Summer

As mentioned in the previous post, I am spending the current semester in Guadalajara, Mexico. Already I've learned that cars do not stop for pedestrians and that the temperature never falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

I decided not buy a field recorder to bring with me because I didn't think I would use it. Little did I know, Guadalajara is brimming with art. In the somewhat touristy part of town I've already seen a few sculptures, a mural or two, and a cathedral -- not to mention some great graffiti. I also visited the Museum of Journalism and Graphic Arts, a cross between an art gallery and a history of journalism in the city. A Field Reporter for Radio Arts Middlebury would have been right at home.

Much of what makes Mexico famous in the US comes either from Guadalajara or from Jalisco, the state of which GDL is the capital. Mariachis, tequila, and a few styles of tacos that have gone global all originated here. In fact, the annual international Mariachi Festival is coming up this Saturday. . . and me without a microphone.

But I won't bore RAM's dedicated fans with too much travel reporting. If I really feel the need, I'll start my own blog about my stay, and increase the author-reader ratio even further.

Epsiode 10: Fond Farewell

Today's episode of Radio Arts was the last of the semester. We played songs by artists who until now have been kept literally in the background of our programming. Also in the mix was a double helping of arts news with Liza Sacheli-Lloyd.

Enjoy today's full show in the nifty media player embedded below, or in a separate window by clicking the links in the "Download" section of the sidebar.

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In a rare moment of singular pronoun use, I’d like to tell some of my own story.

I wanted to put together a full-length edited segment describing the joys, struggles, and adventures involved in producing Radio Arts Middlebury. However, in typical Radio Arts fashion, I found myself with too much to say and too little time. At the end of today's show, I delivered the following signoff speech:

I’m unsure what will happen to Radio Arts next semester: I’ll be living, studying, and fending off swine flu in Guadalajara. The show's former host, Colin Foss, will be back from his year in France -- but we’ll see whether he’s crazy enough to keep it going. Whatever happens to Radio Arts, I’m grateful and quite frankly surprised that it has lasted this long. Here’s hoping it was more than just a bunch of sounds.

If you’d like to check the show's intermittent pulse this summer, keep an eye on this blog. That way, if R!A!M! rises from the grave, you can be prepared with a pair of headphones and a crossbow.

For Radio Arts Middlebury, for the arts, and for you, I’m J.P. Allen.

Thank you.



(Photos from the station)

Episode 9: ...And the Livin' is Easy?

Just as Vermont seems to bypass spring and barrel straight on into summer, so Radio Arts this week skips the last week of class and morphs into finals-week-style programming.


For the last three episodes of RAM -- today's, May 6th's, and May 13th's -- we'll be playing music and taking calls. And, as always, we'll start each show with Liza Sacheli-Lloyd and the arts news.

There may also be a surprise segment or two -- keep your ears open (and properly protected from UV radiation).

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This week's track list:

• Arts News with Liza Sacheli-Lloyd
• The Ink Spots - "Mama Don't Allow"*
• Gracie Fields - "Walter, Walter"*
• POEM: Billy Collins - "Workshop"
• Chick Webb Orchestra - "The Dipsy Doodle"*
• POEM: William Blake - "The Question Answered" (read by Robert Pinsky)
• POEM: Sylvia Plath - "Mushrooms"
• POEM: Major Jackson - "Picket Monsters"

All poems found at poets.org, except for "Mushrooms," which came from Salon.com's poetry audio collection.

*Songs that will likely appear in Yellowbrickroad, a horror/thriller film written and directed by Middlebury alumni Andy Mitton and Jesse Holland. Learn more about the movie here.

Episode 8: Pros, Poetry

This week's show began with a redefinition of a Middlebury slang term. Here's the original definition:

Riding the Panther (v)
Taking advantage of Middlebury College’s resources while not enrolled as a full student. Often refers to alumni who stay on campus to work after graduation. (Negative connotations.)

"Summer workers are now required to buy a meal plan: dining staff feared they would ride the panther by sneaking in with the Language Schools."

But at least one graduate employee is working hard to make the most of the trip. Her story is our third and final Behind the Limelight interview.


The rest of the show this past Wednesday was presented in honor of National Poetry Month. Students, faculty, and staff members showed their poetic chops by reading their own or others' verses. Listen to them separately via the links in the sidebar, or all together (with transitions) here.

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Unfortunately, no recording of the full show will be available this week. We were not using our typical set of Film Department equipment. We apologize for any loss in sound quality.

Middlebury radio nepotism

When we at R!A!M! find something that meets at least two of our three criteria -- in this case, "Radio" and "Middlebury" -- we consider it worth posting on this site.

Check out the following on-air discussion of the Sri Lankan Civil War (from the program "World Focus"). The panel includes Jeffrey Lunstead, current Middlebury professor and former ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives:

Good discussion about a bad situation

Some words about actions that speak louder than words

Our second online-only piece needs (almost) no introduction:

They've widened their fields of study to incorporate different media and styles, and they've widened their intended audience to include even those people who know almost nothing about dance (including me). Listen to Yina Ng and Simon Thomas-Train discuss their senior Dance work, "The Otherwise Forgotten."

Reminder

This may be slightly outside the purview of an "arts" blog, but it deserves mentioning: On Friday (4/17), Middlebury holds its annual Spring Student Symposium. The Symposium gives students a chance to present research and independent projects carried out for classes, for thesis work, and independently.

Symposium sessions will take place in a multitude of rooms in Bi Hall. For further details, click here, or join the Facebook event. I hear the kids are into that.