AN ANNOUNCEMENT AND SOME NOSTALGIA

You probably know that on March 29 Ron Olesko and I will be hosting a benefit concert that will be taking place on that afternoon at 2 PM in Fairlawn NJ at the facility used by the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club ( you can click on that link to see the line-up and buy tickets. It is a benefit for WFDU---lot of work but it sure beats hounding you on the air---don't you think? And look at the enjoyment you will get for a fraction of what you would pay to see these people in their usual venues in NYC---and they are donating their time and talent---TOM CHAPIN, JULIE GOLD, CHRISTINE LAVIN, ABBIE GARDNER & ANTHONY DACOSTA, GATHERING TIME, PAT WICTOR in no particular order. They appreciate the station and its programming as much as you all do and they are taking time out of their busy schedules to donate their time and talent for this---and also allow Ron and I to banter with them on the stage. I hope banter is the right word---I know it is for me and a few of the guests.

Now for the nostagia.

Are any of you railroad buffs of the great days of railroading. I know I am. I used to go to summer camp on a steam train, went to Calif. in the 1950s on the NY Central to Chicago and onward with some great trains like the Zephyrs and Sunset Ltd.---and never forget the Southern Crescent through New Orleans from the West Coast and the City of New Orleans of the Illinois Central (as made famous by Steve Goodman).

Enjoy now a look at the past glory days railroading (which Europe & Japan still enjoy) and mail to me at wfdutraditions@yahoo.com or comment here with requests for RR songs and I will put together a nice set of that material when I accumulate your choices. I shall also be announcing this on TRADITIONS on 2/22/09.

So there you have it. The glorious days of railroading and there you are. Surely there are glorious days of flying but for some reason railroading still sticks in the mind of the songwriters and nostalgia buffs. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" does evoke an image. But, honestly, are you as moved by that as you are by the image of, say, Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" or some of Hank Williams RR pieces among others.

So if you have RR songs you want on Traditions do e mail me at wfdutraditions@yahoo.com or leave a comment here if you like.

A few thoughts to think about---they do not have to be RR songs from the U S . The songs can be from anywhere---think Marais Miranda---or any other nation you may conjure in your mind that makes you reminiscent of railroading. A few thoughts you might consider---Night Train To Memphis, Pan American, Train To Kimberley, Midnight Special, Wabash Cannonball, and I know you will surely want City of New Orleans---shall we stick with dear departed Steve on this?