Arts and Culture
Virgil Trucks
Birmingham native Virgil Trucks passed away over the weekend. He was 95. Trucks pitched for the Detroit Tigers and, while not a household name, is one of the few players who threw two no-hitters in a single season. WBHM's Michael Krall interviewed him in 2011...
Cell Phones and Rape Take the Stage in Ruined
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been wracked by war for decades, but most Americans know very little about the struggle. Two Birmingham-area theatre companies hope to change that. They're staging an award-winning play that calls attention to the dark times in the Congo.
Interview: Justin Brown on Sibelius and conducting the ASO
This weekend, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s masterworks series features two works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Music Director Laureate Justin Brown talked with WBHM’s Michael Krall about the concert, as well as his new role with the ASO. Brown says that right from the start, Sibelius made a mark on the Finnish nation….
Found Footage Festival
Meet the Instant Adoring Boyfriend, Blue Berry the Creepy Clown, and crowd favorite, the Sleazy Hypnotist. They didn't start out to be funny, but they are. These characters and others star in the Found Footage Festival that stops in Birmingham this weekend. WBHM's Greg Bass has the details.
UAB and Birmingham Partner on 50th Anniversary Events
The City of Birmingham and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are collaborating on a series of events to recognize the 50th anniversary of some of the key events of the civil right era. The year will include lectures, musical performances, special academic courses, internships and more.
Alabama Shakes Up For Three Grammy Awards
A year ago the members of Alabama Shakes were working day jobs and playing small gigs in bars. Today, they're nominated for three Grammy Awards and being hailed by Rolling Stone, NPR and the New York Times.
NY Times Profiles Morning Edition
The New York Times has a behind the scene look at public radio's premiere program and the most-listened-to news program on the radio.
Found Sound: Boyd Hayes
Public radio listeners are accustomed to hearing people share their very personal stories (think Story Corps). Today, WBHM's Will Dahlberg shares the story of his adoptive father's quest to hear his own father's voice for the first time.
Wayne Flynt on Selma Monument Controversy
Protesters backed by several civil rights groups will march in Selma Tuesday afternoon, protesting a planned monument to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. The project is supposed to replace a bust of Forrest which was stolen earlier this year. While supporters say he was a military genius, Forrest was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader, making him a symbol of hate according to opponents. Alabama is no stranger to these types of conflict, so we asked for some perspective from former Auburn University history professor Wayne Flynt.
Opera Birmingham Announces New Season
Opera Birmingham has announced its 2012-2013 season. The season opener features the winner of the “Opera Idol 2012” Audience Favorite Award and later in the season the company presents Mozart's The Magic Flute for the first time in more than a decade.
Norman Rockwell’s America
Few painters have created images as popular and as intertwined with American culture as Norman Rockwell. For decades, Rockwell produced magazine covers for the Saturday Evening Post – illustrations which are folksy, nostalgic and idealized versions of the county. And even if you don’t know anything about Rockwell, there’s a good chance you’d recognize his work. Those covers and other items go on display Sunday at the Birmingham Museum of Art. We sent WBHM’s Andrew Yeager there to get a preview.
Through the Sparks Returns to Birmingham
Through the Sparks may be a Birmingham-based band, but it's been a while since they've performed in Birmingham. That changes tonight. The band plays Bottletree Cafe tonight.
Remembering The Queen of Country Music
The Queen of Country Music has died. Kitty Wells died at her home in Nashville yesterday of complications from a stroke. She was 92. Wells was the first female to score a Number One hit on the country charts and paved the way for other women at a time when the men who ran the industry didn't think a woman could be a headliner.
Rising Star in Acoustic Music Plays Birmingham
One of the hottest young talents in the world of acoustic music makes her way to Birmingham tonight. The Austin Chronicle has called Sarah Jarosz "a songwriter of uncommon wisdom". A New York Times reviewer noted she's a "mandolin and banjo prodigy with the taste and poise to strike that rare balance of commercial and critical success." Jarosz garnered a lot of attention at Bonnaroo this year. WBHM's Greg Bass has a profile.
Art in Empty Windows
Walk along First Avenue North in Birmingham's East Lake neighborhood and you'll see a worn out sign protruding from a building. It's a reminder of a time when this strip was a bustling commercial area. And while there are still stores here, there are also plenty of empty buildings. Friday evening, several East Lake community organizations launch a new project that puts artwork in those empty spaces. As WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports, organizers hope it will help the neighborhood bounce back from a generation of decline.
Nightmare Waterfall
Birmingham rock duo Nightmare Waterfall, blends their music in waves of noise. It's catchy droning guitar riffs, crashing drums and howling vocals. They put their music together in such a way that you actually experience what the name implies.
Birmingham Americana Musician Josh Brown Gets Personal
If there’s one thing singer-songwriter Josh Brown knows about music, it’s how to write a simple song with deep meaning. Brown’s originally from Georgia, but he moved to Birmingham and brought his music and his experience with him. In his EP titled “Long, Long Way From You”, Brown tackles some tough issues.
Folk Musician Doc Watson Dies
Folk musician Doc Watson has died at the age of 89. Watson was considered one of America's greatest musicians, as good a singer as he was a guitarist.
Let’s Manufacture Static
Normally, static is a bad thing on the radio. But not when you’re talking about the Birmingham band called Let’s Manufacture Static. They offer up soulful sounds on their newly-released self-titled EP.
Adventure the Great Brings the Show to Birmingham
Starting a band is a time-honored tradition in college towns. And there’s a new band from Auburn that’s starting to get some attention. The Southern Public Media Group’s Kelly Walker spent some time with them and has this profile.
Wilco Brings The Whole Love to Birmingham
In the last 15 years the members of alternative rock band Wilco have experienced the highs and lows of a performing life. And they keep coming back for more. Their latest is 'The Whole Love'. Wilco brings the show to Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces tonight.
Birmingham’s Banditos Have New Music
Just in time for their show tonight (4/23) at The Bottletree Cafe, WBHM's Tapestry has new music from Birmingham honky tonk/Americana band Banditos.
Alabama Author’s Family Connection to the Titanic
One hundred years ago, a young missionary couple boarded a new luxury liner that was making its maiden voyage from England to America. Alabama author Julie Hedgepeth Williams recounts the stories her great-uncle Albert told about his family's remarkable story of surviving the Titanic.
Act of Congress
Act of Congress is a Birmingham acoustic band who's unique sound is a combination of acoustic-folk-Americana. But on their new album, even band members Adam Wright and Chris Griffin admit the songwriting took them in a very different direction. WBHM's Michael Krall produced this audio postcard...
Living in Limbo: Lesbian Families in the Deep South
An Alabama museum long focused on civil rights is introducing a new topic: Lesbian awareness in the South. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute opens the exhibit tonight. It depicts some women arm-in-arm or embracing, their faces fully visible. Others who weren't comfortable being identified publicly are pictured with their backs to the camera.
Sam Frazier
The Blues run through the blood of Birmingham musician Sam Frazier Jr. He grew up in Edgewater, the son a coal miner who brought home stories that would eventually inspire Frazier's songwriting. His family would host local barbeques and shows at his mom’s house. Performing next to big name artists such as Howl'n Wolf and Jimmy Reed was a typical thing in Frazier's life. Frazier’s latest album is The Long Lonesome Blues.
Gin Phillips
The Los Angeles times called Birmingham author Gin Phillips's first book The Well and The Mine an astonishing new novel. It's been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird and earned Phillips the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. So when Phillips started shopping her next novel, Come In and Cover Me , she admits there was a bit of pressure. Come In and Cover Me follows the story of Ren Taylor -- an archeologist who's on a mission to understand an ancient community, but ends up discovering some things about herself.
Girl Scout Cookie Terrorists
If you're running errands this weekend, possibly doing some grocery shopping, you may run across some very young, but very persistent sales people. Funny Lady Francesca Rosko prefers to call them terrorists...
The Jefferson County Sound
Gospel music has long been a fixture in African American churches around Birmingham. A new documentary film looks at the revolution of a style of gospel music called the Jefferson County Sound. Greg Bass takes a closer look for WBHM’s Tapestry.
Light Skits
After going through some tough times with the death of his father, Light Skits founding member Sam Goodwin needed to express himself creatively. He says the resulting album, Nooks & Crannies, lets listeners inside his mind. With diverse song structures, complex math-pop riffs and screamo vocals, Light Skits lets you rock loud and hard.
Gordon Lightfoot
Over his 50+ year career, singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has produced a string of hits. His songs have been recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, even Elvis. He's mostly remembered in this country for his hits from the 1970s and the occasional public TV fundraiser. But Gordon Lightfoot is nothing short of a national treasure in his native Canada. At the tender age of 73 he still spends a lot of time on the road and this Sunday evening his t our bus stops at the Alabama Theatre . Greg Bass talked to Gordon Lightfoot.
Mo Rocca: A Life on Stage
You may know him from the Daily Show with John Stewart or from NPR's quiz show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. But Mo Rocca has had an incredibly varied career. He'll talk about that and more when he takes the state at Birmingham's Alys Stephens Center Friday night. He may even talk about his early start in musical theatre...
