TURN YOUR RADIO ON is a 2-CD compilation of music recorded live in the KALW studios from 1999-2019, and originally broadcast on Bluegrass Signal as part of KALW’s acoustic music programs’ bi-annual On Air Folk Festivals. The 40 songs and tunes encompass a wide variety of bluegrass and old time musical styles, with outstanding performances by
• AJ Lee & Blue Summit
• Amy & Hailey
• Annie Staninec & Kathy Kallick
• The Barefoot Nellies
• Bearcat Stringband Duo
• Blue & Lonesome
• Circle R Boys
• Crying Uncle
• The Crooked Jades
• Dear Companion (Richard Brandenburg & Lucy Salcido Carter)
• David Thom Band
• Dix Bruce & Julie Cline
• Earl Scruggs Tribute Quartet (Evans/Cohea/Siegel/Breen)
• Fog Holler
• High Country
• Jeanie & Chuck’s Country Roundup
• Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin
• John Murphy’s Carolina Special
• Kathy Kallick Band
• Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum
• Matt & George & Their Pleasant Valley Boys
• The Mighty Crows
• North Country Blue Duo
• The Secret Life Of Banjos (Jody Stecher & Bill Evans)
• Sharon Gilchrist & Scott Nygaard
• Skillet Licorice
• The Stairwell Sisters
• Thompsonia
• The Tuttle Family
• The Webster Sisters & Scott Nygaard
• Wendy Burch Steel & Redwood
• Wildcat Mountain Ramblers
• Windy Hill
TURN YOUR RADIO ON is available for a $75 donation to KALW on behalf of Bluegrass Signal and for a donation to Bluegrass Country -- and will not be offered elsewhere. You may receive the album as a download or as physical discs.
Contact PeterT <bgsignal@comcast.net> if interested. Thanks in advance for your support!
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Disc 1
1. JODY STECHER & KATE BRISLIN - Aug. 21, 1999 - Sittin’ On Top Of the World (Mississippi Sheiks)
Jody Stecher: mandolin, lead vocal * Kate Brislin: guitar, harmony vocal
2. KATHY KALLICK BAND - May 10, 2003 - Who’s Going Down To Town (Vern Williams; additional lyrics, Kathy Kallick)
Kathy Kallick: guitar, lead vocal * Amy Stenberg: bass, harmony vocal * Avram Siegel: banjo, harmony vocal * Tom Bekeny: mandolin
3. ANNIE STANINEC & KATHY KALLICK - April 27, 2013 - Roscoe (Kyle Creed & Roscoe Russell)
Annie Staninec: fiddle * Kathy Kallick: guitar
4. LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM - Nov. 21, 2015 - Darling Nellie Across the Sea (Carter Family)
Tom Rozum: mandolin, lead vocal * Laurie Lewis: guitar, harmony vocal
5. THE BAREFOOT NELLIES - Oct. 22, 2008 - A Few Old Memories (Hazel Dickens)
Molly Tuttle: guitar, lead vocal * Nicole Solis: mandolin, harmony * Prentice Sellers: banjo, harmony * Betsy Maudlin: fiddle * Jess Beebe: bass
6. THE TUTTLE FAMILY - Oct. 22, 2008 - White Freightliner Blues (Townes Van Zandt)
Molly Tuttle: guitar, vocal * Sullivan Tuttle: guitar * Michael Tuttle: mandolin * Jack Tuttle: bass
7. AMY & HAILEY - Oct. 13, 2018 - Why Cry For You (Rusty & Doug Kershaw)
Amy Scher: fiddle, lead vocal * Hailey Pexton: guitar, harmony vocal
8. AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT - April 28, 2018 - Roll On Buddy (Monroe Brothers>Vern Williams Band)
Jesse Fichman: guitar, lead vocal * AJ Lee: mandolin, harmony vocal * Sullivan Tuttle: guitar
9. EARL SCRUGGS TRIBUTE QUARTET - March 31, 2012 - Foggy Mountain Special (Earl Scruggs)
Bill Evans: banjo * Larry Cohea: banjo * Avram Siegel: banjo * Ryan Breen: banjo
10. THE WEBSTER SISTERS & SCOTT NYGAARD - March 20, 2004 - Gonna Write Me A Letter (Old Belle Reed)
Chris Webster: lead vocal * Cassie Webster: harmony vocal * Scott Nygaard: guitar
11. WINDY HILL - June 22, 2013 - Across the Sea Blues (Jimmy Martin>Goins Brothers)
Thomas Wille: guitar, lead vocal * Ryan Breen: banjo, harmony vocal * Kyle McCabe: bass, harmony vocal
12. THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - May 3, 2008 - Boats Up the River (Roscoe Holcomb)
Sue Sandlin: guitar, lead vocal * Lisa Berman: slide guitar, harmony * Evie Ladin: banjo * Stephanie Prausnitz: cello * Martha Hawthorne: bass
13. THOMPSONIA - Dec. 9, 2017 - River Bottom Blues (Mississippi Sheiks)
Suzy Thompson: fiddle, vocal * Allegra Thompson: bass, vocal * Eric Thompson: guitar
14. SKILLET LICORICE - Nov. 9, 2019 - Babe (East Texas Serenaders)
Elise Engleberg: fiddle * Matt Knoth: guitar * Katy Hill Harris: guitar
15. DAVID THOM BAND - Oct. 16, 2011 - I’ve Never Been So Lonesome (Ted Lundy > Longview)
Andy King: banjo, lead vocal * David Thom: guitar, harmony * Jeff King: bass, harmony * Brian Judd: mandolin * Paul Shelasky: fiddle
16. THE MIGHTY CROWS - July 1, 2006 - Somewhere Between (Merle Haggard > Danny Paisley)
Chris Smith: guitar, lead vocal * Jeff Zieba: banjo, harmony * Mark Wardenburg: fiddle, harmony * Ken Torke: mandolin * Alex Mayers: bass
17. JOHN MURPHY’S CAROLINA SPECIAL - March 6, 2004 - God Gave You To Me (Stanley Brothers)
John Murphy: guitar, lead vocal * Dave Earl: mandolin, harmony * George Goddell: banjo, harmony * Doug Holloway: fiddle * Sue Walters: bass
18. THE CROOKED JADES - May 27, 2017 - Valley Forge (Absie Morrison > Jimmy Driftwood > Ramona Jones)
Megan Adie: bass * Jeff Kazor: guitar * Tom Lucas: banjo * Bill Foss: mandolin
19. BLUE & LONESOME - Feb. 27, 2010 - Foggy Mountain Top (Carter Family > Monroe Brothers)
Jeff King: bass, lead vocal * Ed Neff: mandolin, harmony * Larry Cohea: banjo, harmony * Paul Shelasky: fiddle * Mike Wilhoyt: guitar
20. THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - May 3, 2008 - Stay All Night (Tommy Jarrell & Fred Cockerham)
Martha Hawthorne: bass, vocal * Sue Sandlin: guitar, vocal * Stephanie Prausnitz: fiddle, vocal * Lisa Berman: banjo, vocal * Evie Ladin: clogging, vocal
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Disc 2
NOTE: band members composed 14 of these tracks, and other California songwriters are responsible for four others.
1. WINDY HILL - March 10, 2012 - What Are You Doing Here Today? (Del Williams)
Ryan Breen: banjo, vocal * Thomas Wille: guitar, vocal * Henry Warde: mandolin, vocal * Johnny Campbell: fiddle
2. HIGH COUNTRY - Aug. 21, 1999 - Blues For Your Own (Butch Waller)
Butch Waller: mandolin, lead vocal * Larry Cohea: banjo, harmony * Jim Mintun: guitar, harmony * Glenn Dauphin: bass * Tom Bekeny: fiddle
3. KATHY KALLICK BAND - May 10, 2003 - The Messenger (Kathy Kallick)
Kathy Kallick: guitar, lead vocal * Amy Stenberg: bass, harmony * Avram Siegel: banjo, harmony * Tom Bekeny: mandolin, harmony
4. FOG HOLLER - April 28, 2018 - Spider Dance (Casey J Holmberg)
Casey J Holmberg: banjo * Noa Laniakea: bass * Tommy Schulz: guitar
5. AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT - April 28, 2018 - Still Love You Still (AJ Lee)
AJ Lee: mandolin, vocal * Jesse Fichman: guitar * Sullivan Tuttle: guitar
6. DEAR COMPANION - Oct. 13, 2018 - Golden Leaves (Richard Brandenburg)
Richard Brandenburg: guitar, lead vocal * Lucy Salcido Carter: guitar, harmony vocal
7. LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM - Nov. 21, 2015 - With Me Wherever You Go (Laurie Lewis)
Laurie Lewis: banjo, lead vocal * Tom Rozum: mandola, harmony vocal
8. BEARCAT STRINGBAND DUO - July 15, 2017 - All Night Long (aka Richmond Blues)
Rowan McAllister: guitar, lead vocal * Robin Fisher: fiddle, harmony vocal
9. SHARON GILCHRIST & SCOTT NYGAARD - April 27, 2013 - Man Of Constant Sorrow (Ed Haley) > Walkabout (Sharon Gilchrist)
Sharon Gilchrist: mandolin * Scott Nygaard: guitar
10. THE BAREFOOT NELLIES - Oct. 22, 2008 - It’s Harder For Me (Nicole Solis)
Nicole Solis: mandolin, lead vocal * Prentice Sellers: banjo, harmony * Betsy Maudlin: fiddle, harmony * Jess Beebe: bass * Molly Tuttle: guitar
11. DIX BRUCE & JULIE CLINE - April 28, 2012 - Darling Will You Ever Think Of Me (Dix Bruce)
Dix Bruce: guitar, lead vocal * Julie Cline: guitar, harmony vocal
12. WILDCAT MOUNTAIN RAMBLERS - April 13, 2019 - Ask My Dog (Suzanne Suwanda)
Suzanne Suwanda: bass, lead vocal * Robert Cornelius: banjo, hv * Alex Mayers: guitar * Mark Wardenburg: fiddle * Chad Johnson: mandolin
13. CRYING UNCLE - Nov. 9, 2019 - Dawg’s Waltz (David Grisman)
Miles Quale: fiddle * Teo Quale: mandolin
14. JEANIE & CHUCK’S COUNTRY ROUNDUP - July 7, 2007 - Don’t Blame Me (Chuck Poling)
Jeanie Poling: guitar, lead vocal * Chuck Poling: mandolin, harmony * Doug Holloway: fiddle * Dave Magram: banjo * Steve Swan: bass
15. WENDY BURCH STEEL & REDWOOD - Sept. 30, 2017 - Beau Fleuve (Wendy Burch Steel)
Wendy Burch Steel: lead vocal * Allegra Thompson: bass, harmony vocal * Glenn Dauphin: guitar, harmony vocal * Butch Waller: mandolin
16. MATT & GEORGE & THEIR PLEASANT VALLEY BOYS - Dec. 8, 2017 - God’s Golden Shore (Jake Quesenberry)
Matt Dudman: mandolin, lead vocal * George Goodell: banjo, harmony vocal * Jenny Lynn Williams: guitar, harmony vocal
17. THE SECRET LIFE OF BANJOS - Jan. 7, 2006 - Lonesome Polka (Bill Evans)
Bill Evans: steel-stringed Gibson 5-string banjo * Jody Stecher: nylon-stringed Fairbanks 6-string banjo
18. CIRCLE R BOYS - Nov. 11, 2006 - Down By the Riverside (aka Ain't Gonna Study War No More)
Steve Pottier: mandolin, vocal * Bob Waller: guitar, vocal * Paul Bernstein: banjo, vocal * Josh Hadley: bass, vocal
19. NORTH COUNTRY BLUE DUO - Feb. 16, 2019 - Across the Great Divide (Kate Wolf)
Ida Winfree: guitar, lead vocal * Tessa Schwartz: fiddle, harmony vocal
20. THOMPSONIA - Nov. 21, 2015 - Very Bad Mood (Suzy Thompson)
Suzy Thompson: guitar, lead vocal * Allegra Thompson: bass, harmony vocal * Eric Thompson: mandolin
PT: talk
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Way back in the ‘90s, those of us presenting acoustic music-based programs on KALW decided that we’d like to be able to showcase Bay Area musicians performing live in the radio studio. JoAnn Mar (Folk Music & Beyond), Kevin Vance (A Patchwork Quilt), and I applied for and received a modest grant that allowed us to purchase decent microphones and a mixer. Despite facilities that included no rooms suitable for music-making, we worked with station engineer Phil Hartman to find ways to broadcast live sessions of (by now) hundreds of musicians representing a wide variety of genres.
Bluegrass and old time music has been a regular feature of KALW’s bi-annual On Air Folk Festivals, and most of the performances on this album are from these events. All were subject to the vagaries of live radio, and there was no remixing possible after the recordings.
Heartfelt thanks to:
- all the musicians for participating — in both the KALW dates and in this compilation;
- Tony Ferro, for engineering (often supplying his own mics) the bulk of these sessions; other KALW engineers Bob Campbell, Lou Judson, Phil Hartman, Kevin Vance, and myownself; and musicians like Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, and David Thom, who engineered as well as played and sang on their recordings;
- others at KALW who supported the On Air Folk Festivals and acoustic music programming, especially longtime station manager Matt Martin; operator extraordinaire Debi Barnes; JoAnn & Kevin; and my fellow Bluegrass Signal producer/hosts Allegra Thompson, Leah Wollenberg, Todd Gracyk, Sully Roddy, Ryan Breen, and Jose Segue;
and
- Lou Judson (Intuitive Audio/<loujudson@mac.com> - mastering) and Ellen Silva (www.ellensilva.com - design) for making this collection sound and look so good.
My own involvement would have been impossible without the love and support of Kathy Kallick, Riley Thompson, and Juniper Waller — plus the ears and encouragement of Bluegrass Signal listeners.
Endless appreciation to all -
PeterT
• AJ Lee & Blue Summit
• Amy & Hailey
• Annie Staninec & Kathy Kallick
• The Barefoot Nellies
• Bearcat Stringband Duo
• Blue & Lonesome
• Circle R Boys
• Crying Uncle
• The Crooked Jades
• Dear Companion (Richard Brandenburg & Lucy Salcido Carter)
• David Thom Band
• Dix Bruce & Julie Cline
• Earl Scruggs Tribute Quartet (Evans/Cohea/Siegel/Breen)
• Fog Holler
• High Country
• Jeanie & Chuck’s Country Roundup
• Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin
• John Murphy’s Carolina Special
• Kathy Kallick Band
• Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum
• Matt & George & Their Pleasant Valley Boys
• The Mighty Crows
• North Country Blue Duo
• The Secret Life Of Banjos (Jody Stecher & Bill Evans)
• Sharon Gilchrist & Scott Nygaard
• Skillet Licorice
• The Stairwell Sisters
• Thompsonia
• The Tuttle Family
• The Webster Sisters & Scott Nygaard
• Wendy Burch Steel & Redwood
• Wildcat Mountain Ramblers
• Windy Hill
TURN YOUR RADIO ON is available for a $75 donation to KALW on behalf of Bluegrass Signal and for a donation to Bluegrass Country -- and will not be offered elsewhere. You may receive the album as a download or as physical discs.
Contact PeterT <bgsignal@comcast.net> if interested. Thanks in advance for your support!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Disc 1
1. JODY STECHER & KATE BRISLIN - Aug. 21, 1999 - Sittin’ On Top Of the World (Mississippi Sheiks)
Jody Stecher: mandolin, lead vocal * Kate Brislin: guitar, harmony vocal
2. KATHY KALLICK BAND - May 10, 2003 - Who’s Going Down To Town (Vern Williams; additional lyrics, Kathy Kallick)
Kathy Kallick: guitar, lead vocal * Amy Stenberg: bass, harmony vocal * Avram Siegel: banjo, harmony vocal * Tom Bekeny: mandolin
3. ANNIE STANINEC & KATHY KALLICK - April 27, 2013 - Roscoe (Kyle Creed & Roscoe Russell)
Annie Staninec: fiddle * Kathy Kallick: guitar
4. LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM - Nov. 21, 2015 - Darling Nellie Across the Sea (Carter Family)
Tom Rozum: mandolin, lead vocal * Laurie Lewis: guitar, harmony vocal
5. THE BAREFOOT NELLIES - Oct. 22, 2008 - A Few Old Memories (Hazel Dickens)
Molly Tuttle: guitar, lead vocal * Nicole Solis: mandolin, harmony * Prentice Sellers: banjo, harmony * Betsy Maudlin: fiddle * Jess Beebe: bass
6. THE TUTTLE FAMILY - Oct. 22, 2008 - White Freightliner Blues (Townes Van Zandt)
Molly Tuttle: guitar, vocal * Sullivan Tuttle: guitar * Michael Tuttle: mandolin * Jack Tuttle: bass
7. AMY & HAILEY - Oct. 13, 2018 - Why Cry For You (Rusty & Doug Kershaw)
Amy Scher: fiddle, lead vocal * Hailey Pexton: guitar, harmony vocal
8. AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT - April 28, 2018 - Roll On Buddy (Monroe Brothers>Vern Williams Band)
Jesse Fichman: guitar, lead vocal * AJ Lee: mandolin, harmony vocal * Sullivan Tuttle: guitar
9. EARL SCRUGGS TRIBUTE QUARTET - March 31, 2012 - Foggy Mountain Special (Earl Scruggs)
Bill Evans: banjo * Larry Cohea: banjo * Avram Siegel: banjo * Ryan Breen: banjo
10. THE WEBSTER SISTERS & SCOTT NYGAARD - March 20, 2004 - Gonna Write Me A Letter (Old Belle Reed)
Chris Webster: lead vocal * Cassie Webster: harmony vocal * Scott Nygaard: guitar
11. WINDY HILL - June 22, 2013 - Across the Sea Blues (Jimmy Martin>Goins Brothers)
Thomas Wille: guitar, lead vocal * Ryan Breen: banjo, harmony vocal * Kyle McCabe: bass, harmony vocal
12. THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - May 3, 2008 - Boats Up the River (Roscoe Holcomb)
Sue Sandlin: guitar, lead vocal * Lisa Berman: slide guitar, harmony * Evie Ladin: banjo * Stephanie Prausnitz: cello * Martha Hawthorne: bass
13. THOMPSONIA - Dec. 9, 2017 - River Bottom Blues (Mississippi Sheiks)
Suzy Thompson: fiddle, vocal * Allegra Thompson: bass, vocal * Eric Thompson: guitar
14. SKILLET LICORICE - Nov. 9, 2019 - Babe (East Texas Serenaders)
Elise Engleberg: fiddle * Matt Knoth: guitar * Katy Hill Harris: guitar
15. DAVID THOM BAND - Oct. 16, 2011 - I’ve Never Been So Lonesome (Ted Lundy > Longview)
Andy King: banjo, lead vocal * David Thom: guitar, harmony * Jeff King: bass, harmony * Brian Judd: mandolin * Paul Shelasky: fiddle
16. THE MIGHTY CROWS - July 1, 2006 - Somewhere Between (Merle Haggard > Danny Paisley)
Chris Smith: guitar, lead vocal * Jeff Zieba: banjo, harmony * Mark Wardenburg: fiddle, harmony * Ken Torke: mandolin * Alex Mayers: bass
17. JOHN MURPHY’S CAROLINA SPECIAL - March 6, 2004 - God Gave You To Me (Stanley Brothers)
John Murphy: guitar, lead vocal * Dave Earl: mandolin, harmony * George Goddell: banjo, harmony * Doug Holloway: fiddle * Sue Walters: bass
18. THE CROOKED JADES - May 27, 2017 - Valley Forge (Absie Morrison > Jimmy Driftwood > Ramona Jones)
Megan Adie: bass * Jeff Kazor: guitar * Tom Lucas: banjo * Bill Foss: mandolin
19. BLUE & LONESOME - Feb. 27, 2010 - Foggy Mountain Top (Carter Family > Monroe Brothers)
Jeff King: bass, lead vocal * Ed Neff: mandolin, harmony * Larry Cohea: banjo, harmony * Paul Shelasky: fiddle * Mike Wilhoyt: guitar
20. THE STAIRWELL SISTERS - May 3, 2008 - Stay All Night (Tommy Jarrell & Fred Cockerham)
Martha Hawthorne: bass, vocal * Sue Sandlin: guitar, vocal * Stephanie Prausnitz: fiddle, vocal * Lisa Berman: banjo, vocal * Evie Ladin: clogging, vocal
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Disc 2
NOTE: band members composed 14 of these tracks, and other California songwriters are responsible for four others.
1. WINDY HILL - March 10, 2012 - What Are You Doing Here Today? (Del Williams)
Ryan Breen: banjo, vocal * Thomas Wille: guitar, vocal * Henry Warde: mandolin, vocal * Johnny Campbell: fiddle
2. HIGH COUNTRY - Aug. 21, 1999 - Blues For Your Own (Butch Waller)
Butch Waller: mandolin, lead vocal * Larry Cohea: banjo, harmony * Jim Mintun: guitar, harmony * Glenn Dauphin: bass * Tom Bekeny: fiddle
3. KATHY KALLICK BAND - May 10, 2003 - The Messenger (Kathy Kallick)
Kathy Kallick: guitar, lead vocal * Amy Stenberg: bass, harmony * Avram Siegel: banjo, harmony * Tom Bekeny: mandolin, harmony
4. FOG HOLLER - April 28, 2018 - Spider Dance (Casey J Holmberg)
Casey J Holmberg: banjo * Noa Laniakea: bass * Tommy Schulz: guitar
5. AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT - April 28, 2018 - Still Love You Still (AJ Lee)
AJ Lee: mandolin, vocal * Jesse Fichman: guitar * Sullivan Tuttle: guitar
6. DEAR COMPANION - Oct. 13, 2018 - Golden Leaves (Richard Brandenburg)
Richard Brandenburg: guitar, lead vocal * Lucy Salcido Carter: guitar, harmony vocal
7. LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM - Nov. 21, 2015 - With Me Wherever You Go (Laurie Lewis)
Laurie Lewis: banjo, lead vocal * Tom Rozum: mandola, harmony vocal
8. BEARCAT STRINGBAND DUO - July 15, 2017 - All Night Long (aka Richmond Blues)
Rowan McAllister: guitar, lead vocal * Robin Fisher: fiddle, harmony vocal
9. SHARON GILCHRIST & SCOTT NYGAARD - April 27, 2013 - Man Of Constant Sorrow (Ed Haley) > Walkabout (Sharon Gilchrist)
Sharon Gilchrist: mandolin * Scott Nygaard: guitar
10. THE BAREFOOT NELLIES - Oct. 22, 2008 - It’s Harder For Me (Nicole Solis)
Nicole Solis: mandolin, lead vocal * Prentice Sellers: banjo, harmony * Betsy Maudlin: fiddle, harmony * Jess Beebe: bass * Molly Tuttle: guitar
11. DIX BRUCE & JULIE CLINE - April 28, 2012 - Darling Will You Ever Think Of Me (Dix Bruce)
Dix Bruce: guitar, lead vocal * Julie Cline: guitar, harmony vocal
12. WILDCAT MOUNTAIN RAMBLERS - April 13, 2019 - Ask My Dog (Suzanne Suwanda)
Suzanne Suwanda: bass, lead vocal * Robert Cornelius: banjo, hv * Alex Mayers: guitar * Mark Wardenburg: fiddle * Chad Johnson: mandolin
13. CRYING UNCLE - Nov. 9, 2019 - Dawg’s Waltz (David Grisman)
Miles Quale: fiddle * Teo Quale: mandolin
14. JEANIE & CHUCK’S COUNTRY ROUNDUP - July 7, 2007 - Don’t Blame Me (Chuck Poling)
Jeanie Poling: guitar, lead vocal * Chuck Poling: mandolin, harmony * Doug Holloway: fiddle * Dave Magram: banjo * Steve Swan: bass
15. WENDY BURCH STEEL & REDWOOD - Sept. 30, 2017 - Beau Fleuve (Wendy Burch Steel)
Wendy Burch Steel: lead vocal * Allegra Thompson: bass, harmony vocal * Glenn Dauphin: guitar, harmony vocal * Butch Waller: mandolin
16. MATT & GEORGE & THEIR PLEASANT VALLEY BOYS - Dec. 8, 2017 - God’s Golden Shore (Jake Quesenberry)
Matt Dudman: mandolin, lead vocal * George Goodell: banjo, harmony vocal * Jenny Lynn Williams: guitar, harmony vocal
17. THE SECRET LIFE OF BANJOS - Jan. 7, 2006 - Lonesome Polka (Bill Evans)
Bill Evans: steel-stringed Gibson 5-string banjo * Jody Stecher: nylon-stringed Fairbanks 6-string banjo
18. CIRCLE R BOYS - Nov. 11, 2006 - Down By the Riverside (aka Ain't Gonna Study War No More)
Steve Pottier: mandolin, vocal * Bob Waller: guitar, vocal * Paul Bernstein: banjo, vocal * Josh Hadley: bass, vocal
19. NORTH COUNTRY BLUE DUO - Feb. 16, 2019 - Across the Great Divide (Kate Wolf)
Ida Winfree: guitar, lead vocal * Tessa Schwartz: fiddle, harmony vocal
20. THOMPSONIA - Nov. 21, 2015 - Very Bad Mood (Suzy Thompson)
Suzy Thompson: guitar, lead vocal * Allegra Thompson: bass, harmony vocal * Eric Thompson: mandolin
PT: talk
<><><><><><><><><><>
Way back in the ‘90s, those of us presenting acoustic music-based programs on KALW decided that we’d like to be able to showcase Bay Area musicians performing live in the radio studio. JoAnn Mar (Folk Music & Beyond), Kevin Vance (A Patchwork Quilt), and I applied for and received a modest grant that allowed us to purchase decent microphones and a mixer. Despite facilities that included no rooms suitable for music-making, we worked with station engineer Phil Hartman to find ways to broadcast live sessions of (by now) hundreds of musicians representing a wide variety of genres.
Bluegrass and old time music has been a regular feature of KALW’s bi-annual On Air Folk Festivals, and most of the performances on this album are from these events. All were subject to the vagaries of live radio, and there was no remixing possible after the recordings.
Heartfelt thanks to:
- all the musicians for participating — in both the KALW dates and in this compilation;
- Tony Ferro, for engineering (often supplying his own mics) the bulk of these sessions; other KALW engineers Bob Campbell, Lou Judson, Phil Hartman, Kevin Vance, and myownself; and musicians like Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, and David Thom, who engineered as well as played and sang on their recordings;
- others at KALW who supported the On Air Folk Festivals and acoustic music programming, especially longtime station manager Matt Martin; operator extraordinaire Debi Barnes; JoAnn & Kevin; and my fellow Bluegrass Signal producer/hosts Allegra Thompson, Leah Wollenberg, Todd Gracyk, Sully Roddy, Ryan Breen, and Jose Segue;
and
- Lou Judson (Intuitive Audio/<loujudson@mac.com> - mastering) and Ellen Silva (www.ellensilva.com - design) for making this collection sound and look so good.
My own involvement would have been impossible without the love and support of Kathy Kallick, Riley Thompson, and Juniper Waller — plus the ears and encouragement of Bluegrass Signal listeners.
Endless appreciation to all -
PeterT