Davis Garden Show, Sept. 2, 2021, butterflies and hanging baskets

Many, many questions this time!  (Some carried over to the next show.)

Gardening for butterflies,

hanging baskets for coastal zones,

time to plant brassicas (cabbage-family) and a winter garden,

persimmon trees struggling to establish,

tomatoes that didn't do well,  and more.

To send in questions, brags, comments, or commendations; write to Don Shor and Lois Richter at  DavisGardenShow@gmail.com

That's Life with David Hosley

David Hosley had led a very full life. Lois could have interviewed him about many many different things and filled up a show -- his long media career (starting at age 12!), being a renowned investigative reporter,  teaching at various colleges and universities, UC administration, managing LOTS of radio and tv stations, producing six documentaries, training journalists in ethics, heading non-profits, talking about the history of migration into California and the challenges of life in the San Joaquin valley, and sharing thoughts on community, economy, social assumptions, and why people work after retirement.  As I say, we COULD have filled up an hour on any of those.  Instead, because we met working together on a project of the Davis Genealogy Club, we started with family history and went from there. 

Album of the Week, Sept. 1, 2021: Paul Simon's Songs from The Capeman

The Capeman is a musical play with music by Paul Simon, and book and lyrics by Simon and Derek Walcott, based on the life of convicted murderer Salvador Agrón. The play opened at the Marquis Theatre in 1998 to poor reviews and ran for 68 performances. A blend of doo-wop, gospel, and Latin music, it received Tony Award nominations for Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations and Best Scenic Design. Renoly Santiago received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical. Ednita Nazario won the Theater World Award for her performance.

The Folk Brothers for Sept. 1, 2021: Musical happenings at Ruhstaller Farm

In the first half of the show, we featured new music from Watchhouse, I See Hawks In LA, Big Red Machine and Dean Owens, as well as a classic track from The Young Tradition. The morality tale "Lyke Wake Dirge" is the subject of the most recent episode of the innovative podcast "Old Tunes Fresh Takes."

Then we spoke with Joe and Pamela Gregg Craven about their efforts to help (re)foster community through the musical events they have been organizing at Ruhstaller, a new hop farm in Dixon. Currently the Cravens are bringing music to Ruhstaller on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays -- see the farm's upcoming events.

The Folk Brothers for Aug. 25, 2021: The Irish-Americana connection

The Irish (and British) love for Americana music (i.e. North American country, folk, and blues) has deep roots, stretching back to waves of immigration in the 18th and 19th centuries. Young Cork-based singer-songwriter John Blek (pictured here) recorded his 2019 album "Thistle and Thorn" in studios in Clonakilty, Ireland as well as Lousiville, Ky. The latter sessions -- which featured co-vocals from Joan Shelly -- produced the song "The Body," featured on today's show.

And Don Everly -- who died this week at 84 -- and his brother Phil were beloved on those shamrock shores: we also featured their version of "Rose Connolly" (aka "Down In The Willow Garden") as recorded for the great 1991 BBC box set "Bringing It All Back Home."

Also on today's show: new music from Amanda Anne Platt and The Honeycutters, Joshua Burnside and Laura Quirke, A.J. Lee and Joaquin Cooder. And much more!

Davisville, Aug. 23, 2021: With crops worth $670 million, Yolo ag is seeing some changes

Yolo agriculture, which produced crops worth $670 million in 2020, is going through a few changes. That’s not surprising, because of the drought, Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, but maybe some of the details are. For example, sales of CSA boxes (“community supported agriculture”) rose sharply last year, helping to balance lower food sales to restaurants and institutions; longer term, some growers are moving crops to Yolo from even drier parts of the state. Yolo Agricultural Commissioner Humberto Izquierdo talks about these changes, his job, the value of open space, and a few things he wishes the county's city residents would know about farming, on today’s Davisville.