The Ghost Man cometh… an interview this week with historian of the paranormal, Brandon Welch

***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 meet filmmaker Chris LaMartina, who’s compiled the popular and scary ‘suburban legends’ from his childhood years in Catonsville and turned them into the plot of a new horror movie called Book of Lore (Book of Lore screens at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 22, at Towson University… details are at www.myspace.com/bookoflore)
• We also talk with Brandon Welch, an expert on the paranormal history of Charm City, about some of the experiences that have converted him from a skeptical tour guide to a true believer in the afterlife. (Brandon is a guide with the Fells Point Ghost Tour, and his new one-man show “The Ghostman Chronicles” hits the stage next weekend at The Creative Alliance’s Patterson Theatre.)
• Essayist Ben Shaberman joins the program this week to give us a renter’s-eye-view of the turbulent housing market
• And writer Felicia Pride reflects on an important life lesson learned from the old-school hip hop band De La Soul

Artist Elena Volkova came to Baltimore from Kiev, Ukraine, in 1994, and following a period of study at the Maryland Institute, she’s distinguished herself with a body of minimalist work that explores the essence of landscapes and waterscapes by showing merest necessary hints of visual information and letting viewers’ imaginations fill in the rest. The exhibition Waterlines: Photography and Drawings by Elena Volkova opens Friday (02.08) at Paperwork Gallery and runs through March 15th. There’s an opening reception Friday from 7 to 9 p.m., and Paperwork Gallery is at 107 E. Preston Street. You can find more information, and samples of Volkova’s work, online at: www.paperworkgallery.blogspot.com.

Saturday (02.09) and Sunday (02.10), Baltimore’s Load of Fun art space hosts Madagasikara: An Exhibition of Art & Culture from Madagascar. The show includes photographs, music, and silk weavings, as well as a documentary film about the tension between traditional practices and marine conservation efforts in the island’s fishing communities. Exhibition hours are from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Load of Fun gallery is located at 120 W. North Avenue, and more information is online at www.loadoffun.net.

Sunday afternoon (02.10) at 2 o’clock, the Hampton National Historic Site in Towson celebrates Black History Month with special guest Shindana Cooper, a poet and storyteller who’ll be reflecting on the triumphs of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Cooper’s stories will carry an added resonance at the event, as guests will also have an opportunity to tour the slave cabins that have been preserved on the groundse. The Hampton National Historic Site is at 535 Hampton Lane in Towson, and more information is available online at www.nps.gov/hamp