Routes & Branches & Beyond

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 stream or download it:

Recent (and not so recent) Shows

194. Remember Concerts...? #5 - hip hop flamenco, mournful Irish slides, Finno-Ugric warnings about choosing a wise husband, Algerian funk, and Scottish tunes dragged (screaming) out of an electric guitar.
193. Remember Concerts...? #4. - an all-Canada show with steel pan jigs, barnyards, bon buveurs, mighty big cars, New York girls, and ending with a magic carpet ride .
192. Remember Concerts...? #3 - Get out your sun screen and glow sticks and let's listen to some live music!
191. Remember Concerts...? #2 - Pack up your mask and hand sanitizer and your vaccinated self and head on over for some live music.
190. Remember Concerts...? #1 - a seclec tion of music recorded at festivals and concerts, to remind us of the joys we have opening up before us slowly... oh, so slowly....
189. In the Garden #5 (or is that "Dans le Jardin?") - more songs about gardens, mostly in French, pour votre plaisir.
188. In the Garden #4 - songs of ploughboys, jolly and mundane, quiet and roving, pretty and simple.
187. In the Garden #3 - more songs about reaping what you sow and the dangers of laziness.
186. In the Garden #2 - a smattering of songs from the intersection of gardening and farming, and coming from hither and yon. But mostly from yon.
185. In the Garden #1 - songs and tunes dragged from obscurity, dusted off, outfitted in some genteel duds, and mixed with some new ingredients.,
184. April Rambles # 4 - genre-jumping tracks chosen with random abandon.
183. April Rambles # 3 - foggy love, gentle Greenlandic music, ruthlessly ancient groove, aboriginal funk fusion, Inuktitut roots and more.
182. April Rambles # 2 - reels, desires, chestnuts, celebrations and forest management.
181. April Rambles # 1 - angst, sadness, romanticization and gentle energy for the emergence of spring.
180. The April Fool - songs and tunes that celebrate (and sometimes commiserate with) the fool in all of us.
179. March Rambles - fiddling stepdancers, retrofitted country wailing, jazzy trad harp, modern 60s folk from the Trans-Siberian Railway, Scottish sock-hop teeny-bop classics, Russian songs about splitting headaches, and more.
178. Paddy in Song and Tune, part 2 - we tag along with Paddy while he is feeling rakish, lamentatious, thoughful, at work or with rambling on his mind (which is most of the time).
177. Paddy in Song and Tune, part 1 - we follow the exploits of Paddy, whether they be to heaven, to the Punjab, to Trinidad, even to the kitchen and the sauna.
176. A March-ing Show - March is the only month that is a direct command, and so on this show we will march!
175. A February Rambles - spirited Acadiana, Old-time Irish hoedowns, slack key therapy, country folk gratitude, introspective pub bands and original trad tunes.
174. Love and all that, part 2 - another hour about love, as therapy, challenge, lottery, lament, and occasionally a prime site for awkwardness.
173. Love and all that, part 1 - exploring the finest of human emotions with Finnish folk, appalachian mountain longbow, bluegrass indie, Cajun gumbo, rowdy folk, high lonesome nasal arias, Afro-Irish fusion, and old-time down-home cowboy rumba.
172. Celtic Connections 2021 - a few selected highlights from artists at this year's Glasgow-based Celtic Connections festival. Can you spare an hour for Scotland?
171. January Rambles # 2 - brassy folk orchestral stylings, multicultural delights from Kosovo, honky-tonk wisdom and cello-led-boundary-blurring world folk, and more.
170. January Rambles # 1 - complex indie folkrock, Covid fiddle projects, tips on foie gras production, Appalachian music from rural China, an American bluegrass legend sings Canadiana, a Danish accordionist goes Reggae and some sizzling Romani jazz
169. Songs of new, episode 3 - new post offices, barn dances, souls, copper plates, songs, rigged ships, burying grounds, even new car smells
168. Songs of new, episode 2 - still more songs about new years and lands and songs and dances and countrries and plans and reels and moons and even hats - imagine that!
167. Songs of New, episode 1 - celebrating things new - whether they be mornings or shoes or even the new Math.
166. Familiar Music for an Unfamiliar Year, # 2 - Kings, cherry trees, dances, lights, wonder, ivy, hope, peace, joy & love.
Low Context Christmas Show #2 for 2020 - Jingle Jangle Aeroplanes, trees, rebels, smiling morns, moons, noels, bells, flambeaux and ding dongs .
Low Context Christmas Show #1 for 2020 - lots of frost and wassail and carols and bells and even the angel Santa... or was that Gabriel?
165. Familiar Music for an Unfamiliar Year, # 1 - bells, heralds, shepherds, boar's heads, solstice carols, merry gentlemen
164. December Rambles - Gaelic kinship, French perfume, flamin' hen factories, Australian house blessings, soaring waltzes and new music from lockdown.
163. Time: Episode # 4 - times a' changin', time to ring some changes, long time comin', so little time, jigtime and last time for time.
162. Time: Episode # 3 - Time - a bunch of it, pressed for it, doin' it, take your time and do it right, and does anybody really know what time it is?
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 sho

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Routes & Branches & Beyond

Recent (and not so recent) Shows