Homegrown Music is WVIA-FM's exclusive series which each week showcases the talents of regional contemporary music artists in recordings produced in the WVIA-FM studios by series host George Graham and is broadcast Tuesdays at 9:00 PM and Saturdays at 6 PM on WVIA-HD2. A special feature during February is a Homegrown Music live concert with Mickey Spain and Cancion Franklin & the Family Band on the 11th. Homegrown Music is preempted on February 5 for coverage of the State of the Union address. Further information on Homegrown Music may be obtained via the World Wide Web at http://homegrownmusic.info and http://www.wvia.org/radio/local/homegrown-music/

Feb. 11 A Homegrown Music Concert with CANCIÓN FRANKLIN AND THE FAMILY BAND and MICKEY SPAIN. WVIA’s unique series of monthly live concert broadcasts continues with an evening of singer-songwriters, one electric and one acoustic. Canción Franklin is an Arizona native who came east to attend college at age 18, and has been part of the New York/New Jersey music scene for the past several years, perfecting his personable original songs that have been spotlighted on two EPs released in the past year, including “Stone for Stone” which has just been issued. Franklin and his band put in a memorable Homegrown Music studio session last year, and this time he returns to perform music from his albums and other original material with his electric band live before the studio audience. Cancion Franklin (left) and his band at WVIA Mickey Spain has been part of the folk music scene for many years, performing and recording with such luminaries as Tom Paxton, Noel Paul Stookey, Roger McGuinn and others. He and his brother Liam were part of a group with legendary Irish musician Tommy Makem and his sons. Now residing in Scranton, Mickey Spain is performing solo and will make his Homegrown Music concert debut with his original Irish and Celtic influenced compositions. Mickey Spain As usual, WVIA’s member and listeners are invited to attend the two-hour live concert-broadcast from the station’s Sordoni Theater. Admission is free by reservation, which may be made here. http://www.wvia.org/ Note: start time: 8:00 PM. Feb. 12 Ryan Harris Brown. A Scranton area singer-songwriter, who moved to Nashville to pursue his career, Ryan Harris Brown released a well-received album called “Stranded in the Present Tense.” He returned home for a visit in 2017 and put in a memorable solo session, which is presented in this encore. (Rescheduled from January 8 because of a preemption.) Ryan Harris Brown in the studio at WVIA Feb. 19 The Balkun Brothers. Nick and Steve Balkun are from Upstate New York and play an energetic brand of blues-rock. With Nick on the drums, and Steve simultaneously playing lead guitar and bass parts on his instrument, the duo has a big raw sound that has been attracting audiences nationwide, and on tours in Europe. This is an encore of their second Homegrown Music session from 2017. Nick (left) and Steve Balkun in the studio for Homegrown Music at WVIA Feb. 26 John Michael Hersey. An active singer-songwriter since the 1980s, John Michael Hersey has been involved with various aspects of the music world over the decades, including a stint playing guitar in the doo-wop group The Cadillacs. He has released eight albums, including his most recent “Dreamtime” which has been featured on WVIA’s Mixed Bag. He makes his Homegrown Music debut with a collection of original music, including non-album material, in a solo acoustic setting. John Michael Hersey at WVIA Contact Series Producer: To Homegrown Music Main Page | George Graham's Home Page | What's New on This Site This page last updated [an error occurred while processing this directive]