James McMurtry

My son, Joness, in Cambodia with the "chewing gum girl," 11/04

BETTER DAYS 167
First Man On The Sun
Thursday, May 5th
10:00 pm -12:00 midnight PDT
Listen at: http://www.coopradio.org

Listening to Antibalas's Who Is This America? alongside
some tracks from the late-great Fela Kuti, I started dancing,
and as I danced I remembered a young Richard Pryor doing
his impression of the first man to set foot on the sun. Sometimes
our thoughts need to be immersed in the cauldron of rhythms,
simmered a while in deep spice, even set fire to. Antibalas is
a hot and medicinal pot to be stirred in.

For this week's storytelling feature I'll read and sing the story
of Song For An Uncle, which takes us back to the prairies,
and to the roads west of Saskatoon. You can read the text
by scrolling down this page, if curious.

Music will include a feature on the scorching Afro-beat of
the aforementioned Antibalas, two selections from a brilliant
Icelandic chamber jazz duo cd (Skuggsja) performed by Joel
Palsson and Eythor Gunnarsson, plus tracks by sweet
Jenny Whiteley, Iron & Wine, Arcade Fire and Joanna
Newsom from their current releases. Going back in time, I'll
play you a treat from Life & Limb, a gem of a record that
Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick made when I was a
mere lad attempting his first moustache. Lots more great
music as well...until the midnight hour.

Hope you'll lend me your ears Thursday night, from ten to
midnight Pacific time, for Better Days (episode 167) heard at
102.7 fm in the signal area and at www.coopradio.org via webcast.

Thanks for your support and communiques. Good listening,
whether you're around the corner or around the world!

DL

Antibalas Is A Blast! 

Back 40 : Spring 2005 Update

Now we are getting somewhere, a world of music! What
do I play on Better Days? What sounds in tune with today!
The Back 40 is a good starting place in answering the question
further, a list of things I've been spinning. Why the Back 40?
There's too much joy, education and wisdom in our music to
restrict our ears only to what's new, so the Back 40 always
includes a few recordings that are dipped in the blood of time.
Listings are in no particular order. All of these recordings are
generous and connected, part of a greater story, full of life.

Fair & Square : John Prine
http://www.ohboy.com

Who Is This America? : Antibalas
http://www.antibalas.com

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning : Bright Eyes
http://www.saddle-creek.com/

The Milk-Eyed Mender : Joanna Newsom
http://www.sfburning.com/jnewsom.html

Sit Down & Sing : Roy Bailey
http://www.folktrax.com/folktrax2/H_BAI001.php

Dusty : Fred Eaglesmith
http://www.fredeaglesmith.com

Mercy Now : Mary Gauthier
http://www.marygauthier.com

Mowing Machair : Fine Friday
http://www.finefriday.com

Woman King : Iron & Wine
http://www.ironandwine.com

Righteousness & Humidity : Martin Simpson
http://www.martinsimpson.com

Hotwalker : Tom Russell
http://www.tomrussell.com

Dear Heather : Leonard Cohen
http://www.leonardcohen.com

Faultlines : Karine Polwart
http://www.karinepolwart.com

Knuckle Down : Ani Difranco
http://www.righteousbabe.com

Beautiful Dreamer: Songs Of Stephen Foster : Various
http://www.americanrootspublishing.org

Hopetown : Jenny Whiteley
http://www.jennywhiteley.com

I Never Heard You Knockin' : Malcolm Holcombe
http://www.malcolmholcombe.com

The Duhks : The Duhks
http://www.duhks.com/index.php

And The Tin Pan Bended... : Dave Van Ronk
http://www.folkways.si.edu

About Baghdad : Amer Tawfiq
http://www.aboutbaghdad.com

Funeral : The Arcade Fire
http://www.arcadefire.com/

Stories From The Silver Moon Cafe : Mickey Newbury
http://www.mickeynewbury.com

The Waking Hour : David Francey
http://www.davidfrancey.com

Why The Long Face : Suzzy & Maggie Roche
http://www.roches.com

Live In Aught-Three : James McMurtry
http://www.jamesmcmurtry.com

A Different Life : Emily Smith
http://www.emilysmith.org

Must I Paint You A Picture? : Billy Bragg
http://www.billybragg.co.uk

Redbird : Redbird
http://www.younghunter.com/redbird.html

Life And Limb : Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick
http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/martin.carthy/index.html

A : Knut Hamre & Steve Tibbetts
http://www.hollowear.com/feature/hamre-tibbetts.html

Waterson - Carthy : Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand
http://www.topicrecords.co.uk/acatalog/index2.html

Skuggsja : Joel Palsson & Eythor Gunnarsson
http://www.joelpalsson.com

Oval Room : Blaze Foley
http://www.lostartrecords.com

A Grain Of Sand : Cowboy Johnson
http://www.cowboyjohnson.com

Bittertown : Lori McKenna
http://www.lorimckenna.com

Clouds Without Rain : Bobby Taylor
http://www.songnovel.com

Breakfast In Balquhidder : Orchestra Macaroon
http://www.theshipbuilders.com

I Watched The Devil Die : Chris Cotton
http://www.cottonchris.com

Banjoman: Tribute To Derroll Adams : Various
http://www.theessink.com/en/

Vatten Under Broarna : Lars Winnerback**
http://www.winnerback.net/

DL

**I've heard only a taste of this, and include it based on that, plus the highest
recommendations of a friend in Norway. I'm in the midst of trying to contact
Lars and see if a promo copy is available for radio play.