In these days of the insidious drive toward monocultures, and the troubling rise of imperialism and dictatorship in odd outposts around the world, it is helpful to remember that one of the things that makes our human species special is the glorious diversity of how we look, act, sing, dance, play, and love.  For those who want to trim our culture down to some artificial shadow of uniformity, they are bound to be disappointed and overwhelmed by the noisy parades of diversity and joy that will march up and down their tidy streets and lawns.  It would be better to enjoy the light, rather than curse the darkness.

So today on Routes & Branches & Beyond we feature the first of a series of shows all taken from compilation albums - those attempts to provide a snapshot of a particular genre of music.  On this show, we'll play music from various Rough Guides to Celtic, Cajun & Zydeco, Merengue, Yodel, Latin-Arabia, Blues Revival, New Orleans, Central America, Gypsy Revival, Paris, Okinawa, Native America and Scotland.  From musicians such as Vishtèn, the Pine Leaf Boys, La Mákina, Carolina Cotton, Ishtar & Los Niños de Sara, Robbin Ford, The Meters, Mr Peters and his Boom & Chime, Shantel, Les Costauds de la lune, Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman, C-Weed, and the Battlefield Band.  Put aside that flag and join me.

Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 357 2025 02 06

The Week In News

Putumayo - it is a river that runs from Colombia into Brazil, in South America.  It is also a fine record label that has released hundreds of compilations of world and traditional music.  The name in English translates as something like "the place where the river begins."  Think of this series of shows as kind of "the place where world music begins."  But it certainly doesn't end here, I hope - I trust that it inspires you to explore lots of rivers of sounds, tributaries  of musical traditions, deltas of song , bays of... well, you get the point... no need to belabour it with unnecessary metaphors.

Today on episode # 361 of Routes & Branches & Beyond, you'll hear Brazilian-German remixes of Motown classics, Indian-Irish blues, Garifuna pop stars, Latin groove with a sense of humour, cultural anthropologists who become musicians, carnival songs to celebrate the end of the sugar cane harvest (finally!), Italian celtic contemplation, and crisp Americana picking.  From musicians such as: Andy Palacio, The Unseen Guest, Mo’ Horizons with Leila Pantel, The Dalom Kids, Los Mocosos, Mama Keita, Big Davy, Johnny Clegg & Savuka, Teresa Cristina, Eliza Lynn, Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez, and Taken.  Get out your world atlas and join me.


Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 361 2025 03 06

There’s a dear old Scottish folk song called “Gie me a lass wi’ a lump o’ land.”  It’s all about the special joys of finding a lover who also has a piece of land to go with their other charms.  Yes, land.  Property.  It is something that has fascinated, well, obsessed maybe, lots of us over the centuries – especially those of us in cultures that think you can actually “own” land, a bit of a distortion of reality in itself.  But if you “own” a piece of property here in our province, what, legally, can you do with it?  Turns out maybe less than you thought.  

But land is crucial for food production.  Sure, there are technologies that are growing food in shipping containers and on walls and vertically rather than horizontally and those are important.  Especially in small and remote communities.  However, the massive amounts of food that we need in our province, and our country, still relies on huge tracts of land.  And that will not change significantly anytime soon.  So how do we more fully utilize the land that we do have, especially in a province with a shortage of soil?  And how do we resolve some of the conflicts that have arisen around municipalities who sometimes think that food production in their often unrealistically-large boundaries should be curtailed?  That is the broad conundrum we address today.

Today on "Fit to Eat: the Newfoundland and Labrador Food and Farm Show," we have the first of two episodes with Nicholas Fairbridge, a researcher who works out of the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University in St. John’s.  He is also very interested in the relationships among community health, local food production and municipal policy.  In his spare time, he volunteers with the Food Producers Forum here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This is not a time to beat up on municipalities.  They are often run by people with the best of intentions, who may be constrained by the regulations they are forced to follow.  But there are some policies and communities that are leading the way into a more healthy relationship between concentrated living areas and food production.  The backyard chickens are quiet at the moment, so join us.



Fit to Eat S4N4 Nicholas Fairbridge

Today on Routes & Branches & Beyond (show # 362) we continue our romp through the delights of compilation CDs.  This is the third show of music from Putumayo releases.  As with most of these episodes, you can play a game at home - whereby I play a track and you try to guess what country it comes from.  Great fun, indeed.  I'll have Sudanese flamenco, Reggae originators, Quebecois Cajuns, Creole stomps, Madagascar ballads, tender trios, New Orleans lounge, Canadian classics and fundy Uzbekistani grooves.  From musicians such as: Wafir, Peter Tosh, The Creole Zydeco Farmers, Filé, Tarika, The Wailin’ Jennys, John Boutté, , Eric Bibb & Needed Time & the Deacons, Le Vent du Nord, Ferron, Karen Gafurdjanov, Los Bravos del Norte de Ramón Ayala, Chumbawamba, and Finjan.  Get out your maps and join me.


Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 362 2025 03 13

Today on Routes & Branches & Beyond (# 363) we continue our dalliance with the glorious variety of good compilation CDs - though this time we are limiting ourselves to several rather smashing Irish compilations.  So the sound of the music will be rather familiar to regular listeners (in case you're getting a bit travel-worn from the last few shows).  I'll play tangly fiddle, tear-soaked nationalism, classic tune sets, Irish-Appalachian fusion, and more.  With songs and tunes about horses, bucks, sailors, motorbikes, humours, pipes, operators, whitewater, and a young lady's delights.  From musicians such as Eileen Ivers, Dick Gaughan, The Hughes Band, Lee Valley String Band, Philip Chevron, De Dannan & Friends, Altan, Croabh Rua, Gerry O’Donnell, Seán Ó Riada, The Bothy Band, The Voice Squad, and Téada.  Put on that shamrock hat and join me.


Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 363 2025 03 20

Little Demo of Somethen to Come

to twinkle forge, with love - a song thing

and open hearts find glee

if we were sisters and brothers

If I were to rely on outdated and worn-out stereotypes, I might say that the traditional Scots may appreciate compilation albums - that way they can procure a wide variety of music for a modest cost.  Of course, that relies upon the stereotype of the thrifty Scot.   But when it comes to brilliant music, they are far from miserly.  Indeed, they freely share their wealth of musical talent with us all.  So today on Routes & Branches & Beyond we will benefit from the generous largesse of the Scottish musical scene, as we continue our look at compilation CDs.

I'll play songs and tunes about iron roads, cousins, smoky lums, dancing feet, corkers, weavers, feathers, musical priests and ballies wi' the lintwhite locks.  All from musicians such as Jenna & Bethany Reid, Ian Campbell Folk Group, Deaf Heights Cajun Aces, Ian Bruce, Tannahill Weavers, Cedar Place Children, Peggy MacGillivray, Frankie Miller, Runrig, Andy M. Stewart & Manus Lunny, Sileas, Jamie McMenemy & Kornog, and John & Phil Cunningham.  Put another slab on the fire and join me.


Routes & Branches & Beyond show # 357 2025 02 06

Ivan Emke

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