*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes Red, White and Blues: The Sounds of Patriotic Pluralism
This program will also be heard on WAMU 88.5 Channel 1, Friday July 4, 2-4 p.m. ET.
Music and opinion on patriotism as pluralism, and sometimes protest, from guests Merle Haggard and Joan Baez. Plus blues and New Orleans jazz versions of classic freedom songs. Also American anthems from the late King of Bluegrass Jimmy Martin and the Grateful Dead. Then we’re off on a summer road trip to sample Ted Drewes’ Frozen Custard at his venerable stand on Route 66 in St. Louis, and the play “Drown the Clown” at a Massachusetts county fair.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
The year 1953 is featured in the “Dawn of the Bluegrass Era” segment, including songs connecting Jim & Jesse and the Osborne Brothers to the Korean conflict. Whatever else you’re doing this week, don’t miss the live cuts in “Starving Out” from Red Allen & Frank Wakefield (1963); Bill Keith, Jim Rooney, Joe Val, and Herb Applin (1963); and an incredible band assembled by Carlton Haney at the first multi-day festival in 1965: Bill and James Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Don Reno, and Benny Martin. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Bluegrassizing Country #1’s: 1978–1980
We’ll be looking for the songs that made country jukeboxes play between 1978 and 1980 … and then bluegrassizing the MONROE out of them. Tony Rice, the Good Ole Persons, The McLains and Michelle Nixon will be putting some tasty high lonesome moves on tunes from the hallowed repertoires of Willie Nelson, Charlie Pride, Roseanne Cash and Donna Fargo.

Bluegrass Review
When you tune in the Bluegrass Review this time, you won’t have to wait long for a peek at the new CD by Dan Tyminski. Dan was the voice of George Clooney in the movie “O Brother Where Are Thou?” and it has taken a really long time for Dan to commit the time to create a new CD. Also, this is our first summer show with guests Adam Granger and Lyle Lofgren. Both are musicians, and Adam is the author of the standard flatpicker’s tablature reference on fiddle music. Our show today has a lot about Jimmie Rodgers, the Blue Yodeler or yore. On the Gem of Bluegrass, Adam and I describe Jimmie’s vast influence. Later, Lyle and I go into detail on Jimmie’s life and musical style.

Bluegrass Signal
A roundup of new releases from San Francisco Bay Area bands, with spotlights on The Waller Brothers and Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands. Butch Waller founded the traditional bluegrass band, High Country, in 1968, and they’re still going strong; Bob is, in fact, his brother, so their sibling harmonies are especially powerful. Laurie, with Tom Rozum, Craig Smith, Scott Huffman, and Todd Phillips, are a top-notch band, as you’ll hear on their new live recording.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
We celebrate Independence Day with a virtual trip around the country, stopping off in musical locales from Florida to California with prestigious traveling companions Rose Maddox, the Blue Sky Boys, Bob Wills, the Stanley Brothers, Cannon’s Jug Stompers, Bill Monroe (live in 1954), and the Carter and Lewis Families. All that and more, coming to you only on the Obsolete Music Hour–and only in America!

*etown (a rebroadcast)
Neko Case has earned accolades for her recent work. Witness her stellar writing and singing, woven with pitch-perfect harmonies and strong support from her band. Next, we welcome living legend Charlie Louvin, of the influential country music duo The Louvin Brothers. He shares a couple of classic tunes and chats about his experience in country music history with host Nick Forster. There’s great music and conversation, and a dedicated young achievement award winner from Iowa.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Tom Cat Reeder Show Sunday 3 a.m. (7/6)

The Old Home Place Tuesday 12 p.m. LIVE, Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (7/13)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m. LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Dierks Bentley, Vieux Farka Toure, Kelly Willis, Joe Ely, and Roger Rasnake. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
On Music From Foggy Hollow from Sydney, Australia this week, Mike Kear features a new CD from Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice called Blue Side Of The Blue Ridge (Rebel). He plays selected cuts from the album and talks about the band. Also on the show, Mike plays a song from the forthcoming Grascals album Keep On Walking, and new music from Dan Tyminski, The Chapmans, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass and plenty more. Add in some fun, some listener input, a segment from Brazil and a look back to what we were playing on the show 5 years ago, and you have another packed program. You’d be a wombat to miss it!

Musician Tip with Randy Graham

Open Mic
Over 400 people joined us on Sunday, June 22 for the very first Bluegrass Country Open House. This week, we open the mic for the bands that entertained everyone from the lawn of our building in Northwest D.C.

Old Time Jam
Hubie King has another Creature Feature in store for us - a program of songs and tunes which are all either about animals or have them in their titles. A tipsy rodent, a surprised-looking rabbit, a mule with droopy ears, a giant ram, a mean bulldog, a coughing jaybird and a romping spider are only a few of the fascinating critters you’ll meet on this trip through the Animal Kingdom. Come with us and join in the fun.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses the genius of Jimmie Rodgers on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, we’ll hear Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet. They joined host Lee Michael Demsey in our studio recently for some conversation and music. Closing out the hour, Bob Webster hosts a feature on the bluegrass super-group, Grasstowne.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
In keeping with the Fourth of July holiday weekend the Isaacs will jump start our program with their a cappella version of the Star Spangled Banner and we’ll hear more patriotic songs of inspiration as well as the old hymns during the third hour.

*Thistle and Shamrock Atlantic Bridge
From dance tunes to Gaelic airs, the musical links between Scotland, Ireland and Cape Breton come alive with Scotland’s Alasdair Fraser, Cape Breton’s Dougie MacDonald, Ireland’s Maeve Donnolly and more.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Robbie Fulks & Bettye LaVette
Join us for the sounds and stories of estranged country singer and songwriter Robbie Fulks. And R&B vixen Bettye LaVette takes us from the Motor City to Muscle Shoals, and Beale Street to Bourbon Street as she recounts nearly 50 years of singing R&B. Plus meditations on honky-tonk angels, speckled birds and more.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
The second half hour features music from 1952, including Don Reno & Red Smiley’s first recording together as the Tennessee Cut-ups, Jimmy Martin with Bill Monroe, and Curly Seckler and Benny Martin with Flatt & Scruggs. Some fascinating live performances include the Lilly Brothers & Don Stover (1952), the New Lost City Ramblers (1962), David Grisman and the New York Ramblers (1964), the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Vassar Clements (1974), Hot Rize (1996), and Rhonda Vincent (2005). A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - The Gibson Brothers Live
They’ve got the sweet mellifluous harmonies of the Louvins, the tough-edged intensity of the Stanley Brothers, the high-lonesome timelessness of Bill Monroe … and a sound completely and distinctly all their own. From upstate New York, Eric and Leigh, the mighty Gibson Brothers will be joining us live in celebration of their latest Sugar Hill masterpiece, Iron and Diamonds.

Bluegrass Review
Our show opens up with a song sung by teenaged mandolin sensation, Sierra Hull. Some of her work is reminiscent of that of Alison Krause about 15 years ago. We play a little Alison to show what we mean. Our Gem of Bluegrass is about nostalgia: Bluegrass and Nostalgia, now that is a natural combination. Later on the show, we play Dock Boggs, a singular banjoist and singer who recorded in the 1920’s and 1960’s, and whose influence is felt in bluegrass and old time music.

Bluegrass Signal - Double Your Pleasure
Two approaches to old time music, as presented by guest co-host Todd Gracyk. Jim & Kim Lansford are a wonderful duo from the Missouri Ozarks, and Skip Gorman is a Monroe-style mandolinist, versatile fiddler, and cowboy singer from New Hampshire; both are feature this week on Bluegrass Signal.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
If gas is four dollars a gallon, and if we could use the excercise, maybe we should take a walk. Let’s invite Bill Monroe, the Golden Gates, Johnnie and Jack, Blind Boy Fuller, Merle Travis, the Stanley Brothers, Fats Domino, Bob Wills and the Carter Family to join us. Tie your shoelaces, bring some bottled water and put on a distinctive hat–walking is never Obsolete.

*etown
Grammy winner Kathy Mattea makes her return to etown for this road show taping from the Union Colony Civic Center in Greeley, Colorado. She draws on her West Virginia roots to deliver a deliver set of traditional and contemporary mining songs. She also talks with host Nick Forster about her musical and activist roots. Then Johnny Long, the ‘Bluesman,’ takes the etown stage and shows us why, in the words of John Hammond, he is an artist “worthy of international attention.” Also, a concerned and inspired young physician from Ohio accepts the listener nominated e-chievement award this week, and shares his story with us ‘in-person.’

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Bill Miller Show, Sunday 3 a.m. (6/29)

The Tom Cat Reeder Show, Tuesday 12 p.m. LIVE, Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (7/6)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m. LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Jakob Dylan & the Gold Mountain Rebels, Hayes Carll, Krista Detor, Andy Davis, and Priscilla Ahn. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
This week’s show is a huge wealth of riches! So much new music! Mike Kear introduces new CDs from the Grascals, Larry Stephenson, Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass, teenage mandolin super-picker Serra Hull, Junior Sisk and Rambler’s Choice and singer-songwriter Becky Schlegel. As if all of that isn’t enough, the feature CD this week is a breand new release from the Dan Tyminski Band, called “Wheels”. All of that plus the usual features, not taking it all too seriously. You’d be a ring-tailed bandicoot to miss it!

Musician Tip - Mandolin player Bobby Clark

Open Mic - Over 400 people joined us on Sunday, June 22 for the very first Bluegrass Country Open House. This week, we open the mic for the bands that entertained everyone from the lawn of our building in Northwest D.C.

Old Time Jam
Hubie King picks another mix of tunes and songs this week, headlined by Norman Blake, Cathy Fink, Bruce Molsky, David Holt and Dirk Powell. Other names which may not yet be as familiar include Doug Van Gundy and Paul Gartner, Gordy Hinners, Kate Lissauer, Rootbound, and the Foghorn String Band. We’ll also take a nostalgic look back at the late John Ashby, an important fiddler from Virginia’s “Free State,” and at Albert Hash and the Whitetop Mountain Band, both as they sounded in the 1970s.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses the theme of nostalgia in bluegrass music on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, host Hubie King interviews and plays music with the founding members of Friends of Old Time Banjo; a D.C. group that started with a handful of beginners and has grown to almost 150 members.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
We’ve enjoyed the old hymns so much that this week we’ll take an expanded listen to some bluegrass gospel arrangements of songs with a copyright of close to 100 years in age such as “Just Over in the Glory Land” (1906) and “The Eastern Gate” (1905).

*Thistle and Shamrock - Americana Celtic
Hear artists including Tim O’Brien, Jane Rothfield and Mark O’Connor, who drift easily between American roots music and Celtic styles and collaborations.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Nashville
Take a two-hour trip to Music City, U.S.A. as we hit the high-class and the low-class joints. Nashville has been a hub of playing and recording country music for over 50 years while also generating a steady stream regional R & B hits. Come backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and meet the people who make it work, from ushers and announcers to long-time cast members Porter Wagoner, Marty Stuart and others. Pop into the venerable Gruhn’s Guitars, grab a bite at the Pancake Pantry and pay respects at country music’s finest final resting place, Spring Hill Cemetery.

Banks of the Ohio
This week, many more original recordings from 57 pioneers of bluegrass who are planning to attend the River of Music Party [link: http://www.bluegrass-museum.org/riverofmusic/] June 26-28 in Owensboro, KY. The next to last half hour presents music from 2001, when the “O Brother” phenomenon was at its height. You’ll also enjoy spoken introductions from the Three Tobacco Tags (1937), Fred and Rose Maddox (1949), Don Reno (1958), Everett Lilly (1965), Lance LeRoy (1987), and Steve Dilling (2001), as well as some shouted commentary in Chinese from Abigail Washburn (2007). A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - The Gospel Train
With the help of such men and women of faith as Larry Sparks, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Tony & Gary Williamson, Union Springs, Sam Hill and the Delmore Brothers, we’ll be embarking on sacred ride that is guaranteed to bless, burn, excite and energize. We’ll be headin’ to inanimate glory with gospel roads, gospel lights, gospel plows, gospel ships and gospel trains.

Bluegrass Review
As has been our practice lately, we start out with some new recordings. We feature Wayne Taylor. He’s just retired from leading the US Navy Country Current Bluegrass Band, and many of the songs on his new CD reflect on being in the US military. We play one of these new songs, and then play an older on of Wayne’s “Heart of Caroline,” about two older classmates re-discover each other late in life. Our Gem of Bluegrass is about a major theme in bluegrass music: a sense of loss, not only of a sweetheart, but such things as a way of life. In the second half of the show, we talk to iconic guitarist, Doc Watson.

Bluegrass Signal - Happy Birthday, Clarence White

*The Dick Spottswood Show
On Sunday June 22, this show will air from 6-8p.m. ET not 1-3p.m. to accommodate for the Open House.
A variety of country and bluegrass songs, some ancient ballads about slavery and emancipation, a few more about willing and reluctant bachelors and some 78 rpm string band classics cited in the May issue of Old Time Herald. If it’s not Obsolete, it need not concern us!

*etown
etown welcomes back two stellar performers in this repeat airing. First up is Martin Sexton, who’s become known as the “singer’s singer” as well as the “writer’s writer.” We see why, in his etown performance as he’s backed up by the marvelous etones featuring Nick & Helen Forster. Also in etown is Solas, called “the best Irish traditional band in the world” by the LA Times; they share some beautiful, Celtic inspired music sure to tug at your heartstrings and get your toes tapping. Plus, a dedicated teenager from Indiana is honored with the e-chievement award, so be sure to tune in this week!

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

Foster’s Corner, Sunday 3 a.m. (6/22)

The Bill Miller Show, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (6/29)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Kathy Mattea, Abigail Washburn & Sparrow Quartet, Tim O’Brien, Sonny Landreth, and Tift Merritt. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
On Sunday June 22, this show will only air for two hours, 8-10p.m. ET, to accommodate for the Open House.
This week, Mike Kear features a really intersting CD from Heather Berry and husband Tony Mabe. The album’s called Before Bluegrass and it features a lot of new songs, but they all sound like they’re from the ‘before bluegrass’ era. The some of the songs are written by Heather and Tony, and the others are written by Tom T and Dixie Hall. Mike plays quite a bit of the album and talks about Heather and Tony and their musical journey through bluegrass. Also on the show, plenty of great new releases, lots of music you wont have heard before, and some that you’ll know any love. As always, a big show and yo’d be a wombat if you miss it!

Musician Tip - Mandolin player Sierra Hull

Open Mic - Tom Cat Reeder

Old Time Jam
Hubie has another batch of tunes with a beat, and songs that range from plaintive to humorous. There are a couple of songs from the book, Cold Mountain, before the movie was made. Featured are artists like Tim O’Brien, Dirk Powell, John Herrmann, “Chirps” smith, Dave Bing, the Hoover Uprights, Troublesome Creek, Stillhouse Rounders, Rockinghams, Mill Run Dulcimer Band, Indian Creek Delta Boys and the Reed Island Rounders.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses the theme of loss and longing in bluegrass music on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, we’ll explore the breadth of music offered on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country including segments from Dick Spottswood, Ray Davis and Mary Cliff.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
Don’t miss this Sunday’s edition of Stained Glass Bluegrass, not only for the Open House festivities and the old hymns, but also co-host Tom “Cat” Reeder during the final hour. Tom has been involved with broadcasting since 1956. In 1990 Tom was inducted into the Country Music D. J. Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into the Southern Legends Entertainment & Performing Arts Hall of Fame. Tom will air some of his favorite gospel numbers during this special occasion.

*Thistle and Shamrock - Celtic Roots Down Under
Australia and New Zealand have thriving musical communities with Celtic roots led by bands Colcannon and Rua, and instrumentalists including Peter Neumegan, Mark Sanders, Dougal Adams and Ormonde Waters. Aussies Luke Plumb and Steve Cooney have reverse-migrated to the northern hemisphere to settle in Scotland and Ireland and make fine music there.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes- Earth & Blood: Tracy Nelson & James Blood Ulmer
Elemental blues, jazz and country from two performers with deep roots and cosmic connections. In the ’60s, young Tracy Nelson left the midwest for psychedelic San Francisco to front the R&B rock band, Mother Earth. Now deep in the Tennessee hills, she’s looking back to country sounds. From South Carolina to deep space, guitarist James “Blood” Ulmer takes us on his journey from childhood gospel to free form harmolodic jazz with Ornette Coleman. Blood now brings it all to bear on a brutal, personal version of the blues.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
The “Dawn of the Bluegrass Era” segment features music from 1951, including the ultra-rare “New Freedom Bell” by Louise, Sonny, and Bobby Osborne with Jimmy Martin; Carter Stanley with Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys; Everett Lilly with Flatt & Scruggs; Jim & Jesse’s earliest recording; Mac Wiseman; and Carl Butler & the Lonesome Pine Boys. Another highlight is Delia Bell’s “Roses in the Snow” from 1978, which was covered by Emmylou Harris two years later. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Mark Johnson And Emory Lester Live
Two musical soul-mates will be demonstrating just how timeless, soulful, ethereal and other-worldly bluegrass and old-time can be. Mark Johnson & Emory Lester will be aboard, picking live in celebration of the release of their recent Mountain Home project, “Acoustic Rising.” We’ll also be sampling some late arrivals from the likes of the Mashville Brigade, the Farewell Drifters, Southern Skye, Free Range Pickin’ and Longview.

Bluegrass Review
The program begins with some new recordings. Then host Phil Nusbaum locates some additional twin fiddle recordings. On the Gem of Bluegrass, we focus on realism in tragic songs about kids. In the second half of the show, Phil spends time with Larry Beem of Des Moines. Larry is a multi-instrumentalist and shows how songs sound a bit different when they are played on the banjo and the dobro.

Bluegrass Signal - Across the Tracks: New Releases & Reissues, part 2

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Old favorites by the Stanley Brothers, Wilma Lee and Stoney, Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe are followed by an hour of great music assembled for your Father’s Day enjoyment. Despite some claims by restless children, fathers will never be obsolete.

*etown
Banjo player and singer-songwriter Abigail Washburn visits etown with her spectacular ensemble, The Sparrow Quartet, featuring Béla Fleck (banjo), Casey Driessen (fiddle) and Ben Sollee (cello). Plus, poetic lyricist and powerful vocalist Vusi Mahlasela, known as “The Voice” in his home country of South Africa, makes his etown debut; Nick & Helen Forster and the etones layer in some lovely harmonies and instrumental support for him. And, there’s a motivated e-chievement award winner from the Florida Keys who shares his heart warming story.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Old Home Place with Lisa Kay Howard, Sunday 3 a.m. (6/15)

Foster’s Corner, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (6/22)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Blue Highway, Larry Sparks, Tony Furtado, Carrie Newcomer, and John Lilly. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
This week, Mike Kear features the Spinney Brothers, a fine group from Mova Scotia, doing splendid brother-duet style bluegrass. They have a new release out called “Going Home” and Mike plays several cuts from that project.   Also on the show, Mike plays dozens of the latest and best bluegrass in the world today, as he does every week.    And Mike introduces a fine 15year old fiddler called Kate Lee – a lass who is going to make an impact in the music in the future.   Another big show - don’t miss it!

Musician Tip - Fiddle player with the Gibson Brothers, Clayton Cambell.

Open Mic
This week we Open the Mic for Carol Beaugard of Lonesome Pine RFD. She’s joined by over the phone by Laurie Lewis and in the studio by guitarist and vocalist Michael Daves.

Old Time Jam
This week Hubie King is joined in the studio by the old-time string group, the Whitetop Mountain Band.

Special Programming
Starting things off, we’ll preview the bands performing at our Open House on Sunday June 22nd. Following that, we’ll hear a The Gibson Brothers. They joined host Katy Daley in our studio recently for some conversation and bluegrass.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
Inspirational songs for dad on Fathers Day, some filled with memories, some with sadness and others with hope and wisdom. Don’t miss Lester Flatt’s classic recitation of “Father’s Table Grace” as well. And do you have your song book handy for the old hymns to start the third hour?

*Thistle and Shamrock - Together We Sing
In difficult times, music has a special role to play, whether as a fundraising tool for local and international relief or in bringing people together to soothe wounded souls and ease broken hearts. Featuring “Hands Across the Water – A Benefit for the Children of the Tsunami,” and other caring collections, we come together in music of hope and healing.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Bo Diddley & Tony Joe White
The first hour of this program, featuring Bo Diddley, will also be heard on WAMU 88.5 Channel 1, Sunday June 8, 6 p.m. ET. On the next American Routes, as the weather warms up we treat you to two very cool guests. Mississippi-born and Chicago-bred legend Bo Diddley talks about his songs “I’m a Man,” “Who Do You Love,” and that signature Bo Diddley beat. Tony Joe White comes up from the swamps to play an acoustic version of “Polk Salad Annie,” among other tunes. Plus, a refreshing visit to a local New Orleans favorite, Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, servin’ up the best sno-cones you’ve ever tasted.

Banks of the Ohio
There are 54 pioneers of bluegrass planning to attend the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s River of Music Party June 26-28 in Owensboro, KY. Most can be heard on this week’s program, in performances spanning 1945 (Ernest Ferguson) and 1981 (Bobby Hicks). The last hour starts with nine tracks from the year 2000, including male vocalist (Dudley Connell), female vocalist (Rhonda Vincent), and emerging artist of the year (Nickel Creek). We end with an 18th century Scotch bagpipe tune entitled “Banjo Breakdown” — go figure. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Pete Wernick and Flexigrass Live
Pete Wernick and Flexigrass will be thundering forth live with their genre-obliterating blend of bluegrass, Dixieland and classic jazz in commemoration of their latest project, the aptly named “What The?” We’ll also be visiting the new bluegrass CD bins, spotlighting material from Larry Sparks, Free Range Pickin’, The Wilders and the Country Gentlemen Reunion Band.

Bluegrass Review
Recently there have been a number of old ballads have been release on CDs. Se sample traditional ballads by High Windy, Dave Evans and the Stairwell Sisters. The Gem of Bluegrass explores the kind of traditional bluegrass that deals with home, family and eternity. In the second half of the show, we talk to David Grier. He’s been a session musician and band member, and now he’s a solo entertainer. He tells us of his influences and plays a couple of his great arrangements. Then, it’s more fiddlin’ fun, as Phil picks out a couple of gems, and welcomes to the studio his radio mentor, Mister Self-Indulgent.

Bluegrass Signal - Across the Tracks: New Releases & a Tribute to Utah Phillips

*The Dick Spottswood Show
This week, some Flatt & Scruggs from their first and last years together–their cover of a Bob Dylan hit has to be heard to be believed! Charlies Patton and Jordan and even Mississippi John Hurt are content with mere spoonfuls, while Milton Brown and Lonnie Johnson try to make us look like monkies. Further treats include fiddle variations on Sally Goodin and some country trios with bass voices replacing baritones. It’s the Obsolete Music Hour–what more need be said?

*etown
This week’s etown encore broadcast features Michael Franti & Spearhead. They’ll offer powerful songs of social commentary, and Michael also treats us to some sparse, ‘unplugged’ tunes. Sharing the etown stage is singer-songwriter Josh Ritter, whose songs have been called “brilliant stories” and “rich tales of everyday life” by the New York Times and Details. Add to that an outstanding e-chievement award winner from Iowa who has come up with a unique way to cultivate the volunteer spirit of young people in his community, and you won’t want to miss this awesome episode of etown.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Tom Cat Reeder Show, Sunday 3 a.m. (6/8)

The Old Home Place with Lisa Kay Howard, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (6/15)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Jose Gonzalez, Nellie McKay, everybodyfields, 17 Hippies, Mia Doi Todd, Julia Douglass. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
Mike Kear features a new band in Music from Foggy Hollow this week. It’s a new cd called “Greater Storm” from a band called High Windy. Mike plays some of the cuts from the CD and talks a bit about the band and their background. Also on the show, Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein, Blue Highway, Longview, Wayne Taylor, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, a terrific instrumental from Kristen Scott Benson and plenty more. And of course all the regular features of the show. Dont miss it!

Musician Tip - Tim Shelton.

Open Mic
We’ll open the mic for two in studio performances; hour 1 features the old-time string group, The Whitetop Mountain Band, and in hour 2 The Gibson Brothers perform and chat with host Katy Daley.

Old Time Jam
Friends of Old Time Banjo is a jam group that started with a handful of beginners and grew to almost 150 members. Host Hubie King interviews the founding members and jams with them.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses the musical themes of home, family and eternity on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, we’ll hear a feature on Cedar Hill presented by Bob Webster and we round out the hour with host Katy Daley and her interview with Williams and Clark Expedition.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
Lots of Stained Glass Bluegrass favorites from some of last year’s playlists. And of course keep the old song books handy for the old hymns at the start of the third hour.

*Thistle and Shamrock - Berry Pickers, Song Makers
They camped across the land, performing seasonal farm labor and repair work for the settled community. Along the way they picked up songs and stories and became a great source of traditional balladry and storytelling. We hear the music of the travelling folk of Scotland and Ireland this week.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Medicine Show with Eddie Bo
Step right up! It’s a sonic tonic for the blues as we turn to the healing power of music ranging from the “Hadacol Boogie” to “Dr. Jazz.” Includes a visit with New Orleans piano man Eddie Bo, who also offers advice in the healing arts, and a trip to the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum to find “Love Potion # 9.”

Banks of the Ohio
We salute the late fiddler Vassar Clements with recordings from his first session with Bill Monroe (1950), Old & in the Way (1973), Andy Statman (1994), and David Grisman (1999). You’ll also hear first recordings by Kenny Baker and Bob Osborne, and some neat live recordings of banjo prodigy Joe Medford (1950), the Louvin Brothers (1955), Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper (1958), the Bray Brothers with John Hartford (1961), and the Kentucky Colonels (1965). A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - April and May, 1968
We’ll be heading back to a kinder, gentler time, those halcyon spring days of April and May, 1968 when, among other things: Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, the Grand Old Opry is cancelled; The Solemn Old Judge, the Opry’s legendary announcer, George D. Hay passes away; Martin Guitars announces plans to renew production of their most expensive model, the highly prized D-45; fourteen year old banjoist Carl Jackson joins Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys; and new discs from Flatt & Scruggs, the Osborne Brothers, Ralph Stanley and Reno & Harrell light up the high lonesome airways.

Bluegrass Review
We open with contemporary bluegrass by Blue Highway. Then it’s more twin fiddle bluegrass host Phil Nusbaum has located. On the Gem of Bluegrass, we take at look at styles of banjo playing, and follow that up by playing some recent modern banjo highlights. In the second half of the show, we talk to banjo legend J.D. Crowe about some of his ideas for playing the banjo. After that, there is still time to play some new bluegrass by the Infamous Stringdusters and Williams and Clark.

Bluegrass Signal - Friends Of Old Time Music
This week on Bluegrass Signal, a re-broadcast of a program featuring an essential box set. “Friends Of Old Time Music” presents seminal live performances from 1961-65 by Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys (with Jack Cooke & Del McCoury!), the Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson (with family and friends), Maybelle Carter, Roscoe Holcomb, Dock Boggs, Arthur Smith, and others.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Hank Snow, Blind Willie McTell, Kitty Wells, the Dixieland Jug Blowers, Roy Acuff, Reno & Smiley, the Lone Star Cowboys and the Country Gentlemen are among the stars waiting in the wings to entertain you for two unconditionally guaranteed Obsolete Music Hours.

*etown
For their third trip to etown, it’s DeVotchka—the popular Colorado based band with a huge international following and fan base. They are an eclectic ensemble featuring a string section, trumpet, sousaphone, melodica, and more. Then, in their first etown appearance, it’s the Brooklyn based band Au Revoir Simone: Erika Forster, Heather D’Angelo, and Annie Hart use vintage keyboards and drum machines to deliver their modern, electronic-based songs that resonate with an inviting, organic warmth. They’re David Lynch’s favorite band these days, and they’ve been touring Europe, Japan and the U.S. to rave reviews. There’s also a creative and motivated e-chievement award winner from Boston, Massachusetts who shares her inspiring story, all this week in etown.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Bill Miller Show, Sunday 3 a.m. (6/1)

The Tom Cat Reeder Show, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (6/8)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Ani DiFranco, moe., Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Paul Kelly, and George Stanford. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
Mike Kear features a new band in Music from Foggy Hollow this week. It’s a new cd called “Greater Storm” from a band called High Windy. Mike plays some of the cuts from the CD and talks a bit about the band and their background. Also on the show, Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein, Blue Highway, Longview, Wayne Taylor, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, a terrific instrumental from Kristen Scott Benson and plenty more. And of course all the regular features of the show. Dont miss it!

Musician Tip - Cliffton Preddy, Fiddle player for North Carolina-based band, Constant Change.

Open Mic
Williams & Clark Expedition visited our studio in Washington D.C. to chat with Host Katy Daley. The band discusses their new album, Brand New Set of Blues, and we hear recordings from their concert recent at Cherrydale United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia.

Old Time Jam
Hubie plays a mix of songs and tunes this week. Instrumentals include a fiddle-banjo duet by Cathy Fink and Bruce Molsky, a double-banjo duet by Arnie Naiman and Chris Coole, one with the mysterious name, “Whistlebee,” and enough fiddle tunes to satisfy any fiddle-lover. If you like vocals, you’ll have Ann and Phil Case harmonizing on Wanderin’ On, an old Hank Snow song; Home in Tennessee, by Waking up Tillie; Rose of My Heart, by Carol Elizabeth Jones and Laurel Bliss; Railroading on the Great Divide, by the Critton Hollow String Band, River of Jordan, by the Troublesome Creek String Band, and more.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum continues to discuss modern banjo on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, we’ll hear Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein play music and chat with host, Lee Michael Demsey. And Bob Webster presents a feature on the band Cedar Hill.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
Gospel selections this week from two bands: the new all gospel project “Gardens in the Sky” by James King as well as songs from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s just released gospel recording “Why Don’t You Give Jesus a Try.” Plus Sierra Hull’s new project gives us “Trust and Obey” to add to the old hymns collection.

*Thistle and Shamrock - New Anthems
The process is mysterious, has nothing to do with critical acclaim, and can take years to build momentum, but some songs eventually capture the hearts of people from all walks of life who claim them as their own. Hear the Celtic anthems that inspire mass choruses in pubs and sporting venues, and the ones that may do so in years to come.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Kings of the Road
This program will also be heard on WAMU 88.5 Channel 1 on May 26, 2 p.m. ET
Get your key to the highway…this American Routes looks at “the road” as destination, inspiration and home away from home in blues, country, jazz and more. Folkie and fellow traveler Ramblin’ Jack Elliott recalls the allure of the road in music and life. Plus, historian and author Douglas Brinkley joins us to speak on travel as muse for beat author Jack Kerouac and others.

Banks of the Ohio
Music from 1999 is featured in the Modern Roots segment, including that year’s emerging artist Mountain Heart, female vocalist Lynn Morris, and a track from Dolly Parton’s first bluegrass album. Dayton listeners John and Natalie Harris, winners of a WYSO auction, helped to pick much of this week’s music. The show closer, “Down Home Diva” by Robin and Linda Williams and Garrison Keillor, demonstrates the awesome possibilities of merging bluegrass and classical genres. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Playing Possum
An entire hour devoted to the tragically misunderstood, stereotyped to death, but musically and culturally important, fun-loving didelphimorph, the majestic opossum.

Bluegrass Review
This week’s show with a couple of crime songs. In one of the songs, the couple is desperate. Young, newly married and finding it hard to make payments on their double-wide trailer, they decide to do the crime. But this isn’t the old crime-and-punishment bluegrass. They get away with the crime! But the broken-hearted lover in the other crime song isn’t so fortunate. To him love is the reason he is stuck in a four-walled home. The Gem of Bluegrass puts the spotlight on modern banjo. On the second half of the show, we talk with the mandolinist for JD Crowe and the New South, Dwight McCall. He addresses his mandolin playing. And we close by playing some new things.

Bluegrass Signal
Musical previews of the California Bluegrass Association’s annual festival at Grass Valley, with music by Blue Highway, Dan Tyminski, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Bradley Walker, Grasstowne, The Wilders, Crooked Still, and others. Included: bluegrass versions of four country songs, and several variants of old time music.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Contrasting versions of “Soldier’s Joy,” “Evil Hearted Me” and “Eighth of January” take us through a good part of the first hour. Then we explore Bob Wills’ infatuation with Liza Jane (Homer and Jethro salute her too!) and conclude with a medley of songs to help us remember on Memorial Day.

*etown
Returning to etown in this repeat broadcast are our friends from Los Lobos, David Hidalgo & Louie Pérez, as they do a rare duo set, sharing tunes old and new. Plus, they let us in on some remarkable behind the scenes stories of their exceptional songwriting craft. Also returning to etown is singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne, this time with his full band. He treats us to some of his brilliant songs and powerful, expressive voice. Another fine hour of music along with a moving e-chievement award story from Washington State, right here, in etown.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

Foster’s Corner, Sunday 3 a.m. (5/25)

The Bill Miller Show, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (6/1)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Kim Richey, Tab Benoit, Ritch Collins Three-O, Anders Osborne, and Eilen Jewell. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
Larry Sparks is the featured artist on this week’s show. Mike Kear plays cuts from Larry’s new all-gospel CD, “I Don’t Regret a Mile”, out on Larry’s own label. He talks a bit about Larry and his background, and the CD. Also on the show, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass, the Seldom Scene, Longview, the Gibson Brothers, and we have a look at the new Robert Plant & Alison Krauss CD, “Raising Sand” (Rounder). Also the regular features - the Portuguese Segment from Brazil, the “Five Years Ago” retrospective and lots of fun along the way. It’s another packed show - you’d be a wombat to miss it!

Musician Tip - Banjo player, Blake Williams

Open Mic
This week we Open the Mic for Tom Cat Reeder.

Old Time Jam
In keeping with the name of the show, Hubie plays tunes that he heard at a jam session he recently attended. This gives an idea of the tunes now popular, and includes such titles as Billy in the Lowground, Big-Eyed Rabbit, Lady of the Lake, Train on the Island, Fortune, Waterbound and a slew of others. Featured are artists like Bruce Molsky, Wayne Henderson, Pete Sutherland, the Ill-Mo Boys, the Hoover Uprights, the Indian creek Delta Boys, plus lots more.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses modern banjo on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, The Lovell Sisters play music and chat with host, Echo Propp. To round out the hour Lee Michael Demsey is joined by Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein in the studio.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
This week in recognition of Memorial Day weekend Stained Glass Bluegrass will open with the Isaacs a cappella version of “The Star Spangled Banner” and we’ll have many more spiritual songs to honor our Service men, women and their families. Old hymns by the Rochesters, Donnie Carver, Emmylou Harris, Larry Stephenson, Ricky Skaggs, and the Village Singers will kick off the third hour. Pause a moment this weekend and remember a Vet!

*Thistle and Shamrock - Passing the Torch
Glimpse the future of Celtic music in recordings from some fine artists paired with a few of the masters who have inspired them, such as North Carolina native Andrew Magill and the great Chicago fiddler Liz Carroll. She described Andrew’s first album as “an awesome debut.”

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes
Gifted singer Emmylou Harris takes a new trip down old country roads as the self-searching “Red Dirt Girl.” We speak with her about growing up between South and North, her days on the road with Gram Parsons, and her atmospheric music today. Also, the purposefully unrooted band Yo La Tengo of Hoboken, New Jersey tracks their 15 years of luminous music and improvisatory life.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
Discover the missing link between bluegrass and rock ‘n roll in Buster Pack’s 1952 “Indian Boogie,” recorded for Rich-R-Tone two years before Elvis Presley’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” In the Dawn of the Bluegrass era segment, visit 1949 for Flatt & Scruggs’ Cincinnati sessions on Mercury, Mac Wiseman with the Blue Grass Boys, and Carl Story’s debut release — “My Lord Keeps a Record.” Other highlights include live tracks from Bill Keith & Jim Rooney (1963), Tex Logan at Newport (1965), Bill Monroe at Bean Blossom (1973), and Ron Thomason’s sales pitch for thought repellant hats (2005). A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - The Steeldrivers Live
They’ve been called intense, dark, poetic, dangerous and … inescapably human. They play new music with that old-time intensity and feeling. And they’ve concocted a sound quite their own—kind of like Bill Monroe saying howdy to Bob Seger and Joe Cocker. The SteelDrivers, driven by Chris Stapleton’s fiery vocals, will be doing the live thing in honor of their self-titled Rounder debut.

Bluegrass Review
This week’s show opens with songs of treachery. Then we clear the deck for our Gem of Bluegrass which focuses on Earl Scruggs, who rescued the banjo from oblivion and made it the signature sound of bluegrass music. Then we play some of Earl’s great arrangements. In the second half of the show, it’s a couple of twin banjo selections, followed by some important new bluegrass.

Bluegrass Signal
The Stairwell Sisters, from the San Francisco Bay Area, play some of their infectious brand of old time music live on Bluegrass Signal, and provide a preview of their forthcoming CD, “Get Off Your Money.” Their social consciousness runs through their music, and musical influences range from African to blues to Tangle Eye to masters like Tommy Jarrell, Bascom Lamar Lundsford, and the Stripling Brothers.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Songs of wartime separation start us out and conclude with a joyful reunion between Rose Maddox and a sailor. The fox outruns the hounds for awhile, and the Louvins, Coopers, McReynolds, Carters, Carvers, Johnsons, Stonemans and Lillys help fill out the rest of our time. Obsolete Music is nothing if not family friendly.

*etown
The BoDeans (Sammy Llanas and Kurt Neumann) return to etown after nine years. Their set includes a new song or two, plus an old favorite, performed in a rare acoustic duo configuration. Then, Over the Rhine (married couple Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist) along with their band, bring their brilliantly written tunes to the stage. And Doug Fine, author of Farewell My Subaru, talks about the challenges of ‘greening’ his life in order to live in a more sustainable way. Plus, there’s a motivated e-chievement award winner from Monona, Wisconsin, who traveled to etown to tell us her story ‘in person’.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Old Home Place with Lisa Kay Howard, Sunday 3 a.m. (5/18), Friday 6 p.m. LIVE

Foster’s Corner, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (5/25)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Duncan Sheik, The Cat Empire, Antje Duvekot, Jeff Daniels, Catie Curtis. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
This week, Mike Kear features a brand new CD from a legend in the bluegrass world - Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press has a new CD out called Bluegrass Melodies. Mike plays some cuts from the CD and talks a little about the project. Also on the show this week - Hot Rize, Seldom Scene, Blue Highway, Wayne Taylor, Dailey and Vincent, and a song that’s causing a sensation in Australia amongst families who have a teenager in the house. Listen for “Sorta Dunno Nothin’”. It’s another big show from Australia - so don’t miss it!

Musician Tip - Guitar player, Moondi Klein

Open Mic
This week we Open the Mic for Tom Cat Reeder. He’ll be LIVE in the studio on Friday, May 16th at 6 p.m. ET and rebroadcast in the Open Mic time slot throughout the week. Call 202.885.8860 during his show to make a request.

Old Time Jam
Hubie plays a varied selection of songs and tunes by such old time artists as Bruce Molsky, Norman & Nancy Blake, the Canote Brothers, Alan Jabbour, Laura Boosinger & Wayne Erbsen, Palmer & Greg Loux, the Troublesome Creek String Band, and a band named for Tillie, the groundhog, plus lots more.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses Earl Scruggs on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, Jen Hitt and Trevor Whitney present some live tracks from MerleFest 2008. To round out the hour we’ll hear The Lovell Sisters play music and chat with host, Echo Propp.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
This week we’ll honor the contributions of gospel writer and singer Dottie Rambo (composer of over 2,000 songs) who died in a bus crash near Springfield, MO early last Sunday morning on Mother’s Day, May 11th.
We’ll hear several of Dottie’s songs as recorded by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Isaacs, Tommy Webb, Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Cardinals among others. Keep your song books handy for the old hymns that will precede Dottie’s songs at the beginning of the third hour.

*Thistle and Shamrock - Words and Music
Uncover musical connections with Stevenson, Yeats, Scott and other literary figures, in the company of Bonnie Rideout, Loreena McKennitt, Battlefield Band and Jean Redpath.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

Please note two changes for Sunday, May 11th:
Bluegrass Signal will be aired at 6 p.m. ET
Special Programming - Sound Sessions with Jean Ritchie will be aired at 10 p.m. ET

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes
The musical and cultural meanderings of the Mississippi River, from exploration and trade to romance. Jazz, ragtime, and levee work-songs along with blues, rockabilly, gospel, and country. Guests include the late Memphis soul man Rufus Thomas and ethnomusicologist David Evans, speaking about influential Delta guitarist Charley Patton. Also, we visit a river barge pilot rolling on the river.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
Visit 1948 in the Dawn of the Bluegrass Era segment, where you’ll hear some of Flatt & Scruggs’ first records, Ralph Stanley’s transition from two-finger to three-finger banjo, and Bill Monroe’s only known recording from that year. Knoxville was an early bluegrass hotspot; featured artists associated with that city include Ray Atkins, Jethro Burns, Red Rector, Carl Sauceman, Carl Story, Tater Tate, Jake Tullock, the Webster Brothers, and a little-known song by Knoxville nurse/songwriter Ruby Moody. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent Live
We’ll be chatting with the founders of one of Bluegrass-dom’s hottest new groups, two guys that give new meaning to the phrases “close harmony,” “spine-tingling” and “tough edged.” And two guys, that above everything else, know how to have fun. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent will be joining us live to help give their self-titled debut disc the pomp, circumstance and level of national euphoria it deserves.

Bluegrass Review
On this week’s Gem of Bluegrass, we take a look at the evolution of bluegrass murder songs. Our view includes very old and very new songs. Also, we talk to Tom Rozum. Tom is best known for his partnership with Laurie Lewis, but he has had a lot of interesting experiences in the world of music. We talk to him about some of them. Plus, make sure you catch the progressive acoustic hammered dulcimer piece on today’s show.

Bluegrass Signal
Mac Martin has been playing bluegrass since the late ‘40s, and has led The Dixie Travelers since 1954 — which makes him one of the most enduring presences in the music. On the occasion of his 83rd birthday, Bluegrass Signal presents a conversation with and an overview of the music of Mac Martin, including a number of classics from 1968-72, a few “brother duets,” and a couple songs recorded live with the California Travelers on a recent NorCal tour. Mac Martin is, indeed, still “Travelin’ On!”

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Wilma Lee & Stoney, Lester & Earl, the Blue Sky Boys, Hank Williams and Washington Phillips are only a few of the stellar artists who join Dick in wishing you a happy Mother’s Day!

*etown
In this encore airing, we welcome back legendary folkie and an etown favorite, singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, with her long-time band. Also on the show is an impressive young talent, Paris-based singer/songwriter, Piers Faccini. Faccini calls on hosts Nick & Helen Forster and the etones to back him up some of his tunes. Plus, there is an outstanding e-chievement award story from Portland, Oregon that you won’t want to miss, this week, in etown.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Tom Cat Reeder Show, Sunday 3 a.m. (5/11), Friday 6 p.m. LIVE

The Old Home Place with Lisa Kay Howard Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (5/18)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Peter Case, Le Trio Joubran, Storyhill, Band of Heathens, and Comparsa.

Music from Foggy Hollow
This week, Mike Kear features 2:10 Train – a new CD from Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein (Rebel). He plays some of the music and talks about the artists. Also there’s new music from IIIrd Tyme Out, Blue Highway, The Baker Boys, The Gibson Brothers and lots more. Erio Meili from Sao Paulo plays a classic from Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and when he looks back 5 years, Mike plays an amusing dig at Billy Ray Cyrus from Australia’s Dead Ringer Band. And that’s only scratching the surface of another packed program. Don’t miss it!!

Musician Tip - Mandolin player for the Infamous Stringdusters, Jesse Cobb

Open Mic
This week we Open the Mic for old-time band, The Freighthoppers as well as Author of “Beach to Bluegrass,” Joe Tennis. The Freighthoppers and Joe Tennis visited host Carol Beaugard on Lonesome Pine RFD in the studios earlier this month for some conversation and live music.

Old Time Jam
Old-time music, like the people who made it, is close to nature. This explains why so many tunes have animals in their names. Hubie King takes this as his theme this week and plays a whole menagerie of animal tunes. Such artists as The Double Decker String Band, Alan Jabbour, Ken Perlman, Dave Bing, David O’Dell, Diane Jones, Reed Martin, the Hoover Uprights, Mike Seeger, the Run of the Mill String Band, and lots of others, play tunes about cows, horses, ducks, chickens, mules, skunks, monkeys, dogs, “yowes” (or ewes), raccoons, and you-name-’em kinds of creatures. Tune in and be part of the fun.

Special Programming
Join host Sam Litzinger and Smithsonian Folkways archivist Jeff Place for another Sound Sessions from Smithsonian Folkways, this time featuring folk singer, Jean Ritchie. More information on the music played in this program is available from Smithsonian Folkways.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
In recognition of Mothers Day we’ll have a generous serving of inspirational songs honoring mother, mama, and momma. Many are emotional and some are sad but all are tributes to those wonderful women who are the reason we’re here. Don’t forget your song book for the old hymns that start the third hour.

*Thistle and Shamrock - Welsh Roots
Check out some of the emerging roots music from Wales with established and emerging artists, including master of the Welsh triple harp Robin Huw Bowen, vocal duo Ember, Rag Foundation and Welsh folk fusion group Ffynnon.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.
Hear more about author David Dunaway and his biography of the legendary Pete Seeger, “How Can I Keep from Singing”.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes
This week feel the Pan-Latin vibe with guests Flaco Jimenez and Eddie Palmieri. San Antonio native and king of the conjunto accordion, Jimenez recalls his father’s influence on his playing. And NuYorican jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri talks about reshaping Latin bands with his La Perfecta group in the early 1960s. Plus, hear how Latin music influenced American roots rock, jazz and even Cajun music.

Banks of the Ohio - All new program!
In the Modern Roots segment, we visit 1998 and quote media coverage from that year referring to bluegrass as both “conservative” and “cool.” Featured are inter-generational performances from 1998 by Doc Watson and Ronnie McCoury, Ralph Stanley and Vern Gosdin, and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. The storms must be over, because a number of rainbow songs crept into the show (Riley Puckett from 1927, Josh Graves from 1962, Ted Lundy from 1975, Jimmy Martin from 1976, and the Persimmon Sisters from 2007). A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, hosted by Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Our Town
We’ll be taking a close hard, penetrating look at some of the many colorful towns that dot the high lonesome landscape. The Rarely Herd, Rustler’s Moon, Kane’s River, New Dominion Bluegrass Boys and Art Stevenson will all be in tow for a ride into and out of such fabled places at Steel Town, Boom Town, Heartbreak Town, Lonesome Town, Log Town and Our Town.

Bluegrass Review
On our Gem of Bluegrass, we meet more memorable folks. This time, the focus is on the poor folks we meet in bluegrass songs. Later, we talk to Bull Harman. Listening to him play, you might not guess that he was inspired by a famous rock and roll band, but it’s true! Bull plays just a little out-of-the-box, and he demonstrates some of his original approaches during an interview with us.

Bluegrass Signal
Fiddler Blaine Sprouse recently moved to California, so this week’s Bluegrass Signal is an overview of his music with Bill Monroe, The Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, The Dreadful Snakes, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Hazel Dickens, Livewire, and The Cluster Pluckers. There’s also a set of tunes Blaine recorded with his inspiration and mentor, Kenny Baker.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Ernest Tubb, Bessie Smith, Hank Williams and Jimmy Murphy sing the blues, Georgia Slim and Howdy Forrester play twin fiddles, Earl Scruggs, Frank Jenkins and Bascom Lamar Lunsford pick the banjo–who could ask for more? Obsolete Music might not keep us young, but it helps us treasure the years.

*etown - Big Head Todd & The Monsters return to etown!
Now a quartet, the band rocks the house with an energetic set of tunes new and old, all featuring Todd Park Mohr’s exceptional guitar licks. Also back in etown is Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, who, along with her husband and musical partner Colin Cripps, play some pared down versions of her well-crafted songs (some of which are backed up by Nick Forster and the etones). Plus, there’s an energetic and extremely dedicated ‘in person’ e-chievement award winner who shares her story with us… all for you, in etown!

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Bill Miller Show, Sunday 3 a.m. (5/4)

The Tom Cat Reeder Show Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (5/11)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Tim Finn, Otis Taylor, Grant Lee Phillips, Patty Larkin, Joe Rathbone. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
This week, Mike Kear features a new gospel release from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver called “Help Is On The Way”. Mike plays several songs from the CD and talks about the band and its members. Also on the show, new music from Luke McNight & Thunder Road, the Earl Brothers, Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press, The Seldom Scene, The Gibson Brothers and plenty more. As usual its a big show, so don’t miss it!

Musician Tip - Kathy Mattea

Open Mic
Its festival season and one of the best festivals in D.C. during the summer is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. We’ll hear performances from 2006 and 2007 by folksinger Maria Dunn, John Wort Hannam, and the bluegrass band, No Speed Limit. Highlights from the 2008 festival will be broadcast in July.

Old Time Jam
Hubie plays a variety of songs and tunes, many of which we haven’t heard here before. The artists include newcomers The Lonesome Sisters, The New Roanoke String Band, Christian Wig, Mark Olitsky, Dave Rice and Fred Goodnight. Veterans Paul Brown; Cathy Fink; The Hoover Uprights; the Double Decker, Double Eagle and Troublesome Creek String Bands; Gandydancer; Travis and Trevor, the Stuart Brothers; the Ill-Mo Boys and the Hushpuppies all give encore performances.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses some well-known bluegrass “characters” on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, Katy Daley is joined by the recently retired guitar player from the Country Current, Wayne Taylor. To round out the hour we’ll hear Kathy Mattea talk in-depth about her career and her new album, Coal.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
Just good bluegrass gospel music this week - some old and new from artists such as Doyle Lawson, Bill Monroe, Carl Story, Forbes Family, and Doc Watson. And of course we’ll be able to sing along to the old hymns which include “Rock of Ages,” “Shall We Gather at the River,” and “Pass Me Not.”

*Thistle and Shamrock - Raise Your Voice
Solo singing is revered in traditional circles, but layers of harmony and massed voices create stunning arrangements of traditional and folk song. Add your voice to the choruses with choirs from Scotland and Brittany and some of your favorite bands in fuller voice.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.
Mary Cliff talks with Author David Dunaway about his biography of the legendary Pete Seeger, “How Can I Keep from Singing”.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Gulf Coast Blues and More: Barbara Lynn & Belton Richard
Tune in for the words and music of two storied Gulf South artists. First up, the Empress of Gulf Coast Soul, Barbara Lynn, of Beaumont, Texas. Ms. Lynn recalls her days as the Black Elvis, playing left-handed guitar and penning and recording her own first-person paeans of love lost. Accordion player, Belton Richard talks about bringing his mix of Cajun and country to dancehalls across the region and remembers his swamp pop days with the Musical Aces. Plus two hours of swampy blues, sultry country and more.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
From mountain fiddle tunes to Sacred Harp hymns, Victorian parlor ballads to folksinger/songwriters, from honky tonk country to the Beatles, bluegrass has absorbed a wide variety of songs and styles which are covered in the first half hour. During the “Dawn of the Bluegrass Era” segment, visit 1947 and hear Bill Monroe’s classic band, his brother Charlie with Ira Louvin, the Stanley Brothers’ earliest sounds, New Englanders Jerry and Sky, Kentucky’s James & Martha Carson, and the Bailey Brothers of Happy Valley, Tennessee. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, with host Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Donna Ulisse & Friends Live
She sang “Take This Hammer” on stage with a bluegrass band at the age of three. Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys played at her wedding (to Ralph’s cousin, Rick Stanley), opening the reception with a rousing rendition of “Little Maggie.” She’s got bluegrass in her blood and it shows in her soulful singing and brilliant songwriting. Donna Ulisse and friends, Andy Leftwich (fiddle and mandolin), Andy Hall (dobro), Keith Sewell (guitar), David Pomeroy (bass) and Rick Stanley (vocals), will be appearing live in celebration of Donna’s killer debut, When I Look Back.

Bluegrass Review - Modern songwriting
Many songwriters today are seeking new forms of expression in songs. Our Gem of Bluegrass notes a few current directions. Plus, we play a few new, hard-hitting songs. Later, we have a conversation with songwriter Becky Buller, who plays us a few of her new songs.

Bluegrass Signal - 10 years of European World of Bluegrass
This week Peter Thompson returns to the other side of the puddle for highlights from the new 2-CD release on Strictly Country, “10 Years of European World of Bluegrass.” Eight of the bands included on the live recordings (from 1998-2007 EWOB Festivals) featured on this show include musicians from the Czech Republic; there are also groups from Italy, The Slovak Republic, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, and Ireland. Sources for covers range from Bobby Osborne to Sting, and the many originals include two sung in native languages. Visit www.ewob.eu for information about the album and the festival, which takes place this year May 1-3 in Voorthuizen, Netherlands.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Obsolescence opens with a few Woody Guthrie songs, followed by a Mind Your Own Business medley. In the second hour, guitar songs and guitar displays, featuring Maybelle Carter, Hank Snow, Blind Blake and Merle Travis.

*etown - Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Béla Fleck
etown turns 17 years old this week and celebrates with a classic, broad mix of music that is wildly diverse yet closely connected… Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Béla Fleck (banjo), Casey Driessen (fiddle) and Ben Sollee (cello) cross global and cultural lines while remaining firmly rooted in the traditions of Appalachian American music. Vusi Mahlasela, simply known as “The Voice” in his home-country, South Africa, is celebrated for his distinct, powerful voice and his poetic, optimistic lyrics. His songs of hope connect Apartheid-scarred South Africa with its promise for a better future.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

Foster’s Corner Sunday 3 a.m. (4/27)

The Bill Miller Show, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (5/3)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m. Tom Cat Reeder guest hosts Monday 4/28

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Carolina Chocolate Drops,Claire Lynch Band, Cherryholmes, Kane Welch Kaplan, Bare Bones

Music from Foggy Hollow with Mike Kear - - ANZAC Day
April 25th is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, and on Music from Foggy Hollow, Mike Kear has a special show, featuring music relating to soldiers and war. He remembers those who have fallen and sacrificed for our good, and in particular concentrates on the WWI battle of Villers-Brettaneau, a tiny village in France that was a watershed in Australian history, and which has its 90th anniversary on ANZAC Day 2008. There are many bluegrass songs on this theme, new and old, and Mike plays as many of them as he can fit into the show.

Musician Tip - guitar player, Wayne Taylor

Open Mic
This week we open the mic for more 40th anniversary programming. Join Bill Foster for a two-hour feature on Buzz Busby, one of the founding fathers of Washington, DC bluegrass. We’ll play some of Buzz’s tunes and hear an interview with the mandolin-player that originally aired on WAMU in 1975.

Old Time Jam
Highlights: This week Hubie plays songs and tunes that, unlike many offerings, really do have some relation to the Civil War. Soldiers’ marching songs and camp music, Lincoln’s assassination, battles, generals and enlisted men - all figure in this musical time-traveling history in Old Time music.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nusbaum discusses some well-known bluegrass “characters” on Gems of Bluegrass. Following that, Katy Daley is joined by the recently retired guitar player from the Country Current, Wayne Taylor. To round out the hour we’ll hear Kathy Mattea talk in-depth about her career and her new album, Coal.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
This week we’ll hear several selections from the new DVD/CD live concert release by long time Stained Glass Bluegrass favorites, the Lewis Family and the Easter Brothers which features Jeff & Sheri Easter as well. And keep the old hymns books handy for singing along with the hymns that start the third hour.

*Thistle and Shamrock - John Doyle
Guitar master, singer, producer John Doyle is one of the most versatile artists in Irish music. Find out about his signature rhythmic guitar style, how he develops his irresistible arrangements and his life as a transplanted Dubliner in the musical mountain town of Asheville North Carolina. Music from Solas, Liz Carroll, Tim O’Brien, John’s dad Sean Doyle and from his solo albums, John Doyle himself.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Fire and Water
Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock joins us to talk about keeping his hardcore jazz credentials while breaking the pop barrier with “Watermelon Man.” Hancock recalls famous associations with Miles and more, including those on his recent Record of the Year, River: the Joni Letters, a collection of Joni Mitchell tunes. Plus the four faces of New Orleans’ Mount Rushmore–Art, Aaron, Charles and Cyril–the Neville Brothers. Since 1954, when Brother Art hit with the ultimate carnival classic “Mardi Gras Mambo,” the Nevilles have been on the scene, solo or as a group. We’ll hear their legacy of soul, funk and R & B as the brothers tell us how it all came to pass, and how the legacy lives on in the next generation with Ivan and Ian Neville.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
Visit 1946 during the “Dawn of the Bluegrass Era” segment; featured are earliest recordings of the classic bluegrass band (Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and Howard Watts). You’ll also hear women who influenced and made bluegrass in its earliest years: Cousin Emmy, the Poe Sisters, Wilma Lee Cooper, Hazel Dickens, Alice Gerrard, Grace French, and Jeannette Cooke. “Walls of Time To Come” includes music from Japan and Mexico. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, with host Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Crossroads
No place in BluegrassLand is more shrouded in mystery and controversy than the fabled “Crossroads.” With the help of the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, Sammy Shelor, Doyle Lawson and the Lonesome River Band, we’ll indeed be traveling to the intersection of Highways 49 & 61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi as well as to Brice’s Crossroads, Logan’s Crossroads and the Crossroads Bar.

Bluegrass Review - Modern Songwriting
Many songwriters today are seeking new forms of expression in songs. Our Gem of Bluegrass notes a few current directions. Plus, we play a few new, hard-hitting songs. Later, we have a conversation with songwriter Becky Buller, who plays us a few of her new songs.

Bluegrass Signal - Sugar Hill Ramble
This week, Peter Thompson samples the “Americana Masters” series recently released by Sugar Hill Records. This show features the bluegrass artists in this series — Nashville Bluegrass Band, Peter Rowan, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Lonesome River Band — as well as some highlights from the new compilation, “Absolutely Bluegrass Vol.1.” This set includes several interesting collaborations: between Marty Stuart & Doc Watson, Tim O’Brien & Del McCoury, and Jerry Douglas (who’s all over this show) & Alison Krauss.

*The Dick Spottswood Show
This week, Vern and Ray show why California bluegrass fans hold them in awe, raw fiddlers (including Cajun music giant Dennis McGee) show why they deserve respect, the Titanic sinks again, and we enjoy brief appearances by Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, the Coopers, Uncle Dave, and the Stanley Brothers. Obsolete Music just gets older every week.

*etown with Nick Forster
etown welcomes two first-time visitors for this week’s broadcast. First, New Zealand singer-songwriter Tim Finn takes the stage sharing new tunes as well as a song or two from his old band days with the group Split Enz. Nick & Helen Forster and the etones back Tim up, instrumentally and vocally, in fine style. Also with us is Ky-Mani Marley, the second youngest of Bob Marley’s children. He and his band treat our listeners to his special blend of world, hip-hop, blues, rock, and reggae sounds. And another extremely dedicated and inventive e-chievement award winner shares his experience with us… all for you, in etown!

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Old Home Place with Lisa Kay Howard Sunday 3 a.m. (4/20)

Foster’s Corner, Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (4/27)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Marc Cohn, Bill Evans Soulgrass w/Sam Bush & Richard Bono, Jeremy Fisher, Kelly Sweet, and Amy Correia. Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow with Mike Kear

Musician Tip - old-time guitar player, John Schwab

Open Mic
This week we open the mic for more 40th anniversary programming. Join Bill Foster for a two-hour feature on Buzz Busby, one of the founding fathers of Washington, DC bluegrass. We’ll play some of Buzz’s tunes and hear an interview with the mandolin-player that originally aired on WAMU in 1975.

*Old Time Jam
Hubie plays a variety of instrumental tunes by folks like Pete Sutherland, James Bryan, The Ill-Mo Boys, Paul Brown, Bruce Molsky and Dan Levenson, balanced with songs by the Hushpuppies, Hawker and Justice, Greg Clark, the Georgia Mudcats, Laura Boosinger, and others.

LIVE The Ray Davis Show Sunday 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.

Special Programming
This week we’re joined by a new voice on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, Trevor Whitney. Trevor and Jen Hitt will highlight the artists performing at MerleFest 2008.

LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
This week we’ll hear some more songs from both Larry Sparks and Doyle Lawson’s new CDs as well as some old favorites, including Clyde Moody in an early 1940’s recording with Bill Monroe. And of course - don’t forget the old hymns to start the third hour.

*Thistle and Shamrock - Thistlepod Follow-up
Hear the full tracks of some of the recent previews and debuts from our popular podcast.

LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.

*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series

*American Routes - Divas?

What comes to mind when you hear the word Diva? We’ll explore the meaning - and the sound - of that feminine term through our music mix, and through interviews with some high-minded women who give the word a good name: Bonnie Raitt, Abbey Lincoln and young chanteuse Norah Jones. Plus songs with men and women weighing in on the topic from Louis Jordan, Memphis Minnie, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and more.

Banks of the Ohio (a rebroadcast)
The “Dawn of the Bluegrass Era” segment highlights 1945 and Bill Monroe’s first recordings for Columbia. The late Bobby Thompson, a brilliant and prolific banjoist, is featured on eight tracks recorded between 1956 and 1971. And don’t miss an amazing tape from 1962 that fades between simultaneous radio broadcasts of the Stonemans and Red Allen & Frank Wakefield. A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, with host Fred Bartenstein.

Bluegrass Breakdown - Donna Hughes Band Live
She’s one of the genre’s most expressive singers and poignant songwriters, an original 21st century bluegrass voice crying in the wilderness. From Trinity, NC, the Donna Hughes Band—Tim Tew (dobro), Rebecca Frazier (guitar), John Frazier (mandolin), Gina Britt (bass), and Thomas Wyrot (banjo)—will be our special guests. Plus, we’ll be making a beeline to the new bluegrass CD bins sifting out what’s hot from what’s not.

Bluegrass Review
Bill Bolick, the only remaining Blue Sky Boy died in mid-March, 2008. We take the occasion to highlight the achievements of the Blue Sky Boys on the Gem of Bluegrass. Later on the show, we talk to John Reischman, leader of the Jaybirds from British Colombia. Also on the show, we listen to important new groups who are pushing the bluegrass envelope.

Bluegrass Signal - Up A Creek
This week, Peter Thompson is up a creek. There are several renditions of creek-ish tunes by Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, Clarence White, Watson/Blake/Rice, and The Roadoilers, plus songs from creek-ish bands based in NorCal (Adobe Creek, Bean Creek, Mossy Creek) and elsewhere (Nickle Creek, Polecat Creek, Spring Creek).

*The Dick Spottswood Show
Rare tracks from blind Kentucky fiddler Ed Haley, Jab Jones plays blues piano and Memphis jug, a few red hot tenor guitarists, great hymns from the Louvins, Eddy Arnold and Dan Pickett, and lots of others who get a chance to shine on this week’s Obsolete Music Hour.

*etown with Nick Forster
For this encore broadcast, etown welcomes Calexico, the Tucson-based eclectic rockers led by Joey Burns and John Convertino. They spin tunes influenced by spaghetti westerns, surf, twang and 50’s jazz, sprinkled with just the right amount of southwestern spice. Then, Nick & Helen Forster and the etones take the stage with Dave Alvin, as he swings back to etown in support of his CD, Songs from California Songwriters. He puts his own unique spin on songs written by a group of writers as diverse as Jackson Browne, Kate Wolf, and Brian Wilson. It’s etown, bringing you another fine hour of great music, engaging conversation, and, as always, an amazing e-chievement award story.

LIVE Friday Night Free for All - 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET

The Tom Cat Reeder Show Sunday 3 a.m. (4/13)

The Old Home Place with Lisa Kay Howard, Tuesday 12 p.m. LIVE, Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (4/13)

The Gary Henderson Show Saturday 8-11 a.m.LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.

LIVE The Katy Daley Show Mon-Fri, 7-10 a.m.

LIVE The Lee Michael Demsey Show Mon-Fri, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.

*Mountain Stage
Featuring Little Big Town, Catherine Russell, Larry Keel Band, Davisson Brothers Band, and Rose Cousins.Playlist.

Music from Foggy Hollow
This week, Mike Kear plays the 30 hottest songs in the world of bluegrass, according to Bluegrass Unlimited magazine’s April survey, and features the Gibson Brothers new CD, Iron and Diamonds (Sugar Hill). With all that there’s barely room for the weekly segment from Sao Paulo, Brazil. It’s a fun-filled how again this week, only a bandicoot would miss it!

Musician Tip - Ike Sheldon fromThe Wilders

Open Mic
This week we Open the Mic for multi-instrumentalist and founder of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band John McEuen. John visited host Carol Beaugard on Lonesome Pine RFD in the WFDU studios earlier this month for some conversation and live bluegrass.

*Old Time Jam

LIVE The Ray Davis Show Sunday 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.

Special Programming
Starting things off, Phil Nu