Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Self Help Radio 022426: A Week Off

A collage of album covers from which the music of the show comes: Dapper Blob, Squanderers, Florian Stéphant, Venera, Leslie Keffer, Matt Bachmann, Shane Krause, Rich Brown, Valley Voice, Cookin' On 3 Burners, The Necks, Faten Kanaan, Aatocaster, Anushka Chkheidze + Robert Lippok, Doug Bielmeier, Loneward, Didon, Duid, Géraldine Eguiluz & Michel F Côté, Midori Hirano, Devin Maxwell, The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis, Shabaka, Nick Schofield, The Setting, & Leo Chang
(all album cover images from Bandcamp)

After a particularly heavy week - wherein I had to travel back to Texas to see a family member that took ill - she's fine now tho! - I realized I didn't have the time to put together one of my regular shabbily-constructed shows. I really did not have the time or the energy. So I said to my wife, "I think Self Help Radio is going to have to take the week off." She said, "So you're not doing a show this week?" I said, "I'll do a show, it just won't be a theme-based Self Help Radio episode." She rolled her eyes at me & said, "That's not taking a week off."

But you have to admit, it's better than a repeat!

So here's a selection of recently released jazz, electronica, experimental, etc., with very few interruptions from me. You can listen if you'd like at the KBOO website or at the Self Help Radio website. The songs I played are below.

Back to the regular nonsense next week.

Self Help Radio Takes A Week Off
"Tidal Motions" Dapper Blob _Most People Are Other People_
"Theme For Fruitful Tangents" Squanderers _Skantagio_
"AZK" Florian Stéphant _La Sympathie Des Horloges_ 
"Decreation" Venera _Exinfinite_
"Sunder" Leslie Keffer _Sunder_

"Out The Door" Matt Bachmann _Compost Karaoke_
"Conjunctions I For Saxophones" Shane Krause _I Measured The Skies_
"The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Within" Rich Brown _Nyaeba_
"Shiver" Valley Voice _Stars, Engines_
"No Bread For You" Cookin' On 3 Burners _Cookin' The Books_

"Causeway" The Necks _Disquiet_

"Book Of Changes" Faten Kanaan _Diary Of A Candle_
"Exp" Aatocaster _Superstition (Studio Works '23 - '25)_
"Uncontrollable Thoughts" Anushka Chkheidze + Robert Lippok _Uncontrollable Thoughts_
"Dreams Like These" Doug Bielmeier _Electric Rodeo Revival_
"Dream Palette" Loneward _Musings Of A Painted Sky_

"Junoon" Didon _Bab El Mdina_
"Generation Amiga" Duid _Let's Duid_
"Les Grands Départs" Géraldine Eguiluz & Michel F Côté _Hors Temps_
"Illuminance" Midori Hirano _Otonoma_
"Cloudseeding 10" Devin Maxwell _Megadrought_

"Gestations" The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis _Deface The Currency_
"Marwa The Mountain" Shabaka _Of The Earth_
"Magic Touch" Nick Schofield _Blue Hour_
"Flourishing Flakes" The Setting _The Setting_

"Hum" Leo Chang _Live At CPR_

Monday, February 23, 2026

Whither A Week Off?

Close up of office windows.

Listen. I had a heck of a week. A family emergency took me to Dallas. Once back, I had a radio show on XRAY, a meeting at Freeform Portland, & I helped with a show at KBOO. & I'm not as young as I used to be.

What I keep saying is, "I'm taking a week off." That's not entirely true. I'm not doing the planned episode of Self Help Radio this week - the show with the theme "rooftops." I'll do that next week. This week I'll just play lots of sounds I find interesting - in the jazz, electronic, & experimental genres - that have been released in oh the last six months or so. Instrumentals mainly. Not so much me talking.

Hopefully it'll give me a chance to recharge & spend the time to make sure the show is a good one.

So listen to me "take a week off" tonight on KBOO - 90.7fm in town, kboo dot fm everywhere - from midnight to 3am. It isn't that I couldn't play a rerun or anything - I just don't think anyone should be subjected to one of my shows more than once.

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Preface To The Next Show: What Will It Be?

A map of a line a place would fly between Portland & Dallas.
(image found here)

If you look at the Self Help Radio web page right now, you will see that the theme for tomorrow night's show is "rooftops." Or is it?

You see, I had a hell of a week. A family member took ill & I had to go to Dallas. & I am still very, very tired. & not a little discombobulated.

So there's a very good chance I'll take a week off. I'll still have some kind of show - it just won't necessarily be a Self Help Radio episode about rooftops. That will have to wait until next week.

But. We'll see. Maybe if I get a little sleep tonight, that will help & I'll be bright-tailed & bushy-eyed & be able to navigate the day. Chances are slim but there's still a chance. Maybe?

Let me think on it & I'll tell you tomorrow.