WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour features Celtic Aire
Washington, D.C. -- On Monday, April 28, The U.S. Air Force Band's Celtic ensemble Celtic Aire had the unique opportunity to perform on folksinger Michael Johnathon's WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour at the Lyric Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky. The concert, which was recorded in front of a live audience, will air on various media outlets starting in June. Johnathon describes the program as "a labor of love, a gift from all of us as a community of artists on behalf of an audience we want so much to reach." He continues, "WoodSongs is a multi-format radio show and is treated as a high-quality recording session with 300 plus observers."
The show, which has a broadcast reach of more than two million people, is staffed by a 36-member, all-volunteer crew, who record 44 shows per year. There are usually two artists booked on each broadcast. On this show, Celtic Aire shared the stage with the Nashville-based Tennessee Mafia Jug Band. This performance adds the ensemble to a long list of highly acclaimed acts that have appeared on the program such as Victor Wooten, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Indigo Girls, Amy Grant and Lee Ann Womack. According to Johnathon, to appear on the show "you don't have to be famous ... you just have to be good."
A unique aspect of the program is the format. Jonathon describes the concert as "a musical conversation in front of a live audience," as opposed to a traditional concert performance. Each ensemble prepares four songs, each of which must be three and a half minutes in length. The tight schedule allows for Johnathon to interview the performers between pieces. A fifth selection is held in reserve as an encore, which serves as a special treat for the 300-member live audience and is not part of the broadcast.
The difference in format was a welcome change for the musicians. Senior Master Sgt. Dennis Hoffmann, noncommissioned officer in charge of Celtic Aire, explains:
"It was a unique opportunity to tell our Air Force story through the dialogue created by WoodSongs." In between selections, the group answered questions with topics ranging from the formation of Celtic Aire to the group's deployment to entertain troops stationed in the Central Command area of operations. "We don't often have the chance to get that type of interaction with our audiences until after the concert."
The performance will be available in the archives of the WoodSongs website approximately nine weeks after the initial recording; look for it at the end of June by visiting www.woodsongs.com. The American Forces Network broadcast is scheduled to air in early July. Finally, the PBS episode will be broadcast sometime this summer.