Rocky Rauch
photo “Confluence” by Roger Lyon
Rocky Rauch’s Radio Show
Since I’ve gotten involved in community radio I’ve been thinking more about how radio has influenced me. One surprisingly good show I loved was on KRLC in Clarkston, Washington. KRLC in the 1990s was a commercial station with a Country Top 40 format. But the daily morning show was hosted by Rocky Rauch, and it broke all the rules of commercial radio. I knew it was a special show, but it’s only recently that I’ve learned how special it was.
Rocky Rauch was a singer and guitar player who led a band called The Freedom Cowboys. They played all over the Inland Northwest, and Rocky was a member of the Western Swing Hall of Fame. While other KRLC DJs played the top 40 playlist, Rocky played what he wanted to play, and often it was music no one else was broadcasting. He played plenty of Bob Wills and Asleep at the Wheel. He played older country stars like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, Johnny Cash and Don Gibson. He played the current country artists he enjoyed like Alan Jackson and George Strait. And he played a lot from local and regional bands, particularly The Braun Brothers from central Idaho.
His commercials were as atypical as his playlist. The Freedom Cowboys recorded a few ditties for local businesses like “Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay / Let Mother Nature spray / They’ll spray your trees and shrubs / They will kill all your bugs.” Rocky also talked live with local small business owners. His conversations with Rusty of Rusty’s Ranch Cafe in Lewiston, Idaho were always enjoyable, and there was always a plug for the Sunday prime rib (your choice of the mini or the maxi) and the daily baron of beef. He did the same for Hobby Hobson’s used cars. The fact that I still remember these ad campaigns two decades later says something about Rocky and his appeal.
Rocky Rauch passed away in the mid-90s. He collapsed in the control room one morning doing his show. Listeners knew something was wrong when the station suddenly sounded like a generic, automated country station. That was the end of an era in so many ways. Rocky’s show, while commercial, was at its core a community radio show, aimed at his friends and neighbors in the Lewiston-Clarkston valley. It was great radio, an anomaly then and now, and I didn’t realized how much I learned about radio from just listening to him on my daily commute.
June 2011
June 2011
Every month I make a list of the recordings I’ve been listening to most often over the past few weeks. Here’s my list for June 2011. I’ve played songs from each of these bands on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat.
- Fiolministeriet: Fiolministeriet (2011)
- Finnders & Youngberg: FY5 (2011)
- High Desert Band: Creature Comforts (2010)
- Ruthie Dornfeld: Duets Abroad (2010)
- De Temps Antan: Les Habits De Papier (2010)
Father’s Day
Ramblers’ Retreat Playlist
Here’s the playlist for Ramblers’ Retreat, my radio show on KRBX for June 15th. The show was abbreviated today, but I still got in some interesting Father’s Day music including these:
- Dry Branch Fire Squad: “Papa’s Billy Goat”
- Lucy Billings: “Daddy’s Last Drive”
- Dave Stamey: “Montana”
- Muzzie Braun: “Your Driving’s Driving Me To Drink”
ASA Trio
ASA Trio Plays the Music of Thelonious Monk (2011)
Thelonious Monk ranks among the best composers of the 20th Century. Most of what he wrote he recorded with his own ensembles and his recordings are well-known and prized in jazz circles. It’s always interesting to see how a band will cover these tunes six decades later.
Iceland’s ASA Trio tackles this project with flair on their latest release. Guitarist Andres Thor, organist Agnar Magnusson, and drummer Scott McLemore formed their trio five years ago, and the first tune they played together was Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” which kicks off this record. It’s fitting that for their third release they have returned to their own roots.
Monk himself was a piano player and his compositions were often geared to his particular style of playing. He’s also known for the great saxophone players he worked with, including Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Rouse, and Steve Lacy. I like that this trio contains neither piano nor saxophone. It lets the compositions shine without overt comparisons to how Monk played a particular phrase or how Sonny or Trane took a solo. All three players get to stretch out and explore these wonderful melodies, harmonies, and rhythms in their own way.
The choice of compositions here is impressive. It’s a great mix that starts with the tunes we all know like “Criss Cross,” “Straight, No Chaser,” and my favorite Monk tune, “Ask Me Now.” It also includes sleepers like “Green Chimneys” and “Boo Boo’s Birthday.”
Both Thor and Magnusson are strong soloists, but even more exciting on this recording is how they support each other. They know when to hold back, when to fade away, and when to punch and accent. McLemore is an extraordinarily musical drummer who brings a welcome sense of texture to the ensemble. The interplay between the three musicians makes for a number of great musical moments within each piece, tied together with a solid groove with just the right amount of fluidity.
ASA Trio brings a fresh approach to classic Monk’s compositions that is musically satisfying, emotionally fulfilling, and enjoyable on every level. This band from Iceland is strongly recommended.
Ramblers’ Retreat – 8 June 2011
Ramblers’ Retreat Playlist
Here’s the playlist for Ramblers’ Retreat, my radio show on KRBX for June 8th. Once again this week I featured music from last year’s National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest and a few artists who are playing in this area later this month including:
- Grupo Fantasma: “Calor” (Alive After Five, June 15th)
- Dr John: “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say” (Knitting Factory, June 19th)
- Sarah Sample: “Be My Middle Ground” (Alive After Five, June 22nd)
- The Brothers Comatose: “26 On The List” (Alive After Five, June 22nd)
- Bruce Cockburn: “Each One Lost” (Visual Arts Collective, June 29th)
Ramblers’ Retreat – 1 June 2011
Ramblers’ Retreat Playlist
Here’s the playlist for Ramblers’ Retreat on KRBX for June 1st. Once again this week I featured music from last year’s National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest and a few artists who are playing in this area in the next few months including:
- Grupo Fantasma: “Sacatelo Bailando” (Alive After Five, June 15th)
- Dr John: “Iko Iko” (Knitting Factory, June 19th)
- The Brothers Comatose: “Into the Old” (Alive After Five, June 22nd)
- Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, & Gillian Welch: “Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby” (Alison Krauss, Idaho Botanical Garden, July 1st)
- Anders Osborne: “Every Bit of Love” (Alive After Five, July 20th)
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