Diane Crumley's blog

Starting in the late summer of 2008, Chris Mussen began airing "A Constant Grin" on KDRT every Friday afternoon 2 at for 30 minutes of hand-picked indie favorites from his substantial collection. Fast-forward 12 years, and today's show marked episode No. 500! In case you haven't  tuned in before, here's the show description, "All things modern indie, from shoegaze to psychedelic, dream pop to space rock, lo-fi to indie folk. Whatever you prefer on your indie playlists, A Constant Grin is sure to keep you smiling."  Today's episode looked back a bit at early shows, and we heard Chris' perspective on starting his program many moons ago.  Stream episode No. 500 at https://kdrt.org/audio/constant-grin-episode-500-12-years-indie-friday-a...

Free Speech Week has been celebrated in the U.S. since 2005.  To kick off this special week, we're joining with non-commercial media centers across the country for Community Media Day on October 20th, and will debut a short video highlighting our wide array of  grassroots activities and local projects. Throughout the week, we will continue to post special videos and photos on our social media pages - Davis Media FB  and KDRT FB .  We'll feature our projects in youth media, social justice, community-based public affairs, local election education, and advocacy for local nonprofits,  arts and music. 

Davis Media Access (DMA) is pleased to announce that one of its youth participants has been selected as a finalist in the national Points of Light Foundation’s Youth Summit Pitch Contest, held Aug. 19, 2020.  The Summit brought together youth aged 13-18 from across the country to reflect on the challenges and opportunities presented by the new school year and the “new normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Rohan Baxi, a 9th grade student from Da Vinci Junior High in Davis, CA pitched his project idea, “Timeout Radio: Building Teen Connection in a Time of Distance,” to the Foundation, and was selected as one of 10 finalists. The recognition comes with a $1,000 award to help further his project.

On Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, community radio stations across the country will unite to commemorate the life of Breonna Taylor and the many female victims of American police brutality.  Led by WXOX-FM in Loisville KY the link to Facebook event gives additional info. This date will mark the five-month anniversary of Breonna’s passing. In the words of Breonna’s aunt Bianca Austin, “Justice for Breonna means an end to police brutality and social injustice." KDRT will join more than 50 community radio stations from 11 to 11:10 a.m. Pacific time to hear one of Breonna’s favorite songs and a message from her family dedicated to those who demand equality and stand up for justice worldwide. Tune in at 95.7 FM or stream at kdrt.org.

The Sons of the Soul Revivers- a venerable San Francisco Bay Area gospel quartet - marked its 50th anniversary on July 4, and is celebrating with the release of their new studio CD "Songs We'll Always Sing." DJ Rodriguez speaks with band member James Morgan on this week's special edition of Silver Nine Volt Heart. Stream here to listen to this episode https://kdrt.org/audio/sons-soul-revivers-featured-silver-nine-volt-hear...

“We definitely used the Pilgrim Jubilees as a blueprint for how the traditional gospel quartet sound should be,” explains James regarding their latest album. “We got a chance to see those guys (Jubilees) in 1977, and long story short, they blew us away."

Starting mid-July, we’ve been able to bring back a number of KDRT programmers into the studio. This is accomplished with widely staggered air shifts and rigorous cleaning protocol. All shows can be heard live on KDRT 95.7 FM, and also streamed live at https://kdrt.org, where you can also find a schedule, program highlights, DJ contact info, or listen or download archived programs.

Here are some highlights:

• Sara TAPS is back with “The Awesome Patrol Show” Wednesdays 1-2 pm, highlighting the best of indie label music.

• “At Night I Fly” is an eight-part series with incarcerated poet Spoon Jackson about his life and poetry. In this series, Jackson dives into the complicated nature of being locked up and yet still growing. Producer Matthew Schneeman then dives into the same themes but on the outside -- connecting the two worlds. Jackson is in Solano State Prison. Show airs Sundays at noon.

Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove are veteran musicians whose individual histories include stints with legends like Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, and more. Known for their sultry, laid-back "Tulsa Sound," their new album "Heaven Forever" (released in April) adds their own flavorings, yet is reminiscent of forerunners Leon Russell, JJ Cale and Elvin Bishop. This album, produced by band member Walt Richmond, is sponsored by Little Village Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks out music happening in communities that's created by artists with non-traditional backgrounds, but who often have deep experience as performers. Little Village records and produces a CD album at no charge as a gift to the musicians, and to support community-based artists. 

On July 8, Casey Van Beek and the Tulsa Groove appeared on Working from Home, a streaming series produced by Little Village as another means of sharing these traditional roots-style performances while musicians cannot play in their typical venues. Link to it on their website or via Facebook.

In honor of worldwide Make Music Day, KDRT 95.7 FM is producing a special broadcast  - the Make Music Davis Song Showcase - where over 20 local musicians of all ages and genres have contributed videos and will join us briefly on the air to share their songs and celebrate our community of music lovers.

This special show airs on KDRT Sunday June 21 at 10 -11:30 AM and again at 6-7:30 PM. To view the YouTube version with videos, link to Make Music Davis - Participate.

Here's the special schedule on KDRT.org for June 21:

10 - 11:30 AM  Make Music Davis 2020 Song Showcase - over 20 local musicians stop by and share a song video

11:30 - 3 PM  Live Recorded Concerts from Davis Odd Fellows Hall - Calvin Handy and the Jazz Patrol, Misner and Smith, Gary Lee Yoder, and MUMBO GUMBO 

6 - 7:30 PM   Make Music Davis 2020 Song Showcase - over 20 musicians visit with host Pieter Pastoor and share song videos

7:30 - 9 PM   Live Recorded Concerts from Odd Fellows Hall - featuring Achilles Wheel Trio and Me & Him.

As we look back upon a busy fall, we are grateful for the generosity shown during our 2019 Rootstock fundraising events. We greatly appreciate the MANY listeners who donated, for this support is truly what allows us to continue to produce our 24/7 local broadcast and streaming.

We celebrated our 15th anniversary at a diverse array of community venues, and were thrilled to make new friends, and to reconnect with longtime partners. In mid-November, we hit the "Grassroots Trail" with events that included Berryessa Brewing in Winters with The Muddy Waders, The Barn and Pantry Tuesday Open Mic Night in Dixon with Hattie Craven, 2nd Wednesday Jazz Night at the Root of Happiness Kava Bar in Davis, a special KDRT benefit at Woodstock's Pizza with The West Nile Ramblers, and concluded in Woodland at Sunday Sessions at Blue Note Brewing. Each venue is a hub for communities to gather and support their local musicians.