Listening Lyrics Archives

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Brenden Tull in the studio, on Listening Lyrics, April 22, 2022

Brenden Tull/basil tell/Dunno is … an artist … simply because of his specific attention to beauty/each moment on the path to becoming a passive, Taoist non-action. He tastes life wide-eyed and … without a shell of hardness … and in his art, the person takes precedence over the product, the product is nearly extraneous -- something of his nature is carried over.

This week's Paul McCartney featured song will be "Ever Present Past" from his Memory Almost Full album. Brenden will play and re-invent the song.

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Racquetbangers, live in the studio on Listening Lyrics, April 15, 2022

Racquetbangers is a Davis-based indie rock duo comprised of Timur Katsnelson (piano/vocals) and Robert Polon (guitar). Seeking refuge from the cutthroat music scene in their hometown of Los Angeles, the boys moved north in fall 2017 and never looked back. They soon found themselves fully immersed in the rich Davis culture and began writing songs about their surroundings. Barely scraping by on a diet of Ali Baba, Vampire Weekend, and pucks, Racquetbangers finally caught their big break with the release of their first demo, "Annie Lin." Hopes of an international stadium headline tour were crushed with the untimely outbreak of COVID-19, but the boys are back and buzzing in early 2022.

During the interview, we will play their most popular releases to date, along with a special tribute song to the events in the Ukraine.

Maxwell Riley, live in the studio on Listening Lyrics, April 8, 2022

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.

Nat Lefkoff recorded live in the studio, on Listening Lyrics, April 1, 2022

Nat Lefkoff is a musician "dedicated to distilling the human condition," his website biography says. "He will disarm you with a modest demeanor as his tectonic voice shifts your consciousness alongside his skillfully crafted lyrics. His acclaimed songs 'Great White Planes' and 'Damn' show off the honesty, vulnerability and intensity of his lyrics and enchanting performance style. The warm tone of his voice sweeps from an understated whisper to an erupting volcano. His performances are a visceral experience that pull at your heart until it surrenders. Nat's music is more than a collection of chords and sincere words, it is the experience of life, masterfully articulated into song."

Kevin Welch of Boca do Rio and the meaning of a grant, on Listening Lyrics, March 4, 2022

Boca do Rio was the second band to be awarded the annual Davis Independent Music Initiative (DIMI) grant, in 2021. The committee that awarded it included the 2020 winner, Davis musician Joel Daniel of the Hoots, reported the Sacramento News and Review in July 2021: "The grant is part of an annual effort to boost Davis’s music scene by providing one local band with funding. Daniel’s hope is that it offers musicians who might otherwise seek a career in Sacramento or the Bay Area the support they need to foster their talents closer to home." Applications for the 2022 grant are due by April 1.

We wrap up this show playing a Led Zeppelin song as interpreted by the Alex Jenkins Trio. Here is an All About Jazz review of their newest album, Tri-Cycle, from 2021.

Listen in, a $10K grant for Davis musicians, plus special guest Joel Daniel, on Listening Lyrics

Joel Daniel joins us this week to review the 2022 Davis Independent Music Initiative and City of Davis grant to a Davis-based musician. For more details, visit the DIMI grant page. Plus we have music from Boot Juice, Lillian Francis, Joel Daniel, Racquetbangers, Max Riley, and Stompin' Tom Connors.

Most played songs in Ukraine this week, and much more, on Listening Lyrics for Feb. 18, 2022

Ukraine has been in the news for weeks now. Let's see what are some of the most-listened-to songs are this week, on the radio, in Ukraine.

Plus music from the Alex Jenkins Trio, Boca Do Rio, Giant Rooks and AnnenMayKantereit, Gang of Youths, John and Yoko Lennon.

'Murder Most Foul,' by Bob Dylan -- an analysis, on Listening Lyrics, Jan. 7, 2022

On today's progam, Listening Lyrics plays "Murder Most Foul" and spends a little time analyzing the song. This is done by means of playing some of the music Dylan mentions in the song.

From Wikipedia: "Murder Most Foul" by Bob Dylan is the 10th and final track on his 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020). It was released as the album's lead single on March 27, 2020, through Columbia Records. The song addresses the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the context of the greater American political and cultural history.

The song, Dylan's first original music released since 2012, generated an enormous amount of commentary. At 16 minutes, 56 seconds, it is the longest song he has released, eclipsing 1997's "Highlands" by 25 seconds.

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