Listening Lyrics

Preacher Cleveland, host of “Praise Time with Preacher” on KDRT, takes over the “Listening Lyrics” spot this Friday, June 19 at 4 PM with a special show to commemorate Juneteenth, celebrated each June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, the most remote of all slave states, where on that date in 1865, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Here in Davis, Juneteenth is typically celebrated at a huge community event sponsored by The Culture Co-op, the Yolo County Library and other community partners, but in the absence of large gatherings, Preacher is stepping up to offer this programming to the community.

The show will be a mix of history, touching on topics from the evolution of Juneteenth to the Tulsa Massacre, weaving in songs of protest and praise, and connecting it all to the current-day Black Lives Matter Movement.

Bart Van Der Zeeuw -- a drummer in several local bands, and a studio musician -- spends some time with Listening Lyrics, talking about music and what he has been doing during the Covid-19 lockdown. Bart also shares some talents that we have not heard before: his vocals and piano playing.

Donut Exchange is a folk group based in both Davis and in Berlin, Germany. Members Anya Sturm, Obin Sturm, and Emma Ware grew up playing traditional old-time, bluegrass, and Irish fiddle music. They blend the three styles on their debut album, Any Place Is Home, with 11 original tracks. The album, started from transatlantic voice memos, features a warm blend of strings, percussion, utensils, and the occasional bagpipes. Recorded in December 2019, during the only week when the bandmates were on the same continent, it captures the magic and charm of sleepless nights spent playing tunes with the people you love.

We opened the show with a tune from The HackensawBoys and played a new one from Mikey LP and the Kooks

Hey, Davis musicians, this is a must-listen for you. Joel Daniel received his grant last year, and he and the city want you to know about it. Here it is, in Joel's words:

1) With the aim of bettering the quality of music that comes from Davis, I applied for a grant that I hope will impact it over many years to come. I have called it the Davis Independent Music Initiative (“DIMI”). The main parts of the grant are:

First, over the next few months, I will host a free and public series of talks aimed at songwriting and the process of recording and marketing a work. These will take place at Repower Yolo and will be hosted by Bike City Theater Company. This will be the first Wednesday in April (executive production), the first Wednesday in May (songwriting) and the second Wednesday in June (publicity/promotion). I hope this will be an opportunity for musicians of ALL levels to network, and to start to think about how to better their work.