Friday, February 27, 2009

More big news

We just got the word today that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) wants to license my radio series Pete Seeger: How Can I Keep From Singing? to run on the CBC-2 program, Inside the Music.

This is a huge deal. As I understand it, CBC-2 was, until last September, a "serious" music channel. Recently it underwent a format change and is focusing on Canadian Artists, with the occasional foray into Americans such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and now, apparently, Pete Seeger. Unlike our U.S. public radio stations, each of which chooses its programming, CBC-2 is broadcast nationwide.

When I get broadcast dates, I'll post them here and on peteseeger.org.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Radio Series Now Available from PRX


My three-part radio series, Pete Seeger: How Can I Keep From Singing?, which ran nationwide last summer and fall on Public Radio International, is being re-released and is now available to subscribers at www.PRX.org. You can listen to samples there, or at our series site, Peteseeger.org.

For those unfamiliar, Public Radio Exchange (AKA PRX) is an online marketplace for distribution, review, and licensing of public radio programming. This is a great resource for community stations who may not be affiliated with the large public radio networks, but still want quality third-party content. Even if you aren't a radio station, you can subscribe and listen to content online.

CD sets of the series are also being offered to Libraries and Sound Archives.

If you have any questions regarding the series, whether you are a PD, a librarian, sound archivist, or any other interested party, please contact us at wrtgsw@unm.edu.

Route 66: Russia style

My big interest, aside from Pete Seeger and folk music, is The Mother Road, Route 66. Although the road was decommissioned in 1985, it remains a part of the our American consciousness.

But is it strictly an American thing? Not by a long shot. Route 66 is, it seems, a world-wide phenomenon as witnessed by this video I found on Ron's "Route 66 News" Blog.

This is Moscow musician Dmitry Novokolsky picking on Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.”

Friday, February 20, 2009

San Diego School Board Formally Apologizes to Pete Seeger

The San Diego School Board approved a resolution Tuesday night declaring that the board "deeply regrets its predecessors' actions" and offered an apology to Pete Seeger for making him sign a pre-performance loyalty pledge in 1960. Here is a link to a piece by CBC-Radio in Canada cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20090216 The program will play in Windows Media Player. Select Program 2. The piece starts at 12:42.

Here is a link from NBC San Diego regarding the apology.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Work progresses on my new book

Along with my teaching at SFSU this semester, I've been very busy working with Molly Beer, putting the final touches on my latest book, Singing Out: An Oral History of America's Folk Music Revivals. We're so close to wrapping it up.

Congratulations Pete!


As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Pete Seeger was nominated for his most recent album, At 89. We're happy to say that, though the competition was stiff (albums by Pete's sister, Peggy, Tom Paxton, as well as Kathy Mattea's outstanding Coal being among the other nominations) Pete received the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album.

This is his second Grammy in this category, having won in 1997 for his album Pete. Seeger was also honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

Congratulations Pete!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Big news!

Greetings from San Francisco!

I was just informed that my radio series, Pete Seeger: How Can I Keep From Singing? has won in two categories for this year's Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts Awards!

We were awarded Best Documentary and Best Audio.

I'm beside myself with excitement as this is a very great honor from my peers in broadcast academia.

OK, back to work editing.