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Gabe Lewin started singing about the time he learned to walk. He picked up the guitar at 13, or 60 years ago, and then 15 years after that he took up the harmonica. His first professional stage appearance was in 1965 at The Troubadour in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In South Africa he learned a wide variety of musical styles, including very old, very new, and original songs. He learned old folk standards, new folk tunes, reggae tunes, bluegrass, and even a few classic rock and blues tunes.  The common thread is that all have real melodies!

Gabe says he's a “song collector.” “if a song really grabs me I go about learning to play it," he says, "so I can share the song with others.” The criteria of a good song is interesting lyrics and melody. Some songs are tender, some moving, and some are humorous. Themes vary from the plight of the poor farmer and the poor coal miner, to broken hearts and true love, and ballads, and more.

Gabe is also a familiar figure as a sound system provider and operator at many events in the area, such as Celebrate Davis, and for many years  the Yolo County Fair, as the owner/operator of Clarity Sound.

This week’s High Country Music Radio (1/28/2020) features the sound of traditional roots music and the old time banjo from artists no longer with us (but live on in song!) and artists, some young and some with a bit of gray, that continue playing and interpreting that music. To discover this old time music you can start with an artist and then find out who their influences were. Then keep working your way backward and, eventually, you’ll find musicians such as Dock Boggs, the Carter family or Lead Belly. That list is long. 

Tomorrow at 11:00 on High Country Music Radio KDRT 95.7FM Rusty will feature the Donut Exchange, a band recently relocated to Davis, Dock Boggs, Abigail Washburn, Tim Eriksen, Laurie Lewis and others. Thanks for listening!

Tomorrow, Tuesday January 21st, High Country Music Radio will open with Rhiannon Giddens performing a beautiful a cappella cover of Pretty Bird,  a song written by coal country activist Hazel Dickens. Hazel Dickens also appears on this week's playlist performing  two of her songs. Carolina Chocolate Drops alum Dom Flemons is featured as well with a pair of songs from his post Chocolate Drops catalog.

Rusty will also feature the Lonesome Ace String Band who are performing locally this week, the Brothers Comatose, The Lowest Pair and others on High Country Music Radio at KDRT 95.7 FM.

Tomorrow, Jan 13th, at 11:00 a.m on High Country Music Radio host Rusty Nail will warm up these cool days with songs from the award winning AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Special Consensus, The Grateful Dead, Rita Hosking, Asleep at the Wheel along with other great artists. Tune in at KDRT 95.7 fm or stream on KDRT.org! You can listen to High Country Music Radio anytime by visiting iTunes and subscribing to the podcast. 

Ask Adrian what kind of music The Adrian West Band  plays and he'll say "Yes." Or if he's feeling cocky, he'll say "Good."

The longer answer: original acoustic rock that sounds like Paul Simon meets Dave Matthews meets Talking Heads. The band features vocal harmonies, guitar, electric violin, bass, drums, sometimes an alto sax, and a bit of live “looping.”

Born and raised in Montreal, Adrian is an exciting performer. A gifted vocalist, he moves effortlessly between guitar & violin, sometimes using live looping to add layers of sound and intrigue to his songs. With a knack for language that's simple yet poetic, he's not afraid to tackle difficult topics in his songwriting. "Safe Streets" tells an allegory about police violence, "Close Your Eyes" laments the beauty bias that pervades the mass media, and "Senses" entreats you to appreciate your senses while you can. But Adrian doesn't take any of this stuff too seriously; his lyrics are infused with a sense of hope and a touch of whimsy.  

Adrian started playing violin at 4, and in his teens he studied classical violin at the McGill Conservatory of Music in Montreal. He later learned drums and guitar, and developed his vocal and songwriting technique. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995, where as a sideman violinist he began supporting Bay Area bands, playing some of the area's better known venues including the Fillmore, Yoshi's SF (main stage), Slim’s, The Independent and The Sweetwater. In 2005 he formed the Adrian West Band, which has performed steadily at venues and festivals all over the Bay Area.

Check out his new album "The Human Touch"

 *************   This broadcast will be streamed live on KDRT.org  ***********