I’ve loved The Innocence Mission for so long and only now am I starting to read their lyrics. What an emotional joy it is, like with this one:
All the leafiness of a thousand miles
is felt in the heart, a change that has started.
The packing up of things, the loading of cars,
the farther and farther darkening dark.
And it’s hard to know, now, where we should go.
And where will we be, before the next season?
Of evenings and days we can hardly say.
From which will we flower?
Brightly from the buildings, now.
Their lyrics are my ideal accompaniment to wandering through new cities.
(Source: youtube.com)
The last song on the final Hello Pretty City was Brotherhood of Man by The Innocence Mission. It perfectly sums up what the phrase “hello pretty city” means to me:
…Waiting at the airport on my suitcase
A girl traveling from Spain became my sudden friend
Though I did not learn her name
And when the subway dimmed
A stranger lit my way
This is the brotherhood of man
I never can say what I mean
But you will understand
Coming through clouds on the way
This is the brotherhood of man…
Playlist for the final Hello Pretty City radio show on 11/4/18:
First hour:
Ujang Suryana: Kang Mandor
Department Of Eagles: No One Does It
T.Rex: Cosmic Dancer
Major Lazer: Get Free (Radio Edit)
Broadcast: Tears In The Typing Pool
The Mynabirds: Let the Record Go
Brown Bird: Danger And Dread
Sylvan Esso: Coffee
Mercury Rev: In A Funny Way
BLOW: Parentheses
Blood Orange: Best To You
Mr. Little Jeans: The Suburbs
Nobody & The Mystic Chords of Memory: Coyote’s Song (When You Hear It Too)
Cut Worms: Don’t Want To Say Good-bye
Ponies In The Surf: Ventricle
Second hour:
Jessica Pratt: Back, Baby
Whiskeytown: Dancing With The Women At The Bar
The Aislers Set: Catherine Says
Damien Jurado: Working Titles
Bahamas: Lost In The Light
Assateague: Good Morning Blues
Brandi Haile: Summer Shoes
Arthur Russell: A Little Lost
Tuscadero: Dime A Dozen
Frankie Rose: Interstellar
Cass McCombs: Robin Egg Blue
William Onyeabor: Atomic Bomb
Young Marble Giants: Wurlitzer Jukebox
Mac DeMarco: This Old Dog
Evan Dando: Hard Drive
The Innocence Mission: Brotherhood Of Man
Listen to my final Hello Pretty City radio show tonight 8-10pm EST ❤️ I’ll be playing ALL the hits from the past 16 years!
Playlist for the second to last Hello Pretty City radio show! (aka 10/28/18)
First hour:
Tame Impala: Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
Broadcast: Goodbye Girls
Lucius: Wildewoman
The Tallest Man On Earth: King Of Spain
TEEN: Come Back
Spent: Ready OK
Shearwater: Tomorrow
Little Dragon: Ritual Union
Stereolab: Everybody’s Weird Except Me
Matthew E. White: Signature Move
The Cave Singers: When the World
Band Of Horses: On My Way Back Home
Sufjan Stevens: Dear Mr. Supercomputer
Peggy Seeger: Gonna Be An Engineer
Marla Hansen: Hollow and Bold
Second hour:
Boardwalk: I’m To Blame
Joanna Newsom: Cassiopeia
Haim: Go Slow
Songs: Ohia: Just Be Simple
Grizzly Bear: While You Wait For The Others
Marissa Nadler: Holiday In
Sebadoh: Let it Out
Cayucas: Will The Thrill
Warpaint: Hi
Benjamin Verdoes: Under the Layers
Connie Archer & Blind Drunk John: Happy Harlem
Camera Obscura: I Missed Your Party
Metronomy: Everything Goes My Way
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down: With A Girl Like You
I’m so lucky to have incredible listeners like Melissa. She shared such sweet sentiments that go with each song that you can read in the link. Or jump directly to the Spotify playlist here.
I remember liking Chastity Belt but I forget to dive into their music. Now I hear this and love it!
It’s not easy to tell you this, but after 16 years of being on the radio every week, the final Hello Pretty City radio show will be in early November.
It’s not WEXT…they are deeply kind and would gladly keep Hello Pretty City on the air.
Rather, it’s me.
Even though I love the thrill of finding and playing kickass, toe-tapping songs, I’m feeling pulled to work on other projects. Mostly photography and visual art projects, like one about a forgotten poet from the 1920s. (She wrote about her pretty city!)
But stay tuned! I’ll keep in touch through the newsletter, this blog, and the Facebook page. Maybe I’ll even share the occasional Spotify playlist!
I can never fully express how grateful I am to you for listening for so long, for feeling the sounds, for tuning in, and for being such great company.
Thank you x 1,000. Forever and ever.
Another group of people that I’ll never be able to thank enough is the WEXT team. Without their support, Hello Pretty City wouldn’t have a home nor sound as good as it does. Thank you Chris, Dave, Joyce, Eva, and KTG!
Playlist for the 10/14/18 Hello Pretty City radio show:
First hour:
Chairlift: Amanaemonesia
Vetiver: More of This
Juana Molina: Eras
Andrew Bird: Imitosis
Shannon And The Clams: Ozma
Bishop Allen: Cue The Elephants
Okkervil River: Down Down the Deep River
Neko Case: Local Girl
Foals: Out Of The Woods
Vampire Weekend: Diane Young
Frankie Rose: Know Me
Damien Jurado: Silver Timothy
Winterpills: January Rain
Beach House: Norway
Peggy Sue: Revision
Serra: Lift Off
Second hour:
Horse Feathers: Pacific Bray
Lee Fields & The Expressions: You’re the Kind of Girl
Lucius: Go Home
Diego Garcia: Sunnier Days (Live @ EXT)
Iron & Wine: Faded from the Winter
Jessica Lea Mayfield: Kiss Me Again
Yellowbirds: For Girls Who Love To Sing
Willis Earl Beal: Coming Through featuring Cat Power
Yo La Tengo: Before We Run
Songs: Ohia: Whip Poor Will
Foxygen: San Francisco
The Innocence Mission: Colors Of The World
Ane Brun/Linnea Olsson: Halo
Sam Cooke: Lost And Lookin’
Sufjan Stevens: To Be Alone With You
Playlist for the 10/7/18 Hello Pretty City radio show:
First hour:
The Black Keys: Everlasting Light
Oscar Neves: Mabelé
Ex Hex: Don’t Wanna Lose
Foxygen: How Can You Really
Architecture In Helsinki: Heart It Races
Vampire Weekend: One (Blake’s Got a New Face)
Booker T. Jones: Progress (featuring Yim Yames)
Cass McCombs: Love Thine Enemy
Broadcast: Before We Begin
Sinkane: How We Be
The New Pornographers: Champions of Red Wine
Friends: Friend Crush
Wye Oak: Glory
Frankie Rose: Interstellar
Andrew Bird: Fake Palindromes
Mitski: First Love-Late Spring
Marine Girls: Tonight?
Second hour:
Richard Swift: Lady Luck
Widowspeak: Dyed in the Wool
The Hidden Cameras: Colour Of A Man
Jessica Lea Mayfield: Kiss Me Again
José González: This Is How We Walk On The Moon
Gillian Welch: Six White Horses
Father John Misty: Nancy From Now On
The Innocence Mission: Brotherhood Of Man
Whiskeytown: Dancing With The Women At The Bar
Lavender Diamond: Forgive
Literature: Kites
Wilco: How To Fight Loneliness
PHOX: 1936
Teitur: Antonio And His Mobile Phones
Yo La Tengo: Well You Better
Me and WEXT decided to tweak the Hello Pretty City schedule a little bit. Now the show is on once a week: Sunday nights at 8pm. (It won’t be on in the mornings anymore.)
Playlist for the 9/16/18 Hello Pretty City radio show:
First hour:
Cadallaca: Winter Storm ‘98
La Luz: Brainwash
The Concretes: You Can’t Hurry Love
Crystal Stilts: Sticks and Stones
Tennis: Baltimore
The Blow: From the Future
Beach Fossils: Crashed Out
Sebadoh: I Will
Camera Obscura: This Is Love (Feels Alright)
Veronica Falls: Buried Alive
Gambles: Safe Side
Hand Habits: Wonder What
Edith Frost: Tender Kiss
King Khan & The Shrines: Born To Die
Real Estate: Easy
Julie Doiron: No More
The Julie Ruin: Cookie Road
Komeda: Happyment
Second hour:
Carla Bruni: Mon Raymond
Iron & Wine: Grace For Saints And Ramblers
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: Beautiful Dream
Last Good Tooth: Problems Leave Out Of Mouths
The Antlers: Rolled Together
Death Vessel: Mandan Dink
Cat Power: Werewolf
Michael Hurley: The Tea Song
Matthew E. White: Human Style
Tom Brosseau: Gregory Page Of San Diego
Alela Diane: Desire
T. Hardy Morris: OK Corral
Black Hearted Brother: Look Out Here They Come
The Dutchess & The Duke: Living This Life
Saving this jam for next summer. (And using it even now to keep the flame of summer going as long as possible.)
THIS SONG IS SO GOOD! I love how it gets extremely raucous towards the end. My heart is racing!
(Source: youtube.com)
Playlist for the 9/9/18 Hello Pretty City radio show:
First hour:
Beck: Youthless
Sufjan Stevens: Adlai Stevenson
Panda Bear: Comfy In Nautica
Broadcast: Tears In The Typing Pool
Beirut: Bandenburg
The Cave Singers: Gifts and the Raft
Man Man: Head On
The Parlor: Tear Down The Coastline
Beach House: 10 Mile Stereo
Lord Huron: Brother
Valerie June: You Can’t Be Told
Telekinesis: Power Lines
Pants Yell!: We’ve Got History
Papercuts: Take The 227th Exit
DIANA: Foreign Installation
Twin Steps: Son of Sam
Second hour:
Mia Doi Todd: Autumn
The Moondoggies: Empress of the North
Edith Frost: The Very Earth
Beachwood Sparks: Earl Jean
Willy Mason: Talk Me Down
Peaking Lights: Subterranean Brainblow
Shudder To Think: Mom’s Mercedes
Revolver: Calm Down
Ben Kweller: Gypsy Rose
Lily & Madeleine: In The Middle
The Tallest Man On Earth: Bright Lanterns
Brightblack Morning Light: All We Have Broken Shines
Cotton Jones: Sail Of The Silver Morning
Kurt Vile: Wakin on a Pretty Day
Paradise Island: We Ate Until We Ate It All