Staffers at Isothermal Community College, in Spindale NC - home to WNCW, were honored to welcome guest speaker, Jeffrey Blount, retired veteran director of NBC News programs like the Today Show and Meet The Press. Blount worked with the network for more than 30 years and is also an author, an award winning documentary script writer, and winner of an Emmy. Blount is traveling across the country to talk about his latest book, The Emancipation of Evan Walls, and to share thoughts on issues involving race and social justice. During his visit here, he spoke to local high school students, ICC staff, and community members about his early years, his career, mentoring and the power of education. Blount kicked off the college's celebration of Black History Month with his riveting speech at the college's Foundation for Performing Arts Center. The interview first aired on Feb. 7, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of WNCW's The Friday Feature, Paul Foster- Senior Producer, News Director, and

Rutherfordton Town Manager Doug Barrick and Dr. Ashley Lowery, a local dentist known for her involvement in many community organizations, were among guests on this edition of The Friday Feature Interview of the Week. They came to talk about the exciting news that Rutherfordton is in the current running for HGTV's Hometown Takeover. Learn how this opportunity came together through a process to show off some of Rutherfordton's very best. The conversation first aired on WNCW, Feb. 14, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature Interview of the Week, Paul Foster- WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

Representatives from The Alzheimer's Association - Western North Carolina Chapter made a return to The Friday Feature to talk about a community forum event in the region, while reminding anyone dealing with a loved one who has the Alzheimer's disease, that they want to provide support. Guest was Denise Young- Program Manager of the association. This conversation was first presented on Feb. 21, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of WNCW's Friday Feature Interview of the Week- Paul Foster, Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

Described as a funny story of love and redemption, BRIGHT STAR , the Steve Martin, yes that Steve Martin, and Edie Brickell musical is being presented by Tryon Little Theatre. The same musical that's been on Broadway and presented by theatre groups across the nation, now takes the stage in Western N.C. - near the actual location where the story is depicted. TLT lead actors in the show, Hannah Searcy (Alice) and Ryan Holub (Jimmy Rae) were interviewed. Aired originally on Feb. 28, 2020. Showtimes for BRIGHT STAR are as follows: Showtimes Thu Mar 5, 2020 | 7:30PM Fri Mar 6, 2020 | 7:30PM Sat Mar 7, 2020 | 2:30PM Sat Mar 7, 2020 | 7:30PM Sun Mar 8, 2020 | 3:00PM Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature Interview of the Week- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

A program called 'Paradise Lost- How Climate Change Is Devastating Our Communities' will be held in the near future in Hendersonville, thanks to the efforts of C4: Citizens Concerned with the Climate Crisis. While a new date for the program is unknown at this time, this conversation will still be well worth your time. This Friday Feature is a discussion with Tony Dunn, a Fire Ecologist, who now lives in Western NC, but was in Paradise when a massive fire made this Northern California city literally disappear. The conversation first aired March 6, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature Interview of the Week, Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

From the North Carolina Extension Service, Rutherford County Chapter, Director Jeff Bradley and Horticulture Agent Hannah Bundy took part in the Friday Feature from March 13, 2020. For those unaware, this conversation enables listeners to find out what an extension service does on a weekly basis for agriculture to horticulture, etc. Hear about livestock workshops and future events as well. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature Interview of the Week- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

One thing WNCW knows about is bluegrass, old time and true country music. It's a part of our electic music format which made this Friday Feature Interview of the Week even more special - when we learned all about the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies Program. Interviewed on March 20, 2020 was Program Director Daniel Boner. ETSU is passing on a legacy of music history that will help keep it going strong for the future. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

Thanks to Michael Greene of Boone, NC - a virtual dinner concert series, online, was organized as a way to help raise money for local restaurants, servers, and musicians in the Boone area that have been unable to work due to the mandatory closures of businesses because of the Coronavirus. This includes a Go Fund Me page set up to donate a little extra in the case someone can. Maybe this virtual idea spreads all over as a way to say thank you to someone for serving and entertaining all of us in the past. You can find them on Facebook @BooneRelief Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature Interview of the Week, Paul Foster- WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

Guests of this Friday Feature Interview of the Week were Megan Robinson, Executive Director of the Western NC American Red Cross and United Way of Greenville County, SC Executive Director Megan Barp. Both agencies are important, year-round organizations, with staff/volunteers that want to offer support and services, especially during the coronavirus crisis. However, these groups could use additional volunteers and donors to achieve full capacity. This conversation first aired on April 3, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

Facebook will be awarding financial support to over 30 local small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Policy Manager Diana Doukas was interviewed during this edition of WNCW's Friday Feature Interview of the Week to talk about this exciting news. Facebook, with a center located in Rutherford County, NC has partnered with groups across North Carolina to lend support in this crucial time of need. This discussion first aired on 88.7 FM on April 10th. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

Faculty, staff and some students with the College of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University are using 3D printers at the college's Rapid Center to develop visors for face shields for use by healthcare workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Patrick Gardner, Director of the WCU Rapid Center, was i nterviewed in this Friday Feature piece. The interview first aired on April 17, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

It's always a treat when a lady with true southern charm makes an appearance on the Friday Feature Interview of the Week. WNCW welcomed back Our State Magazine Editor-in-chief Elizabeth Hudson to talk about the upcoming May issue titled 'The Hiking Issue.' Page by page, Hudson takes us on a tour, mostly across Western North Carolina, to look at topics featured in this issue, from great trails, to views, to good eats. Hudson also talks about how the popular magazine has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This segment first aired April 24, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of WNCW's Friday Feature- Paul Foster, Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

In this Friday Feature Interview of the Week we put the spotlight on PAL: Partners for Active Living, a group working with its partners in an attempt to remind citizens about the importance of their health, and to let people know about the many ways they can take advantage of outdoor adventures in Spartanburg, South Carolina. PAL Executive Director Laura Ringo shared the latest on the non-profit group, and also talked about COVID-19 and its effect on PAL. The interview originally aired May 1, 2020. Posted by Host and Producer of The Friday Feature- Paul Foster, WNCW Senior Producer, News Director, and Morning Edition Regional Host

The Ohio School Boards Association says voters Tuesday approved a smaller percentage of school tax issues on the primary ballot than in the previous primary election.

The Stamford Symphony Orchestra is celebrating the genius of Beethoven with concerts on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23. Kate Remington talks with Music Director Designate Michael Stern about the works on the program: the Coriolan Overture , the Symphony No. 7 and the spectacular Violin Concerto with guest soloist Pamela Frank.

For their celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday this year, the Fairfield County Chorale is performing one of his most famous works, the Emperor Piano Concerto with soloist Ilya Yakushev, and one of Beethoven's least known sacred works on Saturday, March 7 at the Norwalk Concert Hall. Kate Remington talks with Artistic Director David Rosenmeyer about what makes each of these two works so special.

It’s a matter of fact that between 1840 and 1882 there were eight assassination attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, but in his suspenseful novel “The Darwin Affair,” Tim Mason adds a ninth, in 1860, and makes the target Prince Albert. The date is important: it’s just months after the publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” and concomitant with the Oxford University Museum debate on evolution featuring those famous antagonists – biologist and anthropologist Thomas Huxley and Anglican Bishop Samuel Wilberforce. Prince Albert wants to give Darwin a knighthood. No way say fierce evolution deniers in Parliament and powerful members of the clergy, and so they conscript a sinister anti-evolutionist to kill the prince and thus head off what would otherwise be seen as royal approval of a theory that threatens The Great Chain of Being: the way things are, have been, and must be forever. Little do they know that their hired man, the wraith-like creature with the disturbing

At this year's (now postponed) Game Developers Conference, composer and sound designer Oda Tilset planned to present a session about how incorporating music created by a computer's Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool. Oda tells me that AI-generated music is really helpful to generate ideas that a composer might not have thought of. For musicians and composers who are just getting their feet wet with computer-generated music software, Oda reccommends Noknok Audio , which is very flexible and easy to use. One of the murkier aspects of using AI to create music is who owns the end product. Oda has studied numerous user agreements for sharing audio and music, including SoundCloud and there's no clear answer. She says the best part of using AI is that it's like having a collaborator without those painful discssions about whose ideas are better! Episode tracklist All tracks composed by Oda's computer AI, modified in her digital audio workstation. Thanks to Dick Roberts for production

Hailed as “The new master of the slide guitar” by the Montreux Jazz Festival and “The real thang” by the legendary Bootsy Collins, Lincolnshire, England folk/blues musician Jack Broadbent has spent the the past few years wowing international audiences with his unique blend of virtuosic acoustic and slide guitar and songs. You've likely heard us play songs from his new album Moonshine Blue lately. He plays Isis in West Asheville Saturday night.

Dana and Sue used to call Marshall, NC home, and many in WNC will remember this sweet couple contributing to the local old-time and folk music scene. They moved back to Vermont a few years back, and are back in the area in support of The Town That Music Saved: A Collection of Vermont-Inspired Songs. They play Isis in West Asheville Thursday night.

This Asheville alt-country trio consists of singer/songwriter, guitarist Kevin Fuller, bassist Ryan Kijanka and drummer Ryan Sargent. The band meshes crunchy guitar noise with folk, country and Americana stories. They play the Mothlight in West Asheville on Sunday the 23rd.

Adopted from Texas and raised in Mississippi, Krista Shows was a kid who grew up singing in church. She spent time in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Western North Carolina before returning to Mississippi in her early 20s. She's now back in Asheville, and has a sweet blend of folk, R&B, and country influences. She performs (with a full band!) at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall in Asheville on Saturday the 22nd.

Chris Masterson & Eleanor Whitmore have a 4th album of their own material coming out next month, "No Time For Love Songs." As for one of the possible themes of this new collection: "Only by cataloging and acknowledging loss and grief can we move forward with gratitude for what we have." When not working on their own songs, they are The Dukes in Steve Earle & The Dukes. Before joining Steve, Chris used to work with Son Volt among others, and Eleanor with Regina Spektor and Angus & Julia Stone. They're passing through our area briefly on an East Coast tour.

Heartfelt songs from this Los Angeles-based artist, passing through the area on a radio station tour for her new album I Know a Gun . “All of the songs come from emotions that I needed to process,” says Hart, who partly attributes her intricate inner world to growing up in a troubled home and learning to tend to herself at a young age. “In the end, I needed to make this album for my own wellbeing and healing and peace, almost as a balm for my own hurt. Now I want everyone to take this medicine for themselves, and realize the value of their own magic." Get to know her more here .

Just listening to him tell a story will transport you to his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, growing up the son of a pentecostal preacher who charted his own course: from furniture factory full-timer to professional boxer to the great professional blues/rock musician he is today. Paul Thorn returns to WNCW Thursday afternoon before a string of shows in our area: Asheville Thursday night, Johnson City on Friday, Shelby, NC on Friday the 6th, and Newberry, SC on Saturday the 7th.

Tom Rush helped shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” His voice and guitar skills remain as rich and vibrant as ever, and we are honored to host him for a live morning session before his concert at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall Wednesday evening.

"The cosmic American love child of Howlin Wolf and Link Wray…" He's been making music and performing around the world for over two decades now, and it feels like almost that long since we had him on for a live session. The long absence ends this Friday when he visits us on his way to Ambrose West in West Asheville.

This quartet is based out of Dublin, thanks to singer Joe Gibney and guitarist James Ryan, but fiddler J.C. Morel and flutist Julien Brunetau originally hail from Bordeaux, France. They've been crafting their own tunes (independently and in collaboration with others) since about 2013, and Gibney's lyrics in particular reflect a strong respect for Irish history, and compassion for humanity. They visited with Martin Anderson in Studio B this past Tuesday morning, and Richard Beard airs our session again during Celtic Winds . They play Isis Restaurant & Music Hall in Asheville Sunday evening.

Firecracker has played everywhere from street corners, secret speakeasies, jazz festivals, & swing-and-swill dance halls, to Bonnaroo and the Kennedy Center. They've returned to the 20's -- as in the 1920's, give or take a few decades -- on their fine new collection of songs from the Teens through today, centered around their great Dixieland and New Orleans jazz heroes. Album release show Saturday the 14th at The Mothlight.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Western NC has some of the freshest, most innovative bluegrass being made, thanks in part to Fireside Collective. It's Joe Cicero on guitar, Alex Genova on banjo, Jesse laquinto on mandolin, and Tommy Maher on resonator guitar, and Carson White on upright bass. Their brand new album is a real winner! And they officially release it at the Grey Eagle in Asheville on Saturday the 14th. We have a rather firy streak of local Studio B acts this week, with Firecracker Jazz band live Friday at 3.

This Charlotte band started off as a solo project of singer/guitarist and SC native Jeremy Davis, but their sound has morphed to the great fiddle/mandolin/bass lineup they have today. And their indie-rock roots still show with a new cover of My Morning Jacket's "Golden". We welcome them back to Studio B in advance of their Friday the 13th show at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain.

Johnson City's own performs solo and with her own band, when not part of Our Native Daughters (for which she received particular acclaim for her song "Black Myself".) Following are words from Amythyst herself, in a Facebook post regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic: "...I love what I do and I am thinking of all of the beautiful, hardworking, full-time musicians I've met that this will affect. It's important now more than ever for us to talk to and support one another in the music industry - most of us musicians are not millionaires with Swiss bank accounts. I'm proud to see so many resourceful folks finding new ways to do things. We'll make it through this, but also remember it's okay to freak out if you need to, and then use that energy and anxiety to make it work. We'll see you all back out on the road soon enough."

We've got a special "Ten O'Clock Doc" set for you this time, with two of Doc's visits to WNCW back in the 1990's: Doc with Wayne Henderson and Charles Welch from March of 1996, and with Jack Lawrence from March of 1997.

We go back in time to two years ago to the day -- May 11th, 2018 -- for this smokin' hot session from Samantha Fish and her band, not long after we'd discovered her music.

It's quite possibly the most adventurous ukulele player ever, in this encore session from Jake Shimabukuro. Join us as we revisit this interview/performance with WNCW morning host Martin Anderson. Mahalo, Jake!

In the absence of live Studio B sessions, we thought we'd revisit some of our favorite ones from years' past. Tune in during "Celtic Winds" as we re-air this one from Irish favorites Solas!

Someday soon we'll be able to open Studio B back up for live sessions... In the meantime, revisit this one with the Carolina Chocolate Drops from their heyday in 2010, on "This Old Porch."

The beloved, charismatic Del & the Boys have visited us more than a time or two over the years, and this one from September 25th, 1998 has never aired since that date. What say we revisit it again? "Well all RIGHT!"

Updated at 5:02 p.m. ET It was supposed to be a day of parades, a vast party that would transcend borders and bring generations together, not unlike the spontaneous euphoria that swept through victorious European allies when Nazi Germany finally surrendered. But instead of a mega-event, leaders in London, Paris, Moscow and other capitals, observed the 75th anniversary of V-E Day at a diminished level Friday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron led a small ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, looking out over an empty Champs-Élysées. A 93-year-old veteran of World War II observes a moment of silence at the Cenotaph war memorial in London, where British residents — like much of Europe — marked a subdued 75th anniversary of V-E Day. Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP via Getty Images Because of health risks the disease poses to older people, many veterans of the war were forced to avoid travel and keep their distance at public gatherings. "The veterans are of course getting

As I reflected on the past 12 months, I realized that 2016 was a banner year for jazz releases. It was extremely difficult to narrow my selections of outstanding recordings to just 16. My criteria for this list is that these were all CDs that moved me emotionally. They are albums that I would like to keep in my permanent collection.

Today would have been the great pianist Art Tatum's 108th birthday. WEMU celebrated his birth in 1909 with Dr. Imelda Hunt, author Does A Genius? - A Tribute To Art Tatum. Dr. Hunt is a new faculty member of the Department of Africology and African Studies at Eastern Michigan University. She brings a deep understanding of African-Americans in the midwest including her hometown of Toledo, Ohio - also Art Tatum's hometown. Dr. Hunt's research revealed Art Tatum's neighborhood, the legendary department stores, dance halls, and nightclubs where he performed and details about his loving and supportive family. Dr. Hunt also shared how the experience of listening to Art Tatum's brilliant music inspired her to write many poems, two of which she shared in conversation. Enjoy the genius of Art Tatum and a heartfelt appreciation from Dr. Imelda Hunt.

To wrap up our 40 Years of Jazz celebration, WEMU is inviting area musicians and jazz fans to come in the studio and be a Guest DJ. Today’s guest was drummer Sean Dobbins. Sean remembers years ago when his main musical mentor, trumpeter, and teacher Louis Smith told Sean to listen to WEMU to hear more of the music he wanted to play. WEMU has been a big part of Sean’s life and Sean has been a big player in our sound and programming for years.

The first Roots Music Project of 2018 is a special one! Host Jeremy Baldwin welcomes Ann Arbor's own Americana band Corndaddy to the WEMU studios for a live interview and performance!

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says the state’s educational partnership with the Dalio Foundation is on track to start funding programs by the summer.

Monty and Rose met last year on a beach on the north side of Chicago. Their attraction was intense, immediate, and you might say, fruitful. Somewhere between the roll of lake waves and the shimmer of skyscrapers overlooking the beach, Monty and Rose fledged two chicks. They protected their offspring through formative times. But then, in fulfillment of nature's plan, they parted ways, and left the chicks to make their own ways in the world. Monty and Rose are piping plovers, an endangered species of bird of which there may only be 6,000 or 7,000 in the world, including Monty, Rose and their chicks. They were the first piping plovers to nest in Chicago in more than 60 years. After their chicks fledged, they drifted apart. Rose went off to Florida for the winter, and Monty made his way to the Texas coast. They'd always have the North Side, but were each on their own in a huge, fraught world. And then, just a few days ago, Monty and Rose were sighted again, on the same patch of sand on

In this week's "Cinema Chat," WEMU's David Fair talks to Michigan and State Theater executive director Russ Collins about all of the new flicks and special events the Michigan Theater is providing for your online viewing pleasure this weekend. Plus, they talk about how WEMU and the Michigan Theater fared during this week's National Day of Giving.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: This week, Coca-Cola announced it will buy Moxie, a tiny soda brand that's Maine's official state soft drink. The beverage has a cult-like following - kind of like B.J. Leiderman, who writes our theme music. Jay Field visited Lisbon Falls, Maine, the soda's unofficial home JAY FIELD, BYLINE: Moxie is almost like lobster or blueberries in Maine. It's firmly woven into the culture here, but it also stirs up more passions than those other Maine icons. Think "Star Trek" or, say, the Grateful Dead. LINDA WALLACE: If you like it, you like it. If you don't, you don't. FIELD: Take this crowded table at the Railroad Pub, where Linda Wallace and some friends are nursing early evening drinks. Wallace and Moxie - not so much. But her pals... PAT DEROCHER: He'll drink it any day of the week. PAUL DEROCHER: All the time. FIELD: To Pat Derocher and her husband Paul, nothing tastes quite like a Moxie. A waitress places one of those familiar

"I'm supposed to be a dead man," says Bobi Wine, a Ugandan musician turned politician. His driver Yasin Kawuma was shot dead on Aug. 13. Wine tweeted a graphic picture he said was of the man's dead body. Wine says police were the ones who shot Kawuma, but Wine says he was their real target. Bobi Wine's real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu. He rose to fame as a musician — first with love songs and dance songs, but more recently turned to political themes in his music. His 2017 song "Freedom" has become a rallying cry for the country's opposition. In the same year, Wine was elected to the country's Parliament as an independent. He's become a leader in opposing the country's longtime President Yoweri Museveni — in power since 1986. Museveni is known for violently crushing dissent. Human Rights Watch says the government "continues to violate free association, expression, and assembly rights." "We are living in a country where life does not mean a thing," Wine tells NPR's Scott Simon.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SCOTT SIMON, HOST: And to the uplifting notes of B.J. Leiderman, who writes our theme music, Major League Baseball is headed into the final weeks of the regular season. Mercy, is there a race in the NL Central. Howard Bryant of ESPN and espn.com joins us. Howard, thanks for being with us. HOWARD BRYANT, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. SIMON: Oh, it is a good morning. The Cubs defeated the Reds - I mean the Cincinnati baseball team, not the KGB - 3-2. The Brewers defeated the Pirates 7-2. The Dodgers defeated the Cards 3-0. This put the Cubs a game and a half above the Brew Crew (ph) and five ahead of the Cards. These are three very worthy teams, aren't they? BRYANT: You know what, Scott? We talk so much this year about the president, and we talk about the NFL when we talk about Colin Kaepernick, and we talk about Serena and we talk about all of these things, but this has been such an underrated baseball season. And this is my

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Now it's time for sports. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SIMON: The Red Sox take the AL East. The Cleveland Browns actually win a game. And Vontae Davis of the Buffalo Bills puts on a halftime no-show. Howard Bryant of espn.com and ESPN The Magazine joins us. Howard, thanks so much for being with us. HOWARD BRYANT, BYLINE: Good morning, Scott. Is it really that much of a stretch to go from a toilet flushing to a team - The Cleveland Browns that hadn't won a game since 2016. I mean, is it... SIMON: No, no. Had the handoff... BRYANT: ...Really that much of a stretch? SIMON: been there,... BRYANT: (Laughter). SIMON: ...I would have made the turn. Well,... BRYANT: I know you would have. SIMON: Yeah. Well, let's talk about baseball first, though, if we can. The BoSox won the AL East this week with, I don't know, 200 victories or whatever. But is that going to mean much if they get into the playoffs and Chris Sale, their ace pitcher, has an