Blogs

Dirk Hamilton on Friday April 14, 2017

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dirk Hamilton to appear on KDRT

California raised Dirk Hamilton is our guest this week. I am really looking forward to this episode of Listening Lyrics as we dig into some of the lyrics of his songs. Dirk will appear at the Palms in Winters, CA Saturday  April 15, 2017. You ca visit Dirk at www.dirkhamilton.com. 

Dirk: “I began playing guitar and singing songs when I was 8 years old. I was writing stories and poems before that. I always thought of the two activities as completely different and separate -- writing was ‘serious’, playing and singing was ‘fun’. Then I discovered Dylan and learned that songs could be just as deep as the best poetry. It was an epiphany! At that moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”

At 15, Dirk wrote two more songs for another 45, this one under his own name. Both records were on the IKON label in Sacramento. “These two were stinkers too but after what seemed like a real long time, I began writing good songs and realized I’d done it! I had enjoyed myself into a real songwriter poet!”

Jazz After Dark April 04, 2017

An hour of jazz legends tonight! 

  • Louis Armstrong & Earl Hines
  • Jelly Roll Morton
  • Fats Waller & His Rhythm
  • Mildred Bailey & Red Norvo and His Orchestra
  • Count Basie with Billie Holiday
  • Billie Holiday
  • Nat King Cole
  • Charlie Parker
  • Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
  • Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges
  • Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
  • Leo Wright
  • Earl "Fatha" Hines
  • Lionel Hampton & Axel Zwingenberger
  • Stanley Jordan

"That's Life" with guest Mel Russell (4/6)

Next week, April 6th, is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WWI. Researcher Mel Russell, a retired Yolo County archivist, begins a series of public talks and events collectively referred to as "Lest We Forget". There are four parts in the project with the first, starting April 6th, "Now We Are At War". Events are scheduled through the end of May. Tune into "That's Life" at 1pm on Thursday for a one hour interview with Mel Russell herself!

Lois has a new format -- always an interview!

 
In March 2017,  I changed the standard format of my program.  Instead of USUALLY playing music with occasional interviews, now "That's Life" will be MOSTLY interviews with music tucked in now and then.  The show remains at Thursdays at 1:00pm, check schedule for re-play times as they may change quarterly.

The line-up of guests for Spring 2017 is/was as follows:

"That's Life" with Chris Dewees (3/30)

On today's show "That's Life", Lois Richter will interview Chris Dewees who is a fish printer and author. Lois met Chris at Gallery 1855 where he held an art exhibition in 2015. Tune in to learn more about his work, especially Gyotaku (Japanese, from gyo "fish" + taku "rubbing"), which is a traditional Japanese art form dating from the mid-1800s. It is a form of nature printing often used by fishermen to accurately record their catches.

Jazz After Dark March 28, 2017

Jazz standards by great performers tonight!

  • Duke Ellington with Peggy Lee --  I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
  • Peggy Lee & Hal Mooney and His Orchestra -- What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
  • Jimmy Giuffre & Jim Hall -- Two Kinds of Blues
  • Lou Levy -- Black Coffee
  • Johnny Hodges -- Take the "A" Train
  • Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson -- I Get a Kick Out of You
  • Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington & His Orchestra -- Caravan
  • Lorraine Geller -- Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
  • Bud Shank  -- Round About Midnight ~
  • Cal Tjader -- Fried Bananas
  • Earl "Fatha" Hines -- Tosca's Dance
  • Cannonball Adderley -- Plenty, Plenty Soul
  • Erena Terakubo -- Take the "A" Train

Divine Intervention Strikes - Mar 27

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Alaska Polka Chips cover art

Could we have found a higher-quality image for this week's edition of "Vinyl Vespers"? Short answer is "nope," but the good news is that it may actually be a good bargain-bin find this time around; i.e., GOOD good versus BAD good. Guess we'll have to tune in at 7p PT for Divine Intervention to find out more and to hear some rock, punk, rap, fun, a little country, and of course new music from the likes of Sleaford Mods, Sinners & Saints, Western Addiction...

Album of the Week -- Rush Hour by Joe Lovano

Rush Hour, released in 1995, was a collaboration between the American jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano and longtime composer/arranger Gunther Schuller, featuring compositions by Ellington, Mingus, Monk, and Schuller.  Schuller coined the term "Third Stream", referring to a music composed and performed using jazz and classical music techniques.  

Album of the Week - Stone Fox - Mar 16 at 5P

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Stone Fox cover art

AotW this week is Stone Fox's first album, self-titled and released on Rockstar Records in 1996. Stone Fox was one of San Francisco's best 90s bands, bringing amazing energy to their recordings and much, much more to their live shows. Tune in 5-6p PT, March 16, to hear Jorjee, Yvette, Kim, Janis, and Brett rock off their (and your) socks -- or ripped nylons, as the case may be.