I have a universe inside me
Where I can go and spirit guides me
There I can ask oh any question
I get the answers if I listen

~ Sinéad O'Connor, The Healing Room

Last week I was off in Seattle with some of my college pals to
celebrate the graduation of our friend Katja from Naturopathic medical
school. It was a sweet time staying up late in a cabin on the lake with trips into the city for fun adventures. I manage to get together with this group of friends about once a year, and one thing I always look forward to is sharing what kind of music we've been listening to lately. We thought it would be fun for us to do a show together, so guest DJ's Megan and Karuna introduced me to some new artists and we all picked out some songs to celebrate the occasion (like The Healing Room by Sinéad O'Connor), plus some all around good stuff by Ellis, Lori McKenna, Edie Brickell, Beth Orton and more!

This week on Lyrical Venus the songs are all about rivers and rain.

Rivers, rain and flooding have been on everyone's mind here in Iowa lately. While we've been fortunate to have some nice sunny days lately, the rivers are still swollen and the crisis isn't over for some. For the people who have lost their homes and businesses, the road to recovery has only just begun. Some of the hardest hit are the artists and musicians without insurance who have lost equipment, portfolios, tools, studios, housing and more. Legion Arts and the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation has set up an artist relief fund where you can donate to those in need:

She's getting there
Past the point of just surviving
She's getting there
Beginning to feel alive again
She's getting there

Singer-songwriter Carrie Rowan spent a good ten years climbing the corporate ladder before she decided to leap off. Lucky for her, (and for us!) she landed on her piano bench, and soon picked up the guitar as well. Carrie's debut album, Almost Home is set to release June 28th and we were fortunate to get an advance copy AND an interview for this Tuesday at 9:15!

Some girls cry for wedding bells
and some for diamond rings
What I want for right now
is a quiet place to think
~ Boca Chica, Beasts

This week on Lyrical Venus I'll be interviewing Hallie Pritts of the indie alt-folk band Boca Chica. Their quiet, lush and sometimes quirky sound has drawn comparisons to Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine and Bright Eyes with flavors of Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch. Boca Chica means "little mouth", and just like the small fruit they sing about in their song Blackberries, Hallie and company provide sweet-tart morsels of sound that leave a stain of faded purple behind and satisfied smile on your lips. Voted one of the city's best bands by the 2006 Pittsburgh City Paper poll and featured on NPR's Open Mic podcast, Boca Chica has been charming audiences across the country since 2004. Tune in Tuesday at 9 am to hear from Hallie!  read more »

So something must be in the stars because I somehow got to interview TWO musical redheads recently and both of them play the piano and have A-mazing voices to boot! That's not to say they aren't each wildly unique!
Bonnie McKee surprised the Cafe Paradiso open mic last Wednesday with an impromptu performance and stopped by the station the next day to talk about her experience in the movie August Rush, her songwriting process and what she's learned since her first album Trouble.
Kristi Martel is a Fairfield favorite, returning to Cafe Paradiso on Saturday, May 31st after over 4 years away! Kristi took some time out of her busy touring schedule to tell us about her latest album Ravengirl, how she got started singing and what she's been up to since her last visit.  read more »

Something's wrong
It's too bright
I can't see straight
In this light
And I got you
In my heart so deep
Slow as sap
Now I can sleep
~ Ladytown, Long Time Coming

Her sound has been described as Dolly Parton meets David Lynch. She's one of eight picks for Jane Magazine's / Conde Nast "It List" of 2007. I'm proud to announce that this week on Lyrical Venus Radio Hour I'll be interviewing Sarah Coleman of Ladytown!

Tune in on Tuesday at 9 am for another fun show!

Leave your mark
Just leave your mark on me
Leave a mark
Just leave a mark on me
So if we part
I can still remember you
Leave a mark
Just leave it somewhere on me

~ Jessie Baylin, Leave Your Mark

This week on Lyrical Venus we'll start off celebrating some musical mothers in honor of Mother's Day - having kids sure seems to inspire some good songs!

After that, our special guest will be Jessie Baylin.

Recently off the 2008 Hotel Cafe Tour, Jessie is currently touring the country with Swedish folk-rocker Teitur and they will be appearing at the CSPS Legion Arts Center in Cedar Rapids on May 17th. Jessie's smooth vocals have been compared to melting vanilla ice cream, so it's sure to be a sweet treat! Tune in at 9am Tuesday!

Tune in for some tunes by the people from the planet Venus!

Them ladies sure do know how to sing... mmmmmmmmmmmm.

"She's got her own inner groove; nothing tentative about it. A force to be reckoned with."
- Don Was

You know why I love the internet? Because I can find new music, meet the cool independent musicians from all over the world who make that music, and interview them on my radio show! Take Amy Raasch for example - she's all the way out on the West coast, winning songwriting contests and coming up with projects to push her songwriting to a whole new level. Join me on Tuesday to meet Amy and find out how she's doing on her "52 Songs" quest to write one song per week for a year, and post it on YouTube for the world to see!

You know why else I love the internet? Everyone all over the world can tune in!