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look in
the cellar for archived webisodes from...
Ed Adler
Chris Arduser
Be Good Tanyas
Belleville Outfit
Blind Boys of Alabama
Rita Mae Brown
Kate Buckley
Laura Bell Bundy
Steven Carter
Peter Case
Brock Clarke
Sloane Crosley
George Cunningham
Jim DeRogatis
David Dye
Johanna Edwards
Kit Ehrman
Joel Feldman
Mary Gauthier
Tess Gerritsen
Sara Gruen
Beau Haddock
Mark Helprin
John Hennigan
Tony Horwitz
Marlon Hurst
Andy Offutt Irwin
Eilen Jewell
Melanie Johnson
Missy Johnston
Hillary Jordan
Carolyn Jourdan
Ted Kerasote
Greg Kott
Amos Lee
John Leland
Heather Lyons
Martie Majoros
Yann Martel
Nancy Martin
Archer Mayor
Antsy McClain
Brooke McEldowny
Erin McKeown
Bill McKibben
James McMurtry
Pam Oldfield Meade
Tift Merritt
Jonathan Miller
Joe Molinaro
Robert Morgan
Laura Moriarty
Darden North
Stephan Pastis
Mimi Pickering
Chuck Prophet
Carrie Rodriguez
John Sayles
Deirdre Skaggs
Michelle Slatalla
Karin Slaughter
Paul Slovak
Brandon Smith
Ben Sollee
Georgia Green Stamper
Garrison Starr
Victor Stenger
Vienna Teng
Tomislav Torjanec
Thrity Umrigar
Suzanne Vega
Dawn Ward
Bruce Warren
Sean Watkins
David Wilcox

reviews, essays,
winners galore
and more...



Music, books, and other merchandise from the artists on
tonic are often available through Amazon.com. Your Amazon purchase supports
tonic and WUKY

SURF COOL

tonic's theme was written and performed especially for the show by Melanie Johnson. Listen for her latest release,
Soul of a Spy, on WUKY.

www.melaniejohnsonmusic.com

the kitchen sink

There's even more art on WUKY's Curtains @ 8!


Check out these cool shows produced exclusively for WUKY:

Crossroads Radio
with Bobby Ray

Girls Night Out
with Anne Deck

Joe's Blues
with Joe Conkwright

Solo Shots
with Anne Deck

..as well as...
World Cafe
Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour
Grateful Dead Hour
Sound Opinions
American Routes
Putumayo World Music Hour
Blues Before Sunrise
Click here for air times

...plus...
All Songs Considered
NPR's online music show








WUKY's tonic is listener supported. Become a new member or continue your support. We can't do it without you.
Pledge now!
(and thanks)


This Week's New CDs
Listen this week for:

Dar Williams
Promised Land

Carrie Rodriguez
She Ain't Me


Jonatha Brooke
The Works


Search Adult Rock playlists here.



cool quotes

Painting is just another way
 of keeping a diary.

Pablo Picasso

Art is the only way to
run away without leaving home.

Twyla Tharp

 I don't paint things.
I only paint the difference
between things. 

Henri Matisse

 An artist cannot fail;
it is a success to be one. 

Charles Horton Cooley

All art requires courage. 

Anne Tucker

 Painting is easy when
you don't know how,
but very difficult when you do. 

Edgar Degas

 Anyone who says you can't
see a thought simply doesn't know art. 

Wynetka Ann Reynolds

 Great art picks up
where nature ends. 

Marc Chagall

 

 

In The Cellar
tŏn'ĭk
an invigorating, refreshing, or restorative agent or influence


pop culture | audio essays | what's this? | remembrances


Ben Sollee Bends Into WUKY


Ben Sollee talks about his debut CD, and plays a couple tunes, too.
Mike Graves introduces you to this remarkable artist.

Ben also stopped by NPR's
All Things Considered.
Hear the interview
here.
-------------

"I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said"
(James McMurtry, Too Long in the Wasteland, 1989)

Stephen King calls him the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation. James McMurtry talks to tonic's Kopana about that plus Steve Earle, touring, and politics.


jamesmcmurtry.com
NPR's "Songwriting and Protest with James McMurtry"


tonic's Dr. Greg Davis has a rousing chat with funny man, storyteller, and singer-songwriter
Andy Offutt Irwin



andyirwin.com

 


 
As hosts of Sound Opinions
(8PM Sundays on WUKY),

Greg Kott
and Jim DeRogatis
have interviewed the hottest bands around, but they're quick to admit it hasn't made them any cooler. Here Jim and Greg chat with
tonic's Josh James about the many perks of being utterly obsessed with music.
Watch an episode of
Sound Opinions TV


(click the image to the right) 



  Angel on a Bicycle

Singer, songwriter, and violinist Carrie Rodriguez creates a new intimate spin on alternative country and bluegrass. In the WUKY studio, Rodriguez chats with Rusty Sharp about the trials and tribulations of touring and debuts a new song.




Casing the Joint

Grammy-nominated New York native Peter Case has run the gamut from New Wave to solo acoustic work. In 2006, Case began publishing sections of a memoir entitled As Far As You Can Get Without a Passport, which eventually found its way to publication. Hear Mike Graves interview the songwriter and musicologist live on WUKY.


 


Merritocracy

Singer/songwriter
Tift Merritt
talks with Rusty Sharp about the ins and outs of playing The Tonight Show, hosting a monthly public radio show, and how a vacation in France spawned an entire album.

 

  Leading the Blind

Mike Graves interviews Jimmy Carter,
a founding member of
The Blind Boys of Alabama.



 Outfitted for Success
 The Austin Chronicle says they "possess seemingly
unlimited potential and youthful chops
." They're called
The Belleville Outfit.
Here Mike Graves mixes it up with the
group live on WUKY.





Multi-instrumentalist
Chris Arduser

(The Bears, Psychodots, The Bluebirds, solo artist)

took time from his many musical projects to ham it up with tonic's dynamic duo Stacy and Kopana. With a voice meant for radio, Arduser talks about his new solo CD Hapless, and "the famous guy."





Don't miss Arduser and George Cunningham with Adult Rock's Mike Graves. Click Here to listen.

 
 Keep Your Own Counsel - The Bears; Hangman's Knot & Drag It Out - Chris Arduser

 
Music's Biggest Night
50th Annual Grammy Awards


"As many of you know, I first started singing when Lincoln was president," quipped 61 year old Cher just before she introduced a killer performance by Beyonce and 68 year old Queen of it all Tina Turner. But it was also a big, big night for WUKY listeners with performances and winners like Amy Winehouse, Feist, John Mayer and more. See all the winners, nominees, photos, videos, and assorted other stuff at GRAMMY.com



 
Question: How many interviews has World Cafe's David Dye done in the 16 years he's hosted the show?

Answer: The staff has lost count.

tonic's Josh James talks with the man behind NPR's most popular modern music show.



 Arduser and Cunningham and Bears!
Oh My!
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen, I just broke a string..."

Listen as Bears drummer Chris Arduser and veteran guitarist George Cunningham transform a guitar into a rhythm section, while keeping their "1.5 piece" band together. Mike Graves sits down with the talented duo for a lively chat about their respective careers.



Beauty & Rhymes

Suzanne Vega
's voice may drop to a whisper sometimes, but the veteran songwriter still has much to say. Mike Graves interviews Vega about her latest, Beauty & Crime.

 
Watch Virtual Suzanne Vega discuss
Tom's Diner
on Second Life


 
Erin McKeown
Preaches to
the Choir...



Impossible to neatly categorize, singer/songwriter Erin McKeown's music borrows from pop, swing, folk, and electronic music. Mike Graves talks with McKeown about Sing You Sinners.

 Half Light

New Orleans grown folk songwriter Mary Gauthier talks with WUKY's Mike Graves about her latest record, Between Daylight and Dark.



 Jewell in the Crown

Letters from Sinners & Strangers is Eilen Jewell's first record for a major label. Recorded in only a week, the album finds a group of musicians coming into their own. Rusty Sharp talked with Jewell during a recent stop in Lexington.


 
 Fickle Creek?
 
 Their Farewell (For Now) Tour may have a lot of fans
scratching their heads or in tears, but
Nickel Creek's
Sean Watkins
explains to tonic's Joe Conkwright
why the quasi-break up makes perfect sense.


The Stuff of Starr


Garrison Starr is so tired of playing acoustic she could kill somebody. But that didn't stop WUKY's Mike Graves from braving an interview with the modern Mississippi folk chanteuse.


 

Prophecy


 "I've always pulled for the bad guys," says
Chuck Prophet.
On his latest record, the indie-rocker channels the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and a host of other artists - all the while maintaining his own sound. WUKY's Mike Graves talks with Prophet about the making of Soap and Water.



 
 Antsy Acclaimed

The Airstream King, the Cinder Block Serenader, the RV Artiste - whatever you call him, Antsy McClain knows how to make a scene. Hear the Adult Rock interview with Mike Graves.




Laura Bell Bundy Drops a Name
and Adds a Line to the
Resume
 
  
 Lexington's own Broadway darling Laura Bell Bundy has a new alt-country album on shelves, but it still isn't enough, is it?

  Where the Music
Never Stops





If anyone has his finger on the pulse of cool, it's WXPN Program Director Bruce Warren. As part of the gig, Warren oversees programming for XPoNential radio, the service now offered on WUKY's second channel, Wookie 2.
Sample Wookie 2 here.

Music Requires the Truth

 
Pull up a chair and listen... or David Wilcox might do it for you. The veteran folk songwriter talks with
tonic's Greg Davis about great conversations in music, his future self, and why you should never read People magazine.


"It was like being in the Beatles!"


 
One of Kentucky's best musician/songwriters, Beau Haddock dropped by the tonic studios to chat with Stacy and Kopana about his outstanding experience as a traveling musician in Ecuador.

 
tonic's Stacy Yelton talks with musician and conductor Marlon Hurst of First Presbyterian Church about the history of art and music in the Christian church.


A Prayer in Sound




tonic's

Greg Davis

reflects on the diversity of
Jewish music and culture.



Amos Lee
live with
Adult Rock's
John L.



http://www.amoslee.com/

 
 Shinning the Night Away
Can the Shins survive the world outside indie-dom? Josh James samples The Shins' latest Wincing the Night Away and comes back with an optimistic prognosis.


WILCO announces tracklist for their new album Sky Blue Sky due May 15th.
  1. Either Way
  2. You Are My Face
  3. Impossible Germany
  4. Sky Blue Sky
  5. Side with the Seeds
  6. Shake it Off
  7. Please Be Patient With Me
  8. Hate it Here
  9. Leave Me (Like You Found Me)
  10. Walken
  11. What Light
  12. On and On and On
 More info here.




      Melanie Johnson's
new CD, Soul of a Spy, is getting lots of airplay at WUKY, and at our "sister" station in Cincinnati.  Her band, The Bats, are selling out shows. There's really no mystery here.  Meet the woman behind the Stratocaster, and
tonic's theme.





After a two year absence, Nebraska's favorite bleeding hearts, Bright Eyes, are back with what may be their best to date. Josh James reviews Cassadaga.

 


viennateng.com
 Join Mike Graves and
Vienna Teng
for this outstanding live performance from WUKY's 
Adult Rock
studio



                                                                                                                       

 
 Trioshift is a Scofield cum Rush cum fusion kick-in-the-pants 3-piece music rocket out of Nashville. Chuck Fields, drums, Tony Nagy, bass, and John Cook, guitar, serve up a pile of home made rhythm and grooves on their first CD "YI". Stay tuned for a tonic session - in the meantime, check out a few tunes via MySpace
The 2007 Grammy class is
Dixie Chicks
John Mayer
Gnarls Barkley
Bob Dylan
Jonny Lang
Bruce Springsteen
Rick Rubin
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Flaming Lips
Donald Fagen

Hear them all on WUKY!



 
This has got nothing to do with Ecuador but it's got everything to do with Rock-n-Roll! That's right, boys and girls, after 22 years original lead man, David Lee Roth, rejoins the band that made him famous - Van Halen. Alex, Eddie, Eddie's son Wolfgang, and Roth kick off their 25 city American tour in September. So get out the big hair wigs, pour yourself into those leather pants, and be ready to rock.
van-halen.com

 

on the burner
Holy Smokes, Batman, summer is heating up!

Artists and Arts Activists
David and Janine Musser


Poet extraordinaire
Frank X Walker

Photographer
Jahi Chikwendiu

plus more music, art, and literary interviews from
Kopana

Josh James
Dr. Greg Davis
Stacy Yelton
Mike Graves
Rusty Sharp

Joe Conkwright

audio essays, pop culture, cinema, performing arts, obits and, of course

killer book reviews from Tiffany Reisz

 tonic
only online
only from WUKY

last call
KY7 Biennial
DEADLINE: JULY 24, 2008
a series of exhibitions, presented by the Lexington Art League, showcasing new work by living artists in Kentucky and any of its contiguous states including Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, celebrating the richness and variety of the visual arts in our region. All artists who have spent time during the last three years working in any of the above states are invited to submit images of their work, in any medium, along with an exhibition statement and resume for consideration by the selection committee. While all media will be considered, the exhibition will place special emphasis on contemporary art that uses new media or installation work. Eligibility and Media: KY7 Biennial. All media and styles will be considered. All artists, age 18 and older, having lived and worked in Kentucky or its contiguous states within the last three years are eligible.

For more complete information, visit lexingtonartleague.org

-------


2008 Comic Art Show
LexArts and the Comic Creators Group are requesting submissions for the 2008 Comic Art Show, to be held at the ArtsPlace Gallery August 8 - September 6, 2008. This exhibit will have two age categories: 18 and over and under 18. Please download and submit the appropriate application at www.lexarts.org
Deadline: 18 and over - Postmarked by July 21 or drop off by 5pm July 24; Under 18 - Drop off by 5pm August 4 *at least one submission by each under 18 applicant will be exhibited

-------

KENTUCKY WOMEN WRITERS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRITING CONTEST
New this year, the Gypsy Slam Poetry Prize honors writers ages 13—18 who have an interest in the art of poetry.
They will also award three Betty Gabehart Prizes in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Entries must be postmarked by July 31
visit KWWC for more

-------

KENTUCKY WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS’ SEMINAR ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Applications for Kentucky Women Playwrights’ Seminar (KWPS) are being accepted for seven Kentucky women writers who desire to explore the genre of playwriting and to dramatize issues that impact their lives and encourage positive social change
deadline for completed applications August 8th

Visit silvercreekwriters for more

-------

A ROOM OF HER OWN FOUNDATION INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR
2009 LITERARY GIFT OF FREEDOM AWARD
A Room Of Her Own Foundation is dedicated to helping women artists achieve the privacy and financial support necessary to pursue their art. The foundation annually provides an award of $50,000 to a woman writer.  The  foundation's 2009 Literary Gift of Freedom Award will be given to an American woman writer who is a U.S. citizen and will be living in the U.S. during the  grant period.  Acceptable genres for this grant are poetry, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and fiction.  The program requires a $35.00 application fee.

Click here to visit the foundation's Web site for complete program guidelines.
Deadline October 31, 2008

-------

The Nude
January 10 - March 1, 2009
ENTRY DEADLINE: OCTOBER 10, 2008

twenty-third annual Nude presented by the Lexington Art League.
Artists are invited to submit images of their work, in any medium, along with an exhibition statement and resume for consideration by the selection committee. All media will be considered. All artists, age 18 and older, are eligible to enter The Nude. All media and styles will be considered. No reproductions will be accepted. The artist must provide any necessary electronic equipment. All works must have been completed since January 2006 and not previously shown in any LAL gallery.

For more complete information, visit lexingtonartleague.org

-------

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 2008 MOTIF ANTHOLOGY
Motif, a new anthology series to be published annually by MotesBooks of Louisville is seeking submissions for the first volume.  The theme is music, the working title is Writing by Ear. Submissions may be poems, short stories, song lyrics, short memoirs, essays, letters, creative nonfiction, or other forms.
  • Prose: Under 3,000 words
  • Poetry/lyrics: Up to 3 pieces
All genres, including combinations of forms will be considered as long as music is referenced in the works either directly or indirectly, and the presence of music figures significantly and artfully in the piece.

The submission deadline is August 5, 2008 with publication anticipated in November 2008.
For a complete description of specific submission guidelines visit MotesBooks.com or email MOTIF@MotesBooks.com

-------

COMIX
a Lexington Art League exhibition of comic and cartoon creations that range from conceptual sketches and finished drawings to printer's proofs, printed newspapers, and individual pages from comic books and graphic novels.
Deadline November 7, 2008
For more complete information, visit lexingtonartleague.org


--------------------------------------


RESOURCES







A.R.T. (Artist Resources and Tips) is available on the Kentucky Arts Council website artscouncil.ky.gov A.R.T. is published online every two months. If you are not on the arts council’s mailing list and wish to receive email announcements when new editions of A.R.T. are posted to the website, you must sign up for the arts council’s mailing list via the link on the front page of their website at artscouncil.ky.gov

--------

The Arts & Democracy website sponsored by the National Center for Civic Participation www.ccp.org
The site features:
  • twelve profiles of exemplary work in arts, culture and democracy
  • descriptions of more than 85 arts, culture and democracy projects along with contact information for these projects
  • a resource list with articles, websites and publications
  • a blog with highlights from the artist-activist gatherings
------------

ARTS ACROSS KENTUCKY
SEEKS INFORMATION AND PHOTOS OF KENTUCKY ARTISTS AT WORK
Kentucky artists are invited to send articles with “high quality images”  of their art as well as photos of themselves at work.  300 dpi (dots per inch) is the minimum necessary for print media and send them in large size. More information at
www.artsacrossky.com


---------

LESBIAN WRITERS FUND
The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice works for social, racial and economic justice in the U.S. and internationally. Their grant making and philanthropic advocacy programs help lesbians and allied communities challenge oppression and claim their human rights. Astraea’s Lesbian Writers Fund was established to support the work of emerging lesbian writers, and to acknowledge the contributions of established lesbian writers to the lesbian movement and culture.
For more information: grants@astraeafoundation.org or astraefoundation.org

---------

Visual Dialogue
Rolling Deadline
The Lexington Art League (LAL) seeks proposals for Visual Dialogue, an exhibition in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG).  The mission of Visual Dialogue is to have visual art as part of the regular experience for those who visit the Mayor’s and Council Members’ offices and the Government Center; to encourage dialogue about creativity in our community among the elected officials, community leadership, staff and visitors to the Government Center; and to provide inspiration for new ways of seeing. Eligibility: Any artist 18 years or older living in Kentucky. Please note, due to spatial limitations of the Mayor’s Office and Council Members’ Offices, we will only be able to accommodate two-dimensional work.

For more complete information, visit lexingtonartleague.org

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TORCH: POETRY,PROSE, AND SHORT STORIES BY AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN
Rolling Deadline
Please visit torchpoetry.org for guidelines

artists in the news
Around the Globe



A Rembrandt Original
Sold at a London auction in October as the work of an imitator or student of The Master, the painting turned out to be an original work by Dutch painter Rembrandt. Sold for $4.5 million, the self-portrait Rembrandt Laughing is estimated to actually be worth $30-40 million.


Death of the CD?
According to Canada's globeandmail.com, it will die sooner than later



40 years ago on a London stage Jimi Hendrix set his 1965 Fender on fire
It was one of only two Hendrix axes set afire.... the London conflagration has resurfaced and will be offered at auction at London's Fame Bureau September 14, 2008. It's estimated worth? 500,000 pounds or $999,000!

The U.S.



The Godfather of Soul on Sale
Christie's (New York City) is auctioning items from the James Brown Collection. Clothes, photographs, awards, instruments and hand-written letters are on the auction block July 17th, 2008. Did you know you can bid online!

Kentucky

The Winter 2007/2008 issue of The New Southerner profiles the work of Kentucky artist Dobree Adams including her work to help stop the abuses from mountaintop removal coal mining. Online at newsoutherner.com


UK (University of Kentucky, that is)

UK's Second Life Island opens Art Gallery



From UK News: With today's technology, members of the virtual world Second Life are getting a second chance to see some of UK's real world art exhibits that show at a new art gallery on the University of Kentucky Island in Second Life. Art Studio graduate student Melissa A. Schwartz became the first student to exhibit on the virtual island starting April 10, 2008. The art show was made possible by the work of a committee of administrators that organizes the virtual island's activities. The group created a surreal virtual art gallery with staircases and bridges transporting visitors to spaces on several levels. If you're in Second Life, visit Schwartz's exhibit here