Rita Chiarelli & Music From The Big House

Rita Chiarelli, the "Canadian Blues Goddess", will sit down with Rebecca Foster for an upcoming two part interview to discuss Chiarelli's involvement with the documentary, Music From The Big House, recorded at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (aka Angola), for which she recorded the soundtrack.

Part One:
Walk Right In

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 ● Noon-2 pm (edt)
WTJU 91.1 FM/Streaming at WTJU.net

Part Two:

Eclectic Woman Show

Thursday, October 27, 2011 ● 7-9 pm (edt)
WTJU 91.1 FM/Streaming at WTJU.net

From acclaimed director Bruce McDonald, comes a rare and exclusive musical journey. Rita Chiarelli, an award-winning recording artist, takes a pilgrimage to an early hotbed of the blues, Louisiana State Maximum Security Penitentiary a.k.a Angola Prison. She never imagined that her love of the blues would lead her down legendary Highway 61 to a historic jailhouse performance with inmates serving life sentences.

This musical journey is a glance into what used to be the bloodiest prison in America, but now gives lifers something to live for through the power of music. In contrast to sensational stories of convicts, we witness remarkable voices of hope as their love of music radiates humanity and redemption on their quest for forgiveness. 

Submitted by Rebecca Foster, WTJU Folk

Photos from Andy Irvine's concert

From his concert at C'ville Coffee on thursday 10/20/11, photos courtesy of Gary Alter:

Listen to the first set of the concert (till November 3rd 2011 at 7pm) by going to the WTJU Tape Vault and look for "The Eclectic Woman" show for 10/20 at 19:00

Posted by Pete, WTJU Folk

Ballyhoo! LIVE on Reggae Vibrations

Friday, October 21, 2011 ● 3 pm (edt)
WTJU 91.1 FM/Streaming at WTJU.net

Reggae/Rock group Ballyhoo! will stop by Reggae Vibrations for a live performance and chat before their concert later that evening at The Southern with Murphy's Kids.

Ballyhoo! is undeniably turning the world of music upside down and sideways as they blur the lines between rock, reggae, punk and pop to craft their own hybrid of music that can’t be held down to one definitive genre. This signature sound of theirs is one they have been perfecting since their high school days in Aberdeen, Maryland - the sweet melodic voice of lead singer and guitarist Howi Spangler; the hard hitting beats set forth by brother and drummer Donald “Big D” Spangler; the skillfully added funk of bassist JR Gregory and Scott Vandrey (aka DJ Blaze) rounds it out on the turntables and keys.

Ballyhoo! has toured the country with some of the biggest and most respected names in the reggae rock genre – 311, Authority Zero, Pepper, The Supervillains. “It’s always intimidating when playing for another band’s crowd, you never know how they’re gonna react,” explains front man Howi, “but then you see that they’re enjoying it and the worry goes away. You’re free to rock at that point!”. Ballyhoo! will start their tour of the southeast with fellow label mates Iration in February 2011. Their rigorous, nonstop nationwide touring schedule has certainly been the catalyst for the exponential growth in their fan base. Ballyhoo! fans are some of the most loyal and enthusiastic fans out there and their love for the band runs deep.

Posted by Peter Jones, WTJU Folk

John Charlet of Murphy's Kids Grooves on Reggae Vibrations

Friday, October 21, 2011 ● 2-4 pm (edt)
WTJU 91.1 FM/Streaming at WTJU.net

John Charlet, lead singer and trumpeter for Murphy's Kids, will stop by Reggae Vibrations this Friday, to chat about the band's gig later that evening at The Southern with Ballyhoo!.

 
After years of being a traveling favorite on the east coast, hundreds of club gigs, playing to sold out venues at home, and lighting up bars and dance halls in all points west have made Murphy's Kids the finely-tuned high-intensity rock n' roll machine they are today. With captivating stage presence, melodic hooks and infectiously groovy beats, Murphy's Kids will be bringing their fiery brand of reggae and rock n' roll to your town soon.

Murphy's Kids has been seen at outdoor festivals and punk dives. They have been featured on bills with artists that range as widely as Alien Ant Farm, The Fray and Soldiers of Jah Army. They are a versatile group and you'll see them blazing through 40-minute rock sets and pulling 3+ hour reggae-dance marathons in any given club, college or festival where good music and great fun can be found.

Posted by Peter Jones, WTJU Folk

Andy Irvine concert to be broadcast live on WTJU 10/20/11!!!

Andy Irvine photo © Brian Hartigan  

Miss the show?  Listen at the WTJU Tape Vault.
(Eclectic Woman Show, Thu 10-20 19:00:00)

In cooperation with traditional Irish folk legend Andy Irvine, presenter the Blue Ridge Irish Music School, venue The Stage Cafe at Cville Coffee, and Andy's agent,  Ruby Hoy, WTJU is very excited to announce that we will be broadcasting the first set of Andy's concert in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA live on thursday October 20th starting at 7pm US EST. Listeners outside our local listening area can tune in on the web HERE. (More details about attending the concert in person here)

To get you primed for this very special event listen to some of Andy's songs here, here and here.

The concert was an unqualified success, Irvine delivering a wonderfully diverse set that included traditional and contemporary Irish songs, American songs and Bulgarian dance tunes.
-Toronto Star-

Irvine turned in a dazzling display of one-man-bandsmanship.
-The Scotsman-

Andy Irvine has been one of Ireland's most creative talents for over 20 years.
-Boston Globe-

Andy Irvine is Woody Guthrie's representative on earth.
-Hot Press-

Posted by Pete, WTJU Folk

Jeff Miller Live on Atlantic Weekly, Part I

Saturday, October 22, 2011 ● 9 am (edt)
WTJU 91.1 FM/Streaming at WTJU.net

Singer/songwriter Jeff Miller will stop by Atlantic Weekly, Part I this Saturday, to chat and play a couple tunes.  Having performed at C'Ville Coffee the night before, this Berklee College of Music graduate will give the WTJU a special encore.

Before his freshman year of high school, Jeff Miller decided to sell all of his video games and buy his first guitar. Soon after, songwriting became a passion. He formed a band with two other friends in the Pittsburgh suburb where he grew up. They recorded an album and played numerous shows together.

After high school, Miller was off to Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he studied Guitar Performance and Songwriting. His plan was to find compatible musicians, and to form another band. That never happened.

A degree from Berklee, a move back home to Pittsburgh, a move to Nashville, 4 solo albums (and an EP) later, Jeff Miller is still playing music. In fact, he plays over 150 shows a year, touring the east coast and the midwest. His music has received airplay at over 175 stations, in the U.S. and abroad.

His third album, Seesaw, was co-produced by Matt Mangano (Darrell Scott, John Mayer, Dave Barnes), who also played bass on the album. It also features Nick Buda (Edwin McCain, Mindy Smith) on drums and percussion. The Pittsburgh Tribune raves, Miller's music is timeless. The songs on Seesaw are infectious delights.

Miller still hasn't found a regular band. But that's fine with him and his listeners. At his live shows, he uses a device to record and loop guitar and vocal parts, creating more sound than many bands do. Using his voice, guitar, hands and feet, he is able to act as each member of a regular band: a singer, guitarist, bassist, even a drummer.

To mark 10 years of looping, Miller decided that his next album should be a live one. So his 197th show of 2008 was recorded in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. The result is Miller's brand new full-length album, "Can You Hear the Music?". Currently based out of Nashville, Jeff is in the final week of a 37-day fall Tour that includes 43 shows in the eastern U.S.

Submitted by Peter Jones, WTJU Folk

Richmond Folk Festival 2011 photos

This year's free festival (the eighth annual) was amazing, as usual, with over 100,000 attendees (my guestimate). Here are some snapshots of some of my personal favorites:

Bassekou Kouyate:

and Ngoni Ba:

Kevin Wimmer (Mamou Playboys):

Steve Riley:

The Mighty Diamonds:

Posted by Pete, WTJU Folk