Down Under: The Battlefield Band and "Out in Australia at Last"

Today's song is by a longtime Scottish folk group. The Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group founded in 1969. They are noted for the mix of bagpipes with other instruments, and their renditions of traditional songs and new material. While the band has gone through several lineups, their formula remains the same - bagpipes, electric keyboards (unusual for a traditional band) and no percussion (again, unusual). They have released 31 albums and have been nominated for many awards. Out in Australia at Last can be found on their 2006 CD The Road of Tears, which has a theme of displacement and voluntary and forced emigration.

He's Got the Power: Ashwin Batish and "Raga Rock"

How about something different and fun? Today's random global tune should fit the bill. Raga Rock is by Ashwin Batish. Batish is an accomplished sitar and tabla player. Originally from Mumbai, India Batish is the son of composer and Bollywood playback singer Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish. Ashwin Batish was a child prodigy who started playing music on the dholak drum, then the tabla at age 10, but he fell in love with the sitar at age 12. He began to learn sitar through lessons taught by his mother and by listening to Ravi Shankar albums. He also learned some guitar and enjoyed playing Western music by The Beatles, Pat Boone, Cliff Richard and others of the 60s era. After joining his father in England, he began to learn North Indian classical music and composition. His training was rigorous, but Ashwin realized he had to study diligently because he found himself uncomfortable playing in front of audiences. Batish moved to the US in 1973 with his father, and played music with him at their family restaurant. In 1986, he released his debut album called Sitar Power #1. A sitar fueled fusion of Indian and Western rock music, it brought him much attention and a recording contract. He currently runs his own record label that focuses on publishing all of his family's music, and he teaches music in Santa Cruz, California at his Batish Institute of Music and Fine Arts. Raga Rock can be found on his 1986 release Sitar Power #1.

Love in the Rainforest: Hapa and "Kahea U`ilani"

Our random tune for today takes us to the beautiful Hawaiian islands with Hapa. The name Hapa means "half," and indeed one of the members, Barry Flanagan, is a white guy from New Jersey who is currently paired up with native Hawaiian Ron Kuala'au. Flanagan has been a consistent 30 year member of the duo. He started out partnering with Keli'i Ho'omalu Kaneali'i. Following Kaneali'i, Flanagan teamed with Nathan Aweau, who eventually left for a solo career. Flanagan then partnered with Hawaiian chanter Charles Ka'upu, who described Hapa's goal as helping revive the Polynesian language and to totally change the way the world perceives Hawaiian music. Unfortunately, Ka'upu died suddenly and unexpectedly in his early 50s in 2011. In its new incarnation Hapa continues to draw from jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, Latin, flamenco, rock, Irish music and slam poetry as well as traditional Hawaiian music. Hapa's debut CD in 1995 became the biggest selling album ever by a Hawaiian group, and they have since released eight albums.

This song, Kahea U`ilani, can be found on their 2002 album In the Name of Love. The song's title translates as The Call of the Heavens. The lyrics are a beautiful evocation of love and the rainforest:

Coolness in the fine, gentle rain,

A tingling love within me.

There amidst the dew scattered by the breeze,

We embrace, we embrace the forest.

You are my precious lei,

An adornment to be worn forever

In the cool fragrance of the uplands.

Delighting in the forest,

The beauty in our love,

As we sway in the purple mist.

The story is told, of the beauty witnessed

In the purple mist of the upland.

In the forest where we delighted,

The beauty of the heavens calling.

All in the Family: Joan Soriano and "Vengo de Lejos"

We go to the Caribbean for today's random tune. Vengo de Lejos is from Joan Soriano, a Dominican bachata singer and guitarist who blends modern and traditional bachata styles. The seventh of fifteen children, he began his music career with a self-made guitar fashioned from a tin can and some fishing line. After mastering his style of bachata playing, he began working as a session musician in Santo Domingo. His album El Duque de la Bachata won the Indie Acoustic Project's Best Worldbeat Album of 2011. Vengo de Lejos can be found on his 2012 album La Familia Soriano.

On De-Nile: Hisham Abbas and "Intil Waheeda"

Hisham Abbas, the singer of our random tune for the day, is an Egyptian pop singer from Cairo with a background in mechanical engineering. His music career took off with several Egyptian hits in the 1990s, especially Habibi Dah (Nari Narain) which featured Indian singer Jayashri. This song, Intil Waheeda, can be found on the 2001 compilation CD Putumayo Presents: Arabic Groove.

Swedish Dish: Darol Anger and Mike Marshall with Väsen and "Couscous"

Some American folk musicians mingle with Swedish folk musicians to create today's random tune, Couscous. Väsen is a Swedish folk music ensemble formed officially in 1990 for a music gathering in Norway. Väsen plays traditional instruments such as the nyckelharpa but it was adding a guitar that gave the band a unique sound. They play on this song with American mandolin player Mike Marshall, a leader in the New Acoustic Music movement that blends folk, bluegrass, jazz and world music. Also featured on the song is Marshall's longtime collaborator Darol Anger, an American violinist with an extensive background in jazz, folk and classical music. Couscous can be found on the 2007 album Mike Marshall & Darol Anger with Väsen.

Gimme Shelter: Zion Trinity and "Shelter of Yahweh"

We aim a little high today, as the random selection has pointed our eyes to heaven. Shelter of Yahweh is by New Orleans female vocal group Zion Trinity. Established in 1997, Zion Trinity sings in the styles of reggae, funk, jazz, African ritual and others. They have opened for international acts such as Burning Spear, Lucky Dube and Rootz Underground. Shelter of Yahweh is from their 2003 album Eyes on Zion, an album that combines original reggae with traditional Orisha chants.