Bill Wagman explores an eclectic range of music, including traditional folk of the British Isles and the U.S, contemporary singer/songwriters on both sides of the Atlantic, and American roots music and some of its lesser-known offshoots. Tune in for a great music mix!
Podcast
The Folk Brothers for April 6, 2022: Story songsWed, 04/06/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanWe 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. |
The Folk Brothers, March 30, 2022: The story behind a songWed, 03/30/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanThis morning, we played Dublin-based Lankum's rendition of the song "Salonika." Although not traditional -- its authorship is unknown -- it was a popular dance hall song in Cork during World War 1. The Munster Fusiliers were attached to British forces stationed in Thessaloniki, Greece. Wives of the Irish soldiers received a stipend. Young Irishmen who didn't join up were called "slackers" -- there certainly wasn't much love for the British army at the time -- but their families suffered financially. The song went out of fashion for decades, but was repopularized by groups like The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers during the '60s folk revival. Singer Jimmy Crowley says "it's a tremendous song, because it gives insights into the lives of Irish women during WW1." |
The Folk Brothers for March 23, 2022: Some folk for Women's History MonthWed, 03/23/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanThe Brothers celebrate some of the women who have made history in the world of folk and roots music, including Odetta, Barbara Dane, Lydia Mendoza and Big Mama Thornton. Also, new tracks from Karine Polwart, Nick Hart, Ye Vagabonds, and TRIP. |
The Folk Brothers for March 16, 2022: Whales are folks tooWed, 03/16/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanBrother Bill is back from Baja, where he spent a week petting baby blue whales ... awww. And he brought in a bunch of whale songs this morning from the likes of Tom Lewis, Country Joe McDonald, Tom Pacheco, and other fishy folkies. We also have Molly Tuttle singing about her grampa's farm, I Draw Slow singing about the coming apocalypse, and Black 47 with Finbar Furey singing about Father Mychal Judge, the first official fatality of 9/11. |
The Folk Brothers for March 9, 2022: Transatlantic sounds old and newWed, 03/09/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanOn their debut album in 1968, a group of kids from the suburbs of north London covered a Richard Farina song about a city in Nevada. During the pandemic, a singer-songwriter from Edinburgh teamed up with musicians from Tucson. Sometime in between, a guitarist/mandolinist from Nashville became a founding member of a band of transatlantic musicians who play the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow every winter. Find out who they all are on today's show. |
The Folk Brothers for March 2, 2022: Stand with UkraineWed, 03/02/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanThis morning we featured music from DakhaBrakha (pictured), a folk quartet from Kyiv. Also on today's show: new takes on traditional ballads from Joshua Burnell, Cinder Well, and Jim Ghedi, as well as a new take on "Dublin Blues" from Mipso, plus new original tracks from Ernest Troost, Justin Farren, and Jack Sharp. And more! |
The Folk Brothers for Feb. 23, 2022: Talisk rocks the folkWed, 02/23/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanThis multiple award-winning Scottish trio is not your grandparents' Celtic band. They bring rock 'n' roll sensibilities to their mix of concertino, fiddle, and acoustic guitar. Box player Mohsen Amini is a force of nature as he drives their instrumental tunes onwards. With the release of their second album Dawn, Talisk's first U.S. tour stops at Sacramento's Sofia Center this Saturday night, Feb. 26. |
The Folk Brothers for Feb. 16, 2022: Rita Hosking's 'California' ...Wed, 02/16/2022 - 11:10am | Peter Schiffman... has now been included in The New York Times' list of the best 101 songs about California. "California" joins such folk icons as Dave Alvin's "King of California" and Kate Wolf's "Here In California." Congratulations to Rita! And you can see her live at The Side Door in Sacramento on March 19. Also on today's show, we highlighted some other artists on tour and coming to our area: Scottish trio Talisk (Sophia Center on Feb. 26) and Tre Burt and Watchhouse (Grass Valley Center For The Arts, Feb. 20). |
The Folk Brothers for Feb. 9, 2022: Celebrating Black History Month ...Wed, 02/09/2022 - 11:10am | Peter Schiffman... with Guy Davis (pictured here) singing about Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee's last train ride; with Mary Knight and Mary Lou Williams' tributes to Martin Luther King; with Corey Harris, Odetta, and more. And tune in to find out about Lauren MacColl and Rachel Newton's new project Heal & Harrow , which honors the some 2,500 Scottish women executed under the 1563 Witchcraft Act. Also, what's the connection between the Miramichi River and Rachel Carson's Silent Spring? |
The Folk Brothers for Feb. 2, 2022: Remembering Norma Waterson (1939-2012)Wed, 02/02/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanThe Watersons -- Norma, her sister Lal, brother Mike, cousin John Harrison, and (later) Norma's husband Martin Carthy -- defined the English trad-folk revival of the 1960s. In the '90s, Norma Martin and their daughter Eliza Carthy, morphed into Waterson:Carthy. Even in ill health, Norma was recording until a few years ago. Her contributions to -- and influence on -- English folk music cannot be overstated. |
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Davis resident, Dave Nachmanoff is an award-winning singer-songwriter and renowned guitarist. He tours nationally and internationally as a solo act, as well as valued accompanist to Al Stewart. Over the many years he has resided in Davis, Dave has been a generous supporter of this community. In a rare local appearance, Dave will be doing a benefit concert on December 12th for Yolo Food Trucks who are raising the funds to purchase a new refrigerated truck. Dave will be joining the Folk Brothers live in the KDRT studio between 10 and 11 AM on Wednesday, Dec. 9th. He’ll bring his guitar, play some songs, talk about his storied musical career, and tell us why we heard him singing in Starbucks across North America last month. Please join us!
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