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, June 4
Emily Hurd - A fine-national-level singer-songwriter from the Chicago area, Emily Hurd has toured extensively, including in our area. Last year she released a CD called Long Lost Ghosts, which was featured on Mixed Bag. In this 2012 Homegrown Music session, she performed some new songs, some of which would later appear on a CD with her bluegrass group Stone Blind Valentine. She performs on piano and banjo on this session. (Encore)

Tuesday, June 11
Pi Jacobs - One of those artists whose work has been heard anonymously by many, has written music for numerous TV productions and commercials on MTV, the Oxygen channel, for Macy's stores and others. Earlier this year, she released an EP called Urbanicana which has been featured on WVIA's Mixed Bag. She makes her Homegrown Music debut with a new collection songs, joined by a group that includes bassist Jamie Bishop and acclaimed jazz drummer Jordan Perlson.

Tuesday, June 18
56 Men - From the Philadelphia area, 56 Men return for their third Homegrown Music appearance. The group, named after the number of people who signed the Declaration of Independence, serves up high-quality original melodic rock in a timeless style.

Tuesday, June 25
Ian McFeron - A fine roots-rock artist whose recent seventh CD Time Will Take You has been spotlighted on WVIA's Mixed Bag program, Seattle-based Ian McFeron paid Homegrown Music a visit in his recent tour through the region. He was joined by fiddler Alisa Milner in a nice collection of original songs most of which were new, non-album material.

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.