Not too long after she met her husband Ralph, author Marcy Luikart (formerly Woolf) helped him fulfill a lifelong dream of building a raft and floating down the Mississippi River.

Inspired by that journey, the former Fairfielder, now living in Santa Barbara, wrote "River Braids," the story of a former midwesterner who returns to his roots along the Mississippi River and discovers the real history behind the family story of his grandfather Joe on the 1904 Olympic rowing team.  The tale weaves back and forth between the modern day and the St. Louis Worlds' Fair and Olympics of 1904.

This is Marcy's second appearance on Writers' Voices. As one of our first guests, in 2006 Marcy discussed her success with getting stories published in literary magazines. "River Braids" is her first published novel.

just when you thought you'd heard the last of todd rundgren.... he surprises and delights you yet again.

my son eric occasionally runs into todd in kauai, where they both live. once i asked him how todd seemed, how he looks these days. eric said, "dad, he looks like an eccentric rock star." and i thought, "good, that means  todd's still got it." and indeed he does, as most of his new album called "state" shows. he records it all himself, with a beautiful female vocal added to the beautiful song "something from nothing."

i've also got new tunes by alabama shakes, david bowie, the yeah yeah yeahs, and the artist formerly known as snoop dogg, who went to jamaica, and was so inspired by the smokey air there, that he did a brilliant and sometimes sweet album of reggae and became reincarnated as snoop lion. it's an amazing cd, which i'll feature more of next week.

Often when I tell people that I love funk and jazz they think of the big jazz bands of the 30's or the funk scene of the late 60's/early 70's. What they don't realize is that the jazz and funk scene is still alive and well today. In fact, the last decade has witnessed a soul/funk revival that shows no signs of slowing down. Record labels, such as Daptone Records on the East Coast and Ubiquity Records on the West Coast, continue to sign and release contemporary soul, funk and R&B acts--not just legends from the past, but fresh blood: contemporary artists with a new take on that classic jazz/funk sound for a new kind of listener.

This Saturday night we're going to be listening to some of my favorite jazz and funk albums that have come out over the last few years. We're going to hear from the Greyboy Allstars, a funk group based out of San Deigo, off of their album that they released last month (after a 5 year hiatus): Inland Emperor. We'll also hear from the British acid jazz group the James Taylor Quartet off of their album that they released just last week: Closer to the Moon. On top of that we've got The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ikebe Shakedown, Menehan Street Band, Snarky Puppy, The New Mastersounds, Heavy Shift and a whole lot more funky sweetness. If you can dig the funk, soul and jazz scene, and want to see where it is progressing today, then make sure not to miss this Saturday night's editon of The After Hours.

kind of freaked out right now but, this too shall pass

What a great picture of the early lineup of the Jefferson Airplane. These people were/are a trip and a half. I was messing around on my computer listening to some live music by the band, and then I decided to put a list of songs together that I would love to hear them do in concert. This would be an extremely entertaining setlist. I have included some live recordings so you get the feel, just in case you ever have seen them live. The G Man

TONIGHT!! If you missed Friday night's interview with DJ/Producer Jantsen, I'll be playing it again on Movers & Shakers! Opening the night with exploring his journey through music, tools, inspirations and more, and filling out the show with an all Jantsen inspired set! Jantsen is a pro in the edm scene and is continually coming out with a unique blend of old school samples with exceptional bass sound production. So, turn up the volume and LET'S GET ILL!!

There is so much going on lately during each show I can't even tell you about my recent eating adventures in Northern California, Las Vegas, and Mt. Vernon, IA.  That's a real teaser.

Live at Hy-Vee on Wednesday night we have two authors via Skype that I am very excited to have on the show.  First up is James Beard Award-winning author Elissa Altman.  Her newest book is Poor Man's Feast:  A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking.  I think you can understand Elissa's take on food by reading this excerpt from her website: 

 So, what is Poor Man’s Feast really about?
It’s about sustenance in the face of pretense.
It’s about authenticity in the face of the artificial.
It’s about simplicity in the face of the tarted-up.
It’s about kindness in the face of the rude.
It’s about storytelling — mine, my family’s, yours, your family’s — and how those stories are inextricably bound up with what we feed ourselves and those we love, what we eat at times of joy, sorrow, delight, surprise, fear, and sadness. And it’s always about slowing down a little bit.

Our second guest is Lisa Catherine Harper, one half of the editing team, along with Caroline Grant, that put together, The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage: True Tales of Food, Family, and How We Learn to Eat.  The book brings to the table 29 different writer's perspectives on food, family, and learning to eat.  You will absolutely experience an emotional roller coaster reading this collection of essays, which, in its essence is about nourishing our body and spirit.  Lisa is the author of the award-winning book, A Double Life:  Discovering Motherhood.

(See link to play list below). On this week's program, DJ UndergroundMan pays special tribute to his favorite electronic blues band, Zero 7, with lead duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. Yet, it was the three female singers on the CD "When It Falls" (2004 album cover photo) that magically entranced the world with their incredible down-tempo blues ballads. 

This extended survey of Zero 7 music will take you to new territories with special attention to their instrumental pieces and the singing of Sia Furler (Australia), Sophie Barker (UK) and Danish singer Tina Dico (photo).  Do yourself a favor and print the play list for further downloading fun.  Click here for play list.   You do not want to miss this program with nearly 70% of tracks coming from Zero 7.  Spread the word.  Listen via live stream at www.kruufm.com. Original broadcast date Wednesday, 12/19/12.

NOTE: Enjoy DJ Andy Bargerstock's latest music review of Young Galaxy and Shearwater published in the May issue of Iowa Source Magazine.  Click here for article.

Eclectic with Christine Messe... on KRUU-LP 100.1 FM Tuesday 4-5pm.

With host Christine Messersmith.

Farewell Jamal Ciccio Wells