Thursday, April 14
In 1996 former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde released the album Book of Shadows. Demonstrating a more introspective style of songwriting than some expected, the record was more influenced by the Allman Brothers Band and Elton John than Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.
Twenty years later Wylde returns with Book of Shadows II, his best album in more than a decade and a return to that blend of rural sensibilities heard on the record’s predecessor. Listen for selections from that as well as from Promised Land or Bust, the upcoming album from Moreland and Arbuckle.
Friday, April 15
A Cure for Loneliness is the latest from J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf. Featuring an eclectic range of music that runs the gamut from soul and R&B to blues and bluegrass, Wolf has delivered another late-career classic. We’ll hear selections from it as well as from the latest release by Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals, Call It What It Is.
Saturday, April 16
Now into his 70s, Graham Nash has just released his first solo recording in more than 14 years: This Path Tonight. A meditation on aging and the passing of time, the album features many of Nash’s finest songs to date. We’ll hear selections from it as well as music from Déjà vu, the 1970 release from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, which featured Nash’s classic “Our House.”
Monday, April 18
Todd Rundgren’s music has gone through numerous evolutions in the more than 40 years since he began recording with The Nazz. In recent times Rundgren has focused on electronic dance music and other contemporary sounds. We’ll hear selections from several releases he’s made in recent years on this episode of the show as well as from his band Utopia’s 1977 release Ra.
Tuesday, April 19
Live in Toronto 2015 is the latest release from legendary progressive rock band King Crimson. The effort spotlights the band’s most recent touring configuration, including drummer Pat Mastelotto and Chapman Stick player Tony Levin. Mastelotto and Levin are also members of the trio Stick Men, featuring German Touch guitarist Markus Reuter. That group has a new live recording titled Midori featuring King Crimson alumnus David Cross on keyboards and violin. We’ll hear selections from both releases on this episode of Strange Currency.
Wednesday, April 20
Liars is the 2004 release by Todd Rundgren, a record that saw him return to the early singer/songwriter style of his career as heard on albums such as Runt and Something/Anything?. Listen for selections from this release as well as music from Rundgren’s long-running band Utopia, specifically the Swing to The Right LP.
Thursday, April 21
We'll remember musician Prince, who passed today at age 57 with selections from his own catalog and version of songs that he wrote but were hits for other artists.
Friday, April 22
Recorded in the 1970s but unreleased for many years, Utopia’s Disco Jets features that band’s take on (mostly) instrumental disco and funk music from the 1970s. We’ll hear selections from that recording as well as from Todd Rundgren’s A Wizard, A True Star.
Saturday, April 23
Junk is the latest release from French electronic band M83. Listen for selections from that recording on this episode of the show as well as music from the recent release from film director and composer John Carpenter: Lost Themes II.
Monday, April 25
Day of the Dead is the new compilation from the Red Hot Organization, a for-profit entity dedicated to raising money for AIDS research and education. This new compilation was curated by the band The National and features a range of artists covering the songs of the Grateful Dead. We’ll hear selections from this release as well as music from the Grateful Dead’s Europe ‘72 release.
Tuesday, April 26
Love Letter for Fire is the new duets album from Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and Jesca Hoop. Listen for selections from that album on this episode of the show as well as selections from throughout Beam’s history performing under the name Iron & Wine.
Wednesday, April 27
Released in 2011, Boston-based singer-songwriter Kris Delmhorst’s CARS serves as a tribute to her favorite band, The Cars. Listen for selections from that release as well as from the band’s smash 1984 release, Heartbeat City.
Thursday, April 28
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is the latest release from contemporary country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. We’ll hear selections from that recording as well as from Willie Nelson’s 1973 release, Shotgun Willie.
Friday, April 29
Todd Rundgren has produced many other acts over the years with varying degrees of success. One of his greatest achievements came with Cheap Trick’s 1983 release Next Position, Please, a record that the Rockford, Illinois-based band considers one of the best in its considerable discography. We’ll hear selections from that release as well as music from Grand Funk Railroad’s We’re an American Band, another Rundgren production.
Saturday, April 30
Santana IV marks the first time in 45 years that the core of the classic Santana lineup, including guitarist Neal Schon (Journey, Bad English), keyboardist Gregg Rollie (Journey), percussionist Michael Carabello and drummer Michael Shrieve, has recorded together. We’ll hear selections from the band’s latest release as well as music from Journey’s 1976 release Look into the Future.
Monday, March 2
Listen for selections from the latest release by Moreland and Arbuckle, Promised Land or Bust as well as selections from the mid-1990s release by The Jayhawks, Tomorrow The Green Grass.
