News

The musical duo Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, formed in 2014 by Sarah Fuerst and Phil Barry, two members of the six-piece group the Corn Fed Girls, will release their first full-length album, Songs for Mixed Company, on Saturday, July 29 at Louie's Trophy House Grill in Kalamazoo. WMUK contributor Craig Freeman invited them to preview their work in the studio at WMUK, where they performed three live versions of their songs and shared one of the album tracks, "Miss You." 

Just a fiddle, and a flute. And rhythm, ornaments, breath accents, and stories. In the tradition of Irish folk music, two players is enough for an evening's entertainment, harkening back to the days when resources were scarce but social music-making was prized.

On Thursday at First Congregational Church, fiddler Jesse Smith (Danu, The Tap Room Trio) and flutist Sean Gavin (Bua, Teada) will perform, highlighting their new album, Music From The Lost Continent, which was called "straight-up trad at its best" in a Tradconnect review. Cara Lieurance spoke with Jesse Smith about his love of the music and his admiration for players of the past, including Michael Coleman, who was famous in the 1920 for his cylinder recordings.

It's not often that a person gets a chance to become the CEO of the singular organization credited with transforming his or her life. Chris Harris-Wimsatt has. In February, he became head of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo. On today's WestSouthwest, the Raleigh, N.C., native talks about his troubled childhood and how his local Boys Club was his refuge. It is a longer version of an interview that first aired in June.