November kicks off with a party at our house. Some rare R&B nuggets, some classic old time country and honky-tonk, and a little bit of the New Orleans and house party themes to kick off the morning here on Deeper Roots. House parties, rent parties, and dance hall jamborees are celebrated by Bob Wills, Babs Gonzales, Little Esther, Jackie Brenston, and Dale Watson. We’ll also hear from Willie, T-Bone, and Merle on a Friday morning show that brings a little bit of light into the Sonoma County after weeks of trepidation from the fires. Please join Dave Stroud broadcasting live from downtown Santa Rosa.
Category Archives: Theme Time
Free Form After Kincade
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.
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.
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.
Summer Songs
Summer is here and so we’ll be celebrating those lazy, hazy, crazy days that come with it. We’re approaching the dog days, as they say, and that also means festivals, music, cool drinks, swimming gear, and lighter beers. This week’s show has us getting serious about summer songs: Elvis, Sam Cooke, The Chantels, Dolly Parton, Dave Brubeck, and just a touch of surf sounds from The Sandals. Summer winds, summer wages, summer rain, and summer love this week on Deeper Roots, recorded at the KOWS studios planted square in the Cherry Street District of Santa Rosa.
Steel Guitar Retrospective
We’ll be serenading you with some island melodies, country tunes, and rock, all featuring the steel guitar, an instrument whose origins take us back to the late 19th and early 20th century invention by native Joseph Kekuku. The music this Friday features some early Hawaiian popular influences including Sol Ho’opi, Hoot Gibson, and King Nawah’s Hawaiians. The focus moves to mid-to late century greats featuring Pete Drake, Buddy Emmons, Buster Martin and Speedy West. The popularity of the ‘island sound’ in the early century brought us the sound of steel across many genres, including gospel, folk, blues, and country. Spend a couple of hours on an August morning in Sonoma County taking a journey from Hawaii to Forth Worth.
Too Darn Hot
One way to lounge about in the summer heat is to go directly at it with songs that complement the temperature from different angles (and genres). Tune in Saturday afternoon for a fresh look as Dave sits in for Steady Eddie once more with some rockabilly with Jimmy Simmons and Billy Lee Riley, hot country biscuits from Asleep at the Wheel and Al Dexter, hot soul stew from James Brown and Major Lance, and some humid yet playful pieces from Fats Waller and Lee Press-on & The Nails. We’ll also be taking a drone flight above some Mason-Dixon Line tradition from the very distant past with the Old South Quartette (featuring Polk Miller), and Victoria Spivey and Don Flemons. It’s summer and the heat will be with us for some weeks; too hot to handle? Too darn hot? Too hot for (fill in the blank)? Join this hot little collection in a special fill-in on a Saturday afternoon in Sonoma County. At least it’s a dry heat.
Songs of Goffin & King
A couple of months ago we featured about 20 minutes on a songwriter special featuring the music of the husband and wife songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. We’ll take a bit more time in this week’s show sharing their tunes with you. From the Brill Building onwards, their songs easily defined the soundtrack for a generation of young Americans of the 1960s. Light-hearted love songs, songs of reflection, and dreamlike hooks were the order: Carole the tunes and Gerry the lyrics. Join Dave Stroud in a look back featuring the music of The Cookies, Earl Jean, Lou Rawls Skeeter Davis, and many more on a Friday evening on Sonoma County Community Radio.