The Bar Boys from Arkansas start the podcast. In the mid-60's they traveled up to Memphis to do some recording, and their song "That's the Sound of My Heart" comes from that session. I think they got their money's worth. The Soulmasters may have been from the middle part of Virginia, but their sound was pure East Coast Beach. "You Took Away the Sun…

Another of our infamous mystery bands start off this podcast. Who were Les Soules? We're not sure. They recorded a song in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but other than that... With a name like Spontaneous Corruption, you can bet the band's going to lay down some heavy sound. And they do. The Looking Glass of Time has all the cosmic psychedelica you could de…

Fifty episodes of Garage/Soul '66! Hard to believe we're still going strong, and still have lots more vintage psych, rock, soul and pop to share with you. To celebrate, we're marking another important occasion -- the release of Lost Souls, Vol. 3 by Psych of the South. This compilation digs even deeper into the Arkansas music scene of the late 1960…

First up on this episode of Garage/Soul '66 is a blast of heavy psych. The Sound Expidition hailed from Lincoln, NE and recorded (as far as we know) just this one track -- but it's a good one. "Ultimate Power" proved to be the ultimate track for the band. The Anglos take the Soul Spotlight with a sizzling lo-fi track, "Since You've Been Gone." Folk…

We start the show with the Morning Disaster. This band wrote (and recorded) songs that were a cut above the run-of-the-mill garage band. For some reason, though, the tapes of their 1967 recording session were never released -- until Arcania International got hold of them, that is. From that legendary session we play their original tune "Urban 44." …

We start the show with a trippy tune from 1969 by the Group Nine. The group may have been a little tripped out themselves, as they never had as many as nine in their lineup... Yes, Thomas Edisun's Electric Lightbulb Band spelt it E-d-i-s-u-n. They follow the Group Nine with a mellow track of sunshiny psych titled "Common Attitude." Laurie Tate step…

We start the show with a mid-60's track recorded in Johnson City, TN. The Kool Kuzzins were actually a family band composed of two brothers and a cousin. And actually, all three were pretty cool. The next track, "Party" comes from Washington DC-based Wilson Castle. Recorded in 1969, it sums up the closing era of peace and love (with a nod to John L…

The world of 1960's garage music is full of strange stories. The Morning Disaster was an up-and-coming band that was soon hustled into the studio to record some of their original material. They did so (and it's decidedly better than average), but the tapes were never released and the band broke up soon afterwards. From those lost sessions, we prese…

Another of our mystery groups kick off this edition of the show. The Sunn Cycle went into a studio in Asheville, NC in the late 1960's, recorded a track or two, then disappeared. We play their tune "Acid Raga, Part II." And no, as far as I know there is no Part I. The Steve Peele Five sing what has to be one of the longest radio jingles ever -- a t…

We start with a band that reversed a trend. Many garage bands broke up in the 1960's when one or more of their members were drafted and sent to Vietnam. The Beachnuts was a band made up of young musicians returning from Southeast Asia. The New Directions turn in a heavy dose of psych with their 1969 track, "Springtime Lady" Mel Gaines and the Regen…

This podcast starts with another of our many mystery bands. We don't know who was in the band Don't Tread on Me, but we do know they were deep into the psychedelic scene. Their 1969 recording "The Land of Extremes" makes that very clear, indeed. Far out! Last episode we featured a song by the Electrical Banana, a group Dean Kohler formed while serv…

Dean Kohler didn't give up music when he was drafted in 1967. He formed a band with some fellow GIs and played in Southeast Asia. And they also recorded. We play their version of "I'm A Man" live from Vietnam! Ever wonder about the theme music for this podcast? it's an instrumental version of "Days of a Quiet Sun" by the Baraccudas. You'll hear the…

The Nite Beats walked the Southwest Virginia beat -- and did it pretty well, too. In 1966 they were invited to record a session at Sun Studios. Although the master tapes were lost soon after, we have the one surviving song from that session! From the same part of the Old Dominion we also have the Phantoms. They played primarily the area where Virgi…

We start off this podcast episode with a little trip -- a psychedelic trip, that is. Denis and the Times took flight in 1967 with their psych classic "Flight Patterns." Great production values on this one! We stay up in the sky with the Pennsylvania-based Groop Therapy. "Leave This World" has a fuzzed-out guitar solo by 13-year-old Gayle Doughtrey.…

One of the recurring themes of this podcast is the mystery of the mystery band. Many times studios were booked by teenagers who came in, recorded one or two songs, paid the engineer, and left. Often these bands broke up shortly thereafter. 45s were thrown away, and master tapes lost, save for the studio copy. But that copy usually just had the name…

This program we have two mystery groups. Don't know who they are, or even quite where they came from. But we do have the recordings they left behind. The Wanted & Co. recorded in a studio in the midwest. There are some indication that they may have been from Ohio -- or perhaps Kentucky. We're not sure... The Soul Spotlight shines on the second myst…

We start this edition of Garage/Soul '66 with the Flys. We don't know much about this group, save that they hailed from Washington, DC and cut a single track back in 1966. But it's a good one. East Coast legend Lenis Guess returns, this time fronting a band that perfectly captured the East Coast Beach sound of the mid-60's. If you like Bill Deal an…

We start off with a rare track from Richmond, Virginia-based band the Clover. They recorded just two songs back in 1966, and this episode we play the "B" side of that lone 45 RPM. Then we jump back to 1963 for a song by the Satellites. According to Arcania International's Brent Hosier (who researched and compiled the "Aliens, Psychos, and Wild Thin…

This time we have quite a selection of material. We start with Glennis Annette and the Confederates from Texas, circa 1968. We follow them with one of the finest bands out of Virginia to almost make the big time (in my opinion) -- the Bosom Blues Band. Their acid-tinged tune "Hippie Queen" is pure psych. Hard to believe it's actually a group of tee…

Here's a podcast episode that should get you moving! From the DTR catalog, we present selections from March On! -- an organ recital of symphonic marches arranged for the organ. Michael Stairs performs on the Longwood Gardens Organ.The disc -- and our podcast -- features famous marches, as well as some that aren't so well known. You'll hear John Phi…

A mixed bag of tunes this time around. We start with East Coast favorites the Swinging Machine, and a great song from 1967, "Look Out!" Then we follow Virginia artist Dean Kohler on his continuing adventures. We've already featured his previous group the Satellites, and we pick up the story after Kohler was drafted in 1965. It spelled the end of th…

By info@DCDRecords.com

We have a couple of mystery bands on the show this time. They came, they recorded, they disappeared. We don't know who the members of the Perpetuated Spirits of Turpentine were, or who was in Shades, Ltd. But we do have two great songs from these bands that we share with you this time. The Smacks return with another rocking cut from their 1966 45rp…

James Higdon is well-qualified to perform the music of organist/composer Jehan Alain. He's a recognized authority of the French organ repertoire, and studied with Marie-Claire Alain, the daughter of the composer and one of the stars of the organ world.Higdon recorded Jehan Alain's complete works for organ, performing on one of the few instruments i…

The show starts off with the Satellites, a short-lived band from Norfolk, VA. The draft cut the life of the group short, but not the career of lead guitarist Dean Kohler. He went on to form another group during his tour in Vietnam! (We'll feature some recordings from that group in a future episode). The Smacks return with another rocking cut from t…

The VGo label specializes in high-quality classical guitar recordings -- with one exception. They also released a harpsichord recording, done with the same high production values as the rest of the VGo line.The disc, entitled "Teatro Imaginario" features fifteen harpsichord sonatas by Dominico Scaraltti Patrice Mathews is a well-known harpsichordis…

A mixed bag on this edition of the podcast. We start with the Perpetuated Spirits of Turpentine. The title of their song is almost as long as the group name -- "The Girl With The Sandy Blonde Hair." Far out! The Smacks were big in the Washington, DC area, and for good reason. One of the two friends that started the group lived in Virginia, the othe…

This episode of the DCD Classical 'Cast we feature selections from one of the many recordings Clipper Erickson made for the DTR label. The title of the release "An Orchestra of One" pretty much sums up the concept. Erickson performs a variety of works arranged for solo piano that really test the performer's mettle!It's an outstanding album of piani…

British composer Arthur Bliss was extremely self-critical. Although he composed four string quartets, only three were ever performed, and he allowed only two to be published. His first two quartets were written when he was a young man, and these were the works he later withdrew. It wasn't until after his fiftieth birthday that he wrote a chamber wo…

Nowadays, Annette DiMedio is a respected pianist and teacher. A native of Philadelphia, she's soloed with the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as orchestras around the world, and currently serves on the faculty of the University of the Arts.But when she was still a young girl with a promising career ahead of her, she made a recording with the DTR lab…

David Baker has enjoyed a remarkable career both as a jazz musician and a classical composer. He's worked with some of the biggest names in both fields (and currently serves as conductor and artistic director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.When Baker first started composing in the "third stream," he was commissioned by James Pellerit…

American composer William Bergsma didn't write much for solo piano. In fact, only three such works are represented in his catalog. Pianist Jill Timmons studied with Bergsma, and in the early 1990's recorded his complete output.The three works benefit from Timmons' insights and discussions with the composer. In this podcast episode of the DCD Classi…

The Stanford String Quartet was formed by members of the music faculty at Stanford University in 1984. They launched on an ambitious task of performing under-represented works, as well as commissioning new music for string quartet.In 1991 they recorded three of the works they championed for Laurel Records. That recording is featured in this episode…

This episode we showcase selections from the debut recording by the Spectrum Brass Quintet. This group has an unusual mission: to perform and record music with other musicians not normally associated with brass quintets.Their first CD release, Rhapsody, does just that. The quintet performs the music of George Gershwin with drummer Alex Trahjano, pi…

This episode we take a closer look at a release we've had before on the DCD Classical 'Cast. Monument Records is dedicated to recording music by Beethoven -- but not just any music. They're after the unusual, the obscure, the under-recorded and sometimes never recorded works by Beethoven.The release, Beethoven: Early Dance Music, features three suc…

Nadia Boulanger was best known as a teacher of composers. The number of pupils who studied with her between 1907 and 1979 is staggering -- especially when you consider how many of them would go on to become internationally known composers and performers. The list includes Aaron Copland, Lennox Berkeley, Roy Harris, and Philip Glass to name but a fe…

Daniel Berg is a talented marimbist based in Sweden. In this episode of the DCD Classical 'Cast we feature selections from his debut album, "In a Landscape."The CD collects some of Berg's favorite works for solo marimba together, and provides a fascinating snapshot of the breadth of compositional styles that make up the repertoire. The composers ha…

Hershel Burke, founder of Laurel Records, was a successful film composer. But he was also active in the Los Angeles classical music scene. That was where he met UCLA-based composer Henri Lazarof.Burke was impressed with Lazarof's well-crafted music, and decided it needed a wider audience. The result were several Laurel Record albums exclusively dev…

This episode we play selections from a DTR Release, "Paradise Gardens." The CD is a Frederick Delius recital by Michael Stairs at the legendary Longwood Gardens organ. Even during the 1930's as Delius was composing many of his best-known works, organist Dom Gregory Murray was arranging them for organ. We hear his arrangement of "A Song Before Sunri…

In this edition of the DCD Classical 'Cast we showcase a remarkable 1995 release from Laurel Records. Renowned pianist Mark Zeltser teamed up with his fellow countryman, conductor Rudolf Barshai, to record two mainstays for piano and orchestra from their native Russia.The Prokofiev Third Piano Concerto, Op. 26 bristles with emotion and energy in th…

This edition of the DCD Classical 'Cast podcast we feature selections from an exciting new CD from Troubadisc. For some time now, this German-based label has been building up an impressive catalog of chamber and solo music by Max Reger.The latest addition to the series, Max Reger: Piano Pieces showcases the artistry of pianist Wolfram Lorenzen. Lor…

The story of Luciano Simoni is a fascinating one. This gifted Italian studied composition with one of Respighi's pupils while pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. In time, Simoni was recognized as one of the leading researchers in the field of electrical insulation in the world, and held a prestigious post at the University of Bologna.Yet a…

In 1995 the University of Wisconsin at Madison School of Music celebrated its 100th anniversary. To commemorate the event, the school commissioned six composers with ties to Wisconsin to write works for the various student and faculty ensembles. The composers were then invited to the school to serve as artists in residence, and to be present for th…

In 1995 the University of Wisconsin at Madison School of Music celebrated its 100th anniversary. To commemorate the event, the school commissioned six composers with ties to Wisconsin to write works for the various student and faculty ensembles. The composers were then invited to the school to serve as artists in residence, and to be present for th…

Vinceno Albrici (1631-1696) spent a great deal of time in the service of Queen Christina of Sweden. So it's no surprise that Swedish-based label Musica Rediviva would release an album dedicated to this composer.The compositions are all "sacred concertos." That is, works that adapted the new concerto style of vocal composition (contrasting arias and…

This podcast we feature selections from Violin Solo, Vol. 5, with violinist Renate Eggebrecht. This is the latest installment of this fascinating series from Troubadisc. As in the other volumes, Eggebrecht concentrates on solo works composed in the 20th Century. In volume five, she presents a recital of solo violin music by Eastern European compose…

The "Orchesographie" of 1589 was an important work for Thoinot Arbeau. His goal was to provide the complete manual for the understanding and proper execution of French courtly dance. It included diagrams, detailed descriptions, and music. Mr. Arbeau's work has become one of the primary sources for our understanding of 16th century dance and popular…