In the past few months, live music is a thing again as musicians are out touring like it is 2019! This morning, we played tracks from Lowell Levinger (aka Banana, formerly of the Youngbloods) and Tony Furtado, both of whom appeared in local venues this past weekend. And Tim O'Brien (pictured here with musical and life partner Jan Fabricius) -- who brings us the opening music for The Folk Brothers each week -- will appear at the Auburn State Theater on April 30. Also on today's show: new tracks from Lyle Lovett, Joan Shelley, Pauline Scanline, Sam Shackleton, and more!

Maxwell Riley, a Davis-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, writes music that ranges from psychedelic jazz fusion to cosmic space funk. Max is inspired by acts like Jeff Beck, Steely Dan, Nile Rogers, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd, to name a few, and has been producing music since the 6th grade.

We program a lot of traditional music on the Folk Brothers, but we also find great contemporary ballads -- story songs -- to play. A case in point is the three pieces we presented this morning: West Virginian Chris Haddox's new song about Mikhail Kalashnikov, the reluctant inventor of the automatic rifle; Brighton (UK) band Bird In The Belly's (pictured here) song "After London," based on Victorian naturalist and author Richard Jeffries' post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel "After The City"; and No-No Boy's song about the Sand Creek Massacre of the Cheyenne in 1864.

Also on today's show: new tracks from Tony Furtado, Brittany Hass, Midnight North, and Kieran Kane and Rayna Gellert.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed “care courts” for every California county. They would “allow treatment for more homeless people with severe mental health and addiction disorders,” says the Associated Press, “but also compel some of them into care.”

That’s a change — compelling severely disturbed people to accept care, instead of just offering it to them. Bill Pride, executive director of Davis Community Meals and Housing and one of today’s guests on Davisville, estimates that half of people who are homeless have a severe mental health disorder. This change could make a major difference in their lives, and in the extent of homelessness. Pride cautions that achieving this change in care would require years of sustained efforts and expense. We also talk with Yolo Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven about the county’s existing Mental Health Court, and how Newsom’s proposal might work alongside what Yolo already does.