Musician's Spotlight

02/11/2025

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10/31/2024

Tonight on Blue Green Crossing on Montana Public Radio, 9pm MDT...There's no shortage of chilling and haunting songs in the genres of bluegrass and Celtic music. Join me tonight for an hour of these great songs to celebrate Halloween. Karan Casey, Dr. Ralph Stanley, The Chieftains, The Del McCoury Band, Tim Eriksen, Solas, Doc and Merle Watson, Kate Rusby and much more!

10/28/2024

On the NEXT..... Musician's Spotlight...we welcome back Naomi Moon Siegel. Listen in to Montana Public Radio tomorrow, Tuesday, October 29th at 7:30pm. Naomi and I talk about her newest recording "Shatter The Glass Sanctuary", the arrangement of the music and the ensemble, her collaboration in production with Allison Miller and how all the parts became a whole. Naomi also talks about how her travels and experiences in The Gambia and experimenting with the kora (remember our visit with Sona Jobarteh on Mspot) influenced her musical journey. As well, Naomi relates how she has made more of a conscious effort to let the natural world that surrounds her in Montana "seep into her pores", the title of one of the most compelling pieces on the new album.

10/17/2024

What should I ask her? I'll be catching up with Grammy Award winning composer Danaë Xanthe Vlasse this afternoon (Thursday, October 17th) and talking about her newest project MYTHOLOGIES II, a follow up to her award winning 2021 album featuring sopranos Sangeeta Kaur and Hila Plitmann. The new project was recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and offers orchestral tone poems inspired by iconic figures from Greek mythology. This interview will be featured on an upcoming Musician's Spotlight on Montana Public Radio!

10/08/2024

Tonight on the NEXT.... Musician's Spotlight on Montana Public Radio, 7pm MDT, check out our visit with Manteca Music. This Juno Award winning group based out of Montreal create "new world jazz for the new world." Their most recent recording "The Offspring Project" is a collection of original music performed and written by the band with their, well, offspring to create a fun, inspiring, adventurous and melodic brand of jazz. Check it out tonight!

10/04/2024

What should I ask her? Sitting down for a Musician's Spotlight/Montana Public Radio interview this afternoon with trombonist/composer Naomi Moon Siegel. She came to Montana a few years ago and set about putting great music out and bringing community in...in to her vision of collaboration and unity. She's got a new recording released and continuing to break boundaries and expectations on every level. Chime in here with some topics you'd like us to cover!

09/18/2024

Tonight, Tuesday September 17th at 7pm check out our Musician's Spotlight feature with Tycho on Montana Public Radio!

09/11/2024

What should I ask them? Doing an interview tomorrow morning, Thursday, September 12th with Goose for an upcoming Musician's Spotlight for Montana Public Radio. Get on board and suggest some questions!

09/11/2024

What should I ask him? I’m interviewing Tycho tomorrow for an upcoming Musician's Spotlight on Montana Public Radio. My first interview with a primarily electronic music composer. He’ll be in Missoula soon via Logjam Presents at The Wilma.

09/05/2024

Very excited to be the first host for a new program premiering tonight at 9pm MDT on Montana Public Radio.... Blue Green Crossing. The show is a mix of Celtic and Bluegrass and all things between and around those genres. On tonight's show.... Solas, Tim O'Brien, Dan Tyminski, Karan Casey, Growling Old Men, Sarah Jarosz, Dougie MacLean, North Fork Crossing, Lúnasa and much more. Tune in and check it out!

08/06/2024

A bit of a preview of what you can expect at the An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival this weekend in Butte....my Musician's Spotlight interview from several years ago with Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh of Altan, one of the featured artists at this great festival.

Also listen to the Folk Show on Montana Public Radio at 2pm today, Tuesday, August 6th to hear some Altan, The Spain Brothers, The Elders, Dublin Gulch, National Park Radio and many more great artists!

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, singer, fiddle player and founding member of the Irish traditional music group Altan, talks with John Floridis about the group's…

07/29/2024

On tonight's Musician's Spotlight, a special program featuring a 20 year anniversary encore broadcast of my visit with the legendary BB King. I'm often asked which interview of the hundreds I've done is my favorite, and generally I answer "my most recent one", because I so value everyone's story. However, getting a chance to visit and talk shop with one of the most influential musicians of the 20th and early 21st century remains not only a favorite interview but one that truly moves me. Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday, July 30th, 7pm MDT on Montana Public Radio.

07/29/2024

Random photo find from 2017... post Musician's Spotlight interview hang with Ben Harper at Big Sky Brewing Company.

07/16/2024

Tonight on Mspot!

Hailing from the Flathead Valley of Montana, fiddler and singer songwriter Hannah King makes her debut on Musician's Spotlight.

07/12/2024

Headed to the Montana Folk Festival for the live broadcast weekend with Montana Public Radio. Lots more to come about that, but thinking of all the great artists I've heard and had a chance to meet there. Betsayda Machado was one of my all time favorites. Hearing her sing there was one of those moments where you are truly taken away to another place, another world, dare I say another dimension.

On their “Sabrosito Rico” tour in 2017, Venezuelan Afro-Soul tambor venezolano musicians Betsayda Machado y La Parranda El Clavo simultaneously mesmerized…

07/08/2024

Tonight, July 8th at 8pm MDT....listen in to Montana Public Radio for a special program we put together hosted by JFlo highlighting artists featured at this year's Montana Folk Festival in Butte this coming weekend.

Also! Tomorrow, July 9th during the Folk Show at 2pm MDT...maybe closer to 2:30pm MDT, we'll do an encore broadcast of this special, also of course on MTPR!

Check out these images of just some of the musicians featured on this program! Le Vent du Nord, Choros Das 3, Fred Thomas of the J.B.'s, 79rs Gang, Kala Ramnath, Reverie Road, Jerry Douglas, Fran Grace and Sam Platts and The Plainsmen.