N O N E S U C H : MUSIC IN THE FOLK TRADITION Sundays 10 am-3 pm
What kind of music do YOU like to listen to?
If your taste is kind of ECLECTIC (and you're open to hearing something BRAND NEW!) tune into Nonesuch.
Nonesuch is old folk, it's new folk; it's blues and bluegrass...the best of traditional music right alongside emerging songwriters. Sometimes you'll hear Cajun or klezmer, celtic, maybe even conjunto... roots music that comes from folk traditions around the world as well as Ithaca's homegrown variety. On the air since 1967, Nonesuch is one of the longest-running successful folk shows on the radio and draws its listeners from the Ithaca community and throughout Central New York. (These days, since WVBR broadcasts 24 hours a day live on the internet, we've got listeners all over the world.)
Host Tracey Craig leans toward country blues, traditional tunes, and American roots music but she's also got a thing for gypsy tunes and klezmer, songwriters from Texas, and songs that make you laugh. You'll always hear something brand new, too. Once a month or so, you'll hear Jackie Merwin sitting in for Tracey; Jackie's especially fond of funky blues, soulful singer-songwriters, African and other world musics as well as songs that address political topics and genre-bending tunes. Get in touch via e-mail at Nonesuch@wvbr.com
Nonesuch is old folk, it's new folk; it's blues and bluegrass...the best of traditional music right alongside emerging songwriters. Sometimes you'll hear Cajun or klezmer, celtic, maybe even conjunto... roots music that comes from folk traditions around the world as well as Ithaca's homegrown variety. On the air since 1967, Nonesuch is one of the longest-running successful folk shows on the radio and draws its listeners from the Ithaca community and throughout Central New York. (These days, since WVBR broadcasts 24 hours a day live on the internet, we've got listeners all over the world.)
Host Tracey Craig leans toward country blues, traditional tunes, and American roots music but she's also got a thing for gypsy tunes and klezmer, songwriters from Texas, and songs that make you laugh. You'll always hear something brand new, too. Once a month or so, you'll hear Jackie Merwin sitting in for Tracey; Jackie's especially fond of funky blues, soulful singer-songwriters, African and other world musics as well as songs that address political topics and genre-bending tunes. Get in touch via e-mail at Nonesuch@wvbr.com
Nonesuch on the Air: The Basics
WHAT YOU'LL HEAR:
Some of the artists you can expect to hear include (but are not limited to): Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, Guy Clark, John Hartford, John Prine, Greg Brown, Tom Waits, Woody Guthrie, Gillian Welch, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt, Mary Gauthier, Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Pete Seeger, Balfa Toujours, Leonard Cohen, David Grisman, Martin Simpson, Kasey Chambers, Red Stick Ramblers, Emmylou Harris, Karen Casey, Chris Smither, Fred Eaglesmith, Danny Schmidt, Joel Mabus, Robert Earl Keen, Tom Paxton, The Klezmatics, June Tabor, Bill Morrissey, Leo Kottke, Leadbelly, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tim O'Brien, Eliza Gilkyson and lots more. (And if you were wondering, the piece we use as our theme music is "Icarus," by Paul Winter and the Winter Consort.)
TO MAKE A REQUEST: give us a call during the show at (607) 273-2121 and we'll do our best to play what you're hankering for. Or e-mail us.
SEND US YOUR CD: If you're a musician and want us to play your tunes/promote your gigs, send us a CD. If it fits our rather broad format, your CD will go into our music library. As for nearby concert dates, we'll try to mention as many as we can. Send your promotional materials to Tracey Craig, host/producer, Nonesuch, WVBR-FM, 957 Mitchell St., Ithaca, NY 14850.
PLAYLISTS:
If you want a particular week's Nonesuch playlist, contact Tracey at Nonesuch@wvbr.com, (and indicate the date of the show you're interested in, please).
SPONSORS: Two longtime program sponsors are the ABC Cafe, and the Greenstar Cooperative Market, Ithaca's community-owned natural foods grocery. Other regular advertisers include Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca Guitar Works, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, Handwork, and many other community-based businesses. (Thanks, folks!)
Some of the artists you can expect to hear include (but are not limited to): Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, Guy Clark, John Hartford, John Prine, Greg Brown, Tom Waits, Woody Guthrie, Gillian Welch, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt, Mary Gauthier, Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Pete Seeger, Balfa Toujours, Leonard Cohen, David Grisman, Martin Simpson, Kasey Chambers, Red Stick Ramblers, Emmylou Harris, Karen Casey, Chris Smither, Fred Eaglesmith, Danny Schmidt, Joel Mabus, Robert Earl Keen, Tom Paxton, The Klezmatics, June Tabor, Bill Morrissey, Leo Kottke, Leadbelly, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tim O'Brien, Eliza Gilkyson and lots more. (And if you were wondering, the piece we use as our theme music is "Icarus," by Paul Winter and the Winter Consort.)
TO MAKE A REQUEST: give us a call during the show at (607) 273-2121 and we'll do our best to play what you're hankering for. Or e-mail us.
SEND US YOUR CD: If you're a musician and want us to play your tunes/promote your gigs, send us a CD. If it fits our rather broad format, your CD will go into our music library. As for nearby concert dates, we'll try to mention as many as we can. Send your promotional materials to Tracey Craig, host/producer, Nonesuch, WVBR-FM, 957 Mitchell St., Ithaca, NY 14850.
PLAYLISTS:
If you want a particular week's Nonesuch playlist, contact Tracey at Nonesuch@wvbr.com, (and indicate the date of the show you're interested in, please).
SPONSORS: Two longtime program sponsors are the ABC Cafe, and the Greenstar Cooperative Market, Ithaca's community-owned natural foods grocery. Other regular advertisers include Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca Guitar Works, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, Handwork, and many other community-based businesses. (Thanks, folks!)
SPECIAL FEATURES: Folk Focus and Bohemian Potluck
Click here to listen to past editions of Bohemian Potluck! (We're just starting this, and hope to do it will many of our earlier broadcasts; please be patient!)
With our BOHEMIAN POTLUCK feature, we get to visit in the WVBR studios with some of the musicians, artists, writers and other interesting folks who call Ithaca home (as well as those who visit!). The hour-long segment mixes conversation and music (sometimes live, sometimes recorded) and it runs from 2-3 pm. To suggest a guest, e-mail Nonesuch@wvbr.com
MARCH 14 MUNCKMIX RECORDS founder Peer Munck originally from Norway, a Cornell/Wharton School grad and business entrepreneur, Peer's the founder of MUNCKMIX RECORDS. His company works with musicians to capture and sell the recordings of their live concerts directly to music fans at a fair price. Some bands (Little Feat, Bruce Hornsby) release a selection of recordings after a tour. Others (The Allman Brothers Band, RatDog), release recordings of every show. On some tours, and at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, MUNCKMIX produces instant CDs at the concert venues so audience members can take home a recording of the very show they just attended.
MARCH 7 Soul singer, songwriter and multi-talented instrumentalist ELISA SCISCIOLI and her band SOLSTICE, which unites several of the area's best R&B, funk and reggae players: Jon Petronzio, David Gould, Steve Reichlen, Mark Wienand, Nick Bullock and Adam Gold. Elisa's an IC School of Music grad, and she built her cred on the local music scene singing with Mutron Warriors, The Destination, Millionaires of Love and Kevin Kinsella's Food, Clothes & Shelter. With Elisa taking the lead in her own group now, SOLSTICE creates music with a hip, danceable, consciousness-enhancing vibe. Music that, as Elisa sings in one of her original songs, “makes you got to MOVE.” (Jackie Merwin guest-hosts)
FEBRUARY 28 Echoes of speakeasy jazz, the western lament, the accordion-strapped ghosts of European folk, all delivered with a soulful clarity and depth. That's PO' GIRL, originally from Vancouver, British Columbia; they are rough and smooth, sweet and tart, and as one critic put it, “would-be HUGE stars in that super-cool alternate universe you've always wanted to live in.” ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE wrote: "With enough sultry ambiance to be at home in either cocktail lounge or New Orleans street corner, PO' GIRL's sentiment never feels forced, the lyricism never cliche or false. They manage to maintain that traditional and nostalgic sound while the breathing fresh life into an old-fashioned genre.” These days, PO' GIRL describes themselves a Canadian Urban Roots band, and in addition to Alli Russell and Awna Teizeira, the band includes Benny Sidelinger (formerly of the Shiftless Rounders) and Mikey “Lightnin” August. They're on tour in the US for what they're calling the No Shame Tour, raising money to eradicate child abuse and benefit the National Children's Alliance ( http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org) in the USA and Little Warriors (http://www.littlewarriors.ca) in Canada. Then it's off to Europe for a two-month tour as the band celebrates a new album.
FEBRUARY 21 So, what's a BLUEBIRD JAMBOREE? A Martin OM 28, a Martin four-string tenor....and the vocal and musical collaboration between JOE CROOKSTON & PETER GLANVILLE. Joe and Peter met a a Bob Dylan tribute show, Joe playing solo, Peter playing electric guitar in his band, HUBCAP. They had lots to talk about from the get-go; decided to work up a few songs together. From the first strum, bended note, harmony and story song, it was clear the JAMBOREE was meant to be. The guys debuted at a formal showcase at the Northeast Folk Alliance conference: 800 people didn't want to leave the room--and Joe & Peter didn't either. Thus, the BLUEBIRD JAMBOREE was born. Peter, known for his guitar work with HUBCAP as well as the COMMON RAILERS; Joe, a nationally recognized songwriter originally from the midwest but he cut his teeth on the Seattle folk scene before coming back east and settling in Ithaca with his family. In 2008, Joe's independently produced CD, Able Baker Charlie and Dog, earned top honors at the International Folk Alliance as "Album of the Year"--which means it received more airplay on folk radio shows all across the US and Canada than any other album.
FEBRUARY 14 THE BICYCLE THIEVES OF BERLIN: despite their foreign-sounding name, the boys play music that's best described as acoustic backwoods Americana. The band includes four of the five members of the HORSESHOE LOUNGE PLAYBOYS, an Oneonta-based outfit. Expect more of the group's original songs and stringband material, maybe a little less of their rockin' ass-kicking hillbilly dance music (percussion man Sam can't make this gig, say the boys.) But it oughta be a hoot, with Bicycle Thieves RANDY MIRITELLO, WILL LUNN, DARIN TRASS and DENNIS WALRATH warming up for their Tuesday MARDIS GRAS gig at Maxie's Supper Club.
FEBRUARY 7 SALLY RAMIREZ & DOUG ROBINSON, songs in Spanish, Portuguese and English, some from the folk tradition and some in a jazz idiom. Sally's an accomplished singer and actress, from Puerto Rico originally. She recently moved to Ithaca from Los Angeles, where she sang at a variety of musical venues. She's done musical theatre at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, the Goodman Theater in Chicago, and off-off Broadway. (Her acting credits include appearances on the Young and the Restless and other TV shows). And Doug's one of Ithaca's best known, hardest working musicians. He's toured and been a session man--guitar, bass, and vocals--as well as producer for a variety of world music, folk, country, pop, jazz and blues artists. Recent projects include national/international tours with British guitar legend Martin Simpson, European tours with blues artist Tino Gonzales, performances at Carnegie Hall with Johnny Russo and the East Hill jazz group, and contributions to the soundtracks of several PBS television programs. He's also served for the past five years as staff musician at Canada's Festival D'Ete, a world music festival held in Quebec City. Sally and Doug have recently collaborated on a new disc, "Crimson," exploring Latin jazz and world music. More info at http://www.watershed-arts.com
JANUARY 31 SIM REDMOND Since their inception 10 years ago, the Sim Redmond Band has been steadily on the rise, forging new ground in roots music. Traveling around the globe, they've been playing with the likes of moe, the Neville Brothers, the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, and Habib Koite, in the U.S. and Japan. Their unique blend of roots-rock, Afro-Caribbean, and reggae continues to spread like wild fire. Sim will be in the studio looking back at the last 10 years, sharing new material he's working on, and playing some old favorites. (Jackie Merwin guest-hosts)
JANUARY 24 Texas songwriter BILLY ELI. This whiskey-voiced singer from Austin walks that rollicking line between rock and country; he's got the musical chops to pull together an explosive honky-tonk style that's not limited to its Texas roots. His songs, wrote one critic, “are a beautiful mash-up of longing, misadventure, and what-the hell fun.” Billy's bringing along his Austin guitar playing buddy JIM HEMPHILL and joining them in the studio, our own ERIC ACETO on fiddle.Click here to listen to BILLY ELI on BOHO RADIO!
JANUARY 17 EARL PICKENS & FAMILY, from Lewisburg, PA. The band got their start playing acoustic versions of U2 songs"yes, U2!-- deconstructed and rebuilt, alt-country style. Earl's been writing his own songs seen he was a teenager; the band does their own originals as well. Fact, Earl wrote one that landed ‘em a gig opening for President Obama, back when he was Senator Obama, campaigning in Pennsylvania. Joining Earl on guitars (and sharing the songwriting) are JESSIE YAMAS and BRUCE DERR, BOB ALBIN (bass,) JAKE KLINE (drums) and STEVE BUCKALEW (fiddle).
JANUARY 10 THE MAPLEWOOD JAZZ TEAM, performing standards, bossa novas and ballads with LISA FERNANDEZ on vocals, and former Rongovian Embassy owner ERIC OTT, JOHN BAILEY, JON CONRAD, KEN ZESERSON. (Jackie Merwin guest-hosts.)
JANUARY 3 We kick off the new year with record collector and music lover GEORGE JOHANN. (He's also an accomplished cartoonist and illustrator, but we'll talk mostly about records!) .George has been collecting music every since he was a kid; by the time he moved here to Ithaca, he says he brought along some 20,000 albums with him. He's the owner of ANGRY MOM RECORDS, on the Ithaca Commons, which offers a wide selection of vinyl: jazz, punk, reggae, rhythm & blues and lots more. George himself is a collector of rare punk and psychedelic albums…and prewar 78s! Old blues and limited edition singles, too. He's gonna bring along a selection of one-of-a-kind music, the kind that only a collector can amass…and we'll talk about why records are making a big comeback these days.
DECEMBER 27 Songwriter ANDREW HAYWARD: Drew says his father was a big musical inspiration, his dad being John Hayward, bass player for the Correctone Stringband and later the Horse Flies until his death in 1997. Drew started seriously writing his own songs when he was in his early teens. “As a child,” he says, “I used to make up melodies with words, and my Dad would put music behind them on the piano or guitar.” Now, he says, he writes because he can't NOT write. In the 90s, he played briefly in the alt-rock outfit Agnes Mabel Becky. After graduating Cornell, he moved to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area where he teaches at a parochial school and plays on the coffeehouse circuit. This last summer, Drew finished his second release, Happy Nada
DECEMBER 21 BOHEMIAN POTLUCK CANCELLED because WVBR is carrying live sports coerage (Cornell men's basketball)
DECEMBER 13 JOHN RODGERS, who's about to open a brewpub of his own over on Seneca Lake, 9 miles from Watkins Glen--TWO GOATS BREWING. (it's been John's dream ever since he was a teenager.) He's got experience working with breweries out in Oregon, and a degree in business and came back home from the west to follow his own dream. "When it comes down to it," says John, "I'm a 'food whore.' I love to cook, I love to eat....I;m no master brewer, I'm a soup cook! To me, beer is a big pot of soup." Brewing good beer & ales, of course, is just part of the task: for the past several years, John's been hard at work, with the help of friends, building one of the most beautiful places to drink beer in you can imagine. (For starters, there's the 12-mile view of Seneca Lake.) He's proud of the "green design," and all the recycled materials, especially the 140-year-old barn he tore down and rebuilt to house TWO GOATS BREWING. It's John's old-fashioned craftsman-like approach that has the rest of us eagerly awaiting his first brews: despite the state-of-the-art tanks, his techniques are as old and simple as the art of brewing beer. We'll talk about beer, brewing, and going for your dreams--plus John's promised to bring along some of his favorite "music to drink beer by" as well.
DECEMBER 6 BOHEMIAN POTLUCK CANCELLED because WVBR is carrying live sports coerage (Cornell men's basketball)
NOVEMBER 29 BOHEMIAN POTLUCK CANCELLED because WVBR is carrying live sports coverage (Cornell men's basketball)
NOVEMBER 22 LIFE IS WATER: a conversation about the upcoming benefit concert for SHALESHOCK.org featuring DONNA THE BUFFALO, THE HORSE FLIES & THE SIM REDMONG BAND (Dec. 5 at the State Theatre). Lisa Wright, Autumn Stoschek and Judy Hyman of the Horse Flies will discuss hydrofracking and some of the issues surrounding the gas-drilling plans that have a potentially devastating impact on our Finger Lakes region.
NOVEMBER 15 CHRIS TATE & THE GREEN DEEPS Chris is a poet, songwriter, musician, engineer..and activist. Arrested protesting Guatanamo, among other actions (he says he thinks every American should spent at least one night in jail for justice). In the 80s he led Cleveland's underground bands Burning Bush & Legendary Tree Monsters; in Pittsburgh, fronted Ploughman's Lunch; then moved to Ithaca where, with friends, he formed a nonprofit that saved the historic State Theatre from the wrecking ball. He's been a part of the Grassroots Festival scene since that year he hitched to the fiddlers fest in Galax & played all night with Jeb & Jordan Puryear (and other members of Bubba George, the Red Hots & The Heartbeats). Now, with the Green Deeps, Chris plays alternative acoustic roots music; the band includes Hawaiian dobro player Larry Real, Mark Bickford of Traonach--Mark's a founding member of the traditional Irish band, he plays accordian, concertina & banjo as well as mandolin and….African Kora! (Yes, as I said: ALTERNATIVE acoustic!) Doug Henrie of the Henrie Brothers on standup bass & Joe Galusha on percussion. THE GREEN DEEPS, with frontman Chris Tate. (And yes, Chris is the driving force behind the Life is Water concert with Donna the Buffalo, the Horse Flies & the Sim Redmond Band, Dec. 5 at the State Theater: a benefit for www.shaleshock.org, a grassroots group working to protect the Finger Lakes from unsafe drilling
NOVEMBER 8 KEN HALLETT, chief cook and owner since 1981 of the much-missed ABC CAFE, which offered good vegetarian fare and a wonderful venue for singer-songwriter nights as well as all other kinds of live music until its recent demise. Ken came to Ithaca from suburban Connecticut, says he didn't get into making his own music til he was 24; it was, he says, an extension of his writing and poetry. With his band THE
PEDESTRIANS (which included Shaatzy and Felix Titlebaum, among others), Ken played mostly rock. These days, he's coming back into the music business after a long absence, breaking back in as a solo singer-songwriter. He's also got a special interest in oldtime white gospel music, Carter-family style. Original music and conversation with one of Ithaca's original bohemians!
NOVEMBER 1 THE BLACK WALNUT BAND: they got their start as a demo recording project and they count among the band members of the Urban Horse Thieves, the Hogwashers, Glass of Water, Hee Haw Nightmare, The Small Kings, and more. Jen Cork and Emily Steel-Hurst on vocals, Dustin Stuhr on guitar, Joe Prusch on fiddle, Mike Levy on bass and their original music? Well, they call it Americana country soul!
OCTOBER 25 HEE HAW NIGHTMARE, with Eric Kincaid, Chris Watrous, Matt Noonan and Brian “Sid” Burke…country music with a comic edge and high energy. (Think Holy Modal Rounders, and you're part way there.) Downhome. Ribald. Oldtime. These Hee Haw fellows know how to tear it up.
OCTOBER 18 JOMO & JOHNNYCAKE: old fashioned jugband music From a genuine Maine character"that's Johnnycake, born in Mattawankeag, Maine on the river road behind the cemetery….on Friday the 13th! And his buddy Jomo, born about 400 miles to the south; Jomo got bit by the jugband bug back in '64, the year he got his first 12-string guitar. Back then, he ran a coffeehouse in Connecticut, and spent weekends with performers like the Rev. Gary Davis, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, Jessee Fuller and….like that! Later, Jomo played with the Incredible Broadside Brass Bed Band; he came home to jugband music couple years back when he and Johnnycake hooked up. He's the king of kazoo (QUADRAZOO, too) and nobody plays washboard quite like JC. Back in the days when JC was a restaurateur, he somehow discovered playing for customers got ‘em to stick around a little longer (and improved the tips!) He also plays spoons and lobster claw (one can only imagine) and then there's his yodeling mapom, Teddy Bear, who may or may not come along for the boys' studio show. Move over Bert….if you're a fan of classic Downeast humor, and good ole jugband tunes from the 20s and 30s, you'll wanna catch these fellows.
OCTOBER 11 NATASHA LI PICKOWICZ, arts & entertainment editor for THE ITHACA TIMES, and founder of POPCORN YOUTH, a nonprofit group that brings to town a variety of new "underground" music. She says she hopes Ithaca can support an infrastructure that encourages sonic experimentation--whether that occurs in the realms of avant garde composition, clanging noise rock, or free folk wanderings. Over the past three years, she's brought in musicians from as far away as Finland, Germany, England and Spain as well NYC, San Francisco, LA and Boston; venues range from rock clubs and concert halls to private homes and record stores. ."The only thing better than a healthy local music scene is a community of listeners who are eager to encounter and discuss the music around which the community of listeners is based,” says Natasha. Originally from San Diego, she's a 2006 Cornell grad, with a BA in English. We'll talk music -- and give you a little preview of some of this fall's POPCORN YOUTH featured performers.
OCTOBER 4 GREGOR SAYET BONE, prolific songwriter and teeth gnasher; he's frontman for The Talk To Mes; plays with Pat and Brian Burke as the trio Burke and Bone, and knows more about the Mississippi Sheiks and pre-war jugband music than just about anyone else I know. (Yes, he plays jug. I hear he plays bocce, too. We'll find out more in the studio.)
SEPTEMBER 27 CHICKEN TRACTOR DELLUXE: Funky Americana, live in the studio, from the hills and small towns of Penns Valley, the geographic center of Pennsylvania. With former Salt Creek jok KAI SCHAFFT of the MacGillicuddies Nell Hanssen, Jim Baughman, Allan Bowers (and others) the band's inspiration is pure, rough, unfiltered American country music; raw, and beautiful, and not like what you'll hear on commercial radio. )Unless, of course, you're listening to WVBR on a Sunday!) Says Kai, “A lot of our inspiration and material comes from old 78 rpm records and field recordings, as well as old country albums picked up at yard sales and flea markets.”
SEPTEMBER 20 BRIAN MAKEPEACE Artist, raconteur and all round interesting character, Brian makes his living as a painter of portraits…he's captured bank presidents and judges and college luminaries, he's also painted the portraits of musicians like TOMMY MAKEM and ELIZABETH COTTON (fact, if you've been to Syracuse, maybe you've seen his portrait of Libba Cotton which hangs in the Syracuse City Hall, Libba having spent the last years of life as a resident of Syracuse). Brian's bringing along some of the music that's moved him, and we'll talk about music and painting…and family, too, because Brain's the proud papa of the MAKEPEACE BROTHERS.
SEPTEMBER 13 Songwriter JIAMIE PYLES, with her original acoustic roots music. Jiamie, formerly of the BLACK EYED SUSIES, recently recorded her first solo album and she's headed out and away from Ithaca awhile to seek her fortune in the wide world.
SEPTEMBER 6 Our guest is BRIAN EARLE, who played clarinet with wonderful PEGGY HAINE & THE LOWDOWN ALLIGATOR JAZZ BAND for many years. Brian's been an integral part of our local music scene, with a musical pedigree a mile long (half a mile, anyway!). Stories, too, about some of the musicians he's played with over the years… he's recorded with many different folks, done session work for Sesame Street, played with Steve Allen, Doc Cheetham, Billy Butterfield, and once, he loaned a clarinet to Benny Goodman! He was a key player in the whole swing dance revival that swept Ithaca (and the country); played in the HOT FOOT CLUB (clarinet and sax, too) and a couple years back he played Carnegie Hall with Johnny Russo's Classic East Hill Jazz band.
AUGUST 30 MIGNARDA - old time music, REALLY old time--historical music that transcends history! RON ANDRICO's a lute specialist (he's published several important music editions and scholarly articles); mezzo soprano DONNA STEWART has a long background in Gregorian chant and the choral repertory of the Renaissance. Together the duo specializes in music that is somewhere in that grey zone between folk and art music, with interpretations that follow the renaissance ideal of "moving the passions of the listener."
AUGUST 23 CROW WEAVER of the NATIVE EARTHLING BAND; (info to come)
AUGUST 16 GEORGE REED jazz drummer extraordinaire, with stories of Harlem & the swing dance phenomenon (part two)
AUGUST 9 Austin musician FRANK MEYER--he�s something of an expert in sustainable building (and straw bale hay structures, which he�s built in Alaska, China, and Peru among other places over the past 30 years); he�s also THE BEST BASS PLAYER IN AUSTIN (least, that�s what the Austin Chronicle says). Frank�s played bass with BB KING, PETER ROWAN and JOHNNY GIMBLE, among others. Couple years back, he put the bass in the doghouse when the urge to write songs struck him. His music ranges from the sensitive to the hilarious; from the passionate to the twisted.
AUGUST 2 THE NEAL MASSA JAZZ PIANO TRIO: Neal's been a long time presence on the Ithaca music scene, but he's also played in North Africa, Europe, the Virgin Islands and Canada. With Chuck Berry, the Shirelles, Paul Butterfield, and Cab Calloway, to drop just a few names. Bassist TINA LAMA and percussionist COLLEEN CLARK join Neal for an in-studio jazz session and conversation
JULY 26 HAWAIIAN BLUES (and more) with LARRY REAL, aka Aloha Joe. Larry plays Hawaiian steel guitar, slack key on a dobro�in the style of BARNEY ISAACS (among others) but he�s got stories too: about his grandpa, a merchant marine; his grandma (she built warheads in the second world war) and an aunt, who taught hula in New Jersey. All kinds of Polynesian hillbilly music�because as you probably know, it�s a slippery slope from Hawaiian steel to twangin� country. Plus a beautiful lullaby or two: a little bit of BLUE HAWAII on a hot July afternoon witLARRY REAL.
JULY 19 (pianist DICK HYMAN ; feature rebroadcast because George Reed had to cancel scheduled appearance)
JULY 12 MARY BRETT LORSON & THE SOUBRETTES, featuring MARY LORSON (Madder Rose, Saint Low, Piano Creeps). "Dark and enchanting, Lorson's voice lingers in the room like the scent of a candle which has been blown out, � wrote the music critic for THE NEW YORKER magazine. With this new group, Mary revisits the burlesque musical roots of America�s traveling vaudeville era. (Mary recently has been working on a screenplay/film about EVA TANGUAY whose roaring energy and daring material made her one of the biggest and most long-lasting vaudeville stars.) The Soubrettes include JEN MIDDAUGH (Sim Redmond Band, Wingnut, Orbiting Art Ensemble), AMELIA SAUTER and LEAH HOUGHTALING (Black Eyed Susies and ZipWire) and JOEL BLIZZARD (Thousands of One, Small Kings).
JULY 5 THOR OESCHNER and ALBERT CAPISTA of the MacGillicuddies talk about the band and play some tracks from their new CD, Farmer's Daughter's Daughter. The Macs have been playing their unique blend of zydeco, roots, old-time and country music for the past 10 years in and around New York and Pennsylvania.
JUNE 28 fiddler LYDIA CLAUSSON (Turtle Island, the Duhks) and banjo man JOE DAMIANO (Hogwashers and more) recently returned from their musical adventure in Africa with a bagful of instruments and stories to share
JUNE 21 from HAWAII, where they call him the "Prince of Polyrock"-- TAVANA MCMOORE with his acoustic, rootsy blues and original songs. He's big on Waikiki, with a sound that's part Stevie Ray Vaughn, part Ben Harper and part, well, it's his own one-of-a-kind Polynesian fusion. TAVANA's travelling stateside this summer; we found him playing at a late-night open mic and were "WOW!-ed" enough to re-arrange the Bohemian Potluck schedule to invite him to share his original tunes. He'll be joined by Ale Kona Surento and Nick Masciangelo.
JUNE 14 COMMON RAILERS: PETER GLANVILLE (guitar) and GORDON ROWLAND (accordian, mandolin) write most of the group's original songs; providing the foundation and the groove are MIKE COSTELLO (bass) and SHANE HARTMAN (drums) and CHAD CRUMM adds his soaring fiddle lines and funky banjo solos. You might hear Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan -- or some of the RAILER'S originals.
JUNE 7 fiddler BOB POTTS of that pioneering oldtime outfit, THE HIGHWOOD STRING BAND (and before that, in Berkeley days, THE FAT CITY STRING BAND)
MAY 31 THE FUN ZONE Funky swing, folk rock originals and more with TONY FAMIGLIETTI (guitar, harp and vocals), JOE OTTATI (bass) and RICK URDA (trumpet)
MAY 24 banjo player MICHAEL HANSEN from Maryland: Michael's taken some cues from Joe Thompson, Dirk Powell, and Otis Taylor (among others) since he began playing banjo in high school; he's since added guitar, harmonica, ukulele, kazoo & jug to his repertoire. He's played venues in most of the lower 48 (as well as some rather prestigious pubs in Ireland) and he's currently recording an album out at Chad Crumm's place with friends from the EVIL CITY STRINGBAND.
MAY 17 MARY OTT former co-owner of Trumansburg's Rongovian Embassy; Mary now has her own MARY OTT BAND, playing jazz standards and originals
MAY 10 THE HORSE SHOE LOUNGE PLAYBOYS "Blu-billy" backwoods Americana, from this Oneonta-based band that mixes bluegrass, oldtime country and "hillbilly" music into a fearsome danceable mix
MAY 3 live music with oldtime fiddler JOHN SPECKER
APRIL 26 AKWESASNE FREEDOM SCHOOL benefit with Lehman Alternative Community School teacher JON RAIMON, LYDIA GARRISON and current students participating in the annual cultural exchange program that connects Ithaca students with students at the Mohawk Freedom School
APRIL 19 THE TIN PAN BLUES BAND from Brooklyn, specializing in 1920s style swing, jump and blues
APRIL 12 MICHAEL LUDGATE: dedicated music amateur; proprietor of the one and only Ludgate's Farm Market and keeper of the Ludgate Farms music listings:
Ludgate music
APRIL 5 DICK HYMAN distinguished jazz pianist, master of all styles from swing to be-bop. Prolific and versatile; he played with Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker; was music director for Arthur Godrey's TV show and Woody Allen movies including "Zelig," "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "Sweet & Lowdown." Dick's also noted for his pioneering work on the Moog synthesizer....and his explorations of the music of Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin. Then there's the minor hit he had with "Mack the Knife," transcribed for harpsichord...and something called the Eclectic Electrics....tune in and find out! (note special 1:30-2:30 time frame)
MARCH 29 LONG JOHN & THE TIGHTS live music with one of Ithaca's favorite oldtime string bands
MARCH 22 KATHY LUZ HERRERA: Tompkins county legislator and electrician
MARCH 15 GEORGE REED: jazz drummer extraordinaire, with stories of Harlem & the swing dance phenomenon
MARCH 8 SAMITE: kalimba master, originally from Uganda; founder of Musicians for World Harmony
MARCH 1 cellist HANK ROBERTS, on his Grammy-nominated work (and touring) with Bill Frisell, members of the Bad Plus, and his own trio, recently recording and touring in Germany
FEBRUARY 22 STEVE HOLZBAUER record store owner and connoisseur of funky Ithaca
FEBRUARY 15 Music from Madagascar, with photographer and Ithaca College professor JANICE LEVY, who's spent much of her professional career photographing in the island nation of Madagascar
FEBRUARY 8 BOB PROEHL music store owner and author of "The Byrds & The Gilded Palace of Sin"
FEBRUARY 1 WILL RUSSELL, recording studio guru, with a look at the past 20 years or so of music made at his ELECTRIC WILBURLAND STUDIO
JANUARY 25 Celebrating the birthday of Gypsy jazz guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT, with help from HARRY ACETO, guitarist, bass player, and Django fanatic
JANUARY 18 NATE SILAS RICHARDSON of John Brown's Body, the Sim Redmond Band, and Badema; Nate's an aficienado of all things relating to African music
JANUARY 11 LYRAE VAN CLIEF STEFANON reading her poetry, with banjo accompaniment by RICHIE STEARNS(Horse Flies, Evil City Stringband). Lyrae's a rising African American poet, winner of the Cave Canem prize for poetry; she teaches English at Cornell.
JANUARY 4 GENE ENDRES writer, photographer, train buff, host of "Hobo's Lullaby" on that OTHER radio station (and fellow connoisseur of the weird and wonderful)
FOLK FOCUS:
Every week we feature one particular artist, group or album for our Folk Focus. You can hear a solid half-hour of their music between 11:30-12. Tracey has a couple of old Folk Focus show segments available on-line (Bill Morrissey and Tom Waits features available at http://www.tlcproductions.net/sound/nonesuch.htm
Recent features: Ry Cooder, Hans Theessink, Mavis Staples, John Cephas, Bela Fleck: Throw Down Heart (the Africa Sessions), Sam Baker, Danny Barnes, Precious Bryant, Luiz Bonfa, Tom Russell, Rupa and the April Fishes, JJ Cale, Leonard Cohen, The Pines, Rosalie Sorrels, the Art of Field Recording (Art Rosenbaum)
With our BOHEMIAN POTLUCK feature, we get to visit in the WVBR studios with some of the musicians, artists, writers and other interesting folks who call Ithaca home (as well as those who visit!). The hour-long segment mixes conversation and music (sometimes live, sometimes recorded) and it runs from 2-3 pm. To suggest a guest, e-mail Nonesuch@wvbr.com
MARCH 14 MUNCKMIX RECORDS founder Peer Munck originally from Norway, a Cornell/Wharton School grad and business entrepreneur, Peer's the founder of MUNCKMIX RECORDS. His company works with musicians to capture and sell the recordings of their live concerts directly to music fans at a fair price. Some bands (Little Feat, Bruce Hornsby) release a selection of recordings after a tour. Others (The Allman Brothers Band, RatDog), release recordings of every show. On some tours, and at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, MUNCKMIX produces instant CDs at the concert venues so audience members can take home a recording of the very show they just attended.
MARCH 7 Soul singer, songwriter and multi-talented instrumentalist ELISA SCISCIOLI and her band SOLSTICE, which unites several of the area's best R&B, funk and reggae players: Jon Petronzio, David Gould, Steve Reichlen, Mark Wienand, Nick Bullock and Adam Gold. Elisa's an IC School of Music grad, and she built her cred on the local music scene singing with Mutron Warriors, The Destination, Millionaires of Love and Kevin Kinsella's Food, Clothes & Shelter. With Elisa taking the lead in her own group now, SOLSTICE creates music with a hip, danceable, consciousness-enhancing vibe. Music that, as Elisa sings in one of her original songs, “makes you got to MOVE.” (Jackie Merwin guest-hosts)
FEBRUARY 28 Echoes of speakeasy jazz, the western lament, the accordion-strapped ghosts of European folk, all delivered with a soulful clarity and depth. That's PO' GIRL, originally from Vancouver, British Columbia; they are rough and smooth, sweet and tart, and as one critic put it, “would-be HUGE stars in that super-cool alternate universe you've always wanted to live in.” ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE wrote: "With enough sultry ambiance to be at home in either cocktail lounge or New Orleans street corner, PO' GIRL's sentiment never feels forced, the lyricism never cliche or false. They manage to maintain that traditional and nostalgic sound while the breathing fresh life into an old-fashioned genre.” These days, PO' GIRL describes themselves a Canadian Urban Roots band, and in addition to Alli Russell and Awna Teizeira, the band includes Benny Sidelinger (formerly of the Shiftless Rounders) and Mikey “Lightnin” August. They're on tour in the US for what they're calling the No Shame Tour, raising money to eradicate child abuse and benefit the National Children's Alliance ( http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org) in the USA and Little Warriors (http://www.littlewarriors.ca) in Canada. Then it's off to Europe for a two-month tour as the band celebrates a new album.
FEBRUARY 21 So, what's a BLUEBIRD JAMBOREE? A Martin OM 28, a Martin four-string tenor....and the vocal and musical collaboration between JOE CROOKSTON & PETER GLANVILLE. Joe and Peter met a a Bob Dylan tribute show, Joe playing solo, Peter playing electric guitar in his band, HUBCAP. They had lots to talk about from the get-go; decided to work up a few songs together. From the first strum, bended note, harmony and story song, it was clear the JAMBOREE was meant to be. The guys debuted at a formal showcase at the Northeast Folk Alliance conference: 800 people didn't want to leave the room--and Joe & Peter didn't either. Thus, the BLUEBIRD JAMBOREE was born. Peter, known for his guitar work with HUBCAP as well as the COMMON RAILERS; Joe, a nationally recognized songwriter originally from the midwest but he cut his teeth on the Seattle folk scene before coming back east and settling in Ithaca with his family. In 2008, Joe's independently produced CD, Able Baker Charlie and Dog, earned top honors at the International Folk Alliance as "Album of the Year"--which means it received more airplay on folk radio shows all across the US and Canada than any other album.
FEBRUARY 14 THE BICYCLE THIEVES OF BERLIN: despite their foreign-sounding name, the boys play music that's best described as acoustic backwoods Americana. The band includes four of the five members of the HORSESHOE LOUNGE PLAYBOYS, an Oneonta-based outfit. Expect more of the group's original songs and stringband material, maybe a little less of their rockin' ass-kicking hillbilly dance music (percussion man Sam can't make this gig, say the boys.) But it oughta be a hoot, with Bicycle Thieves RANDY MIRITELLO, WILL LUNN, DARIN TRASS and DENNIS WALRATH warming up for their Tuesday MARDIS GRAS gig at Maxie's Supper Club.
FEBRUARY 7 SALLY RAMIREZ & DOUG ROBINSON, songs in Spanish, Portuguese and English, some from the folk tradition and some in a jazz idiom. Sally's an accomplished singer and actress, from Puerto Rico originally. She recently moved to Ithaca from Los Angeles, where she sang at a variety of musical venues. She's done musical theatre at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, the Goodman Theater in Chicago, and off-off Broadway. (Her acting credits include appearances on the Young and the Restless and other TV shows). And Doug's one of Ithaca's best known, hardest working musicians. He's toured and been a session man--guitar, bass, and vocals--as well as producer for a variety of world music, folk, country, pop, jazz and blues artists. Recent projects include national/international tours with British guitar legend Martin Simpson, European tours with blues artist Tino Gonzales, performances at Carnegie Hall with Johnny Russo and the East Hill jazz group, and contributions to the soundtracks of several PBS television programs. He's also served for the past five years as staff musician at Canada's Festival D'Ete, a world music festival held in Quebec City. Sally and Doug have recently collaborated on a new disc, "Crimson," exploring Latin jazz and world music. More info at http://www.watershed-arts.com
JANUARY 31 SIM REDMOND Since their inception 10 years ago, the Sim Redmond Band has been steadily on the rise, forging new ground in roots music. Traveling around the globe, they've been playing with the likes of moe, the Neville Brothers, the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, and Habib Koite, in the U.S. and Japan. Their unique blend of roots-rock, Afro-Caribbean, and reggae continues to spread like wild fire. Sim will be in the studio looking back at the last 10 years, sharing new material he's working on, and playing some old favorites. (Jackie Merwin guest-hosts)
JANUARY 24 Texas songwriter BILLY ELI. This whiskey-voiced singer from Austin walks that rollicking line between rock and country; he's got the musical chops to pull together an explosive honky-tonk style that's not limited to its Texas roots. His songs, wrote one critic, “are a beautiful mash-up of longing, misadventure, and what-the hell fun.” Billy's bringing along his Austin guitar playing buddy JIM HEMPHILL and joining them in the studio, our own ERIC ACETO on fiddle.Click here to listen to BILLY ELI on BOHO RADIO!
JANUARY 17 EARL PICKENS & FAMILY, from Lewisburg, PA. The band got their start playing acoustic versions of U2 songs"yes, U2!-- deconstructed and rebuilt, alt-country style. Earl's been writing his own songs seen he was a teenager; the band does their own originals as well. Fact, Earl wrote one that landed ‘em a gig opening for President Obama, back when he was Senator Obama, campaigning in Pennsylvania. Joining Earl on guitars (and sharing the songwriting) are JESSIE YAMAS and BRUCE DERR, BOB ALBIN (bass,) JAKE KLINE (drums) and STEVE BUCKALEW (fiddle).
JANUARY 10 THE MAPLEWOOD JAZZ TEAM, performing standards, bossa novas and ballads with LISA FERNANDEZ on vocals, and former Rongovian Embassy owner ERIC OTT, JOHN BAILEY, JON CONRAD, KEN ZESERSON. (Jackie Merwin guest-hosts.)
JANUARY 3 We kick off the new year with record collector and music lover GEORGE JOHANN. (He's also an accomplished cartoonist and illustrator, but we'll talk mostly about records!) .George has been collecting music every since he was a kid; by the time he moved here to Ithaca, he says he brought along some 20,000 albums with him. He's the owner of ANGRY MOM RECORDS, on the Ithaca Commons, which offers a wide selection of vinyl: jazz, punk, reggae, rhythm & blues and lots more. George himself is a collector of rare punk and psychedelic albums…and prewar 78s! Old blues and limited edition singles, too. He's gonna bring along a selection of one-of-a-kind music, the kind that only a collector can amass…and we'll talk about why records are making a big comeback these days.
DECEMBER 27 Songwriter ANDREW HAYWARD: Drew says his father was a big musical inspiration, his dad being John Hayward, bass player for the Correctone Stringband and later the Horse Flies until his death in 1997. Drew started seriously writing his own songs when he was in his early teens. “As a child,” he says, “I used to make up melodies with words, and my Dad would put music behind them on the piano or guitar.” Now, he says, he writes because he can't NOT write. In the 90s, he played briefly in the alt-rock outfit Agnes Mabel Becky. After graduating Cornell, he moved to the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area where he teaches at a parochial school and plays on the coffeehouse circuit. This last summer, Drew finished his second release, Happy Nada
DECEMBER 21 BOHEMIAN POTLUCK CANCELLED because WVBR is carrying live sports coerage (Cornell men's basketball)
DECEMBER 13 JOHN RODGERS, who's about to open a brewpub of his own over on Seneca Lake, 9 miles from Watkins Glen--TWO GOATS BREWING. (it's been John's dream ever since he was a teenager.) He's got experience working with breweries out in Oregon, and a degree in business and came back home from the west to follow his own dream. "When it comes down to it," says John, "I'm a 'food whore.' I love to cook, I love to eat....I;m no master brewer, I'm a soup cook! To me, beer is a big pot of soup." Brewing good beer & ales, of course, is just part of the task: for the past several years, John's been hard at work, with the help of friends, building one of the most beautiful places to drink beer in you can imagine. (For starters, there's the 12-mile view of Seneca Lake.) He's proud of the "green design," and all the recycled materials, especially the 140-year-old barn he tore down and rebuilt to house TWO GOATS BREWING. It's John's old-fashioned craftsman-like approach that has the rest of us eagerly awaiting his first brews: despite the state-of-the-art tanks, his techniques are as old and simple as the art of brewing beer. We'll talk about beer, brewing, and going for your dreams--plus John's promised to bring along some of his favorite "music to drink beer by" as well.
DECEMBER 6 BOHEMIAN POTLUCK CANCELLED because WVBR is carrying live sports coerage (Cornell men's basketball)
NOVEMBER 29 BOHEMIAN POTLUCK CANCELLED because WVBR is carrying live sports coverage (Cornell men's basketball)
NOVEMBER 22 LIFE IS WATER: a conversation about the upcoming benefit concert for SHALESHOCK.org featuring DONNA THE BUFFALO, THE HORSE FLIES & THE SIM REDMONG BAND (Dec. 5 at the State Theatre). Lisa Wright, Autumn Stoschek and Judy Hyman of the Horse Flies will discuss hydrofracking and some of the issues surrounding the gas-drilling plans that have a potentially devastating impact on our Finger Lakes region.
NOVEMBER 15 CHRIS TATE & THE GREEN DEEPS Chris is a poet, songwriter, musician, engineer..and activist. Arrested protesting Guatanamo, among other actions (he says he thinks every American should spent at least one night in jail for justice). In the 80s he led Cleveland's underground bands Burning Bush & Legendary Tree Monsters; in Pittsburgh, fronted Ploughman's Lunch; then moved to Ithaca where, with friends, he formed a nonprofit that saved the historic State Theatre from the wrecking ball. He's been a part of the Grassroots Festival scene since that year he hitched to the fiddlers fest in Galax & played all night with Jeb & Jordan Puryear (and other members of Bubba George, the Red Hots & The Heartbeats). Now, with the Green Deeps, Chris plays alternative acoustic roots music; the band includes Hawaiian dobro player Larry Real, Mark Bickford of Traonach--Mark's a founding member of the traditional Irish band, he plays accordian, concertina & banjo as well as mandolin and….African Kora! (Yes, as I said: ALTERNATIVE acoustic!) Doug Henrie of the Henrie Brothers on standup bass & Joe Galusha on percussion. THE GREEN DEEPS, with frontman Chris Tate. (And yes, Chris is the driving force behind the Life is Water concert with Donna the Buffalo, the Horse Flies & the Sim Redmond Band, Dec. 5 at the State Theater: a benefit for www.shaleshock.org, a grassroots group working to protect the Finger Lakes from unsafe drilling
NOVEMBER 8 KEN HALLETT, chief cook and owner since 1981 of the much-missed ABC CAFE, which offered good vegetarian fare and a wonderful venue for singer-songwriter nights as well as all other kinds of live music until its recent demise. Ken came to Ithaca from suburban Connecticut, says he didn't get into making his own music til he was 24; it was, he says, an extension of his writing and poetry. With his band THE
PEDESTRIANS (which included Shaatzy and Felix Titlebaum, among others), Ken played mostly rock. These days, he's coming back into the music business after a long absence, breaking back in as a solo singer-songwriter. He's also got a special interest in oldtime white gospel music, Carter-family style. Original music and conversation with one of Ithaca's original bohemians!
NOVEMBER 1 THE BLACK WALNUT BAND: they got their start as a demo recording project and they count among the band members of the Urban Horse Thieves, the Hogwashers, Glass of Water, Hee Haw Nightmare, The Small Kings, and more. Jen Cork and Emily Steel-Hurst on vocals, Dustin Stuhr on guitar, Joe Prusch on fiddle, Mike Levy on bass and their original music? Well, they call it Americana country soul!
OCTOBER 25 HEE HAW NIGHTMARE, with Eric Kincaid, Chris Watrous, Matt Noonan and Brian “Sid” Burke…country music with a comic edge and high energy. (Think Holy Modal Rounders, and you're part way there.) Downhome. Ribald. Oldtime. These Hee Haw fellows know how to tear it up.
OCTOBER 18 JOMO & JOHNNYCAKE: old fashioned jugband music From a genuine Maine character"that's Johnnycake, born in Mattawankeag, Maine on the river road behind the cemetery….on Friday the 13th! And his buddy Jomo, born about 400 miles to the south; Jomo got bit by the jugband bug back in '64, the year he got his first 12-string guitar. Back then, he ran a coffeehouse in Connecticut, and spent weekends with performers like the Rev. Gary Davis, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, Jessee Fuller and….like that! Later, Jomo played with the Incredible Broadside Brass Bed Band; he came home to jugband music couple years back when he and Johnnycake hooked up. He's the king of kazoo (QUADRAZOO, too) and nobody plays washboard quite like JC. Back in the days when JC was a restaurateur, he somehow discovered playing for customers got ‘em to stick around a little longer (and improved the tips!) He also plays spoons and lobster claw (one can only imagine) and then there's his yodeling mapom, Teddy Bear, who may or may not come along for the boys' studio show. Move over Bert….if you're a fan of classic Downeast humor, and good ole jugband tunes from the 20s and 30s, you'll wanna catch these fellows.
OCTOBER 11 NATASHA LI PICKOWICZ, arts & entertainment editor for THE ITHACA TIMES, and founder of POPCORN YOUTH, a nonprofit group that brings to town a variety of new "underground" music. She says she hopes Ithaca can support an infrastructure that encourages sonic experimentation--whether that occurs in the realms of avant garde composition, clanging noise rock, or free folk wanderings. Over the past three years, she's brought in musicians from as far away as Finland, Germany, England and Spain as well NYC, San Francisco, LA and Boston; venues range from rock clubs and concert halls to private homes and record stores. ."The only thing better than a healthy local music scene is a community of listeners who are eager to encounter and discuss the music around which the community of listeners is based,” says Natasha. Originally from San Diego, she's a 2006 Cornell grad, with a BA in English. We'll talk music -- and give you a little preview of some of this fall's POPCORN YOUTH featured performers.
OCTOBER 4 GREGOR SAYET BONE, prolific songwriter and teeth gnasher; he's frontman for The Talk To Mes; plays with Pat and Brian Burke as the trio Burke and Bone, and knows more about the Mississippi Sheiks and pre-war jugband music than just about anyone else I know. (Yes, he plays jug. I hear he plays bocce, too. We'll find out more in the studio.)
SEPTEMBER 27 CHICKEN TRACTOR DELLUXE: Funky Americana, live in the studio, from the hills and small towns of Penns Valley, the geographic center of Pennsylvania. With former Salt Creek jok KAI SCHAFFT of the MacGillicuddies Nell Hanssen, Jim Baughman, Allan Bowers (and others) the band's inspiration is pure, rough, unfiltered American country music; raw, and beautiful, and not like what you'll hear on commercial radio. )Unless, of course, you're listening to WVBR on a Sunday!) Says Kai, “A lot of our inspiration and material comes from old 78 rpm records and field recordings, as well as old country albums picked up at yard sales and flea markets.”
SEPTEMBER 20 BRIAN MAKEPEACE Artist, raconteur and all round interesting character, Brian makes his living as a painter of portraits…he's captured bank presidents and judges and college luminaries, he's also painted the portraits of musicians like TOMMY MAKEM and ELIZABETH COTTON (fact, if you've been to Syracuse, maybe you've seen his portrait of Libba Cotton which hangs in the Syracuse City Hall, Libba having spent the last years of life as a resident of Syracuse). Brian's bringing along some of the music that's moved him, and we'll talk about music and painting…and family, too, because Brain's the proud papa of the MAKEPEACE BROTHERS.
SEPTEMBER 13 Songwriter JIAMIE PYLES, with her original acoustic roots music. Jiamie, formerly of the BLACK EYED SUSIES, recently recorded her first solo album and she's headed out and away from Ithaca awhile to seek her fortune in the wide world.
SEPTEMBER 6 Our guest is BRIAN EARLE, who played clarinet with wonderful PEGGY HAINE & THE LOWDOWN ALLIGATOR JAZZ BAND for many years. Brian's been an integral part of our local music scene, with a musical pedigree a mile long (half a mile, anyway!). Stories, too, about some of the musicians he's played with over the years… he's recorded with many different folks, done session work for Sesame Street, played with Steve Allen, Doc Cheetham, Billy Butterfield, and once, he loaned a clarinet to Benny Goodman! He was a key player in the whole swing dance revival that swept Ithaca (and the country); played in the HOT FOOT CLUB (clarinet and sax, too) and a couple years back he played Carnegie Hall with Johnny Russo's Classic East Hill Jazz band.
AUGUST 30 MIGNARDA - old time music, REALLY old time--historical music that transcends history! RON ANDRICO's a lute specialist (he's published several important music editions and scholarly articles); mezzo soprano DONNA STEWART has a long background in Gregorian chant and the choral repertory of the Renaissance. Together the duo specializes in music that is somewhere in that grey zone between folk and art music, with interpretations that follow the renaissance ideal of "moving the passions of the listener."
AUGUST 23 CROW WEAVER of the NATIVE EARTHLING BAND; (info to come)
AUGUST 16 GEORGE REED jazz drummer extraordinaire, with stories of Harlem & the swing dance phenomenon (part two)
AUGUST 9 Austin musician FRANK MEYER--he�s something of an expert in sustainable building (and straw bale hay structures, which he�s built in Alaska, China, and Peru among other places over the past 30 years); he�s also THE BEST BASS PLAYER IN AUSTIN (least, that�s what the Austin Chronicle says). Frank�s played bass with BB KING, PETER ROWAN and JOHNNY GIMBLE, among others. Couple years back, he put the bass in the doghouse when the urge to write songs struck him. His music ranges from the sensitive to the hilarious; from the passionate to the twisted.
AUGUST 2 THE NEAL MASSA JAZZ PIANO TRIO: Neal's been a long time presence on the Ithaca music scene, but he's also played in North Africa, Europe, the Virgin Islands and Canada. With Chuck Berry, the Shirelles, Paul Butterfield, and Cab Calloway, to drop just a few names. Bassist TINA LAMA and percussionist COLLEEN CLARK join Neal for an in-studio jazz session and conversation
JULY 26 HAWAIIAN BLUES (and more) with LARRY REAL, aka Aloha Joe. Larry plays Hawaiian steel guitar, slack key on a dobro�in the style of BARNEY ISAACS (among others) but he�s got stories too: about his grandpa, a merchant marine; his grandma (she built warheads in the second world war) and an aunt, who taught hula in New Jersey. All kinds of Polynesian hillbilly music�because as you probably know, it�s a slippery slope from Hawaiian steel to twangin� country. Plus a beautiful lullaby or two: a little bit of BLUE HAWAII on a hot July afternoon witLARRY REAL.
JULY 19 (pianist DICK HYMAN ; feature rebroadcast because George Reed had to cancel scheduled appearance)
JULY 12 MARY BRETT LORSON & THE SOUBRETTES, featuring MARY LORSON (Madder Rose, Saint Low, Piano Creeps). "Dark and enchanting, Lorson's voice lingers in the room like the scent of a candle which has been blown out, � wrote the music critic for THE NEW YORKER magazine. With this new group, Mary revisits the burlesque musical roots of America�s traveling vaudeville era. (Mary recently has been working on a screenplay/film about EVA TANGUAY whose roaring energy and daring material made her one of the biggest and most long-lasting vaudeville stars.) The Soubrettes include JEN MIDDAUGH (Sim Redmond Band, Wingnut, Orbiting Art Ensemble), AMELIA SAUTER and LEAH HOUGHTALING (Black Eyed Susies and ZipWire) and JOEL BLIZZARD (Thousands of One, Small Kings).
JULY 5 THOR OESCHNER and ALBERT CAPISTA of the MacGillicuddies talk about the band and play some tracks from their new CD, Farmer's Daughter's Daughter. The Macs have been playing their unique blend of zydeco, roots, old-time and country music for the past 10 years in and around New York and Pennsylvania.
JUNE 28 fiddler LYDIA CLAUSSON (Turtle Island, the Duhks) and banjo man JOE DAMIANO (Hogwashers and more) recently returned from their musical adventure in Africa with a bagful of instruments and stories to share
JUNE 21 from HAWAII, where they call him the "Prince of Polyrock"-- TAVANA MCMOORE with his acoustic, rootsy blues and original songs. He's big on Waikiki, with a sound that's part Stevie Ray Vaughn, part Ben Harper and part, well, it's his own one-of-a-kind Polynesian fusion. TAVANA's travelling stateside this summer; we found him playing at a late-night open mic and were "WOW!-ed" enough to re-arrange the Bohemian Potluck schedule to invite him to share his original tunes. He'll be joined by Ale Kona Surento and Nick Masciangelo.
JUNE 14 COMMON RAILERS: PETER GLANVILLE (guitar) and GORDON ROWLAND (accordian, mandolin) write most of the group's original songs; providing the foundation and the groove are MIKE COSTELLO (bass) and SHANE HARTMAN (drums) and CHAD CRUMM adds his soaring fiddle lines and funky banjo solos. You might hear Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan -- or some of the RAILER'S originals.
JUNE 7 fiddler BOB POTTS of that pioneering oldtime outfit, THE HIGHWOOD STRING BAND (and before that, in Berkeley days, THE FAT CITY STRING BAND)
MAY 31 THE FUN ZONE Funky swing, folk rock originals and more with TONY FAMIGLIETTI (guitar, harp and vocals), JOE OTTATI (bass) and RICK URDA (trumpet)
MAY 24 banjo player MICHAEL HANSEN from Maryland: Michael's taken some cues from Joe Thompson, Dirk Powell, and Otis Taylor (among others) since he began playing banjo in high school; he's since added guitar, harmonica, ukulele, kazoo & jug to his repertoire. He's played venues in most of the lower 48 (as well as some rather prestigious pubs in Ireland) and he's currently recording an album out at Chad Crumm's place with friends from the EVIL CITY STRINGBAND.
MAY 17 MARY OTT former co-owner of Trumansburg's Rongovian Embassy; Mary now has her own MARY OTT BAND, playing jazz standards and originals
MAY 10 THE HORSE SHOE LOUNGE PLAYBOYS "Blu-billy" backwoods Americana, from this Oneonta-based band that mixes bluegrass, oldtime country and "hillbilly" music into a fearsome danceable mix
MAY 3 live music with oldtime fiddler JOHN SPECKER
APRIL 26 AKWESASNE FREEDOM SCHOOL benefit with Lehman Alternative Community School teacher JON RAIMON, LYDIA GARRISON and current students participating in the annual cultural exchange program that connects Ithaca students with students at the Mohawk Freedom School
APRIL 19 THE TIN PAN BLUES BAND from Brooklyn, specializing in 1920s style swing, jump and blues
APRIL 12 MICHAEL LUDGATE: dedicated music amateur; proprietor of the one and only Ludgate's Farm Market and keeper of the Ludgate Farms music listings:
Ludgate music
APRIL 5 DICK HYMAN distinguished jazz pianist, master of all styles from swing to be-bop. Prolific and versatile; he played with Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker; was music director for Arthur Godrey's TV show and Woody Allen movies including "Zelig," "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "Sweet & Lowdown." Dick's also noted for his pioneering work on the Moog synthesizer....and his explorations of the music of Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin. Then there's the minor hit he had with "Mack the Knife," transcribed for harpsichord...and something called the Eclectic Electrics....tune in and find out! (note special 1:30-2:30 time frame)
MARCH 29 LONG JOHN & THE TIGHTS live music with one of Ithaca's favorite oldtime string bands
MARCH 22 KATHY LUZ HERRERA: Tompkins county legislator and electrician
MARCH 15 GEORGE REED: jazz drummer extraordinaire, with stories of Harlem & the swing dance phenomenon
MARCH 8 SAMITE: kalimba master, originally from Uganda; founder of Musicians for World Harmony
MARCH 1 cellist HANK ROBERTS, on his Grammy-nominated work (and touring) with Bill Frisell, members of the Bad Plus, and his own trio, recently recording and touring in Germany
FEBRUARY 22 STEVE HOLZBAUER record store owner and connoisseur of funky Ithaca
FEBRUARY 15 Music from Madagascar, with photographer and Ithaca College professor JANICE LEVY, who's spent much of her professional career photographing in the island nation of Madagascar
FEBRUARY 8 BOB PROEHL music store owner and author of "The Byrds & The Gilded Palace of Sin"
FEBRUARY 1 WILL RUSSELL, recording studio guru, with a look at the past 20 years or so of music made at his ELECTRIC WILBURLAND STUDIO
JANUARY 25 Celebrating the birthday of Gypsy jazz guitarist DJANGO REINHARDT, with help from HARRY ACETO, guitarist, bass player, and Django fanatic
JANUARY 18 NATE SILAS RICHARDSON of John Brown's Body, the Sim Redmond Band, and Badema; Nate's an aficienado of all things relating to African music
JANUARY 11 LYRAE VAN CLIEF STEFANON reading her poetry, with banjo accompaniment by RICHIE STEARNS(Horse Flies, Evil City Stringband). Lyrae's a rising African American poet, winner of the Cave Canem prize for poetry; she teaches English at Cornell.
JANUARY 4 GENE ENDRES writer, photographer, train buff, host of "Hobo's Lullaby" on that OTHER radio station (and fellow connoisseur of the weird and wonderful)
FOLK FOCUS:
Every week we feature one particular artist, group or album for our Folk Focus. You can hear a solid half-hour of their music between 11:30-12. Tracey has a couple of old Folk Focus show segments available on-line (Bill Morrissey and Tom Waits features available at http://www.tlcproductions.net/sound/nonesuch.htm
Recent features: Ry Cooder, Hans Theessink, Mavis Staples, John Cephas, Bela Fleck: Throw Down Heart (the Africa Sessions), Sam Baker, Danny Barnes, Precious Bryant, Luiz Bonfa, Tom Russell, Rupa and the April Fishes, JJ Cale, Leonard Cohen, The Pines, Rosalie Sorrels, the Art of Field Recording (Art Rosenbaum)
Free Concert Tickets--and Live Local Music
We know you like to hear good new music--but listening to Nonesuch is also a good way to free tickets to all kinds of events including summer music festivals and individual music and theatre performances. Of course, you'll also get weekly updates on concert listings in the area. (If you miss ours, make sure you catch the Folk Stuff listing at 10:15 p.m. every
Sunday night on Bound for Glory.)
LIVE MUSIC: you're in a great town for it! Listen to the WVBR concert log daily, and on Nonesuch at about 1:35 every Sunday to get a round-up of folk-specific events. You'll find the WVBR concert log on-line, too, at keyword: concert. Other resources include the The Ithaca Times online or in print and The Ithaca Journal (Check out the Thursday Ticket music listings).
In addition to Bound for Glory, look for live folk music at places like the ABC Cafe on Stewart Ave.,Maxie's Supper Club and Oyster Bar hosts a Sunday night Shuck and Jive session as well as Chicken-Fried Tuesday, Felicia's Atomic Lounge features music Sunday and Friday nights....The Rongovian Embassy in Trumansburg, and Castaways.
Cornell Folk Song Club events bring "big names" in folk music to town for performances on the Cornell campus. Ted Crane offers a monthly update on folksings and dance events through Folkstuff (this is the place to go for info if you're into contra dancing.)
The weekly Irish session happens these days on Tuesday nights at the Chapter House on Stewart Ave. For folks who like old-time string band music--in summer months, Richie Stearns and friends get together Monday nights at Simply Red at Sheldrake Point, up route 89.
Blues lovers head for the Nines Monday nights, where Pete Panek and the BlueCats host Blue Monday. And you'll find lots of other good music around town, too, of course.
As far as local music festivals go, theThe Ithaca Festivalin early June offers more than 200 concerts by some of Ithaca's best. The annual Fingerlakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, a four-day celebration every July, is music lover's paradise, with some of the best Cajun, zydeco, string band, African, world-beat, roots-rock, and more on four stages. The event benefits local AIDS programs and art education throughout the upstate area and offers camping, art exhibits, crafts, good food, great folks (and a great vibe).
You'll also discover a lot of original local bands and musicians here who fall into the category of folk (that is, if they fall into any category at all: examples include the Evil City Stringband, Joe Crookston, Jennie Stearns, the Sim Redmond Band, Ti Ti Chickapea (Eric Aceto, Richie Stearns, and Hank Roberts--a two-time winner in DOWNBEAT's International Critics' Poll), the Common Railers, the Burns Sisters, Samite and far too many other good local bands to offer a comprehensive list here!
And don't forget, every Sunday from 10 am-3 pm, you can catch the very best of music in the folk tradition--right here on WVBR-FM with Nonesuch.
Sunday night on Bound for Glory.)
LIVE MUSIC: you're in a great town for it! Listen to the WVBR concert log daily, and on Nonesuch at about 1:35 every Sunday to get a round-up of folk-specific events. You'll find the WVBR concert log on-line, too, at keyword: concert. Other resources include the The Ithaca Times online or in print and The Ithaca Journal (Check out the Thursday Ticket music listings).
In addition to Bound for Glory, look for live folk music at places like the ABC Cafe on Stewart Ave.,Maxie's Supper Club and Oyster Bar hosts a Sunday night Shuck and Jive session as well as Chicken-Fried Tuesday, Felicia's Atomic Lounge features music Sunday and Friday nights....The Rongovian Embassy in Trumansburg, and Castaways.
Cornell Folk Song Club events bring "big names" in folk music to town for performances on the Cornell campus. Ted Crane offers a monthly update on folksings and dance events through Folkstuff (this is the place to go for info if you're into contra dancing.)
The weekly Irish session happens these days on Tuesday nights at the Chapter House on Stewart Ave. For folks who like old-time string band music--in summer months, Richie Stearns and friends get together Monday nights at Simply Red at Sheldrake Point, up route 89.
Blues lovers head for the Nines Monday nights, where Pete Panek and the BlueCats host Blue Monday. And you'll find lots of other good music around town, too, of course.
As far as local music festivals go, theThe Ithaca Festivalin early June offers more than 200 concerts by some of Ithaca's best. The annual Fingerlakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, a four-day celebration every July, is music lover's paradise, with some of the best Cajun, zydeco, string band, African, world-beat, roots-rock, and more on four stages. The event benefits local AIDS programs and art education throughout the upstate area and offers camping, art exhibits, crafts, good food, great folks (and a great vibe).
You'll also discover a lot of original local bands and musicians here who fall into the category of folk (that is, if they fall into any category at all: examples include the Evil City Stringband, Joe Crookston, Jennie Stearns, the Sim Redmond Band, Ti Ti Chickapea (Eric Aceto, Richie Stearns, and Hank Roberts--a two-time winner in DOWNBEAT's International Critics' Poll), the Common Railers, the Burns Sisters, Samite and far too many other good local bands to offer a comprehensive list here!
And don't forget, every Sunday from 10 am-3 pm, you can catch the very best of music in the folk tradition--right here on WVBR-FM with Nonesuch.
CONTACT
Like the program? Hate it? Got an idea to make it better? Let us know!
Nonesuch@wvbr.com, or send a note to us: Tracey Craig, host/producer, Nonesuch, WVBR, 957 Mitchell, Ithaca, NY 14850
The live, on-air Listener Line number is (607)273-2121.
Nonesuch@wvbr.com, or send a note to us: Tracey Craig, host/producer, Nonesuch, WVBR, 957 Mitchell, Ithaca, NY 14850
The live, on-air Listener Line number is (607)273-2121.
