Strung Out

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Film maker, social activist and artist David Rocco Facchini returns to Strung Out to discuss with Martin his years practicing Freeganism.  According to Wikipedia, Freeganism is an ideology of limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources, particularly through recovering wasted goods like food. Freeganism is often presented as synonymous with "dumpster diving" for discarded food, although freegans are distinguished by their association with an anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideology and their engagement in a wider range of alternative living strategies, such as voluntary unemployment, squatting in abandoned buildings, and "guerrilla gardening" in unoccupied city parks.

Facchini relates how he was able to live for a year mainly on food that was thrown out in area dumpsters of Chicago during his social experiment with Freeganism. 

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Most musicians dream of growing up and forming their own band.  Or perhaps joining one.  As a young musician, growing up in a predominantly African-American community in Cleveland, Ohio, Gary Geiger was exposed to rock, soul and many other forms of roots music.  Later in life, he turned toward classical music and on a chance, was given direction of a children's choir.  Inspired by that opportunity, Geiger created the Evanston Children's Choir, in Evanston, Illinois.   

It is a choir that is noted for an eclectic style of musical choices: soul, rock, country, jazz, many of the pieces created by regional musicians.  Geiger took a rock n' roll approach to a children's choir and created something very unique.  The critics are starting to take notice as the choir has started to perform with at important venues and with some respected classical (and pop) stars:

The ECC has performed in a wide variety of major venues including the Rosemont Theatre, Evanston’s Alice Millar Chapel, the Harris Theater in Chicago’s Millennium Park and Orchestra Hall. The ECC has grown from a mere three (3) singers at its inception to a multi-tiered program that continues to expand.  ECC ensembles are regularly sought after for collaborations and have shared the stage with the likes of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, the Evanston Symphony, Barry Manilow, S.O.U.L. Creations, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Ondas Ensemble and the North Shore Choral Society. All the while, since its founding in 2002, the ECC has remained committed to its roots, serenading Evanstonians young and old in free outreach performances at schools and community centers.

The Evanston Choir website.

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

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Martin McCormack - YouTube

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Most musicians dream of growing up and forming their own band.  Or perhaps joining one.  As a young musician, growing up in a predominantly African-American community in Cleveland, Ohio, Gary Geiger was exposed to rock, soul and many other forms of roots music.  Later in life, he turned toward classical music and on a chance, was given direction of a children's choir.  Inspired by that opportunity, Geiger created the Evanston Children's Choir, in Evanston, Illinois.   

It is a choir that is noted for an eclectic style of musical choices: soul, rock, country, jazz, many of the pieces created by regional musicians.  Geiger took a rock n' roll approach to a children's choir and created something very unique.  The critics are starting to take notice as the choir has started to perform with at important venues and with some respected classical (and pop) stars:

The ECC has performed in a wide variety of major venues including the Rosemont Theatre, Evanston’s Alice Millar Chapel, the Harris Theater in Chicago’s Millennium Park and Orchestra Hall. The ECC has grown from a mere three (3) singers at its inception to a multi-tiered program that continues to expand.  ECC ensembles are regularly sought after for collaborations and have shared the stage with the likes of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, the Evanston Symphony, Barry Manilow, S.O.U.L. Creations, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Ondas Ensemble and the North Shore Choral Society. All the while, since its founding in 2002, the ECC has remained committed to its roots, serenading Evanstonians young and old in free outreach performances at schools and community centers.

The Evanston Choir website.

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

MARTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Martin McCormack - YouTube

FACEBOOK
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Part Two
During an arts conference last September, Martin met Ananda Bena-Weber, who performed part of her one-person show, Fancifool.   So unusual was the combination of choreography, humor and acting that a request for an interview was made.   Not only is Ananda a great artist, she also has a strong mission to present her art in an effort to bring all people together as in the United States motto: E Pluribus Unum.   Her own words describe that mission best:
“I believe very strongly in the importance of art in today’s society –especially the classical arts. The prevalence of the materialism, mechanism, instant gratification, and emptiness (perhaps the root cause) that abound in consumer society can isolate the individual soul and impoverish the imagination. As we aspire toward a higher quality of art, we return to ourselves. The ethos of the classical arts demands that we, as human beings, examine our place in the natural world. We strive to 'hold the mirror up to nature' and in doing so, are revived and enriched by the exquisite grace that we suddenly discover all around. I firmly believe that any true and honest effort toward that end, however small, is hugely important and life-affirming. I am grateful to everyone who engages in such an effort. They are helping to make our world a more luminous, more compassionate, more joyful place.”

Her website is Ananda Bena-Weber (anandabenaweber.com)
Her show FANCIFOOL website. fancifool!

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

MARTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Martin McCormack - YouTube

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Part One
During an arts conference last September, Martin met Ananda Bena-Weber, who performed part of her one-person show, Fancifool.   So unusual was the combination of choreography, humor and acting that a request for an interview was made.   Not only is Ananda a great artist, she also has a strong mission to present her art in an effort to bring all people together as in the United States motto: E Pluribus Unum.   Her own words describe that mission best:
“I believe very strongly in the importance of art in today’s society –especially the classical arts. The prevalence of the materialism, mechanism, instant gratification, and emptiness (perhaps the root cause) that abound in consumer society can isolate the individual soul and impoverish the imagination. As we aspire toward a higher quality of art, we return to ourselves. The ethos of the classical arts demands that we, as human beings, examine our place in the natural world. We strive to 'hold the mirror up to nature' and in doing so, are revived and enriched by the exquisite grace that we suddenly discover all around. I firmly believe that any true and honest effort toward that end, however small, is hugely important and life-affirming. I am grateful to everyone who engages in such an effort. They are helping to make our world a more luminous, more compassionate, more joyful place.”

Her website is Ananda Bena-Weber (anandabenaweber.com)
Her show FANCIFOOL website. fancifool!

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

MARTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Martin McCormack - YouTube

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This podcast looks at some of the statistics Martin received regarding STRUNG OUT on Buzzsprout, the platform we use.   It's gratifying to see that the show has listeners in other countries, and a great shout out to our listeners in Germany.  Danke!   Martin's daughter, Aine reads out the stats, and we listen to her wishes for 2024.  We end the year playing two cuts from Miss Rack's Zoo, an album Martin recorded with Aine.   Happy New Year Everyone!

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

MARTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Martin McCormack - YouTube

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Like a ship stuck out in the doldrums, the holiday season is an odd stillness of time, when activities slow down, families gather together, and less attention is paid to what is going on around them.    Sure, there will be that odd family that loves to post pictures of everyone making snow angels, but for most of us, it is a welcome time to let time run its course, without us glancing at social media or worrying so much.  Martin picks three more of the Mr. Marty Show holiday classics to share and he records from the "mobile unit" waiting in a parking lot in Evanston, Illinois for Annie and Aine.  In an odd way, it's a fitting way to wind down 2023, take in the holiday of Christmas and acknowledge that old year is almost past, but the new year is still far enough away.  Enjoy Martin's musings and music. 

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
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Invasion and Migration.  Two words that are used quite interchangeably.    Both are the displacement or change of an existing population by a new group.  While migration can be beneficial to a country, there can be a tipping point where a country either will not or cannot be able to host such a surge of humanity.  In the case of ancient Rome, migration, fueled by violence in border areas next to the empire ultimately led to its collapse.  In the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the current violence is caused by hardliners fomenting violence on both side and the rejection of compromise.  In the case of the immigration surge on the US southern border, it is a combination of both: violence in neighboring countries has led to unprecedented migration.   Compromise to mitigate the migration would be finding a monetary solution to undercut the organized crime fueling the violence in drugs and human trafficking.  It also might mean the ouster of authoritarian regimes in some countries that also fuel the crisis of migration.   Martin explores the problem of migration and how it can lead to invasion.    The last segment takes a look at the changing of state flags to represent a more perfect union these days.  Martin laments that Illinois is long overdue for a better flag. 

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

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Martin McCormack - YouTube

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On this episode of Strung Out, Martin plays some of the music performed by the Evanston Children's Choir at the holiday concert given on December 8, 2023, at Alice Millar Chapel at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.  Just back from a Switchback holiday road trip himself, Martin talks about the need to cultivate joy, spins one of his own holiday tunes and features a great holiday song by his friend Dave Rudolph.  

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

MARTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Martin McCormack - YouTube

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Do you want a sneak listen to some of the music from Red or Blue?  Well, here it is!

Support the show

We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links:

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK

MARTIN'S WEBSITE:
http://www.MARTINMcCORMACK.COM 
(note---you can get my weekly bulletin when you sign up on the list!)

MARTIN'S MUSIC:
Music | Martin Laurence McCormack (bandcamp.com)
Martin McCormack | Spotify

MARTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Martin McCormack - YouTube

FACEBOOK
Facebook...