Both Sides Of The Surface

(Part one of two. NOT SAFE FOR WORK.) Any time that Conscious and I get together to talk about our favorites of the year, it's more than just a BSOTS thing, it's a BONDFIRE thing. This interaction taps directly into the sound of our station as a whole, and it was so wonderful to be able to do this again considering that we couldn't last year around this time. If you have feedback about anything yo...

I sat down in front of the microphone for this broadcast feeling as if I had nothing left to give. The work week left me wiped out with no time to prepare for the show as I normally would. By the end of the show, I was pleasantly surprised with how it all went. Music led me by the hand for this one. Never underestimate its healing power. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to...

At least 98% of this episode's selections represents music released this year. There are a bunch of independent artists and labels firing on all cylinders right now and they're not letting up simply because the year is coming to a close. Reap the benefits, y'all: great music is all around us and it's being made RIGHT NOW. :-D If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-9...

On my 48th birthday, I gave myself permission to step away from the usual format of the show and create a more personalized playlist. Thirty songs stretched across two hours, it's a combination of artists, selections, and musical styles that largely represents my sonic DNA. Mass transit troubles pushed the show back about an hour, so that story gets shared right at the top in the Bondfire Radio st...

More audio previews of coming attractions for 2022, including tunes from Robert Glasper and Tears For Fears. I also include a double shot featuring the late, great Dantrel Robinson a.k.a. Fave, gone too soon but will never be forgotten. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www.speakpipe.com/bsots p.s. If yo...

It's a heavy focus on 2021 releases for this episode (entirely unintentional, though). A handful of early singles give us a glimpse into the first month of next year and some familiar voices to the show and to Bondfire return after some time away. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www.speakpipe.com/bsots...

Change is inevitable, and as the seasons change, I am reminded of the importance of making my peace with change and to stop fighting it so much. As we settle into the season of Autumn, more fall releases are available to preview while catching up on some summertime arrivals. Had to play a pair of joints in honor of a cinematic maverick and true renaissance man, our ascended elder Melvin Van Peeble...

September 10, 2021 marked my first time back in the Bondfire Radio studio since March of 2020 and I was beside myself with excitement, which explains my energy being a bit "extra" throughout this broadcast. Plenty of summertime and Fall releases in hand, plus giving eternal nods of appreciation to the legacies of Steve "Zumbi" Gaines of Zion I and the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry. (Please pardon...

Six weeks after the June 18th broadcast, BSOTS is back with a run-through of some summertime releases and nods of recognition and respect towards those we lost along the way. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www.speakpipe.com/bsots p.s. If you like what you hear, please support this station by donating...

A live broadcast on the weekend of Father's Day, Juneteenth, and the first official day of Summer that's packed with new releases including work from Hiatus Kiayote, Brian Jackson, Flying Lotus, and Beatchild. Back catalog selections include a cut from The Foreign Exchange's debut album and a seminal joint from The Specials that recently turned 40 years old. If you have feedback about anything you...

Featured selections include a cut from the new David Bowie tribute album as well as Children Of Zeus and João Donato, plus a great remix for Potatohead People, a Sa-Roc cut featuring the late, great MF DOOM, and a music appreciation moment for vocalist Andrew Ashong. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www...

Playing excerpts from the late, great comedic genius Paul Mooney's album Race felt like freedom. His presence in the mix served as sonic connective tissue for some of the other featured cuts in this broadcast. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www.speakpipe.com/bsots p.s. If you like what you hear, pleas...

This show came after a spirit-crushing week of work and you can hear it in my voice as I first approached the microphone. As always, though, music is a healer. Lots of great Spring and Summer releases represented in this show. Sending this one out to anyone and everyone going through it on the job, in this pandemic, or just in life in general. Hope this show can be that sonic solace for you when y...

This broadcast marks one year of streaming live from home. It's no secret how much I miss the studio, but I'm thankful that I was able to continue doing this despite not being at Bondfire HQ. New and recently released music rule the day on this episode, and this is just scratching the surface. It is astounding just how much great music is being released right now. If you have feedback about anythi...

In preparing for this broadcast, I was reminded of the joys of rediscovering music released over the past 15-20 years and how I need to make it a monthly practice, to not always focus so intensely on what's coming next. Music gets released at a furious pace and sometimes I can get so focused on what's currently out that I have to remind myself of the great music from the recent past that deserves...

Showing some love to a few recent GRAMMY winners and diving headfirst into the new bin, including a live cut from a collection of Teena Marie alternate mixes and the single announcing the return of Hiatus Kaiyote. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www.speakpipe.com/bsots p.s. If you like what you hear, p...

It's been a year since I was last able to head down to the Bondfire Radio studio for my Friday night broadcast. Streaming live from home has been rewarding in its own way, but I really miss my home away from home. In the meantime, I'm continuing on just thankful that I'm still able to do this If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS S...

New releases for February, March and April in the mix alongside back catalog selections released between 1970 and 2014. The past/present/future flow remains intact for another one. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! https://www.speakpipe.com/bsots p.s. If you like what you hear, please support this station by don...

In addition to breaking the seal on the 2021 new bin, this episode shows some love to Dilla, DOOM, and Phil Asher. Some more 2020 notables are showcased as well and BSOTS acknowledges six years of broadcasting on Bondfire Radio with the jubilant horns of The Hot 8 Brass Band. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice mail at the BSOTS Speakpipe page! ht...

The day before my live broadcast, it became clear to me that three shows in January weren't enough to get to all the artists and selections that BSOTS championed in 2020, let alone get a chance to showcase some releases that I still haven't gotten around to yet from the past year. Despite that, I still believe that this episode and the two previous ones make up a good representation of some of the...

Even with as much as I lament sometimes over all of the music I didn't get a chance to hear within the previous year, I love putting the January shows together. It gives me a chance to remember what did get played on the show last year and pour through the immediate standouts and the sleeper joints. Other than the pair of MF DOOM tribute cuts featured in this show, everything else represents more...

The first BSOTS on Bondfire Radio broadcast of 2021 looks back at the previous year for some musical high points, and there were plenty of them. This is the first of three shows focusing on 2020 favorites and notables, along with some teasers for forthcoming releases along the way. (Correction: the Wilma Archer album mentioned at the end of the show is entitled A Western Circular.) If you have fee...

The last episode of 2020 is a joint effort featuring listener recommendations and guest submissions centered around selections that got us through the year. Special thanks to TWheelz of the Funky Corners Show, Rabbi Darkside, Farbeon, Raydar Ellis, and Esh of We Need More Crates Radio for their personal picks. If you have feedback about anything you heard, feel free to leave a 60-90 second voice m...