Of late, I've been in the mood for snappy. You know, I never called a record "snappy" until I saw "That Thing You Do". I was like, "Oh, yeah. Snappy." Now I use it all the time. Anyway, this song isn't really a Christmas song. But it is about a "December Girl" and that's good enough for me.
Radio Nowhere is another one of those names I wish the artist had googled first, because there are a lot more Radio Nowheres than you'd think--many of them bands. But, in this case, were I on a panel deciding who would get sole custody of the name, I'd award it to Mike Baker and this Radio Nowhere. Because, somehow, it just feels right.
Radio Nowhere is Mike Baker, a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Oakland, California. After a gig where his job was testing guitars for Guitar Player magazine, Mike decided he wanted a little more. He was on a mountain biking excursion with Steve Bowman, the original drummer for Counting Crows. "In between crashes, he told these hilarious stories about opening for the Rolling Stones. I screwed up the courage to play him my demo, he really liked it and offered to help me put a band together.”
And put together a band they did. It included members of Primus, Mazzy Star and the bands of Chuck Prophet, Peter Gabriel and Jackson Browne, plus Jeff Labes on the keys (the cat who played the piano on Van Morrison's "Moondance"). They called the band Slim and cut the album "Interstate Medicine". The album was a critical success and the band they'd put together joined Mike onstage for the performances.
Of course, everybody was waiting for a follow-up. But, while Mike had some songs to record, he was also busy as a session player. And, at some point, he just decided that, if you want something done... He ended up teaching himself a multitude of different instruments because "there was just no one else around." Engineering and production skills followed and Radio Nowhere was born. "A friend told me that we sound like the missing link between Lyle Lovett and Led Zeppelin." On "December Girl", at least, I think Radio Nowhere sounds like a cross between Lyle Lovett and Marc Bolan. Cuz it's snappy, see? There's a good sense of humor to the song (and many of Mike's other tunes) as well. Capricorn you say? My, that's fascinating.
"December Girl" is free at Bandcamp. But don't stop there. There's more free music to be had, including a 9-track version of "Interstate Medicine". Go getcha some.
Radio Nowhere is Mike Baker, a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Oakland, California. After a gig where his job was testing guitars for Guitar Player magazine, Mike decided he wanted a little more. He was on a mountain biking excursion with Steve Bowman, the original drummer for Counting Crows. "In between crashes, he told these hilarious stories about opening for the Rolling Stones. I screwed up the courage to play him my demo, he really liked it and offered to help me put a band together.”
And put together a band they did. It included members of Primus, Mazzy Star and the bands of Chuck Prophet, Peter Gabriel and Jackson Browne, plus Jeff Labes on the keys (the cat who played the piano on Van Morrison's "Moondance"). They called the band Slim and cut the album "Interstate Medicine". The album was a critical success and the band they'd put together joined Mike onstage for the performances.
Of course, everybody was waiting for a follow-up. But, while Mike had some songs to record, he was also busy as a session player. And, at some point, he just decided that, if you want something done... He ended up teaching himself a multitude of different instruments because "there was just no one else around." Engineering and production skills followed and Radio Nowhere was born. "A friend told me that we sound like the missing link between Lyle Lovett and Led Zeppelin." On "December Girl", at least, I think Radio Nowhere sounds like a cross between Lyle Lovett and Marc Bolan. Cuz it's snappy, see? There's a good sense of humor to the song (and many of Mike's other tunes) as well. Capricorn you say? My, that's fascinating.
"December Girl" is free at Bandcamp. But don't stop there. There's more free music to be had, including a 9-track version of "Interstate Medicine". Go getcha some.
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