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 more. Banjo player and author Henry Sapoznik talks about going from Old Time Country back to the music of his roots, klezmer. Plus jazz-inflected western swing, swinging klezmer and more.
Bluegrass Breakdown – Marking Time, Part I
We’ll be examining the way BluegrassLanders mark time, specifically, the passage of years. And, in BluegrassLand, some years are definitely more significant than others … and well worth looking into. With the able mathematical and musical assistance of Joe Isaacs, Jim Hurst, the Circuit Riders, Lester Flatt, Ralph Stanley and John Cowan, we’ll be looking at two more years, four wasted years, the seven year blues, eight good years and ten years of heartaches.
Bluegrass Master Class – Banks of the Ohio #89
A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum.
Bluegrass Review
Our show opens with a track by one of recent years’ mot popular groups, the Cherryholmes. They’re expressing the mood of modern bluegrass pessimism. Then we have fun with a couple of phone number songs. Our Gem of Bluegrass documents Japanese bluegrass. In the second half of the show, we talk to Jeremy Chapman of the Chapmans. The group’s latest CD consists of more mature versions of their back catalogue. The group has been together 20 years now, and some of the members were just kids when they started. The show closes with a couple of tunes with great song hooks, and a new recording by Andy Falco of the Infamous Stringdusters. The playlist is located at www.bluegrassreview.com. Join the Bluegrass Review discussion on Facebook. Just do a Facebook search for Bluegrass Review.
Bluegrass Signal – Live (Frank) On Arrival
Frank Wakefield, the one who, according to the Dawg, “split the bluegrass mandolin atom,” live in concert and on the radio. Highlights of a 1962 gig in Columbus, Ohio, with Sid Campbell’s band (that also included John Hickman) … a low-fi 1963 radio show from Wheaton, Maryland, by that legendary band with Red Allen … and a 1975 concert in Santa Cruz with Jerry Garcia, David Nelson, Brantley Kearns, and Pat Campbell.
*The Dick Spottswood Show
Some late ’60s Flatt & Scruggs rescued from the cutting room floor, some great sounding Stanley Bothers recordings restored from original 1952 masters, bedbug anthems from Ernest Tubb, Lonnie Johnson and Lydia Mendoza, and songs for Memorial Day from everybody else.
*etown – Joe Bonamassa and Tift Merritt
Nick & Helen Forster welcome guitar hero Joe Bonamassa and his band to the stage for their first visit to eTown. Joe’s been dubbed “The New King of the Blues” (Guitarist) and shows his versatility and virtuosity through blistering guitar playing, strong singing, and solid songwriting. Then singer-songwriter Tift Merritt returns to eTown, this time with bassist and harmony vocalist, Jay Brown in tow. (She invites Nick & Helen and the eTones to play and sing along on a tune or two.)
The Free for All – Wednesday, 6-9 p.m. LIVE, Friday 9 p.m.-12 a.m.
The Gary Henderson Show – Saturday 8-11 a.m. LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.
Irish Heartbeat with Dervish – Saturday 6 p.m. ET
The Katy Daley Show - Monday- Friday LIVE, 7-10 a.m. ET
The Lee Michael Demsey Show – Saturday 11a.m.-2p.m., Monday- Friday LIVE, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET
Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard – Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m., Thurs. 12 p.m.
*Mountain Stage
Featuring Arlo, Abe & Sarah Lee Guthrie,Richard, Linda & Teddy Thompson, Loudon Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright-Roche, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright and more. View Playlist.
Music from Foggy Hollow
In Music from Foggy Hollow from Australia this week Mike Kear is featuring a new CD from Californian band Sawmill Road – its called Fire On The Kettle. Also on the show this week, historic music from the Seldom Scene and Roland White and new music from he John Hartford String band, Darren Beachley & the legends of the Potomac, Frances Mooney & Fontanna Sunset, Donna Ulisse, Willie Nelson, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and lots more. Plus our regular segment where we look back 5 years to see what we were doing back then, and from Erio Meili in Brazil some European bluegrass. How’s that for international? It’s only for fun, so dont miss it!
Old Time Jam
This week’s tasty topic is “sweets;” we’ve got nothing but honey, sugar, sorghum, fruit and, not least, sweet ladies in our tune names, played by current old time musicians like Kirk Sutphin, Jim Costa, Foghorn String Band, the Hushpuppies, the Freight Hoppers, Uncle Earl, the Run of the Mill String Band, and just lots more.
Open Mic – Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 Countdown
Lee Michael Demsey hosts the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 Countdown for the month of June.
The Ray Davis Show – Monday- Friday LIVE, 3-6p.m., Sunday 10am-1p
Rotating Shows
The Bill Miller Show – Sunday 3 a.m. (May 30)
The Tom “Cat” Reeder Show – Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (June 6)
Special Programming - Farewell Drifters & The Infamous Stringdusters
More live performances from our Washington, DC studios. This week, Lee Michael Demsey hosts an interview and performance from the Farewell Drifters, and Jen Hitt visits with the Infamous Stringdusters.
LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass hosted by Bob Webster
LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff – Saturday 2-6 p.m.
Uptown Bluegrass with George McKnight – Old into New
This week we spin many songs and tunes from the past and from different music styles. Song origins go back into country, folk, rock, pop, all with strong bluegrass versions by current and/or past groups. This is a fun trip down memory lane to re-live some of the great songs of our past especially some wonderful vinyl-vintage-moments.
