Shows / Necktie Optional
Necktie Optional
Friends, new and old. Welcome to Necktie Optional on Pirate Cat Radio.
Two hours of indie rock that slips past the algorithm. Deep cuts, left turns, and songs that still have teeth.
Every Thursday, noon to 2 PM. Cody’s in the driver’s seat. New set every week.
Loose collar. Loud speakers. Walk in curious, leave with something stuck in your head.
Start your weekend early. KPCR 92.9 FM Los Gatos. KMRT 101.9 FM Santa Cruz. KVBE 91.1 FM Portland.
Episodes
- Necktie Optional
Necktie Optional episode 27 (10/29/2026)
A Halloween-week show - we went digging around in the archive and found an old call-in show from Santa Carla in 1987! Let's take a trip back in time together…
- Necktie Optional
Necktie Optional episode 26 (10/22/2026)
A best-of-the-half-year show, and a trailer for BeNtO Box (Best of Necktie Optional, Vol. 1), a 78-song playlist collecting the standouts from the show’s first…
- Necktie Optional
Fall 2026 Pledge Drive Bonus Mini Show #3
A special spooky request line show! See who gives the studio a call during our spooky pledge drive season!
- Necktie Optional
Fall 2026 Pledge Drive Bonus Mini Show #2
Let's see what's in the archives! An exploration of some tapes excavated from the bowels of the pirate cat storage unit
- Necktie Optional
Fall 2026 Pledge Drive Bonus Mini Show #1
Cody takes over Boring Jazz FM, sorry Ruby the Robot. No Jazz for Elevators today!
- Necktie Optional
Necktie Optional episode 25 (10/8/2026)
Week two of The Return of the Pledge Drive was a local showcase, with about three-quarters of the hour coming from Bay Area, Santa Cruz, and Portland artists…
- Necktie Optional
Necktie Optional episode 24 (10/1/2026)
Today's episode doubled as the launch of KPCR's fall pledge drive, "The Return of the Pledge Drive" — a loving riff on cheesy old horror and sci-fi B-movies…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 23 (9/24/2026)
The bulk of the show ran on hooky, guitar-driven indie rock — Momma, The Beths, The Royston Club, Carver Commodore, Good Flying Birds, Lucky, Michigander…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 22 (9/17/2026)
A big chunk of the set stayed in hook-driven, guitar-forward indie and alt-rock territory: Rum Jungle, Middle Kids, Hop Along, The Beths, The Clause, Carver…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 21 (9/10/2026)
Most of the night sat in upbeat, guitar-forward indie and power-pop territory: mypilotis, Indigo Elephant, Starter Car, The Big Moon, Westside Cowboy, The…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 20 (9/3/2026)
A heavy dose of guitar-driven indie and alt-rock tonight: Michigander, Westside Cowboy, Sterling Gavinski, Improvement Movement, Hovvdy, Twin Bloom, Fruited…
- Necktie Optional
Necktie Optional — August 27, 2026
Friends, new and old. Welcome to Necktie Optional on Pirate Cat Radio. Two hours of indie rock that slips past the algorithm. Deep cuts, left turns, and songs…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 19 (8/20/2026)
Most of the night worked from a hooky, guitar-driven indie-rock palette: Swapmeet, We Are Scientists, Dayton Barry, Juliet the Band, The Brook & The Bluff…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 18 (8/13/2026)
Twenty-eight tracks tonight, opening with The Weakerthans, Built to Spill, and Girl Scout setting a literate, guitar-driven tone. Dinosaur Jr. roughed up the…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 17 (8/6/2026)
For today's episode we welcomed in Matthew Swinnerton and Natalie Sweeting of Events Santa Cruz! They came on air today to hype us up about their 100th Santa…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 16 (7/30/2026)
A very special DOUBLE episode of Necktie Optional today to close out July's Keep Radio Weird pledge drive strong! A wide-ranging set that stretched well past…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional Faffs Around Vol 1
We just played the hits today! Cody's favorite songs from the first trimester of Necktie Optional, as well as live training for DJ Pickles. Cody will be back…
Necktie OptionalInterview with Lonnie Jordan of War (07/25/2026)
This is a very special episode where Cody gets to interview living legend Lonnie Jordan of War and discuss the band's confluence with lowrider and car culture…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 15 (7/23/2026)
Fourteen tracks today, running the full spectrum of guitar-based indie. Erlend Øye opened with a breezy, continental warmth on "La Prima Estate," setting a…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 14 (7/16/2026)
Twelve tracks of guitar-forward indie rock this week, bookended by wistfulness and wit. Opened with Ben Folds Five's "Underground - Shelved First Attempt," a…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 13 (7/9/2026)
Episode 12 brings new music from The Mountain Goats, Dogwood Tales, Slow Runner, and Hovvdy alongside Iron & Wine, Frou Frou, Penny and Sparrow, and Wippy…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional 4th of July Special (7/4/2026)
A very special episode of Necktie Optional to celebrate and reflect on 250 years of American independence, and reflecting upon the good, bad, and ugly - and…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 11 (7/2/2026)
Episode 11 brings fresh cuts from Michigander, Kelley Stoltz, and Carver Commodore alongside The Beths, The Long Winters, Dismemberment Plan, and FIGHTMASTER…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 10 (6/25/2026)
Episode 10 casts a wider net than most — Iceage, Inundaremos, and Wippy Bonstack bring some international and angular flavor to a set that also makes room for…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 9 (6/18/2026)
Episode 9 lets Rilo Kiley, The Beths, and The Linda Lindas hold the door open for Kashus Culpepper, Hikes, Eastern Souvenirs, and a few others worth…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 8 (6/11/2026)
Episode 8 is stacked with new music: EGOISM, Pamela., Pete Yorn, JW Francis, Arcy Drive, Beaming, Feeble Little Horse, Wes Parker, Kevin Morby, Babehoven…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 7 (6/4/2026)
Episode 7 spotlights new releases from Wildermiss, Joyce Manor, Cody Jr, and Francis of Delirium, with a healthy local contingent — Often Easy, Trestles, Luke…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 6 (5/28/2026)
Episode 6 introduces new tracks from Liana Warren, Sakai, and Hovvdy alongside with some deep dives into the proverbial dusty record bins — Andrew Bird, Beach…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 5 (5/21/2026)
Episode 5 features fresh cuts from Spacey Jane, The Gnomes, and Blackhorse Hotel alongside a characteristically eclectic pull — Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 4 (5/14/2026)
Episode 4 brings fresh cuts from Michigander and aron! & Mei Semones into the mix alongside a well-stocked roster — Beirut, Spoon, Frightened Rabbit, Kings of…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 3 (5/7/2026)
This episode of Necktie Optional begins with a sprint and ends in a conversation. We kick things off in a state of high-tensile urgency, anchored by the…
Necktie OptionalNecktie Optional episode 2 (4/30/2026)
Episode 2 moves through a wide emotional and sonic landscape, opening with the indie rock energy of Rumspringa and Editors before the energy pulls back and the…