Radio Crystal Blue Top 100 All-Time Artist Countdown show #2

·1 hr 14 min·5 clips

Dan Herman reveals the top 100 artists from 2003-2024, starting with number 90 Mika Pauly's award-winning Boston coffeehouse origins.

This episode is part of a special countdown series celebrating Radio Crystal Blue's 25th anniversary, ranking the top 100 artists by annual chart performance from 2003 to 2024. Host Dan Herman presents artists 90 through 81, providing brief biographies, career milestones, and selected songs. He starts with Mika Pauly, a Boston songwriter who won the Starbucks Emerging Artist Competition in 2005. Next is Flo Anito from DC, a classically trained musician with Whammy award nominations. Castle Black, a New York City alternative rock band, follows at number 88. The Waybacks, a San Francisco progressive bluegrass group, are detailed at length, including their lineup changes and festival performances like MerleFest. Los Hermanos Rodriguez, a DC punk band, is mentioned with a personal anecdote about Herman appearing in their video. Julian Velard's career from anti-folk New York to major-label setbacks and later success is covered. Garrison Starr, a Memphis-born songwriter with Grammy-nominated production work, is featured. Jamie Harris's album Boomerang Town, inspired by the pandemic and recovery, is discussed. The Keller Sisters, a folk duo from San Francisco, and Betty Dylan, a New York R&B duo with a book included in their album, round out the list. Herman notes the countdown will continue weekly, leading to the station's anniversary in October, and directs listeners to the website for updates.

As heard by us

A countdown entry where one DC band's history carries as much charge as its chart position.

This Radio Crystal Blue Top 100 All-Time Artist Countdown installment treats the chart as a long view of an artist's body of work, moving through entries ranked 90 to 81 by annual placement from 2003 through 2024.

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Why you'd press play

You get a DC punk detour, an accidental video cameo, and one countdown slot with personal history attached.

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