You know, when I start ditching tracks by Sunnyland Slim (one of my top 5 blues pianoers, evah!) because of time constraints, you'd better believe that I'm liable to show up with a pretty sterling 60 minute set of blues! Well, this Saturday night from 7 to 8 you are guaranteed the very best, the creme de la creme, of blues music. No dogs, no "eh, kind of intersting", no ho-hums - nothing but the real deal and plenty of it.

Need proof? Reassurance? We'll be playing Otis Rush, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Lazy Lester and more of your all-time favorites. Need spice? Something out of the ordinary? We'll be offering up Dr. Isiah Ross, Big John Wrencher (best one-armed harmonica player it's ever been my pleasure to see live...), Henry Gray and a few more, well, "obscure" musicianers. Exalted, reviled or ignored; top-notch all of them.  read more »

Do

you
get

to
see the

rain
do you

get
to hover a-  read more »

...and that's not all!

I'll be speaking with Jared Mees, leader of Jared Mees and the Grown Children, who will be playing Iowa City at PUBLIC SPACE ONE w/ Finn Riggins Tuesday, October 14. These guys kick it royal and Jared is a multi-tasker's multi-tasker, involved in a veritable bevy of projects.

Also, replaying the Tanner & Moore special featuring former The Financial Times South Asian editor Alexandra Harney highlighting her book, "THE CHINA PRICE: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage."  read more »

"Shores weaves psychological intrigue by looking at his characters' competing desires: love, revenge, and meaning. Both lyrical and deeply imaginative, BESIDE A BURNING SEA confirms again that Shors is an immense talent." -- Amy Tan, author

Highly recommended novelist John Shors is determined to make a unique connection with readers. An avid supporter or reading groups, he included a letter at the conclusion of his debut novel, Beneath a Marble Sky, inviting reading groups to email him and schedule an interview. The response was overwhelming. To date, John has spoken to more than 1,300 book clubs. This extraordinary commitment garnered him a feature on the CBS "Evening News" and an article in Newsweek. He looks forward to reaching out to reading groups again this fall to discuss BESIDE A BURNING SEA.

Please join us for Writers' Voices with Monica and Caroline, this Friday, October 10th, at 1pm, to hear from this engaging novelist.  read more »

When I emailed co-host Chris Busch a request for films he's seen this week, it was exciting to learn he saw a bodacious french film from the early '90's: Delicatessen, a Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who went on to make the delightful Amelie.

We'll talk about Delicatessen; The King of Masks; Eagle Eye; Touch The Sound; Speed Racer; Forgetting Sarah Marshall and more.

It's the Filmosophers movie talk show, with Chris Busch and Bruce Miller, where we give our filmosophy on the movies and have filmosophical discussions. Broadcasting live from the cultural district in Fairfield, Friday at 12:30.

Former BBC filmmaker Stuart Tanner and co-host James Moore discuss Alexandra Harney's bold, revelatory work of investigative journalism, THE CHINA PRICE which exposes the gritty realities of conditions in Chinese factories.

Harney, who speaks fluent Japanese and Chinese and wrote for The Financial Times for 9 years, will be phoning in from Hong Kong. A 1997 cum laude graduate of Princeton University with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affaairs, Harney was born in Washington, DC. Tanner has shot two documentaries in China and one news segment.

It's Tanner & Moore every Thursday night at 7pm CST.

John Lennon would have been 68 years old this week. When he died he left behind a number of works in progress, two of which became "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" on the Beatles Anthology series.

This week's I.W.H. will celebrate Lennon's birthday by airing a number of his homemade demos and some other odds and ends.

Tuesday 10/7/08 8-10PM

Rebroadcast Saturday 12am

Hey y'all, it's Thursday, so of course that means some great roots and Americana music on Crooked Sisters Radio Hour.

This week I'm honored to welcome Iowa's own Pieta Brown to the show at 11:30am.

Over the course of three albums, Pieta has developed her own unique take on roots music, all in support of passionate story telling and powerful lyrics.

So join me, Lauryn Shapter, for a conversation with Pieta Brown, this Thursday on Crooked Sisters from 10 until noon.

FORMER U.S.CONGRESSMAN MICKEY EDWARDS. Congressman Edwards was a member of Congress for 16 years and chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. He was national chairman of the American Conservative Union and one of three founding trustees of the Heritage Foundation. He has taught at Harvard and Georgetown and is now on the faculty of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a vice president of the Aspen Institute. Congressman Edwards is the author of the book RECLAIMING CONSERVATISM. How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost and How it Can Find Its Way Back.

Buddy Biancalana is the former first round draft pick and shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. He was the star of the 1985 World Series and received the highest number of MVP votes for any position player. Mr. Biancalana is currently coaching professionally as well as working to develop peak performance in athletes. Buddy has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and the Today Show.  read more »

Shine the spotlight on French DJ/composer/producer Stephane Pompougnac (photo) whose Hotel Costes CD series will dominate this week's program. Stephane began working as a waiter at Hotel Costes in Paris, France. Eventually, he moved into mixing music and DJ for the now-famous bar and courtyard cafe. Since 1999, he has released 10 volumes of the Hotel Costes series. This week, on Fringe Toast (FT), you will hear a variety of his cool, down tempo, blues-electronica swoon songs from many new groups to the FT scene, including Morten Verano, Villa Black, Orsten, Dutch Rhythm Combo, Shazz, Tosca, Shantel, Orbient, and Jehro. Doesn't it just trip your switch to anticipate the new tracks for your library!? Yet, there are more treats to come...  read more »