Lightnin' Licks Radio

It’s friend-of-the-show Chris’s birthday, and there's nothing he’d rather do on his special day than share his girlfriend Vicki with his lightning-licking comrades. Vicki rules. She shares stories recalling her DJ past in the Detroit scene of yesteryear while adding female-powered cuts to this bonus episode’s mixtape. Deon and Jay tackle old and new cuts spanning 7 decades of musical deliciousness, everything from 60's Brazilian bossa nova to 80's pop to 90's hip-hop to a fresh release from an alternative indie heavyweight. Sonic contributors to this very special 26th bonus episode of Lightnin’ Licks Radio podcast include: Dave Matthews Band, Jurassic 5, DJ Nu-Mark, Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Prince Paul, National Public Radio, Beastie Boys, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Eddie Murphy, Olivia Newton John, John Waters’ film Pink Flamingos featuring Divine, David Lochery & Mink Stole, Richard Rodgers, Deborah Kerr & Marni Nixon, Blake Mills, The Rivingtons, Black Thought & El Michaels Affair, Faith No More, MC Breed, Bootleg of the Dayton Family, Pat Finnerty’s stink horn, Michelle Zauner,  Ethan Klein, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell, The Meters, Lani Hall, The Beatles, The Pretenders, YES, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Guitar Wizards of the Future, Daffy Duck, Squeeze, more Beatles, The Vapors, SRC, John Frusciante, System 7 & Derrick May, Brian Austin Green, Negative Approach, Laughing Hyenas, Mule, Insane Clown Posse, Stone Temple Pilots, Galaxy to Galaxy, Beck, Skinny Puppy, Millie Jackson, Bob Seger System, The Jesus and Mary Chain, James Brown, Betty Jean Newsome, Bob Vylan & Amy Taylor, Greet Death, Ol’ Burger Beats, Muddy Waters, Against Me! Operation Ivy,  Neon Trees, No Doubt, Bush, Gwen Stefani, English Beat, The Specials, Bad Manners, Cat Stevens, Steve Winwood, Jimmy Miller, more Pretenders, Sublime, Prince, The Avalaches featuring Camp Lo, Holland-Dozier-Holland, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, William McLean, The S.O.S. Band, Parliament Funkadelic, ZAP, Tamia, LCD Soundsystem, David Bowie, James Murphy, Tom Scharpling, The Turtles, Bob James, The Alkoholiks, Justin Avdek, The Roots, Tori Spelling, and Dipshit Don, accepter of bribes. Jay loves – Missing Persons, Sergio Mendes, Honey Cone, and Newcleus. Deon likes – Japanese Breakfast, Laura Marling, Black Sheep, and The Pool. Vicki digs – Cat Bite, Sincere Engineer, P.P. Arnold, and Robyn. The 26th Bonus Mixtape: LISTEN TO THE MIX ON SOUNDCLOUD [https://soundcloud.com/m-m-knapps/lightning-licks-radio-bonus-26-mix-tape?si=c1b283931b7f440db1e5b171011371d6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing] OR ON SPOTIFY [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5vCBrzyZUOYckPhWOMDYba?si=992ecbf2296a4bbb] [SIDE ONE] (1) Cat Bite - Call Your Bluff (2) Black Sheep - Strobelite Honey (3) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Wichita Lineman (4) Robyn - Dancing on my Own (5) The Pool - Jamaica Resting (6) Honey Cone - Sunday Morning People [SIDE TWO] (1) Japanese Breakfast - Mega Circuit (2) Sincere Engineer - Fireplace (3) Newcleus - No More Runnin' (4) Laura Marling - Don't Let Me Bring You Down (5) P.P. Arnold - The First Cut is the Deepest (6) Missing Persons - Surrender Your Heart A.I. David Silver appears courtesy of the fact that it’s 2025 and we can deep fake whoever the flip we want to. Drink Blue Chair Bay. Shop at Electric Kitsch. Be kind to neighbors and strangers alike.

L is for Ligtnin' (and) Licks. Ladies Love Loud Losers, listen... In the early 1970s, legendary collaborator and self-proclaimed non-musician Brian Eno famously designed a deck of 115 cards containing elliptical imperatives to spark in the user creative connections unobtainable through regular modes of work. He called his creation "Oblique Strategies." For the past six decades, artists the world over in every artistic medium have used Eno's strategy while attempting to overcome a lull in creative output. In 2025, lazy, lackluster yet somehow still award-winning* hobby podcasters and self-proclaimed Lightnin' Lickers Jay and Deon found themselves uninspired when contemplating the potential theme of their upcoming forty-third episode. Together, they decided... to default back to the alphabet. Because they have a reasonably solid grasp of the alphabet and how it works. They had previously utilized the letters A thru K, so naturally, they went with L. Sonic contributors featured in Lightnin’ Licks Radio’s forty-third episode include: Beastie Boys, National Public Radio, James Todd Smith, Ol’ Burger Beats, Prince Paul, De La Soul, Gravediggaz, Method Man, John Ussery. Brothers Johnson, G.I. Joe's Rescue From Adventure Team Headquarters, Ninth Wonder, Earth, Wind, and Fire. Jay Dilla, Black Milk, Ronnie Laws, Inner Circle, Donny Trump, Childish Gambino, Marly Marl, Mary Jane Girls, Bert and Ernie, Greg Nice, Miss Lauren Hill, Cyprus Hill, The Light Men Plus One, Bubbha Thomas, Ornette Coleman. Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap, Kenny Loggins, L.A. Witch, Living Colour, Malcolm X, Arlo Guthrie, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Public Enemy, Le Bucherettes. At the Drive-in, Terry Genderbender, Bosnian Rainbows. Land of Talk, Canada, Tim Robinson, US Representative Tom Emmer, The Lovely Bad Things, Linn County, The Mighty Loop, Fur and Skin Trading Company. The Pool, Public Image Limited, Morphine, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, Hindu Love Gods, Adrian Youngue, La Luz, The Lime Spiders, Hoodoo Gurus, and, the Clockers (theme song). Our favorite selections from the L section in our collections mixtape: (1A) Lime Spiders - Ignormy (2A) Lightmen Plus One - Ashie (3A) L.A. Witch - Sexorexia (4A) Land of Talk - Yuppy Flu (5A) Loop - Head on (1B) Living Colour - Open Letter to a Landlord (2B) Le Bucherettes - Demon Stuck in Your Eye (3B) Linn County - Fever Shot (4B) Lovely Bad Things - Slug Boy (5B) La Luz - In the Country Shop locally for your music. We attend church at Electric Kitsch [https://electrickitsch.com/]. We drink Blue Chair Bay flavored rums (without endorsement or appreciation from Kenny Chesney.) We are pro-Canada, but not anti-American. It's very messed up we even felt the need to type that last sentence.

Super-Special-not-so-Secret Friend Don returns to the diningroom table for another thrilling bonus episode. Deon and Jay welcome his ass with arms wide open, as Lightnin’ Lickers are want to do. Twelve crackin’ tracks are lifted from wax and stitched back onto a mixtape after an in-depth discussion of the artists who created said cuts takes place. It’s good to be back. Happy (Merry) St. Patrick’s Day (Bay City Christmas)! Sonic contributors to the latest bonus episode of Lightnin’Licks Radio podcast include: Max Heath, Prince and the Revolution, Alan Silvestri, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Arc of All, Junkyard Band, Roberta Flack, Donald Trump, Jimmy Webb, The Beatles, Tim Hardin, Holland Dozier Holland, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Chris Whitley, Bonnie Tyler, Jim Steinman, Missing Persons, Mitchell Froom, Guns N’ Roses, Stephen Malkmus, the Jicks, KMFDM, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, Beck, Revolting Cocks, Led Zepplin, Greta Van Fleet, Grace Slick, Bjork, Black Flag, Grateful Dead, Henry Rollins Band, Mike Judge’s Beavis & Butthead, A Tribe Called Quest, Ubiquity, Digible Planets, Abe Jefferson, Billy Woods, ELUCID, Raekwon the Chef, Outkast, Ms. Judy, Quelle Chris, Don Messick as Zorac, Sade, Mr. K and Boyd Jarvis. Jay noted he was snacking on the sonic deliciousness of theSound Symposium, Noel and the Red Wedge, Wartime, and Fazerdaze. Deon is with Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Pavement, Roy Ayers, Cavalier and Child Actor. Don suggested checking out the Hard Lessons, Balthazar, S.G. Goodman, and MaidaVale. In a world full of and Stephen Millers and Ted Cruzes, be aMr. Studinger or a Tom Cedarberg. Share joy and buy music from your local record store. We suggest Electric Kitsch in beautiful Bay City, Michigan.  BONUS #25 mixtape: LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD [https://soundcloud.com/m-m-knapps/lightnin-licks-radio-bonus-25-mixtape/s-RHUPy4gY14d?si=cb35cc6a3c80416882e6d0d5ce30ec53&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing] [SIDE 1] (1) S.G. Goodman - If You Were Someone I Loved {edit} (2) Pavement - Grounded (3) Noel & the Red Wedge - Special to You (4) Balthazar - Bunker (5) Roy Ayers - Slow Motion (6) Wartime - The Whole Truth [SIDE 2] (1) The Sound Symposium - America (2) The Hard Lessons - Milk & Sugar (3) Cavalier & Child Actor - Judy is Forever (4) Fazerdaze - A Thousand Years (5) MaidaVale - Daybreak (6) Sarah Shook & the Disarmers - Backsliders

The world may be on fire, but at least baseball is returning. That's some welcome good news. The cleats clickin', the mitts poppin', the bats crackin'...oh man! The sounds of this soon-to-be-season are as satisfying as she gets, folks! In honor of our Detroit Tigers’ Grapefruit League season kicking off (acceptable mixed-sports metaphor) today, we're placing a refreshing treat in our episode feed. Deon created the original pilot episode of Lightnin' Licks Radio in May of 2019. He did so to test all of the music and recording equipment in the basement and also to convince Jay that their stories could ultimately be rendered as a sonically palatable product, therefore presenting podcasting as a worthwhile endeavor. Well...it worked! Jay agreed to partner with Deon thus Lightnin' Licks Radio podcast was born. This is that fateful pilot episode. Although it doesn't sound too similar to what the podcast would eventually become as far as format is concerned, the storytelling element was strong from day one, with vinyl records and other found-sound / field recordings / archival audio sources playing an important role in the story. If you haven't already heard this episode and you enjoy baseball, poetry, or stories of childhood memories, give it a listen. We think it's pretty cool. When many Michiganders think spring, we think baseball. And many spring-loving, baseball-minded Mitten-dwellers have a special place in their hearts for Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Detroit Tigers for many generations. This episode was written and recorded a few days after news broke that Ernie's widow Lulu had passed away at the age of 99, not long before the 9th anniversary of her legendary broadcaster husband's death. We hope you enjoy it. Oh, and...Go Tigers.

It’s 2025, but the Lickers are still snackin’ on the sonic deliciousness that was brought to the table in the year of Our Lord 2024. Pull up a chair, slap on a bib, and join Jay, Deon, and Don for an intimate dinner party fit for rock & roll royalty. We've got all the fixins! Sonic contributors to the forty-second episode of Lightnin’ Licks Radio podcast include: Gravediggaz, Method Man, John Ussery, De La Soul, Prince Paul, Brothers Johnson, M.M. Knapps, James Todd Smith, The Last Poets, an uncleared sample from the west coast gangster rap label that shall not be named, Parliament Funkadelic, Walter Trarbach & Jeff Hutchins, The Honey Drippers, Harry Shearer, Howard Shore, Memphis Horns, Eric B. & Rakim, Young-Holt Unlimited, Kool & the Gang, Ronny Bell, Ethan Klein, Hasan Piker, Jaime Grace, Xmal Deutschland, Anja Huwe, JW Francis, Dehd, Dream Eagles, Heavy Dreams, Pernice Brothers, Jack Black, Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline, Joe Pernice, Kim Gordon, The Pixies, Kim Deal, The Breeders, Jessica Pratt, Tanukichan, Smiling Friends, Koji Kondo, Shallac, Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeny, Jim White, Emmett Kelly, The Hard Quartet, Rolling Stones, the Rapture, Merv Griffin, fcukers, Beck, Them, Cindy Lee, Women, Shadow Show, Fab 5 Freddy, Nonjuror, and The Clockers.   2024 Leftovers mixtape: LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD [https://soundcloud.com/m-m-knapps/lightnin-licks-radio-24-leftovers-mixtape/s-K2rMU6i4UlF?si=90c7f2659f184d8e858498e4156e9d1f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing] [SIDE 1] (1) Anja Huwe - O Wald (2) Shellac - WSOD (3) Dehd - Dg Days (4) Pernice Brothers - Hey, Guitar (5) Kim Deal - Big Ben Beat (6) Jessica Pratt - Life Is [SIDE 2] (1) JW Francis - Coming up for Air (2) Shadow Show - Mystic Spiral (3) fcukers - Homie Don't Shake (4) The Hard Quartet - Rio's Song (5) Cindy Lee - All I Want is You (6) Tanukichan - Low Resist the bad shit. Rock good music. Invite your friends over for drinks (Blue Chair Bay?) and shop at your local record shop (our favorite is Electric Kitsch). Sample of A Sausage & a Soda in Chicago featuring Steve Albini appears courtesy of Taint Ain't Bad Productions LLC, copyright 2025.