Westminster Hotels
Johnsinclair's travel blogs:
|
|
  | |  |
Common Ground on the Hill 2006
Entry 8 of 9 | show all | print this entry |
The Dolphins, Amsterdam, October 18, 2006)-Writing from Amsterdam in the Fall, it's a daunting task to try to remember all the things that happened on my summer trip around the United States. Fortunately TravelPod.com provides a handy tracking device with their maps and pins, and this whole thing is framed on the bardic path that is actually taken, so basically what I have to do now is get high enough that the memories may return bright and clear through the fog and haze of the present.
Back on July 2nd, a lovely Sunday as I recall, the pressures of work, love and hard travel began to recede somewhat as soon as Professor Arturo dropped Dorothy and me off at the little train station in Stamford CT and we plopped down in the Amtrak car to head south to Baltimore, where we would be picked up and driven west to Westminster and the campus of McDaniel College to begin our blessed week at Common Ground on the Hill.
I've written about Common Ground on the Hill in my Spring 2006 Travelogue (Entry #27) which is conveniently located right here:
Common Ground on the Hill from Spring 2006 Travelogue (Entry #27)
After Dorothy and I had made our plans to hook up in New York City for our Honeymoon in Manhattan, I convinced her that she would love to spend a week at Common Ground on the Hill, and our maximum leader, Walt Michael, authorized her presence as a participant-observer, the same way I had started out in 1999 when Cary Wolfson first took me to Common Ground. I arranged for us to share a room in the McDaniel College dorms where Common Ground staff and participants are generally lodged, and then Dorothy gained an appointment teaching the Women in the Blues class normally hosted by the great Lea Gilmore, who couldn't make it this year.
So we got a gorgeous week on this little campus, greeting cherished friends from years past, teaching classes, hanging out with students and staff, and participating in all the communal activities that make Common Ground what it is. The high point for me was the annual Blues Night on the 4th of July, where Dorothy got to sing with the Common Ground Blues All Stars and the music was particularly strong. The Red Rooster, perennial host of the festivities, crowed that he thought this was the best of our Blues Nights of all time.
I enjoyed the extreme pleasure of teaching my Poetry of the Blues workshop and of joining Cary Wolfson and Henry Riel in offering a week-long course on New Orleans, its history, music and culture. Cary and I also instructed a Community Radio Workshop and spent five sessions with our engineer, Mike Atherton, Octavio Carrasco and 6 student-participants dealing with the particulars of producing podcasts and independent broadcasts.
Taking full advantage of the skilled and selfless work of Mike Atherton, we produced three episodes of the John Sinclair Radio Show at Common Ground. The first, #94, features singer-songwriter-extraordinary player Bob Lucas in "live" performance and extended conversation, including a great passage where Bob describes how he met our mutual friend Mark Bingham 35 or 40 years ago at the University of Indiana.
Listen to the John Sinclair Show #94 with Bob Lucas at Common Ground
The second, #95, features the participants in our Community Radio Workshop and a long conversation with Cary Wolfson. Here's the formal write-up:
John Sinclair Show 95
Common Ground on the Hill, Westminster MD
Thursday, July 6, 2006 @ 4:30 - 6:00 pm [20-0623]
At Common Ground this year Cary Wolfson and I were finally afforded the opportunity to conduct a week-long Community Radio Production Workshop, with Mike Atherton working long extra hours as our engineer and technical mastermind. We spent the first three sessions talking with our six enrollees-Pat Siebert, Kate Taluga, Melida Joyce, Francisco Cruz, Jose Flores & Regina Sanford-about principles and concepts of community radio programming, then took the 4th period to involve the participants in producing program segments of their own. All segments are incorporated in episode #95, along with comments by Cary and myself and music by Yusef Lateef, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Ed Moss & the Society Jazz Orchestra, and the Sun Ra Arkestra.
Listen to the John Sinclair Show #95 with the Community Radio Workshop at Common Ground
Playlist #95
[01] Yusef Lateef: The Beginning with Intro & Opening Comments with Cary Wolfson re: Community Radio Workshop
[02] Robert Johnson: Traveling Riverside Blues
[03]:Howlin' Wolf: Smokestack Lightning
[04] Comments & Conversation with Cary Wolfson re: Common Ground
[05] WCGH Segment #1: Burning Cross & Conversation with Pat Siebert & Kate Taluga
[06] WCGH Segment #2: Conversation with Melida Joyce & Francisco Cruz
[07] WCGH Segment #3: Conversation with Jose Flores & Regina Sanford and poem: "A Personal Response to the Question of Anal Intercourse"
[08] John Sinclair with Ed Moss & the Society Jazz Orchestra: rhythm-a-ning
[09] Comments & Conversation with Cary Wolfson & Outro
[10] Closing Music: Sun Ra: The Satellites Are Spinning
Hosted by John Sinclair for Radio Free Amsterdam
Produced by Cary Wolfson & John Sinclair
Engineered & Edited by Mike Atherton
Executive Producer: John Sinclair
Special thanks to Walt Michael, Cary Wolfson, Mike Atherton, Octavio Carrasco & Dorothy Goodman
©(P) 2006 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.
John Sinclair Radio Show 96
Roots Music Festival at Common Ground, Westminster MD
Saturday, July 8, 2006 @ 5:00 - 6:00 pm [20-0624]
.
Our third Common Ground episode was recorded in the Hospitality Barn on the grounds of the County Farm Museum on the first day of the annual Roots Music Festival staged as part of Common Ground on the Hill. Mike Atherton showed up once again to engineer and record the program, and Octavio Carrasco rounded up a terrific succession of guests for the show, including harmonica man Wale ("Walter") Liniger, poet Lee Francis IV, mystic/musician Sakim from the Southeast, first-time Common Ground participant Alexandra Regina Hudson Sanford, and the Scottish blues harp man Frazier Spiers.
Listen to the John Sinclair Show #96 from the Roots Music Festival at Common Ground
Playlist #96
[01] Wale Liniger: Opening Theme "live" with Intro & Opening Comments
[02] Comments & Conversation with Wale ("Walter") Liniger
[03] Wale Liniger: Sugar Mama "live"
[04] Comments & Conversation with Wale Liniger
[05] Wale Liniger: Swiss Mixture (Immigrants/Mercenaries) "live"
[06] Comments & Conversation with Wale Liniger, Lee Francis IV
[07] Lee Francis IV: Mixed Blood "live"
[08] Comments & Conversation with Lee Francis IV
[09] Comments & Conversation with Sakim re: Common Ground
[10] Sakim: Flute Improvisation & Conversation Continues
[11] John Sinclair: We Just Change the Beat "live"
[12] Comments & Conversation with Alexandra Regina Hudson Sanford
[13] Comments & Frazier Spiers: Walking in the Park "live"
[14] Comments & Conversation with Frazier Spiers, Closing Comments & Outro
Hosted by John Sinclair for Radio Free Amsterdam
Produced by Octavio Carrasco & John Sinclair
Engineered & Edited by Mike Atherton
Executive Producer: John Sinclair
Special thanks to Walt Michael, Cary Wolfson, Mike Atherton & Dorothy Goodman
©(P) 2006 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.
Latest Comments (1)
|
Review (reply)
Oct 20, 2006 21:41 EST by iniusa
John Sinclair delivers again and again with his magnificent travelpod journal entries. This blogger is delighted with the hypertext links to his other groundbreaking internet project, radio sinclair. Not a bad days work for the uncontested world champion of cannibis creativitis.
INIUSA
M-Head
|
 Post a new comment |
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by johnsinclair, from Maryland, United States or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
