Routes & Branches & Beyond

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 In the odd chance that you are interested in a range of celtic and roots music, you may enjoy this weekly show.  As I used to say, it is a way to travel the world without changing planes in Halifax.  Each 1-hour show features a unique range of tunes and songs, along with lots of context.  The following are links to some of the recent shows.  Click on the show to open it: 

• 161. Time: Episode # 2 -  Good time, old time, hard time, a little more time, any old time, old before our time, doing our time, new time, even tea time.
• 160. Time: Episode # 1 - marking time with Barcelona bluegrass, existential Afropop, blues and torch, country psychodelia, sweet Mennonite hymns and lusty shanties that it is all downhill from here.
• 159. Early November Rambles - tongue-twisting Welsh tunes, heavy metal Irish trad, warm Yukon tales, tear-stained Scottish patriotism, celtic swamp fusion, strident art folk and sprightly tunes of woolgathering.
• 158. Cardinal Directions: North, #4 - one last wistful look at the lure and beauty and danger of the north, and a reminder that the postal code of the soul of Canada starts with an "A"
• 157. Cardinal Directions: North, #3 - blackfly blues, hapless explorers, camp songs and the beauty of everyday things.
• 156. October Rambles, #2 - some music for a gloomy world with power reels, Berlin Speed Polka, Gaelic milking songs and  and the inspiration of multiculturalism.
• 155. October Rambles, # 1 -  a meandering path, from Shetland tunes about ship rigging and late sleeping, to complicated love stories, to music from the threshold of the world of fairies.
• 154. Covid Cancellations, # 4 - some artists I planned to see live this summer, until a large obstcle appered.  But I'm not bitter.
• 153. Cardinal Directions: North, #2 - we breath the fresh air of the north, with baroque trad, ballads about flies, and new Inuktitut Roots from Iqaluit.
• 152. Cardinal Directions: North, #1 - we head in my favourite direction, north, and find there rocks, trees, jigs, soul singers, dazzling lights, the back o' the north wind, rocks and trees.  Did I mention rocks and trees?
• 151. September Rambles Two - celtic, bluegrass, Quebecois, Zydeco, Metis, and a rant on the desecration of rural Canada.
• 150. September Rambles One - despite being freed from the tyranny of a theme, it seems that we end up listening to the same peculiar mix of music as always.  See if you agree.
• 149.  Covid Cancellations, # 3 - music of joy and melancholy, hope and uncertainty, simplicity and complexity - kind of like life itself. 
• 148. The August Rambles - cross-cultural encounters with accordions and fiddles, a Canadian reggae rendition of a British chestnut, Black Sabbath meets the bagpipes, guitar surf rock about a funeral fashion faux pas, and an anthem of hope that the US turns toward democracy.
• 147. The Cardinal Directions: East (3) -  tenor banjos, folk pioneers, tight mountain harmonies, frenetic contra dances, down east trad hooks, Tuvan throat singing, gypsy punk excess and wildcrafted new music .
• 146. The Cardinal Directions: East (2) - gritty jive, pop ballads, alt-country and eastern, classical plugs in and goes east, bouncy chica groove grunge and other adjectives.
• 145. The Cardinal Directions: East (1) - Irish-Balkan-Belgian vindaloo, big band rockabilly, Mennonite celtic rock, Scottish mood, Ethiopian reggae jazz, all celebrating East.
• 144. July Rambles -  symphonic fiddles, fiery mandolins, harp tangos, Acadian jam bands, Norwegian hardanger hoedowns, Scottish snaps, and gospel drinking music.
• 143. The Cardinal Directions: South (3) -  a set of rousing, twisted, progressive, relaxed and gloriously chaotic music.  Speed-folk & Latingrass & more.
• 142. The Cardinal Directions: South (2) - what happens in the south, doesn't stay there.  Fortunately.  We haul back waltzes, airs, ballads, parade songs and some Trad Goth.
• 141. The Cardinal Directions: South (1) - a set of tunes, ethereal and sublime - and a few of their musical opposites, to celebrate the south of the mind, the south of the heart, and anywhere just a bit south of where you are at the moment.
• 140. New Music for a New Season -  to celebrate the moment, this show features pecuniary polkas, frenetic Irish slides from Glasgow, lusty (but appropriately physically-distanced) shanties, Danish hygge, Finnish romance, wild waltzes and happy hopsas.
• 139. The Covid Cancellations, #2 - more shows I didn't see, with music that is joyous, angsty, charmingly-accurate, mellow, brassy, world-wise and road-worthy.
• 138. The Cardinal Directions: West (#2) - another show celebrating points western with plunkin' banjos, ethereal whistles, dusty cowboy tales, ominous Irish-Americana, deep-throated singers and utopian yearnings.
• 137. The Cardinal Directions: West (#1) - wherever you are, someplace is still further west; celebrating that with gypsy swing,folk punk, fancy harmonies, and troublesome creeks.
• 136. The Covid Cancellations, #1 - artists I was going to see in concert before all of this other stuff happened - crooked tunes, maritime laments, hillbilly melodies and more.
• 135. May Rambles, still with Physical Distancing - interceltic tunes, jaunty songs, honky-tonkin', Chines music from Turkey and Beethoven played on power tools.  Yes, power tools.
• 134. May Rambles, with Physical Distancing - crumhorn folk, existential bluegrass, respect for bodhran players, chamber blues, a prod to the big banks to share the pain, and more.
• 133. Celebrating May Month, part 2 - dusty ballads, flowery sweetness, young life gone astray, songs of love and lust and thing in between.
• 132. Celebrating May Month, part 1 - songs, tunes and traditions of the happiest month of the year.
• 131. Some New Sounds for April - Flemish swing, Galway celtgrass, hopeful blues, Scottish chamber-trad, Euro-dance and a Breton shanty.
• 130.  April (Virtual) Rambles - songs of fish-gutters, spit & polish and haggis eggs, all broadcast from a safe distance.
• 129. The Comforts of Home, Part 3 - more songs about home, written by musicians who are always on the road.
• 128. The Comforts of Home, Part 2 - we continue to celebrate our homes as a place of refuge - and one of the few places that we are legally allowed to be these days...
• 127. The Comforts of Home, Part 1 -  due to Covid-19, we are all spending more time at home than we'd thought possible.  So I play tracks that explore the glory and comfort of a place of refuge.
• 126. Around the Old Peat Fire, Part 2 - another week of Irish music, with  tunes about bonnets, pullets, fiddle cushions, and petticoats; and songs of jolly ploughmen with breath as sweet as a rose and of the hope for peace throughout all of Ireland. 
• 125. Around the Old Peat Fire, Part 1 -    a celebration of Irish music with  rollicking tenor banjos, keening uillean pipes, peripatetic concertinas, frenetic fiddles, yearning vocals and  mid-set key changes.  Guardians and Innovators. 
• 124. March Rambles -   kitchen parties, singing kettles, lush harps, swirling kilts, calming chambergrass, all with a celtic Kiss 
• 123. The St. David's Day Welsh Show - rippling triple harps, deft accordions, insistent pibgorns, soaring fiddles, crystal-clear voices, polite diddling,  morris tunes of grace and gravitas, and plenty of idioglot reed aerophones.
• 122. February Rambles - kanteles, double entendres, flamenco bagpipes, frenetic banjo blues and some cracking good singles
• 121. The Relatively Recent - jolly, demure, sublime, haunting, joyful tracks recently birthed to our world
• 120. Love, etc. -  gaelic baroque, cosmopolitan rural banjo, fairy tales of domestic love, Zeppelinized hayseed music, rebellious gypsy punk, cowboy rumba, delightful jazzy odes to jilted love & deft tunes about clumsy love. 
• 119. January Rambles # 2 -  chambergrass for the lowdown highbrows, shimmering harps, acid croft tunes about folk police and old music so authentic you'll get a Folklore credit if you listen to the whole track.  
• 118. January Rambles #1 - emigration laments, Irish harp slides,Arabic-Spanish pessimism, the AC/DC of celtic punk, old-timey trouble in your mind, jazzed-up Hank, and a melodeon update of a Beatles classic 
• 117. Changes, part two - more introspection with old-timey retro, bluegrassified Zeppelin,cowboy songs full of premonition and tremolo, evocative flutes, Irish abandon, soaring guitars and oud-driven gospel 
• 116. Changes, part one - some annual introspection with waves of bluegrass, ethereal harmonies, dreamy Arabic-Gypsy anthems and more.
• 115. Trading in an old year for a new year -  yearning waltzes, moist-eyed anthems, complicated ballads, unrepentant jigs,  and gospel shouts. 
• 114. A World of Christmas -polkas, Galician odes, little papa Noels naughty mackerels and mixed marriage music.
• 113. Christmas Rambles in the Celtic Realm - shepherds, stars, confused kings and ding dong merrily on high.
• 112. Party Tyme -  honouring the season of parties, with spooky Orkney tunes, quilting ballads, hogmanay trad house, new age reggae bluegrass positivity and Breton electronic stomp .
• 111. Stovepiles & Woodpiles - sparks, smokey banjos, muddy water and homesteading.
• 110. November Rambles, #2 - reckless slip jigs, early morning accordions, mystical celtblues and untamed bluegrass.
• 109. November Rambles, #1 - a chance to play some music from various traditions - fusion, but no fuzak!
• 108. Celebrating Light, in the Midst of Shortening Days - we glory in the delight of light, with gaelic rhythm & swing, Russo-Finnish polka & roll, art country and Belizean-Canadian worldbeat.
• 107. Bonfires and Beyond - as temperatures decrease in northern climates, we gather around fires to listen to curious and enticing tunes.
• 106. Honouring the Spirits - progressive soul dance appalachian high-octane exuberant pagan classics to celebrate the time of year.
• 105. The October Rambles -  Austro-Caledonian tune sets, feather-fingered guitar, medieval Danish mouthbow fusion, and more
• 104. Songs of Turkey and Pumpkins... and Beyond - music of the ,turkey and pumpkin season, and some distractions added in - like the holiday itself!
• 103. The Delights of Meetings - fresh from a conference, I celebrate meetings, with fun combinations of sounds, ska ceilidhs, Quebec gypsy jazz, Scottish house trance, Breton free jazz and spacegrass.
• 102. Embracing Autumn - we celebrate the start of this wonderful season with erhus, steampunk, questionable pedigrees and fingerlicking good guitar.
• 101. New Releases - a scattered lot of new releases to increase our general sense of joy
• 100. Celebrating 100 with Random Number Generation - a selection from the early shows, Icelandic motown reggae, nordic trad jazz and whale fat rendering chanties.
• 99. Summer Rambles, #10 - the last of our summer folly, with mid-life angst, controlled substances, famous Canuck canines and Hebridean be-bop.
• 98. Summer Rambles, #9 - the usual blasts of fiddle mixed in with ethereal pagan spirituality.
• 97. Summer Rambles, #8 - outlaw folk, flea market love, false teeth and a downpour of heavenly partiness.
• 96. Summer Rambles, #7 - Serbian trumpets, elephants on the Highlands, percussive suitcases, butter & snow, koras & guitars.
• 95. Summer Rambles, #6 - songs of lovers (fair and foul), foggy bluegrass, Cuban trad, ethereal trios,  anthemic folk rock and Herring bribes.
• 94. Summer Rambles, #5 - Irish neo-pagan anthems, wise sextons, the joys of biking, Farmer's Market bluegrass and the Great Shetland Fiddle.
• 93. Summer Rambles, #4 - cosmic banjo, fencing masters, clumsy lovers, Scottish industrial swing, old farmers not doing well, and little fish in tins.
• 92. Summer Rambles, #3 - Gaelic tweed-working songs, Maritime love, uke-driven summer laziness, and high-brow camping songs.
• 91, Summer Rambles, #2 - bluegrassified Lightfoot, Hogtown syncopations, Gaelic funk, alt-folk from Ferney, and more
• 90. Summer Rambles, #1 - Irish soul, Canadian blues, Appalachian roots and a Full English.
• 89. My Canada Includes These, part 2 - bog trots, swing punk, Breton trances and other Canadian tracks.
• 88. My Canada Includes These, part 1 - Canadian artists that are part of the texture of our music, but that I've never played on the radio
• 87. Approaching Summer - new beer, old cheese, and life-affirming bonfires.
• 86, Leftovers - tracks that I had prepared, but didn't have time to play, from former shows.
• 85. From the VOBB Vaults, Episode 2 - a second set of tunes and songs collected from the dusty basement labyrinth of the Voice of Bonne Bay radio station
• 84. From the VOBB Vaults, Episode 1 - a set of tunes and songs collected from the dusty basement labyrinth rooms of the Voice of Bonne Bay radio station
• 83. New Releases Double Plays - a half dozen new CDs, and I play two tracks from each.  Because I can.
• 82. To Honour Victoria, and All Queens Everywhere - celebrating the woman who gave us a long weekend in May
• 81. A Visit to Australia Through Music - a mix of sounds from another side of the world
• 80. Tell us lies and feed us candy: celebrating election season - a selection of tracks about indecision, promises made, and hope.
• 79. Look What I Found - some modern archaeology uncovers CDs under papers on my desk.
• 78. Easter and Beyond - shows about rabbits and chocolate, but no chocolate rabbits...
• 77. Spring Cleaning on my CD Shelves - a variety of tracks from twangers to blues to bagpipes to arena rock.
• 76. New releases for a new season - a mix of new songs, from the pious to the profane, the ribald to the revolutionary.
• 75, Music from the Happiest Country on Earth - a joyous set of tunes and songs from Finland
• 74.  The Emerald Isle, part 2 - still more time to focus on a still-wider range of Irish music
• 73. The Emerald Isle, part 1 - a time to focus on a range of Irish music
• 72. Stayin' Home - a time to relax with some home-grown talent.
• 71. Marches for March Month - celebrating the only month that is also a popular music time signature
• 70. Music for a stormy day, or week, or month - a wide selection of songs with "storm" in the title, in case you need to hunker down this winter
• 69. Love and all that cozy stuff - some dandy songs and tunes about love - the good kind and the type that goes awry
• 68. Stayin' Close to Home - some Canadian tracks about paving roads and more.
• 67. Classic Nederfolk - classic tracks from the 70s and 80s folk-rock genre in the Netherlands
• 66. The Land of Cheese and Bicycles - a wander through some of the roots and folk and Nordic noir of Danish music.
• 65. Bring Your Passport - new releases from last year, including Gaelic crossovers, African remakes of American pop songs, Cumbia meets the Mediterranean, and more.
• 64. A Week in Music at Our Place - I clear off a random shelf of CDs and play them before they get filed away
• 63. New Music for a New Year - a set of recent releases to welcome another year
• 62. Getting Creative with Christmas - a show of some of my favourite cross-over genre-benders of the season
• 61. Hail Smiling Morn - a few songs of Christmas, as well as a healthy dose of pub carols
• 60. Happy Belated Hanukkah - the spirit of Hanukkah (light over darkness, good over evil) is still with us, even if the latkes are all eaten.
• 59. Welcoming December Quietly - a set of tracks, on the quiet side, that have December somewhere in the title.
• 58. The Road Trip Mix - a collection of music that served as a sound track to a recent road trip through a snowy NL
• 57. Order in Randomness - a random collection of tracks that seems to gain a logic in listening them together
• 56. Redoing Dylan - a set of covers of Bob Dylan songs
• 55. The Thrift Shop Show - all tracks that were purchased at the finest of thrift stores
• 54. Celebrating a New Month - with a set of new releases
• 53. Ghosts and Graves - a set of songs for Hallowe'en and associated celebrations
• 52. CDs from my car - these have been riding around with me for too long - it's time to play them on a show