borrowing” each others’ coveted CDs, incredible concerts, and destroying the dance floor wherever we go... A very special conversation with my three sisters, in which I pose questions about what we were listening to at different points in our lives and we hash it all out - lots of early 90s R&B, goofin & laughin. Highlights include: En Vogue, Boyz II Men & Toots and the Maytalls |
January 11 2021 - All Soul!
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Swimming in SOUL! Brought in every soul album I own and made some on the fly, very hard decisions on which incredible tracks to spin. A lot of your Motown/Stax-Volt/ATCO faves plus some more under the radar gems... Highlights include: Lee Moses, Barbara Stephens & James Carr |
January 4 2021 - My 2020 Faves
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For the end of the year, I asked everyone what songs from 2020 got them through. Tonight I’m sharing mine! An abbreviated version of my annual mix I make for pals, this is music that calmed me down or got me jazzed or distracted me. Including a gem of a Guy Clark number from this perfect document of country music history... Also: this is genius (and patron saint of Random Rules) David Berman’s birthday today and we will be bowing deeply. Highlights include: Catherine Howe, Andy Shauf & Issam Hajali |
December 28 2020 - Time Capsule!
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What a friggin Mr. Toad’s wild ride this year has been. But I bet dollars to doughnuts that music helped you keep your shit together. Because that’s one of the things it does best. I dug in hard to the Dead shows I love, those magic live moments blasting some wonder and lightness into some grim days. A 2020 musical time capsule for this end-of-year show: I play the songs that got YOU through it all - helped you, got you hyped, felt like a balm, songs that you kept coming back to. A playlist of our collective musical year in the weirdest year on record. Highlights include: Polo y Pan, Alton Ellis & Yukihiro Takahashi |
May 4 2020 - with Jason Goodman
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Jason has been a regular on Random Rules, but living in strange times presents some hiccups in recording with other people. As spring finally reared its head in Rockland, we safely set up shop in his backyard for this edition of the show. It was a gorgeous evening, the grill was going, the wine was flowing, and we went track for track from our record collections. Just like at the station, but with plenty of fresh air... Highlights include: Nina Simone, Neil Young & Duke Ellington |
April 6 2020 - with Richard Iammarino
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I had my father-in-law Dick on the show this past December. He brought in some weirdo jazz and Bulgarian folk music and beautiful opera. I wanted to have him on again, of course, because his music tastes are wonderful. But he had been in Qatar for a month visiting my brother-in-law and his family who live in Doha and he went into full lockdown quarantine when he got back. I decided I can still have him on as a guest, just needed to give him a phone call... Highlights include: Carlo Buti, Talking Heads & Jedi Mind Tricks |
January 6 2020 - with Brett Willard
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This is the second time buddy Brett has been on the show and it's always a treat to play and talk music with him. As per Random Rules law, his tastes run vast and varied and we found some synchronicity in going track for track with our selections. Some fresh tunes for a new year ... dig that Black on White Affair version of "Auld Lang Syne" at the close of the show! Highlights include: Johnny Ace, Sanford Clark & The Kumasi Trio |
November 11 2019 - with Jason Goodman
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Jason Goodman is a real good man. A renaissance man. Photographer, filmmaker, guitar maker, musician, and music lover. The guy is pure joy and it was a joy to finally get him on the show to listen to and talk about some of our favorites. Lots of stories, lots of laughs, lots of Woodford Reserve, lots of funky and beautiful tunes for a stormy Monday night. Highlights include: Eddie Palmieri, The Five Satins & Tom Waits |
October 28 2019 - with Mary & Gary Sell
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My folks are in town! They were planning on sitting quietly while I did the show as usual, but I had the idea to cherrypick their records from the 60s and 70s - which I inherited from them in middle school - and have them take turns choosing their beloved gems at random. Pop has a soft spot for novelty 45s and songs about fast cars, Ma likes girl groups and pretty folk-rock tunes. A winning combo! Highlights include: Nervous Norvus, The Supremes & Tom Rush |
CITY LIMITS
(2013 - 2016)
A geographic, historical, and cultural exploration of our country's many musical trends. Each show was spent in one city, focusing on the music and stories that came out of that specific place, from the turn of the last century to now.
September 30 2015 - Townes Van Zandt & Blaze Foley
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We’re headed back down to Texas and this will be a show about two friends, two drinking buddies, two singer-songwriters who lived hard, played beautiful music, and left a deep impression on all those who followed. I’m talking about Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley. They are both geniuses in their own right and it gives me great pleasure to dedicate an hour to each of them, both of their live albums played back to back.
Song highlights include: Snowin' on Raton, Tecumseh Valley & Clay Pigeons |
March 25 2015 - Athens, Georgia
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Music journalist Richie Unterberger once described Athens as a "sleepy place, where it's difficult to imagine anyone working up a sweat, let alone playing rock music." However! They sure have. The contributions of Athens to the music world have earned it the nickname "the Liverpool of the South", and the city is known as one of the American birthplaces for both modern alternative rock and new wave music.
Highlights include: Pylon, Neutral Milk Hotel & Drive-By Truckers |
January 28 2015 - Missoula, Montana
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This time we’re heading to Big Sky country, where a couple days after I graduated from college I drove through endless prairie and dark mountain passes, feeling the vastness of our country rolled out before me and the beauty of something I realized was indescribable.
In the first hour we’ll be listening to rare and forgotten recordings from garage and psychedelic rock bands from the 1960s, compliments of Lost Sounds Montana. And for the second hour, we’re going to hear some music coming out of Missoula right now, based on our buddy Fletcher’s recommendations, as well as some new songs from Fletch himself and his awesome project, Cavewoman! Highlights include: The Vulcans, Silkworm & The Best Westerns |
May 28 2014 - Reno, Nevada
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Writer, musician, and friend Douglas W. Milliken joins me in the studio to present our own take on the city of Reno, Nevada and its surrounding endless desert, where Doug’s new novel, "To Sleep as Animals" takes place and where the shambling characters in my songs figure out what to do next.
In addition to Doug’s select readings from his book and my dusty songs, we co-DJ a set of music that influences us creatively while also harkening back to the desert landscape of our individual works. For more information about Doug's writing and other projects, visit douglaswmilliken.com Highlights include: Santo & Johnny, Tarnation & Nick Cave |
February 27 2014 - Louisville, Kentucky
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One would think Louisville might be behind the times, since Mark Twain famously said he'd wait out the end of the world in Kentucky, where it would happen 20 years later than everywhere else. Not so in The Gateway to the South!
It's one of the oldest cities west of the Appalachian Mountains, where the Kentucky Derby marks the start of the Triple Crown, and the Louisville Slugger baseball bat, as well as one of my most favorite musicians, Will Oldham - also known by his moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - was born. It’s also where a third of all bourbon whiskey comes from. So, you know, thank god for Louisville. Highlights include: John Jacob Niles, Loretta Lynn & Slint |
January 29 2014 - Providence, Rhode Island
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Like Rome, Providence was claimed to be founded on seven hills. It's where Roger Williams believed God found a haven for he and his fellow settlers, where I often waited at a Peter Pan bus station and where - probably most importantly - David Byrne and the Talking Heads got their start.
We start with early 20th century composers, while also concentrating on the traditional music of Cape Verdean immigrants who settled in Providence in the 19th century and then move to the folk and soul that made the city a pop hot spot in the 60s and 70s and the art rock collectives that sprang up in the aughts. Highlights include: Freddie Scott, Tavares & Deer Tick |
JuNE 26 2013 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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We're headed to the City of Brotherly Love this time. Going to college in Baltimore, seeing music in Philly was just as common as staying put in town. And there was something of an adventure to it all, heading to a city I knew little about and trying to find tiny clubs and churches where hardcore bands and jazz outfits were playing. I drove around a lot, got lost, saw some amazing music and got to know an equally amazing city. Highlights include: Clara Ward, Jim Croce & the Roots |
March 27 2013 - Indianapolis & Bloomington
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Goin' to Indiana, y'all! This show is broken up like so: the first hour is spent on early Indianapolis music and a lot of great jazz. And in hour two, a look at some of the best rock bands coming out Bloomington since the mid-90s.
This includes a big focus on the music of Jason Molina who died recently and even though I didn't know him or see him live more than once, his songs are among my most favorite, speaking volumes about what it is to be alive and human, and the world will now be missing something very special without him in it. Highlights include: Cole Porter, Early Day Miners & Magnolia Electric Co. |
March 13 2013 - Kansas City, Missouri
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Albert Murray writes that “The special drive of Kansas City music is…a device for herding or even stampeding the blues away. The KC drummer not only maintains that ever steady yet always flexible transcontinental locomotive-like drive of the KC 4/4 time, he also behaves for all the world like a whip-cracking trail driver. And so do Kansas City brass ensembles on occasion also yap and snap precisely as if in pursuit of some invisible quarry, with the piano player siccing them on…”
This time, I forgo the usual chronological musical history in favor of spending the show on the evolution of jazz in Kansas City: from big band to shouting blues to bebop and fusion, I try to hit it all. Highlights include: Big Joe Turner, Lester Young & Mary Lou Williams |
February 27 2013 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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City of Bridges, Steel City, home to the Steelers, the banana split, Zippo lighter, the first U.S. commercial radio station, and more than 300,000 people. It's a place I've never stepped foot, which is why I let essayist Annie Dillard introduce Pittsburgh.
Highlights include: Chuck Jackson, Fred Rogers & Wiz Khalifa |
February 13 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts
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Beantown, home to the Red Sox, the Big Dig, and four and a half million people. I lived there one summer during college and crashed the Boston Pops, went to hardcore shows in Allston, and got to hear Herbie Hancock in the rain at the Hatch Shell along the Charles River.
Highlights include: The Modern Lovers, The Magnetic Fields & Mr. Lif |
January 30 2013 - San Francisco, California
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The garden of Eden, where the mountains meet the sea and the fog closes over everything, a city that has rattled above the San Andreas fault line and was all but demolished in the 1906 earthquake, where the music came to define not just the counter-culture of the 60s, but the city that birthed it and everything that it transformed into.
Highlights include: Jesse Fuller, The Grateful Dead & The Dry Spells |
January 23 2013 - Atlanta, Georgia
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Hot 'Lanta, home to 430,000 people, Coca-Cola, Ted Turner, and approximately 55 streets named "Peachtree", Atlanta has always been a music hot spot, from early bluesmanship to the incredible amount of hip-hop and R&B of the last 25 years.
Highlights include: "Blind" Willie McTell, Mastadon & Usher |
January 16 2013 - Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota
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The Twin Cities, situated on either side of the mighty Mississippi River, is the birth place of Scotch tape. It's also home to some of the best music that our fair country has to offer.
Highlights include: Wanda Davis, Lifter Puller & Brother Ali |
January 9 2013 - Baltimore, Maryland
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Baltimore was once a major manufacturing center, the site of the War of 1812, and where director John Waters set the standard for camp. It also is closest to my heart: it's where I went to college and also learned how much incredible music can be packed into Charm City.
Highlights include: Eubie Blake, Philip Glass & Cass McCombs |