KAFM Music Blog

Asthmatic Kitty Sampler Download

Asthmatic Kitty Records, home of some of our favorite artists - including Lily and Madeline, My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens and more - has released a new sampler of their music, which includes these artists, and we've got a download for you! Just click on the album art.
Happy Thanksgiving from the KAFM Music Department!
New Releases - November 24
Tommy Brown and the County Line Grass - Leaving This Town (Randm Records) Bluegrass

Gorgon City - Sirents (Tusk or Tooth) Electronica

40 Watt Dreams - After the Show (Squirrell Records) Americana

These, and more, here at KAFM!
Throwback Thursday - Katchafire

The H-Man had this to say on the Reggae album:
"Best So Far," released on VP Records, topped the World charts for several weeks, dropping to #2 only a few times. Keep it tuned to KAFM to hear more great Reggae and Quick read more or view full article World music!!! Read LessOriginally formed as a Bob Marley tribute band, this hard working 7- member New Zealand reggae outfit has developed its own songs to go along with reggae classics. Nice vocals, clean instruments. This cd represents the "best" of their last 4 releases. Top notch reggae grooves.
Music Bureau Recommends - November 19
Diane (Show: Straigh Ahead Jazz): Al Muirhead, It's About Time (Chronograph Records) - Jazz

H-Man (Shows: Enjoy the Ride; Divided Sky) The Compact, One At a Time (Choking Chicken) - RockThe elder statesman of jazz trumpet in Canada, has released his first CD under his own name though he has played with many Canadian greats including Tommy Banks and PJ Perry who play on this CD. It is delightful.

Ol' Dog (Shows: On the Porch; New to Me, New to You) Clever Blue, Clever Blue (Self Released) - Blues3rd cd from the collaboration of Erin Hobson (vocals, guitar) and Steven W. Ross (vocals, bass), whose undeniable Quick read more or view full article musical chemistry produces three very good songs (1,2,6) but becomes inconsistent on the remaining tracks. Edgy and varied musical styles, including jazz improv. Guest drummers provide solid grooves throughout. Best named record company this year!

These releases and more can be heard ONLY at KAFM! Keep it tuned to 88.1! Read LessTight Blues Band that covers several styles with both leads, male & female, doing a fine job.
The New Basement Tapes -
The supergroup created by T Bone Burnett consists of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Elvis Costello, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons). Burnett got his hands on some Bob Dylan lyrics from The Basement Tape sessions, and set to work to record them with some of the best musicians today. The video is from the forthcoming documentary appearing on Showtime November 21st.
Quick read more or view full article /> Keep it tuned to KAFM to hear more from the New Basement Tapes, and each artist involved! Read Less
New Releases - November 17th
Eric Bibb - Blues People (Stony Plain) Blues

Bob Seger - Ride Out (CMG) Rock

Los Straitjackets - s Deke Dickerson Sings The Great Instrumental Hits (YepRoc) Rock

Charts for November 8 - 14
Jazz - A TON of new names, and a new number one!

1. Mack Avenue Superband - Live at DJF 2013 (Mack Avenue)
2. Kat Edmonson - The Big Picture (Sony)
3. Connie Evingson - All the Cats Join In (Minnehaha)
4. Annie Lennox - Nostalgia (Blue Note)
5. Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company ReIssue (Concord)
6. Bill Frisell - Guitar in the Space Age! (OKeh)
7. Rebirth Brass Band - Move Your Body
8. Bobby Hutcherson - Enjoy the View (BlueNote)
9. Al Muirhead - Quick read more or view full article It's About Time (Chronograph)
10. Dee Alexander - Songs My Mother Loves (BluJazz)
World - Peliroja keeps that top spot...

1. Peliroja - Injusticia (Chulo)
2. Saor Patrol - Outlander (Arc)
3. Melaza - Melaza (Chulo)
4. Campo - Remixes and Rarezas (Self)
5. Abstrakto - Abstrakto (PurpleHaus)
6. The Rua - The Rua (FOD)
7. Silva - Ocean View (Six Degrees)
8. Salsa de la Bahia - Vol. 2, Hoy y Ayer (Patois)
9. Bombay Royale - The Island of Dr. Electrico (HopeStreet)
10. Fela Kuti - The Best of the Black President 2 (Knitting Factory)
College - Some new names, debuts, and some favorites grace our charts this week...

1. Shakey Graves - And the War Came (Dualtone)
2. Lucinda Williams - Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone (Highway 20)
3. Shovels and Rope - Swimmin' Time (Dualtone)
4. Rose's Pawn Shop - Gravity Well (Self)
5. Sam Amidon - Lily-O (Nonesuch)
6. Gary Clark Jr. - Live (Warner Bros.)
7. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams (Pax-Am)
8. Gaslight Anthem - Get Hurt (Island)
9. Caroline Rose - I Will Not Be Afraid (Thirty Tigers)
10. Los Straitjackets - Deke Dickerson Sings the Instrumental Hits (Yep Roc)
Keep it tuned for more new music, and check in next week for ALL of our charts!
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The Decemberists "Make You Better"
KAFM has added the first single to the new music rack, so keep it tuned to hear it here!
What A Terrible World What A Beautiful World will be released January 20th, 2015 on Capitol Records.
New Releases - November 10
JD McPherson - The Warm Covers EP (Rounder Records) Blues, Rock, R&B

Lisa LeBlanc - Highways, Heartache, and Time Well Wasted (Bonsound) Americana

Saint Saviour - In the Seams (Surface Area) Folk Rock

All this and more... Only at KAFM!
Charts for November 1-7
Jazz - A brand new number one, and Al Jarreau moves back up the chart!

1. Connie Evingson - All the Cats Join In (Minnehaha)
2. Al Jarreau - My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke (Concord)
3. Stanley Clarke Band - Up (Mack Avenue)
4. Singer and the Songwriter - What A Difference A Melody Makes (Self)
5. Rebirth Brass Band - Move Your Body (Basin Street)
6. Annie Lennox - Nostalgia (Blue Note)
7. Kat Edmonson - The Big Picture (Sony)
8. Chick Corea Trio - Trilogy (Concord)
9. Bobby Quick read more or view full article Hutcherson - Enjoy the Blue (BlueNote)
10. Lenny Pickett with Umo Jazz Orchestra - The Prescription (Random Act)
World - A new number one here as well!

1. Peliroja - Injusticia (Chulo)
2. Saor Patrol - Outlander (Arc)
3. Melaza - Melaza (Chulo)
4. Campo - Remixes and Rarezas (Self)
5. Geoffrey Gurrumul - Gurrumul (Skinny Fish)
6. The Rua - The Rua (FOD)
7. Silva - Ocean View (Six Degrees)
8. Salsa de la Bahia - Vol. 2, Hoy y Ayer (Patios)
9. Bombay Royale - The Island of Dr. Electrico (Hope)
10. Fela Kuti - The Very Best of Black President 2 (Knitting Factory
College - Some new names up on these charts, but Ryan Adams climbs his way back up!

1. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams (Paxamericana)
2. Streets of Laredo - Volume I & II (Dine Alone)
3. Immigrant Union - Anyway (The Musebox)
4. Banks - Goddess (Harvest)
5. Jenny Lewis - Voyager (Warner)
6. Young Statues - The Flatlands are Your Friend (Run For Cover)
7. Lily and Madeleine - Fumes (Asthmatic Kitty)
8. Gary Clark Jr. - Live (Warner)
9. Blake Mills - Heigh Ho (Verve)
10. Sondre Lerche - Please (Mona)
Roots - A bunch of new names, including a brand new number 1!

1. Lucinda Williams - Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone (Highway 20 Records)
2. Johnny Winter - Step Back (Megaforce)
3. Deak Harp - Clarksdale Breakdown (Self)
4. Jackson Browne - Standing in the Breach (Inside Recordings)
5. Devon Allman - Ragged & Dirty (Ruf Records)
6. Eric Gates - Good For Sumthin' (Cleopatra)
7. Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company Reissue (Concord)
8. Nils Lofgren - Face the Music (Fantasy)
9. Benny Turner - Journey (Nola Blues
10. Popa Chubby - I'm Feelin' Lucky (Cleopatra)
We've always got great new music coming out - so keep it tuned to KAFM!
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Throwback Thursday - Minor Alps

Music Bureau member, Lance, had this to say about the album, Get There, released on Barsuk Records:
The album debuted at #11 on our College Charts and stayed on the top 30 for a few weeks.Longtime east coast rockers, Nada Surf frontman Matthew Caws , and singer-songwriter, guitarist, andMTV darling Juliana Hatfield, join forces and knock out some guitar heavy, edgy pop rock tempered here and there with nice slower acoustic based tracks. Most remarkable is the almost sibling quality of their paired voices.
Keep it tuned to Quick read more or view full article KAFM for more artist collaborations and amazing new music! Read Less
Music Bureau Recommends - November 5th
Veta Bluegrass (Show: Bluegrass and Beyond): Earls of Leiceseter - Earls of Leicester (Rounder Records) - Bluegrass

"Tribute to LESTER Flatt and EARL Scruggs, with Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Shawn Camp and more.Very traditional but excellent musicians."
Ol' Dog (Shows: New To Me, New To You; On the Porch): Rory Block - Hard Luck Child (Stony Plain) - Blues

"Very nice tribute album to Skip James. Acoustic and well done."
Alicia (Shows: Quick read more or view full article The Charts; Radio Rapture) Mariachi El Bronx - III (ATO) - Alternative
"Alter ego of LA punk outfit, The Bronx… Not content to simply excel within the confines of the mariachi genre, they ditched the rulebook and dusted off old sequencers, synths, and an ARP. The 10 striking songs that resulted fuse traditional melodies with modern ambiance [Co-Sign]. All good."
Stay tuned to KAFM for all this hot new music, and more!
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New Releases - November 3
Alicia Olatuja - Timeless (World Tune Records) - Jazz
Various Artists - The Rise & Fall of Paramount Vol. 2 (1928-1932) (Third Man Records) - Blues, Jazz, Country

The Flaming Lips - With a Little Help From My Fwends (Warner Brothers) - Alternative

Tune in to 88.1 to hear these albums and more new music!