Pieter Pastoor's blog

This week, DJ Justin, takes us down memory lane, and a great lane this one is. Paul Simon is the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon as a solo artist. It was released in January 1972, nearly two years after he split up with longtime musical partner Art Garfunkel. The album represented the definitive announcement of the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel. Originally released on Columbia Records, it was then issued under the Warner Bros. label and is now back with Columbia through Sony. It was ranked No. 266 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. His first solo album had been recorded in England in 1965 and (except for a brief period in 1969) remained unreleased in the U.S. until 1981, when it appeared in the 5-LP Collected Works boxed set.

Jeremy Pinnell will appear on KDRT's Live in the Loam pop-up program from 1:00 to 1:30 pm on Saturday, November 14, 2015. Pinnell is a Kentucky native whose dark brand of honky-tonk country music reveals a weary and lonesome rustbelt quality--a quality that is at once strikingly original and current yet travels the same roads as Hank Williams, Ray Price, and George Jones. His most recent album—called “mind-blowingly good” by reviewers—is OH/KY on Sofaburn Records. Dug Deep Hosts.

After the broadcast, Jeremy Pinnell and the 55s will appear at 3 pm at Berryessa Brewing in Winters. For more information on the artist, visit jeremypinnell.com. For more Live in the Loam, visit the archives.

The KDRT crew broadcasts live from Armadillo Music for 2nd Friday ArtAbout with the amazing Misner & Smith, fresh from their European tour. This event is free, open to all. Stop on by at 6:30 pm, listen to the interview, enjoy the performance, meet the artists! 

Andrew Castro is a Sacramento  based singer songwriter. His new EP "RED HEARTS" is now riding on the EP chart of iTunes. Andrew has been on the show before but now as an up and coming "star" we will talk about his new release. Andrew will be joined by singer/songwriter and producer Casey Groat. Andrew's acoustic upbeat pop styled music is catchy and melodic while providing lyrics that are thoughtful and personal and can relate to anyone who has been in love and out of love in any type of relationship. His live shows are high energy and though he is a solo performer his live looping and the rhythms and sounds created on his guitar provide a sound, power and energy most songwriters don't have. 

This week’s AotW will feature Guy Clark’s quiet little opus The Dark from 2002.  Guy Clark has been writing amazing songs since the early ‘70s and performing regularly up until a few years ago.  His extensive body of work defines the genre of music that has come to be known as Americana.  He’s recorded 20 albums and his songs are finely honed snapshots of everyday folks and scenarios, real and imagined.  Guy Clark’s songs have been recorded by a long list of country music outsiders over the years, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs.  He’s also a master luthier, and The Dark is named after one of his guitars.  Though The Dark didn’t spawn any breakout songs, it shows Clark at the age of 60 still at the top of his powers as a writer and performer, evoking quiet moments of reflection and observation.   Dug Deep is this week's host.

Thank Your Lucky Stars strikes a notably downcast tone and posture when stacked next to Depression Cherry. There’s nothing about these songs that is outright melancholic, but there’s also nothing that reaches the same shimmering highs as, say, “Levitation” or “Space Song” on the earlier work, either. The closest this record comes to matching that level of majesty is the album opener “Majorette” and the closing track “Somewhere Tonight.”

Sandwiched between those two songs is an array of fantastically subdued and beautifully constructed dreamy psych-pop offerings that each possess their own unique vibe. Beach House has mastered the art of space by this point and seems to have an instinct for how long to drag out a keyboard melody or a guitar line before bringing in another element to keep things from bogging down. This is especially true on “Elegy To The Void,” which is carried along at a meandering pace by the same reverb-drenched guitar melody pattern, shifted into different chords and matched by an atmospheric synth.

STEPHEN MICHAEL POCUS - Musician: keyboard. Do not listen to this episode of LISTENING LYRICS while drinking Red Bull or coffee. Stephen will bring all the energy we need. He has been playing piano since the age of 10, but has been surrounded by music his entire life. He began playing by ear, writing songs and leaning from his parents and siblings. By the time he was 14 he was playing at local Winery’s and Brewing companies doing private parties and events as a solo artist. He also was playing in his high school jazz band and his own side project metal bands with friends. During that time, he was also involved in the San Jose Jazz Society programs going to jazz camps during the summertime and participating in their Advanced Youth Latin Jazz Ensemble and Advanced Youth Jazz Ensemble groups throughout the school year. After graduating high school at 16, he began playing in the college level jazz bands at West Valley Junior College and was working steadily as a work for hire pianist.

Longtime Davis broadcaster Bill Wagman interviews Bay Area quintet Front Country at 3 pm on Friday, October 23rd, live on KDRT. Drawing on a foundation of bluegrass, Front Country's sound incorporates challenging arrangements, unique covers, and original songwriting. Band influences include Bill Monroe, Paul Simon, Prince, King Crimson(!), and the Seldom Scene.  Front Country is lead singer Melody Walker, mandolinist Adam Roszkiewicz, guitarist Jacob Groopman, violinist Leif Karlstrom, and bassist Jeremy Darrow. Sake of the Song, their debut album, was released in 2014.

Front Country appears Friday, October 23rd, at the Palms Playhouse in Winters at 8:00 p.m. Visit Front Country on the web: frontcountryband.com

Gary Clark Jr.'s versatility is both blessing and curse. The Austin ace's 2012 breakthrough album, Blak and Blu, shuffle-mixed through blues roots; raw, Hendrix-channeling solos; glossy, modern R&B; and points between, but never quite figured out how to connect the dots. Three years later, his studio follow-up does — mainly by focusing on his unfuckwithable guitar. Clark carves out a Prince-ly room of his own with wah-wah-washed acid rock ("Grinder") and ping-ponging, Bootsy-tinted funk ("Star"). There's also the rap-cadence soul of "Hold On," with echoes of Marvin Gaye and Kanye West; the deep groove of "Wings," a slinky duet with Austin singer Tameca Jones; and "Church," a stripped-down folk meditation à la Taj Mahal that unpacks the drama behind one man's prayers. The playing never stumbles, though the writing occasionally does: Murder-ballad tradition and sexy falsetto notwithstanding, the woman-in-the-crosshairs image in "Cold Blooded" seems questionable in a nation toxic with domestic violence.