Diverse Musical Travels: Some Snapshots

We're traveling to three regions for this program: The Highlands and Islands region of Scotland, the closed steel mills of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. and the Appalachian Mountains and Vienna, West Virginia.

Our trip to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland during the first hour was made possible by MIDAS (Music Industry Development and Support), a unique collaboration to promote the music of the Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland's west coast and Western Isles, the northern isles and Caithness. Check out the Web pages at www.highland-music.com and www.shetland-music.com.

The second hour brought us home to a historical songwriting project in Bethlehem in which Massachusetts' Bob Franke was artistic director. All of the tunes are associated with the now closed steel mills in that region of Pennsylvania and were recorded as part of the project. You can reach them at www.bummertent.com

We finished up with tracks from newly-discovered bluegrass mandolin virtuoso Johnny Staats of West Virginia whose first album has just been released. He's not giving up his day job, however, as a driver for United Parcel Service -- at least just not yet.

Artist, "Title", Album, Label

Scotland

• Debbie Scott, "Anne Grace Henderson/The Chief/Donnie Henderson's Reel", Debbie Scott, Veesik

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• Fiddler's Bid, "Yellow Stockings Medley", "Innisheer", Hamnataing, Greentrax

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• Sheila Henderson, "Killin' The Blues", "I Don't Love You Anymore", Waiting For Venus, Graft

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• Debbie Scott, "Killer Whale/The Trip To Ve Skerries", "David's Waltz", "Cluckin' Hen", "Pionersk/Cutty Sark", "Klink Hamar/October/Avurna", Debbie Scott, Veesk

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• Filska, "Brenda Stubbert's Reel, "Monday Morning", "Guzzle Together", Time And Tide, Highlander Music

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  Pennsylvania

• Tom Watson, "Days Of Steel"

• Bob Hrichak, "Man Of Steel"

• Tom Watson, "Forty One Cents An Hour"

• Bonnie O'Donnell, "Something Happened In The Mill"

• Richard Kushner, "Hello, Mr. Wolle"

• Christian Baumann, "Waiting For The Fun"

• Bob Franke, "Little White Envelopes"

• Bill Hall, "Southside"

  All selections from Days Of Steel/Songs From An Empty Steel Mill, Bummer Tent Records

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  West Virginia

• Johnny Staats, "Mandolin Meltdown", "Coal Tattoo", "Escape From Taiwan", "Catch Me If You Can", Wires And Wood, The Johnny Staats Project, Giant (Warner Brothers)