Ramblers’ Retreat Upcoming Shows
Here are some of the themes we’ll be exploring over the next few weeks on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat:
- May 23rd: Johnny Shoes in studio
- May 30th: Denmark’s Constitution Day (June 5th)
- June 6th: The Swedish National Day (June 6th)
- June 13th: Summer Solstice (June 20th)
The show airs Wednesday mornings from 6:00 to 8:00 am Mountain on KRBX Radio Boise, 89.9 FM and online on http://radioboise.org.
March 2012
March 2012
Every month I put together a list of the recordings I’ve been listening to most over the past few weeks. This month’s list is completely different from my February 2012 list with no carry-over at all from last month. The Trip McCool and West of Eden CDs came out in 2012; the others were released last year. I’ve played multiple songs from each of these CDs on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat.
- Karen Dahlstrom: Gem State (Idaho native)
Dahlstrom is a Boise native now living in New York, and all the tracks on this 5-song EP are about her home state. These songs are sparse, haunting, and beautiful. - Trip McCool: The Traveler (Idaho native)
Another Boise native, Trip McCool has channeled his Irish ancestors to produce a great set of original songs and a remarkably good cover of “Drill Ye Tarriers Drill.” - Buffalo Bill Boycott: Best Of Buffalo Bill (Wyoming)
Some cowboy, some bluegrass, some mighty fine banjo work, a healthy amount of yodeling, and a nice mix of traditional and original tunes. - Reckless Kelly: Good Luck & True Love (Idaho natives)
Willy and Cody Braun grew up singing with their dad, Muzzie Braun, in central Idaho. Now based in Austin they have formed a great Americana band, and this may be their best record so far. - West of Eden: Safe Crossing (Sweden)
Celtic-tinged music from Sweden, mostly about ocean voyages and mishaps.
Here’s a video for Trip McCool’s version of “Drill Ye Tarriers Drill,” a 19th Century song written by Thomas Casey.
February 2012
February 2012
Every month I put together a list of the recordings I’ve been listening to most over the past few weeks. Here’s my list for February 2012. I’ve played multiple songs from each of these CDs on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat.
- Wylie & The Wild West: Rocketbuster (Montana)
This was #3 last month, and features some great cowboy music on the honky-tonk side of the spectrum. I especially like the countdown to the weekend, “5 Days To Friday.” - Blink: Blink (Norway / Denmark / Sweden / Finland)
Last month’s #1 drops down a notch, but I’m still thoroughly enjoying this collection of traditional Nordic tunes and tradition-inspired originals. The four members of Blink come from the Nordic Master, a program formed by the folk music academies of Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. My full review was published last month in RootsWorld magazine. - Jen Hajj: Orn-I-Tho-Lo-Gie (Utah)
A collection of songs about birds might not sound interesting, but it works for this singer-songwriter from Salt Lake City. Feelings range wide from the nursery-rhyme sensibility of “Raven” to the sobering story of “The Eagles Of The Old Iron Mine.” This one moved up from #5 last month. - North Idaho Hat Band: Switchback (Idaho)
A bluegrass band featuring teenagers from Idaho farm families. Their instrumentals really stand out, particularly their cover of Django Reinhardt’s “Minor Swing” which inspired an episode of Ramblers’ Retreat. - Jon Chandler: The Gang (Colorado)
Another 2012 release, this set of songs is mostly about the Hole-In-The-Wall country of Wyoming, where Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid were known to hide out. Chandler’s deep voice evokes the landscape of the West, from The Outlaw Trail to the Hollywood cowboys.
Here’s a video of Jon Chandler singing “Through The Gap” featuring some great mandolin work by Ernie Martinez.
January 2012
January 2012
Every month I put together a list of the recordings I’ve been listening to most over the past few weeks. Here’s my list for January 2012. I’ve played multiple songs from each of these CDs on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat.
- Blink: Blink (Norway / Denmark / Sweden / Finland)
Blink put out their debut album last year, and it’s a world-class collection of traditional and original Nordic tunes with some stellar arrangements. This album was on last month’s list. - Downtown Ramblers: On The Other Side Of The City (Sweden)
Downtown Ramblers is an impressive bluegrass band from Sweden, and they’ve put together a very nice collection of original compositions. - Wylie & The Wild West: Rocketbuster (Montana)
I’ve mentioned Wylie & The Wild West often on this blog; Rocketbuster is the first 2012 release to make the list. - Hal Cannon: Hal Cannon (Utah)
Hal Cannon was also on last month’s list; I wrote a review of this CD for RootsWorld magazine. - Jen Hajj: Orn-I-Tho-Lo-Gie (Utah)
Jen Hajj’s new collection of songs about birds runs a big emotional gamut, much bigger than one might expect from a collection of songs about birds.
Downtown Ramblers: “I’ll Go”
December 2011
December 2011
It’s been a few months since I put together a list of the recordings I’ve been listening to most over the past few weeks. I’m ready to re-establish the habit. Here’s my list for December 2011. I’ve played multiple songs from each of these artists on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat.
- Hal Cannon: Hal Cannon (Utah)
- Utah Slim: Introducing Utah Slim (Utah)
- Spring Creek: Hold On Me (Colorado)
- Mia Edsall: Good Horses And Other Matters (Idaho)
- Blink: Blink (Norway)
Here’s a video of Hal Cannon performing “Alone Town.”
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.”
Looking Back: 2008
Looking Back: 2008
A long time ago I started this Looking Back series, but for whatever reason I didn’t keep it going. To call it a series right now is a bit of misnomer. But I’m ready to get started again, and I’ll kick off the new effort by looking back at a few of my favorite recordings that came out in 2008.
Rosalie Sorrels: Strangers In Another Country. Subtitled “The Songs of Bruce ‘Utah’ Phillips,” this is a beautiful tribute to The Golden Voice Of The Great Southwest. It contains many of my favorite Utah Phillips songs including “Scofield Mine Disaster,” “Jesse’s Corrido,” and “Ashes On The Sea.” Sorrels has put out many great records, but this one for her long-time friend is hard to top.
Annbjørg Lien: Waltz With Me. This is music written for a string quartet with a definite Nordic spin. Lien herself plays violin and hardingfele. Bruce Molsky is the second fiddler often switching to guitar. Mikael Marin of Väsen plays viola, and Christine Hanson is the cellist. Molsky does some singing too, usually as a duet with Kirsten Bråten Berg. Over the years, Lien’s records have covered traditional Norwegian music and veered from there into more ambient and electronic sounds. This CD is quite different from anything else she’s done, and it’s my favorite of everything I’ve heard her do so far. I wrote a larger review and interview with Annbjørg Lien for RootsWorld magazine last year.
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson: Rattlin’ Bones. This duo from Australia put together my favorite Americana record of that year. Go figure. I especially like their song about Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Beyond that one, “Sweetest Waste Of Time” is a beautiful love song, and sometimes days go by when I can’t get “Monkey On A Wire” out of my head, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli: Yeraz. This saxophone and accordion duet from Norway played one of the best concerts I have ever attended – truly one of the great musical moments of my life. This record is very good, and includes a wonderful cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” I wrote a review of their performance at the Portland Jazz Festival for RootsWorld.
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes. This band from Seattle is probably best classified as an indie rock band, but their harmonies and their mostly acoustic string playing allow them to fall easily into the folk camp too. I’ve played their songs on Ramblers’ Retreat and they fit right into my broad swath of folk music. I about fell out of my chair the first time I heard “White Winter Hymnal” and I go back to this record often for the pure enjoyment of it.
July 2011
July 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 July 2011. I’ve played songs from each of these artists on my radio show, Ramblers’ Retreat.
- Jensen & Bugge: Hav Og Land (2011)
- Sväng: Schladtzshe! (2010)
- Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys: Grand Isle (2010)
- Shaney McCoy: Bridges I Can’t Burn (2010)
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)
May 2011
May 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 May 2011. (And yes, I recognize that May is almost over.)
- Abigail Washburn: City of Refuge (2011)
- Jesse Lége, Joel Savoy, & The Cajun Country Revival: The Right Combination (2011)
- Abbie Gardner: Hope (2011)
- Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers: Rare Bird Alert (2011)
- The Waifs: Temptation (2011)
- Wylie & The Wild West: Raven On The Wind (2011)
- Gibson Brothers: Help My Brother (2011)
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