Singer, poet, grandmother, and recovering addict Joyce Lewis shares her story this week on The Signal

Meet artist Bob Benson this week on The Signal…

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• We meet a devoted choral group that gathers to keep alive the centuries-old American tradition of shape note singing known as Sacred Harp Music.
• We visit with Bob Benson, a modern day Renaissance man and former radio announcer who later in life discovered what may be his true calling: making art with mirrors and glass.
• Joyce Lewis was a career woman, a mother, and a Sunday school teacher. She was also secretly addicted to crack cocaine. We talk with Joyce about the soul-searching that led her to finally come clean about the drugs, and she’ll share the poetry that’s been helping her on the road to recovery.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Learn more about Sacred Harp Music at www.fasola.org.

Bob Benson is online at www.shinyhappythings.com

Joyce Lewis’ story is part of a special radio documentary series called, “Ear to the Ground,” made possible by a grant from Open Society Institute – Baltimore, on the web at www.osi-baltimore.org

The hand is quicker than the eye! Tabla drum prodigy Abhishek Basu of Calcutta, in WYPR’s Studio B.

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(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• Contributor Geoff Brown reports on a mysterious flier about a dog, and the series of amazing coincidences that turned it into an underground Internet sensation.
• Horror movie maven and self-proclaimed “zombie expert” Davida Breier stops by to preview “Rigor Mortis,” a zine that celebrates the horror genre and offers some practical survival tips to use in the event of a “zombie outbreak.”
• And Indian percussion virtuoso Abhishek Basu joins the program to talk about his path as a lifelong student of the tabla drums and his evolving musical horizons.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Here’s a link to more about the legendary Xerxes flier.

Curious about the finer points of zombie-ology? Check out: www.livingdeadzine.blogspot.com

Abhishek Basu’s website is: www.abhishekbasu.com/profile.html

An artist’s model for one of the H Box designs currently in development at MICA (photo c/o Amira Rasayan)

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(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• Hundreds of unused wooden storage crates, plus some smart thinking by a local design team, just might equal a housing solution for earthquake survivors in Haiti… We hear about the genesis of a new, multi-purpose architectural unit dubbed the “H Box”
• Community gardening and sustainable agriculture are more popular than ever, and we meet two people who are working to build partnerships that’ll produce not only vegetables, but communities to last well beyond the growing season.
• And the story of a young priest-in-training who goes out one morning for a jog and ends up on an unlikely path toward sainthood – short fiction from satirist D R Belz.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Click here to look at drawings and models of the “H Box” in development. And click here to share your feedback on the design process so far.

Here are links for We Patch and the Hamilton Crop Circle

Click here to find a copy of D R Belz’ book “White Asparagus”

And click here to join a discussion group about “White Asparagus”

Stretch Damianio (left) and Hot Spitta (right) take turns on the mic at the corner of Cold Spring and Park Heights at a Yo Trakz! Mobile Recording Session

Behold the mobile studio! Yo Trakz! founder LJ Gray prepares the gear while his partner Hot Spitta surveys the scene…

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• Filmmaker Chris LaMartina stops by to preview his latest horror movie, President’s Day. The film features a blood-thirsty, inventive killer who bears a striking resemblance to Abe Lincoln.
• We delve into the collective unconscious when we listen to an experimental ‘nightmare scenario’ – dozens of nightmares have been recorded, sliced, diced, and sewn together, Frankenstein-style, into one homunculus of a bad dream.
• Fiction writer Eric D Goodman shares from his novel-in-stories, Tracks, a book that explores the private minds of strangers traveling together on a train.
• And we hit a street-corner freestyle session with Yo Trakz Mobile Recording Studio, an enterprise that takes the microphone outside the booth and into the world where music is made.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Here’s a link to more info about Chris LaMartina’s “President’s Day”

Here’s a link to more info about The Megapolis Audio Festival, where the audio experiment ‘Nightmare Scenario’ was created.

Here’s a link to Eric D Goodman’s literary blog, Writeful. And here’s a link to info about his new children’s book Flightless Goose.

Ryan Hackett, installation view of hyperextension I (5/12/2010 – 6/12/2010), 2010 and hyperextension 2 (5/12/2010 – 6/12/2010), 2010. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

Nate Larson, installation view of Geolocation (Come From Nothing), 2009. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

Matthew Janson, installation view of childfully serious, 2010. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

Matt Porterfield, still image from video, Hamilton, 2006. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

Leah Cooper, installation view of Iterated, Gallery 4-Part A, 2010. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

Karen Yasinsky, still image from video You Have to be Very Careful, 2010. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

Christopher LaVoie, installation view of Energy Temple, 2010. Courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Mitro Hood.

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• Straw hats, striped blazers, and four-part harmonies are alive and well in Dundalk! We visit with The Chorus of the Chesapeake, a men’s ensemble that’s been singing in the barbershop tradition, loud and proud, since 1957.
• Artist and founding director of Art on Purpose Peter Bruun stops by for an exit interview – after leading the community arts organization since its inception five years ago, he’s stepping down to focus on his own artwork again.
• And the BMA is currently buzzing with the radiant work of seven up-and-coming local artists (Leah Cooper, Ryan Hackett, Matthew Janson, Nate Larson, Christopher LaVoie, Matt Porterfield, and Karen Yasinsky). They’re the finalists for this year’s twenty-five-thousand-dollar Sondheim Artscape Prize, and we’ll talk with the seven hopefuls about what makes their work so exceptional.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Find out more about barbershop ensemble The Chorus of the Chesapeake at: www.dundalk.org

Here’s a link to Art on Purpose: www.artonpurpose.org

Here’s a link to more information about the Sondheim Artscape Prize finalists and their current exhibit at the BMA:

…from the mind (and sewing machine) of Cotton Monster crafter Jennifer Strunge. We hear from Jennifer and her colleagues at The Charm City Craft Mafia this week on The Signal.

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• Joanne Margolius heads up a theater troupe called The Magical Experiences Arts Company, and she works with a tough crowd. Her audiences are blind, deaf, autistic, and physically disabled, but she unlocks their emotions and imaginations without saying a word. We’ll sit in on a performance and find out how it’s done.
• Literary guru Benn Ray of Atomic Books stops by with a few suggestions for summer reading, including works by some of Baltimore’s most colorful characters and a few “projects” to keep you busy all season.
• And The Sopranos have got nothing on this mob when it comes to a sewing machine or a screen-printing press – The Charm City Craft Mafia has its hands in just about every DIY racket in town: Apparel, jewelry, ceramics, and more… Artistic offers you can’t refuse.

HELPFUL LINKS:

You can reach Joanne Margolius and the Magical Experiences Arts Company at: experiences@verizon.net

Check out The Charm City Craft Mafia at: www.charmcitycraftmafia.com

BENN RAY’S BOOK PICKS THIS WEEK:

Wilson by Dan Clowes

The first new graphic novel from one of the masters of the form. Wilson is a series of one page “gag” strips that serves to tell a larger story. The character of Wilson feels sort of what it might be like if Charlie Brown grew up into a sociopath.

Wednesday Comics by Mark Chiarello

This gorgeous, oversize hardcover collects this interesting experiment DC Comics tried last year. For 12 consecutive Wednesdays, they released a comic newspaper. Each issue told a one page story. This book collects that. What makes this so special is not only the size – which feels just like if you opened the newspaper Sunday comics, but the talent that contributed to this. Including Neil Gaiman, Paul Pope, Michael Allred, Kyle Baker, etc. Wednesday Comics really injects fun and wonderment into comics again.

Role Models by John Waters

This memoir by John Waters takes a look at the iconic director’s heroes. At once fascinating and charming and shocking, this book is quintessential Waters.

Henry & Glenn by Igloo Tornado

Kool Aid Gets Fired by Tim Piotowski

So these are two ingenious and fun little mini comics.

Henry & Glenn is a series of gags based on the concept of punk icon Henry Rollins and metal icon Glenn Danzig living together as a “very good friends”. Their next door neighbors are the surprisingly considerate Satanist couple, Hall & Oates.

Kool Aid Gets Fired takes a look at what happens to a corporate mascot when the parent corporation decides it’s cheaper to have a CGI mascot than a real one and cuts Kool Aid loose. It’s a funny and astute commentary on the current corporate climate as well as celebrity.

Old Man Drinks by Robert Schnakenberg

Everyone needs a summer project: cleaning out the garage, finally finishing the landscaping, etc. My project this summer is to drink my way through this book. Each of the recipes comes with a picture of a real old man dispensing real words of wisdom.

The Hard Case Crime series

Nobody’s Angel by Jack Clark

Hard Case Crime revives the thrill of old pulp crime paperbacks. Each one comes as an inexpensive mass market paperback that can fit in your back pocket. The series includes local writer Madison Smart Bell, as well as favorites like Robert Bloch, Lawrence Block, Stephen King, Donald Hamilton, Mickey Spillane, Donald Westlake, Jason Starr, and many more.

These are new works or unpublished older works. And to complete the package, Hard Case Crime commissions new artwork from famed pulp cover artists. It’s like it’s the ’50s/’60s all over again.

Nobody’s Angel by Jack Clark is the newest installment in the series.

(Click here to listen to this program online.)

Old School. Femi tha Drifish and Native Son of The 5th L (photo credit: Leah Miller)

Alex Hewett shares a story about her first love… and the family that came with him (photo credit: Leah Miller)

Diane Coraggio learned more than she bargained for when she got suspended from high school (photo credit: Leah Miller)

Murf McManus danced the polka with a physics teacher, and lived to tell the tale (photo credit: Leah Miller)

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

On this week’s broadcast: True stories about first loves, bad decisions, suspensions, family secrets, lessons learned, and humiliation on the dance floor, from high-school survivors Alex Hewett, Diane Coraggio, and Murf McManus. Music from The Egg Babies Orchestra and spoken-word duo The 5th L. Plus: Old-time radio dramas about pop quizzes, garage bands, and secret crushes, from the Stoop acting and writing team Fred Lohr, Femi Lawal, Catharine Robertson, David Ross, Jessica Henkin, Mike Harris, Janet Gilbert, Heather Moyer, Laura Wexler, and Ron Spencer

Want to know more about The Stoop? Check out www.stoopstorytelling.com

(Click here to listen to this program online.)

Stoop Radio Players (left to right) Fred Lohr, Femi Lawal, Jessica Henkin, Katharine Robertson, Heather Moyer, Janet Gilbert, David Ross, and Mike Harris (photo credit: Leah Miller)

Host Aaron Henkin and his 16-year-old high-school self, Brian Gilbert (photo credit: Leah Miller)

Ukulele diva Victoria Vox (photo credit: Leah Miller)

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

On this week’s broadcast: Old-time radio theater from The Stoop Players, music from the globe-trotting ukulele sensation Victoria Vox, and true stories from high-school survivors Richard Meltzer, Betsy Boyd, and Greg Koren.

Want to know more about The Stoop? Check out www.stoopstorytelling.com

And tune in to The Signal next week for Part II of the “Cool Cruel High School” radio broadcast!

-Tonier Cain, Team Leader at the National Center for Trauma Informed Care

Tonier Cain at the WYPR studios… she shares her story this week on The Signal (Photo credit: Laura Cain)

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

These days, Tonier Cain travels the country running workshops for service providers at women’s correctional facilities. What she has to teach, she’s learned from long years of experience. Tonier has been arrested 83 times for crimes including prostitution, theft, and drug possession. Behind her criminal record was a childhood kept locked in a dark corner of her mind for most of her life. Tonier was finally able to confront the abuse she suffered during her early years, and since that revelation she’s been on what she calls a boundless ‘upward spiral.’

This week on WYPR’s The Signal, Tonier Cain shares her story as part of the year-long series Ear to the Ground, produced by Aaron Henkin and made possible by a grant from Open Society Institute – Baltimore: Investing in solutions to Baltimore’s toughest problems – drug addiction, over-reliance on incarceration, and obstacles that impede youth from succeeding inside and outside the classroom – with audacious thinking for lasting change: www.osi-baltimore.org.

HELPFUL LINKS:

You can hear other stories in the Ear to the Ground series at this link.

The documentary film “Healing Neen” (directed by Laura Cain) is a profile of Tonier Cain’s struggles and triumphs. Find out more about the movie at: www.healingneen.com.

The hip hop motion picture “Wild Style” hit theaters in 1983. This week on The Signal, we go back in time to the birth of the movement with one of the stars of the film, Chief Rocker Busy Bee Starski

***THE SIGNAL AIRS FRIDAYS AT NOON & 7 P.M. ON 88.1 WYPR***

(Click here for mp3’s of some recent stories from the show. And PODCASTERS, click here for a link to subscribe to The Signal’s weekly podcast.)

• We stroll around the grounds at the Evergreen Museum & Library to have a look at Simultaneous Presence. It’s the latest incarnation of the biennial Sculpture at Evergreen, an outdoor exhibit that brings new ideas and perspectives to the historic property.
• We travel back in time to the birth of a worldwide cultural movement when we visit with hip hop pioneer Chief Rocker Busy Bee Starski, AKA David Parker. In 1983, he wowed audiences in the groundbreaking motion picture Wild Style, and today this native New Yorker keeps himself busy right here in Baltimore.
• And The Signal and The Stoop team up for a special production – music, old-time radio theatre, and unscripted storytelling – all in front of a live audience at Center Stage

HELPFUL LINKS:

Find out more about this weekend’s Wild Style reunion events at www.wildstylebaltimore.com

Find details & tickets for the upcoming Signal/Stoop live radio show “Cool Cruel High School” at: www.stoopstorytelling.com. Shows are happening June 3, 4, and 5 at Center Stage.

More on the exhibition “Simultaneous Presence” is at this link