eTown

This week on the eTown airwaves, we welcome neo-soul and modern R&B artist Allen Stone.

Also with us for her second visit to eTown is Nashville-based American country and rock singer/songwriter Nikki Lane.

Nick also has a conversation with Marc Barasch, founder of the Green World Campaign, who discusses how a regenerative agricultural revolution could be a solution to reversing climate change. Join us this week… in eTown!

Watch videos from the show HERE!

Earth Day is a huge deal for eTown. We taped our first show on Earth Day in 1991, launching our program with a commitment to both entertain and inform by featuring great live music, plus interviews with artists while presenting the views of experts, scientists, authors, and policy makers about the state of our environment and how we can each try to help heal the planet.

When we started, many radio stations were unsure of our particular format: one-of-a-kind live musical moments combined with compelling conversation. But eTown soon caught on, and we continue to reach more and more people. eTown was ahead of the curve, talking about climate change, almost 30 years ago. But though that discussion is far more common today than it was in 1991, the truth is, the Earth still needs our attention – now more than ever.

This week, we present our “Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary” Special, Covid-19 edition. Helen and Nick worked from home, she combing through the archives to select the various pieces, he writing and recording his parts. Their voices were recorded in their basement. eTown audio engineer extraordinaire Todd Ayers assembled it all with their direction. And the result is a lively, rich program we’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy. Lots of music, conversations with people like Jane Goodall and even the founder of Earth Day, the late Senator Gaylord Nelson – all from the eTown archives.

Where else are you going to hear Mavis Staples, a Woody Guthrie song sung in Arabic, Jack Johnson, and Jane Goodall all on the same show? That’s this week – in eTown.

For this week’s encore broadcast, we’re joined by Shook Twins, the Portland-based indie-folk duo (and twin sisters) known for their incredible harmonies, as well as the wide range of instruments they play.

Also with us is longtime friend of the show, gifted songwriter and player extraordinaire Danny Barnes (a past winner of The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass).

To round things out, we’ll share an inspiring eChievement Award story about Bill Lavin from New Jersey who started the Where Angels Play Foundation that builds playgrounds in areas of disaster or devastation to honor the victims of tragedy and provide places of hope and community for children and inspire healing.

In honor of Loretta Lynn’s birthday, April 14th, we decided to pull up this interview with the country music icon from her visit to eTown back in 2009. We hope you enjoy this gem as much as we do. Happy birthday, Loretta Lynn!

With the recent passing of the legendary singer-songwriter John Prine (October 10, 1946 - April 7, 2020), eTown host Nick Forster revisits the interview from John’s 1996 visit to the eTown stage. This podcast features a brief reflection from Nick and a conversation with John, as he discusses his family history and musical roots. John Prine left a lasting memory on us all, both here at eTown and beyond, and we’re forever grateful to have experienced his soul and legacy. 

It’s an eclectic hour of music and conversation in this week’s rerun with the acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Joachim Cooder (a talent in his own right who also happens to be the son of the iconic musician Ry Cooder).

Also making her first solo appearance on the show is singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bonnie Paine (a founding member of Elephant Revival).

Plus, we’ll hear from eChievement Award winner Sarah Evans, founder of an Austin-based nonprofit The Well- Aware Project that funds and implements clean water systems for impoverished communities in Africa. Be sure to tune in!

Our musical guests this week include the Missoula-based bluegrass, folk band The Lil Smokies, for their first ever visit to eTown.

We’re also joined by UK-born singer/songwriter Jack Broadbent, who received his start as a busker and is known for his unique blend of acoustic and slide guitar with folk and blues-inspired vocals.

Also, Nick has a conversation with Xiye Bastida, a 17-year-old youth environmental youth activist, who is often called “America’s Greta.” It’s a classic eTown not to be missed.

William Fitzsimmons returns to the show with his gentle, insightful sound (some compare him to Gregory Alan Isakov, Bon Iver, and Sufjan Stevens).

Also with us: young Raye Zaragoza, who is already an established singer, songwriter, and performer as well as a Native American activist.

Plus we’ve got a heartwarming eChievement Award story about a California man, Bryan Ware (The Crayon Initiative) who is reducing waste while helping young patients heal, all by recycling crayons. All, this week . . . in eTown.

The iconic group Railroad Earth returns to eTown after five years to share their unique sound, featuring elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, rock, country, jazz, and more.

We’ll also be joined by blues powerhouse Matt Andersen, for his second visit to eTown.

And we’ll hear from Bill Bennet, the current executive director of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a support organization that provides medical and financial relief to artists and musicians in need. Be sure to tune in!

eTown welcomes back one of the most recognizable musical voices of our generation, Colin Hay (known in part as his work as a member of Men at Work).

And Austin guitar virtuoso Doyle Bramhall II makes a trip to eTown this week to share some original songs.

Plus Nick talks with Kate Greenberg of the National Young Farmers Coalition about the financial challenges of starting out in sustainable agriculture today. That’s this week, in eTown!