Fall 2015 Update

Sorry it's been such a long time since I've last posted here. Life has been really busy and I haven't had time to keep up a blog. But I have some important news for you!

First, Flight of the Squawkatiel is back on WRUV for the fall semester at the usual time - Wednesday nights from 8-10 pm.

Now the big news: This will be Flight of the Squawkatiel's final semester at WRUV.

Don't worry, I'm not leaving WRUV. I still plan on doing a show into 2016 and beyond, at my usual time. I just felt it was time to mix things up and bring some more excitement and new ideas to my show. I don't want this to be the show that goes "here's the latest brand new music from the artists you already know" - I want it to be more unique and personalized. Since I have been at WRUV for over 4 years, I have a clearer idea of the kind of show I want to have.

The show will have a new name that I haven't chosen yet, but I still will go by DJ McSquawk since that's how I'm known at WRUV. I would still like the name of the new show to have "Squawk" or "Squawkatiel" in it. If you have any name suggestions, feel free to leave them here!

The new show will take over from Flight of the Squawkatiel once WRUV's Spring 2016 schedule begins. Here's what you can expect from the new show:

• The format will be more freeform, no longer 1 hour of new music + 1 hour from my collection. About 2/3rds new music, and the rest will be some old favorites from my collection and listener requests. The new music will be a rotating mix of about 15 different artists, with 5-8 new ones debuting each week.
• The music will be similar to what I already play on my show - a blend of indie rock, dream pop, electronica, acoustic/folk rock, energetic pop rock, and anything else that sounds good in between. Your soundtrack to Wednesday nights in Burlington!
• I will be incorporating more of my favorite discoveries of unsigned/independent artists on Soundcloud and Spotify and giving them more exposure. I'm also interested in doing interviews with some of these artists, and playing them on the show.
• I will interact more with listeners on this show rather than just playing music. In today's world where you can easily stream any music at any time, I want to use the radio to offer something unique you can't find anywhere else.

This will be a very exciting time for me. Thanks to everyone who has listened to my show the past 4 years, and thanks to all the artists who provided the great music I've played on my show. Keep tuned in to Flight of the Squawkatiel the next few months on 90.1 WRUV, and check back here or on Facebook or Twitter for more updates on the new show.

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: Grand Final

After 5 rounds of voting, you have selected Jenny Lewis and Rubblebucket as the final two artists competing for the title of Squawkatiel Madness Champion!

The winner will get a special show dedicated to their music on April 30th, including selections from their side projects, remixes and covers of their songs by other artists, and other cool stuff. But now is the time to decide who that will be!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

If you vote above, not only do you get to decide who you want to win Squawkatiel Madness 2015, but you can also request a song you want to hear on their victory show next week!

Voting ends April 30th at 9 pm. You will be able to call in your vote as well during the first hour of that night's show.

Squawkatiel Madness 2015 Round 5 - Get your votes in!

We're down to the Feathered Four of Squawkatiel Madness 2015! After 5 weeks of voting, we are left with just four artists remaining in the tournament: tUnE-yArDs, Jenny Lewis, The Decemberists, and Rubblebucket.

We need your votes! So far no one has voted (besides myself) so if you want to have a say in which of these four will get a special show dedicated to their music the night of April 30th, vote below:

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

This is your chance to decide whether it will be tUnE-yArDs or Jenny Lewis taking on The Decemberists or Rubblebucket in the final match of Squawkatiel Madness 2015! You have until Thursday, April 23rd at 6 pm to get your votes in. That night, I will announce who your final two remaining artists are in Squawkatiel Madness who will compete for your vote this coming week.

If you're unsure of who to vote for, here is a playlist of videos from all 4 artists to help you decide:

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: The Feathered Four - voting has opened!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

We are down to just 4 bands left in Squawkatiel Madness 2015 - the Feathered Four! One of these four artists will get a special show dedicated to their music on April 30th, and you get to decide who it will be!

But right now, you need to decide which two artists will battle it out in the Grand Finale next week! The matches for this round are:

(4) tUnE-yArDs vs. (5) Jenny Lewis

(2) The Decemberists vs. (2) Rubblebucket

If you're not sure who to vote for, check out these music videos from all four artists below:


Voting for this round ends Thursday, April 23rd at 6 pm. Tune into that night's show to find out who made it to the final match of Squawkatiel Madness 2015!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: Round 4 results!

The votes are in and the Feathered Four for Squawkatiel Madness 2015 have been decided! Here are the final scores:

(winner in bold)

Match #1: tUnE-yArDs vs. Bombay Bicycle Club

tUnE-yArDs 3
Bombay Bicycle Club 1

Match #2: Jenny Lewis vs. Foster the People

Jenny Lewis 2
Foster the People 1*

Match #3: Pixies vs. The Decemberists

Pixies 1
The Decemberists 3

Match #4: Spoon vs. Rubblebucket

Spoon 1
Rubblebucket 3

*means this match ended in a tie, and DJ McSquawk's vote was discarded.

Voting has opened for Round 5! CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Last chance to vote in Round 4 of Squawkatiel Madness 2015!

Voting for Round 4 in Squawkatiel Madness 2015 is almost over! You have until Thursday, April 16 at 6 pm to get your votes in.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

The matches for this round are:

(4) tUnE-yArDs vs. (14) Bombay Bicycle Club
(8) Pixies vs. (2) The Decemberists
(5) Jenny Lewis vs. (14) Foster the People
(5) Spoon vs. (2) Rubblebucket

The eventual winner will get a special show dedicated to their music on my April 30th show!

Sadly, Flight of the Squawkatiel will not be on WRUV this Thursday because I will be out sick, but I will announce the results of Squawkatiel Madness on this blog, my Facebook and Twitter! Stay tuned.

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: Round 3 Results/Round 4 begins!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN ROUND 4

The votes are in, and you, the listeners, have chosen your Avian Eight in Squawkatiel Madness 2015! Pleasantly surprised with the results. At this point, any of these eight artists could win, and get a special show dedicated to their music on my April 30th show!

Here are the final scores (winner in bold):

Match #1: (1) Mac DeMarco vs. (4) tUnE-yArDs

Mac DeMarco 1
tUnE-yArDs 3

Match #2: (2) Real Estate vs. (14) Bombay Bicycle Club

Real Estate 1
Bombay Bicycle Club 3

Match #3: (1) TV on the Radio vs. (5) Jenny Lewis

TV on the Radio 1
Jenny Lewis 3

Match #4: (7) Modest Mouse vs. (14) Foster the People

Modest Mouse 1*
Foster the People 2

Match #5: (8) Pixies vs. (5) Deerhoof

Pixies 3
Deerhoof 1

Match #6: (2) The Decemberists vs. (3) The New Pornographers

The Decemberists 4
The New Pornographers 0

Match #7: (1) Stars vs. (5) Spoon

Stars 1
Spoon 3

Match #8: (2) Rubblebucket vs. (3) Alt-J

Rubblebucket 3
Alt-J 1

*means match resulted in a tie, and DJ McSquawk's vote was discarded.

The matches for Round 4 are:

(4) tUnE-yArDs vs. (14) Bombay Bicycle Club

(5) Jenny Lewis vs. (14) Foster the People

(8) Pixies vs. (2) The Decemberists

(5) Spoon vs. (2) Rubblebucket

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN ROUND 4

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: Round 3 - The Squawky Sixteen

We've made it through the first two rounds. You, the listeners, have voted and there are 16 artists remaining in Squawkatiel Madness 2015!

This week we are cutting that number down to 8, so now it's time to vote for which artists you want to move on to the Avian Eight in Squawkatiel Madness and be one step closer to taking the championship and getting a special show dedicated to their music!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN ROUND 3!

The matches for Round 3 are:

(1) Mac DeMarco vs. (4) Deerhoof

(2) Real Estate vs. (14) Bombay Bicycle Club

(1) TV on the Radio vs. (5) Jenny Lewis

(7) Modest Mouse vs. (14) Foster the People

(8) Pixies vs. (5) Deerhoof

(2) The Decemberists vs. (3) The New Pornographers

(1) Stars vs. (5) Spoon

(2) Rubblebucket vs. (3) Alt-J

You have until 6 pm on Thursday, April 9. Then, tune in to that night's show from 8-10 pm on 90.1 WRUV FM Burlington or at wruv.org - I will announce the Avian Eight on that night's show.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN ROUND 3!

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: Round 2 Results!

Voting is over for Round 2 of Squawkatiel Madness 2015! Click here to vote in Round 3 and choose you want to move on to the Avian Eight.

Some highlights: Mac DeMarco pulled an impressive 6-0 win over Ariel Pink. Foster the People also swept their match against Zola Jesus 5-0, becoming the biggest surprise in the Squawky Sixteen. tUnE-yArDs pulled a last minute upset over Aphex Twin, who initially got off to a strong start. And the War on Drugs are the first number one seed to fall, losing to Pixies by 1 vote.

Here are the final scores (winner in bold) :

Match #1: (1) Mac DeMarco vs. (8) Ariel Pink

Mac DeMarco 6
Ariel Pink 0

Match #2: (4) tUnE-yArDs vs. (5) Aphex Twin

tUnE-yArDs 3
Aphex Twin 2*

Match #3 (2) Real Estate vs. (7) Frank Turner

Real Estate 3
Frank Turner 2*

Match #4: (14) Bombay Bicycle Club vs. (6) Kishi Bashi

Bombay Bicycle Club 5
Kishi Bashi 1

Match #5: (1) TV on the Radio vs. (9) Death Cab For Cutie

TV on the Radio 3
Death Cab For Cutie 2*

Match #6: (4) Alvvays vs. (5) Jenny Lewis

Alvvays 2
Jenny Lewis 4

Match #7: (2) Beck vs. (7) Modest Mouse

Beck 2
Modest Mouse 4

Match #8: (14) Foster the People vs. (6) Zola Jesus

Foster the People 5
Zola Jesus 0

Match #9: (1) The War on Drugs vs. (8) Pixies

The War on Drugs 2*
Pixies 3

Match #10: (13) The Hold Steady vs. (5) Deerhoof

The Hold Steady 2
Deerhoof 4

Match #11:  (2) The Decemberists vs. (10) Chadwick Stokes

The Decemberists 4
Chadwick Stokes 2

Match #12: (3) The New Pornographers vs. (6) Minus the Bear

The New Pornographers 4
Minus the Bear 2

Match #13: (1) Stars vs. (9) The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Stars 3
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour 2

Match #14: (4) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart vs. (5) Spoon

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 1
Spoon 4

Match #15: (2) Rubblebucket vs. (7) Sylvan Esso

Rubblebucket 4
Sylvan Esso 2

Match #16: (3) Alt-J vs. (6) Toro Y Moi

Alt-J 4
Toro Y Moi 2

*this match resulted in a tie, and DJ McSquawk's vote was discarded.

Last chance to vote in Round 2 of Squawkatiel Madness!

If you haven't voted in this week's round of Squawkatiel Madness, you have until 6 pm today to do so...

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

If you are not familiar with any of the artists up for vote in this round, below you can listen to a Soundcloud mix of all 32 artists:

Squawkatiel Madness: Results from Round 1, Part 2!

Your votes are in and Round 1 of Squawkatiel Madness 2015 is over! We are down to 32 artists remaining in the tournament, and these 32 are one step closer to becoming the 2015 Squawkatiel Madness champion and getting a special show on April 30th dedicated to their music!

Here are the final scores from Part 2 of Round 1: (winner in bold)

Match #1: (1) The War on Drugs vs. (16) Braid

The War on Drugs 4
Braid 1

Match #2: (8) Pixies vs. (9) MC Frontalot

Pixies 4
MC Frontalot 1

Match #3: (4) Craft Spells vs. (13) The Hold Steady*

Craft Spells 1
The Hold Steady 2

Match #4: (5) Deerhoof vs. (12) Tycho

Deerhoof 3
Tycho 1

Match #5: (2) The Decemberists vs. (15) 2:54

The Decemberists 5
2:54 0

Match #6: (7) Belle & Sebastian vs. (10) Chadwick Stokes

Belle & Sebastian 2
Chadwick Stokes 3

Match #7: (3) The New Pornographers vs. (14) Fink

The New Pornographers 4
Fink 1

Match #8: (6) Minus the Bear vs. (11) Generationals

Minus the Bear 4
Generationals 1

Match #9: (1) Stars vs. (16) Manchester Orchestra

Stars 3
Manchester Orchestra 2

Match #10: (8) TOPS vs. (9) The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

TOPS 2
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour 3

Match #11: (4) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart vs. (13) The Derevolutions

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 3
The Derevolutions 2

Match #12: (5) Spoon vs. (12) T Bird & The Breaks

Spoon 4
T Bird & The Breaks 1

Match #13: (2) Rubblebucket vs. (15) Jingo

Rubblebucket 4
Jingo 1

Match #14: (7) Sylvan Esso vs. (10) The Black Keys

Sylvan Esso 3
The Black Keys 2

Match #15: (3) Alt-J vs. (14) The Both

Alt-J 3
The Both 2

Match #16: (6) Toro Y Moi vs. (11) The Kooks

Toro Y Moi 3
The Kooks 2

Voting has opened for Round 2! Click here to vote.

Round 2 of Squawkatiel Madness begins!

The votes are in and we are down to 32 artists left in Squawkatiel Madness 2015:

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR WHO YOU WANT TO ADVANCE TO THE SQUAWKY SIXTEEN!

Click here to find out the results and final scores for Round 1.

Still time to vote in Round 1 - Part 2 of Squawkatiel Madness 2015!

There's still time left to vote in this week's round of Squawkatiel Madness! Last week, you voted 16 of Flight of the Squawkatiel's favorite artists through to Round 2, and this week, the other 32 artists on the right side of the bracket are competing for your vote to move on to Round 2.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

You have until Thursday, March 26 at 6 pm to vote. On that night's show at 8 pm, I will be playing songs from all 32 artists who you voted through to Round 2! So be sure to vote for which artists you want to hear on that night's show (and against those you don't want to hear). Please only vote once per round.

The matches for the current round are:

(1) The War on Drugs vs. (16) Braid
(8) Pixies vs. (9) MC Frontalot
(4) Craft Spells vs. (13) The Hold Steady
(5) Deerhoof) vs. (12) Tycho
(2) The Decemberists vs. (15) 2:54
(7) Belle & Sebastian vs. (10) Chadwick Stokes
(3) The New Pornographers vs. (14) Fink
(6) Minus the Bear vs. (11) Generationals
(1) Stars) vs. (16) Manchester Orchestra
(8) TOPS vs. (9) The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
(4) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart vs. (13) The Derevolutions
(5) Spoon vs. (12) T Bird & The Breaks
(2) Rubblebucket vs. (15) Jingo
(7) Sylvan Esso vs. (10) The Black Keys
(3) Alt-J vs. (14) The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo)
(6) Toro Y Moi vs. (11) The Kooks

Below, you can listen to a Soundcloud playlist of all artists up for voting this week:

Squawkatiel Madness - Round 1 Part 1 Results / Vote for Round 1 Part 2!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THIS WEEK'S ROUND OF SQUAWKATIEL MADNESS!

Voting has ended for the first part of Round 2! Your votes are in, and here are the results! The winner (in bold) moves on to Round 2, the loser is eliminated from Squawkatiel Madness.

Match #1:

Mac DeMarco 2
Until the Ribbon Breaks 1

Match #2:

Ariel Pink 2
S. Carey 1

Match #3:

tUnEyArDs 4
Morrissey 1

Match #4:

Aphex Twin 3
Purity Ring 2

Match #5:

Real Estate 3
The Notwist 2

Match #6:

Frank Turner 4
Woods 1

Match #7:

Future Island 2
Bombay Bicycle Club 3

Match #8:

Kishi Bashi 3
Kitten 2

Match #9:

TV on the Radio 5
Porter Robinson 0

Match #10:

Guster 0
Death Cab For Cutie 5

Match #11:

Alvvays 3
The Drums 1

Match #12:

Jenny Lewis 3
PHOX 1

Match #13:

Beck 2
The Gaslight Anthem 1

Match #14:

Modest Mouse 4
Cloud Nothings 1

Match #15:

Tennis 2
Foster the People 3

Match #16:

Zola Jesus 3
Conor Oberst 1

Check out the bracket at http://challonge.com/squawkatiel2015

Squawkatiel Madness - still time to vote in Round 1 (Part 1)

Just one more day left to vote in this week's round of Squawkatiel Madness 2015! 32 artists are competing for your vote - whoever gets the most votes in each match moves on to Round 2!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Once again, the matches for this round are:

(1) Mac DeMarco vs. (16) Until the Ribbon Breaks
(8) Ariel Pink vs. (9) S. Carey
(4) tUnE-yArDs vs. (13) Morrissey
(5) Aphex Twin vs. (12) Purity Ring
(2) Real Estate vs. (15) The Notwist
(7) Frank Turner vs. (10) Woods
(3) Future Islands vs. (14) Bombay Bicycle Club
(6) Kishi Bashi vs. (11) Kitten
(1) TV on the Radio vs. (16) Porter Robinson
(8) Guster vs. (9) Death Cab For Cutie
(4) Alvvays vs. (13) The Drums
(5) Jenny Lewis vs. (12) PHOX
(2) Beck vs. (15) The Gaslight Anthem
(7) Modest Mouse vs. (10) Cloud Nothings
(3) Tennis vs. (14) Foster the People
(6) Zola Jesus vs. (11) Conor Oberst

Right now only 5 people have voted so far, so your vote counts! If any match results in a tied score, DJ McSquawk's vote will be discarded from that match. The listeners' vote counts most!

Voting for this round ends Thursday at 6pm. Later that night, voting for the right half of the bracket in Round 1 will begin, and 32 new artists will compete for your vote to move on to Round 2. I will play songs from all 32 of those artists on my show that night at 8 pm - listen at wruv.org

The eventual winner of Squawkatiel Madness 2015 will receive a special show dedicated to their music on April 30th - so make sure you vote for your favorite artist!

Squawkatiel Madness 2015: Round 1 Begins!

Voting has opened for the Round 1 of Squawkatiel Madness 2015! This week, you'll be voting for which artists on the left side of the bracket you want to move on to the next round.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Voting ends Thursday, March 19th at 6 pm. Voting for Round 1 on the right side of the bracket will open that night. Please only vote once per round.

This week's matches are:

(1) Mac DeMarco vs. (16) Until the Ribbon Breaks
(8) Ariel Pink vs. (9) S. Carey
(4) tUnE-yArDs vs. (13) Morrissey
(5) Aphex Twin vs. (12) Purity Ring
(2) Real Estate vs. (15) The Notwist
(7) Frank Turner vs. (10) Woods
(3) Future Islands vs. (14) Bombay Bicycle Club
(6) Kishi Bashi vs. (11) Kitten
(1) TV on the Radio vs. (16) Porter Robinson
(8) Guster vs. (9) Death Cab For Cutie
(4) Alvvays vs. (13) The Drums
(5) Jenny Lewis vs. (12) PHOX
(2) Beck vs. (15) The Gaslight Anthem
(7) Modest Mouse vs. (10) Cloud Nothings
(3) Tennis vs. (14) Foster the People
(6) Zola Jesus vs. (11) Conor Oberst

If you are unfamiliar with any of these artists, you can listen to songs from each of them on either Spotify or Soundcloud below:


Spread the word on Twitter or Facebook to get out the vote for your favorite artists - #SquawkatielMadness

For more info on Squawkatiel Madness, click here.

Squawkatiel Madness returns!

It's that time of year again! Flight of the Squawkatiel presents the 3rd annual Squawkatiel Madness! In honor of NCAA's March Madness tournament, 64 of the most played artists of the past year on my show will go head to head in battle and you, the listener, will decide who moves on in each round!

In the two previous years, you chose Beach House and Sigur Ros as your Squawkatiel Madness champions! Neither of those bands are in this year's tournament, so this year you will crown a brand new winner!

The madness begins this Thursday, March 12th! Voting will open for the artists on the left side of the bracket below, and I will do a special show with music from every artist competing for your vote that week. Whoever receives the most votes in each match will move on to the second round.

Below you can view the tournament bracket, or you can view a more readable but less fancy version at http://challonge.com/squawkatiel2015 

Follow this page, Facebook, or Twitter for updates on Squawkatiel Madness! Spread the word to get the vote out for your favorite bands - #SquawkatielMadness

Test voting page

The artists in this year's Squawkatiel Madness are:

Alt-J
Alvvays
Aphex Twin
Ariel Pink
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
Beck
Belle & Sebastian
The Black Keys
Bombay Bicycle Club
The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo)
Braid
Chadwick Stokes
Cloud Nothings
Conor Oberst
Craft Spells
Death Cab For Cutie
The Decemberists
Deerhoof
The Derevolutions
The Drums
Fink
Foster the People
Frank Turner
Future Islands
The Gaslight Anthem
Generationals
Guster
The Hold Steady
Jenny Lewis
Jingo
Kishi Bashi
Kitten
The Kooks
Mac DeMarco
Manchester Orchestra
MC Frontalot
Minus the Bear
Modest Mouse
Morrissey
The New Pornographers
The Notwist
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
PHOX
Pixies
Porter Robinson
Purity Ring
Real Estate
Rubblebucket
S. Carey
Spoon
Stars
Sylvan Esso
T Bird & The Breaks
Tennis
TOPS
Toro Y Moi
tUnE-yArDs
Tycho
TV on the Radio
Until the Ribbon Breaks
The War on Drugs
Woods
Zola Jesus
2:54

New time slot

Flight of the Squawkatiel is moving to a new time slot on WRUV for the Spring Semester!

The show is moving to Thursday at 8-10 pm!

So it will be the same time slot, except on Thursday instead of Wednesday.

Tune in this Thursday, the 29th, for my first show of WRUV's spring semester!

I have lots of great stuff planned for the show this spring. There will be a brand new intro song for the show, and a slight change to the format. There will still be one hour of brand new music to start the show off, and the second hour will feature older songs (anywhere from a few months to several decades ago) and will usually have a different theme each week. I will also take requests from listeners, as long as it's something that will fit in with the theme of the show.

Squawkatiel Madness will also be taking place for the third year in a row. It will begin on March 19, stay tuned for more details.

For now, keep listening at wruv.org or 90.1 FM in the Burlington, VT area.