Key to the Highway   KSCU 103.3FM 

2019-11-10    7-10PM          

CD Previews:

Isis and Cold Truth

J.C. Smith Band

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Not much of a posting today.  I don’t even have a playlist for you, but what I do have is a couple of guests (friends) coming down to the studio with new CD releases by their bands.  First off, I feel I must warn you that it is not false modesty when I say I do not do interviews well; that is usually enough to stop me, but not today.  I have representatives from two of the bands I most enjoy seeing when it is convenient and know them well enough to hope I can do them justice.  I should also mention here that I have yet to listen to either disc so you’ll be hearing them as soon as I do.

First up will be members of Isis and the Cold Truth, their lead singer Isis and guitarist T.J. Politzer, whom I know as Teddy.  I met Teddy decades back when he was guitarist for the Bay Area’s Zydeco band, the Sundogs, and we have been friends ever since.  I don’t know much about Isis’ background, but that is part of what today’s show should delve into.

Again with the initials!  The singer and guitarist of the J.C. Smith Band will be with us and I know him very well as Johnnie Cozmik, for about fifteen years my co-host (as in alternating weeks) on my Wednesday afternoon show on KKUP, 91.5FM, particularly fun when we would get together the four times a year that there was a fifth Wednesday.  You can still catch him there on Thursday afternoons from 3-5PM.  It has become kind of a tradition, likely going back to 1996 with his first of two CDs with the Back to Back Blues Band, for me to be the first to introduce his new releases on the air.  Johnnie was a drummer back then and he only did a portion of the singing.

A few years later, he became adept enough on the guitar to put together a new band with him front and center as lead guitarist and lead vocalist in the J.C. Smith Band.  Johnnie has put out at least four CDs since then and through more than a decade has held together a gigging band, despite some attrition in the band’s lineup, and each change seems to have made the band better.  In addition to his many dates in the area, he has also acquired annual tours of Siberia and other parts of eastern Europe, Argentina and Chile, and occasional gigs in Western Canada.

Indeed, the live CD we will hear today is with a band he played with in South America.  It has always been my opinion that his live performances were better than his studio sessions.  Johnnie has always had a great radio presence and that translates directly to a possibly better stage presence; it is difficult, I would imagine, to generate the energy that he draws from his audience.  I believe Johnnie rarely puts tunes from his stage show on albums, so this should be an hour or so of his music mostly unheard ‘til now on recorded media.  While I would likely prefer to hear his hometown band (he only takes his regular group on tours to Canada because intercontinental travel costs are prohibitive) so just kick back and ….    enjoy

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May as well mention that I am having problems with my Windows Media Player and have added itunes to my computer but don’t really know how to create playlists and burn CDs for my show, so if there are Silicon Valley types listening who can help with those, please call or email me.     thanks

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For Your Information

To listen to KSCU on a computer, use either iTunes or WinAmp for the media player.

To listen to KSCU on a smart phone use either the NextRadio or TuneIn apps.

The studio phone number is (408) 554-KSCU or, for the digitally inclined 554-5728 but, as always, make sure no one is speaking on the air before you dial.

The mailing address for sending CDs, et cetera, is:

KSCU Local Music

500 El Camino Real

Santa Clara, CA

95053

KSCU radio’s studio is located in the basement of Benson Hall

KSCU’s Sunday morning Blues rotation has the Jakester, Mister G, Dave the Blues Dude and the Bluesevangelist between 9AM and 1PM.  Sherri Jones does her Blues show between 10:30AM and 12:30PM on Saturdays.  And, of course, me!

The best way to reach me is by email at coyledon@yahoo.com (my computer’s autocorrect adds a letter t, so if that shows up here please remove it before trying to contact me; apparently, cotyledon is some kind of botanical term).  I do send out my blog via email so, if you would like to be added to that list, just give me your address and I’d be happy to do so, otherwise all my writings going back to 2014 are still available at key2highway.blogspot.  I do recommend the direct email to let you know when I will be on, especially now that I will occasionally waiver from the second and fourth week of each month format.  Thank you all for your continued support.  Feel free to call me during the show; it gets lonely down here in the dungeon.

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