Sunday, December 26, 2010

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Playlist for 12.21.2010

Don't forget: Next Tuesday is our last show on Radio K. Make sure to keep checking back for updates about where you can hear Girl Germs in 2011.

High Places - The Storm High Places
Prince Rama - Lightening Fossil Shadow Temple
Taigaa! - Off Off Taigaa!
Lykke Li - Get Some (Beck remix) Get Some [single]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Man Fever to Tell
Gorilla Angreb - Pa Patrulje Gorilla Angreb
Joan Jett - Light of Day Fit to be Tied
The Avengers - We Are the One We Are the One [EP]

Gillian Welch - Lowlands Soul Journey
Luke's Angels - Cityscape Paulopolis
Tina Turner - Goldeneye Wildest Dreams
The Dresden Dolls - Coin Operated Boy Dig

Basses Wild: The Germs - Let's Pretend MIA: The Complete Anthology
Katastrophy Wife - Gone Away Amusia
PJ Harvey - This is Love Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea

X-Ray Spex - Germ-free Adolescents Germ-free Adolescents
Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang Pulp Fiction Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Lauryn Hill - Everything is Everything The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Ronnie Spector - She Talks to Rainbows She Talks to Rainbows

Favorite songs of 2010:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - The Game Gets Old I Learned the Hard Way
Janelle Monae - Cold War The Archandroid
Coco Rosie - Smokey Taboo Grey Oceans
Warpaint - Undertow The Fool

Sleigh Bells - Tell Em Treats
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be I Will Be
Noun - Holy Hell Holy Hell

Artists to watch in 2011:
Pink Mink - Black Door Black Door/Earthquake on the Loose [single]
La Sera - Never Come Around Never Come Around [7"]
Robyn - Dancing on my Own Body Talk
Psalm One - Southside Lady Woman at Work

Girlrrific Gifts for that Special Germ

Happy Holidays Germs!

For those procrastinators out there who are looking at their calendars only
to notice that Christmas is less than a week away, Girl Germs has a guide to help you find the perfect gift.


If it's books you're looking for check out Patti Smith's award-winning book  Just Kids, the true story of two artists, Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe as they grow up during the '70s in New York City.

If you're looking for someone who is all about DIY take a look at the hilarious new book from Amy Sedaris, Simple Times : Crafts for Poor People, featuring simple and inexpensive crafts. 

For a perfect gift for someone bound to get stuck inside for a snow day,  check out  Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susan. This scandalous tale of three young career girls trying to make it in New York City is bound to become a favorite guilty pleasure.  

A fun book for fans of the hit series Mad Men would love the book 
Mad Men: The Illustrated World featuring amazing graphic designs by Dyna Moe inspired by the show. 

 Fans of the show Golden Girls may want to show their love with Bust Magazine's Stay Golden Tee Shirt, also check out their What Would Joan Jett Do Tee Shirt.

In need of stocking stuffers? Anyone who grew up loving Star Wars will love the The Ladies of Star Wars playing cards. Or how about a Holly Golightly Eye Mask?

Movie buffs and Girl Germ fans alike will love finding Ladies and Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains wrapped under the tree. And don't forget about our favorite Girls on TV Daria and of course Golden Girls.

I hope this helps all you procrastinators out there. Happy Holidays from the gals at Girl Germs.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Basses Wild: Lorna Doom of The Germs

"Basses Wild" is an opportunity for Girl Germs to showcase a female bass player in a band that we might not normally play on the show - a "wild card," if you will (get it?). This month we're featuring Lorna Doom, nee Teresa Ryan, bass player in The Germs.

Despite the the fact that the band only released one studio album - 1979's (GI), which was produced by Joan Jett - it became one of L.A.'s most influential punk groups, and not just to other punk bands. The Germs' reach and connections extend to a multitude of more mainstream bands: The Go-Go's, Foo Fighters and Nirvana to name a few (in fact Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's was an early member of the band and good friends with Doom). The band, who quickly became notorious for its shows - which bordered on riots at times - called it quits soon after the release of (GI) and in late 1980 singer Darby Crash committed suicide. Guitarist Pat Smear went on to be in Nirvana and Foo Fighters, and collaborated with Hole for a Germs tribute band called The Holez. Hole also covered The Germs' first single, "Forming."

In 1981, Penelope Spheeris (who would later go on to direct Wayne's World!) released a documentary called The Decline of Western Civilization, which chronicled the rise of the The Germs among L.A.'s punk scene. In 2008 the lives of Doom and the other band members were portrayed in What We Do is Secret, a biopic about Crash. The remaining members of the band reunited (with actor Shane West - who plays Crash in the film - on vocals) and are now active again.


Thursday, December 16, 2010

Girl Germs picks the BEST MUSIC of 2010! (And predicts the musical future.)

We at Girl Germs have combed through every lady-band release we could get our hands on this year, and now we bring you...the best of 2010 (according to us). Make sure to tune in from 9 to 11 p.m.on Tuesday as Jenny and Dana will be counting down our top songs of the year and spinning the female artists who we think are going to be big deals in 2011!

BEST ALBUMS OF 2010
Jenny

1. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)
2. Warpaint – The Fool (Rough Trade)
3. Janelle Monae – The Archandroid (Bad Boy)
4. Ana Tijoux - 1977 (Nacional)
5. Robyn – Body Talk (Interscope/Konichiwa)
6. Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwar)
7. Pink Mink - "Black Door"/"Earthquake on the Loose" [single] (Self-released)
8. Vaselines- Sex with an X (Sub Pop)
9. Sleigh Bells - Treats (Mom & Pop)
10. Corin Tucker Band – 1000 Years (Kill Rock Stars)



Anna

1. Charlotte Gainsbourg- IRM (Because/Elektra)
The daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin hits it out of the park with another amazing album, this time taking on Beck as a producer for an edgier, heavier sound. Like her last release, 5:55, I think this one will make it into my permanent rotation.
2. Dark Dark Dark- Bright Bright Bright [EP] (Supply and Demand)
Bright Bright Bright is easily one of my top releases of the year, showcasing this former local band’s exciting and challenging songwriting. This was my bus-ride soundtrack all winter long. 
3. Zola Jesus- Stridulum [EP]/Valusia [EP] (Sacred Bones)
A young lady from Wisconsin is the last person you’d expect to adopt a name like Zola Jesus, let alone to make music that sounds like a dark, sparse Siouxsie. She’s one of my new favorites.
4. Joanna Newsom- Have One on Me (Drag City)
The obtuse folk singer with a signature child-like crow broke her four-year silence with an unexpectedly lush triple LP. Have One on Me has some of the year’s best songs.
5. Best Coast- Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
Twitter feuds and it-girl charges against Bethany Cosentino aside, this album was extremely well done and nearly impossible not to love. 
6. Laura Viers- July Flame (Raven Marching Band) 
The quietly prolific Viers put out yet another gem this year on her newly minted label, Raven Marching Band. She even took pains to stop by the Radio K studios- baby in tow! This is one of the year’s best-reviewed albums for good reason.
7. Dum Dum Girls- I Will Be (Sub Pop) 
The Sub Pop darlings put their own spin on garage-rock revival with their consistent debut.
8. CocoRosie- Grey Oceans (Sub Pop)
The Casady sisters have put out yet another dense, quirky album. Despite a continual rise to prominence and move to Sub Pop Records, tracks like “R.I.P. Burnface” suggest no sign of watering down their own unique brand of weird.
9. Sleigh Bells- Treats (Mom and Pop)
It took a while for this to grow on me (a reaction to too much buzz too soon, perhaps), but when it did, I fell head over heels for it. For an album best-known for its tendency to peak out your VU meter, these irresistible songs come as a pleasant surprise.
10. Marnie Stern- Marnie Stern (Kill Rock Stars)
More guitar-shredding wizardry from New-York based Marnie.
Honorable mention: Janelle Monae's The Archandroid and Robyn’s Body Talk.


Dana
1. Puro Instinct Puro Instinct [EP] (Self-released)
This year I was a complete sucker for spooky yet dreamy shoegaze-reminiscent bands (see my top three picks...). These L.A.-based sisters have made - and self-released - an EP that is the soundtrack to my dreams!

2. Is/Is This Happening [EP] (Guilt Ridden Pop)
Is/Is is tied with Cadette for my new favorite local band. I can't get enough of the four songs on This Happening, and I'm really excited to hear what they do next. I just realized that we didn't post the playlist from the episode where they were our guest DJs. Must track that down...

3. Warpaint The Fool (Rough Trade)
I waited with baited breath for this album to come out and it was worth every second. "Undertow" might be the best song ever and the video is extremely well done. Their signing to Rough Trade signals BIG things for these ladies.

4. Black Mountain Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwar)
Black Mountain is one of my go-to bands. They blew me away this time with their shift away from prog-influenced epic jams and toward more straightforward rock songs. Webber's voice is always great, but the way it complements fellow singer Stephen McBean's on this album is particularly lovely.

5. Marnie Stern Marnie Stern (Kill Rock Stars)
Marnie can do no wrong. She's insanely talented, not to mention smart, articulate and sweet. Oh, and funny. Not that I'd ever encourage beef among lady musicians, but IF I DID, my money would be on Marnie in this whole Marnie Stern vs. Best Coast debacle.

6. Noun Holy Hell (Don Giovanni)
Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster's solo debut was more dynamic and nuanced than any of SF's stuff - but it also rocked just as hard.

7. Scout Niblett The Calcination of Scout Niblett (Drag City)
I rushed out and bought this record when it came out because vinyl is the only way to truly appreciate the simultaneous subtlety and power of her songs. Still kicking myself for missing her the last two times she was in town!

8. Laetitia Sadier The Trip (Drag City)
The Stereolab frontwoman's solo debut is poppy without being sugary. Hearing her away from the blips and bloops of Stereolab was refreshing, although I love Stereolab's new record as well.

9. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings I Learned the Hard Way  (Daptone)
Sharon Jones = BAD-ASS. I dare you to watch her interview with Stephen Colbert and try not to both love her and be very, very afraid of her. For about a month this spring, "Give it Back" was all I listened to. the Dap-Kings are pretty cool, too.

10. Lullabye Arkestra Threats/Worship  (Vice)
Formerly a six-piece complete with horns, this Canadian band has pared down to its husband-and-wife core and its music has evolved into a booming, metal-esque sound that makes it hard to believe they are just a duo. Kat Taylor-Small is one of the best bass players in the biz (see for yourself here). They were kind enough to record an in-studio with Girl Germs in April, and it was amazing to be in the studio while they played!

Honorable mention: Cate Le Bon's Me Oh My, Indian Jewelry's Totaled, Phantogram's Eyelid Movies and Dark Dark Dark's Wild Go.







ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2011


Jenny

Warpaint
Pink Mink 
Robyn
Black Mountain
Total Babe 




Anna

Is/Is
Puro Instinct
Zola Jesus
Anni Rossi

Noun


Dana

Warpaint
First Aid Kit
La Sera
Psalm One
Wild Flag



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

BIG NEWS about the future of Girl Germs

Hello friends of Girl Germs,

As you may have heard us discuss last night, we have some sad - but exciting - news regarding the show.

December 28, 2010 will be Girl Germs' final broadcast on Radio K. While we love the station and the time we've spent there, Jenny and I have decided that a student-run station is no longer the appropriate venue for what we envision for the show in 2011. Radio K is making some substantial changes and it seemed like the right time to part ways.

Never fear, though. Girl Germs won't be skipping a beat. In fact we'll be as contagious as ever. We'll be continuing our monthly "TV Party with Girl Germs" screening nights at the Red Stag Supperclub in Northeast Minneapolis through the spring, in addition to doing some exciting guest-blogging and mix-making over at High Plains Thrifter. We'll also be blogging like crazy on this site (which will move to a new address after the first of the year - we'll keep you updated on that). In early 2011 we plan to start producing and distributing new episodes, and as more information becomes available we'll keep you posted on where and how you'll be able to listen.


As longtime employees/volunteers at KUOM, this is a bittersweet goodbye - but we look forward to sharing music by groundbreaking female artists with even more listeners in the new year and beyond. Please watch this site and our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates, and we'll see you locals at the Red Stag Monday, Jan. 11 for our next TV Party with Girl Germs event, where we'll be screening episodes of Golden Girls (OMG Sophia! Blanche! Rose! Dorothy!). We'll let you know the dates of future TV Parties shortly.

Please comment here or send an email to radiokgirlgerms@gmail.com if you'd like to contact us about the change.

Thank you all for your continued support, Germs!

Playlist for 12.14.2010

Tonight was the ALL LOCAL show!


The Short Fuses Funtimes The Short Fuses
Is/Is Eating Hourglasses This Happening [EP]
Bleeding Hickeys Roadkill Lovers and Haters, Unite!
Pink Mink Earthquake on the Loose "Black Door"/"Earthquake on the Loose" [single]
To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie The Patron The Patron
Low Your Poison Drums & Guns
Dark Dark Dark Daydreaming Wild Go
Zoo Animal Worker Bee Zoo Animal
Zuzu's Petals The Girl He First Met The Music of Your Life
Cadette Teething Live on Radio K
The Soviettes Portland LPII
Divebomb Honey Kinky Kinky The Divebomb Honey [7"]
Zola Jesus I Can't Stand Stridulum [EP]
Lookbook True to Form Wild at Heart
Alicia Wiley Goldmine Both Sides
Alpha Centauri Electrostatic Lavarocks
BNLX Do Without EP #1
Gospel Gossip Sippy Cup Drift [EP]
Total Babe Bearbones Heatwave [EP]
February Hit Me Tomorrow is Today
Best Friends Forever Eisenhower is the Father Romance Conflict Adventure
Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lappelles Postcard Orange Peels and Rattlesnakes
Roma di Luna Before I Die Then the Morning Came
Dessa Dixon's Girl A Badly Broken Code
The Keep Aways Standards The Keep Aways
The Blue Up? Breathe You Out Cake and Eat It
Daisy's Compact Mice Hipster Zine Live on Radio K
Mute Era Mute Era Mute Era [EP]
Red Pens Don't Be Sane Reasons
Sharp Teeth Let Me Stay Alive Sharp Teeth
Brute Heart Blooming Trees EP
Babes in Toyland Right Now Fontanelle
Kelley Deal 6000 How Bout Hero Stuck on AM: Live from Radio K
Desdamona I Don't Stop The Ledge

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Girl Germs guest bloggin' on High Plains Thrifter

Check it out! Meghan of the lovely, Minneapolis-based High Plains Thrifter blog let Dana from Girl Germs be her guest blogger today. After you're done shoveling the billion feet of snow we received this weekend, listen to the sweet, all-female snowy Sunday soundtrack Dana made and then head on over to Mighty Swell, a big ol' vintage pop-up shop that HPT and a ton of other vintage vendors are putting on today in Northeast Minneapolis.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Playlist for 12.07.2010

Thanks to Anna for co-hosting this week! Jenny will make a triumphant return next Tuesday.

ARTIST // SONG // ALBUM
Emma Pollock Acid Test Watch the Fireworks
The Kills What New York Used to Be Midnight Boom
Broken Social Scene Almost Crimes You Forgot it in People
Peaches You Love It (featuring Joan Jett) Impeach My Bush
Rainbow Arabia I Know I See I Love I Go The Basta [EP]
Eurythmics Here Comes the Rain Again Greatest Hits
Siouxsie and the Banshees The Staircase (Mystery) Once Upon a Time
Prince Rama Raghupati Shadow Temple
Juliana Hatfield Universal Heart-beat Only Everything
Anna Ternheim What Have I Done? What Have I Done [EP]
Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window Between My Head and the Sky
La Sera Never Come Around Never Come Around [7"]
White Hinterland Icarus Kairos
Braids Lemonade Lemonade [single]
Asobi Seksu Thursday Citrus
Alice Russell I Don't Need This Trouble Under the Munka Moon Part II
Missy Elliot The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) Supa Dupa Fly
Gossip Dimestore Diamond Music for Men
Marnie Stern Building a Body Marnie Stern
Bruteheart Demons Rodentagogue: The Best of Dark Roots Music Volume II
Quasi Our Happiness is Guaranteed Featuring "Birds"
Liz Phair 6'1" Exile in Guyville
Peach Kelli Pop Do the Eggroll Peach Kelli Pop
Cocteau Twins Violaine Milk and Kisses
Puro Instinct I've Got Some Happiness Puro Instinct
Alice Coltrane Walk with Me Translinear Light
Delta 5 Triangle Singles and Sessions 1979-1981
Grace Jones She's Lost Control (Joy Division cover) Private Life
Yelle Ce Jeu Pop-Up

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Interview with White Hinterland's Casey Dienel

Hey germs! Dana had an opportunity to interview Casey Dienel (a.k.a. one half of White Hinterland). Read the article here!

White Hinterland is playing Wednesday night at the 7th Street Entry with Elite Gymnastics and CLAPS. Click here for more info.



Sunday, December 5, 2010

TV Party With Girl Germs: My So-Called Life! Monday, December 13th

Stay sharp, Germs! The latest installment of TV Party with Girl Germs is coming up next Monday, December 13th at the Red Stag Supperclub.
Up next we’ll be screening episodes of the much-loved mid-nineties teen classic My So-Called Life, a drama penned by Winnie Holzman and starring a young Claire Danes.

Fans remember My So-Called Life’s refreshingly honest and insightful portrayal of American teenagedom. The show captures the awkwardness of growing up with painful accuracy- the heartaches, friendships and conflicts feel credible and immediate. Characters like Rayanne, Ricky, Jordan Catelano,
Angela's parents Patty and Graham Chase, and even desperately nerdy neighbor Brian Krakow prove memorable and delightful. Holzman’s position as creator, armed with several female writers, helped to spur the invention of some of the most believable women on TV.

Come celebrate My So-Called Life with your best buds and fellow Girl Germs fans! We’ll be screening episodes from 9 pm onward. The Red Stag’s happy hour specials begin at 10 pm, with $3 domestics, $4 select taps, $4 select cocktails, $4 Crispin Ciders and $3 house wine, plus the happy hour menu (and kids, that truffled kettle corn is nothing short of magic.) Parking is widely available and free!

We hope to see you on Monday. Episode requests are encouraged! Email us, post on the wall of our Facebook event page or comment on this blog post.

TV Party with Girl Germs is sponsored by Radio K and The Onion.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

November's Honorary Lady: Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter from 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'

The “Honorary Lady” is a monthly feature we do on Girl Germs in an effort to discuss the boundaries that come attached to a radio show devoted to female artists. We wish to challenge what it means to be a girl or lady, and to recognize that artists who fall outside of this gender definition do make huge contributions to the music and culture we celebrate on the show.

Yes, we realize that Dr. Frank-N-Furter is a fictional character. But actor/musician Tim Curry's depiction of the mad scientist proved (much like last month's HL, Seth Bogart) that you can challenge ideas of gender and sexuality that we as a culture take for granted while being hilarious. What's more, Curry did this in the '70s, when the idea of gender-bending transsexuals or transvestites (however sweet they might be) was still pretty taboo.


And come on...look at him. Dr, Frank-N-Furter, we at Girl Germs salute you!

Playlist for 11.30.2010

Artist // Song // Album

Blonde Redhead Equus Misery is a Butterfly
The Breeders Glorious Pod
Welcome Bunky Sirs
The Spells The Age of Backwards The Age of Backwards
Girlschool Race With the Devil Race with the Devil
Babes in Toyland He's My Thing Dystopia
Pink Mink Black Door Self-released
Eternal Summers Pogo Silver
Billie Holiday Pennies from Heaven The Complete Billie Holiday
Tori Amos The Springtime of his Voodoo Boys for Pele
Warpaint Undertow The Fool
Edith Piaf La Vie en Rose The Voice of the Sparrow
Luscious Jackson Gypsy Electric Honey
Bananarama No Feelings (Sex Pistols Cover) Party Party Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Quixotic Ice Cream Sundae Mortal Mirror
Sia Stop Trying We Are Born
Neko Case Favorite Canadian Amp
Best Friends Forever Eisenhower is the Father Romance Conflict Adventure
Zoo Animal My Lord Young Blood
Fiery Furnaces Duplexes of the Dead Widow City
Neneh Cherry I Ain't Gone Under Yet Homebrew
M83 Kim and Jessie Saturdays=Youth
Lookbook The Only Ones Wild at Heart
The Fresh Girls I Seen Your Boyfriend Ladies First
(Honorary Lady) Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter Sweet Transvestite Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Lovage Strangers on a Train Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By
Sort Sol feat. Lydia Lunch Boy-Girl Dagger and Guitar
Is/Is So Long This Happening [EP]
Odetta How Long Blues Odetta and the Blues
Lullabye Arkestra All I can give Ya Ampgrave
Sleigh Bells Kids Treats
Tribe 8 A Sad Poem Snarkism
Enon Those Who Don't Blink Grass Geysers…Carbon Clouds
Times New Viking (My Head) Rip it Off