Part of Mixed Bag, Tuesdays at 9pm on WVIA-FM

Homegrown Music with George Graham presents a wide range of rock, folk (including bluegrass), jazz, blues, reggae, World Music, New Age, fusion, etc., in short, all the types of music that Mixed Bag presents. (We do avoid heavy metal and grungy alternative rock, hip-hop, and commercial pop styles.) The emphasis is on all-original material, or highly original interpretations of old, obscure, or seldom-heard music. In the case of folk or jazz, original arrangements of traditional or jazz-standard material is acceptable. Homegrown Music does not include covers or performances of current popular songs, since radio listeners may easily find the original versions of such songs elsewhere on the airwaves.

The series presents monthly two-hour concert-broadcasts from the Sordoni High Definition Theater at WVIA.

HOMEGROWN MUSIC LISTINGS

Tuesday, May 7
My Glorious Mess - This New York-based band has strong ties to the Scranton area. The have released three CD-EPs and have been attracting attention on a national level with their intelligent, melodic music. Headed by Joseph Blaise, the group put in a live Homegrown Music concert in 2012. Prior to that, they did a recording session which spotlighted new versions of album material plus new songs. This spring 2012 session is featured in this encore.

Monday, May 13 at 8pm (special time)
A Homegrown Music Live Concert with TONY CIMOROSI AND NY INTERNATIONAL (jazz-rock fusion) and the JESSE LYNCH TRIO.

Bassist Tony Cimorosi is a long-time veteran of the Homegrown Music series going back to the 1980s. But it has been a number of years since his last appearance. Since then he has been touring extensively and recording with artists such as Randy Brecker and Alex Foster, who appeared on Cimorosi's last CD Horizon. For this Homegrown Music concert, he has assembled a trio with guitarist Nat Janoff and drummer Koko Bermedjo to perform some new original compositions.

Pianist Jesse Lynch has been making a name for himself in both the classical and jazz worlds. He makes his Homegrown Music debut with in a jazz trio with bassist Joe Michaels and drummer Tyler Dempsey.

As usual, WVIA's members and listeners are invited to be part of the studio audience for this two-hour live concert broadcast at WVIA's Sordoni Theater. Click here to reserve your seats or call 570-655-2808

Tuesday, May 14
Alfa - Philippine-born New Jersey-based singer-songwriter Alfa Garcia makes her Homegrown Music debut with a solo performance of her appealing original songs including some on played on ukulele. Her CD World Go Blue has been featured on WVIA's Mixed Bag, and has been getting airplay across the country. She performs acoustic versions of some of the songs plus new material.

Tuesday, May 21
E.G. Kight - This blues-oriented singer-songwriter from Georgia (with ties to the Williamsport area) has an interesting career. The first part of her musical life was in country music, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. But when she heard the late Koko Taylor, Ms. Kight gave up country for the blues and has become a popular national-touring artist on the blues scene. Her songs have been recorded by Ms. Taylor and Saffire the Uppity Blueswomen among others. This Archive Encore is a solo session from 2003 that was her Homegrown Music debut.

Tuesday, May 28
Empire of the Sea - From the Wilkes-Barre/Wyoming Valley area comes the instrumental rock band Empire of the Sea, who combine influences ranging from jazz-rock fusion to alternative rock. They make their Homegrown Music debut with a set of original compositions.

How to submit music:
Homegrown Music's purpose is to provide a unique opportunity for musicians to be as creative as possible, much more so than, for example in a club situation. Originality and quality of musicianship are the two most important criteria. So we are not interested in "clone" groups, that sound just like so-and-so, even though the performance may flawless. Likewise, highly original music is of no value if played badly. Being a professional musician is not an actual requirement, but playing on a professional level is.

Generally, a performer must has no less than 20 minutes of completed music to be considered to be part of Homegrown Music. The ideal length is about a half hour, with the maximum length of just under an hour. (Longer segments can be broken up and broadcast on two different programs.) The length of each song thus determines how many tunes would be involved. Submit a physical demonstration recording on CD (or even cassette) to the following address: WVIA-FM, George Graham - Homegrown Music, 100 WVIA Way, Pittston, PA 18640-6197. The sound quality of the recording is not important, as long as all the instruments and vocals can be heard. Homemade recordings or recordings made from the mixing board at a live show are fine. Include what you feel is representative of the music you wish to perform on Homegrown Music, and the recording should preferably include all the personnel you hope to use during the studio recording session. You may include a large selection of songs, or just a few if you feel they accurately represent your style, level of musicianship and creativity. Be sure to include an e-mail address or phone number at which you can be reached during the evening.

If you wish to check on your demo's status, phone (570) 602-1165, during weekday evening hours. Because of the huge proliferation of music and bands on the internet, there is no guarantee that sending a link to a website will result in an audition. To ensure that the music will get a fair hearing, please send a physical recording to the above address.