RTP-area local music and culture

["Calvin Powers" <calvin AT cspowers.com>]

Rotation #118 - July 9, 2007
read: http://www.taprootradio.com
listen: http://www.live365.com/stations/taprootradio

Howdy,

This week I was fortunate to run across a Smithsonian Folkways CD covering
Elizabeth Cotten which I snatched up. She's a folk guitarist born in Chapel
Hill in 1895 who taught herself to play banjo and guitar at an early age.
Although she develop her talents to the point where she could play a song on
the guitar after hearing it played only one time, she never had a chance to
play for an audience or be recorded until she befriended the Seeger family
and began to work for them in the 40s. I'll be working most of the tracks
from her CD, Freight Trains and Other North Carolina Folk Songs over the
next few weeks.

Mark your calendars for The Gourds CD Release party on the 15th at The
Hideaway BBQ.

As always, you can see this week's full
rotation<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/07/taproot-radio-news-118.html>on
the Taproot Radio web site.

Dig Deep,
Calvin


Taproot Top 10 for June 2007 Anyone's who's been listening to Taproot Radio
for the past few months will not be surprised to see Mofro at the top of
this month's Top 10. What surpriesed even me was that fact that Bill
Kirchen's CD is still holding strong

1. Mofro: Country Ghetto
2. Bill Kirchen: Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods
3. Lucinda Williams: West
4. Po' Girl: Home To You
5. The Javelinas: Dirtbath
6. The Silos: Come On Like The Fast Lane
7. Willie Nelson: Songbird
8. Grayson Capps: Wail & Ride
9. Pete Berwick: Ain't No Train Outta Nashville
10. Ruthie Foster: The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster

Recent Reviews:
Mudgrass<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/06/mudgrass-by-shoestring-strap.html>by
Shoestring Strap
Dizzy <http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/07/dizzy-by-trevor-mcshane.html> by
Trevor McShane
The Good Girl 
Blues<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/07/good-girl-blues-by-soul-of-john-black.html>by
The Soul of John Black
Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk
Songs<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/07/freight-train-by-elizabeth-cotten.html>by
Elizabeth Cotten
Video: "Don't Let Me
Down<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/07/dont-let-me-down-covered-by-two-cow.html>"
covered by Two Cow Garage
Calendar: July 12 Jason Isbell (formerly of DBTs) @ The Hideaway
July 14 Two Dollar Pisols @ Saxapahaw Music Series
July 14 Joe Swank and the Zen Piraes @ The White Oak Grill
July 15 Gourds @ The Hideaway


See The Taproot
Calendar<http://calvin.powers.googlepages.com/taprootcalendar>for more
upcoming shows.
Listener Polls: Last week's poll rating the songs on Ryan Adam's Easy
Tiger<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/06/easy-tiger-by-ryan-adams.html>CD
identified the following tracks as the most liked:
  Goodnight Rose   Two   Everybody Knows   Halloweenhead   Oh My God
While I agree with these choices, I was surprised and disappointed that
"Ripoff" didn't get more support.


In one of the DJ mailing lists I'm on there's been some amused/snarky
discussion about The Americana Music Association claiming that Eric Clapton
is an Americana artist. That led to lots of eye-rolling as well as some
debate about whether or not he's a bluesman as well, so I thought this
week's poll would be to solicit listener feedback on what kind of musician
is Eric Clapton
<http://www.taprootradio.com/2007/07/what-type-of-musician-is-eric-clapton.html>.

This Week's Focus Tracks: Goodnight Rose / Ryan Adams / Easy Tiger / 3:20
All In The Pack / The Gourds / Noble Creatures / 2:53
Diamonds To Dust / Gurf Morlix / Diamonds To Dust / 3:26
Hard Luck Saint / Joe Ely / Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch (P) 2007 /
5:33
F.D.R. / The Hackensaw Boys / Look Out / 2:35
Getting Ready / Patty Griffin / Children Running Through / 3:15
Side With The Seeds / Wilco / Sky Blue Sky / 4:16
Red Piedmont Soil / Gravy Boys / Working The Angels For Handouts / 2:33
No Longer A Sweetheart Of Mine / Southern Culture On The Skids /
Countrypolitan Favorites / 3:13
Jesus Is On The Main Line / Mavis Staples / We'll Never Turn Back / 6:31
Dear Sarah / Scott Miller & The Commonwealth / Reconstruction / 3:33
Gape & Shudder / Two Cow Garage / Three / 2:18
Beacon Soul / Son Volt / The Search / 2:31
Heartaches By The Number / Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard & Ray Price Feat.
Vince Gill / Last Of The Breed [Disc 1] / 3:04
Fruits Of My Labor / Ruthie Foster / The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster / 4:40
The Weight / Lee Ann Womack / Endless Highway: The Music Of The Band / 4:48
Only Bleeding / Pete Berwick / Ain't No Train Outta Nashville / 3:28
Country Ghetto / Mofro / Country Ghetto / 4:02
Drive All Night / Po' Girl / Home To You / 3:19
Are You Alright? / Lucinda Williams / West / 5:18