On this Tuesday's edition of That Righteous Jive we'll be listening to some of my favorite blues-rock bands. We'll start off with The Black Keys--a band at the head of the soul/blues revival--from their 2008 album Attack and Release. Then we'll hear from The White Stripes, off of their debut self-titled album. After that I'll be featuring The Word, an instrumental blues-rock super group formed between organist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin and Wood fame), pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, and all three members of North Mississippi Allstars. We'll be hearing from their self-titled debut album. Though there are a few original tracks on the album, it is mostly composed of covers of old gospel songs (but I can guarantee you've never heard any gospel songs performed like this before!). After that we'll hear from the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation. Of all the British rock groups that started pumping out new renditions of old blues songs in the 60's/70's, the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation has to be my favorite. We'll check out some tracks off the last album they released before splitting up, Remains To Be Heard. Last, but not least, we'll be listening to The Dead Weather, another blues-rock super group, this time between Jack White, Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age), and Jack Lawrence (of The Greenhornes). Out of all of Jack White's projects I definitely dig this one the most. Fingers crossed that they'll soon reunite to release a third studio album. We'll be hearing from the last album they released (back in 2010) Sea of Cowards. Check it out this Tuesday (05/21) 5-6pm CTZ right here on KRUU radio. 

The year 1968 saw rock musicians everywhere playing blues and jazz. The wasn't necessarily a good thing, as every skinny kid from Hoboken was suddenly in a blues band.

But it did result in a diverse explosion of playing styles and creative moments, as bands like (the pre-weenie) Fleetwood Mac's tasteful guitarist Peter Green, Canned Heat's creative bassist Larry Taylor, and Cream's interchange between bassist Jack Bruce and guitarist Eric Clapton, opened musical doors for the world.

I'll close out the show with extended performances by Frank Zappa [left] & his Mothers of Invention and Miles Davis, that helped extend our attention spans beyond the 2 1/2 minutes of most pop records.

Click this link to what you'll be hearing.

Blue Monday has become Blue Tuesday on Roots Rock Roadhouse this week. Just for foot tapping fun and giggles we'll be playing only songs with the word 'blue' in the title.  That means we'll hear straight up blues drenched tunes like "Love Blue" from Keb Mo. PLUS.....  ear candy like,  "Another Round of Blues" from Shawn Colvin and "Once In A Blue Moon" from Edie Brickell.

We'll hear Norah Jones live at the House of Blues and songs by Robben Ford and the Blue Line.  Not to mention 'blue' songs from artists like Sonny Landreth, Pieta Brown, Cowboy Junkies, John Mayer, Sun Kil Moon, The Jayhawks, Radney Foster, Wilco, Ry Cooder, Michael Franks, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt and more! 

So tune in, tune out and pick up on what we're laying down this week on Roots Rock Roadhouse. See you there!

Our feature of the week is R.X. Bertoldi (left), a folkie, bluesy, singer-songwriter from Washington state, whose songs have received recognition in national songwriting contests. He's plays all the instruments on his homegrown roots rock album,  Stronger Not Bitter.

We'll also be giving away copies of his CDs (while they last) to anyone who calls in during the show and makes a financial pledge to support our beloved community radio station. (Call the station for details: 641-209-1082/3/4.) http://www.rxbertoldi.com

Plus more of last week's feature, alternative country band, The Great Unknowns. And, old favorites by Bob Dylan, Jimmy Lafave, Allison Krause, Amos Lee, James Taylor, John Hiatt, Anais Mitchell, Eric Lindell and Derek Trucks. Plus up and comers like Caleb Hawley, Eleanor Murray, Mike Mangione, Donal Hinley and Sara Jarosz.

Thursday, Sept. 22, it's banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck talking about his recent projects, including The Flecktones' newest release "Rocket Science"and his upcoming "Banjo Concerto" which he will be performing with The Nashville Symphony Orchestra this upcoming weekend in Nashville.

Friday, Sept 23: Keb Mo phones in and talks with Mike all about his career and newest album The Reflection.

Also hear from one of the hardest working band's in the business, Umphrey's McGee's Joel Cummins talks about the band and their new album(out last week), Death By Stereo.

It's my last day here in paradise
Gotta put back on my shoes
But all I wanna do is stay here and cruise
I got the blues, there's nothing I can do
~ Last Day of Vacation Blues, Jenn Cleary

It's tempting at first to put Colorado artist Jenn Cleary squarely in the blues category.  It wouldn't be completely wrong, she does have a powerful, smokey voice and the hot guitar chops and plenty of tunes that fit the genre.  But listening to her latest album Back to the Wheel, one quickly discovers that Jenn is first a true songwriter, with a penchant for blues, the ability to slide between rock, folk and more with ease, and the commitment to serve the songs in whatever style is best suited to the story at their heart, because heart they have indeed.

To honor the passing of Amy Winehouse, for this episode of Lyrical Venus, we'll kick off with one of her songs, followed by a whole bunch of other songs by artists who share the same first name. Plus a few other songs of hope to round out the hour.  Check out the playlist here.

Tune in from 9-10 am Central Tuesday morning for a full hour of music by women!

Sometimes a record label and its artists are so unique, so distinctive, that they can come to stand for a city or region and put an indelible stamp on that area's music. Detroit and Motown.

Memphis and Stax.

Chicago and Chess.

Crowley, Louisiana and ???

If you answered Excello, you already know the direction tonight's show will be taking. Excello and its producer J. D. "Jay" Miller were responsible for one of the greatest minor (how's that for an oxymoron?) niches in American music, the genre known as swamp blues.

Violet dreams racing through my mind
Kaleidoscope of wishes lighting up the night
Bright, bright, bright
~ Violet Dreams, Amy Zamarripa

Generous, hard-working and talented to boot, Amy Zamarripa is a major player in the Austin Open Mic scene, hosting her own on Fridays at Fair Bean Coffee and you can find her playing out at others around town almost any other night of the week!  

With a rich, bluesy voice and lush, poetic lyrics, Amy's music mixes the soulfulness of Janis Joplin, the spark of Bonnie Raitt and the mystery of Tori Amos. With one album under her belt and another one in the works, she shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Tune in Tuesday from 9-10am Central to get to know Amy, hear a few songs celebrating the 4th and more!  Amy will be on the air at 9am.

Born April 4, 1913, passed April 30, 1983.

Muddy Waters achieved a rare measure of success in his life - an entire genre of music would be inconceivable without him. Oh, there would still be blues music, there'd even still be Chicago blues of a sort, but his classic recordings and performances set the template for Chicago blues in a way that no other artist could match. And what fantastic artists passed through his bands!

Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, Junior Wells, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Bob Margolin, John Primer, Big Walter Horton, Sammy Lawhorn,Paul Oscher, Hubert Sumlin are just some of the talented bluesmen who spent time on the bandstand with Muddy.

  Add in "guests" like Paul Butterfield, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and even more talented studio musicians and the list stretches further still. Add in the musicians who have been influenced by him or covered his music and we could go on all night. But we've only got an hour...

Maybe we should just declare the rest of April Muddy Waters Appreciation Month.