The Writers Block - with Ron Knight

From a prior broadcast at Sirius New York, Ron gets to travel to Brazil to talk with author and instructor Luciano Alves, in the historic village of Parati. One of the activities of Luciano Alves in the field of teaching music is his research into methods that streamline the learning process, writing books showing the uses of chords and scales, as well as the development of piano-playing techniques. His books, methods and songbooks feature many different musical genres and writers, produced and edited by Luciano Alves for several different publishers globally and his books are available in English. The two sit down in the charming village of Parati which is and was a cultural cornucopia of history in Brazil where cross currents of invasions became reflected in the language of music. 

Chicago-based Bandoleros sit down with Ron Knight in the New York City Studios to talk about their unique, local but global fusion, a true World Music phenomenon, known for its spicy blend of musical styles that get people up on their feet. With Middle Eastern, Spanish flamenco and Latin flavors, with a unique, eclectic repertoire in such diverse languages as Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Turkish, Bandoleros’ spirited, get-up-and-dance music has resulted in sold-out performances in popular clubs and concert venues worldwide. 

What is it about the writings and music of Antonio Carlos Jobim that so defined the beauty and nature of what we think of Brazil. Ron is joined by legendary Brazilian Superstar Gal Costa in this historic interview, to talk of the music, the Bossa Nova, the writings of Jobim, and the flavors and love... of Brazil. 

What is the brilliance and meaning of The Magic Box? Reflecting on the story of the first guitar brought into an African village in the homeland, renown Classical Guitarist John Williams shares his story behind "The Magic Box" on Sony Classical. The piece works as tribute to the impact of Francis Bebey, awarded journalist, as the Cameroonian-born writer, author, guitarist, and composer, was also one of the best-known singer-songwriters of Africa. While the gramophone may have a needle in the past, the work moves the needle between Classical Music in the western traditions, while making room for the UNESCO honored author, surveyor of African Heritage and authority of African traditional music. 

How to Keep from Losing the Things that Make Your Life, Your Life. Your home, family, and the things that you love, safe and secure. Laura Greenwald joins Ron on this episode, to talk about Top Tech Toys, and how to Get Your Stuff Together in today's multiple potentials for emergency. Laura, along with her mother Janet, is one half of only mother/daughter writing team in the entertainment industry. Laura began her writing and production network sitcoms at MGM and Warner Brothers, and catches up with Ron on stories about mutual days of Hollywood, how relationships turned to development deals. The Greenwalds were introduced to emergency preparedness the hard way, as a horrendous medical tragedy took the life of their mother/grandmother, Elaine Sullivan. Laura ;and her mother Janet were kept from preventing the drug interaction that took Elaine's life. Pushed to become Champions of Advocacy, Laura & Jan joined forces with legislators in Illinois and California to enact three Next of Kin Laws, now enforced in both states to help prevent these by now all too common "death by lack of communication" contraindication stories. 

From Covid 19, to earthquakes, to hard drive crashes, over 600,000 readers have enjoyed Laura's emergency toolkits in the form of shortcut sheets, action plans, materials and books for better living and protection in these times of crisis - as well as great tip books on tech toys and gadgets to simplify life.  

How to Relax in 60 Seconds or Less? Join us as Ron chats with Robert Lawrence Friedman, MA, president of Stress Solutions, Inc. author, professional speaker/trainer, and psychotherapist, who has appeared on national and international television shows, including The Discovery Health Channel program, The Morning Show on Today (NBC), Fox News, and E! Television. Pandemic stress, or any time stress, Robert's books provide a wide range of relaxation techniques, strategies, and tools to help you develop a greater level of relaxation, health, well-being, and even awareness.  

How a police officer, was overtaken by Spirit through his boots. Can Spirit from Mbira cause you to jump out of your boots, to look inside at what you are doing? A visit with Stella Chiweshe, Queen of Mbira and cultural ambassador of Zimbabwe; a talk with Ron about the spiritual, medicinal healing power of mbira, which she learned from a time it was a forbidden instrument. The Grandmother of Traditional Music, secretly recognized as a Mbira player at forbidden ceremonies, share's a story from when Zimbabwe was still a Rhodesian colony ~ as the two talk Mbira. 

Film Historian, writer, comic actor, and author of "For the Love of Laughter, and the fortchcoming book "Comedy Crazy", Nick Santa Maria drops in once again to talk with Ron about the older black comedians in the film industry, Hollywood's perpetuation of the portrayed sterotypical roles, and yet as the only game in town, the rich, rewarding legacy to comedy and the legends of mass popular comedy film culture. The film fact, is that Black Comics Matter, and always will. From Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry, better known by the stage name Stepin Fetchit, to the major box office legacy of Mantan Moreland and more ~ the celebration of Comedy in Black Heritage Cinema is worthy any month, time and all year round.   

Though many music fans will be glad to see the end of 2020, the ongoing breakout years for career artist Colin Hay, veritable song writer of the 80's hit machine Men at Work, still carries on. Colin chats with Ron from a time not so long ago. “When you’re in your 20s, you think you’ve got all the time in the world,” Hay has said. “You get older, and you go through a quickening. Everything seems to get faster.” This podcast from some time back, feels like just the other day. With favorite Men at Work songs, 40 years on, you don’t even have to leave your house, which at the moment, is definitely still a good idea.

What is the genre, when the song writer's work is essentially a mini-script with a story to tell, to meter, and across cultures? When you're born Alaskan raised in Argentina, are you South or No South, multicultured, when you're described as Continental Post Folk (?) Ron has a chat, and a kick or two, with Kevin Johansen, a songwriter who mixes several rhythms, cultures and languages in the narrative of his musical work. To break borders musically, his stories also break paradigm, whether in Spanish or English to cross the borders of music.