We've widened our acoustic lens this year and are pleased to present top five to 10 albums of the year from 16 disc jockeys spinning tunes at two independently owned radio stations* (plus two of their team members) and three prolific local musicians/artists. The styles range from country to death metal, from indie pop to jam bands, from blues to roots and everything in between and around the edges. There are legends such as Buddy Guy and Elvis Costello. There are bands with such names as Fat Earthers and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizards. The lists include live concert recordings from mega-stars including the Rolling Stones and Tom Petty, both from 1977. Who knew iconic artists Jimmy Cliff and the Dropkick Murphys were still making music?!
From this diverse, albeit select group of taste makers, the most mentioned artists are the following: Fontaines DC (five mentions), Wet Leg (four mentions), Zach Bryan (four), Titus Andronicus (four), Tedeschi Trucks Band (three), Elvis Costello (three), Big Thief (three), Buddy Guy (three), Harry Styles (three), and all of the following getting two mentions: Spoon, Duke Robillard Band, Yard Act, Willie Nelson, Koe Wetzel, Goose, Dead Horses (in no particular order).
In the age of artificial intelligence and algorithmic soulless programming, we treasure the effort each of these participants make to seek out the authentic artists not typically found on big media driven airwaves and platforms. If you have not tuned into either of these radio stations, either on the dial or on the Internet, you are missing out. (Note: Yes, there are a handful of albums that technically came out in 2021. We are working on that discipline problem.)
WQUD Vintage Radio 107.7 FM, WQUDFM.com
This vintage radio station cranks out more live on-air content and music programming per square foot of office/broadcast space than any place on Earth. Well, at least in the Quad Cities' region. Broadcasting from the Triangle in downtown Erie, Illinois, just outside the QCA metro area, at WQUD all the on-air talent is free to “play, say, and do whatever they want as long it fits under FCC guidelines,” says GM Aaron Dail. If you like hearing Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard, while still being able to catch Judas Priest or Bob Marley in the same hour, you may enjoy WQUD. Sure, they have the classic vintage cuts from Beatles and Stones but they also mix in 1950s doo-wop and even Frank Sinatra. They also dedicate precious air-time during prime time slots to feature local artists from country to blues to rock and metal, and have a full three-hour show of nothing but local licks Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. with Johnny Dollar. And you will not find any more entertaining and laugh-out-loud locally written and produced radio advertising for local businesses anywhere on the dial.
MONDAY-FRIDAY
6 - 10 a.m.
A.D. in the Morning with Aaron Dail
1. Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak
2. Cody Johnson, Human- The Double Album
3. Lainey Wilson, Bell Bottom Country
4. Koe Wetzel, Hell Paso
5. Zach Bryan, All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Mojo Request Show with Mama C
1. Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time
2. Harry Styles, Harry’s House
3. Marcus King, Youngblood
4. Little Big Town, Mr. Sun
4 - 6 p.m.
The Ride Home with Pat Jones
ALSO SUNDAYS 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Jonesy's Rockabilly Rebel Show with Pat Jones
1. Black Keys, Drop Out Boogie
2. Black Crowes, 1972
3. JD McPherson single, Let’s Rock
4. Stephen Sanchez, Easy on My Eyes
5. Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time
6. The Dead South, Easy Listening for Jerks
7. Suffragettes, Roller Fink
8. 3 on the Tree, Live From the Underground
SATURDAYS
5 - 8 p.m.
Outlaws, Rebels, and Legends with Outlaw Dave
1. Joshua Hedley, Neon Blue
2. Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak
3. Ashley McBride, Lindeville
4. 49 Winchester, Fortune Favors the Bold
5. Molly Tuttle, Crooked Tree
2 - 5 p.m.
Muddy Water Radio with Angela Meyer
1. Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak
2. Miranda Lambert, Palomino
3. Lainey Wilson, Bell Bottom Country
4. Ashley McBride, Lindeville
5. Hailey Whitters, Raised
6. Kaitlin Butts, What Else Can She Do
7. Tyler Childers, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven
Midnight – 2 a.m.
ALSO WEDNESDAYS 10 p.m. - midnight
Zaggyland with Zaggy
1. Ice Nine Kills, Welcome to Horrorwood
2. Bad Omens, The Death of Peace of Mind
3. Avey Grouws Band, Tell Tale Heart
4. Molly Durnin, It’s Fine
5. Motionless in White, Scoring the End of the World
SUNDAYS 5 - 9 p.m.
Blacklight Blues Show with Hugo
ALSO TUESDAYS 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. & FRIDAYS 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Freewhieelin' with Hugo
1. Sam Locke Ward and Bob Bucko Junior, Bubblegum Necropolis
2. Lost Tribes of the Moon, Chapter II, Tales of Strife, Destiny, and Despair
3. Mythospere, Mythosphere & Pathological
4. Faith in Jane, Axe to Oak
5. Rosalie Cunningham, Two Piece Puzzle
6. Obsidian Sea, Pathos
7. Extermination Day, Be the consequence
8. Northless, A Path Beyond Grief
9. Dead Meadow, Force From Form Free
10. Sonic Flower, Me and My Bellbottom Blues
Additional WQUD Team Members
Jason DeSplinter, DeSplinter Special on A.D. in the Morning
1. Casey Donahew, Built Different
2. Cody Jinks, Mercy
3. Creed Fisher, Rebel in the South
4. Corb Lund, Songs My Friends Wrote
5. The Wilder Blue, The Wilder Blue
6. Aaron Watson, Unwanted Man
7. William Clark Green, Baker Hotel
8. Randy Rogers Band, Homecoming
9. Sunny Sweeney, Married Alone
10. Koe Wetzel, Hell Paso
Katie, Office Manager
1. Poe the Passenger, Alinea
2. Jackson Wang, Magic Man
3. Smash Into Pieces, Disconnect
4. Shinedown, Planet Zero
5. Warren Zeiders, 717 Tapes
6. Kane Brown, Different Man
While technically not a terrestrial radio station any longer, KFMH was the eastern Iowa and western Illinois “pirate” radio station (found on the FM dial at 99.7) from 1973 to 1994. With their “100-watt blowtorch,” KFMH was a pioneer in blending formats traditionally siloed into programming slots or stand-alone corporate owned stations for blues, rock, jazz and reggae. Some say they invented the “block party” segment playing three to four songs of the same artist in a row. KFMH to this day heavily supports the Mississippi Valley Blues Society and the annual MVBS Blues Fest typically held in downtown Davenport. Amazingly, after a 19-year hiatus from the FCC governed airwaves, Steve Bridges and his pirate ship crew of on-air talent, led by Jim Hunter, relaunched the station in 2013 online with a 24/7 internet stream. Most of the original on-air talent is still carefully curating and hosting daily and weekly music programming blocks, playing only four minutes of local advertisers at the top of each hour. The eclectic music mix is like no other. And for those of us who literally cried when they went off the air nearly 30 years ago, we are thankful we can still tune into The Plus.
MONDAY-FRIDAY
6 - 9 a.m.
Tommy Lang’s KFMH Top 10 (in alphabetical order)
3rd Secret, 3rd Secret
The Head and The Heart, Every Shade of Blue
Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs, External Combustion
Ozzy Osbourne, Patient #9
Pixies, Doggerel
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Return of the Dream Canteen
Smashing Pumpkins, Atum
St Paul and The Broken Bones, The Alien Coast
Eddie Vedder, Earthling
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Bill Klutho's Top 10
1. Jack White, Entering Heaven Alive/Fear of the Dawn
2. Titus Andronicus, The Will to Live
3. Anthony Gomes, High Voltage Blues
4. Shemekia Copeland, Done Come Too Far
5. Elvis Costello, The Boy Named If
6. Tedeschi Trucks Band, I am the Moon (four discs)
7. Goose, Dripfield
8. Fantastic Negrito, White Jesus, Black Problems
9. Stereophonics, Oochya!
10. The Sun Sawed in 1/2, Before the Fall (the last of 3 EPs released by the group, powered by original members Tim Rose and Doug Bobenhouse)
1 - 7 p.m.
Jim Hunter's Top 10
10. Duke Robillard Band, They Called It Rhythm and Blues
09. Smithereens, The Lost Album
08. Dropkick Murphys, This Machine Still Kills Fascism
07. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Live at the Fillmore 1997
06. Rolling Stones, Live at the El Mocambo 1977
05. Buddy Guy, The Blues Don't Lie
04. Taj Mahal/Ry Cooder, Get on Board
03. Tedeschi Trucks Band, I am the Moon pts 1-4
02. Amanda Shires, Take It Like a Man
01. Elvis Costello and The Imposters, The Boy Named If
7 - 10 p.m.
Captain Steve's The Blue Zone
Top 10 Blues albums in no order
John Mayall, The Sun is Shining Down
Eric Gales, Crown
Duke Robillard Band, They Called it Rhythm & Blues
Larry McCray, Blues Without You
Edgar Winter, Brother Johnny
Taj Mahal/Ry Cooder, Get On Board
Charlie Musselwhite, Mississippi Son
Mavis Staples/Levon Helm, Carry Me Home
Shemekia Copeland, Done Come Too Far
Buddy Guy, The Blues Don't Lie
SATURDAY
9 - 11 a.m.
Patrick O'Leary is also the host of Jam Packed Sunday from 1 -4 p.m.
Top 10 for 2022, in alphabetical order. It was a good year.
Dead Horses, Brady Street
Goose, Dripfield
Groundation, One Rock
Jimmy Cliff, Refugees
Johnny Marr, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
Lettuce, Unify
Orgone, Lost Knights
Spafford, Simple Mysteries
Yard Act, The Overload
1 - 3 p.m.
Mary of The Heartland...The Heartland Hootenanny
Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Tyler Childers, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven
Dead Horses, Brady Street
Sarah Shook and The Disarmers, Nighroamer
Fontaines DC, Skinty Fia
SUNDAY
9 - 11 a.m.
Tom Maicke's Top 10
He also hosts "The Late Show" every Wednesday night at 11 p.m., playing new releases in their entirety.
Elvis Costello, The Boy Named If
Buddy Guy, The Blues Don't Lie
Yard Act, The Overload
Spoon, Lucifer on The Sofa
Mavis Staples and Levon Helm, Carry Me Home
Titus Andronicus, The Will to Live
Archers of Loaf, Reason in Decline
Fontaines DC, Skinty Fia
Tedeschi Trucks Band, I am the Moon
The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field
noon - 1 p.m.
Jamie Toal, Host of Rock & Roll Rabbit Hole
In no particular order and never permanent…
Lizzo, About Damn Time
Fontaines DC, “Jackie Down the Line” (off Skinty Fia)
Lou Reed (new demos), “I’m Waiting for My Man” (off Words & Music, May 1965)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Spitting Off the Edge of the World (off Cool It Down)
Harry Styles, “As It Was” (off Harry’s House)
Sharon Van Etten, “Mistakes” (off We've Been Going About This All Wrong)
Mountain Goats, “Training Montage” (off Bleed Out)
Wet Leg, “Chase Longue” (off Wet Leg)
Porridge Radio, “Back to the Radio” (off Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky)
Titus Andronicus, “(I’m) Screwed” (off The Will to Live)
Honorable Mention: Weyes Blood, Alvvays, Goat Girl, MJ Lenderman, Bodega, and many others.
7 -11 p.m.
Off the Beaten Track with Roberto
Roberto's Top 10
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
Viagra Boys, Cave World
TV Priest, My Other People
Fat Earthers, Bored
The Sadies, Colder Streams
Gary Clail Sound System, Violence
Leftfield, This Is What We Do
Fontaines DC, Skinty Fia
Clutch, Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
Wovoka Jr, Whimsical Reflections on a Starry Night
Local Musicians Picks for 2022
Special thanks to three local musicians who took up the call to share their muses from 2022.
Pat Stolley's Top 10
Longtime studio guy and occasional performer. Lover of musics. FS2.futureappletree.com (in no certain order)
Tenci, A Swollen River a Well Overflowing
Whitney, Apark
Brendan Eder Ensemble, Cape Cod Cottage
Small Sur, Attic Room
Weyes Blood, And in The Darkness Hearts Aglow
Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Pino Palladino/Blake Mills, Notes with Attachments
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Endless Rooms
Hot Chip, Freakout/Release
Peel Dream Magazine, Pad
Chris Bernat's Top 10
Lead singer of the local '90s indie band Tripmaster Monkey now leads the local musical project Chrash and also plays guitar. Hear Chrash's music on Spotify and apple music, or Chrash1.bandcamp.com (in no certain order)
Whitney, Spark
Rolling Blackouts Costal Fever, Endless Rooms
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Guided by Voices, Crystal Nuns Cathedral
Titus Andronicus, The Will to Live
Harry Styles, Harry’s House
Fontaines DC, Skinty Fia
Margo Price, That’s How Rumors Get Started
Posey's Top 10
Posey is the lead singer in the Midwest's party punk band Road Soda. Hear this Quad Cities based band's music at RoadSoda333.bandcamp.com
Scowl, How Flowers Grow
New Junk City, Beg a Promise
The Callous Daoboys, Celebrity Therapist
Meat Wave, Malign Hex
Mindforce, New Lords
Post Malone, Twelve Carat Toothache
Run The Jewels, RTJQUATRO
The Flatliners, New Ruin
Escuela Grind, Memory Theater
Orville Peck, Bronco
