Strictly Bluegrass is the only radio show in central Texas that features bluegrass music. We feature current artists and reach into the deep catalog of the founders of bluegrass and its roots, which include old time Appalachian and traditional black music. We air special programming celebrating the women pioneers and national holidays. We also feature live performances of local and travelling bands. All of the hosts have large bluegrass music collections, play bluegrass music themselves, and regularly attend bluegrass performances throughout Texas. And they have long histories as hosts of traditional music shows on KOOP and other non -profit stations.
Schedule:
Oct 27 Dale
Nov 3 Simon
Nov 10 Sharon w/ Simon
Nov 17 Julian
Nov 24 Dale
Sharon has been involved in traditional music all her adult life. She is on several recordings including the Fuzzy Mountain String Band and with IBMA Hall of Fame member Alice Gerrard. Sharon has played in several bands and has been involved in non-profit organizations promoting bluegrass music since moving to Texas in 1991. She has served on the board of directors of the Central Texas Bluegrass Music association She is an active bluegrass musician and a regularly attends bluegrass events at the local and national level. She has a large music collection and has been involved with the Strictly Bluegrass show for 25 years. She has been involved in the business of bluegrass as co-founder of the Sugar Hill label.
Ted Branson arrived in Austin, Texas 45 years ago, has traveled all over North America and acquired a huge music collection on Vinyl and CD. After meeting and seeing Don Stover perform in a Brooklyn, Ontario house concert 1971, Ted received a Framus 5-string banjo for Christmas, began jamming in bluegrass festival campgrounds, playing on street corners, watching performers like The Earl Scruggs Revue, Doug Dillard, John Hartford, The Country Gazette, The Country Gentlemen, Doc and Merle Watson, Jimmy Martin and Mac Wiseman. Ted also hosts Under the X in Texas on KOOP Radio every Tuesday morning 9:00 -11am and A Blues Groove internet only Tuesdays 8am-9am.
For the first quarter-century of Julian’s life, he had about as much to do with bluegrass music as a cat has to do with swimming pools. Somehow, despite juggling an active life as a bicycle messenger and punk rocker in Philadelphia, Julian picked up the banjo. A few years later, he grew to actually enjoy–and later love–bluegrass. He moved to Austin in 2019, after living in Guatemala for four years, running what is likely one of the only Central American bluegrass bands in history. He splits his time here between running the bicycle program at Casa Marianella, fighting with his leather sewing machine, and playing with lots of Central Texas pickers.
Dale Smith is a long time Austin resident and a veteran of the Armadillo World Headquarters & Soap Creek Salon. A life long music lover he can be found at local Bluegrass nights and festivals. Dale wears a lot of hats at KOOP including webmaster, tech team member and training team member. You can hear his alter ego Selector Dale on Roots Train Tuesday’s at noon.
Simon Waxman caught an incurable case of the bluegrass fever while he was but a wee collegian. Today he’s an avid mandolin player, high-lonesome singer, and festival-goer. He loves words about as much as he loves music and is a writer and editor by trade. A Bostonian originally—and, let’s face it, for the foreseeable future—in 2019 he moved to Austin for the sunburns.