Feasts for the Ears: AccuRadio’s Sunny Sounds Pair Well with Summer Party Menus

A clever theme can make for an exceptional adult summer party, and the right music is an essential element. For those who don’t want to build a playlist from scratch or stress about what’s playing during the gathering, AccuRadio can keep tunes flowing to match any menu note-for-note.

AccuRadio is a free, online radio station that delivers 975 channels of expertly-curated music. Songs are organized in genres and subgenres, so a host can easily score a party to complement an imaginative menu.

Beach Blast

For example, AccuRadio channels ideal for an adult beach party include the Magic Sunny Summer channel, with adult pop hits like “Daylight” by Maroon 5, “That Summer” by Garth Brooks, “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” by Bruno Mars, and “Sister Golden Hair” by America. Another option is West Coast Oldies, featuring beloved songs by Steppenwolf, Santana, and Sly and the Family Stone; plus favorites like “California Girls” by The Beach Boys, “Walk Don’t Run” by the Ventures, and “Wipe Out” by the Safaris. For rock, pop, and soul songs that appeal to a wide range of guests, Hot Fun in the Summertime puts tracks by Chicago and Foreigner next to songs by with Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett.

These genres go well with Ahi tuna, scalloped oysters, grilled shrimp, hummus-veggie sandwiches, and brie cheese (meant to ooze in the heat, unlike cheddar, which goes oily). Sand dollar cinnamon sugar cookies and white chocolate key lime pie make great seaside desserts. Hosts can pair these with umbrella-worthy cocktails like Sex on the Beach and Beach Breeze, as well as Tropical Daiquiris.

Cowboy Cookout

Putting on a cowboy cookout lets the chef get creative and teaches everybody fun lingo: Cowboys call bacon “overland trout” and biscuits “sinkers.” “Cackleberries” are eggs, and “skunk eggs” are onions. Corned beef is called “salt horse,” and tomatoes are “love apples.” As the campfire burns low, the posse can enjoy Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies—she uses chocolate chips, pecans, oatmeal, and coconut. For cocktails, Pecos Punch uses agave nectar, cantaloupe, lemon juice, and tequila. And Cowboy Coffee adds lemon, champagne, and bitters to coffee beans and whisky.

Cowboy Singers & Poets is a must-hear AccuRadio channel that plays “Call of the Wild” by Prairie Rose Wranglers; “Wildfire” by Michael Murphey; “Trail Drive” by Sons of San Joaquin; and “Hoppy, Gene and Me” by Roy Rogers. For more, AccuRadio’s programmers have put together over 40 channels of country music. For instance, Blonde Country—The Blonde Ladies of Country Music is a favorite.

Family Reunion

Memorial Day and Labor Day are big for family reunions, and when all ages attend, choosing music can be tricky. One suggestion: play a succession of generational favorites arranged by decade. AccuRadio’s Summer Hits: ’58 – ’63 features Paul Anka, Ben E. King, the Crystals, and others. For Elvis Presley and Frankie Valli mixed in with the Guess Who and The Troggs, there’s Summer Hits: ’64 – ’69. Summer Hits: the 80’s serves up The Rolling Stones, Prince, Peter Gabriel, and Whitney Houston. Fans of Madonna, Los Rios, Janet Jackson, and Boys II Men can find them on Summer Hits: the 90s. And Summer Hits: 2010 to 2day brings the party up-to-date with the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Jay Z, and Justin Timberlake.

A reunion is a good time for fried chicken, deviled eggs, apple broccoli salad, taco dip, stuffed tomatoes, and zucchini boats—along with passed-down family recipes. Super-clever cooks might make fried-egg-with-fried-chicken sandwiches—known as “Mother and Child Reunion” sandwiches—and play the Folk-Rockers channel, where Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion” can be heard. If kids are present, it’s best to forego the liquor and add to the party AccuRadio’s Kids’ Broadway channel, with tunes from Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Wicked, Mary Poppins, and more.

Independence Day Barbecue

A fitting AccuRadio channel for the Fourth of July is Red, White, and Blue Country, which plays Charlie Daniels Band, Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, and others. Alternatively, We’re an American Band mixes ZZ Top, Van Halen, and Billy Joel with REM, Nirvana, and Stone Temple Pilots. Summer #1s delivers every song that was a US #1 hit in June, July, and August since 1959. It’s got 1963’s “My Boyfriend’s Back” by the Angels, 1988’s “The Flame” by Cheap Trick, 2014’s “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea, and more. Or Hot Fun in the Summertime could be a fun fireworks prelude, with rock, pop, and soul, including 1964’s “California Sun” by The Riviera’s, 1984’s “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley, and 2010’s “California Gurls” by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg.

For a grilled meal, an easy way to please everyone—and exalt independence—is to let folks assemble their own kabobs on skewers from a buffet of marinated, cubed meats and veggies. And the US has more barbecue recipes than states in the union: carmelized onion and garlic, brown sugar bourbon, Applewood smoked, beer can chicken, slow and low Memphis pit…and the list goes on. Frozen key lime pie, ice cream sandwiches, and strawberry shortcake make cooling desserts. Adding blueberries and raspberries turns cheesecake into a red, white, and blue confection. And there’s no better time to sip fresh fruits in Strawberry Basil Margaritas (with frozen limeade), Blackberry Cocktails (with cucumbers and mint sprigs), and Blood Orange Old-Fashioneds.

Hawaiian Luau

AccuRadio’s Hawaiian channel is the perfect soundtrack for a luau. It features music by Keali’I Reichel, Ka’ala Boys, Don Ho, and ‘Ale’a. For a more contemporary crowd, the Future Perfect Radio channel plays the bands Blue Hawaii and Z-Rock Hawaii, among other pure indie rock groups.

The feast can consist of Kalua pork, Lomilomi salmon, Hawaiian sweet potatoes (they’re bright purple!), potstickers, chicken long rice, and sweet poi. Authentic Hawaiian desserts include Chantilly Haupia Puffs (made with coconut milk), Lilikoi Chiffon pie (lilikoi is like passion fruit), and Pineapple Carrot Cake (takes a cup of chopped macadamia nuts). Finally, Mai Tais, Lava Lavas, and Kona Coffee-Tinis are proper drinks for sipping as the tiki torches burn.

About AccuRadio:

AccuRadio (“Better radio for your workday”) offers over 975 expertly-curated channels of rock, pop, R&B, jazz, country, classical, pop standards, Broadway, Christmas music, world music, and more; targeting an upscale, educated, 35- to 64-year-old demographic. AccuRadio was America’s fastest-growing music-based webcaster in 2015, according to Triton Digital’s “Webcast Metrics Top 20” monthly rankers in terms of year-over-year growth rate. AccuRadio also consistently has the highest Average Time Spent Listening (ATSL) of all personalizable radio brands. Each month, over a million unique listeners tune into AccuRadio via its website and its top-rated mobile apps.