Bound for Glory LIVE!
October 20, 2024
Your favorite performers live onstage at the Hangar Theatre
celebrating over a half century of Bound for Glory broadcasts—
more details here!
October 20, 2024 •
Noon to 6 pm •
Hangar Theatre, Ithaca, NY
Weekly broadcasts of the
Best of Bound for Glory
Every week we feature a recording from our archive of live
Bound for Glory shows. Spend Sunday nights with us
on your radio at 93.5 FM or through the Internet.
Click here for ways to listen to the show.
Is there something you would like to hear? Email us here
On your radio July 28—
Andrew VanNorstrand
Originally broadcast 2/10/19
Andrew VanNorstrand is an accomplished singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from upstate New York. As a member of the Great Bear Trio, Giant Robot Dance and the Andrew & Noah Band he has toured extensively and has been a featured performer and instructor at many well-known festivals and music camps. His repertoire incorporates a wide range of musical genres and he loves exploring the connections between music and dance. His original music often focuses on issues of identity, faith, gender and a search for understanding in rural America.
Considered one of Western New York’s leading traditional musicians, Andrew VanNorstrand has been playing beautiful music since he was a lad. With his brother, Noah, and their mother, Kimberley Yerton, they have delighted dancers as the Great Bear Trio—which has recently grown into the 6-piece band, Great Bear. He has performed on festival stages, concert halls, dance floors and living rooms all over North America and beyond. Fiddler, guitarist, producer, Andrew excels at whatever music he turns to.
On your radio August 4—John Roberts
Originally broadcast 9/16/18
John Roberts is a singer of folksongs from the British Isles. Born and raised in Worcestershire, England, of a Welsh family, he currently lives in Schenectady, NY. He came to the United States many years ago to go to graduate school at Cornell, but, as they say, it didn’t take. And so he became more of a folksinger than he was already.
He is known for his work with Tony Barrand, another ex-pat Brit who arrived at Cornell at the same time as he did. They became the two lively Brits who sang folksongs, often wore funny hats, and went on to sing at folk festivals such as Fox Hollow, Mariposa, Philadelphia, Hudson River Revival, and Old Songs.
John accompanies his songs with banjo or concertina–or sings them a cappella, depending on how he feels the song. The music of the sea is one of his specialties. As well as a solo CD, “Sea Fever”, he has recorded sea songs albums with Tony Barrand (“Across the Western Ocean”) and with the trio Ye Mariners All.
John still occasionally performs concerts with Tony, but these days he mostly performs solo, or in tandem with Debra Cowan, an American singer of both traditional and more recently composed songs, with strong ties to the British Isles. They recently recorded a CD together – “Ballads Long & Short”. John has taught folksong and folksinging at various camps and summer schools including Pinewoods, Mendocino, and Augusta in Elkins, West Virginia.
On your radio August 11—
Eddy & Kim Lawrence
Originally broadcast 2/17/19
Growing up in Alabama, with deep roots in the red clay of then-rural Walker County, Eddy Lawrence was immersed in the old-time folk, country, blues, and bluegrass traditions that flourished there. He has called the area where he came from “the place where the Appalachians meet the Delta.” He spent a decade in New York City before settling in the North Country of New York State in 1992.
Eddy first gained attention in New York City’s thriving East Village music scene of the early 1980s. His first solo album, “Walker County”, released in 1986, was an acoustic homage to his home state. For the next 15 years, Eddy worked the folk music circuit, playing coffeehouses, festivals, and clubs.
Shortly after the release of his album “Inside My Secret Pocket” in 2004, Eddy scaled back promotion of his own work in order to focus on producing recordings by Native American artists, several of which were released on his own Snowplow label. Two of the albums were nominated for Native American Music Awards (NAMMYs).
These days, he performs in concert with his wife, Kim, who accompanies him on upright bass. The duo has recently released a new all-acoustic CD called “My Second Wife’s First Album”. The recording is their first together and the ninth album of Eddy’s original songs. With this album Eddy has reentered the world of the singer-songwriter, returning to the acoustic sounds that first brought attention to his music back in the 1980s.
On your radio August 18—Debra Cowan
Originally broadcast 11/18/18
“Debra has a voice which beautifully combines Celtic and Appalachian sensibilities…deeply satisfying, lyrical and musically elegant.” -Roseanne Cash
Following a life-long desire to sing and perform, Debra Cowan left her job as a California middle school math teacher in 1997 and went to live in Edinburgh, Scotland for six months. There she learned the art of unaccompanied singing and upon her return to the USA in 1998 began traveling all over New England performing at any open mike within 100 miles of her new home in Springfield, Massachusetts. Almost 20 years later, she is now a full-time performer who bridges the old and new with a refreshing stage presence. She can be seen in many venues, heard on both terrestrial and internet radio world-wide and will travel anywhere to sing.
Her four recordings have been met with high praise and in June 2015, she was featured in the UK folk music magazine, Living Tradition. She tours extensively in the United Kingdom and in North America and can also be seen on stage with her good friend, singer and musician John Roberts. When Debra isn’t touring internationally or busy with her activities as American Federation of Musicians (USA) Local 1000 Vice-President, she makes her home near Worcester, Massachusetts.
On your radio August 25—The Cadleys
Originally broadcast 10/14/18
The Cadleys have each been involved with music in the Syracuse area for many years, John as a songwriter and member of area bluegrass bands, Cathy as a singer and church’s music director. The two started playing as an acoustic duo, Cadley & Wenthen. After marrying in 2012, they’ve performed as The Cadleys, bringing together two wonderful instrumentalists and two beautifully blended voices to traditional covers and original songs.
At 13, John Cadley picked up the guitar and was drawn to the virtuoso picking of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. After getting a master’s degree in public communications he started work as an ad copywriter, eventually becoming associate creative director at Eric Mower and Associates, all the while continuing to play and write songs. He went on to join and form bluegrass bands, such as Cripple Creek and The Lost Boys. Cadley has often said that, “My writing is Bill Monroe meets Jackson Brown.” One of his songs, “Time” with vocals by Lou Reid and harmonies by Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs, reached #1 on national bluegrass charts.
Cathy began learning guitar at age 11 from her uncle Ed Hamell who had an international reputation as a singer/songwriter. Cathy became adept at classical, jazz and bluegrass flatpicking guitar styles as well as clawhammer banjo. She serves as the music director for Fayetteville’s Immaculate Conception Church.
On your radio September 1—
Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio
Originally broadcast 9/8/19
Heather Pierson is an award-winning pianist and multi-genre singer/songwriter. From New Orleans-style jazz and blues to rousing Americana and poignant folk narratives, her music moves seamlessly and effortlessly from one style to the next, and a growing catalog of wildly divergent CD releases reflects her boundless creativity. The Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio features Shawn Nadeau on upright bass, and Davy Sturtevant on, as Heather often puts it from stage, “everything else”—guitar, mandolin, dobro, fiddle, cornet.
Born to a Scottish émigré mother and Navy veteran machinist father, Heather began in life in the single-traffic-light town of Galena, Kansas. Her father was an avid clarinet player, and he passed the love of music onto his daughter. At the age of five, he taught her piano. “I’ll never forget it,” she recalls. “The very first time I played the piano – a real piano – I knew that this was exactly what I wanted to do, every moment that I had the chance to do it.”
Originally hailing from Erie, Pennsylvania, Davy Sturtevant is a veteran touring artist, producer, engineer, songwriter, and performer who now makes his home in Lovell, Maine. Armed with a gorgeous tenor voice and a mighty arsenal of instruments, Davy is an engaging stage presence. New Hampshire native Shawn Nadeau brings nearly two decades of performing experience to the trio, informed by a wide spectrum of unique rhythmic and melodic sensibilities ranging from rockabilly to reggae to jazz.
On your radio September 8—Rick Shea
Originally broadcast 10/1/17
“A hauntingly nostalgic vocalist, imperative guitarist and literate, detail-rich songwriter, do yourself a favor.”– Gary von Tersch, Sing Out
Rick Shea cut his teeth in the bars and honky-tonks of San Bernardino where he grew up. He’s since gone on to build a solid career for himself as a solo artist, singer, guitarist and songwriter. Shea is equally at home with an acoustic guitar and a set of ballads and stories, or with his worn old Telecaster burning through a set of his own songs and a few honky-tonk standards. With nine critically acclaimed albums he’s performed all over Southern California, the West Coast and across the country. His songs reflect the folk, country, rock and Mexican influences he grew up with.
As a songwriter Shea lets the songs find their own settings. “Starting out you might be hearing a song one way and then when its done realize it’s about something else altogether.” And on his songwriting influences Shea says, “When I was younger Merle Haggard cast a long shadow, but since then Dave Alvin, Jim Ringer and a lot of other music has found its way in.”
Rick’s latest album Sweet Bernardine, his ninth, is a collection of his own stories and stories of California and beyond. From the train journey he took as a brokenhearted young man in “Mexicali Train” to the harrowing tale of his great grandfather’s time in Civil war prisoner camps in “John Shea from Kenmare”, Shea’s songs resonate deeply.
On your radio September 15—Michael Jerling
Originally broadcast 3/11/18
“Stronger than new rope…especially recommended to fans of Gorka, Greg Brown, Dave Alvin or any other real smart people who make real good music.”--Icon, Iowa City
Born and raised in Illinois, songwriter Michael Jerling became involved with music while helping to run the campus coffeehouse at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Now settled in Saratoga Springs, New York, Michael has been a noted artist on the club, college, and festival circuits of North America since 1975. His baritone voice is backed up with consummate skill on 6- and 12-string guitars, harmonica and mandolin, all buoyed by his dry sense of humor.
Michael was a winner of the prestigious “New Folk” competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, and his involvement with the seminal Fast Folk Musical Magazine in NYC led to his song Long Black Wall being included in the Smithsonian Folkways CD celebrating 20 years of Fast Folk.
Through all of his recordings and live performances, Michael displays his first-rate lyrical sense and impressive musicianship – borrowing from blues, rock, country and R&B. A keen student of the good and the ghastly in American life, Michael weaves themes like a novelist, evoking our shortcomings and dreams without yielding to cynicism or sentimentality.
On your radio September 22—Tracy Grammer
Originally broadcast 9/2/18
Tracy Grammer is one of contemporary folk music’s most beloved artists. Renowned for her springwater-clear alto, perfectly intoned violin, and guitar playing that is by turns percussive and delicate, Grammer is also a gifted storyteller whose incantations add a rare mixture of vulnerability, intimacy, and hard-won insight to her performances. As one fan puts it, “With Tracy, it’s never just about the music; it’s a soul journey.”
Tracy’s journey in music has been marked by both tragedy and triumph. In 2002, then-duo partner and songwriter Dave Carter died suddenly while on tour. Tracy’s determination and grace in the wake of tremendous loss, and her transparency as she gained her footing as a solo artist, have earned her a devoted, lifelong following. Her concerts are nothing less than a celebration of courage, bravery, and love, as she continues to fold the songs of her late partner in with her own originals. As one fan puts it, “With Tracy, it’s not just about the music — it’s a soul journey.”
In addition to performing internationally, Tracy has judged Kerrville New Folk, served as a Folk Alliance panelist and mentor, led songwriting workshops, hosted the Dave Carter Memorial Writer’s Round-up for eight years, and is the only performer invited to play the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 13 years in a row.
Grammer is currently on tour celebrating the release of “Low Tide”, her first album of original songs. “I’ve been a writer all my life, but it was never my intention to be a songwriter,” she says. “However, the road has curves we can’t see at the outset of the journey. At some point along the path, writing songs became the most effective medicine for the pains and unresolved questions of my life. Low Tide is an album of revelations, confessions, and ultimately, healing.”
On your radio September 29—
Small Potatoes
Originally broadcast 4/14/19
“Jacquie Manning and Rich Prezioso combine cleverly witty with powerfully poignant songs, along with well-chosen covers to present an unusually entertaining and involving repertoire engagingly delivered. Prezioso’s song “1000 Candles, 1000 Cranes” is one of the most outstanding songs of the past 50 years.”—Rich Warren, The Midnight Special – WFMT Radio, Chicago, IL
Jacquie grew up near Chicago, studied flute, taught herself guitar, and began in the mid-’70s as an independent folksinger, with forays into country, rock ‘n’ roll, girl bands and Celtic music, developing an easy affinity with audiences from Girl Scouts to Renaissance Fairs. Meanwhile, in Fort Lee, Rich learned his chops from the Beatles and Creedence, studying classical guitar while at Hampshire College in Amherst, playing in rock and blues bands. A job writing commercial music took him to Chicago, where his search for a female singer for a commission led friends to recommend Jacquie. And the rest is folk music history.
When this Chicago-based duo decided to hit the road to be full-time troubadours as Small Potatoes, they took a risk. A million and a half miles, thousands of shows, and at least six Dodge Caravans later, they’ve continued to be audience favorites on the national folk circuit. Their self-described “eclecto-maniacal” mix of covers and originals, arrived at through “careful indecision” is unique. Their “Celtic to Cowboy” repertory is solidly their own, staking out a contemporary “folk” music as authentic as America’s big tent. They won the Best of Bound for Glory’s award in 2000 (their “Live” CD is taken from BFG performances) and continue to engage audiences with their stage presence, their droll, savvy takes on life, and poking fun at themselves—all while performing with stunning musicianship.
On your radio October 6—Reverend Robert Johnson & Matt Watroba
Originally broadcast 3/12/17
The Rev. Robert Jones, Sr., and Matt Watroba met over twenty years ago when each hosted back-to-back radio programs in Detroit. Sharing a love of traditional American music, they have forged a personal friendship over the years.
As performers and teachers, they seek to revive and instill appreciation for the history, social change, and migration in the lives of all Americans through folk songs, blues, spirituals, work songs, and chants.
The Rev. Robert Jones was born in Detroit. Ordained into the Baptist ministry in 1989, he is pastor of the Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit. As a performer and story-teller he has performed all over America and Europe. In 2007, the National Blues Foundation named him “Educator of the Year”.
Matt Watroba was also born in Detroit and raised in Plymouth, MI. After teaching for a dozen years in the Plymouth-Canton public schools, his interests in music and education drew him both into writing, where he has published many pieces in Sing Out! magazine, and into radio, where for 20 years he hosted WDET-FM’s Folks Like Us, and syndicated media programs Sing Out! Radio Magazine and Folk Alley. In 2000, the Detroit Music Awards dubbed him “Best Overall Folk Performer”.
On your radio October 13—Kyle Carey
Originally broadcast 2/4/18
“As in all things musical, there are those who are the real thing and those who are mere pretenders and, even as essentially traditional as Kyle Carey undoubtedly is, she is quite clearly the real thing.”—Bluesbunny Music Review
Kyle Carey was born in New Hampshire to schoolteacher parents, and lived in Yup’ik native communities in the Alaskan bush until the age of seven, before her family re-located permanently to New Hampshire. She attended Holderness School and Skidmore College, where she studied English literature, and spent the weekends as a waitress at Caffè Lena. She received the prestigious President’s Award upon her graduation from Skidmore. Afterward, she traveled to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia on a Fulbright Fellowship to study Scottish Gaelic song and traditional music. In 2009-2010 she attended Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye for a year, obtaining a certificate in Scottish Gaelic language and music and becoming a fluent Gaelic speaker.
“Though many of my songs contain themes of longing and immigration,” says Carey herself, “the most important thing about my music is its mix of Celtic and American Appalachian styles—which in the end are really just branches of the same tree. I think the most exciting music comes from the crossing of cultural and artistic boundaries.”
LIVE! October 20—
Bound for Glory’s 50+ Years Celebration!
COME JOIN US TO CELEBRATE!
…over a half century of marvelous live folk concert broadcasts on October 20, 2024
at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, New York.
From noon to 6 pm we will have performances of some of your favorite Bound for Glory performers all live on stage at the Hangar!
Join us to celebrate Phil Shapiro’s marvelous 57 years of weekly Sunday night live folk concert broadcasts.
Check out all the details here!
More weekly broadcasts of the
Best of Bound for Glory including:
10/20/24—Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards (from 11/12/17)
10/27/24—Claudia Schmidt (from 9/24/17)
11/03/24—Bob Bovee (from 10/29/17)
11/10/24—Pierce Pettis (from 7/8/18)
11/17/24—Home Remedy (from 11/11/18)
11/24/24—Joe Crookston (from 4/21/19)
12/01/24—Traonach (from 8/26/18)
12/08/24—Guy Davis (from 5/6/18)
12/15/24—WINTER SOLSTICE MUSIC
12/22/24—CHRISTMAS MUSIC, that you don’t hear in the shopping malls.
12/29/24—NEW YEAR’S MUSIC, and some Hanukkah music
01/05/25—12th NIGHT MUSIC. Songs for Mummers’ Plays, Wassail songs, etc.