This week, we dig back into the vault for music from early editions of The Roadhouse. Artists from Garageband.com (now iLike) take a prominent role and prove to be as strong as ever. David Rotundo, Steve Johnson, Carlos Del Junco, Son House, and Eric Bibb propel us through this edition. Some old, some new but all blue in the 186th Roadhouse.

As summertime in the US winds down and the presidential election season gears up, we build a little shelter from the world in the 185th Roadhouse. Jay McShann, Elvin Bishop, Lil Ed, JJ Grey, and Carlos Del Junco are the mortar between those bricks in that shelter, helping to hold together a solid hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard. Come on in – the blues will protect you in the 185th Roadhouse Podcast.

This hour of The Roadhouse is chock full of great blues by artists you’ve heard of and artists you haven’t. It’s music from Chicago and Dockery Farms, from St. Louis and Dallas, from the 1920s and 2008. Sometimes the essence of a thing is so clear it needs no further explanation or exploration. That’s the deal in the 184th Roadhouse – it’s blues, unaffected, pure and simple.

The 183rd Roadhouse Podcast is an hour of brand new music. Music from the past few months and the months ahead make up a nice snapshot of the state of blues during four months in 2008. The hour includes Walter Horton, Alexis P. Suter Band, Carlos Del Junco, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue, Big Dave [...]

We hop on a train in Chicago’s Union Station this week, heading for points west. Crossing through the plains, the mountains and the desert, we arrive at the place where the Pacific meets the land, and blues meets jazz. West Coast blues fill the hour of the 182nd Roadhouse Podcast, with Jimmy McCracklin, Lowell Fulson, [...]

There’s a full range of styles in this edition of The Roadhouse. Travis “Moonchild” Haddix, Percy Strother, Liz Mandeville, Erja Lyytinen, Holmes Brothers. It’s all the marbles – the cat’s eyes, the aggies, the jaspers, the steelies. Though you had to be a marbles player as a kid to understand from those terms, you’ll certainly [...]

There’s no particular place to go in this edition of The Roadhouse – no real plan or theme. There is, however, a solid hour of blues with a surprise around every corner. I’ve got Lonnie Brooks, Hubert Sumlin, Dave Gross, Bo Ramsey, Erja Lyytinen – just an indication of the variety of artists in the [...]

It’s the tiny instrument that most closely resembles the human voice in range, timbre and emotion. The harmonica takes center stage in the 179th Roadhouse, and it’s an hour of hot blues harp. Watermelon Slim, Mississippi Heat, Big Dave McLean, Junior Wells, and Mannish Boys lead the way as the harp proves the backbone of [...]

We top off the tank this week to provide the necessary fuel for the upcoming 7 days. But don’t worry – it’s not nearly as expensive as the gas pump. We’re pumping Jimmy Burns, Carol Fran & Clarence Holliman, Junior Wells, Jolly Jumper & Big Moe, and Robin Rogers into the tank of the ‘57 Cadillac convertible of the blues. It’s a 98 octane edition of The Roadhouse and another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

The 177th Roadhouse maps new territory – new artists to the show and blues styles I’ve not included in previous shows. JD & The Straight Shot, Steve James & Del Rey, Carolina Chocolate Drops, JJ Grey & Mofro, and a little Professor Longhair take us off in those different directions. Though the styles are different, the feel is the same – another hour of the finest blues you’ve never heard.

As blues festival season gears up in the US, we create a festival of our own. Long days and bright sunlight create a perfect mood for Bluesiana Hurricane, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Jr., Robin Rogers, and Oli Brown. In anticipation of my own trip to the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, the 176th Roadhouse is a [...]

We shift up a gear in this edition of The Roadhouse, back to the hallmark of the show – the upbeat, uptempo blues that will keep you moving in your chair. Susan Tedeschi, Downchild Blues Band, Watermelon Slim & The Workers, Oliver Buck, and Rosco Gordon keep the pace moving, with some surprises along the [...]

In the face of a 500-year flood in Iowa City, we ratchet up the defiance of Mother Nature with an hour of great blues. Songs about floods, rain, rivers, and water fill the hour, bringing a sense of determination and resolve. Cuts from Bernard Allison, Big Mama Thornton, The Holmes Brothers, Toni Lynn Washington, Kansas [...]