Stuck in the Psychedelic Era 2/26/24 – Bear’s Sonic Journals

Tonight at 7pm, Stuck in the Psychedelic Era takes a look at Bear’s Sonic Journals. Owsley Stanley, known as Bear to his friends, was constantly looking for ways to improve his skills as a live sound man for the Grateful Dead and other San Francisco bands. Starting around 1966, Bear began taping every performance he did sound on, listening back to what he called his “sonic journals’ in order to critique his own work, often in the company of the performers themselves. Over a period of about 15 years Bear managed to accumulate in excess of 1,300 reels of live performances in a variety of venues, including the legendary Carousel Ballroom (later known as the Fillmore West) and it’s New York counterpart, the Fillmore East.

Since Bear’s death in 2011, his family and friends formed the Owsley Stanley Foundation to preserve and, when necessary, restore these Sonic Journals. To finance the project, the Foundation has released a series of CDs featuring a variety of artists ranging from Johnny Cash to the Allman Brothers Band.

This week, we present excerpts from some of these CDs, including an extended look at the latest release of the Bear’s Sonic Journals: Sing Out, a benefit concert recorded on April 25, 1981 at the Berkeley Community Theater, with additional commentary from Hawk Semins, one of the founders of the Owsley Stanley Foundation. For the first hour, the emphasis is on album tracks, with a couple of singles tossed in for good measure. It all begins with an “impossible” battle of the bands featuring one group that stopped doing live performances around the same time as the other was being formed.

See thehermitrambles.blogspot.com for a complete playlist.

Support WWCF Radio this Giving Tuesday

This Giving Tuesday, consider supporting WWCF Radio with a donation that allows us to continue providing all of our listeners with a quality radio experience. Your donation assists in providing WWCF with the necessary funds to continue operating and incrementally improving the station in addition of lessening the financial burden of maintaining the station out of our own pocket.

Visit our donate page to make your contribution online. WWCF is a registered non-profit (501c3) organization, so any donation you make is eligible to be tax-deductible. Also check out our contact page for our mailing address if you would rather donate via check.

To those who have previously donated and to any first-time donors, thank you. A lot goes on behind the scenes and your generosity keeps the station alive and the music coming.

Public Radio Together For Peace

On Friday, March 11th, we will join public radio stations across the nation as we come together in a simultaneous broadcast of John Lennon’s timeless song of unity, hope and peace, “Give Peace a Chance.”

This collective transmission serves to unite public radio listeners from coast to coast in a unified demonstration to support those around the world who are affected by war, reminding all of us that we can collectively amplify support for peace across the globe.

Join us by tuning in on Friday, March 11th at 1:30pm.

Public radio together, for peace.
#publicradiotogetherforpeace

The Music Never Stopped…

On January 1, 2022, WWCF Radio will begin another year of streaming our programming online.

Thanks to our listeners, we have the financial resources to continue making our broadcast available on the internet. We heard from a lot of you–from friends old and new. For us, the fundraiser was a truly remarkable event. All of us at WWCF were moved with every comment and donation. Believe us when we say that we appreciate you as much as you say you love the station. Unique people and unique music programming belong together and we are glad you found a distinctive listening experience with us.

The promise for the new year is simple–lots of new music, new artists, and great programming to enjoy. As was profound before, it is again. WWCF is a “great place to hang your ears.”