The Yolo County Breakdown

This week Rocky has a brand new single from Daron Tate which is a cover of a classic Robert Earl Keen song along with a cover of a Bob Dylan song sung by the inimitable Sarah Jarosz. Plus a tune from the Bill Monroe era that included Jimmy Martin and Sonny Osborne as Bluegrass Boys. Enjoy!

Two absolute legends join Rocky this week. One plays the banjo like no one else on earth, and one sings with a voice that comes from another planet altogether. Bela Fleck and Renee Fleming are two artists at the absolute top of their fields and they have partnered up for a new album called The Fiddle and the Drum. This week they join Rocky and have a conversation you will not want to miss.

Rocky keeps the FundRaiser rolling with some rollicking banjo and fiddle music. If you appreciate what KDRT does, then meander on over to kdrt.org/donate and share your love. We thank you. We really do...

It's Fundraiser time for KDRT! Show your love for Rocky and all things bluegrass by heading over to KDRT.org/donate and making a contribution. No matter how big or small, every dollar helps! Keep the bluegrass spinning and keep the station strong. Rocky appreciates you...

This week features a couple great John Hartford covers as well as some classics from the likes of Norman Blake and the Allen Brothers. Rocky also takes a look at some of Bill Monroe's major influences - from Uncle Pen through Arnold Shultz. See where the Father of it all got his ideas!

Some of the bluegrass purists out there revile at the sound of drums in their bluegrass. Rocky tries to remedy this by playing a set of tunes that use drums effectively. Ickes & Hensley, John Hartford, the Osborne Brothers, and Doc, Earl & Ricky all take part. What's your take? Is this bluegrass if it includes a stick on a snare?

This week Rocky has a chat with bluegrass and Americana/country icon, Jim Lauderdale. Jim is a 2-time Grammy winner and is set to release his 39th album. They chat about Jim's work with Ralph Stanley, Roland White, Robert Hunter and more. Jim's love of bluegrass is inspiring, and he surely knows how to spin a good yarn. Plus, he gives Rocky permission to give listeners a world premiere listen to the title track from his upcoming album, The Birds Know!

We all know what a fantastic mandolin player Sierra Hull is, but if you don't know how great she is at guitar, well then listen to the duet she does with Bryan Sutton on this week's Yolo County Breakdown. Plus a set that features 4 of Rocky's all-time favorite banjo players not named Earl (Bela Fleck JD Crowe, Tony Trischka, and Craig Smith). Also a David Grier version of Black Mountain Rag and Bill Keith's take on a Duke Ellington standard. Enjoy!

Bluegrass musicians love to collaborate, and this week Rocky spins some spectacular duos including: Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter, Gillian Welch & Alison Krauss, Bryan Sutton & Joe Bonamassa, and the legendary collaborators of Norman Blake & Tony Rice. Thanks for tuning in!

This week Rocky spins new stuff from Becky Buller and Megan McKamey, old stuff from Flatt & Scruggs and Ralph Stanley, and a whole lotta stuff from those in-between years too - including a beautifully drawn-out cover of a Townes Van Zandt classic done by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Enjoy!