Coming up on October 14th, that's Columbus Day evening, Rock N Soul Gospel will be emceeing our 38th anniversary rock n roll spectacular at My Father's Place in Roslyn, Long Island. There will be two band playing that night: IZZ and Kinetic Element. Both bands have new albums out which they will be playing cuts from that evening. Tickets are available through MyFathersPlace.com, be sure to get yours while they are still available. Recently I was listening to a podcast and the host stated that the only songs that you will hear on the radio are the hits. I don't know what he has been listening to but I have to wholeheartedly disagree. Having worked for the past 38 years on a public radio station I find that my main concern is far from playing the hits, I want to play the absolute best music that I can find. When I first started the show, being a Christian, I made a vow to God that I would honor Him through the excellence of what I played on the show if He would give the show some longevity. In my mind I was thinking of maybe if I was lucky it might go for five years. Well, here we are thirty eight years later and still going strong. I still strive every program that I do to keep the commitment that I made all those years ago. There are times when I am absolutely overwhelmed by the excellence of the music that I get to share twice a week with whoever chooses to listen. We can be heard world wide every Friday at 9pm and Sunday at 8pm, those are NY times, at 88.1fm & WCWP.org. Be sure to check it out and on Columbus day be there or be L7!!!

We are approaching the middle of July and it has been one hot Summer. The only thing hotter than the temperature outside is the music that I have had the privilege of playing on "Rock N Soul Gospel" on 88.1fm & WCWP.org. The Summer always holds the chance to see some great live shows and this season is no different. This September holds out the hope to see some shows from Kerosene Halo as well as "Paul & Dave's Excellent Adventure" hitting the states featuring music from Paul Bielatowicz and Dave Bainbridge. I have also been playing some new tunes from artists such as Charlie Peacock, Sam Ashworth, Inhaler, Luxury and Delta Spirit. Although I won't be making the trek up to Soulfest this Summer, they will have music featuring Jim Trick, Maeve, The Violet Burning and my old friend Phil Keaggy. A few months ago I got a chance to see Phil along with Tony Levin & Jerry Marotta at a club in upstate New York. To say that they tore the place down is a complete understatement, they rocked that joint. "Rock N Soul Gospel" is getting ready to enter its 39th year on WCWP radio and I am more than ever committed to playing the absolute best rock n roll on the radio. You guys, generically speaking of course, deserve nothing less. Be sure to check us out every Friday night from 9 till 11 and Sunday night from 8 until midnight. You'll be glad you did!!!

It is the third day of June and I am thinking back on some of the new music that I have gotten for the radio show these past months and am continually amazed at the quality and excellence of the product I have received. Such albums as "Crickets" by Phil Madeira, "Sanctum" by Frank VanEssen, "All A Shimmer" by Cindertalk, "The Bucketlist" by Phil Keaggy, Tony Levin & Jerry Marotta, "Fire" by Gregorian Rock are just a few of the examples of music that I have the privilege of sharing with the listeners of "Rock N Soul Gospel" every week on 88.1fm & WCWP.org. It is so very important to me to only share the absolute very best music that I can find to turn you guys, generically speaking of course, on to. And without sounding too cocky, I believe that I am doing just that and I promise to keep on doing just that. The older that I get the more I am convinced that I just don't have the time or desire to indulge in second rate art of any kind and unfortunately so many people are willing to settle for inferior art whether it be music, film, literature or other forms of artistic expression. I just don't get it as to why people, especially those who claim to be Christians, are so very more than willing to accept inferior art or in so many cases just outright bad propaganda. Each and every week I look forward to getting back into Studio 2 at WCWP to crank out the best rock n roll on the radio and I will continue to do so as long as I am physically able or as long as my boss will put up with this cranky old fart. Check out some of the amazing music in the clips below.

Today is Thursday March 21st the first official full day of Spring and as usual on Long Island it is overcast and rainy. Oh well, at least for this year Winter is a thing of the past. I spent a part of last week in Pennsylvania visiting my favorite bookstore "Hearts And Minds" in Dallastown, Pa. This is so much more than a mere bookstore, it is a sacred space and a place of magic and wondrous beauty. I picked up a copy of the new album from Over The Rhine as well as a book entitled "Every Moment Holy" from Rabbit Room Press, a book of prayers and liturgies for various moments in life with excellent drawings from my friend Ned Bustard. It has reminded me to look for the holy and sacred in the everyday things in life. And though the food in Pennsylvania is an absolute disaster for a diabetic, it is just so amazingly delicious, especially the buttered noodles found almost everywhere in Lancaster County. Also got a chance to see a concert with Mike Roe, Kerosene Halo & The Choir at a local church. Imagine, that a church that actually brings in acts that are producing great art instead of insipid propaganda, who could have imagined such a thing happening. It doesn't happen on Long Island where they think that what K-Love is doing is actually good. When the bands appeared at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, earlier that week only 20 people showed up that is just not right. Considering that NYC is the entertainment capitol of the world for that to happen is down right deplorable. At one point in time the Church was the prime instigator of all the great art in the western world, unfortunately that time has long since past and it is a true shame. When recently my friend Jae Jin appeared on the tv show "The Voice, not one judge turned to see who this amazing artist was. It just goes to show once again what an absolute joke that the shows of this type truly are. The judges wouldn't know great talent if it came up and bit them in the ass. Oh well, enough venting SXSW has come and gone so the festival season is upon us. There are good shows to be seen and heard, coming up in NYC next month are gigs from Over The Rhine, The Last Bison  and Leigh Nash. Indeed I am going to be a happy camper soon enough.

There is a sense of magic in the air, a sense of wonder and beauty. A feeling of the greatness of art and the satisfaction of being in a world where such beauty and wonder exists. It is still the beginning of February and the midst of winter but my mind is filled with the joy that comes from being exposed to great and wondrous music. So far this year I have gotten a number of new albums from artists that I love and have the privilege of sharing with the listeners of "Rock N Soul Gospel". Albums like "Cappadocia" by Jeff Johnson & Phil Keaggy, "The Bucket List" by Phil Keaggy, Tony Levin & Jerry Marotta, "Catch The Boom" by TNT Duo, "Sanctum" by Frank Van Essen. Others include, "Custodians Of Beauty" by Christian Frederickson, " Restless" by Steve Lawson & Pete Fraser and "The Waking Hours" by Matthew Perryman Jones. Every time I sit down behind the console in studio 2 of 88.1fm & WCWP.org. I get not just to do a good rock n roll radio show but I get to create a sonic tapestry that I hope will touch the hearts , minds and souls of listeners across the world. With new albums coming up in the near future from The Red Dirt Boys, Phil Madeira, Over The Rhine and others, 2019 looks toward being a spectacular year for good music all around.

Here is an end of the year sampling of some of the artists that you have heard on "Rock N Soul Gospel" in 2018. More to come in the new year!!!

The month of December and the year 2018 are rapidly drawing to a close on this brisk December afternoon. As I look back on the past year I am so, so very grateful on the music, the art and the life that I have exposed to. Rock N Soul Gospel, my radio show, is well into its 38th year on WCWP radio, the public radio station of Long Island University located on the campus of LIU Post on the north shore of Nassau county on Long Island. Each time that I walk into studio 2 of the station I am well aware that I have the chance to share the greatest rock n roll on the radio with whoever takes the time to listen. As I am writing this piece I am listening to a tune called "Labyrinth" from the album "Sanctum" by Frank VanEssen, actually I'm listening to the entire album. To say that it is sonic magnificence is such an understatement. The music that I have had a chance to share this past year with my listeners and friends is some of the best that I have heard in my 69 years on this planet. Artists such as Frank VanEssen, Ashley Cleveland, Phil Madeira, Tess Wiley, Glass Hammer, The Choir, Derri Daugherty, Big Kettle Drum and others make the twice a week trip up to the radio station a journey of love. Besides the music, books that have come out this past year by such authors as Stephen Lawhead, Christopher Tolkien, Micheal Haldas and Malcolm Guite have kept my mind on a wonderful and wonder filled pilgrimage into the world of imagination. DVD documentaries by Steve Bell & Malcolm Guite, Andrew Wall's "The Fantasy Makers" and the in studio film from Dave Bainbridge & Sally Minnear are food for my soul. As good as 2018 has been 2019 looks to be even better with new music from Over The Rhine, Phil Keaggy, Tony Levin & Jerry Marotta's trio project called "The Bucket List" as well as the album from Jeff Johnson & Phil Keaggy are the promise of things to come for the new year. Plus there are rumblings of a new album from The Lost Dogs on the horizon. Don't forget about checking out "Rock N Soul Gospel every Friday at 9pm & Sunday at 8pm, NY time, on 88.1fm & WCWP.org