Floyd Gibbons: Early Radio's Answer to Indiana Jones

He was a cross between Edward R. Murrow and Indiana Jones. And he was one of radio's first newsmen. Like most of radio's earliest news reporters and anchors, Floyd Gibbons was originally a newspaper reporter.

My fascination with Gibbons began when I was working as the Radio Curator at the Museum of Television & Radio in NYC. I was going through some boxes in our warehouse when I found some rather interesting items. In addition to books, notes, letters, and other items, there was a small bag filled with what I later discovered were eye-patches. This put me in research mode and I discovered Floyd Gibbons, who would quickly become one of my heroes of early radio.


As a newspaper writer for the Chicago Tribune, Gibbons was known for an amazingly descriptive style...something that would carry over into his radio work.

His life is well documented in other places, but here are a few highlights:

• As a young newspaper reporter, Gibbons covered 1916 Mexican Expedition (also known as the Pancho Villa Expedition), even though Pancho Villa declared that any "gringos" found on Mexican soil would be killed on sight. As a reporter, he gained Villa's trust and accompanied him on several battles and was able to bring important news back to the states.
• In 1917, he was a passenger on the armed merchant cruiser (converted from an ocean liner) the RMS Laconia on it's final voyage across the Atlantic. On that voyage on February 25, 1917, the Laconia was torpedoed by the Germans. The boat sank and 12 of the 75 people on board were killed. Gibbons survived the attack and gained fame for his reports about the event. He later wrote a book about WWI called "And They Thought We Wouldn't Fight," which begins with the sinking of the Laconia.
• Despite that, perhaps his most famous episode came in 1918 as he covered the Battle of Belleau Wood in France. During the battle, Gibbons was right up front as the American troops advanced. Gibbons was shot three times, the third bullet ripping out his left eye. Gibbons even refused treatment until injured soldiers were treated. It was that injury that gave Gibbons his trademark eye patch for which he would be known in later years. You can read Gibbons' own account of the event here.
  

Later on, Gibbons made the transition to radio as both a newsman and commentator. His fast-talking and descriptive approach to the news was as interesting as his writing. Here is a clip from his reporting on the devastating flooding in the Connecticut River Valley in 1936, which he observed during a 300 mile flight up and down both sides of the river:



Gibbons even had a book series called the Floyd Gibbons School of Broadcast (of which I thankfully have a set), and also wrote The Red Knight of Germany, a biography of the Red Baron.

Gibbons was also a very popular voice on newsreels during the 20s and 30s, including the Oscar winning "With Byrd at the South Pole," and he eventually received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sadly, Gibbons died at his Pennsylvania home in 1939 at the age of only 53. I was fortunate to have had the chance to listen to much of his work, and still have copies of each of his books. They sure don't make reporters like they used to!

56 Years Before 9/11: B-25 Bomber Crashes into Empire State Building

On the morning of 9/11 I stepped off the train from CT in Grand Central at approximately the time the first plane was flown into the World Trade Center, though I wasn't aware of the incident until I got to my office about 15 minutes later. Like the rest of the world, I was riveted to my TV, watching coverage of what we later learned was a terrorist attack, not an accident.

What many of us don't realize, is that something somewhat similar happened in NYC more than a half century before. Not a terrorist attack, but an accident, as a B-25 bomber flew into the side of the Empire State Building.



Long story short, on July 28, 1945, Lt. Col. William Smith was piloting a B-25 Bomber through New York City on his way to Newark when he got lost in the fog. Rather than land at LaGuardia, Smith continued his flight, and at 9:49 a.m. the plane crashed into the 79th floor of the north side of the Empire State Building. Fourteen people, including Smith and his crew, were killed in the incident.



Like 9/11, there were those who jumped to their death as they sought to escape the wreckage and fire. Two women were in an elevator that plunged 75 floors, and one of them survived.

All three major radio networks (CBS, NBC, and Mutual) covered the event, including interviews with witnesses and survivors.

My friend Joe Richman, producer of NPR's "Radio Diaries" put an amazing audio piece together two years ago, which includes interviews with some of the survivors, and some amazing archival audio material, including a recording of the actual incident as it occurred, as recorded by a dictation machine. Listen in to The Day A Bomber Hit The Empire State Building.



This was an amazing event with some incredible radio coverage. Coming out of World War II, radio news had grown up and was well prepared to cover events of this stature. Good radio is described as that which paints a "word picture." Not only did the radio of the time paint some amazing word pictures as reporters described the situation, but the Radio Diaries piece that Joe and his team put together gives you a great sense of what went on.

Listen to this piece, and I'm convinced you'll be fascinated.

"Oh, the humanity!..."

It is one of the most famous and most memorable broadcasts in history: the Hindenburg disaster. You've probably heard excerpts of the radio broadcast and seen the newsreel footage on television. But there are a few interesting facts about this broadcast/event from May6, 1937 that make it even more interesting. But first, here is the text of a portion of Herbert W. Morrison's coverage of the event, during which he breaks down in tears:

It's practically standing still now. They've dropped ropes out of the nose of the ship; and they've been taken ahold of down on the field by a number of men. It's starting to rain again; it's... the rain had slacked up a little bit. The back motors of the ship are just holding it just enough to keep it from...It's burst into flames! It burst into flames, and it's falling, it's crashing! Watch it! Watch it! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get this, Charlie; get this, Charlie! It's fire... and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my! Get out of the way, please! It's burning and bursting into flames and the... and it's falling on the mooring mast. And all the folks agree that this is terrible; this is the one of the worst catastrophes in the world. [indecipherable] its flames... Crashing, oh! Four- or five-hundred feet into the sky and it... it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It's smoke, and it's in flames now; and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast. Oh, the humanity! and all the passengers screaming around here. I told you; it—I can't even talk to people Their friends are out there! Ah! It's... it... it's a... ah! I... I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest: it's just laying there, mass of smoking wreckage. Ah! And everybody can hardly breathe and talk and the screaming. Lady, I... I... I'm sorry. Honest: I... I can hardly breathe. I... I'm going to step inside, where I cannot see it. Charlie, that's terrible. Ah, ah... I can't. Listen, folks; I... I'm gonna have to stop for a minute because [indecipherable] I've lost my voice. This is the worst thing I've ever witnessed.

And here is some of that recording which was later married to some newsreel footage:



One of the most interesting things about this broadcast, of which most people aren't aware, is that it wasn't aired live on radio...and almost didn't make it on the air at all. The Hindenburg began it's journeys from Germany to Lakehurst, NJ in March of 1936. Reporters provided live coverage of a number of those voyages during its inaugural season, but by 1937 it was old hat, so no one was on hand in Lakehurst to provide live coverage. Compare this to coverage of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Coverage of shuttle missions had become so commonplace, that by the time of the Challenger launch, none of the broadcast networks were providing live coverage, leaving CNN as the only source for coverage of that historic event from the beginning. The other networks obviously broke in after the fact, but missed those first crucial moments.

Enter Herbert W. Morrison, reporter for WLS out of Chicago. Morrison was an airship enthusiast who implored the station to allow him to go and record the landing on transcription discs, along with engineer Charlie Nielsen. (Transcription discs were the recording medium of the time; looking like vinyl albums, yet generally 16" in diameter. Most of them were aluminum based, covered in acetate).

The two main radio networks of the time, NBC and CBS, had strict policies against airing recorded material (outside of recorded sound effects). It just wasn't done, and, in fact, the Mutual Broadcasting System was seen as a lesser network because it did broadcast some pre-recorded material in year end retrospective shows. (CBS had an interesting way of handling this. In their weekly news retrospective program The March of Time, rather than use recordings of newsmakers, they would use actors and impersonators and recreate famous events. It was on programs like this that Orson Welles got his start in radio.)

As a result, it took nearly 24 hours for NBC to agree to actually air the recordings of this dramatic event, and they only did so in conjunction with an on-air interview with Morrison. This is the first time a major network allowed pre-recorded news on the air.

It is also important to remember that radio news really didn't exist at this point, with the exception of live coverage of events. For the most part, regularly scheduled newscasts did not exist; they wouldn't really come along until more than a year later when CBS's coverage of the Munich Crisis gave rise to the much heralded World News Roundup (which is the prototype for the way broadcasters cover news to this day). For the most part, news was on the air only with the occurrence of major events.

Because of this, Morrison's coverage of the Hindenburg explosion was a major resource and source of inspiration for a young Orson Welles and writer Howard Koch, as they prepared and presented the famous 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. They tried to emulate the passion and emotion from Morrison's recordings as they described the landing of Martians (also in New Jersey!).

Finally, audio experts have listened to the recordings of Morrison and believe that they were recorded at a slightly slower than normal speed, meaning that when played back, his voice is actually faster and at a higher pitch, adding to the sense of urgency and emotion. Engineers have also examined the original transcription discs and have noted deeper grooves at the actual times of the explosion. With that sort of primitive technology (advanced for the time!) it is truly a miracle that these recordings exist at all.

History Does Not Exist In A Vacuum

History does not exist in a vacuum. The media that record history, also shape that history.

As someone who works in Social Media, and as a historian of sorts, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how media itself is a part of history: a shaper of history that is often ignored. My background is in radio and I’ve read plenty of books about both history and radio (and the history of radio!) to know that it’s rare for historians to give media its proper place.

Recent events have spurred me on to revive this blog and, for at least a while, look at specific events in our history as delivered to us via various media. In most cases I’ll be talking about radio, since I spent a good many years studying and analyzing the history of radio and its place in history.

In many cases, the media that records our history is an important player in that history.

So stay tuned...I hope you enjoy the ride. This blog, as it takes a new shape, is mostly for me, as I research a number of ongoing projects and use this space to give voice to some of that research. I'll be writing about a lot of topics: advertising, sports, aviation, war, disaster, life in general...but all in relation to the media that reported on and influenced them. And hopefully you'll find it interesting and learn something along the way.

New Website and Blog

In case you missed it, I've launched my new blog and website. That's not to say I won't be blogging here again, but if I do, it will be much less frequently.

Check my new site and blog out at: Inkling Media

To Blog or Not To Blog

I've been asked by a few people to update my blog. A fair request, and one I would love to favor.
So why haven't I blogged as much lately? Several months ago I moved and at the same time went through a few other changes, including a bit of employment upheaval. I found that having more free time on my hands didn't translate into more time for blogging. On the contrary, I find that when my day is more structured it is much easier for me to sit down and write.

Fast forward a few months and I'm in a different state of employment upheaval, albeit more on the good side. I'm working more, yet the circumstances behind the lack of blogging is different.

So here's the deal. Very soon I will be "officially" launching my new website, where I'll be blogging more, but mostly about social media. Additionally, I'll also be contributing to two other blogs, writing about music, all things local...and if you mash the two up....local music!

Herein lies my dilemma: do I keep this blog, and if I do...what do I blog about? Do I use it as an aggregator of my writings at other blogs? I certainly don't think I'll have too much time to write for this blog AND three other blogs.

Help? Input? Guidance? Thank you!

Weekend Music Game: June!

Well, for some people, Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer...but for me there is something special about the start of June. It just feels more like summer, and June is just around the corner. So why not a June themed weekend music game? This one is a little trickier. Put your music player on shuffle/random and let it fly. Just keep hitting skip until you find a song that fits the criteria. Here's what we're looking for:

Song 1: J - First song or artist that starts with J
Song 2: U - First song title that includes the word "You" (or any variation, i.e. "your," etc)
Song 3: N - First song or artist that begins with N
Song 4: E - First song or artist that begins with E
Song 5: A song that comes up that REALLY reminds you of summer.

And of course we'd love some comments and explanations on these songs.

And be creative...you always are. Doesn't matter if it's the first or last name that begins with the letter. We're all about creative license here on the porch! Oh, and feel free to do them out of order, because this one takes a little time. Just put them in order when you post them.

So I'll go first...here's what I came up with...

J - Jimmy Jazz by The Clash - from one of my all time favorite albums. Great way to start!

U - Thank You by Dido - I met Dido when she was doing a private show at my workplace when she was touring in support of this CD. I'm still hooked. This album stands up well.

N - Numbered Lithograph by John Vanderslice - Not an artist I consciously choose to listen to, but every time he comes up on my mp3 player I really enjoy it.

E - The Envy Corps performing Keys to Good Living - Great indie rock band that you all should check out. Love their sound. I think my friend Lori turned me on to them.

Summer Song - And It Stoned Me by Van Morrison. I was just commenting the other day that Van Morrison's greatest hits compilation is the perfect summer driving CD...great for a road trip.

Alright then...your turn! Have fun with this.

I'm On A Porch...

In case you haven't heard...I have a porch.

We moved to Lancaster city nearly two months ago, and the one thing this new house has that I've never really had before is a front porch. Not a stoop. A porch. About 8 feet above street level, set back from the road, with a railing, and two glider benches.

I've joked about the fact that I have a porch, and spend a lot of time on it, and this fact has pretty much gone viral. But it's more than just a joke or a diversion. The fact is, I love my porch. Because I work out of my home and have wireless, I can just as easily work on my porch. Just yesterday my friend Joel came over with his laptop, sat on the porch, and we both worked while we chatted. It was very relaxing. I can even have clients stop by for business. Much better than meeting inside in a stuffy office.

I can sit on my porch with my dog and relax. I can watch people as they pass by, figure out who my neighbors are (some might call that being nosey), and check on the steady flow of traffic. And of course, for those who follow me on Twitter, I can comment on what's going on around me.

Like at this very moment an ambulance is speeding by with it's sirens blaring...and my dog is howling. In his five years of live he has never howled until we moved to the city. Now it is a daily occurrence with the steady stream of sirens.

I also have a nice back yard with a deck...and lots of sun. I could spend my time there soaking up the warmth, but then I wouldn't be able to interact with Lancaster and its residents. I wouldn't see my friends as they drove by and honked at me. I'd miss out on a lot.

But for me, the porch is more than all of this. It is a symbol of community. For the five years that I lived in the suburbia that is Elizabethtown, I barely ever saw or got to know my neighbors. And not for lack of trying. But at the end of the day, they would drive home from work, the garage door would open, and they would drive in and close the door behind them...never to be seen again until the following morning when they left for work again. Here in Lancaster, in the two short months that I've lived here I've met quite a few of my neighbors. The couple two doors down made a point of coming over and introducing themselves. They told me that they really desire that our little slice of Lancaster would feel like a neighborhood. Like the kind of neighborhood I grew up in. Everyone knew everyone else. We played together. We worked together. We had cookouts together. I miss that.

So for me, my porch is really all about community. Or as one friend said, a "safe place." A place where friends can stop by and relax and chat. We can get to know one another over a cup of coffee or a glass of my home brewed sweet tea. Sure they have to deal with my over-exuberant dog until he calms down, but that's part of the charm as well. It's a place for both individuals and families. Grown-ups and children. To read one of my favorite authors, Wendell Berry, you will learn that community implies both "membership" and "interdependency." What I do has an impact on my neighbors. In his book, The Long-Legged House, Berry notes:

A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is
shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the
possibilities of each other's lives.

That is how I view my porch. It may be MY porch, but I want to share it with others. With you. It is a sanctuary of public solitude, and a refuge. At times it can be noisy because of all the traffic, but when I sit out here alone, I am in a place of silence. And when I sit here with friends, despite the chaos around us, it is a place of relaxed conversation.

So...with that, I invite you to my porch. Yes, you too can be a part of Porchapalooza 2009. And if you can't make it, enjoy your own porch, your own community...and be welcoming to your friends and neighbors.

Weekend Music Game: Summer's almost here!

Today is Music Friday in Lancaster and my family and I will be hanging out at Building Character on the 300 Block of North Queen Street, checking out the music of Katie Becker and Trash & Glory. Hope to see you there.

And since I'm bringing back the Weekend Music Game, let's look forward to summer. All of the big summer festivals are announcing their lineups. So I thought we could do our own festivals. Put your music player on shuffle/random and play the first ten songs...no skipping. Jot 'em down for us here and let us know what your personal summer festival would be like.

So now, here's the lineup for my Porch-a-palooza 2009.

1. R.E.M. performing "It's the End of the World as We Know It" on the Aging, but still very Hip, Rockers Stage.

2. Bruce Cockburn performing "Wondering Where the Lions Are" on the Straight from Canada, eh? Stage.

3. Mark Heard performing "It's Not Your Fault" on the Gone, but Defnitely Not Forgotten Stage.

4. Chatterbox performing "Fallen" on the Industrial Porch Stage.

5. Brandston performing "Breaking Ground" on the Back When Emo Didn't Suck Stage.

6. Eric Clapton performing "Let it Rain" on the Guitar Hero Stage.

7. Fleming & John performing "Don't Let it Fade Away" on the UberCool Married Couples Stage

8. Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash performing "Careless Love" on the Dead & Alive Stage

9. The Dingees performing "The World's Last Night" on Where Did All the Cool Punkers Go? Stage

10. Starflyer 59 performing "No New Kinda Story" on the Gaze at Your Shoes Stage

And ten more performers who MIGHT make surprise appearances:

The Lassie Foundation
The Vigilantes of Love
Lovedrug
764-HERO
Andy Pratt
Pigeon John
The Fire Theft
The Promise Ring
Pony Express
Dolour

Alright. Now it's your turn. If your music player programmed a festival for you, who would be performing?

The Shackeltons: An Inspirational Story

Been awhile since I've blogged and I know I need to get back into it, so when I read this story over at NPR, I figured this was as good a reason as any, since Mother's Day is tomorrow.

The Shackeltons are one of the coolest bands to come out of Central PA, and lead singer Mark Redding and the guys put everything into all of their shows. This story from NPR really shines a light on what Mark and his band are all about, and really gave me a new appreciation for their music and live performances. Read and enjoy...and make sure you get out and see them live. Can't wait to hear some new recorded music from them in the near future.

And make sure you do wonderful things for your mother (and the mother of your children) on this Mother's Day weekend.

Harry Kalas - 1936 - 2009

I was stunned this afternoon when my son yelled down the stairs to me: "Harry Kalas died!" The words didn't sink in quite so fast, but then I started getting messages on Twitter and Facebook, as well as text messages. Harry Kalas passed away this afternoon after collapsing in the broadcast booth just hours before today's Phillies game in Washington against the Nationals.

Harry Kalas, was in my opinion, the greatest voice ever to call the game of baseball. The Hall of Fame announcer of the Philadelphia Phillies was "it." He had the goods. The best pipes in the business. His voice is embedded in my head, with Kalas and his trademark "Outta here!" home-run call. His voice uttering the name "Michael Jack Schmidt" every time Schmitty hit one out of the park. And most importantly, his voice calling the final out of the Phillies' World Series victory last season.

Kalas joined the Phils as an announcer in 1971, and was the voice of the Phillies for all but the first nine years of my life. You can look back at all the great players who have donned a Phillies uniform over the past 38 years. Schmidt. Luzinski. Carlton. McGraw. Utley. Rollins. Howard. But players, and certainly managers, come and go. Even the broadcast booth saw a bit of a revolving door, but for the past 38 years, Harry Kalas has been there, and in some ways, defined the Phillies. He was the constant...through all the lean years, as well as through the World Series Championship seasons of 1980 and 2008, and of course the "almost" seasons of 1983 and 1993.

I still get chills listening to his voice, and some of his trademark calls. I was fortunate enough to have met him on three separate occasions, one of which was a seminar called "Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Baseball on the Radio," which I moderated at the Museum of Television & Radio in NYC. The seminar featured legends, and local NY announcers, but Kalas was clearly the star of the panel, with the other announcers recognizing the talent in their midst.

As I write this, the fans at Nationals Park in Washington are observing a moment of silence for Harry. I'm merely a fan, and there is an empty feeling inside. I can't imagine what it must be like for Harry's colleagues to have to call today's game...or for the players to play the game. All I know is...Harry, you will be missed.

Welcoming Spring: The Weekend Music Game

First off, I apologize for not updating the blog lately, but things have been very busy and will hopefully settle down over the next two weeks.

But...I can't neglect the weekend music game for too long! I didn't have time to really come up with a theme, so we'll stick to the basics. Music player on random/shuffle, and list the first ten songs you come up with. Perhaps comment on them. And, as always, no skipping! And see if anything comes up that reminds you of Spring, because today IS the first day of Spring.

Here's my list for the weekend:

1. John Vanderslice - Parade - this is from a live Daytrotter Session. I love this song. Just really got into Vanderslice within the past year after seeing him at the Chameleon. VERY small audience, but a great intimate show.

2. Lovedrug - Happy Apple Poison - another band I saw for the first time at the Chameleon a few years ago. Quirky voice, but I like it.

3. Copeland - May I Have This Dance - whoa...I'm sensing a theme. Saw these guys at the Chameleon for the first time...and I think it was on the same bill as Lovedrug! Really pretty vocals and music.

4. T-Bone Burnett - Stunned - OK, I've never seen T-Bone live...let alone at the Chameleon. But I've been a fan of his music since about 1980. Great producer, but I love his solo discs.

5. The Lassie Foundation - We Are Kings - nice Southern Cali indie-pop band featuring the talents of Wayne Everett and Eric Campuzano, among others. Now this is the kind of music that would be fun to listen to in the car on a warm Spring day.

6. U2 - I Will Follow - this is the live version from Under A Blood Red Sky. 'Nuff said.

7. Always Sunday - Let You Down - One of my favorite songs from this band that is no longer together, featuring one of my favorite singers, Trent Dabbs. I've loved all of his projects and his solo stuff is great.

8. The Gloria Record - Grace the Snow is Here - Well...I guess this is NOT the kind of thing you want to hear on the first day of Spring. I'm not interested in any more snow, thank you.

9. The Violet Burning - More - I'm partial to earlier Violet Burning stuff, but this is still good stuff from the album Drop Dead. Love Michael Pritzl's voice.

10. Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused - Going REALLY old school here. Gotta love me some Zep.

And ten more quick ones for the road:

11. Future of Forestry - All I Want

12. Michael Knott - Deaf and Dumb

13. Mute Math - Picture

14. Mark Heard - She Don't Have a Clue

15. Fly Eagles Fly - Philadelphia Eagle's fight song - hmm. Wish I had a Phillies song!

16. Serene - Autumn

17. U2 - Shadows and Tall Trees

18. Robert Deeble - Blue

19. Van Morrison - Steppin' Out Queen

20. Yes - Starship Trooper

OK, now it's your turn. Add a comment with your ten songs for the weekend. And have a happy first day of Spring. And don't forget, that means it's Free Rita's Day!

Weekend Music Game

Well, due to the fact that I'm really busy, I didn't put a lot of thought into this edition of the Weekend Music Game. So really quick...down and dirty old school version. Music player on random/shuffle and list the first 10 songs you hear...no skipping! See what surprises you come up with.

Here's my list:

1. Brandtson - As You Wish - one of their older songs. Still enjoy this stuff.

2. Woven Hand - The Good Hand - I think this is from the first Woven Hand album (post 16 Horsepower), and I really love this song.

3. Bob Dylan - Jokerman - nice song from Infidels.

4. Glorybox - Sonic Ocean

5. Mute Math - Control - can't wait to hear more from these guys

6. The Juliana Theory - Love - has a bit of a Joe Jackson feel to it...

7. Brown Feather Sparrow - Sleep Well Child - nice and quiet beautiful song.

8. The Bird and the Bee - Because

9. Always Sunday - Great - another great project involving Trent Dabbs. Love his music and his voice.

10. Elvis Costello - Clubland - seriously catchy tune.

Ok...your turn!

Your Weekend Musix Fix

Once again, Central PA is bustin' at the seams with all kinds of great music (and other entertainment) throughout the area, so don't come whining to me if you can't find anything to do.

Ken's Picks o' the Week:

Pick #1: 3/6 - It's First Friday in Lancaster, and while the focus is on art, there is still plenty of music to be found throughout the city. You can check out 8-Track Radio at Building Character, or hop across the street to the new Progressive Galleries featuring music from The Greatest Funeral Ever. There is sure to be other music at other venues throughout the city as well. And don't forget the First Friday After Party in the Lizard Lounge at 10 p.m.

Pick #2: 3/8 - Local favorites Slimfit and Perkasie rock the house at the Chameleon Sunday night, along with former local Madi Diaz. A great showcase of what Central PA is able to produce in terms of music. This is an XPN Welcomes event.

Friday, March 6:

Adam and the Weight (Adam Kowalczyk of Live) at the Chameleon, Lancaster

The Thrives, Flatbed Ford, and Girls Like Cigarettes at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Irishfest featuring Wyndfall in the Brewpub at ABC, Harrisburg

The Irish Rovers at the Hershey Theatre

Carl Peterson at the Ten Thousand Villages Cafe, Ephrata

Saturday, March 7:

XPN Welcomes Penn's Mask & Wig Club to Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster

Irishfest featuring Fire in the Glen in the Brewpub at ABC, Harrisburg

Dakini w/ FDR & the New Deal at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Josh Blue (Last Comic Standing season 4 winner) at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg

Capitol Bandstand - A showcase for undiscovered local bands at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, York

Spring Doo Wop Cavalcade at the American Music Theatre, Lancaster

Adam Blessing at McCleary's Pub, Marietta

The Reese Project and Indian Summer Jars at Bube's Brewery, Mount Joy

Stinging Nettles & 8-Track Radio at Quip's Pub, Lancaster

Sunday, March 8:

The Peking Acrobats at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg

And that's what's going on. Feel free to comment with other events of interest.

This is Not Your Mother's Art Gallery: The Progressive Galleries

There's a new gallery on the scene in downtown Lancaster. While it has been open a bit for the past few weeks, the Progressive Galleries will have it's grand opening "Art Explosion" this Friday night, March 6th, as part of Lancaster's First Friday events.

The Progressive Galleries isn't your mom's art gallery. This isn't just a space for art to hang on walls. For the past two years the Gallery has had a presence in Harrisburg and is more event driven. Art installations combined with music and projections have been happening up there on about a monthly basis. The Gallery also has a presence in York with the White Rose Gallery Project. But they have never really had a home to call their own. Now all that is about to change. Partners Jonas Hair and Walter Diehl are opening over 2000 square feet of space at 323 North Queen Street (in the Keppel Building, or Candy Factory) which will serve as the flagship space for their tri-county operation.

This Friday's "Art Explosion" will feature artwork from local Central PA artists, as well as music from New Cumberland-based band, The Greatest Funeral Ever. There will also be projections by Justin Ayala and live painting throughout the evening by Sean Poole. 

Normal hours for the new gallery are: Tues - Thurs, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., though they will be open later on First Fridays.

Hope to see you all there this Friday night for the grand opening, as a bunch of us will be converging on the Keppel Building. And don't forget to join the Progressive Galleries Facebook group.

Weekend Music Game: Getting Ready for March

They say that when March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb...and vice versa. So with March around the corner, let's find the lambs and lions in your music collection. This will be a test of musical diversity of sorts. The lambs are the quieter, softer, perhaps slower, tunes, while the lions are the roaring, hard rockin', faster and louder tunes. 

So start shuffling through your music collection randomly and tell us about at least the first two lions and the first two lambs you come across. Just keep it random. This could be interesting. I'll probably do a few more than two.

My Lambs:

T0morrow - U2 - one of the quieter tunes from October, and a song that doesn't get much mention when people talk about U2. "Won't you be back tomorrow?"  Good song.

Set the Scene - Umbrellas - I love the sound of these guys. This is a laid back tune that isn't super quiet, but is definitely more lamb than lion. If you haven't heard them, check 'em out.

All Things End in Water - At the Close of Every Day - great indie rock band from the Netherlands, and most of their songs are more on the lamb side, nice quiet ambient, acoustic alt-rock.

Damien Dreams - Jeremy Enigk - beautiful quiet song from Enigk's last solo disc. Really showcases his amazing voice.

Can't Cry Hard Enough - Julie Miller - a very sweet and quiet lamb. Beautiful song. I can't get enough of her voice. She has a new album out with her husband, Buddy, but I'd love to get another solo record out of her.

My Lions:

Not I - Demonhunter - yeah, kick in the hardcore. I definitely have a loud side, too. This definitely isn't for everyone.

Bodyrock - Moby - wasn't sure where to put this, but it is more upbeat, so I'm calling it a lion. Great danceable, groovin' tune.

Here We Go - Brandtson - Not really all that loud, and certainly not their most lion-like tune, but they can kick up a nice beat.

Wild Wild West - Kool Moe Dee - oh yeah. This brings back some memories. Not really loud, but hey, I can't really call this a lamb, even though it is kinda laid back.

This is the Sound - Party People - distorted vocals, driving drum beat, and it builds to a nice hard rockin' tune. I need more music from these guys.

OK, so there's my five lions and five lambs. I had to skip a lot to get some of the lions, so I definitely have more lamb-like music in my collection. Now it's your turn! Comment here with your lions and lambs.

The Weekend in Music

Here's a quick rundown of some of the better shows happening around Central PA over the next several days.

Ken's Pick o' the Week:

Saturday night, 2/28, you should head on over to Building Character in Lancaster for a great evening of music. Headlining will be former Vigilantes of Love frontman, and singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee. Opening for Bill will be Lancaster-based St. Narcissus, showcasing the talents of Keith Wilson, formerly of Movies With Heroes. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and there is an $8 cover charge.

Friday, February 27

Cephas & Wiggins at Whitaker Center, Harrisburg

Emily Long & Friends at Building Character, Lancaster

The Man in Black: Johnny Cash Tribute at American Music Theatre, Lancaster

The Green Onions & Aaron Daniel Gaul at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Thriving Ivory at the Chameleon, Lancaster

Mark DeRose Duo at the Harp & Fiddle Irish Pub, York

Landing Lane at The Art & Soul Cafe benefit show for local food banks, St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Mountville

Saturday, February 28

Biodiesel and The Greatest Funeral Ever at the Abbey Bar, Harrisburg

Slimfit in the Lizard Lounge at the Chameleon Club, Lancaster

Fire in the Glen at the ABC Brewpub, Harrisburg

The Buskers at ABC - Camp Hill

Alex Brubaker at Juice and Java, Mechanicsburg