signal

October 5th & 6th, 2012, on The Signal:  

The War of 1812 is remembered in paintings, legends, and one very famous song, but its story has never been the subject of a rock opera – until now. We meet the minds behind 1814! The Rock Opera! 

We hit the streets with Matt Kelley and 700 of his fellow cyclists to experience the revelry of the monthly Baltimore Bike Party.

Janice Greene of the Griot’s Circle of Maryland joins us with a folktale about the benefits of learning a second language

September 28 & 29, 2012, on The Signal:  

A special hour of true tales told live without a script:

Recovering Facebook addict Marye Isaacs confronts the envy she feels when she stalks her friends’ profile pages.

Mike Lowry pays homage to the dysfunctional family that made him the emotionally healthy man he is today.

World-traveler Julie Hackett reflects on the source of her wanderlust – a childhood spent struggling with homelessness.

Helpless romantic Julie Mendez ponders fate and the magic moment of meeting Mister Right.

September 21 & 22, 2012, on The Signal:  

Can choreography be considered a language?  Full Circle Dance Company will explore that question during an upcoming performance, and we drop in at a rehearsal to check out its aptly titled, “Moving Passages” 

Tim Kreider talks about his latest book, “We Learn Nothing,” a collection of essays and cartoons about love, death, and the people and events that have shaped his life.

September 14 & 15, 2012, on The Signal:  

Street artists Gaia, MOMO, and Michael Owen have been redecorating the city, one public wall at a time.  They usually work alone, but they’ve just come together for an unprecedented collaboration.  We drop in at the gallery where their joint exhibition, “Zim Zum,” is about to open.

Rafael Alvarez talks about his new book, “The Tuerk House,” a chronicle of Baltimore’s pioneering drug and alcohol rehab center, opened in 1970.

September 7 & 8, 2012, on The Signal:  

Caution, hipsters:  Dan Deacon will hypnotize your phones!  Baltimore’s renowned electronic musician has created a smart-phone app that literally puts a concert light-show in the hands of his audience.  We’ll talk with Deacon about the app’s potential to foster a different kind of ‘social network’

Charles Rammelkamp discusses his book, Fusen Bakudan, a meditation on war’s collateral damage and the hope and forgiveness that survive in its wake.

Two centuries ago, in the tidewater regions of Maryland, traditional African worship practices merged with the beckoning Christianity of the Methodist Church.  Born of that cultural intersection was a new hybrid of spiritual and musical devotion, a movement that came to be known as The Singing and Praying Bands.

August 17 & 18, 2012, on The Signal: 

An unlikely musical friendship blossomed thirteen years ago between two Americans and two West Africans in the Ivory Coast.  Together, they formed the band Zieti.  Since then, political turmoil has kept the old friends half a world apart.  But thanks to modern technology, they’ve made a new album nonetheless.  The American half of Zieti joins us with the new tunes, and the stories behind them.

August 10 & 11, 2012, on The Signal:  

South Baltimore’s Filbert Street Community Garden was a trash-strewn lot when Jason Reed showed up there two years ago.  With the help of Curtis Bay Elementary Middle School students, he’s transformed the area into a flourishing green space, and we’ll drop in on Jason and the kids as they cultivate their harvest. 

A talk with the editors of “68: Riots and Rebirth in an American City,” a book about the riots in Baltimore following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

August 3 & 4, 2012, on The Signal:  

We drop in at a Fells Point country music bar to hear the twang of honky tonk musician Arty Hill, whose new album, “Another Lost Highway,” brings a little Nashville flavor to Charm City.

We pay a visit to Pierce’s Park, a new public green space and memorial garden located on the Baltimore waterfront. 

Plus:  At age 23, Robert A Douglas has published “Fertile Concrete,” a memoir about his young life in Baltimore, and we talk with him about his path from drug dealer to gospel preacher.

July 27th & 28th, 2012, on The Signal:  

Ugandan multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kinobe has toured the world, but he comes from a country where there’s no word for ‘music’.  We’ll talk with Kinobe about the beauty of that paradox, and we’ll hear the ancient sounds of his traditional instruments.

We stroll around Bolton Hill with poet Jennifer Wallace, whose book, “It Can Be Solved by Walking,’ explores the balance between nature, man, and the built environment, and celebrates the simple pleasure of walking.