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Country, Bluegrass And Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers

Thursday, July 9 

Released in 2013 Southeastern became Jason Isbell’s breakthrough record. Newly sober, newly married and more focused than he had been in more than a decade as a recording artist, Isbell unveiled a series of songs that touched on subjects both personal and universal. We’ll hear selections from that album as well as music from Sturgill Simpson’s 2014 album Metamodern Sounds In Country Music.

Friday, July 10

Coming Home is the new release from Texas-based songwriter Leon Bridges. Part of the same neo-soul sound that has launched artists such as Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, Bridges takes inspiration from Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Jackie Wilson. We’ll hear selections from Coming Home as well as music from Charles Bradley’s 2013 album Victim of Love.

Saturday, July 11

It’s been nearly 20 years since California-based space rock band Failure has issued a record but the band’s new release The Heart Is A Monster is proof that the group has maintained its spirit and creativity in that time. We’ll hear selections from that recording as well as from the new self-titled release from The Deslondes. 

Monday, July 13 

Restless Ones is the latest in a long line of high-energy recordings from Ohio’s Heartless Bastards. The rough-edged Americana band imagines the missing link between outlaw country and AC/DC. We’ll hear selections from that recording as well as from Sound and Color, the latest release from Alabama Shakes.

Tuesday, July 14

Released in 1990, the Grateful Dead’s live release Without A Net came to serve as a tribute to the band’s keyboardist Brent Mydland, who died late in the summer of that year. We’ll hear music from that recording as well as from Resplendent, the new release by Kansas-based band In Vivid.

Wednesday, July 15

The Athens, GA based songwriter T. Hardy Morris, who also lends his talent to Diamond Rugs and Dead Confederate, has spent the past year writing and recording Hardy & The Hardknocks: Drownin On A Mountain Top, the follow up to his critically acclaimed 2013 solo debut Audition Tapes. We’ll hear from this new recording as well from Jason Isbell’s 2007 solo release Sirens of the Ditch

Thursday, July 16

Released in 1982 Hex Enduction Hour was the fourth release from legendary British band The Fall. In the group’s sometimes uneven, often brilliant discography this recording remains an absolute highlight. Mostly recorded in Iceland in 1981 the album was deemed to have “no commercial potential” by the band’s record label but has gone on to become a classic of early 1980s post punk. Listen for selections from that as well as from A Kiss In The Dreamhouse from Siouxsie and The Banshees.

Friday, July 17

Featuring former members of Mott The Hoople and Hawkwind, Widowmaker was a short-lived super group that released two albums between 1975-1977. The group’s blues-based rock style was in vogue at the time and yet the band never caught on with a major audience. Within a few years of Widowmaker’s demise bassist and songwriter Bob Daisley would become a key member of Ozzy Osbourne’s post Black Sabbath career. We’ll hear selections from Widowmaker’s 1976 self-titled release as well as from Sweet’s 1974 album Desolation Boulevard

Saturday, July 18

Tres Caballeros is the latest album from The Aristocrats, a band featuring bassist Bryan Beller (Mike Keneally, Joe Satriani), drummer Marco Minnemann and guitarist Guthrie Govan (Asia). The trio at times recalls classic era jazz fusion while leaning into contemporary sounds on this all instrumental release that is filled with topnotch playing and plenty of music-based humor. Listen for selections from that as well as the Jan Hammer Group’s classic release Oh Yeah?.

Monday, July 20

Although not a household name, Julie Slick has established herself as one of the most exciting bassists in contemporary music over the last decade, frequently playing with members of King Crimson and related projects. We’ll hear from her 2012 album Terroir which features guest appearances from David Torn, Adrian Belew, and others. We’ll also hear music from Markus Reuter’s 2001 recording The Longest In Terms of Being

Tuesday, July 21

Released in 1972 Trilogy captures British super group Emerson, Lake and Palmer in a particularly bright moment in its career. Featuring an arrangement of Aaron Copland's composition called “Hoedown” and a number of ELP classics, the album was not necessarily well-received by critics at the time but remains a high water mark for progressive rock lovers. Listen for selections from that recording as well as from Italian progressive rock band PFM.

Wednesday, July 22

Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia was comfortable in a number of different styles, ranging from bluegrass to jazz. On occasion, those disparate influences intersected, such as on So What, a recording he made with longtime musical partner David Grisman. We’ll hear from that recording as well as selections from The Jazz Mandolin Project’s 1996 self-titled release. 

Thursday, July 23 

In the 1990s Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and issued some of the most interesting music of his career. We’ll hear selections from throughout that time on this episode of the show as well as selections from Sly and The Family Stone.

Jedd Beaudoin is host/producer of the nationally syndicated program Strange Currency. He has also served as an arts reporter, a producer of A Musical Life and a founding member of the KMUW Movie Club. As a music journalist, his work has appeared in Pop Matters, Vox, No Depression and Keyboard Magazine.