Happy December to you! One more month until this admittedly challenging year comes to an end. I’ve rearranged my drawers and closets, bringing all my cozy clothes to the front, I’ve got a lot of books scattered around for stormy reading and of course stockpiled lots of teas in my cupboard. How are you getting ready for winter? Read More…

Caroline Keane is a talented young concertina player originally from Limerick. Her new CD is a mix of trad tunes and compositions by artists like Liz Carroll, Niall Vallely, Tommy People’s and Vincent Broderick. Read More…

Here is a dance party with the great Salif Keita to honor the spirit of the solstice time- it’s one of the original (if a little blurry) videos he produced with his band a few years back, and to my ears it’s always been one of his best. Read More…

We’ll kick off the month of December on Guest Mix with songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Wilson, a musician who has a wide range of interests and credits; he’s worked with folks like Bob Weir, David Crosby, Jenny Lewis, and Elvis Costello. Originally from North Carolina, Wilson lives and operates his own studio in Los Angeles. With his latest album, Dixie Blur—which features Mark O’Connor—Wilson came up with a Guest Mix set that leaned heavily on, in his words, the “mountain-bluegrassy-country side of things.” There will be some familiar names in the bunch, like Emmylou and Gram, but you may also learn about a band you never heard before, like Area Code 615. Read More…

I have to admit it feels good in these times that WUMB is again putting on a monthly concert series. Granted, it is a Zoom concert series. But it is the live connection to a performing artist. I am speaking of our free monthly SAMW faculty (zoom) concert. Read More…

This December 11th, John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band LP turns 50. It was his first full-length solo album following the breakup of The Beatles, and it still astonishes me that an artist as famous and iconic as John Lennon could create and release a piece of work so vulnerable, personal, and specific to his inner life, and yet make it so universal. Read More…

As we look back and wonder what the future might bring, a couple of solo journeys are continuing through the end of this year and into the next:

Something inside dobro/pedal steel/lap steel guitar wizard Michael Bean continues to push him into creating solo. A veteran on the scene playing with many bands over the years, he has got the jones to do his own thing. He has spent much of the year experimenting, trying out various sounds. To whet our musical whistle, he will be recording a pedal steel version of the Vince Guaraldi classic – just in time for the holidays – “Christmas Time.” Are you as curious as I am about this? Here’s where you’ll find it when he releases it: www.MichaelBeanMusic.com. Keep checking it as the big day approaches. Read More…

Happy Holidays from all of us at WUMB’s Breakfast With The Beatles!

The Beatles loved the Christmas holiday season despite only writing one Christmas song in their time together as the Fab Four. The song is called “Christmas Time (Is Here Again)”!

We play it every year on Breakfast with The Beatles, and we will again this year! Read More…

WUMB’s Acoustic Music Camps program is finding ways to bring us together, online through the rest of December and on into 2021!

On Monday, December 7 at 8:00pm, join Lorraine and Bennett Hammond on Lorraine’s Facebook page for their monthly Guided Jam session.  Singers and players of all skill levels are welcome to sign on and play & sing along with the Hammonds! Read More…

Often times as years come to a close there’s a sense of bittersweet as we reflect on the past year and look ahead to a new one. I don’t think there’s been a time where I’ve seen more people eager to turn that final calendar page and to start a new year. Hopefully 2021 will be better for us all!

Here’s an update from Programming:
We’re going to be counting down the Top 20 Albums of 2020 later this month. We often receive a number of emails from Members asking if they can vote. We’ll be sending info to you shortly. Read More…