30 Grammy categories were eliminated

The Grammy nominations are out and I'm pleased to see that many of the artists you hear on WUMB were considered worthy of nomination. You can find a complete list at http://www.grammy.com/nominees.

I am, however, disturbed that as part of their decision to eliminate 30 categories, they seemed to have rolled what has previously been two categories into a single Best Folk Album category. In the last few years there has been a Contemporary Folk and a Traditional Folk category and while it was sometime confusing seeing which album ended up in what category, it was at least a chance to honor folk artists who were not primarily songwriters (they did the same thing in the Blues Category).

I think I can sum up my problem with this by asking if Pete Seeger had a new album this year, would it have had a chance in the current Best Folk Album category? You tell me. Am I way off base on this?

Here are the list of nominees for Best Folk Album:

• Barton Hollow — The Civil Wars
• I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive — Steve Earle
• Helplessness Blues — Fleet Foxes
• Ukulele Songs —  Eddie Vedder
• The Harrow & The Harvest — Gillian Welch

- Dave Palmater

Harry Belafonte visits WUMB!

One of the most warm and gracious individuals who has ever visited the WUMB studios dropped by a few days ago with hardly any advance notice. Known to some as the “King of Calypso” -- singer-songwriter, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte is our guest for this Sunday’s Commonwealth Journal program.

In town to talk about his new memoir “My Song,” Mr. Belafonte had quite a bit to say about his influences growing up. “I have sought to alter the profile of poverty, but I have never chosen to leave it. So much of me resides there. So much of me was shaped by the environment of poverty. All of the nuances of my earliest years, the formative years, my adolescent years were shaped by the streets of Harlem and the mountainsides of the rural life in Jamaica and the Caribbean and West Indies where my mother was born.”

He also spoke about other things that shaped his life. “When you get the best riff from an improvisational moment in jazz nothing is more embracing, nothing is more fulfilling, nothing is more overwhelming than a good improvisational jazz moment. In a way my life has been like that. So many things came my way. I sat in so many sections of life filled with endless harmony, and to sit in the midst of that, and to play the chords of experience that came my way was really quite a fulfilling experience. That experience led me to all of the things that shaped what I was to do in life. It led to music. It led to art. It led to activism.”

You can hear the interview with Harry Belafonte this coming Sunday night at 7:00pm on WUMB’s Commonwealth Journal program. Above, Mr. Belafonte is shown after his interview with one of our newest Commonwealth Journal hosts, Barbara Lewis, Director of the UMass Boston Trotter Institute for the Study of Black History & Culture.

What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

This New Year’s Eve – UMass Boston’s WUMB will partner with two other local colleges and First Night Boston for a great concert on Saturday, December 31^st.

Suffolk University has donated use of the newly renovated 184-seat Modern Theatre, which opened last fall. The Berklee College of Music will present alum Liz Longley. And, WUMB will air a live broadcast of Liz’s show at the Modern from 9-10pm.

Liz is a recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music and is already showing signs of becoming the next acoustic breakout artist. In 2010, Liz received first prize in the BMI John Lennon Scholarship competition, grand prize in the International Acoustic Music Award contest (among 9,000 entries) as well as the Chris Austin Songwriting Award. She also appeared at the Newport and Rocky Mountain folk festivals. In 2009, Liz garnered first place in the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriter Showcase, and was co-winner of the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, among several other honors.

Whether you come and watch the show live, or decide to enjoy it from the comforts of your own home on WUMB, it’s sure to be a great way to bring in the New Year.

Patty Larkin wins by 1 vote!

Earlier this week, Dave Palmater asked which artist's recent on-air interview would you like us to repeat for today's Live at Noon. The poll has ended and Patty Larkin won by one vote over Slaid Cleaves! Vance Gilbert came in third, followed by Catie Curtis and Dala. Did you vote?

Giving Thanks 2011



The season of brightly-colored falling leaves and frosty mornings is with us once more, and all of us at WUMB would like to express our deepest thanks to our listeners and donors over the past year. A lot of hard work goes into keeping WUMB on the air day in and day out, including all the technical and behind-the-scenes stuff you don’t hear on the air. Every time you tune in and enjoy what we have to offer or discover something new…makes all the effort worthwhile!

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day from all the staff and volunteers at WUMB.

Pick this weeks Live at Noon!

While we may be cruel enough to ask performers to sing at the crack of noon (might as well be 5 in the morning to most) we're not cruel enough to ask anyone to do it on the day after Thanksgiving. That's why we'll rebroadcast a pervious Live at Noon, or other In Studio Interview this Friday. The problem is "Which one?" There have been so many great ones just over the last few months we couldn't decide so we're turning to you. Help us pick this week's Live at Noon encore by voting in the poll at the right of this page. Thanks!

-Dave Palmater

Thoughts on the Top 100 Countdown

It really is pretty amazing that year after year, no matter how much our audience grows, many of the same artists continue to show up time and time again on our annual Top 100 list.


Comparing this year’s Top 100 list with the one from five years ago in 2006, both Bob Dylan and Cheryl Wheeler have a strong command of the #1 and #2 positions.  In the top ten of both lists are artists like Nanci Griffith, Joni Mitchell and John Prine.  There were also strong increases with Brooks Williams, Cliff Eberhardt, Eva Cassidy, James Taylor, Mark Knopfler and Red Molly.


Eight names show up on the list this year for the very first time: Amy Black, Brendan Hogan, Brother Sun, Danielle Miraglia, Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars, The Decemberists and The Head & The Heart.  Those who seem to have dropped off the list completely include: Ani DiFranco, Great Big Sea, Girlyman, Lyle Lovett, Maura O’Connell, Pierce Pettis, The Neilds, The Wailin’ Jennies and the Weepies.


One of our listeners remarked he couldn’t believe The Beatles only came in at #120.  And another – Bill – wrote, “I was disappointed that there was nary a mention of Jack Hardy, who, as you probably know, passed away this year.  Jack contributed to the contemporary folk scene(s) in so many ways.  He nourished the careers of a number of people on the list – Cliff Eberhardt, Lucy Kaplansky, Shawn Colvin and Christine Lavin immediately come to mind.  There were more.  Jack's Fast Folk project also recorded a number of other people on the list.  More importantly, at least to me, and what people seem to not appreciate, Jack was a great, great songwriter.  I find it sad that so few seem to have noticed, particularly in this the year of his passing.  I realize that the list was chosen via audience participation, so you WUMB’ers have little to do with the contents.  But I felt compelled to bring up Jack's name, as it would be nice if someone, somewhere in the folk community would some day give Jack his due.”  Here’s a tip of the hat to Jack Hardy!


What are your thoughts on the WUMB Top 100 list from 2011, which you can find at:
http://wumb.org/music/Top100-2011-master.php

20 Years at WUMB!

It's time to celebrate here at WUMB!  Dave Palmater, our Host of WUMB Music
Mix from Noon until 3 PM has been with us for 20 years, and was honored this
week at the annual "Years of Service" awards by the entire UMass Boston
campus.
Dave has been on-the-air in the Boston area for the better part of 40 years,
including WMBR (back when it was WTBS) and even worked briefly with Robert
J. Lurtsema at WGBH-FM.  During his score of years here at WUMB, he's become
a lynchpin in our organization, and a source of never-ending fun.  Once, as
part of a challenge during a WUMB fundraiser (which he obviously lost), Dave
even wore a Scottish kilt to a Member Concert.  He's more careful about his
bets these days.
A regular attendee at house concerts and coffeehouses all around New
England, he frequently vacations by taking in the music scene in the United
Kingdom.  A great admirer of Richard Thompson's performances, Dave can
answer just about any question one might have about Richard's compositions
and career.
We all love having Dave here at WUMB, so help us celebrate his tenure...give
him a call on our listener-line weekdays between Noon and 3 PM (617
287-6919) or send him an email (wumb@umb.edu) with your congrats.