Citr -- The Saturday Edge

Concert and festival previews, new releases, and a celebration of music from all around the world. It's the essence of what I've been presenting on this show for the past 39 years! This weekend there are concerts with Stephen Fearing and Deanna Knight, and next month Teddy Thompson makes his Rogue Folk debut. July sees the return of Scots favourites Shooglenifty on the eve of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Who says Vancouver is "No Fun City"?

Celebrating the new CD by Deanna Knight, paying tribute once again to the late Ron Kavana, previewing next week's shows with Cassie & Maggie and Stephen Fearing, and assembling some amazing new music from all over. In the words of the John Martyn song, "May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold", this was a show full of music for holding hands, and sharing memories and wonder.

Paying tribute to my old mate Ron Kavana, who died last Saturday in Cork. He was such an inspirational man, with solid roots in the Blues, Cajun Music, and Rock, as well as one of the most versatile band leaders in contemporary and traditional Irish music. Plus loads of new music from across Canada and beyond, including some especially tasty previews of performers coming to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in July, and some exotic new sounds from places like Norway, Poland, Ukraine, and Africa.

Themes of solidarity with Ukraine are woven through this weekend's edition, also new songs from all across Canada and beyond, and the pulsating sounds of Shooglenifty and The Afro Celts. All sorts of musical styles in fact; something for everyone (I hope!)

Lots of new music today and more CFMA nominees (more important than winners, IMHO. I reckon voting counts are subjective, but nominations need more thorough listening!) Some emotional tracks from the likes of The Last Yiddish Tango, and a new album from Quebec's Yann Falquet. Plus a couple of medleys from the brand new Lunasa CD, recorded live in Kyoto - all shiny new tunes brilliantly played.

New releases by Eliza Carthy, Chris Smither, Rum Ragged, Martin Simpson, Aaron Collis, and My Black Country - an incredible collection of songs performed by the likes of Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell, Sista Strings, Sunny War, Valerie June, and Leyla McCalla. Plus more highlights of the recent CFMAs and our trip to St. John's; concert previews: and more tasty offerings than you can shake a stick at - if that's your idea of a good time!

Another mostly Canadian show featuring many of the winners and nominees and showcase "hits" of the Canadian Folk Music Awards held last week in St. John's NL. Plus new releases by the likes of Martin Simpson, and music culled from the pages and downloads of the latest issue of Songlines magazine. Lots of local concert previews, as well

Greetings from the Canadian Folk Music Awards in snowy St. John's Newfoundland! This week's show features a host of NL musicians, plus nominees and showcase artists from the Awards week. Plenty of new releases and teasers of forthcoming new albums as well. Concert previews for Oumou Sangare (April 7 at The Chan), Rhiannon Giddens (April 15 at The Chan), and Holly Near, Ryan McMahon, Jeff Plankenhorn, Martyn Joseph, Steve Dawson, Hornby Blues, Adrian Glyn, Jim Byrnes, The Sojourners, Kristina Olson, Cassie & Maggie, and Teddy Thompson (all coming to The Rogue in the next few weeks.)

New releases from around the world, local concert previews, and big feature on next week's Canadian Folk Music Awards in St. John's, Newfoundland

Concert previews, new releases, and old favourites, running the gamut from African music through Middle Eastern grooves, sublime Scandinavian tunes, to Celtic romps - with a few stops in between to showcase some fabulous songwriters. There's definitely something happening around here - great music! With roots.

A big Celtic music celebration featuring new music by the likes of Altan, Imar, Cassie & Maggie, Rant, and Dani Larkin, as well as some of my favourites down the years, including Shooglenifty, Dervish, Alias Ron Kavana, Beolach, Martin Hayes, and Afro Celt Sound System. Plus a-roving we will go through exotic musical landscapes around the planet.

For International Women's Month a bunch of new releases featuring some amazing women singers and musicians, and songs about them, and other related ideas. New releases - many of them from the recent Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City - and a few concert previews.

Featured music by some the most impressive performers at the Folk Alliance Inrernational Conference in Kanasa City last weeked. Showcased lots of new releases and concert previews. Paid a small tribute to the radio DJ, Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was killed in the shooting at KC's Union Station. I might have met her at the conference had she not been shot. So sad.

Music from Justin Adams and Mauro Durante (who play the Blueshore Financial stage at Capilano University next Wednesday), Aleksi Campagne (playing at the Rogue Folk Club on Sunday March 3rd), Sinéad X Sanders and Pat Chessell (paying tribute to Shane MacGowan on March 2nd at The Rogue) and lots more! Including new music from Les Amazones d'Afrique, Sarah Jarosz, members of Le Vent Du Nord, and American Patchwork Quartet. More songs for Black History Month, and plenty of tracks which have inspired me this past week or so.

Once or twice a year CiTR is required to send a week's worth of playlists to the Canadian copyright society and protector of song creators. I can never understand why commercial radio and even the CBC is monitored by SOCAN every day, while community radio stations like CiTR are seldom monitored at all. Yet it is campus and community radio that gives a platform to the song creators who are largely unknown, but who are the essence of musical creativity. I would prefer to see SOCAN monitor campus and community radio every day, and only bother with commercial radio stations a couple of times per year. The artists who make the most money are the only ones benefitting from commercial airplay, while the real creators & innovators are seldom rewarded at all. So, whenever SOCAN week comes around, I strive to present music by underrepresented performers. Especially Canadian ones. Here is my latest effort ...

Music which made me fall in love with the idea of presenting a show at CiTR, and music which cemented that love by blowing my mind on a regular basis over the past 39 years of hosting this show. Sandwiched with anecdotes and repeated "spruiking" to try to persuade folk to support CiTR on this once per year Fundrive campaign. I hope it worked ....

A few songs by Portuguese singer Sara Tavares, who sadly died as a result of a brain tumour a couple of months ago. She was a vibrant young singer of Cape Verde music. Also new music by Swedish band Frander, Argentine actor / singer / activist Julieta Laso, stunning teenage Irish blues singer Muireann Bradley, Quebec songwriter Aleksi Campagne (one of Connie Kaldor's gifted sons), English folk activists Granny's Attic, and lots more. Plus concert previews of Morgan Toney, Medusa, and Windborne, and some of the latest nominees of Eire's RTE Trad Music Awards. Plus choice cuts from a few old favourites like Orchestra Baobab and Hazmat Modine.

Memories of our recent trip around Cape Horn, plus concert previews, new releases, a Falklands history lesson, and brief R.I.P to Cajun musician Jo-El Sonnier

Music from many performers who are coming to play Rogue shows in Vancouver in the next few months, and many more who have performed here in the last few years. All the other songs are from artists we would LOVE to see in town one day. Some day soon! We may be living in hard times and it's definitely too cold to go out today, but the music is amazing these days. Wrap yourself warmly in woolies and CiTR!

Continuing last week's theme, here are some more of my favourite albums of 2023 - a remarkable year for folk and roots music, with plenty of Canadians in the mix!