Today is December 14th, Christmas is coming and the year is rapidly drawing to a close. As I look "Rock N Soul Gospelback on 2017 overall it has been a very good year from an artistic viewpoint. With new music from Jae Jin, Glass Hammer, The Rigs, Tyminski, T.J. Stafford, The Lazarus Trio, Melanie Penn and so many others I am to say the least a happy camper. On my 68th birthday my wife and I ventured into NYC for a live performance of the play "Shadowlands" which was nothing short of spectacular. As usual the summer trip up to New Hampshire for "Soulfest was a rekindling of old friendships and great live music. The Rockwood Music Hall continues to be the place for seeing live music in the city in any of its three stages. The only real complaint I have is that so many amazing gigs are scheduled for a Friday or Sunday night while I'm on the radio and I have to miss them. C'mon guys what about a Wednesday or Saturday night show instead. I am really looking forward to what the upcoming year will bring. Scheduled for May is the first book in a new trilogy from my favorite living author, Stephen Lawhead entitled "In The Region Of The Summer Stars" as well as a related album release from Jeff Johnson. "Rock N Soul Gospel" is well into its 37th year on 88.1fm & WCWP.org and I am more excited about the show than I have ever been. To all my friends out there, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Grandfather Rock!!!

This past weekend was Homecoming Weekend at LIU Post which means that next weekend marks the 36th anniversary of "Rock N Soul Gospel" as a radio program at the campus radio station. 88.1fm & WCWP.org is the public radio service of Long Island University. For these past years it has been my privilege to share, with whoever cares to listen, some of the greatest music that I have ever heard. The friendships that I have made over these years I will always hold close to my heart, to Bill Mozer who initially brought me on and to Dan Cox who keeps putting up with me, you guys are the best. The artists that I get to hang out with and call friends are some of the best folks that I know. Fred Schendel and Steve Babb from Glass Hammer & Dave Bainbridge from Celestial Fire, you guys continually inspire me to do great radio. Derri, Mike, Steve, Terry you guys are the best, Jeff Johnson is a musical genius of the first order, your music has changed my life forever for the better. Going into New York City to see live music is one of the highlights of my life, places like the Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End & The Mercury Lounge are havens in the storm. As for the Bottom Line which is now a NYU lecture hall, it hurts to even have to say that, and CBGB's your memory will live on forever. Below are some cool music videos for you to enjoy!!!

Last week I spent time up in Gilford, New Hampshire for the 20th anniversary of Soulfest. I have gone to the festival about ten times now and walk away with the same feelings about Christian music events such as this. There are some of the finest musical acts in the industry today, unfortunately there are also some of the worst. The older that I get, at the time of this writing I'm a few months short of 68, the more of a media snob that I am becoming. I have little to low tolerance for substandard art of any kind. It seems that there is a glut of people who are more than willing to accept bad art simply because someone connects the name Jesus to it. I on the other hand firmly believe that if an artist claims to be in a unique relationship with the Master Creator then the art that he creates had better be excellent in every way. There are a certain group of artists that frequent Soulfest that I have come to admire for their artistic integrity and professionalism. Among them are: Rachel Taylor, Jim Trick, Courtney Reid, Big Kettle Drum, The Choir, The Violet Burning and others. Spending time with these people is a boost to my mind, heart and imagination as well as my soul. These bands and artists are creating some of the very best rock n roll that I have ever heard or had the pleasure to play on the radio. These are just a small sampling of the people that keep me wanting to do radio after almost 50 years. The sampling of videos that accompany this blog entry will give you a taste of just what I'm talking about. This is just some extremely fine music, no brag, just fact!!!

It is now mid-June, actually it is the day after father's day and we are just about 6 weeks away from Soulfest. For those who are not familiar with the event, Soulfest is a music festival that occurs every August in Gilford, New Hampshire at the Gunstock Mountain Resort. This year marks the festival's 25th anniversary and many artists who I totally enjoy will be performing there. Now Soulfest is a Christian festival and a great deal of the artists participating are of the type that the usual church goer would hear on such radio outlets as the K-Love system. Personally I have absolutely no interest in seeing those groups. I'm just not interested in what is commonly called praise and worship music, on the other hand though there is a fair amount of solo and band artists that really get my creative juices flowing. Let me give you a quick rundown of who it is that I am driving 6 hours to see. Honestly these are people that over the years I have come to regard as friends and colleagues and I truly respect the art that they are creating. Folks such as Courtney Reid, Rachel Taylor, Jim Trick, Dan Russell, Michael Pritzl of The Violet Burning & Jars Of Clay. Then there is Derri Daugherty & Steve Hindalong of The Choir, add to that Big Kettle Drum, Christopher Williams and P.W. Gopal, I'm sure that I have missed some but I don't have a full list in front of me right now. Besides the music the festival features a variety of speakers on a multitude of topics and then there is the scenery which is nothing short of breathtaking. One of the stages is called the Mountain Top Stage and is is just that. The stage is the front porch of the ski patrol shack, it is accessible by a 20 minute ski lift ride or an hour hike and serves as the festival's acoustic stage. For me the best stage is called the Mercy Street Stage, it is inside the ski chalet and is just a great room to hear excellent music. I had the privilege of acting as MC at this stage for a number of years. There are camping facilities available but at my age I tend to prefer a nice cool hotel room with a television at the end of the day to wind down with. This year the festival runs from August 3rd through the 5th with a special kickoff gig on August 2nd featuring Rachel Taylor, Dan Russell, The Violet Burning & Jars Of Clay. The web site for the event is www.thesoulfest.com. The web site gives a full rundown on who is playing when and on what stage. It also provides links to the individual artist and speakers web sites as well as recommendations at to where to stay.

It is now mid-April, Spring is in full sway, Easter has passed and the trees are beginning to bloom. It was in the Spring of 1968, 49 years ago that I did my very first radio show and now 49 years later I am still excited every time that I sit down behind the radio console and slip in the opening theme to "Rock N Soul Gospel". Each time I hear the opening notes of "Check It Out" by "After The Fire" I know that I have the opportunity to share some of the best rock n roll on the radio. This is an opportunity that I take very seriously and I am so very grateful that I still have the fire burning in my heart and soul to do just that. Lately I have been closing the show with an invitation to join me again the next time to hear the best rock n roll on the radio and I sincerely mean that. I am very careful about the choice of tunes that I give air time to. I don't want to pick songs that are disposable music or are the flavor of the week. I have said before that I want to paint a sonic tapestry that will touch someone's soul deep, deep down inside and will create in them a desire for beauty. Some of the new music that I have come across lately are absolutely amazing, albums by artists such as:"Celestial Fire", "Dave Perkins" and "The Power Triplets". As always the search continues for more and more great music to share with you guys, generically speaking of course. Be sure to tune in to 88.1fm & WCWP.org every Friday night at 9 and Sunday evening at 5. You'll be glad you did, I promise!!!

The month of February is drawing to a close and with it hopefully the coldest part of the winter season. Spring is on the horizon and with it the traditional renewing of life. Hopefully this coming March will snow free, I've had enough for a lifetime. Although my time of working for the US Post Office has come to an end, I am officially retired, my time with 88.1fm & WCWP.org is still going on as  strong as ever. Judging from the albums that I have acquired so far this year and the concerts that have come to the tri-state area so far it looks like 2017 is going to be a spectacular year for the world of the arts. With album releases from Rick Wakeman, Branches, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Lowland Hum and others it seems that the winter lull is over and creativity is once more on the rise. I know for myself that I have a renewed vigor for playing great music on the radio and the hunt and search for new music to play on the radio show is in full swing once again. Upcoming concerts include appearances by Lowland Hum, Branches, The Choir, & The 77's. Once again as far as concerts are concerned the big boys play in places like Madison Square Garden or the soon to be reopened Nassau Coliseum, but for my money the real magic happens in the much smaller venues. The small clubs and bars as well as house concerts are the best places to see great live music. The Bitter End, The Mercury Lounge, The Rockwood Music Hall, All Angels Cafe are all perfect rooms for an evening of spectacular live music. The festival season is also just around the corner with events like SXSW and the Great South Bay Music Festival on the horizon. Be sure to join in the search for great art and never ever be content to settle for second best.

Every time that I look at a social media site these days all I see is people bemoaning 2016 as a horrible year. Now there were obviously a glut of celebrity/ media deaths last year but isn't that the same every year. When I look back as a radio disc jockey on the year 2016, I see a year filled with amazing new music, books and film. With new, at the time, releases from such diverse artists as Glass Hammer, The Last Bison, Mark Lettieri, Dave Beegle, Dusty Brown, Tom Conlon, Lights For Landing and many others the year was absolutely filled with amazing music. And to top it off I got to share it all on the radio. I found out earlier in the year that apparently I am the proud papa of the worlds oldest rock n roll radio show, that and $2.75 will get me on the subway in the city. I wouldn't have it any other way though, I have been doing radio since 1968 and I still get a rush every time I sit down in the studio to start a show. I am so looking forward to the upcoming year with all that it will artistically bring forth. Be sure to check out the film "Silence" when it goes into wide spread release on January 13th and though I don't have a tentative release date yet be on the lookout for new music from Bruce Cockburn. Also be sure to tune into "Rock N Soul Gospel" every Friday at 9pm & Sunday at 5pm, NY time, at 88.1fm & WCWP.org because as the kids these days are prone to say: "We will, we will rock you".