It's that time of the month again. Local rocker Ken Hardley will host the December edition of The Woodsongs Coffeehouse Radio Hour, which will be recorded in front of a live audience tonight at the Labyrinth Press Company.
The show, the local affiliate of the nationally syndicated Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, features a combination of interviews and performances.
Local singer/songwriter Cindy Haight and blues trio Blue Magoo will be Hardley's guests. As always, admission to the all-ages live recording will be free, and the show will air multiple times on WRFA-LP in January.
Hardley described Haight as an almost ubiquitous musical fixture in the Jamestown area.
"Cindy is known for her powerful, bluesy voice," he said. "Her songs explore the essence of the blues, the unrealistic expectations and predictable heartbreak of relationships. Her songs describe the concomitant pessimism and optimism, hope and disappointment, that all romantic attachments bring with them."
In more than a decade, Haight has played solo, in bands and has been an active supporter of many local causes and benefits. She hosts a rockabilly show on WRFA-LP and performs regularly at the Great Blue Heron Music Festival.
In 2009, she released her independent album "Songs of Love and Haight."
Jamestown's Blue Magoo consists of three longtime area musicians: guitarist Bump Spencer, bassist Jeff White and percussionist Jerry Wdowiesz.
Hardley described Spencer as "the quintessential veteran," White as "one of the finest bass players around" and Wdowiesz as "steady and skillful."
In addition to Hardley, Haight and Blue Magoo, blues musician Bess Raynor will join in on the night's opening and closing songs. Typically, all of the show's musicians, including Hardley, will join together for the evening's closing number.
"This, Woodsongs show No. 11, is going to provide proof that the Jamestown area can bring, along with many other kinds of music, the blues," Hardley said. "It will feature fabulous blues vocals from the pipes of two fine women singers as well as near virtuosity on the instruments. This stage is going to move."
The recording will begin at 7, but Hardley asks attendees to seat themselves by 6:45. The show will air on WRFA-LP 107.9 FM and www.wrfalp.com on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m., on Friday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. and on Sunday Jan. 8 at 2 p.m.
The November installment of Woodsongs, which featured 10,000 Maniacs guitarist Jeff Erickson and ukulele player Cammy Enaharo, is now posted on www.wrfalp.com. The show features Neil Young's "Helpless" as the closing song.
The Labyrinth is located at 12 E. Fourth St. in Jamestown. For more, call 708-2471.