Keith Weston

Six NC Potters Offer Handmade Mugs During WUNC Fund Drive

Laura Candler and Keith Weston — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:47:59 +0000

Seagrove, North Carolina, located just a few miles south of the North Carolina Zoo in Randolph County, calls itself the handmade pottery capital of the United States. It is home to dozens of potters, and the tradition of pottery-making there dates back to the late 1700’s. English and German immigrants are said to have settled the area and quickly realized the value of its strong, red clay for making pots and dishes. Since then, the tradition has grown, and now the area is now a mecca for pottery and pottery-related history.

Events held there include the Seagrove Pottery Festival and the Celebration of Seagrove Potters, and the town is also home to the North Carolina Pottery Center and the Museum of Traditional NC Pottery. The Seagrove pottery directory lists dozens and dozens of potters in the area.

Six of the area potters (represented by four potteries) are providing mugs to WUNC listeners as part of the Spring 2013 Fund Drive. For a pledge of $120, or $10/month as a sustainer, you can choose to have WUNC send you a one-of-a-kind handmade mug created and fired in North Carolina from a Seagrove potter.

Four Concerts Scheduled In Expanded, Larger Back Porch Music Series In Durham

Keith Weston, David Brower and Freddy Jenkins — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:41:38 +0000

The Celtic powerhouse band Solas will kick off the 2013 Back Porch Music concert series in Durham. Bluegrass, local blues, and much more will be a part of the four Back Porch concerts scheduled between May and October.

Acclaimed NC Composer Robert Ward Dies

Keith Weston and Laura Candler — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:13:17 +0000

The acclaimed classical composer and Durham resident Robert Ward has died. He was 95 years old.

Ward was known and honored for his contributions to the world of classical music and was chancellor of the UNC School of the Arts (then called N.C. School of the Arts) from 1967 to 1974 before joining Duke University as a music professor. He composed many symphonies and operas over his lifetime, including an operatic adaptation of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1962.

6 Tunes: Some Personal Faves I'd Like To Share With You

Keith Weston — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:25:31 +0000

Every weekend it's my pleasure on Back Porch Music to share with you scores of selections from WUNC's wide-ranging folk music library. It's always a musical adventure that I often find surprising and inspiring myself - and I hope you do, too. From fiddle tunes to singer-songwriters, the term "folk" applies to such a large range of sounds and textures.

Two Ticket Give-aways On Sunday's Back Porch

Keith Weston — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:45:45 +0000

In addition to a pile of good music on Sunday night's Back Porch Music, you'll have the opportunity for two ticket give-aways. Those are:

Karal Bonoff at the Carrboro ArtsCenter:

http://youtu.be/V7RWW2fElsY

and The Gibson Brothers Brothers at the Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh:

http://youtu.be/0orc4eF3i40

"Tune in" for Back Porch Music, just after the 8 p.m. NPR news on WUNC. Oh, the phone number for the give-aways: 1.888.966.9150. Listen for your chance to win tickets.

Video: Doc Watson & David Holt Share Stories And Songs

Keith Weston — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:56:44 +0000

http://youtu.be/1XXPAD3rXp4

Grammys: Steep Canyon Rangers Win Best Bluegrass Album, Avett Brothers & Chocolate Drops Miss

Keith Weston — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 03:58:39 +0000

Here's an update on how some artists with North Carolina connections fared at the Grammys on Sunday February 10. This article was originally prepared as a Grammy preview looking at the Carolina Chocolate Drops and The Avett Brothers with some of their recent appearances on "The State of Things" on WUNC.

Update 6:11 p.m.

Timeless Tunes and Toe Tappers: Best of Back Porch Music Vol 15 CD

Keith Weston — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 20:48:51 +0000

With 57 minutes and 52 seconds of goodness from Back Porch Music, here's a sampling of our Best of BPM CD offered during the WUNC fund drives.

Back Porch Music - Picks for 2012 and Looking Back

Keith Weston, David Brower and Eric Hodge — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:15:00 +0000

WUNC's Back Porch Music hosts, Keith Weston and Freddy Jenkins, join Eric Hodge to chat about this past year's memorable acoustic and roots music releases and to remember some of the important musicians who left us this year.

WUNC Marketplace Event - No Horse No Race

Keith Weston — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:50:14 +0000

Kai Ryssdal and Tess Vigeland hosted the Marketplace election, no-horse, no race road show live from the Rialto Theater in downtown Raleigh. This was recorded in front of an audience and portions also broadcast on Marketplace.