Blink: Blink (2011)

Blink is one of the recent student projects to come out of the Nordic Master program. With a well-chosen set of traditional tunes and well-crafted originals, this recording demonstrates a blend of all-around musical skill and good taste, and shows why national folk music academies are valuable to all of us. Read my full review of Blink and listen to samples in RootsWorld magazine.

Mardi Gras

Today’s Ramblers’ Retreat focused on Mardi Gras which comes up next week. I played a bunch of music from Louisiana along with the usual music from the Intermountain West, the Nordic countries, and beyond. As always, the full playlist is posted.

I played quite a few Cajun, zydeco, and New Orleans classics, but one of my favorites from today’s show is from Jesse Lége, Joel Savoy, and the Cajun Country Revival. Jesse Lége is one of the great Cajun accordion players. Joel Savoy, the fiddler, comes from one of the most influential families playing Cajun music today. And, perhaps surprisingly, the Cajun Country Revival are musicians based in Portland, Oregon.

“Ouvrez La Porte”

• February 22nd: Music from Scotland, because I missed doing a Burns Night show
• February 29th: The 140th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park
• March 7th: Bob Wills‘s birthday
• March 14th: Route 66

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.

Snake River Plain
January 2012
Celebration Park

Basalt melon gravel rocks and sagebrush cover the Snake River Plain at Celebration Park near Melba, Idaho. Celebration Park is Idaho’s only archeological park, and was established to protect the many petroglyphs that were carved on these rocks some 12,000 years ago. The park is situated along the Snake River, and it’s a great place for hiking and birdwatching. Campsites are available too.

This photo and many of my other photographs of Celebration Park are posted on Flickr.

High Desert Band

Yesterday’s episode of Ramblers’ Retreat featured a live performance from High Desert Band. As always, the full playlist is posted. Here’s a video with music by the band from Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago.

High Desert Band: “Taters In My Stew”

Bruneau Dunes
January 2012
The Big Dune

Bruneau Dunes State Park is in Owyhee County, a few miles south of Mountain Home, Idaho. It is part of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation system. The big dune, the one in the background, is North America’s highest single-structured sand dune, rising some 470 feet above Sand Dunes Lake. The park offers interesting natural features beyond the dunes – desert plains, lakes, and wetlands. No vehicles are allowed on the dunes which makes it an idea place to hike.

This photo and more of my photographs of Bruneau Dunes are posted on Flickr.

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

The 28th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is taking place this week in Elko, Nevada, so this week’s Ramblers’ Retreat featured quite a bit of Western music from this and past year’s NCPG performers. Below are a few of the songs that were heard on today’s show. As always, the full playlist is posted.

• The Braun Brothers: “Cowboy From Mackay”
• Stephanie Davis: “Crocus In The Snow”
• Skip Gorman: “Bonaparte Crossing The Rockies / Rocks Of Brae”
• Wylie & The Wild West: “Old Blue”
• New West: “Sometimes This Ol’ Cowboy Gets The Blues”

The video below I chose partly because I played a song from Dave Stamey on today’s show along with a version his “Vaquero Song” sung by Ray Doyle, and partly because the photography comes from David Stoecklein, an Idaho photographer who work I deeply admire.

Dave Stamey: “The Vaquero Song”

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Hal Cannon: Hal Cannon (Utah)
   Hal Cannon was also on last month’s list; I wrote a review of this CD for RootsWorld magazine.
5. 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”

Sunrise at Wilson Ponds
January 2012
On the banks of Trophy Pond

Wilson Ponds is an area a few miles south of Nampa, Idaho that is managed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. It’s one of my favorite places to stroll. It’s also a great place to watch birds including cormorants, herons, and osprey.

This photo and many of my other photographs of Wilson Ponds are posted on Flickr.

Mia Edsall

Wednesday’s episode of Ramblers’ Retreat featured a live performance from Mia Edsall, a singer-songwriter and horse trainer from Bellevue, Idaho. She brought her guitar and her banjo and put on a great show.

There was also plenty of music from Idaho, Utah, and around the Intermountain West along with some music from the Nordic countries. As always, the full playlist is posted.

Here’s a video of Mia Edsall performing with Johnny Shoes at last fall’s Folk Alliance Region West conference.

Mia Edsall: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning