Culture
Suggested Listening 2024: Brad Swinski
By: Brad Swiniarski
Posted on:
WOUB Culture’s Suggested Listening series highlights the music that resonated with WOUB Culture contributors and regional artists in 2024. Today we spotlight Brad Swiniarski, musician and creator/host of The Bozniak Radio Extravagasm show on WOUB AM’s Radio Free Athens.
Brad Swiniarski is a recovering musician, father and creator of The Bozniak Radio Extravagasm show which can be heard some Saturdays as part of Radio Free Athens @ WOUB 1340AM.
END OF YEAR PICKS
Marc Ribot: “Clever White Youths”
Guitarist Marc Ribot is a musical genius who has worked with a long list of artists including Tom Waits, John Zorn, Elton John and many many more. Clever White Youths is a snarky little number from his second solo album entitled Requiem for What’s His Name.
Plastix: Konsumier mich
English lyricists wear me out. Occasionally I retreat from the familiarity of our native tongue to revel in the ambiguous and foggy. Konsumier mich is a carousing number sung in what I assume is the German language. I have no idea what the lyrics are about and that’s fine with me. The charismatic vocal performances are compelling enough.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: Billy The Mountain
“Billy The Mountain” isn’t a song. It is an impressive 30-minute musical journey which details the adventures of a mountain and its wife who decide to take a vacation. The piece was a staple of the Mothers live set in 1971 and multiple live recordings were made, but no studio versions are known to exist. The catch is that you have to pay attention to get it. It is not background music. It’s rich and dense and moves pretty quickly. If you can dig into its fun vibe you’ll find it fascinatingly entertaining.
Novos Baianos: Tinindo Trincando
Novos Baianos is a Brazilian rock group of the ’70s. They are considered to be one of the most important groups in Brazilian music. This song features their wonderfully playful vocalist Baby do Brasil (Baby Consuelo) as well as some incredible electric guitar work.
Boswell Sisters: Shout Sister Shout
There is something intimately sinister about the Boswell Sisters’ sound. It’s as though the three gals performing together are privately enjoying an inappropriate joke that nobody else is in on. This recording was made around 90 years ago and is brimming with charisma. Shout Sister Shout bobs and weaves through tempos and keys imploring the listener to tell ol’ Satan how they feel and to get that devil off of your heel.
Dee Dee Warwick: You’re No Good
Most of us are familiar with this great song. Its most famous version is Linda Rondstadt’s, but Dee Dee Warwick’s is the original. It was recorded in 1963 and sports a gritty soul with sharp teeth that no other artist could bring to the song.