Radio Playlists for August 2013



The name of the show: Blackbeard's Delight
Your host: Prof. Kitty
The station: WVEW 107.7 Brattleboro, VT

August was largely a month of themes for Blackbeard's Delight, starting with a not-in-English show ranging from France to the subcontinent, continuing on with a fun show of what I might have listened to if I'd grown up in England rather than upstate New York, and also including a Great Vocalists of the 20th Century show and a Contra dance show inspired by the twice-annual Brattleboro Dawn Dance. This last takes place all through the night around every Memorial Day and Labor Day and is a tradition going back to 1976, the year in which the album I was playing from was recorded... right in West Brattleboro. See the bottom of this post for a pic of the LP, which I was given for Christmas as a child without ever realizing where exactly it came from.

August 1, 2013—International!

  • Bonnie & Clyde: Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot
  • Coulibaly: Amadou & Mariam
  • Luna y Sol: Manu Chao
  • The Nightingale: Ivan Rebroff
  • Capt Bares: Mondfähre
  • Tritala: field recording called "Songs & Instruments of Northern India"
  • Soukora: Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder
  • De Camino a la Vereda: Buena Vista Social Club s/t
  • UFO: Michel Sardou
  • Janamaan: Natacha Atlas with Kalia
  • Fantasia Arlatane: Manitas de Plata
  • Carasu no Kobin: 800 Cherries
  • Padidadidub: Armchair
  • Lisbou a Noite: Tony de Matos

August 8, 2013—My Imaginary English Childhood

  • On My Radio: The Selecter
  • Happy Hour: The House Martins
  • Life From a Window: The Jam
  • Stereotype: The Specials
  • Games without Frontiers: Peter Gabriel
  • Madness: Madness
  • Some Girls are Bigger than Others: The Smiths
  • Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3: Ian Dury & the Blockheads
  • Guns of Brixton: The Clash
  • Twist & Crawl: The English Beat
  • Doledrum: The La's
  • Soul Mining: The The
  • It Must Be Love: Madness
  • The Selecter: The Selecter
  • Love Will Tear Us Apart: Joy Division
  • Click Click: The English Beat

August 15, 2013—Great vocalists I love

  • Blue Skies: Ella Fitzgerald
  • That's My Weakness Now: Bing Crosby with Bix Beiderbecke
  • Can Can: Bobby Short
  • I Happen to Like New York: Judy Garland
  • Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans: Billie Holiday
  • Out of Nowhere: Lena Horne (with Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra)
  • If You Can't Smile and Say Yes: Nat "King" Cole (with his Trio)
  • All of Me: Frank Sinatra
  • I Used to Be Color Blind: Anita O'Day
  • Jump Back: Hadda Brooks
  • Roll 'em Pete: Joe Williams (with Count Basie)
  • Me & My Gin: Dinah Washington
  • Steppin' out with My Baby: Fred Astaire
  • Top Hat, White Tie & Tails: Fred Astaire
  • When You're Smiling: Hot Lips Page

August 22, 2013

  • Hotel Song: Regina Spektor
  • Renaissance Girls: Oh Land
  • Summer: The Atypicals
  • Me & You & Jackie Mittoo: Superchunk
  • Strange Times: Black Keys
  • Great Defector: Bell X1
  • Real Life: Tanlines
  • Chain My Name: Poliça
  • Animal: Miike Snow
  • Prefiero Asfalto: Niña Dioz
  • Little Bit: Lykke Li


August 29, 2013—Contra Dance! (inspired by Brattleboro Dawn Dance)

  • Hall's Victory: Strathspey
  • Ferny Hill: The Chieftains
  • Busted Bicycle: Leo Kottke
  • So What: Garcia & Grisman
  • Salamanca Reel/The Hunter's Purse/Tarbolten: Arm & Hammer String Band
  • Le Tambourin: John Renbourn Group
  • Ye Jacobites by Name: Fir Soar
  • Kissing Dance Medley: Figgy Duff
  • Flowers of Edinburgh/The White Cockade/East Neuk o' Fife: Thistledown
  • Soraidh Bhuam Gu Barraidh: Capercaillie
  • [youtube medley]: Boys of the Lough
  • Eminstra: Pentangle
  • New England Contra Dance tracks from this album, recorded in Brattleboro in 1976:


Grilling Up Bon Appetit's Spiced Salmon Kebabs

We've been loving our gas grill this summer! Sure charcoal-grilled food tastes better, but our gas grill is so easy to use, and fast. We break it out about once a week for steak tips, grilled vegetables (like string beans with walnut oil and kosher salt), hot dogs (Applegate always), and some delicious new potatoes that I sliced up and wrapped in foil with sprigs of rosemary plus a bunch of butter.

Another essential grill recipe has been Bon Appetit's Spiced Salmon Kebabs. They are delicious, and they look cool.




The recipe recommends using double skewers to avoid the salmon chunks spinning around willy nilly while grilling. Folded slices of lemon are tucked in between.




The salmon chunks are rubbed with kosher salt (of course, it's BA!) plus cumin, fresh oregano, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Isn't it pretty?

Notes: I've made these at least 3 times and have a few observations...
  • While the slices of lemon on the skewer look cool, I'm not sure what they're for. They get burned and don't seem to add flavor. Make sure you also have lemon to squeeze on afterward. I think skipping the slices would be OK in a pinch.
  • I tried both Wild Salmon and farmed and found a huge difference. The wild salmon was a little dry but very flavorful and delicately salmon-y. The farmed fish was larded with so much fat that it dripped down and created lots of smoke, which made everything taste smoky. Besides being greasy, the overall flavor of farmed salon is too FISHY for my taste. ("FISHY" is different than "delicately salmon-y.")
  • I've never made this recipe with the sesame seeds. It's still great.
  • You have to like cumin to like this.
So... do you like cumin? Salmon? FISHY? If you have a grilling recipe you love, please share!