bar none records

Anthemic. Angular. Inscrutable. These are all words that could describe Wichita, Kansas indie-rock-cum blister-pop band The Embarrassment. Musician Bob Fay (Sebadoh, Cardinal, Lost Hours) discovered them at the end their short-but-prolific existence, after they moved to Boston and eventually splintered off into other bands - Big Dipper and The Del Fuegos to name two - leaving behind a slew of excellent releases including the 1983 mini-LP 'Death Travels West'.
"We Were Famous, You Don't Remember"

Songs discussed in this episode: Immigrant Song (live) - The Embarrassment; Beauty Of The Ride - Sebadoh; She's Fetching, Ron Klaus Wrecked His House - Big Dipper; Don't Run Wild - The Del Fuegos; This Is Not A Photograph - Mission Of Burma; Venus - Television; Careen, Viewmaster - The Embarrassment; Here Comes Your Man - Pixies; Drive Me To The Park - The Embarrassment; Communist Radio - The Eat; Lewis and Clark, D-Rings, Sex Drive, Chapter 12 - The Embarrassment; Love Beach - Emerson, Lake & Palmer; This Charming Man - The Smiths; Hip and Well Read, Death Travels West - The Embarrassment; Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment (live) - Ramones; Sevens Glass Lady - Lost Hours

Michigan music fan Ron Wade is a sucker for alternative/pop female-fronted bands, and when he first heard Ivy and their 1997 release 'Apartment Life' while working at a Detroit weekly, it ticked all his musical boxes! Lush, breezy and expertly crafted, the songs written by Andy Chase and the late/great Adam Schlesinger - with the magnificent Dominique Durand on vocals - will most-surely tick the boxes of any/all pop music lovers.

Songs featured in this episode: Sleeping Late - Ivy; Panic In Detroit - David Bowie; Utopia Parkway - Fountains Of Wayne; Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground; That Thing You Do - The Wonders; Gepetto - Belly; Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage; The Best Thing, I've Got A Feeling, This Is The Day - Ivy; The Bright Light - Tanya Donelly; This Is The Day (Live, Philadelphia PA 3.22.98), Never Do That Again, I Get The Message, Baker - Ivy; Slide Away - Oasis; You Don't Know Anything - Ivy; I've Got A Feeling - Potty Mouth; The Noise Of Carpet - Stereolab; Ba Ba Ba - Ivy; Ba Ba Ba - Liz Phair; Get Out Of The City, These Are The Things About You, Quick, Painless and Easy, Back In Our Town - Ivy; Caribou - Pixies; Sweet Mary - Ivy

Hey, do you like The Descendents, Lemonheads, All and Teenage Fanclub? Guess what? Shirk Circus might just be your favorite band you've never heard of! Bass Player/Singer/Songwriter Dan Bonebrake (Dashboard Confessional, Lightworkers, The Enablers) brings us the debut album by this short-lived New Jersey band, 1994s 'Words To Say'.

Songs featured in this episode: Untitled - Shirk Circus; I Didn't Think - Lightworkers; Back Of A Car - Big Star; Guess Who Came Home Today, #14 (What Would You Be If You Weren't Nothing) - Shirk Circus; Rudderless - Lemonheads; Makes No Sense At All - Husker Du; #10 (Under Acme), Summer Sun - Shirk Circus; Get Bent (demo) - AC Cobra; Sweet 75 (Live on KEXP) - Sleigh Bells; #2 (Smile), Fine Line - Shirk Circus; The Ballad Of El Goodo - Big Star; Wendy - The Beach Boys; Wendy - Descendents; #6 (Garden Grey) - Shirk Circus; It's So Dirty - Squeeze; Basement, Sell-Out - Shirk Circus; Prison Bound - Social Distortion; #13 (Words To Say), Climb Inside, Save My Day, #9 (Younger Than Your Years), Too True - Shirk Circus; I Didn't Think - Lightworkers