It Came from the Desert

This times for real: The very final episode tonight. Starting at 7pm!

2012-05-06T18:45:00.003-04:00

There comes a point where you have to part with something or someone you love. No matter how much it hurts, sometimes it's for the best. It's time to grow and move on. Hell, I graduated 2 years ago and I'm volunteering at my college radio station. Everyone I know is leaving, this is a different place and it's time to finally call it quits.

It's been the most amazing 4 years of my life. I've met a lot of wonderful people, made friends that will last a lifetime, and most of all, was able to bring the best heavy music to North East Pennsylvania.This was my goal from the beginning. I knew people would want to hear it and I wanted to introduce people to it.

I've gotten phone calls over the years saying that I introduced them to their new favorite band or bands. That was the point, and I don't think that there's any work left for me to do. It's now your turn. Tell your friends about the awesome music you heard on some whacky radio show which occasionally had a creepy love doctor who had sex with animals on the show. Try to change lives, that's what I tried to do.

Music is a very powerful tool. Use it.

I've had amazing conversations with some of my musical idols, you can hear all the interviews by using the link on the right. VMFM 91.7 gave me that opportunity and for that I am forever in debt. I mean, I talked with Chris Goss! How awesome is that!

I've also had the great pleasure of managing VMFM 91.7, an experience I will not soon forget.

I know I thank my listeners at the end of every show, but truly, thank you. I never thought I would get any traction on this show, let alone a listener base. You guys and gals are the best, a little weird, but I guess you have to be to listen to this show.

So, one last time I will be signing on to VMFM 91.7. Tune in tonight at 7pm and join me for one final show. Tonight I will be joined by Dr. Love and a few other guests, you won't want to miss it.

Back from hiatus tonight! Only 2 shows left!

2012-04-29T19:04:00.000-04:00

2nd to last show tonight, don't miss it. I'll be playing some off beat stuff and some of my personal favorites. If you have a request, get it in while you can because next week will be the last episode ever, I swear this time. So catch it while you can before it's gone. I'll be doing some episode uploading later also!

Be cool, tonight at 10pm on VMFM 91.7!

100th Episode tonight!

2012-03-25T20:10:00.000-04:00

I can't believe this has been going on for 100 episodes, even though only about 8 were good, this is still a huge milestone! Join me tonight for a once in a lifetime celebration filled with good friends, good laughs, and good music. We'll go over some some It Came from the Desert history and discuss the future (the little that is left) so you're going to want to tune in. It's going to be a party! A party on the radio!

This is what the studio will look like

So lock in your radio dials to VMFM 91.7 tonight at 10pm EDT!

New show tonight! Old shows in the blog

2012-03-18T20:49:00.001-04:00

After doing some calculations, it turns out that next weeks show is going to be the 100th Episode, so I kind of want to do something special for it, so to start, I uploaded some shows, in case you missed them.

Check it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?t6pthk7jzdgzb

That is 13 of the last 14 shows, I haven't uploaded last weeks yet.

So check out tonight's 99th episode, it's gonna rock hard. 10pm - Midnight on the Woodie Award Nominated VMFM 91.7! Link on the right.

Voting hangover? Hangover hangover? Tune in tonight for a new show!

2012-03-11T21:39:00.002-04:00

Whether you voting so much your head hurts or you enjoyed the St. Patrick's Day Parade too much, you're going to want to listen to tonight's show! I finally get to cool it with the voting stuff and get back to the important stuff, like kick ass desert rock! So tune in tonight at 10pm EDT which feels like 9, on the WOODIE AWARD NOMINATED VMFM 91.7, check out that link to your right to tune in, you won't want to miss it!

VMFM 2012 Campaign Headquarters Tonight!

2012-03-04T20:45:00.001-05:00

All boner jokes aside, you have to help VMFM get a Woodie. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then you haven't been paying attention to VMFM or my posts for a while. Well, in case you don't know, the station on which my show is broadcasted, VMFM 91.7 (WVMW-FM) has been nominated for an MTVU Woodie Award for Best College Radio Station. Thanks to your help so far, we've made it into the final round of voting, but we need to your help to win.

To vote, hit up http://blog.ratemyprofessors.com/collegeradiowoodie/ and vote for WVMW, it takes 3 seconds, really. You can vote as much as you'd like, so vote more than once... or twice... vote a hundred or so times!

So tonight's show is going to be dedicated to the cause! Tune in for good friends, good songs, and good times. Campaign Headquarters goes live tonight from 10pm - Midnight, see you then! You can tune in by clicking the VMFM 91.7 link to your right.

Telethon Tonight!

2012-02-26T21:57:00.002-05:00

Tonight, on a very special It Came from the Desert I tell everyone to vote for WVMW in the MTVU Woodie Awards. Go here http://www.vmfm917.org/votenow and vote as much as you want, polls close tomorrow at noon and we need to crack the top ten. Tune in tonight at 10pm for a hot and sticky new episode.

A very special Presidents' Day episode tonight!

2012-02-19T20:25:00.003-05:00

Well, not really, but I am going to blast your ear holes with some heavy duty rock and roll that would make our founding fathers make good use of the massive hemp fields they had (look it up). Tune into VMFM 91.7 tonight at 10pm for some good old fashioned heavy music.

A throbbing hot new episode tonight.

2012-02-12T21:01:00.005-05:00

It's time for my favorite show of the year, the Valentine's Day spectacular. Put the Grammy's on mute, snuggle up with that special, or not so special, person in your life, and let me put you in the mood with some red hot rock and roll. There's a couple bands that I don't normally play that are getting on the air tonight so it's going to be a very unique episode.

The final season starts tonight!

2012-01-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

Well folks I know I've said this before, but, this is it, one last season. It's wild that I've been on for nearly 100 episodes, most jocks on this station do maybe 40 tops, let alone all the specials I've done. This place has been a second home to me for the past 4 years and I'm so happy I've been able to share it with all of you. I am going to cherish the final few episodes and I hope you do too!

Look at that happy sonnuvabitch!

Make sure to join me tonight at 10pm on VMFM 91.7 for the longest running show on the station. We're going to have a lot of fun as always, so make sure to catch it while you can!

Season Finale Tonight!

2011-12-04T19:58:00.002-05:00

Another season has come and gone and even though I missed way more episodes than I would have liked to, we have one more season right around the corner. I usually do a count down of the best albums of the year, but to be honest, there wasn't enough stoner rock that blew my mind in 2011 to warrant a count down.

So whatevs, there was good music this year though, which is why you're going to want to tune in to VMFM 91.7 this Thursday for the VMFM Top 50 Songs of 2011 Countdown with the Terrible Trout, myself, and a few guests.

As for tonight, I'm going to blow it up. Grade A tracks all night since I won't be on the air for like a month. So tune in tonight at 10PM EST to the award winning VMFM 91.7 on your radio or online (link on the right). See you tonight!

No show tonight.

2011-11-20T20:06:00.002-05:00

Sorry guys, I can't make it in tonight. I'll work on that podcast stuff this week and figure everything out. Chances are I have a host, I just have to iron out the legalities. It Came from the Desert: Legalize It. I'll keep you all posted!

Let's start a grass roots movement tonight!

2011-11-13T21:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight I continue my campaign to win Best Local Radio Personality in the Electric City 2011 Readers' Poll, I will squash all contenders but only with your help! What you need to do is vote here and vote for yours truly, Divo. You ballot should look a little something like this.

Do it my minions. For your services, you will be rewarded with an awesome show tonight, full of heaviness and what not. So make sure to vote and to tune in at 10pm to VMFM 91.7. The listen live link is on the right. Let's rock.

Loveless tribute show tonight!

2011-11-06T20:04:00.003-05:00

Along with the hard hitting desert riffs that will be melting your brain tonight, we will be dedicating the 2nd hour to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless which turned 20 this weekend. Loveless has been heralded as "The best album of the 90's" and on of the "most pivotal albums in modern rock history" and while it doesn't fit the format of the show, it has influenced artists of all genres and myself, personally.

The story behind Loveless is as engaging as the album itself. It was recorded in 19 different studios over the course of two years, and it cost Creation Records an estimated £250,000, nearly bankrupting the label. The recording process was plagued with health issues (most of the drums had to be sampled due to drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig's health and personal problems, the only live drum tracks are on Only Shallow and Touched), fighting between the band and label, legal trouble and equipment issues. At one point during the mastering process, the entire album went out of phase and had to be re-set from the memory of guitarist/singer Kevin Shields' memory. An album mastering generally takes a day, Loveless took 13.

Though a hit among critics, Loveless only sold a mere 250,000 copies due to the fact that the band only did a small tour in support of the album, the band's name was forbidden to be on the sleeve, and there were no singles, despite music videos being made for 3 songs.

So what makes Loveless so damn special? The vocal are buried and the song structure for most of the tracks are the same. Well, Loveless is a triumph is guitar based rock. On most songs there are one or two guitar tracks with minimal effects. While most shoegaze artists relied on a chorus and flange pedal, Kevin Shields did most of his handy work by using the tremolo bar, and that's it. Instead of using a wah-wah pedal, he recorded the guitar track, replayed it through an equalizer and manually adjusted knobs. When asked if using a wah-wah would acheive the same effect, he replied, "In attitude toward sound, yes. But not in approach."

I could go on and on about all the little quirks about this album, like how Bilinda Butcher's voice is used as an instrument and how many vocal bits are sampled and used as such throughout the album or how most of the instrumentation is done by Shields himself or how when the vocals were being recorded, Butcher and Shields were cloaked behind a screen and the only was the engineers knew that something was being recorded were the VU meters moving or how there are 12 vocal tracks on When You Sleep because they couldn't nail down the perfect track, so they just mixed them all down, but I'm going to let the music speak for itself. Want to learn more? Check out the Loveless wiki!

Never heard Loveless before? Well, you're in luck! I will be spinning the album in its entirety during the 2nd hour of the show tonight. I hope you all enjoy the departure from the norm tonight. So remember to tune in tonight at 10PM EST on VMFM 91.7 by clicking the link on the right. See you tonight!

Dr. Love joins me on a very special Halloween episode tonight!

2011-10-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

Dr. Love will join me in the studio tonight and will be giving relationship advice and so much more. A lot has happened to him since the failure of the film Dr. Love "Anoose" Explorr in 3D and album. He does not look well and he would appreciate if you tune in to hear his plight. I will also have some spooky tunes to get you in the mood for Halloween! So tune in at 10pm to 91.7 VMFM on your radio dial or on the link to the right, see you tonight!

Dim the lights and bust out the Cognac, new show tonight!

2011-10-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm back from break with a passion so fiery it will be engraved into your soul. We will be listening to select tracks from Elder's latest album and of course your favorite Desert Rock bands, one of which will be visiting the Union Transfer in Philadelphia this Thursday, Dead Meadow. Long time fans of the show know my love for these guys and, yes, I'm stoked to see them. Here, watch this video of cute Japanese girls sword fighting and tune in at 10pm EDT!

Fall Break

2011-10-16T20:12:00.000-04:00

It Came from the Desert will return next week with selections from the latest release from Elder entitled Dead Roots Stirring. This is the one and only album I received this year from Meteor City, which is fine, because Elder more than makes up for the lack of other albums. Here is the title track to the album. See you all next week.

#Occupy your radio tonight...

2011-10-09T20:31:00.000-04:00

...to hear the baddest ass music anywhere on the dial starting at 10pm. I have a great show lined up with bands including Heliotropes, Sleep, Freedom Hawk, Kyuss, and more. I will also be providing GRIPPING SOCIAL COMMENTARY regarding the #Occupy movement. Then it's back to the music where we discuss the upcoming Dead Meadow show!

No news regarding the podcast at the moment, still waiting on a host and legal stuff. Though when it does go live, there will be at least 3 shows ready to download. That's 6 hours of non stop ass shaking rock 'n roll. Play it for your mom, she'll get into it.

But for those who like to listen live, tune into 91.7 or online at 10pm, it's real easy, like shooting fish in a barrel!

Kicking off Rocktober tonight!

2011-10-02T21:18:00.000-04:00

Lame, I know, but we do have some serious rocking to get to tonight. I'll be discussing the Kyuss Lives! show along with the Dean Ween Annual October Classic baseball game. Hopefully I will also have an update on the podcast. I'm still recording shows in hopes of them being downloadable in the near future, stay tuned. You can still listen live from 10pm - midnight EDT by clicking the VMFM 91.7 link on the right.

And now, in case you haven't seen it already...

watch all 3 episodes, you will not regret it.

No Show Tonight

2011-09-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

Due to a prior engagement made before my lucrative re-signing with VMFM 91.7, there will not be a show tonight. Check back this week for updates on the podcast and the Kyuss Lives! concert review. See you next week!

Tonight's show: Pre-Kyuss Rock-a-Thon Hyphen-Fest

2011-09-18T18:20:00.000-04:00

Well kids I'm stoked. After tonight's show I'm hitting the turnpike for the Kyuss Lives! show this Wednesday at the Trocadero. I will be recording sections of my journey and piecing together next week's show because I won't be able to be in the studio next Sunday, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, we have a lot of great music to play tonight.

We'll be spinning a lot of Kyuss along with opening band The Sword and of course all your other favorites. This will also be the first show that I record (I should have done it sooner) so a podcast will be available sometime in the near future. Make sure to tune in tonight at 10pm!

Episode 83 Recap

2011-09-16T19:54:00.000-04:00

What a great way to start off a new season. The smell of the microphone is the same and so are the stains on the seats. I recently got the news that I received another care package from Meteor City so i should be picking that up this week so expect some new tunes and reviews.

I'm trying to come up with some new segments for the show. I've done the Cover of the Week for four years so I think that is going to get retired. Perhaps an unsigned/emerging band segment? I'm always open to suggestions. I'm currently in the process of getting some cool interviews this season. I'm seeing Kyuss Lives! next week so I'll try to make some magic happen, no promises though.

Also, if you're in a band and want to get some exposure on the show, feel free to get in contact with me! Use the contact link on the right. Here is this week's playlist.

1. Torche - In Return
2. Death From Above 1979 - Little Girl)
3. Turbo Fruits - Broadzilla
4. Melt Banana - Shield For Your Eyes, a Beast in the Well on Your Hand
5. Kyuss - Jumbo Blimp Jumbo
6. Brad Laner - Find Out
7. Electric Wizard - Vinum Sabbathi
8. Iceage - Collapse
9. Mark Lanegan - One Hundred Days
10. Saint Vitus - White Magic Black Magic
11. Wool - Eden
12. Hater - Down Undershoe
13. Wellwater Conspiracy - Born With A Tail
14. Torche - Healer
15. Dead Meadow - Sleepy Silver Door
16. Masters of Reality - The Great Spelunker
17. Drive Like Maria - So
18. The Freeks - Look Ahead
19. Gay Witch Abortion - Third World Limbo
20. Fatso Jetson - Sunshine Enema
21. Eagles Of Death Metal - Secret Plans
22. Kyuss - Odyssey
23. Desert Sessions - Johnny the Boy
24. Queens Of The Stone Age - Walkin On The Sidewalks
25. Skooma - My Phantom Why
26. earthlings? - Vegan Meth

I return to the airwaves tonight!

2011-09-11T20:42:00.001-04:00

It Came from the Desert is making a triumphant return to the airwaves tonight at 10pm on VMFM 91.7! Tune in to hear my smoothing voice and rockin' tunes. This week's show is going to have a lot of your and my favorite tunes from Kyuss, earthlings?, Masters of Reality, Torche and more! We're going to talk about the upcoming Kyuss Lives! show in Philadelphia along with past shows over the summer. Get your requests ready because the phone lines will be open. Just click the Listen live link on the top right of the page at 10pm and listen to the beginning of the historic 8th Semester of It Came from the Desert!

I took an offer I couldn't refuse...

2011-08-22T16:05:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't updated in several months, but that's all about to change. Just last night of was offered a briefcase full of money to sign on for another season of It Came from the Desert. At first I was unsure if there needed to be another season. I have accomplished a lot in the past couple years, we've had a lot of laughs, heard a lot of great music, and I had the opportunity to interview some of my favorite artists. Though earlier today I was tuned into VMFM 91.7 and heard a promo for another season of Mike Evan's show so I thought, "Screw it, it's go time!"

So make sure to join me every Sunday night from 10pm until midnight for another exciting season of It Came from the Desert starting September 11, 2011. I made this decision about 2 hours ago so I have to figure out what I'm doing this season. I'm going to be seeing Kyuss Lives! at the Trocadero in Philadelpha, PA on September 21 so perhaps I will run into one of those guys for a quick chat, who knows.

If you have any suggestions, shoot me a line.

Episode 82 Recap

2011-04-21T19:04:00.002-04:00

So here's the deal, the show is going off the air (for real this time). The last show is May 1st. However, i don't want that to end our intimate relationship. Currently, I'm in the early stages of thinking what to do. I've been toying with the idea of having a 24/7 internet radio station or a weekly podcast. As tempting as an internet radio station is, it's quite an investment.

I am willing to put some cash into this project, so that's neither here nor there, the issue is time and demand. If there is a demand, I will put my best foot forward and dive into it. A podcast would be the easiest and least time consuming. Though, one of the reasons I got into radio was because it was live and I always thought there was something very special about hearing someone, somewhere else, saying something at the same time to hundreds or thousands of people. It was one of those "things that make you say whoa".

They're not listening to an mp3

This would allow me to provide both live and recorded content all day every day. This would be able to pave the way for mobile apps and all that other crap. But who cares? I might just say screw it, but I don't want to. So answer the poll on the top right of this page and we'll see what happens.

I am going to miss VMFM 91.7 deeply, but it's time to sign off for the last time. So tune in while you can. Here's this weeks playlist.

1. Goon Moon - Pin Eyed Boy
2. Black NASA - Colony
3. Hater - Circles
4. Death From Above 1979 - Losing Friends
5. Egypt - Touch Ground
6. Can - I Want More
7. Pell Mell - Field of Poppies
8. John McBain - In Santiago Airspace *
9. John McBain - Centaur of the Sun *
10. Brad Laner - Circumscribe
11. Heliotropes - Early In The Morning
12. Hello=Fire - Parallel
13. Gay Witch Abortion - Church Buffet
14. Colour Haze - Roses
15. Kyuss - Odyssey
16. Masters of Reality - Also Ran Song
17. Desert Sessions - Dead In Love
18. Castrovalva - One Human Family
19. earthlings? - Rock Dove
20. Wellwater Conspiracy - Nati Bati Yi #
21. Dead Meadow - Sleepy Silver Door
22. Torche - Hideaway
23. The Duke Spirit - This Ship Was Built To Last
24. Fatso Jetson - Gargle
25. Skooma - Frogland

* - Artist focus

# - Cover of the Week