Finland Independence Day
Finland Independence Day
Finland celebrates Independence Day on December 6th, so this week’s Ramblers’ Retreat featured two sets of Finnish music. We also celebrated St Andrew’s Day, which is today, November 30th, with a set of Scottish music including tracks from two Boise-based bands. We topped things off with some classic music from the American West and music from some of the artists I met at the Folk Alliance Region West conference last month. As always, the full playlist is posted.
Here are the Finland sets from today’s show:
- Johanna Juhola: “Happihumppa”
- Frigg: “Norrsken”
- Gjallarhorn: “Minuet from Jeppo-Polska”
- Karuna: “Niemelä”
- Maria Kalaniemi: “Jeppo (Granas Bastun)”
- Värttinä: “Laiska”
- Ruthie Dornfeld: “Mazurka”
- Nordic Choro: “Safe and Warm”
Here’s a video of Frigg:
Looking Back: 2007
Looking Back: 2007
Another in a not-so-regular series of posts where I look back and reflect on my favorite music from a particular year. These are my favorites today, and this list includes some fairly new discoveries from artists I didn’t know about back in 2007.
Panhandle Polecats: Skunked Again. A family bluegrass band based in Rathdrum, Idaho with three sisters and two brothers. They play a good mix of bluegrass classics, original songs, and a novelty here and there. Their stage presence is outstanding. I’m a fan of “Sheep Shearing Blues” (an original song by Molly the mandolin player) and I really like their instrumental cover of “Shenandoah”.
Mike Marshall & Darol Anger with Väsen: Mike Marshall & Darol Anger with Väsen. I first heard mandolinist Mike Marshall and fiddler Darol Anger playing together in the early mid-1980s. This is a great collaboration between them and the Swedish trio Väsen who I’ve written about often both on this blog and for RootsWorld. This record has a great mix of originals (like Mike Marshall’s “Egypt” that I first heard when he recorded with the Montreaux band years ago), American folk tunes (“Yew Piney Mountain”), and reworked Swedish folk tunes (“Penknife Killer”). These musicians also put on great live shows.
Adrian: Highway 80. Adrian was a teenager when she recorded her first CD of original songs inspired by own life on a working ranch near the the Nevada-California line. “Old Time Vaquero” and “Will James Days” have quickly become favorites among those of us who love the music of the American West.
Quebe Sisters: Timeless. A fiddling, singing trio of sisters from Texas who focus on Western Swing and do it very well. I especially like their versions of “So Long To The Red River Valley” and “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.”
Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie: Le Cowboy Creole. Geno Delafose is the son of zydeco musician John Delafose. Geno draws from both zydeco and Cajun music as well as his own experience running a horse ranch in Louisiana. He’s put out a number of records, each of them solid and worth hearing. On Le Cowboy Creole I’ve been drawn to “Chickens On The Run.”
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Today’s episode of Ramblers’ Retreat focused on Thanksgiving. I had some fun putting together a set of songs about pilgrims, another about being thankful, and one about the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. As always, the full playlist is posted. Here are the Thanksgiving songs from today’s show:
- Scott Cook: “Song For A Pilgrim”
- Don Edwards: “I Am A Pilgrim”
- Kyle Alden: “The Pilgrim”
- Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band: “Pilgrim”
- Darrell Scott: “The Day Before Thanksgiving”
- Ruthie Foster: “Thanks For The Joy”
- Kate Mann: “Thank You Note”
- Jay Ungar & Molly Mason: “Thanksgiving Waltz”
- Will Williams: “Turkey Knob”
- Betty & Ozark Mountain Music: “Turkey In The Straw”
- Yonder Mountain String Band: “Hog Potato”
- Muzzie Braun: “The Kitchen”
Jensen & Bugge
Jensen & Bugge: Hav Og Land (2011)
Over the past few months, when my soul has needed restoration I’ve been turning to the new CD from Jensen & Bugge. This is a strong contender for my favorite album of 2011 and I know I’ll be enjoying it for many years to come. Read my full review of Hav Og Land on RootsWorld.
Robert James
Robert James
My guest on Ramblers’ Retreat today was Boise-based singer-songwriter Robert James. He played a few originals and belted out a great cover of “Norwegian Wood” which listeners really enjoyed. I also played quite a bit of music from artists I heard at the Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West) conference last month. As always, the full playlist is posted.
Here are some of the FAR-West artists I played on today’s show:
- The Blackberry Bushes Stringband: “I’m On Fire”
- Sourdough Slim & Robert Armstrong: “Hesitation Blues”
- Cady Finlayson & Vita Tanga: “Foggy Dew”
- Sabrina & Craig: “Same Old Song And Dance”
- Utah Slim: “Charley And Evadine”
- John McCutcheon: “I Ain’t Got No Home”
- Jaime Michaels: “China Dog”
- Lee Penn Sky: “Michigan”
Here’s Robert James singing “Money or Gold”:
Listener Appreciation Day
Listener Appreciation Day
December 14th, 2011
The December 14th edition of Ramblers’ Retreat will be Listener Appreciation Day. You the listeners have the opportunity to tell me what you’d like to hear on Ramblers’ Retreat. It can be something you heard on a previous show, something by an artist I’ve played, another rendition of a song I’ve played, or anything else that falls under that rubric of “a broad swath of folk music.” Your requests can be specific or wide open. If I can get my hands on it, I’ll play it.
Leave suggestions in the comments here, or use the Google+ page, or contact me in whatever way suits you best.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
This week’s Ramblers’ Retreat focused on the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers, who was born 100 years ago on November 5th, 1911. I played some of his songs from the 1930s and 40s, and I find that music stands up well seven decades later. Roy Rogers recorded a number of songs that have become part of our popular culture, almost a part of our DNA, and I played a few covers of those songs too. Many of these songs were written by Rogers’s partner in The Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Nolan, an impressive songwriter who deserves more attention than he normally gets.
There was also a set of songs about Montana to celebrate statehood day in The Big Sky Country. Montana was admitted to the union on November 8th, 1889, about eight months before Idaho became a state. As always, the full playlist is posted.
Here are the Roy Rogers songs I played:
- Roy Rogers: “I’m An Old Cowhand”
- Roy Rogers: “The Hills Of Wyomin’”
- Roy Rogers: “Cowboy Night Herd Song”
- Roy Rogers: “That Palomino Pal O’ Mine”
- The Sons Of The San Joaquin: “Cool Water”
- The Quebe Sisters: “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”
- Dave Stamey: “Don’t Fence Me In”
- Johnny Cash: “One More Ride”
And here’s a video of Roy Rogers singing “Get Along Little Doggies” from the film West of the Badlands.
Folk Classics
Folk Classics
This week’s Ramblers’ Retreat was again focused on the Radio Boise Radiothon. Thank you so much to everyone who called in to support community radio in Boise; with your help we exceeded our goals for funds raised and for new supporters. Thank you so much.
I played quite a few folk classics this week. A few are listed below; as always, the full playlist is also posted.
- Hillfolk Noir: “Coo Coo”
- Sweeney’s Men: “Tom Dooley”
- Otter Creek: “Shady Grove”
- Arlo Guthrie: “City of New Orleans”
- Woody Guthrie: “Pastures of Plenty”
- Pete Seeger: “We Shall Overcome”
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