http://www.downhomeradioshow.com Down Home Radio is a window into the interior of our culture. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:54:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 ©Eli Smith eli_smith@hotmail.com (Eli Smith) eli_smith@hotmail.com Folk Music 1440 Folk music, blues, old-time, Field Recordings, Eli Smith, Banjo, Woody Guthrie, New Lost City Ramblers Old-time Blues, Pre-Blues, Gospel and Spirituals, Corridos, Latin America Folk Music, Field Recordings, Interviews, and more... Down Home Radio is a hardcore, unreconstructed, paleo-acoustic folk music program Eli Smith Eli Smith eli_smith@hotmail.com No no http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/images/dhrspostcard.jpg http://www.downhomeradioshow.com 144 144 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/06/interview-with-%c3%a6/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/06/interview-with-%c3%a6/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:41:15 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=751 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/06/interview-with-%c3%a6/feed/ 00:01:01 On today's show I speak with Aurelia Shrenker and Eva Primack, amazing singers and ex-UCLA enthnomusicology students who have relocated to New York ... On today's show I speak with Aurelia Shrenker and Eva Primack, amazing singers and ex-UCLA enthnomusicology students who have relocated to New York and together form the singing duet "AElig;." They do a wonderful and unprecedented mix of songs from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, mixed and mashed with ballads from the American South.nbsp; A #38; E sing together in a capella arrangements and also accompany themselves on accordion and panduri, a 3-string lute from the Republic of Georgia.nbsp; Because of their wonderful voices, good approach and depth of knowledge, it works really well. Tamar Korn, the singer with the Cangelosi Cards told me I had to come down to Barbes, a club in Brooklyn to hear AElig;, so I went not knowing at all what to expect.nbsp; They were great!nbsp; I caught up with them a few days later to record this interview before they left for a West Coast tour. Check out their website for tour dates: www.myspace.com/aesings More info on the band bellow (from their press release): AElig; (Aurelia Lucy Shrenker and Eva Salina Primack) has beennbsp;performing as a duo for a year.nbsp; Aurelia and Eva have performednbsp;together in Europe,nbsp;New York, andnbsp;Californianbsp;and are finishing up theirnbsp;debut CD!nbsp;nbsp;The two women bring together a deep knowledge ofnbsp;different vocal traditions,nbsp;and create something new and daring withnbsp;each song they sing together. They have chosen the name AElig; (the joinednbsp;a and e, officially pronounced "ash") because it represents somethingnbsp;of a dual nature--not singular, not plural, but exactly two.nbsp; Theynbsp;primarily perform a cappella but enjoy accompanying themselves on mountainnbsp;dulcimer, accordion, and Georgian panduri.nbsp; In addition to theirnbsp;upcoming CD, AElig; recently contributed to the soundtrack of "The Greatnbsp;Soviet Eclipse", the newest film produced under the auspices of thenbsp;Museum of Jurassic Technologynbsp;and the Society for the Diffusion ofnbsp;Useful Information (www.mjt.org). AElig;'s work is rooted innbsp;folk culturenbsp;and never falls short of being visceral and provocative--in theirnbsp;music, the exuberance of youth and the reverence of ancient traditionnbsp;coincide. A native ofnbsp;Santa Cruz, California,nbsp;Eva Salina Primack has been studying, performing, and teaching Balkan music for most of her life. She has traveled and performed internationally, worked with many well-known Balkan and American musicians, and lives in Brooklyn.nbsp; In addition to her work with AElig;, Eva has recently been working with Slavic Soul Party! (www.slavicsoulparty.com), the Italian balkan/jazz project Opa Cupa (www.myspace.com/opacupa), Which Way East(www.myspace.com/whichwayeast), Seido Salifoski's Romski Boji, and Kadife.nbsp; Past collaborations and projects include Edessa (www.edessamusic.com), Tzvetanka Varimezova, andnbsp;KITKA (www.kitka.org).With a foundation innbsp;classical voice,nbsp;Aurelia Shrenker has sung traditional musicnbsp;from around the world since she was thirteen.nbsp; Originally fromnbsp;Massachusetts, Aurelia has traveled extensively, touringnbsp;Europenbsp;and the United States with Vermont-based Northern Harmony (www.northernharmony.pair.com).nbsp; She currently performs as a soloist and with AElig;. Aurelia has studied Georgian music for eight years and has visited the Republic several times as a musician, volunteer, and tour-guide. A former student of ethnomusicology atnbsp;UCLA, Aurelia currently lives in Brooklynnbsp;and studies arts, education, and social justice at NYU. www.aesings.com (site still in development) Some of AElig;'s friends #38; influences: Ethel Raim: From the CityLore website: Ethel Raim has spent the better part of her lifetime tuning American ears to the tremendous beauty of traditional music and ensuring that communities value and support their own cultural legacy. Her love of Balkan music b... Reviews,,Shows Eli Smith no No http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/06/banjo-workshop-with-john-cohen/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/06/banjo-workshop-with-john-cohen/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:02:02 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=739 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/06/banjo-workshop-with-john-cohen/feed/ 00:01:01 Banjo Tunings and Styles Workshop with John Cohen Here's the first bit of audio I'm posting from the Brooklyn Folk Festival - John Cohen of the ... Banjo Tunings and Styles Workshop with John Cohen Here's the first bit of audio I'm posting from the Brooklyn Folk Festival - John Cohen of the New Lost City Ramblers leads a banjo workshop focusing on different tunings and styles used by a number of banjo players he has learned from either directly or studied through their old recordings.nbsp; Banjo player Wade Ward describes tunings as "different atmospheres."nbsp; Each banjo tuning carries its own set of possibilities and its own feeling.nbsp; In 1965 John Cohen encountered Ward and many other banjo players as he journeyed through the South finding musicians, making field recordings, discovering banjo tunings and lots more along the way.nbsp; Many of these field recordings were released on his wonderful album "High Atmosphere". John discusses and demonstrates these many styles, sounds and techniques in this workshop from May, 17th, 2009. The first play button plays a banjo music mix tape of all the original recordings of songs John covers in this workshop.nbsp; The second play button plays the audio of the workshop itself.nbsp; This is for banjo players only! (Unless you're really interested) John begins with a bit of Pete Seeger up picking, then a bit of frailing and thumb lead 2-finger picking, then more up picking (the same rhythm as clawhammer but picking up instead of hitting down on the string), Charlie Poole style finger picking banjo, Bascom Lamar Lunsford / George Landers style up picking (the workshop focuses a lot on this style, where in the first finger picks the melody and also then brushes up over the strings and the thumb picks the fifth string and drops down to some of the other strings.nbsp; There are no downward motions in this style.)nbsp; Sydna Myers style clawhammer, Dock Boggs finger picking and finally Pete Steele finger picking Links: Film about John Cohen on FolkStreams.net: Remembering the High Lonesome Down Home Radio Rufus Crisp Feature Episode - playing recordings of Crisp, a banjo player very influential to John Cohen and the early folk music scene in New York. Tunes included in the workshop:Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Baltimore Fire The Man Who Wrote Home Sweet Home Never was a Married Man Mole In the Ground Reuben Rolling Mills Are Burning Down Cumberland Gap Last Chance Twin Sisters Forkey Deer Pretty Polly Country Blues Coal Creek March A selection from the notes to "High Atmosphere" - "These recordings were initially intended to document the different ways Appalachian musicians tune the five string banjo. The search for tunings served as an entree into the musicial memories of the old-time banjo players; as the strings were re-tuned, a rush of old memories was recollected and precise sound patterns were remembered beyond the comprehension of deliberate consciousness. The changing of the note intervals unlocked some closed doors. Alongside these banjo tunes, seldom sung songs and ballads appeared, and were recorded as well...It was a great privilege to document these performances and to feel the individuality of each musician's style: they had unusual ideas about timing, pronounced ways of ornamenting the voice, odd tonal and harmonic choices. Singers adjusted the songs to conform to their own breathing...." High Atmosphere Another good John Cohen album notes quote: "There is a side of us all which goes about trying to make the world over in our own image. There is another side--where one searches to encounter his own image in the world. In this process one examines all kinds of elements which come in his path." The New ... Live,Recordings,,Other,,Shows Eli Smith no No http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/art-rosenbaum-al-murphy-lp-1972/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/art-rosenbaum-al-murphy-lp-1972/#comments Fri, 29 May 2009 05:59:27 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=721 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/art-rosenbaum-al-murphy-lp-1972/feed/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/the-brooklyn-folk-festival-may-15th-17th/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/the-brooklyn-folk-festival-may-15th-17th/#comments Sat, 09 May 2009 21:25:50 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=708 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/the-brooklyn-folk-festival-may-15th-17th/feed/ 00:01:01 Thanks to everybody who made the festival such a big success.nbsp; See ya next year! (Look out for audio, pictures and video from the festival coming ... Thanks to everybody who made the festival such a big success.nbsp; See ya next year! (Look out for audio, pictures and video from the festival coming up real soon here on DHR) Friday, May 15th thru Sunday, May 17th at the Jalopy Theater. Down Home Radio is proud to announce the 1st annual Brooklyn Folk Festival.nbsp; This festival will feature the best in old-time music, blues, pre-blues, jug band music, New Orleans jazz, folk style songwriting, African folk music and Mexican folk music and dance.nbsp; Come down and check it out, its gonna be fun! *This festival is brought to you by Down Home Radio, and will be MCed by Down Home Radio host Eli Smith. $10 Per Day or $25 for 3 days - Afternoon Workshop Included! Friday 8:00 Stephen Strohmeier (Folk and Original Songs) 8:45 East River String Band (Country Blues) 9:30 Hubby Jenkins (Country Blues) 10:00 The Cangelosi Cards (New Orleans Jazz, and more!) 11:00 Jessy Carolina (Blues, Ballads, Original Songs, etc.) 11:40 Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues (Jugband, Blues, Original Songs, etc.) 12:20 Frank Hoier (Originals and Folk songs) Saturday At Jalopy: 7:30 Willy Gantrim (Originals, Slide Guitar Blues, Country and Folk songs) 8:00 Whistling Wolves (World Champion Whistling + Amazing Harmonica #38; More!) 8:45 Sana Ndiaye #38; the Ekonting Peace Band (West African Traditional Music from the Gambia River Delta Region) 9:30 Pat Conte (Blues and Old Time on Banjo, Guitar, Fiddle, Zither #38; More!) 10:05 Alex Battles w/ Banjorama (Jugbandy, Blues Original Songs) 10:45 Elizabeth Butters (Ballads #38; Folk Songs on with Guitar #38; Dulcimer) 11:20 The Dust Busters (Old Time String Band, Jug Band Music, Ballads, Originals, - Fiddle, Guitar, Banjo, etc.) 12:05 Feral Foster (Blues, Folk #38; Original Songs) 12:40 John Houx (Folk and Original Songs) Jam Session at Moonshine 2-6:30pm Saturday Workshops: 5:00pm Music of the Ekonting - workshop with Sana Ndiaye (West African banjo predecessor instrument styles) Sunday At Jalopy: 6:30 Ernie Vega (Blues, Folk #38; Original Songs) 7:00 Mamie Minch (Blues, Folk #38; Original Songs) 7:35 Bob Malenky (Country Blues Guitar Master) 8:10 John Cohen #38; Annabel Lee (Old-Time Duets on Banjo #38; Guitar) 9:00 Semilla (Son Jarocho, Folk Music and Dance from Mexico) 10:00 Strung Out String Band (Old-Time String Band) 10:45 Danny Kalb (Blues Guitarist) Jam Session at Moonshine 2-6pm Sunday Workshops: 4:00pm Bob Malenky ndash; Blues guitar workshop 5:00pm John Cohen - Old-time banjo styles #38; tunings workshop Click Here to download the press release Brooklyn Folk Fest poster #38; logo designed by Ernesto Gomez Check out the feature article in The Brooklyn Paper: "Thatrsquo;s folk, all! Bklyn Folk Festival offers jam-packed lineup" Other Eli Smith no No http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/pete-seeger-turns-90-happy-birthday/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/pete-seeger-turns-90-happy-birthday/#comments Sun, 03 May 2009 03:47:02 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=680 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/05/pete-seeger-turns-90-happy-birthday/feed/ 00:01:01 On today's show we honor Pete Seeger on his 90th birthday.nbsp; Pete Seeger is a man who in his person has been an incredible force ... On today's show we honor Pete Seeger on his 90th birthday.nbsp; Pete Seeger is a man who in his person has been an incredible force in American music and social movements, both as a performer and as an organizer and well spring of good ideas.nbsp;nbsp; He has been literally everywhere for so many many years, singing, playing and inspiring people around this country and around the world to sing, play guitars and banjos and take part in the social struggles that define their history.nbsp; Pete has an off the charts level of talent as a singer, song leader, banjo and guitar player, performer, songwriter, song adapter and folk music popularizer.nbsp; He's also probably the oldest person to ever make a comeback, having won a grammy and played at the Obama inauguration concert.nbsp; Pete Seeger is impossible to keep down, I was talking with some people recently and we were recalling that even when Pete was blacklisted in the 50's the upshot of that was that he started playing for kids at schools and summer camps and thereby played a large part in inspiring the folk music boom of the 1960's when those kids grew up.nbsp; I was at a reunion of people who used to gather to play folk music in Washington Square park back in the 50's and 60's here in New York City and I recorded a bunch of short interviews with these folk musicians remembering encounters with Pete Seeger.nbsp; So many musicians and lovers of folk music from that generation remember encounters with Pete Seeger that changed their lives.nbsp; So on today's show we'll hear a bunch of my favorite Pete Seeger songs along with a selection of interviews with people that Pete inspired. Click Here to listen to the Down Home Radio Interview with Pete Seeger from Oct. '07 Also included here are the A sides of two obscure Pete Seeger albums available at Smithsonian Global Sound . Click the 2nd play button above and you will hear: 9640 FW03864_201 Studs Terkel's Weekly Almanac: Radio Programme, No. 4: Folk Music and Blues featuring Pete Seeger and Big Bill Broonzy, 1956. 170 Love You Baby/Hush-A-Bye /Crawdad Song / John Henry/ Bach, J.S. - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring /Lonesome Valley/You Got To Stand in Judgement /The Midnight Special followed by: FW05702_101 Pete Seeger Sings and Answers Questions, 1968. Opinions and Social Justice / Backgrounds to Social Songs in Europe and the USA / Social Songs from the Colonial Times to Today / Songs of the Immigrants The 3rd play button in this post: Carly Nix interviews Eleanor Walden, organizer of a grassroots campaign to get Pete Seeger nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize via an online petition.nbsp; This is the first grassroots attempts to get someone nominated for the Nobel Prize.nbsp; Walden also talks about her personal experiences with the Greenwich Village sings, the People's Songs Collective and the Folk Revival scene and social activism. Here's a film, "To Hear Your Banjo Play" from 1947, produced by Alan Lomax and featuring a young Pete Seeger as the narrator. Pete Seeger - "Bring Em Home" seems to be in the early 1970's. Pete with Sonny #38; Brownie on "Rainbow Quest," Pete's TV show in the 60's.nbsp; So many awesome episodes, check em out on Youtube. Shows Eli Smith no No http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/tribute-to-archie-green-1917-2009-works-many-voices-lps/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/tribute-to-archie-green-1917-2009-works-many-voices-lps/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:50:28 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=659 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/tribute-to-archie-green-1917-2009-works-many-voices-lps/feed/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/interview-with-jessy-carolina/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/interview-with-jessy-carolina/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:30:33 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=650 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/interview-with-jessy-carolina/feed/ 00:01:01 On today's show I speak with New York folk singer and song writer Jessy Carolina.nbsp; Originally from Venezuela, Jessy grew up ... On today's show I speak with New York folk singer and song writer Jessy Carolina.nbsp; Originally from Venezuela, Jessy grew up in North Dakota and later New York City.nbsp; She sings a lot of early blues songs, old-time and folk songs, Woody Guthrie songs and writes her own songs. We recorded this interview in a park in New Orleans when we were both down there back in February, busking on Royal street and escaping the New York winter.nbsp; Jessy plays live on the show, talks about her background, the trip down South and life busking in NOLA.nbsp; I also play some live recordings that I made of Jessy at the Jalopy Theater in Redhook, Brooklyn. Jessy will be performing, along with 20 other great acts, at the upcoming Brooklyn Folk Festival, which will be held at Jalopy the weekend of May 15th -17th.nbsp; Its gonna be fun!nbsp; Check out www.BrooklynFolkFest.com for details. Jessy Carolina sings "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie," by Elizabeth Cotten on the streets of New Orleans, Feb. 2009. Shows Eli Smith no No http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/true-story-of-abner-jay-mississippi-records/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/true-story-of-abner-jay-mississippi-records/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:52:21 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=637 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/true-story-of-abner-jay-mississippi-records/feed/ 00:01:01 On today's show I speak with Eric Isaacson, founder of Mississippi Records #38; owner of the record store by the same name, located on Mississippi ... On today's show I speak with Eric Isaacson, founder of Mississippi Records #38; owner of the record store by the same name, located on Mississippi Ave. in Portland, OR.nbsp; Mississippi Records has been releasing some really amazing music, compilations of old 78s which are really well chosen and programmed as well as more modern recordings of vernacular music, a lot of gospel and blues stuff. They are committed to releasing their music on vinyl LPs, but occasionally they do small releases of cassette tapes.nbsp; Whoever is responsible for the artwork on their record jackets should be commended, they're really great. On today's show we will hear a selection of cuts drawn from various MS Records releases, and then we'll feature, in fact hear the whole A side of their new release, "True Story of Abner Jay."nbsp; This is an amazing record of Abner Jay a one man band and song writer from around Atlanta, GA who passed away in 1993 and had apparently been actively playing since the 1930's.nbsp; He has a deep style that is related in some amazing way to Bob Dylan's music, but is really its own and operating on a number of levels.nbsp; He plays the guitar or 6-string electric banjo, harmonica and bass drum and high hat with his feet.nbsp; See below for a video of him. Some MS Records releases featured on today's program See below for the back of the Abner Jay record, notes, etc... Entrance to Mississippi Records Abner Jay performs at the Grass Roots Festival, 1993 Shows Eli Smith no No http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/a-country-mule-ready-to-kick-a-hole-into-the-future/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/a-country-mule-ready-to-kick-a-hole-into-the-future/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:34:54 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=591 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/04/a-country-mule-ready-to-kick-a-hole-into-the-future/feed/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/03/tribute-to-richie-shulberg-aka-citizen-kafka/ http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/03/tribute-to-richie-shulberg-aka-citizen-kafka/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:25:42 +0000 Eli Smith http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/?p=588 http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/2009/03/tribute-to-richie-shulberg-aka-citizen-kafka/feed/ 00:01:01 (L) Richie Shulberg, aka Citizen Kafka in a recent photo, (R) Kenny Kosek, CK #38; John Goodman doing ldquo;The Citizen Kafka Showrdquo; on WBAI, ... (L) Richie Shulberg, aka Citizen Kafka in a recent photo, (R) Kenny Kosek, CK #38; John Goodman doing ldquo;The Citizen Kafka Showrdquo; on WBAI, 1980rsquo;s. Its been a hard couple weeks around here.nbsp; On Wednesday March 11th Bob Guida of the Otis Brothers passed on, he was 54.nbsp; A few days later on Saturday the 14th Richie Shulberg aka Citizen Kafka, age 61, left the physical plain and on Sunday March 22nd Archie Green, the great folklorist, laborlore scholar and advocate of vernacular culture died at his home in San Francisco at the age of 91.nbsp; I will be doing tributes to all three of these great people in the next few weeks. On todayrsquo;s show I am rebroadcasting a tribute to Citizen Kafka that was done on WBAI this past Saturday on the ldquo;Morning Dewrdquo; show.nbsp; Kenny Kosek, Ed Haber #38; John Goodman came down to WBAI and put together this broadcast, playing old recordings of Citizen Kafka and ldquo;The Citizen Kafka Showrdquo; that they hosted together back in the 1980rsquo;s, as well as sharing some of their reminiscences. The Citizen Kafka show was really crazy and awesome! The Citizen (born 1947 in Canarsie, Brooklyn) had a number of talents, he was a great fiddler, top notch - also really spontaneously funny, a talented and funny poet, an accomplished collector of records and many other types of objects, he was also knowledgeable about natural medicine, obscure, local and pop cultures, had driven a cab and had apparently done some mineral prospecting/mining work out West!nbsp; He was the leader of the infamous Wretched Refuse String Band, hosted the music/comedy show, ldquo;The Citizen Kafka Showrdquo; on WBAI and co-hosted the ldquo;Secret Museum of the Airrdquo; with Pat Conte on WFMU. I had a great time hanging out with the Citizen, although I only knew him in the past year or two.nbsp; He was loud, manic, difficult with many people- he was some kind of genius and a real mensch - incredibly generous and kind.nbsp; He would hire me to come to his house and help clean up the place, which was a legendary disaster area.nbsp; Wersquo;d get a little work done, and then end up killing the rest of the afternoon listening to the crazy records wersquo;d uncovered, or hersquo;d just tell me about whatever objects had come to light as we shuffled the piles and piles of stuff in his collection. An obit from The Independent (UK) Citizen Kafka (center with fiddle) with his band, the Wretched Refuse String Band Citizen Kafka (R) performs with Peter Stampfel, Pat Conte #38; Sam Shepard at the Jalopy Theater, 2008 (Photo E. Smith) Shows Eli Smith no No