Fireball XL5 is the name of an indie-pop show hosted by Frank Seglenieks that for 18 years was on CKMS 100.3 FM Radio Waterloo. However, as a result of a format change in mid-2008, Fireball XL5 is now heard only as a podcast.

Of course I stole the name of the show from the 60s British Supermarionation program, which featured puppets kind of like the movie Team America.

I play alternative music that usually classified as indie-pop with the occasional feature on a particular artist or theme as well as discussions on pop culture topics of the day. I start off each show with the best song that I have heard since the last
show.

Note that the links to shows older than 6 months might not be working, if you really want those shows please send me an email and I can get them to you.

Friday, February 16, 2007

February 16, 2007

Theme: Labrador Records spotlight
On Air: Frank

I started the show with one of the few vinyl albums I have acquired in the last few years. I got it at a showing of the Canadian movie Monkey Warfare ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0832906/ ) at the Princess Cinema, the director, Reginald Harkema, was at the showing and answered questions after the movie. A few of the questions were about the music in the movie and in particular how much is costs to use a song in a movie (answer: about $500 to the person who performed the song and another $500 for the rights owner of the song). He also mentioned that the bands agreed to have the songs part of a limited edition 1000 vinyl pressing and that he had some copies of it with him. So after the questions were over I was second in line to get a copy. The first two songs were from the soundtrack along with some bonus dialogue from the movie.

Most of show ended up being a spotlight on the Labrador Records label ( http://www.labrador.se/ ). This idea came to me after using a quote from the band Suburban Kids With Biblical Names for my UW weather Station contest ( http://weather.uwaterloo.ca/contest2007/contest2007_entry.htm ). So I thought that I should play at least that song, but when I was looking at the band's record label and saw the rest of the great bands they have put out I started downloading all the songs I could from the record label's website. The label also has just came out with their 100th release, and to celebrate they have released a four CD set featuring a song from each one of their releases, it has the very humble title of "The Complete History of Popular Music".

I ended the show with two songs (a rarity as I usually end with a single song) featuring a couple of people that I saw a few days after the show playing at the Jane Bond. Bob Wiseman did a multimedia show playing various videos from his laptop, playing along with some while others were just funny videos, while Geoff Berner was his usual comical self.

TALK - Theme

The Fugs - Kill For Peace
Wierd War - Girls Like That
The Gruesomes - Wat Dat? (C)
The Gruesomes - Three Men One Coffin (C)
Books On Books - One Page At A Time (C)
TALK
Saturday Looks Good To Me - Since You Stole Me Heart
Of Montreal - Cato As A Pun
The Fiery Furnaces - Single Girl
Spirathon - Cherry Girl (C)
Elvis - I Need Your Love Tonight
TALK (Labrador records set 1)
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Funeral Face
S'Ambassadeur - New Moon
Lasse Lindh - The Stuff
Pelle Carlberg - Riverbank
Starlet - When The Sun Falls On My Feet
TALK (Labrador records set 2)
Henry Morgan Solokarriar - One Day, Any Day
Laurel Music - No One Want's Forever
Corduroy UTD - Daddy's Boy
South Ambulance - Hanging In A tie
Leslies - Collins
TALK
Knock, Knock, Ginger - The Makeout Song (C)
The Poison Dart - Occupations (C)
Friday Morning's Regret - Poor Caroline (C)
The Postage Stamps - Turning Off (C)
Lindy - Beautifully Done (C)
The Fembots - Countdown Our Days (C)
The Bicycles - Australia (C)
TALK
Geoff Berner - Would It Kill You (C)
Bob Wiseman - You Don't Love Me (C)



(C) Denotes Canadian Content

Friday, February 2, 2007

February 2, 2007

Theme: Not Groundhog Day
On Air: Frank

I didn't have anything to play for Groundhog Day so I decided not to force the issue as a result there was no set on that theme.

Yet another song from the swedesplease.com website was the top song of the week.

The second set was based on bands that I had either seen just before the show (Camera Obscura and Essex Green) or just after the show (Knock, Knock, Ginger, the Sourkeys, and Bocce):

You can hear my review of the Camera Obscura/Essex Green show on the podcast. And no The Clash didn't somehow reform (and resurrect Joe Stummer), the reason I played the Clash was that it was their "Super Black Market Clash" CD that was played between the bands at the Opera House that night.

The other concert highlighted in that set occurred right after the show at a small art gallery in Kitchener that featured a great bill of local bands, an giant inflatable alien being thrown around the crowd and local band Bocce blurring the line between the band and the audience (see evidence here, only the guy in the red toque is in the band http://www.pbase.com/owencherry/image/73913070 ).

I ended the show with a couple of sets that were a bit more rockin' than most of the music I have played in quite a while (a break from playing all that twee), and I had some initial positive feedback during the show.

TALK - Theme

The Sanmarinos - Super Sexy TV Girl
The Positions - Summer Nights
Hot Shot Robot - Kiss My Chernobyl (C)
Oh! Custer - Spoiler

Bellevue - Special Skills (C)
Bellevue - Those Blues (C)
TALK
Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill
Essex Green - Cardinal Points
The Clash - City Of The Dead
Knock, Knock, Ginger - Upsala (C)
The Sourkeys - Anywhere But Here (C)
Bocce - Disco Juan (C)
TALK
Don Lennon - Dance Music
HelloGoodbye - Here (In Your Arms)
Henry Morgans Solokarriar - An Attempt To Tip The Scales
Math and Physics Club - April Showers
Dean and Britta - Singer Song **See Note 1
TALK
The Hands - So Sweet
Kooks - Naive
Deerhoof - +81
The Trucks - 3 AM
Robyn Hitchcock - The Authority Box
TALK
Heavens - Patent Pending
Novillero - Abbey (C)
The Hold Steady - Chips Ahoy
The Acorn - Dents (C)
Jerry Jerry and the Sons Of Rhythm Orchestra - Miller's Cave (C)
TALK
Shiela E - Holly Rock (from the Krush Groove soundtrack)


Note 1: Apparently Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips (former members of Luna) are now going by just Dean and Britta

(C) Denotes Canadian Content