A last minute playlist…some gentle sounds for listeners who’ve had a tough week here in Sonoma County. Songs of reflection take center stage on Deeper Roots where the scheduled playlist was a bit too frivolous to put on the air. With everyone focused on rebuilding, rehoming, and getting their power back as well as building a support network for those impacted through lost homes and property. And here’s to the first responders, the city and county officials who get it right this time…join Dave Stroud on a Saturday morning in October in a county still reeling from the firestorm of two years back. Easy listening is the order of the day.
Category Archives: Country
Swing on a Star
We’ve got an eclectic collection of sounds today as we take on yet another free form collection of soul, folk, doo wop, R&B, country, blues, and Americana on Deeper Roots. Listen in as we spend time with Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Etta James, Tom Waits, The Harlan County Four, and Buck Owens. The show features mini-themes of Sonoma County, Bakersfield, and birthdays….nothing too political, nothing to lovey dovey…just a collection of fun sounds from some recent Americana talents and some legends, all for you, all on KOWS Community Radio this week, streaming to the world on www.freespeechnobull.com.
Gospel Jubilee
From the hills of Appalachia to the urban church pews of the East, North, South, and West…we’ve got camp meeting celebrations, old time religion, with biblical strains where voices raised above the fray brought solace to the masses. And speaking of voices, tune in for some of the very best gospel spanning bluegrass, tradition, soul, and black gospel from heaven’s radio. The Davis Sisters, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Aretha, The Blue Sky Boys, and Ralph Stanley are on the docket alongside The Carter Family, John Fogerty and Willie and Bobbie Nelson. Some brand new Americana surfaces to keep the kettle warm in the kitchen…Friday mornings with a dash of Billy Sunday’s crowd gatherings. It’s a Sunday meeting on a Friday morning here on Sonoma County Community Radio.
Covering Elvis
This morning’s show will be a collection of Elvis covers; songs that hit the charts for Elvis from 1956 into the break of the 1970s. Mostly number ones, but some repeated favorites, all covered by a cross-section of his contemporaries and those from another generation. We’ll have everyone from Santo & Johnny and Bobby Gentry to Rosie Flores and John Prine putting forward covers of Elvis Presley treats. We’ve also got a version of Heartbreak Hotel by Hanni El Khabib, a rare piece by rocker and session man (not bluesman) Robert Johnson, Billy Burnette’s bluegrass, and some C. J. Chenier to keep the eclectic blend alive. We’re on Friday mornings at 9 Pacific on KOWS and Friday evenings at 9 Pacific on KWTF.
Guy Clark Tribute
Songs that were personal. Vignettes about the real world. A study in memories but on a deeper level where one wrestles the blood out of the words; and his were usually the simplest of words. Economy of words means a broader vision. That’s what I think of when I think of Guy Clark’s songs. From his sprawling narratives to the trapdoors he leaves you when he’s finished, his music was a little slice of melodic nuance laced with words that mattered. Every one. This week’s show won’t beat around the bush; we’ll just put them out there to reflect on and give a little bit of thanks that we have them. We’ll hear from Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Earle, Vince Gill, and a few nuggets from Guy himself.
More Western Swing
The home page of the Western Swing Society describes western swing as “a division of the American phenomenon known as jazz [fusing] elements of musical roots…including blues, Dixieland, ragtime, big band, country, pop, and breakdowns.” That kind of explains why we revisit this genre so often here on Deeper Roots. What it has most in common with jazz is the use of improvisation; what it does try to do is to take things one step further: make it dance-able. The foot-tapping rhythm and the encouragement of participation drew audiences far and wide from the north, south, east and west. This week show meanders through some fun sounds including tracks Hank Penny, Milton Brown, Ocie Stockard, and (of course) Bob Wills. We’ll have some tribute songs and old standards for you on Sonoma County community radio.
Moon Baby
A laid back Friday morning in store as we celebrate a century of America’s music with classics from every corner. Dave Stroud hosts with a potpourri of doo wop, gospel, rock, R&B, soul, and country wrapped up just for Deeper Roots listeners out there. We’ll be hearing from Johnny Cash, The Ravens, Mike Farris, (more than one) Bo Diddley, and The Neville Brothers as we watch the trees turn their late summer umber under warm Sonoma County September skies. Tune in for the very best, including The Living Sisters and The Andrews Sisters, side by side, this one time. Only on Community Radio because all other $$$ stations fail to play with heart.
Deeper Memphis Minnie
Well, it’s about time. For being one of the premier blues women of the 20th century, we’ve been remiss in our coverage here on Deeper Roots. You can, however, check out our blog post Memphis Minnie on the Ice Box to prepare you for the music we’ve got for you this coming Friday. Not only will we share some classic tunes from Minnie and Kansas City Joe McCoy but we’ll be pairing much of them with contemporary covers including some special ones: the Alabama Shakes, Maria Muldaur, Precious Bryant, and Eilen Jewell (just to name a few). The article mentioned above is a well worn first hand observation of a Memphis Minnie performance published in the Chicago Defender in 1942, written by Langston Hughes. We’ve got enough to fill the room…and the airwaves, this coming Friday morning so here’s hoping you can drop in.
Americana Covers 2019
There have been some great Americana sounds released this year and there is no sense in ignoring them, certainly. In fact, you can tune into Sonoma County Community Radio each week for Blue Moon Americana, broadcasting Thursday mornings at 5am on KOWS and 9am on KWTF. We’ll be spending some time covering the covers of tradition and some from the contemporary well this week on Deeper Roots. Tune in for some great sounds…truly. Fun covers of blues, gospel, folk, country, and jazz from the likes of Whitehorse, Jesse Dayton, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson and Kristi Jean & Her Ne’er-Do-Wells. We’ll hear everything from Amazing Grace to Redneck Friend this week on Deeper Roots. Check it out this Saturday evening, a rebroadcast of a live show from the KOWS Cherry Street Historic District in Santa Rosa.
Country Gamblers
Gamblers, ramblers, casinos. Barstools, loaded dice, tumbling dice, poker hands, and the demon rum, and chance. Honky-tonks, Vegas, and craps…all for you on the country side. Join Dave Stroud for a high-falootin’ time on Deeper Roots as the demon chance teams up with casino country in music. We’ll walk the fine carpets of the Vegas casino as well as the sawdust floors of the country bar with performances by Buck Owens, Tex Williams, The Country Gentleman, and Jimmie Dolan. We’re heading out west to pay a little bit of an homage to the gaming side of the stories this week on Community Radio for Sonoma County. Hope you can join in.