Saturday with Richard and Sasha

Posted at 7:00 PM on January 24, 2009 by Dale Connelly (9 Comments)

Hello Radio Heartland Saturday Night listeners!

This week the first hour of our special weekend program (9 to 11 pm) on MPR News will feature an in-studio session with New York City singer / songwriters Richard Julian and Sasha Dobson.

Richard and Sasha are part of a community of talented young musicians shaking things up in the Big Apple.

Sasha has spent her life in and around music. Her mother is a jazz singer and her father was a highly respected pianist in the San Fransisco area, and while every parent knows nothing is guaranteed when it comes to determining your child's interests, some of the magic rubbed off in this case and Sasha became a skilled interpreter of jazz standards and is breaking new ground as a songwriter too.

Richard is a lyricist with a rare gift - his songs have humor and depth.
Listen tonight to hear Richard talk about his encounter with Randy Newman - an idol who returns the favor.

With wind chill warnings up and the temperatures in Minnesota plummeting, hour two is my collection of brutal weather songs, including a rarity from the vinyl library - folksinger Debby McClatchy's setting of the Robert W. Service poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee".
You'll hear some similarities with Bob Dylan's song "Isis", which is also part of tonight's musical cold wave.

I had a hard time finding enough songs to fill a freezing hour.
Do people simply not write about cold weather, or did I miss something?

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Comments (9)

Hi Radio Heartland! anxiously waiting for Saturday night broadcast and the weather related music! It's COLD!

Posted by michelle in Winona | January 24, 2009 8:46 PM

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Google-ing some songs...
"Baby It's Cold Outside"
"Winter's Night"
"Keep Me Warm"
Joni Mitchell, "Come In From the Cold"
"Warmer Days"

Posted by John | January 24, 2009 9:09 PM

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Will this show be put up for download on this site at some point?

Posted by Harrison | January 24, 2009 10:14 PM

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In addition to the songs listed above, I'll say (again) Charlie McGuire's "I Like it Here". There's also, tangentially, Garrison Keillor doing 'The Finn Who Would Not Take a Sauna". Meanwhile, you just played a wonderful version of "The Cremation of Sam McGee", preceded by "North to Alaska". Thanks for both of those; I especially liked the song setting for the Sam McGee poem.

Oh, and Stan Rogers should go into the mix. What about the song about the guy who finally gets his cure for cabin fever? Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the piece. One of the outstanding lyrics is "well it's God's own neon green above the mountains here tonight". He's 38 miles up the _ _ Road. Shilhon Road? Stanton Road? Dawson Road? (Sorry!)

I caught part of the interview with Sasha and John; that was tasty! I'm really enjoying tonight's show. I've gotten out of the habit of Saturday night radio, since KUMD changed their folk night lineup; after Prairie Home Companion signs off, I haven't found much that I liked - sorry, I've never been big on the jazz scene. I hope you're about to turn that around for me.

Posted by North Shore Nancy | January 24, 2009 10:49 PM

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Gek! I enjoyed the interview but got Richard's name wrong! Sorry!

Posted by North Shore Nancy | January 24, 2009 10:51 PM

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Thanks Michelle, John, Harrison and Nancy,

You came up with some songs I hadn't thought of. Thanks for the new ideas - I'll have to put them in a future show.
Nancy, I can't put my finger on the Stan Rogers song you're thinking of. I'll have to get his discs out and search around a bit. Write again if the title comes to you!
Harrision, I believe we'll have the show up on the website for streaming within a few days. Thanks for listening!

Posted by Dale Connelly | January 24, 2009 11:04 PM

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Hopefully the cold weather is behind us, but I'd still love to hear that song of a guy's battle starting his car. The lyics go something like "Old cold and loneliness". I thought of that song this weekend when my car's battery finally had it's last gasp.

6:00-6:30
Thanks,
Dave

Posted by Dave S. | January 25, 2009 12:42 PM

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Great news about the upcoming streaming! I've been listening by the archaic method of "tape delay" [put audio cassette in tape recorder, turn on both radio and recorder...] but there's the inevitable problem of being home to get it started and to flip the cassette half way through. Thanks -- it will be appreciated.

Posted by Kris in Northfield | January 26, 2009 7:18 AM

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How about:

Of Montreal's *Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games* (with that brain-numbing refrain "Let's pretend we don't exist -- let's pretend we're in Antarctica")

Or even more chilling:
Nanci Griffith *Shaking out the Snow* eg:

"Snowing - one Christmas
morn' when I was four
My brother told me it was warm
So a swimsuit I adorned
Then he sent me to the weather
And behind me locked the doors
A four year old in a swim suit and
brand new plastic skates
Out into the snow to catch this cold
I cannot shake

Chorus

Snowing - yeah, it snows in Tennessee
The place where I now make my life
Is still snowing down on me
I'd prefer Antarctica
Perhaps the land of Enderby
Where the weather is my heart and
I'm closer to the sea
Since I cannot ever seem to shake the snow
Out of me"

Love the new radioheartland show -- warms my heart!

Posted by Kathleen H | January 29, 2009 11:12 AM

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