Nat Lefkoff interviewed on Listening Lyrics, Aug. 30, 2024

Nat Lefkoff is 29 and has a cat named Sweetie who is just the best. Nat likes going on long walks and listening to books about history. He also likes bugs, birds, and especially roller blading. The Central Valley that dominates the interior of California is his home. Big open skies and fields with swampy spots and woods scattered throughout. Family and friends are super important, but so is the music he makes.

In his own words, "I'm so grateful to be able to call this my life. Best job I ever had. I'm a happy person but I get real down sometimes and these songs are the product of that. The pearls of my pain, the rainbows of my rain, the Ernie to my Bert, the worm in my dirt."  

Natt will appear for his latest album release event at the Davis Odd Fellows on Sept. 14, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. Check out ticket availability here

This show is streamed at KDRT.ORG and available on most podcast apps under Listening Lyrics.

Weekly Playlist These are selected songs from Listening Lyrics, songs talked about but not necessarily played. Enjoy. Updated weekly.

Electric Compost Heap -- Aug. 30, 2024

Tonight at 6 p.m. Pacific time on the Electric Compost Heap, DJ Dug Deep will feature a few songs from the powerful new album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Wild God," which was just released today. Loads of other musical detritus for a lovely late summer's evening, so please join us at KDRT.org. Oh, and the official color of tonight's program is Coral! See you in the heap!

Join Us for Suds & Sounds – Aug. 28!

Come socialize with KDRT DJs, friends, and fans; pick some vinyl to spin; and sip a beverage at our monthly Suds & Sounds event starting at 4p at Armadillo Music in beautiful downtown Davis! (Yes, of course the air conditioning is ON!)

This event happens on the last Wednesday over every month — mark your calendars!

In the Key of Folk for Aug. 28, 2024

This afternoon at 2PM, on In the Key of Folk, we have a variety of songs related to the upcoming holiday, Labor Day. The songs variously touch on the subjects of migration, jobs, settlement of the country, and the workers' sacrifices. Selections are by musicians including Tim O'Brian, Dick Gaughan, Woody Guthrie, Lady Maisery, Nanci Griffith, Los Cenzontles, Jez Lowe, Gordon Lightfoot, and the Harris-Parton-Ronstadt trio.  Again, tune in at 2PM Wednesday on KDRT.org I hope that you'll join us.

Jazz After Dark, Aug. 27, 2024

1950s jazz tonight:

  • Pearl Bailey, They Didn't Believe Me
  • Earl Bostic, Bostic's Boogie Blues
  • Don Elliott and the Cool Jazz Stars, Muskrat Ramble
  • Terry Pollard, Where or When (2015 - Remaster)
  • Ethel Ennis, Blue Prelude
  • Art Farmer & Gigi Gryce, Social Call
  • Art Pepper/Sonny Redd, Deep Purple
  • Earl "Fatha" Hines, 'S Wonderful
  • Cal Tjader, Summertime1Clarinet
  • Ruby Braff, But Not For Me
  • Helen Humes, When I Grow Too Old To Dream
  • Ella Fitzgerald, All of Me
  • Mose Allison, Creek Bank
  • Wynton Kelly, Softly As In a Morning Sunrise

Davisville, Aug. 26, 2024: Got an additional $25 to $49 for the library?

Davis has two local tax measures on the ballot this fall and today we talk about the one for the library, Measure T. (We looked at the other one, sales tax increase Measure Q, last month.) Measure T would raise about $1.1 million a year to pay for operations at what will eventually be Davis’ two public libraries — the existing one in north central Davis, and the new one in south Davis due to open in 2026.

Measure T would raise an existing property tax by about $49 per house or $24.50 per apartment, to $172 or $86 respectively per year. Today on Davisville we talk with Jim Provenza, a Davis member of the county Board of Supervisors, and Katie Caceres, a student at the University of California at Davis and an intern in Provenza’s office. They’re both part of the campaign. We talk about what the money would buy, how the county calculated the amount needed, libraries as town squares for speech and information, and how people use libraries as print gives way to digital.

Justin Cox interviews Pieter via the After the Deluge podcast, on Listening Lyrics, Aug. 23, 2024

After the Deluge is a music podcast about songwriting, albums, and whatnot hosted by Justin Cox, a KDRT friend. I replay most of this podcast in this week's Listening Lyrics. Seasons about Bright Eyes, Jackson Browne, and Against Me! are in this feed, plus other interviews.

We talk about my failed attempt to interview poets in the “late 1900s,” open mic nights, recording live and not overthinking it, interviewing locals > interviewing pros, KDRT, Rita Hosking, don’t be lame just make stuff, biking across Holland, Jackson Browne (ding ding), The Lovin’ Spoonful, Bright Eyes’ “We are Nowhere and it’s Now,” Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” Pieter reads a poem, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan’s “Tempest,” Herb Alpert, The Avett Brothers, and: what was the best five-year stretch of your life?