I didn’t grow up with TV, and certainly not Public Television, so all I know about Rainbow Quest was what I heard from Pete Seeger when I’d go see him in concert. When VCRs (remember them) became popular, many of the shows were released on video tape and I hunted them down as fast as possible. (Remember this was before Amazon, back when we had things called records, and record stores. But I digress)

It was a show like we’ll probably never see again, and not just because it was recorded in black and white. It was just Pete, on a simple kitchen-like set, sharing music with his guests and with us. And what guests he had…

Read More…

First off, I’d like to take an opportunity to thank everyone who attending our recent Mavis Staples concert here at UMass Boston. We spent a great deal of time putting that together and it was amazing to have the night unfold the way it did. I thought Mavis was just incredible. I hope you feel the same!

Now, onto two big changes we have coming up in Programming:

Once again, you have spoken and we have listened…our new show Folk Tales with Scott Alarik has been receiving tremendous feedback and we’re happy to announce a new time change. Starting Saturday, January 7th you can hear Folk Tales immediately following Highway 61 Revisited with Albert O at 12pm. With that, we’re also moving Guest Mix, another locally produced show down to the 1pm hour (instead of 7pm). Read More…

Mark your calendar!  The 22^nd SAMW Reunion will take place on Sunday, January 8^th 2017, from 1 to 5pm at Grotonwood in Groton MA.

Have you heard about WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week, and wondered what everyone is talking about?  Then come and join us at the 2017 reunion!  There will be guided and informal jams, food and drinks, 2017 instructors will be announced, plus a concert with Sloan Wainwright.   Enjoy wall to wall music, friends and friends to be.  Registration for camp will be open so you can reserve your summer slot right away.

To sign up for the reunion, please call 617-287-6900!

Still looking for a last minute gift to give someone?  Looking for a retreat after a taxing holiday season?

WUMB will host the fifth annual Winter Acoustic Music Weekend, February 17-19, 2017, at Camp Grotonwood in Groton, MA.  Send someone you love to this “hands on” New England acoustic music retreat where they will enjoy a full schedule of classes, concerts, and great guided and freestyle jams sessions, plus the camaraderie of spending a weekend with fellow folk enthusiast and world class players and instructors.

Lodging and meals are included.  The camp is in a beautifully wooded area about an hour northwest of downtown Boston.  The food is hearty and the desserts are legendary!

For all the details and to reserve your gift,  visit wumb.org/samw or call 617-287-6915

Our November Third Thursday at The Burren was our first with just a voice and guitar on stage…and the result was pretty magical. Ian Fitzgerald is soft-spoken but extremely funny, with a hairstyle that makes you wonder if he stuck his finger in an electric socket! I don’t feel too bad describing him this way, since he poked fun at his appearance from the stage, informing radio listeners that he looks “ridiculous”.  His witty on stage banter was perfectly balanced with his gorgeous, heavily felt lyrics.

Ian’s sound is perfectly quiet and thoughtful, and his delivery is effortless. He treated us to a mix of old and new songs, and before his set, I got a chance to ask him about the recording process for his new record. For the first time, he experienced a true collaborative effort in the making of the album “You Won’t Even Know I’m Gone”, with nearly a dozen musicians adding their talents to the mix, like Smith & Weeden, and MorganEve Swain (of Brown Bird), among others. Unlike his previous release, which was recorded in less than a week, this new album took over a year to finish… but it was well worth the wait.

Our Third Thursday series LIVE at the Burren continues with Miss Tess and the Talkbacks on 12/15 and Damn Tall Buildings 1/16.   Visit WUMB.ORG for info on how you can get tickets!  WUMB Members receive a special discount.

The Gift of Membership

Still looking for a gift this Holiday Season?
Why not give a year’s Membership to WUMB as a gift to someone you love? Go to http://wumb.org and click on the “donate now” button. Or call our Membership Office at 617-287-6902. We greatly appreciate your support!

2016 Tax Year
Remember that the end of the year is approaching! There are only a few weeks left to get in your donation for the tax year and increase your 2016 tax refund. Donate securely online now at http://wumb.org or call Membership at 617-287-6902.   Thank you to everyone for supporting us this past year! We are all very grateful for your generous contributions, and we look forward to serving you next year.

Thank you again, and have a wonderful holiday season! Read More…

It’s only the second time in many years this happened. It certainly wasn’t planned to end that way.
It started as kind of a maintenance project…then went out of control. When that happens, that’s when you throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care and say, “oh well, just start over.”

I wonder how many album projects have developed like that. There’s Greg Brown’s album, Freak Flag, that started as a different record – one that was all digitally ready to go on the hard drive when a lightning strike hit the studio and wiped nearly all of it out. Talk about “the warmth of recording to analog tape” by contrast… Well, it’s hard to duplicate your own inspiration. And rather than try to re-create his, Brown came up with ten new songs.  Oh well, just start over.

Mark Charles Heidinger of the group Vandaveer had written a new album he was keen on. He brought it to his band-mate, singer Rose Guerin, and producer Duane Lundy. They were not into the same approach. Along with the extra musicians brought in for the album, they brought in different ideas. Significant gears were changed in the approach.  And the album – this year’s The Wild Mercury – came out in ways different from Heidinger’s initial vision. But an album you like is an album you like…even if you got there opposite of the way you expected to.

Maybe that’s even so with your list of Top Ten favorite new songs or albums of the year. Could you have some that started off doing nothing for you; but then maybe you heard them in a different setting or in a different context, and then…the magic happened? I know it wouldn’t be the first time for me.

Either way, I hope you heard many new songs on WUMB this year that connect you to a feeling or experience.

–Perry Persoff.

*
Oh, that thing I mentioned at the top of the article that hadn’t happened much in years? The last time I traveled I forgot to pack a shaving blade. After a few days my mustache took on the appearance of a wild tumbleweed. When at last I got a pair of shears and a blade, I hacked off too much stuff…and so for only the second time since I was 14, I simply shaved off the mustache. SIGH…
“Oh well, just start over.”

2016 has seen new releases from Lake Street Dive, Bonnie Raitt, Andrew Bird, Dawes, Wilco, Amos Lee, Bob Weir, Aoife O’Donovan, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams and so many others. We were also impressed by collaborations from KD Lang/Neko Case/Laura Veirs, Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop, and Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle just to name a few. We’re asking YOU to choose your 5 favorite albums of 2016. We’ll tally your votes and do a countdown on-air as the year comes to an end!  Keep an eye on your email, and on WUMB.ORG for more information on how to cast your vote!

Daily Dylan

Week of 12/5  a week long look at some of Dylan’s best live performances

Week of 12/12  a week long look at Dylan in the 90’s

Week of 12/19  All holiday selections from Dylan

Week of 12/26  selections from John Wesley Harding, released this week in 1967

Dixie Bee Line

12/3      Hank Sr. at the Opry, John Hartford’s golden era, Hillbillies who failed to rock, and deep catalog rockabilly

12/10    A special “Best Of”

12/17    Merle Haggard, Merle Travis, Merle Watson… and a whole radio show from Hank Williams, Sr.

12/24   The Dixie Bee Line Annual Hillbilly Christmas Extravaganza

Celtic Twilight

12/4     Kate Rusby wonderful UK trad singer celebrates a birthday

12/11    Twin Sets! Lots of duets! Fiddle & flute, accordion & fiddle, banjo & box, pipes and more

12/18    Celebrating the legendary piper Willie Clancy and birthday girl Maggie Boyle

12/25    Xmas songs In the Celtic tradition.

Odyssey

12/4  Travels in Italy and Greece sampling all sorts of traditional and contemporary music

12/11 Music of Turkey, home of some of the most interesting traditionally based new music in Europe

12/18  Travels in the Balkans, where we find all sorts of amazingly unique sounds, particularly in Bulgaria and Hungary. Of course we’ll sample some holiday music from all over the world, too.

Local Folk

12/3   Local collaborations featuring Ian Fitzgerald w/Smith & Weeden and Ruby Rose Fox w/Nate Leavitt

12/10   Fundraiser special

12/17   Worcester singer/songwriter James Keyes live in studio

12/24   Local favorites from Mark Erelli, Tim Gearan, Jesse Dee, and more

12/31    Counting down the top 10 Local Folk releases of 2016

Highway 61

12/3    Birthday nods to Chris Hillman and JJ Cale

12/10  Albert will celebrate birthdays for Dan Hicks, Jim Morrison and Gregg Allman

12/17   Paul Butterfield and Phil Ochs would have celebrated birthdays….their music is featured

12/24  Highway 61’s Annual Christmas show!

12/31   Birthday nods to Rick Danko and Odetta

Live at WUMB

12/6 Adam Ezra 2:30pm

Acoustic Sunrise

12/4    Birthday celebration for Jeff Black and Kate Rusby

12/11   Host Buffie Groves will celebrate Cosy Sheridan’s birthday

12/18  Birthday celebration for the late Phil Ochs

12/25  All Acoustic Christmas!

Spinning The Blues

12/3   New music from Rory Block.  Blues Birthdays for Sonny Boy Williamson & Little Richard

12/10  Birthday celebrations for Big Mama Thornton and Junior Wells

12/17   Birthday celebrations for James Booker, Paul Butterfield and Professor Longhair

12/24  Xmas and Holiday Blues as well as Birthday nods to Joe Louis Walker and Tracy Nelson

Guest Mix

12/3  Brian Caroll of the blog Red Line Roots

12/10 Singer-songwriter Brooke Annibale

12/17 Local favorite Antje Duvekot

12/24 Christian McNeill

12/31 Local singer-songwriter Kerri Powers Read More…

Winter Acoustic Music Weekend
February 17 – 19, 2017
Groton, Massachusetts
_____________________________

Featuring: Scott Ainslie, John Doerschuk,
Cliff Eberhardt, Lorraine Hammond,
Bennett Hammond, Stuart Kenny, Pam Weeks
and TJ Wheeler!

Jug Band, Cajun, Blues, Singing, Songwriting, Performance,
Mountain Dulcimer, Mandolin and More!!

A WUMB-FM sponsored, hands-on winter weekend of acoustic music immersion for pickers, performers, singers and songwriters. Come for classes, faculty concerts, student concerts, guided jams, informal jams, inspiration, camaraderie and warmth!

Fees and Payment:

– 2 person shared room w/private bath $525 Member/$575 Non-Member
-2 person shared room w/shared bathroom $450 Member/$500 Non-Member
-You may reserve a spot with a $200 deposit
-Final payments due no later than January 15th
To reserve your spot call 617-287-6915 or visit the SAMW website