Listening Lyrics

Justin Cox hails from Winters, California. He fronts The Polyorchids, the band he is most associated with. He plays guitar and the keys, and you got to love his vocals. We discussed his life as an artist during the Covid-19 shutdown and how it affects his creativity. Justin's latest venture is a podcast about Jackson Browne called "After The Deluge," and each episode reviews and analyses a specific album. The podcasts include an interesting array of guests. This is one good hour of fine info and great music. If interested, go to any podcast app and search for "After The Deluge." You just won't regret it.

Preacher Cleveland, host of “Praise Time with Preacher” on KDRT, takes over the “Listening Lyrics” spot this Friday, June 19 at 4 PM with a special show to commemorate Juneteenth, celebrated each June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, the most remote of all slave states, where on that date in 1865, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Here in Davis, Juneteenth is typically celebrated at a huge community event sponsored by The Culture Co-op, the Yolo County Library and other community partners, but in the absence of large gatherings, Preacher is stepping up to offer this programming to the community.

The show will be a mix of history, touching on topics from the evolution of Juneteenth to the Tulsa Massacre, weaving in songs of protest and praise, and connecting it all to the current-day Black Lives Matter Movement.

In this episode we interview two singer/songwriters, and talk about how the Covid-19 isolation and BLM have influenced their writing. 

Nancy Northrup can be found at nancynorthrup.com

Karen Stockton can be found on YouTube

A big thanks to Preacher Cleveland for taking the mic last week in honor of Juneteenth. Listen to the show here

From Pieter: This episode was recorded in my home studio, using a MacBook Air, Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones, Yedi BLUE microphone, Zoom (for the interview), Garageband, and iMovie (to process the MP4 Zoom file to an audio MP3 file).

Niall Woods (AKA Nylophone), who hails from Wicklow, Ireland, painstakingly tweaks his songs on a modest recording set-up at home before passing them on to a pro to have live drums mixed in and a few bells and whistles added. You can hear the influence of '60s artists such as The Beach Boys and Del Shannon in the neatly arranged bittersweet tunes that always clock in under 4 minutes, but more modern influences make the final result sound more akin to Ariel Pink. Nylophone's music typically features trickling guitar parts and layers of synth with catchy melancholic vocals on top. Bright melodies are contrasted with darker themes, or vice versa. Nylophone can also be found on Spotify and Facebook.

From Pieter: If you enjoyed this program, please hit the like button on the Listening Lyrics Facebook page. If you're interested in appearing on the show, hit me up at [email protected].

This episode was recorded in my home studio, using a MacBook Air, Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones, Yedi BLUE microphone, Zoom (for the interview), Garageband, and iMovie (to process the MP4 Zoom file to an audio MP3 file).

Lillian Frances is a sonic collager hailing from Davis, CA. She was a Polly Pocket in a past life, and draws inspiration from the creative nature of children. While crafting her music, Frances isn’t bothered by genre, or motivated to create in a particular style. One minute she leads you through a poppy, textured dream-land, the next you tumble into sparse, trappy beats as Lillian glides effortlessly between English and Spanish.

Her unique alt-pop style has been compared to Lorde, Sylvan Esso, and Billie Eilish. On June 5, she will hand over the keys to Moonrise Queendom, her debut album.

Her 2018 EP, Timeism, was praised by NPR's Heavy Rotation, Indie Shuffle, and Cap Radio. Past festivals include Sacramento PorchFest, the Davis Music Festival (2017, 2019), and the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival (2018, 2019, 2020); notable performances include opening for Sylvan Esso, and playing alongside Shakey Graves, Sage the Gemini, and Lexi Panterra.

From Pieter: If you enjoyed this program, please hit the like button on the Listening Lyrics Facebook(link is external) page. If you're interested in appearing on the show, hit me up at [email protected](link sends e-mail).

This episode was recorded in my home studio, using a MacBook Air, Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones, Yedi BLUE microphone, Zoom (for the interview), Garageband, and iMovie (to process the MP4 Zoom file to an audio MP3 file).

Jacob Swedlow is a talented and beautiful human being. In a far-ranging interview he shares with us his music, and how Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter storm affected him -- all of it influencing his own being and his creativity.

The best I can do is let Jacob talk a little about himself:

"My name is Jacob Swedlow, and I am a drummer, composer, vibraphonist, and teacher from Sacramento. After being exposed to Black American music at a young age, I have developed a deep passion for the history, culture, and innovation of the music, as well as the urge to play it! After my first few professional performances, I realized that this was the path for me.

"Since then, I have had some great opportunities to travel the world, perform, and record my music with many great musicians. While in high school, my various bands were accepted to many prestigious festivals, such as the Next Generation Jazz Festival (Monterey), the Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival (New York), and the Charles Mingus jazz Festival (also New York). I was invited to participate in the prestigious Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony (Lake Tahoe), where I was one of five drummers. Throughout my musical career, I have also taken on several students, of different ages and levels. I have had students take lessons on a variety of subjects including: drums, mallet/pitched percussion, piano, music theory, and composition.

"I am a recent graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, where I had the opportunity to learn from legendary musicians such as Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson, and Jay Ashby. While attending Oberlin, I have auditioned, and have been accepted, to such highly prestigious, all-expenses paid programs such as the the Generations in Jazz Master class (Frauenfeld, Switzerland), as well as the Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

"If it weren’t for the Black Americans who have created the music we all love and profit from, there would be no festivals, programs, or performances for me to participate in. I am constantly studying the history of Black music in America, as well as the innovators who have created it. In these times, it is more important than ever for white musicians to stand up and fight for the Black lives that are being harmed."

From Pieter: If you enjoyed this program, please hit the like button on the Listening Lyrics Facebook page. If you're interested in appearing on the show, hit me up at [email protected] episode was recorded in my home studio, using a MacBook Air, Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones, Yedi BLUE microphone, Zoom (for the interview), Garageband, and iMovie (to process the MP4 Zoom file to an audio MP3 file).