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‘Back Room Radio Hour’ To Present Christmas Special Thursday

Trinity Guitars’ annual “Back Room Radio Hour” Christmas special will feature performances by several local and area musicians during the program’s live taping on Thursday. Scheduled to appear in this year’s program are Bill Ward, Teal Weatherly, Steve Davis, Jk.A, John Cross, Marla Harris, Abby Beach, Don Strom, Steve Strom, Barbara Jean, Steve Strickland and Gregg Robbins-Welty. Submitted photo

Trinity Guitars’ tradition of hosting several local and regional musicians in a Christmas special will continue with a live taping of “Back Room Radio Hour” on Thursday.

The guitar store’s monthly radio program, a WRFA-LP 107.9 FM-affiliate, will feature some hometown favorites in the form of music makers, along with some memories and surprises, in its special Christmas-themed episode; beginning at 7 p.m.

Hosted by Chautauqua County musician Bill Ward, the show typically aims to feature live performances of two independent artists from the northeastern U.S. Each show has also highlighted a community, regional or world service organization. This will be the fifth consecutive year in which Trinity Guitars has presented a Christmas special.

“This has been a tradition for us, and we’re going to have several friends — both old and new — joining us for the occasion,” Ward said. “I am a fan of Christmas, and of the sort of traditional Christmas specials. (‘Back Room Radio Hour’) is already set up for this type of special because we use an old-style ‘gather around one microphone process,’ which really works well.”

Scheduled to appear in this year’s program are Ward, Teal Weatherly, Steve Davis, Jk.A, John Cross, Marla Harris, Abby Beach, Don Strom, Steve Strom, Barbara Jean, Steve Strickland and Gregg Robbins-Welty. The songs to be performed include several traditional Christmas songs, along with some of Ward’s original Christmas songs.

The show will also feature a conversation with Tom Franco, owner of Joe Z Coffee on Forest Avenue in Jamestown and co-organizer of the Cup of Joe Campaign, a group of local coffee shops who have formed a coalition to raise awareness of the suicide prevention efforts underway in the area from October through December.

Among the organizational efforts highlighted by the Cup of Joe Campaign are those of The Community Alliance for Suicide Prevention, which was formed in 2011 to educate community members on suicide prevention and intervention and provide resources for how to find help in a crisis or non-crisis situation. The Alliance also provides various trainings on how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, and how to promote protective factors to maintain and increase through a journey of recovery.

Tom Franco will be joined by his daughter, Julie, the director of the “Hope Chautauqua Coalition,” and his wife, Patty, with whom he owns Joe Z Coffee.

“Back Room Radio Hour” draws from an expansive pool of local and regional talent to showcase independent artists in an hour-long program of performances and interviews taped in-house before a live studio audience. The show is recorded live for a 7 p.m. broadcast the following Monday evening on 107.9 WRFA Radio in Jamestown. It is also streamed on wrfalp.com.

There is no cost to attend a taping session of “Back Room Radio Hour,” but it is preferable that those interested in attending reserve their seats by contacting Trinity Guitars at 665-4490 or trinityguitarsbill@gmail.com. Reservations may also be made by visiting trinityguitars.com or via the event’s Facebook page, “BRRH 2016 Christmas Special.” It is recommended that attendees arrive at 6:30 p.m. to ensure the program begins on time.

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