MUSIC. IT’S POWERFUL STUFF

This episode features a lively discussion between the hosts and callers about pivotal musical experiences. One host recalls seeing Fishbone in 1985 as a life-changing event that ignited his passion for music. The other host mentions Louis Armstrong and Paul Simon's Graceland as early influences, along with the band Cheekface. The episode includes calls from listeners, one of whom discovered the band Korean Girls through TikTok, highlighting the unexpected ways people find new music. The hosts also take a request for Bad Manners and the Pixies. Throughout the episode, they encourage listener engagement and support for KPCR, a non-profit community radio station.

Setlist:

• Pacing - "La Fornita's Tortilla Chips" (This is an unconventional "song" that is actually a spoken-word piece based on the text from a chip bag).
• Bad Manners - "Lorraine"
• Cheekface - "I Only Say I'm Sorry" (Requested by a caller)
• Nina - "99 Luftballoons" (Played for approximately 17 seconds)
• Pixies - "Caribou" (By request)
• The Knack - "My Sharona"

A dynamic journey through punk, new wave, and even some folk, largely driven by listener requests! Host Mike Park fields calls from Bay Area listeners, including a "first-time caller" from Pacifica and the returning "Bob Records." Mike plays some unfamiliar tunes, offers real-time commentary, and even shares a few personal anecdotes, all while navigating the unpredictable nature of live radio. The show also pays tribute to the late Greg Kihn.

Setlist:

• Deep - "Rise Above"
• Scowl - "Opening Night"
• Grave Secrets - "Bad Blood"
• Danger 4 - "Who Didn't Kill Bambi"
• The Cars - "Just What I Needed"
• Feeble - "Shamall Wows" (Listener Request)
• The Smithoaks - "I Want It All" (Listener Request)
• Greg Kihn - "The Breakup Song" (Tribute)
• Ears For Eyes - "The Ballad of Beau Jeanier" (Listener Request)
• The Monkees - "Stepping Stone"
• Minor Threat - "Stepping Stone" (Cover)
• Untouchables (Southern California Mod Ska band) - "Stepping Stone" (Live Version)
• Untouchables (DC Hardcore band) - "Stepping Stone"
• The Wonder Years - "The Lonely Vampires Club" (Bay Area band, not the pop-punk band)
• Fugazi - "Full Disclosure"
• Sticky - "Don't Lick My Leg"
• Gel - "XOXO"
• Melt Banana - "Flipside"
• The Coolies - "Uh-Oh" (Tribute to Kim Shattuck)
• Mini's Acceleration - "5000" (from Kiss Your Ass Goodbye album)
• The Waitresses - "Square Pegs" (Theme song for Square Pegs)
• FYP - "Smelly"
• Bad Brains - "Pay to Come"
• Naked Raygun - "Amish"
• The Ergs - "King"
• Crazy & The Brains - "Let Me Go"
• The Jam - "In the City"
• Dead Bars - "Earplug Girl"
• Scared of Chaka - "All My Friends Are Ghosts"
• Joyce Manor (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) - "Do You Really Want to Not Get Better?"
• Jim Croce - "Time in a Bottle" (Closing Song)

Mike Park hosts "Music, It's Powerful Stuff" every Wednesday from 8 PM to 10 PM Pacific Time on KPCR 92.9 FM in San Jose, California, and globally via kpcr.org. This episode, airing on Wednesday, August 14th, was his third show, and its theme was female artists/vocalists.

Show Highlights:

• Personal Touches: Mike shares personal anecdotes, including his emotional reaction to the passing of Kim Shattuck of The Muffs, his newfound love for cats (specifically his cat, Alfie), his generalized anxiety disorder affecting his ability to attend live shows, and details about his family. He also mentions officiating a wedding at the Madonna Inn next year.
• Songwriting Credit: Mike reveals that he wrote "Foreign Land" for the band Softball, and they recorded it.

Music Played (in order of mention):

• The Muffs - "Lucky Guy"
• La Tigre - "Decepticon"
• The Go-Gos - "Vacation" (live in Japan, 1982, Sun Plaza Hotel in Tokyo)
• Pacing - "Bite Me" (new band from San Jose, California)
• Cub - "My Chinchilla" (believed to be from Canada, vocalist possibly Lisa Mar)
• The Avengers - "We Are The One" (San Francisco band)
• The Hot Totties - "Seattle" (from Oakland, California)
• Taco Cat - "Crimson Wave" (Mike's "new favorite band")
• Kitty Cat Fan Club - "You Got Me Modernized" (played due to the "cat" theme after Taco Cat)
• Sleater-Kinney - "Oh!"
• The Epoxies - "Need More Time"
• Scandal - "Goodbye to You" (Mike notes their hit "I Am the Warrior" and clarifies this is a different track he enjoys)
• Polysics - "Blackout Fallout" (from Tokyo, Japan; described as an amazing live band)
• Pizzicato Five - "Nada Di Marzo" (from Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy movie soundtrack)
• Kimya Dawson - "Tire Swing"
• The Bodysnatchers - "Let's Do Rock Steady" (the only ska song played)
• Pink Lady - "Kiss in the Dark" (from a 1970s variety show)
• Otoboke Beaver - "Don't Light My Fire" (from Japan, described as intense math rock/punk rock)
• Small Crush - "Chicken Noodle"
• The Breeders - "Driving on Nine"
• Softball - "Foreign Land" (from Chiba, Japan; Mike wrote this song for them)
• Fastbacks - "In The Summer"
• The Bangs - "I Want More"
• Peach Kelli Pop - "Hello Kitty Knife"
• Red Aunts - "Lethal Lolita" (early 90s band, possibly on Epitaph)
• Bruiser Queen - "Sugar High" (requested by Johnny from St. Louis)
• Millie Small - "My Boy Lollipop"
• Suzanne Vega - "Left of Center" (from Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack)
• Like Roses - (Song title not specified, but mentioned)
• Blondie - "Heart of Glass"
• Batboy - "Dakota Ring"
• City Mouse - "Bad Weather" (also mentioned "Dumb Dumb Dumb" initially)
• Holly and the Italians - "Tell That Girl to Shut Up" (requested by Jason Dwart from Chicago)

This episode of "Music is Powerful Stuff," hosted by Mike Park, features his friend Bailey, the bassist from the band Scowl. They discuss the San Jose music scene, local food spots, and other "hidden gems" in San Jose. Mike also recounts his humorous regret about not signing Scowl to Asian Man Records. The episode is punctuated by various musical selections and lighthearted banter, including discussions about touring and past jobs.

Songs Played:

• Jawbreaker
• Boy Genius - "Emily, I'm Sorry"
• Firstborn - "down to the ground, down to the ground" (from Denver)
• Pedro the Lion - "Big Trucks"
• Cayetana - "Scott Get The Van"
• Dog Party - "Running With My Heart" (from Sacramento, California)
• The Weakerthans - "Plea From A Cat Named Virtue"
• Hard Girls (from San Jose)
• Juliana Hatfield
• Lemuria - "Dog"
• Remember Sports - "Tiny Planets"

This is the second episode of "Music, It's Powerful Stuff" hosted by Mike Park on KPCR.org, Pirate Cat Radio (92.9 FM in San Jose). The episode features Mike taking live calls from listeners, discussing music, bands, and personal anecdotes. He expresses his excitement for doing live, nonprofit community radio where he can play whatever he wants and interacts with callers, answering their questions and receiving feedback.

Songs Played:

Here's a list of the songs and artists mentioned in the episode, in order of play:

• The Dickies - "The Banana Splits Theme Song"
• Oingo Boingo - "Private Life"
• The Vapors - "News at 10" (from the Nuclear Days record)
• Shonen Knife - "She's the One" (Ramones cover)
• R.E.M. - "Carnival of Sorts"

The debut episode of "Music It's Powerful Stuff," hosted by Mike Park, aired on 92.9 FM KPCR Pirate Cat Radio, with online streaming also available (though the website was experiencing issues). Mike, still getting the hang of the board, expressed his excitement for the show, which will run every Wednesday from 8 to 10 PM Pacific time. He also encouraged listeners to share the show and call in.

Setlist & Discussion Points

• The Police - "Fallout"
• Elvis Costello - "The Imposter" (from the album "Get Happy")
  • Mike introduced himself and the show, noting the internet listening options via Alexa, Google, or the TuneIn app.
• X-Ray Spex - Oh Bondage Up Yours!
  • Mike shared his love for X-Ray Spex since high school, appreciating their use of saxophone in a punk band. He also noted the similarity between Poly Styrene's vocals and Kathleen Hanna's (Bikini Kill).
• Bikini Kill - "Rebel Girl"
  • Played to compare the vocal styles as discussed.
• Seven Seconds - "Young Till I Die"
  • Mike expressed his strong admiration for Seven Seconds, sharing a personal anecdote about spray-painting their stencil everywhere in high school. He also spoke about touring with them in 1995 with his band Skankin' Pickle and his positive experience becoming friends with Kevin, the band's frontman, emphasizing that "meeting your heroes" can be a great experience when they are genuinely good people.
• Joe Jackson - "Hometown" (live track)
  • Mike discussed Joe Jackson's role in producing the first two Toasters albums, "Ska Boom" (1988) and "Thrill Me Up." He recalled the excitement as a teenager learning about mainstream artists intertwined with the ska scene and his conversations with "Bucket" from The Toasters about working with Joe Jackson. He also briefly mentioned a possible alias Joe Jackson used for a production (possibly for "New York Fever").
• The Selector - "On My Radio"
  • Mike recently saw The Selector play and sadly noted the passing of Gaps, their other vocalist, two days after the show, where he was absent due to illness.
• Stiff Little Fingers -
  • Mike praised Stiff Little Fingers after seeing them live for the first time at Punk Rock Bowling, highlighting the vocalist's "flawless" and "amazing" voice.
• The Queers - "Daydreaming" (from "Love Songs for the Retarded")
  • Mike shared an interesting fact about the album being recorded in 24 hours at Sonic Iguana in Lafayette, Indiana, by Mass Giorgini. He praised the album as a classic and mentioned his love for "Ramones-core pop-punk bands."
  • Mike also floated the idea of doing an entire episode dedicated to Lookout! Records, which was well-received by someone in the studio.

This special Christmas night episode of "Music is Powerful Stuff" features host Mike, joined by his friend Sim Castro, a multi-instrumentalist from the Fat and Funky crew, known for bands like Shinobu, Hard Girls, Terradon, and Albert Square. The duo dedicates the evening to playing a variety of Christmas music, taking live calls from listeners who share their holiday experiences and song requests.

Highlights include heartfelt discussions about Christmas traditions, the joys (and challenges) of the holiday with kids, and a deep dive into listener connections. Mike also offers "55 years of life advice" and even promises a discount on Asian Man Records vinyl. The episode showcases the camaraderie between Mike and Sim, as well as the strong community built around the radio show, with calls coming in from California, Hawaii, and even Ontario, Canada.

Setlist of Songs Played:

• Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio) - "Angels We Have Heard on High"
• The Raveonettes - "The Christmas Song"
• Sufjan Stevens - "Only at Christmas Time"
• The Descendents - "Christmas Vacation"
• High Standard - "War is Over (A Punk Cover)"
• Danny Elfman - "Jack's Obsession" (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)
• Band-Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World)"
• The Flaming Lips - (Christmas song, title not specified in transcript)
• Jimmy Eat World - "Last Christmas"
• Camping - "Wish You Were" (Original Christmas song)
• Cat Power - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
• Nick Cave and Shane MacGowan - "What a Wonderful World"
• Masked Intruder - "The Ghosts of Christmas"
• Bad Religion - "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

This episode of "Music is Powerful Stuff" hosted by Mike Park on Pirate Cat Radio (92.9 FM Los Gatos / 101.9 FM Santa Cruz and kpcr.org) is a festive blend of Christmas music and engaging listener calls. As the station approaches the final days of its winter pledge drive, Mike encourages donations to support the non-profit, volunteer-run community radio. He even offers a Pirate Cat Radio t-shirt for donations of $25 or more. The show is entirely dedicated to Christmas tunes, a decision Mike made after realizing the abundance of great holiday songs during his research. Throughout the episode, Mike takes calls from listeners seeking life advice, discussing everything from car troubles and concert plans to managing anxiety and finding joy in music.

Setlist:

• MU330 – "Christmas Merry Christmas"
• Sufjan Stevens – "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever"
• Bad Religion – "O Come All Ye Faithful"
• First Aid Kit – "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Live on BBC2)
• The Suicide Machines – "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
• Pentatonix – "Deck the Halls"
• Chris Farren (featuring Laura Stevenson) – "Waiting for You in the Snow"
• The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl) – "Fairytale of New York"
• Mike Park – "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" / "Let It Snow" (Medley, Live)
• John Prine – "Christmas in Prison"
• The Waitresses – "Christmas Wrapping"
• The Lawrence Arms – "100 Resolutions"
• The Ramones – "I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight (Merry Christmas)"

This episode of "Music is Powerful Stuff" doubles as a "Frozen Frequencies Fundraiser" for Pirate Cat Radio (KPCR), a listener-supported, commercial-free community radio station. Host Mike Park urges listeners to donate to help cover bills and keep the station on air, offering a Pirate Cat Radio t-shirt for a $25 donation. Throughout the show, Mike takes calls from regular listeners, Izzy from Riverside (who always calls around the 20-minute mark), and nine-year-old Ava from Ventura, both of whom request songs. Later, Jacob Martin from the band Mocktag calls in to request one of his own band's songs. Mike shares anecdotes about the bands, discusses upcoming concerts, and even reveals a personal theory about Tom Waits' voice. The episode concludes with a traditional "Weird Al Yankovic" song and an invitation for listeners to join Mike at a Weird Al residency show in Las Vegas.

Setlist

• Hot Water Music - "Trusty Chords"
• Oingo Boingo - "Only a Lad"
• The Clash - "Pressure Drop"
• Less Than Jake - "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads"
• The Kinks - "Father Christmas"
• Royal Dog - "Pickle"
• The Selby Tigers - "Droid"
• The Epoxies - "Need More Time"
• Joyce Manor - "Catalina Fightsong"
• Voluntary Hazing - "Phone Tag"
• The Muffs - "Lucky Guy"
• Bull Shannon - "High on Nag Champa"
• Grave Secrets - "S2L"
• Link 80 - "Turn It Around"
• Mocktag - "All You Folks Are Dead For What You Did"
• Sad Park - "Good Luck"
• Reviver - "Rain Down"
• Buds - "Building Blocks"
• Tidal Fight - "Memorial Field"
• Camping - "Tiny House"
• Iron Chic - "Know What I Mean, Jelly Bean"
• New Order - "Blue Monday"
• Tom Waits - "Downtown Train"
• Social Unrest - "Red, White, and Blue"
• Weird Al Yankovic (unspecified song to close the show)

This episode is a lively, albeit sometimes fumbled, journey through Mike's musical tastes and anecdotes. He candidly admits to making mistakes on air, including talking without his mic on, but embraces the learning process. The show features a mix of genres, from pop-punk to hardcore, and includes listener call-ins for song requests and discussions. Highlights include a talk with Izzy about Oingo Boingo, a check-in with Trash from South Korea regarding political turmoil and music, and a chat with nine-year-old Ava about her favorite band, Less Than Jake. Mike also shares his love for Japan as a travel destination and celebrates the four-year anniversary of his label's release of The Moore Family Band album. The episode, as is tradition, concludes with a Weird Al Yankovic song.

Setlist:

• Jackie Mittoo – "Summer Breeze"
• Capitalist Casualties – "Insecurities"
• Magma Taisi – "Dotson Suicide"
• Classics of Love – "Dissolve"
• Siouxsie and the Banshees – "Mirage"
• Masked Intruder – "I Don't Want to Be Alone Tonight"
• Julien Baker (background music)
• Spaz – "Slow Death"
• Dead Milkmen – "Methodist Coloring Book"
• Polly Six – "Blackout Fallout"
• Lightning Bolt – "13 Monsters"
• Oingo Boingo – "Who Do You Want to Be Today" (Requested by Izzy)
• Missing Persons – "Walking in L.A."
• The Faction – "Skate and Destroy"
• JFA – "Great Equalizer"
• Spock – "Tony Hawk Ate My Skateboard"
• Slick Shoes – "Another Day" (Requested by Trash)
• Poppyfield – "Somewhere Else"
• The Blue Meanies – "Smash the Magnavox"
• Young Coconut – "Semoga Besok Masyada"
• No Fun At All – "Beat 'Em Down"
• The Rosillos – "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In"
• Donuts of Glory – "Perspective"
• Limp – "Far Away"
• Crossed Out – "Force of Habit"
• Alkaline Trio – "Versions of You"
• Descendents – "When I Get The Time" (Requested by Ava)
• Dramarama – "Anything, Anything"
• The Trestles – "Dwell"
• Bridge the Gap – "Up"
• The Skippers – "Pulgogi"
• Get Married – "Adam West" (Requested by Lars)
• The Ramones – "I Wanna Live"
• The Moore Family Band – "Raining Inside My Head"
• The Travoltas – "Dying To Do With You"
• Ghost – "Mariana Cross"
• "Weird Al" Yankovic – "White & Nerdy"