Category Archives: Theme Time

African American Gospel, Bluegrass, Blues, Country Swing, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Folk and Tradition, Theme Time

The Railroad Blues

January 25, 2015 Dave

The railroad is the muse for the morning here in Occidental as the show uses the theme of the railroad: the stories of those who built it, the promise of the golden sunrise that awaits at our destination, the sorrow of a love taken away by rail, and the lonesome whistle from some far away valley. As an aside, did you know that Occidental itself was once a bustling community where the train would haul off the timber and bring tourists from San Francisco and cities beyond?

Join us for the sacred and the secular, including Peter Rowan, ELVIS PRESLEY, Kevin Russell, Paul Warmack & His Gully Jumpers, Furry Lewis, and many others as we explore the genres of bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country, and so much more.
#rootsmusic #railroad #Americana

Blues, Country, Deeper Roots on KWTF, Theme Time

Songs About Texas

January 24, 2015 Dave

It’s theme time once more on Deeper Roots Radio: A Century of America’s Music. Join Dave Stroud as he digs up some classic songs about the Lone Star State.

We defer now to John Steinbeck: “I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it and, as in other religions, few people dare to inspect it for fear of losing their bearings in mystery or paradox. But I think there will be little quarrel with my feeling that Texas is one thing. For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans.”

It’s country, bluegrass, blues, R&B, jazz, and more from the past century of America’s music.

Theme Time

Halloween Theme

November 19, 2014 Dave

Okay…what the heck and why not? Deeper Roots goes holiday flavor with songs of spiders, witches, graveyards, and that voodoo that we do. Tune in for musical selections from the vaults of the last century of America’s music, including pieces that celebrate the genres of jazz, country, blues, and rock. We’ll also cover some excerpts from some of the more famous ‘Halloween’ screen themes. Performers include Spike Jones, Fats Waller, Luis Russell, and (of course) Leon Russell’s backup piano with the Crypt-Kickers on Monster Mash.

Theme Time

Night Theme

November 19, 2014 Dave

We have a fresh new episode produced exclusively for KWTF, community radio for Sonoma County. In this week’s two hour journey hosted by Dave Stroud, he takes a ‘theme time-out’ to explore a topic with music from the past century. The theme this week is “Night”…of course. Join Dave as he explores some midnight weeping blues with Barbecue Bob, a celebration of the night time being the right time with Nappy Brown, travels to Memphis in the night from Roy Acuff and Jerry Lee Lewis, some blues in the night with Jimmie Lunceford’s Orchestra, and nights wasted with Freddy Fender…and that’s only a sampling. Join us as we explore the night…our muse that carries us into the morning hours.

Free Form, Theme Time

Play Me That Song

November 19, 2014 Dave

Take a guided tour exploring the last century of America’s music on Deeper Roots as we play with the theme of jukeboxes, DJs, turntables, house parties, record shops, Victrolas, and transistor radios…celebrating music with music. We’ll hear a diverse set of songs by artists including a later Roy Orbison piece, three from Merle Haggard, party music with Sam Cooke, Margie Singleton singing about old records, a pair of pieces from Fats Waller, and a host of others.

Theme Time

Money Theme

November 18, 2014 Dave

It’s ‘theme time’ in this episode of Deeper Roots. We’ll listen to performances that explore that not-so-curious passion for money, the anxiety and fear of not having enough, and stories of a time when was hard to come upon. We’ll hear what would be paid for a song or keeping quiet; fantasies of what it might be like to in a position of wealth and nightmares of when the money’s all gone. Mostly, however, we’ll hear stories about what would be paid in exchange for a man’s time, or maybe a man’s soul. Join Dave Stroud for another journey through a century of America’s music where he’ll include among the performers Buddy Guy, Lefty Frizzell, The Blue Sky Boys, Gillian Welch, Chuck Berry, and Howlin’ Wolf.

Folk and Tradition, Free Form, Theme Time

Fourth of July Special

November 18, 2014 Dave

Join Dave Stroud tomorrow night for some Fourth of July Americana from the last century of America’s music. He’s been digging into those dusty digital archives for songs celebrating America. It’s the Fourth of July and all of the fireworks, flags, bunting, barbecues, and patriotic celebrations can be traced back as well to a century of America’s music. We’ve got broadway and silver screen classics, country music new and old, songs with tongue-in-cheek flag-waving wit, and a number of ballads that celebrate the good in all of us…we’ll also reflect on a little bit of the bad. Our playlist Friday night includes The Piper’s Gap Ramblers, Dave Alvin, James Brown, Morton Gould doing Sousa, Randy Newman, and many more in an eclectic blend of patriotic pandering and tongue-in-cheek rambling.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Woody Guthrie	This Land Is Your Land (Alternate Version)	Woody At 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection
3	Bill Chitwood & His Georgia Mountaineers	Fourth Of July At The Country Fair (1927)	Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard: Hard Time, Good Time, And End Time Music, 1923-1936
4	Pipers Gap Ramblers	Yankee Doodle	Serenade The Mountains: Early Old Time Music On Record, [Disc 1]
5	Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys	Stars And Stripes On Iwo Jima	Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys
6	The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band	Stars And Stripes Forever	Stars And Stripes Forever
7	John Prine	Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore	In Person & On Stage
8	Phil Ochs	Power and the Glory	There But for Fortune
9	Bob Dylan	Chimes Of Freedom	Another Side Of Bob Dylan
10	Cisco Houston	Roll On Columbia	Best Of The Vanguard Years
11	Randy Newman	Sail Away	Sail Away
12	Randy Newman	My Country	Bad Love
13	Robert Earl Keen	Forth Of July	Picnic
14	Steve Earle	Dear Old Flag	Divided & United: The Songs of the Civil War
15	Dave Alvin	Fourth of July	Romeo's Escape
16	Neil Young	America The Beautiful	Living With War
17	The Abyssinian Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir	Battle Hymn Of The Republic	The Civil War
18	Rosanne Cash	500 Miles	The List
19	Morton Gould: Morton Gould Orchestra	Sousa: Fourth Of July	Brass & Percussion
20	London Symphony Orch./Copland	Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man	Columbia Records' 125th Anniv.
21	Kate Smith	God Bless America	American Songbook Series: Irving Berlin
22	James Cagney	Yankee Doodle Boy	Warner Brothers 75 Years of Film Music (2)
23	The Delta Rhythm Boys	Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition	The Best Of 1940-50
24	The Merry Macs	Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition	The Groups Sing [Disc 2]
25	Willie Nelson	American Tune	Across The Borderline
26	John Mellencamp	Small Town	Scarecrow
27	Bobby Bare	God Bless America Again	The Essential Bobby Bare
28	Ray Charles	America the Beautiful	Genius – The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection
29	James Brown	Living In America	Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky

Country Blues, Folk and Tradition, Rhythm and Blues, Theme Time, Urban Blues

The 99 Percent Blues

November 18, 2014 Dave

On Deeper Roots …”The 99 Percent Blues”, featuring music reflecting on the Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, and the recent financial crisis…songs and stories of the working class. We take a trip back to the twenties and share with you the sounds of Vernon Delhart, Joe Stone, Harry McClintock, and others…and we’ll share the more contemporary songs of Ry Cooder, Randy Newman, and Uncle Tupelo.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Uncle Dave Macon	All In Down And Out Blues [2003 Remastered]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
3	Joe Stone	It's Hard Time	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
4	Vernon Dalhart	The Farm Relief Song	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
5	Charlie McFadden	Times Are So Tight	Bankers Blues – A Study in the Effects of Fiscal Mischeif
6	Snooks and the Memphis Ramblers,Julia Gerity and Her Boys	Sittin' on a Rubbish Can [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
7	Ry Cooder	No Banker Left Behind	Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down
8	Little Village	Do You Want My Job	Little Village
9	The Reverend J.M. Gates	President Roosevelt Is Everybody's Friend [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
10	Randy Newman	Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)	Good Old Boys [Expanded] Disc 1
11	The Weavers	Brother Can You Spare a Dime	The Weavers Almanac
12	Cisco Houston	Do Re Mi	Best Of The Vanguard Years
13	Woody Guthrie	Dusty Old Dust (So Long It's Been Good to Know Yuh) [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
14	Mac "Harry" McClintock	Hallelujah, I'm a Bum [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
15	Fiddlin' John Carson	Taxes On The Farmer Feeds Them All [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
16	Ry Cooder	Taxes On The Farmer Feeds Us All	Into The Purple Valley
17	Hank Penny	Taxes Taxes	Bob Dylan: Radio Radio – Theme Time Radio Hour, Vol. 5 [Disc 4]
18	Ralph Willis	Income Tax Blues	Bankers Blues – A Study in the Effects of Fiscal Mischeif
19	Fenton Robinson	Somebody Loan Me A Dime	Living The Blues: The 70's Blues Classics
20	Bob Miller	The Rich Man And The Poor Man [Rematered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
21	Roy Bargy;Ramona	Raising the Rent [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
22	Bing Crosby	Brother Can You Spare A Dime?	Columbia Records' 125th Anniv.
23	William (Bill) Moore	Ragtime Millionaire	1927-30-Ragtime Blues Guitar
24	Lead Belly	The Bourgeois Blues	Best Of Leadbelly
25	Ry Cooder	The Bourgeois Blues	Chicken Skin Music
26	Uncle Tupelo	No Depression	No Depression
27	Sheryl Crow	No Depression In Heaven	The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family
28	The Carter Family	No Depression In Heaven	Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music, Volume Four
29	David McCarn	Poor Man, Rich Man (Cotton Mill Colic No. 2)	Gastonia Gallop – Cotton Mill Songs & Hillbilly Blues 1927-1931
30	Cedar Creek Sheik	Jimmy Shut His Store Doors [Remastered 2003]	Poor Man's Heaven – Blues And Tales Of The Great Depression – When The Sun Goes Down Series
31	Woody Guthrie	The Jolly Banker (Woody Guthrie)	Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection [Disc 2]
32	Bo Carter	Times Is Tight Like That	Bankers Blues – A Study in the Effects of Fiscal Mischeif
33	Woody Guthrie	Pastures of Plenty	Dust Bowl Blues

The Devil Ain’t Lazy

November 18, 2014 Dave

“The Devil Ain’t Lazy” is a song by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and it is also the title of this week’s Deeper Roots show. In our weekly ramble through the last century of America’s music this Friday night at 9, we explore how that malevolent spirit known as the devil has been a foil and muse in song. We start it off with the Almanac Singers and the Irving Berlin piece from pre-war, “Get Thee Behind Me Satan”, move into a 1928 musical sermon called “Warming By the Devil’s Fire”, and find ourselves in country bible land with the Louvins, Hank Williams, and Marty Stuart. In between we’ve got lots of jazz, gospel, blues, and some modern revelations about our culture’s call and response with Lucifer himself.

The Mighty Mississippi

November 18, 2014 Dave

This episode of Deeper Roots explores music celebrating the “Father of The Waters”, “The Big Muddy”…”The Mighty Mississippi”. Between its head, Lake Itasca in Minnesota, to the point where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi is responsible for the watershed of 31 states, although its banks only border on 10 of them. Over the centuries, it’s been an inspiration in traditional song and story. Join us as we are entertained by the likes of J. J. Cale, The Mississippi Sheiks, Bessie Smith, Dr. John, and a host of others in a show about a natural wonder that is part of our national identity.

A Century of America's Music