July 2014 programs for Song Travels with Michael Feinstein

Russell graduated with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before touring the world with artists including Paul Simon, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan and Rosanne Cash.

www.npr.org

This month Michael Feinstein, host of Song Travels, brings us Lisa and Michael Gungor, Suzy Bogguss, Catherine Russell and Nick Waterhouse. 

7/5       Gungor Michael and Lisa Gungor started the musical collective known as Gungor, which has been compared to Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, and Sufjan Stevens. Their first two albums were Grammy-nominated, and their songwriting continues to break ground and defy categorization. On this week’s Song Travels, Gungor demonstrate their innovative sound with a performance of their song “I Am Mountain.”

7/12      Suzy Bogguss Grammy-winning vocalist Suzy Bogguss topped the country charts through the late eighties and nineties with hits like “Hey Cinderella” and “Cross My Broken Heart.” She went on to start her own label and widened her range to include pop and jazz. This week, Bogguss pays homage to the great Merle Haggard with selections from her 2014 album, Lucky, including “I Always Get Lucky with You.”

7/19      Catherine Russell As a young girl, vocalist Catherine Russell bounced on the knee of Louis Armstrong. She started her career as an ace backup singer for stars including Paul Simon, David Bowie, and Steely Dan. Today she’s a leading interpreter of the Great American Songbook. Russell and Feinstein perform jazz standards with a hint of the blues, including “I Cover the Waterfront” and Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo.”

7/26      Nick Waterhouse Vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Nick Waterhouse has been called “the young man who makes old R&B” (LA Weekly). His first single, “Some Place,” was recorded in an all-analog studio and released on vinyl. Although his records recall the sound of the 1950s, his style is all his own. On this Song Travels, Waterhouse shares his love of raw, live rock-n-roll with performances of his own songs “Sleeping Pills” and “Hands on the Clock.”