Lost My Heart: Celtic Crossroads and "Galway Girl"

Our random tune for today is a Steve Earle song covered by Celtic Crossroads. Celtic Crossroads began as a street show quartet in Galway playing traditional Irish music with a modern flair. As their following got bigger, they decided to make their show more formal. Over 400 musicians showed up at the audition, of which they hired nine. Still a street show, the crowds grew so large that the band was asked by city officials to move to a theater, at which they played to sold out crowds six nights a week. The group now travels the globe bringing their style of Irish music to the world. This song, Galway Girl, can be found on their 2010 album World Fusion, and the video is from a PBS special devoted to the group and its music.

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: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110109/ARTICLES/110109652

Guitar Hero: Ali Farka Touré and "Inchana Massina"

Today's song, Inchana Massina, is by the great Malian guitarist and singer Ali Farka Touré. Ali Farka Touré was a Malian singer, multi-instrumentalist and one of the most renowned African musicians. His music fits right into the intersection of traditional Malian music and North American blues. Known as the "African John Lee Hooker," he sang in several African languages, and was once ranked by a panel of critics for Rolling Stone magazine at number 76 of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and was ranked by Spin Magazine in 2012 as number 37 on the 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time. In 2004, he became mayor of a small town and spent his own money on improving infrastructure. He died in 2006 of bone cancer.  Inchana Massina can be found on his 1992 album The Source.

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/Ali_Farka_Tour%C3%A9

It Won't Throw You: Altan and "An Grianan/Horse with a Heart"

Altan performs our random tune for today, called An Grianan/Horse with a Heart. Originally formed in County Donegal by vocalist and fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987, the pair initially released a pair of albums as a duo, and additional members were added through the years. They named their group Altan after a lake in County Donegal. County Donegal has a rich tradition of Irish music and styles, and Altan made this music available to the world and in the process became Irish music legends matching The Chieftains in popularity. Kennedy died of Ewings sarcoma in 1994, leaving Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh to keep the band going. Altan has recorded and toured with fellow countrymen The Chieftains, and other musicians such as such as Enya, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss. An Grianan/Horse with a Heart can be found on their 1989 debut album Horse with a Heart, and on the various artists compilation album Celtic Putumayo Presents: Celtic Tides (1998).

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/Altan_(band); https://altan.ie/

Seasonally Appropriate: A-Yue Chang Chen-Yue and "Fall, Winter (秋天冬天)"

A-Yue Chang Chen-Yue, also known as A-Yue and Ayal Komod, brings us today's random tune called Fall, Winter. A Taiwanese-aboriginal member of the (Amis people), he is a songwriter, singer, guitarist and dance music DJ who also goes by the name of DJ Orange. From 2008-2010 he was a member of Superband, but now he fronts his own band, Free Night (also known as Free9). He is multifaceted, delving into hip hop on a song with rapper MC HotDog. He is also an actor, and his 1998 film Connection by Fate was shown at the Venice Film Festival. He has released fifteen albums over his career. Fall, Winter is from his 2002 album One of These Days.

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/Chang_Chen-yue

Throwing Down: Elemotho and "Black Man"

Today's random song is a powerful tune about race and injustice by Namibian singer Elemotho, whose songs focus on the experience of being Namibian but which can also be applied to the world in general. After originally studying philosophy and psychology, he decided to devote himself to music full time, and gained a major boost in his career after performing at WOMAD in 2014. In addition to composing his own songs, he sings in English and his mother tongue of Setswana, and his music is based on his native Namibian folk music and rhythms and influenced a little by jazz. He has released five albums. This song, Black Man, challenges Namibian men to live up to their responsibilities since Namibian independence to create a better and more respect-filled world for their children. It can be found on Elemotho's 2017 album Beautiful World.

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://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemotho, https://www.arcmusic.co.uk/blog/new-album-%E2%80%98beautiful-world%E2%80%99-from-namibia%E2%80%99s-1-acoustic-roots-songwriter-%E2%80%93-elemotho.html

The Disappeared: Inti-Illimani and "Vino del Mar"

Our random tune for today is by Inti-Illimani, and is called Vino del Mar. Formed in 1967 by university students, Inti-Illimani gained popularity in Chile due to their song Venceremos (We Shall Overcome) which became the anthem of the populist movement. This led to their exile - Allende's government was overthrown while they were on tour in Europe and, fearing for their safety, they stayed in exile in Italy until 1988, leading them to joke that their exile was the longest tour for any band ever. While in exile, they began to combine their Latin musical heritage with elements of European baroque and popular music, and by doing so helped create some of the first "world" music. Their music was banned in Chile, though distributed underground, and in 1988 they were allowed to return to their country. They participated actively in the campaign that ousted Pinochet from power in a democratic election, and continue their political activism to this day. However, in 2001 the band split over musical and political differences, and there are now two bands. The first retained the name of Inti-Illimani, and the second became Inti-Histórico. Vino del Mar is on Inti-Illimani's 2002 album Lugares Comunes. The song is an homage to Marta Ugarte Román, a Chilean teacher and member of the Chilean Communist Party who served in the Salvador Allende government and who was kidnapped, tortured, raped, murdered and whose body was dropped into the ocean from a helicopter by agents of the Augusto Pinochet regime along with hundreds others. Her body washed ashore two weeks after because the anchor to make her body sink came off.

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/Inti-Illimani, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marta_Ugarte, http://www.theclinic.cl/2016/07/24/marta-ugarte-y-el-horror-de-los-cuerpos-lanzados-al-mar-en-dictadura/

Don't Despair: The Mexican Institute of Sound and "Para No Vivir Desesparado"

Our random tune for today is provided by The Mexican Institute of Sound. The Mexican Institute of Sound is Mexico City-based producer and DJ Camilo Lara's electronic music project. Fusing Mexican folk music with modern sounds, MIS is part of a growing movement in Mexican music. Lara started with mixing music for holiday mix tapes, and after getting enthusiastic receptions for his creations, began making musical collages under the moniker Mexican Institute of Sound while relying on samples of Mexican classical music. He has released four albums, with a fifth due next year. This song, Para No Vivir Desesparado, is from his 2007 CD Piñata.

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/Mexican_Institute_of_Sound