KALX and the Rickshow Stop are pleased to announce Bardot a Go Go’s Bastille Day Bash & 25th Anniversary Party on Friday, July 14. For decades, Bardot a Go Go has been spinning the best in ’60s French pop, and this year its founding deejays Brother Grimm, Pink Frankenstein, and Cali Kid will continue the tradition by showcasing the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Francoise Hardy, and many many more, plus other international garage/soul/bubblegum sounds.
Interview and Performance with Leslie Mendelson
On Tuesday, July 11th @ 2:30PM, Sparkle Motion welcomes Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, Leslie Mendelson, to the KALX studios for a live interview and acoustic performance ahead of her show at The Lost Church in SF on Wednesday, July 12th.
Leslie Mendelson is supporting her most recent studio album If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…, as well as a solo acoustic EP In The Meantime that was recorded during the 2020 lockdown.
Described by Relix Magazine as an artist with “a loyal, cross-generational audience that hugs the hippie, hipster, coffee shop and society crowds,” Leslie’s timeless musicality and evocative songwriting indeed cuts a wide swath. All Music writes that Leslie evokes “1970s songwriter influences in the vein of Carole King and Carly Simon,” while The Aquarian calls her “the closest thing one can get to a truly honest musical experience.”
Leslie Mendelson’s previous work, including 2009 Grammy-nominated debut album Swan Feathers and 2017 album, Love & Murder dealt with matters of the heart. When it came time to compose the songs that comprise If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…, however, she and her longtime writing partner Steve McEwan set out to examine the anxiety stemming from the current socio-political climate with songs like “Medication,” “I Need Something To Care About” and “Would You Give Up Your Gun.” It’s a fitting extension of a more socially conscious outlook offered on “A Human Touch”—Leslie’s duet with Jackson Browne for the documentary film, 5B, released in 2019.
Interview with Destroy Boys
Join Little Citrus on Monday, July 10th @ 12:30PM when she speaks with punk rock trio, Destroy Boys.
Punk Rock might have been the force that brought Destroy Boys together but it’s far from the only touchstone for their music. From their first record through the present, they have continued to write and sing about what they know. School drama and elitist cliques encountered in their teens have given way to the pain of relationships and the inherent feelings of misunderstanding and isolation that is all too common for young people navigating a hybrid of real and digital worlds.
The band started in 2015 by Sacramento teens Alexia Roditis and Violet Mayugba while they were still in high-school, dropping their first record Sorry Mom which remains a classic for the band’s fans. Their success continued to heat up with the release of their album Make Room, recorded by Martin Cooke (Death Cab for Cutie, Of Monsters and Men). In 2020, they signed with Hopeless Records, worked with producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Braid) and released their LP Open Mouth, Open Heart chronicling pandemic-frustration and the rise of online gossip and bullying.
Drainer on KALX Live! Sat 7/15 @ 9pm
Drainer is an indie punk band from San Francisco, CA comprised of siblings Jon David, Nina and Vincent Flores along with friend, Joe Putnam. They are guided by a wide range of alternative rock bands but primarily draw from 90’s post hardcore, grunge and shoegaze influences. Their second full length album, Under the Sun, was recorded by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden in Oakland, CA and released on vinyl April 30th 2023.
Midnight Express July 4th
Tune in on Tuesday, July 4th at 11:59 pm when the KALX DJ The Berkestir will feature music of the artist Tony (T.S.) McPhee, who recently passed away, on Midnight Express. In honoring Tony (T.S.) McPhee, The Berkestir will feature music of The Groundhogs, Tony’s solo works,Tony’s work backing up John Lee Hooker and additional pieces with artists such as Earthless, The Bevis Frond, Andrew Lilies and Lucinda Williams doing covers of Tony’s songs.
Interview with The Callous Daoboys
Atlanta based band, The Callous Daoboys recently passed through the Bay Area and gloop was there to catch up with the group. Tune in on Sunday, July 2nd @ 4PM to hear their conversation before the band destroyed Neck of the Woods in SF.
The Callous Daoboys come from the school of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, and The Chariot, with a heightened degree of theatricality as one of the methods to their madness. Think Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy getting slapped around good-naturedly by Glassjaw. Celebrity Therapist even indulges in a bit of drone and avant-garde post-rock a la Sigor Rós and Radiohead.
Contemplation and self-awareness run throughout the group’s new album, Celebrity Therapist. “The whole album is about history repeating itself and how we kind of move in circles. It’s two steps forward and three steps back with a bunch of people in my life. The album is me reflecting on these people but realizing I’m guilty of the same at the end of the record. There are a lot of ‘f@#k you’ songs because every heavy band likes writing those. But overall, the lyrics are more introspective and quite loving.”
Photo Credit: Nick Karp
