Blogs

Live in the Loam 10/23/15 with FRONT COUNTRY at 3:00PM

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Front Country visit KDRT

Longtime Davis broadcaster Bill Wagman interviews Bay Area quintet Front Country at 3 pm on Friday, October 23rd, live on KDRT. Drawing on a foundation of bluegrass, Front Country's sound incorporates challenging arrangements, unique covers, and original songwriting. Band influences include Bill Monroe, Paul Simon, Prince, King Crimson(!), and the Seldom Scene.  Front Country is lead singer Melody Walker, mandolinist Adam Roszkiewicz, guitarist Jacob Groopman, violinist Leif Karlstrom, and bassist Jeremy Darrow. Sake of the Song, their debut album, was released in 2014.

Front Country appears Friday, October 23rd, at the Palms Playhouse in Winters at 8:00 p.m. Visit Front Country on the web: frontcountryband.com

Album of the Week 10/22/15 "Chasing White Light" by The Lonely Wild

Chasing White Light by The Lonely Wild

Chasing White Light by The Lonely Wild
John Vanderslice to the rescue! I didn't know what to play this week, so i searched the phrase "produced by JV" on the internets and voila! Chasing White Light by The Lonely Wild. This album is *perfect* for AoTW!! 
 
The following description of the album is from the artists' website for two reasons: 1) I know nothing about this band and 2) I am still on my first listen of the thing. I just now found this band and album by searching to see what albums John Vanderslice (owner and producer at San Francisco and now Oakland's Tiny Telephone) had recently produced. CWL has absolutely everything I love in an album for AoTW...
 

Album Review: Little Boat, by Rita Hosking

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Little Boat by Rita Hosking

Rita's fifth offering in her accomplished folk/country career is a subdued, laidback affair, but the musical style allows for Rita's impressive songwriting and musicianship to take center stage. The lyrics on Little Boat are personal, introspective, and even haunting at times, and Rita's excellent vocals are the focus of the album. The musicianship is rock-solid as well, as Rita utilizes a variety of different instruments on the album, including harmonica, banjos, and even an organ. That being said, Rita's excellent acoustic guitar is the centerpiece of the instrumentation on the album. All the tracks on the album are pretty solid, but the standouts are "Sierra Bound" and "Five Star Location," a song about the loss of American jobs to China. All in all, Little Boat is a solid addition in Hosking's catalogue, and it's a definite recommend for fans of Hosking or anyone who wants to hear a thoughtful, laidback folk album.

Album of the Week 10/15/15 Sonny Boy Slim by Gary Clark Jr.

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Gary Clark Jr. Sonny Boy Slim on KDRT

Gary Clark Jr.'s versatility is both blessing and curse. The Austin ace's 2012 breakthrough album, Blak and Blu, shuffle-mixed through blues roots; raw, Hendrix-channeling solos; glossy, modern R&B; and points between, but never quite figured out how to connect the dots. Three years later, his studio follow-up does — mainly by focusing on his unfuckwithable guitar. Clark carves out a Prince-ly room of his own with wah-wah-washed acid rock ("Grinder") and ping-ponging, Bootsy-tinted funk ("Star"). There's also the rap-cadence soul of "Hold On," with echoes of Marvin Gaye and Kanye West; the deep groove of "Wings," a slinky duet with Austin singer Tameca Jones; and "Church," a stripped-down folk meditation à la Taj Mahal that unpacks the drama behind one man's prayers. The playing never stumbles, though the writing occasionally does: Murder-ballad tradition and sexy falsetto notwithstanding, the woman-in-the-crosshairs image in "Cold Blooded" seems questionable in a nation toxic with domestic violence.

Album Review: Jagged Rocks, by Throttle Elevator Music ft. Kamasi Washington

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Jagged Rocks by Throttle Elevator Music

Jagged Rocks is the third studio album by contemporary jazz group Throttle Elevator Music since the group first started recording music in 2012. Throttle Elevator Music comprises West Coast jazz musicians, including Matt Montgomery and emerging star Kamasi Washington, who has a solo career and was recently featured on Kendrick Lamar's smash hit To Pimp a Butterfly.

Jagged Rocks is 16 tracks of loud, up-tempo jazz. One might mistake it for an instrumental rock album if it weren't for Kamasi Washington's melodic tenor-sax solos on nearly every track. Also at the forefront of the production are the drums and the guitars, which wouldn't sound out of place on a garage-rock recording, as exemplified by tracks such as "Doesn't Matter Now," "Kalim," and "Breaking Dishes." 

This thoroughly enjoyable album never gets boring and never loses energy--worth a look for all jazz fans, especially those wanting a strong influx of energy into their playlists.

KDRT Broadcasts Live from Armadillo for 2nd Friday ArtAbout - 10/9 6:30P

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KDRT broadcasts live from Armadillo's

The 2nd Friday ArtAbout is a huge favorite in the downtown Davis scene. KDRT is pleased to announce that starting on October 9 we will broadcast LIVE from Armadillo Music for 2nd Friday events. Our host Tim Spangler will interview the performers in between the music. This month's guest will be the Winters band Polyorchids. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome.

Rita Hosking to appear on Listening Lyrics - Oct 9, 2015 at 4:00PM

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RRita Hosking to visit KDRT in Davis, CA

Rita Hosking will join us in the studio to talk about her new album “Frankie and the No- Go Road”  Rita is an American composer and musician based in Davis, California. She plays Americana and bluegrass styles of music with both standards and original songs. She has been performing around the country at concerts, festivals, and other venues.

"Hosking's music isn't like the polished, over-produced music found in pop culture. Hers is a minimalist sound that reflects a simpler time and place: a little country town, rather than a big city."

Leading up to her 2010 performance tour of Great Britain, she received increasing attention on the "East Side" of the pond. Reviewer Paul Kerr of Americana-UK remarked that she is "a very talented artist with the ability to step up to that pantheon of great female country folk singers and writers."  Hosking has played to packed venues in England, Wales, and Cornwall. Visit Rita at http://www.ritahosking.com/music

 

Album of the Week - 10/8/15- Hard Working Americans

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Album of the week - KDRT 95,7FM

This week Jesse and Pieter feature the debut LP from the Hard Working Americans! This album is Americana at its best, featuring songs rooted in the blues, alternative country, and rock. Hard Working Americans are a super band of sorts, featuring Todd Snider and a group of his friends: keyboardist Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi), guitarist Neil Casal (the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Ryan Adams & The Cardinals), bassist Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) and drummer Duane Trucks (King Lincoln and Col. Bruce Hampton’s School of Music). Despite Todd Snider’s obvious songwriting abilities, they chose to cover songs from some of their favorite artists, all dealing with day to day struggles of the low-down and down-and-out. Great lyrics, great instrumentation and Todd Snider’s vocals! An anthemic album for those of us on the left side of the tracks. One of my favorite albums from 2014.