March’s Farm and Fun Time brought fresh roots music to our audience, heralding the impending coming of spring! Thanks to our sponsor Eastman Credit Union, Radio Bristol was able to bring Farm and Fun Time to not only those in the audience or tuned in to WBCM-LP, but to viewers far and wide via Facebook Live. Be sure to like WBCM – Radio Bristol on Facebook to tune in every month!
Host band Bill and the Belles kicked off the show with their signature harmonies, including their new single “That’ll Be Just Fine.” This month’s “Heirloom Recipe” segment featured Mohsin and Kaitlin Kazmi, owners and operators of the Pakalachian Food Truck. The Pakalachian blends the foodways of the hills and hollers of Appalachia with traditional Pakistani culinary practices. Crossing the line in both cultures is a controversial fruit (yes, fruit): okra. Called “Bindhi” by the Kazmis, this polarizing food item is a staple in both Appalachian and Pakistani kitchens. Though geography may separate cultures, common ground can often be found, especially around the dinner table. To commemorate this much loved and sometimes hated food, Bill and the Belles crooned a tune called “Not Everybody Like Okra.”
Our first musical guest of the evening was Smithsonian Folkways artist and Canadian songwriter Kai Kater. Drawing heavily from her family’s folk music traditions and experience learning old-time banjo in West Virginia, Kater delivers poignant pieces that blur the lines between traditional and modern, and that explore the issues confronting our world today. With topics ranging from sense of place to migration, Kater performed several songs off Grenades, her recent Folkways release, including the title cut.
This month’s “ASD Farm Report” showcased Clover Creek Farms. Located in Jonesborough, Tennessee, much of the work at Clover Creek Farm is conducted by four-legged farmhands. Here’s a link to the video from our visit:
Our last musical guest of the evening was old-time luminary Bruce Molsky and the Mountain Drifters. Bruce Molsky is one of the most renowned old-time fiddlers this side of the golden era of 78rpm records, and for March’s Farm and Fun Time, he brought an all-star band with him, including genre-bending guitar ace Stash Wyslouch and clawhammer banjo maestro Allison Degroot. Gathering around one mic, The Mountain Drifters serenaded the audience with timeless old-time music that was all their own. From the Georgia string band classic “All Gone Now” to The Carter Family’s “Picture on the Wall,” the Mountain Drifters gave command performances of the diverse styles that make old-time music so wonderful.
Thanks to everyone who came out and shared in this wonderful evening of music! Tickets are on sale for April’s jam packed Farm and Fun Time when the Becky Buller Band, The Matchsellers, and The Chatham Rabbits will be joining us – we hope you will too!