Bonnie Raitt "Silver Lining"

As part of the Save mvyradio campaign, we've been reaching out to artists, asking them to do things like post about Save mvyradio on their Facebook page (Jackson Browne did), talk to the media about us (Lyle Lovett and Carly Simon did) and record some station IDs for us.

This last one is pretty standard, and no doubt, no matter what station you listen to, you've heard these kinds of things.  "Hi, this is So-And-So, and you're listening to Station XYZ!"

Surprisingly, I've learned a few things from this process.

I learned the proper way to pronounce the last names of JD McPherson and Madeleine Peyroux, because I heard it from their own lips.  (McPherson says it as "Mick-FURR-son" not Mick-FEAR-son"; and Peyroux says her name just like the country Peru).

I learned that Jason Spooner likes Cape Cod Potato Chips.  (Do I smell an endorsement for Mr. Spooner?)

I've learned the Mavis Staples may be one of the best voiceover artists I've ever heard.  I want to hire her to record ALL announcements for mvyradio.  Or read me bedtime stories.

And I learned, much to my shock and delight, that Bonnie Raitt listens to the station!

Barbara got to interview Bonnie by phone, and, unsolicited, while answering a question about how she finds songs to cover, Raitt says that independent radio, including MVY, plays a big role in helping her select songs.  She even called us one of her favorite radio stations, and says she streams it at home on the West Coast, and while on the road.

!!!!!!

To hear Bonnie and other artists talk about mvyradio and why people should support it, hit play on the Youtube video on our main page today.  And for the full Bonnie Raitt interview, catch it when we air it at noon today, or find it in the archives after that.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Tom Morello "World Wide Rebel Songs"

My favorite moment from last week's Newport Folk Fest? Right here:

(you'll have to forgive the typos)

That's a text exchange between me (in green, on the right) and my wife (on the left), who came to the Festival on Sunday, specifically to see Tom Morello.

I had been running around Fort Adams, taking pictures and doing live breaks and such. I really don't get to hang out with my wife (or anyone). But I did try to join up with her whenever I had a few minutes.

I happened to be near the Harbor Stage when I got her text saying that Jackson Browne was on stage with Tom Morello. I got over there in time to catch them do the most rocking version of "This Land Is Your Land" you'll ever hear.

I positioned myself way in the back, middle, near the sound guy, so I could get an overview of the crowd and perhaps pick out my wife.

Little did I know, I was about to get a very clear view of the crowd.

For the finale, Morello invited the entire audience up on stage, much to the chagrin of security.

I'm not great at estimating crowd size, but I'm going to guess there were a good 100 folks on stage with Tom, singing out loud, singing out strong.

And, as you've surmised from the text, my wife was on stage too.

It was a pretty wild scene, made wilder by the fact that, while being a rebel is fun, it does sometimes create a safety hazard.  Mid-song, security and officers of the law started kicking people off stage, forcibly having to remove some of them.  It made for quite a visual.

As you can imagine, it was all captured on video.  You can see a few of the Youtube videos made by folks in the audience, and on stage.  It's totally worth your while to hear how engaging and passionate Morello is, and what delight he took in his mischief.

My wife was energized too.  Later, after we had met up and talked about her adventure, she sent me another text as I headed back into the Fort:

"I might leave you to become a revolutionary woman!"

Photos by my wife.  

Hear the original on Youtube.


See the view from the crowd on Youtube.


See the view from the stage, on Youtube.

Tallest Man On Earth "These Days"

"Who are you most excited to see today?" I just asked Barbara and Jess.

Both of them said (perhaps a little dreamily):  Tallest Man On Earth.

After yesterday, where I saw Jackson Browne standing side stage to watch Patty Griffin, Dawes, My Morning Jacket and others, perhaps Mr. Browne (who is today's main stage headliner) is also looking forward to seeing Kristian Matsson.

At least, he should be flattered by the lovely cover of  Jackson Browne classic.


For live audio and video from Newport Folk, go to www.mvyradio.com.  We are expecting to bring you The Punch Brothers, Conor Oberst, The Head And The Heart and Trampled By Turtles.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Jackson Browne "You Know The Night"

I've got a box full of letters out in the garage. And another box full of journals.

Do you keep that kind of stuff?

What about your kids? Do they?

One of the weird changes that we're going through, that will have some interesting ramifications down the line, is that no one writes letters anymore.

Now believe me, I love email. I love how fast and easy you can connect with someone.

But tell me, do you save your emails? Do you save them in a way that future generations could read?

There is a new release coming out this month, called "Note Of Hope: A Celebration Of Woody Guthrie." And on it, artists perform some of Woody's writings.

Now, these are not songs that Woody wrote. They are songs made from letters and other writings of Guthrie's.

Woody wrote a ton. And much of it was saved for the ages.

What about you? Are you like me? Do you still have old letters you wrote or received?

And what about 50 years from now? Will projects like "Note Of Hope," or David Mccullough's "John Adams" or the like, be possible? Or will the writings that exist in electronic form have no hope of being archived for posterity?

How will we gain insight into out leaders and our celebrities, if there are no records of their less guarded thoughts and feelings?

It'll be a strange, slightly less interesting, future.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Jackson Browne "Here"

"Shrink" the movie, didn't exactly get blazing reviews. Heck, did you know it was already out on DVD? Did you know that it came out at all?

But how many Soundtracks are in your CD collection, where the music is 10 times better than the movie? Happens all the time.

Jackson Browne doesn't have a new record, but he does have a cool new tune featured in "Shrink" and on the Soundtrack.

Oddly, he sounds a little like Paul Westerberg on this one, don't you think?

Hear Jackson Browne "Here"

See the video featuring Jackson Browne in the studio, and see the movie trailer, here