Music Show Updates

Sometimes the business of making radio gets in the way of talking about radio. I’m reminded of the opening lines to the Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter song “The Wheel:” 

“The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down,
You can’t let go and you can’t hold on,
You can’t go back and you can’t stand still,
If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.” 

True enough, you might say, but aren’t the next two lines: 

“Won’t you try just a little bit harder,
Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?” 

In the constant whirl of what’s coming up next the things that have happened, regrettably, sometimes don’t get their due.   

KBCS has been blessed with stability. We’ve long had a group of passionate volunteers with the unique mixture of time and technical knowhow and musical knowledge (and sometimes the music itself) to curate and host a radio show. When a show does go away and is not replaced with something similar it’s often that one of those crucial components is not to be easily found.  It’s the very uniqueness of many of our programs that make us love them but can also be what causes the acute sadness when they go off the air.  

The question I’m most asked when a show goes off the air is why did I cancel it? I likely didn’t cancel it. Our volunteers work hard and continually make delightful radio that everyone at KBCS is quite proud of and happy to air.

Usually, a show ends because a volunteer has said what they’ve needed to say and feel that it’s time to move on to other pursuits. We’ve even had hosts leave and then return at a later date. In fact, one of our longtime favorites is considering such a thing right now. Dare I say: stay tuned? I daren’t. Not yet, at least. 

A few updates: 

Hawai`i Radio Connection 

Hawai`i Radio Connection is not going off the air. That said, Uncle Ed and Maile are stepping down as regular hosts. Uncle Ed has been with KBCS since first discovering the station at 1993’s Northwest Folklife Festival. His passion and knowledge and collection of Hawaiian music is extraordinary. For the past 12 years Uncle Ed has co-hosted their week of HRC with Maile. Maile brought a spontaneous and infectious spark to the show. Their chemistry and humor together, not to mention their exquisite musical tastes, will be deeply missed. 

Music of Africa 

We’ve been proud to host Music of Africa since 1993. It was hosted over the years by Jon Kertzer, Andy Frankel, Hans Kelstrup and the late Doug Patterson. This 30-year run has been beautiful and inspiring and we thank all those who made it happen. You can still catch Hans on the radio as the host of African Airwaves at the mighty good KBFG in Seattle. There are rumors that Jon Kertzer isn’t quite done with radio just yet. Time will tell. 

City Soul 

Earlier this year City Soul went off the air after 19 years. J Justice and Atlee brought the grooves and the soul of the Emerald City to our airwaves. Their show was hip and sophisticated and the perfect salve for a Friday night. Keep your eyes and ears open because you can still catch J Justice and Atlee spinning live around town. 

Folksounds 

Folksounds ended an astonishing run of over 40 years this past August. Eric Hardee (32 years) and Jean Geiger (26 years) gave us an expansive showcase every week in the very best of acoustic music. Their passion and service and curatorial skills made Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM a destination. 

We are quite grateful to all of the KBCS volunteers, both past and present.  

Thank you for listening.

Iaan Hughes, Music Director

iaan@kbcs.fm 

Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising – One year later

Jina Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish, 22 year old woman, was killed in custody of Iran’s morality police on September 16th last year, sparking an uprising led by Iranian women, and supported by ethnic and minority groups. 

As the anniversary of Amini’s death nears,  Iranian American women in Washington state share their experiences in Iran before they moved here.  They also share how the Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising has affected them. 

Producer: Yuko Kodama

Photo: Feminists for Jina

Events in observance of one year anniversary of Jina Mahsa Amini’s death and beginning of Woman, Life Freedom uprising

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday

Peyvand and NPO is co-hosting a vigil and poetry event

Sunday, September 17th

University of Washington Campus Red Square –  6:30 to 8:00 pm

Cornel West in Seattle

Dr. Cornel West spoke at the Rainier Arts Center on May 28th as part of the Valley and Mountain fellowship sponsored Set Us Free from Fear series.   You can listen to his address on The Prophetic Tradition in the Time of Neo Fascism.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Town Hall

Pramila Jayapal

Remember and Resist 2023

February 19, 2023 was the 81st anniversary of Executive order 9066.  It ordered the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese descent from throughout the west coast. 

In commemoration, an event was held at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup, Washington.  The organizers were Minidoka Pilgrimage, JACL Seattle Chapter, JACL Puyallup Valley Chapter, La Resistencia and Tsuru for Solidarity.

Over 7,000  people were incarcerated in make-shift shelters and animal stalls on the fairgrounds in 1942  for about five months until the incarceration sites were completed. 

The event also included a gathering at Tacoma’s Northwest detention center to support the detainees inside and call for an end to immigrant detention and deportations.

Listen in on the voices and sounds from Remember and Resist 2023. 

Producer: Yuko Kodama

Photos: Widder Sessions

Wintergrass 2023 and KBCS!

Wintergrass 2023 and KBCS 91.3FM over 30 years of celebrating Bluegrass, Folk and Americana, Roots and Acoustic music

KBCS is honored to share another year with the long running music festival, Wintergrass!  This year Wintergrass marks 30 years celebrating and sharing Bluegrass, Folk, Acoustic, Americana and Roots music to the community. Tune into these upcoming shows for the sound of KBCS, the spirit and music of Wintergrass, and the curatorial music magic of KBCS DJs:

MONDAY – 7pm to 9pm – Soul Folks with Mike Biggins

TUESDAY – 7pm to 9pm – Folksounds with Jean Geiger and Eric Hardee

TUESDAY – 9pm to 11pm – Road Songs with Rus Thompson

SATURDAY – 9am to 12noon – Our Saturday Tradition with Ginger Hopper and Jim Page, (w/ occasional visits from Jean Geiger and longtime folk DJ, Larry Lewin.)

SUNDAY – 6am to 9am – Walkin’ the Floor with Iaan Hughes

SUNDAY – 9am to 12noon – Sunday Folks with Auntmama and Mike Biggins

SUNDAY – 12noon to 3pm – Bluegrass Ramble with Tom Keeney and Tom Voorhees

SUNDAY – 3pm to 6pm – Sunday’s Hornpipe with John Gibaut

SUNDAY – 6pm to 8pm – The Real Folk with Richard Gillman

MONDAY through FRIDAY – Iaan Hughes hosts Roots, Rock and Soul 12noon to 4pm and 4pm to 7pm 

We are so thankful for all of their volunteer time and continued support to KBCS and the Wintergrass communities.  KBCS is excited to share in this banner year for both KBCS’s own 50th milestone and Wintergrass’s 30th!  Thank you for the support and dedication to keep these community organizations reaching so many for so many years.

DON’T MISS OUT!! – KBCS at Wintergrass 2023

Join KBCS at Wintergrass on Saturday Feb. 25th from 9am to 12noon.  Check out the KBCS Stage at the North Grand Hallway for featured Wintergrass musicians: Joe Craven and Joe Troop, Anna Tivel, Cedric Watson and Dirk Powell, Tray Wellington Band, Never Come Down and The Deslondes!

For a full schedule of Wintergrass please review the entire Wintergrass Program Guide 2023

Northwest African American Museum

Children’s Film Festival Seattle

Organization for Prostitution Survivors

KBCS’s Kevin Henry interviews, Rebekah Fonden, Board President of the Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS).Fonden, a survivor herself, talks about how to support survivors of the sex trade and discusses available resources.  She also shares her personal story.

Protest Tunes Looks Back

DJ General Strike looks back at the Top 40 (not that Top 40!) protest songs of 2022. These are Molotov hot tracks!

1. Adeem the Artist – Heritage of Ignorance – White Trash Revelry- Four Quarters Records (folk/country)
2. Dropkick Murphys – All You Fonies – This Machine Still Kills Fascists – Dummy Luck Music (folk/country)
3. Ezra Furman Lilac and Black – All of Us Flames – Anti (folk/country)
4. Miko Marks – Trouble – Trouble – Redtone Records (folk/country)
5. Shaina Taub – Tikkun Olam – Songs of the Great Hill – Atlantic (folk/country)

1. Coco Peila, Aima The Dreamer, Ryan Nicole – I Am Jane Roe – I Am Jane Roe – Miss Behave Records (hip-hop)
2. David Strickland – Stand Up – Spirit of Hip Hop: Elements – MNRK Music Group (hip-hop)
3. Gabriel Teodros – Coffee & Sage – Coffee & Sage – Gabriel Teodros & Third Eye Bling (hip-hop)
4. Lecrae – Still in America – Church Clothes 4 – Reach Records (hip-hop)
5. Linqua Franqa – Wurk – Bellringer – Ernest Jenning Record Co. (hip-hop)
6. Nas – Don’t Shoot – King’s Disease III – Mass Appeal (hip-hop)
7. Propaganda – Soil is Sacred – Terraform: The Soil – RMG (hip-hop)
8. Robert Glasper – Black Superhero – Black Superhero [Feat. Killer Mike, BJ The Chicago Kid & Big  R.I.T.] – Loma Vista (hip-hop)
9. Architects Deep Fake – the classic symptoms of a broken spirit – Epitaph (Metal/Hardcore)
10. Rise Against The Answer – Nowhere Generation II – Loma Vista (Metal/Hardcore)

1. Stray from the Path III – Euthanasia – UNFD (Metal/Hardcore)
2. Voice of Baceprot – Not] Public Property – [Not] Public Property – 12WIRED (Metal/Hardcore)
3. Anne Beretta – The Real America – Rise – Bully Me Now Music (punk)
4. Anti-Flag – Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die. – Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die. – Universal (Punk)

1. Newtown Neurotics – Climate Emergency – Cognitive Dissidents – Cadiz Entertainment (Punk)
2. Petrol Girls – Fight for Our Lives – Baby – Hassle Records (Punk)
3. Rebelmatic – Walk on Water – Walk on Water – Coffee Grind Media (Punk)
4. Special Interest – Concerning Peace – Endure – Rough Trade Records (Punk)
5. Ben Harper – We Need to Talk About It – Bloodline Maintenance – Chrysalis Records (R&B/Funk/Soul)

1. Bitch Polar Bear – Bitchcraft – Kill Rock Stars (R&B/Funk/Soul)
2. Fantastic Negrito – They Go Low – White Jesus Black Problems – Storefront Records (R&B/Funk/Soul)
3. Hurray for the Riff Raff – Precious Cargo – Life on Earth – Nonesuch Records (R&B/Funk/Soul)
4. Taina Asili – Abolition – Abolition – Taina Asili (R&B/Funk/Soul)
5. The Suffers – How Do We Heal – It Starts with Love – Missing Piece Records (R&B/Funk/Soul)
6. Captain Ska – This Is A Warning – La Isla Del Brexit – Captain’s Records (Reggae/Ska)
7. JER – Decolonize Yr Mind – Bothered/Unbothered – Bad Time Records (Reggae/Ska)
8. Sizzla – Stop Destroying the Earth – Stop Destroying the Earth – Na Lef Ya Muzik – Reggae/Ska

1. Soom T – Big Bad World – Good – Renegade Masters (Reggae/Ska)
2. Danceland – Not Without a Fight – Pink Lem – Pinkfoot Music (Rock)

1. Midnight Oil – We Resist – Resist – Sony Music Entertainment (Rock)
2. MILCK, Autumn Rowe, BIANCO, Ani DiFranco – We Won’t Go Back – We Won’t Go Back – Tone Tree Music (Rock)
3. Muse – Will of the People – Will of the People – Warner Music UK (Rock)
4. P!nk – Irrelevant – Irrelevant – RCA (Rock)
5. The Last Internationale – 1984 – 1984 – The Last Internationale (Rock)
6. The Snuts – Zuckerpunch – Burn the Empire – Parlophone Records (Rock)