Journalism
My first
foray into journalism was in college (1978-1982), when I was a writer
and then an editor for the Northern
Light, an erratically published political and cultural
magazine once available on the campus of St. Lawrence University.
A decade later I wrote a few free-lance
articles for Press Magazine
in
Denmark at the invitation of my old friend Flemming Andersen,
one of the editors. A few years later he moved to a daily paper Aktuelt
and I
contributed regularly to a humor column called the Back Page.
In 2002 I started writing for City Newspaper
in Rochester, New York. I focused on music, mostly folk and roots music.
In 2003 I began free-lancing for the Ithaca Journal
and the Trumansburg
Free Press and in 2006 I became a full-time reporter for Finger Lakes Community Newspapers
and began writing for Dirty Linen
magazine. In 2009 Dirty Linen stopped publication and its writers moved online to Driftwood.
In July 2007 I became the editor of
all nine Finger Lakes
Community Newspapers, a post I held for a year until I quit to become a
technical writer. In June 2009, less than thrilled with
cubicle life, I returned to journalism.
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Radio
While
I was
in graduate
school at University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1988-1991), I adopted a
nom d'aire, Mr. Fishscales, and did a blues show called "You Gotta Pay
Yer Dues" and then a weird rock and trad show called the "Hibernian
Weather Channel" on WMUA-FM.
In 1998 my wife Deirdre got interested in Irish traditional music and
offered both her own and my services to Ted McGraw, who
was looking for co-hosts for his "Irish Party House" on a local AM
station.
After about year Ted moved his show to WRUR-FM
and his son John started doing the show with him. So I resurrected the
Hibernian Weather Channel. I did this show until I left the University
of Rochester in 2003.
Sometime in 2004 I became a regular substitute on Nonesuch,
a folk and roots show on WVBR-FM. After a four-year hiatus I am back to subbing again.
In 2010 in started a program called Shin Hollow Radio
on WVBR. It is a magazine format; we invite local artists, business
people, activists and government officals to talk about what they are
up to.
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Music
I'm
not much
of a musician; I hate practicing. But I love listening to and promoting
and recording music.
In about 2000 or so I went to the former Montage Grille in Rochester to
see a double-bill with Steve
Wynn and the Miracle 3 and Richard Lloyd
of Television. There were about 12 people at this show and I struck up
a conversation at the bar with Dave deCastro, the Miracle 3's bass
player. I bought one of his self-produced solo CDs and became a big
fan. Before the MySpace
revolution I made a simple
webpage for him.
In 2000 I also found out that was distantly related to a very large
musical family in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The Chaissons have
since been down to visit.
I made a simple webpage for Lem
Chaisson.
For a few years after that we put together workshops
with local musicians.
During
2005 and 2006 Chad Crumm and I recorded several "live on the floor"
performances of local musicians, including Burke, Burke and Bone,
Laurie Hart, and the Macgillicuddies,. These are still in the can,
waiting for the right venue.
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