On Sunday’s show we discuss the influence of faith with four artists. From Amsterdam we hear from Mohammed Ali (yes..but not that one) who has been putting messages of peace, love and brotherhood from the Quran into his Graffiti. Paul Martin lets me share a coffee in his garden studio and talks about how his painting tries to echo God’s creation as it ‘becomes’ something. What, you can find out at his forthcoming exhibition at the Henderson Gallery.

We’re joined in the studio by David Martin whose visits to Egypt, Syria and Ethiopia transformed his painting and his spiritual outlook. Jane Frere has also travelled extensively and she will talk about her long journey that started in Poland and ended sharing space in a refugee camp in East Jerusalem.

Music : The Big Dish – Christina’s World
Neil Young – The Painter
Simon and Garfunkel – So Long, Frnk Lloyd Wright
Michael Marra – Frida Kahlo’s Visit to The Taybridge Bar

You can find out more about Mohammed Ali here: www.aerosolarabic.com
Paul Martin’s forthcoming exhibition – ‘Through A Glass Darkly’ is at The Henderson Gallery, Edinburgh from21st August – right through September.
Some of David Martin’s work can be seen here:www.davemartist.com
Return of The Soul, The Nakbeh project is described in great detail here: http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?id=2461&ed=153&edid=153

The link I mentioned is www.alnakbah.net

There is also an amazing video of the installation in Palestine here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRY4RzMSpmg&feature=player_embedded

Here’s the music we played yesterday, Sunday 9th August:

The Pearlfishers – Eco Schools
Marvin Gaye – Mercy, mercy me
Neil Young – Mother Earth
Joni Mitchell- Big Yellow Taxi

I’m reading Waste- Uncovering The Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart and I’m enjoying it very much.

Tristram will be coming in on Sunday and will be joined by Carol Ann Alcorn from The Cyrenians FareShare Project as well as Alison Hilliard from ARC.
They will be discussing the environmental implications of throwing away vast amounts of food from our own kitchens as well as from supermarkets
and food wholesalers.

We also have a contribution from Mark Dowd from Operation Noah. If tou get a chance look at Mark’s Channel 4 programme called God is Green on the Operation Noah website. http://www.operationnoah.org/highlighted/newwebsite/god-green-channel-4-documentary-presented-mark-dowd

I think you will find Mark’s encounters with various clerics very interesting and (like them) fairly challenging.

We will also have Aeshan Akhtar joining us. Zeshan is a Zooligist with Scottish Natural Heritage whose Muslim faith has led her to believe that Muslims here in Scotland should be caring more for their planet.

I will probably mention some of these sites in the course of the show, so if you’d like to learn more about what we’re discussing you can see Alison’s organisation here: www.arcworld.org, Mark Dowd’s organisation here www.operationnoah.org.

We also mention a future Eco Congregation Conference in Edinburgh and you can find out about that here: www.ecocongregation.org/scotland .

Lastly the work of Fareshare and Edinburgh Cyrenians is highlighted here: www.cyrenians.org.uk/Edinburghcyreniansourservices/foodandhealth.html

Once you’ve listened to all of this Sunday Brunch will never quite be the same again. Tune in at 8.

Thanks folks…it’s lovely to get feedback. It makes broadcasting feel more focussed. A couple of updates:

On the asylum seekers the story we told of Helen Bih has a fairly typical follow on. Her case review – due to be held on 29th of July – was postponed. As I write this there is no further news but I will pass on any when I hear.

This coming Sunday we’re talking food, waste and how different faiths are learning to love God’s planet a little more. It looks as if we’ll have some very interesting conversations regarding what we throw away and what we keep.

Last week we played some music connected to our discussions on painting and spirituality. Along the way we talked too with Midge Ure about Band/Live Aid. if you’re not sure about any particular song then this list might help.

When I Paint My Masterpiece – Bob Dylan

A Case of You – K.D. Lang

Bad – U2

Closer to the Light – Bruce Cockburn

Some good stuff coming up this week-end. It all starts at 8 o’clock on Sunday Morning.

Just to let you know we’re playing some lovely music on Sunday mornings. In case you missed it here’s what’s been played so far….

week 1

Sunday Morning Coming Down – Kris Kristofferson
Oh No – Andrew Bird  
Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder

week 2

Sunday Morning – Matthew sweet and Susanna Hoffs
God Bless The Child  – Billie Holiday
God Loves Everyone – Ron Sexsmith
I’ve Got that Old Time Religion in My Heart  – Iris Dement

week 3

Sunday Morning (Up and Down Our Street) – Gretchen Peters
People Get Ready – The Impressions
Many Rivers To Cross – Jimmy Cliff
Across The Border – Bruce Springsteen

Happy Summer Everyone

I decided to start the blog a little earlier than I meant to as I’m currently in the middle of a new Radio Scotland show called……erm…Ricky Ross.

The show goes out on Sunday mornings as part of Radio Scotland’s religious/moral/ethical output. Normally Sally Magnusson would be on the wireless at that time on a Sunday morning but she will be back in September.

if you go to BBC iplayer and type in my name you can hear last Sunday’s programme. The last show featured the personal stories of Scottish Asylum seekers. Listening to Helen’s story is incredibly moving and I have to say it still shocks me to learn how cruelly these people can be treated by our government in our name.

Along the way I’ve had some amazing opportunities to speak to some great people. The links below are connected to the Arran conservation trip and the other link is for the Scottish Refugee Council. Alison Phipps (another guest on the show) was prompted to carry out some fantastic voluntary work after she heard an appeal on the radio. I do hope this broadcast might encourage people to do something similar.

there’s lots of other things happening with music in my life too at the moment but I’ll deal with more of that soon. Next sunday I will be speaking to Midge Ure and it is great to hear how much his Band Aid experience made such a difference to his own outlook on the world. it’s all on Radio Scotland @ 8 a.m. Sunday.

http://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/

http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/btcv_scotland

If you are interested in some of the items we have looked at already you might find this one quite good fun on fundamentalism:

http://www.ajjacobs.com/content/home.asp

Over the next wee while I will also let you know more about the music we are playing too. Keep dropping by.

On Friday night I went to 12th and Porter – a really great rock and roll club – to see a band called King Billy. ( I know – let’s hope for their sake they don’t break big in Glasgow) The band have been put together by Trey Bruce, a songwriter with whom I have worked as well as being a VP of Chrysalis Publishing and a producer. At the moment Great American Country (MTV type country channel) have been following the band around on the road. There seems to be a real buzz about them and they are interesting as they haven’t yet released a record and have no radio support – only TV. We’ll play a track on Tuesday night that will probably go on the album when it gets released. Hey don’t tell me we’ve not got all the inside scoops!

Talking about radio, it’s always confused me how you would have more chance of hearing the artists we feature in on BBC Scotland in Scotland than you would in Nashville. There is no FM station that plays Americana apart from the odd spot play on Lightning 100 – though, so far I’ve not heard one. The Legend WSM is a medium-wave station (“somethings sound better on AM” was their tag line) and occasionally plays Americana but certainly wouldn’t stray very far into alt country. I suppose you do what I do – check out the record shops and play your alt country soundtrack. I am however really enjoying the local college station who hooked me with beck’s new version of Dylan’s Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat from the new War Child album. It was also here that I heard a truly great show called Nashville Jumps and a great version of Farmer John by Don and Dewey. if you can find that record, let me know.

I worked over the weekend with a new artist called Gabe Dixon. Gabe is that rare breed a
Nashvillean who grew up here. He made is first solo album in L.A. and immediately after was asked to play piano on the Paul McCartney ‘Driving Rain’ album. After that he was asked if he’s like to join the band, but declined as his own album was coming out and he needed to be there to work it. However he did, he told me, get to do one show with Macca – and for that – and Paul asking him to he play “The Long and Winding Road” so he could be freed up to play bass – he’s extremely grateful. Very nice guy and great singer and writer.

News today is that we’ve missed a couple of Tornadoes and the weather has cleared up. The sun is shining. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s show. We’ll be on air at 2 but you folk join us at 8.

img_0039.JPG

Nashville’s Music Row hosts the hopes and dreams of thousands of young musicians. The major record companies, publishers and management announce any new successes with freshly printed banners on their offices on 16th or 17th Avenues. Some bands stick to the age old guerilla marketing techniques.

img_0046.JPG

img_0052.JPG