Above The Basement - Boston Music and Conversation Chuck Clough and Ronnie Hirschberg

Award winning Boston documentary filmmaker Bestor Cram founded and also serves as creative director for the Boston-based documentary film and museum production company called Northern Light Productions. He has had films screened at Sundance Film Festival, The Boston Film Festival, The Austin Film Festival, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, The Woods Hole Film festival and many others.

We sat with Sybil Gallagher and her husband Chadwick Stokes from the band DISPATCH. In 2008, Chad and Sybil founded Calling All Crows, the social activist organization that brings their commitment to hands-on service and activism on the road. They work with musicians, fans, and nonprofits to better the lives of women locally and globally.

WBCN legend Charles Laquidara joined us for a conversation at the recently opened Woods Hill Pier 4 in Boston.

We finally got a chance to talk with singer Songwriter and Boston native Matt York!

Matt has been in the Boston music scene for quite a while now. After stepping away from music to become a secret agent and family man, Matt jumped back into music and has been quite prolific, hitting the road often to perform and also release a few critically acclaimed albums, including Boston, Texas, Between The Bars and just this month his latest album Bruisable Heart.

Right before we got the chance to see him play at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge with his talented wife on bass for his CD release, we sat with him at Adelita’s restaurant in West Concord, Mass for a chat while the commuter rail would occationally scream by us. We talk about his new album, his influences, the Boston music scene and the dangers of mosquitoes.

We sat with Lori McKenna before her recent show celebrating the 15th anniversary of her album Return To Bittertown at Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington, MA. The Stoughton, Mass. native is a multi grammy-winning singer songwriter and the first woman ever to win the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year two years running as well as Academy of Country Music’s first female Songwriter of the Year. In addition to her own songs, she has written for Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Little Big Town and Tim McGraw to name just a few. And just this past week we were all able to watch her on the Americana Music Honors and Awards show where she, well as former ATB guest Mark Erelli were each nominated for Song of the Year. Along with her incredible songwriting chops and beautiful voice, we discovered that Lori is truly one of the most down to earth and nicest person you could ever meet.

When we think of the blended art forms of music and photography, there is a something iconic that can come out of a still picture of the great artists of the past. Catching a glimpse of Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock or Leonard Bernstein conducting at the Philharmonic, it’s as if you can see the music coming out of the page - the thoughts coming from the artist as they glance to the side, backstage. We can let our imagination come up with scenarios, like picturing a scene or portrait while we listen to the music itself. Recently Ronnie was fortunate to be introduced to Mr. Jack Bradley at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital on Cape Cod. Nancy, His wife of 48 years, who you just heard, spoke of the death of “Louie” in 1971. That man was legendary Jazz trumpeter, vocalist and composer Louis Armstrong, who from the 1920s-60s was the lead influencer of both structural and improvisational elements of instrumental and vocal jazz for decades to follow. Ronnie's colleague Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas had known of Above The Basement and wanted to connect him with Mr. Bradley. At first glance, Jack is indeed a man who visited the emergency room after a fall and a man living with Parkinson’s Disease. But when he picked up the microphone to speak about his story of the love of music, which eventually led to a career as personal photographer for Mr. Armstrong, his face and body illuminated with excitement. Jack took us on his journey as a kid with eyes and ears glued to the local bandstand, to his Merchant Marine work that took him to NYC, which led to the nightly discovery of jazz with a camera around his neck at all times.