Saturday, Nov 14 @3am on KOWS
Blue Moon Americana Episode 586
Another one for the road… Blue Moon host Dave Stroud has been roaming the new releases and digging through dusty digital archives for the best sounds Americana has to offer. This week’s finds include a gem from Reckless Kelly’s 2005 album Wicked Twisted Road, reflections on mortality from Bob Dylan and Billy Joe Shaver, and a little good-time mischief from Cowboy Jack, Commander Cody and BR5-49. And yes, there’s a new Waylon Jennings single in the mix, alongside contemporary favorites Ian Noe, Israel Nash, KELS and Pug Johnson. Settle in for two hours of Thursday morning Americana, country and singer-songwriter treasures. Hope you can drop by.
Saturday, November 14 @9am on KOWS
Deeper Soul Roots Pt 2
Last week on Deeper Roots, we went searching for the ancestry of soul music, following its trail through gospel quartets, blues shouters, rhythm & blues and the vocal traditions that supplied its language and emotional fire. This week, we continue, crossing into the late 1950s and early ’60s when those ingredients began coming together as a music increasingly recognized as soul. These are the performers who grew from that fertile ground—and the records where you can hear the transformation taking place. We’ll dig beneath many of the obvious hits for early sides from Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Jerry Butler, and others while, at the same time, exploring the emerging sounds of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and beyond. Gospel’s testimony is still there, as are the blues and rhythm & blues, but something new is taking shape. By the time we reach the early ’60s, we’re no longer listening for the roots of soul. We’ll be hearing from the soul itself.
Thursday, Nov 19 @Midnite on KOWS
Sun Shadows
In the long view, rock ‘n roll’s rise was no surprise as it’s sound had been peeking through the tall grass since the 1930s with some risque (and risky) rhythm and blues, gospel celebrations and fast-paced swinging country sounds. When Sam Phillips’ small operation in Memphis kicked off, who would have guessed that the fusion of all these sounds would somehow resonate with it’s blend of hillbilly, blues, rhythm and gospel influences. But it did. And here we are. Tune into Deeper Roots as we go a bit deeper into the sounds of Sun Records, beyond the Elvis, Roy, Johnny, Carl and Jerry Lees. We’ll turn our attention to others from the early years including The Miller Sisters, Slim Rhodes, Barbara Pittman and The Prisonaires. The music we’ve got is sometimes raw, sometimes wild and always headed in the same direction. Don’t miss this one!
Thursday, Nov 19 @9am on KOWS
Saturday, Nov 21 @3am on KOWS
Blue Moon Americana Episode 587
A healthy and hearty collection of sounds in store for our Americana fans today, crossing generations, borders, and genres (as always). We’ll dig into some rockabilly covers from Robert Gordon and Link Wray, some Blind Willie Johnson gospel blues from Tom Waits, fresh new releases from Gillian Welch, Jack Blocker, and Israel Nash (among others). As the holidays approach we’re reminded that music can be the soundtrack for hope. The recent blue wave gives us hope for what we can do together. Rebuilding what’s been damaged and restoring trust will take hard work and patience, especially when progress is slow. And if we want the healing to last, we have to be honest about who was hurt, hold those responsible to account, and do what we can to make things right. We need leaders with vision and the blue wave has introduced us to a host of possibilities and a future of hope that moves us away from degradation and hate.
Friday, Nov 20 @9am on KOWS
Border Blasters
There was a time when a radio signal could cross a border, travel halfway across a continent, and introduce you to music you never knew existed. From giant transmitters on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande came country music, gospel, western swing, blues, rock ‘n’ roll, miracle cures, outrageous sales pitches, and a howling disc jockey who became a legend. Imagine turning on your radio late at night in the 1950s and hearing a signal booming out of Mexico. Maybe it’s a Texas fiddler, a country preacher, a Chicago bluesman, or some wild-eyed disc jockey calling himself Wolfman Jack. You never quite knew what was coming next. That’s the world we’re visiting on this week’s Deeper Roots. We’ve got the Carter Family, the Louvin Brothers, Moon Mullican, Lydia Mendoza, Little Richard, and a few generations of musicians who grew up under the spell of those border-radio broadcasts. It’s two hours of musical history, strange characters, deep roots, and some mighty fine records.
Saturday, Nov 21 @9am on KOWS
One Thing Leads To Another
Ever notice how one conversation can take you somewhere you never expected? Music works the same way. This week on Deeper Roots, we’re following a trail of musical connections where every song has something in common with the one before it. A shared lyric, a songwriter, a place, a name, or just an unexpected twist that takes us down another road. We’ll wander from the soulful sounds of The Undisputed Truth and Laura Nyro to the country storytelling of Merle Haggard, the sharp wit of Randy Newman, and the haunting Americana of The Handsome Family. Along the way, expect a few surprises, forgotten gems, and musical detours spanning generations. It’s a two-hour game of musical connect-the-dots, with no telling where the next tune might take us. Join us Friday at 9 AM Pacific for Deeper Roots on KOWS 92.5 FM or streaming at kowsfm.com/listen.