Newspaper and Silly Putty

The Rhetorical Situation, May 11, 2010

Playlist:

Broken Social Scene, "Art House Director"
The Boggs, "Little Windows"
The Magnetic Fields, "The Book of Love"
The Tallest Man on Earth, "Troubles Will Be Gone"
Jenny Lewis Feat. Elvis Costello, "Carpetbaggers"
The Hold Steady, "You Can Make Him Like You"
Broken Bells, "October"
Nurses, "Lita"
The Shins, "Sleeping Lessons"
The Black Keys, "Tighten Up"
The Dead Weather, "Blue Blood Blues"
Iron Horse, "Dark Center of the Universe"
The Devil Makes Three, "Dynamite"
Modest Mouse, "The Good Times Are Killing Me"
Old Crow Medicine Show, "Wagon Wheel"
Neil Young, "On The Beach"
Grateful Dead, "Sugar Magnolia"
Band of Bees, "A Minha"

The Rhetorical Situation, May 11, 2010

2010-05-14T23:48:00.001-07:00

I have no idea what happened during this episode of The Rhetorical Situation because my brain has been fried by academia. But I see from the playlist (below) that we played some damn good songs! I think I went on some self-indulgent rant about midway through the show (see: any week), and was this the week that someone called in to say we're his/her favorite show on the station? Anything is possible.

The Rhetorical Situation, May 4, 2010

Playlist:

The Tallest Man on Earth, "Burden of Tomorrow"
The Builders and the Butchers, "Short Way Home"
The Velvet Underground, "I'm Waiting For The Man"
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, "100 Days, 100 Nights"
Gil Scott-Heron, "Me and The Devil"
The Beatles, "A Day in the Life"
The Do, "A Mouthful"
Neko Case, "The Pharaohs"
Port O'Brien, "Tree Bones"
Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens," What Have You Done?"
The Morning Benders, "Excuses"
OK Go, "Skyscrapers"
The Felice Brothers, "Penn Station"
The Black Keys, "Stack Shot Billy"
The Boggs, "Forts"
The Flaming Lips, "Race For The Prize (Remix)"
Billy Bragg and Wilco, "Walt Whitman's Niece"
TV on the Radio, "Crying"

The Rhetorical Situation, May 4, 2010

2010-05-04T21:53:00.001-07:00

Jacob and I dash into the studio at the last minute and drop bombs: new Broken Social Scene, new Hold Steady, new Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, new Gogol Bordello, New Pornographers. (See what I did there?)

Not to mention, we sound off about racial profiling in Arizona, and I lament the end of an emotional Blazers season. Oh, and excuse the slight delay before the first song.

Catch us live every Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. PST at KBVR.com, or 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, April 27, 2010

Playlist:

Broken Social Scene, "All To All"
Broken Bells, "The Mall & Misery"
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, "Be Easy"
Spoon, "Nobody Gets Me But You"
Tahiti Boy & The Palmtree Family, "1973"
Four Tet, "Plastic People"
Fang Island, "Sideswiper"
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, "Shake The Sheets"
Regina Spektor, "That Time"
The Hold Steady, "The Sweet Part of the City"
The New Pornographers, "You Hands (Together)"
Free Energy, "Bang Pop"
The Besnard Lakes, "And This Is What We Call Progress"
Naomi Shelton, "Am I Asking Too Much?"
Dinosaur Feathers, "Know Your Own Strength"
Gogol Bordello, "My Companjera"
Nada Surf, "See These Bones"

The Rhetorical Situation, April 27, 2010

2010-05-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

Another week, another episode of The Rhetorical Situation.

Next week, Jacob and I really sound off on Arizona's racist legislation and the catastrophic oil "spill" in the Gulf of Mexico.

Until then, cheers.

The Rhetorical Situation, April 20, 2010

Playlist:

Hole, "Samantha"
Plants and Animals, "The Mama Papa"
Everclear, "El Distorto de Melodica"
Gogol Bordello, "Pala Tute"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Phenomenon"
The Shins, "Sea Legs"
Arctic Monkeys, "Dance Little Liar"
Atmosphere, "Mama Had a Baby and His Head Popped Off"
Rolling Stones, "Let It Bleed"
The New Pornographers, "Crash Years"
Fang Island, "Life Coach"
Free Energy, "Dark Trance"
The Magnetic Fields, "I Think I Need A New Heart"
Portugal. The Man, "Everyone is Golden"
The Dead Trees, "My Friend Joan, She Never Asks"
The Do, "Travel Light.

The Rhetorical Situation, April 20, 2010

2010-04-24T16:17:00.001-07:00

I'm flyin' solo for the first 30 minutes, but have no fear, Jacob returns. Great stuff from The Do, Chris Bathgate, and Delta Spirit.

T. Margoni's Podcast

The playlist:

Freelance Whales, "Generator First Floor"
Freelance Whales, "Generator Second Floor"
Girls, "Lauren Marie"
Metric, "The Police and The Private"
The Do, "A Mouthful"
Radiohead, "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"
Yeasayer, "Ambling Alp"
Chris Bathgate, "Restless"
Pixies, "Into The White"
Of Montreal, "She's A Rejector"
The Heavy, "How You Like Me Now?"
Dan Auerbach, "Heartbroken, In Despair"
Langhorne Slim, "Cinderella"
What Made Milwaukee Famous, "Sultan"
Delta Spirit, "People C'mon"
Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, "When We Swam"
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, "You'll Be Taken Care Of"
Ugly Cassanova, "Barnacles"
Currituck County, "Antichrist"
Rilo Kiley, "With Arms Outstretched"

The Rhetorical Situation, April 13, 2010

2010-04-17T18:30:00.001-07:00

On the last Rhetorical Situation, Jacob and I probably talked about our theses. Then played some music. Then we said some funny things. I can't really recall right now, so you should definitely look into it.

Cheers.

The Rhetorical Situation, April 13, 2010

T. Margoni's Podcast

Playlist:

The Subjects, "Winter Vacation"
The Features, "The Idea of Growing Old"
The Besnard Lakes, "Albatross"
Built to Spill, "Broken Chairs"
Wilco, "One Wing"
Spoon, "Before Destruction"
Led Zeppelin, "When the Levee Breaks"
The Decemberists, "The Engine Driver"
The Do, "On My Shoulders"
Dirty Mittens, "Ten Feet Deep"
Elvis Costello, "Watching the Detectives"
The Band, "Ophelia"
Blitzen Trapper, "War on Machines"
Port O'Brien, "Calm Me Down"
Neko Case, "Reckoner"
King Khan and the Shrines, "Destroyer"

The Rhetorical Situation, April 6, 2010

2010-04-07T23:37:00.001-07:00

Funny jokes! That's what we give you on this episode of The Rhetorical Situation. Like, for example, 2 solid minutes of dead air at about 23 minutes into the show. And we pretend a microphone isn't working! April fools, all of us. Better yet, we rip the Catholic church for institutionalized crime and introduce new albums from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Dum Dum Girls, and Portland's finest, MBilly.

Catch The Rhet Sitch every Tuesday from 2-4 PST at KBVR.com or 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, April 6, 2010

TJ Margoni's Podcast

Playlist:

Port O'Brien, "Sour Milk/Salt Water"
TV on the Radio, "Staring at the Sun"
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, "I Learned the Hard Way"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Beat The Devil's Tattoo"
Loch Lomond, "Spine"
Freelance Whales, "Location"
Dum Dum Girls, "Jail La La"
Camera Obscura, "Let's Get Out of This Country"
M Billy, "Mild Mannered Man"
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, "Dancing Together"
Fitz & The Tantrums, "Winds of Change"
Devendra Banhart, "Can't Help But Smiling"
Shout Out Louds, "Show Me Something New"
Pavement, "Old to Begin"
Gonjasufi, "DedND"
Can, "Outside My Door"
The Dead Weather, "..."

The Rhetorical Situation, March 30, 2010

2010-03-30T23:16:00.001-07:00

On the first episode of the last term of The Rhetorical Situation, Jacob and I offend conservatives, cheer the local Robin Hood, and bring in some good new tracks from Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family, Port O'Brien, She and Him, and Black Francis.

Check us out live at kbvr.com in our new time slot, Tuesdays from 2-4 p.m. PST, 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, March 30, 2010

TJ Margoni's Podcast

The playlist:

"One More Try," My Robot Friend
"Cigarette Pack," Dan Black
"Surplus," Kate Lamont
"1973," Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family
"My Will is Good," Port O'Brien
"Florida," Pyramiddd/Starfucker
"Ghost of an Earthworm," Loch Lomond
"In The Branches," The Builders and the Butchers
"I Want a House," Twin Sister
"Dead Man's Curve," Black Francis
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?," She and Him
"And This is What We Call Progress," The Besnard Lakes
"If You're Feeling Sinister," Belle & Sebastian
"Oh Yeah," Built to Spill
"Boom Boom," The Animals
"Barnacle Goose," Born Ruffians
"Hello Bonjour," Michael Franti and Spearhead

The Rhetorical Situation, March 19, 2010

2010-03-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

On the final Rhetorical Situation of the term, Jacob and I discuss our spring break plans (hint: Brazilian waxes, kiddie pools, tequila), rant about the Gazette Times, and play a whole bunch of songs that mostly have nothing to do with spring break.

We may have a show on Friday during spring break, but we may not. We will have a different show time beginning the week of March 29, but I'm not sure about the day or time yet. Stay tuned. So you can stay tuned. Live at KBVR.com. Thanks for listening.

The Rhetorical Situation, March 19, 2010

Margonit Travis' Podcast

The playlist:

Girls, "Summertime"
Twin Sister, "Ginger"
Basia Bulat, "If Only You"
Drive-By Truckers, "Birthday Boy"
Caitlin Morrisette, "Wake Me Up"
Blitzen Trapper, "Lady on the Water"
Monsters of Folk, "The Right Place"
Beck, "Lost Cause"
Portugal. The Man, "Just a Fool"
Fleet Foxes, "Your Protector"
Telekinesis, "Coast of Carolina"
Eels, "Prizefighter"
These United States, "When You're Traveling at the Speed of Light"
Cold War Kids, "Relief"
Steven Malkmus & The Jicks, "Baltimore"
Julian Casablancas, "11th Dimension"
Drive-By Truckers, "Get Downtown"
Spoon, "The Way We Get By"
Santigold, "Shove It"

The Rhetorical Situation, March 12, 2010

2010-03-12T16:25:00.001-08:00

On today's Rhetorical Situation, Jacob and I introduced Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and Broken Bells before finishing the show with the first band we ever played, Mount St. Helens Vietnam Band.

Our best show ever? I won't say it's not.

Tune in Fridays from noon to 2 PST at KBVR.com or 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, March 12, 2010

Margonit Travis' Podcast

The playlist:

So Called, "You Are Never Alone"
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, "How Do I Let a Good Man Down?"
Julian Casablancas, "Eleventh Dimension"
Local Natives, "World News"
Bloc Party, "Positive Tension"
Viva Voce, "Paper Doll"
Wilco, "Impossible Germany"
Real Estate, "Fake Blues"
Julian Casablancas, "Out of the Blue"
Portugal. The Man, "The Dead Dog"
Harlem Shakes, "Niagara Falls"
Rod Stewart, "Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)"
Hockey, "Learn to Lose"
Broken Bells, "The Ghost Inside"
Yeasayer, "Rome"
Neutral Milk Hotel, "Holland, 1945"
Mount St. Helens, "Albatross, Albatross, Albatross"
Beck, "High 5 (Rock the Catskills)"

The Rhetorical Situation, March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T18:06:00.000-08:00

On today's episode, Jacob and I introduce new music from Joanna Newsom, Gil Scott-Heron, Portugal. The Man, The Devil Makes Three, and OK Go. Plus, a track from the band with maybe the best name out there right now: Backyard Tire Fire.

Ah, stressful term, may you end as painlessly as possible!

Check us out live at KBVR.com every Friday from noon-2 p.m. PST, or at 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, March 5, 2010

Margonit Travis' Podcast

The tracks:

Backyard Tire Fire, "Good To Be"
Joanna Newsom, "Good Intentions Paving Co."
Portugal. The Man, "When The War Ends"
Lil' Troy, "Wanna Be a Baller"
Pixies, "Wave of Mutilation
Gil Scott-Heron, "New York is Killing Me"
The Meters, "Hey Pocky A-Way"
P.S. I Love You, "Facelove"
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, "Me and Mia"
Dr. Dog, "From"
The Devil Makes Three, "All Hail"
OK Go, "This Too Shall Pass"
The Palace Brothers, "I Am a Cinematographer"
The Rolling Stones, "Slave"
INXS, "Need you tonight (remix)*"
John Lee Hooker, "What's the Matter Baby?"
Modest Mouse, "Never Ending Math Equation"
M. Ward, "Helicopter"
The New Pornographers, "The Bleeding Heart Show"

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 26, 2010

2010-02-26T20:30:00.001-08:00

Jacob and I muse about the life of the grad student on The Rhetorical Situation today, and a man working to improve it stops by to talk about bargaining with the university to get more cash--Rob Hess, VP of Bargaining for the Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE).

Not to mention, a ton of great music: Dr. Dog, Local Natives, the Watson Twins, Dirty Mittens, and obligatory Spoon.

Check us out live Fridays from 12-2 p.m. PST at KBVR.com, or on 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 26, 2010

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 19, 2010

Today's playlist:

Dr. Dog, "The Arc"
The Phenomenal Handclap Band, "15 to 20"
Local Natives, "Sun Hands"
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, "Body"
Deerhunter, "Disappearing Ink"
The Dave Rawlings Machine, "To Be Young"
Born Ruffians, "Hedonistic Me"
Real Estate, "Beachcomber"
Chris Garneau, "No More Pirates"
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, "40 Day Dream"
Paula Abdul, "Cold Hearted"
The Watson Twins, "Modern Man"
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins, "You Are What You Love"
Neko Case, "Don't Forget Me"
Dirty Mittens, "Time Forgiver"
XX, "Islands"
God Help The Girl, "Musician, Please Take Heed"
Basia Bulat, "Run"
The Builders and the Butchers, "Barcelona"
Spoon, "Out Go the Lights"
The Fiery Furnaces, "The End is Near"

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 19, 2010

2010-02-25T00:16:00.000-08:00

Ah, here it is, one week late!

Thieves in the Night!

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 12, 2010

Here's the playlist from Feb. 19:

Hot Chip, "Thieves in the Night"
Bobby Brown, "My Prerogative"
God Help the Girl, "I'll Have to Dance With Cassie"
Basia Bulat, "Gold Rush"
The Watson Twins, "U N Me"
The Soft Pack, "Answer To Yourself"
Gossip, "Heavy Cross"
XX, "Shelter"
Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks"
Papercuts, "Dictator's Lament"
Yeasayer, "Mondegreen"
Band of Bees, "Angryman"
The Decemberists, "The Rake's Song"
Ozma, "In An Alternate Dimension"
Gogol Bordello, "60 Revolutions"
The Doors, "The Spy"
The New Pornographers, "Mass Romantic"
Black Keys, "I Got Mine"
Delta Spirit, "People, Turn Around"
Drive By Truckers, "My Sweet Annette"

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 12, 2010

2010-02-12T18:22:00.001-08:00

On today's Rhetorical Situation, Jacob and I fill your ears with love songs from Gossip, Portugal. The Man, The Magnetic Fields, and Howlin' Wolf. You can also hear my story about being nearly run down in a parking lot, and Jacob and I lament the lack of compassion on Facebook.

Oh, and, of course, we give you the usual 30 seconds of dead air right before the first song.

Catch us live at KBVR.com Fridays from noon to 2 PST, or at 88.7 FM around Corvallis.

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 5, 2010

Playlist:

Gossip, "Love Long Distance"
Yeasayer, "Ambling Alp"
Portugal. The Man, "Lovers in Love"
The Antlers, "Bear"
The Magnetic Fields, "I Don't Believe In The Sun"
Pixies, "Winterlong"
Smashing Pumpkins, "1979"
The Fiery Furnaces, "Keep me in the Dark"
Phoenix, "Lisztomania (25 hrs A Day Remix)"
Starfucker/Pyramiddd, "German Love"
Run On Sentence, "8th St. Music Co."
Wolf Parade, "It's a Curse"
Howlin' Wolf, "Ooh Baby, Hold Me"
Ryan Adams, "The End"
Animal Collective, "My Girls"
Hockey, "Too Fake"
Ugly Casanova, "Cat Faces"
The Features, "Lions"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Rich"
The Animals, "Hey Gyp"

The Rhetorical Situation, Feb. 5, 2010

2010-02-05T14:53:00.001-08:00

On today's show, Jacob and I did The Smoke Detector, played requested songs by Neutral Milk Hotel, Nurses, and, yes, Ub40, and we discussed the likelihood of Jacob's Toyota barreling into a Corvallis residence. Shout-outs given to Jackie and Erin ahead of their birthdays! We start it off slow and leave you dancing your ass off, so check it out.

Listen to The Rhetorical Situation every Friday at noon PST at KBVR.com or at 88.7 FM in the Corvallis area.

The Rhetorical Situation, Jan. 29, 2010

Playlist:

Born Rufians, "Foxes Mate For Life"
Felice Brothers, "Frankie's Done"
Neko Case, "No Need to Cry"
Broken Social Scene, "Lover's Spit"
Elvis Costello, "My Mood Swings"
Built to Spill, "Bad Light"
The Strokes, "Hard to Explain"
The Flaming Lips, "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate"
Bill Callahan, "Jim Cain"
Old Crow Medicine Show, "Wagon Wheel"
The Builders and the Butchers, "Raise Up Your Weary Hands"
Phoenix, "Lisztomania (Alex Metric Remix)"
Heloise & The Savior Faire, "Datsun 280z"
Rilo Kiley, "Smoke Detector"
Neutral Milk Hotel, "Ghost"
Spoon, "Out Go The Lights"
Of Montreal, "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider"
Ub40, "Red Red Wine"
The Nurses, "Caterpillar Playground"
King Khan and the Shrines, "Welfare Bread"

The Rhetorical Situation, Jan. 29, 2010

2010-01-29T17:47:00.001-08:00

On today's show, Jacob and I debated the value of the iPad, discussed Greg Oden's private photo shoot, and thanked folks for passing Measures 66 and 67 in Oregon. Oh, and we played some music--a lot of music, like Santigold, The Figs, Dirty Mittens, and Atlas Sound.

*There was a serious delay after we introduced the first song. About two minutes. The switchboard wouldn't read the feed from my computer, but we corrected it eventually. So, please stick with it beyond the annoying dead air. Again. Thanks.

The Rhetorical Situation, Jan. 22, 2010

Today's playlist:

Atlas Sound, "Shelia"
Hockey, "3 a.m. Spanish"
The Black Keys, "Lies"
Dirty Mittens, "The Dock"
God Help The Girl, "Perfection As A Hipster"
The Dead Trees, "My Friend Joan, She Never Asks"
The Magnetic Fields, "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side"
Freelance Whales, "Starring"
Blitzen Trapper, "God and Suicide"
The Devil Makes Three, "North Carolina"
Radish, "Dear Aunt Arctica"
The Boggs, "Poor Things"
The Long Winters, "The Commander Thinks"
The Figs, "Little Birdie/East Virginia"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Dull Life"
Santigold, "Creator"
Heloise and The Savoir Faire, "Downtown"
By Divine Right, "Come for a Ride"
Michael Franti and Spearhead, "Life in the City"

The Rhetorical Situation, Jan. 22, 2010

2010-01-22T19:01:00.001-08:00

On our first show of 2010, Jacob and I go digital for the first time -- so stay with us through the 8-second silence following the first song. Computers are hard to use. The rest of the 2-hour show went pretty smoothly, as we introduced Spoon's new album, raved about the Freelance Whales, and just simply didn't miss on our selections for today's show. Our news reporting, however, could use a little work.

Catch us live on 88.7 FM in Corvallis, or at KBVR.com on the World Wide Web, every Friday from noon to 2 p.m.

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 26, 2009

Playlist:

Spoon, "The Mystery Zone"
Guided By Voices, "Glad Girls"
TV on the Radio, "The Blues From Down Here"
The Decemberists, "O Valencia!"
Freelance Whales, "Generator 2nd Floor"
XX, "Heart Skipped a Beat"
Metric, "Gimme Sympathy"
Spoon, "Written in Reverse"
Harlem Shakes, "Technicolor Health"
Born Ruffians, "Little Garson"
Wilco, "Misunderstood"
OK Go, "White Knuckles"
Deertick, "Straight into a Storm"
Thao, "Gorgeous Thing"
Viva Voce, "The Center of the Universe"
The French Kicks, "Close to Modern"
The Dead Weather, "So Far from Your Weapon"

The Return of The Rhetorical Situation

2010-01-15T13:30:00.001-08:00

Looks like we've got our new time for the show: Fridays, noon to 2 p.m. You can catch it live at KBVR.com or listen in at 88.7 FM around Corvallis. The station has a new mp3 recorder, too, so I shouldn't have much trouble putting the show here each week again. I'm sure we'll never run into any technical problems at the station again!

Since we're moving to a 2-hour show, you'll get to hear more classic witty banter from me and Jacob (you can replace the "w" back there with "sh" as appropriate). See, it's even coming through on the blog post about the show. And we'll have to expand genres. We'll probably begin including some hip-hop, more bluegrass, dance tracks, small animal noises--whatever it takes to fill two hours of show each week. Good thing we've got a healthy supply of time on our hands right now! (Nervous sarcasm.)

Blah blah, here, at last, is the track listing from our Dec. 10 show. The old mp3 player failed us again that week.

Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, "Done"
Metric, "Sick Muse"
The Devil Makes Three, "Old Number Seven"
Monsters of Folk, "The Right Place"
Drive By Truckers, "18 Wheels of Love"
Michael Franti, "Say Hey (I Love You)" (#6 All Rebel Rockers)
Gogol Bordello, The Supertheory of Supereverything"
TV on the Radio, "Shout Me Out" (#9, dear science)
Portishead, "Glory Box"
XX, "VCR" (#2 XX)
The Arctic Monkeys, "Fire and the Thud"
No Fi Soul Rebellion, "Let's Pretend" (#3 on Alaska Chic)

I'll include a video and the making of the video from Metric. Their album "Fantasies" might very well be my top album of 2009.

The making of (very cool, however simple):

The Rhetorical Situation, Dec. 3, 2009

2009-12-06T00:23:00.001-08:00

Well, capping off a pretty crappy Saturday night, I've realized that the mp3 of our show is, apparently, completely blank/muted. So, ignore everything here but the playlist at the bottom. C'est la vie.

Jacob and I talked some smack about the Ducks this week, debated about some of our favorite female vocalists, and declared that it's about damn time for this term to end.

I'll be sure to get this up on Thursdays from now on. If you've been listening to any artists we might not be familiar with, but should, please let me know. I'm looking forward to spending a few nights searching for new music soon. But first, four more days of intensive writing.

Check us out live, Thursdays at noon Pacific on 88.7 FM in Corvallis, or at KBVR.com.

This episode's playlist:

The Harlem Shakes, "Nothing But Change, Pt. II"
My Morning Jacket, "One Big Holiday"
Billy Bragg & Wilco, "California Stars"
Jenny Lewis, "The Next Messiah"
Neko Case, "This Tornado Loves You"
Buck 65, "Bandits"
Run on Sentence, "November Nights"
Jolie Holland, "Old Fashioned Morphine"
Lucinda Williams, "Well, Well, Well"

The Rhetorical Situation, Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans, 2009

2009-11-27T11:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Jacob and I shared a few tips on how to cook the Thanksgiving bird, delivered an engineer's recipe for green bean casserole, and read a couple of PSAs ourselves for the first time. But more importantly, we played just a few of the bands we're deeply thankful for, artists who continue to influence the music we love today. Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Sonic Youth, The Magnetic Fields, Pavement.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be careful out there today. Is it a coincidence that we call the first day of the Great Depression and the day of consumption after Thanksgiving black? In 2007, 137 million people participated in the Black Friday shopping rush, about 6 million more than the number of people who participated in the 2008 presidential election, which had the largest turnout in United States history.

Tune in live every Thursday at noon Pacific on KBVR.com or 88.7 FM in Corvallis to hear The Rhetorical Situation.

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 19, 2009

The stuffing:

Neil Young, "Helpless," from The Last Waltz
Jerry Garcia, "Dire Wolf," from the Oregon State Prision
The Velvet Underground, "Rock and Roll"
Elvis Costello, "Less Than Zero"
The Rolling Stones, "Sweet Virginia"
Sonic Youth, "Teen Age Riot"
Violent Femmes, "Please Do Not Go"
The Magnetic Fields, "I don't want to get over you"
Radiohead, "Just"
Pavement, "Blue Hawaiian"
Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
Ray Charles, "What I say"

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 19, 2009

2009-11-19T15:44:00.001-08:00

Today, Jacob and I fought and defeated the Technology Monster, but we walked away with a few flesh wounds.

The damage done: we had to interrupt someone's pre-recorded interview/show at the start of our show; online streaming wasn't available for the first 10-15 minutes; one of the CD players wouldn't recognize Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (and I called them the Magnificent Zeros); finally, for the second straight week, our last song of the show, at least on the mp3, is cut off and something otherworldly replaces it.

The victories: we opened with a fantastic new band, Delta Spirit, and considered whether or not there are mountains in San Diego; Girl in a Coma made a second appearance; Las Cruces's Retsila Gem hit Oregon airwaves for the first time; we discuss some great bands coming to Doug Fir in Portland next month; finally, we promise to bring the sweetest potatoes next week.

Tune in every Thursday at noon Pacific for The Rhetorical Situation at 88.7 FM in Corvallis, or kbvr.com on the web.

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 12, 2009

Today's playlist:

Delta Spirit, "People Come On"
The Walkmen, "Postcards from Tiny Islands"
Retsila Gem, Unknown
Girl in a Coma, "Vino"
Xiu Xiu, "I Love The Valley Oh"
Blitzen Trapper, "Black River Killer"
Felice Brothers, "Take This Hammer"
Grizzly Bear, "While You Wait For The Others"
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, "Home"
Mount St. Helens Vietnam Band, "En Fuego"
Hockey, "Song Away"
Bodies of Water, "Under the Pines"

The Boycott List (running)

2009-11-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

From time to time, I just need to take a stand. I boycott a product, a company, a location, business, my landlord, stopping at stop signs, whatever. I really stick it to The Man.

Here is a running list of things I am boycotting:

• Widmer Brothers Brewing. Seventh largest brewery in the country. Their hef helped me get hooked on beer, but that's not enough to override their general dickery, and the new Brrr commercial campaign is sexist and made to appeal to the people I like least in Oregon.

• Sportscenter. Stroking stupid sports fans and Northeast sports teams for too many years to count now.

• ESPN.com. See above. Also, I'm not paying a penny to read Hollinger's self-righteous shit.

• FOX News. Duh, right? But, I mean, I won't even turn to the channel to see what kind of insane things they're doing now. Just makes me too angry.

• Nike. Too dominant, too much money going into the University of Oregon, too many unethical labor practices, and too much Michael Jordan. They can't have my money.

• Walmart. I don't care how cheap it is. Please do not ever buy me a Walmart gift card.

• Coors. Nope, I won't drink a Coors Light if it's the only beer at the party and I've had the worst week of my life. Pete Coors makes me hopeful there's a hell.

• David Sedaris. Just not very funny, although he's okay on This American Life. Overhype = boycott. (Dave Eggers, you and your McSweeney's crowd are on my radar, too! Influencing pop culture by publishing your friends = boycott!)

• Rogue. Oh. My. Gosh. I still need to fully explain this one in a separate post. Man, I'll never drink another Rogue beer in my life. We were treated like children over a perfectly legal ID at the brewery in Newport, and subsequent e-mails between myself and one of the founders/co-owners revealed just how awful they really are, how profit trumps all, and how lying is okay when you're a big enough brewery. (Josh also experienced such unprofessionalism and disrespect.)

• Australian wine. Seriously, you live near some of the best wines in the world if you live in Oregon, Washington, or California. Let's support the Oregon and Washington wine industries.

• Myspace. So happy this company is dying in the hands of News Corp. Last.fm and Pitchfork are just as good (Better? Wouldn't know anymore!) for finding music.

• U2. I will childishly plug my ears and scream Boycott Boycott Boycott!

• Onions. Obviously.

• David Bartholomae. Write for the institution, write for the institution, write for the institution. (I'm probably misrepresenting here, but what the hell, right?)

More to come!

Tell me what you're boycotting. I'm probably down for the cause!

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 12, 2009

2009-11-12T15:32:00.001-08:00

Four weeks in, and we're still going strong. Today, Jacob and I introduced a couple of Portland bands, Hockey and The Dead Trees, discussed the use of the word "partner," and went about 6 minutes over our allotted time. We had a couple of mishaps on today's show, and while we're not ashamed (pun?), we promise to do better next time.

You can hear us live at noon on Thursdays on 88.7 FM in Corvallis, or at KBVR.com.

(Podcast starts about 17 seconds in. Patience, grasshoppers.)

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 5, 2009

Today's playlist:

Hockey, "Too Fake"
Starfucker (Pyramiddd), "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
The Dead Weather, "60 Feet Tall"
The Drive By Truckers, "Sink Hole"
The Dead Trees, "Killer in Me"
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, "Geography"
Papercuts, "You Can Have What You Want"
Grampall Jookabox, "Old Earth, Wash My Beat"
These United States, "West Won"
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, "The Hardest Part"
Wilco, "Kingpin"
Deer Tick, "Ashamed"
Built To Spill, "I Would Hurt a Fly"

The Rhetorical Situation, Nov. 5, 2009

2009-11-05T16:50:00.001-08:00

Here it is, episode 3 of The Rhetorical Situation. Today, Jacob and I gave a nod to Kenneth Burke, determined which beer is the best in Corvallis, and I shared some safety tips for bicyclists and motorists in Corvallis. Not to mention, rocked off some socks with Girl in a Coma before gettin' twangy with it.

Apologies for not recording the beginning of the show. Technical difficulties. (Read: Couldn't figure out how to get the mp3 recording started.) So, it begins a minute or so into the first song.