Friday,  August 7 @9am on KOWS
Good News Bad News
No theme this week. No genre studies. No artist retrospectives. Just two hours of great American music. We’re in a free-form mood, wandering once again through the dusty digital archives of the past century in search of songs that simply deserve to be heard. Pour yourself a favorite morning libation and settle in as we journey from the elegant dance band sounds of George Olsen to the gypsy jazz brilliance of Django Reinhardt and the unmistakable blues of Memphis Minnie. Along the way, we’ll kick up a little country dust with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, and plenty of other musical companions. There may not be a formal theme, but don’t be surprised if the songs begin talking to one another. You’ll hear stories of good news and bad news, bad blood, hard luck, redemption, resilience, and the enduring hope that seems to find its way into the best American music. That’s the beauty of community radio. Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you stop looking for a destination and simply enjoy the journey. Join us Friday morning at 9:00 Pacific on KOWS Community Radio, streaming worldwide at kowsfm.com, and spend a couple of hours exploring the music that shaped where we’ve been—and still has something to say about where we’re going.

Saturday,  August 8 @3am on KOWS
Blue Moon Americana 572
Music is a ledger of where we’ve been, carried forward by those who refuse to let the stories fade. This week on Blue Moon Americana, host Dave Stroud reflects on the passage of time and the enduring lineage of American roots music. We pay tribute to Freddie “Boom Boom” Cannon, who passed away recently at age 89, alongside cherished legends Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Brownie Ford, and Bill Staines. We’ll hear how their spirits echo through today’s contemporary sounds taking up the mantel to keep the tradition alive and vibrant. To that end, Dave will be sharing new tracks from Arlen Roth, Orville Peck, Margo Price and about a dozen others. 📻 Tune in Thursday morning at 9:00 AM Pacific (replaying Saturday at 3 AM) on kowsfm.com—where the past and present of Americana meet.

Saturday,  August 8 @9am on KOWS
Heartland R&B
We revisit a show from ten years back that focused on R&B, sax, and a time before rock ‘n’ roll shook the world. A time of honkers and shouters. This week on Deeper Roots, we dig into the wild, joyful, and groundbreaking world of mid-century rhythm and blues through the lens of Arnold Shaw’s classic book Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues. From the jump bands and saxophone blowouts to the gospel-fueled vocalists and hard-driving dance records that packed juke joints and ballrooms, we’ll explore the artists, producers, and cultural forces that gave birth to modern popular music. Join us for two hours of the sounds and stories that laid the foundation for rock ‘n’ roll and changed American music forever. We’ve got a wild one in store for you, one that we first tackled a decade ago here on Deeper Roots.

Thursday,  August 13 @Midnite on KOWS
High on the Hog!
We’ll be rolling back our Hillbilly Wayback Machine to the year 1950 for romance in high pants at the barn dance in a show first broadcast last October. Country music really hadn’t yet caught on as a genre so a lot of the music we’ll share today had the misfortune of being coined “hillbilly music”; a blend of silver screen cowboy nostalgia for the lone prairie alongside swinging arrangements and occasional ballads of the heart. You even had yourself some down-home novelty and syncopated vocals that looked out at that land beyond the sun where the tumbleweeds bounced across the horizon. Without further waxing of the poetic, we’ll let you know that you’ll be treated to some very best from under the blanket of the prairie sky including the likes of Smiley Burnette, Jimmy Wakely, Tin Ear Tanner, Zeb Turner and Leon Chappel. These weren’t necessarily the big hits but they were honky tonk and jukebox favorites. Drop in and find out.

Thursday, August 13 @9am on KOWS
Saturday,  August 15 @3am on KOWS
Blue Moon Americana 573
Blue Moon Americana consistently brings you fresh releases, deep cuts, and the classic nuggets that shaped American roots music. It’s not just about musical discovery—it’s about settling into the songs that enrich our daily lives. This week’s lineup features new music from Orville Peck, The Womack Sisters, GA-20, and Dallas Burrow. We’ll also reach back into the archives for a folk classic from The Long Road to Freedom, some mellow JJ Cale, poignant reflections from Greg Brown, and early-era Steve Earle. As the dog days of summer set in and fire season takes hold across the West, keep a vigilant watch and bring your own bottle…oh yeah, and drop in Thursday mornings at 9:00 AM Pacific (replaying Saturday at 3:00 AM) on KOWS.

Friday,  August 14 @9am on KOWS
1925 Songs
What did America sound like in 1925? Join us for a special episode of Deeper Roots as Dave welcomes Josh Rosenthal, founder of Tompkins Square Records, into the studio for an extraordinary musical deep dive. Josh takes us inside the newly minted anthology, Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present…1925 Songs. This 32-track collection spotlights a pivotal, watershed year in American music history—the moment electrical recording began replacing acoustic horns, allowing the vibrant, raw sounds of early jazz, country blues, and hillbilly music to reach a coast-to-coast audience for the very first time. Deeper Roots may be about a century of America’s music… but this week, we’re taking you back a century plus one! Don’t miss it. 

Saturday,  August 15 @9am on KOWS
Wake Up Everybody
Tomorrow isn’t a guarantee; it’s a promise we keep to one another. In times when the airwaves and headlines feel crowded with division, hatred, and the loud noise of demagoguery, all in reaction to barbarous and vile language from the highest quarters, the antidote has always been found in the music. This week on Deeper Roots, we are celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary by stepping directly into the storm with a playlist designed to uplift, fortify, and remind us of what’s worth fighting for.  Count on sounds from Gillian Welch, Willie Nelson, Sam Cooke, Chet Baker and a few dozen more as we dive deep into a century of American music, bringing you powerful songs of the spirit from the gospel canon alongside timeless anthems of resistance that call on us to rise above the attacks on our shared democracy. This isn’t just a look back at history—it’s a toolkit for the present.