JARL MOHN, BRIAN WILSON TO APPEAR AT THE “15th Annual NON-COMMvention”

NPR CEO Jarl Mohn should feel right at home when he appears at 15th Annual NON-COMMvention May 13-15 in Philadelphia at WXPN and World Cafe Live.  I know Jarl sort of remembers the great radio conferences like R&R and Gavin.  There was music from breakfast until late into the night.  That’s what the NON-COMM is like also.

Better yet, the NON-COMM is about integrity in business, public service and music discovery. This is Jarl’s kind of place.

There is still time to register.  More information is at [LINK].

[PLEASE NOTE: I haven’t confirmed that the “Brian Wilson” on the schedule is the Good Vibrations guy.  But I think it is. Besides, I’m sure Jarl doesn’t mind him as his opening act.]

NON-COMM SCHEDULE IS FULL OF HITS AND HISTORIC APPEARANCES

Dan Reed, the Founder and Producer of the NON-COMMvention has the released the full schedule.  One name from the past made me wish, oh wish, I could be there: Buffy Sainte-Marie.

BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE

I played the grooves out of her records back in the day. Universal Soldier – as true today as it was then. And the elegant, mysterious song God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot. They were in heavy rotation when I hosted an early progressive rock show called Holding Together.

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Cree, indigenous Canadian woman. She came from northern Saskatchewan, not all that far from where Joni Mitchell grew up.  Unlike Joni, Buffy returned to Canada where she now a multi-media artist and social activist.  She founded the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an educational curriculum devoted to better understanding Native Americans and Canadians.

ALSO RECOMMENDED AT THE NON-COMMvention

• Wednesday 5/13 7pm – Midnight: MUSIC SHOWCASES

Performers on the NPR Music Stage include Buffy Sainte-Marie and Shelby Lynne. Performers on the PRX Stage include Elle King and Ryley Walker.

• Thursday 5/14 9:30am – 10:30am: SESSION – Competing with the Devil

Noncom Triple A stations are seeing an increasing number of commercial stations trying to carve away listeners and sometimes artists.  I’ve been writing about 89.3 The Current’s commercial competitor Go 96.3. [LINK]

• Thursday 5/14 1:15pm – 2:45pm: ALL CONFERENCE MEETING – Dan Reed Interviews NPR President Jarl Mohn

• Friday 5/15 9:30am – 10:30am: SESSION – Triple A & Community Stations

• Friday 5/15 Noon – 2pm: MUSIC SHOWCASE – Free at Noon on the NPR Music Stage

Billy Bragg & Joe Purdy, Calexico, Brian Wilson

• Friday 5/15 2:15pm – 3:30pm: THE MUSIC MEETING

Songlines promoter Sean Coakley hosts the annual rate-a-record session.

I wish I could be at the NON-COMMvention this year but my vision problems prevent it.  I hereby assign my drink tickets to Chris Wienk from WEXT.  Chris is the hardest working person in noncom radio.