Podcasts about Folkways

‘Jesters, clowns, shamans and poets belong to this border realm...' An extract of the introduction to Boundaries and Thresholds, by Hilda Davidson.

If you were ever lucky enough to catch one of the late Dave Van Ronk's shows, you almost certainly heard “Green Rocky Road,” which became sort of his theme song over the years.He'd perform it in a variety of ways, sometimes at a lively clip, a tribute to its roots as a children's play party tune. Other times it would be slow and meditative, making you wonder if you were missing some secret tucked away in those seemingly simple lyrics.Dave's tune inspired an eclectic slew of followers, ranging from Peter, Paul and Mary (as “Rocky Road” in 1963), Tim Hardin (1966) and Fred Neil (1967) to Ricky Nelson (as “Promenade in Green” in 1967), Wendy Waldman (1975) and Van Morrison (2023).The Song's StoryVan Ronk remembered first hearing the song from beat poet Bob Kaufman who was hanging out in Greenwich Village's Gaslight Cafe in the early 1960s. Kaufman learned it as a child when he was growing up in New Orleans. It was a popular African American children's game song throughout the South, Kaufman said. In fact, the song is among those featured on a 1950 Folkways album called Ring Games: Line Games and Play Party Songs of Alabama, collected from the children of Lilly's Chapel School in York, Alabama, recorded by Harold Courlander.Of the game associated with the song, the album notes said, “The children form a circle with the leader in the center. The group sings ‘Green, green' and the leader answers, ‘Rocky road,' skipping around the ring. As the chorus is sung the leader is deciding which person to choose. As he picks one, the group sings the first line of the verse, naming the child selected. The leader brings his choice to the center and kisses her…” (Hence, “Tell me who you love, tell me who you love.”)Enter Len ChandlerBut the song as we know it today was largely composed by Len Chandler, who was, as writer Elijah Wald notes, “one of the most musically sophisticated writers on the Village folk scene. Chandler had been a classical oboe player in Akron, Ohio, and Dave recalled Variety referring to him as ‘musician turned folksinger.'”As Chandler always told it, Van Ronk was the first person to bring him down to Washington Square and introduce him around, and he shortly became the house musician at the Gaslight Cafe. Chandler came up with a new melody for the tune, Dave learned it from him, recorded it in 1963 and, for the rest of his life, it became one of the most enduring and requested songs in Dave's repertoire.Remembering KaufmanBut the real hero of this tale is Bob Kaufman, the poet who played a key role in preserving the song.As composer/singer Richard A. Séguin recently commented in an online article, “Bob (Robert Garnell) Kaufman (1925-1986) once famously said ‘I want to be anonymous. My ambition is to be completely forgotten.' I hope he will forgive me for disregarding his wishes, but he is too important an artist to forget.”Choosing San Francisco for his home, Kaufman founded and edited Beatitude poetry magazine and many argue that it was he — rather than the often-credited newspaper columnist Herb Caen — who actually coined the term “beatnik.”Wikipedia quotes writer Raymond Foye (from an introduction to a Kaufman poetry volume) as observing that Kaufman's life was filled with a great deal of suffering. In San Francisco, for instance, he was the target of beatings and harassment by the city police, while his years living in New York were filled with poverty, addiction and imprisonment. Kaufman often incurred the wrath of police simply for reciting his poetry aloud in public; it is said that in 1959 alone, he was arrested 39 times by the San Francisco cops on disorderly charges.In 1963, he was arrested for walking on the grass of Washington Square Park. He was incarcerated on Rikers Island, then sent as a “behavioral problem” to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital.At Bellevue, Séguin notes, he “underwent electro-shock treatments that greatly affected his already bleak outlook on society.” After John F. Kennedy's assassination, Kaufman, a Buddhist, took a vow of silence that lasted 10 years.“Even though Bob Kaufman's life was filled with a great deal of suffering,” Séguin concludes, “many will remember him for his wonderful idea that became the musical butterfly we know as ‘Green Rocky Road.'” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with author Cary Baker about the musical tradition of street performance, also known as busking. The hosts also review the solo album from TV On The Radio lead singer Tunde Adebimpe and hear feedback from listeners on recent episodes.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Arvella Gray, "John Henry," I Blueskvarter Chicago 1964, Volume Two, Jefferson, 2000The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Tunde Adebimpe, "Magnetic," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tunde Adebimpe, "Ate The Moon," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tunde Adebimpe, "Pinstack," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tunde Adebimpe, "Drop," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tunde Adebimpe, "Blue," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tunde Adebimpe, "Somebody New," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tunde Adebimpe, "ILY," Thee Black Boltz, Sub Pop, 2025Tracy Chapman, "Stand By Me (Live At The Late Show With David Letterman)," Greatest Hits, Elektra, 2015Moondog, "Nocturne Suite Part 1," On The Streets of New York, Mississippi, 2019Cortelia Clark, "Bye, Bye, Love," Blues in the Street, RCA, 1966George Coleman, "Innocent Little Doggy," Bongo Joe, Arhoolie, 1969Fantastic Negrito, "Nobody Makes Money," Fantastic Negrito EP, Blackball Universe, 2014Violent Femmes, "Blister In The Sun," Violent Femmes, Slash, 1983Ted Hawkins, "Strange Conversation," The Next Hundred Years, Geffen, 1994Mary Lou Lord, "St. Swithin's Day," Real, Deep Music, 1993Lucinda Williams, "Ramblin' On My Mind," Ramblin' on My Mind, Folkways, 1979Dom Flemons, "Charmin Betsy," Black Cowboys, Smithsonian Folkways, 2018Emmylou Harris, "Crescent City," Cowgirl's Prayer, Asylum, 1993Stan Rogers, "Barrett's Privateers," Fogarty's Cove, Barn Swallow, 1977Tsunami, "In A Name," Deep End, Simple Machines, 1992See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Simone Wai, Folkways Creative Director, joins guest host Melissa Sobolik to discuss all the exciting community events that Folkways is providing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1929 an occultist was drawn to the Scottish Isle of Iona, her eerie story contributing to the island's already substantial mythos.

Mechanical bulls, professional ropers, live music, vendors, food, beverages! The Galactic Rodeo from the team at Folkways, guaranteed to be a party like you've never experienced. We chatted with Dexter, and Kaiva Rose for more info, check it out!

Welcome to the broadcast! Some Lide winds blow the cobwebs away, before we head up into the Curlew Mountains to view some strange lights...

Episode 156 Chapter 17, John Cage in the United States. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music  Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Playlist: EARLY ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN THE UNITED STATES Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:25 00:00 1.     Louis and Bebe Barron, “The Bells of Atlantis” (1952), soundtrack for a film by Ian Hugo based on the writings of his wife Anaïs Nin (who's voice you will hear). Tape composition produced at the Barron's studio (New York). 09:01 01:38 2.     Williams Mix (1952) by John Cage. Tape composition produced at the Barrons' studio (New York). 05:42 10:40 3.     Otto Luening and Vladimir Ussachevsky, “Moonflight” (1952) Tape composition produced at the composer's Tape Music Center at Columbia University, the precursor of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. 02:54 16:20 4.     Henry Jacobs, “Sonata for Loudspeakers” (1953-54). Tape composition produced at radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley. 09:29 19:12 5.     Jim Fassett, track “B2” (Untitled) (1955). From the album, Strange To Your Ears. Tape composition produced at CBS radio. 08:15 28:38 6.     Harry F. Olsen, “The Well-Tempered Clavier: Fugue No. 2” (Bach), “Nola” (Arndt) and “Home, Sweet Home” (1955). Disc composition created on RCA Mark I Music Synthesizer at Princeton University. 05:26 36:54 7.     John Cage, “Fontana Mix” (1958). Tape composition produced by Cage at Studio di Fonologia of the Italian Radio (Milan). 11:33 42:33 8.     Tod Dockstader, “Drone” (1962). Tape composition produced privately by the composer (Los Angeles). 13:24 54:06 9.     Kenneth Gaburo, “Lemon Drops (Tape Alone)” (1965). Tape composition produced at the studio for Experimental Music of the University of Illinois. 02:52 01:07:30 10.   Jean Eichelberger Ivey, “Pinball” (1965) from Electronic Music (1967 Folkways). Tape composition produced at the Electronic Music Studio of Brandeis University. 06:12 01:10:20 11.   Pauline Oliveros, “Bye Bye Butterfly” (1965). Tape composition produced at the San Francisco Tape Music Center. 08:05 01:16:32 12.   Olly W. Wilson, “Cetus” (1967). Tape composition produced at the studio for Experimental Music of the University of Illinois. 09:18 01:24:36   Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.

You can have a vital role in preparing the next generation of doctors. On today's show, we hear how the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine is seeking people to portray clinical patients to help future physicians learn. Also, a quick trip up the mountain gets you to Ozark Folkways. Plus, the Center for Art as Lived Experience in the University of Arkansas School of Art will host a gathering this week.

Welcome to the broadcast! Let's wander around some places associated with St Brigid, including a very famous street in central London...

When we first launched Growing Small Towns, we did it with a bus tour. We loaded a bunch of business professionals from the Fargo-Moorhead area onto a bus and held them hostage for eight ours (okay, not really, they were completely willing participants!) and we did a tour of the area, visited local businesses and our building, and had such a ball that a bus trip of some sort has become a repeat event.    It's a flagship thing for GST and one of our favorites because of how unique it is, and the magic that happens when you get different kinds of people together, get them out of their comfort zones, and drive them around rural America for a bit.    This episode features four bus tour participants (some multi-year participants!) and they're here to talk about how they even heard about the tour, what they loved most about it, why it's such a unique experience, and other things they learned while sort of captive on a bus for hours with a bunch of people they didn't really know In this episode, we hear from:  Dr. Ruchi Joshi Bhardwaj, Senior Program Manager of Education & Research at Grand Farm Lee Schwartz, Marketing Director at North Dakota State College of Science and Founder of Small Town Labs Leah Reed, Operations Manager at Do Good Better Consulting Emma McIntyre, Manager of Development and Partnerships at Folkways   Links and Resources Mentioned: A whole episode about the bus tour: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode87 Lee was a guest! Hear his episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiWP2iyctUA

Welcome to the broadcast! Step back with me into Ordinary Time as we celebrate Twelfth Night... Welsh style! Plus let's pay a visit to Pentre Ifan, said to be the entrance to Annwn...

A few years back, we had the pleasure of partnering with Smithsonian Folkways for a special two part series on Folkways Records founder Moses Asch, who was born 99 years ago earlier this month. To honor his legacy, we combined these two pieces and re-releasing them today. We'll traverse Moe's early career, bankruptcy, and the tumultuous yet tantalizing 40 years of iconic recordings with pioneering and lesser known artists of Folkways Records. You'll find out how what Moe accomplished became so woven with the cultural footprint of American Music as we know it today. Now… here's the story of Moses Asch. __ Support Educational Programming: ⁠Tax-Exempt Donations⁠ Join the⁠ Patreon Community⁠ One-time donations:⁠ Venmo⁠ or⁠ PayPal⁠ Follow ⁠American Songcatcher⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠  Credits:  Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, writing, editing, distribution Collaboration Credits: Smithsonian Folkways  Full Moses Asch interview with Arhoolie Records' founder Chris Strachwitz Interviewees: Richard Carlin - Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways - Book Michael Asch -  Dom Flemons - Black Cowboys from Smithsonian Folkways Websites: Smithsonian | SF2 | NY Times | Redalyc | Arhoolie | Jstor.com | NPR | Routledge | AllPurposeGuru | NY TIMES 2 | University of Alberta | Haaretz | Folkworks Videos:FAI  Folkways: World of Sound Documentary  Books: Making people's music : Moe Asch and Folkways records - Peter D Goldsmith  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support

I sit down for the ultimate winter chat with Thomas Sheridan! We discuss everything from Alternative Folklore, Winter liminality, James Joyce, Irish Christmas traditions, The Snowman... to the symbolic murdering of the year! Not under any circumstances to be missed!

Please enjoy the original stunning radio play 'Solstice' by Alison Mcleay, first broadcast Sat 21st Dec 1985, 10.30pm on BBC Radio 4. Original blurb: 'It is now the Winter Solstice, the night when the sun dies and is reborn: a night of magic, which has more to do with our traditional Christmas celebrations than people might like to admit. Just for tonight, the Shaman lives...' With the voices of Michael Elder, Diana Olsson and Paul Young. Produced by Patrick Rayner for BBC Scotland. This can additionally be found at the end of A Sleigh Ride Through Christmas from Folkways Podcast https://spoti.fi/3pfx2PB Merry Solstice!

11/22/24: Simone Wai is a co-founder of Folkways, a community-oriented nonprofit. She joins Joel Heitkamp in the KFGO studio to talk about their upcoming two-weekend event, Christkindlmarkt. Step into the holiday season with Christkindlmarkt, Fargo's own German-inspired holiday market, transforming the Fargo Civic Center into a twinkling winter wonderland for two enchanting weekends.  Learn more on their website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lesley Ann with Folkways recently joined us in studio. The holiday season is upon us, and so is opening weekend of Christkindl Market. We got the details 

Sam McGee — called by some “the granddad of country guitar pickers” — got his start in April 1926 when he traveled to New York City for his first recording session, backing up the legendary Uncle Dave Macon on eight sides at the Brunswick studios.Thirty-year-old McGee met Macon two years earlier when the banjoist played a show near Sam's Franklin, Tennessee, home. Sam was a blacksmith in those days, but he had played guitar and banjo for many years.Following the show, McGee invited Macon home and, after hearing Sam pick “Missouri Waltz,” Uncle Dave invited him to play a few dates with him. By the following year, McGee was playing regularly with Macon and fiddler Sid Harkreader at Loew's Bijou Theater in Birmingham, appearing on stage in a rural outfit.Later Macon teamed with Sam and his younger brother Kirk McGee to form an act that was billed as “Uncle Dave Macon and his Sons from Billygoat Hill,” capitalizing on that same backwoods image. “I never did learn much about playing from him,” Sam said, “but I did learn a lot about handling an audience.”About the SongOne of the eight songs Dave and Sam recorded in their April 14, 1926, session in New York was “Last Night When My Willie Come Home,” a song that seemed to be making the rounds in the South at the time.About a year later in Atlanta, for instance, Frank Blevins' Tar Heel Rattlers cut the tune for Columbia. Three years after that in Knoxville, Vocalion recorded it by The Smoky Mountain Ramblers, basically a pickup group backing steel guitarist Walt McKinney.One of the more interesting early covers of the song was blues singer Skip James' rendition, which Paramount Records released in 1932 as “Drunken Spree.” Those first records, waxxed in Grafton, Wisconsin, formed the basis of James' musical reputation.Folkies Find ItAfter that, the Willie-coming-home song seems to have drifted away from music's collective memory for a few decades, until it was reborn in the folk music boom 30 years later.The extraordinary New Lost City Ramblers were the first to give “Late Last Night When Willie Came Home” new energy when the group included it on the second volume of its tunes for Folkways in 1960, inspiring other old-time outfits to follow suit.Enter Doc WatsonThe song launched higher into the folk music stratosphere two years later.That's when Doc Watson recorded it with Clint Howard and Fred Price on an influential Folkways' album of various artists called Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's.From then on, Doc more or less adopted the tune — which he famously re-dubbed “Way Downtown” — as a favorite vehicle for his virtuosity. Watson's rendition with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is one of the standout tracks on the seminal 1972 Will the Circle Be Unbroken album. Over the next few years he and his friends played it at many urban folk festivals.In the last dozen years of his life, Doc was still digging it. He played “Way Downtown” live on his 1999 An Evening with Doc Watson and David Holt album. Along the way, the song also has been covered by Tony Rice, Jody Stecher, Billy Strings and many others.Our Take on the TuneIt's funny how songs come in and out of The Flood's life. A half century ago when the band was just thinking about being born, Dave Peyton and Charlie Bowen would get together on weekends to pick and sing, just the two of them, and among the tunes they'd play was “Way Downtown," which they learned from that old Doc Watson record. After the band came together — as Roger Samples and Joe Dobbs, Bill Hoke and Stewart Schneider joined up — "Way Downtown" was a regular. The song has drifted in and out over the years, and whenever it rambles back in, it's just as comfortable as an old shoe. This is a take on the tune from a recent rehearsal.Audio ExtraOh, and here's a snippet from The Flood archives. Click the button below to hear Charlie at a gig urging folks to sing along on the chorus and explaining how harmonicat Sam St. Clair was promoting a special pronunciation: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Due to the lateness of this episode (extreme tech issues), please enjoy a juicy extra-long section on Halloween

Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot speak with David Browne, author of the new book Talkin' Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America's Bohemian Music Capital.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Phil Ochs, "Here's to the State of Mississippi," I Ain't Marching Anymore, Elektra, 1965The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967Sonny Rollins, "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Live At The Village Vanguard, 1957 / Evening Take)," The Complete Night At The Village Vanguard, Blue Note, 2013Miles Davis, "Stablemates," Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige, 1956Joan Baez, "Wildwood Flower," Joan Baez, Vanguard, 1960John Coltrane, "Greensleeves," Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, Impulse!, 2023Paul Butterfield, "Everything Gonna Be Alright," Live New York 1970, RockBeat, 2015Phil Ochs, "Talking Vietnam Blues," All the News That's Fit to Sing, Elektra, 1964Dave Van Ronk, "He Was a Friend of Mine," Folksinger, Prestige, 1962Dave Van Ronk, "Dink's Song," Dave Van Ronk Sings, Folkways, 1961Bob Dylan, "House of the Risin' Sun," Bob Dylan, Columbia, 1962Dave Van Ronk, "House of the Rising Sun," Just Dave Van Ronk, Mercury, 1964The Blues Project, "Catch the Wind," Live at the Cafe Au Go Go, Verve Folkways, 1966Bob Dylan, "It Ain't Me Babe," Another Side of Bob Dylan, Columbia, 1964Bob Dylan, "Hurricane (Live at Memorial Auditorium, Worcester, MA, November 1975)," The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings, Columbia, 2019Len Chandler, "Bellevue," To Be a Man, Columbia, 1966Peter, Paul and Mary, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," Peter, Paul and Mary, Warner Bros., 1962Sonny Rollins, "I Can't Get Started (Live At The Village Vanguard, 1957 / Evening Take)," The Complete Night At The Village Vanguard, Blue Note, 2013The Roches, "Speak," Speak, MCA, 1989Buffy Sainte-Marie, "It's My Way," It's My Way!, Vanguard, 1964Odetta, "I Never Will Marry," Odetta Sings Folk Songs, RCA Victor, 1963Drive-By Truckers, "Ronnie and Neil," Southern Rock Opera, Soul Dump, 2001See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

WPA writer Sara B. Wrenn's oral history interview with Miss Jean Slauson of Oswego and two of her young cousins, sharing some of their family stories, oral and written. Part 1 of 3 parts. (For the transcript, see https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001975/ )

It's the month of Lughnasadh or Lammas, so let's head out into the fields!

Doug Elliott is a naturalist, herbalist, storyteller, musician, author, illustrator and something of a living legend in Rutherford County in Western North Carolina. After a story about deciphering the secret language of trout, we open on Doug's early career as a 1970's traveling forager. Now, no Doug Elliott conversation would be right without a 101 on groundhog-ology ranging from how to make groundhog shoelaces to understanding the medicinal properties of groundhog grease. The natural next step from groundhogs is opossums, Doug recounts the time he befriended an eccentric Alabama mayor who happened to be the president of the Possum Growers & Breeders Association of America. From there its on to folkways & more encounters with the natural world: doctoring a wounded hunting dog with strips of bark; a life lesson learned from a spruce grouse; eating poison ivy; folk names for regional plants & birds; and the inspiration for his latest book about bees.  Purchase Doug's books at Dougelliott.com Music by Doug Elliott"Oh Groundhog"Written & Performed by Doug Elliott"West Virginia"Written & Performed by Doug Elliott"Aint No Bugs on Me"Written & Performed by Doug Elliott"Wonderful to be be Alive"Written & Performed by Doug ElliottSupport Our Numinous Nature on Patreon.Follow Our Numinous Nature & my naturalist illustrations on InstagramCheck out my shop of shirts, prints, and books featuring my artContact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com

Get out your sunscreen and Mr Whippy's as we consider what July has in store for us in the heavens and hedgerows, including talk of St Swithin's Day and Sirius, plus Thomas Hardy and some early Irish verse.

06/19/24: Sami Harwood is the Director of Marketing for the Kilbourne Group, and Simone Wai is the Creative Director for Folkways. They both join Joel for a conversation about everything going on around Downtown Fargo, including the upcoming Red River Markets, Night Bazaar, and the Troll Portal featured from Detroit Lakes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this West Virginia Morning, Folkways reporter Vanessa Peña explores the history of hip hop in West Virginia and beyond. Plus, Mountain Stage provides our the Song of the Week — “So Much Love” by Southern Avenue. The post Appalachian Hip Hop And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Episode 126 The Japanese Shigin Vocal Tradition—and Electronics Playlist   Track Time Start Time Introduction –Thom Holmes 04:46 00:00 1.     Mix of Susumu Yokota, “Saku” from Sakura (1999 Skintone) plus Abe Shũfu II, “Mount Fuji” from Music Of The Shigin: Chanting To Chinese Poetry (1975 Folkways). Album of electronic music from the late composer Susumu Yokota and a track from Folkways of Japanese shingin folk music. 05:42 04:54 2.     Mix of Shiro Michi,“マドンナの宝石 (Intermezzo From "The Jewels Of The Madonna)” from エレクトーン 名曲アルバム (Electone Masterpiece Album)(1965 Polydor). Plus a female shigin performer accompanied by koto from a Japanese collection of shigin singers (1973 Toshiba TY-40077), side 2, track 6. Shiro Michi, Shiro Michi, was a popular Japanese Hammond organist in the 1950s, and Electone artist from the 1950s-2000s since 1958. This track was performed on the Yamaha Electone. 03:02 10:34 3.     Mix of Shiro Michi, “ドナウ川の漣 (Danube Waves Waltz)” from エレクトーン 名曲アルバム (Electone Masterpiece Album)(1965 Polydor). Plus a male shigin performer accompanied by bamboo flute and koto from a Japanese collection of shigin singers (1973 Toshiba TY-40077), side 1, track 2. 04:46 13:34 4.     Mix of a fragment of Shiro Michi and shigin, which I have called “Shigin Skip Organ” because of the prominence of the LP skip throughout. “ドナウ川の漣 (Danube Waves Waltz)” from エレクトーン 名曲アルバム(Electone Masterpiece Album)(1965 Polydor) plus a skipping record of a male shigin performer with koto. 04:08 18:17 5.     Omoide Hatoba, “Alternative Funkaholic” from Kinsei (1995 Earthnoise). 02:30 22:24 6.     Omoide Hatoba, “Satellite Groove” from Kinsei (1995 Earthnoise). 03:53 24:52 7.     Neohachi, “Dog More Than Cat” from Lovecadio Hearn (2013 White Paddy Mountain). Neohachi is a Japanese female duo, formed in 2005 and featuring Lily (Shigin Vocals) and Elly (Synthesizers). 06:09 28:40 8.     Neohachi, “Eternal, Eternal, Eternal” from Lovecadio Hearn (2013 White Paddy Mountain). 02:31 34:36 9.     和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band), “Akatsuki no Ito”from    八奏絵巻(Wildflowers Scroll). Bass, 亜沙 (Asa); Drums, 山葵 (Wasabi); Guitar, 町屋 (Machiya); Koto, [箏], いぶくろ聖志(Ibukuro Masashi); Shakuhachi, [尺八], 神永大輔 (Kaminaga Daisuke); Shamisen, [津軽三味線], 蜷川べに(Ninagawa Beni); Taiko, [和太鼓], 黒流 (Kurona); Shigin Vocals, 鈴華ゆう子 (Suzuhana Yuko). Suzuhana Yuko provides the shigin vocals in this convergence of hard rock and traditional Japanese music. The whole outfit is outstanding but I like the pre-eminence of female musicians. For example, check out this Japanese video of Ninagawa Beni shredding the Shamisen. Here's a 2023 performance by Wagakki Band featuring a vocal by Yuko. 03:28 37:22 10.   和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band), “Nadeshiko Zakura” from 八奏絵巻(Wildflowers Scroll). Bass, 亜沙 (Asa); Drums, 山葵 (Wasabi); Guitar, 町屋 (Machiya); Koto, [箏], いぶくろ聖志(Ibukuro Masashi); Shakuhachi, [尺八], 神永大輔 (Kaminaga Daisuke); Shamisen, [津軽三味線], 蜷川べに(Ninagawa Beni); Taiko, [和太鼓], 黒流 (Kurona); Shigin Vocals, 鈴華ゆう子 (Suzuhana Yuko). 04:44 40:48 11.   Shigenori Kamiya(神谷重徳), “ファラオの墓 (Farao (Pharaoh) No Haka)” from Digital Trip ファラオの墓 シンセサイザ ファンタジ (Digital Trip Pharaoh's Tomb Synthesizer Fantasy). Composed By, Synthesizer, Shigenori Kamiya (神谷重徳). 03:12 45:28 12.   Gagaku Shigenkai, Ryōō from Unesco Collection, A Musical Anthology of the Orient: Japan II (1962 Musicaphon). "Ryōō" was recorded in Tokyo in 1962. Shigenkai, was a traditional Japanese music ensemble attached to the Imperial Household Agency, playing flutes, drums, and string instruments. I did a remix of this, adding delay and some droning tones and then double-tracking the whole piece as a way to transforms these lovely, acoustic tonalities into an electronic mélange. 07:18 48:38 13.   Otomo Yoshihide (大友良英), “Film Maker From Kreuzberg,” from We Insist? (1992 Sound Factory). Turntables, Sampler, Tapes, Guitar, Otomo Yoshihide. 02:55 55:50 14.   After Dinner, “An Accelerating Etude” from After Dinner (1984 Recommended Records). Engineer, Producer, Voice, Synthesizer, Tape, Koto (Miniature 13 String, Taisho-goto), Plastic Flute, Percussion, Haco. Vocalist/lyricist-composer/multi-instrumentalist/sound-artist. Album compiled for the UK release from the original Japan records known as the Glass Tube LP and an After Dinner 7.” 04:11 58:42 15.   After Dinner, “Sepia-Ture II” from After Dinner (1984 Recommended Records). Alto Saxophone, Kaname Nakagawa; Arranged by, Y. Utsunomia; Bass, Drum, Miyuki Komori; Bass, Violin, Tadahiko Yokokawa; Koto (Taisho-goto), Yasushi Utsunomia; Snare, Masaaki Kawaguchi; Soprano Saxophone, Masaharu Ito; Tenor Saxophone, Seiichi Kuroda; Voice, Haco. 02:25 01:02:50 16.   Wha Ha Ha, “Keiro No Hibi” and “On The Floor” from 死ぬ時は別 (It's Different When You Die) (1981 Better Days). The second part of this combination track is a different of “On the Floor” that is sung by Mishio Ogawa. The version I am most familiar with was sung by a man so this is a refreshing variation. Computer, Takafumi Fuse; Effects [Sound Effects], Fujio Akatsuka; Engineer, Kazuhiro Tokieda, Takafumi Fuse; Guitar, Shigenori Kamiya; Keyboards, Shuichi Chino; Percussion, Kiyohiko Senba; Saxophone, Voice, Akira Sakata; Voice, Mishio Ogawa. 11:57 01:05:09   Opening background music: Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Nuages” from Heartbeat (1991 Virgin Japan). Written by Sakamoto, the vocal is delivered by the remarkable Algerian singer Houria Aichi (2:15).   Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.    

We speak to folk practitioner, artist, 'zine writer, and author Vlasta Pilot of Gentle Hearts Unite about the nature of Slavic folk belief, the joy of handmade things, choosing bears, and how to avoid being a "cranberry."

WILL KIMBROUGH is originally from Alabama and made his way across the nation and even MTV. His songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, Jack Ingram, Todd Snider and more. Kimbrough has also collaborated with many artists including Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Gomez, Emmylou Harris, The Jayhawks, Mark Knopfler, Buddy Miller, John Prine and more, His latest album is “I Like It Down Here” and his next release is Spring Break, a solo acoustic record in the tradition of Folkways and Vanguard folk records. WoodSongs Kid: Parker Collins is a 15-year-old banjo player from Virginia.

In this episode we delve into Pete Seeger's legal challenges in facing the House-Un American Activities Committee in 1955 and the impact of Seeger's decision not to cooperate with them. We also investigate how Seeger's status as a blacklisted artist resulted in the prolific amount of performing and music-making he did throughout the remainder of the 1950s into the early '60s. Specifically, we examine the multitude of his Folkways albums, live concerts and the musical foundation he worked towards establishing for other up-and-coming musicians and listeners.

⚡️ Season 4 returns April 2024! In the meantime, here's a rare self-indulgent ramble about life at Folkways HQ...

Andrea Moscoso-Weise, the restaurant manager and beverage director of the restaurant Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia. Born in the highland town of Cochabamba, Moscoso was trained as a sociologist, and during the pandemic created a digital platform there called De Raíz, which connected artisan producers of vegetables, wine, beer and other foods with the public. Later, after a meal at Gustu, having never worked in a restaurant before, she dropped what she was doing and decided to move to La Paz for an internship at the restaurant. When her internship was up and she was about to return to Cochabamba, she was offered a job at the restaurant and she has been there ever since.In our discussion, we talk a lot about wine. Bolivia has a burgeoning wine scene. You may have heard our interview with Jardin Oculto's Nayan Gowda, but Bolivia has some incredible wines, especially the ones coming from old vines and criolla varieties. The sommeliers of Gustu have been one of my primary means of being introduced to new Bolivian wines since the restaurant opened. First it was Jonas Andersen, who now actually runs a wine shop called Folkways beside the train station in Croton Falls north of New York City and its wonderful. I went there the other day actually and it's by far my favorite area wine shop, plus they do nationwide deliveries if you need a a good natural wine purveyor. Then there was Bertil Tøttenborg, who now lives in Brazil. And now Andrea is there and it's a really exciting moment, so there was lots to talk about her.We also talk about this pull this particular restaurant has on people. I've been going there since Gustu has opened and I have felt it every time I have been there. It has a way of taking someone in and bringing out the best in them. If you ask anyone that has ever worked there will probably tell you that. We spoke with chef Marsia Taha about it in an earlier interview. The restaurant has such a purity in what they are trying to do, in a way that is hopeful and real. And what they do is far more than just a restaurant, but have inspired culinary and human development in Bolivia in everything the long arms of gastronomy touches, and that's a lot of places.READ MORE AT NEW WORLDER.

Episode 120 Crosscurrents in Early Electronic Music of Canada, Part 1 Playlist   Track Time Start Time Opening and Introduction (Thom Holmes) 10:36 00:00 1.    Hugh LeCaine, “Dripsody: An Etude For Variable Speed Recorder” (1955) from Anthologie De La Musique Canadienne / Anthology Of Canadian Music - Musique Électroacoustique; Electroacoustic Music (1990 Radio Canada International). One of the earliest pieces of tape music by the inventor and composer Hugh Le Caine. Also, one of the most available works from the early years when it was used to demonstrate simple techniques of tape composition. It is probably the most-played work of electronic music other than “Poeme Electronique” by Varese. Every sound in this work is based on a recording of of a single drop of water falling into a bucket, which then underwent various speed adjustments and edits to create this composition. I chose a recording from a CD compilation spanning the first 45 years of electroacoustic music in Canada. The original version of Dripsody was monophonic. Le Caine produced this stereophonic version in 1967 for Folkways records. 2:12 10:36 2.    Maurice Blackburn / Norman McLaren, “Blinkity Blank” (1955) from Anthologie De La Musique Canadienne / Anthology Of Canadian Music - Musique Électroacoustique; Electroacoustic Music (1990 Radio Canada International). Another early work of tape music from Canada, produced around the same time as “Dripsody.” As a member of the National Film Board of Canada, Blackburn created this soundtrack with Norman McLaren by hand drawing on the optical soundtrack of a short film. 5:07 12:36 3.    Hugh LeCaine, “Ninety-Nine Generators” (1956) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). The title refers to the 99 tones of the touch sensitive organ. Each note had a separate generator and they could all sounds at the same time. 1:42 17:34 4.    Hugh LeCaine, “Arcane Presents Lulu” (1956) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). Le Caine composed this using his Special Purpose Tape Recorder using individual tape playback heads for six tapes, activated by keys. 1:50 19:14 5.    Hugh LeCaine, “This Thing Called Key” (1956) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). Le Caine composed this using his Special Purpose Tape Recorder using individual tape playback heads for six tapes, activated by keys. 1:53 21:04 6.    Hugh LeCaine, “Invocation” (1957) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). Le Caine composed this using his Special Purpose Tape Recorder using individual tape playback heads for six tapes, activated by keys. 2:21 22:56 7.    Anhalt, “Electronic Composition No. 2” (1959) from Electronic Composition No. 2 ("Sine Nomine II") (1985 Radio Canada International). 8:47 25:18 8.    Hugh LeCaine, “Nocturne” (1957) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). This piece was played on a conductive keyboard using printed circuit keys (designed by Rene Farley) and tape delay. Notes are sounded by the pressing of a finger on the conductive surface of the keys. 3:08 34:04 9.    Norma Beecroft, “From Dreams of Brass” (1964) from Music And Musicians Of Canada Centennial Edition Vol. II / Musique Et Musiciens Du Canada Edition Du Centenaire Vol. II (1967 CBC Radio Canada). Norma Beecroft is a Canadian composer, producer, broadcaster, and arts administrator. Among the pioneering academic electronic music composers, she worked independently in the Electronic Music Studio of the University of Toronto. As a professional composer, she was one of the first non-students to be able to experiment in the new facility. There she focused on multitrack recording and looping as an extension of existing instrumental or vocal sounds. This particular work contrasts tape sounds with sung and spoken word sounds. 15:59 37:12 10.Paul Pedersen, “Themes From The Old Testament” (1966) consisting of 1) Saul And David; 2) David And Bathsheba; 3) Lot's Wife; 4) Parable Of Trees” (1966) from Paul Pedersen – Portrait Musical – Portrait No.1 (1976 CAPAC). Excerpts of a larger work. Produced in the Electronic Music Studios of McGill University and the University of Toronto. Paul Pedersen is a Canadian composer, arts administrator, and music educator. He was head of the McGill University Electronic Music Studios from 1971-1974. Concordia University in Montreal created 'The Paul Award in Electroacoustics' to celebrate Paul Pedersen's contribution to the development of electroacoustics in Canada. 5:47 53:10 11.Anhalt, “Cento” (1967) from Istvan Anhalt (1972 Radio Canada International).  “CENTO was composed in 1966 under a grant from the Centennial Commission, and its premiere performance took place in 1967, Canada's Centennial Year. The composer describes his work thus: ‘It is a work for a twelve-part mixed choir and two channels of tape-recorded sounds. Most of the sounds on the tape are also vocal, and it was my intention to blend, as much as possible, the live and the recorded voices. The effect I was seeking is that of a single choir performing in an acoustical space the character of which is partly real, partly unreal. "Much of the electronic equipment in both works was invented and built by Dr. Hugh Le Caine at the National Research Council of Canada.” 11:23 59:02 12.Norma Beecroft, “Two Went to Sleep” from Norma Beecroft – CAPAC Musical Portraits (circa 1976 CAPAC). Excerpt from a larger work, released on the Musical Portraits series of extended play 7-inch discs. This piece was written for soprano, flute, percussion, and tape with words by poet Leonard Cohen. It is a great example of the kind of work that combined instruments with tape. 2:49 1:10:24 13.Hugh LeCaine, “Music for Expo” (1967) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). Produced using Le Caine's Serial Sound Structure Generator, a device intended to provide controls for making twelve tone serial music. Tones and other parameters were created using rotary dials on the control panel. Created for Expo '67 World Exposition in Montreal. 2:34 1:13:12 14.Peter Huse, “Space Play” (1969) from Carrefour (Musique Electro-Acoustique = Electroacoustic Music). Fraser was a west coast person and composed this work while at Simon Fraser University. He was assistant director of the World Soundscape Project. 3:46 1:15:46 15.Hugh LeCaine, “Mobile” (1970) from Carrefour (Musique Electro-Acoustique = Electroacoustic Music). One of the first pieces of music to be composed on the NRC Computer Music System.   1:19:28 16.Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux, “Trakadie (3 Excerpts), For Percussion And Tape” (1970) from Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux: Musical Portrait (1976 CAPAC). This series of composer's Musical Portraits was initiated and sponsored by the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada. Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux was a Canadian composer and music educator who played an important role in the contemporary classical music scene of Canada and France from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s. Primarily a composer of contemporary classical music, she experimented with electroacoustic music from time to time with some amazingly original and fresh results. From 1968 to 1971 she studied musique concrete with Pierre Schafer in Paris, and from this period comes this work. 4:17 1:21:20 17.Michel Longtin, “La Mort Du Pierrot” (1971) from Carrefour (Musique Electro-Acoustique = Electroacoustic Music). Produced in the electronic music studio of McGill University. 5:21 1:25:34 18.David Paul, “Eruption” (1971) from Carrefour (Musique Electro-Acoustique = Electroacoustic Music). Produced at the University of Toronto, using Le Caine's equipment, this work explores sound densities and glissandi. 6:07 1:30:56 19.Paul Pedersen, “For Margaret, Motherhood And Mendelssohn” (1971) from Carrefour (Musique, Électro-Acoustique = Electroacoustic Music). Composed at McGill University where Pedersen was director of the electronic music studio. The electroacoustic work uses fragments of speeches such as prime minister Pierre Trudeau's and the electronic sounds were composed using Le Caine's Polyphonic Synthesizer. 4:21 1:37:02 20.Hugh LeCaine, “Paulution” (1972) from Pioneer In Electronic Music Instrument Design: Compositions And Demonstrations 1948-1972 (1985 JWD Music). Uses Le Caine's Polyphonic Synthesizer, a new device created by the scientist around this time. Much of this was created in real-time with little tape manipulation. 4:09 1:41:18 21.Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux, “Zones” (1972) from Carrefour (Musique, Électro-Acoustique = Electroacoustic Music). Musique électroacoustique réalisée au Sonic Research Studio, Université Simon Fraser, Vancouver. An exploration of different instrumental timbres using electroacoustic music. 9:02 1:45:22   Opening background music: Hugh Le Caine, Rhapsody in Blue, performed on the Electronic Sackbut (1953) from Compositions Demonstrations 1946-1974 (1999 Electronic Music Foundation)00:58; Hugh Le Caine, Safari: Eine Kleine Klangfarbenmelodie (1964) from Compositions Demonstrations 1946-1974 (1999 Electronic Music Foundation). Played on the Sonde, a Le Caine instrument that could generate 200 sine tones separated by intervals of 5 Hertz, as a demonstration of textures and densities. 3:10 (then repeated). Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

Episode 119 Phonographic Education—a Sound Collage Playlist Because this episode is a collage of recorded sounds, there are no start times for individual selections. Enjoy the collisions, densities, and words combined with music. Start time for collage: 03:55 Some of the musical selections heard in this collage: The London Philharmonic Orchestra – A Sound Spectacular Stereo Space Odyssey (1973 Stereo Gold Award). UK disc. “A Speaker to Speaker Trip in Thrilling Spacial Stereo.” The London Philharmonic Orchestra with Pipe Organ and Electronic Synthesiser Effects. Charles Albertine – McDonnell Douglas Physician Systems Company Presents In Concert Charles Albertine (1985 Concert). Piano, Synthesizer, Composed By, Producer, Charles Albertine. “Postage-paid card ("For information on how Concert systems can help you manage the business aspects of patient care") enclosed.” Various – Rumanian Folk Songs And Dances (1958 Monitor). Song And Dance Ensemble ''The Lark.'' The Original Deutshmeisterband – The Most Beloved Marches From Austria (1978 Summit). Soviet Army Chorus & Band Conducted By Boris Alexandrov – Soviet Army Chorus & Band (1956 Angel). Jack Wilson – The Jazz Organs (1964 Vault). Bass, Leroy Vinnegar; Drums, Philly Joe Jones, Donald Bailey; Guitar, Gene Edwards, John Gray; Organ, Genghis Kyle, Henry Cain, Jack Wilson. Trombones Unlimited – Holiday For Trombones (1967 Libertty). Trombones, Frank Rosolino, Mike Barone. Костадин Варимезов – Bagpipe (1979 Балкантон). Bulgarian Bagpipe with orchestral accompaniment. Lightning – Lightning (1970 P.I.P. Records). Additional String Arrangement ARP Synthesizer, Herb Pilhofer. Enoch Light – 4 Channel Stereo (1971 Project 3 Total Sound). Compilation made specifically for Sylvania as a giveaway with their phonos. Terry Snyder And The All Stars – Persuasive Percussion (1959 Command). Featuring, Artie Marotti, Dick Hyman, Dominic Cortese, Jack Lesberg, Stanley Webb, Teddy Sommer, Tony Mottola, Willie Rodriguez,Terry Snyder. Producer, Enoch Light. Some of the spoken word educational recordings heard in this collage: Parakeet Training Record (1951? Hartz Mountain Products). “Your parakeet can teach itself to talk!” Presented in a carefully tested, scientific manner. Gertrude Behanna – God Isn't Dead! (1964 Word). “This is the story of my life . . . what occurred . . . and what life is now.” Lee B. Steiner – Sounds Of Self-Hypnosis Through Relaxation (1959 Folkways). Voice, Liner Notes – Lee R. Steiner. Subtitled: "a documentary recording with Mrs. Lee B. Steiner, Certified Psychologist.” "The content and timing of this recording have been validated with novices who learned the method in the process of making this recording." Improve Your Eyesight Without Glasses (1977 Wolf). “These techniques must be practiced daily until perfect vision is attained. The daily practice often becomes a tedious chore, thus defeating its goal: relaxation. The tedium is avoided by using this record album which combines contemporary music specially written for relaxation, with a narrative that takes the listener through the daily drills in a pleasant, relaxed way.” Domineau – Détente Avec Domineau (no date, no label). Concept By [Conception], Producer [Réalisation] – Domineau. Relaxation by a levitation expert. Michio Kushi – Spirals of Everlasting Change (1975 Inyo International). Lecture by macrobiotic expert. Jimmy Nelson With Comments By Danny O'Day And Farfel – Jimmy Nelson's "Instant Ventriloquism" And "Ventriloquism For The Beginner" (1964 Juro Celebrity). Professor J. J. Higgins, S.J., M.A., S.T.L. – Study Techniques: Relax & Concentrate (1964 Saint Louis University). Richard Carl Spurney – Bowl-A-Record (1961 Life Records). Relaxation And Successful Bowling Attitudes. Joe Wilman – Joe Wilman Shows You How To Bowl Your Best (1960 Epic). Park Richards – A Double-Barrel Blast (1962 Cook). “Unrehearsed Phone Conversation With Undertaker On Subject Of How Much It Costs To Get (Deceased) Uncle Willie Buried.” Steno Booster: Dictation Speed and Accuracy Training Course (1961 Conversa-Phone). Sample letters to dictate at various speed. Les Journalistes De R.T.L. / Jean-Pierre Farkas – Les Journées De Mai 68 (1968 Philips). Made in France. Recorded adaptation of a print publication highlights major events of the year. Adventures In Negro History Vol. 1 (1963 Highlight Radio Productions). Produced By Pepsi-Cola Co. John Charles Daly – The Space Age: The Age Of Reliability (1962 Raybestos-Manhattan). Is There A Place For Respiratory Stimulants In Anesthesiology? (1965 Excerta Medica Foundation). Professional Seminar: Advanced Investigations In Anesthesiology. Stephen Ettinger, D.V.M. – Canine Heart Sounds (1970? EVSCO Pharmaceutical Corp.) B. Barlow & W. A. Pocock – Auscultation Of The Heart (1966 London Records). Colette Maher – Détente (Le Sommeil Éveillé - Yoga Nidra) (1973 Select). French Canadian release. Russ Farnsworth – Revolutionary New Word Method To Learn Radio Code (1959 Epsilon Records). Russ Farnsworth – Learn Code With The AMECO Code Course (1965? AMECO Publishing Corp.) John P. Sykes – Sleep-Relaxation (1972 Folkways). Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – The Master Speaks (1967 World Pacific Recods). Narrator, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Instrument Flight (1960 Jeppesen & Co.) Daniel Akers, Phillip Masline – Listening & Concentration (1978 Automated Learning). Norman Singere – Instant Memory Power (1975 Automated Learning). Arthur Ashe, Learn Tennis (For Beginners & Advanced Players) (1974 Manhattan Recording Company). Vinyl, 12 ." Arthur Ashe teaches you Tennis. Comes with 8-page black/white instructional booklet. John Newcombe, Tennis With John Newcombe (1974 K-Tel). Limited Collectors Edition. Vinyl, 12 ." Narrator, unidentified. 12-Page Tennis tips Booklet Enclosed. Promotional item for Rawlings tennis products. Art by Telephone, complete transcript, Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago (1969). An exhibition organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art under the sponsorship of the American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago. November 1 to December 14, 1969. I have excerpted 10 minutes of the artist proposals. I couldn't help but notice that the only contributors to the exhibit were male artists, so I apologize in advance for this slice of chauvinism from the late 1960s. Still, the conversations are interesting. Excerpt from an 1940s recording of the radio horror drama, Lights Out, "The Coffin in Studio B," in which actors rehearsing an episode of Lights Out are interrupted by a mysterious coffin salesman peddling his wares. I have a test pressing of the program. Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For additional notes, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

Let's take a look at the reflection of Mars in the Celtic languages, plus St David, St Piran and St Patrick, and the strange fairy lore of Milford Haven...

Welcome to the new format! The almanac will now be uploaded as an individual video here (streaming platforms), with the main show uploaded separately. As is done on Youtube. This is in acknowledgement of time sensitivity for episodes - as many people listen in the archive, often years later, and the almanac at the end of an episode may not be relevant!

Episode 116 The Sounds of Motoring   Track Start Times Introduction 00:00:00 Motoring Soundscape 00:04:33 Closing 01:47:48   Playlist For this episode, I created a soundscape based mostly on vintage recordings from the Archive of automobiles, trucks, construction equipment, mopeds and motorcycles, buses, street sounds and a variety of police and ambulance sirens. The work flows from sound to sound, often in tandem, and sometimes embellished with an effect drawn from the electronic music toolbox. This edition's playlist includes recordings from all of the following, from which I extracted and remixed hours of audio material. Street Traffic Noises (Recorded at a London Street Junction) (circa 1927 Columbia). 78 RPM. Motor Car Noises (1931 His Masters Voice). 78 RPM. Sound Effects, “Taxi Cab Leaving,” “Ambulance Bell (with Traffic)” (circa 1932 Columbia). 78 RPM. Cuban Corners: More Sports Cars in Stereo (1957 Riverside). Tony Schwartz, “Outdoor Sounds” from Sound Effects, Volume One, City Sounds (1958 Folkways). The Sound of Sounds (1961 Directional Sound). Documentary Sounds, Volume One (1962 Folkways). The Exciting Racing Sounds of Grand Prix, Challenge of Champions (1962 MGM). Sound Effects, Volume 5 (1963 Audio Fidelity). Live Mechanical Sound Effects in Stereo (1971 Realistic/Audio Fidelity). De Wolfe Sound Effects DWFX LP No. 9: Motorway Construction (1973 Music De Wolfe). De Wolfe Sound Effects DWFX LP No. 1: Rally Cars (1973 Music De Wolfe). SFX Sound Effects Vol. 6 (1979 Gateway Recordings). De Wolfe Sound Effects DWFX LP No. 21: Transport Part 2 (1982 Music De Wolfe). Thom Holmes, field recordings of city streets and traffic noise, including Paris traffic horns (2015), Paris, from the top of the Arc De Triomphe, “overhearing” the intersection of twelve streets (2015), Paris, backstreet from window (2017), Paris, street traffic (2017), New York, East Village, 6th (2021); and a Toronto, interior of bus ride (2016). Opening background music: Thom Holmes, “Paris street traffic” (2017). Opening and closing sequences voiced by Anne Benkovitz. Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For additional notes, please see my blog, Noise and Notations.

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Thursday, Feb. 1  It's big news for WV State as the university launches its first doctorate program starting in May. A nonprofit instrument manufacturer works to support Appalachians in need. And the Wing 2 Wing Foundation celebrates a year of successes in #YesWV…on today's daily304. #1 – From WVU STATE –  West Virginia State University is launching its first doctorate degree program in May, a new Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies. The fully online, two-year program is the first doctorate degree in the history of WVSU and is designed for working professionals from a variety of fields such as education, the nonprofit sector and government.  The inaugural cohort will enroll in May 2024. The program emphasizes fairness, diversity, and social justice with threads related to these concepts embedded in the content coursework.  “This is truly a historic moment in the 133-year history of our university,” said WVSU President Ericke S. Cage. “This Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies program will serve a vital need for the workforce in West Virginia by providing executive level education that will allow organizational leaders to continue to grow in their professional careers.” For more information about the Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies visit the program website here, or contact Dr. Emily Waugh at (304) 766-5192 or ewaugh@wvstateu.edu. Read more: https://www.wvstateu.edu/campusnews/2024/january/west-virginia-state-university-launches-first-doct.aspx #2 – From WV PUBCAST –  In the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, jobs are scarce, and an opioid crisis continues to inflict pain throughout this region of Appalachia, including West Virginia. But where many see hopelessness, Doug Naselroad, a master luthier from Hindman, Kentucky, sees an opportunity to help those in need. Naselroad founded a nonprofit instrument manufacturer, The Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company, to train and employ people in recovery, helping them find purpose and belonging as they work their way through recovery. The Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company strives to make beautiful handcrafted instruments, including dulcimers, guitars and mandolins.   Interested in becoming part of the Troublesome Creek family of dealers? Visit www.troublesomecreekguitars.com   Watch the Folkways video: https://wvpublic.org/troublesome-creek-building-instruments-as-a-form-of-recovery/   #3 – From BRAD D SMITH – Since its 2019 inception, the Wing 2 Wing Foundation has worked to level the playing field of opportunity in Appalachia.  Acting on its three guiding pillars (education, entrepreneurship and environment), Wing 2 Wing has worked to support West Virginia's dreamers and doers by prioritizing access to education, advancing entrepreneurial interests, and conserving and championing the region's natural assets.  In 2023, Wing 2 Wing celebrated the introduction of new ventures and programs created to further aid Appalachians. The organization's work included supporting the First Annual Almost Heaven Classic golf tournament. Wing 2 Wing co-founder Alys Smith led the Inaugural Women Warriors Summit to empower women's voices.  The foundation also expanded on its popular Ascend WV remote worker program by launching a spinoff program named First Ascent that encourages recent graduates of Marshall University and West Virginia University to stay in the state after completing their studies. Learn more: https://braddsmith.com/blog/wing-2-wing-2023-recap/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.

Since 2019, Inside Appalachia has brought you stories from our Folkways Reporting Project.  Folkways was created to boost awareness of Appalachian folk traditions and how they're passed between people. In 2023, we added 25 stories to our growing archive that explore diverse arts, culture, food and people of Appalachia.  This week, look back at some of the past year's Folkways highlights.

Let's head to Loch Sween, Argyll, Scotland, as we linger by a patch of rocks, rumoured to be an entrance to the Otherworld...

This Yule, come in from the cold, warm your feet by the fire, grab a mulled wine if you like, as it's time to consider The Ancestors.

In September, as part of their 75th anniversary celebration, Smithsonian Folkways Records re-released two albums by the poet and activist Sarah Webster Fabio, often referred to as “the mother of Black studies.” The albums, “Jujus: Alchemy of the Blues,” and “Together: To the Tune of Coltrane's ‘Equinox'” contain poems authored and read by Sarah Webster Fabio, who, in her just 51 years, wrote more than 500 poems and recorded four albums for Folkways, in a style that reflects “a funky blend of Black poetry, spoken word, and jazz/blues” that were not only forward thinking, but in many ways a precursor to Hip-Hop's distinctively African-American form of poetic expression. We talk with her daughter, Cheryl Fabio, a documentary filmmaker, educator, and former Program Director at Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in Oakland, California, about her mother and her impact, the albums,  and the far-reaching importance of these works.

What happened in Kersey, Suffolk, October of 1957? Find out in this atmospheric episode for Samhain.

Joe and Simone have worked to create experiences and build community in the Fargo area. They are making a huge difference in the "coolness" of the city and in many ways are just getting started.

This week, we listen back to three award-winning Folkways stories from last year. First, we visit a luthier's shop, where old musical instruments get new life. We also take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad and meet the expert crew who keeps its antique trains running. And we learn what draws people from hours away to Floyd, Virginia's weekly Friday Night Jamboree. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

To quote album art master and AD visual guru D. Norsen: “Dorothy Moskowitz might not be a household name but was a musician on two of the headiest albums I know: 1967's Vocal And Instrumental Ragas From South India on Folkways and 1968's United States of America on CBS.” Moskowitz is our guest this week on Transmissions. She joins us to discuss not only the pioneering psychedelia she made in the past with collaborators like Joe Byrd and Country Joe, but also her brand new album, coming out soon from Tompkins Square. It's called Under the Endless Sky, and it's credited to Dorothy Moskowitz & The United States of Alchemy. Working with Italian electronic composer Francesco Paolo Paladino and composer and writer Luca Chino Ferrari, it represents a new vision from the 83 year old artist, at once apocalyptic, vivid, and transcendent.   Transmissions is produced in partnership with Talkhouse Podcast Network. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its Patreon supporters. We'll be back next Wednesday with singer songwriter Andy Shauf.

This week on Inside Appalachia, amid recent hospital closures, Appalachian women are having to travel farther and farther to give birth. Maternal Medicine In The Mountains We'll talk with reporter Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven about maternal health care deserts in western North Carolina and hear a report from Crystal Good, about what options Black families in West Virginia have for finding birth workers that look like them. Appalachian PRIDE Following one of the opinions written in the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, State legislatures across the Ohio Valley are considering anti-LGBTQ policies, while people across Appalachia took part in celebrations during LGBTQ Pride Month in June. Katie Myers with the Ohio Valley Resource got reactions and spoke to residents. Indigenous Peoples Gather In W.Va. To Discuss The Environment High schoolers with Indigenous backgrounds came from all over the country to the Eastern Panhandle this summer for a leadership congress. They talked about conservation, Native identity, and the growing effects of climate change. Shepherd Snyder has more. Greyhound Racing Series Continues In 2023, West Virginia will be home to the last two remaining greyhound racetracks in the United States. Reporter Randy Yohe breaks down the government policies that sustain dog racing, and considers its future in the state at a time when it's dying everywhere else. Canaries Out Of The Coal Mine As old coal mines are restored, they've been repurposed for an increasingly broad number of new uses. In Pennsylvania, reclaimed mine land is being used for an art project involving birds. Kara Holsapple and Jacqui Sieber of the Allegheny Front have more. Feeding The Hungry In Appalachia's Food Deserts Supply chain issues and rising gas prices are making it harder for people to get food. As David Adkins reports, local entrepreneurs are looking to meet the demand. A Ray Of Hope Mountain View Solar, a solar installation company in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, is training and hiring people in recovery from substance use disorder. Shepherd Snyder has more. Serious About Seed Saving During the pandemic, millions of Americans turned to gardening. In Appalachia, people have long saved heirloom seeds that have been passed down for generations. Today, that tradition continues, partly through organizations like seed libraries and community gardens that collect these seeds to save them from being lost. Folkways reporter Rachel Greene spent time in Ashe County, North Carolina — talking to the people giving new life to old seeds.