Next month (Dec), our Jazz at the Movies (JAM) team present a series of jazz films over the coming months. Kicking off the series, is Charles Lloyd: Arrows Into Infinity on Sat, Dec 3rd at 7:00PM at the Portland Conservatory of Music ( 28 Neal Street, Portland).
Hi, we are moving back to the country in today’s Beyond the Hook colucast or (column/podcast) and my name is Jon McKenney WPGM intern. I hesitate to use the c word when referring to music because many people refuse to give country music a chance. I’ve heard it said a bunch of times, “oh, I like all music except country” or “country, god no!” or I can’t stand the twang, or it’s a bunch of hillbillies, or the cowboy clothes or the lost love, or truck driving, or drinking songs.” But that is a very snobbish attitude. Give country music an honest try. If you like rock and roll, blues, or folk, then you’ll like country. It’s American Roots Music. Country and the other genres I mentioned are like identical twins; it’s almost impossible, at times, to tell where one ends and the other begins. Country married R&B and Rock and Roll was born. I don’t want to beat a dead dog but many rockers have sung country and if you don’t believe me just ask the Beatles.
Beyond The Hook # 4 by Jon McKenney
Tems
Hi this is Beyond the Hook and I am Jon Mckenney..
I had never heard of today’s featured artist until I started asking around to see what music some younger more traditional students listened to. I received a number of replies but today’s colucast (column/podcast) stars a female singer, that generated the most excitement. The person who originally suggested today’s performer is a graduate student and assistant at The ROCC; which by the way offers a free lunch every Thursday 12 – 1 at Sullivan gym; Abedom Gebreyesus. He said something like this, “I’ve got one! You should do Tems.” To which I said, “who?” He replies, “bring some culture into USM radio station and put Tems in there!!!” Then a couple of days later I was at the WMPG on campus radio station and I asked if anybody had ever heard of Tems and only one person answered. A work study student: Kayla Bogart, the youngest person in the room said, in a burst of excitement, “oh she’s great, I was just listening to her this morning.” Well, that settled it; Tems, otherwise known as Temilade Openiyi, is in the house.
During this fundraising drive, we want to celebrate Mainers who are doing great things in the community
Who are the change-makers in Southern Maine?
Join WMPG to celebrate, and to connect to, Mainers who are transforming our world.
Sergio Cahueque is our first Community Change-Maker at WMPG! Sergio Cahueque has been nominated by a long term listener and donor.
Sergio Cahueque is a grassroots organizer for Defend Our Health in Portland, Maine.. That means he is the one who talks to people who have been impacted by PFAS on their farmland, lead paint in their apartment, or arsenic in their water. And what makes Sergio exemplary at his job is his genuine empathy. His ability to listen with an open heart makes people feel comfortable.
Hi my name is Jon McKenney with the latest version of Beyond The Hook. A hook is: a musical or lyrical passage, or a riff, that is repeated and designed to catch the ears of listeners
and reel them in, and this song has a world class hook. I chose today’s song because it is a perfect example of what a hook is. I guarantee that once I tell you what it is you’ll say, “OMG of course I know that phrase, I’ve heard it a hundred times.” I toss superlatives around like confetti but this hook and the singer who is best known for the song are icons in the world of popular music. I am not exaggerating when I say that this ballad has been covered by hundreds of artists and here are just a few: Dolly Parton who wrote it, Beyonce, Linda Ronstadt, LeAnn Rimes, Gloria Gaynor, Melissa Etheridge, and Celine Dion, who puts the most into it. But the woman who is best known for performing Dolly’s musical masterpiece is Whitney Houston. You guessed it; the song is I Will Always Love You and if that phrase — which we all know, “I will always love you” — doesn’t stir some emotion in you; you need help.
UPDATE: THANKS SO MUCH – WE HIT OUR GOAL OF $60,000!
Thank you for donating during our fall fundraising. Mail is still trickling in from the post office so we don’t have a final figure yet but we are currently sitting at $63,000! Big shout out to all of you donors including our sustaining donors. Hip hip hooray! (repeat 3 times)
Hi my name is Jon McKenney and welcome to the first installment of “Beyond The Hook.”
A hook, sometimes called a riff, is a repeatable phrase or melody that draws you in and hooks you. I am an English major, and I am working as an intern, here at WMPG, that requires a writing component and my first assignment is to hit the ground running and produce a colucast or a (column /podcast). The beauty of the job is: I can write about a topic that I am passionate about so I will be forcing you to listen to my opinion. If you don’t like it or disagree or on the off chance that you do agree let me know.
Author: Jack Hutton (USM Student and host of No Longer Dangerous) and Kayla Bogert (USM Student)
There is just something about traditions that make a dining experience that much better. Benkay Sushi Bar and Japanese Restaurant is masterfully decorated with traditional Japanese art and architecture. Combined with a sense of ambience and comfort that will transport you to a different time. Much like the Samurai proudly displayed out near the hostess podium, the Sushi chefs on staff are chiseled warriors. Disciplined in the art of their craft, one that takes decades to master. Wielding blades sharp enough to slice bone but gentle enough to perfect each and every cut of raw fish. That is why I couldn’t recommend more that you should sit right at the Sushi Bar and watch them work. It is nothing short of magnificent culinary artwork. Benkay does not skip a beat, the serving staff are timely and aware, with smiles that make you feel at home and ready to share this experience.
It’s Day 5 of Begathon and we need your help to reach our target of $60,000. We are slightly over halfway there and need your help.
WMPG programs shows like Rosita’s Latinos where she plays Latin music and gives information for Hispanic Mainers. Rosita was recently featured on News Center Maine’s Hispanic Month features.
Today, we kicked off our fall fundraiser!
Every day our volunteer DJ’s and radio hosts bring passion and knowledge to WMPG. Our DJ’S curate fabulous playlists and bring you the best music that you don’t tend to hear on commercial stations. We deliver independent news and bring you great talk and public affairs shows. We train the next generation of audio producers, both from the University of Southern Maine and from our Southern Maine community.
WMPG’S Advisory Board is seeking WMPG listeners from the Southern Maine Community to act as a representation of WMPG’s audience. Listener Representatives are full board members and as such participate in formulating station policy and long range planning. These are two-year positions with meetings held the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 7-9pm on the USM Portland campus.
WMPG is proud to be a media sponsor of Puppets In Portland (PiP) – a city-wide festival of international puppetry arts in Portland, Maine, presented by our friends over at Mayo Street Arts. Six days of world-class performances, workshops, a parade, and more.
WMPG is proud to be a home for all different music, from different cultures all around the world. September 15th marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. This month, we hope you too will celebrate the Hispanic community
The month of September is National Recovery Month. Chris Corson, the Director os USM’s Recovery Oriented Campus Center (ROCCA) states: “individuals I believe, we are all recovering from something: relationships with people, food, Covid 19, the stress of being away from home the first time, the passing of a loved one, substance use, and anxiety just to name a few.”
We hosted WMPG’s summer neighborhood block parties this summer. We had great youth and family participation at each event and it was fun to collaborate with other partnership organisations.
Shout out to our food vendors – Quiero Café, Soul Food Paradise and Leonardo’s Pizza and to sponsors Bangor Savings Bank and What Mama Wants podcast for your generous support. Thanks to Fun Town Splashtown, Maine Wildlife Park and everyone else who contributed items for raffle prizes. Thanks to WMPG volunteer DJ’s – DJ Jon, DJ BC, DJ Luc for spinning tunes during the events.
DJ Jon was featured in the Portland Press Herald at the weekend where he discussed his love of K-Pop. DJ Jon hosts K-Pop Mega Mix on Tuesdays at 4pm on 90.9FM. We are proud to have him here at WMPG.
“It seems that most of the music for kids that age are songs about frogs and baby sharks, then it goes straight into hip-hop songs about heroin or violence,” said Hawkins, 51, of Portland. “There aren’t a lot of American pop songs that are fun for kids to dance to and are just about love.” DJ Jon.
Sunday July 17th at 7pm WMPG’s Jazz at the Movies and the Portland Conservatory of Music will be showing the movie Thomas Chapin: Night Bird Song.
The film is an excellent portrait of the amazing life of Thomas Chapin’s and his incredibly talented musical compositions and performances. The drummer in his trio, Michael Sarin will join us for a Q&A following the film.
