Routes and Branches Play List 04/16/11

I had the pleasure of speaking with Marcia Ball this week. She is on tour behind her latest album "Roadside Attractions" with a performance to a packed house at Cosmic Pizza last night. "Roadside Attractions" has climbed rapidly up the Americana radio charts reaching #9 this week after only three weeks of being on the charts. Ball says that this album is a bunch of stories from her years on the road with some of the tunes written while riding in the car from here to there. Her New Orleans Piano Blues is infectious and will have everyone tapping their toes and dancing.

Artist-Song-Source

3pm.
Brian Cutean - Everywhere I Need To Be - Hearthearthearth
The Shinkle Band - Roadside Blues - The Shinkle Band
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel - OCMS
Ryan Bingham - Southside Of Heaven - Mescalito
Justin Townes Earle - Move Over Mama - Record Store Day Single
Hoots & Hellmouth - Picked By The Root - Face First In The Dirt
Coyote Grace - Man In The Moon - Ear To The Ground
Ray Lamontagne and The Pariah Dogs - Like Rock & Roll Radio - Live Fall 2010
Buddy Miller with Shawn Colvin - That's The Way Love Goes - The Majestic Silver Strings
Bill Frisell - Mother Daughter - Sign Of Life
Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive - Record Store Day Single
Zoe Muth And The Lost High Rollers - I've Been Gone - Starlight Hotel

4pm.
Antsy McClain and The Trailer Park Troubadours - Everything's A Dollar - Heroes Last Forever
Hot Buttered Rum - Sexy Bakery Girl - Limbs Akimbo
Hot Tuna - Goodbye To The Blues - Steady As She Goes
Chuck Cannon - Money Don't Matter - Love And Money
Drive By Truckers - Used To Be A Cop - Go-Go Boots
The Bridge - Big Wheel - National Bohemian
Marcia Ball - We Fell Hard - Roadside Attractions
Marcia Ball - Look Before you Leap - Roadside Attractions
Dave Alvin - Everett Ruess - Ashgrove
Railroad Earth - Black Elk Speaks - Railroad Earth

Routes and Branches Play List 04/09/11

I have been a little under the weather this week and didn't have much of a chance to plan a show, so I started off with playing the top 11 albums on the Americana Charts for this week. They're all really good albums with Lucinda Williams sitting at number one for the past several weeks. I'm also happy to see Hayes Carll up at number 2 on the charts. His album "KMAG YOYO" has to be his best work yet. I'm looking forward to seeing Carll next month when he rolls through Eugene again.


Artist-Song-Source

3pm.
Wanda Jackson - Shakin' All Over - The Party Ain't Over
Gurf Morlix - Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream - Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream
The Cival Wars - Barton Hollow - Barton Hollow
G-Love - You've Got To Die - Fixin' To Die
North Mississippi Allstars - Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again -Keys To The Kingdom
Robie Robertson - This Is Where I Get Off - How To Become Clairvoyant
The Band Of Heathens - Free Again - Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster's Son
Buddy Miller - Why Baby Why - The Majestic Silver Strings
Greg Allman - Devil Got My Woman - Low Country Blues
Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO - KMAG YOYO
Lucinda Williams - Seeing Black - Blessed
Robert Plant - Get Along Home Cindy - Band Of Joy

4pm.
Holly Golightly And The Brokeoffs - River Of Tears - No Help Coming
Blame Sally - Bird In Hand - Speeding Ticket And A Valentine
Zoe Muth And The Lost High Rollers - If I Can't Trust You With A Quarter (how Can I Trust You With My Heart)- Starlight Hotel
Eric Hanke - Factory Man - Factory Man
The Shinkle Band - California Stars - The Shinkle Band
Hot Buttered Rum - Honkytonk Tequila - Limbs Akimbo
Pert Near Sandstone - Give The Fiddler A Dram - Out On A Spree
Jack Grace Band - Drinkin' And Gamblin' - Drinking Songs For Lovers
Yonder Mountain String Band - Kentucky Mandolin - Mountain Tracks Vol. 5
Great American Taxi - Reckless Habits - Reckless Habits
Drive By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love - Go-Go Boots
Patty Griffin - Never Grow Old - Downtown Church

Routes and Branches Play List 04/02/11

I have been anticipating the new Steve Earle album for over a year now and I'm so glad that it is finally here. I saw Steve perform at least 4 times last year starting with his "Townes" tour at the beginning of 2010 which is when he told the audience that he was planning on going into the studio with T Bone Burnett to produce this new album "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive". I also saw Earle at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival last fall where he performed some of the tunes on this disc. I like every tune on this album and it will certainly make it into my favorites for 2011.
This is the second album of Steve's that Burnett has a hand in producing (The other was Earle's 2000 release "Transcendental Blues"). From the first track on the album to the last it is classic Steve Earle but I can also hear Burnett's influence on the tracks. T Bone has produced several artists that I play on my show from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Raising Sand" album to Greg Allman's new album "Low Country Blues" and I'm beginning to hear similarities that are the result of Burnett's influence. In fact I like what T Bone contributes to other artist's work more than I have ever liked his own albums.


Artist-Song-Source

3pm.
Steve Earle - Waitin' On The Sky - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Steve Earle - Meet Me In The Alleyway - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Bill Bourne - Open Up Your Hand - Boon Tang
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Lay My Burden Down - Paper Airplane
Neil Getz - Not In Love, Just Falling - Factory Second
Elephant Revival - Barefoot Friend - Break In The Clouds
Head For The Hills - One Foot In The Grave - Head For The Hills
Pert Near Sandstone - Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss - Needle & Thread
The Black Lillies - Peach Pickin' - 100 Miles Of Wreckage
Steve Earle - The Gulf Of Mexico - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Chuck Cannon - Money - Love And Money
The Decemberists - Down By The River - The King Is Dead
Pete Sinjin - Broken Radios - Better Angels Radio

4pm.
G-Love - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Fixin' To Die
Chris Smither - Surprise Surprise - Time Stands Still
Peter Case - Dig What Your Puttin' Down - Wig
Dave Alvin - Ashgrove - Ashgrove
Steve Earle - God Is God - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
American Babies - Dance All Night - Flawed Logic
Phil Ayoub - Flowers At work - Arrivals And Departures
Yonder Mountain String Band - Night Out - Mountain Tracks Vol. 5
Tommy Shaw - Shadows In The Moonlight - The Great Divide
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - Four Letter Word - Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
The Bridge - Rosie - National Bohemian
Steve Earle - This City - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

Routes and Branches Play List 03/26/11

This week I featured Buddy Miller's new album The Majestic Silver Strings. this is an excellent representation of what Americana music is today. As buddy says on the DVD that comes with the CD, "It just seemed natural, Mark, Me and Bill messing up old country songs. It just felt like a natural progression. You guys want to come over to the house and make a record". And that's what they did, set up in the living room and made a record. With some help from a number of guest artists including Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Patty Giffin, Lee Ann Womack, Ann McCrary and Marc Anthony Thompson helping out on the vocals, Buddy and crew put together a great album of covers from artists like Tex Owens, Lefty Frizzell, Roger Miller, Darrell Edwards and George Jones among others. Now that's Americana!!!

I had two other focus sets in the show, the first featuring the music of John Hiatt. We have a new show on KRVM called "In The Spotlight" (Monday's 9-10 pm.)which features a different artist each week and is hosted by different KRVM DJ's. I will be hosting the show on Monday, April 25th featuring John Hiatt and his many years of making music. Today's set was just a sampling of what I might play that evening.

The other focus set was a last minuet addition to the show featuring the music of Pinetop Perkins who passed away this week at the age of 97. One of the legendary Mississippi blues men Perkins had a major influence on today's American music. May he live on in his music.

Artist-Song-Source

3pm.
Buddy Miller - I Want To Be With You Always - The Majestic Silver Strings
Buddy Miller - Cattle Call - The Majestic Silver Strings
Paul Marshall - The Blackboard In Bakersfield And The Palomino - Weed And Water
Great American Taxi - Get No Better - Reckless Habits
Bill Edwards - Your Presence Is Requested - That's What I'm Talkin' About
John Hiatt - Thing Called Love - Bring The Family
John Hiatt - Seven Little Indians - Stolen Moments
John Hiatt - Pirate Radio - Little Head
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - Pali Gap / Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)- Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
Robert Randolf & The Family Band - Traveling Shoes - We Walk This Road
The Steven L. Smith Band - Big Boss Man - Pieces
D.B. Rielly - Loving You Again - Love Potions And Snake Oil
Buddy Miller - Dang Me - The Majestic Silver Strings

4pm.
Buddy Miller - Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie - The Majestic Silver Strings
Pinetop Perkins - Meanest Woman
Pinetop Perkins - Since I Lost My Baby
Pinetop Perkins - Trouble In Mind
The Shinkle Band - Simple Conversation - The Shinkle Band
Merle Haggard - The Road to My Heart - I Am What I Am
G-Love - You've Got To Die - Fixin' To Die
Buddy Miller - Frieght Train - The Majestic Silver Strings
Buddy Miller - That's The Way Love Goes - The Majestic Silver Strings
Amy Speace - It's Too Late To Call It A Night - Land Like A Bird
Hotels And Highways - Train Whistle - Lost River
Buddy Miller - God's Wing'ed Horse - The Majestic Silver Strings

Routes and Branches Play List 03/19/11

It was good to be back on the air this week. My thanks go out to Shotgun Majors for sitting in for me last week while I was taking care of business.

Back in February I had Tom Russell on my show and I asked him about Americana Radio and his Merle Haggard Tribute Album "Tulare Dust" 1994. At the time of it's release "Tulare Dust" was considered the definition of the Americana Radio format, alternative singer/songwriters doing classic country tunes. Although it is now out of print, a friend of mine had a copy of it and made it available to me to feature on today's show.
I have been listening to it all this past week and I like every cut on it, 15 artists each interpreting Haggard in their own way. Russell opens the album with a wonderful medley of the title track "Tulare Dust/They're Tearin' The Labor Camps Down" and Co-producer Dave Alvin closes it out with his version of "Kern River". In between you have artists like Iris Dement, Peter Case, Dwight Yoakam, Robert Earl Keen....among several more doing a great job with Haggard's songs.

Artist-Song-Source

3pm.
Tom Russell - Tulare Dust/ They're Tearin' The Labor Camps Down - Tulare Dust
Iris Dement - Big City - Tulare Dust
Merle Haggard - I've Seen It Go Away - I Am What I Am
Lucinda Williams - You Don't Have Very Far To Go - Tulare Dust
Lucinda Williams - Butter Cup - Blessed
Drive By Truckers - Cartoon Gold - GO-GO Boots
Punch Brothers - Don't Need No - Antifogmatic
The Apache Relay - American Nomad - American Nomad
The Bridge - Big Wheel - National Bohemian
Peter Case - A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today - Tulare Dust
Chris Smither - Don't Call Me Stranger - Time Stands Still
Dave Alvin - Kern River - Tulare Dust
Hayes Carll - Hard Out Here - KMAG YOYO
G-Love - The Road - Fixin' To Die

4pm.
Pete Sijin - Funeral Train - Better Angels Radio
The Shinkle Band - California Stars - The Shinkle Band
The Shinkle Band - Roadside Blues - The Shinkle Band
Robert Earl Keen & The Sunshine Boys - Daddy Frank - Tulare Dust
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - Four Letter Word - Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
Robert Plant - You Can't Buy My Love - Band Of Joy
Buddy Miller - Why Baby Why - The Majestic Silver Strings
Mason Porter - Dark Hollow - Story Of The Rifle
Robbie Robertson - How To Become Clairvoyant - How To Become Clairvoyant
Danny Schmidt - Man Of Many Moons - Man Of Many Moons
Joe Ely - White Line Fever - Tulare Dust
Billy Joe Shaver - Ramblin' Fever - Tulare Dust
Merle Haggard - I Am What I Am - I Am What I Am

Routes and Branches 3/12/11

Shotgun Majors here filling in for Tim Little this week. Thanks for tuning in, here's what I played:


Song - Artist - Source

3pm
Northern Train - The Hobo Nephews Of Uncle Frank - The Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank
River Callin' - Musketeer Gripweed - Dyin' Day
No Good Lover - Buddy Miller;Ann McCrary - The Majestic Silver Strings
Welfare Music - The Bottle Rockets - The Brooklyn Side
The Road - G. Love & Special Sauce - Fixin' To Die
Busy Road - Southern Culture On the Skids - The Kudzu Ranch
Girl Of The North Country - Sam Bush - Ice Caps, Peaks of Telluride
Used To Be A Cop - Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots
Nothing You Can't Lose - The Steel Wheels - Red Wing
Movie Loves A Screen - April Smith & The Great Picture Show - Songs For A Sinking Ship
Me and Billy the Kid - Joe Ely - Live at Antone's
Crow In Oklahoma - Nathan Bell - Black Crow Blue
No Excuses - Aunt Martha - No Excuses, Single

4pm
Mission Of My Soul - Peter Himmelman - Mission Of My Soul: The Best Of Peter Himmelman
Down By the Water - The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Man Over - Robinella and the CCstringband - Robinella and the CCstringband
Baby Don't Go - Jim Faddis - One More Ride
Mighty River- Railroad Earth - Elko
Alabama Daydream - Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil - Victims, Enemies & Old Friends
How I Wish My Train Would Come - North Mississippi Allstars - Keys to the Kingdom
Cypress In The Pines - Damon Fowler - Devil Got His Way
No Sense In Lovin' - Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne
Stolen From Them - Jeff Martin - Gold In The Water
Santa Rosa Plums - Boris McCutcheon - When We Were Big
On a Monday - Ry Cooder - The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed

Routes and Branches Play List 03/05/11

The Drive By Truckers are coming to Eugene this week so I decided to make them the featured artist for this week's show. I first saw DBT about 3 years ago in Portland and the show was great with a lot energy from both the band and the crowd. I'm so glad that they are performing in Eugene this time through Oregon. I have read some reviews that say DBT's latest album "Go-Go Boots" is not as good as their past material, but I have to disagree. I think it is some of their best work ever and as a whole I like "Go-Go Boots" better than some of their earlier albums in which I only liked one or two tunes. I also really like how Mike Cooley sounds on this album. His voice has a classic country feel to it on songs like "Pulaski" and "The Weakest Man".

Artist-Song-Source

3pm.
Drive By Truckers - Gravity's Gone - A Blessing And A Curse
Drive By Truckers - Pulaski - Go-Go Boots
Drive By Truckers - Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife - Brighter Than Creations Dark
David Jacob Strain - Halfway To The Coast - Terraplane Angel
The Punch Brothers - Rye Whiskey - Antifogmatic
The Stagger And Sway - Wyoming - Break Til You Bend
Nanci Griffith - This Heart - Flyer
Drive By Truckers - Carl Perkins' Cadillac - The Dirty South
Drive By Truckers - When I Ran Off And Left Her - Sometimes Late At Night
Patterson Hood - I Understand Now - Murdering Oscar
Buddy Miller - Cattle Call - The Majestic Silver Strings

4pm.
Robert Plant - Silver Rider - Band Of Joy
Los Lobos - West L.A.Fadeaway - Tin Can Trust
Heartless Bastards - The Mountain - The Mountain
Drive By Truckers - Sandwiches For The Road - Gangstbilly
Hayes Carll - Another Like You - KMAG YO-YO
Jason & The Scorchers - Land Of The Free - Halcyon Times
Drive By Truckers - Used To Be A Cop - Go-Go Boots
Drive By Truckers - Dancin' Ricky - Go-Go Boots
Drive By Truckers - Working This Job - The Big To-Do
Drive By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love - Go-Go Boots