Release: Natalie MacMaster and "Catharsis"

Natalie MacMaster plays today's random tune, called Catharsis. A fiddler from Novia Scotia, Canada who plays music steeped in the roots of traditional Cape Breton music, Natalie MacMaster comes from a musical pedigree which includes her uncle Buddy MacMaster and cousin Ashley MacIsaac, as well as a distant familial relationship with Jack White. She began playing fiddle at age nine and by sixteen she had released her first album. Originally concentrating only on Cape Breton music, she has expanded her repertoire to include music from Scotland, Ireland and American bluegrass. She has been named a member of the Order of Canada, has won many awards for her music, and has collaborated and toured with musicians such as The Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana, Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma. You can find Catharsis on her 1997 album No Boundaries, and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Celtic Tides.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_MacMaster

Looking for a Place to Land: Great Big Sea and "Something To It"

Our random song for today is by Great Big Sea, a band that was formed in 1989 under the name Newfoundland Republican Army and has become known for its rock interpretations of Newfoundland folk songs drawing from the island's Irish, Scottish and Cornish heritage. Every year between 1996 and 2000 they won East Coast Music Association's Entertainers of the Year until they stopped submitting their name to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated several times for the Juno Awards, Canada's top music awards. They have released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, and three live albums. As of 2015 the band is said to be retired, though members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have been performing solo but using Great Big Sea material. This song, Somthing To It, is from Great Big Sea's 1998 album Rant and Roar.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea

From the Shadows of Crisis: The Mighty Popo and "Impunga"

Today's random tune is by the Mighty Popo out of Canada. A Rwandan/Burundian refugee, Mighty Popo's music is steeped in his African traditions which he learned growing up in a Rwandan refugee camp in Burundi during the Great Lakes refugee crisis. He combines that music with a spirit of rock, jazz, blues, R&B, reggae and folk with a spirit of joy born out of close connections to friends and family that belies his upbringing. You can find this song, Impunga, on his 2011 album Gakondo.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://borealisrecords.com/artists/mighty-popo/?v=7516fd43adaa

I'm Still Here: Great Big Sea and "Bad As I Am"

Great Big Sea brings us today's random tune. Great Big Sea is a band that was formed in 1989 under the name Newfoundland Republican Army and has become known for its rock interpretations of Newfoundland folk songs drawing from the island's Irish, Scottish and Cornish heritage. Every year between 1996 and 2000 they won East Coast Music Association's Entertainers of the Year until they stopped submitting their name to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated several times for the Juno Awards, Canada's top music awards. They have released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, and three live albums. As of 2015 the band is said to be retired, though members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have been performing solo but using Great Big Sea Material. This song, Bad As I Am, is from Great Big Sea's 1999 album Turn.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea

Have Some Heart: The Souljazz Orchestra and "Courage"

Today's song, Courage, is by Ottawa-based band The Souljazz Orchestra. Their music is a fusion of soul, jazz, funk, afrobeat and Latin styles. They came to worldwide attention when their 2006 song Mista President was voted into the top 10 of BBC DJ Gilles Peterson's worldwide radio program. They have shared bills with Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and Femi Kuti, bringing them more attention. They have released seven albums. Courage can be found on their newest 2015 release, Resistance.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Souljazz_Orchestra; http://www.souljazzorchestra.com/

Like My Mom and Dad: Tania Elizabeth and "Master Crowley's 2/Growlin' Old Man and Growlin' Old Woman"

Today's random tune is by Tania Elizabeth and is titled Master Crowley's 2/Growlin' Old Man and Growlin' Old Woman. Born in Australia and raised in Canada, Tania Elizabeth has become a well-known fiddle player first as a co-founder of the Grammy award winning folk-fusion band The Dukhs, then as an accompanist to singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, and also as a violinist for the Avett Brothers as well as her own solo work. Her musical influences are Natalie MacMaster, Ashley MacIsaac and Eileen Ivers, as well as Ani DiFranco and Loreena McKennitt. You can find Master Crowley's 2/Growlin' Old Man and Growlin' Old Woman on her CD called This Side Up (2000).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://taniaelizabeth.net/; http://nodepression.com/interview/tania-elizabeth-life-musical-adventure

Playing on the Island: Great Big Sea and "Trois Navires de Blé"

Great Big Sea brings us our random tune for today, called Trois Navires de Blé. Great Big Sea is a band that was formed in 1989 under the name Newfoundland Republican Army and has become known for its rock interpretations of Newfoundland folk songs drawing from the island's Irish, Scottish and Cornish heritage. Every year between 1996 and 2000 they won East Coast Music Association's Entertainers of the Year until they stopped submitting their name to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated several times for the Juno Awards, Canada's top music awards. They have released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, and three live albums. As of 2015 the band is said to be retired, though members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have been performing solo but using Great Big Sea Material. Trois Navires de Blé is from Great Big Sea's 1999 album Turn.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea

Dancing Candles and Lanterns: Loreena McKennitt and "All Souls Night"

A mysterious beautiful song called All Souls Night is our random tune for today. It is performed by Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian known for her soprano voice. She is a composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. She released her first album in 1985, and since then has gone on to release nine studio albums and five live albums which have sold 14 million copies worldwide. Her songs have also been featured in television and movies. All Souls Night can be found on McKennitt's 1992 album The Visit. The song references the ancient observance of All Souls Night, or Halloween, which before its Christian appropriation goes back even further to pagan ritual. The video shows the song being performed by McKennitt and her band in the Alhambra in southern Spain.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreena_McKennitt

Meditations: Tulku Sherdor and "Vajra Verses"

Today's random tune is by Tulku Sherdor, Executive Director of the Blazing Wisdom Institute, a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual center. Born in Montreal, Canada, Tulku Sherdor, also known as Tulku Sherab Dorje, began his studies in Buddhism as a young boy and eventually studied under Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche in Nepal. For over twenty years he has traveled around the world teaching and working with Buddhist masters. He has also recorded an album called Guru Chants and Mantras (2017), upon which you will find this song, Vajra Verses.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://www.ramdass.org/tulku-sherab-dorje/

Carry Him to His Burying Ground: Great Big Sea and "General Taylor"

Today's random tune is by Great Big Sea. Great Big Sea is a band that was formed in 1989 under the name Newfoundland Republican Army and has become known for its rock interpretations of Newfoundland folk songs drawing from the island's Irish, Scottish and Cornish heritage. Every year between 1996 and 2000 they won East Coast Music Association's Entertainers of the Year until they stopped submitting their name to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated several times for the Juno Awards, Canada's top music awards. They have released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, and three live albums. As of 2015 the band is said to be retired, though members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have been performing solo but using Great Big Sea Material. This song, General Taylor, is from Great Big Sea's 1998 album Rant and Roar. The song is a traditional sea shanty about General, and later President, Zachary Taylor who defeated Mexican general Santa Anna.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea

A Constant Battle: Kobo Town and "The War Between Is and Ought"

Kobo Town plays our random tune for today, called The War Between Is and Ought. Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian Drew Gonsalves in 2004, Kobo Town refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. The War Between Is and Ought can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox. The song uses a traditional santimanitay rhythm to tell the story of two feuding kings.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobo_Town; http://www.cumbancha.com/files/artist_pdfs_general/KoboTown_JumbieInTheJukebox_DigitalBooklet.pdf

Not the Libation, but Just as Intoxicating: Great Big Sea and "Margarita"

Today's random tune is by Great Big Sea and is called Margarita. Great Big Sea is a band that was formed in 1989 under the name Newfoundland Republican Army and has become known for its rock interpretations of Newfoundland folk songs drawing from the island's Irish, Scottish and Cornish heritage. Every year between 1996 and 2000 they won East Coast Music Association's Entertainers of the Year until they stopped submitting their name to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated several times for the Juno Awards, Canada's top music awards. They have released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, and three live albums. As of 2015 the band is said to be retired, though members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have been performing solo but using Great Big Sea Material. Margarita is from Great Big Sea's 1999 album Turn.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea

Hide the Pelt, Keep the Dude: Heather Dale and "The Maiden and the Selkie"

Our random tune for today is by Heather Dale - and is a love story involving seals that can shed their skin and become human. Heather Dale is a Canadian Celtic music and songwriter who mostly performs her own compositions. Her songs are inspired by folklore and mythology, and some fantasy literature, and she draws on musical styles such as Celtic folk, folk rock, new age and world music. She is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, where she began her performing career, and where she is known as Mistress Marian of Heatherdale, and she has received the Society's highest award for achievement in the arts. She is particularly fond of Arthurian tales and legends, which has inspired many of her songs. She is also an outspoken advocate of independent Canadian musicians, and has never signed a contract with a major record label. This song, The Maiden and the Selkie, can be found on her 2010 album The Green Knight.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Dale; http://heatherdale.com/

She Swings: Great Big Sea and "Dancing with Mrs. White"

Great Big Sea brings us today's song, called Dancing with Mrs. White. Great Big Sea is a band that was formed in 1989 under the name Newfoundland Republican Army and has become known for its rock interpretations of Newfoundland folk songs drawing from the island's Irish, Scottish and Cornish heritage. Every year between 1996 and 2000 they won East Coast Music Association's Entertainers of the Year until they stopped submitting their name to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated several times for the Juno Awards, Canada's top music awards. They have released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, and three live albums. As of 2015 the band is said to be retired, though members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have been performing solo but using Great Big Sea Material. Dancing with Mrs. White is from Great Big Sea's 1998 album Rant and Roar.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Big_Sea

Eagle Feather: Samian and "La Plume d'Aigle"

Canadian rapper Samian brings us the random tune for today, called La Plume d'Aigle. Performing in both French and Algonquian, Samian is a member of the Abitibiwinni First Nation who was first noticed in 2004 after participating in a film project and performing onstage with the Quebecois hip hop group Loco Locass. He has won awards for his music, has acted in two films and has released three albums. La Plume d'Aigle can be found on his 2013 album Face à la Musique.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

The Moody Sea: Chantal Chamberland and "La Mer"

Chantal Chamberland, a French Canadian guitarist and vocalist from Quebec, Canada, sings today's random tune called La Mer. The music from La Mer was put to different lyrics in English and became Beyond the Sea, a major hit for Bobby Darin. Chamberland sings the original French lyrics, and her vocals are described on her website as smoky, sultry, bluesy and brassy, but critics have also called her vocals wistful and fragile, indicating the range of emotions that she can stir up. La Mer can be found on her 2008 CD The Other Woman, and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Jazz Around the World (2009). The song describes the changing moods of the ocean.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

I Heard the Calypso Today, Oh Boy: Kobo Town and "Kaiso Newscast"

Our random song is brought to us by Kobo Town. Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian Drew Gonsalves in 2004, Kobo Town refers to the neighborhood in Port Au Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, where calypso was conceived and first performed. Kobo Town blends calypso music with other Caribbean music, as well as genres such as ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop. Gonsalves moved to Canada from Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago with his mother when he was thirteen. She was a Canadian citizen who was escaping her abusive marriage. He turned to music and poetry to deal with his situation and feelings of exile. He studied history and political science at Carleton University before taking up music as a career. This song, Kaiso Newscast, can be found on Kobo Town's 2013 album Jumbie in the Jukebox. The song opines how simpler the world would be if news was brought to us in calypso, rather than through outlets such as Fox and CNN.  After a short interview with Gonsalves, the song starts at the 2:00 mark.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Three-stepping: Genticorum and "Valse Beaulieu"

Today's random tune is by Québécois traditional music trio Genticorum, who was founded in 2000 and is based in Montreal. Formed by musicians who have a love for French Canadian fiddle tunes and folk music, Genticorum performs their own compositions and arrangements and meld different kinds of acoustical styles. Their lyrics are all in French. They have released five albums. This song, Valse Beaulieu, can be found on their 2009 CD La Bibournoise.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Entrancing: Niyaz and "Hejran"

Today's song is by Niyaz, an Iranian-Canadian musical duo created in 2004. Their music is a mixture of Sufi mysticism and trance electronica, and adapts Persian, Indian and Mediterranean poetry, songs and folk with Western electronica. They write their own songs, and also adapt lyrics from poets such as Rumi, Obeyd-e Zakani, Amir Khusrow and Khaju-ye Kermani and source folk material from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East and parts of Asia. They sing primary in Urdu and Persian, and occasionally in Turkish. This song, Hejran, can be found on their 2008 album Nine Heavens.

The Life of Riley: Loreena McKennitt and "Banks of Claudy"

Today's random tune, Banks of Claudy, is a Riley ballad performed by Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian known for her soprano voice. She is a composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. She released her first album in 1985, and since then has gone on to release nine studio albums and five live albums which have sold 14 million copies worldwide. Her songs have also been featured in television and movies. Banks of Claudy can be found on McKennitt's 1999 album Elemental. In Riley Ballads, a young man leaves his girl for a long time, often years. When he returns, he disguises himself and to test her faithfulness, tries to get her to marry him (he's disguised, so she doesn't know it is really her lover). Riley ballads usually end with her refusing marriage, whereupon the young man reveals himself, and all is forgotten and forgiven.