Bar Crawl Radio

Mid July, this year -- 2024 – Rebecca McKean and I flew into Chicago and then drove to Maloy Iowa – a few miles north of the Missouri border.We passed Joliet – Dekalk – Moline – Iowa City – Cedar Rapids - Ottunwa - Mt Ayr – then – Maloy, Iowa.At one time – not so long ago – Maloy had a small population. Its buildings remain:  A medium sized Catholic Church – small Post Office – General Store – Dance Hall – City Hall. Now it is mostly empty – a husk of a town surrounded by massive corn fields.Becky and I were visiting two Catholic Worker friends who had been cultivating a small vegetable – goat and chicken farm since 1986. Their two children grew up in Maloy on the “Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker Community Farm.”Over those years -- besides working the farm -- Betsy Kenan perfected the crafts of weaving and looming – and Brian Terrell travelled protesting war and the spread of U.S. military and nuclear bombs throughout the world._____________________________For the next three BCR programs – we talked with Brian – Betsy and their friends in Maloy and Creston IA to get a feel for life in this American state which overwhelmingly supports Donald Trump for president, bans abortions after six weeks --  and which -- we learned – might be considering alternative – diverse -- ways of being in mid-America.The opening sound was recorded on Betsy’s and Brian’s porch.  Nate Jarrell on the violin – Nate is a young peace activist and musician and builder who was visiting Brian and Betsy on their Catholic Worker Farm – and Don Ray – a neighbor up the road was playing the guitar –

For the past three years BCR podcast has recorded on Sundays in June from the West Side Community Garden, As usual, we talked with neighbors doing amazing work for their community and featured the music of local artists performing in the Garden during the month. For this BCR program we invited three leaders of the WSCG to talk about its history. By a miraculous convergence of urban decay and sheer will, this former trash heap abides as a garden oasis on the Upper West Sider – all thanks to dedicated gardners and volunteers. This place exemplifies the strength of local communities.Ensconced in a corner of the garden we talked with three women who nurture and are nurtured by a garden: Judy Robinson is a gardener and the President of the WSCG’s Board of Directors. Until this summer, Randa Kirshbaum organized the Garden’s Summer Music concerts. And joining us on our bench was Jackie Bukowski -- an early organizer of the WSCG.Later in the program we featured the music of the Scott Munson Jazz Quintet. The complete performance can be heard at BCR #233.

Complete performance of the Scott Munson Jazz Quintet at the West Side Community Garden on June 16, 2024.CONTACT: barcrawlradio@gmail.com

A full length presentation of a performance by La Manga in the West Side Community Garden in June 2024. For a conversation with La Manga founder, Daniela Serna, go to BCR #230.Alan Winsonbarcrawlradio@gmail.com

For the fourth time this summer Bar Crawl Radio podcast is not at a bar.  But we are continuing to have conversations with neighbors doing positive work for their community.  We will be talking with a citizen journalists who works in the field of peace activism and whose writing is published in Pressenza – an international news agency pushing ideas of peace, non-violence, and human rightsFor this BCR recording we were ensconced in our mobile studio in the southeast corner of the West Side Community Garden observing Upper West Siders choose their favorite spots to listen to La Manga, who perform Bullerengue, music from the Caribbean coast of Colombia.  Later in the program, I will be talking with Daniela Serna about La Manga and we’ll listen to selections from tonight’s performance.But first Rebecca McKean and I talked with David Andersson, a citizen journalist, photographer and publisher. In the 80’s Mr. Andersson published a neighborhood newspaper in Paris. Today, David is the coordinator of the NYC bureau for Pressenza and the host of Face 2 Face, a podcast talking with activists for peace from all over the world.Alan Winsonbarcrawlradio@gmail.com

For this BCR conversation we were not at a bar having a conversation with people working positively for their communities – but at Inwood Park – in upper Manhattan – former home of the Lenape People. Catholic Worker, Anthony Donovan, opens this program as he talks to a group of about 20 people who had joined the Veteran's for Peace "2024 Peace Walk" -- for the day. The VFP Walk started in Ogunquit Maine on May 5th and will arrive in Washington, DC July 5th – a nearly 600 mile trek. Some walk for a day – others longer – and one former military person has walked nearly the entire length.As we moved through the densely forested hills of Inwood Park, I spoke with Tarak Kauf of the VFP and organizer of the Walk and asked him about the link between walking and peace. I then walked beside two former members of the U.S. military who explained their reasons for participating in an anti-war peace walk -- Eric Waseleski and James Williams. Alan Winson barcrawlradio@gmail.com

For this BCR conversation at the West Side Community Garden we investigated the stories of two ladies--one affected by chance--the other by choice. The first story is about a chance phone call that led to instant and fleeting fame – and the other -- a choice to help recently arrived neighbors which will lead to – what?Rebecca McKean and I were set-up in the southeast corner of the West Side Community Garden. As our UWS neighbors sought their favorite spots to listen to the Cassatt String Quartet, we talked with Marilyn O’Day – a high school junior who started a study hangout at the Newton Hotel for recent migrants from South America as part of the Open Hearts Initiative -- and -- Meg Parsont, a publicist for publishers, gardener, and contributor to the West Side Rag newspaper. Meg was once famous – appearing over 30 times in the early 1990s on Late Night with David Letterman.Later in this program, we spoke with cellist Gwen Krosnick of the Cassatt String Quartet about the evenings musical offerings.Alan Winsonbarcrawlradio@gmail.com

Kumara is a uniquely global trio of musicians who create a synthesis of sound that is unique and beautifully inspiring across and within cultures and communities. I spoke with Samite who plays African Harps and the Kalimba and Shem Guibbory, a classical violinist the day before the WSCG concert. Guitarist Sean Harkness couldn’t make it; he was in a recording studio.This program presents the entire Kumara performance at the West Side Community Garden Concert on Sunday, May 26, 2024.Alan WinsonCONTACT: barcrawlradio@gmail.com

It was another post COVID, pre climate catastrophe Sunday on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Rebecca McKean and I – Alan Winson – co-hosts of BCR podcast – had erected our sound studio in the southwest corner of the West Side Community Garden and waited for our guests. Stop the Chop has worked to rid our city of those pesky, rotor-whirling metal blobs that spew noise and GHG pollution for no positive reason. We spoke with Melissa Elstein and Ken Couglin, leaders of Stop the Chop. and we were oined by Adrian Benepe--NYC Parks Commissioner from 2002 - 2012.