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I’ve made no secret of my distaste for the Christmas Season and the new year has given me yet another log to toss on the pile of pain. The only time in the last 3 decades there was joy in my tinsel was when my daughter still believed in Santa Claus. Like most trauma, it likely began in childhood and continues throughout my life, I wind-up getting sick at and during the Holidaze. Actually managed to make it through the first two weeks of 2026 feeling alright, except for another weird, painful blister erupting on one of my fingers. This was the third month in a row getting a finger lanced at the walk-in clinic, but I chalked it up to the variety of skin issues that have taken hold post-R-EPOCH Chemo in 2018. I really try to not complain about the fallout from what amounted to 30 full days of 3 different brands of poison being pumped into me round the clock. It feels ungrateful when it has given me 8 years so far on this side of the turf. Wouldn’t have made it even 1 without it. This time the doctor sent a sample for a culture as neither of us could explain why it was happening.
In a week we had a diagnosis. MRSA antibiotic resistant bacterial infection. What the what?!? I’m the boy in the bubble. No baboon heart, but I rarely leave the house. All I could do was isolate myself from the wife and daughter, finish the prescription, which had been changed to a drug that actually works and hope for the best, which consisted of hoping it clears before entering my bloodstream and lymphatic system. That would kill me. The day after I finished the meds, it wasn’t completely gone but it was definitely clearing. Within 12 hours I was suddenly very tired and foggy and by the end of the following day had slept for the bulk of it and sparing you the gory bathroom details, was very sick. We called the ambulance and my blood pressure was stuck at 80! My body temp was also seriously low along with my oxygen level and it was off to the hospital ASAP. After bags of intravenous medication and fluids, a massive dose of Vincristine also direct into the vein, more sleep and no food I got home a few days ago. Healing and feeling human. To quote The Godfather of Soul, “I Feel Good.” You have to admit that I get the weirdest shit wrong with me. One of the things that made me very happy was the honest support I felt when I got in touch with Bill at Radio Paradise to bring him up to speed. Full understanding instantly, zero pressure. The last time that happened was way back in my Rykodisc days with the incredible Don Rose. That last place I was employed didn’t give me any time or help while I was dealing with Bell’s Palsy for a spell. I had to push my chin up on the affected side to speak as normally as possible. Of course it was post-merger… hostile takeover. The episode is stuffed with goodness and clocks in at a tidy 3 hours and 45 minutes. New stuff from Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley, Waves_On_Waves, Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel, Peter Gabriel, SHOLTO, The New Pornographers, Courtney Barnett, Arctic Monkeys, Shackleton, Beck. The Black Crowes, Death Cult and Robin Trower. Connective tissue courtesy of Luka Bloom, Inara George,Jimmy Cliff, Led Zeppelin, Hoyt Axton, Neil Young, Alejandro Escovedo String Quintet, Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes, Marvin Gaye, Bobby Charles, Dolorean, Buffalo Springfield, Metro, Bill Nelson, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Devo, Lyres, The Clash, The Verlaines, Procol Harum and a bunch more. Thanks for listening and the continued support and love.
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The final episode of 2025 is ready for your ears, but be warned that the opening set just might be the most rockin’ to emerge from the basement studio to date. The entire episode clocks in at exactly 3 hours and 43 minutes with no Holiday songs, countdowns, wrap-ups, tributes or mini specials marking the turn of the calendar. A blur of psychedelic mood lighting seemed to put the recording process on cruise control and I swear the radio muse was in and out the door a few times.
This is dedicated to the inherent magic of radio and to all the wonderful listeners that have encouraged and propped us up with support and encouragement over the past 7 years. Even though I am actually employed part time at Radio Paradise, the plan is to continue doing regular new episodes as long as inspiration is in the air. Thanks for listening and I wish you all the love in the world.
For the Playlist and more click here
December 8 is significant for religious holidays like the Immaculate Conception, historical events such as John Lennon's death (1980) and FDR's "Day of Infamy" speech. Big stuff, indeed. Aside from the new Beatles Anthology and some wisdom from John Lennon, episode #020 has nothing to do with any of those events. The simple fact is that like every other show I have ever done, it only exists to display that all music is inherently good and intrinsically connected.
New efforts from Wreckless Eric, Snarky Puppy’s collaboration with Metropole Orkest and Jules Buckley, John Scofield, The Avett Brothers with Mike Patton, the return of Eric Bachmann’s Crooked Fingers and Ryan Adams mix it up with Alejandro Escovedo’s String Quartet, Ray Charles, Humble Pie, Graham Parker, The Four Tops, Thin Lizzy, Frank Sinatra and even The Sphincter Ensemble to hopefully create a greater whole. We remember artists like Hilly Michaels, drummer Gilson Lavis with something from Squeeze that would fall apart without his impeccable time and the brilliance of extraordinary musician Jack DeJohnette through a few pieces recorded with Freddie Hubbard and John Abercrombie. And that just scratches the surface of the full episode. As always, thanks for listening and your continued support (click for info), and above all thanks for believing, appreciating and encouraging the beauty and power of music.
Playlist and more click me
It appears the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee really is making up for lost time, or perhaps it’s just a “hoax” or coincidence. All I know is this year filled a pair of enormous holes on my mental tally of artists deserving recognition. Warren Zevon and through Bad Co.’s enshrinement, the brilliant Paul Rodgers. This episode includes a brief tribute to Paul as the DMCA prevents us from doing the long form retrospective that he (and Warren) certainly deserve. That’s quite alright, we’ll take it.
New sounds from Arthur Buck, The Waterboys, Ed Harcourt, AVTT/PTTN, Curious Volume and the return of Nightmares on Wax and Cheap Trick, join vault and reissues from Drive-By Truckers, Jimi Hendrix, Prince and The Rolling Stones in this episode’s musical stew. As usual, the library was raided for connective tissue courtesy of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Dumptruck, Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians, Lenny Bruce, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Smith, James Brown, Morphine, Charles Bradley, Dennis Wilson, Kirsty Maccoll, The Triffids, Crowded House, Sutherland Brothers & Quiver, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Damned, The Only Ones, Dramarama, The Tragically Hip, The Orwells and so much more. As we watch our country implode due to political insanity and a commander in chief that desperately needs either a diaper change or a new pacifier, we keep our focus where it belongs. It’s all about the music. Thanks to all for listening and supporting our efforts (donate here) we couldn’t do it without you.
PLAYLIST AND MORE HERE
I must begin by thanking everyone who reached out with congratulations and good will regarding the news concerning Radio Paradise. I really am overjoyed to link up with Bill and his great staff. I have the utmost respect for the values, mission and integrity that has been front and center since they launched a few decades back. We have so much in common when it comes to music and broadcasting, regardless what vehicle gets the signal to the audience. Further, the fact that Josh Cunningham and Felton Pruitt are already on staff and I had the pleasure of working with both on the original XM Programming team. Solid humans who know how to get the job done with love and respect for all music. I was able to video into a few of their retreat and brainstorming sessions over the past week and if I was a bit younger and fully healthy I could think of few places as wonderful as Humboldt County to relocate. But I have made my last move.
Now let’s clear up some details regarding exactly what I will be doing. I simply cannot work full-time as I do need to be careful. While fortunate to come through two cancer situations on the right side of the turf, I am wired to slide immediately into 15 hour workdays, every day. That would be a disaster. My immediate duties will be behind the scenes, exploring and expanding the RP Music Library. I will continue to do Planting Seeds episodes through Mixcloud.com, HEARTHIS.AT and mike.marrone.com. We’ll see how everything shakes out over the long term, but my initial focus will be making the music library of Radio Paradise the deepest, widest and most complete anywhere. I will confess that I haven’t been this happy or excited in about 8 years. Bill Goldsmith had this to say, "There are only 2 radio programmers whose opinion I respect when it comes to my Main Mix. Mike Marrone is one of them. I couldn't be more excited. Well, I could be, but it might hurt me." OK, so what to expect in the way of Planting Seeds #018? We have a batch of incredible new releases from Mavis Staples, Saintseneca, Guided By Voices, Lucinda Williams, Soul Coughing, The Len Price 3, The Mountain Goats, Bartees Strange, Jeff Tweedy, AVTTPTTN, a super deluxe edition of “Who Are You” and Winterpills. The library was raided for selections from Justin Hayward & John Lodge, The The, Chick Corea, Modern Jazz Quartet, Harry Nilsson, Game Theory, Sparklehorse, The Cars, Red House Painters, GoGo Penguin, The Last Poets, Julian Cope, Jim Carroll Band, Translator, Warren Zevon, The Replacements, Golden Smog, Maia Sharp, Rod Stewart and more. Thanks so much for listening, the incredible support and for just being you. Love to all!
For the PLAYLIST and other goodies Click.
I can’t quite explain it but over the last couple of days it feels as if we have shifted into a new gear, or a secret switch has been thrown in the back room of the ever tightening circle of power, masquerading as our Government. Face it, this regime has been stripping our military of professional and trusted personnel and it commenced on the first day of the takeover, continuing unabated in literally every government agency. What is going on is in no way business as usual and it’s starting to smell bad. Granted there has always been an odor surrounding our diaper wearing chief executive, but all signs point to a full blown stench on the horizon that no amount of bleach will erase. Cathy and I will be out there on Saturday, all we have is our voices to protest PEACEFULLY. I predict a massive turnout across the entire USA.
I was inaccurate above. Aside from our voices we have music. This episode helped calm my psyche while creating it and I hope you dive right in. New releases from Patti Smith, John Lennon, Madi Diaz, Ronnie Wood (w/Chrissie Hynde), Mocean Worker, Joe Alterman, Jon Batiste, Don Was, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Robert Plant, Headshadow (feat. Jon Auer) and more. Our massive library offers up the wide variety necessary to make everything fit just right. Includes: Love Spit Love, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Steve Forbert, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Freedy Johnston, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris, Herbie Hancock, The Gun Club, Willy DeVille, Warren Zevon, Dave Edmunds, Frankie Miller, Ry Cooder, David Bromberg, Savoy Brown, Mose Allison, Les McCann Ltd., The Rascals, Low, Gil Scott-Heron and a ton more. Massive thanks for listening, sharing and supporting the program. Donations are always welcome and appreciated (HERE) but not required to enjoy the music.
For the PLAYLIST and other stuff click HERE
It is becoming more difficult to drown out the cycle of non-stop noise emanating from the man-child in charge and his swelling herd of loyalist enablers. Namely the Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives, who could have stopped this nonsense long ago. Indictments, threats, lies, temper tantrums, cruelty and a complete lack of dignity and/or respect and common decency are the new normal, as “the regime” continue their quest to obliterate the middle class, consolidate power and limit health care to the wealthy and super wealthy. Bobby Brainworm as head of Health and Human Services is apparently under the impression that the female of the species carries a child to term in her placenta. Really? He does have children, doesn’t he? And we can’t leave out the fact that the smartest man in the world needs to know who this Habeas Corpus guy is. It’s to the point where you start to miss the wit and wisdom of Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin, or honesty and integrity of Spiro Agnew and Joe McCarthy. There does not appear to be a bottom for this crew.
Music is what I depend upon to keep the wolves at bay and this episode is absolutely loaded with outstanding examples, new, old and in-between. We have new releases from Rachael Yamagata, Supergrass (live with strings), John Lennon, Arthur/Buck, Reuben Lewis, I Hold the Lion's Paw;Tariro Mavondo, Climb That G*dd*m! Mountain, Jon Stancer, The Chameleons, Jeff Tweedy, Supersuckers, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Mocean Worker, Joe Alterman, Alabama Shakes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Other Lives, Sloan, Ash, Richard Ashcroft, Rhett Miller, Robert Plant and The Third Mind. Special edition, remastered deluxe sets from Oasis, My Morning Jacket, Robin Trower and Genesis. And the library offers up The Beatles, R.E.M., XTC, Peter Tosh, King Crimson, Argent, The Brains, The Smiths, Gong, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pete Townshend, The Kinks, Roger Miller, Louis Armstrong, Van Morrison, Hoodoo Gurus and more to keep everything flowing the way we like it. Thanks so much for listening and all the support (donations are HERE) and if you are in an area afflicted with armed, masked members of Tangerine’s Tigers (aka ICE) don’t take the bait. He’s dying to enact The Insurrection Act and declare Martial Law so he can cancel elections and never leave office. Please be safe and we will get through this.
For the Playlist and more click HERE
“I left too much money on the table the first time, I will not make that mistake again.” Take five guesses who said that and if you don’t get it in one, it’s clear you have been under sedation for the last 8+ months. The figure most bandied about is 3.5 Billion. But that was prior to the reported 2 Billion “tribute” for the recent chip sale. The grift and greed is not only at epic scale, but for the most part it’s right out in the open. Every single day they flood the zone with press releases, executive orders, misinformation, warnings, threats and whatever “bright shiny object” they can find to keep the befuddled and fleeced citizens on edge and frightened. The gold filigree in the White House is multiplying by the second, rivaled only by the increased dementia symptoms on display by our own King Midas meets Nero. And now… they are shutting the government down. Why not? They have no interest in actual governing as it interferes with removing health care from as many Americans as possible, while we make sure that the most vulnerable (Billionaires) are covered.
So… what can we do? Pay attention, speak up and vote in every damn election you can. Try not to get discouraged and don’t get sucked into useless arguments on the internet. Music is my answer but whatever works for you is just fine. This episode utilizes new releases from Trapper Schoepp, Genesis, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Robert Plant and Saving Grace, Jeff Tweedy, David Mead, Grateful Dead and Reuben Lewis/Hold the Lion's Paw. With “democracy” front of mind the library was raided for sounds including: Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, The Bonzo Dog Band, Dead Kennedys, Femi Kuti, Laurie Anderson, Wayne Kramer, Bullmoose Jackson, Steve Wynn, Jeff Buckley, Bobby Charles, Freddie King, Radiohead, Lord Buckley and a ton more. Thanks to all for the continued support (here) and for your ears and heart.
For the playlist and more... click here
 So much has happened over the past few days at the Mike’s Basement studio compound, not to mention the de-evolving Culture of our Country, that this demanded a rush release. Episode 014 gets some scoop from UK friends Anton Noel Retente or as we call him, A. Noel and his mysterious handler Suzzy. It’s rare when they surface but with our Cheeto In Chief invading their Country, it was great to hear their perspective. They feel sorry for us and around here we appreciate their understanding that the petulant, moronic behavior and diabolical lack of decency and brain power does not prejudice their opinion of the entire USA. Very little time is spent on this topic as I try not to even say his name. It’s music that packs the show, stuffed with new releases from Tedeschi Trucks Band; Leon Russell; Susan Tedeschi, John Butler, Jeff Tweedy, Maia Sharp, Brad Mehldau, Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell, Joni Mitchell, Ryan Adams, Josh Ritter, Neal Casal, Mike Reid and Joe Henry, Grant-Lee Phillips, Radical Face, The Chameleons, The Anderson Council, Marshall Crenshaw and Led Zeppelin. We remember the insanity of Vivian Prince, who somehow survived to the age of 84, much longer than his biggest fan, Keith Moon. Make sure to stick around to the end of the show for a hint regarding a major “career” announcement I am completely stoked about and thanks to all who have been contributors and supporters of these efforts and have kept the boat afloat. I will never be able to repay the kindness, but promise to keep this sonic communication directly from my heart to you. Enjoy the show and thank you for listening. If you need a Playlist click here. Preview video below! 
The physical act of communication is easier than ever today, everything from instant free delivery to the ability to shape your message exactly as you wish in regard to presentation. While there is exponentially more music released these days than at any time in the past, unfortunately (IMO) most of it is either grossly underexposed or not heard at all. While there are many more outlets to expose new music there are far less trusted filters involved to point someone in a direction they would enjoy. Again IMO, radio deregulation in the mid-90s deserves a huge chunk of the blame, but all these years later that pile is shrinking. For a minute it looked like the Internet could be the answer but the DMCA came along in 1998 and by the new Century were firmly in place with restrictions regarding airplay for anything non-terrestrial based. Satellite Radio was very promising but even 2 companies were too much for Wall Street and were merged into a single entity. The variety of programming offered, once seemingly limitless, is now much less so. Streaming audio is fine, sound quality is continually improving and the convenience factor is off the charts, but again the outlets have shrunk and trusted filters are mostly non-existent or ineffective.
Let’s face it, the music industry still makes a ton of money but overall has shrunk considerably and the days of multiple record stores in every market are not coming back in the near or distant future. At one time due to my job, there were at least 20 weekly periodicals devoted to music and even more monthlies. What was coming out, was just released, reviews, opinion, interviews, ad infinitum for every possible niche, interest or trend. Don’t look for a print comeback any time soon either. For anyone involved in entertainment there remains a single truism that has proven to be a stone-cold guarantee of engendering success and exposure. But how do you employ “word of mouth” when we no longer speak to each other? This is the question. We have lost the art of communication. And if we don’t relearn how to interact with our fellow humans, to allow for differences of opinion as healthy discourse and not a time to head to the gun store for supplies, it will leave much more damage than a bunch of unheard records, unwatched movies and unread books. We simply must break out of our silos and understand when all is said and done, much more connects us than separates us. Communicate with consideration and respect. Look for a reason to include and not reject. There is simply no time to lose. New releases in this episode from The Beatles, Jethro Tull, Jon Batiste, The Wood Brothers, Adrian Sherwood, Talking Heads, Marianne Faithfull, Radiohead, Alabama Shakes, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Tedeschi Trucks Band; Leon Russell; Dave Mason; Anders Osborne, John Prine, The Who, Spinal Tap;w/Paul McCartney and Elton John, Led Zeppelin and The Chameleons. Also listen for Tommy Keene, Eric Burdon and War, Steve Miller Band, Nine Below Zero, Treat Her Right, Graham Parker & The Rumour, The Clash, Thievery Corporation, Tom Waits, John Martyn, Pink Floyd, My Morning Jacket, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bob Mould, The Byrds, Stereophonics, David Bowie, Bill Hicks, Afghan Whigs and a whole bunch more. If you have a notion to hit the Tip Jar it would be most appreciated, but if not don’t let that get in the way of enjoying the music. This is the place to CLICK.
It has taken all day to upload this to Mixcloud, had to downsample it... not feeling good about this.
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Mike MarroneDad, Husband, DJ 
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