The Signal

For every flash-in-the-pan music sensation that comes and goes in the blink of an eye, there’s another kind of band that patiently forges a path for itself with an eye on longevity.  For more than twenty years, Jen and Scott Smith have been writing, performing, and recording music together as Naked Blue.  The Towson-based duo joins The Signal’s Aaron Henkin to share some songs and conversation.

Tomas Drgon has fond memories of the late-night drinking songs he used to sing with friends and family back in his home country of Czechoslovakia.  He’s since become an accomplished jazz musician, and when he moved to Baltimore, he taught the old tunes to some talented American friends.  Tomas joins us to share the result:  a turbo-charged gypsy folk band called Orchester Prazevica.

A musical life well-lived: Scott and Jen Smith are the husband-and-wife folk-pop duo, Naked Blue.  They join us to talk about finding contentment and taking the long-view as musicians who are still in love with music (and each other) after more than twenty years together.

Atomic Books’ Benn Ray is back to unveil part II of his epic list of summer reading recommendations, with a focus on non-fiction.

Benn Ray from Atomic Books in Hampden is always happy to recommend a good read. He joins the Signal’s Lisa Morgan with a stack of books to keep you entertained and well-informed all summer long.  (Benn's complete list of picks is at The Signal's Facebook page.)

The New Gospelites started their vocal harmony group in the 1970s, but they’ve been singing the old hymns since they were kids at Wharton Point’s Saint George Methodist United Church on The Eastern Shore.  They’ve absorbed the musical style of their elders, they’ve made it their own, and today, they’re keepers of a rare and powerful repertoire of songs in praise of The Almighty.  In this special coproduction of The Signal and Maryland Traditions, radio producer Aaron Henkin and folklorist Cliff Murphy pay a visit to Kent County, Maryland, to record stories and songs with The New Gospelites:  Irene Moore, Hester Newman, Mary Hynson, Franklin Hynson, and James Phillips.