5/18/11 Playlist

1. For Your Precious Love-Otis Redding

2. Mannish Boy (Muddy Waters cover)-Erykah Badu

3. Who Knows Who?-Orgone

4. This Land Is Your Land-Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

5. Oughta Be A Woman-Sweet Honey In The Rock

6. Purple-Shuggie Otis

7. Don't Cry-Sam Cooke

8. Sincerely-The McGuire Sisters

9. I've Got That Feelin'-Darrell Banks

10. I Love You Baby-Moovers

11. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues-Chris Thomas King

12. Traveling Mama Blues-Joe Calicott

13. Sweet Appalachia-The Del McCoury Band

14. I've Just Seen a Face-The Dillards

15. As I Lay On The Prairie-Brian Harnety

16. Hello Goodbye-Barry Phillips

17. Lexington-Elephant Revival

18. Glencoe-Richard Thompson

19. Colorado Girl-Steve Earle

20. Art Isn't Real-Deer Tick

21. Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)-Justin Vernon

22. Spanish Pipedream-The Avett Brothers

23. Sold-Dan Mangan

24. Watchman-Peggy Sue

25. My Name Is Buddy-Ry Cooder

26. Showbiz Blues-Fleetwood Mac

27. Ooh La La-The Faces

28. She PLays Yo Yo With My Mind-Sonny & The Sunsets

29. Hard Line-Jill Barber

30. Bundles-Mariee Sioux

31. Hidden Track-Johnny Flynn

32. Your Only Doll (Dora)-Laura Marling

Eclectically yours,

Ashley

KCSB 91.9FM

Del McCoury Band Review

On Wednesday, May 12 I strolled into Campbell Hall with absolute certainty that I would enjoy this performance. Taking the stage was bluegrass legend, Del McCoury and his faithful band, an ensemble who in the music industry inspire not only respect, but high praise from musicians of all genres. Having collaborated with heavy hitters like Steve Earle, Phish, and Elvis Costello, Del McCoury demonstrates that bluegrass isn't just for those with an acquired taste: it's about presence, passion, and the musical marriage of sound old and new. Listening to the Del McCoury Band was almost like a throwback to the Carter Family: after 50 years of playing, Del McCoury has certainly made his performances a family affair. With his kind and loving sharing of the stage, he incorporated his band through the recognition of his son, Ron McCoury, playing the mandolin, his other son Rob McCoury on the banjo, and his other bandmates, fiddler Jason Carter and bass player Alan Batram. Del McCoury warmly engaged with the audience, taking requests and recounting old stories ranging from his early childhood love of Earl Scruggs to past festival interactions with Richard Thompson. Del McCoury's charm was completely enchanting and comfortable: soft spoken with a wide grin, his "aw shucks" attitude perfectly complemented the ol' time sound of Americana lore. Conjuring images of wide open land, unrequited small town love, and rugged Southern mountain living, bluegrass can be at times a mesmerizing combination of both lonesome and enlivening sound, with its roots heavily embedded in the collective American unconscious. It's the soundtrack to the mines, to the family, to the pastoral, and to the golden ages of simple yearning for pure heart and soul. My favorite moment of the performance was when bass player Alan Batram hesitatingly took the mic to sing "Sweet Appalachia." His smooth and effortless voice and style took the audience completely by surprise as he crooned his way through this timeless classic. The performance in its entirety was much like Batram's solo moment: it was a showcase of everyone's immense talent and musical dexterity infused with an easy collaborative relationship of familiarity and friendship. It wasn't a time for them to put on airs (which, with their talent, would have been understandable). It was a time to play what they love with the people they love the most. And perhaps that's why McCoury is still playing to large audiences after half a century: genuine passion, a reverence for the genre, and an endearing and humble disposition to boot. And hey, I'm sure his prodigious guitar playing probably doesn't hurt either.

5/4/2011 Playlist

1. Rock Me Baby-Otis Redding

2. Powerful Love-Chuck & Mac

3. I've Made Up My Mind-Josephine Taylor

4. Your Good Thing-Mable John

5. Rock My Soul-The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet

6. Wait a Minute-Eddie Ray

7. Are You Sure-The Staple Singers

8. Ooh Poo Pah Doo-Ike & Tina Turner

9. Land of a Thousand Dances-Wilson Pickett

10. Old No. 7-The Devil Makes Three

11. Drivin' Nails In My Coffin-Those Darlins

12. Vodka Before Breakfast-The Woodshedders

13. Crazy Train-The Waifs

14. I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow-Abalone Dots

15. So Sleepy-The Punch Brothers w/ Fiona Apple

16. Creepin' In (Exclusive Live Cut)-Dolly Parton w/ Norah Jones

17. Fire & Water (Live)-Alex Ebert & Jade Castrinos

18. Tickle Me Pink-Johnny Flynn

19. Two Tongues-Mariee Sioux

20. Man In the Box-Tunng

21. Spirited-Laura Gibson

22. Postcard from Mexico-Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin

23. Carpenter-Huckleberry Flint

24. The Ghost of Tom Joad-Junip

25. Dimming the Day-Bonnie Raitt

26. River-Howlin' Woods

27. Hidden Track-Johnny Flynn

Hooray for May,

Ashley

91.9FM KCSB

4/27/11 Playlist

1. Tramp-Otis Redding

2. Give Him a Great Big Kiss-The Shangri-Las

3. I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart-Candi Staton

4. Today I Started Loving You Again-Bettye Swann

5. Soul Serenade-Willie Mitchell

6. Blues Stay Away from Me-The Sweet Inspiration

7. Lord, Don't Leave Us Now-The Caravans

8. Stand by Me-Jimmy Ruffin & David Ruffin

9. Ain't It Baby-The Miracles

10. Mr. Lee-The Bobbettes

11. I Love You Baby-Moovers

12. Chained-Marvin Gaye

13. One Man's Leftovers-100 Proof (Aged in Soul)

14. My Country Man-Big Maybelle

15. Baby Please Don't Go-Big Joe Williams

16. Fire On the Mountain-The Marshall Tucker Band

17. So So Freely-AgesandAges

18. Jesus and Arizona-Paper Bird

19. Fisherman's Daughter-The Waifs

20. Green River-M. Ward

21. Granddaddy's Mouth-The Dexateens

22. Antonia June-Lightning Dust

23. Trapeze-Patty Griffin

24. Dagger Through the Heart-Sinéad O'Connor

25. Lille-Lisa Hannigan

26. Wizard Flurry Home-Mariee Sioux

27. Suspicious Minds-My Morning Jacket

28. The Tree (f/ Alela Diane)-Blitzen Trapper

29. Carpenter-Huckleberry Flint

30. Lonesome Blues-The Be Good Tanyas

Keep it real, lemon peel

Ashley

4/20/11 Playlist

1. Rock Me Baby-Otis Redding

2. Honey Chile-Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

3. I'm the Lover Man-Little Jerry Williams

4. Lover's Holiday-Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson

5. I Don't Want to Lose Your Love-The Mad Lads

6. That's How It Feels-The Soul Clan

7. I've Got a Notion-Henry Lumpkin

8. Who's the Fool-Sammy Ward

9. I Got To Go-Little Walter

10. Frankie & Johnny-Champion Jack Dupree

11. I'm Feeling Alright-Big Mama Thornton

12. Cornbread and Butterbeans-Carolina Chocolate Drops

13. CC Rider-Old Crow Medicine Show

14. Blue Car-Greg Brown

15. Circuital-My Morning Jacket

16. The Ghost Who Walks-Karen Elson

17. Lil' Big-Mirah, Ginger, and Friends

18. Opal's Blues-The Be Good Tanyas

19. Lost In My Mind-The Head and the Heart

20. Bundles-Mariee Sioux

21. My Brambles-Alela Diane

22. Amazing Grace-Cat Power & Dirty Delta Blues

23. My Sweet Lord-Yim Yames

24. Hallelujah-Jake Shimabukuro

All the best,

Ashley

91.9FM KCSB

Review: Maceo Parker

As I approached Campbell Hall, I knew that I was in for a treat. Clusters of excited fans gathered at the steps to the lecture hall, clasping their tickets and engaging in animated chatter about the upcoming performance. Settling into my seat, I soon realized that I was surrounded by not only fans, but by a wide array of accomplished musicians. Behind me sat a man who was an electronic/hip hop music producer who had just completed a music archive project that intersected environmental sustainability with the soundtrack of old-school funk and jazz. In front of me was a married couple of classical concert pianists who exchanged tender murmurs of excitement as the lights came down. "He's the real thing," they whispered. And then it started. Coming on stage, with a personality that filled up the lecture hall of 860 seats to the brim. The epitome of cool, he danced and jived all through the set and when he played his infamous instrument of choice, the seductive and powerful sax, there was no one in the lecture hall who wasn't moving right along. It was time, as he said, to get funky. Every solo elicited a holler from the audience members, every little dance a grin. The performance was like nothing I had ever seen. More than two hours of pure, unadulterated music (and don't let Maceo Parker hear you call it your mama's jazz!). This was prime, old-school, full-throttle funk. Fresh off a tour that has taken him everywhere from Moscow to San Francisco, Maceo Parker has been keeping funk alive for over twenty years, collaborating with a diverse set of artists such as Ray Charles, Dave Matthews, and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Weaving in songs and riffs from classic motown, R&B and soul, Parker demonstrated the absolute breadth and musical aptitude that he can incorporate into this established genre. This sentiment was only amplified by the immensely talented musicians that he surrounded himself with on stage (which he introduced with James Brown-esque zest and humor). A throwback to the glory days of funk and a harbinger of the many golden days to come, it reminds us that his catchphrase of "2% jazz, 98% funk" still rings true. And that's 100% okay with me.

Keep gettin' yo funk on,

Ashley

Featured Artist: Mariee Sioux

-MARIEE SIOUX-

I stumbled upon Mariee Sioux in the wee hours of an early morning music binge and was instantly captivated by her use of visceral imagery and her utilization of a sparse but powerful musical technique that echoes the theme of longing for solace, a solace that can be both lost and found within the natural world.

Here is her biography from Grassroots Records:

"The tale of Mariee Sioux began as delicately and spiritually as her captivating song, as a small ember introduced to the universe that soon grew into a flame of hope and illumination. Her dazzling debut album, Faces in the Rocks, weaves together the poetic interpretations of the universe’s deep truths and interconnectedness that have intrigued her since childhood. Each spin invites listeners to be the cast in Mariee’s entrancing tale with a journey ahead that is only beginning.

The stage was set in her hometown of Nevada City, CA, a historically creative community in which artists have flourished over the ages, where Mariee intertwined the vivid verse she had been writing as a child with the life lessons she has learned as an adult for this powerful record. Her roots had been planted deep in music through the love of her mandolin-playing father, but it was not until Mariee ventured a life-changing trip to Patagonia at the age of 17 that she began to play an instrument herself. She soon perfected the spry, delicate finger picking guitar technique featured on Faces in the Rocks, a faultless accompaniment to her strong yet sweetly cooing vocals, and toured internationally with her adoring compatriots Brightblack Morning Light.

Featuring Grammy-nominee Gentle Thunder’s enchanting sound on a redwood-carved Native American flute as well as her own famed father Gary Sobonya on mandolin, Mariee recorded Faces in May 2007 with a troupe of Nevada City’s talented musicians. Recorded with the intent of aligning the magnificence of the human voice with the universe’s creative energy, each song is a stirring exploration of life. Her tales range from the profundity of friendship on the single “Friendboats” to the yearning of self-understanding on “Bundles,” each laced with fabled images and poignant verse. “Two Tongues at One Time,” recently released on a rare 7” vinyl, is a sonnet-filled homage to the ancestors who traversed the wild lands of America hundreds of years ago, reminding listeners of our vital ties to our past.

Continuing the folk tradition of songwriting greats such as Joni Mitchell, Kate Wolf and Nick Drake, Faces glorifies an appreciation of the working spirit and the oneness of nature that remains timeless." http://www.grassrootsrecordco.com/artists/artist_mariee.html

With respect and love,

Ashley