May Scenes . . . and Some Trees & Traditions

Songs and tunes that involve opportunities for getting out and about in springtime – among the trees, to an assortment of eateries, and so on – and that celebrate the importance of honoring and passing along traditions are at the center of things in the Song Parlor this week.

Working Toward Getting Out & About -- & Off to the Dance

As we slip into May and get shots in the arm we’re eager to head outside and move on into post-pandemic times, so that’s what we’re doing in the Song Parlor this week – with an assortment of songs and tunes, old and new, that will eventually carry us off to the dance.

Celebrating Two Birthdays (Pete Seeger & John Muir) & Earth Day!

Musical birthday cards frame our Song Parlor podcast this week – one is for Pete Seeger (b, May 3, 1919) and the other honors John Muir (b. April 21,1838). Considering the pivotal roles these two creative visionaries played in championing environmental causes, it seems only fitting that in between we should bring together a few songs and tunes to mark the 51st anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd.

Springing Into April

This week in the Song Parlor we Spring into April!

We Were There: Some Women’s Places & Voices

As we race through March – Women’s History Month – it seems appropriate that women’s voice predominate in the Song Parlor this week. Along the way we’ll hear from some old time gals, listen to a few songs about women at work, sample several recent recordings, and meet a number of talented sisters.

Changing Times & Some Arrivals

This week we begin with sets that involve Great Changes and Time Changes before moving along to songs and tunes that explore Asian-American, Mexican-American and Irish-American experience and traditions, challenges and artistry – through pieces that carry us from California to New York island and beyond.

Struggling to Rise & Be Free -- & Heading Out to Sea

This week, as we move deeper into Mid-February, songs and tunes that involve the struggle for freedom -- and the impediments to achieving it -- will occupy much of our attention before we embark on a musical journey that will take us out to sea.

Winter Weather & Coming Together – in Community & in Love

This week’s show begins with wintery weather and then moves on to songs and tunes that involve coming together in community and (as Valentine’s Day draws near) in love.

Old Scenes & Ceremonies, Fresh Starts, and Two Birthdays

This week our opening set carries us from the world of George Washington to the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt with various stops along the way, and we follow that with several songs and tunes that in one way or another seem to offer fitting post-2020 election perspectives and hopes. Then, in the second half of the show we offer musical birthday cards for Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Burns.

Into ’21: Moving Forward (and Looking Back)

Turning the calendar page to a new year provides an irresistible moment for moving ahead (and looking back). On this week’s show we do that through songs and tunes – some new and a few from the distant past -- that in various ways consider the delights and challenges of change and being on the move. We also save some time in the second half of our show for a set of old and new animal songs as well as an assortment of pieces about season’s turning celebrations from Scotland and England.