Uncle Dave Lewis and his Shows

Uncle Dave Show 8-27-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:02:06 GMT

This might look like some kind of weird comic strip rather than a musical score, but musical score it is, being part of Cathy Berberian's "Stripsody" (1966, published by C.F. Peters.) This piece concludes a very diverse set which is alternatively pleasing and provocative; music of Francisco Peñalosa, Desire-Emile Ingelbrecht, Wu Fei and Shane W. Cadman. Length: 43 minutes

Uncle Dave Show 8-27-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:00:07 GMT

Just thirty years ago, we thought we had the twentieth century fairly well nailed down; we thought we knew what was important, what wasn't and what the trajectory of art and culture was in this century. However, newly discovered works and artifacts -- such as this anonymous Russian Futurist painting dating from 1909-14 -- keep popping out of the shadows to challenge our notions about modernism. A good example of that is Samuil Feinberg's First Piano Concerto, premiered in 1932 but lost for more than seventy years. Here it is presented along with another pioneering piece of Ferruccio Busoni and two more conventional pieces to clear and sweeten the palate by Gustav Louis Ganne and Johann Strauss II. Length: 73 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-20-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:10:49 GMT

The first part of this long segment is taken up with 78 rpm records I found in an old building belonging to a jukebox and pinball machine vendor and repair facility. Although it starts off with a couple of rousing gospel numbers, the majority of what they had was old blues records -- one reason I call it my "happy place" -- of artists like Sonny Boy Williamson (pictured). It finishes out with some grown up big band music by Woody Herman and Bob Mintzer, and an especially comely piano solo by Dave Brubeck. Length: 77 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 8-20-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:26:00 GMT

Usually an episode cleaves into three parts that are consistently unequal triads, i.e. two hour-long segs and one shorter seg (the "Part 2s".) This time it breaks neatly in half, so these two parts will be longer than normal; hope I haven't inconvenienced anyone. Some might say love is "mechanical," and even though that may be exclusively so, here are mechanisms to enjoy -- music of Tansman, Salonen, Satie, Palle Mikkelborg, Frescobaldi and Markevitch. Somewhat less mechanized are works of Percy Faith and a march by John Philip Sousa; hope this all works out for you as it's a long ride at 88 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-13-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:47:25 GMT

I've been in a Jimmie Lunceford mood lately; don't know how to explain it, and don't feel like I need to. So Jimmie's in the house, and so is some righteous Gospel music by the Rev. J.M. Gates and Li'l McClintock; Bud Powell and Wes Montgomery stop by a visit, and there is a memorial tribute to one of my musical fathers, jazz composer George Russell. Lydiots unite! Length: 57 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-13-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:39:57 GMT

This is the lobby of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., chosen as an illustration -- and an excellent one -- of post-modern classicism. While the Mendelssohn work included doesn't fall into that category -- it is neo-Baroque in it's outlook -- much of the rest of the music does, including works by Jonathan Newman, Elliott Schwartz, Roberto Sierra and the Ancia Saxophone Quartet's take on Jelly Roll Morton. A medieval song and a dreamy esquisse of George Gershwin are thrown in to sweeten the pot. Length: 48 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-13-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:30:01 GMT

This image is of dancer/choreographer Mui Cheuk-yin in her piece "Desperately Seeking Miss Blossom," chosen as an illustration of post-modern romanticism. And that is exactly what France's Nicolas Bacri achieves masterfully in his String Quartet No. 4 "Omaggio á Beethoven," which is the featured work in this segment. Before that we get into some genuine romantic grooves with works by American Civil War Bandmaster Felix Vinatieri and Bedrich Smetana, get just plain groovy with music of Grazyna Bacewicz and Erwin Schulhoff and enter the 21st century with Takashi Yoshimatsu. Length: 57 minutes.

Song for My Father 7-16-2009 Pt. 3

David Lewis — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:33:40 GMT

This final seg covers my Dad's preferences in terms of the later jazz he liked and popular music -- this was a big hit at the wake held for my Dad at my brother's house after the funeral. His tastes didn't go much beyond this, although I think my brothers caught him up to some rock music -- perhaps he was just trying to please them. His last day on earth, Dad watched Michael Jackson's funeral on television. He talked a little about how Michael made that family what it is, then observed, "I don't know why they don't all go out and do something -- they all can sing just fine." Length: 54 mins.

Song for My Father 7-16-2009 Pt. 2

David Lewis — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:27:07 GMT

In the second part of "Song for My Father," I transit from classical music into the jazz that he liked. He thought my tastes in jazz were certifiably antique, and what I programmed here is about as antiquated as my Dad was willing to go. So, in the classical part -- Stravinsky, Mahler and Mussorgsky, and in the jazz Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, J.J. Johnson, MJQ, Monk and Clark Terry. This photo of my Dad with his beloved tuba was taken in 1960; he was forced to give it up, but became an engineer in the aircraft and military industrial complex instead. Length: 56 mins.

Song for My Father 7-16-2009 Pt. 1

David Lewis — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:02:20 GMT

My Dad passed away on July 8 this year. He had an impact on my music, not to mention my life, and I designated this episode of The Uncle Dave Show as a special memorial to him. So it's Dad's turn, and this program corresponds to his tastes, rather than mine. This seg contains music by Sousa, Wagner, Alkan, Prokofiev and Beethoven, and while I had a hand in getting him into Alkan he didn't need my help at all with the rest of this music. This photo of my Dad was taken in 1959 -- I wasn't around quite yet. Length: 60 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 7-2-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:36:10 GMT

I call the script that I use to draft the Uncle Dave Show "the evil plan;" evil it may be, but it does not always lead to greatness. In this segment, I'm not so sure I didn't make a wrong turn somewhere, but it is offered in the interest of making the Podcast of "Star-Spangled to Death" complete. It includes some sacred music, performed by the Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers, Dorothy Norwood and Sister Rosetta Tharpe; among the secular stuff you'll hear the Mobile Strugglers, Kid Rena, Duke Ellington, Chick Webb, Bennie Moten and the Spirits of Rhythm, plus some Vietnam-era silliness and a special tribute to Ed MacMahon. Not sure all this stuff fits together, but it runs some 46 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 7-2-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:29:41 GMT

Part 2 of "Star-Spangled to Death" features a favorite, little heard area of the repertoire; American music prior to 1820, represented in this case by works of John Antes, David Moritz Michael and Justin Morgan. Then we move to a more modern end of the rep with music of Charles Ives, John Cage, Ferde Grofé, Samuel Barber, William Russell and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, with the Civil War era "India Rubber Overcoat Medley" thrown in as spice. If you are to listen to only one part of this three-part Podcast, then this is probably the strongest choice. And it's a good length too at just 58 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 7-2-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:21:57 GMT

This is the first part of my annual "Star-Spangled to Death," where I showcase the music of America in advance of the July 4th holiday. I have a cold on this one, so my pronunciation is a little challenged. However, it's the music that matters, and the featured works here are two American classics; "A Northern Ballad" of Yale pedagogue Horatio T. Parker and the third movement "Fugue" from the Symphony No. 4 of Parker's most famous student, Charles Ives. Along the way we encounter some little known repertoire that perhaps should be considered more mainstream by Aaron Copland, Don Gillis and Florence Price, a delightful civil war-era obscurity and a Sousa march known to every American. The landscape here is by 19th century American painter Albert Bierstadt. Length: exactly 60 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 4-9-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:43:05 GMT

Spring has sprung in a galumpity bumpity kind of way in Michigan; cold moving to not quite so cold to freezing and back again. At the start of spring I usually play Stravinsky's "Le Sacre du printemps" (The Rite of Spring) and the antique software illustrated provides the source for this years round. Along for the ride is a jaunty and rakish little march by Percy Grainger, an early overture by Mikhail Glinka, a healthy and perhaps psychically unhealthy, but passion-inspired, group of piano pieces by Alexander Scriabin (beautifully performed by Chitose Okashiro) and vintage representation of usual springtime weather rendered by Arthur Fiedler. Love this time of year, as there is such good music to pick from that relates to it. Length: 63 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 3-26-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:47:40 GMT

From Edgar Allan Poe to Biggie Smalls, artists have found outlet in works that relate to crime; while I am no fan of crime, I can hardly say I'm immune to the fruits of wise-guy crime culture. This segment doffs the ol' fedora to bad guys and rebels ranging from the Peter Gunn music of Henry Mancini to Bonnie and Clyde as memorialized by the odd couple of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. Other partners in crime include Louie Bellson and Lalo Schifrin, Slim and Slam, Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Kenton and Anita O'Day (that is, pig latin for "dough"). These crooked characters are cheered on by the likes of Doris Day, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Fletcher Henderson, culminating in a couple of capricious capers by cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, lately displaying her rebellious streak by breaking the law of "thou shalt not establish thyself as an interpreter and then make thine own handiwork." Kicks off with a tribute to the late Anne Brown, the Original "Bess" in Porgy & Bess, who passed away in March. Length: 64 minutes

Uncle Dave Show 3-26-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:30:42 GMT

In America right now it might feel like we've hit rock bottom, with various nuts within our population going over the edge and popping off at a few others before taking themselves out every few days. A society going through the throes of hard times is nothing new; take for example what it was like to be an English Catholic in the reign of James I, like William Byrd heard here, or to live in the shadow of the plague, like Pierre de la Rue here, or to witness the cream of one's own generation vanish on the battlefield, as did William Walton, also heard here. In America it might even feel -- in the most intimidating fashion -- like Weimar Germany, exemplified by this ominous image from Fritz Lang's "M" with Peter Lorre. However, we are Americans, and our land and our people is mostly like the beautiful Mark O'Connor piece that ends this seg; we should not give up just simply because times are hard -- history amply shows us that this is just the way things are sometimes. Length: 37 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 2-26-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:41:47 GMT

I often listen to the segs and try to determine what the "thrust" might be so that these blurbs for each seg can be witty, relevant and enticing for listeners. With this one, however, I'm drawing a blank, as it is clearly a potpourri, a collection of elements without a clear center. It includes pieces by Johnny Hamp, Peggy Hill, a couple of Cuban bands, a memorial tribute to Louie Bellson, Jimmy Giuffre, some female vocals, a snappy piece of elevator (or telegraph?) music, country, reggae and new wave selections, plus a splicey version of a heavy metal favorite. Does that add up to something for you? It doesn't for me. Length: 65 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 2-26-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:33:28 GMT

I recently took a trip to Chicago and some of what's here was inspired by the energy of that fair city. The Chicago Symphony is heard in music of Morton Gould in addition to music of Gottschalk, Vivaldi, Yoshimatsu and Mari Takano. Our observance of Lukas Foss' recent passing continues, and conductor Leopold Stokowski is heard in a track recorded in a sort of 1941 stereo. Length: 45 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 2-26-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:26:18 GMT

We were reaching the end of Black History Month, and I didn't want to miss it entirely, so that was the motivation to include the fine chamber work of African-American composer George Walker heard here. A frame of international scope is provided, ranging from Grainger to Mussorgsky, Goldenwieser to a familiar aria from Bizet's opera Carmen sung in Cantonese. Oh -- I guess that only covers the Asian-Australian part of the globe, but for now I guess that's "international" enough. Length: 60 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 2-12-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:14:01 GMT

Picasso once opined that "the chief enemy of creativity is good taste." Always wondered what he meant by that; perhaps it is that we can achieve untold pinnacles of artistic achievement if we just left that good taste behind, like Liberace did when he began to wear -- and to foster the existence of -- "spectacular" gowns like this one, now on display in Las Vegas. This seg opens at a Jitney in 1949 New Orleans, but then we go slumming with a Honky-Tonk cum bebopper on 52nd Street in a beer and pretzels joint. From there, Liberace himself pulls back the curtain and we take leave of highbrow endeavors such as those above. Most of the artists are so obscure it hardly seems worth listing, but includes Jim Stafford, Ruth Wallis, The Crew Cuts and R&B pioneers The Original Sing Band. 41 minutes spent in the gutter.

Uncle Dave Show 2-12-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:53:05 GMT

Hey -- a major figure in American music, Lukas Foss, passed away on February 1, and it seemed nearly nobody said anything about it. Gee, I took a master class with Foss, and I've got a radio show -- perhaps I can do it. And I do, with two examples of prime Foss, one where he is being very good (an excerpt from an early cantata) and very, very bad (a mid-century orchestral work). Foss serves as bun on which a veritable sandwich is served, with condiments such as Prokofiev, Canadian composer André Mathieu and curmudgeonly slice of Charles Ives. Mmmm Mmmm Good at 52 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 2-12-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:45:46 GMT

A lovely French gumbo con goulash for Fat Tuesday -- although my show is on a Thursday -- featuring an elegant concerto for two harps by Francois Joseph Gossec and new music by Erik Satie. These are joined by the Warsaw Nightingale, Bogna Sikorska (pictured) and you know on second thought I think she sings in Polish. Just in time for Mardi Gras are two marches by a band led by "Big Eye" Louis Nelson, the earliest born creole clarinetist on record -- he was born in 1880, five years before King Oliver. I was running late this morning, and this is a short Part 1, running only 36 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 1-22-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:48:32 GMT

"Tachisme" was the European equivalent to American abstract expression, exemplified here in this 1950s canvas by English painter Patrick Heron. While there were many tachist painters, only Frenchman Michel Magne ever claimed to be a tachist musician, and his work forms a significant portion of this seg. However, he is joined a number of artists that may well be less "arty" but, in my view, no less artistic -- Destroy All Monsters (known to hold an art exhibit or two), L.A.'s The Alley Cats, Esquivel and Lizzy Mercier Descloux (also a painter) among them. Just the sort of thing to get one's creative juices going. Length: 53 right-brained minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 1-22-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:28:29 GMT

The highlight, for me, in this seg is a short violin solo by the formidable Anne Akiko Meyers, pictured here in a portrait by Allen Murabayashi. However, to get to it you have some luxuriant and comft music to sit through first -- English Renaissance polyphony by Robert White, frothy French favorites by Bizet and Chabrier and a religious meditation for string quartet by ill-fated youngster Guillaume Lekeu. This seg has a nice forward trajectory, and I hope it makes up for the previous one. Anything about Anne should be researched at her excellent website, http://www.anneakikomeyers.com Length: 37 minutes that should make time seem to slow down; take a load off. And by the way, Anne's "forthcoming album" is out now.

Uncle Dave Show 1-1-2009 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:56:49 GMT

In the photo are the group ok|ok from Brooklyn; for more info on them try http://www.myspace.com/okokmusic - the photo is by Hilary McHone. They are featured in a set of music of female artists that includes Lindha Kallerdahl, Lydia Lunch, Patty Waters, Lil Armstrong, newcomer Rachel Mousie and Maurice LeMaître; oh, right -- a guy. Before that we have some righteous jams with Hal Kemp, Raymond Scott, ODJB, JATP and MJQ; gee, we're going to need a Letterist like LeMaître to sort all of this out. Length: 52 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 1-1-2009 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:28:09 GMT

This is a Hopewell shaman, excavated long ago from one of the mounds outside of Newark, Ohio. He seems to be sitting inside of a bearskin, and at this time of years his neighbors to the north, such as myself, kind of wish we could find a nice warm bearskin to crawl into ourselves. To him, what Europeans called "The New World" wasn't new. However, this episode is about the Old World and the new, the Old World represented by Irish Medieval chant, sung by Canty, and Scottish renaissance composer Robert Carver. That is followed by a retinue of Americans - Virgil Thomson, Henry Brant, Henry Cowell, Ferde Grofé and ultra-forgottem ultramodernist Richard Donovan. Length: 52 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 1-1-2009 Part 1

David Lewis — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:05:23 GMT

This aired at 6am on January 1 and yes, I was conscious and stone sober. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we have here two scrumptious bonbons from "Waltz King" Johann Strauss II and an equally celebratory American opera overture from the post-Colonial period. For purposes of contrast, a demure and quiet masterpiece of Japanese composer Fumio Hayasaka as played winningly by Aki Takahashi is also proferred. To insure a tincture of divinity for the year to follow, a majestic excerpt of Lizst's oratorio Christus is also heard -- out with the old and in with the new; these folks are readying the Times Square ball of 1907. Length: 60 mins. exactly.

Uncle Dave Show 11-6-2008 Part 3

David Lewis — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:15:09 GMT

This is the post-election section, and as it is getting a late launch, I guess it's now the post-post election section. Consists of brief profiles of Reginald Foresythe, Richard Rodgers, a jumpin' jam from LA in 1944, a memorial remembrance of Yma Sumac and a brace of songs from past American political elections. This includes an unusually vicious song about perpetually genial, yet chronically unpopular, president Martin van Buren (pictured) who wasn't even nominated by his party in the 1840 election despite the fact that he was incumbent. Length: 55 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 11-6-2008 Part 2

David Lewis — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:42:44 GMT

Much to my surprsie, this segment is about reconciliation and the desire for peace, and I didn't realize it until I was in the process of broadcasting it; I certainly didn't plan it that way, and the planning of this section took place several days before the election results rolled in. The big piece involved is Bohuslav Martinu's very late Chamber Music No. 1, written practically on his deathbed and ironically titled as he had already written tons of chamber music. Along with is a highly dissonant seventeenth-century pop tune by Claudio Saracini, music of William Lawes who fell in battle during the same era and a lovely, very early, guitar solo by Heitor Villa Lobos. Length: a concise 45 mins.

Uncle Dave Show 10-23-2008 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:32:31 GMT

This segment starts out with a pseudo-Halloween set: I was not obligated to come up with a full-on Halloween set this time as the holiday was not adjacent to "my" radio week, and ever since 9/11 all we've had in America are pseudo-Halloweens anyway. This set includes selections from Carl Stalling, George Olsen, Raymond Scott, Ray McKinley and Spike Jones. Appropriately, a couple of songs devoted to the (we hope) ill-fated John McCain campaign follows. Then we have a tribute to the, unfortunately now late composer Neal Hefti featuring some of his first class music for the Batman TV series, and finally we add up with some songs about bugs, ergo the image, by The Cramps, Devo and New York-based composer Du Yun. All in just 50 minutes time.

Uncle Dave Show 10-6-2008 Part 2

David Lewis — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:54:51 GMT

On looking at the internal stats for this Podcast, I note that the "Part 2s" are the segments least listened to in a lot of cases. They open with a poem and often contain vocal, rather than instrumental works. For me, "Part 2" is the heart of the program, and I would have to say that this is one of my better Part 2s so far. Starting with a Haydn song - in English - it is followed by works of Charles Ives, Johannes Ockeghem, Robert Carver, Rudolf Mauersberger and Gordon Jacob. There is an Anoymous dance from the late fifteenth century and something brand new, "Cloudbank" from Mark Dancigers of New York's NOW Ensemble (not "Ensemble Now," as I say in the program -- it's still pretty early in the morning when I do these shows.) For more information on the Now Ensemble, visit www.newamsterdamrecords.com Length: 48 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 9-25-2008 Part 3

David Lewis — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 16:42:41 GMT

September 10 added 100 candles to the birthday cake of composer and inventor Raymond Scott (pictured). Although we often hear from him as it is, it seemed like a good time to roll out all of the decorations -- or at least, some of them. There are some after dinner mints in the form of vibraphonist Adrian Rollini, Jefferson Airplane and the exciting new West Coast group Los Angeles Electric 8 -- last chance to get out one's shades and pretend that it's still summer. Length: 49 well-spent minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-28-2008 Part 3 Festival of Flexidiscs

David Lewis — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:12:26 GMT

This seg is devoted to the lowly Flexidisc (1960-2000), a type of phonograph record made from a plastic sheet rather than vinyl, shellac or what have you. These were often bundled into magazines or sent through the mail or, in rare cases such as the beautiful Chinese flexidisc pictured here, marketed as regular records. The original broadcast of this segment was less than successful owing to the sometimes thumpity-bumpity nature of flexis that are marred by creases or bends, occasioning both an unusually high degree of re-editing and re-recording to facilitate at least an acceptible showing in this podcast version, hence its slight delay. One thing I realize I never did was announce the Barbie Superstar Stage Show disc - the tune is titled "Barbie Disco." Length: 59 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-28-2008 Part 1

David Lewis — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:08:46 GMT

Dmitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) was known for being a great conductor. But word has it that he wasn't a half bad piano player, though aural evidence may prove elusive. Here we provide the answer - Mitropoulos both playing and conducting a Prokofiev piano concerto. Also taking her bow at the keys is young pianist Simone Dinnerstein in late Beethoven; also featured in this seg is music of young composer Scott Lindroth, music of Mitropoulos' young friend Leonard Bernstein topped off with a superb late march by John Philip Sousa. Length: 64 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-14-2008 Part 2

David Lewis — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:33:39 GMT

This opens with French composer Charles Koechlin's stylish and fantastic setting of Rudyard Kipling's poem "Seal Lullaby;" please excuse the clunky, rusty poetry reading that precedes it. This is followed by a musical Olympics of a kind; Austria is represented by eighteenth-century composer Georg Christoph Wagenseil, China by composer Du Mingxhin (played by Lang Lang), Tibet by Jue Ga and Korea by Hyo-Shin Na. Who takes home the Gold? You be the judge. Length: 38 minutes.

Uncle Dave Show 8-14-2008 Part 1

David Lewis — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:45:36 GMT

This illustration from Luigi Serafini's Pulcinellopedia seems to fit the spirit of Lord Berners' L'uomo dai baffi, written under the influence of Italian futurism; it might also fit the Stravinsky work included were that his Pulcinella and not Petrushka. The program opens with a fanfare presented as a rather inflated birthday tribute to one's self, followed by a frothy Viennese lute concerto from around 1700 and music of Bill Evans. From the sublime to the ridiculous in only 64 minutes.

Dead Planet Radio 5-15-2008

David Lewis — Sat, 17 May 2008 00:30:33 GMT

This is an off week for the Uncle Dave Show, and I decided to post an episode of a program that I did not host, but I admired very much and thought would be of interest to listeners of this Podcast. I share my program slot with Mr. Hunchback (e.g, Keith Larsen) whose tastes and standards for radio are similar to mine. "Dead Planet Radio" is a particularly inspired effort; about it, Mr. Hunchback writes, "The main point is to show that animals, plants, weather and rocks don't necessarily make tranquil sounds to relax by. They often make great abstract intellectually engaging music, by themselves and in ensemble. It's still something musicians can learn from - which is a good reason to keep it around." When I asked for an illustration, Mr. Hunchback submitted this image with this comment, "Here's a photo of rafflesia pricei, the world's biggest flower. It's also the stinkiest. It attracts loads of flies because it smells like rotting flesh. Not exactly something you'd want to pin on your prom date's shoulder." Length: 60 minutes, with a spoken intro and outro delivered by my daughter, Remy Lewis, who is likewise very concerned with the preservation of the natural world.

Uncle Dave Lewis: Dead Bird No. 2 3-31-08

David Lewis — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:22:18 GMT

WARNING! This is not radio; this is an original, avant-ambient classical composition, and is not for all tastes. I haven't done a radio show in awhile, and I decided this electronic piece is long enough to be a "Podcast" of a kind. While hunting around in my audio files to remind myself of what I had done lately, I came upon two short samples for the piece “Dead Bird No. 2,” dated 3/14. As it was the last day of the month, I decided to finish the piece rather than to continue writing this. I finished it literally between ordering and picking up a pizza, plus emptied a bag of garbage during – it took me longer to collect the two samples used as the source. Basic formula: Two Mono source loops of organ music, remixed into four channels. First two channels in identical phase, the third makes an interrupted entrance at about the fifth note in the identical pattern, with the fourth shortly behind the third. First loop is overlapped with the second briefly through replacing the first two identical tracks at about 3 minutes. Pan channels 1-2 about three quarters of the way out on either side, with channels 3-4 remaining dead center. I think the introductory material – the first loop - is pleasant, but inferior to the second section, which is pretty exciting. It a series of augmented chords, and as they pull apart and recombine the chords in the outside of the picture is effected by the two tracks in the center, making different chord cycles, intersecting in various sections of the loop. In the mp3 I have added the source samples at the beginning, separated by an exact second of silence, so that the listener can see what I mean. There’s a bigass, 19 seconds long delay on the whole thing. I love the ending; it’s just the spent signal in the delay dying away for a long time. Thanks for reading this far. Enjoy it, although to some this might be one of those “Uncle Dave – you lost me…” kind of pieces. It is very slow and VERY repetitive; don’t feel bad if you have to ditch after five minutes. Concentration IS rewarded; this piece is dedicated to fellow Podcastor Belinda Subramin. Length: 9 minutes, 8 sec.

Uncle Dave Show 3-14-2008 Part 3

David Lewis — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:38:03 GMT

World Music: This wrapper upper starts with a sedate historic recording of the Coptic Church in Egypt, but launches into rockin' track by Mohammad El-Bakkar followed by a sad Finnish ditty. There is an ample sampling of giga-obscure Haitain-diva Emy de Pradines (pictured; Emy. where did you go?) and music from French Equatorial Africa. Then it switches to oddball 60s-70s pop - a memorial to Mort Garson, a 70s hot as rendered by Michigan's own Familiar Faces and a really, really weird one by the team of Peter Smith and Gary McFarland. 59 minutes of near bliss; or at least sometime bliss.

Uncle Dave Show 2-28-08 Part 3

David Lewis — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:27:20 GMT

Pardon my ignorance - the "Ouled Nails" were not something one would hammer into a board; they are a Berber tribe whose territory extends from Biskra to Jelfa in Algeria. They are quite prosperous due to the manner in which the women of the tribe earn their living: by dancing and prostitution. The "Street of Ouled Nails" refers to a red light district in Algeria frequented by European sailors and it was basically the birthplace of belly dancing; this is what Holst's piece was attempting to convey at the beginning. Also towards the end I neglected to back announce several pieces; these are: Martin Denny Group - Frankie and Johnny (from a single), The Monkees - I Wanna Be Free, Ruth White - Spleen, Oskar Sala - Improvisation No. 4 and Edgar Varèse - Interpolation No. 1 from "Déserts" (first version). In between you'll hear dance music and some jazz; excuse me while I flog myself for being so careless. Length: 70 minutes, though it doesn't seem that long.

Art Damage 6-26-1986

David Lewis — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:34:23 GMT

This is posted in response to the many requests I get to put up a "vintage, ordinary and very old Art Damage show" from WAIF Radio in Cincinnati. This was a show I co-hosted with Dan Williams from 1985-87, ran pretty much myself from 1987-89, then shared with Chris Lockhart and Iovae in 1989-91, rejoining from 1998-2001. It was still on the air when WAIF finally dumped it in 2005. I don't have many very old Art Damage tapes, and a lot of the ones I do have are undocumented. This one was one that I found and documented just before posting. To my delight it contains an 11,000 Switches piece that was certainly lost till now, as the last time I saw that tape was back in the 80s in a condition like what's in the picture. The rest of it's pretty worthwhile too, if you like weird - the song "Swallow Your Load" (aka "La Foutramanie") is decidedly explicit tho. Length: 58 minutes.

On Some Faraway Beach 10-21-2007

David Lewis — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:02:29 GMT

Sorry for the long delay in posting again, but I was waiting out PodOMatic's difficulties of late, and it appears now that we are back on track. This one should be worth the wait - I appear on Dan Shoup's program "On Some Faraway Beach" as a guest, not host, recalling the early glory days when I looked like the fellow in this picture. (In my mind's eye, I still look like him - the pudgy, balding figure in the mirror is someone that I'm barely acquainted with yet.) I recall some of my work as sound engineer at the On Broadway Theater in San Francisco, the influence of Northern Ohio groups of the 70s like Devo and Pere Ubu and recount the very early days of Hospital Records groups like BPA, Dementia Precox and the (non-electronic) 11,000 Switches. 58 minutes.