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Friday, May 15, 2020

The ides of May... two months in, and there's accessible tunage, some sensibility, chaos in policy, and defiant Branch Covidians. May 15 2020 edition

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Thursday CONCERT listings including A BIG CYBER SHOW TONIGHT (& more) added Thu, 11:34 am.  Before that, news & event updates added Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday, Sunday, and Saturday. And before THAT, real-world, cyber, & teevee info were variously added on 5/17 & 5/16.

These editions are often "organic," growing frequently in the days after they're first published.  Why do we do things like that? Because there are NEWS FEATURES and/or reviews, and links to click to hear music, and we want to give you a few days to find and enjoy them!

(Things kicked-off with a trio of 11 am FRIDAY cyber concerts, including a CD release party, and we had all that news in here, in-time for you to partake.)

FRIDAY and the WEEKEND's live cyber performances are here, following our short "Cyber online: daily live" and "almost daily live" performance listings.

We also have Friday's MUSIC-ON-TV listings for our Southern California readers -- and we note that some of that programming is available via network coverage (including PBS and RFD), or online globally, or at least in other cable / satellite or broadcast markets.
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Summer in L.A. won't be the same...


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"This heartfelt piece by Sandra Gonzalez about Hollywood Bowl's closure this season helped me release a little of that sadness today," writes Megan Thomas.

She continues: "This week -- and today's testimony on the Hill in particular -- has felt so ominous. As journalists we can't ignore the news, and yet absorbing the scale of this ongoing tragedy in story after story is without question hazardous to our health. I'm okay(ish), but I'm also grieving for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost and the certainty of more to come. I'm grieving for all those struggling with unemployment. It breaks my heart to hear my 5-year-old son cry before bed each night -- no matter how much I've tried to reassure him -- that he's afraid he's going to die from coronavirus. It's difficult to process emotions lately when there's so much to mourn and miss and worry about, but today I'm grieving summer. Los Angeles, despite its reputation otherwise, has seasons. This heartfelt piece by Sandra Gonzalez about Hollywood Bowl's closure this season helped me release a little of that sadness today..."

(with thanks to Brian Stelter)
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It's Friday, May 15th. A very long time from the ides of March to the ides of May.

To think, on March 15th, the quasi-quarantines and shutdown of public gatherings hadn't really started. Neither had the daily death tolls. 

And now, having endured the losses and the suffering of some who have survived being infected with COVID-19 who still are far from returned to normal. 

As of this morning, more than 300,000 people around the world have now died globally from the coronavirus and the death total in the US has surpassed 85,000... (CNN). The New York Time's Friday page one headline is: "Job losses mount even as U.S. begins to lift lockdown" (NYT). And the Washington Post's lead is: "CDC offers scant guidelines for reopening safely" (WaPo)

And medical science hasn't begun to get a handle on the multi-symptom inflammatory syndrome that is threatening -- and taking -- the lives of kids, from babies to adolescents, AFTER they had apparently recovered from COVID-19.

And this morning, Michael Smerconish tells us of this alarming lunacy -- "‘Stand Up With Me’: Crowd, GOP Politicians Roar Support for Central Pa. Barber Defying COVID-19 Closure Order" (from PennLive Patriot News).

Jeffrey Goldberg writes in The Atlantic, "The Conspiracy Theorists Are Winning -- America is losing its grip on Enlightenment values and reality itself."

Yet, even as the infection rate climbs in many places, we are experiencing COVIDIOTS who think they can politicize a pandemic and congregate beneath their red MAGA hats to somehow yell the virus away. Of course they pack themselves close together and demand in their maskless gatherings that everyone else be subjected to their virus-spewing as the result of their Trumpertantrum public demonstrations. After all the rest of us have done to keep THEIR families and grandmas and kids safe, now they carry-on as BRANCH COVIDIANS with no regard for the health and safety of the rest of us.

To them we say:

"DON'T BE A MASKHOLE."

Science. Such a concept. Get some.

Which brings us to this...

Reporters as targets at unmasked protests

The New York Time's Marc Tracy just penned a new story about anti-lockdown protesters raging against reporters.

CNN's Brian Stelter who brought us the above link talked extensively this morning about this, several alarming aspects:

I usually come up short when I reach for words to describe the radicalization of the far right in America. This short video conveys it like no words can. Kevin Vesey, a reporter for News 12 Long Island, covered a reopening rally in Commack on Thursday. Vesey was harassed by a bevy of pro-Trump protesters who called him "fake news," a "traitor," and so on.

After he shared the video on Twitter and it went viral, Vesey followed up by saying, "I'll probably never forget what happened today. I was insulted. I was berated. I was practically chased by people who refused to wear masks in the middle of a pandemic. All the while, I was there to tell THEIR story." He did, and he filed this fair report at the end of the day.

Among the verbal arrows targeting Vesey: "You're disgusting." "You are the virus." "You are the enemy of the people!" "You shouldn't be here." "Traitor!" "F--- you. You guys are f---ing fake news." Some of the taunts were very personal, reflecting the fact that Vesey is well known in the community: "Tell the truth, Kevin, come on." At one point the crowd chanted: "Fake news is not essential."

This crowd didn't reflect all Trump supporters, nor did it reflect all Long Islanders. But these behaviors toward the news media... the intolerance... the indecency... have all been modeled by President Trump for several years. No one should be surprised to see it infect local communities. But everyone should be disturbed by it. Constructive critiques make journalism better, but destructive attacks make society worse.

Hear, here, Brian. We, at The Guide, often take issue with corporate mainstream media giving a pass to the corporatocracy and, in particular, to the Big Media cable newsphere' steering a wide berth around its mega-sponsors from Big Pharma and Big Oil. But we always characterize that dialog -- and why it is fundamental to the credibility of a free press -- as essential to the "Constructive critiques [that] make journalism better," and we join with you in trumpeting every way we can that "destructive attacks make society worse."
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date
 (May 15th)...

"As a leader, you have to have the ability to assimilate new information and understand that there might be a different view."

~ Madeleine Albright
, American diplomat, immigrant from Czechoslovakia (1948), became the first female Secretary of State in U.S. history (1997 to 2001), and author (born May 15, 1937).

(our thanks to A.Word.A.Day for the quote)

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Re-run of yesterday's

THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date (May 14th)...

Easily one of the best-of-the-year nominees:

"When wealth is passed off as merit, bad luck is seen as bad character. This is how ideologues justify punishing the sick and the poor. But poverty is neither a crime nor a character flaw. Stigmatize those who let people die, not those who struggle to live."


~ Sarah Kendzior, journalist and author (born May 14, 1978)

(with thanks to A.Word.A.Day)

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Update / status report 

Obviously we're back after contemplating a very serious hiatus. Honestly, that may still happen. But it isn't happening today.

So, what can we tell you about what IS ahead?

We have a special edition in the works, with a look back at the final month of the music and arts scene before the world changed. Much of what's in there will surprise you -- whether to know that it was happening, or to realize what we were taking for granted while endless statically kinetic variety operated all around us. It'll be here for you when it's ready.

That wasn't our way of dodging the question about going forward. Because we can tell you to look at this edition. There's good stuff and useful information in it, but it isn't as comprehensive as you're accustomed to finding here. We didn't bust our ass to bring you this one. And it's still good. Not "in the running for a Pulitzer" good (like some of our past editions should be) but still worthwhile good.

We'll try out new formulas for content. We'll make hard reckonings about whether we even want to try to report on upcoming online live shows, when the majority of them don't announce themselves until the "day-of." Despite our many thousands of readers in places like Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates -- all of whom we are grateful to welcome! -- we need to determine whether busting our ass to list same-day live performances even gets the word out in time to those who want to watch them. Frankly, our hour-by-hour page view counts tell us most people come here to read our news features, not so much our events listings, and they (you) do that when it's convenient in your own time zone -- from India to Ireland, New York to New Brunswick, the USA to the Union of South Africa, Los Angeles to Louisiana, Denmark to Delaware, France to Franconia, Virginia. And those hourly site visitor numbers don't correspond well to a whole lot of folks learning, in time, about online concerts listed the same day.

Even trying to stay on top of this new cyber concert scene is like chasing the white rabbit who keeps looking at his watch and announcing "I'm late!" as he scurries in and out of the portals to Wonderland. It takes mote time than any other aspect of bringing you The Guide, and It's mechanical and exhausting.

The editor wants his life back, and he's tired of being in that population of journalists who still hasn't had time to be bored, or clean out the closet, or go through all the DVDs on the shelf, or see what movies are on-demand in the cable box, or click those interesting links that artists keep sending for new songs or projects or assorted amusements. (Geez, music and the arts is only a little piece of what he covers, and it's supposed to be the fun part!) He's going to stop there because he doesn't want you to think he's on a rant. But he has vowed to go backpacking this summer and to climb some semi-serious High Sierra peaks. So some kind of hiatus (one or more of those blessed breaks) is inevitable.

Meantime there are still all those reviews and previews and all that new music that keeps arriving daily... heaps and mounds and cyber stacks of new music that still keeps pouring in, pandemic or not... and the need to make time to actually listen to it. And share word of what it is and who is doing it.  We'll try, okay? We'll try.

As for today, we know about things happening that you'll enjoy knowing, if you find 'em in time.

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MUSIC FEATURE STORIES / NEW RELEASES YOU CAN HEAR ONLINE / AND MORE / FOLLOWING THE DAILY  EVENT LISTINGS 
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So... drum roll... here's the...

ALL-NEW GALLERY OF CLICKABLE, WATCHABLE, LISTENABLE DELIGHTS

organized by day, starting with everyday, then THIS WEEKEND, then the days beyond...


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Cyber online: daily live performances


Marc Bosserman, pianist-singer-songwriter-composer, performs live daily 5:30-7:30-ish Pacific,  on four platforms:
 https://www.twitch.tv/marcbosserman ; https://www.facebook.com/marcbossermanmusic ; YouTube (where you can subscribe) ; and something else he forgot to send us.

Live Nation Live From Home
For a comprehensive look at upcoming events by both California-based and national musicians, check out Live From Home, which provides a helpful updated performance schedule by date. 

Melissa Etheridge
Pioneering rocker Melissa Etheridge is playing daily ConcertsFromHome at 3 p.m. on Facebook Live. The Grammy and Academy Award–winner (you can see the Oscar on a shelf behind her as she performs from her Los Angeles–area home) plays a selection of classic songs in sets that combine the intimacy and intensity for which Etheridge is famous.

Katharine McPhee Foster and David Foster
Live from Southern California, actress and singer Katharine McPhee and her producer husband David Foster perform from their house. Bantering and sometimes even appearing in their bathrobes, the couple plays an eclectic mix of songs that has included “Proud Mary,” with McPhee channeling her inner Tina Turner. The shows are available around 5:30 p.m. on the couple’s individual Instagram feeds: Katharine Foster or David Foster.

Jackie Greene
Onetime lead guitarist for The Black Crowes and a frequent performer with the Grateful Dead spinoff Phil Lesh & Friends, versatile musician Jackie Greene is playing occasional live sets, available on his Facebook page. The California native who grew up in the Sacramento area streams his shows from his San Francisco home, and a recent session included renditions of Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan songs.

Shelter-In-Place Sessions
Moonalice, a band of veteran Bay Area–based musicians, many with ties to the Grateful Dead, has been hosting livestreamed Shelter-In-Place Sessions along with multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby, who also performs as part of the duo the Doobie Decibel System. The musicians stream their sets from San Francisco’s Howling Moon Studios.
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Almost daily live performances

Tuesdays-Fridays

6 pm-7 pm Pacific -- 

"AT HOME WITH GUSTAVO" brings live Symphonic Sounds

* Hang with Los Angeles Philharmonic musician and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel during At Home with Gustavo, a radio series that broadcasts Tuesday–Friday from 6–7 pm. Dudamel plays some of his favorite selections and shares musical insights with interviewer Brian Lauritzen.
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TODAY ~ This Friday live online

Gretchen Peters, in a Gina Binkley photo.

Fri, May 15:
11 am Pacific --
GRETCHEN PETERS releases "THE NIGHT YOU WROTE THAT SONG: THE SONGS OF MICKEY NEWBURY" in a Livestream Release Party today on the Americana Music Association's Facebook Page, via:
https://americanamusic.org/
(See our feature story in this edition)


Fri, May 15:
11 am Pacific --
* Live at:
https://www.facebook.com/theyoungwolfetones


Fri, May 15:
11 am Pacific --
"24 HOURS AND A DOG" presented live by the L.A. Music Center's "OFFSTAGE series, as a "Digital Student Performance" by MALPASO DANCE COMPANY from The Music Center, 135 N Grand Av, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Digiital Student Performance: Malpaso Dance Company

24 Hours and a DogPremieres Friday at 11 am PDT

Cuban contemporary dance sensation Malpaso Dance Company treats students and families to a virtual performance of 24 Hours and a Dog. This youthful and jazzy piece features choreography by Osnel Delgado, artistic director of the company, with music by GRAMMY® Award winner Arturo O'Farrill. Geared for middle and high school students, this virtual student performance will introduce students to how visual storytelling, self-expression, Cuban culture and diverse perspectives can be communicated through dance, movement and music. The performance will be followed by a Q&A with the company.

WATCH FRIDAY at 11:00 A.M.


Fri, May 15:
3 pm-5:30 pm Pacific --
GAELIC STORM performs "Songs, videos, banter, guests & drinking" on a Facebook live event at: www.facebook.com/GaelicStorm/


Fri, May 15:
4 pm Pacific --
Tonight's Opry Replay: Kelsea Ballerini's Opry Member Invitation. 
Tune in tonight at 7pm/c, when they're throwing it back to when Little Big Town invited Kelsea Ballerini to join the Opry. Listen on 650 AM in Nashville, and globally at, WSMonline.com, or the WSM app

Fri, May 15:
6:30 pm Pacific  --
"The Golden Era of the Grand Ole Opry." 
Tune in tonight to hear The Golden Era of the Opry featuring Willie NelsonMarty RobbinsThe Osborne BrothersGeorge Hamilton IV, and more on the airwaves of 650 AM in Nashville, as well as WSMonline.com, and the WSM app


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This Saturday -- including live online & on TV

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WEEKEND INFORMER

CORONAVIRUS STATUS

From Worldometer (click HERE)



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Quickie Saturday news items...

We feature the above because of the first item below.

REOPENINGS happening today include some beaches and trails. We seriously doubt that recommended physical distancing will be possible, so take a can of Lysol to hose yourself down before you get back in your car, and hose-down your multiuse mask before you put it away. Sound paranoid, does it? If it doesn't, you're probably doung enough to stay safe. Oh, and if you choose to partake of ANYTHING that's out-and-about, don't be a MASKHOLE.

SIDEWALK SAFARI -- running through Sunday: 13 rather large inflated animals in residential front yards throughout Glendora, CA. Perfect for an outing with small fry that are making you crazy. Get your map at: www.yourcitysafari.com

'Obamagate'? -- from Michael Langenmayr of the Daily Kos: "What even is 'Obamagate'? Literally no one knows — Trump just took the name of his predecessor and slapped on the suffix 'gate.' But still far too many reporters have repeated the phrase like it has some meaning. We'll never do that at Daily Kos."
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Links to good reads...

"Low-Balling the Unemployed in the Era of the 2020 Great Recession" by Jack Rasmus, who writes, "If there’s a conspiracy, it’s in the media purposely picking the most conservative stat to report and trumpeting the nearly worthless U-3 unemployment rate."

"Magic Meets Its Match" by John Peeler, who notes, "Whereas with science denial on climate change, it will take decades for the science to prove correct; with the virus, it will take weeks." (Good cartoon, too, reproduced below.)

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Sign-of-the-Times Cartoon 


Yep, Coronavirus is in the White House.

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From the L.A. Times archives...

L.A.'s original Pinball Wizard used a sledge hammer

In 1939, a ballot initiative banned pinball machines in Los Angeles. According to The Times, the games, plus “marble boards, scoop claws and similar devices,” were declared a public nuisance and linked to gambling. The city and police said the problem was “so widespread that the police are totally insufficient in number to enforce the law.” Voters approved the ban with about 161,000 votes for and 113,000 against

In this Times photo from May 15, 1940, Urban F. Emme, chief clerk of the city marshal’s office, smashes confiscated pinball and marble machines. The law was overturned in 1974.


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Online and on TV today...

Sat, May 16:
1 pm Pacific --
Route 650 Guest DJ Takeover: Logan Ledger
Tune in Saturday to a special edition of Route 650. Artist Logan Ledger will be joining Eric Marcum as a guest DJ on Route 650. Listen on 650 AM, WSMonline.com, or the WSM app!

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Sat, May 16:
3 pm Pacific --
"Opry Radio Block Party" They’ll be cranking up the tunes from Keith UrbanKelsea Ballerini, and Morgan Evans before they step inside the historic Opry circle at 4 pm Pacific. Like always stick around after the Opry to keep the party going until 6 pm Pacific. 

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Sat, May 16:

4 pm Pacific -- 
The Grand Ole Opry is coming to you live on Circle and WSM Radio at 4 pm Pacific. There's so many ways for you to tune in to the Saturday Night Opry so you'll never miss a moment!

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Sat, May 16, on tv:
4 pm-6 pm Pacific --
"CLASS OF 2020: IN THIS TOGETHER" (1 hr) followed by
"GRADUATE TOGETHER: 2020"
It's a national recognition of the high school graduating class that isn't getting any of the trappings of Senior Prom and Commencement in their own communities. Both hours contain inspiring stories of and messages from The graduates.
*  The first hour features former President Bill Clinton and graduate stories.
*  The second hour includes a commencement address from former President Barack Obama and centers on congratulatory messages and performances by celebrities, including some prominent musicians. Both hours are on CNN.
*  Only the second hour is carried on numerous networks: LIVE 5-6 pm on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, FOX Business Channel, and then a repeat of thr 2nd hour airs 8-9 pm on FREEFORM Network and on L.A.'s network affiliates -- KCBS, KNBC, KABC, and locals KTLA, & KTTV. 

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Sat, May 16:
5 pm Pacific -- 

Every Saturday at 5pm, Online "Dinner Party" concerts with Brad Colerick & Friends. Get your seat at the table now: http://deepmix.thundertix.com



































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Sat, May 16, on tv:
5 pm-6:45 pm Pacific --
"THE GENERAL" (1926) ☆☆☆☆ brings BUSTER KEATON in "the last great comedy of the silent screen."
*  Actually based on the historical "Andrews Raiders" drama of the American Civil War, which ended in tragedy, this feature film is solid joyous entertainment.
*  As the Guide has said many times, a "silent" film isn't silent at all. These films choreograph music to the on-screen action. In their day, they could be performed in movie palaces by theatre orchestras or a theatre organist, or simply in a small town theatre on a jingly piano by a single pianist using only "lead sheets" and watching the screen to improvise the rest. If you want a delightful class in matching music to scenes of every kind, from natural surroundings to claustrophobic sets and scenery, and to the emotional states of characters, and to tension, timing, and action, watch a classic silent film.
*  On Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
*  This film is followed tonight, 6:45 pm-9 pm (Pacific) by "The Great Buster: A Celebration," Peter Bogdanovich's 2018 documentary about the silent-era star, also on TCM.

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Sat, May 16, on tv:
6:45 pm-9 pm Pacific --
"THE GREAT BUSTER: A CELEBRATION" (2018) is director PETER BOGDANOVICH's acclaimed documentary about silent-era star BUSTER KEATON. This follows the 5 pm-6:45 pm (Pacific) screening of Keaton's 4-star silent classic, "The General," also on TCM.

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Sat, May 16, on tv:
8 pm-9 pm Pacific --
"GRADUATE TOGETHER: 2020" is a repeat of half the two hours carried live from 4-6 pm on only one channel, and the LIVE broadcast of only this second hour on four channels (see 4 pm listing).
*  This 8-9 pm repeat of the second hour airs on FREEFORM Network and on L.A.'s network affiliates -- KCBS, KNBC, KABC, and locals KTLA, & KTTV.
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This Sunday / Sundays live online
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We usually think about the world of two millennia past as being all about crude and brutal Roman bluster, with a technological zenith based on big pieces of cut stone. Then we're confronted with this intricate, multilayer machine with fine precision gears. Our editor says he read about it in a science journal a couple years back. Garrison Keillor's daily "Writer's Almanac" features it today. 

Sorta makes you wonder how many times something has sabotaged innovations and advancements that might have had us dwelling on other planets by now.

The largest of the 82 pieces of the Antikythera Mechanism found so far, Fragment A has four spokes that would’ve rotated once per year, tracking the Sun relative to background stars. (Brett Seymour / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution WHOI )

Click the link in his short piece for more pictures and the article in "Smithsonian" Magazine.

Garrison writes:

"On this day in 1902, archaeologist Valerios Stais discovered the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient analog computer from the first or second century B.C., that was used to calculate the position of the sun, moon, and stars in relationship to the observer’s position on the surface of the earth. For many decades, archaeologists did not recognize the mechanism’s degree of mechanical sophistication, which is comparable to a 19th-century Swiss clock. To date, the only other artifacts with that degree of mechanical sophistication have come from the 14th century or later.
"Stais uncovered the mechanism while exploring the Anitkythera shipwreck off the northwest coast of Crete. Today the mechanism is on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens."
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Sunday online

Sun, May 17, webinar:
Noon-1:30 pm Pacific -- 

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Sundays, EVERY SUNDAY:
2 pm Pacific -- 
Spreckels Organ Society presents San Diego civic organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez. He plays hour-long concerts from the historic Spreckels Organ Pavilion in the city’s Balboa Park. The eclectic concerts, which range from classical music to show tunes, have a little something for everyone’s musical taste. A recent program included Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and a piece by Claude Debussy.
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Sun, May 17:
3 pm Pacific --
KEN O'MALLEY, one of the great Irish Balladeers and acoustic multi-instrumentalists, does songs and stories and takes your requests in a live performance from his home
(6 pm EDT and 11 pm in Ireland and UK)
*  explore ahead of time: www.kenomalley.com
*  contribute to the tip jar, either:
Venmo: @kenomalley (4 digit code 1062)
or PayPal: paypal.me/twlord
WATCH LIVE at:
www.facebook.com/kenomalleyirishmusic/live
*  The show is free of charge.
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Sun, May 17, EVERY SUNDAY:
3 pm Pacific --
THE CELTIC ARTS CENTER of Southern California now does ONLINE "Sunday Sessions" on Zoom, but through Facebook; you need to have a Facebook account / your device must be infested with Facebook spyware, to take part.
*  Times vary each week; "slow session" follows regular session.
*  Details at (Facebook link): https://bit.ly/2YogGXP

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Sun, May 17:
4 pm Pacific --
LEE CAMP, host of "REDACTED TONIGHT," with ELEANOR GOLDFIELD, doing a livestream Q&A. These two are knowledgeable about 'purt near everything that's going on in this crazy world, and they can make you laugh instead of cry about it. Plus, you'll know more than you did when you got there. Lee says, "We'll be answering viewer questions and a lot more."
*  Two places to watch / participate:
at www.YouTube.com/RedactedTonight
or at
www.Facebook.com/LeeCampComedian

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This Monday / Mondays live online


Happy Birthday today to singer-songwriter KAREN NASH, who doubles as a legal-eagle Public Defender and as the spouse of another musician, Bob Malone.
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THOUGHTS FOR TODAY from two born on this date...

"It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that because you don't like something, it is empirically not good. I don't like Chinese food, but I don't write articles trying to prove it doesn't exist."

~ Tina Fey
, American comedy writer and actress, creator of "30 Rock" and alum of "Saturday Night Live," where she famously portrayed dimwit Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

And our second quote:

 "I wanted to glorify the average man, not the guy at the top, not the politician, not the banker, just the ordinary guy whose strength I admire, whose survivability I admire."

~ Frank Capra
(1897-1991), three-time Academy Award-winning Italian-American filmmaker, director, and producer whose work included "It Happened One Night" (1934), "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), "You Can't Take It with You" (1938), "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). Born in Italy and raised in Los Angeles from the age of five, his rags-to-riches story and work that celebrated "everyman" heroes has led film historians, including Ian Freer, to consider him the "American Dream personified."
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On this day...

Earth-Shaking Public Safety vs Nature Taking its Course

Today marks 40 years since MT. ST. HELENS exploded in southern Washington State, blowing a cubic mile of itself into the stratosphere, devastating 220 square miles, and killing 57 people. Some of those who died had screamed "The government wants to take away our freedom, and we're not doing what they tell us to do!" So they're still there. Somewhere.

Before and after what happened on May 18, 1980
Thar she blows, in a May 18 time-lapse over a few seconds. The blast was
more powerful than any nuclear weapon in any nation's arsenal.
The mountain, once so beautiful it was called "America's Mt. Fuji," is now a crescent-shaped shell of what it was. Its sad summit is a bump on the crater rim 1,500 feet lower than its vanished  central peak that once hosted multiple alpine glaciers. But as corpse-like as things seem, it threatens to erupt again. Seismologists working there with volcanologists have predicted an earthquake of 9-plus Richter magnitude that could happen any time.
Forests cooked and blown over, miles away
The crescent-shaped shell of the once conical mountain. The beds of ash have been
dissected by rain, snowmelt, and runoff. Huge mudslides and flood-driven walls of
rock and ash -- exacerbated by earthquakes -- are still deadly threats in area river valleys.
Despite the very objective threats and many warnings? Once again, there will be those who defy public safety instructions when things are deadly, and some will insist on staying. Of course, there is a critical difference: if you choose to die in an exploding volcano, you aren't killing unknown numbers of innocent others by infecting them with something invisible.

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Monday online

Mon, May 18:
Noon Pacific --
"Demanding Women: Quarantine Conversations About Gun Violence," the 4th event in "Everytown for Gun Safety" and "Moms Demand Action" virtual series.
*  RSVP for the online conversation happening today at Noon Pacific, with Moms Demand Action Founder Shannon Watts and former Presidential Candidate Senator Kamala Harris.
RSVP now for a conversation with Senator Kamala Harris
Over the course of this new series, Shannon Watts will be speaking with leading women in American politics on how to demand a better, safer world for every person in the United States. This fourth discussion will focus on fighting community gun violence in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mon, May 18, EVERY MONDAY:
7 pm-7:30ish Pacific --
"Live From Home"
San Jose Jazz presents livestreamed concerts on Mondays and Thursdays as part of its Live From Home series on Facebook Live. Shows typically last 30–40 minutes and have included performances by the likes of Bennett Roth-Newell, an acclaimed Bay Area pianist and keyboardist.

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This Tuesday live online & on tv


THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is inevitably that which must also make you lonely."

~ Lorraine Hansberry, American playwright and painter, and the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway (born May 19, 1930, died 1965).

(our thanks to A.Word.A.Day)

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Listen or read items from NPR

Are there zombie viruses — like the 1918 flu — thawing in the permafrost? As if the pandemic isn't enough, people are wondering if climate change will cause pathogens buried in frozen ground to come back to life as the Arctic warms. How worried should we be? (Listen here or read the story)

Not many people can say they have lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic and the coronavirus crisis. 
But 102-year-old Sophie Avouris is a survivor of both. She was a newborn in Greece when the 1918 influenza pandemic spread through Europe. Avouris' doctor and daughter attribute her recovery from COVID-19 to her strong constitution and also maybe her lifelong Mediterranean diet — but the true reasons still remain a mystery. (Listen here or read the story)

Plus an NPR video...

COVID-19 is not the first coronavirus outbreak we’ve experienced this century. There was SARS in 2003, and MERS in 2012. If coronaviruses have been around for years, why don’t we have a vaccine already? This Planet Money video looks at what it takes to produce a national vaccine supply

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You can lead a fool to Atwater, but you can't make him think


This morning's New York Times "California Edition" reports:


If you missed it, Atwater, a small community in Merced County, declared itself a coronavirus “sanctuary city,” meaning its leaders are refusing to enforce state orders to keep some businesses closed. [Merced Sun-Star]

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Online & tv Tuesday

Tue, May 19:
Noon Pacific --

TRACY GRAMMER & JIM HENRY

ONLINE SHOW TODAY (Tues 5/19)
Hello friends!

I hope this finds you well and happy, wherever in the world you are! This little note is to remind you that Jim Henry and I have yet another great live show planned for you today, Tuesday, May 19 via YouTube. If you've attended in the past, you know that thanks to Jim Henry's attention to our video and audio setup, we are producing one of the finest live streams you'll find, with concert-quality sound and smooth visuals. And each show is a bit better than the last!


As always, the show is free -- anyone can watch from anywhere, no ticket required -- but donations for the duo are welcome. As you likely know by now, our in-person shows, workshops, and festivals have been canceled and *this* monthly show is our main source of income. If you can chip in, fantastic! There are two options: paypal.me/tracygrammer or fee-free via Venmo @tracygrammer.

Hope to "see" you in just a few hours for our third "Six Feet Apart" show.
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Tue, May 19; DAILY, weekdays:
1:30 pm Pacific --
Josh Fox, the director of "GASLAND," says, "As the ruling class and 1 Percent prepare to open the economy in spite of a continually rising Covid death toll it's important to remember the systemic causes of our government's failure to protect WE THE PEOPLE. Over and over again political cronyism and corporate greed have led to truckloads of subsidies and relief money (our tax dollars) being directed to the largest corporations and their million dollar executives. And over and over we find Big Oil in the shadows taking it's unfair share while willfully moving the planet closer to the brink of climate destruction." 
*  Catch the show at: www.TYT.com/live
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Tue, May 19:
3 pm Pacific --
Amy Goodman in Conversation with Noam Chomsky and Stan Cox on "The Green New Deal and Beyond"
*  Amy Goodman (virtually) joins Noam Chomsky and Stan Cox in a livestream discussion about the prospects for the Green New Deal, how the pandemic does and does not affect the struggle for climate and economic justice, and more. 
*  Amy Goodman is a broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and the host and executive producer of Democracy Now! She joins in from New York City. 
*  Stan Cox is the author of the new book The Green New Deal and Beyond just published by City Lights. He joins in from Salina, Kansas. 
*  Noam Chomsky, author of the foreword to The Green New Deal and Beyond, is a scholar, academic, and author of numerous books including Because We Say So with City Lights. He joins in from Tucson, Arizona. 
*  CO-SPONSORS: Alternative Radio, Codepink, CounterPunch, Haymarket Books, The Institute for Social Ecology, Post-Carbon Institute, Post Growth Institute, Project Censored, Research and Degrowth, & Truthout.

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Camp-out tonight on PBS. Here's why...
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Tue, May 19, on tv:
7:30 pm Pacific -- (L.A. only)
"BOOTLEGGER TUNNELS: A JOURNEY THROUGH L.A.'s PROHIBITION LORE" (2019) is a fun exploration, especially if you ever ever performed or caught a show at Cole's downtown, where the music was in the old speakeasy. On KOCE, aka PBS SoCal.
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Tue, May 19, on tv:
8 pm Pacific --
"NOVA: DEADLIEST TORNADOES" (2012) is a special encore to accompany the new show at 9 pm. On KOCE, aka PBS SoCal. 
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Tue, May 19, on tv:
9 pm Pacific --
"AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: MISTER TORNADO" (2020) is the premiere of a new show profiling pioneer meteorologist TED FUJITA who transformed peoples understanding of the deadly storms in the age of Climate Change. Catch aextended preview here.  On KOCE, aka PBS SoCal. 
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Tue, May 19, on tv:
10 pm Pacific --
"FRONTLINE: INSIDE ITALY'S COVID WAR" (2020) is the premiere of an investigative profile of one of the nations hardest-hit by the pandemic, and how they responded. On KOCE, aka PBS SoCal. 

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This Wednesday / Wednesdays online or on tv


THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

"Kindness is not without its rocks ahead. People are apt to put it down to an easy temper and seldom recognize it as the secret striving of a generous nature; whilst, on the other hand, the ill-natured get credit for all the evil they refrain from."

~ Honore De Balzac, novelist (born May 20, 1799, died 1850)

(our thanks to A.Word.A.Day)

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Wednesday news...

Failure of two dams is another result of Climate Change

Two Michigan dams failed Tuesday night amidst unprecedented torrential rainfall, and the downtown area of the city of Midland, Michigan is expected to be beneath nine feet of floodwater today. Midland is the home of a chemical plant, so what gets into that floodwater is of concern both locally and to all those downriver.

Evacuation of 10,000 residents from Midland County communities became an immediate need, negating the previous concern about social distancing due to Coronavirus. More widespread loss of utilities, including a clean water supply, will expand the impacts to the larger region.

Thus the theme of Michigan and poison water -- in the wake of the ongoing health impacts from Flint's poisoned domestic water -- will play out with renewed visibility on a broader geographic and hydrologic scale.

Local officials already have cited the long neglect of infrastructure and critical urgency for public-sector investment to handle present and future human needs -- including exacerbated impacts from climate change-driven weather events that continue to break records throughout the Midwest, nationwide, and globally.

Meanwhile, a devastating cyclone made landfall Tuesday on the border of India and Bangladesh, and the death toll, scale of destruction, and need for humanitarian and financial relief will not be known for days. Like hurricanes in the Americas, megastorms striking land from warming oceans are a fact of the new normal of chaos in planetary systems undergoing human-driven climate change. And still, Fox News feeds a certain element of science denial that claims it isn't happening.

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The age of Covidiocy

"With the coronavirus death toll in this country well over 91,000 with well over 1.5 million cases, the President, as he always seems to do, lashes out with distractions and disinformation. His haphazard and reckless approach to this crisis shows that he is not taking it seriously. Even after more than 91,000 Americans have died, he is making it about himself..." -- Don Lemon's show intro.

Latest #s per Johns Hopkins University: There are at least 1,527,723 cases of coronavirus in the United States; at least 91,872 people have died...

This morning's New York Times and Washington Post's front-pages both focus on Steven Mnuchin and Jerome Powell's warnings about the economy.

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Music online & on tv Wednesday 

Wed, May 20, EVERY WEDNESDAY:
10 am Pacific --
Jason Mraz, the Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter and owner of Mraz Family Farms, an avocado and fruit farm in San Diego County, performs Wednesdays at 10 am during his La La La Livestream sessions on YouTube. Mraz also fields questions and even offers a brief primer on how to choose an avocado.
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Wed, May 20, on tv:
12:30 pm-1:30 pm Pacific --
"WOODSONGS OLD TIME RADIO HOUR" brings last Friday's (5/15/20) edition (taped before the shutdown) brings the 1930s string sounds of BILL & THE BELLES from Johnson City, TN, plus Bluegrassers VALERIE SMITH & LIBERTY PIKE. With performing host MICHAEL JONATHAN. On RFD TV.
NOTE 1: NEW EDITIONS PREMIERE every Friday, 3 pm-4 pm Pacific time on RFD TV, and repeat the next Wednesday.
NOTE 2: this is no longer currently airing on KLCS in Los Angeles, so you need to watch on RFD or hunt for it online.
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Wed, May 20:
3 pm Pacific --
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY CAMP goes LIVE to announce a new program that allows you "to interact with today's top touring Rock Stars from home."
*  Join Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot/Whitesnake), Britt Lightning (Vixen) and Miles Shulman (iHeart Radio) as they unveil the latest RRFC program.
*  David Fishof of RRFC adds, "...all of us at RFFC and in the live music business have lots of empathy towards the artists and musicians who for years have given so much of their talents to mentor and entertain us all."
*  Questions for them at: 888-762-2263
*  Tune-in at: www.Facebook.com/RockFantasyCamp

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Wed, May 20:
4 pm Pacific --

This Week's Club Passim Live Streams

Times shown in the graphic are EASTERN time. PACIFIC time is three hours earlier.
___

Wed, May 20:
5 pm Pacific --
Final episode of "Whiskey Sour Happy Hour" coming your way tonight
*  Thanks to listeners, they raised over $50,000 for COVID-19 relief.
*  They want us to to thank you, and tell you, "We can't say goodbye without one more jam session. Tonight at 7 pm CT / 5 pm Pacific, tune in to a BONUS episode of Whiskey Sour Happy Hour, our online variety show presented with our friends at The Bluegrass Situation. Hosted by Ed Helms, you'll catch performances by Rodney Crowell, Madison Cunningham, Davíd Garza, Ben Harper, Valerie JuneMatt The Electrician, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Billy Strings and Watkins Family Hour.





*  They continue, "Thanks to you, we've been able to raise over $50,000 to benefit MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund and provide medical supplies to those on the frontline via Direct Relief. We appreciate your support."
*  As they sign-off, they add, "If you know of someone who can also help this cause, there's still time left to contribute." Donate here

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Wed, May 20, on tv:
5 pm-6 pm Pacific -- & 9 pm-10 pm Pacific --
DON McLEAN, singer-songwriter of "American Pie" and "Vincent" guests on a new edition of "THE BIG INTERVIEW with DAN RATHER" on AXS tv.
*  How did Don McLean write a song that became an iconic rock anthem? Find out tonight on AXS TV.
TBI SocialPost TW
Click here for a sneak peek of Don McLean on The Big Interview.

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Wed, May 20; & EVERY DAY (first listed today):
 5:30-7:30-ish Pacific --
Marc Bosserman, pianist-singer-songwriter-composer, performs live daily on four platforms:

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This Thursday / Thursdays live online


THOUGHT FOR TODAY from one born on this date...

(Quite appropriate for this age of constant parsing, equivocating, risking instataneous judgement, and after-the-fact-qualification of what was said.)

"Be thou the first true merit to befriend, his praise is lost who stays till all commend."

~ Alexander Pope
(born May 21, 1688, died 1744), English poet and satirist of the Augustan period, best known for his poems "An Essay on Criticism" (1711), "The Rape of the Lock" (1712-14), "The Dunciad" (1728), and "An Essay on Man" (1733-34). He is one of the most epigrammatic of all English authors.

(our thanks for the quote goes to A.Word.A.Day)
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On this day...

Today's passage comes from Garrison Keillor. He writes:

On this day in 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

As a girl, Clara was shy and had a stutter. Barton began teaching in 1839 at the age of 18. She overcame her shyness, became a sought-after teacher, and believed in the value of her work. She once said, "I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man's work for less than a man's pay."

In 1854, she gave up teaching and took a job in the United States Patent Office in Washington, D.C. She worked hard, got promoted, and within a year was making a salary equal to the men in the office (which angered the men). By 1861, war was breaking out, and when supporters of the Confederacy attacked Union soldiers in Washington, D.C., Clara helped nurse wounded soldiers in the same way she had nursed her brother when they were young.

During one of the first major engagements of the war, the Battle of Bull Run, the Union suffered a staggering defeat and as Clara read reports of the battle she realized that the Union Army had not seriously considered or provided for wounded soldiers. She began to ride along in ambulances, providing supplies and comfort to wounded soldiers on the frontlines.

After the war, she traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, where she learned about the International Red Cross and its mission to be a neutral organization that helped wounded soldiers. When Barton returned to the United States, she pressed for the creation of a national branch of the Red Cross. But many people thought there would never again be a war as monumental and devastating as the Civil War and didn't see the need for the Red Cross. Barton finally convinced the Arthur administration that the Red Cross could be used in other crises.

The American Red Cross was officially incorporated on this day, with Barton as its president.

Clara Barton said, "I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them."

And she said, "The door that nobody else will go in at, seems always to swing open widely for me."

She also said, "Everybody's business is nobody's business, and nobody's business is my business."
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New tunality today...


(Paste magazine) Watch Wilco Perform New Single on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert -- By Jack Meyer  |  May 21, 2020  |

On Wednesday night, Wilco gave the first performance of their new single, “Tell Your Friends,” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, becoming the latest band on Colbert’s #Playathome series. Each member performed via livestream, playing next to, and occasionally with, their loved ones, children, and pets.
The performance accompanied Wilco’s release of “Tell Your Friends” on Bandcamp, the proceeds of which go to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit dedicated to providing food in the wake of natural disasters. The new single follows Wilco’s late-2019 release of Ode to Joy and Jeff Tweedy’s 2018 EPs, WARM and WARMER.
Jeff Tweedy went on to play a solo acoustic version of fan-favorite “Jesus Etc.” later in the show, performing alone while surrounded by the guitars and amps of his personal studio. It’s one of the many acoustic versions Tweedy has performed of Wilco standards, many of which can be found on his 2017 solo debut, Together at Last. Earlier this year, Tweedy played “Evergreen” with his sons Spencer and Sammy from their Chicago bathroom on Kimmel.
Wilco postponed their shows for the spring but are still slated to co-headline with Sleater Kinney on a summer tour starting Aug. 6. Watch the band perform “Tell Your Friends” below. While you’re here, revisit a 1995 Wilco concert further down via the Paste archives.
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JUST RE-OPENED FOR CURBSIDE BIZ

World-famous McCABE'S GUITAR SHOP in Santa Monica.


Call 'em at at (310) 828-4497 to place an order for instruments, strings, books, or whatever it is you need to fill the musical void in your life.

They add, "Got time on your hands? Interested in learning to play? Many of our teachers are teaching remotely."  Contact their music teachers here for details.

McCabe's Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90405
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Thursday's Cyberian Stage live performances...


Thu, May 21:
3 pm Pacific --
"MARTIN GUITARS JAM IN PLACE" series today features
SETH AVETT of THE AVETT BROTHERS
*  Times vary with this series.
*  Watch on Facebook Live,  at: https://www.facebook.com/martinguitar/
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Thu, May 21:
5:30 pm Pacific -- 
PETER HIMMELMAN live from New York 


The latest installment of "Songs & Stories From West 89th" is on FB LIVE.
*  Peter says, "Feel free to ask questions about cooking, songwriting, and raising Leopard tortoises during the scintillating Q&A section!"
*  Tune in at:

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Thu, May 21, EVERY THURSDAY:
7 pm-7:30ish Pacific --
"Live From Home"
San Jose Jazz presents livestreamed concerts on Mondays and Thursdays as part of its Live From Home series on Facebook Live. Shows typically last 30–40 minutes and have included performances by the likes of Bennett Roth-Newell, an acclaimed Bay Area pianist and keyboardist.

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☆  Tonight's big-deal Southern Cal Cyber music event...

Thu, May 21:
7 pm Pacific --
"LEAN ON ME: SONGS OF FRIENDS, FAMILY AND STAYING CONNECTED"  is  a hefty and impressive live lineup tonight 
for "GRAND ANNEX SONG CIRCLE #2" as a Zoom & Facebook Live event
*  For the charming San Pedro, California venue's second livestream concert, they’re bringing you a group of musicians from their stage roster, singing original songs based on the theme.
LINEUP:
  ⊙  JANET KLEIN (of Janet Klein & her Parlor Boys) finds the best of "the obscure, naughty and lovely songs from the 1910s, '20s and '30s." Bringing back the ones you miss or missed...A smorgasbord of hot jazz, Yiddish novelty numbers, and other old-time tunes.
  ⊙  CHRIS STILLS is as comfortable playing singer-songwriter-style folk and as he is playing gritty rock and blues. His music and stellar vocals have been featured on many soundtracks including I, Tonya where he sings the Bee Gees classic, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart."
  ⊙  PAUL GIVANT is frontman for the roots-rock band ROSE’S PAWN SHOP. As a solo artist, he's turned to a more lyric-driven style. L.A. Music Critic praised his album, "Fashion District Adjacent," saying: “The lyrical imagery is amazing, and his choices of instrumentation are out of this world.”
  ⊙  CHRIS PIERCE, aka THE REVEREND TALL TREE, is a songwriter, blues singer and when the time is right, a bonafide Howlin' Wolf-style soulman. Chris recently returned to the Annex with his band to perform his original piece, "Reverend Tall Tree's Blues Opera."
  ⊙  CHRISTA BURCH is a regular favorite in the West Coast contradance scene. Whether she's playing with her own band, the SYNCOPATHS, or as a guest vocalist for countless Celtic groups, her warm expressive voice soars above the music and her bodhrán keeps the dancers on the floor.
*  TUNE-IN EARLY to get your FREE TICKET (click "Buy"). They'll email you the Zoom link at 6 pm to watch the show:
https://grandvision.secure.force.com/ticket/
*  If that fills-up, hunt 'em up on Facebook to watch it.

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Thu, May 21:
7 pm-9 pm Pacific -- 
"HERMOSA ONE SPRING FEST's VIRTUAL BEER GARDEN" presents LIVE music all week promoting local South Bay breweries and nonprofits, as the build-up to this Sunday's Main Event broadcast May 24 starting at noon.


*  HermosaOne is an all volunteer, not-for-profit, and completely free resource for the people and businesses in Hermosa Beach.
*  They tell us, "The idea behind the Beer Garden is that you can order beer during the week to kick back and enjoy during our Main Event."  Uhh, seems like it would go flat. And to get in on the beer part, you need to live near the South Bay. The music part works globally.
*  Come back each night this week to watch the webcasts. Here's what they told us about what's coming through Friday.
THURSDAY:
  ⊙  Hermosa Brewing Company
  ⊙  Music by Barclay Roach
  ⊙  Hermosa Beach Rotary
FRIDAY:
  ⊙  Music by Project Barley and Nate LaPointe
  ⊙  Music by Adam Lawson of The Lucky Ones
  ⊙  Leadership Hermosa Beach
*  Live links at: www.hermosaone.com
*  More coming on each day of this event, through Sunday.

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This Friday / Fridays live online

Fri, May 22:
1 pm Pacific --
"MARTIN GUITARS JAM IN PLACE" series today features DANNY SCHMIDT
*  Times vary with this series.
*  Watch on Facebook Live,  at: https://www.facebook.com/martinguitar/
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Fri, May 22, EVERY FRIDAY:
5 pm Pacific --
"Fridays At Five"
SFJAZZ hosts weekly showings of concerts from its archives as part of the Fridays at Five series. The one-hour performances are free for SFJAZZ members or you can purchase one-month digital memberships ($5) that are good for four shows. Recent concerts included jazz and gospel singer Lizz Wright on April 3 and the eclectic group Pink Martini on April 10.

ALSO: Scroll-down to find "Friday's MUSIC-ON-TV"...

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On-demand / especially produced for the pandemic

Wine & Song Podcast Episode 8. Features Gráinne Hunt, Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman, Rob Laufer, Lipbone Redding, Chauncey Bowers, Sally Dworsky, Tom Corbett, Sofia Talvik, and Jeanne Newhall.
Jazz at the Blue Guitar Podcast Episode 4Features Mark Hatch, trioKAIT, Riner Scivally, Dave Tull, Acoustic Asylum, and Carey Frank


MICHAEL FEINSTEIN LIVE WITH CARNEGIE HALL

Grab some popcorn and a glass of wine and watch Principal Pops Conductor Michael Feinstein as he goes Live with Carnegie Hall. The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook explores Gershwin's enduring influence in this hour-long special, with special guests including a live performance with Christine Ebersole.

PLAY AT HOME WITH THE POPS

Enduring songstress Marilyn Maye takes you over the rainbow for this "Play at Home with the POPS." The most frequently heard singer on the "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," Maye performed on the program a whopping 76 times, and was deemed "the greatest white female singer in the world," by Ella Fitzgerald.  Visit their website for more "Play at Home with the POPS." 

PASADENA SYMPHONY PODCAST

In Conversation with Adam Schoenberg

This week's podcast features Emmy-Award winning and Grammy-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg. One of the top 10 most performed living composers by U.S. orchestras, Schoenberg discusses upcoming works as well as Orchard in Fog, a commission he wrote for Anne Akiko Meyers that had its Los Angeles premier with the Pasadena Symphony in 2019. The full podcast series is now available on their website.


MAESTRO'S PLAYLIST

Take a break from your daily grind and give a listen to Pasadena Symphony & Pops principal conductor David Lockington's Spotify playlist. 













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The Live Series: Songs of Summer

Rediscover some of Bruce’s performances on ‘The Live Series: Songs of Summer.’ This perfect seasonal soundtrack features live versions of Bruce’s best summer songs, all streaming for the first time. Hear all your favorites like “Girls In Their Summer Clothes,” “Out In The Street” and “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).”
Listen Now
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Archived from various vaults / made available for the pandemic


Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert
Still missing your April weekends at Coachella? The documentary Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert should bring back plenty of memories. It debuted on YouTube Originals on April 10, and the film features interviews with performers and clips of all those pop performances.
Grammy Museum
The museum in downtown Los Angeles has launched Museum at Home, a program that has made videos of previously unreleased concerts and interviews available. Shows including a 2018 performance by Brandi Carlile and a 2019 set with Billie Eilish and Finneas went online in March, while April releases included Andrea Bocelli and Common. MORE is due this month.

LACO At Home
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s LACO At Home lets you stream concerts, including new special events and performances from its archives. Concerts include LACO’s November 2019 Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Mazzoli performance from Glendale’s Alex Theatre.

Pacific Symphony: At-Home-Together Online

Based in Orange County, the Pacific Symphony has produced a selection of “quarantine clips” as part of its At-Home-Together Online series. The videos feature symphony musicians playing notable pieces from their homes, including principal cellist Warren Hagerty performing Sarabande from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major and concertmaster Dennis Kim and pianist Hye-Young Kim’s version of Amanda Harberg’s poignant “Prayer.”

Henry Miller Memorial Library
The landmark Big Sur cultural hub has an extensive archive of clips from performances held at its outdoor stage beneath the redwoods. Among the highlights are a 2011 video of the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing “Californication” and a 2010 clip of the influential Jonathan Richman, dubbed “the Godfather of Punk,” singing an ode to Rolling Stone Keith Richards.

More Bruce, long-form live...
Watch The Full Live Performances
You don’t have to go anywhere to experience the magic of Bruce Springsteen in concert. From New York City to London and beyond, some of Bruce’s biggest concert films are now streaming in their entirety on YouTube and Apple Music.
Watch Now
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Participate or just watch...




PYSO AT HOME 

Check out the PASADENA YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA's Youtube Channel for virtual music lessons from their All City Orchestra coaches as part of the "PYSO at Home" initiative. Lessons updated continuously, with flute and clarinet coach Emily Kubitsky giving a lesson on note reading this week.

If you have a musician at home who would like to participate, contact Alex Chu achu@pasadenasymphony-pops.org.

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Friday's MUSIC-ON-TV & other recommended fare



Fri, May 15 on TV:
7 pm Pacific --
"Color of Covid" is a second episode of the CNN series hosted by Don Lemon and Van Jones.

Fri, May 15, on tv:
5 pm-6 pm Pacific --
"COUNTRY'S FAMILY REUNION" in an episode from January with "The Very Best of CFR." Repeats 9-10 pm. On RFD TV.
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Fri, May 15, on tv:
7:30 pm-8 pm Pacific --
"THE STATLER BROTHERS" in a show from 1991. On RFD TV.
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Fri, May 15, on tv:
8 pm-8:30 pm Pacific --
"BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND" from 2019, brings KEB' MO on the concert show from a Tennessee limestone cavern concert hall. On KLCS.
___

Fri, May 15, on tv:
8 pm-8:30 pm Pacific --
"COUNTRY LEGENDS: GRAND OLE OPRY STARS OF THE '50S" is a modern compilation of old footage from 1953. On RFD TV.
___

Fri, May 15, on tv:
8:30 pm-9 pm Pacific --
"SUN STUDIO SESSIONS" from 2013 brings Texas Troubadour DALE WATSON to the Memphis studio where Elvis started. On KLCS.
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Fri, May 15, on tv:
9 pm-11 pm Pacific --
"GREAT PERFORMANCES" brings a new 2020 edition, "LEONARD BERNSTEIN MASS." Repeats 2 am-4 am tonight. On KOCE, aka PBS SoCal.
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Fri, May 15, on tv:
9 pm-10 pm Pacific --
"AUSTIN CITY LIMITS" brings HERBIE HANCOCK in an episode from 2017. On KLCS.
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Fri, May 15, on tv:
9 pm-10 pm Pacific --
"COUNTRY'S FAMILY REUNION" in an episode from January with "The Very Best of CFR." On RFD TV.
___

Fri, May 15 on TV:
9 pm ET & Pacific --
"Bravery and Hope: 7 Days on the Front Line," is a new hour-long CBS special about how Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx is handling the pandemic.
___

Fri, May 15, on tv:
10 pm-11 pm Pacific --
"FRONT AND CENTER" from 2017 brings GARY CLARK JR. in a show from 2017. On KLCS.
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Fri night/ Sat early AM, May 15/16 on tv:
2 am-4 am Pacific --
"GREAT PERFORMANCES" brings a new 2020 edition, "LEONARD BERNSTEIN MASS." On KOCE, aka PBS SoCal.

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Wither goest th' tee-vee...

They can't make new episodes of ongoing series, 
or assemble a crew for a pilot, so...


The L.A. Times  is out with a special package exploring how "TV is the medium of our coronavirus plague year." TV editor Matt Brennan introduces the story, which is told in six parts by the entertainment staff... (LAT)


"January is the new fall"

Brian Lowry writes: The CW network seems to be embracing reality a little more directly than the other broadcast networks, announcing Thursday that it will target its revised primetime lineup to January 2021, while using a mix of acquisitions and available content to fill its roster through the fall. During a conference call with reporters, CW chief Mark Pedowitz said that its special-effects heavy series would likely have to begin production in September to meet the January dates. The CW is also looking at animation and potentially migrating some content from its streaming service, CW Seed, if necessary. The goal, Pedowitz said, is to "give our producers and studios ample time to get up and running in the best and safest ways possible."

CNN's Brian Stelter adds, "Separately, NBC announced a deal to pick up a hit Canadian medical drama, "Transplant," as networks hedge their bets against uncertain production schedules. The major networks have announced "fall" schedules, but as the LAT's Steve Battaglio noted, more realistically for now, "January is the new fall."


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First "Re-opening" Concert Ventures / Experiments...




Pitchfork contributor John Colpitts writes about some upcoming concerts and festivals in the works: "Is There a Safe Way to Throw Socially Distanced Shows?" (Pitchfork)

And speaking of that...
Travis McCready show moving to Monday

Variety's Jem Aswad reports: "The promoter of the Travis McCready show at TempleLive in Fort Smith, Arkansas — the first socially distanced concert to be staged since the coronavirus set in — has applied to move the concert to Monday instead of Friday, promoter Mike Brown told KNWA on Thursday. The concert has been at the center of a controversy with the state government because it was scheduled to take place on Friday, three days before the state officially reopened after coronavirus lockdown." Performers and event promoters across the country will be eyeing this event to see how it goes...

(from Brian Stelter)
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Maybe ahead this summer...


Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) has rescheduled its annual event to August 6-13, 2020, in and around Newport Beach, CA.
*  info / press release that appeared in Variety:
https://bit.ly/2VdUrk7

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NEW, JUST OUT...

multiple goodies, so wade right in

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Gretchen Peters Releases
 The Night You Wrote That Song:
 The Songs of Mickey Newbury

Livestream Release Party Today, Friday, May 15th: 
11 am Pacific,  2 pm ET on Americana Music Association's Facebook Page


May 15, 2020: Today, Gretchen Peters releases her new album The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury (Scarlet Letter Records) honoring the legendary singer-songwriter. To celebrate, Peters will be hosting a livestream record release party and performance on the Americana Music Association's Facebook page today at 11 am Pacific, 2 pm ET, 1 pm CT.


Purchase/stream The Night You Wrote That Song here:
“I had had the idea of recording an album of Mickey Newbury’s songs for the past 10 or 15 years, but it was always one of those ideas I put on the shelf because I was busy writing and making records of my own songs,” she told Billboard. “About three years ago my husband and co-producer Barry Walsh and I decided to explore the idea of recording a few songs, as a sort of trial run, at Cinderella Studio, where Mickey recorded his great trio of albums in the late 60s/early 70s. I think we were hoping some of the magic would rub off. It turned out to be the best idea we could have had.”
In their review of the album The Associated Press said, "The arrangements put Peters’ distinct and precise voice front and center, with restrained enhancements that are all the more effective for it... she gifts one of her heroes the best kind of tribute, where the quality of the performances reciprocates the quality of the songs."
Rolling Stone Country praised Peters' "mesmerizing take" on first single "The Night You Wrote That Song," which Peters explains, “I decided early on that I didn’t want to make an album of Mickey’s hits...All my lifelong favourites were on the first list, of course - but some of those, much as I loved them, proved not to be the right fit. I came across 'The Night You Wrote That Song' early on, and felt it was the perfect title for the album. You never knew how right you were the night you wrote that song… seems to sum up my feelings towards Mickey Newbury perfectly. In so many ways he was ahead of his time.”
The album's been further praised by No DepressionFolk AlleyGlide MagazineThe Bluegrass SituationWide Open Country, and more.
Guests on The Night You Wrote That Song include Buddy Miller, studio founder and legendary guitarist Wayne Moss (Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt), Country Music Hall of Famer and renowned harmonica player Charlie McCoy (Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley), Will Kimbrough, Barry Walsh, and more.
Tracklist:
1. The Sailor
2. She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye
3. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
4. The Night You Wrote That Song
5. Frisco Depot
6. Heaven Help The Child
7. Why You Been Gone So Long
8. Saint Cecilia
9. Wish I Was
10. San Francisco Mabel Joy
11. Leavin' Kentucky
12. Three Bells For Stephen

The Guide notes, it's been a decade and a half since the late Mickey Newbury received tribute albums from folkies RONNY COX and the late KASEY JONES. Newbury's songs are timeless, and another generation hearing them now is a very welcome occasion.

Follow Gretchen Peters:



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Carolina Story Returns With Moving New Track “See You When I See You”

May 15, 2020 – Nashville-based Americana/roots duo Carolina Story has released a poignant new track titled “See You When I See You” via Black River Americana.

The husband and wife duo Ben and Emily Roberts return with the thoughtful portrayal of a friendship nearing its end, brilliantly illustrated with Emily’s soaring lead vocals. Co-written by Ben and producer Paul Moak, “See You When I See You” is accompanied by a performance video shot in Nashville’s famed studio, The Smoakstack.

Ben & Emily Roberts, aka Carolina Story. Chrissy Nix photo.
American Songwriter featured it yesterday, declaring the song “demonstrates the Roberts’ continued commitment to tasteful, blue-collared storytelling.” 

Watch the “See You When I See You” video via YouTube: 

Stream “See You When I See You” on all platforms: 

“On one hand, this song speaks to navigating friendships in these times when most communication is happening through social media,” explains Ben Roberts. “On the other hand, it's an autobiographical account of the gradual deterioration of a friendship. It's about toiling over whether the fence could be mended or not." Emily Roberts continues, "The minute Ben came home and played this song, I felt immediately drawn to it. I'm an old soul at my core and I thrive on face to face interaction with friends. It's been hard for me over the years to navigate in this new world, so to speak, where you are mostly filled in on what your friends are doing through slides on a screen.” 

In 2018, Carolina Story released their critically acclaimed debut, Lay Your Head Down. Showcasing the pair’s gorgeous harmonies and heartfelt, earnest songwriting, the album garnered widespread coverage including Associated Press, Billboard, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and Rolling Stone Country, who described their sound as "Sonny & Cher meets Whiskeytown.” Since then, the duo has experienced a period of significant growth while settling into their own rhythm as a family and exploring a bigger, bolder sound. Marking a major step forward, the heartbreakingly honest “See You When I See You” is a breakthrough moment grounded in resilience and is an impressive look at what is to come. 


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Singer-Songwriter Eliot Bronson shares 
“With Somebody,”
the debut single from his upcoming album,
EMPTY SPACES


Proceeds from his previous release are going to 
"Feeding America"



Stream "With Somebody"  here


May 15, 2020 -- Eliot Bronson, whose talents of  "bluesy harmonies and a dark sense of humor create powerfully evocative folk songs" earned him the accolade of Best Songwriter by Creative Loafing, shares his newest single. Today, Bronson releases “With Somebody” from his forthcoming album, Empty Spaces.


The album, his sixth,  will be released on July 24th via New Pain Records. The album is now available for pre-order.





The anthemic track With Somebody" finds Bronson successfully  mixing his folk roots with epic bursts of heartland pop/rock. The song fits perfectly into the tapestry of the album, which was written during a period of tumult — including the breakup of a 10-year relationship, the end of an engagement, and a move from his adopted home of Atlanta to his current headquarters in Nashville — it's an album about loss, redemption, the places we leave, and the homes we make for ourselves. More importantly, it's an album about starting again and it’s Bronson's sharpest songwriting to date.

Bronson’s last two albums were produced by six-time Grammy Award-winning producer, Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile) and given the intimacy of this subject matter, Bronson decided to produce himself for the first time in many years. 

Bronson said,“With Somebody” is one of the first songs I wrote after I moved to Nashville. I was renting a little house on the west side and living alone for the first time in a decade. The place was fully furnished — crosses made of sea glass and a recipe for "Nana's Fudge Pie" hung from the walls. I felt like I was watching my life from a distance. 

I had just started dating again. I was seeing someone who was really good to me and I should have been happy, but I wasn't. One afternoon, she left my place and I immediately picked up the guitar and sang this chorus, like it had already been written. I finished the song in one sitting. I didn't edit it. I wanted to capture that raw feeling — not  make it too pretty. We recorded it the same way. We kept the very first take. The vocals are a real and complete performance, not pieces of the best moments like most songs. 

I like to think this is my response to CSN's "Love The One You're With." That's a great tune, but I could never seem to pull off their advice.”

Last month Bronson released "Even This Is Going To Pass," a tender song of encouragement


that was shared via American Songwriter. The track features beautiful harmonies from Grammy

Award-winning Lori Mckenna and proceeds are being donated to Feeding America.

The video for the song was created by Antje Duvekot using a beautiful handmade technique. View the clip  "Even This Is Going To Pass," here.


Purchase "Even This Is Going To Pass" via Bandcamp to Benefit Feeding America here.

Eliot Bronson’s new single “With Somebody” is available now on all streaming platforms and


the album, Empty Spaces, is available for pre-order here.

Eliot Bronson online:



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Thanks for joining us here 
at the Acoustic Americana Music Guide!

CHECK BACK for more events, which may be added until a new edition takes over. The basic site url always takes you to our latest edition.

With a few fine exceptions... most artists are not giving much notice (hint-hint, swift kick in the ass!) before they suddenly decide to do a cyber show. For the present, we keep up the best we can.

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We have lots of MUSIC NEWS
features in the works, and they'll
be along as we get them dressed,
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Find a comfortable spot by the 

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of checkers. But we'll be along...
directly, from a safe social distance.
Direct from Cyberia.
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On to the necessary boilerplate...

Boilerplate? What "boilerplate"? Where's the main pressure gauge? And the firebox? How do you add water so it won't blow-up?

Who came up with that goofy term for the basic essential informational stuff? ...obviously some dumbass...

Alright already, it's right down there...

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♪ The ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC GUIDE endeavors to bring you NEWS – and views of interest to artists everywhere – more specifically to musicians and the creative community and music makers -- and fans of acoustic and Folk-Americana music. That includes both traditional and innovative forms. From the deepest roots to today’s acoustic renaissance, that’s our beat. We provide a wealth of resources, including a HUGE catalog of acoustic-friendly venues (now undergoing a major update), and inside info on FESTIVALS and select performances in Southern California in venues from the monumentally large to the intimately small and cozy. We cover workshops, conferences, and other events for artists and folks in the music industry, and all kinds o’ things in the world of acoustic and Americana and accessible classical music. From washtub bass to musical spoons to oboe to viola to banjo to squeezebox, from Djangostyle to new-fangled-old-time string band music, from sweet Cajun fiddle to bluegrass and pre-bluegrass Appalachian mountain music to all the swamp water roots of the blues and the bright lights of where the music is headed now.
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Here's a reprint of important info from one of our February editions:

COVID-19 Coronavirus PRACTICAL PRECAUTIONS

(good for avoiding the "regular" flu & colds, too) 

Compiled from medical and emergency responder databases and interview comments. Copy and paste into your phone / post / print / share.

•  Coronavirus lives on inorganic surfaces anywhere from two hours to NINE DAYS; it all seems dependent on temperature, unless it is killed by disinfectant. When tests revealed that, even health care workers were surprised. It brings more emphasis to many of the following points.

•  Get the flu vaccine -- ordinary flu will likely mimic Coronavirus, so avoid being ostracized and quarantined.

•  Wash your hands, a lot: scrub for 20 seconds and wash them often.

•  Stop shaking hands. Don't do "fist bumps" because that's still hand-to-hand contact. And don't become a mad elbow-bumper, because of the next point.

•  Cough into the inside of your elbow, ANY TIME you cough.

•  Keep your hands away from your face -- touching your nostrils, eyes, or mouth brings-in every germ your hands picked-up.

•  Get a little bottle of hand sanitizer on a miniature carabiner. Clip it to your belt loop or purse strap and use it frequently. (Be sure you snap the lid shut, or it'll drain all over your clothes.) You can refill it from the pump bottle by the sink.

• Make your own hand sanitizer if the stores are out. Formula, from a doctor who makes it with her kids: two parts isopropyl alcohol (drugstore alcohol, at least 70% alcohol), one part aloe vera gel, a dash of any essential oil. Works just ss well as store bought stuff.

• Stay home if you're sick -- even if you don't get paid, DON'T be the "Typhoid Mary" that brings a pandemic of this or ANYTHING contagious. If you're "taking one for the team," make it the big team -- ALL of us.

•  Don't be a transporter. Immediately remove shoes inside your front door and change clothes when you get home. Don't plunk-down on the couch until you shed what you were wearing at work or in the store or on the bus or in the coffee bar. Stop tracking everything from the sidewalk onto your kitchen and bathroom floors and your rug.

•  Be mindful of your car. Everything you touch, everywhere, is on your steering wheel. Everywhere you sit is on your car seat. Keep 'em disinfected -- Clorox wipe the wheel, Lysol spray the seats, often.

•  Everything you wear goes in the hamper. No multi-day wearings between washings.

•  Keep track of where Coronavirus and other flus are headed, the latest ways to avoid contagion, and what symptoms go with what disease, by putting the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL in your favorites: www.cdc.gov

•  Call your doctor or public health officials if you become symptomatic, and DON'T "just go" to the doctor or urgent care or ER; everybody else in the waiting room does not have what you have, and vice-versa.

•  Wear a mask when you go to the doctor (remember, everybody else in the waiting room does not have what you have, and vice-versa) -- the check-in counter will give you a surgical mask if you ask, or maybe even tell you it's mandatory. 

•  Don't buy-up all tbe masks that medical responders need. Nearly all the masks in the stores are Dust Masks, made to keep carpenters and other tradesmen from inhaling sawdust. Expecting those to protect you from tiny viruses is like trying to filter water with a tennis racket. Plus, wearing masks everywhere is not a good idea -- without training and lots of practice, you'll contaminate the thing and then breathe a stewpot of microorganisms up-close and personal.


•  Get proper nutrition and plenty of sleep to support your immune system. THAT is THE best way to stay healthy.

•   REALLY IMPORTANT: Think about what you routinely ignore:

   ~  your phone or tablet, which you constantly handle while you're touching everything else in the big, wide world, then keep handling when you're eating (keep your devices disinfected).

   ~  the Kleenex or cloth hankie you pull out of your pocket -- this time your nose or eye gets the side your dirty finger got last time (yeah, duh!)

   ~  door handles & knobs, especially "pull-to-exit" on the restroom door, and all door handles you grab or push.

   ~  gas pump handles -- whatever was deposited on them is now on your steering wheel, and marinading on your hands as you snack while driving.

   ~  restaurant menus, salt and pepper shakers, ketchup and mustard and hot sauce bottles that every unwashed hand touches. Same goes for bins of packaged condiments at fast foodies  or convenience store / gas stations (Use 'em, then use your hand sanitizer.)

   ~  lunch buffet serving spoons, spatulas, tongs that every unwashed hand uses in the food bins (your freshly-washed hands just got contaminated). And if sneeze guard glass panes aren't at the right height or aren't clean, demand a refund and leave.

   ~ coins in change and money, in general -- coins and folding money are germ transit systems. (Back to your little bottle of hand sanitizer.)

   ~ airline & train tray tables -- who knows when they were last cleaned and to what extent? When we saw a baby being changed on one... (bring a little plastic box of Clorox wipes when you travel).


   ~  bring your own food on the airplane -- you're probably doing that, anyway, since they stopped feeding you back when they started charging for carry-on luggage and made you ride with your knees in your armpits. Flight attendants have tested positive -- their hands pour drinks, dispense snacks, and pick-up everybody's garbage. 

   ~  remember to think and act consciously. There is an acute need to be mindful of others, so neither be paranoid reactive nor obliviously ignorant. There was great advice in the old cop show at the end of every briefing: "Be careful out there."

Read AND SHARE The Guide's complete feature story on the COVID-19 Coronavirus in the edition at: https://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2020/02/leap-day-weekend-leaping-into.html

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