The Signal

Friday 7-8pm
Saturday 1-2pm

The Signal, a weekly radio magazine produced by WYPR, is devoted to exploring Maryland's thriving artistic and cultural scene.

The Signal, hosted by veteran WYPR personality Andy Bienstock, promises to transport listeners to the region's cultural back roads: the studios, recital halls and basement workshops where art is conceived and brought to life.

The minds behind The Signal senior producers Aaron Henkin and Lisa Morgan, as well as Bienstock -- share an abiding love for the tradition of radio storytelling. Every program is crafted like a book of short stories, a radio quilt sewn together with thoughtful narrative transitions and embroidered with contemplative musical interludes.

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Tonier Cain's triumph over trauma

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“For 19 years I lived on the streets. I slept during the day underneath a bridge. At night I would get up, stand on the corners, prostitute, get my drugs, use all night long, and I’d go back underneath my little bridge and I’d go back to sleep and I’d start all over again.”

-Tonier Cain, Team Leader at the National Center for Trauma Informed Care

These days, Tonier Cain travels the country running workshops for service providers at women’s correctional facilities. What she has to teach, she’s learned from long years of experience. Tonier has been arrested 83 times for crimes including prostitution, theft, and drug possession. Behind her criminal record was a childhood kept locked in a dark corner of her mind for most of her life. Tonier was finally able to confront the abuse she suffered during her early years, and since that revelation she’s been on what she calls a boundless ‘upward spiral.’

This week on The Signal, Tonier Cain shares her story.

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Growing up Afro, Stillpointe’s “Arsenic & Old Lace,” Centerstage’s “Poe,” Tony Tsendeas reads “The Raven,” and Edward Doyle-Gillespie at The Stoop

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October 26th & 27th, 2012, on The Signal:

We drop in at the Reginald F Lewis Museum for a tour of the photo exhibition, “Growing up Afro: Snapshots of Black Childhood from the Afro-American Newspapers”

We get a preview of Stillpointe Theatre Initiative’s fantasy retro makeover of the classic, “Arsenic and Old Lace”

We head to Centerstage for a sneak peek at “The Completely Fictional – Utterly True – Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe”

Also in the Poe department: It wouldn’t be Halloween without our annual reading of “The Raven,” by Tony Tsendeas

And from The Stoop: Baltimore City Police Officer Edward Doyle-Gillespie tells about a call that haunts him to this day

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‘for colored girls,’ Baltimore Folk Festival, Amy Sens at the Stoop, and The Senior Citizens’ Poetry Contest

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October 19th & 20th, 2012, on The Signal:

Trezana Beverley won a Tony Award in 1977 for her performance as the Lady in Red in the Broadway production of, ‘for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.’ This month, Ms. Beverley is back in her hometown, directing that same play at Morgan State University, and we visit with her and her cast.

We preview the Baltimore Folk Fest, a celebration that’s bringing top-notch performers to the Station North Arts District.

From The Stoop, Pastor Amy Sens of Six Eight Church shares a story about keeping the faith.

Plus: Versification from the official winners of Baltimore’s 2012 Senior Citizens’ Poetry Contest.

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A special collection of stories on the theme of CIRCULATION

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October 12th & 13th, 2012, on The Signal: Stories about ‘circulation’…

We visit a fitness instructor who specializes in training senior citizens.

We ride the MARC train with a commuter who’s turned his hours on the rails into an album of electronic music.

We drop in at the Enoch Pratt Free Library to meet the team that gets all those returned books back on the shelves.

We pedal along with a bicyclist who tags the city streets with digital graffiti.

We scope out Baltimore’s Transportation Management Center, where the city’s intersections are monitored – and manipulated – by remote.

And we talk money with the mind behind Baltimore’s alternative currency, the B Note.

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1814! The Rock Opera!, Baltimore Bike Party, griot Janice Greene, poet Leslie F Miller, and a listen back to the late Chris Toll

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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

Leslie F Miller tells us how she found her way around writer’s block with a little help from her Facebook friends.

And we listen back to the inimitable voice of Baltimore’s late poet, Chris Toll.

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A Stoop Story Showcase – Tales of family, love, and war

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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.

World War II veteran Catharine Deitch remembers her deployment overseas in India with the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps.

And US Marine Sergeant Rich Blake tells the story of a battle in Iraq that almost cost him his life.

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Full Circle’s “Moving Passages,” Tim Krieder’s “We Learn Nothing,” and John Roemer of “Directing Dissent”

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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.

Plus: A conversation with John Roemer, the subject of a new documentary film called “Directing Dissent.” Mr. Roemer demonstrated during the Civil Rights struggle and he destroyed his draft card during Vietnam, but he says his most important activism was his work as a high school history teacher.

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Street artist exhibition “Zim Zum,” Rafael Alvarez’ “The Tuerk House,” Maryland wine history, and soul singer Navasha Daya

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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.

We meet contemporary soul singer Navasha Daya. Formerly of the band Fertile Ground, she’s since embarked on an international solo career, and she’ll be one of the featured acts at an upcoming tribute to Nina Simone.

Plus: Nathan Sterner has a spirited conversation with Regina McCarthy, author of “Maryland Wine: A Full Bodied History.”

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Dan Deacon hacks your phone, Charles Rammelkamp’s ‘Fusen Bakudan,’ Michael Taft deciphers the blues, and Matthew Byars almost joins The Orioles

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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.

Plus, deciphering the blues: Michael Taft shares what he’s learned from analyzing the lyrics of hundreds of American blues songs.

And in the ‘close-but-no-cigar’ department: The story of how Matthew Byars almost became the Oriole’s new PA announcer.

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The Legacy of the Singing and Praying Bands

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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.

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