Kathy Geary, soprano

Now and Then - Inauguration - David Crosby, Bob Dylan, Jesse Welles

Original air date Jan 18, 2025 | Time 59:00

There's terrible dead air for over a minute at the top of the show...I was freaking out! It's a live broadcast and I lost access to the computer, but pulled it together.

Today is the anniversary of David Crosby's passing in 2023 and his music is as relevant as the day he wrote it. In recognition of the upcoming inauguration on Monday, we listen to "Capitol" with his description of the halls of power "They run the whole damn place from here..." and then his heart wrenching song about immigrants "Look in Their Eyes".

When Bob Dylan received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 he was required to write an essay. He did and I read some of it. In March 2020 (remember that?) he released his longest song, "Murder Most Foul", with a long description of the assassination of JFK. But it's about how art can be cathartic in times of crisis.

Music is so powerful, it can shape a whole culture. Singer songwriters capture the events of the times and are like journalists without having to go through the filters of mainstream media. It's like having a one-on-one conversation with thousands of people at once. Not too many musicians have that position. Where is our young Neil Young? Where is our new Bob Dylan? Popular music is in steep decline as independent artists get wider access to public platforms. But it's slow and kinda painful, hard to make a living off of streaming. But I adore Jesse Welles as our newest Court Jester, taking up the mantle of sarcasm and lyricism with a heavy dose of guitar chops.

Kathy Geary, Host of Now & Then on Radio Catskill, Public Radio for the Catskills and Northeast Pennsylvania

Now and Then - Christmas is Coming! Paul Simon, Beach Boys, Beatles, Dylan, Ringo Starr, Sting, Jacob Collier, Coldplay, Tom Petty

Original air date Dec 21, 2024 | Time 58:00

Christmas songs to life your spirit and bring a smile!

Artist	Song	Release
Paul Simon	Getting Ready for Christmas Day	So Beautiful or So What
Ringo Starr	Winter Wonderland	20th Century Masters - The Christmas Collection: The Best of Ringo Starr
Coldplay	Christmas Lights	Christmas Lights - Single
The Beach Boys	Our Prayer	Smile Sessions
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers	Christmas All Over Again	Playback
Bob Dylan	Silver Bells	Christmas In The Heart
Sting	Soul Cake	If On a Winter's Night
Fotheringay	Winter Winds	fotheringay
Jacob Collier	The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)	The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
James Taylor	In the Bleak Midwinter	James Taylor at Christmas
James Taylor	SnowTime	Before This World
The Beatles	Christmas Time is Here Again	The Beatles Fourth Christmas Record

Now and Then - Western Hero - Neil Young, Tom Petty, David Crosby, Jesse Welles

Original air date Nov 30, 2024 | Time 59:00

The Western Hero is an American icon, captured in the music of Neil Young and Crazy Horse in 1994 on the album "Sleeps With Angels". His debut album in 1968 was followed up with a live acoustic concert in Carnegie Hall in 1970. We hear "The Loner" which describes a western hero who lives on his own terms, is critical of society at large and is on the move for change.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released an album "Into the Great Wide Open" and we hear "Two Gunslingers" who wonder what they're fighting for and decide not shoot each other. On his final studio recording in 2014, Hypnotic Eye, we hear "Take What you Can and leave the past behind, we gotta run."

David Crosby released his debut solo album "If I Could Only Remember My Name" in 1970 and we hear "Cowboy Movie". The western hero lives on.

We end the program with new songs from Jesse Welles, from Arkansas. He's following in the footsteps of the singer-songwriters before him and has things he needs to say. Brilliant songs.

Now and Then - Election 2024 - Jesse Welles, Stevie Nicks, Llunr, Bob Dylan

Original air date Nov 09, 2024 | Time 59:00

Music to address the recent election results.