marfa public radio

I have to mention Marfa Public Radio because it’s simply one of the best online sources of American music in its most real, widest range. For those who don’t know, Marfa, Texas, is a town of about 1,000 people in the Big Bend region of far west Texas, a land of desert and mountains near the Rio Grande. The town was named for Marfa, a character in a Dostoevsky novel. The town is a comfortable blend of working cowboys, artists, literados, filmmakers, actors and people who devote their lives to making a community interesting. It has great Tex-Mex food and gourmet restaurants. And, of course, a national public radio station with a skeleton staff and many, many dedicated community volunteers who are the key to its success. The locally produced interview programs and the music shows (staffed by volunteers) are pure, right down to the just folks quality of the banter. There’s a handy daily programming guide. Check it out—satisfaction guaranteed.