Diane Crumley's blog

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'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

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

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.

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.

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

Since its inception in 2004, Don Saylor’s Soup’s On event has raised more than $300,000 and increased community awareness for many worthy causes in Yolo County. In 2022, its final year, Soup's On will benefit Davis Media Access and will feature the live music of MUMBO GUMBO.

Our volunteer programmers are looking forward to a special week of programming Dec. 5 to 11 during our annual fall on-air fundraising.

This year's theme, "Creativity Runs in our Roots," is particularly appropriate because we've worked hard to discover new ways to support the vibrancy of our community radio station. Whether producing shows from home, or adjusting to new safety protocols and schedules while using the KDRT studio, our intrepid group of more than 30 DJs have kept the grassroots spirit alive this year! We invite you to support these efforts today.