It’s been a very busy week of radio work for me, so I don’t have much of an essay for you, but I strongly encourage you to listen to my latest radio show featuring a really great band from Arcata called Medicine Baul.
This will be the official debut of my new music-themed public affairs radio show called The Adventurous Ear. The show will highlight music of exceptional originality, and focus primarily on musicians in our local area and region. The Adventurous Ear will air on KMUD on Thursday, March 26 at 5pm, and on the fourth Thursday of every other month, alternating in that time-slot with my other public affairs show, which I co-produce with my partner Amy Gustin, called Wildlife Matters.
You may recall that I wrote this review of Medicine Baul’s performance at Jambalaya last year. If you haven’t heard Medicine Baul before, you’ll get a chance to hear their music and listen to them talk about how and why they make it. Every Medicine Baul performance sounds different because the band composes their music on the spot at each venue. I recorded their performance at Synapsis in Eureka, CA on Dec. 13 2014, and interviewed them after their performance at Siren’s Song on the previous Nov. 3.
Besides creating amazing music, I found the members of Medicine Baul I talked to, Willoughby Arevalo, Ishan Vernallis, Vinny DeVaney, and Laura Corsiglia, all to be articulate, interesting and thoughtful people. From talking to them, it is clear that they each bring a highly evolved sense of intent and purpose to their work, but they don’t compete with each other for control. Instead, they value each other and honor the moment in a spontaneous collaborative effort. As a result, the music is bigger than all of them, and encompasses the audience as well. To fully appreciate their music, you have to be there to share it with them as they create it.
Still, I think you’ll enjoy this episode of The Adventurous Ear. You’ll hear a range of sounds from Medicine Baul’s 75+ minute set, interspersed with snippets of interview. In one half-hour show, I offer listeners a pretty good introduction to the band and their approach to music. I hope you’ll tune in.
Like You've Got Something Better To Do 