Rough Sundays

In the first of our two final (sniff) shows from Japan, we go back in time—tracing the sounds and historical happenings of Edo—dedicating one track per decade, starting from the smokey twenties and all the way up to the nineties. In this episode, we cover 1920-1950, from the dark corners of Tokyo kissaten cafes, to the jus post bellum tracks of the late 1940s, plus much more. It's 30 minutes of absolute goodness, and all from a country that specializes in it! 

Homeruns from Hiroshima, hip-hop and a Hall & Oates hybrid and that's just the alliteration accolades! From Southern Japan, it's another half-an-hour of a deep dive into the city pop, funk, doo-wop and soul from a 1960s-80s Japan. Good? Child, please. This week's show is GREAT. Hit play! Be happy! 

From a gorgeous apartment overlooking the bay in Southern Japan, it’s yet another deep dive into the beautiful bins of a 1950s-80s Tokyo and beyond, with not one, but two of those incredible City Pop tracks, a big-band, throwback, some sixties hippy happenings and the catchy collab done with the guy from Daft Punk’s dad… and much more. Half an hour of Japanese Old School goodness, get in there!

From an expensive-and-unplanned hotel room in Osaka comes a deep-dive into all things 60s, 70s and early 80s Japan. A few tracks explaining "kawaii", to crooners you'll know of, but probably not know (we'll change that), to some husky female vocals and, of course, more of our current addiction: City pop. That, plus a whooooooole lot more. It's Rough Sundays, back to the Japanese Chapters! 

Coming to you from the Pink City of Jaipur, India, it's probably the world's best Sunday Morning Gospel, Blues, Funk and Soul podcast coming to you from Jaipur, India. Featuring haunting vocals from Son House, the lady who invented rock n' roll, the band that would have been The Wailers if not for The Wailers, funk + sitar crossovers, New Orleans funkiest drummer, plus sounds of the Sufi, of Delhi traffic, of hidden temple chants and of India during Holi WOW IS RIGHT so press play, enjoy a cup of coffee or something stronger ... and let us handle the next half hour. It's Rough Sundays!

What was supposed to be—supposed being to key word here—the world's first ever Sunday Morning Wake-Me-Up Podcast recorded from Everest Base Camp ended up just being from Kathmandu and host Aric S. Queen just talking about it WE'RE SORRY but to make up for it, it's a return to the original format of old timey gospel, jazz from The Queen, some Cannonball(s), acapella from a Xhosa group from South Africa and much, much more. So sit back, pour something strong (no judgement), and let us handle the next 37 minutes. It's Rough Sundays! No, seriously!  

Tulsa Time. Keys To Tulsa. Chandler moves to Tulsa. Our little city has occasionally popped up in pop culture, but few are aware that town has its own subgenre of music . In this week’s Rough Sundays, we deep dive into the casserole that makes up this movement—from Dust Bowl beginnings to dreamy doowop, over to Southern Swing and finally to what it sounds like today. So sit back and spend 32 Midwestern minutes with us as we learn all* about that Tulsa Sound.   *Hardly.

In the 17 years this show has been around, we’ve never done a Sunday morning wake-me-up from the state of Oklahoma. What gives, right? This week, we remedy that with an extra long show, featuring music exclusively from the 46th state, featuring songs about murders, songs done by junkies, songs done by folks who narrowly missed out on dying with Buddy Holly, plus a few more upbeat tales. From rockabilly to old country, Nancy Sinatra’s guardian angel and we even dip our toe into the Tulsa Sound. So put on a strong black cup of coffee, fry you some sausage gravy, sit on the front porch while the storms roll in and let us handle the next 45 minutes or so. 

From right up against Route 66 and in the midst of much mirth, it's our 81st episode and our yearly Christmas Extravaganza! Reaching back way, way into the good old stuff—even turn of the century tracks—all holiday-themed and mostly-Motown... with a handful of New Orleans magic as well. Plus stories. Plus more music. An hour-and-40-minutes of it, to be exact. So you focus on your cup of something cheerful, and leave the rest to us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Has there ever been a more researched, prepped, planned and causing-excitement show? Probably. But never on this podcast. For the final (for now) Japanese Chapter—recorded in a tiny ryokan atop audible tatami mats—we dive into city pop, brother's folk, futuristic funk, female hip-hop, island breeze and new wave, all suitable for waking you up on this Sunday Morning. Hit play! Be glad you did!

From the base of Mt. Fuji and from inside one of those space capsule hotels, it's five tracks from a hip, rocking, steamy, racy, swingin' 1950-70s Japan, featuring a seedy actress, anime theme song producer, Tokyo's Serge Gainsbourg and the always dreamy Tome Kitagawa (photo). Plus a bit more, but coming in under 30 minutes! How's that for a polite, efficient, innovative and fascinating show/country? Hit play!

From a gorgeous Osaka and an even-more-gorgeous no-longer-freezing-in-a-tent, it's your absolutely favorite Sunday Morning show. This week, we dive deep, deep into old vinyl—journeying everywhere from a boogie-woogie 1940s Tokyo, to protests tracks of the 70s, funky stuff from Jiro Inagaki, and much much more. So sit right there, sip that coffee, and let's travel to some dreamy old magic from a yesterday Japan... courtesy of Rough Sundays! 

A traveling show this week—one from the park, the ferry, the tent and the hotel—but it doesn't stop us from digging up some of the goodness from a 1960s-80s Japan. Funk + soul kicks it off, some near-electro, then to country + folk, then summer + blue and finally with some sexy + robot. Is that too many "+" for you? Then may we suggest a smooth jazz show. This is Rough Sundays, live from Northern Japan! 

The colors might be starting to change here in Hokkaido, but the purpose of the show isn't—to wake you up nicely on your Sunday Morning, courtesy of music from wherever we are. And what a where we be! The magic, mysterious and mayhem-ic Japan. With tracks this week ranging from the 1960s-80s, featuring funk, soul, jazz, "city pop" and what one artist referred to as, simply, experimentalism. So sit back and let us—and more importantly, the good stuff coming from this archipelago—handle your next half an hour. Rough Sundays, the Japanese Chapters. Yes, really!

From a farm outside of Hokkaido, it's the first of what we hope are many shows from Japan. We kick it off with some Tokyo soul from the early 70s, then move from pop-princess turned disco queen, to sultry swing, funk from the early 80s and a whole lot more.  Rough Sundays, totally from Japan, you guys! Hit play.

From a tiny island south of South Korea, it's probably the best Sunday Morning wake-me-up show featuring old gospel, jazz, funk and blues coming to you from a tiny island south of South Korea. Some Pacific religion, feel-good Doris Day, songs about rain, Algerian gems from the 50s, a big baby talkin' bout struggle and much more. So sit back, sip back and let us handle this for the next 20 or so minutes. Rough Sundays, you heard! 

High above the Mekong in the gorgeous old town of Luang Prabang, Laos comes 25 minutes of a proper Sunday morning wake-me-up, featuring not one, but two Queens of New Orleans, gay black British poets, some gospel from 1917, a recently lost voice and much, much more. So sit back and let us handle things for the next half-an-hour, would'ya? 

Coming to you from high atop the Pokhara Mountains, Nepal, it's totally Rough Sundays, you guys! We dive into much goodness—including France's last great troubadour, the lady who made Bob Dylan, old Trinidadian Calypso by way of a 1940s Harlem, as well as the Queen of Havana, the two deaths of Sam Cooke, outlaw country and much, much more.  So sit back. Sip black. Hit play. And let us start your Sunday morning off the way it should be... by you doing absolutely nothing. 

Coming to you from the famed Apostle Studios in Pokhara, Nepal, it’s your hopefully favorite Sunday Morning wake-me-up show! We start with some new Haitian, go back 102 years to New Orleans, a track you only know from the sample, a little ticklin’ from Taj, plus the late great Cameroonian doing his own voodoo… plus much more. It’s Rough Sundays! You’re in the right place! Huzzah! 

Hardly a show to set your clock to—our first in five months and second in the past year—but still probably the best Sunday Morning wake-me-up coming to you from the Northern suburbs of Kathmandu. We start with a bit of French influenced pop from a sunny 1960s California, diving into some Nepalese Afrofunk, a visit from the inimitable Dasha who introduced us to the Ukrainian LELÉKA, some boogaloo from Queens, as well as some sounds from an Everest Base Camp trek...  Plus a whole lot more. So sit. Coffee. Press play. And enjoy. Because who knows when the next show will be?