Diane Crumley's blog

Local filmmakers debut Open Country on March 10 at Odd Fellows Hall -- a benefit for KDRT

Filmmakers Glenda and Jesse Drew of Davis made Open Country, a journey into the roots of American country, to reclaim the music as the creative expression of working people of all colors. The movie features interviews with well-known musicians, performances, archival clips and animation, and it sold out the venue when it recently screened in San Francisco.

The Drews will screen their movie in Davis Sunday, March 10, at the Odd Fellows Hall, doors 6 p.m.; show 6:30 p.m.; Q&A 8:15 p.m. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations will benefit KDRT. We hope to see you there! Tickets available online here. Keep reading to learn more:

Local musicians Natalie Cortez and Christopher Cassels visit Live Tracks, Jan. 25, 2024

KDRT DJ Jim Buchanan typically includes his live recordings of local bands on his Live Tracks show, but tonight (Jan. 25) he also has the pleasure of hosting longtime Sacramento/Davis-based musicians Natalie Cortez and Christopher Cassels live in the studio. Lately, many may have seen them playing as part of the 5-piece Natalie Cortez Band, which plays regularly in Sacramento and Davis (Davis Music Fest, Music for Natalie Corona Benefit concerts, and a 2019 benefit for KDRT to name a few).

Tonight they also talk about playing as a duo in the upcoming "Cozy Concert Series" at Morgan's Mill in Woodland, Friday, Jan. 26, from 7-9 p.m. This new series is organized by Left of the Dial Promotions, and features unique duos from several local 4-to-5 piece bands on the second and fourth Fridays in January and February.

Happy 2024 and a hearty Thank You for your generous support of KDRT in 2023

Davis Media Access staff, board, and all the KDRT volunteers are thrilled to report that the Fall 2023 Fundraiser exceeded our goal by close to 25 percent, and was our most successful KDRT fund drive to date! In its 19th year of broadcasting, our grassroots station relies on its very dedicated 30+ volunteer DJs and a supportive listener community.

 As 2024 begins, we're happy to be moving forward toward training several new programmers and getting out in the community for more in-person events. In case it slipped your mind, you can still show your support here. Thanks again!

KDRT and Davis Music Connections present New Year's Eve radio theatre concert Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-midnight

KDRT's DJ Ned of Davis Music Connections has combined his vivid imagination, audio editing skills, and deep knowledge of the regional music scene to create a unique radio theatre style show as a treat for listeners on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.  News Flash- In case you missed it LIVE, you can stream it HERE.

Ned has compiled a rich variety of live recordings of local band favorites including Mumbo Gumbo, The Essentials, Misner & Smith, Boca do Rio, Cake, Lawsuit, and Tom Fay & The Rhythm Kings. They will be presented as if they are playing live for one last concert at Freeborn Hall, UC Davis' beloved former music venue. Various KDRT DJs will join the performance by introducing each band, and the show includes the expected countdown to midnight, "Auld Lang Syne," and one final band to round out the performance. Tune into 95.7 FM or stream live

SF Press Club honors Davisville and Timeout Radio

KDRT radio programs about generational responses to war; Vince Guaraldi’s holiday music; a project that connects post-pandemic UC Davis students in a fun way, and the sport of Ultimate have all won awards for excellence in the 2023 San Francisco Press Club Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards. The club announced the honors during its annual awards dinner Dec. 13 in San Francisco. Several outlets

Jeff Sanford of the Cartoon Jazz Orchestra on Silver Nine Volt Heart, Nov. 30, 2023

Updated 12/1

For this week's show, Silver Nine Volt Heart host Rodriguez interviewed Jeff Sanford about his recent Cartoon Jazz Orchestra album, Playland at the Beach. This was as fun as it sounds!

Wildly creative cartoon soundtracks, heard on anything from the classic cartoons of the '40s and '50s with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to today's Anime, deliver an adventurous mash-up of classical, jazz, pop, folk, and everything in between. This music has a new home with Jeff Sanford's Cartoon Jazz Orchestra, a group of gifted, serious musicians who enjoy playing this zany, challenging music that swings like crazy.

Playland at the Beach was released by the Little Village Foundation, a California arts nonprofit that seeks to increase cross-cultural understanding by recording and producing underground artists whose music has not yet been discovered outside their community.

Grassroots gratitude from KDRT: Thank you all!

updated Dec. 10

THANK YOU for supporting your local grassroots radio by donating to KDRT! Our DJs enjoyed visiting their colleagues' shows during on-air fundraising, and seeing many of you at the variety of live music events during the past two weeks.  We're thrilled that your generosity so far has brought us to within 85 percent of our $7,000 goal. If it's slipped your mind, no worries, there's still time to donate.

Bay Area singer songwriter Maurice Tani interviewed on Silver Nine Volt Heart, Jan. 26, 2023

DJ Rodriquez invites you to tune in to Silver Nine Volt Heart from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26 for a live interview with Bay Area musician Maurice Tani. This special broadcast will highlight the sounds from Maurice's new album, All In, on the Little Village Foundation record label.

After a long career playing with legendary Bay Area bands such as The Flamin' Groovies, Big Bang Beat and the Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, Maurice has embarked upon a new trail of solo creativity he calls "Americana, without limits." We will speak to him about his new adventures and his plans for the upcoming live performance at the Thursday Live! concert at the Odd Fellows Hall in Davis on Feb. 2.

Drummer Greg Anton, of influential Bay Area band Zero, is interviewed on Silver Nine Volt Heart, July 21, 2022

Today's special guest on Silver Nine Volt Heart is Greg Anton, drummer and co-founder of the San Francisco musical institution Zero, which began in Marin County in the early 1980s. Zero released more than eight albums from 1987 to 2002 and played more than 1,300 concerts. In addition to Greg, and guitarist Steve Kimock, the musicians who joined in the adventuresome and spirited musical journey were a who's who of the Bay Area live music experience, including John Cipollina, Banana, and legendary Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.

Zero recently released Naught Again, a live album recorded in 1992 at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. The band will return to the venue this fall to celebrate the release and to fire up the epic sounds of Zero in San Francisco 30 years later. We will also talk with Greg about his new album, StarFire

Davis Music Fest is back and KDRT broadcasts opening night live starting at 5 p.m. June 17, 2022

The Davis Music Festival is back and celebrating its 10th year! The event runs from Friday, June 17, to Sunday, June 19, and hosts 40 bands in three days across six downtown venues. Opening night happens at Sudwerk Brewing, where KDRT will again broadcast live from the kickoff. This year Sudwerk will have two stages, and KDRT will be onsite for interviews and live audio from the north stage with The Big Poppies, Wolf Jett, and Royal Jelly Jive. The live broadcast begins at 5 p.m. Friday on 95.7 FM with audio streaming at kdrt.org. The Davis Music Fest benefits the Davis School Arts Foundation. For more information about all bands, schedules, etc., go to DavisMusicFest.com