CiTR -- The Saturday Edge

Featuring lots of performers from this weekend's Canmore Folk Festival, and including many of my personal favourites from almost 40 years of hosting this show. Some new releases too, and a few birthday tunes. Self-indulgence? You bet!

Paying homage to Malian kora master Toumani Diabate who died this week. Such a sad loss. Also to English blues legend John Mayall, also gone this week. Previews of Vancouver concerts by The Decemberists, Molly Tuttle, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss coming soon. And a feature on this weekend's Mission Folk Festival. It's SOCAN week, too, so lots of Canadians in the mix

Sitting alone in an open-sided tent in the Community Village at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival in Jericho Beach Park I ran ths week's selection of tunes from my iPhone! Featured music by performers at this festival, plus similar events in Harrison Hot Springs, Duncan, and Canmore and Edmonton. Also featured the brilliant new CD by The Decemberists

It's Island Musicfest weekend in Courtenay BC, and there are folk festivals coming up in Harrison Hot Springs, Vancouver's Jericho Beach Park, Duncan (Islands Folk Festival), Mission's Fraser River Heritage Park, and over The Rockies in Canmore and Edmonton. Exciting times! Here are some of my expected highlights of these events, plus a good long look at Scots "acid croft" pioneers, Shooglenifty,...

This week CiTR ran a live broadcast from the Khatsalano Street Festival and my show was preempted. So I made this special edition of festival previews and new releases featuring a large number of tracks by performers coming to various festivals in the next few weeks: Island Musicfest (Courtenay, July 12-14), Harrison Festival of The Arts (July 12 - 21), Vancouver Folk Festival (July 19-21), Island...

New releases and music by many of the artists coming to Canadian Folk Festivals this Summer. RIP to Bic Hoang, half of Vancouver's Vietnamese duo Khac Chi, who passed away this week. Another sad loss to the local music community. Plus a few concert previews and an interview with Irish playwright and actor Aidan Dooley, who performed his one-man play about Antarctic Explorer Tom Crean on this Satur...

No theme this week just a whole lot of new releases and folk festival previews. Mostly Canadian too. Also R.I.P. to Algeria's rockin' queen of the desert blues Hasna El Becharia, and nod to NL's Rum Ragged, whose instruments were wrecked by Air Canada last week (but AC will pay the repair bill and they found the lost bouzouki, too).

I say a fond farewell to French pop star Françoise Hardy, who died this week at age 80. She was such a beautiful woman and was one of the main cover girls in Europe in the early 1960s. It's also Bloomsday on Sunday, so I've added a couple of Joycean references. Also featured new music from the July issue of Songlines magazine, and there were a load of new releases from all over the world on top of...

Paying respect to Scottish singer Rod Paterson (Easy Club, Ceolbeg, etc.) who passed away this week. He had such a wonderful, rich, deep voice! Lots of new releases from across Canada and beyond, and a few concert previews: Teddy Thompson (in town next Sunday 16th at The Rogue), Missy Raines (Anza Club the following night), Shooglenifty (at The Rogue on July 18th), Molly Tuttle (Hollywood Theatre,...

Exactly 39 years ago to the day I hosted my first ever radio show at CiTR. Played some of my favourite tunes from the past 39 years, alongside lots of new releases and folk festival previews.

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 Mu...

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 Musi...

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 sti...

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 Plankenho...

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 Ame...

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...