Blogs

Due to his in-depth study of the music of different cultures, Alex Jenkins' playing transcends musical traditions and boundaries. His expression of rhythm is heavily influenced by his study of tabla (a north Indian classical percussion instrument), and he has become known for his creative approach to music, and for his unique ability to fuse rhythmic ideas from various disciplines into one cohesive sound.

Alex has studied music, drums and percussion at California State University Sacramento, the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music in San Rafael, and Drummers Collective in New York. He spent three months in India studying north Indian music. He performs and records regularly, around California and beyond, playing a variety of music (on both drums and tabla) including jazz, Afro-Cuban, rock, blues, fusion, Indian classical, and just about everything in between.

Alex leads The Alex Jenkins Trio, which keeps a very busy performing schedule. He also teaches workshops and clinics for various schools, including Sacramento State, American River College, Cosumnes River College, California College of the Arts in Oakland, UC Merced, and many more. His extensive private teaching roster has more than 50 students per week. 

Listen over the air, by livestream at www.kdrt.org, or find the show starting this Friday evening on your favorite podcast app under Listening Lyrics.

Brenden Tull / basil tell / Dunno is … an artist … simply because of his specific attention to beauty / each moment on the path to becoming a passive, Taoist non-action. He tastes life wide-eyed and … without a shell of hardness … and in his art, the person takes precedence over the product, the product is nearly extraneous --  something of his nature is carried over.

This week's Paul McCartney featured song will be "Ever Present Past" from his Memory Almost Full album. Brenden will play and re-invent the song.

Listen to Listening Lyrics over the air, via streaming at www.kdrt.org, or as a podcast on most podcast apps.

Racquetbangers is a Davis-based indie rock duo comprised of Timur Katsnelson (piano/vocals) and Robert Polon (guitar). Seeking refuge from the cutthroat music scene in their hometown of Los Angeles, the boys moved north in fall 2017 and never looked back. They soon found themselves fully immersed in the rich Davis culture and began writing songs about their surroundings. Barely scraping by on a diet of Ali Baba, Vampire Weekend, and pucks, Racquetbangers finally caught their big break with the release of their first demo, "Annie Lin." Hopes of an international stadium headline tour were crushed with the untimely outbreak of COVID-19, but the boys are back and buzzing in early 2022.

During the interview, we will play their most popular releases to date, along with a special tribute song to the events in the Ukraine.

For the Paul McCartney section of the show, the Racquetbangers will perform the Beatles' "Love Me Do." Paul has stated he loves to hear how other musicians interpret his songs. The Listening Lyrics family, Paul, and hockey players from around the globe are looking forward to this.

Maxwell Riley, a Davis-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, writes music that ranges from psychedelic jazz fusion to cosmic space funk. Max is inspired by acts like Jeff Beck, Steely Dan, Nile Rogers, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd, to name a few, and has been producing music since the 6th grade.

This program will be streamed live on www.kdrt.org. Listening Lyrics is also available as a podcast on your favorite podcast app. 

Nat Lefkoff is a musician "dedicated to distilling the human condition," his website biography says. "He will disarm you with a modest demeanor as his tectonic voice shifts your consciousness alongside his skillfully crafted lyrics. His acclaimed songs 'Great White Planes' and 'Damn' show off the honesty, vulnerability and intensity of his lyrics and enchanting performance style. The warm tone of his voice sweeps from an understated whisper to an erupting volcano. His performances are a visceral experience that pull at your heart until it surrenders. Nat's music is more than a collection of chords and sincere words, it is the experience of life, masterfully articulated into song."

This is Listening Lyrics' annual year-end show, coming up on Friday, Dec. 31, at 4 p.m.

We lost a lot of musicians in 2021. Listen and appreciate the gift of sound they left us. Some are well known, others not so, but all left us a gift.

Happy New Year, all!

Pieter