Share A Smile

Share A Smile. The Hub Radio Show for Monday March 1, 2021. View the completely dopamine-inducing playlist for 03-03-21 (CLICK HERE)

Blathazar, Claud, Dom La Nena, Bomba Estereo, Laure Briard

On March 1, since at least 1997, people share a smile or multiple smiles. When they do so, the person they are smiling at often smiles back. This response is largely automatic, being caused by an unconscious automatic response area of the brain called the cingulate cortex. By smiling at them, and causing them to smile, the initial smiler helps to release feel-good chemicals like dopamine in the brain of the recipient of the smile, which can help elevate their mood. 
 

Hula in the Coola

Hula in the Coola. The Hub Radio Show for Monday February 1, 2021. View the completely aloha playlist for 02-01-21 (CLICK HERE)

Fontaines DC , Little Dragon & Moses Sumney , Ian Sweet , Wax Tailor 

It may be cold outside, but today people venture out to hula, and maybe even have a luau, regardless of temperature. The hula dance goes back to ancient times, and different Hawaiian islands claim to be its birthplace. Its creation is steeped in myth and legend, and most stories connect the beginnings of hula dancing to Hawaiian goddesses. It is accompanied with a chant called an oli, or a song called a mele. The words of the oli or mele are expressed in dance form. There are different types of hula dances, and there are two main categories. Hula kahiko is ancient hula performed by those native to the islands; it is done with chants and musical instruments. Hula ʻauana evolved with Western influences in the nineteenth twentieth centuries; it is accompanied with Western-influenced musical instruments such as the guitar, ukulele, and double bass. Hula dancing can be done while sitting, which is known as the noho dance, or by standing, which is known as a luna dance. Some hula dances use both types.

Bubble Wrap

Bubble Wrap. The Hub Radio Show for Monday January 25, 2021. View the completely popped playlist for 01-25-21 (CLICK HERE)

Haerts, The Besnard Lakes , Clairo, Gracie Abrams,

In 1957, Engineers Marc Chavannes and Al Fielding worked in a garage to create a three dimensional plastic wallpaper, by sealing two shower curtains together. They were not successful in selling their wallpaper, so they began marketing it as greenhouse insulation. In 1960 they started the Sealed Air Corporation. The following year they realized their product could be used as a cushioning and packaging material. It was originally used to package IBM 1401 computers for shipment. Now it is used for food packaging more than for anything else. Bubbles are generally different sizes, usually 1/4 inch in diameter to 1 inch in diameter. Bubble Wrap is often made from polyethylene film.

17th Anniversary

17th Anniversary Hub. The Hub Radio Show for Monday January 11, 2021. View the completely nostalgic playlist for 01-11-21 (CLICK HERE) 

Grandaddy, The Sleepy Jackson The Shins The Rapture  Friends of Dean Martinez 

It all started in the early morning hours of January 8, 2004.  The very first The Hub, hosted by Bob Girth, aired from 2-4am on KXCI.  It was a fairly inauspicious debut for this new ‘new music’ showcase.  The stated mission of The Hub, then as now, is to feature ‘the most interesting, cutting edge indie rock and pop.’  To celebrate the seventeenth anniversary (Furniture is the traditional gift) on Monday January 11, 2021 6-8pm, Bob has recreated the original first hour of The Hub, which initially aired January 8, 2004, and a mix of the most current 2021 pop and rock for the second hour – a ‘Then & Now’ show that compares and contrasts the eclectic world of independent music over the last seventeen years. Frankly, it’s astonishing how little the indie world has changed over the years.  The longevity of the genre is a testament to the bedrock musical basics embraced by the early purveyors of the genus.  Simply put, good music is always good music. So pull up a rocking chair, raise a mug (Wood of course) and toast The Hub, “Here’s to seventeen more!”          

Chocolate Candy

Chocolate Candy. The Hub Radio Show for Monday December 30, 2020. View the completely sweet playlist for 12-30-20 (CLICK HERE)

Bright Eyes, Margo Price, Angel Olsen, Jeff Tweed, Told Slant 

Chocolate comes from a bean called Theobroma cacao. The word "chocolate" itself comes from the Spanish, and it stems from the Aztec word xocolatl, which means "bitter water." The Aztecs pounded the cacao beans and drank them without adding any sugar, and they thought the beans came from the gods. Indeed, Theobroma means "food of the gods." Cocoa beans are about 50% "cocoa butter" and 50% "chocolate liquor." Hernando Cortés brought cocoa beans back to Spain, and a chocolate drink that included sugar became popular right away. The word "chocolate" first appeared in print, in England, in 1604. 

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice. The 16th Annual Holiday Hub on The Hub Radio Show, Monday December 21, 2020. View the completely sweet playlist for 12-21-20 (CLICK HERE)

Bob's Burgers, The Archives , Landlady, Odd Robot, Pearl Charles, White Owl Red

Although the instant of the solstice can be calculated, direct observation of the solstice by amateurs is impossible because the sun moves too slowly or appears to stand still (the meaning of "solstice"). However, by use of astronomical data tracking, the precise timing of its occurrence is now public knowledge. One cannot directly detect the precise instant of the solstice (by definition, one cannot observe that an object has stopped moving until one later observes that it has not moved further from the preceding spot, or that it has moved in the opposite direction.) Furthermore, to be precise to a single day, one must be able to observe a change in azimuth or elevation less than or equal to about 1/60 of the angular diameter of the Sun. 
 

Halcyon Days

Halcyon Days. The Hub Radio Show for Monday December 14, 2020. View the completely medieval playlist for 12-14-20 (CLICK HERE)

Phoebe Bridgers, Waxahatchee, Tennis , U.S. Girls, adrianne lenker 

The Halcyon is a bird of Greek legend and the name is now commonly given to the European Kingfisher. The ancients believed that the bird made a floating nest in the Aegean Sea and had the power to calm the waves while brooding her eggs. Fourteen days of calm weather were to be expected when the Halcyon was nesting - around the winter solstice, usually 21st or 22nd of December. The Halcyon days are generally regarded as beginning on the 14th or 15th of December.
The kingfisher is associated with other powers relating to the weather. In medieval times it was thought that if the dried carcass of a kingfisher was hung up it would always point its beak in the direction of the wind [don't try this at home].