Blogs

Bruce Salmon on Live DiRT (8/12 at 1pm)

Dug Deep will host New Orleans native, Texas raised jazz/blues singer/songwriter Bruce Salmon. Bruce is a veteran of the Austin music scene, and began performing as a solo artist in 2012, releasing his first solo album “A Barrel of Monkeys”, in 2014. His music is steeped in the Texas songwriting tradition, as well as New Orleans jazz, funk, and blues. More recently he’s studied ancestral folk music from Eastern Europe. Bruce plays bass, guitars, keyboards, and brass in a broad range of styles and bands, ranging from funk/rock (Joe Rockhead), Texas punk (Alejandro Escovedo), Klezmer/Balkan (The Inheritance/ Mazel Tov Cocktail Hour), and street brass band (Minor Mishap Marching Band). Bruce’s most recent CD is called Dreaming While Awake. Bruce will be appearing Friday August 12th at Berryessa Brewing in Winters from 5-8:00 pm

Lance Canales & The Flood on Live DiRT (8/11 at 4:30pm)

KDRT broadcaster Bill Wagman, (one half of the Folk Brothers) will host Lance Canales and the Flood live in the KDRT studio on Thursday, August 11th, beginning at 4:30 pm. Lance Canales & The Flood are a roots-blues influenced Americana trio from Fresno, California, where Canales lived the life that so many songs have been written about since the birth of roots music – hard labor, one room shacks and taunting ghosts whispering of a better life. Canales’ guttural vocals combine a hard-edged storytelling approach beneath a stripped down, foot-stomping, acoustic instrumentation. In February 2013, Canales released the single “Plane Crash at Los Gatos: Deportee” (a poem) written by Woody Guthrie in 1948 and labeled by Saint Louis Magazine as a, “gut-wrenchingly beautiful rendition.” The song has been covered by many stellar musicians, but what makes this version so important is that it reveals the names of the Mexican nationals that were simply dubbed as “deportees” in the original news article.

Gary Chew: Third Streaming (Friday 8/5)

No longer shall you go without hearing Third Stream music if you listen to Gary's record show. That's particularly so when he kicks off this week's program with “Non più andrai,” a bass aria from Mozart's opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” but played by a brass ensemble. The Modern Jazz Quartet gets all bluesy with musical ideas by Johann Sebastian Bach. Oh yes, some really good, but creepy film music is scheduled as well: that being compositions by Angelo Badalamenti. It's music from the David Lynch film, “Mulholland Drive,”and the zany but dark television series, “Twin Peaks.” The mood gets a turn around with chipper melodies from Kurt Weill's “The Three Penny Opera.” Check the KDRT website from replays times ... or catch GARY CHEW: THIRD STREAMING any old time … as pulled off the K-dirt podcast shelf. You won't be sorry.

Let's Protest - the musical Alexander Hamilton VS protest songs today

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Todays show plays protest songs> Just like Hamilton was

The broadway musical Alexander Hamilton is a huge hit. The younger generation has grabbed on to this amazing story told in a rap/hip hop way. It's really about protest and in America we have not stopped protesting. So today's show I will play some known and not so well known protest songs from around the world. I think we all know that the voice of protest runs deep in song.  The following description is from the site https://musictodiefor.wordpress.com/50-greatest-protest-songs/. Some but not all of the songs were also selected from this site

– A song that has a purpose. A song that doesn’t confine itself to commenting on or bemoaning the ills of the world, but seeks in some small way to change things. It may do this by calling directly for something to happen – “free Nelson Mandela”, by informing us, by appealing to our hearts and our emotions, or by challenging commonly held ideas.

Gary Chew: Third Streaming (Friday 7/29)

You won't believe it, but Third Streaming begins this Friday with “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic.” However, it won't be anything like you've ever heard “Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory Of The Coming Of The Lord” before. The same musicians will also play a piece called “Echoes Of Duke Ellington.” The players we speak of are Lalo Schifrin and all the folks in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Diana Krall will sing a song made into a hit by The Mamas and the Papas. Yip, she will. Gary also has dropped into this week's play list music from the soundtrack of the new Woody Allen film titled “Cafe Society.” The Turtle Island String Quartet does a remarkable all strings piece composed by David Balakrisnan and a vintage recording of Concertino For 12 Instruments by Igor Stravinsky will be conducted by him. All of it … music to your ears on KDRT.

Jazz After Dark July 26, 2016

Some classic mid-century jazz; featured artist Thelonious Monk.

  • Ella Fitzgerald
  • Benny Goodman (Helen Ward vocals)
  • Lena Horne
  • Art Tatum
  • Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins
  • Thelonious Monk with Coleman Hawkins
  • Clark Terry & Thelonious Monk
  • Lucky Thompson
  • Charlie Byrd And The Washington Guitar Quintet
  • Dorothy Donegan
  • Dolo Coker
  • Rodrigo y Gabriela

Album Review: Goody Bag, by Lew Hopson

Goody Bag, released by Houston-based R&B artist Lew Hopson, is the third full-length relase in his short career. The musical spectrum on the album ranges from melodic and thoughtful low-tempo R&B to righteous rockers such as title and lead track "Goody Bag." Lew Hopson's solid but unspectacular vocals anchor the album throughout, while multi-instrumentalist Tom Moncrieff handles the majority of the instrumentation, including the recorded Guitars, Drums, and Horns. Moncrieff also chips in on the writing front, although Hopson pens the majority of the songs. Taken as a whole, the album gives off a laid back and optomistic vibe, especially on the tunes "Best Best Friend" and "Learn to Let Go," both of which are hopeful and insipirational jams. Overall, the album is enjoyable, if not groundbreaking R&B, perfect for a lazy, sunny afternoon, and a welcome addition to an R&B collection. 

Album of the Week - Jonathan Segel's "Edgy Not Antsy"

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Edgy Not Antsy cover art

Jonathan Segel spent a good deal of his childhood in Davis and is best known for being the violin player in Camper Van Beethoven, but he holds a master's degree in music composition and has a LONG list of collaborations and solo material, much of which is truly exceptional. Tonight we will highlight his 2003 solo release Edgy Not Antsy. It's at different times trippy, minimalist, dreamy, poppy, flourishing, and experimental—and always lots of fun. The songwriting is largly observational, and the subject matter ranges from alienation ("Losing Touch") to "Civil Disobediance" to mindless consumerism ("World of Suckers") with lots of wry humor tossed in. Tune in at 5 pm PT tonight. Dug Deep hosts.