The Signal

June 22nd & 23rd, 2012, on The Signal: Master storyteller Gilbert Sandler joins us to share memories of a lifetime spent in Charm City and to talk about his new book, Glimpses of Jewish Baltimore. Sphere: The Thelonious Monk Story is a play that tries to make sense of a jazz legend’s unconventional genius, and we’ll visit with the folks who bring the story to life. Move over, Bruce Springsteen! You may still be The Boss, but New Jersey native Marion Winik has some tales of her own about growing up on the Jersey Shore. Plus: Baltimore’s Jeff Dugan was a college kid in 1979 when he got backstage at a George Carlin show with a cassette recorder. His interview with Carlin has been collecting dust in a shoe box, until now.

June 8th & 9th, 2012, on The Signal:  

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.

We dedicate this episode to the story of the Singing and Praying Bands – how they began, what they mean to their surviving members, and whether or not they’ll still be around a decade or two into the future.

Producer Aaron Henkin is joined by folklorist Cliff Murphy, and they share field recordings of the Singing and Praying Bands and interviews with band captain Reverend Jerry Colbert, longtime band member Mary Allen, and cultural historian Jonathan C. David.

This episode of The Signal is produced in collaboration with Maryland Traditions.

May 25th & 26th, 2012, on The Signal

A special rebroadcast of OUT OF THE BLOCKS, an original coproduction of radio producer Aaron Henkin and electronic musician Wendel Patrick.  The concept is simple: one hour of radio - one city block - everybody’s story.

(Check out a special photo/video gallery from this project at:  www.wendelpatrick.com)

Between 33rd and 34th Streets in Baltimore’s Waverly neighborhood, there’s a block of Greenmount Avenue that’s as intricate as it is invisible.  You can drive past it a dozen times and never think twice about the King’s Fried Chicken carry-out on the corner, Christine’s Discount Mart up the street, the Dreams Boutique fashion emporium, Kat’s Cuts barbershop, the Maryland Tag & Title outlet, Momma’s Grocery, Thai Restaurant, the Mayflower Buffet, the Shear Intensity Hair Salon, the Stereo & Jewelry Exchange, The Stadium Lounge, or any of the idle ranks sitting on stoops and bus benches, watching the traffic roll by.  

Inconspicuousness is in the nature of a block like this.  But under its camouflage of anonymity, there’s a buzzing microcosm of humanity here, a honeycomb of lives playing themselves out simultaneously.  The people on this block are from here, and everywhere:  Pakistan, Mali, Korea, China, Thailand, Eritrea, and the Ukraine.  They are a one-of-a-kind tapestry of hopes, fears, and dreams.

May 11th & 12th, 2012, on The Signal…

A daughter’s love and the art of translation – bilingual poet Danuta Kosk-Kosicka has lived in Maryland for 30 years, but her mother, poet Lidia Kosk, still lives in their home-country of Poland.  Danuta has lovingly translated her mother’s Polish verse into English, and both mother and daughter join us to share their special bond and their poetry.

A preview of the 2012 Transmodern Festival. Now in its 9th year, the festival showcases avant-garde artists and performers from Baltimore - and around the world.

Plus:  The end of the gods is nigh – and the apocalypse shall rock.  The Baltimore Rock Opera Society, BROS, is about to unleash its epic production, “Valhella,” and we get an all-access pass to the mayhem on the eve of the premiere.