At the Peace Cafe: Thomas Fersen and "Au Café de la Paix"

French singer-songwriter Thomas Fersen sings the random tune for today, entitled Au Café de la Paix. From Paris, Fersen started out as a punk rocker but then began playing piano in café-theatres. A poet, he he likes to take as subject matter everyday life and things, as well as personal explorations of the faults, failings and dreams of ordinary people. His albums range in styles from rock, folk-rock, jazz and blues. He released his first album in 1993 and has since put out 13 albums in total - the latest in 2017. You can find Au Café de la Paix on his 1995 album Les Ronds de Carotte and on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: Paris (2006). The song is about a man waiting for a date at a cafe.

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/Thomas_Fersen

If You Can Whistle It: The Luminescent Orchestrii and "How to Play Romanian"

Today's random tune is called How to Play Romanian. It is performed by The Luminescent Orchestrii, an experimental group based in the United States and active from 2002 - 2012. Their oeuvre consisted of music influenced by Middle Eastern, gypsy, and traditional European music along with Appalachian fiddles, hip hop beats and an attitude often found in punk bands. They often used instruments that they had modified to create their sound. How to Play Romanian can be found on their 2009 album Neptune's Daughter.

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/The_Luminescent_Orchestrii

Just the Way I Like It: Los Amigos Invisibles and "Easy Going"

Our random tune for today is a short little ditty called Easy Going. It is performed by Los Amigos Invisibles of Venezuela. Known for their blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms, the band was formed in 1991 in Caracas. Los Amigos Invisibles gained the attention of David Byrne's Luaka Bop label after they discovered a CD that the band had surreptitiously planted in a New York City record store, and Luaka Bop released the band's second album in 1996 which garnered many positive reviews. Their third album received a Grammy nomination as Best Latin Alternative album, and with it's success the band relocated to New York City permanently, eventually starting their own label. Easy Going is from their 2011 album Not So Commercial, which is a Grammy nominated EP of outtakes from their hit 2009 album Commercial.

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Amigos_Invisibles

A Mystery: Unknown Artist with "Coyote Night"

The luck of the draw brings us another Native American-themed song, this one called Coyote Night. I have not, for the life of me, been able to determine who does this song. It is on a various artists CD called Indian Collection, Vol. 2, released by Itwhy Records, but I can't even find the label online. So, you'll just have to enjoy the mystery and the song.

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.

It's a Rough Iiná: Def-I and "Tour Life"

Some rap on tap for today. Tour Life is performed by Def-I, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Native American rap and hip hop artist. A member of the Diné Nation (Navajo), Def-I ranges his styles from hip hop to spoken word to contemporary Native American acoustic. He recently formed a fusion quartet called DDAT and has performed around the country on tour and at festivals. He is also an active member of the community, leading workshops for students ranging in age from elementary school to college in creative writing, song creation and the art of hip hop recording and hip hop culture. He was an active supporter of the Standing Rock protests and helped raise $1.8 million dollars to support the cause with the aid of celebrities such as Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. His example has made him a model and inspiration for a new generation of indigenous artists. You can find Tour Life on his solo CD Arrow-Rhymanics, released in 2017.

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://dreamwarriors.co/artists/def-i/

Invented Beauty: Cirque du Soleil and "Gamelan"

Today's random tune is from Cirque du Soleil. Gamelan, along with the entire soundtrack of Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas (Bellagio Hotel) water and stage show O, was composed by Canadian Benoit Jutras. Jutras' eclectic music combines worldbeat, classical, rock, trip hop and electronica, and the score of O is no exception, with instrumentation that includes classical Western, erhu (Chinese violin), bagpipes, African guitar, African kora (harp), Colombian guitar, cello, ancient woodwinds and a wide variety of percussion instruments. Gamelan can be found on the soundtrack for O, released in 1998. The song's title refers to a specific type of music from Indonesia, usually played with bronze percussion instruments. Many of Cirque du Soleil's lyrics are often in an invented language.

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/Cirque_du_Soleil; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beno%C3%AEt_Jutras

They Might Be Hangry: The Wicked Tinkers and "The Rant"

This song, The Rant, is by the Wicked Tinkers, an American Celtic group formed in 1995 at the Celtic Arts Center in Los Angeles. They appear to often incorporate a didgeridoo into their Celtic music. They have appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (Ferguson accompanied them on drum during that performance) and on the show Arrested Development. In addition, MMA fighter Keith Jardine has used one of their songs as his entrance music. They have released nine studio albums. The Rant can be found on their 2007 album Rant.

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/Wicked_Tinkers