June is Bustin' Out all Over... on Mountain Lake Journal!

Looking for ideas for you and your family as spring turns into summer?  Producer Paul Larson hosts Mountain Lake Journal this week, an episode that travels through the North Country in search of warm weather adventures.

High Falls Gorge 

This natural attraction in Willmington, New York, allows you close access to some fantastic waterfalls.  It lets you explore the wonders of the west branch of the AuSable River as it explodes into deep crevices in its journey through ancient granite cliffs formed over a billion years ago by the forces the of ice, water and wind.   Larson produced this piece for his Adirondack Journeys series. You may learn about amazing destinations at mountainlake.org/adkjourneys.

Kayaking and Paddleboard Yoga

Summer is a great time to get out and experience the region’s amazing water sports.  Kayakers of all experience levels can rent equipment and take classes out on the beautiful Ausable River at the Bagg’s Landing Paddlesports Center.  Classes and equipment are available all summer.  Our reporter Kevin Cooney went down to give kayaking and paddle board yoga a try.  For more info visit: http://kayak-shack.com/index.php/baggs-landing/

Author Interview: It’s the time of year to rediscover the pleasures of reading outdoors.  Glenn Pearsall discusses his first work of historical fiction, Leaves Torn Asunder. The novel follows the lives of people living in the Adirondack region, affected by the destruction of the American Civil War.  Pearsall is a history buff who lives in North Creek, New York.    Enjoy our many author visits at mountainlake.org/authorvisits.

 

Plattsburgh Blues and Jazz:  Many people are heading to clubs and venues in downtown Plattsburgh, to hear world class blues and jazz music performances.  The not-for-profit group Plattsburgh Blues and Jazz is inviting internationally renowned musicians and local acts in for an evening’s entertainment.   plattsburghbluesandjazz.com

Mountain Lake Journal airs tonight at 7, and Sunday at 5am & 10am.

On the SPOT: Chris Isaak

RECAPPING 2012

Chris Isaak is a super nice guy, and had me laughing all through our interview.  His latest album is Beyond the Sun.  It pays tribute to musical legends who got their start at Sun Studio in Memphis.  The album also includes some of Isaak's own compositions.

PAUL:  Your album Beyond the Sun pays tribute to a lot of the musical greats.  Where were you when you first heard this kind of music?

CHRIS:  I'm lucky enough that my parents were smart and they had good taste.  My  dad listened to nothing but Johnny Cash, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, you know, B B King... it was all these great records.  I didn't realize that they all came out of one little place in Memphis, Tennessee until much later in my life, but I loved that music growing up

PAUL:  What appeals to you about this kind of music?

CHRIS:  I think I liked it because I'm a guitar player, and growing up we didn't really have musical lessons so we taught ourselves to play guitar.  You could learn those songs. They were simple enough that you kind of felt like you could kind of pick them out...and you could start twanging along.

PAUL:  You wrote about Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Studio on the liner notes of your album.
He discovered Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.  Why is he so special to you?

CHRIS:  I understand how the real world works.  Elvis Presley deserves tons of credit, and he's going to be the one remembered because he's beautiful,  and you see him singing a song and you think, "Well, he did this all by himself,"  but Elvis really was part of a musical movement that was started by, I think, Sam Phillips.  Sam Phillips really was a visionary, a genius, and he took risks. I mean he took risks and he did stuff with music that changed the whole world. I know you think of it as just rock n' roll but I love Sam Philips because one of the things he said for example goes "I didn't want to just make a record by black artists and then try to change it so it would be palatable to white people.  He said I wanted them to make the record that they wanted to make.  For his time and where he's from, I mean, he was way ahead of everybody.  He said, "We're not going to worry about rules.  We're going to play this for fun, and we're going to have fun, and you're going to feel that on the record."  That's what rock n' roll is.  You can feel the fun.

PAUL:  He also paid you a very high compliment.

CHRIS:  He did.  There's a lot of great musicians and he worked with so many of them and I was reading an article in Oxford American it was a great music magazine, and I was reading this article.  I had no idea that he had mentioned me, and at the end of the article, they said, "Well Sam, who do you listen to today?"  I was the first one he mentioned.  He said "I listen to Chris Isaak," and he said a lot of nice things.  Man, it meant a lot to me.  When I saw that article and I read it I broke down in tears, because he's the reason I have a job, I mean, it was his records that really made me want to be a musician.  One time I saw him talking...this is an odd bit but it sticks in my mind about Sam Phillips... He was talking to a bunch of school kids, and Sam was a little older at the time, and he said to them something I thought it was a great quote.  He said "Any time yo spend making music is never wasted."  And you know like everybody else, I waste a lot of my life.  I waste time doing stuff that really didn't mean much, but when you're making music with your friends, that time is never wasted.

PAUL:  What is the best thing about performing music from these great musicians?

CHRIS:  I have a ball singing this stuff.  You get to sing that, and the whole band kicks in behind you.. the whole band and the singing in the background.  I go, "This is what I used to pretend to do when I was a kid in front of the mirror in my bedroom, you know?  I'd sing along with a record.  Now I have the band behind me.  So, this is a dream come true.

FOR MORE CHRIS ISAAK, FOLLOW THE LINKS:

Chris Isaak's album Beyond the Sun is available now.

Official website:  www.chrisisaak.com

SPOTLIGHT: Il Volo Exclusive!

"Il Volo" may mean "the flight," but these Italian singers are well grounded.  During our interview, they stressed the importance of remaining "humble," even while facing enormous global success before they each reached the age of 20. 

Meeting these three talented singers was a pleasure.  I hope you will enjoy hearing them speak about how their different personalities and distinct voices helped create a group that is causing a sensation among people of Italian origin, as well as among a much wider public.

To appeal to a wide range of young people, their parents and even their grandparents, it helps that these teenage singers enjoy performing classic Italian songs, as well as other types of music.

My exclusive interview with Il Volo will run on Borderless North this Thursday at 8:30pm.

Repeat airings include Friday at 6am & 12:30pm, Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 6am & 10:30am.

Before December 31st, you may also wish to support Mountain Lake PBS and receive a thank-you gift of some Il Volo Christmas music, or their brand new album, We are Love.  Go to mountainlake.org to find out how.

The Bacon Brothers Interview!

     Michael and Kevin Bacon are great guys to meet, and I enjoyed hearing their stories about performing music in the band The Bacon Brothers.  I'm happy to share these stories with you in two separate TV pieces that premiere tonight.  

     The first airs on Mountain Lake Journal.  It contains a lot of little-known information about Emmy-award winning composer Michael and accomplished film actor Kevin.  People living in the Adirondack region and all our PBS viewers should find it particularly interesting, as it shows the links the two of them have to both the Adirondack Park and PBS television.  The ties are strong!  Mountain Lake Journal times are:  Thursday at 8pm, Friday at 5:30 am and 12pm, Saturday at 7pm, and Sunday at 5:30am and 10am.

     Then it's onto the main feature story, a ten-minute piece on the program Borderless North about the origins of the Bacon Brothers band, their commitment to music, and how they balance work with the band with their busy schedules.  Kevin is currently starring in a TV series, and Michael composes the orchestral score for feature films and documentaries.  Borderless North times are:  Thursday at 8:30pm, Friday at 6am and 12:30pm, Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 6am and 10:30am.  

     For Bacon Brothers videos, their Adirondack-themed public service announcements, and even a radio interview with Michael, head to our special Bacon Brothers page:  http://borderlessnorth.org/the-bacon-brothers