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, entitled 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.

For this week's show I'll be featuring brilliant new music from Anais Mitchell and the latest collaboration between the extraordinary guitar players, Harry Manx and Kevin Breit.   First up,  Anais Mitchell and her new album Young Man in America.  An eclectic variety of styles, including songs ranging from the solo piano and haunting vocals of "Coming Down" to the sugar pop beats of "Venus".  Anais comes to this disc fully loaded with her usual poetically disguised, socio-political lyrics plus the ubiquitous onslaught of delicious, teen inspired vocals that have become her trademark. Anais will be a guest on my show on Tuesday April 24th and will perform at Cafe Paradiso that same evening. Harry Manx and Kevin Brieit combine their talents for a brand new album of well written, toe tapping songs, driven by great lyrics, fresh melodies and all manner of stringed instruments including various guitars, sitar, dobro, veena, banjo, mandolin, lap slide and ukelele. If it has strings, these guys can play it.  Plus great songs from Chris Isaak, Amos Lee, Pieta Brown, Foster & Lloyd, Jason Spooner, Brooke Miller, John Hiatt, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Lori McKenna, Shawn Colvin and Lyle Lovett.

This week I've got a full hour of music for you to enjoy!

Artists include past guests like Boca Chica, Annie Dressner, ellen cherry, Anna Coogan and Brooke Brown Saracino.  There are also plenty of longtime Lyrical Venus favorites, like Melissa Ferrick, Kris Delmhorst, Meg Hutchinson, Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, Lori McKenna, Patty Griffin, Kina Grannis and Girlyman.

Tune in Tuesday (today!) from 9-10am Central for your weekly concentrated dose of music by female singer-songwriters!

As I wrote last week, the Lyrical Venus Radio Hour is 4 years old! Four years of great music by and fun interviews with women musicians of many genres.  Thanks to the internet, the connections have been worldwide, whether it's me sending in the show from the multiple states and countries I've visited, or the artists calling in from around the world, or the wonderful listeners tuning in to kruufm.com from a distant corner of the planet!

As has been my annual tradition, I've collected a playlist of songs by the women I've interviewed in the past year, this is part two, since there were 32 artists! Click here for last week's playlist. Tune in Tuesday from 9-10am Central to hear part 2.

It's kind of hard to believe it, but it's true, the Lyrical Venus Radio Hour is 4 years old! Four years of great music by and fun interviews with women musicians of many genres.  Thanks to the internet, the connections have been worldwide, whether it's me sending in the show from the multiple states and countries I've visited, or the artists calling in from around the world, or the wonderful listeners tuning in to kruufm.com from a distant corner of the planet!

As has been my annual tradition, I've collected a playlist of songs by the women I've interviewed in the past year, and I will play as many as I can this week, though it will probably need to be split in two parts, since there are 32! Tune in Tuesday from 9-10am Central.

In my time of uncertainty
I'm searching for serenity
Shattered soul, how to make it whole
Won't someone tell me how?
~ Simple is Beautiful, Violette

A French native singer-songwriter living in New York, Violette was trained in classical piano as a young child.  She began writing her own songs at the age of 15 and has just released her third album, Simple is Beautiful.  Moving out of her roots in jazz to a more pop-rock sound, the album is both simple and beautiful, with just enough instrumentation to support her angelic voice without feeling sparse.

Tune in Tuesday from 9-10am Central for your weekly concentrated dose of music by female singer-songwriters! Interview with Violette at 9:30.

Gravity feels weaker than it ever used to
Light as a feather, blown by the wind without you
I float above all that I love and I can't get home
Till you pull me back, you show me that I'm not alone
~ Anchor, Bess Rogers

Brooklyn-based artist Bess Rogers just came out with her fourth independent release, Out of the Ocean.  Featuring all the upbeat handclaps, sweet harmonies, indie punk and pop progressions and catchy melodies we've come to love from Bess, the album is also tied together with her fascination with science.  Themes of evolution and love are woven together masterfully in an album that is the perfect balance of smart and fun.  Bess will be performing at Cafe Paradiso on Oct. 24th with Allison Weiss.

Tune in Tuesday from 9-10am Central for your weekly concentrated dose of music by female singer-songwriters!  Interview with Bess at 9:30.

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.

You next to me, me next to you
We're perfectly in tune
Curled up in this room
I'm melting into you
We fit like spoons
~ Spoons, Sheri Miller

New York singer-songwriter Sheri Miller has been writing songs since childhood, following her natural instinct to create and express.  Her latest release, Winning Hand, produced by Kevin Killen (U2, Peter Gabriel), is lush and complex, yet easy to relate to both musically and emotionally.  From the uptempo and hooky Spoons to the Bollywood Rock flavored Satellite, Sheri explores matters of the heart with refreshing honesty and a healthy helping of poetic metaphor.

Tune in from 9-10am Central for your weekly concentrated dose of music by women.  We'll kick off with rain songs in hopes of bringing some rain to parched Texas, and we'll hear from Sheri at 9:30!