Pieter Pastoor's blog

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.

The 2nd Friday ArtAbout is a huge favorite in the downtown Davis scene. KDRT is pleased to announce that starting on October 9 we will broadcast LIVE from Armadillo Music for 2nd Friday events. Our host Tim Spangler will interview the performers in between the music. This month's guest will be the Winters band Polyorchids. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome.

Rita Hosking will join us in the studio to talk about her new album “Frankie and the No- Go Road”  Rita is an American composer and musician based in Davis, California. She plays Americana and bluegrass styles of music with both standards and original songs. She has been performing around the country at concerts, festivals, and other venues.

"Hosking's music isn't like the polished, over-produced music found in pop culture. Hers is a minimalist sound that reflects a simpler time and place: a little country town, rather than a big city."

Leading up to her 2010 performance tour of Great Britain, she received increasing attention on the "East Side" of the pond. Reviewer Paul Kerr of Americana-UK remarked that she is "a very talented artist with the ability to step up to that pantheon of great female country folk singers and writers."  Hosking has played to packed venues in England, Wales, and Cornwall. Visit Rita at http://www.ritahosking.com/music

This week Jesse and Pieter feature the debut LP from the Hard Working Americans! This album is Americana at its best, featuring songs rooted in the blues, alternative country, and rock. Hard Working Americans are a super band of sorts, featuring Todd Snider and a group of his friends: keyboardist Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi), guitarist Neil Casal (the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Ryan Adams & The Cardinals), bassist Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) and drummer Duane Trucks (King Lincoln and Col. Bruce Hampton’s School of Music). Despite Todd Snider’s obvious songwriting abilities, they chose to cover songs from some of their favorite artists, all dealing with day to day struggles of the low-down and down-and-out. Great lyrics, great instrumentation and Todd Snider’s vocals! An anthemic album for those of us on the left side of the tracks. One of my favorite albums from 2014.

Thomas Björkroth visits Listening Lyrics this Friday. Thomas is a music enthusiast who is visiting us from Sweden. He keeps a keen ear to what’s happening music wise in Europe. In fact he has attended the Euro Vision contest for the last 10 years. We will be spinning some songs that are currently on the charts in Europe and also some songs that have made Euro Vision an international spotlight for new talent.

For those outside the listening area, the show will stream live online at KDRT.org at 4:00PM (9/25/15). It will also be available for replays in the show archives or as an podcast on iTunes under LISTENING LYRICS(link is external).

Visit Listening Lyrics on Facebook(link is external) and like to receive information on upcoming shows and behind the scene looks.

This show will be a treat. A refreshingly authentic artist with a unique sound and story. Joe Kye is a violinist-looper-songwriter and leader of the Sacramento band Joseph in the Well. Born in Seoul, Korea, raised in Seattle, Joe draws upon an eclectic array of influences, like rock, jazz, classical, and world music. Featuring violin, lush string loops, upright bass, and percussion, Joseph in the Well's unique sound has been influenced by artists including Andrew Bird, Sufjan Stevens, and Miles Davis. Joseph in the Well was recently awarded 2015 “Outstanding New Artist” and “Artist of the Year” by Sacramento News & Review’s Sammies Music Awards. Kye draws upon his immigrant upbringing for much of his songwriting.

For those outside the listening area, the show will stream live online at KDRT.org at 4:00PM (9/25/15). It will also be available for replays in the show archives or as an podcast on iTunes under LISTENING LYRICS.

DJ Trop’a, is a French DJ living in Davis, CA, plays HIP HOP, REGGAE, JAZZ, SOUL and BLUES using vinyl (yes, some still exists) and a computer driven mixer.

As a member of the PLS SOUND SYSTEM, a French DJ Crew based in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence (France) he meets and collaborates with DJ and musicians that enrich his musical experiences through the years 2000s.

DJ Trop’a started spinning in 2000, pushed by friends from the PLS Sound System who introduced him to the vinyl universe.

David Tippie is a 14-year-old musician from Davis, California. Don’t let his age fool you--he has something in his resume that most musicians can only dream of. Mr. Tippie wrote the music score for the movie The Unforgotten, produced by Andre Martinez. Mr. Tippie’s main instruments are guitar and piano, and most of what he plays is rock and metal. So let's hear some of the movie score and learn how a composer and movie director work together. Join us this Friday, 9/4/15, at 4:00PM. 

Ever heard of  "Old time Americana Fusion" want to know what it sounds like? Join us with the Ruby Mountain String Band. Once upon a time, in a town called Haiku (spelled backwards) four devotees of trad music bumped into each other in an organic food co-op; one was a cellist, one a fiddler, two played guitars, banjoes and sang. A banjo player and guitarist also favored song writing. All liked CapeBreton/scottish fiddle tunes. So, how many musicians walked into the co-op?.

Cliff Landis - Guitar, Vocals, Banjo and Fiddle, Julia Landis - Guitar, Vocals, Darin Smith - Cello, other things.

Visit them at https://www.facebook.com/rubymountainband/info?tab=page_info