Citr -- The Saturday Edge

A variety of performers from the Vancouver Folk Festival lineup and Mission Folk Festival, too. Plus local concert previews, a few new releases, and topical songs. For the past few years I've broadcast LIVE from the festival site. Not this time. I had too many technical problems last year, and no musicians are around from 8am to noon on a Saturday for interviews, so I chose to prerecord the show in order to catch some festival sessions instead.

Music by many of the performers coming to these two local festivals, plus Album of the Week: A Tribute to the King of Zydeco - Clifton Chenier and a look ahead to some local concerts, notably the debut of Scots fiddler Ryan Young (July 24th). Some new releases, too - including a surprise live recording of Teddy Thompson from The Rogue last June (I didn't know he was releasing this as a CD!)

Music by many of the performers coming to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in two weeks time, plus a few by performers coming to the Mission Folk Festival the following weekend. New releases, local concert previews, and topical songs, of course, and some inspired fiddling and singing in the final hour.

Lots of new music and old music and unusual combinations. This show is almost as much a journey of discovery for me as it is for the audience. I get a little taste of each track and if I like it I add it to the playlist, then shuffle the order and whittle it down to four hours every week. When the show airs I get to listen to all the songs in their entirety and in combination with all the other tracks. I'm delighted to find that it mostly works as a weekly marathon exposé of roots music from all over. Every week I also include concert and festival previews, new release announcements, and items of topical relevance

Vancouver and Mission Folk Festival previews, new releases from around the world, protest songs about the dark approaches to WW III, songs of hope, reflection and loss, and defiant upbeat numbers from all genre. Plus R.I.P. to Sly Stone, who passed away last week

Today's show was started automatically - twenty minutes early! Started with new music discovered within the pages of the excellent UK magazine, Songlines, which comes with a free CD every month. Paid tribute to Beach Boy Brian Wilson with two songs covered by other luminaries, and one Beach Boys original penned by the great innovator. Then a bunch of songs inspired by the latest tragic and outrageous events in LA (before I heard about the MN attacks. Is there no end to this madness?) Promoted CD launch concerts by locals Suzie Ungerleider and Jocelyn Pettit. Finished up with a customary flourish of exhilarating Celtic music

Continuing the flashbacks from the past 4 decades of hosting this show I chose more old favourites to blend with some great new releases, as well as concert and festival previews. Had to whittle it down from the original 193 songs chosen, to a more manageable 52! Suffice to say, there have been more than a few good memories down these years at CiTR!

My first show at CiTR was on June 1st 1985. Today I continued my 40th Anniversary nostalgia with a bunch more of my fave songs from these past 4 decades, and threw in some tasty new titles as well. This was a very fun trip down memory lane for me, and I still managed to learn something new and exciting along the way. I hope the radio audience enjoyed it, too!

Dan Storper, founder of Putumayo World Music, passed away on Thursday. Since 1993 I've been enjoying the unique compilation albums Putumayo have released, celebrating regions and countries, and genres of music from all over. Their booklets are full of information, recipes, translations and all manner of extra details about the musicians, too. Thanks, Dan. for making so much beautiful music accessible to all of us. Also, I'm celebrating 40 years of The Saturday Edge next week, so a bunch of old favourites crept in today and there will be more next week. Played lots of new releases too, as well as Rogue previews, and wonderful displays of multicultural Canadiana.

Plenty of new music including some powerful anti-fascist songs from Mark Rubin and Martin Kerr and all sorts of merriment from Africa, Aotearoa, Denmark, Sweden, Eire, Canada and the American resistance! Also music by some of the winners at last week's East Coast Music Awards in St. John's. Plus concert previews and R.I.P. to English guitar legend Wizz Jones - and a farewell song from / to NL's Mark Hiscock of Shanneyganock

Since May 10th 1987, Vancouver's Rogue Folk Club has been presenting over 50 concerts per year of Celtic, Folk, Blues, Bluegrass, Manouche, Cajun, and World Roots Music. Today, on the Society's 38th Anniversary, I indulged in a hefty slice of nostalgia with music by some of the amazing - and diverse - performers who have graced The Rogue stage down the years. Also some new releases, concert previews and a sad R.I.P. to Newfoundland singer and accordion wizard Mark Hiscock, of Shanneyganook, who died this week.

Started in West Africa, moved to Mexico for celebratory music, then on to concert previews and VFMF previews and a couple of great new CDs (Matt Andersen and Eliza Gilkyson.) Everything from blues to old time to Celtic to songwriters to comedy. Hope I didn't miss anyone out!

This year's folk festival runs July 18th to 20th in Jericho Beach Park, and they announced the line-up on Thursday. I hope to broadcast LIVE from the park once again. Meanwhile tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 22, 24, 27, 28, 33, 34, 37, 39, 49, 50, and 55 are by artists performing this year. Some new Putumayo releases were also featured on today's show, as well as many new releases from around the planet, local concert previews.too, and a finale from Sandy Denny who passed away at the tender age of 31exactly 47 years ago this week

Songs for Mother Earth and The Easter Bunny, plus memories of Sandy Denny (who died April 21st 1978) and NL accordionist Frank Maher, who died last week. Plus more new releases and concert previews than you can shake a stick at. Spot the 420 hints, if you can...

From darkness to light, with an RIP to Mali's Amadou Bagayoko of the blind duo Amadou et Mariam, new music from African giants Youssou N'Dour and Salif Keita, heaps more new releases from all across Canada, as well as Sweden, India, New Zealand, and Eire. Plus concert previews and more.

Canada is very cross right now! Anyhow, loads of new releases today, many of them courtesy of fellow DJ Daniel Rosenberg, who was in town for last week's Junos. Thanks, Dan! I managed to play at least one song from each of the ten Canadian provinces and two Canadian Territories. While Lindisfarne's tirade against the Tory government in the UK in the early 1970s was somewhat tongue-in-cheek I added this with an impassioned plea to my American friends to "bring down the government". For all our sakes!

Tunes from the brand new Cousin Harley CD, and forthcoming album by NL's Quote The Raven, as well as new music from Stephen Fearing, Kathryn Tickell, Tara Breen, Morgan Toney, Jason Isbell, Melisande, and Dreamers Circus. Aslo a feature on Malian kora virtuoso Ballake Sissoko, and previews of upcoming shows by the likes of Steve Dawson, Aleksi Campagne, Collage Trad, Hildaland, Coig, Quote The Raven, Kiran Ahluwalia, and more, much more.

Songs and tunes for the Persian New Year and the coming of Spring. Sad R.I.P. to Garifuna singer / activist Aurelio who died in a helicopter crash this week. Local concert previews: Ballake Sissoko, Judy Collins, Rum Ragged, Lucy MacNeil Quartet. A few new releases, too. Lots of CanCon. Elbows Up!

Being the closest Saturday to St. Patrick's Day this show was a celebration of Celtic music, with a lot of my favourite Irish artists to the fore. The new CD by Stephen Fearing was released yesterday, so this was a CiTR exclusive. Another exclusive at the end was a track recorded at The Rogue with Co. Clare fiddler Martin Hayes and the late Chicago guitarist Dennis Cahill in 2017. These tunes were never recorded by the duo on any of their albums.

We still have that north of the 49th. Also lots of great Canadian music, a sprinkling of new music from around the world, previews of Festival du Bois and Rogue shows and a whole bunch more. Yes, folks, there is still much to celebrate in these troubled times. Most of it is great music - and community spirit helps!