All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Five Years After the Storm
It has been five years since Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the Federal levee system in New Orleans, and we speak with local activists, musicians and residents to gauge the progress of recovery in the [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Bustin’ Loose: Go-Go and Zydeco with Chuck Brown and Jeffrey Broussard
Come meet us at the club as we jump into two distinct American musics: go-go and zydeco. From the nation’s capital, we’ll visit with the “Godfather of Go-Go,” funk and [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Alabama Bound
American Routes takes a trip through the music of the Yellowhammer State–Alabama. Visit the Muscle Shoals Sound studio and find out what’s in the water around “the Shoals” to make it a historic hotbed for R&B hits by Wilson [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Earth & Blood: James Blood Ulmer & Tracy Nelson
Elemental blues, jazz and country from two performers with deep roots and cosmic connections. In the ’60s, young Tracy Nelson left the midwest for psychedelic San Francisco to front the R&B rock [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – How Blue Can You Get? Howard Tate and Lyle Lovett
When we asked Lyle Lovett why he didn’t stick with journalism, he said, “It’s hard to sing the newspaper.” From blues to country to Texas swing, Lyle and his large band [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Big Voices with k.d. Lang & Topsy Chapman
From shouters to chanteuses, R&B melisma to the high lonesome sound of bluegrass, this week we bring you some of the biggest voices on the American soundscape. Neo-retro vocalist k.d. lang comes by [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Roadside Attractions and Wilderness Trails
It’s summertime and the living’s easy. Jump in as we hit the road in search of new faces and places. Head north out of New Orleans, across Lake Pontchartrain, to the Abita Mystery House at UCM [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – July 4th with Ponderosa Stomp, Del McCoury Band & Preservation Hall Jazz Band
This Fourth of July, American Routes celebrates our nation’s birthday with two live concerts of all-American music. We’ll stop by the Ponderosa Stomp, dedicated to the “unsung [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Poets of Twang: Buddy Miller and John Doe
What happens when two guys from the East Coast head West with guitars? They become country singers, naturally. But the path there wasn’t so obvious. Buddy Miller has been everywhere: Austin, Los [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Words & Music: Ralph Ellison’s Jazz-Shaped America & James Talley
Find the connections between the literary landscape and soundscape. We talk with Columbia University jazz scholar Robert O’Meally about the music writings of the Harlem Renaissance author best known for [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Robbie Fulks & Bettye LaVette
Join us for the sounds and stories of estranged country singer and songwriter Robbie Fulks. And R&B vixen Bettye LaVette takes us from the Motor City to Muscle Shoals, and Beale Street to Bourbon Street, [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Words to the Wise: Loretta Lynn, Bill Kirchen & Les Freres Michot
This week on American Routes we’re sharing some words of wisdom. Loretta Lynn blazed a trail through the male-dominated world of country music, bringing her experience as a mother [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Jews & Blues
Explore the connection between the wail of the cantor and the slide of a blues note–where jazz and western swing meet the klezmorium. Legendary R&B producer Jerry Wexler recalls working with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away? Dan Hicks and Commander Cody
Join American Routes for two hours of wry humor, outlandish puns and gonzo attitude when we sit down with two high-flying musicians: Dan Hicks and Commander [...]
All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – On the Road with Rosanne Cash and Arlo Guthrie
This week’s American Routes hits the road in story and song. We visit with country singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash about life in a musical family, living in Nashville and her [...]
