On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Chris Smither is our in-studio guest, just as he’s turning 80! This is Chris’ eighth visit to Acafe, and the discussion and music is always brilliant.

Also this week, in-studio performances from our first year on the air (1995).

See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Acoustic Café Playlist for Nov. 17, 2024

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani Difranco
• “Memory Lane” – Elliott Smith
• “Man On A Boat” – Lady Backbird
• “Can’t Have It All” – Leon Bridges
• “Evergreen”– Soccer Mommy
• “Homegrown Tomatoes”– Guy Clark (in-studio performance, 1995)
• “Without A Leg To Stand On” – Cunningham Bird
• “All About The Bones” – Chris Smither (in-studio performance)
• “Still Believe In You” – Amy Helm (in-studio performance)
• “Sleepwalking Through Christmas” – Ben Folds
• “Let’s See Ourselves Out” – Amythyst Kiah
• “The Shadows’ – Laura Marling
• “Soulful Wind”– Nick Lowe (in-studio performance, 1995)
• “Re-Arson”- H. Sinno (SongWriter podcast)
• “The Boy And The Swan”– Jean Dawson
• “This Is How It Went” – Beabadoobee
• “Everyday Boy” – Joan Armatrading (in-studio performance, 1995)
• “Lotta Love” – Neil Young
• “Please Help Me I’m Falling” – Neil Young
• “I’ve Loved Her So Long” – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• “The Action” – Keb’ Mo’ (in-studio performance, 1995)
• “Good Enough” – Joy Oladokun
• “Down In Thibodaux” – Chris Smither (in-studio performance)
• “In The Bardo” – Chris Smither (in-studio performance)

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Amy Helm joins us in the studio for songs from her new album “Silver City.” Amy’s parents are both musical late-greats (Levon Helm, Libby Titus), and family takes center stage on the new songs!

Also this week, in-studio performances from Billy Bragg, X Ambassadors, Marc Cohn and the trio Joseph.

See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Acoustic Café Playlist for Nov. 10, 2024

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani Difranco
• “White Rabbit” – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
• “Careful What You Wish” – Brett Dennen
• “Leaving Toronto” – MUSTAFA
• “No One Can Love Me Like You Do”– Lady Blackbird
• “Take Down The Union Jack”– Billy Bragg (in-studio performance)
• “You Don’t Know How It Feels” – Stephen Marley
• “Money On 7” – Amy Helm (in-studio performance)
• “Baby Come Back” – Amy Helm (in-studio performance)
• “Babylon” – Tamino
• “After The First Kiss” – Faye Webster
• “Ahead Of Myself”– X Ambassadors (in-studio performance)
• “You Make Me Feel So Young”– Ingrid Michaelson
• “Some People”– James Bay
• “On My Mind” – Thee Sacred Souls
• “Shine” – Aloe Blacc
• “Canyon” – Joseph (in-studio performance)
• “Don’t Talk To Her At Night” – Donovan Woods
• “Listening To Levon” – Marc Cohn (in-studio performance)
• “That’s What I Love” – Leon Bridges
• “Can’t Do Much” – Waxahatchee (in-studio performance)
• “If I Was King” – Amy Helm (in-studio performance)
• “Love Supreme” – Amy Helm (in-studio performance)

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, it’s another Words & Music Show, pulling select thoughts, stories and performances out of our archives from the likes of Sting, Arlo Parks, Regina Spektor, Amy Ray, the late John Prine, guitar great Leo Kottke and many more!

See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Acoustic Café Playlist for Nov. 3, 2024

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani Difranco
• “Bye Bye Blackbird” – J.D. Souther (2011)
• “I Am A Pilgrim” – Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal (2023)
• “Come Around And Love Me” – Jalen Ngonda (2023)
• “A Mighty Thing”– Amy Ray (2023)
• “Soundtrack”– Matt Nathanson (2022)
• “Fields Of Gold” – Sting (2024)
• “Hope” – Arlo Parks (2021)
• “Stay Out Of It” – Michigander (2022)
• “Cast Iron Skillet” – Jason Isbell (2023)
• “I Get A Kick (Out Of You)” – Jamie Cullum (2004)
• “When The Silence Falls”– Janis Ian (1996)
• “July Jones”– The New Pornographers (2023)
• “Fear, Fear”– Kat Edmonson (from the SongWriter podcast)
• “You Got Gold” – John Prine (1995)
• “Lover Come Back” – City & Colour (2015)
• “Everything Is Alright” – Peter One (2023)
• “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love & Understanding” – Curtis Stigers (2021)
• “Ballad Of A Politician” – Regina Spektor (2017)
• “Play God” – Ani Difranco (2018)
• “Tough Mother” – Shemekia Copeland (2024)
• “Pacing The Cage” – Bruce Cockburn (1997)
• “Oddball” – Leo Kottke (1997)

Coming up this Sunday on Acoustic Café, the in-studio guest will be rock ‘n’ roll icon Sting.

Sting’s voice arrived in the new wave era as the frontman for The Police. And up until that point the world really hadn’t heard anything like it. The Police made five iconic albums between 1978-1983, and then called it a day. By 1985, Sting was not only established in music, but film as well, and the movie roles didn’t slow his solo career at all — now having released 15 solo albums.

After the first night of his current North American tour, Sting brought guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas to our studio at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor for their brand new song, a couple from Sting’s vast catalog and a classic from The Police. Our discussion included this new phase of Sting’s career (Sting 3.0), recent collaborations, his Broadway musical (The Last Ship) which may become an opera soon, and lots more.

Tune in to Acoustic Café from 1-3 p.m. this Sunday on 101.9 WDET FM, on the mobile app or online at wdet.org to hear the full interview.