Old time bluegrass and Americana, this week on High Country Music Radio

This week on High Country Music Radio are the Punch Brothers, Nora Brown, Late for the Train, Dom Flemons, Sister Sadie, Carling & Will, the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Honey Dewdrops, old school sounds with Ola Belle Reed, Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys, Doc Watson and John Hartford.

Davisville, May 13, 2024: Founding DJ for vanished Davis station in the ’70s, then an astronaut, now KDRT: Steve Robinson comes full circle

Long before he flew four missions on the space shuttle, Steve Robinson was the first DJ of a now-vanished Davis commercial radio station, KYLO, in the late 1970s. Decades later, he’s a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Davis, and director of its Center for Space Flight Research — and he will soon return to local radio as occasional fill-in host for Rod Moseanko, host of the station’s Silver Nine Volt Heart. (The photo shows Steve, left, and Rod in the KDRT studio May 11.)

Today on Davisville we enjoy a serious conversation about space flight, plus hear Steve’s memories of KYLO — including what happened when he told listeners he was running out of records to play  — and learn what brought him to KDRT. After he returned Davis in 2012, Robinson said, “I was looking for some good radio,” and found it with Rod’s show. “I thought, ‘this kind of radio is still alive. It was very exciting to me.’ ”

May 13 - 20: Support KDRT during Fundraising Week!

Tune in May 13-20 and support your favorite station!   

We'll stay within the guardrails but pull out all the stops all week long. KDRT depends on your support to stay on the air and online, and we ask for your help just a couple times each year. Please visit kdrt.org/donate today to show your support!

Please also also join us at these fine events. Come on by, say hello, bring a friend! 

Friday May 17, 7-9p @ Delta of Venus: AMP Quintet with local jazz all-stars Tony Passarell, Alan Ernst, Mark Oi, Keith Cary, Jim Frink

Saturday May 18, 6-8p @ Sudwerk Brewing: Adrian West Band

Sunday May 19, 3-6p @ Berryessa Brewing: Misner & Smith

Rumi Shimada live on Listening Lyrics, this Friday May 17 at 4 p.m.

Listening Lyrics is excited to announce that Rumi Shimada will be our guest this Friday, May 17, at 4.

He's a singer-songwriter from northern California, and released his self-produced album Audiofolds in August 2022. He recorded it in his bedroom studio. Shimada (who is by no means that great at any instrument) played all of the instruments on each of the album's 12 tracks, giving it a quirky, underdeveloped and juvenile sound that (fortunately) enhances and communicates the searching, mysterious, and uncertain feeling of the songs. 

Rumi is also putting together what promises to be a great day of music, The Pink Bandit Music Fest on Saturday, June 29, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at the Cooper Amphitheater in Auburn, CA.

The return of Alex Roth on Listening Lyrics, May 10, 2024

Heads up. Before you listen, please note that the last 10 minutes or so of the broadcast we had some technical diffulties.

Alex Roth is an institution in Davis and Northern California. It's been a few years since I've heard him sing live, and boy, have I missed it. In this hour Alex plays a few tunes he has recently written. During the past few years he has spent a lot of time on many of the oceans of the world. He does this as he works for International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).

On today's show Alex talks a bit about his work and creating new music, but mostly he sings his tunes. I was blown away by his guitar work, his voice, the lyrics, and of course the music. He's a very talented musician, but even more his joy as a human being shines through in this broadcast. I was lucky to catch him for his short stay in Davis.

Jazz After Dark, May 7, 2024

On this episode:

  • Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra (Beiderbecke), Singin' The Blues
  • Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Red Norvo, Hank Jones, Sleepwalker Boogie
  • Art Pepper, Jazz Me Blues
  • Milt Jackson, Sermonette
  • Ron Carter, Eric Dolphy And Mal Waldron, Bass Duet
  • Machito with Cannonball Adderley, Congo Mulence
  • Dave Brubeck/Tony Bennett, That Old Black Magic
  • Ray Bryant(p), Walter Booker Jr.(b) & Freddie Waits(ds), Gotta Travel On
  • Ray Charles, Sidewinder
  • Joni James, Just One Of Those Things
  • Herbie Mann, Never Ending Song of Love (LP Version)
  • Earl "Fatha" Hines, Pretty Baby
  • The Crusaders, Double Bubble
  • Wynton Marsalis, New Orleans Bump

Bluegrass sessions this week on High Country Music

Today we have an hour-long old time and bluegrass session with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Old & In the Way, Uncle Tupelo, The Slocan Ramblers, Rising Appalachia, Putnam County Stringband, Three Tall Pines, The Infamous Stringdusters, Robert Earl Keen, Crying Uncle, Alisson Krauss & Union Station, and Jake Blount.

Electric Compost Heap -- May 3, 2024

Tonight (Friday May 3) on the Electric Compost Heap on KDRT 95.7FM, we'll feature some new tunes from Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders, Richard Thompson, and Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds! We'll also spin a number from the Sam Chase and the Untraditional, who will be appearing at Sudwerk Brewing Co. tomorrow evening (May 4) courtesy of the Davis Live Music Collective. The official color of tonight's show is Magenta! Hope you can join us on KDRT.org.