Kit Kat Acoustic Break - feat. The Wedding Present, Del Amitri, Treble Charger, hosted by Pat DiNizio (1997)

I really appreciate all the accolades for the titanic Smithereens box set I posted a few days ago. I initially suspected only a handful of die-hards would be up for delving into such a massive trove, but happily I was proven wrong. As one of our commenters pointed out, the box was curated and released entirely by Pat DiNizio, without the blessing of his bandmates, causing some controversy in the process. Given those circumstances I think it's safe to say there won't be a repressing.

From a music blogger's perspective, the Smithereens Mega Box is a difficult act to follow, but on the heels of that I thought I'd tie it in with the following. It's a little known fact that DiNizio was also the host of a radio show called the Kit Kat Acoustic Break (Sponsored by it's namesake, naturally, which actually began it's run as The Maxwell House Coffeehouse Sessions and later The Citibank/Visa Coffeehouse Sessions). Each half hour episode (made available on CD to college/alt-rock radio outlets) contained exclusive unplugged performances and a brief DiNizio Q & A, with an emphasis on up-and-coming acts of the moment.

Of the dozens of KKAB shows that made the rounds at my college radio station (when I was still a twenty-something), I have in my personal archives merely two CDs, both circa 1997, each containing a pair of episodes. The roster for these two programs are the Wedding Present, Mars Needs Women, and Billy Mann, while the other features Del Amitri, Treble Charger, and Plexi. With the exception of the Weddos, I'm not terribly gonzo about the other participants, though I find most of them tolerable at the very least. Here's the episode breakdown:

1. The Wedding Present

2. Mars Needs Women/Billy Mann

3/4 show promos

1. Del Amiri

2. Treble Charger/Plexi

3/4 show promos

With any luck, I will try to score some more enticing Kit Kat Acoustic Break performances for a follow-up entry. For now, enjoy these (or not).

Wedding Present, etc: http://rapidshare.com/files/326404001/kkab_weddingpresent_mnw.rar

Del Amitri, etc: http://rapidshare.com/files/326400074/kkab_delamitri_treble.rar