Radio Curious

Buzzy Martin began teaching music to at risk kids in Juvenile Hall.  He then taught guitar in San Quentin Prison for three and a half years, where he gained a unique “insiders” perspective about prison life, prisoners, and the guards.  His book, “Don’t Shoot!  I’m the Guitar Man,” chronicles his experiences teaching prison inmates, including rapists, child molesters and murderers how to play the guitar.  Martin shares his experiences with incarcerated youth, to teach them that prison is not a “badge of honor,” and he reveals how music can be a universal language to open the hearts of people who may think they don’t have one.

Buzzy Martin’s memoir will be made into a movie.  His website is http://buzzymartin.com/

The interview with Buzzy Martin was recorded on October 11th, 2010.  The book he recommends is, “The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book,” by don Miguel Ruiz.

Click here to listen to the program or on the media player below.

Click here to download and subscribe to our podcasts.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

The sound of the cello may, if you listen, be heard in the heart invoking a kaleidoscope of emotions on a “magic carpet ride” of sound. Joel Cohen, cellist extraordinaire has performed with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and currently lives in Mendocino County.  When Joel Cohen visited the Radio Curious studios on April 26, 2010 he described his friend the cello, bowed it to life, and it sung and spoke to us.  Our conversation began with Joel Cohen describing his relationship with the cello. This interview was recorded in the studios of Radio Curious on April 26, 2010.

The book Joel Cohen recommends is “Skinny Legs And All” by Tom Robbins.

Click here to begin listening

Click here to download the podcast of this program

Podcast: Download

Sharing interpretations of the human condition and the love of music with lyrical power and determination is the artistry of Joanne Rand, our guest on this edition of Radio Curious.  Currently based in Arcata, California, after growing up in the Georgia, and studying art, her passion as a singer – songwriter gripped and has shaped her life since.

I met Joanne Rand at a house concert in here in Ukiah soon after she released her tenth CD album “Snake Oil and Hummingbirds.”  We visited in the Radio Curious studios on March 29, 2010 and began our conversation with recollections of her early memories and how they helped shape the woman she is now.

The book Joann Rand recommends is “Universe: A Journey To The Edge of The Cosmos,” by Nicholas Cheetham.

Click here to begin listening.

Click here to download the podcast of this program.

Podcast: Download

• » Comments (0)

Maria Muldaur is a name that has been familiar to my ears since I was a teenager, she could be familiar to your ears too on this edition of Radio Curious.  After the popularity of her songs “I’m A Woman” and “Midnight at the Oasis” in the late 60’s and early 70’s she has explored her love of American “roots music.” During this conversation we discover what drew her to “roots” music, who influenced her and  what “I’m A Woman” means to her.  We began our conversation with her to sharing stories about her early life in Greenwich Village, New York.

The books Maria Maldaur recommends are: “The Game Of Life And How To Play It,” by Florence Scovel Shinn, “The Wisdom Of Florence Scovel Shinn,” “ The Power Of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale and  “The Code” by Tony Burroughs.

This interview was recorded in the studios of Mendocino College on April 19 2010. The books Maria Maldaur recommends are: “The Game Of Life And How To Play It” by Florence Scovel Shinn, “The Wisdom Of Florence Scovel Shinn,” “ The Power Of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale and  “The Code” by Tony Burroughs.

Click here to begin listening.

Click here to download the podcast of this program.

Podcast: Download

Ed Reinhart alias Earl Dixon, a marvelous pianist and local musician joins Radio Curious again in this edition. Reinhart is best know as the king of boogie-woogie and blues. With his release in the mid 90′s of “Got Some On My Fingers,” which featured tunes he crafted, the CD was a regional hit with all of his fans and it established him as a musical force locally. He has been the front man for many local boogie/R&B bands including “The Burning Sensations.” Recently Reinhart has been living in Italy and Virginia. We begin our visit by asking him about his latest projects.

Ed Reinhart visited the Radio Curious studio on the 3rd August 2009. The book he recommends is “Long Time Gone: the autobiography of David Crosby,” by David Crosby.

Click here to begin listening

Click here to download the podcast

Alex De Grassi is a guitarist extraordinaire whose interpretation of the Radio Curious theme, entitled “The Last Cowboy”, you may hear if you listen carefully. In this edition of Radio Curious he asks us ‘What does a cumulous cloud sound like when played on guitar?’ Alex De Grassi will share that sound with us in this interview. De Grassi played the trumpet as a child and when he was about 12, his brother was given a guitar, which soon gave Alex inspiration… allowing us to hear what a cumulous cloud sounds like. Our conversation began when I asked him about his relationship with the guitar. You can learn more about his work at his website www.degrassi.com. Alex De Grassi came to the studio of Radio Curious for this conversation on November 12th 2008.

The book Alex De Grassi recommends is “Musicophilia: Tales Of Music And The Brain”, by Oliver Sacks.

Click here to begin listening