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:

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 »

"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!

You were the last in my twenty-fourth year
To make a demand of my voice
I tickled your ear and I laughed in your face
I gave you my choice
We were born to hum
We were born to hum

Voices On The Verge was the name of a tour with Rose Polenzani, Erin McKeown, Jess Klein, and Beth Amsel back in 2002. I was living in Boulder at the time and my roommate brought back a CD from their concert which was put into heavy rotation for the rest of my time there. Years later I was happy to re-discover this album, that I still loved the songs on it, and that all four ladies have gone on to release their own solo albums in the years since the tour. Tune in Tuesday at 9am to hear the full concert, plus a few of their newer songs!

For Easter week in Barranquilla, most folks go to the beach. After a couple glorious days in the water and only a few minor patches of sunburn, I've defintely got the sea fever - so this week's theme on Lyrical Venus is Ocean! Seems like when a singer-songwriter gets inspired by the sea, she gets really inspired - most of the songs this week are in pairs, written by the same artist. Two by Dar Williams, two by Ingrid Michaelson, two by Rachel Ries, two by Sharon Bousquet... you get the idea! Tune in Tuesday at 9 am and take a trip to the beach!  read more »

~ The Emigrant's Farewell
Traditional, Sung by Cara Dillon

In honor of St. Patrick's day, Lyrical Venus is bringing you a pot of golden voiced lassies to charm your ears. This week's playlist is also a special treat in that it was put together by my dear friend Megan Glomb, who is much more knowledgeable in Celtic music than I. With artists like Sinead O'Conner, Loreena McKennitt, Cherish the Ladies, Maire Brennan and more, you're sure to get an hour's worth of Irish musical goodness! (Even if I butcher the names of the tunes as I announce them, poor things...) Tune in at the top o' the mornin! (9 am Tuesday).

"I'm here, loving you, drowning in you
between photos and notebooks
between things and memories
that I can't understand.
I'm driving myself crazy.
Mixing up my foot and my face,
the night and the day.
There's nothing I can do."
~ Shakira, Estoy Aqui (I'm Here)  read more »