Left of the Dial

This week, Caleb takes us back to 2005 to Harvey Danger's self-released third (and final) full-length record Little by Little. We learn about the burning ghost town of Centralia, and Caleb shares a story about how a Harvey Danger song became a key part of his wedding playlist. And, surprising us both, this record is available on Bandcamp !

We were so excited about this episode that we decided to release it a... little early. But at least we released it all at once, and not... little by little. We hope you enjoy this record as much as we do, or at least a... little. Get it?? Because the record is called Little by Little. Ahh, nevermind I give up. Or DO I??

This week we're joined by Kiri & Heidi from Early Riser to discuss their brand new record Vocations (available now from A-F Records ). We cover everything from shitty people with ulterior motives, the importance of being seen over being scene, some dope t-shirt ideas, and how music critics should watch more Food Network. Don’t forget to pop over to https://earlyriserrr.bandcamp.com/ ! And here...

Mikey Erg - yeah, that Mikey Erg, the one that's in every band - is on the show this week! We chat about his dope new self-titled, the rad story behind the cover art, furniture made from road cases, and a sprinkle of data analytics. Come join the fun! And when you're done, don't forget to check out mikeyerg dot bandcamp dot com !

Come with us on this journey of discovery, as Caleb hears Adult Mom for the first time and gets progressively angrier about how goddamn good this record is. And then pick up your own copy over on Bandcamp . While you wait for the vinyl you just ordered to show up, why not watch the video for Sober ?

In what is truly a dream come true, we are joined this week by Max Collins of Eve6. Yes, that Eve6. We talk about some new jams he's been cooking up in his pandemic kitchen, including one of the wildest collaboration stories we've ever heard. He also shares a handful of tracks that he loves, old and new. In our opinions, you won't want to miss this one. I mean, maybe you do, we're not your dad, bu...

This week we chatted with Anika Pyle about her new solo record Wild River, her poetry, and finding joy in life. We’ve heard a lot about how artists have coped with the pandemic, but Anika’s story is one of our favorites! Tour's cancelled? Tour the national parks instead. When you're done listening to this episode, head on over to https://www.anikapyle.com/shop to pick up your copy of the LP &...

Caleb takes us way back to 2004 with the controversial sleeper hit New Ruins, by The Kidcrash. We talk about the reason this record has been so hard to find for years, Caleb's fear of desert fauna, and what it's like to make a record when your bag of tricks isn't as big as you think it is. Be sure to subscribe to the Left of the Dial YouTube channel to watch all of the upcoming LOTD Live content,...

It's a Night Shift Radio crossover event - 4 shows, 1 Scott... Pilgrim, that is. Here on Left of the Dial, we're talking about the music of Scott Pilgrim vs the World. We jam out to Sex Bob-omb, Crash & the Boys, Metric, and Plumbtree from the orginal motion picture sountrack, and talk about how these tracks were written for or influenced the story. As a bonus, we threw in a couple of Anamanag...

This week, we talk Clothbound , the brand new full-length record by The Sonder Bombs. The one that dropped last Friday, and not in fact the 4-song single that had been previously been available. How dare you accuse Caleb of making a mistake like that. So rude. Anyway - TSB is on Bandcamp with some dope merch you should check out, including a DIY bindle kit. Also, there's a fun-in-the-sun summer vi...

We keep it chill this week as Kitzy lets us all in on the secret of Mirrors the Sky, by Lyla Foy. It's a record they've been listening to regularly since Shazam'ing the song Impossible during a TV show. We dig through the layers of sounds, the sometimes confusing lyrics, the jarring use of a marimba, and the consistently beautiful vocals. Lyla Foy is on Bandcamp , if you want to show some support....

This week Caleb reveals his love of chill pop, as we discuss the solo record that Hayley Williams swore she'd never release , but that we're hella glad she did. Specifically, he chose six tracks in an extremely scientific manner - they all had cool music videos. Links below (unless you're reading this on Apple Podcasts, in which case I'm sorry but you'll probably have to just type things into YouT...

********** DISCLAIMER: When we recorded this week's episode, the reports of abuse about at least one member of D**mtree were unknown to us. To be clear, we will never knowingly support any artist who engages in that kind of behavior, nor any others who continue to look away, cover for, or support them. In the interest of transparency, we will be leaving this episode up, but we'll no longer be prom...

This week Caleb discusses how Marc Cohn's 1991 self-titled record is his "Sunday morning gospel hour," and why he thinks Marc is one of the most badass pop singers ever. Kitzy tells the story of how Walking in Memphis was written , and how it saved Marc's career.

For our first episode of 2021 - and the start of LOTD year 2 - Kitzy presents a thesis: fun. is a modern-day Queen. Do they successfully defend this thesis? You'll have to listen to find out. For further research, see this live performance .

As we reach the final episode of 2020, and of our first year, Caleb looks back at ten of his favorite covers from a year when creativity was hard. In no particular order, we discuss: Thunderstruck , by AC/DC - performed by Walk Off the Earth Jessie's Girl 2 , by Coheed and Cambria ("Not technically a cover, but it's my list so I say it counts" -Caleb) Breathless , by The Corrs - performed by Carol...

As we continue our suddenly rapid approach towards the end of 2020, Kitzy has assembled their top 10 songs of the year - in no particular order. We take a look back at year 1, revisiting past episodes & reminiscing about some of the wonderful guests we've had. Worriers - You Or Someone You Know (End of the world) Maxwell Stern - Impossible Sum (Water Tower) Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (Walking In Th...

It's December, and "Kitzy" and "Caleb" (whose names we put quotation marks around for no reason; why do you ask?) are counting down ten of their favorite Winter/Holiday songs. You can listen to "Kitzy" and "Caleb's" playlist here. Again, these are ten songs chosen by "Kitzy" and "Caleb" (Quotation marks are festive! That's all!) and definitely not by two other members of the Night Shift Radio fami...

As we kick off December (yes folks, we're finally almost done with 2020), we decided to do something different. So this week, our friend Janelle joins us to talk about tracks from 5 of her favorite records of the year. We get chance to revisit the incredible talent of Lianne La Havas , empathize with the bassist of Khraungbin for having to transpose her parts, and we learn that Fiona Apple is stil...

AC/DC is back, and they have delivered... well, exactly what you'd expect from them. Tracks like Shot in the Dark prove they've still got it, and "it" is rock, and rock is what we need right now. If you want to re-live the glory days of band website, check out https://pwrup.acdc.com/. We normally like to plug an artist's Bandcamp page. AC/DC doesn't have one, but that didn't stop Designosaur from...

Maxwell Stern is here this week to talk about his new record Impossible Sum, what it was like moving from Cleveland to Philly, and the importance of steel guitar. He also puts to rest the burning question - does Cleveland in fact rock? Pick up Impossible Sum on Bandcamp . Check out the video for Born at the End of the Year . Looking for an alternative to the traditional fireplace screensaver to so...

This week we discuss the new record Let Me Roar, by Northcote. We also break from tradition & talk about a couple of tracks that aren't on the record - mostly just because we like them, but also because they're the songs that sold us on Northcote. You can pick up some of Northcote's older jams on their Bandcamp page . The Northcote Official Site features a few of the music videos from this rec...

Joining us for the very first time - having definitely never been on this show before and certainly not just last week - is NSR's resident Jersey kid, Andrea. That's because we're talking about Lifetime's surprisingly fantastic 2007 self-titled comeback record. We also discuss the canonical date of the " good day " as experienced by Ice Cube. You can check out what Lifetime has been up to since on...

This week, your hosts, Kitzy and Most-Definitely-Actually-Not-At-All-an-Imposter Caleb discuss Dave Hause’s new double-EP Patty / Paddy, which features covers of songs originally performed by Patty Griffin and Dilinger Four, respectively. We get into what makes for a great cover, why these songs are so important now, and reminisce about all that time we spent at our favorite spot to get a drink in...

This week, we talk about From Exile - a quarantine re-imagining of The Menzingers' 2019 record Hello Exile. But this isn't just another acoustic pop-punk record. These tracks were stripped down, re-arranged, and put back together. We think some of the tracks were better in their original form, but we also think some of them shine beautifully here. But really, it's up to you to decide what you thin...