Tune in at 10 p.m., immediately following the Bonnie Simmons Show, as host Derk Richardson ushers out the old year–2020, good riddance!–with two hours of specially selected music leading up to the midnight hour and the turning of the year.   PLAYLIST: Over the Rhine, (Merle Haggard’s) If We Make It Through December, Blood Oranges … Continued

Host Derk Richardson pre-recorded two hours of music as a soundtrack for Christmas Eve. Whether or not you celebrate the holiday–perhaps you’re just grateful for the gradual return of the light following the winter solstice–you might find some fun, some compassion, some solace, and some beauty in this playlist: IN THE FIRST HOUR: Laurie Lewis … Continued

Tonight’s show, recorded by host Derk Richardson at home in Oakland, includes musical ruminations about circumstances with which we are coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the sense of isolation and the passing on of friends, relatives, and assorted beloved sentient beings. Music by John Lennon, Donovan, Jesse Winchester, Laurie Anderson, Tom Rozum and Laurie … Continued

Host Derk Richardson welcomes Jill Rogers back to The Hear and Now. Last heard on the program singing with the honky tonk country band Crying Time, Rogers shifts gears into her jazz vocalist mode, continuing to celebrate the release of her solo album Happy as a King. Tonight she sings songs identified with Billie Holiday … Continued

KPFA turned 70 last year. Tonight is a different 70th birthday milestone, so host Derk Richardson plays songs about the passing of time. As you listen to Sandy Denny, The Beatles, Guy Clark, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Susan Werner, Bruce Springsteen, the Magnetic Fields, Iris DeMent, and of course Simon and Garfunkel, among others, reflect … Continued

Guitarists Pete Madsen, pictured above, and Jon Lawton bring their individualized approaches to acoustic blues to The Hear and Now, and talk with host Derk Richardson about their inspirations, their personal histories, their technical styles, and their plans for their Acoustic Blues Showcase with fellow blues guitarist Preacher Boy, February 22 at The Monkey House … Continued

Guitar lovers, take note! Host Derk Richardson welcomes acclaimed acoustic fingerstyle guitarists Teja Gerken (California), Alberto Lombardi (Italy), and Janet Noguera (Mexico) to the KPFA performance studio. They will play live on the air, with sound engineering by Tony Ferro. It’s a preview of the threesome’s concert the next night, Friday, Jan. 24, at the … Continued

Host Derk Richardson welcomes clarinetist/composer Beth Custer back to KPFA to introduce the long-awaited new recording by the unique world-fusion trio Trance Mission, with Stephen Kent (didjeridu, percussion, cello-sintir) and Peter Valsamis (drums, percussion, electronics). The group will be celebrating the pre-release of the album Le Pendu at Yoshi’s in Oakland on Monday, January 13.

Continuing a longstanding KPFA tradition, Heather Hafleigh, photographer and maven of all things “cowboy” and “western,” brings her annual round-up of cowboy poetry and songs to Derk Richardson‘s “The Hear and Now” for the first time. A regular yearly feature of Larry Kelp’s “Sing Out,” Heather’s two-hour special is inspired by her visits to the … Continued