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.
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Justin Cox hails from Winters, California. He fronts The Polyorchids, the band he is most associated with. He plays guitar and the keys, and you got to love his vocals. We discussed his life as an artist during the Covid-19 shutdown and how it affects his creativity. Justin's latest venture is a podcast about Jackson Browne called "After The Deluge," and each episode reviews and analyses a specific album. The podcasts include an interesting array of guests. This is one good hour of fine info and great music. If interested, go to any podcast app and search for "After The Deluge." You just won't regret it.
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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.
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Yes we are back, this time from our home studio. Listen in as Johua Wisterman and members of The Gold Souls share how musicians are coping during the lockdown. The Gold Souls introduced us to their new single "Got It" and Joshua sings an original tune "I'm Still So Happy.
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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
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Karma Loading is a folk-rock group featuring original tunes by Didar Singh Khalsa. The smart lyrics and catchy tunes make this band a unique, fun live experience. Their appearance on Listening Lyrics captures a bit of that.
The members are Didar Singh Khalsa (singer, songwriter, lead guitar), Jane Thompson (bass), and Tobias Wehrhan (drums).
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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. |
Listen in now as Gabe Lewin is joined by vocalist Lane Suaraz.
Gabe Lewin started singing about the time he learned to walk. He picked up the guitar at 13, or 60 years ago, and then 15 years after that he took up the harmonica. His first professional stage appearance was in 1965 at The Troubadour in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In South Africa he learned a wide variety of musical styles, including very old, very new, and original songs. He learned old folk standards, new folk tunes, reggae tunes, bluegrass, and even a few classic rock and blues tunes. The common thread is that all have real melodies! |
Listen in as we play tunes (and possibly explain why) these artists did not receive a Grammy
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Adrian West spends the hour with us in the KDRT studio. Listen now to his musical abilities.
His sound is original acoustic rock that sounds like Paul Simon meets Dave Matthews meets Talking Heads. His band also features vocal harmonies, guitar, electric violin, bass, drums, sometimes an alto sax, and a bit of live “looping.”
Born and raised in Montreal, Adrian is an exciting performer. A gifted vocalist, he moves effortlessly between guitar & violin, sometimes using live looping to add layers of sound and intrigue to his songs. With a knack for language that's simple yet poetic, he's not afraid to tackle difficult topics in his songwriting. "Safe Streets" tells an allegory about police violence, "Close Your Eyes" laments the beauty bias that pervades the mass media, and "Senses" entreats you to appreciate your senses while you can. But Adrian doesn't take any of this stuff too seriously; his lyrics are infused with a sense of hope and a touch of whimsy.
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