Jazz After Dark, May 9, 2023

Tue, 05/09/2023 - 5:00pm | Don Shor

On tonight’s show, we’ll hear 1930s jazz in the first half: Cab Calloway & His Orchestra, Lonnie Johnson, Mary Lou Williams with Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy, Coleman Hawkins, and Louis Armstrong. Then we'll have west coast cool with Shorty Rogers, Stan Getz, vocal by Doris Day, Stan Getz with Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, and Dave Brubeck.

Imagining Yolo Davis, May 5, 2023: Rotts of Friends with Renee Lancaster

Fri, 05/05/2023 - 6:10pm | Pieter Pastoor

This week Renee Lancaster, the founder of Rotts of Friends, shares her love and devotion to our four-legged friends. From the Woodland nonprofit's website:

"The creation of Rotts of Friends is the long-term dream of Renee Lancaster. As an experienced breeder of German Shepherds and Rottweilers for police, personal protection, and working companions, she has seen firsthand the growth of abuse and neglect of dogs of all breeds.

"The heart of Rotts of Friends started with the deep love and appreciation of the Rottweiler breed. For more than three decades, Renee has watched as this breed has gone from relative obscurity to public persecution. In 1981, Rottweilers were an unknown breed. By 1990, the misplaced popularity with these dogs caused shelters to swell with increased numbers of Rottweilers and other 'bad-boy' dogs.

Imagining Yolo Davis playlist for 05/05/2023

The Folk Brothers for May 3, 2023: Remembering Gordon Lightfoot

Wed, 05/03/2023 - 11:10am | Peter Schiffman

The iconic Canadian singer-songwriter (pictured) has passed away at the age of 84. But Willie Nelson is going strong at 90, albeit "California Sober," and he celebrated with a star-studded birthday concert last weekend in L.A.. Doc Watson would have been 100 in March, so a new tribute album -- I Am a Pilgrim -- has appeared. And Brother Bill digs into traditional and not-so-traditional renditions of British ballads.

The Folk Brothers playlist for 05/03/2023

Davisville, May 1, 2023: Watermelon Music asks for help, gets a big response

Mon, 05/01/2023 - 5:30pm | Bill Buchanan

To get his Davis business Watermelon Music through the dislocations caused by the pandemic, Jeff Simons took on debt, delayed payments, tried new ideas — and three years in, the numbers weren’t working in his favor.

So in April he opened a GoFundMe account to ask his customers and friends for $104,000 to pay the debt. He didn’t think he’d get anywhere close to that amount. Instead, as word spread quickly that Watermelon needed help, the business experienced a moment like the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. About 900 donors chipped in sums from $6 to $10,000, testifying to Watermelon’s positive presence in Davis and the many people who appreciate the store.

Jeff is our guest on Davisville today to talk about the response, working through the pandemic, changes at Watermelon, music, operating in Davis, and what convinced him to actually send his request for help, not just think about it.

David Breaux, RIP. He was known in Davis for his persistent, public focus on compassion

Fri, 04/28/2023 - 12:02pm | kdrtradio

Update:  Link here to a Davis Enterprise article with photos documenting the vigil Sunday evening April 30, organized by the Davis Phoenix Coalition. 

We as a community continue to process the extremely sad news of David Breaux's death. His devotion to compassion inspired the creation of the Compassion Corner Earthbench at 3rd and C streets downtown, which is a local landmark to many. David was slain in Central Park on Thursday just a day before the 10th anniversary of the "community work party" that constructed the Earthbench. The Davis Enterprise is reporting the story, which it has already updated several times.

Thousands of people talked with David, mostly as he stood at 3rd and C for several years in all weather, but also for newspaper articles or broadcast programs. He appeared twice on Davisville, KDRT's longstanding public affairs program, in June 2010 and again for a follow-up discussion in December 2013, in which he explained what brought him to Davis, why he stood at 3rd and C, his deep commitment to compassion, and what he wanted to achieve. By 2013, his vigil had grown into a much larger effort.

Implosion, April 26, 2023: We end April with some rare tunes

Thu, 04/27/2023 - 10:23am | kdrtradio

We've got rare tunes on the latest Implosion with Nick Saloman, including songs from The Moontrekkers, Electric Sandwich, Paul Jones, The Busters, and more.

But these tunes'll be a little less rare for you if you tune in to this week's show.

(The photo is screen shot from a YouTube video of The Moontrekkers' "Night of the Vampire")

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