We begin a new year of Guest Mix episodes with singer/songwriter Eliza Gilkyson on January 2. She was in Taos, New Mexico when we met up over Zoom to talk about her song choices for the show and her new album, 2020. She included a range of a great artists, including ones who have covered her songs, like Joan Baez; people she’s toured with (Richard Thompson); talented friends (Jaimee Harris); all-time greats (Eva Cassidy, George Jones, Ladysmith Black Mambazo); and, of course, her talented musician-composer dad, Terry. During the conversation, in fact, she tells the story about how her father had to pitch his latest tunes by standing in Walt Disney’s office and playing them right in front of the motion picture legend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH6iowG0JNo Read More…

Well, it’s finally here and I think we’re all not only ready, but glad. Good riddance to 2020 and welcome 2021; so much to look forward to.

Number one, count our blessings large or small with health being at the top of the list, especially during this time. I have plans for this year and will set some goals. I’ll also allow myself to ‘fine tune’ those goals if need be.

Things need tweaking and updating for various reasons. Music and musicians need that leeway too. Read More…

We made it to 2021.

In some ways, I can’t quite believe it. I have such close, vivid memories of talking to Brendan, Albert, and Randi while we were answering phones for Highway 61 during our Spring fundraiser. Once we paused it, everything that happened after seems like an unreal blur. Time has a funny way of marching on though. When I flip through my new print 2021 calendar (I know, I know…I do have multiple devices but I like print sometimes), I am hopeful but also curious about what this year will bring. Read More…

One of my fondest memories of being a teenager is discovering the music of Lead Belly. Music provided me a way for me to escape, and I was always looking for the deeper stuff. My love of finding out how it all connects began during those years.

Like a lot of people in my generation I was introduced to the name Lead Belly through Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Their version of “In the Pines” on their Unplugged record (1993) still raises the hair on the back of my neck. Cobain made sure to credit Lead Belly from the stage. I had my mission to find the original song and more about this Lead Belly guy. Read More…

Every January Beatle fans all over the world wonder just how different life would be Beatle-wise if the boys were in fact signed by Decca Records.

Pete Best probably would not have been let go and perhaps there would not even be a Ringo Starr.

It would have certainly upset the apple cart, pardon the pun. Read More…

Song lyrics, titles of songs, or album titles can sometimes trip a light in our heads when they drift or lodge themselves there. I can’t be the only one in the WUMB-isphere who experiences this. The other day I heard the title track of an album by Martha Scanlan. The title struck me as a microcosm of 2020: “The Shape of Things Gone Missing, The Shape of Things To Come.”

So the Local Music Corner will get a New Year’s break – I will get back to it next month. But as we start anew in what I sincerely hope is much more than stepping across a random line in the cosmic sand, it is good to look back and reflect. Read More…

Here are two Celtic festivals to chase away the January doldrums.

Passim’s Boston Celtic Music or BCM fest is back, celebrating it’s 18th year. Streaming performances and workshops run from Jan 14 to Jan 18, 2021. This year’s line up includes performances by Irish singer Karan Casey, Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and cellist Natalie Haas as well as many others from the local Boston Irish music scene. www.passim.org Read More…

Wade Ray is an ever-present fixture on the Dixie Bee Line, Saturday nights from 9pm – Midnight. If you’re a regular listener, you already know this, but you probably don’t know too much about him! Let’s dig in a little, shall we?
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Here’s a bit of fun to start the New Year- The Swing Original Monks from Ecuador, with a song that takes us up into the high mountains (with some beautiful photography) of the northern Andes. Read More…

Happy New Year! We’ve made it out of 2020!! Let’s all spread around positive vibes for a better 2021. January is a pretty remarkable month for birthdays.  Elvis Presley, Phil Everly, Cat Power, Richie Havens, Warren Zevon, Lucinda Williams, Justin Townes Earle AND his dad Steve Earle just to name a few.  Expect to hear a lot of musical celebrations on WUMB all month long, but these are two of my favorite artists born in this first month of the year. Read More…

The featured performer in our January SAMW Faculty Concert is Brooks Williams!  Join us online for an hour-long concert with one of our favorite instructors.  Brooks is a virtuoso guitarist, singer, songwriter and interpreter/arranger, and he will be playing for us live from England!  You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see and hear Brooks in this intimate setting. Read More…

Carl Jones & Erynn Marshall, Miss Tess, The Kennedys and Hubby Jenkins are the stars of this year’s SAMW Reunion!  We can’t gather together in person this year, so on January 10 from 3:00-5:00pm we are bringing six of our favorite instructors live to your devices for an afternoon of music. Read More…

Lorraine and Bennett Hammond are back again on Monday, January 11 at 8:00pm, welcoming players and singers of all levels into their home (online, of course!) for another Virtual Guided Jam. Read More…