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Upcoming 'Poptopia Parkway' shows

LonPalmer — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:05:07 -0400

Hey KSER fans,

Thought I'd say many thanks for making KSER a part of your news & music listening. You have many entertainment choices and we appreciate it that much more when you give us a spin, so we can show how unique we are on the local radio dial, Snohomish County & beyond! If you know others who may like what we have to offer, please steer them to our site, right where you're reading this: http://www.kser.org!

I'm going to take a break from the usual format and have some fun with a few concept shows in a row:
08/28 - Enjoyed the newest Quentin Tarantino film last weekend and thought I would play some favorite cuts from some of his movie soundtracks
09/04 - My 2nd annual Labor Day special - a selection of artists playing the B-shoot music fest happening in Seattle Center this weekend
09/11 - Think I'll take one more musical detour to Brazil (as I did earlier this year), this time featuring a grab bag of Beatles cover songs by Brazilian artists - the fab foursome is re-releasing all their albums on CD again on 09/09/09, after all...

I'm glad to be a part of the Friday night music lineup with the globally conscious Leilani on Passport and the technologically open-minded tag team of Maire (BTW she's one of our illustrious Sunlit Room daytime music mix hosts too) & Rob on The Tunnel.

All of which leads the way to a weekend full of more cool music heard only on KSER!

See ya later! --Lon

Upcoming 'Poptopia Parkway' shows

LonPalmer — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:05:07 -0400

Hey KSER fans,

All of which leads the way to a weekend full of more cool music heard only on KSER!

See ya later! --Lon

Poptopia Parkway: His 'N' Hers shows

LonPalmer — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:56:24 -0400

I finished the Brazil 3-part mini-series last week, and have already devised another fun concept, "His 'N' Hers". We're going to bring it the next 2 Friday nights, 07/03 and 07/10, 8:30-10:30 pm, on Poptopia Parkway, sandwiched between the global fusion of Passport and exotic electronica of The Tunnel.

I am fond of power pop and my wife enjoys alternative/indie rock, and we know of (and are respectively big fans of) two bands who share a special bond combining a number of common friendships and interests - Cheap Trick (His) and Smashing Pumpkins (Hers).

This Friday night, 07/03, to commemorate Cheap Trick's 35th anniversary (1974) + "the latest" record, I'll put on a show dedicated to their music. Next Friday night, 07/10, to mark the 21st anniversary of Smashing Pumpkins' 1st live gig (07/09/88), my wife will come in and help me spin some of their best tracks.

We'll try to have enough tunes on hand so you can call in a request at 425-303-9076 or email lon@kser.org. And if you do, because of the "Tell A Friend" campaign, we'd really appreciate that you support our station by picking up some swag for a donation. You'll be able to order items for friends and family at a small savings too.

See ya on the airwaves, --Lon (Pop Pkwy)

Poptopia Pkwy's Brazil mini-series #1

LonPalmer — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:52:57 -0400

Hello~

It's my first blog post in ages. I've been on for a few weeks and have heard from a few of you following me from my old time slot. Thanks for the encouragement!

This week I'm going to start my "Poptopia Parkway & Brasil '09" mini-series, featuring Portuguese pop and rock music I acquired from my recent 3-month trip to Brazil. I'm hoping there are at least a few unique artists and tracks you haven't heard anywhere else!

6/12 will be jovem guarda (50s-60s oldies - imagine Passport or Floating World crossed with Danny Holiday's history o' rock on Sunday's Rock & Roll Time Machine and a hint of Jerry's 60s rarities on Wednesday's From Here To Obscurity).

Then 6/19 will be tropicalia, and 6/26 will be 80s-00s pop. All this should make a fun segueway from Leilani's fab world music program Passport, Fri. 7:00p-8:30p.

And after my show stick around for a trip thru one of two sides of The Tunnel brought to you by Maire or Rob, Fri. 10:30p-12:30a+.

See ya on the airwaves, --Lon

Poptopia Parkway's Top CDs of 2008

LonPalmer — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:16:17 -0500

Before we get to my top 20 favorite albums of 2008, here's a round of applause to all DJs who braved the winter storms to sub at KSER so far, and a BIG thank-you to Ted Sharpe and Van Ramsey for filling in on my show the past 2 weeks!

Now here's my top 20 list, more or less in order...

New albums:
01. Sloan Parallel Play [Murderecords/Yep Roc]
02. Mike Viola Lurch {2008 LP Version} [Good Morning Monkey]
03. Major Labels Aquavia [NoiseTrade.com]
04. Death Cab For Cutie Narrow Stairs [Barsuk/Atlantic]
05. Presidents Of The United States Of America These Are The Good Times People [Fugitive/EMI]
06. Dandy Warhols ...Earth To The Dandy Warhols... [Beat The World]
07. Lindsey Buckingham Gift Of Screws [Reprise]
08. Sam Phillips Don't Do Anything [Nonesuch]
09. nine inch nails the slip [Null Corporation]
10. Jason Falkner Bedtime With The Beatles, Pt. 2 [Record Collection]

Re-issue/Compilation albums:
01. Cheap Trick Live At Budokan [Epic/Legacy]
02. Replacements Let It Be [Twin-Tone/Rhino]
03. Nick Lowe Jesus Of Cool [Yep Roc]
04. Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo's Factory [Fantasy]
05. Elton John Tumbleweed Connection [Rocket/Island]
06. Golden Smog Stay Golden, Smog: The Best Of Golden Smog-The Rykodisc Years [Ryko/Rhino]
07. Cardigans Best Of The Cardigans [Universal]
08. Eels Essential Eels, Vol. 1 / Useless Trinkets: B-Sides [Geffen]
09. Everclear The Vegas Years [Capitol]
10. Prince 21 Nights [Atria]

And you can view my expanded top 50 list on my personal blog!

Now here's what's in store on my show to kick off 2009...

My wife will help me ring in the new year by bringing some of her favorite Pacific NW indie rock/pop CDs for me to play on my show on 01/01...

Then I'll count down my top 50 CDs - the new albums on 01/08, and the re-issue/compilation albums on 01/15...

See you in January! Peace, --Lon

Pop Pkwy: favorite CDs of 2009 (pt. 1)

LonPalmer — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:52:48 -0500

I had a lot of fun counting down some favorite CDs of 2009 with my sweetheart wife Reagan on my 1st show of the new year.

But before I blog my own round-up, here is my wife's "Top Ten" of 2009 (I had extra time and thus expanded it to an "Excellent Eleven")...

And in order of broadcast (all important in making those sweet segueways that have become our calling card at Poptopia Parkway, Inc.):

Harper Simon 'Harper Simon' [Tulsi]
Metric 'Fantasies' [Metric]
Phoenix 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix' [Ghettoblaster/Glassnote]
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson 'Break Up' [Boyletown/WEA]
Various Artists 'New Moon: The Twilight Saga [Soundtrack]' [Summit/Chop Shop/Atlantic]
One eskimO 'One eskimO' [Shangri-La]
Built To Spill 'There Is No Enemy' [Warner Bros.]
Jeremy Enigk 'OK Bear' [Lewis Hollow]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'It's Blitz! [Deluxe Edition]' [DGC/UMG]
Rocco DeLuca & The Burden 'Mercy' [Ironworks/UMG]
Moby 'Wait For Me [Deluxe Edition]' [Little Idiot/Mute]

On Fri. 1/8, I will continue picking out more favorite albums along with some vinyl, EP and reissue/compilation cuts...

Happy New Year everybody! --Lon

Lon is out of the house!

LonPalmer — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:09:38 -0400

Just a short message to let y'all know I got married this Saturday. That's "Ten-Four", good buddy! It was one of the best parties ever... And then we're going on honeymoon for 2.5 weeks! More details on that when we come back. I plan to return to the airwaves on 10/23/08...

In the meantime, Jerry Bennett, the host of From Here To Obscurity, may sub in to play at least a partial version of my show over the next two weeks. I culled a "best-of" compilation from my first few months on the air and gave that to Jerry for his potential listening and programming pleasure. Not that he needs my help - it's like Chef Boyardee lending his recipe book to Wolfgang Puck. Anyway, whatever happens, it'll all be good, and I look forward to returning to KSER in time for the tail end of the Oct. 16-25 pledge drive!

Alright-y then - see you in a couple weeks!

Poptopia Parkway snow day

LonPalmer — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:44:56 -0500

Well, looks like we got 2"-3" of fresh snow tonight at home. Not looking too bad outside, but we at Poptopia Parkway are taking a (rare) snow day, though we expect to go to work Thurs./Fri. as usual. Resting with cocoa and the pup at home, and not paying attention to what's on the boob tube...

Keep your eyes peeled for a top 50 list of my favorite albums of 2008...

As for my radio gig at KSER 90.7 FM Everett WA, check out these special events on the horizon!

12/25: The legendary Van Ramsey, host of the rockin' Saturday 3-5 pm show Pull The String will sub on my Christmas show while Reagan & I (& pup Oli) visit my family in Montana. No doubt Mr. Ramsey will inject his patented brand of whimsy into the proceedings.

01/01: My wife will help me ring in the new year at KSER by bringing some of her favorite Pacific NW indie rock/pop CDs to play on my show.

More to come! Enjoy Winter 2008 while it lasts... Peace, --Lon

Poptopia Parkway playlist 01/01/09, 01/08/09

LonPalmer — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:53:50 -0500

Happy New Year 2009 + Pacific NW indie rock/pop - Lon & special guest DJ (& wife) Reagan's Playlist 01/01/09:

12:38a Death Cab For Cutie The New Year Transatlanticism Barsuk
12:42a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
12:45a Sleater-Kinney Hot Rock The Hot Rock Kill Rock Stars
12:49a Modest Mouse Dramamine This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Talk About Up
12:54a Red Stars Theory Nitetime Memories of the Coastline But Sleep Came Slowly RX Remedy
1:00a 764-HERO & Modest Mouse Whenever You See Fit (DJ Dynamite D Mix) Whenever You See Fit [EP] Up
1:04a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
1:09a Sunny Day Real Estate In Circles Diary Sub Pop
1:14a Built To Spill I Would Hurt A Fly Perfect From Now On City Slang
1:20a Death Cab For Cutie Pictures Of An Exhibition Something About Airplanes Elsinor/Barsuk
1:24a Jeremy Enigk River To Sea The Missing Link 567 Records
1:28a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
1:36a Bugs In Amber Friend Or Foe Rocketship Letters
1:39a Waxwing Cemeteries For Madmen Only Second Nature
1:44a Slender Means Painless Life Neon & Ruin Mt Fuji
1:47a Rocky Votolato White Daisy Passing Makers
1:50a J. Tillman Crooked Roof Minor Works
1:55a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
2:03a The Baseball Project Past Time Volume 1: Frozen Ropes And Dying Quails
2:05a Minus 5 Original Luke The Minus 5 Yep Roc Records
2:08a Built To Spill Carry The Zero Keep It Like A Secret Warner Bros.
2:15a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
2:19a Amy Kuney Breaking Bad Habits EP
2:22a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
2:25a Britney Spears Unusual You Circus
2:30a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-

Favorite CDs of 2008, Pt. 1! - Playlist 01/08/09:

12:35a The Rolling Stones Loving Cup [Live] Shine A Light [Live] [Disc 1] Polydor/Interscope Records/UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL
12:39a The Raconteurs Consoler Of The Lonely Consolers Of The Lonely Third Man
12:42a Black Crowes Evergreen Warpaint
12:46a Ben Folds Dr. Yang Way To Normal Epic
12:48a Barenaked Ladies Louis Loon Snacktime Desperation
12:52a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
12:53a Beck Gamma Ray Modern Guilt
12:56a Ani DiFranco Landing Gear Red Letter Year
12:59a Rachael Yamagata Sidedish Friend Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart
1:02a Old 97's Here's To The Halcyon Blame It On Gravity New West Records
1:05a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
1:08a Flight Of The Conchords Bowie Flight Of The Conchords Sub Pop
1:11a The Fireman Sing The Changes Electric Arguments
1:15a Mudcrutch This Is A Good Street Mudcrutch Reprise/Warner Brothers
1:17a R.E.M. Hollow Man Accelerate Warner Bros
1:19a Foxboro Hot Tubs She's A Saint Not A Celebrity Stop Drop And Roll!!! Jingle Town Records
1:21a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
1:24a Weezer Thought I Knew Weezer [Red Album] DGC/Interscope
1:27a Dido Look No Further Safe Trip Home Cheeky Records
1:30a Aimee Mann Great Beyond @#%&*! Smilers SuperEgo Records
1:33a Elvis Costello & The Imposters Drum And Bone Momofuku Lost Highway
1:36a Jenny Lewis Carpetbaggers Acid Tongue
1:43a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
1:43a Matthew Sweet Byrdgirl Sunshine Lies
1:46a The B-52's Hot Corner Funplex Astralwerks
1:49a The Kooks Down To The Market Konk Virgin
1:52a AC/DC Rock 'N Roll Train Black Ice Columbia
1:56a The Smithereens You Can't Do That B-Sides The Beatles Koch Records
1:58a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
2:00a Jason Falkner Yesterday Bedtime With The Beatles Pt. 2
2:03a Nine Inch Nails Lights In The Sky The Slip The Null Corporation
2:06a Sam Phillips Can't Come Down Don't Do Anything Nonesuch
2:08a Lindsey Buckingham Great Day Gift Of Screws Warner Bros.
2:11a Dandy Warhols Mission Control Earth To The Dandy Warhols Beat Records
2:14a The Presidents Of The United States Of America Mixed Up S.O.B. These Are The Good Times People Fugitive Recordings / EMI
2:18a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-
2:20a Death Cab For Cutie No Sunlight Narrow Stairs Barsuk/Atlantic
2:22a Major Labels Bitter Pill Aquavia
2:25a Mike Viola So Much Better Lurch
2:27a Sloan Emergency 911 Parallel Play Yep Roc
2:28a -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK- -MIC BREAK-

Playlists are archived here.

Check out pt. 2 next week on 01/15/09! Read my blog all about it here.

Peace, --Lon

Pop Pkwy winds down 2009

LonPalmer — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:35:49 -0500

Hi friends - Here's what's on tap for my pop show the next few weeks:

12/18: Jeff Hofman, the host of KSER's 40s-70s R&B show Dusties, subbed for me last month. I appreciated his interpretation of Poptopia Parkway; not long thereafter we worked out to invite him as a guest on my show. I put together some 60s tunes inspired by his Pop Pkwy spot, plus some (hopefully) Dusties-approved R&B golden oldies as covered by artists you might normally hear on my show...

12/25: Van Ramsey of KSER's lost jukebox revue Pull The String subbed for me last Christmas, but this year I'm here for the holidays. So pour a favorite seasonal beverage, play with your newly unwrapped presents, and tune in to my special Christmas show with tracks selected by me and my lovely wife Reagan.

01/01: Then dial us in on New Year's Night while Reagan and I feature our top 20 (10 for her, 10 for me) LPs 'n' singles of 2009.

See ya on the airwaves, --Lon