Episode #03 - Circumnavigating the Atlantic

This week we circumnavigated the Atlantic, starting in South America: Uruguay, Brazil and Colombia. Next we jumped up to New England and Quebec for two songs. At last, we sailed across the Atlantic to the British Isles, then spent some time in Galicia (Northwestern Spain) before heading to Paris and Romania. The journey concluded in Senegal, Sierra Leone and Angola. This playlist was fun to put together. All of the tracks were pulled from my personal collection of global music. Some of them have connections to moments and people in my life (which I note below).

My intention was to concoct a playlist of upbeat and accessible music to appeal to listeners during WMPG's Begathon (the station's annual pledge drive). The music, matched with some expert pitching by fellow DJs and volunteers (Kate, Jessica and Rick) helped bring in 10 donations. A special thanks to all listeners who called in and donated during my show! Thank you for keeping WMPG alive. As long as she sails, free speech and community access to the airwaves shall thrive.

Here's a rundown on three of today's special tracks:

Jorge Drexler - Polvo De Estrellas
A good friend of mine (Ryan Suarez) first introduced me to Drexler on a holiday visit to San Diego, while I was living in Guanajuato, Mexico. He immediately struck me as a Caetano Veloso-like songwriter. I quickly integrated this music into 'mi vida Mexicana.' Many of the tunes on Eco define a very special time in my life. Although I had learned Spanish in high school and college, in Mexico I began to discover the nuances of the language. Drexler's lyrics gave me accessible imagery, metaphors and idiomatic expressions. It was perfect Spanish Language Learner music. Drexler ponders life's meaning through lyrical, galactic poetry. In this song, Polvo De Estrellas (Stardust), he builds on a quote from Ernesto Cardenal:

"Que hay en una estrella? Nosotros mismos. 
Todos los elementos de nuestro cuerpo y del planeta 
estuvieron en las entrañas de una estrella. 
Somos polvo de estrellas." 

What is in a star? Ourselves.

All of the elements of our bodies and the planet

Were in the beginnings of a star

We are stardust.

The pre-chorus really sticks with me. Drexler frames life in a galactic perspective.

"Toda la gloria es nada 
Toda vida es sagrada 
Una estrellita de nada 
en la periferia 
de una galaxia menor."

All of the glory is nothing
All life is sacred
A little star of nothing
in the periphery of a minor galaxy

David Wax Music - Harder Before It Gets Easier
When recording drums with my brother at Sam Kassirer's Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield, ME, I discovered this wonderful group. Just a year earlier they had recorded their album, Knock Knock Get Up, at the very same location. Lead singer, David Wax and fiddler, Suz Slezak, build their songs around Son Jarocho rhythms and melodies (a traditional music from the Veracruz region of Mexico). This is one of those songs that I can never get enough of. Struck me like lightning the first time I heard it. I can't help but hear this tune and remember the wonderful days and evenings I spent at Great North Sound Society.



Seth Lakeman - The Hurlers
Seth Lakeman takes English folk and injects it with rock & roll energy (not unlike Jethro Tull or Fairport Convention). The song calls our attention with a war-like floor tom that gets the heart pumping. Lakeman is well-known for singing tales of regional British history on his albums. This tune explains the presence of mysterious, pre-Christian monoliths that form circles in Cornwall, England (not unlike Stonehenge). According to ancient lore, a group of men were playing Cornish hurling on a Sunday (avoiding the call of the village's church). They were cursed by the Lord for ignoring the church bells and turned to stone. What an idea for a song!