Saturday from 9-10am & Sunday from 7-8am
June 16th & 17th, 2012 WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio Northampton, MA
Steve from the band Hullabaloo plays his favorite traditional American folk songs about people, places, animals, trains and more. Hear Bruce Springsteen, Dan Zanes, Lisa Loeb, Elizabeth Mitchell and Hullabaloo sing the songs that have been passed down from generation to generation since our country was born.
Featured Video: “Out Standing” from Hullabaloo’s album, Raise a Ruckus. – www.hullabalooband.com
Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem – “The Green Grass Grows All Around” [Ranky Tanky]
Oh, Mary, Don’t You Weep
“This song tells of the triumph of the Jewish people who were delivered from slavery under Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt in biblical times. African-American spirituals often refer to this history because both Jews and African-Americans were once slaves. As with other spirituals, this song helps to unite people in the cause of freedom. “O, mary” recalls the history of those who have suffered great injustice – and also reminds us that it is our responsibily to make sure that, one day, all people who are enslaved or deprived of their rights must be freed from such oppression.” (The Peter Yarrow Songbook: Favorite Folk Songs)
Turn! Turn! Turn!
For thousands of years Ecclesiastes’ beautiful words have inspired and given solace to people all over the world. Pete Seeger was so moved by these words that he set the poem to music in 1961 and added a refrain and a line of his own. The Byrds made history with it in 1965.
“Almost two centuries after the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony in the name of religious freedom, a woman named Ann Lee traveled to America from England to extablish an unorthodox Christian sect commonly called the Shakers. Like the Pilgrims, the Shakers were able to worship freely and without interference from the government. Baed on an English folk tune, this hymn celebrates the Shaker commitment to a simple, nonmaterialistic way of life.” (From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs)
The Fox
“Foxes used to be a great menace to farms, so they were sometimes hunted to stop them from killing small farm animals like ducks and geese. But in this humorous song, we laugh at the farmers, John and Mrs. Flipper Flopper, and cheer for the fox instead. Folk songs like this one teach us that we can see the same story from many points of view and that a sense of humor about ourselves can help make scary events – like the one in this song – a lot less frightening, and just another part of life.” (The Peter Yarrow Songbook: Favorite Folk Songs)
“Nobody knows how or when this story really started. We do know that it was written down in Scotland more than 400 years ago. But it has always been the kind of story that was told and sund to children, instead of being read to them. The grandfathers and grandmothers sang it to the mothers and fathers, adn the mothers and fathers sang it to their children, and finally it got to us. Sometimes the grownups might forget some of the words, and the children would make up words they liked better, and put them in the song. And so the ballad, or story, on down through all these hundreds of years, always changed a little bit as each new person tried to sing it. Everyone oiked his way best. – When America was first discovered and the pople wcame from England and Scotland to live here, they bought this ballad along with them, and they kept on singing it to the children. It spread all over the country with the poeple as they moved… The story of the “Frog and the Mouse” became a part of America, and belongs to all of us today.”
Welcome to Hilltown Families, a grassroots communication network for families living in Western Mass, established in 2005 by hilltown mother and long time activist Sienna Wildfield.
"Hilltown Families keeps us connected with all the amazing educational and cultural activities and resources that abound here in W. Mass and curates them in a way to let us know just what’s out there for the many varied interests of our young families and communities,while creating networks of support and growth." - Kara Kitchen (Plainfield, MA)
The Hilltown Family Variety Show (HFVS) airs Saturday mornings on Valley Free Radio, 103.3FM WXOJ, Northampton, MA from 9-10am with encores on Sunday from 7-8am. Playlist and podcasts are posted immediately following broadcast. Listen to our archived shows at any time: HFVS Archived Shows.
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Information provided on Hilltown Families (HF) is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Reasonable efforts are made to provide the most accurate information, but no guarantees of any kind can be made. Information can be changed without prior notice. Please check with 3rd parties to confirm all listings for date/time, cost, location and age appropriateness before attending. Opinions expressed on HF are that of the writer and not necessarily that of HF. In no event shall HF be liable (directly or indirectly) for any losses or damages causes (or allegedly caused) in connection with HF. All health and wellness related information is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used to substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. All provided links are provided as a courtesy and not as an endorsement.
The exhibit will be on display at the Forbes Library in Northampton for the month of February 2013, and at the City Hall Gallery in Easthampton from Sept 13-Dec 11, 2013. - We're currently booking shows for the Spring/Summer of 2013 and for 2014. Each exhibit is a unique showcase of images that correspond with the season and venue. Contact us to inquire about hosting this fundraising exhibit for Hilltown Families in your town/venue.
