Now Playing on Festival Radio
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Holiday Greetings from Sunny Port Charlotte, Florida
I've started the all-Christmas programming on the Online Folk Festival, with about 17 hours of wildly eclectic Christmas music in shuffle play. Some folk, some cajun, some Celtic, some flamenco/latino Christmas, some tejano, some progressive (Jethro Tull), some steel drum, some worldbeat, some comedy from the Arrogant Worms and others. All in all, I think it's got good texture. So tune in for a dose of holiday cheer
It was in the 70s here today. I just saw on the Weather Channel some footage of airport personnel de-icing planes in Columbus during their mix of frozen rain and snow. I just have three words to offer in consolation:
Nyah nyah nyah.
But seriously, Port Charlotte is quite different than the last time I was here over the holidays last year. Hurricane Charlie really did a number on this place. A lot of shops up and down US 41 are still closed, many of them likely closed for good, and a lot of houses still have "blue" roofs (for the blue tarps covering the roofs waiting for repairs. The difference is most noticeable in the number of trees gone. I can see US 41 from the backyard of my parents' home, which I couldn't do last year because of the trees along the canal. And it's the same everywhere I go - trees gone, and you can see for a long ways .
Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know that the full-on Online Folk Festival holiday throwdown has begun, to gloat a little bit about the weather, and to wish y'all a Merry Christmas.
It was in the 70s here today. I just saw on the Weather Channel some footage of airport personnel de-icing planes in Columbus during their mix of frozen rain and snow. I just have three words to offer in consolation:
Nyah nyah nyah.
But seriously, Port Charlotte is quite different than the last time I was here over the holidays last year. Hurricane Charlie really did a number on this place. A lot of shops up and down US 41 are still closed, many of them likely closed for good, and a lot of houses still have "blue" roofs (for the blue tarps covering the roofs waiting for repairs. The difference is most noticeable in the number of trees gone. I can see US 41 from the backyard of my parents' home, which I couldn't do last year because of the trees along the canal. And it's the same everywhere I go - trees gone, and you can see for a long ways .
Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know that the full-on Online Folk Festival holiday throwdown has begun, to gloat a little bit about the weather, and to wish y'all a Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Diane Zeigler
I've been out of town a lot this week celebrating an early Christmas with my family in Ohio since I'll be in Florida for Christmas. Bottom line - not much time for previewing music.
Diane Zeigler will be this week's (12/12-19) featured artist. I like to go through December featuring artists with excellent Christmas albums and give them a place of prominence as the only holiday music on the station. FWIW, I won't be playing a significant amount of holiday music until next weekend, and I probably will only go with all holiday music on the 23rd or 24th. I think people don't want to hear sleighloads of holiday music until just before Christmas. I don't. I'm sure that I'll also make a trip to Used Kids late next week after I get paid and see what kind of funky Christmas tuneage I can track down.
Back to Diane Zeigler - her Christmas CD, December in Vermont, is a stripped down acoustic treatment of some of the classic Christmas tunes, plus a very nice original (the title track). It's available on her website.
I have quite a few CDs in the queue. I hope this week to get through what looks like a promising sampler CD from the Winona Folk Concerts people, plus CDs from Matt Duane Griffin, Benita Kenn, the Oasis World Sampler #8, a compilation 2-disk set from the Elko National Cowboy Poetry Festival, All She Wrote, and Shawn Z. Plus, I hope to get the new Simon and Garfunkel live set after I get paid.
Diane Zeigler will be this week's (12/12-19) featured artist. I like to go through December featuring artists with excellent Christmas albums and give them a place of prominence as the only holiday music on the station. FWIW, I won't be playing a significant amount of holiday music until next weekend, and I probably will only go with all holiday music on the 23rd or 24th. I think people don't want to hear sleighloads of holiday music until just before Christmas. I don't. I'm sure that I'll also make a trip to Used Kids late next week after I get paid and see what kind of funky Christmas tuneage I can track down.
Back to Diane Zeigler - her Christmas CD, December in Vermont, is a stripped down acoustic treatment of some of the classic Christmas tunes, plus a very nice original (the title track). It's available on her website.
I have quite a few CDs in the queue. I hope this week to get through what looks like a promising sampler CD from the Winona Folk Concerts people, plus CDs from Matt Duane Griffin, Benita Kenn, the Oasis World Sampler #8, a compilation 2-disk set from the Elko National Cowboy Poetry Festival, All She Wrote, and Shawn Z. Plus, I hope to get the new Simon and Garfunkel live set after I get paid.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Carol Noonan & Catching Up
Featured Artist
First-Carol Noonan is this week's featured artist. We're kicking off the holiday season with special emphasis on Carol's really fine CD, Christmas.
Other New Adds
Veteran folkie Andrew McKnight's Beyond Borders features a wide variety of folk stylings, including a capella gospel and bluegrass-insptired tunes, with great insight into the human condition, all sung in a clear, expressive tenor.
Chris Stuart and Backcountry have just released another ouststanding bluegrass CD, Mojave River, which you will be hearing quite frequently.
Speaking of bluegrass, I heard Chrystal Sawyer's track on the Oasis Acoustic Sampler #53 and had to have her self-titled CD. This CD is a throwback to old-time bluegrass/country, and Sawyer has one of those soprano voices made for bluegrass, reminiscent of Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss.
First-Carol Noonan is this week's featured artist. We're kicking off the holiday season with special emphasis on Carol's really fine CD, Christmas.
Other New Adds
Veteran folkie Andrew McKnight's Beyond Borders features a wide variety of folk stylings, including a capella gospel and bluegrass-insptired tunes, with great insight into the human condition, all sung in a clear, expressive tenor.
Chris Stuart and Backcountry have just released another ouststanding bluegrass CD, Mojave River, which you will be hearing quite frequently.
Speaking of bluegrass, I heard Chrystal Sawyer's track on the Oasis Acoustic Sampler #53 and had to have her self-titled CD. This CD is a throwback to old-time bluegrass/country, and Sawyer has one of those soprano voices made for bluegrass, reminiscent of Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss.
