Better Days #166 : The Lobby

Webcast available at www.coopradio.org

CFRO's Spring Member Drive is over and Better Days pulled
its weight in raising funds for the station. Ruth Leibik and I
provided some special programs, both in the Thursday night
timeslot and pre-empting other shows. Thanks to the folks
who gave up airtime so I could provide the Songwriting 101
and This Is The Day specials. Much fun, as usual.

Now, let's get back to business...

Songwriting legend, John Prine, has released a new record
called Fair & Square. It's his first studio release of new songs
in nine years and a fine welcome back to a great songwriter.
I'll feature three cuts from it. Having recovered from cancer-
related surgery, John's voice has dropped a notch, which only
adds to its appeal. There's an enjoyable article on Prine at
http://www.nashvillescene.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?story=Back_Issues:2005:April_28-May_4_2005:Arts:Cover_Story
Great to have some new Prine to wrap my heart around!

Conor Oberst is a young singer-songwriter recording under
the name Bright Eyes. Oberst has garnered a lot of notice
(and cd sales), and I'll give you a chance to make up your own
mind whether the fuss is worth it, playing from the Bright Eyes
release, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

The title of this week's episode comes from the name of a night
spot in old Juarez, Mexico, called The Lobby. I'll tell the story
of Long John Hunter's residency at The Lobby, where for
13 years the blues guitarist held court. He recruited bartenders
as sidemen, trained them on the run, and fashioned a raw and
primitive bordertown sound. Kids from Texas would come down
to see him, including a youngster named Buddy Holly. It was
peacetime, the music was wild, and people were very thirsty.
As Senor Long John recalls, "If it didn't happen at The Lobby,
it didn't happen in life!"

Other recent releases I'll delve into are the unusual and delightful
Milk-Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom, Funeral by The
Arcade Fire, Hopetown by Jenny Whiteley, Kitchen Radio
by Peter Mulvey, Redbird's eponymously titled debut, and
from Scotland, Emily Smith's A Different Life.

It's Better Days, the Thursday, May 5th edition. Join me,
by signal or streaming webcast, around the corner and
around the world.

Better Days #166 : The Lobby
Thursday, May 5th
10:00 pm - 12:00 am PDT
CFRO 102.7 fm
Listen: http://www.coopradio.org

DL