Sterling is returning from a recording session in Nashville Friday, so The Rev is broadcasting solo in the booth again this week. Today's episode focuses on the Cheatham Street Warehouse "Class of '87" group of singer-songwriters, that is, half a dozen young artists who frequented Kent Finlay's Songwriters Circle at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX in 1987 and went on to make names for themselves in the music industry. All six of the "Class of '87" artists are represented on today's show: Todd Snider, Hal Ketchum, Terri Hendrix, Bruce Robison, John Arthur Martinez, and James McMurtry.

The Rev is hosting solo in the booth this week as Sterling heads to Port A to play a gig with Dallas Burrow tonight at The Gaff. Guest artists today are a couple of the participants in this year's Young Songwriters Workshop, an annual program put on by Cheatham Street Music Foundation and held at The Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels, TX (a venue owned by Dallas Burrow and family). Students this year worked with artists Missoula Slim, Melissa Engleman, Sammy Wells (of The Trips), Hank Weaver, Dallas Burrow, Bri Bagwell, Sterling Finlay, and award-winning cowboy songwriter Dennis Jay.

16 year old Dylan Rhys-who traveled from Cypress, TX to attend YSW- was on the show last year after his first year in the YSW program; he returns to the KZSM studio today, and he's joined by 15 year old Tasman Sharp out of New Braunfels, TX, who was in the workshop for the first time this year. Each young man plays two phenomenal original songs in the back half hour of this episode. Prerecorded tracks spun by The Rev in the first half hour, and to end the show, include songs from William Clark Green, Dallas Burrow ft. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves, Carolyn Wonderland, and Gurf Morlix.

On this July 4th episode, The Rev and Sterling play songs about social issues and songs of protest, but because of an overnight deluge in the hill country, the first quarter hour is dedicated to sending our best to our neighbors who are dealing with flooding issues. The show begins with SRV playing Texas Flood and Couldn't Stand the Weather. After the first promo, the focus shifts to songs about social issues and songs of protest. Tracks included three covers from the late Victor Holk (Kill the Poor-Dead Kennedys, Rainbow Stew-Merle Haggard, Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag-Country Joe & the Fish); we also played Mercantile store by Good Medicine Band, We Can't Make It Here by James McMurtry, Antifa by Ministry, Deportee by Woody Guthrie, sung by Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger, and This Land is Your Land sung by the author, Woody Guthrie.

This week The Reverend and Sterling welcome Lynn Crossett back into the KZSM booth for his 3rd time as our guest. His new album, Autumn to August has just been released; produced by the great Lloyd Maines, the album is fantastic, and Lynn plays a couple of the songs (the title track & Coulda Been the Wine) live in the studio during this week's episode. The Rev and Sterling also plug the upcoming Young Songwriters Workshop that the Rev directs annually at The Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels, TX. Prerecorded tracks included songs from Butthole Surfers, Missoula Slim, Melissa Engleman, Hank Weaver, Bri Bagwell, Dennis Jay, and Sam Downing.

Sterling is traveling to a gig today, so The Reverend has his youngest daughter, Layla, in the booth to co-host a salute to funk and soul musicians from Texas. Sly Stone (born in Denton in 1943) passed away in L.A. this week at the age of 82, so The Rev has curated a playlist to shine a bright, colorful light on some of the great funk/soul artists to have come from our great state. Artists played on this episode: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Sly & the Family Stone, Barry White, Billy Preston, Edgar Winter's White Trash, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Blues Brothers 2000 ft. Erykah Badu, and The Suffers.

Last week, The Rev's daughter curated a playlist of up-and-coming artists that the young generation is listening to a lot. This week Sterling and The Rev go the other direction, spinning tracks that we heard in the house or in the car growing up with our dads. Artists played include Simon & Garfunkel, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson & Johnny Cash, James McMurtry, Hal Ketchum, Terri Hendrix, and George Strait.

Sterling is on the way to play a gig at The Old Quarter in Galveston with Dallas Burrow, so The Reverend has his oldest daughter, Alice, in the co-host's chair. Alice has curated a playlist of up-and-coming Texas artists the she and her young peers are really into, several of whom have not yet come to the attention of The Rev and Sterling. After kicking off with tunes from The Dixie Chicks and Harry Connick Jr. (the reason we spun a NOLA artist's track is explained in the episode), The Rev and Alice run listeners through Alice's playlist, which includes tracks from Kat Hasty, Braxton Keith, Turnpike Troubadours, Ty Myers, Cameron Sacky Band, Tyler Halverson, J.R. Carroll, Charley Crockett, and Miranda Lambert.

Local high schools are having graduation ceremonies this weekend, and local universities held ceremonies a couple of weeks ago, so The Reverend and Sterling salute the accomplishments of all local graduates with songs from artists who were educated--high school, college, or both--in Texas. Artists played included Alice Cooper, William Clark Green, John Denver, Bill Whitbeck, Michael Martin Murphey, Blue October, Los Spark Notes, Polyphonic Spree, and George Strait.

The Reverend is flying solo in the booth today while Sterling retrieves a '61 Ford Falcon he bought in Austin. The Rev spends part of the show on a shoutout to moms, during which he played track from Sons of Fathers, Okkervil River, Big John Mills, and Randy Travis. The rest of the show was a musical mixed bag, with tracks from The Trips, Dustin Welch, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Nathan Hamilton, Steve Miller Band, Boz Skaggs, and Matt the Electrician.

The Reverend and Sterling celebrate Willie Nelson, who turned 92 this week, by deep-diving his catalog for songs not generally heard on the radio. Tracks played included Matador, She is Gone, Mr. Shuck & Jive (Willie & Waylon), Alice in Hulaland (Willie & Haggard), Whiter Shade of Pale, Always on My Mind (David Beck's Tejano Weekend), Hands on the Wheel, Bach's Minuet in G, Stuff the Works, You Show Me Yours and I'll Show You Mine, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Instrumental), The Devil's Right Hand (The Highwaymen), and The Great Divide.