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German Musicians Perform Live on WKMS' Juke Joint Shuffle Saturday

By Jenni Todd

Murray, KY – Media Release: German Musicians Perform Live on WKMS' Juke Joint Shuffle Saturday

Date: 4-21-11

Contact: John Griffin (john.griffin@murraystate.edu)

Murray, KY. For the first time ever in its rather short history, the Juke Joint Shuffle swings open its door to live, in-studio entertainment featuring German musicians visiting the U.S. Two good friends of co-host John Griffin include Murray on their road trip from Chicago to New Orleans, and perform live in WKMS Studio A during Saturday's show which airs from 2 to 4 p.m.

Singer Susi Raith and singer, instrumentalist Stefan Schimetschke have developed a faithful following performing together in and around Regensburg, Germany for a number of years with a rock & pop sing-along act in the taverns. In addition, Stefan also leads an oldies rock band that is a must-see live act, especially during the summer's beer festival season.

But it is Susi's "other" career with her sister Tonja that has really caught on throughout their native Bavaria. As the Alpine Queens, the sisters blend together traditional Alpine yodeling with infectious reggae beats and modern lyrics about age-old themes such as love, beer and Edelweiss.

Juke Joint Shuffle is a weekly two-hour mix of blues, jazz, and roots music. Long-time WKMS personality, John Griffin hosts the eclectic music program featuring artists like Mavis Staples, Neko Case, Ry Cooder, Allison Krauss, Robert Plant and Yo-Yo Ma. Griffin says, "The name of the show honors older blues musicians who were expected to play anything the juke joint customers cared to hear; not just home-made blues, but all the popular songs of the day. And of course when you hit the shuffle button on an mp3 player, there is no telling what will play next." Most every week, he is joined by his old pal, graphic artist Rick Nance. This partnership means that the music often goes in even stranger directions.

For more information on WKMS programming and online streams see www.wkms.org or call 800-599-4737.