Listening Lyrics' farewell show, Feb. 10, 2023

I thought a farewell show would be one with mixed emotions.

Not so, the guests as usual made it such a great hour. 

Thank you to all the hundreds of musicians who have shared their talents with me and the audience. 

Ten-plus years of weekly Friday shows has been such a wonderful gift to me and Jeanne. Each moment is a treasure.

Thank you Jess Kelly, Nat lefkof and The Raquetbangers (Robert Polon, Timur Katsnelson) for sharing this final episode with me.

Finally, a huge thank you to my co-host and wife for all of her support and love.

Pieter Pastoor

The Folk Brothers for Feb. 8, 2023: 'Tiny Notes' for suicide prevention

The Young-Uns, a mainly a capella trio from the northeast of England, have consistently penned modern ballads centered on local people who have affected positive social change in their communities. Their latest release -- Tiny Notes -- was inspired by Paige Hunter, who in 2018 began tying handwritten notes to the railing of the Weamouth Bridge in Sunderland. These messages have now saved over 30 lives, as well as inspired others to leave similar messages on bridges across the world.

Also on today's show: a new bluegrass supergroup fronted by Andrew Marlin, and a love letter to the Silver State from Mike Beck. And lots more too!

Davisville, Feb. 6, 2023: Did ChatGPT write this? How would you know?

ChatGPT is a new tech tool that can write — maybe “write” should appear in quotes — by using advanced technology and vast databases of text. So is this ability a good thing, the word equivalent of a calculator? Or does use of ChatGPT reduce the need for people to learn how to think and write coherently?

In today’s Davisville we talk with Andy Jones, a longtime writing instructor and educational technologist, and Margaret Merrill, a senior instructional design consultant, both at the University of California, Davis. They list pluses and minuses of ChatGPT, their encounters with the tool, how they can tell when someone has used ChatGPT to write something, and how they approach this latest evolution in artificial intelligence. Their discussion is fascinating.

The Lyrics, on Listening Lyrics, Feb. 3, 2023

Oh this one is bittersweet. It's the second-to-last Listening Lyrics, and the last one with just myself in the studio. Next week's show will have plenty of guests, but I opted to do this alone. 

I'm playing songs with lyrics that explain a feeling, with several local groups represented. They include Nat Lefkoff, Boot Juice, Bad Mother Nature, The Gold Souls, and Adrian West.

Cowboy Tracks, Feb. 1, 2023: Elko Cowboy Gathering 2023

This episode of Cowboy Tracks previews some of the artists performing this week at the annual National Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering in Elko, Nev.

Here's the playlist:

Song -- Title -- Artist -- Album

Milk Cow Blues (instrumental) -- Jimmy Day & Herb Remington, A Day With Remington

Come Ride With Me -- Dave Stamey, Come Ride With Me

Mountain Water -- Carin Mari, Rambling Daughter

Music from the Celtic Lands!

Arise and go forth! This week's Celtic Songlines opens with sweet sounds from the band Arise & Go; a taste of Cape Breton with Stephen MacDonald and Natalie MacMaster; Ohio's The Drowsy Lads; from Rachel Newton & Lauren MacColl, "a humanizing tribute to the women who were accused in the Scottish witch trials"; the brilliant sounds of Aoife Scot;, the band Open the Door for Three; a bit of Marrakesh from Shane Hennessy; Magpie Lane's Speed the Plough; and a lively tune from the band Flook!