I've put off writing this post for several days because I don't want to believe that "Live From Here," Chris Thile's excellent musical showcase and successor show to "A Prairie Home Companion," is over. During the years that my local NPR station, KWMU, carried it, "Live From Here"'s impressively eclectic representation of wide-ranging musical genres was a weekly highlight. While I take solace in knowing that the program's recent cancellation wasn't due to a lack of quality, it's unfortunate that the complications of performing live music during the Covid-19 pandemic led to its end...
...but only for the time being, I hope. I'd like to believe the program will return, in some incarnation, with another distributor. A platform that allows such musicians as Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, Sara Watkins, and Thile to present their trifecta of singing, playing, and songwriting excellence week after week deserves a permanent place on the airwaves.
If you haven't heard the show, seek out clips of it on YouTube. Then, if you have the audacity, tell me you aren't impressed or moved by...
...the Christmas treat of Chris Thile leading the audience in singing "All Through The Night."
...Sarah Jarosz's range as a vocalist on excellent covers of everything from Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine" to Janelle Monae's "Tightrope" and heartfelt live versions of her own songs, including "Hometown," a highlight of her new release, "World On The Ground."
...Sara Watkins performing Laurie Anderson's experimental piece, "Only An Expert." It always impresses me when any musician can interpret a song that's uniquely tailored to its original writer/performer so convincingly. (See also my reference to "Extraordinary Machine" above.)
...Aoife O'Donovan's cover of Joni Mitchell's "Coyote."
...the musician birthdays segment, in which Thile and company salute an extremely wide range of performers, ranging from Cab Calloway to Donna Summer. Few musicians besides Thile and his performers can pull off Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" and a piece by Francis Poulenc with equal aplomb.
...Thile's positivity and showmanship. He always sounds pleased to introduce, interview, and accompany his guests on mandolin and vocals.
And, if all of that isn't enough for you...
Hosts and performers as versatile and talented as Thile and company are rare, so I hope I hear them all on the air again very soon. These past four years have flown by so quickly...
...but I'm thankful to have had "Live From Here" as a weekly pick-me-up. Here's hoping this isn't truly its end.
