Sunday, October 16, 2011

ROUTES & BRANCHES
October 15, 2011
Scott Foley

First things, next week's Episode I will be requesting your support for Routes & Branches and for KRFC.  Matter of fact, I'll apparently be doing that two weeks in a row.  Wait.  Don't make other plans.  The music will be great as usual, and if you tend to put up with my ramblings on your average Saturday afternoon, you probably won't be too put off by next week's R&B.  What's more, I truly believe in your traditional membership drive as a reasonable way to run a radio station.  It's sometimes just a matter of how annoying the broadcaster is, and how grating their pitch.  Every time I do this, I make a vow to be honest, to speak from a genuine place, rather than to simply read any provided script.  I also do my best to avoid the rambling part ...

This week, enjoy the music of Joe Henry, one of our music's most literate and classy acts.  His Reverie is just that, a dreamlike float, unstuck in time, containing patches of pop, jazz, gospel and folk, but fully belonging to no genre.  It also seems to have been recorded with his windows thrown open, incorporating sounds of birds, snatches of conversation and the general hubbub of the neighborhood. 

Also on this Episode, we pay a visit to Thursday evening's festivities at the 2011 Americana Honors & Awards show.  More than the Grammys (and in a completely different universe than the Peoples Choice Awards ... ), these genre recognitions do demonstrate some integrity, even if my year-end stuff may vary.  Robert Plant does deserve something for last year's terrific Band of Joy, and same goes for JT Earle's "Harlem River Blues".  I was especially pleased to see the AMA make a play for relevancy with votes for the Brothers Avett and the Sons Mumford.  My understanding is that an edited version of these Awards will be broadcast soon on select PBS stations.  Worth your watching. 



*  Mumford & Sons, "White Blank Page"  Sigh No More  (Self, 10)
*  Great American Taxi, "Olden Days"  Paradise Lost  (GATR, 11)
*  Kasey Anderson, "Mercy"  Heart of a Dog  (Red River, 11)
*  Pieta Brown, "Be With You"  Mercury  (Red House, 11)
^  Joe Henry, "Sticks & Stones"  Reverie  (Anti, 11)
*  Neko Case, "Hold On Hold On (live)"  Speaking Clock Revue  (Shout Factory, 11)
*  Buddy Miller, "Why Baby Why"  Majestic Silver Strings  (New West, 11)
*  Kentucky Parlor Pickers, "Rosalie"  Barn Burner  (Self, 11)
*  Red Molly, "By the Mark"  Light In the Sky  (Self, 11)
*  Yarn, "Abilene"  Come On In  (UFO, 10)
*  Megafaun, "Real Slow"  Megafaun  (Self, 11)
*  Wilco, "Rising Red Lung"  Whole Love  (DBPM, 11)
*  Lucinda Williams, "Get Right With God"  Essence  (Lost Hwy, 01)
*  Scott Biram, "Open Road"  Bad Ingredients  (Bloodshot, 11)
*  Patti Fiasco, "Plainsong"  Patti Fiasco  (Self, 11)
*  Robert Plant, "Harm's Swift Way"  Band of Joy  (Rounder, 10)
*  Jason Boland & the Stragglers, "Woody's Road"  Rancho Alto  (Proud Souls, 11)
*  Lera Lynn, "Whiskey"  Have You Met Lera Lynn  (Slow, 11)
*  Reckless Kelly, "Weatherbeaten Soul"  Good Luck & True Love  (No Big Deal, 11)
*  Avett Brothers, "Dancing Daze"  Four Thieves Gone  (Ramseur, 07)
*  Gill Landry, "Between Piety & Desire"  Piety & Desire  (Self, 11)
*  Southern Culture On the Skids, "Undertaker"  Zombified  (Kudzu, 11)
*  HalleyAnna, "Peace Is Lonely Love Is War"  Country  (Cheatham St, 11)
*  Merle Haggard, "What I Hate"  Working In Tennessee  (Vanguard, 11)
*  Justin Townes Earle, "Harlem River Blues"  Harlem River Blues  (Bloodshot, 10)

No comments: