The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat

One has studied classical violin and played with symphonies and world-renowned artists and conductors. The other -- the pianist -- doesn't even read the bass clef, but Todd McCabe and April Moriarty both have a gift for improvisation and playing by ear that has turned into three CDs on the life the Savior; "My Redeemer Lives: Galilee," "Calvary," and now for Christmas, "Bethlehem." That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

So how do you follow a Grammy Award-winning Gospel CD? With more Gospel, of course! In fact, "A Christmas Celebration" from Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices goes right back to the beginning, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and his birth as a tiny baby in Bethlehem -- the Reason for the Season. Let's celebrate! That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

There are some places where all you have to say is their name to evoke an entire history. For the Latter-day Saints one of those beloved, joyous, melancholy, and even holy places is Nauvoo, Illinois. Fiddlesticks -- the Davis family's Celtic folk band -- and singer/arranger Lisa Arrington have teamed up to record a catalog of historic musical treasures celebrating the era and the spirit of that most remarkable place. It's called "Farewell to Nauvoo." That's this week on the Cricket and Seagull...

(Enhanced version of the Podcast - viewable in iTunes and on iPods) BEHOLDING SALVATION: IMAGES OF CHRIST New Exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art Powerful is the only way to describe it. 170 different paintings, prints, icons, illuminated manuscripts and sculpture from diverse times and creeds. It's impossible to bring you the entirety in the time we have, but Nicole Cannariato -- a Curatorial Assistant at the museum -- walks us through the exhibit focusing on just a few pieces from each section of the show. If you're listening on an iPod or through iTunes, you'll be able to see the images in the enhanced podcast format. If not, then just visit meridianmagazine.com/radio to find this episode with all the images included. Many thanks to the kind permission of the copyright holders as we endeavor to share with listeners and viewers world-wide a small part of the spiritual impact of "Beholding Salvation: Images of Christ". That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull..

BEHOLDING SALVATION: IMAGES OF CHRIST New Exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art Powerful is the only way to describe it. 170 different paintings, prints, icons, illuminated manuscripts and sculpture from diverse times and creeds. It's impossible to bring you the entirety in the time we have, but Nicole Cannariato -- a Curatorial Assistant at the museum -- walks us through the exhibit focusing on just a few pieces from each section of the show. If you're listening on an iPod or through iTunes, you'll be able to see the images in the enhanced podcast format. If not, then just visit meridianmagazine.com/radio to find this episode with all the images included. Many thanks to the kind permission of the copyright holders as we endeavor to share with listeners and viewers world-wide a small part of the spiritual impact of "Beholding Salvation: Images of Christ". That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull... (This is the regular podcast version -- to view the images discussed visit http://www.meridianmagazine.com/radio beginning Friday, November 17, 2006. The Enhanced Podcast will be posted separately.)

David Tolk is known to many as the guy at the piano in Peter Breinholt's band -- he's known to others as a North Star Records recording artist -- and of course 4 people just call him "Dad." This week he gives advice to LDS musicians about balancing family, music, and career -- shares his unusual method for arranging hymns and talks about the spiritual power of instrumental music. It's David Tolk with his new CD "In Reverence." That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

There was a time when Genealogy and Family History meant filing cabinets full of paper, extra wide typewriters (remember what those are?), and lots of White Out. Nowadays though, Family History enthusiasts are more likely to talk about PAF, and GEDCOMS, and CyndisList.com -- it's a whole new world and today we're talking with a programmer who caught the vision of this revolution decades ago and has a suite of helpful programs to show for his years of focus and dedication. We talk about genealogy past, present, and future with "RootsMagic" company Founder and President, Bruce Buzbee. That's this week on the Cricket and Seagull...

Just for a moment close your eyes. Imagine 100 strong voices united to Praise the Lord, then add a soulful musical legend as a director and occasional soloist. Now open your eyes and see their faces reflecting the colors and the cultures of the whole world. It's the Saints Unified Voices choir and in them you see a representation of the new world-wide face of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The SUV choir has won a Gospel Grammy, but you won't find them at Carnegie Hall or filling event centers. When they combine their voices into one to reach hearts and reach heaven, you'll most likely hear them in the everyday chapels where they fulfill their mission -- spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to every one of God's children in all their diversity. "One Voice" -- Gladys Knight and the Saints Unified Voices. That's this week, on the Cricket and Seagull...

KZION LDS Internet Radio These days more people than ever can work from home and telecommute, you can even do your own radio show (like this one!) from your home studio, and now, you can even be your own radio station -- all from a little black box in your back room. John and Shelly Hesch Of course you have to figure out how to do all this from scratch since it's all new technology. But if you're John Hesch, from St. George, Utah -- that's way down south in Utah's "Dixie" -- you get the bug, the passion for an outlet for independent LDS music, and you start with just one listener and watch it grow until you have listeners in over 50 countries! The Hesch's License Plate That’s this week, on the Cricket and Seagull... The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat is a Podcast bringing music and interviews to Latter-day Saints and their friends worldwide. Steven Kapp Perry features the unique voices of authors, artists, musicians, scholars, and fellow Saints. Pull up a chair and join us for The Cricket & Seagull Fireside Chat! You can always find the most recent edition at MeridianMagazine.com/Radio. To get the free subscription URL for your Podcatcher, click the icon: For free "One-click" instant subscription through iTunes, click the icon: Click the banner for info on music, talks, scriptures, and books for your .mp3 player!

All the Color Green This edition is filled with songs reaching for that "intangible overallness" -- that indefinable spiritual quality great songs possess. The songwriter himself is a busy musician, husband, and father of three who doesn't usually know what the songs are about until they're finished and he can listen like everyone else.  He defended the Beatles on the playground in 2nd grade and tells why climbing tall trees -- and temples -- have a lot in common.  It’s "All the Color Green" with Utah singer/songwriter Peter Breinholt. That’s this week, on the Cricket and Seagull... 11 Tracks: All the Color Green • You Are Home • Old Paint • Tilting the Windmills • Don't Be Shy • First Song • Little Bird • For Becca, In England • A Little Spot of Ground • Queen Olé • The Rain Tree The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat is a Podcast bringing music and interviews to Latter-day Saints and their friends worldwide. Steven Kapp Perry features the unique voices of authors, artists, musicians, scholars, and fellow Saints. Pull up a chair and join us for The Cricket & Seagull Fireside Chat! You can always find the most recent edition at MeridianMagazine.com/Radio. To get the free subscription URL for your Podcatcher, click the icon: For free "One-click" instant subscription through iTunes, click the icon: Click the banner for info on music, talks, scriptures, and books for your .mp3 player!

One Clear Voice Separately their names are Tanya, Johanne, LaRene, and Tammy. Among themselves they have four husbands, thirteen children, and decades of studio and live performance experience. LaRene Tinney (l.) and Tammy Simister Robinson But put the four of them together to sing and it all melts into One Clear Voice. That’s the name of the new women’s vocal group with the breathtaking blend and the name of their new CD. . Johanne Fréchette Perry (l.) and Tanya Barkdull That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull... Places to look and listen: 15 Tracks: One Clear Voice • Ripples • See Things My Way • Every Moment • Savior • A Mother's Prayer • A Leap of Faith • For Good • Be Thou My Vision • Forgiveness' Embrace • Keeping Sheep • Change • I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus • Blessed Assurance • What I Need The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat is a Podcast bringing music and interviews to Latter-day Saints and their friends worldwide. Steven Kapp Perry features the unique voices of authors, artists, musicians, scholars, and fellow Saints. Pull up a chair and join us for The Cricket & Seagull Fireside Chat! You can always find the most recent edition at MeridianMagazine.com/Radio. To get the free subscription URL for your Podcatcher, click the icon: For free "One-click" instant subscription through iTunes, click the icon: Click the banner for info on music, talks, scriptures, and books for your .mp3 player!

Places to look and listen: Coming Just to Go He's a folk singer -- except when he's singing jazz and improvising scat-singing solos. He's a songwriter -- except when he was a Seminary Teacher and being a writer of history books for children. And he's Sam Payne -- except when he's The Sam Payne Project; the person and part of the group behind "Coming Just to Go,"; this week's featured album. We'll hear what sparks a song in his mind and why you never really have to choose between being an artist and being a Latter-day Saint and what folk singers give their kids for Christmas. That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull... Sam Payne The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat is a Podcast bringing music and interviews to Latter-day Saints and their friends worldwide. Steven Kapp Perry features the unique voices of authors, artists, musicians, scholars, and fellow Saints. Pull up a chair and join us for The Cricket & Seagull Fireside Chat! You can always find the most recent edition at MeridianMagazine.com/Radio. To get the free subscription URL for your Podcatcher, click the icon: For free "One-click" instant subscription through iTunes, click the icon: Click the banner for info on music, talks, scriptures, and books for your .mp3 player!

He’s an internationally acclaimed pianist, composer and entertainer whose musical career spans four decades and three continents.  His studies include a music scholarship to Tel Aviv University School of Music, the famed “Mozarteum” of Salzburg, Austria, plus Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at Florida State University.  And besides his many, many performances a year world-wide, his greatest passion is his Peace with Music Foundation whose mission is to bridge the cultural, religious and political differences of people everywhere through the medium of music.   Marvin Goldstein is the name, and inspiring audiences everywhere through music is his game. That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull... Places to look and listen: Count Your Blessings The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat is a Podcast bringing music and interviews to Latter-day Saints and their friends worldwide. Steven Kapp Perry features the unique voices of authors, artists, musicians, scholars, and fellow Saints. Pull up a chair and join us for The Cricket & Seagull Fireside Chat! You can always find the most recent edition at MeridianMagazine.com/Radio. To get the free subscription URL for your Podcatcher, click the icon: For free "One-click" instant subscription through iTunes, click the icon: Click the banner for info on music, talks, scriptures, and books for your .mp3 player!

The two best things about producing The Cricket and Seagull every week are 1) the interesting people I get to interview, and 2) the listeners who send an email with a comment, a guest they'd like to hear, or just encouragment. So, I'm sorry to disappoint on those rare occasions where I can't get a show done -- and this month I've missed 3 in a row due to flooding and water damage. So, this is just a quick update -- we'll call it the -- Basement Replacement edition -- the whole studio has had to be removed and will be repainted, recarpeted and the equipment moved back in. So today I'm coming to you live from -- my bedroom. Hope you don't mind. We'll be back in business this Friday, appearing on MeridianMagazine.com like usual, and of course the podcast. The Podcast also has a new website that's pretty easy to remember; it's TheCricketAndSeagull.com. Coming up in the next three weeks I'll be editing interviews I did during the annual LDS Booksellers Convention in Salt Lake City, and during BYU Campus Education Week. These will include world-reknowned pianist Marvin Goldstein, folksinger and songwriter Sam Payne, and the new 4-member women's vocal group called One Clear Voice. They were all great guests with terrific music and I can't wait to share them all with you starting this Friday! Also, the Podcast itself will be moving to a shiny new spot on the web. iTunes should automatically redirect without you needing to do anything when the change happens, but if you're feeling tech-savvy and don't want to miss an episode, just go to iTunes or whatever Podcatcher you use, and resubscribe using the following URL (you can cut and past this): http://feeds.feedburner.com/thecricketandseagullfiresidechat Also, be sure and send an email to info@wordofmouthmedia.net and let me know what you'd like to hear -- your favorite musical or visual artists, authors, scholars, and more! We'll go out with a preview of One Clear Voice singing "Be Thou My Vision" from their new debut CD "One Clear Voice."

A recent letter to local church leaders everywhere announced the new Young Men & Young Women’s theme for 2007 -- including a portion of Doctrine and Covenants 121:45; “... and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God...” Songwriter Lynne Perry Christofferson is releasing a new CD addressing this theme directly.  It’s called “Lift Your Mind Higher,” and she talks about leaps of faith, writing with your hands in the dishwater and even while sleeping, growing up as Janice Kapp Perry’s only daughter, and why an echoey unfinished basement is an advantage. That’s this week on The Cricket and Seagull... Places to look and listen: Lynne Perry Christofferson The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat is a Podcast bringing music and interviews to Latter-day Saints and their friends worldwide. Steven Kapp Perry features the unique voices of authors, artists, musicians, scholars, and fellow Saints. Pull up a chair and join us for The Cricket & Seagull Fireside Chat! You can always find the most recent edition at MeridianMagazine.com/Radio. To get the free subscription URL for your Podcatcher, click the icon: For free "One-click" instant subscription through iTunes, click the icon: Click the banner for info on music, talks, scriptures, and books for your .mp3 player!