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This week’s featured rebroadcast/podcast marks the return of a long-time eTown favorite (and our dear friend), John Gorka. Nick and I welcome John for what is maybe his, what, umpteenth time on the show? He’s right up there with Michelle Shocked and several others who’ve graced the eTown stage many times, much to our collective delight! Rolling Stone calls John Gorka “the preeminent male singer-songwriter of the new folk movement.” And with good reason! He’s such a great writer and he’s as sweet and as funny as ever, too. And that voice . . . so soothingly deep and rich (John remains one of my favorite folks to lend harmony to). Also joining us is the Northern California jam band, Hot Buttered Rum. They have their own unique sound, influenced by the traditions of folk and bluegrass with hints of rock ‘n roll, reggae and more. And, as always, there’s an inspiring E-Chievement Award story waiting for you this week, too. Please join us!

Best,

Helen

Bettye LaVette

This week we bring you a rebroadcast of a fantastic eTown road show that we did in Colorado Springs. Our old friend, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, returns to eTown to share several songs, both hilarious and touching, as only he can do. Nick and I and the eTones will lend him support here and there. Also with us, one of my favorite performers (and people!) legendary soul singer Bettye LaVette returns to the eTown stage. A force to be reckoned with, Bettye will get you tapping your feet, backed up in first class style by the Nick & the eTones. There’s also an inspirational in-person E-Chievement Award winner, all for you, here in eTown! I hope you can be there with us.

This week’s show, when originally broadcast in 2008, happens to be the eTown debut of two very interesting musical guests. One of them is the multi-cultural singer-songwriter Lila Downs, who joins us (she brings her band as well). Lila was raised in two diverse places: the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, Mexico and in the state of Minnesota (a bit of trivia: that’s where I was born and raised as well! Oh yeah, you betcha). Her music is also quite diverse in style.

We also welcome emerging artist Gregory Alan Isakov, a promising singer and songwriter who shares some original tunes, with musical backing from Nick and the eTones, and vocal support from yours truly (I love his work and so does Brandi Carlile, who has invited Gregory to open for her several times.).  Also, we welcome back to eTown national radio commentator, public speaker, author, and “America’s #1 Populist”, Jim Hightower. There’s a moving E-Chievement Award story from Texas, too. It’s one of our most interesting and diverse programs in quite a while, so be sure to be with us, by broadcast or podcast, in eTown! And . . .

We’re moving into Phase One of eTown Hall in about a week! Yup, the section with offices and editing bays is finished. It’s so exciting to see the future home of eTown take shape. You can watch a video about the project on our website www.etown.org. If you are interested in getting involved or supporting the project, contact Nick or Patty Prevost (head of development) at 303-443-8696.

Talk next week . . .

Helen

Hello dear eTown friends,

The summer heat has just recently broken slightly here in eTown, with afternoon thunderstorms bringing a much needed and much welcome breezy coolness to the evening.

Speaking of coolness, eTown treats you to an eclectic musical journey this week that fairly reeks of coolness. For one thing, Nick and I welcome Grace Potter & The Nocturnals for their first visit ever. Fresh from their hometown of Burlington, VT (one of my favorite spots on the planet), Grace and her band are fast becoming known as one of the nation’s foremost rock bands, complete with an enthusiastic, rabid fan following (Rolling Stone recently named them one of the ‘Best New Bands’ of 2010, which suggests a certain coolness factor right off the bat).

I have to tell you, I LOVE this band! Grace is just a pistol, with a voice (in my mind) that is right up there with the likes of Janis Joplin or Joan Osborne or Bonnie Raitt (three of my all time favorite female singers, along with Big Mama Thorton, Billy Holiday and a host of others). Truly, this young woman can sing. Plus, she’s high energy, sassy, gorgeous (not that that last trait will translate on the air, but hey, check out this blog’s photo album and you’ll see what I mean). She’s a great entertainer. Her band mates are all stellar in their own right, really great players; and all of them, Grace included, are just plain nice folks to boot.

There’s also the acoustically driven duet of Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore (who are both originally from Kentucky), featuring Ben on cello, Daniel on guitar and both of them on vocals. (A bit of eTown trivia: Ben was on eTown in the past with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet, if his name seems familiar, that is very likely why. BTW: we will be rerunning that show in October, keep an ear out for it, if for nothing else than to hear this Minnesota girl sing with Vusi Mahlasela in his native tongue! Yikes.) Ben and Daniel come touring around their own CD of original material. Nick & the eTones add their tasty musical layers to the duo’s sound on a tune or two, and I get to do my favorite thing, participate in a three part harmony blend with them on a couple songs as well. Ben and Daniel, by the way, are both passionately for sustainable energy and against the environmentally destructive mountain top removal going on in the Appalachian Mountains area – they’ll talk about that – and Ben has been known to proudly ride his bike from gig to gig . . .across the country! (I am not making this up, tune in to hear him give the details). So these guys really do fit the eTown model to a T. Not to mention they are two truly talented players, writers and singers.
FYI: The E-Chievement Award goes to a New York State woman, who started an amazingly successful grassroots volunteer effort to help those in need in her community.

So, no kidding, tune in or podcast or whatever, but be there with us, this week, in eTown. I guarantee you will not be disappointed in any way!

xo Helen

There’s a fantastic eTown broadcast/podcast for you to check out this week, featuring the return of popular bluegrass legend, Del McCoury and his fine band. Del (celebrating his 50th year in bluegrass) and his amazing group (which includes sons Ronnie on mandolin & Robbie on banjo, plus Alan Bartram on bass and the amazing Jason Carter on fiddle) deliver solid rhythms, killer solos and stellar harmony vocals. Also joining us is one of the most talented (and genuinely nice, down to earth) performers I’ve ever met: powerful singer and superb songwriter (and Del McCoury and eTown fan) Eddie Kowalczyk, making his first visit to eTown. Eddie steps out from his multi-platinum, alt-rock band LIVE to perform solo (a rare treat for fans to witness) sharing some of his most famous hits, this time pared down and acoustic, with some tasteful musical accompaniment from Nick and the ETones. Oh, and the thrill for me? Getting to rock out singing harmony with such a fine vocalist. Boy, wait until you hear the finale! One of THE most unique and powerful endings we’ve had since we started this show. There’s also an inspiring E-Chievement Award story waiting for you too this week, right here in eTown. Enjoy!

Hello everyone,

Back by popular demand, we feature the encore airing of Part Two of one of our past ‘Green Rocks at Red Rocks’ events, this one originally taped in 2007. We recorded it live at the exquisite Red Rocks Amphitheatre in front of a packed house of 9,000 attendees. This particular ‘Green Rocks’ live taping was quite the eco-event: we brought recycling, zero waste zones, renewable energy use, biodiesel bus transportation, carpool incentives, and more to Red Rocks for the very first time. This week as in last week (when we re-aired part one of this 2007 Green Rocks show), you’ll hear exciting live performances and intimate, ‘behind-the-scenes’ artist interviews. There’s more music from Michael Franti & Spearhead, plus a great live performance from (and candid conversation with) the John Butler Trio. Tune in this week!

(Please note: If you’re in the Denver area this Friday, July 30, we are taping THIS year’s Green Rock event, this time with full concert sets from Lyle Lovett and Taj Mahal. It’ll be another great evening at Red Rocks, a full evening of music that we will tape and then work into a two-part broadcast for the air, scheduled to air this fall. The Eco Square is back too, at the top of Red Rocks on the Plaza, featuring booths with eco-info, product sampling, tons of fun AND those fabulous views! It’ll take your breath away.

Tickets are still available, so come be with the whole eTown gang, as we tape eTown’s Green Rocks at Red Rocks 2010. It’s an evening not to be missed, (again, it’s a full concert night of music) at one of the most stunning outdoor venues in the world. Find more information about this wonderful live event, or learn how to buy tickets at our website www.etown.org – I’ll look for you there!).

Helen

Hello All,

I hope your summer continues to go well. We’re enjoying a welcome break from the intense heat here in eTown. It’s a pleasant, comfortable, summery day, one that is making it truly hard to be indoors at my desk working! I’m relishing the slightly cooler weather, though, as long as it lasts. I’m sure we’ll be right back into the heat of things in relatively short order.

Hey, I want to encourage you to be sure to check out this week’s eTown broadcast/podcast. In this encore airing, eTown returns to the stunningly beautiful natural amphitheatre Red Rocks, with this special two-part broadcast taped in front of a packed house of 9,000 attendees. (Originally aired in 2007, this show was, at the time, the greenest event ever held at Red Rocks; eTown brought for the first time ever recycling, zero waste zones, carbon offsets, renewable energy use, biodiesel bus transportation, carpool incentives, and more to Red Rocks at the time and we’re happy to say that it inspired the management there to instill recycling and other green practices at this famous venue on a regular basis ever since.) Part One of this two-part program brings you exciting live performances and intimate, ‘behind-the-scenes’ artist interviews with Mavis Staples and Michael Franti. And, there’s the presentation of the E-Chievement Award to a dedicated national park ranger who has spearheaded the impressive effort to green the world’s first national park, Yellowstone. Tune in to this special show this week (and be sure not to miss Part Two next week!). I know you’ll enjoy it.

I’ll look forward to seeing you in eTown.

Best,

Helen

Hi everyone,

Hey, happy summer! We are indeed in the thick of it. It is, in a word, HOT.

Speaking of hot, I’m excited to tell you about this week’s very hot eTown broadcast! eTown celebrates the return one of the world’s most respected recording artists, Natalie Merchant. It’s been ten years (yup, a full decade) since she was last with us, so this is a very special show indeed. Backed by her friends Gabriel Gordon, Erik Della Penna and Mary Wooten, Natalie shares great tunes from her latest CD project. It’s called “Leave Your Sleep,” it took seven years to complete, and it is truly fantastic. No less than 130 musicians contribute to the work, and there’s a great story behind the CD (rather than tell you here, go to Natalie’s website www.Nataliemerchant.com and learn about it, then buy the CD!).

We also welcome the Horse Flies for their first-ever eTown appearance, bringing their mesmerizing blend of rock, roots, folk, bluegrass and ethnic grooves (we’ve been trying to get these guys on the show since day one, so you can imagine how thrilled we are to have them with us). Listen for a collaboration or two between them and Natalie (they all live in New York state and know and respect each other’s music) one of those typical ‘one-of-a-kind’ magical musical happenings that occur on eTown. The finale with all of us out there on stage is an almost meditative version of a David Byrne song (nope, I’m not spilling the beans, you’ll just have to tune in to find out which one it is).

And the E-Chievement Award this week honors noted oceans expert, award-winning journalist, author, filmmaker, and adventurer, Jon Bowermaster, who joins us in person. There’s something for everyone waiting for you this week in eTown, so be sure to join us!

Best,

Helen

Happy Fourth of July to you all! I hope you had fun last weekend. We had a bit of intrigue here in Boulder on the 4th, when a huge storm blew in, threatening the traditional fireworks display that both Boulder and KBCO are so well loved for, for sponsoring. As the local populace gathered at either Folsom Field or at various night spots or homes around town, we watched as the universe offered its own fireworks display, with thunder and lightning galore; then the rain came pouring down. Yikes. It began to look as if the fireworks were not going to happen after all – kids young and old alike were trying to come to terms with the disappointment  . . . when kaboom! There they were! We adults rushed outside like excited children and ooh’d and ahh’d our way a spectacular fireworks display, made all the sweeter by the previous doubt and drama.

Speaking of doubt and drama, this week’s broadcast contains its own fair share. Nick and I and the eTown crew welcome back two of our most favorite folks: the beloved duo Indigo Girls — Emily Saliers and Amy Ray. This week’s show is another in the ‘eTown on the road’ series (this time coming to you from the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, Colorado), and this particular program has a significant bit of intrigue thrown in: When Amy misses her plane, Nick and I and the rest of the eTones are enlisted last minute to fill in in her absence!  While we make music with Emily in the first portion of the broadcast, the question arises: Will Amy make it to the theater in time to join her fellow Indigo Girl Emily for their second set in the show? Well, I’m not saying. You’ll just have to tune in to find out.

BTW: Also joining us for his first visit is up-and-coming singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff, along with his fine band, offering dramatic three part harmonies and intriguing lyrics and arrangements. And this week’s E-Chievement Award honors a really amazing guy, a Fort Collins citizen who joins us us in-person to give us the scoop on the work he does (I’m not spilling the beans on his story either). So, if you are a fan of mystery and intrigue, this week’s eTown’s broadcast is right up your alley! I hope you’ll join us.

Remember, you can tune into your local station or podcast the show.

Until next week, have a great week!

Best always, Helen

Hello everyone,

It’s been quite the action packed week. Back from Telluride and Hot Rize’s awesome live set there (Hot Rize, as most of you know, is the internationally renowned and revered bluegrass band that Nick Forster, Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick and Charles Sawtelle formed in the late 70’s; Charles sadly passed away several years ago, but for the past eight years Bryan Sutton has been Hot Rize’s guitarist).

We experienced picture perfect weather while in Telluride; and it was a real treat to see so many great pals of ours, like The Punch Brothers (Chris Thile, Gabe Witcher, Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge), Lyle Lovett, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, most of the Yonder Mountain String Band guys (Dave Johnston, Jeff Austin and Ben Kaufmann; did not run into Adam Aijala but saw his beautiful and hard working wife Julie), Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Jill and Jerry Douglas; the list goes on and on. So fun to spend time and catch up with old friends.  And we made some new friends too, including a guy who is a very talented banjo player himself (known on a grander scale for his superb film and TV career), actor Ed Helms. What a nice man, smart, funny (he’s very handsome, too), so down to earth, fun to hang with and quite gracious to boot.

Now I’m back in Boulder, trying to get back in the groove of working on the show, catching up on editing duties and so forth. We just did a live taping a few days ago and we’re now all back in the office, noses to the grindstone so to speak. It’s officially summer at last! I’m looking out my office window (here at eTown World Headquarters . . or is it ‘Intergalactic’ at this point?). So hot outside, so sultry, that knock-you-over blue sky that Colorado is known for, filled with incredibly gorgeous white puffy clouds – so beautiful. Being from the Midwest, I love the blue, blue sky here and that lovely bright, bright summer light, especially in the afternoon – wow!

We’ve got quite a bright, bright line up of music coming to you on the air this week by the way . . well, definitely a bright blast of contrasting genres, anyway! It’s a mix of music rooted in everything from jazz, swing, and old-time to classical and ‘chamber-folk’:

In this repeat broadcast, legendary guitarist and songwriter Dan Hicks is back in eTown! NO one sounds like him. And of course he’s accompanied by those great backup singers, The Lickettes. Dan’s eclectic style and counter-culture roots (the beginning of that whole musical movement of the 60’s is actually attributed to him, btw), driven by sharp-tongued and dry-witted lyrics, has twice landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone. As Tom Waits has said, “Dan Hicks is fly, sly, wily and dry!”

Also with us this week is the absolutely stunning pianist and singer-songwriter extraordinaire Vienna Teng, (when this show aired originally, it was her first appearance on eTown; this re-airing is technically her second I guess). She’s a Stanford computer science grad and software engineer whose career took a sharp turn several years ago, when she ditched that world to pursue her musical passions. She has since released two critically acclaimed independent albums which have landed her on the Billboard album charts and Amazon’s bestseller list. Her “engaging voice, insightful lyrics and reflective piano-driven chamber folk packs quite the punch…simmers and soars.” (LA Weekly).

All this, plus an inspiring E-Chievement Award interview, await you this week, in eTown. Listen in!

(A bit of eTown trivia: Due to technical difficulties, we unfortunately did not get photos of this show, which is truly a shame – The Licketts were decked out in all their ‘bad girl’ finery, worth the price of admission alone; and Vienna Teng was just lovely. But no photos for this blog entry L)

Xo Helen