New website - Squawkin' Good Tunes!

I have a new website and blog that I've started up to go with the launch of the new version of my show on WRUV, called Squawkin' Good Radio. The new website is www.squawkingood.com - in addition to being the official page of my radio show, I will also be posting my favorite songs and a bunch more music related posts. Plus there will be a new version of Squawkatiel Madness next month and www.squawkingood.com will have all the info on that. If you are a follower of this blog, you should follow Squawkin' Good Tunes or follow me on Facebook or Twitter as I will no longer be using this blog. But I will still be on 90.1 WRUV from 8-10 pm on Wednesdays! Thanks to everyone who has listened to my show and followed this blog, and I hope you will stick with me as I begin with this new show and website!

Flight of the Squawkatiel's final show!

The day has come...January 27, 2016 will be the final edition of Flight of the Squawkatiel. It has been awesome doing this show for the past 4 years but it is time to try something new. Tune in tonight from 8-10 pm on 90.1 WRUV or listen online at wruv.org - I have one more hour of great new music plus an hour of some of the best songs you've heard on the show in the past four years. But fear not - I will be back at the same time next week with a brand new show called Squawkin' Good Radio! This show will air every Wednesday night from 8-10 pm and instead of an hour new music + an hour themed set, I will mix in the new music and older stuff together over the course of two hours (about 2/3 of it will be new music). I will be featuring more artists I discover on Soundcloud/Spotify, as well as old favorites from my collection. You'll still hear the same kind of music you've enjoyed on Flight of the Squawkatiel over the past few years. There may be a new, revamped edition of Squawkatiel Madness this spring as well! This new show will coincide with a new blog/Facebook/Twitter/Soundcloud profile called Squawkin' Good Tunes. If you are already following me on Facebook, Twitter or Soundcloud, those will change over to the new one. I will be using this to share all my favorite new musical discoveries with you in addition to my weekly show. This is meant to be a unique music blog for those of you who are tired of the music Pitchfork/Stereogum/etc have been pushing lately and want something a little different yet familiar. I don't know how much longer I will be doing a show at WRUV, but I plan to be there through the spring and most likely the summer as well. I will be leaving Burlington in the near future for work/life reasons but I do plan on keeping the music blog throughout, and this new show is meant to ease that transition. I do hope you continue listening because I have some great stuff to share with you this year! -McSquawk

Flight of the Squawkatiel's Top 20 Songs of 2015

2015 has come to an end, and as always, it's time to look back at all the great music came out this year. It seemed a lot of big names came back and released new albums in 2015, yet a whole bunch of new (or just new to me) artists put out a lot of good stuff.

If you missed this week's show, you can listen online here (until 10 pm on Wednesday, January 6th.

Here are Flight of the Squawkatiel's 20 favorite songs of 2015:

#20: Jamie xx feat. Romy - Loud Places

You may have seen Jamie xx's album In Colour on a lot of year end lists, and for good reason.



#19: Blur - Ong Ong

The Magic Whip, Blur's first album in 12 years doesn't disappoint, and if that wasn't enough, they added another classic tune to their catalog with "Ong Ong".



#18: The Mountain Goats - The Legend of Chavo Guerrero

A song about a sports hero you'll enjoy even if you're not into sports.


#17: Grimes - Flesh Without Blood

Claire Boucher aka Grimes got off to a good start early this year with a demo version of her song "RealiTi", and topped it with her critically acclaimed album Art Angels featuring this song.


#16: Wild Nothing - TV Queen

My favorite of the two singles released from Wild Nothing's forthcoming album Life of Pause, the album I'm looking forward to most in 2016.

#15: Chadwick Stokes - Prison Blue Eyes

My favorite whistling song that came out in 2015, from an artist my girlfriend Althea and I agree on.


#14: Chromatics - In Films

From an album that is yet to come out, we were treated with a few Chromatics singles in 2015, this being the best one of the bunch.


#13: Mt. Wolf feat. Alexa Harley - VII

This song seemingly came out of nowhere, but for sure one of the most haunting songs I heard in 2015.



#12: My Morning Jacket - In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)

My Morning Jacket returned with a very strong album The Waterfall, including this song which captures the glory of my favorite My Morning Jacket song "One Big Holiday".


#11: Craft Spells - Our Park By Night

Craft Spells followed up last year's album Nausea with this single where he experiments with a fresh new sound.


#10: Hibou - Dissolve

If this band has a familiar sound to you - that's the former drummer of Craft Spells, bringing a distinctively Captured Tracks sound to Barsuk Records.


#9: Warehouse Eyes - The Same Dream

Another Soundcloud discovery that went on to become one of my favorite songs this year. Amazing production on this song as well as Warehouse Eyes' Prisms EP.


#8: San Fermin - Jackrabbit

I saw San Fermin live at Signal Kitchen this summer, the title track off their great sophomore album was one of my early favorites of 2015 and remained through the rest of the year.



#7: Little Children - We're Falling

While this song basically sounds like a combination of The War on Drugs' "Red Eyes", Real Estate's "It's Real" and Wild Nothing's "Golden Haze", it's an addicting song that's just as good and arguably better than any of those.


#6: DTCV - Miley Cyrus Wins the Race

DTCV are a duo including a former member of Guided By Voices, with my favorite noise-pop song of the year. Definitely check this out if you liked that Alvvays album from last year.

#5: The Velvet Teen - GTRA

The Velvet Teen's 2015 album All Is Illusory was one of my favorites of this year. They have been around for over 15 years, but this album was my introduction to them after I reviewed it for WRUV. Lots of good songs but my favorite was the final track "GTRA" - the best way to describe this song is to imagine you're hearing "Hey Sandy" by Polaris (you know, the theme song from The Adventures of Pete & Pete) for the first time again.


#4: Waterstrider - Calliope

Waterstrider were one of my favorite new discoveries of 2015. Their debut full length Nowhere Now was one of my favorite albums of this year, with many great songs, but "Calliope" especially stands out.


#3: Mew - My Complications

Mew came back with a great new album in 2015 + -, but this song, which adds Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack to the mix, puts it over the edge.


#2: Pocket Panda - Riptide (Album Version)

Seattle band Pocket Panda was another of my favorite new artists of 2015. They bring a fresh take on folk-pop with a wide variety of instruments. I discovered them reviewing their album This Arrangement of Molecules for WRUV. This is a reworking of a song that appeared on their Find Yourself a Stranger EP.


#1: Darlingside - Go Back

This is the second time an artist I first discovered at Radio Bean claimed the #1 spot on one of my year end lists - Darlingside had a great year in which their sophomore album Birds Say (my favorite album of the year) garnered critical acclaim. Album highlight "Go Back" is my favorite song of the year. Those vocal harmonies!

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