Songs about the month of April provided the first hour of music on Capital Radio, with music from Al Jolson to the Jesus and Mary Chain. It was the day Merle Haggard was both born in 1937 and died 79 years later. It was also the birthday of Frank Black, turning 61, and session guitarist Louie Shelton, 85. We also noted the birthdays of Ram Dass, Gerry Mulligan and Andre Previn.
I took a moment to recall some live shows I’d seen last month, including Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Ben Sidran, Aimee Mann, Jonathan Richman and the Silk Road Ensemble.
And 60 years ago, the Beatles were creating a track called “Tomorrow Never Knows.” Which is certainly true.
Here is the archived show (in three parts), followed by the setlist:
Capital Radio April 6, 2026 1 – 4:20 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
- “Washington, D.C.,” The Magnetic Fields
- “April After All,” Ron Sexsmith
- “April Come She Will,” Simon & Garfunkel
- “April Anne,” John Phillips
- “April,” Beach Bunny
- “Pieces of April,” Three Dog Night
- “April Showers,” Al Jolson
- “April Skies,” The Jesus and Mary Chain
- “April’s Song,” Real Estate
- “April’s Fool,“ The Merrymakers
- “The April Fools,” Dionne Warwick
- “The April Fools,” Earl Klugh
- “April Fools,” Aretha Franklin
- “April Fools,” Rufus Wainwright
- “April Fool,” Ronnie Lane
- “April Fool,” Patti Smith
- “April 5th,” Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash & Kris Kristofferson
PART II
- “Big City,” Merle Haggard
- “Holiding Things Together,” Merle Haggard
- “Mama Tried,” Merle Haggard
- “Kern River,” Merle Haggard
- “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room,” Merle Haggard
- “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” Pixies
- “Where Is My Mind?” Pixies
- “I Burn Today,” Frank Black
- “Pray for the Girls,” Frank Black
- “Snakes,” Pixies
- “Be Here Now,” George Harrison
- “Be Here Now,” Oasis
- “Bweebida Bobbida,” Gerry Mulligan
- “Like Young,” André Previn
PART III
- “Valleri,” The Monkees
- “Let’s Get it On,” Marvin Gaye
- “I Want You Back,” The Jackson 5
- “The Vigilante,” Judee Sill
- “Lowdown,” Boz Scaggs
- “Summer Breeze,” Seals and Crofts
- “Thunderstoms and Neon Signs,” Wayne Hancock
- “Juke Joint Jumpin,’ ” Wayne Hancock
- “We the People,” Ben Sidran
- “Everything is Broken,” Ben Sidran
- “Humpty Dumpty,” Aimee Mann
- “Lost in Space,” Aimee Mann
- “Affection,” Jonathan Richman
- “Let Her Go Into the Darkness,” Jonathan Richman
- “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar,” Jonathan Richman
- “Biko,” Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens
- “Tomorrow Never Knows,” The Beatles
Capital Radio returns April 13 at 1 p.m. EDT until after 4 on www.cygnusradio.com. The show can also be heard via the cygnusradio.com app, available free at iTunes or GooglePlay. Recent shows are available on demand at cygnusradio.com. Older shows are posted at Substack.com/@rogercatlin.