Episode 152: Young Running

Folk Roots Radio on May 31 2014 (Episode 152) featured our usual mix of great music, and we also had an interview with James Moss from Toronto-based folk-roots band Young Running; they will be performing in Cambridge ON on Friday June 6.

As always, we started off the show with our mystery theme, a series of six songs that have something in common. This week it was a rather easy one, as we took the opportunity to promote and borrow from this past weekend’s Guelph Dance Festival with, as expected, creating a dance theme.

There is no shortage of good songs about dancing so it wasn’t too difficult to pick the songs. We started with Kate and Anna McGarrigle and “Dancer with Bruised Knees” and ended with Lou Reed and “Modern Dance” by way of Lauren Mann And The Fairly Odd Folk (this year’s CBC Searchlight contest winners). We also included my fan favourites, The Proclaimers and The Waterboys, as well as Lykke Li.

It was sad to learn that Maya Angelou passed away last week; she was truly an amazing poet and a very inspiring individual. I’m not sure how many of her poems have been set to music, but Ben Harper did a great job with one of my favourites – “(And Still) I’ll Rise” on his debut album “Welcome To The Cruel World”. For me it was a no brainer to reach back to that song as a tribute to Maya Angelou. She will be missed but what a legacy she leaves behind.

This week’s Guilty Pleasure was Candi Staton and “Young Hearts Run Free”, a popular song around the discos in 1977. It reached number 20 on the Billboard hot 100 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Thank you to Miriam for this great suggestion. Miriam described it as being a youth anthem when she was growing up, a time when she was (as she put it) absolutely not interested in settling down any time soon! Enough said about that, then.

Later in the show we had an interview with James Moss from Toronto-based folk-roots band Young Running, they will be performing in Cambridge ON on Friday June 6 at the Galt Club (2nd floor above Cafe 13), 13 Main St, Galt, Cambridge at 7 p.m. Young Running have already shared the stage with Ron Sexsmith, Colin James, Terri Clark and more. They recently released their second collection, an E.P. Coming Home. Their show is part of the Vinyl Cafe House Concert Series. Cover cost is only $10.

As usual, we wrapped it all up with a mix of new and not so new music that we believe you need to hear. Special mention must be made of Kerri Powers and her great self-titled new album. As well as, “Tarpaper Sky”, the fabulous new long player from perennial favourite Rodney Crowell, and the playful genre-crossing collaboration between Toronto-based reggae-singing multi-instrumentalist Wilson and folk fiddle legend Dave Swarbrick, “Lion Rampant”. We could fill an entire show of songs from these three albums alone, never mind all the other great music out there that needs your attention.

Well, that’s about all we have time for this week. You can find the full playlist for the show below. Thanks to all the artists who share their music with us, and thank you for listening. We’ll see you next week!

You can listen to the show again in the CFRU 93.3fm archive HERE.

Mystery theme: “Dance”

Kate and Anna McGarrigle
Dancer With Bruised Knees
Dancer With Bruised Knees (1977, Warner Bros) CDN

Lauren Mann And The Fairly Odd Folk
Dance With Me
Over Land And Sea (2012, Wanderer) CDN

The Proclaimers
Dance With Me
Like Comedy (2012, Cooking Vinyl)

The Waterboys
Sweet Dancer
An Appointment With Mr Yeats (2011, Proper Records)

Lykke Li
Dance With Me
Youth Novels (2008, Atlantic)

Lou Reed
Modern Dance
Ecstasy (2000, Warner Music)

Ben Harper
I’ll Rise
Welcome To The Cruel World (1993, Virgin)

Bry Webb
AM Blues
Free Will (2014, Idee Fixe) CDN

Holly Williams
Waiting On June
The Highway (2013, Georgina Records)

Wilson & Swarbrick
Red Rose Medley: My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose / No Woman No Cry
Lion Rampant (2014, Shirty Records) CDN

This week’s Guilty Pleasure:
Candi Staton
Young Hearts Run Free
Young Hearts Run Free (1977, Warner Bros)

Kerri Powers
Come Around
Kerri Powers (2014, Self)

Linda Thompson
If I Were A Bluebird
Won’t Be Long Now (2013, Topic)

Jennis
Fight No More
The Current (2014, Self) CDN

Kathy Kallick
Tryin’ So Hard To Get To You
Cuts To The Chase (2014, Live Oak Records)

Ron Sexsmith
Nowhere To Go
Forever Endevour (2013, Cooking Vinyl) CDN

Young Running
Quiver Of Smoke
Coming Home E.P. (2013, Power Music) CDN

Interview: James Moss from Toronto-based folk-roots band “Young Running” joined us to talk about their show in Cambridge ON on Friday June 6. www.youngrunning.com

Young Running
Coming Home
Coming Home E.P. (2013, Power Music) CDN

Robert Ellis
Only Lies
The Lights From The Chemical Plant (2014, New West)

Rodney Crowell
The Long Journey Home
Tarpaper Sky (2014, New West)

Theme:
Mary Margaret O’Hara
Anew Day
Miss America (1988, Virgin) CDN

Background Music:
Bob MacLean
Rose Of Allendale
Six Strings North of the Border Volume 2 (2005, Borealis) CDN

Jayme Stone
Andrea Berget
Room of Wonders (2005, Self) CDN

Lawrence Blatt
Into the Abyss/Infra Red
The Colour of Sunshine (2009, LMB Music)

Jon Park Wheeler
Reverie
Six Strings North Of The Border Volume 1 (2005, Borealis) CDN