Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

Worcester native Duke Levine, who's become a VH-1, Nashville Network, and PBS regular as Mary Chapin Carpenter's guitarist, is aiming for his own place in the sun with his new solo recording. "His third release for Daring Records, Lava, came out this week," says Dave Ritchie, who's been more than happy to add it to the playlist of Against the Grain, heard Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 11 p.m. on WICN (90.5 FM). "It's a good balance of all the styles he's perfected over the years. Daring is targeting the new Americana radio formats that are popping up all over the nation, and I hope it gets some airplay. It's a really solid CD, featuring the Hammond B-3 work of Tom West and help from all the members of Morphine. Worcester has reason to be proud of Duke. I guess we all knew he was destined for big things, but it's really amazing how much work he's getting these days -- his work on the Lone Star soundtrack was exemplary." If you want to get your own copy and help WICN out at the same time, Ritchie will have some copies as premiums during this weekend's matching grant fund drive. Call 752-0700.

Ritchie also raved about Guided by Voices' new CD, Mag Earwhig (Matador). "As usual, it's fabulous. I was a little worried because of personnel shake ups, but the new band works out just fine. All of their releases take multiple listenings before they reveal themselves fully, and this is a good place to start. Somehow, despite the volumes he's already written, Robert Pollard just keeps churning out great songs."

Speaking of great songs, there are few songwriters as great as Guy Clark, who's penned major hits for Jerry Jeff Walker, Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs, and Vince Gill. If you're unfamiliar with his work, his new live CD, Keepers (Sugar Hill), is a good introduction. "In some cases, I think these arrangements of his classics are better than the originals."

Other new releases getting airplay of Ritchie's program include Tarnation's Mirador (Reprise) and the Bad Livers' Hogs on the Highway. "Tarnation have one of the most unique sounds of the modern-country influenced bands. Vocalist Paula Frazer counts Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison among her influences. The Bad Livers are an Austin band who start with bluegrass, but then proceed to throw pretty much anything else from the American landscape into the mix. They've even got a conjunto on this CD. It's their first for Sugar Hill, the biggest bluegrass label in the country -- but it's not for bluegrass purists."

If you're looking for an introduction to Americana's not-so-well-known, Undercover Records has released a great compilation called Used to Be -- Blues from the Pacific Delta for Bill Monroe, featuring indie artists from the Portland, Oregon region. "It's one of my favorite recent collections. Like early punk musicians, some of these folks are not always masters of their instruments, but they bring an honesty back to music that has all but disappeared in so-called `hot country.' I think there's beginning to be a backlash to all this line-dancing country, and folks like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash and newcomers like BR5-49 are getting a lot of attention again."

---

WCUW will be sponsoring the second event in its 1997 Summer Concert Series on June 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. at University Park (opposite Clark University). "We'll be featuring Southeastern Asian music and culture," says station manager Joe Cutroni. "It's loosely tied in with our Vietnamese show [aired Saturdays from 4 to 5 p.m.], but it's not exclusively Vietnamese, other Asian groups will be represented."