Rough Sundays

Hardly a show to set your clock to—our first in five months and second in the past year—but still probably the best Sunday Morning wake-me-up coming to you from the Northern suburbs of Kathmandu. We start with a bit of French influenced pop from a sunny 1960s California, diving into some Nepalese Afrofunk, a visit from the inimitable Dasha who introduced us to the Ukrainian LELÉKA, some boogaloo from Queens, as well as some sounds from an Everest Base Camp trek...  Plus a whole lot more. So sit. Coffee. Press play. And enjoy. Because who knows when the next show will be?

What was thought to have been 4 months since the last show has actually been 7—the last episode coming from Namibia—and who knows why it started back up again this morning… but here we are. A newer track to kick things off, a bit of half-French pop, some Irish melancholy, Brazil’s Queen, some New Jersey collab, New Orleans gospel and much more.   It’s the 68th chapter of your favorite (albeit, unpredictable) show, Rough Sundays! Available in Spotify, Amazon, Google Podcasts and more.

From a theres-a-mamba-on-the-loose campsite in a tiny strip of land that borders five countries, it’s a proper (African) wake-me-up, featuring 1960’s Guinean orchestras, Senegalese serenades, one of Ethiopia’s best performing live in Paris, a politically-charged Zimbabwe track and a style of music that was illegal up until the 1980s in a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar… plus a whole lot more. So pour that coffee. Find somewhere comfortable. And let us handle the next half-hour or so. Rough Sundays, hooray! 

From Namibia’s infamous Skeleton Coast, it’s the greatest Sunday morning podcast coming from Namibia’s infamous Skeleton Coast! We kick things off with some Cape Town Flowers via Abdullah Ibrahim, and then get back into the magic of Soweto, the parallel line from African-to-Cuban music, Super Mama’s and Africa’s cutest and most talented couple... plus much more. It’s 33 minutes of pure audible gold! 

From the empty, confusing, captivating and gorgeous land of Namibia—thus the three-day delay—it's your favorite (we're assuming) wake-me-up, featuring some of the best vintage tracks that Africa has to offer, including the Bad Girl of Pop doing gospel, three (yes) songs with ties to Soweto, some Benga Blues out of Kenya, a Malian + Guinean duet, and the catchiest Kwaito tune we've heard in ages—maybe even years. And while we normally say "Sit back", this show is incredibly upbeat, so... stretch. Coffee. Boogie. Things like this. Alright. 

Think having Covid and being stuck near the Namibian border would keep us from having a show THINK AGAIN—and despite not *quite* being there isn’t going to stop us from starting an introduction to Namibian music either. From the Voice of the Resistance to the 1996 Song of the Year, Namibian reggae and the very first “Kwaito” track ever to sneak into the studio (currently: a canvas cover sticking out of the Defender). All of that, plus a Dolly Parton duet with one of Africa’s best guaranteed to melt your cold, cold heart. It’s Rough Sundays! 

The final show from Cape Town before we leave for the distant barren lands of Namibia, featuring some of the best Sunday Morning African Music you’ll ever hear… in one place, at least. From a 1970s Senegal to literally the happiest song ever recorded, a track from a Gambian “griot” (photo) + a lesson on why griots are so vital to West African culture, another track from the crowd favorite Ebo Taylor, some Congolese rumba and much, much, much more. It’s Rough Sundays! 

From under a canvas canopy in a quiet campground off the coast of Southern South Africa, it's 35 minutes of pure gold coming from the continent—from the Cuban-sounding 1980's Togo to the leader of Senegal's musical resurgence, some nasty + naughty funkadelic goodness from Soweto, a little more Nigerian "High Life" and yet another from the Ethiopian Elvis... plus some live-from-Carnegie Hall Portuguese + David Byrne magic. And much more. So sit back, pour a big cup of something strong and start (or end) your day off properly. Brought to you by Race Point Seltzer, it's Rough Sundays!  

We fly halfway around the world and allllllll the way back down for more African goodness—a trip that’s been 5 months in the making, and one guaranteed to lead to us discovering some true gems from this continent. From the two Queens of South Africa to diving back into Highlife + Palm Wine music from Ghana and Nigeria, to a duet brought to you by Aric’s friend who he met under a dinosaur after not knowing who Lin-Manuel Miranda was. All of this, plus a New England track so smokey, you’d think it was a cigar company sponsoring the show and not Race Point Seltzer. So make you a cup of strong coffee, sit back, and let’s rediscover the musical magic of this area. It's Rough Sundays!

What was supposed to be a show from a brand new adventure is actually a gorgeous hotel room in New York City (more or less) as we wait on a flight out BUT THE SHOW MUST GO ON AND GO ON IT DOES with the late Ronnie Spector, a Nigerian doctor, Ella + Chick, some Horace Silver goodness and what is perhaps the greatest New Jersey duo ever recorded… plus much more. So sit back, fill up that coffee mug and enjoy half an hour of Rough Sundays – brought to you by Race Point Seltzer. 

Final show from The States and exactly 30 minutes, we kick it off with French cowboy tunes, a famed group from the 1920s Jazz Age, discuss a recent documentary on NAS and then have a listen to his father play, another possible argument re: the forming of Buena Vista Social Club, old Patterson Singers bringing the rafters down with revival gospel and a whole lot more. Plus, a weekly track from New England, courtesy of our sponsor Race Point Seltzer. All of that and more! Yes seriously! Hit play! 

Second to last show from the States and probably going to win the award for "Best Sunday Morning Music" in the EVER category, we kick it off with some proper gospel from the 1940s, move onto the ever-chipper Hoagie Carmichael, along with some Ann Peebles breaking up homes, the greatest New Orleans musician you've never heard of, a live James Cleveland (aka "The King of Gospel") and rounding it off with a dive into Native American sounds... plus a lot more. You do the coffee and the sitting, and we'll handle the rest. It's Rough Sundays! 

Live-ish from the Lone Star State and our biggest show to date, it’s the Texas (sized) edition of Rough Sundays, taking you back to turn of the century blues, live performances from Woodstock, a car conversation with Professor Robert Darden — founder of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project and previous guest on the show — about his favorite gospel track of all time, and a story that had both he and host Aric S. Queen in tears. Speaking of Aric, we’ll also revisit his cringe-worthy teens as a radio deejay, plus a tale of seeing Willie & Merle eating peaches. All of that, plus a whole lot more. Hit play. Say “howdy!” Be happy!

We* didn't know what to get you so went a bit overboard in this year's extra-special Christmas Edition. From kicking things off with Mahalia Jackson doing a classic to a live favorite from a 1948 bebop holiday show, three New Orleans tracks, a bit of British Jazz from war times, plus Johnny, Etta and Otis... plus the two holiday films you've never seen + a completely illegal recording of a recent show that host Aric S. Queen attended with his parents and much more. It's nearly an hour of TOTAL MIRTH, so pour you something cheerful, sit back, and let us* handle the festivities for an hour. Merry Christmas!!! (*It's just one person, sorry. Old habits.)

Is there a more passed-over state than the flyover one of Missouri? So easy to think of New Orleans, Chicago and New York when it comes to music, but this tiny midwestern spot boasts two cities that greatly contributed to the evolution of music—St. Louis and Kansas City. And it's the latter where we join you from today, with performances from a famous preacher lady from the 1930s, jazz's most-famed performer (who you might have forgotten was from MO), the most powerful American woman ever born (and who you might have forgotten released only one album) and then onto the first African American female to ever appear in the movies, PLUS a live segment taped underneath the statue of a man they call "Bird" and finishing it off with host Aric S Queen's Uncle Don reciting his most famous piece of Cowboy Poetry... plus a whole lot more. It's our 50th show and boy-oh-boy are you in for a treat. Nearly an hour this week and perfect for the week before Christmas, it's Rough Sundays, hooray!

Back with another easy-peasy lazy-dazy wake-me-up episode—just over 30 minutes and probably our best musical lineup to date. Old school Aretha doing gospel, Milt Jackon's finest, a newer track from Kevin Morby and a most-wonderful pairing of Haitian funk with New Orleans jazz. Not to mention a live performance from Mr. Pitiful himself, Otis Redding—as well as another reminder that host Aric S Queen stalked his family... twice. So do the coffee thing, sit back and let us wake you up nicely, would'ya? It's Rough Sundays!

Back after a 3-week break and the first show from the United States in over a decade, it's your weekly breakfast cocktail of gospel, blues, funk, soul and tolerable jazz. We kick it off with the track that sparked the idea for this show, and then head into French Pop, New Orleans royalty, Bob Dylan's hero, Los Angeles religion and even some Lee Dorsey... plus a lot more. So make your coffee. Get your coffee. Sip your coffee. And let us handle the waking-you-up part—in less than 25 minutes. It's Rough Sundays!

The final show from Istanbul - for a while, at least - and it is a DOOZY. New Orleans gospel and South African acapella and a bit of New Orleans funk and then the Godmother of Rock n' Roll and then the Queen of Rock n' Roll and sooooo much more. Hit play to ensure a most-wonderful Sunday!

Another slow, sunny Sunday here in Istanbul and an absolutely phenomenal (we ran tests) show to get you up and into it. From Patsy Cline to 70s Turkish funk, mamas + papas + triplets, New Orleans "fluttering" and a gorgeous track from the Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré—it's Rough Sundays, hooray!

Blue skies in Istanbul—peppered with the occasional police helicopter—means a fun and upbeat Rough Sundays this week. From Oscar Peterson to mustachioed French crooners, a song made famous by a famous American television show and an Italian track so insane, it'll make your jogging soundtrack. It's 32 minutes of pure Sunday bliss, so get listening!