Chris Smither “taps his foot to keep the rhythm, much like the late blues legend John Lee Hooker. His finger-picked guitar lines are sleek, unhurried and insistent. And then there’s the voice – equal parts gravel and molasses.” (NPR). “Cast your mind back to the first time you heard Hank Williams, Big Bill Broonzy or JJ Cale and remember how good it felt. Think of the opening encounter with Leon Redbone or Leo Kottke. They say newcomers to Chris Smither’s brand of country blues-tinged southern folk experience those same emotions. It’s true.” (Maverick) These are just some of deserved descriptions of the man whom we’ve loved hosting for decades now, and he’s got a wonderful new album – his 20th – as he approaches his 80th birthday. He plays the Grey Eagle in Asheville Wednesday evening.
New Releases Featured this week
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Peak of the Week
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Earl Scruggs Music Festival will return to Mill Spring, NC August 30 - September 1 with headliners Tanya Tucker, Old Crow Medicine Show, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Yonder Mountain String Band and The Steeldrivers! Click through for the complete lineup.
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The heat bore down on Palestinians living in tents and aid groups working in the sun. UNRWA reported several heat injuries among its staff, and at least one 18-year-old Palestinian died from the heat.
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The state currently bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That will drop to six weeks, with a few exceptions — a timetable that abortion rights advocates say is hard to meet
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On the risky journey from the Global South to Europe, migrants often perish. In a town in Bosnia-Herzegovina, near a river where dozens have drowned, citizens seek to provide closure to the families.
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Researchers have found that a warm, close bond with a sibling in early adult life is predictive of good emotional health later in life, with less loneliness, anxiety and depression.
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Photojournalists at NPR member stations have been documenting the demonstrations around the country this week.
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Johnson is the sixth Republican elevated to the speakership since 1994. The five who preceded him all saw their time in the office end in relative degrees of defeat or frustration.