Dave Gallaher, Talkin’ the Blues with Microwave Dave, WLRH FM / WJAB FM, Huntsville AL
I have three tracks from Farmhand Blues programmed for WLRH on Saturday (AND NOW RE-AIRING on Thursdays, 4 to 5 pm which means drive time exposure for these new releases) with individual cuts airing on consecutive Tuesdays over WJAB:
- Alabama
- If I Were King
- You Ain’t No Lovin’ Woman
Well, it took a while to narrow down to these three. There’s a lot being offered in Randy’s unpaved voice and the subject matter of these servings. With Tom Hambridge’s ace sectionals laying down massive guitar beds alongside Randy’s own picking, there’s enough texture here to reweave the entire social fabric of 2025 America.
Of course, I had to jump on Alabama as the first spot in the set for our Huntsville ears, to help offset some of the endless denigration we get (and frequently earn) from folks who live in other elsewheres. It’s a love song that affirms continuity of livable conditions, which is good to counteract the patrol car piss jars and other criteria Riviere logs in his trajectory report.
You Ain’t No Lovin’ Woman is the bye-bye without a kiss or even a wave, lesson learned (again) and feelings burned (yet again). The sweet tremolo chords reassure that the heart damage can be restored quickly by fresh sympatico and eye delight.
With so many intriguing choices on one disc, it was challenging to settle on If I Were King, but the sincerity of uncertainty in this trick question of a song sets it apart from the others. Someone recently said to be careful which ladder you climb to success: otherwise you can get to the top and realize you’re on the wrong ladder. I hear the qualm before the storm in If I Were King, but it might be private convection.
Yes, I’ll be spinning tracks from Farmhand Blues for the listeners. But I’ll be spending some time alone with this one, too — something I don’t do very often.