Playlist: October 4, 2026

Click to listen

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass recap

Fantastic Cat, The Hammer & the Nail
Fantastic Cat, C'mon Armageddon
The Record Company, In the Mood For You (live)
The Third Mind, Reap What You Sow
Aaron Lee Tasjan, I Love America Better Than You

Devon Gilfillian, Black Dog Rabbit Hole
Snacktime, Can't Imagine Why You'd Stay
     Fri 10/09 @ The Independent
Slightly Stoopid, Circle House Blues
     Fri 10/09 @ Frost Amphetheater
John Brothers Piano Company, Mint Julep
     Fri 10/09 @ Redwood Grove
Thelonious Monk, Nice Work If You Can Get It (take 3)
Tiffany Austin, Georgia
     Thu-Fri 10/08-09 @ SFJazz Center

Jimmy Grant, Manhã de Carnaval
Tim Kilphuis & Jimmy Grant, Souvenir of Toronto
     Sun 10/04 @ Pacifica Performanes
Eva Slongo & Jimmy Grant, Ménilmontant
Tim Kliphuis & Paulus Schäfeer Trio, Layla
     Tue 10/06 @ First Church of Christ, Scientist
Jimmy Grant, Anniversary Song
Aki Kumar, It Is What It Is
     Wed 10/07 @ Alhambra Irish House
     Fri 10/09 @ The Saloon
Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite, Help Me
Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite, What the Hell?
     Fri 11/09 @ Siesta Valley Bowel
     Sun 10/11 @ Crest Theatre
Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, The Hits Keep Coming
Duke Robillard & His All-Star Band, Blast Off!
Keb' Mo', Fussing and Fighting
Stevie Ray & Double Trouble, Pride and Joy

Playlist: September 27, 2026

Click to listen

Kim Nalley, Movin' On Up 
Fantastic Negrito, A New Beginning
Jimmy Grant & Eva Slongo, Smells Like Teen Spirit
Tim Kliphius & Paulus Shäfer Trio, Pick Up the Pieces
Quintette du Hot Club de France, St. Louis Blues
Jimmy Grant & Eva Slongo, Si Tu Savais
Tim Kliphius & Paulus Shafer, Sunny Afternoon
Tim Kliphius & Paulus Shafer, House of the Rising Sun
Django Renihardt & Stéphane Grappelli, Minor Swing
John Brothers Piano Company, South American Fantasy
     Sun 9/27 @ Atelier Kromatica
Barrio Manouche, Té a la Menta
     Sun 10/04 @ 1 Pinnacle Path

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: Oct. 2-4

Steve Earle & Los Lobos, Volver a Celaya
The Crooked Jades, Wade in the Water
Mavis Staples, Jesus Is On the Mainline
Hot Tuna, San Francisco Bay Blues (live)
Miko Marks, Hell or High Water

Sean McDonald, Don't Let the Devil Ride
    Wed 9/30 @ Biscuits & Blues
Tia Carroll, Ain't Nobody Worryin'
    Fri 10/02 @ Biscuits & Blues
John Oates, Pallet Soft and Low
     Fri 10/02 @ The Guild Theatre
Bud Powell, Blues in the Closet
Koko Taylor, Wang Dang Doodle (live)
Johnny Mathis, Kol Nidre

Playlist: September 20, 2026

Click to listen

Blues(ish) Hits of '41

Muddy Waters, I Be's Troubled

Champion Jack Dupree, Junker's Blues

Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra, Take The 'A' Train

Glenn Miller Orchestra, Chattanooga Choo Choo

Woody Herman & His Orchestra, Blues In The Night

William Gillespie, Blues In The Night

The Class of '41

Bob Dylan, False Prophet

Paul Simon, Pigs, Sheep, and Wolves

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, China Pig

Long John Baldry, Five Long Years

Otis Redding, Cigarettes and Coffee

Marvin Gaye, I Can't Help It (I Love You)

The Isley Brothers, It's Your Thing

Peetie Wheatstraw, Ice and Snow Blues

Blind Boy Fuller, You Never Can Tell

The Bay Area in Blues Song

Sugar Pie DeSanto, Hello San Francisco Part 1

Dough Sahm, San Francisco FM Blues

Floyd Dixon, San Francisco Blues

Chuck Berry, San Francisco Dues

Tommy Castro, Calling San Francisco

John Lee Hooker, Frisco Blues
Fantastic Negrito, The Last Days of Oakland
Rodger Collins, Foxy Girls In Oakland

Tin Cup Serenade, Sunny Oakland Day
Con Brio, The Battle of San Francisco
Omar Shariff, San Francisco Can Be Such A Lonely Place

Fillmore Slim, Downtown Fresno

Quinn DeVeaux & The Blue Beat Review, They All Asked For You

Buddy Guy, Hello San Francisco

Playlist: September 13, 2026

Click to listen

Steel Pole Bath Tub, My Best Friend’s Girl 
     Fri 9/18 @Bottom of the Hill
Leonard Cohen, Who By Fire
     Happy 5787!
John Brothers Piano Company, Dumka
     Fri 9/18 @ Flower Piano
Dan Cantrell, Red Fish Swing
The Cottontails, Boogie's the Thing
     Sun 9/20 @ Flower Piano
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers, Freight Train (Let Me Ride)
     Sun 9/13 @ Rancho Nicasio
Fillmore Slim, Trapped By the Devil
     Sat 9/19 @ Biscuits & Blues
Harrison Flynn, Coldwater Stomp
     Thu 9/17 @ Biscuits & Blues
     Fri 9/18 @ Slow Hand BBQ
Vieux Farka Touré, Savanne
     Fri 9/18 @ Mystic Theatre
     Sat 9/19 @ Cornerstone
     Sun 9/20 Felton Music Hall
George Jones, He Stopped Loving Her Today
Charles Brown, Without a Friend
Maria Muldaur, My Handy Man

Alice Cooper, School's Out
Ry Cooder, School Is Out
Chuck Berry, Lonely School Days
AC/DC, School Days
The Ramones, Rock 'n Roll High School
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Brown Shoes Don't Make It
The Kinks, Education
Bob Dylan, Straight A's in Love
James Brown, Don't Be a Dropout
Brenda Holloway, Play It Cool, Stay in School
Otis Redding, Stay in School
Otis Rush, Homework
Nat King Cole Trio, You Don't Learn That in School
Brownsville Station, Smokin' in the Boys Room 

Playlist: September 6, 2026

Click to listen

Johnnie Taylor, It's September
The Tempos, See You in September
Carole King, It Might As Well Rain Until September
Kim Nalley, September in the Rain
Barry White, September (When I First Met You)
Earth Wind & Fire, September
Sarah Vaughan, September Song
Buffy Sainte Marie, Sweet September Morning
Rosanne Cash, September When It Comes (feat. Johnny Cash)
The Bangles, September Gurls
Big Star, September Gurls
My Morning Jacket, Old September Blues
Moe., September
Green Day, Wake Me Up When September Ends

Bob Dylan, Workingman's Blues #2
Valerie June, Workin' Woman Blues
The Gold Souls, Worker’s Lullaby
Merle Haggard, Workingman’s Blues
Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Working Man
Tom Waits, I Can't Wait to Get Off Work (And See My Baby on Montgomery Avenue)
Cowboy Junkies, Working On A Building
Fruteland Jackson, Blues 2.0
Watermelon Slim & The Workers, Hard Labor
The Isley Brothers, Work To Do
Jimmy Reed, Big Boss Man
B.B. King, Paying the Cost to Be the Boss
Elvin Bishop, Don't Let the Bossman Get You Down
Huey Lewis & The News, Workin’ for a Livin’
Thelonious Monk, Nice Work If You Can Get It

Playlist: August 30, 2026

Click to listen

Special in-studio guests: Joe Kyle Jr, Joshua Howell, Lavay Smith, and Chris Siebert

HowellDevine, She Brought Life Back to the Dead
Bo Grumpus, Rag Pickings
Devine's Jug Band, Adam & Eve
HowellDevine, When the Levee Breaks
Jim Kweksin & Friends, The Sheik of Araby
Terry Waldo & Bo Grumps, Shake That Thing
HowellDevine, The Key
Devine's Jug Band, Terrible Operation Blues
The Rusty String Express, Manpanion
Gaucho, Sergei Stomp
HowellDevine, Shake 'Em Down
Maya Anglou & Jessica Mitford, Right Said Fred
Big Money in Dixieland, Girl of My Dreams
HowellDevine, Shotgun Blues
HowellDevine, Harmonica Wobble #2

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, I'm Not Evil
Dinah Washington, Me and My Gin
Kitty Wells, It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
Greg Keelor, Star of the Show
Blue Rodeo, Heart Like Mine
Blue Rodeo, Ride Your Bike

 

Playlist: August 23, 2026

Click to listen

Digable Planets, The Art of Easing
BadBadNotGood, Slow Burn
     Tue 9/29 @ The Warfield: KALW 85th Birthday Benefit
The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol, Jitterbug Waltz
Paula West, When That Man Is Dead and Gone
     Sun 8/30 @ Great American Music Hall
Tiffany Austin, Georgia
     Sat 8/29 @ 4th Corner Speakeasy
Wendy DeWitt, Sometimes I Wonder
     Sat 8/29 @ Roxx On Main
Maria Muldaur, A Good Man Is Hard to Find
     Sun 8/30 @ The Back Room
Danielle Nicole, Take Me Back
     Tue 8/25 @ Biscuits & Blues
     Wed 826 @ Moe's Alley
Bettye Lavette, Don't Fall Apart On Me Tonight
     Fri 9/04 @ The Freight
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Honey Pie
     Fri 8/29 @ Keys Jazz Bistro
Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, The Grapevine
     Thu 8/28 @ The Deluxe

Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band, Wild About My Lovin'
Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo', Junkyard Dog
Keb' Mo', Fussing & Fighting
      Thu 9/03 @ The Mountain Winery
Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra, Still Smellin' Smoke
     from the new album What Can We Do?
John Brothers Piano Company, Dark and Stormy
     Thu 9/03 @ The Sound Room
The Reverend Payton's Big Damn Band, Honeysuckle
     Thu 9/03 @ Moe's Alley
     Sat 9/05 @ Sweetwater Music Hall
Dom Flemons, Big Money Blues
     Sat 9/05 @ The Freight 
Lalo Guerrero, El Twist de Luis
Mark Hummel, The Toddle
Junior Watson, If I Had a Genie
Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets, Sidetracked
Mark Hummel, Anson Funderburgh & Junior Watson, Say You Will
     from the forthcoming album Road Dog
     Mon 8/31 @ Yoshi's
Wyononie Harris, Here Comes the Blues
Wynona Carr, Til the Well Runs Dry

Playlist: August 16, 2026

Click to listen

Too Many Cooks, Who?
Too Many Cooks, Refuse to Die
Valerie June, Smokestack
Valerie June, Rollin' and Tumblin'
     Mon-Tue 8/17-18 @ The Chapel
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Handshake Drugs
     Thu 8/20 @ The Chapel
North Mississippi Allstars, Don't Let the Devil Ride
     Thu 8/20 @ Sweetwater Music Hall
David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach, Don't It Feel Good
     Fri 8/21 @ Echoes in the Valley
     Sat 8/22 @ Meder St Barn
Paul Steward, Number 9 Train
     Fri 8/21 @ Sacred Taco
     Sat 8/22 @ Union Landing Shopping Center
Albert Castiglia, In My America
     Sun 8/23 @ Biscuits & Blues
Danielle Nicole, Gaslight
     Sat 8/22 @ The Sofia
     Sun 8/23 @ Almost Famous Winery
     Tue 8/25 @ Biscuits & Blues
Dirty Cello, Run Through the Jungle
     Fri 8/21 @ Rio Nido Roadhouse
     Sat 8/22 @ Pier 39
     Sun 8/23 @ Gilman Brewing Company

Morgan Freeman, Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
Super Chikan, Crossroads
Taj Mahal, Death Letter Blues
Keith Johnson, I Lied to You  (from "Sinners")
     from the new album Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience
Eric Bibb, One Mississippi
Eric Bibb, Muddy Waters
     from the new album One Mississippi
Eric Bibb, Rainbow People
Eric Bibb & Leon Bibb, Put On Your Robe Son
Colin James, National Steel
Colin James, No Buts No Maybes
Oscar Peterson, Nice Work If You Can Get It
Oscar Peterson, Blues of the Prairies
Oscar Peterson & Benny Green, Barbara's Blues

Playlist: August 9, 2026

Click to listen

Los Lobos, La Venganza de los Pelados (live)
Los Lonely Boys, Bloodwater
     Sun 8/09 @ Uptown Theatre 
Jerron Paxton, Things Done Changed
     Thu 8/13 @ UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
Harrell 'Young Rell' Davenport, I Hear Some Blues Downstairs
     Sun 8/09 @ The Back Room
Davy Knowles, Come Home (live)
     Wed 8/12 @ Moe's Alley
     Fri 8/14 @ Biscuits & Blues
HowellDevine, Nila
     Sun 8/16 @ The Back Room
Aki Kumar, A Plea to Be Free
John 'Blues' Boyd, That Singing Roofer
     Sat 8/15 @ The Back Room
The Blues Project, Wake Me Shake Me (live)
     Tue 8/11 @ Yoshi's
     Fri 8/14 @ Papermill Creek Saloon
     Sun 8/16 @ Moe's Alley
John Brothers Piano Company, Dumka 
     Fri 8/14 @ Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio
Thee Snake Charmers, Hold the Door
     Sat 8/15 @ Radio Habana

Spinal Tarp, Fieldsfield
Spinal Tarp, Sip Sip
Djo, End of Beginning
Barenaked Ladies, Odds Are
One Republic, Run
The Beatles, Help!
The Beatles, Octopus's Garden
"Weird Al" Yankovic, I Love Rocky Road
"Weird Al" Yankovic, Party in the CIA
One Republic, Counting Stars
Noisestorm, Crab Rave
The Kiffness, Kitty Caught a Mouse
The Kiffness, Ancient Husky Melody
Africa, Toto

Playlist: August 2, 2026

Click to listen

Blue Rodeo, Montreal (live)
Second Hand Blues, Texas Flood (live)
     Sun 8/02 @ Blues By the Bay
The Blues Project, Flute Thing (live)
The Blues Project, Heard It On the X (live)
     Thu 8/06 @ Club Fox
     Fri 8/07 @ Sebastiani Theater
     Tue 8/11 @ Yoshi's
ZZ Top, Backdoor Medley (live)
Cheap Trick, All Washed Up
     Sat 8/08 @ The Mountain Winery
Rebirth Brass Band, We Come to Party (live)
     Sat 8/08 @ Siesta Valley Bowl
The Cottontails, Boogie's the Thing
     Sat 8/08 @ The Deluxe
Parlor Tricks, Hambone Rag
     Thu 8/06 @ Stookey's Blue Room
Fats Waller, Muscle Shoals Blues

San Jose Jazz Summerfest: Aug.7-9

Jubu Smith, Kwik-Way Nostalgia
Kyle Rowland, Stockton Boulevard
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Shortyville
Beaufunk, Resuscitation of Funk
Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, Foolish
Harrell 'Young Rell' Davenport, Fatherless Child
Parlor Greens, Francisco Smack

Buddy Guy, Keep It to Myself
Buddy Guy, Best Damn Fool (live)
Buddy Guy, Mannish Boy (live)
Junior Wells & Buddy Guy, Cleo's Back (live)
     from the new album New York City Blues – Live 1978

Playlist: July 26, 2026

Click to listen

Buddy Guy, Hello San Francisco
Buddy Guy, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)
Buddy Guy, Where U At (feat. Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram)
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram, Fresh Out (feat. Buddy Guy)
Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram, Memphis
     Thu-Fri 7/30-31 @ The Guild Theatre
Sue Foley, Last Kind Words Blues
     Sun 7/26 @ Moe's Alley
Marty O'Reilly, Going to the Country (live)
     Sat 8/01 @ Point San Pablo Harbor
Stray Cats, Fishnet Stockings (live)
     Fri 7/31 @ Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
     Sat 8/01 @ The Mountain Winery
Cash Box Kings, Oscar's Motel
     Thu 7/30 @ Moe's Alley
     Fri 7/31 @ Biscuits & Blues
     Sat 8/01 @ Almost Famous Winery 
Carlos Elliot Jr, Poder Nativo
     Sun 8/02 @ Biscuits & Blues
     Wed 8/05 @ The California Theater of Santa Rosa
Delta Wires, Devil Got My Woman
     Sun 7/26 @ Gilman Brewing
     Thu 7/31 @ The Turf Club
Dirty Cello, Sympathy for the Devil
     Sun 7/26 @ Gilman Brewing
     Thu7/31 @ The Power Plant Coffee

Rolling Stones, Rough and Twisted
     from the new album Foreign Tongues
Rolling Stones, Blue and Lonesome
Rolling Stones, Little Red Rooster
Rolling Stones, Cops and Robbers
Rolling Stones, You Can't Catch Me
Rolling Stones, The Spider and the Fly
Rolling Stones, Who's Driving Your Plane
Rolling Stones, Doncha Bother Me 
Rolling Stones, The Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man
Rolling Stones, Parachute Woman 
Rolling Stones, Ventilator Blues
Rolling Stones, Down in the Hole
Rolling Stones, Fancy Man Blues
Rolling Stones, Love in Vain (live)
Rolling Stones, Stop Breaking Down

 

Playlist: July 19, 2026

Click to listen

Special guest: Michael Glover Smith

     Bob Dylan as Filmmaker: No Time To Think

Bob Dylan, Things Have Changed
Bob Dylan, No Time to Think
Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues
Bob Dylan, Tell Me, Momma (live)
Bob Dylan, Visions of Johanna (live)
Bob Dylan, Tangled Up in Blue (live)
Bob Dylan, Shelter From the Storm (live)

Bob Dylan, In the Garden (live)
Bob Dylan, A Couple More Years
Bob Dylan, Blood in My Eyes
Articolo 31, Come Una Pietra Scalciata
Bob Dylan, Dirt Road Blues
Magokoro Brothers, My Back Pages
Bob Dylan, Pledging My Time
Bob Dylan, When the Ship Comes In (live)
Bob Dylan, Knockin' On Heaven's Door