Ron Olesko's Folk Music Notebook

Ron's Top 10 Favorite Folk CD's of 2011

2012-01-02T11:04:00.001-05:00

Okay, there are 12 CD's on my list of top 10. Sue me. Since folk music is such a diverse genre, and because we were blessed with so many great recordings during the past 12 months, I felt it was okay to add a couple of additional CD's to my list of personal favorites. I do not like to use the word "best", because each of these recordings strikes me in different ways and it is unfair to

DAVE VAN RONK TO BE THE BASIS OF A MOVIE???

2011-06-25T10:38:00.001-04:00

Joel and Ethan Coen, the film making brothers who gave us movies such as "Fargo", "The Big Lebowski" and last year's critically acclaimed feature "True Grit", are working on their next feature - which appears to have a folk music theme, and potentially evolves around Dave Van Ronk.According to the Los Angeles Times movie blog, the brothers Coen are drawing source material from Dave Van Ronk's

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for May 8, 2011

2011-05-30T21:23:00.003-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for May 8, 2011HOST: Ron Olesko Sorry, just as with my homework back in grade school, I'm tardy in turningin my playlists. Here they come...My guest this week was Greg Klyma, who gave an outstanding performance inour studio and shared a few cuts from his latest CD.It was also Mother's Day, so a few songs for Mom were scattered throughoutthe show.(Tune in to

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for May 22, 2011

2011-05-30T21:23:00.001-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for May 22, 2011HOST: Ron Olesko Our first show, post-Rapture, pure heathen fun for those of us who survivedJudgement Day. Also, we celebrated Bob Dylan's 70th birthday - a sign ofthe apocalypse?(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 3 to 6pm Eastern Time over WFDU-FM89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area, or on the web at www.wfdu.fm whereour shows are

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for April 10, 2011

2011-04-11T23:27:00.001-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for April 10, 2011 HOST: Ron Olesko I was joined by a guest co-host today: Hugh Carola, Program Director ofHackensack Riverkeeper. Hugh guided us on a musical tour of the CanadianMaritimes. Hugh shared insight into the rich culture, history, stories andsong of Maritimes. Time for some vacation planning!We also discussed Hugh's work with Hackensack Riverkeeper

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for March 27, 2011

2011-03-27T23:52:00.001-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONSPlaylist for March 27, 2011HOST: Ron Olesko Today's show featured a 100th anniversary remembrance of the TriangleShirtwaist Factory fire. You might scratch your head when you see theold-time music hall song "Every Little Movement Has a Meaning Of It's Own"(a song written in 1910) included in the segment, but there were reportsthat a group of the young girls were singing the

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for March 13, 2011

2011-03-20T21:10:00.001-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONSPlaylist for March 13, 2011 HOST: Ron Olesko A difficult day to host a show. The news was filled with tragedy andoutrage. Earlier in the week, I had planned to do a set of union songs inrecognition of the battle raging in Wisconsin. Then we heard the news inJapan, which keeps getting worse. My first reaction was to put together a set of protest songs about nuclearpower

A NEW YEAR'S EVE HOOT - SIRIUS XM - THE VILLAGE - 12/31/10

2011-01-01T00:31:00.002-05:00

SIRIUS XM CHANNEL 15 - THE VILLAGE – A NEW YEAR'S EVE HOOT HOST: Ron Olesko thevillage@siriusxm.com I was given the honor of hosting a 3 hour special on Sirius XM to welcome in 2011 and say goodbye to 2010. My thanks to Mary Sue Twohy and Robert Aubrey Davis for allowing me to be host this celebration on their magnificent channel! If you are not yet a subscriber,

A NEW YEAR'S HOOT ON SIRIUS XM - THE VILLAGE

2010-12-31T20:39:00.000-05:00

I'm hosting "A New Year's Eve Hoot" on Sirius XM's THE VILLAGE from 9pm to midnight ET. (XM 15 - Sirius 808) Listen in for the New Year themes, a countdown to 12 midnight, New Year's Eve greetings from some of your favorite folkies and New Year's Resolutions from various folks as well. Rebroadcast on New Year's Day at 3am ETYou can listen FOR FREE by signing up for the NO OBLIGATION 7 day

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for December 26, 2010

2010-12-31T13:52:00.001-05:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for December 26, 2010HOST: Ron Olesko & Bill Hahn(not physically in the studio, but he wasthere in spirit!) As "Snowpocalypse 2010" bore down on our listening area, I hosted the showsolo as Bill was snowed in at his home in New York State. Normally Bill andI host the final show of the year together and share our favorite recordingsof the previous 12 months, but the

Ron's Favorite CD's of 2010

2010-12-26T13:34:00.001-05:00

I will be announcing my favorite CD’s of 2010 on WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS today (12/26) from 3 to 6pm. The show will be archived for 2 weeks at our website – www.wfdu.fm My list of favorites has also been posted on the Folk Alley website, along with picks from other Folk DJ’s around the county - http://www.folkalley.com/music/top-albums-2010/folk-djs/

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for December 19, 2010

2010-12-23T17:37:00.001-05:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for December 19, 2010 HOST: Ron Olesko If my math skills are still adequate, this show marked the 31st year in arow that I've hosted a Christmas special on the Sunday before Christmas. Ideveloped and began hosting/producing WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS in 1980, and asChristmas approached I felt a need to put together an afternoon ofTRADITIONAL holiday songs - sort of

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for December 5, 2010

2010-12-19T02:09:00.001-05:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for December 5, 2010 HOST: Ron Olesko My guest today was Si Kahn. It was an honor to enjoy a conversation andshare some of his great songs with our audience.(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 3 to 6pm Eastern Time over WFDU-FM89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area, or on the web at www.wfdu.fm whereour shows are archived for two weeks on the website. A

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for October 24, 2010

2010-10-24T19:41:00.001-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for October 24, 2010 HOST: Ron Olesko (www.ronolesko.blogspot.com) No guests, no themes, no agendas. Just played music today. Sort of anon-air open mic for the imagination.New and recommended - Ellis "Right on Time", Tom Prasada-Rao "GoodnightRegret", Douglas Clegg "A Moment A Lifetime" and The Once "The Once".(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 3 to 6pm

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for October 10, 2010

2010-10-12T10:22:00.001-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONSPlaylist for October 10, 2010HOST: Ron Olesko (www.ronolesko.blogspot.com)(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 3 to 6pm Eastern Time over WFDU-FM89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area, or on the web at www.wfdu.fm whereour shows are archived for two weeks on the website. A Sing Out! RadioPartner )ARTIST Tune / Song ALBUM LABEL - WebsiteTheme: HARVEY REID Dirty Dish Rag

2010 NERFA Formal Showcase

2010-09-04T16:51:00.001-04:00

I am VERY pleased to announce the lineup for the Formal Showcase for the2010 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (NERFA)!!NERFA will take place November 11 - 14th at the Hudson Valley Resort inKerhonkson, NY. The selected artists who will be appearing in the FormalShowcase at NERFA in 2010 are:Angel BandNick AnnisCarsie BlantonCoyote RunTret FureThe Good LoveliesJoe JencksSharon Katz &

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS - playlist for August 29, 2010

2010-08-29T22:58:00.002-04:00

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for August 29, 2010 HOST: Ron Olesko (www.ronolesko.blogspot.com)My guests today were Jay Ungar & Molly Mason. We recorded the interview a few weeks ago at Mohonk Mountain House, an historic resort hotel that dates back to 1869, nestled on 2200 acres in the breathtaking Shawangunk Mountains in New Paltz NY. Currier & Ives used the hotel in one of their prints,

RON HOSTS "VILLAGE LIBERATION" ON SIRIUSXM RADIO

2010-08-28T11:40:00.003-04:00

On Saturday August 28 (repeating Monday August 30 at 6pm ET)I had the honor of guest-hosting “Village Liberation”, a monthly series that airs on Sirus XM’s Channel 15 – “The Village”. This was my second visit to the Village, and I really enjoyed it! I put together a show about New Jersey – looking at the jokes about the Garden State and sharing the real joys and beauty of this wonderful

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for August 15, 2010

2010-08-15T22:55:00.001-04:00

A quick preview of the upcoming Philadelphia Folk Festival. Birthday greetings to Norma Waterson and Debra Cowan.New and highly recommended - Jack Williams "The High Road Home" (Wind River), various artists - "Live Recordings from the 2009 Old Songs Festival" (Old Songs)(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 3 to 6pm Eastern Timeover WFDU-FM 89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area,or on

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for August 1, 2010

2010-08-08T18:13:00.002-04:00

The calendar turned another page, and for August 1 we celebrated a couple of birthdays (Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains, Aoife Clancy and the late Jerry Garcia) and an anniversary - the 1927 Ralph Peer recording session in Bristol, Tennessee with the Carter Family. New and noteworthy - Cindy Bullens "Howling Trains and Barking Dogs", Andy Cohen "Built on the Right

WFDU-FM's Traditions playlist for July 18, 2010

2010-07-18T22:04:00.002-04:00

Next weekend's Falcon Ridge Folk Festival was previewed, along with a ticket giveway that lit up the phone lines. Hopefully the excitement of the callers is a sign that will translate to a well-attended and successful festival! A tribute to Tuli Kupferberg was also a part of today's show. New and highly recommended - Pete Seeger and the Rivertown

LOOKING BACK AT THE 30TH ANNUAL OLD SONGS FESTIVAL

2010-07-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

Another year has come and gone. I'm beginning to set my calendar to coincide with the Old Songs Festival. The event has become my annual booster shot that reminds of why "folk" music is so important - the festival displays the music and the artists while informing us of where it came from and where it is going.I've mentioned previously that it took me almost 20 years to get to Old Songs. In

WFDU-FM's TRADITIONS Playlist for July 4, 2010

2010-07-04T23:17:00.002-04:00

Independence Day! As the producer/host of a folk music radio program, I utilized by independence to share music with an audience and chose a number of songs that deal with our great nation - where we have been, where we are and where we are going. The songs shared the thoughts of some of our finest singer-songwriters as well as those from the folk

Friday night at Old Songs 2010

2010-06-26T01:18:00.003-04:00

Before I hit the pillow, I just want to jot down a few thoughts about the first night of the 30th Annual Old Songs Festival.It took me nearly 20 years to check out Old Songs, but for the last 10 years I have not missed a year - nor do I intend to miss any in the future. I nearly had to skip one year - my brother-in-law decided it would be a perfect day to get married. I could not miss the

LIVE FROM OLD SONGS 2010

2010-06-25T17:02:00.002-04:00

I'll make no secret about it - the Old Songs Festival of Traditional Music and Dance is my all-time favorite festival. Don't get me wrong - I love the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge, New Bedford Summerfest, and many of the other annual events - but there is something about Old Songs that is unique.A few years ago I heard someone compare Old Songs to "Brigadoon". While the magical