There are Monday Holidays, and then there are days when so many events need to be jammed together, it’s like a month of Mondays.
Today’s Capital Radio noted President’s Day, sure (with an emphasis on James Garfield). But it also had to observe the Lunar New Year that begins tomorrow. And the Year of the Horse brings out tracks ranging from Cliff Nobels and Co. to Patti Smith, with Oasis, Geese and Phish included.
Tuesday will is alsoMardi Gras, so that rich tradition of music marched the show out like a Second Line.
We paid tribute to Pogues drummer Andrew Ranken, who died last week at 72, and Cake guitarist Greg Brown, gone at 67.
And it was the birthday of Lupe Fiasco, 44; girl in red, 27; Bill Doggett and Sonny Bono. And we heard a handful of songs written by Otis Blackwell, born this day in 1931. And we could have played a lot more.
Here are links to the show, in three parts.
Capital Radio February 16, 2026. 1 – 4:30 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
- “Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
- “All the Tired Horses,” Bob Dylan
- “The Horse,” Cliff Nobels & Co.
- “Land: Horses / Land of a Thousand Dances / La Mer(de),” Patti Smith
- “Chinese New Year,” SALES
- “100 Horses,” Geese
- “The Horse [live],” Phish
- “(Get Off Your) High Horse, Lady,” Oasis
- “All the King’s Horses,” The Monkees
- “King Horse,” Elvis Costello & The Attractions
- “Four Horsemen,” The Clash
- “Judy and the Dream of Horses,” Belle & Sebastian
- “If Wishes Were Horses,“ Lucinda Williams
- “Six White Horses,” Gillian Welch
- “Wild Horses II,” First Aid
- “Wild Horses,” Leon Russell
- “Sally MacLennane,” The Pogues
- “London Girl,” The Pogues
- “Wild Cats of Kilkenny,” The Pogues
PART II
- “The Distance,” Cake
- “President’s Day,” Kristen Wiig
- “Young Abe Lincoln (Make a Tall, Tall Man),” Johnny Horton
- “James K. Polk,” They Might Be Giants
- “The Late John Garfleld Blues,” John Prine
- “Charles Giteau,” Elly Harrell with Virginia String Band
- “Mister Garfield,” Johnny Cash
- “Presidents’ Song,” The Simpsons
- “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt [live],” Bob Dylan & The Band
- “Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt,” Bishop Perry Tillis ,
- “You Could Have Been a Roosevelt,” Aimee Mann
- “President Kennedy,” Ry Cooder
- “Nixonland,” Chuck Prophet
- “Nixon’s the One,” Mono Puff
- “Jimmy Carter,” Blue Mountain
- “Bush & Cheney,” Carter Vail
PART III
- “Ram-Bunk-Shush,” Bill Doggett
- “Laugh at Me,” Sonny Bono
- “We Fell in Love in October,” girl in red
- “The Show Goes On,” Lupe Fiasco
- “Fever,” Little Willie John
- “Handy Man,” Jimmy Jones
- “Breathless,” Jerry Lee Lewis
- “Return to Sender,” Elvis Presley
- “Daddy Rolling Stone,” The Who
- “Mardi Gras in New Orleans,” Allen Toussaint
- “Dixie Flyer,” Randy Newman
- “Li’l Liza Jane,” Dirty Dozen Brass Band
- “Walking to New Orleans,” Fats Domino
- “Don’t You Just Know It,” Huey “Piano” Smith & the Clowns
- “Hey Pocky Way,” Neville Brothers
- “Ooh Poo Pah Doo,” Jessie Hill
- “Big Chief (part 1),” Professor Longhair
- “Iko Iko,” Dr. John
- “Mardi Gras Mambo,” The Hawkettes
- “Carnival Time,” Al Johnson
- “Take Me to the Mardi Gras,” Paul Simon
Capital Radio returns Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. ET 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.